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folkbum's rambles and rants

  • FriTunes: Almost forgot in my holiday stupor

    by folkbumAmy LaVere, who slaps a mean bass.Possibly related: Jim Morrison returns to soothe a woman from the bottom of her iron. [...]
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    Posted: November 27, 2009, 9:58pm EST

  • Paul Ryan: Number 5!

    by folkbumNumber five on the list of top Republican distortions, anyway.Although I would argue he should also be number three, since he was caught using that fake statistic just two weeks ago. [...]
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    Posted: November 27, 2009, 1:19pm EST

  • Buy Nothing Day

    by folkbumSo far so good. Although later I may go out to dinner at a locally-owned eatery. [...]
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    Posted: November 27, 2009, 12:46pm EST

  • Thankful

    by folkbumYou betcha. Happy day, all. [...]
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    Posted: November 26, 2009, 11:19am EST

  • "Climategate"

    by folkbumPeople want comment? Sure. In the form of a deep thought:Deep ThoughtApparently climate-change deniers who have hacked access to fifteen years' worth of scientists' emails can't find a smoking gun more powerful than one scientist admitting that he substituted actual thermometer readings in place of proxy measures for temperature' [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 8:59pm EST

  • Classic Slice

    by folkbumIf there is any flaw in the Classic Slice business model, it's that the slices are so big that the crust is cold by the time you get to it. Still, thankful for that. [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 6:05pm EST

  • "Now, there are some who would like to rewrite history—revisionist historians is what I like to call them."

    --George W. Bush, June 16, 2003"We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term."--Dana Perino, former Bush spokeswoman, November 24, 2009 [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 6:59am EST

  • Internet polls are meaningless

    by folkbumBut just in case they aren't ...... and, sadly, nowhere to write in anyone.' [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 4:48pm EST

  • Apples to Horse Apples

    by folkbumThere's an ugly internet rumor going around that Sarah Palin's poll numbers are as good as Barack Obama's. It's not true. (Graphs below are as of 11/24; click on them to be magically transported to pollster for current data.)(And for kicks, you can play with the graphs to remove' [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 5:42am EST

  • Meanwhile, Over at the Americans for Prosperity Meeting

    By Keith R. Schmitz [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 11:21pm EST

  • Context matters. Except when it doesn't.

    by folkbumA moth or so ago--at the current pace of things, it may as well have been last century--then-current (now former) White House Communications Director Anita Dunn was flogged across the wingnutoverse because, in a speech that included quotes from the likes of Mother Teresa, she quoted a line from [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 1:36pm EST

  • Laughing With Lyrical Love

    By 3rd WayThe genius of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee's decision to exclude the Islamic members of their group on a trip to the Mideast made me think of the lyrics to Regina Spektor's* "Laughing With".No one laughs at God in a hospitalNo one laughs at God in a' [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 8:17am EST

  • Caption Contest

    by folkbumIt's Superman! He'll save us!(stolen from)' [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 12:28am EST

  • Only if I get to pick which state

    by folkbumThey've started the campaign, it seems.UPDATED to add, to the naysayers who think I would not be qualified: I believe that I am because I have common sense, and I have, I believe, the values that are reflective of so many other Wisconsin values. And I believe that what' [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 1:04pm EST

  • FriTunes

    by folkbumA preview of tonight's entertainment: [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 5:38am EST

  • Deep Thought

    by folkbumIf I'm an Outpost owner--and I am--can I ban this guy from the store?Alternately, going after the comments: I did a google search [on] organic vs. nonorganic and all the articles I read will tout organic farming methods, manure vs other fertilizer, non use of pesticides, some even claim' [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 5:37am EST

  • Land of the Little People

    By Keith R. SchmitzThe terror trials are coming to New York City and there is a possibility that a prison in North Illinois (with the lusty urging of the locals) will take some of the Gitmo inmates. And like clockwork the exploitation begins.This morning Politico.com tells us that in predictable [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 7:29am EST

