One of my coworkers shopped hard and purchased a new 2004 Civic DX Sedan for $11,800, including tax & title. I had no idea one could still purchase a car like this:
He bought the car from Wilde Honda.
A car like this is a smart buy as it gets great mileage and has few things to break. Most manufacturers are loading cars with software and electronics that will be rather expensive to fix….
James Oestreich on last weekend’s Symphony & organ performance:
The organ sounded splendid in Mr. Trotter’s performance of the Jongen work, though this is not quite so blatant a showpiece as, say, Saint-Sa?ns’s “Organ” Symphony (which the orchestra played in an earlier, prededication concert). The tonal qualities are rich and varied, and the sonic heft seems well suited to the space.
But it is crucial for a concert organ, as opposed to a church instrument, Mr. Trotter noted in conversation, to be able to blend with a symphony orchestra as well as stand up to it. And the blend here was uncanny, sometimes tricking the ear into confusing reed pipes with woodwind instruments.
But as good as all this news was, the crowning touch for an old Madison hand who arrived hopeful but not optimistic was the condition and quality of the Madison Symphony. At a time of orchestral retrenchment nationwide, this part-time group seems to be flourishing, with an annual surplus of $50,000 to $100,000 on its $2.8 million budget, and an endowment climbing toward $15 million. It added a third concert for 7 of its 9 subscription programs this season, and subscriptions and attendance are strong and rising steeply (partly, no doubt, because of the new hall).
It was indeed, an enjoyable evening. I agree with the writer that Madison is fortunate to have such a wonderful symphony.
Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser spoke at the Wisconsin Union Theatre Monday night. Kristopher Irizarry has some excerpts:
Schlosser spent very little time discussing topics covered in his best-selling book ?Fast Food Nation,? with the exception of his engagement with the role the meatpacking industry plays in the life of America?s working poor, an issue he said he engaged several times in his career.
UW senior Kristen Jordan and junior Nora Dinneen said they were both a little ?disappointed in Schlosser?s politically slanted? speech.
?His research is impressive and I was hoping that he would speak more in the voice of his books,? Jordan said. ?I also wish that with all the bad organizations he talked about ? he would have given us contacts for organizations making a difference.?