Emily's Post: McDonald's settlement, Ron Johnson outspends Russ Feingold Emily Mills on Thursday 09/02/2010 1:32 pm What piques my curiosity is the fact that McD's waited two years between the city's initial payment of $56,000 in 2006 before filing a complaint that claimed $408,900 in damages. The difference between the two numbers is, quite frankly, startling. All of it stems from the fast food chain's contention that construction of the bridge disrupted the flow of drive-thru traffic and obstructed the view from the road of its big ol' golden arches. >MoreWisconsin Republican U.S. House candidate Chad Lee lets Republicans off the hook Dean Robbins on Thursday 09/02/2010 Chad Lee is a Republican running for U.S. Representative in Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District, and he's incensed by the 2008 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. "Congress gave $700 billion of our tax dollars to Wall Street while they allowed 90,000 small businesses to go bankrupt!" intones the narrator for his ad "Time for a Change in Washington." >More
Free speech on a plate Why should the state rush in where fools seek self-expression? on Thursday 09/02/2010 MSTRB8S. QQQQ2. RU46T9. BVRETR. No, these aren't U.S. government nuclear launch codes. They're actual entries on the list of nearly 7,000 vanity license plates banned by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. (Go ahead, read them again. See? They are sneaky gross.) >MoreMadison Marathon bans runner She ran without registering; now she's persona non grata Bill Lueders on Thursday 09/02/2010 Ramona Villarreal considers herself an athlete and an honest person. The 56-year-old Madison resident has competed in Ironman competitions and run at least 15 marathons -- including, she reckons, 10 Madison Marathons. But no more. Villarreal has been "permanently banned" from future Madison Marathons. If she tries to register, she will be denied. If she shows up anyway, she's been warned, "We will have the right to remove you...and won't hesitate to do so." >More
Fringe Foods: Cuitlacoche from Las Cazuelas For everything, there is a season -- including corn smut Kyle Nabilcy on Tuesday 08/31/2010 2:00 pm, (2) Comments, (2) Likes This is another one of those foods that forces you to wonder what exactly the first daring eater was thinking; infected ears of corn puff up, turn purplish-black, and grow fuzz. The Aztec name for this freaky-looking cob is cuitlacoche (also frequently spelled "huitlacoche"), which likely meant "sleeping shit." Wrapped in the husk, cuitlacoche does look a bit like a swaddled turd. So, naturally, it’s what’s for dinner. >MoreHow do you solve a problem like an eggplant? (recipe) New uses for the big purple veggie Terese Allen on Thursday 08/26/2010 The topic of eggplant came up in a recent exchange I had with a colleague. "Of all the things I buy at the farmers' market, eggplant is the item that is most likely to go bad in the fridge," she said. "I never really know what to do with it." The inventory of familiar eggplant preparations is indeed a short list; think eggplant Parmesan, ratatouille and baba ganoush, and you're pretty much there. >More
Attention Madison geeks: Geek.kon 2010 is here! Amanda Lanyon-LeSage on Wednesday 09/01/2010 12:01 pm, (2) Likes Attention geeks! Geek.Kon, Madison's own anime, gaming, and science fiction convention, comes to the Marriott West hotel in Middleton Friday, September 3. Geeks of all stripes will find something to do at this three-day event. >More
Carnival of Sorts isn't your average summer fair No beer tent Rich Albertoni on Thursday 09/02/2010 When Adam Gregory Pergament talks about his approach to art, he likes to use the term cross-pollination. It means the transfer of pollen from one plant to another. It's nature's way of promoting genetic diversity. In his quest to further artistic diversity, Pergamente has been spreading spoken-word poetry around Madison music venues since 2005, first as a member of Stonefloat, and now with Venice Gas House Trolley. >MoreThe Selfish Gene revives the B-side But wait, there's more Jessica Steinhoff on Thursday 08/26/2010 The members of local rock band the Selfish Gene are experts at changing course. Case in point: When they were just starting their engines in 2005, they chose the name Long Story Short, only to receive a cease-and-desist letter from another group with the same moniker. "They were already playing all the top bowling alleys in Baltimore, so we let them keep the name," jokes bassist and vocalist Eric Andraska. >More
Overture Center and Wisconsin Union Theater's 2010-11 seasons bring splashy musicals and more Regards to Broadway Jennifer A. Smith on Thursday 08/26/2010 On the heels of the Overture Center's record-breaking run of The Lion King, the arts center is queuing up other Broadway shows with easy name recognition and pop-culture ties. Over the course of its four-week run, The Lion King pulled in 68,000 theatergoers and grossed over $4.8 million. It generated an additional $15 million in spin-off economic activity, such as hotels and restaurants. >MoreA gander at The Purple Goose in Verona Michana Buchman on Thursday 08/26/2010 If you have a yen for one-of-a-kind items, a sense of play, a creative impulse, and maybe a kid or two, get thee to Verona. At the far end of Verona Avenue, in a lovely two-story brick house with a purple door, you'll find the Purple Goose. >More
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