A set of old Herald sweatshirts bears the words, “Dangerously close to cult status.” Perhaps the saying is a bit presumptuous and just a tad politically incorrect. But it is also entirely true. I have to admit the saying has real merit when it comes to the Herald family —… Read more »

Some of my favorite Bills include Cosby, Clinton, Gates and of course Shakespeare — however, I am not a fan of this new bill that is currently in the process of being approved by the state Assembly. If passed, this bill would make it legal for bars to sue underage… Read more »

Palermo’s workers have been in the news during the past week. Half a dozen workers came from Milwaukee to testify outside Interim Chancellor Ward’s office Monday about abuses in their factory.  Even though the university’s labor and licensing committee recommended six months ago that the chancellor cut the Palermo’s contract,… Read more »

Our teaching assistants — and other grad student employees — need a raise. With segregated fees increasing, no pay raise since 2009 and increased medical costs after Walker’s Act 10 legislation, our TAs are taking home $1,600 less in annual pay than they did in 2002 (adjusted for inflation). With… Read more »

Stop the war on pizza and war against reason.  As a University of Wisconsin student, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to outgoing Interim Chancellor David Ward for the embarrassing spectacle that is “The War on Pizza.” Despite the fact that Palermo’s, a prominent Wisconsin employer, has been… Read more »

This summer is going to be phenomenal. After all, one could say that it’s the story-making season. I would also say that it is the season of life experience — when you build up your street smarts, when you work the right side of your brain, when you finally get… Read more »

Recent developments in a Wisconsin redistricting lawsuit suggest that Republicans may have something to hide. After a group of Democrats and the immigrant rights organization Voces De La Frontera successfully sued Republican legislators on the grounds that the processes used in drawing district lines were unconstitutional, federal judges ordered that… Read more »

I would like to congratulate reporter Polo Rocha on his coverage of this week’s Democratic budget hearing (“Walker criticized for education, health care proposals in Democrats’ budget hearing”). His classic, straightforward reporting far outshone the Capital Times’ efforts. My 11-year-old daughter Lydia, whose testimony against school voucher expansion got the… Read more »

To paraphrase Bob Dylan, it looks like the times are changing. Even though the Mifflin Street Block Party has been around for more than 40 years, the Madison Police Department wrote in a recent letter to Madison residents, “There will be no Mifflin Street Block Party” this year and it… Read more »

The Affordable Care Act, in an attempt to help establish a health care system that would cover nearly all Americans, allocated money to the 50 states to strengthen their Medicaid programs. However, Gov. Scott Walker has decided not to take the money, and to weaken Badgercare by reducing the income… Read more »

Tweets, statuses and likes — these commonly used words allude to the culture of social media. However, these often-inane actions can sometimes have hefty consequences if not carefully monitored. In response, state legislators are pursuing reform that would ban landlords, universities and employers from forcing prospective tenants, students and employees… Read more »

The Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education is finalizing revisions to its charter school policy, which would end district sponsorship of noninstrumentality charter schools. This is a bad policy for students in Madison, particularly in light of the proposal in the governor’s budget, which allows local nonprofits to authorize… Read more »

The only way to describe the upcoming spring commencement at the University of Wisconsin is “tight butthole.”  That’s because Anders Holm, a UW alum with a history degree and one of the creators, writers and actors of the hit show “Workaholics,” will be speaking. Considering that last year’s speaker was… Read more »

I have no views on the musical abilities of Canadian-born pop star Justin Bieber. But I do have strong views about the new prepaid debit card he has recently endorsed, called the SpendSmart Prepaid Mastercard. Although Justin Bieber says this prepaid card will help teenagers learn how to manage their… Read more »

In 1905, the University of Wisconsin’s tuition was $10 and $25 per semester for Wisconsin residents and nonresidents, respectively.Knowing this little trivia puts today’s tuition in perspective. It is no secret the cost of going to college in this country has ballooned in recent years. Not only that, but the… Read more »

