Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - The Daily Cardinal

STUDENT TENANT RESOURCE CENTER DEBATE Are tuition-funded tenant resources for students essential or superfluous?

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Complete campus coverage since 1892

OPINION l

The Daily Cardinal

Officials say the bacterial meningitis death of an area high school student Saturday is not connected to the case that killed a UW-Madison senior earlier this month.

Haleyem Thorpe, 16, who attended Mount Horeb High School, died suddenly Saturday from a case of meningococcal meningitis, which is the same type of meningitis that killed UW-Madison senior Neha Suri in early February.

Suri, who was a UW-Madison journalism and political science major and originally from Singapore, was rushed to the hospital Jan. 25 and passed away Feb. 2.

Sarah Van Orman, director of University Health Services, said although both cases involved the meningococcal type of meningitis, the instances are not necessarily from the same strain.

According to Van Orman, the disease usually occurs in isolated instances and officials have no evidence to believe these cases are linked.

Van Orman added that the disease is extremely rare, only occurring in about one in 100,000 college students.

She said the campus and Madison area are currently not in any danger.

According to the Center for Disease Control’s web site, bacterial meningitis is contagious, but not as severely as a cold or influenza. Individuals can only transmit the bacteria by “exchanging respiratory and throat secretions,” such as coughing and kissing, but they are not spread “by casual contact.”

Van orman said even this interaction with an infected person is only “going from a very, very small risk to a small risk,” she said.

Van Orman said the symptoms of the disease are typically similar to those of the flu and can include a high fever, headache and sometimes a stiff neck.

She said, however, that the disease progresses quickly and can become critical within a few days.

For more information about bacterial meningitis visit uhs.wisc.edu.

UW study reveals stemcell technique may not be efficient for research

By Ryan Hebel the daily cardinal

Stem cell scientists may be waiting longer than anticipated for answers to ethical arguments surrounding their research, according to a UW-Madison study.

The study focused on the effectiveness of induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells, a new cell type discovered by UW-Madison researchers James Thomson and Junying Yu. However, the new research

found that while the 2007 discovery proved adult skin cells could be transformed into the building blocks for human organs just like embryonic stem cells—but without the associated controversy—the new cells produced less consistent results.

“So if the efficiency for [transforming] an embryonic stem cell is 90 percent, the effi-

ARTS l PAGE 5

PAGE 4

dailycardinal.com

Mt. Horeb, UW meningitis deaths not linked

By Kelsey Gunderson

l

Lunar Loser: Del Toro’s ‘Wolfman’ remake horrifies for all the wrong reasons

Lady underwater

Lorenzo Zemella/the daily cardinal

Hoofers brought the Statue of Liberty back to Lake Mendota this year as part of their Winter Carnival. Festivities run through the week, culminating in the Bascom Hill Rail Jam Ski and Snowboard Competition Saturday.

Board postpones financial decisions on $16 million Edgewater funds

By Ashley Davis The Daily Cardinal

The Board of Estimates met Monday, but deferred discussion regarding the Edgewater Hotel project finances.

The committee was planning to discuss a $16 million Tax Incremental Finance loan that would assist the redevelopment project.

However, the topic had to be postponed because the Board did not have the signed TIF agree-

ment, according to Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2.

The agreement involves the project developer and is reviewed by the TIF policy coordinator and city attorney’s office, Maniaci said. It must be tended to at the same time as the land use agreement.

“If one is not ready, then we don’t take up the other,” Maniaci said.

As the financial committee, the Board of Estimates handles all city

stem cell page 3

Republicans say rail line may cost taxpayers in future

By Michelle Langer The Daily Cardinal

Republicans across Wisconsin are questioning the additional costs associated with accepting more than $800 million in federal funding for a high-speed rail line.

The state Joint Finance Committee is scheduled Tuesday to discuss the federal funding that aims to connect Madison to Milwaukee and Chicago with a high-speed train.

Future funds may also be tapped to extend the rail line from Madison to the Twin Cities.

Republican gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee County

Executive Scott Walker said the funding, which comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will not cover operational costs and maintenance.

“If a rail line can pay for itself that’s great, but what WALKER I’m most concerned about are the additional building and operatrail line page 3

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Nelson Cho/the daily cardinal

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz discussed various city issues with the Board of Estimates in a meeting Monday night.

expenditures and TIF details.

Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, said there have been some misconceptions about what TIF is.

“It’s not a one-way check [to the developer, Hammes Co.]. It’s an investment that encourages growth and development that will return its larger tax increment to the city in higher property taxes,” Eagon said.

The Edgewater Hotel would generate additional property tax money to pay $6 million, while taxes from other properties, such as those on State Street and University Square, would pay the other $10 million, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.

Once the Edgewater is built, the higher property tax votes on places like University Square would be enough to cover the Edgewater costs, Verveer said.

Under the proposal by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Hammes Co. would receive an $8 million payment this year and $8 million in 2011. The increased property taxes, above what the Edgewater already pays, would in part pay money back over several years, in addition to the other TIF district properties, Verveer said.

The delay in monetary decisions regarding the Edgewater project may affect the tentative Feb. 23 Common Council vote on the development.

“Our goal was to incorporate the TIF, the zoning, the design [for Feb. 23]… for a clear decision on the project as a whole,” Eagon said.

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

page two 2

l

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892

TODAY: snowy hi 30º / lo 12º

dailycardinal.com/page-two

Passive-aggressive notes awareness week

Volume 119, Issue 88

2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 l fax (608) 262-8100

ERIN KAY VAN PAY hail to the vp

News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Charles Brace Editor in Chief Ryan Hebel Managing Editor Kelsey Gunderson Campus Editor Grace Urban City Editor Hannah Furfaro State Editor Hannah McClung Enterprise Editor Ashley Davis Associate News Editor Alison Dirr Senior News Reporters Ariel Shapiro Robert Taylor Anthony Cefali Opinion Editor Todd Stevens Jamie Stark Editorial Board Editor Katie Foran-McHale Arts Editors Jacqueline O’Reilly Scott Kellogg Sports Editors Nico Savidge Kevin Slane Page Two Editor Madeline Anderson Features Editor Ben Pierson Life and Style Editor Isabel Álvarez Photo Editors Danny Marchewka Caitlin Kirihara Graphics Editors Natasha Soglin Jenny Peek Multimedia Editor Jamie Stark Editorial Board Chair Anna Jeon Copy Chiefs Kyle Sparks Justin Stephani Jake VIctor Emily Ayres Copy Editors Stephanie Lindholm, Duwayne Sparks, Liana Zorn

WEDNESDAY: snowy hi 30º / lo 21º

T

he sad truth that we all have to cope with is that nearly 100 percent of the student body has come home after a stressful day of class to a lone note placed on the possession that your roommate for some reason has convinced themselves you will look at first that begins with the subtly accusatory “To whom it may concern.”

