The Blue and White (Published by the Students of the Warren High School)

During my recent visit to Warren PA 16365, I made an obligatory visit to Allegheny Book Mart, which offers collectibles, antiques, books and unique items for sale in a space formerly occupied by the Printz Company.

Among the unique items I found this time are a number of issues of The Blue and White, a monthly magazine, "published by the students of the Warren High School", that features short essays, poetry, humor, student and faculty news, sports reports, and lots and lots of advertisements promoting local businesses and services.

By the time I started Warren Area High School in 1965, The Blue and White had long ceased publication.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's CPI Inflation Indicator, those 1930 way ahead!  suits and topcoats for spring would have ranged in price from $47 to $100 in the mid-1960s, perhaps a bit on the high side for a preacher's kid, even for one who worked part time through most of high school.  I was more likely to shop at Penney's, Levinson's Brothers, or Epstein's.

Among the advertised items I wouldn't have found at the Printz's in the 1960s:  knicker suits, sweater sets, golf hose, "Charter House" hats, suspenders, and knickers.

As for hosiery, we simply referred to this item of clothing as "socks".

Warren High School

(Graduated its last class in 1960; razed that fall)

A Look at the Minimum Wage

I got sidetracked here while figuring out what a men's suit priced at $22.50 in 1930 would cost today.

Source: History of Federal Minimum Wage Rates Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938 - 2009

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, As Amended

U.S. Department of Labor.  A summary of the Fair Labor Stndards Act of 1938.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) prescribes standards for wages and overtime pay, which affect most private and public employment. The act is administered by the Wage and Hour Division. It requires employers to pay covered employees who are not otherwise exempt at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay of one-and-one-half-times the regular rate of pay. 

For nonagricultural operations, it restricts the hours that children under age 16 can work and forbids the employment of children under age 18 in certain jobs deemed too dangerous. 

For agricultural operations, it prohibits the employment of children under age 16 during school hours and in certain jobs deemed too dangerous.

Vernon County Communities of Viroqua and Westby to Investigate Merger of Police Forces

Vernon County

Viroqua council approves joining with Westby to investigate joint police force.  (Vernon County Broadcaster, 9/ 26/2013

Excerpt: The Viroqua City Council voted unanimously, Tuesday, to honor the request of the Westby City Council to form a joint committee to investigate merging the police forces of the two communities. 

The Westby City Council voted 4-2, Sept. 17, to approach the city of Viroqua to form a committee that would look into merging the police forces. The recommendation was brought forward by Westby Mayor Dan Jefson and Viroqua Mayor Larry Fanta. Currently the city of Westby [population 2,200] does not have 24-hour-per-day local police service. Westby Police Chief Mitch Hundt is a 28-year veteran and nearing retirement and Jefson said he wanted to plan for the future. 

The two communities are roughly seven miles apart. The communities co-op together in sports such as girls golf and hockey. A reconstructed four-lane Hwy. 14/61 has made it roughly a seven minute trip between the two cities.

The population of Viroqua is 4,362.

The Sussex-Lisbon Beat Goes On and On

Haass library budget stalled. (Sussex Sun, (9/24/2013)

Excerpt: Library Director Kathy Klager said the board may also discuss whether to proceed with legal action against the town. The Library Board believes state law requires the Haass land be in the "custody and control" of the library.  Town officials believe they should continue to have control of the land since it was bequeathed to the town. 

It appears the two sides are in agreement that the land should be sold and the proceeds from the sale would be donated to the library by the town. The Village of Sussex would the match the town's donation to the library. 

However, they disagree on the timing. The Town Board wants to sell the land and turn over the proceeds whenever library officials decide they need the money to expand the existing library building, or sometime after 2023 if there is no decision to expand the library.

