Are government agencies helping identity thieves get their hands on our personal information? Joe Campana thinks so Josh Wimmer on Friday 08/28/2009, (4) Recommendations Catching criminals is hard work, and no one believes every lawbreaker will be brought to earthly justice. But we don't expect our government to aid and abet felons. That, though, is exactly what local public-records and law enforcement agencies are doing -- often unwittingly and in the name of improved service -- says a Madison privacy and information security expert. >More
NEWS
Edgewater developer on hot seat Concerns raised over firm's 'unorthodox, behind-the-scenes methods' Jay Rath on Thursday 08/27/2009, (6) Comments, (2) Recommendations Bob Dunn is not easily deterred. Despite a series of disruptive controversies, he remains upbeat about his company's chances of undertaking a $109 million renovation of the Edgewater Hotel. >MoreThe decompression of the sheep Alliance for Animals says UW researchers are violating the law Bill Lueders on Thursday 08/27/2009, (2) Recommendations In early 2006, Leslie Hamilton spoke to a UW Veterinary School class about animals and the law. Afterward, one student approached her to say he had, as a part-time lab assistant, witnessed decompression experiments involving sheep. "He was very bothered by it," recalls Hamilton, an attorney and member of the local Alliance for Animals. >MoreA net loss for property-info seekers? Bill Lueders on Thursday 08/27/2009 Mark Hanson chalks it up to "my own selfish interest." After telling Isthmus last week he "wouldn't have any objection" to proposed state legislation that would reduce access to public information, Madison's city assessor registered at a hearing in opposition. >More
MUSIC
Revolution Cycles brings together bikes, bands and fans Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 08/28/2009, (2) Recommendations After taking over a small, near-east-side bike co-op in 2001, Revolution Cycles' Jeff Fitzgerald has boosted the city's alternative biking subculture -- think less spandex-clad ass, more Critical Mass -- and with more than just bicycle parts and accessories. He's been doing it with music. >MorePortugal. The Man: The Satanic Satanist (Equal Vision) Jessica Steinhoff on Friday 08/28/2009, (3) Recommendations Portugal's effort to bring psychedelic soul to the masses is a noble one, but as an album, The Satanic Satanist isn't terribly cohesive. If you can get past the disjointedness, though, there are plenty of weird and charming moments to embrace. >MoreThrow Me the Statue touts new album, old rock star It's okay to like Huey Lewis Rich Albertoni on Friday 08/28/2009, (1) Recommendation After graduating from Vassar College, Scott Reitherman, 27, moved to Seattle to start a record label and make music. His solo project, Throw Me the Statue, has bloomed into a four-piece singer-songwriter rock band now signed to the indie label Secretly Canadian. The band plays the Annex Aug. 28 in support of a second album, Creaturesque. >More
OPINION & COMMENTARY
UW campus building boom is wasteful, unnecessary The orange revolution Gary L. Kriewald on Thursday 08/27/2009, (2) Comments, (3) Recommendations Forty years ago, everyone knew why the building boom was happening: enrollments were exploding and the university was flush with revenue. What's the excuse today, when enrollment has been relatively constant for the last two decades and we're in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression? >MoreIndecent burial I lied to my son about our dog's ashes on Thursday 08/27/2009 Dear Tell All: When our dog, Boots, died a few years ago, I wanted to do something special for my 10-year-old son, who was absolutely devastated. So I told him I would have the dog cremated and he could keep the ashes. Then I was shocked when I found out how much it would cost! As a single mother, there was no way I could afford it, but I had already promised my son. So I panicked. >More
Out-on-the-town smackdown! A selective look at drinking, dancing and dining the evening away Emily Mills on Friday 08/28/2009, (3) Recommendations Some college towns make it easy to plan a night on the town by having only one decent place to go to. Thankfully, Madison is very much not like some college towns. There are so many good venues dotted across the isthmus that plotting the course of a night out can be daunting, especially for someone new to the city. >MoreBricks Theatre to stage bawdy works by Shel Silverstein Don't bring the kids Jay Rath on Friday 08/28/2009, (1) Recommendation One of two successors to Madison Repertory Theatre will hit the stage running this October, when the Bricks Theatre opens An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein at the Frequency. >MoreIraq vets fight their addictions in Intervention Dean Robbins on Friday 08/28/2009, (1) Recommendation A&E's Intervention is never easy to watch, but a special episode on addiction among Iraq War veterans is especially heartbreaking. We meet Marines who stood tall in a war zone and then crumbled as soon as they returned to the U.S., succumbing to alcohol and drug abuse. >MoreMadden NFL 10 is not a must-buy PlayStation 2 & 3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 (Rated Everyone) Doug Elfman on Friday 08/28/2009, (1) Recommendation The question I hear the most from readers is, "Do I have to buy the new Madden football game?" They are still playing last year's Madden, and they like it, and they don't want to spend $60 for the new one. >More
MOVIES
Incest Death Squad will pour on the gore Splatter, Dairyland-style Jay Rath on Friday 08/28/2009, (1) Recommendation When they're laid off, some people give up. Cory Udler made a feature film. Every auteur begins with a vision, and Udler's vision was of a brother and sister who love each other (in every way) and murder tourists in the name of God. Thus was born Incest Death Squad. >MoreSummer Hours: Estate planning Dealing with the aftermath Kenneth Burns on Friday 08/28/2009, (2) Recommendations I know exactly what Adrienne, Frédéric and Jérémie are going through. They're the siblings at the heart of Summer Hours, a moving, understated French film, directed by Oliver Assayas of Irma Vep fame, about the thorny problems of death and inheritance. >More
Q: When is a Chicago dog not a Chicago dog? A: When you're in Madison, Wisconsin Linda Falkenstein on Friday 08/28/2009, (2) Comments, (1) Recommendation Wisconsin State Journal columnist Doug Moe has already taken heat from Madison's greatest Chicago Dog defender, former mayor Paul Soglin, for supporting (or at least not objecting to) some of the unconventional choices made by the latest incarnation of Mad Dog's on Henry Street. >MoreConsumers win at the Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction Local veggies on the block Mary Ellen Bell on Friday 08/28/2009, (2) Recommendations The Badgerland Produce Co-op Auction barn, located about 65 miles north of Madison near Montello, offers just-picked, often organic produce at bargain prices. Madison-area restaurants, hospitals, grocers, farm market sellers, even the county jail and UW food service go there to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. Anyone is welcome to show up, claim an auction paddle and bid. So on a sunny late June morning, I went. >More
SPORTS & RECREATION
Three's a crowd for Badgers QB Jason Joyce on Thursday 08/27/2009 For the past week and a half, Wisconsin football practices have been open to the media. In the digital age, that means fans are updated several times daily with detailed blog posts, tweets and even video reports from the sidelines at Camp Randall by reporters covering the team. >More
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