Thursday, October 22, 2009 - The Daily Cardinal by The Daily Cardinal

SENIORS HOPE TO AVOID DROPPING THE BALL

Live-action feel in new mockumentary makes ‘Paranormal Activity’ beloved ARTS

UW men’s basketball team looks for several players to step up in the 2009-’10 season

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Doyle open to medicinal marijuana

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The Daily Cardinal

Lee Sensenbrenner spokesperson Gov. Jim Doyle

According to Sensenbrenner, the governor would potentially be supportive of state legislation allowing prescribed marijuana, as long as it does not open up a “loophole” for other marijuana use. However, he said the governor will not actively push any bill through the legislature. “That’s up to the legislature to take that up if that’s their intent,” Sensenbrenner said. State Senate Minority Leader Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, would not support any medicinal marijuana legislation, according to spokesperson Kimber Liedl. “He just feels that the dangers outweigh its benefits,” Liedl said. The national debate surrounding legalization of medicinal marijuana is not strictly partisan. Each side of the debate has support from both ends of the political spectrum. U.S. Reps. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and Ron Paul, R-Texas, would both support legislation, and former President Bill Clinton, as well as conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, would both be opposed. Currently 12 states, including neighboring Michigan, allow the use of medicinal marijuana.

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

By Caitlin Gath The Daily Cardinal

Isabel álvarez/the daily cardinal

ASM Finance Committee Chair Matthew Beemsterboer donates to breast cancer research during the Grainger Goes Pink event at Grainger Hall Wednesday.

CWC makes its case to Student Judiciary By Andrew Kasper The Daily Cardinal

“It’s probably less dangerous than [other things] a doctor can prescribe.”

ALRC OKs bars, rejects student voting member

Grainger Goes Pink

By Steve Rosenbaum Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday he would not oppose the legalization of medicinal marijuana in Wisconsin. At an appearance in Wausau earlier this week, Doyle spoke with reporters and commented on the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to no longer prosecute suppliers or users of medicinal marijuana in states where its use is legal as long as state law is being followed. Lee Sensenbrenner, spokesperson for the governor, clarified Doyle’s comments. “As a former prosecutor, [Doyle] saw why the Justice Department would not want to devote resources to cases in which state law was being followed,” Sensenbrenner said. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense for the United States Department of Justice to pursue people who are potentially glaucoma patients or suffering [from other] severe illnesses,” he added. “It’s probably less dangerous than [other things] a doctor can prescribe.”

SPORTS

The Campus Women’s Center presented its case regarding the Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee’s decision to deny their funding eligibility to ASM’s Student Judiciary panel in a general appeal hearing Wednesday. Earlier this year, the SSFC denied the CWC eligibility for general student services funding. After their denial, the CWC appealed to the SSFC but were denied again. The CWC is now exercising its right

to take the case to the Student Judiciary. SSFC and CWC members debated the SSFC’s ability to provide an adequate avenue of appeal in accordance with ASM bylaws. During the hearing CWC representative Cale Plamann said SSFC’s appeal process falls short and could have been more extensive and fair. “It’s a hollow and meaningless appeals process,” he said. ASM Secretary Kurt Gosselin said he defended the SSFC’s appeal process, saycwc page 3

The city’s Alcohol License Review Committee granted licenses to two establishments at Wednesday’s meeting, but denied a proposed amendment to add a student voting member to the committee. Originally proposed by Ald. Bryon Eagon, Dist. 8, the amendment was considered in order to give the students a voice on issues that matter to them. He said it was also a chance for the city to reach out to students. The committee ultimately denied the amendment. Marsh Shapiro, ALRC member and owner of The Nitty Gritty, said the Dane County Tavern League was adamant about not having the amendment pass. He added he didn’t see any reason for a student to vote on the committee, and that it would take too long for a student voting member to become knowledgeable about the Madison bar scene. Although the amendment was rejected, it is still possible for the amendment to be brought before the full Common Council. Also discussed at the meeting were licenses requested by two local establishments. Segredo, a new bowling lounge and restaurant, was granted its request for a liquor license, and The Pub, a State Street bar, was granted its request for an entertainment license. Although the committee overwhelmingly approved the license for Segredo, there was some initial confusion over who would operate the establishment. Segredo will take the place of current bar and nightclub Madison Avenue. The bar’s current owner, John Okonek, will not have ownership of the new venue, but will remain the agent for the liquor license until new owner Michael Hierl becomes an official resident of Madison. “Segredo doesn’t need Madison, Madison needs Segredo,” Mark Woulf, a non-voting student committee member, said. Still, other members said because the venue would be open to those under the age of 21, there would likely be a host of potential problems. “I’m going to support this, but you are on dangerous ground … there will be underage people drinking in your bar,” committee member Tom Landgraf said. Representatives from The Pub said they were not trying to become a major music venue, but wanted to stimulate business on slower nights with live music.

Residents report suspicious man lurking around Mifflin

Isabel Álvarez/the daily cardinal

Members of the Campus Women’s Center appealed to the Student Judiciary Wednesday after being denied funding by the Student Services Finance Committee.

Residents of Mifflin Street should be on the lookout for a suspicious person lurking in the area. The suspect is described as a white male in his late 40s and of medium build. He is said to be between 5'7" and 5'8" in height with short “salt and pepper” hair and a beard. He was also said to be wearing a green zip-up fleece coat. According to a police report, two 21-year-old female residents reported the suspicious man on the 500 block of W. Mifflin Street last Wednesday, Oct. 14 just after 4 p.m. The two residents called the Madison Police Department and reported the suspicious man was repeatedly ringing their doorbell and prowling along the front porch. The residents did not know the man, so they did not open the door, the report said. However, later on, one resident found a note that read, “Lock your back window. Bob.” The same man allegedly confronted one of the residents after she left her house. He told her there had been a lot of robberies in the Mifflin area and that she should be careful to lock the back door and windows to her house.

