The Wake

It seems as though we are bombarded in the media with issues that could and does affect our health: the bird flu that may or may not reach the United States, whether or not a poor college student should splurge for organic products, and if one ever drinks milk safely. All these topics are important, but are they worth losing sleep over? To acid rain on your parade, the truth is we probably have not seen the full effects of these problems. Our generation will have to deal with the problems brought on by those of previous generations.While the bird …

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In the early 20th century, America was a country on the rise. Since the end of World War II, America has solidified itself as the dominant power in the world. The United States is second to no other country. As a result, America has prospered due to its global standing. Before President George W. Bush first took office in 2000, America was still the undisputed world power. Now it is apparent that the rest of the world is closing the power gap on America. Countries, such as China and India, are gaining ground on America due to their superior …

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“Reporters should not be an arm of the law; if government employees illegally leak information, it is up to the government, with all of its coercive power, to discover the culprit, not a reporter whose primary duty is to inform the public.”-Judith Miller, of the New York Times, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on October 19, 2005For nearly 200 years the press has been referred to as “the fourth estate,” an independent entity dedicated to acting as a watchdog over the three branches of government and informing the voting public. The need for a free and independent press …

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Web Editor’s Note: Reggie Spanier, one of the Wake’s photographers, took these great photos of the Shout Out Louds at their recent show. Through a cruel twist of fate, we have no story with which we can run them, so here they are in their pure form.

It’s a little known fact that Australia’s number one export these days is clever pop music. Starting their tour in Minneapolis on Nov. 3, Ben Lee and New Buffalo showed the audience at the Fine Line that music can simultaneously be fun and legitimately artful, and that songs with great pop hooks are not necessarily mundane. Opening the show was the one-woman band New Buffalo, whose latest CD, The Last Beautiful Day, is now available for the first time in North America through the Arts and Crafts label. Also known as Sally Seltmann, New Buffalo tours with a microphone, …

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The air surrounding First Avenue on Nov. 12 was filled with anticipation. As the lights dimmed and a photo montage graced the film screen, everyone in the crowded venue stood waiting in eager silence. The screen finally rose and a wave of excitement spread over the audience, and with good reason. It’s a familiar scene at First Avenue, but tonight Tina Schlieske performed for the first time in six years to celebrate the release of her first solo album, titled Slow Burn.Though she was the front woman for Minneapolis-bred band Tina and the B-Sides for 12 years, many people …

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DJ Muggs vs. GZA: GrandmastersDJ Muggs, the man responsible for the Cypress Hill beats, is back with a collaboration with Wu-Tang’s GZA called Grandmasters. The title is an overstatement, but it’s not too far of a stretch. Muggs’s beats are flawless, and GZA’s narrative rhymes outshine those of guest emcees like Raekwon and RZA, proving why he’s known as the Genius of the Wu-Tang Clan. GZA’s lyrics have a consciousness to them that most mainstream hip-hop lacks. Songs like “Exploitation of Mistakes” use his storytelling style to tackle issues such as crime and the desperation that drives someone to murder. …

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So you’ve already seen the new Harry Potter movie and Chronicles of Narnia doesn’t come out for weeks. What’s that? No new Lord of the Rings DVD this Christmas? Well, you’re in luck, fantasy film fiend! Willow is just the ticket you need. Talk about high quality derivative fun! It’s true that Willow has overwhelming similarities to Lord of the Rings, but what it lacks in originality, this ‘80s classic more than makes up for in sheer energy and fun.In typical fantasy fashion, an evil Queen rules over an unpronounceable land, but a prophecy foretells her downfall through a newborn …

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With a dark silence, Puck leapt to the stage, popped a balloon and introduced Stephen Kanee’s interpretation and direction of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While the play maintains all of Shakespeare’s poetic intentions, a few modern spins and a faster pace make the play fly by with levity. The play maintains the lovers’ conflict, the mystical fairy realm, and the troupe of horrible actors that this Shaekesperean comedy is known for. The way the actors brought the characters to life combined with stage direction makes the play easy to follow and enjoy, as the entire emphasis is …

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On the corner of 21st St. and Franklin Ave. stands an off-white edifice, an effervescent mural covering its side. Visibly aging residential buildings, scattered offices and pubs inhabit the mundane stretches of brick infrastructure surrounding the proudly discernible Blue Nile. The Mediterranean-style restaurant hosts some of the Twin Cities best unknowns in reggae, hip-hop and spoken word more nights than not. The Blue Nile open-mic night featured a series of performances that embody what an open-mic night should be. Mixture of dancehall deejay, several poets and emcees entertained the stage with notable performances throughout the night. The interior décor provides …

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Upon entering the new Andy Warhol exhibit at the Walker Art Center, I saw exactly what I came for, three walls full of Marilyn Monroe. The show is entitled: Andy Warhol/Supernova: Stars, Deaths, and Disasters, 1962–1964. Curated by Douglas Fogle, a Warhol fan since birth, Supernova examines a side of Warhol’s art that I think many people don’t see. The focus on the 1962-1964 period limits the work to only silkscreen printing. At this point in his career, Warhol had abandoned the brush and referred to himself as a “machine” simply recording events portrayed in the media. The first …

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Mid-autumn is here and the leaves have turned to yellow
Moonlight casts our shadows and the cool air is still
I’m breathing inWe rush into our places and perform our childhood games
The grass is wet with dew and our shoes slick on the mud
I’m runningThe rising pines of the North Country
The chill of coming winter
The sounds of laughter
The crunch of leaves
Am I back home?Night games they are called
I’ve forgotten everything else
I can only think of my breathing and my soaked shoes
The rush of blood to warm the cold skin
Somehow the …

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I arrive in the Twin Cities at 12:30 p.m. on the first of September – already poised to worry. My mind is frantically pacing in an attempt to assess the staggering amount of money I have spent preparing to leave for school, and juxtaposing it against the dark expenses looming before me. This is going to be an expensive year. There is no doubt that by the end of spring semester, my debt will more than double. But over-thinking these financial shortcomings leaves one irritable and exhaustingly pessimistic. Not a sunny outlook to have on the last weekend of summer. …

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Wearing full military gear and a backpack full of paper, dip pens and bottles of ink, Steve Mumford spent 11 months in Iraq as an embedded journalist and artist with the U.S. military. When he wasn’t handing ammunition to soldiers, he was drawing portraits of everyday Iraqi civilian life and depicting what he calls the “romance” of war.Mumford showed slides of his artwork and discussed his experience Wednesday, Nov. 9 in the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota.Baghdad is an ugly city with a great deal of character that can be found if one knows where to look, he …

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St. Paul has the largest Hmong population of any city in the United States, and yet most Minnesotans probably know little about the culture. For whatever reason, the mainstream media are also notoriously clumsy in their depictions of complexities of and changes in culture, especially for those populations that are somewhat new to the area. The Star Tribune’s October series on rape in the Hmong community, entitled “Shamed into Silence,” emphasized the Hmong culture’s role in the sexual abuse of Hmong girls. University curriculum and instruction professor Bic Ngo responded to the article and addressed such issues on …

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