Sunset, Tiedeman Pond, Middleton, Wisconsin

Photo credit:  Retiring Guy



A suburban oasis just a short walk from where we live.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Marion Esther Luthgren Nelson at Age 3, I'd Guess


A slow burn that's almost worthy of Edgar Kennedy.

I Saw a Kiosk Vendor at West Towne Mall Operate a Very Small Remote-Control Helicopter Today

It looks nothing like this.  In fact, you could line up about a dozen of them on the rotor blade pictured below.



Remote-Controlled Model Helicopter Fatally Strikes Its Operator. (The New York Times, 9/5/2013)

Which I'm not and never will be:     For those familiar with serious model helicopter piloting, the death of Mr. Pirozek was a grim reminder of the dangers inherent in operating such unpredictable machines by remote.

Heckuva Job, Jenny



Rise Is Seen in Students Who Use E-Cigarettes. (The New York Times, 9/5/2013)

Excerpt:       E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine that is vaporized to form an aerosol mist. Producers promote them as a healthy alternative to smoking, but researchers say their health effects are not yet clear, though most acknowledge that they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. The Food and Drug Administration does not yet regulate them, though analysts expect that the agency will start soon.

Related post:
With work hard to come by, Jenny McCarthy takes a smoke break. (8/30/2013)

Clogged Streets: The Price of Status in Mexico City



Stranded in a Sea of Cars, Where Speedometers Barely Budge. (The New York Times, 9/5/2013)

Print edition headline:  "In Maddening Traffic, Road Rage Is Too Much Trouble".

Excerpt: “There is a resignation when it comes to traffic,” said Bernardo Baranda SepĂșlveda, Latin America director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, an international nonprofit promoting sustainable transit. “In a way it’s good because otherwise we’d be killing each other, but it’s also frustrating because people here aren’t complaining and demanding better options.”

Yes, Spotify, it was a huge hit during my senior year in high school

In fact, it spent 5 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 during February and March of 1968..


From the inside front cover of the 1968 Warren Area High School Dragon yearbook.  (I don't remember my senior year being quite this trippy.)





1968 was a mixed bag, music-wise.  After the 5-week reign of "Love is Blue", Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" spent 4 weeks at #1, which was followed by Bobby Goldsboro's treacly, execrable "Honey" for an unendurable 5 weeks.

Best antidote.

Then and Now: 240 West Gilman, Madison Wisconsin


Photo credit:  Retiring Guy


Postcard postmark:  Oct 14, 1910.  9:36 PM.

Postcard message:   Dear Auntie:  Tom and I expect to arrive in Mt. Hope Sunday night via automobile if the weather permits.  Will write you from there.  Hope May is home before we leave.  Can't stay very long in a place.  Tom can't be away very long.  Love, Glennie.

Postcard address:   Mrs. Delia W Young, Bloomington Grant Co. Wisconsin

Related posts:
North Carroll Street.  (9/5/2013)
Then and Now:  State Street.  (8/31/2013)
Then and Now:  East Mifflin and North Pinckney.  (8/30/2013)

Thursday, September 5, 2013

With a Little Free Library to Match

Photo credit:  Retiring Guy
Elmwood Avenue
Middleton, Wisconsin

"Savvy", the Rodney Dangerfield of Magazines

No respect.

 


Judith Daniels, Editor of Savvy Magazine, Dies at 74.   (The New York Times, 9/4/2013)

Excerpt:   For generations, women’s magazines had focused on home, hearth and hairstyles. Ms. Daniels’s brainchild was the first to target the emerging class of high-level, high-earning professional women. Beginning its life in 1977 as an insert in New York magazine, Savvy made its debut as a stand-alone publication with the January 1980 issue.

Sidebar:  A Wikipedia search for "Judith Daniels"  returns the query, "Did you mean Julius Daniels?"

A Magazine for the "Career Girl".  (The New Yorker, 9/5/2013)

Excerpt: “When men read about successful women, they think they see the Western civilization crumbling,” Judy told a newspaper reporter in 1977, describing her vision for Savvy. “Men tend to overreact to female ambition. To them, ambition is still a dirty word.” Still, Judy emphasized that Savvy was not meant to be anti-male. Savvy would not be “a separatist magazine for militants.”



