Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Scott Walker Book Reviewers: Fawning All Over Themselves


'Cause after all he's just a man.



Other Unintimidated posts:
What's your favorite version of "Going Down" on this snowy Wisconsin New Year's Eve? (12/31/2013)
Christmas was not kind to Scott Walker on Amazon. (12/26/2013)
Climbing into 2014 conversation.  (12/24/2013)
Some Republicans ordering last-minute gifts via Amazon (Drones not ready yet).  (12/24/2013)
Scott Walker's "Unintimidated": 4 weeks of tepid rankings and opposing viewpoints on Amazon.  (12/172013) It's been a roller-coaster sales ride since Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" peaked on its 3rd day of publication.  (12/10/2013) 
Dear V S, Thanks for your fake review of Scott Walker's "Unintimidated".  (12/6/2013)
Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" book review parties seem to be over.  (12/6/2013)
"Unintimidated" book reviewers running out of steam?  (12/5/2013)
A variation on a theme: Like little Mighty Mice coming to their hero's rescue.  (12/4/2013)
In one day: Fans of Scott Walker "Unintimidated" to post 115 five-star reviews on Amazon.  (12/3/2013)
Scott Walker's Fans Accuse "Union Thugs" of Writing Fake Reviews of "Unintimidated", Then Do Likewise.  (12/2/2013)
Scott Walker "Unintimidated" by roller coaster ride on Amazon.  (11/28/2013)
Scott Walker "Unintimidated" to peak early on Amazon during first week of book's publication.  (11/26)
On day 6, Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" reverses course, but the bad reviews keep rolling in.  (11/24/2013)
Day 5: Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" experiences that overnight sinking feeling. (11/24/2013) 
Day 4: Scott Walker Unintimidated As his book slowly slip slides away.  (11/23/2013)
On day 3, Scott Walker Unintimidated to tread water.  (11/22/2013)
On day 2, "Unintimidated" Shows Sales Momentum, but Reviews Still Split.  (11/21/2013)
Day one:  Amazon's best-selling books "Unintimidated" by Scott Walker.  (11/19/2013)
Once again, Scott Walker is unintimidated by the facts.  (11/2/2013)
Unintimidated by the facts.  (10/28/2013)

What's Your Favorite Version of "Going Down" on This Snowy Wisconsin New Year's Eve?




















What's your favorite version of "Going Down"
  
pollcode.com free polls 

Other Unintimidated posts:
Christmas was not kind to Scott Walker on Amazon. (12/26/2013)
Climbing into 2014 conversation.  (12/24/2013)
Some Republicans ordering last-minute gifts via Amazon (Drones not ready yet).  (12/24/2013)
Scott Walker's "Unintimidated": 4 weeks of tepid rankings and opposing viewpoints on Amazon.  (12/172013) It's been a roller-coaster sales ride since Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" peaked on its 3rd day of publication.  (12/10/2013) 
Dear V S, Thanks for your fake review of Scott Walker's "Unintimidated".  (12/6/2013)
Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" book review parties seem to be over.  (12/6/2013)
"Unintimidated" book reviewers running out of steam?  (12/5/2013)
A variation on a theme: Like little Mighty Mice coming to their hero's rescue.  (12/4/2013)
In one day: Fans of Scott Walker "Unintimidated" to post 115 five-star reviews on Amazon.  (12/3/2013)
Scott Walker's Fans Accuse "Union Thugs" of Writing Fake Reviews of "Unintimidated", Then Do Likewise.  (12/2/2013)
Scott Walker "Unintimidated" by roller coaster ride on Amazon.  (11/28/2013)
Scott Walker "Unintimidated" to peak early on Amazon during first week of book's publication.  (11/26)
On day 6, Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" reverses course, but the bad reviews keep rolling in.  (11/24/2013)
Day 5: Scott Walker's "Unintimidated" experiences that overnight sinking feeling. (11/24/2013) 
Day 4: Scott Walker Unintimidated As his book slowly slip slides away.  (11/23/2013)
On day 3, Scott Walker Unintimidated to tread water.  (11/22/2013)
On day 2, "Unintimidated" Shows Sales Momentum, but Reviews Still Split.  (11/21/2013)
Day one:  Amazon's best-selling books "Unintimidated" by Scott Walker.  (11/19/2013)
Once again, Scott Walker is unintimidated by the facts.  (11/2/2013)
Unintimidated by the facts.  (10/28/2013)

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest: The Most Likely Demographics


Based on this Pew Internet & American Life Project report, Social Media Update 2013.

