Saying goodbye to UW-Madison Mayan apocalypse style
Movies of 2012: Is the best still yet to come? +ARTS, page 5
+PAGE TWO University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Fitzgerald calls for change to GAB Incoming state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Monday he would like to replace nonpartisan judges on the Government Accountability Board with political appointees, saying the board too often favors Democrats. Fitzgerald said the GAB, which reviewed petitions and set election dates for the gubernatorial and state senatorial recall elections, did not carry an independent voice over the last two years, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday. He said rather than the six retired nonpartisan judges who april wang/the daily cardinal
SSFC Rep. David Vines proposes multiple amendments to the MCSC budget, which was voted down in a meeting Monday.
SSFC votes to minimally fund MCSC By Caroline Zellmer the daily cardinal
The Student Services Finance Committee voted Monday to minimally fund the Multicultural Student Coalition at a level of $10,600 after multiple amendments and debate in the secondconsecutive meeting. According to SSFC Chair Ellie Bruecker, this funding level will allow for, at minimum, an office, one student hourly position and basic office supplies. Many SSFC representatives felt MCSC had made significant internal changes since it was granted funding eligibility last year, which are grounds for minimal funding according to SSFC bylaws. Changes
included the removal of some programs which were originally proposed in the group’s hearing. Bruecker said these criteria are in place to hold groups accountable. “It is the hope that [MCSC] will be able to maintain some responsibility with funding and work themselves back up to a budget that is more responsible and better for the group,” said Bruecker. Rep. David Vines spearheaded multiple budget amendments and said he supported approval of an amended funding level of $137,156.32 rather than minimal funding. The group’s original budget proposal was approxi-
are currently on the board, the GAB should have partisan members appointed in order to “strike more of a balance.” The GAB has faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans in the past, particularly for how it handled the recall election of Gov. Scott Walker and state senators in the past two years, according to the Journal Sentinel. In a press release Monday, current state Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said Fitzgerald’s idea promotes an “anti-democracy agenda.” “Their goal appears to be doing everything possible to
gain and keep power, not helping Wisconsin’s middle class,” Barca said in the release. The GAB oversees elections by reviewing campaign finance reports and handling ethics violations in Wisconsin. GAB Director and General Counsel Kevin Kennedy said in a statement the board’s decisions will always fall under criticism, but those criticisms “should be evaluated based on who is making them.” “Just like in a sporting event when a referee makes a call, seldom are all sides happy with the decision,” Kennedy said in the statement. —Justin Williams
Palermo’s Pizza admits to labor violations Palermo’s Pizza reached a settlement agreement Friday with the National Labor Relations Board acknowledging it committed labor law violations, following allegations of labor practice violations from employees. The agreement came after workers from Palermo’s factories went on strike, accusing the pizza company of unlawfully firing workers for their attempts to unionize, as well as over immigrant audit threats. In the agreement, Palermo’s admitted it violated labor laws by threatening to fire workers for unionizing, telling employ-
ees that joining the union was “futile” and physically blocking workers from leaving the factory to join the strike, according to a statement released by Voces de la Frontera, a Wisconsin-based immigrant rights group. The UW-Madison Student Labor Action Coalition and the Labor Licensing Policy Committee have urged university administration to cut ties with the pizza company until the workers were rehired and allowed to unionize. As a result of the settlement, Palermo’s will offer to rehire nine employees with
full pay, including worker Stephanie Ramirez, who lost her job after attempting to join the workers’ union. “I am happy that the NLRB has agreed that we were wrongly fired, and I’m grateful to go back to work after six months of trying to make ends meet,” Ramirez said in a statement. “It is shameful that Palermo’s would characterize illegally firing my co-workers and I as a ‘minor technicality’ when all we did is stand together to improve working conditions and make this a better company.” —Sam Cusick
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Faculty Senate passes resolution in support of Human Resources redesign The University of WisconsinMadison Faculty Senate approved a resolution in support of the Human Resources redesign project Monday amidst debate over an amendment to give more power to shared governance bodies affected by the plan. The amendment, which was proposed by Sen. Noah Feinstein, aimed to require affected governance bodies, such as the Academic Staff Assembly and a future university staff governance body, to vote to approve all future results and recommendations of the HR redesign.
“Our job is not yet done,” Feinstein said. “The things in HR design that will have the greatest impact on our lives… things that affect our compensation, our benefits and our role as supervisors, those things are still to come.” However, the senate ultimately voted not to adopt the amendment, with many senators saying it would be redundant, as shared governance is mentioned throughout the HR plan itself. Others said it could
on campus
HAI-YAH!
