The Wake

I hate pop quizzes. I truly despise them. I’m pretty sure that they annoy me more than anything I have encountered in any of my classes. I might hate group projects and having to going to the library slightly more than pop quizzes, but that’s neither here nor there.I am sad to share with you that pop quizzes are currently my main motivation to go to class. Enthusiastic professors? Interesting lectures? Reputable guest speakers? Nope. None of the above. Pop quizzes are what get me out of bed in the morning. In an academic sense, pop quizzes serve …

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As you may have noticed, our campus made the news fairly often in the past month and half the coverage hasn’t been flattering. Since the start of Sept., assaults on students has been a pretty popular activity–10 people have been assaulted since the opening weekend of school. According to the University of Minnesota Police Department website, there was just one aggravated assault and one simple assault for Sept. 2005. This may lead some people to think the safety of our campus is going to the crapper, which it very well may be. But I don’t think it’s …

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A flock of wild birds, a struggling musician and a very long pony tail help to tell one man’s story caring for a flock of rare conures in The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, a documentary by Judy Irving showing this month at the Bell Museum of Natural History.When I was “bad” as a child I was sent to my room. When Mingus is a bad bird he is sent outside. Meet Mark Bittner, with a scruffy beard, thick glasses, and overgrown hair that he has pledged not to cut until he finds a girlfriend. He can’t leave his conure …

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All Hallows Eve is the one night a year you can let out your inner lobster, trashy pop star, or David Bowie drag queen and prance across campus wearing red socks clipped to your arms, a Denny’s shirt and apron while carrying baby doll heads by the synthetic hair, or suctioned into a short dress and gobs of makeup, respectively– without facing questioning stares (or accusations of being a theater major). This October, The Wake wants to make sure you choose your costume carefully. To do so, we’ve pounced on everyone from computer geeks to the thespian couple sitting in …

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Smokers gather outside the Triple Rock Social Club, enjoying the brisk air and taking a break from the packed club. They were waiting to see Dosh and celebrate the release of his latest album “The Lost Take.” “Excuse me, pardon me,” says a college-aged woman, holding a drink. “I’m not trying to shove anybody. I just have to get to the other side.”As the fan squeezes her way through the crowd to catch a closer look of Dosh and the band on stage, a man in a newsboy cap positions himself in the back of the room by the …

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Why are you here? No, really. How did everything in your life align to lead you into this very moment? Destined at conception, or maybe at birth, to one day be in this city, at this newsstand, or at this website, reading this magazine? How did you get here? Maybe more importantly, why?In a solo performance memoir held Oct. 19-21, artist Kim Thompson explored similar questions about herself. On an Uptown stage surrounded by black velvet curtains and graffiti-laced walls, Thompson wonders–how did she travel from a doorstep in South Korea into the home of her new conservative Christian family …

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Who: Brandon Sigrist
What: Reading from his award-winning story published in L. Ron Hubbard’s “Writers of the Future Volume XXII”
When: Wednesday, Oct. 25th, 2:00 p.m.
Where: U of M Bookstore at Coffman Memorial Union, FREEWho: John Moe
What: The Author discusses ‘Conservatize Me.’
When: Wednesday, Oct. 25th, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Magers & Quinn Booksellers, FREEWho: Marjane Satrapi
What: The Iranian cartoonist discusses her comic book memoir, ‘Chicken with Plums.’
When: Thursday, Oct. 27th, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Lyndale Congregational Church of Christ, $5Who: Kevin Jennings
What: The author discusses ‘Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son.’
When: Thursday, Oct. 26th, 7:00 p.m.
Where: …

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I got a flat just as I was leaving Duluth.It’s five thirty, and threatening rain. 150 miles to Minneapolis, and the spare says “max 80km”. The jock at the gas station tells me I can probably get a spare at Sam’s, and where to find it, but it’s closed by the time we get there. Two Koreans at the automax next door help us patch the tire. They’re anxious but helpful. Annoyed at closing time by an embarrassed scruffmaster, in loafers and mismatched socks, eager with his parent’s visa. One asks me if I’m punk rock. No, I’m a mountain …

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As I sat silently in my seat, poring over my Spanish flash cards, I took a moment to peep around my surroundings. It was Monday, Oct. 9, and I was in the Coffman Bookstore, awaiting the arrival of heralded author, renowned radio personality, master storyteller and (as of most recently) international movie star, Garrison Keillor. There were representatives from most age groups present; however, those on the wrong side of 50 greatly outnumbered those of us on the right. Small smatterings of college students were seen here and there. There was a group of freshmen in front of me, discussing …

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Every summer, eager and nervous incoming freshmen flood the University of Minnesota campus to take part in a required two-day student orientation, led by current students clad in maroon and gold polo shirts. This program is meant to offer a smooth transition into the University community in order to maximize academic success. Students come prepared to meet fellow classmates and staff members, register for classes and enjoy their very first dorm-living experience. Hopefully these students gain a sense of community and support as they enter the college world. It is here that these young minds can listen to experienced …

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More than likely the United States will never be one nation for liberty and justice for all. Everyday, people are divided into race, class and gender, but wealth is also added into this division. Rose Brewer, professor of African American and African studies at the University of Minnesota, co-wrote a book that looks deeply into the wealth divide of five different racialized groups. The Color of Wealth: The Story behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide lays out the obstacles for Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans by government actions or inactions. The book also looks at details …

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In case you missed the barrage of political commercials on TV and the radio lately, or if this semester you don’t have one of those professors who enjoys getting up on his or her soapbox to lecture about the importance of getting involved in your community. Or, if you somehow managed to dodge all of those ever-present student activists distributing highlighter-colored flyers on the Washington Avenue Bridge or in Coffman, someone should remind you that there is an election coming up. It’s on Nov. 7. And you should vote.Here come all of the excuses: I don’t care about politics. Politicians …

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The weather is becoming shittier by the day, Indiana Pacers players are facing criminal charges and Spike Lee has his orange and blue on. These are some of the signs that it’s time for NBA basketball. For basketball fans in Minneapolis, this brings weeks of optimism before the eventual collapse of the Timberwolves. Last Year
The ‘05-’06 Timberwolves had a shaky season, marked by a mid-season trade of Wally Szczerbiak for Ricky Davis. The T-Wolves finished last season with a record of 33-49, eight games behind the final seed in the Western Division. The major problem for the Timberwolves is …

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She took three teams in a row to the Sweet 16, and in 2004 she led the Gophers to their first Final Four in school history. But after last year’s loss of an assistant coach and five non-graduating players including three starters, a shadow was cast over women’s basketball head coach Pam Borton. An internal review of the athletic department blamed poor communication within the women’s basketball department as one reason for the quick exit of the players. Media scrutiny followed, but athletic director Joel Maturi stood by Borton and her record. With a team full of new recruits– last …

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The extent of my farming experience consisted of occasionally seeing my friend tend to the potted plants he was growing in his dorm room closet so I had to sit down with a few experts before I could talk about producing food. What’s great is that there’s probably no better place to talk about food than the U. Our research facilities and faculty are intimidating and among the best of the nation. Not only that, we hold the legacy of Norman Borlaug, a superhero and an easy contender for the greatest person alive. Borlaug, who has a building named after …

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