2011.04.26

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Legislation would take “vicious” dogs from convicted felons page 4

Spring rewind: New-look offense needs work page 10

Fall madly in G. Love Well-known rhythm and blues artist brings unique brand off Philadelphian class to Madison music venue page 8

Tenants learn Mifflin plans MPD, Majestic Live owners brief area residents on policy changes for Saturday’s event; police warn against hosting big house parties Lucas Molina City Reporter With the annual Mifflin Street Block Party approaching this weekend, representatives from the event’s sponsor, Majestic Live, teamed up with city officials from Madison’s police and fire departments to tell Mifflin residents Monday how to prepare for a fun and safe weekend.

In the annual neighborhood meeting, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, told residents the biggest change to their historic block party would allow attendees who are above the legal age to consume alcohol to carry open alcoholic beverages during the event.

Previously, party-goers who were caught with alcoholic beverages on public property received citations.

Verveer said the privilege comes with rules, as patrons are to be issued wristbands when purchasing alcohol from the event’s banquet tables.

Having attended every Mifflin Street Block Party since his freshman year in college, Verveer said the party would remain

true to its roots and avoid any hint of becoming a commercialized event.

“This will not be Freak Fest on State Street — there will not be a gated, ticketed admission,” Verveer said.

Majestic Live Inc. and Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. are sponsoring the event, different from previous years when the block party had no official sponsor.

While Majestic Live has been responsible for the planning process, Capitol Neighborhoods will serve as a somewhat silent sponsor that will handle the application to lift the open-bottle policy.

Verveer said having sponsors for the block party will allow police officers and public safety workers to have someone to work with to provide attendees with music, food and entertainment, rather than having an event based solely on drinking.

Majestic co-owner Scott Leslie addressed the meeting crowd, saying the Majestic’s expertise in live music would help create a more structured atmosphere the event has previously been missing.

“We didn’t have any

Lukas Keapproth The Badger Herald File Photo

Party-goers at last year’s Mifflin block party keep alcoholic beverages on private property. This weekend, the city will lift its open container policy for those of drinking age. interest in sponsoring a block party without having our main focus be live music,” Leslie said.

“We said if we’re going to do this, then we want to put live music back on the street and we want people to feel like they can watch music and not be concerned about getting a ticket for an open container.”

Capitol Neighborhoods member Scott Kolar said he did not expect the association’s executive council to allow the beer permit for the event but was proud to see strong support.

Kolar told residents the previous model for the block party had many issues going against it.

“Our goal is in the

next three years, try to have this event evolve into something positive because frankly, it’s a liability now,” he said.

“The city spends a lot of money providing support for police and fire and if we can get this going the way we want, it can become a real asset to the city.”

Also in attendance at the meeting were members of the city’s police and fire departments, who informed the residents on safety precautions and tips for this weekend.

Central District Police Commander Carl Gloede said partygoers should Megan McCormickThe Badger Herald

MIFFLIN, page 2

Majestic Live owner Scott Leslie addresses Mifflin neighborhood residents about details for this weekend’s annual block party at a public meeting Monday.

Senate Dems: Changes in reciprocity could hurt Wis. higher ed Four fiscal legislators send memo voicing concerns with altering Minnesota program Katherine Krueger Campus Editor Four Democrats on the state’s highest finance committee said they would oppose proposed changes to tuition reciprocity, a measure that could cause tuition spikes for Wisconsinites studying in Minnesota.

Members of the Joint Finance Committee sent a letter in objection to

the passive review of a proposal to eliminate the subsidies that compensate for the higher cost of tuition for Wisconsin students who attend school in Minnesota.

Under the proposed changes in the budget bill, reciprocal tuition would remain in place, but Wisconsin students studying in Minnesota would face tuition increases because they would be required to begin paying Minnesota in-state tuition, which is higher.

The Legislative Fiscal

Bureau reported the proposed elimination of these subsidies, which are paid out by the state to cover Wisconsin residents’ higher costs of education in Minnesota, would save taxpayers an estimated $12 million annually.

Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, sent a letter expressing opposition to the measure, which was also endorsed by Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, Rep. Tamara Grigsby, D-Milwaukee and Rep. Bob Jauch, D-Polar.

Kevin Benish,

spokesperson for Grigsby, said the proposal could cause a 36 percent increase in tuition, or around a $1,400 increase, for Wisconsin students currently using the reciprocity while studying in Minnesota.

Benish also characterized the provision as an attack on higher education for Wisconsin students.

“At a time when we’re trying to train the next generation, it’s counterintuitive to raise tuition,” he said.

“Education needs to be

the priority instead of attacking students.”

About 10,300 students currently utilize the program, a figure Benish said represents those who stand to lose access to higher education and jobs after graduation.

He added Grigsby and other committee members have said Gov. Scott Walker should be investing in higher education, particularly in the wake of $250 million cuts in higher education.

While critics say the proposed changes would

prove an injustice to students, representatives from the governor’s office contend the measure is an example of a tough decision made in order to preserve other in-state programs for students.

Cullen Werwie, spokesperson for Walker, said the plan would preserve the core quality of education in the state in the midst of a state budget deficit.

He said the policies

TUITION, page 5

Clerks worry recount deadline impossible

SOUNDS OF SUMMER

Government Accountability Board orders new tallies submitted

by May 9, may need to ask court for some individual extensions with the size of the task.

“Recounts are City Editor something that is a part of County clerks from life in elections, and it may across the state were not be based on our history instructed Monday to as statewide recounts are begin the recount process very rare, but they are a for the Supreme Court fact of life in towns and villages and cities,” election Wednesday Magney said. morning and “Clerks know these report results to things can happen the Wisconsin and we work very Government closely with clerks in Accountability preparing for these Board by May 9. things.”

During a Still, Magney said conference call between the GAB Kloppenburg the clerks were up against something and the state’s county clerks Monday morning, they have not seen before.

Dane County Clerk officials provided instructions for the process Karen Peters said GAB and fielded questions from officials directed the clerks to follow the exact same the clerks.

GAB spokesperson procedures in every county Reid Magney said county in the state, which she said clerks might be taken is a change because in the aback by the heftiness of past, clerks had a list of the recount, but the clerks items they must complete should be prepared for the and the state simply process and know such verified their completion practices are part of the with some actions able to job. He said some clerks be done ahead of time. might be concerned about the closeness of the May RECOUNT, page 5 9 deadline in comparison

Pam Selman

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

University of Wisconsin freshman Margaret Palmquist says she would rather play her accordian outside for others than write her 10-page Russian paper. © 2011 BADGER HERALD

Page 2, TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

Events today 8:30 p.m.

Badger Ballroom Dance Team Lessons Kanopy Dance Company 7 p.m.

Howl’s Moving Castle The Marquee Union South

Events tomorrow 3 p.m.

State Department Internship Program Humanities room 1101

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R’ Place makes case for license at ALRC Owner of south-side bar says MPD captain acting discriminatory in attempt to close down business Kelly Kaschner News Reporter The owner of a south-side Madison bar presented his case in front of a city committee, defending his liquor license against a complaint seeking to revoke the establishment’s liquor license following some violent and disorderly disruptions over the past few months.

The city’s Alcohol License Review Committee has held hearings regarding the revocation of the South Park Street bar R’ Place’s Class B Combination Alcohol Beverage License since October 2010, with instances of leave given for sickness and witness retrieval for the defendant.

“My only function is to move this case along to get it to the committee,” ALRC member David Hart said. “If that makes me the bad guy, that’s fine. We just need to start talking tonight.”

Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Zilavy issued a supplemental complaint April 1, adding four additional counts of Madison General Ordinance violations to the original complaint.

The original complaint illustrated instances of firearm and knife possession, shootings,

domestic battery and various altercations and disturbances.

R’ Place owner Rick Flowers’ attorney Anthony Delyea argued against Madison Police Department Captain Joe Balles’ testimony that he was closing down Flowers because R’ Place is too dangerous.

Extensive comparisons to Wiggie’s bar were made throughout to illustrate instances of possible bias, arguing similar instances occurred at both locations, but only R’ Place was being targeted for revocation.

“Three of the violent events at Wiggie’s occurred after the city moved against R’ Place,” Delyea said. “Oddly enough, they are quite similar to the incidents at R’ Place.”