“It was just one big pan and three cups!” nearly 100 percent of the now-defensive student body collectively thinks while getting out a pen in order to even the score.

The cycle can only continue into a downward spiral of pseudo-anonymous snarkiness. Until now.

Just know that you have the power to help stop the composition of the most indirect and furiously scrawled nuanced notes

campus-wide! Passive-Aggressive Notes Awareness Week was started to help break the cycle of the roundabout ways that college students communicate their utter disdain of the person(s) they share quarters with. Don’t go on giving backhanded insults any longer—make your absolute disgust and the imminent insanity hinging on your roommate’s wash-and-dry habits authored and bold.

For this reason, attached to this column is a cut-out-able photograph of a Post-It that gets straight to the point and clearly says what you’ve always wanted to scream to your morbidly-couch ridden and crumbshirted housemates, but were too passive-aggressive to consider.

Sign it with your pet’s name, accidentally leave it out on the kitchen table, tape it to a dish, casually make reference to it in conversation with a strategically informed friend while in the same room as your roommate, or employ any other method you can anonymously dance around to inform the culprit!

That cereal bowl with the black, disease-harboring mold? Just watch it be poorly scrubbed and put back into the cupboard.

Happy tension!

VP is not responsible for any incidents

involving Nair shampoo, leftovers eating (no matter how delicious), girlfriend banging or the like that ensue from the presentation of this note. For more Passive Aggressive Notes Awareness Week memorabilia, please email VP at evanpay@wisc.edu.

Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Cole Wenzel Business Manager Katie Brown Advertising Manager Michael Cronin Accounts Receivable Manager Mindy Cummings Billing Manager Ana Devcic Senior Account Executive Mara Greenwald Account Executives Kristen Lindsay, D.J. Nogalski, Sarah Schupanitz Mara Greenwald Graphic Designer Eric Harris Web Director Mia Beeson Marketing Director Erin Schmidtke Archivist The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000.

The Daily Cardinal is a nonprofit organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales.

Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief.

The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both.

Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager.

Letters Policy: Letters must be typewritten, double-spaced and no longer than 200 words, including contact information. Letters may be sent to letters@dailycardinal.com.

Editorial Board Charles Brace Anthony Cefali Kathy Dittrich Ryan Hebel Nico Savidge Jamie Stark Todd Stevens Justin Stephani l

l

l

l

l

Board of Directors Vince Filak Cole Wenzel Joan Herzing Jason Stein Jeff Smoller Janet Larson Chris Long Charles Brace Katie Brown Benjamin Sayre Jenny Sereno Terry Shelton Melissa Anderson l

l

l

l

l

ASK THE DEER CARDINAL Life is hard. The Deer Cardinal is here to help.

Deer Cardinal— I’m a senior who needs to figure out a place to live next year. What are some of the various advantages to the different living options around the campus area?

—George C. Georgey-porgey, You’re bound to hear a number of myths and misconceptions about housing around this time. If you’re still trying to figure out a place to live, at least you’ve gotten past the falsehood propagated by Madison landlords that you need to sign a lease in November to guarantee a good place to live. Beyond that, each region of the city offers a unique living experience, which I’ll try to clarify as best I can.

State Street: Pro: Tons of dining options at your fingertips allow you to experience tons of new cuisine.

Con: Tons of dining options at your fingertips are rendered useless by your frugality and laziness. “Mixing it

up” means ordering from the KFC half of the combination KFC and Taco Bell.

Stadium Neighborhood: Pro: You and your roommates are participants in one of the greatest tailgating experiences in the country, as thousands of fans come together to cheer on the Badgers for seven fall Saturdays a year.

Con: You and your roommates are expected, nay, mandated by your non-Stadium friends to have one of the greatest tailgating experiences in the country, and invite thousands of friends to come together and puke in your bushes for seven fall Saturdays a year.

The Dorms: Pro: As a senior, you’ll be looked to as a natural leader in the dorms, and will undoubtedly particpate in tons of fun dorm activities Con: As a senior, you’ll be looked to as a natural source of beer by everyone else in the dorm, and will undoubtedly not be invited to any of

their parties, as your presence is often characterized as “creepy.”

Hope that empirical look at housing choices helps you in your decision-making process George. Happy hunting!

Deer CardinalI can’t feel my face, and my teeth keep making clicking noises. My roommate told me that I probably have herpes or the mumps, but I don’t trust him, because he’s a desk lamp. HELP ME! —Patrick S Patty WagonFrom the sounds of it, you have a very treatable case of multi-associational inanimatidentitis, or MAID for short. The symptoms of MAID can be triggered by variety of factors, including the ingesting of psychotropic drugs, huffing cans of computer duster, or eating bad sushi. Really bad sushi. The easiest way to treat MAID is to get a big glass of water, heat up about 40 Totino’s Pizza Rolls

and watch “Dazed and Confused” on mute with Will Smith’s Big Willie Style playing on repeat. The symptoms won’t subside right away, but you’ll be so entranced by the subtle ways “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” mirrors Matthew McConaughey’s movements, and you’ll spend at least an hour eating those pizza rolls. As long as Lampy doesn’t talk over the movie, you should slip into a MAID-induced slumber around the 45-minute mark of the film, and wake up in the morning as good as new.

Send all your questions for the Deer Cardinal to deercardinal@dailycardin al.com. As soon as he’s done listening to “Miami” for the twelfth time he’ll send you a response.

l

© 2010, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398

For the record Corrections or clarifications?

Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com.

Look for it online and in print next week

dailycardinal.com/news

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

l

news

3

Assembly may vote to override Doyle’s veto on DNR legislation

Isabel Álvarez/cardinal File Photo

The Charter Street Heating Plant, which currently burns coal, will soon consume only natural gas and biomass fuels. Officials are now seeking potential biomass fuel suppliers in the area.

Panel begins seeking biomass suppliers for Charter St. plant

By Kelsey Gunderson The Daily Cardinal

Officials working on the renovation plans for the UW-Madison Charter Street Heating Plant are now in the process of searching for possible biomass suppliers to fuel the future plant.

The plant currently burns coal, but once the renovation is completed it will burn both natural gas and biomass fuels, according to Troy Runge, director of the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative.

He said using natural gas and biomass, which is any plant material including wood, corn or shrubbery, is more environmentally friendly and generally better for breathing.

According to Runge, who is also the chair of the panel responsible for finding biomass suppliers

stem cell from page 1 ciency for IPS cell differentiation might be like 20 percent,” UW professor Su-Chun Zhang, the report’s senior author, said.

