January 19, 2016

JANUARY 19-26, 2016

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The legend’s greatest hits: Remembering David Bowie

Jim Johnsen instates travel and hiring freeze for UA

The issues that bring students out to vote

PHOTO BY JAMES EVANS

Election officials hand out “I Voted Today” stickers to students as they cast ballots during early voting in UAA’s Student Union during the 2014 elections.

By Kathryn Casello

kcasello@thenorthernlight.org

In a 2015 poll conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post, 1,004 adults nationwide voted either the economy, terrorism, health care, immigration or tax policy as the most important issue in their choice for president. Many stud-

ies show that even if voters have a wide variety of opinions on different topics, one or two issues are the main factors in making decisions about which candidate to support.

Joye Sumner, a first-year UAA student, major undeclared, went to West High School. Sumner said that reproductive rights and Planned Parenthood healthcare funding are also important to

her.

“The abortion controversy of lawfully restricting abortions is important to me because it’s unethical for that to be determined for another person,” said Sumner.

“That topic linked with the defunding of Planned Parenthood should be discussed because if you look at what the statistics of what they provide, it’s illogical to defund something that many women seek

as a resource.”

Sumner’s thoughts on reproductive rights and healthcare seem to be in line with Alaskan legislation. In August of 2015, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the state must pay for medically necessary abortions if it pays for other proce-

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Ski team sixth in Utah Invitational; finishes out Montana State Invite

PHOTO BY ADAM EBERHARDT

Mackenzie Kanady, racing last February, is one of six seniors on the UAA Ski Team.

By Nolin Ainsworth

sports@thenorthernlight.org

The UAA Ski team has been busy since bringing in the new year. The Alpine team began their season four days into 2016 with races in Park City, Utah.

Similarly, the Nordic team raced in their

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first out-of-state meet a week later in nearby Soldier Hollow.

It was the first taste of NCAA skiing for three of the six freshmen welcomed to the Seawolf family this fall. Marcus Deuling, Toomas Kollo, Tony Naciuk, Sadie Fox, Luca Winkler, Maria Gudmundsdottir, and Alix Wells are in their

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first season with the team.

Gone are Andrew Arnold, Brandon Brewster, Davis Dunlap, Vanessa Berther, Anna Berecz and James Schindler, members of the 2014-15 squad that finished in ninth at last year’s NCAA Skiing Championships in Lake Placid, New York. The team named Berecz the newest assistant coach for the alpine team over the summer.

The Seawolves finished in sixth place in the Utah Invitational with 384 points.

Winning the meet, with 632 points, was the University of Utah. Skiers Kanady and Charley Field posted top 10 finishes in the 5K and slalom, respectively. As of press time, the results of the Montana State Invitational were not available, which wrapped up Tuesday.

The Northern Light spoke with associate coach Andrew Kastning, who heads up the Nordic team, about the unique challenges of gathering a team coming off break in Salt Lake City, the ways he prepares his skiers, and more.

The Northern Light: Do you have enough people around you to help coordinate the logistics of gathering the team in Utah when skiers are arriving at different times?

Kastning: “Yeah, we wear many hats as a ski coach. On the Nordic side we have

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two paid staff, myself and assistant Sara Studebaker-Hall ... You have to be ready to for any curveballs, like flight delays, which we had a couple coming into Utah.

Sara was there with the early group and she had to do three or four runs from Park City down to Salt Lake City to get my group and some of the other stragglers.

Then after that, you get to settle in to the ski coaching role, which does involve waxing a lot of skis and testing different waxes to find the best one. Then you have to have knowledge of ski flex and ski structure and help athletes pick the best ski. And then you get to be a motivator, a mentor and excited about the kids who do well or the ones that are showing improvement and also pick up the one who are disappointed in their race.”

Do you expect some different racing conditions in Montana than Utah?

“I do, yeah. Soldier Hollow had more snow than they’ve had in several years, but they have a lot of man-made snow mixed in which creates a much firmer surface and plays to a very powerful skier. For some of our athletes, they’re good skiers, but not really in that catego-

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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

| 02

VOTE: single concerns draw voters CONTINUED FROM COVER

dures deemed medically necessary.

Elijah Kahula, a resident student at UAA, said the economy is an issue that he also thinks is important.

“Tax reform is an important domestic issue to me because I feel that wealth distribution is unfair,” said Kahula. “I feel like that’s in part because the way our government caters to the one percent.

I like the Berns because he’s all about domestic issues. Down with Wall Street, and all that.”

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has referenced economic reform, education and healthcare reform as critical issues throughout his campaign.

Sticking with the theme of economics, Sumner said strategies involving the minimum wage are part of her consideration for candidates.