Delyea presented a short video clip from an R’ Place security camera as evidence to contradict police claims that the resources to help R’ Place were unavailable.

The clip depicted a police car near R’ Place during a violent incident that occurred March 13.

“They have resources sitting across the street, but when [R’ Place] asks for help, they won’t help us,” Delyea said.

Flowers’ wife Annie Weatherby-Flowers was called forth as a key

Jacob Schwoerer The Badger Herald

R’ Place owner Rick Flowers argues in front of the city’s Alcohol License Review Committee at a special hearing Monday. witness.

Weatherby-Flowers said the average age of R’ Place patrons is between 35 and 40 years old, with regular events such as fundraisers and baby showers.

Weatherby-Flowers said the bar has also undergone proactive changes to increase safety for patrons. Such changes allegedly include metal detectors, an enforced dress code, security cameras and additional security officers.

Still, she said the bar has earned a reputation as a place where “thugs” hang out.

Balles he had urged Flowers and his wife early on to change the business model, with options such as including a kitchen in order to serve food along with liquor, forming a private club and closing earlier in the night. Balles said these changes could help to diminish crime in the area.

“I was looking for some

cooperation,” he said. “We had a serious situation on our hands.”

Because of late hours and a lack of preparation on behalf of Flowers and his attorney, Hart adjourned the committee prematurely.

He requested Delyea provide the city with a written witness list within 24 hours of the meeting.

The committee will continue the revocation hearing May 23 at 5:30 p.m.

CRIME in Brief UNIVERSITY AVENUE

Battery Police were dispatched to Segredo early Sunday morning to mediate a fight.

According to a Madison Police Department report, the fight began because a 32-year-old Madison man was hit in the face with a beer bottle.

One suspect was detained, but witnesses could not identify him as the person who threw the beer bottle.

Police did arrest Madison resident Tou Thor, 23, who a woman identified as the man who punched her in the nose during the fight.

Thor was cited and taken into custody for misdemeanor battery.

“It’s not that unusual for a large group of people to be at an establishment and get into a large incident,” MPD Lt.

Marylou Ricksecker said.

SOUTH WHITNEY WAY Arrested Person Employees at a Madison Walgreens last week confronted a group of three to four men who could have potentially created a problem, according to an MPD report.

While in the store’s restroom, 17-yearold Devin Jami Long suggested to the others that they urinate on the floor. Long then started threatening the employee who confronted him.

Long and the group were stopped by police a short distance away.

Police determined Long had consumed alcohol, although he denied making any threats.

According to the MPD report, Long was taken into custody.

Ricksecker said a 17-year-old drunk at 5

p.m. is not common, but it is not unusual.

PACKERS AVENUE Weapons Violation The After 38-yearold bar patron Shane Maynard mouthed off to other guests and started shoving matches Sunday, he was asked to leave and “departed an angry man,” according to a police report.

Maynard left with a female who later told police that while driving, he threatened her and other people with a knife that had a 14-inch blade and an eight-inch handle.

He drove back to the bar and rammed his car into a bar door.

He then drove away erratically and ran into an embankment. Officers tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him.

“We see [such weapons] on occasion, but we don’t

see people taking them out in public very often,” Ricksecker said about the knife.

MILWAUKEE STREET Theft Police arrested a shoplifter Sunday afternoon who stole one bottle of brandy and one bottle of whiskey from Woodman’s Food Market on Madison’s east side, according to a police report.

The suspect, Porforio Hensen, 47, of Madison, was approached by a 54-year-old Woodman’s employee who tried to prevent him from exiting the store. Hensen pulled out a knife, causing her to draw back into the store.

Shortly thereafter, Hensen ran into a nearby marsh with police in pursuit. He lost the foot chase, but officers were unable to find a knife on

Hensen.

Ricksecker said the police department would rather people be good witnesses than try to alleviate a shoplifting situation themselves.

OLD

SAUK

COURT

Fraud Madison police fielded a report from a 71-yearold Madison woman about a fraudulent phone caller Friday, according to a police report.

The caller called the victim and claimed to be her grandson, to which she replied she did not have a grandson. The report said the victim told the caller not to try her phone number again and was very assertive.

The male caller allegedly told her he was trying to scam her, which she felt justified reporting the incident to the police.

Study shows global warming could impact economy Initiatives toward clean, alternative energy in Wisconsin may generate dollars while counter-acting potential damages to environment Ashley Toy City Reporter While the results of climate change might not be noticeable in the short run, a recent report is attempting to show how climate change could potentially have negative effects on the economies of every state in America.

The American Security Project, a non-profit, bipartisan research organization focusing on national security issues, published reports for each state detailing specific effects of climate change on local economies. Its report for Wisconsin focused on consequences for the forestry, agriculture and tourism industries.

Any potential damages could reduce Wisconsin’s $18 billion forestry industry and $9 billion in agricultural commodities.

The report estimates a $6.2 billion decrease in Wisconsin’s gross domestic product and a loss of 39,000 jobs by 2050 unless efforts are taken to mitigate the effects of climate change.

According to the report, temperatures in Wisconsin are projected to rise around 6 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit in winter and 8 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit in summer. This temperature rise could increase winter precipitation by about 15 to 30 percent and decrease summer precipitation by about 20 percent.

These shifts in precipitation, combined with possible increases in severe weather conditions such as rainstorms and floods, could result in a recession of northern forests, crop failure and damage to Wisconsin’s ecosystems, the report said.

But an investment in

clean energy could fight against the current of any potential damages of climate change. The report said an investment in clean energy could lead to $2.8 billion in investment revenue and create 35,000 jobs.

Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, said he is currently working on legislation with Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, to promote clean energy and create jobs.

The Jobs Energy and Tax Savings Act would increase the investment in state facilities’ energy efficiency over the next biennium by $200 million.

Hulsey said the bill would create 2,000 jobs and reduce environmental impact.

“Climate change is probably the most preeminent environmental

issue of our time,” Hulsey said.

University of Wisconsin botany professor Don Waller said climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, including tornadoes in Wisconsin.

Waller added climate change has an effect on Wisconsin forests, including limited varieties and spread of species because of changes in weather, as well as an increase in the deer population caused by milder winters.

In addition to foresting concerns, Waller said sustainable energy is another important factor in slowing the economic burden of climate change on the state.

“We’re in a shifting economic climate,” Waller said. “That is to say, it’s not just the weather that’s changing, it’s the economic

weather too.”

Waller said the oil industry is realizing the need to shift away from fossil fuel dependence, and Americans are slow to embrace the change.

Environmental advocacy group Clean Wisconsin spokesperson Katy Walter said it is important for Wisconsin to shift away from nonrenewable energy sources because of the state’s lack of fossil fuels.

Walter said fossil fuels such as oil and coal are nonexistent in Wisconsin, forcing the state to import $18 billion worth of fuels each year.

“This money, if we invest it into clean energy, that’s all the more money invested in our economy here in Wisconsin,” Walter said. “There’s a lot of potential here in Wisconsin, but currently we’re not really utilizing it.”

MIFFLIN, from 1

maintain mutual respect with police officers.

Gloede, who will attend his 22nd block party this weekend, said he wants a safe weekend from partygoers so the

event can be embraced by the community as a whole.

Attendees can have open beer from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Gloede said. tainer.

avoid out-of-control house parties, put out open flames, control the access of alcohol at parties and most importantly,

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

THE BADGER HERALD, page 3

Page 4, TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

THE BADGER HERALD

NEWS

Leg Affairs: BASICS good option for UW Reps say alternative alcohol education program would provide students wtih better opportunity than current standing citations Katherine Krueger Campus Editor Members of the student government are ironing out the details of a plan that would give students with minor alcohol policy violations a chance to opt for a $50 class instead of a drinking ticket.

Chair Sam Polstein said the program would provide a new approach to responsible alcohol policy enforcement that could provide a constructive middle ground for students caught by University of Wisconsin Police Department officers in policy violations.

Polstein said the proposed diversion initiative, the nationally recognized Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students program, would provide students who have minor violations with an alternative to costly tickets.

