Retiring Guy's Digest: 2013-11-10

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Madge: Off the Chart Even When She Was an Advertising Icon

Social Security Administration Popular Baby Names

Friday, November 15, 2013

Floor Plan for Expanded Poynette Area Public Library

Read the progress reports in the Library Lynx, the Poynette Area Public Library's newsletter.

Related posts:
Things get a little testy during discussion of library expansion at Poynette village board meeting. (1/11/2013)
Expanded library on village board's to-do list. (12/29/2012)
Catching up. (8/23/2012)
Space crunch. (3/8/2012)
Keeping the lines of communication open. 12/15/2011)
Poynette library board president takes village board to task for poor communication. (11/26/2011)
The library as Poynette's anchor store. (11/10/2011)
Poynette redevelopment project includes space for library. (9/29/2011)

Cindy: Not Always a Nickname for Cynthia (Since 1938)

Social Security Administration

She Knows Baby Names sez the meaning of the name Cynthia is: Of Cynthus (Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos). Famous bearer: Cynthia was one of the names of the mythological moon goddess Artemis, referring to her birth on Mount Cynthus.

Cynthia had her best run from 1950 to 1969, a stretch of 20 years in the top 20, 11 of them in the top 10. Top ranking: #7 in 1957.

Cindy didn't make her appearance on the top 1000 until 1938 and came close to challenging Cynthia's superiority in the 1950s. Her best year also occurred in 1957 with a ranking of #19.

My sister-in-law, born in 1964, is a Cindy.

A top 10 hit for 16-year-old Johnny Crawford during the summer of 1962. Crawford played Chuck Connors' son on The Rifleman -- 168 episodes over 5 seasons from 1958 to 1963.

Related posts:
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)

Sunday Hours on Hold at the Verona Public Library

Balancing the books: Verona library budget boost put on hold. (Wisconsin State Journal, 11/15/2013)

When the Middleton Public Library initiated Sunday hours in March 1999, Sunday quickly became, on an hourly average, the busiest day of the week.

In 2007, for example, Middleton's annual circulation was 671,642.

If the library had been as busy during the rest of the week as it was during its 4 hours of operation on Sundays, total circulation would have been 830,540.

2007 average circulation per hour, 7 days a week: 196

2007 average circulation per hour on Sundays: 242.

And this only takes into consideration the activity at the circulation desk.

Sunday. A day that many people find convenient to use the library.

A Closer Look at the Orland Park Public Library Board President Resignation

Somebody certainly loves to hear herself talk.

Orland Park library board president steps down, cites health reasons. (Chicago Tribune, 11/14/2013)

Perhaps not as reassuring as she wanted to be: "I don't think it was life threatening, but I really don't know the details of it," library spokeswoman Bridget Bittman said.

From the September 15, 2008, minutes of the Orland Park Public Library board of trustees meeting. Director Wsol introduced Carole Hillman who is the candidate for Trustee on the Board to fill Dan Muntner’s position.

From the November 17, 2008, minutes of the Orland Park Public Library board of trustees meeting. Dr. Carole Hillman was appointed to the office of Trustee of the Orland Park Public Library. President George Sims administered the oath of office to Dr. Hillman.

From the April 20, 2009, minutes of the Orland Park Public Library board of trustees.
Trustee Hillman announced that PBS is airing a 5 part program on American Indians which she is viewing and is exceptional. Trustee Hillman asked if we could get this five part series on DVD for the library. The Director will look into this.

Trustee Hillman has worked with Junior Great Books and Advanced Great Books. Can we host this program for children and adults? The Director will look into this. (Not sure if these programs were offered, but the library certainly has plenty of other activities going on.)

Health issues aside, I suspect Hillman lacked the necessary leadership characteristics and behaviors to lead the library board through its current controversy.

Wonder if this is the same Carole Hillman?

The article notes that Hillman was elected to the board in April 2009, but a review of the minutes indicate otherwise.

