October 21, 2014

October 21, 2014

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UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

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Artist feature: Student photographer Ellen Davis

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‘Shadow of Mordor’ livens the thrill of hunt

Anchorage serves style

New facilities fee to start in spring

By Stephen Cress

by the pint

news@thenorthernlight.org

In spring 2015 the University of Alaska will implement a new facilities fee.

The fee is designed to create revenue to go back into facilities for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Southeast and University of Alaska Anchorage campuses.

UA President Pat Gamble issued a memorandum Aug. 7 to Shauna Thornton, chair of the Coalition of Student Leaders.

“The Summit Team has been discussing the ‘growing need for a UA-wide facilities fee,’” the memorandum reads.

According to Gamble, “Facility renewal and renovation has been a top priority of the Board of Regents for several years and the necessary minimum state funding has never kept pace.”

The memo details how the Board of Regents has assessed the need for implementing a new fee, citing the growing need to modernize campus facilities for the sake of students’ academic experience.

In the memo, Gamble states, “After careful consideration, and following legislative intent put forward in the Fiscal Year 2015 budget, I have endorsed a proposal from the three chancellors to implement a $2 per credit UA Facilities Fee starting in spring 2015. In fall 2015 this fee will increase to $4 per credit, and in spring 2016 the fee will increase to $6 per credit.”

The new fee is projected to create $607,000 in revenue for spring 2015, $1.21 million for fall 2015 and $1.82 million for spring 2016. Gamble also attached a frequently asked questions page to the memo, with questions pertaining to the fee answered by the chair of the Coalition of Student Leaders, Shauna Thornton.

Thornton said the revenue from the new facilities fee will go back into campuses.

“For UAS and UAA, the fee revenue will assist in reinvestments for classrooms, laboratories, residence halls and other buildings and academic equipment specific to those main campuses and their associated community campuses,” Thornton said.

Regent Courtney Enright addressed several concerns for the fee in a response to Gamble’s memo.

“At UAA, the fee will go to academic and student use facilities, furnishings, equipment replacement and renewal first, then to infrastructure contributing to a comfortable learning environment,” Enright said.

According to Enright, UAF’s use of the fee’s revenue will be slightly different from UAA and UAS. “Revenue from the Facilities Fee will be used by UAF as their contribution to the funding of the combined heat and power plant project,” she said.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

By Daniel Barnett Contributor

Homeschool student Sean Bennett practices using an atlatl, a kind of spear launcher, during UAA’s Archaeology Day at the University Center.

Photos by James r. evans

Archaeology Day thrills

explorers of all ages

By James R. Evans

photo@thenorthernlight.org

The University Center took a trip back to the Paleolithic Age on Oct. 18, when UAA’s Anthropology Department hosted its second annual celebration of International Archaeology Day. Volunteers from UAA, local archeological societies and businesses manned booths, displays and demonstrations for those trying to get in touch with their inner explorer. Visitors enjoyed opportunities to “excavate” bones from a sandbox, make arrowheads and use the primitive spear launcher known as an “atlatl.”

“People like archeology, and this is their chance to go see it,” said Anthropology Department chair Diane Hanson.

“We all thought it was the coolest job when we were 10-year-olds, and now we get to do it for a living. So to be able to share that interest with kids of all ages is a lot of fun.”

Nathan Harmston, a graduate student specializing in zooarchaeology, spent the day with a felt board and cutouts of artifacts, explaining the law of superposition to young Archeology Day visitors.

The law, a basic tenant of archeology, simply states that older artifacts will usually be found in deeper strata than new ones, but it’s usually reserved for collegelevel courses. Harmston thinks that’s unfortunate.

“Kids seem have a much easier time understanding this than adults,” Harmston said. “It just totally makes sense to them that something that was around a long time ago would be deeper underground.”

Kids weren’t the only ones learning at Archaeology Day. Andy Zajac, a retired teacher, said his curiosity was piqued when he heard the event would feature atlatl throwing. Zajac once taught in the village of Noatak and received an atlatl throwing piece as a gift from an Alaska Native resident.

This was his first chance to use one of the spear throwers to launch an actual projectile at a target.

“I always wanted to know more about how they were used,” Zijac said after taking a few shots at a plywood bison target in the parking lot. “It was a lot more difficult than I thought.”

According to the Archaeological Institute of America’s website, Archeology Day began in 2011 and was renamed International Archeology Day in 2013 to reflect the fact that more than 17 countries now participate, as well as 49 U.S. states. It is held on the third Saturday of September and, the site states, “is a celebration of archaeology and the thrill of discovery.”

Easton Lenhart admires animal skeletons Oct. 18 while visiting UAA’s Archaeology Day at the University Center with his mom.

