Saturday, January 4, 2014

Vincent Faga (1945-2013) Warren Area High School Class of 1963

Warren Times Observer obituary

Perched on a hill that provided a panoramic view of Warren (now obscured due to tree growth), the high school first opened in September 1960, replacing a fast-deteriorating 70-year-old building located on the eastern edge of the downtown.



Warren Area High School 1963 Dragon yearbook

In addition.....

Lawrence Ekey was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, confirmed by my dad.  His parents were the 2nd-generation owners of Ekey's Florist, which is now owned and operated by Lawrence's younger brother Robert.

Mary Fago is the step-sister of one of my best friends in junior high and high school.  Sweet and unaffected are the best adjectives to describe her.  Not to mention very attractive.


The #1 song when the class of '63 graduated.

Warren Pennsylvania Notables and Where They Lived (The Siggins-Smith House)

Date of construction: 1907.

Architect:  Edward A. Phillips, Buffalo.   Characteristics of his style:  half-timber dormers, overhanging eaves, and lattice-paned windows.

Location:  315 Liberty Street (across from the Brown-Yerg house).

1st floor exterior:  Hummelstone


The first owner of the house, David Siggins, was president of the Warren Electric Street Railway and the Warren & Jamestown Street Railway.

From "Genealogical gleanings of Siggins, and other Pennsylvania families; a volume of history, biography and colonial, revolutionary, civil and other war records including names of many other Warren County pioneers"

DAVID HENRY SlGGINS, of Tidioute, Pennsylvania; owned and operated a livery stable in Warren, Pa., for a number of years. For the last fifteen years. he has been identified with promoting street railways in Warren and vicinity; built and operated the Warren-Jamestown line — also several short lines in Eastern Kansas, with headquarters at Coffeyville and Winfield. He organized these companies and has served as their Presi- dent since their organization. He is a very successful business man, has always been interested in civic matters. His family are all members of the Presbyterian Church.

His son, Hugh A., and son-in-law, Samuel Q. Smith, are associated with him in the railroad business and hold responsible positions. 

He was born in Tidioute December 8, 1846 ; married September 2, 1875: Julia Marietta Guignon, born in Sugar Grove, Pa., May 3, 1852; daughter of Joseph and Julia Ann (Runion) Guignon, (Julia Ann Runion was a daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca (Smith) Runion). 

Their children were Julia Mabel Siggins, born August 4, 1876, and Hugh Archibald Siggins, born in Warren, Pa., August 24, 1877; married. June 2, 1902.

Related posts:
Mansion House.  (1/3/2014)
The Morck-Morrison house.  (1/1/2014)
Six degrees of Reverend Nelson.  (12/31/2013)
The Physicians' Building.  (12/30/2013)
C. W. Stone.  (12/28/2013)

Libraries Host Downton Abbey Tea Parties

Wonder if they had any unexpected guests?



Adair County Public Library, Kirksville, Missouri.

The program took place on Friday, January 3, at 2:00 p.m.

Old news, sez the DeForest Area Public Library and the Horicon Public Library.

Been there, done that, sez the Racine Public Library.

We'll see you on January 9th, sez the Neenah Public Library.

Head Sports Wear When It Was "Not Known for a Fashion Forward Look"

As advertised in Esquire, June 1983

Head Sports Wear was a division of the Lesley Fay Company, which is still in business despite a 1993 bankruptcy.  The division was sold to Odyssey International Group in 1991.

As the Vintage Fashion Guild website cattily notes, Lesley Fay is "not known for a fashion forward look."  (Not sure what the dude in white is doing in the Exhibit A.)

HEAD (the letters are all capitalized now, it appears) immediately thrived under its new owners, receiving plaudits for its sportswear collection for the 1992 U.S. Olympics team.

State Street Stalwart Going Out of Business: Shakti (1971-2014)

Photo credit:  Retiring Guy

Shakti, another longtime State Street business, to close.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 10/24/2013)

Reasons given for closing:
  1. Internet
  2. Rising silver prices
  3. Changing dynamic of State Street (and downtown)
Once upon a time.    Shakti, named after the “goddess of the universe,” according to Ajaya, was started in 1971 on the second level of a building in the 500 block of State Street as a co-op by members of the Yoga Meditation Society of Madison. A few years later, Ajaya bought out the business, moved it to its current location and gradually expanded its offerings. 

