Monday, January 28, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal by The Daily Cardinal

Fourth installment of ‘Rambo’ provides killer action, not much else ARTS

PAGE 7

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wisconsin extends coaches’ contracts The UW Athletic Board approved the contract extensions of ﬁve UW coaches at its monthly meeting Friday. Football coach Bret Bielema —one-year extension through 2013 Volleyball coach Pete Waite —one-year extension through 2012 Men’s soccer coach Jeff Rohrman—one-year extension through 2009 Women’s soccer coach Paula Wilkins—one-year extension through 2009 Men’s cross country coach Jerry Schumacher—multiyear contract through 2011 UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez also received a performance evaluation from Chancellor John Wiley at the meeting. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, he said the feedback was “very positive.”

BADGERS BOILED IN BIG TEN UPSET Purdue Boilermakers end UW Badgers’ conference winning streak SPORTS

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Monday, January 28, 2008

UW cuts contract with New Era Student hears worker abuse stories ﬁrst hand By Lexie Clinton THE DAILY CARDINAL

Following the sports merchandise company’s repeated incompliance with workers’ rights inspectors, UWMadison decided Friday to terminate its licensing contract with New Era Cap Company. The termination, which is effective immediately, cuts off New Era as a licensee and forbids the company from manufacturing its signature baseball caps and sportswear with the ofﬁcial University of Wisconsin logo. “We’re terminating the contract based on New Era’s actions not really being the type of company this university wants to be associated with,” said Dawn Crim, special assistant to the chancellor, at a Labor Licensing Policy Committee meeting Friday. The university decided to terminate because of New Era’s refusal to comply with UW-Madison’s code of conduct that says UW logo licensees must allow a monitoring agency to observe work practices. Crim said New Era violated this agreement when it did not allow the Worker’s Rights Consortium, a labor rights monitoring organization hired by UW-Madison, to enter its U.S. factories. If the WRC was allowed access to the New Era facility in Mobile, Ala., it is likely they would have found poor labor practices, according to UWMadison sophomore Chynna Haas,

UW faces unclear ﬁnancial effects

MATTHEW WISNIEWSKI/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Special assistant to the chancellor Dawn Crim speaks about UW’s decision to end its licensing contract with New Era Cap Company during Friday’s Labor Licensing Policy Committee meeting. who traveled to the factory earlier this month with students from other universities with New Era contracts. Haas traveled to Alabama as a student delegate of United Students Against Sweatshops. At Friday’s LLPC meeting, Haas shared stories from many of the black, single mothers who sort caps at the distribution factory and say they experience daily racial abuse and sexual harassment. Haas explained New Era’s point system that gives workers penalty strikes when they skip work. A worker can get up to seven points before

being laid off, but Haas said the strikes are unfairly applied. She said women were given strikes for tasks such as going to the hospital for a heart attack, leaving to attend to a house fire or moving a son on his first day of college, even with a note from the university’s dean. Haas said some of the workers made a stride in forming a union, but their membership has led to retaliatory action from supervisors. “Workers who show up wearing their union shirts, proud to finally get respect at work, are being targeted for bogus reasons,” she said.

UW AND THE STATE BUDGET

WISCONSIN’S BUDGET SHORTFALL Source: State Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Department of Administration

By Britney Tripp

New Era released a statement Jan. 21 denying all allegations of unfair labor practices. Haas said she could understand the grounds for UW-Madison’s termination with New Era but was unsure how its message would resonate at the factory in Mobile, where workers see hundreds of different logos a day. “It’s not a strong enough message to the workers,” Haas said of the New Era termination. “I wish the university would have the courage to stand up to New Era and say we’re cutting new era page 3

State cuts expenses, recession still looms By Charles Brace THE DAILY CARDINAL

THE DAILY CARDINAL

A report by the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau Thursday predicted a $300 to $400 million budget shortfall for Wisconsin in 2007-’09, with uncertain implications for the UW System. All state agencies Friday were told by the Department of Administration to cease non-essential travel, hiring and leases, partially in response to the projected budget shortfall. “It’s too soon to predict how or if these directives will affect the university,” UW-Madison Spokesperson David Giroux stated. Giroux said the university has already excluded jobs deemed unnecessary and that all travel currently being done within the university is essential to research in other parts of the world. “The biggest contribution [the UW System] can make right now to this state in its current economic condition is to keep doing what we do best: educating students, engaging in world class research and connecting Wisconsin residents with that knowledge,” Giroux said. According to Giroux, higher education can effects page 2

Preliminary numbers show the state budget may face a shortfall of $300 to $400 million State agencies have been directed to stop all non-essential travel, hiring and lease renewals Personal income and sales tax revenues for December 2007 were both lower than December 2006 Risk of economic recession in early 2008 assumed to have increased by 40 percent

State agencies will stop all non-essential hiring, travel and lease renewals, according to a memo released Friday—yet another sign the Wisconsin economy faces difficulties. State Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan sent the memo to curb state expenses, largely in response to a recent report from the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau that said the state budget may face a shortfall of $300 to $400 million. Linda Barth, spokesperson for the DOA, said memos like the one sent Thursday are typical when it looks like revenues are going to be lower than expected. The state budget was written assuming funds from income, sales and corporate taxes would increase at a rate of 3 percent each year. The report from the LFB said sales taxes in December 2007 decreased by one percent and income taxes decreased by 1.2 percent when both were compared to December 2006. Barth said it was important to remember the fiscal report was only preliminary and not a full analysis. The last time a memo was sent stopping travel and other expenses was 2003, when Gov. Jim Doyle first recession page 2

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

page two 2

Monday, January 28, 2008

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

TODAY: rain hi 38º / lo 27º

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Megan takes break from school, reality watch a mind-numbing three hours of TV. Though the Penis Brigade had a successful run, I must ﬁnd other ways to entertain myself.

