Retiring Guy's Digest: 2017-08-20

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Greetings from the Golden Gate Bridge, where Cassam Looch prefers to see destruction over artistry in the movies

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection

7 Great Movie Moments Featuring the Golden Gate Bridge. (The Culture Trip, 5/19/2017)

Not sure how old Cassam is, but it sounds as though he's going on 12. As the video below shows, the bridge is often seen as a soft target for filmmakers eager to show global destruction. Just like the London skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge is so recognisable that audiences all over the world will know just what it means to see it attacked..

The glaring omission.

Related reading:
Great Movies: Vertigo. (Roger Ebert, 10/13/1996)
Vertigo is named the 'greatest film of all time'. (BBC News, 8/2/2012)
The Critical Transformation Of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. (Birth. Movies. Death. 3/16/2015)
Is Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Vertigo really the best film ever made? (The Telegraph, 4/19/2016)
Why did “Vertigo” beat out “Citizen Kane” as Greatest Film in the 2012 Sight & Sound Poll. (Screen Prism, 9/7/2017

Not strictly a one-hit wonder, the Toys scored a modest follow-up hit to "A Lover's Concerto" with "Attack", which debubted on the Billboard Hot 100 at # for the week ending December 18, 1965. It spent 9 weeks on the chart, peaking at #18.

Other greetings:
San Francisco Bay Area. (8/26/2017)
San Francisco. (8/26/2017)
Downtown San Diego. (7/9/2016)
San Diego. (6/25/2017)
San Bernadino, California. (6/23/2017)
Sacramento Municipal Auditorium. (6/18/2017)
Weinstock Lubin Department Store, Sacramento. (6/17/2017)
Sacramento. (6/17/2017)
Pasadena. (6/14/2017)
Lake Merritt, Oakland. (6/13/2017)
Oakland, California. (6/12/2017)
Greyhound Bus Terminal, Los Angeles (6/11/2017)
Coffee Dan's, Hollywood. (6/11/2017)
Brittingham's Radio Center Restaurant, Hollywood. (6/10/2016)
Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel. (6/9/2017)
Pershing Square, Los Angeles. (6/8/2017)
Fox Carthay Circle Theater, Los Angeles. (6/7/2017)
Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood.  (6/4/2017)
Hotel Teris, Los Angeles.  (6/1/2016)
Broadway in Los Angeles.  (5/31/2017)
Los Angeles Civic Center. (5/30/2017)
Southern California palm-lined street.  (5/29/2017)
Downtown Los Angeles. (5/24/2017)
Giant Springs, Great Falls, Montana. (5/23/2017)
Hollywood Boulevard. (5/22/2017)
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. (5/21/2017)
Brown Derby, Hollywood. (5/20/2017)
Southern California. (5/20/2017)
Mojave Desert (Joshua trees).  (5/20/2017)
Rose Hill Motel in Mena, Arkansas.  (5/20/2017)
Will Rogers Ranch. (5/20/2017)
Grauman's Chinese Theater.  (5/18/2017)
Hollywood Boulevard. (5/18/2017)
Barstow, California. (5/17/2017)
California. (5/14/2017)
Parklabrea Towers, L.A. (5/14/2017)
La Jolla Children's Pool. (5/13/2017)
Los Angeles. (5/11/2017)
Laguna Beach, California. (5/10/2017)
California. (5/9/2017)
Los Angeles. (5/9/2017)
California. (5/8/2017)
Pomona College, Claremont, California. (5/7/2017)
La Jolla, California. (5/6/2017)
Hope, Arkansas. (5/4/2017)
Bakersfield, California. (5/3/2017)
Little Rock, Arkansas. (5/1/2017)

California. (4/28/2017)
Little Rock, Arkansas. (4/19/2017)
Superstition Mountain, Arizona. (4/15/2017)
Tucson, Arizona. (4/12/2017)
Phoenix, Arizona. (4/8/2017)
Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah. (4/8/2017)
Dothan, Alabama. (4/5/2017)
Mobile, Alabama. (4/5/2017)

Anniston, Alabama. (3/29/2017)

Greetings from the San Francisco Bay Area: Compare 2016 drone view with mid-century postcard view

Take in views of the entire San Francisco Bay Area in a single minute, as captured in 4K from the air above the Santa Cruz mountains. Views of Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, San Jose, the Santa Cruz mountains, Pescadero, and the Pacific coastline.

