Those Damn College Kids…
I've sat through many community meetings and a consistent thread has been "Those Damn College Kids" are ruining the East Side.
Oct 9th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme
I didn’t watch the second Presidential debate. McCain vs. Obama. Obama vs. McCain. I turned off the latest television report on the bailout fiasco, and tuned instead to the 1967 flick, The Graduate, which was airing on TCM. A few years ago, my son told me it was the movie that defined his era. In many ways, it defines our current crisis. Plastics, son, plastics is where it is. What would you prefer with your bourbon, Benjamin? A splash of Wealth, or a spritz of Idealism? Where are those kids of forty years ago who marched to their own drum? My old friend, so much has changed, and yet nothing has. Obama vs. McCain vs. Obama. William Ayers, Charles Keating, Rev. Wright. War in the middle east. Plastics, son, plastics is where it is. Cancelled credit cards. Cut your hair; get a job. Or is it, your jobs are gone, let your hair grow? The Russian stock market tanks, banks close, savings evaporate. Is the party over, or is it just beginning? Sell the McMansion (but who will buy?), dump the Porsche, scuttle the vacation. We’re all going to be picking lettuce in Salinas, though those who have been picking it for years will leave us in the dust. They know the drill. Heating bills are projected to rise at least 18% this winter, so turn down the heat and stop worrying about the possibility that the Hoan will be torn down to clear up space for more development. The Park East project is dead. Retail sales are headed south. Restaurants are closing. Rome burns while politicians pose for photos. A young UW-Milwaukee student is murdered while trying to sell his car. Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson. Plastics, son, plastics is where it is.
Oct 9th, 2008 by Stella Cretek
BAAAAAAA!
The American taxpayers are about to be shorn. I’m not entirely unacquainted with the shearing of sheep, having observed the process on my aunt’s sheep ranch in South Dakota, a long time ago, in the days before our government began substituting citizens for sheep. There are a few basic rules for a good shearing: citizens are to have no water for 24 hours prior to shearing; no food for 12 hours prior, and they must be absolutely dry for optimum results. A good shearer knows his/her stuff, having learned the trade on Wall Street and in the hallowed halls of Washington, D.C. A good shearer knows how to get the citizens up and down the chute as fast as possible. This reduces stress on both the shearer and those being shorn. Some citizens show up wearing barrels. They’ve already been shorn by prior administrations and, having lost everything, are not good candidates. While shearing, a good shearer minimizes cuts, as this reduces the quality of what is shorn from the citizens. However, it’s not usually a problem as most citizens have been bled dry by increased taxation and decreased representation. It’s important that the citizens do not discharge their waste on the shearing shed floor, as it screws up the product. Equally important, is keeping the citizens under control. Citizens who stand around wondering what’s going on are not citizens appropriate for shearing. Shearing is highly competitive; in fact, it is a global sport of sorts. Following the shearing in which citizens are fleeced, everyone involved (except the citizens) get to share in a lavish feed, including lamb chops and rack ‘o lamb. Note: Citizens do not want to be wrestled around on a full stomach, just so you know.
