Archive for the ‘Milwaukee’ Category
Wisconsin Primary [updated]
It’s Tuesday the 19th of February and Wisconsin is voting for the presidential primaries. My prediction : Obama wins handily over Clinton for the Dems and McCain steals the show for the Republicans. (Of course, given my track record at predicting primary outcomes, you’re going to want to take that with a grain or two of salt.)
[Updated Feb 19, 23:04] Obama finishes the night with a commanding lead, beating Clinton by 16%. Consider this : Obama’s margin of victory in Wisconsin is greater than that in Michigan (and just behind Florida) where he agreed not to campaign due to these states violating party rules.
Hillary, it’s just not your year.
Filed under Milwaukee, politics : Comments (0) : Feb 19th, 2008
Dear Wisconsin : Wake up!
I live in the fair state of Wisconsin (in the fair city of Milwaukee, for those of you playing along at home). Having grown up next door in lovely Minnesota, I’ve enjoyed exploring the various similarities and differences between these two Midwest neighbors.
Recently, I’ve become extremely frustrated with the short sighted approach taken by my state legislators when considering a state wide smoking ban. Minnesota, Illinois, and a handful of municipalities in the state have gone completely smoke-free for indoor workplaces. The state legislator is stuck on this issue and it doesn’t look promising for this session.
Here’s the flaw in their logic, and the reason I’m scolding them for being too short sighted:
Instead of promoting Wisconsin as a progressive, dynamic state and enticing young professionals like myself, the legislature is bending over backward to protect the economic interests of the small bars in northern Wisconsin. Net effect : Minnesota & Illinois look a whole lot more appealing!
Yes, I am drawing a clear line here. I firmly believe that there is more economic benefit for the state as a whole to promote and encourage a health-conscious agenda that appeals most to today’s professional adults. Even if that comes at the expense of a few bars up north. Of course, every state that has gone smoke free has discovered that the bar owners generally increase revenue by attracting more customers, but I’m sure there will be at least a few hole in the wall bars that will suffer. So be it.
The times are changing. Wisconsin needs to wake up and meet the change head on!
Filed under Milwaukee, culture, politics : Comments (5) : Jan 31st, 2008
HD Radio : no radio required
I’ve been debating the purchase of an HD radio for some time now. The promise of HD radio is free radio with higher clarity & quality than FM/AM and additional stations that you won’t get anywhere else. Sounds pretty good!
The one downside is that you have to invest in a new radio with a digital tuner to get these signals. So instead of free, you’ll end up spending a few hundred dollars (each) for your home & car. Bummer.
But wait! You have a computer, right? (Of course you do, you’re on it right now.) Most stations offer a digital broadcast of their radio programs, offering you the benefits of HD radio without the additional equipment. All you need is a computer (and old one will do), some speakers (Apple’s Airtunes helps) and an internet connection and you’re all set. I use iTunes to play the stations, but you can also use WinAmp or your favorite audio player.
To get you started, here are a few of my favorite stations:
- 88.9 Radio Milwaukee [music]
- WPR Ideas Network [news]
- WUWM - Milwaukee Public Radio [news]
- WUWM-HD2 - Milwaukee Public Radio [music]
- KNOW - Minnesota Public Radio [news]
Enjoy!
Filed under Milwaukee, culture, technology : Comments (0) : Jan 24th, 2008
McDonald’s is Hip!
I don’t eat at McDonalds very often. I’m not terribly fond of their business model or their food. But every now and again I find myself desperately hungry and impossibly close to the golden arches.
Last night was one such occasion. I ordered a double cheeseburger and two pies from the dollar menu. The pies were mediocre; the burger was pretty gross. I felt kind of sick afterwards.
But! The McDonalds I found myself at was the hippest, trendiest fast food joint on the planet! The tables, colors, and decorations are very modern. There’s even art on the wall! See proof here:
I’m curious to see if this actually increases sales, since the food is still awful.
Filed under Milwaukee : Comments (2) : Nov 2nd, 2007
Bumper Stickers
Filed under Milwaukee, culture : Comments (0) : Oct 28th, 2007
stop condos
Living on the east side of Milwaukee, I can relate.
Here’s another gem:
Filed under Milwaukee, culture : Comments (2) : Sep 29th, 2007
Mass transit
When I was a kid, you could buy a gallon of gasoline for under a dollar. Those day are long since past, with gas prices hovering near $3/gallon and $4 on the horizon.
Surprisingly, American drivers don’t seem to mind. Our collective memory is so short that whenever gas drops by a few cents we forget that it just went up by a quarter. $2.89 gas doesn’t hurt so bad once you’ve purchased $3.25 gas for a few weeks.
The trouble is that we’re not doing anything substantial to provide options to drivers. I live in Milwaukee and currently have two choices to get to work: drive 15 minutes by car or ride the bus for nearly an hour. Not surprisingly, I choose the former. (Actually, I am working on a third option involving my bicycle, but that’s for another post).
What we need are some new options.
As the price of gas climbs, the economics of mass transit changes. The number of commuters who would ride metro train when gas is at $4/gallon is much higher than the number of riders at $2/gallon. The trouble is, gas prices can rise much faster than we can build mass transit alternatives. It’s time that we made some forward-looking predictions and planned for the extremely likely occurrence of gasoline prices continuing to rise.
The primary reason mass transit development is so hard is that it has high up-front costs. Building a light rail system requires planning and capital investment. (Two skills that most state and federal legislators lack). The critical flaw in calculating the cost of a mass transit system is that we don’t give it a fair comparison. In the 1950s and 60s, the booming post-war economy invested billions of dollars building the interstate highway system. Due to our collective memory problem (remember?) we assume the cost of highways to be zero. Worse, the highway system is so ingrained in our culture that we mindlessly shovel billions of dollars each year to keep it running.
And our highway system is dying. This year, highway congestion will cost $100 billion in lost productivity. This problem will only get worse as demand increases with limited change in supply. Are these costs factored into the economic analysis of mass transit? Hardly.
We need to start building mass transit solutions now. This year. Today. We need express bus lanes, metro and regional rail. We need to proactively plan (gasp!) for increased gas prices and increased demand. We simply cannot wait for $5/gallon gas to come around because by then it will be too late.
Filed under Milwaukee, climate change, economics, politics : Comments (4) : Sep 27th, 2007
Brewers last home stand
I had the good fortune of attending a Brewers game at Miller Park in the Friday’s section. We ate dinner on the patio in center field and had a great view of the game.
In the 6th inning, Braun hit a deep homer to center field that sailed right over our heads, hit the rear wall of the stadium, and bounced back towards our table. My colleague Andrew stood on his chair and snatched the ball out of the air. Great catch Andrew!
The Brewers proceeded to route the Cards 13-5 and are just games away from making the playoffs.
Filed under Milwaukee, culture : Comments (3) : Sep 24th, 2007
