AltWeeklies Wire
Alt Farmers Share in the Farm Bill's Bounty, but at What Cost?new
Even if the same law shovels tons of subsidies to rich farmers and agribusiness giants, the little guys growing organic food are at least catching some of the crumbs.
Isthmus |
Marc Eisen |
07-08-2008 |
Food+Drink
Steve Carell is an Unlikely Spy in 'Get Smart'new
The movie is being billed as an action comedy, but this is one of those cases where the action works against the comedy, crushes it in its big clumsy fingers.
Pairing Your Music with Your Winenew
The music you listen to while drinking really can significantly affect the taste of wine. Researchers in the Applied Psychology department at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh have found that, in fact, certain music really does go with certain wine.
Isthmus |
Anne Strainchamps |
06-17-2008 |
Food+Drink
Comic Book Heroes: Madison Has Produced Greats of Graphic Storytellingnew
From lefty cartoonists to cutting-edge illustrators, underground comix got a start here.
'The Middleman' Saves the World from Comic-Book Bad Guysnew
The Middleman is the most delightful pop-culture product since Juno.
Sports Bloggers Don't Deserve the Indignation of Mainstream Commentatorsnew

Blogs are not the enemy. As with any medium, there are good actors and bad. Sports fans are supplementing their consumption of mainstream columnists with their favorite blogs, not choosing one over the other.
The New Indy Offers More Thrills and Chills, but Why?new
As everyone knows, Indiana Jones is back at it again, some 19 years after what some of us thought was The Last Crusade. Everyone's older now -- Spielberg, Lucas, Ford, us. But what really seems old, and rather tired, is the idea itself, that a movie can be devoted almost entirely to thrills and chills.
The Von Bondies Aim for Immediacynew
Jason Stollsteimer is famous as the guy that Jack White of the White Stripes once slugged in a barroom fight. He's also well known as frontman of the Von Bondies, the Detroit garage-rock band that formed in 2000. I recently talked to Stollsteimer about the band's upcoming album.
Isthmus |
Rich Albertoni |
05-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Von Bondies
Military Fails to List Soldier's Death as Combat-Relatednew
According to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, between 150,000 and 300,000 U.S. troops have suffered traumatic brain injury, which the group labels "the signature injury of the war." James McDonald was one of them, and yet the military has thus far refused to classify his death as combat-related.
There's No Inspired Drive to Express Something on 'Gravity'new
The fact that I know just how good the Old 97's can be explains part of the fierce disappointment I felt spinning my way through these 13 new tracks.
Tags: Blame It on Gravity, The Old 97's
Holistic Vineyards: Biodynamic Wine is Greenernew
Critics call it "vineyard voodoo"; others refer to it as "supercharged organic." In fact, biodynamic agriculture dates back to 1924, when Austrian philosopher-scientist Rudolf Steiner gave a series of lectures in which he argued that modern farming had lost its spiritual connection to nature.
Isthmus |
Anne Strainchamps |
05-19-2008 |
Food+Drink
Helping People Out of the Subprime Crisis, Without Foreclosurenew
Three years ago, Lisa Peterson and her husband got into trouble with their own home payments after a publishing venture failed. They had to turn to family for help. The experience gave them an idea for a new business: help people protect their credit and avoid foreclosure, either by renegotiating their loans or buying and reselling their houses.
Isthmus |
Mary Ellen Bell |
05-12-2008 |
Housing & Development
Student's 911 Call Falls on Deaf Earsnew
Madison police believe Brittany Zimmermann called 911 before she was stabbed and beaten to death inside her Doty Street apartment, but the 911 Center failed to send help after erroneously concluding the call was a mistake.
Isthmus |
Jason Shepard |
05-06-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Matt Pond PA to Break Up, but No One Will Leave the Bandnew
Pond has announced plans to end the musical project he began in Philadelphia 10 years ago. Then he'll team up with the same four guys to record and tour as the Dark Leaves. Call it a gimmick, but to Pond it's all about shaking up the band's artistic balance of power.
Isthmus |
Rich Albertoni |
04-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Panicked Newspapers Seek Salvation ... Will Madison's Capital Times Find it on the Web?new
Good luck, Cap Times. You'll need it. Converting from a six-day-a-week paid paper to an online news site is like jumping from a very high cliff into a very deep and mysterious pool.