Zhang’s team, led by fellow UW scientist Baoyang Hu, found that IPS cells are much less predictable than embryonic stem cells, so transforming them into any one of the intended cell types—whether brain, blood, nerve or another kind of cell— for transplants and other purpos-

rail line from page 1 operating costs once the federal money runs out, that will be passed down to taxpayers,” he said in a statement.

According to Jim Bender, spokesperson for state Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, operating subsidy costs could total $7.5 million annually and would not be covered by ARRA funding.

Kristin Ruesch, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said Walker’s biggest issue with the funding is that taxpayers may be left to pay for rail line upkeep. She said she hopes Democratic members of the JFC will consider how the rail line may affect taxpayers.

to serve the plant, discussions with local farmers and businesses are currently underway.

“We have to figure out who’s got what and what are they looking for in terms of money,” he said. “We know there is enough biomass, it’s just whether there are enough businesses to supply that mass.”

Runge added, however, that the current discussions are more of a “survey” intended just to get an idea of suppliers that might be interested.

“We’re hoping to get a very large response rate because we want to learn about what people are interested in doing,” he said.

Runge said three boilers will run on natural gas and the fourth will use biomass. The decision to use the biomass, he said, was

originally Gov. Jim Doyle’s idea to begin to “develop a biomass market” in Wisconsin.

“We know there is enough biomass, it’s just whether there are enough businesses to supply that mass.”

Troy Runge director Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative

According to a UW-Madison news release, the plant’s renovation is expected to cost about $250 million and will consume about 250,000 tons of biomass each year.

The plant’s construction is expected to begin in 2011 and be completed by 2013.

es is difficult, but not impossible.

“It doesn’t deter the use of IPS cells per se. It tells people that the IPS cell technology is not there yet,” Zhang said.

The use of embryonic stem cells was pioneered by Thomson in 1998 while researching at UW-Madison.

President Barack Obama recently removed restrictions on embryonic stem cell research implemented under former President George W. Bush, but the method is still contested by many for its destruction of human embryos.

Despite the need for improved techniques, Zhang said he doesn’t expect the inefficiencies associated with IPS cells to last long.

“I’m kind of optimistic because the technology for IPS really moved very fast, at least in terms of the past few years … so hopefully people will find a novel way of doing things and to overcome that issue. That’s my hope,” Zhang said.

Zhang’s study was published in the Feb. 15 edition of the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” journal.

“You would hope that Democrats would share the concerns that Republicans have on behalf of their constituents,” she said.

advancement opportunity.

“Trying to insert petty politics into a project that stands to boost the economy for generations is shortsighted and backwards,” he said.

Democrats say they expect that, even with contention over the money, the JFC will still approve the grant.

John Anderson, spokesperson for JFC co-chair state Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, said there are 16 people on the committee and nine votes are needed to approve the request.

“If we don’t spend it then the money will go to another state,” Anderson said. “It’s a huge opportunity for the state and for economic development.”

Hannah Furfaro contributed to this article.

“Trying to insert petty politics into a project that stands to boost the economy for generations is short-sighted and backwards.”

Adam Collins spokesperson Gov. Jim Doyle

Adam Collins, spokesperson for Gov. Jim Doyle, said the Republican’s stance is an instance of partisan politics getting in the way of an economic

The Wisconsin state Assembly will consider overriding Gov. Jim Doyle’s veto of a bill regarding an independent Department of Natural Resources secretary Tuesday.

The bill, vetoed by Doyle last November, would give a citizen board the authority to appoint the DNR secretary. Current law allows the governor to appoint the secretary.

The legislation passed the Assembly on a 61-to-32 bipartisan vote in September 2009.

An amended version of the bill passed on a 49-to-44 vote last November. An override of Doyle’s veto requires a two-thirds majority vote from the Assembly.

State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, who authored the bill, said he is confident Democrats will vote in favor

of the legislation but said Republican members may choose to vote against it.

“Republicans will have to put politics aside if we’re going to reach the 66 votes necessary for the override,” he said in a statement.

Adam Collins, Doyle’s spokesperson, said allowing the governor to appoint the DNR secretary ensures a “direct line of accountability for citizens concerned about the national resources policy of the state.”

“Under Governor Doyle’s leadership we have had the greatest environmental accomplishments in decades. … To go back to the old bureaucracy would harm Wisconsin’s ability to create jobs,” he said in a statement.

—Hannah Furfaro

UW-Milwaukee settles lawsuit with campus newspaper, pays attorney fees UW-Milwaukee settled an open records lawsuit and agreed to pay nearly $12,000 in attorney fees to their campus newspaper Friday.

The lawsuit, filed in November 2009 by The UWM Post, requested that the university turn over unredacted documents from a UW-Milwaukee student government body that handles union policy.

According to Kevin Lessmiller, editor-in-chief of The UWM Post, the UW-Milwaukee records custodian cited the federal Family Education and Rights Privacy Act as reason to withhold records of minutes from a Union Policy Board meeting that occurred last January.

He said UW-Milwaukee “stretched their definition of FERPA” and said student government bodies should be held openly.

Tyler Kristopeit, Union Policy Board chair, said the university offered to turn over unredacted documents if all board members agreed

to openly submit their information.

However, when one student decided against submitting his information, both personal and policy information was blocked out.

“Normally if it was a redaction, it would just be a name… but in this case, it would be whole sections,” he said. “There would be 10-minute spaces where there wasn’t any sound, and all of a sudden you would hear the Assistant Union Director say, ‘Yeah, that is correct.’”

Kristopeit said he did not understand why the university was adamant about withholding the information and said the unredacted documents did not include content that posed a threat to UW-Milwaukee.

He said he tried to get unredacted documents for The UWM Post but was unable to provide them.

“I tried to help them get the documents and I couldn’t even do it,” he said.

—Hannah Furfaro

Looking for prestige?

The Daily Cardinal’s award-winning staff is looking for writers, photographers, artists and copy editors to join its ranks.

No pipe required, quill and scroll provided.

E-mail editor@dailycardinal.com for more information.

opinion Tea Party in the USA 4

l

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

BEN TURPIN opinion columnist

D

ue to the protests, the growing number of people involved, and the controversial convention last week, the so-called Tea Party movement is getting more and more difficult to ignore.

But who are these people and what do they really stand for? In a late January survey, 40 percent of respondents said that they either had not heard of the movement or did not know enough about it to form an opinion.

Granted, this poll was conducted before the recent National Tea Party Convention, but that event did not really provide any more definitive information about this group than was already available.

The foundation of the Tea Party movement is the belief that the level of current government spending is excessive and even immoral. The movement has formed as a result of populist anger over measures like the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler and the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Members are upset about the skyrocketing national debt and condemn the notion that the government should spend the country out of the difficult economy.

