http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/ All The Print That's Fit To News. en-us editor@dailyernebraskan.com Copyright 2012, The Dailyer Nebraskan. Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/nation-ends-unhealthy-relationship-with-south-carolina-following-gingrich-win http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/nation-ends-unhealthy-relationship-with-south-carolina-following-gingrich-win
A letter, written by President Obama, told the people of South Carolina that the nation “can no longer afford to be held back” by their decisions. He went on to say that a string of bad choices by South Carolinians, including “that entire fiasco with former governor Mark Stanford,” finally made the nation realize what a “terrible” relationship this was in the first place.

The move was praised by the entire rest of the nation and brought Obama’s approval rating up to 85 percent.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said she was “saddened” by the decision and said that the nation has yet to even begun to solve its problems yet .

“You think South Carolina was the problem, America? You’ve got another thing coming. Now that we’re gone you’ll realize you’ve still got Alabama, Arkansas and even Mississippi to deal with, and we won’t be there as a buffer,” Haley said.

“You guys don’t even understand what unhealthy is yet.” ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/new-asun-bill-demands-netflix-streaming-add-boy-meets-world http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/new-asun-bill-demands-netflix-streaming-add-boy-meets-world
The bill, which also doubled as a letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, stated that the average UNL college student suffers nearly every week when they look on Netflix and find that “Boy Meets World” is still not streaming instantly, and that the heartbreak is causing students to “actually have to do their homework before 10 pm.”

“Will you, Mr. Hastings, continue to let the average college student wallow in such not-quite-as-good-as-Boy-Meets-World 1990s programming such as ‘Hey Arnold’ or ‘Rugrats’? Or will you finally stop the suffering and add ‘Boy Meets World,’ as we demand you do?” the bill states.

While the bill passed unanimously, several senators believed that a more pressing matter was to demand that HuluPlus get rid of all those commercials for old television shows.

“I agree that we must demand Netflix add “Boy Meets World,” but I think the majority of UNL college students would much prefer that we demand HuluPlus take down those annoying commercials of old TV shows, I tried to watch “Lost” the other day and it still had commercial breaks! “Lost” has been off the air for over a year and a half now. It’s time for the commercials to go,” Senator Nolan Johnson said.

Speaker of the Senate Emily Schlichting disagreed, calling this perhaps her “greatest” moment as Speaker. Schlichting believed that the Senate was finally doing what the UNL community wanted them to do.

“All of these Senators came together to show this corporation that no matter how big or powerful you are, the American college student will complain incessantly if he or she doesn’t get exactly what they want.,” Schlichting said.

“And in the end, that is the heart of what ASUN is all about.” ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/seeds-saturday-night-live-grace-kelly-sketch http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/seeds-saturday-night-live-grace-kelly-sketch
From the minute January Jones shows up on set as Grace Kelly, everyone watching the sketch immediately becomes aware of what the humorous elements of the sketch will entail. They are going to play off the Goddess-like quality of Grace Kelly (and January Jones) with some form of toilet humor--and just as was expected, Grace Kelly lets out a string of farts almost immediately. Instead of being boring, the sketch ends up being hilarious precisely because you know it is going to happen. And yet, it is still unnerving to have Grace Kelly farting. It reaches a level of skill that very few comedic moments do, both in predictability and surprise. Also, the terrible quality of the farting noise, along with January Jones’ inability to act comically as a farting Grace Kelly, add to the oddity of the whole act. This adds yet another layer to the humor and creates the kind of surreal absurdism that makes the sketch legendary.

The humor of a sketch, even on a show like “Saturday Night Live,” cannot solely be the reason to refer to a sketch as ‘the greatest’ or ‘legendary.’ Instead, attention must be paid to sketch's deeper meaning. In this sketch, the writer creates a portrait of the history of post-WWII feminism through the sketch’s absurd clarity. When Grace Kelly begins to flatulate audibly, it gives us a rather crude, yet clear, difference between the pre-feminism of the 1950s and the post-feminism of the 2000s. If it had been, say, January Jones farting as Julia Roberts, it would have still been funny because you don't think of Julia Roberts farting. But it would lose any deeper meaning because the idea of Julia Roberts farting, while odd, does not seem quite as strange as someone from the 1950s such as Grace Kelly. By using a character from the 1950s era, the sketch becomes an almost historical record of, for better or worse, what feminism has accomplished.

