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By Ryan Hebel The Daily Cardinal
Negotiations on a new Madison Central Library collapsed Thursday after city officials and Fiore Companies failed to settle a $2 million budget dispute. According to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s blog, both sides made “good-faith” efforts to work out a deal in which a new library would have been built on West Washington Avenue and the current site sold to Fiore for redevelopment. After not reaching a compromise, Cieslewicz wrote that he hopes to remodel the existing library instead.
Isabel Álvarez/the daily cardinal
The UW-Madison dance crew Rhythm Per Second performs as part of Multicultural Night in Memorial Union’s Union Theater Thursday night.
Committee contemplates new downtown goals The Daily Cardinal
The Downtown Coordinating Committee met Thursday to discuss new business in the greater Madison area, as well as new downtown goals for 2010. Jennifer Tyler spoke on behalf of
the Overture Center to describe a two-year project that the center conducted to study its influence on Madison. “We asked what difference the Overture Center has made to downtown, to Dane County, to Wisconsin, to the entire region,” Tyler said.
The project documented the various impacts of the center on the city. “The Overture Center is enhancing the quality of life, the businesses and the economy of the greater Madison area,” Tyler said. She said the center has enhanced the cultural, educational and community opportunities available in Madison. The DCC also reviewed Madison’s Downtown Plan, concentrating on land use. The plan focuses on the appearance of Madison, including building heights and streetside views.
“We are learning to grow without letting go of our unique character.” Douglas Kozel member Downtown Coordinating Committee
Nelson cho/the daily cardinal
Jennifer Tyler speaks on behalf of the Overture Center, detailing its success over the years. The committee also heard testimonies regarding the 2010 Downtown Plan and goals for the upcoming year.
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Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
New Central Library plans fall through
All hands on deck
By Taylor Curley
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“We want to create a vibrant downtown. We like how you can basically walk anywhere on foot in this city,” said city planner Archie Nicolette, who presented the plan. “It creates a sense of place.” The Downtown Plan also proposes a new park by the Doubletree Hotel. “We want to extend East Campus Mall to the potential park,” Nicolette said. The plan requires approval by the Plan Commission before moving forward. Members also discussed the committee’s 2010 goals. Committee members said the ideas that were put downtown page 3
Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, said he wished Cieslewicz would have asked the Common Council to reconsider adding the $2 million that Fiore had asked the city for. Fiore wanted the money in return for design work the company had already put in. “I’m disappointed that the council didn’t have an opportunity to even discuss or debate putting $2 million more into the project,” Eagon said. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he was also upset that negotiations fell through despite surlibrary page 3
Reform would push back first day for lease signing By Nick Crowley The Daily Cardinal
The Madison Landlord and Tenant Issues Subcommittee recommended Thursday a reform of the landlord-tenant agreement on leases to push back the date when landlords can begin offering leases to new tenants. The current version of the agreement contains two provisions that have become controversial over the past decade, especially for prospective tenants and smaller apartment owners. The current rule requires that landlords wait until one quarter of the way through the current lease, typically around Nov. 15, before they offer leases to new tenants. However, the current version allows landlords to avoid this time limit if the current tenants sign an agreement. As a result, landlords who take advantage of this provision are able to solidify contracts to tenants for the next year as soon as the cur-
rent tenant signs the agreement. “The current policy presents a problem for landlords as well as tenants,” Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, said. “The larger landlords are able to maintain a competitive advantage because of this loophole. They use the provision to get new tenants right away,” she said. “In the meantime, their current tenants are forced to decide soon after moving in whether they will sign for the next year.” The reform would eliminate this provision and extend the amount of time before landlords can sign new leases. The period between the signing of each separate lease would be extended to the halfway point in the lease period, around mid-December. “This proposal forces everyone to slow down,” committee member David Sparer said. “This way, smaller leases page 3
Feingold to visit new office downtown By Cathy Martin The Daily Cardinal
U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, will celebrate the opening of a new campaign office in downtown Madison Friday evening, beginning a weekend of statewide campaigning for re-election. The Madison office joins six others in Wisconsin. Campaign spokesperson John Kraus said four more offices will follow in April, totaling 11 with more than six months until the election. According to Kraus, campaign offices help organize strong grassroots efforts by area volunteers. “[Campaign offices] provide a
hub for our supporters and volunteers to work in communities around the state, to get the word out about Sen. Feingold’s record and to continue building the network we’re going to need to win in November,” Kraus said. The campaign had $3.65 million on hand as of January. Republicans Terrence Wall and Dave Westlake are currently running against Feingold in his bid for a fourth term. Former Wisconsin Governor and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson is reported to have feingold page 3
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
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Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892
TODAY: rainy hi 56º / lo 31º
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Andrew breaks (and breaks up) with his phone
Volume 119, Issue 111
2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 l fax (608) 262-8100
News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Charles Brace Managing Editor Ryan Hebel Campus Editor Kelsey Gunderson Grace Urban City Editor State Editor Hannah Furfaro Enterprise Editor Hannah McClung Associate News Editor Ashley Davis Senior News Reporters Alison Dirr Ariel Shapiro Robert Taylor Anthony Cefali Opinion Editors Todd Stevens Arts Editors Katie Foran-McHale Jacqueline O’Reilly Sports Editors Scott Kellogg Nico Savidge Kevin Slane Page Two Editor Features Editor Madeline Anderson Ben Pierson Life and Style Editor Photo Editors Isabel Álvarez Danny Marchewka Graphics Editors Caitlin Kirihara Natasha Soglin Multimedia Editor Jenny Peek Editorial Board Chair Jamie Stark Copy Chiefs Anna Jeon Kyle Sparks Justin Stephani Jake VIctor Copy Editors Nick Crowley, Alison Dirr Min Sun Lee, Lisa Robleski
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Cole Wenzel Advertising Manager Katie Brown Accounts Receivable Manager Michael Cronin Billing Manager Mindy Cummings Senior Account Executive Ana Devcic Account Executives Mara Greenwald Kristen Lindsay, D.J. Nogalski Graphic Designer Mara Greenwald Web Director Eric Harris Marketing Director Mia Beeson Archivist Erin Schmidtke The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays with a circulation of 10,000. The Daily Cardinal receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. 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,
Editorial Board Charles Brace Anthony Cefali Kathy Dittrich Ryan Hebel Nico Savidge Jamie Stark Todd Stevens Justin Stephani l
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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
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For the record Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com.