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From apple ciders and raspberry ales to tripels and barley wines, Anchorage breweries bring an elegance and diversity to the beer community. Anyone looking for a stimulating drinking experience should feel right at home within the city limits.

While Anchorage only boasts a handful of breweries and brewpubs, each one brings its own style and swagger to the beer-brewing world. In 2013, Travel and Leisure took notice and ranked Anchorage in the top 25 in their “best beer cities” piece, and another article in 2014 from The Pour Fool, a Seattle blog, ranked Anchorage as the “No. 2 emerging beer town in America.”

“You can tell the love and time invested in making these beers,” said Dean Schmidt, a local beer enthusiast.

Schmidt said that after attending many local brewing events in town, it is easy to see that Anchorage breweries take pride in their finished products.

“It’s like a parent on Christmas day,” he said. “They look for your feedback and approval through your reaction at each taste. It’s their passion, and it excites them to share it with others.”

One brewery that’s been putting Anchorage on the beer map for years is Midnight Sun Brewing Company. Midnight Sun creates an array of beer flavors and names like the Panty Peeler, a smooth and crisp tripel, and Termination Dust, a stout and earthy barley wine just released earlier this month. Midnight Sun also runs a long list of seasonal, commemorative and specialty brews.

Gary Busse, the general manager at Midnight Sun, described the process that led the brewery to making one of their more popular India Pale Ales.

“Our brewers had some time and some empty tank space and they just brewed a beer that they wanted to brew, and we all said, ‘Damn, this is good,’” he said.

Busse added that even though this beer was only intended to be a “one and done” product, Pleasuretown IPA is now their second-most popular beer.

Brewing beers isn’t all that Midnight Sun dabbles in, however. The Loft, which is located above the brewery, allows fans the opportunity to come out and sample beers, buy merchandise and participate in first taps and promotions. The release of its beer called “Hope” is an example of this; each purchase prompts the brewery to make a donation to the Providence Cancer Center.

Midnight Sun also runs the “First

SEE Beer

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 21, 2014

02

BEER: Breweries in Anchorage c o n t i n ue d f r om c o v er

Firken Friday” promotion, where local painters are invited to display their artwork and the brewery releases its “Firken” brew, which is a specialty brew released for limited sale that night.

Midnight Sun isn’t the only brewery thinking outside the box. Anchorage Brewing Company mixes elegance and artistry and brews them into a masterpiece that is distributed to more than seven European countries, Australia and even Japan.

Gabe Fletcher, owner of Anchorage Brewing Company, is creating craft beers using techniques that few in the world use.

“In the olden days, they didn’t have a way to cool the wort (beer prior to fermentation) before the yeast was added, so they put it in these shallow vessels known as coolships, which are about 18 inches deep.

A coolship will spread out the surface area and cool the wort,” he said.

This process, Fletcher said, also allows wild yeasts to be introduced to the mixture, eliminating the need to introduce additives or other yeast to the wort.

He also explained his purpose for storing his beers in wood barrels.

“You get some of the bacteria and flavors that build up over time from previous fermentations — so your barrels are essentially living, and it really gives your beer its own house flavor,” Fletcher said. “When you put your finished beer in these barrels, it starts fermenting on its own.”

All of Anchorage Brewing’s ales have their own unique flavors. Rondy Brew, a bubbly saison, introduces hints of orange with an oak aftertaste. Whiteout, a wit bier, bursts with lemon flavor and is so soft and smooth that one might forget it’s a beer. Each beer also comes with its own barrel flavor as well. Love Buzz, another saison, is fermented in old pinot noir barrels and provides hints of the wine with each drink.

While Anchorage Brewing doesn’t have a taproom to sample its ales yet, Fletcher has already started moving his operation to south Anchorage and hopes to have a fully running taproom by January.

One of the local breweries making waves in the national scene is Glacier Brewing, a brewpub located

Photo by Daniel Barnett

Midnight Sun Brewery released its CoHoHo winter IPA on Oct. 9.

downtown. Glacier Brewing introduces a diverse lineup of beers mixed with several barley wines.

Head brewer Kevin Burton provided some insight into what a barley wine is.

“Barley wine is a beer with a high alcohol content,” he said. “Once it hits a certain alcohol level, it is classified as a barley wine. Barley wines are stored for as long as four years.”

Burton said this storage not only creates new and exuberant flavors, but also raises the alcohol level to as high as 15 percent.

Glacier Brewery may have perfected the barley wine.

Over the last 16 years, Glacier Brewery has earned 23 different awards at various competitions around the United States. Glacier Brewery celebrates these brews annually by hosting The Twelve Days of Barley Wine.

