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Oscars Bring Controversy

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By: Ashton Newton
Staff Writer

Each year, all kinds of movies are watched and talked about, but there is no bigger honor in cinema than winning an Oscar.

On Feb. 28, actors, directors, editors, and all manner of moviemakers from all over the world will come together in red carpet fashion for the 88th annual Academy Awards.

Still weeks away, The Oscars have been huge in the news with speculations and controversies, as well as the annual Internet memes about Leonardo Dicaprio wanting nothing but to win an Oscar.

This year, the nominees for best picture are “Spotlight,” “The Martian,” “The Big Short,” “Bridge of Spies,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Room,” “The Revenant,” and “Brooklyn.” Each of these movies, in its own way, brought something new and unique to theaters.

Last year, best picture went to Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman,” which also won three other awards. Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” took home four awards.

All the actors nominated for Best Actor are pretty big names. The list includes Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”), Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”), Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”), Matt Damon (“The Martian”), and Leonardo Dicaprio (“The Revenant”).

As for Best Actress, the list includes Brie Larson (“The Room”), Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years”), Cate Blanchett (“Carol”), Saoirse Ronan (“Brooklyn”), and Jennifer Lawrence (“Joy”).

The controversies started when the managing editor of BroadwayBlack.com, April Reign, pointed out that for the second year in a row, all 20 nominated main and supporting actors and actresses were white. She took to Twitter, getting the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trending.

Some individuals like Spike Lee, Will Smith, and Michael Moore have taken to boycotting 2016’s Oscars for the lack of diversity, while others like George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, and Don Cheadle have been outspoken with their negative views toward the lack of diversity. Even President Obama has commented on the controversy, supporting the outcry.

Those who have attempted to downplay the controversy received a lot of criticism, including Charlotte Rampling and Michael Caine.

Although people have urged him to boycott, Chris Rock will still be hosting the Oscars. Rock has said that he is preparing a sketch that shines light on the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. There is also a large line up of African American presenters, including Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Hart, and Kerry Washington.

The Academy also unanimously voted to double female and minority voters by the year 2020. This will change the current makeup which is 90% Caucasian and 77% male.

Controversies aside, there are some incredible films nominated this year, a ton of big name stars, and Chris Rock’s jokes. The 2016 Oscars are shaping up to be highly memorable.

The Oscars will be held on Feb. 28 in Hollywood, California, but you can view it from the comfort of your own home on ABC at 4 p.m.

Democracy at its finest

By: Conner Williams
Editor in Chief

If you were confused by what went on this week at the Iowa Caucus, you’re not alone.

Frankly, the system is completely absurd. Let’s take a look at some of the specifics of what a caucus is and how they work.

First, two states have caucuses in place of the voting systems that the other states have. Those two are Iowa and New Hampshire, the latter of which starts this coming Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Iowa has a multistep process for choosing the delegates that are the ones who actually cast the votes that count towards the candidate for the state. The state had a turnout of 171,508 caucus-goers – the second-highest turnout in history behind the 2008 election – and was divided up into 1,683 precincts, which in total will send 11,065 delegates to the county conventions on March 12. Those 11,065 delegates then get cut down to 1,406 to attend congressional district on April 30 and state conventions on June 18.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton narrowly edged out Bernie Sanders by a margin of less than one-half of a percentage point; Clinton came in at 49.9 percent of the caucus votes (701), while Sanders hauled in 49.6 percent (697). Martin O’Malley took in the remaining eight delegates for the grand total of 1,406 that was mentioned earlier. The split between Sanders and Clinton is reportedly the closest result in the 40 years of the Iowa Caucus.

But what do those numbers actually mean? Well, it’s a bit confusing, so hang in there.
Those figures represent estimates of how many delegates will attend the congressional district and state conventions. The percentage points are actually “state delegate equivalents,” as National Public Radio reported.

Because the split between Clinton and Sanders was so close, the state had to resort to its unusually odd and improbable method of tiebreaking: coin flips.

And you can bet that there was a significant amount of controversy over the coin tosses that were used as tie breakers to award delegates for precincts that had an odd number of delegates – and yes, I know what you’re thinking: our highly advanced democratic system employs coin tosses to decide who wins votes? Yes, yes it does.

