Saturday, February 16, 2013

North Carolina's Camden County to Get Its First Public Library


Camden County to get its own library in July. (Charlotte Observer, 2/16/2013)

If things progress as planned, Camden County, one of North Carolina's smallest and poorest, will no longer be the state's only county without a public library after July 1st of this year.   A 6,800-square-foot facility, offering public-access computers and a collection of 20,000 books (no mention of audiovisual materials), will operate out of a business park.

So It's Not Just Some Scuttlebutt


Related posts:
Dropping the bomb.  (2/15/2013)
Cancer research and treatment.  (2/15/2013)
Boys and Girls Club "Wisconsin After Three" initiative.  (2/15/2013)
FoodShare, technical colleges, UW System, health care, education.  (2/11/2013)
In the News: Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) Provides a Glimpse into Governor's Walker's 2013-15 Budget.  (2/7/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Overview of State Agency Major Request Items, 2013-15 State Budget.  (1/8/2013)

Tough Stuff to Share at the Indianapolis Public Library



Quilt depicting horrors of lynching stirs emotions in Indy. (Indianapolis Star, 1/27/2013)

Reactions

"I find it very offensive.  We've been through enough and don't need remembrances like this." 

"Why would they make a quilt like that? It's horrible."





Graduate of UW-Madison School of Library and Information Studies


Hudson Area Joint Library Considers a Plan to Revert to a Municipal Library


Library board president asks for city referendum on funding. (Hudson Star-Observer, 1/31/2013)

The Hudson Area Joint Library is a joint library created under the terms and provisions of Wisconsin State Statutes 43.53.   The 4 partners include:


Three of the partners -- the Village of North Hudson, Town of Hudson, and Town of St. Joseph -- have served notice to leave the library at the end of 2013.  According to library board president Barbara Peterson, these three municipalities might reconsider their decisions if St. Croix County agrees to lower the library levy from 100% to 70% of the cost for providing services to "non-libraried" residents, i.e, those who live in areas of the county that don't have a library.  According to Wisconsin State Statutes 43.12, 70% is the minimum reimbursement amount that a county shall pay.

As a result of this situation,.....


....City of Hudson residents will pay $277,173 into the St. Croix County library levy in 2013. The City's level of support is significantly below the minimum level to exempt itself from the county library tax.  According to the Wisconsin Public Library Service Record for 2011, the City received a payment of $66,674 from St. Croix County in 2011.

The following numbers are based on Peterson's statement that total funding from the four municipal partners has remained flat at $629,025 for five years.

Based on the comments by members of the Hudson Council, the library board's request for a referendum to increase library funding is likely to be a tough sell.

Here's how the discussion was diplomatically summarized in the minutes of the January, 28, 2013, council meeting.

Related posts:
Four years of flat funding.  (12/26/2012)
Funding the library on the cheap.  (11/1/2012)
Looking at the options for the Hudson Area Library.  (10/9/2012)

Friday, February 15, 2013

The Difference Between 15 Years for Stealing $100 and 20 Years for Embezzling $53,000,000: A Mere Bag of Shells





A mere bag of shells.

You probably don't want to shine an ultraviolet light on your upholstered library furniture

A New Laundry Worry: Invisible Stains. (The New York Times, 2/14/2013)

Excerpt:    In a series of online-only videos shot in a mock documentary style, “Inside Dirt: The Dirty Truth About Your Clean Laundry,” a crusading filmmaker (played by the actor Jim Annan) declares what he calls “a state of detergency” and confronts consumers at places like gyms and laundromats. To demonstrate that clean-looking clothes may be soiled, he holds an ultraviolet light up to shirts, revealing spots primarily on armpits.



Oh, for those simpler days, when stains were visible.

Fantasy vs. Reality

From one of Scott Walker's loudest, most enthusiastic cheerleaders.


This just in from Oshkosh.


Instructive chart.  (....largely flat since 2011.)




