It's "Pay a Blogger" Day!

Did you know? Apparently some folks think we should actually value the work of blog writers a little more highly. Imagine that! (Granted, I haven't done much writing here lately - all of my writing ends up at dane101.com these days, though, so I think the sentiment applies)



Go tip a blogger you like, or donate to our dane101.com Start Some Good campaign to help us fund our freelancer budget in 2012! You'll be glad you did. ;)

Shifting gears, again...

On November 1, 2009 I started my gig writing a twice-weekly opinion blog, Emily's Post, for Isthmus' online presence, The Daily Page. It's been a great run - very challenging (to stay on schedule, to be more well-researched, to respond constructively to criticism) - and I'm incredibly grateful to the time and platform the folks at TDP have given me.

Now, two years (and two "Madison's Favorite Blogger" awards) on, it's time to shift my focus. My post of Thursday, September 29 will be my last with TDP - though I hope to continue writing features and things for their print edition.

Which isn't to say that I'll cease to have an opinion about things - and that's where this good ol' Lost Albatross blog will come in handy yet again. But I will be changing most of my focus to telling stories, researching, and investigating for the purposes of writing progressive-oriented, grassroots-based news for dane101.com and other Wisconsin outlets. I'm excited about this because, frankly, I think that's where my strength and passion really lies.

Check back here at the beginning of October for more news about this change, as well as future opinionated blurbs and/or juicy tidbits of info.

And thanks.

Conservative watchdog group SO ANGRY at county employee blogging while on unpaid furlough

What else could explain such a needless and sloppy investigation and accompanying complaint? If you've been paying any attention to the political blog scene in Wisconsin lately, you may have noticed that the chattering classes are currently abuzz with talk of the Milwaukee County DA seizing the computer of a one Christopher Liebenthal, aka "capper."

Why would the DA, presumably someone with a fairly heavy caseload of slightly more pressing issues, swoop in to sniff around in one guy's computer, you might ask?

Well, as it turns out, conservative (the exceptionally silly kind, specifically) activist group Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) filed a complaint with said DA alleging that capper, a county employee, was blogging while at work. Which, if true, would certainly be a giant no-no and even I, friend of the capster, would advocate appropriate legal wrist slapping.

Oh but there's a whole lot more to the story than that, surprise surprise. Let's put it all in handy, bullet list format, shall we? Makes it more digestible, like taking a lactase pill before eating cheese:

• Though bloggers have long used the tactic of "I bet you write while at work!" to attack their political foes, back in May one was actually caught doing just that: Darlene Wink, constituent services coordinator for Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, got caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar and was forced to resign because of it. Turns out she'd been posting comments, under several pseudonyms, at a bunch of sites in turn praising Walker, her boss, and lambasting his critics. Tsk tsk.
• Curiosity then piqued, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin filed an open records request for the internet browsing history of computers in Walker's office - just to be sure no one else was up to Wink-like shenanigans as well. (Milwaukee County Supervisor John Weishan Jr. also filed a complaint with the DA asking that a criminal investigation of Wink be started.)
  
• In response, Cheryl Berdan of the county executive's office claimed that making those records available would cost anywhere from a cool $400 to nearly $900. Apparently no one bothered to tell anyone at the county exec's HQ that the world's upgraded from mimeograph machines, because I'm fairly certain just exporting browser history into a word document of some sort is pretty dang cheap.
• Anyway, all of this made a lot of the more rabid right-wing bloggers in the state feel especially butt hurt and angry, and many began looking for potential targets to redirect the controversy onto. Enter capper, an outspoken and somewhat prolific lefty blogger who also happens to work for the county. BINGO.
• So the CRG figures, "Hey! That guy totally has to be writing and posting on county time, because our people do it, like, constantly, and my worldview is so skewed because of it that clearly my opponents must be just as daring/stupid." They go right to the DA with a complaint, who for some reason decides he has nothing better to do and seizes capper's work computer. For the CRG and its allies, there is much rejoicing.
  

Putting aside the fact that blog time stamps are almost entirely useless as evidence because you can schedule them to go up automatically at any time you want - looking at the dates being paraded around as evidence of capper's (who gets his blog on at both Cognitive Dissidence and Whallah!) terrible malfeasance, it doesn't take a whole lot of sleuthing to realize that the whole thing is complete bunk.

