The Wake

Ninety to ninety-five percent of domestic violence victims are women, while up to ninety-five percent of domestic violence perpetrators are men, according to the Bureau of Justice.Each year, between 50,000 and 100,000 Lesbians and as many as 500,000 gay men are battered, according to the American Bar Association website.Although same-sex battering mirrors heterosexual battering both in type and prevalence, its victims receive fewer protections, according to the American Bar Association Journal.Each year, an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to family violence against their mothers or female caretakers, According to the American Psychological Association.The Defense of Marriage Act (introduced on …

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‘Woo’ upon ‘woo’ upon ‘woo,’ the sounds of a university education. University of Minnesota students pause their important cell phone conversations to pick up pompoms and can after can after can of Busch Light this past Saturday morning to attend the homecoming parade. Male-to-male high-fives, in response to female coeds walking past, echoed down University Avenue. A giant yellow foam hat, presumably won at a county fair carnival, shone like a beacon on a young scholar’s closely-cropped head. The hat attracted gaggles of U of M students like a lighthouse’s beaming light, bringing lost ships to shore. The air was …

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I recently sat down after a long, long night of work and began reading an article in the September issue of Cosmopolitan titled, “How Cosmo Changed the World.” I was expecting an article on fair trade lipstick or the subsidization of tampons. The article is, according to the subtitle, a celebration of the fact that forty years ago Cosmopolitan became the “fun fearless magazine” that I “couldn’t live without.” Yes, now I remember: Every month, toward the front of the mag, Cosmo has a short bio and pic of a “fun fearless female.” This woman, they claim, has it …

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There are people out there who are attracted to humans of the same sex. Gasp! It’s true. And believe it or not, some of them want to get married. Shriek! Tell me why I should care. I have searched, and I can’t find a decent argument against gay marriage. Perhaps I will see the light when I read what’s on the other half of this page. But for now: Go rainbow! During this gay debate, it’s important to realize that true homosexuality is not learned, it’s genetic. One of the many studies confirming this was conducted in May 2005 …

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The issue of a gay marriage ban is one charged with emotional rhetoric and heartfelt arguments from conservatives and liberals alike. For such issues, I suggest that we set sentiments aside and focus on details and realities. This is difficult because strong sentiments aren’t easily ignored. However, the best results are achieved when the debate is about outcomes and consequences rather than fairness and hurt feelings. When I looked up the definition of marriage on dictionary.com, it read 1. a. “The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife.” The key here is that it is between …

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I was asked to write about my experience being evacuated from Tulane University in New Orleans. Fortunately, out of consideration for my audience, I’ve come to realize that my story is rather boring and elicits little more response than, “that sucks.” I didn’t lose my house, my college is relatively undamaged, and all of my stuff is safe and un-looted in my dorm room (albeit totally inaccessible). So, rather than ramble on about how much water there was, and how much it really sucks to be here, I’ve decided to share with you the feelings of my non-freshman Tulane friends. …

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Reggae music has evolved considerably since its birth. With the worldwide popularity of hip-hop, dancehall reggae quickly became the forerunning sub-genre of the late ’80s. These days, artists such as Capleton, Jah Mason and Damian Marley are chanting over thunderous drums and bass, branding their own version of dancehall reggae characterized by their use of Bobo Ashanti chant. One of Damian Marley’s best qualities, however, is his ability to explore a diverse range of sounds on his albums. With Welcome to Jamrock, Marley continues where he left off on Halfway Tree, jumping from hip-hop to roots reggae jams in the …

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Bring it On is to cheerleading movies what Disneyworld is to fun. Bring it On…Again brings twice the sassiness, double the attitude, and more fancy cheerleading than you can shake a stick at. Release in 2004, Again continues where it’s progenitor left off, this time with Kirsten Dunst usurped by Anne Judson-Yager in the lead role of perky cheer star Whittier Smith.But this time it’ll take more than the best moves to win. This time it will take something else. Something entirely new and utterly different.For example, a nerve-wracked Smith must decide whether or not to wear …

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“Everybody wants to be a genius / You’re not the only one / With all things that you might do,” sings Inara George. She’s right: Everybody does want to be a genius. And in that respect, her new CD is a success; I appreciate that she doesn’t try too hard to be fascinating or mysterious. All Rise is all-at-once poppy, ambient, melancholy and clever. Songs like “Genius” and “Good to Me” have a bouncy, carefree melody, with underlying deeper content. George’s vocals reach, but not in an uncomfortable way, and the keyboard is complex without being reminiscent of a techno …

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The first month of school is a whirlwind. Freshman line frat row sidewalks searching for solace with ten of their new best friends and an old pal, Captain Morgan. Religious zealots approach students without warning, quickly stuffing faith-soaked flyers in their hands, asking if they’ve talked to God lately. Inevitably, at least one of your professors has chosen this year to crack down on attendance and reading requirements, leaving students no other choice but to both attend class and read the $75 Plato and Play Dough: Finding Your Inner Child. And, without fail, every student’s checking account is left with …

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Charles Band is well known to fans of B-movies and horror films; he is the mastermind of the Full Moon Features and Wizard Entertainment studios. He will be in town on October 12 at Dinkytown’s Varsity Theater with Charles Band’s Full Moon Horror Road Show. Band’s career in film spans thirty years and shows no signs of slowing down. I recently had the pleasure of talking with him.The Wake: Can you tell us a bit about your Full Moon Horror Road Show?Band: There are some surprises, and I’d like to keep them that way. Basically, I’ve made movies for so …

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There are plenty of reasons why Cry Wolf should be terrible. First, it isn’t a good sign when your biggest star is an aging ’80s rocker. That ’80s star is Bon Jovi, and this movie is a lot like his music: mediocre but still entertaining.Owen is one of those likable British troublemakers in the US who gets shipped around from prep school to prep school. At his most recent school, he falls in with a crowd of “too cool for school” rabble-rousers led by redheaded hottie, Dodger. Their favorite activity is to sneak out at night and play games of …

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The lackadaisical nature of an independent artist may seem hard to find in the corporate-dominated music industry but, rest assured, it does exist. It thrives in small venues throughout the world. If you search, you can discover music that has been given a chance to breathe in an atmosphere that breeds more creativity that many music moguls would think possible.On Sept. 8 at Ginkgo coffeehouse Peter Mulvey, a Milwaukee native, created a relaxed atmosphere with a raw and personal performance that connected with the audience on many levels. A fellow folk artist opened the show by announcing that he’d written …

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“Now it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why babe,” sings Bob Dylan on “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” an early hit for the bard of American folk. A demo version of this song appears on the famous Minnesotan’s new CD and documentary, No Direction Home. The CD portion, essentially a soundtrack to the film, was released August 30 — a month before the documentary will air on public television. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film uses archival video and audio material to explore the development of a folk singer who turned the genre on its head. Filled …

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With the release of their second full-length CD, Swords is set to tour the U.S. for the next three months. Minneapolis was the first stop for the Portland, Oregon band. And as rain swept across the West Bank, they were set up and ready to play below the violet and red stage lights of the 400 Bar. Still relatively unknown, Swords formed at the end of 1999 when two Portland bands played at the same show. The bands joined each other on stage and performed several songs. At the end of the show a new alliance was forged, and The …

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