Madison Miscellany -- July 5, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Saturday 07/05/2008 12:00 am Independence Day festivities in Monona, Shorewood Hills, and Columbus, along with Brett Favre chatter, ongoing Badgers at the U.S. Olympic Trials results, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County >More
The Planski: (One) Party On?! Ben Manski on Friday 07/04/2008 6:10 pm, (4) Recommendations Congratulations, Mark Pocan! Congrats are also in order for Therese Berceau, Joe Parisi, Mark Miller, and Fred Risser. If your luck holds out, you may already have won... reelection. >More
The Week[end]: July 4-6, 2008 on Friday 07/04/2008 9:00 am Thanks to the Fourth of July, the summer fun will last a little longer over this three-day holiday weekend. Celebrating independence under the rockets red glare is a given, but there's plenty more to do around Madison over the next few days. The action includes a new splash park in Middleton, a recital at the UW Memorial Carillon, a show by Foxy Veronica’s Peach Pies, and a book reading by Rae Meadows, along with plenty of live music from Robbie Fulks and Friends, The Wizenheimers, Pacific Before Tiger, Mother Truckers, Natty Nation, Blake Thomas, Sleeping in the Aviary, and a special tenth anniversary show by The Crest. >More
Madison Miscellany -- July 4, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Friday 07/04/2008 12:00 am An Epic interview, MFD to conduct rescue training at St. Ray's ruins, a UW-engineered electric snowmobile arrives at Greenland research station, the Madison Mallards win the First Half Championship of the Northwoods League 2008 season, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
WMC rips liberal critics, avoids naming Epic James Buchen complains of a campaign to silence business Marc Eisen on Thursday 07/03/2008 4:36 pm, (1) Recommendation The war between Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and its liberal critics escalated today as WMC wrapped itself in the flag of free speech and denounced the critics for running "an organized campaign involving misinformation, intimidation and threats of boycott." The WMC opinion column, widely distributed to the media, is written by James Buchen, WMC's vice president for government relations. >More
Blaska's Blog: Movin' on up, to the east side` David Blaska on Thursday 07/03/2008 1:03 pm, (2) Comments Given that this regal home is planted in Ald. Konkel’s district, it would make the perfect location for something the good leftist has long sought: a "wet" shelter for homeless vagrants. Call it "Brenda’s House." It’s the ultimate in inclusionary zoning. >More
On the hunt for root beer floats in Madison You got me floatin' on the ultimate summer ice cream soda Linda Falkenstein on Thursday 07/03/2008 12:21 pm, (1) Comment, (6) Recommendations The nation's hot weather palate has shifted from traditional ice cream sodas and hot fudge sundaes to Peppermint Java Chip Frappuccinos and Iced Matcha Lattes, although recent news reports have suggested that "pain at the pump" has prompted many working stiffs to cut back on their $4/day frozen coffee drink habit. While I have nothing against iced coffee, the super-sweet sensation of a proper root beer float is one of the rituals of summer that should be indulged in at least once between Memorial Day and Labor Day. >More
Wilmington on DVD: An unabashed romance for grownups My Blueberry Nights, Yukio Mishima, and Derek Jarman Mike Wilmington on Thursday 07/03/2008 11:34 am My Blueberry Nights is a sweet movie romance and a jazzy film noir reverie that, at its best, wafts you right back to the moods and themes of the American maverick cinema of the '70s, a great era that many of us miss. The U.S. directorial debut of Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar Wai (Ashes of Time, In the Mood for Love) and the film acting debut of Grammy winning singer-composer Norah Jones -- Nights is visually stunning, well-written and very well-acted, by a pretty gifted cast that also includes Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz, Frankie Faison and (in one of her top screen performances) Natalie Portman. >More
Madison Miscellany -- July 3, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Thursday 07/03/2008 12:00 am Feingold continues FISA campaign, "a flood of evidence" for global warming, the Cap Times hypes drive-thru ban non-story, eating at Fromagination edible antifreeze at the UW, the Capital Volleyball Academy, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