He cited a typical scenario of UWPD officers called by UW Housing personnel to intervene after a complaint as a possible application for the program, in which officers could use discretion to assign a student to BASICS instead of issuing an underage citation.

The proposal

gained support from law enforcement representatives and members of UW administration in a recent meeting of the Chancellor’s Alcohol Policy Group.

“We want to make sure it’s not just another thing students have to go through and is actually a different approach to alcohol policy on campus,” Polstein said in an interview with The Badger Herald.

He said after UW students are referred to the BASICS program, they would have eight weeks to enroll through the Dean of Students’ office. He said the matter would go to the legal system if a student failed to sign up for the program in that time.

By facing a fee of $50 for two Saturday sessions each lasting an hour and a half, Polstein said students have been supportive of the initiative to provide students with necessary information about how to respond to violations instead of simply writing hefty tickets for drinking violations of varying severity.

The program would likely be formally approved during the summer, he said, with implementation beginning at the onset of the fall semester.

Kaylie Duffy The Badger Herald

Chair Sam Polstein says BASICS would save students costly fines and allow Housing officials to give varying levels of punishment.

Polstein also said preemptive concerns were raised at the most recent Alcohol Policy Group about potential problems that could arise from the lack of no set boundaries for where alcohol can be consumed in Union South.

While no issues have yet been reported, he said there are possible liability and underage drinking issues that could emerge in

the new facility.

Tom Templeton, Associated Students of Madison chief of staff, said while consumption was more confined to specific areas such as the Rathskeller in Memorial Union, personnel could implement new alcohol policies considered by the group before any actual issues with current policy had been cited.

He also said the group should enlist greater student representatives in order to weigh the effectiveness of the policies in place.

Members of the committee also said a major issue to be considered in the next semester will be the implications of City Council redistricting efforts currently underway.

Committee member

Sam Seering said efforts to consolidate districts to create a seat to represent students was one plan up for evaluation.

Polstein said students currently have four alders that represent students, and having a district composed of mainly students provides a significant voice to the campus community that is absent at other universities.

‘Vicious’ dogs may be taken away from ex-felons under legislation Supporters say violent animals should be considered same as any weapon for new parolees Sean Kirkby State Reporter A Wisconsin lawmaker is circulating a bill among legislators that would prohibit people convicted of drug-related or violent felonies from owning a dog deemed vicious by police officers.

According to the bill authored by Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, officers would determine the viciousness of a dog based on whether that dog has attacked a person without justification, caused injury to a cat or another dog, or behaved in a threatening manner.

Under the law, felons caught with a vicious dog could serve up to nine months in prison and receive a fine of up to $10,000.

However, the felon

could face a six-year sentence if they knowingly let the dog loose and the dog attacked another person.

The bill would also prohibit felons from owning vicious dogs until ten years after incarceration, unless they need the dog to earn a living.

The bill before the Senate came as part of the work of Hansen’s constituent Sharon Hensen, the animal control officer for the Green Bay Police Department, who sent copies of a similar law to state lawmakers.

The City of Green Bay passed a law similar to the one currently being circulated, and police have already confiscated more than 20 dogs, Hensen said.

“Felons are not allowed to own guns, and they should not be able to own any dangerous weapon,” Hensen said.

She added the problem

is not unique to Green Bay, but is statewide and therefore requires statewide legislation.

However, Executive Director of the American Dog Owners Association Maureen Hauch disagreed with aspects of the legislation.

“I do not see a problem with allowing felons who have already paid their debt to society living with dogs,” Hauch said.

Hauch also pointed out difficulties in enforcing the legislation, such as how an officer would decide whether the actions of a dog posed a significant threat of physical injury.

Still, lawmakers in Minnesota and other states have already passed similar legislation, Hensen said.

“This bill is going nationwide,” Hensen said. “[It] takes the next step to not only protect police officers, but also the general public.”

NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011 TUITION, from 1 put in place by previous administrations indirectly encouraged students to go out of state by allowing Wisconsin students to attend Minnesota institutions at a lower cost.

“Walker chose to retain state financial aid by changing some programs we didn’t think made sense,” Werwie said. “It’s fair to ask students to pay what similar students in that state are paying [in tuition].”

He added a tough economic climate throughout the state forced

the administration to prioritize funding in other areas, including use of tax dollars to encourage and preserve need-based aid programs available for students.

Although one of Walker’s aims is to make higher education affordable for all students, Werwie said it is reasonable to pay a little more in tuition to preserve aid programs for students studying in Wisconsin.

Following the Democrats’ rejection of the review, Benish said the Republicans will bring provisions before the committee during their next meeting.

RECOUNT, from 1 Peters said clerks from around Wisconsin are overwhelmed by the process and are uncertain of the proposed timeline from the GAB. “Right at the moment, we’re just kind of overwhelmed — there’s no other way to put this, it’s such a huge undertaking,” Peters said. “I will guarantee you there will be people who will not be done by May 9 because it’s not humanly possible to have it done by then.”

If the results for individual counties are

not completed by May 9, Magney said the GAB will request a judge grant permission for an extended deadline for specific counties.

The clerks have been given 13 days to essentially recount and recreate the April 5 election for the 158 reporting units, Peters said. She said clerks will be responsible for reporting back their progress on a nightly basis.

Peters said because of the potential for high public interest, onlookers in Dane County might be restricted based on available space.

THE BADGER HERALD, page 5

Editorial Page Editors:

ALLEGRA DIMPERIO & KYLE MIANULLI, OPED@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 143

page 6

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

Opinion THE BADGER HERALD

BAD GER v.t. 1. to annoy persistently through panoply of efforts HER ALD v.t. 1. to introduce, or give tidings of, as by a herald 2. to proclaim; to announce; to foretell; to usher

Wisconsin Republicans target Majestic makes Mifflin voter fraud within universities LETTER TO THE EDITOR

We couldn’t be happier to have To the editors and students of Capitol Neighborhoods as our the University of Wisconsin: partner in this year’s event. If it At the end of February, we were were not for them, we would not summoned to a meeting at City be able to sell beer at all. We know Hall where the 2011 Mifflin Street they are tremendously excited to Block Party was discussed. At be a part of Mifflin Street as well. the meeting, it became evident We’ve read a lot of the city’s enthusiasm for the misinformation being spread, Mifflin Street Block Party was particularly in the comments beginning to wane. Ald. Mike sections of both student Verveer, District 4, who always newspapers. This is not a has the students’ interests in the conspiracy; it’s a block party. front of his mind, brought us to This is not and will never become that meeting to ask us to consider Freak Fest. It is Mifflin Street. sponsoring Mifflin Street. If we As long as the Majestic is didn’t sponsor the event, no one involved with Mifflin Street, it else would. will never be gated or ticketed.

What we’ve learned since is the If we can’t make the finances amount of planning that goes on work with the selling of beer for this event at City Hall is the and food vending permits, we’ll equivalent of the city endorsing simply stop being it. From street involved. closures to trash The Majestic removal, from and Capitol street barricades to We are not trying to Neighborhoods security and safety. ruin Mifflin or overwill not enforce The planning that goes into commercialize it. We’re what can and cannot be hosting this event trying to provide the consumed on the is epic. Almost every city agency structure the city needs street. If anyone else does, they seemingly has a to allow the party the are not affiliated role to play in this students want. with the Majestic event, including or Capitol police, the fire Neighborhoods. department, The beer we are selling is streets, parks, city attorney, etc. what has allowed us to become So we began to look at how involved. We are hoping all we could do this. Ticketing the students decide they like stages event was never considered. We and music, port-a-potties, food stated if we were going to become and the freedom to be on the involved, we needed to allow street with a beer, and decide to open containers on the street and support us. It costs thousands of sell beer. Not only would this dollars to put this event on. We make Mifflin a better party, but hope we cover our costs so we can through the sale of beer we are continue to be a part of it, which hoping to cover our costs and hopefully means the party is yes, hopefully make a little bit of better for everyone. money too — we are a business, To repeat and reiterate: We after all. are not trying to ruin Mifflin or As we are a business that is over-commercialize it. We’re widely supported by UW, our trying to provide the structure the involvement had to be looked city needs to allow the party the at as a positive by all of you. We students want. think when all is said and done, it will be. Because we aren’t taking Best, anything away from Mifflin — we are simply adding to it.

