Mount Hood

Bond is Back: “Spectre” Review

By: Declan Hertel 
Entertainment Editor

Let’s begin with a disclaimer: I love James Bond. The suits, the gadgets, the villains, that theme song, the whole shebang. I especially love Daniel Craig’s run as Agent 007; in my opinion, he made the character seem more like an actual human being than any of the many others who portrayed Bond have.

“Spectre” is Craig’s almost-certainly final outing as Bond, and the film sees him going more rogue than ever before on an unofficial and mysterious mission at the behest of the now deceased M, played by Judi Dench (“Philomena”).

The opening sequence of the film starts with a long tracking shot of Bond in a Day of the Dead mask, following a man in a white suit, walking through a parade in Mexico City with a beautiful woman on his arm.

It’s quintessential Bond: sexy, dangerous, and indulgent.

We then move very swiftly through an exploding building, a foot chase through the parade, and a brutal fistfight in a helicopter over a mass of people gathered in the town square for the festival, complete with some serious aerial acrobatics.

It’s super intense, beautifully shot, and shamelessly over the top, serving as an excellent primer for the rest of the movie, which is all of the above.

Yes, “Spectre” is 140 minutes, but if you expected a James Bond film to be under two hours, you have some fundamental misconceptions about the franchise. That said, the grin on my face for the 140 minutes of the film could only be described as “really goofy.”

James Bond is pure fantasy, and “Spectre” provides a great deal of that fantasy. His world is a world of excess, decadence, and pure escapism.

The film mostly sticks to the established Bond formula, but I hardly think this is a bad thing.

Sure it gets a bit muddy at times, and Christoph Waltz’s (“Django Unchained”) excellent portrayal of the latest Bond villain is underused by a mile, but it hits its marks and hits them well, and I enjoyed every second.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Bond franchise’s treatment of women has never been stellar, but “Spectre” takes a step in the right direction.

It’s by no means perfect, but there’s definitely no deplorable conduct like some entries in the series have had (looking at you, shower scene in “Skyfall”).

The thing about James Bond is that he’s always a man of his time, yet as our world marches onward he’s a man out of time.

James Bond is still fundamentally the same as he was when he debuted with a different face in “Dr. No” those many years ago, but every installment changes him a bit. Craig’s Bond is the one I’ll miss most, mostly because he allowed us to see a man with darkness inside.

He was always the male fantasy that James Bond is at his core, but he also allowed himself to be vulnerable and scarred. That is what made him great.

I hope James Bond lives on after Craig leaves the role. But if it does not, I would be at peace with “Spectre” as the final entry. If you’re not a fan of Bond, this film probably won’t change your mind. But if you enjoy the franchise, you can’t go wrong.
3.5 of 4 paws

Back in black

By:Conner Williams 
Editor-in-Chief

After more than two dreadfully long months since the “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3” beta ended, the full game finally became available to play at 9 p.m. PST on Nov. 5, 2015.

And yes, I did count down the minutes until I was able to dive into the newest “Call of Duty” (COD) collaboration between Activision and Treyarch, the series’ saving grace.

Last year, when the yearly COD game was developed by Sledgehammer Games, whom had never worked on the series before, it received widespread criticism from the fan base over its new movement system, which involved jetpack boosters, speedy power slides, unlimited sprint, and the infamous exo-suit.

The production studios heard the outcry and adjusted the gameplay accordingly.

The first best thing that was done was getting Sledgehammer out of the picture, because let’s face it, “Advanced Warfare” was mediocre at best.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 3” (BO3) offers gamers that traditional COD feeling that’s been missing since “Black Ops 2” (BO2), plus some welcome upgrades, of course.

The new movement system was designed to keep players on the run throughout the course of the map. This COD felt like it was designed to discourage camping, which is just fine with most players.

Players can now sprint for an unlimited amount of time, run on walls, quickly power slide long distances, and boost a short amount – similar to a double jump. The system was designed to chain different movements together in order to travel around the maps quickly and tactically.