Related articles: 
This land is my land, this land is my land.  (9/12/2013)
Sussex-Lisbon library agreement still appears to be more "if" Than "when".  (8/22/2013) 
Still following the Sussex-Lisbon library talks -- since 2010.  (8/6/2013) 
Following a brouhaha over a "most objectionable 3-page letter," library talks to resume between Sussex and Lisbon.  (5/27/2013)
A most objectionable 3-page letter.  (5/10/2013)
Dear Greg; Love, Lisbon Town Board.  (4/27/2013)
Perhaps Pauline Haass is spinning in her grave.  (3/18/2013)
What a long strange trip it's been.  (2/13/2012)
Dueling news releases.  (10/7/2012)
Town of Lisbon wants deep discount in payment for library services.  (9/30/2012)
As the world of joint library agreements turns.  (8/22/2012)
The beat goes on.  (7/2/2012)
Joint library negotiations continue.  (5/13/2012)
Jane Stadler on Paying Taxes: "...it is something that you do because you're part of the community.  (11/26/2011)
Lisbon town chair not likely to get his way on Pauline Haass Library funding. (11/22/2011)
Lisbon Town chair advocates paying for library services on the cheap.  (11/22/2011)
The challenges of shared governance and funding.  (9/28/2011)
Consensus building for new joint library agreement.  (7/22/2011)
Sussex, Lisbon:  Local politics and library negotiations.  (5/28/2011)
Negotiation to continue after information-gathering process.  (10/8/2010)
And the beat goes on.  (10/4/2010)
Differences of opinion of library funding continue.  (9/18/2010)
Leaders of Village of Sussex, Town of Lisbon clash over funding for library. (8/26/2010)
Will annexation resolution interfere with negotiations over joint library agreement?  (8/4/2010)
Proposal to change library funding formula gets cool reception.  (6/7/2010)
Town of Lisbon Chairman proposes new funding formula for library.  (5/31/2010)

Pew Internet and American Life Project Survey Sez: 15% of Americans Don't Go Online

"Most of them prefer it that way."

Who's Not Online and Why.  (Pew Research, 9/25/2013)

Source:  Wisconsin Public Library Service Data, 2012

Other Pew Research posts:
Shocking Pew Research Discovery: "Younger Americans" Still Read Print Books!! (7/2/2013)
Pew Internet & American Life Project: "Parents, Children, Libraries, and Reading"  (5/1/2013)
Pew Internet & American Life Project: Library Services in the Digital Age. (1/23/2013)
Pew Internet and American Life Project: Internet Use at Libraries.  (12/29/2012)
Pew Research: Younger Americans’ Reading and Library Habits.  (10/23/2012)
Pew Research: Libraries, Patrons, and Ebooks (Outline/Highlights From a First, Cursory Reading).  (6/22/2012)

On a Back Burner: Read to Lead Development Fund

Link to Legislative Audit Bureau report

As the highlights note:

• April 2012.  Law enacted to create Fund
• June 30, 2013.  No expenditures made from $400,000 fund
• August 31, 2013.  No members appointed to Read to Lead Development Council

Maybe That Salad Isn't Such a Good Idea

With Tastes Growing Healthier, McDonald’s Aims to Adapt Its Menu. (The New York Times, 9/27/2013) 

Excerpt:   Although it has added salads, fruits and cut raw vegetables to its menu in recent years, the chain has experienced flat sales across much of its business in the United States and Europe, and forecast earlier this summer that little would alter the company’s financial picture anytime soon. The millennial generation, a key demographic that is being wooed by fast-casual restaurants like Panera Bread and Chipotle, in particular has not become a loyal patron of McDonald’s.



This Baby Boomer had a love affair with the double cheeseburger and the Filet-O-Fish sandwich for a few years, from about 1966 to 1968.  Let's call it a case of absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Where I grew up -- Warren PA 16365 -- the closest McDonald's restaurants were 25 miles north (Jamestown, New York) and 60 miles west (Erie, PA). McDonald's didn't come to town until the early 1970s, by which time I'd had my fill of most fast food.

One item on McDonald's menu never appealed to me:  The Big Mac.



I refuse to eat a burger slathered with condiment resembling tartar sauce.