Students in the Choi Tae Kwon Do Club practice the Korean martial art Monday night. The UW-Madison group focuses on promoting individual growth. + Photo by Nithin Charlly
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“…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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hi 48º / lo 25º
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 122, Issue 65
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Wednesday: partly sunny hi 39º / lo 34º
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Things I’ll just never understand Michael Voloshin voloshin’s commotion
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think of myself as a smart person (stop laughing), but no matter what, there will be things I just cannot and will never comprehend. For example, the budget deficit. Wasn’t the American fiscal system designed by Alexander Hamilton to always be in debt? Wait, what am I talking about? I don’t care that I don’t understand the budget deficit. However, I don’t understand how I’m supposed to be an adult. Like all of a sudden when I graduate from college I will transform into a glasses-wearing, cigarsmoking grown up who reads the newspaper in the morning? I’ve never kept a goldfish alive for more than three days and you think I can be responsible enough to figure out my Y2K? I know I’m only 20 now, but I can tell you when I’m 40 I’m still going to watch “Adventure
Time” and eat lunchables. I don’t understand how pedestrians can just cross the street without looking. Also, I don’t understand why cars are so inclined to get everywhere so quickly that they’d rather honk at pedestrians than slow down. I guess this is the roadparadox (patent pending) where when I’m driving I hate pedestrians and when I’m walking I hate cars. Speaking of assholes—cats. Why are they so mean to their owners? I mean, they have a good life: always getting food, sleeping all day, purring like idiots (shit, I might be a cat). But in the end they are just complete jerks. Look at dogs; they’re cool, they’re fun, they do everything without thinking about it (like vomiting and then eating that vomit. God, I want a dog). Why can’t cats be cool and not complete jerks? Just talking about their smugness has got me fired up. Fuck cats. I’m going to say it, I don’t understand the vagina. I don’t understand David Stern or Roger Goodell. Stern fined a team for doing the smart thing of resting its starters and Goodell fines players
for making football plays. It’s like Stern and Goodell are jockeying for the “Worst Sports Commissioner in America Award” but they will never beat Gary Bettman. How do we live in a world where Bud Selig is the best commissioner? Bud Selig, the guy who totally overlooked the Steroid Era! (Yes, this was my best Bill Simmons impersonation. Next stop, Grantland!) I don’t understand why British comedy shows don’t translate well into America. I mean we steal everything else from Great Britain (“American Idol,” “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” and Simon Cowell), why don’t most sitcoms work? Sure we have “The Office,” but great shows like “The IT Crowd,” “Peep Show” and “The Inbetweeners” get terrible American remakes. Are the humors of the Americans and the British that much difference that we can’t get good remakes? I mean we live in a world where “Two and a Half Men” has had 10 seasons, so I guess America’s sense of humor is just not as good. I don’t get why we haven’t integrated the word hipster as a verb
yet. Let me explain, hipster as a verb is when someone says they knew or learned about something before anyone else. I had a friend tell me that he studied World War II books in the second grade, before anyone else. Congratulations man, you just hipstered World War II! I don’t understand how Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and The Rock keep getting acting jobs. It’s called acting, not stare at the camera, say something with a deep voice and blow up a police car with a rocket launchering. I know that didn’t make sense, but neither does “5 Fast, 5 Furious” (BURN!!!). I don’t understand why my burrito at Chipotle always disintegrates before I get three bites into it. I don’t understand how Wisconsin can be 60 degrees one day and snowing the next. I don’t understand how anyone does any real work when the Internet exists. I don’t understand how you’re still reading this. What don’t you understand? Find the meaning of life by emailing Michael at mvoloshin@wisc.edu.
It’s the end of Jaime’s world as she knows it Jaime Brackeen bracks on bracks on bracks
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his is the end. Or the end is near… something like that. With the rumored Mayan apocalypse scheduled to take place a mere five days after my Dec. 16 graduation date, those statements may have a functional purpose whether Doomsday hits the rest of the world or not. Though I’m secretly more excited than the Cubs would be if they won a baseball game to get the hell out of Dodge and take a break from all nighters and stressful deadlines, there’s something about saying goodbyes that brings a sense of morbidity to everything I do. Statements like “This is the last time I [insert any Madison activity or undergraduate college thing here]” are permeating my daily vernacular with increasing frequency. It’s pretty strange to think I might never again slip on the rain-drenched crosswalk next to Bascom Hall on Observatory Drive and awkwardly laugh to myself so as not to feel embarrassed. Next Thursday will mark the last time I try to wave to that one person I’m Facebook friends with but don’t actually talk to in real life and have them completely ignore me. All right, so I sound like a pretty awkward, sad person here, but don’t pretend like both of those things—to some degree—haven’t happened to you. Anyway, in the spirit of the death of what I’m told are the best years of my life, I’ve decided to write my own eulogy, just in case we really do all die on Dec. 21 and I haven’t even received my diploma in the mail yet (hey, at least I won’t have to pay off my student loans!). Please keep in mind that any detailing of uncomfortable situations or awkward scenarios of my life I’ve ever poured out to you via this page are meant to be funny, not sad (i.e. it’s ok to laugh—I usually do). Jaime Lane Brackeen, 21, of La
Crosse, Wis. died Friday, Dec. 21 after being swallowed by an abyss that opened up somewhere along University Avenue. Witnesses say she was completely oblivious the street had split and was quickly crumbling beneath her very feet as she appeared to be changing a song on her iPod. Sources close to Jaime say it was very likely she was playing Skrillex—one of her favorite dubstep artists (let us not judge the dead)—and mistook the rumbling sound of pavement disintegrating for a particularly intense build up of bass. Unfortunately, this particular drop would be her last. What can be said to aptly do justice to this gem of an individual? She brought great joy into the hearts of all who crossed her path, and most notably to those who regularly read her columns featured on Page Two of The Daily Cardinal. Yet, while she was gifted in the realm of writing, her most notable trait was most likely her sense of modesty. Yet, all of her shyness and inhibitions were lost as soon as she stepped on a dance floor. Anyone who ever saw her dance to Big Freedia (the Queen Diva. If you haven’t heard of her, look her up) will never forget the way all the blood rushed to her face as she placed her hands on the floor, elevated her hips and shook her ass with wild abandon. We can’t say she looked good doing it, but damn, did she enjoy getting her bounce on. She did have her vices. Despite developing lactose intolerance in the later years of her existence, Jaime proceeded to eat ice cream like she was a castaway on an island in the South Pacific and it was the only available sustenance. Some might say Edy’s slow-churned French Silk was her Wilson. This preference, though some might call it an addiction, came at the great detriment to her roommate who was forced to endure the uncomfortable sounds that resounded from her stomach on a regular basis and any other, ahem, side effects of the dairy. But this was just one sour drop in the milk bucket of her life.