MadTracks -- 'Auburn' by The Gusto Tom Laskin on Wednesday 07/02/2008 10:23 pm, (7) Recommendations Remember when a lot of English and American punk rock kinda sounded like Slade speeded up? Oasis certainly did, and they ruled Britannia for many years because of it. I'm not certain that The Gusto have achieved that high level of song-craft just yet. You know, where nearly everything they touch is immediately hummable. But the Madison band does have a rousing hybrid sound that blends hormonal punk energy and, for lack of better term, "classic rock" melody to good effect. >More
Beer Here -- Old Glory American Pale Ale from the Great Dane Robin Shepard on Wednesday 07/02/2008 1:22 pm, (8) Recommendations Looking for a great beer to celebrate the birth of our country? How better than with a beer named "Old Glory"? This beer is a great choice for the holiday picnic table or backyard barbecue, and its assertive hoppiness offers a little fireworks in every pint. >More
Russ Feingold launches FISA push for Independence Day Kristian Knutsen on Wednesday 07/02/2008 12:39 pm, (3) Recommendations Wisconsin Democratic Senator Russ Feingold long ago earned a reputation as a leader willing to stake positions apart from those held by the majority of his colleagues, be they popular or not in the polls. This was already well known to Wisconsinites through his first terms in the '90s, and was earned nationally in 2001 with his support of confirming John Ashcroft as U.S. Attorney General and his lone vote against the Patriot Act. Various other similar stands followed, building Feingold enough of a following for a flirtation with a presidential campaign and a sustained bully pulpit, which he is now using in an effort to amend the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 in the Senate. >More
Blaska's Blog: Affordable housing is here! David Blaska on Wednesday 07/02/2008 10:46 am, (3) Comments, (2) Recommendations With inclusionary zoning due to be buried with few mourners next January, the South Central Realtors Association is rushing to fill the void with a purely market-based approach. The proposal supports affordable housing using existing programs and marketplace solutions. In other words, the stuff that actually works. >More
Madison Miscellany -- July 2, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Wednesday 07/02/2008 12:00 am FEMA opens Disaster Recovery Center, Soglin goes inside WMC meetings, a rash of crime reports, the sounds of The Romulans, Delicate Mich at Dr. Sketchy's, more love for the Mallards, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
A virtual version of the 2008 Rhythm & Booms in Madison Kristian Knutsen on Tuesday 07/01/2008 10:49 pm, (2) Recommendations Another June, and another Rhythm & Booms has come and gone. The massive fireworks display and festival held every year in anticipation of Independence Day was held with nary a hitch last Saturday. Despite soggy conditions leftover from the early spring deluge and a threat of swarming mosquitoes, some 150,000 to 175,000 people turned out for the show at Warner Park, with many thousands more watching from other vantage points throughout Madison. More than a few were armed with cameras. >More
Reclaiming Madison gaming camaraderie with Soul Calibur tournaments Zac Shipley on Tuesday 07/01/2008 4:12 pm, (15) Recommendations At the dawn of interactive entertainment, videogames were played in parlors called "arcades." Home equipment was prohibitively expensive, but for a few quarters one could play any variety of space shooters, puzzlers and sports simulations at the arcades. Home gaming has long been affordable and convenient, but something is missing from the arcade days: competition. Online gaming has brought players together worldwide, but the local camaraderie has been missing. >More
R.I.P. SOLVE: Murder of Madison East alum Brendan Scanlon spurs tributes David Medaris on Tuesday 07/01/2008 12:08 pm, (2) Comments, (19) Recommendations The outpouring of SOLVE and R.I.P. SOLVE graffiti in Madison is one measure of the esteem in which Madison East High School alumnus Brendan Scanlon was -- and still is -- held by his friends and admirers in the street-art community. The 24-year-old artist, known as SOLVE, was stabbed to death in Chicago in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 14. A suspect was arrested and has been charged with first-degree murder in the case. But you can't murder an artists legacy. >More
