3. May 2015 | Greater Oshkosh | SceneNewspaper.com | L3
culvers.com
Culver’s of Oshkosh - Koeller
1580 S. Koeller Street
Oshkosh, WI 54902
(920) 231-6028
Culver’s of Oshkosh - Westowne
2270 Westowne Ave.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
(920) 231-6019
Culver’s of Fond du Lac - E. Johnson
969 E. Johnson Street
Fond du Lac, WI 54935
(920) 922-5559
Culver’s of Fond du Lac - Hwy. 23
W6606 Hwy. 23
Fond du Lac, WI 54937
(920) 922-2272
Culver’s of Fond du Lac - Pioneer
81 W. Pioneer Road
Fond du Lac, WI 54935
(920) 922-2826
Come on in to your
local Culver’s restaurant:
4. GREATER OSHKOSH
EDITION
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COVER STORY
L6 Urban Beekeeping
FINE ARTS
R8 Foxy Finds
L11 Finding the Flow
FOOD & DRINK
R2 Brewmaster
R4 From the Wine Cave
R6 Tricia’s Table
L10 Uptown
ENTERTAINMENT
R10 Live from Japan
R12 Dobie Maxwell
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R30 Postcard from Milwaukee
R32 The Spanish Inquisition
R36 Testicle Festival
R38 Concert Watch
R40 CD Review
L10 Launchpad Regionals
NEWS & VIEWS
R14 Right Wing Nut
R16 The View from the Leftfield
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R18 Media Rants
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R26 Rob Zimmer
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L13 Community Garden
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L13 The Big Events
5. May 2015 | Greater Oshkosh | SceneNewspaper.com | L5
Picture Yourself in Winnebago County Parks!
Picture“Yourself ie”
in Winnebago
County Parks
Selfie Photo Contest
Here’s how it works:
1.—GO TO ANY WINNEBAGO COUNTY
PARKS LOCATION OR KZ RADIO
REMOTE BROADCAST.
2.– TAKE A SELFIE IN FRONT OF A REC-
OGNIZABLE PORTION OF THE PARK
(LIKE THE SIGN OR WITHIN ONE OF
OUR ‘FRAMES’)
3.—POST YOUR SELFIE ON
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PARK WITH KZ RADIO AND THE SCENE!
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AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE
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With
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6. L6 | SceneNewspaper.com | Greater Oshkosh | May 2015
ENTERTAINMENT // SERIOUSLY FUNNY
BY LORI PALMERI
Did you know the honey bee (Apis mel-
lifera) is the Wisconsin State insect, designated
in Chapter 326 of State statutes? According to
the Department of Natural Resources, “In 1977, the
third grade class of Holy Family School in Marinette
was studying the legislative process, hands-on. With
encouragement from the Wisconsin Honey Producers
Association, they asked the Legislature to select the honey
bee as the state insect.
Forbes Magazine featured blogger, Tom Barlow’s interview
with Dr. James Tew of Ohio State University’s Honeybee
Laboratory, about “urban beekeeping, “… in cities like Denver,
Minneapolis, Helena, Montana, New York City” and, I add
to that list, closer to home, Madison, Milwaukee, La Crosse,
Eau Claire and Green Bay (2010 repealed ban on beekeeping).
Barlow observed, “This effort supports rehabilitating our nation’s
ailing bee population as well as contributing to local food pro-
duction. However, those that are allergic to bee stings are not
so thrilled…” that is, about bees in the city, for fear of any bee
sting, not just the docile honey bee.
Public education opportunity #1: There is a distinct differ-
ence between a honey bee and a wasp or other aggressive stinging
insects.
The public education component requires facing those fears
and looking at the different kinds of bees, and as Barlow and Tew
opined, “…what protections can be put in place to minimize
even the unlikeliest of harm. Typically stings occur from wasps,
yellow jackets or hornets seeking food at the picnic or having
their nest disturbed. They can and do sting repeatedly. How-
ever, a honey bee does not want to sting you because it will die
after stinging since they lose their stinger in the process which is
attached to their digestive system.”
Despite a small percentage of the population concerned with
bee sting allergies, the last five year estimates now indicate there
around 100,000 beekeepers, up 10% to 15% since the early
2000’s across the country.
URBAN BEEKEEPING
in the Fox Valley…
What's all
the buzz
about?
7. May 2015 | Greater Oshkosh | SceneNewspaper.com | L7
COVER STORY // URBAN BEEKEEPING
Dr. James Tew of the Honey Bee Labo-
ratory at Ohio State University is inspired
by the numbers of amateur urban beekeep-
ing he has encountered , “They are valu-
able contributors”, he said, “to the recent
stabilization, if not growth, in the world
bee population”. And, many of these are
hobbyists, operating in urban settings.
Barlow’s blog went on to report, “Tew
sees urban beekeeping as part of a couple
of movements, the green and the locavore.
The concern over colony collapse disor-
der, he believes, worried those who value
the balance of nature, and some urban
devotees have taken it upon themselves to
help reestablish bee colonies. The locavore
movement, valuing foods locally grown,
also helped inspire amateurs to try their
hand at beekeeping.
Urban beekeeping is not, however, with-
out its downside, at least among those who
fear that bee stings could lead to anaphy-
lactic shock and death. In fact, a number
of communities still have laws on the books
forbidding residents from having their own
hives, although many are being reversed.
The numbers don’t support the fear, how-
ever; sources estimate annual deaths from
bee stings at around forty people per year.”
Some best management practices could
mitigate the perceived threat.
Tew said there are some simple steps
that a beekeeper can take to minimize the
potential for harm from a hive; “… by
fencing the hive to five or six feet, bees are
forced to climb upon departing the hive,
and mischievous children are kept at a
distance. Since bees most commonly sting
near the hive in defense of it, this reduces
the likelihood of such an event. The docile
bred honey bees are non-aggressive. They
just want to be left along to do their
work…” that is, producing neighborhood
local honey.
So, if the little honey bee is Wisconsin’s
state insect – why are they not allowed to
be kept in most Wisconsin cities by local
ordinance? Some Wisconsin cities have
passed urban beekeeping ordinances allow-
ing apiaries, like Madison, Milwaukee,
LaCrosse and
Eau Claire,
and Green
B a y .
And, it
l o o k s
l i k e
F o n d
du Lac is on track to be the next city to
pass such an ordinance. As of April 13,
the FDL Plan Commission reviewed the
zoning code for setback requirements and
the issue is expected to go back to City
Council in early May. That is just in time
to get hives in before it’s too late at the end
of May for this region.
Last year, as a member of the Oshkosh
Sustainability Advisory Board, I worked
with a local group of citizens, including
Brian Humboldt, gardener with the Seeds
of Change Community Garden on Jef-
ferson Street, and an avid beekeeper from
Pickett, Jon Dudzinski, to bring forth a
recommendation to Oshkosh City Council
for an ordinance allowing urban beekeep-
ing. However, it never made it past the
SAB because the Council representative
would not support it due to personal aller-
gies. Clearly, public education is needed to
bring the discussion to a reasonable level in
Oshkosh. Responsible hive management
and public education can and do ensure
benefits for all.
Eau Claire and LaCrosse have both
encountered controversy in enacting the
ordinance allowing beekeeping in their
cities within the last year. However, Fond
du Lac City Council Vice President,
LeeAnn Lorrigan and Councilwoman,
Karyn Merkel both say they anticipate
the new ordinance going through with-
out controversy. It may be that education
helps. The UW Extension in Fond du Lac
happens to offer a beginner beekeeping
course for $50 and is well attended each
year according to registration staff. It also
helps that the local fire department Lt.
Todd Shippee is also a beekeeper and has
had experience with swarm removal.
Even Madison initially had some issues
with an alderperson that was allergic and
the education process prevailed. There are
numerous urban hives thriving today.
In recent years, Appleton
passed
urban agriculture zoning ordinance. In
2012, the issue of whether to allow bees
was decided, by amendment to the urban
agriculture ordinance, bees are allowed
on areas designated as urban farms. In
Appleton, urban farms are considered a
permitted use in agricultural, industrial,
central business, and commercial districts,
and a special use requiring council approval
in residential and public institutional dis-
tricts. The city issues annual permits for
raising honeybees. Neenah is considering
allowing mason bees, but does not allow
honey bees.
Why is urban beekeeping (and urban
farming) important in Wisconsin cities? In
the case of Appleton, while reviewing the
Riverview Gardens project, the Commu-
nity and Economic Development Depart-
ment noted that it advanced several goals
in Appleton’s 2010- 2013 Comprehensive
Plan, including economic development, the
viability of regional food production and
processing, and leadership in sustainability.
In order for Wisconsin and (other
Midwest) cities to be resilient, sustainable
and have the ability to respond to potential
produce and grocery challenges expected,
as a result of water and drought issues in
say, California, we need to take seriously
our local food security and promote local
food production where ever possible. City
planners and elected officials, in serving to
protect the “health, welfare, and safety of
the general public” are called upon to think
beyond the big box as a source for serving
population health and nutrition.
This includes not only honey produced
from urban beekeeping, but the pollination
by the bees enhances food production in the
urban community and backyard gardens
Meanwhile, in the rural outskirts of
the Fox Valley, Jon Dudzinski and his
crew from Lotnix, LLC are building 105
beehives for rural distribution in East Cen-
tral Wisconsin. At a friend’s family barn
in Ripon, on a Sunday afternoon, they
assemble the hives in hopes of providing
local honey to surrounding cities,
along with lip balm they
make.
The hives
have to be
placed in
M a y, o r
else it will
be too late for
the region for
them to be productive. They also hope to
create a local mead, or honey wine, with
the harvesting of the honey crop. On
average each hive, which has 10 frames
within it, will produce 70 lbs. of honey in
one season. It takes a half pound of honey
to produce one bottle of wine. They also
hope to “overwinter” the bees in California
to help with the almond crops, as well as
spare them a Wisconsin winter, which can
at times be extreme enough to be fatal
for the hives. Their goal is to double the
number of hives in the area each year.
And as natural pollinators, these bees will
facilitate healthy gardens for further food
security in the region. Local grocers are
already in line for their anticipated honey
crop and regional retailers can’t get enough
of their lip balm. This group of ambitious
young men would welcome the opportu-
nity if invited, into the urban environment
for next year’s expansion.