Climate Change Not Taking a Back Seat Everywhere in Wisconsin

County Executive Parisi Creates New Dane County Climate Change Action Council

Global warming takes back seat in Wisconsin.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/26/2013)

Excerpt:   After an intense focus on climate change under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, Republican Gov. Scott Walker and the GOP-controlled Legislature have devoted little attention to such issues.

Comment: Although the majority party in the Wisconsin legislature is not at the wheel, others prefer to steer the state in a direction that will lead us, as described by WICCI,  "to preserve jobs, invest resources wisely, build resiliency and protect our built and natural environment in the face of a changing climate."

Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI)

Link to report

The latest round of discussions is being fueled by this report.

It's clear that the editors of Daily Mail  had a purpose for publishing this nonsense when they did.

Related posts: 
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)

Wisconsin's Jobs Deficit

Wisconsin Job Watch.   (COWS:  Center on Wisconsin Strategy, 9/25/2013)

Excerpt: Wisconsin’s job deficit now stands at almost 152,900. Nearly six years after the recession began, and four years into the recovery, Wisconsin still has fewer jobs – 59,900 fewer jobs -- than in 2007 (before the Great Recession). Wisconsin’s population has grown since then. Just to keep up with that growth, Wisconsin needs to add another 92,970 jobs. These two numbers together – 152,870 – account for the current Wisconsin Job Deficit.

Related posts:
Putting Wisconsin's jobs creation picture in perspective.  (9/27/2013)
The Walker way:  Whatever.  (9/24/2013)
The Blue and the Gold: Wisconsin's Jobs Deficit.  (9/3/2013)
Scott Walker's mantra.  (8/2/2013)
Less than zero.  (6/17/2013)
Wisconsin ranks 49th in Federal Reserve Bank's "imperfect" index.  (6/6/2013)
Wishful thinking at WEDC.  (5/23/2013)
And what alternative universe do these employers inhabit?  (5/21/2013)
Wisconsin added 19,000 jobs in 2012.  (5/18/2013)
Scott Walker all a-tingle over yesterday's news.  (5/18/2013)
From the looks of it, Wisconsin's jobs loss is in free fall.  (5/18/2013)
Spin Cycle: The Walker Administration Diverts Our Attention from the Latest (Disturbing) Jobs Numbers. (5/17/2013)
Bringing up the rear in job growth.  (3/8/2013)
Wisconsin ranks 43rd in job growth during the past year.  (11/23/2012)

Putting the Wisconsin Jobs Creation Picture in Perspective

Graph source:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin gains 24,305 private-sector jobs in 12 months, ranks 34th in nation. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/26/2013)

Excerpt: Wisconsin gained 24,305 private-sector jobs in the 12 months from March 2012 to March 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — a 1.1% increase that ranks the state 34th among the 50 states in the pace of job creation over that time frame. The ranking was little changed from a revised rank of 36th released three months earlier, which covered the 12-month period through December 2012.

We still have a jobs deficit, folks.

Related posts:
The Walker way:  Whatever.  (9/24/2013)
The Blue and the Gold: Wisconsin's Jobs Deficit.  (9/3/2013)
Scott Walker's mantra.  (8/2/2013)
Less than zero.  (6/17/2013)
Wisconsin ranks 49th in Federal Reserve Bank's "imperfect" index.  (6/6/2013)
Wishful thinking at WEDC.  (5/23/2013)
And what alternative universe do these employers inhabit?  (5/21/2013)
Wisconsin added 19,000 jobs in 2012.  (5/18/2013)
Scott Walker all a-tingle over yesterday's news.  (5/18/2013)
From the looks of it, Wisconsin's jobs loss is in free fall.  (5/18/2013)
Spin Cycle: The Walker Administration Diverts Our Attention from the Latest (Disturbing) Jobs Numbers. (5/17/2013)
Bringing up the rear in job growth.  (3/8/2013)
Wisconsin ranks 43rd in job growth during the past year.  (11/23/2012)

I Guess This Guy is Serious

True Tobacco

Sweet Cigarillos And Cigars Lure Youths To Tobacco, Critics Say. (NPR, 10/26/2013)

Article notes that cigarettes sales are down by one-third during the past decade, but sales of little cigars and cigarillos are up more than 100%.