“It’s important to me because it’s a big disadvantage when minimum wage rises a lot,” said Sumner. “It dissuades me and probably other people from getting an education that although would be better for individuals and for the economy overall, people want to go with a practical choice.”

While Sumner’s concerns about losing incentivizes for higher education were echoed by some, nearly 70 percent of Alaskans voted to increase the minimum wage to $8.75 in 2014. Economic issues are often the source of political controversy.

Robert Hockema, a Community Assistant for North Hall and political science major, referenced federal spending as one of his top voting priorities.

“A candidate that refuses to re-prioritize our spending efforts is not going to get my vote,” said Hockema. “I really appreciate Rand Paul’s style of fiscal conservatism; we can’t just be tossing money around. We still have a national debt that’s approaching $20 trillion. The excuse that we can’t give veterans ade-

quate healthcare because we don’t have enough money to pay for it is affecting lives.”

Hockema is also part of UAA’s Seawolf Debate program and participates in UAA’s Planned Parenthood chapter, Generation Action.

Zachary Christy, a history major who was recently in Europe, referenced immigration and education as critical issues.

“I have in the last couple years been doing a lot of traveling abroad and with the refugee crisis coming out of Syria, there’s a lot of split opinions on what our moral obligation is to those people,” said Christy. “I think Alaskans are involved with this issue; we’re one of the most diverse states in the nation, and since we all come from a lot of different areas in the world, immigration effects all of us.”

Christy said he wants presidential candidates to discuss what would their plan of action be to create job, education and housing opportunities for refugees and immigrants in order to avoid government welfare dependency. Along with immigration, Christy stressed the importance of education reform.

“I think a lot of rhetoric is being spread around, especially by Bernie Sanders, about what education should look like.

I think he brings up really good points about how European countries conduct their education systems, specifically college and how it’s paid for by taxes. I think that appeals to a lot of college students.”

The General Election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. USA Today’s 2016 Presidential Poll Tracker showing Donald Trump and Ted Cruz leading in Republican polls and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders leading in Democratic polls.

PHOTOS BY JAMES EVANS

Students mark their 2014 election ballots during early voting in UAA’s Student Union.

Students arrive to take advantage of early voting in UAA’s Student Union during the 2014 elections

Alaska’s Primary Election is on Aug. 16, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. In order to vote in this election, you must be registered to vote, or update any registration information, by July 17. To vote in the General Election registration or registration updates must be completed by Sept. 4. More information can be found on https://www.elections.alaska.gov/.

UAA Psychology students make a freezing jump for cancer

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

Many in the Anchorage area are familiar with the Polar Plunge. The event benefiting the Special Olympics is infamous for the harrowing jump into the freezing Goose Lake that participants must take. In Seward, the Polar Plunge has an even more grandiose counterpart: the Polar Bear Jump, which took place on Saturday, Jan. 16.

For 31 years, jumpers have been raising money for the American Cancer Society, or ACS, an organization that works to research, prevent, and detect all forms of cancer, as well as support those who have it. For seven of those years, psychology professor Robert Boeckmann has been proud to make the plunge.

“I started jumping because I lost my father to cancer back in 2007,” said Robert. “That year I didn’t jump, I was actively grieving. But within a couple years, I’d heard about it, and I thought it would make me feel better to do this work for other people and support families who are facing similar kinds of things.”

Robert is the leader of “UAA is Psyched for a Cure,” a five-member team from UAA’s Psychology department. According to Robert, the Jump fits well with the department’s area of study.

“I’m also a social psychologist, so I engage the students in this kind of activity in part because one topic area in my course is about social or altruistic behavior like giving to the community or giving to others, and this is kind of a way of engaging that in a real world scenario,” said Robert.

Robert is joined by four other students, three of which have never jumped before. All of them have their own reasons for making the plunge. Divina Trevethan

is a volunteer for ACS who is also jumping for Boeckmann’s team.

“Doing work in the community is really important to me, and I think cancer is something that affects everybody,” said Trevethan. “Whether or not it’s your own diagnosis, or the diagnosis of a friend or family member, or even if you’re just worried about it. I think a lot of people are worried about getting cancer in the future.”

Ariel Moilanen, a psychology student and fellow team member, has more personal reasons.

“All three living grandparents have all dealt with cancer in some way,” said Moilanen. “They’ve been pretty lucky. Then I lost an uncle who was pretty near and dear to my whole family to cancer. He was one of the more altruistic people I ever knew.”

Brock Tucker, who could not join the rest of the team for the interview, has raised $2000. Like Robert, he’s been making the jump for a few years now.

Aiden Boeckmann, Robert’s son, has a much more simple reason.

“For me, it’s sort of a family thing,” said Aiden. “He’s done it for seven years, since I was eleven. I’ve wanted to do it pretty much since then.”