Volume 117, Issue 75

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News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Jill Klosterman Managing Editor Jamie McMahon News Editor Jillian Levy Campus Editor Amanda Hoffstrom Abby Sears City Editor State Editor Charles Brace Opinion Editors Rachel Sherman Mark Thompson Arts Editors Emma Condon Ryan Hebel Sports Editors Nate Carey Ryan Reszel Features Editor Sarah Nance Food Editor Marly Schuman Science Editor Jennifer Evans Photo Editors Jacob Ela Amanda Salm Graphics Editors Meg Anderson Matt Riley Copy Chiefs Andrew Dambeck Al Morrell Gabe Ubatuba Copy Editors Dan Aronson Ben Breiner, Kyle Bursaw Jessica DeValk, Shea Furey-King Noah Lincoff, Kate Marcus

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MEGAN CORBETT little red corbett

returned home for Winter Break hoping to rest, relax and have some good times with old friends. However, bad weather soon trapped me indoors with my own thoughts. I feel my columns prove my thoughts are often quite idiotic, and it wasn’t long before I plunged into insanity. Although I’ve come to my senses now, I submit sections of my journal entries to take you down the path of my dark demise.

Jan. 3, 2008 My family has returned to work and school, leaving me home alone for up to eight hours a day. I called up all my friends, and plans of hijinks, shenanigans and antics abounded. And what did we do with our day of freedom, Diary? We bought window chalk and drove around drawing penises on every car in a 15-mile radius, then collapsed onto the couch to

effects from page 1 anything else, and it is important the university remain efﬁcient but also stay focused on its educational goals. Professor of Public Affairs and Applied Economics Andrew Reschovsky said it is largely uncertain how the national economy will affect Wisconsin and, in turn, the UW System.

The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000. The Daily Cardinal is a nonproﬁt organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. Letters Policy: Letters must be typewritten, double-spaced and no longer than 200 words, including contact information. Letters may be sent to letters@dailycardinal.com.

“I the long run, the economic health of this state is going to depend on having an educated workplace and investing in education.”

Editorial Board

Andrew Reschovsky professor University of Wisconsin-Madison

Kyle Dropp Dave Heller Jill Klosterman John Leppanen Jamie McMahon Rachel Sherman Mark Thompson l

Board of Directors Marissa Gallus Babu Gounder Nik Hawkins Tim Kelley Jill Klosterman Janet Larson Chris Long Benjamin Sayre Adam Schmidt Terry Shelton Jeff Smoller Jason Stein

The state has already seen slow economic growth in the past year, with less revenues coming in from personal income, corporate and sales taxes, Reschovsky said.

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Jan. 6, 2008 Dial-up Internet makes contact with the outside world a painful process with few rewards. Made contact long enough to hear from college friends in Australia and California. It is in the mid-90s in Australia and mid-60s in California. It is 7 degrees here. Will avoid Facebook from now on to ward off depression. Jan. 8, 2008 Heavy fog has enveloped the small town, condemning me to stay within its boundaries. I ventured out to get the mail and spent three hours wandering around completely lost. Recalling Stephen King’s “The Mist,” I decide it is best to stay inside and wait out the fog. Up until now the journal entries seem harmless. However, the thick cloud of fog rolled in and hung over the tiny village of Dickeyville for days. I had no hours at my part-time job and the cable went out for several hours on

According to Reschovsky, stabilization plans to boost the economy at the national level are likely to affect the amount of money Wisconsin can collect through taxes. Budget cuts at the UW System level are very possible, Reschovsky said. He stated raising revenue for the UW system could be done by raising taxes or cutting spending, though tax increases are unlikely because of how they are viewed politically. “You could not cut taxes and put more money into the UW System, which in my view would be a wiser and more effective way to spur economic growth in this state,” Reschovsky said. He said ultimately the state’s economy is tied to the level of support given to higher education. “In the long run, the economic health of this state is going to depend on having an educated workplace and investing in education.”

the 10th of January. This is where the slippery slope into insanity began. Jan. 10, 2008 Today I drew smiley faces on each of my ﬁngers for company. We played a game of cards, but things got out of hand when Righty Pointerson accused Ringo Lefterﬁeld of cheating. Thumbs McGee broke things up just in time, but tension is high. Rumor has it The Toe Gang from the South side is causing trouble, and now is not the time for civil war between my hands. At this point in the journal, I am afraid of the lunacy of my own entries. The cable returned but I was beyond “Bonanza” and “Three’s Company” reruns now. Increasingly I would talk to myself, hide in the dark basement and search for my Precious. There were dark times ahead of me. Jan. 11 2008 All my friends from yesterday have disappeared. I fear they may have drowned, or my toes may have been involved. This is a tragic loss, and I am too emotional to write more.

recession from page 1 took office and the state was facing a record deficit, according to Barth. “[We must] maintain our commitment to providing the ... core functions of government service while living within the means of our taxpayers.” Kitty Rhoades co-chair Joint Finance Committee

Bob Lang, director of the LFB, said the decision to wait until February for a full recommendation to lawmakers would allow analysts to see if the poor December economic indicators were part of a trend. Lang said waiting until February would also let forecasters see how a drop in interest

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For the record The Jan. 25 article “Blood-soaked ‘Massacre’ makes premiere Sunday” should have cited Kelly Kiorpes as an Edgewood College graduate. The Daily Cardinal regrets the error.

