Saturday, July 26, 2014

Saturday in the Park

It's not the Fourth of July.


Red Arrow Park

Manitowoc Public Library Looks for Suggestions to Close a $163,000 Budget Gap

Library leaders seek to close budget gap.  (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, 7/24/2014)

Photo credit:  LinkedIn

According to the latest Wisconsin Public Library Service Data report, the Manitowoc Public Library has a total of 41,998 registered borrowers (27,832 residents and 14,166 non-residents).    Potential revenue is just under $210,000.   Of course, no one can expect that everyone will contribute.  In fact, I'd say that even 10%, or raising $21,000 from this new revenue source, is setting a high bar,

Current library policy requires a library card renewal every 2 years.  Unless this is changed, I'd have to lower the bar to $10,500.

In the matter of fines......

A headline in the August 25, 2009, Herald Times Reporter noted that "Manitowoc library tightens its policy on library fines".    A change in policy required that before a library card is renewed, all fines must be paid.  Patrons previously had $10 of wiggle room.  The library anticipated a $20,000 increase in fine revenue.  At the time, according to the article, fine revenue averaged $40,000 per year.  (Right now I'm having trouble loading recent City of Manitowoc budget documents.)

Anyway, I'd suggest focusing on a capital campaign if the goal is sustainable funding.

Friday, July 25, 2014

What's in Your Little Free Library? (Charter #8443)


A comparatively large collection of materials, mostly paperbacks
USA Hockey Magazine (January, February, June 2006; September, October 2007)
Thriving Farm (magazine, August/September 2012)
AARP Magazine (December 2012/January 2013)
Grasshopper by Martin and Gilda Berger
Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler
Bees by Martin and Gilda Berger'
Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox by Nicola Graimes
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
The Stranger I Married by Sylvia Day
Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler
The Best Book of Spaceships
Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Diner
Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
Ask Magazine:  Wild in the City (July/August 2013)
The Story:  Getting to the Heart of God's Story by Randy Frazee
The Costa Rica Story:  Highlights Toip Secret Adventures
Body of a Dancer by Renee D'Aoust
The Golden Book of Space Exploration
Highlights High Five  (magazine, August 2012)
Halloween Fun (Ready-to-read)
LEGO Knight's Kingdom:  The Grand Tournament
The Astronauts by Dinah L. Moche
Do-Over by Rachel Vail
Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson
Possum Comes a Knockin' by Nancy Van Laan
What Grandpas Do Best by Laura H. Numeroff
Oz, the Great and Powerful:  The Land of Oz (Disney)
Stuck Truck (Dora the Explorer)
In a Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz
Talent Show Scaredy-Pants (Ready Freddy #5) by Abby Klein
Joe Sherlock, Kid Detective, Case #000003:  The Missing Monkey-Eye Diamond by Dave Keane
Money (Dorling Kindersley)
Emma Dilemma and the New Nanny by Patricia Hermes
Barbie's Shooting for the Stars 

Location:  Although chartered, this Maywood Avenue Little Free Library is not marked on the map.




Related posts:
Unchartered #2.  (7/24/2014)
Unchartered #1.  (7/21/2014)
Charter #5719.  (7/19/2014)
Charter #0657.  (7/18/2014)
Charter #1258.  (7/16/2014)

13,000 Books Donated to the Friends of the Arden-Dimick Library

About this video Frank Rose, 85, donated his collection of 13,000 books to the Friends of the Arden-Dimick Library. He has been collecting books for 70 years.



Arden-Dimick is a branch of the Sacramento Public Library.

At the end of this video report, Margaret Clausen, Treasurer of the Friends of Arden-Dimick Library, says:  It's the largest book donation we've ever received by far.  It's going to be a legacy that will live a long time through the library book collection."

From this quote, some viewers might be left with the impression that the books will be added to the library's collection.  That's not the case, as this report in the Sacramento Bee clarifies.

Next week, volunteers will sort through the collection for any hidden gems. On a hunch, Clausen recently pulled two books, “Verve, Revue Artistique et Littéraire” and “Dessins pour la Bible” by Marc Chagall, from boxes dropped on the library’s doorstep. 

Last week, the pair fetched $6,000 for the library at a San Francisco auction, she said. 

“From day to day, you never know what you’re going to find,” Clausen said. 

Some of Rose’s collection could be sold on Amazon.com. Remaining books will likely be available at the Oct. 31 community book sale.

Wisconsin Business Headline News



Up 25% to a 6,000,000 barrels.



1.13 million pelts.

The Phil Gingrey Fear-mongering Bandwagon


As a physician, Gingrey should know that the Ebola virus is limited to Africa and dengue fever is transmitted by bugs and dogs.

