Statesider: A Traditional of Highrise Living in Madison, Wisconsin

New Kids on the Capitol Square Block

That would be the East Mifflin block between Wisconsin Avenue and North Hamilton Street.

It's the only block of the Square which offers no evidence of Madison's architectural past.

The Historic Resources of Downtown Madison.  (February 1998)

One of the Remaining 7 Sisters Can No Longer Do It on a Monthly Basis

Ladies' Home Journal To Become a Quarterly.  (The New York Times, 4/24/2014)

No babes here.  The news that a venerable publication is shifting from a print to online strategy certainly has become a familiar story in recent years. But in this case, the decision was not about trying to follow an audience that had moved online, Mr. Slusark said. After all, the magazine still has a circulation of 3.2 million. 

“It was not a consumer issue,” he said, “but an advertising one.” 

Ladies’ Home Journal suffered with advertisers because it was not a leader in the women’s service category, he said, and because its readership skewed older, with a median age of 57.

August 1968 cover

(Rosemary's Baby tie-in)

Related post:
Six of the remaining Seven Sisters are well-represented in LINKcat.  (4/1/2014)

Increased Manufacture of Firearms Fueled by Increased Interest in Hunting? Hardly!

Line graph and table source:  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Age requirements for a hunting license vary from state to state.  (National Conference of State Legislatures)

U.S. gun industry loads up, thanks to boom in buyers,  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/25/2014)

We have words for such "experts".  Experts differ on the reason for the spike, suggesting it is due to safety concerns, fear over possible federal restrictions of firearms or simply increased interest in shooting and hunting. 

Related posts: 
Number of firearms imported into the United States accelerates during Obama's 1st 5 years in office.  (4/26/2014)
Number of firearms manufactured in the United States skyrockets during Obama's 1st Administration. (4/26/2014)

Number of Firearms Imported into the United States Accelerates During Obama's 1st 5 Years in Office

Source:  "Firearms Commerce in the United States: Annual Statistical Report 2014".

Found a reference to this report at U.S. gun industry loads up, thanks to boom in buyers, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/25/2014.

Oh dear, those nameless experts are weighing in again.  Experts differ on the reason for the spike, suggesting it is due to safety concerns, fear over possible federal restrictions of firearms or simply increased interest in shooting and hunting. 

Related post: 
Number of guns manufactured in the United States skyrockets during Obama's 1st Administration. (4/26/2014)

Number of Firearms Manufactured in the United States Skyrockets During Obama's 1st Administration

Source:  "Firearms Commerce in the United States: Annual Statistical Report 2014".

Found a reference to this report at U.S. gun industry loads up, thanks to boom in buyers, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/25/2014.

And I suspect that most Republicans are comfortable with this trend.  The report also reveals the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives inspected fewer than 10% of the roughly 140,000 federal gun dealers in the nation — a seven-year low — as the agency struggles to fulfill its goal of inspecting all dealers every five years. 

Collection Expenditures as a Percentage of the Total in U.S. Public Libraries (2011)

On average, staffing (salaries, wages, and benefits) makes up two-thirds of U.S. public library expenditures.

Wisconsin = 11.2%

Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services.  "Public Libraries in the United States Survey, Fiscal Year 2011".

Other public library statistics posts:
Top and bottom 10 states: Total per capita operating revenue of public libraries.  (4/25/2014)
State Revenue as a Percentage of Total Public Library Revenue (2011).  (4/24/20140
Percentage of total FTE librarians with "ALA-MLS".  (4/23/2014)
Average number of ebooks in public libraries by state.  (4/22/2014)
Video materials per 1000 population in Dane County and larger Wisconsin public libraries.  (4/21/2014)
Video materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/20/2014)
Audio materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/19/2014)
Periodicals per 1000 population in U.S. public libraries.  (4/18/2014)
Print materials per capita in U.S. public libraries.  (4/17/2014)
Number of public-use Internet computers: Selected Dane County public libraries vs. national average.   (4/16/2014)
Two column graphs on public-use Internet computers in public libraries by population of legal service area (2011).  (4/16/2014)
A statistical look at public-use Internet computers in public libraries, 2011.  (4/15/2014)
Total, children's, and young adult public library program attendance per 1000 population, By population of legal service area (2011).  (4/14/2014)
U.S. public library children's and young adult program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 States).  (4/12/2014)
U.S. public library program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 states).  (4/12/2014) 
Wisconsin the unquestioned leader in interlibrary loans provided and received per 1000 population.  (4/11/2014)
Wisconsin and Ohio share the public library interlibrary loan spotlight.  (4/10/2014)
Public library visits and circulation per capita by population of legal service area (2011) .  (4/8/2014)
Decline in Number of Bookmobiles Continues to Accelerate in 2011.  (4/7/2014) 
Library circulation per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10+ states.  (4/5/2014)
Library visits per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10 states.  (4/5/2014)
The biggest and the smallest U.S. public libraries: Hours of operation (2011).  (4/3/2014)
Hours of operation.  (4/3/2014)
Public Libraries: Larger and Smaller Units of Governance, Iowa and South Carolina.  (4/1/2014) 
Number of public libraries in the ten most populous states. (4/1/2014)
Percentage distribution of public libraries by legal service area population.  (3/30/2014)
Public libraries by type of legal basis.  (3/30/2014)
Public library revenue.  (3/24/2014)
Number of libraries, 2011 (administrative units).  (3/19/2014)
Library staffing, 2001-2011.  (3/19/2014)