Scott Leslie and Matt Gerding We all have Capitol Neighborhoods to thank for that.

Owners of Majestic Theatre / They volunteered to take out Majestic Live the beer license for the street.

Robert Lange Guest Columnist The Wisconsin State Legislature is considering a new proposal that would increase the difficulty of college students to register to vote, by requiring them to present identification with an up-to-date address on it. The plan, which according to Republicans would curb voter fraud, has been raising eyebrows of young people all across the state.

By voiding student IDs and other proofs of residence as a legitimate source of identification, the potential law would require constituents to obtain IDs through the local DMV. Not only would this law be costly for students, but it would need to be a yearly commitment.

Students are a mobile group, as they continuously look for more reliable and economic places of living, a change on their ID cards would need to accompany the already-burdensome process of moving. A reliable Democratic vote, the student voting bloc would be reduced to those willing to change their ID cards repeatedly.

Due to high amounts of student traffic within college towns, not allowing student IDs as an acceptable form of identification would substantially affect students’ voting rights.

One of many state campuses, the University of Wisconsin alone has a yearly in-and-outflow that fluxes by the thousands.

High school applicants, transfer students and out-of-state students all make up such a list. The hundreds of out-of-state

students, many of whom may already be legally able to drive, would need to join their fellow in-state students and pay $28 to acquire another ID, just for the sole purpose of voting.

Quite literally, tens of thousands of students all across the state would be denied their Constitutional right to vote because their student IDs would be rejected as an acceptable form of identification, worth nothing more than a piece of plastic.

Due to high amounts of student traffic within college towns, not allowing student IDs as an acceptable form of identification would substantially affect students’ voting rights.

A cumbersome process, it is curious that state Republicans are not including student IDs on the list of acceptable documents. One suggestion could be they are targeting state universities because that is where much voting fraud occurs.

With hardly any confidence in Wisconsin’s educational institutions, state Republicans supposedly believe Voter ID is necessary because it would stop any person not enrolled in college from going to their local university and obtaining a forfeit student ID. It only adds insult to injury that they too have inhibited educational funding.

As the saying goes, it

is “one man, one vote.”

Because the chances of a single person swinging an election are slim-tonone, a person would need to repeat the process of obtaining different student IDs many times in order to turn the tide of an election.

Figuratively speaking, with reference to the recent spring elections, “Oliver Closeoff” would have needed to collect 7,313 different IDs in order to turn the election results in favor of David Prosser, a feat that would normally be better reserved for other forms of voter fraud.

The most logical and even commonsense argument for not including student IDs as an acceptable form of ID is preventing students from voting would enable state Republicans to keep their seats. The student population tends to vote Democratic, and by requiring a mobile body to continuously change their IDs, it would make it a more arduous process for first-time voters to cast their ballots.

As Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, may eloquently put it, “If we win this battle, certainly what you’re going to find is that President Obama will have a much more difficult time winning the state of Wisconsin.” Now if only politicians were that honest all the time, it would make our voting procedures that much easier.

Robert Lange (robert.a.lange.iii@gmail. com) is the media director for the Young Progressives, and is a senior at UW majoring in political science, computer design and Spanish.

Recalls, recounts only pregame to main event

John Waters Columnist Count, challenge, vet, count, challenge, vet, count… Across the state, in gymnasiums and courtrooms, the process is the same. The battles are different, with the gym crowd recounting by hand the votes cast in the recent Supreme Court election under the careful eyes of journalists, police officers and groups of observers from each campaign. In the courts, lawyers have taken up the fight that started between protesters and our beloved Gov. Scott Walker and then spilled over into a historymaking grassroots effort to recall the senators who fled the state, and also those who stayed and approved the measures.

Should be a fun next couple of months — a recall election every week, updates on the Prosser vs. Kloppenburg race and all that good stuff.

But seriously, I’m already looking forward to the main event. In a recent poll jointly undertaken

by Wisconsin Public Radio and St. Norbert College, pollsters found a majority of Wisconsinites are opposed to the recall of state senators. 57 percent oppose recalling Democrats and 53

percent oppose recalling Republicans — perhaps even more telling is only 33 and 35 percent respectively support these efforts. With the efforts to gather recall signatures going historically well, these contradictory numbers show a more accurate depiction of the state’s feelings about the senators. Namely, that they are not the root cause, or necessarily deserving of the blame, but there is a need to fix what has happened by all available means.

In the same vein, the highly politicized race between two “non-partisan” judicial candidates has now resulted in a statewide recall effort as the Democrats continue to hope for an alternative to the official results of that election. Again, however, the problem that created such huge turnouts in that election certainly wasn’t Justice David Prosser, and those who voted against him certainly couldn’t give you an in-depth view of the case history of JoAnne Kloppenburg. People had such a lack of knowledge about Kloppenburg that individuals were able to run a pro-Prosser advertisement focused around an out-of-context two-second sound bite: “I never said I was tough on crime.”

A prosecutor was accused of being soft on criminals and it ended up being an effective-enough advertisement because

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

As the Supreme Court recount gets under way and Senate recalls continue to be filed, activists’ eyes stay fixed on a challenging Walker recall. it was only designed to give people pause before voting on a relative unknown to take a stand on an issue. So even hand-sorting through every vote in this election won’t change anything, because that certainly wasn’t the root cause.

No, the root cause is always going to come back to our once-rising GOP star, Walker. Poll numbers show Walker losing a do-over election with Mayor Barrett, with Walker only getting 45 percent of the vote, and a dead heat in a hypothetical election with progressive favorite Russ Feingold. The more

interesting of the two is the data pointing towards the idea that nearly 10 percent of people who elected Walker in the first place wish they had decided otherwise. That’s a pretty blatant rejection of the idea that Walker ran a campaign on cutting out unions and defunding education. And maybe the poll is completely wrong — it did have a 5 percent error rate — and maybe the majority of people are satisfied, but I would like to find out.

In the end, all the counting and challenging and vetting and senatorial recall electing we are going to do over the next

few months is great.

It’s an awesome show of civic activism and an entertaining political backdrop for those hot summer months. But in the end, the verdict on how the state views the events surrounding the budget repair bill and the budget bill itself won’t be settled with anything short of a Walker recall election. Every other race or recount may have been triggered by those events, but they will all ultimately contain extra elements that will necessarily change them.

None of the results will end the division in this state, until we get back to

the root of that division.

These are all just April baseball games; sure, we’ve missed the competition and it’s important to see who looks good early, but it’s not the World Series. That’s what this state is waiting for, some patiently, some exceptionally actively, to know once and for all whether the people of this state approve of the disillusion of union rights and the overall direction of Wisconsin in 2011 or not. I know I do.

John Waters (jkwaters@ wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in journalism.

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Comics

COUNTDOWN TO EXAMS NOAH YUENKEL, COMICS@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 161

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TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

HERALD COMICS

WHAT IS THIS

SUDOKU

PRESENTS

S

U

D

O

K

THE BADGER HERALD

U WHITE BREAD & TOAST

toast@badgerherald.com

MIKE BERG

NONSENSE? Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

What? You still don’t get it? Come, on, really? It’s not calculus or anything. Honestly, if you don’t know how to do a sudoku by now, you’ve probably got more issues than this newspaper.

TWENTY POUND BABY

DIFFICULTY RATING: Two exams, Mon/Fri split

HERALD COMICS

PRESENTS

K

A

K

U

R

O

baby@badgerherald.com

STEPHEN TYLER CONRAD

YOURMOMETER

LAURA “HOBBES” LEGAULT

C’EST LA MORT

PARAGON

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HOW DO I

KAKURO?

I know, I know. Kakuro.

Looks crazy, right?

This ain’t no time to panic, friend, so keep it cool and I’ll walk you through. Here’s the low down: each clue tells you what the sum of the numbers to the right or down must add up to.

Repeating numbers?

Not in this part of town.