According to the East Central Wiscon-
sin Beekeepers Association, overall, honey
production was down 21 percent last year,
dropping Wisconsin from 10th to 15th
among honey-making states. Nationally,
production was up 20 percent. Surround-
ing states were up as well.
Agriculture officials say there are things
people can do to help, for example using
less pesticide and growing plants native
to the area. “That will help actually forag-
ing insects like bees and other pollinators
to get their nectar,” said Vijai Pandian, a
Urban Apiculture Facts
• Keeping bees in urban areas increases
vegetable production in gardens as
well as seed production in native
wildflower gardens.
• Keeping gentle European honeybees
will dilute the aggressive behavior
common in feral honeybee colonies.
• Honeybees are being kept in at least
5 locations in the City of Milwaukee.
• Honeybees are being kept in virtually
every large urban area in the world
including New York, Boston, San
Francisco, Detroit, Toronto, London,
and Paris.
• More people die per year from light-
ning (100) than from insect stings
For more information, contact
Linda Reynolds, 414-256-4652, linda.
reynolds@ces.uwex.edu.
http://milwaukee.uwex.edu/agricul-
ture/beekeeping/
8. L8 | SceneNewspaper.com | Greater Oshkosh | May 2015
COVER STORY // URBAN BEEKEEPING
horticulture educator with University of
Wisconsin-Extension.
In the Midwest region, Mills Fleet Farm
is getting into the beekeeping business. For
the first time, two of its three dozen stores,
including the one in Grand Chute are
taking orders for “live honey bees.”
Urban Apiculture: Is beekeeping fit for
urban areas?
The June, 2012 issue of the Biofortified
, an independent educational non-profit
organization incorporated in Wisconsin
has made it their mission to strengthen the
public discussion of issues in biology, with
particular emphasis on genetics and genetic
engineering in agriculture. They printed
the following position statement for public
consumption, by Karl Haro von Mogel.
PhD, UW Madison geneticist.
“There are several issues relative to
keeping bees in urban settings, includ-
ing pros and cons. It is often argued that
honeybees in cities are a danger to public
health and well-being, a nuisance when
they are active or swarming, and that they
prevent one’s neighbors from enjoying their
own property. It is also sometimes argued
that bees belong outside of town because
they are associated with farms.”
Arguments in favor include that honey-
bees are not dangerous, are no more a nui-
sance than the average neighbor’s barking
dog, benefit the gardens of other citizens,
and provide educational opportuni-
ties. Furthermore, encouraging more
hobby beekeepers could help stem
the tide of collapsing colonies, raise
awareness of this issue, and produce
honey for people. There is a growing
and important interest in urban farming
and gardening, and beekeeping fits very
well in that trend.
Nevertheless, the most vocal opponents
of urban beekeeping are not swayed by edu-
cational opportunities or safety arguments
based on the experience of beekeepers. They
may often be allergic to bees, misunder-
stand their gentle nature or the conditions
in which stings actually occur. Honeybees
only sting when defending the hive or their
own selves. Unless you are disturbing a nest,
practically the only way you could get stung
is by stepping on a bee with bare feet in a
park, but since bees can fly up to five miles
from their hive to visit flowers, this can
happen whether or not the bee hives are
physically within the city. In fact, most “bee
stings” that people get are actually wasps,
which are far more aggressive and can sting
again and again with impunity. Honeybees
sting once and die. If you are allergic to bee
stings, it would be best to keep an Epipen
with you at all times, no matter where you
are, and wear shoes.
Issues with public nuisance, and enjoy-
ing one’s property are easily mediated by
the proper regulations. Obviously, if I put
one of my hives right on the edge of my
property, or in front of a public sidewalk
with the entrance facing everyone else – I
would be imposing on other people, and
increasing the likelihood of someone
accidentally disturbing the nest. The trick
is to get the bees to go up once they leave
the hive, and they won’t run into anyone.
My back yard is sunny and open, while all
my neighbors have trees and other barriers
between their yards and mine. As a result,
all of my bees fly straight up about 30 feet
before they go anywhere else. Not every
yard is so ideally suited for beekeeping, but
all it takes is a 6 foot high fence, dense foli-
age, or earthen wall to accomplish this. You
could even put the hive on a rooftop high
above anyone who could be affected.
Bees also need to visit water sources, and
could annoy neighbors who have swimming
pools. By putting a consistent water source
in your own yard near the bees, they will
leave your neighbors alone. I use a bird bath
on the other side of the garden.
Von Mogel says, “… It is believed that
the large number of urban beekeeping bans
currently in place are actually the result of
an aggressive strain of bees that used to be
prevalent throughout the US. Early in the
imported beekeeping history of this coun-
try, an aggressive and cold tolerant German
breed of honeybees was widespread in both
kept and feral hives. This breed has become
quite rare today, as it was not disease-
resistant, and beekeepers switched to Ital-
ian, Carnolian, Russian, and other breeds.
All bees are not the same…” ( and a local
beekeeping class or UW Extensionist could
likely enlighten the willing to learn public).
Von Mogel advocates, “ Even the best
arguments against keeping bees in urban
areas can be mediated with the right rules,
and the function of government is to find
that middle ground where beekeepers can
keep a few hives safely on their property, and
the rights of everyone else are also protected.
There are many different flavors of beekeep-
ing ordinances across the country, some
with restrictions on the number of hives
you can have, some have licensing fees, and
some make you get permission from a large
proportion of your neighbors (which can
mean an absurdly large number of people
depending on the radius). Almost all require
a barrier and a water source, and distance
requirements from nearby buildings and
public walkways. City by city, regulated
urban beekeeping is coming back.”
Are the Fox Cities and Oshkosh ready
to not just allow, but encourage urban
honey bee keeping in support of our state
insect, facilitating future local food secu-
rity? Or, will we live in fear and ignorance
about a natural community-building
process that could be nurtured; support
local food, and promote healthy gardens
across the region. As a community, we
should at the very least, have a public
conversation on whether it is beneficial
for Oshkosh to revisit a very outdated
ordinance.
Lori Palmeri is an urban consultant, creative re-
maker, and resident of the central city neighborhood
of Middle Village, Oshkosh since 2008. As a UW
Oshkosh alumna, she served the City’s neighborhood
identity and association education renaissance,
received her Master’s degree in Urban Planning from
UW Milwaukee, and serves as a local organizer and
advocate for neighborhood revitalization. She has
worked in central city neighborhoods in Southeast and
East Central Wisconsin since 2010.
Hive Inspection
The Wisconsin Apiary program
offers hive inspections beginning in
May through July and again in the
fall. The inspections are offered at no-
charge to you. Contact Elizabeth Meils,
State Apiarist, Wisconsin Department
of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
Protection, PO Box 8911, Madison WI
53708-8911, (608) 224-4572, eliza-
beth.meils@datcp.state.wi.us.
The Wisconsin State Agriculture
Department - You can also find infor-
mation for selling honey, links to honey
producer and beekeeping groups and
other information related to the care of
honey bees and control of insects and
diseases. At http://datcp.wi.gov/Farms/
Bees_and_Honey
WI Honey Producers Association
Organized in 1864 by Wisconsin
beekeepers. The association links com-
mercial and hobby honey producers as
well as promoting the use of honey and
hive products and supporting scientific
research related to beekeeping and
honey production.
East Central
Wisconsin Beekeepers Association
Jeff Champeau
Serving Fond Du Lac and
Green Lake Counties
Web Site:
http://ourbeeblog.blogspot.com
E-mail: ecwbeekeepers@yahoo.com
920.426.2266 | 909 Oregon St. Oshkosh
The
Garden Gate
Floral
9. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R1
Friday/Saturday
Admission
Adult (age 13 & up)
Child (age 4 to 12)
Advance
Pass
Toddlers age 3 & under admitted free
$4.00
$2.00
$5.00
$3.00
Gate
Pass
PERFORMING ON
THE MAIN STAGE
$1
CARNIVAL
RIDES!
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
Cheddar Chase Walk/Run @ 10:25 a.m.
Big Cheese Parade @ 10:30 a.m.
@LCCheeseFestLike LC Cheese Fest
Follow us on Twitter @LCCheeseFest
and help trend #CheeseJam
Like us on Facebook at LC Cheese Fest
VIC FERRARIJune 5th • 8 p.m. to midnight
BOOGIE AND THE YO-YO’ZJune 6th • 8 p.m. to midnight
UNITYJune 7th • 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Come celebrate your love of cheese at this year's Great
Wisconsin Cheese Festival. This wonderful family event
includes music, food, amusement rides, children's
entertainment, animal petting zoo, walk/run, parade,
cheese tasting, cheese carving demonstrations, cheese
curd eating contest, cheese breakfast, grilling
competition, and more!
Proceeds from each year's festival are
donated back to the community. A grand
total of $1,140,734 has been distributed
since the festival's inception. In addition,
numerous non-profit groups have raised
funds by operating a food booth at
the festival.
An admission pass is required to enter the
Doyle Park festival grounds on Friday and
Saturday. Each pass allows a person to
enter the park on both days.
Sunday is FREE admission day, so no
pass is needed.
June 5, 6 & 7, 2015
Doyle Park, Little Chute
Directions To Little Chute:
Little Chute is located 10
minutes north of Appleton and
20 minutes south of Green
Bay. To get here, please take
Highway 41 to Little Chute
Exit 146/N, then go south on
County Road N (scan QR Code
below for Google Map to park)
2015 SPONSORS
KISS FM SUMMER SLAM
featuring CASH CASH and ANDY GRAMMER
WWW.LITTLECHUTEWI.ORG/CHEESEFEST
Advance admission passes are available from Monday, May 4
thru Thursday, June 4, at the Little Chute Village Hall, BLC Community
Bank, Capital Credit Union, King's Variety Store, Larry's Piggly Wiggly,
Simon's Cheese, and Vanderloop Shoes.
Pass allows individual entry to festival grounds on Friday & Saturday.
No pass required on Sunday, which is FREE admission day.
June 6th • 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
10. R2 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
FOOD & DRINK // BREWMASTER
BY STEVE LONSWAY
Our beer selection for this month once
again came from bottle stock at the Stone
Arch Tap Room. It is the first imported
beer our team decided to write about
and we are all glad we did!
