The Wake, Issue 9, Spring 2014

vol. 13 | issue 9 March 13 - March 30

Unknown, Underfunded, Underappreciated p. 11-14 Q&A: Russian Circles’ Brian Cook p. 16-17 All My Relations Gallery p. 19

©2013 The Wake Student Magazine.

All rights reserved.

Established in 2002, The Wake is a fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced by and for the students of the University of Minnesota.

The Wake is published with support from Generation Progress/Center for American Progress (online at www.genprogress.org).

Production Production Manager

Editorial Editor-in-Chief

Sondra Vine

Alyssa Bluhm

Graphic Designers

Managing Editor

Sondra Vine, Eric Berry, Kelsey Schwartz, Brittany Long

Art Director

Sam Gordon

Web Assistant Brittany Long

Business Manager Cooper Henckel

The Wake was founded by Chris Ruen and James DeLong.

the purpose of the Wake is to provide a forum in which students can voice their opinions. opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or university as a whole. to join the conversation email abluhm@wakemag.org.

Whats Inside?

Underappreciated Departments p. 11-14

Justin Miller

Studets Talk Safety p. 5

Q&A: Russian Circles' Brian Cook p. 16-17

Cities Editor

Refusing Rejection p.6

All My Relations Gallery p.19

Military Might p.7

Remastering a Masterpiece p. 20

Bruce Ferguson

Staring Across the Sea p.8

Treading North p. 21

Sound & Vision Editor

The Death Toll on the Roads p. 9

3 Reviews p. 22

Sara Glesne Courtney Bade

Getting Political p. 10

Events Calendar p. 23

Grace Birnstengel

Voices Editor

Kelcie McKenney

Web Editor

www.wakemag.org

DISCLAIMER

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee p. 4

Sam Lindsay

Social Media Manager

The Wake Student Magazine 126 Coffman Memorial Union 300 Washington Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

Online Editor Lauren Cutshall

Faculty Advisor Shayla Thiel-Stern

Distributors Shawna Stennes Morgan Jensen Sara Glesne

This Issue Cover Artist Hailey Enge

Photographers Hailey Enge, Sam Lindsay, Zach Simon

Illustrators Sam Lindsay, Lianna Matt, Peter Mariutto, Nick Theis, Jennifer Yelk Contributing Writers Courtney Bade, Grace Birnstengel, Aaron Bolton, Kirsten Erickson, Bruce Ferguson-Augustus, Sara Glesne, Aidan Hutt, Haley Madderom, Peter Mariutto, Lianna Matt, Justin Miller, Zach Simon, Nick Theis, Alex Van Abbema, Shengying Zhao

Letter from the Editor: In our time at the U of M, there’s one thing we’ve certainly learned about ourschool: it’s a behemoth.

This is true of the campus and facilities themselves, but more important for the roving academic mind, it’s reflected by the daunting list of majors and minors that we scroll through each time we register for class.

Whether you’re working on your psych thesis right now, or you’re just finishing out your first and still-veryundecided year of college, it’s worth digging in the course offerings.

For example, history majors, were you aware that you can minor in medieval studies? Or for those Midwest-

erners among us of Slavic descent that you can still take Russian and Polish language courses at the U (at least for the foreseeable future, as these departments’ staff and budgets continue to dwindle).

So, when it comes time to open registration, consider taking a plunge into a lesser known course. Psych 1001 and anthro will still be waiting as a solid back-up next semester, but these more obscure disciplines can only survive if we keep exploring them.

Sara Glesne Sound & Vision Editor

13:9

Cities Wake Up And Smell The Coffee

Espresso Expose is overlooked and right in front of our noses

By Zach Simon

Venti, Northern Lite Cooler, Pumpkin Spice Latte. Aside from being stereotypical “white girl words,” these are the words made recognizable by the Caribous and Starbucks of the world. Walking into a local business like Espresso Expose, located on the prominent corner of Washington and Harvard Street, you will find a nearly identical menu (aside from minor discrepancy in size naming and specialties), yet this niche coffee house has been suffering from a lack of

To help promote themselves within the community without shoving themselves down the public’s collective throat like aforementioned shops, Espresso Expose has started hosting “Expo Nights.”

These nights are an initiative that allow three baristas to create three specific original drinks and sell them in smaller quantities at cheaper prices. This is to ensure that attendees try all three creations and to give customers a sense that they are involved in the coffee house.

foot traffic as of late.

It is a bit of a head-scratcher. With such a prime East Bank location and a hole-in-the-wall atmosphere that would seemingly appeal to many cultured Minnesota natives, one would think the Expo would be beating away the bloodshot-eyed, morning-zombie masses with both arms and probably a leg or two. Yet, there seems to be a tower full of obstacles in the way.

One major obstacle lies in a means of comfort. People these days are incredibly comfortable with household names like Starbucks and Caribou. Nothing beats those 8 a.m. killers quite like grabbing a quick, delicious cup of energy made exactly how you like it from any one of the multitude (three on the East Bank alone) of Starbucks around campus. People don’t like change; there really is not any great incentive for them to switch over to a local shop like the Expo.

Convenience is also a factor. When a large majority of the Expo’s regulars come from Moos Tower pedestrians, it has become a tough choice to leave the comfort of the pleasant Moos climate to brave a harsh Minnesota winter morning, even if it is only 200 feet away across the street.

Despite the prime locale of Espresso Expose, one cannot also deny the convenience of a Starbucks within the student union, the warm and comfortably placed Caribou in the Moos Tower tunnel system, or the Starbucks right across the street from the Expo on Washington. The Starbucks in Lind Hall is even more of a temptress. It’s hard to study in peace without being seduced by a tall, dark, extra shot of espresso.

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Guests are allowed to vote at the end of the night on their favorite drink that was offered, and that concoction may just show up as a special or a regular item on the menu if the response was favorable.

“There is a strong emphasis on supporting small businesses at the Expo as they believe it is a much more worthwhile place for students (and faculty) to spend their time and money.”

According to Sam Lewis, manager of Espresso Expose, the first Expo Night held at the beginning of February sold more than 80 drinks in about an hour and a half. This, compared to regular sales, made a night-and-day difference. The Expo is also planning to team up with Voices Merging, the largest open mic group in Minnesota, to provide open mic nights either combined or in tandem with these Expo Nights to further boost enthusiasm for the small java shop.

Lewis was more than happy to sit down and shed a little light on the cloudy days the Expo is currently facing. He aspires to “bring pride

ZACH SIMON

back to local business” as community-based organizations like the Expo struggle in the current economic state.

There is a strong emphasis on supporting small businesses at the Expo as they believe it is a much more worthwhile place for students (and faculty) to spend their time and money.

Lewis has been working at the Expose for close to three years now and describes the Expo’s workforce as similar to its own little community within the campus.

