2012.10.08

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1969 Volume XLIV, Issue 22

Monday, October 8, 2012

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Unemployment rate falls to 7.8 percent Experts uncertain whether addition of 456,000 jobs will help Obama Sarah Link Herald Contributor The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday the national unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent, potentially giving President Barack Obama a lift as election

day nears.

The numbers, according to the Associated Press, are the lowest the country has seen in almost four years.

According to Common Cause Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck, the results can only mean positive things for the Obama administration.

“This is the lowest figure since Obama took office,” Heck said. “When Obama took office the economy was shedding jobs at a rate of 800,000 jobs a month.”

The report said employment

increased the most in health care, transportation and warehousing with little change in most other major industries.

About 456,000 people found employment in September, the report said.

According to Heck, the numbers contradict the frequent criticisms offered by Republicans as they relate to the stimulus package passed in 2009 and others.

In light of the recent numbers, Heck believes Obama’s initiatives must have played a role in job creation,

although he did acknowledge the government’s limited control.

“How much does the Congress and President really control the economy? Probably not a great deal.” Heck then adds, “This is an economic cycle.”

The fact the jobless rate fell below eight percent also supplies an emotional significance, Heck said.

According to Heck, unemployment below eight percent was a “magic figure” set

by Democrats and Republicans,

who were both surprised the goal was reached.

“No one expected it to drop so low.” Heck says. “It’s a big psychological mark.”

Nevertheless, some experts are not certain the new numbers will necessarily persuade undecided voters.

UW political science professor Andrew Reschovsky, who specializes in finance, tax policy and government spending, said the economy was recovering but at a relatively slow rate and was unsure if it would win over extra votes.

“The potential effects on the upcoming election remain to be seen,” Reschovsky said.

“While this could definitely be used as political ammunition by the Obama administration, it is uncertain whether these numbers will really change the minds of the voting populace.”

Assistant professor of journalism Michael Wagner, an expert in elections, public opinion and American politics, agreed and said the political effects of these numbers are

FALLS, page 2

Fall 2012 enrollment dips for UW System Board of Regents briefed on graduate student entry falling 4 percent Meghan Zernick State Politics Editor The University of Wisconsin System experienced a minor decrease in enrollment for the fall 2012 semester, the Board of Regents learned Friday.

In total, the UW System experienced a net loss of 22 students out of 156,580 students overall, which is only a 0.6 percent decrease, according to a UW System statement.

Meanwhile, graduate student enrollment decreased by 4 percent in the system, the statement said.

“The number that really matters is the graduation rate, which has increased,” UW System President Kevin Reilly said in the board meeting. “More students are graduating in the UW

system, and much more quickly. If we are graduating them faster, enrollment could go down by virtue of that.”

Mark Nook, senior vice president of the Board of Regents, stressed these numbers are preliminary.

Nook said it is hard to make a comparison between enrollment last year and enrollment now because the numbers this year are based on only the first ten days of the semester. According to him, the board will be able to make a better comparison as soon as more exact data is collected.

Nook also said there are a lot of changes in the economy and in financial aid that may have contributed to this decline.

According to Nook, it is more important to focus on the fact more degrees have been awarded in recent years.

“In the last 10 years the number of degrees conferred had gone up considerably,” Nook said. “This is what will help our economy, not necessarily our enrollment.”

Regent Chuck Pruitt suggested there might be

a correlation between the reduction of financial aid for students and the decreased enrollment.

“We have been through the legislative cycles where there has been less financial aid, and where the board made the necessary decision to increase tuition as a result,” Pruitt said. “Could these trends be related?

Are the enrollment declines linked to the financial pressures students are facing?”

Nook said there is not enough data available to determine whether there is a link but it is unlikely due to the fact there is not a one-toone correlation between the two variables.

The board was also updated on some potential federal cuts to educationrelated programs starting in January 2013.

Reilly updated the Board of Regents about the issue of federal sequestration, which is Congress’ last resort plan to reduce $1.2 trillion of national debt.

ENROLLMENT, page 2

Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

A fisherman at Lake Monona reels in a fish Sunday afternoon in Madison. The new Dane County Clean Lakes Task Force will act to rid local lakes from phosphorus, which is the root cause of excessive weed and algae growth. Planning for the group begins Jan. 1.

Phosphorus in local lakes target for new task force Parisi allocates $4.5 million toward county collaboration Camille Albert City Hall Editor

Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

Participants in the Great Midwest Marijuana Festival march down State Street Sunday. Organizers opted not to pay for traffic regulation.

To block traffic, marchers now have to pay officers Onus to pay cops for directing vehicles now falls on parade organizers Camille Albert City Hall Editor

The 42nd annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival parade on State Street took place Sunday, even though the group chose not to pay for special duty police officers to block traffic.

Madison Police

Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said MPD now recommends events such as parades or marches downtown pay a fee for special duty police officers to block traffic at their events.

The fee was initially announced as a requirement for any marches downtown, but according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the fee is now optional after Mayor Paul Soglin heard about the policy. Verveer said the mayor directed the MPD to come down on the side of the First Amendment by giving protesters the option of paying for the special

duty officers.

The special duty officers volunteer in advance for marches and are paid directly by the groups that escort the marches.

This new policy has been going on since spring 2012, according to Verveer.

Special duty officers have been around many years and typically attend events such as University of Wisconsin football games, DeSpain said.

“In the past, we haven’t recommended them downtown but in this day and age, we’re having to take

TRAFFIC, page 4

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced an initiative Friday to create a “Dane County Clean Lakes Task Force” as part of his 2013 budget resolution.

According to Parisi, removing phosphorus from lakes in Dane County is the focus of the task force because the chemical element is the root cause of most of the challenges lakes face with the excessive weed and algae growth it causes.

He said the phosphorus runoff comes from rural and urban sources.

The collaboration is comprised of county

board supervisors and staff, members from the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District and the Lakes and Watershed Commission, people with urban interests, agricultural experts and others, Parisi stated.

Parisi said the planning will go into effect Jan. 1, 2013, along with the rest of the budget plans. The efforts to clean area lakes in the 2013 county budget come to about a $4.5 million investment out of the overall budget of $522 million, he said.

“People have really come together to implement the projects we need to start cleaning up our lakes, so it’s important we coordinate this partnership and the work we do together,” he said. “We have all these different organizations who are currently working together toward the same goal and this will help us remain on the

same page and coordinate our efforts in an efficient manner.”

Program Director for Clean Wisconsin Melissa Malott said phosphorus poses such a big problem for lakes because the algae grows out of control and causes bluegreen algae in the water, producing a bacteria that can cause sickness if inhaled.

According to Parisi, the county has come up with several low- and high-tech solutions for removing phosphorus runoff. He said some of the low-tech solutions include planting buffer strips along farm fields so runoff does not go into ditches and streams that feed into lakes and building roofs over feed lots on farms so cow manure does not get washed into streams when it rains.

LAKES, page 2

INSIDE Pregnant Snooki, sober Situation Season six of “Jersey Shore” got off to a predictable but stilted start as the cast finally grows up. Well, sort of.

ARTS | 7

Obama’s speech misleading, full of falsities The president’s visit to Bascom was filled with factually inaccurate claims and preached to the choir.

OPINION | 6 © 2012 BADGER HERALD

White, D-line shine against Illinois Wisconsin’s No. 2 running back regains confidence in big performance against Illini while defense gets four sacks.

SPORTS | 10

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The Badger Herald | News | Monday, October 8, 2012

Correction The article “Three men to stand trial in Ball attack case,” appearing in print Friday, Sept. 5, erroneously reported the defendants pleaded guilty. They pleaded not guilty.

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Endangered species list may cut 16 members DNR also proposes 8 other animals be added to roster; changes involve birds, plants, reptiles, insects

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Meghan Zernick State Politics Editor The Department of Natural Resources proposed changes to the state’s list of protected species, requesting to remove 16 species and add eight.

According to a statement from the DNR, the bureau completed a review of Wisconsin’s rare species and is now requesting these changes be made to “Chapter NR 27,” the official name of the endangered species list.

The DNR proposed to add a total of eight species to the list, made up of birds, insects and aquatic life, according to the statement.

According to the DNR, there are 16 species it wants to remove from the list.

These species include a variety of birds, plants and reptiles.

Erin Crain, chief of ecological inventory and monitoring in the DNR’s Bureau of Endangered Resources, said the state of Wisconsin looks at the list on a periodic basis to learn new trends, as required by state law.

Crain said the protected species list is dynamic.

“The purpose of the protected species list is to change over time,” Crain said.

Crain said the department will look at the entire list and reassess the status of each species. She used cave bat species as an example of this.

“Four different species of cave bats were put on the

protected list and then taken off due to the prevalence of white nose syndrome at one point,” Crain said.

Anna Pidgeon, an

“The purpose of the protected species list is to change over time.”

Erin Crain

DNR Chief of Ecological Inventory

assistant professor of forest and wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin, said species are listed and delisted as endangered due to population levels.

Once the population number of an animal has increased enough that experts are no longer concerned, the species can be removed from the list, Pidgeon said.