SATURDAY: snowy hi 41º / lo 25º
ANDREW LAHR spare me the lahrcasm
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omehow I smashed the screen on my fancy and fairly new Samsung sliding-touch phone to kingdom come, and over the next few weeks slowly watched the light behind the screen die from where I cracked it outwards... malignant cancer of the phone. I remember the sinking feeling in my stomach as my text messages, contacts and favorite Star Trek adventure game faded away into nonexistence. Now I’m stuck with this antique pile of shit flip phone, with a half-assed camera and T9 prediction for texts. I remember clutching a similar one while scurrying around the halls during the early years of high school, but at that time they were the cat’s meow, the cool thing to have. Now, instead of flipping my phone out at a party and showing it off in all its modern glory, I cringe every time I hear its
cheesy out-dated Cingular ring and shamefully flip it open in some secluded corner. If only my poor slide-phone hadn’t taken a bullet for my thigh, shielding it from some incoming hard object aimed at my drunken legs. Damn that selfless Samsung. The relationship between phone and owner is one bound for tragedy in one form or another. Just think about the amount of phones you’ve had since your parents entrusted you to just a coveted device. I started with a pay-as-you-go phone, the kind I was only supposed to use to call either an ambulance, my family or the national guard if I were in the middle of some sort of freak accident or emergency scenario. From that point things get hazy, as phone after phone fell one after the other to whatever end. Water always seems to be the bane of the modern-day cell phone. The toilet took one of mine, and the merciless washing machine took another. In fact, one of my nicer Blackberry type of phones is residing in the depths of Lake Superior, chilling with the luckiest goddamn salmon alive, one that
The Dirty Bird
I dropped in a vain attempt to salvage the situation. One got run over in a church parking lot after some failed parking lot acrobatics, and another may still be in a bar in Belfast today, though I’m sure a local drunk took advantage of my careless American “disposable possessions” mentality that they all seem to hate over there. The funny thing is that every time stupidity plays a factor in my cell phone’s untimely demise, I promise myself I’m going to buy the tempting cell phone warranty package they offer you, but convince myself after looking at the ridiculous price that I’ll be “extra careful” with this one. Bullshit you will, man. If it’s not physical damage that claims your phone’s life, I guarantee it will be that your phone becomes as obsolete as Windows Vista, which unfortunately I’m also stuck with. Now, after using this relic of a communication device for over a week, I can assure everyone that this natural process happens for a reason. But when I look back at all my tech devices, including more cell phones than you’ll probably find
in all of Africa, I don’t see a great progression of technology. All I can see are the wads and wads of hard-earned benjamins I’ve essentially, and in one case actually, flushed right down the toilet. I miss the days where movies were only offered at an unfair price in two dimensions, the days where people actually used their landlines, and instead of measuring my cardiovascular health, all an iPod could do was play music and maybe a game of Block Breaker. My whole collection of modern technology is threatened. The Xbox will soon be some lame thing your uncle still has lying around his house and iPhones will be used as coasters. Technological purification is nigh! ...By the way if anyone happens to have any phone lying around more advanced and/or newer than the one that I described earlier, I would be willing to toss you 20 bucks for it, because I know you’re not going to get jack for anything close to this thing on eBay. E-mail aplahr@wisc.edu with phone offers.... photos would be nice... and please don’t try to kill or kidnap me during the transaction.
sex and the student body
Feel fab about your ‘flab’ ERICA ANDRIST sex columnist I have been with my boyfriend for about a year and we have been having sex for about six months. I think the sex is good but I have one concern. His favorite position is me on top, either facing him or in the reverse cowgirl. I like it too, but I am very self-conscious about the way my body looks sometimes and it distracts me from how it feels. I’ve talked to my boyfriend
and some of my friends, but I can’t figure out how to get over it. Any ideas? —Feeling Flabby Hey FF, glad you e-mailed. Lots of people ask questions about what to do once they’ve gotten naked with someone; sometimes, we forget just the getting naked part can pose the occasional problem, even though most (if not all) of us have experienced a body confidence letdown at some point or another. I’m not going to spend a whole bunch of time telling you, “Omg, gurl, you’re so hot and your body is fab and you’re beautiful just the way you are!” Is the reason we don’t always feel confident because there are largely unrealistic standards and images of hotness projected to us all the time? Yeah. But let’s be real. On some level, you probably already know that, and knowing that doesn’t always help us feel great about our bodies all the time. So what do you do? My advice: fake it until you make it, and if you’re just not making it, then change it. First, fake it. What makes you feel confident and sexy? Vamp it up. Make that sexy face you make in the bathroom mirror when no one else is home. Do your hair just the way you like it, slip into some slinky lingerie, bust out your mascara and put on some bedroom eyes. Put a red lightbulb in your nightstand lamp to give your skin a warm glow. Whatever it takes to make you feel confident—do it. But there is a reason this is the first step—it’s only a temporary fix. Know how smiling can help make you happier, even if you’re not feeling so chipper?
The goal of faking it is, eventually, to make it; with time, your makeup becomes part of your make-up. In addition to focusing on things that make you feel sexy, focus on those things about you that are sexy. While precious few of us love everything about our bodies, most of us can find a few hot spots, so to speak. If we find ourselves feeling not-so-hot, maybe we run our long, graceful fingers through our cute new haircut. Maybe we swing our curvy hips just a little bit more. Maybe we can’t help but flash a gorgeous smile as we think about how our amazing our bodies must be to allow us to feel such pleasure. Focus on the parts of your body you love. Focus on the parts that feel good. Focus on the parts you think are hot. What makes your body feel good? When does your body feel best? When do you feel best about your body? Maybe your partner helps. What does s/he love about your body? Finally, some days, we just might not be feeling it. Consumer culture relies not only on selling us things we want, but on things we “need”—and we “need” to have undergarments that will lift our breasts higher, supplements that will make our muscles bigger and vajazzlers that will make our pubic mounds sparklier (don’t even get me started on the number of vulvar/vaginal enhancement products on the market today). Body confidence is not something one just magically acquires one day and then has on his or her person 24/7 for perpetuity. It’s a process, and sometimes, even the most bodyconfident may have an off day.
