Can bloggers fill the gap?
Charlie Sykes poses this interesting question..."As newspapers shrink, the number of reporters covering local and state governments will shrink with them. Can the alternative media -- in particular bloggers -- fill the gap?
Sad to say, I'm as skeptical as this guy. Instead, I'm afraid we will see a" [...] 
: Rockin’ In The Free World
As I’m rounding third and coming home to the conclusion of the Neil Young bio Shakey, I’m reminded of the above collaboration featuring Neil Young + Pearl Jam from the MTV Music Awards circa 1993. Somewhere I have a well-worn VHS tape with the same footage. I must have played it a hundred [...]
Mar 2nd, 2009 by MuzzleofBees
Sound Bites
Welcome to the new Sound Bites, a ThirdCoast Digest/VITAL blog about excellent eating and great values here on the Third Coast. As in my previous columns for Vital Source Magazine, “Chow, Baby!” and “Eat This,” these will be informative blogs about local troughing, from the humblest hot dog to the most luxurious fois gras. We’ll hear from outstanding home cooks to some of the best chefs in the nation who are cooking here in Milwaukee. Here, you’ll find (hopefully) interesting tips and entertaining stories on: Sound eating Sound nutrition Sound recipes Sound kitchen tools and equipment Sound restaurants Sound values Sound tips on great values Sound chefs Sound inside track on local culinary trends Sound consumer opinions on eating in Milwaukee First Sound Tip: Get a free Marcus Rewards Card for discounts and freebies at Marcus Hotels & Resorts. Stop in at any of the following destinations to get your free card or sign up online at www.MarcusRewards.com. I’ve used the card and it’s great. It got me an invitation to a terrific free cheese, lamb chop and wine tasting at the Milwaukee Chop House. The weather outside was frightful, but inside it was delightful with great food and wine and a full house to downtown notables. Milwaukee Marcus Restaurants: Kil@wat Restaurant, 139 E. Kilbourn Ave Mason Street Grill, 425 E. Mason St Milwaukee ChopHouse, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave Miller Time Pub, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave CLEAR, 139 E. Kilbourn Ave Café at the Pfister, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave The Café at the Hilton, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave The Rouge, Sunday brunch, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave Starbucks at the Hilton, 509 W. Wisconsin Ave Marcus Entertainment & Nightlife spots: Blu Lounge at The Pfister, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave Lobby Lounge at The Pfister, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave zenden at InterContinental Milwaukee, 139 E. Kilbourn Ave Upon enrollment, you get 200 bonus points. Additional points are added any time you frequent any of the above locations. Get double points on Sundays from 4 to midnight at locations open during those hours. These points will get you discounts at all of these venues. Also enjoy free member events such as: NCAA tournament Kick-off, Miller Time Pub Mar 19, 5:30-7:30pm. Show off your b-ball skills and win prizes, or just come to watch. The New Blu – Blu at the Pfitser May 7, 5:30-7:00pm. Blu Martinis and a sampling of Executive Chef Weber’s culinary creations,while enjoying the atmosphere and view from the 23rd floor of the Pfister in the newly renovated lounge.
Mar 2nd, 2009 by Cate Miller
Monday Night at the Movies
The Milwaukee International Film Festival wriggled, wormlike and whimpering, out the door last year, primarily because the founder was unable to release the choking grip he had on its throat. But the people who made it work – the heart, the lungs, the arms and legs, and to a great degree the brain of the former festival – have found a new face and are creating a world class film festival for Milwaukee to be proud of. It will be known simply as The Milwaukee Film Festival. One of their first events is a series called Monday Night At the Movies. Every Monday beginning March 23rd, at the Marcus Theatres North Shore Cinema, The Milwaukee Film Festival, in partnership with Marcus Theatres, will be screening films from around the world – films that you otherwise would never get the chance to see here in Milwaukee. It is a partnership that has been a long time coming. The primary venue for the festival next September will still be the beautiful Oriental Theatre on Farwell, but Marcus will be continuing their partnership through and including the 2009 Film Festival. One would think that a film festival in Milwaukee would have to work with the Marcus Theatres, but apparently there was some friction between the previous board and Marcus so it never happened. Now, thankfully, it can. Like any city, Milwaukee consists of a lot of small, tight knit neighborhoods: the East Side, Bayview, the North Shore, River West, Wauwatosa, the West Side, the Third Ward, Walker’s Point. There has always been and continues to be a degree of chauvinism within each neighborhood that enables it to, while celebrating itself, turn its back on the neighborhood next door and perhaps remain somewhat ignorant of what is going on over the back fence. One of the goals of the Film Festival is to bring all those neighborhoods, those ethnicities, and those differences together. It is a