Dan, the Constitutionalists are doing a fine job on their own

Heading into convention, state GOP faces strife over Common Core, secession resolution. (Wisconsin State Journal, 4/25/2014)

Related post:
"Understanding" secessionist to run against Robin Vos in Republican Assembly primary.  (4/18/2014)

Top and Bottom 10 States: Total Per Capita Operating Revenue of Public Libraries

All geographic areas of the U.S are represented here except for the South.

Southern states make their presence known here.

Wisconsin is slightly above the national average at $39.67.

Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services.  "Public Libraries in the United States Survey, Fiscal Year 2011".

Other public library statistics posts:
State Revenue as a Percentage of Total Public Library Revenue (2011).  (4/24/20140
Percentage of total FTE librarians with "ALA-MLS".  (4/23/2014)
Average number of ebooks in public libraries by state.  (4/22/2014)
Video materials per 1000 population in Dane County and larger Wisconsin public libraries.  (4/21/2014)
Video materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/20/2014)
Audio materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/19/2014)
Periodicals per 1000 population in U.S. public libraries.  (4/18/2014)
Print materials per capita in U.S. public libraries.  (4/17/2014)
Number of public-use Internet computers: Selected Dane County public libraries vs. national average.   (4/16/2014)
Two column graphs on public-use Internet computers in public libraries by population of legal service area (2011).  (4/16/2014)
A statistical look at public-use Internet computers in public libraries, 2011.  (4/15/2014)
Total, children's, and young adult public library program attendance per 1000 population, By population of legal service area (2011).  (4/14/2014)
U.S. public library children's and young adult program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 States).  (4/12/2014)
U.S. public library program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 states).  (4/12/2014) 
Wisconsin the unquestioned leader in interlibrary loans provided and received per 1000 population.  (4/11/2014)
Wisconsin and Ohio share the public library interlibrary loan spotlight.  (4/10/2014)
Public library visits and circulation per capita by population of legal service area (2011) .  (4/8/2014)
Decline in Number of Bookmobiles Continues to Accelerate in 2011.  (4/7/2014) 
Library circulation per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10+ states.  (4/5/2014)
Library visits per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10 states.  (4/5/2014)
The biggest and the smallest U.S. public libraries: Hours of operation (2011).  (4/3/2014)
Hours of operation.  (4/3/2014)
Public Libraries: Larger and Smaller Units of Governance, Iowa and South Carolina.  (4/1/2014) 
Number of public libraries in the ten most populous states. (4/1/2014)
Percentage distribution of public libraries by legal service area population.  (3/30/2014)
Public libraries by type of legal basis.  (3/30/2014)
Public library revenue.  (3/24/2014)
Number of libraries, 2011 (administrative units).  (3/19/2014)
Library staffing, 2001-2011.  (3/19/2014)

Earning Minimum Wage and Looking for a Place to Live? Check the "Dumps" Listings!

Group says $30k job required to rent decent one-bedroom apartment in Dane County. (Capital Times, 4/25/2014)

Which is why we've been reading a lot of this kind of headline.  "The government sets these housing rates, which include rent plus utilities, based on the local market for decent-quality apartments of different sizes — neither dumps nor luxury flats," reports the Washington Post. "These are also the rates that HUD uses to establish local housing subsidies."

Washington Post interactive map:   One-bedroom housing wages, by county.