Jaime achieved legend status at the popular Wisconsin Girl Scout summer destination, Camp Ehawee, at the budding age of 12. While on a three-day canoe outing, all campers in her session had to make use of the layers of pine needles on the forest floor as their sandbar latrine. Jaime’s counselors advised the girls to find a tree, wrap their arms around it and lean back so as not to piddle on their pants. Being a fairly well-behaved child, she did what she was told and picked what she purported to be a sturdy young sapling. However, it was at this unfortunate time that we learned Jaime had a difficult time distinguishing live plants from those past their prime and, after a resounding cracking sound, she found herself keeping the dead log at bay from crushing her pre-tween frame with one hand while simultaneously attempting to pull her pants back up with the other. She received several mosquito bites from the incident and found an angry red rash from poison ivy on her leg once she made it to fresh air, which she had obtained during her frantic dash from the great outdoors. Yet her incident paved the way for future training sessions of Girl Scouts who were henceforth
reminded that while using a pee tree, they should first verify that it is, in fact, alive. Other notable instances of her life include, but are not limited to: that time she saw a guy get a blowjob in the middle of a Datsik concert at Electric Forest, the time she discovered the forest paths in the Arboretum and got so excited looking at the trees that she forgot to look at her feet and ate shit amongst the flora and fauna, her regular fist fights with one editor of The Daily Cardinal’s Opinion desk of which she always emerged victorious and the time she got day drunk and bought a dinosaur poster at Walgreens. It was a long, sometimes awkward, more often hilarious and fun ride, and she couldn’t have been happier relaying her journey in this life to her avid readers. It wasn’t long, but it was enough. That’s what she said. [End eulogy.] Keep it classy, Madison, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again. Xoxo, Gossip Girl. Just kidding, Jaime Want to send this gossip girl your condolances? Email her at jbrackeen@wisc.edu.
Graphic by Angel Lee
news
Plan Commission approves housing complex proposal By Erik Thiel the daily cardinal
City planners unanimously recommended a 12-story apartment proposal at a meeting Monday, which would require the demolition of two existing residences and an office building on North Bassett and West Dayton Streets. The apartment complex, which would be located at 202210 N. Bassett St. and 512-520 W. Dayton St., would feature 242 apartment units and would provide housing for both students and non-students. Project architect Randy Bruce said in the proposal residents will most likely be upperclassmen and graduate students. Developer Scott Faust estimated the price of a two-bedroom apartment unit in the proposed complex would be around $1150, but said prices are subject to change due to market fluctuation. Faust presented the apartment complex to the Plan Commission last December, but chose to put the plan on hold until the city adopted the Downtown Plan and new zoning code, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4. Plan Commission members unanimously recommended the proposal, but introduced several condi-
tions such as increasing the number of moped and bike parking spots. With the new amendments, Verveer said the plan is a “very good addition to … the Mifflin neighborhood.” Urban Design Commission members will review the proposal at their next meeting Wednesday before the plan goes before Common Council for a final vote the following Tuesday. “Ninety-nine percent of the time the Plan Commission recommendation is approved by the city Council,” Verveer said. Verveer, who is “very much in support” of the proposal, said the Mifflin neighborhood favors the proposed development. “We had a large neighborhood meeting … [and] there were no real concerns articulated whatsoever,” he said. While Plan Commission members were scheduled to discuss another proposed apartment complex, which would require the demolition of two buildings at 313-315 N. Frances St., they referred the item to their Dec. 17 meeting. The proposed Frances Street student-oriented apartment complex would be 12 stories with 94 underground bike stalls, private balconies for each unit and a rooftop terrace on the 10th floor.
the daily cardinal
The University of WisconsinMadison chapter of the Climate Action 350 and Madison residents joined in a protest Monday presenting the UW Foundation with more than 1,200 petition signatures requesting the foundation end its investment in fossil fuels to help decrease the threat of climate change. Climate Action 350-UW is a student group that works to reduce climate change resulting from the unsafe amount of carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere, according to UW-Madison junior Emmy Burns. As this was the group’s first public event, supporters said they hope students will become more involved in an issue, which will affect future generations, according to UW-Madison junior Kevin Mauer, who helped organize the event. “This is a question of the type of world we will have when we are older and what type of world our children and grandchildren will have,” Mauer said. Protesters chanted outside the foundation, which raises and invests funds for the university, while waiting for UW Foundation President Michael Knetter. Knetter was made aware of the protest after receiving the group’s email asking him to consider the risks of climate change caused by fossil fuels. Upon arriving at the UW Foundation building, Knetter did
not speak with any of the protestors. Instead, Vice President for Legal Affairs Russell Howes brought the petition signatures to Knetter and reassured the group of a meeting with an administrator sometime before winter break. Although Mauer said he is skeptical the foundation will follow through with the meeting, Burns said she is optimistic with the progress the group has made. “If we can get people to under-
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hr redesign from page 1 inhibit the plan’s implementation July 1, 2013, from moving forward as scheduled. Faculty Senate University Committee Chair Mark Cook said since senators elected to postpone a vote on the resolution in November, the HR redesign team met with concerned faculty and staff and added details to address their concerns. The revisions included increased emphasis on job security, such as a 30-day period where staff who accept new positions can return to a former position or its equivalent if their new position is not what was expected. The senate now joins the Associated Students of Madison, Academic Staff Assembly and Council for Non-represented Classified Staff in supporting the plan, which the Board of Regents will vote on Friday. —Tamar Myers
yihan liao/the daily cardinal
Mark Cook, chair of the Faculty Senate University Committee, introduces a resolution in support of the HR redesign Monday.