“The reason that species are listed as endangered is because there is such a low amount of habitat available, and the habitats that do exist are declining really fast,” Pidgeon said. “Habitat loss is the most common reason for a species to be endangered.”

Pidgeon added when a population experiences habitat loss, it usually spurs an environmental group to petition to get this species on the endangered list.

According to Pidgeon, it is much more common for a species to get on the

FALLS, from 1 debatable.

“Unemployment rates are not very highly correlated with election results,” Wagner says. “On the other hand, the state of the economy as a whole, of which unemployment is a part, is a key factor in predicting election results.”

Wagner said there is also the possibility these numbers come too late in the election to have any real effect.

According to Wagner, the economic conditions of the

summer are better predictors of election results.

However, the importance of the drop in the unemployment rate on voters’ psyche should not be overlooked.

“A lower unemployment rate likely feeds into improved perceptions of the state of the economy for some voters,” Wagner said. “In general, the condition of the economy this year predicts a really close race with a slight advantage to the president, which, coincidentally, is just what we have.”

endangered list and then stay on versus being delisted.

“The problem is with habitat loss, which is not something that will just go away,” Pidgeon said.

The 16 species include the barn owl, Bewick’s wren, snowy egret, greater redhorse, Blanding’s turtle, Butler’s gartersnake, pygmy snaketail, American feverfew, bog bluegrass, Canada horse-balm, drooping sedge, hemlock parsley, prairie Indian-plantain, snowy campion, yellow gentian and yellow giant hyssop.

The proposed additions to the list include Kirtland’s warbler, black tern, upland sandpiper, fawnsfoot, beachdune tiger beetle, ottoe skipper, issid planthopper and leafhopper.

ENROLLMENT, from 1 Reilly explained sequestration would consist of annual cuts divided equally among defense and nondefense programs.

These cuts are supposed to be a backup, Reilly said, adding the cuts were not intended to take effect because Congress was supposed to reach an agreement on another plan. However, it has yet to do so, Reilly said.

“If these cuts go into effect, they will have a profound effect on our education system,” Reilly said. “They would be a very, very bad blow to American education at a time when we are struggling to help the country put the remainder of the effects of the recession behind us.”

Reilly said although Pell Grants are protected, many other financial aid programs and programs such as the National Science Foundation will be cut by about 8 percent overall.

According to Reilly, Congress is going to address the issue after the November elections.

LAKES, from 1 He said the biggest high-tech advancement in phosphorus removal is a manure digester that will remove 100 percent of phosphorus from manure after it comes through the digester. He added there is currently one in Waunakee and the county will add another in Springfield.

“It will remove 100 percent of phosphorus and that’s a game-changer,” Parisi said. “If this pilot project works, as we anticipate it will, it will open up many more opportunities throughout the region for this technology.

Malott said other forms of pollution from mercury and the runoff of salt from roads in the winter persist, but that phosphorus cleanup is the top priority. She added she is impressed with the approach local groups and the county are taking to address them.

“I’m really impressed with Joe Parisi’s budget,” Malott said.

“I think it’s really forward thinking.

He understands the connection between clean water, clean energy and land use, so he has done a really good job in his proposed budget of knowing where phosphorus comes from.”

The Badger Herald | News | Monday, October 8, 2012

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Tagg Romney speaks to crowd at Madison bar Son of Republican presidential candidate stops by State Street Brats Sean Kirkby Senior News Reporter Following a visit by President Barack Obama to campus, Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s oldest son touted his father as the clear choice for college students in the November elections Friday in Madison.

Addressing more than eighty people at State Street Brats, Tagg Romney said his father would bring the skills he gained working in the private sector to help create jobs for college students entering the work force. He said Obama’s policies were not working for the country.

“If more taxes and more regulations work, we would be seeing a massive recovery right now,” Tagg Romney said. “They haven’t worked. This has been the slowest recovery in the modern era.”

He also said his father would reduce a $16 trillion debt that would fall on the younger generation to pay back.

Tagg Romney said his father, while CEO of the Salt Lake Coordinating Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics, inherited a $400 million deficit but in three years left the Olympics with a $100 million surplus. Tagg Romney said Olympics do not run surpluses.

“My dad’s extraordinary,”

Tagg Romney said. “He knows how to fix things. He knows how to make things work. He knows how to take things apart and put them back together again.

That’s what we need in Washington.”

However, in an interview with The Badger Herald, University of Wisconsin College Democrats Chair Chris Hoffman said the data released Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Obama’s policies are working to create jobs for college students entering the job market.

Hoffman said the unemployment rate has fallen to under eight percent for the first time in four years and that Obama’s policies have led to 100,000 jobs added over the past month.

Obama’s Thursday visit shows the state is not contentious because he drew the largest crowd in his stop of the election cycle, Hoffman said.

He added if Obama was worried about losing the state in November, he would be targeting rural communities in Wisconsin with more independent voters.

UW College Republican Chairman Jeff Snow said Tagg Romney’s visit and a Saturday visit by Republican vice presidential nominee and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, to Milwaukee show the state is within Romney’s reach. He said Obama’s visit indicates his concern about winning the state in November.

“When you come to a state two times in two

UW’s deal with Obama released Campaign pays $15,000 to rent Bascom Hill; no word of any damages sustained Allison Johnson Herald Contributor The University of Wisconsin released the rental agreement signed by President Barack Obama’s campaign for his campus visit last Thursday, which highlighted the costs and post-event arrangements associated with hosting a crowd of 30,000 on Bascom Hill.

Vice Chancellor of University Communications Vince Sweeney said the UW System Board of Regents required the Obama campaign to sign a rental agreement before gaining use of Bascom Hill for the event.

According to the rental agreement, the Obama

“We planned for a large number [of people], and we got a large number.”

Dennis Chaptman

UW Spokesperson

campaign was required to pay $15,000, a situation Sweeney described as a “landlord and tenant” relationship.

Sweeney said the price for Obama’s Thursday visit was greater than the president’s 2010 campus visit. According to him, in 2010, the cost to rent out Library Mall was $10,500.

Sweeney added although it can be difficult to ensure campaigns follow through with these types of payments, the Obama campaign already paid what was due.

The agreement holds the campaign responsible for damages done to the hill, but Sweeney said he was unaware of any significant damage.

According the agreement, these material damages included any harm done to the grass, trees, light fixtures, fencing and buildings on Bascom Hill. The agreement said UW would send an invoice

outlining any additional payment for damages from the campaign.

The only real monetary costs of the event to the university were the law enforcement costs, Sweeney said. The rental agreement stated UW was responsible for providing certain basic services for the event, specifically police and security.

Security expenses are not reimbursable, he said.

However, Sweeney added the president’s visit had additional costs to the university in the form of disruptions to the normal class schedule.

According to UW spokesperson Dennis Chaptman, there was no way to put on an event like Thursday and have it not be disruptive.

“Our job was to minimize these disruptions the best we could,” Sweeney said. “A lot of people put time in and we did everything we could to make that happen.”

Despite these disruptions, Chaptman said he believes having a sitting president visit campus will always be beneficial.

According to Sweeney, feedback from students was positive despite the building closures and increased traffic around Bascom.

“There was a general excitement about the event, regardless of political views, because the president chose our campus,” Sweeney said.

Although Chaptman said the university used its previous experience with a presidential visit in 2010 to prepare for the large crowd this year, Sweeney added the university can learn from this year’s experience as well and will be able to do a better job managing the costs next time a similar event occurs.

Chaptman also said the event’s attendance met the university’s expectations.

“We planned for a large number [of people], and we got a large number,” Sweeney said.

weeks after you won it by 14 points in the previous election, you know you’re in some sort of trouble,” Snow said.

Courtney Jackson, a UW freshman and intern for Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker, said she was excited to listen to Tagg Romney because the visit by Obama to campus was difficult for conservatives since they do not have much support on campus.

She said she supports Romney because he supports life in more ways than just being “pro-life.” For example, she said he would cut government spending to programs that do not empower the poor to find jobs.

“He’s going to really create change, which he has before,” Jackson said. “So you can trust he’s going to do it again.”

Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm, released a poll Saturday showing Obama leading Mitt Romney 49 percent to 47 percent, a drop from its Sept.

20 poll that showed Obama leading Romney 52 to 45. The T.J. Pyzyk The Badger Herald poll attributed the bounce to Romney’s debate performance. Tagg Romney, son of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, highlighted his father’s record in Madison with election day nearing.

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The Badger Herald | News | Monday, October 8, 2012

UW System to partner with small businesses Initiative focuses on economic efficiency, utilizing talent of students, faculty

The University of Wisconsin System is taking aim at working in conjunction with local businesses in an effort to provide opportunities to students and faculty to promote economic development.

According to David Brukardt, UW associate vice president for economic development,

the UW System Office of Economic Development plans to establish firm connections between Wisconsin universities and entrepreneurial companies.

Both parties will benefit from the partnership, emphasizing a focus on small businesses.

Brukardt said linkage with small businesses through the Internet would provide “key connections” that will utilize the talent and expertise of various students and faculty members in the UW System.