“…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, October 22, 2009

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

TODAY: showers hi 49º / lo 40º

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Star-studded stunts beg for our attention some of the most famous examples of blatant lying to gain attention. Enjoy!

Volume 119, Issue 37

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

News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Charles Brace Managing Editor Justin Stephani Campus Editor Kelsey Gunderson Caitlin Gath City Editor State Editor Hannah Furfaro Enterprise Editor Ryan Hebel Associate News Editor Grace Urban Opinion Editors Anthony Cefali Todd Stevens Editorial Board Editor Qi Gu Arts Editors Kevin Slane Kyle Sparks Sports Editors Scott Kellogg Nico Savidge Features Editor Diana Savage Food Editor Sara Barreau Science Editor Jigyasa Jyotika Photo Editors Isabel Alvarez Danny Marchewka Graphics Editors Amy Gifﬁn Jenny Peek Copy Chiefs Kate Manegold Emma Roller Jake Victor Copy Editors Carly Pearce

Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Alex Kusters Advertising Manager Katie Brown Billing Manager Mindy Cummings Accounts Receivable Manager Cole Wenzel Senior Account Executive Ana Devcic Account Executives Mara Greenwald, Kristen Lindsay, D.J. Nogalski, Jordan Rossman, Sarah Schupanitz Online Account Executive Tom Shield Mara Greenwald Graphic Designer Web Directors Eric Harris, Dan Hawk Marketing Director Mia Beeson 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 editor@dailycardinal.com.

Editorial Board Charles Brace Anthony Cefali Qi Gu Jamie Stark Todd Stevens Justin Stephani l

Board of Directors Vince Filak Alex Kusters Joan Herzing Jason Stein Jeff Smoller Janet Larson Chris Long Charles Brace Katie Brown Benjamin Sayre Jenny Sereno Terry Shelton l

FRIDAY: showers hi 43º / lo 37º

JON SPIKE academic misjonduct

nless you are illiterate, live in the center of the Earth, or are my whorish ex-girlfriend Sherry, then you most certainly heard about the tale of little Falcon Heene: the boy who had America holding its collective breath at the end of last week. For a few gripping hours, authorities believed the child had climbed inside a large weather balloon the family built, and had set sail almost 7,000 feet above the Earth. As it turns out, the family likely faked the whole ordeal as a publicity stunt to get their own TV show. Right now, it appears everyone is outraged over how selﬁsh these parents are. I mean, who exploits their children in an effort to score a reality TV series? However, I’ll play devil’s advocate and defend them. This is not the ﬁrst time someone has lied in order to score themselves ratings, publicity, or even their own show. In fact, I’ve decided to devote an entire column to discussing

Ellen Degeneres pretending to be a lesbian News ﬂash: Ellen likes boys. And no, I don’t mean like how a six-yearold girl likes a boy on the kindergarten playground. Ellen Degeneres has been sitting on a throne of lies ever since her famous announcement in 1997. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Ellen has gone as far as legally marrying Portia Di Rossi in California... how is she faking this? However, I’ll counter with this: Portia Di Rossi is the most sexually appealing person on the face of Earth, regardless of sex. There, I said it. Kirstie Alley pretending to be fat Nice try, Kirstie Alley. I see what you want. You want to be the white Oprah Winfrey. Fat. Thin. Fat. Thin. Oh, what will she do next? The fact is, Kirstie was never fat. With a ﬂagging career and lack of sex appeal, she decided to “bulk up” her resume. I never once believed all of this nonsense about her pushing 300 lbs, just like I never believed her show “Fat Actress” would live past episode three. Kirstie somehow milked that

abomination of a show for seven episodes... now there is an Emmy-worthy performance! Jon and Kate from “Jon and Kate Plus 8” pretending to have a divorce Let’s face it: Jon and Kate realize that no one else on this Earth could put up with each other’s bullshit. They know they’re stuck with each other. No other person could stand being in the same room with them for more than five minutes, and frankly I think every minute their eight children have to spend with them is equivalent to child abuse. There is NO WAY John had an affair with another woman. He’s too large of a tool to find another woman. There is NO WAY Kate would separate from John. Men would much rather take a cheese grater to their eyeballs than listen to Kate’s incessant complaining. They clearly faked this divorce to jack up ratings for their show, a crime I find much MUCH worse than this whole Balloon Boy Falcon fiasco. Personally, I think they faked this divorce just so the TLC Network could change the name of the show to “John and Kate Plus Hate.”

My ex-girlfriend Sherry whoring it up to get on “College Life” No... my ex-girlfriend Sherry was completely pretending to be a dirty whorish slut to get on the short-lived “College Life” show on MTV that had a brief run at UW-Madison. Of course she didn’t mean to cheat on me with those four other guys. Okay, so it was 14 other guys. Big deal. Don’t read into it. (Ahem) So as you can see, the Heene family is just one of the numerous examples of people doing anything it takes to make their star rise just a little higher. Think of it as that 50-something actress trying one last plastic surgery to get another two years out of her face, or a weathered old baseball veteran shooting that last dose of steroids into his bloodstream. Sure, he may not have any reproductive organs left, but sometimes that is the price of fame. That, or ﬁnding out your ex-girlfriend slept around to score some face time on a D-list TV show on MTV. Now that is embarassing. Would you exploit your own ﬁrstborn child in exchange for tickets to the next home Badger football game? Let Jon know about it at spike@wisc.edu.

