By Raymond Johnson Although the Park East freeway spur is not yet completely demolished, it is already beginning to be hard to remember exactly what it the spur itself was like. The area is brighter and less foreboding. And with the new McKinley Ave. taking shape, a sense of concreteness and inevitability envelops the project. It is really going to happen. Milwaukee really is going to return this area to productive use after decades on the public dole. It is not too early then to ask (indeed, hopefully not too late), how will we remember this great wound inflicted on our city? As the scar slowly disappears, how will we memorialize those who sacrificed their homes and livelihoods for this freeway, those who stopped it short of the lake, and those who have pushed it back to Sixth Street? And finally, how will we teach our children what was done here, both so that they may learn from these mistakes and take inspiration from this battle to fight others looming on the horizon? Thus far, such remembering seems to have been all but forgotten. The model presented last November at City Hall was mostly about healing and repairing. While this is important, we must also remember. For a while, maybe decades, this likely will not be necessary. The newness of it all, the new streets, new buildings, new businesses, and new residents will be a constant reminder of the wastefulness of what once stood. Before then, and probably for a least a decade, the open space waiting to be filled with all this newness will be a reminder. No, the remembering will not be truly needed until much later, perhaps after the first new building expires its term of usefulness and is torn down. The piers: monolithic monuments to past mistakes. How about a monument? A monument to the destruction and eventual rebuilding of our city, one that matches that which occurred. The piers that once held up the spur are such a natural choice. Their scale exactly matching that which existed, they would be a perfect reminder of the Park East Freeway spur. Unfortunately most of these piers have already been razed. The best single one to have kept, on the median of Water St., has been torn down. This pier would have been a highly visible reminder, Water St. being such a prominent thoroughfare. There are only three others remaining – two in the Milwaukee River and one on the west side of 3rd St. All three should be left standing. As Milwaukeeans return to the River as a prime location to live, work, and play, the two piers left standing within will become increasingly visible. The third pier has an opportunity to be magical. It stands on the lot line of 3rd St., just north of the Sidney Hih building. Somehow the City needs to keep this pier to be reused within the structure of a new building or public space. The possibilities are limited only by […]

Big Tobacco Wins Another Hand

By Frizell Bailey Wisconsin is smoking. Sometimes it seems that you can’t throw a brick out of a window without striking a smoker. Don’t get me wrong. I have no particular beef with either smokers or non-smokers. In fact, I smoke. The irony is not lost on me (I do, however, like to think of myself as “recovering”). It is a curious thing that so many people, especially young people, take up a habit we all know is bad for you. I suppose the same can be said of alcohol, pot, or any other drug you would like to name. But there’s a difference. These other drugs make you feel good pretty much right off the bat. On the other hand, you have to really want to smoke to become a smoker. I can’t speak for everyone, but those first few cigarettes required an awful lot of persistence and commitment. So, why are so many Wisconsinites sucked in by smoking? History smoked. In 1891 a law was passed restricting the sale of cigarettes to minors. The law was rarely enforced. One University of Wisconsin student in 1912, in his thesis about unenforced laws in the state, lamented that “No tobacco man stops to question a youth who asks for a package of tobacco whether he is old enough to smoke, and few dealers refuse it even to small boys whom the dealer cannot help knowing are too young to smoke.” In 1959 the law was actually repealed by the legislature. It wasn’t until the late eighties that the law would be placed back on the books. In 1988, Wisconsin was one of only nine states that allowed the sale of cigarettes to minors. A study released in 2000 by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine ranked Wisconsin 49th, just ahead of North Carolina, in the sale of tobacco to minors. But why has it been so difficult passing tobacco control laws in Wisconsin? All in the lobby. As we all know, money equals power and influence. And the tobacco industry certainly has a little to spare. According to a report entitled, “Influence of the Tobacco Industry on Wisconsin Tobacco Control Policies”, released by the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, the tobacco industry has been especially successful in its lobbying efforts in Wisconsin. The report states that the tobacco lobby has spent over $7.2 million on lobbying the state legislature since 1997. How do they do it? By covering all bases. In Wisconsin, as is probably true in most states, the tobacco industry has been like that slightly shady but always fun uncle that gave all the kids money and toys. The tobacco lobby in Wisconsin contributes to individual elected officials and candidates, as well as to the two political parties and campaign committees. Although they make contributions to both major parties, the party in the majority generally gets the lion’s share. From the beginning of the year in 1999 to the fall of 2002, the tobacco industry contributed $23,700 […]

