Walker’s Lone Twin /06 The Weekly Student Magazine of the University of Minnesota
West Bank Attractions /12 PLUS
Letters to Wakie / Album Reviews / and more 24-31 January 2007
Editorial/ Editor-in-Chief Jenny Odegard
Managing Editor Eric Price
Athletics Editor Craig Rentmeester
Campus Editor Sarah Howard
Literary Editor Jacob Duellman
Sound & Vision Editor Kristen Mueller
Voices Editor Nathaniel Olson
Editorial Assistants Alyssa Cogan, Dan Olmschenk, Lyndsey Danberry
Senior Staff Writers Elizabeth Autwes, Rachel Drewelow
PRODUCTION/ Production Manager Jeremy Sengly
Art Director Sam Soule
Photography Editor Ethan Stark
Web Editor Luke Preiner
Copy Editors Kelly Frush, Erin Lavigne, Rachel Levitt, Tammy Quan, Morgon Mae Schultz
Graphic Designers Dave Hagen, Eric Price, Becki Schwartz, Jeremy Sengly, Krista Spinti
BUSINESS/ Advertising Executive Now hiring!
Office Manager Elizabeth Keely Shaller
Advertising Intern Tyler Jones
Public Relations Director Cassie Benson
Distributors Rachel Levitt, Dan Olmschenk, Luke Preiner
Public Relations Interns Marlys Huismann, Alison Traxler, Julie Veternick
THIS ISSUE/ Cover Artist Alex Judkins Illustrators Dave Hagen, Alex Judkins, Jeremy Sengly Photographers Matt Holland, Michelle Rossignol, Ethan Stark
Contributing Writers Carl Carpenter, Gwendolyn Danfelt-Martin, Janessa Dohse, Nick Gerhardt, Dave Hagen, Ali Jaafar, Dr. Kawgswarthe, Kristen Mueller, Eric Price, That Bird Outside the Window
/5:15 Š2006 The Wake Student Magazine. All rights reserved. Established in 2002, The Wake is a weekly independent magazine produced by and for the students of the University of Minnesota. The Wake is a registered student organization.
The Wake Student Magazine 1313 5th St. SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 (612) 379-5952 • www.wakemag.org The Wake was founded by Chris Ruen and James DeLong.
Dear Readers, The last few elections were decided based upon who could pay to show us the most attack ads, complimented by small kernels of biased information from the press. But this time around, there seems a chance that more direct information will get to masses. That’s right, information. You might remember it from school, or the instruction manual for your clock radio.
West Bank/12 Sound & Vision/04 VOICES/08 Letters/11 PHOTOGRAPHY/14 CAMPUS/16 ATHLETICS/18 LITERARY/20 BASTARD/22
As geeky as ever, surfing the Internet for news on Saturday morning, I stumbled upon Hillary Clinton’s presidential intentions announcement video. A calculating and clever politician, Hillary seems determined to win, even if it means – gasp – talking to the public and answering their questions. She promises to be one of the only people elected in our beloved representative political system that actually intends to represent the people who vote for her. And the best part is that it will all be documented via videoconferences, and presumably will be made available on YouTube. The Clintons have outsmarted us before, don’t forget about the time that Bill managed to raise his approval ratings while he was being impeached. I do not deny that I am liberal, nor that I am majoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, and that these factors may contribute to why I am enjoying this so much. However, as a lover of the news and a consumer of the media, I see this promise to engage in a serious dialogue with the public as a concept that can revolutionize the way that citizens can affect the political system. And this brings me to my point, at last. This space where we exchange ideas and information and opinions should not be limited to hillaryclinton. com. This a reminder that The Wake wants your letters. Starting this week, the letters section will open back up, inviting anyone with concerns or criticism or something to get off their chest to write in. Instead of having to read Eric and I all the time, you can read each other as well. This week, we are printing a series of postcards to Wakie, the mascot manifestation of our logo. Thanks, Hal, from North Carolina, for your thoughts and concerns. Jenny Odegard Editor-in-Chief
Sound & Vision/
Covering the World in Spandex Lone Twin: Nine Years, at The Walker Art Center By Kristen Mueller
04/24–31 January 2007
\ Sound & Vision
Nine is a tumultuous age, lying (or flailing or screaming) between childhood and adolescence. It’s a time when we leave “the sweet, dreamlike world of early childhood,” and become conscious of our bodies and their surroundings, according to the Waldorf education founder Rudolf Steiner. For performance art mavericks Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan, nine years is how long they’ve been traveling the globe, recording their encounters, and dressing as blindfolded cowboys to line dance for 12 hours straight. (More on that later.) The duo, who go by “Lone Twin,” were commissioned to perform at art-houses in Belgium, Australia and Canada, to name just a few countries these longhaired Brits invaded. Upon arrival in a foreign land, they often spent the day riding around on foldable bicycles, collecting material for the night’s show. Other times a “show” lasts for days, like when they decided to lug a telephone pole across a Norwegian town—in a straight line, despite the shops, gardens and homes built in their path. Or it lasts for hours, like when they walked back and forth across a bridge, talking with townsfolk who would join them for a few minutes or an entire night. And then there’s the blindfolded line dancing, an act Lone Twin performed in venues as diverse as an alley and town square. With neither sight nor music to guide them, Winters and Whelan depended on the sound of each other’s footfalls to stay in-synch. The act was conceived to test the stereotype of the strong, heroic cowboy, by dressing in wide-legged pants, fringe-laden vests and cowboy hats and pushing their bodies to the point of exhaustion, a point where even one simple line dance could cause them to crumble. On the weekend of January 12, 2007, Lone Twin landed on the McGuire Theater’s stage in the Walker Art Center, entertaining audiences with “Nine Years,” a 90-minute reflection on almost a decade of travels, people, stories and landscapes. “Look at me. Take a great big look at me,” began a monologue repeated throughout the show. Except for the bandana tied around Winters’s neck, he’s dressed as a cyclist in black, red and blue spandex, biking gloves and a cap with the bill upturned. “I should be out there. Where the world happens,” he says. “Where people bump into each other on the street, say ‘Would you like to go out for a cappuccino?’ and then get married.” Lone Twin has earned acclaim since 1997, when they bought a box of donuts (for Winters’s sweet-tooth), boarded a ship and set sail. Winters’s plan was to “Watch the world go by and record what I see in these notebooks.” Whelan’s was to watch the first series of Ally McBeal (and later Sex and the City). “They come from England. Bewildered, hopeful, dogged,” warned a review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Other reporters have called them “unabashed and droll,” with “salon-fresh Chuck Norris looks,” and the Scottish Herald described their work an “elegiac salute to the dreams that tease and elude us.” In “Nine Years,” that dream is sometimes an escape from the drudgery of working life.