NPR gave a fantastic example of a hypothetical situation. Say a precinct has 5 delegates to award. The voters for that precinct are split evenly between Sander and Clinton. If it were a precinct with an even number of delegates, they would be divided up evenly down the middle, with half going to Clinton and half to Sanders. But in a precinct with an odd number of delegates – this one with five, for example – a coin toss is used to decide who gets that last one.

There were reportedly six precincts in which the decision for awarding delegates was so tight that they had to be decided with coin tosses. Six tosses, and Clinton won all of them, which is a one in 64 chance of occurring.

But those were just initial reports from The De Moines Register; the narrative has been updated to say that there were many more coin tosses, and Sanders won “at least half of them.” But that still doesn’t change the fact that we’re using the flip of a coin as part of our democratic system.

Despite the outcry over the situation, the coin tosses were for county delegates, not for the state. There is still a long way to go, and with the way things have happened thus far, who knows what could happen in the coming months.

The Art of Piercing

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By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

Body modifications, such as piercings and tattoos, are becoming increasingly popular as a way to further explore personal style.

Body piercing is an ancient art that has been around for a long time. According to The Human Touch of Chemistry’s website, nostril piercing has been documented as first occurring in the Middle East around 4,000 years ago.

Piercings have been used to signify sociopolitical status; in Rome, septum piercings symbolized a gladiator’s strength, while in Egypt, a belly button piercing signified godliness and was often worn by pharaohs.

In parts of Malawi and Ethiopia, women often wear discs in their lips that may act as a sign of social or economic importance in the tribe. Their lips are initially pierced with a small wooden peg in their teenage years, but they increase the size of the jewelry throughout their lives, the hand crafted clay discs used reach up to nearly eight inches in diameter.

This process of increasing the size of a piercing is called stretching or gauging and should be done slowly and carefully in order to not tear the skin.

While it’s not common to see people walking around with piercings as large as those worn by the Malawi and Ethiopian women, more unusual piercings, such as the septum and the philtrum (the dimple that sits above the cupid’s bow on the upper lip) are becoming more popular.

Now nearly every part of the body can be pierced or implanted with something called a “micro-dermal” or “dermal.”

While piercing involves taking a sterilized needle and inserting it through skin or cartilage, a micro-dermal involves cutting a tiny hole into the surface of the skin. This makes room for an anchor that goes below the skin and looks similar to a tiny screw with a flat base. The screw-end sticks out of the hole so that different heads (gems, studs, etc.) can be screwed on.

Dermals, however, have a high rejection rate and can easily get infected or ripped out since they are on the surface of the body.

You should be careful with most piercings, as getting infections or getting them caught on things is a very real worry. Proper care should be taken, even after the piercing has healed. The tiniest snag could result in an infection if not well-taken care of.

While piercings may hurt and could get infected, certain piercings have been thought to have medical benefits.

When the nostril piercing came to India in the 16th century it was believed that it would act as a form of acupuncture and aid in childbirth.

Recently, certain ear piercings called the “daith” and “tragus” have been believed to alleviate migraines, though little scientific research has been done to support this.

While these piercings may or may not have any health benefit, they have the added benefit of contributing to self-expression and personal style.

From choosing silver over gold to adorning with glittering jewels, piercings offer another jewelry choice that could add some sparkle to someone’s life.

Musings from a woman on the edge

By: Katrina Penaflor
Managing Editor

Would you spend a million dollars on a picture of a potato? Like, the things fries are made of. Also, there will be nothing else in the picture—it’s just a potato on a black background.

It’s not even held by anyone cool, like David Beckham or John Stamos. It’s. Just. A. Potato.

Well, a European businessman did. He spent just over $1 million on a photograph of a spud.

To have the kind of money to just casually be like, “Oh, I think I need a picture of a potato, hopefully I can find one that fits into my budget of a million dollars.”

The picture was taken by Kevin Abosch, a famous Irish photographer, or at least famous enough to credit such an outrageously high sale.

Abosch has taken pictures of people like Stephen Spielberg and Malala Yousafzai, and his photos average a cost of half a million dollars.

This is what Abosch told the Irish Times about the photograph: “I see commonalities between humans and potatoes that speak to our relationship as individuals within a collective species […] generally, the life of a harvested potato is violent and taken for granted. I use the potato as a proxy for the ontological study of the human experience.”