Developers propose demolishing three downtown buildings for apartment complex Developers plan to demolish three buildings on West Dayton, West Johnson and North Broom streets to make way for an apartment complex geared toward young professionals in Madison. David Schutz, the project’s developer, plans to construct an apartment complex on lots currently occupied by buildings located at 424 W. Dayton St., 415 W. Johnson St. and 226 N. Broom St. The proposed apartment complex would be 12 stories on the Johnson Street side and six stories on the side of the building facing Dayton and Broom Streets, accord-
Students protest UW Foundation’s fossil fuel investments By Aliza Goldberg
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dailycardinal.com Tuesday, December 4, 2012
stand that these fossil fuel industries are profiting off of completely unsustainable measures of energy, then we can begin to effect change,” Burns said. Colleges all across the country have started to unite in their campaigns, according to Burns. Group members said they hope it will be a domino effect, with more universities making an effort to divest their endowment from fossil fuels.
ing to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4. The apartment building would have 320 to 340 units, with a mixture of studio, 1 and 2- bedroom units as well as 215 parking spaces, according to the preliminary project description from Eric Lawson of Potter Lawson Inc., an architectural firm in Madison. Although the proposal would require the demolition of “currently affordable” housing in Dayton Square, Verveer said the current buildings are “ugly and run-down.” Verveer said the proposed design would be beneficial for the neighborhood because the property
ssfc from page 1 mately $1.4 million. However, the amended budget failed on a five to nine vote, leading to automatic minimal funding of the group. Also in the meeting SSFC heard budget proposals from the Greater University Tutoring Service and the Medieval Warriorcraft League, which aims to promote the understanding, knowledge and practice of Hoplology—or study of human combative behavior. Matt Manes, a representative from Medieval Warriorcraft League, presented a budget proposal of $136,662.29, over 50 percent of which was attributed to purchasing medieval weaponry and safety equipment. Manes said because the orga-
is “currently underutilized.” “It comes down to providing more housing choices for more downtown residents,” Verveer said. The developers plan to submit a formal application to the city Jan. 2 before presenting it to the Urban Design Commission Feb. 20. According to the preliminary project description, construction will begin in mid-August 2013, with residents moving in mid-August 2014. Developers also plan to discuss the proposal with residents at a Mifflin Neighborhood Meeting in mid-December. —Abby Becker nization is new, a large amount of funding is required to purchase equipment and emphasized that funding for equipment will decrease in future years. However, SSFC members had multiple questions about the large amount of funding for equipment, as well as safety concerns. Representatives from the Greater University Tutoring Service, which seeks to provide students with various tutoring resources, presented the group’s budget request of $174,968.20. Representatives said the group’s primary budget increases for the upcoming year are due to the development of a new online tutoring program with new software. SSFC will vote on final funding amounts for GUTS and the MWL at its next meeting Thursday.
Man robbed on University Avenue, threatened at gunpoint, police report
noah phillips/the daily cardinal
Climate Action 350-UW, a UW-Madison student group dedicated to reducing climate change, protests at the UW Foundation Monday.
A 28-year-old Madison resident called police Saturday after a friend robbed him and another man threatened him with a gun, according to police. Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said in a statement the victim’s acquaintance asked the victim for a ride, and the victim picked him up in the 700 block of University Avenue. The suspect reached inside the victim’s pocket, grabbed his money and ran away, according to the statement. “The victim said he gave [up
the] chase and ended up near North Broom Street and West Mifflin Street,” DeSpain said in a statement. According to the police report, the victim stopped chasing the first suspect when another man, wearing a ski mask and ski goggles, approached the victim with a gun and threatened to kill him, according to DeSpain. Police describe the alleged robber, who was wearing a black sweat suit and tennis shoes, as a 28 to 29-year-old black man. The other suspect wore a tan jacket and black jeans, police said.
arts A few flicks left to top off films of 2012 dailycardinal.com
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 5
Ethan Safran guest columnist
E Photo courtesy Marvel
photo courtesy Focus Features
Photo Courtesy The Weinstein Company
“The Avengers” and “Moonrise Kingdom” did well in theaters and “Django Unchained” promises to follow suit this December.
ven with a few weeks to go in 2012, it is pretty safe to say that people will look back at this year and realize that it was one hell of a time for movies. It began in the first few months of the year, months typically dedicated to the Hollywood “leftovers” that studios dump onto the general public in beat with the post-holiday season blues. Joe Carnahan’s “The Grey,” a late January release, surprised both critics and audiences with its engaging survival story thanks to Liam Neeson’s lead performance. “The Hunger Games” and “21 Jump Street” dazzled audiences and critics in March, with the later being a surprising foul-mouthed hit. “The Hunger Games” generated massive box office receipts and kicked off what will surely become a successful series of films based upon the bestselling books of the same name. This summer found a number of hits, beginning with “The Avengers,” a superhero megahit that currently sits at the number three spot of the alltime highest grossing movies of all time. Though it didn’t quite live up to its predecessor, “The Dark Knight Rises” marked a satisfying end to a successful trilogy. The summer also found other critical and commercial hits, including Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper venture “Magic Mike,” Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus,” Seth MacFarlane’s raunchy comedy “Ted,” Pixar’s “Brave” and the newest Spider-Man reboot, “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Yet, the summer also offered what may end up being the
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two best films of the year: Wes Anderson’s quirky yet intimate “Moonrise Kingdom,” and the dreamy and organic “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” While those titles marked an impressive spring and summer, I believe that the fall and winter have already and will continue to offer even more films that resonate with both the masses and critics. One of the biggest hits of the fall thus far has been Ben Affleck’s “Argo,” an engaging and well-crafted thriller about the Iranian hostage crisis some 30 years ago. Smartly directed by Affleck, the film has resonated with both audiences and critics and is a shoe-in for some major award nominations come awards season, including director and picture recognitions for Affleck. Plus, Affleck sports a great beard as the film’s lead character. September and October also brought the surprisingly commercially overlooked “The Master” and “Cloud Atlas,” a pair of intelligent movies. The former is helmed by Paul Thomas Anderson and the later by the Wachowski siblings. One is an examination of a delusional war veteran and another a time-hopping narrative of different characters through different generations. Both films feature some wonderful storytelling and performances. James Bond returned to movie theater screens in early November with “Skyfall,” the 23rd James Bond film made, with 2012 being the 50th year that Bond films have been appearing on screen. Considering the letdown of the last Bond installment, the series has forever redeemed itself with 007’s latest outing, directed by “American Beauty” director Sam Mendes. Amazingly, November will also be remembered for the
Denzel Washington drama “Flight,” Steven Spielberg’s excellent “Lincoln,” David O. Russell’s fantastic comedy-drama “Silver Lining Playbook” and Ang Lee’s visually intoxicating if somewhat underwhelming “Life of Pi.” I’m surely leaving out numerous films, but I hope that you’re starting to get the picture. With Peter Jackson immersing himself once more in the world of Middle Earth, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will allow audiences to travel back to the world that Jackson brought to the screen some 10 years ago. Quentin Tarantino returns with “Django Unchained,” which premiers on Christmas day and spins a bounty-hunting yarn in which an ex-slave teams up with a bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a plantation owner. As a Tarantino film, moviegoers can expect the standard eclectic mix of extensive character dialogue with the occasional spurts of violence. December will also feature the film adaptation of the musical “Les Miserables” and “The Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” a film that chronicles the 10-year manhunt to find and kill Osama bin Laden. Two other December releases, Michael Haneke’s “Amour” and French director Jacques Audiard’s “Rust and Bone,” have found audiences overseas and will certainly find some more interest domestically by the year’s end. Based on all of these excellent titles, it’s pretty obvious that 2012 will be considered a phenomenal year for film. With a selection of movies this diverse, everyone and anyone will be able to find something great to watch. Did Ethan miss your favorite film of the year in his list? Let him know at esafran@wisc.edu.
