Retiring Guy's Digest: 2016-01-03

Saturday, January 9, 2016

A bunch of white people surrounding Scott Walker and applauding their whiteness

His current Facebook header

And this guy thought he had a good chance to be President

Remember when 'vanilla' was an adjective regularly used to describe Scott Walker? It still applies.

Governor Scott Walker on Facebook

The execrable Jonah Goldberg might have been among the first to use it.

Photo credit: NNDB

As opined in The Vanilla Power of Scott Walker. (Real Clear Politics, 2/4/2015)

Apparently, Jonah thinks that Wisconsin is 54,000 square miles surrounded by reality. Hardly!

I'd say this is where Jonah feels most at home.

Scott Walker truly believes that the damage he is doing to Wisconsin is a blueprint for America

As quoted in Gov. Walker on his presidential hopes and Wisconsin agenda. (1/8/2016)

He still has his fans.

Scott Walker on Facebook

Oneida Community Library: 2009-2014 annual circulation and program attendance

Admittedly, Retiring Guy spends more time highlighting the statistics of Wisconsin's larger public libraries, which is one of the reasons that I initiated this alphabetical series and decided to temporarily suspend this top-down look at 2009-2014 annual circulation and program attendance.

This series features a bottoms-up look at 2009-2014 annual circulation and program attendance.

All statistics found at Wisconsin Public Library Service Data.

2009-2014 comparisons

Oneida Community Library

A member of the Nicolet Federated Library System

Library hours of operation (winter):

Monday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 1 to 5 p.m
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

47 hours per week. (Compared to 39 hours per week in 2009.)

Photo credit: Google

The Scott Walker BS-o-meter goes berserk

As quoted in Gov. Walker on his presidential hopes and Wisconsin agenda. (WBAY, 1/8/2016)

His ill-considered, ultimately humiliating Presidential campaign made it clear that his career path has always been very much "about me".

And the fact that he hasn't ruled out a second Presidential run provides yet another bell-ringing example of his hubris.

On the road: US highway 30, Schellsburg Pennsylvania area

Related links:
Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Highways. U.S. 30 Lincoln Highway.

Tragedy his the highway on the morning of October 26, 2001, when the S. S. Grandview Ship Hotel burned to the ground. The famous Lincoln Highway landmark, located west of Schellsburg in Bedford County, was known not just for being a ship located at the top of a mountain, but also because you were able to see seven counties and three states from its vantage point.

Postcards from Retiring Guy's collection

Related post:
On the road 1959: U.S. highway 30 from Marshalltown to Ogden Iowa. (1/9/2016)

On the road 1959: U.S. highway 30 from Marshalltown to Ogden Iowa

Red line shows location of highway as shown in 1959 video.

Related links:
U.S. Highway 30 Iowa. Includes history of paving, alignment changes, and upgrades.
Travel Iowa. Classic Road Trip: Iowa's Lincoln Highway,
Four-lane highway openings in Iowa by year and month.

Sex with lobbyists? "It's a gift," sez Missouri legislator Bart Korman

As quoted in CNN filler

Photo credit: Missouri State Legislature

Korman represents a decidedly red district. He easily won re-election to a third term in term and ran unopposed in 2012 and 2010. He had no primary opponent in 2012 and won the 2010 primary with 47% of the vote.

Ballotpedia

Because Scott Walker believes he's hired the best employees to work for the citizens of our state

Echoes.

Photo credit: Office of the Governor

As reported in 16 Lincoln Hills staffers on paid leave for infractions. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/.8/2016)

And this at a correctional facility where 10% of the positions are vacant.