Related posts:
Amping up the controversy in Orland Park. (11/12/2013)
Notes and Whatnot on "Challenges in Governance" (Library Style). (11/8/2013)
The Orland Park Public Library's computer lab a "pervert's dream". (11/5/2013)

Learn the Legislative Lingo: Author (Part 2)

LINK

Note the first verb used in the above definition: introduce. There's no mention of the legislator or legislative committee actually writing the bill.

Nowadays, legislators, if they so choose, are provided with ready-made, i.e., "model", legislation.

6 Dangerous ALEC-Backed Bills Beyond Stand Your Ground Law. (Think Progress, 7/15/2013)

Excerpt [highlights added]: 1. Pushing voter suppression laws: The group’s model legislation was a big factor in the wave of voter suppression laws passed ahead of the 2012 election in states such as Texas, Wisconsin, and Florida. These bills include restrictive ID requirements, cutting back on early voting, residency restrictions that often impact enrollment for college students, putting roadblocks in the way of mass voter registrations, and others. While the group vowed to focus just on economic issues after corporations pulled funding in response to these voter efforts, the efforts are still moving forward in many states.

Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville), doing ALEC's bidding (AB54, introduced March 1, 2013)

A Senate version of the bill (SB324) was introduced by Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend). This bill has no co-authors, i.e., no other state senators have "signed on" to the proposal.

Related posts:
Learn the legislative lingo: Author (co-author, co-sponsor). (11/14/2013)
Learn the legislative lingo: Committee on Assembly Organization. (10/31/2013)
Learn the legislative lingo: amendment. (10/31/2013)
Learn the legislative lingo: act. (10/30/2013)
Learn the legislative lingo: slash number. (10/30/2013)

Your Wisconsin Republican Assembly Hard at Work Promoting Governor Walker's Jobs Agenda (and GOP Principles)

Photo source: Wisconsin Election Watch

Assembly approves changes to voting hours, ID law. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/15/2013)

Excerpt: In a late-night session that stretched from Thursday into Friday, Republicans in the state Assembly approved measures to

reinstate Wisconsin's voter ID law
tighten early voting hours
limit the ability to recall elected officials
create anti-abortion license plates
restrict access to the site of a proposed iron mine in the North Woods
amend state constitution to require the Supreme Court justices to select who among them would serve as chief justice

GOP Principles

League of Wisconsin Voters challenge voter ID laws as unconstitutional. (8/22/2011)

What's the matter with Wisconsin? (7/27/2011)
Wisconsin Legislative Council information memorandum. (7/15/2011)
Appleton Alderman Wants Pushback on State Voter ID Bill. (2/7/2011)

Voter ID in Wisconsin: A bill and a constitution amendment. (1/13/2011)

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Lizabeth: There's Only One Reason Why This Name Made the List

Lizabeth Scott

1947

1948

1948

1949

1950

Happy 100th Birthday, Mallomars!

Mallomars Celebrate Their 100th Birthday by Being Hoarded by Obsessed Fans. (TIME, 11/11/2013)

I don't know why I'm so excited; I haven't eaten one since I was a kid growing up in Warren PA 16365. Back in 1913, when the company started selling the cookies, Mallomars were only shipped during cool months, so the chocolate wouldn’t melt. While refrigerated trucks have made that concern obsolete, a brand spokesman for Nabisco told NPR that the cookies are still only sold September through March, to maintain tradition.

As of this writing, 10317 "like" Mallomars on Facebook.

Warren PA 16365 from Retiring Guy's postcard collection

Where Mallomars could be purchased, once upon a a time. It was still the age of the corner grocery store in Warren PA 16365, although definitely the beginning of the end, when Nu-Way opened for business in the mid-1950s. A few years later, Loblaws opened a store across the parking lot from Nu-Way.