New Beer Thursday Magic Hat Brewing Company not quite Pale Ale Now, before you shocked East Coasters write in complaining that Magic Hat #9 is by no means a “new beer,” consider how many times you’ve seen this beer in a state not touching the Atlantic Ocean. As an East Coast native myself, I’ve been drinking Magic Hat #9 for a long time, but now the “not quite pale ale” has finally reached the Midwest, and Magic Hat is one of the fastest-growing microbreweries in the nation. The “not quite pale ale” is more often characterized as a fruit beer by suds critics, but don’t let the Man Law of “don’t fruit the beer” scare you away. Magic Hat is more aptly a hybrid between a pale ale and a fruit beer, starting off as a fruit beer and finishing as a pale ale. The first few sips of #9 bring a bouquet of citrus tastes, most distinctly a tangy orange flavor. The aftertaste fades into a subtle mix of hops and orange and is one of the best parts of the total beer experience. As the beer goes on, Magic Hat #9

fades into more of a pale ale, losing some of the initial cutting fruit flavor. As the beer moves toward room temperature, it loses a bit of its luster, but it is certainly not a throwaway brew. At 4.6 percent alcohol content, Magic Hat will wet your whistle without knocking you out. It’s the perfect beer for that last warm day of fall, or even a warm winter evening in someone’s heated apartment. Sconnies may protest that it doesn’t hold a candle to any New Glarus products, but if you look past the Coastie label, you’ll find Magic Hat is like most of your East Coast classmates: a bit foreign to you at first, but ultimately pleasing and not so different from what you know and love.

Magic Hat Brewing Company not quite Pale Ale $8.99 at Riley’s Wines of the World

wants to hear from you! For the record In the Oct. 20, 2009 article “SSFC approves WISPIRG’S budgets after cuts,” it incorrectly stated “SSFC members also awarded GUTS $159,236.69 of their requested $162,130.71 budget after striking funding for an organizing director and new fellow, and awarding a portion back to their state director position.” It should have stated “SSFC members awarded GUTS $159,649.59 for their budget.” The previously stated positions were incorrectly attributed to the GUTS budget. The Cardinal regrets the error.

$1000 for 1000 words Essay Contest The Sixties plus 50: War, racism and sexism ignited campus demonstrations in the decade that began a half-century ago. Space was the new frontier and worries about the earth gave birth to the environmental movement. How far have we come, how far do we have to go in 2010 and beyond?

DEADLINE: Nov. 30, 2009. E-mail editor@dailycardinal.com

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

news

Urban Design Commission reviews new ice rink designs By Beth Pickhard The Daily Cardinal

Designs for a new ice rink serving UW-Madison athletics and church apartments near the Holy Redeemer Church were presented to the city’s Urban Design Commission on Wednesday. The proposed ice rink would be located between the Southeast Recreational Facility and the Kohl Center. According to Gary Brown, director of planning and landscape architecture at UW-Madison, the new building would support both men’s and women’s hockey. He said there is a need for an on-campus facility for men’s hockey because they currently practice at the Alliant Energy center. Brown said the new rink would be used for women’s hockey competitions as well. “[The facility would serve as] a competition space for women because they don’t draw 12,000 to 15,000 fans in the Kohl Center, and [the proposed space] is more intimate.” Project architect Lou Stippich said the plans include women’s hockey offices, locker rooms for both the women’s

hockey and swim teams, and an overpass bridge between the new facility and the SERF. Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor of UW-Madison’s Facilities Planning and Management division, said parking could not be cut to allow a larger walking path because individuals use these spaces on game days. “We cannot compromise handicap accessibility,” he said. The commission also heard a proposal for an apartment building behind Holy Redeemer Church, on Gorham Street. Randy Bruce, managing member of Knothe & Bruce Architects, LLC, said the building would be affordable workforce housing and not intended for full-time students. “The church really wants to provide to its parishioners,” he said. Bruce has had meetings with the parish and believes the new building would fit in nicely with its historic surroundings. “I feel like it was part of the original campus plan,” he said. The building is pending confirmation from the City of Madison Landmarks Commission.

Two men injured after Tiki Shack fight Two men were injured during a fight at the Tiki Shack, 122 State St., early Saturday morning, according to a Madison Police Department incident report. The report said the police were called around 1:30 a.m. after about six men entered the bar and started the fight. The altercation was over once police arrived, but two 20-year-old men were left injured. One suf-

cwc from page 1 ing the process was in accordance with “SSFC standing rules and ASM bylaws.” CWC members said they were not adequately consulted for clarification during their initial application process, while SSFC members said they provided hearings, lobby meetings and open forums as opportunities for the CWC to clarify application materials. CWC members also said the SSFC members used their personal opinions when making decisions. SSFC Chair Brandon Williams said if the SSFC is “not allowed to use discretion, there should be no committee.” CWC members said certain SSFC members were “confused” while making eligibility decisions. CWC members said some SSFC members made decisions based on incorrect statements made by other committee members. According to CWC members, this element of confusion is what led to their denial of eligibility funding. Chief Justice Trenell Darby then asked how the element of confusion played into the decision-making process. “Is confusion a reason for an [SSFC] member to vote against or abstain?” he said.

fered a fractured skull and a head cut, while the other, a disc jockey at the bar, reported that he was punched in the head while trying to break up the fight. According to the report, the bar was closed for a private breast cancer research fundraising event at the time. The report also said the victims are still unclear as to what caused the fight. In their closing statements, SSFC members said they urge the panel to follow ASM bylaws when making its final decision, rather than opinions. The Student Judiciary’s decision on the case is due by Nov. 4.

Alison Bauter/the daily cardinal

Madison criminal defense attorney Erik Guenther spoke Wednesday as a part of a presentation informing students and community members on how to deal with police over Halloween weekend.

