The Northern Light July 23, 2013 Issue

THENORTHERNLIGHT UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

JULY 23, 2013

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

A&E

PAGE 09

N

PAGE 05

“Magna Carta” does just enough to satisfy

Hockey questions answered, expectations set

Voices from beyond have much to share

A slice of AK history from the grave

By Nita Mauigoa

features@thenorthernlight.org America’s evergreen fascination with the dead is typically described as creepy, spooky or haunting.

But sometimes people forget the deceased once lived enriching lives with interesting stories waiting to be told.

Hundreds of visitors swarmed the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery July 14 for “Stories at the Cemetery,” a free community event intended to show Alaska history in a new light. Ten costumed actors portrayed 10 deceased Alaskans at their gravesites.

Visitors listened to historical tales told in first person by the actors.

Local residents Bruce and Audrey Kelly are among the main organizers of the event who specialize in history and research.

Bruce Kelly, who portrayed Anchorage’s first chief of police, John Sturgus, began his act by highlighting the pleasantries of Sturgus’ life. Then the act grew somber as he described a fateful “dark February night” in 1921 while on duty downtown on 4th Avenue.

“Suddenly, somebody grabbed the gun from my hand. I heard a shot,” Bruce said as he portrayed Sturgus. “No one ever found out who killed me, and no one ever figured out why.”

Audrey Kelly said though she and and her husband have given tours of the cemetery for 10 years, this is only the third year of “Stories at the Cemetery.”

She worked for a number of years with wellknown Anchorage historian John Bagoy, who dedicated years of his life to marking unknown graves and educating the public about the rich history buried at the cemetery.

City records and Bagoy’s extensive research notes are the backbone of the event.

“We have some terrific people with terrific stories at the cemetery,” Audrey said. “John didn’t want any ghost tours — no jumping out behind anyone’s gravestone like it’s a scary thing. This is history that needs to be shared with the community.”

Among the crowd were students from UAA immersed in the event.

“It’s a really neat experience. I really liked the guy with the tea set that just wanted to be classy and have a good death. Sign me up for that!” Britny Herzog, UAA computer science student, said. The man was gold rush entrepreneur A.B. Cummings, portrayed by actor Mark Robokoff.

Actor Ron Holmstrom drew crowds as he portrayed Otto Nakkola, who was one of 14 miners killed in an explosion at the Evan Jones Coal Mine near Sutton in 1937.

“There came this tremendous explosion. We tried to scramble out, but we heard this miner behind us PHOTO BY KAYLA MCGRAW

SEE CEMETERY

Actress Rachel Gregory sits at the gravesite of Helen Malcolm and tells the audience her story during the “Stories at the Cemetery” event at the PAGE 03 Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery July 14.

UAA Suicide Prevention Initiatives take action

UAA athletics starts search for Steve Cobb’s replacement

By Thomas McIntyre

sports@thenorthernlight.org

PHOTO BY KAYLA MCGRAW

Lace Louden, clincal studies graduate student, co-conducts a Gatekeeper workshop July 16, informing students about actions to take for suicide prevention.

UAA’s hunt for a new athletic director has begun. The process is expected to take up to seven weeks and will be done mostly behind curtains.

While the majority of the work is going to be kept under wraps, the public is still being asked to provide input. The opportunity to speak out comes in the form of an open forum, which the Seawolf community has become rather adept to this year.

The forum takes place Wednesday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the UAA/APU Consortium Library, Room 307.

Unlike previous events, candidates will not attend.

Those names are not being released. The search committee is asking for the public’s ideas on what qualities they’d like to see in the new athletic director.

The university has also hired Eastman & Beaudine, a search firm for recruiting college athletic directors and coaches, to assist the search. The Wall Street Journal recently named Eastman & Beaudine the “top executive recruiting firm in college sports.”

“We are committed to finding the right leader for a program that has brought much pride and honor to UAA,” Bill Spindle, vice chancellor for Administrative Services, said. “I’m confident that working with an extremely well-respected search firm will result in the hiring of a dynamic leader who will continue to move our program positively forward.”

The heralded group has placed athletic directors at major schools across the country, from the University of California Berkeley to West Point. Acquiring their services shows Spindle isn’t all talk when he says they are committed to finding a worthy leader.

Outside of the Eastman & Beaudine team, the search committee will include Spindle, interim athletic director Tim McDiffett, Seawolf Hall of Famer Bill McKay, NCAA faculty athletic representative Deborah Narang, former student-athlete Jeff Edwards, and former Carrs/ Safeway Great Alaska Shootout chair Bobbi Olson.

SEE SUICIDE

PAGE 04

facebook.com/northernlightuaa

twitter.com/tnl_updates

N

thenorthernlight.org

youtube.com/tnlnews

02 NEWS

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

NEWS BRIEF

Alaska liquor laws don’t play around

By Evan Erickson Staff Reporter

Where can an over-21 student compliment his or her bacon of the month with a flight of small batch Kentucky bourbon? For the last four years the Spenard Roadhouse has catered to these indulgences.

In the Roadhouse’s infancy marketing manager Darcy Kniefel flew to Kentucky to sample bourbons and noticed small batch whiskey connoisseurship. This trend would become the Roadhouse’s Bourbon Passport.

For each whiskey sampled, customers receive a stamp in a little booklet containing the names of 30 different bourbons. When a customer fills the booklet his or her name goes up on a plaque and is sent home with a commemorative T-shirt.

This practiceabruptly ended March 2013 when the Alcoholic Beverage Control, the organization responsible for issuing all state liquor licenses and enforcing Alaskan statutes regarding alcohol, informed the restaurant is Bourbon Passport was in violation of Alaska statutes.

Since the birth of the nation, Americans have been drinking alcohol, and Alaska is no exception. Prohibition was repealed nationally in 1933, but under the 21st Amendment states could still exert control over the importation of alcohol. After the repeal, local option laws were passed in some states which allowed for counties and municipalities to make their own decisions regarding alcohol. This is the reason for drive-thru daiquiris in Louisiana and warm beer in Oklahoma liquor stores.

Today there are hundreds of dry counties and municipalities — meaning the sale, importation and, in certain cases, possession of alcohol are banned. In Alaska there are currently 96 communities which prohibit the sale of alcohol, and 34 of these have additionally banned its importation and possession.

The Municipality of Anchorage, a wet community, had 415 active liquor licenses in 2012, according to the ABC Board.

Alaskan laws can be considered lenient compared to some other states, with businesses only barred from serving alcohol from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.

But in other instances they can also be deemed harsh.

One example is when the Anchorage Daily News reported January 2012 that APD officers had gone undercover into bars to arrest patrons for being intoxicated.

In the case of Spenard Roadhouse, the statute in violation was part of Section 04.16.015, which states establishments that sell alcoholic beverages by the drink may not “encourage or permit an organized game or contest on the licensed premises that involves drinking alcoholic beverages or the awarding of alcoholic beverages as prizes.”

This is also the law behind non-alcoholic beer pong and the non-alcoholic beer drinking contests which have taken place in past Fur Rendezvous events.

The demise of the Bourbon Passport was part of a routine inspection, according to Roadhouse general manager Aleks Pfaffe. The program had flown under the radar for several years. One possible reason is that the ABC only has four investigators for the entire state.

Prior to 2012 the ABC was housed under the Department of Public Safety. It originally switched from the Department of Commerce to Public Safety in 2003 by administrative order of then-governor Frank Murkowski, who had campaigned on curbing alcohol and drug abuse. On the final day of the 2012 legislative session, the ABC switched hands to the Department of Commerce again. This was mostly the result of intense lobbying by the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailer’s Association, or CHARR. “The move to Public Safety implies that our industry is engaged in criminal activities. Alaska CHARR would like your help to restore a respectful relationship between our industry and licensing agency that oversees

The Connoisseur’s Club plaque represents the names of all who completed the task of trying every brew offered at Chilkoot Charlie’s. Though the pastime has been retired for over 10 years, the plaque still remains to commemorate their achievements.

it,” Alaska CHARR wrote in its 2012 legislative priorities booklet.