Win tickets to Umphrey's McGee at Willow Island on Tuesday 07/01/2008 10:14 am, (1) Recommendation The Isthmus Guest List is back with another round of free tickets to amazing concerts, shows and more fun events around Madison. This week's contests include tickets to: Lyle Lovett at the Overture Center; Umphrey’s McGee at Willow Island; Goodtime Camper and Dub Trio at the High Noon Saloon; a Bret Michaels VIP after party at the Dry Bean; and more. >More
Madison Miscellany -- July 1, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Tuesday 07/01/2008 12:00 am, (1) Recommendation The conundrum of a relic lawn jockey, Cieslewicz calls for federal support of energy and transit initiatives, Talula serves up for the east side, beer fiends get caffeinated by Oscura from Furthermore, a trebuchet in Vilas Park, a "Trek Stop" service station at Machinery Row Bikes, the Legends of Wisconsin Golf Classic, Wisco track alum Matt Tegankamp makes the U.S. Olympic Team, Evansville Home Talent Baseball, the glory of the Mallards, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Fringe Foods: A southern summer with chicory coffee, horchata, and chicha morada Drinking down the Western Hemisphere Kyle Nabilcy on Monday 06/30/2008 2:16 pm, (2) Comments, (19) Recommendations The United States, it's worth noting, doesn't always treat its neighbors to the north and south so well. Heck, you might even say that there was some careless treatment of our southern locales, New Orleans in particular, during the 2005 hurricane season. For my part, I love all points south on the American compass. And to show a little bit of that love, I'm going to take you on a liquid tour of some of those locales, with tastes of chicory coffee, horchata, and chicha morada. >More
On the Agenda: To wrap or not to wrap Madison buses Vikki Kratz on Monday 06/30/2008 12:22 pm, (1) Recommendation The Madison Common Council once again takes up the question of whether to fully wrap Madison Metro buses in advertising. Passengers complain that the wraps make it hard to see and people with disabilities have noted that guide dogs don't recognize buses when they're wrapped in a Miller Lite ad. >More
Mayor Dave's weekly whereabouts: Dinner with Terrence Wall Jason Joyce on Monday 06/30/2008 11:51 am, (2) Recommendations Thursday evening, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will break bread with local developer Terrence Wall, a guy who thinks the world would be a much better place if local government would simply green light his developments and refrain from asking tough questions. >More
Blaska's Blog: Do you feel safer? David Blaska on Monday 06/30/2008 10:17 am, (2) Recommendations The 9-1-1 center is a victim of -- and the ankle bracelet scheme is the spawn of -- a single-minded county executive whose mania is for buying marshland at the expense of prudent, and cost-effective, law enforcement. >More
The Week: June 30-July 3, 2008 on Monday 06/30/2008 9:00 am, (1) Recommendation Independence Day celebrations continue through this wonderfully short holiday week with the Monona Community Festival and "A Salute to America" at Concerts on the Square. The music continues with shows by Dysrhythmia, 12 Stones, and Dead Confederate, while the author appearances beat stays hot with talks by Jana Kohn, David Maraniss, Will Durst, and Austin Smith. >More
Madison Miscellany -- June 30, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Monday 06/30/2008 12:00 am, (2) Recommendations MPD investigating a Sunday night homicide on the southwest side, ongoing thoughts on the Marino murder investigation and arrest, weekend arrest reports, Konkel dissects WisSJ editorial on James Madison Park, working at Summerfest, picking CSA strawberries, a proposal to extend the Slow/No Wake order for the Four Lakes, Wisco swim and track athletes and alums compete at Olympic Trials, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Collecting MadVideos -- 'Success! Success! Success!' by IfIHadAHiFi Kristian Knutsen on Sunday 06/29/2008 11:42 am, (6) Recommendations A hard rock cakewalk takes a turn to the gory in a new music video from IfIHadAHiFi, a group of four accomplished cacaphonists from Milwaukee that has long been a familiar musical presence in Madison. The band has wrapped up making its new album Fame By Proxy, and is in the process of creating several videos to build buzz for its release. First off the block is the six-minute squall "Success! Success! Success!" featuring guest vocals from Dixie Jacobs of white wrench conservatory. >More