As Revelry’s student organizers, we’ll say it until we are blue in the face: This is not an anti-Mifflin party or an administrator-driven event. There needn’t be tension between Revelry’s existence and Mifflin’s, unless you want there to be. Go to one, both, neither; it’s a free country. Some of… Read more »

The worth of master’s degrees, MFA degrees and PhDs in the humanities has been a long-debated topic. As an English literature major who is about to graduate, I have entered into the internal and external debate of whether MFAs or PhDs are worth the considerable trouble and money they cost… Read more »

In 2010, I wrote a letter to the editor in response to The Badger Herald’s decision to post a Holocaust-denial ad. Unfortunately, I’m writing again because an article published today (and also promoted on social media) showed the newspaper’s lack of responsibility and sensitivity in regard to the Holocaust yet… Read more »

I am writing as a long-time resident of alder District 2, in response to your recent article about outgoing Ald. Bridget Maniaci. I appreciated the balance of your article in taking Fred Mohs’ critical viewpoint of Ms. Maniaci into account; of course, journalistic balance on your part and habitual decorum… Read more »

How often do you save work that you did in class? When you finish an assignment, a project or an art piece, do you stick it in your portfolio? Do you hang it up? Do you Snapchat it or post it on Facebook? It’s a yes or no answer, and… Read more »

Recently, two notable Wisconsin Republicans, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Gov. Scott Walker, clarified their positions on the subject of gay marriage. When put on the spot, both politicians took the stance that gay marriage is a matter of “states’ rights.” In an interview with Fox 6 News in… Read more »

The weekend before spring break, we had the amazing opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., for the United States Student Association’s 44th National Grassroots Legislative Conference. At the conference, we collaborated with students from public universities across the country and participated in a number of workshops where we engaged in… Read more »

Last Thursday, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman heavily downplayed President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to Israel, suggesting that he “could be the first sitting American president to visit Israel as a tourist.” Friedman’s frustration stems from a critique that Obama — who has preempted his trip with the assertion… Read more »

More than 60 years ago the United States sat on the sidelines, watching as the world engulfed itself in the flames of war. Then, the attacks on Pearl Harbor occurred. America was shaken out of its isolationist habits. No longer were the days of solitude. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto remarked, “I… Read more »

As current representatives and representative-elects of the Associated Students of Madison, we are writing to express our concern that Interim Chancellor David Ward has not honored ASM’s decision to approve a contract for Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group and we urge Ward to respect our decision for the next fiscal… Read more »

The negative effects of the 2008 financial collapse are still lingering in the U.S. economy, making it harder for people to find long-term employment and also impeding the efforts of college graduates to keep up with their student loan payments. Yet the biggest Wall Street financial institutions seem to be… Read more »

I find interim Chancellor David Ward’s letter to the campus from last week about the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group to be full of excuses for why students should not be able to fund WISPIRG. Frankly, it is full of a whole lot of nothing.  First off, the arguments presented… Read more »

If there’s one thing I love about America other than the song “Free Bird” and water skiing squirrels, it’s American tradition. American traditions range from hot dog eating contests to chopping down a tree with your family during the Christmas season – something that almost led to disaster one year… Read more »

Wisconsin is not just known for making world class dairy products or for being the home of the historic Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately, we are known for something else: our pervasive drinking culture. Drinking in and of itself is not a bad thing. Yet, when our state laws permit people’s… Read more »

I seem to remember an old saying that goes something like: “If you’re going to lose your job, you might as well make a complete ass of yourself in the process.” Maybe I’m mistaken — maybe that’s not an old saying. Regardless, it seems to be the philosophy of Democratic Party spokesperson… Read more »

Recently, the University of Wisconsin announced it will be offering four online courses next fall that will be available to the public free of charge. These courses will be taught by UW professors, but students enrolled in the courses will not earn college credit. Upon hearing this news, I was… Read more »

I like to affectionately refer to Associated Students of Madison as repulsive, eczematous body oozing with corruption and partisan agenda. Once again, ASM has lived up to this reputation by irresponsibly allocating student segregated fees to send student government representatives to the discriminatory Conservative Political Action Conference this March. In doing… Read more »

