Thursday, April 22, 2010 - The Daily Cardinal

Go ‘Into the Woods’ this Earth Day with fairy tale remixes from University Theatre ARTS

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

LOOKING BACK AT UW’S ROLE IN EARTH DAY Earth Day then and now: Is UW still part of the environmentalist vanguard? FEATURE

Complete campus coverage since 1892

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By Mike Orear the daily cardinal

lorenzo zemella/the daily cardinal

Students enjoyed activities put on by All-Campus Party Wednesday, including rock climbing (left) and the ‘Wear Red, Get Fed’ event, which promised free pizza to anyone in school colors.

Wood censured for OWIs, avoids expulsion

By Alison Dirr the daily cardinal

The state Assembly voted 73-24 Wednesday in favor of a substitute amendment ordering the censure, instead of the expulsion, of state Rep. Jeff Wood, I-Chippewa Falls, for operating while intoxicated charges that he will begin serving a 45-day jail term for next week.

UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden said a censure is usuWOOD ally “a slap on the wrist.”

“It’s a verbal reprimand with no repercussions beyond that,” he said.

He added that though it does not force the person from office or necessarily strip them of committee assignments or leadership positions, those repercussions may occur unofficially.

Thirty-two Republicans and 41 Democrats supported the censure while 14 Republicans, nine Democrats and Wood, the lone independent, voted against it.

After an hour and a half of deliberation, the Assembly passed the bill at 7:30 a.m. Wood said taking up a resolution so early in the morning was inappropriate.

State Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, who originally proposed Wood’s expulsion, said the censure was not strong enough.

“I believe members of the Legislature are capable of living up to the same real-world stan-

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Year-long restriction on new taverns taken out of ordinance

Wore red, got fed

isabel Álvarez/the daily cardinal

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dards of conduct expected by those who elect us,” Nass said.

“It’s a verbal reprimand with no repercussions beyond that.”

Prospective tavern owners will no longer face a one-year waiting period before they can sell liquor and beer downtown if they are replacing a business that used to sell alcohol.

The Alcohol License Review Committee passed a motion to eliminate the 365-day limit rule in the downtown Alcohol Beverage License Density Plan area at its Wednesday meeting.

The limit dictated that a new business located in the downtown Alcohol Beverage License Density Plan area could not sell alcohol in its first year of operation if it was replacing another business that also sold alcohol.

The amending of the ordinance to eliminate the 365-day limitation was sponsored by Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, and Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5.

The elimination of the limit offers new businesses the opportunity to sell alcohol at a location of former alcohol sale within a year of the preceding business’s closure.

The committee debated whether the elimination would be worthwhile. The 365-day limit was created as a way to reduce the number of tavern licenses in the downtown area, but given the recent economic downturn, opponents said the negative side effects

outweighed its intended purpose.

“This is … an immediate fix to a current problem,” said committee member Thomas Landgraf. “[It’s] brought on by the current economic times.”

Council members said the rule hurt the overall downtown climate of commerce during a period of economic recession, citing that as a main reason for eliminating the 365-day limit.

The elimination of the limit is essentially a six-month suspension from the 365-day limit rule until the ALRC rewrites the sections of the Madison General Ordinances pertaining to alcohol sale this October.

In addition to the 365-day limit elimination, the committee also approved State Street Pub’s request for a 21-plus entertainment license dealing with live music and a new alcohol sale license.

The State Street Pub, under new management, wanted to bring in new attractions such as live music and a renovated interior to attract new customers.

“The fact that the Pub has become this live music scene on weekends I think has been phenomenal,” stated Landgraf. “It is a terrific resource for local talent [and] local campus bands to perform.”

The committee also approved alcohol licenses for the proposed new restaurant Honest Foods and Jo’s Café of Bassett Street.

Barry Burden political science professor UW-Madison

State Rep. Mary Hubler, D-Rice Lake, who introduced the substitute amendment for censure, led a committee to determine the course of action the Legislature should take against Wood, if any.

“This hasn’t happened ever that wood page 3

Assembly to vote on climate bill Thursday, supporters nervous about fate in Senate

By Ariel Shapiro the daily cardinal

After pushing back the vote on the Clean Energy Jobs Act Tuesday, the state Assembly will decide the fate of the bill Thursday. Supporters from both houses are concerned about how it then will fare in the state Senate.

The bill, which co-author state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said would cut Wisconsin’s energy use by 2 percent per year,

create 16,000 jobs and dramatically reduce air pollution, will have to make it through both the Assembly and the Senate Thursday to pass before the end of this legislative session.

“If the Senate acts, we will have the votes in the Assembly,” Black said. “The problem is that … Sen. Russ Decker, D-Weston, Senate majority leader, has been standing in the way of this bill, despite all the good it would do for the state

of Wisconsin.”

John Anderson, spokesperson for bill co-author state Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, said even though Miller is continuing to work to get it passed, the process would be very difficult if Decker remains opposed to it.

Decker has said he is concerned the bill would increase utility rates, according to a recent Wisconsin energy page 3

isabel Álvarez/the daily cardinal

The State Street Pub, under new management, hopes to gain new customers with their 21-plus entertainment license.

“…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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Thursday, April 22, 2010

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

TODAY: partly sunny hi 63º / lo 36º

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The sexy UW sensual sex-ed history sexy sex

Volume 119, Issue 129

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 Copy Chiefs Anna Jeon Kyle Sparks Justin Stephani Jake VIctor Copy Editors Alison Bauter Lauren Hodkiewicz, Tyler Weiss Christina Kalsow-Ramos, Alison Bauter

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

JON SPIKE academic misjonduct

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’m naturally competitive by nature (though I could totally be less competitive than anybody! Anybody!) and this weekly column has not done much to diminish that competitive spirit within me. Week in and week out, I have to stare in defeat as I view The Daily Cardinal website’s “Most Read” tab and see the Friday Sex Column (written expertly by Erica Andrist) pummeling my unfunny Thursday column into the ground. What have I done wrong? Well, who am I kidding. It’s not me. It’s you. Yeah, you. Readers like you who love the explosions, the car chases and, oh yes, the sex. That sexy sex. Yes, you’re salivating right now at just the mention of the word. If I’m ever going to take down the “Most Read” crown, it’s going to be through sex, and lots of it.

However, I’m not completely selling out to get readers.

I’ve decided to ground this sex column in research about UWMadison and its strange history relating to sexual educa-

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

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© 2010, The Daily Cardinal

New Beer Facts Brewery: Ale Asylum Alcohol by volume: 7.5 % Style: Trappist-style IPA

For the record Corrections or clarifications?

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

Hardbody instructed Memorial Union employees to dissolve the Hoofer Sailing Club and use the sailing material for thousands of makeshift condoms.

1983- Rumors around campus perpetuate the myth that Bascom was the legendary “day-after hill,” a place where a woman could go after a onenight stand to avoid becoming pregnant. Although the amount of Ultimate Frisbee on Bascom Hill increased by 200 percent, so did the amount of females dropping out of UW-Madison for “personal reasons.”

