A Partridge Amongst the Pigeons

The Jason Smathers Show: This week's guest, Alder Eli Judge

2008-04-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

The streaming audio is at the wsum website, but you can find a downloadable file here.

Again, thanks to Mr. Judge for coming on and listening to me babble, as usual.

Preliminary BH Politics video...

2008-02-22T02:09:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I should have posted this days ago, but frankly, I have been drowning in work. So, follow the link to the BH website. Trying to make each these better than the last, so bare with my limited knowledge of video production (not to mention limited resources and time.)

Untitled from The Badger Herald on Vimeo.

The Jason Smathers Show - Guests: Andy Granias and Danny Spirn (Critical Badger)

2008-02-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

Here is the interview that aired Feb. 8th, 2008 on WSUM 91.7 fm. And yes, that much ego in a room and no explosions. Of course, I am thinking of changing the name to "The Jason Smathers Experience."

Ashok, Where you at?

2008-01-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

WSUM 91.7 FM, that's where. Tomorrow, on The Badger Herald presents The Jason Smathers Show (although its apparently still labeled as "The Smathers Hour") at 10am, Mr. Kumar will come on to discuss everything from the county board race, his article, the oft-discussed (or alternatively, not discussed) attendance record and anything the listeners would like to call in and ask. CB, SV, Opsal, I'm looking at you.

The number is 608-265-WSUM. Feel free to call in.

Search and Screen: Why the big deal?

2008-01-23T12:37:00.001-08:00

So, as you might have noticed from this blog or (probably more accurately) Mr. Spirn, the search and screen committee was a little heated and contentious.

Now, when we're talking about a search for the next Chancellor, it's obvious that tons of people are going to vie for these two spots and the debate over representation is an important one to have. However, what I saw that night represented both the dedication of ASM to really accurately represent students and their failure to make significant progress.

They started interviewing people at around 5:15, starting with Alex Gallagher of SSFC. After beginning with a little more lengthy presentation, Jeff Wright and the rest of them agreed that they should limit the questioning to two questions and another general question about the time commitment.

After the twelve candidates went through and made their case, ASM members left after the two hour interviews went back to the fifth floor of Memorial Union and debated the candidates. They ended up seeing four candidates as strongest — Alex Gallagher, Suchita Shah, Kaja Rebane and Erik Paulson.

Now, Kaja made a great presentation of her involvement at the graduate level, as she's the co-president of TAA and would certainly be their advocate at the table. Given how strongly she felt about Mr. Wiley's problems with the Legislature, she was obviously going to be very critical of anyone who stepped foot into that room claiming to be Chancellor material.

Then there was Suchita. Who many of us in the blogosphere and at the paper know. Campus Queen? Well, if that's what you label her, maybe it's deserved. While she certainly has the resume, credentials and ideals to back it up, Suchita admitted herself that the presentation and interview she gave was a little weak. However, that was probably just nerves. She impressed much of ASM and that's to be understood — she's a neuroscience major that runs with College Dems, did SOAR, did research on the Charter Plant, the list goes on and on. Perhaps the list is almost sickening to some on campus who would ask, "Yeah, but does she understand the concern of students?"

And when it came down to it, that was the second biggest question: Who's going to represent students best?
The biggest question, however, was of what would be a greater fault — two graduate students representing campus or two ASMers?

I personally felt that two graduate students would be a huge mistake and Jeff Wright and others seemed to agree.

Here's what really angered me about the ASM argument. They were worried that the student body would see this as unrepresentative of campus. Excuse me? So, ASM is arguing that they don't represent students? Great way to boost your legitimacy. As I said there and will say again, if you don't believe ASM is viewed as doing just that, then maybe you shouldn't be part of ASM. Let's not forget, ASM is technically the entire student body. The people who serve on committee are just those who showed more active involvement and engagement (most times) in campus. Even the resume boosters have to know something to get on those committees.

That being said, we all know ASM has major flaws that need to be fixed. But you can't say that they (some of them) aren't trying.

Yet, above all, the most bizarre part of this discussion isn't that it went on for 2 hours or that it came down to two tie votes. Or that some people thought the TAA agenda was something to be supported without opposition. Although given how visible pissed off she was, that certainly did serve as a big dent in her application.

It was that the tone of the discussion wasn't really a debate, even during its most heated portion. It was people making opposite points without criticizing the those opinion. Someone mentions the ASMers problem, then someone mentions the Graduate student experience and how they have a more broad approach then we anticipate. Then someone else mentions the same first point. And someone else broaches the second point again. Very little discussion of the actual qualities involved in searching for the next chancellor occurred, most focused on what the student body is going to best represented by.

Basically, it was like if the debaters had headphones on so as to not hear the other side. There were certainly concerns, but I'm not sure people we're really making their points very well.

Now, let me just say, for the people who stayed, that was dedication. To spend two hours deciding over five people can get tedious when you've already spent an additional 2 hours and 15 minutes listening to candidates.

However, when people start defending candidates simply because, "They have a passion" but discount other candidates because, "He talked too much about private fundraising," that's bullshit. Yes, we're a public university, but that comes from how well the chancellor communicates the true position of the university to Rep. Nass and the constant skeptics. Private fundraising requires just as much, if not more work. And it is far less guaranteed.

But I digress. Suchita was finally voted in along with Erik and they adjourned. Jeff looked visibly shaken, but he really held it together well considering the strange isolated debates going on among the crowd.

Apparently they're both going to be holding listening sessions with different schools, so once that starts to happen, I'll go cover that. However, for now, I'm concerned with ASMs role. I only wish I could have been more involved, from an earlier stage, steer it a little.

Wishful thinking.

And the reps for Search and Screen are...

2008-01-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

Erik Paulson, a graduate student in computer sciences dept., former academic staff and undergrad.

Suchita Shah, of College Democrats, The Herald and pretty much anything else you could think of.

I'll elaborate on this a little later, but it was a hard fought battle and it exposes a lot of the strengths and flaws of Shared Gov. That'll come later.

Hey Erik...About that ASM Book Sale...

2008-01-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

I think I have another reason why that book sale didn't work out too well. I checked my inbox about 4 minutes ago and saw this:

Do textbook prices have you down…?
Low on Money…?

Well then bring your textbooks to the ASM/CALS Textbook Swap so that you can receive more money for your books than you would at a bookstore, and buy your used textbooks for less.

ASM/CALS Textbook Swap

When: Monday January 21st
Where: Great Hall Memorial Union
10am-12pm: Drop off books to be sold
1pm-5pm: Buy used textbooks

Yeah, that JUST came into the mailbox. I mean, I understand that mass emails might get a little clogged, but the day after? That's embarrassing. Come on ASM, get it together.

RCF: Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends.

2008-01-18T20:47:00.001-08:00

So, after another court ruling seems to have put UW in its place with regard to UW's rejection of the Roman Catholic Foundation, the bloggers either seem to be breathing a hesitant sigh of relief. But there's still a lot of questions.

First, let's address some questions.

As Opsal said:

What's illegal, he said, is the university's practice of singling out types of religious speech for different treatment. The U.S. Supreme Court has said mandatory student fees must be awarded without regard to the viewpoint of the group.

Does this include all viewpoints? What if I started a group Students for Killing Puppies. If I applied for seg fees, wouldn't they have to give them to me? Basically, if you can't look at what the group does, WHAT BASIS DO YOU AWARD FEES ON!? Someone, I'm looking at you Smathers, please answer this for me.

First off, I disagree with Shabaz insisting that UW has a policy that singles out one religious group but supports others. JCC is not a religious organization — Jewish Cultural Collective. Come on. If they're talking about the funding given to MSA, its still different. They're an RSO, but more classified as an interest group than a service group. They get travel grants, not money for religious services. Now, if they started asking for money for religious ceremonies or objects, you might see the same reaction. But since they're not, we can't treat it as such.

As to Erik's question: Well, first off, that's an obvious extreme example. I'm not sure that would work. Let's try instead... Students for White Supremacy. That group, if it provided a demonstrated service to students (say, providing counseling and discussion for white students and their racist views) and was one of the only of its service on campus, it could conceivably receive funding. of course, it would most likely be rejected because of personal decisions. But if VPN was carried out correctly and they met the eligibility requirements, it is possible it would eventually go to budget deliberations. Still, I don't see how that would ever get to a stage like that. Yet, less extreme examples might be able to reach these stages.

Basically, Erik, to meet funding eligibility requirements you have to demonstrate:
-A service that is not replicated by any other group on campus (which is why they funded one Tenant resource and not the other)
-Have to provide some sort of proof that they provide a service to students of an education nature, including events, leadership capabilities and an additional significant component.

I only wish I could have interviewed Alex Gallagher a day later than we did.

Thankfully, there was one thing he said that while enlightening at the time, but raises new questions in my mind. In the middle of our interview, I asked him what criteria distinguished a group from segregated fee eligibility or denial. While there was always this vague talk of "an additional significant component," he offered a much better explanation. JCC, RCF, POLYGON and others were denied funding because they represent an interest group rather than a service group.

JCC? Sure, they provide events, leadership opportunities and a newsletter. Still, more an interest group than a service.
POLYGON? Sure they decide on some Engineering School decisions, provide leadership opportunities and networking events for engineering students. But their service to the entire student body? I challenge you to find it.

Ahh, but RCF is tricky. Someone commented on my piece in the Herald last semester that none of this matters because RCF still was denied eligibility. Yet, they were denied on the basis of not having that additional significant component. Now, RCF has always maintained that the service they provide to campus is multifaceted — programs (the occasional musical), events (take your pick), leadership opportunities (RCF Board or otherwise) but then religious services, religious discussion and pastoral care (Tim Kruse remarked last year about a few students who consistently came to talk through their emotional problems with the staff on hand.)

If the service aspect requires an additional significant component, one could argue that the lawsuit by UW has stripped RCF of the ability to provide that component. If RCF-UW was simply a gathering of Catholics, that'd be one thing. But if part of their mission is to actively recruit and provide a religious or spiritual service to campus and that has been immediately discounted by UW policy, it forces them into that interest group corner.

The question is, since the judge has ordered and injunction to UW's prohibitive policy, will RCF file some sort of SJ case demanding a review of their budget for eligibility?

We shall see. And we'll certainly have video coverage of this once everything gets edited and the interviews are completed. Expect the first one by the end of the week.

Dane County Board Race: Oh, it's on now.

2008-01-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

(x-posted at Muckrakers)

So, as you may have seen from the Critical Badger, two students have filed to run for the open seat left by Ashok Kumar: Wyndham Manning and Conor O'Hagan. So what can we expect?

Conor O'Hagan, as was noted, is an active member of ASM. Suchita spoke quite highly of him, said that's he been a very involved member of ASM. He currently serves on the Morgridge Center Committee, Dean of Students Advisory Board, Student Organization Committee...the list goes on and on. And he's only a freshman? I'm trying to get some more information on him and have sent him something asking for a little more background, reasoning, etc.

Wyndham Manning, however, I do know him. Wyndham was the WUD Music Director last year, one of the prime organizers behind Madison Pop Fest and all-around mover and shaker in Madison's music scene. I've known him to be very opinionated about...well, everything. but didn't know he was interested in politics.

Of course, according to him, he really isn't. And that's part of his plan, according to an email he just sent:

I don't feel it necessary to have more of the "campus elite" (as you guys call them) stepping in line to take these offices, I want regular people to take control, the people who are passionate about the community, not the office. That's sort of how I envisioned Madison when I came here: a forward thinking progressive city run by very passionate people and that's what I want to try to add to. So returning to the original conception for running, I wanted to do it so that I could learn more indepth about how the city operates, how elections work and how I can turn my griping into solutions.

So, a political outsider, eh? Thinks he is just going to walk into the election and find his bearing on a County Board? Easy to be skeptical since he isn't an active political operative. However, considering how he's been pretty vocal about how Madison could be run with more efficiency (although that isn't just the county), it might be best that way. Ashok Kumar may have alienated people given his position in SLAC, but Wyndham could actually attract a more diverse student body if he targets them right. But then again, there is always the possibility of a different sort of elitism to surface along the way. (music snobs, anyone? I know I am.)

However, something that did sound interesting is that he had some plans to run an alternative campaign of guerilla political campaigning - a way of reaching students on this campus without being stiff and pointing out the problems of this city. A different approach would be useful at this point. The usual protests don't seem to garner nearly as much support as they did in the old days and one thing seems to be missing from this city: political energy. If Wyndham can bring it (and his partnership with Jesse Russell could help), he could do a lot of good for Dane County.

But, that's yet to be seen. When it comes time to vote, we'll need to see specific positions and initiatives. Wyndham doesn't seem to have any specifics yet. Certainly, he just got into it, but I'll keep prodding him. Once I get some word from Conor, I'll provide another post.

Stop the gender insanity!

2007-12-03T12:05:00.001-08:00

Hey, did you know that Sen. Hillary Clinton is a woman? Who cares?

Yes, now we've all seen the Mikolajczak comments, but yet, this topic of gender bias keeps being thrown out there: the boys are piling on Hillary, she's being attacked because of her gender - can we really bypass this hurdle?

You know what, I'm going to look like a chauvanistic asshole by saying this: I don't care. I've never looked at Hillary Clinton as a woman, I've looked at her as a politician (which has far more negative connotations than any gender stereotype). Can any of us really say that we thought that Clinton, if elected, would spend her days gardening and putting on makeup? Come on, this is not only a Senator, Yale alum and ambitious politician, but probably the most influencial first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt - does anyone think she's going to get in the Oval Office and start crying?

If you do, please step forward so you can be chastised for your ignorance.

There are concerns about her ability to negotiate in the middle east, but after seeing the ad naseaum rebuttal of "but look at Bhutto, Albright, Merkel, etc." it would be a farce to assume two X chromosomes are going to lead to the downfall of this nation.

So, with opinion piece after opinion piece rebutting this idea of a gender bias and no real legitimate counter-argument, why the hell do people keep bringing this up? AND WHY DO I KEEP PRINTING IT?

I suppose the latter makes sense - if it is really on people's minds, then we should discuss it. However, one thing did strike me, although it's not that surprising - the Clinton topic saw a real surge in opinion pieces from female students on campus - more than I've seen in a while.

And then Kate Maternowski wrote this piece and got me thinking with this part:

At this newspaper, for example, I am the only female columnist on the opinion staff and, admittedly, had to be coaxed into committing to weekly column inches. Indeed the opinion editors here are open to taking on female writers, so my solo presence indicates that other females on campus might share my reluctance.
It would be difficult to dismiss the possibility that the newspaper statistic and this reluctance stem from a tendency in women to not want to put themselves — their opinions — out in the path of potential critique, dissent or attack.

So, when you have a woman that really puts herself out there, in front of the multitude, women may be encouraged, but are they still so reluctant that they only support her candidacy rather than making some arguments on their own behalf?

Obviously, any discussion of women in this respect is going to be a heinous generalization, so I decide not to go any further. Obviously, people like Ms. Maternowski and Suchita Shah counter this idea of female sheepishness in the opinion arena, but I must say that I'd like to see more women sound off in this paper - and on something other than Hillary.

As Maternowski said:

Why would an all-female panel be any less relevant to an issue not related to women? Or, more generally, why do women feel more safe, more confident, more compelled to write and opine primarily about women’s issues, and why is it often expected that women will do just and only that when they indeed choose to be vocal and opinionated?
An individual’s gender is simply not relevant when discussing many of the major political, economic and social issues affecting modern society, and women have as much a stake in the conversation as do men.

Here here. Now I just wish more women would realize the same thing and come write for us. I mean, after all, women are the majority on campus - for them to be relegated to the position of vocal minority is a shame. We've made some leaps forward, but we can always make more strides.

So let's be clear - I welcome the idea of women finally taking the baton and standing up and voicing their opinions, but defending a politician who, I assure you, has no problems with her gender security is a waste of column inches.

So let's stop it, shall we?

David Lapidus not running for Dane County Board of Supervisor

2007-12-02T15:28:00.001-08:00

Also posted at Muckrakers:

Just announced: David Lapidus has decided to bow out of the Dane Co. Board of Supervisors race.

I apologize for taking a few days to decide. The reason it has taken a lot of thought is that my reasons to run are irrational, abstract, and unquantifiable (yet carry a ton of emotional weight), while my reasons against running are very rational, tangible, and quantifiable. Thus, it has been very hard to weigh things in the proper framework, but I have done so and reached a final decision.
First, my thought processes…

The primary reason to run:

Maybe it is arrogance, but I think I would do a dam good job as a county supervisor. Thus, I feel a duty to run and better serve the community, and something close to guilt if I do not.

The primary reasons not to run:

The burden it will put on people I care about on campus who would support me. Some of them sincerely reassured me it would not be a problem (both of the CDs who had kind words for me in CB’s “seriously considering” post included) so it is not because of them, but because of my concern over negatively affecting others who were more unsure.
The opportunity costs affecting my schoolwork, job, extracurricular activities, and social life next semester.
The opportunity costs of not getting my preferred summer internship (which may not be in Madison) next summer.
The opportunity costs of not serving in the military and getting the job I want immediately upon graduating college (since doing these things will not allow me to stay in the Madison area for one year after college, while serving on the board).
The alternatives to running will still allow me to serve the community, although perhaps to a lesser extent. I will still be active with Vets for Vets and People Opposing Prejudice and I am exploring ways to get more involved at the county or city level of government irrelevant to running or not.
The electability factor… would it be worth all these guaranteed costs to try win something that might not even be possible to win? This factor does not concern me too much having thought out all the possible contingencies, but it was still a major part of my analysis.

While my reason to run is significant and carries a ton of “gut instinct” weight, the reasons against it, after A LOT of thought and self-reflection, are too many. Although I would love to campaign for and be the fifth district’s next county supervisor, the costs outweigh even the tremendous passion I have for the position. Therefore, I will not be a candidate in next spring’s election for the county board.

In light of this fact, I am open to meeting with any potential candidates in the race as a resource on what campaigning to win requires and what knowledge of policy is necessary to understand county issues. Otherwise, if time allows, I intend to pursue at least some of the following campus projects next semester:

-starting a value investing club
-starting a military history/appreciation for veterans club
-working on student veteran’s issues at the campus and state level with Vets for Vets
-getting pluralistic spirituality and student development events setup during welcome week through People Opposing Prejudice
-getting a good public speaker on the Middle East to come speak on campus
-getting a debate organized between the College Democrats and Republicans on federal, state, and local issues
-getting more involved in policy making at the city and county level
-getting an occasional column going on a couple of student blogs or possibly in a student paper

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who offered his or her sincere support for my potential candidacy, despite the great costs and risks of doing so. Putting your ass on the line for someone else you believe in is a quality I will not easily forget, even though it is now for something that just “might have been”… Keep showing such principled character as you venture into the future and you will go places.”

Best,

David Lapidus

So the question here: With the two potential favorites, David Lapidus and Suchita Shah completely out of this race, has this just become a free-for-all? If some of the most qualified individuals are bowing out, then what exactly does this race look like? Those “dark horses” might just want to start coming out and making a run for it. Because at this point, it’s a free for all.

Reworking Diversity: Take two.

2007-12-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

During The Badger Herald's "Exploring the Issues: Race" week, I wrote an article detailing my experiences as a House Fellow at Sellery Hall and the way in which we were taught to deal with "diversity." While there were a certain number of comments that were both critical and encouraging, two stuck out. First:

First off as someone who has been through the house fellow training (all 2 weeks of it)I can tell you that there is not a "rigorous boot camp of diversity training" In fact I think the diversity training was inadequate in that there is not enough of it. Unless you have been a house fellow yourself I doubt that you would know what exactly training entails thus what you report is merely hearsay.

Perhaps I didn't make it clear, but I was at training. I understand that some of the training is not repeated or is altered, but let's not make assumption that I don't know what I'm talking about. Believe me, if there is some ambivalence, I'll let you know. now, calling it a "rigorous boot camp" might have been a little overstated. It would have better to treat it as an extended interrogation. At least, for a white student, it was. I can see how the minorities involved might have felt it was really cheap considering the compressed nature of such discussion and how it seems like a surface discussion rather than frank dialogue. In this case, good - let's extend it over the whole year, but not compartmentalize different groups or discussion. It needs to be an ongoing evaluation of how those tensions operate on campus and in housing - not a three-day free for all where House Fellows are taught to brace themselves.

The people you talk to in small discussions, groups, presentations they are not all experts, they were not elected to be there, they are merely individuals with personal experience, perhaps training that like yourself would like to create dialog and work to challenge discrimination and prejudice on our campus. And as a white male I doubt that you can fully understand the pressures and inevitable shortcomings of having to represent ones entire race or sexual identity.

You're right, I can't fully understand that pressure. Whether that pressure is put upon minorities by housing or is simply internalized I also can't evaluate. So in this case, I'll mark that as a valid point.

