THENORTHERNLIGHT

Index: News.....A2 Features.....A3 Opinion.....A5 A&E.....B2 Sports......B6 Comics.....B8

OCTOBER 11, 2011 UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE WWW.THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

Occupy Anchorage gets organizedSee OCCUPY page 02

Many ages, many issues

PHOTOS BY SPENCER MITCHELL AND ZACHARY SMITH

By Matt Caprioli News Editor

About 300 people entered Town Square last Saturday as part of Occupy Anchorage. Alaska is one of the 47 states and 1,040 cities that have an

Occupy movement, as of Oct 8. The protest is part of the

Occupy Wall Street movement that began Sept 17, when 1,000 protestors fi lled Zuccotti Park, two blocks north of Wall Street.

Occupy Wall Street began as a demonstration against corporate greed, and has since developed as a vehicle to voice all shades of discontent.

“Everyone has a different take. Mine are unions and corporate greed,” said Brian MacMillan, a local union member and one of the organizers with Occupy Anchorage.

McMillan said others are protesting for improved health care, bank foreclosures on homes, environmental degradation, homelessness, and philosophies that value profi t over the welfare of people.

Saturday’s protest had representatives from several groups. The Alaska Workers Association was out polling people, asking, “What do you think of the Tea Party”, “Who is your favorite Alaskan candidates,” etc.

Four supporters of One

Anchorage marched over from the Starbucks on 5,th

Avenue a few minutes before the scheduled

protest at 3pm. Their group wants

to add an anti-

discriminations law for gay and transgender people, and they used the event to gain signatures to place the initiative on the April 2012 ballot.

The Loud Speakers

Twenty-four individuals signed up to speak through the PA. The fi rst speaker was Jed Whitter, a former Independent candidate for an Alaskan Senate seat.

“Who is giving all this money to all this war that congress doesn’t

have the courage to declare,” Whitter asked through the loud speaker.

Liberal radio show host Shannyn Moore tweeted,

“Wahoo! Heading to #OccupyAnchoragein town square. I am bringing Scott @McAdamsforAK ! #OWS”

McAdams was the third speaker.

Several speakers focused on the

boycott of the Sheraton and Hilton, including Native Rights activist Desa Jacobbson.

“That is no way for an Alaskan worker to be treated, and Alaska will not stand for it because it’s uncivilized,” Jacobbson said.

Jacobbson was one of the three women to speak, and the only minority member.

For the fi rst two hours, participants were predominantly white. UAA Professor Philip Munger noted the difference.

“I wish there were more minorities here because in

some of (the civil rights) protests

they were critical. I don’t see many more

minorities than the Tea Party

protests I went to in Wasilla. There was one black guy there who attended, and that’s because his boss made him,” Munger said.

Other than the large number of white protestors, Saturday’s 3 p.m. protest differed from Wednesday’s in another signifi cant way: the average age went up about two decades. However younger people and different races fi ltered into the square around 5:45 p.m.

Return of the 60’s?

Older generations have high hopes for this movement. Columnists in the New York Times and Washington Post have suggested similarities to protests during the 60s and 70s.

Jacobbson and Munger, who were both active in those protests, saw that the same issues were being fought over.

“They’re standing for the same principles. Human rights are human rights,” Jacobbson said.

Retiree Linda Scates agreed, adding that she hoped the Occupy movement would reach the same level of involvement as the civil rights movements.

“This is your future we’re talking about. The kids that come out of college now—I just read this this morning—these kids aren’t being able to get jobs commensurate with their education, and it’s going to be affecting them for at least 15 years from now. This affects you guys. A lot. This is your life,” Scates

said. While Jacobbson was very

pleased with the turnout, with estimates ranging from 200 to 350, Scates was expecting more people. She wondered if “generation X” could maintain the momentum.

“It’s not like Vietnam. My friends were being sent to war. We had the draft back then and people didn’t really have a choice. Unlike now, where we have a volunteer army. So I hope (Occupy Anchorage) will continue, but to be honest I really don’t know for sure.”

How the protests grew

Organizers Chelsee Largo and Brian MacMillan are still amazed that more than four people cared to show up for the fi rst meeting.

MacMillan created the “Occupy Anchorage” Facebook page Oct 2, the day after 700 protestors were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. He announced an initial meeting for Oct. 2 at Snow Goose Cafe downtown. Having announced it only hours before 6pm, neither organizer was expecting many to show up.

“We honestly thought only four or fi ve people would show up. That this is really happening, all this now, amazes me,” Largo said.

Within four days the “Occupy Anchorage” Facebook page had 332 likes. Three days later it had a total of 797 likes.

At press time, the member’s page has doubled from 100 members to 200 members in three days.

The Occupy movements have been criticized for being unfocused, and some participants were initially skeptical.

“At fi rst I was very skeptical. I’ve seen a lot of, just like you’ve been hearing, a lot of adolescent hippies with peace signs and pro marijuana signs, and I was like ok here are some radicals. But it started to grow , it started developing like a real cause. People are really tired of this and here is an opportunity, and they’re showing that the 99%–as it’s been called—really have the power. We really have it in our constitutional rights to replace those in power,” Robert Burns, a small business owner, said.

Occupy Anchorage is rapidly becoming more organized, according to UAA student Vitor de Carli, who was featured in photos by the Anchorage Daily News for donning face paint and a loudspeaker.

Carli said organizers have targeted 20 areas that need to be addressed, and will assign volunteers to those areas as needed. One of these committees is to focus on UAA.

Committees were fi nalized last Sunday in the student union.

02 TNL NEWS| October 11, 2011

“We honestly thought only four or � ve people would show up. That this is really happening, all this now, amazes me.”

Chelsee LargoOrganizer

OCCUPY: 300 join the latest protest in Anchorage Facebook enables organization as citizens around Alaska join in solidarity with those on Wall Street

Protesters read from a script during the � rst protest on Thursday, Oct. 6. PHOTOS BY SPENCER MITCHELL

Varied signs were witness to numerous di� erent causes present at the protest.

By Matt CaprioliNews Editor

Carman Alexandra Fabiano introduced herself as Alex. Some called her Lexi. Professors and fellow students

were inspired by her. Even those who only saw her in passing could only say great things.

Her death has clearly affected the UAA community. Friends changed their display pictures to ones that showed them and

Alex. A college friend Dillon Bakpak helped make a FB page, “In memory of Carman Fabiano.” Deborah Fiala wrote a song and posted it on YouTube.

Fellow art student Shelley Giraldo is organizing an art show for November 1, “In Memory

of Carman Alexandra Fabiano.” Fabiano died in a car accident

Oct. 2nd.

October 11, 2011| NEWS 03NEWS BRIEFS SAY WHAT?

Student Carman Fabiano leaves art legacy behind

Mass. cat with 2 faces lives 12 years, sets record

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- Frank and Louie the cat was born with two faces, two mouths, two noses, three eyes - and lots of doubts about his future.

Now, 12 years after Marty Stevens rescued him from being euthanized because of his condition, the exotic blue-eyed rag doll cat is not only thriving, but has also made it into the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records as the longest-surviving member of a group known as Janus cats, named for a Roman god with two faces.

“Every day is kind of a blessing; being 12 and normal life expectancy when they have this condition is one to four days,” Stevens said, stroking Frank and Louie’s soft fur as he sat on her lap purring. “So, he’s ahead of the game; every day I just thank God I still have him.”

Janus cats almost never survive, and most have congenital defects, including a cleft palate that makes it diffi cult for them to nurse and often causes them to slowly starve or get milk in their lungs and die of pneumonia. The condition is the result of a genetic defect that triggers excessive production of a certain kind of protein.

Mass. offi cial who performed bra trick resigns

ABINGTON, Mass. (AP) -- The chairman of a Massachusetts school board has resigned days after performing a magic trick at a televised meeting that made it appear as if he had removed a fellow board member’s bra.

Russell FitzGerald said he resigned from the Abington School Committee on Monday after a weekend of refl ection.

He tells The Enterprise of Brockton that fallout from the trick played a part in his decision. The meeting was on live TV and was met in the room with silence and embarrassment.

FitzGerald is an amateur magician who generally started meetings with a trick. Neither the subject of the Sept. 27 bra trick nor his accomplice knew what was going to happen.

FitzGerald also noted he’s been on the board 11 years and his term is almost up.

NM fraternity fi nds severed goat head

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- University of New Mexico police are trying to determine who left a severed goat head on the porch of a fraternity house.

KOB-TV reports that members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity found the head last week and reported it to authorities.

Phi Gamma Delta President Javier Manriquez says that after he saw the head, he took a photo of it and threw it out.

Manriquez says there was a note attached to the partially-skinned goat head. He says the note had the word “done” written on it with a heart over the letter “o.”

According to University of New Mexico police, the goat head looked like it was bought at a store.

No arrests have been made.

Police: W. Pa. robber prayed with disabled victim

NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP) -- Police say a man stopped to pray while robbed a woman in a wheelchair after breaking into her western Pennsylvania home.

Thirty-two-year-old Christopher Perretti II, of New Castle, is in the Lawrence County Jail awaiting a hearing on charges including burglary and robbery. Court records don’t list an attorney.

The New Castle News reports Perretti forced open a door at the woman’s house about 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. Once inside, he demanded money and the woman gave him $5, but he wanted more. The woman told police she began praying as Perretti pushed past her to take $20 from her purse. Perretti apologized - though he didn’t give the money back - and knelt down as she prayed before running away.Police found him a short time later.

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Alaska Brewing wins at beer festival

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Brewing Co. has distinguished itself again at the Great American Beer Festival held last weekend in Denver. The Juneau company won two medals at the festival, now in its 30th year.

The Juneau Empire says Alaskan Pale Ale took the silver in the golden or blonde ale category, making this the brew’s seventh GABF medal.

Alaskan Smoked Porter took the bronze in the smoke beer category, maintaining its reign as the festival’s highest award-winner with 20 medals since 1988.

Both beers were chosen in their respective categories from the largest fi eld of entries ever in the competition, which had a record number of entries totaling nearly 4,000.

State’s top lobbyist in DC resigning

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s long-time lobbyist in Washington is resigning.

John Katz told Gov. Sean Parnell that he recently turned 68 and wants to spend more time with family. He also said he has become increasingly discouraged by what he sees as the “polarization and deterioration of the public policy process at the federal level.”

Katz’s resignation is effective at year’s end. Parnell will choose his replacement.

Parnell’s offi ce says Katz began working as director of state and federal relations and special counsel to the governor, based in Washington, D.C., in 1983. His prior work included acting as special counsel to then-Gov. Jay Hammond, and serving as state Natural Resources commissioner.

Parnell said Katz he has the state Alaska with dedication, integrity and professionalism.

Housing for chronic alcoholics nearly fi nished

A project to provide housing for chronic alcoholics in Anchorage is almost fi nished.

The 46-room Karluk Manor in the former Red Roof Inn in the Fairview neighborhood will provide housing for homeless men and women who can’t stop drinking.

KTUU-TV says it should start accepting residents in early November.

Each of the 46 rooms is furnished with a bed, a TV, a table and chairs, and a small bathroom. A dining area will serve two meals a day.

The project is meant to get chronic alcoholics off the streets, and give them a safe place to live and drink.