The Immigrant Kids Have Health Issues — But Not The Ones You'd Think.  (NPR, 7/22/2014)

Many officials don't care to allow reality to color their perspective and are content to fear-monger and pander.   As a cautionary measure, all detainees are evaluated right at the border to stop any potential disease from spreading as early as possible. 

They're screened at least once — first by a member of the Border Patrol and then by physicians, if necessary — for signs of any disease. This includes rash, fever, persistent coughing, vomiting and diarrhea, says Jessica Maxwell, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, which works with Border Patrol. 

The incidence of infectious diseases is very low, she says

How low?  Let's use tuberculosis as an example.


Here at home, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and 3 of his Republican colleagues have jumped on the panderwagon.


Notice the southeastern Wisconsin cluster.


Thursday, July 24, 2014

Total Number of Audio and Video Materials (Physical Units) in Wisconsin Public Libraries, 1990-2013




All statistics from the Wisconsin Public Library Service Data.

Related posts.
Wisconsin public library circulation, 1990-2013.  (7/10/2014)
Wisconsin public library revenues, 1990-2013.  (7/11/2014)
Programs and program attendance, 1990-2013.  (7/12/2014)
Books and Serial Volumes (Print), 1990-2013.  (7/22/2014)

Know Your Madison Geography: .....a nightclub on East Washington Avenue

Could be a new series, folks!

Madison police seek suspects in East Side armed robbery.   (Wisconsin State Journal, 7/24/2014)

Ruining an otherwise enjoyable evening.    Police said the 32-year-old victim was walking from a nightclub on East Washington Avenue to his vehicle in a parking lot on the 3500 block of Ridgeway Avenue at about 12:40 a.m. when he was approached by two men, both with handguns. The men took the victim's wallet and phone before fleeing the area on foot.

The 3500 block of Ridgeway.


The nightclub on the 3500 block of East Wash.

Whatever was on sale that week

Or year.

The exterior remodeling of this house on Elmwood Avenue as been going on for at least 5 years.

Photo credit:  Retiring Guy

On the Scene at Gammon Where It Turns Into Park Street

7:11 a.m. Middleton Police Department email alert.





7:50 a.m. Middleton Police Department email alert. 

11:45 a.m.  MG&E still working on it.  3 trucks on the call.  Street remains open to traffic.

Related Q & A.   What coverage do I claim under for hitting a utility pole?

I Woke Up This Morning and Discovered It's 1984!

"Weird Al" Yankovic  is big news.

No Joke!  He's Topping the Charts.  (The New York Times, 7/23/2014)


Hot off the press.



Scott Walker Shines in Big-Money, Out-of-State Campaign Contributions

Scott Walker gets very little money from the little people. (Capital Times, 7/22/2014)

Where it counts, people.   One area in which Burke clearly triumphed over Walker was in the share of her money coming from inside Wisconsin. While the majority of Walker’s funds came from donors in other states, more than 70 percent of Burke’s campaign dollars were given by Wisconsinites. 


Scott Walker tops Mary Burke in major and out-of-state donations.  (Wisconsin Watch)

And here's a list of Scott Walker's supporters with the all-time deepest pockets.  (Out-of state sources highlighted.)


Related posts:
In latest Marquette Law School poll, Mary Burke Has a slight advantage among likely voters  (7/24/2014)
If that's the case, Walker should immediately announce that he's not a candidate for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination.  (5/23/2014)
Lock the doors!! Hide the kids!!  (4/21/2014)
States where Scott Walker will be spending a lot of time in 2015 (Not Wisconsin).  (4/17/2014)
Rasmussen poll: Mary Burke tied with Scott Walker.  (3/12/2014)
Joe and Jennifer Korb struggle to get by in their $800,000 home.  (3/10/2014)
Sounds to me like plenty of Wisconsin voters are content to have Scott Walker be a one-term Governor.  (10/2/2013)
Walker's approval numbers slip in polling NOT conducted by a "Democrat leaning firm".  (9/19/2013)
Four words to Wisconsin Democrats in 2014: Get out the vote.  (4/25/2013)

The Topic, of Course, is Guns, Not Booze

Photo taken at the Dane County Fair, 7/10/2014

What's In Your Little Free Library? (Unchartered #2)


A small, mostly paperback collection.  Browsing from left to right.
Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul by Jack Canfield et al.
The Icarus Agenda by Robert Ludlum
Home-recorded videos
  • The Lady and the Tramp
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Monsters Inc.
  • Santa Clause 2
The Good News of the Holy Spirit: Acts
Pine Hollow:  Track Record by Bonnie Bryant
The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder by John Bellairs
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
Cowboy's Homecoming by Brenda Minton
A Handbook for People Choosing Converting to Judaism by Anita Diamant
Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley
Hercules the Harbor Tug by Michael O'Hearn

Location

Related posts:
Unchartered #1.  (7/21/2014)
Charter #5719.  (7/19/2014)
Charter #0657.  (7/18/2014)
Charter #1258.  (7/16/2014)

Julaine Appling and the Freeze-Dried Marriage Amendment Talking Point

Poll finds strong public support for repealing state's marriage amendment. (Wisconsin State Journal, 7/24/2014)


A shift that can't be talked away “That’s an important shift from where we were eight years ago and is in line with national data showing support for marriage at 55 percent,” [Poll Director Charles] Franklin said.