This is Aiden’s first eligible year for the jump: minors under 18 are not allowed to make the jump for safety reasons. He hit a big milestone for the team when the Bear Tooth Theaterpub agreed to double his donations at the end of it all. This is the Boeckmann family’s first corporate donation.

Robert assured that while many charities have faced scandals for misappropriating funds, the ACS uses its funds in a responsible manner. Of the $10,215 that “UAA is Psyched for a Cure” has raised, about 75 percent ($7,661.25) of it actually goes to treating, preventing, and educating about cancer. Trevethan, as a volunteer, sees that money go to things like therapeutic classes for patients, among other small things that help make

a patient’s life as comfortable as possible.

“The funds go in a lot of different directions,” said Trevethan.

The other 25 percent goes to administration and fundraising costs, and this is an area where the Polar Bear Jump gets a bit extravagant.

“In Anchorage, the Polar Plunge is one little thing in one part of Anchorage. But in Seward, this thing takes over the whole town and everyone is festive,” said Robert.

Robert likened the Polar Bear Jump as more of a midwinter weekend getaway than the Polar Plunge, with events like a parade or turkey bowling keeping residents involved at a consistent basis. The rest of the team conceded that while the Polar Plunge is a worthy event, they wished more Anchorage residents would give the Polar Bear Jump a look.

While the team has raised a lot of money, they remained anxious about the jump itself.

“I’m not particularly the strongest swimmer, so I already have a game plan of grabbing on to Ariel’s leg, or Brock’s beard or something,” said Trevethan.

Aiden remained confident about the jump, however.

“I’m not actually that nervous,” said Aiden. “I’ve seen him [Robert] do it a bunch of times, and he’s got it all worked out. He knows exactly what to wear and what to bring.”

The jumpers are always accompanied by experienced divers to ensure their safety after they jump. Often, other participants greet jumpers out of the water with towels and other warm accommodations.

As of publication, “UAA is Psyched for a Cure” is the third highest donor for the event, with Robert being the second top individual donor. Overall, the 20 teams have donated a total of $85,147.37. The team relies on friends, families and social media to accrue donations.

In the future, they hope to raise even more.

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

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It’s still too early for VR In the year 2013, an alien brain slug from one of the galaxy’s most feared empires crash-landed on Earth and assumed control of a lowly reporter at this newspaper.

These are his stories.

By Klax Zlubzecon

Translated by George Hyde Every time I see humans gush about the latest technological fad, I chuckle and think to myself, “Oh, how cute. The humans have come up with another weird way to do what we slugs do on a regular basis.”

Light-speed travel, solar energy, deadly laser technology, mass assimilation… you name it, we’re already on it. When you have thousands and thousands of species’ worth of technological progress, it’s hard not to be on the bleeding edge.

Today’s topic is virtual reality, or VR. I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while now, but now that Oculus has finally unveiled the price tag on their Rift product, I think now’s as good a time as any.

Virtual reality, as you humans perceive it, is very similar to 3-D technology. Typically, the user would wear a headset or helmet that projects a different image to each eye, giving the illusion of being surrounded by a virtual space.

The average brain slug cannot experience virtual reality. Despite the thousands of technologically advanced races we’ve engulfed, nobody makes VR helmets that small. That’s because we don’t want it. With a massive hive mind system, we have enough on our minds as it is. We get it on a regular basis naturally when we assume direct control of a helpless being. We see the world through their eyes. It’d be pretty difficult to control something if you couldn’t see or hear where it was going, after all.

We definitely do not use VR to play games, watch movies or pretend we’re really flying in the air in a weird flying machine. That’s too frivolous. Why do

that when we could just hop on a bird and fly ourselves?

Yet, you humans continue to gawk and drool over the latest clunky $600 headsets at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Granted, you’ve never had the experience of seeing the world through someone else’s eyes, and even we can’t wander into virtual worlds created by others. For the human species, this is a new frontier in sensation.

However, for most people, it may as well not exist. There are still many challenges that I’m not convinced will be won for many, many years.

Let’s use my host, George, as an example. He’s an everyman. He talks about games and movies on a regular basis, so he should “get” this stuff, right?

He doesn’t like the 3-D movie trend, but at least he was in a good enough physical and financial situation to try it for a movie or two before coming to that conclusion.

Unlike 3-D movies, physical and financial hurdles are huge for VR. Let’s start with the obvious example: money. $600 is not a small sum of money, and that’s just for the headset; you’ll also need a competent gaming PC to run it, which could potentially double that price.

If you’re a college student — and I presume you probably are, if you’re reading this paper — then that $1,200 is better off going towards books, supplies or a decent meal plan. If a person cannot afford to spend $1,200 on a whim to try VR, then for that person, VR may as well not exist.