TUESDAY: snow hi 29º / lo 7º

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Jan. 12, 2008 I have turned to soap operas. I have hit rock bottom and all I can think about is whether Anneliese will regain her memory before she gives birth to Slater’s baby in the mineshaft. And how could her twin have pushed her down there in the ﬁrst place? I will update you when I know more. Thankfully my mom had a snow day around this time. Through tender care, gossip and chocolate she brought me back from the edge. As my delirious rage returned to its normal level of gibberish, I began to pick up hours at work, read books and round up the Penis Brigade to escape boredom. But should the day come when I am trapped at home, or stuck in the dorm due to freezing temperatures, I know I have some very special friends I can count on to save me from returning to madness: Thumbs McGee and the gang are only a sharpie away. If you also have nicknames for your ﬁngers, e-mail Megan at mcorbett2@wisc.edu.

rates may affect the economy. The current trends are unlikely to improve, according to Lang, but he said any upcoming recession would be probably less severe than previous state recessions in 2001 and the early 1980s. Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement his ﬁscal agenda would not include raising taxes to pay for any deﬁcits. State Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, said in a release the LFB report showed the need to stimulate the economy and reduce government spending. Rhoades is co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee that works on the state budget. “We must identify efficiencies in state operations,” Rhoades said. “[We must] maintain our commitment to providing the … core functions of government service while living within the means of our taxpayers.”

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Monday, January 28, 2008

news

Committee launches search for Wiley replacement By Diana Savage THE DAILY CARDINAL

The search for a new UWMadison chancellor has officially begun. The UW-Madison Search and Screen Committee met for the ﬁrst time Friday to begin the

process of selecting a replacement for Chancellor John Wiley, who announced his intent to step down in late December. “We would like to have a new chancellor in place by September 2008,” said Marsha Mailick Seltzer, a UW-Madison professor of social

MATTHEW WISNEWSKI/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Members of the Search and Screen Committee met for the ﬁrst time Friday to discuss plans for selecting a new UW chancellor.

work and pediatrics and chair of the search committee. UW System President Kevin Reilly charged the 23-member committee to conduct a nationwide search for a “diverse pool of outstanding, well-qualiﬁed candidates.” From the applicant pool, the committee will select five finalists to meet with Reilly and a special UW System Board of Regents committee. The special committee will then make the final selection. The committee acts as both a screening and search crew for candidates, so Reilly urged the committee members to “encourage people [they] know might be interested and qualiﬁed to get into the pool.” Reilly said having diversity within the pool of candidates is important to improve both the state and the university leadership. There is currently only one black male chancellor and one female

chancellor across all of the UW System schools. The committee members will hold open forums on campus in which students and colleagues can discuss the qualities they want in the next UW-Madison chancellor. The committee is currently in the process of hiring a search firm to help screen the nominees, according to Seltzer. “We want at the first stage to get as large a pool as possible,” Reilly said, adding the university requires the candidates be tenured members of the academic community. The committee plans to review resumés as soon as the Regent Committee has approved the chancellor position description. The names of finalists will be made public after the committee interviews them off campus to keep the process confidential. Although the timeline to find a new chancellor is tight, Seltzer said

she is optimistic the committee will be able to build a pool of highly qualiﬁed applicants. “This is the most compressed search that I’ve ever been part of,” Seltzer said. “The chancellor of the UW-Madison is a good job.” “I am sure there are many people around this country who have been waiting for John Wiley’s announcement.” Dennis Chaptman, a University Communications spokesperson, announced at the meeting his intent to make a website with information on how the search is evolving, including plans for the search and when open forums will be held. Chaptman said the goal of the website is to “keep the campus community updated of those applying for the job.” Seltzer said she did not know when the next committee meeting would be, as the committee is just beginning to take nominations from third parties.

Metro Transit ridership reaches record level By Lauren Vettel THE DAILY CARDINAL

Madison Metro Transit announced Friday they reached a 25-year high in bus ridership, the second highest in the public transportation company’s more than 35-year history. According to a statement from Metro Transit, the company’s 2007 annual ridership was 12,672,265, a 5.3 percent

increase over its 2006 ridership. The company’s all-time high was 13,388,926 in 1982. Madison students said Metro’s free ride agreement with the university plays an important role in their lives. ASM student bus passes are available at no cost to all UW-Madison students and provide unlimited travel on all Metro routes. Matthew Anderson, a UWMadison freshman, said he

gh u o r h t f l e s r u o rs y e h d t o Fin o t service In honor of Earth Day, over 160 students voluntee r to help plant tre es beside Memoria l Library and on Library Mall

PUBLIC SERVICE FAIR Memorial Union, Great Hall January 30 • 11 am - 2 pm Meet with over 60 local and national governmental and non-profit organizations and learn about their current volunteer, internship, or career opportunities.