That is not to say that the writer, whoever he or she is, meant for the sketch to be this intriguing. It just means that, by accident or not, this is the finest sketch “SNL” has done in years. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/occupy-lincoln-reaches-100-days http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/occupy-lincoln-reaches-100-days

“At first I had to respect their resilience, but now it’s just getting old. I mean seriously, what did these people do for Christmas? Don’t they have loving, caring grandparents to give them money, or something?” - Jake Beher, Sophomore Chemistry Major

If you’re willing to stay in a tent for 100 days, you’re disgusting. And like, no one should listen to your opinion.” - Lauren Johnson, Radiologist

“I don’t understand, people have been occupying Lincoln for much longer than 100 days. I think you need to get your facts straight.” Henry Hill, Philosophy Professor ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/unl-housing-denies-sars-outbreak http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/unl-housing-denies-sars-outbreak
The department continues to deny the rumor even as evidence mounts against them, including the head of Center for Disease Control and Prevention stating that there was a SARS outbreak “in UNL housing areas” and signs all over the health center reading “Quarantine Area: SARS Outbreak.”

“It’s just the flu, I swear. And it’s not even a bad flu like the swine flu, it’s just that unfortunate-- but not deadly to the human race--stomach flu that makes you barf all the time,” Keith Zaborowski, Assistant Director of Residence Life, said.

“If you guys would just look at the facts, you’d see that quarantining people for the stomach flu is normal and rational and happens all the time.”

When asked why the CDC is refusing to let anyone within 100 feet of the health center and why they only go in the building with hazmat suits on, Zaborowski said that the university and the CDC take the stomach flu “very seriously” and don’t want anything getting in the way of “the academic process of the University.”

As of press time at least three of the quarantined students had died from what the UNL Housing office called a “wicked bad case of the stomach flu.” Their possessions will all be professionally cleaned and returned to the dead students’ families. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Matt Sueper http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/local-boyfriend-gets-painting http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/local-boyfriend-gets-painting
After an hour of fighting sleep and the typical bullshitting about the art speaking to him, Roger noticed something different about a painting.

“It was incredible. Like, I could feel the art,” Browning told the DailyER.

The painting Browning was so captivated by was the famous “Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. The replica is hanging in the Joslyn as a part of the classics installation. It, among other classic paintings, will remain there until the end of February.

Browning was reportedly entirely taken over by the art; he finally got it.

“The blues bled into the yellows, and the greens that ran from it spoke to my soul, man,” Browning said, lighting a cigarette.

“I don’t even smoke!” he added. “It’s totally about global warming.”

Browning’s eyes were still wide open, mouth agape, and one hand was sticking up a good portion of his hair hours after the couple had returned to Lincoln. The van Gogh replica really made an impact, apparently. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Robert Jellison http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/white-man-likely-to-win-gop-nomination-polls-show http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/white-man-likely-to-win-gop-nomination-polls-show
“These results are surprising, but not unprecedented,” said Rebecca Lately, Gallup spokeswoman. In support, she cites the 2008 election, in which the Republican Party nominated a white man; the 2004 election, in which the Republican party nominated a white man; the 2000 election, in which the Republican Party nominated a white man; and the 1996 election, in which the Republican Party nominated a white man. Records from further back are too depressing to include.

While the early race featured strong showings from more diverse candidates, one by one they all dropped out. The remaining four range from male and white (Newt Gingrich) to male and very white (Mitt Romney, Ron Paul.)

Some Republicans have questioned these findings.

“Gingrich isn’t white,” said Henry Vaught, Harvard political analyst. “He’s more of a … sweaty pinkish. Just look at him.”