1997Homecumming Committee’s ill-fated “Wear Red, Get Head” campaign goes horribly wrong after local transients manage to infiltrate the sea of crimson-clad students and ruin the fun for everyone.

2006- Scientists develop a way to help embryonic stem cells reproduce on their own after explaining the reverse panda wheelbarrow sexual position to the cells via crude chalkboard diagrams.

2007- That one room that always has its light on at the top of Van Hise finally goes dark after a two-year sex session between two horny French TAs. 2008- Outrage over a fraternity’s idea to have a “Breast Awareness Month” in jest of the

similarly-named month promoting breast cancer awareness leads to riots and violence in the streets. As punishment, the fraternity is forced to watch an entire UW softball game from beginning to end.

2009- A student was expelled from UW-Madison after _____ ___ing his TA in the _______ with a ___________________ , a George Foreman grill, _______ ___________ then he _______ed her with a _________________ Bucky Badger ______________ ____ pineapple _____________ _____ drove the zamboni directly into her ________________ ____________________ broken pelvis __________________ __ ball-peen hammer ____ _______________________ ___. Unfortunately, the whole act was caught on film by ___.

Bielema, who ______ed off to the tape while __________ing his ___________________ ________, all while _______ _________________ fist pumping ____________________.

Chancellor Biddy Martin somehow taught everyone a lesson through the tragic event by __ _______ing the ______ out of Bielema using a ___________ pinata ___________, right on Bascom Hill.

Sex. spike@wisc.edu.

Ale Asylum Bedlam IPA

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

tion. Below are some of the key moments in Sex Ed at UWMadison. Inappropriate lines have been edited out.

1923- Helen C. White and Elizabeth Waters finally open up to the campus about their month-long love affair on the shores of Lake Mendota. After a large mob runs them out of town with torches and pitchforks, two buildings are later erected and named in each woman’s honor on the shoreline of Lake Mendota.

Some say that if you stand by the waves of Lake Mendota on the Lakeshore path, you can faintly make out the sound of Helen and Elizabeth dry-humping in the night to the tune of “On Wisconsin.”

1965- Orgy Hall, the newly created specialty dorm for sexual deviants, nearly destroys itself through anarchy and lewd behavior. The dorm is renamed Ogg Hall in 1979, but nothing else really changes about the dorm and its sexual promiscuity.

1971Newly crowned Chancellor Biff Hardbody, a retired action-porn actor, declares September at UWMadison to be “Sextember,” vowing to get every student and faculty member laid. When told there were over 40,000 students and staff on campus, Chancellor

New Beer Thursday

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FRIDAY: sunny hi 63º / lo 41º

Served in: Bottle Serving Temperature: Cold Rating: 4.5 beers (out of 5)

Too often these days it seems flavorful beers are inevitably and gut-bustingly stodgy, making it difficult to enjoy more than one without feeling like it’s Thanksgiving or Brat Fest. But just in time for summer, sunshine and gutrot-free drinking, Ale Asylum has brewed up Bedlam IPA, a Trappist-style IPA that’s easy to drink without sacrificing taste.

Brewed in the Trappist monastic tradition dating back to the Middle Ages when beer ruled over water, Bedlam is both refreshing and full-flavored.

Crack into a Bedlam IPA and you will immediately be enticed by wafts of strawberry, orange and grass. The beer pours a beautiful reddish brown, a color not unlike that of the sky after the sun has dipped below the horizon on Lake Mendota. Indeed, we do declare, the scent of Bedlam caressed our faces and her scent tormented us for hours.

The promise of Bedlam’s sweet breath was not a shallow one. The amber liquid’s first tender kisses caused our hearts to skip a beat and as the hoppy deliciousness tickled our mouths, jolts of electricity coursed through our limbs making us tingle all over with warm familiar feelings of content and elation that made our toes curl.

This titillating experience left us wanting more, much more, and the summer seasonal promises many sunshine-filled days of delight to come. Ale Asylum’s Bedlam has moved us to raptures in a world of rose-

colored strawberry hops. Try as we may, we can’t get the cool sweet taste of the 7.5 percent ABV IPA out of our heads.

Our brief encounter with Bedlam IPA has left a lasting impression and we will not stoop to discussing the beer’s merits in relation to other summertime brews because Bedlam stands on its own as a monument to all that is honest and beautiful in a hoppy world.

Best served: Cold, straight from the bottle.

Best enjoyed: Sitting out in the sun. This is unquestionably the ultimate Terrace beer.

Ale Asylum Bedlam IPA

dailycardinal.com/news

ASM cuts women’s center grant

By Kelsey Gunderson the daily cardinal

The Associated Students of Madison voted to reduce the Campus Women’s Center’s operational grant at the Student Council meeting Wednesday.

Last month, the ASM Finance Committee granted the Campus Women’s Center a $33,100 operational grant—the largest in ASM’s history.

Operational grants are provided to student organizations that did not qualify for General Student Services Funding and are intended to provide resources for recruitment and routine operations of the organization.

Several council members said they believed the CWC’s grant was too large, as the total amount allocated to the CWC made up roughly one fourth of the total operational grant funds that were allocated to over 90 organizations.

ASM Secretary Kurt Gosselin said he felt the Finance Committee violated viewpoint neutrality when approving the grant.

“When you treat one organization different than you’ve treated other organizations, when you’ve deviated from the way you’ve applied your standard, you have violated the law by committing a viewpoint neutrality violation,” he said.

Rep. Maxwell Love said, however, he believes the CWC was treated equally and simply had an unusually high budget. “[The CWC] submitted an operational grant, they went through the process and they were approved,” he said. “I don’t see a viewpoint neutrality violation here.”

Council members ultimately approved several cuts to the grant from printing, supplies and advertising, reducing the grant to $15,376.

Gosselin said he felt many of the supplies funded in the grant went to events, rather than to the core operation of the organization, and that the grant should not pay fund the CWC’s rent at Memorial Union when they could apply for space at the Student Activity Center.

CWC organizer Tina TrevinoMurphy said, however, the space at Memorial Union was necessary for the center’s purpose of providing an anonymous service to students in a more secluded location.

energy from page 1 State Journal article.

Kimber Liedl, spokesperson for Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Republicans are also concerned about the possibility of increased utility costs.

Agricultural, business, commerce and manufacturing groups have also spoken out against the bill.

However, Keith Reopelle, senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin, the state’s largest environmental advocacy group, urged lawmakers to push the legislation forward.

“Killing the most important clean energy bill in the state’s history is no way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day,” Reopelle said in a statement.

She added that many of the organization’s supplies, like condoms, are also used for recruiting and retaining members.

The Finance Committee will make the final decision regarding the amended CWC grant at its next meeting.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

isabel Álvarez/the daily cardinal

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Muggers rob woman on North Pinckney A 21-year old Madison woman was robbed on her walk home early Wednesday morning around 12:35 a.m.

