Friday, August 10, 2012

Deficit Reduction Package -- "The Ryan Budget" -- Shifts Significant Costs to States and Localities

About the Center.

The report's 4 main bullet points:
  • The Ryan budget would heavily shift costs to states by cutting Medicaid funding. 
  • The Ryan budget would impose deep cuts in funding for a wide range of other state and local services, as well. 
  • Cuts in funding for state and local governments under the Ryan plan would be much deeper than the automatic cuts (or “sequestration”) scheduled to begin in January
  • The Ryan budget cuts likely would bring funding for state and local services far below historical levels.

(Pages 9-10)   Major education programs threatened with deep cuts under the Ryan budget:
  • High-poverty schools (Title I)
  • Special education (IDEA)
  • Pre-school programs provided through Head Start
  • Improving teacher quality. 
  • Impact Aid.  (Provide support to school districts near military bases, Indian lands, or other types of property that cannot be taxed by the school district)

(Pages 11-12)  Major housing and community development programs threatened with deep cuts under the Ryan budget:  

(Pages 12-13)  Major health and environment programs threatened with deep cuts under the Ryan budget:

(Pages 13-14)  Major workforce programs threatened with deep cuts under the Ryan budget:

Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 24th Senate District



Care to guess why the new 24th stretches into Monroe County?

Maybe these numbers from the 2010 gubernatorial election will help.


Scott Walker, with nearly 58% of the vote.

Public libraries in the 24th.
Adams County Public Library (service area)
Charles and JoAnn Lester Library, Nekoosa
Coloma Public Library
Hancock Public Library
Lester Public Library of Arpin
Lester Public Library of Rome
Lester Public Library of Vesper
Lettie W. Jensen Library, Amherst
McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids
Pittsville Community Library
Plainfield Public Library
Portage County Public Library
Sparta Public Library
Tomah Public Library
Wautoma Public Library

Academic libraries
UW Marshfield/Wood County Library
UW-Stevens Point Library


Biography. Born Stevens Point, October 21, 1970; married; 3 children.

Graduate Stevens Point Area Senior H.S.; B.S. in political science and public administration UW-Stevens Point 1993; UW-Madison La Follette Institute of Public Affairs graduate work.

Full-time legislator. Former legislative aide and executive director, Plover Area Business Assn.

Member: Heart of Wisconsin Business and Economic Alliance; Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Portage Co. Democratic Party (former chp.); Portage Co. Business Council.

Dewey Town Board 1993-94.

Elected to Assembly 1998-2002 (resigned eff. 5/9/03); elected to Senate in April 2003 special election; reelected since 2004. Minority Caucus Chairperson 2011; Minority Caucus Secretary 1999.

Re-elected to State Senate with 68% of the vote in 2008.

Lost to Sean Duffy in the 2010 7th Congressional race.  Received 46% of the vote.

The Republican Challengers

Steve Abrahamson

Republican Senate hopefuls make case to challenge Lassa.  (Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, 7/27/2012)

Excerpt:   Abrahamson, of Wisconsin Rapids, said he was a "common person with common sense" who was running to restore faith and values in state government.

OK, still trying to find out more about this guy.

24th Senate District questionnaire: Steve Abrahamson, Republican. (Stevens Point Journal, 8/5/2012)

Excerpt:   My work history includes many leadership positions that I had to show great work ethics and a sound mind to obtain. A common sense approach goes a long way for a person to obtain their goals by being rewarded on merit.

Let's move on.

Scott Noble                                        or John Goodman?

About:    My name is Scott Kenneth Noble, and I am the conservative candidate running for state senate in Wisconsin’s 24th district. 

I am a life long Wood County resident, and a graduate of UW-Stevens Point. 

I currently manage my family’s business, the Marshfield Professional Center, where we offer a rental facility that caters to both individuals and businesses. I find that environment to be very suitable to my personality, as I'm also licensed in social work and teaching. 

In addition to having sat on the Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Wisconsin, I am also a former Marshfield Alderman. While on the Council, I learned that changing policy requires everyday citizens to become engaged and active in their local government. Attending or volunteering locally for committees, your city council, or school board help people learn first hand how things are run. Doing just that fueled my passion to run for higher office.

Noble coordinated an unsuccessful recall effort against Lassa in 2011.