Ray Grebey's Greatest Hit (Blame It on the Manhattan Project)

Ray Grebey, Negotiator in ’81 Baseball Strike, Dies at 85. (The New York Times, 9/4/2013)



The Countdown:
  • Mr. Grebey began his management career in labor relations at Inland Steel Corporation, where a strike forced him to work at the blast furnace as a laborer.  (Ooh! Ooh! Sounds like a major life event.)
  • He moved on to General Electric, where electrical workers went on a 109-day strike.
  • But the players did strike on June 12, 1981, and lost $28 million in salaries. Owners lost $72 million, even after collecting $44 million in strike insurance.
  • Through Mr. Grebey’s negotiating, Pan Am won the right to use more part-time workers, pay new workers lower wages and cut some benefits.

If It's Fish Tacos, I'll Definitely Have What You're Having



I'll Have What You're Having. (The New York Times, 9/3/2013)

Excerpt:   ....and Red Rooster, whose oceanic Harlem chowder could be used to teach a classroom full of hungry children about the diversity of sea life.

Sorry, Dan, Tina wants the roasted carrot and avocado salad



Ladies Who Power Lunch. (The New York Times, 9/3/2013)

Excerpt:   It’s the roasted carrot and avocado salad at ABC Kitchen, with its beguiling layers of spices, sprinkled seeds and crĂšme fraĂźche. It’s a virtuously healthful dish, even though it tastes luxurious, and Tina Bhojwani has devoured it during more business lunches than she can count.

Meet Dustin and Tarnisha, Two People Whom Some Republicans Call Freeloaders

On the Edge of Poverty, at the Center of a Debate on Food Stamps. (The New York Times, 9/4/2013)

Excerpts:


The politics and demographics of food stamp recipients.  (Pew Research, 7/12/2013)

Who represents the most food stamp-reliant counties? The GOP.  (Daily Kos, 8/15/2013)

Excerpt:  Among the 254 counties where food stamp recipients doubled between 2007 and 2011, Republican Mitt Romney won 213 of them in last year's presidential election, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data compiled by Bloomberg

These Republicans Who Want To Limit Food Stamps Represent A Lot Of Food Stamp Recipients. (BuzzFeed Politics, 7/12/2013)

Related posts:
Jesus has a message for the Republican warriors in the fight against food stamps.  (8/30/2013)

Madison Wisconsin Then and Now: North Carroll Street Between West Johnson and West Gorham

The postmark on the postcard: Dec 21, 1911, 11:30 AM.

The message: Merry Xmas and Happy New Year To you both. With Love From Hazel.

Addressed to Mrs. Delia Young, Bloomington, Wis.


Photo credit:  Retiring Guy

Close-up of porch of the first house on the left in black-and-white postcard.
Photo credit:  Retiring Guy

And across the street is the Steensland House.
Photo credit:  Retiring Guy

More about the Steensland House
New home wanted for historic Steensland House.  (Isthmus, 12/15/2011)
Mansion Hill neighbors oppose plan to move landmark Steensland House.  (Isthmus, 4/11/2012)
Bethel Congregation approves concept for Steensland House.  (Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, 7/22/2013)
Latest plan keeps historic Steensland House on same Downtown block.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 8/19/2013)

Related posts:
Then and Now:  State Street.  (8/31/2013)
Then and Now:  East Mifflin and North Pinckney.  (8/30/2013)

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Take a 10th Anniversary Tour of the San Jose Public Library's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library



Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library

From "History of the King Library".   In February 1997, San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer and San Jose State University President Robert L. Caret announced their intention to build a new library that would serve both as the SJSU Library and as the City’s Main Library. The new library would be (and still is) the first joint use library in the United States shared by a major university as its only library and a large City as its main library. 





Wisconsin DNR Advisory: Conduct a close expenditure review of the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin's $500,000 grant

Sportsmen group that won DNR grant misled lawmakers, documents show. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/3/2013)

Excerpt: Despite the misrepresentation, the DNR officially notified United Sportsmen in a letter Tuesday that it would be receiving the grant anyway, with $50,000 of it as an advance before receipts are filed.

Just sayin', but USW seems to have problems with paperwork.

Related posts:
United Sportsmen of Wisconsin support legislation critical to the interests of its members.  (9/4/2013) 
Looks like United Sportsmen of Wisconsin still  needs office help.  (9/4/2013)
Rep. Al Ott needs to see an otolaryngologist.  (9/4/2013)
United Sportsmen of Wisconsin President Andy "One and Done" Pantzlaff might be looking for office help in the near future.  (8/30/2013) 
When is a DNR grant not a grant?  (8/30/2013)
Rookie donors land $500,000 sportsmen's grant from Joint Finance.  (8/26/2013)

Looks Like United Sportsmen of Wisconsin Still Needs Office Help

Andy's note to self:  Follow up on 501(c)(3) status

Sportsmen group that won DNR grant misled lawmakers, documents show. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/3/2013)

Liar, Liar, Pantzlaff on Fire:   At the Sporting Heritage Committee meeting Thursday, a member of the panel asked United Sportsmen President Andy Pantzlaff if he could provide a copy of the group's 501(c)(3) letter from the IRS. Pantzlaff, who called into the meeting by phone, said he could provide that at a later time. 