According to a police report, a man approached the woman at a North Pinckney Street parking lot asking her for a cigarette. The victim then offered him a cigarette, and while she opened her purse another woman, who was with the man, grabbed for the bag. The victim struggled with the attackers as they tried to take her purse.

wood from page 1

Associated Students of Madison members decided to reduce the Campus Women’s Center’s operations grant at their meeting Wednesday.

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there was a special committee put together to judge another member, and it is serious,” she said.

“But the people of [Wood’s district] had an opportunity on Jan. 5 to recall this legislator. They didn’t do that. I don’t know why we, in this body, should replace their judgment with ours.”

Burden noted that recent legislation cracking down on drunken driv-

The thieves took off with the victim’s purse after she was sprayed with something, but she was not injured.

An officer smelled the victim’s clothing and said whatever was sprayed smelled like chlorine, police said.

The victim said the man was black, 18-20 years old and the woman was black, 18 years old.

The woman said there was also a third person, possibly a black woman, with the suspects, according to the incident report. ing may have influenced legislators’ reactions to Wood’s third OWI. “Making an issue out of it seems like a reasonable thing to do because of the larger message legislators are trying to send about drinking and driving statewide,” he said.

He also noted that Wood’s power over legislation ends this week with the end of this legislative session.

“The story is probably done after this week,” Burden said. “I think this is the final chapter.”

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

earth day 2010

dailycardinal.com

The day the earth stood still It started as a watershed moment in the environmental movement, but does Earth Day still resonate?

Earth Day in 1970 ... and in 2010 - The Vietnam War: Aside from protesting the United States’ involvement in violent atrocities throughout Southeast Asia, college students also targeted the side effects of the war’s environment destruction. Entire forests, jungles and crops were obliterated by Agent Orange and other harmful chemicals and explosives.

- Public viewpoints: Over two-thirds of Wisconsin residents rate the state’s environment as excellent or good, according to a Spring 2008 UW Survey Center poll. Yet in the same survey a slight majority of residents said they wanted the state government to do more on environmental issues.

- “Silent Spring”: Written by Rachel Carson, this 1962 book examined the harmful effects of pesticides and pollution in the U.S. and is especially famous for predicting a future world where all birds would be extinct. It is credited for bringing about the ban on DDT, a pesticide used commonly at the time.

- Energy legislation: The Wisconsin state Legislature is set to vote on a “Clean Energy Jobs” bill Thursday that increases renewable energy standards by 2025. The bill’s fate is uncertain, although supporters in the state Assembly have said they have the votes to pass it. However, the state Senate Majority L e a d e r , Russ Decker, D-Weston, has made recent comments voicing skepticism about the bill passing the Senate.

- Clean Air and Water Acts: Enforced by the newly created EPA, these acts brought about drastic regulations to restrain industrial and agricultural pollution while providing more leverage for environmentalbased lawsuits.

- Endangered Species: Federal legislation in 1966, ’69, and culminating in the 1973 Endangered Species Act reflected the public’s growing desire to guard against rampant poaching and natural land destruction.

- Freeway Revolts: Movements popped up across major U.S. cities, including Milwaukee, to slow the rapid proliferation of highways. Touted for their efficiency and economic benefits, many freeway construction projects came to a screeching halt as environmentalists protested the noisy, gas guzzling, nature-bulldozing roadways.

- Invasive species: Even Gov. Jim Doyle has shown concern over the apparent spread of so-called “Asian Carp” near Wisconsin waters. The fish can be over 100 pounds and are seen as a threat to domestic fishing and tourism industries by their ability to reproduce quickly and hurt native Wisconsin species.

- Charter Street Coal Plant: After a long campaign against its use of coal to power much of the UW campus, many environmentalists are celebrating the plant moving towards biomass fuel. The plans for the new coal plant are currently being debated by several city committees regarding the design of the new facility.

dAILY cARDINAL STAFF/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

He helped create a new agenda U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson , D-Wis., was the founder of Earth Day and a leader in the environmental movement. Before being elected to the Senate in 1962, Nelson was known as the “Conservation Governor” that championed protection of public lands and maintaining Wisconsin’s natural resources for tourism and recreation.

In his inaugural address as governor Nelson said government must play an active role in protecting the environment and society at large while adapting to new problems.

“There is no single, simple solution to all of our problems,” he said.

“The test of survival for representative government is how well it can meet the continuing challenges of changing times.”

Such an adaptation of the political process was clearly seen on the first Earth Day, when Nelson and his main organizer Denis Hayes used the tactics of teach-ins from the 1960s to draw awareness to environmental issues. The tactic largely worked, with over 20 million people participating in the first Earth Day. Nelson said he predicted dire consequences if conservation was not championed by the government. In a 1962 speech to the 27th annual North American Wildlife Conference he said “ We will live in a magnificent asphalt paradise, were, of all our wildlife, the only ones that will survive will be the rodents, the rabbits and the sparrows.”

Source: UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

UW’s impact on the environmental movement Aldo Leopold 1887-1948 Aldo Leopold, who served as a professor at UW-Madison throughout the 1930s and 1940s, is considered by many to be one of the founders of modern ecology. His seminal work, “A Sand County Almanac,” looks at the way people and nature try to coexist.

Students on campus during “E-Week” of April 1971 carry large bags of trash to focus attention on pollution and other Earth Day issues.

Edward Birge 1851-1950 A prominent zoologist and researcher on native Wisconsin bird species, Birge was also a prominent supporter of evolutionary theory and conservation. He and his staff collected over 500 types of Wisconsin birds that allowed them to look for chemical changes in the environment the birds inhabited.

John Muir 1838-1914 Muir grew up near Portage, Wis. and attended UW-Madison as an undergraduate in 1860. He went on to become known as the “Father of Our National Parks System” and the founded the conservation group the Sierra Club in 1892. Muir collaborated with President Theodore Roosevelt on multiple conservation projections in his life.

Sources: The Aldo Leopold Foundation , UW Zoological Museum,

The Sierra Club: John Muir Exhibit

dAILY cARDINAL STAFF/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

arts Rapper Trigg prepared in pursuing his passion dailycardinal.com/arts

By Justin Stephani THE DAILY CARDINAL

Young rappers are often filled with as much naiveté as they are ambitious, let alone a young rapper who is a white full-time student from “Chicago... well, north Evanston, Ill.” Their eagerness to talk about smoking weed and grinding on the streets often dilutes any uniquely personal perspectives and quirks. A giddiness to make every line rhyme leads a new rapper to grasp at the beat like a drowning man at a life preserver floating by. Their lack of preparation can lead to amateur observations of the local grocers, while preparedness can quickly become an awkward inability to adapt in the booth. At some point or another, all of these plagued Jeff Trigg’s solo rap debut, Through the Window... To My Soul; naiveté equaled passion and ambition. For his follow up, The New Era Mixtape, Trigg attempted to leave some of those barriers behind.