To me, BO3 feels like BO2 mixed with “Advanced Warfare” without the exo suits that everyone disliked. Players can’t jetpack forever, nor can they become invisible, as was the case with some of the exo abilities from “Advanced Warfare.”

Zombies

Ah, yes. The triumphant return of the fan-favorite zombies mode. Personally, I think zombies mode is enough reason to purchase the entire game. I typically spend about five hours with a couple of friends attempting to decipher the endless clues, puzzles, and easter eggs hidden throughout the new zombies maps when they are first released.

The best part about it is that zombies is no longer about hitting the mystery box until you get a ray gun so that you can camp in a corner and blast away; there are intricate riddles that require a significant amount of time and trial-and-error in order to figure them out and advance throughout the story.

I don’t want to reveal too much, so I will leave it up to you to figure out how to handle the Beast (if you’ve played, you’ll get the reference).

Multiplayer

After the release of the beta back in August, the game developers made some serious adjustments to the infrastructure of the game to make this the smoothest multiplayer experience to date for a COD title. I have experienced zero lag or matchmaking trouble from the BO3 multiplayer servers.

The game introduced a new “Specialist” system, in which players pick one of nine Specialists to use as their class character.

Different Specialists are unlocked with increases in level. These Specialists have different abilities unique to their character. Each has a weapons class, which range from a war machine, to an explosive bow and arrow, and even a flamethrower.

Each Specialist also has an ability class that employs lethal abilities to give players the edge over others.

For example, the Rejack ability grants players the ability to respawn in the same area upon death without losing scorestreak progress, the Vision Pulse ability allows players to see every enemy on the map for a short duration, and Overdrive allows players to move lightning-quick for a short amount of time. However, players can only pick a weapon or an ability from their chosen Specialists, not both.

There is a solid array of weapons and perks to choose from, using the familiar ten-slot system for classes.

In addition, a new game mode has been added. Safeguard enlists players to escort a walking robot across the map and into enemy territory within a certain time limit.

The opposing team must stop the robot from being escorted, and can disable the robot for short amounts of time by shooting it, blowing it up, knifing it, and using any other method to inflict damage.

Safeguard is, by far, my favorite game mode. I posted a 68-14 match record on my favorite map of Redwood, in which players get to run around in the treetops of the Redwood Forest.

Campaign

BO3 brought back a feature that I have personally been missing and that has not been present since “World at War”: cooperative campaign.

Players can team up with a buddy to take on the campaign that is set in the year 2054. BO3 also added a new difficulty called “realistic” in which players and enemies take lethal damage from just a few shots. It is similar to playing in Hardcore mode.

After taking a brutal beating from an enemy robot, the protagonist undergoes surgery and becomes half human, half machine. The player receives an implant in the brain that allows him or her to perform certain cybernetic abilities, such as hacking enemy machinery and blowing up robots.

The campaign also has its own level-up system in which players can customize classes to use during levels. I have not finished the campaign yet, but it has been great so far, and the added ability to play with a friend makes it that much more enjoyable.

4 out of 4 paws.

Check out some video clips of me playing the BO3 multiplayer on our website, and add my gamertag (Cdubinite) if you want to play with me.

Week-long opportunity for cultural exchange

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By: Emily Pate
Staff Writer

International Education Week is Nov. 16-20, 2015; the theme is “Access for All,” and the goal is to bring different cultural perspectives, diversity, and experience to students.

I have studied abroad three times during the course of my studies at Western, and each time has been more beneficial than the last.

It’s a scary thing to tear out your own roots and see what you can learn from travel, but exposure to other cultures has made me look at my own life in a new way, and made me a better person as a result.

Amanda Summers, senior International Studies major, is the new Global Ambassador for Western’s study abroad office, and spent the last academic year studying at the University of Roehampton in England.

“It was phenomenal, magical […] all those good words you can use,” Summers said about her time abroad. She also said that even though we went to a country that spoke the same language, “it was culturally enlightening,” and encourages everyone to try to study abroad.