The event begins Dec. 10, and the brewery releases new barley wines and other higher alcohol beers through winter solstice.

The Great Alaskan Beer and Barley Wine Festival showcases many Anchorage beers, along with others from across America. The festival will take place Jan. 16-17 at the Egan Center. According to the flier for the 2015 event, more than 80 different breweries will attend.

Schmidt suggests that enthusiasts look into releases for new beers and attending their first taps.

Anchorage will also play host to Bodega Fest, a tasting event on Nov. 1 at the Aviation Heritage Museum, which will feature Alaskan and other Pacific Northwest breweries. Information about this event can be found at http://bodegafest.com.

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1 Test your UAOnline log-in early 2 Resolve registration holds 3 Meet with your academic advisor 4 Plan your schedule in DegreeWorks 5 Register early

Need help or have questions?

Call (907) 786-1480 or visit the UAA One Stop at the University Center.

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 21, 2014

04

How not to prepare for midterms

By Evan Dodd Contributor

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

Midterms came and went, leaving in their wake the typical psychological devastation I’ve become accustomed to twice a semester. As I explained my midterm cramming technique to a friend, and watched their expression turn to an odd mix of amusement and concern, I realized that I may not have the healthiest of study habits. Rather than change them for the better, which quite frankly sounds like a lot of effort, I decided to use them as a teaching tool to illustrate how not to approach midterms. So here’s a less than comprehensive list of some midterm habits you may want to steer clear of.

Let’s start with nutrition and energy. In the past I’ve often advocated running Red Bull through your coffee maker to create a mildly toxic supercharged brew.

While I certainly won’t hesitate to brew some super coffee when the deadlines start looming, I will warn you that it may adversely affect your coffee maker, blood pressure and will generally cause you to gently vibrate for the following four to six hours.

As an alternative, maybe try proper nutrition (with gummy vitamins for those of you living on the edge) and a consistent sleep schedule — both of which I hear do wonders for your health. Keep in mind that while walking over to Thai Kitchen for dinner three times a week may sound like proper nutrition, I can assure you from personal experience that your stomach and wallet may disagree.

On the topic of sleep, I feel I should clarify something. The recommendation of eight hours is per night, rather than per week. I only stress this because I’ve yet to meet anyone in college who even remotely adheres to that principle. With the exception of my friend Fiona — who somehow has achieved “sleep nirvana” and manages eight hours twice a day — most of my peers think that the four hours of Netflix preceding the actual sleep counts towards their total.

I’m no better, as I tend to finish class/homework around 10 p.m., surf YouTube or Netflix until 2 a.m., try to summon the energy to stand up and take my contacts out until 3, and then sleep for about four hours

before it’s time to do it all again. On day five of this, when exhaustion has forced me to the point of actually falling asleep in the pool for my kayaking class, it becomes pretty clear that I’m going to crash once the weekend hits.

Oh weekends. I remember as a freshman when I had more weekend than I knew what to do with, as if they stretched on in infinite glory. Now as I’m desperately trying to pile on as many classes possible in order to get out of here within the decade, my weekends have somehow become unattainable. Part of it is my own doing with all these outdoor class trips, but even on my free weekends the last thing I want to do is continue the stress fueled work of the preceding week. So if you’ve still got free weekends, enjoy them, cherish them and treat them right so they’ll never leave you. If you’re long past that point like me, then at the very least try and use one weekend per month to catch up on the days of sleep you’re missing for midterms.

I’ve always been a strong believer in letting futureme” handle any stress that the current version of myself doesn’t have time for. It’s even logical in an odd sort of way, as it’s entirely likely that I’ll have come up with a better way of handling current-me’s workload by the time the future version rolls around. However, I’m sure that all of you see the inherent flaw in this, considering that the rational outcome is either that I die with a mountain of unfinished assignments or at some point futureme has to get off his ass and work for a week straight.

It really shouldn’t have taken me four years to discover that lack of sleep, poor nutrition, poor study habits and a general disregard for anything resembling a bedtime may not be conducive to a strong performance on midterms. Considering that I’ve advocated each of those methods in this very column, I’d have half expected someone would have pointed that out to me by now.

My only hope is that horrifically poor example I’ve set can serve as a reminder to take slightly more studious path through college.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to sleep for a week or two. Future-me can catch up on the workload later.

The age of attack advertisements SEAWOLF

SLUG

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

I picked a good day to sneak into George’s history class. The professor was discussing the Sophists, members of Greek society who taught young politicians about rhetoric more than they did about actual politics.

People like Plato hated these guys.

