THE POSTER BOYS OF GARAGE ROCK
Mifflin sponsorship succeeds where Freakfest failed OPINION
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Japandroids latest, Post-Nothing, a pop-punk masterpiece
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MIFFLIN BLOCK PARTY 2009
THE DAILY CARDINAL
KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Justin Dehling, one of the over 15,000 attendees, carries his boom box down Mifflin Saturday.
Larger crowds, fewer arrests at Mifflin 2009 THE DAILY CARDINAL
Even with larger crowds and more beautiful weather than previous years, the 40th annual Mifflin Street Block Party saw significantly fewer problems and arrests, which authorities are attributing to official sponsorship of Saturday’s event. About an hour after the party ended, police had arrested 140 people, mostly for alcohol-related violations. Of these, only two were taken to jail, while the rest were cited and released for minor offenses. Last year’s Mifflin saw 440 arrests, with 63 people taken to jail. “So far this year I believe the event is positive,” Captain Richard Bach of the Madison Police Department said mid-day Saturday. “Things are running very smoothly, and there have not been any major problems.” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he was “thrilled” with the overall results of the block party, in which he organized efforts to help find an official sponsor. “All the feedback I got from partygoers, residents and city officials was hugely and overwhelmingly positive,” Verveer said. “I think the fact that we had a sponsor and
that the police had organizers to work with contributed greatly to the police having a more chill attitude toward the event.” DCNY PRO and WSUM student radio partnered up to receive last-minute sponsorship for the event. The sponsors, who contributed more than $6,000, provided a music stage, food vendors and portable toilets. Verveer also said police made the decision before the party that only in very limited circumstances would
they arrest an individual for having a plastic cup or can of beer on the sidewalk. “That made a huge difference,” Verveer said. “It just goes to show that many of the individuals arrested in the last few years were arrested for having beer on the sidewalk.” Police also posted signs at entry locations listing ground rules in order to inform students of ways to stay out of trouble.
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Monday, May 4, 2009
UW-Madison’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month is over and officials are looking forward to increasing education and awareness over the coming years. Sexual Assault Awareness Month ended last week, with a successful turnout at all of the activities hosted by student groups on the UWMadison campus. Several student organizations participated in the month-long initiative including Sex Out Loud, Campus Women’s Center and Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment. “We had great attendance from male and female students consistently throughout the month, and the students at each event were attentive and engaged in the topic,” Ally Cruickshank, chair of PAVE, said. According to Cruickshank, PAVE usually spearheads the SAAM coalition. This year, other community partners helped to organize the event and collaboratively decided to focus on alcohol-facilitated sexual assault. One of PAVE’s goals is to prevent sexual and dating violence
through education and activism. The student group aims to achieve prevention by connecting with students and promoting discussion about sexual assault. “We are trying to approach students … by getting information out in a way that is not scaring and turning people away from talking about rape or sexual assault, but making it something that students can connect with and continue to learn from,” Autumn Wilke, a member of PAVE, said. According to Kevin Helmkamp, associate dean of students, discussion of sexual assault can bee seen as a prevention mechanism and can comfort victims on campus. “Anything that university groups can do to keep the topic in the community is good,” he said. “There is an element of education here in regards to all of the services that are available on campus so that no victim of sexual assault ever really feels alone.” The Wisconsin Department of Justice recently awarded the university a $300,000, three-year grant allowing student groups like PAVE to assault page 3
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ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Chancellor Biddy Martin and College of Letters and Science Dean Gary Sandefur spoke at the Chazen groundbreaking.
Hundreds gather at Chazen groundbreaking ceremony By Casey Christian THE DAILY CARDINAL
KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Swine flu cases in Wisconsin on the rise, CDC confirms 3 By Sunday, the number of probable cases of the H1N1 “swine” flu had risen to 66 in Wisconsin. Milwaukee County alone has 33 probable cases. The closest cases to Madison are in Rock and Jefferson Counties, which border Dane County. Meanwhile, three of the prob-
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Officials reflect on awareness month success By Melanie Teachout
By Rachel Holzman
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able cases that arose last week in the state were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control over the weekend. These include two cases from Milwaukee County and one case in Adams County. “These findings confirm the H1N1 virus is active in Wisconsin and people should continue to take precautions to
protect themselves against the spread of influenza,” State Health Officer Dr. Seth Foldy said in a statement. The number of cases in the U.S. rose to 226 by Sunday in 30 states, but there still has been only one death in the country. The diseased reached 898 cases worldwide in 18 different countries.
The Chazen Museum of Art celebrated its groundbreaking ceremony Friday with Madison community members. Over 100 students, faculty, and community members gathered at 750 University Avenue to witness the ceremony. When completed, the museum will offer twice the gallery space than that of the current museum, an outdoor plaza, study rooms and a glass-walled lobby that students will be able to peer into when passing by. “It is a very exciting moment and it is a dream come true,”
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin said. Speakers included Chazen Museum Director Russel Panczenko, UW-Madison Chancellor Martin, Lieutenant. Governor Barbara Lawton, Dean of College of Letters and Science Gary Sandefur, Chazen Museum of Art council Chair Tim Erdma and alumni Simona and Jerome Chazen. �� The $43 million expansion was made because of donations from private donors, as well as a generous $25 million donation from the Chazens. chazen page 3
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
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Megan says goodb—...tries to say goodbye
Volume 118, Issue 143
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 Editors Nick Dmytrenko 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 Jamie Stark Todd Stevens
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Alex Kusters Advertising Manager Sheila Phillips Mindy Cummings Billing Manager Accounts Receivable Manager Cole Wenzel Account Executives Katie Brown Ana Devcic, Natalie Kemp Tom Shield Web Directors Eric Harris, Dan Hawk Marketing Director Heath Bornheimer 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.