Humble bundle may be sign of bungle on the part of THQ Adam Paris Sega what?!
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ranchises, developers and publishers can all easily disappear in a multi-billion dollar industry. Acclaim was once the cream of the game publisher crop, but they filed for bankruptcy in 2004. Now, in lieu of the recent THQ humble bundle (which allows gamers to name their price for a bundle of a variety of the company’s games) that went online, I thought it pertinent to reflect on this fledgling company that’s losing money faster than Jean Ralphio’s Entertainment 720 on “Parks and Recreation.” THQ Inc.’s success for many years came from its licensed kids games, specifically their exclusive Nickelodeon license. This emphasis on children’s products was what eventually led to the development of the ill-fated uDraw tablet. If the ludicrously blunt name didn’t make its func-
tion apparent, this peripheral allowed children to create their best Picasso imitations onscreen. Despite its early success on the Wii, an upgraded line launched on the PS3 and 360 to disastrous results. THQ shifted its revenue estimations by over $100 million dollars and their soon-to-bediscontinued product went the way of E.T. as factories piled the excess units into the only location uDraw was still welcome, the ever-gracious landfill. This isn’t to say the entire blame lies on uDraw. After a record year in 2007, the company hoped it could move up a tier to do battle with industry giants EA and Activision. Plunging huge investments into new, hopefully triple-AAA products left THQ in a precarious situation as projects flopped worse than soccer players. “Red Faction Armageddon” failed to deliver after its innovative predecessor sold over a million units and the franchise was effectively eliminated. “Warhammer,” one of the most well-known properties in gaming, is mired in mediocrity. Both
UFC and WWE have been successful franchises, but these costly licenses led to the sale of the UFC license to EA earlier this year. With stock prices plummeting from $30 in 2007 to only $0.70 in 2012, THQ has undergone massive restructuring to try to salvage what’s left of their hollow shell of a company. They sold off Big Huge Games to 38 Studios, a move that likely made sense with a costly, quasi open-world game like “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning,” but also subjected us to hearing Rhode Island’s governor pretend he knew two shits about gaming. They shut down Kaos studios, developer of the much maligned yet mildly successful “Homefront.” THQ eliminated investment in kid’s properties, focusing instead on a qualityover-quantity approach that appears strong on paper, but may not pay off for several years. This sad history is what led to the most recent humble bundle. In what was a veritable charity fund, THQ offered up some of its most successful titles of the
past few years in return for fan donations that can be divvied up between THQ or several charities. Usually reserved for indie games, this latest offering smacks of desperation. Embarrassingly, three of the top 20 contributions come from the company’s CEO, president and a development studio, respectively. However, my bleak outlook isn’t necessarily indicative of my opinions. I’m a noted THQ apologist and believe a lot of their recent moves illustrate that their future could be far brighter than the idiotic failed balloon stunt in San Francisco for “Homefront” may indicate. The unannounced projects by Patrice Desilets (creator of “Assassin’s Creed”) and Turtle Rock Studios (co-creators of “Left 4 Dead”) could both be major hits based simply on pedigree, but this is solely conjecture until some actual information is released. Shifting development of “Homefront 2” into the more than capable hands of Crytek could produce the product THQ hoped for with the first game. “Saints Row: The Third”
shipped nearly five million units giving THQ a solid property to build around in the coming years. The upcoming “South Park: The Stick of Truth” looks like another quality product, but may fall into a niche category and underperform during a presently stacked month of March. Including both “Darksiders” and “Metro 2033” was a smart move by THQ and they probably hope it will help bolster sales of next spring’s “Metro: Last Light” and last August’s “Darksiders 2,”one of my favorite games of the year. In my opinion, this is simply wishful thinking on THQ’s part. I sincerely want THQ to succeed. Their revamped strategy includes a lot of products I’m excited about and hopefully their approach pays off financially with the gaming audience. That possible ascension is probably years away however, and until then THQ will remain a company as deflated as the red balloons that dotted San Francisco Bay back in 2011. Want to talk about your humble bundle spoils? Email Adam at arparis@wisc.edu.