Three Steps to Natural Birth Control

By Stephanie Simmons You have made the commitment to be healthier, use more natural products and be more aware of your body. Are you or your partner using chemical contraceptives? If you’re looking for a more natural option, the information here might help to unveil the mystery of female fertility so you can dump the chemicals and follow the drumbeat of nature. This isn’t cocktail party conversation, but it is fascinating. If more people would talk about fertility awareness out loud, there would be less need for chemical birth control and fewer unintended pregnancies — especially in the teen years. Understanding the female fertility cycle is not complicated — really! Both females and males can read the signs of impending ovulation. The female cycle is not silent, it gives signs to let you know what is going on at all times. For the typical female, ovulation occurs approximately 2 weeks before you get your period. When the female body is getting ready to release an egg (which only lives for 12 to 24 hours), definite changes take place, due to the increase in estrogen which controls ovulation. You can chart these physical changes to see individual patterns, or simply use the following three steps to decide whether or not you should have intercourse during the fertile time. By avoiding intercourse or using a barrier method of birth control (like condoms) while the female partner is fertile, you avoid pregnancy! In other words: Do you want a baby? Or, not this month! It’s as easy as 1-2-3 One tell-tale sign that a woman’s body is ready to conceive is noticeably higher than normal amounts of clear discharge, which is actually cervical fluid. Cervical fluid travels from the cervix (which separates the vaginal canal and the uterus) in the uppermost part of the vagina down to the vaginal opening. Sperm need cervical fluid as a medium in which to travel to the egg, and as sustenance. They can live in the presence of cervical fluid for up to five days. Fertile female cervical fluid is mostly clear and stretchy, like raw egg white. When clear fluid is more than usually present and you introduce sperm, expect to achieve pregnancy. Another sign that a female is fertile is the cervix itself. In addition to producing fluid, it opens up slightly to allow the sperm to travel through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes where the grand prize, the egg, is waiting. A woman or her partner can reach up into her vaginal canal and feel her cervix. During the unfertile phase the cervix feels like the tip of the nose and is firm, low and closed. When a woman is about to ovulate her cervix feels soft, high and open. The third sign of female fertility is increased libido. This increase is usually very noticeable not only to the woman, but to her partner as well. It makes sense that nature makes us want sex most when we are physically capable of […]

Milwaukee Youth STRIVE for excellence

By Frizell Bailey There seems to be an awful lot of attention paid to the misdeeds of young people these days, from the tragic beating death in a Northwest Milwaukee neighborhood to the contentious Mayfair mall controversy. But there are plenty of teens in Milwaukee making positive contributions to their city and their communities. The Strive Media Institute, located on Martin Luther King Drive in Milwaukee, is an after school program where teens get practical experience in just about every facet of the media. The non-profit institute was founded in 1990 by Matthew Johnson, a Milwaukee native who saw a need for an outlet that provided tools to youth to help them become strong members of the community. Not your father’s ad agency. Strive functions like an agency, with both external clients and internal projects. The program is divided into four different business units: film and video production, technology, print journalism, and integrated marketing communications. What separates Strive Media from many other mentoring and training programs for teenagers is that the media products are conceived and produced by kids in the program. This is even more impressive when you consider that Strive’s weekly TV show, Gumbo Television, won an Emmy, and will air regularly on TMJ-4 beginning this fall. They also produce a glossy magazine, Gumbo, once every two months that enjoys statewide and national distribution. The kids have a presence in cyberspace with their Tecknow Solutions group, which designs websites and was featured on the front page of the Journal Sentinel’s Business Section. Fighting youth smoking with FACT. The Integrated Marketing Communications program is an agency with local and national clients, one of the most high profile being the FACT anti-smoking campaign. In addition to widely aired TV commercials written and produced entirely by Strivers (as they call themselves), the program targets youth smoking with events, undercover compliance checks and other guerilla tactics aimed at empowering teens to make their own choices about tobacco, and not succumb to Big Tobacco marketing. Anabel Navaro, Integrated Marketing Communications Supervisor, believes keeping control of the campaign in the hands of teens is critical. “FACT’s focus is to urge kids to be cognizant of their actions, to recognize that by smoking they’re actually putting money in some rich guy’s pocket who’s trying to kill them. And that’s what makes it cool. If you had adults working on a mission like this, you wouldn’t be getting the passion.” The Institute receives compensation for FACT as part of the tobacco settlement. With the elimination of the Tobacco Control Board and the impending reduction of anti-tobacco program funding (which so far has decreased from $25 million in 2001 to $15 in 2003, and is slated for another $5 million reduction next year), Strive Associate Director Molly Collins is concerned, but by no means assumes that FACT will come to an end. “There’s going to be some money for the youth programs, and while it might be a competitive RFP (request for proposals — from various agencies) […]