Topographical view of S.F. Metropolitan Bay area. San Francisco Bay area and adjacent territory as it appears from the air. The great sweep of bay covers 460 square miles. In the distance is "The Great Valley" and beyond the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection

Other greetings:
San Francisco. (8/26/2017)
Downtown San Diego. (7/9/2016)
San Diego. (6/25/2017)
San Bernadino, California. (6/23/2017)
Sacramento Municipal Auditorium. (6/18/2017)
Weinstock Lubin Department Store, Sacramento. (6/17/2017)
Sacramento. (6/17/2017)
Pasadena. (6/14/2017)
Lake Merritt, Oakland. (6/13/2017)
Oakland, California. (6/12/2017)
Greyhound Bus Terminal, Los Angeles (6/11/2017)
Coffee Dan's, Hollywood. (6/11/2017)
Brittingham's Radio Center Restaurant, Hollywood. (6/10/2016)
Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel. (6/9/2017)
Pershing Square, Los Angeles. (6/8/2017)
Fox Carthay Circle Theater, Los Angeles. (6/7/2017)
Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood.  (6/4/2017)
Hotel Teris, Los Angeles.  (6/1/2016)
Broadway in Los Angeles.  (5/31/2017)
Los Angeles Civic Center. (5/30/2017)
Southern California palm-lined street.  (5/29/2017)
Downtown Los Angeles. (5/24/2017)
Giant Springs, Great Falls, Montana. (5/23/2017)
Hollywood Boulevard. (5/22/2017)
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. (5/21/2017)
Brown Derby, Hollywood. (5/20/2017)
Southern California. (5/20/2017)
Mojave Desert (Joshua trees).  (5/20/2017)
Rose Hill Motel in Mena, Arkansas.  (5/20/2017)
Will Rogers Ranch. (5/20/2017)
Grauman's Chinese Theater.  (5/18/2017)
Hollywood Boulevard. (5/18/2017)
Barstow, California. (5/17/2017)
California. (5/14/2017)
Parklabrea Towers, L.A. (5/14/2017)
La Jolla Children's Pool. (5/13/2017)
Los Angeles. (5/11/2017)
Laguna Beach, California. (5/10/2017)
California. (5/9/2017)
Los Angeles. (5/9/2017)
California. (5/8/2017)
Pomona College, Claremont, California. (5/7/2017)
La Jolla, California. (5/6/2017)
Hope, Arkansas. (5/4/2017)
Bakersfield, California. (5/3/2017)
Little Rock, Arkansas. (5/1/2017)

Anniston, Alabama. (3/29/2017)

Greetings from San Francisco: The saga of Straten and Paige and the bedbugs

From Retiring Guy's postcard collection

One SF couple’s bedbug saga: “exactly what a nightmare would be”. (San Francisco Chronicle, 8/26/2017)

One thing leads to another:

Couple's 63-page lease includes 2-page addendum about bedbugs, noting previous infestation
They shrug it off, figure it's just routine blahblahblah.
Wake up with what they think are spider or flea bites.
Soon thereafter, Paige wakes up with bedbugs crawling on her.
Exterminators make regular visits for 5 weeks.
They wash and dry on very high heat clothing and other items, burning a teddy bear with sentimental value in the process.
Some of Straten's belongings, in temporary storage in his car, are stolen.
Bedbugs return.
Remnants -- carcasses, poop -- found after second treatment.
Straten and Paige fight, break up.

Straten doesn't register on the list of top 1000 baby names, but Paige, who first emerged during the baby-boom era, has definitely shown some Millennial power.