Workshop preps students to know their rights at Freakfest By Alyssa Connolly The Daily Cardinal

Anticipating the approaching Halloween festivities next weekend, UW students and Madison community members gathered to learn about their rights regarding police confrontation at a workshop Wednesday. Madison criminal defense attorney Erik Guenther led the event, which was hosted by several organizations, including the UW American Civil Liberties Union, the Legal Studies Association and the UW-Madison College Republicans. Guenther encouraged UWMadison students to learn and understand the laws about how to conduct themselves when confronted by police. “You’re presumed to know these things, so it’s not a defense to say, ‘I didn’t know it was in the book,’” Guenther said. According to Guenther, the “book” refers to the extensive list of Wisconsin statutes that Guenther

says are largely unknown to college students, a fact that can get them in trouble. Guenther said a common cause of police-issued citations and arrests is disorderly conduct, which encompasses a wide range of behavior including violence, abusive or indecent behavior, profanity, boisterous activity or arguing.

“It’s not a defense to say, ‘I didn’t know it was in the book.’”

Erik Guenther attorney Hurley, Burish & Stanton

According to Guenther, police officers can easily make disorderly conduct arrests because these types of behaviors can be claimed in most situations.

“It’s easy for law enforcement to have a reason to arrest you,” he said. He mentioned several rules for dealing with police that can help minimize repercussions. First, he said to be polite to police officers. He said they are much less inclined to use handcuffs if you are calm and composed with them. Secondly, Guenther said, never lie to police officers. Although they can legally lie to you or use tricks to get you to talk, lying to the police is a crime. Lastly, he said it is important to make neither a written nor oral statement without a lawyer present. He said it is not uncommon for students to accidentally confess a crime when confronted by police. Guenther also spoke about specific crimes and their repercussions, including drug use, drunk driving, battery, possession of a fake ID and hosting house parties. He also offered advice about what to do if a police officer shows up at your door.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

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arts

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Dwayne Johnson hits rock bottom in ‘Tooth Fairy’ trailer KEVIN SLANE dr. slanelove

PHOTO COURTESY PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are awoken to ominous noises throughout their house, objects thrown about and some terrifying paranormal activity in their bedroom.

Chills, thrills pack ‘Paranormal Activity’ By Katie Foran-McHale THE DAILY CARDINAL

Director Oren Peli takes an ultimately clichéd horror film setting, the haunted house, and gives it a new, voyeuristically eerie twist in his low-budget mockumentary “Paranormal Activity.” Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) sense a disturbance in their new home, so Micah decides to buy a camera that will hopefully record any paranormal activity that occurs. At first, the concept seems tired and the storyline hokey, but this initial skepticism will subside as nuances unfold. Given the right atmosphere— namely, a darkened theater filled with screaming teenagers— “Paranormal Activity” is downright creepy. Keep in mind that this statement comes from someone who considers “Hostel” hilarious, thinks “The Blair Witch Project” is child’s play and consistently roots for Jigsaw, Michael Myers and the shark from “Jaws.” Though the horror film mockumentary is hardly a new subgenre—“Cannibal Holocaust” may have been the earliest in 1980; a more recent example is last year’s mildly successful “Quarantine”— Peli adds a surveillance factor that is absolutely chilling.

Describing the plot in any sort of detail would run the risk of taking away from the film’s quietly building tension. The trailer on the movie’s website contains undisclosed spoilers, so in order to fully enjoy the film, it’s important to go without having seen or being too informed about specific elements of the plot.

Given the right atmosphere— namely, a darkened theater ﬁlled with screaming teenagers—“Paranormal Activity” is downright creepy.

Its use of special effects isn’t flamboyant, as is often the case in today’s blockbusters. Instead, the film is riddled with subtleties. Suspense lies in the viewer’s expectations for horror film conventions, and while some of these expectations may be satisfied, taking away from the film’s originality (i.e. the archetypal “look what happened to the last person who encountered this evil spirit” story), Peli drags some of the film’s scariest moments off-screen, leaving the audience the terrible task of

waiting and anticipating what will happen next. It has been proclaimed “the next ‘Blair Witch Project,’” which is actually a fair comparison. The more terrifying moments of “Blair Witch” are the off-screen ones; the audience must concoct their own gruesome images accompanying the chaotic, unintelligible action on-screen. The terror of not knowing exactly what’s happening is far scarier than being fully aware, as proven by the failure of a oncescary tension resulting in tamely unconvincing aliens in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs.” Unlike most mockumentaries, Peli keeps the fourth wall remarkably intact with the lack of opening credits, which brings the audience directly into Katie and Micah’s home, adding to the credibility and realism. And the lack of end credits makes the incredibly creepy ﬁnal image resonate with a force unmatched by most horror ﬁlms of recent years. The utter credibility of it all, including the everyday, normal and relatable Katie and Micah, makes it all the more effectively horrifying. There’s no escaping what plagues the couple, and there is no escaping the next time you have to fall asleep after you see it. Grade: AB

Viral Videos of the Week Search terms: Breakdance Cat Attack Breakdancing takes a lot of strength, agility and focus, as shown by our friend in the video here. But when a fun-loving, inquisitve cat enters the picture, everything changes. The quiet observer quickly transforms into an active participant, and hilarity ensues. Don’t worry, cat lovers, they always land on their feet... right?

