Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - The Daily Cardinal

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

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+SPORTS, page 8

Rising (or sinking) tides

Climate change: An opinion

+OPINION, page 6

Council debates final action on JDS proposal

By Negassi Tesfamichael the daily cardinal

The Madison Common Council worked well into the night Tuesday, debating adoption of a $200 million downtown redevelopment plan Tuesday during a special session.

As of press time, the council had not reached a vote.

The Judge Doyle Square project, one of the largest proposals from the 2012 Downtown Plan to receive legislative action, includes a corporate headquarters for the biotechnology company Exact Sciences, as well as a 216-room hotel and retail space. The plan also would add a public and private parking space.

The city “seeks to increase property values, a lifeblood for future programs, add employment, and create opportunities for development,” said George Austin, director of the Judge Doyle Square project. “The city saw a significant opportunity to

increase the tax base and employment, as well as retain and grow business, for the Monona Terrace Convention Center.”

City negotiators received four proposals in May for the redevelopment plan, which will replace the aging Government East parking garage and surrounding area on the 200 block of South Pinckney Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. In July, the Common Council approved a measure to negotiate exclusively with JDS Development and Exact Sciences, who submitted the current proposal.

The public would pay $67.1 million for the redevelopment overall, which is a part of the 2016 Capital Budget.

Exact Sciences currently employs about 200 people. The resolution requires the company to provide 400 jobs by 2019.

Amid doubts about the success of Exact Sciences, CEO Kevin

Conroy emphasized the work his company does to combat cancer.

“We’re really one of the only companies focused on early detection of colon cancer,” said Conroy.

“Everyone’s talking about drugs that will help win this war. It’s early detection that we need.”

Downtown Madison Inc. President Susan Schmitz voiced support for Judge Doyle Square, citing a need to bring revenue from outside Madison.

“Downtown Madison needs an economic development strategy to attract traded sector employers that provide goods and services that can be sent outside of Madison, thus bring new money in,” Schmitz said. “We can’t just shift local money around.”

Schmitz said 44 percent of the downtown workforce is in public administration and that “over time, it will not support the housing, retail, services and schools’ needs of the city.”

indie coffee

Hot off the press

Tuesday, Sept. 29, was National Coffee Day. Campus coffee connoisseurs and average joes alike celebrated the occasion with warm mugs and steaming plates of homework. + Photo by Will Chizek

Gov. Walker hints at justice appointment

By Lucas Sczygelski The daily cardinal

Two of three judges running for the Wisconsin state Supreme Court signaled Tuesday that they will not seek an interim appointment from Gov. Scott Walker to finish out Justice N. Patrick Crooks’ term following his sudden passing earlier this month.

The two judges said they worry an appointment to the court prior to April’s election could grant an incumbent’s edge to one of the candidates.

“The Governor should not appoint any of the three declared

candidates, nor anyone else who is considering a run,” said candidate Judge Joe Donald in a Tuesday statement. “Wisconsin doesn’t need a coronation, it needs a Supreme Court justice who earns the support of Wisconsin voters.”

Judge Rebecca Bradley has not yet said whether she will accept an appointment, although she has a history of being promoted by the governor. The conservative judge was appointed

by Walker to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in 2012 and

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George Austin, the director of the Judge Doyle Square project, said the $200 million redevelopment plan was the first city initiative since the adoption of the 2012 Downtown Plan.

Director of financial aid retires after three decades

Sen. Ron Johnson seeks answers about fetal tissue policy

By Miller Jozwiak

leah voskuil/the daily cardinal

By Andrew Bahl the daily cardinal

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., joined three other members of Congress Tuesday in a letter questioning the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ policies regarding the sale of fetal tissue.

Johnson, along with U.S. Sens.

Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Joni

Ernst, R-Iowa, took issue with the administration’s oversight of federally funded organizations that use fetal tissue in a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

The letter is in response to videos released in July by anti-abortion activists that allegedly show Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of fetal tissue,

a practice that violates federal law.

“Shocking videos have revealed that Planned Parenthood, as an organization, is vested in the barbaric practice of harvesting human organs for revenue,” Johnson said in a statement. “All Americans, regardless of their views on abor-

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the daily cardinal

After spending decades helping many UW-Madison students pay for a college education, director of the Office of Financial Aid Susan Fischer will retire this week, ending a career that started by chance in 1979.

Fischer earned a degree in natural resources and soils without financial aid. She paid for school by working and

through help from her parents and grandmother, according to a university release.

Fischer returned to UW-Madison to pursue a second undergraduate degree. When she ran out of money to pursue her degree, she began a temporary job in the financial aid office, filing and processing applications.

She found she enjoyed the

director page 2

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

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Local Democrat introduces bill to ban hunting in state parks A Madison legislator announced multiple bills Tuesday to crack down on hunting in state parks, drawing the ire of at least one Republican who called the proposal unnecessary.

The first of two bills, both authored by state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, would outlaw hunting in state parks, while the second would prohibit the use of steel-jaw and body-gripping traps and snares on state park land.

Risser cited safety concerns as his rationale for the two bills, saying in a statement that hunt-

ing was preventing his constituents from enjoying the state’s natural resources.

“There ought to be more places in the state where hunting is not permitted under any circumstances,” Risser said in the statement. “Hunters already have many locations where they are allowed to hunt, but state parks exist for everyone’s enjoyment, from hikers and cross-country skiers to bird-watchers and photographers.”

The bills would reverse legislation passed in the 2011-’13 session which authorized hunting

on state park properties. Under the law, the state Department of Natural Resources can curb the practice in certain areas if it presents a threat to safety.

State Rep. Adam Jarchow, R-Balsam Lake, criticized Risser’s proposals, saying hunting presented no safety concerns.

“My constituents are sick and tired of living the consequence of policies that seem to constantly emanate from Madison liberals,” Jarchow said in a statement.

Both bills are currently circulating for co-sponsorship.

—Andrew Bahl

photo courtesy of UW communications

Susan Fischer will retire this week after more than 30 years holding various positions within the Office of Financial Aid.

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courtney kessler/cardinal file photo

State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, has proposed two bills to crack down on hunting. The first would outlaw hunting in state parks and the second would ban certain types of traps on state park land.

Blank debuts first issue of Wisconsin Ideas UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank launched the first issue of a new e-newsletter Tuesday that focuses on the university’s research projects that have a positive impact on Wisconsin communities, according to Blank’s blog, Blank’s Slate.

The newsletter, Wisconsin Ideas, is an effort to ensure more people understand UW-Madison’s role in community-based outreach

done through research, programming and the knowledge alumni take with them from the classroom, according to the chancellor.