TUESDAY: PM showers hi 70º / lo 52º
MEGAN CORBETT little red corbett
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orld-renowned humorist Megan M. Corbett is presumed dead at 21. This sobering news followed a panicked phone call from Corbett’s roommate to authorities. Upon investigation of the premises, police found the following note: Dear friends, Megan is dead. Don’t worry about the lack of body. Just assume that swine flu got her. Or Mifflin—yeah, most likely it was some sort of Mifflin related tragedy. Regardless, she is definitely NOT faking her own death to get out of finals/avoid writing a shitty good-bye column/join the band of Somalian pirates because it’s easier than finding a job. That is most certainly NOT what is happening. Love, Er...Cegan Morbett Investigators are searching for Cegan Morbett, and clues as to whatever her connection to Corbett’s death might be. In the mean time, Corbett’s
roommate, Amanda Schweger, had this to say about the writer’s mysterious demise. “I don’t know what I am supposed to do now,” Schweger wept. “Megan’s dad always made really good cookies that she would share with me. And you could always count on Megan to say really inappropriate things to break up the awkward silence in a room. And Megan always did the dishes. What am I going to do without her? Not do dishes, that’s for damn sure.” Schweger’s boyfriend, who shall remain nameless, as he is a suspect in the writer’s baffling disappearance, seemed far less broken up. He had little comment, only muttering “Thank God” several times under his breath. It is speculated that Corbett once ate the suspect’s Greenbush donut while he wasn’t looking, and he never forgave her. The four columnists who shared Corbett’s space in The Daily Cardinal’s page two made no official comment to the press. They did, however, line up, and each performed a keg stand in their fallen comrade’s honor. According to Diana Savage, Corbett’s editor, “This is what she
would have wanted. Now excuse me, I have to hold a beer bong for Matt. This whole thing has hit him really hard.” Gabe Ubatuba, The Daily Cardinal’ s Managing Editor commented on behalf of the rest of the staff—once he stopped sobbing convulsively. “Megan’s served us well at the Dirty Bird, and though I mainly knew her from her columns, her occasional appearances at the office and that one time we drunkenly ran into each other at the line to get into Brothers, I’ll really miss her,” he said. And while some were inconsolable over the loss of a promising young humorist, others seem almost to take the news in stride. An unidentified source—who looked strikingly like Corbett with glasses, a blatantly fake mustache—was seen wandering around the crime scene covering her mouth and giggling. When approached for comment the mystifying young woman read from a prepared statement. “It is incredibly tragic that we have lost this beautiful, intelligent, and alltogether fantastic girl,” the source read, adjusting her fake mustache repeatedly. “We should begin incorporating her
into pop culture among the likes of John Belushi and Marilyn Monroe as soon as possible. “Oh, and we should send money as a memoriam,” she added. “Lots and lots of money.” It is unknown how this young woman had a statement prepared before investigators had even announced Corbett’s possible death. She slipped away before authorities could question her. As of press time, Corbett’s family could not be reached for comment. However, Corbett’s long-time friend Josh Klein voiced the views of family, friends and possibly the entire world. “Megan has pulled through a lot of things in the past, that girl can make it through anything. And she is absolutely not crashing on my couch while she tries to avoid any and all responsibility,” Klein said, with an exaggerated wink. He then left to go pick up a pizza that was “definitely not for Corbett.” OK, so Megan’s not really dead, she is just bad with goodbyes. But really thanks for reading, and if you want to hear more of Megan’s stories, e-mail her at mcorbett2@wisc.edu.
Buffing up the Brein
Sponsored by: Anytime Fitness 301 East Campus Mall (608) 237-2717 We all know a guy who could use some beefing up. You may even be that guy. This semester, over a 12-week span, we will be taking one such man, Ben Breiner (br-EYE-ner), and attempting to strap some muscle onto his gaunt frame. In performing this social experiment, we hope to not only boost Ben’s health, athleticism and confidence, but also provide valuable health and fitness insight and a realistic, average-guy’s step-by-step guide to getting jacked. l
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True Madison Style In keeping with Madison’s tradition of working hard to be successful and blowing it completely on the weekend, Ben went to Mifflin. Falling inconveniently a few days before his final weigh-in and photo shoot, the block party proved to be a huge stumbling block in what was an otherwise solid plan. True to his workout plan, Ben got up early on Saturday to get in an extra workout. Then he went to his friend’s house to drink Keystone until the only thing he could bench was the toilet seat. Good form. Even though he managed to keep his protein shake and Keystone down, the Brein still spent the day like most partiers, stumbling aimlessly and doing drunken pushups as people yelled “Brein Time” from balconies. Well, maybe that last part is a bit out of the ordinary. When he wasn’t preparing for his final weigh-in by blowing 12 weeks of first-class training that normally cost hundreds of dollars, Big Ben was buying copious amounts of chicken. It seems the high-protein diet has really taken a hold—this week alone he went through 10 thighs and six breasts. Want to place bets on the Brein’s ability to eat whole chickens? E-mail him at page2@dailycardinal.com.