Search terms: Three Way Cat Tug of War To counteract our last potentially malicious cat video, here are some more, cuter cats for your feline-loving viewing pleasure. Three furious cats are in a collective showdown, in tug-of-war format. These kitties will show you just how much perseverance and determination it takes to win a tug of war. How long will their struggle last? Perhaps forever, perhaps until one gets bored.

try to avoid redundancy at all costs in my column topics. I try to look at all aspects of film and the industry at large. I talk about theaters, film websites, awards, scandals and, of course, films themselves. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t help but come back to one ever-popular topic: terrible, terrible films. Maybe it’s because I have a grim fascination with the truly dreadful. Maybe it’s because the worst films are the easiest targets. Whatever the reason, bad films are like my Perez Hilton: trashy, juvenile and without merit, but so heinous that you can’t look away. (On a side note, I could devote an entire column to how much I hate Perez Hilton and everything he stands for, but until he makes the inevitable jump to feature films, you’ll have to wait for that column.)

The trailer also includes wonderful taglines like “You can’t handle the tooth!” and “The tooth hurts” as an added bonus.

As vigilant as I try to be when news about these terrible movies comes out, I somehow missed that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was making another children’s movie until my friend sent along the trailer for “The Tooth Fairy.” He wrote a note saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many terrible hockey and tooth-related puns in my life, much less in two minutes. You’re going to love this.” And right he was. “The Tooth Fairy” stars The Rock as a hard-hitting hockey bad boy nicknamed “The Tooth Fairy” because his devastating hits often leave opponents sans chompers. We see fans holding tooth-shaped signs screaming “got teeth?” and the

scoreboard flashing “tooth” as the camera cuts to The Rock sitting in a recliner in the penalty box. What a rebel and all-around badass. He even tells a kid after the game who wants to be like him to “lower his expectations!” He could never be reformed by some sort of harebrained scheme, right? As it turns out, The Rock has been sentenced to be a tooth fairy by the queen of all fairies (Perez Hilt—er, Julie Andrews) and must complete an extended period of time as a tooth fairy. Or something like that; the trailer is a little light on details. The trailer also features wonderful taglines like “You can’t handle the tooth!” and “The tooth hurts” as an added bonus. Some people might feel bad for Dwayne Johnson for having to resort to silly children’s films like “The Tooth Fairy,” “Race to Witch Mountain” and “The Game Plan.” Me? I just recognize that he’s following in his wrestler/tough guy turned actor brethren. Hulk Hogan did his share of action films, then paid the bills with “The Secret Agent Club,” “Mr. Nanny” and “Santa with Muscles,” where Hulk played an evil millionaire who gets amnesia and believes he’s Santa Claus. The parallels are eerie, and I only hope The Rock doesn’t face any of the midlife crisis stuff Hogan is going through now, with his failed reality show and very bitter and public divorce. Perhaps The Rock will follow the path of The Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger, who parlayed roles in “Kindergarten Cop” and “Jingle All the Way” into a successful (until this year anyway) foray into politics. Either way, The Rock is simply another passable actor who brings joy to my heart with each subsequent terrible movie he makes. I can only hope he’ll stay in mediocre children’s films forever, but I know he’ll soon move to bigger and better things. And that’s the honest tooth. Want to have a Hulk Hogan movie marathon with Kevin? Get your Hulkamaniac butts over to his house next Friday, but be sure to RSVP first at kevslane@gmail.com.

comics 6

Mr. Sniffles. Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

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Having two exams five minutes apart

Today’s Sudoku

Evil Bird

By Caitlin Kirihara kirihara@wisc.edu

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

By Yosef Lerner ilerner@wisc.edu

Charlie and Boomer

By Natasha Soglin soglin@wisc.edu

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com Material World ACROSS

1 Put with troops, as a war reporter 6 Walt Whitman, for one 10 Mama bears, in Barcelona 14 Yankee legend Yogi 15 Blue mouthful 16 Bring in the crop 17 Medal for valor 19 Starchy tropical plant 20 Garden interlopers 21 Leopard’s smaller cousin 23 Spot for experiments 25 Inside man in spydom 28 “Code” lead-in 30 “Little ol’ me?” 31 Deep, musically 32 Chair, as a committee 35 Start over from scratch 37 Tourist attraction near Atlanta 42 “___ Geste” 43 “Beauty and the Beast” lyricist 45 Disco-era suffix 49 “How disgusting!” 51 Anagram for “peas” 52 Penultimate final resting place?

56 Attorney’s field of expertise 57 On the way up 58 Star-crossed lover in Shakespeare 60 Lemon or lime? 61 Medieval dungeon device 66 Illegal drug, informally 67 Ear part 68 Ryan of “Beverly Hillbillies” 69 Pisan pronoun 70 Abridge 71 Climber’s toehold DOWN

1 Decline gradually 2 Sea on a French map 3 Bully 4 Bald eagle’s relative 5 Stupefied 6 It might play dead 7 Bit in a horse’s mouth? 8 Zeta follower 9 Severe pang 10 President of Nicaragua 11 Black Panther Bobby and others 12 Burr and Spelling 13 Erratic 18 Tokyo’s name before 1868

22 Bruce and Sebastian 23 “Well, ___-de-dah” 24 “Iliad” deity 26 Brooklyn or Queens 27 “In ___ of flowers ...” 29 “And now, without further ___” 33 Embryonic 34 Capital of Poland? 36 Watson and Crick’s focus 38 Claw badly 39 Shout of triumph 40 Blew inward 41 Skylab org. 44 Word in four state names 45 Steep-roofed house 46 Talkers on a tour 47 Beginnings 48 Japanese serving girl 50 Stinging insect 53 Sure-footed 54 “Can I?” addressee 55 Communicate by PC, in a way 59 Blarney Stone land 62 Serling of “The Twilight Zone” 63 Accessory for 48-Down 64 Chang’s twin 65 Word before a dropped maiden name