And that’s that, slick.

paragon@badgerherald.com

The Kakuro Unique Sum Chart Cells Clue 2 3 2 4 2 16 2 17

DIFFICULTY RATING: Fives exams, six papers, three days

TOTAL PANIC MATH CHAOS

Possibilities { 1, 2 } { 1, 3 } { 7, 9 } { 8, 9 }

3 3 3 3

6 7 23 24

{ 1, 2, 3 } { 1, 2, 4 } { 6, 8, 9 } { 7, 8, 9 }

4 4 4 4

10 11 29 30

{ 1, 2, 3, 4 } { 1, 2, 3, 5 } { 5, 7, 8, 9 } { 6, 7, 8, 9 }

5 5 5 5

15 16 34 35

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 } { 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

6 6 6 6

21 22 38 39

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 } { 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

7 7 7 7

28 29 41 42

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 } { 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 } { 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

comics@badgerherald.com

ASPIRE

HERALD COMICS 1

2

3

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RYAN PAGELOW

PRESENTS

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CLASSIC BUNI

madcaps@badgerherald.com

MOLLY MALONEY

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48

33

random@badgerherald.com

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34

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49 53

ERICA LOPPNOW

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RANDOM DOODLES

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pascle@badgerherald.com

8

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Puzzle by Albert R. Picallo

PRIMAL URGES

CLASSIC MCM

ANDREW MEGOW

DENIS HART

THE SKY PIRATES

COLLIN LA FLEUR

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mcm@badgerherald.com

skypirate@badgerherald.com

Across 1 ID card feature 6 Suffix with human or planet 9 Colorado skiing mecca 14 Some bar wedges 15 Codecracking org.

16 Ripped off 17 Bothered no end 18 Dining area 20 Soft ball brand 21 Result of collapsed arches 22 Outer: Prefix 23 Former Common Market inits.

24 Annie of the comics, e.g.

27 Greg’s sitcom mate 29 O.R. workers 30 E’s value, in Scrabble 31 Period following homework completion,

perhaps 34 Picnic dish 35 Unexpected development … or what the answer to each italicized clue contains?

38 Something a yodeler may hear 40 Considered good by Moody’s 41 Big lug 42 Jazz trombonist Kid ___ 44 Tribal emblems 48 Dee Dee, Tommy, Joey or Johnny of punk 50 Nipper’s co.

52 Former N.B.A. star Nick Van ___ 53 Nevertheless 55 Artist’s “Done!”

56 Didn’t disturb 58 Dish

59 60 61

62

63 64

prepared with tongs Sign of spring Fish-fowl link Caroline Kennedy, to Ted Shortsheeting or T.P.’ing Printer’s supply “And that’s an ___!”

Down 1 Made smooth 2 Containing state-of-theart gadgetry 3 Code of silence for 35-Down 4 Song from “No, No, Nanette” 5 Sunrise direction, in Berlin 6 Jacques Tati’s “Mon ___” 7 English theologian Watts

Get today’s puzzle solutions at badgerherald.com

8 Off one’s rocker 9 Fall bloomers 10 Sharply inclined 11 Window with an ocean view 12 QB Manning 13 Museumfunding org.

19 Get an ___ effort 21 Daredevils’ doings 25 Santa ___

CROSSWORD winds 26 Just out 28 1,006, in old Rome 29 Nimblefingered 32 Modest response to praise 33 Emu’s extinct cousin 34 “It Might as Well Be Spring” musical 35 Tony Soprano’s group 36 Kind of position 37 Hubbub 38 Makeshift pencil holder 39 E-file preparer 42 Focused, at work 43 Fiddler’s tune 45 Banished to Siberia, say 46 Threat 47 Small burger 49 Quite a lot 50 Yakked away 51 Bob Cratchit, for one 54 Rice-A-___ 56 Swimmer’s workout unit 57 Blow it 58 ___-Cat

Rocky the Herald Comics Raccoon™

Baseball season is underway.

At long last, a cure for my insomnia.

ArtsEtc. Editor:

ANN RIVALL, ARTS@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 141 TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

page 8

ArtsEtc. THE BADGER HERALD

Attitude behind ‘Awl’ frees journalists from constraints Freelancer Abe Sauer has The New York Times buzzing about his new-age reporting Lin Weeks

ArtsEtc. Reporter Abe Sauer sees a disconnect between the press and the people, and it’s shaped like an immaculately-groomed, silver-haired TV icon.

Journalists today, he says, “are more of the upper middle class than they are of anything else,” and it’s causing large swaths of the country not to listen to them.

The mainstream media might not understand how sites featuring citizen reporting gain traction with the public, but, Sauer argued, “Somebody like Anderson Cooper doesn’t have a damn thing in common with most of the people he reports on. When he goes into a disaster zone and stands there in his slicker, and he holds his microphone and he emotes about how horrible this all is, everyone knows that he goes back to a Fifth Avenue condo at the end of the day.”

It’s a concern Sauer voiced repeatedly, but

it’s not just an empty complaint from the prodigiously bearded freelancer. For him, it’s a statement of purpose.

When the protests on Capitol Square began, Sauer was there, on the scene for The New Yorkbased blog The Awl.The two-year-old site, which has a national following and has garnered a writeup in The New York Times, states part of its mission is to serve “an audience of intelligent readers who are poorly served by being delivered those same stories in numbing repetition to the detriment of their reading diet.”

So Sauer knew Awl editors Alex Balk and Choire Sicha would prefer unique angles to rote write-ups of setting and circumstance. As such, Sauer committed to going where he felt other journalists weren’t, whether that meant Sauk County for a smaller, local protest or into a building on Doty Street to visit the regional lobbying office for Koch Industries.

A huge part of Sauer ’s reporting, he said, was “Spending time with the actual people who

were protesting. Even spending time with, you know, the people who were protesting against them.”

Sauer ’s style is informed by his colorful background.

After pursuing an education in Chinese at the University of Wisconsin, Sauer took his half-completed degree from UW to Beijing in 1994 and stayed far longer than he’d originally planned.

“I was over there for one year and didn’t feel like I had learned enough.

So I enrolled myself in Beijing University proper, dropped out of the UW, and just started going to school in China,” he said.

He stayed in China “about six and a half years,” then moved back to the U.S. and “bounced around at different jobs in New York.”

Gradually, by working connections and relentlessly pitching magazines and blogs, Sauer became a full-time freelance writer. His contributions to The Awl began after he moved to North Dakota.

“I wrote a thing for them about midget wrestling in a North Dakota bar, and they

G. Love, Special Sauce hit Madison Philadelphia-based artist to fight April showers with rainy day blues at Majestic Abigail Smith

ArtsEtc. Reporter “Music is like food. …

You gotta let it marinate.”

For G. Love & Special Photo courtesy of Brushfire Records Sauce, condiments are the key to making good For over a decade, Garrett Dutton, known by his stage name G. Love, music. Taking a solid has been a popular sight on the stages of music festivals nationwide. foundation and tossing in some flavorful additions thing, I was white. And make you laugh out produces a delicious and you didn’t think you loud, and songs that harmonious result for this could do it on a guitar, make you cry.”

Fixin’ to Die evokes because no one was hip-hop blues band.

Frontman of the group, really doing that. But this range of emotion, Garrett Dutton — better then I put two and two along with its fair share known by his nickname together. … I was doing of hand-clapping and “G. Love” — has been it because that was just plain fun. The record’s title track is making music and picking where my heart was at.”

Most likely the first lively enough to get guitar strings for as long as he can remember. On musician to layer an even the toughest critic’s G. Love & Special Sauce’s Eric B. & Rakim rap over toes tapping. It can’t be most recent release, Fixin’ the blues, G. Love had denied that wherever to Die, this musician produced an undeniably there’s G. Love, there’s returns to his Philadelphia original sound. Despite a smile on someone’s roots, concocting an initial skepticism about face. This good-humored album that encourages how successful this performer is quick to kicking your feet up undertaking might be, acknowledge the irony on a porch with a cold he gave it a shot and of a young kid from never looked back. With Philly taking on classic beverage.

“Honestly, this is like an exploding fan base blues tunes.

“Back in the day, you a second chance at a first and several international tours under were just learning off record,” his belt, this the record,” G. Love said G. Love said. “You really had to musician in a recent ‘Back in the day you lives for the try and figure out what interview road, and those [blues] musicians with The were just learning writes for his were doing. You had Badger off the record...you audience. to try and make your Herald.