Editorial Board Nick Dmytrenko Dave Heller Alex Morrell Frances Provine Todd Stevens Jon Spike Gabe Ubatuba l
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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
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© 2009, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398
Did the Brein’s regiment produce the results we all hoped for? Find out Thursday in the finale of “Buffing up the Brein.”
Buffing Semester Recap This week marks the end of “Operation Brein Time.” For those of you who have enjoyed watching Ben do pushups all over campus, this may seem sad. But don’t worry, we’re going to make him do a ridiculous photo shoot for our final issue this Thursday. So instead of seeing him look silly in weird places, you’ll see him look silly in the paper. Enjoy it, you earned it.
Week 12 Goals —Come up with a summer workout plan —Start raising chickens in his apartment —Trim up for Wednesday photoshoot —Prepare for life after “Buffing the up Brein”
Workout Jam of the Week Each week, Breiner will have a theme song specially tailored to his name to help him get motivated to meet the week’s goals.
For the record
This week: “Jenny Was a Friend of Brein” based on The Killers’ “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine.”
Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an e-mail to edit@dailycardinal.com. GRAPHICS BY JENNY PEEK/THE DAILY CARDINAL
PHOTOS BY LORENZO ZEMELLA AND DANNY MARCHEWKA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
news
Today online: The Joint Committee on Finance passed the Regional Transit Authority proposals in Gov. Jim Doyle’s Budget early Friday morning. Monday, May 4, 2009
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Activist critiques Obama, calls for social change By Justin Eells THE DAILY CARDINAL
LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Various student groups from the UW-Madison camps said they marched in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act.
Student organizations march for change By Estephany Escobar THE DAILY CARDINAL
Members of multiple UWMadison student organizations joined a rally to voice their support for immigrant rights Friday. The rally, organized by the Immigrant Workers Union, honored the International Workers Day and aimed to push for workers rights at the local and state level. Thirty organizations attended the event to show their support for the Employee Free Choice Act, the withdrawal of bus fare increase, paid sick leave and decreased tuition for low-income students. Jeff Bessmer, member of the Willy Street Co-op board of directors, who decided to march with UW students, said he hoped politicians heard the demands of the community. “I’m hoping a lot of the politicians…in town understand that there’s a push for better jobs in town for adopting fair trade principles, equality when hiring and that state politicians [know we] want the employee free choice act passed,” Bessmer said. Students from the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MECha) and the Student Labor Action Coalition gathered at Library Mall to make their way to the park, where the march started. Students walked from the
Brittingham Park to the Capitol and ended at the Dane County Building. During the rally several members of worker unions and musical artists performed. “I’m hoping that more people are more aware of these issues and maybe take a stand,” Maria Ambriz, a member of MECha, said. Carolina Ortega, member of MECha, said her organization wanted to voice their support for the Dream Act, a legislation that would enable undocumented immigrant students to achieve higher education if passed. Ortega gave a speech in the Capitol during the march. “We believe is really important for immigrant students to achieve their higher education because there [are] a lot of talented students out there.” Ortega said. According to Jan Van Tol, a member of the Student Labor Action Coalition, the organization participated to push for the Employee Free Choice Act. If passed by the Senate, the federal legislation would make it easier for workers to join the union. Tol said eight other student organizations participated in the rally, including the Multicultural Student Coalition, Student Progressive Dane and Latino Law Students Association among others.
Controversial political activist and Boston University professor emeritus Howard Zinn appeared at UWMadison Saturday to give a talk on “Standing up for Justice in the Age of Obama.” Politically active sportswriter and author Dave Zirin interviewed Zinn in an event organized by Haymarket Books, a progressive book distributor and publisher. Zinn said, as citizens in a democratic state, it is the American people’s responsibility to make it clear to our leaders what we want from them. He said Obama has shown himself to be a very traditional Democratic president so far, adding the Democratic Party’s tradition is to be slightly more liberal than the Republicans in domestic affairs and in
foreign policy, “to be as expansionist, and militarist and imperialist as the Republican Party.” Zinn said, while the new administration has taken small steps to improve the domestic situation, Obama’s cabinet appointments of “old-guard Democrats and even Republicans” are “not up to dealing with an economic crisis such as we face now,” and Obama still maintains an excessive military budget. In particular, he criticized the appointment of Hillary Clinton, who has a “basically militarist point of view.” With regard to the Bush administration’s use of torture in the “War on Terror,” Zinn said, “I’m not a person who believes in punishment or retribution, but I do believe in recognizing that somebody has done something bad and doing something about it which says to the rest of the
world ‘we will not tolerate this; this is wrong.’” He criticized Obama’s economic policy of trillion-dollar bank bailouts, saying the money should be used for government programs that give people jobs instead of using the private sector as a middleman. Zinn emphasized the importance of citizen action in making change, citing the women’s movement, the civil rights movement and the current gay rights movement, all fueled by actions of average citizens. “Presidents do not do things because they have it in their hearts,” Zinn said. “Social change happens first in the minds and hearts of the people.” Zinn also appeared at “The Progressive Movement, Then and Now” conference at the Monona Terrace Saturday night.