Lewis illustrated this with heart-warming anecdotes how staff are friendly to each other and the relationships reach out past work. For Thanksgiving this year, the employees put on their own self-proclaimed “Orphan Thanksgiving” so that no one would be alone during the holidays. Lewis even mentioned that it was his first time making a Thanksgiving turkey and he was so relieved when nobody was killed in the process. Events like these create a greater sense of community for some people as living within the University campus, one can sometimes feel like a speck of dust floating through a vast ocean.

From fair trade beans at The Roastery in Uptown to Purple Onion hallmark pastries, being able to pass on these values of “local” and “community” togetherness is a commendable goal for any business and is worth checking out.

CITIES Students Talk Safety

Safety Town Hall Meeting gave students a chance to voice their safety concerns directly to administration

By Haley Madderom

Groggy students in sweats crawled out of their cocoons while active student group members tucked in their shirts and laced their shoes to pile into Murphy Hall for the Student Safety Town Hall meeting Feb. 26. President Eric Kaler meandered down the aisles, greeting everyone and looking a bit tired. The U’s tireless focus on safety issues isn’t going to melt with the snow.

Vice President Pam Wheelock and Vice Provost and Dean of Students Danita Brown-Young were additionally present as panelists. It was a fairly small yet energetic crowd, filling up about half of the seats.

President Kaler kicked off the discussion emphasizing his commitment to increasing safety in the university community, preventing racial profiling, and ensuring that the U intends to crack down on the “thugs and criminals” targeting students. However, he made it clear that these “thugs,” you know, those people that anonymously haunt University buildings and street corners, are not the only issue here. Responsibility for safety needs to come from students as well.

Wheelock outlined the administration’s plan to increase awareness of safety issues on campus, reshape campus security infrastructure, and amp up law enforcement in the community. This includes lighting up pathways, broadening camera surveillance, improving building security, collaborating with city police, and increasing the number of Campus Walk student officers and Gopher Chauffeur cars and drivers.

Johanna Lucht, a member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Student Ambassador Program, brought up the difficulties that she and her friends who are deaf or hard of hearing face in working with Campus Walk. She explained that 624WALK is not text accessible.

Johanna explained how requests to make campus safety resources more accessible varied dramatically among programs. “Gopher Chauffer got second phone numbers available for deaf and hard of hearing students only [within a month],” Lucht said. “They can send a text to that number where a dispatcher will read them and send the ride. It has taken 624-WALK three years and the issue is still not solved.”

As a consequence, she must rely on hearing persons for help, which is a legitimate safety concern. Despite her multiple requests for this service, she has received poor communication and little has resulted from their interaction so far.

She stated that she believes there is a lack of effort and as a result, she said, “These students don’t feel safe.” Despite her disappointment, Lucht is determined to see this issue solved as soon as possible for future students.

officers or the broader community that treat black males differently and how that should be addressed.

President Kaler responded by apologizing and promising to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

There will be $4.1 million dollars reallocated to safety improvements for this fiscal year, according to Vice President Wheelock. In addition, many services are available to students through the Office of Student Affairs if they are victims of a crime. Essential classroom items may be replaced for students at no cost, counseling services are provided, and self-defense classes should be coming soon for all students.

Ross Harrison, member of Co-Lab, a student group on campus currently sponsoring the Crime Innovation Contest, asked the panel for their thoughts on his UBand product as a campus safety initiative to highly restrict access to campus buildings from community members that do not have identification.

Harrison describes the UBand as a silicon wristband with a chip, indicating the identity of individual students and faculty, which would allow them wireless, non-contact access to buildings with a simple scan of the wrist. As buildings are beginning to switch to wireless access, he believes that this is an invaluable safety tool that would encourage continuous campus lockdown.

President Kaler responded in saying that racial profiling is undoubtedly something that happens. “Crime alerts are designed to give timely, useful descriptions of suspects. It makes me angry that members of our community of color are facing this. [Officers aim to] police behavior, not race.”

Keep an eye out for the next Student Safety Town hall meeting—this discussion is far from over.

“Students will feel more safe in class knowing the doors surrounding them are locked and no one that shouldn’t be in there will get in,” Harrison said.

Vice President Wheelock expressed mixed feelings toward the idea of campus lockdown as not all faculty and staff have UCards with wireless-access chips. In addition, Wheelock said, “We are very open,” and it is important to find a balance to allow both public and restricted access.

SAM LINDSAY

Amber Jones, President of the Black Student Union, asked the panel if they could discuss the issues that students of color brought to the forefront last semester.

Vice President Wheelock said that it is difficult to punish or focus on groups that racially profile because we must ask ourselves whether it is the

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5.

Cities Refusing Rejection

Magazine Club cracks open the door into the competitive industry

By Lianna Matt

While some people may feel like the magazine industry is a sinking ship that only the delusional willingly climb aboard, the job market (at least according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics) is still as constant as it has ever been—and it has always been competitive. That is why mass communication Ph.D. student Chelsea Reynolds and political science and English senior Emily Den Boer started the University of Minnesota’s Magazine Club.

As opposed to The Wake Magazine or The Minnesota Daily, which provide aspiring journalists experience, Magazine Club focuses more on professional networking, a niche that according to its presidents, Reynolds and Den Boer, the University was missing.

“There wasn’t that connecting piece between ‘this is what I’ve written, and this is where I want to work,’” said Boer.

In its inaugural year, the club has directed its focus on internships as everyone who wants to enter the magazine industry—or any industry—needs them. “Internships, I would argue, are the most important part of your entire college experience. I learned a lot from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, but I think if I had never done any internships, I wouldn’t have made the connections that would have gotten me my job,” Taylor Selcke, graduate of the U of M and assistant editor at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine said.

Selcke also said that for Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s internships, around 50 to 70 people apply in the summer and 30 to 40 apply during each school semester—and there are only four or five internships open each season. Needless to say, getting an internship is easier said than done.

Although the task seems daunting, Magazine Club is tackling it with guns blazing. So far, the Magazine Club has used its affiliation with the Minnesota Magazine and Publishing Association (MMPA) to provide its members with the best opportunities to network and to learn more about what employers are looking for.

In the fall, the club was able to hold a Q&A luncheon with three people from the local magazine industry’s Mpls.

St.Paul Magazine, Greenspring Media, and the Industrial Fabric Association International. This spring, Magazine Club

6. march 13 - march 30

is holding a workshop where both presidents as well as an industry representative will help improve and tailor members’ resumes and cover letters. As a finale for this year, the Magazine Club is invited to the MMPA’s spring conference where they will be able to participate in professional workshops and work on creating networks. “[MMPA] is hosting it on our campus, for us,” Reynolds said.

Even with the great opportunities that seem to be emerging with the Magazine Club, there is no getting around the fact that applicants far outnumber the internships available. However, when sophomore Emily Chang talks about her experience, hope emerges. Magazine Club officer Chang has already had two internships and is a contributing writer to the online magazine L’etoile.