Tim Clausen Hears Voices

By John Hughes Tim Clausen, 43, is sitting motionless in his darkened East Side home, concentrating. Within my view are several stacks of books, towers of videos and CDs, an elderly upright piano, a forest of plants, and this lean individual, listening with both ears. He is listening to the voices of deep pain, a network of desolation, on a CD which he has recorded and produced. The CD is entitled, The Voices of September 11: The Families, and that is just what it is. Without sound effects, mood music, or Hollywoodish voice-overs, the CD is simply an hour of brutally honest interviews with families who have survived the death of a loved one. Tim is the one interviewing them on the CD, probing openly, honestly, and gently, listening with a compassion indicated by his groans and appropriate chuckles. He has recorded over 80 hours of conversations with the bereaved, giving the CDs to the families he’s interviewed, as keepsakes he calls “Lifeworks legacy-interviews,” time capsules made “so kids can get to know their Dads through this.” He has distilled the 80 hours into one, for the rest of us, to hear, and contemplate and remember. A hundred anguished voices “I see the point of the airplane in my living room,” says the mother of one of the pilots whose plane smashed into the World Trade Center. “Repeatedly. I sought out a psychiatrist, because I keep seeing the fire in my living room. I never knew death was so bad. But there’s nothing I can do.” “We were hearing reports that they were pulling out live people from the rubble, but I didn’t want my husband down underneath there with a hundred broken bones, bleeding” says one widow. “So I went outside and went out to the top of the street, and just lost it. And I prayed to God, ‘Please tell me he’s with you, and not suffering down here terribly. Just give me a sign.’ And moments later, I looked up, and saw a shooting star. And this huge rush came over me and I thought, ‘Oh my God. He’s home. He’s with God now, and I need to accept that. I knew he wasn’t coming back.” The listening is harrowing, it revisits the horror of those events, now nearly two years old, but Tim is unflinching, in both the interviewing, and the listening with me. He’s looking straight into the horror. For the general populace, those events are beginning to recede into history, but for the bereaved, their loved ones are dead again today. Tim Clausen has extended a hand to a few of those many still grieving. A mentor sows the seeds of change Tim was born and raised in Oconomowoc, by his own admission “did extensive research and development with chemicals,” dropped acid daily for months on end, and, by the age of 16, found himself in a treatment center. There, he met the man who was to change his life, an Episcopal Bishop, Chandler […]

Pondering the Legacy of Our Smirking Commander

By Mary McIntyre Before we offer ourselves up to be entranced by the beat of any more war drums, it would behoove us to assess the trustworthiness of our commander-in-chief. In response to the recent questions regarding the reliability of intelligence substantiating Saddam’s possession of illicit weapons that have yet to be found, Bush has stated to the press, “The credibility of the country is based upon our strong desire to make the world more peaceful, and the world is now more peaceful after our decision.” Okay. Let’s put aside the question of government intelligence and dare to apply our own intelligence for a moment to weigh his words against the reality of events. The world is now more peaceful… ? “…the world is now more peaceful after our decision.” Let’s think about how that jives with the May 12 series of coordinated, multiple suicide bombings of the Vanell compound in Riyadh — the biggest attack against American interests since 9/11. Or, the kickoff of a series of suicide bombings in Chechnya that killed dozens and wounded a few hundred on May 13. And the May 14 bombing of 21 British and US gas stations in Pakistan. Does anyone remember the five suicide attacks in Casablanca, Morocco, that claimed 41 casualties on May 15? Or the multiple alerts set forth a few days later by Great Britain to its citizens in six East African states — Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda —along with the banning of flights to and from Kenya. Or the fact that this succession of events was punctuated by a taped phone call, recorded by Al Qaeda’s deputy chief and widely broadcast by Al Jazeera (but curiously, not by the US media), calling for attacks on Western targets worldwide? “Road map” lost on the highway to hell. Despite this obvious acceleration of violence, Washington continues to insist that Al Qaeda has suffered serious setbacks, and scorns the idea that it was distracted from the “war on terror” by invading Iraq. The Taliban, for its part, has demonstrated its resurgence in the boldest anti-West attack since November 2001, through a recent suicide bombing that killed four German peacekeepers, an attack that took place while Afghanistan’s pro-American leader, Hamid Karzai, was in Britain receiving an honorary knighthood from the Queen. It looks as though the tattered “Road Map” has been lost on the blood-slick highway to hell, with both sides now vowing to fight to the bitter end, causing multiple attacks and numerous casualties on a daily basis. It is difficult to dispute that when you “connect the dots”(a phrase that so easily rolls off the tongues of our smug officials these days), the picture that emerges is not one of peace. Taking “victory” for a spin. Before returning to the question of government intelligence and the original premise for the Iraq war, let’s re-examine the spin that’s been placed on the word “victory.” Saddam Hussein is still conspicuously at large, rumored to be offering bounty to […]