Madison Miscellany -- June 29, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Sunday 06/29/2008 12:00 am, (1) Recommendation Rhythm and Booms by the numbers and lessons learned, Star Tribune reports Adam Peterson not in town during Zimmermann and Nolan homicides, a garden tour in the Carpenter-Ridgeway neighborhood, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Blaska's Blog: Guns and Roses David Blaska on Saturday 06/28/2008 7:40 am, (5) Recommendations The right to bear arms -- few issues more clearly delineate that fault line between the collectivism of the liberal faith, on the one side, and the trust in individuals shared by my conservative brethren (and sistern). >More
Madison Miscellany -- June 28, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Saturday 06/28/2008 12:00 am, (2) Recommendations More reactions to the arrest in the Marino murder, Public Enemies wraps in Chicago, a cry for local lagers, two former Wisconsin rowers make the 2008 Olympic team, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Epic updates WMC stance as Cullen fallout spreads Marc Eisen on Friday 06/27/2008 7:04 pm, (10) Recommendations Epic Systems issued a new statement on Friday in its feud with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, stressing the bipartisan nature of its executives deciding to avoid doing business with firms that support the big-business group. "Our decision-making process was thoughtful and deliberate," the managers said, involving multiple management teams whose members "represented all political persuasions -- from conservative to liberal, and everywhere in between." >More
WYOU presents Madison flicks in 36-Hour On Air Film Fest Kristian Knutsen on Friday 06/27/2008 5:19 pm, (12) Recommendations Madison has seen a tremendous surge in independent filmmaking over the last few years, a trend that only looks to be building. More affordable cameras and editing software has lowered barriers to entry, particularly in the ongoing explosion of documentaries, and the online video revolution has led to a whole new audience for an ever-increasing legion of shorts. Now many of these local creations have been compiled into the 36-Hour On-Air Film Festival, a fundraiser marathon of movies that will be shown on WYOU Channel 4 this weekend. >More
DNA links UW dropout Adam Peterson to Joel Marino murder in Madison Jason Shepard on Friday 06/27/2008 1:38 pm, (22) Recommendations Madison Police Chief Noble Wray professed pride in his department, and with good reason, but the official guardedness over details in the Joel Marino homicide did not abate. “This case,” Wray told a press conference late this morning, "is still unfolding." Police have arrested a 20-year-old UW-Madison dropout in Marino's stabbing death, one of three central-city murders in the past year apparently committed by strangers. >More
Wilmington on DVD: A staycation with foreign cinema In Bruges, Persepolis, Belle Toujours, The Witnesses, The Furies, and Before the Rain Mike Wilmington on Friday 06/27/2008 11:03 am, (4) Recommendations Modern film noir with an Irish-British twist is served up with tough grace and skill in playwright and short-film Oscar-winner Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, a sweet, salty thriller about two Irish hired killers (nervy Colin Farrell, melancholy Brendan Gleeson) who bungle a job and are stashed for a while, at Christmas, in the stunning Belgian medieval city, Bruges, by their infuriated Brit/London boss (Ralph Fiennes). Like most really good noirs, In Bruges is obviously hell-bent and doom-drenched. >More
The Week[end]: June 27-29, 2008 on Friday 06/27/2008 8:00 am, (2) Recommendations Wisconsin gets a jump on Independence Day this weekend, as hundreds of thousands gather for music and fireworks at Rhythm & Booms and Summerfest. The clubs in town are hopping too, with shows by Rose Polenzani and Meg Hutchinson, Bobby Bryan & the Original Downtown Players, New Monsoon, VO5, Axiom, Paul Geremia, Nabori, Couch Flambeau, The Kin, Solid Gold, Colony of Watts, Orchestra Baobab, and Pete Frances for starters. There's much more fun out there, though, with the Found Footage Festival, Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), Madtown Bloodbath VI, Drums on Parade, the Intercontinental Dance Festival, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, and a preview of the Madison Early Music Festival. >More