But that shouldn’t preclude us from having great sex. If we’re too concerned about the way our bodies look to enjoy sex, change the sex so it looks different, but feels the same. FF and her BF like reverse cowgirl? Fine. But if FF isn’t feeling fine enough to enjoy the ride, then there are ways to modify it. Other positions that will allow for the same deep penetration or G-spot stimulation as reverse cowgirl—but a different view—include spooning or doggy style. If it’s the power of being on top that gets you off, try non-physical ways of taking charge. Talk dirty to your partner. Tell him or her exactly what to do. Explain in great detail what you are going to do to him or her. There isn’t some intrinsic aspect of reverse cowgirl that makes it someone’s favorite position; try and think about what you find so great about it. Then, if you’re having one of those days where your confidence levels take reverse cowgirl off the table, you’ll still know what you need to have great sex. Thanks for writing, FF, and when you’re working with body confidence, try to remember one thing above all—cut yourself some slack. We’re college students; we have more important things to do than worry about the way we worry about our bodies. Recognize that there will be fab days and some flab days, but we can have lots of fun just in the process of making sex feel great—inside and out. Ever had a sex question you couldn’t discuss with your partner? E-mail Erica all your unanswered sex-related questions at sex@dailycardinal.com.
dailycardinal.com/news
UW faculty to hold teach-in on conflict in Afghanistan By Kayla Johnson The Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison will hold a teach-in Friday and Saturday to better educate students on the current military conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Panels of faculty, students and community groups will discuss various topics, including counterinsurgencies and nation-development complications in the two countries. UW-Madison faculty, many who are experts on the area, organized the event. Joseph Elder, a professor of sociology and languages and cultures of Asia, said the teach-in was planned after President Barack Obama announced the deployment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan Dec. 1. “At that point, people who knew about the area felt we had a responsibility to share our information,” Elder said. Elder said the teach-in will provide students with critical information on Afghanistan. “I hope that students get a lot of information, since a lot has been concealed or misinterpreted by the administration,” Elder said. According to Elder, the first UW-Madison teach-in was held April 1, 1965, when the U.S. was
feingold from page 1 expressed interest in the Senate seat, and many believe he would be Feingold’s toughest competitor. Former Thompson campaign manager Bill McCoshen has said Thompson may enter the race because he is concerned about the direction in which the country is heading. He said Thompson would oppose the stimulus and health-care bills that Feingold has supported. McCoshen said Thompson, who was elected governor four times, is still popular with Republicans in Wisconsin. “The national party doesn’t see him as having any weaknesses,” McCoshen said in early March. Kraus said Thompson’s decision will not affect Feingold’s strategy, and he said he was confi-
beginning to become seriously involved in the Vietnam War. He said the teach-in began in the afternoon with a few graduate students and professors. The event grew to approximately 1,000 students and 26 faculty members before it concluded at midnight. That teach-in was organized by a group of faculty members who specialized in southeast Asia, felt the war was a serious mistake and found it important for them to share their knowledge of Vietnam, according to Elder. “[The situation in Vietnam] was bad enough, so they should have a teach-in and share their information with anybody else on campus who might also have some sort of perspective on it,” Elder said. “The faculty members felt very deeply that important information was either being overlooked or denied.” A few other teach-ins have been held on campus in response to other controversial military operations, such as those in Cambodia. The Afghanistan and Pakistan teach-in will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, March 19, in the Alumni Lounge of the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. The event will continue Saturday, March 20, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Memorial Union. dent that the senator can beat any potential challenger. “We have been tested, and we’ve come out on top in the past, so we’re ready for whoever we run against,” Kraus said. Feingold will announce the office opening on West Mifflin Street at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
DANE COUNTY BOARD
DISTRICT FIVE
DEBATE 7 p.m. Monday, March 22 1101 Humanities Sponsored by and ASM’s Legislative Affairs Committee
Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
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New bill seeks to improve voting process in Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill Thursday that they say would increase the efficiency of the Wisconsin elections process. Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire, and Sen. Spencer Coggs, D-Milwaukee, chairs of the Election Committees in the Assembly and Senate, said in a statement that they introduced
library from page 1 prisingly strong support from the council last November for its $37 million offer to Fiore. “It is odd that the mayor didn’t have at least a closed session meeting with the city’s finance committee, the Board of Estimates,” Verveer said. “Unlike
leases from page 1 landlords have a more equal chance for advertisement, and tenants who already live in the apartment have some time to think about their situ-
downtown from page 1 forward will be achievable incrementally over the next 20 years. “We are going to look at downtown much differently than most people are used to,” said Tim Anderson, who presented the 2010 goals. “We want to represent a spirit [in Madison] and, in turn, integrate a bold vision.” The plan specified potential changes to Mifflin Street, which aim to maintain Mifflin’s historical identity. “We are learning to grow without letting go of our unique
the Wisconsin Voter Protection Act as part of their commitment to protecting voter rights. The bill would make federally required changes to give military voters increased access to absentee ballot applications and ballots. It would also create a system to allow residents to sign up for automatic registration and would allow municipalities to create satellite vot-
ing locations for absentee voting. The WVPA also aims to ease burdens on election workers and extend restrictions on voter intimidation and suppression. “The Wisconsin Voter Protection Act provides a series of common sense reforms that will increase ballot access for voters while protecting the safety of the ballot box,” Coggs said in the statement.
with the Edgewater Hotel proposal, I think almost all downtown residents were universally supportive of a new downtown Central Library.” Verveer said he hopes to make the best of the situation and move forward on much-needed renovations for the Central Library as quickly as possible. “[The Central Library] is extremely
outdated ... The maintenance needs there are a mile long. The fact is that their roof could give at any time and would be a disaster, so I think time is of the essence,” Verveer said. Verveer said recent plans to remodel the current library have been estimated to cost $27 million and would add one or two stories to the existing structure.
ation in the coming year before they sign another lease.” Supporters of the proposal said the application of this loophole has increased greatly over the past few years as landlords have discovered
its existence, undermining the rule preventing landlords from signing new leases until November. “The reform would make sure that everyone has the same date at which a lease can be signed,” Maniaci said.
character,” said Douglas Kozel, who presented with Anderson. The committee’s goals also
included eventual changes to the Blair Street interchange and the Langdon Street area.
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Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
Not Even Funny
Today’s Sudoku
Evil Bird
The key to passing all of your math classes ever:
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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.
The Graph Giraffe Classic
By Yosef Lerner
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
Crustaches
By Patrick Remington premington@wisc.edu
First in Twenty
By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu
Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com High Society
1 5 9 14 5 1 16 17 18 20 2 2 23 24 27 29 31 3 3 34 9 3 40 41 2 4 48 49
ACROSS “Aw, heck!” Tie rack’s many Lava forerunner Agree with, as sentiments Light and fluffy Fuel tanker Dealer’s adversary Change of heart? Not just a shot in the dark Good way to choose When dark comes o’er the land “___ is the time for all good men ...” Ancient Persian governors Regional plant and animal life Palindromic sound of discovery Plays, as a horse Sophisticated taste for food High school course “Do re mi fa ___ ...” Peace between nations Fresco backing Vixen’s lair Babbling Addams cousin
2 Attractiveness 5 53 Part of an expensive string 57 Outspoken (Var.) 59 One of the Niagara River’s sources 60 Hits without swinging the bat 61 Teen affliction 62 Unload stress 63 Gold mold 64 Cook the surface of 65 They’re found under layers DOWN 1 Maintains one’s subscription 2 French-Canadian region 3 Rocket engineer’s calculation 4 Sport that requires you to use your head, sometimes 5 Some squash 6 The Emerald Isle 7 A or 100, e.g. 8 “Riders to the Sea” playwright 9 Wear a long face 10 Is sickly 11 Gorbachev’s policy 12 “A Few Good ___” (Cruise film) 13 Another high school
course 19 Center of many revolutions 21 Pie ___ mode 25 Certain Native American 26 Unnaturally pale 28 Ship, to a skipper 29 ___ Paese cheese 30 Give-go go-between 32 Many run during the Super Bowl 33 Crooner 34 Frosty covering 35 Clearly demonstrating 36 ___ as a fiddle 37 Extremely hostile, as a glare 38 Unannounced, as a quiz 39 Ungentlemanly type 43 Matterhorn, for example 44 LP protector 45 Berber language 46 Making mistakes 47 Finds new tenants for 49 Simpson trial judge Lance 50 Albacore and bluefin 51 Use a stencil 54 “Do ___ others as ...” 55 Shopper’s aid 56 Mediterranean volcano 57 Tokyo sash 58 Play on words
Washington and the Bear
By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com
arts
dailycardinal.com/arts
Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
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Classic war romance captivates By Andrea Snow THE DAILY CARDINAL
PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Known for his portrayal of Jason Bourne, Matt Damon stars in Paul Greengrass’ latest film, ‘Green Zone,’ which attempts to provide commentary on current political issues.
