Category Archives: Current Events

The First Annual Best of Milwaukee Web Awards 2011

Posted on April 20, 2011 | 2 Comments

I had no idea I was even nominated for two of the Shepherd Express’s Best of Milwaukee Web Awards until someone tweeted me to say they had voted for me in the category Best Personal Blog. Voted for me? When I mentioned this fact to another friend and fellow avid tweeter, she replied, “Yeah, you were also nominated for Favorite Twitterer.” The nominations came as a surprise, but who doesn’t like being nominated for your favorite local alternate news source‘s web awards?

Last night’s web awards were a good time. Aside from enjoying complimentary hamburgers, wings, and beer samples from Lakefront Brewery, it was fun to be around the friendly, creative Milwaukeeans who do great things on the web. Milwaukee has a great social media culture. I’ve only been blogging and tweeting for a short while, but through that, I have met so many interesting and innovative Milwaukeeans. Interacting with so many different people on Twitter has made the city of Milwaukee feel like a small town (which most of you non-natives probably think it is anyway).

The Best of Milwaukee Web Awards were all in good fun and if anything, I am inspired  become an even better blogger and tweeter. It was an honor just to be nominated. I ended up being the first runner-up in both the Best Personal Blog and Favorite Twitterer categories and my name was printed in the latest issue of the Shepherd Express. Not too shabby.

Hats off to M.A.A.R.S. Attack for winning the Best Personal Blog title (as well as Best Tumblr and Best Band with an Online Presence) and Burp Blog, for taking the title of Favorite Tweeter as well as Best Food Blog. Here’s to another year of tweeting and blogging!

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Posted in Current Events, Nightlife, Social Media, Twitter

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Remember the People That Taught You How to Read

Posted on March 25, 2011 | 2 Comments

Our teachers.

Remember when we actually appreciated the work of our teachers? I don’t even know how to begin to respond to this whole collective bargaining issue here in Wisconsin and around the country, the massive teacher lay-offs that happen every year, the constant budget cuts for already cash-strapped school districts, and the “well teachers get summers off” argument. Why do we hold our teachers personally responsible for the ills of society?

We blame teachers for low test scores and work to put them on merit-based pay tied solely to the test results of their students. Forget the fact that these tests tend to be culturally biased, promote a negative teaching-to-the-test environment in a classroom, and don’t always assess important knowledge. Tests should be one small factor in determining what  student should know and what they have learned.

We blame teachers for poorly behaved children. If only those teachers had more interesting curriculum, our children would be better behaved and our school wouldn’t have so many behavioral problems. Forget about parental accountability, teachers are to blame. Forget about the overall school culture as established by the principal and other administrators.

We blame teachers for our budget problems. What’s happening right now in Wisconsin is a perfect example. As people often say around here, “Walker is trying to balance the budget on the backs of teachers.” Teachers have already agreed to make budgetary concessions, but that’s apparently not enough. Now, Wisconsin teachers are losing their ability to collectively bargain. Most school districts around the state of Wisconsin face cuts from already tight budgets. If education and the work of teachers were truly valued in the state of Wisconsin, we wouldn’t be seeing such massive cuts.

Why all this teacher-hate? Those in favor of budget cuts similar to Scott Walkers, have you ever worked as a teacher? I have. Do you know the time commitment, the life commitment, the physical commitment of a teacher? A teacher’s job does not end with the school day ends. A teacher’s job does not end when the school year ends. If you’re a parent, you know what it’s like to be responsible for a child. Multiple that by 100. That’s the number of kids you would be held personally responsible for if you taught, say 7th grade English.

The teaching profession is not like many other jobs of its nature. I can’t stand the comparison between teaching and other jobs. As a teacher, you have to be “on” every single day. A teacher can’t just take a day off and work from the home office. A teacher can’t coast in whenever she feels like it, sit down at her desk with a cup of coffee and catch up on emails. A teacher can’t step out for an hour and meet for a brainstorming session with other professionals about best practices over lunch. A teacher is on his or her feet eight hours a day, every day, engaging students.