Madison Miscellany -- June 27, 2008 A daily survey of Madison blogs, press releases, and other online updates on Friday 06/27/2008 12:00 am, (2) Recommendations Congratulations for the MPD in the Joel Marino murder arrest, Soglin on Epic and WMC, Konkel on the public testimony about the future James Madison Park, a Virginia Tech massacre video game, UW volleyball coach Pete Waite on fighting flooding, and much more can be found in this latest round-up of online social media in Madison and Dane County. >More
Found Footage Festival is back in Madison, bigger and sexier than ever Stoughton natives arrive from Queens with new collection of bizarre videos Erica Pelzek on Thursday 06/26/2008 10:47 pm, (12) Recommendations Awkward sexual harassment in the workplace reenactment videos, flamboyant 1980s exercise tapes, and ridiculous home movies unite in the latest edition of the Found Footage Festival, a touring collection of discarded video clips that are, usually unintentionally, gut-bustingly funny. Returning Madison for the third time with their show, Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett meld ironic chuckles with the "old school charm" of stumbling upon strange discoveries. >More
Epic contractor J.P. Cullen & Sons drops WMC membership Software giant wants vendors to steer clear of business group Marc Eisen on Thursday 06/26/2008 7:46 pm, (18) Recommendations The unabashed liberal sensibility of Epic System's Judy Faulkner became even more pronounced this week as her fast-growing software company -- normally a publicity-shy operation -- issued a public condemnation of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. Blaming WMC's politicking for the "travesty of ethics" in this spring's state Supreme Court race, Epic's management announced that it would "try to work only with vendors that do not support WMC with its current management." >More
Madison police announce arrest in Joel Marino homicide made in Minnesota Isthmus Staff on Thursday 06/26/2008 5:07 pm, (4) Recommendations The Madison Police Department has made an arrest in the homicide of Joel Marino. The Madison man was killed in his Monona Bay home on Monday, January 28 by an unknown assailant during the day, and has been the subject of significant media scrutiny since as the investigation has been criticized by the Marino family. >More
A farewell to Marshall Park Day Camp Tom Christopherson on Thursday 06/26/2008 12:30 pm, (7) Recommendations For the past 50 years, Madison children have had the opportunity to participate in the day camp program run by Madison School & Community Recreation at Marshall Park. From the first or second week in June to the middle of August, dozens of happy children ranging in ages from 7 to 11 could be seen cooking hotdogs over an open fire, catching their first bluegill, hunting for hidden treasures in the woods, studying the forest wildlife, playing capture the flag, or swimming in Lake Mendota. It was an idealistic time for the hundreds, if not thousands, of Madison children that have had the opportunity and privilege to participate. >More
Freedy Johnston talks about his connections to the Madison music scene Rich Albertoni on Thursday 06/26/2008 11:05 am, (12) Recommendations If you listened to modern rock radio in the 1990s, chances are you know "Bad Reputation," the hit single by Freedy Johnston. What you may not know is that the New York guitarist -- who was named Songwriter of the Year by Rolling Stone in 1994 -- has developed deep connections to the Madison music scene over the past 15 years. >More
"Attending one of the Madison area's most meditative and intimate fireworks displays" "Madison Guy"
"I believe the the Independence Day Parade in Columbus is the 'to do' thing for many of the towns around here" Rod Melotte
"I spent the 4th of July among with several thousand of my closest friends down at the Monona Festival" Doug Wood
"Maybe some people are bored by the soap opera aspect, but my gosh, get Brett on a plane to Green Bay now" Doug Wood
"Admit it, you are just as 'Gay for Favre' as I am" Nick Mortensen
Former and current Wisconsin harriers compete in the heats and finals at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials UW Ath. Dept.
"The South Division first-half champion Mallards dropped the opening game of the second half to the Wisconsin Woodchucks 8-7 in 10 innings" Madison Mallards
View photos of Frog Eyes, Crane Your Swan Neck, and The Butterfly Assassins playing in late June at the Project Lodge Kiki Schueler
View photos of The Smoking Popes and Frisbie playing in late June at the High Noon Saloon Kiki Schueler
Current and former Wisconsin swimmers continue to compete in the prelims, semis, and finals at the U.S. Olympic Trials UW Ath. Dept.