bold, ambitious move, especially at a time when resources are significantly low, to reach out to new partners and new population centers.The earlier festival focused on the East Side and downtown, where it was born.As it grew in size and in ambition it began to reach out to other neighborhoods.The Times Cinema in Wauwatosa was a venue.The Skylight Opera in the Broadway Theatre Center in the Third Ward was a partner for a few events.And there has always been the hope that developers will bring back the beautiful Avalon Theatre in Bayview so that neighborhood could also be an energy center for the Festival.With the Marcus Theatres North Shore Cinema offering this series of Monday nights, the Festival will enter into another neighborhood and bring another diverse population under its umbrella. Each of the films presented will be introduced by someone from the community with a specific knowledge of the film and the area it represents, and the audience will be invited to come to a discussion group afterward at a nearby restaurant, bar or book store with […]
Mar 2nd, 2009 by Mark Metcalf
A new collaborative
The space at 2241 South Kinnickinnic Avenue that once housed Broad Vocabulary, Milwaukee’s first and only feminist bookstore, sits barren. The signature cornflower blue exterior stands out among other shops and restaurants, but inside, all that remains are stark walls and empty shelves … for now. Around Milwaukee, in conference rooms and libraries, in bars and coffee shops, a resurrection is in the works. Enter A Broader Vocabulary Co-operative, a crew of … um, broads, bound and determined to get the shop back on its feet after former owners Tina Owen and Jennifer Morales were forced to close the struggling bookstore last fall. The café we’re at is nearly full, and the air feels electric. Every table is a hotbed of excited conversation, surrounded by people with notebooks and agendas. We settle in just as someone in the back cranks up the stereo so that Booker T. and the M.G.’s “Green Onions” can be heard over the bustle, giving momentum to the buzz around us. Once the announcement was made that Broad Vocabulary would close, friends and lovers of Broad immediately came together to try and save this vestige of the Bay View landscape. “We [couldn’t] just stand by and let this happen,” says Hannah Wallisch, a former volunteer and board member for the new co-op. Wallisch, along with other board members Annie Weidert, Stephanie Schneider, Patty Donndelinger, Janine Arseneau and Barbara Chudnow didn’t know each other from Adam (or in this case, Eve) when they decided to take on this formidable task. And so the wheels began to turn. In November 2008, after months of research and a stack of paperwork, A Broader Vocabulary Co-operative was formed. Wallisch says that the immense outpouring of support from the community and from other successful co-ops has been an inspiration. “It’s a good kick in the pants,” she says. “ You realize that anybody can do this…you just have to work hard and educate yourself.” The decision to go co-op seemed a likely progression, allowing the responsibilities of the shop to be shared among people who can pool their time and resources to meet the needs of running a small business. The ladies looked to other Milwaukee businesses that have flourished with a co-operative structure, like the Riverwest Co-op and People’s Books for guidance. By the time Broad Vocabulary closed its doors on November 30th, the co-op had few resources and even less money – at least not enough to re-open immediately. The plan was in motion, but not quite ready to take flight. They decided to hold a fundraiser on the store’s last business day to build momentum for the project, and to give a face to the co-op. “The Phoenix Rising fundraiser spread the awareness that something was in the works even though the store wouldn’t remain open,” says Stephanie Schneider, who also works as a teacher in Milwaukee. The fundraiser was a huge success, allowing ABVC to raise enough money to make an offer on the store’s inventory – […]
Mar 2nd, 2009 by Erin Petersen
RedLine on the front line
Right now, it’s a non-descript 14,400 sq. ft. two-story warehouse abutting a sidewalk just north of the Park East corridor near downtown Milwaukee. There are quite a few similar aging buildings curving up the gentle slope to a downtrodden section of the Brewers Hill neighborhood. But currently, this nearly gutted structure at 1422 N. 4th Street is likely the only one with a red rose petal trail bisecting the dusty wooden main floor – daring you to step over it. It is Valentine’s Day morning. Arts advocate Lori Bauman and well-known art educator Steve Vande Zande stand bathed in sunlight before a small crowd. They introduce a space that may become the city’s next arts “urban laboratory” and educational center. The facility optimally will provide multi-layered services to its artists, including studio workspaces, shared conversations and opportunities for outreach. The idea, according to the mission statement, is to “nourish the individual practice of contemporary art and to stimulate the creative potential of the local community to which we are all linked.” There are plans to have live-in resident artists both national and local, a paid membership program, lending library, a multi-use community room for special events or