"Neither was Huntsman. I know he looks white but deep down, mark my words, he’s Asian. He's just coy and sneaky about it, you know, like he's … a stealth Asian or something. Wait. Don't put that in your paper." ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Mitch McCann http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/kidnapper-successfully-nabs-child http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/kidnapper-successfully-nabs-child
The girl, one Grace Ringle, is daughter of wealthy Lincoln resident Ross Ringle, a property developer for upcoming sites throughout Lincoln. Neighbors said a man, who police believe to be Barisch, was seen lurking near a community park in dark clothing.

“The neighbors, instead of choosing to deter the gentleman from the area, instead congregated on the street corner and gossiped, speculating about the man’s motives. During the commotion, Barisch was able to apprehend young Ringle and abscond with her via a windowless white van.” said Detective Ron Matthews, Head of Lincoln’s Missing Persons division.

A phone call was received by the Ringle’s demanding a ransom of just over two million dollars for the child’s safe return.

“We have the money, but I’m beginning to feel as though he’s high-balling us. Grace hasn’t even graduated grade school yet, I hardly doubt her net worth is anywhere near two million. I wasn’t born yesterday,” said Ringle, a stern expression on his face.

“Until little Gracie can fill out her 1040 EZ, I think leaving her there is the best thing for all involved. Maybe if this Barisch guy can teach her a thing or two about developing a stock portfolio, we’ll consider the two million an investment in her future.” ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Jacob Fricke http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/romney-announces-fight-for-states-rights-to-party http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/romney-announces-fight-for-states-rights-to-party
Flanked by Ad-Rock and MCA of the Beastie Boys, a visibly inebriated Romney announced that “it’s time to bring the fight to the PEOPLE. We gotta fight... for our right.... to PAAARRRRTAYYY.”

The former Governor of Massachusetts was disheveled, missing his trademark American flag lapel pin. Instead, his normally crisp suit and tie were replaced with ripped, stained jeans and a Black Flag t-shirt.

The son of the former Governor of Michigan evoked imagery from the influential punk band as he continued to speak, swinging a bottle of Night Train in his left hand while leaning heavily on MCA for support.

“It’s like they said, innit? We gotta rise above, rise above!” he yelled to a hall full of astonished journalists and supporters. “You gotta read the tenth rights bill,” he continued, likely referring to the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. “The states.... gotta fight for their rights....”

The Tenth Amendment, widely held by Republicans to be a clause of the Constitution limiting the federal government, has not been exposed to the public in such a manner since 1997, when a drunk President Bill Clinton passed out on the White House lawn with only a copy of the amendment covering his genitals. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Jacob Fricke http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/advice-from-man-whos-cleared-out-a-few-infestations-in-his-time-by-joe-biden http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/advice-from-man-whos-cleared-out-a-few-infestations-in-his-time-by-joe-biden
I’m lead to understand that the University of Nebraska is facing a similar problem to the one I encountered after that fateful trip. Infestations, whether in the beds of freshmen or in the nether regions of the Vice President of seduction, are a sad reality given the lifestyles we live. All hope is not lost, however. Take it from me: nature’s most unfortunate prize can be cured, and I’m just the man to tell you how.

You’ve got to locate the source of the problem and confront it. Make sure it doesn’t tell your wife, firstly. That wouldn’t be good for anyone. Second, be sure to go to the clinic a few miles down the road from Pennsylvania Avenue. They don’t ask questions, and they take cash. A few laser treatments, a week of mild antibiotics and BAM! America’s first Ambassador to Women is back in business, better than ever.

While the bugs Nebraska’s facing are a bit different, I’m told, the process for getting rid of them can’t be that far off. You’ve just got to cut it off at the spring of life, as it were. Maybe it’s the new boyfriend that Delta girl’s been bringing around, or maybe one of the Literature professors passed a bit too close to me when I was giving the keynote speech at a conference a few weeks back. Whatever the source, I recommend working with Middle Eastern intelligence agencies to get rid of it. The CIA asks too many questions. I’d check with Israel first.