Hardcore IPA from Ellon,
Scotland based Brew Dog, a
release from their “Amplified
series”. This time around,
our entire brewery team of
8 got to sample this Scottish
offering. It was really neat
for me to page though the
tasting notes from each team
member and compile them
all into this article. It still
amazes me, after so many
years in the beer industry,
how differently people per-
ceive flavors and aromas
The amber colored long
neck bottle boasts a label
that is a simple dark green
with reverse white in a dis-
tressed print. Explicit Impe-
rial Ale, as it is explained as
well as the fact it is a product
of Scotland. The side panel
explains some fun numbers
it took to create this beer
including mention of the
9,900,000,000 yeast cells
it took to make it all come
together. With a best before
date of 08/15/2026, we
certainly didn’t have to rush
to drink it, matter-of-fact I
wish I had the patience to cellar this bad
boy for several years to enjoy the inevitable
changes it will incur.
This sample was poured into several
snifter-style glasses. The pour allowed
perfect foam formation consisting of a
mixture of loose and tight bubbles from
the CO2 and an ivory colored head. The
head height was right where it needed to be
at around two inches – very inviting! The
appearance is a tad bit hazy which is typical
in highly hopped beers. The color is a rich
copper and reddish hue.
The nose this beer expels got so many
different associations from our team, I
could have written this entire article on the
nose alone. Lively citrus, malty, bready,
piney, resinous, sweet, nutty, tangerine,
Skittles, freshly shampooed carpet, just to
name a few. With orange and fruity the
most common notes. Quite complex to
say the least.
The taste/flavor wasn’t too far behind
with fun associations. Strong, caramel,
bitter fruit, earthy, nutty and a little bit
of oxidation is what we all agreed on as to
what you can expect when enjoying this
beer. With grand amounts of Maris Otter
Malt and obvious huge hop additions of
Centennial, Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo
and Citra, this beer comes across the taste
buds as pretty balanced, maybe a bit light
on the hop tones even at 125 IBU’s (again;
this coming from a group of hop hounds).
Important to mention is the belief of many
experts that anything over 100 IBU’s is not
perceived by the majority.
This beer finishes dry from the elevated
alcohol content of 9.2% abv and still carries
through with big citrus and caramel tones.
Overall this beer has a strong, complimen-
tary balance with good body and a mellow
warming sensation. Taylor was fortunate
enough to be enjoying an Indian dish for
lunch at the time of sampling and seemed
to think the pairing was staged because of
how perfect the beer paired with the spices.
Now let’s learn more about the Scot-
tish blokes who brought this brand to the
states. It all started back in 2007 when
two 24 year olds and their trusted canine
companion begged and borrowed cash
and converted it into stainless to start their
dream in Fraserburgh, Scotland. Their first
year produced 1,050 hectolitres of beer
(895 U.S. barrels) with the two founders/
stakeholders (and again their dog) at the
helm. Year two they pushed the envelope
by brewing the U.K.’s strongest beer and
the media storm that followed help them
persuade the banks
to loan them more
cash for stainless
and a new bottling
line. Finishing out
the year of 2008 at
4,050 hl and up to
nine employees and
“1 dog”.
After a very suc-
cessful on-line offer-
ing of stock dubbed
Equity for Punks and
brewing the world’s
strongest beer (at
32% abv), 2009
showed growth to 24
employees and 9,500
hl of beer produced.
2010 brought beer
a n d t a x i d e r m y
together when Brew
Dog released a 55%
abv beer that the
bottle was cleverly
hidden inside a taxi-
dermy squirrel. This
subsequently became
the world’s most
expensive beer and
their business growth
continued.
With help from
crowd funding, gimmicky brews (like
brewing under water), exporting to 55
countries, the addition of tied-house bars
and a very successful TV show named
Brew Dogs, 2014 production numbers
grew to 90,000 hl. They now employ 358
people, own 26 tied-house bars and have
14,568 shareholders, yet still only one dog.
FINAL WORD: Search this beer out,
buy two. Drink one tonight with Indian
fare while you whisk through the pages of
their website and stash the other in your
cellar for later enjoyment.
Cheers!
Brew Dog Hardcore IPA
11. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R3
May 1st - Point Reyes
May 8th - Misha Siegfried and His Band
May 15th - Soap
May 16th - Jam Funk All Stars
May 23rd - Sly Joe and The Smooth Operators
May 29th - Miles Over Mountains
Fas
t Shipping • Great Prices • F
riendlyService
Vast Selection of:
• Speciality Grains 50+ varieties
• Hops 50+ varieties
• 20+ dry yeasts & all Wyeast strains
• Ready-to-go kits for beer/wine
pointbrewsupply.comLocated at 3038 Village Park Drive, Plover, WI 54467 Exit 153 off of I-39 S| | 1-715-342-9535 |
Just over an hour from Fox Valley area!
Shop with a Pint!
12. R4 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
FOOD & DRINK // FROM THE WINE CAVE
BY KIMBERLY FISHER
May Day… May Day… Next on our
journey of investigating the big six, it is
time to see what the reds have in store
by exploring Cabernet, Pinot Noir and
Merlot, this time with another twist.
Cabernet Sauvignon is King. It is a
grape that ages into subtle splendor, and is
a world traveler. When its tiny dark blue
berries are coupled with great winemaking,
Cabernet Sauvignon can produce some
of the longest lived and the most intrigu-
ing wines in the world. Cabernet from
Bordeaux can produce some of the world’s
costliest wines in the world and yet you
can find an amazing value such as those
offered by a Petite Chateau, Chateau Picau
Perna. This Cabernet based wine gives you
structure and depth and blends with the
addition of a bit of Merlot, ensures you
won’t break your wine budget. Cabernet
Sauvignon from Argentina deserves to be
mentioned as that nation’s high altitude
has an affect on grape growing that along
with a unique climate showcases a specific
style and quality of wine.
Terrazes from Mendoza, Argentina
harnesses quality over quantity. With an
average rainfall of 8 inches a year, the vines
have to work harder to get their nutrients
which leads to a wine that showcases ter-
roir. If you were to travel to Paso Robles,
which is located in the Central Coast of
California, you find Cabernet Sauvignon
takes on two personalities. On one side
of Highway 101, it is hot with no direct
access to cooling ocean breezes. Here the
soils are deep, fertile and produce subtle
fruit. On the other side, the soils are more
calcareous, the vineyards are cooled by
marine influence and you will find wines
such as those of Justin, who pioneered
Cabernet Sauvignon grape growing, long
before Cabernet was cool in the area.
Pinot Noir is an extremely elusive grape
as it is very sensitive to terroir and ripens
early. When planted in warm climates, it
ripens too fast and can lose its fascinating
flavor compounds. Pinot Noir’s perfect
place on earth lies in Burgundy where it
can convey intricate flavors. Another great
Pinot growing area is Oregon where the
climate is similar to Burgundy. One pro-
ducer that was a pioneer in the Willamette
Valley is Erath winery. Another producer
and region to explore across the globe is
Villa Maria located in Marlborough New
Zealand. This region is best known for
Sauvignon Blanc, but try Pinot Noir from
this area and you will be hooked.
Merlot is often used as a blending
partner. It ripens earlier that Cabernet
Sauvignon in cooler vintages, and it lends
to more alcohol in warmer climates. It has
bigger berries and thinner skins than Caber-
net which lends to less tannic, more opulent
wines. The traditional style of Merlot is
plump, soft and plummy. Matanzas Creek
Merlot from Bennett Valley California takes
plantings from the original clones from
Pomerol located in Bordeaux and produces
an amazing bottle of wine. Merlot from
the Wahluke Slope in Washington comes
from a warmer climate showcasing brilliant
bright fruit. A good example that is reflec-
tive of this warmer climate style comes from
Chateau Ste Michelle and that winery’s
Indian Wells offering.
These last two months we have explored
the big six grapes. These grapes can vary
according to location, soil, aspect, barrel
treatment, terroir and types of clones.
Don’t stop with one varietal if you decide
you don’t like it. Continue to walk down
the path and see what else awaits you. By
doing a comparison tastings like these,
you will be amazed at the differences, the
similarities and the passion that goes into
taking these majestic grapes and turn-
ing them into something so amazing…
WINE!
From the Wine Cave
Seeing is smelling for a camera system
developed by scientists in Japan that
images ethanol vapor escaping from a wine
glass. And, perhaps most importantly, no
wine is wasted in the process.
Kohji Mitsubayashi, at theTokyo Med-
ical and Dental University, and colleagues
i m p r e g -
nated a mesh with the enzyme alcohol oxi-
dase, which converts low molecular weight
alcohols and oxygen into aldehydes and
hydrogen peroxide. Horseradish peroxide
and luminal were also immobilized on the
mesh and together initiate a color change
in response to hydrogen peroxide. When
this mesh is placed on top of a wine glass,
color images from a camera watching over
the mesh on top of a glass of wine can
be interpreted to map the concentra-
tion distribution of ethanol leaving
the glass.
Different glass shapes and tem-
peratures can bring out completely
different bouquets and finishes from
the same wine. So Mitsubayashi’s team
analyzed different wines, in different
glasses – including different shaped wine
glasses, a martini glass and a straight glass
– at different temperatures.
At 13°C, the alcohol concentration
in the centre of the wine glass was lower
than that around the rim. Wine served at a
higher temperature, or from the martini or
straight glass, did not exhibit a ring-shaped
vapor pattern. ‘This ring phenomenon
allows us to enjoy the wine aroma without
interference of gaseous ethanol. Accord-
ingly, wine glass shape has a very sophis-
ticated functional design for tasting and
enjoying wine,’ explains Mitsubayashi.
Wine scientist Régis Gougeon, from
the University of Burgundy, France,
says the work is really interesting when
considering its experimental setup, which
allows for a rather straightforward and
inexpensive detection of ethanol. ‘Bearing
in mind the flavor enhancer properties of
ethanol, this work provides an unprec-
edented image of the claimed impact of
glass geometry on the overall complex
wine flavor perception, thus validating the
search for optimum adequation between a
glass and a wine.’
In the future the system could help
indicate the best wine glass and precise
temperature to serve a certain wine.
chemistryworld.com
Shape of Glass DOES Affect Taste!
14. R6 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
FOOD & DRINK // TRICIA’S TABLE
BY TRISH DERGE
I know it sounds simple, and it actu-
ally is...but there are a few tips I’d like to
pass along to you on how-to make the
best hard-boiled eggs. There are several
cooking method variations, but no matter
which you use, there are common mistakes
you should try to avoid.