George was soaking up the information as well as he usually does — like a very leaky sponge. I, on the other hand, thought back to the research I had done last week on Bill Nye’s legendary exploits and recalled how many of those videos began: “MARK BEGICH ISN’T TRUE ALASKA. HE’S

PURE WASHINGTON.” After the day was done, we went to the bus stop. When the bus arrived, there was a crude, sixth grade-level drawing of Mark Begich on the side, accompanied by the words, “WHO DO YOU TRUST?” We then went home and flopped on the couch, turned on the evening news, and lo and behold: “WE CAN’T TRUST MARK BEGICH TO FULFILL ALASKA’S INTERESTS.” After the news, we went over to his computer. The email needed to be checked. When we got to his inbox...

“WE CAN’T LET THE KOCH BROTHERS AND THEIR CRONIES CONQUER WASHINGTON.” Now sick of this, we decided that a game of “Counter-Strike” should clear our heads. It’s not like they run political ads there, right? Well, we joined a server, and sure enough — “MARK BEGICH VOTED WITH OBAMA 97 PERCENT OF THE TIME.” We both literally screamed at this point. George flung off his headset, ran around outside, leaped on his bed and began silently crying into his pillow. Phone calls, TV, bus ads, YouTube, email and now they’re even invading his beloved video games. At this point, we were certain the ads would start telepathically entering our brains at any moment. It was like we were being haunted by some kind of political ghost. I was just about ready to have him make some tin foil hats.

Now, a week later, with dark bags under his eyes, George has conceded that this is just going to be a fact of life from now on. But I know better.

So where did this ad blitz begin? Let’s talk about the dreaded Citizens United ruling.

In 2008, the conservative lobbying group Citizens United wished to air a film highly critical of Hillary Clinton. A law passed in 2002 prohibited them from exhibiting the film within 30 days before or after the primary elections that year. However, they took it to the Supreme Court, which struck the law down. This opened the floodgates for what many call the “attack ad.”

Corporations and non-profits became able to flood campaigns with money to get ads out. This led to ads with massive production values favoring only the candidates that the financial contributors were able to support.

If a candidate doesn’t favor the contributor’s ideologies, well, no money for him or her.

That’s why we’ve seen tons and tons of ads against

Mark Begich — because his policies pose a threat to contributors’ interests. Yes, he has voted with Obama 97 percent of the time. However, the ad doesn’t go into specifics as to why that’s a bad thing; it just assumes that Obama equals bad, and therefore Begich equals bad.

This has led to several awkward scenarios. Begich may not be true Alaska, but he’s sure a hell of a lot more “true Alaska” than Dan Sullivan, who was born in Ohio and hasn’t served as mayor in Alaska’s largest city— er, not that Dan Sullivan, who is currently the mayor of Anchorage, but rather the other Dan Sullivan, who’s actually on the ballot in November. Oh wait, the other Sullivan is on the ballot too. I’m already lost!

The bus ads are particularly childish, simply asking us to vote for Sullivan on the basis of that crude sixth grade-level drawing I mentioned earlier.

The Democratic Party isn’t getting away with this scot-free either, compensating for their lack of campaign funds with mass emails begging people like George for donations. And when they do push out an ad, they’re often just as toxic as the Republican Party’s ads are.

Nowhere do we see these ads discussing what policies either of these politicians are willing to support. It’s all finger-pointing and blaming and name-calling and bickering.

And thus, we’ve come full circle to what we were discussing in history class: the “politicians” of our country are no longer actual politicians. They are Sophists.

They talk big before the big elections, but after they’re put in office, they can’t do anything. Since the Citizens United ruling, our Congress has been the least productive one in United States history. Just about everything gets gridlocked by the other house, and at one point they even shut down the government.

We do not need Sophists like Sullivan or Begich in our country’s legislative branch anymore. We need real men who can do real work. Alaskans don’t have the option to vote for someone like that anymore, and that is a damn shame.

Don’t worry, though. Our empire is far more productive, so once they arrive, this is one thing you guys won’t really have to worry about.

RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. EMBRACE THE SEAWOLF SLUG.

AE &

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 21, 2014

05

GAME REVIEW

‘Shadow of Mordor’ has the sweet allure of vengeance

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

Since the advent of the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” film trilogies, many fans have grown intimately familiar with Tolkien’s fascinating world. However, there are only a few that are really familiar with Tolkien’s ancillary work, and that leaves a lot of film fans who are more casually into the lore. From that perspective, “Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor” is a good action game with fantastic depth and a confusing story.

Mileage will vary depending on the player’s experience with Tolkien’s universe, of course.

“Shadow of Mordor” takes place in between “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” The protagonist is Tallion, a man who was guarding the Black Gate of Mordor when it was overrun by Sauron’s forces. He should have died but was instead banished from death by a mysterious elven wraith. Now merged with this wraith, Tallion roams the lands of Mordor in search of clues and vengeance, not knowing what important events he may stumble into.