“I had a lot of immature thoughts, and I needed to grow. Lot of that stuff came from high school, but now I’m feeling like I’ve grown. And then I put that music together and this new era came,” Trigg said.

Part of this resulted from the criticism he received after his debut made its way around family and friends.

More importantly, he connected with an actual rap producer, as opposed to the producer from his debut, who had worked mostly with rock artists. Lastly, the maturity comes from the subconscious dedication need for a student for with such a “hobby.”

“I stay up forever. I’ll be up until 3 or 4 in the morning. I’ll just kick back, blow back and write a song, just listen to beats or listen to anybody’s music,” he said of his casual writing process.

“Hobby; that’s all it is right now.”

“When it comes to writing the music, I’m just trying to blend into the community. I feel like I should be part of it,” he said.

Yet Madison’s hip-hop scene is fickle and often doesn’t reward ambition or initiative. For local rappers, this reaches a point where keeping their craft a hobby is unavoidable. A show scheduled for tonight at the Orpheum’s Stage Door, featuring Trigg (among others), was in the works for months before collapsing under complications. Similar problems have popped up around town, causing shows with more notoriety and appeal—Clipse at the Majestic last Sunday, for example (Freddie Gibbs was scheduled to open)—to deal with similar fates.

After four years of working through nights and long summers of organizing recording sessions and collaborations,

Trigg has yet to perform at an official venue in town, resorting to his own release parties and makeshift venues.

But with his new release (available for free download at jefftriggmusic.com), he offers up a more defined and pointed collection that promises his passions are paying off and that Madison’s reeling rap scene hasn’t caused him to jump ship on his layman lifestyle. “I’d like to say hip-hop is definitely a hobby and school is the main goal, but I want to integrate them. I want to make music and school together. That’s why I want to do some performances here while I still can.”

So as opportunities abroad for Trigg begin to look brighter as his networks expand and his dreams look skyward, keep an eye out for this local rapper seeking out exposure in a town so reluctant to give it up.

PHOTO COURTESY MYSPACE RECORDS

Making it as a rapper in an underappreciating area can be difficult for newcomers like Jeff Trigg, but his zeal remains strong.

Costa’s films worth the difficult watch DAN SULLIVAN sullivan’s travels

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he worst that one can say about the 2010 Wisconsin Film Festival is that it nearly overshadowed what was arguably the year’s most important DVD release: “Letters from Fontainhas: Three Films by Pedro Costa,” released by the Criterion Collection March 30. The trio of movies—none of which has received U.S. distribution beyond short runs in major city art houses—contained in this four-disc box set are three of the most aesthetically significant works of film art produced in the last two decades.

For anybody who gives half a damn about cinema as an art rather than as an immersive distraction, laying eyes on all three is absolutely essential.

Costa, a Portuguese filmmaker who has directed five narrative and two documentary features in an ongoing 21-year career, is possibly the medium’s foremost working artist (we’ll see what Jean-Luc Godard has been up to when his much-anticipated film “Socialism” premieres at Cannes in May).

Costa draws thematic ideas and compositional strategies from the work of some of cinema’s undisputed masters: John Ford, Jacques Tourneur, Kenji Mizoguchi, Robert Bresson, Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet,

Yasujiro Ozu and Charlie Chaplin.

The patience and rigor with which he points his camera at scenes of extreme poverty, drug use and otherworldly loneliness yield hypnotic images of desperate living.

The first of the three films, 1997’s “Ossos,” was also the last he shot on celluloid. “Ossos” is ostensibly the story of a strung-out and forlorn young daddy searching high and low for a good place to ditch his infant while its mother seeks comfort in the company of a vengeful, masculine cleaning lady (played by Costa repertory cornerstone Vanda Duarte); the result is a metaphysical work that’s light on dialogue and heavy on smothering, all-consuming mood. “Ossos” was Costa’s first excursion into Fontainhas, a decrepit yet culturally rich ghetto in Lisbon.

Fearing that his crew and their equipment were disrupting the Fontainhas residents’ lives, Costa vowed that “Ossos” would be his last film made using conventional methods.

His next movie, 2000’s “In Vanda’s Room,” is as difficult to watch as any in recent memory. “In Vanda’s Room” is nearly three hours of Vanda and her best friend Zita sharing non sequitur conversations and casually freebasing heroin; meanwhile, outside of Vanda’s suffocating quarters, the project to demolish the rotting Fontainhas has been set in motion by the Portuguese government.

Costa shot the entire film with a discreet DV camera while often serving as the only member of his crew.

As with Andy Warhol’s silent screen tests, all of the nonactors in “In Vanda’s Room” play variations of their offscreen selves. “In Vanda’s Room” is utterly devoid of camera movements, and Costa used only a few mirrors to light each shot. The result is a sequence of moments and images that are as heavy as an anvil and yet move with the grace of falling mothballs. Yes, it’s tedious at times, but so too is human existence; in Costa’s films, life is often an imitation of art rather than the other way around.

It was seven years before Costa finished his follow-up to “In Vanda’s Room,” 2007’s “Colossal Youth.”

(Though I consider his 2001 documentary “Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?” about the filmmaking duo JeanMarie Straub and Danièle Huillet one of the best films of the ’00s.)

“Colossal Youth” follows a former construction worker named Ventura as he wonders back and forth between a nearly destroyed Fontainhas and a newly constructed community of housing projects on the outskirts of Lisbon where the Fontainhas residents are being relocated.

In “Colossal Youth,” the techniques Costa developed in “In Vanda’s Room” are taken in fascinating, mythical directions. The film’s episodic narrative consists of a series of encounters between Ventura and his “children,” an ensemble of Fontainhas friends and neighbors. costa page 6

Thursday, April 22, 2010

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PHOTO COURTESY BRENT NICASTRO

Cast members make University Theatre’s production of ‘Into the Woods’ a worthwhile, entertaining musical for all audiences.

Ready to go ‘Into the Woods’

By Ashley Glowinski THE DAILY CARDINAL

In this Stephen Sondheim musical, anything can happen when you go “Into the Woods,” the closing production of the season for University Theatre. It introduces the audience to their favorite fairy-tale characters in a way they have never seen them before. Show-goers follow Little Red Riding Hood to her granny’s house, meet an ugly old witch and some handsome princes, see if Cinderella ever makes it to the festival and much more. It’s the stories and characters we all know and love in situations we never could have predicted. Who knew princesses could be so clumsy, old men so mysterious and that trees could sing so well?

There are some people who may assume that because this is a Stephen Sondheim musical it will be specific to certain musical tastes, but the cast and crew have made it universally likable. This musical is sure to be pleasing to both the trained and untrained ear.

Not only is the singing good, but the acting is tremendous as well. Viewers will forget that these are students on stage and believe that their favorite fairy-tale characters are actually right there in

front of them.

“Into the Woods” has an impressive set and elaborate costumes, and the characters are dynamic, hilarious and brilliant.

