The Wake

Illustration by Dixon Bordiano

When you drink a big glass of water from the tap, you probably don’t assume that it’s 100 percent pure H2O; you know there is fluoride in there for healthy teeth and other various chemicals used to kill bacteria and improve taste. What you don’t know is that you are probably also drinking a big, cold glass of the remnants of someone else’s medicine.

On March 9, the Associated Press released a report finding traces of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, …

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Photo by Alex Amend

There is much to lament – and praise - in the fusion of social networking with online social networking. Like a newspaper in a bathroom stall, or a simple handshake, however, the conquest of digital technology has its limits, and small niches considered “ways of the old” remain, at least for now, stubbornly irreplaceable.

Enter Mayday Bookstore. Founded in 1975 on the corner of Selby and Western in St. Paul, Mayday was originally a Maoist collective. Today, many ideological splits and …

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Photo by Ben Lansky

The red and white glow of the Oak Street Cinema marquee has been welcoming cinema stars and audiences for over a decade, but after two years of financial struggle, it seems the beloved movie house is likely to be sold to investors to make way for retail development and housing.

“It is really a financial reality,” said Stephen Zuckerman, president of Minnesota Film Arts (MFA), which owns the Oak. “The theater would need a lot of changes, and we just don’t have …

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Illustration by Jeremy Sengly

Director Darren Lynn Bousman’s first film after Saw III will include everything his fans expect of him. Attractive people will be tortured and their attractive body parts will fly left and right. There is something surprising about the film, however. It’s a musical.

This April sees the release of Repo! The Genetic Opera, the latest addition to the ongoing wave of new movie-musicals. It is still a rarity, but becoming increasingly more common. Since Chicago walked away …

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Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

Having a song as popular as Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” can be both a boon and a bane for a band. While lots of people might still be talking about “Crazy,” Danger Mouse and Cee-lo have moved on. Their new album The Odd Couple, with tracks like “Going On,” reflect their evolution. Like the song, which is definitely one of my favorites, almost every aspect of the album seems to point towards DJ Danger Mouse and …

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Illustration by Meghan Matteson

“Hello. My name is Abby. I’m twenty-two years old. I live in St. Paul. I’m working toward a degree in English. I’m a Gemini. I enjoy writing, dancing and riding my bike. My favorite books include Lolita and White Noise. I’m an infamous regular at my local coffee shop. I’m into video editing. I smoke like a chimney. I hate cooking. I like puns. I love my family.”

Check it out. This little bio is made up of tidbits gleaned …

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Photo by Ben Alpert

Now I’m as much of a technophile as the next geek. I’ve built computers and bought my fair share of surround systems, HDTVs and the latest, greatest videogame consoles. Most of them have been great, but something has plagued me over the last year and I don’t think I’m alone. It seems that with every technological stride we take, a hundred new problems come to fruition. As we add more and more gadgets to our lives, we need to ask something: …

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For the first installation of our How-To column, here are a few recipes for non-toxic cleaning supplies that will make your home look pretty - and are good for the environment.

Window cleaner

¼ cup white vinegar
½ teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
2 cups water

Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to blend.

Carpet spot remover

Blot the stain immediately. Sprinkle with baking soda, cornstarch or borax and let dry. Wash with club soda and vacuum.

Bathroom Cleaner (tile, bathtub, sink)

½ cup baking soda
Enough liquid dish soap or detergent to make the mixture a frosting-like consistency
5 to 10 drops essential oil (lemon, lavender or …

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Illustration by Ben Alpert

After months of stressing out and working hard, the prospect of staying in Minneapolis and relaxing sounded like the perfect spring break for me. It was going to be completely stress free, nothing but watching some movies, playing a few video games, and doing some reading. Most importantly, my minimalist spring break was going to mean being able to pay rent and eat for the rest of the month. It seemed like a fantastic way to spend a week. Unfortunately, by …

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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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