According to Brukardt, UW students would also contribute to the partnerships by helping companies in any area of need, including technology, efficiency, manufacturing,

marketing and market research. Students also will find ways to seek funding and develop business plans for those companies, he said.

“The state has about 157,000 businesses, 94 percent of which are small,” Brukardt said. “Connecting with small businesses that are looking for resources, we can provide, will promote job growth.”

However, according to Brukardt, the UW System is limiting its search for connections to small businesses, adding that faculty and students both at UW and throughout the University of WisconsinExtension program have been working with businesses of all sizes.

According to UW Director of Office of Corporate Relations, Charlie Hoslet, the importance of linking businesses with universities comes with the state’s difficult economic times.

“During these challenging economic times, we need to do everything we can to work with businesses to promote efficiency, because that is what is ultimately going to create, maintain and develop the economy,” Hoslet said.

Though the economic promotion plan is a UW System initiative, Hoslet said the idea of connecting with businesses is very consistent with UW’s “Wisconsin Idea,” as it takes valuable resources from the Madison campus to

help businesses prosper in Wisconsin and beyond.

Brukardt and Hoslet agreed students and faculty in the UW System will both benefit greatly from increased connections with businesses located both in and out of the state.

“Our objective is to continue to improve upon the economic activities that are already happening here on the UW campus and in the UW-Extension program,” Brukardt said.

“We want to continue to grow and expand our valuable connections with businesses.”

Brukardt said the faculty and students who are interested in entrepreneurial businesses and internships

will be able to seize these opportunities to gain experience and expertise in a variety of business-related fields.

Hoslet agreed, adding not only will the initiative provide students and faculty with entrepreneurial experience, it also will provide data and material for research opportunities.

“This is an excellent opportunity for students to get engaged with companies and to experience different fields through internships at these companies,” Hoslet said. “For faculty, this kind of work is valuable because it provides real-world experiences and case studies professors can bring back to the classroom.”

a look at our limited resources and what the costs are and decided it would be better to have people pay for the service they’re seeking,” DeSpain said. “If people want to hold their event without it, they just won’t have them.”

The Harvest Festival participants had never been asked to give such a large amount of money in the past and were caught off-guard

by the required payment of extra officers before Soglin made it optional, Verveer said.

DeSpain said the Harvest Festival chose to march down State Street Sunday without paying for the additional police staff. He said the cost of having special duty officers at the Harvest Festival would have been a couple hundred dollars.

“I believe the group has decided they don’t want to have them so they’re just

going to go ahead and hold their gatherings without special duty officers,” DeSpain said. “We’ll police [the parade] with just our existing staff to the best of our ability.”

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said extra police officers also attend events to control any fights that break out in addition to blocking traffic, but that is a rare occurrence because most protests go on without problems.

The march blocked traffic while it took place and did

not let cars get in the way of the protest. Participants of the festival frequently cheered loudly when nearby cars trying to get through honked their horns at the protestors.

Bobby Schopp, who marched with protesters, said the traffic was not bad during the parade because the march was short and often did not stop for cars.

Laura Whitmore, spokesperson for Madison Parks, said in an email to The Badger Herald even

though the Harvest Festival protesters chose not to have special duty officers at their event, they did obtain a Street Use Permit from the city of Madison for the weekend. She said their march from State Street to the Capitol requires a separate permit from city and Capitol Police.

Resnick said there are a couple things to consider when it comes to groups paying for extra police staff to cover their events in terms of freedom of speech.

“I don’t believe the city should be in the position to limit free speech but when that does come at the cost of taxpayers and taxpayer resources, that’s where it’s a very difficult balancing test,” Resnick said.

DeSpain said there haven’t been any major problems with the Harvest Festival in the past because they typically protest peacefully.

He said MPD did not expect to see major problems at the march from not having special duty officers present.

Paige Costakos Herald Contributor

TRAFFIC, from 1

The Badger Herald | News | Monday, October 8, 2012

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Opinion

Editorial Page Editor Reginald Young oped@badgerherald.com

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The Badger Herald | Opinion | Monday, October 8, 2012

Obama understands, Walker disregards urbanization Ryan Rainey Editor-in-Chief As I get older, I become more convinced of several things. One is that bluegrass is America’s most underrated folk art form. Another is that Sim City is the most important game ever made.

When I was younger and played Sim City 2000 on an eMachine running Windows 98, I learned something very important about urban planning that continues to this day: Build the appropriate infrastructure and a domino effect of commerce and construction will begin to take effect. Need to spruce up an area? Build a train station.

Need to improve quality of life? Tear down some

abandoned buildings and replace them with parks.

And one of my political fantasies involves something I believe could have realistically happened; Barack Obama — then president of the Harvard Law Review — playing the first version of Sim City and discovering the same things about urban management and mismanagement I discovered a couple of years later. Fastforward twenty years and Obama, now president of the United States and holding the closest equivalent power to Sim City’s God mode, decides to build infrastructure and create that domino effect of commerce and construction.

Unfortunately, Sim City didn’t ship with an obstructionist governor mode.

Nearly two years have passed since Gov. Scott Walker made the infuriating decision to reject a multimillion dollar grant that would have brought that domino effect to Wisconsin’s two largest cities. And as the

decision ages in a political vacuum chamber free of controversial legislation against collective bargaining or women’s health, I’m fine admitting liberals were right about Walker. He’s not governor of all of Wisconsin, only of some.

Anyone who thought Obama would do anything but run a by-the-book reelection campaign in 2012 was sorely mistaken. His campaign this year has been run by political operatives in Chicago’s Prudential Building whose strategies are smart but not as revolutionary as the 2008 campaign that won over so many voters because of its seemingly earnest dedication to national unity.

In spite of this, Obama often dusts off a 2008 theme that seems especially relevant this year. He casts himself as a uniter, who is president of both Democrats and Republicans. I rarely hear Walker employ this rhetoric.

For the very liberal, such

Obama rhetoric false, misleading Justin Kramer Columnist In response to John Waters’ column titled “President Obama delivers for Wisconsinites,” President Barack Obama sure did deliver in the form of a gigantic package called “preaching to the choir what they want to hear” and a refrain of his failed policies. Of course, after getting thoroughly destroyed by Mitt Romney at the first presidential debate, it would make sense for Obama to hold a campaign rally at a university so overrun with liberals that it has earned the nickname “Berkeley of the Midwest.” Despite offering little substance, the crowd gobbled up his words as their leftist standard bearer indeed delivered everything they wanted to hear.

One such item was the oftenrepeated lie Romney shipped American jobs overseas. Despite this falsity being repeatedly debunked by FactCheck and Obama providing zero evidence for his claim, it resonates well with corporation hatin’ liberals. When we combine that with Obama’s insistence on a tax credit for shipping jobs overseas, we have an instant best seller and the crowd goes wild. What Obama is either oblivious to or doesn’t want us to know about is a specialized tax credit for companies relocating overseas simply doesn’t exist. There is a tax credit for costs associated with moving a firm, but it applies equally to relocating within our own nation — there’s no incentive for leaving our borders.

Next up for delivery was Obama again making the bogus claim Romney has a $5 trillion tax plan. Again, nothing but hype. This number comes from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimating Romney’s cuts would cost $480 billion by 2015, which is then extrapolated to nearly $5 trillion over 10 years.

Yet, as PolitiFact and other organizations are quick to demonstrate, this figure is completely one-sided and ignores additional revenue from Romney’s abolition of many tax deductions and loopholes.

Obama’s own deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, has admitted Romney’s tax plan “won’t be near $5 trillion” when it’s taken in its full context. But don’t mind the facts — Obama was here to deliver popular punch lines.

Obama then entered the point of absurdity when he remarked, “I want to control more of our own energy. After 30 years of doing nothing, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, your cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon

of gas. That’s good for your pocketbook, that’s good for our economy and it’s also good for our environment.” If we consider gas prices have doubled and under Obama’s hostile energy plans they would double again within a decade, there’s nothing, but a huge societal net loss with his excessive energy regulations.

Let’s just dismiss for a second Obama’s roadblocks to increasing our offshore drilling or domestic refining capacity — despite forking over billions of taxpayer dollars for the Brazilians to do just that — or the billions wasted on bankrupt “green energy” firms. Let’s also overlook that this is the same man who said, “Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket,” and openly admitted he’d wipe out the coal industry with regulations. Good for our pocketbook, indeed.

The next line of the president’s speech was nothing but a shameful, deliberate lie: “The guy who was playing Mitt Romney said he refuses to close a loophole that gives big oil companies $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies every single year.” Good Lord. Was the president too focused on his thrashing in Wednesday’s debate to notice Romney specifically said he’d be very open to eradicating those very subsidies and they probably wouldn’t survive as part of his plan to reduce overall tax rates? I can’t help but wonder if the president is as utterly clueless as his statements imply, or if it was a carefully crafted, intentional lie in order to fire up his liberal base.