www.morgridge.wisc.edu

was enthusiastic about the oncampus bus availability. “[The buses] rock. Usually they’re pretty packed in the winter.” He said he takes the bus for most of his transportation needs. Anderson said the free rider program for students was the crucial benefit that converted him to bus ridership. “If I had to pay I’d probably do something else,” he said. Metro provides unlimited passes for city of Madison employees, students of Edgewood College, Madison Area Technical College, the University of WisconsinMadison and St. Mary’s Hospital. The bus service collects 95.2 cents per ride for cardholders. Roy Meyer, a UW-Madison freshman, said he rides the bus “at least once a day,” adding the bus was critical to students like himself who live in Lakeshore dorms. Nationally, bus ridership is up 30 percent in the past 11 years, with 2006 marking a 49-year high in bus rides. Metro’s numbers in the last seven years are similar, with ridership up 25.9 percent since 2000 and paratransit ridership up 12.1 percent in the same period. Metro officials said in a statement long-term trend toward higher gasoline costs, ride pass agreements with educational and employer organizations and their employees’ commitment to professional, friendly service as key factors in metro’s growth.

new era from page 1 the contract because your company has bad labor practices.” Crim said UW-Madison legal ofﬁcials explored the option of threatening New Era with a breach of contract suit, which may have brought forth some of the workers’ anecdotes. However, since a breach can only be carried out while still under a contract, the university decided a termination would be the quickest, most effective way to end ties with the company. Other LLPC members said they thought a termination was only a quick-ﬁx solution and bringing the case to court would have made a bolder statement. “You can’t sidestep these issues

BRAD FEDIE/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Universal Studios representatives speak with classic car owners during an open casting for vehicles to use in “Public Enemies.”

Movie starring Johnny Depp may film in Madison, other parts of Wisconsin Universal Studio representatives visited Madison Sunday in search of classic cars to use in the upcoming film “Public Enemies,” starring Johnny Depp as infamous bank robber John Dillinger. The film is scheduled to begin production in March and will be directed by UW-Madison alumnus Michael Mann. According to Howard Bachrach, picture card captain in charge of the vehicle search for Universal, possible locations for filming include Madison, Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Chicago. forever,” said Jan Van Tol, a UWMadison junior on the committee. “I’d like to see one university stand up and say, ‘Yeah, we’re going to fight this, we’ll go to court.’ It may be a battle, it may take years, but we’d set a precedent.” Dennis Dresang, a LLPC member and UW-Madison political science professor, said a licensee case like this could take years of suits and countersuits and may not bring an outcome that was originally intended. “Terminating a contract sends a message,” Dresang said. “It sends a message that can be amplified … without getting the university in legal trouble.” However, the university hopes its early termination with New Era

He said the choice to film in the Midwest was due largely in part to the historical context of the film, which chronicles Dillinger’s Depression-era crime spree and gang involvement that made him one of America’s most notorious criminals. “This is where the bank robberies occurred, in Wisconsin and Illinois,” Bachrach said. Bachrach was searching for classic vehicles from 19301935, particularly the Ford V-8 model that followed Ford’s classic Model A vehicle in the early 1930s. will show future licensees how UWMadison does business, according to Crim. “Our cutting the contract sends a message to all licensees that the University of Wisconsin is not someone to be taken lightly if you’re not willing to follow the code,” she said. The termination with New Era will have almost no ramiﬁcations for Badger sports fans because other licensees make the products like those from New Era. “We can afford to work with other licensees that will comply to our code,” Crim said. This is the second time in the past decade UW-Madison has cut a licensee contract with the New York-based company.

opinion 4

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Monday, January 28, 2008

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

ushering in a new era

he termination of UWMadison’s licensing contract with New Era Cap company marks an important step in the fair labor battles UW-Madison has fought for the last few years. The university ended the contract with New Era because the apparel company refused to comply with UW-Madison’s code of conduct. The code stipulates that licensees must allow monitoring agencies to observe labor practices in factories. Although this action does not address bad working conditions in factories, it is a move in the right direction. The best way to address poor conditions in factories would be through a lawsuit, but legal action requires the licensing contract to continue.

Suing New Era for unfair labor practices would send a stronger message, but the early termination of the contract is immediate and it shows how the university does business with licensees. Legal action could take many years and have results that would negatively impact the university. Although the university did not acknowledge New Era’s labor conditions as a cause of the termination, New Era’s choice to prevent the Worker’s Rights Consortium from monitoring New Era’s U.S. factories allude to unfair practices at those facilities. The university should continue to investigate licensees on their labor practices, as well as cease contracts if licensees fail to comply with UWMadison’s code of conduct.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Ending New Era contract not enough I applaud the UW for cutting their contract with New Era Cap, though they have done so without directly acknowledging what brought them to this decision. Two weeks ago, I went to Mobile, Ala. and spoke with workers at New Era’s distribution center. These strong individuals shared the horrible injustices that they endure at New Era—low wages, racism and sexual harassment were just a few of the human rights violations. The workforce is predominantly African-American women, many of whom are mothers forced to choose between providing for their families economically or taking care of their families. One woman explained to me that she must choose between buying her daughter’s medicine or the gas to get to work so she doesn’t get ﬁred—especially difﬁcult to understand, considering she makes more money that many of the other workers. Another woman, who was far along in her pregnancy, was told that if she went into labor the supervisor would just bring her some towels and hot water, so she

