Thursday, January 29, 2009 - The Daily Cardinal by The Daily Cardinal

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

Tough times may strengthen state By Megan Orear THE DAILY CARDINAL

At a time of rising unemployment and a looming $5.4 billion budget deficit, Gov. Jim Doyle remained hopeful about Wisconsin’s future in his annual State of the State Address Wednesday. “As difficult as the realities are before us ... I know we can work together, meet any challenge and come through stronger than ever,” Doyle said. In 2008, the state lost around 62,600 jobs, bringing the unemployment rate to 5.8 percent. The closure of the General Motors plant in Janesville, Wis., alone caused the loss of thousands of jobs. Doyle honored four of the workers from this plant, calling them “four workers our economy needs.” Congress’ economic stimulus package will be important in fixing the budget deficit, according to Doyle.

To ﬁll in the budget hole, Doyle said he would cut what is not needed, “and unfortunately, some of what is needed.” He said education is not off-limits, but he will not allow cuts that ruin schools’ integrity or make colleges and universities inaccessible for poorer families. Doyle called for bipartisan efforts from the Legislature to “move the state forward” and ﬁnd solutions to its economic problems. “The last thing voters want from the Legislature is partisan bickering and inaction,” Doyle said. “And the great thing is that our best accomplishments have come when we have worked together.” He then highlighted some of Wisconsin’s achievements in the last year, which include granting all children health-care coverage with BadgerCare state page 3

RESTAURANT EEK Eat classy on a student budget. During Restaurant Week, participating restaurants will offer three special, ﬁxedprice, three-course menus for just $25 per person (beverages, tax and gratuity not included). Some restaurants are also offering a three-course lunch menu for $15 in addition to the dinner special. To see which restaurants are participating and for

more information, visit madisonmagazine.com/winterrestaurantweek.

PICK OF THE DAY

The Cabana Room and Samba

KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL

A gaucho carves up a juicy leg of lamb tableside at Samba. The Cabana Room and Samba Brazilian Grill, 240 W. Gilman St., continuously serve up delectable South American-style dishes. Cabana Room offers lighter lunch and dinner fare. From Bahia fish stew to pulled pork with chimichurri, Cabana’s hearty meats and cheeses and spicy citrus sauces tickle all taste buds. Samba, on the other hand, offers an all-out eating extravaganza beginning with a first course featuring a salad bar of over 40 items, ranging from Spanish-style cheese, nuts, grilled vegetables and salads. Save room for the second course. Gauchos walk throughout the restaurant offering skewers of meat roasted over a fire pit and hand-carved at your table. Cabana Room’s lunch menu

begins with an appetizer of curry cauliflower soup, mixed field greens, or zesty tomato soup. For the main course, savor the grilled flank steak with glazed carrots, Feijoada—a black bean stew with sausages, bacon and meats—or a cheese, pesto and roasted tomato cubano sandwich. Desserts include flan, coconut banana cream pie or chocolate walnut cake. To learn more about the Cabana Room, visit thecabanaroom.com. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. To make reservations, call 608-257-3300. Discover more about Samba on their website, sambabraziliangrill. com. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to midnight. To make reservations, call 608-257-1111.

ALYSSA CONNOLLY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Gov. Jim Doyle applauds at the State of the State Address Wednesday night, where he called for the state to come together and make more bipartisan efforts to overcome the tough economy.

ASM to collaborate with CNI to improve downtown, campus area By Rory Linnane THE DAILY CARDINAL

In an attempt to gain more student involvement, the Associated Students of Madison not only introduced an updated website, but also forged a new relationship with Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. The new affiliation came Monday night when ASM Vice Chair Hannah Karns attended a CNI meeting as their ofﬁcial student liaison. Karns said she hopes to develop a working relationship with them. “CNI has deep experience and commitment to downtown Madison. As ASM takes on local issues, CNI can be a wonderful partner,” she said in a statement.

“We are all downtown neighbors, and what affects one of us affects the other.” According to the statement, ASM and CNI will work together on such items as alcohol issues, safety, transportation, homelessness, environmental concerns and downtown development. In an effort to change their image and become more accessible to students, ASM’s website (www. asm.wisc.edu) has been revamped. According to Claire Lempke, press ofﬁce liaison for ASM, Brian Epps will be Webmaster for the new site. He is the ﬁrst paid Webmaster ASM has ever had. According to Epps, the site generally gets 5,000 to 10,000 visits per month. The new design is

an attempt to increase usage of the site and communication between ASM and the student body. “We’d like to try to get more of a two-way system going where students can give us feedback and we can respond directly,” Epps said. “Eventually we want it to be a sort of online community, where students can talk to each other and discuss issues, and where we can hear what they’re saying and act on their opinions.” ASM aims for new bylaws ASM aims to have bylaws for the new constitution completed at least two weeks before they ofﬁcially vote on Feb. 23 and 24. asm page 3

Abortion clinic faces criticism from pro-lifers By Kelsey Gunderson THE DAILY CARDINAL

Pro-life physicians spoke out against a proposed abortion clinic that would be run by both the UW Hospital and Clinics and Meriter Hospital. If approved, the clinic will be located in the Madison Surgery Center and perform mostly second trimester procedures. According to Lisa Brunette, Director of Media Relations at the UW Hospital and Clinics, several physicians at the UW Hospital were concerned about the accessibility of the procedure and suggested the idea for the clinic. “If these services are not available in Madison, patients will need

to go a long distance and at great expenses in order to obtain them,” she said. “These physicians feel that we are not upholding our responsibility to the community.” Doctor William Evans, a heart surgeon at Meriter Hospital who opposes the proposal, voiced his concern by mobilizing other anti-abortion physicians and pro-life advocates to speak out through letters and emails. These petitions were presented at the state Capitol and were eventually sent back to Meriter. “There is a core group of physicians who really felt that the Madison Surgery Center is a place for healing, care and the bettering of health, and should not engage in this barbaric procedure,” he said.

Evans said he felt UW and Meriter tried to “ﬂy under the radar” with the proposal, and was glad others have joined him to voice their concern. “I think the worst thing that can happen is when people with a conscience sit by and do nothing,” he said. Brunette said the UW Hospital is acknowledging Evans’ right to voice his opinion, and doesn’t predict the petition to have a signiﬁcant effect on the continuation of the proposal. “We don’t anticipate that it will cause future problems,” she said. “I think our viewpoint is that we will listen to people that are commenting on the proposal—positive and negative—and we take those things into account.”

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

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

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

TODAY: snow showers hi 22º / lo 5º

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You should totally check out ‘Elvis Flesh’

Volume 118, Issue 81

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

News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Alex Morrell Managing Editor Gabe Ubatuba Campus Editor Erin Banco Rachel Holzman City Editor State Editor Megan Orear Charles Brace Enterprise Editor Associate News Editor Caitlin Gath Opinion Editor Jon Spike Arts Editors Kevin Slane Justin Stephani Sports Editors Ben Breiner Crystal Crowns Features Editor Diana Savage Food Editor Sara Barreau Science Editor Bill Andrews Photo Editors Kyle Bursaw Lorenzo Zemella Graphics Editors Amy Gifﬁn Jenny Peek Copy Chiefs Kate Manegold Emma Roller Jake Victor Copy Editors James Adams Emma Condon, Daniel Lyman

Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Alex Kusters Billing Manager Mindy Cummings Advertising Manager Sheila Phillips Eric Harris, Dan Hawk Web Directors Account Executives Katie Brown Ana Devcic, Natalie Kemp Tom Shield Accounts Receivable Manager Cole Wenzel Marketing Director Andrew Gilbertson Assistant Marketing Director Perris Aufmuth Archivist Erin Schmidtke The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000. The Daily Cardinal is a nonproﬁt organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. Letters Policy: Letters must be typewritten, double-spaced and no longer than 200 words, including contact information. Letters may be sent to letters@dailycardinal.com.

