Retiring Guy's Digest: 2017-01-08

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Climate change as a matter of fact in the Florida Keys

Costly road-raising plan reaches county. (Florida Keys News, 1/13/2017)

"They're going to be affected, they're going to pay more taxes," as Henry Briceno, geologist at Florida International University, says in the video. Information from the study can be applied to other areas that may need street improvements due to “potential sea-level rise effects on roadways,” it notes. Commissioners will be asked to approve a resolution to move forward on the work. Raising about about 1,600 feet of road in the Twin Lakes area to a 5-inch height would cost an estimated $920,000. Raising about 1,800 feet in the Sands community to an 11-inch height is estimated to cost $2.6 million.

UPDATE. Luzerne County, Pennsylvania is a Trump election success story

Trump easily flips the vote with a 19-point margin of victory. Democrats experience a 13-point drop compared to 2012.

10/14/2016 update, "Trump travels to Luzerne County PA to fan the flames of prejudice", starts here.

The New York Times, 10/12/2016

Reported by Binyamin Applebaum

The Hispanic population grew faster in Luzerne County, which includes Hazleton, than almost any other county between 2000 and 2011, according to the Pew Research Center. While immigration has slowed since the 2008 recession, Hispanics continue to move here from larger cities like New York and Paterson, N.J.

Map source (arrows added)

Hazelton is located about 30 miles south-southwest of Wilkes-Barre. Both communities are located in Luzerne County.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Source: Wikipedia

Original 10/11/2016 post, "Trump temporarily makes Wilkes-Barre PA more populous again", starts here.

9,000 attend a rally at the city's Mohegan Sun Arena, which has a capacity of 10,000 for concerts.

Source: Wikipedia

Source: U.S. Census Quickfacts

Your assignment: In 20 seconds, find 10 people of color in the audience in these photos.

Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) provides a distraction from Tom Price's ethical lapses

Front page news

Quoted in Head of Ethics Office Speaks Out. Some Republicans Ask, Was It Ethical? (The New York Times, 1/13/201)

On another front, you should know that on January 3, 2017, Chaffetz voted to strip the Office of Congressional Ethics of its independence.

From the Salt Lake Tribune. Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that probes potential wrongdoing in the executive branch, said it was clear the OCE needed to be reformed to ensure better due process for those who might fall under investigation. He also said oversight from the Ethics Committee was important to ensure integrity because it is made up of four Republicans and four Democrats no matter who has the majority in the House.

Page 10 news

Australian Drug Maker Has Low Profile but Powerful Backers in Washington. (The New York Times, 1132017)

On 4 occasions in 2015 and 2016, Price purchased shares of Innate, a small, obscure drug company with no track records, of between $60,000 and $110,000. He is one of a number of D.C. power brokers who has a puzzling interest in a 'no-name Australian biotech.'

Other Chaffetz posts:
The 3 contenders for Speaker of the House speak out on same-sex marriage. (10/7/2015)
The 3 contenders for Speaker of the House speak out on climate change. (10/6/2017)
Meet the Members of the Republican Study Committee. (8/14/2015)
\No friend to the environment. (5/20/2015)

Other Price posts:
Meet the Members of the Republican Study Committee. (7/7/2015)
No friend to the environment. (12/13/2014)

Donald Trump behind the curtain: A man without a plan

Quoted in Why Trump’s Obamacare Promise Will Be So Hard to Keep. (The New York Times, 1/12/2017)

Amerca's separate and unequal health care system. The real reason health care premiums and deductibles are so high is that medical care is very expensive in the United States — far more costly than it is anywhere else in the world. The United States pays very high prices to doctors and hospitals and drug and device makers, and Americans use a lot of that expensive medical care. That means that the country spent far more on health care than its peers even when tens of millions of Americans lacked health coverage.