The group needs to stick with that message because although its foundation is conservative, the group is not loyal to any one party (they were no happier with former

President Bush’s fiscal policies than they are with President Obama’s) and its message likely strikes a chord with some independents who are not typically Republican leaning. Sarah Palin, who was much more effective speaking to a group of backers than she ever will be running for (or holding) a political office, could have done a better job of this. While she hit on key non-partisan issues like massive, pork-laden bills Congress votes on without having the time to read them and the disappointing results of the recent stimulus bill, she also spent part of her speech on issues like the War on Terror and abortion.

Independent voters are more important right now than they have ever been in the United States. The 2008 election proved that and polls continue to bear it out. If the Tea Party can keep itself at least somewhat appealing to independents, it could effectively throw its weight behind the issue of meaningful government spending reform. As a bloc of independent voters, the Tea Party can be dangerous to both major parties if they choose to continue their current spending policy. If the movement becomes merely an extension of the Republican Party, it will lose much of its ability to sway independent voters, and, subsequently, its ability to force Democrats, who will definitely still have a majority in the Senate, to address its concerns in their agenda.

This would be very disappointing because government spending has ballooned to a completely unsustainable level and continues to grow. By running massive deficits, the United States government has

view Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.

students need rental help

N

ow that this year’s rental rush is, for the most part, over, it’s important to begin reflecting on your current living situation. Things probably aren’t as rosy as you thought they would be when you decided to sign the lease on your apartment or house.

There are always stories about that one elusive landlord, the one who shows up the second you call and is handy in all sorts of situations, but they’re probably not your landlord. Chances are, you probably have a pretty long list of things that are wrong with your apartment, and you’ve told your landlord countless times to fix them before they become a serious problem. But there are steps you can take to ensure that you live comfortably until Aug. 15th.

As a tenant, you have rights. And tenants have more rights than most people are aware of. That’s why we have a Tenant Resource Center. It’s a place for tenant education, as well as arbitration. The TRC helps Madison residents reach agreements with landlords so little issues don’t have to get dragged out in the courts.

Unfortunately, the TRC is an underutilized resource and doesn’t have the financial stability to truly reach out to students, leaving a void in education and information. We can blame it on the TRC’s inconvenient location on Willy Street, but in reality, the same reason that students don’t threaten legal action on their landlords is the same reason they don’t make the trek to the TRC. Students do not have the time or the knowledge to stand up to their landlords for negligence and other issues.

Recently, ASM removed a proposal for a student tenant resource center from the upcoming budget because of funding con-

cerns. This follows the zero-funding decision made last year regarding the proposal.

The proposed student tenant resource center had the potential to create the necessary conduit between student tenants and landlords, and should be a priority for ASM. This is something that is well worth our segregated fees, and would definitely make an input in the greater Madison community.

Students come to UW as freshmen, move into the dorms and make plans to move out of the dorms as early as October. The university needs to acknowledge that many of its dorm residents do not return and plan accordingly. It is important to make sure that first time renters know what they’re getting into when they sign a lease, and that they have defined rights for dealing with landlords and issues with rental properties. Many students write off poor conditions in their homes as a byproduct of living in a college house, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

The student body needs an authority on the subject that can function like the TRC, but is tailored to students needs.

Ignorant renters do not benefit themselves, their landlord or the community. The lack of knowledge about living situations contributes to the overall deterioration of many houses in Madison, and these are simple problems that can be avoided with education and outreach.

The TRC does not have the resources available to outreach to students as much as they should or as much as it would like. The university needs to provide a place where students can learn about their rights and settle landlord-tenant relationship issues.

dailycardinal.com/opinion

LORENZO ZEMELLA/DAILY CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Tea Party protestors gather at a tax day rally last year at the Wisconsin State Capitol, speaking out against government spending they feel has gotten out of control. left itself no choice but to run the printing presses full time, inflating and devaluing our currency in the process. Any efforts to turn the trend around can only have positive results.

But by choosing Sarah Palin as the keynote speaker of a convention that was run by an obviously for-profit organization, Tea Party organizers handicapped their own cause. Sarah Palin, regardless of what she says or does at this point, will always be an easy, Dan Quayle-esque target for liberal pot shots. She has simply made too many ridiculous comments and been at the center of too many controversies. Regardless of why she was at the convention, her mere presence gave it a Republican aura. Beyond that, the haphazard way the convention itself was run cast the movement as a headless organization that does not know where it is going. This is not the image it will

need if it is going to accomplish anything, or even be around long enough to have a chance.

The Tea Party movement is a grassroots uprising of people who are angry about the way their government is spending their money, be it that of today’s generation or of tomorrow’s. This is a message independents can get on board with and one that can garner enough support to have a tangible effect on policy. But in order to harness its potential, the Tea Party movement needs to stick to its central message. The movement must get organized in a way that indicates it is legitimate. If organizers continue to operate the way they do now, their message will fall on the deaf ears of politicians who know the movement does not have the votes to punish them for not listening.

Ben Turpin is a junior majoring in psychology. Please send out all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

dissent: help exists now

T

here are admittedly many problems facing student tenants in Madison, ranging from dirty apartments with barely functioning refrigerators, to poor responses to maintenance calls, to the ubiquitous wrongful withholding of deposits for unsubstantiated reasons.

The Student Tenant Resource Center was designed to help students deal with housing problems or concerns and has asked ASM for $50,000 to fund the organization’s operations. In principle, the STRC, funded by seg fees, would work to ensure that students are aware of their rights as tenants, help them resolve problems concerning their living situation and, if necessary, serve as an arbitrator between tenants and landlords. This would hopefully keep students and landlords out of small-claims courts and ensure that students get treated fairly.

ASM should not allocate funding for services that will not be utilized by students, regardless of how beneficial they are in principle.

It goes without saying that tenant resource centers are beneficial to communities and ensure fair and safe living conditions for renters. This is why Dane County, the City of Madison, Community Shares of Madison and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development currently fund one; the Tenant Resource Center (TRC) is located on the near east side on Williamson Street and offers free counseling services for tenants and landlords interested in learning more about their rights and responsibilities.

The TRC is open to the public, and that includes students. Any tenant with questions about a housing contract or landlord’s legal responsibilities can call or stop by. The TRC is the place to go when your landlord

hasn’t returned a deposit or fails to respond to repeated requests for maintenance. The center unquestionably offers a valuable service to renters and property owners in Wisconsin.

Despite the negative publicity received by some of Madison’s largest property management companies, students continue to rent, year after year, from some of the city’s worst offenders. Students’ decisions regarding housing situations are generally influenced by concerns about location and roommates.

Students don’t consult a tenant resource center before signing a lease and they don’t turn there for help when a landlord attempts to charge them for carpet cleaning.

Students don’t take advantage of the resources available to them when it comes to housing selection and resolving housing issues. The creation of a Student Tenant Resource Center won’t change this, even if it is more centrally located. And while increasing student awareness about their rights as tenants is a noble endeavor, doing so should not be the responsibility of the university or done at the expense of students.

