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NOVEMBER 2012 | VOLUME 12, NO. 11
the free press A
Digest
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Culture
There are no statues for the last war here The state of American veterans: 2012 by Bob Treu [p 3]
PLUS: SOCIAL NETWORKING [p 2] | THE BEER REVIEW [p 6]
| THE ADVICE GODDESS [p 8]
2// November 1, 2012
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Pump House show features 'new' artists More 125 regional artists now have "1 Foot in the Door" at the Pump House Regional Arts Center, 119 King St. Artists of all ages and all levels of experience have contributed more than 190 works of art to a unique exhibit on display in the Kader Gallery. The exhibit was limited to artists who have not previously been exhibited in La Crosse County, and the work had to fit within 1 square foot on the gallery wall. All qualifying work was hung; there was no jurying process. The show, which includes more than 190 works of art, was inspired by the success of a similar exhibition mounted by
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the Minneapolis Institute of Art once a decade. "We believe this show will have many positive outcomes: recognition for all art makers, discussion about what art is and how it impacts a region, multi-generational and multi-cultural engagement, and reflections about preferences and quality," said Lynne Valiquette, one of the exhibit coordinators. "1 Foot in the Door" will be on display through Dec. 22. A closing reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. For more information, visit www. thepumphouse.org or call 608-785-1434.
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NAME AND AGE: Jaimie Witt, 25 WHERE WERE YOU BORN? La Crosse CURRENT JOB: Del's Bar DREAM JOB: Work for any nonprofit organization; ideally one that rescues animals
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what is Something you want to do before you die: Skydiving!!! what is your beverage of choice? Milk celebrity crush: James Franco What is your biggest pet peeve? People who don't have manners. Be kind. What book are you currently reading? Business Law tell us your guiltiest pleasure: A glass of red wine tell us a joke: What do you call a fat Jack-o'-lantern? A plumpkin. If a genie granted you one wish, what would you ask for? The ability to time travel. What one person alive or dead would you want to have dinner with? Marilyn Monroe FIRST CONCERT YOU WENT TO: Faith Hill what's the last thing you bought? Stamps what's in your pocket right now?: Yoga pants ... no pockets! — Compiled by Shuggypop Jackson, shuggypop.jackson@secondsupper.com
Words we never want to hear again 1. Job creators 2. And I approve this message 3. Star Wars Episode VII 4. Upon further review 5. It is what it is 6. Tweeted 7. Any adjective modifying rape Things to name hurricanes after 1. Oil companies 2. Street Fighter II characters 3. Dubstep DJs 4. Norse mythology 5. MMA fighters 6. Corporate sponsors 7. Fish
The Bluff
A Bit of Satire
Romney appears on cover of Tiger Beat Heeding the advice of his political advisers, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will grace the cover of this week’s issue of Tiger Beat magazine in attempt to win the women's vote in Tuesday's election. The eight-page cover story details different aspects of the Romney presidency, including which member of the boy band One Direction he would appoint as Secretary of Dreaminess. The article includes a special quiz for Tiger Beat readers to determine which species of dressage horse is right for them. At press time, Mitt Romney’s favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla, and he currently has Justin Bieber on his iPod.
Americans lose patience with undecided voters
After 18 months of robo-calls, fliers in the mail and negative ads, Americans are becoming annoyed at the remaining undecided voters. “Sure, it’s so important that these big-thinking independents look beyond the party label to decide the best candidate, but c’mon, it’s getting a little old,” said Los Angeles grocery clerk Trevor Munoz. “No, no, take all the time you want,” Connie Bakklars, chair of the League of Women voters, told passersby at a Holmen farmers market. “Of course the fate of the western world ought to hang in the balance of you precious little snowflakes who can’t tell the difference between right and left.”
