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
The 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
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. >MoreWilmington on DVD: Me & Orson Welles, Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, Harry Brown, Marmaduke on Wednesday 09/01/2010 10:00 am In Me and Orson Welles, Richard Linklater takes on a highly ambitious subject that really, really appeals to me -- a portrayal of the astonishing youthful theatrical triumphs of the 22-year-old Welles, his adroit and urbane (and long-suffering) producer John Houseman, and of their ingenious, experimental 1937 Mercury Theater production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. >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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