Snow Day in Madison

This is deja vu from our last two winters here. On the CBS morning news Tuesday, they sent weatherman Dave Price to Flagstaff, Ariz., site of a huge snowstorm that was making its to the midwest. The weather band stretched from Arizona to Wisconsin, where the majority of the snow cut through the middle of the state (south of Hayward, north of Janesville), which meant that once again Madison would get more snow than up north. In fact, this did happen: UW-Superior was the only UW system school to stay open yesterday.

It sucks that Madison just happens to sit in the eye of all these snow storms. Waking up yesterday, I thought it was eerie to see the quiet streets, downed branches and basic white-out. The plows did a nice job, though I'm surprised how much ice there is today given that hardly any cars drove yesterday to pack it in. There was so much ice on the steep hill that is S. Hamilton St. that a bus got stuck this morning, and all the cars behind it got stuck.

How bad was the 19.5" of snow yesterday? All state agencies closed; no mail, no busses, nothing. The hospitals were super busy with people experiencing chest pains from shoveling and several injuries from snowblowers (FOR PETE'S SAKE: DON'T STICK YOUR HAND IN THE SNOWBLOWER!!!). UW-Madison played host to a snowball fight on Bascom Hill, though not enough students came out to break Michigan Tech's World Record.

Speaking of snowballs, did you see the seven-foot snowball near the Vintage (University Ave/Frances St.)? It took at least 10 people to build it. There also were reports of 10-foot tall (or taller) snowmen all over campus, including one in the roundabout near the Natatorium.

By evening, I saw several pizza delivery cars moving about, as well as a taxi or two. I was willing to venture out to pick up some champagne at the liquor store, but no surprise, it was closed.

Sadly, winter still hasn't even started yet (11 days away). I thought this was supposed to be a tamer winter?

Jewelry war

I enjoyed listening to Scott Chalmers (of Chalmer Jewelers) bash Richard Kessler (of Kesslers Diamonds) on the radio the other day. Kessler has flooded the radio market with his annoying ads (I hate them so much I vow to never buy from him, and I steer my friends away from him). Now Chalmers has called out Kessler for its yellow diamonds. Just priceless!

Bash the Bashers

A letter-to-the-editor appeared in today's Cap Times that ridicules anti-RTA advocate Bill Richardson. An excerpt:

"Richardson has no vision for the future of transportation in Dane County except to advocate for building another south beltline, and using valuable farmland for a North Mendota parkway north of Madison. When I asked him about gas prices in the future, he said, without even batting an eye, that he 'would pay $10 per gallon for gas' in front of several witnesses. To me, that shows a high degree of selfishness, and a definite lack of vision for the future of transportation in Dane County."

Richardson lives in a C.A.V.E. (citizens against virtually everything). Thank the writer for further illustrating Richardson's selfishness.

Mayor Dave: 'Unreasonable Opposition'

In Mayor Dave's recent blog entry on the Edgewater Hotel proposal, he wrote that "What remains now is unreasonable opposition from a slim minority that vows to use every tool at their disposal, including the courts, to block this project."

I completely agree, as mentioned in my previous entry on this topic. Projects in Madison are too often fought tooth and nail, and it really does no one any good. Let this project proceed for Pete's sake!

What will the IOC do?

The International Olympics Committee is definitely unpredictable, as described. Look at a few years ago when it picked London--nowhere near considered the favorite--for the 2012 games? (What the hell did Tony Blair do when he met with IOC officials in his hotel suite?)

The prevailing theory is that Brazil and Chicago are the favorites. Why? South America has never played host to the Olympics, and Brazil would be a nice start as it builds toward becoming a superpower (along with Russia, India and China). Chicago is a favorite because it is a "safe" bet, as America always is.

I'm not sure why Madrid is not a favorite, and Tokyo is not supposedly because Beijing just had the Olympics.

I don't think Brazil will get it because it is already playing host to the World Cup, perhaps a more important event to the country. Madrid does not have the appeal that Barcelona does, and Tokyo just picked the wrong year. Go Chicago!

Here's an AP article that explains the agonizing decision process of the IOC.

More speed traps

I love that the Madison police department announces where it will lay its speed traps. Here are this week's:

• Tuesday: 900 S. Midvale Blvd., school zone

• Wednesday: 3500 block of Highway 30, construction zone

• Thursday: John Nolen Drive, speed and red light

Watch out, drivers!

Broom/Gorham done

Thank God the construction at the intersection of Broom Street and Gorham Street is finally done. Not sure why such a small area took so long (bigger projects in other parts of the city took far less time, such as Campus Drive). Anyways, that was one of the most annoying of all projects.