Some believe the change to commerce is blatant manipulation by the liquor industry.

“The people in the alcohol business clearly want to see less enforcement, and that’s why this bill was so important to them,” Dermot Cole of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner wrote.

ABC enforcement supervisor Robert Beasley served during the switch to commerce, but he doesn’t believe that enforcement has changed at all. He also doesn’t see the legislation as only beneficial to the liquor industry.

“In a lot of the testimony the licensees felt more comfortable dealing with commerce,” Beasley said.

There is a dichotomy of trying to enforce and regulate alcohol while at the same time promoting commerce. There are large profits as well as large public health costs. Which statutes are enforced and which are ignored is constantly changing.

There are statutes which prohibit “happy hours,” disallow serving customers more than two drinks at a time, and ban unlimited drinks at a fixed price. These statutes are designed to combat binge drinking, and they are the same group of statutes that apply to the Bourbon Passport.

“The Bourbon Passport was in the spirit of coming in and sipping on a nice whiskey,” Pfaffe said.

Another comparable program, retired for over 10 years, was the Connoisseur’s Club at Chilkoot Charlie’s.

The Connoisseur’s Club dealt strictly in beer and membership was gained when a customer tried every single brew from a long list. A member’s jacket and a place on the Connoisseur’s Club plaque were guaranteed to those who succeeded. Chilkoot Charlie’s was one of the first bars in Anchorage to serve microbrews.

If it can be said that the Connoisseur’s Club was about beer appreciation, then it can be said the Bourbon Passport was about bourbon appreciation.

PHOTOS BY EVAN ERICKSON

Spenard Roadhouse’s Bourbon Passport event was retired March 2013. Now all that remains are the names of the few that managed to complete it in time.

FEATURES

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

03

The unheard voices of religion: Mennonites

After 500 years of history, the Mennonites’ story seems to be hidden underneath the growth and popularity of other mainstream religions. Now it’s their turn to be heard.

By Megan Marquis Staff Reporter

While often stereotyped by archaic bonnets, hand plows and simple living, the Mennonites have long separated from their Amish counterparts. As Mennonites progressed with the ages, they accepted change and let it transform their image. Today, a Mennonite could look like anyone on the street, at the bus stop or in the grocery store. A passerby would have to ask — not look — in order to discover what they believe.

According to the Third Way Cafe, a Mennonite informational website, some of their basic Christian beliefs include adult baptism, peace, love, community and helping others.

Volunteers from this religion often go to the forefront of natural disasters and into areas of high poverty to help in whatever way they can. John Eshleman, Mennonite Disaster Service member, says they provide these volunteer efforts because the Bible verse James 2:14-17 describes how works and faith in God must accompany each other. Verse 17 in the New International Version translation says, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

John David Thacker, Prince Of Peace Mennonite Church pastor, said, “Mennonite Disaster Service responded to the Miller’s Reach fires in 1996, as well as the 1964 earthquake. After the 2009 Yukon River Floods, volunteers with Mennonite Disaster Service rebuilt homes in Eagle and Akiak.”

Thacker also said members of the Mennonite Disaster Service “are currently assessing damage in Galena and Circle following this spring’s flooding and will be responding with volunteer labor to repair and rebuild homes damaged in the flooding.”

As followers go beyond their doorsteps to help those in need, they are also very welcoming and try to accept everyone into their homes as well. Even while maintaining an all-inclusive policy, their doors will always remain open to anyone who wants to discover what their religion has to offer.

Contrary to popular belief, this religion isn’t as dif-

John David Thacker is the pastor of Prince of Peace Mennonite Church in East Anchorage.

ferent from other Christian faith as it may seem. Mennonites celebrate communion, read the Bible and believe in the holy trinity, just like Catholics, Methodists and many other Protestant traditions.

Despite these similarities, what sets this belief apart from any other Christian faith is its pacifist takes on war and violence. Mennonites strongly believe in the phrase, “Love your enemies.” With this interpretation, they do their best to try and seek understanding through someone else’s eyes. This philosophy also explains why they don’t fight in wars or battles. Instead, they choose to make peace and learn from their enemies’ perspectives.

Learning is precedent everywhere — in religions, schools and even the streets. Although the University of

PHOTO BY TIM BROWN

Alaska Anchorage is a higher learning institution, education through the community or even a church can give an individual more insight into some of the hidden curriculum outside state education. So feel free to learn outside of school boundaries and see what faith has to show.

The Prince of Peace Mennonite Service welcomes all visitors to join their worship events Sundays at 11:15 a.m. in the Resurrection Chapel of the Holy Spirit Center at 10980 Hillside Drive.

CEMETERY: History unearthed CONTINUED FROM COVER

screaming bloody murder. We tried to get to him, but the fumes and smoke were too much. I just couldn’t make it,” Holmstrom said in his portrayal of Nakkola.

Linda Benson, a main organizer and theatrical director, said the event is fully produced by she and the Kellys. Her role is to bring the stories to life with handpicked local actors who fit the parts of those portrayed.

She said the actors are paid with donations given by the public.

Benson said new selections of people are portrayed each year. She joked she is worried the event will one day run out of people with rich histories linked to Alaska to portray.

There are many past mayors and politicians of Anchorage buried at the Anchorage Park Memorial Cemetery, including Wally Hickel. Members of well-known Alaskan families, such as the Cuddys and Rasmusons —names familiar to UAA — are buried there as well.

“If 400 to 500 people go away with a little more knowledge of their town, I think that’s good to build Anchorage’s spirit,” Benson said.

The next “Stories at the Cemetery” event will be August 11 at 6 p.m. For more information, contact Bruce or Audrey Kelly at 907-274-7122.

A crowd gathers around actress Audrey Kelley who portrayed Mrs. John Beaton, telling the story of how her husband died on the Princess Sophia, which sank off the coast of Skagway Alaska on Oct. 23, 1989.

PHOTOS BY KAYLA MCGRAW

“If 400 to 500 people go away with a little more knowledge of their town I think that’s good to build Anchorage’s spirit.”

-Linda Benson

At the gravesite of mining disaster victim Otto Nakkola, portrayed by Ron Holmstrom, listeners hear the tale of the tragedy that occurred over 70 years ago.

04 FEATURES

Raising puppies and children too

By Evan Dodd Contributor

Orange rhymes with I’m never having children. This is not a new thought for me. I’ve long accepted I would make a far better uncle than father, and I’m more than okay with that. When I imagine having kids it tends to play out like a twisted episode of “Two and a Half Men” where Charlie Sheen is the actual father.

It’s horrifying.

Besides, if I had kids I would inevitably develop a nasty habit of forgetting them in various places.

Though I have been long-aware of the potential disaster of kids, getting a puppy has made it abundantly clear that the idea of me having children should be considered a war crime under the Geneva Convention.

To give some context, I’m living at home over the summer, and after years of child-Evan’s insistent pleas for a dog, my parents have finally decided to get a puppy.

Unfortunately my years of canine deficiency have left me without a functional knowledge of puppies.

For example, I wasn’t aware that puppies don’t come pre-equipped with an innate knowledge of the human language. This presented a problem as I politely asked the pup to kindly step outside instead of watering my Converse.

Puppies also don’t appear to like leashes, which is odd, considering that the majority of dogs I’ve seen seem to have no issue with them. I can only assume that the puppy will spontaneously evolve the ability to walk on a leash and poop on things that don’t belong to me.

With his apparent language deficiency, the pup also refuses to respond to any name I’ve tried to give him. As a result, his name is subject to change on a bi-daily basis and ranges from the normal (Tiberius) to the awesome (Leonidas, Conqueror of Men). While the

constant name-changing is certainly a fun party trick, it seems less than fantastic when I’m trying to get Leonidas to release his death bite on my toes and he fails to respond.