As for complaining that teachers get the summers off? I don’t know a single teacher that doesn’t do something school related in summers. A lot of teachers I know have to work in summers to make ends meet whether it’s in teaching summer school, doing curriculum work for the district, working at summer day camps, or preparing for next school year; teachers work in the summer.

It’s about time we show a little more respect for the people who taught us how to read. We owe them at least that much.

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Posted in Current Events, Education

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If You Want to Know What’s Going On in Madison, Wisconsin, Don’t Ask the Local News

Posted on February 22, 2011 | 3 Comments

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I currently reside, has four major news stations and one major newspaper, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. These local news sources, like every local news source across Wisconsin and now America, have been reporting on all of the latest developments of the budget protests in Madison, Wisconsin and providing up-to-the-minute information whenever possible. The protests started seven days ago and when they did, they were given some interesting labels by the local news.  The protests in Madison were referred to as “Mayhem in Madison,” “Madtown Frenzy” and “The Mad City Showdown.“

Mayhem in Madison? To me, the word mayhem implies absolute chaos, political unrest, anarchy, maybe even some weapons of mass destruction.

Madtown Frenzy? Referring to Madison by its affectionate nickname in this situation implies that everyone is running around crazy. Frenzy further implies a state of confusion.

I think the one that makes me laugh the hardest is referring to the events in Madison as “The Mad City Showdown.” It’s even fun to say. Mad City Showdown? Seriously?  This isn’t the wild west. Nobody is facing off at high noon, nobody is wearing spurs or ass-less chaps. The best part is that in the seven days of Madison protests, there have been zero arrests!

I am so tired of the way that the local news has been covering the events in Madison that I decided it was time to see the situation for myself. Well, that and I strongly believe in the cause and fully support unions and working families in Wisconsin.

When I arrived in Madison on Day 5 of the protests, the first thing that struck me was that life on the east side of the city (which is how you enter Madison when you drive from Milwaukee) was that people were going about their daily lives completely unscathed by the events at the Capitol. Some frenzy!

Secondly, the protests and rallies in and of themselves were peaceful. That was the whole point. There were even signs posted inside the Capitol reminding folks that “this is a peaceful protest.” The point of the rallies was for union members and supporters to have their voices heard and to stand together in solidarity. The people I encountered were warm, respectful, and passionate. Having the opportunity to voice my opinion inside the halls of our state’s Capitol along with thousands of other people who felt the same way was pretty powerful to say the least.

After witnessing the events first hand and then comparing them to the headlines and articles I  read, I am through consulting local news sources to find out what’s really going on in Madison, Wisconsin. I’ve stopped watching Milwaukee’s local news reports on Madison because their depiction of events in Madison versus my experience in Madison are complete opposites.

Instead, to find out what’s really happening in Madison, Wisconsin, I’m consulting scores of alternate news sources such as the Huffington Post’s live updates of events, eyewitness accounts on Twitter and Facebook, footage on YouTube, video montages like this one, and Mother Jones.

Anything other than the local news.

Inside the Capitol.

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Posted in Current Events, Social Media, Twitter

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A Vacation From the Internet

Posted on January 18, 2011 | 2 Comments

Last week, I enjoyed a fabulous, all-inclusive vacation in Mexico. I spent the week with family and friends on the Caribbean Sea, sipping drinks on the beach, enjoying 80 degree weather, and working on my tan in January–oh and visiting ancient ruins in Tulum.  I could not have asked for a better vacation.  At the end of the week, I was truly sad to leave which can be a rare feeling after a family vacation.