When reporters need a quote supporting Wisconsin's marriage amendment, they apparently have only one source, Julaine Appling.  That in itself is very telling.  Notice how Governor Walker throws  himself into a furious tap dance every time someone raises the topic with him.
 
Other same-sex marriage posts:
Scott Walker's fantasy world.  (7/15/2014)
Scott Walker, do you still "stand with" this statement?   (7/7/2014)
In Scott Walker's case, not "taking the bait" means weaseling his way through the campaign.  (7/7/2014)
From the why-is-this-news department.   (6/15/2014)
Somebody needs lessons in leadership.  (6/15/2014)
To be an attorney, you need to graduate from college.  (5/27/2014)
Your state tax dollars at work (to keep Walker's base happy).  (3/25/2014) 
Did you know that it's National Heterosexual Marriage Week USA?   (2/8/2014)
What else would you expect from someone who needs to pander to a Tea-Party base in order to keep his dim 2016 hopes alive? (2/6/2014)
Virginia Republicans hang down their heads.  (1/6/2014)
Beware of Cal Thomas.  (4/1/2013)

In Latest Marquette Law School Poll, Mary Burke Has a Slight Advantage Among Likely Voters

New Marquette Law School Poll finds Walker, Burke tied in Wisconsin governor’s race.  (News release, 7/23/2014)

Walker's recent panicked utterances lead me to believe his internal polling numbers are not good. Among likely voters, i.e., those who say they are certain to vote in November’s election, Burke receives 47 percent and Walker 46 percent.

A look at the demographics.


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Worldwide It Was a Very Warm June

Madison bucks global trend in May, June with average heat  (Wisconsin State Journal, 7/22/2014)

Global Analysis - June 2014. State of the Climate. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Climatic Data Center.)





Other climate change posts:
Extreme weather, climate change: The Pacific Northwest edition.  (7/22/2014)
This isn't what Gene McDaniels had in mind (Unh, unh, unh, unh, unh, unh).  (5/21/2014)
In this case, you'll find the Crazy, a hidebound ideologue, in room 205 of the Russell Senate Office Building.  (5/14/2014)
Sunny-day flooding in Miami Beach: The everyday reality and the political denial.  (5/9/2014)
The rising sea levels of Bangladesh.  (3/30/2014)
Cold enough for you?  (3/9/2014)
Meteors, glaciers, and climate change.  (1/14/2014)
Climate change spurs northward growth of mangroves.  (1/1/2014)
Dear Skeptics, Climate change is already driving informed business decisions.  (12/15/2013)
Florida's vulnerable coastline.  (11/12/2013)
Promoting the need for regionalism among nations along the Bay of Bengal coast.  (10/14/2013)
Climate change not taking a back seat everywhere in Wisconsin.  (9/27/2013)
Climate change deniers continue to jump on the Daily Mail crazy train (or Oops! they did it again).  (9/25/2013) 
Cal Thomas: This climate change bulletin just in from the Daily Mail.  (9/24/2013) 
Cal Thomas needs a research assistant.  (9/23/2013)
Climate change, as a matter of fact.  (8/31/2013)
Outagamie County residents will be better served with a more proactive approach.  (8/20/2013)
Here's what got Ron Johnson's undies in a bundle (NoRoJo in 2016, chapter 12).  (8/15/2013)
Georgia's anti-science climate denier caucus.  (7/31/2013)
Here's a comforting headline.  (3/8/2013)
Making Fox News-Inspired Jokes About Climate Change? Consider Australia.  (3/5/2013)
The New Normal: Living With Extreme Weather (Northeastern U.S. Edition).  (2/10/2013)
1975: "There's a new ice age coming, but I wouldn't want to predict when.".  (1/27/2013)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Embargoes Use of Phrase "Climate Change"?  (12/31/2012)
Can you say 'climate change'?  (11/28/2012)
As you already know, Fox News is shameless.  (9/29/2012)
Dear George, It will take more than denial to get over climate change in Greenland.  (9/27/2012)
Climate change results in Coast Guard's "unprecedented" deployment to North Shore of Alaska.  (7/23/2013)
Weather history is made in the Northeast.  (10/30/2011)
Climate change in the American mind.  (6/8/2011)
Stuff you won't see on Fox News.  (1/8/2010)

Thomas Berger (1924-2014)

Thomas Berger, ‘Little Big Man’ Author, Is Dead at 89. (The New York Times, 7/21/2014)

Honor or albatross.    Mr. Berger fell into that category of novelists whose work is admired by critics, devoured by devoted readers and even assigned in modern American literature classes but who owe much of their popularity to Hollywood.



