UWM Post 12-6-2010

inside News | page 2 The Post’s first words with Chancellor Lovell

The Student-Run Independent Newspaper at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Monday, December 6, 2010

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Volume 55 | Issue 14

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A new face for UWM College Democrats

UWM to cut 700 free parking spaces

Sports | page 8 A look at the Brewers’ needs at this year’s Winter Meetings

Veteran’s, McKinley lots to close next fall; flat-rate garage will open

By Zach Erdmann Asst. News Editor news@uwmpost.com

Next fall, the Veterans and McKinley UPARK lots will close and displace approximately 700 student drivers.

Some of these drivers may use alternative methods to get to school, such as the U-PASS system or will find other parking spaces in the surrounding neighborhood. But according to UW-Milwaukee Parking and Transit an estimated 50 percent of them will have to park in the newly acquired Columbia St. Mary’s parking structure on Hartford Avenue for a daily fee of $4.

The Veterans and McKinley

parks, referred to as the lakefront lots, are currently funded by student segregated fees.

When each student pay tuition, they also pay a lump fee that is dispersed by the Student Association to fund services and programs that represent the students’ interest. This includes the UPARK system.

A fee of $14.30 per student per semester is used to rent both the lakefront and CapitolHumboldt lots and provide shuttle service to and from campus. These lots then remain free for student drivers.

For the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the university has opted to not renew the lease with

See PARKING page 4

fringe | page 10 Kid Cudi’s new album doesn’t cut it

Feature: Eating local is the way to go The Columbia St. Mary’s parking structure has approximately 750 parking spaces. Post photo by Sierra Riesberg

Hit-and-run hearing College Dems realign The student org rescheduled elects a new UWM student charged in drunk driving accident

By Lyla Goerl Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com

Valerie Seidl, a 19-yearold UW-Milwaukee student, pleaded not-guilty to a hitand-run that occurred in November on Milwaukee’s Eastside near Oakland Avenue and Geneva Place.

Seidl is charged with hitand-run involving “great bodily harm and injury by intoxicated use/vehicle,” issued by the Milwaukee Police Department.

Fox 6 news was at the scene and reported witnesses who saw the accident said that another collision happened right before the hit-and-run.

Two people were stepping out of their vehicles to examine a fender bender when they were both hit by Seidl.

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The male victim, a UWM student who was involved in the fender bender accident, was treated to a laceration above his left ear on the scene, according to news reports.

It was also reported the female victim, an 18-year-old UWM student, suffered severe head injuries. This required surgery to relieve pressure on her brain and multiple fractures and lacerations to her chin, face and head that required plastic surgery.

The Journal Sentinel reported that Seidl was pulled over by a Waukesha County sheriff ’s deputy after a motorist reported the damaged vehicle swerving on westbound I-94.

The 911 call said, “I’m reporting a drunk driver. The

See HEARING page 2

Men’s, women’s basketball teams have challenging week

executive board

By Mike La Count News Editor news@uwmpost.com

The UW-Milwaukee College Democrats underwent a transformation by electing an entirely new executive board.

After the Nov. 2 elections, some UWM College Democrats saw a need for change in leadership, as they voted to hold a special election for the executive board.

During the campaign season the College Dems worked closely with another group, the Democratic Coordinated Campaign (DCC), an offshoot of an Obama political action committee.

Jared Bierbach, the newly elected College Democrats Chair, says the line between the two groups became blurred. In the final stretch of the campaign much of the College Democrat’s resources were used to facilitate DCC.

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“Student orgs do that all the time,” said Bierbach. “The purpose of having college Democrats on campus is to facilitate a Democratic base and ideal, which come from the party itself.”

At this time Maura Metz was serving as the chair for the College Democrats and the campus organizer for the DCC. “We were happy to have someone who worked for both the campaign and the College Democrats but because she was working alone there was this blurred line,” said Bierbach.

More problems arose with the other board positions when the individuals that held them could no longer fulfill necessary duties. Jon Moze, Vice Chair, was unable to continue his role after having to take time off of school. Other activities pulled Robert Scott and Nicholas Reindl away from their board positions as well.

With all the work being done by the College Dems for the campaign, issues with board positions waited to be addressed.

“There were vacancies on the executive board,” said Metz. “I think group members did a re-

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Editorial | page 18 Why we should legalize assisted suicide MSNBC isn’t the liberals’ FOX News

ally good job stepping up.

The people that were really involved then later went on to take on leadership roles in that special election.”

After the national election passed and activity settled down the Dems were able to hold a meeting on Nov. 9 and pass an amendment to the organization’s constitution to allow for a special election. Prior to the special election on Nov. 17 all members of the executive board officially resigned, leaving five vacancies.

Bierbach was elected chair and Shawn Matson vice chair. Matt Leser, Alexandra Tulloch and Jessie Bennett were elected to the board as well.

With a new board the College Democratic will look to move past the disappointments the Democrats faced

See DEMOCRATS page 2

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2 December 6, 2010

The UWM Post

News Briefs

Editor in Chief Kurt Raether

Asst. Sports Editor Jeremy Lubus

Business Manager Simon Bouwman

Managing Editor Lindsey Millard

Editorial Editor Jackie Dreyer

Advertising Manager Stephanie Fisher

News Editor Mike La Count

Production Editor Josh Evert

Account Executive Joey Morgan

Asst. News Editor Zach Erdmann

Multimedia Editor Sierra Riesberg

Advertising Designer Kim Sullivan

Special Projects Editor Jonathan Anderson

Puzzle Editor Jonas Wittke

Distribution Patrick Quast

Fringe Editor Jacob Schneider

Copy Editors Sarah Hanneken

Alek Shumaker

Asst. Fringe Editors Trapper Schoepp

Caitlin PenzeyMoog

Board of Directors Kurt Raether

Derek De Vinney

Simon Bouwman

Web Editor Kody Schafer

Kim Sullivan

Michael Ray Sports Editor Tim Prahl

Phone: (414) 229-4578 Fax: (414) 229-4579 post@uwmpost.com www.uwmpost.com

Josh Evert Tim Prahl

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Senate race sets state financial record

UW student accused of mother’s murder

Russ Feingold and Ron Johnson shelled out a total $27 million on campaign spending ($13 million and $14 million, respectively). In the previous election for Wisconsin’s junior senator in 2004, Russ Feingold and Tim Michels spent a combined total of $15 million. Including all money spent by both candidates in the recent campaign the total was over $33 million. Of his $14 million, Ron Johnson contributed $8.7 million of his own money and raised the remainder. Though a new record for Wisconsin, it still places well below states like Connecticut, whose Senate race between Linda McMahon and Richard Blumenthal saw the expenditure of over $48 million.

Chase Boruch, a student from UW-Madison, has been charged for the murder of his mother, Sally Pergolski. She was killed in a car accident while she and her son were on their way to go fishing. Though Pergolski did not like to drive, Boruch asked her to anyway saying he was tired. Boruch called police reporting the accident. Boruch said he had tried to save his mother but she was already, dead.

An autopsy revealed head injuries as well as signs of drowning. A few weeks prior Boruch’s mother had taken out a life insurance policy for $1,050,000. After searching Chase Boruch’s home, police found insurance policy records and printouts from websites regarding how to detect lies. In his mother’s house was a printout of Moraine Lake and her will naming Chase as the beneficiary. He is currently being held with a bail set at $2 million. His next court appearance is Dec. 9.

Capitalism-inspired heroism Last week in New York, a grocery store clerk jumped on to the rails of a subway to grab a man who had fainted on the tracks. What motivated Carlos Flores to risk his safety? He said he didn’t want to be late for work. He was receiving time and a half that day and said he could not afford to miss out. A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority wanted to remind everyone it is not advisable to climb down to the roadbed of the subway.

Six hundred volts of currency runs through the rails, and getting back up is harder than in looks.

The UWM Post is published Mondays in the fall and spring semesters, except during spring break and exam periods. The UWM Post also publishes once in late summer.

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The UWM Post is written and edited by students of the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and they are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content. The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee is not liable for debts incurred by the publisher. The UWM Post is not an official publication of UWM.

Events

The First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Man caught on nude getaway Last Friday in Munich, Germany a 19-yearold Australian man was arrested by police while naked in a train station. Before slipping on a wet surface, forcing him to put on the underwear he had in hand, the Aussie wore only his shoes as he was being chased by police through the Munich station. After being arrested the man told police he had bet friends he could travel across Europe naked. Munich was the 11th city he had had toured and the only one in which he was apprehended. A fine of $132 was administered. “I simply like to be naked,” the police quoted him saying.

Monday, Dec. 6

Thursday, Dec. 9

At 5:30 p.m. in the Union Wisconsin Room, UW-Milwaukee will be holding a pre-Kwanzaa Celebration of self-determination, collective responsibility and creativity and faith.

“Dancemakers: In the Flesh,” a Peck School dance series, begins Thursday and runs through Dec. 12. For tickets or information, call Luc Vanier (414) 229-2773 or visit UWM’s website

The one-man band Ari Herstand will give a Hanukah concert beginning at 7 p.m. in the Union West Ballroom.

Leah Darrow of America’s Next Top Model will be giving a talk on Women, Life and Faith in the Zelazo Center Room 250 at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 8 Vicki Thorn will be giving a speech titled “What you didn’t learn in sex ed” at 7 p.m. in the Zelazo Center, room 250.

The UWM Post is a member of:

HEARING Continued from page 1

windshield is busted out and she has no [inaudible] and the front end. She must have been in an accident but she’s just swerving in lanes

dodging traffic. She almost hit me,” according to TMJ4 news.

She failed a field sobriety test, where she had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.254.

TMJ4 also reported that Seidl thought she “hit a pole” on Milwaukee’s Eastside.

Her first court appearance took place Dec. 1 at the Milwaukee Court House, where her attorney waived the hearing, asking to reschedule. The court house granted the request. Seidl will appear in court Monday, Dec. 13 at 8:30 a.m.

DEMOCRATS Continued from page 1 in the 2010 elections. Despite some rocky roads, Bierbach and Matson feel the group is every bit as strong as the College Republicans at UWM. “What [the College Republicans] have been able to do is really put together some events and plan ahead,” said Bierbach. “I think that is something we can do now too.”

In mid-November the College Democrats and Republicans forged a new road when they hosted a talk by David Bouskila, mayor of Sderot, Isreal. This was the first event to be sponsored by both political student organizations.

Though Metz and those who served on the board with her are

Newly-elected Chair of College Democrats Jared Bierbach.

Post photo by Sierra Riesberg no longer a part of the student org, she said she hopes they continue to be successful.

“I wish them well,” said Metz. “It is important to have

groups on campus like the College Democrats where college students can have their first experience with being politically engaged.”