The saga's setting:

Source: Social Security Administration

Other greetings:
Downtown San Diego. (7/9/2016)
San Diego. (6/25/2017)
San Bernadino, California. (6/23/2017)
Sacramento Municipal Auditorium. (6/18/2017)
Weinstock Lubin Department Store, Sacramento. (6/17/2017)
Sacramento. (6/17/2017)
Pasadena. (6/14/2017)
Lake Merritt, Oakland. (6/13/2017)
Oakland, California. (6/12/2017)
Greyhound Bus Terminal, Los Angeles (6/11/2017)
Coffee Dan's, Hollywood. (6/11/2017)
Brittingham's Radio Center Restaurant, Hollywood. (6/10/2016)
Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel. (6/9/2017)
Pershing Square, Los Angeles. (6/8/2017)
Fox Carthay Circle Theater, Los Angeles. (6/7/2017)
Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood.  (6/4/2017)
Hotel Teris, Los Angeles.  (6/1/2016)
Broadway in Los Angeles.  (5/31/2017)
Los Angeles Civic Center. (5/30/2017)
Southern California palm-lined street.  (5/29/2017)
Downtown Los Angeles. (5/24/2017)
Giant Springs, Great Falls, Montana. (5/23/2017)
Hollywood Boulevard. (5/22/2017)
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. (5/21/2017)
Brown Derby, Hollywood. (5/20/2017)
Southern California. (5/20/2017)
Mojave Desert (Joshua trees).  (5/20/2017)
Rose Hill Motel in Mena, Arkansas.  (5/20/2017)
Will Rogers Ranch. (5/20/2017)
Grauman's Chinese Theater.  (5/18/2017)
Hollywood Boulevard. (5/18/2017)
Barstow, California. (5/17/2017)
California. (5/14/2017)
Parklabrea Towers, L.A. (5/14/2017)
La Jolla Children's Pool. (5/13/2017)
Los Angeles. (5/11/2017)
Laguna Beach, California. (5/10/2017)
California. (5/9/2017)
Los Angeles. (5/9/2017)
California. (5/8/2017)
Pomona College, Claremont, California. (5/7/2017)
La Jolla, California. (5/6/2017)
Hope, Arkansas. (5/4/2017)
Bakersfield, California. (5/3/2017)
Little Rock, Arkansas. (5/1/2017)

Anniston, Alabama. (3/29/2017)

Talking to America when a hurricane is about to make landfall: What a difference a President makes

Watch President Obama's National Address on Hurricane Sandy. (PBS News Hour, 10/29/2012)

Trump to Texans as Hurricane Harvey gets closer: "Good luck". (Houston Chronicle, 8/25/2017)

Click2Houston, 8/25/2017

New Orleans Times Picayune, 8/26/2017

CNN, 8/26/2017

Now showing!!! Scott Walker starring in 'Peter Pan'

Foxconn deal is flawed for state. Robotics, inevitable future obsolescence are concerns. (BizTimes, 8/25/2017)

So 'motiviated he keeps inflating the numbers.