Wisconsin Eye Senate District 24

Related posts:
Assembly District 1.
Assembly District 2.
Assembly District 3.
Assembly District 4.
Assembly District 5.
Assembly District 6.
Assembly District 7.
Assembly District 8.
Assembly District 9.
Assembly District 10.
Assembly District 11.
Assembly District 12.
Assembly District 13.
Assembly District 14.
Assembly District 15.
Assembly District 16.
Assembly District 17.
Assembly District 18.
Assembly District 19.
Assembly District 20.
Assembly District 21.
Assembly District 22.
Assembly District 23.
Assembly District 24.
Assembly District 25.
Assembly District 26.
Assembly District 27.
Assembly District 28.
Assembly District 29.
Assembly District 30.
Assembly District 31.
Assembly District 32.
Assembly District 33.
Assembly District 34.
Assembly District 37.
Assembly District 39.
Assembly District 44.
Assembly District 45.
Assembly District 47.
Assembly District 49.
Assembly District 51.
Assembly District 53.
Assembly District 55.
Assembly District 56.
Assembly District 62.
Assembly District 65.
Assembly District 69.
Assembly District 70.
Assembly District 71.
Assembly District 78.
Assembly District 79.
Assembly District 80.
Assembly District 85.
Assembly District 86.
Assembly District 90.
Assembly District 94.
Senate District 6.
Senate District 12.
Senate District 14.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Magazine Subscriptions Flat, Newsstand Sales Decline by 10%


Women’s Magazines Lead Overall Decline in Newsstand Sales. (The New York Times, 8/8/2012)

Excerpt:  According to data released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations on Tuesday, overall paid and verified circulation of magazines declined slightly, by 0.1 percent, in the first half of 2012. But newsstand sales — often seen as the best barometer of a magazine’s appeal — were down nearly 10 percent.

"Celebrity" titles slipping badly.  (Why wait for the news in print when you can go online and get instant gratification?)
People (-18.6%)
Star (-14.2%)
In Touch (-13.3%)
Us Weekly (-11.4%)

Home and food titles get a boost.
Food Network Magazine (+17/8%)
Architectural Digest (+8.6%)
Woman's Day (unspecified single-digit increase)
Family Circle (ditto)

Fifty Shades of Grey: The Soundtrack

Brought to you by Spotify.
Or, pleasantly innocuous music to snooze by.

Read about it at Galley Cat.

What about.......?

Community Room Usage @ the Santa Teresa Branch Library


Otherwise, a straightforward, informative, if not entertaining, presentation about the rules and procedures for using the community room at the Santa Teresa Branch Library.

Elgin Library Trustee Randy Hopp Not Yet Fit to Stand Trial


Elgin library trustee sent to downstate mental health facility. (The Daily Herald, 8/9/2012)

Excerpt:  A Kane County judge refused Wednesday to intervene in the state’s plan to have Randall L. Hopp, a Gail Borden Public Library trustee accused of felony battery in a domestic incident involving his elderly parents, sent to a maximum security facility downstate until he is ruled fit to stand trial.

Hopp, 61, of the 1500 block of Pamela Court, Elgin, is banned from the library, and in late June was ruled unfit by a jury to stand trial.

Since then he’s been held in the Kane County jail while the state’s Department of Human Services decides on a treatment plan and facility for him.

Related articles:
Sign this guy up for anger management classes.  (1/19/2012)
Library board member from hell is here to stay. ( 6/19/2011)
Add Elgin Community College to the list of places where Randy Hopp is banned.  (5/2/2011)
Gail Borden's 'board member from hell' is back in the news again.  (3/26/2011)
Crossing t's and dotting i's aren't enough for this library board member. (1/15/2011)
The strange saga of Randy Hopp, library trustee.  (5/23/2010)

Pomona Public Library Parcel Tax on November 6 Ballot


Pomona council votes to place library tax measure on November ballot. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 8/7/2012)

ExcerptCity Council members voted unanimously late Monday night to place a library parcel tax measure on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Council members voted 6-0 for the parcel tax measure, which will require the approval of two-thirds of those who vote.

Councilman Steve Atchley left before the council addressed the matter.

At the same meeting, the council voted to move ahead with a plan to close a fire station and to outsource the city's park maintenance.

Should the library tax measure pass, it would generate about $1.5 million for the library's operations and services.

Owners of single family home parcels would pay about $38 a year. City leaders decided Monday to leave out a sunset clause, thereby making the parcel tax measure a permanent tax if approved. They also opted to include language committing the city to provide 38 hours of service, five days a week.