Always Wise to Make Sure All Doors are Closed and Locked at Night

From the Middleton Police Department

Monthly Report, October 2013

The 6 homes located on this cul-de-sac range in value from $288,000-$368,000.

Learn the Legislative Lingo: Author (Co-Author, Co-Sponsor)

LINK

Let's use the example of SB349/AB476, relating to: local regulation of nonmetallic mining; local regulation of air quality; local regulation of water quality; local regulation of the use of explosives in mining, quarrying, and related activities; highway use contracts by local governments; and local regulation of borrow sites and material disposal sites for transportation projects of the Department of Transportation.

According to the Wisconsin Legislative Council definition, Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) is the author of the Senate bill. His Senate colleagues highlighted below in orange are the "co-authors". His Assembly colleagues highlighted below in yellow are "co-sponsors".

On the other hand, or in the other house, Rep. Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) is the author of the Assembly bill. Her Assembly colleagues highlighted below in orange are the "co-authors". Her Senate colleagues highlighted below in yellow are "co-sponsors".

It's all perfectly clear, right?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two days earlier, Sen Tom Tiffany was referred to as "co-author" in this news report, co-written by Lee Bergquist.

Related posts:
Learn the legislative lingo: Committee on Assembly Organization. (10/31/2013)
Learn the legislative lingo: amendment. (10/31/2013)
Learn the legislative lingo: act. (10/30/2013)
Learn the legislative lingo: slash number. (10/30/2013)

Paul & Paula: 1954 was their Very Best Year Together

Paul at #16, Paula at #38.

Popular Baby Names

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

The Librarian: Love for Books and Love for People

Introduction. These racks and shelves contain a lot of books, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps.

How do you feel about them? Do they mean something to you? Are they your friends?

Have you a real love of books and learning?

You do? That's good.

Now...do you like people? And do people like you?

Do you like all kinds of people? The young as well as the old. People in all stations of life.

You do? That's wonderful.

Because when you have these two important qualifications, love for books and love for people, you may well consider the vocation of a librarian.

Skipping to 2:50. The largest number of librarians are found in five general classifications:

Catalogers
Reference librarians (3:50)
Circulation librarian (4:25)
Librarians who serve the young people (4:41)
School librarians (4:55)

6:22. In library work, there exists a number of positions that require special competence and preparation. Take, for example, the administrator of a large library, often a highly-paid executive.

[At this point, the film shows a middle-aged man sitting at a large desk in a well-appointed office with, I assume, 6 subordinates -- 5 women and 1 man. It's the first time a male figure has been identified as someone who works in a library. He is never referred to as a librarian, however.]

You'll understand that this person needs a great capacity for leadership. a high degree of vision and imagination, and a thorough understanding of all phases of procedures in his organization.

For Sale: Philadelphia's Germantown High School (and 26 other Buildings)

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection

Philadelphia Schools See Cash in Old Classrooms. (The New York Times, 11/12/2013)

Excerpt: The school district published details on its website of 27 buildings, [including Germantown] totaling about 3.7 million square feet, and the land they sit on, in the hope that the properties could be adapted and reused by buyers, who could provide the district with desperately needed cash. The public school system laid off 3,800 workers to close a $304 million budget deficit at the start of the current school year.

He's a Bad Boy, That John Lennon

Reached the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1963. Peaked at #94.

Lennon's School Detention Sheets Head to Auction. (The New York Times, 11/12/2013)

Print headline. Lennon's School Records: He Was a Bad Boy.

Bonnie & Clyde Take a Dive Together, Then Attempt to Come Up for Air

They don't make it.

Bonnie moved on top in 1931, where she stayed until Clyde's "passing" in 1998.

Popular Baby Names Social Security Administration

In So Many Words: Dear Sen. Tiffany, Your bill sucks, Sincerely, Pepin County Board

And that would be SB349, relating to local regulation of nonmetallic mining, local regulation of air quality; local regulation of water quality; local regulation of the use of explosives in mining, quarrying, and related activities; highway use contracts by local governments; and local regulation of borrow sites and material disposal sites for transportation projects of the Department of Transportation.