It has also come to my attention that dog owners might as well save themselves the disappointment of stained floors by installing yellow carpet before the arrival of their canine compatriots. Not only was I not warned about this in advance, but my puppy seems to be missing his factory packaged instruction manual entirely. It’s a small miracle that I’ve managed to figure out how to feed and water him thus far without a detailed blueprint.

Finally, my particular puppy seems to suffer from a mix of compulsive behavior and anxiety, which inevitably involves organizing his toys into a specific order and trembling in fear at the sight of any sort of broom. As if I wasn’t already in over my head, now I’m expected to have a degree in irrational pet psychology — which, given the current job market, is probably as safe a bet as any.

So if raising a puppy includes teaching it words, remembering to feed it and consistently calling it by the same name, then imagine how much harder it would be to raise a human mini-me. It would be like having a hairless dog that slowly learns to talk and refuses to be put on a leash. Just the thought of it is enough to make me shift uncomfortably in my seat.

I’m more than content to play the Charlie Sheen uncle to someone else’s kids — anyone else’s kids, really, so long as when the fun stops I can go back home without taking them with me. Besides, my brother isn’t going to mind if I occasionally screw up and feed his future kids a dog treat or two. He’s already used to it. I’d imagine he’ll have done it a few times by then, as well.

This appears to be the limit to my care-taking ability. Anything more than a four-legged slobber machine seems to be beyond the scope of my abilities. Honestly this realization is a blessing in disguise, because I’m running out of things that haven’t been chewed to death.

So enjoy the next couple weeks of summer, because I’ll be spending it throwing hundreds of tennis balls in a desperate attempt to protect my shoes, toes and carpet.

Week two of training begins now.

Introductory advice from The Red Feather

By Megan Marquis staff Reporter

Today is the beginning of a new era, a day where advice, street smarts and the thirst for knowledge are just around the corner. The Northern Light is now home to an advice column for the University of Alaska’s advice-seekers, inquirers and students alike. No matter the issue — sex, relationships, finances, school — I am all ears.

Giving advice takes a great heart of compassion and a patient soul. According to friends, family and some strangers on the street, those are some of my best qualities.

So give me your pickles and problems, your awkward moments or the questions you’re too afraid to ask others. I will read them all, and I will respond to a select few in the next issue. Feel free to send them to advice@thenorthernlight.org.

The Red

Feather

- The Red Feather

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

SUICIDE: No one is ever left alone

UAA Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services creates awareness and teaches response skills in order to help students with suicidal tendencies.

CONTINUED FROM COVER

PHOTO BY KAYLA MCGRAW

Doctoral student Jaime Spatrisano leads the Gatekeeper workshop alongside graduate student Lace Louden July 16 in Eugene Short Hall, Room 101.

By Megan Marquis Staff Reporter

Graduate students Jaime Spatrisano and Lace Louden conducted “Gatekeeper training” for the UAA Integrated Suicide Prevention Initiative July 16.

Their preamble at the training stated, “No universal standards will prevent suicide” and “the purpose of this training is to prepare you to provide help to someone at risk.”

Similar to a responder to the scene of a heart attack, gatekeeper friends can only help as much as they can before the professionals arrive to the scene. Unfortunately, “there is no guarantee that suicide can be prevented” in every possible way.

There’s a social stigma surrounding those who seek help for suicidal thoughts. This could explain why some may refuse to get help. The options typically seem slim — calling a hotline, being taken away by the police or being institutionalized.

Some questions still remain for those who want to be helped but don’t want to be put in a mental hospital or behavioral health ward: Do hotlines call the police? Would families understand and seek out mental providers or would they send their children off to some sort of asylum?

Life after being institutionalized is not easy.

If the patient is over 18 years old, the social shame will follow them in their background checks and jobs — that is, if they get hired. It’s a smudge that will remain on their record until they die. Many apartment rental contracts also require background checks, and these people often become homeless.

For those who are concerned for the wellbeing of a person who may be suicidal, talk to that person before calling the police.

The circumstances for suicide are different for everyone. No one was raised in the same environment or brought through the same schooling. No two people have the same hair, eyes and personality. Everyone is unique.

But this can become a problem when people consider their individualities and believe they are completely alone — that no one is there and willing enough to help them succeed. It can feel like they are falling through the cracks and no one is there to catch them.

One of the slides at the suicide prevention training said, “People are not driven to suicide by a caring person who inquires as to whether or not they are suicidal. People may, however, be driven to suicide by an avoidance of the topic on the part of the listener from whom they need

a concerned response.”

According to the UAA Integrated Suicide Prevention Initiative, 38 percent of students at the university have experienced depression, and 6 percent of these students have seriously considered suicide.

One of the warning signs for suicide is, in fact, depression. Despite this, there are many other varying factors and situations to take into account before claiming a person is suicidal.

According the ISPI website, the warning signs are changes in mood, behaviors, appearance, performance, social interactions, outlook and focus.

These could look like constant crying, recklessness, increased tiredness, feelings of hopelessness, drops in GPA, isolation and preoccupations with death or violence.

There are more warning signs and resources on a website from the Integrated Suicide Prevention Initiative. It can be found at http://bit. ly/12XUaSk/.

This website also states, “If your friend has any of the following (high risk) warning signs, you need to take action immediately.”

Some examples are as simple as a text talking about suicide or wanting to hurt his- or herself. “For example,” the site says, “your friend may say or write, ‘You will be better off without me,’ or ‘I’m just going to end it all.’”

The person could have already bought a gun or broken a vase to cut his or her wrists. If he or she express any sort of plan or preparation to commit suicide, such as writing a will or giving away prized possessions, then a friend should act immediately.

Listen actively and create an environment friends at risk of suicide feel free to seek help.

This means using reflecting language and telling the person what he or she needs to hear. The Gatekeeper workshop suggested using phrases such as, “It sounds like…” or, “So what you’re saying is...”

Let the other person know that a friend is there and willing to listen to them. At the end of the conservation, either let the person tell a family member or encourage him or her to call a hotline.

There are phone numbers listed on the link above, but other resources include the Alaska Careline, a 24-hour crisis hotline reachable at 1-877-266-4357. At this number there are people waiting to talk and listen to whatever someone has to say.

If the Careline doesn’t pick up, the call will be forwarded to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

With just a call away, no one is ever alone.

AE &

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

ALBUM REVIEW

05

A&E OPINION

Jay Z proves The mystery is that he is old but there is no mystery not finished

By Jacob Holley-Kline Staff Reporter

By Keon McMillan Staff Reporter

Here we are, late in the year of 2013. Who knew Jay Z’s 12th studio release, “Magna Carta: Holy Grail,” would be the most talked about album of the summer? Not only did the record reach number one on the charts, but it also sold a million copies before its release date due to the $20 million deal Hova made with Samsung.

Not bad for someone whose first album came out in 1996 under his own independent label.

Simply put, Sean Corey Carter is a genius. With the popularity of the Internet it’s becoming harder and harder to go platinum (1,000,000 copies sold).

Jay, however, didn’t have a problem selling a million copies of “Magna Carta.”

During the NBA Finals Game 6 halftime, a commercial aired showing Jay and producers Rick Rubin, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland all in the studio together. The gist of the commercial was to let everyone know about the “new rules,” and that a new Jay Z album was to be released on Independence Day. The catch? Samsung Galaxy users would have an app available to them where they could download the album three days before its release. Samsung bought a million copies before the new unit released, putting $5 million in Jay’s hand before anyone even heard it, something that has never been done.

The album itself wasn’t a complete disappointment to a die-hard Jay Z fan like myself.

At the same time, it wasn’t what I was expecting.

Then again, I didn’t really know what to expect.