It seems to follow you nearly everywhere you go. Whether it’s banking, student loans, credit card, cell phone or online entertainment agreements, each has essentially the same controversial contract provision: mandatory binding arbitration. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is currently studying the effects of this type of contract provision and… Read more »

I was somewhat puzzled by the fracas at the Associated Students of Madison over the group of students who wish to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference this year. Here’s why: It is a rare week when our course readings do not disparage Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, capitalism,… Read more »

I grew up hating naps.This may have been due to the traumatic experience of waking up from a nap when I was six years old to the sound of chainsaws cutting down my favorite climbing tree. Or it may have been I felt I was wasting nearly an hour – sometimes… Read more »

When I enrolled in Gender and Women Studies 103 — Women’s Bodies in Health and Disease — I was looking to score some quick, non-sciencey science credit. I was more than a bit skeptical about taking a GWS class because I was convinced it would label me a feminist and… Read more »

There is no legitimate research backing up Gov. Scott Walker’s decision to refuse to fill the gaps in Medicaid with federal funds. Research, some even completed by non-partisan groups, shows he is basically choosing to throw away taxpayers’ money. It’s not fiscally responsible. His plan will not only cover fewer… Read more »

In a recent piece titled “Sequester: Congress screws Up,” Joe Timmerman does an admirable (although quite easy) job of explaining why the sequester is a bad idea. However, his claim it is a “congressionally-manufactured crisis” is not accurate. Bob Woodward of the Washington Post has argued the sequester was an idea… Read more »

As I read the piece titled “Bipartisan pressure key to halting Iranian nuclear program,” by Chris Hoffman and Jeff Snow in The Badger Herald on Tuesday, I was struck not only by the complete lack of specifics but also by its neo-colonial mentality concerning the United States’ role on this… Read more »

Today is the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary election. Sadly, few, if any, will take the time to participate in this all-too-often nuanced election, which will narrow the field from three candidates to the two who will face off in the April 2 general election. However, I feel it is my… Read more »

The most prescient lesson Republicans took away from the 2012 presidential election was the need to pay attention to demographics. As Americans are becoming more racially, economically and socially divided than at any point in our country’s history, the Republican Party’s narrow appeals to the descendants of WASP’s and Rockefeller’s need… Read more »

In the State of the Union address, President Barack Obama approached higher education from the same economic perspective he usually does. He stressed how education builds a well-trained workforce and fuels a high-tech economy, opening up the subject of higher education with the truism, “The more education you have, the… Read more »

One of my strongest hopes for what President Barack Obama will introduce in tonight’s State of the Union address — a renewed commitment to the green jobs agenda — is highly unlikely to even receive lip service when he steps onto the House floor. Green jobs became the Achilles’ heel… Read more »

I was dismayed to learn the University of Wisconsin is still tormenting cats in cruel and useless “sound localization” experiments. Cats used in these experiments have steel coils implanted in their eyes, holes drilled into their skulls and electrodes implanted in their brains. Sometimes, they even have their ears cut… Read more »

I have an awkward history with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. When he was trounced by former President George W. Bush in the 2000 Republican Primary, he seemed interesting to me, like a gentile Ariel Sharon. When he blasted the Bush administration for torture, he seemed like a humanist. When he nominated… Read more »

The article “Pro-life facility sparks controversy with Madison alder, community,” which appeared in the Jan. 29  Badger Herald, included inaccurate statements and false assumptions regarding Care Net Pregnancy Center of Dane County. In the article, Ald. Joe Clausius, District 17, made statements that alienated Care Net when he reffered to it… Read more »

Society is in a constant state of flux. As society and technology change, the law must change along with them. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act does not reflect the evolution of technology that has occurred since its passage in 1986 and is now outdated. It is time for Congress to… Read more »

