Art, commerce and that pesky star system Programming a Madison Symphony Orchestra season is a complicated affair John W. Barker on Friday 11/20/2009 Those who regularly attend Madison Symphony Orchestra concerts must frequently look at the program and wonder, "Why did they choose this piece?" or "Why don't they ever play that piece?" A full season of orchestral programs must, of course, be planned as a totality. So how is repertoire chosen? Who makes the decisions -- one person, a group of them, a committee? And what are the factors to be taken into account? >More
NEWS
The difficulty of diagnosing dyslexia Bills would require state schools to test and train more Anita Weier on Thursday 11/19/2009 Keith Ripp and other Madison-area parents have spent thousands of dollars to test and tutor their children for dyslexia. They think this is something Wisconsin school districts should more aggressively pursue. >MoreHow Warner Park could become an open-air classroom Bless the birds and children Bill Lueders on Thursday 11/19/2009 Just a few hundred feet from her home on Madison's north side, Trish O'Kane points out a "hidden treasure" -- a pair of cocoons beneath some leaves at the base of a tree. These are from moths she'd seen mating, this past June. She read up on the subject and was even more amazed. >MoreBrian Blanchard v. Scott Jensen: No rematch? Bill Lueders on Thursday 11/19/2009 It's been speculated, in Isthmus and elsewhere, that former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen's legal strategy in defending against misconduct-in-office charges hasn't been to prove his innocence but to exhaust or outlast the prosecution. Might he yet succeed? >More
MUSIC
The United Sons of Toil are darkly political Everyday power struggles Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 11/20/2009, (2) Recommendations It's not fair: Russell Hall's Google results are way more interesting than mine. While I find camera lenses and Craigslist bargains, the front man of local math-rock-meets-post-punk trio the United Sons of Toil unearths stories about colonial regimes that are metaphors for everyday power struggles. >MoreModern Skirts' keyboardy rock is Peach State-bred An Athens band, but with real Georgians Rich Albertoni on Friday 11/20/2009, (1) Comment The most famous bands that emerged from Athens, Ga., in the 1970s and 1980s defied the conventions of Southern rock. Then again, influential members of the B-52's and R.E.M. didn't grow up in the South. The B-52's' Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson grew up in New Jersey. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck was originally from California. Even Michael Stipe, who was born in Decatur, Ga., spent his childhood traveling the world with his military family. >MoreA Sunny Day in Glasgow: Ashes Grammar (Mis Ojos Discos) Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 11/20/2009 In the late 1980s, when My Bloody Valentine began dissolving their vocals in a wave of noise, the band proved that a lack of distinguishable lyrics could set the mood at least as well as poetry. A Sunny Day in Glasgow's sophomore album takes this approach to heart 20 years later, letting pop melodies melt into the arresting ambience of guitar effects. >More
OPINION & COMMENTARY
Madison mayor's power is too vast Making committee picks should be a shared responsibility Jack Craver on Thursday 11/19/2009, (1) Recommendation No local issue in recent years has a caused a bigger storm in the student community than the debate over whether to add a student as a voting member to the Alcohol License Review Committee. Students said it was their right. Barb Mercer, head of the Dane County Tavern League, said it was unfair. >MoreWill you marry me? I need a romantic spot for my proposal on Thursday 11/19/2009 Dear Tell All: I am planning to propose to my girlfriend very soon, and I was wondering if you could give some advice about the place. I know she would like it to be "in public," and the Memorial Union Terrace would be perfect, but that obviously won't work with the weather. So I was considering a bar/pub/restaurant with live music. The problem is that I can't think of a nice place. >More
Madison breaks down in Michelle Wildgen's acclaimed novel Writing the disaster Jennifer A. Smith on Friday 11/20/2009 Michelle Wildgen admits that in books and movies, she's not generally a fan of dystopian scenarios. "I almost never respond to that," she says over coffee at Café Zoma, near her home in the Atwood neighborhood. "Most of what you see is post-apocalyptic, but I was interested in what happens on the way to the apocalypse. Where's the pre-apocalypse? And do people tell themselves it's something else?" she asks with a wry smile. >MoreThe Beatles bring down the Evil Empire Dean Robbins on Friday 11/20/2009 The Beatles racked up a lot of achievements in their musical career, but now we have to add one more: destroying the Soviet Union. >MoreCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 gets even closer to reality PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (Rated Mature) Doug Elfman on Friday 11/20/2009 I've been playing online team-battles of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox Live. The other day, I heard a teammate say he was a military guy in real life. Then he announced, "Y'all don't even know how much more realistic to war this is than Call of Duty 4." >More
MOVIES
Rich white folks adopt a black football player in The Blind Side A giant in the family Kenneth Burns on Friday 11/20/2009, (1) Recommendation A great swath of American men might fall in love with Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, the generously entertaining movie about, among other things, the sweeping cultural phenomenon that is football in the South. She is beautiful. She is rich. She loves football. And she carries a gun. >More
A guide to Madison restaurant Thanksgivings Buffets celebrate plenty and provide plenty to celebrate Kristian Knutsen on Thursday 11/19/2009, (2) Recommendations Eating out for Thanksgiving is often dismissed as a betrayal of the holiday's central concept: the traditional home-cooked meal. But a visit to restaurants serving dinner on the big day reveals families celebrating and giving thanks nonetheless. >MoreRoman Candle goes to Fitchburg Linda Falkenstein on Friday 11/20/2009 Roman Candle, the retro-hip Willy Street pizzeria that has a satellite restaurant in Middleton, is set to open a third branch in Fitchburg in mid-January. The site is the former Kelly's Grille, 2685 Research Park Dr. (near Lacy Road and Fish Hatchery). >More
Instead of that year in college... Jason Joyce on Thursday 11/19/2009 College basketball purists who detest what the NBA's age-limit policy has done to the sport have found an unlikely hero in Milwaukee Bucks rookie point guard Brandon Jennings. >More
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