Washington and the Bear

By Derek Sandberg kalarooka@gmail.com

opinion dailycardinal.com/opinion

Thursday, October 22, 2009

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his Tuesday the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that would ban all drivers from texting behind the wheel. Drivers caught texting could face fines ranging from $20 to $400, the same rates assessed by a preexisting state law against inattentive driving. The bill passed 27-5 but must be approved by the Assembly before becoming law. The Senate began debate on an edited weaker version of the bill that would only have banned drivers 18 and younger from texting while driving The original, stronger bill that passed today was proposed by state Sen. Alan Lasee, R-De Pere. At first glance, the bill may seem to be the complaints of a older lawmaker and his disdain for kids and their newfangled phones. But the bill, particularly as a more stringent, all-ages ban, would significantly increase safety for Wisconsin drivers. Such a ban is overdue, though it is not surprising how slowly the Legislature is moving to counter the relatively recent upward trend in texting and driving. State Sen. Neal Kedzie, RElkhorn, brought up legitimate privacy concerns with the new bill, noting it would be difficult to enforce and might require police to investigate people’s cell-phone records. But

the government has the right and the responsibility to regulate your behavior on the road. Wisconsin regulates driving while intoxicated to protect the safety of all drivers. Hurtling thousands of pounds of steel down a road is a privilege, a privilege within the state’s authority to regulate to ensure the safety of everyone. The ban is not as harsh as in other states, such as Utah, where texting or e-mailing behind the wheel can result in a $750 fine and 90 days in jail. Nineteen states have banned texting while driving. New Jersey and Washington led the way with the first bans in 2007. In July, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released the findings of a study showing that commercial truck drivers were 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash when driving and texting. For those addicted to communicating while driving, chatting is still possible with Bluetooth and phone features that convert speech to text. People are busy, and texting may seem like an acceptable diversion. But distractions should not be an acceptable part of driving. Your text can wait for the safety of yourself and others. In the end, passing this bill into law is the most effective way to protect drivers on Wisconsin’s roads. After all, road safety is nothing to LOL about.

Letter to the Editor:

Humanities urge empathy The beauty of a humanities education lies in how many times you’re forced to think about current events based on something you’ve been taught. Challenging our background is an essential part of a liberal education; many people have been socialized into believing the world works a certain way, much like how at one time people believed the world was ﬂat. Through my multicultural education seminar I’ve been challenged to revisit common beliefs I’ve held. Through this education I have been able to evaluate social movements and current politics. One of the most recent topics in my seminar addressed racial inequalities in health. The beauty of these discourses is manifested in the challenge of socialization that is presented. The ideas addressed in this article helped to change how I view poverty: locally and in general. The idea of an “American creed” really hit home. Essentially this creed socializes Americans into thinking individual outcomes should be based on individual responsibilities, or in other words an imaginary society of seekers of the American dream have been united into thinking the only way to do so is through individual gain and advancement. This isn’t to say everyone thinks like this, but it did strike me as interesting because when I revisited my beliefs about what makes one successful I found a little bit of this philosophy nestled in my own. I’m asking students to realize

that there may be another answer to growing economic disparities. Maybe individual achievement shouldn’t be as important in economic outcomes, perhaps the group should be held more responsible for ensuring human success. Interestingly enough, these ideas were presented to me when I was formulating my opinion on the proposed changes to Peace Park on State Street, an area frequented by the poor and homeless. As many of you may know, $1 million would be spent to renovate the park. Among the changes are a small police response station, an ATM and a set of bathrooms. I disagree with the proposed changes in a few respects. I would argue that there are already plenty of ATMs on State Street. The money spent on adding a police workstation and bathrooms should be used to deal with the causes of what is making our people homeless; I don’t necessarily mean solely providing them with services, but directly allocating funds to combat poverty. I strongly believe a successful education is grounded in an understanding of past and present social movements in order to understand how the world functions. One becomes an activist when they understand movements of the past and apply the foundation to a movement of the present or future. Find an issue that appeals to you and become educated and active! —Maxwell Love Freshman, Undeclared

Tough job ahead for ASM

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

texting ban good for road safety

JAMIE STARK opinion columnist

ndoubtedly you voted in the ASM elections sometime in the last three days, right? No?! I nearly forgot myself. Had I not coincidentally used MyUW, I would not have noticed the small “Vote now” box encouraging students to vote for their own student government. At least they ran glorious full-page ads in The Daily Cardinal featuring “Uncle ASM.” Good thing I was approached by text, not human beings lobbying students to exercise their civic duty. Today we should get some brand new elected officials. And as a former freshman rep on the Student Council, I know how much four lucky froshes are going to hate their lives in the coming months. I spent my first academic year at UW sitting in biweekly meetings from 6:30 until midnight and despising Robert’s Rules of Order. Unable to make any summer meetings, I resigned my post in (unfulfilled) hopes a new voice would be appointed to fill my seat. I wasn’t the only freshman rep to do so. A tidbit of advice for the new freshman reps: Start making yourself relevant in Student Council so you can become one of the student chairs and make thousands of dollars each year. Don’t worry, everyone else is on Facebook during the meetings. And don’t get on one of the legitimate committees—who needs more work? In its defense, ASM has been the launching pad of some of our city’s

most heroic government leaders. By some I mean current UW senior and city alder Bryon Eagon, who began his political involvement at Madison as a freshman rep in ASM. Once a luminary, always a luminary. Whether you are Bryon Eagon or a brand new freshman rep, it takes some self-education to scale the steep ASM learning curve. Memorizing the cornucopia of acronyms and ﬂailing octopus of subcommittees that is ASM will require reading plenty of newspaper articles. But only from the Cardinal, of course.

As a former freshman rep on the Student Council, I know how much four lucky froshes are going to hate their lives in the coming months.

