A Book A Week: The Frozen Rabbi by Steve Stern Becky Holmes on Friday 02/03/2012 6:00 pm Rabbi Eliezer, a great sage, is accidentally frozen in a block of ice in Russia in 1889. He remains thusly preserved for over a hundred years until he is inadvertently thawed out and reanimated during a power surge in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1999. His unwitting rescuer is Bernie Karp, an overweight, socially awkward Jewish teenager who has found the frozen rabbi in his parents' basement chest freezer. >More
Noir Black Belgian Barleywine Style Ale from Sand Creek Brewing Robin Shepard on Friday 02/03/2012 3:00 pm Sand Creek Brewing just released a dark and dangerous new brew. It's named Noir, the French word for black that is often associated with a genre of crime literature featuring tough characters and risky, bleak situations. This black Belgian barley wine is indeed a mysterious contradiction with hard-to-explain flavors: sweet, bitter, roasted and spicy. Its creator, lead brewer Nate Peck, describes its complexity as simply "a beer with a lot going on." Noir just hit local shelves in the past couple of weeks. >More
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin follows Komen decision with call to restore state funding Judith Davidoff on Friday 02/03/2012 1:47 pm Under intense pressure from outraged supporters, Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has reversed its decision to discontinue funding Planned Parenthood. "The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen." Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Komen, said in a statement released Friday. >More
New talent shines in UW Dance Department's Latitudes Katie Reiser on Friday 02/03/2012 11:38 am Some of my favorite UW dance majors have graduated or are poised to do so soon. Latitudes, the dance department's faculty concert, proves that the department is attracting talented new students and developing the talents of ones I've seen before. >More
Madison Snaps -- February 3, 2012 on Friday 02/03/2012 8:00 am Today's image titled “Not Everyone in Our House Was Applauding Governor Walker” was photographed by Peter Patau. >More
The Week[end]: February 3-5, 2012 on Friday 02/03/2012 6:00 am Winter is entering its home stretch, and Madison serves up seasonal faves this weekend with Orchid Quest, Terrace Town, Souper Bowl XVI, and the Frostiball. The calendar also includes: the opening of Compendium 2012 at the Chazen; shows by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the UW Dance Department; standup by Jeff Ross; the Funk Winterfest, a Kids Rock! benefit, and the Bob Marley Birthday Bash; the Rock and Worship Roadshow; sets by DJ Chrissy Murderbot with DJ Diamond; more live music from Jonathan Jones, Chikamorachi, VO5, Deleted Scenes, Zion I, and Radar Eyes; and performances by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Con Vivo. >More
Block 100 proposal criticized, but UDC members encourage redevelopment Joe Tarr on Thursday 02/02/2012 1:42 pm, (2) Comments The proposal for the 100 block of State Street got more bruising criticism Wednesday night, this time from the Urban Design Commission. "I strongly feel that corner building needs to remain," said Dawn O'Kroley, an architect and UDC member said of the Fairchild Building, 124 W. Mifflin St., which isn't a landmark, but is prized by preservationists. "That's a deal breaker for me." >More
A closer look at Walker recall funds Bill Lueders, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism on Thursday 02/02/2012 12:57 pm It's difficult to write about the levels of money now being pumped into Wisconsin's electoral process without using terms like "jaw-dropping" and "eye-popping." It's a wonder we can still recognize ourselves in the mirror, with all these contortions. Take the recent filings from state campaigns preparing for recalls. >More
Mostly flamboyant, sometimes subdued, Patti Lupone delights in Overture Hall Kenneth Burns on Thursday 02/02/2012 12:02 pm Patti LuPone is a Broadway baby, and Broadway isn't famous for subtlety. Wednesday night in Overture Hall, LuPone presented a few gentle interludes, but mainly the performance was one gigantic climax after another. That could have been exhausting to watch, but she threw in a lot of self-deprecating shtick, which helped make the show just the right size. It was a delight. >More