michele rossignol
“Do I look happy? Is this happiness? This isn’t happiness. This, my friend, is shittiness,” Winters states, matterof-factly, as his monologue becomes increasingly frantic. “There should be more than this job. More than this halflife … I should be a singer (‘hmm’ he hums), or a dancer.”
“I should be out there. Where the world happens,” he says. “Where people bump into each other on the street, say ‘Would you like to go out for a cappuccino?’ and then get married.” “Children of [nine] develop a sense of self and find it important to gain social acceptance and experience achievement,” says the National Network for Child Care. This is true of Lone Twin’s more conceptual performance pieces as well. “We’re interested in creating this social space where people can join in and be part of the work,” Winters says after the show. Sometimes they succeed—like when Lone Twin led a flock of bikers through Philadelphia’s streets. Sometimes, they fail—like when Lone Twin spent 12 hours holding hands on a bridge in the Quebec province, hoping passersby would grab their free hands. Nine hours in, Winters turned a video camera on himself and said, “I think things will get better from this point.”
Throughout the show, Winters and Whelan’s voices sometimes boomed, sometimes whispered, and once sang a Beatles tune. But always their presence could be felt as strongly as if a cast of characters stood by their sides. Winters quoted Herman Melville and adapted Walt Whitman (“I think heroic deeds are all conceived on the open road”). Whelan relayed the lore of the British money spider, an eight-legged creature that is said to get caught in the earth’s rising thermal columns, float to the jet stream, and shoot across the Pacific to land outside Las Vegas. The stage was fairly bare. On its right stood a music stand decorated in peacock feathers and a rainbow-striped ribbon. On its left stood a long table draped in cloth and another music stand, taller and decorated with a giant flower, cattails, and a British flag. Against the back curtain hung a giant screen that announced each act (there were nine), and played video of a spider stumbling across a hand, the landscape seen from trains and bicycles, and footage of their previous stunts, including the time Lone Twin decided to make clouds by trekking through a city in layers of clothing before asking the locals to toss buckets of water onto their bare, heated skin. Careful to balance the whimsical with the realistic, Lone Twin also told the story of Phillipe, a waiter newly arrived in Melbourne, who felt lost in his new city and confessed his anguish to Winters and Whelan. “It’s easier to tell things to strangers sometimes,” Whelan says after the show.
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\ Sound & Vision Reviews
SOAM 5 Live performances from Radio K By Carl Carpenter This compilation from the University of Minnesota’s very own radio station, Radio K, is all across the board. It’s a fine indication of just how lucky we are here in the blessed cities of twin, as it features many hometown favorites. We’ve got it all and we’ve got it in quality proportions. Every genre is represented here, even those you’d least suspect. There are a couple of really cool electronica-type songs on the album. The first being by Digitata, called “Digitata 4 Ever.” Though I prefer one of their other songs, “Bangin’ Jessica Alba,” a bit more, it’s tough to argue with either. Another danceable track by a female fronted outfit is “Dead Disco” by Metric. Front woman of Metric, Emily Haines, is not the only Canadian on the disc as The Most Serene Republic contribute their beautifully sung, grunted, and clapped song, “Proposition 61.” “Incontestable” and “completely genuine” are the best words to describe Minneapolis’s Hip Hop status. Kanser and Sims do an adequate job of holdin’ it down for their hometown with quality performances on “Travlin” and “15 Blocks.” Duluth bluegrass crew Trampled by Turtles speed things up on “Codeine,” which they tend to do when playing the usually slower song live. The angelic beauty of Haley Bonar’s voice is ever apparent on “Captain, Captain” from her newest album. And Spaghetti Western String Co. keep things interesting with “Ernestine’s Waltz,” which made me feel like I was in turn of the century Paris. I highly recommend everyone check out this compilation CD; you might find yourself a new favorite band.