The story takes many turns, and audience members can only imagine what adventures will unfold next.

“Into the Woods” may have twisted characters and plots, but the morals of the original fairy tales are still a big part of the play.

Viewers may even learn some new lessons from the show.

“A sharp knife may be dull tomorrow,” said Bobby Arnold, who plays the Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood’s rival.

“Into the Woods” is Arnold’s fourth show at UW-Madison, and he praised the show and the director, Pam Kriger.

“Pam is a very efficient director. She knows what she wants, and she helps guide you there,” he said.

Arnold said he was lucky to work with such a talented cast and crew. The show is challenging both theatrically and musically, but the cast and crew did a phenomenal job putting everything together, including the intricate costumes. woods page 6

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

costa from page 5 Costa shoots the weathered, tremor-ridden Ventura just as John Ford shot John Wayne in many canonical westerns. The displaced Fontainhas residents float into and levitate within the static frame like lost souls stuck in an impoverished purgatory. Whereas the immobile camera of “In Vanda’s Room” lingered on Fontainhas’ rubble and crumpled sheets of aluminum foil, “Colossal Youth” shows us the barely there ghetto, the menacingly white

housing projects and the patches of gorgeous nature that fall somewhere between those two radically distinct environments. It’s no exaggeration to say “Colossal Youth” is the most visually remarkable film released in this young century.

“Letters from Fontainhas” is now available for rental at Four Star Video Heaven. If you’re interested in the work of the director who may be remembered as the most important film artist of our era, I strongly encourage you to give these difficult movies a try.

woods from page 5 Arnold said his wolf costume, made out of actual wolf hide, adds to the authenticity of the costume and helped him get into his role. The other costumes are also gorgeous and worth going to see.

The show is pleasing to the eyes and definitely the ears, especially when Rapunzel sings in her tower. Katherine Biskupic, who plays Rapunzel, said she really enjoyed the numbers where the whole cast came together. These

dailycardinal.com/arts numbers are incredibly fun to watch and listen to, as is the entire show.

When asked what her favorite part of the show was she replied, “Definitely the cast.”

“Energy is up and there is so much going on,” Biskupic said. This is definitely not a show that you will fall asleep or get bored watching.

As Arnold described, each character has a distinct goal. By the end of the first act, the audience may assume their goals have been reached, but the second act has even more compelling

action that’s yet to come. When the narrator says, “To be continued!” at the end of the first act, he means it.

There is a lot more action in store involving more fairy-tale characters and lesson-learning. The show is sure to please a variety of audiences.

Remaining performances of “Into the Woods” will take place in Mitchell Theatre on April 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and May 1 at 7:30 p.m. and April 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $14-20 and are available at www.utmadison.com and the Union Theater Box Office.

opinion Religions do not need National Day of Prayer dailycardinal.com/opinion

JAMIE STARK opinion columnist

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ast Thursday, a federal judge in Madison ruled it is unconstitutional for the federal government to endorse a National Day of Prayer. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb brightened the day of First Amendment fans across the country with her ruling that characterized the current National Day of Prayer as a government endorsement of prayer. In her ruling, Crabb wrote, “The same law that prohibits the government from declaring a National Day of Prayer also prohibits it from declaring a National Day of Blasphemy.”

Crabb’s judgment was the right decision for religious Americans and an impartial federal government. Involving the U.S. government, in my belief, runs the risk of dirtying my faith. If I voted purely on faith, I would be supporting fellow Lutheran Mark Neumann in his run for governor.

In reality, this year’s National Day of Prayer, slated for May 6, will continue as planned. Crabb delayed enforcement of her ruling until it travels through the appeals courts. But from now on, the National Day of Prayer should continue on a different note.

Crabb’s judgment was the right decision for religious Americans and an impartial federal government.

President Barack Obama, individual members of Congress and ordinary Americans all have the right to recognize the National Day of Prayer, to unite in reflection and prayer for the wellbeing of our nation. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees their right to such belief and expression. But that same amendment guarantees religion the right to not be associated with our government.

Most faithful folks place their faith and their government on very different playing fields. Why not embrace the importance of spiritual freedom and not perpetuate a belief that it is supported by government like a crutch?

An inclusive and tolerant president like Obama surely doesn’t mean to make the day of prayer an endorsement of Christianity. He probably wants all the prayers he can get with the problems that fall on his desk. The holiday can and should be used as a day to celebrate the diversity of beliefs and faiths in this country. But we Americans can take care of that without Uncle Sam penciling it in on the calendar. Religious organizations should seize this ruling as an opportunity to assert their independence. If not, leaning on the government to support the cause of religion could be devastating to religious organizations in the long run.

Unfortunately, the focus of the trial may seem like it is atheist versus faithful. But to protect their own sovereignty, churches and other places of worship must

Thursday, April 22, 2010

protect the First Amendment, and they should have joined in on the fight for free speech in this case.

This is not an affront to prayer or religious Americans, as Crabb was careful to articulate in her ruling.

This is about religious Americans’ ability to practice their faith, or lack of faith, free from government control.

Perhaps the most-used argument against Crabb’s decision is that it violates the American tradition of commemorating a National Day of Prayer. But annual proclamations only began in 1952. An official date, the first Thursday of May, wasn’t chosen until 1988.

Many founding fathers were intensely opposed to any mixing between church and state.

At first glance, it may seem cozy to live in a country that supports my religion. It’s easy for the White House to seem more prevalent in my life than a church, so why not allow the ubiquitous government to acknowledge my faith?

But how would I feel as a member of a different, minority faith? No faith at all? From the religious side, I grew up in a church that pooh-poohed an American flag in the entry hall because, according to my pastor, the church should transcend such arbitrary borders as the state.

This ruling isn’t a direct cause of our nation becoming more religiously diverse, including the increasing number of atheists. This is about religious Americans’ ability to practice their faith, or lack of faith, free from government control, and the government’s responsibility to create an environment of equality for all citizens.

Hopefully Obama and other elected officials who think such

prayer is beneficial for our country will still join hands and pray on May 6. But to do this, they do not need official proclamations with the presidential seal. Obama can tweet “Join together in prayer today for the National Day of Prayer.” He can still have a pastor begin his inauguration ceremonies with a prayer.

Hopefully religious organizations and leaders can seize this opportunity to open up a more honest, progressive discussion on faith and our country.

These are forms of communicating the president’s personal beliefs. In this democracy, we have a right to know what beliefs influence our elected leaders and, if we so choose, join in worship with them. But the minute, yet consti-

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tutionally significant distinction of a presidential proclamation is unnecessary to further the wellbeing of our country.

In public discourse, there is much more room for recognition and discussion of religion, a vital cultural factor in millions of Americans’ lives. Hopefully religious organizations and leaders can seize this opportunity to open up a more honest, progressive discussion on faith and our country. And hopefully Pat Robertson doesn’t say anything crazy again.