One of the most surprising highlights of the trip was taking a vacation from the Internet. I never thought I would be so happy to ditch my iPhone, my laptop, Twitter, Facebook, gchat, Tumblr, WordPress, etc.   It wasn’t until I started having digital separation anxiety days before the trip that I realized just how addicted I am to the charms of the interwebs. However, once in Mexico, I let my iPhone go dead and didn’t look back! No chatting, no updating statuses, no Facebook creeping.  Instead of tweeting every five minutes, I tweeted once during the week vacation (I guess you can’t quit Internet addictions cold turkey). Taking a vacation from the Internet was just what I needed to curtail my social media addiction and here is what I found:

  1. Ignorance really is bliss. I don’t need to know what everyone else is  doing, thinking, feeling at all times. In fact, I’d prefer not to.
  2. Face-to-face conversation trumps all other forms. Social media is a fabulous way to keep in touch with people, but nothing beats meeting with those people in person.
  3. Make time to stop and smell the roses. I hate being that person who is always on their darn phone looking at Twitter updates, so it was nice not to have that option. It really forces you to soak in your surroundings and live in the moment!
  4. I really do prefer Twitter over Facebook. At least this week. Twitter doesn’t bombard you with tons of useless information as Facebook tends to.  I really like 140 character limit on Twitter.

Because of the way technology has advanced and the rising popularity of social media, it’s silly to think that a person should spend their entire life offline and not on a computer. However, now that I have taken an Internet Vacation, I have found a much-needed balance between my digital life and my real life. There is a time and a place for being connected and that time is not all the time.

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Posted in Current Events, Social Media, Travel

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Help Find Joe Sjoberg

Posted on December 9, 2010 | 3 Comments

Joe Sjoberg (pronounced SHOW-BERG) has been missing from Madison, WI since Monday, November 29th.  Originally from Washington state, 22 year-old Joe Sjoberg was reported missing after he didn’t show up at work or his apartment.  Joe left with his car and cell phone and nothing indicates any foul play connected with his disappearance.

I have personally never met Joe, but he is the younger brother of two guys, Rob and Pat, that I swam with at Beloit College for several years. Because of the fact that there are not many tangible leads in Joe’s disappearance, the most important tool to use in finding Joe Sjoberg is word of mouth.  Joe’s family and friends have launched an online amber alert through Facebook, Twitter, and various other social media outlets.  Through these platforms, detailed information about Joe’s car and last known whereabouts, photos of Joe, “Joe is missing” fliers, and the latest information/leads have been shared quickly and viewed by a  large audience. The more people who are aware of the situation and pass along the information, the quicker we find Joe Sjoberg.

That’s where you come into play.  Even if you have never met Joe Sjoberg or have no direct connection to his family or friends, just sharing the information goes such a long way.  As I said before, the more people who are aware of  Joe Sjoberg’s disappearance, the better the chances of finding Joe sooner rather than later.  Here are some simple things you can do to help find Joe Sjoberg:

  1. Tweet the information. Here is a simple phrase you can tweet: Please RT, #JoeSjoberg has gone missing in WI. Please help us find him. http://bit.ly/ieE12p
  2. Check out the Help Us Find Joe Sjoberg Facebook page.
  3. Join the Help Joe Missing Facebook group.
  4. Post a “Joe is Missing” flier.
  5. Look out for Joe’s license plates.
  6. If you know something or see something related to Joe Sjoberg, contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post.  Please spread the word about finding Joe Sjoberg on Facebook and Twitter.  My thoughts and hopes are with Rob and Pat and their family as the search continues.

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Posted in Current Events, Social Media

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Big Brother is Watching You (Naked)

Posted on November 23, 2010 | 5 Comments

It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen–oh wait, excuse me, wrong story. What I meant to say was that it was an unseasonably warm day in November when I read about the latest in airport security measures–full body scans.

Full body scans?!   Wasn’t walking barefoot through the metal detector with all legal liquids in a plastic bag and boarding pass and photo ID in tow enough? I can’t stand flying as it is, or airports for that matter, and now the TSA is requiring full body scans at all airports. 

