The Wake

During the past year, I have come across a lot of great unsigned metal bands. So, I am going to expose you to the cream of the unsigned metal crop in a variety of sub-genres. From the Faeroe Islands comes T_r. On their 2003 release, Eric the Red, T_r impressed me. They are an interesting combination of power metal, progressive metal, and Nordic folk music. The music is usually fast, aggressive, but also quite upbeat. The vocals (Heri Joensen) are clean, and are most certainly of the Scandinavian folk variety with a touch of Blind Guardian’s Hansi Kursch. Though …

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Two turntables and a microphone – the staple tools for hip hop artists. Yet, these simple tools are what were turning people off to hip hop, along with its lack of highlighting both live individual and collective talents of a band. Hip hop came down to prerecorded beats, sung over by an emcee.Recently, hip hop has resurfaced and its popularity is partially due to acts that defy the norms of typical hip hop such as The Roots and local cult-hero turned idol Atmosphere.Part of the culminating show on Feb. 28 for the Minnesota Programs and Activities Council’s Hip Hop Week, …

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Woulda, coulda, shoulda.The 76th Academy Awards, otherwise knows as the 2004 “Lord of the Rings” love fest, could have been so much more. But rather than match the surprises and ingenuity of the nominations, which made headlines in themselves, the Academy’s final decisions seemed far more traditionalist than revolutionary, bestowing the statues on the big blockbusters and the big studios that one has come to cynically expect.There were indeed surprises in the audience. Keisha Castle-Hughes, nominated for best actress in “Whale Rider,” was the youngest nominee ever in the category. Djimon Hounsou and Shohreh Aghdashloo, from “In America” and …

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Breast-bearing singers and zealous right wingers: that’s what this year’s Oscars are made of. Or at least, that’s what I thought — until I actually watched the prestigious award show a few Sundays back. Here’s how it all went down: we were blind-drunk, off Mescal. We’d started drinking sometime in the middle of Billy Crystal’s epic, revivalist introduction; neither of us remembers exactly. But the truth is this: that my partner-in-cinematic crime, Dr. Lane, and I were readily enjoying what we were seeing on our 8″ Sony portable television. Somehow, we’d managed to unwittingly engage the Spanish translator on the …

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On Oscar Sunday, I had the unique pleasure of attending the oldest and largest Oscar party outside of California, Hollywood 2004, at the Historic State Theater in Minneapolis. The event is a benefit for the Minnesota AIDS Project.Initially, I have to admit to a level of shock at entering the big event, because the glitz and glamour was definitely present in high volume. There were loads of people with too much time and money. I even remember overhearing one woman speaking of $3,800 as “nothing.” There were young men in underwear, holding wooden swords and painted gold, in the likeness …

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It’s about half way through the semester. I have done nothing that could really qualify as paying work in weeks. All my Christmas-gift money from Grandma and the parents is long gone, and I can see the pot at the end of the student loan rainbow. It’s empty.I know it would be foolish to spend money designated for rent and car payments on a night out. And my friends, being nearly penniless like myself, cannot subsidize a meal for us either. Well, not meals where a professionally trained chef prepares dishes that come out of the kitchen with immaculate presentations …

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It’s an exhibit that almost never was. As a part of an international exchange between galleries, the Nash was scheduled to put on a photography exhibit from Iran titled Persian Silver. However, considering the security involved bringing in anything from the Middle East, the photographs were held up in customs en route to the gallery, delaying the show. It seemed as though the walls at the newly relocated Nash gallery might remain bare, but a few phone calls from Senator Mark Dayton managed to free the artwork and get it moving towards its moment in the spotlight.According to Nicholas Shank, …

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Wild rice is a sacred plant to the Ojibwe in Minnesota. Some say prophecies told the Ojibwe to move westward, leading them here to the sustenance of wild rice. Others will tell you a man named Nanaboozhoo failed to bring home a deer for dinner one night; but later followed a duck to a lake full of wild rice, giving him food when there was nothing else to eat. As Winona LaDuke, Anishinaabekwe (Ojibwe) member, has written, “We have always cared for the wild rice, as it is one of the greatest gifts given to our community.” But many Ojibwe …

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Birthright Israel sends Jewish young adults, ages 18 through 26, to experience Israel at a cost perfect for college students. Free. As a Jewish student, I couldn’t say no to the opportunity of a 10-day trip this past January. I found all it took to apply was a few minutes on Birthright’s website and a $250 deposit, refundable upon successful completion of the program. Before leaving, I read through an itinerary of lectures and guest speakers. My time studying journalism at the “U” has given me a sixth sense for propaganda. Despite my cynicism, the series of lectures …

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Hey Lonely. Tired of drinking yourself to sleep, alone in your studio apartment? Buck up already and ask that girl out from your psych lecture. Oh, I get it - you don’t have a car and can’t take her anywhere. Well, I’m here to save your ass with some ammo for your arsenal of love: obscure facts about the University! For practical purposes, let’s refer to the date as “her” because, let’s face it - most girls have better things to do than memorize worthless tidbits about campus. Unless they’re tour guides or something. Here’s the plan: take her on …

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As any student can tell, the University of Minnesota is an active campus full of student events, construction projects and technical research. With budget cuts every year it’s hard to imagine the University being able to function properly. But outside sources are always eager to lend a hand. Although invisible to some, corporate businesses have a large impact at the University and their influence can come in many forms. A Texas Instrument math building or a Coca-Cola student center might be possible in the future. But corporate authority is still restricted by University policy and only allowed …

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From now on, fantasy games aren’t just associated with the comic book, Magic card lovers who’ve served as punching bags for schoolyard bullies. Fantasy games have transcended the world of Dungeons and Dragons and entered into the testosterone-charged world of professional sports. The lucrative fantasy sports industry has slowly changed the way average fans watch their favorite sports. Now a college student has a reason to get up before noon on a Sunday. Blurry-eyed, hungover students slave over their computers trying to outthink their opponents all in the name of fantasy sports. On any given Sunday, over 15 million fantasy-sports players …

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When Aleksey Zharinov came to the United States three and a half years ago from his native Russia, he had few expectations and a great deal of questions. But he did know the United States had prominent tennis competition and, of course, his beloved Metallica. Zharinov, often called “The Tank” or “Russia” by his teammates and friends, is a senior sports management major from the city of Novosibirsk, Russia, roughly four hours from Moscow. Though many wouldn’t consider Russia’s frigid climate to be ideal for tennis, Zharinov developed into one of the best talents in the central …

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Dating in today’s culture provides a multitude of options, particularly for our generation. We can be traditional, meeting people through friends or co-workers, at parties or clubs. We can be risk-takers and venture to the bar with the hopes of at least finding a playful one-night stand. We can use our connections through school or clubs, churches or synagogues, athletics or hobbies. Or we can hop on the Web, go to a site and meet the man who could be of our dreams – or nightmares.Gophersingles.com is one of the latest websites to serve the college community. Based in Texas, …

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Post de facto of Saddam Hussein’s capture, I think it’s necessary to theorize his strategy during and after Operation Iraqi Freedom. And it is important to note how U.S. politics were and still are intertwined with that strategy, especially during the primaries. Hussein was certainly no match for the Coalition, so what was he thinking defying the United Nations, and what U.S. politicians indirectly helped him?Hussein allowed the Coalition to easily take over Iraqi infrastructure and this comes as no surprise to me. In a classic territorial war, Hussein could not keep the Coalition out by force. So in the …

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