The Shins Wincing the Night Away By Carl carpenter The 3rd album from this Portland based quartet is a step in several new directions, and several steps in the direction of pop sensible brilliance. Wincing the Night Away will leave you prone to a great deal of smiling and swaying from side to side. With the 2001 release of Oh, Inverted World, the Shins enjoyed some notoriety and critical appreciation. Two years down the road, the Shins released an intriguing blend of ’60 pop rock and folky country entitled Chutes Too Narrow. In 2004, with the movie Garden State they really hit it big, attracting new audiences they never could’ve expected. With two songs off their first album on the successful soundtrack and a healthy portion of on-screen dialogue devoted to their praising (done so by the average guy’s goddess, Natalie “I can even look cute when I’m bald” Portman), it was inevitable. With such great anticipation for this album, many wondered if they could handle the pressure as well as they did on their sophomore effort. The Shins easily put those questions to rest on what is likely to be the finest release of the new year. Front man James Mercer hasn’t the most powerful, nor the most soulful of voices, but the man can croon. Just like the street corner groups of old, he’s always right on time. The lyrics are as good as ever, always serving their purpose, whether it be to conjure memories of love gone lost –“Turn On Me”–, or to dare you to embark upon new ventures of such -“Sea Legs”. The album’s true splendor, however, is found in the band’s willingness to take the risk of sounding different and it paid off. Opening track “Sleeping Lessons” blows the doors open and sets the tone. You feel as though you’re dreaming underwater as a scale climbing vibraphone takes you from shore. The song builds to a triumphant conclusion and leaves any honest listener in its wake with a sense of exhilaration. Other favorites with new sounds include the can’t miss sing-a-long “Phantom Limb” which boasts background banjo, “Sea Legs” with its flute intro and its Beck-like strings, and “Red Rabbits” with features that sounds to me like wood blocks dueling rain drops as percussion. I give it an 8.8 out of 10 on Carl’s, less elitist than Pitchfork and more consistent than Rolling Stone, scale of review.
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Voices/
Science Fiction Comes to Life, Gattaca Style The Wake looks in to designer babies BY Gwendolyn Danfelt-Martin Shortly after Christmas, my sister gave birth to her second baby girl. She and her husband are happy parents and very proud of their two girls, but they don’t plan to have any more children. That is, they will never be able to experience having a boy. If they had been given the chance, I imagine they would have gone for it. But wait, duh, it’s the 21st century. We can already do that.
Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis, or PGD, allows prospective parents to screen their embryos for genetic diseases, choose the gender of the child and soon choose more characteristics, from stature to eye color to deafness (often a sought-after quality by deaf parents). Sweet! By the time most of us 20-something college students are ready to settle down and have a family, we’ll be able to design our babies from top to bottom and create perfect little families a la Gattaca, a film about a futuristic, genetically-enhanced world where babies are designed with the best qualities in mind and life-expectancy is determined at birth.
so it is intelligent, attractive, strong, creative … the list goes on. The stereotypes in my mind run away from me as I imagine a sports-loving father who just wants a son he can play catch with, coach in Little League, and watch in college football games. So he spends the money, gets a son and … oops, the kid has no interest whatsoever in throwing a ball around. Would the father resent his child for not being what he ordered? Would he sue the fertility clinic that promised the child of his dreams? Crazier lawsuits have happened.
If PGD remains available and expands its ability to choose characteristics of babies, there will be people who will want to abuse the system and choose everything for their child so it is intelligent, attractive, strong, creative … the list goes on. While we’re imagining the future consequences of a world where PGD is commonly used, let’s go back to the practice of screening for serious genetic diseases. Embryos that carry genes, say, with an increased risk of breast cancer, are discarded. If this became a common practice, it would
lead me to believe that down the road, breast cancer would be simply removed from the gene pool. But unless we completely conquer evolution, new and unknown diseases will arise to take its place, and they could be even scarier. Then there is the never-ending issue of money: who has it, who doesn’t and what that means for different parts of the population. The high cost of a procedure like PGD keeps it out of reach for a large percentage of the population. Do we want the gap between the rich and the poor widened by the fact that the rich can buy genetically altered children who have a better chance of survival from the get go? Society is already unbalanced and unfair to poorer children once they enter the world, but to create disadvantages at the embryo stage is a whole new level of inequality. Dear Reader, if this issue fascinates you as much as it did me, do a little of your own research. There are many facets of this issue that I didn’t mention here, from family balancing in different cultures, for example, in countries where boys are more valued than girls, to the safety and reliability of PGD and other techniques to the possibility of PGD partly replacing adoption. Why get someone else’s when you can design your own? Better yet, ask your parents what they think. Their answers might surprise you. Most people will do anything for their child’s happiness and success in life, but how far will we go?