Related posts:
You'll see less.  (8/5/2012)
What a way to celebrate 100 years of service.  (7/23/2012)
Keeping up with the Pomona Public Library.  (7/8/2012)
The Pomona Public Library gets a reprieve from the city council. 6/27/2012)
Best blog name ever (?) and more on the Pomona Public Library.  (6/22/2012)
David Allen is now a card-carrying Pomona Public Library supporter.  6/22/2012)
Vote to close Pomona library postponed to June 25.  (6/22/2012)
Pomona library bears brunt of layoffs.  (6/14/2012)

I wonder if Frank Novak has seen these numbers?

Mr. Let's-spend-10%-of-our-materials-budget-on-print.


Adult Fiction/Non-Fiction Hardcover Revenues Topped eBooks in April. (Galley Cat, 8/8/2012)

Even though year-to-date ebook sales are up 27.5% in 2012, sales of adult fiction and nonfiction are up 4%.  Looks as though both formats still have a place in publicly and personally funded libraries.


Related posts:
Adult hardcover book sales hold their own, paperbacks sales drop in 1st quarter of 2012.  (6/17/2012)
Library ebook circulation skyrockets @ the Greendale Public Library and throughout Wisconsin.  (5/29/2012)
In so many words:  Libraries will have a place at the table. (4/30/2012)
3M Cloud Library ebook lending service goes beta at select libraries.  (4/28/2012)
Pew Research:  The rise of e-reading, summarized. (4/5/2012)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution attempts to get a handle on the ebook era.  (4/2/2012)
And I quote from "Bringing Up an E-Reader".  (3/29/2012)
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board weighs in on ebooks and libraries. (3/19/2012)
Carl Zimmer responds to Franzen.  (1/31/2012)
It's only Monday but this is still the best ebook headline of the week.  (1/20/2012)
Jonathan Franzen has something to say about ebooks.  (1/30/2012)
As they have been doing all along, libraries adapt to technology.  (1/29/2012)
Floating an Idea: The Harvard Library Innovation Laboratory's Library License.  (1/17/2012) 
Getting in line @ your library for ebooks.  (1/15/2012)
The Post-Christmas ebook sales surge. (1/10/2012)
Honey, we've been 'trying' it.  For years.  (12/25/2011)
Chris Bohjalian on our totemic connection to books.  (12/20/2011)
Hold that bricks-and-mortar bookstore obituary.  (12/13/2011)
Your local public library: The greenest option of all in the ebooks vs. print books debate.  (12/11/2011)
Go directly to Amazon, do not pass library.  (11/3/2011)
Ebooks in U.S. public libraries.  (10/22/2011)
How ebook buyers discover books.  (9/27/2011)
Cookbooks make the transition to digital publishing.  (9/27/2011)
Redefining what an ebook is and who gets to publish it. (9/19/2011)
The L.A.Times on ebooks: An Amazon tablet, push into interactivity. (9/16/2011)
The Economist:  "Great digital expectations".  (9/16/2011)
Lev Grossman presents a short history of the reading device..  (9/6/2011)
Speaking of gadgets, here's the latest iteration of ebooks.  (8/25/2011)
Sounds like another digital divide in the making.  (7/30/2011)
Libraries and ebooks:  Any book, not any time soon.  (6/1/2011)
On the distinction between the book reader and the book owner.  (5/10/2011)
Demand for ebooks grows exponentially in Wisconsin.  (5/2/2011)
Struggling to find an ebook common agenda between libraries and publishers.  (4/5/2011)
Ebooks and libraries:  "The challenges just keep piling up".  (3/28/2011)
Publishers Weekly tracks ebook sales.  (3/18/2011)
Word is getting out:  Ebooks @ your library.  (3/18/2011)
Ebooks continue to gain market share.  (3/17/2011)
Publishers look to bottom line in formulating ebook policies for libraries. (3/15/2011)
News stories on HarperCollins ebook decision go mainstream.  (3/5/2011)
9 years of book sales:  trade and ebook.  (2/17/2011)
Will ebook readers be wooed by Barbara Cartland?  (2/12/2011)
The impact of ebooks on libraries.  (2/11/2011)
OverDrive news release: Library eBook circs up 200% in '10. (1/10/2011)
Mashable: 5 ebook trends that will change the future of publishing. (12/29/2010)
Christmas 2010 the tipping point for ebooks?  (12/24/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag.  (12/9/2010)
The ebook reader compatibility surprise.  (12/3/2010)
Ereader ownership:  Survey says....  (11/30/2010)
David Carnoy asks, "Does the Kindle pay for itself?" (11/29/2010)
Need to repair that ebook reader?  (11/19/2010)
Who uses an ereader:  Survey says....  (9/22/2010)
Book industry wrestles with print vs. pixels.  (9/2/2010)
Coming soon to a screen near you:  Ads in ebooks.  (8/20/2010)
Ebooks now comprise 8.5% of book sales. (8/12/2010)
Genre paperback publishers drops print.  (8/6/2010)
Ebooks and libraries.  (5/4/2010)
Ebooks eliminate a free form of adversiting:  the book jacket.  (3/31/2010)
Ebooks: another round of false promises?  (3/19/2010)
The skinny on ebooks.  (3/8/2010)
Hardcover vs. ebook:  Breaking down the costs.  (3/1/2010)

