The Wake

Nintendo Wii, a video game console, was released in mid-November 2006 to compete with Sony Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Gamers have been eagerly waiting for Nintendo to announce the release date the new Super Mario Brothers for the new system. Wednesday, a source close to Nintendo said that Super Mario is expected to be released in February, 2007, and that Mario’s new, higher tech appearance will be based on Minnesota Viking’s owner Ziggy Wilf. Wilf refused to comment on the situation and would not return phone calls.

I am not a particularly imposing or commanding individual. I stand (if I stretch) 5 feet 8 inches tall, and the only striking features I possess are facial piercings that make my grandmother weep long into the night. I have stubby little legs approximately three-fourths the length of my torso. My voice isn’t particularly enjoyable to listen to, and it is both airy and occasionally nasal. Even disregarding its displeasing tone (vocal teachers know me by reputation), I often mumble and have a slightly sibilant “s” that annoys the crap out of anyone with sensitive ears or a respect of …

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I’m a member of the women’s student activist collective. There are about a dozen of us who are core members. We’re all white. We don’t all define ourselves as feminists, but we find common ground in feeling compelled to challenge what society says is acceptable and normal. We have an office on the second floor of Coffman. The student groups on the second floor are called student cultural centers because the idea is that these groups represent the diverse array of students at the U. Because all of the core members of the collective …

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When an avid player basically takes over the World of Warcraft, killing everything in his path, Cartman talks the boys of South Park into starting a crusade to kill the merciless character.“What do you say guys?” he says to Stan, Kyle, and Kenny. “You can just—you can just hang out in the sun all day tossing a ball around, or you can sit at your computer and do something about it!” Throughout the episode, the four boys are shown, overweight and severely lacking hygiene, sitting in front of their individual computers, each facing a different wall in Carman’s basement. …

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The corporate and artistic sectors of society are seldom aligned, yet the Walker Art Center will attempt to reconcile the two this winter by showing the winning advertisements of the British Television Advertising Awards within its hallowed halls. Through all 23 categories of awards, the question remains—can the manipulation of the western world’s consumer tendencies ultimately lead to the creation of something that can be called art? We proceed with a critical eye.These commercials don’t advertise anything particularly elevated: predictably, the title of the “Best Crafted Commercial of the Year” is snatched by a beer ad, while other honorary titles …

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You grew up with Olsons and Nelsons, but now the newest members of your congregation are just as likely to be named Thao or Xiong. In the photographs of “A Mighty Fortress: Far From Lake Wobegon: 21st Century Lutherans at the Confluence of Religion and Ethnicity,” worshippers from around the world bringing new languages, new music, and in many cases, new life to old churches in the Twin Cities. The exhibit in the atrium of the Elmer S. Anderson Library, now through December 20, features 46 photographs of immigrant Lutheran congregations and musicians as well as examples of hymnals …

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Edgardo Mine, the Guthrie Theater’s latest play, is based on the true story of a Jewish boy who was kidnapped from his home, and the ensuing struggle between his family and the Catholic Church. This led me to the assumption that it was going to be a real tearjerker. I’m a fairly open crier, you see. If I was going to have to sit through whole acts of stolen children, unreasonably racist religious establishments and a family struggling in vain, I surely should have flooded the theater with tears. But as the curtain was drawn, my fears were put to …

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I wanted some good old fashioned schizophrenia the other day,
some conflicting mind interest to get the ‘ole ticker clicking.At first I was hesitant not wanting to pursue conflicting questions
arisen but instead pursue some truth and forget this blind vision.Turns out the mind doesn’t work that way being mistaken for something
else rather than that pigeon nibbling on its feathers outside the windowby the kitchen eating Lord! knows what between its feathers
exploring its beak, it’s a shame this fella can’t speak.I’ve got this box of radiation that likes to hang out
sending ripples into my eardrum trying to …

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Will a poet’s words be remembered after the drought of many seasons?
How do you organize the abrupt snap from the dream when you’re all disoriented—science?
When the leaves whisper in your ear, why don’t you stop to listen?
When you laugh, do you subdue it or laugh loudly that others might ask what you are laughing about?
When did a shiny new penny lose its appeal?
Where have the zeppelins gone that turn clouds of ash?
Are they just another set of lies told to make weak minds believe?
What is the sound of all the world’s music played …

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Does the thought of eating an apple that contains organisms that have been genetically-modified make your stomach turn over? How about frozen pizza, corn or a peanut butter sandwich? Well, chances are most of the food you eat has been tainted. More than 70 percent of processed foods sold in grocery stores contain ingredients that have been genetically modified, Dr. Jennifer Kuzma, associate director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy, says. But only 24 percent of Americans think they’ve eaten genetically-modified foods, according to a 2003 Pew Initiative survey. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to discover what …

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Students were a broader worldview Friday November 17 by participating in a hunger banquet in St. Paul. The Christian Student Fellowship, a Christian student group on campus, hosted the event to promote awareness of hunger, poverty and the unequal distribution of the world’s resources.CSF provided a unique twist to deliver their message. The 49 participants were given a ticket when they checked in that had a profile of a person and divided them into three groups: the high income, middle income and low income populations. The students were not informed as to which group they would be a part of …

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“It’s easier to do nothing than do something,” says Mark Hanis, co-creator of Genocide Intervention Network.A grandson of four holocaust survivors, Hanis has reason and motivation to help out those in Darfur and Sudan, to help them find solace and hope during their time of possible genocide. A college student at the time, Hanis heard about Darfur in Oct. 2004. He was shocked that genocide was happening in the 21st century even after the 10-year anniversary of the Rwanda Genocide. Hannis and his classmate decided to skip class, venture to the library and Google Darfur to learn about what …

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The Center for Neighborhoods is an organization formed in 1994 to strengthen neighborhoods. It promotes innovation, equity and sustainability at the neighborhood and community level. The Center asked the Metropolitan Design Center to assist in coordinating a workshop that will encourage the community to take an active role in making cities more livable.The Metropolitan Design Center is an endowed center that investigates how design can be used to make metropolitan landscapes more livable, workable and sustainable by examining urban design across metropolitan areas through projects, research and education. The Design Center was privileged to have Wendy Sarkissian speak at the …

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Remember a couple weeks ago when we were all embarrassed to be attending the U of M and contemplated dropping out to become a prostitute? Before a bid to the Insight Bowl and trumped-up wins against an inexperienced Indiana team, a shoddy Michigan State team and an underachieving Iowa team which the Minnesota players deserve credit for. It was when North Dakota State’s small, slow and bad Division-II football runts came into the Metrodome and should have beat us. Heads were held low, Minnesota t-shirts were covered up, and everyone sat alone at the dark, far end of the …

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The surfing culture of the West Coast is slowly creeping into the Midwest, but there is one main difference—surfers have 10,000 lakes to choose from.The northwest winds are perfect and the waves are glassy. As 42-year-old surfer Bob Tema looks out onto the smooth blue water, he couldn’t be happier. He pulls his black wetsuit over his thin body and he can’t seem to wipe the smile off his face. For most surfers, nothing is better than a day at the beach. After he rubs a quick coat of wax over the top of his board, a freezing gust of …

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