A conflicted ‘Zone’ By Todd Stevens THE DAILY CARDINAL
War is hell and hell is other people, so it makes sense that the most hellish part of war isn’t necessarily fighting the opposing forces but working with the people who are supposedly on your side, as seen in the controversy surrounding. The whole situation has since developed a very nefarious “Bourne” movie tone to it with all of the unsavory intelligence wheeling and dealing that went on behind the scenes. As such, it should have been a given that “Bourne” series director Paul Greengrass and Jason Bourne himself, Matt Damon, would team up to tell that story in “Green Zone.” Based on the Rajiv Chandrasekaran book “Imperial Life in the Emerald City,” “Green Zone” takes us back to 2003, a simpler time when Americans thought their government could do no wrong and Martha Stewart was a nice person. Damon is CPO Roy Miller, one of the many men searching for the infamous Weapons of Mass Destruction. After coming up empty in countless searches, Miller becomes suspicious of U.S. intelligence, and, in true Jason Bourne fashion, tries to take down the conspiracy and reveal the lies spread by Pentagon bureaucrat Clark Poundstone (Greg Kinnear).
But unlike Jason Bourne, Roy Miller of “Green Zone” isn’t a psychologically modified badass killing machine, which anchors Damon’s character much more firmly in reality.
The connections between “Green Zone” and the “Bourne” films may be obvious, but they are hardly detrimental. Besides the stylistic similarities Greengrass brought to both projects, such as his signature handheld shaky cam, the meat of the story revolves around a military man seeking the truth after being dropped into an international conspiracy. But unlike Jason Bourne, Roy Miller of “Green Zone” isn’t a psychologically modified badass killing machine, which anchors Damon’s character much more firmly in reality. But the lack of Treadstone superspies isn’t the only way Greengrass and writer Brian Helgeland try to anchor “Green Zone” in the real world. Much more so than the “Bourne” trilogy, “Green Zone” is a direct
commentary on the entirety of the Iraq War. Greengrass takes on the media through a slacking journalist, played by Amy Ryan, the military through the stubbornness of Miller’s misled commanding officers and the Washington pushers and shovers represented by Kinnear’s character, who is a very thinly-veiled version of Paul Bremmer.
Much more so than the “Bourne” trilogy, “Green Zone” is a direct commentary on the entirety of the Iraq War.
As a political film, “Green Zone” would have been considerably more effective if it had limited itself to focus on its story and allowed the audience to infer its own condemnations, instead of directly laying out each and every one of them. Films like “Apocalypse Now” immersed you in the world that was Vietnam, and the antiwar message was understood through the characters’ actions and emotions. Here, Miller goes through hardly any suffering and has barely any character arc at all. Instead, Miller’s conscience comes in the form of Khalid Abdallah as his Iraqi translator, who while turning in a good performance, is forced to deliver some of the most on-the-nose messages a man can muster. Thankfully, Greengrass still possesses his master touch as an action director, as “Green Zone” may not be very subtle but it is also never dull. The pacing of “Green Zone” is near perfect, and every chase scene is expertly staged to up the suspense and drama. Editor Christopher Rouse deserves much of the credit, as he brings the same fluidity here that he brought to “The Bourne Ultimatum,” despite the rapid-fire cuts. “Green Zone” doesn’t execute its political message with particular finesse, nor is its message particularly daring in 2010 when the public has largely accepted that the invasion of Iraq was a poor decision. But Greengrass executes everything else well, creating a film that is every bit as engrossing as his work on the last two “Bourne” films. He may not imbue “Green Zone” with the depth of “The Hurt Locker” or even the resonance of his 9/11 drama “United 93,” but as a visceral successor to the legacy of Jason Bourne, “Green Zone” is very much a success.
Reading Nevil Shute’s “A Town Like Alice” is like watching your favorite boxer up against a much bigger opponent, hoping the ace up your guy’s sleeve will pull him through. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. You watch your man take a few blows, but you’ve put money on the fact that they’ve got what it takes to survive, to win. “A Town Like Alice” starts off quietly. Noel Strachan, a lawyer in England, helps a dying Scotsman write his will, leaving a considerable fortune to a distant niece. Years BOOK later, Mr. Strachan finds the niece, Jean Paget, and informs her of her inheritance. They soon become good friends. Jean recounts her experience as a prisoner of the Japanese in Malaya during World War II. Through her telling of this story, Mr. Strachan learns of her remarkable courage, leadership and perseverance. Jean ends up deciding to take some of her inherited money to the town in Malaya, Kuala Telang, where she had been imprisoned, wanting to build the women of the town a well out of thanks for their kindness that helped Jean and her party to survive. While in Kuala Telang, Jean learns that Joe, a friend of hers who was crucified for stealing food for her and her party, actually survived. Jean feels very deeply for this man, and thus goes directly to his home country of Australia to find him. Unbeknownst to Jean, Joe has taken his life savings and flown to England to find her. It is through her weekly correspondence with Mr. Strachan that Jean discovers this and decides to wait in Australia for Joe to
return. While waiting she visits places in Australia that Joe had told her about while they were together in Malaya. In visiting the desolate outback towns, she finds that they all make her feel lonely with the exception of Alice Springs, a lively place that reminds her of home. Eventually Joe returns to Australia and he and Jean come together. The two move to his hometown of Willstown, but unfortunately Jean finds the place unbearable. Using her unstoppable resolve to realize her dreams of living in “‘a town like Alice,” she attempts to transform the bleak little town, opening businesses meant to attract young REVIEW women to work there. With an increasing female population, the cowboys of the town are more inclined to stay in Willstown and have a family. From this barren ghost-town springs a beautiful place to live, turning Jean into a local hero. Joe falls for Jean all over again, and the pair decide to get married. Mr. Strachan, who had been quietly narrating this all, is content knowing he helped Jean to use her money for a noble purpose. This could have been a fantastic, powerful ending for this traditional war romance. Every loose end is tied up, and the main characters live happily ever after in their booming outback town. But to the reader’s dismay, Mr. Strachan continues his narrative, elaborating on the dangers of life in the outback, how the town continues to expand and flourish, as does Jean and Joe’s family. This portion is unnecessary to the novel and leaves the reader bored in the home stretch. Luckily, the final three chapters do illustrate just what a brave, intelligent woman Jean is, giving the reader a sense of awe at what challenges people can overcome if they put their hearts into it.