The Journal Sentinel separately requested that information from Pantzlaff on Thursday and Friday and again Tuesday, but he did not respond.

Impossible to provide something you don't have!

Related posts:
Rep. Al Ott Needs to See an Otolaryngologist.  (9/4/2013)
United Sportsmen of Wisconsin President Andy "One and Done" Pantzlaff might be looking for office help in the near future.  (8/30/2013) 
When is a DNR grant not a grant?  (8/30/2013)
Rookie donors land $500,000 sportsmen's grant from Joint Finance.  (8/26/2013)

Rep. Al Ott Needs to See an Otolaryngologist

Sportsmen group that won DNR grant misled lawmakers, documents show. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/3/2013)

Excerpt:   Despite the misrepresentation, the DNR officially notified United Sportsmen in a letter Tuesday that it would be receiving the grant anyway, with $50,000 of it as an advance before receipts are filed.

What's that smell?



Related posts:
United Sportsmen of Wisconsin President Andy "One and Done" Pantzlaff might be looking for office help in the near future.  (8/30/2013) 
When is a DNR grant not a grant?  (8/30/2013)
Rookie donors land $500,000 sportsmen's grant from Joint Finance.  (8/26/2013)

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Let's start out with this curiously edited, "wet blanket" of a video report about Birmingham's new library

Posted by MsNewsfromworld

 

Library of Birmingham: Official opening of £189m building. (BBC, 9/3/2013)

Excerpt:    The library has been built to replace the previous Central Library, built in the 1970s, and described by Prince Charles as looking like a place where books would be incinerated rather than read.

The new library houses a collection of 1,000,000 books and also provides 200 public-access computers, meetings room, training rooms, music rooms, and a theater and other performance spaces, and an exhibition gallery.  (Meetings rooms price list.)

A more measured, even-handed report.


Library of Birmingham

Meet the library director.  (I suppose the main question that comes to mind:  Where is the woman dressed in light clothing running off to?)



Wisconsin Public Library Interlibrary Loan, 2003-2012

After a slight drop in 2011, the combined total of items "loaned to" and "received from" increased 2.3% in 2012.  Total circulation decreased 1.5%, from 64,576,803 in 2011 to 63,637,684 in 2012.


Wisconsin tops in library usage, interlibrary loan. (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction news release, 12/11/2012)

Related posts:
Wisconsin public library materials, 2003-2012.  (7/18/2013)
Wisconsin public libraries:  Municipal and county revenue, 2003-2012 . (7/17/2013)
Wisconsin public libraries: Total number of programs and program attendance, 2003-2012.  (7/17/2013)
Wisconsin public library circulation, 2003-2012. (7/17/2013)

Wisconsin's Legislative Leaders Share Their Thoughts About Labor Day

Scott Walker Labor Day message.

Unless, of course, you want to count this tweet.

Nothing listed here.  (Office of the Governor)

And here's what a Robin Vos press release has to say about the significance of Labor Day.


The Blue and the Gold: Wisconsin's Jobs Deficit

The State of Working Working Wisconsin, produced by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS).

Painfully Slow:  Wisconsin's Recovery Weaker Than Even National Recovery.

For many Americans, the impact of the Great Recession lingers.    The 2007 recession, the Great Recession, is now six years behind us. But the aftermath is still painfully evident throughout the nation. For those still struggling to find a decent job, for those who can’t secure the hours they need to make ends meet, for those who have watched their resources and meager unemployment benefits run out, the Great Recession has never really ended. On paper, and as proclaimed by the committee of experts who decide this, the recovery began nearly four years ago. But it is such an anemic and jobless affair that while market and balance sheets have improved, too few jobs have been added.


Christopher Quinn Presents His Research on "The Smart Librarian Type of Woman"



Learn about Christopher Quinn, he of the disembodied voice, @ Success with Women.

Is this the guy?