3-D movie tickets are expensive, but at least that price is low enough to maybe give it a shot if you’ve got a spare $15.

The barrier to entry is much, much lower.

3-D movies also have the luxury of hav-

ing 3-D glasses that fit snugly over existing prescription glasses.

George’s eyes suck. They really, really suck. He can maybe see a foot in front of him before things go blurry, if he’s lucky on a good day. With glasses, his vision is practically perfect, but the caveat is that he needs glasses. When George tried the Rift about a year or two ago, he had to remove his glasses, and the experience was extremely blurry for him. There will be weird cups to insert into the latest headset to make glasses available for him to use in the virtual space, but that’s just one more step on a menagerie of tasks required for him to finally step into VR. When a person buys a 3-D movie ticket, they can walk into the theater, put on the glasses, and watch the movie. That’s all they have to do to have an enjoyable experience — well, if they enjoy 3-D, anyway. If you buy an Oculus Rift, it will not be a pick-up-and-play experience.

Every person needs to adjust the headset to their needs, and every game needs to be adjusted to those needs in turn. The average consumer, if they can afford it, does not want to put that much effort into making this thing work.

That’s why I think VR is coming a bit too early. Oculus claims that by selling the Rift at $600, they’re operating at a loss. I understand that the tech is expensive, but the thing to do in that case is wait until the tech is cheap enough to sell at a profit instead.

I look forward to that point. It’ll be cool to say that I’m the first brain slug to ever enter a virtual world within another virtual world.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. EMBRACE THE SEAWOLF SLUG.

The post college experience A well-meaning column rife with clunky metaphors and horrible advice, Orange Rhymes With is the goto place to break the monotony of classes and laugh at someone else’s misfortune.

By Evan Dodd Contributor

As a freshman, I was often naively irritated by the non-traditional students in my classes. While everyone in my cohort was within a couple years of having graduated high school, the classes often had a few students out of that normal range. Whether they were in their late twenties, responsibly chipping away at a degree when they could afford it, or in their forties having returned to school despite knowing it would be an uphill battle. They always provided a stark contrast to their young starry-eyed counterparts.

I’m ashamed to admit that I was often baffled by how distracted and rushed they seemed, how technology seemed to

confuse them, and by how tired they all looked. Now, having been a part time student for a year and a college graduate for a month or so, I feel all too strongly the divide between myself and the more traditional students in my classes.

While they walk over from the dorms complaining of too short breaks between classes and third world food conditions at the commons, I’m showing up ten minutes late sweating from the marathon run it took to avoid paying for parking — convinced I’ve left my car running and jumping whenever my phone rings in hopes that it’s a hiring manager. Beyond that, I can’t seem to understand Blackboard since the update, everyone in class has a more advanced phone or laptop than me and I keep finding myself chuckling at horrible puns made by the professor while I catch glances of derisive judg-

ment flung by all the younger faces in the room. Somehow in the span of a year, I’ve become too old for college.

So, why exactly am I back for another semester of punishment?

Well, first there’s the matter of my degree. As lovely as a degree in economics sounds in a time of prosperity and impossibly high oil prices, these days the standard response to hearing my qualifications is a long pause and a polite, “So, what do you know how to do again?” It’s the fatal flaw of any social science degree, and one that I’d been dreading for years.

In fact, most of my peer group has either decided to double down on their bets and attend grad school, or diversify their skill set and gain another undergrad degree.

Being completely unwilling to subject myself to even higher learning, or another two to four year stint as an undergrad student, I’ve decided instead to get my EMT certification as a nice compromise.

It’s a way to continue my learning without sucking up all my available time for employment, and will give me a specific marketable skill that doesn’t suddenly fall out of fashion every time the global economy sees its shadow and retreats back into a recession. And even better, it means that I’ll ideally be able to help patch my friends up each time they fall through a lake, or burn their hands lighting bonfires, or most recently, nearly remove their hands with an axe.

Of course, there’s always an ulterior motive to these decisions, as I don’t recall ever deciding to act like an adult simply because it’s the right thing to do. Part of my decision to continue learning comes

from a desire to re-take backcountry skiing as a cheaper alternative to actually buying a splitboard. Having spent the full last season forced to trail behind the pack, slowly stomping up the skin track and angrily cursing all those lucky enough to have skis strapped to their feet, I’ve been issued an airtight promise of securing a splitboard.

So, for one last time (and I’ll be damned if this isn’t the last time) I’ll strap in for my last semester of college. Its been two semesters since I should have graduated, one semester after I did, and a good many years after I should have focused on adult pursuits such as employment and housing rather than how to cheaply snowboard.