Sawsan Alismail, a graduate student from Saudi Arabia who is majoring in MS Ed English/Language Arts, has been studying at Western for ten months. She believes that international study helps a person to grow.

“It adds to my personality a lot by being open-minded, flexible, and accepting variety of people and introduces me to different cultures and costumes,” Alismail said. “Also, it adds more for my family, especially my children where they are exposed to different cultures.”

Alismail continued, “It also gives you the opportunity to examine the culture more deeply and have a fair judgment about it. This also may help you adapting some good manners, attitudes, and lifestyles or anything else.”

For various reasons, not all Western students can study abroad, but they can still get the benefits from multicultural exposure here on campus during International Education Week.

Sarah Nagel, Study Abroad and J Visa Advisor, said, “The purpose of International Ed. Week is a celebration of the fact that we are a global society, a global campus.”

Nagel said that through participating in International Ed. Week, “students gain a greater cultural competence, meaning they have a better understanding of the different cultures that are out in the world.”

The full schedule of events can be found on posters around campus, including in WUC, and on the International Education Week webpage.

As someone who has been shaped by my experiences abroad, I encourage everyone to participate in this rare opportunity for multicultural sharing and celebration.

The Northwest Passage Fall 2015

By: Megan Clark 
Campus Life Editor

Along with The Journal and KWOU, the Northwest Passage is an important branch of Western’s student media trifecta – the third musketeer in WOU’s band of student run, on-campus entertainment.

The Northwest Passage, according to Western’s website, has been “In publication in one form or another for 72 years.”

A vast amount of fantastic imagery and prose has passed through its pages, and its newest issue will follow suit.

The current editor of the Northwest Passage, Zoe Strickland, sophomore English literature major, stressed the importance of literary and art magazines saying, “It’s important to have student work published in an on campus literary magazine because doing so makes literature, art, and photography more accessible to students.”

Strickland continued, “It helps show people that being published (albeit in a small literary magazine) is an attainable goal.”

As the Passage’s ever supportive sibling, The Journal is running an excerpt from “A Ghost’s Home Videos,” a poem by sophomore English major, Cassie Farmer. Alongside it is printed the photograph of Mount Hood that will be used for the Northwest Passage’s cover, taken by Karlene Curtin, a first year who hopes to study education and ASL.

These are just two examples of what the Passage has to offer in its upcoming issue.

Strickland said, “We encourage students to submit their creations whether it be art, photography, poetry, drama, or fiction. By publishing student work, the Northwest Passage hopes to showcase the creative talents that WOU students have.”

The distribution date (when you can pick up your copy) for Northwest Passage is Nov. 20th, 2015. There will be release party held in Hamersly library at 6 p.m. on Nov. 23, 2015, that is open to the public.

During the release party, contributors will read their poetry, short stories, or display their art and photography. If you want to contribute to future publications, email northwestpassage@wou.edu.

Self-Defense Against the Dark Arts

By: Joleen S. Braasch 
Freelancer

Every year, Campus Recreation and Campus Public Safety team up to offer free self-defense courses to the WOU community. On Wednesday night, Officers Trever Jackson and Scott Tennant worked with 10 women to prepare them against attackers.

“One of our biggest points in doing this class is building peoples’ confidence to let them know that they can fight back,” said Officer Trevor Jackson of CPS.

The course consisted of three parts: an informational PowerPoint on protecting oneself against physical assault, a training session on defense tactics, and a real-life, one to two minute scenario with feedback.

During the PowerPoint, participants were given statistics about physical assault and about how to stay safe. They also learned about some of the safety measures on campus, such as the safety paths (the white paw prints on campus), the University Escort Program and the emergency poles.

The safety paths see large amounts of foot traffic and are heavily patrolled by Campus Public Safety. With the Escort Program, students who feel unsafe can be accompanied by officers from one place on Western’s campus. There are also blue emergency poles located on the grounds that connect directly to the Public Safety office and allow you to speak with the staff, who, thanks to GPS, will know exactly where you are.