I also think that you are perhaps unaware of how often we have speakers and community leaders come in so perhaps what that is telling me is that we need to do more advertising because the programing, the speakers, they are there.
On Nov 2 we had Student Diplomats of South Korea come to speak, we had Dr. Mae Jemison come to speak, Thomas A. DuBois came to talk about his new book, "The World Beyond Our Borders presents", Civil Rights Legend, Joanne Bland came to speak on Nov 12, we had Cinefest, American Heritage month events, and last week was Transgender awareness week where we also had speakers and trailblazers working to make a difference. Those are just a few of the recent programs, speakers, and community leaders, that you claimed weren't available.

Well, good. I didn't have that experience in Sellery. We tried to get speakers to come discuss these sorts of issues with Sellery Hall, but ended up with Housing employees who made up presentations on such broad topics as "Culture of Fear." Go figure.

Lastly in regards to your assertion that "it hasn't worked" yes, there are still sexual, racial, ethnic slurs written on doors, there are still people who are ignorant, who ask ignorant questions. Sorry for not ending racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, ect. Do you really expect that we can in one or even four years undo more than 18 years of socialization, learned stereotypes, biases, and racist and homophobic attitudes passed down by family and community leaders throughout someone entire life thus far? You set the bar awfully high.
No we are not perfect, we will not end racism or homophobia. Not all of our programs will reach everyone but we are doing what is within our capacity as people, citizens, and students to help to fight these prejudices and if not change minds at least open them.

If I was arguing that Housing should eliminate the -ism's, I'd argue for my own redundancy, as well. I know that's impossible. However, if we are discussing what is within our capacity, the way we try to change our community depends on our approach. In my opinion, treating people as individuals rather than members of factions is a good plan. As it stands, housing guilts white house fellows into realizing what "they" have done to minorities through the passive burden of "white privilege." They tried this on us during training and it was probably one of the most insulting things I have ever sat through. I will agree that being a white male affords me an easier status in society than some minority groups, but to try and shame me for it is only going to push me further from the goals of housing. You have to bring the white majority into the discussion - placing blame may be the worst way to do it.

I appreciate that you wanted to take a hard look at diversity issues on campus and that you yourself have tried to create dialog, that is important. obviously you do care and have good intentions however I feel that you are also misinformed about the role and capacity of UW housing diversity programs and if you have suggestions, comments, programing ideas please let us know.

However, there seems to be a change in the works. The second comment I got via email was from the new director of Diversity programs for housing, Magpie Martinez:

too have had feelings at times of being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that can and do happen on this campus and in the halls on a daily basis. I am very unnerved by your comments about not being able to open your mouth and speak your mind. I am very disheartened that you felt shut down and asked to carry forward a political ideology that you didn’t’ believe in.

I am on a mission this year to END THAT. I agree that there needs to be diversity of thought and that only through these conversations (1:1 with real people) will things change. I don’t ever want to hear HF’s tell me that they put on a program that they didn’t believe in. I want our efforts to be real, and to effect change.

I met with Ms. Martinez yesterday, and the chat was very encouraging:

-She has talked with campus partners at the Office of Equity and Diversity, who have emphasized their frustration with the Housing diversity initiatives and the way in which they have stifled the opinion of house fellows. Housing employees seem reluctant to embrace change.
-She told me that this isn't the first time she's heard claims like this. She related one story of a house fellow who sat down with her and said that he was afraid of how his political leanings would prevent him from doing his job. "He sat down and told me he was a Republican. I was waiting for some sort of groundbreaking news, but that was it."
-Thankfully, certain programs won't be repeated, such as the awful Halloween program where we lectured students on what costumes they probably shouldn't wear. We got into a huge fight over that one with our residents - could have been a dialogue, instead it was a disaster.
-While she is trying to implement a new approach that treats students as individuals rather than members of separate minority groups, it's likely to meet from some resistance from the rest of Housing. We'll see how well that works.

As it stands, I think Housing could benefit from more specific discussions on issues of racial tension in America or on campus - have roundtable discussions or debates on immigration, Plan 2008, Muslims in America. Housing has to stop leading groups to social justice conclusions when those administrators can't even create a working definition of social justice among them. If we're going to encourage diversity, we need to explain it first.

So, what do you think? What are student's experiences with diversity initiatives on this campus and how should it work?

12 Degrees? And you expect results?

2007-11-30T19:49:00.001-08:00

Just got back awhile ago from the College Dems and Republican game. My god. Just a tip next time guys: Have your game at a decent time (when it's light), on a decent field (you know, NOT in front of the Kohl Center.) and when it's not 12 degrees outside.

That being said, the game was a physical one, but much closer than expected. The Republicans pulled out to an early lead, but after two touch downs and a safety, the Democrats began to run away with it. By the end of the first half, the score was 22-15. While "O.K". and his blue bulldozers continued to trounce the self-proclaimed "Patriot" Republicans well into the second half, The CR's came back with a vengeance. Unfortunately, their push came too late. With no timeouts left and no way to stop the Dems on their last possession, the Republicans surrendered to their fate and watched as the Dems ran out the clock.

Final Score: 41-34, Democrats.

That being said, I had barely any idea what I was doing. I'm sure that showed. I was just hoping I didn't have to make any crucial judgment calls.

Speaking of judgment calls, David Lapidus told our reporter, Pedro Oliveria Jr., that he'd be deciding whether or not to run tonight. Everyone I've talked to seems to discuss it like it's a forgone conclusion, and I have to say, I'd be shocked if it turned out any differently from what "insiders" are saying. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

"I've been to Russia..."

2007-11-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

Looks like someone could have taken a lesson from good ol' Will Sandstrom.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

That may have been the loudest tree in a forest...

2007-11-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Ashok, we hardly knew ye.

With the news of his departure, Madison's political elite is chomping at the bit to replace him with some upstanding student who can truly bring the weight of the student body to the county level. Who? Well, Suchita always sounds like a good choice, but I know she probably won't want to - that whole "real life" thing gets in the way of politics, and that's a good thing. David Lepidus? Sure, I'd stand behind that. Conservative or not, good representation is good representation. However, the question that nobody seems to be asking about this is probably the most important.

How do you get students to care?

Believe me, I've written about this before, and I'm entirely concerned about how segregated fees have been manipulated under our noses, how city council twiddles its thumbs on reasonable police increases and how Dane Co. doesn't really acknowledge the existent of the undergraduate student body. We're politically active, but only on the BIG issues. With the presidential primaries coming around the corner, it's going to be hard to get anyone to care about some seemingly pointless local race. No one did anything that important before and the world didn't collapse, why should we care now? It's a hard case to make.

However, I have a plan. I'll reveal a little more about it after a heaping helping of some turkey and stuffing to remove the stress, but I can only say a few things:

1) it will start next semester.
2) It will require the cooperation and patience of every person of political standing on campus, in Madison and Dane Co. That includes you, bloggers.
3) It will try and bring the political scene to students in a way that admits the faults, but lets them know they actually have a lot of sway, if only they'd speak up. The only way to do that means not being so stuffy about politics - honesty includes a fair amount of comedy, I think.

I've been feeling ambitious lately, what with all the talk of change and hope and vision (Thanks Obama, now it's stuck in my head). I think now might be the time to finally reach out to the uninterested and show them what local politics is really about.

But for now, I'm hitching a ride back to Racine. Hopefully the RUSD hasn't collapsed and I can pay a visit to my old high school. Hopefully my high school hasn't collapsed (built during the Lincoln presidency).

Addressing the criticism: in print and online.

2007-11-08T21:08:00.001-08:00

So, we all see the elephant in the room, so let's address it. I must defend my integrity that has been assaulted by the Union and others, so let me defend myself more specifically than my article does.

First off, that story was right to go into opinion. News was never an option as they don't allow those who write opinion to cover news. It's just a rule at the Herald.

While I was ambivalent about posting my anonymous source information earlier, considering the fact that Critical Badger and Mr. Opsal have no problem doing this, I may as well, explain further.

In the story, I really only explicitly refer to allegations made by "Jorge" and so, as it appears on the surface, seems entirely suspect. However, what was not mentioned was that the way I was able to contact Jorge was through another custodial employee, one who is a legal worker, who has worked at the union for a long time (at least 10 years) who detailed the allegations "Jorge" made and added his own dealings with "Jorge's" disability coverage, which at the time, he said Union officials tried to deny him the disability because they had "not received any paperwork." When this custodian heard it, he says went with "Jorge" to a woman Jorge said helped him fill out the initial paperwork and asked her if she did indeed do this. When she said she did, the custodian brought this to Union officials, who allegedly "found" this paperwork and went ahead with his disability check. The reason I did not print these claims is because I didn't get confirmation from "Jorge" as I forgot to ask. A journalist's honest mistake.

Most of the claims I heard about worker mistreatment didn't just come from Jorge, it came also from this anonymous custodial source. This person also put me in contact with another worker at the union who claimed to have been assaulted by co-workers on the job, but when asked for police, they allegedly either were not contacted or a supervisor (the same one in Jorge's story) switched the story, claiming that the allegedly assaulted co-worker was in fact that one doing the attacking. I attempted (and am still attempting) to contact this person to get their side of the story, but when I initiated this contact around three months ago, I got their spouse on the phone, who informed me they were initiating legal action against the union. When I mentioned what I had heard from my source, I was told, "and you know what? It's probably about five times worse than you mentioned. It wasn't one incident, it was a few years of stuff that was going on." So, to clarify, it wasn't just Jorge, it was a few months of talking to my source at the union, trying to get ahold of Jorge and this other union employee.

However, the problem is that my second source, had I detailed as "a long time custodian with years of experience," his employment at the Union would be seriously placed in doubt, as, when I went back to ask some follow up questions, he had been moved from his regular detail, where he encountered lots of people and often had time to chat, to setup detail and carpet cleaning on the fourth floor - he had told me that his supervisor had told him this would happen as they didn't want him talking to so many people. I tried limiting mention of him because if this could be tied to him, it could potentially end his longtime employment. I was trying to protect my source. I understand that it could have been included a little in the story and stated more explicitly, but I have tried to clear this up here.

The reason I did not wait for the other source on this story was because I didn't plan to include it in this story. At the most, I would have included it as a mention of what would be included with a later article - which, if I can get a hold of the other source in the next few days, I plan to write this person's story as well. I wanted to separate this second source from Jorge, as it sounded like they had far different elements involved, but shared the same mistreatment by the same supervisor.

There are other claims on the table that the ramp situation seems untrue. I believe this to be a misconception - there is an incline that they had to push in order to move the machine to the elevator. This could have been more explicitly stated, I admit.

As for statements made by Union officials, I did lay out the accusations, though I was most through with Marc Kennedy in explaining what was being alleged. In each case, they patently denied these claims, said that they have no reason to believe this to be the case and restated that they follow the documentation law to the tee. Marc Kennedy did explain some of the LTE stuff that wasn't explicitly stated, but I did mention that they're trying to move away from this sort of LTE use and that they increased the pay to a living wage in July 2007. This may have been seen as directly relating to Jorge, but it was intended to cover the LTE policy itself.

As for the inaccuracies Erik's anonymous source claims, I would say that the overtime remark is not inaccurate, it's Jorge's misunderstanding of what was owed to him. Even in this case, as I understand it, there is a certain hourly limit for these workers (meaning LTE's) that has to be followed and if it's not, working past these given times could put them over that limit.

These were the claims placed in front of me, the way they were presented and the way I handled them. I feel confidently that, in time, the risk in printing this article will prove the right move when more people come forward. The feedback I have recieved (albiet, off the record) seems encouraging and therefore, I intend to press on, collect more information, and report back with any new information.

I understand the criticism and encourage it, as the truth can't be reached by simply latching on to one side. However, I would say we should be critical not only of my coverage, but of the Union's response as well.

I'm going as Kevin Barrett for Halloween.

2007-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I mean, it seems appropriate. The last few years on State Street, I've tried to think of something that people would react to and either get angry with or laugh at. Last year, when I dressed up as "your mom," most people just found it amusing that I dressed in drag, but some obvious homophobes followed me at some length yelling anti-gay slurs. Which just goes to show how confused they were to conflate transvestites with homosexuality, especially on Halloween.

However, I feel Kevin Barrett is a proper approach for this year, with his straggly hair and beard, small glasses, 9/11 for truth t-shirt, all while protesting and shouting seemingly absurd statements through the streets. Will I get hit with something? Probably. Will I actually see Kevin Barrett and feel awkward? Perhaps. However, I can think of no local figure that is more of a character than Mr. Barrett and will see to it that we recognize him for what he has become: a clown.

Which is sad, because he used to be a figure of the academic freedom that certain visitors had tried to remove from this campus (as well as certain legislators). However, with that outburst at Monday's Islamo-Fascist-Awareness-Defense-Explanation-Fight-Week Event, I lost any respect I had for him. He almost ruined the event for all of us, just shifting around while people obviously wanted him to sit down.

My question is: had he followed the rule and asked his question at the mic, would it have even been answered? Would you hear another outcry then?

----------

As for Mr. Horowitz himself, I thought he had some valid points, despite having absolutely no path to his points:

1. The country of Iran, the remnants of the Taliban have used their extreme version of Islamic law to control the populace in every facet they deem necessary. While that may not rise to the level of Fascism as it's based in Theological rule rather than Benito Mussolini's perversion of Mazzini's "Duties of Man," I think the term "Islamo-Fascism" may be an accurate description for these regimes. As for the Al-Qaeda of the Maghreb who apparently originated this phrase, it makes little sense, considering the fact that they operate as a terrorist organization, not a state.

2. Islam, as conceived by these groups, is not true Islam. I think most of the MSA would agree with that.

3. The Jewish state would face some significant pressure (although I think genocide is an absolutely ridiculous extreme, as America, Britain and the states that established it would never truly let it COMPLETELY disarm) if it greatly reduced its military presence and dismantled their nuclear stockpile (and it is there).

However, from there, Mr. Horowitz just got...ridiculous.

1. Yes, everyone cites the "Ottoman Empire founded in 1522" remark. It makes no sense, but few people have actually explained the truth. Quick background:
Until around..1204, the area of Turkey was controlled, with some loosing steam, by the Byzantine Empire. However, due to their shifting power relationship with the Republic of Veince, they were starting to have a contentious relationship. Eventually, during the Fourth Crusade, the Venetians decided they had enough of this subordinate, but preferred trade relationship, and with the help of Frankish crusaders, sacked the city of Constantinople and dismantled the Byzantine Empire. This lasted until the 1260's, when the Byzantines retook the city from nearby Nicea.

However, since the 11th Century, a portion of Anatolia was under the rule of a Seljuk Muslim Sultanate. Eventually, Seljuk dominance wanes and gives way to the Ottoman Turks, who succeed them with their Sultan, Osman I, around 1299. This date, 1299, is really the official establishment of the Ottoman Empire. The more accurate solidifying element of the OE occurs when they kick the Byzantines out of Constantinople, once and for all, in 1453. This is probably the date Horowitz was looking for. 1522 has no specific significance, except that it was in the middle of the Ottoman height of territorial power.

The Ottoman Empire lasts until WWI, when their defeat on the side of the Central Powers leads to their dismantling and the rise of the secular and modern Turkey, under the rule of founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Today, it is still secularized, but there is increasing religious influence in the political scene, especially with Abdullah Gul, who is seen as having a strong Islamist background, winning the Presidency.

However, the establishment of the Ottoman Empire had little to do with Horowitz point - which means there didn't seem to be much of one. Except that Turkey is an Islamic country. Who happen to be targeting Kurds now.

2. His assertion that Israel is surrounded millions of "Arabs ready to kill them." Also, an overstatement. The state of Israel is contentious, but they make it out to be hatred of Judaism in general, especially by Horowitz. The issue has always been where the land is, not with Judaism in general. Yes, both Christians and Muslims have oppressed Jews, but Muslims, at least by way of the tenants of Islam, come out looking a lot better than Christians on their treatment. Because of the fact that Muslims consider themselves part of Abraham's neglected family (meaning Ishmael), they have strong ties to the Judeo-Christian version of events and consider Christians and Jews protected people, to some extent, under Islamic doctrine. The only people that Muslims have really waged war against were those who they felt threatened their religion (such as those during the Crusades) and the pagan religions who were not protected - and even that march into the east that nearly eradicated such religions as Buddhism and the militaristic expansion stemmed from new theological defense created in order to keep the Muslims together who came after Mohammad and it stopped after 100 years or so.

Of course, there has been massive change since the establishment of Islam. Something I'll save for another day. And of course, if any Muslims come upon this and feel there is a profound misunderstanding in this explanation (or really, anyone who understands Islam better than I, which is a LOT of people) please correct me. I'm just trying to provide some interpretation.

Iran may be extremely hostile toward Israel, as well as other Arab states, but we must not expand these comments to think that "Muslims hate Jews," or Christians or any other group that would obviously be a harsh generalization. Otherwise, the misunderstandings will build into mountains.

Overall, I have to say that Mr. Horowitz did a service to free speech, but really destroyed any semblance of civil discourse by chastising his audience as idiots.

However, to our audience, even the ones who didn't really ask questions but just made statements: you did much better than some universities.

Now, there is a lot more in the way of explanations and exceptions that some may cite, but for now, I'll leave it at that.

Now that it's Halloween, let's just think about that for now, eh?

And finally, the video from Horowitz.

2007-10-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

The two videos are split this way:
Video 1 starts with some interviews before the speech, a few opening remarks by Horowitz, and ends with the Barrett freakout.

Video 2 starts and ends with the Q and A session.

There will be another supplementary video with comments from a few students afterward, but for now, this will suffice.

Lesson no. 1: Never trust WSUM equipment.

2007-10-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

After thinking that the studio equipment at WSUM would provide good narration possibilities, I find that instead, their computers are complete failures.

After editing a 20 minute video of tonight's Islamo-Fascist adventure, I went to save the movie - when it crashed. I was able to reboot with all my edits in tact and thought it necessary to save the project before something else went wrong. Too late. When I tried to save the project, it crashed once again, this time leaving my timeline completely blank with no process for recovery.

I'm now taking my videos home for re-editing, before this corrupt Dell does any more damage to my night.

Thanks for a waste of 5 hours, I guess.

Expect video at around 9am. Normal recap and reflections earlier than that.

However, right now, my only reflection on the night: Fucking Dell.

Dead? Far from it.

2007-10-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

The fact that I haven't updated this blog in nearly a month distressed me greatly, but thankfully, we have the grand spectacle of David Horowitz to provide some content. I'm likely going to post some coverage of the Horowitz protest and speech - both live blogging and video coverage - tonight.

The problem I've been having with this blog is the conflict between this and The Badger Herald blog. What do I post on here that I don't post on Muckrakers? I still haven't quite figured out an answer to that question, but I will try - and this is an honest effort this time - to provide one by next week, with normal updates. I've dropped a class and have a leaner schedule that allows for some flexibility now, so hopefully I can contribute a little more frequently.

This blog is not dead. It was just on holiday.

A few weekend musings...

2007-09-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

They'll be followed by a more lengthy update later tonight, but for now...

-What is the deal with College Library? These beanbags are relaxing - and certainly allowed me to take a brief nap before my History discussion at 8:50 in the morning - but where are the all the chairs and tables?

According to this helpful little "New Tables Soon!" sheet....

New, larger tables with outlets (similar to the one in the center of this room)are being delivered and installed next month...Since we distributed most of the furniture in this room to other places in the library, we haven't actually lost any seats overall. It just looks a little thin right now!

Hmm. It actually feels a lot like high school, Very informal, chilled out. Now if only they could actually ACTIVATE the other outlets that are just useless blocks in the ground.

-Hey Badgers. shape up. It wasn't a pretty victory.
-Hey, Madison.com. Fix your website. I don't want to see a picture slide show of the last week's near disaster when I know you have photos from this week's near disaster. I know you're not that handy with technology and you're still getting ahold of this blogging thing, but you can surely use ONE photo from the game, can't you? Uploaded during halftime, even? Come on. If you can alarm the public about a guy who's not even in this state in a matter of minutes, surely you can take a few more to post one picture of the Spartans and the Badgers smashing into each other. If you can't do that, then don't insist upon photos of last week's game in hopes that you look "savvy." You don't. You look lazy.

-Note to the general public: Don't take ILS 252 if you think you're getting an easy science course out of the deal. Or if you think ILS is a haven for liberals, given the material or public figures who've majored in the field (i.e. Russ Feingold). Tim Allen is far from liberal and he'll explain as much at the onset. And he'll explain a lot more, without any structural framework as he impersonates any manner of mating animals during his "lecture." Interesting class if you're feeling schizophrenic.