His was one of the first stores, in the late 1970s, to sell futons in Madison and later helped introduce table fountains to the market. 


Now up to 60% off according to ad in latest Isthmus.

During my nearly 28 years of living in Middleton, I have never once visited Shakti, although I've walked the length of State Street hundreds of times.  In December 2008, I noticed in a window display that the store had a great selection of books on angels, a favorite topic of my sister's.  Unfortunately, Barb had died of breast cancer two months earlier.  A discovery made too late.

In 1964, Isaac Asimov Looks Ahead 50 Years

Isaac Asimov's 50-Year-Old Prediction For 2014 Is Viral and Wrong.  (Slashdot, 1/3/2014)



Here's the op-ed piece Slashdot is referring to.

Visit to the World's Fair of 2014.  (The New York Times, 8/16/1964)

And how wrong was Asimov?  Well, in some cases, it's more a case of being off the mark rather than out-and-out wrong.

Windows.  "...no more than an archaic touch."

We just replaced 7 bedroom windows.   With new windows.  It's still a big part of Waunakee Remodeling's business.

The new Levittown.  "Suburban houses underground, with easily controlled temperature, free from the vicissitudes of weather, with air cleaned and light controlled, should be fairly common."


An earth-sheltered housing movement occurred during the 1970s, although it had a minimal impact on the home construction industry.  I remember purchasing the above book (5 copies available in LINKcat), published in 1979, for the Oshkosh Public Library's collection.

Three squares. "Breakfasts will be "ordered" the night before to be ready by a specified hour the next morning. Complete lunches and dinners, with the food semiprepared, will be stored in the freezer until ready for processing."

I'd called that semi-prepared food that Jack Narz is taking out of the freezer compartment of a refrigerator.


Robotics.  "Robots for gardening work will also have made their appearance."

I don't think this qualifies as "gardening work.  Consider it a replacement for migrant labor.

3-D movies.  "There will be a three-hour wait in line to see the film, for some things never change.

OK, a yes and no prediction.   But Asimov missed the concept of buying tickets online in a "gadgety" world.  , tell me, when did anyone wait in line 3 hours to see a movie in 1964?  It was still the era of "roadshow" movies, e.g., My Fair Lady

Unplugged.  The appliances of 2014 will have no electric cords, of course, for they will be powered by long-lived batteries running on radioisotopes.

See "Lightly Buttered, with Angst".

Not ready for prime time.  "And experimental fusion-power plant or two will already exist in 2014."

Wikipedia:   A 2006 editorial in New Scientist magazine opined that "if commercial fusion is viable, it may well be a century away."

Isaac, meet the highway lobby.  "There is every likelihood that highways at least in the more advanced sections of the world will have passed their peak in 2014; there will be increasing emphasis on transportation that makes the least possible contact with the surface."

Meet George Jetson. "Jets of compressed air will also lift land vehicles off the highways".

We have jet packs, but they're out of most people's price range.



Getting from here to there.  "For short-range travel, moving sidewalks (with benches on either side, standing room in the center) will be making their appearance in downtown sections."

Airports.  Where you're most likely to see moving sidewalks.  No benches.



Ralphie Boy follows through, for once.  "For that matter, you will be able to reach someone at the moon colonies."

Ralph confesses that he's a blabbermouth, a BLABBERMOUTH!. "Any number of simultaneous conversations between earth and moon can be handled by modulated laser beams."

Glub glub glub.    "Underwater housing will have its attractions to those who like water sports, and will undoubtedly encourage the more efficient exploitation of ocean resources, both food and mineral."



Yum!  "Processed yeast and algae products will be available in a variety of flavors."


Let's take a look at the flip side

In a 2529-word op-ed piece, anyone is bound to get something right, and Asimov is no exception.  In fact, he nailed a number of important concepts with which we're stilling wrestling*.

Electroluminescence.  "Ceilings and walls will glow softly."  The patent for electroluminscent ceiling panelings was filed on 12/11/1957 and published on 7/11/1961.  In 2014, most rooms are still illuminated in the standard fashion.  I suspect Asimov was a regular reader of Popular Electronics* and its ilk.  ["Glowing walls and ceilings (primarily for decorative effect rather than illumination) are already a reality..."]

Dream bigger, Isaac.  "I suspect one of the major attractions of the 2014 fair will be rides on small roboticized cars which will maneuver in crowds at the two-foot level, neatly and automatically avoiding each other."