Next, you’ve got to pay cash to have it cleared up. No paper trail, no awkward questions from football recruits, and most importantly, the man upstairs never has to know. It never does any good to upset the Athletic director and/or President, as I’ve found he can “restrict” your access to the women’s rowing team.

Just follow my advice, and the University will be set. No more bugs, no more worry. Now, if you need help clearing up anything else, I recommend giving a certain former Speaker of the House a call. Just tell her Big Joe sent you, she’ll know exactly what you mean. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Nick Teets http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/seeds-film-review-haywire http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/seeds-film-review-haywire
Its not surprising that Soderbergh does a great job with this film, considering he directed the “Oceans” series and “Traffic.” Right from the first scene, the action grabs you and takes you across the world, filling in clues the whole way through. In the end the result is an obvious Jason Bourne scenario, but seeing how it all goes down is worth the ride.

Gina Carano, former Women’s MMA fighter, delivers the action that drives this movie. It would be nice if she delivered her lines like the countless knockouts and bullet wounds she’s able to cram into ninety minutes, but such is not the case. On the other hand,she’s pretty hot amidst all of the brutality. Thankfully Soderbergh knows where her strong points are, and maximizes.

Ultimately, “Haywire” is a great action flick that gets your blood pumping and your mind thinking. It’s stylish yet blunt, and leaves you with a satisfying sense of revenge as you leave the theatre. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Dylan Bliss http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/lana-del-ray-album-review http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/lana-del-ray-album-review
The message constructed with “Born to Die” is clear; Lana plays the beautiful, young, and sadly misunderstood starlet-wannabe whose only desire is to drive top-down with the girls and close the evening with hard make-out sessions in the rain. There are kissing references in nearly every song, and frustratingly vapid party phrases are used and reused: “take your body downtown, baby.” Those who subscribe to her character will revel in her unabashed commitment to communicating this subculture of melancholy L.A. girls, longing to be abused and thrown away like their draggy cabaret-singing mothers before them. The arrangements are effectively atmospheric, and do little to discourage a complete listen. Lana has given herself a near-perfect backdrop to the orchestral pop landscape laid amidst her unique vocal style and pouty delivery.

Sung by almost anyone else, “Born to Die” would seem a laughable teen-throb disaster, but Lana’s intimidating loyalty to her character boldly separates her from other imitators. There’s obvious room for improvement in the structure of the album. Contrived and awkwardly positioned, some tracks are just plain throwaways, but others are delicately assembled and show promising potential. Early critics of Lana Del Rey weren’t completely wrong to label her as “one to watch,” because “Born to Die” showcases a satisfyingly confident new stream of ideas, despite the negativity and cat calls. Lana Del Rey has arrived on her own accord, and will continue to cater to the mysterious whether you come along or not. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/super-bowl-xlvi-preview http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/super-bowl-xlvi-preview

Patriots:

Strengths:
1. Tom Brady crowned Miss Superbowl 2012
2. Danny Woodhead Shrinks in Wash

Weaknesses:
1. Illegal taping of Giants practices directed by M. Night Shyamalan
2. Patriots Defense Still Missing, Presumed Dead



Giants:

Strengths:
1. Michael Strahan, Tiki Barber, Plaxico Burress all expecting receptions this game.
2. Tom Coughlin owns at least two shirts

Weaknesses:
1. Fans unable to cheers names of Umenyiora, Amukamara, rest of defense.
2. NFL greasing helmets this year


Intangibles:

1. Harbaughs arrive in Indy, make things awkward for everyone
2. Belichick unable to get baby blood stains out of lucky sweatshirt
3. Colts players excited to show up for a game, finally ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Dylan Bliss http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/entertainment-editors-note-131 http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/entertainment-editors-note-131
The nomination may have to be its own reward for Terrance Malick and his extremely ambitious “The Tree of Life.” Surely awarding such an abstract masterwork with a Best Picture Oscar would cause too much suffering and backlash for the Academy. Clooney has critics and the public alike cheering on his current victories at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, and he’s almost sure to come away with it. Nonetheless, Brad Pitt has delivered two varied and completely ferocious efforts, but for some reason never seems to be the favorite. Scorsese scored huge this year with “Hugo”, paying homage to classic cinema in an uncharacteristic animated curveball, and will most likely win for second time in 5 years.