“The songs 20-year-old white voice “Almost 20 had to try and make people react sound like a 60-year-old years later, your 20-year-old to are the black man.”

I can finally white voice sound Although G. Love songs that come back remains just shy of everyone and make like a 60-year-old might not achieving this goal, he this. … black man.’

Now I’m G. Love agree on,” G. has carved out his own said. place in history as a seasoned R&B musician Love “You might genre-blending musical enough as a really put a pioneer. He’s blazed a performer, and I can do it well, and lot of work into a song trail through rap music, that you feel might save and has encouraged a do it authentically.”

Authenticity has never the world. But then you revival of the blues in music been a point of debate might spit out some contemporary for this genuine talent. funny shit about the that’s been mirrored in Given his origins as a everyday kind of quirky artists across the country.

Delta blues player, the stuff. You need both His work with friend idea of combining those kinds of songs to make it and folk musician Jack Johnson has brought tunes with hip-hop music happen.”

Inspired by his fans hip-hop flair to genres was a pleasant surprise, even to G. Love himself. — as well as the likes of outside of the blues, and But for this musician, Bob Dylan, The Beatles he’s not pumping the the familiar strains of the and Lou Reed — G. breaks just yet.

“For any musician oldest blues tunes created Love has discovered his a baseline beat, begging to musical recipe involves coming up,” G. Love equal parts said, “if you can do one be scattered with hip-hop mixing humor and earnestness, thing, just be original. … lyrics.

“The hip-hop was in addition to a hearty You should always keep a personality and sense always a part of growing serving of originality.

“If you listen to a Bob of humor in your tunes. up in Philadelphia,” G. Love said. “[It] wasn’t Dylan record,” G. Love If you show a sense of something that I thought I said, “every single one humor, then that’s you. could do, because for one of them has songs that You’re real.”

Photo courtesy of Abe Sauer

Abe Sauer works each day to bridge the gap between citizens and journalists, through his blog ‘The Awl.’ liked it,” Sauer said.

He and his family now live in a small town in Wisconsin.

Sauer also contributes to a variety of other sources, including Esquire and Brandchannel, an advertising trade publication. According to Sauer, the disparities between those outlets are easily accommodated by applying the same investigative rigor to every assignment, be it an examination of product placement in movies or his recent search for a serviceable used car costing less than the average Wisconsin tax return.

That tenacity can rub some the wrong way, especially when it’s focused on an individual rather than an event.

In one article for The Awl, Sauer questioned

how Laurence Meade — husband of popular blogger and UW Law professor Ann Althouse — gained access to an address by Gov. Scott Walker. Piqued by Sauer’s angle, Althouse blogged the reporting was “utter conspiracy bullshit.” Her husband appeared in the comments section of The Awl piece to call Sauer “extremely dishonest and manipulative.”

Sauer seemed amused by the exchange. Of Althouse, he opined, “She doesn’t believe a lot of what she writes.

I think she really, really likes pissing people off and being an instigator and just a kind of sand in everyone’s swimsuit, and that is very fun for her.”

Althouse and Meade declined to comment for this article.

Even in today’s

media landscape, the dispute is hardly on the level of Sulzberger and Murdoch’s recent oblique swipes. Still, the intensity of the exchange seemed grounded in the relevance of both blogs to shaping popular perception of the protests.

For his part, Sauer said his reporting for The Awl was generally wellreceived, both by national and local readers. And he believes his stubbornness is part of his pull. As he told me in an email, “My bread and butter is upsetting people.”

Mission accomplished, at least on that front.

With his potent mix of narrative and reporting rolled into one, it’s clear Sauer has come through with at least one plank in the rickety populist bridge spanning journalism’s new divide.

‘Gulliver’s Travels,’ ‘King’s Speech’ unique quagmires for film critics Lin Weeks

Double Feature In his 2009 book “Eating the Dinosaur,” cultural commentator Chuck Klosterman makes the following claim as an apologetic segue into a rant about sitcom laugh tracks: “There’s one kind of writing that’s always easy: picking out something obviously stupid and reiterating how stupid it obviously is. This is the lowest form of criticism, easily accomplished by anyone.”

It’s an interesting point.

But I would counter that at the time that sentence was written, the abomination that is the latest film adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s classic story had not yet been shot. It had not yet been released to the public on thousands of screens nationwide. And it had not yet committed a $42 million robbery of American families hopeful for an hour or two of stimulating — or even moderately entertaining — fantasy fare.

I can think of plenty of words to describe “Gulliver’s Travels,” but one that sticks out is “exploitative.” It’s not just that it’s a terrible kidfriendly movie. That sort of project happens all the time. But Swift’s book is a satire written in the 18th century that’s still read today.

The movie borrows a name parents could reasonably expect to associate with something well-written and layered, or at least thoughtprovoking and coherent.

But no. Instead, they got a washed-up Jack Black (“Year One”) as the titular Lemuel Gulliver, dancing around in cargo shorts, breaking things and shouting a bunch for no real reason.

Gulliver, as useless in his fictional mailroom job as Black has become in his real-life acting career, cheats and lies his way into an opportunity to travel to check out the Bermuda Triangle. He ends up on the Island of Lilliput, where the natives are earnest, big-hearted, fairy-sized humans who,

for some reason, are essentially stuck in the British Colonial era.

Actually, the reason is no mystery. It’s lazy screenwriting and unnecessary deviation from source material.

Anyway, by taking advantage of his size and knowledge of the modern-day world, Gulliver ascends to hero status with the help of his diminutive friend Horatio (Jason Segel, “Despicable Me”). However, he must then face the clichéd responsibility that comes with his unearned power.

It’s truly awful stuff — not just poorly made and lazy, but boring, too.

It’s the kind of movie for which the best hope would be to shoot for “so bad it’s good” status. But it fails even that. So with apologies to Klosterman, I refuse to let “Gulliver’s Travels” off the hook — to do so could risk contributing to its success in some small way, and I want to be able to sleep at night.

However, that means the question is still on the table: What is the proper role of a critic?

Does a person writing about culture (high, low, pop or otherwise) have an obligation to point out the bright spots in, say, a trashy straight-to-DVD horror movie? And what about the flaws in an Oscar winner?

“The King’s Speech” follows the story of Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth, “A Christmas Carol”), as he fights his socially and politically crippling stammer by adhering to the methods of his unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffry Rush, “Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Gahool”).

Set against the buildup to World War II in Europe, Albert — who later becomes King George VI — needs to be able to effect a calm, unhesitating voice to reassure the British people of their country’s stability and superiority. The majority of the movie uses the familiar plot line pitting uncompromising teacher against reluctant-butgifted pupil, but there’s enough royal intrigue and historical allusions to convince even the most jaded viewer that “The King’s Speech” isn’t just a dressed-up, propersounding “Coach Carter.”

Critics adored the film from the get-go. Roger Ebert, the professor emeritus of the current critical class, attributed its success in equal measures to the subject matter and the directorial hand of Tom Hooper (“The Damned United”). Ebert calls Hooper’s decisions on one particular scene “masterful,” and suggests the narrow rooms in which the movie is set could have been chosen on purpose, to “evok[e] the narrow, constricting walls of Albert’s throat as he struggles to get words out.”

Ebert’s review is similarly insightful throughout, but his positive outlook on the film is tampered somewhat by a surprising lack of comment on Firth’s performance.

The actor, who won the Academy Award for the role, is required to be both entitled and self-loathing, to voice statements of immense gravity in timid, halting form.

To that end, Peter Travers, of Rolling Stone magazine, focused his attention on the performances of Firth and co-star Helena Bonham Carter (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”).

Travers proclaimed.

“Firth’s nuanced performance is a thing of bruised beauty,” but virtually ignored Hooper’s work. Still another critic, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times, honed in on the imperfections in the movie’s representation of history but applauded the depth of the many characters on screen.

The lesson: Due to length limitations on printed work, a critic is often required to accentuate the strongest assets of an enjoyable film and point out the flaws in weaker efforts. There’s no denying the wisdom of Klosterman’s point, but for now I think I’ll wait for that book deal to come through before I give “Gulliver’s Travels” another chance.