The album starts off with a Justin Timberlake feature, the title track “Holy Grail.” In the song, Jay raps about how he’s seen so many great people do great things, only to have it stripped all away from them because of fame.

My problem with this song and others, such as “F*ckwithmeyouknowigotit,” is the cadence he uses while rapping. It almost seems nonchalant: “I like it, bright lights is enticing, but look what it did to Tyson.”

It’s the same over-used flow in hip-hop coming from artists like Meek Mill, 2Chainz and Wiz Khalifa. With so many classic flows and records, it seemed unlikely that Jay would have to do that on any song, ever.

The third track, entitled “Tom Ford,” had a similar concept to an older song of his, “30-something.” On that track, Carter rapped about how he’s older and more mature than most rappers,

which cause him to do older and more mature things.

On “Tom Ford,” he raps, “I don’t pop molly, I rock Tom Ford” Ford is a famous international designer, and Molly is an infamous party drug. Jay simply doesn’t have time for Molly when he’s wearing thousanddollar suits. The production on this track is definitely some of the best on the album.

Timbaland produced “Ford,” so it has that electro/heavy bass feel to it with prominent percussion all over it. Still, Jay uses a flow that’s been adopted countless times in mainstream rap, which takes away from the song.

The strongest song on the album is a toss-up between “Somewhereinamerica,” “Crown” and “BBC.” Listeners can’t resist the urge to dance when they hear “BBC” — even those who can’t dance a lick.

The exotic melodies and foreign drums makes people want to grab their favorite drink and hit the beach. Having Pharrell on the hook and a guest feature from Nas sends this one out of orbit.

It’s a big achievement for Jay’s 12th album to sound completely different from the 11 before it. I appreciate that aspect, and also how incredible the marketing scheme was. You have to respect someone who pushes the envelope like that.

Usually Jay Z is known for having radio singles and expensive videos to create a buzz for his upcoming projects, but this time all he needed was a little change from Samsung. The only true problems are the certain flows he uses, as mentioned earlier. It’s lazy and uninspiring to hear that from him.

But it’s Jay. And with a career like his, he has earned a pass to do what he wants as far as rapping goes. The production on this album has to be some of the best of any Jay Z record, and that’s without any contributions from Just Blaze. Impressive.

“Magna Carta: Holy Grail” is more revolutionary for its advertising strategy than the music within, but its still a great summer album.

Not bad for someone whose first album came out in 1996 under his own independent label.

Album: “Magna Carta: Holy Grail” Artist: Jay-Z Genre: Hip Hop, Rap Label: Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation, Universal Release Date: July 4, 2013

Writer Rafe Martin and illustrator Tatsuro Kiuchi detail the folktale “Green Willow” in the book “Mysterious Tales of Japan.”

Legend has it that a samurai named Tomotada set out on a quest for his master and met a young girl named Green Willow along the way. Green Willow and her parents lived in a small hut hidden by three willow trees. They offered Tomotada haven for the night.

He and Green Willow fell in love and later married.

One morning Green Willow screamed, “My tree! They are cutting my tree!” and then fell into Tomotada’s arms. She turned into a pile of golden willow leaves.

Tomotada adopted a nomadic Buddhist lifestyle, wandering Japan’s hillsides and meditating.

At the end of his life, Tomotada discovered three willow tree stumps, two old and one young, in the field where he and Green Willow met. He prayed over the stumps and built a hut in their memory.

In the spring, a green willow shoot sprouted and Tomotada tended to it until the end of his life. His bones joined the earth, and a willow shoot grew in his place.

According to the book, “The trunks of the two willows grew together. The branches intertwined. Down under the earth the roots found each other in the darkness and embraced.”

Stories like this connect people not only with each other, but also with cultural history and their selves. The character Green Willow and her parents are literally connected to the trees in their front yard.

Tomotada falls in love with the graceful Willow, and comes to love nature after she dies.

Only after he loves and loses her powerful as clinging to a mysdoes he recognize his true pur- tery, but the mystery of folktales pose in life. Like Tomotada and lies not in how mysterious they Green Willow, people’s ances- are — it’s that they’re not mystors have stories to tell. Through terious at all. trials and tribulations they have The story of Green Willow is learned and gained wisdom. a Buddhist allegory about man’s The oral tradition of folk tales need for connection. Accordbegan in families, small villages ing to anthropologist David and tribes. These stories were Daegling, stories of Bigfoot passed down through genera- like creatures have appeared in tions and are an inexorable link indigenous folklore for generato our past. Minute details of tions, but only in 1958 did Bigtheir historical context remain. foot hit the world stage. ScotEach story has the teller’s DNA tish newspaper the Inverness in it.

Courier reported Aug. 4, 1933, a When hearing and tell- couple saw the Loch Ness Moning these stories, people begin ster passing in front of their car. to understand the era the sto- The Mothman first appeared in ries took place and the values the Nov. 16, 1966 edition of The their ancestors Point Pleasheld. Thanks to ant Register in social media, Point Pleasant, Thanks to social stories can now media, stories can W.Va. be more wideIn 1958, the ly read. Movie now be more widely prosperity that theaters have read. Movie theaters post-World replaced the stohave replaced the War II Amerirytelling circle, experienced storytelling circle, ca and Facebook took a sharp has replaced and Facebook has downturn in traditional fam- replaced traditional the Recesily meetings. sion of 1958. family meetings.

This is not Adolf Hitler necessarily a was appointed bad thing. Modern folktales are chancellor of Germany in 1933, called “urban legends.” These ushering in a new era of revolustories are just as fantastical, tion. In 1966, the Vietnam War but grounded in a modern set- was hitting its most brutal stagting. Think about the legendary es. All of these tales come at a Mothman or Bigfoot or the Loch time of change, and the stories Ness Monster — all of these cre- of old are no different. ations evolved from alleged eye When faced with great witness accounts, video footage change and ensuing mystery, and photographs like older folk- people look for a reason to contales evolved from eye witness tinue on. These stories, no mataccounts, scrolls and paintings. ter what form they come in, give Any art form will perpetuate people something to search and itself throughout the ages. It will hope for. Maybe the Mothman, be molded to fit whatever setting Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monis necessary for people to expe- ster do exist. Maybe somewhere rience it. Through this evolution in Japan, Tomotada and Green the storytellers and listeners Willow are embracing under the begin to understand just what earth. No matter what, these stobrings people together and what ries have and will exist as long brings people closer to them- as people are around. selves. There’s nothing quite as

start leading others.

START ABOVE THE REST.

START BEING EMPOWERED.

start deFining YoUrselF.

start MaKing a diFFerenCe.

START ACCOMPLISHING MORE.

START FEELING INSPIRED.

start strong. sM

There’s strong. Then there’s Army Strong. Enroll in Army ROTC at University of Alaska Anchorage to get the training, experience and skills needed to make you a leader. Army ROTC also offers fulltuition, merit-based scholarships. And when you graduate, you’ll be an Army Officer. Start by enrolling in MSL101.

To get started, visit www.goarmy.com/rotc/p623.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ARMY ROTC OR HOW TO ENROLL, CONTACT (907) 474-6852 OR BY EMAIL AT uaguest_smajor1@alaska.edu ©2008. Paid for by the United states army. all rights reserved.

06 A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

H2O is FTW DRINK REVIEW

By Tim Brown

photo@thenorthernlight.org

When it comes to the beverage industry, trends are everything. For the fashion-conscious, choice of drink is can be a statement — “Are you Coke or Pepsi?” Sometimes overlooked is the one drink that everyone literally can’t live without: drinking water.

Clean, accessible drinking water is the cat’s pajamas. According to the World Health Organization, one in three people on every continent deal with water scarcity. In developing countries not having access to water can mean the difference between life and death. In suburbia, not having access to water for a short amount of time can lead to no ice cubes for prepackaged soft drinks.