Unless they’re invested in the source material and ancillary works, players are going to be very lost trying to figure out what is going on. The above synopsis was gathered only after a long time playing and researching.

The average player is going to be in that same position

— struggling to follow the story.

However, that’s okay because there’s one thing the game does incredibly right: world-building. Each time the player is killed, the orc that killed him or her is then shown rising in the orc hierarchy, challenging his peers and becoming more powerful. If a player gets killed, he or she won’t be filled with frustration; they’ll be filled with vengeance.

This aspect of the game lends it a great sense of character and engagement. Having one’s last murderer show up on the mini-map is a fantastic motivator, and instead of normal quest design, this allows “Shadow of Mordor” to have more organic moments that keep players emotionally invested.

Unfortunately, this revenge system is the only unique feature “Shadow of Mordor” has going for it. While the combat system — ripped straight from “Batman: Arkham Asylum” — isn’t bad, it’s been done, as has the parkour and stealth from “Assassin’s Creed.”

In normal scenarios, this title feels anything but original.

However, it’s the hierarchical layers behind the action that makes “Shadow of Mordor” worth experiencing.

Players will have to wade through some unoriginality and a possibly confusing plot to get to it, but the thrill of hunting the orc that killed you multiple times is too much of a draw to resist. For that reason, it’s worth checking out.

Game: “Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor” Developer: Monolith Productions Platforms: PS4, XBO, PC (PS3 and 360 coming soon) Genre: Action-Adventure Release Date: Sept. 30, 2014 + Thrill of the hunt + Complex orc hierarchy - Lore-heavy story may confuse newcomers

MUSIC REVIEW

‘You’re Dead!’ blends the strange and beautiful

By Wright Franklin KRUA Music Manager

A soundscape is a sound or a combination of sounds that forms an immersive environment. “You’re Dead!,” the new album from hip-hop/electronica’s veteran engineer Flying Lotus is practically the definition of the term.

Flying Lotus, who has consistently put out an album every other year since 2006, has carved out a unique place in music with his blend of hip-hop, electronica and jazz.

“You’re Dead!” is possibly his most genre-bending album yet. A mix of angelic R&B vocals and distorted, demonic voices flow over grounded percussion in between stuttering jazz tracks.

Apparently intended to be a journey through the afterlife, this album sounds terrifying and awe-inspiring. It is both maddening and disturbing, all while maintaining a peacefulness during certain tracks.

The consecutive features from Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg, respectively, appear as a quick stop on this train through Hades.

Appearing pretty early on, the features seem to alternatively serve as a sideshow introduction into this world that FlyLo has created.

Kendrick’s verse is one of his best in 2014 so far. It is immaculate and breathtaking.

Next to it, Snoop Dogg’s verse

just seems ... silly. Snoop’s feature is probably my one complaint about “You’re Dead!”

— he just doesn’t really belong on there. The instrumental is actually quite good, with a bouncy synthesizer and plenty of gun sounds, but the ol’ D-O-double G’s voice just kind of ruins it.

As far as the theme, the record does seem to follow a story arc. Listeners enter the afterlife with the first few songs, “Theme,” “Tesla” and “Cold Dead.” Then, “Turkey Dog Coma” and “Stirring” guides them into the realm of “Coronus, the Terminator,” which is a slow, mourning death march. “Descent Into Madness” begins the spiral plunge into darkness, which is resolved with the last two tracks, “Your Potential//The Beyond” and “The Protest.”

By the end of the record, listeners are left with a great sense of satisfaction — and when it comes to crafting the strange and beautiful, it seems that Flying Lotus has once again proved himself the master.

Album: “You’re Dead!”

Artist: Flying Lotus Genre: Electronic, experimental, jazz fusion Label: Warp Records Release date: Oct. 7, 2014

Higher education meets lower wireless bill As a student of: University of Alaska

you could be saving 17% on the monthly service charge of qualified wireless plans In addition to the AT&T Sponsorship Program discount, you’ll also enjoy these benefits:

• Unlimited usage on the AT&T national Wi-Fi® network, at no additional charge.1

• Waived Start-of-Service fee.

• Access to the nation’s most reliable 4GLTEnetwork.^

• The hottest smartphones, messaging devices, and tablets for the whole family.

To purchase online, visit http://www.att.com/getIRU Or, contact your AT&T sales representative, Shaneill Marquez by emailing sw4073@att.com or calling 907-264-7249 Sponsorship Program discounts:

©2014 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property.