UW’s $50,000 STRC would copycat services already offered by the TRC. And as few students are aware of or take advantage of the services offered by the TRC, the existence of a STRC doesn’t seem justified. ASM should not allocate funding for services that will not be utilized by students, regardless of how beneficial they are in principle. The failure of students to utilize the TRC does not bode well for the proposed STRC and it fails to be seen how student behavior would change by funding the STRC. If ASM does want to contribute to bettering the student renter experience it would be worthwhile to help fund the city’s TRC. Doing so would allow the TRC to improve their student outreach and make sure that assistance is available to student tenants who need it. We don’t need the STRC to ensure that tenant rights are upheld.

Kathy Dittrich Editorial Board Member

arts

dailycardinal.com/arts

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

l

5

Eccentric artists bring music to life with individual personas, experimentation JUSTIN STEPHANI j.j. dilla

I

PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES

In what could have been a frightening and powerful remake of the horror classic, the silver bullet was certainly not the only culprit in the disaster that is ‘The Wolfman.’

‘The Wolfman’ bites

By Mark Riechers THE DAILY CARDINAL

An entire audience of people groans at the cheesy finale of “The Wolfman,” then angrily clears the auditorium before the credits even start rolling. Universal hatred drips from the walls as everyone from middle-aged married couples to teenagers who snuck in during the trailers consider demanding a refund.

Watching it all play out was marvelous; still, it didn’t make the dull remake worth sitting through.

What happened to this horror classic?

“Wolfman” blandly mixes botched suspense, incomplete philosophy and shlocky gore in a mushy porridge of boredom and period drama.

In this version of the tale, our hero Lawrence (Benicio Del Toro) returns from his worldwide tour with his theatrical company to his family’s country estate to uncover what happened to his missing brother.

His investigation eventually leads him to a gypsy camp (naturally) where he is attacked by the beast that killed his brother, leaving him wounded but alive. The attack curses him, leaving him to transform into “the beast” under a full moon. He then somehow has to deal with the curse or risk hurting those he loves, including his brother’s fiancé Gwen (Emily Blunt).

“Wolfman” blandly mixes botched suspense, incomplete philosophy and shlocky gore in a mushy porridge of boredom and period drama.

The revised origin of this curse is actually sort of interesting—something to do with a feral child in the mountains. But that’s about as much mythology as the audience gets, which is pretty disappointing. Silver bullets are referenced, but not explained. You couldn’t remake “Dracula” or “Night of the Living Dead” without explaining some of the origins of those monsters; why did the writers think they could skip it here?

That’s not all the film seems to skip

over. A man who has lost everything in his life has plenty of anguish to convey, but the film gives us little opportunity to observe Lawrence’s reaction to his new curse and its effects.

Absent of plot and characters, and unoriginal in its few action sequences, there’s not a whole lot to sink your teeth into.

All we get is a formulaic progression from the moment we see a full moon: an unnecessarily elaborate transformation sequence, a blurry action scene and excessively bright, awakening outdoor shot containing bloody, torn clothes. Repeat. Mix in various period details and props like steam-powered buses and horse-and-buggies for good measure.

Speaking of period detail, that’s really the one production value that seems to be overemphasized. Interiors are grand and Victorian in style, and hats, petticoats, monocles and muttonchops adorn every character on screen. Hugo Weaving delivers the only interesting performance as a detective of Scotland Yard hunting Wolfie, but his wicked mustache-into-muttonchops facial hair largely overpowers his scenes.

As far as the action goes, it seems pretty off-key from the rest of the film.

Wolfie leaves a trail of torn throats and the occasional severed arm or clawful of guts flying through the air as he whizzes by.

Most of these scenes forced some giggles from the impatient audience, which is probably not quite what the director was going for. Apparently the editor didn’t get the memo that this was supposed to be a serious, philosophical thriller, not a poorly cut B-movie.

Absent of substantial plot and characters, and unoriginal in its few action sequences, there’s not a whole lot to sink your teeth into. And by the time it all ends with a silver bullet, we’re more concerned with getting out of the parking lot than we are about the morality of killing a monster.

like to describe albums as personalities—created by or representative of artists—and treat them as if they were companions that come and go throughout life, interacting in ways deep enough to consider them entities.

Certain songs and albums can be angry at the world for polluting the environment, in search of consolation after a tough relationship ends, demanding society to improve social standards or any other sentiment a human can feel or express. To further my claim and say that personality found in the music world is essentially a microcosm of the same found in our world, all sorts of extremes—many of them unpleasant to seek, and even worse to find—must be sought out.

Unfortunately, bland, shallow and corporate personalities have become most pervasive in contemporary society, whereas at different points in history, music has subtly taken on stronger personas, such as an instigator for equal rights, a global melting pot of cultures and most often a voice of counterculture movements. Yet throughout time, I have consistently found one of the hardest, most rewarding and intriguing personalities to dive into: the eccentric.

The eccentrics combine those extremes given above with everything in between.

Most often, one persona or sound is used as a distraction while a deeper meaning is hidden in a usually clever or ironic presentation. They are not afraid to be wholly abstract or offensively direct. In fact, I’d wager they feel uncomfortable being anything else. Most of all, they are always more conscious of their sound, expression and message than any other music artists.

Which leads me to one of the few obvious aesthetic traits serving as an indicator: inaccessibility. I have found them to be a notoriously tough nut to crack, making it tough to find diehard fans of David Bowie, David Byrne or Brian Eno collections—in my opinion, three of the more prominent eccentrics from the ’70s.

Ever heard of the Talking Heads?

Probably. But how many people know them for more than that one song Billy Bass used to constantly belt in Walgreens and Wal-mart aisles everywhere? A lot less.

Even David Bowie’s masterpiece, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, is often overlooked or unheard of, with Bowie’s backgrounds usually only extending to “Changes” and the Guitar Hero version of “Ziggy Stardust.” Yet Ziggy Stardust was one of the first successful concept albums that sewed social criticisms into the seams of its sci-fi narrative. And the best part is how quickly these artists get

bored with what they’re working on. David Byrne and Brian Eno collaborated while taking breaks from other projects to create My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, on which they use mostly household items for percussion like cardboard boxes and frying pans, the sampled speech of exorcists, Arabian commercials, etc. to serve as lyricisms, as well as several other pioneering recordings in the ambient genre.

Two groups immediately come to mind as carrying on this tradition today: The Flaming Lips and of Montreal repeatedly stretch boundaries in inexplicably bizarre ways. I don’t have the word count to go through all of their oddities, but the highlights still impress. The Flaming Lips’ Zaireeka is one of the most thought-out experimental albums of our time with public experiments done while composing, and specific strategies for listening—the album consists of four separate discs meant to be played simultaneously on four different stereo systems.