“A lot of my friends weren’t even looking at internships because they all thought no one would hire freshmen, but I didn’t care about that,” Chang said. By researching the companies she wanted to work for, creating a target resume and cover letter, and having a portfolio of her own writing and a blog, Chang was able to email the organizations with a polished image of herself.

employers to think, ‘She hasn’t been published, but she should be,’” Chang said.

The state of the magazine industry can be told through Reynolds’s own experiences. “When I was interning, I sent out dozens and dozens of applications, and I got rejected for most of them,” Reynolds said. “Eventually I got hired at some. I ended up working at places like Better Homes and Garden and Men’s Health without really realizing that that’s just the name of the game—that you will get rejected.”

Magazine Club is not only polishing up its members for employment, but it is also unveiling the competitive industry to test whether they truly want to fight for their dream.

“There was a turning point where I [knew] it was going to be hard, but I didn’t want to spend my life doing something I didn’t want to do,” said Den Boer. “Even if I failed, I wanted to be able to say I loved doing that thing even if it were just for two or three years. I think you can’t be afraid of [failure].”

Chang makes getting an internship seem easy, but the portfolio and the research she put into her application was imperative. Part of Magazine Club’s goal is to drive home the idea of being as involved and immersed as possible into the magazine realm to really have a chance at it.

“Looking back on [my first internship application], no wonder [Tiger Oak] didn’t hire me at the end of my sophomore year,” Boer said. One of the ways both Den Boer and Chang filled their portfolios was by writing personal anecdotes or blog posts to show their interviewers. “You don’t need to be published by anyone; build your own portfolio. You want the

LIANNA MATT

VOICES Military Might Are we only as strong as our defense budget?

By Justin Miller

As U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower left office more than 50 years ago, he warned of the perils of maintaining the unprecedented levels of our military might: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

“Through times of peace and through times of conflict, there’s always one thing you can count on in the United States: military spending being a budgetary behemoth.”

At that time, U.S. military spending hovered around $400 billion (inflation-adjusted). Throughout the years—the conflict in Vietnam, the Reagan era, and the beginning of the “War on Terror” to today—that number has continu-

ously risen to the level it’s at today: $650 billion. Through times of peace and through times of conflict, there’s always one thing you can count on in the United States: defense spending being a budgetary behemoth.

So naturally, there was a big ole’ hullabaloo when in recognition of our times of government “austerity,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel released a budget proposal that would shrink the size of the U.S. Army to pre-World War II levels— from the post-9/11 levels of 570,000 to 450,000 troops.

Sure, that may be juicy fodder for sensational headlines, but what does it really mean? It’s actually not a very surprising move for two reasons. First, it is a stark reflection of the imposed military spending cap of about $500 billion for 2015.

Second, ground troops are old news. We no longer live in the days of trench warfare and giant land-based wars. Rather, we are in a new age of warfare where the infantryman is replaced with the drone, frontlines with hyper-localized precision strikes, and the notion of “winning” with not “not losing.”

When Secretary Hagel released the proposal, it shed light on not only the future of the U.S. military, but on where its allegiances are. We are shifting to a military that will be driven by more technology and less troops. Troop levels can get cut without much concern (except from the media for a news cycle or two). What would’ve been more relevant was if research and development spending took a hit. Why? The “unwarranted acquisition of unwarranted influence… by the military-industrial complex,” of course.

The powerful defense sector has contributed about $200 million to candidates and committees since 1990, spending

an all-time high of nearly $28 million for the 2012 elections. Still, that’s nothing compared with what the defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrup Grumman spend on lobbying Congress for lucrative defense contracts; the industry spend almost $140 million on lobbying efforts in 2013 alone. In 1998, they only spent about $60 million. You weren’t kidding, were you Ike? Now with our Congress’s defense hawks alike crying foul because they claim these proposed cuts will decimate our military might. “What we’re trying to do is solve our financial problems on the backs of our military, and that can’t be done,” warned Republican Howard McKeon, the House Armed Services Committee chairman. “We are on a path to repeat the mistakes we’ve made during past attempts to cash in on expected peace dividends that never materialized and caused our allies to question America’s staying power and encouraged our enemies to test us,” Florida Senator and presidential hopeful Marco Rubio contended.

C’mon guys, don’t be so melodramatic and cut the trite talking points. These proposed cuts are primarily symbolic; they are a drop in the Pentagon budgetary bucket and have no bearings on national security. It’s simply a confirmation of a shift in military strategy that’s been in the works for years and is veiled as political willingness to cut defense spending like everything else. Clever, yet insignificant.

To truly understand the outright absurdity of our defense spending, we need to move away from the inbred clusterfuck of U.S. political theater. Let’s start with the commonly cited fact that the U.S. spends more on defense than the next 13 countries combined. Impressive, but we already knew that. That’s just American exceptionalism, right?

Instead, it might help to do a bit of inward reflection on our nation’s priorities. What better reflects those values than money? At $813 billion, Social Security is our nation’s largest mandatory spending obligation. Medicare is $504 billion; $392 billion for welfare assistance; $267 billion for Medicaid.

You know, the stuff that keeps people alive and whatnot.

Despite what many delirious folks might think, defense spending is not mandatory spending. It is easy to see where the confusion comes from, though, given that defense consumes 20 percent of our federal budget. When compared to its discretionary ilk, just picture those diagrams in elementary school that compare the sun with all the other measly planets. We pour more into defense than all other discretionary spending combined, including those unimportant things like education, the environment, and transportation.

SAM LINDSAY

The proposed cuts are exactly that—proposed. Even if they do go through, it’s just a minor chip in the armor that protects our government’s priority: feeding the hungry beast of defense.

This is what happens when we let industry influence priority.

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VOICES Staring Across the Sea

A Chinese international student’s perspective of Americans

By Shengying Zhao China and the United States have long had a love-hate relationship, rooted in decades of ideological differences and government distortion. China’s snapshot of America has evolved, but still sees Americans falling somewhere between ally and rival, revealing a diversity of perspective often ignored in American media.

As a Chinese student, my undergraduate experience in the U.S. made me more clear and firm on what I want to do and who I want to be, and I no longer avoid facing my uncertain future. Ultimately, my experience in the U.S. has transformed me from negatively accepting what had been offered to positively striving for life-changing opportunities.

However, that is not to say that the Chinese don’t have divided opinions on America. They have increasingly held reservations about relations with the United States on a large number of issues. Growing disparities between China’s rich and poor has given rise to an aversion to excessive market force and material worship, which they think America represents. The U.S. is the world’s leading economic power, according to the Chinese.

There is prevalence of outside confidence among Americans in its own excelling: being the No.1 nation around the globe.

They generally have high self-esteem and are adventurous.

Some Americans feel superior and don’t care or even bother to know about the outside world. Americans’ casual way of dressing is a dead giveaway that they are from America.

T-shirts and sweatshirts with cynical or bold slogans can also reveal that they are Americans.