1. Using the wrong size pot
Don’t try to cram too many egg
in a pot. Not only will the eggs cook
unevenly, but there’s more risk of an egg
cracking.
Trish’s Tip: Eggs should sit in a
single layer and have enough space to
move around.
2. Starting with boiling water
If you’re about to place uncooked
eggs in a pot of boiling water, stop!
Hard-boiled eggs should always
be started with cool water. Bringing
the water and eggs up in temperature
together helps promote even cooking
and prevents cracking.
Trish’s Tip: Place the eggs in a sauce-
pan and cover with cold water.
3. Using eggs that are too fresh
Hard-boiled eggs can be difficult
to peel, and this is especially true when
they’re made using eggs that are too fresh.
As eggs age, two things happen that make
them easier to peel. First, they lose mois-
ture through small pores in the shell, and
the air pocket at the tip of the egg gets
larger. I don’t want to get too scientific
here, but the pH level of the egg’s whites
rise as they age, which makes them adhere
less strongly to the shell.
Trish’s Tip: For hard-boiled eggs that
are easier to peel, use older eggs. Buy your
eggs a week or two before you plan to boil
them.
4. Overcooking them
Ever found that the yolk has a gray-
green tint? A slightly stinky sulphur-like
odor? A rubbery white? Dry, crumbly yolk?
All of these are results of an overcooked
hard-boiled egg.
Trish’s Tip: Put the eggs in a saucepan,
cover them with cold water, bring to a boil.
Then, remove the pan from the heat, cover
it, and let it sit for 10 minutes for firm
yet creamy hard-boiled eggs, or up to 15
minutes for very firm eggs.
5. Not using an ice bath
In theory, it seems like the eggs should
be finished cooking when the timer buzzes.
But, in reality, that’s not the case. Even
once the eggs are removed from the water,
they’re still hot. The heat from carryover
cooking will continue to cook the eggs,
risking overcooking.
Trish’s Tip: Not only is an ice bath
your ticket to stopping the cooking
immediately, but it will also help sepa-
rate the egg membrane from the shell,
making it easier to peel. Once the eggs
have finished cooking, drain the water
from the saucepan and transfer the
eggs to an ice bath. Let them soak until
they’re fully cooled.
Egg Salad is Easy...
Right?
Trish’s Easy-Egg Salad
1. Place six eggs in a sauce pan, and cover with cool water
2. Bring water to a boil, and cook 7 to 10 minutes
3. Remove from heat, and rinse with cold water, or place in ice bath
4. When cool, crack and remove the shell, then slice and chop the eggs into
pieces in a medium size bowl
5. Add 1/3 cup Mayo, 2 tbsp Yellow Mustard, mix well, salt and pepper to taste
Serve on toasted bread of croissant...or use as a dip with crackers!
16. FINE ARTS // FOXY FINDS
Foxy Finds
Musical instrument art series by Erinn Kom-
schlies. Originals & Prints of Erinn’s work are
available at The Fine Fox in Downtown Neenah.
Full spectrum colors on black backdrop sets
a dramatic tone. An Appleton native, Erinn
is a naturally talented artist and currently
attends St. Olaf College as a music major and
plays the clarinet in the St Olaf Orchestra.
BY JEAN DETJEN,ARTFUL LIVING
Ceramic garden mush-
rooms add a sense
of whimsy and color
to garden beds and
potted plants. Avail-
able at The Wreath
Factory (Plymouth &
Menasha).
Bring on your inner scorpion
with these eye-catching El
Alacran de Durango cowboy
boots from Joyeria Ordaz
(Green Bay & Appleton).
Supple alligator leather in rich
cognac hues with embroidery
detail and contrast stitching.
Handcrafted in Mexico. $350.
A variety of motifs and colors
combinations are available.
Mens sizes 5-12, custom
orders accepted.
R8 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
17. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R9
FINE ARTS // FOXY FINDS
Here’s to living ArtFULLY in the
heart of Wisconsin!
Send your suggestions for Jean’s
Foxy Finds to jdetjen@scene-
newspaper.com
Lipstick red sleeveless a-line cutout
dress from Neesha. Available at Lil-
lian’s of Fond du Lac in sizes S/M or
M/L. $58
Avenue Art & Co.zigzag multi micro
hooked area rug from by Dash & Albert.
Add a bit of zip to your favorite space with
this wool/cotton floor art with a bold,
dimensional pattern of aqua, fuchsia, grass,
and more. A guaranteed style statement!
Other fun patterns available,prices vary by
size.
Bring on the Wisco lovefest with custom print merch
from Blue Moon Emporium is a curated market-
place featuring the works of local independent artists
and designers. Stop in and find unique wares like
Wisconsin-themed clothing, ceramics, screen-printed
pillows, jewelry, upcycled accessories and other con-
temporary handmade goods.
Good mood induc-
ing ceramic bicycle
mugs from Scatter Joy,
Appleton.
18. R10 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
ENTERTAINMENT // LIVE FROM JAPAN
BY JAMES PAGE
GAME OF THE MONTH:
Double Dragon Neon
Developer: WayForward
ESRB: Teen
Release Date: 09/11/2012
System: PC/PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
Rating:
Graphics: 3.0 out of 4.0
Game Play: 3.0 out of 4.0
Personal: 2.0 out of 2.0
Total Score: 8.0 out of 10.0
Player’s Page: Double Dragon Neon
Pop in a cassette tape and travel back in
time to the 1980’s. Visit a world of neon,
leather, hair picks, and violence. This place,
and story are not unfamiliar to long time
video game fans, but it has been a long
time since anyone has visited this bleak
and depressing city. This place is home to
the martial artists Billy and Jimmy Lee and
Billy’s girlfriend Marian. As in any city,
the inhabitants try their best to live their
lives in peace but that is not always possible
especially in a city riddled with crime.
In the past Marian has been kidnapped
on numerous occasions requiring Billy and
Jimmy to come to her rescue.
Flash forward to the current day and
nothing much has changed since the world
was originally introduced to the beat‘em
up style of the Lee Brothers. One can easily
see the dominance of 80’s music has been
maintained, the cassette tape is still the
most popular media format, and everyone
is still hell bent for leather. Unfortunately
for Marian, the various gangs in the city
continue to want to kidnap her and keep
her for themselves. This case is proven in
a recent encounter on the streets of the
city. Marian was standing on the sidewalk
when she was approached by members of
the Shadow Warriors gang who attacked
and kidnapped her, and now it is up to
Billy and Jimmy to rescue her once again,
from the clutches of an evil gang with an
unknown purpose.
Double Dragon Neon is a relaunch of
the classic side scrolling beat‘em up series
Double Dragon. Maintaining the basic
actions of punch, kick, and jump players
will need to fight through multiple waves
of enemies to reach the end of a stage and
confront the boss. Players will not have
to rely on their brawn alone to overcome
the forces of the Shadow Warriors because
they will be able to use various weapons
such as knifes, whips, bats, and hair picks
found lying on the ground or taken from
enemies. The game can be tackled solo, but
it is meant to be played cooperatively and
is easier and more fun when two friends are
sitting on
a c o u c h
filling the
shoes of the
Lee Broth-
ers.
W a y -
Fo r w a r d
has tried
to replicate
the original
game play
s t y l e o f
D o u b l e
D r a g o n
while trying to add new elements which
have been developed and accepted by the
industry since the release of the original.
The game improved upon the original
games by adding a stage select menu, super
moves, and in stage shops. The player will
be able to acquire new super moves and
passive stat improvements by obtaining
cassette tapes which are dropped by ene-
mies or purchased in shops. These moves
and stat improvements can be leveled up
by collecting multiple copies of the same
cassette tape and by collecting ore which
can be used to increase the number of each
cassette tape which can be held.
Although many game play elements
have been improved from the originals
the game maintains some of downsides of
the genre. The movement of the characters
tends to be a bit sluggish and jumping can
be tricky if the player does not take a run-
ning start. Playing through the game solo
will be a bit difficult due to the number of
enemies, but this is offset by the cassette
tape leveling system introduced by the
developers. Due to the 2D layout of the
game fighting enemies can be difficult
due to the need to line up attacks with
the enemy’s location, but this can be easily
overcome with a bit of practice.
Double Dragon Neon immerses the
player in the world of the 1980’s with a
nice mix of graphics and music. Rich and
vibrant colors help to recreate the distinc-
tive color patterns of the 80’s, but at the
same time the colors are slightly muted to
help simulate the atmosphere of a dreary
city. The soundtrack remixes a number of
songs from the original games while adding
new and upbeat characteristics. This helps
to create a bridge between the old and new
while helping to remind players of the
sounds of classic arcades.
Double Dragon Neon is a fun experi-
ence which brings back the game play style
from the early days of video games while
blending it with more modern graphics
and sound. The game can be purchased
through the PlayStation Store, the Xbox
network, or one of the many PC gaming
clients. The digital nature of the game
allows for one to use the co–op feature
with a friend on the same system or with
a friend who is online. One will be amazed
how fast the hours fly by while playing this
modern take on a video game classic.
Remember, like all games if you play
them just to have fun there will never be a
bad game.
theplayerspage@yahoo.com
Live From Japan
19. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R11
FOND DU LAC (920)922-2006 62 N. ROLLING MEADOWS DR. • OSHKOSH (920)233-3200 • DELAFIELD • STURTEVANT
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Visit us online! WWW.FLOORQUEST.NET
177 S. Main Street, Downtown Fond du Lac • 921-3113 • www.thegoldsmithfdl.com
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Diamonds
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Rings & Wedding
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Goldsmith
the
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the
Original Designs in
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Over 40 Years!
Original Designs in
Gold & Silver for
Over 40 Years!
20. R12 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
BY DOBIE MAXWELL
I sadly admitted technology passed me
by years ago, but now it’s getting ridiculous.
The last straw was broken last week when
my neighbor invited me over to sample
some of his barbecue –another area in which
I lack severely but that’s another tale for
another time. One crisis per day.
My neighbor has two teenage sons that
think I’m extremely funny – I think. It’s
either that or they are constantly laughing
at me instead of with me. I’d like to give
myself the benefit of the doubt but a recent
incident made me start to lose hope. I think
I need to pack my bags and move to an
Amish colony immediately. I could use a
fresh start, and the beard would help hide
my shame.
The event in question started innocently
enough. I walked into the house and saw a
basketball game on the living room television
screen. All I did was ask who was winning
and was informed it was the older son Jeremy.