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Andrew Napolitano, what law books are you consulting?

Since you said this on Fox News, we'll just assume you're makin' stuff up as you go along.


[Like Pavlov dogs.]  Fox News Analyst:  Sikh Temple Massacre 'Not Domestic Terrorism".  (Crooks & Liars, 8/7/2012)

Excerpt:  "The legal definition of terrorism is two or more acts of violence intended to change the policy of the government, by scaring the population or by scaring the government," Napolitano told the hosts of Fox & Friends on Tuesday. "That does not appear to be what happened in this case."

Wisconsin Department of Revenue: Statement of Changes in Equalized Property Values - Preliminary 2012 Report

Statewide property values fall again. (Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance, 7/31/2012)

The past 4 years.

The red columns translate into $45,000,000,000 in reduced home values in Wisconsin.

The biggest losers in 2011, by county:
  • Green Lake (-8.6%)
  • Kenosha (-7.7%)
  • Burnett (-7.1%)
  • Walworth (-6.4%), 
  • Racine (-6.1%)
  • Milwaukee (-5.4%)
The 7 gainers (none more than 1.6%)
  • Chippewa
  • Clark
  • Florence
  • Grant
  • La Crosse 
  • Lafayette
  • Trempealeau



Final report available August 15.

Budget Snapshots, We've Got Budget Snapshots


From the Introduction 

State fiscal conditions continue to improve at a slow and steady pace. 

A spring 2012 survey of state legislative fiscal officers found 
  • revenue performance remains positive and 
  • expenditures in most states are stable. 
And for the first time since before the Great Recession, a number of states are projecting to end the fiscal year with small unobligated balances. 

In another sign of improving fiscal conditions, few states have faced mid-year budget shortfalls in fiscal year (FY) 2012. This is good news for state lawmakers who have closed more than $500 billion in budget gaps over the previous four fiscal years. In addition, fewer budget gaps are projected for FY 2013 compared with recent years. 

Despite this encouraging news, a degree of uncertainty still lingers over state budgets. Concerns about 
  • unemployment levels, 
  • potential federal deficit reduction actions, 
  • spending pressures and 
  • global economic events, 
are contributing to a cautious state budget outlook. 

This report is based on data collected from legislative fiscal officers in March and April 2012. It includes information on: FY 2012 tax performance; Projected return to peak revenues Spending overruns in FY 2012; New FY 2012 budget gaps and projected FY 2013 budget gaps; Projected FY 2012 unobligated balances; and Summary of the state fiscal situation.

Wisconsin mentions in the condensed free version of the report.

Personal income taxes.  16 states saw collections come in on target. Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi and South Carolina had raised their estimates while Maine, Oregon and Wisconsin had reduced theirs.

General sales taxes   16 states reported that collections were coming in on target. Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Minnesota were meeting targets that had been revised upward. Maine, New Jersey and Wisconsin were meeting reduced estimates. 

Corporate income taxes.  Fifteen states reported collections coming in on target. Of these, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi and New Jersey had raised the forecast, while Delaware, Oregon and Wisconsin had lowered the forecast. 

The complete report costs $49 for non-members.

In our case, estimates may be lowered, as reported by NCSL but according to the Wisconsin Budget Project and the WI DOR table below, Wisconsin is on track to meet or exceed the revenue forecast for this fiscal year.

From the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Wisconsin Economic Outlook, June 2012.

This Thursday!! Miss Cindy on the Roof @ the Gillett Public Library

It appears there's a lot of enthusiasm @ the Gillett Public Library.