Editorial Board Dave Heller Alex Morrell Jon Spike Gabe Ubatuba Hannah Young l

Board of Directors Vince Filak Alex Kusters Mikhail Hanson Nik Hawkins Dave Heller Janet Larson Chris Long Alex Morrell Sheila Phillips Benjamin Sayre Jenny Sereno Terry Shelton Jeff Smoller Jason Stein l

THURSDAY: partly cloudy hi 15º / lo 4º

MATT HUNZIKER his dark matterials

“C

himp Country,” “Hung Nun,” “Bong Law.” After several visits to bandnamemaker.com, a website that throws groups of nouns and adjectives together at random to generate potential band names, I had started to keep lists of my favorites so that I could share them with increasingly exhausted friends, either sending out e-mails or, after a couple of drinks, phoning someone and reading the hastily scrawled entries off a handful of Post-it notes. “Hello?” “‘Bean Sister,’ ‘Elvis Flesh,’ ‘Sissy Galore and the Stereo Joy.’” “Matt?” A few friends and roommates with a bit of leisure time eventually picked up this habit as well, and for a period of several weeks a visitor to our apart-

ment would have found a group of fully grown adults sitting around the living room with laptops, giggling fiercely whenever someone came across a “Koala Miscarriage” or “Eating Velvet.” While other 20-somethings were out enjoying their youth at nightclubs or bars, we stayed in to read long lists of non sequiturs, sorting them into “funny” and “not funny” categories. In a way, these gatherings reminded me of the 1960s movie “Fantastic Voyage,” where a team of doctors and scientists in a microscopic submarine go on a journey to the cellular level of the human body. This felt, similarly, like a scientific journey to the very atoms of humor. Devoid of real meaning, human input or even the context necessary for the simplest of jokes, it was hard to explain how two words like “Bionic Daniel” could be funny, and even harder to justify spending a solid hour reading through somehowless-funny combinations just to find a real gem like “Battery-Powered Leg.” Due to these difficulties, enthusiasm was less than universal. “You’d like me to name my stringquartet recital what?” a friend asked.

“Orbiting Birth,” I repeated. “Why not?” Some of them were funny only when forced to imagine the group of recording artists who would gladly represent themselves as “The Glorious Hopeless,” “Prince Grunge” or “NeverEnding Sabbath.” Most of those that ended up being e-mailed around, though, succeeded simply because of the bizarre or disturbing associations they conjured up (“Crotch Hobbit” or “Boy Burger”) or the chance of fate that arranged them into a semi-coherent thought (“Potential Revenge,” “Party Poet” or “Conduct of the Diabolical Government”). Whatever the explanation, it was certain that this was a very simple form of entertainment, located on the scale somewhere between browsing through the phonebook for people whose names sounded like humorous body parts and the awkwardly translated English slogans used by foreign companies to advertise their products to Americans. The common factor among all of these seems to be the joy of ﬁnding humor where it was never intended, whether in botched newspaper headlines or a per-

son whose name happens to resemble the description of a penis. Wondering how much of this cultural paraphernalia I might be missing out on in daily life, I eventually bought a small notebook for recording these odds and ends and, after getting bored with writing down the few humorous advertising pitches I noticed, began to jot down interesting fragments of conversations that I overheard while walking around. Just like when poring over band names, the quotations that I heard tended to lack any meaningful context, and I might end up diligently eavesdropping on a dozen conversations before hearing something that prompted me to stop and pull out a pen. But after only two days of work, I was rewarded when I overheard what sounded like a heated exchange between two men and came around the corner of a building to see one lean in close to the other and mutter, “So I said ‘Fuck It! I’m gonna put that shit on broil.’” Currently touring the United States with Crotch Hobbit? Tell Matt all about it by e-mailing him at hunziker@wisc.edu.

New Beer Thursday Tyranena Brewing Co. stone tepee pale ale

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When: 4:00 p.m. Where: 2195 Vilas

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Historians aren’t quite sure why there are stone mounds 60 feet under Rock Lake in Jefferson County—they don’t even know if they’re man-made or not. Regardless, Tyranena Brewing Co. finds these mysterious rock piles to be the appropriate name for their Stone Tepee Pale Ale. As it turns out, the name is fitting for this American pale ale, a genre in itself that’s not well defined. The beer is as mysterious as the origins of the “Stone Tepee.” It’s hoppy, but malty too. It’s a little bitter, a little sweet. Frankly, it tastes like the brewery mixed their Bitter Woman IPA with Rocky’s Revenge; both are good beers, but

together it’s not the same. In the current economy, it’s really important for businesses to cut their losses and focus on what they’re good at, and though Tyranena Brewing Co. typically makes excellent products, this beer is not outstanding. It’s OK. And just OK doesn’t incline me to get it again. We’re talking about $8 spent on a six-pack that isn’t outstanding. Eight bucks? That’s 80 packets of ramen noodles or a 15-pound meal at Taco Bell. The bar is set pretty high. Unfortunately for Tyranena, this brew falls into the never-ending abyss of OK-but-notgreat beer.

Tyranena Brewing Co. • Lake Mills, Wis. $7.99 at Riley’s Wines of the World

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

news

State’s largest businesses group to ‘sit out’ court election Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business group, spent millions in the last two Supreme Court elections but has decided not to get involved in the upcoming Supreme Court race. WMC Jim Haney told

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WisPolitics.com Wednesday there was no one factor in the decision to sit the election out, but said there was a collective consensus the group would play a “more passive, informational role” in this election. Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will oppose Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick in the April 7 election to retain her seat on the Court, which she has held since 1976.

asm from page 1 Members working on bylaws will bring drafts before ASM at their meeting next Wednesday. When they have completed the bylaws they will post them on the constitutional committee’s blog at

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, said criticism for their previous involvement in elections, a need to focus on economic issues and the fact that Abrahamson would be difﬁcult to defeat probably played into WMC’s decision. “The big question is whether or not other outside groups will get involved in this race,” Heck said. asmconstitution.wordpress.com. One change recently made to the bylaws is the addition of a chief of staff, who will serve as an assistant to the president and vice president and handle administrative and logistical matters of the executive branch.

state from page 1 Plus, passing the Great Lakes Compact, hosting the World Stem Cell Summit and responding successfully to summer ﬂooding. “Clearly, there are tough times ahead, but let’s remember what he have been able to do together just in the last year,” he said. In the coming year, Doyle said the state should implement a smoking ban, toughen drunkendriving laws, address climate change and improve educational funding. Before closing his speech, Doyle honored Jeffery Skiles, the co-pilot of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, which landed safely in the Hudson River two weeks ago. State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said he thought the governor’s approach was very realistic and agreed with his conﬁdence that the state will make it through the current troubled times. “I’ve been around a while, and we’ve been in bad situations before, and we’ve always come through,” Risser said. State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said he is optimistic to work with the governor to keep the government affordable to Wisconsin residents. “Times are tough, and we all recognize that,” Nygren said.

LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Members of the Vending Oversight Committee discuss plans to move late-night vendors from Frances Street to Library Mall.