Blank said in the blog that while many understand the university’s educational mission, the central idea to UW-Madison’s existence is less known.

“We want to show how people everywhere in the state connect with the university and our

research,” Blank said in Blank’s Slate. “[Our research mission] affects our economy, our health and our quality of life.”

The first issue of Wisconsin Ideas describes the collaboration between the College of Engineering and Oshkosh Corp., a company that has recently entered a multi-billion dollar defense contract to build safer and more mobile combat vehicles.

—Laura Grulke

Madison uses online strategy to reduce energy consumption The City of Madison began an online competition between businesses and nonprofits Monday to increase environmental sustainability initiatives, in an effort to win a monetary prize.

Cool Choices, a Madisonbased nonprofit, will coordinate the efforts of the Green Madison initiative, which includes calculating carbon and energy sav-

justice from page 1 the Wisconsin court of appeals in May 2015.

Walker justified his position with a series of tweets Tuesday, pointing to Gov. Tommy Thompson’s appointments of Justices Janine Geske and Diane Sykes to the court in 1993 and 1999, respectively. Both were appointed

ings for the more than 40 different partners. These partners include UW Health, American Family Insurance and the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.

“It is exciting that Green Madison has mobilized so many residents and area businesses to come together to reduce energy usage in Madison,” Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said in a Monday state-

ment. “The City is taking innovative approaches to being more green and cutting costs for government, local businesses and residents.”

Madison is one of 50 cities competing for a $5 million prize from the Georgetown University Energy Prize, which awards creative energy usage strategies over a two-year period.

—Negassi Tesfamichael

prior to elections.

“There is precedent for appointing WI Supreme Court Justices who may later run for the seat,” tweeted Walker.

Liberal advocacy groups in the state sent a letter to the governor Monday asking him to appoint a justice who pledges not to run in the spring election.

“The selection of a currently declared candidate to the Supreme Court at this time would certainly exacerbate the shrill partisan and mean-spirited tone for the upcoming election that has characterized so many State Supreme Court elections over the past decade,” said leaders of the groups in a letter to the governor.

work and ended up being hired on a permanent basis in 1983.

She was then promoted to associate director in 1992 before becoming the office director in 2004, a job she said sometimes presented challenges.

“You will have a lot of hard conversations,” Fischer said in the release. “While the amounts we are able to provide have improved dramatically over the last decade, it’s still not enough and you will have to counsel people who are going to be very disappointed in the amount they are getting.”

Despite the difficulties, Fischer said she appreciated the work she did with students.

“If you don’t like students, we don’t have a place for you here,” Fischer said in the release. “This is a student-centric office.”

Financial aid has become more available to students since she began her career, but Fischer said there are still improvements to be made.

tissue from page 1 tion, should be repulsed by the callous and cavalier attitude of Planned Parenthood representatives as they discuss their harvesting ‘techniques,’ as well as the revenue they require for the organs of unborn babies.”

It also comes after Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards testified before the House Oversight Committee Tuesday, making her first remarks to lawmakers since the release of the videos.

“For many American women,

Students’ best options for financial help in the future may be endowment and scholarships.

“Chancellor Blank wants every smart kid in Wisconsin to come here,” Fischer said in the release. “She understands that we are not where we should be in terms of providing aid to students, and her plans to leverage funding through the capital campaign is an exciting opportunity.

If it is successful, and I hope that it is, more Wisconsin students will be able to access a worldclass education with less debt.”

Fischer’s work was appreciated throughout campus, according to Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf.

“Susan is an incredibly engaged leader in financial aid matters at the state and national level, and has kept campus informed of impending changes,” Mangelsdorf said in the release.

Although Fischer may not have used financial aid to earn her degree, her mastery of the system has helped countless students over the last 30 years to earn theirs.

Planned Parenthood is the only healthcare provider they will see this year,” Richards said during her testimony. “It is impossible for our patients to understand why Congress is once again threatening their ability to go to the healthcare provider of their choice.”

In Wisconsin, members of the state Legislature are pushing a bill that would ban the use of fetal tissue in research acquired after Jan. 1, 2015. Next month, the full Legislature will take up the proposal, which is opposed by UW-Madison and the state’s largest business lobby.

drew gilmore/cardinal file photo

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson joined in a letter to investigate the Obama administration’s regulation of fetal tissue policy.

arts Wednesday, September 30, 2015

“High Castle” perfects dystopia for Amazon Ben Golden tv columnist

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or the average college student there are few elements of daily life that take priority over everything else. There is one glorious activity that many may underplay in casual conversation, or say that they don’t have time for it or are too devoted to their studies. The simple answer is that they are lying. Binge-watching television keeps college students afloat and happy. Without the comforting glow of Netflix, college students in this day and age would probably panic and die of withdrawal.

In this column I will attempt to provide you readers with samples of my type of fix; my insights on what I find to be the most fascinating, addicting, engaging, and most importantly binge-worthy television that is available today.

Because without online streaming, what is college?

To begin, I would like to discuss a new series that is ripe for the picking and ready to be discovered and recreationally abused by all: “The Man in the High Castle.” The pilot was released in January, and is available for free on Amazon’s streaming service. This means you do not need Prime to access the pilot, but afterwards, you will be hooked and will be ready to hand Amazon your money to continue watching the series—Damn you, Amazon, why do you have to offer such a great series and provide just a tease. The episode broke Amazon streaming records, being the most-watched episode since their streaming service began, and the rest of the series is expected to be

released in November.

Based on a 1962 novel that explores a frightening dystopian world, the show imagines the United States in the ’60s if the Allies lost the Second World War and Nazi Germany and the Japanese took over.

The opening itself is very provocative; a theater featuring a propaganda film that is reminiscent of the Holocaust, however the narrator is American and features scenes of 1960’s United States. It then ends with a shot of the American flag, and instead of stars, the swastika is featured in the middle. The style of the episode remains in this Nazi propaganda art style, as if we are watching one of Hitler’s films come to life in America. It is unsettling, yet visually beautiful, with the computer-generated effects not aiming to be realistic, but echoing the art direction from World War II propaganda.