Don’t interpret that as a regret or the beginning of a semester long complaining streak. If I have to play the role of the too-old, out of touch non-traditional student to squeeze a few more adventures out of college, then so be it. Besides after haunting every dorm on campus, earning more parking tickets than I could pay in a lifetime and undergoing nine rounds of midterm and finals stress, it’s about damn time to have a semester with only a few night and weekend classes. And if I can still fool you all into letting me write once a week, then that’s just a bonus.

So here’s to the end of college as I know it, and to new beginnings as the crotchety old super senior lurking in the back of your classes. After five years, I can stand firm in the decision to swear off college forever after this last semester.

Unless of course they offer a new outdoor course. After all, nobody’s perfect.

04 | FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

Budget cuts mean travel restrictions for University employees

By Kathryn Casello

kcasello@thenorthernlight.org

GRAPHIC BY UA OUTREACH

On Jan. 6, University of Alaska President Jim Johnsen sent a memo to UA employees explaining that as a result of state budget cuts all state-related entities will be suspending all non-essential travel and hiring, with some qualifiers.

According to the email, travel or hiring activity allowed by the terms of a research grant or other restricted program, as well as travel for fund raising, student recruitment, essential professional development, or “gaining new opportunities for research grants and contracts” will not be subject to restrictions. Besides those exceptions, all travel in and outside of the U.S. by university faculty and staff on all UA campuses require approval by the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor or Provost.

For departments like the Center for Human Development at UAA, the extra step for travel will greatly limit their ability to perform their duties.

“The side that we’ll see some difficulty on is where our projects are funded by general fund money,” said Michela Spitz, the Associate Director of Finance and Administration for the Center for Human Development at UAA. “We also have another contract project given to us by the state of Alaska, the university sees it as general fund money even though it has a targeted, specific goal. In order to fulfill the mandate of the money given to us, we have to travel to conduct trainings and deal with crisis intervention, and we might have to travel at the drop of the hat.

If we have to write a memo and don’t get it approved immediately, we can’t meet our mandate.”

Spitz said that some of the projects the Center of Human Development do require 20 to 50 trips per week, which is

a lot of memos to write.

“I’m hoping we can get the Vice Chancellor to give blanket approval, because if we can’t travel we can’t fulfill our contract,” Spitz said.

William Hogan, the Dean of College of Health, said that the new policy is already starting to have effects on University employees.

“The restrictions are already having some impact in that we have had to say no to faculty and staff to attend important professional development conferences but are deemed non-essential in this fiscal environment.”

Hogan said that hopefully staff and employees can try to find learning opportunities online and at a reduced cost as a result of the budget cuts. “We, in the College of Health understand the challenges both the University and State face financially and want to make sure we continue to be good stewards of the public dollar.”

As for impact that these cuts will have on students, UAA’s Athletic Director Keith Hackett was sure that student clubs and organizations reliant on travel to participate will be safe from the budget cuts.

“We will definitely be able to continue to travel, but there is a new process we will have to go through. We will have to cut out anything nonessential from our traveling budget, but it is crucial that we attend things like NCAA conferences as well as traveling for recruiting and for Championship games and things of that nature.”

Hackett added that there might need to be some changes made for administrative travel, but that student traveling will continue to be funded.

UA President Jim Johnsen added in the memo to employees that as soon as it is possible and appropriate, he will be removing the restrictions so that “travel and hiring can continue to be as strategic as possible”

College Cookbook: Grilled cheese and tomato soup bread bowl

By Victoria Petersen

vgpetersen@thenorthernlight.org

One of the most popular comfort foods grilled cheese is a classic favorite enjoyed by young and old. Easy to prepare and with less than five ingredients, this recipe is a staple for when the temperatures drop and the cabin fever sets in.

PHOTO BY VICTORIA PETERSEN

Ingredients:

Directions:

•

1. Open your can of soup and pour into a saucepan per the directions on the can.

• •

•

Large round bread loaf (any kind of bread) One Campbell’s canned tomato soup Five slices or two cups shredded cheese (personal preference, cheddar works well. Shredded or sliced will do) Two tablespoons of butter

2. Take your bread loaf and turn it on its side like a wheel.

Slice the top off, about the first inch.

3. Place loaf back down and cut out a circle about 3/4 deep into the bread bowl. Scoop this potion out until the loaf is now hollow.

4. Line the inside of the bread bowl with the cheese of your choice. Place in the oven on 350 and leave in for about 7 minutes.

5. During this time you can cut the bread that was hollowed out of the loaf into slices of bread. Once this is done butter each side of each slice and place into a frying pan for grilling.