Candidates tie for ASM Student Council Chair position By Rory Linnane THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Associated Students of Madison representatives plan to appoint students to ASM leadership positions Tuesday, after two nominees tied in the appointment for ASM chair Friday. ASM representatives nominated Brian Benford and Tyler Junger for ASM Chair, both juniors and Letters and Science representatives. Benford and Junger each received 13 votes. Benford, 49, ran with the For Accessibility Community and Empowerment of Students (FACES) slate, and is a former District 12 alder and current head of the Equal Opportunities Commission. Junger, 20, ran with the Students for Responsible Leadership in ASM Slate, and is the former ASM Student Services Finance Committee secretary. With Benford and Junger expressing similar goals for Student Council,
mifflin from page 1 Additionally, police also changed their procedure as to what happens during an arrest. Instead of arrested students being transported to the police headquarters as in previous
assault from page 1 provide more student-accessible events and to create more awareness about sexual assault on campus. “Four goals of the grant are enhancing first year education and prevention, enhancing training that law enforcement and judicial affairs officers get on these issues, enhancing student access to victim services and improving the coordination like student participation efforts,” Carmen Hotvedt, University Health Services violence specialist, said. PAVE plans to incorporate first year education of sexual assault awareness into the SOAR itinerary for the next three years.
chazen from page 1 The Chazens said they were excited for the museum to open and look forward to Oct. 22, 2011, the expected date of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This will be the best university museum in the country,” Simona Chazen said. Lawton said the museum will impact not only the university but also the state. “It’s part of branding the state; that this
much of the debate focused on the experience of the candidates. Benford said his years of professional experience with community organizations make him better equipped, while Junger said his experience with ASM is necessary to know how to lead the organization. Benford and Junger each received 13 votes from ASM representatives, leaving the result inconclusive. Graduate School Representative Matthew Tobelmann, who cast the last vote, originally planned on abstaining. He said in an interview later he supports Junger, but was comfortable with either candidate as chair. But when it was Tobelmann’s turn to vote, Benford was leading by one vote. Tobelmann voted for Junger with the intention of postponing the vote until more representatives could vote. “My biggest concern is that it’s such a close vote and that not enough representatives are present,” Tobelmann said.
Four ASM representatives were absent during the vote for chair: Graduate School Representatives Elizabeth Wrigley-Field and Katrina Flores, and Freshman Representatives Rebecca Newman and Axel Hernandez. Student Judiciary Chief Justice Trenell Darby said ASM bylaws require Student Council to postpone the vice chair and secretary election until the council elects a chair. According to ASM Vice Chief Justice Ben Beduhn, who took minutes at ASM’s Friday meeting, representatives voted in Melissa Hanley as Shared Governance chair, and Steven Olikara as Diversity Committee chair for a second term. Neither are ASM representatives. Members plan to vote for ASM chair, vice-chair, Secretary, and other Committee chairs Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the hearing room of the Student Activity Center.
years, students were brought onto one of four designated Madison Metro buses to be issued a citation. John Anthony Mulqueen Jr., a sophomore at UW-Madison, said he felt the police were slightly more lenient at this year’s event.
“The police do seem to be respecting the fact that the students cherish this tradition of going to this school,” Mulqueen said. “It serves as a reminder for us to realize that we have to be respectful to the city and the campus itself.”
According to Hotvedt, sexual assault awareness is important for incoming freshmen. “Women in the college age group suffer higher rates of victimization than women in other points in their life,” Hotvedt said. Hotvedt said statistics usually point to the age range of 16 to 24 as the ages most women fall to victimization of sexual assault, with alcohol as one of the determining factors. According to Hotvedt, alcohol does not cause sexual assault, but often causes people to take an extra step they may not take if they were sober. “Oftentimes alcohol not only makes you unable to give consent
if you are intoxicated, but also it makes you also less likely to check in with somebody’s body language,” Hotvedt said. According to Hotvedt and PAVE leaders, students on campus can help to improve the issue of sexual assault by associating it as a community issue, not just a women’s issue. “One area where our campus could improve on is creating more spaces where men can talk to men about sexual assault and creating dialogue about the way that men and women have in ending sexual assault,” Wilke said. For more information on sexual assault awareness month visit www. uwpave.riso.wisc.edu.
is an edgy, thoughtful, interesting place with a strong cultural heartbeat right here in our capitol city,” Lawton said. “The Chazen will be the centerpiece of UW-Madison’s culture corridor.” Sandefur said the expanded museum will further enhance the research and teaching on the UW-Madison campus. “I think [the expanded museum] will have a tremendous impact, because it will allow us to double the amount of art that we can put on
display at any point in time. It will be really important in terms of both research and the things that classes will be able to do in the museum,” he said. The expanded Chazen Museum of Art will be a part of the East Campus Mall; a plan to create a pedestrian mall stretching from West Johnson Street to Lake Mendota scheduled to be completed within the following years.
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Monday, May 4, 2009
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Editorial Cartoon
By Levi Prombaum opinion@dailycardinal.com
Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.
mifflin sponsor produces results
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lthough it may not have been noticeable at first, something was missing at the 40th annual Mifflin Street Block Party. No, it wasn’t the blaring music or raucous crowds lining the streets. It wasn’t the swarm of police officers and crowd control in place to keep the student-heavy population in check. Rather, the annual bash was missing the usual increased number of handcuffed partygoers and arrested revelers, signaling a marked change from previous years.
This year’s Mifflin Street Block Party boasted only 140 arrests and only two people taken to jail.