  • FIXX in Three

    by folkbumDays, that is.Paninis, coffee, soup, CD-release fever (less contagious than swine flu, and without the runny nose), and two hours of quality original music. Starts at 7:30 Saturday, at St. Francis's best strip-mall coffee house. [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 6:08am EST

  • The Real Job Killers

    By Keith R. SchmitzHealth insurance companies.Some tip of the iceberg stories about small business' struggles with health insurance coverage from the AHIP protests in Chicago today.' [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 4:18pm EST

  • Alternative MPS proposal better, still not focused on children

    by folkbumNot a lot of time this morning, but a quick comment about Grigsby-Coggs: It offers the mayor a strong hand in helping to set the direction for the Milwaukee Public Schools (some budget, superintendent-selection powers), but retains the democratically elected Board. It's a compromise position, really, between status quo [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 6:20am EST

  • Hm. Maybe I should go after Tom Barrett every day.

    by folkbumI hope people are clicking on the ads. [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 11:12pm EST

  • You do know that speech is about suicide, right?

    by folkbumSteven Walters, writing today about moves by various politicos to take over or otherwise mangle the Milwaukee Public Schools:Hamlet's Act 3 "to be or not to be" soliloquy includes this lament: "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all..." [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2009, 6:24pm EST

  • Great Moments in Sports

    By Keith R. SchmitzWhen the Bears lose, the fans are exquisite in their anguish. The Friday morning after the Bears lost to San Francisco thanks to QB Jay Culter gave up five interceptions the Sun Times ran a headline over a picture of Culter sitting dejectedly on the turf that [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:20pm EST

  • Who's going to challenge Tom Barrett from the left?

    or, maybe Soglin should file papers after allby folkbumAs noted here previously, Tom Barrett has spent much of the last few months--and any number of Democrats have on his behalf--dumping on Milwaukee by slandering and demanding control of the Milwaukee Public Schools.No candidate from Milwaukee can be elected governor, you [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 8:17am EST

  • Deep Thought

    by folkbumIf we wear out the whole "The world's gonna end in December 2012" meme now, what are we going to talk about for the next three years? [...]
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    Posted: November 14, 2009, 12:59pm EST

  • Leggies who blame MPS for its failures need to look first at what they've done--and not done

    by folkbumI generally like My State Senator, Tim Carpenter. But he, along with Sen. Lena Taylor and Rep. Pedro Colón, have an op-ed in the paper this morning defending their Milwaukee Public Schools takeover bill, and he's just wrong here.The title of the op-ed is a compound imperative, and both [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2009, 7:27am EST

  • FriTunes, NaNoWriMo edition

    by folkbumHere's one for everyone celebrating National Novel Writing Month by actually, you know, writing their novels. [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2009, 6:11am EST

  • Deep Thought

    by folkbumAsking Sarah Palin for advice on how to be governor is like asking David Lee Roth for advice on how to lead a rock band. [...]
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    Posted: November 12, 2009, 5:34am EST

  • Veterans' Day, 2009

    by folkbumThere is no greater duty than to defend the liberty of your contrymen. Thanks to all who have served, are serving, and will serve. [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 6:15am EST

  • Final Bracey Report: Mayoral control "disturbing," "undemocratic and ineffectual"

    by folkbumOne of the things that the late Gerald Bracey did for years is produce his annual "Bracey Report," which is a look at the various education reform efforts over the course of the past year, good and bad, with a careful examination of the data.This year's report (.pdf), released [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:46pm EST

  • Deep Thought

    by folkbumNot one of the local conservative bloggers who used unusually cold days in September to mock "global warming" has noted the recent unusually warm days in November. [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 4:04pm EST

  • Jay Weber does the talk-radio taxidermy

    by bertHere is another transparent tactic used by on-air pundits of the right wing in order to mangle the truth and score points. I call it talk-radio taxidermy. What you do is after a story is dead and gone, you doctor up the corpse to represent some scene that never [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 9:32am EST

  • Deep Thought

    by folkbumReagan-era unemployment numbers mean we should be demanding a return to Reagan-era tax rates. [...]
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    Posted: November 07, 2009, 1:57pm EST