When a quizzical look occupied my face even
more quizzical than usual, younger son Ryan
dropped the crushing blow. “Uh…it’s not the
TV. It’s a video game.”
Excuse me? The graphics on video games
are now so well developed I actually mistook
it for a real game? I was so embarrassed I
wasn’t able to maintain eye contact with the
boys. I felt like a puppy that had been caught
pooping on the carpet and all I could think
of was how to slink out of the room and act
like it never happened. I was half expecting
the boys to rub my nose on the TV.
Thankfully there was no mention of it
at dinner, but I still felt like a total jackass.
Video games have never been my thing, and
I don’t really know why. It’s only the biggest
explosion of fun in the history of human-
kind, and I was born into the generation
that was able to watch it all happen.
I can still remember when “Pong” was
the talk of the neighborhood. Everybody
thought it was the second coming of George
Jetson, and expected cars to start flying
shortly thereafter. How did they manage to
pack all that fun into one game? Blip. Blip.
My heart can’t take it. Stop already!
That was about sixth grade on my per-
sonal time cycle, and my whole generation
got hooked on the concept of video games
at once. Nobody could have predicted
then just how huge it would all eventually
become, but one thing for sure is nobody
would have mistaken Pong for a real tennis
match. It was all so laughingly primitive,
and shows just how close to monkeys all of
us still are.
Next up in my generation’s techno play
world was a hand held football game made
by Mattel, the fine folks who brought us
Hot Wheels and Barbie. The football game
wasn’t really football but rather a new series
of blips on a smaller screen. They also had
an auto race game, but at least in my neigh-
borhood that never really caught on. The
football game did, and it was a huge hit.
The reason it likely became so widely
popular is all it had to follow was the highly
forgettable “Electric Football” game by a
long out of business company called Tudor.
Boys my age all recall having to take ten
minutes to set up their team of tiny plastic
football players on a metal “field.”
Then when both teams were in position,
a switch was flipped and a “play” allegedly
happened. The field vibrated and the play-
ers all went in separate directions – usually
headed for the sideline out of embarrass-
ment that kids had to suffer through this
miserable excuse for actual football.
To top off the realistic experience of it
all, the “football” ended up being a piece of
lint stuck in between the arm of a running
back. If we really wanted to go nuts we could
have our quarterback attempt a forward pass
by flicking that piece of lint in the direction
of one of the other players.
All it had to do was hit the player any-
where and it would be a completed pass. I
know it sounds funny now, but this was the
cutting edge of sports for millions of kids
that now have kids of their own who will
never be able to commiserate. We are the
generation that has to suffer in silence.
Another stinko sports spoof was the
hockey game that was played with a series of
rods that had to be manipulated to make the
players move. The “puck” was a magnet that
got whacked around the “ice” and maybe
once every month or two the magnet might
actually find its way into the net for a “goal.”
There was no electricity involved, but this
was just as useless as Electric Football.
Probably the worst of all the sports
games was “BAS-KET” by Coleco. This was
an insult to our intelligence and consisted of
a cardboard “court” and two baskets where
an ordinary ping pong ball would land in
one of several holes that had a lever that
would flip the ball up to the general direc-
tion of a basket. There was no defense, and
stopped being fun after five minutes.
Every kid I know got this game for
Christmas, and we all grew weary of it
simultaneously. It would have been more
fun to throw snowballs at moving cars –
which we eventually did. That’s the ultimate
thrill...when an old man that looks like Fred
Mertz’s father threatens to kick your butt.
As my high school years arrived, so did
Atari and video arcades in the mall. Alladin’s
Castle was the ultimate hangout for the
video game clan, but that’s when I started to
lose interest. I did enjoy a pinball game now
and then, but I didn’t let it take over my life
like so many of my friends did.
Pretty soon I was out of high school and
then I had to play the ultimate game – how
to keep my bills paid every month. That’s a
lot harder than Pac Man or Frogger or Tetris
or any of the games that hooked millions
and became the gateway drug to the games
of today. Who’d have thunk it?
I sure would hate to be a video game
designer today. How can anybody top
what’s out now? My generation was easy to
fool, as we had never seen anything before.
Those two little blips on a Pong game were
an out of this world cosmic mystery, and
it grew from there. Every game was a new
adventure, and it blew the minds of those
playing. Now, five year-olds are bored with
it all.
Eventually it will have to come full
circle, don’t you think? There will be a video
game that has an attachment of a real ball
or something and two kids will actually
have to get together to throw it around in
the yard. Then before long some other kids
will join in and who knows, maybe some
actual baseball or basketball or football will
get played. There’s a novel concept for the
future. It doesn’t help now though. I still
feel like I got cheated out of fun, and I’m
not thrilled about it.
Dobie Maxwell is a stand-up comedian from
Milwaukee. To find his next hell-gig visit
dobiemaxwell.com
“Game Off”
ENTERTAINMENT // DOBIE MAXWELL
We know Bees and we’re here to help
We are proud to support local farmers and crafters
Check out our made in "Wisconsin" products
Open 24/7 for all your beekeeping needs.
N1829 Municipal Dr. Greenville, WI 54942
920-779-3019 • honeybeeware.com
21. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R13
Walt Sinisi
Call 251-2229
sinisiw@firstweber.com
www.waltsinisi.firstweber. com
Call 251-2229
COMMERCIAL
REALTORS
serving the Fox ValleyJason Zellner
Call 960-3898
zellnerj@firstweber.com
www.jasonzellner.firstweber.com
Call 960-3898
GREAT RESTAURANT/BAR LOCATIONS
TURN KEY RESTAURANTS
BUSINESSES FOR SALE WITHOUT REAL ESTATE
Prior Sports Bar/Grill with all furnishings.
Loads of potential, Over 10,000 sq. ft on
main level & 7,000 on lower level.
65 N. Main St. Fond du Lac $279,000
Unbelievable Price! 2 buildings on 1.4 acres!
Front 7,900 sq.ft. was a banquet hall/bar.
Back 9,500 sq.ft. building has 4 seperate
areas used as antique & retail shops.
239 W. Scott St Fond du Lac $239,000
1300 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Ripon $495,000
Ongoing Sports Bar/Supper
Club in Ripon, seats 200+
patrons. Included all trade
fixtures & fully equipped
kitchen. Very profitable
venture awaits you!
137 E. Main St. Brandon $149,400
Profitable Bar & Grill with a
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Commercial Janitorial
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Owner Relocating. $100,000
22. R14 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
NEWS & VIEWS // RIGHT WING NUT
BY ROBERT MEYER
We have heard complaints about the
“do nothing congress” for the past several
presidential administrations. Indeed, we
frequently see that congressional approval
numbers flirt with historically low positive
rates. This has occurred whether the major-
ity of congress has belonged to democrats
or republicans.
The American people have often
decried the inability of congress to stop the
bickering and work together to get things
done. At the same time, we hear of politi-
cians campaigning on the platitude that
they will be willing to reach across the aisle.
Still little improvement seems to come out
each new session of congress.
So where does the dissonance come
from and, how might it be corrected? We
must first understand that the Constitu-
tional Convention created two houses of
congress, in part, to make it difficult, but
not impossible to quickly pass legislation.
The problem as I see it, is that we have
unwavering loyalty to political party at
the expense of all other priorities. I am
not speaking so much about commitment
to political ideology, or philosophical
worldview, as I am of an administrative
apparatus of coercion.
Our first president, George Wash-
ington, warned us of this in his Farewell
Address. Washington’s sentiments epito-
mized the perspective of the Founders in
general.
“Let me now take a more comprehensive
view, and warn
you in the most
solemn manner
against the
baneful effects
of the spirit of
party generally.
This spirit,
unfortunately,
i s i n s e p a -
rable from
our nature,
having its root
in the strongest
passions of
the human
mind. It exists under different shapes in all
governments, more or less stifled, controlled,
or repressed; but, in those of the popular form,
it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly
their worst enemy.
The alternate domination of one fac-
tion over another, sharpened by the spirit of
revenge, natural to party dissension, which in
different ages and countries has perpetrated
the most horrid enormities, is itself a fright-
ful despotism. But this leads at length to a
more formal and permanent despotism. The
disorders and miseries which result gradually
incline the minds of men to seek security and
repose in the absolute power of an individual;
and sooner or later the chief of some prevail-
ing faction, more able or more fortunate than
his competitors, turns this disposition to the
purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of
public liberty.”
So while party loyalty forms out of the
lesser angels of the human condition, it was
viewed as a destructive force by the Found-
ers. What is missing today is zeal toward
the specific branches of government, which
assures a robust operation of separation of
powers.
Congress today, seems to have devolved
into the weakest branch of government,
because members have not vigorously
exercised their checks over the judicial
and executive branches. Courts have been
allowed to legislate from the bench through
activism that ignores the jurisprudence of
original intent. They have permitted judges
to act as philosopher-kings. Likewise, con-
gress has permitted itself to be outflanked
by increasing numbers of executive orders
which circumvent its constitutional role.
Again, Washington comments on this
state of affairs.
“It is important, likewise, that the habits
of thinking in a free country should inspire
caution in those entrusted with its admin-
istration, to confine themselves within their
respective constitutional spheres, avoiding
in the exercise of the powers of one depart-
ment to encroach upon another. The spirit of
encroachment tends to consolidate the powers
of all the departments in one, and thus to
create, whatever the form of government, a
real despotism. A just estimate of that love of
power, and proneness to abuse it, which pre-
dominates in the human heart, is sufficient
to satisfy us of the truth of this position. The
necessity of reciprocal checks in the exercise of
political power, by dividing and distributing
it into different depositaries, and constituting
each the guardian of the public weal against
invasions by the others, has been evinced
by experiments ancient and modern; some
of them in our country and under our own
eyes. To preserve them must be as necessary
as to institute them. If, in the opinion of the
people, the distribution or modification of the
constitutional powers be in any particular
wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment
in the way which the Constitution designates.
But let there be no change by usurpation;
for though this, in one instance, may be
the instrument of good, it is the custom-
ary weapon by which free governments are
destroyed…”
In the Constitution, congress has a
remedy to limit the jurisdiction of courts.
“In all the other Cases before mentioned,
the supreme Court shall have appellate
Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with
such Exceptions, and under such Regula-
tions as the Congress shall make.” Article
III, Section 2, Clause 2
Congress has the ability to impeach
judges as well, but when is the last time
you heard of that happening?