Other Foxconn posts:
Kurt, you live in Dane County, for crying out loud. (8/25/2017)
Our sloganeering governor: Scott Walker takes playing politics to new heights. (8/24/2017)
GOP hypocrisy: Fiscally conservative, small-government, free-market guy signs off on Foxconn deal. (8/24/2017)
About those Foxconn environmental exemptions, Wisconsin (Prepare for the worst).  (8/24/2017)
The Scott Walker Foxconn inflation factor: Do I hear 60,000?!!!!  (8/23/2017)
WEDC CEO Mark Hogan announces symmetrical distribution of Foxconn salaries. (8/23/2017) Wisconsin DOA Secretary Scott Neitzel gazes into his crystal ball.  (8/23/2017)
Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) wets his pants over Foxconn vote.  (8/21/2017)
So excited: Rep. James Edming (R-Glen Flora) wets his pants over Foxconn vote. (8/18/2017)
Rep. Warren Petryk (R-Eleva) wets his pants over Foxconn vote. (8/18/2017)
Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) wets his pants over Foxconn vote. (8/18/2017)
The lemony flavor of the Foxconn lure.  (8/18/2017)
Dear Politifact, there's a big difference between "is bringing" and "is pledging". (8/18/2017)
WEDC hasn't done its Foxconn homework yet and GOP committee members are fine with that. (8/16/2017)
UPDATE. Funny how there's all this talk about Foxconn jobs that pay well below the alleged average salary. (8/12/2017)
Reggie White:Green Bay Packers:: Foxconn:Wisconsin (Scott Walker analogy reveals his crazed desperation). (8/10/2017)
Foxconn has been looking to replace workers with robots for at least 2 years. (8/9/2017)
Scott Walker and Terry Gou share a laugh at Wisconsin taxpayers' expense. (8/8/2017)
Really, Ray, all this and heaven too provided by a factory to assemble display panel screens?  (8/6/2017)
That was then. This is now. The free market/small government Robin Vos.  (8/4/2017)
Bloomberg sees short-term gain, long-term pain for Wisconsin's Foxconn deal. (8/4/2017)
Sean Duffy gets it wrong. (8/3/2017)
Scott Walker and Paul Ryan collude on campaign digital ads for Foxconn. (8/3/2017)
Here's some news that pains Scott Walker to his core: Foxconn considering Dane County site. (8/2/2017)
Fast Company: Scott Walker deal a transfer of wealth from Wisconsin taxpayers to Foxconn shareholders. (8/2/2017)
Donald Trump pinches off another loaf. (8/1/2017)
Scott Walker lets Fiserv piggyback onto Foxconn legislation. (8/1/2017)
Calendar UPDATE. In the case of the committee hearing, 1 day is sufficient time to prepare, sez Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. (8/1/2017)
Rep. Bob Kulp sprinkles Foxconn fairy dust all over the Badger State. (8/1/2017)
Of which just 3,000 of these 'new' jobs are permanent. (7/31/2017)
UPDATE. State Sen. Van Wanggaard on board with Wisconsin's Foxconn deep-pockets strategy. (7/30/2017)
A Ring of Familiarity. Once upon a time in Pennsylvania.....  (7/29/2017)
Matt, it doesn't appear that 'rigorous' and 'review' are in Scott Walker's and Foxconn's vocabulary. (7/29/2017)
Scott Walker and Foxconn steamroll environmental regulation going forward.  (7/29/2017)
UPDATE. The luring of Foxconn intensifies in Wisconsin.   (7/20/2017)
While Wisconsin and Michigan duke it out for low-paying jobs, Foxconn announces $5 billion investment in India. (7/8/2017)
UPDATE. Foxconn becomes pawn in Wisconsin transportation funding tussle. (7/6/2017)
Foxconn officials eyeing sites in Michigan.  (7/6/2017)
UPDATE. Foxconn becomes pawn in Wisconsin transportation funding tussle. (7/6/2017)

Affrimative action and educational attainment

Even With Affirmative Action, Blacksand Hispanics Are More Underrepresentedat Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago. (The New York Times, 8/24/2017)

Excerpts below.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

The share of black freshmen at elite schools is virtually unchanged since 1980. Black students are just 6 percent of freshmen but 15 percent of college-age Americans, as the chart below shows.

More Hispanics are attending elite schools, but the increase has not kept up with the huge growth of young Hispanics in the United States, so the gap between students and the college-age population has widened.

The courts have ruled that colleges and universities can consider race or ethnicity “as one element in a holistic admissions policy, so it’s something that can be considered, but it’s not a magic bullet,” he said.

Elementary and secondary schools with large numbers of black and Hispanic students are less likely to have experienced teachers, advanced courses, high-quality instructional materials and adequate facilities, according to the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

Friday, August 25, 2017

This week in the cereal aisle: Kellogg's introduces Cinnamon Frosted Flakes

In the brightly-lit aisles of Woodman's.

Photos by Retiring Guy

Source: Smart Label Kellogg's

What 3/4 cups of a comparable cereal looks like.

Skim milk?

Why Skim Milk Will Make You Fat and Give You Heart Disease. (The Healthy Home Economist, 7/10/2017)

A lot of this train of thought being shared of late.