Well, I do have to give it to Abosch. That’s probably one of the greatest and most emotionally gripping potato descriptions I’ve ever read.

But did it make the picture worth its million-dollar price tag? I think not.

I wonder if I started taking pictures of potatoes, if I could bring in that kind of cash. Hell, I’ll settle for 20 dollars for the picture, or 10, I’m not picky.

And, to the man who bought it, I hope it hangs proudly above some lavish fireplace in your home. I also wonder how many times it will be mistaken for a framed Instagram picture of what you were making for dinner one night.

Slow Your Roll

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

As someone who typically doesn’t let the small mishaps in life ruffle her feathers too much, I must admit there has been an underlying tantrum waiting to turn She-Hulk at the next car that nearly runs me over while I cross the street.

It seems innocent enough at first. You’re walking across the crosswalk, only to see the car slowly encroaching down the street towards your squishy, non-vehicular body. It passes into the intersection without wavering, engine so close you can practically feel the heat radiating from it. Cue the “Jaws” theme.

You’re not about to demean yourself and hurl your frame at the curb like some poor human in “Grand Theft Auto,” yet you feel the car rush past right behind you before you have even finished walking the space deemed “safe.”

Let me get one thing straight. I am someone who walks sidewalks and crosswalks like everything else around me is lava. My friends actually tease me about the Sim-like habits I have ingrained in me. I’m not someone who jaywalks or rushes out in an entitled fashion – don’t worry, those humans have a special rant saved for them too. Instead, I am merely trying to get to class or work, and constantly encounter the same problems.

Sometimes, when the rain descends from the heavens in a weak reenactment of “Carrie,” I find myself having to wait for the impatient driver who either runs the stop sign or eyes me and continues driving. I’m so glad you decided in those few seconds that you were more worthy, you, in your warm, dry car, were more entitled to shaving a millisecond off your ETA than allowing me to scurry into the sanctity of shelter awaiting me at the end of puddle city.

I’m not asking for you to stop a thousand feet away and wait a whole five minutes. I only ask that you stay in your designated area at a stop until I have crossed. Fair enough?

But don’t get me wrong, crossing the street is a two-way … well, street. A partnership. If I am the one who stops to wait for you, I expect the passer to not be on their phone, to at least acknowledge I stopped, and to walk with a purpose. A simple wave or smile will do, and then hurry on your way.

If I intend to cross the street, I typically pause and allow cars that have been waiting for the swarms to clear to go, then make my way. I show my appreciation for them actually waiting their turn, (as they could just as easily turn me to paste under their tires) and move briskly to my destination.

It boils down to being considerate of other human beings. Wait your turn and play nice with the other children, and all will play out. I promise that hitting a student or being the one hit by a car will impact your day far worse than showing up to class a few moments late.

University offers 10 percent, but at what cost?

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By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Western Oregon University Federation of Teachers (WOUFT) was offered a chance to finally get what they’ve been asking for: a 10 percent pay increase for non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty over the biennium.

But after examining President Rex Fuller’s letter to staff and students, Dr. Mark Perlman, philosophy professor and President of WOUFT, was left unsatisfied.

“His letter makes it sound like he’s being Santa Claus with big fat raises and I think it’s awfully dishonest for him to make it seem like that,” said Perlman. “But what he didn’t put in the letter that he sent to everybody, including all of the students, was what they cut to do that.”

Fuller’s letter included information about the national averages for raises among university staff. According to Inside Higher Ed’s website, average annual raises nationwide in 2014-15 ranged from 1.0 to 2.4 percent.

In comparison, WOU’s proposed salary increases range from seven to 15 percent.

“Of course seven to 15 percent looks like a lot, and if we were already at the average salary we would be happy to get the average raise nationwide,” said Perlman. “But we’re so far below the average that even if we agree to this package we’ll still be significantly behind.”

In earlier negotiations both parties agreed that the cost of raising NTT staff salaries by 10 percent would be $210,000. It was recently discovered, however, that the actual cost would be $126,000.

How the university was able to reduce the cost by 40 percent is still unknown to WOUFT, according to Perlman.
To pay for the $126,000, the university’s proposal would reduce summer term pay for instructors and reduce course reassignments, which give professors a small break to do research.