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” These memorable words are inscribed on the gates of Hell in the work Inferno, the first part of Dante’s Divine Comedy. And there is no better description in the written world that should represent the moniker of the dark, sunlight-deprived crap stain that… Read more »

Committee hearings are political drama par excellence. Witnesses speak under oath, cameras are on full display and questions have been meticulously prepared by those conducting the investigation to be both barbed and combative. Senators stare down at those testifying from behind their nametags, waiting for the opportunity to ask a… Read more »

Last semester, several student organizations came together to raise awareness about the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has claimed over 5.4 million lives. Human rights abuses perpetrated in the context of the war include sexual and gender-based violence, child soldiering and forced labor. Amnesty International; Students Against Trafficking;… Read more »

Israel has been increasingly isolating itself from other countries through many policies, including its continued program of building Israeli settlements in the West Bank. With these continued settlements, a peaceful agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for a two-state solution seems quite remote. But the recent Israeli parliamentary election —… Read more »

I feel lucky The Badger Herald has employees like Design Director Gus McNair, whose commitment to free speech principles is so steadfast he’s willing to publicly challenge the final decision I made to pull a comic by Vincent Cheng. But I stand by the decision I made along with my… Read more »

Mining regulation reform has returned to the foreground of Wisconsin legislation. Last year, controversy erupted over a bill that would streamline the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources permitting process and reduce environmental standards for mines across the state. The plot was thickened by the fact the mining firm Gogebic Taconite made clear… Read more »

In his quest to bring medieval fighting to the fore in student life, former Student Services Finance Committee chair Matt Manes succeeded in pulling Excalibur from the proverbial stone. In the case of this sword-related metaphor, we’re referring to his successful application to fund his live action role-playing club, also… Read more »

The filibuster invokes images of a courageous lawmaker taking the floor of the U.S. Senate and talking for as long as he or she can to delay or block legislation that, in the senator’s view, is a detriment to the American people. Contemporary filibusters rarely require a U.S. senator to… Read more »

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release their monthly report on the employment situation Friday. On a national level, the jobs recovery seems to be picking up steam so far this year. On the other hand, in the State of Wisconsin, the recovery is not going well. As the Bureau of… Read more »

It has been less than a month since the 2012 presidential election, and already, the Republican Party is coming up with a plethora of excuses to explain their predicted and well pronounced loss. In the week following the election, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney made his now famous ‘gifts’ comment… Read more »

Unless Congress and President Barack Obama can reach a compromise before Jan. 1 to avoid the fiscal cliff of $560 billion in mandatory tax increases and spending cuts, the economy will likely be sent into another avoidable and unnecessary recession. It is time for our political leaders to make tough… Read more »

Recently, news talk radio station WTDY underwent some pretty significant changes. While firing news staff was definitely a big move, the most worrisome step WTDY undertook was firing John “Sly” Sylvester. Sly, known for his “Sly in the Morning” slot, was noted for his caustic on-air style and, among other… Read more »

The day after the election, news sources declared Republicans had been “drubbed.” Democratic candidates talked about the vindication of their platform. Republicans finally seemed to be taking notice of the nation’s changing positions on social issues and demographics. The consensus seemed to be the “conservative coalition” was dead, that the… Read more »

As I was glancing through Monday’s headlines, I thought for certain that Tara Golshan’s front page article, which chronicled a Friday rally organized by Students for Justice in Palestine to protest the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and the subsequent counter-rally in support of Israel attended by members of the Madison-Israel Public… Read more »

The results of the 2012 presidential election reveal a need for the Republican Party to reinvent itself. The party’s reputation outside active, registered membership is what caused Romney to lose. Shy of scrapping the primary system for selecting its presidential candidate, the GOP needs to substantially disavow itself of pure… Read more »

On Wednesday, Adelaide Blanchard’s column called for a revision of the Catholic Church’s stance on homosexual marriage, claiming, “From a theological standpoint, it is nonsense the Catholic Church … would actively want to get in the way of two consenting adults getting married in what is supposed to be a… Read more »