Eccentric songwriters create unique sounds and take them in such radical directions that their personality must become intertwined with their music.

Meanwhile, of Montreal’s music has turned what were innocently presented characters and stories—“Old People in the Cemetery,” “My British Tour Diary,” “Chrissy Kiss the Corpse”—into excruciatingly vivid personal statements, which prompted do-it-all front man Kevin Barnes to unveil his alter ego, Georgie Fruit. Luckily, today’s music culture provides more touring and interaction with artists than ever before. So when Kevin Barnes comes out on a rotating stage to do a show in a thong belting, “Come on chemicals!” from the ’80s power pop pleaser, “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse,” there’s no way around judging his character and alter-ego as being entangled with the music. And this is where my personalist theory finds its solid base: extreme personalities.

There’s so much more to delve into with these two entities as they add depth with each radical release—not to mention other artists who dabble in such eccentricities, such as Wolf Parade and its several off-shoots—or keep them under a false façade of comfort, like John Vanderslice.

Taking the time and attention to unravel these layers makes them the most rewarding listening experiences, as these artists are doing music a service through experimentation. Eccentric songwriters create unique sounds and take them in such radical directions that their personality must become intertwined with their music. And if you ask me, that’s what music is there for.

Want to show off your own eccentricities? Try to impress Justin at jstephani@wisc.edu.

Viral Videos of the Week Search terms: Snowpocalypse Now! OH NO, 14-22 INCHES OF SNOW?! It may be difficult for us Wisconsinites to comprehend the sheer anticipation behind the east coast’s blizzard last week. Luckily for us, this well-mannered weatherman tells it like it is.

Search terms: Hammer Toss Fail This is hardly a unique premise judging by the title alone: an aspiring athlete takes on more than he can handle, ending in a bruised ego, among other things. But the ensuing launch into a temporary orbit is worth the familiar set-up.

comics 6

l

Breathe easy: It is impossible to kill yourself by holding your breath. dailycardinal.com/comics

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Riding a bike

Today’s Sudoku

Evil Bird

By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

© Puzzles by Pappocom

Ludicrous Linguistics

By Celia Donnelly donnelly.celia@gmail.com

Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Sid and Phil Classic

By Alex Lewein alex@sidandphil.com

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

Crustaches

Charlie and Boomer

By Patrick Remington premington@wisc.edu

By Natasha Soglin soglin@wisc.edu

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com Color coded 1 6 9 14 5 1 16 17 18 19 0 2 23 24 5 2 27 32 33 34 36 39 41 3 4 44 46 48 49 51 53 56

ACROSS More than fear “El,” pluralized Words to live by “Divine Comedy” penner “20/20” airer Like the boonies Mercury, in alchemy It’s heard in a herd “___ you glad you did?”

Chicken, so to speak Attitude of selfimportance Category in pitching’s Triple Crown Ball masks (Var.) Concentrated extracts Saucy and sassy “Rope-a-dope” pugilist Flying flock of geese Father of Indira Gandhi Classroom reading “No right turn ___” (traffic sign) Litigation instigator River embankment Revolutionary periods?

GQ or Cosmo, e.g.

Congerlike Like well water Deserted Baby food

7 Fall back 5 58 Combat award 64 Early American diplomat Silas 66 Prospecting yield 67 Diffuse 68 Peptic problem 69 Answers to some proposals 70 West Yorkshire metropolis 71 ___ Peak, Colo.

72 2-BR listing 73 Chesapeake Bay or Oslo Fjord, e.g.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 11 12 13

DOWN 1944 turning point Bulldoze An organic compound Churchill was his predecessor and successor Does a cattleman’s chore Symbol of innocence Certain chamber music instrument Give a tongue-lashing to Some horse cart operators “___ Gang” Aptitude for gardening Certain drupe A chorus line?

1 Screwball 2 22 Do more than prune (with “off”) 26 Angers 27 “Duke of ___” 28 Fruit similar to a plum 29 Gorilla patriarch 30 Choosing rhyme starter 31 Engendered 35 Very close 37 Not imaginary 38 Driving force 40 Directors Ang and Spike 42 A tieback ties it back 45 Couples marrying quickly 47 Language that “Kwanzaa” comes from 50 “Hey” follower 52 Zaius and Honorious, e.g.

53 Angry and impatient 54 Marks on old manuscripts 55 Capital of Sweden 59 Play thing?

60 “___ we forget” (Kipling) 61 Victim of sibling rivalry 62 Hardly gentlemanly 63 Reason for a cram session 65 Birth name signifier

Washington and the Bear

By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com

sports

dailycardinal.com/sports

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Women’s Basketball

ryan from page 8

By Mark Bennett

However Ryan has seen the process develop since the beginning of the season.

“It doesn’t start in January or February,” Ryan said. “It’s all developed over a course of time.”

Bohannon has led by example of late, scoring 19, 18 and 15 points in three of his last four contests before exploding for 30 points against Indiana.

Some discussion also centered on Leuer as he continues to recover from

UW recovers from frustrating losses with win over Hoosiers THE DAILY CARDINAL

It was beginning to look like déjà vu for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team. That is, until senior guard Rae Lin D’Alie had something to say about it.

Riding a two game home skid, and coming off an exceptionally disappointing loss on the road against Purdue last Sunday, the Wisconsin women’s basketball team faced a must win against Indiana Sunday night at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers (8-6 Big Ten, 18-7 overall) found their touch on the free throw line and hung tough on defense throughout the night though to secure their eighth conference win of the season, 66-58.

The victory kept Wisconsin tied for third place in the Big Ten with Michigan State, and marked the first time in program history that the Badgers have swept Indiana in a season.

The Badgers began in their usual fashion, jumping out to a comfortable 18-9 lead just over nine minutes into the game.

From there, Wisconsin remained focused on offense and determined on defense for the rest of the half. Even when the long range shots weren’t falling, or the layups went in and out, the Badgers were all over the boards, creating key second chances throughout the evening.

Wisconsin finished the night with 36 rebounds and 15 second chance points.

“We call that the ‘X-factor,’ head coach Lisa Stone said. “You’re diving on the floor, you’re tipping it away ... it just gives us another chance to get to the rim or get fouled.”

The Badgers entered halftime up by six, but ran into a re-energized Hoosier team in the second half. With 16:30 left in the game, Indiana sunk back to back 3-point shots to narrow the Wisconsin led to just two.

However, Wisconsin held tough for the next twelve min-

utes, as both teams matched each other virtually basket for basket. With 3:50 left in the game though, the Hoosiers tied the contest at 50.

That’s when D’Alie decided to take matters into her own hands.