  • FriTunes, throwback edition

    by folkbumI have always loved this song, but what makes the video for me is the Wayne's World quality production. The zoom in up the nostrils shot is archetypal, of course, but it doesn't really make anyone attractive.' [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 6:16am EST

  • Tragedy at Ft. Hood

    by folkbumPuts whatever stresses and problems you have at your own job in perspective, no? Thoughts with them, please. [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 9:12pm EST

  • Maybe They Were Punked -- Again

    By Keith R. SchmitzLooking for light for what for them are the darkest of places, the right has been chaffing over the notion that their Stalinization program in the GOP led to a loss of the 23rd district for the Republican Party for the first time in over 100 years, [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:57am EST

  • Kill my wife, please

    by folkbumFrom a man who once had the gall to call me a misogynist. [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 5:01pm EST

  • Interesting--but generally disappointing--results last night

    by folkbumMost disappointing, I think, in Maine, where once again the reactionary forces of bigotry turned out in greater numbers than the forces of goodness and light, and repealed the state's same-sex marriage law. The civil rights efforts of this generation have been dealt another severe setback. (At the same [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 5:45am EST

  • I'm not sure which was funnier ...

    by folkbum... my Comedy Sportz show or the County budget hearing. I suppose the budget thing was more sadly tragicomic, eh?Special shout-out to the Audubon contingent who came out to the show. Good to see you all again!Also: Regular blogging should resume again after my in-laws leave this weekend. Busybusybusy. [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:21am EST

  • Your 24-hour warning: Funny ahead

    by folkbumLook, I know that you want nothing more than to laugh at me. Hell, many of you are probably doing that very thing right now from the convenience of your own home. However, if you would rather do it in person, for free, you can, Monday night. Come on [...]
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    Posted: November 01, 2009, 7:10pm EST

  • Well, somewhere out in the Midwest anyway

    by bertI get the overall point from the writer in today's New York Times about how jarring are the regional differences in Iraq versus those between two Midwestern states:The invisible line that separates Iraqi Kurdistan from Iraq’s lowerprovinces should be little different than crossing from, say, Michigan into Illinois. . [...]
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    Posted: November 01, 2009, 1:42pm EST

  • Ryan pitches health insurance scare tactics

    by bertThe insurance industry would not hold a gun to our heads in order to kill any reform of health care. That's because they've paid good money to have lawmakers such as Rep. Paul Ryan do that for them.Here is Ryan this week on the floor of the House warning' [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 8:23am EDT

  • FriTunes

    by folkbumKind of a depressing song--Foucault is known for that--but if you want the funny, you have to come see me at Comedy Sportz Monday, 11/2, at 7 PM. That show is free and guaranteed to make you laugh. [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 6:34am EDT

  • Props to Arnold for this one

    by folkbumIt's the sort of thing I would do if I were in charge, which is why I'm not running for governor. WARNING: Not safe for work, small children, or people who have never read blogs before.' [...]
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    Posted: October 28, 2009, 7:31pm EDT

  • Impatience

    by folkbumWhy haven't those idiots gone Galt yet?' [...]
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    Posted: October 28, 2009, 4:23pm EDT

  • Vast majority of Americans now a "formidable liberal interest group"

    by folkbumDana Milbank, this morning: "For Reid, [introducing a bill with a public option] was an admission of the formidable power of liberal interest groups."Recent polling:USA Today/Gallup Poll. Oct. 16-19, 2009: If Congress passes a health care bill, do you think it should or should not include a public, government-run [...]
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    Posted: October 27, 2009, 3:53pm EDT

  • If nominated, I will not run

    by folkbumIf elected, I will not serve. Even if it means no one runs ...More seriously, I was looking forward to campaigning for Barbara Lawton. I think a lot of the so-called "serious people" on the right assumed she was a lightweight who would never connect with voters. I disagree. [...]
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    Posted: October 26, 2009, 4:32pm EDT