The impact of the event’s sponsorship cannot be ignored. In 2006, the Madison Police Department issued approximately 265 tickets, and in 2007, the number of citations reached 366. Last year’s event racked up around 440 arrests alone, with 63 partygoers being taken to jail. This year’s Mifflin Street Block Party boasted only 140 arrests and only two people taken to jail. The numbers do not lie. Everything was in place for this year’s Mifflin to be another arrest fest. A beautiful day combined with an estimated attendance of 15,000 people had all the makings of another 400arrest afternoon, but the sponsorship changed the atmosphere. More accessible bathrooms offered partygoers a legal place to relieve themselves, the partial barricades kept the crowds controlled and the lack of front-yard bands made noise complaints and
house raids relatively unnecessary. DCNY PRO’s involvement, along with WSUM Radio, seemed like the perfect influence to the annual bash: Not enough to become an overblown yellow-tape mess like Freakfest, but enough to provide relaxed entertainment, accessible amenities and a purpose to the event. Whether the police felt a bit less pressured to enforce their rules for the annual block party because of the influence of sponsorship is difficult to say, but initial feedback appears to support how the Madison Police Department patrolled the event. Even with a presence of around 120 officers, revelers did not seem as concerned about MPD’s presence in the streets, sidewalks and backyards on Mifflin Street.
If early impressions are any indication, the sponsorship of Mifflin was a large success.
If early impressions are any indication, the sponsorship of Mifflin was a large success, and the event did not lose any of its luster. If anything, the passive and subtle involvement by both DCNY PRO and WSUM Radio could serve as a model for Freakfest, an event that has lost its charm because of increasing ticket prices, a multitude of band stages and severe police crackdown. Mifflin’s sponsorship was orchestrated beautifully, an encouraging sign in the shadow of Freakfest’s slow demise.
Beer tax not appropriate in economic downturn RYAN DASHEK opinion columnist
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or many University of Wisconsin students is a bit of a reprieve—at least, for our livers. After just finishing up another Mifflin Street Block Party, many students will of course be celebrating the Mexican army’s 1862 defeat of French forces in the Battle of Puebla tomorrow (or Cinco de Mayo, in case your history is a bit rusty). Either way, an integral part of both celebrations is most typically alcohol, which of course includes beer. Unfortunately, it seems like poli-
ticians in Madison are once again pushing for an increase in the state’s beer tax. Governor Doyle is, thus far, against any such measure, though Rep. Terese Berceau (D-Madison), the driving force behind the bill, has been slowly mustering forces backing the beer tax hike. Although the increase would be very slight—it would actually amount to little more than an additional 2.5 cents for a 12 oz. bottle—it could actually be quite detrimental to Wisconsin’s economy.
Taxing a major industry in Wisconsin will not provide any benefit to the economy, especially when considering the current recession.
While it does not seem like a big deal, a low beer tax actually helps Wisconsin’s economy. Currently, Wisconsin has one of the lowest beer taxes in the nation at six cents per gallon—or $2 for a barrel of beer. The only two states that have such a low tax are Missouri (which also pays six cents a gallon) and Wyoming (which stands at only two cents for a gallon of beer). Now, how does this help Wisconsin? Breweries—which have to pay taxes in not only the state where they brew the beer, but also the state where they sell the beer—benefit much more if they brew their beer in states with low beer taxes. Thus, they are able to pass along the savings to consumers and price their beverages more competitively. It comes as no surprise then that Anheuser Busch, one of the largest breweries in the nation, is headquartered in Missouri, the state with one of the lowest beer taxes. Likewise, the Miller Brewing Company is centered here in Wisconsin in part thanks to our low beer tax. An increase in the beer tax will have negative repercussions on the Wisconsin economy, as it discourages not only major breweries like Miller— which can also turn to increasing pro-
duction at breweries in other states, and cutting back in Milwaukee—but also smaller breweries too. This in turn negatively impacts bars and taverns, which must in turn increase their prices. Taxing a major industry in Wisconsin will not provide any benefit to the economy, especially when considering the current recession. Thus, lawmakers really need to ask themselves if Wisconsin really needs this tax right now. Berceau has also been sending mixed signals when it comes to the tax. On one hand she says that the increase is so slight that “if you drink a six pack a day, at the end of the week, you will have paid an additional dollar in taxes.” Fair enough, but then she goes on saying that with the higher cost of beer, hopefully teenagers will have a harder time purchasing alcohol. Really? A two and a half cent increase per bottle of beer will give teens a harder time purchasing it? Berceau is simply trying to appeal to whomever she can to push this poor idea through. Although the tax may help to fund programs to reduce alcoholism and drunk driving, stricter laws can do the same without hefty price tags. For example, having the third drunken driving offence count as a felony instead of the fifth would doubtlessly have a positive impact on drunken driving. In short, an increased beer tax can do little but further injure an already crippled Wisconsin economy. In a time of economic recession, should any new taxes be introduced, especially one that targets one of the largest industries in the state? It simply does not make sense. However, if the money does actually go toward programs aimed at reducing alcoholism and drunken driving in the state, a slight increase may have some utility at a later time when the Wisconsin economy is not in such poor shape. Either way, an increased beer tax now would do nothing but further hurt the state’s meager economy. Ryan Dashek is a junior majoring in biology. Please send all responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
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PHOTO COURTESY JAPANDROIDS
Two-man band Japandroids combine infectious hooks with striking charm to create a colorful and exciting debut LP that is primed to please a wide range of listeners.
