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Jonathan Mertzig

@mertzigzag.bsky.social

680 followers 440 following 1.8K posts

Madison, WI. - Professional destroyer of software. Sewer Socialist. Queer geek. Wannabe polyglot. Car avoider/Walker/Cyclist/Transit Enthusiast. 🦩🍻 same handle on Fedi @urbanists.social and (formerly) Xitter...

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · Nov 15

Wow! Lots of new followers here today. Here’s what you can expect from me:
1) rants about transit & municipal gov (not just in Madison!)
2) poorly informed takes on soccer and sometimes hockey
3) occasional random attempts at arty photography
4) sometimes: beer, tech, Euro and Canadian politics

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 4m

The Forward Madison/Breese Stevens Kill the Keg deal has turned me into the classic “Two fisted slopper” of Wisconsin lore. And now I’m wondering why there isn’t also the logical 32oz for half price? 🤷‍♂️🍻 milwaukeerecord.com/sports/the-c...

The (completely fictitious) origin story of the Brewers’ “Two-Fisted Slopper”

Also: some (completely fictitious) info on where the Slopper is today.

milwaukeerecord.com

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 34m

Perfection. 🦩⚓️

Flock End banner with an illustration of the Edmund Fitzgerald with its red paint replaced by pink, and a quote from the Gordon Lightfoot song: “Fellas, it’s been good to know ya.”

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 47m

I pondered staying down there but I failed to bring my sunglasses. 😎

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

At least this seat is a good spot to admire the Edmund Fitzgerald banner from afar, when my view isn’t being obstructed. (The iPhone zoom doesn’t give it justice).

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

No shade on the mariachi crew—but I think this is the last straw for me staying in this seat for next season. Every game it’s some new struggle at this spot. 😂

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

Didn’t know I was in the “Mariachi Obstructed Viewing” seat. 🤦‍♂️

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

Best Strut action shot I’ve got all season… 🦩

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

The fans, they thirst! (But at least here, the modal fan is like 99.9% less drunk than at the Badger game. Getting through downtown… yikes that was a challenge!)

A large lineup of people curves towards the beer stand near the Flock end of Breese Stevens Field prior to the final Forward home game.

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

The AT&T Guarantee™:
If there are more than 10,000 people somewhere in Madison, you can rely on our network to absolutely shit the bed. That’s a promise. 📵

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

I guess it’s kind of proof that Madison definitely is *not* a purely college town that we can fill two stadiums at once and one of them has nothing to do with the Badgers (…granted, Camp Randall is just a smidge larger than Breese Stevens. 😉)

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1h

On the bus, stuck in traffic, on my way to a near sold out Mingos game. 🦩⚽️ It would appear there’s some other kind of event in town. Who knew?!? 😬🏈

The Badger Marching Band parades into a tailgate party corral on a crowded Regent Street prior to a football game.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 18h

This really gets to my criticisms of a lot of American BRT programs (including the performance of Madison's!): we focus on "building the thing" with codified elements like island platforms and shiny stations, but don't focus all that much on the actual speed, frequency, and consistency that matters.

Brendan Dawe @dawe.bsky.social · 3d

I had missed this post from Marco but I broadly agree: Down with BRT, long live the Bus

Down with the BRT, long live the Bus

Why Bus Rapid Transit is a failed planning concept

marcochitti.substack.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 22h

Can you think of a single movie in which there is a video from the government denouncing its political opponents playing on a loop in public spaces in which that government was the good guy?

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 22h

A new Noem video is being played at airports trashing Democrats.

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Rebuild Local News @rebuildlocalnews.bsky.social · 1d

Weekend Read: A look at how local TV reporters across the country are breaking major stories and holding powerful figures accountable, reminding us why local news matters.

Read more at @columjournreview.bsky.social: www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...

Laurels and Darts: Local TV news does good.

Forget about the mergers and buyouts and executive leadership for a while. The local grunts keep breaking news.

www.cjr.org

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Nomadic Warriors for Pritzker @nomads.bsky.social · 1d

Of all the wretched, oily scum that are getting their sick fixes out of the invasion of our state, this hideous freak is definitely one of the most unnerving.

thematthill.bsky.social @thematthill.bsky.social · 3d

Wow. Greg Bovino admits on camera that his agents can detain people if you look scared, change your demeanor, or grip a steering wheel too tight.

As his unmasked agents walk around with large guns to scare you, they may arrest you just for that — even if you're a U.S. citizen.

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 1d

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

The Onion @theonion.com · 1d

What To Know About NSPM-7 https://theonion.com/what-to-know-about-nspm-7/

Q: How does the order define anti-American?

A: They can’t tell you. That would ruin the surprise.

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Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1d

Yep, you can see “Polizei” on some of the vests.

Jonathan Mertzig @mertzigzag.bsky.social · 1d

Uh-oh, the Canadian invasion force has arrived…

A large flock of Canadian geese perched atop a pair of rock outcrops in a pond, with some swimming in the water. In the background a collection of office buildings and tower cranes. The office buildings are in a distinctive style of Epic’s “Wizards Academy” campus.

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 1d

I've noticed the opposing team's fans only cheer when the opponents score on us. To win those fans over, I recommend we score on ourselves repeatedly; that will surely make them so happy they'll start supporting us. And I'm sure all our fans will keep cheering for us—who else is there to cheer for?

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 1d

Just make sure to do more with the cheese than "peruse" it, folks

36 Hours in Madison, Wisconsin: Things to Do and See

Embrace this beer-and-cheese-loving Midwestern capital with farmers’ markets, cozy supper clubs and picturesque lakeside strolls.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Push The Needle @pushtheneedle.bsky.social · 1d

Left wing’s “voter fraud” conspiracy

Arlen @baldgeezer.bsky.social · 1d

There’s plenty of empty housing. It’s all owned by Venture Capitalists driving up the prices.

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 2d

The school drop-off line is indeed a microcosm of the worst driver behavior, but I'll just say that people who bike or walk regularly see selfish and violent actions everywhere on the road. If you're a driver complaining about other bad drivers, just think of how bad it is for people outside cars.

Patrick Wyman @patrickwyman.bsky.social · 3d

Watching antisocial driver behavior in the school drop-off line makes it really clear that the pandemic destroyed whatever few shreds remained of the social compact, just pathological selfishness on display every day

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Reposted by Jonathan Mertzig

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 1d

Machado is a good choice. She'll be controversial because she's in the fight, not above it. That makes this prize continuous with the 2021-3 streak of honoring opposition figures and dissidents rather than do-gooder organizations or already-powerful officials.

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