  • Haloscanned

    by folkbumComments may not be working right, and this site might be slow to load, too. Happy Monday!Seems fine now. Flame away. [...]
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    Posted: October 26, 2009, 7:27am EDT

  • A contest!

    by folkbumI won two tickets (from WUWM) to Wednesday night's Turner Hall Ballroom show of Thao and the Get Down Stay Downs that I cannot use.First person to email me gets them. [...]
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    Posted: October 25, 2009, 8:21pm EDT

  • Signs of the times

    by folkbum1. One of the best, longest-standing, and most important bloggers on the planet is about to get evicted; if you can help--I can't, times being what they are--you should.2. We've been turning away the neighborhood kids and I had to rake the leaves myself today because my labor is [...]
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    Posted: October 25, 2009, 7:49pm EDT

  • WTMJ, WISN: Pimples of the GOP Party

    by bertPredictably -- and right-wing radio shows are always predictable – the talk shows of our local AM stations WTMJ and WISN spent last week hammering the White House’s criticism of Fox News.What's provoked their push-back was that President Obama’s staff members said in interviews since last Sunday that we [...]
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    Posted: October 25, 2009, 10:50am EDT

  • Danke

    By Keith R. SchmitzHere's a shock. Being German by heritage we are not known necessarily for our generosity.But when it comes down to it, many of us are community-minded.Here's a fresh example. A group of wealthy Germans is petitioning Chancellor Angela Merkel to increase taxes on those with personal fortunes [...]
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    Posted: October 25, 2009, 11:22pm EDT

  • We Have Run out of Excuses

    By Keith R. SchmitzFor those in this country who are worried that the Chinese are not going to do anything about climate change and therefore we will become uncompetitive if we do, looks like the Chinese will be in fact going after the problem.And for those of you in the [...]
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    Posted: October 24, 2009, 11:37am EDT

  • Congrats to Stacie and Jason

    by folkbumFive and a half years ago, I got an email from some guy in Madison about becoming the blogger for the new alt-weekly newspaper he and his friend Jason Haas was starting up. I passed, but recommended an old college friend, Stacie Rosenzweig, for the gig, which she accepted.Later [...]
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    Posted: October 24, 2009, 8:15am EDT

  • Tenousness Lyrical Love

    by 3rd WayOne of the many charms of the blogosphere is it's inhabitants proclivity towards promoting their musical tastes. My blog reading habit has turned me onto some musicians I may not have found otherwise, but I fear most musical posts are skipped over by the average reader. Blog-centric communication [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 9:04pm EDT

  • FriTunes, with show reminder

    by folkbumA reminder that tomorrow night (Saturday, 10/24), I'm playing a double bill with my and fellow songwriter friend Chris Head. The show is at the Coffee House on 19th and Wisconsin in Milwaukee, it starts at 8 PM, and it will cost you a measly $5.I won't be doing [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 5:51am EDT

  • Once again, the teachers have to MOP up

    by folkbumIt never fails: Time after time, I write here about what could be better about schooling in general and the Milwaukee Public Schools in particular. Comments are, well, few and far between. And, time after time (at least lately), I detail why a coup, a forced takeover of the [...]
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    Posted: October 22, 2009, 6:08am EDT

  • RIP, Gerald Bracey

    by folkbumOne of the most ardent supporters of public schools has died. Thomas A. Mertz has the sad news. [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2009, 9:00pm EDT

  • Said the guy whose contract negotiators refused to meet with the union between May and September this year

    by folkbum"The truth of the matter is we can't continue as an organization with these benefit increases and have viable programs in our schools," Andrekopoulos said. "We just can't survive this."He called for unions and employees to cooperate in fixing the problem. [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2009, 6:43am EDT

  • 4th Street Follow-Up

    by folkbumI still want to say more about the content of the discussion of the 4th Street Forum I participated in last week, but let me say in brief that I had a great time and thought, overall, that it went well. (The camera seemed to add about 150 pounds, [...]
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    Posted: October 19, 2009, 4:08pm EDT