The report notes that Facebook use is up significantly among seniors.  JoAnna's 91-year-old Aunt Marie is among the newbies.

And women rule Pinterest. 33% of online women are Pinterest users compared to 8% of online men.

Six Degrees of Reverend Nelson (Warren Pennsylvania Notables and the Homes They Lived In)

Location:  319 Liberty Street
Warren, Pennsylvania

Architectural style:  Second Empire
Year constructed:  1868
Original owner:  William D. Brown
16 rooms


William D. Brown was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1863-65.   He served as the Second President Judge of the 37th Judicial District from 1880 to 1890.

Excerpt from The History of the 37th Judicial District:  Hon. William D. Brown was born in Sugar Grove in 1823. After availing himself of such educational advantages as the public and private schools of Sugar Grove and the Warren Academy afforded, he studies law in the office of Johnson & Brown and was admitted to practice in 1847. In 1849 he was elected justice of the peace for Warren borough but resigned a short time later. In the fall of 1850 he was elected district attorney and held the office for three years. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1863-1965 and elected to the bench as President Judge in the fall of 1880. 

From 1851 to the time of his election as judge, he was actively and quite successfully engaged. A lifelong resident of Warren County, Judge Brown was the son of Hon. David Brown, the first Representative from Warren County to the Pennsylvania House.


The house remained in the Brown family until 1934, when it was sold to Adam Yerg.  The most notable renovation at this time was the removal of the tower.

Adam Yerg was born in 1879 and died in 1943.  His wife, who first name is not used in this obituary, continued to live in the house on Liberty Street until her death in 1962.   The ownership of the house then passed to her son Dr. A. F. Yerg.

Robert Robison Yerg, 1958 Warren High School graduate, is the son of Dr. and Mrs. A. F. Yerg.

1958 Warren High School Dragon yearbook

Six degrees of Reverand Nelson:
  1. Judge William D. Brown
  2. Adam Yerg
  3. Mrs. Adam Yerg
  4. Dr. A. F. Yerg
  5. Robert Robison Yerg
  6. Beverly Johnson, member of  St. Paul's Lutheran Church and East Third Avenue neighbor.
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was the setting June 24 at 2:30 p.m. for the marriage of Miss Beverly Jeanne Johnson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. Walter Johnson, 5 E. Third ave., to Robert Robison Yerg, son of Dr. and Mrs. A. Follmer Yerg, 16 Fourth ave. The double-ring ceremony was performed by the Rev. Carl E. R. Nelson of St. Paul’s, with the Rev. Donald H. Spencer of First Presbyterian Church assisting.

All 319 Liberty Street photo credits:  Retiring Guy (October 2008)

Related posts:
The Physicians' Building.  (12/30/2013)
C. W. Stone.  (12/28/2013)

Monday, December 30, 2013

Joni Mitchell, Jane Fonda, and the Popularity of Chelsea as a Baby Name

Chelsea made her first appearance on the Social Security Administration's Popular Baby Names list in 1969.


Guess what else made its first appearance in 1969?

Joni Mitchell's second album.


The 2nd cut on side 1.



Chelsea made a big jump from #408 on 1981 to #170 in 1982, thanks, I suspect, to Jane Fonda's character, Chelsea Thayer Wayne, in On Golden Pond.



Chelsea peaked at #15 in 1992, the year that Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States.