Congress has checks on presidential
authority as well. The chief problem is that
congress can not unite as a body, zealous
of their particular powers and duties, but
fragments itself according to party affilia-
tion. If a judge legislates from the bench
to accomplish what has failed legislatively,
the portion of congress that has affinity
with the judge’s decision will approve of
the actions, rather than dissent with the
usurpation. It is likewise with overreach by
the executive branch.
As long as this practice continues,
people will feel betrayed by their represen-
tatives and disapproval will be high.
The Do-Nothing’s
Courts have been allowed
to legislate from the bench
through activism...
23. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R15
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24. R16 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
BY DENNIS RILEY
Judging by the look on his face or the
tone in his voice as Indiana Governor Mike
Pence tried to fend off some decidedly
pointed questions from ABC’s George
Stephanopolous that Sunday in late March,
you would have thought that the Governor
had found himself in the middle of a real
firestorm and not just the verbal one that
had accompanied Indiana’s passage of its
very own Religious Freedom Restoration
Act (RFRA) earlier that month. Doing
his best to defend a statute that a substan-
tial number of American citizens, both
individual and corporate, were convinced
provided a license to discriminate against
members of the LBGTQ Community,
Governor Pence kept telling us two things.
First, RFRA statutes are common. The
federal government passed one as far back
as 1993 and that one passed almost unani-
mously and was signed by none other than
Bill Clinton. Nearly 20 states have fol-
lowed suit. Barack Obama, he reminded
us, had voted for the Illinois version of the
law. Second, the law was not intended to
permit discrimination. It was intended to
protect the freedom of Americans of deep
and abiding religious faith to act on that
faith as is their first amendment right. The
first of these arguments is disingenuous.
The second pretty much glides past disin-
genuous to dishonest.
Start with Governor Pence’s contention
that RFRA statutes are common. Yeah.
But consider the history of the first one,
the federal statute that everybody loved,
even Bill Clinton. It came about, and it
came to get such universal support because
most people believed that the Supreme
Court had significantly diminished reli-
gious freedom, hence the name of the law.
To keep it short, from 1963 to 1990 if a
citizen challenged a government action as
interfering with his or her religious free-
dom, the government taking that action
had to prove that it had a “compelling state
interest” (usually public health or safety)
that required taking that action despite its
impact on the challenging citizen’s religious
liberty.
In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court – in
an opinion written by relative newcomer to
the Court, Antonin Scalia – did away with
the “compelling state interest test” in favor
of a far less restrictive test requiring only
that the action in question have a legiti-
mate secular purpose and be administered
in an even handed way. It did not, in other
words, single out religion. The federal
RFRA was to restore the “compelling state
interest test.” Nothing more. The state
versions of RFRA were to do the same
because the Court held that the Federal
RFRA did not apply to state actions. To
add to the Governor’s disingenuousness,
virtually every one of the RFRA’s passed
in the last 20 years were passed before the
Supreme Court granted religious liberty to
certain kinds of corporations in the Hobby
Lobby case. If corporate personhood
conveys religious liberty rights on “closely
held corporations” of the size and scope of
the Hobby Lobby folks, it surely conveys
those same rights on a small bakery, a floral
shop, or a free-lance organist, incorporated
or not. That means that Indiana’s RFRA
really is cut out of a different cloth.
Governor Pence might not have been
aware of the history of the various RFRA’s
floating around, but he had to know that
one of the underlying purposes of Indiana’s
version was to allow people – corporations
are people remember – to act on their faith
in the marketplace, even if that faith said
that some people could not or should not
be served in or by their place of business.
He held the bill’s signing ceremony in
private, surrounded by what one Indiana
journalist referred to as a who’s who of
Indiana religious conservatives. Beyond
that, no discussion of the law by its sup-
porters can go more than three sentences
without reference to the example of the
baker who doesn’t want to prepare a cake
for the wedding of two gay people. Don’t
forget that supporters of the law raised
almost $1,000,000 on line to support an
Indianapolis Pizzeria on record as having
said that it would not cater a gay wedding.
The intention of the law may have been the
protection of religious freedom, but in the
minds of a great many people in Indiana
– possibly including its Governor – the
freedom they expected to see exercised was
the freedom to treat the LGBTQ Commu-
nity differently than any other community.
Sounds a bit like discrimination, doesn’t it?
The weakness of Governor Pence’s
arguments notwithstanding, there is a real
issue of religious freedom to be considered
here. Millions of deeply religious Ameri-
cans want to be able to live their respective
faiths in all aspects of their lives, even their
work/business lives. But letting them do
so creates so many problems for a society
that recognizes rights in addition to reli-
gious rights.
In some sense we have to start with
ground zero, when does a belief system
become a religion due the protections of
the first amendment? What about the guy
in Indiana who wanted to proclaim himself
Archbishop of the Church of Cannabis?
But far more to the point, of course, what
about the rights of others, including that
most fundamental right, equal protection
of the laws? Our hypothetical baker can’t
deny a wedding cake to an African Ameri-
can couple, a Muslim couple, a couple in
which one of the two is in a wheelchair.
And on it goes. There were once plenty
of wedding cake bakers who would have
refused a cake to a mixed race couple and
done it on religious grounds. We decided
they cannot. We are pretty far along in
the process of deciding that today’s bakers
cannot deny a cake to a gay couple. I fully
realize that an awful lot of truly religious
Americans believe that to be forced to
do that will violate their religious rights.
But should their religious rights trump
the human rights of others? My answer
remains No. I understand the conflict, but
alas, I see no middle ground.
Enough out of me.
“Hoosier Hospitality”
NEWS & VIEWS // THE VIEW FROM THE LEFT-FIELD SEATS
25. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R17
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26. R18 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
NEWS & VIEWS // MEDIA RANTS
BY TONY PALMERI
Mainstream American journalism, as
the Media Rants column has been ranting
about for more than 12 years, occasionally
meets standards of excellence but more
typically runs on a spectrum from medio-
cre to insanely bad. Political journalism is
probably the worst of the lot (too often it
meets Joseph Goebbels
definition of the press as
a great keyboard on which
the government can play)
with science and business
reporting tied for second.
That CareerCast recently
ranked newspaper reporter
as the worst job of 2015
(#200 out of 200), with
broadcaster coming in at
#196 is no excuse.
Mainstream sports
journalism? I wish I could
wax eloquently about it
with a verbal dexterity and
grace equivalent to the
awesomeness of a Lebron
James layup. Unfortu-
nately the quality of sports
journalism (to the extent
that such a thing even
exists) requires only one
blunt descriptor: SUCKS.
Unless of course your idea
of quality sports journal-
ism is mindless cheerleading, bland press
conferences, inability to tell the difference
between real and manufactured scandals,
and so-called experts screaming at each
other on cable television. If that’s what we
mean by quality sports journalism, then
without question we have the best in the
world.
Poor sports journalism is not strictly
a modern phenomenon. The late Howard
Cosell complained about it in the 1970’s.
Cosell is most remembered for being
one-third of the original ABC Monday
Night Football broadcast team and for his
theatrical banter with heavyweight boxing
champion Muhammad Ali. Less remem-
bered is the fact that Cosell saw sports as
more than just entertainment or distrac-
tion. His interviews with Ali during the
champ’s Vietnam War draft refusal period
and subsequent suspension from boxing
raised the bar for what should be legitimate
sports news; in his 1973 autobiography
Cosell recounts how the ABC network
received complaints along the lines of, ‘Get
that nigger-lovin Jew bastard off the air.’
Cosell in 1973 lamented the general
absence of journalism in sports coverage,
both in broadcast and in print. Not much
has changed, as can be seen in the treat-
ment of three recent sports stories that cry
out for competent journalism: (1) Chris
Borland’s retirement from football, (2) The
Chicago Cubs treatment of prospect Kris
Bryant, (3) The NCAA final four basket-
ball tournament in Indianapolis.
Chris Borland’s Retirement: Refusal
to Tackle the Elephant in the Room. When
24-year-old Chris Borland announced
his retirement from the San Francisco
49ers this year (he was one of four players
under age 30 to retire in 2015) after citing
the possibility of future head trauma and
diminished quality of life, he presented the
mass media with a golden opportunity to
give urgency to the issue of the National
Football Leagues many decades long
attempt to cover up the dangers associated
with the sport. Remember how the major
media for decades minimized or ignored
the dangers associated with cigarettes? The
rush to get Borland and others out of the
headlines as quickly as possible is eerily
similar.
Kris Bryant: The Media’s Uncritical
Acceptance of the Business of Sports.
Baseball’s spring training is supposed to be
the time when players compete for spots
on the major league roster. So when Chi-
cago Cub third base prospect Kris Bryant
hit 9 home runs in spring, he appeared to
be a lock to make the big league squad.
Bryant may be on the team by the time
you read this, yet the Cubs sent him down
to the minor leagues for at least the first 12
days of the season so as to guarantee that
he could not become an unrestricted free
agent until 2021 at the earliest. In other
words, the integrity of the game came in
second to the owner’s bottom line. This is
of course not unique to the Cubs; in fact
it is typical across franchises in all profes-
sional sports. What’s distressing is the
media’s almost uncritical acceptance of the
business side of sports, resulting not only
in lower quality play (i.e. delaying the big
league arrival of prospects like Bryant), but
also making it easier for owners to raise
ticket prices at will while having
the audacity to ask taxpayers for
money to refurbish stadiums or
build new ones. Absent a critical
media, sports team owners can get
away with just about anything.
The NCAA Final Four: Sports
Media Called For Blocking Foul.
In an epic case of bad timing, the
Indiana legislature passed a homo-
phobic version of the Religious
Freedom Restoration Act during
the height of March Madness in
Indianapolis. The legislation in its
original form would allow private
businesses to refuse to serve gay,
lesbian, and transgender persons
on religious grounds. Massive
protests erupted in Indianapolis,
and even all four Final Four
coaches signed on to a statement
rejecting discrimination in any
form. Yet moving the games out
of Indianapolis was never seriously
considered. Why? Because sports
reporting mostly blocked any seri-
ous discussion of that issue, leaving it for
the serious news to handle.
There are some great sports journalists
out there. Mark Fainaru-Wadas and Steve
Fainarus work on football’s concussion
crisis and other issues is extremely well
researched, provocative, and powerful.