-Speaking of liberal bastarizations of education, the Isthmus article on Steve Nass sounds to me like it's ripe for an early opinion piece on this "Student Bill of Rights" business...Monday, maybe?

-I'm still working feaverishly on homework, but I expect to get a post out about this Friday's "Segregated Fee Review Committee," as soon as possible. I was only there for a little less than half of the proceedings (four hours long), but what I saw didn't look too promising. More on that tonight.

Well, that was quick...

2007-09-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Update (1:20 p.m., Sept. 28): The incident involving an armed robbery on the campus border has been resolved.

A suspect is in custody and the area can return to normal operations.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Umm...thanks?

Another Security Concern?

2007-09-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

This just in from UWPD:

An armed robbery occurred in the City of Madison, along the border of the
University. The suspect was seen entering the 21 N. Park Street Administration
building. Smith and Ogg Hall, two residence halls were immediately locked and the
search of 21 North Park Street began.

Students and Staff are asked to remain out of the area. Students in the Ogg and
Smith Halls should find shelter in a safe place. Persons in or around 21 N. Park
should follow the on-scene police instructions.

Tune to local media or visit the homepage for additional
information.

What the fuck is happpening to this city?

Hey, remember that whole Seg Fee Committee?

2007-09-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess they're finally going to do something! Sure, it might just be talking, but they're doing it today.
3pm, Van Hise, room 1820.

Of course, you wouldn't know that because they don't publicize these meetings...

Here's my question: is that because it is closed? I sincerely hope not.

If you're a glutton for punishment..l.

2007-09-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

check out the live blog of the SSFC meeting tonight at the Badger Herald. We have Polygon, MCSC and...Students for Tenant Resource Center.

Question to any readers:

2007-09-22T18:47:00.001-07:00

What should be the direction of the video in the Herald Blog? I don't really have a camera - everything that you watched from the CAN protest was done on a very old Sony Cybershot. However, what is worth covering, what would you like to see done with this?

Every suggestion is welcome.

And the Anti-War machine rolls on...

2007-09-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Just saw this on Wispolitics. I guess CAN is far more organized than I anticipated, if this is them. Which, I'm not clear on whether it is.

Iraq War veteran will return his medals

On September 26, 2007 a demonstration will begin at 2PM in Library Mall. We will march up State Street to the Capitol and return Josh Gaines' military service metals to the Governor. Josh Gaines is an Iraq War Veteran. He will return his Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and National Defense Service Medal to Gov. Jim Doyle.

Protesters will be calling for the de-federalization of the WI National Guard. We believe it is in the best interest of the country that the National Guard remains in the U.S.A. for use in disaster relief and border control. Organizers are asking that other Veterans return Military Service Medals to the Governor along with Gaines.

The demonstration will end with the demand, Mr. Doyle have a public meeting with anti-war students and the public for the de-federalization of the WI National Guard.

Ryan Olander
612.325.8650
dfedwing@yahoo.com

First off - Defederalization of the National Guard? Wow. Not only is that just way out there, but it's treating this issue like the states are just part of a "coalition of the willing." Sorry guys, but this isn't a volunteering of forces.

Of course, they must realize how unlikely and impossible this is, but it's actually a smart move on their part. First Halliburton, now the Governor's Office. Looking for press to cover you, aren't you? As much as I figured the anti-war movement would pickup pretty quickly, I didn't imagine it would have demands this nuanced. Simply chanting "Get out of Iraq" is one thing, asking for a principled redistribution based on other needs is something I didn't expect. These activists are finally becoming organized.

I think what we could be witnessing is a return to the Vietnam era style protests. Maybe not this year, but perhaps next year if this thing drags on. Now you have Lori Berquam coming out in favor of these protesters (which I'm surprised she still has her job, actually. Perhaps they'll force her out with a scandal if it continues? I hope not, she actually is making a pretty bold move here.)

However, it all scares me a little bit. Not because it could result in a big mistake on the part of certain protesters and force others to use violence. No, it's because this could actually result in the whole campus joining. And other campus joining. It could result in basically every productive unit of academia shutting force and end to this war. And that could mean serious national tension, which at this point has only two ways out: appease or repress.

Ok, maybe I'm getting ahead of the whole thing. However. It is interesting. And I think I might cover it.

Yet, there is a bigger problem with these protests. On the day of the Halliburton protest, there was a rally (or at least there was supposed to be one) against tuition increases at the Capitol. Ok, now maybe that's not the most pertinent local concern considering the fact that our legislature is still acting like a bunch of babies, (Even after the Healthy Wisconsin drop has been offered, Nice stubbornness, Heubsch.)
but it was something that directly effected students. Instead, more students were drawn to the allure of the CAN protests. Bigger, better.

Lori Berquam was right. We need a return to activism on this campus. However, activism doesn't have to mean protesting for nought. It can mean being a guerrilla lobbyist at the capitol and demanding change where it might actually happen.

Oh well. Wishful thinking I guess.

and now...it's done.

2007-09-21T03:07:00.000-07:00

And by the way - no sleep. I am getting no sleep.

In case you're wondering...

2007-09-20T12:47:00.001-07:00

I'm blogging today over at the Herald. Check out occasional posts throughout the day and wait for the video footage tonight. As soon as I compile it.

Hyperlinks aren't working for some reason, so just go to http://www.badgerherald.com/blogs and click on Muckrakers.

And after a nice football game...

2007-09-15T19:31:00.001-07:00

...why not follow it up with a nice bar fight? To anyone who was around State Street Brats around 9:00 pm, what were the specifics?

When I came up, there was a huge crowd on both sides of the street, along with about 3 cop cars, an ambulance and a fire engine. Seems like a bit much for one bar fight, but in State Street Brats on a Saturday, I suppose you need to prepare back up in case something gets out of control.

When I passed by, the police just had one man, in a Steelers coat and incredibly trashed, outside in cuffs as police poured a pitcher of water over his head to clean him off. Lovely. Takes me back to the good ol' days in Sellery.

On a slightly related note, a vote on the alcohol license density plan is coming up on the 18th.

A few updates..

2007-09-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

First off, in case you haven't seen it, the Herald opinion page has a blog, named after our fallen radio show, Muckrakers. We started live blogging last night, at the Students for Obama kickoff and the arrival of the Venezuelan ambassador. Go check it out.

-------------------------------
As for the kickoff itself, it was a little underwhelming. Certainly nice to hear that Obama is coming to Madison, but I expected that to happen anyway. What I really want to hear is their reasoning for why I should vote for him, something that was lacking a compelling argument. Sure, Eli Judge supports him because of his defense of LGBT issues, but that's not a compelling reason in and of itself.

Apparently they were supposed to show a film? What kind of film, Erik?

What I find quite strange about all of this hoopla over Obama is the amount of messianic talk I find in the rhetoric. On the fliers around campus, one of the most noticeable words is "faith." Without looking at the picture in the flier, I thought they was trying to drive up numbers for PrimeTime or a Christian organization. I mean, even that logo invokes the divine.

If not divine at least bombastic.

I suppose it's inspiring that these students are that enthusiastic about throwing their efforts toward change the country. However, hanging your hopes on a charismatic leader has a mixed results. That's why it's good these events are kicking off now - give us time to investigate. I'll probably do some live blogging from Students for Hillary as well. See if that's any more interesting.

Oh, and as for that spitting match comment on Something Verbose: meh. He's got his job, I've got mine. They conflict sometimes. So it goes.
--------

I'll leave you with this - care of another Herald employee. I know we're not supposed to criticize, and I promise this will be the last time (unless something major happens) but...well, take a look.

Look at the staff list. Which of these things just doesn't belong?

3PM: A Brief History of...Origins of Rock and Roll

2007-09-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

Just to let you know, today's show on WSUM 91.7 fm will be an hour long spin through pre-rock and roll. The influences of Blues (Robert Johnson), Jazz (Django Reinhardt) Jump Blues (Fats Domino), Country (Merle Travis) and Gospel (Sam Cooke) will all be on display at 3pm today. Tune in by radio or by webcast.

And as soon as those damned archives start working again, I'll post the previous episode.

Alright, so it's a bit lo-budget in comparison to the Lips...

2007-09-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

but it works.

Or, at least it worked before Leslie and the Ly's took the stage. Cher kept replaying as a mute image on the screen. However, after a little help from some new cords, we're back in business.

They just finished "shoot them in the brains" and the audience is crowding the front of the stage.

Leslie Hall is doing well in her gold pants and now a golden..shoulder pad?

"It's very sci-fi."

That it is, you crazy Iowa kids. You know how to bring the beats.

Ponys are up next.

It's 8:30...

2007-09-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

and the 1900's are up and running, fairly well, with two pretty attractive female singers. The occasionally infusion of a casio keyboard is a bit unnerving, but their vocal stylings make up for it.

The Pony's have their things set up on the side of the stage and are ready to go.

We're still looking for Leslie Hall, who said she was going to go "walk around." Hopefully she comes here in time to strap on those gold pants of hers. The amount of props she has is always a good sign.

In true radio fashion, the WSUM DJ's are walking around with microphones, interviewing patrons, band members and other such involved people.

Update 4 - Snake on the Lake

2007-09-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

DLO was fantastic

Right now, Maps and Atlases are up playing...and the first problem of the day happens as the drummer's top cymbal just...falls off in the middle of their first song. Whoops.

Still not that crowded, but it's getting there. The front of the stage has filled up finally, but the dancing is a bit...bobble-headed. just going back and forth. I guess that's what indie rock does to people. Oh well.

1900's are here and ready to go.

Map and Atlases sounds "like 70's prog rock" according to Marcus. However, Marcus is pretty drunk.

I think they sound really out of tune from a distance, but the shifting tempos might actually lend credence to Marcus' claim.

More as become available. Everything is running smoothly.

The German Art Students are off...

2007-09-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

A nice 45 minute set punctuated by Pixies-pop rock and a spoken word finale. Now DLO and Stink Tank are loading up to bring a little hip-hop to the crowd.

No one's been dancing, and with the way the heat's beating down, that's not going to change for awhile. Channel 15 came by and talked to our station manager, so that's some good publicity, although she said, "I probably sounded stupid."

Maps and Atlases have moved into the load in area and we're in some pretty good shape. Let's hope that smooth movement continues through the day.

Randy is talking to his mom and dad at the merch table right now. what a nice family.

So here's a different question - why has the rathskellar not moved out it's beer to the terrace? It's usually out here by now, but I've seen no movement to suggest they're coming out. Guess that's going to mean one looonnnggg line.

on a seperate note, WSUM is far more prepared than WUD usually is with their events. Good stuff.

DLO/Stink Tank in 5. Stay tuned.

First quote...

2007-09-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

"Oh yeah, you look like a German Art Student...what do you do? Oh, guitar? Yeah, I dig chicks who play guitar..." - Marcus

Snake on the Lake Fest - 2:30

2007-09-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's about 30 minutes before the German Art Students and it's already getting too hot for comfort. The terrace isn't exactly packed for a Saturday afternoon, but it's getting there. Let's hope the students can split their time between the game and some music.

Of course, I know that probably won't happen.

Although, I am looking forward to hearing a few of the local bands, such as German Art Students (who were booked easily as Randy Balwahn, our fundraising director, is one of the members). I don't know much about local groups, but this should give a few primers to me and the other uninitiated viewers. Everyone is pretty lax out here now, but I anticipate that changing rather soon.

More updates throughout the day, pictures at the very end.

Correction to my Wednesday column.

2007-09-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

the article that talked about Spencer Black should have said "state Rep. Spencer Black." Don't know why I wrote senator. I apologize for the mistake.

Just a reminder...

2007-09-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

My new radio show starts today, at 3pm on WSUM 91.7 Fm. "A brief history of..." will be starting with Old-time country music. If you have a fetish for Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys (despite the fact that they sound like women) or just pine for a return to the days when country was called "hillbilly music," tune in by radio or by webcast.

Good one, Cardinal, Good one.

2007-09-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

First off, I'm glad to see the Daily Cardinal has not completely atrophied. After taking a look at yesterday's issue of a whopping eight pages, I was afraid they were cutting back on staff, pages and reporters. Thankfully, today's paper shows that is not the case.

Erik Opsal, of the Hippie Perspective, Students for Obama campaign and the Daily Cardinal, wrote an opinion piece on why old Ogg Hall should just be used to house those we turned away. This part from Paul Evans really deserved a scoff:

According to UW-Madison Housing Director Paul Evans, the university did consider saving one of the old Ogg towers, but eventually decided against it.

“It just isn’t a practical option,” Evans said. “The reasons why we wanted to tear down Ogg still exist. We’d still have to spend a lot of money to get that building to be where we want it to be.” However, with a chronic lack of housing for incoming freshman, keeping at least one tower open—which would provide enough housing for those who need it until new dorms are built—seems like common sense.

When he says, "where we want it to be" and "up to code" don't seem to be synonymous here. Yes, Ogg is a poorly designed, ratty sort of building. Yet, when I lived there a mere three years ago, it certainly served it's purpose and was able to continue serving it's purpose for some time to come.

UW-Milwaukee has a similar problem with housing, but it's because of lack of money, it's because of lack of space. They just can't build anywhere. We have two towers of empty...nothing that have been used for practice drills by the Firefighters and police officers. So why couldn't we use it to house paying students?

The Herald Ed Board has already criticized the actions of our Republican lawmakers for attempting to nix the Lakeshore plans from the budget, but UW Housing really deserves the blame on this one. We actually didn't have housing issues last year because Smith added an additional 600 beds while Old Ogg was still up and running. Now, they replace Ogg Hall with a new, smaller building and we just decide to go back to shortages because the building is inefficient?

If we knew what they WANT to replace and what absolutely NEEDS to be replaced, then perhaps we could better evaluate housing's decision. Until then, I'm glad people at the Cardinal, including their Ed Board, are finally tackling important issues rather than shaking fingers at UW athletes and giving the thumbs up to religious dietary options.

Edit: I'd link to those Ed Board opinion, but they don't seem to be on the Cardinal Website...a search for "Daily Cardinal Editorial Board" renders "three results," but only shows today's article. Come on!

And such a long hiatus, a return!

2007-09-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

But I'm back. It's been a hectic last two weeks putting together the Reg Issue of the Badger Herald, but it's out, and it's accompanying second edition, full of Badger's victory over Washington State, will be out on Tuesday. We go back to work on that same day, putting out our first regular issue on Wednesday.

However, some things to talk about before then, seeing I've been practically invisible since the Herald started...

-MU Bash is tonight, and it's about an hour before they start. I'll probably post a little round up of their performance, along with what the feeling was of MU Bash in general. I'm looking at the line-up now of activities now, but it seems quite sparse. Perhaps that will change once the Freshmen pack the hallways, but it does seem like there is a lot less to do here than in previous years...

-On a separate note, we had Trombone Shorty, a New Orleans based funk/jazz artist at the terrace last
night, and it was far better than expected. WUD sort of booked it on a whim, and there was talk of trying to get Band of Horses here instead, as they were available, but I doubt they would have energized the crowd more than Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews did. Although there were a few times I gave my usual musical snob snort -- such as when he played Lenny Kravitz tunes, "Runnin" and his cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman" -- I must admit, the crowd was on par with our Hip-Hop menagerie earlier in the summer. In the end, the crowd was feeling funky and they got down. In a show of how well he knew the crowd, he even inserted a little "Jump Around" to satisfy the sea of red that came over to enjoy a brisk summer night.

He was supposed to play two sets, one hour each. Instead, he played for about 2 and a half hours straight. "I don't think we've ever played a crowd this big, or with this much energy. It just makes me wanna keep going!" And they did. I actually heard the masses in front of the stage yell "encore" at the top of their lungs, the second they started to step off the stage. Now, THAT is impressive.

-Just saw ASM at a table where they gave me a little light-hearted jabbing over the Ed Board opinion on segregated fees. It looks like this will be an interesting year for campus politics, but I'm optimistic. Hopefully we'll be able to work together instead of against each other. After all, we're both, as Art Brut would say, "just talking to the kids," right? Maybe I should stop using kids though. I've been told I use that term a lot. That arrogant Smathers!

- So, another point of contention is this weekend's two competing festivals - SoCo festival with the Flaming Lips (21 and up, only) and WSUM's inaugural Snake on the Lake Fest with the 1900's and the Pony's. I'm torn, but having seen the Lips at Lollapalooza and taking part in their orgasmic visual spectacle, I think I'll catch WSUM's festival, especially since I probably owe a radio station that's given me the opportunity to do a show with all British music. Which leads me to....

-New Radio Show! Although we couldn't continue Muckrakers because of scheduling conflicts, I will have a new show this semester. With my friend musical encyclopedia, John Vanek, we'll be spinning through a different genre of music every week, Thursday's at 3pm at WSUM 91.7 fm. We're starting out with a salute to old Western music, then going through a spin of the origins of Rock N' Roll (circa 1953) the week after that. From there...British Invasion, 60's Psychedelia and forward. If you have any genre suggestions, send me an email at jsmathers@wisc.edu and I'll get on it.

Other than that, we have a busy week ahead of us at the Herald, but would enjoy it if the community voice could contribute with letters to the editor, guest editorials, etc. If you've got a desire to sound off on a local issue, speak on behalf of a community org, or just have a beef with us, send it along. We'll print it.

Send pieces, inquiries, etc to either jsmathers@badgerherald.com or agranias@badgerherald.com and we'll get on the case.

And I promise, I'll try and update much more often.

US and World News College Ratings - disclaimer

2007-08-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

After seeing the slew of articles both hailing and lamenting the position of our lovely university, Mr. Spirn posted this insider report on UW-Madison "tumbling" to no. 38, behind Illinois and Georgia Tech. Cries of calamity and "second-tier" ratings are abound.

So let's take a closer look at the situation, as the official ranking is out and confirms that post.

First off, if we compare this rating to last year's ratings, UW hasn't dropped THAT far. Last year, we were tied for 34 with three other universities. Below that, Georgia Tech was tied for 38 with two other universities, and Illinois was ranked at 41.

They don't even have a ranking of top national universities, they just take four and list them. How comprehensive.

So, here's the question: where does the ranking come from? These are these incredibly complicated catagories, but it basically breaks down as such:
-Retention - 20 percent
-Faculty Resources - 20 percent
-Student selectivity - 15 percent
-Financial Resources -10 percent
-Graduation rate performance - 5 percent
-Alumni giving rate - 5 percent

but the biggest category is the most disputed:

Peer assessment (weighting: 25 percent). The U.S. News ranking formula gives greatest weight to the opinions of those in a position to judge a school's undergraduate academic excellence. The peer assessment survey allows the top academics we consult—presidents, provosts, and deans of admissions—to account for intangibles such as faculty dedication to teaching. Each individual is asked to rate peer schools' academic programs on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). Those who don't know enough about a school to evaluate it fairly are asked to mark "don't know." Synovate, an opinion-research firm based near Chicago, collected the data; of the 4,089 people who were sent questionnaires, 58 percent responded.

So an entire quarter of the score is dependant on academics and administrator's scorecard based on whatever can't be quantified? Hmm. If that's so important, I better see MIT take a hit in the rankings (It did, dropped 3 places). In any case, quite a few people find this rating incredibly biased, such as the Education Conservancy, who sent out a letter to college presidents in 2007:

Among other reasons, we believe [...] rankings: imply a false precision and authority that is not warranted by the data they use;obscure important differences in educational mission in aligning institutions on a single scale;say nothing or very little about whether students are actually learning at particular colleges or universities;encourage wasteful spending and gamesmanship in institutions' pursuing improved rankings;overlook the importance of a student in making education happen and overweight the importance of a university's prestige in that process; and degrade for students the educational value of the college search process. We ask you to make the following two commitments: 1. Refuse to fill out the U.S. News and World Report reputational survey. 2. Refuse to use the rankings in any promotional efforts on behalf of your college or university, and more generally, refuse to refer to the rankings as an indication of the quality of your college or university."

These universities eventually signed the letter, but I can't imagine how the impact can be approximated (or if there even IS an impact.). In any case, at least 25 percent of these ratings are pretty subjective.

I would like to give that breakdown, but I don't really feel like paying 15 bucks for the details. As soon as their book comes out, I'll head out to the Barnes and Noble and jot down the figures, but for now, take everything in these ratings with a grain of salt.

Just a notice...

2007-08-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

This blog is now open to anonymous comments. So, any critics who would like to tear me apart...deface my blog, not Critical Badger.

You might be a lame duck if...

2007-08-14T08:48:00.001-07:00

Hmm. Let's see. The last one of my trusted inner circle has jumped ship and I need someone with loyalty. Someone with integrity! Someone who can rebuild our legitimacy after years of failed proposals, a failed war and a looming trade showdown with China.

Of course! Baseball!