The cold reality of theocracies like Iran should be enough to scare any of us away from legislating religion. I’m certain God couldn’t care less if a national celebration is accompanied by an official proclamation or not. Or in other words, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Jamie Stark is a freshman majoring in journalism and political science. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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dailycardinal.com/opinion

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Earth Day must change, become more inclusive to reach wider audience

By Stephen Collins and Danny Spitzberg THE GREEN ROOM

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The daylong teach-in was founded by Wisconsin’s former governor and senator, Gaylord Nelson, after whom our Institute for Environmental Studies was named.

We owe a great deal to Nelson and the others who helped write that chapter in history. Shortly after the first Earth Day, a series of environmental laws were passed, including the Clean Air Act and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency.

These laws have played an enormous part in ensuring the cleanliness of our air, water, and overall environment.

But 40 years later, we live in a new world with new problems. We’re more urban, and there are far more of us. Americans, especially, are now more prosperous than ever. Poverty remains a persistent problem, but, as some have pointed out, nowadays most Americans are far more worried about eating too much rather than eating too little. Problems deemed

“environmental” have become more global than local. Compared to the golden ages of the 1970s, environmentalism has had limited success in solving today’s problems.

A new world requires a new narrative; it’s time to rethink Earth Day. As one (in)famous essay declared in 2004, the “Death of Environmentalism” may have come to pass. Several years later, we’re pretty sure environmentalism hasn’t been resuscitated.

We’re not trying to say that the label “environmental” has lost its meaning. It hasn’t. The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies grew out of UW-Madison’s need to foster an intellectual community and unite the university around interdisciplinary study. The Nelson Institute stands as one of the best of its kind, and we, the authors, are both proud to be a part of it. It excels in various areas: from teaching and research, to training and outreach, such as this week’s Earth Day at 40 Conference.

However, equally if not more important is what other people are doing for Earth Day. We’re

talking about people outside the Nelson Institute. People outside UW-Madison. People outside the United States.

Let’s not forget that environmentalism started as a movement. Decades later, that movement has become something very different: a collection of nongovernmental organizations plus a largely disconnected group of people who walk and talk “green.” No longer a movement, environmentalism has become a special interest.

Earth Day itself has come to embody environmentalism’s new form. In remembering our (the authors’) experience tabling at Earth Day last year, it is hard to forget the irony present in the giveaways that surrounded us––hot dogs (definitely not organic), bananas (not fair trade), soy chocolate milk cartons (not recyclable) and lip balm (this was at least organic). Discussion, education and community organization were notably absent. For most students, it was just another set of tables on Library Mall mixed with an unhealthy heaping of free food. No national, or even

campuswide, teach-in took place, and for the next 364 days, students went about their business as usual.

How can Earth Day change for the better? First off, it should strive to include people who aren’t already familiar with things like climate change, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. This means truly reaching out to students both inside and outside the Nelson Institute.

Sending out an e-mail or putting some tables and tents on Library Mall doesn’t cut it. And as great as the Nelson Institute’s Earth Day at 40 conference seemed, neither of us would really know because, like a lot of other students, we couldn’t go because we had class.

So here’s an idea: Schedule a furlough day to coincide with Earth Day. Then, create a campuswide teachin event on campus (not on the other side of the Capitol). Entice students to come by offering free stuff, just don’t make it hot dogs. How about beer? Students like beer... organic, local beer... in compostable cups!

(Make it root beer for those under

21.) And for those seeking less carbonation, bring some fair trade coffee, too. And of course, people could grill out or bring food to share.

The food would mainly serve to encourage students to attend. In return for these delicious delights, part of the event could urge students to dedicate some of their free time to volunteering, community service and so on. Professors, staff and people from all around Madison would be encouraged to come, too.

While making sure to avoid the classroom feel, professors could surely use their experience to help facilitate active discussions, lead workshops and guide debates.

Let’s get people talking about what the earth is, what it means to us, and how we are in fact a part of it. It’s time to seriously discuss what environmentalism has become and, in turn, create something new.

Stephen Collins and Danny Spitzberg are graduate students studying public affairs and sociology, respectively. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Instead of criticizing environmental opponents, seek to understand, educate

By Gregory Reeb THE GREEN ROOM

Environmentalists frequently lament the lack of environmental conscience in those whose lives they deem “unsustainable”—“How can they be so selfish?” we ask. This is the battle being fought today. A division of “us” vs. “them” occurs, and the “others” are frequently chastised as reckless and irresponsible. “This is their fault!” it often goes. I will argue, however, that a socially just and effective environmentalism—something the movement’s founders envisioned—is incommensurable with this division.

There have been many calls for environmentalism to broaden its focus to include issues of social and environmental justice, and to see these as inextricably linked to ‘saving the planet.’ The Earth Day events put on

by UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies granted a ripe opportunity to reflect on these calls as found in the words of the movement’s founders. In his opening speech, UWMadison’s Gregg Mitman related

Gaylord Nelson’s vision of a “decent environment in its broadest and deepest sense.” Nelson referred not only to a commitment to preserving nature’s wildness, but also to eliminating the environmental harm faced by poor inner-city communities confined to inadequate living conditions. Nelson’s advocacy for “conserving urban resources as well as natural resources” continues to carry much pertinence for environmentalism today, with growing recognition that different groups are differentially affected by environmental degradation and the policies sought to curb it. We cannot be environmentalists without an awareness of the social context in which environmental degradation takes place.

If we adopt this socially conscious view of environmentalism—which I think we must—we accept the challenge of broadening our view to see environmental degradation as existing within, and being the result of, a system of constraints and influences. We don’t, for instance, ignorantly criticize the “unwillingness” of poor inner-city

families to buy organic food without taking into account cultural, systematic and financial barriers that prevent this from happening. I doubt many socially aware individuals would disagree with me on this. Yet we frequently fail to extend this understanding to individuals whom we see as having more privilege. Somehow, a higher socioeconomic status tells us that the person, the “you” we identify at the helm, is exempt from other forms of systematic influence.

To make my point here, we must ask: Who is the “you” we are criticizing? To go into this question, take a look at yourself. Ask yourself the question, “Who am I?” In this investigation we will see that the self— the “I”—we all frequently refer to is mostly an illusion. When I look hard, I see that the person I think myself to be is overwhelmingly the result of my genes and my environment, nature and nurture. Most of us fully accept this in many aspects of scientific investigation—the question is not “nature vs. nurture vs. self.” It

is simply “nature vs. nurture.” Where are “you” in there? I maintain that “you” are there to a far lesser extent than you have thought.

When I see this all very clearly, then I realize that by patting my “self” on the back for recycling and criticizing my neighbor for driving a Hummer, for instance, both become meaningless. For whom am I congratulating and whom am I criticizing? Instead of accusing my neighbor of being an idiot—drawing from my recent investigation of myself—I will wonder why things have come to be the way they are for my neighbor. In this question, I seek not to blame the will of my neighbor but aim instead to understand the influences that have produced the person who lives next to me—a person who doesn’t care for much beyond herself.