But the Fairview Community Council opposes the project. Council chair Michael Howard says he’ll be keeping a close eye on resident activity to make sure there are no disturbances

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CAS offi ce closes early in memory of Linda Vandagriff

Linda Vandagriff, Budget Director for the College of Arts and Sciences, died Oct. 5 from pancreatic cancer.

Vandagriff was known in the CAS offi ce as an inspiring person and an exemplary worker. The offi ce will close today at 3pm for staff members to attend her funeral at Change Point Church.

�Linda was such an important part of the College, touched so many of our lives, and leaves us such a great legacy of enhanced operational practices from her efforts as Director of Finance� Interim Dean Kim Peterson said in an email sent to CAS staff.

Vandagriff is survived by her two sons, Jacob and Matthew, daughter-in law, Chrissy, and three grandchildren Thomas, Carolyn, and Helen.

Jacob Vandagriff is the administrative secretary in the English department.

Mathew Vandagriff is a pastor in Houston, Texas.

“The same day Steve Jobs died of pancreatic cancer my mom passed from the same illness. Lord have mercy,” Matthew Vandagriff wrote on his Facebook wall.

Compiled by Matt Caprioli

PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Fabiano’s artwork had been featured around campus in galleries and in the Fine Arts building.

04 TNL NEWS| October 11, 2011

By Teresa KennedySta� Reporter

Dr. Connie Mariano will be visiting UAA on October 14.

A woman familiar with fi rsts and breaking barriers, Mariano has been a heroine to the Filipino population of America.

Upon graduating with a Medical Degree from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in 1981, Mariano was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Eleven years later, she was appointed as the fi rst military female White House Physician in U.S. history, serving under both Presidents Bush, as well as President Clinton.

In 2001, Mariano retired as the fi rst Filipino American to have been a Navy Rear Admiral.

Dr. Mariano’s story hit headlines when she published her novel “White House Doctor: My Patients Were Presidents.”

Detailing her experience on being close to three separate Presidents in her career, Mariano

writes, “I think a lot of people have the misconception that being a White House doctor is glamorous; that you sit in his limousine, you’re having dinner at his table. It’s not glamorous. You’re lugging around a 40-pound medical bag, you’re jumping in and out of cars and if he’s eating dinner, you’re behind the stage, behind the curtains starving.”

Coming from an impoverished background as the daughter

of a U.S. Navy Steward in the Philippines, Mariano rose through the ranks to be a source of inspiration for the Filipino community.

“Anything is possible and I tell people if I can make it, you can make it because I didn’t speak English when I came to this country. I went to public school. I mean we didn’t have much money, but we had opportunity and we had education,” Mariano writes.

Mariano’s visit to UAA is not entirely random. Throughout the state of Alaska, October has been declared Filipino American History Month.

For the second year, UAA has partnered with the Alaskero Partnership Organization to celebrate the achievements

of Filipino Americans. Filipinos are the second largest Asian group in the nation, and the fi rst in Alaska.

Gabriel Garcia, an Assistant Professor of Public Health at UAA and a member of the Alaskero Partnership, was instrumental in bringing Mariano to Alaska.

“After having a success last year, we started to brainstorm who we wanted to bring up and

Dr. Mariano was at the top of the list,” Garcia said in a phone interview with TNL.

Garcia contacted Mariano on a whim, and surprisingly, she agreed to come up and speak.

Mariano will be at the Bookstore on the 14th for coffee and tea at 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., followed by a talk and reception in the Arts Building, room 150, from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Filipino American history comes to life at UAA

President Gamble donates $25,000 to scholarshipsBy Jennifer CruzContributor

President Patrick Gamble is planning on donating his $25,000 raise to University of Alaska Scholarships.

“It came up in conversation and that’s when he shared with me his intention to donate the raise,” said Kate Ripley, University of Alaska Spokeswoman.

“I don’t know exactly when he decided, but I do know he wants to help as many students as he can,” Ripley said.

According to the Offi ce of Student Financial Assistance at UAA, a full-time on campus undergraduate student should expect their cost of attendance to be around $20,000 a year. This is an estimate on how much you would expect to need for college along with living expenses. Tuition, student fees, books and supplies make up $6,500 of the total amount.

President Gamble is not the fi rst university president to donate bonuses or donations to the school this year. In May, Hampton University President William R. Harvey and his wife Norma donated $1 million to their university for instructor salaries.

Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee donated his bonus of $300,000, half to a scholarship fund he created and the other half to programs he deemed to be in need.

Some are concerned that the president’s raise may have negative consequences.

Sophomore Emily Sarris says, “If that’s what he really is going to do, then that’s good, because it benefi ts us.”

But she is concerned for the long run. “If he gets a raise, does that affect tuition at all?”

“Tuition revenue does not fund executive salaries,” says Kate Ripley. “Tuition revenue goes directly to the instructional costs at the individual campus the student attends. The president’s salary increase will require a reallocation of the current budget at the System Offi ce only. It will not affect UAA’s budget.”

Bob Graham, former U.S.

Senator and governor in Florida, told The Chronicle of Higher Education that high presidential salaries are viewed as a “potential vulnerability” for universities. The higher pay makes lawmakers say, “Look at how much the head of this operation is getting paid. If that’s a refl ection of how effectively their resources are being used, they could probably take a reduction in their resources.”

Kate Ripley says that it was “the Regents decision to give him that raise. He didn’t negotiate it; he didn’t ask for it. But he can decide what to do with the money,

and [donating to the university] is what he’s decided to do.”

On October 5th, President Gamble released a document entitled, “Shaping Alaska’s Future: Setting Strategic Directions for the University of Alaska.” Within the statement he reveals that there will be listening sessions at different locations across the state, meetings, and a website.

“(They are) all designed to create a statewide dialog that helps us get right to the heart of the issue: We are Alaska’s colleges and universities- how can we serve you better?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. MARIANO.

DR. CONNIE MARIANO

‘You’re lugging around a 40-pound medical bag, you’re jumping in and out of cars and if he’s eating dinner you’re behind the stage, behind the curtains starving.’

–Dr. Mariano [on being the President’s Physician]

Mariano, the fi rst female physician to the President, to visit campus for Filipino American History Month

FEATURES 05

a humor column by Alden Lee

A group of friends and I recently took it upon ourselves to serve up some lobster as a prelude to UAA’s Homecoming Dance. It was Homecoming after all, we reasoned, and what better way to warm up for dancing than tearing into some buttery seafood. As poor young college students, we weren’t about to go to a fancy restaurant and pay “market price” (the polite term for “if you have to ask, you sad little peasant, you have no business being here”) for a bunch of boiled shellfi sh. So live lobsters were purchased from New Sagaya and brought to our apartment to be cooked.

Note: Be careful eating lobster while wearing a suit. Or a dress. Or any sort of expensive clothing you want to avoid getting splattered in lobster juice. It’s ironic that lobster is considered such a high class, fancy meal when eating it becomes one of the messiest endeavors on the planet; akin to going into battle with a boiled Creature from the Black Lagoon dripping in butter.

Four lobsters sat grumpily on our counter. We named one Winston Churchill. This was probably because of the fat cigar sitting in his mouth. He kept making a V with his pincers, too.

Someone had mentioned if you stab the lobster in the brain before dropping it in the boiling water, the meat doesn’t toughen up as much, and the little guy goes out much more peacefully. So we put a knife through their heads, which it turns out is much easier said than done. This is where the fi rst bouts of screaming ensued: IT’S NOT DEAD, IT’S NOT DEAD, PUT IT OUT OF ITS MISERY!!

Which ended up being done by the only other option available, dropping the twitching creatures into a pot of bubbling doom anyway.

Fifteen minutes later, there sat Winston, all mottled red, looking thoroughly disappointed about the fact that he had just been stabbed and boiled to death.

Killing him had been one

thing, but now it was time to rip him to pieces. This poor guy, who earlier had been waving his bound claws around all feebly, and twitching his antennae; was about to be reduced to a pile of broken shell and strips of buttery meat. Oh, the inhumanity!

But we were hungry. Sorry Winston.

There are certain technical approaches to opening up a lobster and getting at its meat, thoughtfully illustrated in step-by-step diagrams that resemble some strange form of gory hand-model porn. Most recommend beginning by pulling off the legs

and claws with a gentle twisting motion at the fi rst joints, and then using a nutcracker to break off the tips of the pincers and expose the claw meat, which is easily pushed out with the forefi nger. The tail portion comes next, twisted into two separate portions and then slit down the middle to reveal all the lovely tail meat. Simple!

This was not our experience at all.

OH GOD, WATCH THE PINCERS! THE PINCERS, MAN!! RIP ‘EM OFF! PULL THE MEAT OUT! LOOK OUT, IT’S FLYING ALL OVER THE PLACE! SHELL FRAGMENTS! DUCK! DUCK!!

To lighten the mood after devouring the poor British statesman, we also had crêpes. They were fantastic.

And then it was off to Homecoming Dance, to rhythmically gyrate to Top 40s pop music and other loud and catchy beats, with slaughtered lobster bouncing in our bellies and Winston Churchill rolling in his grave.

There are certain technical approaches to opening up a lobster and getting at its meat, thoughtfully illustrated in step-by-step diagrams that resemble some strange form of hand model porn.

the only other option available, dropping the twitching creatures into a pot of bubbling doom

Fifteen minutes later, there sat Winston, all

disappointed about the fact that he had just been stabbed and boiled to death.

By Nicole LuchacoSta� writer

We are a month into school and new romances are the thing about campus.

Step into my offi ce.The girl you have been making

eye contact with all night comes over and says “Hey.” Go ahead and cue the heavenly anthem, because oh baby, it’s magic. You’re cute, she’s hot, and though she is totally out of your league, you’re into all of the same things! Ok, maybe not “all” but hey, you were looking for some new hobbies anyway right?

This is all pretty standard, but prepare yourself, we are about to get a little heavy, and not in a ‘here’s what went down last night,’ kind of way.

Forgive me for being cliché, but what happened to dating someone because you actually like them? The problem with legitimately “dating” someone simply because they are hot is that after a very short while, no matter how nice her ass is, you get bored.

And though it’s not imperative to check his credit score before you agree to grab coffee, it is important to confi rm that you’re on the same page; you deserve to be with someone who actually likes you.

If you are a one-night-stand kind of a guy, don’t lead her on; call it like it is. Don’t worry, you

will fi nd girls who are looking for the same thing.

And if you are a girl looking for commitment, make sure you’re fi shing in the right pond. Do you want a ring, or no strings?Figure out what you’re looking for and go from there; it will save you a lot of time and Kleenex.

So often there are really great girls who end up with some guy that reduces them to “arm candy,” and nothing more. And on the opposite end, there are awesome guys who have become pets; submitting to a female who is so controlling that his cell phone is more like a leash than a communication device.

Guys, there is a very big difference between being involved and being owned. You are a man; know where to draw the line. And girls, there is a huge difference between caring about how your relationship is going, and obsessing about every-minute-detail. Not to be a downer on our gender, but the truth is, sometimes you just need to let it go.

P.S. If you cry bi-weekly about your relationship, there’s a problem.

To all of those mistreated signifi cant others out there, I want to ask you a question:What do you like about your boyfriend or girlfriend? Not what “did” you like about

them; what “do” you like about them? Sadly a lot of the “long-termers” I have spoken to can’t answer this anymore.They got involved with the expectation to “have fun,” but somewhere along the road two months turned into two years and they simply started to co-exist.