Just so you know, Miss Cindy, there's a chance of thundershowers.

Monday, August 6, 2012

The United States Postal Service's "Village Post Offices" Program

As reported on wispublib today, 113 Wisconsin public libraries have been invited to join the United States Postal Service's Village Post Offices program.

What's it all about?  Well, first of all, it's designed to reach out to numerous locations in a community, not just libraries.

Here's a fact sheet the USPS published a year ago.



Related post: Is a Village Post Office in your library's future? (7/26/2011)

The Great Gatsby and Hollywood: If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again


23 years later.


25 years later.  Saw it at the old Dipson's Theater on 3rd Avenue in downtown Jamestown, New York.  Eyes glazed over well before the end of the movie's 144-minute running time.


38 39 years later.  Not exactly awaiting its release with bated breath, although the trailer makes it look oddly psychedelic.

Sharing Books Worldwide via BookCrossing


Shelf life: Library releases books into ‘wild’. (Missoula Missoulian, 8/5/2012)

ExcerptMissoula Public Library has “released” select books into the “wilds” of Missoula through BookCrossing.com, a world-wide book sharing community. We’ve registered and “tagged” free books with BookCrossing Identity Numbers or BCIDs and left them in public spaces for lucky readers to discover. Each BCID is unique to each book — once it’s registered on the BookCrossing website, it can then be tracked as it is passed from reader to reader. There are currently 1,181,778 BookCrossers and 9,197,441 books travelling throughout 132 countries.

Related articles.
Online Diary:  Technology.  (The New York Times, 7/18/2002)
Spreading the word / Bay Area book lovers play 'follow the reader' in global giveaway with online tracking. (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/30/2002)

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Demand a Plan to End Gun Violence



Who's Running for State Office in Wisconsin 2012: 6th Senate District


Public libraries in the 6th Senate District
Milwaukee Public Library 

An open seat

Spencer Coggs to finish out Senate term while he's Milwaukee City Treasurer.  (WTMJ, 4/18/2012)

The Democratic Candidates.  (Republican and other candidates. None.)

Sidebar:  The winner of the August 14th primary will, for all practical purposes, represent the 6th Wisconsin Senate District for the next four years.  Unless someone mounts an effective write-in campaign.

As explained in the 2011-12 State of Wisconsin Blue Book ("Primary Elections", page 867), "The candidate receiving the largest number of party votes for an office becomes the party's nominee in the November election."  In other words, a majority of votes is not needed to win.

For example, Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva) won the 2010 Republican primary, a 6-way race, in the 32nd Assembly District with 23.97% of the vote, besting the 2nd place finisher by 3 votes.   In the general election, he received more than double the number of votes of his Democratic opponent.  (There were also two Independents in the race.)

Elizabeth Coggs

About:  [with bold added]  Elizabeth Coggs was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2010. She currently serves as a member of the Committee on Housing, Committee on Transportation, Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, Committee on Consumer Protection and Personal Privacy, and Committee on Urban and Local Affairs.

For 22 years Representative Coggs worked hard to represent the people of Milwaukee County. She served as 10th District Supervisor from 1988-2010, where she was Chairwoman of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Health and Human Needs Committee and Parks, Energy and Environment Committee.

Representative Coggs continues the legacy of politics as a family tradition. Her father, Isaac N. Coggs, was one of the first African-Americans elected to the State Legislature in 1952 and the Milwaukee County Board in 1964. Her mother, Marcia P. Coggs, was the first African-American woman elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1976. Her cousins State Senator Spencer Coggs, State Representative Leon Young, and Alderwoman Milele Coggs, also proudly serve Wisconsin as elected leaders.

Representative Coggs has a lifetime of involvement in the Milwaukee community. She is the founder of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Back to School Festival, Chairman of Vision for Vliet, and a member of the Milwaukee Urban League Guild, NAACP and Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God In Christ.

Nikiya Harris

About:  [with bold added]  Nikiya Q. Harris currently represents the 2nd District on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Nikiya was elected to office in May 2010 out of a crowded field of eleven candidates. She was re-elected to her first full four year term this past April without opposition.

Nikiya is a Milwaukee native with strong roots in the 6th Senate District. Nikiya graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Master’s in Adult Education and a Bachelor’s in Community Education. In college, she interned on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for the Democratic Whip Leader, Congressman David Bonior.