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November 1, 2012 // 3
VETERANS DAY
How we remember veterans Supporting our troops more than a bumper sticker
By Bob Treu
Contributing editor "There are no statues for the last war here." -- Robert Lowell There was a time when this country honored the people who served in our armed forces in obvious and public ways. Young boys stopped at the courthouse and straddled their bikes for a moment to stare up at the bronze Union soldier leaning on his rifl e in the afternoon sun, or the World War I doughboy wearing a helmet resembling an upside down cereal bowl. Each May they watched their fathers and grandfathers squeeze into their old uniforms to march in honor of their fallen comrades. They watched them march under the dark November sky of Veterans Day, a ceremony that was once called Armistice Day, because it was meant to celebrate the treaty that ended World War I. It was a celebration of peace, because this was the war to end all wars. At 11 that day people would pause for two minutes in honor of those who had died and their families. Eventually, women also earned the right to wear their uniforms in these public celebrations. We are, in some ways, a different nation now. The old bronze or stone soldiers have retreated and can most often be found dozing over their rifl es in the moody atmosphere of a local cemetery. If generations of boys were once impressed by the parades and the glorious sacrifi ces implied by the silence of the statues, they had little idea of what war was actually like. They learned only that it would be sweet and honorable to die for your country. Eventually movies and television would give young men and women an idea of war more realistic in some ways, but it was still inadequate preparation for what they would fi nd in Vietnam or Iraq. Military service has always been a bit of an anomaly in a democratic culture. While our Constitution guarantees our right to life, it also gives government the power to conscript citizens, mainly young ones, and put them in harm’s way. And it is not just this abridgment that sets the military apart in our society. Once people are inducted into service, they lose most of their other rights as well. They must obey unquestionably orders they fi nd morally repellent or that will likely result in their deaths. No army has ever found it expedient to ask for a show of hands before charging Hamburger Hill. At the same time and perhaps for those reasons, contemporary Americans have developed a more questioning attitude about war. This is, at least in part, because the nature of war has changed. Nearly everyone seems to agree that World War II was the good war, the one where the enemy was
unquestionably evil and oppressed people who longed for liberation. It was fought by ordinary citizens who either volunteered or were chosen by lottery. The cartoonist Bill Mauldin gave us an unforgettable picture of the American soldier in World War II. Unshaven and dirty, he slouched with a cigarette between his lips. He was Willie or Joe, an ordinary guy doing his duty, sharing his rations with a hungry kid, but he beat the orderly, disciplined Nazis. When he came home we called him a hero. We no longer fi ght wars in the offi cial sense. We called the Korean confl ict a police action, although it certainly felt like a war to the people who fought it. Nor did we declare war in Vietnam or in either of the Gulf Wars or in Afghanistan. It is, after all, the responsibility of Congress to declare war, a fact that several presidents have found inconvenient. After World War II we also discovered we were the strongest nation in the world. We were top dog, policeman of the world, and no one doubted that when we took up arms it would be on the side of good and democratic values. Then came Vietnam, the war we couldn’t win, the one that forced us to admit that the Vietnamese didn’t want us there. And the soldiers we sent there did not always come home to a warm welcome. Most of all Vietnam changed our feelings about the draft. In the early 1960s, President Kennedy hoped the war could be managed with a relatively small number of advisers, but when President Johnson increased the troop commitment enormously in the summer of 1965, everything changed. Before then protests against the war were small, often taking place in a church basement with a plate of cookies. It wasn’t until middle class men began to be drafted that the protests took off, and for a while revolution seemed possible. And that was when we discovered that the selective service system was based upon jarring inequalities, and that the war was being fought disproportionately by the poor and minorities. When President Nixon brought back the lottery, nearly everyone thought it was an improvement. When President George Bush, the one with the W, decided to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, he added something new to the vocabulary of international relations. He declared war on terrorism, which gave him powers, both here and abroad, that few presidents ever dreamed of. Then he decided to avoid the political repercussions of drafting people by relying upon volunteers, the National Guard and the Reserve. This was especially devastating to people who had made commitments to the military as a way of getting an education. He also discovered that guard and reserve soldiers could be sent for multiple tours of duty. Whether these undeclared wars are
fought by the many or the few, they subject our soldiers to new kinds of hardships. That idealistic young boy on the bike who went to Vietnam, certain he was saving the Vietnamese from communism, never dreamed the enemy would be an undersized girl determined to throw a grenade at his squad as they took a break in the streets of her village. Winning hearts and minds suddenly seemed less important. While most Americans have heard of places such as Gettysburg, the Ramagen Bridgehead and Iwo Jima, and associate them with bravery and heroism, the names they are likely to remember from recent wars are My Lai, Abu Ghraib or Fallujah, where civilians were massacred or subjected to inhuman torture. Though these are important stories and they needed to be told, they should not be allowed to overshadow the many acts of bravery, sacrifi ce, and even kindness performed by American soldiers. We are likely to regard today’s soldiers as warriors, going into battle on an adrenalin rush, pumped up by rock and roll music. They can communicate with their families on their computers and play video games, but while they do act heroically, we use the term less frequently. While none of these images is completely accurate, they say something important about how we think about soldiers and how we honor them when they come home. Our recent wars have also given us a new sort of fi ghter: the corporate warrior. To a startling degree, nations have turned to private fi rms to not only provide meals and other services to the military, but also to do more of the actual fi ghting. It should be no surprise then, with the current popular notion that privatizing is the best way to get things done, that President Bush turned to private fi rms in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially since Vice President Cheney already had important connections with that industry. There was quick money to be made, sometimes in no-bid contracts, and privatization is one of the reasons why those two operations put us so far in debt. President Obama has found another way to avoid depending so heavily on citizen soldiers. He has turned to drones, which allow pilots to sit in a safe place and seek out al Qaeda leaders and take them out without risking American lives, though we may be creating a sort of brave new military world in the process. All these changes in strategy and policy affect what soldiers experience and how they are received when they return to civilian life. Reservists end up serving for stretches much longer than they anticipated. They watch their children grow up on the computer screen and all too often
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the free press 444 Main St., Suite 310 La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 Online: secondsupper.com Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Cover and Ad Design: Jenn Bushman Regular Contributors: Amy Alkon, Mary Catanese, Andrew Chulyk, Ashly Conrad, Marcel Dunn, Brett Emerson, Shuggypop Jackson, Jonathan Majak, Matt Jones, Dean Robbins, Kallie Schell, Nate Willer Second Supper is a monthly alternative newspaper published by Bartanese Enterprises LLC, 444 Main St., Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters to the editor to Second Supper, 444 Main St., , Suite 310, La Crosse, WI 54601 or by e-mail to editor@secondsupper.com.