Sorrentino’s latest novel strikingly bleak By Sarah Nance THE DAILY CARDINAL
The final novel from inventive postmodern writer Gilbert Sorrentino, “The Abyss of Human Illusion” (the title culled from a line by Henry James) is a fast-paced jaunt into the hardships and happenings of modern life, told with the biting, cuttingedge humor for which Sorrentino is well known among critics and readers. If you haven’t kept up on your postmodern American masters, no fear: Although former Stanford professor Sorrentino achieved much critical acclaim for his 1979 novel “Mulligan Stew” (which opens with the rejection letters Sorrentino received for it, and borrows characters from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Flann O’Brien and a James Joyce footnote, among others), he fell from the reviewer’s eye, printing the last ten of his 19 novels with small, independent presses. “The Abyss of Human Illusion,” edited by Sorrentino’s son, BOOK Christopher Sorrentino, is split into 50 (perhaps) loosely related sections, their only defining formal feature being that they grow increasingly longer as the novel progresses. As Christopher notes in the book’s preface, his father— who died in 2006—was preoccupied with the idea of intertextuality, as sections of the novel refer to one another, or other pieces of literature by Sorrentino or other writers. In this sense, the novel has no firm protagonist, but weaves numerous stories and nameless characters, creating the sense that you’ve just eavesdropped on a conversation that may or may not involve someone you know. Following a long tradition of post-modern texts that are overly self-aware, the end commentary section provides information about details in the narrative (“...his mother sits with a high-
ball... In this instance, Canada Dry ginger ale and Seagram’s 7 blended with whiskey. The term ‘highball’ is no longer in general use”), the characters (“... his wife dead for many years ... His wife’s name was Constance [Connie], and his children’s Rose, Maria, Grace and Alexander [Alex]”) and a dry, running commentary on the text itself (“... in the best tradition of the deathless cliché... ‘deathless cliché’ is, of course, a deathless cliché”). The characters, although often anonymous, are still vivid in the short vignettes Sorrentino paints, little scenes pulled from time and context, and appearing in a seemingly arbitrary order. Indeed, his son Christopher writes in the preface of his father’s unyielding faith in aesthetics over constraint. In this novel as in his others, Sorrentino cuts to the core of American society, dealing with death, failed marriages, scheming friends and other “hallmarks” of contemporary life with the removed, sometimes cynical gaze of someone who REVIEW has perhaps himself experienced much of the heartache and disappointment that fill his narrative. One scene describes the familiar, nameless man who “loves a girl, who, as it turns out, does not love him, and so he wastes years of his life ... This is, as everyone knows, the oldest of news.” Still, Sorrentino cuts his bleak commentary with moments of humor, satire and wordplay. Although often dark, “The Abyss of Human Illusion” often betrays what is presumably Sorrentino’s own underlying philosophy, the idea that the meaning which exists in literature comes out of its juxtaposition with its surroundings, and not some lofty imbued significance. One character realizes this as well, in one of Sorrentino’s less bleak, more profound lines: “There is no way to bargain with life, for life’s meaning is, simply, itself.”
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Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
Air alerts indicate sustainability issues By Jenny Lynes the green room
Last week, the state of Wisconsin was one of a kind, nationally recognized, the leader of the pack. In what you ask? Dirty air. From Sunday the 7th through Thursday the 11th, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources declared the state to be under an Orange Level air quality advisory. The classification is made according to the concentrations of soot pollution in the air from power plants, factories, industrial sources, vehicle emissions and outdoor fires that emit particles into the air and can lodge in people’s lungs. This classification is done to alert the population about unhealthy air. Last week, the DNR wanted Wisconsinites to know that the levels of pollution were close to those that can harm healthy people, just by breathing. The classification last week was Orange, meaning that people in sensitive groups were advised
to curtail physical activities. Wisconsin had an observed particle pollution level of 54.6 micrograms per cubic meter of air, just a mere .9 units from the rare and dangerous Red Level threshold.
It’s time to make a change to improve our energy technology and depart from fossil fuels.
Call me naïve, but when the DNR encourages people to stay inside, I get a little worried. Katie Nekola, energy program director at Clean Wisconsin, explained that this air pollution is due in part to our dirty coal plants. Not only does Wisconsin spend over $16 billion annually importing foreign coal, it also creates excess power. In other words, more coal is burned than what is needed to meet demands.
To make it clear, Wisconsin allows literally billions of dollars to leave the state each year in order to buy coal to burn and pollute our air. It does so at a rate that’s unnecessary for even our energy-heavy lifestyles, and all while there are many cleaner, safer renewable options available here in the state. This is a recipe for disaster for Wisconsin, and last week’s Orange Alert is just one warning sign to add to a host of others. When will we finally get the message? One could argue that this air quality advisory is meaningless —a result of foggy weather and no wind. While it is true that this condition is affected by the weather, it’s also true that inclement weather is never cause for respiratory danger, except when paired with an excess of human caused pollution. It’s not the DNR’s classification that bothers me, it’s that Wisconsin and the United States have seen one indication after another: ongoing and violent oil
conflicts, disastrous hurricanes, poor air and water quality, and three of the warmest years on global record (’98, ’05, ’09) all occurring in the last decade.
Call me naïve, but when the DNR encourages people to stay inside, I get a little worried.