Americans tend to fearlessly express their opinions and the conversation keeps going by other engagement; Chinese students don’t speak unless they think their opinions are mature so they remain silent during discussion.

The Chinese are, however, willing to learn from Americans.

In fact, the U.S. is the No.1 destination for the Chinese sending their children studying abroad. Yet, the official percep-

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tion of America can be very different from average citizens, especially for those well-educated, middle or higher class and younger Chinese, who contrast with the government’s position on many issues. They are young, vibrant, optimistic, and not anti-American.

Many Chinese admire aspects of America’s soft power, including U.S. scientific and technological progress and the American model of democracy. The yearning for pluralism in China is especially high because of the one-party rule.

Therefore, a rising number of Chinese believe the spread of American ideas and customs can bring about that pluralism.

Seeing this country from my own perspective, I broke many old stereotypes of Americans after I came to the U.S. They are not so bad at math. Their lives aren’t centered on rampant party and illicit drugs. They work hard and they volunteer and have several part-time jobs. Even so, they tend to treat their problems with a relaxed attitude. They are mainly concerned with the process of education, not just the end outcome.

Americans do talk loud in the restaurants. Somehow, my Chinese English teachers said that Americans were very quiet while they eat. Americans are never miserly in giving compliments—“You are amazing!” and “awesome” may simply be encouragement rather than actual admiration.

engagement; Chinese students don’t speak unless they think their opinions are mature so they remain silent during discussion. I found American students feel awkward and uncomfortable with silence so they reduce silence actively by speaking out, while Chinese students are ambivalent. In class, there is nothing taboo to say, and many discussions are formed around sensitive topics. And this free discussion is connected to another aspect of American college education that I particularly like—the liberal arts education.

Liberal education is aimed at cultivating a student’s character as well as broadening their knowledge of subjects that have no direct connections with their professions. The college students in China don’t have many options to register for the liberal arts courses that they are interested in, because the number and space of those classes are overtly outnumbered by the number of students. Also, the curriculum is more pragmatic and directs at one peculiar profession than preparing students to become well-rounded citizens.

The problem associated with this teaching style is the narrowness in students’ habits of thinking.

There are many aspects of American society that I think my country could learn from. The first is multiculturalism. The United States has elected an African-American president.

Living in the U.S. allows me to develop new perspectives on minority rights, abortion debates, and legalization of samesex marriage. I feel America is a salad society, where each group retains a distinctive flavor but blends together to make up one diversified society.

In contrast, China emphasizes homogeneity, and people may be less welcoming toward outsiders in heterogeneous settings, as in many contexts in the United States. As a country of little racial diversity, China’s majority ethnicity group, the Han, is non-racist in the sense that most are unaware of other ethnicities and care little about it.

I also found that students here have more opportunities to express their thinking. Americans tend to fearlessly express their opinions and the conversation keeps going by other

JENNIFER YELK

VOICES The Death Toll on the Roads Three Minneapolis cyclists die in car crashes over last year. What gives?

By Sara Glesne

On my bike commute to the University of Minnesota I often turn my head at the intersection of the Greenway’s light rail trail and south 24th Street. There is a makeshift sign on a wooden pole there that shouts in blue painted lettering “ELYSE!” at passersby.

I never knew Elyse Stern, who the sign was made for after she died in a bike collision with a car just after bar-close last April. I also never knew Marcus Nalls, who died on Feb. 4 after his body was dragged off the road under driver John Iverson’s van. A digital breath test that police gave Iverson after the crash registered his blood-alcohol content at 0.27 — almost three times over the legal limit of 0.08.

While I didn’t know Stern or Nalls personally, friends invited me to bike rides memorializing their deaths. The Minneapolis cycling community has the power to support one another and gather in times of mourning, but it has to use that power to mobilize and change this city’s concept of bike safety.

Along with Stern and Nalls, cyclist Jessica Holmes was also killed last year. She had been riding down 28th Street, a oneway traffic artery that some have criticized as dangerous and outdated for today’s traffic, when a speeding car with its lights off ran a stop sign and killed her.

Stern, Nalls, and Holmes were all between 26 and 28 years old. Their deaths in bike-car collisions would not have been acceptable at any age. According to a 2011 report released by the City of Minneapolis on bike collisions in Minnesota, the majority of cyclists injured in bike accidents with vehicles were under age 24.

age of crashes have become from 1993 to 2012.

That news is great incentive to encourage more cyclists, both recreational and commuters, to get out on the road. But, we also can’t dismiss cyclist deaths in recent years as just casualties of car culture. We have to do something about them.

STEPS FORWARD The Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, a non-profit organization that advocates bike safety, kept records of some changes made in 2011. These include the addition of bike lanes on Franklin Avenue in the Seward neighborhood, bike lanes downtown on three major streets, and Minneapolis’ first Open Streets event, in which part of Lyndale Avenue South was blocked off for pedestrian and cyclist use only.

While our city is taking small steps toward safer roads for cyclists, a look around the world provides some more inspiring, and often more radical, ideas.

For example, Bogotá, Colombia has hosted a car-free day since 2000. While some major throughways and highways remained open to car traffic, Feb. 6-13 marked Bogotá’s first car-free week.

More impressive and more enduring, the Dutch have infrastructure designed to minimize bicyclists’ injuries and deaths. This includes separates bike lanes, bike-specific traffic lights, bike highways, and yield signs that result in one of the lowest bike injury rates in the world, roughly a

PETER MARIUTTO

fifth of bicycle fatalities in the U.S. Redesigning intersections with bike and pedestrian safety in mind should be a top priority for Minneapolis. City planners could take cues from the City of Minneapolis report, instead of leaving the burden of responsibility solely on bike riders.

While the installation of the Greenway bike trail beneath a stretch of south Minneapolis roads has helped, improving bicycle safety conditions on major traffic arteries could be another way to bring down bike fatality and crash rates. One way to do this would be installing more bicycle lanes where there is space for them.

Maybe it is because I am stubborn, or maybe it’s because I’m a winter cyclist who has been forced to ride main arteries when the snow and ice gets too thick, but I do not believe in the logic of discouraging cyclists to bike on these main streets. It is the same flawed argument that I have heard some major news outlets employ when they glorify cyclists who wear helmets while indirectly blaming cyclists who did not for their death or injury. That sort of conversation distracts from the real issue—reckless and dangerous driving—by placing the blame on the wrong party.

I am not saying that some cyclists do not make foolish decisions that could result in injury or ultimately death, but the right to drive a car is a privilege in a way that riding a bicycle just is not.

That means an extra burden of safety rests with drivers.

I think the cycling community itself needs to refrain from supporting that sort of argument as well. Hostility against cars is not the answer, but demands for recognition and respect on the roads, which could mean law enforcement cracking down harder on drunk drivers as well as motorists who drive in bike lanes for blocks at a time, are necessary.

Majority of cyclists injured in bike accidents with vehicles were under age 24.