December 6, 2010 3

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A sit down with Interim Chancellor Lovell Lovell talks about his plans for his stint as chancellor

By Mike La Count News Editor news@uwmpost.com

Stewardship of the university changed hands in the midst of purchasing the St. Mary’s Columbia Hospital, a site for the Innovation Park, establishing the College of Public Health and a number of other initiatives in the UW-Milwaukee Master Plan.

As most already know, former dean for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CAES) became interim chancellor after the departure of Carlos Santiago.

For the first time since taking over the duties of chancellor, Mike Lovell talked with the Post to discuss his background, the transition and what he hopes to accomplish during his time in Chapman Hall.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Lovell began his career at UWM in 2008 when he was hired to be the dean for CAES. When Santiago’s resignation was communicated to the university, faculty and staff began making recommendations for an interim leader. Not long after, in early September, Lovell was asked by UW-System President Kevin Reilly about expanding the scope of his administrative role.

“I was pretty surprised,” said Lovell. “I had heard that people had told me that they had recommended my name from different parts of campus. When I got here two years ago it was not something that I was expecting to happen in two years.”

Santiago’s departure was less surprising. It was com-

mon knowledge that he had begun applying for positions with other institutions. Lovell added, in general, positions such as chancellor tend to see regular turnover.

“It is very typical for a chancellor of a university to only be there for a couple of years,” said Lovell. “It is in some respects good for the institution to get a new influx of ideas and approaches to doing things.”

“I told [UW-System President] Kevin Reilly I didn’t want to come to keep the seat warm, I wanted to keep the progress going.” –Lovell

By January of 2011 UWM administration would like to have closed on both the St. Mary’s and Wauwatosa sites, leaving little time for settling into the position. As part of securing revenue Lovell has also spent much of his time conducting community outreach.

“The two things that I have spent the most amount of time on is getting up to speed on the projects we have moving forward and understanding them completely as best as I can. The second thing is actually going out and meeting the donor community, establishing relationships and doing fund raising.”

Post illustration by Andrew Megow “I need to learn as much as I can about the things we have on the table,” said Lovell. “We are on a very time-critical path.”

Because many of the initiatives started by Santiago require knowledge in a variety of areas, selecting an interim chancellor from within UWM rather than an outside could play an especially advantageous role in coming months.

“To be honest that is why I took the position, because it is such a critical year for the campus,” said Lovell. “I was worried if somebody came in that

was not aware of what is going on. I was involved with several initiatives and I felt like I could help make sure we push the projects forward this year.

I told Kevin Reilly I didn’t want to come to keep the seat warm, I wanted to keep the progress going.”

Executive Director for Communications with the UWSystem, David Giroux, said, “Most interim chancellors come from within the institution.

Historically, individuals who serve in positions like provosts are par for course.”

Lovell’s educational background in engineering may provide him with an edge for understanding the complexities of some of the projects that will involve significant infrastructural growths.

“If you say look at the constructional intricacies on an air-condition system, that is something not a lot of chancellors would understand,” Lovell laughed.

However, Luljak and Giroux have said Lovell’s engineer-

See LOVELL page 5

4 December 6, 2010

The UWM Post

PARKING Continued from page 1

Milwaukee County at the lakefront lots. Claude Schuttey, the Director of UWM Parking and Transportation, explained that this was a decision made for the benefit of students.

“The reason we rented [the lakefront lots] is because there was not parking on campus, and the county always wanted to get us off those lots because there is a lakefront group that wanted to use those lots more frequently. Now that there is additional parking on campus with CSM [Columbia St. Mary’s], we do not have that need. CSM will allow students to come to campus and park for a reduced rate,” said Schuttey.

“Students are losing big time on this, and there’s no way of sugar-coating that.” -SA President Travis Romero-Boeck

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M I O L R O E L E C A R S U H OU R T E A H A N

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The new structure was acquired as part of the imminent purchase of the old Columbia St. Mary’s hospital, located on the corner of Hartford and Maryland Avenues, directly across from the Sandburg residence halls. The university is currently in negotiations, with the purchase price floating around $20 million.

The building will be purchased on debt services bonds, which means every service that occupies the space must contribute towards paying down the debt of the building, including the newly acquired parking structure.

According to a budget provided by UWM Parking and Transportation, the annual cost of the CSM lot is approximately $950,000. Of that, only about one-third is the actual maintenance and operations cost. The remaining $600,000 of the projected cost exists to pay off the debt of the building.

In a meeting of the committee responsible for these decisions (the Transportation Subcommittee of the Physical Environment Committee),

Schuttey said that “it would be very hard to fill the parking spaces in CSM if the lakefront lots don’t close.”

County Parks Director Sue Black, who has worked closely with the university on this lease, said that although the county had not yet received formal notification of the lease ending, they knew that was the plan. She also said, contrary to what UWM Parking and Transportation reported, the county of Milwaukee would have no problem renewing the lease for the lakefront lots, and described her relationship with university administration as friendly.

The Post attempted to contact Vice Chancellor for Media Relations Tom Luljak several times to clarify the discrepancy, with no response.

According to Nelson Ogbuagu, the Assistant Director of Parking and Transit, the structure’s projected revenue is approximately $864,000, which budgets for 160 percent usage of the lot, five days a week, for nine months of the year (including January and May).

In the event that all parking spaces are filled all the time, the projected revenue is still short of the necessary $950,000.

In addition, when Parking and Transportation applied for segregated fee funding through the Student Association Senate Finance Committee this year, they proposed a reduction of only $2.30 to the student fee.

Student Association President Travis Romero-Boeck, who is a member of both the Transportation Subcommittee and the Physical Environment Committee, said he thinks that the student voice is being disregarded on this issue.

“When new properties are acquired, they need to be paid for, and the money is not there; where do they look? Students.

This is that first step. It’s a huge loss, and I’ve said it consistently. There’s no one who’s paying for this except students and there’s no one who’s being impacted negatively except students,” he told the Post.

The Physical Environment Committee passed the plan for the $4 daily rate and reported it to the Faculty Senate on Nov. 18. The final oversight of these decisions is in the hands of Interim Chancellor Mike Lovell.

Students can contact the Chancellor at (414) 229-4331, and the call is free from any phone on campus.

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December 6, 2010 5

Life with HIV Hope’s Voice gives talk for AIDS Day at UWM

By Andrea Mesalk Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com

On his 21st birthday, Tim Avant was diagnosed with several STDs – and one of them was HIV. He spoke with the group Hope’s Voice Tuesday, Nov. 30 at UWM during the “Does HIV Look Like Me?” forum held in the Union’s Wisconsin Room.

Avant, a member of the Hope’s Voice team, spoke to a group of about 30 people about his life with HIV. He was promiscuous as a teen and had many sexual partners, so he was unsure of who infected him and when. After being diagnosed with HIV, he moved on with his life and began to educate people about the virus.

According to Avant, the biggest myth about HIV is that you can’t get it from oral sex.

Hope’s Voice is a group of people who are infected with HIV or AIDS. They travel to schools around the country to tell their personal stories and educate young people about the epidemic. People under 25 are a key demographic for Hope’s Voice, as 40,000 Americans contract HIV each year and at least half of that number are young people.

The forum was held one day before World AIDS Day. According to the World AIDS Day website, the day is “all about raising awareness to tackle HIV prejudice and help stop the spread of HIV.” Avant pushed his message that “HIV does not discriminate.” When asked if there is a cure for HIV, he quoted Whitney Houston: “Hell to the naw!”

Avant threaded humor into his lecture on a very serious subject. It lightened the mood and encouraged participation and questions from the audience.

Avant grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He was raped at a young age by a family friend. The abuse lasted for years and still affects him.

LOVELL Continued from page 3 ing background did not factor into the decision for his appointment.

The pressing issue now will be figuring out how to manage the newly acquired space at St. Mary’s, which will increase the area of UWM – the second densest campus in the country – by 20 percent. One of the first uses will be to temporarily house oc-

“I dealt with this every day of my life … but it’s still hard for me to digest this,” he said.

He became very promiscuous in his teen years. He began drinking a lot, often before class at the Catholic high school he attended. He also smoked pot and snorted cocaine.

He dropped out of high school to move in with the man of his dreams in Columbus, Ohio. Just before moving, his boyfriend told him he was HIV positive.

Avant just said, “OK,” and went ahead with the move because he did not know what that meant.

Soon he moved to Washington D.C. to attend college. That lasted about six months. Then Avant began working as a prostitute. His main clients were wealthy men; many were respected politicians.

After leaving D.C., Avant landed a role in a nude gay comedy called “Party.” He traveled with the show playing a dancer, one of the gay stereotypes represented in the show. Avant started to get really skinny. He developed a rash on his feet that spread all over his body. He also had unbearable abdominal pains, which he tried to ignore.

He fainted at the airport when traveling home to see his family. He woke up in the hospital seven days later. Then came his birthday diagnosis: HIV, along with other STDs. “I felt like I wanted to dip my entire body in peroxide,” said Avant.

His mother was there to support him and simply asked, “Where do we go from here?”

Avant changed his life around and graduated from Juilliard.

He is working as an actor in New York.

He joined Hope’s Voice in 2003 when he heard about the organization at the Ohio AIDS Coalition. He said he loves talking to young people and teaching them about safe sex through his story.

Avant discussed the most common ways HIV is spread and how it can be prevented.

According to Avant, the biggest myth about HIV is that you can’t get it from oral sex. He told everyone to use a condom every time you have any type of sex.

He cited the Center for Disease Control’s website as a great resource for HIV/AIDS information, as well as www.thebody.com. He ended with some simple advice: “Be safe. Love yourself. Use a condom, please.”

cupants from Bolton Hall this spring while it undergoes some renovation.

The permanent future of the new facilities is yet to be determined.

“We have three different committees on campus that are working on the best use for [St. Mary’s],” said Lovell. “We can say that there are some real priorities that we have immediately for the space – housing for the Honors College, and we are going to need to move the [UWM Children’s Center].”

Post photo by Sierra Riesberg

Student Association approves funding, tables UPARK discussion

By Zach Erdmann Asst. News Editor news@uwmpost.com

The Student Association Senate met Dec. 5 to finalize the amount of funding for the many of the entities on campus including UWM Athletics, the Women’s Resource Center, and the newly reorganized Office of Student Life.

The senate voted to approve the entities at the funding levels set by the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) with the exception of the UPARK system. UPARK was pulled from the package and tabled until the first meeting of the Spring Semester.

SA President Travis RomeroBoeck addressed the senate about the SFC process. He encouraged the senate to trust the time and effort that the committee members put into their deliberations, noting that often the senate pulls apart the SFC recommendations and makes last minute changes, sometimes without understanding the ramifications.

Romero-Boeck then made an appeal to the senate to table the UPARK decision because of new information. The SA had previously thought that the option to renew the lease at the lakefront lots was off the table, but after learning that that wasn’t the case, the funding levels for UPARK and the services provided need to be reanalyzed, Romero-Boeck said.