With three and a half minutes remaining, D’Alie took the ball in the far corner and sunk a 3-pointer. In the Hoosiers ensuing possession, D’Alie wrestled the ball away for the steal and drove down for a layup, putting Wisconsin up by five.

The Badgers never looked back and held tight for the remainder of the game, sinking important free throws down the stretch.

D’Alie’s heroics came on a particularly meaningful night for the senior, and an historic evening for the Wisconsin basketball program. The Waterford, Wis. native set the Wisconsin women’s

all time record for games played and games started, with 125 and 124 respectively.

D’Alie was also one of three Badgers to score in double figures, finishing the night with 14.

Junior forward Tara Steinbauer led Wisconsin with 19, as junior guard Alyssa Karel added 13.

Indiana senior guard and Marshfield, WI native Jamie Braun shined in front of her home-state crowd, leading the Hoosiers with 20 points.

The Badgers next play host to Big Ten leader Ohio State on Thursday, and coach Stone and the rest of her team know they have what it takes to win.

“They’re in this for each other,” Stone said. “They’ll do whatever they can for each other whether it’s making an extra pass or making dinner. They truly are a family.”

eaves from page 8 we get into the playoffs and down the line.”

It will be tough for Wisconsin to keep functioning that well on the power play this weekend, though, as No. 4 St. Cloud State brings their impressive special teams squad into the Kohl Center for the Badgers’ last home series of the regular season. Wisconsin can clinch home ice in the WCHA playoffs with a sweep of the Huskies, but it will not be easy against the team that sits two points ahead of them in the standings.

Although St. Cloud State is coming off of a 8-1 drubbing at the hands of North Dakota, the game will still be a close competition between two of the WCHA’s top teams. Eaves said the Badgers’ ability to score on the power play “is going to be one of those key issues” against the Huskies.

“They are probably one of the more skilled teams in our league,” he said. “They work well as a penalty killing group together; it’s going to be a challenge.”

Depth will be another factor that will determine if Wisconsin

olympics from page 8

ISABEL ÁLVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Rae Lin D’Alie had an impressive performance in her recordbreaking night against Indiana. The Badgers won 66-58 Sunday.

quated and filled with unimportant sports played by unknown athletes. But the games are all about the anonymous heroes who come from nowhere to inspire a nation, whether it’s a group of college kids under Herb Brooks defeating the Soviets in 1980, or whatever story emerges from this

l

7

his injury, and see more and more time on the court during practice.

Wisconsin would be excited to welcome back the team’s leading scorer, but Ryan said even if Leuer is cleared to play in game-time action in the near future, Ryan still needs to see Leuer prove himself once again in practice before logging major minutes.

“I’ll have to see him on the floor,” Ryan said. “It’ll be tryouts again. If he gets back to practice he’s going to have to try to get back into the lineup.” will have success against St. Cloud State. In some of its more recent wins, including their series-opening victory over Minnesota-Duluth and their win against Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium, the Badgers have used their depth to outlast opponents and pull away to take the win.

Eaves stressed the importance of having depth, especially in the chase for a national title Wisconsin finds itself in.

“You take a look at any good team that’s won a championship, if you go back and look at it, each one of those teams will have that factor of depth,” he said.

As well as the big picture of the national title, Eaves said the Badgers must use their depth over the course of a weekend series if they want to pick up wins in their last few WCHA series.

“When you’re playing a 60 minute game and you’re playing 120 minutes over the course of a weekend, if you can roll four lines there’s a gradual wearing down and if those lines can play at a high level and play with some skill and play well together it does wear [the opponent] down,” he said. year’s Olympics.

So even if you can’t hope to understand curling and think the games are pointless, give them a shot—I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Still think the Olympics are a waste of time? Well you’re wrong.

But if you want to share your incorrect opinion with Nico, e-mail him at savidgewilki@wisc.edu.

Women’s Tennis

Rough weekend yields home losses for Badgers

By Emma Condon THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Wisconsin women’s tennis team exited the ITA Indoor Team Championship this weekend after three consecutive loses to ranked opponents 6-1.

The Badgers (2-7) hosted the tournament for their twenty-third consecutive year and took on No. 1 Duke (7-1) in their first round match for the second. Duke collected the early advantage by sweeping the doubles matches and carried that momentum into singles where they won all six first sets.

For five of the ladies, that was it and they BERNER fell in second sets but freshman Hannah Berner battled back to take her second against No. 63 sophomore Monica Gorny 62 and force a third-set tiebreak which she won 10-6. The victory allowed Wisconsin to improve on

last year’s shutout loss to Duke, and the Blue Devils settled for the 6-1 victory.

The women came back bright and early Saturday morning for a 9 a.m. date with their consolation opponent, No. 14 Clemson (9-2) where they again had to enter singles play carrying a one-point doubles deficit, despite the best effort of senior Katya Mirnova and junior Jessica Seyferth who pushed to a tiebreak at No. 3.

This time it was Seyferth who came up with the singles win at No. 3 to put the Badgers on the board. She downed senior Tiger Ina Hadziselimovic 6-2, 6-3. Clemson notched three more wins while junior Alaina Trgovich waged on against senior Estefania Balda at No. 6. The Badger won her first set but dropped the second 0-6 and fought Balda to 14-12 in the tiebreak, but Balda prevailed and the Tigers finished the match 6-1.

The Badgers concluded their tournament stint with a third consolation loss to No. 9 Georgia Tech (6-2) who was ousted from the

main bracket in the first round

by No. 3 California and again by Tennessee. After three doubles sets the Badgers once again found themselves staring down an early deficit, but this time a strong showing from Seyferth and Mirnova tipped one in the Badger’s favor as the co-captain pair won their match 8-6. Berner and freshman Kathleen Saltarelli almost made it two but the duo lost the tiebreak for their match and the decision 9-7.

In singles, Trgovich built on Saturday’s strong showing and finally earned her win straightout in a 7-5, 7-5 victory over sophomore Hilary Davis at No. 6.

Trgovich’s was the lone win for the women on Saturday.

The tournament drew to a close on Monday afternoon where No. 2 Northwestern defeated No. 11 North Carolina 4-2 in the Championship match.

The women’s tennis team will continue their run at home this weekend against Western Michigan (6-3). The first serve drops at 11 a.m. at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

LORENZO ZEMELLA/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Jessica Seyferth’s singles win was one bright spot of Wisconsin’s weekend against some of the top teams in the country.

sports 8

l

dailycardinal.com/sports

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Men’s Basketball

Tall Gophers could pose problems for Ryan, UW

By Scott Kellogg THE DAILY CARDINAL

Head coach Bo Ryan addressed the media two days after Wisconsin’s 83-55 win over Indiana, as his team now prepares for a road game against

Minnesota Thursday.

The Badgers’ win against the Hoosiers allowed them to keep pace with Michigan State and Ohio State, who both won this weekend.