Hmm, even spiffed-up but economically depressed Warren County, Pennsylvania, ranks 1,507

Photo by Retiring Guy

Related posts: 
Scraping by on $83.65 an hour.  (3/17/2014)
Minnesota legislature looks to boost minimum wage from $6.15 to $9.50 per hour.  (3/4/2014)
The minimum wage:  It's not the same all over.  (2/18/2014)
A border debate on the minimum wage.  (2/16/2014)
The MacIver Institute's Pavlovian response to an increase in the minimum wage. (1/10/2014)
The view from the other side of the counter.  (11/29/2013)
The minimum wage and the poverty guideline.  (11/20/2013)
Most of us don't buy into U.S. Chamber of Commerce handwringing over minimum wage.  (11/12/2013)
A look at the minimum wage.  (9/28/2013)

Say Goodbye to Wausau Paper

A series of feel-good interviews from a few years ago.



Hedge fund rolls over Wausau Paper.  (Marshfield News-Herald, 4/14/2014)

And closing your eyes won't help.    Some day soon, Wausau Paper will be no more. There is no sense anymore in pretending otherwise. 

The company announced earlier this month that its chief executive officer and its board chairman would resign, to be replaced by leaders handpicked by the Manhattan hedge fund that has agitated for “real change” at the firm. Under heavy pressure from those investors, Wausau Paper already sold off two central Wisconsin mills and closed mills in Brokaw and Brainerd, Minn.; its total imprint here now is the Kronenwetter headquarters, which employs a few dozen administrative workers at most.

Nothing to feel good about now, unless you're a hedge fund manager.

Amazon Delivers the "Lesley Gore" Ultimatum

You don't own your Kindle books, Amazon reminds customer. (NBC News, 4/24/2014)

"I'm not just one of your many toys."   The core issue might actually be a simple matter of semantics: when we click a digital button that is labelled "Buy," we expect that we're actually buying something. But we're not buying anything, we're licensing it. Just last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the first-sale doctrine does not apply to software — or e-books. Or apps. Nor pretty much everything you "Buy" online that doesn't get shipped to your home in a cardboard box.