Other baby name posts:
Elenore/Eleanor.  (12/27/2013)
The meteoric rise and fall of Tammy.  (12/18/2013)
Anita and Wanda: When you're hot, you're hot, when you're not, you're not. (12/15/2013) 
Autumn's child has it all over Spring Byington.  (12/12/2013)
Are you a boy or are you a girl?  (12/7/2013)
April, May, and June:  The baby names of spring.  (12/4/2013)
[Nose tinkle] Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle clue: 7 down, Daughter in "Bewitched".  (12/1/2013)
Anna, a model of consistency through the years.  (11/30/2013)
Rubies and Pearls.  (11/29/2013)
The Lucy and Ethel synchronized dive.  (11/28/2013)
The George Burns and Gracie Allen line graph.  (11/27/2013)
Rick, Dick & Rich -- but above all, Richard.  (11/26/2013)
When Jennifers rules the world.  (11/24/2013)
Ralph and Alice part ways in 1988. (11/23/2013)
Now Appearing in a Colorful Line Graph -- The 6 Jans.  (11/23/2013)
Which Do You Prefer: Catherine/Cathy or Katherine/Kathy?  (11/22/2013)
Just when you thought he was going, going, gone, Eugene bounces back.  (11/21/2013)
Sidney swings both ways.  (11/21/2013)
Popular baby names:  Nancy (1880-2012).  (11/17/2013
Madge: Off the chart even when she was an advertising icon.  (11/16/2013)
Cindy: Not Always a Nickname for Cynthia (Since 1938).  (11/15/2013)
Lizabeth:  There's only one reason why this name made the list.  (11/14/2013)
Paul and Paula:  1954 was their very best year together.  (11/14/2013)
Bonnie and Clyde take a dive together.  (11/13/2013)
Joseph demonstrates more staying power than Mary.  (11/12/2013)
The popularity of Elizabeth as a baby name:  1880-2012.  (11/12/2013)
The popularity of William as a baby name.  (11/12/2013)
The popularity of Thomas as a baby name.  (11/11/2013)
Susan is losin' popularity.  (11/11/2013)
The popularity of Robert as a baby name: 1880-2012.  (11/10/2013)
The popularity of Denise as a baby name:  1926-2012.  (11/10/2013)
The popularity of John as a baby name:  1880-2012.  (11/9/2013)
The popularity of Sheila as a baby name:  1917-2002, 2003-2004.  (11/9/2013)
The popularity of James as a baby name: 1880-2012.  (11/7/2013)
The popularity of Michael as a baby name: 1880-2012.  (11/7/2013)
The popularity of Sherry as a baby name:  1926-1995.  (11/7/2013)
Friends choose 15th and 16th most popular baby names for their unexpected twin boys.  (11/3/2013) 
Destiny Hope Cyrus's impact on popular baby names for girls.  (10/15/2013)
There really was something about Mary.  (9/22/2013)
"Gone With the Wind" and baby names.  (11/27/2011)
The baby names list, 1900-1999.  (5/11/2010)

At Least Three Reasons Why Telcos Lobby Against Municipal Broadband



U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace in Delivering Broadband Service. (The New York Times, 12/29/2013)

Thanks to municipal fiber optic networks. Some American cities have such superfast broadband that if they were ranked against foreign countries, several, like Bristol, Va., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Lafayette, La., would rank in the top 10.

Related reading
How the Telecom Lobby is Killing Municipal Broadband.  (The Atlantic, 11/4/2013)

Well-funded, too.   This battle has largely pitted well-organized corporations against people who aren’t quite sure what they’re voting on. Such measures have now passed in 19 states.

Related post
Thanks to telco's effective lobbying efforts.  (12/20/2013)

Thanks to Telco's Effective Lobbying Efforts

U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace in Delivering Broadband Service. (The New York Times, 12/29/2013)

What would ALEC say?  San Antonio’s power company has a largely unused fiber-optic network that local government offices have been using for high-speed Internet service for years, but a Texas law prevents the city from using the network to give low-cost service to consumers.


Related reading
Why Are There No Big Cities with Municipal Broadband Networks? (The Atlantic, 3/4/2013)

Profit centers.    In big cities, there’s also one other obvious obstacle to municipal broadband: Current providers like Comcast will be heavily motivated to fight for their hold on the market. “Comcast and AT&T don’t really care about Chattanooga," Mitchell says. "They care a lot about Philadelphia. That’s where they do their best business." Big cities are where telecoms make their highest returns selling service to densely clustered customers on fixed infrastructure.

