Digital Ethnography LInk

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Wikipedia Article

I posted an article about the State of Wisconsin on Conservapedia.com. At the end of the article it discussed Tammy Baldwin who is the congresswoman from Madison. The article stated that Tammy Baldwin is the one of the few openly homosexual women in Congress. At this point in the semester we are focusing a lot on the proper style of writing, and I believed it would sound more fluid if I changed homosexual to Lesbian which is more commonly reffered to for the female gender.
http://www.conservapedia.com/Madison

Wikipedia Article

I posted an article about the State of Wisconsin on Conservapedia.com. At the end of the article it discussed Tammy Baldwin who is the congresswoman from Madison. The article stated that Tammy Baldwin is the one of the few openly homosexual women in Congress. At this point in the semester we are focusing a lot on the proper style of writing, and I believed it would sound more fluid if I changed homosexual to Lesbian which is more commonly reffered to for the female gender.
http://www.conservapedia.com/Madison

The Final Postttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

Well I hope that this blog has been an enjoyable way to get a feel for Madison evening entertainment as well as the Northern Illinois urban communities. I have really enjoyed being your tour guide throughout our journey and hope that you feel good about putting your trust in Jacksthoughts111. I know this is suprising due to my proffessional style, but this is my first blog i have ever written and it has been great!

**Special Chicago Edition Cont.** State Bar

After leaving Rocket bar my home boys and I decided to venture to State Bar. This was a mistake. we left the nice bar we were at to basically go to a college bar. It was filled with people I have known my whole life which kind of took away from the experience. The drinks were more moderately priced and the layout is really large. The back part of the square room was the bar and there was expansive area of tables and open spaces to walk around. This was really nice because at the bar I am somewhat of a "Lapper". I consistantly move in a circle around the perimeter stopping to talk to people I know, then quickly continuing to move and occasionally ill throw the "whats up" eyes to some lucky female. This bar was great for that but it was extremely crowded which made it hard to move around. I also walked outside for a minute not realizing the bar closed at two and I could not get back in and had to wait for my friends outside. Overall I had a good time, I would have liked if it was open a little later. Jacks Ratings 4/5

**Special Chicago Edition** Rocket Bar

Everyone understand that Wisconsin is Shit under the shoe of Illinois. The City of Chicago really adds a nice kick in the butt. This bustling city is filled with an incredible expanive nightlife filled with diverse crowds and scenes. I visited Rocket Bar which is a pretty upscale bar in the city for mid 20 something's. We walked into the establishment and realized it was a restaurant. We walked upstairs to the bar area, you immediatley enter and their is a large bar to the right with seating and two pool tables to the left with plenty of room to "chillax". The bathrooms were spectacular with an attentive attendant who had an area of resources for a male on a night on the town. He had deoderant, cologne, gum and much much more. the drinks were about 9-10 dollars each. We ordered truffle fries which were great and overall it was an incredible entertaining experience. Jacks Ratings 4.7/6

Majestic Visited 11-15-08

Majestic is a club like atomesphere located around the capitol. I went to the Majestic for an 80's vs. 90's theme party. I have to say that overall I am not very impressed with the Majestic. The bar was located off to the side in a small corner area in the middle of a walking space. The bar was packed and scrunched and overcrowded. The drink prices are high and it is hard to get to the bar. The dance floor was big but hard to get in a socail mood without bar access. The bar was hard to get to from the state street area and made it a less enjoyable time thinking about the cold walk home that was ahead. The music was very mediocre and almost a let down. At a 90's party I did not even hear the Macerana once. I mean like come on all I wanna do is an organized dance to Latin influenced pop. The dance floor was very large which was one nice thing if there was a little bit better of a crowd inside. I have to say that overall the experience at the Majestic was not one of the finer ones. I hope I do not compromise the integrity of the blog by writting about a theme party in a club like atomesphere because this blog is meant to focus on the bar atomesphere in the Madison Area. Jacks Ratings 2.1/5