The text of this just-plain-bizarre video:

The Smart Librarian Type of Woman

The smart librarian type of woman -- worth a second look? What type of woman do you prefer? Do you like the smart, librarian type who is studious and well read? Or do you prefer the vixen who dresses sexy at all times, is flirtatious and is desired by almost every guy she meets? But perhaps you desire the attractive career woman who has purpose and drive; someone who can not only be a good girlfriend but also be a financial partner as well?

The Smart Librarian Type of Woman

If you chose the smart librarian type here are some things to look forward to and to look out for!

If you choose the librarian type you will be with a woman who is well read, very focused and more than likely very conservative. She may be attractive, but in that unique nerdy style that many woman carry off so well. More than likely these types are home bodies and not prone to the night club scene.

The Smart Librarian Type of Woman

Introducing: The Natural: How to Effortlessly Attract the Women You Want

Some drawbacks of dating this type of girl are that she may be boring at times. She may also be a prude in bedroom, which would be a deal breaker for most men. She may also expect you to be as well read or as interested as she is when attending museums or plays.

The Smart Librarian Type of Woman

I have dated many librarian types in my dating days and found most to be fun and interesting at first, but after some time I would get bored and eventually just end the relationship.

Something to think about!

Good Luck

The Smart Librarian Type of Woman

Not attracting eyeballs.

LA's Ontario International Airport Still in Recovery Mode from Recession

From 2008. In better days.

 

Recession Reverses California Airport's Growth. (The New York Times, 9/2/2013)

An airport that has seen busier days.   But what makes traveling so pleasant for passengers like Ms. Long also underscores the problem facing this regional airport, which, like the Inland Empire region that it serves, is still reeling from the devastating impact of the recession. 

As airports show slow but steady signs of recovery, with passenger traffic nearing pre-recession levels nationally, the passenger traffic at Ontario has plummeted 40 percent since its 2007 peak of 6.9 million, according to Federal Aviation Administration figures.

Ontario International Airport ranked 60th in 2012 with 2,142,387 "enplanements", down 5.8% from 2011.

Milwaukee's General Mitchell International, by comparison is 47th with 3,707,890, and Madison's Dane County Regional - Truax Field is 96th with 798,789.

All figures from the Federal Aviation Association  Preliminary CY2012 Enplanements.



Monday, September 2, 2013

Welcome to Hiaasenland

Arrests of 3 Mayors Reinforce Florida’s Notoriety as a Hothouse for Corruption. (The New York Times, 9/1/2013)

The Dishonor Roll

Steven C. Bateman, mayor of Homestead.  (Though you'll no longer find him listed on the city's website.) Accepted under-the-table payments from health care company.


Photo source:  Homestead is Home

More about Bateman.  Bateman:  From cufflinks to handcuffs. (Miami Herald, 8/28/2013)

Meow:    On any other day, Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman could be found in City Hall, wearing a well-fitted suit and tie, his jet-black dyed hair perfectly parted and combed.


Manuel Marono, (former) mayor of Sweetwater and president of Florida League of Cities was arrested on August 6.  (Kickback and bribery schemes.)

Photo credit:  Politics365


Michael Pizzi, (former) mayor of Miami Lakes was also arrested for the same misdeals on August 6.

Photo source:  Political Cortadito

Carl, of course, has something to say on the matter.

South Florida scores corruption trifecta in August.  (Miami Herald, 9/1/2013)

Excerpt:   It’s a new sleazeball record, even for South Florida: Three different mayors busted on corruption charges in 22 days. 

That’s almost a mayor a week in handcuffs. No other county in the nation can match the pace of corruption being set by Miami-Dade. 

Last Wednesday it was Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman, currently running for re-election, who got pinched on two felony counts of unlawful compensation and assorted violations of the county’s ethics code. 

(I’m not joking. There really is an ethics code.) 

And on Tuesday, October 22, Dade County is observing Ethical Governance Day 2013.

Communities Have Confidence in the Future of Libraries

With Modern Makeovers, America's Libraries Are Branching Out. (NPR, 9/1/2013)

Example #1: The Central Library in Austin, Texas just broke ground on a new building that promises such new features as outdoor reading porches and a cafe.



Example #2:  In Madison, Wis., they're about to open a newly remodeled library that has, among other improvements, more natural light and a new auditorium.



Example #3: Take the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., which is in the midst of a $100 million remodeling. On the main floor, there used to be thousands of books and periodicals in the "Science, Business and Technology" section. Today, it's called the "Digital Commons," and there's hardly a scrap of paper to be found.




Other examples.