It’s time to make a change to improve our energy technology and depart from fossil fuels and pollution heavy answers of the last century. While these systems are convenient for us right now, they’re becoming increasingly costly, not only for our pocketbooks, but also for our health. Sometimes, this is where things get tricky. Even the most well-intentioned environmentalists have little say in national or international pol-
itics, but there happens to be an incredible opportunity upon us. The Clean Energy Jobs Act is an answer to some of these problems for Wisconsin and it’s still in the making. State politics is one area where we can and should be involved and an area that currently needs our help. This bill calls for 25 percent renewable energy for Wisconsin by 2025— a stipulation that would have direct effects on these air quality advisories and health concerns. The implications for the Orange Alert may have mainly affected those in “sensitive groups,” but inefficient energy technology affects us all. Let’s not let this scary air advisory pass us by as another thing we shake our heads at. It’s time to work to get new energy policies passed and use our creativity and drive to create a safer, cleaner Wisconsin. Jenny Lynes is a senior majoring in communication arts with an environmental studies certificate. We welcome all feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Democrats playing same old political games with health-care bill Matt payne opinion columnist
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as this the change we were hoping for? Backroom deals, Cornhusker kickbacks, bribes, rides in Air Force One, and a plethora of other questionable Washington procedures have left many Americans asking this question. A recent NBC News/Wall St. Journal poll put support for this health-care bill at just 36 percent. Yet Speaker Pelosi and President Obama continue to try to force this legislation on a populace that clearly does not want it to pass. What’s more astounding is that not only is Washington trying to pass this health-care bill against the will of the people, but they are doing it in a manner which is unconstitutional at best and completely unethical at worst.
This is not the change that America was hoping for.
Speaker Pelosi and President Obama are threatening one fifth of our economy by playing
Washington politics using a procedural measure that has come to be known as the “Slaughter solution” after Democrat Louise Slaughter of New York. The “Slaughter solution” will allow members of Congress to deem the Senate bill passed without actually voting on the language and instead voting on non-controversial amendments to it, thus shielding them from any potential political consequences voting for the unpopular bill may have in their home district. This procedure was used by Republicans to pass bills that were mostly trivial in nature, and Republicans were rightly lambasted for it. Now Democrats are justifying using this measure that will have an effect on 20 percent of the U.S. economy and is tremendously unpopular because “Republicans did it.” Just because Republicans were wrong to use it doesn’t make Democrats using it right. Yet this political ploy addresses a bigger question about Democratic ethical problems and promises that have not been kept. Health-care reform has been debated now for almost a year and many Americans have made up their mind on what they think about it. Polls show that in recent weeks the number of people who are undecided on the issue is shrinking considerably. Yet no matter what you think about the current version of healthcare reform one thing is clear, the political games that Washington is
playing are wrong. The American people voted for President Barack Obama not because they thought his left wing ideology was best for the country, but thought that he and Democrats would change the way business was done in Washington. They thought that Obama would tackle the economy in a serious way and would unite Republicans and Democrats.
The health-care debate speaks to a larger issue of Democratic ethical questions and changes Democrats promsed to deliver.
Well over one year later nothing could be further from the truth of what is actually going on. Questionable practices like sweetheart deals for votes such as the Cornhusker kickback and the Louisiana purchase have left many wondering what kind of ethical changes are Democrats bringing to the political landscape. Corruption and other ethical problems have plagued Democrats such as Chris Dodd for a variety of ethics charges, Charlie Rangel for tax issues, and Eric Massa for having inappropriate relationships with staffers. Now Barack Obama can’t even unite members of his own party. Democrats who oppose this bill are being threatened, intimidated, and excoriated by both the
president and House leadership. This is not the change that America was hoping for. These games have been played for too long by both Republicans and Democrats, and America is sick of it. While this bodes well for Republicans in November, I fear that the changes that the Democrats are making, or failing to make, is leading our country down the wrong path. Health-care reform, cap and trade and many other policies that Democrats are seeking to enact are all, as economists such as Larry Kudlow of CNBC say, bad for the economy. After all, the biggest issue facing our country at the moment is the economy and the president and Democrats should be working with Republicans to solve
those issues first, not partaking in political games and partisan bickering that does nothing to solve our health-care issues. The health-care debate speaks to a larger issue of Democratic ethical questions and changes Democrats promised to deliver. The change that Democrats promised has not come to Washington in the form of transparency and ethics reform. Rather, the same old politics as usual attitude has persisted through this administration and in particular, this healthcare debate. This must be stopped. Otherwise, our very democracy will suffer significantly. Matt Payne is a sophomore intending to major in Chinese and economics. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Today on The Daily Cardinal’s opinion web page, Anthony Cefali clears up a few things about the climate change debate. Check out more posts online at www.dailycardinal.com/opinion
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Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
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Men’s Basketball
Wisconsin opens Big Ten schedule against Illinois By Emma Condon THE DAILY CARDINAL
After three straight victories at home, the Wisconsin men’s tennis team takes on its highest-ranked opponent yet this season in Sunday’s conference opener against No. 11 Illinois. Despite fresh rosters on both sides, it is a familiar position for the No. 34 Badgers (10-4 overall), who spared with the Illini in last year’s season opener but fell in the decision, 3-4, in Champaign. This season the Illini (1-0 Big Ten, 7-5 overall) occupy a similar position and have impressive results over teams like Texas A&M, who wounded the Badgers 5-2 only a month ago. “That’s the thing in college tennis, every team can beat basically anyone. We beat Florida State, but then we lost to Notre Dame,” junior Marek Michalicka said. Sophomore Patrick Pohlmann turned the result around, putting the performance on Illinois. “The pressure is on their side,” he said. “It’s not that we have to win
mens ncaa from page 8 Dahlman and Wofford. “Any time we play, we want to dominate the paint and make our presence felt,” Leuer said. “All the bigs on our team want to make our presence felt inside. That’s not going to change.” Wofford is making its first
womens ncaa from page 8 received in the fall from Ryan before ultimately advancing to the Sweet 16. Wisconsin matches up against one of its most formidable opponents of the season in Vermont. The Catamounts (3-3 America East, 26-6 overall) are making their second straight tournament appearance after winning the America East Conference Tournament Championship over Hartford. Vermont is led by two senior guards, Courtnay Pilpaitis and May Kotsopoulos. Kotsopoulos is averaging 17.3 points per game, while Pilpaitis, 2010 America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player, averaged 14.8 points per game and eight rebounds per game on the season. The Catamounts have won 10 of their last 11 games and earned 15 votes in the most recent USA Today/ ESPN Top-25 poll (unofficially no. 27). The team averages 66.7 ppg, while allowing just 55.4. Vermont also poses a huge threat in 3-point shooting, converting over 35 percent from behind the arc. Strong outside shooting teams have proved
against them, [but] they should feel that they beat A&M when we lost.” The deep Illini arsenal boasts three top-100s: No. 36 sophomore Dennis Nevolo, No. 64 senior Marek Czerwinski and No. 77 junior Abe Souza. “Nevolo has been their top guy. He can beat anyone on a given day,” assistant coach Evan Austin said. “They’ve produced a bunch of good players ... we know what to expect from them, so if we’re not ready to go from the get go, it will be tough to beat them.” The most recent polls granted the Badgers a similar honor however, promoting Pohlmann to No. 116 to join No. 13 senior Moritz Baumann and No. 25 Michalicka. Together the trio earned the all three points in last year’s match up and hope to contribute again. “This year it’s definitely my goal to compete in the NCAA tournament singles,” said Pohlmann, happy to be back in the rankings if unsure exactly how. “I beat some good players in the
fall, but unfortunately they dropped in the rankings.” This year, Michalicka enters the conference season 10-0 as the only Badger still undefeated in singles, an intimidating streak he intends to maintain the best he can. “Every streak ends at some point, and it doesn’t matter if it’s 10 [wins], 15 or whatever number it is ... you just basically wait for it, one match where you just lose,” Michalicka said. “I’ll try to keep it up.” Although the two teams share a storied history over 79 matchups—49 of which have gone to Illinois—no one seems willing to put too much stock in statistics, and Nielsen’s courts have favored the Badgers this year. “You’ve got to take one match at a time and not over look anyone because everyone in this conference is really strong, and they all believe they can win,” Austin said. The conference is fair game and the Badgers will face-off against the Illini Sunday at 12 p.m. at Nielsen Tennis Center.