Every single one of the dates in question was either 1) an unpaid furlough day county employees were all forced to take (thanks, Scott Walker!), 2) a pre-approved vacation day that capper usually announced directly on the blog, or 3) an official holiday. Like MLK Jr. Day and Memorial Day. THE HORROR.

Capper's rightfully employed a lawyer to handle what could very well turn into a defamation or libel suit against CRG and any of the several bloggers who've been posting scurrilous nonsense about the incident, some even pretending to be capper.

One such comment, posted at Boots & Sabers, even went so far as to claim that the investigation had uncovered pr0n on capper's 'puter - which put Owen Robinson, owner of the site, on the receiving end of a take-down letter from capper's attorney.

Really, the whole thing strikes me as one giant waste of the DA's (and the public's, for that matter) time, all because of some petty political vendetta. For a group that claims to be all about more responsible government and use of taxpayer money, CRG sure does seem to be overly prone to irresponsible behavior.

But hey, this is just the sort of ridiculousness Wisconsin will be in for if it elects Scott Walker as its governor - or Ron Johnson as its Senator. In addition to their own, personal shortcomings, they're liable to bring along a whole posse of like-minded supporters who'll spend all their time on partisan bickering and one-upmanship, instead of on, oh I don't know, job creation? The environment? Education? Silly little things like that.

The Lost Albatross 2009 Year in Review

Can you smell that? It's the sweet n' sour aroma of change. The turning of the year is technically an arbitrary milestone, a mere turning of the Gregorian calendar and an excuse for manufacturers of cheap eye wear to peddle, in this case especially, some painfully tacky gear.

But in my case, the end of '09 and start of '10 really does mark a major shift, something worth noting, and (hopefully!) something worth celebrating.

Thing is, I can't tell you why just yet. But trust me when I tell you that it's going to mean a serious shift in focus for myself and for The Lost Albatross - and I'm crossing my fingers and working my butt off to see that it'll all be for the better. The "official announcement" should come mid-January, so please do check back. In the meantime, let's get to that time honored tradition of mixing navel-gazing with list-making and enjoy THE LOST ALBATROSS YEAR IN REVIEW ('09):

Quick Stats

• Total site visits for the year: 22,843
• Most clicked post: "Big losses for progressive talk radio in Madison" (494)
• Top keywords: "emily mills" and "lost albatross" (people got here because they were actually looking for me - crazy!)
• Weirdest keywords: "clever name calling," "norm fjelstad" (who?), "emo techno bands," "huffy albatross"

Personal favorites

2009 wasn't the kindest year on record in general, but for me personally I really can't complain too much. I joined/helped start a new band that's been nothing but awesome thus far, self-published by first novel, increased my freelance writing work, went on a fantastic mountain biking trip to Moab, threw two successful burlesque events, and hit the vaunted five year milestone with my fella. Not bad, I'd say.

The uptick in activities meant a falling off in blog content, though, which certainly isn't the end of the world (and you can actually expect a significant uptick in content next year, oddly enough). Still, there were some fascinating and infuriating topics covered this year.

The year started off with major shake-ups at Madison's progressive talk radio station, The Mic, including the loss of Lee Rayburn and serious public discontent. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, self-professed hater of government, officially decided to run for governor - a saga that will continue to play out until the elections next year. In April, the hilariously named Teabaggers descended upon Madison to wave grammatically and historically incorrect signs around for a little while. Wisconsin then (finally) passed a state-wide smoking ban, which goes into effect in July 2010. Major changes gripped the Common Council, and everyone marveled at Thuy Pham-Remmel's thoughtful, well-worded, and surprisingly concise speeches.

In August the bikes took over the streets for the first annual Ride the Drive event, which was, quite frankly, pretty cool. Throughout the latter half of the year, we watched as the Edgewater Hotel redevelopment process began to dominate public discourse--strange lobbying practices, immovable neighborhood associations, a mayor's single-minded quest. In the end, that particular proposal was cock blocked by both the Landmarks Commission and the Common Council, but it remains to be seen if its deathly specter might rise again.

At the beginning of November I began my tenure as the Isthmus Daily Page's newest regular blogger, something I'm hoping to continue in the new year. I also went to my first opera, where they forced me (OK, asked nicely) to sit in the lobby and blog for all the gawking masses to see and be baffled by.

So like I said, I've been pretty damn fortunate in that the Great Recession and general decline of the Roman...err...American society (due to all those people gay marrying terrorist abortions) haven't taken quite so terrible a toll on me. Which is to say, I've never had money to begin with, so there wasn't much for me to lose. But I'm also blessed with amazing friends and family, a great town, and relatively decent health (ulcerative colitis be damned).