And without the benefit of a commercial ditty sung by the bedroom-voiced Julie London.



For critics, it's a multiple-front war.

And on the state front:.

Other view: State should tax all tobacco products equally. (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, 9/25/2013)

Excerpt:  The most egregious example, he [Rep. Gary Bies, R-Sister Bay] says, are “little cigars” that sell for around $1, rather than the $6 to $8 per pack for regular cigarettes, and that come in flavors like grape, cherry and chocolate. They are easily accessible to children and now exceed sales of regular cigarettes among Wisconsin high school students.

Then and Now: 8 Hartford Terrace, Springfield, Massachusetts

In 1927, the Luthgren family --  Adolph, Christina, and their 4 daughters, Edna, Millie, Marion, and Genevieve -- moved into their newly constructed home at 8 Hartford Terrace in the East Forest Park subdivision.  This neighborhood, located 3 miles from the downtown business district, pushed the city limits of Springfield to the east.  I'm not sure when the two black-and-white photos were taken.

Note the house to the left of 8 Hartford Terrace in the above photo.  (You can see a very small corner section .)  Edna, the oldest of the sisters, lived here from the early 1940s to the early 1960s.  Her husband Walter died in 1957.  In 1954, the same year that Genevieve, the youngest sister, got married, Adolph and Christina moved to the suburbs -- East Longmeadow.  After Christina died in 1961, Edna and Adolph both sold their homes and moved into a two-bedroom ranch at 37 Derryfield Avenue.

8 Hartford Terrace at Homesnap.  The 1,920-square-foot house is valued at $163,000.  The neighborhood is not what is used to be.  Neither is the city of Springfield, for that matter.

Walk Score:  38 out of 100, although I remember Mom reminiscing about walking to the Forest Park Branch of the Springfield City Library on a regular basis, a distance of 1.4 miles one way.   Although her dad remained employed by the Post Office throughout the Depression, the Luthgrens did not own a car until well after Mom graduated from high school in 1938.

Who is That Masked Man?

No, it's not the Lone Ranger



Masked Man Demands To Change Diapers.  (Waukesha Patch, 9/25/2013)

Excerpt:    A man wearing a mask telling people he wanted to change their diapers at the Waukesha Public Library was removed from the library for one day because of his bizarre behavior. 

Waukesha police were made aware of the situation at 3:25 p.m. Monday. They spoke with the man about his unusual behavior and told him that wearing masks in public is likely to draw attention.

As you might expect, wearing a mask and making bizarre requests of library patrons is not specifically addressed in the Waukesha Public Library's Code of Conduct.

Sign o' the times.

Captain Ron Tisch. "The major incidents would be arrests for drugs, people drinking in the library, people huffing in the bathroom."

Hmm, 'nonsensical talk' is a common sign of inhalent abuse.

"We have quite a situation": The Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge in Green Bay is Closed Indefinitely

DOT: Leo Frigo Bridge Closed 'For a Long Period of Time'.  (nbc26.com, 9/25/2013)

Excerpt:   At a news conference in Green Bay, the Department of Transportation says the settling of a pier, located on land, caused the dip on the road surface. Pier 22 is the structure in question. There is no timetable for when the bridge will reopen. "It could be weeks, months, maybe a year." Regional Communications Manager Kim Rudat explained.

About the bridge::

• 1981.  Opened to  traffic.  Provides access over Fox River via I-43.    (Economic Development History of I-43)
• Highest elevation and profile of all Green Bay bridges.
• Subject to closure due to high winds, heavy fog, blizzards, and ice.
• Scene of many suicide attempts
• 2002.  Renamed Leo Frigo Memorial Bridge.  (Formerly known as Tower Drive Bridge)
• More information found at Bridgehunter.

Climate Change Deniers Continue to Jump On the Daily Mail Crazy Train (or Oops! They Did It Again)

(Sidebar:  Carl Hiaasen's Star Island immediately came to mind while watching this video.)