Other ebook/reading-related posts:
The boom is over for ebooks.  (4/2/2014)
Ebooks and the hype of emerging technology: Have we finally reached the slope of enlightenment?  (3/11/2014) 
Pew Research report on e-reading.  (1/16/2014)
Book sales update as of October 2013.  (1/10/2014)
The 24-hour news recycle: Mein Kampf edition.  (1/7/2014) 
Peering into the reader's mind.  (12/25/2013)
Booksellers hope print is on shoppers' gift lists.  (12/20/2013)
Survey sez: News of the death of print is greatly exaggerated.  (12/9/2013)
Not a Good Year on the Ebook Front for Barnes & Noble.  (11/29/2013)
Tell me again about ebooks ruling the publishing world.  (11/27/2013)
Other ebook market trendspotting confirms latest BISG report .  (11/1/2013)
Book Industry Study Group: "Consumer Attitudes Toward E-Book Reading" (Volume 4, 2013).  (11/1/2013)
Word of the day:  accretive.  (10/21/2013)
Survey sez: 72% of U.S. adults have read at least 1 book during the past 12 months.  (10/8/2013)
For years, many people asked the wrong question about ebooks and print books.  (10/6/2013) 
Ebook Flash Sales Grab Consumers' Attention.  (5/27/2013) 
BookStats 2013: It's not all about ebooks.  (5/15/2013)
Staying ahead of the learning curve.  (4/9/2013)
"Books are dead yet," sez Salon.  (3/21/2013)
Ebooks and the hype of emerging technology.  (1/8/2013)
Based on this column graph, print books are not likely to go away anytime soon.  (1/2/2013)
Printed books still lead ebooks by a significant margin.  (12/28/2012)
Ebook market pauses to take a breath.  (12/25/2012)
Year-to-date book revenues:  Jan-Jul 2011 and Jan-Jul 2012.  (11/1/2012)
Libraries get screwed when it comes to price of and access to ebooks.  (9/10/2012)
Millennials lead the way....to fewer bookstores?  (8/22/2012)
Ebooks sliding down the peak of inflated expectations.  (8/18/2012)
Adult hardcover book sales hold their own, paperbacks sales drop in 1st quarter of 2012.  (6/17/2012)
Library ebook circulation skyrockets @ the Greendale Public Library and throughout Wisconsin.  (5/29/2012)
In so many words:  Libraries will have a place at the table. (4/30/2012)
3M Cloud Library ebook lending service goes beta at select libraries.  (4/28/2012)
Pew Research:  The rise of e-reading, summarized. (4/5/2012)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution attempts to get a handle on the ebook era.  (4/2/2012)
And I quote from "Bringing Up an E-Reader".  (3/29/2012)
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board weighs in on ebooks and libraries. (3/19/2012)
Carl Zimmer responds to Franzen.  (1/31/2012)
It's only Monday but this is still the best ebook headline of the week.  (1/20/2012)
Jonathan Franzen has something to say about ebooks.  (1/30/2012)
As they have been doing all along, libraries adapt to technology.  (1/29/2012)
Floating an Idea: The Harvard Library Innovation Laboratory's Library License.  (1/17/2012) 
Getting in line @ your library for ebooks.  (1/15/2012)
The Post-Christmas ebook sales surge. (1/10/2012)
Honey, we've been 'trying' it.  For years.  (12/25/2011)
Chris Bohjalian on our totemic connection to books.  (12/20/2011)
Hold that bricks-and-mortar bookstore obituary.  (12/13/2011)
Your local public library: The greenest option of all in the ebooks vs. print books debate.  (12/11/2011)
Go directly to Amazon, do not pass library.  (11/3/2011)
Ebooks in U.S. public libraries.  (10/22/2011)
How ebook buyers discover books.  (9/27/2011)
Cookbooks make the transition to digital publishing.  (9/27/2011)
Redefining what an ebook is and who gets to publish it. (9/19/2011)
The L.A.Times on ebooks: An Amazon tablet, push into interactivity. (9/16/2011)
The Economist:  "Great digital expectations".  (9/16/2011)
Lev Grossman presents a short history of the reading device..  (9/6/2011)
Speaking of gadgets, here's the latest iteration of ebooks.  (8/25/2011)
Sounds like another digital divide in the making.  (7/30/2011)
Libraries and ebooks:  Any book, not any time soon.  (6/1/2011)
On the distinction between the book reader and the book owner.  (5/10/2011)
Demand for ebooks grows exponentially in Wisconsin.  (5/2/2011)
Struggling to find an ebook common agenda between libraries and publishers.  (4/5/2011)
Ebooks and libraries:  "The challenges just keep piling up".  (3/28/2011)
Publishers Weekly tracks ebook sales.  (3/18/2011)
Word is getting out:  Ebooks @ your library.  (3/18/2011)
Ebooks continue to gain market share.  (3/17/2011)
Publishers look to bottom line in formulating ebook policies for libraries. (3/15/2011)
News stories on HarperCollins ebook decision go mainstream.  (3/5/2011)
9 years of book sales:  trade and ebook.  (2/17/2011)
Will ebook readers be wooed by Barbara Cartland?  (2/12/2011)
The impact of ebooks on libraries.  (2/11/2011)
OverDrive news release: Library eBook circs up 200% in '10. (1/10/2011)
Mashable: 5 ebook trends that will change the future of publishing. (12/29/2010)
Christmas 2010 the tipping point for ebooks?  (12/24/2010)
Ereader as brown paper bag.  (12/9/2010)
The ebook reader compatibility surprise.  (12/3/2010)
Ereader ownership:  Survey says....  (11/30/2010)
David Carnoy asks, "Does the Kindle pay for itself?" (11/29/2010)
Need to repair that ebook reader?  (11/19/2010)
Who uses an ereader:  Survey says....  (9/22/2010)
Book industry wrestles with print vs. pixels.  (9/2/2010)
Coming soon to a screen near you:  Ads in ebooks.  (8/20/2010)
Ebooks now comprise 8.5% of book sales. (8/12/2010)
Genre paperback publishers drops print.  (8/6/2010)
Ebooks and libraries.  (5/4/2010)
Ebooks eliminate a free form of adversiting:  the book jacket.  (3/31/2010)
Ebooks: another round of false promises?  (3/19/2010)
The skinny on ebooks.  (3/8/2010)
Hardcover vs. ebook:  Breaking down the costs.  (3/1/2010)

Scott Walker Doesn't Get Top Billing on TIME's 100 Most Influential People List

TIME

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie pens (or, perhaps, appends his name to) a 155-word puff piece on "The heartland's Republican hopeful", which includes this incisive observation:  "Despite these threats, he stood tall."

