joe erbentraut
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No, I’m not your bear. Why words matter and self-identification must be respected (Goddamnit).
It wasn’t long ago that I was walking on the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin, on the way to the wedding reception of two good friends with my partner. When we’d almost reached the venue, I noticed a truck had slowed down to a stop and a window was being rolled down. “Cute bears!” the…
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2011 in music: Favorite albums and live shows
It’s now (beyond) time for my annual listing of favorite music from the previous year. Though countless others have taken on the task of somewhat arbitrarily ranking their favorite songs from the previous year, I still deeply enjoy the challenge of acknowledging full albums worth of work that were truly excellent (in my mind). Sure,…
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A beardy challenge
I love November. First, there’s the change of season — often as harsh as it is lovely and unpredictable. And there’s also my birthday, which arrives on the 3rd of the month. But, in recent years I’ve also come to love the trend of “No Shave November” mustache and/or beard campaigns. As a not-particularly-athletic person…
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Playing favorites, or resisting “best of”: 2010 edition
Every December, a personal dilemma arrives: The “best of 2010” music list. To make one or not? Such lists often feel stifling, sometimes bullying, and I don’t particularly feel justified in claiming the decidedly dubious title of “tastemaker.” Last year, I chose to, instead, create a mix honoring some of my favorite musical discoveries of…
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Election redux
It’s undeniable that many of the developments from this Tuesday’s election were disappointing to Democrats and progressive folk around the country. But I must admit that I had to pause this time before announcing another (mostly empty) threat to leave the country entirely, now that I – once again – live in one dark blue…
al franken, bill brady, brian brown, carl paladino, christine o’donnell, don’t ask don’t tell, emily haines, enda, homophobia, islamophobia, jim demint, joe miller, ken buck, metric, michele bachmann, midterm elections, muslim-americans, national organization for marriage, net neutrality, patrick murphy, racism, republicans, russ feingold, sharia law, sharron angle, university of wisconsin
joe erbentraut 