November 3rd, 2020

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NOV. 3 - NOV. 9, 2020

FEATURES

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

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Get off the couch!

Movie Analysis: ‘The Babadook’

What Día de Los Muertos means

By Daisy Carter news2@thenorthernlight.org

Dia de Los Muertos is often thought of as a “Mexican Halloween,” but in reality, Dia de Los Muertos is a Latian holiday to celebrate the dead.

It isn’t scary, it is a holiday to celebrate loved ones that have passed on. It is celebrated from Nov. 1-2, with each day representing different things. ‌ The first day is also known as “Dia de Los Angelitos” or “Day of the Children.” On this day, people celebrate the children that have passed on.

Unlike the second day, Dia de Los Angelitos is the whole day dedicated solely to children that have died .

The second day is called “Dia de Los Difuntos” or “Day of the Deceased,” and takes place from 12 a.m.-12 p.m. on Nov. 2.

During this time, all of the adults who have passed on are celebrated. 12 p.m. and beyond is officially called “Dia de Los Muertos” or “Day of the Dead” and everyone is celebrated. ‌ Dia de Los Muertos was created by the Aztecs according to History.com.

They believed in a cyclical view of the world, and saw death as an integral part of life. The Aztecs would perform rituals to help the deceased pass through into the afterlife and so that their soul could find peace. In these rituals, they would place tools and food for the dead to help them on their journey.

This was how it became custom to have a display called an “Ofrenda.”‌ An Ofrenda is a display of the deceased, decorated with the dead’s favorite foods and drinks. It is usually accompanied by sugar

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skulls with the deceased person’s name on them.

These sugar skulls are also decorated with flowers since Dia de Los Muertos is meant to be a celebration of death. ‌ Along with the food and drinks of the deceased on the Ofrenda there is also a trail of golden marigold flowers leading from the door to the Ofrenda.

The trail is supposed to help the deceased find their way into the house and to the food and drinks on display. The flowers also symbolize a happy path to the dead and show respect for the ones who have passed on. ‌ Dia de Los Muertos has been portrayed in many films such as “Coco” and “The Book of Life.” Both films provide a great example of what celebrating Dia de los Muertos is really like. ‌ On Halloween night, the Latino Student Union gathered together virtually to celebrate. The event featured a 30 question Kahoot trivia game with questions about Dia de Los Muertos. The prize for winning was a sugar skull mask, a tee shirt with dancing skeletons and little sugar glass skulls. At the end of the event, there was a showing of “The Book of Life.”‌ “This was more than we could have asked for, especially during this time.” Javier Acunia said. ‌ The UAA Latino Student Union is always looking for new members, if you or someone you know is interested in joining, you can sign up on their UAA life page.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF RODRIGO CRUZ WITH MEXICO DESCONOSIDO.

Dia de Los Muertos celebrates the dead over two days.

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Movie Analysis: ‘The Babadook’ “The Babadook” was a horror film that was released on Nov. 28, 2014. It was directed and written by Jenniffer Kent. It is not rated, and not suitable for a young audience. ‌ “The Babadook” follows Amelia and her son, Samuel, as they are plagued by a cursed book. It stars Essie Davis as Amelia and Noah Wiseman as Samuel. ‌ Amelia lost her husband while driving on their way to the hospital to deliver Samuel. She never directly says that she hates her son, but it is clear that she blames Samuel for the car crash. She is constantly insulting and belittling her son and constantly asks why he can’t be normal. She works at a retirement home and struggles to go through the day without thinking about her dead husband. ‌ Samuel is a peculiar boy with a wide imagination. Since his mother is constantly insulting him, he has to come up with his own ways of entertainment, like doing magic tricks for an audience of stuffed animals or making a contraption that shoots at the babadook. He also speaks his mind often, which results in some uncomfortable conversations. He tells almost everyone when they first meet that his father died while driving his mother to the hospital. ‌ At the beginning of the film, he keeps waking his mother to tell her that there is a monster in the house and she reassures him that there isn’t. ‌ Samuel likes his mother to read him a bedtime story before bed. He often picks the same one, but one night he picks out one that Amelia has never seen before called “The Babadook.” After they read this horrifying book depicting Amelia

killing the dog and Samuel, she throws the book out. ‌ Samuel then tells his cousin that the babadook is real, and will kill her mother.

Amelia is constantly telling him to stop bringing up the babadook. ‌ Even though she throws the book out and tears it apart, the book keeps reappearing and the monster that goes by the name Babadook starts haunting both of them. This results in them not being able to sleep, and thus the babadook gets stronger and stronger the longer they don’t sleep. ‌ “The Babadook” has won over 50 awards and was also screened at Sundance.‌ When asked if Kent would ever make a sequel to the film, she said that it didn’t matter how much money she is offered, ”The Babadook” is not meant to have a sequel, according to IMDB. ‌ I think I saved the best for last when it comes to horror movies. “The Babadook” is not for the faint of heart. It has a smallbudget feel, but manages to scare better than most mainstream horror films. ‌ When looking at horror films, “The Babadook” takes the cake. It is a perfect blend of character development and actual horror. Not only is the babadook a truly terrifying monster, but you never really see all of the Babadook clearly on screen, which leaves you to fill in what the rest of it looks like.‌ The relationship and growth between Amelia and Samuel is really nice and gives the characters depth. In most horror movies, you never really see complex characters like these. ‌ The climax of the film is very intense