Committee to change late-night vending By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL

Library Mall could become a magnet for late-night food patrons seeking to satisfy their cravings under changes to Madison’s vending ordinances being drafted by the Vending Oversight Committee. The VOC began shaping revisions to the late-night vending ordinance Wednesday to combat problematic vending in the downtown area, which is often marred by drunken patrons and, at times, noncompliant vendors. Vending in the 400 block of North Frances Street is a particular hotbed for trouble, according to Madison Police Department ofﬁcer Carrie Hemming. For vendors, competition to get a parking spot on the pedestrian-heavy street is intense, which often leads to parking problems. In September, the Common Council suspended the vending license of Jin’s Chicken & Fish operator Jeff Okafo after he amassed 29 parking violations. The number of intoxicated patrons in the area also poses safety problems. “It is simply a high density area … wherever you have drunk people gathering, you will have problems,” Hemming said. Under the changes, late-night

vending in the 400 block of North Frances Street would moved onto the pedestrian area of the cul-desac next to State Street Brats and limited to assigned sites for small carts. Vending hours on Library Mall would be altered to accommodate more late-night sites, including spaces for large carts, which would be assigned by a ratings system. The committee expressed concern over striking a fair balance between maintaining safety in the area while still providing vendors with ample business opportunities. However, some members felt the patrons would remain loyal to the carts and migrate to Library Mall. “When [the vendors] moved from Langdon to Frances Street, [customers] followed,” said VOC member Tori Pettaway about the result of a ban on vending in residential areas made in the late 1990s. The changes will now be drafted and formally introduced to the VOC by the end of February. VOC members Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, and Ald. Thuy Pham-Remmele, District 20, plan to present the revised ordinance to the Common Council for adoption at its March 3 meeting so the changes can be implemented by the start of the new vending season April 15.

Legislature passes bill extending compensation for unemployed By Grace Urban THE DAILY CARDINAL

The state Legislature passed an emergency bill Wednesday allowing for extended unemployment benefits offered by the federal government. The bill comes in response to a recent spike in claims for unemployment insurance benefits and allows the state to access federal funds to pay for extended unemployment benefits in lieu of raising taxes. “Additional benefits for displaced Wisconsin workers are needed before our state funds are depleted. It’s a scenario that would leave thousands without help in these rough times—and that’s unacceptable,” said state Rep. Christine Sinicki, DMilwaukee, in a statement. According to Assembly Majority Leader Thomas Nelson, D-Kaukauna, the bill could save taxpayers as much as $44 million. “The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that unemployed workers of the state receive the necessary benefits so they can provide for their families” Nelson said. The bill passed the state Senate with a bi-partisan 33-0 vote, and passed the Assembly on a 96-1 vote. State Rep.

Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, was the lone dissenter. “This is a band-aid approach,” Nass said, adding the bill is merely a short-term ﬁx. According to Nass, the bill eliminates eight weeks of deserved unemployment compensation, reducing the extended beneﬁt period to 20 weeks under the new federal program. However, other lawmakers said the bill’s passage takes necessary steps toward saving money for both the state unemployment insurance fund and taxpayers. The now accessible federal funds in the bill can be suspended by the governor at any time “when we’re in a situation to do so,” said Mark Knickelbine, spokesperson for state Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Stevens Point, Chair of the Committee on Economic Finance. Although it is unclear exactly how long the state will need to tap into federal funds, Nass said he thinks it might be until 2010. The bill “had bipartisan support,” Assembly Speaker Michael Sheridan, D-Janesville, said in a statement. “I hope to continue this trend of work across the aisle.”

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Thursday, January 29, 2009

TODAY ON THE WEB8

Clean Air Day

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Attempted break-in at Gerry St. residence

WiscAlerts reach 15,000 users

Suspect in Crave beating testiﬁes against codefendant By Rachel Holzman

Walgreens helps ﬁnd woman’s stolen card Madison police responded to the Walgreens drug store on 15 East Main Street, Sunday morning after employees contacted police about a couple of people trying to use the same credit card that did not belong to any of the potential customers. According to a police report, a man ﬁrst tried to buy a pack of cigarettes with the credit card around 9:45 a.m., saying the name on the card was his girlfriend’s, but clerks declined to ring him up. Around 10 a.m., a woman came into the Walgreens with the same credit card and clerks also denied to ring her up since the name on the card was not her name. Store clerks gave the descriptions of the two suspects and the Capitol

Police found them playing cards in the basement of the State Capitol. An investigation done by Madison Police revealed the credit card’s owner was a 21-year-old woman whose wallet was stolen Saturday night at the dance club Madison Avenue. Although it is unclear who the thief was, it is known the credit card ended up in the hands of several suspects who were taking turns attempting to buy items in the downtown area. A police report cites the names of the suspects as 27-year-old Robert Miracle, 18-year-old Ashley Gibson, 19-year-old Dustin Wendell and 18-year-old Dietrich Jones. All suspects were arrested and tentatively charged accordingly. —Rachel Holzman

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Ross Spang, a 22-year-old man charged for the death of Eduardo Cademartori outside of Crave Restaurant and Lounge Dec. 7, testiﬁed against one of his codefendants Tuesday after prosecutors showed images from a police surveillance camera of the confrontation. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Spang testiﬁed the images on the surveillance camera show Spang and two patrons of Crave Restaurant and Lounge, also charged in the death, follow and con-

front Cademartori, 27, in the middle of the intersection of State, West Johnson and North Henry streets. Spang identiﬁed Walters, 20, by a hooded sweatshirt with an emblem he was wearing on the video. Walter’s attorney, Michael Short, attempted to show Walters tried to get the others to back off, but Spang refuted that, by saying, “ I would say he was just as involved as any of us.” Spang was working as a bartender’s assistant at Crave the night of the confrontation. Spang said he saw Cademartori, who had tried to take a beer outside, shove a bounc-

er up against a wall. Spang said when he went to assist the situation, Cademartori verbally threatened him and punched him in the mouth. Spang said when he returned to the bar area, Walters said something to imply they should go “kick his ass,” and the three suspects then left Crave looking for Cademartori. The video shows Cademartori fall to the ground after being hit in the head and Spang, Fuller and Walters are seen ﬂeeing from the scene. Cademartori was pronounced dead the next day because of blunt neck trauma.

UW sixth-highest university to produce Peace Corps volunteers UW-Madison ranked sixth out of a list of 25 schools across the nation to produce the most Peace Corps volunteers for the ninth year in a row. The university has been a top school on the list since the list was created in 2001. Currently there are 81 alumni serving as volunteers and more

than 2,848 have served since 1961. Only the University of California at Berkeley has produced more volunteers than UW-Madison. The top spot on this year’s list belongs to the University of Washington, which has 104 alumni working for the program. UW-Madison is one of the only schools to offer a Peace Corps

Master’s International program in several disciplines, including life sciences communication, urban and regional planning, agronomy, animal science, forest ecology and management and horticulture. Students who participate in the program can combine Peace Corps service with graduate studies for credit.

arts Dälek has new, unique Tactics dailycardinal.com/arts

By Justin Stephani THE DAILY CARDINAL

As a hip-hop group that stands in opposition to mainstream rap and reserves themselves for the underground scene, Dälek has to work for their following by being consistently innovative and intriguing to whomever is listening. They are an unconventional alternative hip-hop or industrial rap group, providing listeners with looming, electronic drones on top of heavy beats. And for their latest release, Gutter Tactics, they are most successful when they are altering the rhythm regularly and allowing the swirling background music to roam, which keeps things interesting by moving the sound forward. And though this resembles nothing like the mainstream rap that

occupies most student playlists, this duo from New Jersey is smooth, and creative and provide beats that even the whitest dancer on campus couldn’t lose.