Senator Nick Kadulski gave a report on both the Student Appropriations Committee and SFC processes, during which he announced his resignation as the chair of the Senate Allocations Committee due to an internship. He announced that the current Vice Chair Kate Edwards will step up to fill his seat and Senator Andrew Hastert will take over the vice chair duties.

Treasurer Adam Norris also announced his resignation due to an internship. The executive committee had already accepted applications and conducted interviews, and put forth Senator Kristina Barth as the nomination for his replacement.

Senator Barth was absent from the meeting, and in her stead Romero-Boeck offered to field questions. Several senators were reticent to approve a candidate who couldn’t speak on her own behalf, but Romero-Boeck stressed the importance of having a treasurer.

Without a treasurer no expenditures could be made until one was appointed, meaning no one would get paid, no supplies would be purchased, and no events or activities could be put on. Ultimately the motion passed, and Barth will serve as treasurer for the remainder of the school year.

In the SFC recommendations, all of the entities were funded at or above their requested amount with the exception of the Student

Association, the newly formed Campus Activities Board, and UWM Athletics. Charlie Gross and Kathy Litzau, two of the Associate Athletics Directors, sat in the meeting’s gallery.

After the meeting, The Post spoke with the two administrators to ask what they thought about their cut of $2.50 per student. Gross said, “We were asking for no increase in support over [the three year funding module], and they reduced that support. We thought that asking for no increase of support knowing full well that it’s going to cost more to do business in three years is in effect a reduction. [This cut] will cause all of us to continue to evaluate and work hard.”

Gross explained that he hoped in the future more students would take advantage of the opportunity to get involved in the decision making process at UWM Athletics, specifically the Athletics Board.

During initial deliberations of SFC, Athletics was funded at their recommended level.

They did not file an impact statement, which would explain how a cut would affect the services they could provide. During the secondary deliberations, the funding level was reconsidered and a cut was decided on.

This was the last SA Senate meeting for the fall semester, but they will resume discussions of the UPARK system on Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. in the Fireside Lounge.

The UWM Post

6 December 6, 2010

Quick guide to winter parking at UWM

By Mike La Count News Editor news@uwmpost.com

Starting Dec. 1 winter parking regulations took effect changing the allowance of parking on some streets around UW-Milwaukee.

Some of the changes are clearly posted on streets signs.

Others are not posted at all and require being looked up on Milwaukee’s public works webpage: mpw.net.

Being mindful of these changes is necessary to avoid tickets and towing.

Last February the city towed around 150 cars after declaring a snow emergency. Towing fines run over $100 and if the vehicle’s owner does not pay, the city charges a $20 storage fee daily.

Winter regulations for

campus area streets are as follows.

Snow Zones – These streets operate under normal parking regulations but in the event of a “Snow Emergency”, parking is not permitted. You can avoid the $50 ticket by signing up to receive text message alerts for snow emergencies. Go to city.milwaukee.gov/home and select the “Get Notices by Text Message” tab.

2425-3499 N. Downer Ave. 2447-3099 N Maryland Ave. 1800-3499 N Oakland Ave. 1800-2199 E Park Pl. Other streets are closed to parking completely from Dec. 1 to March 1. On some streets this may apply to one side or both. Being caught on the wrong side of the street is a $20 offense.

1800-2599 E Hartford Ave. 2200-3099 E Kenwood Blvd.

3100-3499 N Maryland Ave. Another street sign to watch out for is the “NO PARKING WHEN SNOWFALLS 4 INCHES OR MORE.” This applies anytime day or night. Even though normal regulations or permits allow for parking, if there is more than four inches of snow above the road’s surface, parking is not allowed until it is cleared. Violation results in a $40 ticket.

2500-3099 N Farwell Ave. 2700-3099 M Fredrick Ave. 600-3099 E Locust St. 2700-3099 N Murray Ave. 2500-3099 N Prospect Ave. 2500-3099 N. Stowell Ave. For information about UWM’s parking services go to uwm.edu/parking.

Post photo by Sierra Riesberg

December 6, 2010 7

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UWMPD to offer up $500 Police seek community help in stopping vandalism

By Mike La Count News Editor news@uwmpost.com

After a two-month long spike in vandalism, the UWMilwaukee police department (UWMPD) is ready to offer cash for information.

Vandalism – primarily graffiti – is something that is always present on the UWMilwaukee campus. But lately it has increased so much the UWMPD is willing to give a $500 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.

“This is a decent-sized reward and we don’t do these too often,” said Art Koch, detective sergeant for the UWMPD. “I have done them a few times in my career and it has been effective in making arrests.”

In September there were three incidents of vandalism, which Koch says is a pretty typical number. In October it increased to 19 and in November to 26.

Walking around the greater UWM neighborhood one may see some examples of illegal artistry. CLASH, the anarchist A, and pitchforks are among the most common graffiti.

Patterns or a repeat of the same graffiti is often an indication of one person. In November an individual was caught in the middle of the day spray painting the walking bridge below the Locust Street bridge.

After his arrest, it was discovered that he was responsible for four other instances of graffiti on the UWM campus.

The $500 reward pales in comparison to some of the damages that have occurred this year. In October, a student vandalized Endris Hall by painting “NERC” on the wall. Koch said it cost a few thousand dollars to remove.

Although in this case the police are offering a reward, Koch reminds everyone there is always a monetary benefit to being a good Samaritan.

“You’re a tax payer, I’m a tax payer, and it is going to cost money to fi x it,” said Koch.

Koch said anyone who has information to pass on can contact the UWMPD at (414) 229-4627, or if one wishes to remain anonymous, call Sgt. Art Koch directly at (414) 229-4627.

The UWM Post is hiring for the Spring semester.

The following jobs are available: Assistant Sports Editor Advertising Executive (2) Please send a cover letter and resume to Kurt, at kraether@uwmpost.com if you are interested.

Post photo by Sierra Riesberg

8 December 6, 2010

The UWM Post

Baseball in December Winter Meetings start this week

By Kris Gilson Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

Kaylon Williams finds a rare opening in the Cleveland State defense Saturday night.

Post photo By Sierra Riesberg

Some good, some bad Panthers open conference play

By Jeremy Lubus Assistant Sports Editor sports@uwmpost.com

The UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team opened their conference season earlier this year than in the past. Coach Rob Jeter was not a big fan of playing conference games before the month of January and after watching his team struggle from the field against Cleveland State in an 82-59 loss, it’s easy to see why. The Panthers won earlier in the week against Youngtown State, 76-67.

Cleveland State, who has yet to lose this season, shot an impressive 63.8 percent from the field largely because of their

three talented guards. Norris Cole, Jeremy Montgomery and Trevon Harmon combined to score 47 points and Cole did not miss a shot from the field.

UWM (4-5 overall, 1-1 conference) did not get much in return from their three-guard set.

Sophomore Ja’Rob McCallum and Junior Kaylon Williams were 0-4 and 0-5 from the floor respectively, while sharpshooting senior Tone Boyle had a season-low two points.

The Panthers never led in the game and the Vikings ballooned their lead to as many as 32 points in the second half.

It was a tough way to end the week after a monstrous performance from senior Anthony

Hill against Youngtown State.

He had a double-double and set a new career-high with 30 points. It was the first 30-point performance from a Panther since 2007. But Hill was held in-check Saturday night going just two of eight from the field and finishing with just eight points.

What hurt the Panthers the most against the Vikings was rebounding. Hill had just three rebounds, ironically all offensive, which is not a good sign because it points to the Panthers’ cold-shooting performance.

The Panthers, however, won the overall rebounding edge 31-30 in the loss.

The week ahead is challenging for Milwaukee as they travel to in-state powerhouse Wisconsin on Wednesday then to South Dakota on Friday.

It’s the calm before the storm in the baseball world.

Sure, there have been a few player signings and trade rumors swirling around, but it’s been pretty quiet around Major League Baseball. The NFL, college football and the Miami Heat are dominating the sports headlines.

That all will change when the league’s Winter Meetings begin Dec. 6 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Every year during this time, baseball’s general managers, players, and agents get together to throw names and dollar figures around.

While the free agency period began right after the Giants celebrated their World Series championship, the Winter Meetings are when talks get more serious. Where will top free agent Cliff Lee land? How long until Derek Jeter accepts the Yankees’ offer? Will the Brewers actually upgrade their terrible starting pitching?

The last question is on the minds of every Brewers fan after a disappointing 2010 campaign that saw Milwaukee finish 77-85 with the league’s fifth-worst ERA at 4.58. Yovani Gallardo and Randy Wolf did fine at the top of the rotation, posting an ERA of 3.84 and 4.17, respectively.

To say the starting rotation

after those two was a mess would be putting it lightly.

Inconsistency from the likes of Dave Bush, Chris Narveson and Manny Parra really put the team in a tough spot last season. The offense had to score a ton of runs every game for the team to have a chance at winning.

Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin said last week that pitching will be the main focus of the Winter Meetings for the team but he also mentioned that it will be hard to come by. Teams that have the oh-so-coveted starting pitching don’t want to give it up and will likely ask too much for it in a trade.

Many fans have called for the trades of first baseman Prince Fielder and right fielder Corey Hart in order to upgrade the pitching staff. Fielder, a future designated hitter, will come with an incredible price tag when he becomes a free agent after 2011. Hart, an inconsistent hitter and defensive liability, isn’t exactly what teams are looking for in a trade.

This puts Melvin in a tough spot: choosing whether or not to go through 2011 knowing he may not get anything in a trade for Fielder and/or keep Hart, knowing he might cost the team more runs than he saves in right field, despite being one of the team’s better power-speed combos.

One thing is for certain – if

See BASEBALL page 9

UNI wins battle of Panthers Laur scores 1,000 point in loss

By Kelby Goodman Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

Saturday afternoon’s clash of Panthers ended with UWMilwaukee Women’s basketball team licking their wounds as Northern Iowa pounced on them early and never allowed Milwaukee to attain a lead throughout the entire game.

Due to inconsistent play Milwaukee ended up losing 7258, dropping their early season record to 3-4 overall.

Northern Iowa came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, connecting on their first three

3-point shots just minutes into the game. UNI finished the half shooting 44 percent from downtown, making seven shots beyond the arc.

Milwaukee, on the other hand, started off the game ice cold, shooting a mere 37 percent from the field and zero for six beyond the arc. The differences in shooting performances lead UNI to breakout to a 19point lead at one point in the first half.

Head coach Sandy Botham said the team’s shooting woes were frustrating. “Shots weren’t

See BASKETBALL page 9

Lindsay Laur reached 1,000 career points Saturday against Northern Iowa.

Post photo by Sierra Riesberg

December 6, 2010 9

uwmpost.com

Thinking Woman’s volleyball about thinking season review the season with a knee injury.

The injury, along with lineup shifts and an incredibly tough pre-season schedule, led the Panthers to a rough start at 3-7.