There is a point where familiarity becomes your nemesis and dearest friend: when you have been with someone for so long that even if you are unhappy it is more comfortable to be with them than without them. If you reach a point in your relationship where you’re not sure if you actually like being around the person you are dating anymore, and you loathe having a conversation because it’s “always the same thing,” it’s time to re-evaluate what the word “relationship” means to you.

If it feels like a ball and chain, it’s time to let it go. It may be hard now, but you will thank yourself later, and honestly so will they. No one wants to be loved out of obligation.

And though relationships are a lot of work, if you genuinely care about the person you are dating and they really care about you, it won’t weigh you down; it will just come naturally.

Relationships 101

By Kate Lindsley Contributor

Should I get a fl u shot?

Ok, my initial reaction to this question was, “Hell no.” Then I thought about it a bit, read some good articles and opened my mind. I am a conspiracy theorist, convinced. Now I think that yes, you should get the fl u vaccine, but only IF you fi t into the CDC’s categories for those that really need it.

There are actually way more categories than I originally thought: pregnant women, little kids, people that take care of little kids, anyone that is slated to play with little kids, someone whose job it is to keep the rest of us healthy, anyone ranging from little kid status to early-adult, anyone that is an adult that has some medical condition and the elderly.

Because most adults have some kind of medical condition, I’d venture to guess that 60-70% of people are fully eligible patrons for the fl u vaccine (please see CDC guidelines for actual ages

and details). There really aren’t very many

reasons NOT to get the vaccine, unless the idea of it makes you uncomfortable or if you’ve had a reaction against it before. The arguments for increased Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) with a vaccination don’t have much scientifi c

substantiation, according to Harriet Hall of

Skeptic Magazine. Hall also makes the argument

that although the vaccine is developed within a year, the practices to develop the vaccine improve each year, making each vaccine more effective than the last.

Also, if you think that the whole vaccine world is ineffective and bunk, then you need to step out of the crazy house and into the real world. Preventable illness kills people for no good reason. This is even more absurd if those people have access to vaccines. Ok, this is getting a bit preachy about vaccinating babies and such, but it is really important to do scientifi c research with an open mind before making a life or death

decision (literally). From the unnecessary

slaughters of 30,000 Egyptian pigs to the rumor of government-mandated quarantine, people react in strange ways to news of pandemics. Personally, I think

these people need to be fi lmmakers rather than discussion-board

leaders. We’ll have ten new Contagion-esque fi lms before the next pandemic outbreak.

Will you be getting a fl u shot?

Well, no. My reasoning: I’ve never gotten the fl u before, I have a low likelihood of interacting with “at-risk” groups, I don’t have a condition that would make me susceptible or vulnerable and I am blatantly lazy.

Also, I’m working on improving my balanced diet this year and eating less sugar, two of the many dietary steps you can do to increase your immune system and decrease your risk of getting sick. If I do end up volunteering in the medical community (fi ngers crossed!), I will most defi nitely get the vaccine. It would be irresponsible of me not to.

Bless you! Gesundheit! Salud! À tes souhaits!

The facts behind the fl u shot fuss

Ok, my initial reaction to this question was, “Hell no.” Then I thought about it a bit, read some good articles and opened my mind. I am a conspiracy theorist, convinced. Now I think that yes, you should get the fl u vaccine, but only IF you fi t into the CDC’s categories for those that

There are actually way more

I originally thought: pregnant women, little kids, people that take care of little kids, anyone that is slated to play with little kids, someone whose job it is

a reaction against it before. The arguments for increased Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) with a vaccination don’t have much scientifi c

substantiation, according to Harriet Hall of

Skeptic Magazine. Hall also makes the argument

that although the vaccine is developed within a year, the practices to develop the vaccine improve each year, making each vaccine more effective than the last.

Also, if you think that the whole vaccine world is ineffective

react in strange ways to news of pandemics. Personally, I think

these people need to be fi lmmakers rather than discussion-board

leaders. We’ll have ten new Contagion-esque fi lms before the next pandemic outbreak.

Will you be getting a fl u shot?

Well, no. My reasoning: I’ve never gotten the fl u before, I have a low likelihood of interacting with “at-risk” groups, I don’t have a condition that would make me susceptible or vulnerable and I am blatantly lazy.

Also, I’m working on improving my balanced diet this

SEAW LFSEX

AND THE

Dance, Churchill, Dance!

06 TNL FEATURES| October 11, 2011

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK FOR SPIRIT THE SEAWOLF

By Alden LeeAssistant Features Editor

Matthew Santiago stands in the corner of the UAA

Dance Studio, wearing an oversized Seawolves

jersey, on top of a bulky

bright

green and yellow

body suit. With a sharp intake of breath, he lowers a giant green wolf-creature head onto his bulging shoulders and shuffl es about awkwardly for a moment, glancing left and right as he tries to get a feel for the large fl oppy feet and the giant mask engulfi ng his head.

His fi rst words as Seawolf mascot?

“Well damn, I can hardly see at all in this thing.”

He’d better get used to it. Santiago, a 19-year-old freshman, is the latest student to

step into the costume of Spirit the Seawolf as UAA’s

basketball mascot. Starting in

November, he’ll be

the guy dancing and motivating the crowd during every single home game at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex and the Sullivan Arena. This is his fi rst time donning the suit, and already he feels the weight of responsibility before him.

“I’m nervous, but in a good way,” he said. “I have no idea what I’m getting myself into, but it’s going to be a good time.”

Santiago is not a traditional student: the last seven years

of his life were spent on an Army base in Japan, his military father having moved the family there in 2003. He says it was a great experience, and he was able to get a lot of preliminary college classes done much more cheaply before fi nally coming to UAA to pursue a degree in Biology.

His sports of choice back in high school were wrestling and baseball; he has never had any previous

involvement with mascots. But when a cheerleader friend told him Spirit the Seawolf was up for grabs, Santiago felt this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“I’ve got a crazy streak in me sometimes,” he said. “And I thought, hey, let’s give this a shot and see where it goes.”

Santiago showed up on the fi nal day of mascot tryouts and met with Tricia Farler, the head coach of UAA’s Cheerleading Squad. Farler led him through an interview process that evaluated Santiago’s personal commitment and his knowledge of what it takes to be the Seawolf mascot.

“We want to make sure the mascot is in good physical condition,” said Farler. “He has to be able to dance, run around, and high fi ve the crowd for long periods of time, sometimes staying in character for up to a couple hours, in this really stuffy suit. He’s got to be in shape. It wouldn’t be good to have our mascot collapse halfway through a game.”

Commitment is the most

important quality. The more devoted the mascot is to their role, the more of a hit they will be with the crowd.

“A lot of it is just dedication, and a willingness to be goofy, and a willingness to be in that costume and not be claustrophobic,” said Farler.

Mascots are expected to maintain the same eligibility requirements as all other student athletes: a 2.0 minimum GPA, and at least a six-credit course load. And although the job demands for a mascot are high, they aren’t paid for their commitment. It all comes down to the amount of passion the person has for being the mascot. Personal satisfaction is the great reward.

And so is the free athletic swag that comes along with it.

Santiago is looking forward to the sweatpants and hoodies, but he agrees with Farler: the best trait a mascot can have is the desire to throw themselves wholeheartedly into each and every game.

“You’ve got to be able to charge

in there and pump the crowd up, even when things are looking rough. You’re main goal is to get that crowd going,” he said. “My selling point to [Farler] was, as a mascot, I’m going to go out there and act foolish, without fear of repercussion.”

Santiago’s favorite mascot and source of inspiration is Ontario’s Toronto Raptor, who devours cheerleaders as part of his halftime routine.

“Obviously with this costume I can’t really pull that off,” he said. “But it’s the mischievous part I like, the messing with the offi cials and acting a fool—that’s what I

‘As a mascot, I’m going to go out there and act foolish, without fear of repercussion.’

-Matt Santiago

Freshman Matt Santiago is set to take on the ultimate school spirit role as the new mascot for UAA men’s and women’s basketball

Matthew Santiago, aka SpiritAge: 19Grade: Freshman

October 11, 2011 | FEATURES 07NEW KID ON THE BLOCK FOR SPIRIT THE SEAWOLFEW KID ON THE BLOCK FOR SPIRIT THE SEAWOLF

Freshman Matt Santiago is set to take on the ultimate school spirit role as the new mascot for UAA men’s and women’s basketball

plan to do with Spirit. Let’s hope the refs don’t get upset too easily.”

Santiago would like to act out all sorts of rambunctious routines as the Seawolf mascot. He’s most looking forward to handling the t-shirt cannon at games; with his military background, he plans to treat it like fi ring off a mortar.

“What the heck is a Seawolf even? I have no idea,” Santiago said. “But I’m going to make him dance like crazy!”

He’s quickly learning

his

limitations as he tries out the costume for the fi rst time, however. The feet are cumbersome, easily stumbled in. And as he found at the start,

vision out of Spirit’s head is not the best. The suit itself, once danced in for any extended period of time, can become stifl ing hot.

Last year’s Seawolf mascot, Jesse Ekstrand, 19, has had plenty of experience with these costume setbacks. He participated in 27 basketball games as Spirit the Seawolf over the course of the season, including the Great

Alaska Shootout. Going up and down stadium steps is one of the most diffi cult things, he said; a cheerleader usually had to escort him to prevent any accidents. And the heat buildup within the costume was a constant problem.

“We literally had ice packs in the chest area and ice packs along the neck line, and they tell us to drink at least a gallon of water before each game,” said Ekstrand, “but by the end you’re always just pouring sweat.”

Another downside? “Not being able to talk as

the mascot, you can’t hit on all the chicks at the games,” said Ekstrand. “Spirit getting a girl’s

number? Forget it.”As the newest Seawolf, Santiago

has yet to fully experience these issues. For now, he’s concerning himself with simply becoming comfortable in the role as UAA’s mascot.

A group of kids come running up to Santiago as he ventures out into the hallway of the Wells Fargo Sports Complex. “Seawolf! Seawolf!” they cheer. He kneels and gives out high fi ves, posing with

a couple of them as parents snap photos. The obvious joy on the children’s faces is all Santiago needs to know he’s doing a great thing.

“This is what I’m going for,” he says a few minutes later, after the kids have been ushered away. “Everyone loves the mascot.”

Santiago’s fi rst appearance as Spirit will be at the women’s home basketball game on November 12.

Matthew Santiago, aka SpiritAge: 19Grade: Freshman

08 TNL FEATURES| October 11, 2011

ByAshley Snyder Features Editor

Journalism and Accounting double major. Model. Actress. Fashion connoisseur. Some say she is a blonde hippie goddess from the outskirts of the solar system. Others, a wild-haired mountain girl. No matter what is said, Catherine Walczak is a woman of many personalities, talents, and dreams and will go far in whatever endeavor she chooses to pursue after graduation.

What do you want to do with your journalism and accounting degrees?

My primary focus is on journalism I want to be a writer for like a fashion magazine or a big magazine in a large metropolitan city perhaps New York. And accounting is sort of like my backup since the economy isn’t really doing so good in journalism. I am always guaranteed a job in accounting.