The “Thud” of Semantics for an Old Paperboy

The “Thud” of Semantics for an old Paperboy To Whom It May Concern: Please inform Andrew Hollis (“Confessions of and [sic] Old Paperboy” May 2003) that the thud he heard on his front porch wasn’t the Sunday Journal, but rather the Sunday Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Also, if he did indeed deliver the paper in the “predawn morning,” it wasn’t the Journal he delivered, it was the Sentinel. A bit of fact-checking would have made clear to him the fact that where there were formerly two daily papers, there is now one that bears the combined name of its accomplished and award-winning predecessors. unsigned Ed. Note: Thanks for clearing that up. The power of propaganda Now that one Mideast war is in limbo, what to do about another decades-old debacle. Indeed, where are all the peace lovers when it comes to the tragic, intolerable Israel-Palestine conflict? Israel is, of course, blameless while the US generously subsidizes its outrageous, obscene, unlawful, shameless oppression—to the tune of millions of dollars per day, courtesy of uninformed, ignorant, naïve US taxpayers. Talk about denial. If ever the peaceniks need a cause, here is one ready-made disaster begging for attention. America is immoral vis-à-vis Iraq, but Israel isn’t re: the Palestines, get it? Their illegal occupation, killing and slaughter, violence and carnage are ignored, justified, defended, glibly explained away. Any discussion, marches or speeches? Any peep out of anyone, especially anti-war zealots and/or freedom lovers? Ah, yes, the power of propaganda. James A. HendersonMilwaukee Who’s whining here? Dear Editor Willow, As editor you are responsible for keeping a tight rein on what crosses your desk. Had Czarnik taken the time (Developing City, June 2003), he could have asked some real questions, rather than just running a bunch of whines from artists occupying the property (the Walker’s Point Arts Building). For instance, what is the building currently assessed at? This is public record (you have a lazy writer), and since the artists are concerned their taxes will rise under the new ownership, just how do they expect the new owner to offset the increase? By lowering the rent? What is the amount that a few of the artists pay in rent monthly? When was the last time they had a rent increase? How much? What do they currently pay for square footage and what does that breakdown to in comparison with other spaces rented by artists? Had you addressed any of these questions, it would inform your readers. And while your writer was at it, he might have asked how many of the artist/occupants actually reside in the Walker’s Point neighborhood. If they’re going to say “they make the neighborhood what it is,” shouldn’t your writer have a few facts to back that silly boast? This “feature” reminds me of those who grouse when their property taxes rise, but when they get ready to sell, are more than happy to pocket what that new assessment brings them. Bea TasselMilwaukee

Arab Strap

By Michael Seidel What I’ve always loved most about Arab Strap is their unapologeticness. Drinking, fucking and, well, just fucking up are all endlessly recurring themes throughout their oeuvre, but never, not once is there a ‘sorry’, nary a pinkie toe dipped in the stagnant pool of regret. Arab Strap understand and even embrace the concept of human fallibility, that missteps are the bedrock of experience and perspective. The band, who hail from Glasgow, Scotland, recently completed their second tour in support of Bright Eyes, whose influence on Monday at the Hug and Pint is undeniable (leadman Connor Oberst even lends backing vocals to a track called “Flirt”). Flourishes of vaguely esoteric instruments (esoteric in the scope of rock, that is) like lap steel, bagpipes, violin and accordion are liberally distributed, creating a record that’s fuller, more confident and even – gasp! – more American sounding than previous efforts. The record follows the black comedy protocol that the band established as far back as its first record – it’s the next chapter in Arab Strap’s continuing saga of closing times, betrayals, mutual deception and dirty weekends that transition effortlessly into filthy weeks. Monday at the Hug and Pint isn’t a good starting point for those unfamiliar with the band (Philophobia should play that role), but it is a nice little chap piece, essential for anyone set on assembling the entire Arab Strap puzzle. Matador Records