I’ll admit, I laughed at the president’s hilarious line about Romney “cracking down on Big Bird” as his method to balance the budget. Yet comic relief aside, this also failed to add anything of real substance to the debate. Romney’s comment was merely a simple example of how he’d employ his guideline that if a program isn’t worth funding under borrowed Chinese dollars, it would be scrapped. Obama has lost all legitimacy on his claims to reduce the deficit — the man who promised to “cut the deficit in half” instead doubled it and exploded the national debt by $6 trillion.

You know what? John Waters was right — Obama did deliver.

That is, he delivered a prepared stump speech — written by others — full of familiar, popular rhetoric in front of an overly receptive crowd. For a campaign, that’s good business.

Unfortunately for Obama, there’s no teleprompter at the debates.

as the Willy Street fistclenchers who continue to sing at the Capitol, Obama’s knack for compromise is his most frustrating trait, and the reason I suspect Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is poised to surprise observers as an able successor to Ralph Nader. Just like Tea Party Republicans, they cannot handle the thought of a president who compromises.

But I can. Obama was smart to visit Madison last week because, despite the bitterness over his refusal to visit during the worst of Walker’s scorched-Earth first term, he knows we know where he stands.

A quick look at Obama’s campaign schedule reveals he knows and understands the country’s inevitable transition to a more urbanized society. In the last couple of weeks, his campaign travels have taken him to Virginia Beach, Madison, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City, Miami, Tampa, Cincinnati

and Columbus. His only trips to non-urban settings took him to the crucial belt of Washington, D.C.’s suburbs in northern Virginia.

Aside from some bigbucks fundraisers in the area, neither Walker nor Obama’s opponents — Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul Ryan— have paid much attention to Madison and Milwaukee.

During the controversial recount of Wisconsin’s 2011’s Supreme Court proxy race, Walker famously suggested Madison and Milwaukee were not politically relevant venues. Somehow I get the feeling Obama could pull off a visit to Wisconsin’s smaller communities; I even saw him speak at a rally in Beloit in 2008. But Walker and Romney refuse to see Madison as a city deserving their attention, with the exception of sometimes visiting a meeting of the University of Wisconsin College Republicans.

Watching Democrats and Republicans interact over the

last several years, I’ve realized the urban-suburban-rural political divide is possibly stronger than it has been in modern American history.

And yes, some of this is personal since my bi-monthly odyssey between O’Hare and Downtown on the Kennedy Expressway has proven to me the inefficiency of regional bus transportation.

But if demographic trends continue to point to further urbanization, there’s nothing wrong with Obama’s insistence on improving infrastructure in our nation’s cities. Republicans’ recent insistence on ignoring the truth and dividing the nation into city folk vs. everyone else will get them nowhere electorally.

They’d do themselves a favor learning how to reticulate splines.

Ryan Rainey (rrainey@ badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in journalism and Latin American studies.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “I have no idea what’s going on.”

-BRET BIELEMA, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOOTBALL COACH During an after-practice media session Thursday, Bielema was asked for his thoughts on President Barack Obama’s visit. He obliviously asked “President of our ...?”

Some days, the opinion section editors have faith that athletes are incredibly competent human beings, based on our interactions with this paper’s sports department.

But then, every now and then, a Bret Bielema comes on and shatters that faith.

Bielema went on to remark “The shell I live in, I have no idea.”

It’s easy to understand some people have different values and care more about certain facets of life. There’s nothing wrong with being more interested in sports than in politics.

But how hard is it to open your eyes and ears once and a while to the outside world?

Listen to Soglin on city homelessness

Charles Godfrey Editorial Content Editor Madison has been having a tough time with homelessness.

Recently, the city decided to put an end to panhandling in the downtown area. As long as I can remember, the rattling of change in a plastic cup and the usual pleasantries that accompany it have been quintessential features of a walk down State Street.

Panhandling is a highly visible symptom of a significant population that is unemployed and in poverty; this is a problem — a problem Madison has become too comfortable with over the years.

When city officials began to realize many panhandlers were exconvicts with extensive criminal histories organized under an abusive ringleader, they decided to end panhandling all together. The thought was panhandlers would be replaced by charity “parking meters” where a passerby could drop change, which would go to charities serving

the homeless — and I would bet folding money the net earnings of “charity meters” will pale in comparison to the aggregate GDP of the panhandling industry.

Thus the downtown area will be free of panhandlers, but nickels and dimes will still find their way to those in need.

No riff-raff on State, but no guilt either. Is there not something inhumane about all of this — that city officials assume citizens of Madison want to give pocket change to those in need, as long as they don’t have to interact with panhandlers directly by placing money in their hands? Replacing panhandlers with change machines is completely dehumanizing.

Recently, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi came up with a plan for a daytime homeless shelter on the east side, a place where the homeless could find warmth during the winter months. The shelter has become a matter of some contention among city officials, partly because it is located between a grade school and a center for after-school programs, which raised questions of safety.

But more importantly, Mayor Paul Soglin made the important point Parisi’s shelter

doesn’t attack any of the underlying causes of homelessness. Soglin cuts straight to the core of this issue: Madison doesn’t need temporary homeless shelters, and it sure as hell doesn’t need cold metal change jars in place of panhandlers.

The homelessness and panhandling we see on a daily basis in Madison are simply the visible effects of widespread poverty, pervasive substance abuse and untreated mental illness.

For too long, this city has been putting a variety of band aids on a bullet hole. It’s tried to move the problem, in the case of panhandling, and it’s tried to treat symptoms instead of causes, in the case of Parisi’s homeless shelter.

If the city wishes only to assuage its own middleclass guilt, then by all means we should build more temporary day shelters and have the University of Wisconsin computer science department build robot panhandlers which will be exceedingly polite and refrain from all catcalling as they rattle quarters in a titanium cup, but be incapable of having the sort of truly human interaction that is an essential part of any real social justice.

On the other hand, if Madison desires to address poverty directly

— if it wants to see long term results, then the city needs to hear the mayor out when he told The Badger Herald, “Day shelters and overnight shelters are not a solution to the homeless problem. Permanent housing is the solution.”

I’d go a step further and say the city should also invest in substance abuse programs and counseling. This isn’t because drug abuse and mental illness are the causes of homelessness, or homeless people tend towards addiction and instability — it goes both ways, and there is a close relationship between drug abuse, mental illness and severe poverty.

Those in extreme poverty have been affected most extremely by the poor economy we are living in, and hence what has been a perennial problem for years in Madison has become more acute. If the city wants to be a part of long term change and give poor people the social justice they deserve as Madison residents and human beings, it should follow Soglin’s advice and invest in permanent solutions to permanent problems.

Charles Godfrey (cgodfrey@badgerherald. com) is a junior majoring in math and physics.

Justin Kramer ( jdkramer2@ wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in nuclear engineering.

Your Opinion · Send your letters to the editor and guest columns to oped@badgerherald.com. Publication is based on space and takes into account relevance and quality. Letters should be sent exclusively to the Herald. Unsigned letters will not be published. All submissions may be edited by the Herald for length and style. Reader feedback on all articles and columns can be posted at badgerherald.com, where all print content is archived.

ArtsEtc.

ArtsEtc. Editor Allegra Dimperio arts@badgerherald.com

7

The Badger Herald | Arts | Monday, October 8, 2012

ARTSETC. PRESENTS:

TIMELESSLY TRENDY

Ditch the futon: apartment chic

Maggie Schafer Timelessly Trendy Columnist

Photo courtesy of Rhymesayers Records

Hip-hop artist Brother Ali brought his Mourning in America tour to The Barrymore Theatre Thursday night for an evening of emotive, elevated music.

Beats, brass and Brother Ali Erik Sateren ArtsEtc. Staff Reporter Crowds at hip-hop concerts are notoriously unenergetic.

Oftentimes regardless of an artist’s onstage energy, the crowd will simply bob their heads, carefully avoiding any hip motions or movements that could be perceived as “dancing.” This lack of energy could inherently stem from the genre itself: Rappers often focus on exuding a hard image, presenting themselves as alpha males who disregard females and acquire currency on a daily basis. Because of this, it was refreshing to see the crowd at Brother Ali’s Thursday performance at the Barrymore Theater actually moving around a bit. Not only were these people enjoying themselves, they were dancing.

But then again, Brother Ali has never been a rapper to exhibit the stereotypical gangsta rap image. Ali is the kind of person who’d be good to drink tea and philosophize with in the mountains of Tibet — or perhaps in Mecca, where the Muslim rapper travelled in 2011. This eyeopening pilgrimage inspired lyrics on his newest album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color, which was perhaps his most overtly political album (a description

he doesn’t like to use).

Despite the political messages that frame Ali’s songs, he made no attempt to preach explicit political ideology on Thursday night.

Instead, he spoke of what binds us as a community.

“That’s what connects us all — love,” explained the humble Ali towards the end of his set. “We need to learn to love ourselves.”

What emphasized these ponderings — reflections Ali has spent his whole career formulating in his lyrics — was the funky musical backbone the band injected into songs that sound considerably less funky on the album versions.