How long have you been modeling?I was asked in the sixth grade to start modeling and I was like,

“Really? Me of all people!” I’ve always been tall and stood out. So I was like well all these people believe in me so I should just give it a shot. Now I am on my way to being on America’s Next Top Mode. I tried out for that in July I got a call back saying that they would like me to come to Los Angeles and be on the show. It is a fantastic

opportunity.Is it diffi cult to juggle school and

modeling?There’s a pretty good balance. It’s like

one hour of class work is three hours of homework and since I’m double majoring

it’s just a lot. But all of my modeling events are on the weekend so my weekend is jam-packed with fashion shows and the rest of the week is studying and homework.

What can you be found doing outside of school and modeling?You can see me fi shing in Seward or Homer. I am really big on

sports I play tennis, soccer and I rock climb so I am really active.What is your most favorite accessory?

That is a tough one. I’d have to say a scarf because a scarf is kind of like the frosting on top of the cake. If you think you are dressing under the weather or you don’t necessarily think you’ve dressed your best today, the scarf kind of hides that and kind of gives you a boost that day. It makes your outfi t go to the next level.

Who is your biggest inspiration? I look up to my mom. Like mother like daughter. It seems like my

life is kind of the same as how she was growing up when she was my age.

If you could be in someone else’s shoes for a day who would it be and why?

Easy. My look-a-like Gwyneth Paltrow. Everybody and their brother say that I look like her. I would love to be put into her shoes for one day. I absolutely admire her. She’s a good mother and a good role model.

What is your biggest accomplishment?I am in the Miss Alaska/America collegiate scholar pageant. I

never in a million years thought that I would actually go pageant dress shopping. I was always drawn to them, looking at them, and always thought, “Wow if only I could wear one of those.” Then they want me to be a part of it and I’m just like okay it’s a good opportunity. So it’s a really big accomplishment for me.

Where do you hope to be 10 years from now?

If not living in Alaska I would still want to have a home here and I see myself being in like Paris or England or New York for fashion and modeling with writing on the side.

ByAshley Snyder

Journalism and Accounting double major. Model. Actress.

Cathrine Walczak

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By Silas GalbeathContributor

Facing the choice of which major to pursue in college is hard enough, but students must also engage in the balancing act of making new friends, social gatherings, work, sports and student clubs. The best advice: choose the things you are passionate about that will not compromise your value system. Being a part of the UAA community is a great opportunity to continue personal growth, to develop a stronger sense of identity and to engage with individuals involved in all aspects of our society.

Students that connect with organizations, community members and faculty who are advocates within this large spectrum of social engagement, create a space to develop their ideas and test new knowledge. Alyssa Logan is a senior completing a double major in History and Japanese, with a minor in Political

Science, and at the moment fi nds herself very much involved in the planning of Engage Week.

The fi rst annual Engage Week, on October 17-21, is a week long event jointly hosted by the Center for Community Engagement and Learning and Student Life and Leadership, and is focused on connecting students, faculty, staff, and community members to achieve social awareness and change, within key aspects of our culture. These focus points include: education, refugees, health, sustainability and homelessness. The different events throughout the week will be facilitated by corresponding student groups, fi nishing on Friday with a BBQ for everyone who was involved.

As a sophomore, Alyssa took a class offered by Dorn Van Dommelen where she participated in the service learning project he integrated into his course. Alyssa refl ected on her fi rst exposure to the idea of service learning, “In

Geography 101, the service project helped me to understand why it is important to know about the issues going on in different parts of the world and how Geography affects that.”

For Alyssa, Dommelen’s class was the snowfl ake that started an avalanche; now at the end four years of higher education, her involvement with student activities has her schedule completely full, all day every day, seven days a week. The idea for Engage Week came to Alyssa while presenting on her involvement with Heifer International club as a Community Engaged Student Assistant (CESA) at the Impact Conference. Her attendance of a different workshop within the conference that discussed a week that promoted community engagement and service was the tipping point for Alyssa. Returning to UAA, Alyssa was armed with a new idea and equipped with her experience to make it happen.

Already involved with

the CESA program, which is promoted by the Center for Community Engagement and Learning, Alyssa approached the director Judy Owens Manly. Her inquiry to whether or not this would be an event that the offi ce would be interested in hosting received a resounding yes. Alyssa’s excitement and initiative got the ball rolling with a single meeting with the right person. Recalling the meeting, Judy stated “I love to see the student initiative and involvement in wanting to make a difference where they live and in the world.”

Now just three weeks away, the Engage Week planning committee is crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s for this brand new event. When asked why she commits so much of her time to these types of programs Alyssa said, “Being involved in these different service learning opportunities has helped me feel like I am making a difference with my life. Even though most of the things I do may not be directly

infl uencing someone else’s life, I am still affecting them indirectly by creating awareness about a program.”

For Alyssa, all her efforts are now coming to fruition as we enter the countdown to Engage Week.

Engage week hopes to help enrich students’ schoolingRefugees, sustainability, homelessness among topics for students during social awareness week

EDITORIAL

OPINION 09

It’s the Tea Party with fewer wrinkles.

Yes, that’s how you might characterize the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement spreading across the country. Undoubtedly, the two groups share similarities. They are both a valid expression of frustration at a system they fi nd to be failing. They both have used the Internet to form a grass roots movement that has spread nationwide. They both have politicians that are eager to jump on the bandwagon.

And, they both currently lack a coherent plan for change.

For the Tea Party, change has been seen at the state level. Yet at the federal level, they haven’t made

a dent, even with their gains in the 2010 midterms. Their unifying message of small government has served them well in organization, if not in legislation.

The same fate is likely to befall the OWS. As protests spread to dozens of cities around the country, their organization is strong. Although their message, as of now, seems unspecifi c, they are pushing forward the idea that corporate greed is bad and that social/economic equality is good.

That message is complex and contains at numerous smaller messages. In the Occupy Anchorage protests last week, unemployment, student loans, taxing the rich, union rights and other messages were littered among the signs. To borrow a line from the movie “Network,” these folks are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore.

In order to make things better, they need a plan. They need

specifi c ideas to make a difference. Trade tariffs? Perhaps, but good luck getting that legislation passed. Tax the rich? Whatever it may do, it won’t create jobs for the protestors. Those are the more rational of the demands from the protesters. Other demands, like free education, debt forgiveness and a living wage are simply unrealistic.

Furthermore, though Wall Street is a decent meeting ground, it’s really Pennsylvania Avenue that needs to be the sight of the protests. What is Wall Street going to do to solve the problem?

There are some specifi c things that might be appropriate in the way of legislation for this group.

Closing corporate tax loopholes would be a great start. After making billions in profi t, General Electric paid $0 in taxes last year according to ABC News. There’s something wrong with that and there is, if we consult a tax lawyer, something specifi c we can change to bring it under control.

Maybe the group could advocate for a fi nancial transactions tax that would de-incentivize quick speculative trading on Wall Street, which would help everyone’s 401Ks as well as their gas bills

There are other legislative acts that might boost their cause..

Regardless of the method, channeling their frustration into legislative options would not only make the group more viable, it would give Democrats something to run on and be held accountable for. Then 2012 might be a battle between the Tea Party and OWS. A battle between hippie-chic and Heartland-tough.

Occupy Wall Street needs to capitalize on the moment with specifi c actionLike the Tea Party, OWS has the numbers, but lacks specifi city of ideas needed to enforce meaningful change

By Daniel McDonaldContributor

Technology took our jobs! That is, according to Douglas Rushkoff, who declared in his article Are Jobs Obsolete? featured on CNN that, “New technologies are wreaking havoc on employment fi gures.”

That makes perfect sense, right? Technology often replaces manual labor; therefore, technology creates unemployment, or as Rushkoff put it, “Every new computer program is basically doing some task that a person used to do. But the computer usually does it faster, more accurately, for less money, and without any health insurance costs.” Voilà! Mystery solved. Now no explanation is necessary as to why Obama’s stimulus failed by its own unemployment benchmark of 8 percent. It was those tricksy computers all along.

But wait a minute; does Rushkoff’s claim actually have any logical consistency? The short answer is no, but exposing the fallacy remains a useful exercise.

On the face of it, if technology really did cause unemployment, then wouldn’t we except to see continuously higher unemployment than in years past?

If we examine the last 50 years alone, unemployment peaked in 1980 at 11 percent, and remained relatively low in the following three decades until the recession of 2008.

Certainly unemployment ought to be higher coming out of the recent recession, coupled with the fact that technology has advanced leaps and bounds since the late 70s and early 80s.

But one doesn’t have to start with the arbitrary date of 1950. If technology really did cause unemployment, then “primitive man must have started causing [unemployment] with the fi rst efforts he made to save himself from needless toil and sweat,” as Henry Hazlitt concluded.

The assertion doesn’t even pass the most basic test, but there are other reasons why it is so patently false.

While it is true that technology replaces workers of a certain skill set, it creates jobs in other industries. Take Microsoft for example. Much of the goods and services Microsoft currently provides didn’t even exist thirty years ago, and it is now the employer of roughly 130,000 people.

Or for those who complain that ATMs are replacing bank tellers, don’t forget that there are numerous others involved in the design, programming, and upkeep of ATMs. ATMs don’t materialize out of thin air, but are rather the product of the labor of hundreds,

if not thousands of individuals. And let’s not take our eye

of the ball. ATMs, like other technologies, make our lives better. They allow us to use our time and resources more effi ciently.

It is said that the economist Milton Friedman was once invited to tour a large scale government project where he observed thousands of construction workers using shovels to build a canal. He was curious as to why there were no mechanized earth-moving equipment on site. One of the offi cials in charge explained that this was in fact a “jobs” project, meaning productivity was only secondary. Friedman remarked: “Then why not use spoons instead of shovels?”

This oft told anecdote illustrates the shallowness of the opposing argument so clearly. While the workers obviously benefi t from the employment, the economy as a whole does not. As an aggregate, we benefi t far more from productivity and the advancement of technology.

To put it plainly, we could take $100 from taxpayers and pay a man to dig a hole and fi ll it back up on a daily basis. Without a doubt, the man benefi ts from the job, but society loses. The man is producing nothing of value in the economy. The government may as well pay him to stay home and do nothing.

There is an opportunity cost involved in protecting jobs at the expense of technological advancement. By coddling certain industries, we allow people to use their resources ineffi ciently, where in the market they could fi nd work doing something people actually want.

The economy is clearly changing. Thanks largely to labor unions and our vast regulatory system; manufacturing jobs that Americans have traditionally enjoyed are moving overseas. Our labor force will either have to adjust to the changing landscape or risk being left behind.

But we can’t let the inevitable pain that comes with dying industries stifl e technological progress, the same advancements that have increased our standard of living so dramatically over the past few centuries.

Where would we be if we wasted money subsidizing the horse and buggy industry after the advent of the car? Technology doesn’t cause unemployment; but it will sometimes shift employment from one industry to another. Rather than complaining about the changes in the economy, it’s more prudent to take notice and invest in human capital in order to meet the new demands of the labor market.

Technology not the cause of job loss

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By Brett FrazerContributor

Alex Rodriguez is a genuine baseball prodigy. In his junior year of High School, Rodriguez was selected as both the USA

Baseball Junior Player of the Year and as Gatorade’s National Baseball Student Athlete of the Year. He was the fi rst high school player in history to try out for team USA. Rodriguez was signed by the Seattle Mariners immediately after graduating high school, and has played major league baseball ever since.