Rep. Steve Kestell is Recipient of Wisconsin State Reading Association's "Outstanding Legislator Award"



From the organization's website
The primary mission of the Wisconsin State Reading Association is to promote excellence in reading. 

WSRA Goals 
  • Communication.  Provide leadership in addressing issues and trends in reading and language arts to inform educators, families, and community. 
  • Membership.   Develop and strengthen an active and diverse membership. 
  • Partnership.  Create partnerships that foster literacy in the home, school, community, and workplace. 
  • Professional Development.  Encourage professional growth opportunities for families, educators, administrators, and community members. 
  • Research.  Promote and disseminate research findings that will strengthen and support the best practices for instruction in the communication arts.

From "Dropping the Bomb" to Opening His Bag of Goodies

To date, Governor Scott Walker takes a different approach to his 2013-15 budget proposal.


Not that everything will turn out to be sweetness and light on Wednesday, .February 20.  I've heard some scuttlebutt having to do with the operations of these two divisions.

Related posts:
Cancer research and treatment.  (2/15/2013)
Boys and Girls Club "Wisconsin After Three" initiative.  (2/15/2013)
FoodShare, technical colleges, UW System, health care, education.  (2/11/2013)
In the News: Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) Provides a Glimpse into Governor's Walker's 2013-15 Budget.  (2/7/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Overview of State Agency Major Request Items, 2013-15 State Budget.  (1/8/2013)

Governor Walker 2013-15 Budget Proposal: $3,750,000 for Cancer Research and Treatment



Walker proposes expanding cancer treatment. (Marshfield News Herald, 2/14/2013)

Excerpt: The funding will help make University of Wisconsin’s Carbone Cancer Center diagnostic imaging technology [just guessing -- ViewRay] available at other medical centers such as Marshfield Clinic through the new Wisconsin Oncology Network of Imaging Excellence.

There is a string attached, attached., however

The state funding is contingent on Wisconsin Department of Administration approval of a plan to obtain fundraising matching from individuals, foundations and corporations.

Related posts:
Boys and Girls Club "Wisconsin After Three" initiative.  (2/15/2013)
FoodShare, technical colleges, UW System, health care, education.  (2/11/2013)
In the News: Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) Provides a Glimpse into Governor's Walker's 2013-15 Budget.  (2/7/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Overview of State Agency Major Request Items, 2013-15 State Budget.  (1/8/2013)

Governor Walker's 2013-15 Budget Proposal: "Wisconsin After Three" Initiative for Boys and Girls Club

Focusing on reading and math skills.


About the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Links to selected Wisconsin locations
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (35 locations)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Kenosha (annual report lists 14 service locations)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County (1 location)
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley.  (8 locations)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Green Bay.  (2 club and 6 school locations)
Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse.  (7 locations)
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Greater Chippewa Valley (3 locations)
Stateline Boys and Girls Clubs. (Beloit WI, and South Beloit IL)



Related posts:
FoodShare, technical colleges, UW System, health care, education.  (2/11/2013)
In the News: Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) Provides a Glimpse into Governor's Walker's 2013-15 Budget.  (2/7/2013)
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau: Overview of State Agency Major Request Items, 2013-15 State Budget.  (1/8/2013)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

ROAD TRIP!!!!! (Part 2)





Yes, as in Haley.  The Group Team includes 17 white men, 1 black man, 2 white women, and 1 man of supposedly indeterminate origin.


ROAD TRIP!!!! (Part 1)

Naples Yacht Club, Naples, Florida


Get your checkbook out!

Peter Sulick, Commodore, Board of Directors, gave a $1,000 contribution to Michelle Bachmann in 2012.  Shared the wealth in 2008 with $2,300 each to John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Rudy Giuliani.


Laura Lang: That Was Then, This Is Now

Time Warner Considers Spinning Off Some of Its Magazines. (The New York Times, 2/13/2013)


The Verge, 1/30/2013

Wisconsin Public Library Service Data (2011): Ratio of Total Program Attendance to Library Visits

For example, in the case of the Hammond Community Library, for every program attendee, there were 2.16 visits to the library.