Chillin' with Global Warming*.  (Wisconsin Club for Growth, 9/25/2013)
 (*Available via email subscription.  Yeah, I know, someone has gotta suffer.)

Excerpt:   But oops! Mainstream media have noticed. Not in this country of course, but when you see what they’re writing in England and Germany, maybe this is one time it’s best that we lead from behind.

But oops!!??

Is there an echo in here?

Yes indeed!  Apparently, the Wisconsin Club for Growth worships at the altar of Cal Thomas.

And what are they writing in England?

This "exclusive" from a sex-and/or-celebrity-obsessed tabloid.  Not mainstream media.  Not even close.

Today's headline news from Wisconsin Club for Growth's idea of mainstream media:

• Tubby O.J. Simpson is caught stealing cookies from prison cafeteria.
• Couple convicted of having sex in a Home Depot display shed.
• Real Housewife Melissa Gorga 'supports marital rape' in her book.
• Fired ESPN analyst arrested for 'choking and beating girlfriend in hotel room' - but he claims it was just rough sex.

Oy vey!

Related posts: 
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)

The Hot Dogs of New Jersey

Dog Ziggity:  New Jersey's Own Hot Dogs.  (The New York Times, 9/24/2013)

Excerpt: The hot dog has always been tightly tethered to New York City in the public imagination. As a result, few Americans (not to mention New Yorkers) know that just across the Hudson River, on the hills and shores of New Jersey, this small beast ranges freely, with a welter of variations and a certain abandon.

The following hot-dog joints are among those visited by reporter Robert Sietsema.





Just the exterior of the restaurant and its neighborhood.




OK, ya wanna see the dang hot dog, right?

In Manhattan, Rents are Higher on the Sunny Side of the Street

A version of the song from 1945. (Reached #17 on the charts.)
Sidebar:  Jo Stafford's 960-word obituary in the New York Times.

Street’s Sunny Side Costs Retailers More in Rent.   (The New York Times, 9/24/2013)

Print edition headline:  "A Premium for a Storefront in the Sun".

Excerpt:    As Manhattan rents rise over all, retailers are jockeying for prime locations, and are paying a premium for areas like the east side of Fifth Avenue — the sunnier side of the street. 

New York’s most expensive retail space, prime Fifth Avenue, is the second-most expensive in the world, after Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong, beating out the Champs-Élysées in Paris and New Bond Street in London, according to the retail group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, which supplied most of the figures for this article.

Who's Running for Scott Suder's Assembly Seat (69th District)

Public libraries in the 69th Assembly District

Abbotsford Public Library

Colby Public Library

Dorchester Public Library

Loyal Public Library

Marathon County Public Library

• Edgar
• Spencer
• Stratford

Marshfield Public Library

Neillsville Public Library

Owen Public Library

Samson Memorial Library, Granton

Six seeking Suder's Assembly seat.  (Eau Claire Leader Telegram, 9/25/2013)

Republican candidates  (listed in the order that they appear in article)
Teacher and former Marshfield Councilman Scott Noble

Granton tavern owner Thomas Dahlen
Can't find a campaign website, Facebook or otherwise, for Dahlen.  But I did find a link to the Hilltop Tavern.  Check out the menu.

Stratford businessman Bob Kulp

Marshfield Councilwoman and attorney Alanna Feddick-Goodwin.
Can't find a website, but there's this announcement video.


Democratic Candidate
Kenneth Slezak.  (The paper can't be bothered to provide a brief description here.)

Here's Slezak's Facebook page.

Earlier this year, Slezak launched an unsuccessful campaign to unseat Mike Tate as Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Putting People Ahead of Politics Party Candidate
Timothy Swiggum is the CDA Director of the City of Owen.

Swiggum ran against Scott Suder in the 2008 election for the 69th Assembly seat.  He lost 14,254 to 9,905. 