Following last week’s election, the Vatican starkly reinforced its opposition to gay marriage, but this is a backwards and antiquated position. Yet to some extent, they know they are fighting to preserve a tradition. What they call tradition, I call a fevered death grip on a romanticized and fictional past,… Read more »

I never got the impression that Texans were thrilled to be a part of the American experiment. It has always seemed that the state of Texas never forgot the Republic of Texas long enough to be comfortable as a part of the United States. Shortly after it joined the Union… Read more »

Starting today, University of Wisconsin students boarding Madison Metro buses will be required to show their Wiscards if they want to board using an Associated Student of Madison bus pass. This is actually nothing new, as it is already a policy of Madison Metro to require identification for usage of unlimited-use… Read more »

Gov. Scott Walker’s administration had another “oops” moment when it realized President Barack Obama was re-elected. Walker, who was hoping Obama would be ousted, stalled on implementing Obamacare all these months and now has to get a statewide health care exchange together — by Nov. 16. Whether or not you… Read more »

Presumably, I’m not the only Facebook user whose thread was inundated in political expression two nights ago as election results were pouring in from across the country and political science experts were scrambling to call the race. It was as if the entire social network imploded upon itself in a… Read more »

The Internet is the invisible embodiment of the marketplace of ideas. It’s a place for ideas to roam free and unrestricted. But of course, there are downsides to that liberty. When it comes to internet forums, feelings can be hurt. World views can be shattered. Egos can be smashed to… Read more »

Mark Pocan has shown, despite his largely liberal views, a capacity to work on bipartisan issues. He told the Wisconsin State Journal, “I can still throw a grenade if I have to, but I throw them more sparingly now.” That’s the kind of statesmanship the nation needs when the national… Read more »

By the time this column is published, we will already know how the election has turned out (or there will be a lot of very tired people who gave up on Ohio’s ability to tabulate ballots at around 4 a.m.). Since I won’t be able to write this column after… Read more »

Although I’m voting for President Barack Obama for president this fall, I’m mainly voting against Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. I’m doing this not because I believe Romney is a bad person or poor business leader, but rather because I believe the values and perspective he brings to the job… Read more »

Politicians have a tendency to view science as a means to an end — for them it stands for technological innovation, a strong industrial economy and an ever-increasing standard of living. Sure, they support science in an abstract sense, but I get the impression many of the politicians making critical… Read more »

Within the past three months Wisconsin has been the site of two major mass shootings, which have resulted in the deaths of 11 people, including the shooters themselves. In response to these shootings, two Democratic state legislators intend to reintroduce a bill that would place stricter laws on gun control.… Read more »

Last year, the visit of Neil deGrasse Tyson created an excitement on campus and also placed the University of Wisconsin in the national spotlight following his moving speech. The Associated Students of Madison Student Government has taken notice of this student interest and began addressing the idea with the proposed… Read more »

Madison is a wonderful city, as everyone who lives here can attest. It even has a reputation around the country as a vibrant, safe place to live with plenty of jobs, to boot. In fact, we consistently place highly in rankings of best small cities in the U.S. The secret’s… Read more »

Attorney General JB. Van Hollen is making headlines these days in the state of Wisconsin. He’s pushed the State Supreme Court to rule on voter ID in hopes that the law will be in place for the November election, and he’s openly disagreed with the Government Accountability Board. On Thursday, Van… Read more »

In the editorial I am dissenting against, my fellow board members call out the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s editorial board for refusing to endorse political candidates any longer. My fellow board members say this is because the Sentinel feels the consensus they would reach would hurt readership. I agree. Personally, I… Read more »

A deep-seated point of personal disappointment for me is that I love bottled water. I know I need to be more environmentally friendly, but tap water grosses me out. And, after having seen the 2010 documentary “Gasland,” a breakthrough documentary on natural gas extraction, or “fracking,” I’m even sending the… Read more »

On Sept. 30, 2012 the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the Farm Bill, was left to expire under the indecisive eyes of Congress. As the son of dairy farmers, I consider this action an insult to the agriculturists who work tirelessly 24 hours a day, seven… Read more »

