VITAL
The Kids Are Alright
By John Hughes These are violent and disturbing times. With war and terrorism looming over our heads, the economy slumping and personal depression seemingly at a new high, there is more than enough to worry about. Also, the roaring din of celebrity glitter and the avalanche of plastic entertainment can leave a person feeling estranged. Yet, there is always hope, and the root of our hope is in the human spirit itself, ever renewing, perhaps even evolving over the eons. As the English poet Gerard Manley Hopkins once put it, “There lives the dearest freshness deep down things. “Perhaps that’s a little hard to see these days, but it is evident if you look hard enough. Vital Source, in a series of three interviews with five Milwaukee teenagers, found glimpses of that dearest freshness. They are Sam and Simon Barcelona, Xanthia and Alexandra Walker, and Lee LaMar; a diverse quintet, who hold as a common trait their joie de vivre, their joy of life. They are remarkable young people in our midst, and their lives refresh hope. There are good people in Milwaukee, who are ethical, fun, interested in life, making their own ways with thoughtfulness and sensitivity. They love their families, their friends, and each other. These five all share an inner peace mixed with a zest for the future, and a determination to be themselves in the face of peer pressure. It was our privilege to be in their presence. We are pleased to introduce you to them. The Barcelona brothers Sam and Simon Barcelona, ages 17 and 14, are seated in their Wauwatosa living room, looking serious for the media. They are discussing conformity to peer pressure. They are against it. “It’s more fun to be yourself than someone else,” says Sam. “I hate how you see kids at the school, and these people are from Wauwatosa, and they’re trying to be hip-hop heroes. That’s so overrated. It’s so artificial. And drugs are just huge at Tosa East. I don’t support that. It’s their choice, of course, but I’m not going to join �em. I watched other people and saw their mistakes, and I’ve learned enough about that. I don’t want it.” He is a handsome young man with dark features and long sideburns that remind me of Elvis Presley’s. When I asked if they were in tribute to the King, he laughed and reported that he doesn’t like Elvis. He prefers punk rock, which he describes as good clean energy. Simon, who attends Marquette High School as a Freshman, concurs with Simon about conformity. “It’s a bummer how everybody tries to fit in. Everybody’s holding back all the time. I don’t believe in holding back. Sam and I like to find people that don’t care what people think, and hang with them. It’s better that way.” These two young men are talkative and serious, answering my questions with thoughtfulness and deliberation. As Simon tells me that he’d like to become a pilot, possibly after attending the […]
Apr 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
The Homeschool Choice
By Lucky Tomaszek “Where do your kids go to school?” “Well, actually, we homeschool,” I answer a little hesitantly. “I really like being with my kids, and homeschooling works well for our family…” I’m trying to be PC, trying not to start another controversial discussion with this well-meaning woman at Chuck E Cheese. But after letting that last sentence trail off, the silence thickens. And I realize that there is more I would like to say. I want to tell her that I have been teaching my children since the day they were born. I know them better anyone else, and know how each of them learns. I am intimately aware of their strengths and weaknesses and I know how to push them a little farther, without pushing them so far that learning becomes a chore. But it seems my opportunity has passed as we both go back to laughing at the antics of our children ascending into neon colored tubes and dropping into the ball pit. After several minutes, she says… “No offense, but why would you want to do that?” To start with, my interest was piqued when a homeschooled child won the National Spelling Bee in 1997, and again when first, second, and third place were all won by homeschooled children in 2000. And a little later in 2000 I read an article by Helen Cordes that said that homeschooled children are accepted to Stanford at “twice the rate of conventional schoolers.” I did a little more research and discovered that the average homeschooler scored in the 75th percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, compared to conventional schoolers who scored in the 50 percentile. I must admit that the tragedy at Columbine High School in April 1999, and all the other shockingly similar tales weighed in to my decision making. Of course, there was also the personal journey I made as a mother. I stay home with my kids, and I have devoted a lot of time to guiding them through childhood and helping them become loving, generous, and freethinking little people. When my oldest daughter turned five, I put her into kindergarten. I had obviously thought a lot about homeschooling, but in the end I decided that it would probably be better for her if she went through conventional school. We gave it our all! We bought the cute ‘first day of school’ dress and the box of crayons. We took a lot of pictures that day, and she was adorable. The first week went well, she seemed to enjoy school and had lots of new songs and finger plays to teach us at dinner each night. The second week was a little harder. She was more reluctant to go to school in the morning, and when I picked her up after school she had less and less to say about what she was doing all day. “What did you learn today?” I would ask. “Nothing,” she would respond. The third week was worse; […]