The struggles were by no means shocking as the teams that the Panthers opened the season against were all incredibly gifted. Coach Johnson mentioned how many of the teams they played in the preseason were picked to win their own conferences. The changing lineups also led to some problems scoring and setting up defenses. However, things finally started to come together as conference play neared.

To say that the Panthers have dominated the Horizon League may be a bit pretentious, but for the last 14 years they have either won the regular season or won the conference tournament. Clearly that trend continued in the 2010 season.

“It really started to come together when we made it to conference play,” said Johnson.

The team only lost one conference game before the conference tournament started.

That loss to Butler set the team straight and on the path to an 11-match winning streak.

The Panthers put together their best volleyball and rocketed up the Horizon League charts to the top of the conference.

“When it comes to confer-

ence there is something about feeling confident, because it’s familiar,” said Johnson, “And by then our lineup was set and we just got better every time we played.”

Clearly they did get better every game heading into the conference tournament.

Not only did they lock up the regular season title, they did it with three games remaining in the season. As a result, they got the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, which gave them the right to host the tournament.

The team was confident heading into the tournament but unfortunately they could not pull it together, bringing the season to an abrupt end. Of course there’s still a lot of good be taken from the season.

“I think there are a lot of positives,” Johnson said. “I do think we had a really good season. I mean, a 20-win season is always impressive and that’s something great to take away from it. Now I think our returning players will better know how to deal with that adversity.”

As for the returning players, there is a lot to look forward to for next year. The team is losing three starters but many great players will be returning along with a new class.

“We’re always looking to the future,” said Johnson.

Clearly the season didn’t end the way they wanted, but there are definitely enough positives for Johnson and her team to build on for next season.

multiple small runs Milwaukee trimmed the lead to five, but the bipolar play of UWM never allowed them to get any closer as Northern Iowa once again pulled away, finishing the game completing six of their last seven shots.

“We had mental breakdowns defensively and undisciplined play that took the winds out of our sails,” Botham said. “We’ve got to get tough mentally.”

Even though Milwaukee lost, there was still a bright

spot for Milwaukee athletics as senior forward Lindsay Laur broke 1,000 career points during the game. Laur became the 10th fastest in UWM history to 1,000, as it only took her 99 games to break this milestone.

She finished the game with 19 points, giving her 1,005 for her career.

Milwaukee will pick up play Wednesday at Michigan State, which starts a four game road trip before Horizon League play begins.

Despite early exit, team deals with adversity

By John Linn Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com

A 20-win season for the UWMilwaukee women’s volleyball team is always a good sight, though it has become standard practice for the regular-season-champ Panthers. Sadly, those 20 wins were overshadowed by the team’s finish at the end of the season.

The team finished 15-1 in conference play before unfortunately being sent home early during the semi-finals of the Horizon League Conference tournament. The Panthers went 20-8 overall despite a rough start and looked poised for a run to the NCAA tournament, but their quick exit will definitely leave them with some things to ponder heading into next season.

“It’s still a little soon to deal with this conference tournament but the reality is that you have to play great that day and that’s how it goes in our league,” said head coach Susie Johnson. ”It’s a tough league.”

Johnson said it’s hard to feel well about the season as a whole at this point. “It’s only been a week, but overall I think we did really well considering our situation. We had adversity and we came through.”

UWM started the season with several different lineups after finding out that senior Maddie Seuppel would miss

BASKETBALL Continued from page 8

falling. We had good looks that we just couldn’t knock down.”

Luckily for Botham and Milwaukee, things turned around a little bit in the second half as UWM’s defense stepped up and shutdown UNI’s perimeter game, holding them to one of five shots from beyond the arc. By using

SCOREBOARD Men’s Basketball W 76-67 vs.

Youngstown State, Thursday L 82-59 vs.

Cleveland State, Saturday

Women’s Basketball L 72-70 vs. Bradley, Wednesday L 72-58 vs.

Northern Iowa, Saturday COMING UP… Men’s Basketball

@ Wisconsin, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. @ South Dakota State, Saturday, 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball @ Michigan State, Wednesday, 6 p.m. @ Wisconsin, Sunday, 4 p.m.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Anthony Hill scored 30 points for the UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team against Youngstown State Thursday night.

That was the first time a Panther had scored 30 in a game since Marcus Skinner did so in December of 2007.

End of semester’s random thoughts

By Tim Prahl Sports Editor sports@uwmpost.com

What the … there are only two weeks left in this school year?! If you’re like me that means it’s time to finally crack open that textbook that you … ah crap, I forgot to buy the book!

Since you’re all likely in just as much of a rush to cram for final projects and exams, here’s an abbreviated version of a sports column in easy-toread, text-message format.

Ten things I think I think (Yes, I’m stealing that title from a nationally renowned columnist. I don’t have time to be clever. Finals, people, finals!)

1 - I think this is one of the best times ever to be a football fan in Wisconsin. This is likely the best Badger team [or at least offense] ever assembled, while the Packers, despite their second-place ranking in the division, are still a shoe-in for the playoffs.

2 – I think the Milwaukee Bucks are in serious trouble.

Bringing in heaps of talent in the offseason has turned into a lack of chemistry that would cause most couples to breakup, give back each other’s belongings and an unfriending on Facebook. They need to kiss and make up fast or they’ll be in danger of losing all the luster from last year’s playoff run.

3 – I think the Miami Heat are just fine. Are they playing any better than the Bucks right now? No. But given the gobs of talent and basketball genius involved in that franchise, they’ll still be at worst the four-seed in the weaker Eastern Conference.

4 – Speaking of slow starts, shame on the San Diego Chargers. One of the NFL’s most talented teams will likely win their conference again with a late playoff push, but this team didn’t start try-

BASEBALL Continued from page 8 the Brewers are going to truly upgrade the starting rotation, it will have to come through trades rather than free agency.

Besides the aforementioned Lee, who will likely be way out of the Brewers’ price range, there is precious little to choose from.

Melvin could take a chance on Brandon Webb, who is coming off major shoulder surgery and hasn’t pitched since the first game of 2009. He could end up being 2011’s Doug Davis. Former Padre’s pitcher Chris Young is also a big injury risk and the same goes for former Cubs and Rangers pitcher Rich Harden.

As for the trade market, Milwaukee doesn’t have the deep

ing until week seven. I think season ticket holders either deserve refunds for those first few home games or free playoff tickets.

5 - I think all this Cam Newton talk should make everyone appreciate the hundreds of thousands of college athletes that never draw this kind of attention. Whether Newton really is innocent and it was all daddy’s doing or not, a lot is asked of 18-22year-olds by the NCAA. Kudos to those who keep their noses clean through that weird time in their lives.

6 – I think, as much as it pains me to say this, Denard Robinson should win the Heisman Trophy. Michigan’s standout sophomore shouldn’t be punished for the Wolverines inept defense. His numbers were astronomical and something the game has never seen.

7 – I think Barcelona might be the best soccer team ever assembled. Eh, their defending is suspect at times, but a 5-0 thrashing of second-place rival Real Madrid? Boom.

8 – I think Qatar beating the U.S. for the 2022 World Cup bid will either be a an epic failure or a smash success. There will be no middle ground. The tiny country has 12 years to build these behemoth, revolutionary, climate-controlling stadiums.

Hopefully, for their sake and the sake of the sport, everything goes according to plan.

9 – I think Butler’s men’s basketball team won’t win the Horizon League this year.

They still have plenty of talented pieces from last year’s squad, but Gordon Hayward’s value to that team was immeasurable. Whether it’s Detroit, Loyola, or even UWM, someone will fi nally dethrone the Bulldogs this year.

10 – I think it’s time to stop wasting all seven of my valued reader’s time and end this column.

farm system or “blue chip” prospects other teams covet. Brewers second baseman Brett Lawrie has been involved in some trade rumors but he’s the likely successor to Rickie Weeks, should the team not work out an extension with him.

While this week’s meetings may not land the Brewers a whole new starting rotation, it could set the team up to make deals in the near future. Melvin might have to get creative in piecing together the rotation after Gallardo and Wolf but he’s proven in the past that he can make things happen. In 2008 his trade for C.C. Sabathia was the club’s biggest acquisition in years, and while there’s no Sabathia in the cards for Milwaukee next season, expect Melvin to aggressively pursue some solid pitching during this week’s Winter Meetings.

10 December 6, 2010

Images courtesy of Wiseau Films

The UWM Post

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Tommy Wiseau: Cult hero, Hollywood mystique Director and star of The Room speaks with Post

By Trapper Schoepp Asst. fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com

The origins of Tommy Wiseau’s accent are as untraceable as his film’s plot.

Wiseau regards his bizarre cult sensation, The Room, as being profoundly complex, making it an easy target for criticism and mockery. Yet he embraces the laughter surrounding his $6-million filmmaking investment. He markets his poorly made drama as a black comedy, adores his fan base, and appears at screenings – including the two at Milwaukee’s Oriental Theatre this past weekend.

Wiseau’s composure surrounding the harsh criticism of The Room is admirable. “If you spin this negative, that’s fine with me.” It’s clear that Wiseau, who’s the star and director of the film, is striving to clean up his public image. And it’s understandable: his 99-minute claim to fame is often cited as the worst movie ever made.

From its awkward sex scenes, peculiar plot holes, and predictable ending, the movie illustrated to critics and moviegoers all that’s wrong with Hollywood filmmaking.

Perhaps The Room is best articulated in one of its many memorable lines: “The candles, the music, the sexy dress. I mean, what’s going on here?”

Wiseau discussed what’s actually going on his film, his role as a director, and the significance of football.

The Post: How was the initial idea for The Room conceived?

Tommy Wiseau: I’ve been working on The Room for 12 years, believe it or not. I wrote

some stuff down on a piece of paper and then I created a 600page novel. Long story short, I decided to do a play first and was then searching around for a theater.

Long story short again, the number of people going to the play theater is less than the number of people going to the cinema, so I decided to do a script. What you see in the theater is actually based on the novel. People get confused about this stuff, as you’ve probably noticed.

Post: Did the novel often draw from personal experiences?

Wiseau: Yes, absolutely. It’s based on the facts and my friends’ experiences and my own. The ideas come from my real life. Nothing happened by accident.

Post: With the film, were you apprehensive about putting so much time and money into an art form you had little experience in?

Wiseau: Well, it’s all dependent on how you describe ‘experience’ because my interest has always been in movies.

Before I shot The Room, I did movies in a production class.

My first movie was on a Super 8 and I did it all from scratch. It’s called Robbery Doesn’t Pay and I did this as a class project and got an A-. I was using two formats: one was black and white and one was color. People ask ‘Why did you do that?’ and I was like ‘You know, why is the sky blue?’

Post: You see The Room as a black comedy, while its audience cites it as a bad drama.

How do you deal with that separation?

Wiseau: I’m not here to criticize media about what they’re saying or people blogging or whatever they’re doing, but a lot of people are not on the same page with me because they don’t understand the director’s job. My job as a director is to provoke the audience in a positive way. One perfect example could be why Johhny has to be naked. What are the choices we have? He can be so many different ways.