I'd be a fool to complain.

Here's wishing you all a happy, safe, healthy and productive new year! Thanks to everyone who's been on this crazy blogging journey with me--really and truly, thanks--and I hope you'll stick with me as I enter what promises to be one wacky, eventful period of my life.

Emily's Post: One Month Update

Oh ho ho, what's this? A blog post about my blog posts at another website? Scandalous! But behold it's true, I've been writing a weekly column for the Isthmus Daily Page for lo this past month now, so I wanted to post some links for your reading pleasure. After all, if no one reads these things, my benevolent masters may get to thinking that hiring on yours truly for the job was a mistake. Now we don't want that, do we? The Queen demands her tea!

Ahem, where was I? Oh yes! Links!

• Week 1: "Welcome to the Monkey House!" (introductions, Edgewater Hotel, T. Wall's pumpkin patch, political name-calling)
• Week 2: "Disturbing the Peace" (Dane County RTA, a bigger ALRC, drunk driving laws, Peace Park plans)
  
• Week 3: "Tom Barrett, Justice Gableman, and that blowhard Blaska" (Barrett needs a challenger, Gableman gets off, more Edgewater)
  
• Week 4: "On a wing and a prayer" (religious exemptions in WI law, shore zoning plans, Scott Walker)

I would be much obliged if you took a moment to click and read, and hey, maybe even leave a comment? It's up to you. I'll be grateful even if you remain silent.

Expect a post or two right here at TLA this week, despite the holiday. Or perhaps because of? You'll have to check back to find out!

Of blogs, bands, and opera

A couple of quick, but really very important links for you today. Regular blogging will commence soon! And I'm excited to announce that I've been invited by Madison Opera to take part in their "Bloggers Night Out" this Friday, which means I get to see their production of "Carmen" and write all about it for your (hopefully) enjoyment. It will be my first opera ever, so I'm kind of excited and nervous, because it's something I know so little about. But hey, that could make what I have to say quite entertaining, in a train wreck sort of way.

In the meantime, my first blog for The Daily Page is now live! I'd be much obliged if you sent some traffic their way and checked it out. And feel free to leave a comment, of course. You have to register, but it's free and relatively painless, I promise.

Also over at Isthmus, my band Little Red Wolf has happily moved on to the second round of voting in their Band to Band Combat. We'd love for you to go on over and cast a ballot in our favor to help us advance yet further in this fun little contest. Also free and easy!

Bidding farewell to Bader

If ever you're in need of an excellent (if painful) example of what not to do as a talk radio host--or journalist, or blogger, etc.--then look no further than the recent and still to fully play out saga of WTAQ radio host Jerry Bader. In a broadcast shortly after Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton announced that she was dropping out of the gubernatorial race, Bader made the bold-faced accusation that her reason for doing so was related to a lesbian extramarital affair. Bader stated over and over again that he was "reporting factually."

But of course he was doing no such thing. It was, in fact, a complete fabrication and quite the slanderous piece of reporting to boot. Lawton was, rightfully, pretty angry about the whole thing, and Bader has since retracted the piece and been suspended from his job for two weeks.

Not before several conservative bloggers and talkers gleefully spread the false information as far and wide as possible. Since it came out that the whole thing was a giant fraud, most have either removed their posts entirely or posted retractions and apologies.

The whole thing is a sad but solid example of how stories can spread like wildfire on the internet, regardless of their validity. The fiasco could also be examined for how not to go about sourcing and reporting information. Call it Bader 101.

I have to agree with Lawton that I don't think a mere two week suspension is enough punishment for the guy, and hope that the station takes further action. They should, really, if they hope to avoid being part of the inevitable slander lawsuit filed against Bader by Lawton.

And those who repeated the nonsense should perhaps take a moment or two to examine their own motivations for doing so. Maybe the desperate champing at the bit for any "negative" news about people with political affiliations they don't like isn't such a hot idea after all. Maybe we could all stand to adopt a little more patience, critical thinking, and due diligence.

It's a lesson Jerry Bader is (hopefully) learning the hard way.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

There comes a time in every bloggers life (well, maybe just the really dorky ones) when the siren call of gainful blogging employment must lure them away from the pajama-clad solitude of their personal sites.

This is only half true of me.