Therein reveals something about what people choose to drink. In terms of fulfilling the objective of hydration, water is the best choice we have. Too often people pass up a cool glass of ice water for chemical-laden syrups that eat at tooth enamel and leave them thirsty. Water is carelessly overlooked, despite being pure unadulterated refreshment with rejuvenating properties.

The human body relies on water to aid biological processes and maintain overall health.

Good hydration keeps skin, cells, muscles and digestive processes at optimal performance.

Drinking cold water increases the body’s metabolism and burns calories because of the extra energy it takes to bring cold water to body temperature.

Preparing water is extremely easy. It is best served cold in a clear glass with considerably colder water in a solid state as a sort of garnish.

Beads of clear liquid may appear on the outside of the glass, but don’t be alarmed — it is just water. If you are looking for an ideal place to drink a glass of water try it during a hiking trip, while basking in the desert or after escaping from a burning building.

For more information about water issues, check out the United Nations Website at http:// www.un.org/en/globalissues/water/.

PHOTO BY KAYLA MCGRAW

“Sometimes overlooked is the one drink that everyone just can’t live without.”

BOOK REVIEW

‘The Eye of Moloch’ is bafflingly bad

By Jacob Holley-Kline Staff Reporter

In the first sentence of Glenn Beck’s new thriller, “The Eye of Moloch,” Beck manages to abandon what it means to be a writer.

“As it passes close by your head,” he writes, “a hypervelocity bullet makes a little snap that’s hard to describe until you’ve heard it for yourself.”

His description of the “hypervelocity bullet” is that it’s hard to describe.

Somehow accomplishing the impossible, “The Eye of Moloch” only gets worse from there.

Following Beck’s first novel, “The Overton Window,” “Moloch” is set in a

dystopian future and follows the exploits of returning protagonists Noah Gardner and Molly Ross, resistance fighters in a Founding Fathers-based rebel group called the “Founders’ Keepers.”

Gardner and Ross attempt to dismantle an evil corporate public relations firm that is plotting to destroy America.

The firm is led by 132-year-old aristocrat Aaron Doyle. Somewhere in the firm’s headquarters is a secret vault that holds plans detailing all the conspiracies plotted against the American people.

After being captured by the firm, Gardner is held captive inside one of their prisons. His punishment is to copy edit fabricated columns and stories to send out to the unknowing masses. Soon, Gardner breaks out and, along with Ross,

PHOTO BY TIM BROWN

Flashback: April 1, 1992

must take down the PR firm before it destroys America.

This 404-page libertarian sermon is filled to the brim with awful writing.

While Beck may be one of America’s leading TV and radio personalities, he has no talent or skill in crafting characters or coherent stories.

Gardner and Ross are brutally uninteresting political sketches. There’s no depth to them and their interactions. The supporting characters are difficult to distinguish. No character’s voice is different from the next, save for the antagonist’s proper way of speaking.

For example, take this line delivered by Doyle: “Let us discuss how we shall finally bring the brief and teetering empire of the United States of America to an unceremonious close,” detailing to readers just how evil he is with little to no proof of his capabilities.

But even he remains uninteresting.

He lays bare his intentions with minimal reasoning behind them, and it’s the reader’s job to follow the protagonists to his doorstep. When they finally reach it, it seems the story may kick it up a notch and become exciting.

There is sadly no hope for betterment in a book like this.

The action scenes are wrung dry of all excitement and drive. They’re hastily described in stunted prose as if Beck can’t wait to bore the reader to death for another 35 pages of sermonizing.

Calling “The Eye of Moloch” cliched wouldn’t be giving it the credit it deserves.

Are there cliches? Of course, but

“Moloch” is a unique kind of awful.

There are turns of phrase that achieve new and markedly jarring lows.

For example, Beck writes, “What they’d all forgotten — the globalist elites, the predator class, the puppet-masters, the kleptocrats, the red-carpet mafia, call them what you want, what they’d forgotten about pandemonium is that once you set it loose to rampage you can’t as easily whistle it back into the box again.”

Whistling into boxes aside, “Moloch” is not a “visionary work of fiction” or “a rip-roaring read of the first order,” as authors Vince Flynn and Nelson DeMille respectively claim on the back cover.

Good stories can be butchered by wooden prose, but there is no good story in this novel to butcher in the first place.

It’s convoluted and unforgivingly selfcongratulatory at many turns.

Reading this book is the ultimate exercise in patience. It’s boring, contrived and poorly written.

“The Eye of Moloch” would not exist had there not been a pre-determined audience for it. But for the general public, there’s no value in reading it. If you manage to wade through this trash heap, you may come out a more patient person but not without a struggle.

Title: “The Eye of Moloch” Author: Glenn Beck Publisher: Threshold Editions Publishing date: June 2013 Genre: Thriller

ALBUM REVIEW

‘Half Of Where You Live’ by Gold Panda

By Oliver Petraitis KRUA Music Manager

Artist

Song

and the Sun2 KC shine Band

Come On Get Happy Get Down Tonight Saturday Night

4 Donna Summer

Hot Stuff

1 Partridge Family 3 Bay City Rollers

5 Bee Gees

Stayin’ Alive

6 Andy Gibb

Shadow Dancing

7 The Knack

My Sharona Da Do Run Run Run

8 Shaun Cassidy 9 ABBA 10 Debbie Boone

Dancing Queen You Light Up My Life

An Internet search for “Gold Panda” will spit out about as much as what sits in the search bar. A self-proclaimed social recluse, beat maker Gold Panda says fans should never expect him to perform this music. “The idea of performing for people terrifies me,” he said.

Citing music as a largely private activity, Gold Panda’s sophomore work “Half of Where You Live” has stripped him of any chance of remaining a bedroom beat production anomaly. The follow-up to debut album “Lucky Shiner” and a slew of EPs including this spring’s “Trust,” this album displays the growth of his gritty blend of sampled, asynchronous and static-y electronica.

Whereas many musicians refine their sound across records in favor of better production, smoother sounds and settling down as a reflection of life experience, Gold Panda’s new work is noticeably edgier. In comparison to “Lucky Shiner,” the quintessential Gold Panda hit “Quitter’s Raga” and “Trust, Half of Where You Live” drives more heavily on the beats, with more pent-up energy looking to be expended. The twitchy rhythms and flickering melodies which have long characterized Gold Panda’s work have only become twitchier, now flicker brighter and reflect on the intensity of Gold Panda’s ability to capture emotion in unique genre of music.

A curious characteristic of this album is that the techniques for creating his sound have not changed greatly — organic tones smashed with China cymbals, bell choirs, vocal samples and punchy bass drums — but the overall feel of his music has become more power-

ful. Tempos up, heads down toward the floor, this is an album for introspection. If anything, “Half of Where You Live” feels like an intensely personal album, but for that reason it is also highly relatable.

Bottom line, this is a subsequent impressive work from Gold Panda with no shortcomings.

Album: “Half of Where You Live” Artist: Gold Panda Genre: Electronic, Techno Label: Ghostly International Release Date: June 11, 2013

07 A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

‘Circuit’ art exhibition captures the nuanced essence of the human form

Becky Orcutt’s art juxtaposes the complex human form with simple everyday objects.

“Circuit” is an exhibit of recent work focusing on the figure by Becky Orcutt, winner of the 2012 No Big Heads self-portrait competition.

By George Hyde Staff Reporter

Becky Orcutt has seemingly mastered the art of the portrait.

Her works have landed her spots in the 2012 No Big Heads national self-portrait exhibition, where her work won Best in Show, as well as at the Compassion Exhibit at Harvard University. She has received numerous accolades from juries and critics around the country, and now she brings her work to the Student Union Gallery.

Orcutt is a student from North Bend, Wash., and she is currently studying painting at the Gordon College in Massachusetts.

“Art has always been my greatest passion and a constant presence in my life,” Orcutt says in the exhibition’s artist statement. “I am particularly interested in the figure and learning techniques to portray it, but capture something beyond just the accurate form.”

