The Wake

Whether you’re addicted to extreme outdoor sports, an occasional nature-enthusiast or only go outside to get to class, the U of M Center for Outdoor Adventure welcomes you. It is a place for all levels of outdoor adventurers to come together and heighten their skills, providing a chance to experience new places and meet new people. The center offers daytime and weekend programs that fit with the academic calendar. It also offers longer programs during most holiday breaks. It is a place dedicated to the non-academic aspect of being a U of M student. The Center for Outdoor Adventure …

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It was almost like losing a family member. There he was, hanging around all those years like some old uncle, distant but familiar. He was one of us, we knew him by name, and at least, it was a name we could say without snorting, not like poor old Uncle Uranus. I miss Pluto already.Earlier this month, the celestial body formerly known as Pluto was demoted from planet to “dwarf planet” and renamed No. 134340. Astronomers voted Pluto out of the planet pantheon because of its size, tilted orbit and the fact that it is stuck in something called the …

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All has not been well this month in the shimmery, sequined world of high fashion. According to the Associated Press, five models were banned from participating in Madrid’s fashion show “Pasarela Cibeles,” held Sept. 18–22, due to an unsatisfactory body mass index (BMI). This is undoubtedly not the first time in modern fashion history that models have been disqualified due to a weight problem. This time, however, these models were not banned for being overweight, but for being underweight, with a BMI under 18. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared, multiplying the total …

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“Many years ago, the first time I went to the Soap Factory, it was a wild, drunken art opening,” says Chris Pennington, who’s building a haunted house in the Soap Factory’s basement for the volunteer exhibit next month. “It was packed with the salty underbelly of the art world. It was sweaty, and it didn’t smell very good. There was good art and crazy spontaneous happenings. The place was ripe, and I was sure at that point that I would dedicate my life to it.” Since local artists founded it in 1988, the Soap has been dedicated to emerging artists …

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The lights fade to black and a sharp piercing sound stabs its way through the Walker’s McGuire Theater on October 6. I scramble to shove in two small purple earplugs, handed out at the door like pills at a rave. And just in time: a lone, long note rings from 54-year-old Japanese artist Keiji Haino’s mouth. He’s standing at stage right, all long grey hair and dark eyes. His voice is hauntingly beautiful, even as it morphs into a screech followed by short blasts. He leans back with a nimbleness belying his age, arching his back in an arc that …

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Marriage, culture, violence and poverty are some of the themes of this year’s Women’s Human Right Film Series, which will be shown at libraries across the Twin Cities this fall. Sponsored by the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the series consists of four documentary films, each focusing on an issue currently affecting women around the world. Viewers are invited to participate in discussion groups immediately following each film.Mary Hunt, a Women’s Human Rights Program Associate for Minnesota Advocates, helps put together the film series each year and tries to find …

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Remember when Tom Green sang his way through town, bumping his bum against taxis, cheese, and battleships? Local hip hop duo G-Biz has taken the former MTV star’s concept to the next level—their newest video’s theme is an MCAD student humping his way through Minneapolis, alongside G-Biz rapper “Blingo Gringo.” The Wake braved a ride in a ‘92 Aerostar van to follow G-Biz and crew from the Walker Art Center’s steps to the Government Center as they filmed shots for their upcoming video, “What It Is.” “Ready for the music?” yells Tone Def, a 27-year-old rapper …

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It takes the theme
that point in space where all thoughts suspend
their oscillating temper.
And the realization just ruptures the crease
like biting sunlight
through pulsating destruction.
Like that pressure when the red and yellow
meet, then perish in the white.
When breath is noticed
the rippling crinkle hits
the walls.
Seeing the bearded man coming down
the assembly line…
Do I exist for it?
Or does it exist for me?
They speak of:
“Follow the forgotten leaves,
Forget about downtrodden trees.”Ambiguous space,Define something
before me now.So this is it?
The preconceptions dip below the surface
and we just …

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Obsidian:
A marble sheen covers the stone –
Menacing, the towers stand harrowing down
to the bystanders. The tips grapple the shafts of sun
pouring between the caverns of clouds,
feeding obsidian from the turn of the first degree
to the final beats of overcast reflections.A form lost in forms. A paper crane,
its wings fixed to the point opposite –
a steady wind washes upon the
throbbing blades of green.
A paper crane stands true to the typing
among the folds.On street corners, children walk,
their eyes fixated …

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Stomach growling? Yearning to fill that empty space inside? If faith-based-fast-food is what you’re craving look no further than Coffman Union’s resident Chick-fil-A!Chick-fil-A has served up chicken sandwiches in the name of the Lord for over 60 years – in some respects. The Atlanta-based chain – pronounced “Chick-fil-lay,” doesn’t dish up religion to its customers, but was founded on Christian biblical principles.In Minnesota, home to only two of Chick-fil-A’s 1,250 restaurants (Minnesota State University, Mankato houses the other), we hear little about the faithful Southern roots of the company credited with inventing the quick-service industry’s first boneless chicken sandwich and …

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“What comes to mind when you think of the word Muslim?” Faisal Alam asks, speaking to the crowd at the Hubert H. Humphrey Cowles Auditorium. “Homophobic, terrorism, intolerant of other religions, Middle East, lack of women’s rights.” “OK, any good things?” Alam says jokingly. He then explains that the largest populations of Muslims live in Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan – none of which are in the Middle East and all of which have had a female head of state, unlike the United States. In fact only 12 percent of the entire Muslim population live in the …

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Two U.S. Senate hopefuls, Congressman Mark Kennedy and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar, have engaged in a war of words that’s become increasingly heated as the Nov. 7 election draws near. Both candidates have released television commercials and made statements recently that harshly criticized one another in their campaigns to become Minnesota’s next senator, replacing retiring Sen. Mark Dayton. Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald has withheld from the fiery exchanges for the most part. Republican nominee Kennedy recently aired commercials accusing Klobuchar of breaking promises she made in her successful bid to win the seat she now holds. Kennedy’s advertisement …

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We were all told during orientation that the campus is safe and it’s rare to feel unsafe when walking through the mall or Dinkytown at night. With the recent assaults that have sprung up during the first few weeks of the school year in the surrounding University neighborhoods, everyone is having second thoughts about our so-called “safe” campus. After the first month of the school year, seven assaults had happened in the Southeast Como, Marcy-Holmes and Cedar-Riverside neighborhoods, all surrounding the University’s East and West Banks, mostly occupied by students. With the year starting, “we have more people on the …

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There’s no doubt that both men’s and women’s Gophers basketball are in a rebuilding phase. The men’s team lost Vincent Grier, a third-team All-American and the team’s leading scorer. The men’s team also lost Adam Boone, J’son Stamper, Maurice Hargrow and Zach Puchtel. The women’s team had five players leave the team after the season that weren’t graduating, including Jamie Broback, Natasha Williams and Center Liz Podominick. The Gopher basketball program has seen better days. The best place to start rebuilding is with the head coach. Dan Munson deserves to be replaced – not by an outsider but …

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The women’s soccer team has two hidden treasures guarding the Minnesota goal—sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Dare and freshman goalkeeper Chelsey Turner. With the help of these two young superstars, the women’s soccer team started the season with a 6-1-1 record, their best start since 1995.Turner blocked eight saves against Army at the Brown International on Sept. 8 to mark her first career shutout. Dare was recently named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the week on Sept. 11 after tying a 13-year-old school record with 15 saves against Brown on Sept. 10. Dare and Turner rank number one and two …

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