Today, Rodriguez is the highest-paid baseball player in the world. He earns around $30 million a year, and is worth about half a billion dollars. To put this in perspective, Rodriguez earns about 750 times as much as the average high school teacher. At fi rst glance, however, perhaps Rodriguez deserves this handsome compensation. In contrast to the article I wrote last week, Rodriguez did not come from a wealthy family. Though some of skills may be due to an arbitrary endowment of natural talent, he had the same opportunity as almost every other kid to refi ne his natural talents and practice playing baseball.

Moreover, millions of people consent to pay money to see Rodriguez play. There’s nothing coercive or opaque about Rodriguez’s earnings. People pay good money to see Rodriguez and the New York Yankees. In other words, the market distribution of Rodriguez’s talent was almost entirely the result of choices in a free market.

But even so, is Rodriguez’s success entirely his own? He benefi tted from competent coaches, agents, and other players. He benefi tted from personal trainers, health care professionals, and attorneys. On a broader level, Rodriguez benefi tted from a society with infrastructure and public services that allowed him to

succeed. Police offi cers and Firefi ghters helped to protect the neighborhoods and schools were Rodriguez grew up. Public roads helped to ensure that Rodriguez could make it to baseball practice and training. Simply living in the United States benefi tted Rodriguez. The bottom line is that we all bought into Rodriguez’s success as a baseball player. While his personal talent is arguably the most important factor in determining in his success, it is by no means the only factor.

Our society establishes a reciprocal bargain between the government and citizenry. Citizens pay taxes, and in exchange the government

provides services. Everyone benefi ts from these services. Education, transportation, and emergency services are just a few of the things that allow people to be wildly successful in the United States. People who are extremely wealthy owe something to the society that facilitated their rise to riches. When the idea of communal success is coupled with the concept of arbitrary advantage (discussed in my previous article), we see there is warrant to tax the wealthy more than other individuals. Innovation never occurs in a vacuum, and all people ought to benefi t from innovation and success that they contributed to.

The United States is characterized by what economist Robert H. Frank calls “winner-take-all markets.” In these markets, a large number of people viciously compete for just a few high-paying positions.

Professional sports, Wall Street, computer programming, and the fi nancial sector are all examples of winner-take-all markets. Fierce competition fosters an increased propensity for success. However, competition necessarily incorporates different economic agents, who all contribute to the success of the winner. As such, the winner’s earning are not entirely his own. He owes something to the environment around him that allowed for the success he enjoys.

There are extremely wealthy people that realize this. During a recent interview on the Colbert Report, Melinda Gates (the wife of Bill Gates, and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation discussed with Colbert why she and her husband donate so much money to public education in the United States.

She recognized that public education helped her husband become the successful software tycoon that he is. Without good schools, Bill Gates would have never acquired the skills necessary to program computes, negotiate trade agreements, or prudently invest his earnings. As such, Gates acknowledges that his success is not entirely his own. He owes some thing to the teachers that helped him learn, the police offi cers and soldiers that made him feel safe, and the fi refi ghters that helped ensure his safety.

Almost all of the wealthy people in our country owe some measure of their success to their community. In fact, they owe more to their community than the people who are less well off. As such, it is justifi ed to tax them more than poor individuals. Despite this, platitudes run amok in the political arena. Taxes are discussed as being “punishment” or “theft.” Such characterizations perpetuate animosity between the rich and rest, further exacerbating the idea of “class warfare.” Taxes need to be characterized for what they are: a bargain that benefi ts everyone, and a mechanism to equalize opportunity for everyone participating in the market.

10 TNL OPINION| October 11, 2011

Innovation never occurs in a vacuum, and all people ought to bene� t from innovation and success that they contributed to.

By Shana RobersonExecutive Editor

Last week Republicans and Democrats fought over who would get to vote on a bill that wouldn’t matter.

For their part,

Republicans wanted a vote on Obama’s original jobs bill because was certain to fail. It would fail because Democrats would not vote for it, which would be particularly embarrassing for Obama.

Democrats changed the rules of the Senate in order to not allow that vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) is scheduled to bring up for vote a modifi ed version of the bill that includes a 5.6 percent tax increase on Americans who earn over $1 million that would take effect in 2013. This bill is unlikely to pass the Senate, but even if it does it won’t stand a chance in the House. The intention of this bill is not to create new legislation, but rather to embarrass Republicans who have promised not to vote to increase taxes on the wealthy.

What does all this political maneuvering mean? It means, once again, that our legislators are less interested in doing something to improve the country than they are in getting re-elected. It means that, as the Labor Department announced last week there were not enough jobs created to match population growth, our Congress still has yet to act on behalf of those 9.1 percent that are unemployed. Perhaps they are going for entertainment value so that those who don’t have a job have something to watch on TV?

This show comes after a potential government shutdown

earlier this year that was also the result of political theater. The crisis over the debate ceiling was also political maneuvering. Each side wanted their votes to go on record for one thing or another before they were willing to pass “compromise legislation.” That’s the reason everything came down to the last minute.

So this time, Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) have commenced this latest round of political maneuvering. They will continue to do so for a while, until they fi nally reach the point, if ever, that they sit down to put together a bill that might actually have hope of passing both houses. That scenario is unlikely until after 2012.

That bill might include tax reform, spending cuts or other initiatives that both parties can agree on. There is a misconception that there are no such initiatives. That is simply untrue.

Take a look at what the super committee proposes next month to see what those initiatives look like.

But for now, look at the similarities between what Congress is “accomplishing” and what the Occupy Wall Street movement is “accomplishing.” They are both loud and they are both active. They are both getting media coverage. But neither group is actually getting anything done.

Last week Obama talked about the do-nothing Congress.

“I would love nothing more than to see Congress act so aggressively that I can’t campaign against them as a do-nothing Congress,” said the president.

He needn’t worry however; he will defi nitely be able to campaign against a do-nothing Congress. And so will the Republican nominee.

Senate employs political theater as unemployment remains at 9.1%

Making the case for increasing taxes on the wealthy, Part 2 of 4The rich owe some of their wealth to their community

#2012ALREADY RETHINK

The University of Alaska Legislative Internship Program is a demanding academic program in which students earn 12 credits

while working in the state House of Representatives or Senate in Juneau. Students will be conducting guided research and

studying the legislative process in the classroom.

Application materials available from Prof. Patrick Cunningham (afpmc@uaa.alaska.edu)

Deadline for application: Oct. 21 at 12 Noon

Work in a legislative offce and earn 12 credits

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12 TNL COMICS| October 11, 2011

YOUR STARS THIS WEEK

HOROSCOPE

CRYPTOQUOTE

SODUKU

By Stella WilderThe coming week is likely

to prove something of a relief to those who have been struggling with certain domestic issues, as circumstances favor family dynamics of all kinds, and will almost surely promote healthy communication and overall harmony in the home. Not all family members, however, may be on board with the new calm that prevails this week; indeed, each household may fi nd that one individual is more than willing to rock the boat -- but the results of even this are not likely to be too dramatic. Most will consider it nothing more than an irritation -- and, for some, a necessary one at that.

Both creative thinking and an understanding of facts and fi gures will be required, and those who are strong in one but not the other will want to fi nd help in order to address the key issues that arise. Collaborative efforts are favored this week -- but not in all circumstances.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 7) -- Instructions must be followed this week, but this doesn’t mean you cannot be creative in your interpretation of them. (Oct. 8-Oct. 22) -- The decisions you make are likely to affect those closest to you in ways you had not anticipated.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 7) -- Team efforts may be favored, but if you’re facing personal issues you’ll want to resolve these on your own if possible. (Nov. 8-Nov. 21) -- You may be feeling stressed as a result of a domestic issue you have left unaddressed for too long. Now’s the time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 7) -- The beginning of the week’s journey is likely to be more diffi cult than any other phase, and you must be patient with slow going. (Dec. 8-Dec. 21) -- You may realize that you are at the center of a storm that only you can calm.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 6) -- You may be doing another a disservice of sorts, and this week you’ll understand the true effects of this -- and how to undo the damage. (Jan. 7-Jan. 19) -- Instincts must be trusted; turn against your own better judgment and danger awaits.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 3) -- You’ll want to pay attention to the kinds of things that others

tend to overlook or ignore; they will make all the difference. (Feb. 4-Feb. 18) -- Take care that you don’t inadvertently say or do the wrong thing; remember, someone is always watching.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 5) -- You may be compelled to engage in activities that are not for you -- and before the week is out you’ll realize the impact of your error. (March 6-March 20) -- You can undo what has been done, provided you are honest and accountable.

ARIES (March 21-April 4) -- Any rift that begins to develop can be healed permanently -- provided you stay out of the way when the time comes. Don’t intrude. (April 5-April 19) -- Sharing what you know with someone else can handsomely benefi t both parties.

TAURUS (April 20-May 5) -- You may be responsible for a situation that becomes heated before the week is out. You’ll

want, therefore, to cool things off as best you

can. (May 6-May 20) -- Few words and concentrated action are required to make necessary domestic repairs.

GEMINI (May 21-June 6) -- Lines

of communication must remain open all week long;

you may fi nd yourself waiting for one or two key pieces of information. (June 7-June 20) -- You’ll realize that a situation is developing that may require your sensitive and well-timed intervention.

CANCER (June 21-July 7) -- You may be thinking a bit too much of yourself at this time. True, you’ve impressed others -- but not as much as you may think. (July 8-July 22) -- You can prevent a great deal of personal damage simply by standing in the way of certain approaching dangers.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 7) -- You’ll surely want to accept help when it is offered -- but beware anyone who insists that his or her way is the only way. (Aug. 8-Aug. 22) -- You’ll be willing to keep going when others are ready to call it quits. Energy and enthusiasm are high.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 7) -- Tensions are likely to rise if you are unwilling to step back and let a certain situation resolve itself organically. (Sept. 8-Sept. 22) -- Any mistakes you make are likely to stem from a simple misconception -- and you know

address the key issues that arise. Collaborative efforts are favored this week -- but not in all

(Sept. 23-Oct. 7) -- Instructions must be followed this week, but this doesn’t mean you cannot be creative in your interpretation

before the week is out. You’ll want, therefore, to cool

things off as best you can. (May 6-May

20) -- Few words and concentrated action are required to make necessary domestic repairs.