In its report, the City of Minneapolis set a goal of 10 percent annual reduction in bicycle-motorist crashes. Interestingly, the report shows a “safety in numbers” effect. Essentially, the more bike riders we see on the roads, the smaller the percentPETER MARIUTTO

The 10 percent collision reduction is a great goal from the City of Minneapolis, but I want to see another one in my lifetime: no more bicycle deaths from reckless drivers.

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9.

VOICES Getting Political

A guide for stoics, radicals and revolutionaries

By Nick Theis Whether you’re on the left or the right, progressive or backwards, the U has a group for you! We may not have a Marx Hall or a Rand Library, but we got trips to camp Wellstone, and Condoleezza Rice on speaking tour (unless the students or faculty rescind her invitation, like they tried at Rutgers).

Some groups such as College Democrats and College Republicans are allied explicitly with national parties, and enjoy large memberships. Other groups like the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), and the Socialist Alternative (SA) who are not as centrist may be less visible, but they are just as busy. And then there are those non-profits and NGOs that hide their thinly-veiled agendas behind confusing acronyms, like MPIRG and CFACT. And of course we have whole communities of bureaucrats, and endless hierarchies of committees (I name MSA and GAPSA).

So what are some of these groups up to, and where might you fit in?

Let’s take a quick look at the U’s political landscape.

On the “political diamond,” libertarians are often pictured at the top but there is really only one true libertarian group on campus, the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL). YAL is a group with an ambitious agenda. They attend national conferences, and work to increase bipartisan cooperation on campus, especially with other conservative groups, for example through their leadership: YAL state chair Adam Motzko is also on the executive board at the College Republicans. YAL is quite a large and rapidly growing student group, as well as one of few student groups that will take you to a shooting range for a weekend trip.

the Socialist Alternative is a student group with strong community ties and a national presence that may be… well, a good alternative. The Socialist Alternative club at the university is a small group, but off campus they are making a big stink. A self-identified socialist (Ty Moore), with UMN students campaigning on his behalf, nearly won a city council seat in Minneapolis this past November (and SA did win in Seattle). More recently, SA has initiated a campaign to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour in Minneapolis—a demand that Obama and the Democrats have met us half-way on, at $10.10 (or less, depending on where you live).

Speaking of the Democrats—what are they up to here?

Locally, liberal campus groups, such as College Democrats and MPIRG, work hard to promote voter participation, raise awareness of local issues, and provide a volunteers base for

local campaigns. College Democrats holds weekly phone banking for Al Franken (who is working hard to dismantle Citizens United, and rip corporate America a new one).

MPIRG (the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group) has in the past rallied huge support for—and indeed defeated state referendums such as the voter ID and anti-gay marriage freedom amendments in 2012.

On the other hand, this university is often criticized for being too liberal (R.T. Rybak does teach here, after all).

While faculty may be left-leaning, there are nevertheless several conservative student groups here, and they are well-funded. This year, CFACT, as well as its liberal counterpart MPIRG, is running on more than $110,000.

Students for a Conservative Voice, CFACT, and the College Republicans work to promote conservative principles by helping with local campaigns, hosting debates, and bringing speakers to campus.

These groups also work to create dialogue between right-leaning organizations and students. College Republicans chair Susan Eckstein calls the group “a hub for conservatives,” where they host speed debating nights, in which range of issues from foreign policy to the legalization of marijuana are discussed. If you’re interested in conservative politics, these are the groups for you!

While this list is not meant to be exhaustive or complete, there is no reason to worry. There are plenty more groups on campus! Groups like SDS (students for a democratic society) are working tirelessly on the ground to address student issues, such as high tuition, and are not allied with any specific political party or ideology. And anyone can always start up a new group anytime! Take a side! Democracy only works if we all participate.

If however you are “turned off” by “laissez-fair” economic theories and “free market politics,” NICK THEIS

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A look at U of M departments that often fall through the cracks

By Kirsten Erickson, Bruce Ferguson-Augustus, and Grace Birnstengel Photos and Illustrations by Sam Lindsay

SAM LINDSAY

www.wakemag.org

11.

Feature A school as large as the University of Minnesota comes with its perks. Whether that means Big Ten sports or hundreds of student clubs, anyone going to the U can find what they are looking for, especially in the major department.

The U offers over 150 majors to students. There are the usual, like psychology and business, but what about those smaller majors, the ones most people don’t even know exist?

The Wake decided to feature the departments, majors, and minors that tend to fly under the radar. Who knew that you could study courtly love, butterfly populations, and ancient Slavic languages all at one school? Here is a look at some of the most interesting programs here at the U that you may have never heard of.

A Perspective Preserved Around sixty students stood on the steps of Morrill Hall on a winter’s day, January 14 1969. On a campus of 40,000 students, they represented a minority, numbering 0.02 percent of the population. Yet by helping establish the Department of African American and African Studies, they added a perspective to the University that challenged the dominant narrative.

“Other classes didn’t provide space for dialogue to question the truth” Junior and African American and African Studies major Amber Jones, said, “my whole self is appreciated in my Afro classes.” She switched from communications major.

Yet the Afro Department is currently struggling to maintain that challenge. According to an article in the Minnesota Daily, the number of majors and minors is on the decline. With state appropriations to the College of Liberal Arts decreasing more than 30 million since 2009, the Afro Department’s livelihood is at risk.

“I did not major in it [at first], because I thought it would hurt me more then it would help me,” Junior and Afro Studies Major Ian Taylor said. “A lot of people challenge the legitimacy of the major.”

Yet for Jones and Taylor, a major in African-American and African studies embodies a true liberal arts education. It provided them a way not just to approach one issue but several, no matter the field or the subject.

“I have taken courses in history, literature, political science, economics, the humanities,” Taylor said. “What it’s done for me is helped me to understand the nuances of how we think about information and education.”

Funding at the University is allocated based on how many majors a particular department has and the number of seats it fills in its classes. According to Jones, the Afro Department, redesigning the major to make it more accessible in 2012, now seeks to increase the number of liberal arts requirements fulfilled by Afro courses.

As of now, the Afro Department offers two courses that fufill the social sciences requirements, eleven for global perspectives, thirteen for writing intensive, four for social justice, three for history, and five for literature, according to the course listings page, as well as offers conjoined courses with the English, History, Applied Economics, Anthropology and Theatre Departments.

The Afro Department was a trailblazer; it changed the way the U approached education. The American Indian Studies Department followed suit that same year while Chicano studies was established in 1970, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies followed in 1971, and Asian American Studies in 1998.

The Afro Department opened the door for the alternative perspective, the other perspective and now it has to fight to keep that door open.

Planting a Future: Horticultural Science Horticulture, or the study of applied plant biology that goes along with the art and science of plant production, is a department at the University going through quite a few changes.

The small amount of students, Michaels said, is due to the fact that, “It’s a discovery major, you have to be around for a while to know that it exists.”