IMAGE COURTESY OF PINTEREST

and you don’t really know what’s “You cant get rid of...the Babadook” is a reoccurring line in the film. going to happen. The ending also has a very nice resolution, yet dook” for yourself, it is available on shudstill leaves you with the haunting feeling der. ‌ that the Babadook is always watching. It Do you have any recommendations on is definitely a new favorite film of mine what films I should look into next? Send and has successfully made me terrified of your suggestions to news2@thenorthernbig red books. ‌ light.org. ‌ If you would like to stream “The baba-

IMAGE COURTESY OF BEST WALLPEPER.COM

The Babadook is an unrated horror film that has won over 50 awards and was showed at Sundance.

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“Online ads provide an alternative way of advertising and the ability to reach virtual readers. The Northern Light provides an opportunity to reach students, faculty and members of the community. With roughly 4 digital issues per month, over 5,000 Facebook followers and over 3,300 Twitter followers you can connect your business to a variety of media users.�

ONLINE PACKAGES There are three parts to an online ad package where ad images are featured: The Northern Light website (both the digital paper and the website itself), The Northern Light Facebook page, and The Northern Light Twitter page. Facebook and Twitter shoutouts will consist of three posts a week on each platform.This ensures that advertisers reach an optimal amount of viewers every week. Media ad content is especially useful during this time and a more affordable price compared to print advertisements.

ONLINE PACKAGE BREAKDOWN (OFF CAMPUS): Online ads (digital paper & website): $150 per week/ $550 per month Facebook shoutout: $75 per week/ $275 per month Instagram shoutout: $75 per week/ $275 per month Total:

$300 per week/ $1100 per month

For more information, please reach out to admanager@thenorthernlight.org.

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Get off the couch

By Christina Swayney features1@thenorthernlight.org

Get off the couch and enjoy some fun activities in and around Anchorage or virtually from the comforts of home.

Gather-Film Screening and Indigenous Panel Discussion

What: Cast a ballot in-person at UAA, which is an official polling place for the 2020 Election.

What: Join the UAA community and watch “Gather,” a film that “tells the story about Indian resilience and the renaissance of Native food systems,” according to the film’s website. There will be a discussion after the film with an indigenousled panel and the director, Sanjay Rawal.

When: Nov. 3, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

When: Nov. 5, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: UAA Student Union in the upstairs lounge (SU215). Remember to bring your Wolfcard to access the building.

Where: This is a virtual event and the link to register for the event, as well as where to view it, is available on the UAA Student Calendar.

Cost: Free

Cost: Free

Practicing Mindfulness with Amina

Spill Your Ink

What: Join the UAA Employee Wellness Program as they provide complimentary virtual wellness breaks that focus on mental and physical health.

What: This will be a night of storytelling about tattoos.

When: Nov. 4, 12:30-1 p.m.

Where: This is a virtual event and the link to attend is available on the UAA Student Calendar.

UAA Virtual and On-Campus Events: Vote on Campus

Where: This is a virtual event and the Zoom link can be found on the UAA Student Calendar.

Cost: Free

When: Nov. 6, 6-8 p.m.

Cost: Free Anchorage Events:

GRAPHIC BY MICHAELINE COLLINS

Alaska Outdoors weekly evening hike: Upper O’Malley Trailhead

November First Friday: Live Music from the Pratt Museum

What: Enjoy an intermediate hike while also socializing in the great outdoors.

What: Enjoy live music streamed live from the Pratt Museum, as well as a sneak peek at upcoming exhibits.

When: Nov. 5, 6:30-8 p.m.

Where: The hike is scheduled to be at the Upper O’Malley Trailhead but the location may change. Updates can be found on the Alaska Outdoors website.

Cost: Free, but a $1 donation is suggested

Where: This is a virtual event. More information and a link to the event can be found on the Pratt Museum’s Facebook page.

Cost: Free

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REPORTS

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UPD report: Oct 19 - 26, 2020 Total calls for service: 281 Unlock calls: 10 •

October 19: Warrant service on Lake Otis & E. 36th Street.

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October 20: Suspicious activity at University Police Department.

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October 20: Traffic Offense Lake Otus & E. 36th Street.

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October 25: Trespass at the Engineering parking garage.

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October 26: Assault in the Fourth Degree in the State of Washington.

All information is provided by the University of Alaska Anchorage Police Department.

STAFF CONTACTS

A S S O C I AT E D CO L L E G I AT E P R ES S

3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508‌

Managing Editor John Novotny content@thenorthernlight.org

Executive Editor Gabby Vance (806) 437-8805 editor@thenorthernlight.org‌

News Reporter Daisy Carter news2@thenorthernlight.org‌

Layout Editor / Graphic Designer Michaeline Collins media@thenorthernlight.org‌

Multimedia Editor Lillie Younkins multimedia@thenorthernlight.org‌

Features Reporter Christina Swayney features1@thenorthernlight.org‌

Media Adviser Paola Banchero‌ Administrative Adviser Zac Clark‌

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See our job listings at careers.alaska.edu.

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