So he, too, can embarrass himself


Let's take a trip in the not-so-wayback machine.



The next day.


Back to 2013, where we see Scott Walker polling in single digits.


And if Walker's book was designed as a warm-up.....well, I guess it's time for Plan B.  Republican primary voters also seem to be unintimidated at this point.

Peaked at #181 in its 3rd day of publication.  


At the Risk of Repeating Myself, I Prefer the Idea of More Holidays for Legislators

Even if they're paid.

GOP lawmakers seek creation of tax holidays.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/29/2013)

Remember, folks, 2014 is an election year.  "It might only be 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 bucks, but anything that helps a family is something we're trying to do," [Assembly Speaker Robin] Vos said.  (One of the bill's sponsors is Vos's favorite messenger boy, or so it seems of late.)

Here's what Vos recently proposed.


Orange highlights = floorperiods that remain on Vos's schedule
Red highlights = eliminated floorperiods
Red arrow = my question if the date to send bills to the Governor is moved up.
Green arrow = Legislative Council Study committees start and end dates.  (Vos doesn't like these studies, so don't expect to see much happening here.)


Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald Sez "No" to 40 of his Assembly Colleagues


Bill summary (with bullet points added)

Relating to:
  • various changes in the campaign finance laws; 
  • exemption of certain electors from the requirement to present proof of identification when voting in an election; 
  • identifying documentation to establish proof of residency for voter registration; 
  • recording the type of identifying document provided as proof of residence; 
  • limiting the times for voting by absentee ballot in person; 
  • the method of reporting election returns by municipalities; 
  • fees for election recounts; 
  • the method of recounting votes cast with automatic tabulating equipment; 
  • residency of election officials; 
  • recall petition requirements; 
  • the procedure for recounting ballots when electors voting in person are required to sign the poll list and fail to do so; 
  • challenging an elector's registration during recount proceedings; 
  • witness addresses on absentee ballot certificates; 
  • nominees submitted by the Government Accountability Board candidate committee; 
  • securing ballot containers; 
  • party representation for election officials serving at polling places; 
  • scheduling of referendums.

Related reading
ALEC Exposed:  Democracy, Voter Rights, and Federal Power.  (Center for Media and Democracy, 9/28/2012)
Right-Wing Operatives Take Up ALEC's Voter Suppression Agenda.  (Center for Media and Democracy's PR Watch, 4/19/2012)
Voter Suppression 101.  (Center for American Progress. 4/4/2012)

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Folks in One of the Whitest, Least Educated, and Poorest States Don't Much Like That There Obama Couple


West Virginia Democrats Face an Uneasy Time. (The New York Times, 12/28/2013)

All you need to know. Many of the poorest counties in West Virginia, which are among the most dependent in the nation on food stamps, unemployment insurance and other federal benefits, voted most heavily for Mitt Romney in 2012.

2012 Presidential election


What other state can you name whose population peaked in the 1950s?


You can look it up, but there are no others.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

The Physicians' Building, 307 Market Street, Warren, Pennsylvania

Year of Construction:  1868
Architectural Style: Second Empire
Photo credit:  Retiring Guy (Sept. 2013)

Elial Todd Foote Valentine (1820-1892) was the original owner of the house.

It was the residence of the Wilton Monroe Lindsay family from 1881 to 1927.  

Sold to Dr. E. G. Hamilton in 1927.  He removed the mansard roof and front porch.

By the time the Nelson family moved to Warren in 1957, the house's interior had been remodeled into doctors' offices, thus the "Physicians' Building".  Dr. Lee Borger's pediatrics waiting room was on the front right side of the 2nd floor.

Warren Pennsylvania Notables and the Homes They Lived In

From Warren centennial : an account of the celebration at Warren, Pennsylvania July 2d, 3d, and 4th in commemoration of the first century after the laying out of the town of Warren.     Charles W. Stone was member of the Assembly in 1868-69, State Senator in 1877 and 1878, Lieutenant-Governor 1878 to 1880, Secretary of the Commonwealth 1887 to November 1890, when he resigned to take his seat in Congress, having been elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of L. F. Watson. He has been re-elected continuously since, and is Chairman of the Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures.