Library marks 175th year of serving the community. (Toldeo Blade, 9/1/2013)

Excerpt:    But it was 1911 when the Format Wars were launched. That year 184 music rolls for player pianos were added to the available-for-loan items.


Sunday, September 1, 2013

Youngsville PA Vandals Forfeit a Significant Percentage of their Lifetime Earnings

YHS vandals plead guilty.  (Warren Times Observer, 8/30/2013)

Excerpt: As part of the plea agreement, Derek Alan Gifford, Tylor Ray Keyes, and Duston A. Miller, agreed to pay full restitution - an amount unknown in its full extent, but currently estimated at $700,000.


Full-time, year-round employment for 40 years?

With the albatross each young man has hanging around his neck?

Best of luck Derek, Tylor, and Duston.

The House Before the House that Calvin Built, Y'all



Say Goodbye To Dragon Head, Say Hello To Calvin's New Beach House.  (Hamptons. com, 8/20/2009)

Excerpt: The mansion, as significant as it has been all these years, was not deemed historically significant or architecturally relevant by the Architectural Review Board (ARB) in Southampton earlier this year when they approved Klein's plans to demolish the old house and replace it with a new one, due to the myriad of alterations to the interior over the years.

The House That Calvin Built. (The New York Times, 8/30/2013)

Excerpt: For nearly half a decade, on a 10-acre plot that was once owned by Henry Francis du Pont, Mr. Klein, the fashion designer, has been erecting a minimalist palace the likes of which is seldom seen in an area of increasing architectural homogeneity.

When Presented with the Evidence, Kevin Binversie Looks Askance



A couple of corrections in the 2nd slide
  • Salmons' research.....
  • Germantown is located in Washington County.

Binversie is given a chance to reconsider:    Asked what he thought about the study, Binversie says he still believes today's immigrants are "less inclined to assimilate."

Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English. (University of Wisconsin-Madison News, 10/16/2008)

From Picturing Milwaukee's Neighborhoods
  • As early as 1853, an observer noted the remarkable degree of ethnic and economic segregation that existed in Milwaukee.
  • The location of industry along the major rivers further defined the city by ethnicity and class.
  • The other two sectors - the Northwest and South Side - retained their association with Milwaukee's two large ethnic groups for an extended period. As stated in 1891, " . . . the southwestern section of our city is all Poland; the northwestern all Germany . . ."
  • The Irish, once associated with the Third Ward, created an enclave/neighborhood west of the downtown in the Merrill Park area beginning in the 1870s. 
  • Until the 1960s, ethnic rather than racial identity distinguished the working-class neighborhoods.

From ALEC to Andre to Us: Rep. Jacque (R-DePere) Whittles Model Bill Down to the Basics

Bill seeks to make English official language of Wisconsin. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/30/2013)

A long-time legislative goal of ALEC.  (Omnibus Common Language Act)

Meet Andre Jacque, ALEC's Wisconsin waterboy.



Note:  The Sourcebook of American State Legislation 1995 was published by the ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council).

(Compare section 2 with above highlights)
Note that Jacque's distillation exclude exemptions for sporting events.

36 Hours in the Brandywine Valley: The Armchair Traveler Edition

The New York Times, 8/28/2013.

Briefly. Its 350 square miles, including rolling hills, manicured estates and the sparkling Brandywine River, offer visitors a seductive trip through history.

Friday, 2:30 p.m.  A Watershed Battle.  (Brandywine Battlefield)


5:30 p.m.  A Cozy Break.  (Brandywine Prime)

Victoria is the only grandchild of Andrew Wyeth.

7:30 p.m.  Whimsical and Wild.  (Krazy Kat's)

From the dinner menu:


Saturday, 8:00 a.m.  The Locals Love It.  (Hank's Place)


10:00 a.m.  Henry's Hobby.  (Winterthur.)


11:30 a.m.  Artistic Dynasty.  (Brandywine River Museum)

1:00 p.m  A Place of Her Own.  (Centreville Cafe)
The menu.

3:00 p.m.  Bring on the Books.  (Thomas Macaluso Used and Rare Books)

7:00 p.m.  Great Style, Great Food.  (Sovana Bistro)


9:30 p.m.  Where the Locals Troll.   (The Gables at Chadds Ford)

Sunday, 8:30 a.m.    Brandywine Breakfast.   (Talula's Table)


Non.  Beautiful Blooms (Longwood Gardens).

Other 36 Hours posts:
Izmir, Turkey.  (8/25/2013)
Monaco.  (8/18/2013)
Leece, Italy. (8/11/2013)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  (8/4/2013)