When Joe Blake, the main character, walks through a bustling Time Square with neon swastikas and Hitler’s face plastered on buildings, it is apparent that this series is going in a narrative direction that has yet to be explored. Joe is introduced as a young man trying to earn his way into an underground network of resistors that are attempting to overthrow Nazi rule. Other than Joe, there is a second central character on the other end of the country. Juliana Krane lives in the Japanese Pacific States: more specifically, San Francisco. Once her sister gives her a newsreel film, telling her that there is “a way out,” Juliana is naturally curious. The newsreel depicts that the U.S. did win the war, suggesting a massive cover-up. The “man in the high castle” is an unknown figure that distributes these films to fuel the resistance—wheth-

er they are fabricated or real remains to be seen. When her sister dies by Nazi hands, Juliana takes it upon herself to continue her sister’s resistance work. The cause is even more time sensitive because there are rumors that Hitler is terminally ill, which will lead to the ultimate destruction of the country once his predecessor takes over. When both Joe and Juliana finally cross paths towards the end of the episode, a shocking twist seals the deal that this is one show you will want to continue watching.

Almost every aspect of this show is perfectly executed and visually stunning. A couple scenes in particular, including one with the ashes of dead men falling from the sky like snow, leave their mark and are a haunting reminder that this is how life could have been. The fictional and historical elements intermingle with beautiful results, and the attention to detail is electrifying.

The series really cares about telling this story and the stunning visual elements are proof.

I encourage you to look into this show if it sounds like something you are interested in. If not, you can always study it and shock your history professor with how many disturbing and incorrect facts you know about the ’60s.

As a binge enthusiast, I admire that this series in particular has succeeded in blending multiple genres into something that can be easily enjoyed by anyone.

Whether you like historical period pieces, science fiction, fantasy or even horror, this show serves it up on a heaping platter just waiting to be binged.

Have you seen the pilot for “Man in the High Castle?” What other shows do you binge-watch? Let Ben know at bagolden@wisc.edu.

PLAYLIST Feeling the Fall blues yet? Check out these great collaborations on our Spotify account!

Disclosure “Hourglass (feat.

LION BABE)”

Big Grams “Fell in the Sun”

Janet Jackson “BURNITUP! (feat.

Missy Elliott)”

Every Open Eye CHRVRCHES

By Abbie Ruckdashel The Daily Cardinal

The Scottish trio, CHVRCHES, released their highly anticipated second studio album Every Open Eye on September 25. Much like their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, lead singer Lauren Mayberry delivers killer vocals, singing about the woes of relationships and other struggles faced in the band’s daily lives. Her vocals are layered over upbeat synthesized rhythms and dreamy melodies, and the sound on this album can be described as a modern twist on classic ’80s pop. Mayberry’s vocals and jacked-up rhythm give it an edgy

will be okay which is really amazing because over 3.3 million adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with anxiety each year, with many more cases going undiagnosed.

Another notable track of the album is “High Enough to Carry You Over.” Here, Mayberry steps aside from the lead vocals and lets the guys do the vocalizing. Iain Cook and Martin Doherty discuss an ending relationship from the viewpoint of giving up on each other. There’s still a longing for that person, but the sharp realization it would never work, and the music seems to match this agonizing feeling.

The track “Make Them Gold” reminded me of the song “We Belong” by Pat Benatar. The intros sound almost exactly the same, with the vocals matching the same powerful rock ’n’ roll vibe. This is one of the more down-tempo songs on the album and I absolutely loved it.

The last song to note is “Get Away.” With bongo drums in the rhythm section and soft, sultry,

RECORD ROUTINE

Veggies missteps on Live & Grow ALBUM REVIEW

Live & Grow Casey Veggies The Daily Cardinal

BlakRoc “On The Vista (feat. Mos Def)”

Billy Bragg & Wilco “California Stars”

The Roots “The Seed (2.0) (feat. Cody Chesnutt)” Mobb Deep “Eye for a Eye (Your Beef Is Mines) (feat.

Nas and Raekwon)”

Dillon Francis “Set Me Free (feat.

Martin Garrix)”

CHVRCHES ignites love on Every Open Eye modern twist. The thing I enjoyed most about this album was the lyrics. On The Bones of What You Believe, many of the songs focused on the notion of revenge. Though this album still has tracks that still very much embody hatred, many of the songs are more empowering, and focus on overcoming struggles and the positive instead of the negative.

This album’s songs are much more relatable on a different, deeper level.

My favorite song off the album is entitled “Clearest Blue.” Stemming around a battle with anxiety, and the impending onset of an anxiety attack, the song left me in tears—I hadn’t heard a song that hit me so hard in a long time. Maybe I liked it because I could connect with it the most, but it has many other qualities that make it great, other than relatable vocals. This electronic background is different than any other song on the album. It repeats a dance beat that sounds so happy over a topic that really is anything but. It somehow gives the listener empowerment and validation they

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By Cooper Brannigan

RECORD ROUTINE

ALBUM REVIEW

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dream-like vocals, it has a chilling chorus that catches the listener slightly off guard. The background vocals are also abstract, adding to the chilling vibe, though still keeping the electronic feel. It’s a hard-hitting track about promising a lover how awesome they are even when they don’t see it.

Overall, I thought this album was completely amazing. I haven’t heard anything like it in a long time. I knew it would be hard for them to top their previous masterpiece, but CHVRCHES knocked it out of the park. They stuck to their electronic empowering sound, but added new twists for the listener to find within. The lyrics are hard-hitting, and stick to their prerogative of discussing tough, yet relatable, issues. You really need to give this album a listen, no matter what kind of music you prefer.

It’s refreshing, and unlike anything being consistently played on mainstream radio.

Grade: A

Live & Grow is the solo debut album from California rapper Casey Veggies. The cover of the album depicts a play on the famed image of the Evolution of Man, depicting a kid growing up and changing into the current man that Veggies is today. However, the album lacks the true substance to back up this thesis that is presented through the album title and art.

The one track that does prove to be a critical standout on the album is “RIP.” Tyler, The Creator lends his rhymes and unique style of production to this song.

Veggies, who was a cofounder of super group Odd Future, feeds off of the energy and power of Tyler extremely well on “RIP.” Possibly the deepest track on the album, Veggies raps, “But I’m always followed by them cop lights/ They got me livin’ in a cell, tryna put me in a box.” Later in the track, Veggies asks for a “moment of silence for Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Oscar Grant.” This is far and away the best track on the album and, for once, Tyler does not steal the spotlight with a feature.

Sadly, the rest of the album is not on the same level as “RIP.” Live & Grow is scattered with songs that are missed chances for Veggies. “Sincerely Casey” has the best production on the album, with hints of classic West Coast instrumentation. Veggies floats around the track repeating the same line over and over and doesn’t really get around to actually rapping until half the song is already over.

Live & Grow is in no way a bad album, not even in the slightest.