21-June 6) -- Lines of communication must

remain open all week long;

 Jack LondonBy Erik Woelber

Across1 “____ to the Future”5 Angel strings9 Film ____13 Actress Watson or Stone14 Dike15 It spins its wheels16 Airhead17 Jack London novel of

190419 Amazon people?21 Myopic Mr. ____24 Social media junkies29 Eastern collegiate sports

grp.30 Jobs offering33 “Drat!”34 Jack London novel of

190638 Rock’s ___ Pop39 Like midnight, to a

college student42 “I see,” facetiously45 Jack London short story

of 191849 The more you drink, the

bigger it gets52 A, to Adolf53 Anchorage Mayor

Sullivan54 State of a foreigner57 Lifts the lid59 Turncoats62 Jack London novel of

190966 Utah ski resort70 Side by side?71 Choose72 Low in fat73 River to Hades74 Armenia and Estonia,

once: Abbr.75 Popular street name

Down1 Resting place

2 “How ___ alive?”3 TV station for Shania and

Garth 4 Comic wind instrument5 Mischievous titter6 Turn away7 Stitch again8 Looked intently9 No, down south10 Losing row in tic-tac-toe11 Unwell12 Zebra with a whistle14 Inc.18 Out of port20 Juliet’s lover21 Open mouth22 German exclamation23 Common cable co.25 Attempted26 High school subj.27 Oil platform28 Pigpen31 Back of the boat32 Send out a line35 Govt. security36 Japanese theater

37 Hit musical TV series40 Former White House

Press Secretary Fleischer41 Sax type42 Org. for lawyers43 9000 from “2001”44 ___ Lanka46 Song of praise47 Tandoori bread48 Sonnet’s pair50 Not pro51 Noble partner55 Highlanders56 Down to stuff58 Book before Proverbs60 Private eyes61 Toronto’s prov.62 Pas’ partners63 Work left hanging?64 King in Spain65 Levy67 Meadow68 Mai ___69 Pundit Coulter

Previous puzzle’s solution:

By Heather HamiltonA&E Editor

There’s more to the magic of the theater than most people realize. In the fi rst of TNL’s two part series, ‘Behind the Scenes,’ TNL explored the often under-appreciated work of scene design and construction, lighting, and sound design. The backstage work doesn’t end there, however.

Long before the cast has been chosen, directors meet with designers in order to convey their vision of the production. One of those is the costume designer.

Like the set of a play, costumes take viewers into the world of the production, and in some cases, create that world.

“The audience relates to the actors; it’s nice to have a great set and everything, but who does the audience connect with? The actors,” said Fran Lautenberger, a professor, director and costume designer at UAA.

“Do I think they [costumes] are more important than anything else? No, but you can use costumes to set the mood if you’re doing something more simple with the set.”

Designers are usually requested

and spoken with months ahead of time. In UAA’s second production this Fall, a modern interpretation of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” Lautenberger had even longer to begin thinking and designing costumes, because a student was in charge of the designing for “The Language of Trees,” the department’s fi rst production of the year.

Each show presents its own challenges; the main challenge of “The Taming of the Shrew” is that director and professor David Edgecombe is setting the production in the 1930’s. Lautenberger, though acknowledging that on occasion it is possible to fi nd garments at local resale shops that are good for reworking and altering, laments the lack of ‘30s attire to work with. This means that nearly everything for “The Taming of the Shrew” must be made from scratch.

“Hard to fi nd that 1930’s look in Value Village,” said Lautenberger, “Surprisingly, the 1920’s and 1980’s are closer than you think. They [the 1980’s] had the drop waist dresses and the padded shoulders. Take out the shoulder

pads, redo the sleeves, and suddenly you’re in the 1920’s.”

In a production with a small cast, the six to eight weeks of preparation time after casting is fi nalized isn’t diffi cult, but in productions with a larger cast, such as “Taming of the Shrew” (which sports a cast of 15), it becomes far more involved, especially since cast members often require multiple costumes.

“Kate has to have two identical wedding dresses, and plus what she’s wearing before the wedding dress got put on, and after; that character has four costumes minimum,” said Lautenberger.

Other characters, such as Bianca, have several costume

changes as well.Like scene construction,

theater students taking certain classes are required to put hours in the costume shop. So, despite doing the designing and much of the costume construction by herself, Lautenberger has help.

On top of costume design and

Motio BSectionOCTOBER 11, 2011 THE NORTHERN LIGHT’S SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT SECTION THENORTHERNLIGHT.ORG

SPORTS

B7Break dancing in the Student Union

HIP-HOP

Wear and tear plagues UAA athletes

SPORTS

B6

ATHLETES

Mayer Hawthorne’s “How do you do?” gets 5 stars

A&E

B3

REVIEWS

If you’re looking for a white wine to try, check out this moscato

A&E

B5

Behind the Scenes Part 2: Costumes, hair, make-up

Hat-trick hero lifts UAA to Kendall title

SEE COSTUMES PAGE B2

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By Taylor HallManaging Editor

The UAA Seawolves treated fans to the school’s fi rst Kendall Hockey Classic title since 2006 on Oct. 8, as well as the emotional rollercoaster they took to actually lift the championship gold pan when all was said and done.

The ‘Wolves used a pair of comebacks to play to a 4-4 tie against Clarkson on Oct. 7 and then a 4-3 overtime win over WCHA-foe St. Cloud State the next night. Both nights would see their share of highs and lows for the green and gold.

None, however, was more profound than the moment in which the Seawolves were all pinned up against the glass in overtime to celebrate junior forward Mickey Spencer’s title and hat trick clincher with 1:54 remaining in overtime.

“It’s been fi ve years since we won the Kendall so it’s nice to fi nally bring her home,” Spencer said, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “It was a good moment for sure and special for our seniors who hadn’t won this yet, so it’s great.”

UAA (1-0-1 Overall) found themselves down 2-0 for the second straight night after a pair of Husky power-play strikes. Despite outshooting the Huskies, the Seawolves had clanged three pipes in the game and St. Cloud goalie Mike Lee was stonewalling everything UAA threw at him.

It would take a bit of puck luck to fi nally get the breakthrough. 5:04 into the third period, sophomore Brett Cameron threw a puck on net that Lee defl ected up. Fellow sophomore Jordan Kwas skated through the slot and batted in the airborne rebound into the twine and cut the Seawolves defi cit in half.

Then, it was Spencer’s time to shine.

With UAA on the power

play, Spencer was able to benefi t from some extended time in the Huskies’ zone due to a strong cycle and forecheck from the Seawolves. Junior Daniel Naslund and Spencer found a loose rebound and jammed away at it at the side of the cage. Spencer fi nally got it to cross the line and would deadlock the game at 2-2 at the 12:28 mark of the third.

Apparently in the mood now, and with UAA on the power play,

Spencer came over the St. Cloud blueline on his next shift and saw a bit of daylight.

“I was coming across on a two on two. I tried to pull their defenseman over and use him as a screen and I just fi red it,” Spencer said.

The wrister would beat Lee low blocker side and give the green and gold their fi rst lead at 3-2 with just 5:33 to play.

UAA was looking like they would be able to stave off the desperate St. Cloud onslaught to end the game but a defensive breakdown allowed Husky forward Jared Festler skate in on a breakaway and beat UAA sophomore netminder Chris Kamal with just 53 seconds left in the game.

The possible dagger-piercing goal took the air out of the arena and now gave the Huskies the advantage in the tournament. They would be able to skate to a tie in the game and still win the tournament while UAA needed to win in overtime to keep the crown in Anchorage.

Just before overtime, UAA Head Coach Dave Shyiak told his boys their was no need hit the panic button.

“Just stick to the game plan,” Shyiak said. “We’re going for the win and we’re not going to be passive. Just get one shot on net and we’re going to win this thing.”

Kamal said that the mood on the bench was not one with players dwelling on what could’ve Whats happening @

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B2 TNL A&E| October 11, 2011

Remember Seawolf Postal Express for your Holiday shipping needs: FedEx, UPS & US Postal Service; Lower-Level Campus Bookstore.

Now available at the UAA Copy & Print

Center!

786.6860

PERSONALIZED CALENDARS, photo enlargements, year-end

newsletters, greeting cards,and more. Create a good impression

for your customers and loved ones.

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A Night to Die ForSaturday, October 29

Live music withStatic Cycle & A.T.F.

Daylodge doors open at 9 pm$10 entry | 21 & over

Buy tickets online or call 754-2275Costume Contest: Win lift tickets!

Sale ends October 31stBuy online or call 754-2275

construction, Lautenberger and her costumers are also in charge of hair and makeup design. In larger theaters, and on movie sets, hair and make-up are separate departments. Not at UAA.

“In the professional world we don’t, but here, we do make-up too. And we choke through hair,” Lautenberger said. “I don’t like doing hair; some people like doing hair, but I don’t like doing hair.”

Despite the added responsibilities of hair and make-up, Lautenberger and her students still manage to step aside after the fi rst show. By then, the actors are expected to know how to do their own character make-up, except in certain cases.

Similar to practices in larger theater companies, Lautenberger once attended a convention in London where she learned that the only time make-up artists typically stay on to do make-up for every show is if the character in question is the Phantom from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera.” Even the heavily made-up cast of ‘Cats’ were on their own.

“If you’re in ‘Cats,’ you get one lesson. A picture of your cat, one lesson; learn it,” said Lautenberger.

Hair is a different monster

altogether, but is integral to the overall costume of a character. The department uses both an actor’s natural hair as well as wigs to obtain the effects required. There have been times when an actor has been asked to dye his or her hair, and once, an actor was asked to shave part of his head to play the role of Benjamin Franklin in the play “1776.”

“The guy who played Benjamin Franklin promised he would shave his head. He whined about it a lot, but he did [shave his head].” Lautenberger said.

The hair designs for “The Taming of the Shrew,” according to Lautenberger, could be tedious.

“Just say ‘30’s, and we all roll our eyes and say, “Marcel waves,” “fi nger waves,” and they are...a problem,” said Lautenberger. She isn’t thrilled, but like everything else, the department will plow through it

The next time you see students in the costume shop, or Lautenberger herself, give them a silent nod, or even a full blown thumbs up, for taking on the work of three departments, and helping to make UAA’s theater productions the intricate and thoughtful pieces they are, from behind the scenes.

CONTINUED FROM MOTION COVER

COSTUMES: hard work underappreciated

B3October 11, 2011 | A&ETNL

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ALBUM REVIEW

By Bryan DunaganContributor

Motown wants to come back, badly. The chief proprietor currently is Mayer Hawthorne, a 31-year old virtuoso that can speak to the heart of anguish and love in a style that is at the height of 60’s soul.

Now the question is, should you care? Yes, very much so.

Hawthorne plays all the instruments and does all the writing and vocal work for the album, and it works. From the ever-present bass, to the tinkle fi ngered piano playing, the production is top notch. In a couple of tracks, he even throws in the electric guitar, which is delightfully subdued.

“Get To Know You,” the album opener, really pulls you back to the glory technicolor days of the 60’s. You can just picture Hawthorne in his classic Corvette at the end of a date, schmoozing the lady love.

Not only should one note the amazing quality of this album, but they should also note that it has Snoop Dogg singing, without auto-tune. It’s a fantastic, surprising duet that’s both beautiful and wondrous. Seriously, it’s that good. The track is called “Can’t Stop,” and it’s one of the strongest on the album.

“The Walk” is a great track that

speaks to anyone who has ever fallen in love with the wrong girl/guy. Every line is basically sung to the tune of “I hate her, but dang she’s hot.” It’s also odd to hear Hawthorne drop the F-bomb, but it fi ts, so it’s excusable.

The whole album drips with romance, and places the listener vividly in a piano bar sipping whiskey, watching Hawthorne croon and woo the ladies. No other artist can really put out relatable romantic music like him. He just taps into that emotional rawness that you don’t want to acknowledge and he drags it out smoothly, and it asks you “How Do You Do?”

You need this record. Play it on a date, or when you have someone over, and there will be a second, no matter what. It’s the Hawthorne guarantee.

ALBUM: “How Do You Do”ARTIST: Mayer HawthorneRECORD LABEL: Universal

RepublicRELEASE DATE: October

4th, 2001

Hawthorne’s newest

By Leroy PolkAssistant A&E Editor

Dance has come a long way since the dawn of man. From cavemen getting freaky around a fi re, to the fi rst aperçu of Paris opera ballet, the styles that have evolved out of the early mores of dance culture are limited only by human imagination. UAA is an active member in these different breeds of dance, and the UAA Dance Club takes center stage in the dance life on campus.