could have her baby without leaving work. A student who worked for New Era on the night shift was told that she could not read her textbook during her unpaid break. Multiple African-American employees shared that they were passed over for promotions, then forced to train their newly hired, less qualiﬁed white supervisors. Due to length constraints, this is all I can share with you. But I challenge each of you to not allow the cutting of our New Era contract blind you into thinking that this struggle is over. The human rights abuses at all three of New Era’s Alabama factories are still happening, over 20 workers remain without jobs, and hundreds more still face discrimination, disrespect and intimidation every day at work. We, as fellow human beings, are obligated to stand up to New Era Cap Company and to encourage our university to do the same. —Chynna C. Haas UW-Madison Sophomore Working Class Student Union Pres.

MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Cigarette tax infringes on smokers’ freedom RYAN DASHEK opinion columnist

t has been proven countless times that smoking harms the lungs, causes several cardiovascular diseases, is a major risk factor for heart attacks and is the culprit behind a slew of other health problems. On top of all that, there are thousands of different organizations giving us about a thousand different reasons not to smoke. I don’t smoke, and I don’t think other people should either. Therefore, I cannot argue against the idea of a smoking ban in public places in Wisconsin, nonetheless I would never force my ideas on another. A person should have a right to decide what goes into their body. As such,

even I think the new cigarette tax is quite outrageous. From Oct. 1, 2001 to Dec. 31, 2007, the excise tax on a single cigarette was 3.85 cents, or 77 cents on a 20-pack of cigarettes according to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Yet that has changed this year, and as of Jan. 1, 2008 the excise tax on a single cigarette has increased to 8.85 cents, or $1.77 on a pack of cigarettes. This means that right now, the cost of a pack is almost $5. As a consequence of this new tax, thousands of people have been calling the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line in hopes of kicking the potentially fatal habit and thus avoiding the costly tax. For that reason, supporters of the new cigarette tax have declared the bill a success in that it is forcing people to quit smoking. I would say the bill is nothing short of a failure. Sure, I’ll admit that the bill may generate more tax revenue initially, and that’s great, but increased revenue won’t last for long if more and more people are forced to quit smoking since they can no longer afford it. In fact, in other states that have dramatically raised their own cigarette tax, the revenue generated from cigarette taxes actually falls short of the revenue before the newer bill was enacted. However, what supporters and writers of this bill truly hoped to accomplish was to reduce the number of Wisconsin smokers, and they have succeeded in their goal. But since when does the government have a say in whether we smoke? Nevertheless, if the government is able to force people to quit smoking, what’s next, a major increase in taxes on alcohol to discourage people from drinking? Because—let’s face

it—alcohol can be as dangerous as smoking. The government should not have the power to control what we can and cannot put into ourselves. It ought to be our freedom to decide what to do with our own bodies. It’s not like smokers are oblivious to the fact that what they are doing is killing themselves. They know all the facts on smoking—there’s a huge warning on the side of every pack they smoke. Consequently, the government should not be able to decide for these people whether they must quit smoking. This latest tax is a blatant government infringement on citizens’ personal freedoms. And have the supporters and writers of the bill even considered the effect the new tax has on business owners who rely on cigarettes as part of their income? Are they just expendable casualties in this new war on tobacco? I would completely support a statewide smoking ban on indoor public places to reduce the amount of second-hand smoke a person is exposed to. Second-hand smoke has proved to be just as deadly as smoking itself. What a person does to their own body is one thing, but dragging other people down into an early grave is simply unacceptable. People should have a right to decide what goes into their own bodies. Others are not supposed to decide for us. I have no problem with what a person puts into their own body—it’s what they are putting into my body that I have a problem with. I just wish Gov. Jim Doyle would agree with me. Ryan Dashek is a sophomore majoring in biology. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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Monday, January 28, 2008

comics 6

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Monday, January 28, 2008

Double Digit Temperatures

Today’s Sudoku

Beeramid

By Ryan Matthes beeramid_comic@yahoo.com

Mega Dude Squad

By Stephen Guzetta and Ryan Lynch rplynch@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.

And you were worried about cavities.

Dwarfhead and Narwhal

By James Dietrich jbdietrich@wisc.edu

The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

The Crackles

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com STUCK ON YOU ACROSS

1 Make airtight, in a way 6 Passion Sunday period 10 Some PCs 14 Hidden, as feelings 15 New York canal 16 “Say Say Say,’’ say 17 Streetsweeper’s bane 19 Online auction site 20 Bird more than ﬁve feet tall 21 Greatest number 22 Maintaining equilibrium 24 Go down, as the sun 25 Kind of nut 26 Con artist’s accomplice 27 Require a designated driver 29 Comic Philips 32 Worst case of burning desire? 35 It’s usually not covered 37 “The King of Queens’’ ﬁrst name 38 Certain speed units 40 Act the siren 41 Variety store 43 Cupolas 44 Formerly called 45 Finishing 48 Singer’s asset

50 Goddess of the dawn 51 Pick, pick, pick 54 Taps necessities 56 Dramatis personae 57 Kin of “Bravo!’’ 58 Be all leers? 59 Dentifrice 62 Speak like a tosspot 63 Twice halved 64 Parting word in Puebla 65 No in Nerchinsk 66 Time many chose to draw? 67 Odin’s mythology DOWN