1

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THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 21, 2014

07

MOVIE REVIEW

‘Kill the Messenger’ is a tragedy of ideals

By George Hyde

gchyde@thenorthernlight.org

In 1996, investigative journalist Gary Webb published a series of articles called “Dark Alliance.” In them, he suggested a connection between the explosion of crack cocaine use in the 1980s and the CIA-assisted Nicaraguan contras, writing that the CIA was supposedly using funding from crack cocaine sales in the United States to fuel supply purchases for the contras.

This report led to a media explosion that ruined Webb, both emotionally and in terms of journalistic integrity. Other larger papers, such as The Washington Post and L.A. Times, dismissed Webb’s articles, leaving many others skeptical of his work. Still, he pressed on, and after his ordeal he was found dead in 2004 — a multiple-gunshot suicide.

“Kill the Messenger” is a dramatization of this story. And the key word here is “dramatization.”

Jeremy Renner (“American Hustle”) plays Webb in this film, and he gives a mesmerizingly tragic performance. He portrays the character with a vivid fury and a true passion for his work. Webb is warned several times that continuing down this rabbit hole will lead to severe consequences, and those warnings are

correct. His fiery devotion to this story ultimately separates him from his family, coworkers, possessions and integrity.

He constantly searches for the truth, and while he thinks he knows what the consequences will be, he’s still not prepared to face them.

This is an important film because Webb’s piece was overshadowed by the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal when it was released. It tries to bring Webb’s story to life, and while it succeeds in the dramatic department, it attains that dramatic success at the cost of factual errors. “Messenger” focuses less on actual events and more on romanticizing a bygone age of journalistic chivalry, and while that may pass in other films, it’s a vital part of a story like this. This aspect of the film feels like a massive missed opportunity.

It’s still a great, dramatic ride, and it still gets heads spinning on the ideas it presents. It’s just a shame that it misses out on really exploring the truly dark side of what really happened between the CIA and Nicaragua. Those who are willing to withstand the misaimed focus, though, will find a great story with a great tragic protagonist. Just be careful what you choose to really believe.

Film: “Kill the Messenger” Release Date: Oct. 10, 2014 Director: Michael Cuesta Starring: Jeremy Renner, Rai Liotta, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

+ Paced and dramatized well + Pulls curtain on an important story - Focus often isn’t where it should be

BRICK BY BRICK Now on view Explore the creative potential of LEGO® toys and bricks.

Presented by

Museum members enjoy free admission to Brick by Brick. Become a member and save Image: Mike Stimpson, “Kittens,” photograph. Courtesy the artist

Museum members enjoy free general admission. Join today! anchoragemuseum.org

TELL YOUR ALASKA STORY Share your tale of working in Alaska 7 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 28 RSVP 929-9287

PLANETARIUM Journey through the stars or rock to a cosmic light show Check online for schedule

ENCOUNTERS WITH WILDLIFE Author Bill Sherwonit and biologist Rick Sinnott share stories 7 p.m. Oct. 23

08 A&E

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 21, 2014

FOREIGN FILM FANATIC

‘The Kill List’ is worth checking off

By Jacob Holley-Kline Contributor

If dread was like water “The Kill List” would be overflowing. This tightly wound horror show manages to wrench terror out of daily life. From the mundane to the extraordinary, the movie makes family dinner and a bludgeoning gut-wrenching in equal measure.

Still reeling from a mysterious botched tour in Ukraine, returned war veteran Jay (Neil Maskell, “Pusher”) tries to put his past behind him and live the quiet home life with his wife, Shel (MyAnna Buring, “The Descent”), and his son, Sam (Harry Simpson). To make ends meet, Jay has taken up a job as a hit man with his closest friend, Gal (Michael Smiley, “The World’s End”). But just before Jay can call it quits as a contract killer, Gal ropes him in with one last job: three targets and enough money to get his family through another year.

“The Kill List” is 10 percent crime thriller and 90 percent horror. H.P. Lovecraft’s blood runs in its veins. Even when Jay isn’t spiraling into madness, director Ben Wheatley refuses to let the viewer relax. With the help of a haunting score, family fun time in the backyard and a hammer to the skull feel equally visceral. At the movie’s fever pitch, this effect can be nauseatingly tense.

As Jay, Maskell is brilliantly unpredictable. Loving father in one scene and relentless killer in the next, he shifts effortlessly

between domestic and psychotic. Knowing his best mate’s mental state, Smiley plays an excellent foil to Maskell’s character. Though he’s not as tragically damaged as Jay, he’s a consistently exceptional counterweight, and their chemistry on screen couldn’t be better.

They talk like real friends and bolt headlong into darkness side-by-side, though one friend is willing to go deeper than the other.