What does this mean?

Well, from the names on the list, visits to small public libraries in Wisconsin are more likely to be for the purpose of attending a library-sponsored program.  (Although Hammond's offsite showing of a movie, if this is done on a regular basis, will certainly skew the data.)


It could also mean that some of these libraries offer their communities a wide variety of programs.

Blair-Preston Public Library

The Determined Women of Blair, Wisconsin.    The Blair City Hall was built in 1914. In 1916 a group of women petitioned the village board for permission to use a part of the building as a library and public rest area.

Permission granted.

And nearly 100 years later, in 2011, the library hosted 347 programs attended by 3,339 people --  in a service area with a population of 3,318.  Very impressive.

Scott Walker Does His Masters' Bidding





Excerpt:  Walker has been an outspoken opponent of the health care overhaul law, and Wednesday’s announcement was in line with his previous decision not to create a state-run marketplace for insurance providers, instead letting the federal government do it.

Obama Care Facts.  One Koch Brothers backed group 'American's for Prosperity' (AFP), a political advocacy group called "one of the most powerful conservative organizations in electoral politics", Is on the attack against ObamaCare. 

Since 2009 AFP have called ObamaCare, "a government takeover of the United States health care system." Instead of targeting ObamaCare as a whole, AFP and other Koch Brothers backed groups, aim to take it down one piece at a time using big money and shady tactics. 

The tactic of the day: Force states that accept Koch Brothers money to reject setting up a state run health insurance exchange.

Crunch Time for Recall Volunteers.  (CNN, 6/4/2012)

Excerpt:  Tim Phillips is president of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group built around many of the same principles as the tea party. They've pumped more than $10 million into Wisconsin touting Walker's policies. Phillips agrees there are larger implications at stake.


Koch Brothers groom their pet.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Red States, Blue States: How They Stack Up Religiously


The Most & Least Religious US States.  (Live Science, 2/13/2013)


When Words of Comfort Ring Hollow


Passengers Face Two More Days of Squalor on Carnival Ship Stranded in the Gulf. (The New York Times, 2/12/2013)

General conditions.  Ship can't sail.  No power.  Sewage and HVAC systems inoperable.

Hungry?  Expect to wait in line for more than an hour.

Need to urinate or defecate?  Get a plastic bag from a crew member.

What's that smell?  Sewage seeping through the walls, apparently.  (Ask crew members for details.)

I'm sorry, but what's that smell again?  Report of people "throwing up everywhere".

Throwing Up:  The Sequel.  Free liquor offered to all passengers.  (Of legal age, I assume.  Or is that not an issue in the Gulf of Mexico?)

Separated at birth?

What about this option? Browse, ask staff members for guidance at the library.


The New York Times, 2/12/2013

I guess the New York Times is saying, "So much for that opening."

Libraries also have good websites to read, such as the....




Recommended "Staff Reads" was always -- and still is -- a popular feature at the Middleton Public Library.  



NoRoJo in 2016, Chapter 4

County GOP gathers for Lincoln Day Dinner.  (Jefferson County Daily Union, 2/11/2013)


Related post:
Chapter 1.  (1/2/2013)
Chapter 2.  (1/10/2013)
Chapter 3.  (2/12/2013)

43 Years After Life Cover Story, Shocking News from UW-La Crosse

UW-L will allow male and female students to live together on campus. (WKBT, 2/12/2013)


I had a pair a sandals just like the ones Rod is wearing.  But I never let my sideburns grow that long.

Excerpt from WKBT news report: For the first time, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will allow male and female students to live together on campus in suite-style dorms.

Oberlin College.  An Intimate Campus Revolution.

I went to high school with Ann Morelli.  Naturally, in 1970 -- right around Thanksgiving, actually --  this article gave some folks something to talk about in



International Olympic Committee to Wrestling Community: Your Sport is No Longer Relevant

Not awesome!