So now, when I, an already anxious flyer, go to the airport, I have to pick between a TSA worker seeing me naked or a same-sex TSA worker touching my chest and other choice areas to make sure that I’m not hiding anything illegal in my body cavity.  Hmmm, a tough decision. Which method shall I pick? Be groped or be seen naked? Gosh, that high-speed rail  is sounding great right about now…(dang it, Scott Walker!).

Full body scans at security checkpoints have crossed a line.  At this rate, they might as well strip search us when we pass through security. Full body scans should be reserved for medical reasons only, not for use at airport security checkpoints.  

I don’t know what’s worse, receiving a full body scan or its alternative–getting groped.  Give me a break.  Of course, I’m sure plenty of Americans will defend this new measure, all in the name of American safety and security.  Safety at all costs!  Sure we have to sacrifice some personal freedoms in order to stay safe, but this new invasive airport security measure has gone too far.

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Posted in Current Events, Travel

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Brett Favre Teaches Us to Quit While We’re Still Ahead

Posted on October 27, 2010 | 5 Comments
Me, in happier Brett Favre times.

As a lifelong Green Bay Packer fan, I was in love Brett Favre for a very, very long time.  When I moved to Boston in the winter of 2007, I brought my love for Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers along with me.  I made sure that everyone I met knew of my deep passion for all things Favre and Packers.  My roommate and I even threw a birthday party for Brett at our apartment on Comm. Ave. on October 10th (his actual birthday).  We decorated our apartment with

A poster from our Favre birthday party.

newspaper collages and Favre facts.  All of our friends wore green and gold, despite the fact that most of them were New England Patriots fans.  At other parties when the topic turned to football, I would spew out facts about Brett Favre followed by, “I bet your quarterback never did that!“

My passion for Favre became so well-known among my circle of Bostonian friends, that when the Packers suffered a devastating loss during the NFC Championship game, I received sympathy texts and voicemail as if I had lost a relative or something.

The Brett Favre award I received.

Even my middle school students knew of my love for Favre.  When my students were upset over an assignment I had given them they would mutter under their breath, “Brett Favre sucks” as if that was the all-time worst insult they could imagine.  When I competed in The Ultimate Grind, a grueling physical competition devised by my athletic trainer friends and carried out in a foot of snow, I was given “The Brett Favre Award” for my passion for competition.  In fact, my name pretty much became synonymous with Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

Needless to say, I was a freaking Brett Favre fan if there ever was one. So it might come as a shock that, today, I am still hoarse from booing Brett Favre at Lambeau Field during Sunday night’s Packers/Vikings game.  I booed for Brett Favre during his every play of the game, screamed for joy at his interceptions and even flashed a few thumbs down signs in his direction (Since I was sitting near children, I refrained from giving the finger.)

Amidst my public displays of Favre-hate, something dawned on me.  How could it be that the 71,000 other fans and I were shouting at the top of our longs for the demise of someone who we had drooled over only two short years ago?  How had it come to this? Favre played a terrible game while receiving boos for his every move.  On top of that, he is injury-laden, the punchline of dick jokes,  and his own wife didn’t even bother to attend Sunday’s game.  Brett Favre had taken his legend and dragged it through the mud.  It became crystal clear to me: Brett Favre should have quit when he was still ahead.

If he had quit after 16 seasons in Green Bay, Favre would’ve been remembered for his dedication, passion, and talent instead of as a spiteful, selfish prima donna with a sexting problem.  His jersey probably would have been retired by now and he could be spending his days filming Wranglers commercials in peace.  Let Brett Favre’s shenanigans be a lesson to all of us: quit while you’re still ahead.

I still have a framed poster of Favre in my bedroom from the Monday Night game he played after his father died unexpectedly. The poster now serves as a visual reminder to me to quit while I’m still ahead.  I’m not involved in anything that I want to quit, but when the moment arrives, I will be sure to make a timely exit.