Related WIDOC posts:
Selective Republican logic inoperative when applied to Wisconsin juvenile corrections program. (12/24/2015)
The dysfunction of Scott Walker's executive branch of government in 1 defensive quote. (12/20/2015)
Scott Walker and Lincoln Hills School for Boys: Too busy thinking about his (presidential) baby. (12/19/2015)
Still in the news: Lincoln Hills School for Boys. (12/13/2015)
Scott Walker shows us how to deflect (Taking no responsibility, chapter 2). (12/12/2015)
As usual, Scott Walker takes no responsibility. (12/11/2015)
In the news: Lincoln Hills School for Boys, Wisconsin Department of Corrections. (12/11/2015)

Related Ethan Allen post:
State property for sale: Ethan Allen School (Shuttered in 2011). (7/7/2014)

Today's gun news

Des Moines Register

Original headline

Chicago Tribune

Update

Chicago Tribune

New Hampshire feels the earth move as Christie takes a tumble in latest statewide poll

Sorry, can't help myself re: the lame fat joke

Source: Real Clear Politics

The behinders in the 1/4-7 FOX News poll:

5% - Rand Paul
4% - Ben Carson
3% - Carly Fiorina
0% - Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum

Other stuff:

'Not at all satified' if this candidate wins Republican nomination

27% - Donald Trump
20% - Chris Christie
18% - Ted Crduz
17% - Marco Rubio

Recent New Hampshire primary posts:
Trump gets a bump in 1st New Hampshire poll of 2016. (1/7/2016)
American Research Group poll in New Hampshire scrambles the picture. (12/26/2015)
No one threatening Trump's lead in New Hampshire. (12/20/2015)
New Hampshire: 5 months, 28 polls, 28 1st place finishes for Donald Trump. (12/19/2015)
Trump continues to reign supreme in New Hampshire polls; Christie moves into 2nd. (12/11/2015)
Chris Christie puts all of his eggs in one basket. (12/3/2015)
Trump remains solidly in 1st place in New Hampshire; Chris Christie on the rise. (12/3/2015)
Donald Trump has won 24 New Hampshire Republican Presidential primary polls in a row. (11/22/2015)
Carson drops to 4th in New Hamphire, tied with Bush; Trump still in 1st. (11/19/2015)
Donald Trump maintains comfortable lead in New Hampshire; Rubio 2nd; Bush still struggling. (11/18/2015)
Outlier? Carson falls to 6th place, behind Cruz, Rubio, Bush, and Christie, in latest NH poll. (11/15/2015)
New Hampshire Republicans seem to be tiring of the Donald Trump Show. (11/4/2015)
"Oh, wow!": Four Republican candidates peaking in New Hampshire. (11/2/2015)

Friday, January 8, 2016

It's turned into an Archie Bell & the Drells moment in the Iowa Republican caucus race

Source: Real Clear Politics

The behinders in the 1/4-7 FOX News poll:

5% - Rand Paul
4% - Chris Christie
2% - Mike Huckabee
1% - Carly Fiorina, John Kasich, Rick Santorum

Recent Iowa caucus posts:
Ted Cruz is like this bouncing ball in 3 most recent Iowa polls. (12/26/2015)
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz remain in seesaw battle for 1st in Iowa; Jeb Bush quietly re-emerges. (12/15/2015)
Trump and Cruz duke it out for 1st in latest Iowa caucus poll. (12/14/2015)
Ted Cruz surges to 10-point lead. (12/13/2015)
Snatchin' it back: In one day, Cruz goes from 5-point lead to 13-point deficit in Iowa. (12/7/2015)
Ted Cruz snatches the lead from Trump in Iowa; Carson tanking. (12/7/2015)
Cruz makes a move to overtake Trump in Iowa; Carson continues to fade. (11/24/2015)
Based on latest Iowa poll, Trump can say anything he wants, Carson not so much. (11/22/2015)
It's presently a 4-way contest in Iowa. (11/8/2015)
In latest Iowa poll, Carson falls off a cliff, Cruz continues steady climb. (11/3/2015)
This just in: Marco Rubio does NOT have 'all the magic fairy dust'. (11/1/2015)

Latest FOX News poll has subgroup margins of error that would embarrass the 1962 New York Mets

Source: Real Clear Politics

The behinders in the 1/4-7 FOX News poll:

4% - Jeb Bush
3% - Carly Fiorina
2% - Rand Paul, John Kasich
1% - Mike Huckabee
0% - Rick Santorum

Other stuff: Ach du lieber! Look at the "margin of errors for subgroups" page and realize that this poll can't be taken seriously.