Japandroids breathe life into garage rock By Kyle Sparks THE DAILY CARDINAL
Japandroids just might be the saviors of garage rock. Selfless and bursting with energy, they play music for all the right reasons. Heck, they streamed their entire discography for free on their Facebook page, including Post-Nothing, their newest release, months before its actual release. Selfdescribed as “2 sweethearts still naïve enough to think they’ll never sell out,” Japandroids are just like the band your two friends had in high school, only they’re way, way better. Japandroids are what Blink 182 could have been had they listened to more Guided by Voices and Pixies and less Smashmouth. The result is a bigger difference than you might expect, but it’s ultimately what is going to make them such a hit. People who grew up loving Blink 182 will connect with the exuberant pop punk, and those of us who grew up too cool to admit listening to Blink 182 will still get sucked in by their above-the-influence approach to maturation and their no-bullshit take on post-adolescent angst. “Adolescent” has become a taboo in rock music that signifies an immature, almost insultingly juvenile prod-
uct; but in the case of Japandroids, it means an ethos based on freewheeling simplicity. Japandroids write anthems for the demographic struggling with mounting responsibilities if only because they play with unbridled energy, purveying each lyric like it’s the thesis to their autobiography.
CD REVIEW
Post-Nothing Japandroids Post-Nothing’s lead single, “Young Hearts Spark Fire,” is pop rock in its most perfect form. It perfectly synthesizes the ignorant, carefree nature of their music with coming-of-age rallying cries that ultimately define their heart-on-sleeve recklessness. Profound and self-aware beyond their years, the two yell, “You can keep tomorrow / after tonight we’re not gonna need it,” before confessing that they’re “beat up, beat down / on the ground but too drunk to feel it.” They
Viral Videos of the Week This week is auto-tune week! Search terms: Rap Chop With a remix of the Slap Chop commercial, one would expect a healthy dose of “You’re going to love my nuts” jokes. The mere fact that DJ Steve Porter creates a great auto-tune song without relying solely on Vince Offer’s raunchy line is an achievement in itself. Featuring footage from the Richard Pryor classic “Breakin’,” Rap Chop will be stuck in your head for days. Search terms: Auto-tune the News #2 Recently hip-hop has been taken over by the auto-tune trend, with artists like T-Pain, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne using the technology to great success. Now the technology has made the inevitable switch to viral videos, as Youtube director Schmoyoho has created a masterpiece by combining an upbeat keyboard riff and the words of Katie Couric, Sean Hannity and Hillary Clinton. With lyrics covering topics from global warming to Iowa’s recent gay marriage referendum, the video makes cable news drivel tolerable.
simultaneously emote an impressively evolved sense of carpe diem and the embarrassing vulnerability that comes with it. All the while they hammer out some of the most endearingly infectious pop-punk around. Then they jump to the chorus, fueled by the irrepressible, albeit bleak, “Oh, we used to dream / now we worry about dying.” “Captivating” doesn’t quite do it justice. The rest of the album doesn’t fall off much, either. Even “Heart Sweats,” a song that threatens to be uninspired and plodding, eventually erupts into a flurry of cymbals and guitars while the two explain “Some hearts bleed / my heart sweats.” “Wet Hair” is another standout
track, rousing spectacular inspiration while changing little more than the fury with which they play.
It’s a thoroughly accomplished debut from a band that is still very raw musically.
Japandroids’ distortion-heavy sound isn’t “noise.” Rather, it’s the byproduct of a band too fervent, too emphatic and too restless to waste time cleaning up their production. And the
best part about Japandroids is that they keep getting better. Each subsequent release has been more precise in its maneuvers as their musical skill finally catches up to their rampant zeal. Throughout the years, garage rock bands have proven to be nothing if not destined to disappoint. Each exciting Mooney Suzuki and Vines outbreak ends up in brutal failure, as if the very existence of garage rock hype is for the sole purpose of breaking your heart. Regardless, Post-Nothing’s sincerity and directness are reassuring. It’s a thoroughly accomplished debut from a band that is still very raw musically. What I mean is they’re one garage rock band worth getting excited about.
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And they like being tickled! The grasp of a slow loris is so strong that it can freeze in one position for hours as it stalks its prey. dailycardinal.com/comics
Monday, May 4, 2009
Today’s Sudoku
Getting arrested at Mifflin
Anthro-apology
By Eric Wigdahl wigdahl@wisc.edu
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Angel Hair Pasta
By Todd Stevens ststevens@wisc.edu
Sid and Phil
By Alex Lewein alex@sidandphil.com
Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
The Graph Giraffe
Evil Bird
By Yosef Lerner ilerner@wisc.edu
By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu
Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com
VERSATILE CREATURE ACROSS 1 Almanac contents 5 Bad actor 8 “Where to?” asker 14 “The Firebird” composer Stravinsky 15 “To a Skylark,” for one 16 Regulars’ drink orders 17 What the poor dog had 18 It may be at your doorstep 19 Sounds of heavy objects striking each other 20 Auto mechanic 23 Home of poet Langston Hughes 24 Heckelphone’s woodwind cousin 25 Brave moguls? 28 Brief acceptance speech? 29 “Put some meat on those bones!” 31 Unoriginal one 33 Half of an audio cassette 35 Barber’s obstacles 36 Burdensome possession 41 Geological period (Var.) 42 China setting?