Although I had once thought the previous round of representatives to be inefﬁcient, I cannot expect much more out of the current, considerably more dramatic group of representatives. That’s not to imply changing campus is easy. With two-year term limits and resignations, ASM’s internal memory is relegated to the nonstudent paid staff, who, similar to representatives, change frequently and do not attend every meeting. After discussing with fellow former freshman representatives, we concluded that ASM is not broken; but as expected, there is room for improvement, which can only happen when student reps take initiative. Last year, many worthwhile ideas were put forth to reach out to students and open up ASM. Several

ideas are in the works or underway, including a newsletter and ASM’s recent open house forums. Thoughtful representatives like graduate student Erik Paulson and his Creative Initiative Grant could affect students in a noticeable way. Representatives should make good on plans to use the new, unnecessarily enormous office space ASM has by holding office hours and events. I would stop by and chat about student government proposals that affect me, particularly if they had pizza. Preferably deepdish three-meat or Gumby sticks. Robert’s Rules of Order might as well be nixed from all ASM discourse if only to help further the extinction of the archaic, exclusive rhetoric. Perhaps students would feel more welcome in Student Council if the dialogue and speaking rules were apprehensible. Bottom line: Even after reading the paper and talking with friends, it’s difficult for the average student to assess or even be aware of ASM’s influence. ASM does have its hands in many great projects on campus, most noticeably the Student Activities Center at U-Square. The new facility is useful, enjoyable and innovative, not stereotypical descriptors of any government actions. Hopefully ASM can continue to serve students in similar ways that garner more than just headlines about SSFC and budget changes. After all, few students care about formal discussions in a conference room. What matters on campus are visible results. Jamie Stark is a sophomore intending to major in journalism and political science. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

sports 8

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Men’s Basketball

Backcourt headlines 2009-’10 Badgers By Scott Kellogg THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team held its media day Wednesday, at which head coach Bo Ryan and his players reﬂected on their 2008-’09 season and looked ahead to this one. Typically, as a college team prepares for a new season, one if its greatest questions is how the team will replace the productivity of its graduates from the year before, and the 2009-’10 Badgers are no exception. Wisconsin lost perhaps its two most valuable players from the 2008-’09 season in forward Marcus Landry and guard/forward Joe Krabbenhoft. Landry and Krabbenhoft were two of four Badgers from last season to start all 33 games and average over 30 minutes per game. In Landry, Wisconsin lost its most consistent low-post scorer, a solid rebounder and possibly its best 2008’09 scoring option. Landry was the only regular to shoot over 50 percent, and led the squad in points per game, with 12.7. With the graduation of Krabbenhoft, Wisconsin no longer has its best rebounder or free-throw shooter, as well as one if its hardest-working defenders. Despite often playing as a guard, he led the team in rebounds last season, furthering his reputation as a relentless and tenacious player. “They were stat stuffers,” Ryan said. “If you think of what those two guys did for four years, averaging about 25 wins a year ... That’s a pretty good class, and they were the leaders of that class. Assists, stealing, defensive positioning, scoring, that’s tough to replace.” As difﬁcult as replacing those num-

bers will be, the more daunting task facing Wisconsin regarding Landry and Krabbenhoft’s absence may be replacing their leadership qualities. Naturally, this task will fall on the Badgers’ only two seniors, guards Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon. Besides Landry and Krabbenhoft, Hughes and Bohannon were the only two members of last year’s team to start every game. The two players have already thought about stepping into a more leadership-oriented role for their senior seasons. Hughes has noticed Bohannon’s increased vocality through the ﬁrst several practices. “He has [spoken up] more this year, I think, since I’ve known him,” Hughes said. “He feels like this is our last year, we got to get these guys tuned up.” Hughes himself does not believe he’ll have any problem getting on his teammates verbally when needed. “I went to a military school, they teach you to be vocal,” Hughes said. Wisconsin should be excited about the idea of having two experienced players leading its backcourt this season. “If the two of them can stay healthy, having two seniors, that’s pretty good stuff,” Ryan said. “I think they’re ready right now.” Sophomore guard Jordan Taylor expects to contribute to what he hopes will be an outstanding backcourt as well, and believes solid guards will be a huge asset to the team come postseason play. “Coach Ryan expects big things from his backcourt and from his point guards especially,” Taylor said. “And if

you look at every team in the nation that makes runs deep into the tournament, they have strong guard play.” The Badgers hope to receive contributions from their frontcourt, as well. One player to watch is junior forward Keaton Nankivil. At times Nankivil has seemed unstoppable, such as when he came out of nowhere last season to drill 5-of-5 3-pointers and put up 21 points against Purdue. But Nankivil struggled with consistently producing, something he hopes to improve upon this season. “[Consistency’s] usually important, because teammates and other guys on this team, they need to rely on me, and I need to rely on everybody to be consistent,” Nankivil said. “If you have it every day, it makes everything a lot better.” Other Badgers to keep an eye on are Taylor and sophomore forward Rob Wilson, two players looking to improve after their freshman campaigns. “I think everybody from last year’s freshman class has improved a lot and has the ability to make a difference on our team,” Nankivil said. Wisconsin, as usual, enters the season with modest expectations at best. But the Badgers know all too well the feeling of lowered expectations and how to exceed them, notably when the Badgers won the Big Ten Championship the season after AP Player of the Year candidate Alando Tucker graduated. “[A Big Ten title] is always our goal,” Taylor said. “We feel we have the players that can win [it].” Bohannon also expects to compete for a Big Ten Championship.