Seeds will provide our annual Oscar feature next issue, as I’m not going to comb over every category just yet. The behavior of the entire Hollywood machine intrigues me enough to lament the exclusion of some of my favorite pieces this year. We erect these golden statues to get the ball rolling for the right people. The money gets channeled through the surest of actors and producers, and fortunately that is continuously being redefined with a brave script over here, and a risky investment over there. These supposed pioneers of cinema still fall prey to the studios and journalists. Although it may be 2012, an NC-17 film about a sex addict still doesn’t garner any support from the bigwigs, but doesn’t mean it will get less attention than its decorated competitors. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Jacob Zlomke http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/editors-note-131 http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/editors-note-131
And so I did.

I’m taken to a webpage hidden deep on www.independentlivingnews.com. At the top of the page is the same ad, which is joined by a picture of a security camera and President Obama sternly pointing at me, the viewer.

A quick look at Independent Living News’s homepage shows a lot of overblown, probably mostly fabricated tales designed to look like news. A quick look at their top “articles”: “Guessing Your Social Security Number in 10 Tries or Less...” and “Scientists Warn: Solar Storms to Threaten Civilization SOON.” You can tell it’s super serious by the capitalization of “SOON.” Guys, this is urgent. Two more gems from the front page: “Experts: Major Biological Attack to Occur Soon” and “Big Brother Isn’t The ONLY One Whose Watching You...”

Lord, I’ve never cringed so hard at bad journalism, and I’m editor-in-chief of a fake newspaper. As you might expect, the stories aren’t any better--wrought with sensationalism, facts and quotes with not even a hint of citation, and, perhaps the worst sin, ALL KINDS OF CAPITAL LETTERS TO EMPHASIZE URGENCY.

Digging a little deeper into the website, it becomes clear that it’s mostly just a way to make money on people’s paranoia, fear, and willingness to listen to caps-lock.

Back to the Obama ad. The page wants me to sign up for an e-mail so I can receive the 21 “alerts” to help me assert my privacy to “Obama’s army of crony capitalists and their bureaucratic overlords [that] want to peer into your life and rip you off.” I didn’t sign up for the e-mail, and have maybe failed you in not doing so, but I really, really don’t want to clear Independent Living News e-mails out of my inbox every day.

But jeez. Is everyone going crazy? The website does not host any ads. American Lantern Press, which publishes Independent Living News, has two publications, with ILN as their flagship, that require paid subscriptions, and they state that they are free of advertising so they exist only to “serve their readers.”

It appears that there are at least two people on staff. They have to pay for printing, publishing, mailing, and keeping up the website. Even if it doesn’t amount to much in the way of operating costs, that most likely means that people are actually paying for this garbage. That, more than the fact that this monster of a publication even exists, disheartens me.

I realize that ultimately it’s up to the consumer to decide what’s reliable and what’s not. If people are willfully ignorant enough and embarrassingly gullible, then, sure, American Lantern Press has every right to exploit that for money. It’s the American way, after all. But the fact that the blame can so easily be placed on the people actually paying for it hints at a larger problem.

I know I’m an idealist, and I long for the days of Edward Murrow-style journalism, but we deserve that and it’s embarrassing that “journalism” no longer means an attempt at unbiased reporting with no intent other than to inform.

Maybe I’m complaining too much or being too picky. Regardless, we should all do our best to be informed, intelligent and critical consumers of information. Watch where you get your news, cross-reference it with other sources. If everyone was careful to do so, maybe Independent Living News and the like wouldn’t thrive in any capacity. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Dylan Bliss http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/tennis-interview http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/tennis-interview
Last time Tennis came through Omaha, they joined the cozy corner audience for the opener at Slowdown, channeling the same high-energy demeanor they would project throughout their show. Tennis expertly communicates their adorable, fun-loving style without causing their audience to eventually turn away, eyes rolled (as some did with other summery acts like Best Coast and Wavves). Time seems to be the only obstacle in the effort to branch out and slip into a sound catalogue all their own.