These goals are evident in her work. Some of the paintings are almost photorealistic in nature, and they accurately capture the emotion found in her subjects and poses.

This exhibit focuses on the mundane, the everyday occurrences that most people take for granted.

“These paintings explore the question of what significance the ordinary tasks and familiar objects of daily life might have,” Orcutt says. “The result was the figure (seen in my works) in an interior space, and the tension existing between the person and the objects.”

Many of the paintings focus on a person interacting with simple objects, such as alarm clocks and electric plugs. Orcutt believes these interactions help make us human, and she expresses this belief in her art.

“I found the most compelling expressions to be those made when forming a thought, or mid sentence, as these seemed most honest, and served as subtle reminders of the similarities in humanity,” she says.

Michael Crook, a visiting graduate student from Michigan State University, takes time to explore paintings and illistrations by Becky Orcutt.

Orcutt’s exhibition “Circuit” is on display through July 31 in the Student Union Gallery. The gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday:

PHOTOS BY TIM BROWN

Becky Orcutt’s vibrant personality contasts the apathetic theme of “Circuit.”

Featured artist Becky Orcutt and Ankur Mehra trade impressions of her colored pencil illustration, “Nina.”

GAME REVIEW

‘Deadpool’: Humor can’t save a poorly designed game

By George Hyde Staff Reporter

With few exceptions, the spoof and parody genre doesn’t translate into gaming very well. Games such as “Duke Nukem Forever” use humor as a crutch and attempt to hide poor gameplay behind the veil of witty sarcasm and spoof. “Deadpool,” sadly, is one of those games.

The titular hero is Deadpool, Marvel’s mercenary with a mouth that constantly breaks the fourth wall, mocks other Marvel superheroes and loves swords and guns to a psychopathic degree. He is sent a contract to assassinate Chance White, a stereotypical television pundit. However, his efforts are put on hold when Marvel villain Mister Sinister kills White first, sending Deadpool on a quest to get revenge while unraveling a massive conspiracy to rule the world.

To be fair, “Deadpool” is fantastically written. There are great laughs at every turn as Deadpool gives his usual routine. He’s charmingly full of himself and humorously silly, always finding something to laugh about even in the most unpleasant of situations.

The other characters play off of him nicely as well — with special mention going to his old partner Cable,

who finds creatively funny ways to manipulate Deadpool into doing the right thing.

Beyond that, however, little else redeems this game.

Deadpool often makes jabs about the poor level design and fighting the same enemies over and over again, but that doesn’t stop those things from making the game a chore.

The game plays like action titles such as “Dynasty Warriors” and “Devil May Cry,” and it often feels as boring as the worst parts of those series. Deadpool fights wave after wave of enemies with little variation in level design. Fighting tougher bosses often boils down to just strafing around them with a finger on the fire button, and the occasional platforming sections are as infuriating as they are in other action titles.

It’s a shame the gameplay can’t live up to the excellent caliber of the writing. Had more effort been put into it, “Deadpool” could’ve been a comedic classic. If you’re looking to burn a few hours with a few laughs, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with renting it or picking it up when it hits the bargain bin, but for $60 it’s a hard sell.

Game: “Deadpool” Developer: High Moon Studios Platform: 360, PS3, PC Genre: Action

08 A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

MOVIE REVIEW

‘R.I.P.D.’ is a fun, if uninspired, good time

By George Hyde Staff Reporter

“When there’s no more room in hell, the dead shall walk the earth.” That is the premise of horror film after horror film, sometimes with the quote even plastered on the poster.

“R.I.P.D.” gives an interesting twist to the undead formula, even if the results are a bit predictable.

Ryan Reynolds (Hal Jordan/

tine” and “Men in Black.” The film is paced at quite a clip, and goes by too fast for any exposition to get in the way. This is kind of refreshing, however, since most audiences will know what they’re getting into after seeing the trailer. It’s nice to see a film that trusts its audience to know what’s going on.

The film’s action feels exaggerated and almost cartoonish, but the audience is too exhilarated to care. “R.I.P.D.” emphasizes fun over almost all else,

“R.I.P.D.” gives an interesting twist to the undead formula, even if the results are a bit predictable.

Green Lantern, “Green Lantern”) is Nick Walker, a star cop on the Boston police force who is unexpectedly killed in the line of duty. Instead of facing judgment like most other souls, the cosmic higher-ups want his skills put into action, so they admit him into the Rest in Peace Department.

The department’s duty is to detain and/or banish renegade souls who have dodged judgment to continue existing in the world of the living. These dead souls rot in the world of the living, causing decay around them.

Ryan joins Roy Pulsipher (Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”), a department veteran of over 200 years, and they unravel an evil plot to bring the imprisoned dead en masse to the living world, causing the apocalypse.

If that seems like a bit much to take in, that’s because it is.

“R.I.P.D.” borrows a lot from other films, most notably feeling like a mix between “Constan-

and the cartoonish visuals and action compliment the goofy story.

If there is one complaint about the film, it’s that it doesn’t really take the genre in new directions. It feels like the producers looked at horror and undead films then said, “Make it like ‘Men in Black.’” And while director Robert Schwentke’s trademark sense of humor is present, it doesn’t give the film a distinct uniqueness.

“R.I.P.D.” is harmless fun. It doesn’t break any new ground, but at the same time, it’s a cathartic piece of over-the-top action.

There are certainly worse ways to spend 10 bucks.

Film: “R.I.P.D.: Rest in Peace Department” Release Date: July 19, 2013 Director: Robert Schwentke Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon

nowhere to Park?

Know where to ParK

when you visit Parking services

• South Lot (limited space) • West Campus Central Lot • North Parkingo Lot t S e r S e G h • Sports Lot it w s i v w o ou K•n Sports y Northwest Lot n e h w park

Parking Pa

rk

g

Parking

Parking

CUDDY HALL

in

6 Short-term Parking Spaces ONLY X

PLE

OM OC

FARG LLS

STUDENT UNION

WE

RASMUSON

BOOKSTORE

Parking

Area unavailable for driving or parking due to construction

We are proud to support the continued growth of the UAA Campus. Students can look forward to the addition of more classroom space and an expanded Engineering Program at UAA. In this time of growth, parking may become scarce in the campus core. Please plan additional time to reach your location and take alternative transportation, carpool, or walk whenever possible to limit traffic congestion. For concerns regarding this project, please contact John Hanson (907)in786-1119 UAA Facilities, Planning & Construction at (907) 786-4900.

www.uaa.alaska.edu/parking Lower Level of the Bookstore

SPORTS SPORTS BRIEFS

Gymnasts add trio for 2014 ANCHORAGE — Gymnastics head coach Paul Stoklos added three talented newcomers to his 2014 roster, announcing that Natalia Joyce, Nicole Larkin and Brice Mizell have signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Seawolves.

The trio will join eight returnees from last year’s squad that broke 17 school records, including team season averages on vault, bars, beam and overall.

“All three of these young women bring great all-around skill sets, and will blend with our returners to give us improved depth on every apparatus,” said Stoklos, who will begin his 30th season at the helm this January.

Joyce placed seventh in the all-around at the 2013 Region 7 Junior Olympics meet, advancing to JO Nationals, where she placed 31st. She hails from the same hometown as former Seawolf standout Lauren Agostino (2006-07, 08-09), Virginia Beach, Va., where she competed at the club level for Excalibur Gymnastics.

Larkin, from Kennewick, Wash., placed third in the all-around at the Region 2 JO meet in both 2012 and 2013, following with top-50 performances at JO Nationals both times. She competed at the club level for Mid-Columbia Gymnastics Academy.

Mizell, from Mill City, Ore., placed eighth in the Region 2 all-around competition in 2013 and went on to place 17th at the National Invitational Tournament.