I'm pretty sure I bought this 1952 road atlas at Johnson's Secondhand Book Store in Springfield Mass.

I used to collect free gas station maps when I was a kid, riding my bike around town and boldly helping myself to a few at a time.

This purchase would have been made in the mid-1970s.

An 'aerial' view of Wisconsin.

A close-up view of the Madison-Milwaukee corridor in the pre-Interstate era.

My most frequent lunch hour destination while working at the G. & C. Merriam Company.

CES 2016: Samsung KS9500 SUHD 4K TV with stunning natural curves

Steve Withers in a gushing mood.

Despite the CES Hype, It’s Better to Wait on That 4K TV. (The New York Times, 1/5/2016)

What's it all about, Alfie? Just living for the moment? 4K TVs began surfacing about three years ago. To decode the marketing jargon: 4K is the successor to 1080p, the current high-definition resolution found on modern TV sets. The term 4K, also called Ultra HD, refers to screens with two times the vertical resolution and twice the horizontal resolution of current high-definition TVs.

Pricey, as you would expect.

Other CES 2016 posts:
Be your own home brewer the easy way with Pico Brew Micro Brewer. (1/8/2016)
Daqri smart helmet. (1/8/2016)
This shower head tells you when your time is up. (1/7/2016)
According to this HairMax instructional video, 82 medical-grade lasers will put a smile on your face. (1/6/2016)
You may or may not get a charge out of the Digitsole Smartshoe. (1/6/2016)
Enrich your family life with this Samsung Smart Family Hub Fridge. (1/6/2016)

Annual silliness at the virtual pajama party

Before the Oscars, Some Films Face the Truth Test. (The New York Times, 1/7/2016)

Once again, confrontations between an expanding field of reality-based movies and a growing pack of watchdogs, mostly of the armchair variety, have been turning the annual awards ritual into a brutal game of “gotcha.”

From the English rock band's 7th and final studio album, released in 1973.

Freedom Caucus 'crazy' Mark Sanford joins his Republican colleagues in a chorus of "I Pledge Allegiance to the NRA"

As quoted in 1/5/2016 press release

The NRA pledge of allegiance chorus:
Gary Palmer (R-Alabama). 1/6/2016)
Paul Gosar (R-Arizona). (1/6/2016)
Matt Salmon (R-Arizona) (1/6/2016)
Ken Buck (R-Colorado) (1/6/2016)
Barry Loudermilk (R-Georgia) (1/7/2016)
Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) (1/7/2016)
John Fleming (R-Louisiana) (1/7/2016)
Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina) (1/7/2016)
Jim Bridenstein (R-Oklahoma) 1/7/2016)
Keith Rothfus (R-Pennsylvania) (1/8/2016)

Other Sanford posts:
Meet 'the crazies' in the U.S. House of Representatives. (10/12/2015)
Meet the members of the U.S. House of Representatives Freedom Caucus. (9/28/2015)
Meet the members of the Republican Study Committee. (7/31/2015)
No friend to the environment. (4/18/2015)
Second chances in politics, a Scorecard: Mark Sanford (yes), Anthony Weiner (TBD). (6/2/2013)
This is what passes for political insight in South Carolina. (5/7/2013)

Freedom Caucus 'crazy' Keith Rothfus joins his Republican colleagues in a chorus of "I Pledge Allegiance to the NRA"

As quoted in 1/5/2016 press release

UPDATE: CES 2015: Let's Lock the Door and Throw Away the Key

A year later, the reviews are in.