I will officially begin blogging on behalf of Isthmus' Daily Page website as of Nov. 1, but I will not be abandoning The Lost Albatross in the process. I mean, this place has just been too good to me. I can't quit it. And anyway, I can't seem to get out of this chair....

So this is how things are going to go down: The vast majority of my pontifications about local politics will find a new home at TDP, and I humbly ask that you come check them out. You can read Dave Blaska's bizarre rants while you're over there, too, if you're so masochistically inclined--but TDP has lots of other good, less fugue state inducing things on offer, too. Everything else I want to ramble on about in a public forum--things like arts, culture, sports, self-promotion, and thoughts on national/international current events, will go on living right here.

My sincere thanks to everyone who has read and supported TLA over the years, and I do hope you'll stick around and even check out my new venture. I will do my best to keep it interesting.

I'd like to thank the Academy

Actually, I'd like to thank, very sincerely, everyone who voted for little ol' me in the annual Isthmus Favorites Readers Poll - somehow, some way, me and this here blog managed to tie for third place in the Favorite Local Blogger category, which is beyond lovely.

I had to chuckle, though, that I'm sharing the slot with none other than Dave Blaska, Daily Page blogger extraordinaire and one of my favorite targets for criticism. He also seems to be laboring under the delusion that I think he's my father, perhaps lending credence to a theory I've been working on wherein Blaska believes he and I have a Luke/Darth Vader type of relationship. Either that, or the guy never saw an oft-satirized anti-drug ad from the '90s.

Many congratulations to Nichole and JM of Eating in Madison A to Z for taking a well-deserved first place in the poll, and also to Greg at Caffeinated Politics for coming in second.

I have to say that I was also tickled beyond all get out that my band, Little Red Wolf, was voted the #1 Favorite New Local Band in the poll. We were all pretty flabbergasted by the result. My sincere gratitude to everyone who voted for us, and to everyone who has been supporting this new musical venture. We're having a blast and hope to continue for a long time to come.

What's black and white and red all over?

I don't normally address the vapid, pointless things MJS columnist Patrick McIlheran spews onto his blog, but today's little screed bears some tweaking.

Taking umbrage with a piece written by Leonard Pitts Jr. that deals with the problem of black scapegoating in this country, McIlheran goes into full-on sarcasm mode and answers with this gem:

...why did you – yes, you again – deny Pitts a job and then call him a thief? Read to the bottom of his column. That’s what he says you did. And you blew up his school and then called him ignorant. Why did you do that, huh? Why did you kill his father and then complain he was filled with rage?

What, you say you didn’t? You were born after Jim Crow died, after MLK was already regarded a martyr? You grew up thinking black people were just as good as anyone else because “Sesame Street” and every adult you’ve ever known has told you precisely that?

Not only did he miss the entire point of the original article, but apparently the only reason anyone, including himself, might think "black people were just as good as anyone" is because "Sesame Street and every adult you've ever known has told you" to think that. Nice.

I guess McIlheran hasn't made the acquaintance of many African Americans in his day. How else would you explain such a dreadfully ignorant statement?

But it's not entirely uncommon for people to get up in arms when the issue of racism comes up. It's an incredibly complex and highly personal subject. But I don't think Pitts was blaming all racist attacks, past and present, on every white person now living. There's a little something called artistic license going on in his column, wherein stronger language choices are made to get a point across. And the fact remains that we all--black, white, and red-faced McIlheran--still have our own demons to face. Whether that's blatant racism, or the insidious sort that leads us to lock our doors when we see a person of a certain ethnicity walking nearby, the spectre still looms.

Ultimately, this just seems to be a case of McIlheran making knee jerk assumptions based on his own discomfort with the subject. We elected a black man president! This is a post-racial society! We have no more difficult discussions to have or self-examination to do!

Only, clearly, we do.

Rock, writing, and curfews

Well, I've been a bad blogger so far this week, but for good reason. Oh yes. See, my brand new band, Little Red Wolf, has our first public show ever tomorrow night, so I've been spending some quality time getting both mentally and physically prepared for said endeavor. I also did something interesting to my hair.

I've been doing a lot of non-blog writing, too, which is good, really, so no apologies necessary. For the curious, you can check out some of that aforementioned writing by picking up the newest edition of Our Lives Magazine (available for free at many outlets around the city), or cheating and reading my article online. I'll also have a feature piece printed in Isthmus a week from tomorrow. Hooray!