Madisons Visited 11-07-08

Madisons is very unlike most of the bars that I have reviewed up until this point. Madison's is a bar located near the capitol that does not directly cater to the campus area. Madisons is a upper class restaurant turned bar that attracts people who participate in the late night entertainment near the capitol. As we entered the bar we noticed a waterfall behind the bar. the room was dark and the dress code was respectable. The bar was pretty empty but this may have been due to the night that we went. They had a D.J. that played new age hip hop music. I believe that the D.J. did a very good job catering to the audience. The cost of the drink was pretty average and they were made very well. The bar offered a 3 dollar three olive vodka special which I was very impressed with. The bar offered an extensive liquor list with a large Martini menu. The bar also offered speciality drinks that were specific to the bar. I truly believe that with a large crowd Madison's would be an excellent place to spend a night on the town in the Madison area. I was very impressed with the bar and I will visit it again sometime soon. The only problem was that it was pretty far away from the university area and a short cab ride would be necessary to go to the establishment. Jacks Ratings 4/5

Wikipedia Article

In my Wikipedia article I chose to write about the private dorm in Madison that does not get talked about much when referring to dormitories in Madison. The article is about Statesider which is the dorm that I lived in Freshman year. I discussed the different things Statesider offers including ammenities and other features. I am hoping that I posted the Wikipedia article in the right place so I am going to meet with the teacher after class to see if this is correct but until then here is article and the link:

Statesider is a Private dorm style living environment located at 505 N. Francis Madison, WI 53703. Statesider is a privately owned dorm that is not affiliated with the University. Statesider offers all utilities included within its Rent including Cable TV, local phone line and high speed internet in the rooms. Statesider also offers roommate matching for its residence who hail from all over the country. On every floor there is a T.V. and study room that makes it a nice place to hang out with your fellow residence. Statesider has a twenty four hour computer Lab with two printers available for residence use. Statesider offers a fitness room and a stand-up tanning bed that offers a great chance for its residence to be on top of their physical game. Statesiders large dining room with big T.V.’s make for a great eating experience. Within the rooms, each one offers its resident a private bathroom for the upmost privacy. Statesider offers a variety of room styles from a single, double and two types of four person common areas. Statesider offers an unbelievable city view from a variety of its floors that entails the capitol as well as the lake. Statesider holds approximately 215 residence which makes for a great intimate environment. Statesider has a prime time location in downtown Madison located near restaurants, bars and shops. It is right near campus and is the perfect location for any first year or any student in Madison.
Source: http://www.statesidermadison.com/Apartments/module/printable_brochure/company_property%5Bid%5D/11967/

Brats 10/28/08

The City of Madison evidently has fantastic night life locations for any consumer looking for a great time on the town. Located right on State Street Brats Bar is no different. Brats is a two-level sports bar with Television sets located at every turn. Brats on game day is packed for the event, but when the games are finished and night time rolls around, Brats becomes a great Night Life spot. The night to go to Brats is on Tuesdays where they have a flip night. A customer orders their drinks and then the Bar tender flips a coin. If the consumer guesses the correct side up the coin will land on, they recieve seventy five percent off of their total order. If the customer is wrong than they have to pay the full price of the drinks. The drinks are priced moderatley to even a little high but ultimately they are fair. Brats is usually packed on Tuesday nights and attracts a very diverse crowd. On a given Tuesday night the Bar is mixed between people from Wisconsin as well as people who are from outside of the state. The bar is usually packed which makes it difficult to get a drink and sometimes a consumer has to wait in a very long line to get the item that they are looking for. This can be embarrassing when purchasing a drink for that special someone because what was supposed to be an intimate moment, it turns into pushing up against the people next to you and a long wait which ultimately means that akward moments are inevitable. Brats offers bar goers a great oppurtunity to experience weekend nightlife on Tuesday nights and its State street location makes it easily accessible. Jacks Ratings 3.9/5