Bingo.  Communications will become sight-sound and you will see as well as hear the person you telephone.  (Although not everyone is playing.)

Big screen TV.  "Wall screens will have replaced the ordinary set"

*Our crowded planet.  "There is every likelihood that the world population will be 6,500,000,000 and the population of the United States will be 350,000,000."

(2014 world population:  7,138,000,000. 2014 U.S. population:  317,317,000)

*The digital divide.  "Not all the world's population will enjoy the gadgety world of the future to the full."

*The automated workplace.  "The world of A.D. 2014 will have few routine jobs that cannot be done better by some machine than by any human being."  (SEE Robotics, above.)


Friday, January 3, 2014

Mansion House in Warren Pennsylvania

215 Fourth Avenue, 
across from the Warren County Courthouse


Opened in 1834 as a "public house", or inn.  (Source:  Historic Buildings in Warren County, Volume 2, page 14.)

Purchased in 1835 by Robert Falconer as the location for the Lumberman's Bank.  A few years later, the bank became a victim of the Panic of 1837.

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."     In 1838, owing to causes over which the honorable and high-principled president had no control, the Lumberman's Bank failed disastrously. Mr. Falconer, ruined in fortune and smarting under unjust criticism, retired from the world, his vigorous intellect impaired by anxiety.

PA-Roots, a website of Pennsylvania history, seems to indicate that Robert Falconer was there at the creation.

In 1846, the Diamond House, a tavern, opened for business.

Photo credits:  Retiring Guy
October 2008

Here's What Happens When a Political Party Promotes Willful Ignorance


Here's the graph from the Pew Research Public Life & Religion Project.


Related reading:
The Danger of Making Science Political.  (The Atlantic, 1/19/2013)
Lamar Smith, GOP Push Politicization Of Scientific Research. (Huffington Post, 4/30/2013)

Pauline Haass Library Board 1, Town of Lisbon 0



Judge rules in favor of Pauline Haass Library Board. (Sussex Sun, 12/31/2013)

There is a cost.   Town residents are paying for lawyers on both sides. Town tax dollars are used to partly fund the library budget which includes funds for lawyers fees. Town residents are also paying the town's legal fees since the town's insurance carrier will not pay the costs of the lawsuit because the Library Board is not seeking monetary damages against the town, according to town officials. 

The library board is anticipating using about $50,000 in 2014 for legal fees. Library Board officials have been discussing the matter, but haven't included a firm number in the budget yet.

Related articles: 
Pauline Haass Public Library considers the cost of litigation.  (11/27/2013)
Sussex/Lisbon: Mediation fails, time to go to court.  (10/23/2013)
Town of Lisbon agrees to nonbinding arbitration with Pauline Haass.  (10/19/2013)
An uncertain funding picture for the Pauline Haass Public Library.  (10/11/2013)
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)

Where Cash Spent Seems to Have the Advantage over Cash on Hand


Financial activity covers the period from January 1 to November 4, 2013.

The special election took place on Tuesday, November 19, 2013.  Jessie Rodriguez won with 58% of the vote.

Related posts:
Rodriguez Defeats Coppola in 21st Assembly Special Election.  (11/20/2013)
Winners in Tuesday's special elections.  (10/23/2013)
October 22nd primary in Wisconsin's 21st Assembly District.  (10/21/2013)

Rebecca Kleefisch in a Lovey-Dovey Mood Behind Closed Doors

Video shows businesses lobbying Rebecca Kleefisch for more tax breaks in closed-door meeting. Wisconsin State Journal, 1/3/2013)


Kleefisch offered the above encouragement to 29 attendees at an invitation-only, closed-door "Tax Reform Roundtable" held in Beloit, Wisconsin, on December 9, 2013.  Four of the attendees are employees of Hendricks Holding Company, owned by billionaire and Walker "adviser" Diane Hendricks.

You remember her, don't you.



Not to be picky, but Diane has given Scott more than $500,000.  The half mil was just a single donation.




Relatled post:
Where's the outcry over Lt. Gov. Kleefisch's closed roundtables?   (12/13/2013)

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Belief in Evolution and Religious Affiliation

Public’s Views on Human Evolution.  (Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project, 12/30/2013)

No change:   The share of the general public that says that humans have evolved over time is about the same as it was in 2009, when Pew Research last asked the question.