Thomas Michaels, professor of vegetable crop genetics, said the department has developed two new interdisciplinary programs: food systems and plant science. Michaels said there are 25 undergraduate students in food systems and, according to Professor of Turfgrass Breeding Eric Watkins, the plant science track has 27 students.

These students tend to go into careers in anything from entrepreneurs of organic food production companies to inventing new kinds of food for restaurateurs.

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“If you are interested in your food, the air you breathe, and the water you drink, horticulture is a career for you,” Mary

Meyer, an ornamental grasses professor.

For Michaels, the department is special because of the passion that the faculty and students have for what they do.

“A career in Horticulture is something you do from the heart.

[People] take horticulture because they love plants—the connection to the food and soil. It’s certainly not about the money,” said Michaels.

Feature A Department in Shining Armor: Medieval Studies

from Europe to the entire globe, giving students the chance to travel to and learn about the Arab regions and Far East Asia.

In this interdisciplinary program, students have the chance to learn about all things medieval, from King Arthur to the Viking world, and earn a minor. The program does not offer a major.

“This is an exciting moment when students will be able not only to study the traditional world of European castles, crusades and courtly love, but also the medieval Arabic world, the Far East, Africa, and other pre-modern places,” Scheil said.

Since Medieval Studies is disciplinary, students can take courses that cover a number of topics, including languages like German, Italian, and Spanish, as well as classes in art history, religion and music.

Students who don’t know much about the Medieval Studies Department should not sign up just because they enjoy Game of Thrones and sword fighting, though.

Program Director Andrew Scheil said that about 15 students per year end up declaring the minor.

Medieval Studies just received a $600,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to expand the program’s scope

All Things Nature: Fisheries, Wildlife, and Biodiversity The Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Biodiversity deals with a number of different elements including studies of aquatic invasive species, upland birds, and habitat restoration, among other things. The department puts an emphasis on citizen science and research, with Rob Blair’s study of how cities affect butterfly populations as an example.

Approximately 150 undergraduate and 50 graduate students that make up this small department, said Department Head Susan Galatowitsch.

There are a number of different directions students can take within the department, said Galatowitsch. The Fisheries and Aquatic Biology includes topics such as aquatic invasive species; Wildlife entails studies of large mammals,

“Medieval Studies is not dressing up in armor and pretend-fighting,” Scheil said. “Rather, Medieval Studies is a highly demanding set of historically oriented disciplines.”

upland birds, and water birds; the Conservation Biology track covers endangered species and habitat restoration.

Anyone interested in this type of education must be prepared for a lot of hands-on work, even with local businesses, Professor of Fisheries Ecology and Management Paul Venturelli said.

Students also get the chance to study abroad. “A lot of the experience is hands-on and in the field, not only in Minnesota but also the Bahamas, Nepal, and Thailand,” Venturelli said.

Once students graduate, they usually head to graduate school, work for non-governmental organizations, or do consulting for private companies, Venturelli said.

What makes this program so special is the fact that they “are the main department at the U that focuses on freeranging, wild animal species in Minnesota.”

www.wakemag.org

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Feature

From Big to Barebones: Slavic Languages and Literature What was once a thriving Department of Russian has since been shrunk, modified, and grouped into the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature (SLL) in concurrence with Polish.

Learning Russian was a more popular concept after World War II and in the Cold War years when the language was in high demand. At the University of Minnesota, eight sections of Beginning Russian—each with about 20 students—were offered. In 2014, only three sections exist.

Native Hungarian Maria Schweikert joined the department in 1991 and believes learning Russian now is just as important as it was last century.

“Russian is one of the critical languages,” Schweikert said.

“Students who are in global studies, political science, Russian history, comparative literature, anthropology, and even business would benefit from learning Russian.”

The Russian Department began dwindling in the ‘90s when three faculty members retired in the same year, leaving only five. Since then, another has retired.

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“Every time someone left, the money allotted for that position also left,” said Schweikert.

dents and faculty have been asking for fourth year Russian to be offered, but the request has fallen on deaf ears.

A department with only four members was then no longer viable to be called a department. First, the Russian faculty was made a part of the Institute of Linguistics, Asian, and Slavic Languages and Literatures (ILASLL).

“All we can do is create directed studies courses for these interested students,” Schweikert said. “We keep doing it for free as the college does not compensate us for this extra work. And it is work, believe me.”

Around three years ago, the Russian professors became a part of the Department of German, Scandinavian, and Dutch (GSD).

Russian majors from the U have gone on to a variety of careers—English teachers in Russia, translators, and many earn higher degrees in Russian.

“What did we have in common? Nothing much,” said Schweikert. “But, as it is customary in American colleges, when they don’t know what to do with Russian, they pair it with German.”

“The truth is, it is better to combine Russian with another major,” said Schweikert.

Russian currently exists within the University under the heading of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. This includes Russian language, Polish language, and three Slavic cultural and literature courses.

The department only has one Polish professor, Leonard Polakiewicz, who will, according to Schweikert, be retiring within the next couple of years, along with the Polish courses.

Russian majors are required to take three years of the language in addition to a few literature and culture courses. Stu-

After this semester, Schweikert will retire along with Professor Ronald Walter. Everyone in the department will be on the search committee for replacements. Schweikert hopes to hire a native speaker, as she is currently the only one in the department.

What is to come for studies in Russian is not yet known, but Schweikert worries that administration will “let it go to nothing.”

“The ideal situation would be to make the department bigger by offering more courses,” Schweikert said. “This bare bones program will not make anyone a specialist in Russian language.”

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Q&A Q&A: Russian Circles’ Brian Cook

By Courtney Bade

It’s been a few months since Chicago’s instrumental post-metal three-piece Russian Circles released their latest, and perhaps most sophisticated, album, Memorial.

It showcases the band’s emotional and musical maturity, demonstrated through a submission to extremes and to simplicity. The trio graced the Triple Rock stage at the end of February in what was more of an incredibly cathartic phenomenon than a concert. They’re currently maintaining a hectic tour itinerary, but bassist/ keyboardist Brian Cook was kind enough to spare some time on their day off to chat with The Wake:

The Wake: Where are you guys at right now?

Cook: We are in Portland, OR right now. We have a day off and up next is San Francisco. So, yeah, we were able to sleep past 9am; it’s nice to finally have a day off.

The Wake: It’s been said that Memorial is a lot more polarized in terms of the spectrum from melodic, orchestral elements to harsh, metal elements compared to your previous albums. What caused this polarization, in your opinion?

Cook: I think a lot of it is just the older we get, the more we expand our own musical tastes and become more interested in different music forms. If I was 20 years old and angry at the world I think I’d want to, you know, put out an album that’s 25 minutes long and nothing but brutal sounds and riffs and stuff. But, as you get older it’s like, well why don’t we do something that’s a little more nuanced. So I think we were trying to make a record that we think is interesting and well rounded and engaging. You know, I guess that’s just what happens when we write now.