Makes me want to stand up and sing!

I completely missed this offbeat girl-group/doo-wop song from when the Beatles stormed America

It spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, pretty impressive for a single that peaked at #62.

The "B" side is almost as great, in an equally offbeat way.

And then there's that "Monster Mash" connection.

What Happens When You're a 19th Century Kinda Guy Livin' in a 21st Century Social Media World

You become a worldwide laughingstock.



Somebody seems to have "nothing to do" but get caught blathering on camera.

Related post:
Cliven Bundy, Fox News hero and patriot.  (4/24/2014)

Dear Wisconsin Builders Association (R), All houses were not created equal

April 24, 2014, news release

What's going on with new home sizes - is the madness finally over?. (Switchboard, 2/9/2012)

Related post:
No thanks, Wisconsin Builders Association, I'll stick with my 28-year-old Weber grill.  (4/21/2014)

Dr. Ali Sadrieh's Real World

I don't expect you to watch the entire 6:06.  I didn't.

I suspect this self-indulgent video is the result of alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the 2.



Make Them Fit Please!  (The New York Times, 4/22/2014)

See the light for yourself.

Cliven Bundy, Fox News Hero and Patriot

A Defiant Rancher Savors the Audience That Rallied to His Side. (The New York Times, 4/23/2014

"Small man" photo credit:  Daily Kos

"No comment" from Sen. Rand Paul, one of Cliven's biggest fans.

A Call for More Regulation in Texas. Guess Where This Recommendation Ends Up?

Tragically.



Lax Oversight Cited As Factor In Deadly Blast At Texas Plant.  (The New York Times, 4/22/2014)

"No comment," in other words.   Texas, which has long boasted of its culture of limited regulation, reaction to the agency’s statements was muted.

April 17, 2013

• 15 people killed
• 160+ injured
• 150 buildings damaged or destroyed

State Revenue as a Percentage of Total Public Library Revenue (2011)

All public libraries in Hawaii falls under the administration of the Department of Education.

Intensifying Impact: State budget cuts deepen pain for Ohio communities.  (Policy Matters Ohio, 11/12/2012)

Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services.  "Public Libraries in the United States Survey, Fiscal Year 2011".

Other public library statistics posts:
Percentage of total FTE librarians with "ALA-MLS".  (4/23/2014)
Average number of ebooks in public libraries by state.  (4/22/2014)
Video materials per 1000 population in Dane County and larger Wisconsin public libraries.  (4/21/2014)
Video materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/20/2014)
Audio materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/19/2014)
Periodicals per 1000 population in U.S. public libraries.  (4/18/2014)
Print materials per capita in U.S. public libraries.  (4/17/2014)
Number of public-use Internet computers: Selected Dane County public libraries vs. national average.   (4/16/2014)
Two column graphs on public-use Internet computers in public libraries by population of legal service area (2011).  (4/16/2014)
A statistical look at public-use Internet computers in public libraries, 2011.  (4/15/2014)
Total, children's, and young adult public library program attendance per 1000 population, By population of legal service area (2011).  (4/14/2014)
U.S. public library children's and young adult program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 States).  (4/12/2014)
U.S. public library program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 states).  (4/12/2014) 
Wisconsin the unquestioned leader in interlibrary loans provided and received per 1000 population.  (4/11/2014)
Wisconsin and Ohio share the public library interlibrary loan spotlight.  (4/10/2014)
Public library visits and circulation per capita by population of legal service area (2011) .  (4/8/2014)
Decline in Number of Bookmobiles Continues to Accelerate in 2011.  (4/7/2014) 
Library circulation per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10+ states.  (4/5/2014)
Library visits per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10 states.  (4/5/2014)
The biggest and the smallest U.S. public libraries: Hours of operation (2011).  (4/3/2014)
Hours of operation.  (4/3/2014)
Public Libraries: Larger and Smaller Units of Governance, Iowa and South Carolina.  (4/1/2014) 
Number of public libraries in the ten most populous states. (4/1/2014)
Percentage distribution of public libraries by legal service area population.  (3/30/2014)
Public libraries by type of legal basis.  (3/30/2014)
Public library revenue.  (3/24/2014)
Number of libraries, 2011 (administrative units).  (3/19/2014)
Library staffing, 2001-2011.  (3/19/2014)

And these "experts", of course, are usually nameless

College students aren't embracing tablets like experts expected, study says. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/23/2014)

Photo credit:  Ball State University

My older son, who graduated from college 2 years ago, watches movies, plays games, and accesses social media on his laptop and smart phone.  About a year ago, he talked about buying a tablet but has yet to follow through.