And what a descent this is. Co-writers Wheatley and Amy Jump venture into the dark corners of the world with reckless abandon. For this, the movie feels immensely ambitious, willing to abandon sensibility for the sake of narrative. It’s a rough ride that leaves more questions than answers, but this hellish ambiguity burns in just the right way.

Despite its inherently brutal content, Wheatley knows when to opt for silence over the sickening crunch of bone or the shrieking of spouses. The further Jay descends, the more the score takes over. Through all of its nerve-shredding sequences, “The Kill List” focuses more on the psychological scars of its characters, and therein lies its power.

With star-making performances from nearly every cast member, “The Kill List” is bound to become a cult classic and one of the best horror movies of the last 20 years.

It’s a piece of bravura filmmaking with clear insight and vision.

Wheatley, Maskell and Smiley know exactly what they’re doing, and the result is dizzying. The downhill slide is quick and exacting, but hitting the bottom is well worth it.

Title: “The Kill List” Director: Ben Wheatley Release date: Sept. 2, 2011 Genre: Horror Country: United Kingdom

Photography Club member Ellen Davis shares work, process

By Diego Barros-Barnes arts@thenorthernlight.org

Ellen Davis’ work “Winter Spring” is a dress made with UV sensitive cyanotype liquid.

The UAA Photography Club presented its gallery show, “Through Our Eyes,” in the Student Union from Oct. 1-16. Primarily experimental photography, the gallery featured the work of UAA Photography Club members. Ellen Davis, the club’s secretary and treasurer, explained how she took her pictures and printed them by various processes.

Davis made a dress that was featured in the center of the gallery. It was blue with white markings that looked like branches and leaves. One anonymous commenter wrote in the show’s comment book, “It reminds me of something Gandalf would wear.”

During a gallery tour, Davis explained the dressmaking process. She said she took the originally white dress, dunked it into cyanotype liquid and let it dry. Cyanotype liquid is a solution that is sensitive to ultraviolet light.

“In the meantime, I took branches ... iris pods, wheats and grasses, and just arranged them on a UV light table,”

Ellen Davis’ piece, “Foliation” is a multiple exposure photography piece taken with the Holga medium format 120 camera.

Davis said.

When the UV light hit the dried compound on the dress, it turned blue. The white markings were silhouettes of the plant matter that blocked the UV light.

A couple of her other pieces on display were taken with a peculiar type of camera called the Holga.

“It’s a crappy camera,” Davis said of the Holga. “That’s the technical term for it. It’s a $30 camera that is made of plastic. Even the lens is made of plastic.

You have to tape the edges off so that the light doesn’t leak in.”

With the camera, she took multiple exposures on the same film to take a large landscape of a glacier and printed it on canvas using a friend’s canvas printer.

Davis will have new work displayed in the Student Union Gallery as part of the No Big Heads self-portrait exhibition, opening Oct. 23. Her portrait will be featured in the Student Union Gallery until Nov. 14.

Ellen Davis is a UAA student who is working toward earning a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography. The Photography Club meets Saturdays in the photography lab from 4-9 p.m.

photos courtesy of Ellen Davis

SPORTS

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, october 21, 2014

09

Green & Gold basketball scrimmage

Photos by Adam eberhardt

UAA fans scream for a T-shirt at the Green and Gold exhibition game Oct. 18 at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Sophomore forward Jackson McTier makes a pass Oct. 18 during the Green and Gold exhibition game at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Freshman forward Sjur Berg dunks over freshman guard Damien Fulp during the contest during the Green and Gold exhibition game at the Alaska Airlines Center on Oct. 18.

Freshman guard Damien Fulp tries to steal the ball from junior guard Dom Hunter on Oct. 18 during the Green and Gold exhibition game at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Senior guard Derrick Fain high fives a fan Oct. 18 after the Green and Gold exhibition game at the Alaska Airlines Center.

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday, October 21, 2014

10

OPINION

THENORTHERNLIGHT Tuesday,October 21, 2014

11

HOT TOPIC

“What are your thoughts on the recent flood of political attack ads in Alaska?”

Ke Ali’i Lorenzo Vicente

Terry Bouchard

Larissa Kramer

Eunho Choi

Freshman / Undeclared

Junior / Electrical Engineering

Freshman / English

Junior / Civil Engineering

“I believe the resources and attention for such ads should be directed towards actual actions.”

“Most of them are biased and ridiculous; as a student I am too busy to care. I get informed other ways.”

“Although I’m used to ads during campaigns, these have been especially negative and irritating to see and listen to.”

“I do not really care about it because nowadays we are already used to the ads.”