View photos of Calamity Magnet playing on Wednesday at the Crystal Corner "Cheese"
"Going to Mallard's baseball games has been one of our absolute favorite things to do!" "Courtney"
The Madison Mallards have "now claimed a playoff berth in five times in the franchise's eight seasons with all five coming the last six years" Northwoods League
"Mallards sweep Bombers to clinch First Half Championship!" Madison Mallards
"Mallards move closer to South Division title, defeat Battle Creek 8-2 in first game of double-header" Madison Mallards
"This gorgeous Mustang was hanging out on the street in front of the Inn on the Square" Dave Okonski
"I'm especially excited about Rome 1960 because I talked with Maraniss about this project last fall, when I spoke at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum on the Capitol Square" Terry Frei @ Denver Post
"Madison's gay magazine Our Lives -- affectionately known by me as 'Gays of Our Lives' -- is one-year old" Jill Nebeker @ Dane101
Current and former Wisconsin swimmers continue their bids to make Team USA in the prelims at the Olympic Trials UW Ath. Dept.
"Six more Badger rowers made the 2008 U.S. Under-23 Rowing Team July 1, and they will join four Wisconsin crew members that were selected last week" UW Ath. Dept.
"USA Hockey announced that three Badgers have been named to the 22-player roster for its U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team" UW Ath. Dept.
"The City of Madison Fire Department will begin two weeks of heavy rescue training on the site of St. Raphael's Cathedral" City of Madison
A .500 record is now needed to get into the NCAA hockey tournaments following the kerfuffle with the men's bid in 2008 "Gandalf the Red"
An interview with Wisconsin basketball, swimming and diving, and golf equipment manager Gary Poels about the return of hoops to campus UW Ath. Dept.
"An electric snowmobile built by student members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering Clean Snowmobile Team is now in Greenland" UW Comm.
"The Slow/No Wake order in effect for Lake Mendota will now only be in effect within 500-feet of shore" Dane County
"I have a bunch of complaints about The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much by Leslie Bennetts" MADreads
"We can defend our country from terrorists while at the same time protecting the rights and freedoms outlined in the Constitution" Russ Feingold
What happens to all of the bikes stolen in Madison? TDPF
Fromagination "really do have everything you need to enjoy your cheese experience" Eating in Madison A to Z
How the Cap Times scores cheap media hits from off-the-cuff remarks at city meetings Brenda Konkel
"This summer, I, along with my teammate Nikki Klingsporn and a few other former Badger volleyball players, have stayed very busy as coaches for the Capital Volleyball Academy out of Madison" Morgan Salow @ UW Ath. Dept.
"I'm sure downtown bikers have their share of horror stories, but I think the people who live farther out and take to their bikes have more serious challenges" TDPF
An interview with Jack Cracker of The Crest about his background in hip-hop Katjusa Cisar @ TCT
Fitchburg man arrested on multiple charges with Hate Crime modifiers after attacking and shouting racial epithets at co-workers near East Towne on Tuesday afternoon MPD
Deputies make arrests early Wednesday morning during a burglary in progress at the Top of the Swamp tavern in Westport Dane County Sheriff
"AFSCME city and state workers have been on the front lines, stepping up for flood victims, helping in rescue operations and providing aid" AFSCME
"There are business owners of all kinds of political views and values in this state" Paul Soglin
"Teams from the City of Madison Fire Department and Police Department will begin patrols Thursday, July 3, as part of an initiative to reduce the use of illegal fireworks" MFD
View photos of The Arge playing on Tuesday at the UW Memorial Union Terrace "Cheese"
"I found the conversation at a public hearing Monday night on the proposed filtration system for troublesome Well 29 on the city's east side very interesting" Kristin Czubkowski @ TCT
"I came to a startling realization yesterday afternoon -- most City Council members are much cooler technology-wise than your average 30 to 50-year-old person" Kristin Czubkowski @ TCT
UW psychiatry researchers investigate the persistence of anxiety UW Comm.
"I look forward to returning to Madison and looking through the rest of the city's bookstores, and I recommend a road trip for all of you, gentle readers!" O'Gara and Wilson
Wisconsin men's hockey junior Blake Geoffrion discusses his family's history on the ice and playing for Team USA UW Ath. Dept.
UW food science professor Srinivasan Damodaran "has discovered an edible antifreeze that can preserve ice cream's smooth, silky texture" UW Comm.