CD REVIEW

Gutter Tactics Dälek “Blessed Are They Who Bash Your Children’s Heads Against a Rock” introduces Dälek appropriately, using a relaxed, yet brooding beat that

sounds like the ideal backbone of a Portishead song. Instead, it is backing the Reverend Jeremiah Wright speaking negatively of several aggressive military actions in our country’s history. It’s a startling introduction that steadily builds in suspense until “No Question” takes over with another ominous ﬂow. And when the ﬁrst lines enter, hearing a human voice in all of the darkness feels reassuring, but it would be even more comforting if they weren’t asking threatening questions about survival. With the next track, “Armed With Krylon,” undeniable comparisons to the Roots surface, with the rhythm of the lyrics through the chorus and the pounding drums resembling some of ?uestlove and Black Thought’s best work from Game Theory.

PHOTO COURTESY IPECAC RECORDS

Dälek produces a wonderfully eclectic album, full of strange rhythms and insightful lyrics. Although they cannot be placed into one simple genre, the duo’s sound resembles the Roots, among other artists.

But Gutter Tactics opens up the space of the sound more than any other hip-hop group. The heavy, thumping beats are placed off in the distance so that the droning chords can provide a psychedelic, hallucinogenic atmosphere. When the deliberate lyrics are placed over this, it becomes a beautifully dark but provocative trip. The best example of this is on the eight-minute, wandering “Who Medgar Evers Was...” Here the atmospheric elements are given full room to roam between verses, and the swirling, oceanic effects become endearing, with the assistance of casual claps overlying the last verse of content rapping. They manage to change things up a little with the track “A Collection Of Miserable Thoughts Laced With Wit,” a contemplative, mindful song that shows their inability to shape the dynamics of their vocals to the background music. Despite that, it is a needed change of pace in the ﬂow of the album as one of the only songs on Gutter Tactics that sees Dälek wandering from their persistent sound. Without the slight redundancy of musical expression on Gutter Tactics, it would be an album to be reckoned with. And with a little more wandering in their sound, they would emerge as the Nine Inch Nails of rap. But instead, Dälek fall under the heading of darkly mesmerizing and entertaining. Although not bad by any stretch of the imagination, Dälek has unused potential ready to be utilized.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Why no love for ‘Button’? KEVIN SLANE citizen slane

scar nominations have finally come out, and the big winner was “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” with 13 nominations. The film, starring Brad Pitt as a man who ages backward, has been earmarked for year-end awards shows from its inception. “Button” has a seemingly perfect storm of ingredients for awards-show success. Sprinkle in two parts star (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett), a teaspoon of acclaimed director (David Fincher), a dash of legacy (the film is based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story) and a heaping spoonful of budget (the film cost over $150 million to make) and you’ve got a recipe for success. Yet people in the industry seem more likely to produce a sequel to “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” than try to take on another movie of “Button” proportions. It’s not that “Button” has done poorly at the box office; it has earned over $100 million already and is certain to pick up more with the recent nominations and a timely release in international markets. Yet $100 million isn’t enough for a film that cost over $150 million to make, $135 million to market and distribute and close to $10 million to promote for Oscar contention since the film’s opening on December 25. Given the costs that go into making button page 6

arts

Thursday, January 29, 2009

button from page 5 a film like this, industry insiders are reporting that there will likely be a trend of moving away from the bigbudget, A-list artistic films. Spending lots of money on a film like “The Dark Knight” is a safe

bet because it has a built-in audience. Spending money on films like “Button,” however, can prove to backfire. This year, Baz Lurhman’s epic “Australia” was an epic failure at the box office and was completely shut out of the awards shows after a ho-hum reception from critics. Even a film

that I called a can’t-miss prospect, Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road,” has earned less than $10 million domestically and received only three Oscar nominations, a pittance compared to what producers were expecting. If the reunion of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet can’t produce a bankable

dailycardinal.com/arts movie, I don’t know what can. Instead of wasting time on the bigbudget Oscar films, it seems more likely that studios will spend their money on summer flicks and leave the small art-house studios to produce the films for awards season. Fox’s smaller art studio, Fox Searchlight, scored a big hit this year with “Slumdog Millionaire,” a film which cost very little to make and features no recognizable stars. Despite this, the film has made almost $50 million and will continue to make more, as it won the Golden Globe award for best picture and was nominated for 10 Oscars. This news is devastating for people

who enjoy quality films. Now we will see more films like “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” which has topped the box office two weeks in a row now and has made over $60 million. Now people will have to seek out small theaters in major metropolitan areas to see the best films of the year, as none of the major theater chains will carry low-budget indie films. Now we will see more money invested in 3-D films like “My Bloody Valentine,” rather than any films which have real depth. Think Kevin needs to stop complaining and embrace the subtle nuances of “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”? Email him at kevslane@gmail.com

featuresfood Leave the canned soup to Campbell’s dailycardinal.com/food

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Crank up the stove and use these recipes to create homemade soup to make mom proud THE DAILY CARDINAL

Despite rising temperatures that feel like a heat wave when compared to double-digit belowzero afternoons, winter is still chilling to the bone. When deli sandwiches, cold pizza and cereal don’t seem to defrost your core, turn to the mother of comfort foods: soup. Soup provides instant meal gratification, warming you up from the inside. The idea of soup has transcended among generations from all over the world. But all soups from all cultures serve as a variation on a theme. Nutritious, ﬁlling, simple to create and serve, soup has always been the perfect for traveling and stationary cultures, whether rich or poor, healthy or ill. But modern science soups from a tin can or microwavea b l e bowl often taste bland a n d cont a i n unwanted calories, fat and especially sodium. Don’t cheat and head for the pantry when homemade bisques, chowders and stews are easy to make—regardless of culinary skill. Homemade soup has the potential for loads of ﬂavor. Here are a few familiar varieties to help you make it to spring. Many soup recipes begin with the same simple base. In a stock pot or dutch oven, melt two tablespoons of butter or oil and toss in one chopped onion. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.

Chicken Noodle Soup Begin with the onion base. Chop two carrots into one-and-a-halfinch chunks, and two ribs of celery lengthwise and into small pieces. Cook for another three minutes, tossing in two tablespoons of kosher salt, a tablespoon of ground pepper and a teaspoon each of dried thyme, oregano and rosemary. Add five cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Next, add about five cups of shredded chicken.

Allow the soup to simmer for about 25-30 minutes and, just before serving, add a bag of wide egg noodles. These cook quickly and absorb the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Butternut Squash Soup Begin with the onion base. Peel two small or medium butternut squash using a vegetable peeler, then cut them lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place the

Roasted squash chicken PHOTO BY DANNY MARCHUWKA cutside down remains tender on a baking sheet. and juicy in this Bake at 350 degrees for 25soup, but doing it at home can be time consuming. Utilize the local 30 minutes, or until tender. Cut grocery store or deli and buy one the squash into large chunks, stir into the pot and add a half cup of pre-cooked to save time.

chicken stock, two cups of heavy cream and 2 cups of milk. Working in batches, pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Return to the pot and allow it to simmer for another 10-15 minutes, adding salt, pepper, cumin and nutmeg to taste.

Roasted Tomato Bisque Cut three large tomatoes in half. Place them on a baking sheet, cut-side down and drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper. Roast the tomatoes in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. While they are in the oven, make the onion base, add two chopped cloves of garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Then add in two cans of diced tomatoes, seasoning the mixture with kosher salt, pepper and dried thyme. Pour in a half cup of chicken or vegetable broth, 2 cups of cream and 2 cups of milk. Once the tomatoes are roasted, stir into the base mixture. Working in batches, pour the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Return to the pot and allow it to simmer for another 10-15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.