Guitarist and co-composer Patrick Riley spoke to Seeds about his learning experiences in touring, bringing Patrick Carney of The Black Keys on to help produce the new album, and the inherent complexities of being bandmates with his wife.



Seeds: Your first album, “Cape Dory,” was inspired by a 7-month sailing expedition. What was the inspiration for “Young & Old”?

Patrick Riley: It's hard to summarize it, really. It was the first album we really wrote as a band. This is the first time we knew we were making an album that people were going to be hearing. With “Cape Dory,” we just wrote it in our apartment and had no intention of letting people hear it. Overall, our motivation was fueled by taking things more seriously, and trying to make something that will be more applicable to peoples' lives. “Cape Dory” is impossible to apply to peoples' lives because it was about our trip and our experiences. We wanted to make something a bit more communicable.


Seeds: Describe what differences or improvements you experienced while putting your new record together with Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.

PR: At first, it was a really hard process for us. Up until then, we hadn't worked with anyone other than ourselves; we were very much a self-produced band from day one. We haven't let anyone help us with the construction of our songs, or what tones we need to use. It was hard for us to give up control. Once we did, it was one of the biggest learning experiences we could have had. He (Patrick Carney) pushed us in directions, at first, that maybe we didn't want to go, but once he added those components we agreed they should have been there all along.

Seeds: How did you first get together with him?

PR: We were sort of brainstorming, and wanted things to be different than “Cape Dory.” We were thinking of a few people we wanted to work with in the studio, whether it be an engineer or producer, we weren't really sure. I think we've always been enamored by The Black Keys. They themselves are very similar to us in the sense that they have produced themselves from day one and then they slowly let producers in. Even then, like when they worked with Danger Mouse in the studio, it was very much a mutual effort. It's not like Danger Mouse was 100% producing their album. That, for us, was a real selling point for Patrick Carney. If he hadn't been on board, we would've self-produced the new album. So it was pretty nice that when we ended up contacting him; he was interested and willing to do it.

Seeds: What kind of dynamics, as a husband-wife duo, do you think set you apart from other bands? Does it sometimes have a negative effect?

PR: Maybe. We definitely understand each other really well, especially because of all the time we spend together. We basically spend every minute of every day with each other because we work at the same job and travel to the same places together. Because of that, we really understand what we're both good at and what we're both bad at. I think sometimes that can come across in a bad way, because when I know I'm doing something the wrong way, Alaina knows it, too. (laughs) She's able to step in and fill that void. It's really just a relationship of understanding that makes it more different than most bands.

Seeds: I caught your show in Omaha last year. It was fairly low-key and compact, but you seemed to maintain a high-energy performance. Is it difficult to keep bringing that level of energy to your fans night after night?

PR: It really depends on the room. For some reason or another, the vibe when we were there for the Omaha show was just right for us to have fun, but there's definitely some nights where it just doesn't feel right. I mean, we'll pretend to be having a good time. We don't really have stage personas, so to speak. That may be a lacking quality in our band, but we just can't get ourselves into that headspace where we think we're rockstars. So we'll let the music take us where it wants to go, and we won't try to fake it that much. (laughs)

Seeds: Is there any sort of connection between your new track "Take Me to Heaven" and Cape Dory's "Take Me Somewhere"? Or does the new album take a new stance on travel and the metaphors surrounding it?

PR: I think so. In this album, we tried to tackle a bunch of different issues. They're mostly social issues, like with what happened when we released our songs on Cape Dory. Some people understood them, but some people didn't understand them, and some people took them and kind of assigned their own meaning to them. There's this feeling where someone can take something you made with your precious time and very quickly deconstruct it and assign their own meaning to it, maybe something not even close to what you wanted to do. The new album comes from this perspective that there's an audience wherever we go, there's this omnipresent ocean of people who don't judge you and are just there for you to interact with in a completely natural way. The idea of travel in our new album is more faced with dealing with an audience and the forces they bring that we're dealing with. I hope I'm not being too philosophical. (laughs)

Seeds: You had the chance to tour all over Europe last year. What was your favorite part of touring overseas for the first time?