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Posted in All Things Sports, Current Events

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R.I.P. Walkman

Posted on October 25, 2010 | 3 Comments

First, it was the Polaroid camera. Now, the Walkman is the latest archaic piece of technology to be retired by its creators. Twenty years from now, we’ll probably laugh about the fact that we ever owned smart phones.

I was pretty bummed to learn about the Walkman’s demise.  What’s so bad about the Walkman?! They always came equipped with a convenient clip so that you could attach them to your shorts and listen to all the songs you taped off the radio while going for a nice jog.  Maybe the Walkman ate a tape or two, but nobody’s perfect! My iPod freezes more often than that.

As a proud owner or several amazing Walkmen, it’s hard for me to grasp the fact that the Walkman is even that old.  When I entered college in the fall of 2001, I actually brought my Walkman with me.  On the first day of college, my freshman seminar took a field trip to Art Institute of Chicago and you better believe I brought my Walkman on the bus so that I could listen to my “Summer Before College” mix tape.

Perhaps my most beloved Walkman was the yellow, Sony Sport Walkman.  The best part was that it came equipped with two holes for earphones which was perfect for my sister and I.  On long family car trips in our youth, the Sony Sport Walkman saved the day as my sister and I could both listen to our favorite Wee Sing tape at the same time while my parents and older brother rocked out to Paul Simon’s Graceland. Everyone was happy!  Later on, in my early high school years, the same Sony Sport Walkman of my youth survived a near drowning during a Lake Winnipesaukee canoe trip.  My canoe capsized, catapulting the Sony Sport Walkman into the throes of Lake Winnipesaukee’s waters.  Not only did the Walkman stay afloat, but it continued to work as it always did–like a dream.

I’m sorry to hear that future generations will no longer have the option to  rock out with the Walkman.  I’ve always been a proponent of being old school and using convenient technologies instead of staying up with the latest gadgets.  Like I always say, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  I raise my glass to you, Man of Walk!

The Walkman's convenient pants clip.

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Posted in Current Events, Fashion/entertainment

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The Case of the Missing Cinnamon Toast Crunch Bakers…Solved!

Posted on September 18, 2010 | 6 Comments

I have extreme 1980s nostalgia and something I have not been able to forget about since that time is the Cinnamon Toast Crunch commercial.  The commercial, featuring three bakers, was so delightful and so was the breakfast cereal itself.  Each commercial featured the singing bakers and a delighted child who would proclaim, “The bakers are here!” upon realizing the bakers were cooking cereal in the kitchen. In perfect harmony, each baker took a turning singing, “Cinnamon,” “toast,” and crunch.” Beautiful. Everything was perfect.  If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself below.

Everything was perfect until one day, in the early 1990s, two of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch bakers disappeared without a trace.  The horror!  Having one baker instead of three is like having one musketeer, Larry without Moe or Curly, or Snap without Crackle and Pop.  Instead of three bakers, Wendell (the old guy) remained the only baker to represent Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  The disappearance of the other bakers coincided with the addition of the cinnamon swirl to the cereal’s flakes. Were the two incidents related or a mere coincidence? 

The disappearance of the other bakers has plagued me since the late 1980s and I am certainly not alone in my concern about the fate of the other two Cinnamon Toast Crunch bakers.  Nobody can say for sure what caused the disappearance of the bakers, but there are speculations.  One speculation I had heard in the early ’90s was that a jealous Wendell drowned the other bakers in the cinnamon swirl river. A less exciting  theory is that the other two bakers were eliminated for marketing reasons.  I guess we’ll never know the truth.  Or will we?

I decided it was time for once and for all to get to the bottom of the whole missing baker debacle and go straight to the source to find out the fate of the two other bakers.  I contacted General Mills via the consumer services section of their website.  After filling out the required fields, I wrote the following note:

I am a huge fan of all your cereals and their respective commercials. I especially loved the Cinnamon Toast Crunch commercials as a kid. My favorite was the three singing chefs. I’ve always wondered, why did the other two chefs disappear from the box without a trace, making Wendell the sole mascot of Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

In a matter of minutes, I received the following auto-reply:

Thank you for contacting us.
Your message is being forwarded to a Consumer Services Representative who will review your inquiry and reply. Please be assured that we will respond to you as quickly as we can.