shows and more. It’s a concept that isn’t completely novel to Milwaukee. Forms of collaborative programming, studio space, on-site education and community projects have existed before in some way with entities such as the Milwaukee Art Museum’s support groups, Bucketworks (which is nearby), Hide House, Milwaukee Arts Resource Network, Kunzelmann-Esser Lofts, Riverwest Artists Association and so on. “What makes this special,” says Bauman at the microphone, “is the way all [our] programs that are under one roof will work together and support each other.” One of Bauman’s specific objectives, as she explains later, is to encourage artists into explore different forms such as video – and to see the way pop culture and media shape identities. Hartford School’s art specialist Vande Zande has broader goals for the space and doesn’t know what his exact role will be yet, stating: “Life has many paths.” While he acknowledges the tough economy and the need to pool all available resources (“we’re working our tails off to get the money to make this”), he believes that the strength in making Redline happen is people’s need to get excited about something. They have a long road ahead if their affiliate center wants to catch up to the buzz Redline founder Laura Merage received with the beautiful and ambitious 20,000 sq ft. space in Denver, Colorado. That location already rolled out its first show in late October of last year. Merage, who is a photographer, sculptor, and now philanthropist after marriage to husband David, sits on the board of the directors for the Milwaukee group and Redline Denver is now the model to learn from and follow. Just a few days prior to Milwaukee’s open house in February, an unnamed set of backers (made up partially of MIAD graduates, Redline partners Kari Couture and Kim Weiss, plus other business […]
Mar 2nd, 2009 by Brian Jacobson
Mardi Gras Roller Derby
As you’ll note we’ve got a place holder where the column head used to be. This is because after receiving a “cease and desist” notice on our column title, this column and Vital Source entered the exciting world of COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. But we’re not pissy. In fact we are giving you a chance to vote for a new name for the column. Stay tuned for more details! Now back to the derby! DAREDEVILS OUT-STUNT NINJAS! Shevil Knevils, 70, win over Crazy 8’s, 49 It was a night of triumph for the underdog team of the Shevil Knevils as they won their first match this season, winning over the Crazy 8’s 70-49 Jammers Irrational Velvet, the Eviscerator, Femaldehyde, Trash Talkin’ Tina and Moby Nipps were in fine form on the track. Blockers like Terror Lapinski, Nasty Canasta, and many others made it difficult for the 8’s jammers to break through. The 8’s found a lot of their players sitting in the penalty box and had trouble sustaining momentum. I talked with jammer Irrational Velvet about the victory. “I’m thrilled about the Shevils beating the reining season champs for a second season. I have to say, the 8s are a blast to play against. When jamming, I did what I could to nickel and dime the score board. Lots of small victories jam by jam really added up for us,” Velvet said, then added about her team. “Each Shevil gave all of herself for every second of the bout to chisel away at victory. All in all, we really harnessed our aggression and played a smart, cohesive bout.” PINKOS PUMMEL PINKIES with POINTS! Rushin Rollettes, 89 win over Maiden Milwaukee, 52 The Rushin Rollettes continued their reign of terror as they defeated Maiden Milwaukee 89-52. They once again unleashed their assault of jammers including Hacksaw, Jackie O’Nihilate, Rhoda Ruin, Fly Girl, Reina Pain, and High D. Voltage. The Maidens had an impressive jammer ensemble this evening as well with the always reliable Rejected Seoul, Super Hera, Grace Killy, Damaged Goods, and the mysterious Sea Hag kicking out the jams. However, the Rollettes gained an early lead and the Maidens never recovered. I checked in with Rollette Roadie Foster to talk about the win. “I am so proud of the Rollettes! I feel that we played together as a team for the first time this season and I think the championships are now in our grasp. Rhoda Ruin stepped it up and proved she is indeed a fantastic jammer. She was amazing!” Foster said, then continued to cite Rollette performances. “I also thought fellow Captain Jackie O’Nihilate, newbie Sevo and second year Rollette Melba Toastya had fantastic games. We came in ready to win and that’s just what we did.” Foster also talked about her favorite part of the game. “My favorite moves are always hitting jammers out of bounds and slowing up so that they have to wait to come back in. It makes them so angry! And I love laying a […]
Mar 1st, 2009 by Tea Krulos
Paul Robeson in concert