Cal Ripken Jr., who usually avoids the political arena, was named a State Department sports envoy yesterday. He plans to remain politically neutral even as he joins forces with the Bush administration to try to bolster America's image overseas.

The former Orioles superstar said yesterday that he didn't accept the unpaid post to make a political statement but rather to work with children from other nations on baseball...

The State Department's Bureau of Educational Affairs will pay his travel expenses. His first trip will be to China in late October.

What a low. Some are heralding Rove's departure as the end of the Bush presidency, but I think the President's last action of any value was his immigration proposal, even though that ultimately failed as well. Other than that, it's been the same deal across the board: Wait for progress in Iraq, twiddle thumbs on national security, send envoys to whimper at Chinese business leaders.

Sorry, but American retailers are going to make diplomacy decisions on Beijing before this administration does anything.

Well, at least Condi's "sticking around." If anyone else is going to leave, they seem to have until labor day, if we can believe the CNN report. Otherwise, they're in for the long haul.

The dream is over...

2007-08-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

Mayor Dave has given up his "trolley" idea. Finally. I'm sure those who voted for Mayor Dave in the April elections probably did so with one thought, "As long as he doesn't actually think that trolley idea is going to work." I give the man credit for finally dumping the idea and admitting defeat. He's not going to pursue it, he's not even going to try and get it on the RTA agenda.

Good job. He may not be admitting he's wrong, but at least he's removed that unsightly growth from his plans.

Now that this nonsense is out of the way, perhaps we can focus on crime a little more?

No protest yet...

2007-08-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

...but they are going into the crowd and handing out a few DVD's of their "9/11 truth" documentary. I had to chase a few off (Union property, can't solicit), but I'm now regretting that I did as one Union employee and 9/11 truth purveyor kept referring to "punk bitches" and said he might be forced to do something he's going to get in trouble for.

Mr. Barrett is lurking...

2007-08-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

...around memorial union. There's already an employee walking around with a few other people who have a large banner they're ready to unfurl. Right now there's a blues band on stage, but I wouldn't be surprised if they wait for the break to take advantage of the silence...and fill it with a little action.

More information as it becomes available.

36.09(5) - Shared Governance or Throwing the dogs a bone?

2007-08-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

As you might have read on in the Cap Times or Something Verbose, the Board of Regents voted in favor of Chancellor Wiley on the off-campus rent issue. Basically it means that...
Sex Out Loud!, CFACT and PAVE are relegated to the basement of Memorial Union. The Union is going to pay to renovate their space, as offices are in an old flooded space in the basement. However, according to Alex Gallagher, they have no money for maintenance as that line item was included in Off-Campus Rent. So if they want to keep their basic space running, they'll either need to dip into the reserve board (money left over at the end of each year) or cut other expenditures. Does that mean SOL! will have to hold off on the strap-ons? How will the children know how to properly peg each other?

Wispirg is still shacked up with MCSC and the Jewish Cultural Collective is enjoying a cosy living arrangement with Hillel.

But what about the Roman Catholic Foundation? Yes, they're hanging out with St. Paul's for now, but part of their settlement with the UW stipulates that they have to cut ties with St. Paul's. Does that mean UW has to find space for them as well or do we just wait for another set of lawsuits? Gallagher declined to comment on the UWRCF situation stating, "that's too political, I'm not going to get into that...All I can say is those groups have been able to obtain housing for free." Sounds like I'll have to have another chat with Tim Kruse.

It sets up questions about the future of segregated fees, but the bigger issue on the side of ASM is how this hampers Shared Governance. Alex Gallagher said that having Chancellor Wiley mandate a decision from on high violates shared governance, because he didn't directly consult with ASM.

Board of Regents saw it differently. For them, two years was plenty of time to "consult" with students on the matter and ultimately, Wiley has ultimate authority. Well, I'd definitely agree with the regents about the time element, but "Shared Governance" needs some clarification. Let's take a look at it, shall we?

The students of each institution or campus subject to the responsibilities and powers of the board, the president, the chancellor, and the faculty shall be active participants in the immediate governance of and policy development for such institutions.

Ok, right off the bat, it sets out who's in charge. The president, chancellor, board and faculty come first. Now, this is where the ambiguity starts - "active participants in the immediate governance." I feel the students are reading the last part first and the first part last. Yes, immediate governance is taking place, but you're only kids at the table. You get to speak, but not govern. Active participation is such a weak term for something that's supposed to let ASM have their hand in every student decision and activity. As far as I know, "active participation" could be just as deceiving as when Bill O'Reilly tells his guests "As always, I'll give you the last word."

If this were all there is to it, we'd probably not be having this argument. It's the following part that causes heads to be scratched till bloody and raw:

As such, students shall have the primary responsibilityfor the formulation and review of policies concerning student life, services, and interests. Students in consultation with the chancellor and subject to the final confirmation of the board shall have the responsibility for the disposition of those student fees which constitute substantial support for campus student activities.

Ahh, so this is where SSFC gets the idea from. It goes to them first and they discuss it with Wiley, but the board of regents has the final say. It's not just saying they get to sit at the table, it says they're digging into the food, as well.

However, here's where the caveat comes in. Notice the one word missing from this section: power. The "powers and responsibilities" are in the hands of the administration, whereas the students only have "responsibilities." In this sense, 36.09(5) doesn't guarantee governance, it guarantees a burden. The administration hands over some of their work to the students, but when they muck it up, mom and dad take back control and chastise them.

The only way ASM and SSFC recovers from this decision is if the state statute is revised to specifically lay out the duties and powers of student governance in regards to student fees, policies and activities. Lots of luck on that one.

Until then, we're nothing more than glorified lobbyists. Yet, it's still important to embrace that role. If you think complaining about segregated fees isn't an issue, consider this: tuition will rise by 5.5%, about $330, for the year. Segregated Fees are rising by around 33%, 125 dollars a semester.

One is inevitable and essential. The other is a frills package we don't need. and we CAN stop it. I sincerely believe that.

Edit - Quick correction -- the Chancellor's Office is funding the renovation of the Union, not the Union itself. Thanks Suchita.

Welcome Home!

2007-08-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Man, have I been out of the loop for a week. First Critical Badger is out for a week, and now me.

However, I have returned and brought you a full (well, except for Pearl Jam) review of Lollapalooza. Later tonight I hope to have analysis of the tuition increase and off-campus rent issue, which was decided in favor of Chancellor Wiley. I interviewed Alex Gallagher and Gestina Sewell earlier today, so their side of the story will certainly be presented, along with some opinion on my side, as usual.

Other than that, we put out the Mail Home issue of the Badger Herald! Take a look, won't you?

While you're at it, why not tune in tonight to WSUM 91.7 FM to listen to another addition of Muckrakers? 8pm tonight, you can stream on wsum.org or listen via radio. Either way, tune in and call in - 608-264-9786.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to daily updates from now on. *crosses fingers.*

Lollapalooza: Day Three

2007-08-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ugh. So tired. I'm not even sure I have the energy to make it here. After taking a trip with my backpack down Michigan Ave. only to find the Virgin Megastore had obviously been shut down, I lurched into Lollapalooza, shuffling my way to the Cribs. Oh, my British devotion has got a work out today, doesn't it? Cribs and Amy Winehouse? Not particular favorites of mine, but still interesting enough.

Still, the poor bastards have to stand on stage and perform for a 12:15 crowd in this blistering heat? Yesterday had been nice because of the light rain and cloudy skies, but mother nature turned up the thermostat today. They took the stage and blew through their newer material off of Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever before dipping into second album fare with "Mirror Kisses" and "Martel." They were a bit too energetic for this early in the morning, and the sound was just so distorted, I can't imagine anyone past the sound tent heard one song properly. Ross Jarman made some ridiculous comment that he had lived in Chicago on Kedzie Ave, but that was the extent of their interaction with the audience. they played "Hey Scenesters!" but by now, the song seems a bit of self parody. I left to rest up and find my friends.

After finding Mary, we went to see Amy Winehouse. Was she drunk? Was she sloshed? Would she be a total shit show for the audience? Not quite. It was more the disappointing drunk who just gets lethargic and forgets where they are. Her voice didn't suffer at all and she put on decent versions of her songs...that is, when she actually played her own material. In the midst of her set, she decided to play two Specials covers (Hey Little Rich Girl and "You're Wondering Now") and a Sam Cooke cover "Cupid" before going into her own material for three songs and finishing off with a Zutons cover "Valerie." Very bizarre. Apparenlty, this is normal fare for Amy, but come on. You've got two albums, although the American public doesn't know that. Play something off of Frank? Why not? I didn't look like the rest of the crowd knew any of the stuff off this album other than "Back to Black" and "Rehab," what's more unknown material?

By that point, Mary and I were dying with those backpacks on. We crawled over to the Annuals and took a nap during their set. Again, I was surprised how many people were packed into the citi stage for a band I thought few people had heard of. They sounded good, but then again, the fact that I was able to sleep to their brand of odd indie rock (odd meaning they had samples of forest noises in between most of their songs) probably isn't a great endorsement. Listen to "Be He Me" and you'll get a pretty good understanding. It's a good album.

Well, Mary stayed behind to see Peter Bjorn and John, a band I didn't have any interest in seeing. So I camped out in front of the AT&T stage to hear cross-field samples of Kings of Leon (yes, I missed Iggy Pop...don't give me that look.) and wait for !!! (Chik Chik Chik.)

Somehow, !!! made it into my top three for the weekend. With a new album of stellar funk songs that are finally good enough to classify as songs rather than 9 minutes freak outs, I was expecting a good show. I didn't get a good show. I got an amazing spectacle of dance, funk showmanship and spectacle. A funkified freakshow, really. Nic Offer took the stage after a little drum solo and started to shake his ass in tight shorts and polo. Sure, his moves aren't that great, but they are hilarious. They started with Myth Takes, went through "All my heroes are weirdos" and Nic Offer completely floored the audience with a blistering rendition of "Pardon My Freedom," which includes a line I always laugh at. The audience seemed agape when they heard it: "You can tell the president to suck my fucking dick/does that sound intelligent or like I'm throwing a fucking fit?" before going into the equally amusing chorus "Like I give fuck, Like I give a shit about that fuck, Like I give a fuck about that motherfucking shit." Nic Offer than proceeded to jump off the stage, throw every bottle of water he could grab into the audience and then jump onto one of the side platforms near the myspace tent where he swiveled like a caged go-go dancer.

After finishing that, Offer invited Shannon Funchess onto stage to help with vocals on "Yadnus" and "Dear Can" among others. If Nic Offer seemed wild, then Funchess was absolutely out of control. At one point, her soulful vocals crescendo into a scream. How to heighten this scream? Ah yes, deep throat the microphone hands free and flail about like an airplane about to crash into a building. Offer was still dancing up a storm and decided to appropriately flash his ass at the Lolla camera crew during a Funchess supported version of "Must Be the Moon." Eventually, after chugging a Budweiser and dumping the rest over her head and ripping off her shirt, Funchess did some salacious dance moves with a woman dressed in a Raccoon suit and left the stage. Offer had a few words for the audience before he finished the set with his insistent screaming vocals on "Intensify":

So, real nice fucking job to whoever put us up against Yo La Tengo. Always wanted to see them. Oh Well. (throws full water bottle into audience) But you know, I was at the first Lollapalooza and I can only say, I hope we can be to you what Nine Inch Nails was to me, because they fucking rocked.

What could top a performance like that? Nothing, really. I ran over to the now soggy, muddy and musty Bud Light stage where Modest Mouse were performing, but left after three songs. Why? ask the sound guys. It astounds me how a band like Modest Mouse can play a semi-headlining slot on the last day and still sound so distant or muddled from just behind the sound tent. Plus, they didn't seem all that into it to be honest.

My Morning Jacket, on the other hand, did. They were dressed in full waiter attire, while supported by the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. I was pretty burnt out by this point, but they did put on a good show, even it did cut into TV On the Radio, a bit.

Unfortunately, for me, I was not able to see them or Pearl Jam, as Van Galder waits for no one.

So, to cap off the review, some tips for next year:

1. Please, color wrist bands by day or don't give them out at all. I could have easily slipped off my wrist band and handed it to anyone else, but I didn't need to, because one-day ticket holders who made it into the arms of a wristband holder who doesn't care who gets the goods just go a 110 dollar upgrade. Merry Christmas, kids.
2. Fix your goddamn sound. I heard more screeches and whines from the amps this year than the previous two combined. Sure, there were no Kanye style mic problems, but if I were Maya of MIA, I would be pissed.
3. No more head to head matches. As one man said to me during the Black Keys, "Can't the just take the real big headliners and put them up against no-namers?" Certainly !!! didn't sound too happy about the current situation and considering the large amount of fans in transit between Muse and Interpol, neither did they.
4. Lose the minefield stage. Ok, the Green Street part of the festival was a nice touch, but that "fun" stage of yours is just an annoyance. Either make it a pure DJ stage or just total the whole thing.
5. Get rid of that FYE signing tent. Your CD's are overpriced and you couldn't even stock Daft Punk properly. Virgin knew how to run the show and they kept things relatively cheap. Also, that Merch tent near the center of the festival needs some lines. Instead it felt like a flea market. That's fine, as long as there aren't 100,000 people at the flea market.
6. Nice job on the indie acts, but could we have a little more Hip-hop? Roots and MIA were nice, but Lupe Fiasco sounded like kind of a bust. Perhaps you should have one stage dedicated to hip-hop as well?
7. New Rule: Perry Ferrel isn't aloud to talk. If you think the Pitchfork MC is dorky, take a look at "PerFer." The man nearly got his mic cutoff when introducing Muse. Need I say more?

and lastly,

8. Next year's headliner: Radiohead. Come on. You know you have to.

Lollapalooza: Day Two

2007-08-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

After the thumping bass blitz last night, it was going to be hard to please this time around. Tapes N' Tapes realized that. "I mean we left our giant tripod at home, so we're just going to keep playing some songs." Sure, no light show, but they still managed to impress. They started off with the one-two hit off of "The Loon" of "Just Drums" and "the Iliad." Great, I thought, but is this just going to be a rehash of that album? Say no more, doubting listener. They followed it up with an older song off of their EP's "Beach Girls" and followed it up with the first of a few new songs, "Demon Apple." Some of the new songs worked with TnT's abrasive/calming tempo switches, but this one stood out by far. And what do you know? I ust happened to tape the whole song.

The rest of the show was a fairly impressive mix of the new and old, finally pleasing the crowd by ending on favorites "Cowbell,"
"Insistor" (which I sang along to fairly loudly until I saw my quickly ballooning afro bobbing out of control on the jumbo-tron) and a stunning finish with "Jakov's Suite." I will say this about the show - Jeremy Hanson really didn't put nearly as much energy into his drumming as he did on the studio recording. Songs like "10 Gallon Ascots" and "In Houston" sounded a little less bombastic because Hanson relied on simple beats rather than his military-style assault one would normally hear on those songs. Yet, if that was the only misstep, consider that show a success.

Here's my only question: Who is this guy in the yellow? He was jumping to every song backstage until he came on and consistently shook his tambourine. If anyone knows who is he, let me know, eh?

There was a little break in the show as neither me nor Mary were particularly interested in Silverchair or Stephen Marley, plus she nearly fainted during Tapes N' Tapes. So we sat for awhile, listening to Silverchair's Australian alternative rehash in the distance before heading over to Cold War Kids at the Citi stage.

Well, we tried to at least. The stage was quite far from our vantage point as we had not anticipated...this.

I was astounded. Enough people here had obvious heard Jeff Buckley and were hoping he'd be reincarnated in the person of Jeff Willet. Well, it took a few songs for them to get into their groove, but that lovely streaming voice hit us all the way back by the food court. Amazing projection considering the smaller stage and speaker size, but songs like "Hang Me Up to Dry" still sounded crystal clear across the street. It was raining, cloudy and incredibly cramped, but I still managed to sway a little.

After Cold War Kids, it was time to make a hard decision. When I ventured over to the Bud Light stage at this time yesterday, I was seriously disappointed by M.I.A. and Maya's struggle to put on a decent show and keep the crowd engaged. This time it was The Roots, whom I had never seen live but was enthralled at the prospect. I know that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! are already coming to Madison and I doubt they could really push their whiny lo-fi sound to the masses. So, I jogged over to the Roots.

What a pleasant surprise. They started off with some standard fare from Phrenology before allowing Hub to launch into an extended bass solo, followed by Black Thought referencing the "hip hop is dead" mantra before taking the band through a sample medely that probably gave every person in the audience a firm understanding of why hip hop is NOT dead. Unfortunately, this would be the last time the Bud Light stage would perform such auditory feats for me, every other group I saw on that stage was a muddled mess.

I left Roots with 15 minutes left to go catch the Hold Steady. I had attempted to see them last year until my concert partner that year, Isaiah said the music sounded boring and we caught the Frames instead (who weren't that bad, but not as exciting as the show we missed that day.) I passed Matt & Kim (fill in's for CSS, a band I hated anyway.) who seemed pretty drunk as they explained their unbridled joy at being asked to fill in while providing some incoherent commentary on their daily lives. I skipped past those low-budget Mates of State and stood amongst the Minnesota faithful as they awaited their hometown boys.

The night before, I looked over a year old Rolling Stone that called them "the Best Bar Band Ever." I found that title to be a bit underwhelming. It's like saying, "The Hold Steady are the best band to play our of their parents garage!" It's more an insult than a badge of honor. Yet, despite their rising fame, they're still humble. As they made their way onstage, front man Craig Finn wearing a Twins jersey and seeming absolutely delighted to be staring at such an enthusiastic and smiling crowd. They ripped into "Boys and Girls" opener "Stuck Between Stations" and never let up. Every song by the Hold Steady is either one of two things - a fairly clever story or an anthemic head-banging sing-along. I found myself repeating the chorus to Chips Ahoy! and "You Can Make Him Like You" while Craig Finn stepped back from the microphone and repeated his lyrics as if he reacting to his own story. Just before launching into closer "Killer Parties" Finn gave a heartfelt little speech saying that he started the band because he wanted to have a practice once a week where he could drink with his friends and four years later, "we're going to Dublin next week to open for the Stones." This was a dedication to those Twin City fanatics jumping around who had turned lyrically rich alternative rock into a truly unifying experience. Hell, I nearly cried.

Hold Steady finished and Karen O took the stage across the way. As much as I would have liked to hear them, I was far more dedicated to Spoon, and waited while Britt tuned his guitar and Karen O played peek-a-boo with the crowd via a little curtain of streamers she kept placing in front of her face. My friend Chris later went on to say, "The only songs I had heard before that were Maps and a demo of Gold Lion but, after that show...I think I'm in love with Karen O." Certainly, they looked like they were having fun.

Ahh, but Spoon was my treat for the day. They open with some Gimme Fiction material (My Mathematical Mind) and a spin through a few Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga tunes (Don't you Evah and Rthm and Soul) before turning back toward "Fitted Shirt" off of Girls Can Tell. So where was the new stuff? Yes, they could have brought some horns to accompany them on "The Underdog" and it would have been fantastic, or they could have brought a piano out for "Ghost of You Lingers," but it would have put a damper on the already High-Octane Rock and Roll sound they were crafting this night. The last time they came to Lollapalooza, they sort of plodded their way through a very weak piano driven set where Britt looked fairly uninterested. This time, Britt gripped his guitar firmly and made it clear during a performance of "The Beast and Dragon, Adored" that is vastly superior to the brooding studio recording: "It took its time to work it into my soul/ I've got to believe it come from Rock N' Roll." "Don't Make Me a Target" was similarly blistering with Britt taking full advantage of the song's manic bridge to abuse his guitar. The set ended on "Black Like Me" and the crowd couldn't get enough, shouting "one more song". I've seen this before and it didn't turn out that well for Broken Social Scene. I left before they started shouting "Fuck Muse!"

And herein lies the major dilemma of the weekend. Two Bands - one captures the classic rock part of my heart dedicated to Queen and British theatrics and the other has a hold on my the post-punk part of my sensibilities that still pay homage to a fallen Ian Curtis. Muse or Interpol? Well, let's sample both and see whom we stick with. I started with Muse as they scrolled some long quote on the screen about subversion and secrets given by President Kennedy before launching into their overdone and childish Bush bashing via "Take a Bow." Then came a bit of "Hysteria" and "Supermassive Black Hole." Ok, all this new material didn't impress me much, so it was time to rush over to Interpol.

Man, did I come at the wrong time. When I got there, Interpol decided to dedicate about 20 minutes to their new material, "Rest My Chemistry," "Mammoth" (which I actually like) amongst others. I stayed on, waiting to hear my favorite Antics "Evil" then left during "PDA" yes, I loved the songs, but there was no stage presence, as Paul Banks simply peered through the cracks of his shaggy hair-cut and cradled a flying V guitar labeled with a sticker that said "BREASTS." Meanwhile, Carlos D looked like a 20's movie villian with his frizzy beard and cigarillo.