I confess that I've never read anything by Berger.   Outside of "Little Big Man", any suggestions are to where to start?

Just a handful of Berger's books are available in large print and none as audiobooks in LINKcat.  Little Big Man  and Arthur Rex are available through Overdrive.

Thomas Berger (Ohioana Authors)

Talking Turkey After the Dane County Fair 2014

My wife and I attended the Dane County Fair last Saturday.   We walked through most of the exhibits.  The rooms in the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall featuring crafts, flower arrangements, clothing, photography, woodworking, science projects, and much more were eerily underpopulated.   It was no surprise then to learn that attendance is down 34% since 1995. 


I thought we'd find more of a crowd at the small animal exhibits and petting zoo, but that wasn't the case.

It was at this point during our visit when I spotted what might be somebody's Thanksgiving dinner.


"There's something missing here," I observed to my wife as we walked back to the car.  "We need grandchildren."

As far as we know, this scenario is not likely to occur anytime soon.

Videocassettes, DVDs, and the Remains of a Fading Day


Timeline

November 1977 .  Magnetic Video, operating as Video Club of America, is the first company to offer theatrical motion pictures on home video.

December 1977.  George Atkinson opens the first video rental store, in a 600-square foot space on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles

1981.  Tower Records begins testing video rentals.

1983.  VCRs are in less than 10% of U.S. households.

1984.    By this time, many public libraries have added, or plan to add, videocassettes to their circulating collections.


1985.  U.S. sales of VCRs hit 11 million,.  30% of American households.own a VCR.
.
October 1985.  Blockbuster opens it first video store in Dallas, Texas.

1988.   Annual revenues from video rentals exceed movie box office receipts for the first time.

1993.  The end of that format war.  Sony ends production of Betamax VCR.

1996.  Video collection development experiences an early surge of double-digit growth (percentage-wise)


1997.  Say "hello" to the DVD.

April 1998.   Netflix introduces first online rental service.  (Or maybe it wasn't until 1999,.)

1998.  Amazon enters the video business.

2000.  The Middleton Public Library says "hello" to the DVD.


March 2003.  Weekly revenues from DVD rentals exceed videocassette rental revenues for the 1st time.  And as you probably guessed, annual DVD rental revenues exceed videocassette rental revenues for the first time in 2003.

May 2004Redbox appears on the scene. 

2007.   Videos are clearly are their way out at the Middleton Public Library.


Early 2014R.I.P. Blockbuster (1985-2014)

Related reading:
50 years of the videocassette recorder.   (WIPO magazine, November 2006.)
The great debate over videocassette rentals.  (The Free Lance Star, 5/13/1982)

Tiedeman Pond Trail Improvements Underway

In conjunction with the construction of a series of forebays, part of a stormwater detention system...


.,..the walking  path that encircles Tiedeman Pond is getting an upgrade.  I'm sure that one of the next steps is to put down a layer of mulch.


Until today, the path had been posted as closed for the past month, a status which most folks -- present company excepted, of course -- acknowledged, as indicated by the grass growing on what had been a mulched path.


 The path and boardwalk provide great opportunities for heron watching and photography.


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Towering Isthmus (and the 3 Cranes): For Folks Who Can Afford the View


Other "Towering Isthmus" posts:
That Was Then, This is Now: The 400 Block of West Gilman.  (7/18/2014)
The towers of Porta Bella.  (7/18/2014)
New housing rising.  (5/8/2014)
Cranes over Porta Bella.  (4/22/2014)

I Want (You)



No appearance on the Billboard Hot 100.  (What a crime!)



Peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100.  (Another crime.)

Welcome to the Everyday Life of Ralph Powers, Jr.



More Ralphie Boy

RG capsule review.



Even back then, we knew this song was "incorrect".

Its short 1966  run on the Billboard Hot 100:  50, 11, 5, 3, 5, 37. 

Whaddya Thnk? Possible Volunteer? Time Better Spent Shelf-Reading?



From what I been told, the Chicago Public Library has quite the toilet seat

And I Quote: "Per capita, that's the most expensive library among all similarly sized cities, perhaps even in the whole state."


Hey, Retiring Guy does this kinda number crunching all the time.

"Perhaps even in the whole state."  No.  La Crosse Public Library ranks 21st.


 Numero uno.

But among its Top 20 peer group of public libraries, La Crosse stands head and shoulders above the rest.