Competing for The Athletic Edge, Mizell was also sixth in the all-around at 2012 regionals and made the JO Nationals, where she finished 48th.

Gay, Powell test positive for banned substances (AP) — The list reads like a Who’s Who among the world’s best sprinters: Jamaican Asafa Powell, the former world-record holder at 100 meters; American champion Tyson Gay, who went out of his way to promote himself as an anti-drug athlete; Jamaican Sherone Simpson, who has a gold and two silver Olympic medals to her credit.

Word came July 14 that all three had failed drug tests.

“I am not now — nor have I ever been — a cheat,” Powell said in a message released through his Twitter account.

The 30-year-old Powell, whose 100-meter record of 9.74 stood until Usain Bolt beat it in 2008, was calling for an investigation as to how a stimulant called oxilofrine entered his system and caused a positive test at Jamaica’s national championships in June.

Simpson, who tested positive for the same stimulant, said she “would not intentionally take an illegal substance of any form into my system.”

Gay, the American-record holder in the 100, was more contrite, though he wasn’t taking full responsibility.

“I don’t have a sabotage story. I don’t have any lies. I don’t have anything to say to make this seem like it was a mistake or it was on USADA’s hands, someone playing games,” said Gay, who fought back sobs in a telephone interview. “I don’t have any of those stories. I basically put my trust in someone and I was let down.”

Gay, who won the 100 and 200 meters at U.S. nationals last month, said he would pull out of the world championships.

Brooklyn Nets coach Kidd gets probation for DWI HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y. (AP) — Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge and was placed on interim probation nearly a year after he smashed his Cadillac SUV into a utility pole on eastern Long Island.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Kidd agreed to speak to Long Island high school students about the dangers of drunken driving. If he fulfills his community service, his plea will be reduced to a violation — driving while ability impaired — when he returns to court on Sept. 30.

Kidd, who retired as an NBA player after last season, was recently hired to coach the Nets - the team he took to two NBA Finals as a player when the franchise played in New Jersey.

Briefs compiled by Thomas McIntyre from GoSeawolves.com and the Associated Press

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

09

Thomas introduced as UAA hockey coach

By Thomas McIntyre

PHOTO BY SAM WASSON/ GOSEAWOLVES.COM

sports@thenorthernlight.org Matt Thomas was formally introduced as the new hockey coach at a press conference earlier this month. During the brief event, he fielded questions and set the tone for what’s to come.

Interim athletic director Tim McDiffett opened the press conference with a prepared statement. He spoke like a man who’s certain the program’s drama is in the past.

“It’s no secret that we’ve been through a lot in recent weeks,” McDiffett said. “And with Matt (Thomas) here today, we are officially turning the page to what we think is going to be a bright future for Seawolf hockey.”

McDiffett also detailed some of the reasons Thomas was chosen.

For one, Thomas has a proven background. And as solid as his coaching pedigree is, McDiffett praised him for being a better human.

McDiffett said student athletes would enjoy playing for Thomas, while he hopes opponents feel just the opposite.

Lastly — and perhaps most importantly — McDiffett thinks Thomas can act as a positive branch to the alumni, boosters and fans. Bringing harmony among all of those sectors hasn’t been done properly in recent years.

Thomas made one thing clear during his time at the microphone: He wants to win.

“The expectations from myself, the staff, the players and the program are going to be high,” Thomas said.

This was a chance for Thomas to bargain for a grace period. He could have told the audience how much work needs to be done to turn the team around. He could have asked for patience.

Instead, he emphasized his immediate goal to win.

Thomas doesn’t look at the situation as an extended rebuilding project. He’s aiming to kick his tenure off with a plus .500 season.

He said he’s never been a part of a losing campaign, and is determined to keep it that way.

To do this, one must have a plan. And according to Thomas, he does.

He hasn’t been able to meet most of the current roster. He thinks it’s important to take care of everything on his end first before starting that phase. But when that time comes, he says he has a plan for how it will go down.

Addressing what it takes to stabilize a program going through so much change, Thomas said — that’s right — he has a plan.

Details about these plans were scarce, but Thomas did reveal how he’ll utilize a team full of players he feels are hard workers.

“What I can do is come in and maybe refocus their energy into an area that’s going to help us have some success right away,” Thomas said.

Newly hired hockey coach MattThomas addresses his goals for Seawolf hockey.

Surprisingly, Thomas’ optimism grew after doing his homework and evaluating a portion of the club’s 2012-13 season.

“I don’t think there’s a huge step to take. I think there’s an important step to take,” he said.

It may be a somewhat vague assertion, but it’s not a shy one.

Thomas believes these players are one crucial step away from being winners, and he’s confident he’s the man who can help them take it.

The entire press conference can be viewed at http://GoSeawolves. com.

The summer of Jozy

By Thomas McIntyre

sports@thenorthernlight.org Soccer in the United States is still in development. Talk to anyone who thinks they know about soccer and he or she will snap back about how the highest level of the game is played outside of America. And they’ll be correct.

The United States is growing, though. It is going through the same transitions countries like Argentina experienced when they were adopting basketball. When the Dream Team steamrolled in Barcelona, Argentina wasn’t even in the field.

Fourteen years later, they won gold. No matter how much of a mess the U.S. team was that year, Argentina turned into a certified competitor in the sport.

A large part of cultivating talent within the country is generating interest in the game. David Beckham crossed the pond in 2007 to help do that. The New York Red Bulls signed Thierry Henry in 2010 for the same purpose.

Although, nothing can energize Americans like a successful FIFA World Cup run.

The people who don’t generally care start caring every fourth summer. The better the team does, the bigger the impact it has on the nation — especially the little ones deciding what sport to play.

Some would say the almost guaranteed brain trauma that comes from stepping on a football field should be enough to sell soccer to the youth, but we’re not there yet.

The current generation of pro American soccer players is bridging the gap. They are beginning to excel both in and outside of the United states, which is huge. Our country is becoming a serious piece of the soccer world.

The process is in full gear now, and the U.S. men’s team is posturing to hit the NOS button next June in Brazil.

Which brings me to Jozy Altidore. He isn’t the sole catalyst for American soccer; he’s just having one hell of a summer.

Altidore first hit the scene as a 16-year-old phenom — the less popular version of Freddy Adu, basically. He became a pro in 2006 and started fulfilling his potential in 2011.

Over the last couple years, Altidore has turned into an elite striker in the top Netherlands league and one of the most important play-

ers on the U.S. team.

Altidore’s value to our nation’s club exploded last month. He started by scoring in a friendly against Germany, and then went on to net goals in all three World Cup qualifiers over the course of June.

Prior to the friendly with Germany, the former prodigy had not scored in his last 22 Team USA games. He didn’t just end that streak — he ripped it to shreds, and started a much more impressive one.

Four straight goals, four straight wins. And with that, the United States is on pace to enter the final qualifying stage in great position.

Altidore also inked a deal with the Sunderland Black Cats this summer. Sunderland plays in the Premier League, which is the world’s most competitive soccer league. If iron sharpens iron, he should be plenty sharp for the 2014 World Cup. Jozy Altidore and American soccer are quite similar: Both are evolving to new heights.

One is maturing into a striker who can make opposing defenses wilt, and the other is blossoming into a true national sport.

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

11

OPINION: ‘TAKE 5’

The ‘5 Bs’ of doing things

By Kenzie Snyderman Volunteer

1) Beginning

The blinking cursor is rather intimidating. It prods almost intrusively at many people’s skill and ability to write.

But just dive in. Uncertainty is less uncomfortable than feeling frozen.

When I try to stay in one place and rationally think it over with patience, I often just talk myself out of things. I’d rather take a chance and see what happens than spend too much time secondguessing myself. I’m not afraid of mistakes, because I’ve survived enough of them. I am afraid of feeling stuck.

So here I am, beginning to write.

I’ve already gotten through a paragraph.