>Voter ID laws swept across the U.S. after the Republican Party took political control of most state legislatures in 2010. Wisconsin was no exception. These laws were introduced by legislators who are members of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. During the 2011-2012 state legislative sessions, 62 photo ID laws… Read more »

Trek Bicycle Corporation, headquartered in nearby Waterloo, recently distanced itself from multiple Tour de France-winning cyclist Lance Armstrong. In regard to performance-enhancing drugs, I will pose you a question someone once asked me while drunk: “What if doing drugs to get ahead in sports was required?” Of course, this notion… Read more »

With three weeks until the Nov. 6 elections, Wisconsin is a microcosm of the entire country, with both the presidential and senatorial races within a single percentage point, according to a Marquette University Law School poll. With overall national polls showing the presidential race just as tight and the senate… Read more »

Dear Editor, With just under three weeks to go, the pressure is on to get out the vote for what will certainly be an election with profound implications — given that in a speech at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Vice President Joe Biden argued the two parties have “fundamentally different… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Post is toast. The student newspaper serving the Milwaukee campus recently published a front-page editorial essentially begging their readership to come to their aid with advice and financial support. The Post did not mince words: The newspaper industry is dying, they say, and the Post is… Read more »

As most people know, there is an undeniable link between the quality of education that a student receives and his or her social class. For obvious reasons, lower class children are not receiving high quality education, whereas middle and upper class children continue to have successful schooling experiences. According to… Read more »

A few days ago, there were some people handing out free cupcakes on Library Mall. I was delighted and took one. Before I took a bite, I noticed that there was a single candle on the cupcake and attached to it a label that read: “A cupcake for the first… Read more »

Tonight millions of Americans will tune in to a televised vice presidential debate, and it is important that we take the time to look at Wisconsin’s addition to this much anticipated event. When Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, was nominated to be former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s running mate, many people… Read more »

On an unseasonably cold, early October morning, I had signed up for a community garden workday — for a modest fee, one can acquire a plot and complete freedom to work that plot, but is obligated to work one workday during the year. I am a member of the Eagle Heights… Read more »

Madison has been having a tough time with homelessness. Recently, the city decided to put an end to panhandling in the downtown area. As long as I can remember, the rattling of change in a plastic cup and the usual pleasantries that accompany it have been quintessential features of a walk… Read more »

Everyone knows Madison has a grave and growing problem with homelessness. Shout-out to whichever group is feeding them in Lisa Link Peace Park next to my house, because the city currently has no concrete plans to provide them with the basic human right of shelter. Last Wednesday, Dane County Executive… Read more »

From the repeal of collective bargaining to the recall elections to voter ID, in the past year Wisconsin has been a battleground state. Considering that our campus and our Capitol are at the epicenter of these debates, one would think that the President of the United States would have mentioned… Read more »

Now that we’re almost a month into the semester and starting to worry about midterms, it’s easy to forget the biannual pain of purchasing textbooks. The National Association of College Stores estimates that, in the 2008-2009 academic year, the average college student spent $667 on “course materials” — namely, textbooks.… Read more »

If you’re reading, this then you’re probably like me — a college student investing in an education while accumulating student debt. In order to pay for our higher education, we all make sacrifices. We hold two jobs during the school year and try to fit in some homework on the… Read more »

Gov. Scott Walker’s collective bargaining law was struck down late on the night of Friday, Sept. 14. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has yet to rule on the constitutionality of the law, but already a firestorm of debate and controversy has taken place. The most recent action in the unending battle between… Read more »

Between expensive parking, wide sidewalks and a relatively progressive array of bike lanes and paths, it’s never been more attractive to be a carless student in Madison. Plus, Google’s incorporation of the Madison Metro bus schedules into its Maps feature has made it even easier to make use of our… Read more »

It’s good that the presidential race will be over in a month and a half, because the issues that have been raised lately sound like bad jokes. Did you hear the one about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s sweeping generalizations and our cultural affinity for percentage values? No, no, not… Read more »