However, there is another club at UAA that has been making strides to popularize its own medium: the UAA hip-hop dance club. Founded in 2010, the club’s membership has grown to roughly 20 dancers at each practice and, if a student walks through the Student Union at night on Tuesdays or Thursdays, they’ve probably seen this spectacle already.

“It originally started out as a group of friends who shared common interest, and we wanted to make our presence more legit on campus,” said club president Tye Ching.

And they’re not easy to miss. From the large mat laid out in the

hallway resembling hardwood fl ooring, to the group of people “angry dancing” in front of the campus bookstore, to the musical accompaniment from several large boom boxes blasting Daft Punk remixes, the club defi nitely catches the eyes and ears of passing by students.

“We always keep a path for people to walk by,” Boyd Ching, a b-boy for the club, said in regards to the new, somewhat odd placement for the group’s practices.

Held twice a week, such practices focus on both learning the basics and honing these skills. Another feature of an average club practice is exhibition dances, and “battles,” wherein one or more people face off against another individual or group to display their skills and compete to see who is the most “ill sick” (best at dancing).

The three most prominent forms of hip-hop dancing found at the UAA-based club are breaking, popping, and krumping. The fi rst is probably one of the most well known to non-dancers. Popularized in the 70’s and 80’s,

this straight-from-the-streets style focuses on four main components, known to “b-boys” and “b-girls” (male and female breakers) as “the four elements.”

The four elements of breaking are power moves, toprock, downrock, and freezes. Power moves consist of the “wow factor” maneuvers that are usually the determining factor of battles. They consist of elaborate spins, hooks, and fl ips, and are by far the most diffi cult part of any breaker’s routine, as they require the greatest physical strength and acrobatic ability. Often times these moves require a good deal of build-up, or momentum, to execute.Toprock is traditionally the introduction moves to a routine, and is always performed while standing. Toprock is made up of a fl oor-sweeping series of steps, footwork that often identifi es when breaking will occur. Downrock is what happens once the breaker gets on the fl oor, and is what takes place in between power moves. The downrock is kind of the basic bread and butter of a break routine, and involves both hands and feet to navigate the fl oor.

The last element, freezing, is generally a last effect that happens at the end of a routine. This move is identifi ed by the breaker striking a pose, often times half in the air and half on the fl oor, and holding it for several seconds. The more diffi cult the position the breaker freezes in, the better the freeze is considered to be. Freezes can also be performed in the middle of a performance if it is performed at the same time as a musical pause.

Breakers make up over half of the hip-hop dance club at UAA, the remaining membership is inhabited by poppers and krumpers. Popping is generally done while standing, and consists of fl uid movements of the body set to the beat of the music playing during the set. This style is also used in battles, and comprises many popular forms, especially the overdone “robot” dance maneuver, in which the dancer tries to emulate robotic movements. The degree of freedom offered by the popping style is immense, providing a good outlet for inspiration and

Hip-hop breaks into Student Union

improvisation.The last style, krumping, is

what Josh Washington, a member of the club, calls “angry dancing.” This style, popularized by rappers and the style of other aggressive battle dancers, allows for the release of emotions in the musical setting.

“You don’t have to be angry, but that’s what a lot of people associate with it, because it has that kind of feel,” Washington said.

This style is often one of the rawest and can incorporate elements from other styles into it.

The UAA hip-hop dance club is growing swiftly, with many members entering (and winning)

competitions in town. Another focus of the club is the new dance workshops that are hosted for free with the goal of spreading the word and providing a more structured training opportunity.

Though what OJ Carino, club secretary, identifi es as the most important things to the club, are the dancers themselves and recruitment of new members. “We just want everyone to feel welcome so we try to provide a positive atmosphere,” he said.

So, if a tentative club recruit has zero experience, they will still be welcome to get involved.

“All you need is the desire to learn,” said Washington.

PHOTO BY SPENCER MITCHELL/TNL

B4 TNL A&E| October 11, 2011

MOVIE REVIEW

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By Leroy PolkAssistant A&E Editor

Stylish. Quiet. Explosive. Understated. Ultraviolent. All these adjectives amply describe the neo-noir indie action fi lm “Drive,” but more than any of them, the most fi tting would be “smart.” From start to fi nish, every element shows an exemplary polish that isn’t seen very often in nation-wide theater releases. From the skillful direction, to the cinematography and writing, all of “Drive’s” pieces are carefully, thoughtfully compounded together to make one riveting experience.

The plot is fairly basic, but if one goes into “Drive” expecting an over-produced Hollywood action fi lm, some kind of Jason Statham-y vehicle of 90 action-packed minutes, they will be utterly surprised by the brains “Drive” brings to the genre. A far more apt comparison would be Quentin Terantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” Like that fi lm, “Drive” is set in the gritty, sun-blasted landscape of south L.A., and paints a convincing and realistic portrait of what life is like for the hardest there.

The main character (Ryan Gosling, “Blue Valentine”), who is never named in the fi lm, is a mechanic who moonlights as both a stunt driver for Hollywood fi lms, and a getaway driver for assorted jobs. He gives his clients in the latter case fi ve minutes to do what they have to do, and get out.

The fi rst scene of the fi lm, before the credits, immediately takes you into the heavy atmosphere of such jobs, with a suspenseful robbery and police chase, and the driver skillfully navigating through LAPD nets.

Eventually, the driver befriends his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan, “An Education”) and at the sudden release of Irene’s prison-bound husband Standard (Oscar Isaac, “Robin Hood”), the fi lm takes fl ight. About halfway through, “Drive” completely shifts gears from an understated, quiet slice-of life in L.A., to the apex of violent crime drama and suspense.

With sudden, almost spontaneous super violence erupting throughout the second half of the fi lm, “Drive” shows signs of a Terantino or Cohen brothers effort. However, while the sudden brutality of “Drive” is akin to these auteur approaches, it differs from them in one important way: dialogue.

In fi lms from the previous two directors, violent elements are often made even more dramatic by the extreme contrast with dark humor. “Drive,” on the other hand, utilizes long pauses before the violence to produce a polarizing “quiet before the storm” effect that makes the brutality so much more shocking to viewers.

The main character has a defi nitive lack of dialogue throughout most of the fi lm. This, coupled with his lack of a name, seems to echo the strong, silent type of character popularized by Clint Eastwood’s performances in 1960’s spaghetti westerns, where

he both had no name, (often referred to as “the man with no name,”) as well as being quiet, and slow to act. Gosling’s driver character is similarly soft-spoken, yet uncompromisingly strong when needed.

The costume of the main character plays an equally important role. Often taking off or putting on his dark brown leather driving gloves, driving late at night, he communicates much of his inner character nonverbally. Throughout the entire fi lm, the driver wears a grey satin jacket with a golden scorpion embroidered on the back, directly referencing the story of the scorpion and the frog later in the fi lm as a metaphor of the fi lm’s plot. As in the fable, the driver effectively “carries” the scorpion on his back, signifying him as the frog. Thus, his natural enemies in the fi lm seek mutually assured destruction due to their natural impulse. This extremely apt analogy serves to add yet another layer to the fi lm’s narrative.

“Drive” originally opened at this year’s Cannes, and was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or and Best Director, winning the latter. This alone is enough to show the difference between “Drive” and a generic mass-release action fi lm. While “Drive” is unquestionably not for everyone, fans of good cinema will be drawn to it. That being said, those looking for an action fi lm will also enjoy it at face value, as the choreography, as well as the driving, is exceptionally polished.

“Drive” a stylized blur of quiet and violence

Movie: DriveDirector: Nicolas Winding Refn

Actors: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan

Cranston

October 11, 2011 | A&E B5

i October 11 - 18, 2011

The 2011 Harvest of Wines at the Egan, Fri Oct 14, from 5:30-8pm. The event features multitudes of wines for tasting, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, live & silent auctions, a 100-ticket raffl e with a Sonoma Wine trip for 2 with a 6-hour chauffeured luxury sedan service, private olive oil tour and tasting, wine, & private tastings at vineyard wineries, and a 2-night Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa stay. More information is available at http://www.alaskapublic.org/

Get set to ride all winter. An REI specialist will show you how you can comfortably ride your bike throughout the long win-ter. Topics covered will include best bike types; tire choices - fat or studded; clothing and acces-sories to keep you warm and more. More information can be found at www.rei.com

Halloween Film Festival - October 5 - 31

FOCUS EVENTS CALENDAR

2011 Harvest of Wines - October 8

Humpy’s Oktoberfest - October 16-23

Hero Costume Dance - October 18

A Hero Themed Costume Dance Party. All ages are welcome. $12 dance class, snacks, DJ, Shows, prizes, games and more dancing. This will be a celebration of AK Dance Promotions an-nual anniversary party for the students of ADP, their friends, family and guests. More information is avail-able at alaskadancepromo-tions.com/Parties.html

Head to Humpy’s for the annual Fall Oktober-fest celebration, hosted by the Alaska Blaska-pelle. Five course gour-met German-style meal perfectly paired with 6 Oktoberfest beers. Sun-days, October 16 & 23. $75 per person. Call (907) 276-2337 for res-ervations.

Compiled by Leroy Polk

Come enjoy the classics of the genre in our newly-remodeled giant-screen format theatre every week Tuesday-Saturday throughout October. 5-8: Aliens. 12-15: The Shining. 19-22: The Ex-orcist. 26 - 31: Goonies All shows $5. Times are 4:00pm, 7:00pm, and 9:30pm (7:00pm and 9:15pm are ages 21 and over only). More info at: www.alaskaexperience-theatre.com

Winter Biking 101 - October 11

GAME REVIEWDRINK REVIEW

By Heather HamiltonA&E Editor

Kenwood Vineyards’ vintage 2010 North Coast Moscato is a delightful white wine. The nose is sweet, and is perfumed chiefl y with honeysuckle. It also hints of lychee, but the honeysuckle is dominant.

The tip is almost sickly sweet, and very fruity; the honeysuckle is very prevalent, but there is a hint of the lychee. The back is very tangy, due to a tangerine additive, with a bit of a bite as well. There is little to no sweetness, but this isn’t bothersome. The complete switch is surprising, but in a good way.

The fi nish is moderately long; its tang vanishes after a few seconds, revealing a sweet aftertaste. The wine is almost like a sandwich of fl avor qualities. It is also slightly

dry. For a white wine however, it is comparatively wet, and those who typically dislike white wines for their dryness are more likely

to appreciate this moscato.

This wine is wonderful as a stand-alone drink, but when paired with a cold fruity desert, such as sherbet, it loses all its bite and its sweetness is amplifi ed.

The 2010 vintage North Coast Moscato

from Kenwood Vineyards is a phenomenal white wine, and far more accessible than most white wines to fans of reds. Enjoy it best with other fruity fl avors.

Moscato a sweet and tangy wineWhite wines are known for being dry, but even a loyal fans of reds can appreciate this, especially with dessert

By Bryan DunaganContributor

Stop reading and buy this game. Well, these games, rather. Let’s think about this, you’ve heard of these games from your gamer-nerd friends, and they always tell you that you need to play them to understand game theory. What is game theory? Game theory, in one sense of the phrase, is basically this: if a game’s core mechanics are good enough, then it doesn’t need exposition or explanation. These two titles need neither, just a willingness to play.

