The Wake

Avian flu has evolved from a harmless virus in wild ducks to a deadly virus that may one day become the next catastrophic pandemic. In order to combat this infectious disease, millions of birds in Asia have been killed and a vaccine against the H5N1 strain of avian flu is under development in several countries, according to the World Health Organization. These measures, though necessary, are not addressing the root of the problem according to Dr. Michael Greger, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture from the Humane Society of the United States. The next pandemic will be an unnatural disaster of our own doing, Greger says. In a presentation given on Nov. 8 and hosted by Compassionate Action for Animals, Greger discussed how the change in farming practices over the past half a century …

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Nothing is free today, especially at the University of Minnesota. Freshman year is blurry and who knows how much money was spent that year. Sophomore year is when you become more aware of the finances because now a job is required to survive. Junior and senior year forces some to move back home with mom and dad and commute to school. This seems to be a logical thought. A free place to live, home cooked meals, free laundry services: but think again. Many parents are still dizzy thinking about freshman year when all their money was spent on ridiculous party clothing and inflated textbook prices. Later in the game, a job is the solution for students, so that they can afford going to and from campus. A little more money savvy, its apparent living …

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“Vote for change” was the theme Democrats picked to campaign upon in the recent election and the results show that it appealed to voters. Across the nation, Democrats picked up 15 more seats than they needed for a majority in the House of Representatives and won a narrow majority of 51 seats in the Senate when several Democratic candidates upset their Republican opponents.At a post-election analysis sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance , former Congressman Vin Weber and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak joined professor Lawrence Jacobs to explore “What Happened on Tuesday?” Jacobs called the election a “tropical storm, not a tsunami.” He says that national issues such as the war in Iraq and alignment with some of President Bush’s controversial policies were big factors for voters, but the results …

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Laura Gatz is a white female of average build, with brown hair and large eyes. She is standing in a black jacket next to a table in front of Coffman Union, next to an arch made out of red, white, and blue balloons. The table is staffed by several other students—white males—who are also wearing the appropriate clothing for an unusually mild November afternoon. I know that I am looking for a female named Laura, and since there is only one at the table I walk towards her with confidence. “Hi, I’m Jenny from The Wake, we spoke on the phone?” She turns and smiles, her perfectly straight white teeth gleaming next to her shimmering pink lips. Gatz is the president of CFACT, or Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, a national conservative action group with …

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Usually Dia de los Muertos, which translates to “day of the dead” in English, is a time to remember and honor lost loved ones, but this year the celebration was politically themed. The Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence, the Department of Chicano Studies and La Raza Student Cultural Center sponsored the event, which is very common in Mexico, and each built an altar devoted to democracy in an attempt to raise awareness for the concerns of the Chicano and Latino communities. “Historically the day of the dead is celebrated where those who have died come back,” says Michael Duenes, a teaching specialist in the Chicano studies department. “There are certain traditions to help welcome those who have come back,” he says, such as a decorated altar, which often includes the deceased’s picture, favorite foods, reminders …

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Usually, when Halloween weekend rolls around, the U of M campus becomes a ghost town. Students flock in the thousands to our eastern neighbor for the second biggest party in the country (besides Mardi Gras, of course). Madison has always complained of the costs out-of-towners cause the city in damages and clean-up, so this year they charged admission to the famed State Street in Madison, and to that students said: Forget it.According to a news release from the city, last year’s Halloween in Madison cost the city $600,000, mostly spent in public safety and clean-up.In order to cover the costs of the party, Madison charged a $5 admission to State Street (the location of the all-night party flocked with drunk students and hundreds of cops) and only allowed 50,000 partygoers to be on the street. …

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Five hundred years ago, halfway across the world, the eternal flame of romantic love was fueled by poets and artists now forgotten by most. But professor Walter G. Andrews has devoted his career to letting these poets reshape his perceptions of this primal feeling.On Friday, Nov. 3, I tore across campus on my bike in hopes of making it to the Social Sciences Building’s Ford Room before noon to attend the presentation “Love, Gender, Poetry and Politics during the Ottoman (and European) Renaissance.” I succeeded, but upon entering the David Bowie-esque labyrinth of the 14-story West Bank building, I didn’t find the room until it was too late.By 12:03 the small conference room was filled to capacity with people from all walks of life. Versed Persian scholars, Turkish language-studying undergrads and Middle Eastern cultural …

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Thursday November 2, the Anti-War Committee and Al-Madinah Cultural Center sponsored an event that hosted three local experts who spoke on U.S. conflict in the Middle East. Marie Braun, Ramla Bile and Jess Sundin offered insight into what the United States is doing in the Middle East and advocated a change in U.S. foreign policy with the Middle East, which includes an immediate end to occupation in Iraq. “Oil Arabs and War: Learn the truth about U.S. Policy in the Middle East,” was held in Blegen Hall on the University of Minnesota West Bank. The event sponsors hope to raise awareness about policy problems in the Middle East.Marie Braun, the first speaker of the evening, described the failures of the war in Iraq by comparing it to Vietnam. She says that U.S. citizens are …