opinion ASM correct in funding atheist group 6
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Tuesday December 4, 2012
dailycardinal.com
mitch taylor opinion columnist
I
have been to hell. I have faced down the forces of evil. I have descended into the darkest reaches of existence and I have seen the blackness which resides in the hidden corners of men’s souls. What I mean to say is that I’ve gone to the comments section on an online article related to religion. I will never find a more wretched hive of belligerence and stupidity. Or at least I hope I won’t. Honestly, I don’t really want to talk about it, but I will. I set out on this Orphean journey in order to learn about the controversy surrounding the funding that Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics received from the Associated Students of Madison for next year. According to its website, AHA is a student organization dedicated to “promot[ing] the discussion of faith and religion on the UW-Madison campus” and “educat[ing] students on issues important to the secular community, and encourag[ing] the personal development of one’s religious identity.” Basically, it’s a student organization for, well, atheists, humanists and agnostics. The group has gotten a lot of publicity lately following ASM’s provision of almost $70,000 for its budget next year. While the response from students has been mostly positive, there are (of course) many, on
Yihan liao/cardinal file photo
ASM approved funding for the Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics group earlier this semester. Its budget for next year, which was unanimously approved by SSFC, is $69,161.10. campus and off, who oppose this decision by the student government. Understanding this opposition is what led me to wander into the darkest depths of the Internet and subsequently cry myself to sleep. I did learn about some of the issues people have with AHA and their new funding, however, and in these 600700 words I will attempt to dispel some of the controversy. University funding is distributed to student organizations based on their service to the student body. Yes, it’s our money. It’s
part of the small fortune we fork over every year and it goes to the countless services we as students receive through student organizations. I think of it like taxes. We pay taxes and in return the government builds us roads, educates us and fondles us at the airport. We pay segregated student fees and in return the university gives us free condoms and some other stuff. In the case of AHA, this money goes to two services it provides to the student body: faith questioning and secular support groups. Faith questioning is one-
on-one counseling for students struggling with existential or religious issues. Secular support groups provide opportunities for nonreligious or questioning students to discuss these issues in a larger group setting. Think Alcoholics Anonymous for atheists, except not really anything like Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ll begin by addressing the most obvious issue. How can the university use our money to fund the atheist agenda? Well, it isn’t doing that. What the university is funding is the aforementioned
services the group provides. According to my covert informants within the organization, and by that I mean according to the group’s response to the email I sent them, half of its budget will go directly into these services while a large chunk will go into other ways of serving the student body and the remaining bit into operational overhead. This leaves no room in the budget for advancing the atheist agenda, so, unfortunately for AHA, it will have to be handled out-of-pocket along with goat sacrifice and greeting cards that say “Happy Holidays,” two other well-known staples of secularism. Another point of contention is that of fairness. Why is an atheist organization getting university funding while religious organizations get no funding? Well, they aren’t. Badger Catholic, a religious student organization, gets over $100,000 annually. As I said before, funds are given based on service to the student body. The student government does not take the views or religious affiliations of organizations into account. Badger Catholic and AHA actually provide very similar services, both bringing speakers to campus and offering religious counseling. The student government’s funding of Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics is both warranted and fair. In short, we’re all getting free condoms, AHA still has to pay for their own sacrificial goats and no one is being discriminated against. Everybody wins. Well, everyone without hooves. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Foreign language requirement should be amended mitted to maintaining its status afford going to school here. as one of the best public uniAs we reported last spring, versities in the nation. But the UW-Madison “record[ed a] fourmike brost result has been rising year graduation rate opinion tuition, with more of 55.5 percent.” As in columnist tuition increases sure pretty much every other to come. University respect, University of ast week, I wrote about administrators have Wisconsin-Madison’s one of the greatest con- made tough decisions graduation rate is better percent of tributors to rising tuition about cost-saving than the University of UW-Madison at public universities across the measures and worked Minnesota’s 47 percent students graduate in country: decreased funding from to preserve the unifour-year graduation four years. state legislatures. And while dra- versity’s reputation. rate. And nationally, conian cuts to Wisconsin’s public But they have also only 56 percent of coluniversities are undoubtedly bad been woefully unrelege students graduate percent of for the state’s future, decreased sponsive to the new within six years. With all college funding seems to be the new nor- climate of decreased rising tuition and a 53 students mal. Like other state legislatures, state funding for percent four-year gradugraduate Wisconsin has cut funding to edu- higher education. ation rate, though, many within six years. cation to remedy budget deficits. As a result of the Wisconsin students But the cuts aren’t just the result tuition increases over will shell out well over of a severe and protracted reces- the past few decades, $100,000 in tuition and sion—decreased state funding is the cost of attendance living expenses to receive decades in the making. at UW-Madison is about half of their degree here. Despite cuts in funding, the state’s median household Unfortunately, with risthe University of Wisconsin- income, meaning fewer and ing tuition, the university Madison has remained com- fewer students will be able to has failed to adapt its degree requirements to help students graduate in four years or make them more competitive on the job market. Fortunately, I’ve got a good place to start: the foreign language requirement. Presently, students seeking a bachelor of arts degree are required to take four semesters of a foreign language, or 16 credSend your opinion in a its—an entire semester of classletter to the editor at es worth. Students seeking a opinion@dailycardinal.com bachelor of science degree are
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55.5 56
What do you think?
a little bit luckier, needing just three semester’s worth, but it’s still an onerous requirement.
As a result of the tuition increases over the past few decades, the cost of attendance at UW is about half of the state’s median household income The foreign language requirement is well intentioned: Foreign languages are useful and they’re good résumé builders. But for bachelor of arts students, myself included, they don’t make much sense—at least not at their current level. After four semesters of Spanish—my foreign language of choice—I will have paid over $10,000 in tuition, I’ll probably speak somewhere below the level of a native Spanish speaking fifth grader and I will have certainly forgotten the vast majority of the language I learned within just a decade of graduation. Not to mention the fact that languages are notoriously hard at UW; I’ve heard of numerous advisors telling their students that fulfilling the language requirement at another university is a prudent academic strategy, as to avoid lowering their grade point average.