"Lignin expert chooses to pursue biofuels research at UW-Madison" UW Comm.
"University of Wisconsin-Madison political science researchers are taking a key role in a federally funded project to improve the state's ability to collect accurate election returns" UW Comm.
reading Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian MADreads
"FEMA opens Disaster Recovery Center in Dane County" Dane County
"Mallards baseball has shown me that there's still room for people like me in the sport -- true fans who just love to watch baseball" Nico Savidge @ Youth Radio Flows
"Madison police were dispatched to the PDQ store on Fish Hatchery Road for a weapons offense" on Monday night after witness sees a gun fall out of another customer's pants in presence of other cops MPD
A 59-year-old Madison man bicycling on Fitchrona Road in the Town of Verona early Wednesday morning received serious injuries in a Hit and Run Dane County Sheriff
"Madison is a picture of how it could have been, if the factories had stayed, if the jobs had stayed, if the kids had stayed" compared to Richmond, Indiana Park Hyun
Beer Here -- Edel Pils from New Glarus Robin Shepard on Wednesday 06/04/2008 2:07 pm, (1) Comment, (25) Recommendations When you think of picking up a six-pack from the New Glarus Brewing Company, you may think of Spotted Cow or Fat Squirrel, the brewery's two biggest sellers. But if you ask New Glarus locals about their favorite, another beer comes up on their list. Deb Carey, the founder and brewery president, says this time of year the locals keep asking when Edel Pils, their true favorite, will appear. Well, this beer is here for its annual summertime run. >MoreGive tofu a chance at The Dandelion food cart Vegetarians get a lunch of their own in downtown Madison Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 06/03/2008 2:15 pm, (1) Comment, (18) Recommendations Despite its co-op shopping, farmers' market-foraging, CSA-joining reputation, Madison has had difficulty supporting a totally vegetarian restaurant. While standing in line to order at The Dandelion, I noted several would-be customers come by, softly read the menu to themselves under their breath, and walked away without ordering. That would be a mistake -- depending on how you feel about tofu -- because The Dandelion serves some delicious and different fare. Give beans (and tofu) a chance. >More
MadTracks -- '(Let Me Find the Way to the Middle of Your) Heart’s Desire' by Jimmy Samson Download the tune and watch the music video by new Madison rock star Tom Laskin on Thursday 06/05/2008 4:10 pm, (29) Recommendations Matt Sloan and Aaron Yonda, the local lights behind Chad Vader and a heapin' handful of other goofball videos, have a new, well, goofy rock 'n' roll parody song out now on their own SexHat Records. Titled "(Let Me Find the Way to the Middle of Your) Heart's Desire," this monster power ballad composed (and sung) by their regular musical collaborator Andrew Yonda is belted out by the coke-snorting rock and roller villain Jimmy Samson. >MoreA goodbye for Drew Glackin of The Silos Marc Eisen on Wednesday 06/04/2008 10:37 am, (13) Recommendations I'll pay my respects for Drew Glackin at a High Noon memorial and fundraiser Thursday. The bassist for The Silos shouldn't be dead. But in January he died at the age of 44 from a terrible scourge that kills and disables many artists -- the lack of health insurance. >More
New coalition holds forum on homelessness myths in Madison Erica Pelzek on Thursday 06/05/2008 10:48 pm, (13) Recommendations The Community Forum on Homelessness presented an entry-level tutorial on the hottest subject in Madison at the First United Methodist Church on Thursday evening. Organized by the Dane County Coalition to Fight Homelessness and End Poverty, the forum aimed to address concerns in the Madison community regarding its transient population, explained near east side alder Brenda Konkel. >MoreInternet famous, real-world notorious: UW student mocks WisCon, starts online firestorm Emily Mills on Thursday 06/05/2008 1:21 pm, (8) Comments, (68) Recommendations "What I wrote was sexist," says Rachel Moss, "I will admit this." The University of Wisconsin-Madison grad student is referring to a photo essay she posted in late May on the widely-read online humor forum Something Awful. Attending the annual WisCon feminist science-fiction convention held at the Concourse Hotel over Memorial Day weekend, she shot photos of various con attendees with a focus on obese participants, and combined these with negative commentary to assemble a salvo that touched off a particularly nasty online controversy last week. >More