Supported by a trombone, cornet, trumpet, keyboards, a drum machine and an electric guitar, the songs gained an infectiously groovy vibe. As I listened to these sounds, mental images of New York City in the 1970s began to hit me, and I developed a strange desire to watch some 1970s Blaxploitation movies — arguably the funkiest film genre in existence.

This sudden craving escalated as the evening wore on. Throughout his entire performance, Brother Ali blurred the line between hip-hop and funk and invited the listeners to experience what hip-hop might sound like if it had been prevalent

in the early ‘70s. This has always been what makes Brother Ali special. Dissect his songs, and you discover decades of musical influences lurking in every bit of instrumentation. Ali is truly a musical connoisseur in this sense, the supremely knowledgeable “wise old sage” of independent hiphop.

Ali’s importance in the hip-hop world was supported by statements from the two opening acts — Coloradobased duo The ReMINDers and Queens-based Homeboy Sandman — who expressed genuine appreciation to Ali for allowing them to share in his tour. This infectious gratitude was prevalent throughout The ReMINDer’s short set. Members Big Samir and Aja Black, a married couple, energized the crowd with a burst of positivity as Samir laid down slick lyrics in a style comparable to Mos Def and Black sang soulful vocals that blended the inflections of Lauryn Hill and Rihanna. The duo graciously thanked the audience several times throughout the set, bringing smiles to those faces they were thanking.

Unfortunately, these positive vibes were extinguished with the entrance of Homeboy Sandman. The perpetually out-of-breath MC brought

with him an arrogance that was too pervasive to allow any enjoyment of the music. “I do my own stuff because I’m crazy ill,” explained the rapper after performing a song that consisted of loud grunting noises during the chorus.

The crowd was obviously put off by this presence; I by his existence. Kanye West can be arrogant because he’s a skilled musician. This guy can’t because he sucks.

Thankfully, Brother Ali’s positive performance helped me forget this guy was ever on stage in the first place.

At the end of the night, Ali had left the stage, but the crowd was hungry for more.

After an enthusiastic chant of “ALI! ALI! ALI!,” the man and the band walked back onstage. Ali then graciously extended an invitation to The Reminders and Homeboy Sandman to join him onstage.

With everyone in place, the posse jumped into the reggae-tinged “Truth Is,” each artist contributing a verse. “I want more / Give me more / We want more / Goddamn it, I’m back to demand we get more,” exclaimed Ali. While the audience wanted more after the 90-minute set, Ali obviously did, too. As for why he does what he does, Ali gave a simple, fitting explanation, the perfect thesis of the night: “Love and joy.”

Wave goodbye to ‘Jersey Shore’ cast Final season of MTV hit gets off to less-than-tumultuous start with older, maybe wiser group Tim Hadick ArtsEtc. Reporter All good things must come to an end. For everything else, we just pray it eventually dies.

Then there’s “Jersey Shore,” the raunchy, controversial reality show entering its final season, set in Seaside Heights, N.J.. Full disclosure: I lived in New Jersey for six years and am often bombarded with mentions of the show when I bring up my high school years. Also, I love “Jersey Shore.” Not because it’s a quality show, but because every time I watch it, I feel substantially better about myself by the end of the episode. So, as a “fan” and having seen all five seasons of the show thus far, watching the two-episode premiere of the final season felt business as usual, except for an odd shift in dynamic as the shorehouse roommates shift away from their original attitudes.

The first episode of the two-part premiere starts out same old, same old with a rundown of the housemates getting ready for another summer in Seaside Heights. Snooki is now six months pregnant and annoyed at not being able to indulge in her usual drunken escapades. Mike, “The Situation,” admits he is fresh out of rehab for prescription painkiller abuse and is committed to remaining sober the entire

summer while trying to make amends with everyone after a tumultuous season five. Pauly D is his usual self and ready to create more homoerotic tension between himself and Vinny — who seems more comfortable going back to the Shore this season.

Staple couple Ronnie and Sam are still going steady despite the occasional drunken fight. JWoww is trying to make things work with longtime boyfriend Roger as they recover from problems that arose during the spinoff reality show “Snooki and JWoww.”

Finally, Snooki’s sister-inmeatballdom Deena seems to be trying to settle down with her boyfriend of nine months but is still gearing to have fun at the Shore.

“The Situation” arrives at the shorehouse first and tries to start the healing process between himself and the rest of the cast with a fresh cooked dinner.

While skepticism still runs high with many of the housemates, his fresh attitude seems to be helping keep things calm — and boring — for now. Deciding who rooms with whom was shockingly uneventful, creating a soothing atmosphere unheard of in previous seasons. Small conflicts such as Vinny not greeting Snooki’s fiance and Snooki’s concerns about being pregnant in the house just don’t have the same effects from previous years.

Photo courtesy of MTV

The cast of “Jersey Shore” returns to the house for the last time this season.

The first episode is flat-out boring, but the second brings the show back to its usual format of blunders at nightclub Karma, uncomfortable sexual encounters and just plain weird emotional ups and downs from various members of the cast. But between Mike finding his niche of soberly soaking in the drama of the rest of the cast and Deena having her own version of a philosophical conversation while getting hammered, “Jersey Shore” is sticking to what it does best, but with a twist of coming of age virtues underlying every interaction.

Starting off by promising a less-than-eventful season is probably why

“Jersey Shore” is in its last run. Everyone is getting older and “wiser,” which translates to boring to the target audience. Wrapping up with watching everyone mature and become stable by adopting steady values may end up giving “Jersey Shore” a kind of redeeming quality after years of drunks making fools of themselves, but the producers at MTV aren’t going to let “Jersey Shore” go out without a substantial bang. The gears are still turning as they usually do, but I’m skeptical as to whether they will keep going for the rest of the season. Still, it makes me feel better after tough days and makes a hell of a drinking game, so I’ll keep watching.

I will never forget when I first walked into my older cousin’s Mifflin Street bachelor pad as a high-schooler. The filthy living room was crammed with a giant ping pong table, plaid couches spilled stuffing out of the upholstery and posters of scantily clad women lined the walls. This got me wondering, “Is this what a college apartment is really like?” After years of living in nicely decorated homes, this beer-stenched pad left me not only disgusted, but fearful. My housing future was a nightmare!

Luckily, my apartments have never gotten quite that bad, but it’s easy to lose your style in college apartments. However, with a few tips, you can fuse a little charm into your humble abode.

Chances are, you don’t have a whole lot of money to spend on furniture, but there are a few extra pieces that are essential for cozying up your home. The first is a coffee table. Any coffee table will do, even the thirty dollar one you found at St. Vinny’s.

Aside from being a great place to rest your feet and place down your drinks, a table like this makes a room look complete, offering a focus piece to center the room around.

I would also strongly advise you to invest in a really cool rug.

Personally, I am a fan of woven rugs in an earthy color palletes or simple straw mats. A great rug will soften up a room, add interesting accents with its color and texture and cover up imperfections in the flooring.

When looking for a table, a rug or any other piece of furniture, it is important to keep scale in mind. Unless you have rent that’s higher than your tuition, college apartments run on the smaller side. Because of this, any big pieces of furniture (including that La-Z-Boy from your parents’ spacious house) will make the room look cluttered and even smaller than it really is.

Instead, opt for petite and elegant pieces that leave plenty of room for you to move around.

If there is one cringe worthy feature of most college apartments, it’s the lighting. Too many students depend on glaringly bright overhead lights that make even the most adorable rooms look as stark as a prison. Not only is it important to have lamps, but it’s important to have lamps at all different heights throughout the room. Search through thrift stores for inexpensive floor and table lamps, or check out IKEA — a budget decorator’s paradise — for hanging lamps in offbeat materials like rice paper. Being able to differentiate

the brightness of the lighting allows for you to set the right mood.

In a room, accessories can be even more important than they are in an outfit. While an accessory-free outfit can look simple and chic, an accessory-free college apartment just looks like a mental institution. By choosing the right ones, you can take any room from crappy to classy.

Art, or what a college student takes for art, can make or break any room.

Posters of Bucky Badger and Jimi Hendrix often have no more purpose than covering up water damage. Instead, look for creative and innovative artwork to give your home a one of a kind feel, like at art. com or on Etsy. Thrift stores are a great place to go for offbeat pieces, but be prepared — you never know what you’re going to find. Hanging your own artwork is another option for those of you who are artistically inclined. If you have some work or even simple sketches, don’t be afraid to show them off. And as much as posters get a bad rep in the decorating world, if you find one that really strikes your fancy, add some sophistication to it with a simple black frame.

Mirrors are another great way to add to your walls. Go for a large, statement making mirror, or cluster together multiple mirrors in varied shapes and sizes. The most remarkable thing about mirrors, especially in a small room, is that they give the illusion of a bigger space, allowing for a bright and airy feel.

Decorative pieces do not have to be expensive to add some punch to your home. Take, for example, one of my favorite accessories: wine bottles, stripped of their labels and filled with Christmas lights.

Assuming you already have bottles of Marcus James sitting in your recycling bin, like any respectable college student, this is almost free. Candles, placed in simple hurricane vases, are another inexpensive decorating solution; not only do they add perfect lighting, but also they give off lovely smells.