In the training session, students learned some defense tactics, such as the palm-heel strike, chokehold and bridging during ground fighting. With these new tactics, students then went on to participate in a real-life scenario.

Participants were both excited and nervous to go into the scenario. Payton W., a first year pre-ASL Interpreting major, was a little scared, but also optimistic, saying, “I don’t want to go into a dark room and be jumped on by somebody […] but it will prepare me for the real world.”

After the workshop, Western students and faculty felt much more prepared for potential dangers. Caity Arias, a senior English writing major, felt much more confident. Arias said, “I’m really happy I went; I learned so much […] I feel like it made me more confident knowing that even though I’m small I can still like do these things that will bring somebody down who weighs twice as much as me.”
Shawancee Woodall, a first year psychology major, enjoyed the course, saying, “It was fantastic. I definitely feel like there were things I didn’t know beforehand.”

Last year, Grants Financial Specialist at the WOU Research Institute, Jennie Smith, participated in the course and felt it really prepared her. She and her daughter both attended this year: “My daughter is actually the one in there [the scenario] right now. I took this last year and then I really wanted her to do it so I signed us both up.”

If you’re interested in participating in a self-defense workshop at Western, keep your eye out for future classes. There are usually three to four offered every academic year, including one co-ed class and one for faculty/staff.

Musical jewels from Spain

By: Rachael Jackson
Staff Writer

Contralto Dr. Karen Esquivel and her husband, Dr. Gustavo Castro, came to campus to perform Spanish cante flamenco (flamenco singing) and operatic arias, on Tuesday Nov. 10, 2015.

Before performing, the duo gave a presentation of Spain’s history. They painted a picture of a complex history of dictatorships, wars, and the amalgamation of different cultures.

Dr. Castro explained during the presentation that, “Little by little, the popularity of Italian opera killed the chance of local operatic schools becoming the officially sponsored operatic art form by the Spanish court.”

They performed two cante flamencos to begin. “When you think of flamenco, you think of colors,” Dr. Esquivel addressed the singers in the audience. “You have to taste it.”

Throughout their performance, the English translation of the songs were displayed to help the audience understand the meaning of the music.

The first flamenco, “Poema en forma de canciones” by Joaquín Turina and Ramón de Campoamor, had arguably the happiest story of the evening – though it was still of heartbreak and longing, it was dealt with in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

The last movement of the piece, for example, is about the desire to have a short and crazy love rather than a traditional and content one.

While Dr. Esquivel performed, she used facial expressions and body movement to explain the feelings and content of the songs. During one song, she formed her fingers into claws that reached above her to display the anger of the narrator.

In another, she cried out and stood with a hunched back before ending with the lyrics, “Damn love and the one who made me understand it!”

The rest of the night was filled with arias.

They introduced the aria form with a piece from “Els Pirineus” by Felip Pedrell. It is a song is about a woman, Lisa, who has taken on the guise of a soldier so she could be close to the man she loves. Knowing she and the others will die the next day in battle, she sings to the other soldiers to calm their nerves and bring them peace.

The rest of the performance featured songs following the theme of heartbreak, usually with the woman dying at the end of the song. Also typical is the presence of a gypsy woman as the lover to an upper class man or even a royal court member.

Don’t miss the chance to support fellow students in their upcoming recitals this coming week. The first is Friday Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. with senior Kyle Harrington on the euphonium. Check out the schedule on the music department’s website for more performances.

Humans of Western

By: Megan Clark 
Campus Life Editor

Adeshina Oladiti, Junior, Computer Science Major

“I played soccer in Nigeria. When I was at the age of 8, I started playing soccer in a group, like a club. We called it the Chicago Bulls […] I’m so passionate about it [soccer], after the club training I would take all the jersey home, wash them, dry them, and bring them back to the club, because I was the captain.”

What do you miss most about Nigeria?

“The food!”

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