  • Is Gov. Jim Doyle calling Rep. Gwen Moore a liar?

    by folkbumBecause if he is, he should just use those words, and not beat around the bush:Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday the state must give control of Milwaukee schools to the mayor to put in a "good faith" application for federal economic stimulus funds.Gwen Moore, repeatedly, earlier:During our discussion on [...]
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    Posted: October 19, 2009, 3:53pm EDT

  • There's a Rep for that

    by folkbum [...]
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    Posted: October 17, 2009, 8:06am EDT

  • NFL Shoots Down a Blimp

    By Keith R. SchmitzSort of missed the possibility of the pending spectacle of having Rush Limbaugh being part owner of the currently hapless St. Louis Rams for a multitude of reasons.One of the shots I always hate is the obligatory camera on the owner's box. It would be great however [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:57am EDT

  • FriTunes

    by folkbumThe Everybodyfields. [...]
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    Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:52am EDT

  • Weirdest. Amber Alert. Ever.

    by folkbumBut at least the boy was eventually found safe. [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 9:09pm EDT

  • What would it take?

    by folkbumI think I have made it pretty clear that I oppose the current effort--if you can call it an effort, as it seems, so far, all talk and no action--to place control of the Milwaukee Public Schools in the hands of the mayor. I think I have pretty well [...]
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    Posted: October 15, 2009, 8:57am EDT

  • 4th Street Forum reminder

    by folkbumPack your lunches and set your DVRs (I will not be singing):FROM: 4th STREET FORUM at MILWAUKEE TURNER HALLMPS + X = SUCCESS?Is there a winning formula for urban school districts?If so, will Milwaukee figure it out?The knowns and unknowns of educational achievement.Each forum is taped in front of [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 6:26am EDT

  • Doing my job for me

    by folkbumI was going to post a hypothetical this morning, running something along these lines.Imagine, I would start, if this article from today's paper were a little different, and instead of firefighters protesting budget cuts in their red union shirts, you has AFSCME protesting budget cuts in their green union [...]
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    Posted: October 12, 2009, 6:05am EDT

  • Mess America

    By Keith R. SchmitzCan the Miss America pageant make itself any more tragically irrelevant?You bet! [...]
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    Posted: October 11, 2009, 11:54am EDT

  • Support the Vets

    by folkbumEarlier this month, I got an email from somebody, now long deleted and relegated to the dustbin of electrons and neurons, about Guitars for Vets. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but at last night's Peter Mulvey show, the group had a table and literature and' [...]
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    Posted: October 10, 2009, 8:44am EDT

  • FriTunes

    by folkbumA preview of tonight's entertainment: [...]
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    Posted: October 09, 2009, 6:02pm EDT

  • President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

    By Keith R. SchmitzIncoming bile.After a week of celebrating the turndown of Chicago and America by the International Olympics Committee, we can look forward to a weekend of conduct unbecoming by the right wing thanks to the President winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts at making us (the [...]
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    Posted: October 09, 2009, 6:42am EDT

  • Acorns and Oaks

    by bert UPDATE: Jon Stewart is on it. The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cRape-Nutshttp://www.thedailyshow.com/Daily ShowFull EpisodesPolitical HumorRon Paul InterviewOn a scale of depravity, how would you rank those federal contractors who gang-rape and imprison compared to those contractors who talk agreeably to actors pretending to [...]
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    Posted: October 08, 2009, 7:49pm EDT

  • Remember when ...

    by folkbum... the Democratic National Committee issued a statement demanding that Sarah Palin be put "in her place"? Yeah, me neither. But it must have happened, since they keep telling us that it's Democrats who are afraid of strong women who aren't afraid to etc.' [...]
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    Posted: October 07, 2009, 6:23am EDT

  • 59 Milwaukee County residents support a mayoral takeover of MPS

    by folkbumYou read that right--not 59 percent of, just 59 Milwaukee County residents support handing over the Milwaukee Public Schools to the mayor of Milwaukee.At least, that's according to a new poll by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (done by the "public option" UW polling center):According to the poll results, [...]
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    Posted: October 05, 2009, 8:22pm EDT

