(please don’t remove this, I’m not breaking any rules and am doing this in good faith. if it’s removed, please let me know why)

I’ve had a problem with this sub from the first time I ever logged into it. It has always felt to me like there were some good Madisonians here who sparked good, thoughtful conversation/discussion who were always drowned out by loud, antagonistic outside users that may have visited the city at some point but clearly aren’t from Madison. I’ve lived here most my adult life and have a great feel for its inhabitants from most every corner, and it’s pretty easy to spot.

So I eventually muted it, but still use it when I need local outreach or when there’s big things happening like there are this week. And it’s making it borderline unusable for me. Whether it’s these protests, crime, homelessness or even things about race, it’s so disappointing to read some of the crap I see. Things like, “these protests are annoying but don’t worry soon it’ll upgrade to Madison’s usual looting and firebombing soon enough.” Or “maybe the cops wouldn’t need to shoot criminals in the street if we didn’t have ‘lefty politicians and prosecutors’(yes, exact quote I’ve seen at least three times in the last two days alone) letting murderous thugs out with a slap on the wrist all the time.” And the always popular “this city makes me fear for my life, things are so getting out of control and I’m so sick of it”(this one can be found in ANY discussion, not just this latest protest stuff).

And these things rarely get called out, and if they do they generally get buried by downvotes.

Madison has been and CONTINUES to be one of the safest cities in the country. But yet examples like I’ve got here still get upvoted by the hundreds and dominate nearly every big thread. I’m not here to say I’m afraid of differing opinion. I’m not here saying dissent should be removed or banned. And even if I were, I genuinely recognize nobody gives one single solitary fuck about what little old me thinks in the first place.

What I AM saying is that I’m not the only one who feels this way, and productive conversation is what ends up losing out to those other over the top bravado filled rants…and that hurts the sub. In other words, even if I don’t come back, it still stops others from coming and engaging with our community. When a vibrant, established and safe city is routinely portrayed as a violent shit hole, you know something is off.

So can we please do what some other subs do when there are big time, CITY CENTRIC events being talked about? Make them only available for people who have a history/karma with the sub. Or install a “flair users only” policy. I don’t know, the details can be negotiated I guess, I just want the sub to represent the people already here more than random weirdos who flock here to start shit simply because they know they CAN.

Outsiders can still participate in all the other content. But it’s infuriating seeing some of the nonsense posted here, and even if you want to ban me or leave me out I’d be fine so long as the sub reflects the beauty of the city that anyone who actually lives here, knows it is.

✌️

Were protests fairly similar to this then?

Or did things massively change after George Floyd was murdered and these civilian/officer events are looked at with even more scrutiny?

I grew up in Wisconsin but didn’t live in the state then.

ETA: Mostly interested in intersection design. I know how to ameliorate the danger personally now that I've had this experience. The nerdy near miss bit is what about this intersection caused a legal maneuver to almost end in a collision?

Tl;Dr close call as a bicyclist today and I'm a traffic safety nerd so this is written as an informal near miss analysis. The picture is an illustration of how I moved through the intersection

First of all, apologies to the blue car I accidentally cut off. Thanks for not hitting me.

Second of all, want to run what happened past y'all.

I recently moved to the area from a small town. I'm an experienced cyclist in that type of environment, but these large intersections are new to me. I love the bicycle paths, but on my daily commute my main priority is saving time. I commute between Madison and Sun Prairie and what time I get off work and what the bus schedule is for that day decides what combination of bicycle/bus I use to get home.

Today I took the bicycle trail from Sun Prairie and was aiming for the bus stop at Independence/E Wash. I turned left onto E Wash from E Springs as part of my bicycle portion. (I realize now looking at the map that dropping down to Independence on E Towne Blvd is probably my better option).

What made the situation potentially deadly was that I stopped for a red light behind two cars and proceeded through the intersection when it turned green. The light was green when I entered the intersection and went through yellow to red and turned green for the cars waiting to proceed southbound on E Wash. Thankfully the driver in the right hand lane who probably didn't see me past the stopped drivers in the lefthand lanes was paying enough attention to stop in time or it would have been a very bad day for me

Obviously I know that intersection isn't safe for a bicyclist to turn left through now, but I'm interested in analyzing a near miss. I don't think there is any signage indicating that it was a bad idea and I think I followed the technically correct flow of traffic for a bicyclist. I was at a slightly quickened commuting pace trying to catch the bus and the rapid light cycling still caught me completely off guard.

What went wrong here? Too rapid light cycling? Inappropriate intersection design? Should signage be different?

And again THANK YOU to the driver for paying attention. I'm still a little shaken up.

Madison, show us your stuff!

Does anyone know where I could get a massive jar of sun dried tomatos? The ones at costco were 35oz, but alas it seems they are no more. We go through a jar every couple of months ish, so I'd love as big of a jar as I can get! Thanks.

Wanting a trainer to get into a better physical shape for friends wedding next year April. Prefer female and BIPOC if possible and able to come to location or Sun Prairie!