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4// November 1, 2012
The Art Rumba Review Clinton Grabhorn Exhibit Root Note By Andrew Chulyk Special to Second Supper For the past eight weeks, the Root Note organic arts café has featured the artwork of Clinton Grabhorn. At first glance the paintings seem like permanent décor befitting the Root Note atmosphere, but a closer look reveals a more mysterious body of work encrypted with poetic metaphors and hidden meanings. These are the documentations of Grabhorn's creative journey. In the last week of the exhibition, I interviewed Clinton at the Root Note, curious to find out what his work was really about. What I learned was surprising and insightful. Clinton, 24, struggles to keep his creative life balanced between school (UW-L), being a single parent, working weekends, doing graphic design and creating art work, yet his curiosity to explore new avenues of expression is his true strength. Fascinated with human psychology and social behaviors, Grabhorn tries to analyze how people establish relationships and
Veterans CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 see their girlfriends or wives pull away from them. Too often they feel as if some invisible door has closed on them and the country they once knew has changed in subtle ways, as if someone had altered the rules while they were gone. Too often they are haunted by unbearable feelings of sadness and guilt, and since 2008 they are faced with finding a way to survive in an economy that is still in the midst of an agonizingly slow recovery. The most alarming statistic of contemporary military life is the suicide rate. Among those who serve in Afghanistan or Iraq, it has surpassed combat fatalities. Among active duty soldiers, the rate is one
Crossword Answer
ARTS connections to objects, places and history. He is particularly drawn to the concept of nostalgia and how, through the interpretation of memories and artifacts, we are led to believe not an actual reality, but a false reality created by our emotions. Grabhorn attributes artistic influence to such artists as Rauschenberg and Cornell, but the overworked painting style of Giacometti also affects his work. This comes out more in his small iconic images of gloves, spark plugs and oil lamps with their layered and built up paint surfaces. Abandoned places and lost objects are a recurring theme that appears in his photographs. Empty factory buildings in the Twin Cities, old farm houses with peeling wall paper, and barns are re-examined through the filters of Grabhorn's rural farm childhood and his desire to acknowledge the past without being cliché or provincial, yet pay homage to the people who inhabited these environments. His assemblages are fun excursions into the juxtaposition of disparate objects, old newspaper clippings and wall paper designs seeking new life. I feel his work asks the question, Are we the embodiment of experiences juxtaposed against each other working to redefine the past and plot a future or are we just the happenstance of life? Unfortunately, the readers of this issue
a day, and among veterans of those conflicts it is slightly higher. Suicides among Vietnam veterans are also common, and perhaps the most startling statistic is the recent increase in suicides among World War II vets. We’re talking about men in their 80s suffering flashbacks to events that occurred more than 60 years ago. Of course, the Veterans Administration tries to help, but there is a tremendous backlog. Fifteenhundred vets died between Oct.27, 2007, and April 2008 while their appeals for help were being processed. Many soldiers face less serious problems, but ones that are traumatic nonetheless. One soldier found himself dumped by the Army suddenly when the Pentagon began its cost-cutting project. He had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and planned on serving to retirement, so he and his wife bought a home near the base where he was stationed. Then one year he couldn’t pass the physical and that was that. Now he is unemployed with a house he can’t sell. It’s not the kind of story that makes for good moviemaking, but it is illustrative and all too common. Occasionally veterans run afoul of the law and end up in jail. In 2008, 229,000 veterans were incarcerated and another 400,000 on probation. This may sound high, but studies suggest the rate is no higher than for the general population. Also, La Crosse County is in the forefront of the Veterans Court program, where a judge works with others to assess people’s background and experience before placing them in mentoring or counseling programs, with incarceration as the extreme alternative. Given all the distressing and negative narratives, it is important to note that most veterans manage to make the adjustment to
will not be able to experience Grabhorn’s work at the Root Note. The shows changed the end of October. But for those of you who patronized the Root Note these last two months, I sincerely hope you looked up from your laptops and iPads or other electronic devices for a few moments to ponder the art work on the walls, to glimpse the creative journey and struggles of a young artist and designer seeking his future. But to spin this in another direction, it is exciting to see the Root Note starting to develop itself as a full arts venue. In a city with few opportunities for young artists to show their work, coffee shop/cafes are showing interest in exhibiting local artists. I feel the Root Note has set a precedent. It is constantly reinventing itself and trying new things, reminiscent of the old beat coffee houses of the ‘50s and ‘60s. The owners Dane Gonzales and Corey Brekke are unafraid to try something new. Lars Roeder is in charge of selecting artwork for upcoming shows. I hope this gives younger artists a sense of place in La Crosse, where a relaxed atmosphere of music, art, beverages and food lends itself to the exchange of ideas and the support of creative expression. We all are on our own journey, but when we cross paths with others, it is from that interaction that understanding grows.