Sarcasm aside, the ethical questions alone make this issue a big one. While screening for fatal genetic diseases seems like a wonderful advancement in modern science, it still could be seen as messing with Nature. Or God. I heard a story on National Public Radio about a couple who spent thousands of dollars on the PGD procedure to remove any embryos with a rare genetic disease that had killed their first child. Though costly and time consuming, the woman exclaimed that they would have as many children “as God wants to give us.” But is God giving her these PGD children, or is modern science? I’m not writing about this to take a religious stance, but it is a component of the ethical question. Despite its being around for the past decade, PGD is not commonly performed. A small number of families use it or similar methods to screen for genetic diseases that run in the family, or choose to select a girl, say, in a family that already has four boys. It has not become enough of an issue to warrant federal regulations, according to www. bioethics.gov, which states, “There is now no direct regulation of either PGD or sperm sorting as such.” Just as well, because then we would be onto another tough ethical question: does the government have the right to regulate our bodies and personal choices in that way? In the UK, for example, they say yes, and have banned use of PGD for gender selection, though it can still be used for medical reasons. As I see it, where there are users, there will be abusers. Just as there are those who like a glass of wine with dinner, others prefer to drink until they pass out. If PGD remains available and expands its ability to choose characteristics of babies, there will be people who will want to abuse the system and choose everything for their child
08/24–31 January 2007
jeremy sengly
Always Crashing in the Same Car Prevalent positive stereotyping demonstrates vast ignorance
It won’t. And even worse, it keeps us from understanding people who are minorities as individuals. Just like negative stereotypes, “positive” stereotypes shut us off from one another and reduce our cultural interaction and understanding to what we see on television. But what does this have to do with Crash? Answer: everything. In the race to show just how progressive and modern we (as a nation) are, Crash was awarded an Oscar for best picture. It received an unending stream of praise not only for its technical and artistic merits, but also for its “gritty, realistic” portrayal of race relations in America. Crash was seen as a brave film that “took on” people’s perceptions of race. In reality, it was sociological comfort food. People could feel good about themselves because they enjoyed a movie that featured a Hispanic man with a heart of gold, a black man with a heart of gold and an evil white cop … who is eventually revealed to have a heart of gold.
BY Ali Jaafar If you want to see what high school kids know about history, start judging debate rounds. If you want to see what college kids think about race relations, sit in on Journalism 1001. I was discussing the Danish cartoon fiasco in the aforementioned class when one of my classmates decided to point out that there is such a thing as a “Moderate Muslim,” a genteel creature who apparently never gets offended and welcomes all facets of American culture with open arms. Another student applauded Grey’s Anatomy for featuring a black man in a position of power. Some brave souls were even intrepid enough to claim that the media doesn’t perpetuate stereotypes. And everybody agreed that Crash was like the civil rights movement put to film and shown on a projector operated by Malcolm X. So what gives? Is there a problem when everyone’s talking favorably? The dilemma is realized when one notices that, as demonstrated by these comments, people are fine with perpetuating stereotypes when they don’t know they’re doing it. But does the inane positive connotation make up for the insult? Stereotypes are generalizations that people make about others based upon their race, religion, background or other beliefs and practices. We’re all conscious of destructive stereotypes and do a decent job of avoiding them. For example, most people would think twice before claiming that black people are inherently more violent. This is because the moral and logical errors are pretty clear, as is the harmful effect of such rhetoric. The downsides of “positive” stereotypes, on the other hand, are much less clear. Most people are completely fine with saying things like “Asians are good at math” or “black people are more street smart.” And why shouldn’t they be? These comments only seem to confer an advantage upon individuals of a certain race. But we mustn’t forget that a stereotype is a stereotype. Whether it’s positive or negative, pigeonholing people based upon our superficial impressions is always a bad thing. The ultimate test of progress for us as a society is how we view people. Do we see each person individually, or do we regard them as part of a collective whole? Often, we view people as “the Chinese guy,” “the Mexican,” “the Arab,” “the Jew,” as if these classifications tell us something about that individual as a person. Far too often, we choose to glorify minorities as if the act will rectify the racism and structural violence committed against others of their kind on a daily basis.
These portrayals only serve to reinforce racism. Crash doesn’t respect its characters and outright refuses to portray them realistically. The Hispanic man, for example, is shown as morally pure and flawless except for his appearance and low socioeconomic status. The African-American characters are caricatures that spout predictable one-liners and “get nice” at precisely the right moments. Crash makes the audience feel good about society because it seems to say, “See? Minorities can be nice, just like you and me!” It doesn’t try to advance a dialogue about racism or portray society realistically. It tries, unsuccessfully, to counteract negative stereotypes with positive stereotypes.
Whether it’s positive or negative, pigeonholing people based upon our superficial impressions is always a bad thing. The student’s comment about Grey’s Anatomy shows how this kind of rhetoric affects us. Instead of viewing the black character as just another doctor, he is seen as a “black man in a position of power.” At the end of the day, we can all feel great about this and go back to reading our copies of Roots. If you want to see a film that gets race right, watch City of God. The main character is a normal, decent black kid, but not perfect. He gets put into a lot of difficult situations, as do his pan-ethnic peers, and sometimes he does the right thing; sometimes he doesn’t. He is not an inordinately pure caricature. In many senses, he is real and very much an individual person, portrayed outside of consideration for his skin color. Of course, reality doesn’t always enter into the equation. The comment about “Moderate Muslims” serves as proof. Are people’s perceptions so far off that either you’re a flag-burning extremist or a deferential cow? I think that the Danish cartoons were highly offensive and wrong, but I’m not burning any embassies. Where does that put me? As we move into what some commentators have called the “P.C. age,” modern Americans face a problem: not only do we have a moral obligation to fight transparent and explicit racism, but we must lead the charge against implicit racism. If we are ever to advance, we have to start viewing people as people, not races and religions. We have to learn to let our experiences inform our views of others, not television and movies. And for God’s sake, don’t ever mention Crash again. Ever.
