October 2016 – Page 9 – The Western Howl

By: Alyssa James
Freelancer

It just became fall and we all know what that means! New TV shows are starting up, old TV shows have been renewed for another season and it’s all done for our personal enjoyment. There is an extensive list of shows that have already premiered that are set to hit the TV scene within the upcoming months. Titles such as “Scream Queens” and “Pitch”, which premiered on Fox, “Luke Cage”, currently streaming on Netflix, and “Westworld” on HBO, are just a few to be named.

One show that recently premiered was “This Is Us”. Created by the writers and directors of “Crazy, Stupid, Love” comes a drama/comedy show following an ensemble of unique people who share the same birthday. Starring Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, and more, this is a show you won’t want to miss. You can catch “This Is Us” at 10 p.m. on NBC.

Another show that recently premiered was “Designated Survivor” on ABC. When an attack on the capitol takes place, Tom Kirkman, played by Kiefer Sutherland, is sworn into presidency due to being the designated survivor during the State of the Union. Still in shock from all that has happened, Tom must dive into politics head-on and lead the country, take care of his family, and figure out who led the attack on American soil. “Designated Survivor” is on every Wednesday at 10 p.m.!

Other new shows that are set to premiere include “Timeless”, which recently premiered on NBC, “Divorce”, premiering on HBO on Oct. 9, and “American Housewife”, premiering on ABC Oct. 11. Returning shows are also something to look forward to. Some of these are “Arrow”, played on The CW starting on Oct. 5, “The Big Bang Theory”, played on CBS starting on Oct. 27, and “Vikings”, played on History starting on Nov. 30. Make sure to check out these shows premiering this fall during your study breaks!

Contact the author at ajames16@wou.edu.

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Freedom for the loo

By: Shaylie Pickrell
Freelancer

screen-shot-2016-10-08-at-10-34-21-am On the Western campus there are a growing number of locations in which we have all-gender bathrooms. The Equity Committee of the Associated Students of Western Oregon University are working towards making the bathrooms more visible and more comfortable for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether they’re using the restroom to make sure their outfit looks good or to actually use the restroom, it’s important to have a safe place for people in any situation. They recently added 20 more locations and hope to soon have a list or map available online, as well as in the Werner University Center.
All-gender bathrooms are family friendly, vary from single to multiple stalls and some locations even have showers available for use. These bathrooms are a way for those who identify outside the gender binary to feel safe and free from the pressures that can sometimes occur when having to use gender specific bathrooms.

If you have any questions about the growing locations of these bathrooms around campus, or simply would like to learn more about gender equality, you can stop by the Stonewall Center or email the equity president, Max Norr, at aswouequity@wou.edu. The Equity Committee is working very hard to make information about these locations more accessible around campus. In the near future, there will be updated maps around campus identifying different bathroom types and their new locations.

Things I want to highlight on the map:
There is at least one all-gender bathroom in every hall and in the most populated places such as the Werner University Center and the Hamersly Library.

Contact the author at spickrell15@wou.edu

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“Transformers” returns to theaters

By: Blayde Biacan
Freelancer

Michael Bay is directing another, I repeat, another “Transformers” movie. “Transformers: The Last Knight” is the fifth installment in Michael Bay’s iconic franchise. If you aren’t aware of what Michael Bay specializes in, let me tell you that you can expect huge explosions and fantastic special effects. The “Transformers” films are especially known for their top of the line and innovative effects.

What you may not be expecting to hear about is the featuring of Winston Churchill’s old estate as Hitler’s Headquarters. Many people, especially veterans, are critical of Churchill’s estate being covered in swastika banners due to him being a World War II hero. In response, Michael Bay told BBC, “When you see the movie you’ll understand.” To back up his statement, he mentioned how the movie would depict Winston Churchill as a big hero and that Churchill would not be “turning in his grave”.

Another main hero that will be featured in the film is King Arthur, played by Liam Garrigan, who has played King Arthur before in ABC’s “Once Upon A Time”. King Arthur’s role in the movie is currently unknown, but King Arthur was featured in the “Transformers” animated series, where he teamed up with Autobots back in the Middle Ages.

Mark Wahlberg is returning to star in “The Last Knight”, alongside Peter Cullen returning as the voice of Optimus Prime and newcomer Isabela Moner. The film will also feature new Autobots and new Decepticons, as well as the official debut of the miniature Dinobots. The larger Dinobots made their debut in 2014’s “Age of Extinction”.

With confirmation that the film will feature King Arthur, Nazis and dinosaurs, who wouldn’t want to wonder what Michael Bay has in store for us with the plot of the movie. “Transformers: The Last Knight” is coming to theaters on July 23, 2017.