1 Adverts to 2 Japanese cartooning 3 Extended, as a ﬁlm 4 Albanian currency 5 Cold War headquarters 6 “What are we waiting for?’’ 7 The “E’’ in QED 8 Tuck’s partner 9 Long drives, hopefully 10 Best-case scenario 11 Penny purchase, once 12 Lunch or brunch, e.g. 13 Eye sore 18 Lecherous fellow 23 Baseball’s Martinez 26 Splinter group 27 For takeout 28 Ashley’s mom 30 Hog’s request

Anthro-apology

By Simon Dick srdick@wisc.edu

By Eric Wigdahl wigdahl@wisc.edu

31 Glorifying verses 32 Middle East’s Gulf of ___ 33 Site of the 1960 Summer Olympics 34 Powerful adhesive 36 Big failure 38 Jamaica’s capital 39 Hosiery shade 42 Philosopher Descartes 43 Household tool 46 Tidy 47 Kin of “gee’’ 49 Qui vive 51 Private reply? 52 Some choir members 53 They travel in formation 54 Petty ofﬁcer, for short 55 Far from fair 56 Designer Chanel 60 Lennon’s widow 61 Fuss

straight gangsta since 1892

arts Aging ‘Rambo’ yields body count, not plot dailycardinal.com/arts

Monday, January 28, 2008

By Anthony Cefali THE DAILY CARDINAL

After almost 20 years without word from John Rambo, the latest installment of “Rambo” movies—directed by Sylvester Stallone and aptly titled “Rambo”—is a mess of blood and fragmented sentences that carries nostalgic charm. Even though “Rambo” is an entertaining attempt at reviving a dead trilogy, it is not worth the 93 minutes it takes to watch it. “Rambo’s” plot is very thin, but it holds up. After his adventures to Afghanistan, Vietnam Veteran John Rambo (Stallone) returns to Thailand to retire. He lives a quiet and disgruntled life of poaching snakes and running a boat on the river near where he lives. The strength of the movie lies in its pace. The dialogue is terse and awkward. The action is intense and abundant, as barely ﬁve minutes into the ﬁlm Rambo is approached by a group of arrogant missionaries from America who wish to enter Burma to help its people. The veteran Rambo tells them off quickly in a barrage of clichés, but they persist, and he begins to develop an attachment to one of the missionaries, Sarah (played by Julie Benz of Showtime’s “Dexter”). Stallone makes it clear from the

PHOTO COURTESY LIONSGATE

Though more than 20 years have passed since the ﬁrst ‘Rambo,’ Stallone is back to do it all again in the action-packed fourth installment. beginning that this movie is entirely about the character Rambo, because every character exists for the sole purpose of Rambo proving them wrong or saving them. After Rambo predicts that missionaries will disappear, he is approached by a priest who has hired a band of mercenaries to bring them back.

Again, most of them are very arrogant and will not allow Rambo to help with the rescue mission. Rambo himself is humble, only revealing his ﬁrst name once and relying entirely on his actions to prove his worth. And yet again, Rambo proves that actions speak much louder than words.

Anyone expecting a verbal masterpiece can look elsewhere. Even though Stallone has been making movies for over 30 years now, he still has a hard time ﬁnishing sentences, and the characters in “Rambo” act far too stubborn to listen to him anyhow. But then again, Rambo is not about dialogue. Rambo has

his inner conﬂicts, but they are all settled externally through obscene amounts of violence. The movie starts off with lots of violence and only pauses briefly to set up the plot before continuing on with more violence until the film reaches its bloody climax. The plot deals with the conflict in Burma, and at times Stallone goes overboard trying to give examples of the war-torn country. He attempts to stir sympathy for the people of Burma with gore, but really only succeeds in being gratuitously graphic. On the other hand, Stallone proves he knows how to make an action movie. “Rambo” comes complete with enormous explosions, a bow-and-arrow action sequence and plenty of blood. Rambo is still a master of hand-tohand combat, taking lives with the squeeze of his hand. In the end, what Stallone gives us is an action-packed “Rambo” movie that goes along with the bloody theme of the other “Rambo” movies, but not much else. The movie has little substance and is often ridiculous enough to laugh at. But we cannot really expect much more than a bit of entertainment from a series that has already run its course.

Powers covers a unique and diverse set of artists for new album By Lee Crickman THE DAILY CARDINAL

A good rule of thumb is that the original version is usually best. The book is better than the movie, the painting is better than the print and the original version of a song is better than a cover.