\Voices
Photo Poll
by Matt Holland
If you were having a child would you want to choose its sex, and why or why not? No, I would want to be suprised. KELSEY MUPHY
Global Studies Junior
Yes, I would want a boy, because girls have feelings. GREG HOLMES
Economics Junior
No, because I am a gamblin’ man. RICH BENSON
Economics Senior
No, I don’t think I should have that power. JJ GLOVER
Biology/Poli Sci. Senior
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\ Letters
letters@wakemag.org 1313 5th St. SE, Suite 331, Minneapolis, MN 55414
12/24–31 January 2007
You Think You Know, but You Have No Idea
Eight reasons The Wake loves the West Bank By Eric Price and Dave Hagen
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The Wienery I’ve come to quite appreciate the irony of actually having to use a greasy spoon at this West Bank staple. Really, Al’s Breakfast has nothing on the hole-in-the-wall that is the Wienery, both in terms of grime and quality. While the specialty is obviously the Chicago-style hot dogs, breakfast food is where the Wienery shines—and it’s dirt-cheap, too. Mitch Stop by Palmer’s and order a “Kool-Aid drink” from Mitch (the bartender with a cancer tattoo on his neck). Get lucky and he may upgrade you to a pint glass free of charge. And while you may fancy yourself quite the boozer, this drink will still probably leave you naked on the St. Paul campus. The Hideously Deformed Hobo Who Occasionally Wears a Paper Bag on His Head I wish I were joking. While normally bagless to collect sympathy and the subsequent change, if you’re lucky, you’ll witness one of the most surreal sights on the West Bank. (And that’s saying something.) The Bagel Truck That Gangsters Hate Who says taggers don’t have a sense of humor? Their most frequent target is an Einstein Brothers bagel truck that has, over the course of the past year, been slowly destroyed beyond recognition with elaborate balloon letters and rocks through the windows. In fact, just a few nights ago, I caught a glimpse of someone whom I can only assume is frequent tagger “Ensue” letting the air out of the tires with a maniacal grin.
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Terrifyingly Ethnic Cafes Stereotypes be damned; the only thing more confusing than how to order and pay for your food is figuring out what exactly it consists of. Perhaps the only area in which the West Bank is as dangerous as it’s made out to be.
Broken English Signs The area’s large population of recent Somali immigrants has resulted in quite a few unintentionally hilarious signs. A personal favorite is “Please not stand here. NO HANG AROUND.”
The Viking Bar R.I.P. With rumors of a buyout after years of neglect, hopefully the best bar on the West Bank will be reopening soon.
Carlson School of Management Ok, not really. But stop by on weekends dressed like a corporate asshole and score free food courtesy of D’Amico and Sons.
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Ethan Stark
14/24–31 January 2007
Photo contest Win a Holga
Send submissions and questions to Ethan Stark at estark@wakemag.org by Feb 8th
(These pictures were taken with a Holga camera)
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Campus/
Is Marijuana the New Oil? Café Scientifique explores the economics behind one of the world’s most popular plants By Carl Carpenter It’s the most controversial plant in existence and a subject with no clear right or wrong. Some believe the topic is completely taboo. Others find it absurd that there is any controversy at all. Your church youth leaders might like you to think of it as poison for both the body and soul, and your school administrators fashion it as the fast track to ruining your life. Ricky Williams thought it was worth walking away from fortunes in the NFL. And one of the’08 presidential front-runners, Barack Obama, is an admitted former user. One set of parents will send you straight to boot camp for coming home with a pair of red eyes and a smoky sweatshirt while another will recognize it as simply a part of growing up. Whatever your opinion, Café Scientifique: The Cannabis Controversy, was an event welcoming and ready to inform. The lecture/discussion led by George Weiblen took place at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown. The walls were hidden by red drapes and dark shadows cast from the unique arrangement of lights. There were tables in the middle of the floor and couches and sofa chairs on the sides. The floors were sleekly adorned with exotically patterned rugs. The faces of the excited audience were lit by the soft light of the evenly dispersed, mood-setting lamps. The crowd shuffled in at an appropriate pace, old bones considered. We were all greeted pleasantly by the distinct melodies of Simon and Garfunkel, and the soft beauty of the Kings of Convenience. Weiblen is a graduate of Reed College in Portland and earned his Ph.D at Harvard University. His presentation started with a brief history of the plant, Cannabis sativa. He covered topics ranging from Utah’s involvement as the first state to pass a
16/24–31 January 2007
law against it to Thomas Jefferson’s promotion of hemp, which was a continued theme in government through World War II. This transitioned into our current problem, which is the inability to distinguish between hemp and marijuana. Once deep into this issue, Weiblen began to intensify his presentation, both in terms of his own delivery and the elevated choice of words. He reeled off all the different uses for hemp: it’s sturdier and easier to process than cotton, easier to produce than current paper and in many ways superior, and it’s a renewable resource for oil-based plastics. Yet due to the fact it is quite difficult for the police to distinguish hemp from marijuana, we can’t use it. Since the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, all hemp products have had to be foreign imports.