Veggies is a very intelligent and skilled rapper, and he shows this throughout the album, but instead of having a firm footing on his debut, he missteps. All the songs are not bad but there are no true really good tracks. The true problem with the album is that there is no real connectivity between tracks, and no true direction. The album title, the album art and the first track all present an idea that Casey Veggies has grown and “evolved.” This is hard to see when the album in its entirety sounds like more of a mixtape instead of a major debut. Casey Veggies is only 22 and has indeed come a long way from his early Odd Future days, but this album proves that there is still a lot of growing for him to do.

Rating: C+

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An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 125, Issue 17

2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100

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Editorial Board Dylan Anderson • James Dayton Sergey Fedossov • Emily Gerber Max Lenz • Conor Murphy

Board of Directors Herman Baumann, President Phil Brinkman • James Dayton Victoria Fok • Emily Gerber Andrew Hahm • Janet Larson Don Miner • Corissa Pennow Nancy Sandy • Jennifer Sereno Jason Stein • Tina Zavoral

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Lazy eye shifts brain wiring

By Jordan Gaal The Daily Cardinal

Amblyopia, or ‘lazy eye’, has long been thought of as a permanent feature in adults. This facial feature, where one eye is often slightly askew, is seen in both children and adults. In children it can be treated with a high success rate, but what about in adults?

This is exactly what UW-Madison psychology professor Bas Rokers wants to find out.

For high school sophomore and Wisconsin native Justin Gaal, having ‘lazy eye’ is a distant memory. Justin’s amblyopia was treated with a patch, one common form of treatment for lazy eye.

There is something different about a child’s brain that makes it easier to treat than an adult brain.

At young ages the brain is still extremely plastic. This means it can be molded very easily. Think of clay when it’s brand new. It can be molded into virtually any shape. Once the clay gets older, it dries up and becomes solid.

This is how the brain works in adults. An adult brain changes very little compared to their children. The brain becomes less plastic after the critical period, which is from birth until six years when the visual system is still developing. The brain allows for changes so it can easily develop, but this also allows for disorders such as amblyopia.

“A better way to think about lazy eye is to call it ‘bully-eye’,” said Rokers, “it’s not that one of the eyes is lazy, the good eye is actually a bully and it’s suppressing the information from the weaker eye.”

A patch is used in young chil-

Graphic by Alyssa Delloro

dren, such as Justin, to remold the brain and change the structure. The patch goes over the strong eye for a period of time.

“You’re basically trying to give the bully-eye a time-out, so it can’t do anything and it forces the lazy eye to become stronger.”

However, treatments like a patch do not work with adults.

“One thing to realize [is that] it’s a deficit in processing visual information in the brain. The eye itself is perfectly fine,” Rokers said. In adults with amblyopia this treatment is ineffective because the brain cannot be molded. If the structure that is affected by amblyopia can be identified, it could be targeted in adults with less plastic brains.

Once targeted, researchers can attempt to make this portion of the brain more “plastic.” This would allow for highly successful treatment of lazy eye in adults.

It is important to understand what a normal functioning brain is doing in order to determine what is wrong in a brain with amblyopia. A typical week in the Rokers Vision Lab includes invit-

ing patients to run tests. Not only does the lab work with patients affected by amblyopia, but also healthy individuals.

Rokers is currently a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is using this opportunity away from UW to set up a multi-site collaboration and work with a range of patients both with and without amblyopia. “About 3% of kids have amblyopia so you want to try to have as many participants in your study as possible,” Rokers said, “one way of doing that is to recruit from multiple places at the same time.”

Weeden Bauman, a first year Medical student at the University of Wisconsin and previous undergraduate researcher in Rokers’ lab, worked with patients just like Justin to test their abilities despite having had amblyopia. “During summer, I moved on to helping with an experiment on people with amblyopia to see what’s happening in their brains while they do this.”

Bauman says that it was originally thought that people with

lazy eye could not see 3-D images. His new research suggests that maybe the brain is capable of more. According to Bauman, “Individuals with amblyopia might be able to use motion cues to sense some 3-D depth perception.”

Rokers also tests the brain by placing a person in a virtual environment which simulates impossible situations. He looks to see how the brain responds to something it has never processed before, or is not physically possible. The results were surprising.

“It turns out the brain is smarter than we think it is,” Rokers said.

Justin was treated early enough for lazy eye and, today, has no symptoms. With recent research there may soon be hope for adults.

The brain is the most complicated part of the human.

Understanding its structure and functioning could lead to not only the end of amblyopia, but also other brain deficits.

“There’s still so much that we do not understand, but we are getting better.”

18 fungal proteins found to play role in spore formation

By Margaret Liu The Daily Cardinal

“We study sex in an obscure fungus,” says Dr. Christina Hull, an associate professor in UW-Madison’s biomolecular chemistry department.

This statement might cause some head-scratching upon first impression. The word “fungus” might come to mind as the mushrooms everyone picks off of their pizzas, or perhaps as something a little more annoying like athlete’s foot. In reality, Dr. Hull’s studies of fungal sex are huge breakthroughs in the understanding of serious fungal diseases like fungal meningitis.

Fungi infect humans through their spores, which are what fungi produce when they have sex. The spores enter a person’s body and germinate into yeast, and the yeast is what causes the disease.

Serious fungal diseases can have a shocking mortality rate of 50% in humans, and there is no effective way of treating such infections.

“There are some huge challenges [with treating fungal diseases],” says Hull, “because fungi are eukaryotes, human are eukaryotes, if you try and kill a fungus that’s in a human, you

often kill the human.”

“Severe fungal disease is very difficult to treat and people die from severe fungal diseases, so I’m really interested in how the basic biology of fungi [can] inform better treatments.”

To understand fungal diseases, Dr. Hull and her lab study the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, which causes fungal meningitis in humans.

Their path started when graduate student Michael Botts discovered how to purify spores in large amounts, so that they were able to break the spores down to analyze their proteins and genes. Spores are unicellular reproductive bodies that eventually become new organisms.

Spore proteins help a spore function and germinate into disease-causing yeast. Specific genes control the proteins and if a gene activates production of proteins that are involved with yeast germination, then the infected person gets sick.

In collaboration with Dr. Joshua Coon’s lab in the chemistry department, Hull and her team were able to identify 18 proteins that were potentially involved in spore germination using cuttingedge technology.

Mingwei Huang, a graduate student in Hull’s lab, deleted or “knocked out” each gene that controlled one of the proteins and observed the function of the resulting mutated fungus.

If one of the mutants didn’t turn into yeast after a gene had been knocked out, then that particular gene was an important helper for turning a spore into yeast and making it infectious.