And hey, if you're curious about my new band and our very lovely music, consider yourself cordially invited to come out to our gig: Dane101's 4th Anniversary Party on Thursday, May 7th @ 9:00p.m. at the High Noon Saloon right here in Madison. We're up first, so if you need to get your beauty rest you'll still be able to--but if you're in the mood for more rock, stick around for The New Kites, Butt Funnel, and The National Beekeepers Society. It's just $5 at the door, and there may even be cake!

In far less self-serving news, I just wanted to note that the city of Madison is currently considering moving the curfew for minors under the age of 16 from 11p.m. to 10p.m.--and I personally think it's a terrible idea. I'll refer you to two other bloggers who've already addressed why this is a bad idea, Brenda Konkel and Deke Rivers. Suffice to say that there is no data to back up this move, and everything to indicate that a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to solve the problem of kids being out late in more "at-risk" neighborhoods. Also, I well remember what it was to be that age and hounded by bored cops for being out after curfew, regardless of what you were up to (I grew up in a smaller town where there was apparently nothing better for them to be doing). It sucks, and does nothing to instill a sense of respect for the police. It does, in fact, quite the opposite.

Spring cleaning

Well, as you may have noticed (at least, I hope you've noticed - otherwise I might recommend some sort of serious pick-me-up to get you awake and alert again), things around the ol' blog-stead have changed a little bit.

See, I got tired of the same, tired design, and my good buddy Ryan over at the CDP recently tricked out his site, so being the Keeping Up With the Communists type that I am, I decided that I wanted to follow suit. Fortunately, he was able to recommend a great designer for the job, and I can't say enough good things about him. If you need affordable, competent help designing something of your own, I highly recommend Aaron Miller of Different Damage.

I'm still in the final stages of getting all of the links and widgets and gizmos and jeejaws moved over here, so please be patient. And of course, if you see anything that's really out of whack, feel free to let me know. Far as I can tell, though? It's mighty pretty.

On another note, I'm gearing up to see my first movie of the Wisconsin Film Festival tonight ("Earth Days" - 9:15pm at the Wisconsin Union Theatre). I am so psyched that we have such a top-notch festival right here in town, and many many kudos go to Meg Hamel, its director, for making that so. You can keep up with reviews, podcasts, and general updates about the fest either over at Dane101 or via my Twitter feed, if you feel so inclined.

A little further out, I've also been asked to be a "Celebrity Reader" for Literacy Network's "24/7" event on Saturday, April 18th over at Borders West (my slot, specifically, is at 8:00pm). I question their definition of "celebrity," but I'm more than happy to help! Come check out this great event for an even better cause, and feel free to donate a little something to help.

A small blogging vacation

I'm pooped. Between wrapping my scenes for the movie, finishing several big articles for actual publications, dealing with some minor health issues, and gearing up for a small vacation this weekend (among other things), I need a quick break.

So, barring any major developments this week, you won't be hearing from me. But I'll be back next Monday and up to my old tricks--there's much to discuss in the coming month. I hope you'll stop by then and say hello.

In the meantime, enjoy your week, go see "Vamp" at the Bartell (it's good, and I'll be posting a review of it later today on dane101), and be sure to pick up a copy of the Capital Times / 77 Square this Thursday. There may be a familiar byline on the cover story.

UPDATE: My 77 Square article is in this morning's paper and online. Feelin' pretty good about that.

Sometimes I forget that people might actually be listening

I've been taking part in semi-regular podcasts for dane101.com for quite awhile now, but I think, subconsciously, I've always thought that the only people who actually listened to the damn things were fellow dane101ers. Apparently not.

After our most recent dissertation on such subjects as public urination, Mayor Dave's new un-blog, and the District 2 alder race, quite a few comments have popped up around the local blogosphere discussing it. I'm happy that our little broadcast has generated some discussion, but I admit that I'm always a little surprised to realize that people are actually, y'know, paying attention. It is both very gratifying and a little terrifying. But hey, why blog or podcast if you don't want to get your opinion out to the world, right?

Anyway, candidates Konkel and Maniaci have both replied to parts of our podcast, each on completely different subjects (and Danny at the CB was miffed that we left him out of our off-the-cuff list of "top" Madison-area blogs).

Sadly, I don't live in District 2 anymore, so I won't even get to vote for that particular race, but I can't help but observe the whole thing with some interest. And I will readily admit that the opinions I give in the podcast may not be wholly correct (concerning the differences between candidates), but mostly because it's difficult, at this early stage, to know much about them...except for Brenda, of course, and even then I'm no expert.