By Sara Barreau

Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe by Lillian Chou Courtesy of gourmet.com Serves 4 Active time: 20 min Start to ﬁnish: 50 min

1 medium onion, chopped 1 Turkish or 1⁄2 California bay leaf 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large carrot, thinly sliced 1 celery rib, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1⁄2 lb. sweet potato, peeled and cubed (1.2 inch) 1⁄2 lb. Yukon Gold or boiling potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2 inch) 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth 1 1⁄2 cups water 1⁄2 cup frozen peas 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill Cook onion with bay leaf and 1⁄2 tsp salt in a 4- to 5 quart heavy pot over mediumhigh heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add carrot and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then add sweet potato, Yukon Golds, broth, water and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Purée 1 cup soup in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pot. Bring to a simmer, then stir in peas and dill and cook until peas are heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Travel and global cuisine boost Yara’s openess to eat new foods YARA KORKOR yara peach

t’s incredible how the memory of an extraordinary meal can stay with us for years. Food is memorable because we experience it with one of the most vibrant and pleasurable of our senses—taste. Most often, we share an incredible meal with other people, and this adds greatly to the memories that surround it. Of the many extraordinary meals I can remember, one of my favorites was a delicious mid-summer dinner I shared with a college friend who came home to meet my family three years ago. The idea for the meal was

and the beautiful time we all had together. Had it not been for the food, perhaps this memory would not be so vivid. In a similar way, I recall the homemade tiramisu of my study abroad experience in Italy. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a nation whose famous dessert is comprised of coffee-liqueur soaked ladyﬁngers layered with creamy mascarpone cheese?! I ate my way through Italy and thus remembered every bit of it. Of course, this positive, memorable property of meals can also come in the reverse. While we enjoy recalling the good meals, it’s difﬁcult to forget the bad ones. I’ll never forget a meal I had two years ago in a certain East-Asian country. Despite my best attempts to be a

olate truffles fully compensated for the unpleasantness of the pickled herring that preceded it. But even negative food recollections invoke the joyful memories that surround them. I’ll never forget how hard I laughed as I watched Chad attempt to down the unidentified goop. And that shot of aqua vitae? It was my first ever. Taste invokes powerful memories and by using it, along with our other senses, to capture an experience, we are able to remember that experience more fully. This extraordinary quality of food is one of the many things that makes both eating and life enjoyable and, above all, memorable. Nervous about eating creepy crawlies? E-mail Yara at korkor@wisc.edu and tell her about it.

With very few Mexican options near campus, La Hacienda, 515 S. Park St., is much welcomed in the Madison dining scene. Located within walking distance of campus, this restaurant is hard to miss. As the name suggests, La Hacienda resembles a conventional Mexican ranch, complete with faux-adobe walls. The menu is expansive and inexpensive, with some nice traditional dishes like chicken enchiladas with mole sauce. One item I recommend above all others is the parrilladas chica, split with one to three other people. This dish comes with a miniature fancy kerosene stove and a metal plate piled high with various meats, onion, potato and cilantro. You can wrap your own burritos fajita-style, and the meat always stays warm. I recommend checking out this restaurant if you have a group of friends eager for some inexpensive Mexican food. Overall: 3/4

By Jia Luo

courageous eater, I could not bring myself to down the cup of a gelatinous, unknown substance I have reason to believe originated in the ocean. Meanwhile, one of my dinner partners swallowed all the while whimpering to himself, “It’s fuel, Chad. Just fuel.” A similar memory of a meal crops up when I recall a Christmas Eve smorgasbord I shared with a bunch of Swedes on a ship near the Antarctic Peninsula six years ago. It took more than a shot of aqua vitae to get through numerous varieties of cold herring salad, unseasoned meat and boiled potatoes. Although dessert was a welcome relief from the entreés, it’s arguable whether the gingerbread and choc-

La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant

i so

te of Mad i B

spurred by the authentic tajine my sister had lugged home from Morocco after her semester abroad. We were eager to try it out, and that night presented the perfect opportunity of willing guests and ready ingredients. The result was a full-out Moroccan-inspired feast, beginning with white cranberry, ginger-infused cosmopolitans; climaxing with seasoned, tajine-cooked lamb, curried chicken and olives, rice mixed with dried fruits and nuts, and artichoke hearts stuffed with lemon-soaked peas; ﬁnally culminating with garden fresh strawberries and cream. When I look back at this meal, I remember more than the ﬂavors of that warm, June night. I remember the fun of preparing the food, the wonderful guests we shared it with,

For more information, check out madisonculinary.blogspot.com.

featuresstudent life 8

dailycardinal.com/features

Thursday, January 29, 2009

SPARK

a different kind of learning

Students assigned hundreds of pages to read a week are ﬁnding ways to lessen the workload. But are resources like SparkNotes preventing students from actually learning the material? Story by Madeline Anderson PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYLE BURSAW

his past summer UW-Madison sophomore Clint received a letter in the mail detailing his removal from the university. Originally enrolled in the nursing program, Clint had failed one class and barely passed his other three the second semester of his freshman year. “I had tunnel vision at the time,” he said. “I thought other things were more important than school.” Instead, Clint put hanging out with friends, video games and his girlfriend at the top of his priority list. But when Clint received his grades for the spring semester, he knew he had to change his approach to college life. “There’s that balance that every college student faces,” Clint said. “I had to learn that the hard way.” UW-Madison senior Kevin Clutson said SparkNotes helped him get through all the reading material in his English classes. “With two jobs and an internship, I just don’t have time to read the books thoroughly,” he said. SparkNotes is a series of books and a website that provides free study guides for works of literature.

Though an easy alternative to reading countless pages, this timesaving tool could be hurting students’ writing and reading abilities in the long run. The harm in using SparkNotes Associate English professor Sherry Reames has noticed an alarming trend throughout her thirty years of teaching that may be attributed in part to websites like SparkNotes. “Students’ vocabularies are much smaller in general than they used to be,” Reames said, “and their ability to make sense of long, complicated sentences has also declined.” Clutson is aware of both the short and long-term consequences, and has learned to use SparkNotes carefully. “I use it mostly for clarification ... OK, and half of ‘Moby Dick,’” he said. “If it’s [SparkNotes’] idea, I won’t use it at all, but if it’s a join-

ing of ideas, I’ll use it,” he said. Associate English professor David Zimmerman believes he and his teaching assistants can easily recognize plagiarized language and “can usually tell when [students] have borrowed ideas and observations.” To avoid being accused of plagiarism, UW-Madison sophomore Andy Kadlec never checks the website. “The problem with SparkNotes is that you may transfer the ideas into your paper unknowingly,” he said. And if caught, students receive a zero for their grade, and a letter of misconduct is sent to the dean of students. “The risk far outweighs the possible reward,” Zimmerman said. To prevent the temptation of plagiarism and the consequences that follow, professors often make it difficult for students to rely on SparkNotes alone when taking tests. “In my intro lecture exams I include ‘analytical identifications’—short passages that students must identify and analyze,” Zimmerman said. “There’s no way students could produce successful answers if they haven’t read the book.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYLE BURSAW