Later, he was twice defeated running for Governor of Pennsylvania, in 1898 and 1906.

Stone moved from Massachusetts to Warren PA in 1863 when he was 20 years old.

And this is where he lived, from November 1905 until his death in August 1912, on the corner of West Fifth Avenue and Liberty Street in Warren.

Photo credit:  Retiring Guy

Pennsylvania Biographies:  Charles W. Stone

Don't Bite the Hands That Feed You

Academics Who Defend Wall St. Reap Reward. (The New York Times, 12/27/2013)

Photo credit:  University of Houston

Apparently, Pirrong was not inclined to submit disclosure forms to the New York Times until the University of Houston insisted he do so.

Craig Pirrong has just one rating at Rate My Professor.

Photo credit:  University of Illinois

A mixed bag at Rate My Professor.

Friday, December 27, 2013

The Way They Spelled it: The Turtles Dedicate This Song to Mom


Does loving this song qualify as a guilty pleasure?  If so, I deserve a life sentence.



The traditional spelling of the name, however, is making a comeback.


Whatever the spelling, the Turtles had little to no impact on what to name your baby girl.

Unless you think oldies radio had something to do with it.

Elizabeth "Betty Jean" Peterson Johnson (1923-2013) Warren High School Class of 1941

Warren Times Observer obituary

1941 Warren High School Dragon yearbook

Sidebar 1:  One of Mom's best friends was the wife of Edwin "Doogie" O'Connor (top row, middle).  I graduated with their son, Bob.  (I have no idea where the nickname came from.)

Sidebar 2:  And as for Eleanore, I'll take a dollar for every time she was teased about her last name.  (Gee, that probably wasn't so swell.)

Sidebar 3:  I graduated with a Jane Johnson (WAHS 1968) , although I don't think this is her mom.  But if it is, Jane divorced and remarried after 1998.

The Gloves Are Definitely Gone At the Katharine Gibbs Schools.  (The New York Times, 9/15/2002)

Warren Women's Club

(Retiring Guy's postcard collection)

If you're the type of person who experiences a contact high, please don't drive after viewing this movie



MPAA ratings description at the conclusion of the New York Times' review.  “The Wolf of Wall Street” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Naked women, naked greed.

Missing from this summary:  Rampant drug use.  (Not to mention nonstop #;%!@?!")!&;?@#!#%&!@#$%^&;*)

What Would Jesus Say About This Latest Christmas Brouhaha?

That it's is all about getting your gifts delivered by Christmas, no matter when they're ordered?

I hardly think so.

Maybe this sounds familiar.


After Carriers Falter, Questions for Web Shopping.  (The New York Times, 12/26/2013)

Dammit!  Christmas just went down the toilet.   Todd Sawicki, an entrepreneur in Seattle, ordered several items from Amazon on Dec. 23 and paid extra to get guaranteed delivery on Christmas Eve. On the 24th, a package arrived via U.P.S. from Amazon, and he figured it was the gifts — Legos for his son, and a bracelet and headphones for his wife. 

Far from it. Inside was a toilet repair valve he had ordered earlier.


Peter's not talking about the kind of gift that's wrapped up in pretty paper.

And finally.....

A big helping of self serving.  At the same time, customers aren’t willing to pay for it. “The thing people care about more than fast shipping is free shipping,” Ms. [Krista] Clark [eMarketer analyst] said.


Paying Dearly for the Privilege at the Copperas Cove Public Library

In some places, unreturned library books can mean jail time. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 12/25/2013)

No package deals.  In Copperas Cove, about 70 miles northwest of Austin, a 2002 ordinance mandates a $200 fine for each library item that goes unreturned 20 days after a written notice is sent demanding its return. If the fine isn’t paid, the municipal court issues a warrant, city spokesman Kevin Keller said. Keller said he didn’t know how many people had been jailed on library-related offenses.

Copperas Cove, Texas.  Code of Ordinances.   Chapter 10 - Library.  (Highlights added.)