If, like me, you don’t quite trust yourself with fire, flameless candles are a great option.

Likewise, plants — fake or real — add life to any room. One important trick with accessories, especially small ones, is to group them altogether. Within these groupings, odd numbers are the most visually appealing.

Painting an entire room is a bit of a commitment during a one year lease, but painting one wall or just the trim is a great way to make a statement with interesting colors.

That, or interesting wall paper, is yet another way to turn your apartment into a real home.

Maggie Schafer is an English/creative writing and sociology major.

Send her your opinions or questions on the latest trends at mfschafer@ wisc.edu.

5IF #BEHFS )FSBME CFJOH "#453"$5 TJODF

Comics

The Many Joys of Fall Weather Noah J. Yuenkel comics@badgerherald.com

8

The Badger Herald | Comics | Monday, October 8, 2012

WHAT IS THIS

SUDOKU

HERALD COMICS

PRESENTS

S

U

D

O

K

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: Sweaters! Heck yeah sweater wether!

HERALD COMICS

MADCAPS PRESENTS

K

A

K

U

R

O

baby@badgerherald.com

STEPHEN TYLER CONRAD

madcaps@badgerherald.com

MOLLY MALONEY

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.

C’EST LA MORT

paragon@badgerherald.com

PARAGON

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

DIFFICULTY: Surprise 40 mph winds at 40 degrees! Woo!

MOUSELY & FLOYD

NOAH J. YUENKEL

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 }

nyuenkel@badgerherald.com

BUNI

HERALD COMICS 1

2

3

4

random@badgerherald.com

17

18

20

21

31

6

COLLIN LA FLEUR

skypirate@badgerherald.com

9

32

27

33

34

35

44

53

54

13

28

29

30

49

50

51

36

38

43

12

22

26

41

11

19

25

40

10

16

39 42 45

46

THE SKY PIRATES

8

24

37

52

7

15

23

ERICA LOPPNOW

PRESENTS 5

14

RANDOM DOODLES

pascle@badgerherald.com

RYAN PAGELOW

47

55

48

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

Puzzle by C.W. Stewart

BEADY EYES

YOUR COMIC

BRONTË MANSFIELD

YOUR NAME

comics@badgerherald.com

comics@badgerherald.com

Across 1 Bundle of cotton 5 Sums 9 Salon jobs, for short 14 Jewish month after Av 15 “___ the time” 16 Be of use 17 Printed results of baseball games 19 Sharpshooter’s weapon 20 “Caught you red-handed!”

21 Iranian money 22 Like many potato chips and peanuts 23 Tailgate party places 26 Suffix with final 27 Sticky stuff 28 ___ kwon do 31 Camera setting 34 Sets of tasks,

37 38 39

40 42 43 44 45 46

52 56 57 58 59

61 62

as at an office Beehive State tribe Shelter for 37-Across Stumble over the corner of a rug, say Old jalopies One full of baloney ___ and outs Itemized bill: Abbr.

Regret Big containers in a tavern Loss Table scraps Filmmaker Spike Sci-fi’s Asimov Many … or a hint to the ends of 17-, 23-, 34-, 40- and 46-Across Cookie trayful And others, briefly

63 Dog pests 64 Japanese restaurant staple 65 Reject, as an accusation 66 How many TV programs are aired nowadays Down 1 Jazz genre 2 Hawaiian hello 3 Pyramidshaped hotel in Vegas 4 Chicago trains 5 Bless, in a way 6 Hip-hopper’s headgear 7 Reside 8 Snake sound 9 Light umbrella 10 Satanic 11 Castaway’s makeshift vessel 12 1/500 of the Indianapolis 500

Get today’s puzzle solutions at badgerherald.com

13 Iditarod transport 18 Burned to a ___ 22 Stir up the fire 24 Newsstand 25 Fairy tale monsters 28 Poi source 29 Situation after deuce 30 Catch sight of 31 Japan’s tallest peak 32 Use a Taser

CROSSWORD on 33 Exchange for a twenty, maybe 34 Snake (through) 35 Like an antonym: Abbr.

36 None of the above 38 Basic belief 41 Japanese grill 42 Prize money 45 Sounding like a jalopy 47 Way to go 48 Newscaster Williams 49 Pixielike 50 Bloodsucker 51 Used needle and thread 52 “That’s mine!”

53 “___ Wood would saw wood” (part of an old tongue twister) 54 Suet and blubber 55 “To ___ his own” 59 Proof-ending letters 60 Boxer called “The Greatest”

Rocky the Herald Comics Raccoon™

You can try to make a prostitute change but you can’t ask a prostitute to make change.

Pretty Woman won’t break a twenty.

To place an ad in Classifieds: Elise Watson ewatson@badgerherald.com 257.4712 ext. 311

9

The Badger Herald | Classifieds | Monday, October 8, 2012

EMPLOYMENT

PARKING

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Outdoor parking and garages available all around campus.

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Buffalo Wild Wings- U Square location- is hiring kitchen staff/ cooks. Flexible scheduling and competitive pay offered. Apply online at: www.buffalowildwings.com/jobs

Classifieds

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FOR SALE Dry sawdust available for dairy cattle. For more info please call Kurt at (507) 312-0549

Sports SURGE, from 10 With fans growing more disgruntled, the Badgers finally showed some life. Facing thirdand-11 from the Wisconsin 31, Fighting Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase dropped back in the pocket, only to be picked off by senior cornerback Devin Smith for Wisconsin’s first interception of the season.

Five plays later, on the ensuing drive, Stave dumped a pass off to White on a bubble screen, who followed his blockers to an open run down the sideline. Sixty-two yards and a Kyle French extra point later, and the Badgers finally tied the game up at 7-7.

“It makes my job a lot easier when I can dump 10 yards over to him and he takes it for [sixty-two] yards for a touchdown,” Stave said. “That’s really fun to see.

“I saw them all coming on me — which is obviously a good thing when everyone’s upfield you know that there’s a good chance that it will open up. I wouldn’t have guessed [the touchdown] would have happened but right when I was throwing it I thought ‘Aw, this could be a good play.’ … When [White] has a chance to see where he’s running at and is in open field, he’s a very good player.”

Before Stave and White connected for Wisconsin’s first touchdown of the day, Bielema added to the quarterback confusion. At the end of the first quarter and into the second, Stave was benched for three snaps as Curt Phillips, the third Badger quarterback to take the field this season, ran a package UW has been working on in practice.

According to Bielema, Stave was aware the package was going to be used prior to kickoff. But the special package failed — in fact, it eventually led to Stave’s interception on third down.

Phillips played for only three snaps, one of which was a completion to White for eight yards, but the play was called back due to an encroachment call on the Illini.

“The offensive coaches and myself wanted to give Curt an opportunity to get out there and show what he’s got,” Bielema said. “It wasn’t anything against Joel; we were going to do it on the third series, and that’s what happened. Obviously it didn’t work successfully.”

Despite a strong final 15 minutes, the Badgers were left still searching for a full 60-minute effort. But, nonetheless, the fourth quarter was a special effort from a team that has struggled to finish games this year.

“That would be perfect, if we could do that each game,” Abbrederis said.

WHITE, from 10 quarterback four times — tying a season high — the Badgers’ four-man front limited Scheelhaase to 3.8 yards per carry. While the quarterback went on to finish with 84 net yards on the ground (24 lost on those sacks), the defense never allowed him to grow comfortable in the pocket.

They had learned their lesson.

“Having faced a guy like Martinez last week, we got ourselves in the mindset where we wanted to contain him more, and this week we wanted to pressure more,” defensive tackle Ethan Hemer said.

“We didn’t want to pass rush scared. So we came into this game with a

Huskers upset Badgers on home turf Spencer Smith Women’s Soccer Writer Nebraska handed the University of Wisconsin women’s soccer team its fourth conference loss in an overtime match at the McClimon Complex Friday.

When Nebraska (6-7-1, 3-3-0 Big Ten) sophomore forward Mayme Conroy hit the game-winning goal just a minute into the first overtime period, it completed her bid for a hat trick, stunning Wisconsin (75-1, 1-4-1) at home.

Conroy’s three scores gives her a total of 11 goals on the season, a mark good for second in the Big Ten. Head coach Paula Wilkins attributed turnovers to the Badgers’ loss and Conroy’s big night.

“We made some mistakes that we just can’t do,” Wilkins said. “We gave the ball away in two bad areas to their best player. Obviously [Conroy] getting a hat trick is a credit to her but we need to do a better job in

possession for sure.”

The Badgers found themselves in a hole against the Cornhuskers when Conroy scored the game’s first goal in the 13th minute.

Nebraska again put pressure on Wisconsin’s defense in the 24th minute.

UW goalkeeper Genevieve Richard blocked the initial shot, but Conroy scored on the rebound, giving the Cornhuskers an early 2-0 lead.

Senior defender and team captain Lindsey Johnson said Nebraska put a lot of early pressure on the defense, which forced them to commit some costly mistakes.