PR: I think the first time, honestly, we really didn't like it. We were already having a hard time getting used to living in a van. There was absolutely no familiarity when we were over in Europe for the first time. The hotels and motel rooms were just horrible, and if we needed to find a place to eat, at say, 1 o’clock in the morning, those places in Europe are harder to find. We were kind of thrown on our heads when we went to Europe for the first time, and it was very much a learning experience. The second time, when we went over for our next tour, we had a lot of fun and started to understand the cultures, and I guess we kind of swam downstream with them, rather than fighting against the current. We definitely are transforming our experiences over there every time we go. We have a very short two-week trip to do over there soon, and we're really excited about it. I think the best part is coming to terms with the different culture and starting to appreciate it.

Seeds: Do you have any new-found aspirations for the new record? What would you like to do differently this time around?

PR: We're definitely not going to read reviews; at least I'm not. I think that was the one thing that we were interested in. You can say to yourself, "Oh, I don't care what someone else thinks about my music," but I think the more you read into them, it kind of becomes this small, self-deprecating obsession where you're kind of scratching at a wound of bad reviews. It just gets worse and worse until you start doubting yourself. I think this time, we're confident enough to not worry about what other people think in this album. So, I think we're just going to transcend back, and do our thing. We're not focused on what others are writing about our band. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Dylan Bliss http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/fionn-regan-interview http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/fionn-regan-interview
Many current acts in Regan’s field strive simply to become strange enough to warrant a listen and a mention, but these tunes are more difficult to dismiss. The production quality in “100 Acres of Syamore” surpasses most any album recorded in under a week, leaving a considerable timeline gap between Regan and his folk colleagues. Seeds has convinced Fionn Regan to share some of the secrets and insights that fuel an artist to create such a large body of work in so little time.


Seeds: You've cited many influences in the past. Do you have any Irish singer-songwriters that have made an impact?

Fionn: I'd say Van Morrision has had an impact on me, especially with the record “Astral Weeks.”

Seeds: Many of your lyrics are very pastoral and classical, but there are modern references scattered throughout, including television sound bites and pleas to "text me.” How do you fit these themes together?

Fionn: I just sing about the things that are in the environment around me.

Seeds: Explain the gentler, swelling return of intimate tones in "100 Acres of Sycamore." What caused the sonic contrast between this album and the last?

Fionn: I think it's natural that every record is a reaction to the one before, so after playing electric guitar for a year it felt right to go back to the acoustic.

Seeds: What changes (location, equipment, etc) did you make in the recording process between "The End of History" and your newest album?

Fionn: “100 Acres” was recorded in seven days under the same roof; with “The End of History” I moved around a bit. But I've always recorded live and used tape.

Seeds: What comes first, the melody or the lyrics? Is it different every time?

Fionn: Both come in different ways--melody sometimes first, lyrics sometimes first--but with “The Shadow of an Empire” I wrote a lot of the lyrics first while I was on the road.

Seeds: In your song entitled "Sow Mare Bitch Vixen" you admit to always having had "a thing for dangerous women." Who were some of these women in your life, and why did they inspire this tune?

Fionn: The song is a celebration of the 'femme fatale.'

Seeds: You play many instruments. Does your knowledge of these instruments make the communication of your vision easier or more tedious when directing your band?

Fionn: I think it makes it easier in a lot of ways. With “100 Acres” I made demos with parts, so we had a map and didn't have such a distance to travel with the band when we all got into a room together to play and record the songs. I also wrote a lot of notes on each song, sometimes with pretty abstract descriptions, sometimes technical.


Seeds: How has traveling/touring changed the way you create music?

Fionn: I suppose when you travel you take in a lot of things that are then reflected back in the songwriting at a later stage. ]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/terrorist-joke-bombs http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/terrorist-joke-bombs
“Thank god the room was only half-full,” club owner John Jacobson said. “Can you imagine if the room had been filled to capacity? I don’t even want think about it. The tragedy at hand is hard enough to take.”