Education Funding and the Company Wisconsin Keeps

24/7 Wall St.: 7 states slashing education spending.  (USA Today, 9/25/2013)

Excerpt:   While the majority of state school systems have cut spending between fiscal year 2008 and the upcoming fiscal year 2014, the cuts have been much more severe in some places than in others. According to the latest school spending data compiled by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), seven states have cut per-pupil spending by more than 15% in that time.

September 25, 1963: The Dick Van Dyke Show Begins Its Third Season with a Most Memorable Episode

Adorable Baby, Doubting Dad, Teachable Moment.   Revisiting ‘That’s My Boy??’ on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’.  (The New York Times, 9/24/2013)

Excerpt:   A half-century ago television was generally not nearly as brave or inclusive. The 1950s, with the medium still experimenting, had seen some ambitious programs like the series “Playhouse 90,” but by the early 1960s, especially on the sitcom side, things had become pretty tame. The audience was not expecting to be jostled out of its comfort zone, and on Sept. 25, 1963, that gave “The Dick Van Dyke Show” the opportunity to be slyly, hilariously subversive in its Season 3 premiere.

The fun begins when Rob opens the front door at 6:31.


"The Dick Van Dyke Show" was the 3rd most popular program during the 1963-64 television season.  It was also one of the most critically acclaimed shows, sitcoms and otherwise, of its time.  The show was awarded  Emmys on May 25, 1964.

• Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Comedy
• Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead):  Dick Van Dyke
• Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead):  Mary Tyler Moore
• Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy or Variety:  Carl Reiner, Sam Denoff, and Bill Perksy, The Dick Van Dyke Show
• Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy:  Jerry Paris, The Dick Van Dyke Show.

50 Years Ago This Event: The Debut of "Petticoat Junction"

On CBS at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.



"Petticoat Junction" introduced us to the farm community of Hooterville, which also served as the setting for a spin-off series, the equally successful "Green Acres".  "Petticoat Junction" was the 4th most popular show during the 1963-64 TV season.  (The top 3, in descending order:  The Beverly Hillbillies, Bonanza, The Dick Van Dyke Show.)  It remained in the top 25 during its next 3 seasons and was broadcast for a total of 7 seasons.

"Petticoat Junction" remains a guilty pleasure for me, although I haven't watched an episode for years.  I'm especially fond of Bea Benaderet, whom my Aunt Millie very much resembles, at least in the photo below.  I also thought that Bea was a great comic foil in The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, one of my all-time favorite TV shows.

The Luthgren Sisters

Top:  Marion, Gen

Bottom:  Edna, Millie

 

Marco Rubio: A Flip-flop with Sides of Lame Excuses

Brings to mind the


Rubio Withdraws Support for Gay Black Judge’s Nomination to the Federal Bench. (The New York Times, 9/23/2013)

Excerpt:   Mr. Rubio, a Republican, has seen his allure among conservatives tumble, a result of his aggressive push for immigration reform. In recent weeks, he has scarcely mentioned immigration, keeping his focus mostly on issues with broad conservative appeal like abortion and health care.

Related reading
Conservative activists heckle Rubio over immigration stance.  (Washington Post, 8/30/2013)
For some in Tea Party, Rubio is not conservative enough.  (NBC Latino, 8/4/2013)
New initiative from conservative activists in Florida: Recall Rubio. (Hot Air, 7/17/2013)

As a result, Rubio's walkin' the straight and narrow.

Changes in Registration Procedure for Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance Claimants

Mandatory Registration Frequently Asked Questions.
State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

What is the purpose of this new requirement?

This requirement is not new.  (OK, so maybe this question should have been worded differently.)

What has changed is that all claimants must now register with Wisconsin Job Service through JobCenterofWisconsin.com.   Claimants will no longer be able to register by phone, but Job Center of Wisconsin call center employees will be available for assistance.

The "new" requirement goes into effect on October 13, 2013.

How long does the process take?  

On average, about an hour.

• 10-15 minutes to file a claim
• 45-50 minutes to complete a work registration form.
• Job match profile included in registration procedure.