“Those goals were just because we made some stupid mistakes,” Johnson said of Nebraska’s two early scores. “They were playing really fast at us and we tried to control that but we kind of just gave them some goals.”

Wisconsin responded quickly when sophomore forward Cara Walls found

the back of the net in the 24th minute, giving her five goals on the season.

The Badgers continued to put plenty of pressure on the Cornhuskers’ defense and were fable to break through for the second time and even the game at two when freshman forward Lindsey Holmes scored her first career goal on a cross from redshirt junior Paige Adams.

“It was awesome. It was the best feeling ever,” Holmes said of her first goal. “I just made a diagonal run and Paige played an awesome ball above.”

Wilkins credited her team’s ability to settle down and play smarter for evening the game back at two.

“I think the game settled down a little bit and we actually settled down,” Wilkins said. “They did a great job of getting pressure on the ball when we entered passes in. I think the spaces opened up a little more and we were a little calm about moving the ball around to

create those opportunities.”

Despite having a few chances, neither team was able to break the tie in regular time. In overtime, Nebraska struck quickly when Conroy scored goal from 20 yards out in the 91st minute.

Johnson said the defense may have been caught off guard by Conroy’s quick attempt on goal in overtime.

“I’m not really sure [how Conroy scored] to be honest,” Johnson said of the overtime goal. “I think that we lost focus for a little bit and we didn’t clear the ball when we should have, so we gave up a goal.”

Friday’s game marked the third time in three matches where Wisconsin has given up three goals to the opposition.

Johnson said her defensive squad must tighten things up moving forward.

“I think we need to work on our decisionmaking when we are under pressure,” Johnson said. “We

need to just kick [the ball] out because that is where we caused most of our problems tonight.”

The Badgers’ offense generated a lot of pressure against the Cornhuskers’ defense, getting off 13 shots, but was unable to finish most of its chances.

Holmes also noticed Wisconsin’s inability to finish offensively.

“We were really good with pressuring the ball,” Holmes said. “We just need to work on finishing and make sure we finish our opportunities at the end of the day.”

The loss drops Wisconsin to 10th in the Big Ten, its last conference victory coming almost a month ago against Michigan State.

Monday, Wisconsin will take a break from Big Ten play to take on in-state foe UW-Green Bay (4-7-2, 1-2-1 Horizon League) which is coming off a 2-1 win over Youngstown State.

Wisconsin is 3-0 against Green Bay in Wilkins’ tenure.

Volleyball wins finale in weekend home split Badgers take down Wolverines Sunday after falling to Spartans in series opener at Field House Friday Lee Gordon Volleyball Writer The Wisconsin volleyball team bounced back Sunday to sweep Michigan (25-20, 25-18, 25-20) to earn its first home conference win of the season while snapping a four-match losing streak in a weekend split.

The Badgers (14-5, 2-4 Big Ten) won each set against the Wolverines (14-6, 2-4) by at least five points in a balanced effort that evaded Wisconsin in its previous four matches.

Head coach Pete Waite said if the team performs like it did against the Wolverines, the Badgers would have more victories under their belt thus far in conference play.

“It’s what we’ve always been capable of,” Waite said.

“It was the consistency we were looking for.”

Wisconsin grabbed the first set of the match for the first time since its Big Ten opener against Northwestern Sept. 21.

Sophomore outside hitter Crystal Graff led the Badgers with five kills in the opening set, with senior middle

more aggressive mindset.”

Tearing the Badgers’ defense apart in Lincoln was the quarterback draw, a designed run play for the speedy Martinez. But linebackers Chris Borland and Ethan Armstrong said Illinois tried its hand at a similar play and found little room to run.

Though Scheelhaase did break out for a 29yard scamper early in the third quarter and darted for 24 more in the second, he didn’t find the holes Martinez took advantage of a week ago.

“Scheelhaase obviously came alive on a couple plays up inside,” head coach Bret Bielema said postgame. “But I’ve been stressing to our defensive guys and give a lot of credit to our staff — if

blocker Mary Ording adding three more.

With the score knotted at 19, Wisconsin won five consecutive points on the powerful serve of junior libero Annemarie Hickey, who pounded two-straight service aces in that run.

She totaled four aces in the match.

Waite said he was pleased the team’s serving disrupted Michigan’s offensive rhythm.

“I think we served tougher,” Waite said. “I think that kept Michigan out of their offense. … Overall, [we had] just a good, balanced team effort, and that’s what we always aim for.”

The Badgers established solid starts in the second and third sets by jumping out to 4-1 leads. Senior middle blocker Alexis Mitchell led the team with 12 kills in the final two sets and 14 overall on just 26 attempts.

Mitchell’s more aggressive play, combined with precise timing from sophomore setter Courtney Thomas, allowed for more effective attacks.

“I was just working on getting up quickly because I knew that I could beat

we can just line up and play and make them earn every inch, they’re going to be hard to score on.”

With four different players — Hemer, defensive tackles Beau Allen and Pat Muldoon and defensive end Tyler Dippel — each credited with a sack, the defensive linemen had trouble hiding their smiles postgame. After helping keep Wisconsin in the game early as the offense floundered, the big men up front finally had some numbers on the stat sheet to back up their play.

“I knew from the beginning of the year turnovers, sacks, that was all going to come,” Hemer said. “And when they come, they come in bunches.”

their middles if I was running fast,” Mitchell said.

“Courtney was just finding me in the air, so we really connected today.”

Thomas operated an effective offensive system against Michigan, posting 38 assists on a .487 passing clip, well above Wisconsin’s team assist percentage of .349.

Thomas’ connection with Mitchell was especially onpoint in the third set, as the Badgers converted eight of their 17 assists in the set into Mitchell kills.

Waite noted Thomas’ improvement from Friday’s loss and said her accurate passing allowed for more options for the attackers up front.

“I think she found the middle, and especially Alexis, much more in transition,” Waite said. “You have to be a risk-taker to do that. When she does that, it opens it up for Alexis, it opens it up for the outsides, and it really worked well this afternoon.”

Wisconsin out-dug Michigan 46 to 38, with Thomas, Hickey and junior outside hitter Julie Mikaelsen contributing

KORGER, from 10 three quarters, only up 10-7 to a lowly Illini team.

But then, the dammed up waters broke through the barriers. Wisconsin scored 21 points in a furious fourth quarter, dominating through the air and on the ground.

Out of Montee Ball’s 116 total yards on the ground, 97 of them came in the fourth quarter. That’s vintage Wisconsin football. The physical play of the offensive line eventually wore down an inferior front seven for Illinois and bullied it like the big boys they are in the game’s final 15 minutes.

Why can’t they play like that constantly?

This is the situation the Badgers will find themselves in going into West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday afternoon.

double-figure digs.

Wisconsin was effective in disturbing the attacks of the Michigan frontline.

The Wolverines racked up 19 errors in the set, but UW held them to just 35 total kills, compared to the Badgers’ 48.

While seven team blocks may not seem significant, Waite said Wisconsin’s ability to deflect balls rattled the Michigan hitters.

“I think we deflected more balls, so when we deflect and slow it down, … it’s just as important when you can do that, and I think we did a good job of that,” Waite said.

Wisconsin was unable to defeat the No. 25 Michigan State Spartans Friday (2522, 25-21, 18-25, 25-23), who have only lost two matches all season.

This was the first match Waite implemented a new look to the lineup — Mikaelsen saw more playing time in the back row, and sophomore Caroline Workman moved to middle of the back row as a defensive specialist.

Workman set a career high with 18 digs in the match.

Win, and you leave by far the second-best bowl eligible team in the division — behind the Badgers — with an 0-2 conference record and win what could be a critical head-to-head game tiebreaker that could come into play down the road. Lose, and you have a losing record in conference play with Michigan State and Ohio State still left on the schedule.

Let’s be honest here.

Barring some sort of catastrophic breakdown or the Mayan apocalypse coming early, the Badgers will finish with a better overall record than both Illinois and Indiana, the other bowl-eligible teams in their division. So, a win against Purdue gives Wisconsin an early footing on solid ground in the race to Indy.

Sure, Penn State and Ohio

“I think I just had a mentality tonight that I wasn’t going to let any balls drop,” Workman said. “Overall, our defense improved a lot tonight from last weekend; I thought we were picking up a lot more balls. Even front row players off blockers were a lot more scrappy on the net.”

After dropping the first two sets, Wisconsin was able to take the third set largely due to a staunch defense that accumulated five blocks.

With a 23-22 lead in the fourth set, Michigan State took to the final three points to put away Wisconsin.

Wisconsin also showed resiliency in a loss against Ohio State last weekend, again grabbing the third set after falling behind 0-2.

Waite said he wants to see more consistent play out of the team but was pleased with the team’s fight late in the match.

“After a slow start, I was encouraged that we came out of the locker room [and] turned things around,” Waite said. “I thought there was a much different attitude on the court; they were playing with a lot more confidence.”

State have 2-0 records, but they’re not eligible for a bowl, so it doesn’t matter. I’d love it if the Badgers finished with the best record of all the teams in their conference, but once Wisconsin makes that third-straight trip to the Rose Bowl, fans won’t care how the team got there.