43 Super saver? 47 Amtrak unit 48 “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” bushopper 51 Mork’s planet 52 Hot air may be released when they are inflated 54 Outerwear that once was underwear 56 It doesn’t whinny, it hurts 58 ___ as a pancake 61 Climber’s conquest 62 Do a quick turnaround 63 Floodgate-opening sound 64 Nineteenth Greek letter 65 Dough holder 66 Kitt with a gravelly voice 67 A couple from Connecticut? 68 They can be pirated DOWN 1 Boat on a boat 2 Ancient marketplaces 3 Copier refills 4 “You’re in for ___ treat!” 5 Like Mom’s apple pie 6 A Ponderosa son 7 What 31-Across says
a lot 8 Bird in a Kesey title 9 Catching Z’s 10 Bay bobber 11 Author’s kiss of death 12 Breed 13 Ar-tee connection 21 “Now you ___, now“ 22 “30 Rock” network 25 Sweep with binoculars 26 Go-___ (small racer) 27 “___ Now or Never” 30 Bag peg 32 Thumbs-up votes 33 Laundry room item 34 In the manner of 36 Tear’s partner 37 Pawn 38 Relative of et al. 39 Toothless Aussie mammal 40 Abrasive 41 GI’s address 44 Go over old territory? 45 Mystery writer Christie 46 Rocky prominence 48 Opposite of macho 49 “Dr. No” star Andress 50 Braces 53 Agenda 55 Is the emcee 56 Coagulate 57 Enthusiastic liveliness 58 Wonder 59 ___ Na Na 60 Against the opposition
Charlie and Boomer
By Natasha Soglin soglin@wisc.edu
dailycardinal.com/
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Monday, May 4, 2009
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Monday, May 4, 2009
Men’s and Women’s Track
Softball
Late homers define series By Joe Skurzewski THE DAILY CARDINAL
PHOTOS COURTESY OF UWBADGERS.COM
Freshmen Monika Jackutyte (left) and junior Nate Larkin (right) both had strong weekends for UW.
Jakutyte earns two wins By Eric Josephs THE DAILY CARDINAL
While the rain was coming down in Arkansas and Monika Jakutyte was flying back to Madison to win twice in one weekend, history was made at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. The distance runners from The Wisconsin men’s and women’s track and field teams posted some of the best times in school history. In the rain-shorted Arkansas Twilight, Jakutyte and Jamie Klages, placed first and second in high jump respectively. At home in Madison, both UW teams were able to win a combined 21 events and post NCAA regional qualifying marks. Men’s track The big news of the weekend came from Palo Alto, Calif., after Craig Miller and Jack Bolas set career highs in the fastest 1,500 meter race in college track of the year at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Bolas had the third fastest time in UW history and Miller recorded the fifth best time ever by a Badger. After losing a tight race last weekend at the Drake Relays, junior Ryan Gasper ran an 8:43:42 to place first in his section of the
3,000-meter steeplechase. The rain wiped out most of the events at the Arkansas Twilight for the men’s track and field team. The 4x100-meter relay team managed to take home fourth place in one of the few events in Fayetteville. At the Wisconsin Open, the Badgers were dominant, ending up with 11 event victories. Freshman Mickey DeFilippo came just shy of having the best pole vault height in Wisconsin track history by clearing the bar at 17.75. Other winners included Rob Dehn at javelin, and Nate Larkin, who ran a 14.28 in hurdles, an NCAA qualifying mark. The Badgers will stay in Madison next weekend for the Wisconsin Twilight. Women’s track Women’s track and field high jumper Monika Jakutyta went sky high to win two high jump events during her victorious weekend. Jakutyte won two high jump events in two different parts of the country this weekend. Only a freshman, Jakutyte was able to win the high jump at the Arkansas Twilight on Friday and fly home
Saturday to take first at the Wisconsin Open. After tying her personal best of 5 feet 7 inches in her victory at Arkansas on Friday, she was able to set a career high at the Wisconsin Open the next day. Jakutyte set a personal best of 5 feet 10 inches, a NCAA qualifying mark. “Today I was just trying just to get 5-9 because I was so close last night, and I did a little more than that,” Jakutyte said. Underclassmen Jessica Flax and Egle Staisiunaite swept the hurdle events, winning the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. In the Payton Jordan Invitational, senior Gwen Jorgensen qualified for her third postseason event by running a 15:52.19 in her first 5,000-meter race of the year. Her time was the fifth fastest in school history. Distance runners Sarah Hurley and Hanna Grinaker followed Jorgensen’s footsteps, posting NCAA Regional marks for their second events in the postseason. Hurley ran a 10:38.95 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Grinaker’s 16:40.65 was good enough for a regional qualifying mark. —uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
The Wisconsin softball team won and lost at the hands of the long ball this weekend, splitting a pair of thrilling games with Michigan State. Senior outfielder Valyncia Raphael hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the seventh inning of game one, giving the Badgers a 2-1 victory. In the second matchup, Spartan senior Kara Weigle broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk-off two-run home run, giving Michigan State the 5-3 victory. Wisconsin (3-13 Big Ten, 15-36 overall) came into the weekend riding the momentum of a 2-0 victory over non-conference opponent Northern Illinois last week. Michigan State (413, 20-27) entered the doubleheader having won three of its last four Big Ten games. Badger senior hurler Leah Vanevenhoven got the ball on Saturday against Spartan freshman pitcher Lauren Kramer. The Badger lineup got to work behind Vanevenhoven, plating a run in the first after a series of errors by the Spartans. Sophomore Jennifer Krueger reached on an error. After being pushed to third by senior Theresa Boruta and sophomore Livi Abney, Krueger scored on another error when Michigan State attempted to throw her out at third. The Spartans tied the game in the bottom of the third, 1-1. After three scoreless innings, the Badgers came up to bat in the top of the seventh. Raphael hit a solo shot to right center off of Kramer, giving the Badgers the 2-1 lead. Michigan State could not respond in their half of the inning, giving Wisconsin the victory. Vanevenhoven took the ball once again in game two, but was replaced in the third inning by junior pitcher Letty Olivarez after giving up two runs on six hits and one walk. Wisconsin and Michigan State got the scoring going early in game two with a combined three runs in the first inning. After one inning, MSU led 2-