Here's the DWD answer.  On average, it takes 10 to 15 minutes to file a claim for unemployment benefits. Work registration follows this process. A person with average computer skills can complete both in an hour. This includes completing a Job Match Profile. Those who need extra help can visit their nearest Job Center, or call the Job Center of Wisconsin call center toll-free at 1-888-258-9966. Staff will guide claimants through the registration process.

As for "their nearest Job Center.......

There are 4 in the northwest quadrant of Wisconsin:  Eau Claire, Phillips, Rice Lake, and Superior.

I suspect many claimants are going to end up at their local public library.

Will Wisconsin Become the 30th State to Create a "Choose Life" License Plate?

Choose Life America, Inc.

Available in 29 states.

Wisconsin GOP lawmaker pushing for pro-life plates.  (Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, 9/23/2013)

Proposed by Rep. Andre Jacque (R-DePere)

Excerpt: Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald's spokesman says the bill isn't on what he called "the fast track."

The proposed design.

State Senator Jon Erpenbach: State Trust Fund Loan Program Benefits Us All

Senator Jon Erpenbach

Link to news release

Related posts:
Encourage your state legislators not to co-sponsor this proposed constitutional amendment. (7/18/2013)
On the one hand, the Journal Sentinel editorial board supports elimination of the Secretary of State and State Treasurer; on the other hand, the BCPL Trust Fund is crucial.  (7/9/2013)
Current proposal to eliminate Wisconsin's Secretary of State and State Treasurer leaves Board of Commissioners of Public Lands with one current officer.  (7/9/2013)
$24 Per Child: "Enough to Put a Book in the Hand of Every Youth in Every District".  (4/9/2013)
Too Late (in this Session) for Assembly Joint Resolution 26?  (2/27/2013)
Board of Commissioners of Public Lands biennial report/summary of Common School Fund assets ("Annotated").  (12/2/2011)
Board of Commissioners of Public Lands news release: $3.8 million for projects across Wisconsin.  (8/3/2011)

The Walker Way: Whatever

Walker Starts To Cite New Metric For Job Numbers. (Wisconsin Public Radio News, 9/23/2013)

Excerpt:   Marquette University's Charles Franklin says it's telling that Walker is moving away from a hard job count that's easy to understand to a much more complicated estimate that's hard to explain.

Photo credit:  Marquette University Law School

Related posts:
The Blue and the Gold: Wisconsin's Jobs Deficit.  (9/3/2013)
Scott Walker's mantra.  (8/2/2013)
Less than zero.  (6/17/2013)
Wisconsin ranks 49th in Federal Reserve Bank's "imperfect" index.  (6/6/2013)
Wishful thinking at WEDC.  (5/23/2013)
And what alternative universe do these employers inhabit?  (5/21/2013)
Wisconsin added 19,000 jobs in 2012.  (5/18/2013)
Scott Walker all a-tingle over yesterday's news.  (5/18/2013)
From the looks of it, Wisconsin's jobs loss is in free fall.  (5/18/2013)
Spin Cycle: The Walker Administration Diverts Our Attention from the Latest (Disturbing) Jobs Numbers. (5/17/2013)
Bringing up the rear in job growth.  (3/8/2013)
Wisconsin ranks 43rd in job growth during the past year.  (11/23/2012)

So, Rohn, What's Your Point? (Another Chapter in the Nutburger Chronicles)

First of all, some background.

According to the Wisconsin Blue Book (2011-12 edition, page 946),

• 1836.  Official seat created when Wisconsin became a territory
• 1839.  Design revised.
• 1848.  New seal created when Wisconsin became a state.
• 1851.  Design of seal changed at request of Governor Nelson Dewey.
• 1881.  Seal became worn from use, designed modified, new seal recast.

"Where is state seal?"  Fond du Lac Reporter, 11/13/1976)

Lost in transit.  The seal is a brass disc 2 3/8 inches in diameter. It was shipped to a company in Harwood Heights, Ill., for repair after an aide to the governor inadvertently put a cord into the press that affixes the seal on documents and damaged the lead seat into which the seal is pressed.

What are the odds of finding it?   "It could be almost anywhere," [Raul] Valencia [of United Parcel's Chicago office] said.