Sophomore Patrick Pohlmann said the pressure will be on the No. 11 Illinois this weekend.
NCAA Tournament appearance ever, but Ryan said he does not expect the experienced Terriers to come out nervous. “They’ve played in the conference tournament, they’ve played together for a while,” Ryan said. “It’s not like there’s a bunch of freshmen for them out there playing. They’ve been through this. They’ve played a lot of
tough teams on the road.” Besides Dahlman, Wofford starts two juniors and a senior. If Wisconsin gets past Wofford, it will take on the winner of the Temple-Cornell game for a chance to play in Syrcause for a trip to the Sweet 16 and a possible matchup against the No. 1 seed of the East region, Kentucky. Hughes said he
realizes this is his last chance in the NCAA Tournament and he will not be satisfied with anything less than a deep run. “We definitely don’t want to go home early,” Hughes said. “It’s a goal. We all want to make it to the Final Four. We all dream about making it to the Final Four. I’ve been here before. I’ve been to the
problematic at times for the Badgers this season. Additionally, five of Vermont’s six losses came at the hands of teams ranked in the top-25 nationally, including top ranked Connecticut and fourth ranked Nebraska. Both of those teams earned number one seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The Catamounts also fell to No. 19 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Hartford, twice. Vermont and Wisconsin did play a common opponent this season. Both teams defeated N.C. State by five points. Wisconsin, a team which wears the title ‘Team Unity’ on the back of their practice jerseys, is a squad which demonstrates servanthood both on and off the court. These players expect a strong performance from themselves in the NCAA Tournament, and after playing their best basketball of the season in the Big Ten Tournament, there is no reason why this team’s tough defense, deep bench and strong unity should produce anything but confidence. “We’ve made some steady progress to get to this point,” Stone said.
madness from page 1 the Kohl Center in early February. Star guard Kalin Lucas was injured during that game and the Spartans proceeded to lose their next two games; aside from that the only surprise loss Michigan State had was Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament. Despite the No. 5 seed, the Spartans still have the potential to make it to the Elite Eight, but it’s not going to easy with overall No. 1 seed Kansas in the way. The way the tournament has panned out thus far it appears there are going to be plenty of upsets, so I’m not going to count out Sparty just yet. Wisconsin Back in February, I said the Badgers would not win more than a game or two and I still stand by that statement. Most people think Wisconsin is going to coast to a Sweet 16 showdown with Kentucky, but it’s definitely not going to be that simple. Yes, Wofford should roll over right now (they’re the Terriers—get
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it?!), but the Badgers cannot overlook Temple by any means. Cowinners of the Atlantic 10 conference, victor of the conference tournament and owners of a No. 5 seed, the Owls are a threat—and you can’t overlook the fact they beat Villanova by double digits earlier in the year. Wisconsin, on the other hand, isn’t exactly playing up to expectations after the return of Jon Leuer. Having done so well without the star forward it was assumed the Badgers would take the conference after his return, but an embarrassing lost to Minnesota and an opening-round defeat in the Big Ten Tournament to Illinois created some doubts. Still, I feel Wisconsin will make it to the
first round, second round, Sweet 16. I want to go deeper than that. I want to go deeper than the Elite Eight. It’s me and Jason’s last go around, and in past years we’ve had another year to come back. This is it for us.” The game, played in Jacksonville, Fla., tips off at approximately 1:50 p.m. and can be seen on CBS. Sweet 16 before being run over by John Wall and Co. Minnesota Ah, Minnesota. Without its unbelievable wins against the depleted Boilermakers and slumping Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers wouldn’t even be in the Big Dance. Alas, Goldy found a way to get in on March Madness, but a match up with a strong Xavier team means a first-round exit for Minnesota. Barring some miracle, there is no way the Gophers can make it to the Elite Eight. Do you think the Big Ten teams can fare better in the NCAA Tournament? Tell Jack at jpdoyle2@wisc.edu.