Due to the fact it is quite difficult for the police to distinguish hemp from marijuana, we can’t use it. Despite the fact that I am the only kid in my hall not taking some form of an economics class, I felt I had comprehended all this to the fullest. It wasn’t until Weiblen started tossing out words like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidol (CBD), and glandular trichomes that things began to get a touch hazy. Basically, he explained how the THC-to-CBD ratio is directly proportional to how funny your friends are and how mind-blowing that guitar solo really just was. In marijuana, the percentage of THC to CBD is far greater than one, but in hemp it is less than one. He compared a type of marijuana from Holland (I believe you know which city), called Skunk #1, to some hemp from Minnesota and Canada. The Skunk #1 was 7.08 percent THC and 0.02 percent CBD while the hemp from Minnesota was 0.11 percent THC and 1.31 percent CBD. He also talked about the steps several states have taken to begin decriminalizing marijuana use. The punishment in Minnesota for being caught with 42.5 grams or less has been lowered to a $200 fine with a potential drug education class to follow. Even the ever conservative state of North Dakota is making strides. It was reported just last week that
dave hagen
North Dakota will make a serious effort to persuade the United States Congress to repeal the anti-hemp law. They see it as a cash crop, which could be vital. Weiblen was unable to mask his growing frustrations when discussing the inability for those in his field to receive funding. C. sativa, undeterred by its illegal status, is by far our country’s greatest cash crop (a $35 billion a year industry). How can a plant of such enormous impact go almost completely unstudied? Six years ago, when Jesse Ventura was in office, things were moving in the direction of studying marijuana. “There was legislation proposed to increase funding back then,” Weiblen says, “and we’re starting to head back in that direction again. Things are being proposed that weren’t possibilities two years ago. There are big businesses that are getting out of oil … that could mean some really big things.” Considering our dependency on foreign oil is a problem with both economic and national security implications, the hemp issue could become a more serious contender. I was really looking for a more candid discussion. After the applause subsided, a group of eight or nine audience members sought further explanations. Two appeared of college age; others looked a bit
more seasoned. Two gentlemen in particular appeared unabashed contributors to the counter culture era. One managed to ask five separate questions throughout the Q and A session. He often times entirely neglected the Q and A format, electing instead to make off-topic statements demonstrating his prowess as a weed aficionado. “That ain’t true man,” corrected the large mustache-touting, hemp-apparelsupporter, “they’ve had weed that good around since the ’70s man, trust me.” His brother in experience walked straight to Wieblen, unimpressed by the notion that he might wait until the current conversation has ended. “I tell you what man; I had to smoke two or three times the amount of weed I smoke now man. It’s that hybrid stuff man.” Despite their lack of consideration for orderly questioning, they did help to loosen things up. You may be a die-hard fan of the stoner comedy classic Half Baked. Or you might be totally opposed to marijuana use in any way. Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle, and you just really liked Kevin Spacey’s character in American Beauty. With marijuana use as a moral issue, I doubt if there will ever be a move toward consensus. But as an economical issue, it looks like hemp is on the rise.
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Dinkytown Histories: Multiple Stories, Multiple Meanings By Janessa Dohse The entrance to “Dinkytown Histories: Multiple Stories, Multiple Meanings,” makes it immediately clear that what I am looking at was student-created. A large poster at the front of the room says the exhibit was created by University of Minnesota students in a public history course, but I don’t need to read the sign to know that. Scattered about the room are numerous tri-fold posterboards with construction paper slapped on. As I walk around, I can’t help but wonder why the shiny plaques, huge murals and marble pillars displaying works of art that are typical of exhibits and museums are missing. Although what I first noticed was the amateur nature of the exhibit, it didn’t take long before I realized how much work these students put into it. Behind all the posterboard and colored paper is the history of our local neighborhood. The exhibit features five projects that focus on the music scene in Dinkytown, the social protests of the 1970s, the role of public art in the community, the debate surrounding the preservation of Minneapolis flour mills and the impact of transportation on Dinkytown. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., now until Feb. 9 in Room 125 of Nolte Hall and then again Feb. 12-16 at the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum.
Behind all the posterboard and colored paper is the history of our local neighborhood. The first display I come across is titled “Public Art Within the Urban Landscape,” a compilation of the many works of public art all over Dinkytown. Photos and accompanying stories document the neighborhood’s graffiti and murals , one of which is the well-known Bob Dylan mural, “Positively 4th Street.” Sergey Trubetskoy painted it in 2006, and is located at Autographics on Fourth Street and 13th Avenue. Dylan lived in a room above Gray’s Drug Store (now The Loring Pasta Bar) when he came to the U in 1959, and many people believe his song, “Positively 4th Street,” was written about the time he spent living in Dinkytown.
The second display, “Preserving the Memory and Legacy of the Mill City,” chronicles how flour milling was the foundation of Minneapolis. It reveals the historic debate about preserving the local mills and grain elevators along with interesting facts, like that from 1882 to 1930, Minneapolis was the world’s largest producer of flour and that the Pillsbury ‘A’ Mill remains the largest flour mill ever built. Another display,“Dinkytown Dynamics: The Soundtrack to a Neighborhood, 1950s - Present,” gives a comprehensive history of the local music scene. The students who created this display divided the music history of Dinkytown into three eras: the music of the ’50s and ’60s that took off at a joint called The Ten o’Clock Scholar, the music void of the ’70s and ’80s and the many styles and venues of the music of the ’90s and today. The display also lists popular places in Dinkytown to listen to live local music, such as the Kitty Cat Klub and the Varsity Theater. The last two displays, although somewhat less interesting, are no less important showing what made Dinkytown what it is today. “The Red Barn Incident” and “Bridge or Barrier? Highway 35W and its Impact on Dinkytown and the Surrounding Community” focus on the lesser-known factors that have shaped the neighborhood. The first is about a community-led protest of a fast-food restaurant. The second focuses not only on Interstate 35W, but also on how many types of transportation have affected Dinkytown and its residents. The exhibit contains a collection of photographs of Dinkytown’s public art and stories from local newspapers about the projects. The music display features a small video and audio player where visitors can watch a documentary of interviews with local artists and live concert footage. My favorite was the bulletin board where visitors can create their very own Dinkytown postcards and get a glimpse of how their neighbors view the community. These distinct, interactive parts of the exhibit make me realize that behind all the cardboard and the various shades of colored paper, there really is nothing amateur about these student projects. From the murals to the flour mills and, of course, Bob Dylan, Dinkytown is as fascinating a place as those who frequent it.