Nikiya led the fight for voter’s rights by opposing Scott Walker’s Voter ID Law. She fought to insure fewer voters would be turned away from the polls due to lack of ID by making it possible for 5,000 Milwaukee County Residents to receive a FREE birth certificate. In February of this year, Nikiya lead an effort to study African American Mental Health in the community. She partnered with Alverno College’s Graduate program in Community Psychology to host a summit.

Nikiya is an accomplished fundraising professional with certificates in Fund Development from the Helen Bader School of Non-profit Management and the Leaders Forum: African American Fund Development Institute.

Michael Mayo
Couldn't find a Senate campaign website.
Milwaukee County Supervisor Mayo to seek state Senate seat. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/7/2012)

About:  [with bold added] Michael Mayo Sr. was elected 7th District Supervisor [Milwaukee County Board] in a special election held in 1994 and re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. Supervisor Mayo is currently Chairman of the Transportation, Public Works and Transit Committee; and a member of both the Health and Human Needs and Economic and Community Development Committees.

Supervisor Mayo graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and is an alumnus of Future Milwaukee. He is a licensed insurance broker. In addition to his other committee assignments, Supervisor Mayo served as the chairman of the Task Force on African and African American Investment and Trade and is currently a member of the Milwaukee County American Friends of Africa. Supervisor Mayo serves on the War Memorial Board of Directors. His community and professional memberships include Sherman Park Community Association, of which he is past director; a drive volunteer with the Neighborhood Watch; member of Omega Psi Phi; treasurer of True Square Lodge #11 Prince Hall; past treasurer of the Milwaukee Minority Chamber of Commerce [?] and founder and past president of the North Central Lions Club, the first African American Lions Club of Wisconsin.

Allyn Monroe Swan

About.   [with bold added] Allyn’s passion for politics and desire to touch the world was influenced by trail blazers in his reach. He was 8 years old when his father Monroe Swan signed the Senate Log book as the first African American State Senator in the state of Wisconsin in 1973.  

His cousin Annette Polly Williams also served as a political force to be reckoned with as she served as a state Representative in the state of Wisconsin until 2010. These influences have helped to shape the servant heart he has.

Allyn is in love with his wife Erin and he is the proud father of Matthew and Dominque. He is a Spiritual Care Coordinator at Heartland Hospice, where he journeys with the terminally ill throughout our community to help facilitate their end of life spiritual/emotional concerns.

He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy along with a Masters of Art in Religion and a Master of Divinity. Allyn completed his residency and internship in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Sinai Samaritan.

Although he was born and raised in Milwaukee, he has served his community in additional locations. He taught Texas History at Dallas Second Chance School where all of his students were teen offenders. He counseled severely emotionally disturbed children that had been sexualized, abandoned and abused at the Los Angeles Children Aid Society.  [More at campaign website.]


About:   [with bold added] Delta L. Triplett was born in Milwaukee, WI. He is the youngest of twelve siblings and was raised by a very strong mother who made sure all of her children went to school because she knew the value of education. In 1976 as a young first grader, Delta was given the opportunity to attend school in the Whitefish Bay School District through the newly developed Chapter 220 Busing Program. Upon his graduation, he became the first African American student to complete first through twelfth grade in the Whitefish Bay School District.

Delta went on to enlist in the US Navy and joined the elite US Submarine fleet as a sonar technician. He served his country and is a wartime veteran of Operation Desert Storm. After completing his tour of duty in the US Navy, he went on to become a student-athlete as a member of the University of Wisconsin Badgers Football Program. While in college he worked with community organizations and local schools as a parent liaison for troubled youth.

After working his way through college with the help of veteran benefits and student loans, Delta returned home to work with the youth of his community as a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools District and later became the Milwaukee County MLK Community Center Manager. In 2000, Delta was given the opportunity to work as a diversity recruitment consultant for MPS where he played a key role in the hiring of several teachers into the school district. He went on to work as a diversity consultant for several corporations including GE Infrastructure via Kelly Services, Cooper Power Systems, and Harley Davidson before launching his own company, The Ten Group, LLC, in June of 2006. Delta Triplett owns and operates the only diversity recruitment and consulting firm in the State of Wisconsin. He has helped several clients from the likes of Johnson Controls, Kohl’s Corporate, and Quarles & Brady LLP; to increase their diversity talent within critical roles of their organizations.