“I prefer people play football than get drunk.”

– Tommy Wiseau

People will have different takes on things. People say ‘Oh, this is sexy,’ and no, it’s not sexy; I call it a love scene.

As a director, it’s clear that two is better than three. Simplicity is the virtue of success. As simple as you try to present it, the more difficult and controversial it will be. It’s all very complex.

And again, I’m not self-centered or here to criticize, but they don’t understand me as an actor or director. I am very detail-oriented. If there were 200 people on the set, you have to be really organized. For example, when four times your staff quits on you and you have to replace them, do you know what the cost is? I rest my case.

Some of it just doesn’t make sense. I’m sorry.

Post: How do you explain the plot inconsistencies dealing with Denny’s drug habits or Claudette’s cancer?

Wiseau: In the movie, we had limitations. The format we used was 99 minutes, based on the Academy Awards and the industry standard. As a director, how many obstacles can I put in 99 minutes? I wanted to put as many issues relating to human behavior because that’s the format I decided to use.

And yes you’re right, but you may argue ‘Well why drugs, cancer, or any issue?’

Some people who I know who have a cancer don’t like it to be brought up by people nagging at them: ‘Oh, do you need something? Can I help you?’ People want to be treated equally and that’s one of the messages. These people don’t want to be treated like a second-class citizen. They want to be normal even though they aren’t normal.

It’s the same with the drugs, and if you read the book, you’ll learn more about it. I want people to think about it, and how to connect all these obstacles in real life.

Post: What was the inspiration behind the line “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa”?

Wiseau: Johnny at the time is very hurt, you see. The words mean what they mean. I think this is a very cool way to say it, so that’s what I had to come out with.

Post: Have you stayed in touch with the actress who played Lisa, Juliette Danielle?

Wiseau: Yes, she was actually at the last screening of The Room in Los Angeles. We played football even.

Post: Characters in the film are

constantly playing football.

How did that come about?

Wiseau: Well, it’s a look at history. You’re an American I suppose, so I’m sure you know about it. In America, football is so big. I think it’s part of our culture and I prefer people play football than get drunk.

People say, ‘You cannot always play the football.’ I have a surprise for them: You can go to any park in America and see kids playing football. And now people are actually playing football in the studios. I’m not getting credit, but maybe next year or maybe when I die they’ll maybe say, ‘He started this up’ [laughs].

Post: What made you want to get the “Love is Blind” screening tour together?

Wiseau: First of all, I love it.

And we have many requests from the fans. We just checked the theatre a few minutes ago and a fan came up to me and asked ‘How are you?’ and I like it. Because my fans want me around, we are very successful touring to any place and I’m very thrilled. However, I have limited time. I cannot go a hundred places at the same time. The next movie will be released next year and not this one because of the tour.

Post: Lastly, how did you decide to go with the menacing image of Johnny on The Room’s poster and DVD? Wiseau: One of the team convinced me to use this picture.

It’s with the lazy eye or whatever they call it; we call it evil man. We used the image on billboards, and lots of people thought that this is a horror picture, but it’s actually the opposite. You put a regular guy up there, and people don’t ask questions. I like it when people analyze and ask questions.

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The UWM Post

Kid Cudi’s spaceship takes a detour Self-pity is still co-pilot

By Graham Marlowe Staff Writer fringe@uwmpost.com

Cleveland’s Kid Cudi got his start like most rappers do these days: through a successful mixtape campaign (2008’s A Kid Named Cudi) and enough artist collaborations to have a demo land in the right hands (Kanye West’s in this case).

Over the last two years, Cudi’s loose theme of space exploration has made his Man On The Moon series something of a concept album for the ADD Generation. On the second installment, Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, we see talent without much innovation.

The opening track “Scott Mescudi Vs. The World” sets the tone of Cudi’s slight selfmodification. Atop a spooky, Tangerine Dream-esque synth pattern, Cudi offers a Jim Morrison-like invitation: “If it’s real to you / We can meet on the other side.”

While this may not be indicative of wide-scale change, by the second or third track it’s clear that Cudi’s pervasive “lonely stoner” motif has taken a new direction.

The rapper’s new focus

on creative sounds stunts his songwriting. It’s as if Cudi is satisfied with an album of spacey interludes and nothing else. The studio filled with blunt smoke has likely morphed his perception of craft and seems to have clouded his judgment.

However, the Philadelphia orchestral-pop of “Don’t Play This Song” and the church-y reverb and gospel stomp of “Marijuana” come off like disparate bits of autobiography, albeit inspired ones.

The studio filled with blunt smoke has likely morphed his perception of craft and seems to have clouded his judgment.

“Revofev” and “Erase Me” (feat. Kanye West) continue to suspend his pop-stardom through stylistic familiarity, but they lack the instant likability of his earlier work. In fact, once the lyrical replay

factor fizzles out, listeners realize the ’90s-rock homage is kind of hokey when Cudi spends three whole minutes explaining how popular he is.

The five “acts” of the album disguise the mixtapelike format; it flows together from section to section, but not as an album. (This is our first cue that Legend lacks the artistic vision of its predecessor.) “GHOST!” robs itself of its own strength by layering a grating quotation from Derek & The Dominoes’ classic-rock imprint “Layla,” and “These Worries” delves once again into inspired self-pity.

As much as Cudi wants us to believe he is an urban cosmonaut, this time around the only evidence for this is the music behind him. Legend has its moments but lacks the cohesion fans have come to expect. While Cudi does find new sources of confidence (note the outro, “All Along”), the album rarely transcends the character of good, mostlyforgettable rap songs.

In the end, the only thing we really discover is that Cudi – after his recent cocaine-possession charge – realizes he is a marijuana person, not a cocaine person, even though he discusses his past love affair with the latter in as much detail as the first.

Image courtesy of Universal Motown Records

A perfect balance Greater Milwaukee blues: The Imperial

By Michael Ray Assistant fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com

Images courtesy of The Imperial

“Sometimes I feel like I’m on fire / Sometimes I feel cold as a stone / Sometimes I think I got the world on a wire / But then I wake up in this house all alone,” sings The Imperial.

Any good blues song is built on passion and pain.

Life isn’t all sunshine, love isn’t all roses, and the truth isn’t all easy. Sorry folks, that’s just how it goes. People who understand that best become blues’ musicians. The rest make pop music.

The Imperial are bluesmen, instilled with a life and pulse often void in local acts.

The songs are clean, the guitar straight-addictive and the voice honest and strong enough to carry the band far beyond their Milwaukee home.

There is strength. There is focus. There is talent.

Lead singer Andy Kobelinski has managed to avoid the temptation of sounding like every other singer on the market. His sound is truly unique and his lyrics echo with clarity and depth. Guitarist Louie Pahl lays down smooth blues riffs that make everyone within earshot feel the passion and

move to the melody.

Bassist Josh Capistrant and drummer Chris Baldoni round out the group with a combination of thick, addictive rhythms and beats that form the backbone of The Imperial’s sound. There is no weakest link. Everything works.

Claiming influences ranging from Buddy Guy to Stevie Ray Vaughn, from Cream to Led Zeppelin, it is clear the band is seeking blues purity.

Formed in 2009, the group has already played multiple shows around town, in Madison and in Chicago. Their recent demo CD features four songs that serve as a perfect

introduction into the band’s sound. Claiming influences ranging from Buddy Guy to Stevie Ray Vaughn, from Cream to Led Zeppelin, it is clear the band is seeking blues purity.

“Miranda” is perhaps the catchiest song on the demo, garnering radio play on 91.7 WMSE with an upbeat melody and lyrical hook that are both familiar and refreshing. This song begs to be played at a blues festival in the middle of summer.

The toned-down “Professor Downtown” pulls listeners in with a relaxed, rhythmic guitar line before the chorus kicks in with a heavy dose of drums and energy that match the darker, drug-pusher imagery of the song.

The only downside to the disc is that four songs cannot possibly do justice to the band’s potential and talent.

Seeing the band live is the only way to see what they are capable of. This is a taste and a tease; the stage show is the real deal.

The Imperial can be found on Facebook and their website accessed from there. For the real deal, check the band out at The Elbo Room in Chicago on Dec. 19.

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Franco gets stoned again 127 Hours a brilliant masterpiece

By Casey Buchanan Staff Writer fringe@uwmpost.com

Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire) hasn’t directed a flop in his life and is known for changing the game cinematically. He is partially credited for the popularity of the heroin chic of the ’90s, and he was instrumental in redefining the zombie genre.

With 127 Hours, it seems that Boyle was intent on redefining the feel-good inspirational film, setting the bar high for films in which a single person makes the impossible possible.

What started in Rocky has been taken to a new height with 127 Hours. The film focuses on the incredible story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who was trapped in a canyon for roughly five days and is forced to amputate his own arm with a dull pocketknife in order to save himself.

James Franco (Spider-Man, Pineapple Express) is brilliant as Ralston, who sets out on a trek across the canyons of Utah without telling anyone, intending on videotaping every step of the way. Along the way he meets two college girls, Megan and Kristi. These are the last two people to see Ralston before his trapped 127 hours.

Leaving the girls and venturing again on his own, Ralston slips on a loose rock, crashes down into the can-

yon and finds himself literally trapped between a rock and a hard place. His hand is caught under a boulder that, no matter how hard he tries, cannot be budged, and Ralston must come to grips with the fact that he is going to die. Amid hallucinations and flashbacks of his life, he makes the decision to not give up on life, instead severing his own right arm and hobbling back to civilization.

Amid hallucinations and flashbacks, he makes the decision to not give up on life, severing his own right arm and hobbling back to civilization.

Boyle might have supplied the mood and the setup, but the heart of this film lies squarely on Franco’s amazing performance of Ralston resisting the urge to drift into madness or death. Boyle blurs the line between dreams and reality so perfectly that it all becomes indistinguishable, much as it must have been for Ralston. If there was ever an argument for art imitating life, this is it. Powerful filmmaking stems from powerful human beings.

Image courtesy of Cloud Eight Films

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14 December 6, 2010

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December 6, 2010 15

The benefits of eating local Community supported agriculture feeds Milwaukee

By Ashley Brandt Special to the Post fringe@uwmpost.com

The average meal travels 1,500 miles from field to table and the typical American dinner includes ingredients from a minimum of five countries other than the United States, according to the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

These “food miles” mean trains, planes and automobiles are all burning fossil fuels to deliver dinner.

Eating locally grown food prevents this wasteful travel.

Eating local is also beneficial because food grown in its natural season tastes better and is more nutritious than those ripened in a lab with a concoction of chemicals.

Keeping local farmers in business also helps to stimulate the region’s economy. Consumers who buy local increase the availability of a greater variety of produce as opposed to a few government-subsidized crops.