Dave Zirins Edge of Sports column brings
a sense of social justice and moral clarity to
sports. Regrettably, the Fainarus and Zirin
are the glaring exceptions to the general
rule of suckiness.
Tony Palmeri (palmeri.tony@gmail.com) is
a professor of communication studies at UW
Oshkosh.
Sports Journalism Sucks
27. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R19
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28. R20 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
BY ROHN BISHOP
In May, we Republicans will gather
in La Crosse for our annual convention;
which reminds me that back in March I
took to social media to commemorate the
birthday of the Republican Party.
I wrote: “On this date in 1854 a group of
abolitionist met in Ripon Wisconsin to form
the Republican Party. 11 years later they’re
dream to end slavery would be realized with
the passage of the 13th amendment to the
Constitution.”
The response from liberals wasn’t
surprising, “That was Lincoln’s Republican
Party. Today you guys are a bunch of
religious zealots, corporate sellouts, racist,
homophobic, sexist, knuckle dragging,
anti-science, war mongering, treasonous,
backwards thinking goofs!”
This onslaught of liberal compassion
and desire to coexist with a different
view point got me to thinking about the
two political parties and their histories.
I’ve written about the great history of the
Republican Party; it’s why I’m a Republi-
can today. Great leaders like Lincoln, Ever-
ett Dirksen, Thaddeus Stevens, Richard
Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.
I’ve never written about the history
of the Democrat Party. It’s a history the
public schools don’t want to teach, the
media doesn’t discuss, and most American’s
don’t know. It’s a history of treason and
racism; it’s a history of shame!
Kill those Indians
Democrat President Andrew Jackson
signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830,
forcing the relocation of five Indian tribes,
known as the trail of tears. The Supreme
Court ruled against Jackson, but Jackson
was a Democrat, and the law doesn’t apply
to Democrats. Today liberal’s pretend to
atone for this human tragedy by opposing
Indian nicknames for sports teams.
Slavery
The party of James Buchanan and
Roger Taney wasn’t exactly anti-slavery.
In fact, when slavery was threatened,
Democrats, lead by Jefferson Davis, com-
mitted treason and created a new country,
a Democrat utopia called the Confederate
States of America.
Democrats opposed Lincoln, opposed
the war, and wanted peace at the expense of
tearing apart America and allowing a slave
holding Confederacy. Democrats opposed
the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments too.
KKK
Following the Civil War black Ameri-
cans were voting Republican and electing
black Republicans to congress, this atrocity
so outraged democrats that they formed
the Ku Klux Klan to keep blacks from the
polls, thus returning the democrat party to
the party of dominance for a hundred years
in the south.
The KKK was a great place for
Democrats to launch political careers, and
allowed the Democrat Party to install Jim
Crow laws to help keep the “colored” man
in his place. These laws would remain in
place until the late 1960’s, when Repub-
licans were finally able to splinter the
Democrat majority, and get Civil Rights
Bills through the congress!
Segregate the black kids
For decades Southern Democrats segre-
gated schools, “Separate but Equal” schools
for white and black kids, today Democrats
continue to segregate kids; having climbed
into bed with the education establishment
to oppose school choice. The choice initia-
tive, started here in Wisconsin by Governor
Tommy Thompson, allows poor black kids
an opportunity at a better education. Alas,
Democrats stand in the school house door,
demanding that those black kids attend
failing, crime ridden, hell holes of inner
city public schools, while Democrats send
their children to the best private schools we
have.
It’s as if Democrats want an ignorant
black population.
Death to America
Democrats seem to have affection for
America’s enemies: from secession in 1861,
to defending communist spy Alger Hiss, to
releasing terrorist prisoners from GITMO,
Democrats are always helping the enemy.
In the 1960’s Democrats got stuck in
Vietnam, only to run off and protest the
war on Richard Nixon’s first day in office.
Then, in the 1970’s Democrats cut funding
out from under President Ford to ensure
a communist victory in Vietnam. During
the 1980’s democrats repeatedly undercut
President Reagan, with secret letters from
Senator Ted Kennedy to General Secretary
Yuri Andropov, to John Kerry meeting
with Daniel Ortega to help communism
spread to Central America.
In 1991 former President Jimmy Carter
traveled to the UN to undercut President
Bush’s attempts to build a coalition to
unseat Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, and
just like with Vietnam. Democrats sup-
ported removing Saddam Hussein in 2002,
only to run off and protest the war when
the going got tough.
Today’s Democrats led by President
Obama, are implementing policies to turn
our military victories into defeat, while
surrendering the Middle East to ISIS,
assuring those who hate America a safe
haven to expand their empire, while at the
same time Democrats are working to allow
Iran a nuclear bomb!
Same ‘ol party
The same Democrat Party that put
Japanese-Americans in internment camps,
opposed Civil Rights, destroyed black
families and America’s inner cities with
welfare payments, is the same party that
today opposes school choice for poor kids,
wants to amend the First Amendment to
shut down opposing political speech, all
the while they’re nationalizing the internet,
healthcare, school lunches, and mucking
up the Middle East
It’s the same Democrat Party that
defends Bill Clinton’s treatment of women,
defended Ted Kennedy’s murderous
drunken behavior, defended slave owner’s
treatment of blacks, defended FDR’s treat-
ment of Asian-Americans, and Andrew
Jackson’s treatment of Indians.
From Andrew Jackson to Barack
Obama, the Democrat Party has a history
of shame.
Rohn W. Bishop is a monthly contributor to
the Scene. Bishop, a former Waupun City
Council member, currently serves as treasurer
for the Republican Party of Fond du Lac
County
Contact Rohn:
Email: rohnnyb@msn.com
Twitter: @RohnWBishop
The Democrats: A History of Shame
NEWS & VIEWS // ROHN’S RANTS
30. R22 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
BY JOHN PRICE - KABHIR,THE
BUDDHIST ADVISER
And who will It be?
Will it be a screaming little slimy
lump, jerking in uncoordinated manner
and beautiful only to the people directly
responsible for creating it? People who
are just now investing their entire lives in
its growth and development? People who
immediately look it over carefully for signs
of wholeness and health, and who would
be devastated by any tiny flaw it might
exhibit?
Or would it be a shriveled and aged
thing, long used to the point where it
would offer little or no future. Would it
strike terror in the people it encountered,
aghast at the wasted ugliness of age and
decay brought to the doorway as a direct
sign of death: age, moaning its last gasps
of life as they gurgle out of a body in the
throes of death?
Or, would it be somewhere in-between,
showing those answering the door an
image of robust life, offering the glow of a
creature in the midst of life, offering noth-
ing but striking beauty as in the smiles of
true life, borne of midlife true existence, a
creature in its prime, giving the image of
growth and simple being?
So, we have the juxtaposition of birth
and death, with life between, the baby
just born and the grim reaper. Would the
archetypes of life looking at us in its truly
infinite beauty--the glory of birth and the
image of decay?
Throughout the ages, we are offered
steadfast symbols of a baby born, so beau-
tiful in its ugliness only seen by parents
who gave it life, gestation, and the pain
first played against the impossibility of the
birth canal; then the ugliness of impend-
ing death, a sight frightful in the personal
horror only seen by those close to the end
. These are longtime images of the mysteri-
ous beginning and end of days.
We generally associate encounters with
archetypes of birth the death with the
night. We imagine a knock at the door as
a booming, “Knock, knock, knock, come
to us,” disturbing our slumber, causing us
to pad down the hallway to our front door,
wondering, “who, or what, could it be?”
Or, we associate being awakened in the
night with an announcement of someone
dying. There is deep apprehension associ-
ated with that knock, bringing us news
of a baby about to be born or the news of
someone dying.
As a two-edged symbol of life-death,
in Buddhist monasteries, it is common
to place little leftovers, like dessert treats,
being left out for the “hungry ghosts,”
to help themselves to goodies, much like
western children leaving treats for Santa on
the mantle overnight.
So, we have
a stage set
m e t a -
p h o r i -
cally for
both darkness
and light coming to our
door. Again, it’s like the phone ringing at
3:00 am; we answer, expecting the worst.
And usually, it is the worst. We awake
abruptly to horrific news of death. But is
it so horrific? Death comes inevitably and
surely. It isn’t something to be feared. On
the most healthy and enlightened level,
death is just like any moment of life: a
breath, or not. Traditionally, we are taught
that death brings eternal judgment, and
facing that judgment, we fear punishment
for all our misdeeds.
The great Judgment Day: something to
fear, whereby we are put before a vengeful
God who knows of every little transgres-
sion we made in our lives. It knows of our
shunning kids in elementary school, mis-
treating insects, lying to our parents with
disrespect, straying from a committed rela-
tionship, on and on. We imagine a mighty
God taking us to task for every bad thing
we’ve done.
Then of course is the question of hell.
Is it there? Are we doomed to eternal suf-
fering? From the perspective of a Judgment
Day, it’s pretty much all negative and fear-
ful. If we’re Roman Catholic, just missing
taking Holy Communion at Easter, our
“Easter Duty,” brings hell and eternal
damnation.
There is of course the
other side, the side of
all the good we’ve
done. The side
of us bringing
blessing and
happiness to
the world
and its crea-
tures. Even
t h o u g h
these are
most defi-
nitely real,
we dwell not
so much on
goodness at Judg-
ment, but rather,
at our transgressions.
How strange it is that we
judge ourselves more negatively
than positively.
But the summoning in the night brings
the greatly anticipated arrival of another
kind of visitor. This visitor, often comes
in the night; indeed, we often associate its
arrival in the depth of the night, startling
the home with a cry of, “It’s time!” And the
bags, packed and waiting for this moment
of excitement, are taken up for a hurried
ride to the local hospital or the home birth-
ing room. While the first visitor’s imminent
appearance is associated with fear, this
arrival’s emotions connote joy and expecta-
tion. Naturally, we’re talking here of birth
in the arrival of the second visitor.
There is so much cliché associated with
these two arrivals, it would be funny if it
weren’t so tied with deep emotion. In other
words, death brings slow mourning. Birth
offers us joyous dancing. Both ushering’s
imply a boat. The most famous of these
boats bringing life is little Moses riding
quietly in his reed basket; whereas the Grim
Reaper arrives silently to take us away from
earthly life in his ominous raft, across the
river Sauran to the land of eternal death.