Muse was finishing up their main set when I got there, but was still delighted to hear something off of Origin of Symmetry as they launched into "New Born," a song most of the crowd didn't seem to know, and looked strangely at me as I belted out the chorus in off-key Bellamy style falsetto.

As it turned out, had I switched spots and started with Interpol, left to see Muse and gone back to Interpol, I probably would have recieved a musical prime rib instead of the fatty edges. While I listened to Muse start their set, Interpol started with some old favorites from Turn on the Bright Lights. When I saw Interpol, Muse took a side step and played "Sunburn" off of their first album, Showbiz, and my personal favorite: a cover of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good." Then, while I watched Muse launch into their encore with an absurdly karoke (the lyrics flashing in bold red letters on the light board behind them) version of "Knight of Cydonia," Interpol finished with an encore including "Stella was a Diver" and my personal favorite, "NYC."

I suppose you can't win them all. Still, Muse took it to 10:05 while Interpol ended 10 minutes earlier. So, not that bad. It was close, but this night was only nearly edged out by Friday as the best of the festival. But only slightly.

Lollapalooza: Day One

2007-08-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

"Daft Punk is playing at my house, my house."

That's why everyone came, isn't it? We could rationalize it with the combination of Modest Mouse, Spoon, Clap Your Hands and others. Or, in my case, just !!! (Chk Chk Chk). Yet, in reality, everyone came out on Friday for the danceable robotic spectacle from France. Was there anything more to Friday's festival kick-off than seven hours of anticipation ending in an hour and half cerebral blitz?

Maybe, but after finishing the entree, any taste of the appetizers are a faint memory. Nevertheless, I'll try to sum them up.

We arrived at the gates late into the show, around 1:30. Although Mary and I had three-day passes, Tristan and his friend Jake got the same wrist bands. This is apparently a problem that repeated itself. One security official takes your ticket, scans it and passes you through. If you have a three day pass, then they pass you off to this woman with three-day wristbands. Yet, if you have a one-day pass...you still encountered the same woman. It wasn't a bunch of people trying to scam the system: they just thought, "oh, there must be different colored wrist bands for the event." That wasn't the case. Due to that fact, you had a great deal of one-day ticket holders who just got their $80 coach ticket upgraded to first class.

Unfortunately for Tristan and Jake, they could only stay today, so they had to make the best of it.

We quickly discerned the corporate stage system - it would have been easier if we had renamed the stages "A","B," etc. - and found a fairly up close view of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, already 15 minutes into their set. I like Ted Leo, but find it hard to derive anything from his live show other than amusement when he injures himself. When he played Pitchfork last year, I was indifferent to his performance until he inexplicably bashed his head in the microphone. There were no antics of that sort this time, although he did make a comment about how frequently he scrapes or cuts himself on stage. The show didn't really jolt me, except for the rousing "C.I.A." set closer after only 45 minutes (come on, you have MORE than an hour of material!) Ok, I might buy his new album, but nothing stunning at the first show.

As I leave to catch Polyphonic Spree, the Ted Leo fan who had been elbowing me the last 20 minutes turns to me and says, "Ted Leo rocks, man!" and puts his hands up for an emphatic high-five. I agree with mock enthusiasm, slap his hands while still holding my cell phone, and leave. "I'm glad he touched you and not me," Mary laughs.

Before I head off to those uniformed crazies on the Bud Light stage, I decided to stick around the east wing of Grant Park and see a little bit of Viva Voce. It was this point two striking revelations became clear.

1. I need a better camera. As all the press photographers formed a queue at the side of the stage, I stood there with my outmoded Sony Cybershot, to capture only a few glimpses of the husband and wife duo from Portland, Ore.
2. Viva Voce didn't really practice before they came here. Their voices were off, their sound was horrible and they seemed hot and tired already. I would like to hear "When Worlds Collide" with a little more vigor and on-key tone than Anita Robinson could provide. Yet, that might have changed after a few songs. Unfortunately, I couldn't stick around that long.

Time for the freak show. Except I can barely see the "Fragile Army." The tender-hearted Black Brigade with a penchant for sunshine and love attracted a crowd that filled half the field, something unheard of for a first day act at 2:30. What's more, the sound was crisp far past the sound tent. The only problem with this is that it began to get overwhelming the closer you got. It's understandable, they're a huge band with a huge baroque pop sound (a harp on stage!), yet, I do think something was wrong with the sound. When I made it to the sound tent, the sound was a little too tinny and bright. Despite that, the Spree may have been a bit too cheesy and bright for my tastes. I couldn't quite decide if I liked Spree as their hyper-ecstatic brand of pop music made heads bob while shaking. The new material works, as the sound isn't as "Love EVERYONE!" as material from "The Beginning Stages of..." and still retains a poppy jolt.

Yet, if there was one highlight of the show, it was when Polyphonic Spree left the stage for a few moments, only to return in their classic gospel robes, all while performing a cover of Nirvana's Lithium. Mary said a few onlookers were quite miffed that a bunch of chronically wide-eyed hippies would cover a song by rock's classic tortured troubadour, but it was excellent. That rousing cover, performed with Tim DeLaughter giggling once he uses the word "horny." If anything, it proved to me the band isn't some sort of cult, but a group of life-loving rock stars. No freaks here, just having a good time in the sun. I left the show early to catch a glimpse of Electric Six.

What a difference. Not only was the band a kick-ass mix of disco-rock and garage rock that seemed to ooze masculine posturing with tongue planted firmly in cheek, but Dick Valentine was absolutely insane. After a few songs (including favorite "Gay Bar") Valentine went on an entertaining and energetic role, dancing with his mic raised above his head, bringing a woman onto the stage and waving emphatically to the audience with the grin of a child who's just learned what a camera is.

There were some memorable quotes from the performance, but this one stands out the most.

We have built a microwave in Sears Tower. What we're gonna do, is we're gonna put you ladies in the microwave and it's going to transport you 30 years into the future. When you get there, you'll be in Crawford, on the presidential ranch. You're going to go in and see President Bush. He's 91 now, laying there in his presidential lung. Then, you're going to jump on top of Bush, and you're gonna ride him! and then, Bush is going to fire off his last presidential shot. With that you'll be impregnated and you're going to give birth to the next Bush, and he's going to become president. That's grass roots politics, Electric Six style.

Despite the fact that several people I have talked to think E6 is unfocused, inconsistent and all-around idiotic, they played their ridiculous hearts out and put on a good show for the audience. Maybe the records sound half-hearted, but when it comes to a live show, it's all about showmanship. They had that and some head-bobbing songs, so they make it in my book.

We all sat down for awhile during the show to catch our breath and hydrate when this woman came over and blurted something out about MIA and handed up stickers. She then told us she needed to take pictures of us with the stickers because she has to document everything she gives out. Let me just say, if that's used as a fan montage later on, let it be known I was a whole hearted fan around the time of Arular, but lost my faith when she performed here.

First off, poor sound mixes strike again. You would think a huge operation like Lollapalooza would hire adequate sound professionals for the day, but if they were there, they must have all huddled under the at&t tent in order to confer with each other on Daft Punk, because M.I.A. sounded awful.

On top of that, Maya started to play "galang" until she decided that needed to be near the end. She couldn't sing because of a sore throat, so she pulled out some throat spray that "Jack White" allegedly gave her. What does do all day that he has the time to buy cloroseptic for Sri Lankan hip-hoppers?

Unfortunately, things got progressively worse until they couldn't hit any further bottom with a ridiculously tone-deaf and confusing cover of "Where is my Mind?" by Pixies. I couldn't even accept that it was a cover until Mary pointed it out to me. At that point I could take no more and headed off to Rapture.

Whoops! Mistake no. 2. These boys had no energy and did nothing to engage in the crowd. Ok, they played it straight and sounded just like their records, but this is dance-rock! Shake your ass, clap your hands, something! Don't just stand there! I left shortly after they completed Sister Savior. Apparently, they did a great version of Olio, but I wouldn't know: I left the show.

Now, there was a clear option - either sit in the crowd and wait for a semi-decent spot for LCD Soundsystem, or take my chances with that crowd and rush to see half of the Black Keys. I chose the latter. After pushing my way through a few drunks , came across three men, one with a Che Guevara tattoo on his shoulder, his friend and their Quebec acquaintance. The conversation went sort of like this:
"Oh man, if you had to pick the top three headliners this weekend, I'd have to say it's Pearl Jam, Modest Mouse and Muse."
"I don't know, I still think Ben Harper is up there too."
At this point, they turn to me and ask, "What do you think man?"
I mention the fact that they've neglected Daft Punk.
"Yeah, but I mean, Who'd leave Ben Harper to see some DJ's?"

Funny, I was thinking "who would pass up the opportunity to see French robots perform a light show in a giant pyramid for a jam band hippie?"

In any case, the Black Keys came on, only an amp and drums to push their sound out to the masses. What's spectacular about their sparse instrumentation is how well it works for a festival setting. When I came to see them at the majestic, their setup matched the small stage, but their sound was a little too overbearing, even from the far reaches of the club. Yet, standing 10 rows back at an open air stadium, the opening riff of Thickfreakness ripped through me like a strong breeze - forceful, but refreshing. Although their stage performance is nothing terribly exciting, there is one thing I noticed during the performance that earned a lot of respect: no pick. It's all fingers for Dan Auerbach. Perhaps not a great stylistic difference, but one might expect a muted element to the picking. that man must have stone callouses on those fingers.

After half of a blistering set, I charged across the length of Grant Park to the see LCD Soundsystem. There's not other performer that could have opened for Daft Punk than the people who play "Daft Punk is playing at My House," but despite the large gap in performance allure, LCD Soundsystem still impressed with their dance punk styling, most notably Us v them and North American Scum, which had most of the audience jumping and dancing, or some combination of both. One girl next to me decided the best expression of her delight was to keep tapping me on the head with her "fairy wand." When "Yeah" started and the girl kept trying to "turn me into a frog" I made a leap out of the crowd and ran into the anticipatory masses in front of a black curtain.

To try and describe the non-stop mix and lattice framed pyramid containing illuminated robots is a difficult task, so I'll let some pictures say a few words, then I will.

In any other setting, Daft Punk might be maligned as a bunch of pre-IDM dinosaurs, behind the times and repetative as hell, only held together by a gimmick so 50's you had to at least laugh. Not the case here. In case you couldn't tell, it was a 70,000 rave with the most amazing light show I've ever seen. If you can find other pictures of the event (or other videos, for that matter) just imagine the mind-blowing experience a light show such as that creates when images of the human species are projected on a giant pyramid while "Human After All" mixes with a slew of other Daft Punk material. It doesn't just rock, it shakes and thumps. The only way I can explain it is this: It's the last scene in 2001: A Space Oddessy where Bowman sees all those colors rushing toward him before being reborn. Certainly, there were times when it felt as if we were tearing the very fabric of the universe apart. But of course, the occasional robot intonation brought us back down - it's only dance music silly.

And an intensely mixed dance music at that. Television flows into Around the World, which flows into Crescendolls, which spirals into Steam Machine that explodes into Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. Every bit of beat that Daft Punk had a role in making is on display here, in dazzling form. For the encore, they revisted "One More Time" one more time before turning their now illuminated robot suits around, revealing a neon lettering on their backs: "DAFT PUNK."

I can die happy now.

Just a radio reminder...

2007-08-01T16:10:00.001-07:00

Muckrakers is on tonight, at 8pm, on WSUM 91.7 FM. tune in by radio or by webcast at wsum.org. Phone in at 608-265-WSUM to call and make a comment or ask a question.

262-497-4823. Have a cell with that number?

2007-07-30T19:14:00.001-07:00

If so, return it to me now! I lost my cell phone somewhere between Statesider and Mendota Ct. (near the Alumni center.) it's a total of two blocks and I'm pretty sure it was either lost around Walgreens or my friend's apartment. Having partially scoured the apartment, I can only assume it's near walgreens. Find it and recieving a shiny reward.

Find it and don't return it, and suffer a horrifying death. Or...not.

Kevin Barrett rejected. and now a fountain of tears.

2007-07-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

"Our students are not blank slates. They are capable of exercising good judgment, critical analysis and speaking their minds. Instructors do not hand over knowledge wrapped up in neat packages. Knowledge grows from challenging ideas in a setting that encourages dialogue and disagreement. That's what builds the kind of sophisticated, critical thinking we expect from our graduates."

-Patrick Ferrell

Turn to Kevin Barrett, the pariah of the UW system. This week, administrators validated his parking and sent him on his way as his request to teach a class on the Canterbury Tales was rejected. What was Barrett doing applying for a job in the English department when he has a PhD in African languages and a minor in folklore? Who knows. You could ask him, but most journalists seem to greet Barrett with guffaws, not questions.

And why? Because of his belief that 9/11 was an inside job. Yes, he believes this government was behind the attacks on 9/11. Whether directly involved or by creating Al-Qaeda to fuel a proxy war against the nation it allegedly protects, who can tell what he means (although, from those who took the class, the latter sounds closer to his belief, and a bit more down to earth than the "moonbat" assertions of some 9/11 conspiracy theorists.) Yes, it's sounds insane, but to condemn a person's ability to teach because of one theory is short-sighted.

After all, what evidence do we have of inappropriate classroom behavior? Well, ratemyprofessor doesn't tell us much, as there are only 8 reviews. Yet, what comments are left seem to be positive:

Kevin was very helpful in and out of class, and was knowledgeable about his subject. He never brought his controversial beliefs up in class as truth, but only as an alternative viewpoint that could be agreed or disagreed with. An excellent course
---------
who ever just wrote that comment about 911 &country hating obviously didn't take the course (since he listed it as Islam 1) but also Barrett didn't even mention his book in class. This class was awesome, I would take any of his courses, he is really passionate about teaching and every topic. His exams and papers were fair and reflected the course

The biggest criticism? He reads out of the book too much and was unorganized at times. Certainly a criticism I could lob at some of my past professors here, but at least he's teaching the material and the students got a lot out of it.

Can students get a lot out of the Islam class without Barrett? Of course, perhaps more. However, will as many students take it now as with Barrett? Maybe not. The controversy drew students to the class, perhaps some who wouldn't have taken a glance at the Qu'ran or considered a varied perspective on Islam. Simply because of one professor deemed "crazy" by nearly anyone who heard his name. They came for the straight jacket, but left with a different side and more knowledge.

I don't defend Kevin Barrett's opinion, which I still find illogical, not crazy. Yet, I do support the idea of him teaching that class again. If there is one section in the historical record that Americans need education and experience with, especially now, it's Islam. With such a misunderstanding already present, it took a $8,500 lecturer with an absurd statement to examine a culture far too misunderstood to address as a nation. If it took insanity to spur on examination, then maybe we could use more radical conspiracy theorists. Maybe in disproving all their theories, we'll step across relevant points to our own problems.

Of course, I could be wrong. I guess we'll just have to wait until the next controversy sparks the classroom. When someone either says or does something appalling, abhorent or controversial to skewer. The question this time won't be whether they're correct or deluded, it will be whether we have the nerve as an instution of learning to react with logical examination rather than overblown surface criticism. I sincerely hope we can keep our heads on tight next time. Otherwise, we may avoid insanity, but not foolish.

Francine Tate found...

2007-07-25T17:17:00.001-07:00

...In northern Wisconsin, in the car pictured in those missing person posters. Thank god we don't have to worry about a serial killer, as Greta Van Susteren so absurdly proposed.

However, let's hope we can focus on Mahalia Xiong now. No sensationalism, guys, just a missing person. I doubt you can extrapolate two disappearances and a murder to start formulating the idea of an "epidemic." I mean, you can, but it's irresponsible to do so. Especially when the media stands on the sidelines jumping up and down like it's a Christmas present they think see through the wrapping.

If the media was really on top of their game, they'd decipher the Assembly and Senate state budgets for the common man.

But, of course, beauracracy doesn't exactly have the spice of missing women.

CAN finds dirt on UW? Possibly...

2007-07-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

...If you consider one professor's NSA/CIA grant to research "The Detection of Deception in high stakes lying" immoral. It certainly seems to be enough for CAN, who plan on chastising UW and Prof. Richard J. Davidson. (yes, the same Richard Davidson who was one of Time Magazine's most influential people in 2006 for his breakthrough work on the happiness of Tibetan monks.) I say it's too early when we don't know the EXACT nature of the research, but CAN plans on pointing out the UW-CIA connection and shaking their finger at that.

They're trying to get more information and I'm doing the same, but I'll certainly post more when it becomes available.

My only request? Please don't start this until you have real proof that something morally wrong is going on here. I know ties to the CIA and NSA don't look good, but frankly, the last thing UW-Madison needs is bad publicity. Especially when the budget threatens to leave us hanging.
-------
On another note, I had a birthday, followed by a cold, which is why the posts have been quite far and few between lately. I'll try and post more once I get a chance to breathe (both figuratively and literally) this weekend.

SSFC and Chancellor Wiley: reunited and it feels so good

2007-07-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

With all the music flowing from the Terrace and High Noon, I nearly forgot to mention an important point of news that happened on Friday.

First, some background. Last year, Chancellor Wiley provided ASM a one-year exemption that allowed groups located off-campus to be funded by segregated fees. In December, Wiley ended that practice and forced ASM to reevaluate the budgets of a few student groups:
Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment (PAVE)
Jewish Cultural Center
Sex Out Loud
Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT)
Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WisPIRG)
and UW Roman Catholic Foundation

Instead of reviewing the budgets, ASM decided the ruling was an unfair measure as no state law exists prohibiting the use of Segregated fees for Off-campus rent. Eventually, words went back and forth and we have arrived without resolution, at the Board of Regents, who have the final say.

Although there are certain criteria as to whether the Seg Fee use is legitimate, it is only one criteria for appeal this meeting was concerned with:

c) Does the student-proposed budget item require the university to violate any statute, administrative code, policy, or contract?

A Nov. 8th 2006 legal opinion written by UW legal council Patricia Brady concluded that segregated fee use to fund off-campus rent.

SSFC (now headed by former SRC leaders Katrina Flores and Alex Gallagher) argues that there is no statute in state law restricting the off-campus seg. fee use. Furthermore, they're saying the state statute 36.09(5) (aka Shared Governance) was broken because the legal opinion was written without consultation with ASM.

For once, this isn't about money. If the rent issue passes, then students will have to pay an extra $1.20 per semester.

Katrina Flores and Gallagher first attacked Pat Brady's legal opinion by citing each point and disputing that a law was broken. Certainly, many of Brady's points don't seem to show any damning evidence against the increase, if they are presented in the memo the way SSFC characterizes it. Here's a copy of the SSFC presentation, if you care to peruse.

Here's an excerpt:

Brady assumes campus student activities (Ironically, on a campus whose mission is to expand the boundaries of the campus to the boundaries of the state and beyond) should be literally taken as “on-campus.” This would entail that student groups who hold events off-campus, say a BBQ at a local park, would not be within the campus boundaries and thus they would not be able to choose this location.

...and since ASM hands out travel grants to student groups, I doubt this would ever be an issue.

So, with no stipulations specifically restricting rent from being funded, what is the problem?

Well, Elton Crim came to make the presentation for UW-Madison. Basically, the presentation boiled down to "Chancellor Wiley has the authority to be the final word on this decision." Sorry, that doesn't work in an appeal. Remember ASM's decision is subject to the decision of the Chancellor and the Board of Regents. Since the Board of Regents already laid out their stipulation for appeals, you might want to argue to that point.

That's exactly what Chancellor Wiley tried to do himself, when prompted by the board.
Here is a direct quote of his remarks regarding "potential implications:

Let me say, first, that I can agree with pretty much everything said. I agree completely with the importance and impact on students. I'm especially concerned about the status, the fragility and durability of the whole seg fee system if we're not very very careful. There are many issues, current, right now, that could potentially endanger the entire system and eliminate seg fees, allocable seg fees, at least, totally and I think that would be catastrophic. In trying to be very very careful with the way we administrate seg fees, I asked Patricia for a decision. That's why she wrote it, I asked, are we on shaky ground here...As long as their opinion followed all the procedural policies and was legal, I would pass along and support to the board of regents their recommendations and I've done that faithfully. This happens to be one case in which I was told by legal council it would be illegal. That's really my whole decision right there...This is a very vulnerable position. There are some organizations off-campus, that have buildings, that are going to be there whether they get rent from us or not. And this provides the groups to subsidize their budgets, for the maintenance of their organization. among other things. there are other possible scenarios, you can imagine, that would come up and will come up if the payment of off-campus rent is deemed to be legal or desirable.