The four-semester requirement for bachelor of arts students should be scaled back to just two semesters, with the university refocusing its attention to a more critical degree requirement and skill: the ability to communicate—in English. Currently, the university requires just two communications classes: communications part A and communications part B. But in various surveys, employers rank the ability to communicate well, both verbally and in writing, as one of the most important skills in prospective employees, more important even than a applicant’s grade point average or what school they attended. Obviously, a refocused language requirement would do little—okay nothing—to help students graduate faster. However, a refocused language requirement would at least make UW students more attractive to prospective employers in an increasingly competitive job market. The university’s language requirement is an integral component to the school’s liberal arts degree. But it’s also onerous, and the university must refocus its attention to better serve its students. Mike is a freshman majoring in political science. Do you agree that the language requirement should be lowered? Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
comics dailycardinal.com
Today’s Sudoku
My eyes may be closed but i’m still using my brain... Reading and dreaming are functions of two different sides of the brain. This is why you can’t read in a dream. Tuesday, December 4, 2012 • 7
Finding your way in the fog
Evil Bird
By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Eatin’ Cake Classic
By Dylan Moriarty www.EatinCake.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.
Caved In
By Nick Kryshak nkryshak@wisc.edu
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
Washington and the Bear Classic
Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com
ONE, TWO, THREE, ANOTHER WAY ACROSS 1 Agent from Washington 4 “Donna” singer Valens 11 The Rockies, e.g. (Abbr.) 14 Pasture 15 Along the way 16 Car assemblers’ org. 17 Person associated with 16-Across 19 Caribbean calypso cousin 20 Chess piece 21 Hand warmer 23 Incites 25 Original “I Love Lucy” network 28 “___, meenie, miney ...” 29 Rhyming boxing legend 30 “O ___ Night” 32 Suffix with “kitchen” 33 Sentence ender 37 Hotel patron 39 Certain scholar 43 The best of all worlds 44 Serengeti laughers 46 Mocked 49 Stern’s counterpart 51 Through 52 Arena tops
54 Reagan’s “Star Wars” plan, for short 55 Mix together 57 “Good Times” actor Walker 59 Seat for 67-Across 61 Find a function for 62 Three-horned dinosaur 67 Wino 68 Toughs it out 69 Thanksgiving staple 70 It’s a blast 71 Absolutely resolute 72 Airport posting (Abbr.) DOWN 1 Cause of many a sick day 2 Nighttime, poetically 3 Popular rum drink 4 Russo and Auberjonois 5 “By the powers vested ___ ...” 6 Battlefield furrow 7 Internet address ending, typically 8 Center 9 Agendum 10 Creepy 11 More than shouldn’t 12 Cue to a soloist 13 River in a Stephen Foster tune 18 Start of the Lord’s Prayer
2 2 23 24 26 27 31 34 35 36 38 0 4 41 2 4 45 46 47 8 4 50 53 5 5 56 58 60 63 64 65 66
Cut one’s choppers Vermont harvest Academy freshman Completely confused Nasty remark “She Loves You” lyric Footnote word ___ Glory (U.S. flag) Bites the dust Person with intelligence? Stable staples Academy Awards prop Precipitation Down in the dumps Become adapted Skull-and-crossbones stuff Kelly the clown Penny-pinchers Decided on a location Vain claim Universal workplace? Coastal flier Cherry or lemon, e.g. First lady McKinley Moo chew? Orchestra’s location Fisherman’s lure?
By Derek Sandberg graphics@dailycardinal.com
Classic
By Steven Wishau wishau@wisc.edu
By Melanie Shibley shibley@wisc.edu
Sports
tuesday december 4, 2012 DailyCardinal.com
Men’s Basketball
Hockey
WCHA games loom for Wisconsin his team can build upon the what he’s expecting against momentum of this past week- North Dakota. Men’s Hockey “I was happy with the way end and begin heading in the they competed,” Johnson right direction. It looks like the California kid “I think we just keep mov- said. “Yesterday was sort of finally brought some sunshine to ing ahead. I think that we’ve got a dogfight, went back and Wisconsin. Freshman forward going here, the things we’ve been forth. I think playing both Nic Kerdiles scored his first battling through,” Eaves said. those games up in that atmocareer goal as a Badger, and the “So maybe that ship is starting sphere for our team is cermen’s hockey team (2-5to come around, and tainly going to help us pre3 WCHA, 2-7-3 overall) we’ve got some wind at pare as we get ready for North was able to secure a win our back now. The most Dakota. We’re looking for Saturday night against important thing is to keep some positive things to hapDenver (7-2-1, 9-4-1). pen this upcoming weekend.” the wind at our backs.” This weekend’s Despite losing to the No. 1 Junior forward Mark series marked the Irvine, Zengerle is possibly team in the league, Johnson Calif., native’s return expected to return to the says the team’s confidence is after a 10-game suspenice this weekend after “good,” and he’s proud of his EAVES sion, and it was also the players as they look to being out with a first time the Badgers close the first half of hand injury, and have been able to secure a win freshman forward Morgan the season. since Oct. 26. Friday night’s Zulinick is still recover“I like my team,” game resulted in a tie. Head ing from an upper-thigh Johnson said. “They coach Mike Eaves met with the injury. The series against work hard at practice. media Monday to discuss his Michigan Tech begins at 7 They come with a smile team’s significant turnaround. on their face. That’s all p.m. Friday. “I think we did a better job we can ask of them. JOHNSON in the offensive zone,” he said. Women’s Hockey We’d just like to win a “We created more chances when few more games.” The Badgers (6-6-2 WCHA, we got the puck down there. We The Badgers currently sit didn’t give up a lot of odd-man 10-6-2 overall) will return to behind North Dakota in the rushes against. When you’re Madison after being swept by standings, and will face a doing that, you’re not giving Minnesota this past weekend in strong power play system that those prime opportunities to the Minneapolis. Wisconsin will be Johnson says has improved at LaBahn Arena this weekend to vastly since last year. other team.” The Badgers begin a four- hit the ice against North Dakota “They can stick five players game home stand this week- (8-4-0, 11-5-0). on the ice that can create a lot of Head coach Mark Johnson opportunities,” he said. end, taking on Michigan Tech (3-6-1, 4-7-1) Friday spoke to the media about the The series begins Saturday at night. Eaves is confident that team’s efforts in Minnesota and 2 p.m.