The Wake: Definitely. It seems like with this album you also tried to maybe defy any genre restrictions that might have been placed on your music in the past. Do you think bands today have a problem with getting too caught up in their chosen or subscribed styles?

Cook: No, not really.

It’s kind of funny when I was first starting to play music with hardcore bands I was really frustrated by other bands that only listened to hardcore. I was like, “How do you only listen to hardcore?” You know, Minor Threat and Black Flag didn’t listen to hardcore because hardcore didn’t exist. They listened to Grateful Dead or Ted Nugent.

W: Every instrumental band seems to have their own reasons for excluding a vocalist, so what’s your reason?

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Cook: I wasn’t in the band in the beginning; I joined on the second record. But what the others always say is that there was no original intent to be an instrumental band. Mike and Dave knew each other from growing up together in St. Louis and they’d been in other bands before. They all just kind of came together really slowly, and stuff didn’t pan out. They were like, “Oh, I guess we need a singer, huh? Well, maybe we don’t. Let’s skip that part and see what happens.” I think there’s definitely times where we did a couple of experiments with adding vocals to the records. There’s not an embargo on vocalists, it’s just one of those things where it’s easier without it.

W: You have the guest vocals from Chelsea Wolf at the end of the album. When you do decide to include a vocalist like you did there, does it serve a certain purpose?

Cook: In the case of Chelsea Wolf it was very purposeful.

That song was written with Chelsea in mind, it wasn’t an afterthought. The only other foray into vocals was on Empros, and was just like a demo that we ran with. It was a very casual thing, and not very meant to be, but everybody liked it and we incorporated it into the album. So we had one very accidental approach, and one very deliberate.

W: The album has been out for a few months now. How do you guys feel about the album now that you’ve had ample time to mull over it?

Cook: I feel better about it. I’ve made a lot of records in the past, and usually they’re done on a very tight budget, and very quickly. They can be really stressful because you’re doing it so fast and all of a sudden you have this finished product and it’s almost like you’re only hearing it for the first time when it’s done. When the record is done, it’s a very fresh and exciting thing, but when you spend more time on a record you’re really developing it and refining things in the studio. By the time it’s done and you’ve gone through so many variations of different things and mixes that you’re like, “I guess this is what we’ve arrived at, after weeks of work.” I think it’s good, but at the same time they’ve kind of worn off on me, after hearing the songs so many times. But I think that’s one of the benefits of making records on a tight budget, you can just bust it out. You can’t make everything perfect, but it’s kind of nice to have records that are imperfect and are interesting.

W: At the Minneapolis show, maybe I’m just being over-analytical here, but it seemed like you guys carefully planned out your set, and it seemed like you almost had a storyline. Do you craft your set lists like you would a song or an album?

Cook: There are a lot of variables at play with a live set, like a lot of the songs have different tunings, or we have different

Q&A

CHRIS STRONG

guitars with us. With some key changes, we can’t play some songs back-to-back. If we want to make this fluid and cohesive, we have to factor in these technical variables. But then we want to play a variety of songs off our records. There isn’t much variation in our sets from night-to-night, unless something goes wrong and we have to make a change on the fly. But a lot of thought does go into it, a lot of it is just technical stuff.

W: Besides this tour that you’re on right now, what else is on the horizon for Russian Circles?

Cook: We’re going to Australia. We’re doing Japan and Asia, and then maybe a Canadian tour.

W: I just found out recently what a Russian circle actually is.

Can you explain it to our readers?

Cook: A Russian circle is apparently a drill that was invented by an Olympic Russian hockey team that involved a skating formation. It was adopted by a lot of high school and junior hockey leagues in America as a training drill. Some members of the band are huge hockey fans, and they originally met as kids by playing hockey. The name is a hat tip to their past.

CHRIS STRONG

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Sound & Vision All My Relations Gallery Photos By: Hailey Enge

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Sound & Vision Remastering a Masterpiece

Painting restoration at the MIA preserves a legend

By Peter Mariutto Like proper plumbing, painting restoration is only welldone if nobody notices it.

Our own Minneapolis Institute of Arts houses the results of some of these elusive restoration experts. One in particular, Joan Gorman, worked extensively with colleagues recently to refurbish Max Beckmann’s “Blind Man’s Buff,” a colossal triptych that’s particularly valuable to both the art institute and to Gorman herself.

Beckmann created “Blind Man’s Buff” in Amsterdam from 1944 to 1945, during a time of political unrest that harshly affected the European art world. In that time, the Nazi Party had tracked down, destroyed, or stuffed away large amounts of artwork. The party even hosted an exhibition of what was deemed “degenerate art,” in which Beckmann’s, among other artists, works were displayed.

This historical artistic purge was recently brought to light in the film The Monuments Men. Through dramatic ac-

tion and a big name cast (including Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett), the film brings art restoration and conservation to the public’s attention.

Others say we are artists, but I know scientists and I know artists, and I can assure you that we are neither.

According to Gorman, the process of art preservation begins with an examination to pinpoint cracks or chips in a painting’s surface layer, in addition to checking any past restoration history the piece has undergone. She recommends that paintings be cleaned and analyzed every 50 years.

“Blind Man’s Buff,” however, is being restored for the first time in its 70 year life. While most of its cracks are barely visible to the naked eye, restoration means viewing the entire piece under a microscope. This requires enormous

patience, especially with a work the size of “Blind Man’s Buff,” which measures in at 81 inches by 173 inches.

“Some say that conservators are scientists,” said Gorman.

“Others say we are artists, but I know scientists and I know artists, and I can assure you that we are neither.”

Instead, Gorman calls herself a craftsman due to the handson nature of her work. Although Beckmann’s triptych wasn’t able to travel for years and missed several exhibitions both domestic and abroad, in the end it is receiving the attention it deserves.

Not all art receives the same level of care, and countless works suffered at the hands of the Nazis. But paint conservators are never idle and are constantly fighting the damage done by time.

“This was one that the Nazis missed,” said Gorman, looking up at Beckmann’s masterpiece. “And that always makes me smile.”

NEW.ARTSMIA.ORG

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Sound & Vision Treading North:

FACEBOOK/TREADINGNORTH

Dream-Funk band vies for spot on Spring Jam ticket

by Aaron Bolton Spring Jam’s Battle of the Bands is grounds for University of Minnesota bands to prove themselves on. Bands are competing for a spot to open for a still unannounced headliner on April 26. The first round on Feb. 7 featured several promising bands, but the eclectic sounds of Treading North came out with the win.

Treading North doesn’t come from your typical concoction of influences. The group is made of many moving parts that blend soothing jazzy-psychedelic sounds together. All seven band members describe their music as “dream-funk.” From Elena Hansen’s keys and vocals, to Doug Loll’s melodic guitar melodies, to Gabe Rodrieck’s belted, raspy lyrics, their mild psychedelic sounds fits a niche. The unifying quality of Tyler Croat’s sax greases all the moving parts, and makes Treading North one fine musically tuned machine.