Sort of ambiguous. What would make that a problem, exactly? Besides, isn't the point of GSSF fees to maintain these student organizations, anyway? I think the real problem that Wiley cites is funding rent for UWRCF when they're currently housed in St. Paul's (or, I suppose, Hillel). If that's the case, what's the problem? UWRCF has been forced to separate itself from St. Paul's, so the conflict shouldn't exist anymore. Later on, Wiley mentions "One" org that brought up contract status and made them question this decision...could it be...UWRCF?

Wiley later said his decision was to correct a mistake by a former Chancellor. When pressed for information, he cited Donna Schalala.

The meetings ended with the board asking Chancellor Wiley and SSFC to talk in the meantime to try and work out a compromise on the issue.

There are a lot of ends and outs here, and I don't want to post my full opinion on the issue until I obtain a copy of Pat Brady's memo, tomorrow. However, I have a lot of homework piling up and a birthday tomorrow.

I promise, I'll be back to clarify.

Saturday at High Noon: Redwalls, Robbers on High Street, Baby Teeth

2007-07-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

The end of a tour is always a happy occasion, regardless of the outcome. If it's been a successful tour, a band can use it to fuel a jaunt into the studio. If it's been a horrible tour, at least they have more time to sleep. Yet, for the audience, a good tour means an even more stellar finale.

Baby Teeth, Robbers on High Street and The Redwalls ended their east coast tour in Madison, much to the audience's confusion. Not only did Madison seem a geographically incorrect ending for an east coast tour, but High Noon Saloon seemed a bit underwhelming for a band that has twice played Lollapalooza and opened for Oasis. Of course, ever since the Redwalls were dropped from Capitol records following their merger with Virgin, low-profile gigs have become a bit more common.

Baby Teeth started off the show with a sampling of new and old, switching between 70's style AOR-pop and dance-rock influences. With lead singer Abraham Levitan
(or Pearly Sweets, as he used to call himself) pivoting to the sound of his own prog-rock piano. The 70's pop inclination prevails with flourishes of three part harmonies, but is ripped out of convention with switching styles, mid-song tempo changes and tendencies to spin-off into prog-rock meditations. Songs off the latest album, "The Simp" were most represented here, with the danceable, but still over-the-top, "Swim Team" getting the best reception. "Diaghalev was Right" was another unusually bright spot in the show, with it's bastardized rockabilly refrain working well with against the obscure reference. The band did what is hardest for an opening band to do: get people to dance on an empty floor. The music was silly enough at times to warrant inching into the spotlight.

It's hard to pin down the band's musical style when they jumped around so much. Afterwards, I talked to Levitan about their approach. He said they started out trying to do a modern rendition of 70's era Hall and Oates, but tried a bit more of an experimental approach on their last album, where each band member wrote a song with the same title "Heather" and came together without anyone else in the band knowing what the other was crafting. The current album is an mixture of both those approaches. Levitan said he was a bit sleep deprived from the tour, but was planning on delaying rest a little further until Sunday night, as he planned on attending the last day of Pitchfork.

Robbers on High Street took the stage, attempting to follow up the diverse Baby Teeth but instead serve the purpose of tiding over the audience with Redwalls-lite. They were certainly not as pop-blues as Redwalls, channeling something closer to 60's era pop on songs like "Crown Victoria". However, songs like "The Fatalist" broke out of the 60's spin and moved with far more staccato guitar chops as to make it a candidate for an indie song best suited on a Spoon album. The instrumentation certainly should be nuanced to catch in the midst of a small crowd, as became obvious during a jam session when Jarvis Cocker lookalike Morgan King took out his trumpet only to fumble the first few notes.

Most of the audience wasn't concerned with Robbers on High Street. A young couple spent the entire show dancing in front of the band with drinks in hand and swinging them around to give everyone a taste. The spectacle of drunken dancing/groping forced upon a cringing audience was enough to distract from the show onstage.

The best was yet to come, however. Once the Baren brothers made their way to the stage, patrons filled the front of the stage with adoring looks. Justin Baren gave the audience similar smiles and winks, placing his bass as close to one starstruck fan girl's face as possible. His dapper three-piece suit was saturated with cologne intoxicating enough to draw in the most uninterested of spectators.

Enough about Justin's pheromones, though. The set mixed enough of the old favorites such as "Thank You" and "Build a Bridge" with new material off their upcoming LP to be released in October.

The new material sounds tighter and more refined than their previous efforts. "Modern Diet" acknowledges their British Invasion roots with a chorus that affirms it: "They say it's all been done before." It may have been, but the Redwalls are locked in such a perfectly layered pop-groove that who could notice?
Some songs definitely sound influenced by New York garage rock but they never subside into minimalist guitar instrumentation. "Put Us Down" has very much the steady guitar and metronome drumming of a Strokes song like "Last Nite," but the vocals are still Beatles-esque enough to keep it on the European end of the Atlantic Ocean rather than the American side.

Despite that slight difference in style, the Redwalls may have started to turn their style into something far less meandering than what they created on Universal Blues or De Nova. "In the Time of Machines" marches on with an instrumental precision unseen by the band, all while the drums and guitar kick into overdrive as Baren proclaims "All they want is you!" Certainly, there is a lot more metaphor and 50s futuristic leanings here as "They Are Among Us" shimmied and shook to what sounded like a soundtrack for a surf rock alien invasion. Yet, it never sounded like a joke, as the camp nature of the song was trumped by the urgency in Baren's vocals and guitar work.

By the time Build a Bridge came along, the audience was theirs. They came out for a three song encore which included a pleasantly surprising cover of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle, followed by Thank You and Deep in the Heart.

to celebrate the end of this tour, Robbers on High Street (except for the lead singer) joined the Redwalls on stage for the encore, playing whatever they could find (as you can see in these pictures). While it may be uncertainty here on out for the Redwalls - given their tentative release of the new LP - tonight, they seamlessly blended their old favorites with new hits in a successful and energetic end to their tour.

Redwalls Setlist:
Hangman
Love Her
Holiday
Back Together
Put Us Down
What a Shame
Edge of the Night
Don't you Wanna Come Out
Game of Love
Song 1#
On My Way
Memories
They Are Among Us
Falling Down
Modern Diet
Build a Bridge
In the Time of Machines
-------------------------
Bizarre Love Triangle
Thank You
Deep in the Heart

Friday Night Terrace Review: Twilight Sad w/ Unwed Sailor

2007-07-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

After such an enthusiastic crowd on Thursday, things got quite tame early on Friday. Behind the beat always brings in a tame crowd and Friday was no exception. Tim Whalen came by and played jazz. No biggie. No one in the crowd seemed really ready to rock after last night and it extended throughout the night.

I met both bands out in the parking lot, but found their respective managers blocking access to both of them, especially the Twilight Sad. When I told them their sound checks, I said they'd have to be speedy if they wanted to finish by midnight. The manager gave a bit of roll of the eyes. "Oh, no, that won't be a problem. Both these guys have about 40 minute sets."
In fact, the shows barely made it past 11:00.

Not to say each was without merit. Unwed Sailor is kind of a low-budget Explosions in the Sky. Many of their songs were atmospheric guitar-based noodlings, except with the appropriate drum work to drive each composition. It was a minimalist band that might have been more suited for an extra-special edition of behind the beat, as the crowd didn't seem all that enthused. Talking to Jamie from Intellasound, he seemed to like the sound but said, "I'm just not sure these guys could hold my interest for long." All the band could talk about was "how beautiful this is. It's the perfect background to a wonderful night." I love it when bands remark on the beauty of our terrace, as if the patrons were either too drunk or tired to notice.

While Unwed Sailor provided some light relief, but such light post-rock musings were far and few between for the Twilight Sad. Stopping in Madison right before their set at the Pitchfork Festival, the group use that soft-loud convention all too well. While thunderous multi-effect bass work of Craig Orzel and swirling feedback guitar of Andy McFarlane combined to shake the terrace to it's core with a -slightly melodic white noise, it would reach it's peak of effectiveness right when disappating into the soft comforting Scottish accent of James Graham. For me, the sound worked. Especially during their body shaking performance of "Talking with Fireworks/Here, it Never Snowed", when Graham knelt down to help smash against the Mark Devine's drumset in a cacophany of white noise set to powerful war-time drums.

The crowd wasn't impressed, though. During the beginning of the set, several friends I sat with got far too drunk and started shouting "Go back to Scotland" and "Freedom!" at Graham, which ellicited some perturbed looks from him. Other people at my table started to stare in disbelief during the "Talking with Fireworks" as if someone had just dumped beer on their clothes.

Some of those looks were also the result of Graham's stage prescence, which is to say, he doesn't have one. Throughout the entire show, Graham gave the audience a 1/4 profile and often turned his back completely, only socializing to introduce the band and end a song with "cheers." He was active in other portions of the show, especially to take his microphone and point it directly at the amp for another brand of pulsating feedback. However, for the great portion of the show, he was uninterested.

That isn't to say the sound wasn't there, it was. Some ladies actually went up to the sound board and blamed Intellasound for the mix - let me tell you right now, what you got was the best approximation of their album you could find at an open air venue.

Afterwards, I jumped up on stage to say my thanks to the band for their wonderful show, but I did have to ask Bassist Orzel something:

"Why does the lead singer turn his back to the audience the whole show?"

Orzel: "Well, any answer I give you is going to be kind of a laugh. I suppose it's to shield himself from the harsh gaze of onlookers, that imposing audience. Also, the lead singer of Waco (????) does that and he has a hard on for those guys."

At that point, the "Hoochies" as referred to in the Isthmus review of the show, made their way to the front of the stage and asked Orzel why they played so loud, because "you don't know how to get people to love you if you play that loud."

Orzel: "Well, we normally play small indoors venue with small ceilings, so when we play that loud it usually (shakes violently) shakes it through their bodies. It's fucking awesome."

Hoochie: Yeah, well, we were shaking up at the sound booth too! Until that one guy (pointing to their tour manager) told us to fuck off! That's not the way to get people to fall in love with you! Don't you want girls flashing you, lifting their tops for you?

Orzel: Well, you're right here so..(mocks a shirt lift.)

After that, I thanked the other band members, gave the manager their check and wished them luck at Pitchfork, as they had to get to Chicago in three hours. Might be why they played such a short show (only about a half an hour). Even if the audience wasn't impressed, I thought it worked.

Thursday Night Review: Awesome Car Funmaker with Cealed Kasket

2007-07-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

In a stunning display of the diversity of audiences the Union Terrace can draw, Cork and Bottle String Band played their brand of Midwest bluegrass while the number of paper crown wearing, enthusiastic metal fans increased. "That's one hell of a mixture, isn't it?" one member said to me. "Bluegrass, then metal."

Except these fans weren't all metal fans. Some were just fans of comedic musical theatre. Not everyone there knew what Cealed Kasket was all about.

Around the set break, members of both bands arrived in a few cars with their backseats packed full of the standard materials for set-up: Guitar, Bass, Drums, fog machines, plastic swords, extra burger king crowns and an extra helping of wigs and makeup. They came looking for me. In a casual, unassuming and friendly manner, they gave me a few hand shakes and took off in search of Shwarma, although they came back with a disappointing substitute of Jimmy John's.

Certainly, band members with such a happy go-lucky nature couldn't be that volatile or insane on stage, could they? The man who shook my hand with a good natured grin couldn't turn into a blood-drinking, devil-worshipping, heavy metal monster in less than two hours, could he?

Sure he could. If he's a good actor. And theatrics was certainly the name of the game.

Awesome Car Funmaker was up first , although they took enough time getting there. The band showed a 7-minute recast of Scooby-Doo with ACF (quite similar to this video) in the role of those "meddling kids" and Cealed Kasket as the oft-uncovered "ghost." It was humorous in as much as it was cheesy and poorly produced (and the band knows it), but it did cause some groans when the bass of the movie's music shook the terrace every now and then.

Groans turned to cheering when finally ACF took the stage.

For those who have Awesome Car Funmaker enough times, the novelty seemed only to delay the main attraction. However, the vast majority went right to the front to partake in the pop-metal leanings of this band of Madison regulars. On studio recording, they sound like any other band of pop-rock purveyors with a sense of humor, such as OK Go. Their live sound is far more electric and comes off with more nods to over-the-top hard rock than a studio recording would suggest.
Their onstage personality comes close to that of the Hives - the band constantly trumpets their own name as if they were from the great nation of Awesome Car Funmaker, rather than just a band. Guitarist and Bassist leap between the stage with the agility and grace of ballet dancers during the start to their set. Needless to say, they have more energy to wear out a hyperactive child in minutes.

In this lovely picture, lead singer Ryan Corcoran explains to the audience, "In metal, this means "I love you." During over moments of crowd participation, ACF went into the audience with every mobile instrument possible during solos.

Even Brendan McCarty got into the act, as he makes his way through adoring fans while playing his miniature keyboard.

After an extra-suspenseful version of "Dirty" (made even more exciting by Bassist Justin Taylor getting his duct tape-covered nipples pinched several times and Corcoran seemingly humping the amp to coax enough feedback out of it) McCarty took front stage as ACF launched into a spirited and over-the-top cover of "Enter Sandman." The band ended their set by collapsing to the ground in a pile.
An opener with that much energy needs an appropriate act to fit the bill, and who more inappropriate than Cealed Kasket?

There is only so much that can be explained in mortal words to describe this behemoth from "Bristol,England", so I invite you to explore for yourself at their myspace, which should get you caught up on who's mortal, who's a wizard and why you should "Drink and Drive."

They started their set by assailing the audience, as they usually do, and launched into "Break the Rules."

That they did, by being the best comedy act the Terrace has seen since they last came here, a year ago. With songs like "Sex Stained Lady," "Death Train" (with the wonderful chorus "the wheels on the train go, round and round, all the live long day)and "Sarsicus" - the tribute to their blistering wizard/guitarist of the same stage name - even a couple about the age of 45 were standing back laughing. Although the wife looked somewhat appalled, the husband went back into the fray, grey three-piece suit and all.

As this picture can attest, I've never seen so much crowd-surfing at the Terrace. This kid nearly hit his head on the stage lights. He certainly tried hanging from them enough times.

The high-point of the show came during "Backstage Slutting," where every female in a 40-foot radius made their way up on to the stage. This may have been the biggest onstage grind Madison has seen since Girl Talk came to town. However, whereas that one was inspired by beats hot enough to bring out the lustful side of a nun, this movement was inspired by pure drunken revelry. The beginning started with the men shouting "Penis" and the women shouting "vagina." It then turned into some really effective crowd participation. Here is some short, blurry, but entertaining video:

They then ended the song by shouting, "What are you doing? Get these ugly sluts off the fucking stage!"

The abuse is all part of the show, of course. Gold team won, whatever that means, after a point accumulation that included this stipulation: "How many members of the Gold team...are fucking members of the brown team?" A large hurrah went up from much of the crowd. Not that many responded when the brown team was commanded to throw panties on the stage. (although I did see a bra hanging from the lighting.)

My favorite part of the night had to be the song, "Chivalry and Honor" which started out in that seemingly normal refrain, but then sped into a decadent and silly chant of "Sex sex sex sex sex sex!" It then spun into an interlude that included brief metal covers of "Get Low" and "I Believe I Can Fly" with the substitution of the typical metal snarl: "I believe I can fly, I believe I can FUCK the sky!" An epic metal comedy if I've ever heard one.

The set ended after multiple false endings that got similar laughs, a "galloping" rendition of horse, that seemed to be accompanied by coconut shells of death and a final assault on the audience: "Fuck you! Buy Our Shit! Fuck You! Go to Hell!" With that, the band termed a "low-budget GWAR" left the stage, shouting curses at their fans and fans responding likewise.

Although WUD is often criticized for bringing back the same acts time and time again, you can't really argue with this move. AFC and Cealed Kasket are a sure bet for a beer-drinking crowd that needs some serious incentive to get on it's feet. Therefore, while we may have changes in our Union Terrace from year to year, save a seat and a few hundred plastic swords for ACF and Cealed Kasket, as this musical card has been knighted - as a new Madison tradition.

Budget Clarification - Please, correct this if you could.

2007-07-12T23:50:00.000-07:00

I read Mike Hahn's post about the budget cuts and how the Assembly Republicans didn't actually cut anything. Sure, they only "reduced" the Senate's funding.

However, let's be clear - they did STILL cut the UW system's budget.

My point of clarification is this:
As far as I can tell, when looking at the Republican budget...

Delete=reduction from JFC budget.
Reduce=cut from the base.

Is this correct, or am I missing some other terminology?

Radiohead Album...finally?

2007-07-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Lord knows I'm a huge fan of Radiohead. While I don't profess to having a lock of Thom's beard or Jonny's arm brace, I'd consider myself a huge fan. However, they've been angering me recently. Mainly, because of posts like this on the band's website:

things are quiet here right now.

we are unable to explain.

nothing can be revealed.

we have not disappeared.

merely become invisible.

for a short time. we may be hiding in the woods.

meanwhile thebigask has set up an online video march
to hastle the government to commit to cutting our CO2.
which is a good idea i think. and you can post your own message.
so i'll have to do that. once i've found me camera.

Thanks Thom. I'm sure we can expect an album as soon climate change is vanquished, which, we'll all get on right away.
I don't have qualms with the causes they advocate - ok, scratch that, I can't stand the fair trade ads Thom did, nor can I stand his support of PETA. I'm a social liberal when it comes to humans, but I eat meat, often when listening to music. So when I have to think of Thom Yorke's twitching eye guilting me into putting down my chicken burrito, I get sick. Although, that might be due to my choice of burrito eatery. (Qdoba.)

The point is: Radiohead has finished mixing their 7th album and is in New York mastering it. One would hope for a speedy late August release, right? No. Remember kids, Radiohead is finished with EMI. Their contract finished after the completion of Hail to the Thief (and probably, more accurately, after the release of the Com Lag EP). So, it may be awhile. It might be November or later.

You're killing me guys. Especially if your live recordings carry over into the studio. If you haven't heard them, 15 Step shows promise, but the rest of it is fairly guitar based and....well, I don't know. I don't mind that, but I'm weary. Very weary.

But honestly, you spend three years on your follow up, it has to be good. right?

Right?

It's Thursday - Let the music begin!

2007-07-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Round up of the music I'll be covering this weekend:

Thursday: The Terrace has Awesome Car Funmaker and Cealed Casket.
Friday: The Terrace once again with The Twilight Sad, coming all the way from Glasgow, Scotland.
Saturday: The Redwalls come to High Noon Saloon.

Pictures and reviews to follow (as I have a cord for this camera now.)

Republican Budget - UW Cuts!

2007-07-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

It's already late, so I'll start with UW-System changes:

1. Cut $96 million of GPR funding from UW-System.
2. $8 million less for Public Radio and Television at UW-Extension
3. Delete increases to Lawton retention grants and Advanced Opportunity Grants, around $5.5 million less than JFC
4. Cap tuition and nonallocable fees increases at 4 percent, per year until 2011. My favorite part about this provision is the stipulation regarding Segregated Fees: they can only be raised past 4 percent if the student body holds a referendum stating what the increase is for, how much it will cost and - my personal favorite - if more than 10 percent of the student body votes for it.

As much as I love the idea of the student body actually having to come out and vote for something, I think 10 percent is a little low. We should be able to get that number a little higher, especially if we ever figure out how to fix our online voting system that failed us twice. A paper trail would be nice, but come on, it's a university-wide vote. The paper ballot was not promising.

7. Cut Faculty Retention program from $10 to $6 million
8. Eliminate Certain Administrative Positions - $6.3 million reduction - Alright, fair enough. But...
9. Reduce funding for UW Law School by $4 million?

It goes on like this! So many cuts with so little wiggle room. You cut aid, you cut programs and you cut funding for faculty retention. Since you also put a cap on tuition increases, there is only so much the UW System can do to make up these losses. Through a budget like this, you assure that the UW system slouches into last place and becomes the laughing stock of the nation. The Wisconsin Idea doesn't work if you don't fund it.

I would go into this more now, but I need sleep. We'll discuss this tomorrow on the radio show.

MUCKRAKERS - 8PM - WSUM 91.7 FM - TUNE IN VIA WEBCAST at WSUM.ORG

New Music Tuesday - Part II: Interpol

2007-07-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

When bands change their sound, even slightly, separate camps will form to defend each side.
Old or new Beatles?
Joy Division or New Order?
Stones Roses or Second Coming (ok, so that one's not really a debate.)
for Interpol fans, the lines are already set:
Antics or Turn on the Bright Lights?

Why is this a debate? Is a change from atmospheric post-punk to a slightly cleaner rockier post-punk really a leap in musical philosophy? Something Awful's characterization was a favorite:

they no longer sound like they're ripping off Joy Division. In songs like "Slow Hands" and "Length of Love," it is apparent that they've now taken the great artistic leap of ripping off bands that ripped off Joy Division...