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The original Darwin D. Martin complex includes the homes of Darwin D. Martin and George F. Barton, two New York business tycoons, as well as a conservatory, carriage house and a pergola. All designed by Frank Llyod Wright, an exhibition of the new interpretations of these buildings is on display at Rapson Hall on the University campus.The eight-bedroom Martin house is the jewel of the property. The home was built in 1903 and cost roughly $175,000, when an average home at this time cost about $10,000.The Buffalo, N.Y. complex became a depressed area when Martin died in 1935. The house was abandoned in 1937 and remained empty until 1955 when another architect, Sebastian Tauriello, purchased the home. Tauriello had to sell the property behind the home to be able to afford the preservation of the …

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You know you’re from Minnesota when the seasons change during the course of one lecture. Watching the faces of students coming out of a lecture on Oct. 11 was entertaining. Some were shocked, others angry, and a few were filled with excitement. When these students went into class, it was fall. When they came out, it looked more like February.While most would agree that October is too early for snow, true Minnesotans know that anything is possible. A scene like this quickly brings to mind the infamous Halloween Blizzard of 1991, which serves to easily identify the out-of-state students. But if you are in fact one of those out-of-towners who does not remember this Midwestern milestone, here it is. It started during the afternoon of Oct. 31, 1991 and over the course of the next …

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The MacLaurin Institute is a Christian study center serving the University of Minnesota – “bringing God into the marketplace of ideas.” Dr. William Monsma, a physicist-theologian from the University of Colorado, founded it in 1982. Each year the institute brings 10 to 15 Christian scholars to the U of M campus, along with holding a conference each year presenting a distinctly Christian alternative. The U of M’s latest speaker, Mustafa Akyol, is a Muslim writer based out of Istanbul, Turkey. Akyol, 34, graduated from Bosphorus University. He travels around the United States and the United Kingdom giving seminars relating to Islam and modernity. In Turkish “Akyol” means “the white path,” a theme present throughout his career.On Friday, Oct. 20 Akyol spoke about the Pope and Islam. His lecture dealt with the Pope Benedict’s …

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It was all smiles and positive thinking at the first annual Northland Bioneers Conference, held at Minneapolis Community and Technical College over the weekend of October 20-22. A newly annual three-day interactive presentation, the conference is dedicated to spreading knowledge about the environment, health, social justice and holistic spirituality.I arrived on the second day of the Northland Bioneers Conference open-minded but three-and-a-half hours late. The majority of patrons were already in small workshops learning about the various aspects of environmentalism, sustainable living and social change. Glancing at the schedule, I quickly glided through the main room, past booths representing different biofuel, organic food and environmentalist groups and up three floors to the classrooms. I was immediately struck by the friendliness of the events staff and audience. The usually people attending events that support any …

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Nineteen years ago, half a million people marched in Washington, D.C. to fight for gay and lesbian rights. Celebrating that day and continuing the fight for rights and awareness, the University’s Queer Student Cultural Center (QSCC) holds National Coming Out Week events each October. This fall, the QSCC’s keynote speaker asked supporters not to forget the children of gay and lesbian couples – because they too are marching through the homophobic world.“QueerSpawn,” is what keynote speaker Abigail Garner calls herself. The daughter of a gay father and a straight mother, Garner is a professional advocate for not only the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender (GLBT) community, but also for their children. There is no exact figure for the number of children who have grown up in GLBT families over the past two decades, but estimates vary …

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I remember my first experience with Homecoming. Excited to be at such a massive university, I was ready to participate. But the events were geared toward the Greek system, making it difficult and awkward to fully enjoy Homecoming as a newcomer and a commuter student. Without a sorority or residence hall to lead the way towards activities, I was without direction. I don’t remember a lot about that fall, but I do remember the Homecoming parade that went down University Ave. It was chilly and was raining on and off throughout the morning, and I found a spot in the heart of frat row. A few houses were elaborately decorated with facades in front of the house held up by scaffolding to go along with the year’s theme. As the floats went …

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Candidate: Tim Pawlenty
Running For: Governor
Party: Republican
Top Priorities: Economic growth, education and public safety
Experience: Minnesota Governor, 2002-present
Hometown: South Saint Paul, Minn.
Family: wife Mary and two daughters Anna and Mara
Favorite Sport: Hockey
Quote to Note: Earlier this year Pawlenty declared, “the era of small government over” in an interview with the Star Tribune. “Government has to be more proactive, more aggressive,” he went on. Pawlenty later claimed he was quoting New York Times columnist David Brooks and said that he meant he actually just wants to make government more effective. Right.Candidate: Mike Hatch
Running For: Governor
Party: Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Top Priorities: Providing the middle class better access to healthcare and education
Experience: Minnesota Attorney General, 1998-present, Minnesota DFL party chair, 1980-1983
Hometown: Duluth, Minn.
Family: wife Patti and three daughters …

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