Resources for Veterans La Crosse County Veterans Service Office: 608-785-9719 La Crosse County Veterans Court, Justice Sanctions Office: 608-785-6420 Tomah VA Medical Center – La Crosse Office: 608-784-3886
civilian life reasonably well. There are Veterans Affairs Offices where a vet can seek information or aid. There is the Post-9/11 GI-Bill, which provides financial support to qualified vets wanting to complete graduate and undergraduate degrees, technical or vocational training, on-the-job training, or entrepreneurship training. If they are looking for work, vets will find help hooking up with an employer, and the federal government, as well as many states, offers veteran preference points in hiring. There is also a wide array of unofficial events, including dances and concerts, organized to support and honor veterans. With some luck and sustained effort we may indeed have all our soldiers out of Iraq and Afghanistan soon, but it is almost certain young Americans will be asked to bear arms again in the future. In spite of that we remain unsure about how to think about war and the soldiers we send to fight them. We need to understand that supporting our troops isn’t just slapping a bumper sticker on our car and supporting any policy, no matter how immoral or stupid, an administration decides upon. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work. Instead we need to think hard about why we engage in any conflict and then we need to care for our soldiers when they return.
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The Month in Theater By Kallie Schell Special to Second Supper Darkness fell and the crowd held its breath as "Mirror of the Invisible World" began. King Bahram, played by Austin Hernandez, began with a brief preface to what was sure to be a unique tale full of wonder and mystery. As the play unfolded, the audience was introduced to seven princesses of diverse backgrounds: Indian, Moorish, Greek, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, and Persian. Each had a different story to tell that revealed a secret of the world to King Bahram and a moral to the audience. At times the play moved a little slowly, but since each princess had a new story to tell, it certainly held my attention. The morals were sometimes straightforward while others were more ambiguous; enabling the patron to decide what to take away from the story. The stage set-up was amazing and certainly deserves a standing ovation. The colors were beautiful and intricate, and the patterns of design tied everything together well. Furthermore, the costumes perfectly reflected each princess, her country and her message. The entire production was well put together, well casted, and beautifully played out.
Coming up
"Bus Stop": In case you weren’t able to make it in October, you have a second chance to jump aboard for the La Crosse Community Theatre presentation in November. During a snowstorm, a bus has to make a quick stop at a diner to let the blizzard pass. The layover turns into something far from uneventful. When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1-3 and Nov. 8-10 @ 7:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. Nov. 4 and Nov. 11. "Marat/Sade": The Viterbo University show is about the persecution and assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as performed by the inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the direction of the Marquis de Sade. This is essentially a “play within a play” that takes place on July 13, 1808, in the Charenton Asylum in France. The director is a supporter of the post-revolutionary government, but the patients putting on the play decide to speak out against his views. To learn what happens, you’ll have to venture in Viterbo’s Black Box. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9-10, Nov. 15 17; 2 p.m. Nov. 18 "All in the Timing": This play at UW-L is a collection of one-act plays, all of which are mainly comedies. The focus of the plays is wordplay, the complications of romantic relationships, and existentialist views on life and meaning. The play is sure to hold a little something for everyone. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7-10, 2 p.m. Nov. 11. 'THESE SHINING LIVES": This UW-L production tells a story of four depressionera women who discover the independence, strength and courage that allow them to shine. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30-Dec. 1 and Dec. 6-8, 2 p.m. Dec. 2 and Dec. 9.
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November 1, 2012 // 5
THE PLANNER
November
music | entertainment | theater | festivals |
The Month in Preview Fri., Nov. 2 HALLOWEEN REBOOT @ the Root Note If you missed Halloween for any reason, or if you feel the Halloween celebration you participated in just wasn’t that swell, there’s another chance for you to dress up on November 2 — which could be considered the third (or seventh) day of Halloween, depending on your social calendar. The Root Note is set to hold a Halloween Costume Bash featuring live performances by Deathless Dogs, 1,2,3 Walrus!, and Lustrous Mud. PBR will be served keg style, and rumor has it the beer will be cheap. It’s bound to be loud and rowdy! The bash starts at 8:30 p.m. and ghost until 11.
Tue., Nov. 6 GO VOTE @ The Polls Doubtful anyone needs to be reminded of the official 2012 general election day, so take this as encouragement to perform what is probably the most easy and least intellectually intense civic duty (though, hopefully you have at least done some research). It’s an obligation that comes around every four years, and the
things to do | thanksgiving | bands | deer hunting | black friday | fine arts | snow
“I Voted” sticker itself is worth any waiting in lines. Discouraged by the major candidates? Don’t worry, there are plenty more to choose from on the ballot. And if you don’t agree with any of them there’s always Mickey Mouse. If you haven’t already registered, be sure to bring your ID and proof of your address when you go vote on Tuesday.
Thurs., Nov. 8 POETRY LIVES @ UW-L Centennial Hall, room 1400 Wisconsin’s poet laureate Bruce Dethlefsen (who happened to graduate from UW-L some years ago), along with fellow Wisconsin scribe Cathryn Cofell will be at UW-L to read poems and promote poetry initiatives in the Badger State. Their visit is guaranteed to spark creativity and inspire your inner voice, whether you consider yourself a poet or if you just don’t know it. Event begins at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to bring a pen and memo pad to catch your thoughts.
Thurs., Nov. 8
Carrie Underwood, will be performing at the Heider Center in West Salem. Since his debut and success on American Idol, Bo has achieved nationwide fame in the ranks of pop and country music, using his star power for the benefit of various charities. And he sang with Trey Anastasio and Bonnaroo. The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets in advance for $22, otherwise it’s no dice for Bo Bice.