Madison Central Library sells out Austin Duerst on Wednesday 02/01/2012 2:04 pm Since moving to a temporary location last year in advance of renovations to its home on West Mifflin, frequent visitors to the Madison Central Library have no doubt felt a piece of their lives missing, be it in the form of a favorite door handle or metal shelf. But for a limited time, those who wish to reclaim a portion of the library for themselves can do so through a public sale of the building’s various accessories and materials. >More
Wilmington on DVD: 50/50, Real Steel, Identification of a Woman Mike Wilmington on Wednesday 02/01/2012 10:00 am Your best friend looks you in the face and tells you that he has a rare form of spinal cancer and that his chances of survival, according to the doctors, are 50/50. What do you say? What can you say? In 50/50, the best friend, a good-hearted loudmouth named Kyle (played by Seth Rogen), listens and points out to Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) -- with whom he works at a Seattle radio station -- that in casino, 50/50 would be the best odds at the table. >More
MadTracks: 'Fantástico' by Defcee Scott Gordon on Tuesday 01/31/2012 3:31 pm Madison rapper Defcee gives himself plenty room to explore on December's free mixtape Out From Under. He incorporates spoken-word collaborators on "(Advice to a Younger Adam) On Handling Heartbreak," recounts a trip to London on "Postcard," spins a tale of the suburban drug trade on "The Herb in Suburban." As a member of UW-Madison's First Wave Spoken Word and Hip Hop Learning Community, he's got the mandate and the means to stretch the form a little. >More
JD's cart finds campus location, Dickey's Barbecue and other restaurants prep to open Linda Falkenstein on Tuesday 01/31/2012 3:15 pm You never know when a new eatery will rescue a hard-luck spot (the Great Dane on Jupiter Drive and the Coopers Tavern on the Square, for instance). The short-lived Limon, at 317 N. Bassett (formerly home to the Copper Gable Café), has given way to JD's, a brick-and-mortar version of the well-known late-night food cart at State and Broom. >More
Citizen Dave: Thank you, Tom Carto Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday 01/31/2012 2:07 pm Mario Mendoza held his head in his hands. "Dave, I knew you were going to do that," he said. Mario, my aide who oversaw the Overture Center at the time, had been through the preliminary interviews for the its new president. The search committee had sent me three candidates, and I wasn't supposed to pick Tom Carto. >More
Madison Landmarks Commission hears testimony on controversial Block 100 proposal Joe Tarr on Tuesday 01/31/2012 12:42 pm, (1) Comment In a meeting that stretched past midnight, the Landmarks Commission heard hours of comments on the proposal for the 100 block of State Street, but put off deciding on the project's most controversial aspect: whether to allow demolition of the historic Schubert building, 120 W. Mifflin St., and its treasured neighbor, the Fairchild/Stark building, at the corner of Mifflin and Fairchild Streets. >More
Win tickets to A Thousand Words, A Reggae Rager, more! on Tuesday 01/31/2012 12:00 pm 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: A Thousand Words at the Overture Center-Promenade Hall; A Reggae Rager at the High Noon; and more! >More
Madison Snaps -- January 31, 2012 on Tuesday 01/31/2012 8:00 am Today's image titled “If Your Request Is Really Urgent Please Use the Intertubes” was photographed by Peter Patau. >More
Inside at Night looks back at the 2011 Wisconsin Capitol occupation Jennifer A. Smith on Monday 01/30/2012 4:17 pm Looking at the photographs in "Inside at Night: Origins of an Uprising," I felt like the events captured happened ages ago, or just last week. Such is the funny sensation of revisiting recent history. The show, which opened Friday night at Tamarack Studio & Gallery, documents Wisconsin's 2011 Capitol protests, with a special focus on the building's occupation, through the eyes of nine photographers. >More
Citizen Dave: The 100 block of State Street, fire escapes, and their place in the city Dave Cieslewicz on Monday 01/30/2012 2:08 pm, (2) Comments I like fire escapes. To me, they're unintentional urban art forms. Think about West Side Story and the role fire escapes play in that production. Audrey Hepburn sang "Moon River" out on a Manhattan fire escape in Breakfast at Tiffany's. How many spy thrillers have featured chases across rooftops and swings from fire escapes? Fire escapes are romantic. They're urban art, and they wait for adventure. In fact, West Side Story was based in a neighborhood that is no more, destroyed by the grand, open and mostly desolate plaza that Robert Moses created for Lincoln Center. >More