Religion and education, side by side.
Other source for table:  
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

Related reading:
Belief in God doesn't undermine evolution: Column. (USA Today, 12/31/2013)

Wisconsin Senate and Assembly Republicans Not Seeing Eye to Eye on the Issues

Legislature agrees on little heading into 2014. (La Crosse Tribune, 1/1/2014)

Not a bag thing, some might say.  Republicans who control the Wisconsin state Senate and Assembly aren’t in agreement on a myriad of issues facing the Legislature in 2014, setting up a session that may be marked more by what doesn’t get done that what does.


Related post:
Robin Vos's calendar and agenda for the spring 2014 legislative session. (12/20/2013)
Your Wisconsin Republican Assembly hard at work promoting Governor Walker's jobs agenda (and GOP principles). (11/15/2013)

U.S. Population Increases 2.2% Since 2010

As for Minnesota and Wisconsin.


Since 2010, Minnesota's estimated population has increase more than twice that of Wisconsin's.


Not necessarily a connecting-the-dots exercise.  It's also interesting to note the make-up of the state's legislatures. One blue. One red.


For Some (Think the 1%), Times are Very Good



High Rollers in a Buying Mood. (The New York Times, 1/1/2014)

What Matt Hlavin, president of Thogus Products Company, bought last year:
  1. Mercedes SLG AMG ($237,000)
  2. Mercedes S63 AMG ($165,000)
  3. Mercedes GL550 sport utility vehicle ($97,000)
Meet Lisa Lehman, Thogus's Director of Happiness.

Wonder what Lisa and the 170 or so other Thogus employees drive?

Related posts:
Cars for the 1%.  (3/30/2013)
On tiptoes to define the limits of acceptable luxury.  (8/30/2011)
Paying full price for luxury goods in a Dollar General economy.  (8/4/2011)

Philadelphia's Land Bank



Philadelphia Forges Plan to Rebuild From Decay.  (The New York Times, 12/31/2013) 

Philadelphia's Land Bank. The houses, little more than a mile from downtown Philadelphia, are among an estimated 40,000 vacant, derelict or underused buildings and lots — both publicly and privately owned — that are candidates for the city’s new Land Bank, an ambitious program that is the latest effort to clear up blighted neighborhoods. 

Philadelphia, with a population of about 1.5 million, is the largest American city to adopt a land bank, experts said, and could become a model for other cities like Detroit that have an even bigger problem with vacant property.


Seattle Public Library Destroyed by Fire (on January 1, 1901)

Or was it January 2nd?

Photo source:  DorpatSherrardLomont

The 40-room house was constructed in 1883 for Henry and Sarah Yesler, a Seattle industrialist and his wife.  Sarah died in 1887 and Henry five years later, but it wasn't until 1899, after Henry's second, much younger wife died, that the house was turned over to the library.  Supposedly, Henry's will, which could not be found after his death, provided that the house was to be given to Seattle for use as a city hall.

In 1899, Andrew Carnegie turned down Seattle's request to fund a library.  He dismissively referred to the city as a "hot air boom town".  But four days after the fire, he agreed to contribution $200,000 to construct a "fire-proof" library.  As a result, some Seattle residents considered arson as the cause of the 1901 fire.  According to the DorpatSherrardLomont account, Librarian Charles Wesley Smith, who worked on an inventory at the library late into the evening on December 31st, became a likely suspect.   A HistoryLink.org account of the fire notes that "[T]he good fortune resulting seems to cast suspicion on certain loyal advocates of the library," although no names are mentioned.

And just to add a further element of confusion, the Seattle Public Library history webpage claims the fire took place on January 2, 1901.

Yes, indeed.  The first decade of the 20th century was a boom time for Seattle, as it nearly tripled in population.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Climate Change Spurs Northward Spread of Mangroves



Spared Winter Freeze, Florida’s Mangroves Are Marching North. (The New York Times, 12/31/2013)

Climate change and forests.   Along a 50-mile stretch of the central Florida coast south of St. Augustine, the amount of mangrove forest doubled between 1984 and 2011, the scientists found after analyzing satellite images. They said the hard winter freezes that once kept mangroves in check had essentially disappeared in that region, allowing the plants to displace marsh grasses that are more tolerant of cold weather.

National Geographic.  Mangroves.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone.