UW-Madison junior Alexandra Leland recognized this technique. “I just feel like if you don’t do all the readings yourself, you’re going to miss that one little thing that happens to appear on the test,” she said. The need for SparkNotes Yet the pressure to read every chapter from every book discouraged Leland from continuing with her English major. “Even if you do all the readings, there’s no way you can stay caught up,” Leland said. “They cram in way too much material.” Clint, who was readmitted to the university this semester, has experienced the same demanding expectations. In a Shakespearean drama class, his professor assigned one play every couple days, expecting students to read it two or three times. On academic probation, Clint knew he had to get passing grades in all his classes, which meant dividing his time evenly between each subject. His approach: turn to SparkNotes for those second or third times rereading the plays. “It’s simply about efficiency,” he said. “SparkNotes is the smartest thing to do, time-wise.” Perhaps this isn’t just a matter of time management, but also the product of how today’s youth have been raised. “Everything in society is so fast-paced and using SparkNotes is just another way to get ahead,” said UW-Madison sophomore Hannah Vakili. “We’re always looking for a shortcut.” The interference in learning Reames suggests students are turning to shortcuts because “screen time” is distracting them from schoolwork. She blames the Internet and television for taking up too much time in students’ schedules. As a result, they are abandoning the reading habits of earlier generations. “Reading is more of a chore than it used to be, even for the average English major,” Reames said. “It takes them longer, and they enjoy it less.” Several students, however,

look at technology as a positive resource to utilize when writing their papers. Internet sites like SparkNotes not only allow students to put more effort into other classes and extracurricular activities, but may also provide them with helpful explanations of the material. And with the click of a mouse, it’s easy to see why students are tempted to visit SparkNotes while typing an essay. “Why not get plot summaries and a second opinion from Google or SparkNotes in order to save time and get a better grade?” asked Vakili. When it comes to tests, however, most students acknowledge that reading the books completely is the best way to secure a good grade. “If I would’ve just read that one part in Moby Dick, I could’ve gotten an A on the test,” Clutson admitted. Some students aren’t willing to take that risk. Kadlec managed the reading intensity by fitting in his homework whenever he had a spare moment. “There’s always time to read a book; in between classes, before going to bed,” he said. “I enjoy finding arguments on my own. It’s rewarding.” After a semester of Shakespearean drama, Victorian literature and Romantic poetry, Clint had come to a similar conclusion. “I love being able to read about others’ opinions and have that shape my own view of the world,” he said. Ultimately though, Clint’s new passion for literature wasn’t enough to escape the convenience of SparkNotes. “You know, if there were 25 hours in a day ... I’m not condoning SparkNotes, but it’s just not practical to say you’re going to read everything,” Clint said. SparkNotes may not be the conventional way to approach schoolwork, but as long as students use it only for assistance rather than answers, explained Vakili, then students should feel comfortable using the site just as they would any other instrument of knowledge.

opinion dailycardinal.com/opinion

Thursday, January 29, 2009

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

doyle blunt, must use funds wisely

o his credit, Gov. Jim Doyle’s “State of the State” address made no attempt to sugarcoat Wisconsin’s current plight. Rather than waltz around the $5.4 billion elephant in the room, Doyle looked it head on and delivered a tough message in his opening lines: The economy has put us in crisis mode, and even with federal stimulus aid, we’re in it up to our necks. With 71,000 jobs lost nationally on Monday alone and a state unemployment rate soaring to 5.8 percent, Doyle wisely approached the grave state of our state with candor and admitted that even some of our top priorities could face cuts. “What isn’t needed will be cut. And unfortunately, some of what is needed will be cut, too,” Doyle said. We laud Doyle’s honesty and share concern for the priorities he outlines—education, health care and basic protection for communities—but unfortunately his priorities sound better in general than they do speciﬁcally. The stimulus-plan wish list Doyle proposed to Washington Dec. 10 included requests for $630 million in

transportation projects, $236.8 million in health-care projects and over $1 billion for education. Some of Doyle’s proposed expenditures raise eyebrows, including $474 million in school building, remodeling and expansion projects that local taxpayers turned down (an additional $280 million approved by voters is included). Additionally, Doyle’s transportation proposal includes $298 million in highway projects, a questionable disbursement given his three main priorities. Education matters, but don’t blindly throw money at education hoping students learn in nicer buildings that taxpayers didn’t think were necessary. Similarly, transportation matters as well, but don’t admit tough sacriﬁces will be made and spend excessively on highways—focus more transportation funds on mass transit and commuter rail systems that beneﬁt low-income citizens, create jobs and aid the environment. Doyle’s job is arduous, but prudent spending directed toward the priorities he claims are paramount is an absolute necessity from Wisconsin’s top leader.

Closing of Gitmo threat to U.S. security, mistake By Kristen Wall COLLEGE REPUBLICANS

On Jan. 21, 2009, President Obama gave the order to shut down the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, as he promised he would do during his campaign. It is not a surprise that human-rights activists who considered Guantanamo Bay, or Gitmo, to be a giant stain on American history are dancing in the streets. However, in his Jan. 27, 2009, opinion column in The Wall Street Journal, Bret Stephens asks the most important question concerning the closing of Gitmo: Where are the world’s most dangerous enemy combatants, men who are known terrorists, going to be held now? There is a reason the most dangerous men in the world are held in a remote location, hidden away from normal society. IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS MEN IN THE WORLD. Do we really want these international terrorists who want to kill Americans released to their native lands—countries that aren’t exactly the biggest fans of America? Do we really want to trust these criminals to countries like Syria? Even the most adamant human-rights activists would probably have to say no. The biggest complaint the Democrats have against Gitmo is that prisoners are held without being charged with crimes. However, when these detainees are set free, they will presumably rejoin their terrorist comrades. Such was the case in 2007 with Said Ali Al-Shihri, who after being released, was identiﬁed as an al-Qaida facilitator for youth traveling to Afghanistan. He wanted two individuals to assassinate a writer based on a fatwa by Sheikh Hamud bin Uqla. He also trained in urban warfare

at the Libyan Camp north of Kabul, Afghanistan. If there were ever a case for holding someone without trying them, I believe this would be it. There is another option. These terrorists could be transferred to Fort Leavenworth, in Leavenworth County, Kansas, which holds the Department of Defense’s only maximum-security prison. However, Fort Leavenworth does not want to take these prisoners because the detention facility is unequipped to handle such dangerous criminals and holding the prisoners there would make it a target for terrorists. Also, there is always a possibility of a breach in security, in which terrorists would be loose in the middle of the United States. At least at Guantanamo Bay, if prisoners ever did escape (God forbid), they are on an island in the middle of the ocean, instead of running loose in the Midwest. There has always been controversy surrounding the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, mainly because no one really knows what goes on there. But, at a place where the most dangerous men in the world are housed, do we really want to know what goes on? As long as America is safe and no American’s constitutional rights are being violated, I really don’t care what happens down there. The men kept at Gitmo are some of the most dangerous criminals in the world, and they are there because they are suspected of plotting to kill Americans. It is a grave mistake to close down Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, a decision President Obama will come to regret. Kristen Wall is the ﬁrst vice chair of College Republicans at UWMadison. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Palestinian plight issue of humanity, not beliefs JOE KOSS opinion columnist

wenty-two days. Over 1,300 Palestinians killed, including 200 women and 410 under the age of 16. Over 5,300 wounded. Thirteen Israelis killed, including nine soldiers. Total war costs are estimated at $1.43 billion. And yet, the day after Israel declared a cease-fire, Hamas fired 20 more rockets. The politics of the the Middle East are too complex, too rooted in religion and history, too mind-numbingly counterintuitive to discuss in a mere 650 words by a sophomoric collegiate op-ed columnist. I can’t convince myself to even try. But on Monday, the Distinguished Lecture Series played host to Amira Hanania, a 27-year-old journalist from Palestine, whose wisdom belies her age. The event also featured UWMadison doctoral student Matt Sienkiewicz, who co-produced and filmed the documentary “Live from Bethlehem.” Together, their remarkable telling of modern-day Palestine through video, journalism and anecdotes helped frame many of the common-day struggles of the Palestinian people, detaching them from the chaos, violence and indolence of the region. They presented a side to the story that is as ubiquitous as any human story, one of hope and despair, of living, loving and raising a family where wants are great and daily