Second Review

I attended the theatrical production Doubt at the end of september, which was originally written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. This miniature version of the Broadway production was directed by Miranda McClenaghan and was performed at Madison’s Bartell Theatre. I must admit that I have not had much exposure to theatre in the past and as a result, I was not sure what to expect out of this particular performance. The performance captured a significant moral struggle we face as individuals, doubt, and how blind suspicion can end in the demise of not only those being accused, but of the accusers as well. In the production Doubt, a nun accused a priest of harmfully violating a young boy and the audience witnesses her moral certainty turn into unanswered questions that linger over her conscience. At the end of the performance, the audience is left with nothing more than the suspicions spoken of the priest and the ultimate doubts of the nun to determine for themselves what is fact and what is fiction.
The production effectively used a small stage set to create the environment for multiple scenes taking place in different environments. The production not only used the small set effectively, but it was able to create a complete story line with a cast consisting of just four actors. The cast consisted of two nuns, Sister Aloysius (the accuser) and Sister James, Father Flynn, and the mother of the young boy whom Father Flynn was being accused of violating. Perhaps one-sided dialogues were the main reason why the production was possible with such few actors. There were several times when Father Flynn spoke to the students of the school and responded to them as though they had spoken back to him. Sister Aloysius used one-sided dialogue on the phone which created the perception that the world of the production was larger than the audience could see. In addition, the sounds of children playing outside were heard during certain scenes of the play signifying the presence of the students. These sounds also supplemented the atmosphere of the set and gave a true sense of reality. The performance was very well thought out and it was impressive to see a cast of only four actors appear as though there were significantly more actors present. The production, Doubt, was a successful performance for a number of reasons. For one thing, the small set efficiently represented a theatrical world that was much larger than the actual physical boarders of the play. Moreover, theatrical illusions such as one-sided dialogues and imaginary characters provided the audience with a casting presence of more than just the four actual characters on stage. Through the dialogues between characters and the expression of their thoughts in solitude, the audience was given contradicting information that supported both the honesty of Father Flynn and the accusations of Sister Aloysius. At the finale of the play, Father Flynn was in fact removed due to the allegations against him and Sister Aloysius was left finally questioning her previous certainties. It then became the burden of the audience, now faced with their own doubt, to determine where and with whom the truths really lie. As a result, the concept of “doubt” was effectively conveyed to the audience as they left with unanswered questions of their own.

Essen Haus Visited 10/16/06

My posse and I traveled to Essen Haus on Thursday night for a pre-drinking experience before we ventured out to other bars in Madison. All though this was our first destination, it quickly became our prime time spot. Essen hause, a cab ride away, was quite a distance from my Langdon street area apartment and required a cab to access the place. Essen Haus is a German themed bar that is authentic in its depiction of the culture of the German people. We walked in to a large dining area where German music could be heard and a bar with a large wait staff and tons of tables throughout the room crowded with patrons. Essen Haus had an up beat atomesphere that really helped us to loosen up and get in the mood. We walked into another room where there was a large bar in the center. UH OH Celebrity Spottingg!!!!! Landon from the real world was in the room "chillen" with his friends. I was suprised that the paporazi had not already been on the scene but they may have been (i hear they are very discreet). Myself and two friends sat at a table and each ordered what is called a fish bowl of different drinks. I ordered a drink and my friend ordered a Jack and Coke and the other ordered a Vodka Tonic. The drinks were relatively strong. Unfortunately the company that was joining me was pretty weak but the drinks helped loosen everyone up. We then ordered a "Boot" shaped glass of beer, a special at Essen Haus. My one complaint is that the boot was leaking and I thought they said they were comping it but they meant that we didnt have to pay for the broken boot, are anger was reflected in the tip. As well as our fine experience as patrons, we were informed about openings they had as doormen checking ID's. We took applications because you never do know when those things can come in handy. We left the bar where there was almost a cab stand formed outside. We hoped right in a cab and drove back to the campus area. All in all it was a great night. Jacks Ratings 4/5

