Arts

The Story Of 9/11's First Victim

September 11, 2013 - 8:17am

Danny Lewin had a remarkable, but brief and largely unkown life. A mathematical genius, he invented Akamai Technologies and became a billionaire almost overnight. It was his technology that news and government sites relied on in the days after 9/11 when phone communication failed and web traffic surged. Ironically, he...

A Polite Reply

September 10, 2013 - 11:30am

Although Hector Berlioz was capable of stinging irony, when he received a pointed letter from Richard Wagner, his reply was the essence of graciousness. On September 10, 1855, he wrote from Paris to Wagner in Switzerland: Your letter gave me great pleasure. You’re quite right to deplore my ignorance of...

Free Spirits

September 9, 2013 - 11:30am

In 1904 nineteen-year-old Alban Berg entered the Austrian civil service as an accountant, keeping tabs on the sale of pigs and the productivity of distilleries, but he was most devoted to classes in music theory taught by the innovative Arnold Schoenberg. Like Berg, Schoenberg had been forced by poverty to...

Pure Persistence

September 8, 2013 - 11:00am

For music, it was the worst of times. In September 1940, as German planes began bombing London, the main thing on everyone’s minds was survival, and yet an important part of surviving was music. At Queen’s Hall, after audiences for several performances were kept away by alerts that ran far...

Pure Persistence

September 8, 2013 - 11:00am

Smoke Filled Rooms

September 5, 2013 - 11:00am

Although he wrote a sublime German Requiem , Johannes Brahms knew all about the earthly–and earthy--side of music. Brahms grew up in Hamburg in the 1840s in a family so poor that he had to go to work at the age of thirteen. Because he had remarkable talent, young Brahms...

'The New Yorker' Writer Asks 'Why Teach English?'

September 3, 2013 - 9:00pm

Writer Adam Gopnik, in a recent piece for The New Yorker magazine, tackled the question, “Why teach English?” College graduation statistics have been showing a steady decrease in English majors in recent years, and Gopnik said he fears the major is vanishing from American colleges and universities just as the...

Race in America: Why Do Most Of Our Friends Look Just Like Us?

August 16, 2013 - 9:00am

Tanner Colby woke up one day to the uncomfortable fact that he didn’t have any black friends. A self-described “average, middle-class, white guy,” Colby queried his fellow liberal (and white) friends, and discovered the same was true for them. The realization came as a shock. After all, it...

Wisconsin Author Tells Story Of Life During Great Depression

August 2, 2013 - 7:53pm

Often, the stories a person remembers are those that are told in a way that makes the ordinary seem special. And large historical events come alive in the telling of one person’s or one family’s experiences. There are few storytellers who do that better than Wisconsin’s own Jerry Apps. He’s...

Expert Offers Tips For Deciphering Wine List

August 2, 2013 - 7:29pm

A well-paired wine can turn a good meal into a memorable experience. But when someone is out at a restaurant and is handed a long wine list, it can be stressful to choose the right type for taste, meal and budget. Jessica Bell , of My Wine School...

Celebrated Chef Comes Back To Wisconsin With Message

August 2, 2013 - 6:43pm

Chef Odessa Piper helped put Madison on the culinary map during her 30 years as chef and owner of L'Etoile in the city's downtown. Now, she is returning home to a champion a cooking with local foods. Several years ago, Piper sold the restaurant to chef Tori MIller and his...

Advocate: Random Acts Of Kindness Can Have Health Benefits

August 2, 2013 - 5:22pm

A movement of people who are committed to spreading kindness and inspiring others to do so is speaking about the good deeds that can come of goodwill. According to Brooke Jones, vice president of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, a random act of kindness can not only...

Poet’s New Novel Reflects On ‘Overcoming Life’s Obstacles’

August 1, 2013 - 2:24pm

A Madison poet has completed his first novel, a wise and lyrical coming-of-age story about a young girl preserving in a life full of twists and turns. The book is already getting rave reviews across the country. Dale Kushner’s novel, “The Conditions of Love,” focuses on Eunice, a girl with...