SEE AN IDOL IN THE FLESH @ Heider Center American Idol star Bo Bice, the runner-up to
Mon., Nov. 19 AMAZING ACROBATICS @ UW-L Cartwright Center, Valhalla We sometimes forget that humans have a great capacity to do amazing things if they set their minds (and bodies) to it. To help you remember, The Golden Dragon Acrobats will be flipping, twisting, dancing, and jumping higher than what should be humanly possible when they come to UW-L on the 19th. The acrobats will demonstrate a Chinese tradition that is 25 centuries in the making, and it all begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for students are $3 when purchased before Nov.19, or $5 the day of the show. Tickets for everyone else are $10 before or $12 the day of the show.
Tue., Nov. 20 STEAMY CHRISTMAS MUSIC @ The La Crosse Center
Think “Contemporary Christmas Music” and one name should pop into your head (that is, if you happen to know anything about Contemporary Christmas Music): Mannheim Steamroller. It’s almost guaranteed that you’ve heard them multiple times during past holiday seasons. The group is famous for its spectacular renditions of old-time Christmas classics, complete with synthesizers, electric violins, lights and other effects that contribute to seasonal sensory overload. Mannheim Steamroller will be rolling into the La Crosse Center on the 20th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $30 to $66.50.
Thurs., Nov. 22 ENOUGH TURKEY TO GO AROUND @ The La Crosse Center No one should have to spend Thanksgiving alone. At the very least, everybody deserves a hearty meal in the company of others. Thanks to various organizations, businesses, individuals, and volunteers, the annual La Crosse Thanksgiving dinner will be held at the La Crosse Center, and everyone is invited. Consider becoming a volunteer to help put on this wondrous event. Visit www. lacrossethanksgivingdinner.com for more information.
6// November 1, 2012
The Beer Review
"Swing states" They can go either way By Matt Jones
ACROSS 1 Account of rounds 7 Drink brand with a lizard logo 11 Unlike prescription meds: abbr. 14 Point out similarity between 15 Think ahead 16 Gp. once headed by Charlton Heston 17 "Sorry, Buckeye State, but the whole General Assembly's coming over for my party!" 20 Morse code sounds 21 Milhouse's bus driver 22 What you used to be 23 U-turn from WSW 24 Distress call 25 Shannen's nickname, on "Charmed" 27 Story about a guy who sells things in the Silver State? 33 Simple, as an onscreen process 34 "I'm ___ roll" 35 Angry game characters 38 Word after mole or
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CONSUMPTION
mall 39 John with a lot of glasses 41 Prefix for friendly 42 Publication known for its pie graphs 45 With 58-across, "The Granite State! Oops, I just sneezed all over you!" 50 ___ weevil 51 Some assault rifles 52 Napoleonic marshal 53 Garbage hauler 55 Robert Smith band, with "The" 57 Gomer who said "Shazam!" 58 See 45-across 62 National Coming ___ Day 63 Garfield's foil 64 Actress Evigan of "Step Up 2: The Streets" 65 Thatcher and Blair: abbr. 66 Feathery wraps 67 Grades in non-challenging classes
Answers on Page 4
DOWN 1 Fry's cohort, on "Futurama" 2 Corazon of the Philippines 3 Went into heat, like a moose 4 Soviet news agency 5 Getting from ___ B 6 Be necessary 7 Good name for a Dalmatian 8 Medley 9 Scrooge's kvetch 10 Brian once of Roxy Music 11 Precisely 12 Test answer 13 Prop for Mr. Peanut 18 Admiral Ackbar phrase 19 Flabbergast 24 Like some massage 25 Plastic for pipes 26 Tries again with a trial 28 Move like a bobblehead doll 29 "Mairzy ___" (1940s novelty song) 30 Easy instrument to strum
31 "Walking on Thin Ice" songwriter Yoko 32 Sought office 35 Folds in an iPod 36 Rocks, in a bar 37 Subjects of "either oar" situations? 40 Caustic cleaner 43 T-shirt size options: abbr. 44 Former NBA star ___ Mutombo 46 Gordie on the ice 47 "So, back to what I was saying..." 48 Montana's capital 49 Minor villains in "The Lion King" 53 Hit Rodeo Drive, e.g. 54 Old pal 55 Type of "pet" that's really a plant 56 Multi-purpose product's benefits 57 Greek consonants 59 Judas Priest singer ___ Halford 60 Wedding words 61 Longtime Notre Dame coach Parseghian ©2012 Jonesin' Crosswords
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Raspberry with Cocoa Nibs Tallgrass Brewing Company Manhattan, Kansas Pack up the dirndls, lederhosen and brats. Another Oktoberfest has come and gone, and I’m here to deliver the prost-mortem. Unfortunately I didn’t spend too much time in flippy-cup land, so I can’t speak to any advances in offsite beer drinking (though I would like to hope a Kolsch lager flowed through a polyvinyl beer bong somewhere). This year, I kept my festing close to the Southside Grounds, where I’m happy to report the beer situation has never been better — albeit a bit polarizing. If you’re reading this column, odds are good you heard someone grumble about the $35 ticket for this year’s Craft Beer Night. I’m not going to Romney you into a value-judgment about hard-earned cash, but $35 is the standard fare for any American beer festival, and it was a much better arrangement than last year’s consumerist $1-ticket-for-a-1-ouncepour. But more importantly, the variety and set up of this fifth-annual Craft Beer Night made it the best one yet. The official program listed 96 beers to be served under the white tent, and after an obligatory reading, I only counted 12 that I hadn’t tasted prior to entering. Next year I would like to see this ratio improved, but the 96 did come from a variety of fine brands — including a special emphasis on autumnal seasonals that was appreciated on a cool October night. However, the beer I’m going to review this month didn’t even make the official program. It was a surprise firkin tapping from the generally solid Tallgrass Brewing Company, which offered an unexpected flavor palette that was the talk this year’s CBN.