The front page: When it comes to the news of the nominees, it's a graying, balding white man's world

Photo by Retiring Guy

Latest to Disagree with Trump: His Nominees. (The New York Times, 1/12/2017)

Galesville Public Library holdings, 2011-2015

Source: Wisconsin Public Library Service Data

2011-2015 changes:

Books | +18
Audio | +125
Video | -147
Periodicals | no change
Expenditures | +$500 (+4%)

Photo credit: library website

Galesville Public Library

Shared online catalog: wrlsweb (Winding Rivers Library System)
Collection development policy (not available online)

Other updates and additional entries to series:

Abbotsford Public Library. (9/20/2016)

Adams County Public Library. (9/20/2016)

Albertson Memorial Library. (9/20/2016)

Algoma Public Library. (9/21/2016)

Alma Public Library. (9/21/2016)

Altoona Public Library. (9/22/2016)

Amery Area Public Library. (9/22/2016)

Lettie W. Jensen Public Library. (9/23/2016)

Antigo Public Library. (9/23/2016)

>Appleton Public Library. (9/23/2016)

Arcadia Free Public Library. (9/24/2016)

Argyle Public Library. (9/24/2016)

Lester Public Library of Arpin. (9/25/2016)

Vaughn Public Library, Ashland. (9/25/2016)

Augusta Memorial Public Library. (9/26/2016)

Baldwin Public Library. (9/27/2016)

Balsam Lake Public Library. (9/28/2016)

Baraboo Public Library. (9/29/2016)

Barneveld Public Library. (9/30/2016)

Barron Public Library. (10/1/2016)

Bayfield Carnegie Library. (10/2/2016)

Beaver Dam Community Library. (10/3/2016)

Belleville Public Library. (10/4/2016)

John Turgeson Public Library, Belmont. (10/5/2016)

Beloit Public Library. (10/6/2016)

Benton Public Library. (10/7/2016)

Berlin Public Library. (10/9/2016)

Big Bend Village Library. (10/10/2016)

Black Creek Village Library,. (10/11/2016)

Black Earth Public Library. (10/12/2016)

Black River Falls Public Library. (10/13/2016)

Blair-Preston Public Library. (10/14/2016)

Blanchardville Public Library. (10/15/2016)

G. E. Bleskacek Memorial Family Library. (10/16/2016)

Bloomington Public Library. (10/17/2016)

Hildebrand Memorial Library, Boscobel. (10/18/2016)

Boulder Junction Public Library. (10/19/2016)

Boyceville Public Library. (10/20/2016)

Brandon Public Library. (10/21/2016)

Brillion Public Library. (10/22/2016)

Brodhead Memorial Public Library. (10/23/2016)

Brookfield Public Library. (10/24/2016)

Brown Deer Public Library. (10/25/2016)

Brownsville Public Library. (10/26/2016)

Bruce Area Library. (10/27/2016)

Burlington Public Library. (10/28/2016)

Butler Public Library. (10/29/2016)

Forest Lodge Public Library, Cable. (10/30/2016)

Cadott Community Library. (10/31/2016)

Jane Morgan Memorial Library, Cambria. (11/1/2016)

Cambridge Community Library. (11/2/2016)

Cameron Public Library. (11/3/2016)

Campbellsport Public Library. (11/4/2016)

Cashton Memorial Library. (11/5/2016)

Eckstein Memorial Library, Cassville. (11/6/2016)

Cedar Grove Public Library. (11/7/2016)

Cedarburg Public Library. (11/8/2016)

Centuria Public Library. (11/9/2016)

Calhoun Memorial Library, Chetek. (11/10/2016)

Chilton Public Library. (11/11/2016)

Chippewa Falls Public Library. (11/13/2016)

Clear Lake Public Library. (11/14/2016)

Clinton Public Library. (11/15/2016)

Clintonville Public Library. (11/16/2016)

Cobb Public Library. (11/17/2016)

Colby Public Library. (11/18/2016)

Colfax Public Library. (11/19/2016)

Coloma Public Library. (11/20/2016)

Columbus Public Library. (11/21/2016)

Cornell Public Library. (11/22/2016)

Crandon Public Library. (11/23/2016)

Rosemary Garfoot Public Library (Cross Plains). (11/24/2016)

Cuba City Public Library. (11/25/2016)

Cudahy Family Library. (11/26/2016)

Thomas St. Angelo Public Library, Cumberland. (11/27/2017)

Darien Public Library. (11/28/2016)

Johnson Public Library, Darlington. (11/29/2016)

Deer Park Public Library. (11/30/2016)

Deerfield Public Library. (12/1/2016)

DeForest Area Public Library. (12/2/2016)

Delafield Public Library. (12/4/2016)

Aram Public Library, Delavan. (12/5/2016)

De Soto Public Library. (12/6/2016)

Dodgeville Public Library. (12/7/2016)

Dorchestesr Public Library. (12/8/2016)

Frederic Public Library. (1/12/2017)
Neuschafer Community Library, Fremont. (1/13/2017)

Friday, January 13, 2017

Monticello, Iowa. New York Times joins the search for Trump's America, a very white place

Monticello, a community of 3,825 in eastern Iowa, is located in Jones County. It is home to an impressive public library/civic center.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Jones County's population peaked in 1900.