With all seriousness, Interpol has always had the same basic sound, just slightly tweaked from album to album. Our Love to Admire is yet another puff into the same balloon: They cover more surface area, but it's coming from the same mouth. Not necessarily a bad thing, if you like the mouth it's coming from. Paul Banks' vocal delivery is certainly what I'd call a good thing.

"Pioneer to the Falls" thankfully replaces "Next Exit" as an album opener. Gone is the cringe-worthy organ. A few tender piano keys set a tender opening which slowly builds into Interpol's trademark simplistic, but atmospheric guitar picking. Paul Bank's trademark gloom is made all the more evident during an acapella interlude: "Show me the dirt pile and I will pray that the soul can take three stowaways." The isolating lyrics are mitigated by a haunting mixture of piano, guitar and a somewhat distant sounding herald trumpet.

The whole album sounds a bit closer to Turn on the Bright Lites in production and overall effectiveness, so that's certainly a plus. "There's No I in Threesome" pounds with pleading and intensity throughout with bright piano and ghostly string like noises surround the production. More importantly, Banks sounds more heartfelt than ever during his almost tearful pleas, "Babe, it's time we gave something new a try/ though alone we may fight, so just let us be free tonight." It'd sound almost touching, if it wasn't about adding a little spice into the bedroom.

The band has it's glimpses of single appeasement, such as with "Heinrich Maneuver," and almost processed single, that sounds a bit out of place amidst the eerie whirring and howls that accompany the rest of the album, but as a driving single, it's quite effective.

"All Fired Up" hands us a precise rhythm to march to and attitude to match. As does "Mammoth" which uses a large bell to punctuate the beginning, middle and end of this "Lengths of Love" imitator. However, it certainly is more intense than "Lengths." Just as Banks asks "Just spare me the suspense," the song enters a calm introspective pause that seems to pain Banks even more. The song has more emotional highs than anything on "Antics," helped along by Banks' soaring, yet aching vocals.

However, for the rest of the album, the pulsating post-punk rock of songs like "PDA" and "Slow Hands" have given way to something a bit more detached and meandering.

Banks performance is far more versatile. While his Ian Curtis impression is always appreciated by goth rockers everywhere, the over-enunciated force with which Paul Banks seems to rip every word violently from his vocal chords subsides somewhat here. Whereas usually sounds close to spontaneous combustion when straining for notes, he often sings with affected vocals, lending a little more humanity to his normally demanding caterwaul. On "Wrecking Ball", Banks weaves his words through a chanting background, while reducing his representation to mere footnotes beneath a quickly fading orchestra, hinting at Interpol's first love, classical music.

"Lighthouse" isn't the best closer, however. It's an uncertain ending. The roughly strummed guitars and accompanying instruments come in and out, as if matching the rise and fall of the tide. Banks simply ponders with little urgency: "What do the waves have to say now?" Eventually the Doppler-style instrumentals cascade into brief, but triumphant wall of sound, before eventually dying off with little other fanfare. It's an experimental route to take, but promising, considering their soon-to-be tiresome calling card so far.

In short - this album is closer to Turn on the Bright Lights than Antics. Antics stripped down the sound and lost most of the passion that Interpol played with. Here, we have the passion, but much the same music procedure as on the last two albums. It may be somewhat of a retread, but one that at least satisfies more than a taste of their former glory.

New Music Tuesday: Spoon

2007-07-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

The second I mentioned the new Spoon album, my friend Mary laughed and pulled out the pitchfork quote everyone has used: "They're just the poor man's Billy Joel." Despite the infectious wit and self-indulgent puffery of Pitchfork, I disagreed. With "The Way We Get By," I disagreed. With "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine." Even when a Jaguar ad featured "I Turn My Camera On," I stood by the musical integrity of Britt Daniels and crew, if only for "Girls Can Tell."

I could never understand the derision. When Spoon released Telefono, they were looked at as the heir to the Pixies' mantle. Mention that connection today and you'll get spit on. Nothing of their earlier, rougher sound survives after "A Series of Sneaks." Once Elektra dropped them from their label, they turned towards the pop rock drawing board and charted their way into every indie kid's play list, if only a few songs at a time.

However, their validity in the indie world has been challenged from time to time, especially with "Gimme Fiction" and the mid-album dive into throw away rock like "Sister Jack." The album starts out with a sharp bite, and ends with corked teeth. For such reasons, the indie music community looks at an album title like ga ga ga ga ga and stands ready to pounce. Well, I can only hope Pitchfork isn't that imposing. After all, the hailed an group of Ace of Base knock-offs as having the best album of the year. Give me a break.

Thankfully, after Ga ga ga ga ga, I feel justified in my defense.

"Don't Make me a Target" checks in with the basics - guitar, bass and drums - before slowly intensifying. Daniel's spits lyrics that suspiciously sound aimed at the Bush administration. If they aren't, they're at least appropriate.

Here come a man from the stars/ we don't know why he goes so far/ keeps on marching along, beating his drum ... When you reach back in his mind/ feels like he's breaking the law/ there's something back there he's got that nobody knows. He never claimed to say what he says/ smells like the insides of closets and stairs, the kind where nobody goes.

If that didn't solidify the point, Daniel's quickly follows his under-the-breath condemnations with a pointed demand: "Don't Make me a Target." While this sort of lyrical unrest continues throughout the album, the instrumentation and rhythm changes from song to song.

From this sinister strut, Daniels throws us violently into "The Ghost of you Lingers," a desperate pounding of piano chords, off key at first, then taking flight with Daniels vocals, who has applied so much reverb as to suggest he recorded the vocals out of his own body. Daniels sings as a man torn asunder, with multiple voices pleading for restoration. It's an ethereal track, and stands in stark contrast to the pop instrumentation of the rest of this album. However, the lyrics follow a theme of frustration and division.

"You've Got Yr Cherry Bomb" throws another curve, invoking 60's style pop (the chimes at the beginning almost reminded me of Motown) and an upbeat driving beat complete with horns and bubblegum intentions.

The roller coaster of moods continues as "Don't you Evah" and "Rhthm and Soul" set a steady beat and groove. This sounds like a safe and familiar territory, until descending into "Eddie's Ragga." Here, Daniels laments his tortured relationship with a lover, going back between wide-eyed contentment and isolation. The sinister bass work peering from behind the occasional stabs of guitar enhances Daniel's despondent and resigned lyrics.

"The Underdog" almost seems triumphant in comparison, with a the fierce acoustic strumming explodes into a blossoming of trumpets, as if spring has broken free from winter. Yet, this isn't a rousing anthem, but a warning regarding not heeding warnings: "But you won't hear from the messenger/don't want to know about something that you don't understand/you have no fear of the underdog/that's why you will not survive." It can be taken as a shot toward Bush, toward Elektra, perhaps toward the music industry. Whoever the target, it still cuts deep. Needless to say, it's an expertly crafted pop song with a clear message, something lacking in pop songs, in general.

The album's last three are just as solid tunes, but nothing groundbreaking. "Finer Feelings" laments over true love and commercial appeal with a welcome re-entry of light distortion and a steady-beat (although there is a brief interlude in the song that seems unnecessary). "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case" remains brief and to the point, with flourishes of zithers and piano trills.

By the time "Black Like Me" roles around, Daniel's asks his departing audience for someone to take care of him tonight. It will have seemed too quick. Daniel's may have lashed out at everyone around him, beat himself up and lamented his position, but he's already looking for recovery. What's more, you might be hitting replay, as the album blasts by in only 36 minutes and ends with abrupt silence.

Not a second is wasted, not a track is filler. Certainly, Spoon only needed that much time to prove they're a few steps above Gimme Fiction. Or "Uptown Girl," for that matter.

---------

Interpol, later today.

It's been awhile...

2007-07-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

But I will update, as soon as I can upload some photos I've taken in the last week. If anyone in the Madison area has a USB cord that connects to a sony cybershot, It might be helpful.

Body Found in Oregon, WI.

2007-07-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Cap Times says it was in relation to the Kelly Nolan investigation. The family was there during the search, but left before the body was found. There is going to be a news conference at 2pm regarding the find. Keep some close eyes on this one.

As for the whole foul play take, I agree with Critical Badger, It's hard not to suspect foul play when some man came to take Nolan home from the cafe worker who originally was walking her home. Still, I guess this case is "wait-and-see."

Anglophiles Anonymous - 7/6/07 - The Punk Show!

2007-07-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

You can listen to the show at this link and download it here. We had a great deal of kids in the studio again, but someone complained about during the sports show before me, so they didn't appear on mine, unfortunately. Nice kids though.
Playlist:
1. The Sex Pistols
2. The Jam - In the City
3. The Clash - White Riot
4. Sham 69 - Cockney Kids are Innocent
5. Wire - Surgeon's Girl
6. The Stranglers - Somethings Better Change
7. Buzzcocks - Promises (Live)
8. Generation X - Ready, Steady Go
9. Elastica - Annie
10. Joy Division (as Warsaw) - Warsaw
11. The Fall - Industrial Estate
12. Gang of Four - Ether
13. Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
14. Magazine - Shot by Both Sides
15. The Adverts - One Chord Wonders
16. Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device
17. The Slits - Love and Marriage
18. Mekons - Where were you?
19. Wire - Two People in a Room
20. The Clash - Clampdown

Grime next weekend? We'll see.

The 4th, the dispute. A rant.

2007-07-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

I saw this post on Erik Opsal's blog this morning and the resulting fallout and I just had to add my two cents to the debate. Rather, I add this RANT.

Whenever I hear people talking about freedom, I feel sick to my stomach. Not because I am - as some would say - a "godless communist", but because I know that those who talk about freedom speak in different connotations. We've reduced liberty to a series of visuals in hopes of unifying our understanding. It never really works.

With this debate over the health care issue, the crushing reality of multiple meanings comes to divide us again. Liberals talk about the 10 percent of Wisconsin without health care, Conservatives talk about the overwhelming financial burden on the rest of us. Each one claims the mantle of true American liberty. Both have flaws in their argument.

Erik, despite his claim, is incorrect about the conservative definition of freedom. It is as far from narrow as possible to see. Certainly, the idea of freedom may bring up images wild masses streaming throughout vast idyllic landscape, but the idea is far from the reality. Mike could certainly explain his definition with eloquence and logic, as do many conservatives I know.

What Erik is targeting are those who subscribe to the conservative agenda without really understanding or abiding by it. There are many (neo-cons, the current administration, uneducated hawks) who may follow this path, but I doubt writing an open letter to conservatives decrying their defnition of freedom is a sensible choice.

But on the health care issue, I side against Mike.
This line caught me in Mike response:

If we want to be technical, no one has the right to medical treatment. That may sound mean, but it's true. Don't forget that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Here's my idea for a universal health care system: The patients are free to see whatever doctors they want by paying money to the doctors when they see them. Doctors and other health care providers are similarly free to accept patients based on the patient's willingness to pay for such care. It's called 'capitalism'.

Except for two problems:
1) The ideal system of Capitalism is a far cry from what we have now come to face with. Ideally, capitalism would entirely benefit the consumer because the increase in competetion would eventually level out to zero profit for no companies and the best deal for consumers. As that would make very little money or incentive for more corportations to enter the fray, it turns in a very wicked way that leaves an oligarchy of profit-maxmizing companies to strip the consumer of that low cost (unless you're Walmart and just screw everyone else over instead.) Insurance companies are certainly some of the biggest purveyors of greed in our system. They benefit from capitalism, the patient suffers.
2) We have no right to health care, but we do have a right to life, do we not? If medical treatment is the best way to guarantee us life, shouldn't we make it available to all?

Ahh, but the financial burden. We can't simply force 90 percent of Wisconsin to pay for 10 percent that represent uninsured Wisconsin! It's not my problem, I shouldn't have to pay for it. If that's not a restriction on our freedoms, then I don't know what is!

For all the talk of Independence, freedom sure gets a lot of play. No one thinks about that other half of the equation. The one that we honor with silence and brevity, no fanfare but "Taps."

Sacrifice.

The countless Americans who went into World War II placed themselves in the line of almost certain death. A sacrifice of the minority of the US for the majority. What did the majority back home do? They rationed. They switched production to the war effort. They did everything in their power to support their boys.
The majority sacrificed for the minority.

We can sacrifice for the minority, can't we? They may not be at war, but if they are without health care, aren't they already on the front lines? They ask for the right to live and it costs employees a 4 percent tax on and 10 percent tax on our employers. We are going to deny that 10 percent their right to life simply because we don't want to give up any more money? When you take into consideration the possible savings to be had from this plan, it's not even a true loss, it's a change in the way we pay. After all, we're still getting coverage out of this deal.

But, we are stubborn. Why? Democracy. Capitalism. Freedom. These have rigid definitions in our minds and altering them would cause a collapse to our way of life. Universal Health Care must be a rejection of all of those things. As such, it cannot pass. The ideals must stand.

We have these ideals, but we're always modifying them. We've always attempted to perfect our ideals, but often arguments for the "right way" choke off our decisions. The oxygen-starved brain that is government freezes because of our own political paralysis.

Only recognition of the need for flexibility will end such stagnation. We may live under the banner of everlasting freedom, proclaim the rule of democracy and run ourselves as a republic, but we blot out the underlying method behind our actions.
We - this country, these citizens and our way of life - are an experiment. Nothing is made in stone.

Democracy is our aim, but the people's rule is far from absolute. We admit to a republic, but our history in foreign lands has always hinted at imperialism.
We strive for freedom, but must confess our rights are subject to security limitations and moral imperatives.

The United States is, just like a scientific experiment, an explosive and ever-changing process. Our conclusions always result in more questions and problems. However, we must stop running the same experiments over and over in hopes we get new results each time.

A new hypothesis must be tested. If it fails, then we try a different one. Lives may be lost, people may lose things along the way. Unfortunately, they're losing those things anyway as we stand idly by. So why not try a different approach?

This may be quite a grand statement for a thing as specific as health care, but it is done for a reason. If this is an experiment, then we are the scientists. We must be ruled by logic and reason, not personal attacks, political spectrum and empty rhetoric. We have a duty to work toward progress.

Therefore, we cannot sit here asking each other the same questions on these matters. We cannot bicker about the conservative or liberal conception of freedom. We have done this before and come out with very few answers. Instead, we must choose one unified direction and act. When we come to a conclusion, evaluation of success and failure will be taken. Then, we can try a different direction. Eventually we'll find the correct path.

Health Care is a test. Democrats have chosen the direction. I suggest we test this new hypothesis. I'm not saying it's fool-proof, I'm not saying it will solve everything. I'm just saying it is worth a test.

After all, we have the freedom to test, don't we?

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Happy 4th, everyone.

It's official...

2007-07-02T23:08:00.001-07:00

The Badger Herald Editorial Board presents...

The return of Muckrakers on WSUM 91.7 FM!

Starting July 11 at 8pm, come listen to the Herald take the spin out of the news with roundtable discussion from the Herald Editorial Board.

Call-Ins and questions are welcomed. It's sort of a summer experiment, so input and listeners would be nice.

Blogger Aggregate? How about a news hub?

2007-07-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Today, Dorshorst and Critical Badger mentioned the idea of a Madison wide-blog aggregate where people can submit stories and posts to this aggregate, much in the same way Post does.
Well, let me tell you how ecstatic I am to hear of organization attempts coming to the forefront. But, don't simply make it a forum.

I feel that there would be no better way for free-lance journalists (whether they are up-and-coming J-school students or inquisitive citizens) to put their findings to Madison. In fact, it might be beneficial to create an blogging hub for Madison and work with the J-school to add the element of real-world publishing to student journalism. I know that many students write class assignments with the idea that they'll never be published. Give them the publishing outlet and they'll make sure the quality is a step ahead of what they produce now.

Yes, the papers could compete with each other more effectively, but so could citizen journalists and students being groomed by the J-school.

However, it's not just about news. I have some interesting ideas on musical innovation that could also be applied to the blogosphere. (something I'd like to discuss with bloggers and musicians together, if possible.)

I say, let us not regard this grand vision as a monolith in the far distance. Let's make it reality. and let's start this week.

Anglophiles Anonymous - The Electronica Show

2007-06-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Another week of wonderful British music DJ'ed by yours truly can be downloaded here or listened do in-page here. The first link is today's show. We started out with some elementary school kids who were visiting with College for kids. Here was the play list.

Happy Mondays - Rave On (Club Mix)
Underworld - Born Slippy
Squarepusher - Planetarium
Stereolab - Olv 26
Mylo - Rikki
New Order - The Village
Asian Dub Foundation - Change a Gonna Come
Massive Attack - Exchange
Chemical Brothers - The Boxer
Basement Jaxx - Red Alert
Orbital - Forever
and... a hint of next week...
Wire - Three Girl Rhumba

Next week is all British Punk. Tune in Fridays at 10am on WSUM 91.7 FM.

SCOTUS 5-4 against race-based school decisions

2007-06-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

That's the ruling from the Supreme Court - K-12 public schools can't use race to determine placement. I wouldn't be surprised if businesses and universities start having their I'll be the first to agree that affirmative action is flawed, but this line kills me every time I read it.

The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.

Oh, if only it were that easy. It's the classic "color-blindness" argument. We're all equal so we must treat each other as equals. I know a good deal of people who'd disagree with that argument. Perhaps some people screwed over by the Racine Unified School District - my home district.

RUSD used to have a policy against segregation that tried to spread out the minority student population in all schools. It stipulated that no school may have a minority population below 10 percent or above 15 percent of the district wide population.

However, they got rid of that because it wasn't really happening. So, now you have hyper-discrimination at schools like Julian Thomas, which has the highest minority rate (82.5% of students) and second highest poverty rate in Racine. Click on Julian Thomas. Note how it has the LOWEST test scores in Racine. Looking at other elementary schools in the area, schools with high rates of economic disadvantaged have the lower test scores.

They were thinking of implementing a version of the desegregation law last year - until they found out that 2/3 of RUSD schools wouldn't meet the standards. Woops.

What really kills me is that almost all comments on the Journal Times were in favor of the ruling. It's not suprising. After looking through the JT blog, I saw this post imploring readers not to leave racist comments.

although the RUSD was featured in an article shrugging off the ruling, Racine School Board Member Brian Dey, voiced his approval for the ruling and vehement opposition to RUSD re-redistricting plans.

One thing caught my eye in his press release, however:

Under the term “socio-economic status”, the district stated it would use this, not race, as the determining factor. “Socio-economic Status” in the district is identical to race, and by stating that race would not be a determining factor, is simply false and discriminatory.

You just shot yourself in the foot there. If race runs along socio-economic lines - in short, minorities are disadvantaged - doesn't that hint at internal discrimination inherent in Racine, if not the country? Adhering to the status-quo is just another way of green lighting discrimination.

Basing these decisions solely on race is a hard case to make, I understand that. It shouldn't be that way, as not every minority is at a disadvantage. However, many are. Many fall into poverty and find it quite hard to climb out. Segregated education only compounds that.

As of right now, Madison Metropolitan School District and the RUSD are planning on continuing on with their own deciding factors - mainly based on factors like poverty. MPS is having more of a struggle, because this would likely pose a threat to Chapter 220, which provides statewide financial support for racial integration in schools.

Chapter 220 may go down in flames. Maybe it should. I say: let school districts try to replace race with socio-economic status. Only use that as a factor in school transfers and busing. When someone tries to attack that as racial discrimination, maybe we'll finally see the institutional racism that lies beneath the state and country.

And maybe we can start to change that. Still, we're a long way off. Wouldn't you agree, Democrats?

And now the pressure starts.

2007-06-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

BBC is reporting a "possibly viable explosive device" has been taken care of in London. More on this as details become available.
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For those who are up around 10am, tune into WSUM 91.7 FM. My show, Anglophiles Anonymous, will dedicate a full-hour to British electronica, house, dance and anything that uses a moog or vocoder. I'll post those here afterwards.

I'm still waiting back for word on when the Badger Herald radio show will start, but we're pulling for Wednesday at 8pm. Whether or not that happens, we'll see.
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The Steepwater Band is coming to the terrace tomorrow at 9/9:30 pm. Rythym and Booms is Saturday and Yawo, a world music artist who is hard to catagorize, will be playing at the Terrace that night. Reviews, will follow.
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UW-Whitewater student Kelly K. Nolan is missing. Her friends and loved ones took to State St, passing out flyers after they held a candlelight vigil last night. Any information? Call 608-266-6014.

There are already two facebook groups for her. However, as her sister's wall posts make clear, they're not releasing where exactly she was that night. Just "downtown Madison." I'm sure they have their reasons. Whether the media will respect the tight-lipped nature of the investigation is another story. One would hope.
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Well, it looks like people pick up quick. Thanks to the Critical Badger and Letters In Bottles for the mention.