Ben is from Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Olympic wrestling ouster would hit Wisconsin hard. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2/12/2013)

The 15 members of the International Olympic Committee (only one woman per row, please) voted by secret ballot to dump the sport for the 2020 Olympics..

And the reason for this decision?

The Olympic committee said in a statement that it wanted to ensure that it remained "relevant to sports fans of all generations."

February 12, 2013 news release:    IOC Executive Board recommends 25 core sports for 2020 Games 

The core 25 for 2020:  (the current list)
  • athletics
  • rowing
  • badminton
  • basketball
  • boxing
  • canoeing
  • cycling
  • equestrian
  • fencing
  • football
  • gymnastics
  • weightlifting
  • handball
  • hockey
  • judo
  • aquatics
  • modern pentathlon
  • taekwondo 
  • tennis
  • table tennis
  • shooting
  • archery
  • triathlon
  • sailing
  • volleyball.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

NoRoJo in 2016, Chapter 3

The Shame of Wisconsin votes against expanding the Domestic Violence Act.


Voting yes:  53 Democrats, 23 Republicans, 2 Independents.

Voting no:  22 Republicans, including Mr. Toast, a.k.a. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), still guzzling the Tea Party Kool-Aid, freaking out on the doormats of the hard right, in hopes of being the 2016 Republican Party poster boy.

Related post:
Chapter 1.  (1/2/2013)
Chapter 2.  (1/10/2013)

Damage to Marble at the Wisconsin State Capitol: Chapter 2

Remember this silliness?


Screenshot from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
(with highlight added)

$7,500,000.  A risible and deservedly lampooned figure that was quickly walked back.

And now we have this development.

"Wisconsin says suit possible over stained marble", Wisconsin State Journal, 2/11/2013.

Stained by workers for a cleaning service company hired to take the place of unionized state workers.

Excerpt:  State workers [my emphasis] began polishing the stained marble, most of it on the ground floor near the Rotunda, last week. It's expected to take up to two months to restore, at an estimated cost of more than $16,000.

Outsourcing didn't work so well.  I assume this directive came from the Department of Administration (look at all that white space) and not the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board, as no mention of contracting for janitorial services  is found in any of the board's minutes.  The company responsible for the damage, Peterson Cleaning Inc. of, ahem,  Rockford, Illinois, was fired in December 2012.

Lesson learned?  

Call me skeptical.

Library Services to the Village of Sussex and Town of Lisbon: What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Click on the "convoluted library history" link, found below, for details.


Library Board seeks Haass land from Lisbon. (Sussex Sun, 1/15/2013)

1969.  As specified in its will, the Pauline Haass estate donated 63 acres of land to the Town of Lisbon to establish and maintain a public library.

Subsequently, the Town of Lisbon has leased this farmland, the proceeds applied to the town's share of the debt service on the construction of a library in Sussex.  This arrangement provides approximately $13,000 in revenue on an annual basis.  Debt service payments amount to $100,000 per year.  (The Pauline Haass Public Library was formed as a joint library under Wisconsin state law (43.64).)

In what should serve to add another entertaining chapter to the area's convoluted library history, the Pauline Haase Library Board wishes to take control of this 63 acres of land. They have filed a legal notice and are prepared to go to court.