Treading North’s laid-back stage presence combined with their mild sound makes their shows an intimate experience. Rodrieck’s vocals drift above the rest of the band and wrap you into the rest of the music. As each song unfolds, the audience is pulled deeper, almost hypnotized. Nick Meza’s addictive beats, and the band’s funky sounds leave the crowd wanting more. Now after winning the first round, University of Minnesota students will hear more from Treading North.

Since the band’s conception in 2012, they have played their fair share of Twin Cities venues. Highlights include gigs at The Fine Line, The Red Sea, and Station 4. Advancing to the next round of Spring Jam’s Battle of the Bands series adds another notch in the belt for the band.

Advancing to the next round of Spring Jam’s Battle of the Bands series adds another notch in the belt for the band.

As they continue to develop their dreamscape of sounds, their audience is expanding. The next round of Spring Jam’s contest might just help.

You can hear Treading North in the finals won April 25 in Coffman Union’s front plaza. Second preliminary round winners, Male Models, will compete against the band that day. The last two preliminary rounds take place at The Whole Music Club in Coffman’s basement on March 7 and March 28. All shows are free; come out and support your fellow students, and their bands.

For the Treading North supporters, or anyone else who’s curious, April 25 is the day to come listen to their funky sounds.

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21.

3REVIEWS Kings of Leon:

THE LEGO MOVIE:

By Alex Van Abbema

Mechanical Bull Tour

By Lianna Matt

The premise of the movie is a bit strange, maybe even stupid by some standards. A movie about Legos? But even if the idea doesn’t grab you, the execution is nearly flawless and makes for a movie worth seeing.

There is very little to say about Kings of Leon’s Mechanical Bull Tour; the band knows exactly how they want to represent themselves. On March 6, their Mechanical Bull Tour took the audience

For example, the animation in this movie is incredibly vibrant.

The attention to detail is seen through CGI animation made to look like stop motion that transforms every single item the movie’s universe into a Lego creation. Even the water, fire and laser beams are reasonably well-done.

Oftentimes movies with star studded casts fail miserably, consider Movie 43 for example. In The Lego Movie that just isn’t the case. Lead actor Chris Pratt brings life to the inept but lovable main character Emmet through his voice acting. Every other cast member makes memorable contributions, particularly Will Ferrell and Morgan Freeman.

While Legos bring to mind little kids more than adults, the film has plenty to offer in jokes for all age groups. Kids will enjoy the bright animation and Emmet’s goofiness, while older viewers might enjoy the stabs the film makes at DC comic punching bag Green Lantern. Of course, there’s Lego nostalgia as well.

Additionally, the soundtrack is also very well-done. “Everything is Awesome,” performed by Tegan and Sara featuring the Lonely Island is an incredibly catchy theme song that might stay stuck in your head long after leaving the theater.

For a movie that seems at first glance blatantly commercial, The Lego Movie has a lot of charm and a great overall message: creativity should never be stifled.

OBSESSIVEMOMMY.COM

back to the simpler times where we were on the cusp of new technologies (that kaleidoscope effect on the big screen) but still had a personal concert simply made up of some stage lights, laid-back MISINFO.TV

Rick Ross: Mastermind

By Aidan Hutt Rick Ross is an imposing figure in the hip-hop world, if nothing else.

Controversy stems from almost everything around him: his rap name, his past, and his lyrical content.

William “Rick Ross” Roberts has released mixtapes and singles consistently over the last eight years. Mastermind, his 2014 release is also his sixth studio album. On it, he features guest appearances from big names such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and others.

power, and American rock.

Kings of Leon started out with songs that well-versed fans knew that had catchy enough refrains such as the one-lined “Oh, she saw my party” that newbies to their music could sing along with.

Although they had some disjointed transitions between abrupt endings of vocal wailers such as “Immortals” to the almost-country tribute of “Back Down South,” the enthusiasm of the audience and their unfaltering singing along with Caleb’s vocals covered up any subpar transitions in the set.

Not only did their music maintain a consistent style as they went from song to song, but so did their visual execution. Right off the bat they started with a white silk screen in front of them, so all

From the first track, “Rich Is Gangsta,” Ross bursts down the door with bravado, blazing gun samples, and a blasting choir with fanfare.

The album’s production is consistent when compared to some of Ross’s previous projects, mostly “Teflon Don” and “Rich Forever,” but even for someone unfamiliar with Ricky Rozay, his ear for beats is one of the most luxurious in the game.

the audience saw was their magnified shadows and the loop of a gothic horror film set to “Charmer,” sending their audience into the era of garage bands, fuzzy film strips, and flashing neon lights.

Then when the curtain came up, the leather-jacket wearing Caleb Followill and his band (accented by Nathan Followill’s bass drum with the initials KOL proudly marked in duct tape) cemented the

With Mastermind, Ross constructs an album that combines extravagant, imperial production with his standard lyrics, bragging of his dominance of the rap and drug game. His commanding confidence invites in listeners.

retro-rock feel of the show.

Ross distracts from his talent through his attempts to capitalize on the popularity of the burgeoning Chicago drill scene, a music scene steeped in violence. A minute-long skit on the track “Shots Fired” is essentially a mix of police and news reports on an incident in which a shooter targeted Rick Ross.

Another weak spot of the album is the multiple appearances from rapper French Montana, whose misaligned warblings on the tracks “Nobody” and “What A Shame” serve only to remind audiences of Montana’s irrelevancy in the rap game.

Nevertheless, Mastermind stands as a solid album, filled with what audiences have come to expect and appreciate from Rick Ross: extravagant production, grandiose and verbose lyrics, and consistent grunting.

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KINGSOFLEON.COM

Sound & Vision

Events Calendar FRIDAY, March 14

FRIDAY, March 28

SXSW 2014 Day Party

Red Daughters

First Ave / 11:00 a.m. / 21+ / Free

Varsity Theater / 7:30 p.m. / $13 door

Film: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

Film: Her

Coffman theater / 7 & 10 p.m. / Free

The Whole / 7:00 p.m. / Free

SUNDAY, March 16

SATURDAY, March 29

Deleter

Dessa

Triple Rock / 8:00 p.m. / 21+ / $5

Coffman theater / 8:30 p.m. / $10 students

MONDAY, March 17

SUNDAY, March 30

St. Patrick’s Day Rally for Sunday Sales

Perfect Pussy

First Ave / 7:00 p.m. / 18+ /$15 door

7th St. Entry / 7:30 p.m. / $10 door

Helms Alee, Self-Evident, Brüder Triple Rock / 9:00 p.m. / 18+ /$8 THURSDAY, March 27 Caroline Smith Coffman theater / 8:00 p.m. / $5 students

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The Wake Next Meeting March 31| 8:00pm | Fowell Hall 12