“If you have a research project, you can apply for one of these course reassignments and get one course off on your teaching load to do that research,” Perlman said. “10 years ago we fought to get those things in the contract, and [Fuller] wants to eliminate them — or at least the ones that cost money.”

The proposal would have reduced the summer term pay for professors from 20 percent of their normal salary to 19 percent.

“If we were getting, per credit, the same amount we get for the normal academic year, it should be 25 percent,” Perlman said. “So, it’s already only 20 percent and he wants to cut it.”

Another reason WOUFT didn’t accept the proposal is that they didn’t have enough time to meet and discuss it. The offer came with a deadline, which Perlman said wasn’t long enough.

“I’ve been bargaining since ‘98, and nobody’s ever given us expiration dates,” said Perlman. “They say on Wednesday, ‘We want our answer on Monday.’ Well, we didn’t have time to have the team meet.”

Perlman believes that the university can pay for the $126,000 if they account for sabbatical, retirement, and healthcare cost reductions.

“If you go on sabbatical you get paid less than your normal pay,” Perlman said. “Personally, I’m on sabbatical for the next three springs, and I get paid 60 percent of my normal pay. They’re saving over $5,000 on me this spring, and over $5,000 on me next year. So that $210,000 didn’t include the fact that for me, personally, they’re saving $10,000.”

“There’s also the issue of what they call Other Personnel Expenses, or OPE, which is things like taxes and healthcare payments,” continued Perlman.

According to Perlman, the most expensive health plan is PEBB Statewide, Kaiser Permanente is less expensive, and there are even cheaper options than that.

“If I pick the cheap plan, then [the university] will save money,” Perlman said. “So, we said, ‘How many people are picking the least expensive plan, and how much money are you saving?’ They won’t say.”

Perlman said that with retirements, sabbaticals, and healthcare savings, among various other savings, there should be enough to cover the cost of raising NTT staff salaries by 10 percent. They already found an extra $84,000 in the budget and Perlman thinks there’s more.

“Our numbers guys have done the calculations on this, and we think that there’s a lot more than they’re saying,” Perlman explained. “We think, if they do the math a little more robustly, they will find that there’s way more than the $84,000.”

Before WOUFT agrees to any proposals, Perlman said they want to know exactly how much the university will save when retirements, sabbaticals, and healthcare savings are accounted for.

“They promised us that information and haven’t given it to us,” he said. “Every day that they stall, the faculty [is] more angry that we’re not finished.”

Student confirms rapper B.o.B.’s theory

By: Katrina Penaflor 
Managing Editor

Debates are all the rage these days. I mean, look at all that stuff going on with politics. But the latest one that has the peoples’ attention, or at least whoever checked in on what B.O.B was tweeting on Jan. 24, is whether the earth is round or flat.

A WOU sophomore, who wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of immediate fame, spoke about the science behind this fiasco.

I felt he would be an accurate source since he was carrying a leather briefcase in the science building and claimed to have watched every episode of “Planet Earth” on Netflix.

“Yes, I believe the earth is flat, just like B.o.B. does. He’s only saying what everyone has been thinking forever,” said the sophomore, who for clarity reasons we’ll call Bob (Not to be confused with B.o.B. Look for the periods, people).

Bob went on to give the simplest explanation he could think of that he believed would convert all the “haters.”
“I dropped a basketball on the ground the other day and it didn’t go anywhere. If the earth was round that thing would’ve rolled all the way to the equator. It’s simple science,” he said.

Bob then proceeded to show me a variety of Instagram photos he took during a recent road trip to California where he pointed out all the “totally flat earth shots,” which were just large fields of grass.

“I’ve been on Google earth too. They try and trick you there with a round earth, but zoom in and keep clicking around—it’s all flat.”

Bob said he is grateful for B.o.B for speaking up about something so important. He also thanked his professors in the science department. He felt his former physics classes gave him the knowledge to back up B.o.B.’s claims: “Look, this is my second time taking physics 211. I think I know what I’m talking about.”

Well, after all that, I’m definitely convinced. To side with what B.o.B. himself tweeted, “once you go flat, you never go back.”

The accuracy of these events may be skewed because I wrote the entire thing in yellow crayon on yellow paper. For questions regarding this story please contact TheseAreNotRealE

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