Apr 1st, 2003 by Lucky Tomaszek
The Immigrant Student Reality
By Erin Stalnaker Proposed tuition hikes have UW students and faculty up in arms, and rightfully so. But the increase, while steep, is still only 7�o 9.4�depending on the campus and undergraduate or graduate status. So imagine the ire of students and parents alike if 2003-04 tuition rates increased 441�from $3,738 per year to $16,490. In this scenario, many students wouldn’t be able to continue their education and would end up in the non-professional, low-paying jobs traditionally filled by workers without college degrees. The immigrant student reality For most people, this seems far-fetched. But for non-resident immigrant students it’s reality. These young people must pay the out-of-state tuition rate even when they have attended Wisconsin schools from kindergarten through the 12th grade. Many graduate at the top of their class, and consider Wisconsin their only home, having lived here since the age of five or even younger. Most of these children’s parents have paid taxes throughout their residency in the state; these young people are deeply rooted here and have the potential and desire to contribute greatly to their communities. The Two Elizabeths My name is Elizabeth. I am 17 years old, and a senior in a south side high school. I came to the United States when I was 12 years old; my parents, brother and I crossed the border with visas. Since 7th grade I have always held a 3.5 G.P.A. Now that I am about to graduate and want to go to college I realize how difficult it will be, since I am not a U.S. citizen. My long-term goal is to become an immigration lawyer because I would like to fight for the justice of immigrants. Now, not only my future, but also the futures of other immigrant students who are seeking fairness and opportunity are in the hands of voters. My name is Elizabeth, and I am 16 years old. I am currently a junior in high school. Since I was small, my dream has been to be the first in my family to get a college education. Due to my legal status, it seems like a dream impossible to fulfill. I came to the United States eight years ago with my family because of poverty in Mexico. Living there, it became harder for my parents to pay for our expenses. My father decided that the best thing to do would be to cross the border illegally so he could work to send money to my mother in Mexico. When I came to this country, I knew I wanted to change my social structure and confront the stereotypes of Latinos in this country. I have a 3.0 GPA, and I enjoy volunteering. I want to become a productive adult member of my community; without an education, it is more likely that I will work in a low paying job. Two voices among many These are the voices of but two of the thousands of bright immigrant students who have the ability and the desire to […]
Apr 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
Kelp Chofs Takes GbV on The Road Less Traveled
By Kelp Chofs Sweat. Grime. Arms. Legs. Face. Had the air-conditioning even been working in John’s ’80’s-something Toyota it may not have done much good on that sweltering day in the Summer of ‘97. John and I were bandmates (and still are) driving out of St. Louis toward a show in Iowa City. Were we on tour? Well, technically not. We had left our hometown of Milwaukee the day before to catch a show in St. Louis. Another band’s show. A Guided By Voices show. My first. The plan was to catch GbV (as the hip refer to them) then motor away toward Iowa City to dish out our own brand of rock and roll. The rest of our band would catch up with us there. For me, the soundtrack for that weekend was GbV’s Mag Earwhig! It was the latest addition to their already stunning catalog. That made it a top-pick among their other releases and bootlegs littering the car floor among the remnants of our fast-food sins. After settling into a particularly, um, quaint St. Louis Motel 6, we headed over to the club early for lack of anything better to do. Arriving early did serve a purpose — we had to buy tickets. Well, I did. John had gotten his online before we left. Yup, I was the last-minute addition to his plan. I remember the city streets being exceptionally quiet during those dusk hours. Businesses were all closed for the most part. Hell, we had to walk a mile just to find a bar that was open. We certainly weren’t