The Week: January 30 - February 2, 2012 on Monday 01/30/2012 12:00 pm Sun Prairie shines under sunlight or shadows this week as Jimmy the Groundhog stirs for his big day. The calendar also includes: a lecture by Rob Nixon; a performance by Patti LuPone; and, more live music from Cass McCombs, Dark Star Orchestra, Supersuckers, AraabMuzik, and Chants. >More
A Book A Week: Faith by Jennifer Haigh Becky Holmes on Friday 01/27/2012 6:00 pm Faith is the book I've been waiting for Mary Gordon or Alice McDermott to write. These women are leading writers of Irish-American fiction, but neither has taken on the subject of the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic church. Jennifer Haigh has done it instead, and done it well. >More
Madison city staff recommend against razing two buildings for State Street Block 100 project Joe Tarr on Friday 01/27/2012 3:26 pm Madison city staff is recommending the Landmarks Commission vote against some aspects of the development proposed for the 100 block of State Street, including the demolition of the Schubert Building, 120 W. Mifflin St., and the Fairchild Building, 122 W. Mifflin St. The staff recommendations, prepared by Amy Scanlon, the city's preservation planner, did not recommend against the plan as a whole, however. >More
Beer Here: Wild Buckwheat Red from Sweet Mullets Brewery & Pub Robin Shepard on Friday 01/27/2012 2:00 pm One of the most memorable discoveries to emerge from a full afternoon of tasting at the Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest last weekend was from one of state's newest breweries -- Sweet Mullets Brewery & Pub, set to open next month in Oconomowoc. Owner and brewmaster Mark Duchow is no stranger to southern Wisconsin beer enthusiasts. >More
The Week[end]: January 27-29, 2012 on Friday 01/27/2012 12:00 pm Madison staves off the winter blues this weekend with the Lake Home & Cabin Show, Folk Ball Festival, and Monster Truck Nationals, and keeps up its support for good causes with Bookless, Good for the Goodman, and another Project Lodge benefit. The calendar also includes: the opening of the Inside at Night: Origins of an Uprising gallery show; productions of Galileo Galilei and John McGivern's The Wonder Bread Years; Fire Ball Masquerade IV; performances by Blue Man Group and Samba 1 Brazilian Dance Group; a book reading by Sara Paretsky; the Winter Dubtacular; and, more live music from the Chris Greene Quartet, Cribshitter, Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble, Greensky Bluegrass, Parenthetical Girls with Los Campesinos!, and Willy Porter. >More
Galileo Galilei is Madison Opera's second triumph of the season John W. Barker on Friday 01/27/2012 9:38 am Philip Glass's Galileo Galilei has had rather limited circulation around the operatic world, so it was a brave step for Madison Opera to take it up. But the step has paid off, with perhaps the best yet of the company's small, midseason productions in the Overture Center's intimate Playhouse. >More
A Book A Week: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Becky Holmes on Thursday 01/26/2012 6:00 pm Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad is just the kind of book I like, so my year is off to a good start. It's clever and original, complicated but not difficult to read. It's funny and a bit sad at the same time. >More
After more club violence, disappointment, tightened security Scott Gordon on Thursday 01/26/2012 2:43 pm Just bringing up the subject of violence at hip-hop shows immediately gets you into a mess of generalizations, doesn't it? After all, for every incident like the fight last Tuesday at the High Noon Saloon, during which a gun reportedly went off, there are plenty of positive examples to choose from. >More
Gov. Scott Walker delivers lies and evasions in 2012 State of the State address Heather DuBois Bourenane on Thursday 01/26/2012 2:00 pm Dear Scott Walker, I wasn't expecting much from your State of the State address, and you didn't disappoint. I expected the same old lies, and you delivered. Our schools are broken, never mind that we were at the top of the pack in more categories than we can count before you took office. Our teachers are inept, undeserving moochers who need to be penalized instead of protected -- but hey, you couldn't respect them more! >More