County board approves frac mining regulation statement unanimously. (WQOW, 11/12/2013)

Excerpt: The board says it feels the expansion of sand mining and processing in western Wisconsin raises, "significant local public health, economic, environmental and quality of life issues." The board says it opposes any state legislation that would preempt the ability of towns and counties to craft their own regulations.

Sidebar: Pepin county has a couple of distinctions.

At 249 square miles, it is Wisconsin's smallest county.
It is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Joseph Demonstrates More Staying Power Than Mary

As far as popular baby names are concerned, people.

Joseph. Frequent appearances in the top 10: 1880-1935, 1977-78, 1980, 1984-85, 1990-91, 1999-2005.

Only 1 year out of the top 20: 2011.

As for Mary.....

She had quite a run.

67 years at #1 -- 1880 to 1946.

Then, after ceding 6 years to Linda at #2, she spends another 9 years at #1.

Even since the mid-1960s, though, she's experienced a slow, steady decline, to the point where she's been out of the top 100 for the past 4 years.

Rhode Islanders Call It the "Superman Building"

And they are quite unhappy about its current condition.

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection

Superman Building at a single bound. (Providence Journal, 2/11/2012)

Ain't what it used to be. The tallest building in Providence is the Industrial Trust or Industrial National Bank Building, known for the institution that had it built in 1927. At 428 feet high, including 26 stories topped by a four-story lantern, it beat the prior record holder, the Rhode Island State House (1901), by 205 feet, and holds its title today. Its closest rival is the Hospital Trust Tower (1973) at 410 feet.

In addition, the Industrial Trust is the oldest building in America also to be the tallest building in its state, in which category the second oldest is the Empire State Building (1931).

The Industrial Trust replaced the Butler Exchange (1873), a Second Empire building with a public arcade that fed into that of the Providence Arcade (1828), across Westminster Street. The bank's prior headquarters, also on Westminster, was razed in the early 1970s to make way for the Hospital Trust Tower.

The recent announcement that the building's only occupant, Bank of America, will not renew its lease puts the Superman Building, as many Rhode Islanders call it, back in the news, with much gnashing of teeth over the effect its abandonment will have on the local economy.

And the latest news is not good, Superman fans. Going to court: Who's to blame for the neglect of the Superman building? (Providence Journal, 11/11/2013)

Wikimedia Commons

"Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."

Welcome to Palmer Woods, One of Detroit's Neighborhood Treasures

History of Palmer Woods

Palmer Woods:Detroit::Nakoma:Madison

The Basil Connection

In Hookups, Inequality Still Reigns. (The New York Times, 11/11/2013)

Excerpt: Debra Herbenick, a research scientist at Indiana University, said that for women, casual sex is exciting precisely because it is spontaneous. She compared a hookup with having dinner at a friend’s house.

Debra as quoted.

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons

Everything you always wanted to know about basil but were afraid to ask. For centuries, people said that basil stimulated the sex drive and boosted fertility as well as producing a general sense of well being. The scent of basil was said to drive men wild -- so much so that women would dust their breasts with dried and powdered basil. Basil is one of the many reported aphrodisiacs that may have the property of promoting circulation.

TV Manufacturers Pin Their Hopes on Ultra HD TV

On sale for just $4,999.99.

First, some background news.

A Bonanza in TV Sales Fades Away. (The New York Times, 1/5/2011)

Like 3-D. After a period of strong growth, sales of televisions are slowing. To counter this, TV makers are trying to persuade consumers to buy new sets by promoting new technologies.

As Sales Slip, TV Makers Strain for the Next Sensation. (The New York Times, 1/6/2013)

We're not buying into that planned obsolescence thing anymore. To make matters worse, consumers are buying new televisions as often as they buy a new car, not as often as a new computer or phone. And people can now watch video on smartphones, tablets and computers, reducing the need to buy a television at all.