Source: Wikipedia

After voting for Obama in 2008 and 2012, the county went for Trump by nearly 20 percentage points in 2016.

Source: CNN

In Iowa, Trump Voters Are Unfazed by Controversies. (The New York Times, 1/11/2017)

Where the Table of Knowledge meets for breakfast every morning.

Related posts:
UPDATE. Boston Globe reporter continues to explore Trump's America, where mostly white people live. (1/13/2017)

UPDATE. Boston Globe reporter continues to explore Trump's America, where mostly white people live

In Wisconsin, stubbornly optimistic about the new president. (Boston Globe, 1/13/2017)

A river runs through it. There’s a big Harley-Davidson plant in town. And if you have any doubt that this is the heart of Trump country, take a walk through downtown and meet the faithful who think – know – that their guy is going to deliver on his promise to make America great again. Cue the confetti.

“I’m feeling confident again,’’ Patricia Walker told me the other morning as she was collecting mail from her Post Office box. “I think he’s a thinker and a planner."

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Source: Wikipedia

Menomonee Falls is located in the northeastern square of Waukesha County

Source: CNN

Thomas, what's the use of visiting Menomonee Falls if you're not going to get a quote from Jumpin' Janel Brandtjen?

Let me help you out.

Source of quote: Capital Times

Related post:
Dear Janel Brandtjen, the American Academy of Pediatrics has 64,000 members. (9/15/2015)

1/11/2017 update, "So far, Trump's America, as reported by Boston Globe reporter, is more than 95% white", starts here.

Source: Wikipedia

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

A Journey Through Trump's America: In Trump's middle America, a sense of optimism. (Boston Globe, 1/11/2016)
“There’s not too many mom-and-pop stores left around here,’’ he [John Famulare, Jr, owner of Jenny's Amsden House] said. “You can thank the government for that. I’m feeling, as a business owner and as a taxpayer, we have no place to go but up. I’m feeling good about America. People like Trump. He’s not a politician, he’s a businessman.’’

Actually, John, you might want to read this book.

Reported in What killed the mom-and-pop store? State Journal-Register, 10/15/2016)

Bellevue straddles 3 counties, and its municipal election results are hard to come by.

Original 1/10/2017 post, "The shrinking bubble world of Ford City, Pennsylvania", starts here.

Source: Wikipedia

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Source: CNN

Taking a long road trip to look for Trump’s America. (Washington Post, 1/7/2017)
The Ford City works closed in 1991, during the Presidency of George H. W. Bush. That Pittsburgh Plate Glass plant is long gone, an early harbinger of an economic collapse that has decimated the region’s manufacturing base and fueled a resentment, particularly acute among white working-class voters, that has become an emblem of Donald Trump’s America.

Sheri Humenik on Donald Trump. I felt like that he wants to revitalize places just like this,’’ she told me. “He wants to invest in people. He brings a fire that has reignited hope in people. We need investments in the small towns, not just the big cities. The small towns are suffering. We need to recognize the hidden gems and bring them back. I’m upbeat. I’m encouraged. I’m looking forward.’’

Sheri, I grew up in a town 100 miles north of where you live. The population there peaked at 14,891 in 1940 and has since declined 37% to 9,334. Struthers Wells is gone. Pittsburgh Des Moines, where much of the St. Louis arch was fabricated, closed in 2009. Sylvania continues to shrink. The Warren Area High School class of 1975, its peak year, numbered 525. Maybe 170 or so will graduate this year.

Hope you find your dream. But keep in mind that there are hundreds of small towns just like ours throughout Pennsylvania. Few of them are going to find a way back to prosperity.

CES 2017: Equisense Care horse bodysuit

Horses. "But what do we really know about them?"

This 2-minute-and-15-second video is quite the production.

Top 10 gadgets at CES 2017. (The Daily Record, 1/12/2017)

#5. Equisense is a French company that was launched with the help of Kickstarter. Equisense Care is a horse bodysuit with sensors that are connected to the internet allowing remote monitoring of data about the horse. It watches over and measures the horse’s well-being and sends alerts if an accident occurs or a threatening condition develops.