We're hoping to have a few guests on the podcast in the future--local bloggers, politicians, activists, artists and the like--so hopefully that will help to round out the discussions even more. Not that talking about peeing on the bike path isn't well-rounded. Ahem.

New media and the future of progressive talk

Ever since The Mic 92.1FM (our local Air America affiliate) initially dropped the Thom Hartmann show from their line-up and Lee Rayburn then quit his morning show, I've been involved in a flurry of emails, meetings, and article-writing on the subject.

On Monday night, I spoke with Lee over the phone to get his take on the matter. On Wednesday night, I attended the Friends of Progressive Talk Radio meeting to hear station operations and programming managers Mike Ferris and Brian Turany give their sides of the story.

At the end of the meeting, I had a good conversation with local writer, activist, historian and Mic radio host Stu Levitan about the current and future status of progressive talk in Madison. He expressed his opinion that, despite the programming changes, the Mic was still the most consistently progressive talk radio station in the area and a valuable asset. I appreciated a lot of what he had to say, especially when he chimed in as the (quite emphatic) voice of reason a few times during the sometimes heated meeting. We also discussed the possible reasons for why it was such a struggle, even in this rather liberal city, to keep left-wing talk on the air.

It got me thinking about the future of broadcast media in general. An anonymous commenter in my recent post about all of this made the suggestion that radio was more suited to the shouting, bombastic style that's typically found on more conservative talk shows. They went on to say that perhaps progressives shouldn't be looking at radio to be their main outlet, but perhaps would be better suited with blogs and print media, etc. The funny thing is, the comment was a lot more condescending to both sides of the coin than I think is called for, and I didn't agree with all of it--but it did bring up an interesting point.

First of all, I have to say that I adore good old-fashioned radio quite a bit. I had the great pleasure of hosting my own show on WSUM, the local student station, for just under two years during my time at college. I grew up wanting to be a radio DJ. It's something I've always, and will always love. But maybe the kind of talk/commentary many of us who so hate the radio shout-fests (from across the political spectrum) are looking for would be far better suited to new media platforms.

That is to say, perhaps nuanced, thoughtful, engaged debate and discussion of the issues can no longer fit onto the radiowaves. Maybe we should be looking to the internet and satellite radio as better mediums: podcasts, blogs, videos, etc.

At the moment, we're in a very transitional phase: Most of us have seen the light and it is on the internet, but I'm not sure anyone has yet figured out a viable business plan to make new media a profitable, and therefor sustainable, enterprise. That's why so many newspapers and other traditional media outlets are struggling so much. But perhaps these are all the birth pangs, and if we stick it out--which I think we will (have to?)--we will eventually find a way to make this all work for everyone's benefit.

More viewpoints, more stories, more opinions and research will find their equal digital footing, thereby helping to level the playing field. That's an optimistic prediction, but I'm making it now in the hopes that more of the right people will take up the cause and make it happen.

(Part of this will need to involve a massive effort to get computers and computer literacy to a wider swath of the community, regardless of income, etc.)

It's just a thought, but an intriguing one, I think. I have nothing but respect for those people fighting to keep The Mic progressive, and I understand their frustration. It's no easy thing to be shat on for so many years and then try to keep a level head. But keep it we must, because the future of any open, democratic society depends upon it.

Lost Albatross year in review

In the grand tradition of navel-gazing, end-of-year posts, I offer you now the Lost Albatross anno mundi 2008! Here's wishing you all a festive and safe New Years Eve, and a good new year. And as always, thanks so much for reading.

Total posts in 2008:
307 (counting this one)

Posts with most comments:

• (16) No notes on a scandal
• (14) Vaudeville and politics
• (13) Misleading absentee ballots sent by McCain campaign
• (13) Chosen by God
• (12) Blogger in Fleischman case issues strange retraction
• (12) You're so vain
• (11) This woman won't vote for the woman

Posts with most hits:

• (1,479) Misleading absentee ballots sent by McCain campaign
  
• (681) Pizza Brutta is, uh, very good-ah
• (485) What rights for illegal immigrants?
• (319) Madison handgun laws

Top keywords:

• (353) lost albatross
• (343) pizza brutta
• (139) rights of illegal immigrants
• (126) the lost albatross
• (109) emily mills

Weirdest/most random keywords:

• albatross plastic
• obama babies
• the gutter post blogspot
• naughty nurses
• ron paul nutter
• techno emo bands

Most hits on the blog in one day:

• 249 on Sept. 16 - presumably in response to one of these posts.