security is in short supply. The fact that it was a Palestinian story should be of no consequence. Yet today, in the aftermath of Israel’s offensive into Gaza, the Palestinian story cannot be as important as the human story. All we seem to have is words and numbers: Gaza, Hamas, Fatah, Muslim, Jew, Israel, West Bank; 1,300 dead, 13 dead, 5,300 wounded, 20 rockets, $1.43 billion; self-defense, war crimes, proportionality, white phosphorus. We have The New York Times’ account of the war, the Israeli Defense Department’s account of the war, the UN’s account of the war. Do we truly have the Palestinian story? Both Hanania, through her candid and personal account, and Sienkiewicz, through his documentary, went through great pains to show a side that was ﬁrst a call to our common humanity and secondly Palestinian. Hanania’s lucidity and remarkable insights were presented throughout the night, destroying the Israeli argument for war in one clear and straight sentence: “It is not self-defense when you are killing defenseless people.” Her call, unlike most, was not for involvement, but for support of people. “Tell your representatives not to support governments, but to support people,” Hanania said. Here, you ﬁnd the crux of the Gazan plight: They are not supported, not by Hamas, whom she claimed took political power by force; not by Israel, who has occupied, humiliated and corrupted daily life to an almost incomprehensible extent; not by the international community, which has

refused to take a global stance on the ongoing humanitarian condition; and not the the United States, which has continued to support and supply, via billions of U.S. dollars, the Israeli military. They have no defenders, no representatives, no voice and no humanity. With this recent offensive, Israel seemed to invite, almost force the world to take sides. Before this offensive, I was unwilling and too ignorant to take a side. I cannot say that is the case anymore. I look at numbers and read the words, and I can’t help but take a side. Think of the hospitals, schools, roads and infrastructure that could be built in Gaza for $1.43 billion. It was reported that Gaza “looks like an earthquake zone,” with more than 50,800 Gazans left homeless. In the immediate aftermath, the BBC reported that more than 400,000 Gazans were left without running water. The incessant bombing campaign razed 4,000 Gazan buildings and severely damaged 20,000. In almost any other “conﬂict” involving any other two peoples, there would be overwhelming international support, with the United States backing, for the rightful independence of the oppressed from “ownership,” in order that a nation may be created. Yet maybe this is the ruse, that this isn’t just any conﬂict. At least that is what we are led to believe. However, there is one thing that is evidently clear: Palestinians are people, and in as much as that matters, they need support. Joe Koss is a junior majoring in secondary education in social studies. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

comics 10

Watcha’ looking at, Abe? Abraham Lincoln faces to the right on a penny while all the other presidents face to the left on U.S. coins. dailycardinal.com/comics

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Eager Beaver

Today’s Sudoku

Anthro-apology

By Eric Wigdahl wigdahl@wisc.edu

Angel Hair Pasta

By Todd Stevens ststevens@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. The Daily Code

Jeff Goldblum

a b c d e f g h i

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Sid and Phil

By Alex Lewein lewein@wisc.edu

The Graph Giraffe

By Yosef Lerner ilerner@wisc.edu

“Qer, csy pmih xs qi. Csy wemh csy leh livtiw erh Hepi wemh csy hmhr’x.” Quote from Pineapple Express Yesterday’s Code:

“You better get back honky cat Living in the city ain’t where it’s at.”

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

Evil Bird

By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com SAY WHAT?

1 5 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 28 29 32 34 36 37 41 42 43 46

ACROSS

“Fahrenheit 9/11” target Caught on camera Yards on the ground, e.g. Builder at Cuzco “Six ___, half a dozen ...” Topology ﬁgures Bridge distance Setting for “Hansel and Gretel” Donkey features Guidelines for a politician Frees from One way, on a swing Dope on a horse “___ bodkins!” Noted matchmaker Aggregate First name in women’s tennis Estate beneﬁciary Money-makers for expresidents W rival They make for a neat walk Place to put some leaves Spanish vacation site, perhaps

47 Drink with an extended pinkie 50 Dreyer’s partner in ice cream 51 U.K. defense arm 53 Barcelona bull 55 Bucolic waterway 59 Latter-day accts.? 61 “The ___ Limits” 62 Feminizing sufﬁx 63 Dash gauge 64 Actor Milo of “Barbarella” 65 Voyeur 66 Bambino 67 Col. Potter of “M*A*S*H,” to pals 68 They’re dubbed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

DOWN

Casual eatery Pro bono Almost boils “Cast Away” star Village inhabitants In ___ (befuddled) Palindromic ship deck Words with “an era” or “the line” It may be burning “Never mind” notation Warmer Abbr. at JFK “Deck the Halls” contraction

21 Asia Minor region 22 Alternative to smoking 26 The blue of a baby blue 27 “Capita” go-with 30 What George couldn’t tell 31 One ofﬁcial language of India 33 Consequently 34 Beetle’s sound? 35 Brunch staples 37 Musher’s vehicle 38 Listen to a recording 39 Pre-fax communique 40 Dentist’s brand, perhaps 41 Time for les vacances 44 Earth is one 45 Social no-nos 47 Woody’s wife 48 Certain laundry worker 49 They hang around the ﬁreplace 52 Straight beater 54 Kilmer classic 56 Tennis great 57 “Aren’t ___ lucky one!” 58 ___-do-well 59 Classic TV’s Cousin ___ 60 Unit of hope

The Frugal Gnome

By Lindsey Heinz and Emily Villwock lheinz@wisc.edu

sports

dailycardinal.com/sports

Thursday, January 29, 2009 11 l

Women’s Basketball

Coming off loss, Badgers hope to recover against Boilermakers Purdue has won 10 straight games against Wisconsin By Alex Lugo THE DAILY CARDINAL

After suffering losses to Michigan State and Penn State last week, Wisconsin will prepare to host Purdue Thursday and continue to rebound from a tough road trip. As the Badgers (4-6 Big Ten, 14-7 overall) struggled offensively against Michigan State, head coach Lisa Stone said her team will need to be prepared for Purdue’s aggressive defensive strategies. “I think they’ve got tremendous depth. They know what they want to get offensively,” Stone said. “They run their sets, their half-court offense very, very well. And defensively, they’ll mix some things up … And we need to be prepared for all of that and, again, STONE take good care of the ball no matter which defense they play.” Wisconsin has not beaten Purdue (6-3, 13-7) since 2001,

and though this may put pressure on the Badgers, Stone said playing Purdue right after Michigan State might help her team’s comfort level. “Their guard corps is very, very big, as [it] was last night. Michigan State has one player on their team under six feet tall, so, you know, we went with a big lineup,” Stone said. “To play a team similar right away is really good, get right back out there on the court, and to be at home is going to be really fun.” Although Purdue is coming to Wisconsin fresh off of a 71-60

“I think Mariah [Dunham] is breaking out and playing good basketball at the right time.” Lisa Stone head coach Wisconsin women’’s basketball

loss to Ohio State on Sunday, the Boilermakers’ offense will be a challenge for the Badgers. Senior forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton scored 16 points against Ohio State, and senior center Danielle Campbell scored 14. “[Wisdom-Hylton] will be one of the top ﬁve draft picks, in my opinion, this year,” Stone said.