Whether the newborn, pink with happi-
ness, arriving on the banks of a new life or
the old, stinking, decaying death, taking us
into the netherworld pulling us on a raft
into the knowing sea of eternal mystery of
death. Each boat has its commonalities as
it takes us to a new land.
It is profoundly interesting that the
two greatest mysteries associated with our
humanly life involve being conveyed across
water. But truly, out bodies reside in water.
A great percentage of our literal being is
composed of water, which has throughout
history involved water. And there is no
escaping the human story of water, as both
a building block of life and a means of
decomposing our corporeal body by water,
the universal solvent. It takes our bodies
apart as it works it magic of undoing the
life water has built for our bodies.
This column is laden with so many cli-
chés it is nearly funny. But from a linguis-
tic perspective, how can we paint a word
picture of life and not fill our proverbial
cup with the great metaphors of life, by
not acknowledging the absolute impor-
tance water plays in birth and death. Do
complete the sewing of our garment into
a whole, can we not say with certainty that
our very existence is a weaving of water.
From before our being born, the great mys-
tery, to the Grim Reaper’s coming to get
us with his dark raft, we are faced with the
greatest mysteries: where were we before
we were born; and where are we going after
we die?
John Price-Kabhir, is a retired public school
educator and a writer. He is an ordained
householder in the Rinzai Zen tradition. He
welcomes your input at 920-558-3076 or
Shiningcrow11@yahoo.com.
A Knock at the Door
ENTERTAINMENT // BUDDHIST ADVISOR
31. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R23
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32. R24 | SceneNewspaper.com | May 2015
BY RICHARD OSTROM
With a much trumpeted, late in the
game, return to the strange environs of the
fabled world of Twin Peaks, Washington at
an apparent stand still between chief archi-
tect David Lynch and new host network
Showtime, I see no better time to pay a
quick revisit to the original, legendary series
and its most recent home video rebirth. So,
while Lynch threatens to turn his back on a
proposed 9 part, 25 year’s since an update
on whomsoever still remains above ground
from the cast, the fine cats at Paramount
have, in recent months, sought to grace us
all with something undeniably attractive
called ‘Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery’.
This enticing, all Blu Ray box set (10
discs in total) collects together the com-
plete (to date) run through of the quirky
highs and murky (and often nightmarish)
lows of Lynch and conceptual partner
Mark (‘Hill Street Blues’) Frost’s intricately
fabricated slice of life in
the extreme upper Pacific
Northwest.
We are presented with
all of the 29 parts of the
under two season long run
of the once stratospheri-
cally hip prime time melo-
drama that first introduced
the pop culture universe to
Special Agent Dale (Kyle
MacLachlan) Cooper, his eternally disem-
bodied assistant Diane (represented only
ever by a tiny cassette recorder), Cooper’s
philosophy on the value of a damn fine cup
of java and how this agent (and his assorted
peers) would come to play a crucial role
in aiding the wonderful yet far
from conventional Twin Peaks
locals in finding a solution to
the shocking murder of their
girl most beloved, Laura Palmer
(Sheryl Lee).
Also stuffed inside the set’s
elaborately designed packaging
is the highly polarizing ‘prequel’
feature film follow up, ‘Twin
Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’.
With this separately concocted
film, David Lynch set to the task of flesh-
ing out the explicit particulars that led a
seemingly innocuous ‘good girl’ like Mrs.
Palmer down the path of rank deprivation
that was to ultimately place her
in harm’s way in the very worst
fashion. The film also swapped
out certain characters from the
series (for various reasons) and
introduced new key players
into the T.P. mythos, including
Special Agents Chet Desmond
(singer Chris Issak) and Sam
Stanley (a pre-24 Kiefer Suther-
land) and greatly made use of
the content freedoms an MPAA
sanctioned R-rating granted.
The legacy of ‘Twin Peaks’ as
a whole, from inauguration to this point
today, is one of swift rise and fall in the crit-
ically fickle context of the public eye with
the (at the time) ill advised prequel landing
D.O.A. in theaters in late summer 1992.
Yet, as a born-to-be ‘Cult Classic’ is wont
to do, ‘Twin Peaks’ refused to lay down
and die a
quiet death.
The whole
thing gave
rise to clubs,
c o n v e n -
tions (one
of which is
spotlighted
within the
set’s special
features, more on that stuff in a bit) and
fervent campaigns to unearth unseen
materials (primarily from ‘Fire Walk With
Me’) that were said to hold more overall
worth than your average ‘Deleted Scenes’
supplement. The fan-love pushed the saga
forward, spawning several home video
releases (VHS and DVD) before arriving
at this most rewarding confection I am
blathering on about here.
Now, the basic storyline should prove
familiar to many who’ve dabbled at all in
the realm of David Lynch or cult screen
curiosities in general.
If not, here goes;
one foggy morn-
ing, the body of
town princess Laura
Palmer is discovered
washed ashore and
wrapped in plastic
by gentle old Pete
Martell (played by
‘EraserHead’ lead
man Jack Nance)
which in turn sets
off a chain of twisty
events entwining
the citizens of Twin
Peaks with the All American Powerhouse
known as the F.B.I. Thus the arrival of the
relentlessly chipper Agent Cooper to the
base of operations of one Sheriff Harry S.
Truman (Michael Ontkean) and his stable
of goofy but dedicated cronies. These none
too battle tested, bumpkin type police offi-
cials turn out to be just the kind of support
group our golden boy Cooper was greatly
hoping for. The bulk of the first portion of
the series details the convoluted specifics of
the homicide investigation with growing
supernatural influence transpiring across
the stomping grounds of a passing carnival
of strange and unique personas who love,
fight, frustrate and continually work to
confound expectations as the inevitable (if
sadly premature) network mandated reveal
of Laura’s killer looms on the horizon.
Once the murderer is given a proper
face though, things begin to fracture
and the narrative starts to veer all
over the damn place. Sure, a new
plot device/villain is slotted in as a
long standing rival of Cooper’s, one
Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh),
arrives deep into the second season to
dole out the sadistic head games, but
the ensuing episodes became a great
deal more, well, episodic. Apparently
this was somewhere around the time
both Lynch and Frost were becoming
immersed in new big screen projects (‘Wild
At Heart’ and ‘Storyville’ respectively) so
it was all largely left up to the hands of
various writers and a wild assortment of
directors (among them, Tim ‘River’s Edge’
Hunter and Diane Keaton, doing her
very best odd duck Lynch
impression) to carry the
load, and the results truly
did vary. A sudden succes-
sion of guest star bits were
added to help maintain
some semblance of a creative
spark (most of note, future
X-Files heartthrob, David
Duchovny, as an
F.B.I. Agent dressed up
in slick feminine attire) but
regardless of all this tireless
overexertion, the series had
clearly lost a major chunk
of its mojo and several plot
points came off as irrefutably forced (such
as a beauty pageant sub-plot) and accord-
ingly, the public interest waned. Pity, as the
project as a whole comes across a bit like
a small screen masterwork left incomplete
(the final episode does provide a fitting
cliffhanger). So perhaps the rumblings of
a rekindling of that Twin Peaks fire should
not seem so surprising, even this many
moons on.
This here super-duper box set has so
much to share beyond just the series and
its companion film. Apart from providing
all of Twin Peaks tale in a pristine HD
transfer there is a boat load of nuggets
from archival and more current sources
that work to break the phenomena of the
thing down in ‘in depth’ measures. Cast
and crew members help to, somewhat
enlighten upon the steps it took to make
The Mystery as Solved is Still a Mystery
ENTERTAINMENT // CINEMA BENEATH
33. May 2015 | SceneNewspaper.com | R25
ENTERTAINMENT // CINEMA BENEATH
a bit of prime time television history with a
collection of new and older interviews and
on set asides. Most triumphantly, the long
lusted after ‘Fire Walk With Me’ cut foot-
age portion (arranged here by Lynch him-
self as a 90-minute segment meant to stand
on its own) is not likely to elect much in
the way of disappointment. Many key ideas
and supporting characters receive expanded
screen time, including odd bits pertaining
to David Bowie’s enigmatic agent Phillip
Jeffries and a whole bunch more footage of
the prophetic dwarf (Michael J. Anderson)
who dwells in that, mostly red, ‘other place’.
Still further elements that never made it
anywhere near the final release cut of ‘Fire
Walk With Me,’ finally have their day too;
Sheriff Truman, his stoic, Native Ameri-
can deputy Hawk (Michael Horse) and the
impossibly dense lovebirds Andy (Harry
Goaz) Brennan and Lucy the receptionist
(Kimmy Robertson) are on hand as they
all originally had filmed cameos, as did
Pete Martell and the lovely Josie Packard
(Joan Chen). The resolution of the whole
damn thing (perhaps the entire Twin Peaks
universe in total) may have originally held
a more cosmic, time melding agenda than
viewers were previously aware of, according
to a few revealing sequences on display
here. Yes, the wait for this missing stuff is
finally over, and the rewards do measure up.
Elsewhere in the set, David Lynch
enacts his own fond (albeit expectedly
eccentric) memories of the project in
features both semi-vintage and brand new
in which he picks his own cranium as well
as those of several key cast members (Kyle
MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Grace
Zabriskie and others) from the program
both in and out of character. There are also
plenty of old school promo spots, photo
stills of anything from on set action to long
obscured trading cards of the show and
both the domestic and international (stand
alone and slightly longer) versions of the
pilot episode that set it all in motion.
Yeah, not much has been left behind.
This beast is very concise. Recommended
to anyone adventurous enough to hold a
fair opinion of David Lynch, or this series
in the first place.
killpeoplenamedrichard@yahoo.com
The Wheelhouse Restaurant
E1209 County Road, Waupaca, WI 54981
(715) 258-8289 | www.wheelhouserestaurant.com
Mon. – Fri. 4PM, Sat. – Sun. 11AM
Summer 2015 Grillin'
] Live Music Events
Event Serving begins at NOON! Music 1:00 PM
SAT. June 6
Spring WingDing Fling
Music by The Bel Airs
SAT. June 20
Steak Fry
Music by Wheelhouse
SAT. July 25
Corn Roast
Music by Pupy Costello
SAT. August 22
Chicken BBQ
Music by Wifee and the Huzzband
Sat. September 26
Pig Roast
Music by The Uptown Savages
SAT. July 11
Sausage Fest!
Music by W.C. Clark
SAT. August 8
Rib-O-Rama
Music by Conscious Pilot
Overlooking the Beautiful Chain O’Lakes