Rams Head Visited 10/14/08

My friends and I ventured to Rams head on October 14th of this year. Granted the night had a little bit of bias against it for a fair review because I was celebrating my birthday, but due to my dedication to this blog I decided that I needed to give a fair review no matter what personal life events I was studying. Rams head has changed names from bull feathers to Rams head and it is confusing to keep them in order, this is why I call it Rams head because essentially it is the same place and any consumer is not misssing much by the name. They are also not missing much by not going to the bar. The bar is located down a long staircase in the basement of a building. This creates somewhat of a claustrophonbic fear. You walk in with a bar to your left and a seating area of raised tables and booths on the side. further back can be found what looks to be a dart area turned dance floor when big crowds arrrive. Rams head offers a pool table and other arcade like games for the socially akward who have trouble communicating with the opposite sex. Rams head offers medium priced drinks although the service is pretty crappy. They dont pay attention to any sort of order at the bar but rather serve whoever they see when they turn around. This can make it really hard to get a drink and pretty embarrarassing when trying to show of dominant skills such as being able to order a drinko to the members of the opposite sex. Rams head does not seem to have a consistant crowd and can be found either packed once a week, or almost compleltly empty. One major complaint i have with Rams head is that when you show your I.D. at the door they take a picture of you also. Although this may not be anything to worry about, it still feels as if it is somewhat of an invasion of my personal privacy. Rams head is a decent location in Madison that is made more fun when you go there with friends or bring your own crowd. F.A.C. or Friday after class at Rams head can be fun because they bring out beer pong tables and adapt the bar for the theme. All in All I would say Rams Head is an okay place. Jacks Ratings:2.9/5

Johney O's Visited on 10/09

Johney O's is located next to Madison Avenue off of University Avenue in Madison. Johney O's features a large bar that unfortunately is understaffed which makes it hard to get drinks. Often times a consumer is faced with such a long wait for service that they decide the purchase is not worth waiting. As the Yom Kippur Holiday came to a close Thursday night at 7:05, We broke the fast with bagels and cream cheese and decided that we would make Johney O's our destination for the nights activities. The line to get into Johney O's is relatively easy. The drinks are moderately priced and are of a good quality. Johney O's features a newly added upstairs patio with a bar up on the roof. The problem with this up top patio is that it is often a long line to get up to the roof and one can be faced with a wait time of up to twenty minutes just to get upstairs. The bar is a solid Thursday night hangout for many people and is often packed filled with customers. One annoyance that is affecting a lot of establishments is the fact that police are often waiting outside of Johney O's. Since it is located directly off University Avenue, police officers often wait outside their parked cars waiting for bar goers to make that unfortunate stumble or another simple mistake that can get them a ticket. The intimidating police presence affects the bar in a negative way but overall this bar is a pretty solid destination. Johney O's offers a nice scene to see and be seen. Jacks Ratings: 3.5/5

Buffallo Wild Wings

Although Buffallo Wild Wings located off of state street is known for their fine cuisine it also plays a role that lands itself in th is weeks Jacks Thoughts Reviews. When looking for a place to watch the Badger Game last night my buddies and I ventured around Madison for a place to enjoy the show. We first went to KK which was excellent but decided we would switch it up and watch the game in a knew location. We decided that we would eat some dinner and also continue are entertainment so we went to Buffallo Wild Wings. Buffallo Wild Wings restaurant turned sports bar on games days offers a nice relaxed scene to watch the game. Buffallo Wild Wings offers a very large bar with a well staffed bartending crew. The drinks are moderately priced but unfortunately were pretty weak. This may be due with their more restaurant esque mentality. They have large big screen T.V. that make it nice to watch the game at. The food along with the entertainment makes the establishment. While enjoying the Game you have the world at your feet with an unlimited supply of fantastic Buffallo Wings and Even better Buffallo Chips (french Fries). Buffallo Wild Wings although a better restaurant offers a nice Entetainment aspect to the city of Madison