A socially just and effective environmental movement is based on a larger vision rooted in understanding.

We are the result of our environment, and thus “we” as a self-gratifying entity are meaningless and destructive. “Look

at how green I am!” is the wrong way to go, serving only to further cement “us” and “them” in a self-righteous pattern of division.

This article is an argument for compassionate social action. When we learn why we are the ways in which we are, we learn a lot about why “they” are who they are. The point is not to deny reckless and extremely harmful behavior—as evidenced by our current environmental crisis, these certainly exist. The point is that it is mostly meaningless to blame “them” for acting the way they do. Instead, we should hold community and compassion as environmentalist values. We can seek more effective change when we stop reinforcing false divisions between people and realize our common humanity. Only by letting go of ourselves can a full movement grow and can the seeds of change be planted.

Gregory Reeb is a senior majoring in philosophy and analysis of complex systems. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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High fashion: High-heeled shoes were originally designed for male aristocrats. dailycardinal.com/comics

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Finding Sasquatch

Today’s Sudoku

Evil Bird

By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

© Puzzles by Pappocom

Ludicrous Linguistics

By Celia Donnelly donnelly.celia@gmail.com

The Graph Giraffe Classic

By Yosef Lerner graphics@dailycardinal.com

Crustaches

By Patrick Remington premington@wisc.edu

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.

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

Charlie and Boomer

By Natasha Soglin soglin@wisc.edu

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com

CAST YOUR BALLOT ACROSS 1 African country with no coastline 5 Fifty-fifty 9 Up to, in poetry 14 Opposite of include 15 Asian palm 16 B.B. King plays them 17 Garb for the bench 18 Combat outfit 19 Deck posts 20 Anonymously written best-seller 23 Duped 24 ___ Paese cheese 25 Beau Brummell’s concern 28 Shuffle through the shallows 30 Exterminator’s target 32 Easter egg coloring 33 They’re not who they pretend to be 36 Church-bell sound 37 Wet blanket 39 Last word of the Bible 41 Put out again, as stock 42 High, craggy hill 43 “You go, ___!”

44 Impressive poker

48 50 52 53 57 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66

hand Type of tile Cloddish chap Your, of yore Heightening footwear Negatively charged atom Word in a Descartes quote Parodies Parade proudly Low in body fat Memorable Yugoslav Loses fur Word with “Island” or “division” Trunk device

DOWN 1 Changes, sci-fi style 2 Lacking in scruples 3 Freudian concern 4 Tabloid pair 5 Accustom to hardship (Var.) 6 Album material 7 “Ben-Hur,” for one 8 Partnership for Peace org.

9 “Who’s on first?” comedian 10 Act the coquette 11 One not in the loop

12 Soak, as flax 13 Non-PC suffix 21 Hate with a passion 22 Ropes, as dogies 26 Hand-woven rug 27 Snakelike swimmer 29 Stretch across 30 Iris center 31 Valentine’s Day figure 34 Uncompromising 35 Ogler 36 Part of a lemon 37 React to strenuous exercise 38 Smoke inhalations 39 Convenience store convenience 40 Lea low 43 California pro team 45 Place of perfection 46 Some linens 47 Mint family herb 49 How Dr. Seuss is often read 50 Instrument with stops 51 In the middle of 54 Took a tumble 55 Popular cookie 56 “Thirty days ___ September ...”

57 Sancho Panza’s mount 58 Max degree

Washington and the Bear

By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Not worth fielding a baseball team here BEN BREINER boom goes the breinamite

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hhh, the signs of spring.

Birds chirping, warm weather returning and, of course, the high-pitched, reverberating metallic ping of an aluminum bat colliding with the leather husk of a baseball.

Well, at least we don’t have that problem in Madison.

Nineteen years ago the Badger baseball team was cut, and, despite the annual complaints, whines and moans, it doesn’t need to make a return. Simply put, college baseball is something that Wisconsin fans want only because they don’t have it, and if they did, they’d take it for granted.

We’ll put aside the Title IX implications for a moment (though it should be noted that Oregon had to do away with its wrestling program to add baseball, so sacrifices could be required).

The first big barrier is facilities, specifically an expensive, nice field.

The Athletic Department is not exactly rolling in cash (they’ve put at least one big project on hold recently), nor are there wide expanses of space on which to build it, especially in areas easily accessible to the campus community.

Beyond that we have to look at the potential quality of such a team, which in the first few years would be low at best. They would basically be an expansion team, and Badger fans, especially student fans, have little patience for bad games played by bad, or even good, teams.

Want proof? Look at football attendance in 2008. When things started going south or the games weren’t against big-name opponents, the fans persistently showed up late and left early. Similarly, whenever the basketball team played even a bottom-half Big Ten team, or even (gasp!) a crappy nonconference team, the students were noticeably absent.

And those are the two flagship programs of Badger sports.

But those reasons are just the side dishes, the fries to a burger, the potatoes alongside a steak. The central reason Wisconsin does not need baseball is that college baseball is mildly overrated as a sport in the minds of many.

Let that sink in.

It just isn’t that big of a sport, especially in the Midwest. Weather plays a big factor in this, since the fields are not particularly usable until, at best, late March.

Looking at the numbers, we find the top Big Ten baseball team in

softball from page 11 across the plate. A sacrifice fly by sophomore infielder Karla Powell made it 5-0.

The Coyotes battled back in the sixth inning with three singles, but Olivarez shut them down without a run, finishing the game with four consecutive strikeouts.

The Badgers kept hitting in the second game against the Coyotes, giving themselves a commanding lead in the first inning.

Soderberg reached first on a single, and Krueger walked. Spence hit a triple, tallying her first two RBIs of the game. A single from Blackshear brought Spence home for a 3-0 lead over the Coyotes.

South Dakota fought back in

terms of home attendance was Ohio State with 1,769 fans per game, and no other team averaged more than 1,200 (it makes sense to stick with Big Ten teams because teams like LSU, Clemson, Fresno State and everyone above OSU compete in more favorable weather conditions).

That number sits below the 4,000 per UW volleyball game, the 5,635 who showed up for women’s basketball home dates and even the 2,227 in attendance of each women’s hockey game.

So let’s review. The best team in the conference does not outdraw Wisconsin’s top three women’s sports, which the student body at large pays no attention to.

Yeah, we really need this sport.

“But it’s baseball,” the critics answer.

“Everyone loves it, and it’s a great chance to get outside, slam some cold ones and enjoy the best sport there is.”

This is sort of true, but it rests on the fact that most UW students see baseball through the lens of either the Major Leagues (often the Brewers) or the Madison Mallards.

Brewer games are great, but the experience is a daylong one, with the drive down, firing up the grill and three hours of drinking in the parking lot before the game. Mallards games stand out because of the Duck Blind, where most go and, well, get completely bombed.