Photos by James R. Evans

Hot Topic Questions and Comments compiled bY George Hyde

EDITORIAL

By Kelly Ireland

editor@thenorthernlight.org

Chances are we have all said something we wish would have never come out of our mouths. It happens to all of us. But we shouldn’t let these moments hold us back; we should use them as a learning experience. This happened earlier this month to The Northern Light’s news editor, Stephen Cress. In attempts to make a source feel more at ease before an interview, Cress said he isn’t a journalism major, didn’t care about journalism or journalistic ethics and was only there to report the basics. This statement — though made in jest — should have never been said, but nevertheless was.

TNL’s management, however, does feel that although Cress said he didn’t care about ethics, he very much does. TNL upholds the code of ethics, authored by the Society of Professional Journalists.

His statement isn’t a breach of this code. The mistakes were verbal, but not in conduct. In every story that Cress has produced thus far, he has been credible and neutral and has followed the code of ethics.

Many of his interviews are conducted within the TNL office, and all are video or audio recorded.

TNL takes the SPJ Code of Ethics very seriously. Every employee has received a copy of this code, and we have had many discussions about abiding by the code, including during our weekly staff trainings. We don’t take ethical breaches lightly at TNL; multiple copies of the code are posted on our office walls to remind staff of these standards, as they are a condition of employment at this organization.

Cress was very honest with everyone at TNL regarding his comments, stating how truly sorry he was for his actions, not shying away from his mistake or trying to make excuses. Cress has clarified his intent was to make the individual he interviewed more comfortable. He said he now realizes the harmful nature of his statement and has expressed regret in saying it.

TNL is set up to be a learning lab for students and we realize that people make mistakes. We see this incident as a lesson for staffers and the public to watch what you say, where you say it and how you say it. TNL management has taken steps to guide the staff on how to conduct themselves in interviews so we can learn and grow from this experience.

We feel it is important to be transparent about this issue, and we would like our readers to know that journalism ethics are very important to The Northern Light. This mistake shouldn’t distract you about the true nature of our journalism, which we aim to do accurately and fairly. We have all said things that we later regret, but actions speak louder than words.

To view a copy of the SPJ Code of Ethics, visit http://www.spj. org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf.

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 4,500. 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.­­­

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 Kelly Ireland Managing Editor 786-1313 content@thenorthernlight.org Tulsi Patil Copy editor copy1@thenorthernlight.org Kierra Hammons news editor news@thenorthernlight.org Stephen Cress ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR news2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant FEATURES EDITOR features@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR features2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

Graphic designer graphics@thenorthernlight.org Stefanie Vigoren

A&E editor arts@thenorthernlight.org Diego Barros-Barnes

Web Editor web@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR arts2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

Multimedia Editor multimedia@thenorthernlight.org Brett Baker

sports editor sports@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

advertising Manager 786-4690 ads@thenorthernlight.org Chelsea Dennis

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR sports2@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

Marketing Representative Vacant

Photo editor photo@thenorthernlight.org James R. Evans

Staff reporters gchyde@thenorthernlight.org George Hyde

Staff Photographers aeberhardt@thenorthernlight.org Adam Eberhardt hlindamood@thenorthernlight.org Helen Lindamood

CONTRIBUTORS Daniel Barnett Evan Dodd Jacob Holley-Kline Matt “L.J.” Johnson

Layout Editor layout@thenorthernlight.org Vacant

media adviser Paola Banchero administrative adviser Annie Route

Spring 2015

Student diverSity

award The UAA Diversity Action Council seeks to recognize and empower students to lead change in the community by offering tuition awards of up to

$1,000

Are you a student who... ◗ Promotes a welcoming environment inclusive of diverse people and cultures/perspectives ◗ Takes a leadership role and provides a student voice in diversity related issues ◗ Advances social justice and diversity within the larger community

?

To be considered... students must submit the following to StudentDiversityAward@uaa.alaska.edu by 11:59 pm on

Thursday, December 4, 2014

i

◗ An award application found at: www.uaa.alaska.edu/dac ◗ A letter of endorsement from a professional/university reference

For more information see: www.uaa.alaska.edu/dac Scan the QR code to the right on your smart phone/device to visit the link above.

The UAA Diversity Action Council will review nominations and grant tuition to the top nominees.

Nominees from the UAA Anchorage campus and UAA’s community campuses are eligible. Self nominations are invited.

Award recipients must meet eligibility criteria including a 2.5 cumulative GPA, Satisfactory Academic Progress and admitted to a UAA certificate or degree program.

For more information call: UAA Student Affairs at 786-6108 or UAA Multicultural Center at 786-4080.

Individuals needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the nomination process should contact the Multicultural Center 48 to 72 hours in advance.

UAA is an EEO/AA employer and educational institution.