Next Act Theatre Restaging an exceptional character from last season, Next Act Theatre returns with the limited run of Paul Robeson in Concert at the Off-Broadway Theatre. This charismatic Black Columbia law school graduate, singing star, actor and activist began a career in the 1920’s, stirring American hearts through his music, political beliefs and protests against racism. Paul Mabon reprises the role of Robeson with his resonant, magnetic bass voice recreating a personality larger than life. The concert’s first half allows Mabon full access to the set through intimate cabaret staging where he interacts with the audience. His combination of spirituals and show tunes from the era resound with evocative conviction, which spans the period from the 1920’s to the 50’s. Two standouts from the fine first set include the less familiar My Curly Headed Baby and Robeson’s signature piece from Showboat, Ol’ Man River. The second set begins with Mabon introducing soprano Adrienne Danrich. Danrich previews a selection from Next Act’s upcoming season, This Little Light of Mine, which details the lives of singer Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price who were both contemporaries of Robeson. Danrich’s rich, vibrant operatic voice carries the house whenever she sings or speaks. Several outstanding moments remain the duets by Mabon and Danrich, who seamlessly exchange their presence on stage during the second act, including an encore, and enjoy an elegant collaboration. Director David Cecsarini interjects a few moments of questions for Robeson to reflect on his life, while the musical accompaniment by Ron Martinson on piano and Joe Aaron on clarinet provided masterful touches. This evening of soul-searching by Robeson, Anderson and Price through actors Mabon and Danrich asks the audience to listen and learn from other men and women mirroring similar lives to Robeson when he claims that he, “stood firm in his beliefs, and his ideals were beauty and truth.” Next Act Theatre presents “Paul Robeson in Concert” until March 1 at the Off-Broadway Theatre. The final show of the 2008/09 season will be The Pavilion, opening April 2. Subscriptions for 2009-2010 include “This Little Light of Mine” with Adrienne Danrich. www.nextact.org
Mar 1st, 2009 by Amy Elliott
Secrets of a Soccer Mom @ The Boulevard
By Jenna Raymond Soccer Mom. It’s a term that crept into the American vernacular near the end of the twentieth century. It’s a woman who drives a mini-van or an SUV, visits Starbucks everyday and has an expensive cell phone that constantly ringing with calls about the PTA. She ‘runs errands’ every day of the week and manages her ‘schedule’ around her children’s athletic and extra-curricular activities. Right? Outwardly, that’s a generic description of Soccer Moms. The Boulevard Theatre’s Secrets of a Soccer Mom shows both the typical Soccer Mommian attributes as well as the deeper mysteries and enigmas of all those blond-highlighted women driving luxury mini-vans. Written by Kathleen Clark, Secrets of a Soccer Mom begins with three women meeting to play in a Mom vs Son soccer match. They agree to play poorly in order to let their third grade sons win. While waiting on the sidelines for their turn to rotate into the game they at first talk over classic Soccer Mom topics; the PTA, pizza day at school and field trips. As the day goes on, the three veer off from the pre-approved small talk subjects and delve into their innermost beings. As a result of exploring their pasts and presents, the three decide not to hand over a victory to their sons. Even though it looks like a silly suburban soccer game it turns into a personal battle for Nancy, Lynn and Alison. Alison, played by Marion Araujo, is at first not completely on board with playing badly. It comes out that she was an athlete before she got married. Her husband didn’t like her competing or playing on any kind of team. She sees the afternoon as a chance to leave the confines of her marriage behind; figuratively and maybe even literally. Araujo’s early enthusiasm seemed a bit contrived. However, she portrays Alison’s sincere yet naïve plans to run away in a simple and frank manner. As Nancy, Kathleen Williams outwardly seems incredibly archetypal. In a fleece and capris she chats with her fellow Soccer Moms while keeping an eye on her own children as well as others. It’s discovered that she ran in college and used to be a model. While Nancy loves her children with her entire heart, it’s obvious that she gave up much of who she was before she had them. Williams especially shines while flipping through a children’s picture book, pointing out her favorite characters and scenes as though it’s the latest Zadie Smith novel. While all three women hold their own in the Boulevard’s studio theatre, it’s really Brooke Wegner playing Lynn that steals the show. Lynn is a former social worker turned PTA-school volunteer-Soccer Mom. She organizes absolutely everything and still manages to keep up on her gossip and refrain from throttling her mother-in-law during Sunday dinner. Wegner seems to live two roles on stage; Public Lynn and Inner Lynn. Public Lynn chats, jests and conspires with her fellow Soccer Moms. While Inner Lynn rarely utters a […]
Mar 1st, 2009 by Amy Elliott
Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 02. March 2009