Cherrywine

By Michael Seidel Bright Black marks Ishmael Butler’s emergence from musical hibernation. Butler used to lead Digable Planets – most known for the top 10 hit “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”, who released two stunning albums before snuffing itself out in 1996. That’s when Butler crawled into a cave of obscurity, shielded from even the wannest sliver of spotlight. He learned how to play guitar. Digable Planets’ sound was a highball of laid back jazz samples and lyrics so silkily delivered that, outwardly, their political slant appeared as an undercurrent. But any move beyond lyrical veneer will illume activism – black power, pro-choice, etc – as quintessentially Digable. It’s what they were all about. With Cherrywine, however, Butler rails against political expression. In Resonance magazine, Butler recently admitted, “It’s not that I didn’t believe what I was saying back then – it’s just that I wasn’t really being politically active in my own life. Now, I’m just trying to do something that represents who I am. I want to be more real.” So I guess that cocaine, bitches and gansta are the real Butler. References to those things stand in tall banks on the surface of every song. Machismo thematics and delivery expose such a deep political bankruptcy that I can’t help but wonder if it’s all, despite Butler’s contentions, cunningly masked social commentary. The departure from the Digables’ message is so unrealistically sharp that it must be tongue-in-cheek. Political intentions aside, it would be foolish to say that Butler’s lost his flow. His delivery is as slick as ever. The music is devoid of samples; it’s raw, organic, wah-wah infused funk that bores itself into your consciousness and takes unrelenting hold. Bright Black is excellent debut album, but still, I can’t stop myself from questioning its sincerity. DCide Records

Jay Farrar

By Jeremy Saperstein Terroir Blues (“terroir” is French word, by the way, literally translated as “soil”) is a much more finished work than Farrar’s first solo effort Sebastapol (which was still a great record. The consistency probably is helped by the first consistent group of Farrar has had with him since the apparent splintering of Son Volt. Mark Spencer (Blood Oranges), Brian Henneman (Bottle Rockets) and Jon Wurster (Superchunk) are among thoses who function as Farrar’s band for this outing, and the reward is seen in a record that contains as much experimentalism as Sebastapol (as in the between tracks noise of parts I-VI of “Space Junk”). “Cahokian” is a perfect song for the mingling of cultures past and present. (“I will wait for you/in the green green spaces/wearing our post-industrial faces”) while “Fool King’s Crown” makes a fairly overt (for the traditionally oblique Farrar) political statement backed by Brian Henneman’s electric sitar. The name of this record is particularly apt — not like the dirt of the Stooges, say, but the earth a farmer might let slip hopefully through his fingers, dreaming of a fine harvest. Farrar is a man at the top of his game right now and seems able to grasp anything he reaches for. This record is a great display of mastery of American music. Act/Resist Records

The Mistreaters

By Jeremy Saperstein Some of Milwaukee’s favoritest sons travel off to the eastern metropolis of Detroit City and come back with an audio document that performs the improbable — it’s as raucous as a live show, but offers the tightness of polished radio fare. Which is not to say that this slab is genteel. Within thirty seconds of the tightly wound intro to “The Other Man” I was feeling my brain slide around in its pan as I rocked my head furiously with the beat. With a short break for the slow bluesy growl of “She’s My Witch”, that’s the way it went for the rest of the disc. Other favorites include the frantically rhyming “Hard On The Eyes” and the high-energy squall of “Brandon Takes It”, which makes me think of any number of other famous Detroit combos. The Mistreaters might only know three chords, but they know those chords cold. And they understand how to deliver them for maximum impact. Estrus Records

The Negro Problem

By Jeremy Saperstein Let’s start with the name: it’s meant as a knowing jibe — something to make politically-correctoids bristle. It oughta make you feel better that leader Stew is, indeed, black — and he’s making some of the finest literate and culturally-aware power-psychedelic-pop I’ve ever heard. The disc is like some sort of hideous hybrid of the every unique artist you care to name (to namecheck: I hear echoes of Charles Mingus, Sly Stone, Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett, Arthur Lee, Ennio Morricone, Roy Wood, John Fred and Burt Bacharach – and that’s just in the two songs that close the album! [“Bong Song” and “Bermuda Love Triangle”]) Despite the name, race is no issue within the grooves of the record, which features tongue-in-cheek references to records that have come before (“If London calls/just say I’ve stepped away” from “Watering Hole”), obscure pop-culture icons (“I’m Sebastian Cabot in your dreams/I’m Sebastian Cabot — what’s that mean?” from “I’m Sebastian Cabot”) and so much more — all in meticulously clever lyrics that continue to unfold through repeated listenings. Smile Records