Wisconsin is lucky enough to have many of these family farms still growing delicious, fresh food year round.

From the city to the country, these Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs in Wisconsin produce a ready supply of vegetables, fruits, and meats in-season and are suited to each customer’s needs.

Earth Harvest Farm in Burlington, Wis. has a vegetable CSA program that provides a weekly share of fresh produce from the beginning of June through the middle of October.

The cost, which is required as

an up-front lump sum, works out to be under $30 per week.

Growing Power, an urban farm located at 55th Street and Silver Spring Drive, produces baby greens, mushrooms, various fruits, honey, herbs, fish and a variety of seasonal vegetables. While selection varies, they have fresh, local goods available year round. They have a small shop set up within their greenhouses to sell whatever is currently in season. Growing Power also provides tours of the facility and are always accepting volunteers.

Full Harvest Farm in Hartford, Wis. has a 20-week CSA program starting in June. They offer a wide variety of produce from melons to baby bok choy.

They also have pick-up sites in the metro Milwaukee area as an added convenience for members. At the sites, there is a “choice” box; if there is something you received that you don’t care for you can trade it in for something else. The cost for is roughly $20 per week for the 20-week duration.

Eating local doesn’t have to be complicated. Many local farms supply nearby stores and co-ops, so it can be as simple as checking a label to see where your food is coming from.

Many Milwaukee restaurants also feature produce from local farmers or have seasonal gardens of their own. La Merenda, Growing Power and Transfer Pizzeria, just to name a few, disclose their local providers on their menus. The flavor and nutritional value are better and customers can feel good about what they are eating.

Will Allen, founder of Growing Power.

Image courtesy of thewhofarm.org

Produce from Earth Harvest Farms. Image courtesy of farmshedcny.com

fringe

16 December 6, 2010

The UWM Post

Street Style Staying fashionable as the seasons change

By Patrice Vnük Staff Writer fringe@uwmpost.com

As the days get shorter and the temperature plummets, the biting reality of winter sets in.

Many are not concerned with appearances as they walk to class hunched against the wind

in a blizzard. Practicality often trumps those “in the name of fashion” clothes, but it’s easy to maintain your style while braving the subzero weather. Try not to over think it; aside from boots and scarves, not much extra fashion has to be transitioned from fall to winter.

Michael

Lilia Shirt: Urban Outfitters Jeans: Gap Favorite places to shop: Urban Outfitters, Value Village A cozy shirt with an aesthetically-pleasing pattern is all you need on a day when you’d much rather be drinking hot chocolate in front of a fireplace than filling in a Scantron sheet.

Post photos by Sierra Riesberg Sturdy fleece or (faux) fur-lined boots are great for trudging through snow, and their comfortable woodsy quality makes them ideal for Wisconsin winters. They aren’t just for rednecks anymore.

Although the last weeks of the semester are approaching, it doesn’t mean that fashion has to fall by the wayside. Putting

effort into your appearance can strengthen your self-esteem and boost academic performance, something we can all use during final exams. If swapping the faded high-school wrestling sweatshirt for a button-up is the best you can muster, it’s better than nothing.

These things can take time.

Shirt: Store in Quebec Jeans: Sister’s ex-boyfriend in Finland Favorite place to shop: Goodwill It doesn’t matter where you get your clothes. And it doesn’t even matter if you think they match or not. When too much thought is put into what you’re wearing, it’s immediately obvious. During the colder months, comfort and warmth are top priorities when putting an outfit together.

Denim is the perfect go-to

in terms of both classic appeal and functional purposes.

The “Texas Tuxedo,” “Canadian Jumpsuit,” or any other creative name for denim-on-denim has been avoided by mainstream society for too long. Embrace it. The shades don’t have to match; in fact, it’s better to use different washes. But if that’s just too crazy for you, try adding a belt or a patterned shirt underneath to break it up. The ease that comes with a good ol’ pair of Levi’s is incomparable, so why not wear it top and bottom?

fringe

uwmpost.com

December 6, 2010 17

Rockin’ the Cribb

So, you are thinking about making a sex tape?

By Tara Cribb Sex Columnist sex@uwmpost.com

Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Verne Troyer, 50 Cent, Collin Farrell, Leighton Meester, Paris Hilton, Jimi Hendrix, Dustin Diamond, Tonya Harding, Bob Crane, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Tate, R. Kelly – really the list could go on forever. What do these people all have in common?

Two words: sex tape.

I don’t think the entertainment world could go an entire month without hearing about another random celebrity sex tape. Whether these tapes are intentionally released or leaked to the press, our culture thrives on this crude ce-

lebrity gossip. What’s interesting is that even though we continually watch these celebrities tarnish their reputations, these idiots continue to make “private” sex tapes.

The trouble with sex tapes…

Perhaps it’s narcissistic, but I can understand why someone would have the desire to watch themselves having sex on tape.

However, there is a steep price to pay when all goes wrong.

For starters, besides the sheer humiliation of watching your crotch on YouTube, think about all the effort that goes into a good sex tape. Remember all of those low-budget home pornos that you’ve watched? I don’t

know about you, but I can’t finish one without falling over with laughter. The combination of unflattering angles and night-mode lenses reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project doesn’t exactly produce Oscar-winning footage.

making a sex tape happens to be on your to-do list, I would strongly recommend that you think carefully before saving anything onto a memory card.

The lesson to be learned here

Do you plan on running for office one day?

Do you plan on having children that may have access to

No one should be criticized for making a sex tape.

It is a risky decision, but it is your own choice. I think people should be criticized for assuming that they don’t run the chance of having it publicly exploited. I know that you don’t think your significant other would have the audacity to embarrass you, but never underestimate a pissed-off ex. So if

Try asking yourself these questions before making your sex tape:

the Internet at some point in their lives?

Would anyone even want to watch it?

Perhaps the second most humiliating thing someone could endure (next to having their sex tape leaked) is realizing no one even wants to see you caught in the act.

The UWM Post

18 December 6, 2010

“Death with dignity” Dan Crews deserves the right to die

By Jackie Dreyer Editorial Editor editorial@uwmpost.com

“Assisted suicide,” also known as “voluntary euthanasia” or “death with dignity” and commonly associated with Jack “Doctor Death” Kevorkian, has a long, controversial and intricate history – one that has now brought itself to Wisconsin.

Last Sunday, the Journal Sentinel brought the story of Dan Crews, a 27-year-old Antioch, Ill. resident, into the public eye. Crews has been a quadriplegic since age three when he was in a car accident – an accident that has left him paralyzed from the neck down, able to eat and speak, but unable to breathe on his own. A mechanical respirator breathes for him.

His day-to-day life consists of laying in his bedroom, aided by his nurses and his mother, Cheryl Crews, who lives

Shifty Looks

with him.

“I have no friends. I have no education. No education prospects. No job prospects.

I have no love prospects,” Crews told The Journal Sentinel. “All I want is to no longer to live like this.”

Due to his condition, Crews is physically unable to end his life, so he has requested to have his ventilator removed – a plea he has struggled with Wauwatosa’s Froedtert Hospital over for the past year and a half. But the hospital’s psychiatrists and mental health professionals state that they want to treat him for depression before they consider granting his request, according to his medical records.

“Crew said his desire to die stems not from his depression, but from his poor quality of life and the low odds that it will ever improve,” the Journal Sentinel writes.

Almost immediately, the 2004 movie, El Mar Adentro (The Sea Inside), comes to mind. Directed by Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar, it is based on the real-life story

of Ramón Sampedro (played

by Javier Bardem). At the age of 25, Sampedro became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in Galicia, Spain, where he had misjudged the water’s depth.

Like Crews, Sampedro was physically incapable of committing suicide on his own. He fought the Spanish government for his right to an assisted suicide for the remaining 29 years of his life – from the country’s lower courts to its higher courts to the European Commission on Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

“Ramon Sampedro was a live head on a dead body.

That’s a brutal description of full paralysis, but it’s the way he saw it,” stated a 1998 TIME article about Sampedro.

Though he was never legally granted his wish, Sampedro divided the tasks required for his suicide into small enough pieces so that no one who helped him could be convicted of assisting in his death. He passed on Jan. 12, 1998, in Boiro, Spain, of potassium cyanide poisoning.

See RIGHT TO DIE page 20

“Error” on the side of caution Do our vehicles’ safety features help or hinder us?

By John Prellwitz Automotive Columnist editorial@uwmpost.com

Dennis Simanaitis, Engineering Editor for Road & Track magazine, once suggested that the most effective device for preventing vehicular collisions would be a giant spike in the middle of the steering wheel pointed squarely at the driver’s chest. To my knowledge, that intriguing hypothesis has never been tested.

However, millions of dollars are spent each year researching and developing new accident prevention systems.

Anti-lock brakes, stability control and tire pressure monitoring systems are now standard equipment on all new vehicles.

When an accident does occur, crumple zones, dual-stage airbags, pre-tensioning seat belts and a host of other devices work together to protect the vehicle’s occupants.

There was a time when advertising a vehicle’s safety features would have doomed its sales. But now safety is one of the auto manufactures’ top marketing tools – so much so that many offer features beyond what’s mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Backup sensors and rearmounted cameras have long been a popular feature in vans and SUVs suffering from large blind spots. Many luxury vehicles can be equipped with various pedestrian-detection systems, even night vision cameras that highlight pedestrians crossing the vehicle’s path. Volvo’s new S60 even goes so far as to automatically stop the car from speeds up to 22 mph in the event of an imminent collision.

There is no doubt that these increased safety measures save lives. Deaths from vehicle collisions are down more than 16 percent since the late ’70s – impressive considering there are three times as many cars on the road today. The question now is: Have we reached a tipping point where instead of increasing safety, we are creating features that enable distracted and apathetic driving behavior?

For example, certain vehicles are now equipped with software that warns the driver when they’re drifting out of their intended lane. Some systems even provide small steering inputs that keep the vehicle centered in its lane. Does such a system protect other motorists? Or does it simply allow the driver to free up both hands to text or continue

“safely” driving at 3 a.m. when they should have stopped to rest hours ago?

This brings us back to the spike-in-the-steering-wheel idea. Would people drive their vehicles more cautiously if their cars were stripped of their safety features? I hereby present a scientifically unconfirmed anecdotal story that nonetheless supports my position on the issue.

I learned to drive in a 1992 Chevy S-10 pickup with a manual transmission, twowheel drive and no ABS. In other words, it was one of the worst possible winter vehicles from a traction perspective, but one of the best for learning how to control a vehicle at its (relatively low) handling limits.

I learned to control wheel spin, stop on ice without locking the brakes, and detect when the vehicle was about to slide and how to correct it. Would stability control have saved me when I hit black ice and spun into a field at 50 mph? Possibly. But it would have numbed my awareness of road conditions, creating a false sense of security only encouraging me to drive faster.

SUVs are an easy target, but I’ll pick on them anyway.