Jory Enck arrested for overdue library book.  (Colorado Newsday, 11/1/2013)

It adds up to $200 per item?  Copperas Cove City Municipal Judge Bill Price told KWTX that the law which saw Enck arrested was passed almost four years ago. Its intention was to offset the cost of replacing library materials. 

According to the Christmas Day AP article, Judge, the ordinance was established in 2002.  11 years ago.  D

Copperas Cove, Texas Arrests People For Overdue Library Books. (Opposing Viewpoints, 10/31/2013)

What do the locals think?  However, Copperas Cove residents are opposed to the law that they are forced to live under.

“Universal hatred, nobody wants to get arrested over a library book," added Judge Price. "The other side of that is people that go to our library and can’t have these materials, they’re put out too.” 

Surprisingly, library warrant arrests happen often in the tiny town.

Senator Lindsey Graham on the Perils of Obstructionism

With Health Law Cemented, G.O.P. Debates Next Move.   (The New York Times, 12/26/2013)

(Bold highlight added.)

Photo source:  United States Congress

Background reading
Speakeasy forum: Republican Obstructionism and Gerrymandering.  (CNET,  10/24/2013)
A Complete Timeline of Republican Obstructionism on Budget Negotiations They Are Now Demanding (Part 1).  (Huffington Post, 10/9/2013)
Running On Empty: GOP Obstruction and Government Vacancies.  (Campaign for America's Future, 5/14/2013)
The Republicans’ Unprecedented Obstructionism by the Numbers.  (Crooks and Liars, 10/13/2011)

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Carl Leave (1930-2013) Warren High School Class of 1948

Warren Times Observer obituary


1947 Warren High School Dragon yearbook

Sidebar 1:  William Lawhead, pictured next to Carl, was a customer on my Erie Morning News paper route from 1961 to 1965.  So was Mr. Griffin, a math teacher who retired in 1965.

Sidebar 2:  As a parent, I don't think I'd like it if my daughter was described "a girl the boys like to know."

Carl was the 26th most popular baby name for boys in 1930.  (Carl was in the top 30 from 1887 until 1939, a total of 53 years.  Best years:  #22 in 1894 and 1915, the latter year being when my dad Carl was born.)


The #1 song when the class of 1948 graduated.

Barbara Branden's Shelf-Sitter


Barbara Branden, Biographer of Ayn Rand, Dies at 84.  (The New York Times, 12/25/2013)

What it's all about?   Ms. Branden’s biography, “The Passion of Ayn Rand,” published in 1986, four years after Ms. Rand’s death at 77, was a generally admiring portrait. Baring details of a famously guarded émigré’s life, it recounted Ms. Rand’s affluent childhood in Russia, her family’s penury after the Bolshevik Revolution, her self-assurance from an early age about her own greatness, and one revelation that was a bombshell.

LINKcat holdings.  (4 out of a possible 51 library locations.  Doubtless some copies were weeded.)


Book review: Adam Smith Meets Nietzsche. (The New York Times, 7/6/1986)

Damning with faint praise? It is difficult to accord an important place to Ayn Rand either as a novelist or as a thinker. And yet there is something appealing, even a touch of grandeur, about the figure who emerges from Ms. Branden's somewhat tortured account:

According to Robin Vos, the Wisconsin Constitution is Inviolable When It Comes to Redistricting

Wisconsin unlikely to see redistricting reform any time soon. (Wisconsin Public Radio News, 12/25/2013)

Photo credit:  Wisconsin State Legislature

On the other hand, everything's okey-dokey when it fits his agenda.

Assembly Joint Resolution 48 (co-sponsored by 26 Republicans)
Proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate the offices of Secretary of State and State Treasurer.

Assembly Joint Resolution 67 (co-sponsored by 26 Republicans)
Proposed constitutional amendment to change how the selection of the Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is determined.

Assembly Joint Resolution 79 (co-sponsored by 31 Republicans)
Proposed constitutional amendment, model legislation provided by the American Legislative Exchange Council, to require a supermajority to approve any tax increases.