My younger son, who graduates from college next month, doesn't appear to have a tablet on his wish list.  Fortunately, he hasn't been watching movies, playing games, or even using social media much of late.  He's got other priorities, such as completing his senior thesis.

Hands-Free Milking

With Farm Robotics, the Cows Decide When It's Milking Time.  (The New York Times, 4/22/2014)

A new world udder.  Desperate for reliable labor and buoyed by soaring prices, dairy operations across the state are charging into a brave new world of udder care: robotic milkers, which feed and milk cow after cow without the help of a single farmhand. 

Scores of the machines have popped up across New York’s dairy belt and in other states in recent years, changing age-old patterns of daily farm life and reinvigorating the allure of agriculture for a younger, tech-savvy — and manure-averse — generation.

Headmaster Shocked....Shocked to Learn Rich Kids Use Drugs

Prosecutors Describe an Extensive Drug Ring in Affluent Pennsylvania Schools. (The New York Times, 4/24/2014)

Headmaster John Nagl photo credit:  Haverford School

Georgia Governor Sings a Love Song to the NRA

Georgia law allows guns in some schools, bars, churches.  (CNN, 4/23/2014)

Here a gun, there a gun, everywhere a gun gun.  House Bill 60, or the Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014 -- which opponents have nicknamed the "guns everywhere bill" -- specifies where Georgia residents can carry weapons. Included are provisions that allow residents who have concealed carry permits to take guns into some bars, churches, school zones, government buildings and certain parts of airports.

And that's not all.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal Signs Knife Rights Preemption Bill. (NRA News, 5/12/2012)

Mike and Mary Sue Shannon Sure LIke That Scott Walker Guy

Walker backers give $1 million to GOP group.   (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/22/2014)

Platinum circle givers.  Mike Shannon is the managing director of KSL Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in travel and leisure businesses, and his wife is a homemaker. 

It's not the first time the couple has given big to help Walker and Republicans -- together the Shannons have given $120,000 to Walker since January 2012. 

 

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

On the other hand, they are big donors to the University of Wisconsin.
New Alumni Pier Opens on Lake Mendota. (On Wisconsin Magazine, Fall 2013)
Shannons fund faculty chair on healthy minds, children and families.  (UW news release, 7/13/2013)

Top and Bottom 10 States: Percentage of Total FTE Librarians with "ALA-MLS" (2011)

The bottom states mapped.

Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services.  "Public Libraries in the United States Survey, Fiscal Year 2011".

Other public library statistics posts:
Average number of ebooks in public libraries by state.  (4/22/2014)
Video materials per 1000 population in Dane County and larger Wisconsin public libraries.  (4/21/2014)
Video materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/20/2014)
Audio materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/19/2014)
Periodicals per 1000 population in U.S. public libraries.  (4/18/2014)
Print materials per capita in U.S. public libraries.  (4/17/2014)
Number of public-use Internet computers: Selected Dane County public libraries vs. national average.   (4/16/2014)
Two column graphs on public-use Internet computers in public libraries by population of legal service area (2011).  (4/16/2014)
A statistical look at public-use Internet computers in public libraries, 2011.  (4/15/2014)
Total, children's, and young adult public library program attendance per 1000 population, By population of legal service area (2011).  (4/14/2014)
U.S. public library children's and young adult program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 States).  (4/12/2014)
U.S. public library program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 states).  (4/12/2014) 
Wisconsin the unquestioned leader in interlibrary loans provided and received per 1000 population.  (4/11/2014)
Wisconsin and Ohio share the public library interlibrary loan spotlight.  (4/10/2014)
Public library visits and circulation per capita by population of legal service area (2011) .  (4/8/2014)
Decline in Number of Bookmobiles Continues to Accelerate in 2011.  (4/7/2014) 
Library circulation per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10+ states.  (4/5/2014)
Library visits per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10 states.  (4/5/2014)
The biggest and the smallest U.S. public libraries: Hours of operation (2011).  (4/3/2014)
Hours of operation.  (4/3/2014)
Public Libraries: Larger and Smaller Units of Governance, Iowa and South Carolina.  (4/1/2014) 
Number of public libraries in the ten most populous states. (4/1/2014)
Percentage distribution of public libraries by legal service area population.  (3/30/2014)
Public libraries by type of legal basis.  (3/30/2014)
Public library revenue.  (3/24/2014)
Number of libraries, 2011 (administrative units).  (3/19/2014)
Library staffing, 2001-2011.  (3/19/2014)

Red Fox Feels at Home in Middleton Neighborhood

In our backyard neighbors' yard. In their compost corner.