  • Great Big Sea at the Pabst

    by folkbumI was sitting on the other side of the theatre. A friend who snagged a set list confirms this cover was not planned. The way it takes Alan a minute to figure out the song is priceless. [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2009, 8:08pm EDT

  • Posts I shouldn't have to write

    by folkbumOlympicsEvery two years, dozens of cities submit applications to host the summer or winter Olympic games, and when all but one are rejected, life goes on as normal in those countries. Duh.Olympics, 2The IOC rejected the leftist, activist, union-thug supported brown guy and instead embraced the leftist, activist, union-thug [...]
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    Posted: October 02, 2009, 7:23pm EDT

  • I'l Have What He's Having

    By Keith R. SchmitzFlorida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson has created a minor cable TV furor with his tongue-in-cheek dig that the GOP plan for health care is "just die."In predictable fashion, the dish it out but can't take it GOP is crying like babies. Since the dawn of August we' [...]
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    Posted: October 01, 2009, 8:05am EDT

  • Yes It Can

    By Keith R. SchmitzEvery documentary series that Ken Burns offers up on PBS is poetry in motion pictures. His latest on National Parks is no exception.Burns was on Morning Joe this morning and Mike Barnicle posed the question would it be possible for the national parks to come into being [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2009, 6:57am EDT

  • WPRI FAIL

    by folkbumChristian Schneider, writing at WPRI, fails to prove his thesis:At the center of the debate is the idea of a “public option:” a government-run health program that liberals say would merely compete with private plans for customers. Conservatives counter that historically, when a generous government plan is instituted, private [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2009, 6:17am EDT

  • Future of MPS forum Thursday

    by folkbumIf you don't have Great Big Sea tickets, as I do, you can head to Riverside High School for a forum-slash-debate on the idea of Mayor Tom Barrett taking over the Milwaukee Public Schools. The event kicks off at 5:30 with a presser from those opposed; at 6:00 the' [...]
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    Posted: September 30, 2009, 5:43am EDT

  • RIP, William Saffire

    by folkbumI never liked his politics, and he did as much to demonize the Clintons--Hillary in particular--as anyone in the 1990s, but I respected him as a wordsmith and language maven. [...]
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    Posted: September 27, 2009, 6:31pm EDT

  • I would like to retract part of my Oklahoma post from last week

    by folkbumI stand by a lot of what I wrote in that post last week: There is inherent value in empowering workers and in educating our children well, and that a better-educated workforce is more likely both to be organized and to be good at what it does.However, I cited [...]
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    Posted: September 27, 2009, 12:07pm EDT

  • The new death panels: "Buy insurance or go to jail"

    by folkbumThe brain-challenged on the right have taken this Politico story and gone haywire:Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.Violators could [...]
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    Posted: September 26, 2009, 8:12am EDT

  • Typical Mainstream Media

    by bertThis very weekend there is a (an?) ukulele festival in Milwaukee. Like ACORN, this is being conveniently overlooked by the state-run media.Is there any doubt any more that those playa-haters are in the tank for mandolins? [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 9:02am EDT

  • If They Can We Can

    By Keith R. SchmitzJared L. Cohon with Carnegie Mellon University explains how Pittsburgh remade itself.Hint -- a CTL F for "tax cuts" in the article comes up empty. [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 7:51am EDT

  • Friday of Folk

    by folkbumMonsters of Folk:Monstresses of Folk (plus Buddy Miller):Plus a preview of tonight's entertainment: [...]
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    Posted: September 25, 2009, 6:16am EDT

  • Who's running the better crap-on-Milwaukee Guv campaign, Walker or Barrett?

    by folkbumI've been working on a post--in my head, mostly, but I've been working on it--which is sort of a "what would it take for me to support Mayor Tom Barrett's plan to take over the Milwaukee Public Schools?" post. I figured, you know, I oppose the idea, and see [...]
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    Posted: September 24, 2009, 4:42pm EDT