6. Place cheese on the open side of the grilled slices and flip when each side of the slices are golden brown.

7. Stir the soup and let simmer until grilled cheese sandwiches are done.

8. Take the bread bowl out of the oven and pour the tomato soup into it.

9. Serve the grilled cheese with the bread bowl. Enjoy.

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By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor

The tense Danish thriller “A Hijacking” is at its best when action is implied. The most violent moments aren’t shown at all. The fact the movie can omit that and maintain such high intensity speaks to its power. Never lapsing into the action movie machismo viewers have come to expect, the movie soars on its tense performances and perfectly realized atmosphere. Shot on a real ship with more non-actors than actors, many of whom experienced a real-life hijacking and provided notes for the crew, “A Hijacking” is gritty as can be.

The plot is evident from the title.

Somali pirates hijack a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Mikkel (Pilou Asbæk, “A War”) with Jens (Rolland Møller, “Land of Mine”) and their ailing captain are imprisoned, living at their captors’ whims.

Back in Denmark, the CEO of the company who owns the ship, Peter (Søren Malling, “Emma & Julemanden: Jagten på elverdronningens hjerte”) tries desperately to negotiate their return.

There are no heroes in this story, but there are villains. Despite some haunting moments of camaraderie, the pirates have fleeting moments of humanity. These small moments instances, paradoxically, make

everything more intense. Throughout the film, viewers will be waiting for something to go wrong. When something does, it’s not nearly as intense as the negotiation sequences.

Malling shines as the stoic Peter C. Ludvigsen. Acting alongside reallife hostage negotiator Gary Skjoldmose Porter, who improvised all his lines, Malling is curt and stern. By showing little, Malling makes the smallest emotional cracks feel enormous.

But the real star of “A Hijacking” is Asbæk. Asbæk’s Mikkel is affable and average, well-liked by the crew. He is not an action hero, or any hero for that matter. Like the rest of his friends, he does his best to survive. As the captors put him through more-and-more psychological trauma, Mikkel becomes smaller, more child-like. His performance is easily the most devastating in the film.

Anchored by excellent performances and avoiding action movie cliches, “A Hijacking” is a wonder to behold. It is intense, gritty and oftentimes difficult to watch.

Malling and Asbæk play their parts to the bone, holding nothing back.

With a clear, character-driven narrative, “A Hijacking,” a grade-A thriller, is nearly perfect in its execution.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

ALBUM REVIEW

Ten essential David Bowie tracks that will live forever

By Felipe Godoy Diaz Contributor

Last week, we lost one of the most iconic artists of our time as David Bowie passed away at 69. Bowie left behind a generation of music that changed the outcome of pop culture forever.

Here are ten essential Bowie tracks, in no particular order.

PHOTO BY ADAM BIELAWSKI

David Bowie performs at Tweeter Center outside Chicago in Tinley Park, Illinois on August 8, 2002.

star that predicts the end of the world in five years but also preaches its salvation. Ziggy eventually becomes a religious figure before dying due to his own consumptions.

“Ziggy Stardust” – “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (1972) Bowie created the Ziggy Stardust character and entire storyline in his most critically acclaimed album. The concept album is about an openly sexual and very egotistical rock

“Starman” – “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (1972) Continuing the themes of Ziggy Stardust, “Starman” is a track based on the perspective of the adolescent listening to Ziggy. He is entrusted to bring a message of hope and salvation to the youth through an alien named Starman. Bowie was never short of creativity and this track and the entire album demonstrates that.

“Changes” Dory” (1971)

–

“Hunky

The opening track to Bowie’s fourth album, “Changes” is said to be about the natural progression of an artist reinvention, something Bowie became an icon for. The catchy hook is a perfect example of how a song supposedly not meant to be released still became a huge hit for Bowie.

“Life on Mars” – “Hunky Dory” (1971)

“Space Oddity” – “David Bowie” (1969)

“Rebel Rebel” – “Diamond Dogs” (1974)

The year is 1969 and “space” is in. Stanley Kubrick just released his masterpiece, “2001: A Space Odyssey” a year earlier and man had just made it to the moon (supposedly). Space Oddity illustrates the story of fictional character Major Tom as he’s lost in space and wanders into the dark abyss away from Ground Control.

As Bowie waved goodbye to the era of Glam Rock he released “Rebel Rebel” a final statement to the genre that he helped foster. The song itself deals openly with questions about sexual orientation and gender bending. Today “Rebel Rebel” is strangely popular at sporting events.

“Fame” – “YoungAmericans” (1975) A different era in Bowie’s career was the Philadelphia soul sound that inspired the album “Young Americans.”

Bowie became obsessed with American culture and became influenced by soul, funk, and R&B. The track is pretty straightforward but it does get its title and background vocals from John Lennon.

“Let’s Dance” – “Let’s Dance” (1983) So you’re having a dance party and you need to get the party started? This is your song. A prime 80’s track, Bowie takes another 180-degree turn in his sonic direction. “Let’s Dance” became a pop hit and one of Bowie’s most successful recordings.