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Purchase: Raspberry with Cocoa Nibs poured at Oktoberfest Craft Beer Night Style: English mild ale, according to the knowledgeable beer rep behind the firkin. Strength: 4.5 percent ABV (source: ibid.) Packaging: A firkin is a small keg of beer, traditionally cask conditioned, naturally carbonated and poured at room temperature — an acquired taste, perhaps, but I’m not alone in loving it. This silver firkin was only adorned with a taped sign reading Raspberry with Cocoa Nibs. Appearance: The beer had a cloudy pour, typical of cask conditioning, with a brownish amber body and a thin grey head. Aroma: The aroma isn’t especially strong, although raspberry predominates — especially as it warms — over a base of light grains. Taste: The taste comes on slow, with quite-delicious raspberry hitting at the middle of the tongue. These taste like real raspberries, though it finishes dry —typical of an English session ale —with a lingering sweetness. However, whatever cocoa nibs are, they were barely noticeable here. Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied, pleasant and dry. Drinkability: Though I don’t often care for sweet beverages, this has high drinkability for a dessert beer. Ratings: Although I saw online posts about a similarly described Tallgrass firkin, Raspberry with Cocoa Nibs has no official score on any beer Web site. Still, I would rate this as the best beer served at Craft Beer Night — which, finally, is no minor statement. — Adam Bissen
with Jacqui Marcou
What are you thankful for this year?
Name: Tom Harnish Age: 65 Occupation: Retired A. The beautiful fall
Name: LaDean Peterson Age: 69 Occupation: Retired teacher A. Family, friends and the beautiful area
Name: Deb Lash Age: 43 Occupation: Business owner A. Friends, family and customers
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Second Supper | The Free Press
more,” the faker admits, “so I had to figure out something to make myself happy.” Catfish makes you feel sympathy for both the liars and the lied-to, and that’s an achievement. Steel yourself for an emotional hour of TV.
I Like to Watch By Dean Robbins Special to Second Supper Forget the overrated Homeland. If you’re looking for an international spy thriller on premium cable, Hunted (Fridays, 9 p.m., Cinemax) is the one to watch. The series messes with your head so skillfully that you’re woozy by the 30-minute mark. And thoroughly intrigued. Sam Hunter (Melissa George) is an operative for a shadowy private company specializing in espionage. In the middle of setting up a mark, she’s set up herself, possibly by the colleague she’s in love with. She’s left for dead but mysteriously returns to work a year later, not knowing whom to trust. They don’t trust her anymore, either — nor should they. George is model-beautiful, but also believable as a bad-ass who can dispatch several beefy opponents at once. For all the thrilling action, though, Hunted is most notable for George’s ability to pull you into Sam’s private pain. She’s damaged goods, and the production evokes her state of mind with fragmented imagery and disorienting music. One of the things I love about Hunted is its moral gravity. Yes, it’s an exciting thriller, but it also takes a hard look at the spy’s life. Here, dead bodies are not just set decoration. Murders are brooded over, and Sam is clearly paying a price for the choices she’s made. I want to see things end happily for her, but I’m not optimistic. Catfish: The TV Show Monday, Nov. 12, 10 p.m. (MTV) Sigmund Freud insisted that “anatomy is destiny.” But is that still true in the Facebook age, when you can create a profile with a glamorous fake photo, then get someone to fall in love with this persona over the Internet? You’ve readjusted your anatomy, and perhaps your destiny. Nev Schulman’s Catfish, a TV series based on his 2010 documentary of the same name, sets out to explore the mysteries of digital dating. Each week, Schulman and his crew meet people involved in online-only relationships and help them figure out if their beloveds are authentic. You might expect a glib, sneering tone, similar to other TV dating shows, but Schulman is an earnest type who takes the lovers’ feelings seriously. (In the original documentary, he himself got burned by an online fake, so he knows what it’s like.) That leads to poignant moments, as when a guy discovers that the impressive blond beauty he fell for online is really an overweight high school dropout with selfesteem issues. “I couldn’t handle the depression any-
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ENTERTAINMENT
