The Wake

Splat!

The sound is music to the ears of paintball enthusiasts everywhere. It’s also a sound that can be heard around campus, if you listen closely enough. But that wasn’t the case until recently.

After playing paintball throughout high school and during his first year of college at St. Mary’s, John Thomason transferred to the University of Minnesota and was stunned to find no club team affiliated with the National Collegiate Paintball Association (NCPA), a league designed specifically for college students.

Thomason decided to take initiative and sought to launch a paintball club team. “Being that the U has such a …

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Science Debate 2008 is a very simple concept: A debate between the presidential candidates that focuses entirely on science. Some of the biggest issues of the next century will be affected by scientific advancement, so it seems reasonable to expect the incoming president to know what is going on in that department.

Global warming is arguably the defining issue of our generation and much of what we are doing to try to slow it down is based on science. Science is now becoming one of the largest sources for jobs and money. One only has to look overseas to India …

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I’m not Ukrainian, but I find it very easy to relate to the working-class heritage of Eastern European countries. For over 50 years, Kramarczuk’s in Northeast Minneapolis has exemplified the culinary traditions of their homeland.

Walking into the store, I was immediately struck by the expansive glass display cases containing dozens upon dozens of sausage varieties. From Andouille to Blood and Tongue, almost every imaginable classification of meat is slinked and linked for your pleasure. The rest of the store also flaunts imported European pastries, breads, candies and cheeses.

The restaurant is located in the next room, which also holds the seating …

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Religion
Do you know what Pascal’s Wager is? It states that we should believe in God on the chance, however slim, that He exists and He’ll be irritated if we don’t believe in Him. So I will refrain from addressing the issue of religion here, but bear in mind that Pascal’s Wager scares the shit out of me.

The Nature of Reality
I hate it when I’m trying to convince people that the entire world is just an illusion inside my head. They always insist that that can’t be true because they know that they exist. I then try to explain …

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Photo by Bruce Silcox

As lids stretch down, eyelash meeting eyelash, peace falls over an audience hidden in darkness to the sound of steady drumming. Amidst chants of “rain, rain” echoing between the figures on stage, one might forget that this is only a play.

But is it?

A whirl of top hats, hard hats, cell phones and dancing sewer pipes might suggest otherwise. Booming announcements followed by uproarious applause, monsters made of plastic bottles, and the little bags of popcorn provided for each audience member …

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Illustration by Sarah Morean

The increased visibility of women in roles of political leadership – especially Hillary Clinton’s omnipresence as a presidential candidate – made the theme of the 13th annual International Women’s Day Celebration and Workshop on Saturday, March 15th particularly timely. Presented by The Advocates for Human Rights, the event ran under the theme “Women Leading for Gender Justice.” The day was filled with opportunities for women of all backgrounds, ages and races to explore the unique female leadership experience, as it is …

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