Contact the author at bbiacan16@wou.edu

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Campus clown survival tips

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Campus clowns are nothing to be afraid of. Here are some tips to help you get through the epidemic:

1. Clowns are more afraid of you than you are of them.
2. There’s a small chance that the clowns are friendly and just want to entertain you.
3. Clowns usually have big shoes, so you can run faster than them.
4. Clowns can smell fear so just try to smile and sing, “Let it Go” if you see one.
5. If you see a clown exit a vehicle, just remember that there could be an infinite amount of clowns remaining in the vehicle and plan your route accordingly.
6. A clown’s true weakness is sadness, playing “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan while showing pictures of sad puppies should scare the clown off.
7. If it comes down to self-defense, a pie in the face will do more damage than any weapon could do.
8. Clowns only follow people because they want to cheer them up, so when running from a clown, laugh maniacally.
9. If there are clown sightings in your area, avoid walking through forests alone at night.
10. Hostility toward clowns creates hostile clowns. Follow the tips above so hopefully one day we can have peace between the clowns and us.

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Your food may be getting cheaper

By: Brian Tesch
Advertising Manager

Here’s some good news for consumers, the USDA’s Economic Research Service report marks August as the ninth consecutive month of food deflation. The total 9 month decrease in food prices averaging -6 percent overall. With August being the largest decline, a whopping -1.8 percent, this food deflation anomaly does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. What is causing such an unprecedented event? And why should we care?

Looking into the past, food deflation has been fairly market reliant. More specifically, it’s generally caused by some sort of recession. In 2009, grocery stores ran more sales in the months following, resulting in a form of food deflation. This isn’t a mystery. There were financial hardships and consumers were buying less food. You can probably guess that the biggest food deflation in U.S. history was during the great depression. Again, that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

Considering the past, the current deflation should be puzzling. While the answer is probably more complex than we can speculate, current deflation is most likely being caused by low oil prices. With low oil prices, transporting food just got cheaper, therefore stores are able to charge less. This makes this food deflation another benefit for the U.S. economy brought to you by cheap oil.

That’s good news for college students because it’s going to be easier to find good deals at your local supermarket. But be careful, this food deflation is not benefiting everyone…

Food deflation, due to transportation costs, is actually becoming a huge problem for smaller grocery stores and food chains. Stores like Walmart that rely on transportation to move most of their food across their vast and complex distribution networks are now at a huge advantage. With the cost of transportation plummeting, stores like Walmart are able to charge less and less for their food and outsource more strategically across the country. While this is causing the national food deflation, the source of the downward pressure on pricing is not shared equally among grocery stores. This is a big problem because there is a huge difference between lowering your prices because you can, and lowering your prices because you have to.

This market environment is creating huge headaches for local mom and pop stores competing in towns with larger retailers. Even large billion-dollar retail companies such as Kroger, Whole Foods and Sprouts are starting to see their margins decrease and their stock plummet due to this change in market environment. Meanwhile, giant retailers such as Walmart and Aldi are taking over with the help of discount oil. Even Lidl, a German supermarket giant, has started to build three massive distribution plants on the east coast with the plan of opening its first U.S. stores in 2018. Amazon, being Amazon, has started AmazonFresh and is now delivering fresh groceries to your door if you live in a large city; and no, you cannot get your scup and veggies delivered via drone.

What does this mean? The longer food prices continue to decrease, the harder it will be in the future for a large local grocery store to compete with the new corporate market.

Contact the author at btesch14@wou.edu

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#Vote2016

By: Stephanie Blair
Editor-in-Chief

screen-shot-2016-10-08-at-9-28-34-am After the first presidential debate on Sept. 26, the internet has exploded with various voter registration campaigns for National Voter Registration day. A company, called HelloVote, has created a chatbot service that allows people to register to vote through text message.
On YouTube, “Register to Vote in 1:34” videos were created by the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Conan O’Brien so the VoteIRL campaign could show how quick and easy registering is (an average time of one minute and 34 seconds, hence the titles). While on Twitter, hashtags such as #LoseYourVCard and #VoteHoney were smattered across dashboards to promote other campaigns, but all with the same message; 18-34 year-olds are being called to vote.
According to the US Census Bureau, over the last three presidential elections 18-34 year-olds have only made up an average 23.7 percent of the voting population while 45-64 year-olds have consistently been the largest voting demographic with an average of 38.5 percent.
The last day to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 18. To register to vote, visit vote.gov and have your driver’s license or identification card ready.

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Strong showing at Charles Bowles

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Western cross country ran well at the Charles Bowles Invitational hosted by Willamette University in Salem. The men’s team finished fifth in scoring and the women’s team finished ninth.

Sophomore Dustin Nading finished in eighth place out of the 168 runners in the men’s race to help lead the team to its top five finish. Junior Kennedy Rufener came in sixteenth among the women, out of 189 runners.

The invitational hosted schools across NCAA Divisions I, II and III. The men’s team finished top among Division II schools.

Western Oregon hosts the next cross country meet on Oct. 7, in the second of the year’s two Ash Creek Invitationals. Wolves runner David Ribich won the first go-round, and both men’s and women’s team finished second overall.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

Accessibility Public Records Privacy Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

Bored? Fall TV has got you covered!

Freedom for the loo

“Transformers” returns to theaters

Campus clown survival tips

Your food may be getting cheaper

#Vote2016

Strong showing at Charles Bowles

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