MassTransit » Blog » Statewide Benefits Zilber’s Brewery Project receives $15 million in New Markets Tax Credits – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Milwaukee lands grants for blighted sites – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Milwaukee Talkie: Stimulating Awareness: When, where, and how will the $787 billion in economic stimulus funding be spent? What does the Great Lakes Compact mean for water conservation? : The Bay View Compass Critics say disdain for graffiti drove murals ordinance : The Bay View Compass Construction Updates | University Architect | Marquette University Pabst parking structure gets $15 million in tax credits – JSOnline About that government consolidation idea… – JSOnline Milwaukee mayor seeks state cash for local roads City to get $22.6 million from stimulus – JSOnline Real Estate Weekly for Wednesday, February 25, 2009 – BizTimes Obama’s budget includes $475 million for Great Lakes – JSOnline Mayor paints optimistic future, moves on foreclosure issues – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Region’s office space vacancy at 17.11 percent – BizTimes Milwaukee Rising » Blog Archive » UWM, county agreement near on grounds development Action delayed on northeast side plan – JSOnline City seeks developers for Riverwest property – BizTimes UWM to present sustainability summit for businesses – BizTimes OnMilwaukee.com Politics: Transcript: Mayors State of City address Doyle touts potential for high-speed rail – JSOnline New construction – BizTimes Real estate odds and ends – BizTimes Doyle to visit with Spain’s business leaders – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Fast track for high speed? – JSOnline Cream Citizen on 2nd Street Redevelopment « Walker’s Point Milwaukee Talkie: Time for a new Kettl Commission? Walker calls for board action on his Blueprint – BizTimes No backsliding on Hank Aaron State Trail – JSOnline Milwaukee’s ‘green’ pipeline will save taxpayers millions – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Landfill gas may be piped for burning at Jones Island – JSOnline Doyle going to Spain for high-speed rail – JSOnline Better mass transit will bring economic benefits to Wisconsin – BizTimes YouTube – Lewis Black – On Atlanta WUWM might move to Chase Tower – JSOnline Real Estate Weekly for Wednesday, February 25, 2009 – BizTimes Third Ward gets a Melting Pot – JSOnline
Mar 1st, 2009 by Dave Reid
MORE Hurdles Proposed for Development Projects within Milwaukee
In what appears to be a rush to significantly alter development efforts within the City of Milwaukee, Alderman Hamilton is proposing additional requirements for development projects that accept more than $1 million in Tax Incremental Financing.
Mar 1st, 2009 by Dave Reid
Stupor Bowl
As I begin to write this, my inaugural blog as Vital Source’s Heartless Bastard, it is less than 24 hours after the latest Super Bowl, in which a bunch of physically overdeveloped, mentally underdeveloped men representing Pittsburgh narrowly defeated a bunch of physically overdeveloped, mentally underdeveloped men representing Arizona. That’s about as much as I can tell you about the game itself, the 43rd (or, in NFL parlance, the XLIIIrd) in an annual series of Sunday time-wasters. Clearly, the idea of this tedious, grunting spectacle as an Important Event came into the head of an advertising executive who wondered, “Is there some way we can sell more tasteless beer to people who are already drinking it?” Our media—as ever, focusing on important issues—have given the television commercials a lot of coverage, ensuring not only that Budweiser can get some free advertising on top of its expensive advertising, but also that viewers can enjoy these clever/funny/pointless ads without sitting through endless replays of large, dim men running into each other in flagrant suppression of homoerotic urges. At least there was the halftime show. After the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction of several years past—up until that fateful moment, no one was really sure Ms. Jackson had breasts, or so I would’ve thought from the “shocked, shocked” response—the Super Bowl organizers have taken great care not to inflame the FCC. Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, Prince: sure, they all have nipples, but not attractive ones. This year, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band put on a pretty fine, if standard, show. Springsteen himself was in predictably good form—perhaps even better than usual, as he knew he had to run around for less than 15 minutes—and the only potential for trouble came when the Boss slid on his knees until his pelvis bumped into a camera. Fortunately, his pants withstood the impact with nary a popped button: surely a tribute to the strength of American-made trousers. Springsteen could be said to be one of the few people at the Super Bowl who attempted to earn his fee (by various estimates, two to nine million dollars), although his upbeat attitude didn’t quite match the rather less upbeat mood of the United States. A football game might not be the place to break out downtrodden anthems like “Atlantic City” or his recent title track for the movie The Wrestler, but the 90 million people watching from their decreasingly valuable homes might have appreciated a note of the blue-collar sincerity Springsteen is supposed to represent. But this was The Boss, and these days that’s not a nickname likely to arouse positive passion in the hearts of the downsized, the laid off, or the evicted. I was reminded of shows I’ve attended at which I found myself disconnected from the crowd, asking basic questions of relevance: Why guitars? Why drums? Why microphones? Why music? I felt something similar watching Springsteen at the Super Bowl, although of course disconnection was easier and less eerie: it was a […]
Feb 28th, 2009 by Jon Gilbertson