Eventually, Hull and her team were able to find a protein that was directly involved with the process. With that protein, they hope to further understand how spores turn into yeast and apply that to make a marketable drug that could stop fungal diseases.

“One of the things we’re doing is looking for inhibitors of the germination process, so we’re in the process of doing a small molecule screen, screening tens of thousands of compounds for their ability to stop a spore,” says Hull, “Ultimately, all of those chemical tools could be germination inhibitors that you could give to patients.”

“If you were to develop one of these into a marketable drug, if germination is a process specific

to spores that humans don’t do, then if you have a drug against that, it might not be toxic to people. If [a spore] can’t [germinate], then you’re not going to be able to grow, you’re not going to be able to make anybody sick,” Hull says.

Having a drug that could prevent fungal diseases in humans would be groundbreaking, especially for immunocompromised people such as HIV/AIDS patients who are at a higher risk for fungal diseases.

It is also incredibly important in organ transplants, since patients are given drugs that suppress their immune systems. If the patients are given these preventive drugs for fungal diseases after their immune systems are shut down, then the risk of them getting sick during the surgery is drastically minimized.

The core of Hull’s research at its simplest may just seem like watching fungi having sex, but the implications and conclusions drawn from those observations matter very much to us and our health. Having a treatment for fungal diseases would be visionary in every right.

almanac dailycardinal.com

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

l

5

These indie bands forgot which albums and songs were theirs. Can you help?

Album

Artist

Hit Single

a. The Infant Baby Newborns

a. Potato Neck Tattoo

a. “Umbrellas, are for Sometimes”

b. The Garden Gnomes

b. Sideways Filing Cabinet

b. “Mayonnaise Days”

c. Control. Alt. Delete.

c. Ooff.

c. “Arf!”

d. The Underwater Thunder Dumplings

d. Icky Mirage

d. “I Shot the Deputy”

e. The Stewardesses

e. Pancreas-Football

e. “Oh, man. Oh, man.”

f. Cream Dreams

f. Fifty-Six Cheese Stix

f. “Version of Insertion”

g. The Boxcar Orphans

g. Vertical Invertigo?

g. “Hey, watch out!”

75004

Here’s what we guessed: aed, bag, cgf, dcc, efe, fdb, gba

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Just what you’d expect from a company that’s created to serve and built to perform.

Learn more about our unprecedented, award-winning performance at TIAA.org/Perform BUILT TO PERFORM. CREATED TO SERVE.

1

The Lipper Awards are based on a review of 36 companies’ 2012 and 48 companies’ 2013 and 2014 risk-adjusted performance.

The Lipper Award is given to the group with the lowest average decile ranking of three years’ Consistent Return for eligible funds over the three-year period ended 11/30/12, 11/30/13, and 11/30/14 respectively.

TIAA-CREF CREF was ranked among 36 fund companies in 2012 and 48 fund companies in 2013 and 2014 with at least five equity, five bond, or three mixed-asset portfolios. Past performance does not guarantee future results. For current performance and rankings, please visit the Research and Performance section on tiaa-cref.org. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., and Nuveen Securities, LLC, members FINRA and SIPC, distribute securities products. ©2015 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America–College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF), 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. C24849B 1

Consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. Go to tiaa-cref.org for product and fund prospectuses that contain this and other information. Read carefully before investing. TIAA-CREF funds are subject to market and other risk factors.

opinion 6

l

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

dailycardinal.com

Move into adulthood on your own time Cal Weber Opinion Columnist

I

’m currently lying on my floor, next to a bowl of mashed potatoes, while my Adele album plays in the background and I neglect all of my responsibilities. My thoughts are wandering from school stress to student loans to the fact that I eventually have to grow up one day. One crucial question crosses my mind: When do you officially become an adult?

In some cultures, a man or a woman will turn as young as 13 and officially become an adult, taking part in rituals affirming their place in society. Like the coming of age ceremony in the Apache culture in which you take part in multiple hours of dancing, prayer and lessons in selfesteem, sexuality and healing. Or turning 15 in the Baha’i culture in which you are spiritually an

adult and can start obligatory prayer and fasting. In American culture, however, we have no such thing. Instead, we try to seamlessly transition from high school to college and eventually to the workplace without trying to majorly screw anything up.

Some may argue that we officially become an adult once we graduate from high school. We have finally passed the age of 18 and can both officially drive and vote. We have the chance to enjoy the freedoms of life, live on our own, remove ourselves from the watchful eyes of our parents and decide what we want to do with the rest of our lives. In a lot of cultures, these are seen as huge responsibilities, ones that not any normal teenager would be able to handle. However, there are some things that we cannot do at the young age of 18. These include things like renting a car,

taking out loans without a cosigner, legally drinking or buying a weapon in some states. Instead, we must wait until we are 21 or even 25 in some cases.

When you finally transition past your high school years a lot of people may want to see themselves as adults. But, unless you consider “adulthood” to be eating dino chicken nuggets at three in the morning and altering your drinking habits based on how the Badgers play, that probably isn’t the case. Yes, in college you have a large amount of responsibility. You also have to worry about budgeting your time, staying involved and still remember to grocery shop so you don’t starve, but I don’t think you have yet reached the cusp of adulthood.

The dictionary defines adulthood as “having attained full size and strength,” which I hope is not the case considering I am 6’4”,

still growing, and have the physical strength of a 60-year-old man.

To me, adulthood means something different, something that strays away from any civil, professional or cultural reasoning.

Instead, I see adulthood as something more personal, something that you decide. I know that I am not ready for adulthood; I want to continue making irresponsible decisions and drinking wine on a Wednesday night when I know that I should be doing better things. I know that adulthood for me is going to come when I finally graduate from a school where I’ve had the four best years of my life and enter the workplace.

This is not to say that I won’t have more good years as an adult.

Instead, they are going to be the years where I can hunker down and focus on things like family, careers and the stock market. Whether you want to start

adulthood in your early twenties or your late forties, the decision is all yours. So, if you’re like me and have no idea who Dow Jones is and have no idea what career path you want to take, don’t fret, because maybe you haven’t quite reached adulthood yet. Conversely, if you are a stock market genius, know what a mortgage is, have names for your three children picked out and are ready for adulthood, then more power to you. Because, although we may not want to admit it, there will come a time when we have to take off our animal onesies, trade in the Capri-sun for a scotch and start that trek into the new life called adulthood.