Citizen Dave: The Week in Review, from Mitt dissing the rich to Walker’s secret router to Christo running the river wrappeds Dave Cieslewicz on Friday 02/03/2012 3:22 pm, (3) Comments The big news this week is that, feeling his oats after winning big in the Florida primary, Mitt Romney came out swinging against the rich. In a CNN interview on Wednesday morning, Mitt said, "I'm not concerned about the very rich." (To balance his statement he also said, "I'm not concerned about the very poor." But this is not news. We already knew that.) >MoreCitizen Dave: Handicapping the Democratic candidates for the Wisconsin governor recall Dave Cieslewicz on Thursday 02/02/2012 4:00 pm, (13) Comments In a new op-ed on the recall, I make the case for a crowded, wide-open Democratic primary to decide who will take on Scott Walker. I even suggest four new names to consider. But assuming none of those folks actually runs, how does the rest of the known field shape up? >MoreCitizen Dave: Idea of the Week... temporary fixtures at Union Corners Dave Cieslewicz on Wednesday 02/01/2012 12:38 pm, (2) Comments I got a lot of great ideas out of the winter meeting of the Mayor's Innovation Project a couple of weeks ago. Here's another: enliven Union Corners with temporary fixtures until a permanent development can occur. >MoreCitizen Dave: Thank you, Tom Carto Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday 01/31/2012 2:07 pm Mario Mendoza held his head in his hands. "Dave, I knew you were going to do that," he said. Mario, my aide who oversaw the Overture Center at the time, had been through the preliminary interviews for the its new president. The search committee had sent me three candidates, and I wasn't supposed to pick Tom Carto. >MoreCitizen Dave: The 100 block of State Street, fire escapes, and their place in the city Dave Cieslewicz on Monday 01/30/2012 2:08 pm, (2) Comments I like fire escapes. To me, they're unintentional urban art forms. Think about West Side Story and the role fire escapes play in that production. Audrey Hepburn sang "Moon River" out on a Manhattan fire escape in Breakfast at Tiffany's. How many spy thrillers have featured chases across rooftops and swings from fire escapes? Fire escapes are romantic. They're urban art, and they wait for adventure. In fact, West Side Story was based in a neighborhood that is no more, destroyed by the grand, open and mostly desolate plaza that Robert Moses created for Lincoln Center. >MoreCitizen Dave: The Week in Review, from Pat and Vanna's margaritas to waste, fraud and abuse in the Walker administration to the excitement that is Mitch Daniels Dave Cieslewicz on Friday 01/27/2012 1:38 pm It was the week for the State Ofs. President Obama gave his annual State of the Union address. I thought he did a good job, but the real excitement was the Republican reply by Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana. >MoreCitizen Dave: It was wrong (and dumb) to try to shout down Walker Dave Cieslewicz on Thursday 01/26/2012 12:54 pm, (22) Comments Those in the audience for Governor Walker's State of the State address who tried to shout him down were wrong to do it, and they hurt the cause of the recall. >MoreCitizen Dave: Idea of the Week... expand Madison city revenue through tax-exempt land Dave Cieslewicz on Wednesday 01/25/2012 1:26 pm As always, I took home a lot of interesting ideas from the Mayors Innovation Project's annual meeting in Washington, D.C. last weekend. Let's start with an idea that comes from Boston regarding tax-exempt land. Fifty-two percent of the land in Boston is occupied by tax-exempt property, almost exactly the same as Madison. That's not surprising when you think about it, as Boston and Madison are both home to state government, large universities, large hospitals, and a host of nonprofit organizations. >MoreCitizen Dave: City policy geeks gather for the Mayor's Innovation Project meeting Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday 01/24/2012 12:21 pm If you listen closely to mayors talk about their cities, you'll hear their sentences spiced with the possessive. They talk about "my" streets department and "my" parks as if they personally owned the roads and green spaces. It's an easy habit to fall into, and one I was guilty of as much as any of them. >MoreCitizen Dave: President Obama wins the South Carolina GOP primary Dave Cieslewicz on Monday 01/23/2012 12:10 pm, (11) Comments The winner of Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary was President Barack Obama. While Mitt Romney will almost certainly still win his party's nomination, the best reality show on TV -- the Republican primaries -- rolls on now with four stubborn contestants still on the island. >More> MORE FROM DAVE
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