Most fascinating series of rant-like comments from, one can only assume, the subject of the post himself:

• "Blogger in Fleischman case issues strange retraction"

(Current status of the case.)

Personal favorites:

• Thanks, Sarah
• Traveling tales: Stumbling onto the ultimate pizza
• The tree forts of our lives
• How to become an overnight rock star
• Recollecting my punk, jam band, emo, techno, rock-and-roll past
  

Here are some photos I took, by month:

February

We really did get an awful lot of snow last winter.

...which worked out fine for this guy, at the Madison Winter Festival.

The snow didn't keep then candidate Barack Obama, or the crowd of 70,000+, away from the Kohl center, either.

April

The Human Rights Torch, a protest against the Olympics being held in China, came through Madison in April.

May

Art Bike Rally!

Tegan and Sara performing at the Barrymore Theatre.

A trip to visit friends and nightmarish, post-apocalyptic landscapes in the Bay Area, CA.

June

Louisville, Kentucky, for their Kino chapter's 48-hour film Kabaret.

July

My first Madison Flickr group photo walk.

August

Ah, memories. The Civil War Experience up at Wade House.
I got to cover the National Poetry Slam finals, which was a lot of fun.

September

Monotonix performing at the first-ever Forward Music Fest. One of the best live shows I saw all year.
The Willy Street Fair! Always a good time.

October

The tenth annual International Drag King Extravaganza, in Columbus, Ohio.

November

Protesting the passage of Prop 8 in California, right here in Wisconsin.

My Brightest Diamond performing at the Orpheum Stage Door Theatre.

December

The Chin in person!

And last but not least, my sister's adorable chihuahua, taking a nap post Christmas festivities.

Blog Day of Action: Poverty

When you hear the word "poverty," what do you think about?

Me? The images conjured up in my head are usually of dusty countries, where children with fly-encrusted eyes sport weirdly bulging bellies and women haul water in jugs from dingy wells miles away from their ramshackle huts.

And hey, we wouldn't be wrong. It's incredibly important to recognize and try to do something about that kind of extreme, abject poverty that exists for far too many people in this world.

But in honor of today's Blog Day of Action focusing on poverty, and since my blog is but a small, local blog, I want to focus on the kind of poverty that all-too-often goes overlooked: the kind that exists in our own backyards, right here in Wisconsin.

Statically, Wisconsin ranks 33rd highest in the nation when it comes to poverty, with a rate of 10.9% (including 14% of children). In human terms, that means that somewhere around 600,000 people in this state live in poverty, and the trend, unfortunately, seems to be toward things getting worse.

We're all feeling the increasing pinch of the credit crunch and general economic downturn. Those of us who were already living on the very edge, however, are being pushed into the abyss by this downturn in fortunes. Second Harvest, an excellent food pantry that serves 16 counties in southern Wisconsin, reports an significant increase in the number of individuals and families served by its programs over the last few years. This coupled with the unfortunate decrease in the amount of food being donated from corporations are both troubling signs of the times.

While poverty has been a pressing issue for a long, long time, things certainly seem to be getting worse for a wider range of people these days. Now more than ever, perhaps, it is important to take a hard look at our policies and programs, to see what we can and should be doing better to ensure that fewer (or preferably, none at all) people end up falling below the poverty line, and to help raise up those folks who are already there.

It will take a carefully considered balance between government and community programs to do this, but it's possible.

While we take time to consider the many and varied root causes of poverty--things like educational quality and opportunities, job availability and wages, culture, etc.--we must also be sure to tend to the immediate needs of those most at risk.

Organizations like Second Harvest and the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP) are crucial, and I urge you to either donate food, time, or other resources to help bolster their efforts. WISCAP especially provides a good example of the kind of work that helps lift people out of poverty by working toward job training and creation, fostering small businesses, providing educational opportunities for young and old, developing and maintaining affordable housing, and even helping to weatherize homes in order to make them more energy efficient (and therefore lower cost).

Poverty, whether directly or indirectly, effects us all - and it benefits us all to do what we can to lessen and/or eradicate it. In a country as wealthy as ours, there is no excuse for us to allow such large swaths of our community to live without basic resources. No one should have to choose between food and heating bills, or medicine and rent. It will take a mixture of personal responsibility, community action, and government assistance to make things better. The payoffs will be many: a more productive and educated workforce, lower health care costs, potentially lower crime rates, healthier people and families, etc.