Cal is a sophomore majoring in political science and communication arts. Do you agree with his perspective? Please send all comments, questions and concerns to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Unplug and reconnect with the world around you Samantha wilcox Opinion Columnist

F

or the first time in 33 years, the sun, moon and earth aligned perfectly in a row, bringing us a super moon total lunar eclipse. Such a rare and aweinspiring event deservedly attracted lots of hype around the world, with billions of people looking up to see the cosmic beauty.

However, something was different about this eclipse than the one that happened 33 years ago. This natural phenomenon flooded my consciousness through television, internet and social media blasts as people showcased their beautiful snapshots of this rare event.

Although it was amazing to be able to see what the moon looked like over exotic locales such as the Abu Dhabi desert or the Manhattan skyline, it made me really think about

how maybe technology has overstepped its welcome in our society.

Our world is globally connected in ways we couldn’t have dreamt of less than a century ago. With tools such the internet and, more specifically, social media, we are able to share things with people across the globe with a mere tap of the finger. However, have we become too attached to the phones that seem to be everpresent in our hands? As a college freshman, I have grown up in a world where Google was always an option. As my parents remind me frequently, I was never burdened with trips to the library or rifling through encyclopedias to obtain information. Instead, I expect the things I need to be delivered to me in less than a second.

This instant gratification that the Internet grants has fostered short attention spans in all of us, which have permeated into our everyday lives. Instead of sitting outside and watching the moon gradually eclipse, I Googled the time when the eclipse would be at its peak, and continued to do my homework until five minutes before. I didn’t have the patience to simply sit and enjoy something so grand. We have become used to our media and entertainment being short and succinct, with only the entertaining or pertinent details being presented to us. However, nature is not something that is sliced and produced to be entertaining for the masses, but instead is something raw and unedited. It is a medium that we are becoming distanced from to the point where it is no longer relatable to our fast-paced lives.

I am not claiming to be against technology. Purely while writing this article, I have toggled between tabs to research what a lunar eclipse actually is, checked my Facebook and Instagram feeds, and watched a BuzzFeed video. Technology has become such a central part of our society that we are blind to the fact that it is getting in the way of how we live our lives. Unfortunately, we are living through a screen instead of looking up and enjoying the experiences that are right in front of us. I was alarmed by how reliant I am on technology. With the chillier temperatures of fall looming in the not-so-distant future, I should be outside enjoying the final rays of sunshine. However, I am more content living vicariously through others on social media or online.

With technology’s influence on our society only increasing,

we need to make a conscious decision to push away from our phones and the Internet if we want to rekindle our relationship with nature. There are so many great things that we are missing out on; a face-to-face dinner with friends filled with laughter is so much better than an instant messaging session littered with fake “lol”s. And, a super moon eclipse is best watched without the interruptions or distractions of a bright screen in the way.

Whether it’s by leaving your phone in your room while you eat dinner or by limiting screen time all together, we can make small steps towards a more rewarding and rich lifestyle—sans tech.

Samantha is a freshman majoing in communication arts and journalism. Please send thoughts to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

The strange silence about climate change policy and the looming apocalypse Benjamin zycher Letter to the Editor

I

kid, of course: Silence is the last adjective one would use about climate policy, except with respect to such minor parameters as the actual benefits of various policy prescriptions and the actual evidence of climate impacts, about which more below.

Cacophony is more accurate, particularly with the 21st (!) Conference of the Parties looming in Paris this December, the latest climax of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Climate policy is not merely the new black; with Conference of the Parties 21 approaching, it is everything, and everything is climate policy. Thus did presidential contender Hillary Clinton justify her newfound, much delayed, but now adamant opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline: “I think that we look at the Keystone pipeline as … a distraction from important work we have to do on climate change.”

Well. Whatever the logical rigor of that statement, the larger reality is that Hillary forgot to

mention what effect Keystone XL would have on global temperatures. If we use the EPA’s own climate model and apply a set of assumptions maximizing the effect of the heavy Alberta oil: Keystone XL would increase global temperatures in 2100 by about one ten-thousandth of a degree. And so Keystone XL indeed is a distraction, but not in the sense that Hillary intended.

That will save us from Armageddon?

That failure to address the central question is characteristic of the “climate” dogma of the environmental left generally: What effect would their policy prescriptions have under assumptions most favorable to their position?

The Obama administration Climate Action Plan (a 17 percent reduction in U.S. greenhouse gas

emissions by 2020): eighteen one-thousandths of a degree by 2100. The pseudo-agreement with China, announced last November, disavowed two weeks later, supposedly now to be resurrected, but with the details left to the imagination; and so let us assume an additional 10 percent reduction by the U.S. and a 20 percent reduction

by China: two-tenths of a degree.

Let’s go wild and assume a 30 percent reduction by the rest of the industrialized world: another two-tenths of a degree. The grand total: barely more than four-tenths of a degree. Is that worth something on the order of a trillion dollars per year?

And let us not forget the latest fantasy of the environmental left: an 80 percent reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The temperature effect: about three-tenths of a degree by 2100. (As emission cuts increase, the incremental temperature effects decline.) That will save us from Armageddon?

And about that looming apocalypse: Is it not strange that the climate industry never offers actual

systematic evidence that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations are having adverse effects?

Here is a summary of the evidence, as published by government agencies, by research bodies funded by government agencies, and in the peer-reviewed literature: The temperature record is ambiguous, as is the correlation of greenhouse gas concentrations and the rate of sea-level increases.

Tornado counts and intensities are in a longterm decline.

The Arctic and Antarctic sea ice covers do not differ by a statistically significant amount from the respective 1981-2010 averages. Tornado counts and intensities are in a long-term decline. The frequency and accumulated energy of tropical

cyclones are near their lowest levels since satellite measurements began in the early 1970s.

U.S. wildfires are not correlated with the temperature record or with increases in greenhouse gas concentrations. The Palmer Drought Severity Index shows no trend since 1895. Over the last century, flooding in the United States has not been correlated with increased greenhouse gas concentrations. World per-capita food production has increased and undernourishment has decreased, both more-or-less monotonically, since 1993.

So: The climate industry never tells us what actual benefits would flow from their policy prescriptions, and they never offer actual evidence that a crisis is upon us. What does that tell you?

What do you think of Benjamin’s argument? Do you think it holds water? Or do you, by chance, think this is the most idiotic thing you have ever read?

Either way, we’d love to know what you think. Please send all relevant comments on climate change issues to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

comics dailycardinal.com

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 • 7

“...And in walked the gallery owner, totally nude.”