Corporate Trailblazer Discusses How To Overcome Self-Doubt

August 1, 2013 - 2:17pm

While Joyce Roche spent decades trailblazing a path for both women and African-Americans during her rise to the top in corporate America, she said that it was another, more insidious obstacle that threatened her dreams of success: Self-doubt. Roche's resume reads like a roster of impressive achievements. Roche is a...

Renowned Cookbook Author Stresses ‘Vegetable Literacy’

August 1, 2013 - 2:13pm

A celebrated vegetarian chef put her knowledge of gardening to work in tracing the complicated web of botanical relationships in her latest book, "Vegetable Literacy." Deborah Madison, author of the landmark "Greens" cookbook, and the vegetable Bible , “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," said that her latest approach to cooking goes...

From Fishing To Square Dancing, Author Recalls Northwoods Resorts

August 1, 2013 - 2:06pm

For generations of Wisconsin families, the beauty, peace and simplicity of a vacation in the Northwoods was the ideal getaway. And in the first half of the 20 th century, Northwoods resorts were at the height of popularity and in the amenities they included. Back in the day,...

State Fair Food Vendors Compete for 'Sporkies' Title

August 1, 2013 - 1:47pm

Krispy Kreme burgers with spicy pig candy, Elvis sundaes and brown sugar bacon-wrapped hot dogs on a stick. Such delicacies are some of what's on the menu at this year’s 162nd annual Wisconsin State Fair. While the State Fair always boasts the midway, the animals and the shows -- there’s...

Law Enforcement Group Backs 'No-Serve' Lists To Battle Alcohol Abuse

August 1, 2013 - 1:31pm

The adoption of a "no-serve" policy in many Wisconsin towns and cities creates a greater sense of shared responsibility in communities for problem drinkers, according to the head of a statewide law enforcement group. The "no-serve" policy involves the creation of a list of people with habitual, alcohol-related behavior problems...

UW-Stout Students Win Big In National Video Game Design Competition

August 1, 2013 - 1:25pm

Wisconsin doesn’t exactly have a reputation of being a hotbed for video game development, but with a big win in a national competition, students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout are looking to change that. Recently, a team of 12 students from UW-Stout were named co-champions in the inaugural E3 College...

Cartoonist Says 'Lazy Millennial' Characterizations Are Themselves Lazy

August 1, 2013 - 1:07pm

The Millennial generation doesn't always have the best reputation. Detractors have heaped accusations upon them: How they're self-centered, lazy and receive way too many trophies when they were in school. But is this criticism over blown? Or itself lazy? Editorial cartoonist Matt Bors, who is a Millennial himself, went with...

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The Story Of 9/11's First Victim

A Polite Reply

Free Spirits

Pure Persistence

Pure Persistence

Smoke Filled Rooms

'The New Yorker' Writer Asks 'Why Teach English?'

Race in America: Why Do Most Of Our Friends Look Just Like Us?

Wisconsin Author Tells Story Of Life During Great Depression

Expert Offers Tips For Deciphering Wine List

Celebrated Chef Comes Back To Wisconsin With Message

Advocate: Random Acts Of Kindness Can Have Health Benefits

Poet’s New Novel Reflects On ‘Overcoming Life’s Obstacles’

Corporate Trailblazer Discusses How To Overcome Self-Doubt

Renowned Cookbook Author Stresses ‘Vegetable Literacy’

From Fishing To Square Dancing, Author Recalls Northwoods Resorts

State Fair Food Vendors Compete for 'Sporkies' Title

Law Enforcement Group Backs 'No-Serve' Lists To Battle Alcohol Abuse

UW-Stout Students Win Big In National Video Game Design Competition

Cartoonist Says 'Lazy Millennial' Characterizations Are Themselves Lazy

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