CD REVIEW

Jukebox Cat Power That was, however, until Cat Power came along. Chan Marshall—a.k.a. Cat Power— delighted fans in 2000 with her album The Covers Record, and this year she did it again. Contrary to the title, Jukebox is not simply a mix tape of favorites hand chosen by Marshall. Marshall revamps music from seemingly different artists and genres to create a unique and cohesive sound.

remain unaware that the majority of the album is comprised of covers. She strips the songs down to their bones and rebuilds them with powerful and melancholy undertones. The album opens with “New York,” made famous by Frank Sinatra. The percussion pounds out a smooth and heavy beat, the guitar croons a sultry melody and the song has never sounded so gritty and raw. This is a no-frills, tell it like it is song that gives the simple tune some real emotional power. Marshall gives a whole new meaning to lines like, “These vagabond shoes / Are longing to stray.” She lets you know that they are going to stray right into a bar and order a stiff drink. Marshall presents only two original tracks on the album, the brand new “Song to Bobby” and true to form, a cover of her own song “Metal Heart” off her album Moon Pix. Even in “Metal Heart” she borrows material and makes it her own, apparent in the lyrics, “I

once was lost but now I’m found was blind / But now I see you / How selfish of you to believe in the meaning of all the bad dreaming.” Marshall proves very comfortable with the country songs, and what she does with the soul covers is striking. She instills a bluesy grit, digging deeper into the meaning of songs like Hank Williams’ “Ramblin’ (Wo)man.” The one thing that is missing from Jukebox, however, is Marshall. She’s in there, but it is hard to hear. “Song to Bobby” is really the one place we actually can see her. Marshall has an amazing ability to channel the sentiments of Bob Dylan and Hank Williams but she often leaves out her own. We don’t get to know her better as an artist. While this is a very important aspect of an album, we can still take this covers record for what it is worth, a shadowy and soulful album, but a covers album nonetheless.

STEFANO GIOVANNINI/PHOTO COURTESY MATADOR RECORDS

Cat Powers delights fans with soulful interpretations of classic favorites on her cover album ‘Jukebox.’

Contrary to the title, ‘Jukebox’ is not simply a mix tape of favorites chosen by Marshall.

Drawing from Frank Sinatra to James Brown to Janis Joplin, Marshall’s songwriting talent is evident. She combines diverse genres from funk to country to the blues and twists it all into a dark and soulful album you wouldn’t be surprised to hear in a dark and somber country bar. It would be easy to pick up the album, listen straight through and

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sports Road blocked: Boilermakers hand Badgers ﬁrst conference loss of season MORE SPORTS COVERAGE TODAY ON THE WEB8

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Monday, January 28, 2008

By Adam Hoge THE DAILY CARDINAL

BRAD FEDIE/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Freshman Purdue guard Robbie Hummel blocks Michael Flowers’ last-second shot Saturday at Mackey Arena. A made basket would have tied the score, but instead UW suffered its ﬁrst Big Ten defeat.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.—Last month the UW men’s basketball team went into Austin, Texas, fought through a game it never had control of and stole a win on a Michael Flowers 3-pointer with just over two seconds remaining. Saturday’s game at Purdue was nearly a mirror image of UW’s best win of the season, except this time the senior guard was denied on a drive to the basket, sealing the 60-56 upset win by the Boilermakers. Down 58-56 with just over 10 seconds to go, Wisconsin drew up the same play that sprung Flowers open for the game-winner in Texas. This time the shot was not there so he drove to the basket. That was where freshman guard Robbie Hummel blocked Flowers’ last-ditch attempt, handing UW its ﬁrst conference loss of the season. “We’re going to try and play for the best shot,” head coach Bo Ryan said. “They switched out and Michael felt he had the corner turned and he continued on the drive and felt he could make a play. I give him all the credit in the world. I thought he had a good opportunity to make a play but it just didn’t turn out that way this time.” Wisconsin (6-1 Big Ten, 16-3 overall) never seemed to seize control of the game at any point. Every time UW went on a scoring run, Purdue would hit a big shot to grab the momentum back. When it was all over, those clutch shots saved Purdue (6-1, 15-5) from an overall bad shooting night (37 percent). “It seemed like we were always

coming from behind or it was right there and they would hit a couple big shots,” senior forward Brian Butch said. “We just need to be able to finish it out and not put ourselves in a situation where we are playing from behind.” Butch led all scorers with 20 points, keeping Wisconsin in the game with a 7-for-10 shooting performance while adding 13 rebounds. But rebounding was once again a problem. After edging Purdue 18-17 in first half rebounds, the Boilermakers grabbed four more than UW in the second half and in this close game, every loose ball mattered. “I had a rebound there with about a minute left,” a frustrated Joe Krabbenhoft said after the game. “I tried to find somebody open for a three and mishandled it or whatever. I’ll have to see the tape to see exactly what happened, but [every] single little choice that you are going to make is crucial—especially in a game like this. If we make one or two different plays maybe it goes our way but they were the ones making the plays and executing and we just didn’t.” The frustration was understandable for the junior guard. Krabbenhoft gave his teammates a boost with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting but only pulled down two second-half rebounds after nabbing five in the first 20 minutes. Wisconsin also had an uncharacteristically bad shooting performance. Flowers struggled overall with only five points on 2-of-8 shooting, while Landry was cold the entire game, also finishing with five points while hitting only 2 of 10 shots. Jason Bohannon