We simply cannot afford to ignore the problems that exist all around us. Clearly there are deep divisions over and misunderstandings about poverty even in seemingly well-off and liberal Madison, where debates over homelessness have recently turned heated. But it's important to take a hard, honest look at ourselves and our communities, and to make good-faith efforts at real improvements. We can't just sweep the problems under the proverbial rug, hoping that they'll just move to other cities or stay quiet enough that we can just walk by without looking.

Today, the Capital Times has two articles dealing with homeless students in our state's public schools, and how, with limited funding, they're trying to address their needs as best they can.

For an excellent, more in-depth look at poverty in Wisconsin, read this report from WISCAP (pdf).

If you want to help, consider a donation to Second Harvest, supporting programs like Porchlight, or helping out with something like the Luke House Community Meals Program. Every little bit helps.

Blogger in Fleischman case issues strange retraction

Tomorrow, Don Fleischman has his day in court. I've written about this before: the former chairman of the Brown County Republican Party was charged with several counts of felony and misdemeanor child enticement back in February (though the incidents that led to these charges took place in 2006), but the plea hearing/sentencing for them was pushed back several times.

So it is that the timing of recent online retractions regarding posts about this subject by someone going by the name of "goofticket" seem especially strange.

If you'll remember, goofticket was the first blogger to bring the allegations and charges to light, even before any local news outlets picked up on it.

Now, though, it would appear for all the world that someone, presumably associated with Fleischman and the case, has threatened some kind of legal action against goofticket. What grounds they have for this, I don't know: pretty much all goofticket did was post publicly available information to various blogs, and call for more media scrutiny of the story.

I certainly respect this person's right to issue these statements if it's necessary to avoid lengthy and expensive (if ultimately fruitless) litigation. But it's interesting to note that this is all happening just days before the sentencing is to take place. Forum moderators where goofticket initially posted the retraction have since claimed to know that it's for real, and not a hoax, which is why I'm leaning toward there being some sort of legal threat involved. Which would be right shitty, if you ask me.

There are also some claims that certain news articles about the case have since been "scrubbed" from the internet, though I can't verify that at this time. Just a curious side-note.

In the meantime, I'll be keeping my eye out for the results of tomorrow's hearing, and any further information regarding goofticket's retractions, etc.

Madison Street Art

Apparently I don't have enough to do with my time, so I've gone and started a new blog. Madison Street Art will be a collection of photos and musings about the various types of street art to be found in and around Madison. I'm open to submissions from anyone, if you're interested. I'm hoping to include everything from public murals to stencil art to tags and everything in between. I love public art, but the blog is meant to provide a place to both appreciate and constructively criticize the various types that show up in our city. Please take a look and stop back when you can, as my goal is to publish several photos a week. Hooray!

I call shenanigans!

Isthmus released their Annual Manual last Thursday, and with it the results of their "Madison Favorites" poll. I was pleasantly surprised to see dane101 take third place in the Best Website category, beating out long-standing channel3000.com and joining the ranks of madison.com and The Daily Page (all this for a volunteer, collaboratively run website!).

I was shocked, shocked! however, to see the finalists in the Local Blogger category. While the number 1 and 3 slots were all well and good (1 went to Paul Soglin, who, frankly, I could totally take in a slap fight, and 3 went to the good folks over at Eating in Madison A to Z), the second place finish about had me spitting out my applesauce--Dave Blaska? Really?

I can only imagine two scenarios that could have led to such a strange result: either Blaska rallied his mom and all her friends to his cause, or it's a pity vote. I guess "favorite local blogger" could be construed to mean "most entertaining by dint of ridiculousness" - but then what of the other two, generally quality bloggers on the list? It's not even Blaska's politics alone that lead me to object, it's simply that he's not a very good writer. There are other, far more well-written and interesting blogs from locals, including ones with whose politics I disagree.

Ultimately, however, I'm deeply disturbed by the lack of thecdp.net on that list. Ryan's blog is even nationally recognized for its quality and often hilarious commentary on life and pop culture. Quite the oversight of the voting population, if you ask me (which I recognize is obviously heavily skewed toward Isthmus readers, where Blaska's blog is housed, but let me have my moment of outrage, k?).

Now, back to my painkiller induced stupor, and to making plans for dominating the shit out of that poll next year. Hah!