Reviews That I had trouble posting

The Office New Season
I would like to start off by saying that I have been watching the office since the beginning. Unfortunately I am started to become disappointed in the show. This Week (Weight Loss episode), I feel like that plots are just re-forming and the show is basically repeating itself. Jim and Pam finally get engaged which is great but has literally been in the process for around three seasons. Dwight’s personality in real life is starting to come through on the show and anyone who has ever seen him on a late night talk show knows how obnoxious this can be. Ryan re-entering the show although has some mild comedic value really hurts the shows credibility. I did appreciate the context of the show last week because I feel that that is an issue that occurs often in office settings. I think Michael remains to be an excellent character. I think Stanley is beginning to become more of a character of focus which I think will add to the show in the beginning but in the end will ultimately take away from it. I believe that Jim and Pam’s engagement could be very detrimental to the show if not handled in the appropriate way. I believe that it must be hard for the show to continue to provide plot lines but I do not think this task is impossible. I think there needs to be less focus on Angela as a character because she is creepy and does not even seem to send a strong sense of comedy to the show. This show has a lot of potential and I am worried that it could risk it by run around plots and cheap jokes.

Entourage New Season
I have been watching entourage since the beginning of its creation. I would like to specifically focus on the newest entourage episodes that are being played now. Sadly I think it is true that the show basically follows that pattern of Vince gets an offer, blows it, and gets another offer to save it, yadayaya. I believe that this newest season falls into an interesting category. I think that the first couple of episodes lacked serious substance and compensated through scantily dressed women, cool cars and high class lifestyles. I think that the show has taken a turn as of two weeks ago. We see Ari finds his balls when he slaps Adam Davis. Vince finally starts appreciating what it’s like to be a star again and it is nice to see that he is willing to work to make sure that he becomes a star. Eric is starting his own firm and we see the confidant Napoleon esque character finally find his true calling. Drama although trends on the line of overacting can be appreciated this season through his wacky antics that he is famous for. I believe that this show is taking a turn for the better and I am looking forward to see how they devolope the plot as well as the characters

Madison Avenue Visited 9/19-20/08

I visited Madison Avenue on Friday September 19th into Saturday September 20th. Madison Avenue is located off of University Avenue in between Johny O's and Brothers. Madison Avenue is a hip hop themed dance club. eighteen and over can enter Madison Avenue but you have to be twenty one to drink. To get to the "action" one must walk down a long stairwell which can be tough for the avid partygoer. Madison Avenue play intense blasting music to the point of not being able to have a conversation. Madison Avenue is the place to go if you are looking to not converse with you friends or people of interest and instead grind up random strangers. a side room is located behind the dance floor up a few stairs. This is where I spent my time. The crowd that is in this area is usually completley from outside of Wisconsin or "coasties" as the simple minded would refer to them as. Madison avenue makes weak drinks and charges higher end prices. Madison Avenue is the perfect place to go when looking for that special something for your special night but I would not say it extends far past that. I think the perfect explanation for this venue can be described by saying that I believe I would have really enjoyed Madison Avenue if I had it in my town during High School. http://www.madavenue.com/

The Kollege Klub Visited 9/13/08

The Kollege Klub or more commonly known as KK is a hotspot in Madison. Located at the corner of Lake St. And Langdon it is a prime time spot for college co-eds to mingle and mix the night away. The Kollege Klub has a huge bar that extends the width of KK filled with rail mixers as well as top shelf Alcohol. The KK is located down stairs in almost a basement type setting. The KK has a dance floor which is seen "popping off" on weekend nights as well as Wensdays. The KK has a pretty healthy mix of Wisconson Natives as well as Visitors to the State. The KK has been around Madison for decades and offers its customers the same reliable service. The KK has been featured in pop cultures circles through the shout out of Rapper/Entroupenour Yogi. KK has almost a hip hop themed dance setting contrasted with an old Wisconsin Pub.
Featured nights: Wensdays/Saturdays
Jacks Ratings: 4/5
http://city.ask.com/city?pkid=6645848&mode=biz

Bar Reviews

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