Boise State not in title contention BEN BREINER boom goes the breinamite

hat isn’t there to like about Boise State? It plays on a blue ﬁeld, runs loads of trick plays and has the potential to turn the college football world on its head by eventually breaking into the BCS title game usually reserved for teams from the top six conferences and, perhaps, Notre Dame. Furthermore, the Broncos are in prime position to ﬁnish the regular season without a loss (for the second time in three years), since they only face one more team currently with a winning record. But make no mistake about it, this Boise team will not deserve a spot in the title game. Now, many fans will rail at this, asking, “They won all their games, if only one other team does that, why shouldn’t they get a shot at the title?” The answer is easy: Their resume for this season will almost assuredly not be as strong as several other title contenders (unless of course every BCS conference team loses two or more games; then all bets are off). It seems fans, and often writers, look at the donut in the loss column and see perfection. They usually lose sight of the strength of the schedule that a team like Boise plays. This year the Broncos will have faced only one opponent from a BCS

conference, Oregon, and even played against an FCS team. By year’s end, their second-best win will either be Idaho (a nice surprise at 6-1), or a Fresno State team that has lost every big game it has played. This is the resume of a champion? It might strike some as unfair when a team enters a season, wins all its games and still has no shot at the championship. That, however, is just the way college football works.

It seems fans, and often writers, look at the donut in the loss column and see perfection.

To win a title, a team needs some breaks. It needs opponents ahead of it to lose and needs its opponents to do well. A mid-major team like Boise or Utah does have a chance to get to the title game some years, but they need to meet certain criteria. Look at BYU, who scheduled Oklahoma and Florida State on its nonconference slate and will also face TCU and Utah. Win out with that schedule and a team deserves a title berth. Perhaps Boise couldn’t get too many big names because it has the reputation of a giantkiller (though that didn’t keep Washington, Oregon State and Georgia from playing them in the last few years). In that case, they

would need to absolutely hammer every opponent, something that should be possible with the level of talent among Western Athletic Conference teams. Struggling with Tulsa and failing to destroy UC-Davis just won’t cut it. In the end, placing too much emphasis on going undefeated will be bad for college football in the long run. Teams will take games against bottom-tier Sun Belt and Conference USA teams, knowing if everything breaks right, the sure-thing win is better than risking a loss against a good out-of-conference opponent. Even Boise’s current ranking does not entirely reﬂect the schedule it has played thus far; it is more based on the hype generated by a 35-4 record from 2006-’08. Getting to the title game would in essence be the reward for a four-season stretch, which really clouds the concept of a 2009 national title. So Boise, if it goes undefeated, should have to accept the consolation prize of a berth in a BCS game instead of a shot at the title. Letting the Broncos in would be a disservice to any other team that survived a more rigorous schedule, beat more than one ranked team and ran through a conference where each week brought opponents far better than most of the WAC. Think Boise State does deserve a chance for a BCS Title if it goes undefeated? E-mail Ben at breiner@wisc.edu.

ISABEL ÁLVAREZ/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Senior guard Trevon Hughes had scored 12.1 points per game and had 49 steals last season, both most among returning Badgers. “We feel we have as good a chance this year as any other year,” Bohannon said. A conference championship would be especially sweet for Hughes and Bohannon, who were not afraid to admit that their senior years are certainly more special than the others. “There couldn’t be a better way to go out than to win a Big Ten Championship,” Bohannon said. The two senior guards also showed they were feeling the pressure to succeed. “We don’t want to leave here as

the team that dropped the ball,” Hughes said. Bohannon is also feeling the additional heat of being one of the most experienced players on the team. “Any time you’re a senior you’re kind of taking on a little more pressure, you know, you want to make the most of the situation you have,” Bohannon said. Wisconsin opens its preseason Nov. 4 against Bemidji State and its regular season Nov. 15 against Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Football

Around the Big Ten: Week 8 By Scott Kellogg THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin is on a bye this week, but all the other teams in the conference are in action, setting up ﬁve Big Ten games for week eight. Minnesota at No. 19 Ohio State The Buckeyes can kiss any national title hopes goodbye after last week’s meltdown at Purdue, but they still remain conference contenders. They’ll need sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor to be steady after turning the ball over four times last weekend. Minnesota has wins over Purdue and Northwestern, but losses to Wisconsin and Penn State, proving it is still just a mediocre Big Ten team. This one shouldn’t be a problem at home for Ohio State. Indiana at Northwestern Neither of these teams have conference title aspirations; instead, both are merely looking to improve year to year. The Wildcats have not done a good job building on their 5-3 2008 season, starting this year 1-2 in the conference. Northwestern senior quarterback Mike Kafka is second in the conference in passing yards, but needs to improve on his 4-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio to win games. Indiana’s junior quarterback Ben Chappell is also racking up the yards. His 1,664 passing yards are third in the Big Ten, but he’s also thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.

Illinois at Purdue No Big Ten team has been more disappointing this year than Illinois. It’s been a nightmare senior season for quarterback Juice Williams, who was benched two weekends ago against Michigan State. Williams is now back as a starter and should play this week. Purdue had a discouraging start to its season, opening up at 1-5. But the win over Ohio State has given the Boilermakers newfound confidence; they’re looking to use the marquee victory as a springboard to a respectable season. No. 13 Penn State at Michigan Ohio State’s defeat last week means the Nittany Lions are now back in the thick of the conference title race. Since its loss to Iowa, Penn State is 3-0, albeit against lesser competition. Michigan’s season, meanwhile, has taken a downturn since its win over Notre Dame. At 1-2, Michigan may already be out of the title mix. No. 6 Iowa at Michigan State This is the Big Ten game of the week. Iowa is the only remaining Big Ten team with a chance at playing for the national championship. But it’ll have its hands full against the Spartans. MSU could not have started the season any worse, but has won its last three games and now has its eyes on a Big Ten title. If Michigan State defeats Iowa at home, its only major challenge remaining will be its season-ender against Penn State.