Related articles: 
Dueling news releases.  (10/7/2012)
Town of Lisbon wants deep discount in payment for library services.  (9/30/2012)
As the world of joint library agreements turns.  (8/22/2012)
The beat goes on.  (7/2/2012)
Joint library negotiations continue.  (5/13/2012)
Jane Stadler on Paying Taxes: "...it is something that you do because you're part of the community.  (11/26/2011)
Lisbon town chair not likely to get his way on Pauline Haass Library funding. (11/22/2011)
Lisbon Town chair advocates paying for library services on the cheap.  (11/22/2011)
The challenges of shared governance and funding.  (9/28/2011)
Consensus building for new joint library agreement.  (7/22/2011)
Sussex, Lisbon:  Local politics and library negotiations.  (5/28/2011)
Negotiation to continue after information-gathering process.  (10/8/2010)
And the beat goes on.  (10/4/2010)
Differences of opinion of library funding continue.  (9/18/2010)
Leaders of Village of Sussex, Town of Lisbon clash over funding for library. (8/26/2010)
Will annexation resolution interfere with negotiations over joint library agreement?  (8/4/2010)
Proposal to change library funding formula gets cool reception.  (6/7/2010)
Town of Lisbon Chairman proposes new funding formula for library.  (5/31/2010)

U. S. PIRG Report: The Hidden Cost of Offshore Tax Havens


From the Executive Summary.    In 2011, states lost approximately $39.8 billion in tax revenues from corporations and wealthy individuals who sheltered money in foreign tax havens. Multinational corporations account for more than $26 billion of the lost tax revenue, and wealthy individuals account for the rest.

What can states do?
  1. "Decouple” their tax system from the federal tax system. 
  2. Require worldwide combined reporting for multinational corporations 
  3. Urge their federal representatives to reject a “territorial” tax system, which would further erode state revenue. . 
  4. Require increased disclosure of financial information about corporations’ business presence in other countries  
  5. Withhold taxes as part of federal Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) withholding. 


Monday, February 11, 2013

High Hopes for New Cedar Rapids Library, Not So Much for Operating Funds


Walk-and-read treadmills! Perhaps staff will work at treadmills desks? 

High hopes for new Cedar Rapids library. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, 2/10/2013)

Excerpt: Yes, the new library — 11 percent larger than its flooded predecessor but seemingly much bigger, with a roof garden plaza, three walk-and-read treadmills, three fireplaces and a cafe with drive-up window — still will have plenty of printed books even as the rush from print books to electronic books is moving nearly as fast as workers can put on the finishing touches so the new library can open in August.

Funding remains concern for new Cedar Rapids libraries.  (Cedar Rapids Gazette, 2/10/2013)


Cuz this is no way to fund a library.

According to the city manager’s budget proposal, the city will put $500,000 in revenue from the city’s local-option sales tax for flood recovery into the library construction budget, and the library board will take $500,000 in private donations intended for construction and use the money for the next budget year’s operation. In addition, the library will use unspent money from its current budget and the city will pay up to $112,000 from general city funds to provide technical maintenance help at the library.

On the plus side, the $49,000,000 will be paid for when it opens in August of this year.  That's right, $0 debt.

Related posts:
And that's where we are.  (8/5/2012)
Construction time lapse. (8/3/2012)
Groundbreaking celebration.  (5/2/2012)
Construction update.  (12/1/2012)
Construction of new library starts December 5.  (10/14/2011)
Cedar Rapids PTA Council supports new library with penny drive. (9/19/2011)
Contracts sent out for bid.  (8/30/2011)
A "progressive and forward-looking design".  (1/11/2011)
FEMA sez it can't support site for new Cedar Rapids library. (9/16/2010)
New library construction will include old bricks.  (8/18/2010)
Library circulation plummets at temporary location.  (8/6/2010)
Library staff looking at the best design ideas. (5/6/2010)
For sale, old library, needs work.  (4/9/2010)
Site Selection Raises Ethics Concerns.  (2/9/2010)
Cedar Rapids Library Board to Recommend Site for New Library. (01/26/2010)
FEMA Reconsiders, Decides Library Provides an Essential Service. (12/24/2009)
Hide and Seek: Downtown Cedar Rapids Satellite Branch Library. (11/30/2009)
Early Days of Cedar Rapids Public Library. (11/20/2009)

Perhaps Tommy Should Have Run for U.S. Senate on His Potty Parity Plank

Wisconsin State Journal
February 14, 1992


Although he could have promised better than "eventual" relief.