Witness Monday, Nov. 19, 8 p.m. (HBO) This extraordinary documentary series follows war photographers into global conflict zones. It’s scary enough just sitting at home and watching the footage — I can’t imagine what it’s like to be the photographer braving danger in Africa or Libya, with the simple goal of showing the world the truth. In this week’s installment, we get close to French photographer Veronique de Viguerie as she tramps through the bush in South Sudan, chronicling a local militia’s brave fight against Joseph Kony’s brutal Lord’s Resistance Army. With cameras hanging from her neck, de Viguerie is fearless and resourceful — not to mention pregnant. “Some people say I am crazy to go there pregnant,” she says in her imperfect English. “But all over the world there are millions of women when they’re pregnant doing really hard work. And if they can do it, why I cannot do it?” It’s not easy to take in the grisly images here, but you feel guilty looking away. As de Viguerie might say: If she can put herself in danger to tell an important story, why we cannot watch it? American Masters Tuesday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. (PBS) “Inventing David Geffen” tells the remarkable story of a Brooklyn nobody who worked his way up from the mailroom to become one of the most important media moguls of our age. Through sheer force of will, Geffen turned himself into a successful agent for such key 1960s and ‘70s artists as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, and the Eagles. He founded Asylum Records with the idea of nurturing creative talent in a way that had never been done before. After that, he moved on to even bigger success in the music and movie business, confounding the skeptics at every turn. In fact, to Geffen, confounding skeptics was almost as much fun as making billions of dollars. Almost. As you can imagine, a guy this ambitious has a dark side. “Don’t get into a fight with David,” says David Crosby, voicing the conventional wisdom. “He never forgets, he doesn’t give up, and he always wins.” While Cher and other interviewees attest that Geffen will move heaven and earth to help a friend, they also acknowledge that he will work just as hard to punish an enemy. And occasionally, those enemies are former friends. The most depressing incident recounted here is the time Geffen sued his buddy and label star Neil Young for turning in albums that didn’t sound the way he thought Neil Young albums should. Well, you take the good with the bad. “Inventing David Geffen” emphasizes the good, including Geffen’s charitable work and his genius for bringing significant artworks into being. One comes away from the program respecting the man, as well as fearing him. I just hope nothing I’ve said in this review puts me on his bad side.
Music Directory FEATURED SHOWS
Thursday, November 1st Pump House — Wisconsin Soundscapes (classical) • 7:30 p.m. (free) Fat Sam’s — Andy Hughes from T.U.G.G. • 8 p.m. Friday, November 2nd The Freight House — Muddy Flats & the Hepcats (old-time) • 6:30 p.m. Pump House — Jonathon Byrd (folk) • 7:30 p.m. Root Note — Deathless Dogs, 1, 2, 3 Walrus!, Lustrous Mud (Halloween Costume Bash) • 8:30 p.m. Saturday, November 3rd The Freight House — Muddy Flats & the Hepcats (old-time) • 7 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel — Nick Moss and the Flip Tops (blues) • 8 p.m. Root Note — Jennifer Hall (folk) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Bandsaw Brothers, Moon Boot Posse, and Nimbus (Tim Zim's B-day) • 10 p.m. Sunday, November 4th Warehouse — Children 18:3, The Wedding (pop punk) • 6 p.m. Monday, November 5th Warehouse — The Icarus Account, Avian Sunrise, Joel Tock 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 7th River Jack’s — Latin Vibe • 6 p.m. Popcorn — 300+ (rock) • 10 p.m. Thursday, November 8th Fat Sam’s — Dave Orr • 8 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel — Irene Keenan Jr. and the Skeleton Crew (blues soul) • 8 p.m. Friday, November 9th The Freight House — Blue Jupiter (blues) • 6:30 p.m. Popcorn — The Regulars (jam all stars) • 10 p.m. Saturday, November 10th Warehouse — Orwell, Earthrise, Secondhand Valor (hard rock) • 6:15 p.m. Freight House — Blue Jupiter (blues) • 7 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel — The House of Curds • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Evergreen Grass Band • 10 p.m. Pump House — Dan Newton’s Café Accordion Orchestra • 7:30 p.m. Monday, November 12th Warehouse — Versus the World (members of The Ataris and Lagwagon) • 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 14th Popcorn — Andy and Joe’s Jam • 10 p.m. Thursday, November 15th Warehouse — Loftland, Shine Bright Baby (pop rock) 6:30 p.m. Fat Sam’s — Simple Rogues (Irish) • 8 p.m. Friday, November 16th The Freight House — Adam Palm (rock) • 6:30 p.m.
Root Note — Bitteroot • 8 p.m. Popcorn — All Good Things (rock/pop) • 10 p.m. Saturday, November 17th The Freight House — Adam Palm • 7 p.m. Root Note — Sean Rowe, Pieta Brown (Americana) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Circle of Heat (rock) • 10 p.m. Wednesday, November 21st Trempealeau Hotel — Howard Luedtke (rock blues) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — T.U.G.G. (alt-ragge) • 10 p.m. Friday, November 23rd Warehouse — Black Metalpocalypse (various bands) • 6 p.m. The Freight House — Dan Sebranek • 6:30 p.m. Root Note — Duenday (hip-hop) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — More Than Lights (indie hip-hop) • 10 p.m. Saturday, November 24th The Freight House — Dan Sebranek • 7 p.m. Trempealeau Hotel — Galynne Goodwill (singer songwriter) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Cheech’s Super Deece Band (blues rock) • 10 p.m. Wednesday, November 28th Root Note — Dead Horses (indie rock) • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Terrapin Shells (Dead covers) • 10 p.m. Thursday, November 29th Warehouse — Evelynn, Assassins • 6:15 p.m. Fat Sam’s — Casey Virock with Jeff Sherin and Enrique • 8 p.m. Friday, November 30th The Freight House — Ultra Sonic Duo • 6:30 p.m. Popcorn — Buddy Brown (jam rock) • 10 p.m.