in Milwaukee anymore. “Two Rolling Rocks, please.” We walked back to the club to find the box office still closed. But John did spot Pete Jameson. Pete was GbV’s right-hand man. Surely if we struck up a conversation with him, explaining how we’d driven 400 miles to the show, he’d make sure I got a ticket. As it turned out, the show was nowhere near sold-out. But as we were to find out, that was a good thing. St. Louis’ The Galaxy club was much smaller than I imagined it. But that was also to be a good thing. After tolerating the unusually pedestrian opening act, GbV began to set up. Who were they? Who played what? Is that Pete Jameson putting an ice-filled cooler of Rolling Rocks on the drum riser? The show started, guitars and cigarettes blazing. Never before had I been treated to such an intimate and powerful rock ‘n’ roll show. This was it. This was the real thing. The intensity. Right in front of me. I could touch it. I could barely contain myself. Wicked voodoo indeed. “Two Rolling Rocks, please.” “Two Rolling Rocks, please.” “Two Rolling Rocks, please…” John and I made several jokes on the trip down about his training me for this show – making sure I was familiar with most of the songs GbV might be performing. And a fine job he did. The revolving door of […]
Apr 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
St. Thomas
By Jeremy Saperstein I’ve gotta start this review with the same thing I’m sure every other review will start with: singer/songwriter Thomas Hansen sounds remarkably like Neil Young, in lyrics, delivery and musical construction. Okay, now that’s out of the way… If you’re already fond of the works of Mr. Young, the odds are good you’ll very much like St. Thomas as well. Formed in Norway, the band’s record is like nothing so much as country music or Americana, but from the land of the fjords, not Fords (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Without knowing him personally, I’d have to guess that English is not Hansen’s mother tongue, which leads to some inspired lyrics like: I’ve never seen a cowboy before Never told a story so sore Hey, baby, take a look at me I think I’m ready for the kick-down I can never give you in Have you ever seen my chin An umbrella is dancing on the corner Now everything is beyond her But it’s easy to poke fun at people who don’t use English well (late night talk show hosts prove that about our president every night). St. Thomas is exactly the sort of record to listen to in your car as you drive I-94 late at night between LaCrosse and Tomah, or in the echoes of your empty house after your lover has left, or if you can’t understand why other people think your Nick Drake records are depressing.
Apr 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
Nuna
By Jeremy Saperstein This Milwaukee trio delivers an extremely energetic and catchy disk that seems to defy pigeonholing under any convenient label. Because they’re a trio and their music offers many of the dynamic shifts that Nirvana (and the Pixies before them) did in their ascendancy, I’m sure most critics will identify them as grunge, but there’s a quality to the songs that transcends easy categorization. While leader/singer/songwriter Nuna Minch has a tendency to use the ‘f’ word as a conversational stop gap (like some people say ‘uh’ ), he has a definite way with a pop tune as evidenced in the lilting instrumentation and sing-along melodies in “Nose Candy”. While Headcase is a fine disk on its own, I’m looking forward to watching Nuna grow and expand (and to seeing them live – they play in the area fairly frequently, according to their website).
Apr 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
Greg Koch
By Brian Barney When Greg Koch was in the third grade, he cut out a cardboard guitar, and while using a sewing machine foot controller as a makeshift wah, proceeded to emulate Jimi Hendrix. Yeah, sure, we all did that, but Koch kept the delirium alive and went on to become one of the best and most original guitarists to ever pick up an axe. His latest release is a collection of songs, not quite songs, and spoken word that mixes music, mayhem and Kocks’ wet/dry sense of humor into a gelatinous substance called Radio Free Gristle. From its’ opening track, “The Mansqwatch Chronicles”, where a Steve Vai-like tone rides over the top of a friendly yet frightening arrangement of chord meets discord, to the last, “Your Blues” (do the math); the disc reads like a hard-boiled crime caper that you can’t put down. Standout cuts like “Chopin’s Redneck Hideaway” and “The Joy of Ax”, show Koch’s amazing approach and a style that simply can’t be categorized; where scales derail, and madness becomes melodic. Interspersed throughout the record are snippets of spoken word that range from the hilarious to the unexplainable (mostly hilarious). Koch is a Frank Zappa type for today with his musical prowess and humorous musings, and, while Radio Free Gristle will probably never reach the mainstream, fans are in for a treat with Greg Koch’s most complete work to date.