Bowie revealed in an interview that “Life on Mars” was about “a sensitive young girl’s reaction to the media.” The song is filled with surreal imagery and nonsensical lyrics that make the song both confusing yet emotionally touching.

“Queen Bitch” – “Hunky Dory” (1971) Bowie pays homage to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground with a track about a prostitute that doesn’t take shit from anyone in “Queen Bitch.” Bowie’s music was influenced by Reed and the two went on to become great friends.

“Heroes” (1977)

–

“Heroes”

During the Berlin trilogy era, Bowie caught his producer being unfaithful with a back up singer near the Berlin Wall. The event caused Bowie to write “Heroes,” a song about two people’s undying love for each other in a doomed relationship. It might not work out but they will always have their one moment of redemption.

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A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

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08 | A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

MOVIE REVIEW

‘The Revenant’ is a slow, beautiful grind

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

1823 was a dangerous year to live in the Louisiana Purchase. Brutal weather, threatening wildlife, and natives defensive of their territory all made for odds that were stacked way against incoming settlers. It’s not a setting that we see in stories a whole lot anymore. However, it is perfect for “The Revenant.”

To say that director Alejandro G. Inarritu’s (“Birdman”) work is simply about a fur trapper being left for dead does the film a massive disservice. It’s a film about love in a new world, and hatred so strong that it can keep the dead alive. The pre-Trail of Tears setting allows for a very harsh and foreboding atmosphere, where fog and snowfall envelop the world and create mood.

With that being said, it should help to explain what the film is about, because knowing that ahead of time can really help a first-time viewer — more on that in a minute. The film follows a group of trappers hunting for pelts when they get ambushed by a native tribe. Events transpire and the group is split up, and that’s when the

story splits into three branches. One follows the group’s guide, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Great Gatsby”) as he is left alone and must find his own way back home. Another follows trapper John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy, “Mad Max: Fury Road”) as he abandons the party and makes his own cynical decisions. The final branch follows Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson, “Ex Machina”) and the rest of the trappers as they try to rendezvous with their comrades.

I tell you all of this now because without that preliminary information, the film’s first few moments will lose you. The film tells the audience the bare essentials to Glass’s character before thrusting him and the others immediately into action. A lot of the film’s drama happens wordlessly, and when words are spoken they’re almost always accompanied with an early nineteenthcentury frontier drawl that’s hard to decipher.

This doesn’t keep the story from being any good far from it. It’s easier to pay attention to the characters’ actions rather than their words, and it is their actions that tell the bulk of the story. Inarritu’s style of cinematography allows for huge swathes of action to be shown in single shots, so much so that the camera is almost a

character of its own.

It’s a brutal and inhuman tale, and a very slow one at that. Audiences have a lot to sit through with this one.

If they can, though, they’ll find a complex and often beautiful look at the human condition. It takes a lot of effort to watch “The Revenant,” but it’s a more satisfying watch because of that. If you think you can handle nature and mankind at its most feral, and you have the patience to slowly put the pieces together yourself, it’s a masterful experience.

TITLE “The Revenant” DIRECTORS Alejandro G. Inarritu RELEASE DATE Dec. 25, 2015

STARRING Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson GENRE Survival thriller

A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

PORTRAITS OF PLACE R

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This photography exhibition explores the Arctic in Alaska, Greenland, Norway, Canada and Russia Opens Friday, Jan. 22 Image: Brian Adams, Point Hope, Alaska, 2013

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SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

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Breaking ice: What’s an auger?

Just one hoopster’s well-meaning take on sports and sports culture.

By Nolin Ainsworth

sports@thenorthernlight.org

Something really weird happened to me two Saturdays ago: I went ice fishing.

What started out as my friend Zach’s invitation to throw some Frisbee discs in the snow turned into a ploy to trick me into thinking sitting idly on a frozen lake for three hours would be a blast... and somehow it worked.

So there I was, in the back of Fred Meyer, under my extra layers, writing down my name and address on a $20 sport fishing license around lunchtime. After a detour through the Burger King drive thru, I had arrived at my destination: Little Campbell Lake.

Armed with a pink camping chair and one of Zach’s odd fishing poles, we set out on the ice. Zach’s other buddy supplied the auger, the tool used to drill through the ice, which is one of the essentials for any ice fishing adventure. My newest fishing friend’s auger wasn’t very sharp, so every few yards we’d stop to inspect miniature craters — relics of ice fisherman’s past — seeing these would make much quicker work. We settled on a spot got to drilling — or auguring? It only took a few minutes to revive one such excavation.