Elusive state seal is found.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 11/19/1976)

What are the odds?  The package, however, was damaged, and the brass disc fell out, according to La Follette, who received a call last week from the company.

According to this article, the estimated value of the disc was $400.

[Research assistance provided by Wisconsin State Law Library.]

Related post:
Candidate applauds effort to eliminate office for which he is running.  (9/23/2013)

Cal Thomas: This Climate Change Bulletin Just In from the Daily Mail

Yes, folks, the Daily Mail, which regularly features photos of  bikini-clad women, and worse,  in its "news" reportage.  (Here's a description of the Daily Mail which just as easily could have come from the writers of The Daily Show.)

Climate Change Ice-Capped, by Cal Thomas.  (Townhall, 9/19/2013)

Excerpt:    Now comes a report in the UK Daily Mail that "eminent scientists" have observed a record return of the Arctic ice cap as it grows by 60 percent in a year, covering with ice almost 1 million more square miles of ocean than in 2012.

Oops!!

Arctic sea ice has *not* recovered, in 7 visuals.  (Washington Post, 9/19/2013)

Excerpt:    “And now it’s global COOLING! Record return of Arctic ice cap as it grows by 60% in a year” shouts the astonishingly misleading headline of a story by the Daily Mail’s David Rose.

Here's 1 of the 7 visuals.

Shameless Cal, ever the easy target to ridicule, is unimpressed.  The Post and other "true believers" ignore or ridicule a growing body of evidence rebutting their beliefs.

Related posts: 
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)

Cal Thomas Needs a Research Assistant

Or maybe he just needs to take off the blinders.

Merriam-Webster

Climate Change Ice-Capped, by Cal Thomas.  (Townhall, 9/19/2013)

Excerpt: In 2007, the BBC reported that by 2013, global warming would leave the Arctic "ice free." Oops!

Double oops!!

Arctic summers ice-free 'by 2013'.  (BBC News, 12/12/2007)

Excerpt: Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years.

It's always smart to read beyond the headlines.

'Could' is not synonymous with 'would'.

Big picture, Cal.

36 Hours in Reykjavik: The Armchair Traveler Edition

36 Hours in Reykjavik.  (The New York Times, 9/19/2013.)

Friday, 3:30 p.m.  Hallowed Halls.  (Hallgrimskirkja)


5:30 p.m.  Records and Reels.  (12 Tonar)


8 p.m.   Icelandic Tapas.  (Forrettabarinn)

10 p.m.  Civilized Sips.  (Kaldi Bar, MicroBar)


Saturday, 8 a.m.  Waterfront Walk.


11:30 a.m.  Waffles and Art.  (Mokka-Kaffi)


1 p.m.  Domestic Designs.  (Kiosk, Spark Design Space, Geysir)

3:30 p.m.  Art Three Ways.  (i8 Gallery, Harnarhus)


8 p.m.  The Burger Menagerie.  (Grillmarkadurinn or Saemunder i Sparifotunum)


Midnight.  Up All Night.  (Runtur, or pub crawl)


Sunday, 4 a.m. or 11 a.m.  (Baejarins Beztu Pylsur)


1 p.m.  Island Peace.   (Island of Videy)


Other 36 Hours posts:
Brandywine Valley.  (9/1/2013)
Izmir, Turkey.  (8/25/2013)
Monaco.  (8/18/2013)
Leece, Italy. (8/11/2013)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  (8/4/2013)

50 Years Ago This Evening: The Debut of "East Side West Side" on CBS

Among the cast members:  George C. Scott as a social worker and Cecily Tyson as his office secretary.

A short-lived series, and The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows tells us why.

Critics appreciated the gritty realism of this series in the midst of TV's land of make-believe, but its downbeat subjects proved deadly with viewers and it was dropped after a single season.

The 10:00-11:00 p.m. (Eastern) broadcast time -- I lived in Warren PA  at this time -- and the responsibility of a morning paper route meant that I was in bed by this time.

Downtown Warren PA -- as circa 1963 as I can get