Now with a 9-4 Big Ten record (19-

Leuer returns to practice Nine games went by, with six wins and three losses, but something was missing for the Badgers. A certain 6'10" presence, described by one teammate as “the giraffe.”

Consider it no longer missing.

Less than an hour after head coach Bo Ryan was mum on the status of his team’s top scorer, junior forward Jon Leuer practiced for the first time since breaking his wrist in a game against Purdue Jan. 9.

“It feels good to get back out there and mix it up with the guys,” Leuer said. “That’s just the main thing I miss is just the camaraderie with my teammates and it’s fun to get back out there.”

Leuer said he would play with no cast but would be getting his wrist taped to practice. Both he and sophomore point guard Jordan Taylor did LEUER not comment on the prospect of playing or starting against the Gophers in Minneapolis Thursday night.

Since Leuer went down, more of Wisconsin’s scoring has come from the perimeter as the team replaced him with the 6'1" Taylor in the starting lineup. Wisconsin averaged just under 19 3-point attempts per game before the injury but that jumped to nearly 26 per game in the last nine contests.

—Ben Breiner

6 overall), No. 16 Wisconsin sits one game behind the league-leading Spartans and Buckeyes, and is one of five teams at the top of the conference separated by one game.

The Badgers began a stretch last Saturday that includes five out of six teams on their schedule with losing records, and that span continues against the 5-7 (14-10 overall) Golden Gophers.

Minnesota has lost three of its last four, and six of its last eight.

The Gophers have not been the same since junior guard Al Nolen was indefinitely suspended before the team’s Jan. 13 game against Michigan State.

But Ryan believes the Gophers’ height could create some issues for Wisconsin. The Badgers, without 6'10" junior forward Jon Leuer, seemed to be bothered by Illinois’ height advantage in last Tuesday’s contest, and the Gophers could present a similar problem.

“Some of the things they can do with the passing lanes [can hurt us],” Ryan said. “Especially for us with our lineup, it can make a difference.”

Headlining Minnesota’s height advantage is sophomore forward Ralph Sampson, who stands at 6'11". The Gophers also start 6'7"

NICO SAVIDGE savidge nation

I

LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Blake Geoffrion had three goals, two of them on the power play, in Wisconsin’s dominating sweep of Minnesota State last weekend.

Badgers look to stay strong on special teams against St. Cloud THE DAILY CARDINAL

After scoring six goals with a man advantage against Minnesota State last weekend, the Wisconsin power play unit is flying high. Add to that a pair of shorthanded goals during that series and two power play goals against Michigan Feb. 6, and the Badger special teams are playing as well as they have at any point all year.

senior forward Damian Johnson, who could create matchup problems for Wisconsin’s tallest starter, junior forward Keaton Nankivil, likely already guarding Sampson.

Minnesota’s backcourt could also be an area of concern for the Badgers. Ryan mentioned senior guard Lawrence Westbrook, who leads the team with 13.4 points per game, as a player to watch out for. In addition, junior guard Blake Hoffarber has shown proficiency from long distance this

season, shooting 49.3 percent from 3-point range.

“Shooting-wise there’s a couple guys on that team you can’t give a step to,” Ryan said.

He also discussed the leadership role senior guard Jason Bohannon has exhibited. Bohannon has turned in some of his highest-scoring games of the season in the last several weeks, and now appears more vocal on the court. ryan page 7

Despite criticisms, Olympics still exciting, relevant for sports fans

Men’s Hockey

By Nico Savidge

ISABEL ÁLVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Trevon Hughes and the Badgers will take on Minnesota Thursday.

Head coach Mike Eaves said the recent success of his power play unit shows how much the team has improved over the course of the season.

“The adaptations that our power play, specifically, has been able to do here recently indicate pretty good growth and maturation,” Eaves said.

“That’s going to be a key for us as eaves page 7

t’s time for me to level with you, dear reader: I really don’t know a damn thing about the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Okay, to be fair, I know more about Team USA women’s hockey than most people, but I’m clueless when it comes to figure skating, curling and bobsledding.

As I write, I’m watching moguls and to be entirely honest I’m lost – is it about getting down the mountain the fastest? Or having the best jumps? Or some combination of both that my math-averse mind cannot possibly understand?

Despite these questions, what I do know is that I love watching it.

With the exception of hockey, I don’t think I’ve cared about a winter Olympic sport since the games left Torino four years ago.

That’s the point of the Olympics, though: hardly anyone fully understands the sports, much less knows the athletes. But for two awesome weeks every four years, skeleton, skiing and biathlon outshine any other major sport. Honestly, who was glued to their TV last weekend for the NBA All-Star Game?

Every time the Olympics come around people throw out the same tired arguments. The games are irrelevant, it’s a bunch of nobodies, no one cares about the sports and the Opening

Ceremonies are a drawn out, four-hour wait to watch someone light a glorified candle (and, as we learned this year, that doesn’t always work out).

What the anti-Olympians miss is that this is exactly what makes the games so fantastic.

Obviously none of us knew who Hannah Kearney was before she won America’s first gold medal Saturday, nor do we give a crap about nearly all winter Olympic sports outside of those two weeks. And yes, the Opening Ceremonies are basically a marathon of countries marching into an arena and Bob Costas giving us a tidbit of information about each of them.

For two awesome weeks every four years, skeleton, skiing and biathlon outshine any other major sport

But if someone from Team USA women’s hockey scores a game-winning goal in the overtime of a gold medal game against Canada are you honestly going to tell me you won’t be cheering “US-A! U-S-A!”?

The games inspire and captivate us for the same reasons that so many people hate them. I know this sounds cliché, but the Olympics truly are about humanity reaching the height of its ability; trying to see who among

us can jump the highest, run the fastest or skate the best.

Any true sports fan stood in awe when Usain Bolt shattered a world record without even trying for the last quarter of his race and got up to cheer when the U.S. swimming relay team beat the French in Beijing. Part of that is because of the hype surrounding the games, part is because of the built-in drama of people competing on the world’s greatest stage and, yes, part of it is some good ole-fashioned nationalism.

When Michael Phelps and that American relay team beat those shit-talking Frenchies up and down that pool, I know I wanted to go to the nearest pretentious café/mime workshop/ beret factory, find a Frenchman and shout, “What now, chump??

USA in this bitch!”

Canada might be our friendly neighbors to the north, but if you don’t want to beat their flannel-loving, polar bear-fearing asses at everything from the biathlon to speed skating you’re not a real American.

The Olympics mean caring about every sport you don’t understand in the hope that you will see some 20-year-old from Wyoming mop the floor with the rest of the world. When they do win that gold medal and you see some kid live the greatest moment of their life watching the American flag rise it’s damn near impossible to stay uninspired.

Yes, the Olympics are antiolympics page 7