Oct 8th, 2008 by Stella Cretek
Cool Trumps Hot
So did you watch the debate last night? If not, I understand. This election has been going on forever. Even I found myself getting distracted while John McCain and Barack Obama were having at it. The race seemed so close a mere four weeks ago. These debates were among the most anticipated in history. The pressure was on both candidates to define themselves for the dwindling number of voters who were still undecided and, perhaps more importantly, casting doubts in their minds about their opponent. But that was then. Since the conventions ended, the nation has witnessed an economic collapse unlike anything since the Great Depression of 1929. Wall Street is in a tailspin, capital markets have stopped functioning, and Congress has passed an $850 billion rescue package. People are nervous and angry. How much more of this can anyone take? Conventional wisdom says that the more concerned people are about the economy, the better off Obama is. But that only seems to scratch the surface. McCain has appeared so erratic since the economic crisis blew up that he almost seems intent on convincing voters to support Obama. You’ve heard the litany. First he said the fundamentals of the economy were fine, then he called for President Bush to fire Security and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox, then he suspended his campaign, then he was back on the trail. It’s been exhausting to watch. McCain has effectively ceded the argument about which candidate is more stable and calm under pressure. And, what do you know?, McCain threw out another seemingly half-baked idea last night suggesting that he would instruct the Treasury Secretary to buy out the mortgages of every home in the nation that had been foreclosed. Obama’s response that the rescue package already gave the Treasury Secretary that authority seemed to let the air out of McCain’s trial balloon. McCain appeared to spend much of the debate wandering around the stage. By itself, age should not be a factor but McCain’s choppy answers and his surliness emphasize the contrast between the two candidates. McCain is dangerously close to appearing cartoonish. Am I the only one who was reminded last night of Howard Beale, the hysterical aging news anchor from the movie, Network? Here was a man who seemed lost in time. He wants to inherit the mantle of Ronald Reagan but last night McCain reminded me more of Abraham Simpson. Barack Obama’s performance was also somewhat disappointing. He seemed insistent on tamping down his normally inspirational language. A couple of the questions appeared to give him ideal opportunities to wax philosophical on the challenges facing the nation. Yet he returned to the same themes and principles of the failed Bush years and McCain’s links to the current president. In contrast with McCain, Obama almost seemed too cool. He chose his words carefully and remained calm. While his supporters may have wished he be more aggressive, I have to believe this was intentional and that undecided viewers will react favorably […]
Oct 8th, 2008 by Ted Bobrow
Goll Mansion Project – Common Council October 7th, 2008 Meetings Notes
Although only briefly discussed, the most controversial item approved today was the change in zoning for New Land Enterprises' 26-story condominium tower to be built behind the historic Goll Mansion.
Oct 7th, 2008 by Dave Reid
It’s Pedestrian Safety Week
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee Brewer's Polish Racing Sausage kicked off "Pedestrian Safety Week" today.
Oct 6th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Giggle, Giggle, Quack
A barnyard chorus of mayhem overtakes a Dutch country farmhouse in the lighthearted Giggle, Giggle, Quack. The stage’s resemblance to a field of brightly colored tulips and the production’s amusing mischief recapture Doreen Cronin’s familiar picture book. Using this adaptation by James E. Grote and George Howe, First Stage Children’s Theater opens their First Step Series, which they present at the intimate Main Stage Hall inside the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. Although the 50-minute musical attracts a pre-school audience, this charming story provides plenty of word play for adults to appreciate through the intelligent dialogue and lyrics. To be enjoyed on several levels, the performance succeeds in sustaining the attention of all ages in the audience. The tale is woven around Farmer Brown, who desperately needs a vacation. When Brother Bob agrees to run the farm in his absence, Pig, Cow, Hen and Duck utilize “A Golden Pencil” that allows them to use their imaginations to create several misplaced instructions on how to run the farm, causing humorous confusion for Bob. The golden pencil is delightfully depicted using Latin-themed Samba music. Add to the production Kristina Van Slyke’s ingeniously conceived costumes, complete with webbed slippers for feet, together with Karl Miller’s playful choreography that recalls various musical genres, and the children watch entranced. Several clever lighting and stage effects also create an element of surprise that the audience asks about in the talkback following the performance. A combination of casts acted on Sunday morning, with Alison Kennedy performing “Duck” and Rachel Schmeling playing “Hen,” both students at the First Stage Academy. The storytelling of Beth Mulkerron’s “Pig” and Karen Estrada’s quirky “Cow” round out the ensemble to comprise a comic yet masterful menagerie overseen by the dual role of Farmer Brown and Brother Bob, capably portrayed by Rick Pendzich. Sitting on carpet mats or risers close to the performance, these tiny tots barely uttered a sound the entire hour while they experienced the joy of theater, many for the first time. In Giggle, Giggle Quack the concept of introducing young children to the joy and thrill of live theater instead of video screens attains a high standard. The future of all performing arts depends on these “first steps” that Milwaukee’s First Stage envisions and delivers with remarkable skill. Whether one giggles with a quack, an oink, or a cluck, this performance produces a moovelous hour of make-believe. First Stage Children’s Theater presents Giggle, Giggle, Quack at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 East Walnut, through October 19. 414-273-7206 or www.firststage.org