Gulliver’s Travels: 0 stars; The King’s Speech: 4 stars out of 5.

Lin Weeks is a junior majoring in economics.

Upset with his omission of the DVD you were most excited about renting this week? Vent at lweeks@ badgerherald.com.

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SPORTS

Schultz named team MVP at annual awards ceremony Johnson captures Most Competitive award; Dahl, Little split Most Improved The Wisconsin men’s hockey program gathered for a meal at the Kohl Center on Monday and handed out its annual team awards for MVP, most improved, most competitive and most consistent. Also awarded were the team’s academic award and the fan-voted WHA-TV Jim Santulli 7th Man Award.

On a team that finished 21-16-4, reaching 20 wins for the third consecutive season, nobody proved more important than sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz - that according to his teammates who voted him the Spike Carlson Most Valuable Player Award winner.

Schultz, the nation’s leading scoring on defense with 18 goals

FIAMMETTA, from 10 the question of replacing Watt — at least, not immediately — they’re certainly tasked with replicating that production. Fortunately for the defensive ends, and really, the entire defense, Watt’s presence has lingered.

“The best thing about J.J. is he’s real good friends with all of us,” Kelly said. “He’s giving us tips and stuff, so he’s helping us get better as well. He was a great player for us and he did a lot, he produced a lot for us. The best thing about that is taking that challenge upon yourself and saying, ‘You know what, I’m going to be that guy, I’m going to get better today and be that guy.’”

That tireless work ethic made Watt, a former Pewaukee pizza boy, a likely first-round draft prospect. Now, it could

and 47 points, was a top10 Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist and a FirstTeam All-American.

Two players shared the Otto Breitenbach Most Improved Player Award as redshirt sophomore forward Ryan Little and freshman forward Jefferson Dahl split the votes. Little posted six goals and 10 points in his first season as a forward after skating on defense as a rookie. Dahl centered UW’s fourth line and became an invaluable skater as the season progressed.

Senior forward Patrick Johnson was picked as the Fenton Kelsey Jr., Most Competitive Player by his teammates. The Montreal Canadians draft pick scored eight times and collected 19 points for his best offensive season since his freshman year. However, he gained a reputation as a shot

blocker, especially on the penalty kill, willing to put his body on the line to do whatever he could to help the team succeed.

Given annually to the best seventh man on the team as voted on by viewers of Wisconsin Public Television tapedelayed broadcasts, the WHA-TV Jim Santulli 7th Man Award went to senior forward Podge Turnbull. Fans cast their votes for the UW men’s hockey player who gives his all on the ice and best represents the Badger trademarks of team spirit and good sportsmanship.

The Hayward, Wis., native enjoyed a breakout season with 13 goals and 20 points. The Badgers won the first 10 games of the season in which Turnbull put a puck in the net.

The only double award-winner was senior goaltender Scott Gudmandson, who

do the same to the current band of UW defensive ends.

Kelly himself could be a likely candidate to follow in the onceunheralded Watt’s steps.

Maybe he won’t post the same numbers, but Kelly quickly became one of the most talked-about Badgers in spring camp.

His hustle, tenacity and team-first mindset largely echoed Watt’s, and his emergence dissolved many of the questions surrounding the position group. Wisconsin’s depth at defensive end, a concern entering the spring, is now a strength.

“Right now, I see David Gilbert, Louis Nzegwu and I rotating as ones,” Kelly said. “It’s kind of been a competition that’s been going on, and it stems back from before, when I was hurt for a while. David and Louis had a big fight for a starting position [at] the other end of J.J. I saw that,

kind of sat back, but at the same time, I was eager and chomping at the bit to get into that fight for that spot.”

Make no mistake: Kelly hasn’t remotely earned that spot yet. Neither has anyone on the defense, or the entire team. After suffering injuries each of his first two years at UW, Kelly was a logical redshirt option last season. He’s certainly not yet a household name on Wisconsin’s defense, as partially evidenced by the significantly smaller (compared to that of Nzegwu and Gilbert) crowd of reporters encircling him after Saturday’s game.

Regardless, Kelly and the rest of the defensive ends are aware of the task ahead of them. Watt was a superhero at Wisconsin, never failing to don his cape as the unanimous leader that was looked up to during both good and bad. So far, neither Kelly,

Zhao Lim The Badger Herald

Justin Schultz finished the year with 18 goals and 47 points, leading the nation in blueline scoring. was named the Ivan B. Williamson Scholastic Award recipient and the winner of the Unsung Hero Award.

Gudmandson’s results in the classroom mirrored his results on the ice as the one of UW’s topfive career leaders in goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts became a star in the classroom when he grabbed the primary role between the pipes for the Nzegwu nor Gilbert has flashed signs of echoing Watt’s personality or leadership. On the field, they still have a lot to prove.

But any sort of substitution for or recreation of Watt’s production will begin on the field, and that’s something his replacements are well aware of.

“We definitely have a different defense schematically with Chris Ash being a coordinator and Charlie Partridge,” Kelly said. “But I think when it comes down to it, football’s football. They’re just going to line you up and let you play.”

Mike is a junior majoring in journalism and communication arts. How do you think the Badgers will try to replace Watt? Let him know at mfiammetta@ badgerherald.com and follow him on Twitter @ mikefiammetta.

Badgers.

The team’s Unsung Hero Award winner, Gudmandson was also nominated for the nationally-awarded Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, already won by Minnesota Duluth’s Kyle Schmidt.

Freshman forward Michael Mersch won the Dr. Joseph Coyne Memorial Award for the most consistent player.

The award is given to the

REWIND, from 10 But fifth-year senior Josh Oglesby wasn’t able to practice all spring and will make a run at regaining his starting spot when he returns.

team’s plus-minus leader.

Mersch paced the Badgers with a plus-23, edging junior defenseman Jake Gardiner, who finished with a plus-21.

Finally, senior captain Sean Dolan was named the Team’s W Club Community Service Award winner. The team captain, Dolan had a career year with seven goals and 16 points.

-UWBadgers.com both Connor O’Neill and A.J. Fenton showed they could make plays in pass coverage with their athleticism, as well as against the run, thanks to some added weight.

Defensive line: If spring camp made one thing clear, it’s the D-line has plenty of depth.

The Badgers have a steady rotation set for fall camp at both end and tackle, and they’ll have plenty of bodies ready to man the trenches. Pass rushing is the major concern, but ends Louis Nzegwu and David Gilbert continued to progress in that area throughout the spring, and both Patrick Butrym and Jordan Kohout created more pressure from their tackle positions.

Secondary: Free safety Aaron Henry established himself as one of the leaders of the defense this spring with his physical play every practice, while fellow seniors Antonio Fenelus and Devin Smith are set at the starting cornerback positions. Shelton Johnson and Dezmen Southward competed throughout camp to work as the firstteam strong safety, and Southward made a strong push late to seemingly gain an edge over Johnson, but that battle should continue well into the fall.

Linebackers: This position group took a big step forward this spring under new linebackers coach Dave Huxtable. Mike Taylor finally looked to be back to 100 percent, and Kevin Claxton brought tremendous physicality as he looks to crack the starting lineup at the opposite outside linebacker position.

Marcus Trotter filled in admirably for the injured Chris Borland at middle linebacker, and

Specialists: Kicker Phillip Welch and punter (as well as fellow senior) Brad Nortman have plenty of experience, and they’ll be counted on for productive final seasons this fall.

In the return game, true freshman wide receiver Kenzel Doe was given a chance to show off his speed, but head coach Bret Bielema revealed Abbrederis would be his return man if he had to make the decision right now.

TOURNAMENT, from 10

mind.

“Those opportunities don’t present themselves all the time and I think right now we have a couple of opportunities as long as we go and take care of Penn State,” Van Emburgh said.

“If we can get some substantial wins, I think we will give ourselves a chance to sneak into the tournament. It’s always been a goal for us.”

than just protecting its home court. The Badgers are also looking ahead to the upcoming NCAA tournament. Last year, the Badgers advanced to the Sweet 16 round for the first time in program history after a win over Illinois. Van Emburgh is aware of the rarity of last season’s success but still keeps the same goal in

Sports Editor:

MAX HENSON, SPORTS@BADGERHERALD.COM 257.4712 EXT. 131

TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

SPORTS page 10

THE BADGER HERALD

Spring rewind: Questions at quarterback Defensive line shows depth; Budmayr, offense recognize need for large improvement Max Henson Sports Editor With spring camp over and done with, the Wisconsin football team is now gearing up for summer conditioning before practice resumes for fall camp.