Today’s Sudoku

6 9

1

8 1 7 6

4 7

5 3 3 4 1 8 7 2 1 6 9 3 5 4

6 8 5 9 5 8 EASY

6 1 4 3 2 9 2 8 8 7 9 8 9 6

3 7 9

4

6

6 2 3 7 4 5 1

# 77

EASY

# 78

Future Freaks 2 9 8 1 5 4

8 3 3 7 4

2

3 6

8

7 2 1 5 8

1 9 6

9 8 7 3 8 2 9 4 7 8 1 5 3 1 8 2 3 7 3 1 6

5

6 4 8 4 6

EASY

3

6 2 1

6

1 9 9

# 79

7

6

EASY

# 80

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. # 77

6 7 4 1 8 9 5 3 2

9 2 3 6 5 7 4 1 8

8 5 1 4 2 3 9 6 7

2 3 7 5 9 1 8 4 6

5 8 6 2 3 4 7 9 1

4 1 9 8 7 6 2 5 3

3 4 8 7 6 5 1 2 9

1 6 2 9 4 8 3 7 5

7 9 5 3 1 2 6 8 4

# 78

www.sudoku.com

4 7 2 8 6 5 1 3 9

5 6 1 4 9 3 2 7 8

9 8 3 7 1 2 6 4 5

2 5 7 9 3 6 4 8 1

3 9 8 5 4 1 7 6 2

6 1 4 2 7 8 9 5 3

1 4 6 3 5 9 8 2 7

8 3 9 6 2 7 5 1 4

7 2 5 1 8 4 3 9 6

# 79

5 9 7 4 2 8 6 3 1

2 8 6 9 3 1 4 7 5

4 1 3 5 6 7 8 2 9

9 5 4 3 7 6 2 1 8

7 6 2 1 8 4 9 5 3

8 3 1 2 5 9 7 6 4

6 7 9 8 1 3 5 4 2

3 4 5 7 9 2 1 8 6

1 2 8 6 4 5 3 9 7

# 80

Page 20 of 25

4 6 2 1 5 9 3 7 8

3 7 5 2 8 4 1 6 9

8 9 1 6 3 7 4 5 2

1 5 3 4 2 8 6 9 7

9 2 7 5 1 6 8 4 3

6 8 4 7 9 3 5 2 1

2 4 6 3 7 1 9 8 5

5 3 9 8 4 2 7 1 6

7 1 8 9 6 5 2 3 4

24 Jul 05

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS 1 Recipe abbreviation 5 Loose, as a gem 10 “Catholic” and “cynic” endings 14 Geometry solution, sometimes 15 Baker’s tool 16 Dinner or lunch, e.g.

17 Arrange in stacks 18 Type of wrench 19 Olympic skater Kulik 20 Where to find couch potatoes 22 Tiny apple fancier 24 Kind of skates 27 Onetime tadpole 28 “Kapow!”

30 MasterCard alternative, familiarly 31 Frolicking aquatic animals 34 Bark sharply 35 Command for Capt. Kirk 36 Fabled moralist 37 Baltimore’s McHenry 39 Burrowing creatures 42 Eyelid inflammation 43 Ingredients in lotions 45 Seed’s outer covering 47 Entered a race

By John Adams graphics@dailycardinal.com

© Puzzles by Pappocom

2

4

Dig it!

48 Adversaries 50 Ship of Columbus 51 Consultants, at heart?

52 Sweeping, as a story 53 In need of iron, perhaps 55 Military supplies 58 Fur capitalist of note 61 Attendee 62 Hands-up times?

65 Missile “house” 66 Go on the warpath, verbally 67 Ark contents 68 One-Adam-12, for one 69 Pretending interest in a Picasso, e.g.

70 Internet communications company 71 This puzzle’s theme DOWN 1 Dancing-shoe attachments 2 Con ___ (vigorously) 3 Feature of much therapy 4 Song of joyful praise 5 Springsteen’s birthplace, in song 6 Lowest score 7 Incredibly easy to understand

8 “... happily ___ after” 9 Held to its full time, in music 10 Copies 11 Like spy tapes?

12 Post office supply 13 Kill, as a dragon 21 Cole___ (side dish) 23 Smidgen 25 Priest at a mosque 26 Detective Wolfe 28 Overwhelmingly 29 Garlicky mayonnaise 32 Flush preceder 33 All in 38 Social event in a Carroll novel 40 “___ go bragh” 41 Cosecant’s opposite 44 Not needing to diet 46 Himalayan holy man 49 Perfumer’s expertise 54 Magazine monthly 55 Indian tourist locale 56 Jet engine noise 57 Sheltered and secluded place 59 Varied mixture 60 Deteriorates 63 Fuzzy side of leather 6 4 Memorable shell seller

By Joel Cryer graphics@dailycardinal.com

Sports Sports

wednesday, September 30, 2015 Dailycardinal.com DailyCardinal.com

Men’s Soccer

Badgers seek first home win of the year

By Jason Braverman The daily cardinal

The Badgers (1-1-0 Big Ten, 2-6-0 overall) will close out their threegame homestand Wednesday still searching for their first win in Madison this season.

To do that, they’ll have to beat in-state rival Green Bay (0-11 Horizon, 1-5-2) for the third straight time. All time, the series is tied at 18-18-1, dating back to the 1977 season.

While the atmosphere may not be as big of a factor as it was last match when the 1995 national championship-winning team was honored pregame in a nationally televised game, the in-state matchup always makes for an intense environment.

The rivalry took a rare year off in 2013, but the Badgers and Phoenix have faced each other nearly every season for the past 38 years. In 19 contests held in Madison at the McClimon Soccer Complex, the Badgers hold a 12-7 edge.

Wisconsin was shut out

through its first three home contests, but was able to get on the board in a losing effort against No. 11 Maryland Sunday. In the 4-1 loss, sophomore forward Tom Barlow, who tied for the team lead in goals in his first year with the team, scored his first goal of the season.

The Phoenix have struggled to find the back of the net this year as well, scoring just two goals through eight contests, including a streak of five consecutive games in which they have been shut out. Junior midfielder Audi Jepson, who led the conference in scoring last year, has accounted for both Green Bay goals, with senior forward Cheenuj Shong the only other Phoenix to land on the score sheet.

The Badgers fell into an early 2-0 hole against the Terrapins their last time out, but managed to stay close throughout, registering nine shots and six corner kicks. Yet, the lopsided deficit could serve as a wakeup call for

a young team still trying to find its stride.

“Maryland is a good team and you’ve got to give them credit for that performance. I don’t think they were that many goals better than us,” senior midfielder Drew Conner said after the loss. “Still, I definitely think it’s a reality check.