Oct 6th, 2008 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
The Laramie Project
It’s been ten years since Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, was brutally beaten and left to die tied to a fence post out in the prairie. Matthew’s death – and the inscrutable cruelty of his killers – stirred a media storm, drew worldwide focus to a small Great Plains town and had us all asking hard human questions about hatred, justice and violence. Based on hundreds of interviews conducted in Laramie in 1998 and 1999 and the personal observations of the play’s writers, The Laramie Project is an intimate and moving attempt to make sense of the tragedy, a compelling portrait of a town rocked by a senseless crime and an interrogation into the nature of journalism. Soulstice Theatre’s production is simple but affecting and intensely heartfelt. Directors Jeffrey Berens and Mark E. Schuster navigate an ensemble of eleven actors through a thicket of Laramie personalities – from a Baptist preacher and a diner waitress to a homicide detective, a neurosurgeon, an Islamic feminist, a lesbian professor and a gay cowboy – as well as the journals and notes of the Tectonic Theatre Project members who made trip after trip to Wyoming, entangling themselves in the story. Characters are signified by wardrobe pieces and small affects – a hat here, a nail bite there, a flannel jacket or a vocal inflection. They weave in and out, interrupt each other, struggle to express themselves or express themselves with too much candor, make off-handed comments or tell tales straight until, with an easy flow, a narrative arc forms. The first act ends with the discovery of Matthew’s barely-breathing body lashed to a fence by a lonely country road; the second with his death a week later; the third with the trial of his killers and the hush that finally falls on the community after a year in an awful spotlight. Moises Kaufman’s beautiful script is hard to sell short, and Soulstice’s tight and talented cast delivers with enthusiasm, professionalism and emotional depth. Jordan Gwiazdowski is a dynamic and energetic force in the ensemble as the gregarious bartender who is the last to see Matthew Shepard alive, the detective who’s consumed and tortured by Shepard’s case and a Hispanic inmate at the prison where Shepard’s killers are sent, among other characters. Joel Marinan is natural and emotive as both Jedadiah Schultz, a University of Wyoming student whose homophobic parents won’t come to see him perform in Angels of America, and Matthew Shepard’s anguished father. He delivers Mr. Shepard’s speech at the courtroom with captivating eloquence. And Katrina Greguska as a university theater professor, a drawling Wyoming grandmother and the stern but aloof judge in the court case is magnetic. In this tiny black box theater, where the stage is draped with plain but ghostly gauze curtains, it is impossible not to feel personally engaged – even accountable. The production’s inconsistencies – awkward sightlines, at times too-sentimental music and projected images meant to set the scene that […]
Oct 6th, 2008 by Amy Elliott
Flat Broke and Burned Out
Instead of watching the first presidential debate, I opted to hop into bed with a copy of Yukio Mishima’s Spring Snow, the first in his “The Sea of Fertility” cycle of four novels. It takes place in 1912 Tokyo and is basically a tale about two cultures: the traditional vs. the non-traditional. The author is on the side of the traditional, and if you’ve followed his career, he ended his life decades ago by using a traditional samurai sword. A few months ago, I purchased the DVD, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, a great film. And thus was I swept away. Spring Snow is a bit like observing a perfect Japanese scroll painting. The language paints a watercolor scene, lusciously so, but as I read on, I kept thinking how the main character (militant and steeped in tradition) reminded me of John McCain who seems positively determined to stick with the old at all costs. I’ve had it with politics in the past week. Did I miss something by not watching the debate? No, it was reported in minute detail in all of the media outlets. The press tried to pump it up, but frankly, we’ve heard it all by now, and there was nothing to pump in Oxford, Mississippi. Today brought nothing new about Sarah Palin, just a suggestion that she “step aside.” Please God, no more theatrics. I’ve had enough for a political lifetime. I say this even though I don’t believe in God, but I’ve been driven to the wall. November 4 is beginning to seem centuries away and I smell something rotten in Denmark, to wit, the smell emanating from Bill Clinton, ostensibly a devoted Democrat, who oddly has recently been heaping praise on McCain. Is Bill plotting Hillary’s comeback? Or hedging his career bets just in case McCain wins? The more Clinton chatters, the longer and rounder his nose gets. Do any of you readers really believe the average American will ever see any of the monies they’ve lost during the ongoing financial debacle? The United States is allegedly flat broke. Who’s going to pay for all of the campaign promises? Print more money, print more money, print more money.