Not far from our camp, candy red and yellow fishing shelters contained at least one or two humans. It was difficult to know for sure, I couldn’t detect

SKI: Hungarian Berecz takes job as assistant Alpine coach CONTINUED FROM COVER skiers, but not really in that category. Montana, on the other hand, does not have any manmade snow, and while they don’t have a lot of snow, but they have plenty to have a race... We’re at an altitude that’s pretty high, a little bit higher than Soldier Hollow, Utah, so you have to make sure you are pacing it correctly.

You can’t expect to recover on the downhill’s like you do at sea level.”

Do you feel like your skiers are more rested now heading into the Montana State Invitational than Utah?

“Maybe not quite yet... We flew back Monday after racing, did three days of school, and then turned around Friday morning and flew back down to Montana and now we’re on the road for the next ten days. So the travel can definitely take a toll and keeping people healthy can be a challenge... However, we don’t really need to feel fully rested, nor do we want to be fully rested, we still want to be training a fair amount and we’ll begin to ease off in February, drop our training hours and get the body as rested and fresh as possible by the time we get to late February and early March for those races. “

PHOTO BY ADAM EBERHARDT

Etienne Richard racing in the Seawolf Invite held last year at Hillside Park.

The Seawolves compete in the Colorado University Invitational this weekend before getting a break in competition for the first three weeks of February.

PHOTO BY NOLIN AINSWORTH

The small blotch of blood above the salmonoid’s mouth is the only evidence that this fish is now as cold as the ice below it.

any sound or movement coming from them. These small huts confused me as did pretty much everything else used in this sport. Was it really necessary to use a tent?

About thirty minutes later though, my body temperature dropping every passing minute, I regretted ever questioning the use of such appliances.

Once I wet my line, I actually really enjoyed myself. I felt lucky to experience something

so unique and quintessentially Arctic. Within 15 minutes, I felt a subtle tug on the end of line. I started to reel it, or rather, pull it out of the water. To my surprise the fish I’d caught was quite beautiful. It looked just like a baby salmon, but Zach commented it could be a salmon-hybrid that Fish and Game stocks in the lake. I had no intentions of keeping all 11 inches of sea life, but I was talked in to doing otherwise.

I continued fishing, my downward stare interrupted every so often by the hybrid fish’s last signs of life. I would go on to catch a few more fish — smaller and not nearly as pretty. Between the three of us, we caught four or five trout and salmon hybrids, enough to fill one of our gallon Ziplocs.

That brings me to the other weird thing that happened to me two Saturdays ago: I caught the biggest fish that day.

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016

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OPINION

COMIC BY GENEVIEVE MINA

The Northern Light is a proud member of the ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS. The Northern Light is a weekly UAA publication funded by student fees and advertising sales. The editors and writers of The Northern Light are solely responsible for its contents. Circulation is 2,500.

The University of Alaska Anchorage provides equal education and employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, Vietnam-era or disabled-veteran status, physical or mental disability, changes in marital status, pregnancy or parenthood.

The views expressed in the opinion section do not necessarily reflect the views of UAA or the Northern Light.足足足

LETTERS AND CORRECTIONS POLICY Letters to the editor can be submitted to editor@thenorthernlight.org. The maximum length is 250 words.

Opinion pieces can be submitted to editor@thenorthernlight.org. The maximum word length is 450 words.

Letters and opinion pieces are subject to editing for grammar, accuracy, length and clarity.

Requests for corrections can be sent to editor@thenorthernlight.org. Print publication is subject to accuracy and available space. All corrections are posted online with the original story at www.thenorthernlight.org.

The Northern Light newsroom is located on the first floor of the Student Union, directly next to Subway.

THE NORTHERN LIGHT CONTACTS 3211 Providence Drive Student Union 113 Anchorage, AK 99508 EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kelly Ireland 786-1313 editor@thenorthernlight.org MANAGING EDITOR Samantha Davenport content@thenorthernlight.org COPY EDITOR Kathryn DuFresne copy@thenorthernlight.org NEWS EDITOR Vacant ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Vacant FEATURES EDITOR Kathryn Casello kcasello@thenorthernlight.org ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Victoria Petersen vgpetersen@thenorthernlight.org

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SPORTS EDITOR Nolin Ainsworth sports@thenorthernlight.org ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Vacant PHOTO EDITOR Vacant STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Vacant LAYOUT EDITOR Demi Straughn layout@thenorthernlight.org GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Jian Bautista jbautista@thenorthernlight.org Inna Mikhailova Imikhailova@thenorthernlight.org WEB EDITOR Vacant

MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE Vacant STAFF REPORTERS George Hyde gchyde@thenorthernlight.org CONTRIBUTORS Evan Dodd Jacob Holley-Kline Felipe Godoy Diaz Genevieve Mina MEDIA ADVISER Paola Banchero ADMINISTRATIVE ADVISER Zac Clark ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Stacey Parker

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