Here’s a look back at how spring camp went for the Badgers with a position-by-position breakdown.

Quarterbacks: How the Badgers replace quarterback Scott Tolzien is the single biggest question surrounding the team this offseason. Redshirt sophomore Jon Budmayr has a firm handle on the starting job, but that isn’t based solely on his performance this spring.

Curt Phillips was participating in passing drills while recovering from ACL surgery, but the redshirt junior has been ruled out for the year after a minor procedure revealed more damage.

Redshirt freshman Joe Brennan is still mastering the playbook and working on refining his delivery, while newcomer Joel Stave is still adjusting to college in just his first semester on campus.

That leaves Budmayr as

the clear choice to start for UW in the fall. He’s shown flashes with his strong arm and accurate deep ball, but the 6-foot Budmayr threw a ton of interceptions this spring, in addition to having numerous balls batted down at the line.

The Badger offense is still adjusting to its new signal caller, and Budmayr will have to develop more consistency and better appreciation for ball security if the Badgers want to compete at the top of the conference.

Running backs: Montee Ball slimmed down, James White added lower body strength and the entire UW offense is reaping the benefits. Ball and White had productive springs and the two running backs are set for even better seasons in 2011. Zach Brown and Jeff Zhao Lim The Badger Herald Lewis will also provide running backs coach A.J. Fenton (left) proved he can make plays all over the field Saturday, recording four tackles and an interception in the spring game.

Thomas Hammock with tremendous depth and void When Nick Toon returns will continue to battle for suffering a leg injury late in left by Lance versatility. camp. Kevin Zeitler had a Kendricks. Pedersen was from injury, he and Jared playing time. solid spring at right guard, a reliable target all spring Abbrederis will be the clear Tight ends: so the only real uncertainty at the H-back position, No. 1 and No. 2 wideouts. Offensive line: Jake Byrne has emerged making tough catches in However, the Badgers Despite losing left lies at right tackle. as the leader of the traffic and stretching the still need to find third and tackle Gabe Carimi and Redshirt freshman Rob group and will work as defense as a downfield fourth options. Manasseh left guard John Moffitt, Havenstein showed better the primary blocking threat. Brian Wozniak and Garner impressed with his the O-line found some mobility and continued tight end on the line of Sherard Cadogan fought combination of size and stability in spring camp. to maul defenders with scrimmage. Byrne has through injuries to see reps athleticism, and he also Ricky Wagner and Travis his 343-pound frame, and the ability to make plays this spring, and both have has the ability to play both Frederick settled in to he overtook Casey Dehn over the middle in the shown promise heading wide receiver and tight those two positions, for the first-team spot. passing game, but redshirt into fall. end. Jeff Duckworth and respectively, and Peter sophomore Jacob Pederson Isaiah Williams had their Konz led the group from REWIND, page 9 will fill the playmaking Wide receivers: ups and downs, and both his center position before

As Watt fades away, plan to replace him comes in focus

Mike Fiammetta Mike’d Up In a way, J.J. Watt is now everywhere and nowhere.

He’s made appearances in Gatorade commercials, juggled private workouts and preparations for Thursday’s NFL Draft and still managed to make his way back to Wisconsin, manning the sidelines in Saturday’s spring game and spending the second half signing autographs.

Typically regarded as a first-round draft prospect, Watt is making the proverbial rounds, running the gamut of pre-draft activities top prospects are mercilessly subjected to.

Where he’s not, though, is with the Badgers. He didn’t spend the spring grinding his way through 15 practices, and he didn’t

join in embarrassing UW’s quarterbacks in the spring game. Watt, of course, won’t be suiting up for the Badgers come Sept. 1, when the UNLV Rebels invade Camp Randall Stadium for the 2011 season opener. Wherever he’s drafted, Watt will be spending the fall chasing bigger, faster, more talented quarterbacks.

So, the Badgers will move on without one of the most talented players to come through the program in the last decade. If this spring is any indication — sometime it is, sometimes it isn’t — they plan to do so with a platoon of defensive ends. Louis Nzegwu, a fifth-year senior, started all 13 games last season and returns as Wisconsin’s most experienced defensive end (34 career games played). David Gilbert, a junior, has appeared in 25 career games. Brendan Kelly, another redshirt junior, has played in only 11 career games, but he

figures to be a significant part of the rotation following an impressive spring.

Together, the trio has amassed a combined 99 tackles (12 for loss) and eight sacks in their careers. Last season — which was Kelly’s redshirt season — they combined for 67 tackles (nine for loss) and 4.5 sacks.

Watt, in the two seasons he took the field for UW, recorded 106 tackles (36.5 for loss) and 11.5 sacks.

Last season, he had 62 tackles (21 for loss) and seven sacks.

There’s also the matter of leadership, which anyone with a Twitter account or a DBWH wristband will tell you Watt was extraordinary at. But strictly on the field, it’s painfully clear Watt has left a void much larger than his own 6-foot6, 292-pound frame at defensive end.

So while the Badgers don’t necessarily face

FIAMMETTA, page 9

Photo courtesy of UW Athletics

Marek Michalicka has led the Badgers this season at the No. 1 singles spot with a 16-6 record.

Inexperienced Badgers gear up for Big Ten Tournament Wisconsin hopeful for strong showing in 1st round vs. Penn State Erin Barney Men’s Tennis Writer After a year of rebuilding, the Wisconsin men’s tennis team is eager to measure its progress against some of the nation’s strongest squads during this weekend’s Big Ten Tournament.

Play will take place all weekend on the Badgers’ home courts at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

The tournament opens Thursday for Wisconsin and five other Big Ten opponents. Seeds were given out shortly after this past weekend’s final conference match. A win against Iowa combined with a 7-0 loss to Illinois was not enough to provide the Badgers with a first-round bye, leaving them with the sixth seed.

Wisconsin will face Penn State Thursday afternoon for a chance to take on No. 3 seed Minnesota Friday.

In his Monday press conference, UW head coach Greg Van Emburgh stressed how immense the excitement is this time of year for both players and fans in the Midwest.

“I know the players are looking forward to it,” Van Emburgh said.

“As a tennis fan, I don’t think you’re going to get much better tennis

unless you have tickets to Wimbledon or the French Open.”

With such a young team, the Big Ten Tournament atmosphere will be new to nearly half of the Badgers’ lineup. Van Emburgh has often said this year is a rebuilding one, considering Wisconsin has just as many new players as it does returners this season.

“Coming off of one of the best years in the

If we can get some substantial wins, I think we will give ourselves a chance to sneak into the tournament. It’s always been a goal for us.

Greg Van Emburgh Head Coach UW Men’s Tennis program’s history, it’s a bit of a rebuilding year for us,” Van Emburgh said. “We have a lot of youngsters that are trying to gain a lot of experience and knowledge and get familiarized with what college tennis is all about.”

UW’s young talent is led by senior captain Marek Michalicka.

Michalicka’s impressive stats from this year include an 8-2 conference

record as the No. 1 singles player. He has also recorded 100 career wins as a Badger.

According to Van Emburgh, Michalicka’s leadership and talent will be nearly irreplaceable.

“Marek has been a great ambassador to the program for four years,” Van Emburgh said. “He has been not only a great tennis player, but a great person and student athlete. The younger guys have been able to follow suit.”

Having been a part of Wisconsin men’s tennis for four years, Michalicka has seen the program at its best. Last season, the Badgers were only able to make it past the first round of the Big Ten Tournament before the Ohio State Buckeyes swept them in their second match. Ohio State poses a similar threat this year, as its roster includes the nation’s No. 6 player, freshman Blaz Rola, as well as No. 12 junior Chase Buchanan. “[Rola] might be the highest [world] ranking college player ever to compete in college tennis,” Van Emburgh said. “He is competing at two singles for them now, so that shows the depth of their team and what they are capable of.”

For Wisconsin, this weekend is about more

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