The Towering Isthmus: Cranes over Porta Bella

Here's a view of Porta Bella that doesn't require that you.....ahem....crane your neck.

They call this "encroachment" in football.  And there's a penalty for it.  (On the other hand, what neutral zone?)

Photos by Retiring Guy.

Years Ago, the Oshkosh Public Library Presented a Monday Night at the Movies Series

As I recalled when stumbling upon this recent headline:  Free Monday Movie Matinees at Oshkosh Public Library

30+ years ago, we focused on Hollywood classics -- 16mm film rentals. 

Fall 1981 (double--sided bookmark)

The series attracted a devoted audience during the early 1980s. 

Spring 1982

Attendance averaged around 40.

Fall 1982

Classic films best fit our meager programming budget, though come to think of it, obtaining more recent releases wasn't an option as it is today.

Spring 1983

By the mid-1980s, the increasing popularity of home VCRs and videocassettes severely cut into this film series' audience.  (OPL added videocassettes to its collection in 1984.)

Fall 1984 (brochure)

All publicity materials designed by Winnefox graphic artist Rick "Bindu" McGonigle.  (Whatever happened to him?)

The Walker Team Mantra (Four Words: moving forward, failed policies)

For Wisconsin and Scott Walker, June 5 is (recall) election day.  Los Angeles Times,3/30/2012)

Scott Walker tops 4 potential  Democratic rivals in new poll.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/17/2013)

Brett Hulsey enters race for Governor.  (Wisconsin State Journal, 4/21/2014)

Average Number of Ebooks in Public Libraries by State (2011)

Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services.  "Public Libraries in the United States Survey, Fiscal Year 2011". 

Other public library statistics posts:
Video materials per 1000 population in Dane County and larger Wisconsin public libraries.  (4/21/2014)
Video materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/20/2014)
Audio materials in U.S. public libraries per 1000 population.  (4/19/2014)
Periodicals per 1000 population in U.S. public libraries.  (4/18/2014)
Print materials per capita in U.S. public libraries.  (4/17/2014)
Number of public-use Internet computers: Selected Dane County public libraries vs. national average.   (4/16/2014)
Two column graphs on public-use Internet computers in public libraries by population of legal service area (2011).  (4/16/2014)
A statistical look at public-use Internet computers in public libraries, 2011.  (4/15/2014)
Total, children's, and young adult public library program attendance per 1000 population, By population of legal service area (2011).  (4/14/2014)
U.S. public library children's and young adult program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 States).  (4/12/2014)
U.S. public library program attendance per 1000 population (top and bottom 10 states).  (4/12/2014) 
Wisconsin the unquestioned leader in interlibrary loans provided and received per 1000 population.  (4/11/2014)
Wisconsin and Ohio share the public library interlibrary loan spotlight.  (4/10/2014)
Public library visits and circulation per capita by population of legal service area (2011) .  (4/8/2014)
Decline in Number of Bookmobiles Continues to Accelerate in 2011.  (4/7/2014) 
Library circulation per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10+ states.  (4/5/2014)
Library visits per capita: Top 10 and bottom 10 states.  (4/5/2014)
The biggest and the smallest U.S. public libraries: Hours of operation (2011).  (4/3/2014)
Hours of operation.  (4/3/2014)
Public Libraries: Larger and Smaller Units of Governance, Iowa and South Carolina.  (4/1/2014) 
Number of public libraries in the ten most populous states. (4/1/2014)
Percentage distribution of public libraries by legal service area population.  (3/30/2014)
Public libraries by type of legal basis.  (3/30/2014)
Public library revenue.  (3/24/2014)
Number of libraries, 2011 (administrative units).  (3/19/2014)
Library staffing, 2001-2011.  (3/19/2014)

No thanks, Wisconsin Builders Association, I'll stick with my 28-year-old Weber grill

Word count

• luxury (2)
• luxurious (1)
• oasis (1)

Wisconsin Builders Association (R)

These lamb chops were cooked to perfection.  A grilling station would have been overkill.