1. The Badgers regained the lead in the fifth, scoring two runs at the hands of Boruta and freshman Karla Powell. Olivarez could not hold on to the lead in the top of the seventh, as Michigan State tied the game and won on Weigle’s two-run home run. Vanevenhoven (7-13) got the win in game one, while Olivarez (8-22) recorded the game-two loss. Powell went 3-for-3 in game two, and Krueger went 3-for-7 for the weekend. The team will now head to Iowa City, Iowa for a doubleheader against the Iowa Hawkeyes Wednesday. The Hawkeyes (9-7, 38-14) dropped a pair of games last weekend to Michigan. Despite its inconsistency in Big Ten play this season, Iowa brings a wellbalanced team into the doubleheader. Badger pitchers will face a strong Hawkeye lineup, with six players hitting over .300 for the season. Junior Colleen McGlaughlin and senior Katie Brown are among team leaders in several different categories, including batting average, hits and doubles. Game one will start at 5 p.m. with game two slated for 7 p.m. —uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.
LORENZO ZEMELLA/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
Senior outfielder Valyncia Raphael gave UW its one win with a seventh-inning home run.
Men’s and Women’s Rowing
Jablonic and Cochrane Cups find their way to Madison for fourth straight year By Daniel Lyman THE DAILY CARDINAL
While Mifflin Street may have been the center of action for many UW students this past Saturday, the men’s and women’s rowing teams were in other parts of the Midwest, competing in important late-season meets with some impressive results. The men’s rowing team, ranked No. 1 in the country, captured both the Cochrane and Jablonic Cups at the Cal-sag Channel in Blue Lake, Ill. The rowers from Madison continued to string together victories, which have led to their top ranking, winning every
race of the meet. The first set of races took place in the morning, with the Cochrane Cup going to the Badgers. The Wisconsin varsity eight boat, going against No. 13 MIT and No. 18 Dartmouth, was the first to cross the finish line. The team completed the 2,000-meter course in 6:04.4, three seconds ahead of the crew from MIT, who finished in 6:07.2. With one of the two cups in their possession, the Badgers returned to the water in the afternoon, this time racing for the Jablonic Cup against Boston University, ranked No. 10 in the country, and again the boat from MIT.
The Wisconsin boat finished the race with a time of 5:54.8, with the closest opponent, Boston University, completing the course in just over six minutes. Though they won the race comfortably, the boat from BU gave Wisconsin some close competition for much of the race. “Boston University is magnitudes better than they’ve been lately. It was very close for a while, but we were fortunate to be able to move out,” said head coach Chris Clark. “We won by 5.8, but Boston University was very tough.” The second varsity and freshman teams for Wisconsin were also in action at the meet. Following the lead of the varsity boat, both teams won each CLARK of the races they competed in. The second varsity boat notched a win in the afternoon against BU, when the Badgers finished in 5:55.8. The men’s team now heads into championship season. The EARC
Championships will be held in Worcester, Mass., on May 10, and the team will finish its season at the IRA National Championships in June. Women’s rowing The UW women’s team went west to Columbus, Ohio for the Big Ten Championships. The 14th-ranked women finished in fourth place overall. No. 3 Michigan State, No. 5 Michigan and No. 7 Ohio State finished first through third, respectively. The morning races resulted in some very strong finishes for the Badger squads, including four wins. The varsity four, second varsity four, novice eight and second novice eight teams all claimed victories in the morning against their Big Ten competition. The novice eight boat finished their race in 6:28.167, just two seconds in front of the boat from Michigan. The varsity four boat had a similar result, beating their competition from Michigan by a two-second margin, with a 6:58.389 finish. The varsity eight and second varsity eight boats from Wisconsin were just short of taking victories in the morning, with both crews finishing in
second place behind the boat from the host school, Ohio State. The grand final races took place in the afternoon, when Wisconsin grabbed three more victories in the six races. The novice eight, second novice eight and second varsity four boats from Wisconsin were all first across the finish line, each taking home the Big Ten title. The novice eight boat again beat out their competition from Michigan, finishing the race in 6:21.478. The varsity four boat took second place behind Ohio State, and the varsity eight and second varsity eight boats both earned fourth-place finishes. Individual awards were also given out at the meet, where three of the Wisconsin women were recipients. Seniors Theresa Shields and Maggie Galloway received first and second Team All-Conference Awards, respectively, while senior Brittany Renault received a Sportsmanship Award. The Badger women row next in the NCAA Central/South Regionals, which will take place on May 16 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. —uwbadgers.com contributed to this report.