By Adee Feiner the daily cardinal
luis feitosa/the daily cardinal
Redshirt senior forward Ryan Evans has averaged 12 points per game on 44 percent shooting over Wisconsin’s last four games.
Badgers to host Nebraska-Omaha By Vince Huth the daily cardinal
Fresh off its dismantling of previously unranked California, the Badgers (5-3 overall) will host Nebraska-Omaha (2-7) Tuesday at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin had one of its better shooting performances of the year Sunday, shooting over 50 percent from the floor against a Golden Bears team that came in having held its opponents to 40 percent shooting. It was the Badgers’ third time in the early stages of the season surpassing the 50-percent mark, although the other two times came against lowlier opponents in Southeastern Louisiana and Presbyterian. While California came to Madison undefeated, the Mavericks have lost seven of their last eight games, with the average margin of defeat in those losses by more than 20 points per game.
Nebraska-Omaha features a balanced scoring attack similar to the Badgers’, with a trio of juniors—guard Justin Simmons (12.1), center John Karhoff (11.3) and guard Alex Phillips (10.3)— averaging double figures. Although redshirt senior forward Jared Berggren (15.1), junior guard Ben Brust (13.5), senior forward Ryan Evans (10.5) and freshman forward Sam Dekker (10.5) all average in double figures for the Badgers, the four reached the plateau in the same game for the first time this season in Sunday’s contest. Wisconsin is near the end of a six-game streak wherein it plays four teams from last season’s NCAA tournament. NebraskaOmaha, who did not qualify last season, is sandwiched between California and Marquette—both of whom did qualify—on the Badgers’ schedule. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Women’s Basketball
Sophomore guard Smith to transfer (4-2) Wednesday night. Kelsey addressed the team’s improveIn her Monday press confer- ments, specifically rebounding. ence, head coach Bobbie Kelsey The head coach had been stressing announced that sophomore the importance of getting rebounds guard Lindsay Smith has chosen in the past few weeks. to transfer and will no longer be “You get what you emphaa part of the team effecsize,” she said. “It’s like tive immediately. anything else. If the ball “The situation with is dropping, you keep Lindsay, she felt like shooting. If you’re getting she wanted more playrebounds, you keep going ing time,” Kelsey stated. after them. And so that’s “It wasn’t a situation what we did, and I think where she wasn’t getthe kids did a really good ting an opportunity, in job with that.” SMITH my opinion. I have nothOn the injury front, ing but high praises for senior guard Taylor Wurtz Lindsay. She’s going to contrib- is out with a back injury, where ute wherever she lands.” Kelsey says that doctors suspect Wisconsin (4-3 overall) is com- that something is pressing on a ing off a 69-50 victory over Alabama nerve. Tipoff against Marquette Sunday, and will face Marquette is set for 7 p.m.
By Adee Feiner the daily cardinal
Belcher a reminder of athletes’ humanity matt masterson master’s degree
T
here are certain events in this world that make sports seem very insignificant. The actions taken by Jovan Belcher this past weekend fall into that category. Belcher, a 25-year-old linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, shot his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, to death early Saturday morning before driving to the Chiefs practice facility, where he then took his own life. Belcher’s teammates were faced with an unimaginable dilemma—mourn for their lost teammate and his girlfriend, or carry on with their schedule as planned and face off against the Carolina Panthers just over 24 hours after Belcher committed suicide in full view of several Kansas City staffers. Unanimously, the Chiefs chose to play Sunday, defeating the Panthers 27-21 to earn just their second win of the season. “None of the options were good,” team captain Ryan Lilja said in an interview with ESPN. “The least worst option was to play. There was no precedent for this, and I don’t know if it was the right or wrong choice. But we chose to do it together.” Sometimes the best thing a person can do after the loss of a loved one is to keep going with their regular routine. It would not be the same, of course, but it can help keep their mind off a tragic situation like this one.
That is one of the greatest things about sports—they offer an escape from the real world, even if it’s only for a few hours. The Chiefs could have skipped Sunday’s game and nobody would have blamed them for it, but by playing, they brought their team together in a way unlike any other. They gained a leader. Quarterback Brady Quinn played perhaps the best game of his NFL career, but it was his profound press conference after the game that made the biggest impact. “The one thing people can hopefully try to take away, I guess, is the relationships they have with people,” Quinn said. “I know when it happened, I was sitting and, in my head, thinking what I could have done differently. When you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you are doing, are you really telling the truth?” They gained a General. Head coach Romeo Crennel, one of the witnesses to Belcher’s suicide, brought his players together and, in the wake of tragedy, got them to put together their most complete 60 minutes of gameplay this season. But most importantly, they gained an identity. Sitting at 1-10 before Sunday, the Chiefs were arguably the NFL’s most irrelevant team, but by going through this heartbreak—together—they have endeared themselves in the hearts of fans across the country. They will not make the playoffs this year, but you can rest assured that no team will compete harder
through the last month of the regular season than Kansas City. I won’t say that Belcher’s actions “put things in perspective” (you’re welcome, Bob Costas), but I will say that this tragic event should act as a reminder that sports are just played by people— people who are open to the same problems that you and I face every day. And I think we forget that sometimes. “Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to actually help if someone is battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis,” Quinn said. We as fans tend to put a barrier between athletes and ourselves. We look at them as supermen who have somehow been placed above the rest of us average folk. Truth is, just because someone is good at football (or any sport), it doesn’t mean their personal life is in order. That was the case with Belcher. We may never know what set him off that night, but whatever it was, I can be sure that it wasn’t worth ending two lives and orphaning their newborn child. The families, friends and teammates who loved Belcher or Perkins are now left to pick up the pieces and try to carry on. Many know that the Dallas Cowboys hold the title of “America’s team,” but for the remainder of the 2012 season, the Kansas City Chiefs should be everybody’s team. Did you think Kansas City should have played Sunday? What did you think of the Chiefs’ performance? Email Matt at sports@dailycardinal.com.