And the Daily Page provided links to the last few posts I had. Great stuff, I say.

Dad would be proud.

2007-06-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

The audience of around 500 people obviously didn't know what to expect. They awkwardly shifted in the theatre seats to the infectious beat pumping from the African Conga drums and Funk-filled bass riffs. The brass section flourished with jazz embellishments and solos, stretching the opening song into a 15-minute blur, with Showboy inserting his lyrics: attacks on Nigerian soldiers political use. No one really knew if they should sit or stand.

After a few minutes, four spectators in front of me jumped out of their chair and started dancing. Everyone gasped and gave looks at first, as if this outburst of youthful exuberance was a faux pas for this usually reserved Union Theatre crowd. They didn't sit down. Others jumped up. Loosened up and felt the beat. Eventually, the throbbing funk fusion rhythm proved too hard to resist. From the allure of the female dancers, to the full-force punch of the horns section to the two human metronomes that flanked the stage, it was designed for a continuous groove. The crowd started down the ramps and crowding the front of the stage.

Limbs were flailing, the crowd was swaying and Egypt 80 spun a web of sound bigger than the theatre that held it.

All this, without the main attraction.

It was understandable that Seun Kuti would take his time getting to the stage. After nearly being confined to his native Nigeria due to passport issues and political unrest caused by an oil strike, Seun arrived in Madison, by way of Montreal, by way of Paris. Seun got no sleep during the 3-day journey to Madison. Therefore, it was necessary to save up every bit of energy for the Afrobeat heir's first-ever US concert.

Sleep deprived or not, Seun was - to say the least - explosive.

Sauntering onto the stage with his tenor sax and fitting 70's style attire, Seun shouted a "Yah Yah!" to his audience, something that would take some practice before being returned. From there, Kuti performed one of his father's songs with as much power and showmanship as Fela. As soon as Seun puts down his Sax, he shakes and twists about the stage with a dancing style reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger. He knows how to work the crowd and isn't afraid to strut.

What's more is the passion with which he performs. Every syllable of his lyrics are pounded into the senses as he shakes, twists and bends backwards with his mic gripped tightly. His internal struggle is visible as he runs about the stage with such urgency, but always moving to the beat. Clearly, he doesn't just sing the plight of Africa, he lives it. He wants you to, as well.

"After the Kososvo War, they gave them 600 dollars for each person in aid," Seun mused to the audience. "In Africa, in Darfur, we can't even get 10 dollars a person."

He then raises a middle finger. "That is for the G8 leaders."

It wouldn't be Afrobeat without the blunt infusion of a distinct political message. With songs such as "Think Africa", "Many Things", and "Na Oil," the thunderous African groove is fueled as much by the message as the 20 person band.

That message was one of awareness and need for reform. Starvation, Malaria and AIDS were all topics for awareness during song intros. During one introduction, Seun decried a bridge constructed in Nigeria as a sign of progress. "The bridge is only a connection of servants to their masters."

Yet, Seun understands why Africa isn't able to stop the vicious cycle. "Africans don't have room in their lives to think about all these problems. They only think about how to survive." As he insisted with his song, perhaps his music will force others to "Think Africa."

This blitz of high energy big-band African funk and impassioned political pleas awed the crowd. It fueled the dancing frenzy for nearly two straight hours. Audience participation was in such abundance throughout that Seun invited four Madison women onstage to compare dance skills with Seun's sister, Moturayo. Despite their best attempts to match her skill, it must be said bluntly: She knows how to shake it. Even Shakira should take notes.

As for Seun, his brand of Afrobeat activism was a landmark event for Madison. There were only 500 people to see Seun's American debut. Tomorrow, Chicago shares the pleasure of his company with 15,000 people at Millennium Park. Looking at his schedule, it is obvious - this performance was a rare musical coup for Madison.

He'll be coming out with an album in the next week or so and his myspace offers a few singles, but don't rely on recordings. Youtube might provide a glimpse at his amazing stage performance, but only the real thing will do. If you're in Chicago tomorrow - GO SEE THIS MAN. You owe it yourself to see a 24-year old legend in the making.

Party in the...err...Terrace?

2007-06-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

After a meeting with WUD music committee, it looks like WSUM might be closing down shop at James Madison Park and holding their annual music festival at the Terrace. This comes a week after Pepsi decided to pull out of the event because they didn't feel their product was being pushed enough. I'm not sure what they wanted, but that loss of a sponsor may have actually given the event some wings, for once.

The good news about this arrangement - if it happens - is that the headliner for the revamped concert would be MUCH bigger than last year's Drazy Hoops since WSUM wouldn't have to spend an absurd amount of money on operations costs and could devote more funds to talent.

I think it's a fantastic idea. Frankly, I love anything that involves the terrace and it would certainly give WSUM some solid publicity and draw in the Freshmen like no other location would. It also would be nice to have a decent headliner. Let us not forget, PITP once hosted the likes of Andrew WK, Trail of Dead and the White Stripes (although I have a bone to pick with their new album. More on that later.)

The tentative date is Sept. 8th. Anyone know some good bands coming through the Milwaukee/Chicago area during that time?

If you're up for some music tonight...

2007-06-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

Why not jet down to the Union Theatre? Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 are coming from Nigeria to wallop Madison with a torrent of political afrobeat. It should be a good show. Reviews to follow afterwards.

And while we're on the subject of Afrobeat, I just noticed that another one of Fela's sons, Femi Kuti, will be performing opposite LCD Soundsystem at Lollapalooza. That might be one of the harder decisions of the festival, for me. More on that when we come to it.

Healthy Wisconsin - the debate begins...

2007-06-26T14:20:00.000-07:00

The Democrats unveiled their plan for Universal Health Care for Wisconsin. And Republicans are outraged. Not only are they calling it one of the most outrageous tax increases in Wisconsin history, they're incensed that the Democrats completely cut them out of the discussion before they made this proposal. The details:

The basics of the 59-page proposal include a 14.5 percent payroll tax as the funding backbone, broken down into a 10.5 percent tax paid by employers and a 4 percent tax on wages subject to Social Security, paid by employees.

In exchange, the plan promises health coverage to all Wisconsin residents and employees under 65, with the choice of a public or private plan and price tag of about $370 per month for the average employer and $140 for the average employee.

The tax would generate approximately $15 billion annually to start with - something that opponents find disturbing.

I suppose that much money in the government's hands is a frightening subject for those who rail against bigger government.
Yet, it might save companies a great deal of money, depending on how this all breaks down. At least, that's the claim.

What worries me are posts like Mike Hahn's over at the usually well-thought out Letters in Bottles:

Here's what they don't mention: "Social Security wages" are gross wages up to $97,500 per year. That's right, unless you have one heck of a good job, 14.5% of every dollar you make is going to go to the state to pay for everyone in the state to have health care. Sounds like a good deal, doesn't it.

So, not only do state Democrats want to increase taxes on cigarettes, hospitals, gasoline, selling a home or real estate, iPod/iTunes sales online, and a myriad of fee increases - but they also want to take another 14.5% from every employee and employer in the state. Do they honestly think that we pay too little in taxes in this state?

Let's add it up:

Average state income tax rate: 6.5%
Average federal income tax rate: 25%
Social Security contribution*: 12.4%
Healthy Wisconsin contribution**: 14.5%
Total taxes: 58.4%

Bravo for over-stating things. First off, the asterisk means those figures include employer's pay-in as well. Mike says this should be included in the figure as it takes away from the employee's Health Car the employer already provides. Obviously, he has overstated this, neglecting that these fees are meant to replace the money employers already spend on Health Care Coverage for employees. This gives employees a choice while possibly saving employers money.

Take those numbers off and the new total is around 41% percent. Still high.

Second off, I understand throwing the Fed tax bracket number in there is the only way to make those rates sound concrete, but it should be clear to any taxpayer that including that rate is just slightly misleading.

It's easy to come up with a percentage of income that's ridiculously high if you press the numbers enough. Still, I understand a tax hike is not done with a casual flip of the wrist. If the savings are there, then it could be worth it.

This subject could benefit from a little more research and debate on both sides. I'll be looking at this a little closer throughout the week and get back with whatever I come up with. As of right now, I'm just not sure about the plan.

Day of Silence - show your support.

2007-06-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Internet Radio is being taken down a peg - after congress decided to pass a bill increasing royalties on internet radio. This is sure to kill most of the internet radio station. Well, today, they're not having it:

On June 26, major webcasters such as Live365.com, Pandora.com, AccuRadio.com, and popular Santa Monica, California-based KCRW are among those who will silence their feeds for 24 hours in a show of solidarity against the upcoming July 15 rate hike on net radio royalties. Though regular programming will indeed be interrupted, the broadcasters won't simply be broadcasting silence; many stations will run intermittent PSAs detailing the current plight of net radio interspersed with ambient noise to give listeners an idea of what they'll be hearing should the royalty increases stand. KCRW is producing an hour-long program pleading the case of net radio entitled "D-Day for Webcasters," which they plan to loop all day Tuesday. Additional broadcasters will continue to be added to the roster of supporters for this day of silence.

WSUM 91.7 FM isn't silencing their web-feed due to the horrendous reception of their terrestrial signal. If the new U-square wasn't causing such problems for the signal, WSUM might have participated. However, they are playing PSA's all day to raise awareness. For those who don't know the specifics of the charges, here is the damage.

Why does the RIAA insist on a self-defeating business model?

"It's a Win-Win situation."

2007-06-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Those of you who read the Badger Herald might have seen an article I wrote, which criticized SLAC's methods for being too extreme. There was a brief comment near the end that took issue with the Campus Anti-War Network as well, but labeled their tactics as necessary. Despite the necessity of protest, I found the occupation of Herb Kohl's office to be a bit over-the-top, if not an expertly crafted publicity stunt.

Well, today, I decided to see where CAN is going now. It looks a bit more promising, but I can see flaws on the horizon.

CAN is planning on switching it's attack and message. Instead of standing their ground on the broad campaign to bring an end to the war, they're focusing on the most indefensible tactics of the war - torture. Since the abuses of Abu Ghraib and the administration's defense of interrogation tactics, the left has touted these offenses as the most egregious example of a failed war. Now that members of the American Psychological Association have come out against the APA's involvement in torture tactics, CAN has decided this issue is one that is completely indefensible and a good striking point for the war. (Side Note: the APA has come out against torture before, but recent reports show psychologists may have been involved in some of the government's interrogation tactics after all.)

The basis for this change is definitive local action. By focusing on the issue of torture, they're taking a portion of the war that the vast majority of the public rejects and forcing the University to take a position on it. Of course, administration officials will do no such thing. Yet, they're attempting to circulate a petition rejecting the use of torture amongst the faculty, through Prof. David Rosenthal.
CAN is taking aim at what they call "Campus complicity" in the Iraq War by remaining silent.

However, they made clear the approach is not going to be one of antagonism. They simply ask the university to condemn torture - albeit, with certain political strings and riders hidden beneath such a proclamation. When the university doesn't respond, CAN points to the university as refusing to abide by a moral decision that many of us would easily make.

They're hoping this will get more people on-board. I'm skeptical, as usual.

Campus complicity is good place to start, this I agree with. Certainly, there is probably enough research going on at this university or others tied to the war. If it's made public, it could become a very public sticking point for the local media and raise publicity and awareness.

That is, if this sort of research actually is happening. It is a big "if". Someone at the meeting mentioned research on sleep deprivation that may be tied to interrogation methods. If it's true, I'd like to see it. Otherwise, don't spread half-truths. Research the research.

The problem lies in the aspect of torture as their campaign "theme." In terms of a public discourse, the subject is pretty well under CAN's belt. Yet, in terms of recruiting others, torture is an unattractive topic. If CAN comes out and assails the Gonzales position and cites a bunch of memos, it may bore onlookers. If they stage symbolic recreations of Abu Ghraib and flash depictions of torture, people will look away. The majority of the country doesn't want out of Iraq because of what we're doing to their people, they want out because of what we're doing to our soldiers. The abuses are just more sad facts of war the public would rather not see anymore.

Also, the logic behind the torture focus is a bit faulty. They're operating under the idea that occupation is a form of torture and inevitably leads to such practices. They plan to pound home this idea by showing the Battle of Algiers and maybe getting Professor McCoy to speak. It works on college campuses, but if you reaching into the general Madison community, I'm not sure how the academia approach will play with normal residents. People will make the connections between Algeria and Iraq, I'm just not sure they'll accept them.

It becomes a balance of awareness and action. If CAN finds ties to Defense Dept. tactics through this university and take serious issue with it, they might actually get the ball rolling on a national outcry. Otherwise, they might remain just another group of college students with big ideas.

One of the members of CAN turned to me during the meeting and said, "The problem with leftist groups is there is all this division, while the conservatives stand united." While I think the conservatives are in similar disarray, he has a point. It all sounds so united at first - US out now! Then you hear the chorus of united voices break down into separate cries: "End Imperialism!" "Give Peace a Chance!" "What would Jesus do?"

CAN has promise if they can hold those cries back and unite their voices throughout the country. It's hard, but it has been done before - and without facebook.

So what do you think? Comments, please: what are your opinions on the Campus Anti-War Network?

I would like to hear the conservative opinion on this though.

It's a Bit Complicated - Review

2007-06-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

When I grew up as a kid, I reveled in the geekiest sort of music possible - Weird Al Yankovic, mainly. Despite the fact Amish Paradise only works as a parody while Gangsta's Paradise is popular, I loved the genius nature of the songs. Sure, he may steal melodies, but it's usually to make fun of the rest of society. It's silly, but it's still commentary of SOME substance.

That's the same thing I thought when listening to "Formed a Band," by Art Brut. Then I listened to "Bang Bang Rock and Roll." Now it wasn't just commentary, it wasn't just parody, it was all scathing satire. For me, it was the perfect dismantling of the indie subculture. "Modern Art" got far too excited about Matisse for the listener to keep a straight face, "Bang Bang Rock and Roll" finally echoed my groans over the Velvet Underground's indie deification, and Bad Weekend gave the most accurate a tragic summation of the culture with one line: "Popular Culture No Longer Applies to Me." The album was like a punk rebirth in itself. At the same time, the series of stories as told through Eddie Argos' eyes seemed closer to a modern Quadrophenia: Jimmy had the Mods, Eddie had the indie kids.

After awhile, this grand illusion wore off. The album was still great, but it is not the indictment of the music scene as I (or, Pitchfork) thought. Yet, critics still hailed Argos as a new lyrical genius. One reviewer posited him as a modern day Elvis Costello (as Mr. Costello dabbles more in Jazz, these days?).

Well, he's not Elvis Costello, he's not Mark E. Smith, he's not even Ian Brown. He's just Eddie Argos. If he had expanded on the new album, perhaps we could start plotting out the direction of his greatness amongst British rock legends.

Unfortunately, that have to wait.

It's a Bit Complicated starts off with a punch of guitar that was somewhat subdued in BBR&R, probably thanks to the Jasper, the replacement for Chris Chinchilla, who left the band after their first album. With the treble turned up to 11 on "Pump Up the Volume," Argos starts the theme of awkward romantic experiences by singing about a lover torn between his girlfriend and the pop song on the radio.

"Pump up the Volume" and "Direct Hit" may be radio-friendly for it's catchy chorus and head-bopping guitar licks, but Argos isn't talking to the kids about anything all that groundbreaking: "Move your feet like your shoes don't fit/get on the dance floor/ it's a direct hit!" It may get you dancing, but the laughter doesn't last like it used to.

The lyrical genius of Argos is ready for digestion on a few tracks such as "Post Soothing Out", "Sound of Summer" and "Nag Nag Nag Nag." The first two tracks tread the same kind of lovesick lamentations Argos has reflected on so brilliantly ever since he wrote "These Animal Menswe@r" at 15. The blunt semi-spoken delivery mixed with the pointed reactions to traditional pop music mix perfectly here. Yet, Nag Nag Nag Nag has the most promise for the future. It's the only track where Argos takes the aim at his adolescence: "Is it the sound of a man wrestling with emotion/ or the sound of him losing/and causing commotion?"

The rest of the album is a mixed bag - St. Pauli bounces along on an uninspired delivery by Argos and a back-to-basics bass line that sounds tired and repetitive. Late Sunday Evening takes a nice instrumental turn by adding a section of horns to cap the song off, but the lyrics don't resonate with the same unique subject matter as other efforts. The same goes for Blame it On the Trains, which is probably the lowest point on this album.

The appeal of Art Brut isn't that they're "Just talking...to the kids" but being brutally honest and personal. Anyone can write a love song, but only Argos can write a song about going flaccid with sincere emotion. That's what made them dynamic; the breakneck punk rock backing was always just a bonus. Here, it sounds like they've spent more time on the latter, which has allowed the subject matter to become average stuff.

One can only hope Argos will speak volumes louder than he does here, or Art Brut may become the novelty I feared they'd become. Still enjoyable, but silly.

blown out of proportion? Why not have a class on it?

2007-06-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Cap Times is reporting that UW-Madison is considering offering a Hmong studies program, although they don't seem to have much of an idea what that would entail.
The options sound wide open:

"One would be to offer Hmong language instruction in the next school year using university resources. In the past we have done this with outside funds."

Another option would be to develop a certificate program using existing courses already being offered on campus. Still another possibility would be the creation of a center that would pull together people already on campus who are interested in and involved with research in the Hmong community.

Finally, another option is a full-fledged Hmong studies program involving hiring new faculty.

"We are looking at these different options and considering which, or which combination, to pursue," [Dean of L&S] Sandefur said.

Now, considering the Wisconsin has the third highest settlement of Hmong individuals in the United States, this sounds like a good idea. With the Gen. Vang Pao controversy recently being added to Wisconsin's continuing misunderstandings of the Hmong community, a little more education is certainly in order. But do we have the resources for a serious dedication to this field of study? After all, our own professors are jumping ship because of the low-pay rate.

Now, if you want to set-up a certificate or a set of classes dealing with Hmong, that sounds fine and dandy. However, a discussion of further resources is unnerving. We're already losing professors at a prodigious rate. The engineering and business schools already raised tuition to try and lure more. With Doyle trying desperately to keep our professors from jumping ship with this $10 million retention package, should we really be thinking about hiring more professors for a department we haven't even created yet?

Stick to the simple stuff for now, methinks. If you want to teach more classes centered around Hmong culture, make sure you're sincere about it. Our reputation is tanking. It can be rebuilt with a stronger faculty, but adding on more weight to a system that's already straining doesn't work. It will only introduce a half-hearted ethnic studies program that adds even more problems to Wisconsin's relationship with the Hmong community.

A Fitting Start

2007-06-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Blogs frighten me. I'll put that out right now. With the imminent downfall of traditional media, everyone has already loaded up the blogging bandwagon and decided to head out to the metaphorical West - wherever that might be.

Meanwhile, I've felt left behind. Despite the fact that I've been a part of the blogging world since 2003.

Let's make it clear: Livejournal is not a blog. It is a repository of desires, high-school drama and wasted lives. Everyone I know who is of any significance in my life has stopped posting there or imported blog posts to their Livejournal accounts. The design of LJ pages is enough to induce claustrophoiba. Defined links are usually near the top, with any options for escape presented at the forefront. Then the page descends into mindless ramblings about love life, isolation and that little button to offer alms - register and comment, but only if you're a friend.

Then there is the devious nature of "friends only" and "private" posts. Anyone who posts a friends only post apart from others is entering a hallway of demarcations that cut the real and digital world into any number seperate social circles, dividing themselves in the process. Why do people post privately, anyway? Instead of writing it on paper, on Microsoft Word, on the cells of their own mind, they put it on a rinky-dink do-it-yourself internet website only they can see. Maybe they can reveal it those around them eventually, but with a single misstep they might reveal it to everyone. This not only risks personal grief, arguments between friends and hurt feelings, but, if you're a Washington call-girl, a few lawsuits.

Livejournal is a memory dump. It's like the file cabinet in a home office. You start out thinking you're organized and efficient, but eventually you get frustrated and can't figure out which way to arrange everything. Then you start throwing anything you don't have a place for in there - CDs, pictures, receipts you have no use for It keeps piling up until one day you decide to arrange that messy cabinet for good. That is, until you mess it up again, inevitably.

I can keep my bedroom that way, but not my thoughts. That's why I stopped posting in the LJ and have started here.

However, the subject matter leaves something to be desired. For those who are fans of British Comedy, the title may be familiar. If it is, you'll understand how this directionless this blog is. For everyone else, watch Alan Partridge.

This blog will likely find a few posts throughout the summer. It will really get going when the college exile ends in late August.
Until then, I'll post commentary on events around Madison, the music community and anything of political pertinance that doesn't come off with complete ignorance.