Oct 6th, 2008 by Stella Cretek
The Last Refuge
It was a less than great weekend for sports fans in Wisconsin. The Badgers and Packers both lost and the Brewers ended their season though not before winning a playoff game at home on Saturday. So it’s time to return to more mundane topics like the economy and health care, national security and foreign relations. Yes, boys and girls, there still is an election a month away and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The wind appears to be at the back of the Democrats but, like a well-conditioned athlete, Barack Obama is wisely not letting his guard down. John McCain finds himself on the wrong side of the electorate on the war, has proven to be clueless on the economy and has, perhaps fatally, allied himself with the policies of an incredibly unpopular president. McCain may still wish to carry the brand of a “Straight Talker” but his words and actions show him to be a typically calculating, if inept, politician. McCain was a supporter of President Bush until he wasn’t a supporter of President Bush and his response to the economic crisis changed from day to day, revealing a candidate who seemed to feel that voters would be comforted by a strategy of “winging it.” So it comes to this. The McCain-Palin campaign has let it be known that “the gloves are off” which means that we can expect attacks on Obama’s vague and flimsy association with former Weatherman William Ayers. The whole thing is ridiculous. Obama has soundly criticized Ayers revolutionary activities from the 60s and 70s (when Obama was in grade school) and only has a tangential relationship with the university professor who happens to be his neighbor. McCain personally has taken pains to avoid this kind of guilt by association and we’re about to see why. It would have been nice if principle was involved but more likely it was because McCain is aware of the old axiom about people in glass houses. Remember Charles Keating? If not chances are good you’ll be hearing all about him soon. Keating was the Savings and Loan mogul who McCain went to bat for by improperly meeting with regulators to get them off his back in the ‘80s. And this wasn’t simply a matter of helping a friend. McCain’s record of opposing regulations is diametrically opposed with the needs of the nation at this moment in time. So go ahead Sen. McCain, bring on the smears. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, these kind of attacks are the last refuge of a scoundrel. Here in Wisconsin. we can vote early, beginning today. So go down to City Hall and take care of business. That way, you can avoid long lines and maybe even volunteer on election day. It’s the right thing to do.
Oct 6th, 2008 by Ted Bobrow
Car-free Days in Milwaukee
Recently Nick Whitaker, from Streetfilms, visited Milwaukee and captured two lively examples of car-free events here in Milwaukee.
Oct 6th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 06. October 2008
JS Online: Water hub taps into future JS Online: High-rise managers buy 100 condos County supervisor defends Hoan bridge, calls for extending I-794 – Small Business Times JS Online: South Shore officials criticize Hoan Bridge report Bay View Neighborhood Association Participates in Pedestrian Safety Week at Bay View Neighborhood Association 36 Hours in Milwaukee – NYTimes.com JS Online: Walker plan shifts development efforts JS Online: Of top 25 metro areas, Milwaukee is only one where home prices rose JS Online: Residences at Hotel Palomar project delayed JS Online: Hoan analysis recommends land roadway Milwaukee airport stretches its runways Old buildings face fragile Park East future Credit malaise postpones projects around Bradley Center – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Under Strain, Cities Are Cutting Back Projects – NYTimes.com UWM selects Mandel residence hall plan – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: JS Online: UWM panel picks dorm site Group plans 14-story building in Third Ward – Small Business Times Condo tower at Goll Mansion site clears another hurdle – Small Business Times Real estate deal of the week – Small Business Times JS Online: Panel OKs condo tower JS Online: Condo developer sued over leaks
Oct 6th, 2008 by Dave Reid