2) Baby steps

I’ve never done this kind of writing, but I’ve always wanted to. “Well,” I think to myself, “anyone who’s done anything has never done it before at one point.”

This thought is very reassuring to me, so I press on.

I have found whenever I do anything new or exciting, whether it is life-changing — such as a move to a new place, a break-up or something less serious, like starting an exercise routine — it’s best to just take it one tiny step at a time. Don’t get hung up on the big picture.

As the saying goes, “It’s progress, not perfection.”

Things often don’t turn out according to plan, but that doesn’t mean they can’t turn out wonderful or life-changing. The fun part is often getting there, and the little-by-little stuff can be just as exciting as the final step of your original pursuit.

3) Breaks

I stop writing and go to the store. I continue to write this in my head while browsing Fred Meyer aisles for short ribs and salad dressing. Then I stop. “Wait, this is nice. I should enjoy this,” I think to myself.

People sometimes forget to take breaks when they are excited about doing things for the first time. Don’t forget to travel back to the surface of reality for a breath of fresh air or a warm moment of

clarity.

A deep breath can be found in the sound of crackling embers or the plot of my four-year-old daughter’s day, spilled out in broken English between infectious bouts of laughter. When I step back into the project later, I have something more to bring with me than if I had just stayed and obsessed.

4) But-what-ifs

I look over what I’ve already done. I start to get anxious and self-critical. But then I stop myself and remember mistakes are also great teachers. Part of me hopes the editor will reject my pitch and send me off in a “determined to do this until it’s right” mindset. It’s not enough to start something if I’m not going to give it my all.

True, not all things are meant to be, but those who don’t try their best and do everything in their power to make it work may never know either way.

It can be difficult to get out there and do the things you’ve always wanted to do — whether it’s starting something or ending something — and I don’t know

exactly what makes it so difficult.

Maybe it’s a case of relentless whatif’s rooted in the fear of failure and disappointment? All I know is I’d rather be disappointed than disenchanted, any day.

5) Balls

People should do the things they want to do, even if others warn against it. Isn’t that what all the greatest do-ers and revolutionists in history have done? Isn’t that how modern society developed in the first place? Isn’t that what Independence Day is really celebrates?

Ordinary people can do extraordinary things and lead extraordinary lives, just by indulging their simplest dreams and want-tos.

So I am doing this. Writing a column is one of the many things I’ve always wanted to do, and I appreciate readers being part of it. What do you want to do?

What limiting beliefs are stopping you from beginning?

I bid you all a good week full of opportunity, change and mistakes to urge your quests to do things.

EDITORIAL

Public reacts to controversial cover choice Ed: Editorials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of all TNL staff.

By Ashley Snyder

editor@thenorthernlight.org

tantly, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was so appalled by the decision he wrote a letter to the magazine stating, “Your August 3 cover rewards a terrorist with celebrity treatment.”

This isn’t the first time Rolling Stone has made a provocative decision on their cover choice. In a 1970 issue of the magazine, the cover featured the notorious Charles Manson.

Granted, he was a musician, but the topic of the article was about his criminal history. Even though Manson did not kill anyone by his own hand, it was still a bold decision to feature him during that time period.

This is by no means something that is singly done by Rolling Stone. Other magazines have also made editorial decisions to feature notorious domestic terrorists. Time magazine has had the Unabomber, Oklahoma Bomber Timothy McVeigh and the Columbine shooters featured on different covers.

The controversy isn’t that magazine covers inherently glorify murderers. Seeing crimi-

The August 2013 cover of Rolling Stone magazine is the subject of national buzz lately.

It doesn’t feature a glammed-up actress or a bedazzling singer, like one would normally expect of the generally music-oriented magazine. Instead, readers come face-to-face with a figure whose hair is unkempt with eyes like deep, black pits. There is no real expression on his face as he gazes out at everyone who looks his way.

This is the image of the person who injured over 250 people and killed three—including an eight-year-old boy. It is the face of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was dubbed the Boston Bomber. The tagline underneath gives insight to the topic of the article inside the magazine: “How a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster.”

Screams of outrage, chants of boycotting and expressions of anger swamped Rolling Stone.

People all around the country were disgusted, saying the magazine was glorifying the killer, that the way the story was written was trying to defend the murderer in - Letter from Boston some ways by Mayor Thomas Menino to blaming parents and peer presRolling Stone magazine sure.

There were complaints that it dishonors those who died and it brings nals, dictators and warlords on back pain for those who were the cover of Time magazine is rather normal, and those go still alive.

Public outcry got so out of without public outcry. Rolling control that the Rolling Stone Stone simply did something editors released a statement to out of its genre norm, and when justify their choice. While the Tsarnaev’s image is compared whole letter can be read online, to the other rock stars who have the most revealing part of the shared that same cover, there is letter describes the intention of room for misinterpretation. His face is an unexpected sight for the cover: “The fact that Dzhokhar Rolling Stone subscribers, and Tsarnaev is young, and in the that makes the general public same age group as many of our uncomfortable.

Will Rolling Stone’s marreaders, makes it all the more important for us to examine the keting attempt ruin their repucomplexities of this issue and tation? Doubtful, because the gain a more complete under- magazine has been operating standing of how a tragedy like for over 50 years, and one poor decision often cannot destroy a this happens.”

Despite the letter of “reassur- company. However, the obviousance,” many stores around the ly insensitive cover choice has United States — such as CVS, already caused negative reperWalgreens, Wegmans, Rite- cussions, and more may be to Aid, and some 7-11 stores — are come before the topic has faded refusing to sell the controversial from the public’s mind. issue. Maybe even more impor-

“Your August 3 cover rewards a terrorist with celebrity treatment.”

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 5,000.

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.­­­

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 Phone: 907-786-1513 Fax: 907-786-1331 info@thenorthernlight.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR 786-1434 editor@thenorthernlight.org Ashley Snyder MANAGING EDITOR content@thenorthernlight.org Vacant COPY EDITOR copy1@thenorthernlight.org Kierra Hammons NEWS EDITOR news@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR news2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR features2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR arts2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR sports2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

FEATURES EDITOR features@thenorthernlight.org Nita Mauigoa

ADVERTISING MANAGER 786-4690 ads@thenorthernlight.org Chelsea Dennis

A&E EDITOR arts@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Vacant

SPORTS EDITOR sports@thenorthernlight.org Thomas McIntyre

PHOTO EDITOR photo@thenorthernlight.org Tim Brown STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER photo2@thenorthernlight.org Kayla McGraw WEB EDITOR web@thenorthernlight.org Vacant LAYOUT EDITOR layout@thenorthernlight.org Casey Kleeb

GRAPHIC DESIGNER graphics@thenorthernlight.org Roz Kirkelie

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR multimedia@thenorthernlight.org Vacant STAFF REPORTERS staff@thenorthernlight.org Megan Marquis Keon McMillan Jacob Holley-Kline George Hyde Evan Erickson CONTRIBUTORS Evan Dodd Oliver Petraitis Kenzie Snyderman Eli Johnson MEDIA ADVISER Paola Banchero ADMINISTRATIVE ADVISER Annie Route

LETTER AND CORRECTION POLICY CORRECTIONS On Page 1 of the July 9 issue of The Northern Light, we misidentified the co-founder of Alaska Quidditch. Her name is Melinda Williams. The Aurors vs. Death Eaters match occurred at the Delaney Park Strip. All direct quotes attributed to Nithya Thiru were not verbatim.

On Page 12 of the July 9 issue of The Northern Light, we incorrectly printed the byline of the opinion article, “Media coverage causes jury system malfunction.” The author is executive editor Ashley Snyder. We also incorrectly reported Trayvon Martin’s arms status and toxicology results. Trayvon Martin was unarmed, and trace amounts of THC from the 30-plus days preceding his death were found in his blood. THC has not been clinically proven to have a causal link to violent behavior.