Wisconsin moves into fourth place in WCHA By Nate Carey THE DAILY CARDINAL

The No. 16 Wisconsin men’s hockey team took another step toward home ice in the ﬁrst round of the WCHA Playoffs by taking three points from rival No. 17 Minnesota this weekend, winning Friday’s game 3-1 and coming back to tie Saturday’s affair 2-2. Freshmen stole the show for UW, as forwards Kyle Turris and Patrick Johnson and defenseman Ryan McDonough all played well in the series. Friday’s match saw Wisconsin jump out to an early lead with McDonough’s goal. A 2-on-1 opportunity for UW resulted in the goal, as sophomore forward Blake Geoffrion’s pass to Turris was too far in front, forcing Turris to take the puck behind Minnesota’s net. Turris then hit McDonough in stride as he skated up the slot, and the shot was too quick for freshman goaltender Alex Kangas to stop. “Mr. McDonough played at a level that we had not seen. He was very good tonight,” head coach Mike Eaves said. “The more ice time we gave him the better he got, and that was fun to see.” About midway through the second period, Turris once again brought the crowd to its feet, but this time with a goal of his own. Turris was able to ﬁnd room between the Gopher defenders and, thanks to a pass from senior defenseman Davis Drewiske, found himself

one-on-one with Kangas. Turris then deked to his right once and put the puck to Kangas’ left, all while Minnesota freshman defenseman Cade Fairchild was draped on his back. The goal gave UW a 2-0 lead. Minnesota had stolen much of Wisconsin’s momentum after a Gopher goal by junior forward Blake Wheeler cut the lead in half going into the third period. However, the Badgers came out strong in the third and sealed the win at the 5:13 mark as junior forward Ben Street wristed a shot past Kangas. Street’s 11th goal of the season was the result of some fancy footwork and passing by sophomore forward Michael Davies. The 3-1 victory not only put UW in sole possession of fifth place in the WCHA but was a huge confidence boost as well. “The guys are starting to gain confidence. Tonight wasn’t our best game as a team, a lot of guys know that, but we found a way to win,” Street said. “Earlier in the year we would kind of find a way to lose it seems like and be on the other side. It’s nice that we are back on the winning train again.” Saturday’s game started off on a different foot, as Wisconsin allowed two goals in the first period and spent the rest of the game battling back to earn a much deserved tie. Heading into the second period down 2-0, Wisconsin turned to its younger players to pick up the pace. At the 11:32 mark of the second, freshman forward Patrick Johnson

helped by making all six of his free throw attempts, but the sophomore guard only managed two shots in 28 minutes of play, missing both of his 3-point attempts. “We left a lot of things out there,” Butch said. “We played hard, but we did some very uncharacteristic things that we usually don’t do. We got away with it when we played Michigan a couple of nights ago, but you don’t get away with it all the time and we didn’t tonight.” Still, as has been the case this season, the right guy got hot at the right time and this time it was Butch who nailed both of his 3-point attempts on the game. The second of those came during a 7-0 run that shrunk a 9-point Purdue lead down to two. But once again the Boilermakers responded, and it was Hummel who was open for a three that made the score 55-50 with just over four minutes to go. While the Badgers had an opportunity to tie at the end, Hummel’s shot was the dagger that put the game out of reach. And when the freshman blocked Flowers’ attempt and added two free throws to seal it, his teammates hoisted the Valparaiso, Ind. native on their shoulders while the Boilermakers’ student section rushed the court. But when asked after the game if the moment could be compared to the movie ‘Hoosiers,’ Hummel very humbly responded, “I didn’t do anything “Hoosiers” today.” Unfortunately for Wisconsin, it will have to regroup quickly because the actual Indiana Hoosiers come to Madison Thursday night where they will test their undefeated conference record in the Kohl Center.

UW sets record, downs St. Cloud By Ben Breiner THE DAILY CARDINAL

LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Freshman forward Kyle Turris scored a goal and tallied an assist in Wisconsin’s two games against Minnesota this weekend. put a one-timer past Kangas during a Wisconsin powerplay. Fellow freshman forward Podge Turnbull made a cross-ice pass to Johnson, who shot it just between Kangas’ left shoulder and the pipe. It wouldn’t be until the 12:36 mark of the third that UW would score the equalizer. Sophomore defenseman Jamie McBain was in a “tug-of-war” with sophomore forward Jay Barriball, and while the two were in their scufﬂe the puck was just laying on the ice. That’s when Johnson grabbed the puck from the blueline and threw it on net, hoping for a rebound. But what Johnson and UW received was a goal, as sophomore

forward Aaron Bendickson, who was screening Kangas, was able to tip the puck into the net for his fourth goal of the season. A valiant effort by both teams in the rest of regulation and overtime— the ﬁrst this year at the Kohl Center in WCHA play—would not result in a winning goal, as Minnesota escaped the weekend with one point, while Wisconsin was able to tie MinnesotaDuluth for fourth place in the conference standings. “I was pretty nervous for Minnesota just because it’s Minnesota, [our] biggest rival,” Johnson said. “We played pretty well, came out with three points, so it was a pretty good weekend.”

The No. 5 Wisconsin Badger women’s hockey team made history over the weekend, setting an all-time attendance record while sweeping No. 9 St. Cloud State. The Badgers won 4-1 Friday and 4-0 Saturday. They have now won their last eight games and sit ﬁrmly at third in the WCHA, one point behind Minnesota. Saturday’s game was attended by 5,377 people, 210 more than the previous record for an NCAA women’s hockey game. “It means a lot in probably a couple different ways. One that our community is supportive of our athletic department,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “We reach out to them ... and they certainly responded today.” On Friday, the Badgers struck fast as sophomore forward Kyla Sanders shoveled fellow sophomore forward Jasmine Giles’ centering pass past St. Cloud goalie Kendall Newell eight seconds into the game. —To read the remainder of this article, log on to www.dailycardinal.com/sports.

Badger Board Women’s Basketball Wisconsin 75 Northwestern 45