The Wake

Men teetered in high-heeled shoes at the beginning of April not only to advent the beginning of spring, but also to honor Sexual Assault Awareness month. The Aurora Center kicked off the month with “Take a Walk in Her Shoes” and passed out information about sexual assault while encouraging students and community members to take a walk down the Washington Avenue Bridge in high heels.One in four to five women experiences rape or attempted rape while in college, and 90 percent of college rape victims know their attacker, according to the National Institute of Justice. However, less than five percent …

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The second level of the Dinkydome screams food. There’s Espresso Royale, Taco Johns, Little Taj Mahal and more. In this mix a pizza and pasta joint stands with food on display, but no sign to signify a name. It leads one to wonder, “What is that place?” The answer is Yianni’s Pizzeria and Pasta Bar. The restaurant has been open for a little more than a month and is run by 23-year-old John Nicklow, who took over the pizza place from his father, Tony. Yianni’s is a two-man operation, run by Nicklow with the help of his sole employee Joe …

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The school year is coming to a close, and as many Superblock residents reflect on their “first-year experience” they will find that it may or may not have included those four activities. Lindsey Rae Palmer, who opted to spend her first year out of high school volunteering in Peru, found that her unconventional first-year experience did in fact include those jaunts.After graduating from Washburn High School in Minneapolis in 2005, Palmer ditched promises of freshmen dorm life to jet off to an old Incan city in the Andes. Admitted to the University, Palmer decided instead to volunteer to teach English …

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At the university’s Lobby Day, two students meet with lawmakers who may determine their financial future.The school bus behind Coffman Union slowly fills with those primed to go to the capital. Some are dressed up in suits; others opt to wear their maroon and gold. But all have intentions of having their voices heard at a time when tuition at the U seems to be in a never-ending upward spiral, and the end of the debate over whether or not the Gophers will get their own stadium seems as far away as the time students can expect to pay off …

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With the annual spring football game approaching for the current Gopher football team, a few former Gophers are looking to continue their football careers in the professional ranks. In preparation for the draft, The Wake takes a look at three Gopher alumni with a good chance to find themselves in a NFL uniform next year and talks with their former coaches, Guards and Centers Coach Gordon Shaw and Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning, to learn more about the former players and what their futures may hold.Greg EslingerA four-year starter from 2002-2005 who started 49 straight games, Eslinger is predicted …

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The Men’s TeamThe 2006 U of M men’s track and field team, coached for the eleventh year by Phil Lundin, looks to recapture its Big Ten outdoor championship form of three years ago. Leading this year’s Gopher men’s unit has been senior thrower, Karl Erickson.A 23-year-old from Zumbro Falls, Minn., Erickson has accomplished a lot during his four-plus years with the Gophers. Recently, the four-time All-American earned himself Big Ten Track & Field Athlete of the Week honors in both of the team’s first two weeks outdoor competitions.The Gopher men begin outdoors after an indoor season in which they finished …

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As I walked into the St. Paul Gymnasium, I was second-guessing my choice to do this story. The only experiences I’ve had with heights is with ladders, bungee jumping and a ropes course. I had never really climbed anything of significant height before. But I decided to give it a whirl. Here is what to expect the first time taking on the St. Paul climbing wall. After checking in at the front desk and paying $4 for the climbing wall, day pass, I started my walk to the course. Upon arrival, I introduced myself to the college-aged girl whom would …

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When viewed from above at night, North Korea is a black space in the highly lit and populated Asian continent. The majority of North Koreans—the workers and peasants—live in a Government immersed in figurative and literal darkness.Whenever discussing his war on terror, President Bush names North Korea as an axis of evil. He paints the country as an outdated relict of the Cold War—an oppressive communist state that starves its people. Additionally, the Western world suspects and claims that North Korea’s government has nuclear weapons of mass destruction. This is the only information most Americans have on the struggling country. …

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I was disgusted, although not surprised, to read the reactionary comments from Sam Brownback, a senator from my home state of Kansas, in the March 20 edition of Newsweek about South Dakota’s ban on abortions, as well as those of several other politicians (both pro-life and pro-choice). I was surprised at the noticeable absence from the article of a quote from a woman. Any woman at all. As with any other scientific investigation, the next step was to check Google to further examine what I considered this great injustice. In the first 15 hits on Google news under the search …

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Nothing about the Beastie Boys’ MCA, Adrock, Mike D and DJ Mix Master Mike is conventional so why should their concert film Awesome! I Fuckin’ Shot That be any different? At a 2004 sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden, the band handed out 50 video cameras to fans to capture the concert from their viewpoint. Yauch, who directs the Beastie’s videos under the alias Nathanial Hörnblowér, spent a year editing the footage of the concert. The end result is a mind-blowing kaleidoscope of images that captures the experience of a Beastie Boy’s concert. It’s an emotional film that is represented …

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Smokers, non-smokers and those who somehow fit in some third category: go out and see Thank You for Smoking. Don’t be afraid; this movie won’t teach you anything you didn’t already know about smoking or the tobacco industry. It works as well as it does because the film skewers those who attack big tobacco equally as those who defend it. Hollywood, humanitarians and Congress all receive pointed jabs. Equality hasn’t felt so refreshing for a long time!Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart, a great underrated actor when given the right material) is the master of charm and spin; he’s the top lobbyist …

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The Unknown Prophets is a telling name for the Northeast Minneapolis hip-hop group. Local hip-hop veterans Big Jess (producer/emcee), Mad Son (emcee) and Willy Lose (DJ) will lay their hearts and souls out for any listener willing to listen. In such a bling-bling, MTV hip hop era, it’s refreshing to hear a group like the Unknown Prophets that actually offer poetic lyrics. The Unknown Prophets’ latest album The Road Less Traveled carries on with the same attitude. It offers tight production and lyrics that mean something. The title is appropriate considering the group’s ambition for reaching ears that are …

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In the world of “bigger is better” rock music, bands with lineups in the double digits reign supreme. Amidst these giant ensembles, it’s the husband and wife duo Mates of State who ironically produce the most colossal sound. One listen to “Think Long,” the opening track on Bring It Back, will leave your head spinning.Bring It Back is Mates of States’ fourth full-length release and their first for Barsuk records. Without betraying their easily-identified sound, the band explores the potentials of the studio more than they have on previous records. Additional vocal layers and even a guitar or two find …

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It would be moot to point out that Richard Nixon had no idea what his compulsive habit of recording conversations would get him in to. But this is fucking ridiculous, and fucking great. A group of actors resurrect Tricky Dick through 30-year old transcripts, so we get to see the overwhelmed and emotional “crook” beseeching Donald Rumsfeld to watch Brian’s Song for the films portrayal of race relations. He also lectures about drug use in America while smoking a joint with a confidant on the White House roof.This is the basic format of Minneapolis native Michael Martin’s Verbatim Verboten to …

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It happens every time. You hold your breath and tiptoe into the concert hall to take a seat just as the pianist flips their tuxedo tails over the piano bench. Parched, you reach into your sack and fish for a cold beverage. You lean forward, holding the can of Grain Belt inconspicuously near the floor as you slip your fingernail under the metal tab. Unfortunately, there is no feasible way to mute the telltale crack and foam sizzle. You raise the can to your lips to slurp off the golden river, but, suddenly, whatever buzz you were about to enjoy …

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