abbey kleinert
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Athletics/
Showcasing Minnesota’s Contribution to Baseball By Nick Gerhardt Cooperstown is calling you and everyone else interested in seeing some of the greatest symbols of baseball history. The Minnesota History Center is hosting the “Baseball As America” exhibition displaying artifacts from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The exhibit is on a nation-wide tour and currently in St. Paul until March 4. This is a great opportunity for any baseball enthusiast to experience Cooperstown without having to travel there. It features over 500 items of baseball history including the bats of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire from the home run race of 1998, along with Jackie Robinson’s jersey, expensive baseball cards and the “wonder boy” bat from the movie, “The Natural.”
Baseball has acted as a healer to America in the past by allowing us to focus on the dramatics of pennant races, hit streaks, home run records and pitching performances. In addition to the national artifacts, the exhibit contains memorabilia from the Minnesota Twins. Frank Viola’s hat from the 1987 World Series, Kirby Puckett’s bat from a 6 for 6 day at the plate in 1987, a ball from game 7 of the 1991 World Series autographed by Jack Morris, a 1991 World Series ring, a Harmon Killebrew jersey, and the glove Torii Hunter used to win his fourth consecutive Gold Glove award. The Twin Cities have a long and storied history with baseball through the minor league teams of the St. Paul Saints and the Minneapolis Millers. Some of the game’s greats got their start in this area playing in the minors. Ted Williams and Willie Mays each played for the Minneapolis Millers before going on to star in the Big Leagues. Roy Campanella played for the St. Paul Saints before being called up to
18/24–31 January 2007
the Brooklyn Dodgers. Then in 1961, the Twins came to town and Minnesota finally had its own major league club. The Twins found success quickly, reaching the World Series in 1965, but lost to a dominating Dodger squad. The exhibit explains how baseball truly is the national pastime and what it has meant to this country throughout the years. Reaching the major leagues resembles the American Dream because both are attainable through hard work and determination. Yes, the finer points of those ideas are debatable, but repeatedly we encounter people who embody those tenets. We see the ball player drafted in the 60th round of the draft persevere to reach the “The Show” and we see people who start with so little in life achieve success. America maintains certain peculiarities that the rest of the world does not seem to understand and baseball has always been one of them. Jacques Barzun, a French historian, once said, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” Baseball remains the one sport the whole family can enjoy together, where quality time can be spent. No other sport offers the tranquility and camaraderie that baseball brings. The support for baseball may wane from time to time, but when the support is there, there is no greater unifying effect. The home run race of 1998 reminded us of the greatness of the game and created a common sentiment for fans watching every night to see if McGwire hit one or if Sammy slammed another. Baseball has acted as a healer to America in the past by allowing us to focus on the dramatics of pennant races, hit streaks, home run records and pitching performances. The World Series in 2001 offered us a distraction from the terrible events occurring in the world. That series proved to be one of the best in the history of baseball with an unexpected game winning hit
courtesy minnesota historical society
that decided the series. America rose up by defeating a heavy favorite and baseball lets us remember that by giving us great moments through one event. The Boston Massacre, the Tea Party, the Stamp Act, the Declaration of Independence were all single acts that led to greater victory. A runner on first base steals second, the batter hits a run-scoring a single, the game is tied, then the slugger for your team hits the game-winning home run. These individual events lead to
a World Series championship. Baseball resembles the struggles the country has faced and through this game, we gain a glimpse of a country. Baseball is America. The exhibit runs through March 4th and the hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for students.
\ Athletics
Mason = Out, Finally. But what’s with this new guy? BY Nick Gerhardt Coach Glen Mason’s firing was a necessary move for the program after the embarrassing Insight Bowl loss against Texas Tech, but it put recruitment in jeopardy. The situation eerily resembles much of Mason’s tenure; as much success as there was, there were also failures. National signing day is February 7 and the problem of recruiting young talent is pronounced. Minnesota has never appeared as a prestigious destination for top recruits due to the weather and the prospect of playing in the worst stadium in college football. Minnesota made a quick decision to hire Tim Brewster to salvage the recruitment class.