  • Dear Ms. Jordahl,

    by folkbumWe've never met, although I do feel like I kind of know you, as you've been a part of the Cheddarsphere a long time now.I am sorry to hear about your daughter's condition. I can't imagine what it must be like. My father's experience last year, with his chronic' [...]
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    Posted: September 24, 2009, 6:10am EDT

  • Oklahoma workers may be cheaper, but at least they're uneducated

    by folkbumIt wasn't that long ago in real time--though ages ago in blog time--that Mercury Marine of Fond du Lac made waves (pun intended) by announcing its intention to screw hard-working Wisconsin folk and move hundreds of manufacturing jobs, followed by hundreds more white-collar jobs, to Stillwater, Oklahoma.Oklahoma, see, is' [...]
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    Posted: September 23, 2009, 9:28pm EDT

  • "If I had a million dollars, I would buy my grandmother a kidney."

    by folkbumI had a good conversation yesterday afternoon with Erin Richards, who's taken on the Milwaukee Public Schools beat at the Journal Sentinel since Alan Borsuk took the buyout.She's got a series coming up starting with an article in Sunday's paper about the intersection of poverty and education, which I' [...]
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    Posted: September 23, 2009, 6:08am EDT

  • Two ACORN posts in one

    It's About Time They Defunded Northrop-Grummanby folkbumBrilliant! Congress finally passes a law prohibiting the distribution of any funds to "any organization that has been charged with breaking federal or state election laws, lobbying disclosure laws, campaign finance laws or filing fraudulent paperwork with any federal or state agency."That means, of [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 7:23pm EDT

  • Autumn? I Hardly Know Him!

    by folkbumHappy equinox, all. (I think only two people who read this blog will get the title.) [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 5:58pm EDT

  • Who Speaks for Health Insurance Companies

    By Keith R. SchmitzProtect Insurance Companies PSA from Will FerrellThere will be many contributors to this site who perhaps won't know why this is funny.UPDATE -- The National Economic Council has come out with a report that lays out the numbers. From 1999 to 2009 premiums rose, depending upon state,' [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 2:27pm EDT

  • How is this controversial?

    by folkbumHow is it that there's not broad agreement across both parties for these basic reforms? [...]
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    Posted: September 22, 2009, 6:30am EDT

  • Criticism of Obama 'Not About Race,' Says New Poll of White People

    By Keith R. Schmitzh/t -- Andy BorowitzForeign Birth, Resemblance to Hitler CitedPeople who criticize President Obama do so for reasons that have "nothing to do with his race," a new poll of white people indicates.According to the poll, which was conducted by the University of Minnesota's Opinion Research Institute, those [...]
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    Posted: September 21, 2009, 7:26am EDT

  • When the second sentence is a bald lie, why should we read further?

    by folkbumHere are the first two sentences of this morning's editorial--not op-ed, mind you, but the piece bearing the imprimatur of the editorial board of the largest daily newspaper in the state--in favor, again, of wresting control of the Milwaukee Public Schools from the people and giving it to the [...]
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    Posted: September 20, 2009, 8:54am EDT

  • And all over Russia ...

    by folkbum... the Russian wingnut bloggers are writing about how Putin is showing weakness to Obama, that Putin has "caved" and "abandoned" Russia's allies, and how Russia may as well just surrender to her enemies now. [...]
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    Posted: September 19, 2009, 8:22am EDT

  • Indiana Voter ID Unconstitutional

    by capperWell, well, isn't this interesting:An Indiana law requiring voters to show identification, declared constitutional by the United States Supreme Court just last year, was struck down Thursday by a state appellate court. The state court said the law violated the Indiana Constitution by not treating all voters equally.[...]Indiana’s Equal' [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2009, 5:32pm EDT

  • Gone Now Baby Bye Bern

    by folkbumIn the comments to last week's Friday music post, Bert reminded me how much I like Dan Bern.I liked Dan Bern even before I knew he wrote most of the songs for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Like this one. [...]
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    Posted: September 18, 2009, 5:29am EDT
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