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Weekend, March 19-21, 2010
Men’s Basketball
UW won’t beat UK to get to Elite Eight
NCAAs kick off against Wofford By Scott Kellogg THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Badgers’ quest for an NCAA Championship begins today as Wisconsin takes on Wofford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As expected for a No. 4 seed, the Badgers (11-5 Big Ten, 23-8 overall) are matched up against a mid-major conference winner in Wofford (15-3 Southern, 26-8). The Terriers enter this game as the clear underdog, but the Badgers said they refuse to take anything for granted. “Any team in the NCAA tournament there’s going to be a favorite and an underdog, and we’re going to be a favorite for this one,” senior guard Jason Bohannon said. “But that doesn’t change how we prepare for anything. We can’t take them lightly. They’re a very good basketball team.” A No. 4 seed has already gone down this year with Vanderbilt falling to Murray State. And No. 6 Notre Dame was also knocked off by to No. 11 Old Dominion. Senior guard Trevon Hughes said those
types of teams can be dangerous in the tournament. “The No. 12, 13 seeds plus, they have nothing to lose,” Hughes said. “They’re just going out there to play like it’s their last game, and basically that’s how everybody is playing when they’re in the tournament. The 65 teams are actually pretty good teams, so they’re going to give it their all, plus the underdogs, they want to prove people wrong.” The Terriers won both the Southern Conference regular-season and postseason championship. They enter this contest with momentum, riding a 13-game winning streak. Junior forward Noah Dahlman led Wofford in scoring this year with 16.8 points per game, which ranked fourth in the conference. The Southern Player of the Year also shot 58 percent from the field, and hauled in 5.8 rebounds per game. “[He’s a] tough player,” Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. “Good hands, uses angles well ... he’s done a very good job of executing his strengths to the team
Men’s Hockey
JACK DOYLE doyle rules
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arch Madness is finally upon us and I couldn’t be more excited. The Badgers have a No. 4 seed, there are no clear-cut favorites besides Kansas and there are a plethora of upsets waiting to happen—it’s going to be a fantastic tournament. That being said I’m still a little disappointed with the chance of any Big Ten team making a deep run. What follows is my attempt to be a Joe Lunardiwannabe in analyzing the Big Ten’s Big Dance possibilities. ISABEL ÁLVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL
This year’s NCAA Tournament will be the final one for senior guard Trevon Hughes and his fellow senior, guard Jason Bohannon. concept, and to become player of the year in a conference, you have to be doing something right.” Despite being Wofford’s greatest threat, Dahlman stands only 6'6" as the tallest player in the
Terriers’ starting lineup. With 6'10" junior forward Jon Leuer and 6'8" junior forward Keaton Nankivil, the Badgers have a height advantage on mens ncaa page 7
Women’s Basketball
UW continues fight for the Broadmoor Cup By Nico Savidge THE DAILY CARDINAL
One might think there is a temptation among members of the Wisconsin men’s hockey team to take their Friday contest against St. Cloud State in the WCHA Tournament semifinal for granted. After all, the Badgers spent nearly the entire year at the top level of the conference, joined by only one team—Denver—a squad they could face for the conference playoff championship Saturday night. The Huskies are a solid team fighting for a good seed in the NCAA tournament, and it is impossible to take a game against the No. 5 team in the country for granted. But with the possibility of facing the top-ranked team in the country the next night, Wisconsin could be forgiven for letting those thoughts seep into their minds. That hasn't been the case, however, according to head coach Mike Eaves. “We don’t talk about that at all, it’s about being in the moment,” Eaves said. “They understand that they’ve got to beat St. Cloud then we’ll cross that next bridge, which is Denver. It’s very pleasing to hear that no one’s talking about Denver.” The Badgers cannot afford to look past their game against the Huskies. On top of their high national ranking, St. Cloud State has split both of its series against Wisconsin this year including a 5-1 win in the Kohl Center that saw junior goaltender Dan Dunn stymie the Badger offense while making 37 saves. One of the main reasons Wisconsin struggled in that opener was the Huskies’ discipline, which gave the Badgers just two power-play opportunities. Eaves said that will make any chance Wisconsin has Friday even more crucial, and force the Badgers to play an equally disciplined game,
something they have not always been able to do. “They won that battle,” Eaves said of the Feb. 19 loss. “Our power play looked good when we had it, but we only had two looks at it, so we’re going to have to be ready to go when we have good opportunities and have a good emotional control.” For junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson, that last series was an example of him not playing to the ability he showed earlier in the year. Gudmandson saved just 19 of the 24 shots he faced in the Friday loss and was not much better Saturday, but he said he has worked to put it out of his mind. “It’s something that I really had to focus on last season and during the summer, just trying to have a short memory,” he said. “I’m playing a lot better now [but] I think that was one of the times throughout the season where I slipped up.” Eaves has complemented Gudmandson’s ability to bounce back from a frustrating series or goal, something he showcased against AlaskaAnchorage. In Saturday’s series finale with the Seawolves, Gudmandson went out to play a puck but ended up having it taken off his stick and shot into the empty net to tie the game. After that mistake, however, Gudmandson stopped all of the shots he faced and the Wisconsin offense stepped up to carry the Badgers to a 7-2 victory. Senior forward Blake Geoffrion said the ability to recover from a tough situation is one of the reasons the team is behind him. “He believes in himself and he knows that we believe in him, and he’s playing great hockey," Geoffrion said. Wisconsin will face off against St. Cloud State Friday at 2 p.m. in the Xcel Energy Center.
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Junior guard Alyssa Karel scored a team-high 14.4 points this season for Wisconsin.
Badgers face Vermont in first NCAA contest in eight years By Mark Bennett THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Wisconsin women’s basketball team, receiving its first NCAA tournament bid since 2002 and just seventh overall, were handsomely rewarded for their strong efforts all season with a seventh seed. The Badgers take on the No. 10 seed Vermont Catamounts Sunday at noon in South Bend, Ind. Wisconsin, picked by some to finish as low as 10 in the Big Ten, proved even the most gracious pundits wrong, accumulating a 10-8 conference record, good enough for a share of third place in the Big Ten. The Badgers, led by Big Ten Coach of the Year Lisa Stone, finished the season
21-10 overall. Wisconsin’s scoring defense, ranked first in the Big Ten and 24th best in the nation, has carried the team all season. Plus the offensive poise and power of junior guard Alyssa Karel, who leads the team with 14.4 points per game, the on-court leadership and toughness of senior guard Rae Lin D’Alie, and spread scoring of the Badger’s deep bench gives the team reason to be excited for a potential deep tournament run. In fact, the team was given a pep talk courtesy of men’s basketball head coach Bo Ryan prior to Wednesday’s practice, a similar speech the women’s soccer team womens ncaa page 7
Ohio State Easily the team I am most confident will make it to the Elite Eight, but even then I’m not so sure. Sure the first round match-up against UC-Santa Barbara will be a cakewalk, but then the Buckeyes meet ACC threat Georgia Tech, assuming the Yellow Jackets upset Oklahoma State (which, in my mind, isn’t really an upset). Georgia Tech, boasting uberfreshman Derrick Favors, has the capability to bust the lower half of the Midwest bracket. Even though the ACC had a down year I’m still not thoroughly convinced the Yellow Jackets will be an easy win for the No. 2 seed Buckeyes. If Ohio State proves victorious in that game, and my prediction that Georgetown makes it to the Sweet 16 rings true, the Buckeyes will have their hands full with the Big East powerhouse. Having finished the season tied for fourth in the conference, some people may overlook the Hoyas and pencil Ohio State in the Elite Eight without a second thought. Not a good idea. Georgetown proved in the Big East Tournament it is a force to be reckoned with, with both junior guard Austin Freeman and sophomore center Greg Monroe displaying their ridiculous talents. In my opinion, the Buckeyes will squeak by the Hoyas, but superstar Evan Turner’s back will break—not literally this time—from carrying the scoring load to be able to take them much further than that since Kansas awaits them soon after. Purdue Oh how the mighty have fallen. From title contenders in February to potential first round losers in March, the Boilermakers are in a tailspin without shooting stud Robbie Hummel. After Purdue’s embarrassing loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament, Siena is becoming a popular upset pick in the early stages of the Big Dance. Even if they do top Siena I don’t think the Boilermakers will make it past Texas A&M. Although I’m not ready to jump ship quite yet, I’m on the plank and inching towards water after watching Purdue selfdestruct minus Hummel. Michigan State After starting the conference season a perfect 9-0, Michigan State had a rough month following the spanking the Badgers gave them at madness page 7