Brewster stated his number one goal is to win the Big Ten conference, which is what everyone wanted to hear. Little is known about Brewster outside of his accomplishments. He worked with Mack Brown at North Carolina and Texas, helping to attract recruits such as Vince Young. We know that Brewster will focus on luring in-state talent more vigorously than years past, but much remains to be known about how the team will look on the field. The press conference offered little insight into what to expect on the field with gems like, “We’re going to run the football, I promise you. Minnesota has always run the football. We are going to run it, we’re going to throw it and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.” It is expected that Brewster will run the ball having coached under Mack Brown, Marty Schottenheimer and Mike Shanahan, who have always shown a strong run offense. Brewster filled the need for the Gophers as an experienced coach and highly regarded
recruiter. What remains to be seen is how his leadership will affect the program. Fans will expect a lot from Brewster after years of mediocre Gopher football, and his ambiguity as to the design of the offense hasn’t exactly stymied concern. “People ask: ‘What do you do? Are you west coast? Right coast? Do you run the ball? Pass the ball?’ We’re going to do what we can to win, physically and with an element of toughness. What are we going to do on defense? We’re going to run real fast and dictate tempo to the offense.” His answers resembled another Minnesota head coach who has kept the media at bay and remained unclear about his team. Although it was a press conference, it would be nice to see just what his design may look like. Brewster will be under great pressure to succeed and fans want to know his plan. There’s a lot of excitement building with Gopher football fans, because the Athletic Department stepped up and boldly decided mediocrity is not what they desire. With the firing of Mason and hiring of a revered recruiter, fans and the Athletic Department appear on the same page now. With the building of a new stadium in 2009, a coach who can recruit the team could make some dynamic changes and transform the program into a powerhouse. It remains unclear what direction Brewster will take, but he will dictate what type of program the University wants. Football programs bring in millions of dollars to universities and Minnesota has not put itself on pace with the other Big Ten schools. With the prompt firing of Mason, it appears that the Athletic Department is taking steps in the right direction to turn the football program into a serious contender. It would be nice for fans to have something to cheer for instead of craving the opportunity to chant “Fire Mason.”
dave hagen
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Literary/
This Life
Literary Events
By that bird outside the window
I wanted some good old-fashioned schizophrenia the other day— some conflicting mind interest to get the ‘ole ticker clicking. At first I was hesitant, not wanting to pursue conflicting questions arisen but instead pursue some truth and forget this blind vision. Turns out the mind doesn’t work that way, being mistaken for something else, rather than that pigeon nibbling on its feathers outside the window by the kitchen eating Lord knows what between its feathers— exploring its beak—it’s a shame this fella can’t speak. I’ve got this box of radiation that likes to hang out sending ripples into my eardrum trying to make meaning. My lips don’t make this same frequency. Is it really happening? I don’t even know what Wolf Blitzer sounds like in real time. In my mind he happens to carry a clipboard and a beard on his face facing this contraption camera capturing captivating careers of tacit hatespeak. I want to understand Islamo-Fascism and who their leader is and the basis of this philosophy any way it’s not made so concrete to me and you and everybody between the news and the truth and this schizophrenic dive bar.
Who: Lynne Eldridge What: Author discusses ‘Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time.’ When: Thursday, January 25th, 2 pm. Where: U of M Bookstore (Coffman), FREE Who: Geraldine Heng What: The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages When: Thursday, January 25th, 4 pm. Where: Who: Northography Reading What: Seven writers read from recent works. When: Friday, January 26th, 7:30 pm. Where: Magers & Quinn Booksellers, FREE Who: Carol Connolly; Bart Sutter What: The St. Paul and Duluth poet laureates read from their work. When: Saturday, January 27th, 7 pm. Where: Magers & Quinn Booksellers, FREE Who: PRISM: John Landretti; Sarah Moeding What: Poetry! When: Sunday, January 28th, 1 pm. Where: Coffee Gallery, FREE Who: Kathryn Sikkink What: Globalizing Justice: Do Human Rights Trials Really Work? When: Monday, January 29th, 7:30 pm. Where: U of M Nolte Hall, FREE Who: Tom Vraalsen What: The Norwegian Diplomat discusses: Sudan at the Crossroads: Two Years After Signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement When: Tuesday, January 30th, 11:30 am. Where: Cowles Auditorium
20/24–31 January 2007
\ Literary
Fighting Time, my Television and my Computer. And I’m Losing By That bird outside the window
My eyes swell and ferment— This poetry of desensitization postured on this glass and plastic synthetic mask I asked it to stop but it kept blasting and what is it to break the flow— Give me some good old fashioned barn burning best be sure that you mask this with petrol and ask it to burn through to the exteriors bind with the lines masquerading as cobwebs curtaining the street sides.
The Jackal by dr. kawgswarthe
The blood in his mouth stuck to his teeth like hot caramel, bubbling with each heavy, humid breath. Drying flesh turned to wax over his fingertips in the blaring moon’s siren. “Maybe I am the Jackal” Squatting, he scooped up a hand full of sand and let the grains trickle between his digits. Smells like wet leaves and blue sky, he thought. Looking over the dunes, the muses smiled. The body of his lust remained twitching in the sand stinking with liquid morals.
I’ll give it a hello and call it a halo glow with a drip, drip skid of toxic ecstasy. I want to expose Grey’s Anatomy and drag it across the floor.
I like short stories. Have any that you would like to share? How about 750-1,000 words? Don’t be shy. jduellman@wakemag.org
HOW TO submit to the Literary section: Submitting is easy! Send your poems, short stories or suggestions to jduellman@wakemag.org Attach your work using Microsoft Word and also include your piece in the body of the e-mail. Any accompanying illustrations must be sent at 300 DPI. Still have concerns? We are also available to meet in person to workshop your creative work. Just send an e-mail to set an appointment. We don’t bite... hard
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By Pablo Fiasco
Ilove you BAm Bam MIxed nuts 1995
22/24–31 January 2007
by Jeremy Sengly
Websites of the week http://dazeddigital.com/features/ article.aspx?a=78 http://youtube.com/ watch?v=oJzlYl1KcbA
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