Apr 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
April 2003
Dear Readers, Between the time this issue of Vital Source was created and actual press time, America entered into war with Iraq. This is one of the disadvantages of being a monthly publication, and our lack of coverage of the war and its implications, for April anyway, cannot be helped. For May, I would love to share reader letters and short essays on the war, especially from people whose lives are directly touched. Please send all correspondence to editor@vitalmilwaukee.com, or by mail to the address in the staff column. The war is being televised, and things are happening quickly. While I feel confident we’ll never fail to support our troops again (a la Vietnam), there are underpinnings to this particular conflict that, if unchecked, will bring fundamental changes to our democracy. In an increasingly technological world, access to information is the key to power. But the stripping of personal freedom and overt censorship are not the answers. Individual liberty, access to due process, and innocent until proven guilty are the cornerstones of our Constitution. Fundamentally, we as a nation agree on two key points: we want our men and women home quickly, and a swift end to the war. But we must take care that, in our zeal to “end oppression” in the Middle East, we do not eliminate oppression’s most powerful natural enemy – a nation of free peoples – our nation, the United States of America, and the democracy for which it stands. A perfect snapshot of our confusion occurred on Oscar Night. Michael Moore, in his acceptance speech for Best Documentary, was met with a mix of boos and cheers (boos were later mostly attributed to Teamster crew members) when he said (speaking on behalf of himself and others present onstage): “… we live in fictitious times. We live in a time when we have fictitious election results that elect a fictitious president… We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons, whether it’s the fictition (sic) of duct tape or the fictition (sic) of orange alerts, we are against this war, Mr. Bush.” All Oscar winners are technically given 45 seconds to speak from the stage. At precisely 45 seconds, Moore’s microphone was cut mid-sentence and the orchestra began to play. Conversely, Richard Martin’s acceptance speech for Chicago ran well over a two minutes, but contained no political references. He was not cut off. And even though Adrian Brody mentioned the war in his four minute accectpance speech, he only went so far as to wish a speedy end to the conflict and to express his support of the troops. Brody was also not censored. This may seem a small event, but all who watched the Oscars witnessed censorship first hand. We must pay attention to these breaches of free speech, whether or not we agree about their content. Consensus is not the point. Free speech is at risk. Please read Paul McLeary’s We The People. It covers […]
Apr 1st, 2003 by Jon Anne Willow
Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad
By Paul McLeary The Bush administration’s use of the English language reads like something out of a dystopian political novel. Some of its recent concoctions, like The Department of Homeland Security; Rumsfeld’s “old Europe” bon mot; the Office of Information Awareness (OIA); the USA PATRIOT Act; Weapons of Mass Destruction; the Axis of Evil and the Information Exploitation Office (IEO) are just a few of the more Orwellian terms that seem to inspire a mix of the Weimar Republic and doom itself. There are two new programs – one which has been stalled by Congress, while the other was just recently leaked to an unresponsive press – that seek to give the government broad powers to spy, gather information on and imprison American citizens on ill-defined national security grounds. The first, dubbed the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program, is being developed by the OIA, but, for the moment, has been blocked by a bipartisan coalition of skeptical Congressmen and several watchdog groups. The TIA- data mining for a safer America? The TIA program is a Defense Department research project aimed at developing and implementing broad sweeps of commercial data, called “data mining.” Targets include credit card records, Internet logs, medical data, merchant purchases and travel records. The goal is to “mine” this data in search of suspicious patterns that may indicate possible terrorist movement. If the program worked properly, it would be a boon to investigators trying to weed out possible sleeper cells in the United States. Data mining is already an established practice within companies that retain customer data. Large retailers, for example, comb customers purchase history, usually attached to indexes such as credit card numbers, customer names or other “index keys.” The information is used to identify customer habits, and ostensibly, to allow the company to make “more compelling offers” (in marketing speak) to their existing customer base. The problem, however, is that none of the drafters of the program has come forward to explain how to avoid errors in its implementation that may result in people mistakenly being tagged as terrorists, making them subject to false arrest, smear campaigns or government harassment. According to the program, the government wouldn’t have to inform anyone about the investigation, allowing officials to gather information on private citizens with no public oversight or accountability. Developed in February 2002 under the auspices of The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), whose ancestor, ARPA, invented the Internet, the new office has quietly been instilled under the dubious leadership of John Poindexter, who was indicted in 1988 for defrauding the U.S. government and obstructing justice as part of the Iran-Contra scandal. Although the convictions were overturned in 1990 when Congress granted him immunity in exchange for his testimony, the joke was on Congress as the testimony he gave them turned out to be false. Since those good old days, Poindexter has been Vice President of Syntek Technologies, a major government technology contractor. We shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Syntek, with Poindexter at its […]
Apr 1st, 2003 by Vital Archives