Ico is about a boy that has horns growing from his head, and in his in village, that’s bad. So, the village authorities take him to a fortress where horned citizens are presumably kept in metallic holding pods until they die. Fortunately for our hero, he escapes his pod and begins to wander the fortress. He fi nds a girl being held in a cage and he frees her. The girl’s name is Yorda, and you have to keep her protected from dark creatures that try to take her away. The game play is interesting in that you have to move Yorda through verbal commands and direct touch contact. To get her to follow you, you call her over, grab her by the hand, and off you go.

In “Shadow of the Colossus,” you play Wander, a silent hero that takes the woman he loves across the world to a shrine to revive her. A voice at the shrine tells him that he must defeat 16 roaming colossi to bring her back.

He sets off with his trusty steed, Aggro, to topple these golems of rock, organs, and fur. The tricky part is getting to the colossi, and then fi nally toppling them. It’s intense, amazing, and frustrating.

Now, since these are remakes that have been up-scaled to 1080p, the graphics are only slightly dated. It’s amazing how well they have held up after all these years, mostly due to their unique look that is in some ways timeless. If you’ve played these previously on the PS2, you’ll remember that the game chugged along, silhouetting the characters when you moved too fast. Not any

more. The game sings at a

constant 60 frames per second, and the higher resolution allows you to see all the birds and turtles and every little nuance that the developers put into the game, which is a lot. From Yorda’s hesitance in running, to the birds that circle each colossus, the games both look spectacular.

Now, if you have a 3D TV you should really play “Shadow” with it on. No game could ever be made better with 3D other than this one. The scale of the colossi is brought properly into perspective in three dimensions. All the rocky crags of the stony beasts seem to leap right at you, and grabbing them makes the game seem more immersive, more tangible. What’s even better is getting tossed off of a Colossus and have Wander fl y towards you and hit the ground with a crushing thud.

If you own a PS3, you need this game. Granted, the games are 5-10 years old, but holy smokes, it’ll blow your mind. If you played them back in the day, you’ll love the higher frame rate and 3D capability, and if you have never played them before, now you have no excuse not to.

The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection

you have no excuse not to.

PHOTO BY HEATHER HAMILTON/TNL

SPORTS B6

Student Union SUbway® restaurant Hours of OperationMonday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

©2011 Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc. Excludes Premium subs. Additional charge for extras. No cash value. Not for sale. Not good with other coupon offers or discount cards. For a limited time only. No substitutions allowed.

Wolf Bucks accepted at Student Union SUbway® restaurant & E. Tudor SUbway® restaurant locations.

Don’t forget you can now use unlimited Dining Dollars at the Student Union SUbway® restaurant.

Offer valid until 10/31/11

By Nicole LuchacoSta� Reporter

From college hockey to the professional ranks, there is one thing that every athlete agrees on: rolling out of bed in the morning takes every ounce of stamina that they can muster; especially after the fi rst day of practice, but having a sore muscle now could prevent have a torn one later.

“The morning is the worst,” said senior gymnast Kaelei Spoor. “You wake up in the morning and everything hurts.”

UAA’s sports program currently includes both male and female basketball, cross-country, skiing, track & fi eld; as well as single gender gymnastics, volleyball and hockey.

Of these sports, basketball, gymnastics and hockey have the highest risk for injury, due to the amount of contact and agility that they require. “These are intense contact sports, but luckily most of the injuries we see are not permanent,” said Volk. “They are not something that will plague these athletes for the rest of their lives.”Each team has its own mandatory pre-season-conditioning program that is sport-specifi c; they meet three to six times a week before the regular season even begins.“We do a lot of conditioning

and strength training to build muscle and prevent injuries, such as shoulder overuse,” said UAA Volleyball Head Coach Chris Green. But no matter the amount of preventative training an athlete participates in, there is always the possibility that in one unforeseen moment, something can go terribly wrong.

“Injuries are inherent in sports; we can’t completely prevent them no matter how much strength training or conditioning we do,” said Volk. “That being said, when kids come to school already in good shape, most over-use injuries will be prevented and the severity of the acute injuries will be directly effected.”

One of the most serious injuries that UAA has ever seen occurred last year to a track athlete. “The young man suffered a very unique knee injury,” said Volk. “He tore his ACL, his LCL, his meniscus, and on top of that he had a signifi cant nerve injury, all from coming off of the block for a sprint.” This is the kind of injury you would normally see come out of a car accident, football game, or something with much more signifi cant force.

The UAA policy for athletic injuries is if the injury occurs while practicing or

playing your sport for UAA, then UAA is ultimately responsible for any medical bills that are incurred from that incident. However, if the student athlete has a personal insurance policy (though it is not a requirement for U.S. students to have personal coverage, it is required for the international

student athletes) their insurance gets billed fi rst, then the university kicks in as a secondary

or supplementary policy.“I always tell people ‘I am twenty going on ninety,’” said sophomore gymnast Emily Petersen “But it’s worth it; it’s cool to be able to defy gravity.”

Of the eleven sports offered here at

UAA, (aside from tournaments where a trainer is always present), trainers routinely travel with the

Division I teams: hockey and gymnastics.

Division I hockey requires a trainer to travel with the team and while the gymnastics league does

not, it is highly recommended due

to the level of risk involved in each event.

“People always ask why our seasons are so short; but honestly, we couldn’t handle any more; if our seasons were longer we would fall apart,” commented Petersen.

UAA has an arrangement with the Great Northwestern Athletic Conference (GNAC) for our other sports, saving each

of the member schools traveling costs and keeping the training staff from being spread too thin. “When teams travel to play us here, we take care of them; and when our kids travel down there, they take care of us,” said Volk. “Even if we wanted to, we don’t have the staff to travel a third trainer, somewhere there would be a scheduling confl ict and there would be no one to cover here at home.” Can an injured athlete continue to play? That is not an across the board question; if you can play without pain, your coach will put you in, but the minute it is not in your best interest or compromises your over-all health, you are benched and thoroughly rehabilitated. “Our main concern is the athlete,” said Volk. “We will push them, but ultimately it comes down to keeping them safe and healthy.” For most athletes college is the last time for them to compete in the sport that they love. So no matter the aches and pains; long games and grueling practice schedules, they will fi nd the will power to roll out of bed every day, rain or shine; its all for the love of the game.

Despite trainers on-hand, some injuries are unavoidableThough UAA athletes have avoided most severe injuries, wear and tear still looms as a major threat

common

Cross-country

Skiing

Track and field

Volleyball

Injuries

Gymnastics

hockey

back injury

Basketball

GRAPHIC BY NICK FOOTE

October 11, 2011 | SPORTS B7TNL

By Kenzie MassonAssistant Sports Editor

Soccer is one of Alaska’s most prominent and competitive sports. The game has seen Alaskans go onto the USA national team, Division I and Division II schools, as well as other competitive leagues. While the sport remains one of the most popular in Alaska, UAA still is without a soccer program.

Last year, 327 male soccer players and 334 females registered to play soccer just in the Anchorage School District (ASD) alone, according to Derek Hagler, the high school supervisor of ASD.

Of those players, 34 went on to compete at a collegiate level, 15 women and 19 men.

“I am confi dent in saying at least half would have loved the option to stay and play in Alaska,” Dan Rufner, founder of Alaska Northstars and boys varsity soccer coach at Service High School. “I am 90% sure that every other school in GNAC, besides UAF, has a soccer team,” he said.

Not having a soccer team at UAA doesn’t just mean that current students who are capable of playing are missing out, but also that the university could be loosing potential freshmen that want to play the sport.

“When you have a sport that obviously so many people are interested in, you look at the possibility of adding it. The other thing is we’re exporting a lot of talent and we he some people that would like to stay in state that can’t because it’s not offered,” said Dr. Cobb, UAA Athletic Director.

Up to 18 players each year in Alaska graduate and go on to play collegiate soccer, which a little less than ten percent of the senior class that plays soccer, each year. That is more than double the national average.

The possibility of adding either a men or women’s team has been tossed around. Recently, the athletic department looked seriously into adding a women’s team.

“We’ve got our Title IX in such good shape that we don’t want to get it out of kilter because Title IX goes both ways now, so we’re

looking really at a million dollars. Recurring funding,” Dr. Cobb said.

If the funding is what is preventing UAA from having a team, how do the other universities do it?

“Roughly 75% of schools that have athletic programs have women’s soccer as what they offer. Only Basketball and Volleyball have more,” Rufner said.

There are 268 DII schools nationwide and only 50 of them don’t include women’s soccer.

While some may argue that the cost for the team to travel would be too high, it wouldn’t be much different than that of the hockey or volleyball team, and there would be less supplies to transport, unlike the hockey team.

Although UAA doesn’t have its own turf fi eld, signing with the Dome would always be an available option. The UAA Cross Country and Track and Field Teams already have.

Kincaid is also scheduled to open a new turf stadium this summer. Another possibility would be to add another three million to the $109 million sports complex UAA is constructing and scheduled to open in 2014. After all, they already added an additional $24 million to the original $80 budget.

However, more goes into adding a soccer team at UAA than rounding up some players, renting out a fi eld, and fi nding funding.

“You have to add sports at politically correct times,” Dr. Cobb said. “We’re a lightning rod for criticism. Just like the president got a raise well everybody goes crazy because the economy is down. Well, if we were to announce we’re moving a million dollars into our department to start soccer, the library would be screaming that you cut me and so chancellors have to be pretty quick.”

Although soccer remains absent in UAA’s athletic department, it is a work in progress.

“Women’s soccer would be top of the list if we were to add any sports,” Dr. Cobb said. “They’re not in our immediate plans right now for the simple reason we don’t have a way to pay for it.

Soccer absent at UAA

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B8 TNLSPORTS| October 11, 2011

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been, but rather one which saw a young team focused on what they had to do.

“No one was bitter or blaming one another,” Kamal said. “Everyone was in the mindset that we just needed to get the win in overtime.”

After a close call at both ends in overtime, the stage was set for late game heroics. With 1:54 left in the extra frame, opportunity presented itself to Spencer once again.

“I saw their guy going back and thought I had a jump on him,” Spencer said. “I just tried to lift his stick and grab the puck. When I was in on the goalie, I just picked up my head and saw low blocker side was open and fi red it in there.”

Spencer was able to pick the Husky defender’s pocket and walk in alone on Lee. His shot, which was low blocker side once again, found the net and set the

Seawolves bench and crowd of 3,707 fans into a frenzy.

The weekend comebacks gave the young Seawolves team confi dence and may prove to be more valuable than what it seems at fi rst glance.

“That’s a big thing for us. There’s going to be times for us when were getting off a plane or maybe we don’t have our legs,” Kamal said. “But to know we can fi ght back in a game gives us a bit of confi dence and know we have the ability to do it.”

The win also gives UAA confi dence that it can play with the big names in the WCHA and college hockey world.

“Anytime you can start the year off at undefeated and get a big win over a ranked team like St. Cloud, it’s huge,” said senior forward Jade Portwood. “It’s a pretty good feeling and any win like that is going to help us out a bunch going forward.”

TITLE: Spencer leads SeawolvesCONTINUED FROM MOTION COVER