See SAFETY page 19

Republicans, Democrats and the 2012 election Could there be real change this next time around?

By Bennett Wolfe Special to the Post editorial@uwmpost.com

After regaining the majority in the House this past November, the Republicans have their sights set on the White House for 2012.

As President Obama’s approval ratings continue to drop, and with the economy leveled off (at best), our current president will have his work cut out for him in the 2012 campaign, leaving each side with advantages and disadvantages.

If the 2008 election taught us anything, it’s that symbolism, rhetoric and media hype are key to winning an election. Let us not forget, however, the importance of hot-button issues as well – the biggest of late are “Obama Care” and the Bush tax cuts. And, of course, there are always the heroes, villains and melodrama that are associated with mainstream U.S. politics.

For Obama to seal the deal in 2012, he’ll have to reemerge with the type of verbal vigor he displayed in 2008. However, “hope and change” will no longer cut it; the Republicans know this, and you should expect to see it exploited. (One can easily envision condescending attack ads playing off of the “hope and change” message – something to the tune of “dismissal and confusion,” perhaps – to be paid for by the Republic party.)

Speaking of dismissal and confusion, expect to see Obama’s healthcare plan and the Bush tax cuts become major talking points of the 2012 election.

Polls show that the majority of Americans are in favor of repealing the contentious health care legislation, which means the GOP will most certainly be focusing their attention on this: either forcing concessions once the new members are sworn in or putting a mirac-

ulous spin on how great the legislation is.

In regards to the Bush tax cuts, they are set to expire before the new members of Congress are sworn in.

Republicans want the current tax rates to continue as is, while Democrats want them to continue only for those earning less than “the rich.” Democrats knew of the expiration date for years and have yet to deal with it.

Regardless, plans for how proceed on this matter will be what counts in 2012.

If the 2008 election taught us anything, it’s that symbolism, rhetoric and media hype are key to winning an election.

Neither side wants taxes to increase for everyone and the Democrats currently have the numbers to win the tax-cut battle, but stalling on the issue will give the Republicans the edge. Why? If the Republicans get what they want and the Bush tax cuts are extended, it creates a perfect “straw man argument” for Obama to use in 2012: “Tax cuts for the wealthy,” “Extension of failed George Bush policy,” “Trickle-down economics.”

Can you hear it yet?

The final question for the 2012 election is this; whom do the Republicans have to pit against the mighty Obama? The answer – for right now, at least – is no one. If Obama has one major advantage coming into this election, it is that the GOP lacks any candidate could possibly dethrone

See ELECTION page 19

The UWM Post invites readers to submit Letters to the Editor, as well as perspective pieces, counter-points to previously published pieces, opinions, rants and tauntings. To be eligible for publication, letters and opinion pieces must include the author’s name and contact information. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted.

Please submit to The UWM Post office (Union EG80), or via email at letters@uwmpost.com. Please title e-mail correspondence “Letter to the Editor.” The preferred length for letters is 350 words or less. Opinions and perspective pieces should be no longer than 750 words. Deadline for outside submission is Wednesday at noon. The UWM Post reserves the right to edit or reject your submission.

December 6, 2010 19

uwmpost.com

The sound of silence Fiscal responsibility doesn’t apply to GOP

By Brian Holmes Staff Writer editorial@uwmpost.com

All indications point to a concession between President Obama and congressional Republicans that will extend the Bush tax cuts for everyone, even the wealthiest Americans, for at least another two years. Obama needs to stand strong on his previous resolve to only extend tax breaks for married couples making under $250,000 and individuals making under $200,000. In fact, he would be wise to lower these figures even more, since $200,000 a year is hardly struggling.

America has become willfully naïve to Republican double-talk.

Can anyone else feel a strong sense of déjà vu coming on? While passing themselves off as “fiscal conservatives,” the GOP continues with the Bush agenda, giving breaks to their wealthy contributors and friends at the price of increasing the national debt. Where are the cries of injustice from the fiscally responsible Tea Party Patriots, who recently turned out to vote in record numbers, sweeping conservatives back into power?

The crickets are chirping.

According to conservatives such as Rep. Michele Bachman (R-Minn.) and soon-to-be Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), it is necessary to extend Bush tax cuts for all, because it will promote economic growth.

Newsflash: these tax cuts, especially those for the wealthy, were supposed to create economic growth when Bush sold the idea to Congress and enacted it in 2002.

Everyone should know what has happened since. The only growth since then has been the growth of the national debt.

Aside from not creating economic growth, the tax cuts played a significant role in causing the largest economic downturn this country has seen since the 1930s.

Bachman, Boehner and others of their ilk have repeatedly stated that they will stand against unemployment benefit extensions, because “we cannot afford it,” yet they continue favoring an extension on tax cuts for the wealthy.

On the other hand, they believe billions of dollars in tax cuts for America’s richest is a sensible commitment.

The GOP has returned to their simple premise of lower taxes for all, especially corporations. In return, many major corporations have taken their hiring overseas, where they can exploit labor without any rules or regulations from the respective country’s government. These workers are little more than slaves that maximize profits, which is the bottom line.

American workers will not work for such ridiculously unlivable wages. That is why manufacturing jobs that once offered noncollege-educated Americans a decent living have gone to places like Mexico and China. It has little to do with lower taxes, which

only serve to allow corporations to base themselves here while paying little to nil in taxes and contributing equally as little to our local economy. So again, where are the jobs the tax cuts were supposed to create over eight years ago?

These jobs are gone forever, and any politician who says they can bring them back is lying through their teeth.

If people do not have jobs, they are not paying taxes. If they are not paying taxes, tax cuts will not benefit them. Nevertheless, many Republican politicians have made a career out of promising lower taxes. They sound like broken records, and it does nothing but benefit those on the higher end of the pay scale, while the little people still sacrifice a larger percentage of their income towards taxes.

The Verbal Vegan

Cruelty, camouflaged Population control no justification for deer hunting

By Sarah Hanneken Columnist editorial@uwmpost.com

Last week marked the end of Wisconsin’s regular gun season for hunters of white-tailed deer. According to the DNR, a total of 218,144 deer were “harvested” (wow, euphemism much?) – the

state’s second lowest yield in nearly 20 years.

As you might expect, droves of disappointed orange returned from the “wilderness,” empty-handed and fully frustrated. But for a group that is always quick to defend their deplorable sport as a charitable service to the overpopulated deer, why the disappointment? Clearly the population is, at present, not

unsustainably excessive, so shouldn’t that come as great news to these alleged altruists? So you’d think.

May I suggest that perhaps their priorities are not as noble as they’d like us to believe? Once the convenient smokescreen of “population control” dissipates, deer hunters are left showing their true colors. For most, it all boils down to one thing: entertainment.

Seriously guys, cut the crap – you’re not out there because you care deeply for the animals, you’re out

See HUNTING page 20

America has become willfully naïve to Republican double-talk.

Can anyone else feel a strong sense of déjà vu coming on?

Tax cuts for the working class are essential. They would enable lower economic classes to be able to keep their heads above water.

Ironically, these lower socioeconomic classes have been the most hurt by the Bush tax cuts and now need them to sustain themselves.

This will still do little to create jobs in a country that has quickly seen its primary employers become low-wage retail jobs. At the very least, workers can keep more of their $8-per-hour paychecks.

For the wealthy, tax cuts cannot be justified. To put it one way, why should Wal-Mart – who rakes in billions – get the same tax breaks as their workers, whom they pay such low hourly wages? These tax cuts were designed to create jobs.

No one in their right mind can argue that this has actually occurred, yet somehow an awful lot of right-wing extremists won their mid-term elections based on this fairy tale.

The puppeteers responsible for manipulating the Tea Party Movement have gotten what they wanted. The extension of tax cuts for the wealthy was on the top of their wish list because they themselves are the wealthy. They achieved their goals by playing on the fears and discontent of the working class – getting the “little people” to do their bidding while hiding in the shadows. Greed and exploitation are now being greeted by indifference and silence. Apparently, entitlement programs are OK, so long as they are not geared towards those who actually need them.

SAFETY Continued from page 18 Four-wheel drive allows the driver to accelerate in snow with the same speed and stability as if they were on

ELECTION Continued from page 18 Obama. Mitt Romney? No. Mike Huckabee? Definitely no. Sarah Palin? Highly un-

dry pavement. If 4WD also made the vehicle stop faster, that would be fine, but a 4WD vehicle takes just as long to brake as a 2WD vehicle.

The driver feels as if they have all the traction in the world and can very easily find themselves driving too

fast for conditions. Instead of making driving safer, many crash-preventing devices simply provide the inept with enough confidence to drive in inclement weather, when in reality they should have stayed home with a good book.

likely (I doubt she will even try to run). Reality shows, speaking tours and contributions from FOX News seem to amount to more than ample pay – without having “President” tacked to the beginning of one’s name.

At any rate, there is still time before the race truly starts to pick up speed. And regardless of who ends up winning, it’s likely everything will simply return to business as usual in Washington, D.C.

The UWM Post

20 December 6, 2010

False equivalency: MSNBC does not mirror FOX News The ethics of Olbermann’s campaign donations

By Joseph Kay Special to The Post editorial@uwmpost.com

On Oct. 28, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann donated $2,400 to the campaigns of Kentucky Senatorial candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords.

Though Olbermann’s twoday suspension for donating money to these three Democratic Congressional candidates is now a few weeks old, it nevertheless provides an opportunity to discuss the ethics of journalist involvement in political campaigns.

FOX News is cynical and dangerous whereas MSNBC is simply incompetent.

In response to Olbermann’s actions, MSNBC President Phil Griffin suspended him for violating a NBC News network policy that requires employees to obtain permission from management before making political contributions. In return, Olbermann apologized for all the “unnecessary drama” and spoke about the ethics of campaign donations and network rules – claiming he was not aware of the rule and that it was “probably not legal.”

The aftermath of this was plenty of right wing snickering over the belief that this was a rare piece of evidence in their long-running “liberal media” narrative. Conservatives in this country have complained about this so-called “liberal media” since the ’90s, and FOX News celebrates the fact that they are a reaction to it. This claim is absolutely absurd.

Can the entire national media truly be summed up in a single term? Perhaps, but that term should be anything but “liberal.” “Corporate,” or better yet, “boring” would be a more fitting way to describe the current status of our country’s media.

Moreover, anyone who claims FOX News is legitimately “fair & balanced” cannot be speaking seriously. FOX News is a cynical, reactionary political machine dedicated to advancing an extremely conservative agenda, and they do nothing to hide this.

In fact, when FOX News contributor Juan Williams spoke at UW-Milwaukee last spring, he said “FOX News is conservative. There’s no revelation there.”

Now FOX News apologists, including Williams, are defending the network’s opiniondriven reports by stating that the “hard news” elements of FOX – the reporters, not the hosts – are fair and unbiased.