General Mills Consumer Services

I just hope this Consumer Services Representative has extensive knowledge on the matter and can, in fact, respond in a timely manner. I need to put a rest to this 20-some year mystery.

Thankfully, a Consumer Services rep did in fact respond in a timely fashion.  Saturday morning, I received the following email:

 Hello Valued Consumer:
 
Thank you for contacting General Mills with your inquiry.
Wendell was the only baker that was named, and due to consumer feedback, we chose to feature him as the “Cinnamon Toast Baker” where he has remained in this title role since 1991.
 
We hope you find this information helpful. Please let us know if we can help you again.

Case closed! Thanks to consumer feedback, General Mills pulled the plug on the other two bakers, leaving Wendell as the sole mascot of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  Too bad I wasn’t more of a concerned consumer in the late ’80s or I would have campaigned for the other two bakers.  I’m glad I can finally put this case to rest and I’d like to express my gratitude towards General Mills for replying in such a timely fashion.  On a Saturday, too!

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Posted in Current Events, Food

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Your Services Are No Longer Required

Posted on June 14, 2010 | 4 Comments

Due to the uncertainty of our economy, more and more of us are getting acquainted with unexpected unemployment.   Unemployment doesn’t just happen to strangers, it happens to the best of us.   Just this weekend, the Milwaukee Public School system laid off  nearly 500 of its classroom teachers.  (Incidentally, the Milwaukee Public School system posted some of the nation’s lowest reading scores, but that issue will be saved for another blog post.)  With the surge of unemployment, it is no wonder that unemployment benefits fraud has tripled in the state of Wisconsin this past year.    

I, too, have had a couple of brief stints with unemployment and although it can be a little exciting at first to have an open-ended number of days off, life without a routine can feel a little unorganized.  Not to mention stressful, especially when kids, health care, and spouses are involved.  Although I had just myself to support, I found myself dipping into my secret stash of quarters, nickels, and dimes in order to pay for things like coffee, bus fare, and the out-of-pocket expenses necessary to see a doctor and pay for medications. 

Should you find yourself in the throes of unemployment, here are my suggestions on how to keep your peace of mind as you grapple with its challenges:

1) Realize your lack of employment is only a short term problem.  You will find a job at some point.  It may take a while to find a job within your desired field, so while you network, you might as well find a paid pick-up job while you search.  

2) As comfy as sweats are, don’t make them a uniform.  It can be depressing to lose your job, especially if it was one you loved, and sweatpants can provide instant comfort.  However, if you dress for success, success will find you!

3) Maintain a normal sleep schedule.  None of this staying up until 4am, sleeping in until 2pm business.  Even though your schedule might permit an ungodly sleep schedule, it will be hard to break these bad habits once you do secure employment.

4) Seize the day!  As tempting and easy as it can be, do not sit around your house and mope. Use this unexpected free time to do the things you have always wanted to do such as travel, running, knitting, piano, reading, blogging, cooking, etc.  I perfected my breakfast sandwich and took up Twitter when I found extra time on my hands.

5) Network. Make a list of everyone you have ever known and figure out how you can connect with them for potential employment tips.  Call people, go to local networking events.  Also, it always helps to join social networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.  

6) Do your chores.  You really have no excuse not to do the dishes, or your laundry, or to dust all the countertops in your house. Twice.  Keeping up with the house work now will be one less thing you have to worry about maintaining when you do return to the work world.

As painful, difficult, scary, stressful, etc. unemployment can be, I view unexpected unemployment as a blessing in disguise.   Although the blessing of unexpected unemployment did not reveal itself to me until months later, it ultimately allowed me to focus on my writing, which catapulted me on a new and more fulfilling path of employment.

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Posted in Current Events, Education

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