It can happen here too — officially inspired and condoned popular demonstrations against expressions viewed as hurting others by attacking their “faith.” Sound familiar? This brief description refers not to the violent demonstrations and destruction now convulsing the world of Islam in response to a crude, American-made film which denigrates… Read more »

Before you read any further in this column, you must know that I have an absolute and unshakable bias: I am a crazy cat lady. But the reason the University of Wisconsin’s recent run-in with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has me all aflutter is not just because… Read more »

Madison is one of America’s greatest biking cities. As such, bikers should have adequate access to safe navigation throughout the city. In this spirit of safe navigation, the Madison Police Department has recently begun a bicycle ambassador program. The Madison Police Department’s programs aim to ease relations between motorists, pedestrians… Read more »

With Chicago public school teachers on strike, there are 350,000 students out of class, causing critics to question educators’ commitment to the children they are supposed to serve. But long before the strike, Chicago’s schoolchildren, like their peers across the nation and around the world, have felt the brunt of education… Read more »

Cornell University just dropped its contract with sports apparel juggernaut Adidas amid allegations that after the closing of an Indonesian factory, the company neglected to compensate over 2,700 workers with the $1.8 million dollars they were due. The University of Wisconsin-Madison also contracts with Adidas, and has raised similar concerns… Read more »

Readers wholly unable to digest anything “politically incorrect” or offensive are advised to read no further. A two minute segment of the nearly 14 minute trailer for the movie “Innocence of Muslims” recently provoked religious riots all across the Middle East and Africa, resulting in the murder of the U.S.… Read more »

In this week’s arts section of The Badger Herald, I came across an article that claimed, in spite of concrete evidence, that organic food was somehow beneficial to one’s health. Now, for those of you who buy organic food for its unique taste, I have no problem with your logic… Read more »

This week, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that 482 panic buttons were installed in offices in the Capitol in an effort to further step up security. It’s sad that Wisconsin state representatives feel their safety is in danger enough to justify panic buttons. Yes, someone did pull a box cutter on Rep. Brett Hulsey… Read more »

Elections are all about differences. They are an occasion for our two major political parties to explain why their strategies and values are diametrically opposed to those of their opponents and to clarify what they stand for in stark, hard-nosed terms. But as this presidential election continues down the stretch,… Read more »

Over the past two weeks, the two main parties in our political process have showcased the best they have to offer and presented two starkly different visions for this country’s future. As some of us prepare to cast our first vote in a presidential election, we should be reminded voting… Read more »

The campaign for the soon-to-be empty seat of Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., is in full swing, and as many of us now know, Wisconsin’s next senator will be either Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., or former governor Tommy Thompson. Already there is a non-issue being brought to the forefront of voters’… Read more »

Perhaps it is finally time to say what has been on the minds of those in the University of Wisconsin community for several years. The state of Wisconsin has failed its flagship university. Decades of constant fiscal belt-tightening have only led to the same refrain from our leaders on the… Read more »

What does it mean to be a “fake” politician? I have to think that Machiavelli did not envision this when he wrote “The Prince.” The Republican Party of Wisconsin has managed to field six of their own to run as Democrats in primaries across the state this year. Initially, their… Read more »

As the latest labor-related incident in a long history of apparel problems at the University of Wisconsin, the current Adidas drama is an issue the university has had to deal with before. After cutting ties with Nike in 2010, UW has made it clear it rightfully can and will take… Read more »

In an era of massive energy consumption, our society faces a critical dilemma — the fuels upon which we depend are running out. Although our daily lives are heavily predicated on the availability of energy sources, many of these sources are both detrimental to the environment and utterly unsustainable, particularly… Read more »

The activism of University of Wisconsin students has changed the face and direction of our city. From Mayor Paul Soglin, whose leadership in the anti-war and civil rights movement on campus presaged a history-making career in public service, to the teaching assistants and UW students who were the very first… Read more »