If the Badgers had to pick a season to struggle, at least they picked the right one.

Nick is a fifth-year senior majoring in English and history.

Besides writing for The Badger Herald, Nick is a member of WSUM’s “The Badger Herald Sports Hour,” airing Sundays from 4-5 p.m., and “The Student Section,” airing Mondays from 4-6 p.m. Have a comment about the column? Email him at nkorger@badgerherald. com or follow him on Twitter @ nickkorger.

Sports Editor Ian McCue sports@badgerherald.com

10 | Sports | Monday, October 8, 2012

SPORTS

Offense slowly gaining speed Online: Women’s soccer misses key scoring chances against Nebraska.

4th quarter surge overwhelms Illinois RECAP

Badgers earn 1st conference victory in 31-14 decision over Fighting Illini, still hunting for 3rd-straight Big Ten championship Kelly Erickson Senior Sports Writer

Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

Wide receiver Jared Abbrederis had his third consecutive game with 100 receiving yards against the Fighting Illini, reeling in six catches for 147 yards and a touchdown Saturday.

Before the Wisconsin football team took the field Saturday, it had yet to put together a full four-quarter game. While it still didn’t accomplish that task in a 31-14 win over Illinois, the team did at least play a complete game in the fourth quarter.

The Badgers (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) put up 21 points alone in the final quarter of Saturday’s matchup for their first conference win of the season over the Fighting Illini (2-4, 0-2).

“It’s nice to see our guys take control in the fourth quarter and kind of manhandle the guys up front,” head coach Bret Bielema said.

“I think offensively there were some nice plays that were opening up for [us].”

Running back Montee Ball kicked off the scoring frenzy with a 9-yard touchdown run. He picked up a second touchdown later in the quarter — a 19-yard run — and ultimately finished the fourth with an additional 97 yards on his stat line. Heading into the fourth quarter, Ball only had eight carries for 19 yards, but he finished the game with 19 carries for 116 yards — an average of 6.1 yards per carry.

But what really epitomized Wisconsin’s fourth-quarter effort was the nine-second,

two-play drive that resulted in a 59-yard touchdown heave from redshirt freshman quarterback Joel Stave to his favorite target — junior wide receiver Jared Abbrederis.

Stave racked up 254 yards through the air (a career high) for UW — 81 of which came in the fourth quarter — and went 16-25 with one interception.

“You want to make sure your quarterback is comfortable throwing to you,” Abbrederis said. “… We’ve got to make sure that he’s right no matter what. If the ball’s a little bit behind, if it’s a little high, we’ve got to make sure that we do our job to go up and get it. Once the ball’s thrown at us, that’s our ball in the air, so we’ve got to make sure we keep attacking it.”

The Badgers had 173 yards on the ground and 254 through the air, or 427 total offensive yards. The Illini, on the other hand, managed only 284 total offensive yards with 106 rushing yards and 178 more through the air.

The Badgers’ defensive line also combined for four sacks throughout the game.

While the Badgers gelled on both ends of the ball in the fourth quarter, the rest of the game was much different.

With a lethargic showing in the first half, UW’s run game suffered, gaining only 40 yards on 14 attempts.

SURGE, page 9

SIDEBAR

No. 2 tailback White ignites Wisconsin offense with 62-yard touchdown; D-line continues to impress, sacking Illinois’ Scheelhaase 4 times Ian McCue Sports Editor Providing a much-needed boost out of the backfield in Wisconsin’s 31-14 win over Illinois Saturday was not former Heisman finalist Montee Ball, the tailback who faced enormous expectations coming into this year.

Rather it was James White, the quick-footed junior running back known more for his flashy cutbacks than his runs between the tackles. Though White gained just 15 yards on the ground in the first half, his most important contribution came on a 62-yard screen pass he took into the end zone for Wisconsin’s (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) first score.

With the Badgers down seven and the offense failing to piece together a promising drive, White used his agility to cut past several defenders and, with the help of a few key blocks, take the momentum away from Illinois (2-4, 0-2).

“They showed kind of a pressured look, and I had a feeling I was going to be wide open. I just got in my landmark, looked straight ahead and it was wide open,” White said, letting out a quick laugh as he finished explaining the play.

“So I just ran straight.”

But he wasn’t done yet.

White — who came into the game with just 171 yards through five games — made the most of his carries, needing only two of them in the second half to pick up 27 yards. On consecutive runs near the end of the third quarter, on the drive that would give the Badgers a 10-point lead, White helped Wisconsin establish control with rushes of five and then 22 yards.

Still listed as UW’s No. 2 running back, White has been affected more than any other player by the explosive play of redshirt freshman Melvin Gordon, who has consumed a significant portion of White’s carries.

While the rushing offense struggled to find its footing in the first half (the three tailbacks combined for just 40 yards), the offensive line showed shades of its former dominance late, and the run game followed suit.

“They have confidence in the backfield now [after] this game, and up front we’re confident now too,” left guard Ryan Groy said.

“It’s not like we’re leaving the field feeling salty; we’re leaving feeling good; we know we can establish the run game. … We knew we could do it all year and it’s finally good to show that.”

White said his 42-yard rush performance against

a leaky Fighting Illini defense provided a major confidence boost, and he may have even helped Ball take charge in the fourth.

Ball said his teammate’s success “put a fire under me,” and so it would appear, as Wisconsin’s premier back erupted for 97 yards and his second touchdown in the final 15 minutes.

White slipped back onto the bench for the final quarter, but Ball loved seeing his roommate and close friend ignite the offense. It is, after all, a friendly rivalry.

“He deserved it; the man deserved it,” Ball said. “He’s always just kept his head down in a good way — not complaining, not pointing the finger, just kept grinding in practice.”

Won’t get fooled again They had been fooled once, but they weren’t about to be fooled again.

After allowing Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez to spark an offensive charge on the ground and rush for 107 yards a week ago, the Wisconsin defensive line came back with a vengeance against another dual-threat quarterback in Illinois’ Nathan Scheelhaase.

Sacking the mobile

WHITE, page 9

Kelsey Fenton The Badger Herald

Junior James White (20), though still listed as the Badgers’ No. 2 tailback, has seen his carries shrink since Melvin Gordon’s arrival.

Wisconsin football chose ideal season to struggle Nick Korger Korger’s Korner And I thought “As the World Turns” was the best soap opera on TV. OK, I’ve never watched a soap opera, you caught me. The only time I’d be suckered into watching that sappy genre of a television show has been when I’m sick and stuck at home, too ill to physically reach the remote.

But seriously, this Big Ten title picture is shaping up

into a drama-filled doozy.

With just four bowl-eligible teams out of six in the Leaders Division, I thought this season would be a cakewalk for the Wisconsin Badgers to make it back to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.

How wrong I was.

With the Badgers’ record sitting at 1-1 in conference play — the surprising best of the bowl-eligible teams in their division — if the season ended today, the Badgers would indeed be packing its bags for a trip to Lucas Oil Stadium.

“Wait,” you might be thinking, “after the way the Badgers have looked this season, they are still in prime position to fight for

a third-consecutive trip to Pasadena.”

Yes, they are. And that’s what has made this season so unique, so entertaining and so frustrating thus far.

Every coach, player and fan with half of a functional cerebellum knows this team has the talent, experience and potential to win the Big Ten title outright. But, what has made this season have that little bit of spice, that flair that comes with the unexpected, is the Badgers have been extremely inconsistent on both sides of the ball.

In fact, if there was one thing Wisconsin has been consistent at this season, it’s being inconsistent.

Look at the Badgers’

offense. When they go threeand-out on a series, I want to slam my head onto a desk.

At times, the play calling is so predictable I wonder if offensive coordinator Matt Canada is secretly playing Madden 2013 in the coaching box while spitting random calls into the headset.

But then there are moments where I think Canada is former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst. The screen play on third down that resulted in a touchdown to running back James White was a perfect offset to the blitz Illinois showed on the previous third-and-longs.

And then again, why wouldn’t they send the house when the Wisconsin offensive line has struggled like it has

against the blitz throughout the season?

Then there was that beautiful long bomb to Jared Abbrederis for a 59-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that looked more like a piece of fine art that belonged in the Louvre. When Stave shows off that arm of his, not to get emotional, but it’s just beautiful. The way he makes it look so effortless, almost Russell Wilson-esque, it brings a tear to my eye. And Abbrederis, seriously, is one of the best receivers to play at Wisconsin in a long time.

And that’s why I want to love this Badger team. I want to believe it can make it to Indy, to Pasadena, with ease. When the Badgers are

on, I’m not sure anyone in the conference, with the exception of Ohio State, can compete with them. What they showed in the first half at Nebraska was what I thought this entire season would be like.

But games like Illinois serve as the perfect microcosm for this season. As fellow Herald football writer Kelly Erickson jokingly said to me, “The team stressed playing an entire four quarters of football, and instead we got just a great fourth quarter.” It is, in a way, extremely fitting of this Saturday. The Badgers looked like the same team that laid an egg in Corvallis, Ore., for

KORGER, page 9