Playing a top-ranked team like that, we got exposed in a lot of areas and we know what we need to work on in training.”

To rebound, the Badgers will need to turn in a stronger defensive performance. During its two-game winning streak, Wisconsin was able to hold the opposition to just one goal, a span that helped earn sophomore goalie Adrian Remeniuk Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. However in their past two contests against SIUE and Maryland, the Badgers have conceded six goals.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Wednesday night at the McClimon Soccer Complex.

Saturday’s clash with Alabama pivotal for Georgia’s Mark Richt zach rastall make it rasty

O

n the surface, one look at Mark Richt’s résumé as head coach at Georgia would make you think he belongs in the discussion of the best coaches in college football.

Richt, now in his 15th season with the Bulldogs, has compiled a 140-48 record, an 80-34 mark in SEC play and two conference championships during his tenure.

His résumé rivals all but a handful of coaches, so why isn’t Richt’s name thrown around in the discussion of great college football coaches? The easy answer is the most glaring omission on his résumé, a national championship, but there’s more to it than that.

While Georgia has cemented its status as one of the SEC’s top programs, its failure to bring home college football’s most coveted prize is a black mark on Richt’s career, but it’s not the only reason why he’s caught the ire of a contingent of Georgia fans. The Bulldogs seem unable to win when the stakes are at their highest (or at least that’s how they’re perceived by some) and have become infamous over the past few years for losing at least one game per season against inferior opponents.

Since 2008, Georgia is just 14-21 against top-25 competition and 5-12 in games played against teams ranked in the top 10. And over the last two years, the Bulldogs have lost a total of seven games to teams that were either ranked lower than them or weren’t ranked at all. Most frustrating of all for Georgia fans, the Bulldogs failed to win the SEC East (a far easier task than conquering the unforgiving gauntlet that is the SEC West), despite

the fact that they entered both seasons as clear favorites to win the division.

The frustrating close calls and inexplicable losses are an obvious detriment to Richt’s legacy, which is why this Saturday’s game against the team that has been perhaps the greatest source of agony in Athens over the past decade, Alabama, is of such importance to Richt and his team.

The Crimson Tide have thwarted two of Georgia’s best chances at a national title under Richt. In 2008, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 heading into the season and got off to a 4-0 start.

However, Alabama rolled into Athens and took a commanding 31-0 lead at halftime on its way to a 41-30 victory that derailed Georgia’s dreams of a national championship and set the tone for a disappointing 10-3 season for the Bulldogs.

Four years later, the two teams met in the 2012 SEC Championship Game with a spot in the BCS National Championship Game hanging in the balance.

The Bulldogs led 28-25 early in the fourth quarter, but Alabama would take a 32-28 lead with 3:15 remaining.

Georgia would later get one final drive to save its national title hopes, but an Aaron Murray pass toward the end zone in the waning seconds was caught by Chris Conley, who was brought down just five yards shy as the final seconds ticked away and the clock struck zero.

It’s a game that surely still haunts both Richt and Georgia fans to this day, but an opportunity awaits Saturday to shift the national narrative surrounding himself and his team.

The Bulldog offense features one of the nation’s top running backs in Nick Chubb and quarterback Greyson Lambert who

has completed all but two of his passes over the last two games.

Meanwhile, Alabama’s loss to Ole Miss a couple weeks back has the Tide entering Saturday’s contest as the underdog, ending a record 72-game streak where they were favored to win.

Alabama is still ranked No. 13 and will present a formidable challenge to No. 8 Georgia. But with the game being played at Sanford Stadium, the pressure is on Richt and the Bulldogs to exorcise the demons that have haunted the program for nearly a decade by fending off the Tide.

Of course, beating Alabama is no small task. The Crimson Tide are 17-7 against opponents ranked in the top 10. This year’s team has clear issues at quarterback, but the thought of Alabama starting 0-2 in SEC play is almost unfathomable. This is a program that’s gone 7-1 in conference play in each of the last four seasons and has lost more than two SEC games in a single year only one time in the last seven seasons.

However, Alabama is in an unusually vulnerable position, and it’s up to the Bulldogs to capitalize on the opportunity at hand.

A win Saturday by itself won’t change anything for Georgia, but its path to the SEC Championship Game and a potential berth gets a whole lot easier if it can down Alabama.

Another loss to Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide will only increase the discontent among fans that have become fed up with Richt.

A clash between SEC heavyweights is looming, and the stakes couldn’t be much higher for Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Do you think this Saturday’s game is pivotal to Mark Richt’s legacy? Are the Bulldogs a legitimate national title contender?

Let Zach know at zach.rastall@ dailycardinal.com.

jessi schoville/cardinal file photo

The Badgers cap off a three-game homestand Wednesday against rival Green Bay. Wisconsin is still looking for its first home win of the season.

NBA Basketball

Milwaukee Bucks begin practice at the Kohl Center

By Lorin Cox The daily cardinal

“Our goal is to be a state team, not just a Milwaukee team.”

Bucks head coach Jason Kidd put it simply when asked about why his team is practicing in Madison this week. They are making the Kohl Center their home in an effort to come together as a team and reach out to the greater Wisconsin community.

Practicing and living in the capital for a week is a different environment from what the Bucks are used to.

“When you’re at home, everybody kind of goes their separate ways once they’re out of practice, but here, everybody’s in the hotel, everybody’s right there,” center Greg Monroe explained. “It’s definitely fun being here, being away.

It’s helping us focus more.”

Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan was generous enough to let the team use his team’s facilities, and he spent a lot of time talking to the players and coaches at practice Monday. He and Kidd in particular talked for a good portion of the session.

“I had to thank him for having us here,” Kidd said. “He liked the way the guys worked.

He was great.”

It was an even more memorable reunion for one Milwaukee Buck, Marcus Landry, who was one of Bo Ryan’s Badgers from 2005 to 2009.

Landry bounced around the basketball world for the last six years, but now with the Bucks, he found his way back to Madison.

“To find myself back on this court again with all these colors around me - my favorite color red - and then to see Bo Ryan back on the sidelines, it’s unexplainable. It leaves me speechless,” Landry said.

He and Ryan were able to catch up and reminisce in the gym Monday, and Landry knows how valuable their connection is.

“He’s always been there for me,” Landry said. “He’s been there for me in some very important situations in my life after college as well, so I’m really appreciative of him.”

Landry and Ryan provide a nice connection between the Bucks and the Badgers. The Milwaukee team really seems to appreciate the opportunity they have to spend this time in Madison together. It’s going a long way toward making the Bucks a state team as they continue to look toward the future.