Related posts:
Assembly District 1.
Assembly District 2.
Assembly District 3.
Assembly District 4.
Assembly District 5.
Assembly District 6.
Assembly District 7.
Assembly District 8.
Assembly District 9.
Assembly District 10.
Assembly District 11.
Assembly District 12.
Assembly District 13.
Assembly District 14.
Assembly District 15.
Assembly District 16.
Assembly District 17.
Assembly District 18.
Assembly District 19.
Assembly District 20.
Assembly District 21.
Assembly District 22.
Assembly District 23.
Assembly District 24.
Assembly District 25.
Assembly District 26.
Assembly District 27.
Assembly District 28.
Assembly District 29.
Assembly District 30.
Assembly District 31.
Assembly District 32.
Assembly District 33.
Assembly District 34.
Assembly District 37.
Assembly District 39.
Assembly District 44.
Assembly District 45.
Assembly District 47.
Assembly District 49.
Assembly District 51.
Assembly District 53.
Assembly District 55.
Assembly District 56.
Assembly District 62.
Assembly District 65.
Assembly District 69.
Assembly District 70.
Assembly District 71.
Assembly District 78.
Assembly District 79.
Assembly District 80.
Assembly District 85.
Assembly District 86.
Assembly District 90.
Assembly District 94.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Cresson (PA) Public Library on YouTube

Cresson (pop. 1697) is 80 miles east of Pittsburgh on U.S. 22.


The Philosophy and Beliefs of Sikhism


From Sikhs.org.

  1. There is only One God.  He is the same God for all people of all religions.
  2. The soul goes through cycles of births and deaths before it reaches the human form. The goal of our life is to lead an exemplary existence so that one may merge with God. Sikhs should remember God at all times and practice living a virtuous and truthful life while maintaining a balance between their spiritual obligations and temporal obligations.
  3. The true path to achieving salvation and merging with God does not require renunciation of the world or celibacy, but living the life of a householder, earning a honest living and avoiding worldly temptations and sins.
  4. Sikhism condemns blind rituals such as fasting, visiting places of pilgrimage, superstitions, worship of the dead, idol worship etc.
  5. Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of God. It teaches the full equality of men and women. Women can participate in any religious function or perform any Sikh ceremony or lead the congregation in prayer.

"And that's where we are" @ the Cedar Rapids Public Library


New library plans for an ever-changing digital world. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, 8/5/2012)

Excerpt: “I’d be highly surprised if the ‘e’ environment does nothing to us,” [Library Director Bob] Pasicznyuk said. “That would be odd. I think it’s just untenable that it’s not going to affect our business.”

Equally hard to imagine, he noted, is that the traditional paper book will vanish from the scene. “

It’s not just going from one to the other and, like, next year there are no (paper) books and we’re on ‘e,’” he said. “We’re in the middle of a transition and, in life, I’ve always found the transitional to be particularly challenging. “And that’s where we are.”

Some basic facts about the new Cedar Rapids Public Library.

Cost:  $46,000,000

Square footage:  94,000 (9,000 sq. ft. larger than flood-ravaged facility).

Collection size:  250,000 volumes.

Public access computers:  100

Meeting room space:
  • Auditorium
  • 175-seat meeting room
  • 15 other civic spaces
  • Children’s programming room

Related posts:
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)

You'll See Less: Pomona Public Library to Become a Shell of Its Former Self on September 4

reasons to visit the Pomona Public Library
 
Pomona library is brimming with treasures. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, 8/4/2012)
Here are the unfortunate facts of the situation.
The library as Pomona residents currently know it will close on Wednesday, August 15.
During a three-week reconfiguration, the basement, which houses all of the library's special collections, will be closed off, and self-check machines will be added to the main level.
How the library will have changed when it reopens on Tuesday, September 4.
  • A budget reduced by 75%.
  • Reduced staff of hourly workers.
  • Hours reduced to 20 per week.
Sadly, this last item isn't much of a change from the current schedule.
Related posts:
What a way to celebrate 100 years of service.  (7/23/2012)
Keeping up with the Pomona Public Library.  (7/8/2012)
The Pomona Public Library gets a reprieve from the city council. 6/27/2012)
Best blog name ever (?) and more on the Pomona Public Library.  (6/22/2012)
David Allen is now a card-carrying Pomona Public Library supporter.  6/22/2012)
Vote to close Pomona library postponed to June 25.  (6/22/2012)
Pomona library bears brunt of layoffs.  (6/14/2012)