“She’s coming off a year where she was pre-season pick to be all conference, injured herself last year, sat, learned a lot, grew a lot. She’s their leader, the emotional leader.” As for other key players on Purdue, Stone also said an injury suffered by “spit-ﬁre” point guard FahKara Malone has forced other Boilermakers to step up and perform. Junior forward Mariah Dunham broke through against Michigan State, leading the Badgers with 14 points and six rebounds while shooting 4-for-7 from behind the arc. Sophomore guard and offensive leader Alyssa Karel added 13 points of her own against the Spartans. “I think Mariah is breaking out and playing good basketball at the right time. You know, she’s defensively given us a hand, certainly, in getting on the glass and, you know, has been making big buckets late in the game. She also has ability to score,” Stone said. “If you look at our stat sheet, it’s very, very balanced, and that continued balance is important. And players even upping their averages is helpful at this time as well.” Wisconsin only lost ﬁve turnovers against Illinois, but in the last two games against Michigan State and Penn State gave the ball away more than 20 times per contest. The team’s winning and statistical inconsistency has given Stone

DANNY MARCHEWKA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Junior forward Mariah Dunham has scored in double-figures in each of Wisconsin’s last five games, including scoring 14 against Michigan State. something to worry about, but she has every bit of confidence that all of that can be fixed with the team’s desire and ambition to improve. “That inconsistency there has to get a little bit better and still stay tight with our defense, continue to rebound the basketball, find some good shots and stay balanced, and get some momentum,” Stone said. “I’m very opti-

mistic about our kids. They work hard. They want to get better, and that’s the main thing. That’s our focus tomorrow in practice is to be better, just continue the process of getting better and hopefully get one on Thursday.” Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at the Kohl Center. —uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.

sports

12 Thursday, January 29, 2009

dailycardinal.com/sports

Men’s Hockey

Big man growing into scorer role Neenah native played ﬁve sports in high school

BEN BREINER boom goes the breinamite

By Brandon Storlie THE DAILY CARDINAL

On the ice, junior forward John Mitchell has always stood head and shoulders above his teammates. This season, his game has been something to look up to. The 6'5" winger from Neenah, Wis., has 11 goals in 26 games, tying him with team captain Blake Geoffrion for the team lead. Mitchell’s three gamewinners this season are also good enough for a share of the Badgers’ top spot. After he scored only eight goals in 40 games last season, some fans may be surprised to see Mitchell at the forefront of Wisconsin’s offensive attack. His teammates, however, could see this coming. “John’s come on real strong this year,” junior forward Ben Grotting said. “I’m not going to say that was a big surprise or anything. His shot has improved tremendously, and he’s been able to bury the puck. It’s good to see.” Aside from the scoring touch he has developed, Mitchell has also shown he’s no stranger to contact, racking up almost twice as many penalty minutes (78) as anyone else on the team. Nonetheless, his athleticism has been on full display this season. “As a big guy, I’ve been told that, for how tall I am and everything, I’m a very athletic guy,” Mitchell said. Growing up, Mitchell excelled athletically, both on and off the ice. A five-sport athlete in high school, he earned all-conference honors in soccer and volleyball while also competing in football, tennis and hockey. “People would look at it and [say], ‘That doesn’t come across as helping his hockey game dis-

Fans still ignoring top hockey team

KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Junior forward John Mitchell is tied for the most goals among Wisconsin players with 11. He had only nine career goals before this season but has found a place in the Badgers’ deep, balanced front line. tinctively,’” Mitchell said. “But it helped with my athleticism. I was just one of those kids that liked to do everything growing up.” Before coming to UW, Mitchell spent the 2005-’06 season with the Indiana Ice of the USHL and also practiced with the Badgers during the second half of that season. For Mitchell, being on the ice with the eventual national champions was a humbling experience. “It was definitely an eyeopener,” Mitchell said. “I guess what I learned most was that I had a long way to go. I had a rough time throughout the juniors, getting thrown around from team to team. I was kind of beaten and battered and had no confidence at all. Coach [Mike] Eaves and coach [Mark] Osiecki got me back on my feet.”

At first, Mitchell’s nerves nearly got the best of him. “When I came to practice here for the first time, I was so nervous,” he said. “They were the No. 1 team in the country. To see all these guys who are professionals, to just watch them on the ice was a real treat. I just tried to mimic everything they did.” “When I came to practice here for the ﬁrst time, I was so nervous ... They were the No. 1 team in the country.” John Mitchell forward Wisconsin men’s hockey

Three years later and with the help of a little luck, Mitchell is

seeing his hard work pay off. “Everyone who’s really good at goal-scoring, it’s a gift that they have,” Mitchell said. “I don’t necessarily have that yet. I’ve been in the right place at the right time a lot this year. Every summer, I work on my shot … and I try to have a better shot every year.” With a pair of tough weekends against Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota ahead, followed by a difficult WCHA backstretch after that, Mitchell recognizes that this is crunch time for the his team. “We need to continue what we’re doing,” he said. “Since the break, we’ve been playing tremendous hockey. Everyone’s been clicking. Everyone just needs to keep stepping up the way [they’ve] been doing.”

ook at the resume. 1977 national champion, top goal-scorer in UW history, ten years in the NHL, six seasons as an assistant men’s coach, building one of the top programs in college women’s hockey and two national titles. Oh, and for good measure… playing a pivotal role in the greatest victory in American sports history. Those are Mark Johnson’s credentials. Thirty years after Johnson led the “Miracle on Ice” team in scoring and put the puck in net twice against the Soviets, he will lead another American squad in the Olympics, this time the women’s hockey team in Vancouver. Johnson’s calm, friendly style will serve Team USA well and has already drawn positive responses. The program he built will serve as his ultimate credential. The Badgers feature a slew of probable future Olympians, all worth watching. Goaltender Jessie Vetter is considered by many to be the top player at her position in the world. At forward, Hilary Knight and Brooke Ammerman both score goals in bunches, and Meghan Duggan may be the best two-way player in the country. If there is one Badger player who fans really should try to see before she graduates, it would be diminutive team captain Erika Lawler. It’s a strange sight to watch Lawler, at 5'0", zip around the ice, but definitely worth the price of admission. Beyond the individuals, the Badgers now sit atop the WCHA and have lost only one game all season. They lead the nation in every conceivable category and have an excellent chance to win their third title in four seasons. The question, however, must be asked: Why hasn’t Johnson’s Wisconsin squad drawn more support from the student fan base? Simply put, the Badger women’s hockey team has been the most successful in its sport over the past few seasons. Wisconsin has two national titles and one runner-up finish in the last three seasons, yet fails to draw more that 2,500 fans per game. There is always the excuse that women’s hockey lacks checking, but is that really what the sport boils down to? Sheer violence and little more? And it’s not as if women’s hockey is figure skating. There are a few Badgers who are far from shy about contact on the ice. Beyond that, the Badgers play a style that relies more on crisp passing and puck possession, a brand of hockey more reminiscent of the Russian team Johnson helped beat in 1980 than the approach employed by the Kohl Center’s other on-ice residents. The men’s squad under Mike Eaves plays the choppier dump-and-chase style where the puck is thrown into the offense zone as soon as a player crosses center ice. Although this can be effective, it lacks some of the grace that can be found in women’s games. With a football team that finished 7-6, a men’s basketball squad that has lost five straight and an inconsistent men’s team, the time to take a look at Johnson’s team is now. Enjoy watching the dump and chase? Tell Ben at breiner@wisc.edu