Now the latest bulletin.

Television Sales Look Grim Again This Year. (The New York Times, 11/6/2013)

Once again, size is gonna matter: There’s no mystery behind why TV sales are slow. People don’t buy TVs as often as they do smartphones or computers. And now that big high-definition TVs are widely affordable, most people already have one.

Still.......

Florida's Vulnerable Coastline

From 2008.

Five years later.

South Florida Faces Ominous Prospects From Rising Waters. (The New York Times, 11/10/2013)

As quoted.

Photo credit: University of Miami

Comes the Sea, a PowerPoint presentation by Professor Wanless.

Related posts:
Promoting the need for regionalism among nations along the Bay of Bengal coast. (10/14/2013)
Climate change not taking a back seat everywhere in Wisconsin. (9/27/2013)
Climate change deniers continue to jump on the Daily Mail crazy train (or Oops! they did it again). (9/25/2013)
Cal Thomas: This climate change bulletin just in from the Daily Mail. (9/24/2013)
Cal Thomas needs a research assistant. (9/23/2013)
Climate change, as a matter of fact. (8/31/2013)
Outagamie County residents will be better served with a more proactive approach. (8/20/2013)
Here's what got Ron Johnson's undies in a bundle (NoRoJo in 2016, chapter 12). (8/15/2013)
Georgia's anti-science climate denier caucus. (7/31/2013)
Here's a comforting headline. (3/8/2013)
Making Fox News-Inspired Jokes About Climate Change? Consider Australia. (3/5/2013)
The New Normal: Living With Extreme Weather (Northeastern U.S. Edition). (2/10/2013)
1975: "There's a new ice age coming, but I wouldn't want to predict when.". (1/27/2013)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Embargoes Use of Phrase "Climate Change"? (12/31/2012)
Can you say 'climate change'? (11/28/2012)
As you already know, Fox News is shameless. (9/29/2012)
Dear George, It will take more than denial to get over climate change in Greenland. (9/27/2012)
Climate change results in Coast Guard's "unprecedented" deployment to North Shore of Alaska. (7/23/2013)
Weather history is made in the Northeast. (10/30/2011)
Climate change in the American mind. (6/8/2011)
Stuff you won't see on Fox News. (1/8/2010)

Amping Up Controversy in Orland Park

Orland Park library reviewing porn policy. (Chicago Tribune, 11/11/2013)

Excerpt: Some library users have expressed their feelings in person. Recently, two women who came to the library to become members got upset when someone approached them outside and handed them a flier citing "sex crimes in the library."

Megan Fox's PJ Lifestyle blog.

Megan Fox and Kevin Dujan. Often seen in print, and in public, together.

Related post:
The Orland Park Public Library's Computer Lab a "Pervert's Dream" (11/5/2013)

Most of Us Don't Buy Into U.S. Chamber of Commerce Handwringing Over Minimum Wage

The Chamber's Pavlovian response to the minimum wage issue is found here.

Most Americans for Raising Minimum Wage. (Gallup Politics, 11/11/2013)

U.S. Department of Labor. History of Federal Minimum Wage Rates Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 1938 - 2009

Related post:
Minimum wage, adjusted for inflation. (9/28/2013)

The Popularity of Elizabeth as a Baby Name: 1880-2012

The Popularity of William as a Baby Name: 1880-2012

Popular Baby Names

The #2 most popular name for 30 years in a row -- 1880 to 1909. After dropping to #3 for a year, it spent another 10 years at #2.

Although "William" never reached #1, it has never dropped out of the top 20 and has spent the last 7 years back in the top 10.

Boys named William in Warren Area High School's class of 1968

William (Bill) Leonard
William (Bill) Loundsbury
William (Bill) McGuckin
William Todd
William (Bill) Wilson
William (Bill) Young