Other climate change posts:
Dear Skeptics, Climate change is already driving informed business decisions.  (12/15/2013)
Florida's vulnerable coastline.  (11/12/2013)
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)

Warren Pennsylvania Notables and Where They Lived (The Morck-Morrison House)

Reflections of Morck’s legacy.  (Warren Times Observer, 4/25/2009)

August's brother was a success in his own right.  His brother, Frederick, pursued the business of oil production and purchased land at Cherry Grove where there were rumors of possible oil supply. Morck was lucky. Drilling began and well number 646 gushed in at 6,000 barrels a day. It and Cherry Grove were nationally famous and Morck's Jewelry became known as the "646 Store". Frederick Morck continued to expand his oil and coal interests and also became president of the Conewango Furniture Company on Carver Street.

Where Frederick lived, a miniature castle (1887) located at 603 Market Street.


Photo credit:  Retiring Guy (October 2008)

A description from Historic Buildings in Warren County, Volume 4.    The house has sixteen rooms with floors and woodwork of solid cherry.  One of the most distinctive rooms was used by Mr. Morck as a study.  It is octagonal in shape and has a wood-burning fireplace. 

Related posts:
Six degrees of Reverend Nelson.  (12/31/2013)
The Physicians' Building.  (12/30/2013)
C. W. Stone.  (12/28/2013)

Orland Park Public Library's Revised Internet Policy


Changes at Orland Park Public Library.  (Chicago Tribune, 12/27/2013)

Excerpt:    The debate about whether libraries should filter their Internet access to prevent viewing pornography on public computers hit the Orland Park Public Library in the fall, spurring some changes at the library starting early in the new year.

Related posts: 
Orland Park Public Library Trustee Position Description.  (12/5/2013)
The Orland Park Public Library fights back.  (12/5/2013)
Excedrin headache moment at the Orland Park Public Library.  (11/25/2013)
At least this headline doesn't include the words "library" AND "porn".  (11/19/2013)
Mayor offers a suggestion in Orland Park Public Library Internet controversy.  (11/17/2013)
A closer look at the Orland Park Public Library board president resignation.  (11/15/2013)
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)

Jason, The Straight Dope, and Here Come the Baby Name Suggestions


Straight Dope message board, April 2004. Why did 'Jason' briefly* become such a popular name?

(*13 years, 1971 to 1983, in the top 10; 5 years in a row at #2, 1974-78.)

Message board suggestions presented in chronological order.

1963


1965
Somebody mentioned a character named Jason Webber on the 1965-66 season of "The Guiding Light". a CBS soap opera.  Probably too minor-league a character to have much of an impact.

1968


Robert Brown, he of the pearly whites set in a ruggedly handsome face, starred as Jason Bolt in this short-lived "comedy adventure".  (2 seasons, 1968-70)  Teen heartthrob Bobby Sherman (Jeremy Bolt) and David Soul (Joshua Bolt).  Maybe sinjin is onto something here.



The above table still doesn't sufficiently explain the already surging popularity of Jason

Sidebar:  Robert Brown's last acting credit is a 1994 episode of "In the Heat of the Night".  For Bobby Sherman, it's "Sanchez of Bel Air" (1986).  David Soul remains active.

Other baby name posts:
Joni Mitchell, Jane Fonda, and the Popularity of Chelsea as a Baby Name.  (12/30/2013)
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)

Lawrence Public Library Building Expansion Emphasizes Programming, Outreach


Library emphasizing programs over quiet. (Lawrence Journal-World, 12/29/2013)

Excerpt: The clearest example of this lies within the blueprints of the library's renovations, under construction and aiming to open in summer 2014. 

An additional 20,000 square feet will mean seven more meeting rooms, new programming spaces specifically for children and teens, a creative center with a recording studio included and a doubling of the seats in the auditorium, according to Jeni Daley, library spokeswoman.

U.S. Births and Infant Abductions

State Journal birth notices to end because of hospitals' new policy. (Wisconsin State Journal, 12/31/2013)

The result of a growing concern about infant abductions.

An average of just under 10 per year.   At least 290 babies have been abducted in the U.S. since 1983, including 132 at health care facilities, according to the center. Four cases, from 1989 to 1993, were linked by law enforcement to birth announcements, the center says.


National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Since 1991, 111 of 114 abducted infants have been recovered unharmed.

There have been 3 cases of infant abductions in Wisconsin since 1983.

Top 6 states
  1. California (39)
  2. Texas (37)
  3. Florida (22)
  4. Illinois (17)
  5. New York, Pennsylvania (11)

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)