They simultaneously discredit MSNBC, not for putting forth an opinion-driven narrative, but for doing so in a way that panders to liberals – of which Olbermann’s suspension is proof.

Let us dispel that nonsense immediately. First and foremost, yes, Olbermann donated to political campaigns and failed to disclose it.

Although this is problematic, Olbermann pointed out that if he had revealed this fact, it may have been regarded as encouragement for viewers to do the same or appeared that he was actively campaigning for those politicians. Herein lies the Catch-22 in journalists donating money to political campaigns.

The bottom line is that Olbermann hosts an opiniondriven show, and he made legal donations to three Democratic politicians. However, he did so in a way that broke a company policy and he was punished for it. He did not actively campaign for these candidates, funnel money to them through front groups or anything else that the FOX hosts routinely do.

In addition, and this really cannot be said enough, we learned that MSNBC actually has a rule about campaign donations! The notion that the FOX executives would even consider such a thing is laughable, for it would have negative effects on the narrative and the politicians, some of who are even former employees, that FOX contributes to.

In an attempt to use the FOX formula to suit their liberal market, MSNBC has unquestionably acquired a number of bad habits, but this is not a revelation. This is the same network that gave shows to both Michael Savage and Alan Keyes in 2003, attempting to steal conservative viewers away from FOX. Yet, MSNBC is still a business that reports the news, whereas FOX is a business that attempts to create the news and shape it in their favor. What it all comes down to is this: MSNBC may simply be incompetent, but FOX is distrustful and dangerous – making MSNBC the lesser of the two evils.

RIGHT TO DIE Continued from page 18 Striking about Sampedro’s story was how charming and intelligent he was – his mind so sound, in direct contrast with his body.

Individuals in this condition, like Crews and Sampedro, often grapple with this incongruity between the physical and the mental, feeling completely and utterly helpless.

In the United States today, assisted suicide is legal in only three states – Oregon, Washington and Montana – though that is not to say that the process is barrier-free. Kevorkian, as stated before, most notably marks our country’s history of assisted suicide. After he broadcast a videotape of the physician-assisted suicide of Thomas Youk, a man in the final stages of Lou Gehrig’s disease, on “60 Minutes” in November 1988, Kevorkian was charged with first-degree murder and the delivery of a controlled substance to Youk – eventually convicted of second-degree homicide.

After eight years and two a half months in prison, Kevorkian was paroled for good behavior in June 2007

HUNTING Continued from page 19 there in your ridiculous fluorescent garb because you think it’s fun. Whether it’s simply an opportunity for you to socialize with the guys or if you really get off watching innocent deer collapse at your will, the point is it’s just another form of animal exploitation disguised as recreation, even benevolence.

Yet of all the meat-eaters out there, these construction-cone-colored outdoorsmen are among the more “humane” of the bunch. I find it fascinating when people get all up in arms about deer hunting, and then go off and eat a cheeseburger from a cow that was treated far more poorly than the deer strapped to the hood of Ted Nugent’s truck. (Don’t get me wrong, Ted Nugent is a dick. Hell if I’d want my eating habits to be worse than his.) So if you’re against deer hunting and still eat meat, I strongly encourage you to reflect on that a bit. A cow or pig is no more deserving of death than a deer.

Now, it is the case that, in some areas of the country, deer populations have reached unsustainable levels. (Bear in mind, however, that humans are fully to blame for these unnatural numbers in the first place.)

That fact aside, it’s a problem that has to be dealt with – both for the wellbeing of the deer and for the humans that have encroached upon their land. Unsustainably large deer populations may lead to food scarcity and

and to this day, remains a right-to-die activist at the age of 82. He is famous for having repeatedly said that he never helped a patient to cause death, but instead to end suffering.

I can honestly say that if I were in Crews or Sampedro’s position, I would wish for the same right. Whether one is a quadriplegic, terminally ill or what have you, everyone deserves the right to die when their health and their life have reached a place where they no longer feel it is worthwhile to be kept alive by family, nurses, machines and medicines galore.

Reread Crews’ quote from above. He does not have a career. He does not have a social life. He does not have a love life. He is stuck in a bedroom, day after day after day. He cannot enjoy and appreciate all the little things we, as able-bodied beings, take for granted – for instance, the sun warming our faces and the sand beneath our toes as we walk along Lake Michigan’s beach on a beautiful day. Take a moment to reflect if a life without all the simple pleasures sounds like something you would be content with.

The Journal Sentinel writes, “Yet stories like Crews’ are troubling to disability rights activists. They

argue his quality of life doesn’t have to be inherently bad; rather, they say, society doesn’t provide the resources for Crews and others to live a satisfying life.”

My question is: what resource could possibly be provided to someone in Crews’ condition? I have wracked my brain trying to think of something – anything – that could even begin to make a person destined to the confines of their bedroom, due to accident or illness, feel as if they were not missing out on, well, life. I’ve got nothing.

Assisted suicide, of course, with restrictions and stipulations in some instances, is legal, considered to be legal or allowed, in a number of countries across the globe, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. It is time for the United States to, at the very least, decriminalize physician-assisted suicide, so people like Crews can have control over one aspect of their lives – their happiness, by no longer having to live a life dominated by their disease or condition.

Death with dignity must be an option.

starvation, higher incidence of disease (such as Chronic Wasting Disease) and higher incidence of deer-vehicle collisions. The question then becomes: How do we go about correcting this population crisis in the most humane way possible?

Not with guns or bows, I can tell you that.

contraceptives work is fascinating. The vaccine contains a molecule known as porcine zona pellucida, which inhibits the fusion of the sperm and the egg, thus preventing fertilization. This compound is found naturally in the ovaries of pigs (a slaughterhouse byproduct), but researchers at the Humane Society of the United States are working on a synthetic form of the molecule, thereby eliminating the need to use pigs’ reproductive organs.

A synthetic form of PZP is the only acceptable solution, since exploitation of one animal in an attempt to save another is not a solution at all. The PZP vaccine has already proven very successful in the management of wild horse and deer populations across the United States and elephant populations in South Africa.

While hunting or culling may provide faster results, these lethal methods are only a short-term fix and just perpetuate the annual cycle of killing. We must remember that most wildlife overpopulation problems were created over many years and that quick solutions are neither rational nor are they fair to the wildlife whose plights are entirely our doing.

And hey, all is not lost for those who would desperately miss dressing up as neon carrots and sitting in trees like VC snipers. You could always volunteer with the EPA and do much the same thing – you’d just be packing birth control instead of bullets. Or would that just exacerbate the masculinity issues you were trying to overcome in the first place?

Once the convenient smokescreen of “population control” dissipates, deer hunters are left showing their true colors.

Since the 1990s, research into non-lethal methods of population control has been escalating. The majority of this research has been put into the development of remote-delivery contraceptives – birth-control injections that can be administered through a small dart, eliminating the need to capture and restrain the animal for vaccination. This method of fertility control, commonly referred to as immunocontraception, has no side effects and is relatively cheap compared to some of the earlier, steroid-based cervid contraceptives.

The way these immuno-

December 6, 2010 21

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The UWM Post is hiring for the Spring semester. The following jobs are available: Assistant Sports Editor Advertising Executive (2) Please send a cover letter and resume to Kurt, at kraether@uwmpost.com if you are interested.

The UWM Post

22 December 6, 2010

PRIMAL URGES

PRIMALURGES@UWMPOST.COM

ANDREW MEGOW

Pet of the Week Prince (A.K.A. Print Lab) Printer is a tiny little poodle pup. He enjoys preening, prowling, and screen printing. His favorite car is the classic 2007 Volkswagon Rabbit (red paint job). His friends claim him to be a hybrid animal, as he has the fur coat of a bear, the heart of a lion, and the talons of a phoenix.

CORPORATE HORROR

JOSEPH KUENZLE

Send us photos of your pet, with its name and a little about them to petoftheweek@uwmpost.com.

December 6, 2010 23

uwmpost.com

Sudoku INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the squares so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 exactly once.

©2010 Jonas Wittke

Solution found on page 4

THE UWM POST CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Cleans the floor 5 Dairy drink 9 Dairy drinks 14 Revise 15 Medley 16 Get up 17 Form of off-road cycle racing 19 Chill out 20 Character in The Matrix (with “The”) 21 Foot care and treatment 23 Leafy vegetable 25 ____ deferens 26 Impudent 29 CNN show from 1982 to 2005 35 Piece of neckwear 36 Singer Bareilles 38 Stopped moving 39 The Hawkeye State 41 Type of hotel room 43 Abominable Snowman 44 Chevy Chase film 46 Standard 48 Singer’s device 49 Dalmatian’s hangout, maybe 51 Resource 53 Creative work 54 Offensive term for a promiscuous person 56 Blue hue 61 (To) exact satisfaction for 65 Atmosphere layer 66 Cleaning and cooking 68 Revolve around, as in planets 69 Initial stake 70 Dueling sword 71 Remains 72 ____ Beer (non-alcoholic brew) 73 Morning moistures

1

2

3

4

5

14

6

9

18

23

24

28

29

35

36

39

40

44

30

Godoku INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the squares so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the following letters exactly once: R, I, O, Z, D, A, T, P, E. One row or column will reveal a hidden word!

31

32

33

34

63

64

38 42

43

46

47

50

51

53 58

13

22

37

45

57

12

25

41

49

11

19 21

27

10

16

20

56

8

15

17

26

7

54

59

60

48 52

55 61

62

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

Jonas Wittke, 2010

DOWN 1 Note 2 Smell 3 Pocket bread 4 Corporate shares 5 Elusive mushroom 6 International Labour Organization, for short 7 Speech impediment 8 Disputed territory in the Balkans 9 Mischa, on The O.C. 10 Region 11 Cheerful tune 12 Russian ruler 13 Appealing 18 Aiken and others 22 One of Santa’s reindeer 24 Beige 26 Corpse 27 Mayonnaise, basically 28 Subterranean conduit 30 Pours

31 Travel by air 32 Objects 33 Fix shoelaces 34 Legal proclamation 37 No longer asea 40 Dined 42 Foot digits 45 Swiss mountain cottages 47 Lavender lilac color 50 Beehive State denizen 52 Like some canned tomatoes 55 Word before beam or tag 56 Not warm 57 Band Better Than ____ 58 Steals (from) 59 Apartment 60 Not any 62 Uh-uh 63 Harvested 64 Stretches 67 Certain American Indian solution found on page 4

©2010 Jonas Wittke

Solution found on page 4

In-word

THIS WEEK’S IN-WORD: AVIATOR

INSTRUCTIONS: Find as many words as possible using only the letters from this week’s IN-WORD. Words must be four or more letters long.

Slang words, proper nouns, and contractions are not permitted. Only one form of a verb is permitted. Words that become four or more letters by the addition of “s” are not permitted.

Can you find 11 or more words in “AVIATOR?”

©2010 Jonas Wittke

Solution found on page 4

24 December 6, 2010

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