Blaska's Blog: Thank you, President Bush David Blaska on Monday 06/02/2008 12:04 pm, (16) Comments, (12) Recommendations "Let the bloodbath begin" is the very first line of Patrick Buchanan's autobiography, Right From the Beginning. (The title is a triple entendre.) The author himself autographed it for me when I attended a rally for his short-lived presidential campaign in April 1992. >MoreBlaska's Blog: Did I ask? David Blaska on Friday 05/30/2008 9:17 am, (5) Comments, (15) Recommendations The late, great John Patrick Hunter -- a no-nonsense combination of Jason Robards Jr. (think All the President's Men) and Will Geer (Grandpa Walton) did a queer thing, if I may use the Q word in its original sense. On his driver's license, where "Race" was indicated -- as it was back in the day -- he instructed the Department of Transportation to insert an "N" for Negro. >More
One Madison bike commute goes the extra mile Pedaling in from the outskirts Kenneth Burns on Friday 05/30/2008 4:00 pm, (1) Comment, (17) Recommendations In these troubled times of rising gas prices, I'm lucky to live near enough to work that my morning bicycle commute takes about seven minutes, perhaps ten if there's a train. But a few days ago I tried an experiment. What if I lived not a mile from my office on the Capitol Square, but ten miles? Is that a bicycle commute I would relish? >MoreWelcome to the age of $4 gas in Madison David Medaris on Thursday 05/29/2008 6:10 pm, (14) Recommendations I needed to drive to work today. No, that's not true. I didn't need to drive to work. I live close enough to my workplace to walk, bike or bus. But I had a headcold and was feeling miserable and needed -- or maybe wanted -- to go pick something up near Shorewood Hills. True, if I was made of sterner stuff or more committed to living my life closer to my core beliefs, I might have been able to shake off the nasal congestion and complete the errand by bicycle, bus or foot. Instead, I wimped out and drove. >More
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CRIME
Dane County announces new website for 911 Center Kristian Knutsen on Monday 05/26/2008 10:50 pm, (10) Recommendations Whatever changes might be made in the operations of the Dane County 911 Center following the Brittany Zimmermann homicide, a public relations and information campaign on its behalf is already underway. The Public Safety Communications Center has launched a new website at Dane911.com, announced last Friday in a press release by Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and launched the same day. >MoreDane County releases two 911 calls in Joel Marino homicide Listen to the calls from witnesses Isthmus Staff on Tuesday 05/20/2008 2:03 pm, (11) Recommendations The Dane County Public Safety Communications Office has released the audio of two 911 calls related to the Joel Marino homicide in response to open records requests from Isthmus and other media. The Madison man was killed in his home by Monona Bay on Monday, Jan. 28. Police have released the sketch of a suspect but the case remains unsolved. The police investigation has been criticized by Marino's parents and grandmother, who was the last to speak with the victim on the day of his murder. >More
Madison welcomes a third year of Rooftop Cinema at MMoCA Kristian Knutsen on Wednesday 06/04/2008 10:15 pm, (14) Recommendations "If you show it, they will come." That's been Tom Yoshikami's experience with Rooftop Cinema at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art over the last couple of years. The UW-Madison grad student who has helped program the Wisconsin Film Festival and UW Cinematheque in recent years launched a summer series of outdoor film screenings on the roof of the downtown museum shortly after its 2006 opening. The response was immediate and enthusiastic, with capacity crowds viewing a variety of short experimental and avant-garde films under the stars both that summer and last. >MoreEdgewood College students intern on Public Enemies in Wisconsin Behind the scenes wrangling all those local extras Amelia Cook on Tuesday 06/03/2008 12:30 pm, (23) Recommendations Shawn Johnson got an unexpected query back on February 11. The Director of Edgewood College Career Services was expecting a Monday like any other when a call from Chicago came into her office. Joan Philo Casting needed student interns to help with selecting extras for the production of Public Enemies in Wisconsin, and needed them fast. >More