College baseball won’t be like that because the games will become ordinary. Attending a Brewers or Mallards game is something special. You make a day out of it, make it something that steps beyond the regular rhythms of everyday life.

If fans treat a college team like that, it will languish, mostly unattended as three-plus days a week can’t be set aside for that special treatment (especially when one factors in weekday contests that can start at 3 p.m. when people may still be in class). Throw in the Terrace as another outlet for good weather drinking and the team would just fade into the background.

In the end we are left with a smalltime college sport that UW fans have deluded themselves into believing is big time. Between the aluminum bats and the fact that it isn’t a semblance of the Major Leagues, or even Mallards, experience, a UW baseball team is just not something we need in Madison.

And that ringing ping of bat on ball will stay silent, at least in the near future.

Still want baseball? Which men’s team should be dropped for it?

Oregon dropped wrestling, Minnesota doesn’t field a men’s soccer squad. Let Ben know who you would drop at breiner@wisc.edu. the second inning with two hits and a walk, narrowing Wisconsin’s lead to 3-2.

The Badgers held the Coyotes from there with pitching from freshman Meghan McIntosh and junior Kristyn Hansen.

The bottom of the second brought singles from Krueger and Spence and a double from Blackshear, scoring two runs and widening the Badgers’ lead to 5-2.

Wisconsin rallied in the third inning, loading the bases for Spence. Spence hit a grand slam, allowing the Badgers to win 10-2 in five innings.

“We all just came out and wanted to win,” Blackshear said. “We all just decided that today we were going to put the ball in play.”

dailycardinal.com/sports

Steelers would be crazy to trade Roethlisberger JACK DOYLE doyle rules

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ow.

That was the only word that came to mind following Roger Goodell’s announcement that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for almost half the season—six games —because he violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

And after reading that the Steelers had reportedly contacted as many as seven teams trying to swap the star QB for a top-10 pick in the 2010 NFL draft?

WHAT. THE. F#@!?

Just a week after trading superstar receiver Santonio Holmes for a fifthround draft pick, the Steelers are causing fans of the black and gold to hit the panic button with the latest news of possibly dealing their franchise QB for a potential bust.

Never before have I seen a team so intent on handing out its most prized players for basically nothing.

A fifth-round pick for a Super Bowl MVP? Not since the Patriots traded a fourth-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Randy Moss has a team gotten so much talent for so little.

Regarding the possible Roethlisberger

deal I’ll admit a top-10 selection isn’t “nothing,” but these highly coveted picks are overvalued even more so than 40-yard dash times. One only has to look at the consistent disappointments the Lions have had with their first-round receiver selections of anybody not named Calvin Johnson to realize the NFL draft is what some analysts call a “crapshoot.”

So where did this sudden interest in team image come from? I really have no idea, because it’s always been about winning in the NFL. Although there is something to be said about Roethlisberger’s personal decisions off the field, he hasn’t been proven guilty of any crimes. This is why I think the Steelers’ trade talks are taking this issue to the extreme: because most teams don’t sacrifice winning for the sake of public image. Are the Vikings going to trade Adrian Peterson if he allegedly assaulted somebody once?

Twice? Since we’re talking about a team that kept Moss for two more seasons after he ran over a meter maid, I think it’s safe to say the answer is no. The Vikings stuck with Moss because they knew he could win them football games, and the Steelers should do the same with Roethlisberger.

But hey, the Steelers’ losses are somebody else’s gains, right?

Now, I’m a Steelers fan and am absolutely furious at losing one, and potentially two, key playmakers on

my team. Not to mention the fact that Jets fans are practically laughing in my face about how they basically stole Holmes from his former squad. I don’t care about a player having three measly cigars filled with bubba kush in his car like Holmes did as long as he serve his suspension and goes back to making spectacular catches. Besides, if it’s OK for the Jets to take him then it should be okay for the Steelers to handle the situation and restore order. Who else could do that better than Mike Tomlin?

Of course Holmes and Roethlisberger should make better decisions, but the Steelers are going about the wrong way of reviving it.

Trading their two marquee players when they are already thin at receiver and quarterback is setting themselves up for failure for this season and beyond. Nobody (i.e. the fans) is going to say, “Awesome! I’m OK with trying to replace franchise players for the next couple years so we can be a respected football team!” The Steelers will never be the Bengals for heaven’s sake, and fans want to see a winning team. Both Holmes and Roethlisberger are special players who aren’t above the law, but the Steelers have handled the situations poorly thus far. Here’s hoping they still have No. 7 the player rather than the No. 7 pick going into the draft.

Any thoughts? E-mail Jack at jpdoyle2@wisc.edu.

sports

dailycardinal.com/sports

Thursday, April 22, 2010

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Softball

Badgers earn rare sweep, downing USD

By Jessica Bell THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Wisconsin softball team conquered South Dakota in a double header Wednesday, with three players breaking school records in the 5-1 and 10-2 wins.

Junior outfielder Jennifer Krueger stole her 21st base of the year in the second game against the Coyotes, setting the record at Wisconsin for the most in one season. Senior pitcher Letty Olivarez also tied a Badger record with 17 strikeouts in one game. Keeping the record-breaking going, freshman infielder Molly Spence hit a grand slam in the second game, setting the school record for RBIs in one game with seven.

“I just kept telling myself that I wanted to take each person as a challenge,” Olivarez said. “We were working on keeping the ball on the outside like I’ve been doing and just getting my ball to spin.”

Olivarez also discussed her teammate’s offensive achievement. “[Molly] means a lot. When she

gets up there and we have people on base, we’re always counting on her, and she takes on a lot of pressure,” Olivarez said. “It’s just nice to know that she can come through with it.”

Spence, however, said she does not feel the pressure.

“I just go up there and do what I can do,” Spence said. “My teammates have my back, and I know that if I struggle one day, they’re going to be there to pick me up. I can rely on my teammates a lot.”

Krueger also earned a compliment from Olivarez on her stolen base record.

“It’s a really big momentum grabber,” she said. “When we get her on in the top of the order, it’s really nice to have her moving around the bases.

Most teams are nervous when fast runners get on.”

The Badgers started the day off strong with a three-up, threedown inning. Senior infielder Katie Soderberg led off the bottom of the first inning for Wisconsin with a double. A groundout from Krueger

ISABEL ÁLVAREZ/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Freshman infielder Molly Spence’s third-inning grand slam in the nightcap helped ensure a Wisconsin sweep over South Dakota.

advanced Soderberg to second, and Spence reached on a walk. Freshman infielder Shannel Blackshear then homered, making the score 3-0.

“Scoring in the first inning is a big deal for any team, and the fact

that we were able to score three runs off my hit just helped even more and gave us the momentum to keep going,” Blackshear said.

Wisconsin extended its lead over South Dakota in the bottom of the

third with back-to-back walks from Spence and Blackshear and a double from freshman designated hitter Whitney Massey, bringing Spence softball page 10

12

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

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