The Wake

“Why would you work for that piece of shit?” It wasn’t exactly a response that Crystal Lachermeier expected to hear from a classmate when she announced that she would be working for the Republican National Committee.As part of fulfilling a requirement for a service-learning class, Lachermeier, a senior at the “U” who is double-majoring in political science and sociology, interned for the RNC last fall. She pointed to this in-class incident as one of a number of times when she felt discriminated against because of her conservative political viewpoints.Lachermeier and many other students face a unique challenge — being in …

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I could regale you with stories of my intramural past. Like the time my flag football team triumphantly completed our undefeated season with a come-from-behind victory in the championship game. But let’s be honest. You could care less.This doesn’t mean intramurals aren’t interesting. On the contrary, they can spur the most lasting memories, the deepest feelings of anguish and ecstasy. But don’t take my word for it. Follow Timmy as he takes you through the ups and downs of intramural sports.You may remember Timmy from his first “U” football experience. You know, when he knocked over all the chili? He …

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With words scrum, ruck, maul and try used to describe various parts of the game, it is easy to notice that Rugby is a foreign game. Originally an English sport, there are 15 players on the field from each team during the game. The equipment is rugged and the game is played without pads, but mouth guards are worn to protect costly dental work. Due to the lack of pads, injuries occur frequently ranging from concussions to broken bones. This fascinating sport is offered at the club level at the “U.”The “U’s” rugby team is composed of hard-hitting, beer-guzzling crazy …

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Last month, speaking candidly at a conference aimed at solving the problem of low numbers of women and minorities in science and engineering, Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers revealed the lingering boys’-club culture in the upper echelons of academia.Summers suggested factors on which to blame the lack of female scientists, and offered the suggestion that divergent test scores between high school girls and boys stem from biological differences. Most disturbingly, he used his daughter’s play behavior to illustrate his point about genetic predisposition. The girl was given two toy trucks in an effort at gender-neutral upbringing. Summers says she named …

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Some say that God lives in Ely, Minnesota, way up near the “Arrowhead,” not too far from the Canadian border. It’s a charming town of about 3,700 people nestled in the sprawling Superior National Forest, a mess of evergreens, bluffs, lakes and streams. Ely is the gateway to the Boundary Waters, a pristine, unspoiled wilderness.I went to Ely in January and I saw God. Two friends and I hiked through the pines, trudging through fresh boot tracks and following cross-country ski trails. We joked around while hiking, plotting out how we might befriend a hibernating bear (after a tense initial …

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“I believe democracy requires ‘a sacred contract’ between journalists and those who put their trust in us to tell them what we can about how the world really works,” says long- time journalist Bill Moyers, addressing colleagues. These words resonated with many American journalists who are faced with a public that no longer places its trust in the media. I can’t say that I blame the public for turning off the evening news or canceling their newspaper subscriptions. Has the media really proven they even deserve our trust lately? We read The New York Times, the most trusted paper …

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“Family Guy” enthusiasts know the episode –-the one where Peter starts his own country, appropriately labeled “Petoria.” While the authorities threaten to make Peter’s house and yard part of the union once again, Peter fends them off by eloquently citing the Constitution. By simply quoting the word “the” from a passage of our nation’s handbook, Peter convinces the soldiers to disburse and he is free to reign as the leader of Petoria.This scene brings up a good question (likely by no mistake of the writers): Why does the backing of what we perceive as an authoritarian source so easily blind …

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The beginning of this particular food expedition occurred months ago, before the onslaught of winter, at a barbecue party my roommates and I hosted. We were in the midst of a bet only horny college girls would implement: the make-out-with-a-random boy bet, when out of nowhere I went from jolly to tipsy to pie-eyed and plastered. Blurbs of memory from that night flicker clear and then fade, but I do know this — I won and so did my other roommate, but in the same impalpable fashion. Our prize was dinner, paid for by our less prosperous roommate. Only in …

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If you like your movies mindless and action-packed, you might want to check out both the new “Assault on Precinct 13” remake that’s been in theaters a couple of weeks, and the original 1976 John Carpenter cult classic of the same name. With no real plot to induce distracting thoughts, these B-action movies are the perfect remedy to the Oscar snobbery we’ll have to look forward to in the coming months.The original film strands a handful of people inside an abandoned police station against an onslaught of nameless street thugs. No famous actors and plenty of glorified violence. The beautiful …

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Creative thinkers converted the former Theda Chi frat house into a coffee shop that seeks to serve its community in an ambitious way. Bordertown Coffee opened in Dinkytown on the corner of 4th Street and 16th Avenue, at the end of January, the day before the Twin Cities got its first real dose of snow. The Theda Chi house, built in 1929, closed about five years ago due to fire safety regulations and declining enrollment. The house remained vacant until Greg Silker, the director of Campus Journey, a non-profit Christian and non-greek fraternity and sorority that currently owns the house …

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Hangar 18 recently released The Multi-Platinum Debut Album. Their inaugural debut on Definitive Jux, Platinum – paWL, Alaska and Windnbreez — is more of an ironic understatement than anything. Maybe it’s their defense against fears that they’re fall into some kind of indie hip-hop pigeon-hole like so many indie rappers seem to have done —but probably not. It’s mostly just funny. And it’s pretty obvious they don’t need to worry about anything musically. Talking with MC Alaska, I learned a few things —notably, that yes, they are actually named after the Megadeth song and prior to hip-hop, Alaska’s favorite group …

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When you think of sketch comedy, two things probably come to mind: “Saturday Night Live” and “Mad TV.” When you think of locally produced cable access shows only one thing probably comes to mind: why would I waste my time watching that? What you may not know is that the Twin Cities has its own locally produced sketch show called “Nate On Drums” that could easily rival either of this genre’s giants in terms of originality and taste. Not only is “Nate on Drums” funny, it features local music, too. It’s so good that Channel 45 has picked it up, …

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A couple months ago I had the chance to talk to Paul Allender, guitar player for possibly the world’s biggest extreme metal band, Cradle of Filth. Paul was with the band in their formative days (1992-1994) and recently returned in 1999. In 2004 the band somehow managed to top all of their previous output (which is a great feat!) and released Nymphetamine on RoadRunner Records.The Wake: Well, Paul, I’d like to congratulate you on Nymphetamine, it’s really a killer record. But for those who haven’t been compelled to pick it up, tell them why they should bother.Paul: Nobody sounds like …

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Heiruspecs is all about mixin’ it up – defying rap conventions.The St. Paul hip-hop group backs its rhymes with live drums, bass and keyboard, so on stage they look like a pair of MCs rolling out rhymes in front of a rock-band backdrop. But the sound is totally integrated, with Twinkie Jiggles’ strong basslines shining through in some songs and dVRG’s piano melodies in others. The fabric holding all of it together is the dense, smooth vocals of Felix and Maud’Dib. The speed at which the two fly through their lyrics creates a texture more than a discernible verbal statement, …

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The Perceptionists may be one of the best hip-hop supergroups ever. They’re a collective of uniquely and supremely gifted hip-hop heads and intellects. The group – DJ Fakts 1, Akrobatik, and Mr. Lif – are among the best Def Jux has to offer. On their own, they’ve all had more than successful indie careers. As a group, they’ve elevated their respective styles into one conscious stream of pure heavenly hip-hop. They’re a Boston-born beat-breaking lyric-shaking machine that cannot be stopped. They’re currently touring around the country in a van, picking up new devotees as they go. Recently, Ak and Fakts …

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