From a 1/6/2015 Consumer Reports review: Both electronic Schlage locks we tested—the $130 Schlage BE365 V CAM 619 and the similar Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt with Alarm BE469NX CAM 619, $200—were impressive or even exceptional against all our efforts in our kick-in test. That brought both locks to the top of the Ratings in those categories.

And most consumers are satified.

Original post starts here.

CES Day Two: Big Data Powers the Internet of Things. (DMA, 1/7/2015)

The Internet of Things (or “The Internet of Me”) continued to dominate the conversation at CES and blaze as one of the hottest topics. Schlage, for example, announced a touch pad smart lock that users Siri voice commands to allow homeowners to unlock and lock their doors at will.

"Live." Perhaps the song reached #7 on Cashbox, but "Let's Lock the Door" just missed the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent 2 weeks at #11 in February 1965.

Related posts:
Public libraries enter the Internet of Things. (1/8/2015)
The Internet of things as Brave New World. (1/8/2015)
VW Golf gesture control: No wristband required. (1/6/2015)
Tagg your dog. (1/6/2015)
2015 Consumer Electronics Show preview. (1/6/2015)
The 'Internet of things' wristband. (1/6/2015)

Be your own home brewer the easy way with Pico Brew Micro Brewer

CES pre-order special at $599.

Picobrew brew. (Wired, 1/6/2016)

Think of PicoBrew like the Keurig of homebrewing: Yes, a lot of purists are mad about it, and yes, it takes the drudgery out of making your own beer at home.

Other CES 2016 posts:
Daqri smart helmet. (1/8/2016)
This shower head tells you when your time is up. (1/7/2016)
According to this HairMax instructional video, 82 medical-grade lasers will put a smile on your face. (1/6/2016)
You may or may not get a charge out of the Digitsole Smartshoe. (1/6/2016)
Enrich your family life with this Samsung Smart Family Hub Fridge. (1/6/2016)

CES 2016: Daqri Smart Helmet

Daqri Smart Helmet. (Wired, 1/6/2016)

Designed for construction workers. The Daqri, which made an appearance during Intel’s keynote this week, and which, importantly, is actually shipping, doesn’t just look futuristic. It acts the part, too, with a heads-up display that makes a construction site an augmented reality playground

See the 'unlisted' video here.

According to a 1/6/2016 c|net post, the helmet will be available for purchase in March. Sorry, corporate customers only; no individual sales. Priced "somewhere in the ballpark of $5,000 to $15,000 per unit". Quite the spacious ballpark, I'd say.

Other CES 2016 posts:
This shower head tells you when your time is up. (1/7/2015)
According to this HairMax instructional video, 82 medical-grade lasers will put a smile on your face. (1/6/2016)
You may or may not get a charge out of the Digitsole Smartshoe. (1/6/2016)
Enrich your family life with this Samsung Smart Family Hub Fridge. (1/6/2016)

The full Grassley contingent: A classic strategy fails

Mike Huckabee: Completed January 2016

Source: Real Clear Politics

Rick Santorum. Completed September 2015

Source: Real Clear Politics

Santorum's current polling average in Iowa is 0.8%

And Scott Walker had visited more than one-third of Iowa's 99 counties by the time he 'suspended' his Presidential campaign in September 2015. Guess for the most part voters didn't like what they saw.

Well, not always. ("Veteran strategists" bow down in front of the Iowa caucus altar.)