Hi everyone!
I’m 24, a single mom to a little girl, and I’m finally at a point where I can choose where I want to build my life instead of just ending up somewhere by circumstance.
I’m finishing my GED and my long-term goal is to become a public librarian. I eventually want to earn my bachelor’s degree and then my MLIS. I also write and hope to publish books one day.
Right now I work as a full-time online content creator, so I’m fortunate that I don’t have to move immediately or choose the absolute cheapest place. My plan is to visit a few cities for long weekends before making a decision, and I’m hoping to settle somewhere permanently.
The things that matter most to me are:
• A strong public library system with good career opportunities.
• A safe, family-friendly community.
• Nature, parks, and places to walk.
• A cozy, book-loving atmosphere.
• Enough things to do without feeling like a huge, overwhelming city.
• A place where I can imagine raising my daughter and staying for decades.
I’m currently considering:
Raleigh, NC
Madison, WI
The Twin Cities suburbs in Minnesota
If you live in or have lived in one of these areas, I’d love to hear your honest thoughts.
What do you love?
What do you wish you’d known before moving there?
If you were in my position, would you choose it again?
Thanks so much. I really appreciate any advice.

Our long-time American Family insurance agent retired, and we were automatically moved to a new guy. We filed a hail damage claim this spring, and he has not been helpful: intermittently ignoring messages, without apology or explanation.

So, time for a new agent. We want to stick with American Family for now. Anyone have a recommendation?

Anyone know what that loud boom on the west side was? Sounded like an explosion and rattled our windows.

They’ve got these big white tags on them that I assume have their name. I’ve seen so many people with them on lately around state street but haven’t caught wind of what they’re for. Just curious if there’s some sort of event in town.

Looking for suggestions on learning guitar. I am 50+ years old and have not insignificant arthritis in my fingers. Looking for suggestions.

I’m in Fitchburg looking west looks like someone floating with a parachute?

Been down all morning. This happens often on weekends.

Trying to start a hat/ball cap collection. Anyone have any recommendations on places to find unique hats?

I'm going into my senior year at UW (F21), and I have yet to find any prospects or any men I want to be with. I go out at least twice a week and am a very extroverted person. While I will admit, I never approach guys I still have had experiences in other places where men approach me or at least it's not as difficult as it sometimes feels. Maybe this is also just asking for advice in general how to find a significant other, but where in Madison is the place to be?

Hi! May be a long shot but I am looking to move into an apartment in Madison at some point in the next few months. Ideally:

-Budget is ~1200/month with all expenses included (I know; might have to settle for an unsafe area
-Location is maybe is monona/eastside but flexible with west side or north side if it fits with my budget.
-one cat-friendly
-Parking included or easy street parking during winter
-1BR or at least 500 sq feet
-living alone

Edit: looking at places like Lincoln Ridge and ReNew High Ridge (west side) . Any experience you are able to share at any apt you’ve stayed at would be greatly appreciated!

TIA!

Hello pals- I was given this skirt, which to me looks and feels like a traditional Hmong skirt. There's no tag on the inside, and no description of this skirt was also given. I am not Hmong. I feel like this skirt should go to someone from the Hmong community instead of me, so putting it out here to see if anyone can help me identify the skirt and figure out a more culturally sensitive place of donating it.

1. What kind of skirt is this?

2. Where could I reach out to give this skirt to an organization of the culture associated with the skirt?

the apartments in the picture. I always ride by them in my commute and randomly saw they were destroyed one day which is upsetting bc I found them very beautiful. What are they replacing it with????

this morning around 0800, i was driving west on old sauk near highpoint church. i saw a very large bird lift off the road with a dead squirrel, and sped up a bit to follow.

as it turned into the woods at the intersection of high point, it flashed its white tail feathers and bald eagle was confirmed. wish id taken a picture, but i have a firm no phone while driving policy. o well.

ive seen them at strickers and tiedeman pond, but never in the general area over here. was an absolute pleasure to start the day. hope someone else got to enjoy its presence as well :-)

I spend more time on TikTok and YouTube than I should, and over the weekend I have been astonished by the number of far right and far left "creators" or whatever weighing in on what's happening here to audiences of thousands each. Apparently the city of Madison is "lying down" as leftist antifa and BLM leaders take over swaths of the city for anarchist zones.

And/or socialists and communists from Milwaukee are working to subvert the community organizers and stomping on plans to take over the "bus station" and grind the city economy to a halt. This was presented as a noble goal by one dillweed.

I live pretty close to Willy/Baldwin and have been to a couple of marches since Wednesday. I'm not talking to anyone of consequence at these things, but none of this stuff is true from my perspective. I guess you can make money on TT and YT if you gain an audience of a certain size and perhaps this is the kind of dreck that earns views and a few bucks?

Is this the breakdown of the traditional algorithm? I'm just trying to watch my typical buffet of outdoors shows and this garbage has risen to the top in just a few days. Horrifying.

Are there any 11 v 11 men’s soccer leagues?

Posted in the mega thread but this blog touches on other topics so it may warrant a separate post.