The joke, which on top of not being funny at all, was also in terribly bad taste, put the butt of the joke on the terrorist victims instead of the terrorists themselves. The move forced Jacobson to give all the patrons their money back.

“In this type of situation you’ve got to doll out the money--that’s what they do on the national stages, and that’s what we’re going to do on the local stage,” Jacobson added.

For his part, Steve Cook defended the joke, saying that while it didn’t go over very well, the audience members needed “the truth” to be put out there “in front of their faces.”

“All these Americans live in this little fantasy world and act like they don’t need to know the truth. But that’s why I’m here, to bring them the truth. And I won’t apologize for giving them them the truth,” Cook said.

Cook would agree that the joke bombed in ways he hadn’t anticipated, and that next time he would try to make sure the explosion was more of an explosion of laughter than an explosion of deafening awkward silence.

As one victim put it, “maybe next time he tries a terrorist joke, he should make sure it doesn’t create so much collateral damage.” ]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/doc-sadler-tells-team-to-forget-everything-he-taught-them-about-basketball http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/doc-sadler-tells-team-to-forget-everything-he-taught-them-about-basketball
That’s when it hit him, he said. The team could only win if they forgot literally everything he had taught them about basketball.

“I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to realize it,” Sadler said. “But I’m really not a very good basketball coach.”

“I realized that if I still wanted to be employed as such, the best thing to do was to make sure I never actually taught anyone anything. As long as that didn’t happen, I was sure the team could improve.”

And improve they did.

After Sadler told them to forget everything he had taught them--only 30 minutes before hitting the floor against Penn State-- the team instantly improved, jumping to a 34-22 halftime lead against Penn State on their way to a 70-58 win.

The improvement was so quick, Bo Spencer, a senior guard for the Huskers, stated, because the team always knew deep down that “everything” Doc Sadler taught them wasn’t improving them at all but actually causing them to get worse.

“Honestly, going into the Penn State game before Coach Sadler told us to forget everything he had taught us, I wasn’t sure I still knew how to dribble a basketball,” Spencer said.

“He had tried to teach me some new way of dribbling that would keep me from turning over the ball, but all it looked like to me was running with the basketball and never letting it touch the ground. I tried to tell coach that was traveling, but he assured me it wasn’t.”

Following the game, many players acknowledged Coach Sadler’s selfless leadership and said only a “great coach like him” could be “man enough” to tell his team to forget everything he had taught them just so they could win a basketball game. ]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Bright http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/john-papuchis-asks-bo-pelini-to-explain-every-defensive-play-one-at-a-time-please http://www.dailyernebraskan.com/article/john-papuchis-asks-bo-pelini-to-explain-every-defensive-play-one-at-a-time-please
Papuchis invited the DailyER Nebraskan to sit in the video room with him as he perches on the edge of his seat in anticipation for what Coach Pelini is going to teach him.

“Honestly, it’s my first day, so I have no idea what he’s got in store for me. But I can’t tell you how excited I am,” Papuchis said, as he clutched the sack lunch his wife had made him special for his first day.

“I hope he starts me off with something fun like a blitz package, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

As Papuchis waited for Pelini he couldn’t help but peek at the playbook, even though Pelini had “specifically” told him not to look at it until the head coach told him it was okay.

“I guess there’s some pretty complicated stuff in there that he doesn’t want me to see until he has time to explain it,” Papuchis said before adding in a hushed tone, “I guess there are even some 3-4 schemes in there, but don’t tell him I told you that.”

Papuchis also stated that he hoped he and Pelini could be “almost” as close as the head coach and his brother and former defensive coordinator Carl Pelini were.

“I know they were brothers, but I feel like me and Bo could be that close,” Papuchis said.

“Four years ago, when I was just a graduate assistant with him at LSU, I used to dream of us being able to snuggle up together on a camping trip in the swampland. But I guess Western Nebraska will work just fine.” ]]> Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 CDT