Iowa Politics Now, 1/7/2016

Related posts:
Mike Huckabee to complete the full Grassley -- to no avail. (1/2/2016)
Scott Walker and his obsession with the full Grassley. (9/13/2015)

No surprise that the Wisconsin Group Insurance Board, chaired by a longtime Republican donor, is looking at self-insurance for state workers

Source: Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Board to vote in February on self-insurance for state workers. (Madison.com, 1/8/2016)

After a special meeting Thursday to discuss the issue, the Group Insurance Board, largely controlled by the governor, is set to vote Feb. 17 on whether to issue requests for proposals from companies that would assist the state in self-insuring workers, on a regional or statewide basis, starting in 2018. [emphasis added]

A board that is indeed controlled by the Governor

Other Walker contributions: Michael Farrell (1/$100) and Charles Grapentine (5/$450)

Guess we know why Jon is the chair.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Scott Perry, an A+ student, leads his Republican colleagues in a chorus of "I Pledge Allegiance to the NRA"

Source: VoteSmart

Rating from National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund

As reported in 1/5/2016 press release

The NRA pledge of allegiance chorus:
Gary Palmer (R-Alabama). 1/6/2016)
Paul Gosar (R-Arizona). (1/6/2016)
Matt Salmon (R-Arizona) (1/6/2016)
Ken Buck (R-Colorado) (1/6/2016)
Barry Loudermilk (R-Georgia) (1/7/2016)
Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) (1/7/2016)
John Fleming (R-Louisiana) (1/7/2016)
Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina) (1/7/2016)
Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) (1/7/2016)

Other Perry posts:
Meet the dimwits of Congress: Scott Perry, R-PA (Part 1 of a possibly endless series). (10/20/2015)
Meet 'the crazies' in the U.S. House of Representatives. (10/10/2015)
Meet the members of the U.S. House of Representatives Freedom Caucus. (9/28/2015)
Meet the members of the Republican Study Committee. (7/30/2015)
No friend to the environment. (4/6/2015)

Jim Bridenstine joins his Republican colleagues in a chorus of "I Pledge Allegiance to the NRA"

As quoted in 1/5/2016 press release

Meet the latest Republican meme. [emphasis added]

As his colleague Gary Palmer similarly said, Nothing in the President’s Executive Actions would have done anything to stop the most recent incidents of gun violence.
As his colleague Paul Gosar similarly said, The president’s gun control proposals would not have stopped any of the major shootings which took place this past year.
As his colleague Matt Salmon similarly said, The ‘executive actions’ he announced today wouldn’t have done anything to avert the senseless killing in San Bernardino.
As his colleague John Fleming similarly said, But studies have shown restricting gun rights do not prevent violence – stronger law enforcement does.
As his colleague Mark Meadows similarly said, Combatting gun violence in the U.S. is critically important, but the actions announced by President Obama today would do nothing to address it and would instead unlawfully restrict law-abiding citizens’ access to firearms.

This shower head tells you when your time is up

This smart shower flashes when you've used too much water. (Wired UK, 1/5/2016)

Developed by French firm Start & Blue, Hydrao has built-in LED lights that change colour as more and more water is used. Once a 50 litre limit has passed it flashes red to suggest it might be time to get out of the shower.

Not ready for prime time.

The new version, shown for the first time at CES 2016, will debut on Kickstarter in September before going on sale in February or March next year for around $99 (£67).

Other CES 2016 posts:
According to this HairMax instructional video, 82 medical-grade lasers will put a smile on your face. (1/6/2016)
You may or may not get a charge out of the Digitsole Smartshoe. (1/6/2016)
Enrich your family life with this Samsung Smart Family Hub Fridge. (1/6/2016)

Freedom Caucus 'crazy' Raul Labrador still trying out for lead role in remake of "Wag the Dog"

As quoted in Conservatives Tell Paul Ryan, the Honeymoon’s Over! (The Fiscal Times, 1/6/2016)

Other Raul Labrador posts:
The Freedom Caucus, Congress' crybabies (part 1). (12/29/2015)
One of the House 'crazies', Raul Labrador, thinks Paul Ryan is a good man, Charlie Brown. (10/22/2015)
Meet 'the crazies' in the U.S. House of Representatives. (10/2/2015)
Rep. Raul Labrador's "First Amendment Defense Act" has 145 Republican co-sponsors (0 Democrats). (7/30/2015)
Meet the members of the Republican Study Committee. (7/8/2015)
No friend to the environment. (12/17/2014)