WEEKLY SHOWS
Sunday La Crosse Queen — The Journeymen (dinner cruise) • 6 p.m. Popcorn — Innocuous Voodoo (funk) • 10 p.m. Monday Popcorn — Grant’s Open Jam • 10 p.m. Del’s — Open Jam • 10 p.m. Tuesday Popcorn — Paulie • 10 p.m. Root Note — 3rd Relation Jazz • 8 p.m. Thursday Starlight — Kies & Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m. Root Note — Open Mic • 8 p.m. Popcorn — Dave Orr’s Blues jam • 10 p.m. Friday La Crosse Queen — The Journeymen (dinner cruise) • 7:30 p.m. Saturday La Crosse Queen — The Journeymen (dinner cruise) • 6 p.m.
8// November 1, 2012
THE LAST WORD
The ADvice GoDDess By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com The Call of doodie
Loved your response to the bored-out-oftheir-gourds parents of the 1-year-old. I’m three months pregnant and a little worried in the wake of a recent dinner party. There were four sets of new parents there, and all the wives seemed to resent the hell out of their husbands. The husbands, predictably, seemed defensive and angry in response. My husband and I have a really great partnership, and I’d like to keep it that way. Are there things we can do to avoid the parental hate stage, or … fret, fret … is it an inevitability that comes with the stress of having a child? — Baby On Board Today’s marriage is reportedly a more equal partnership. For a lot of couples who become parents, here’s how that
works: The woman blimps out for nine months, spends hours and hours in agony squeezing a huge thing out an extremely small opening, and then becomes a 24hour milk dispenser and poo-slave for the better part of a year. The man holds her hand and says “You can do it, honey!” while she’s in labor, helps name the kid, and then, when friends come over to watch the World Series, picks it up and says, “Look what we made!” Trophy dads aside, if there’s one area of parenting that breeds eyedaggers of wifely resentment, it’s unequal sleeplessness. Yeah, I know, according to The Beatles, “love is all you need,” but they forgot the small print: This is only true of people who are not suffering from sleep deprivation, which, by the way, is not only a necessity for tending to one’s newborn but a form of torture banned by the Geneva Conventions. Sure, there are certain biological problems with sharing the nightly feeding duties. But, just because the booby with the drinks in it is on only one of you doesn’t mean there can’t be catering. In other words, Daddy can bottle-feed if mommy breast pumps, and nothing’s stopping him from diaper-changing. What matters is that Mommy and Daddy are going halfsies on sleeplessness. As a happily married male friend with a new baby puts it, it’s essential to “scrupulously share” wakeup duty, or
a wife who used to look lovingly at her sleeping spouse may begin calculating how much jail time she’d get for smothering him with a pillow. During daylight hours, a little time off for the stay-at-home mom, even for 20 minutes after Dad comes home, is a huge relief, as are playdates — one night a week for her to go out with friends and be a person instead of a big udder. Just a little alleviation goes a long way in showing that a husband doesn’t think women have babies and men have babies as props — to parade around Starbucks in a BabyBjorn, making all the hot girls coo, and then hand back to Mom until the kid’s old enough to be interesting: “Hey, little man, Daddy’s gotta read the newspaper and putter around the garage for six or seven years. Let’s talk when you’re big enough to throw a ball around.”
silent Knight
I’m thinking I should wait until after Christmas to break up with my girlfriend of two years. She is planning on accompanying me to my family’s for the holidays and otherwise has no place to go. (I’m picturing her home alone, maybe calling her stepbrother she talks to once a year.) — Not Jolly When your thought is “I think we should start seeing other people,” it isn’t
Second Supper | The Free Press
supposed to mean making your girlfriend spend a week with your grandma and 62 of your closest relatives. Although you’re trying to be kind, delaying your breakup is the wrong thing to do. You break up with somebody as soon as you know, which means they can lick their wounds and get on to somebody who does want them that much sooner. (There are exceptions to the immediacy rule, like if it’s two days before your girlfriend has fi nals or if somebody’s just died and she’s on her way to identify the body.) Just think how what you’re suggesting could play out. In the weeks before Christmas, she’ll likely sense that something’s not quite right. She’ll gnaw endlessly on this with her girlfriends, and they’ll come up with the perfect solution…Santa lingerie! When you fi nally end it, she’ll likely drag out of you that you weren’t really feelin’ it — starting around Halloween. So, besides the painful emotions that accompany any breakup, you’ll be giving her the gift of humiliation as she replays the mental video of herself prancing around in a Santa hat and jingle bell pasties…on what turned out to be the biggest chopping day of the year. (c) 2011, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon at AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com).
Our next edition of Second Supper | The Free Press publishes Dec. 1. Our advertising deadline is Nov. 23. For information, email roger.bartel@secondsupper.com.
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