Related posts:
Limited Edition Mocha Crunch. (7/16/2017)
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes with Marshmallows. (2/1/2017)
A marriage between General Mills and Girls Scouts of America. (1/19/2017)
Alpha-Bits is getting squeezed out.  (11/23/2016)
Special K continues to branch out.  (10/23/2016)
Wedding bells chime.  (10/5/2016)
The price of convenience (22.54 cents per ounce). (8/19/2016)
Make up your mind already!  (8/14/2016)
Remember Nabisco Shredded Wheat?  (7/13/2016)
Features Batman and Superman. (7/7/2016)
Post wants you to have ice cream for breakfast.  (6/30/2016)
Tiny Toast.  (6/21/2016)

Climate change as a matter of fact: Tangier Island, Virginia

Retired General: 'Our Bases and Stations on the Coast Are Going Underwater'. (Desmog Blog, 8/24/2017)

Island dwellers as climate deniers. Residents of Tangier are pretty confident that erosion, not climate change, is the cause of their woes, as island resident Lonnie Miller explained to Public Radio International.

“So are we going to get more street tides, tides on the street?” Miller asked “Yes. But is it global warming? No.”

This “head in the rapidly washing away sand” approach has opened up the residents of Tangier Island to ridicule from some — but aren’t they just doing what much of the rest of the country is doing? Asking for a wall to keep the ocean at bay while not acknowledging that the ocean is rising?

Perhaps not surprisingly, the mayor of Tangier Island is a Trump supporter … but not scientist.

“I’m not a scientist, but I’m a keen observer,” Mayor Eskridge said. “If sea-level rise is occurring, why am I not seeing signs of it?”

His island is literally being washed away by sea level rise and he can’t see any signs of it. And yet while he can’t see signs of sea level rise, he is asking for the government to pay for engineering solutions to protect his island — from sea level rise.

Related reading:
Virginia Islanders Could Be U.S. First Climate Change Refugees. (Scientific American, 12/11/2015)

The flooding “has changed our daily route. It’s meant we can’t work that day because of the tides,” said the 55-year-old Parks in an interview this fall whle driving the golf cart. “These carts are very expensive. We can’t ride these carts through salt water because the under part will erode.” Meanwhile, the mobile home she purchased with her husband in the late 1980s is about 150 feet closer to the bay’s edges than it was back then, as the edges of the island shrink. Unlike 20 years ago, if there is a storm at high tide, “everything on Tangier is covered with water,” she said.

Other climate change as a matter of fact posts:
South of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. (8/25/2017)
New Orleans. (8/12/2017)
Kenya. (7/23/2017)
Portugal. (6/19/2017)
The Netherlands. (6/19/2017)
Brazil. (6/8/2017)
Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. (5/20/2017)
Madeline Island, Wisconsin. (2/23/2017)
Mexico City.  (2/19/2017)
Kansas. (1/29/2017)
Moose of Maine.  (1/21/2017)
Florida Keys.  (1/14/2017)
California wine country. (1/11/2017)
Kaktovik, Alaska. (12/20/2016)
Bolivia. (7/11/2016)
Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park. (7/7/2016)
Kiribati. (7/6/2016)

Peru, (5/21/2016)

Climate change as a matter of fact: South of the Arctic Circle in Alaska

Photo credit: Woods Hole Research Center

Alaska's Permafrost Is Thawing. (The New York Times, 8/23/2017)

The main road in Bethel, where average temperatures have risen about 4 degrees Fahrenheit since the mid-20th century, is more of a washboard than a thoroughfare because of shifting ground. Building foundations in Bethel move and crack as well. Some roads, airport runways and parking areas have to be reinforced with liquid-filled pipes that transfer heat out of the permafrost to keep the ground from slumping.

The thawing of permafrost is a gradual process. Ground is fully frozen in winter, and begins to thaw from the top down as air temperatures rise in spring. As average temperatures increase over years, this thawed, or active, layer can increase in depth.

Timelapse video

Other climate change as a matter of fact posts:
New Orleans. (8/12/2017)
Kenya. (7/23/2017)
Portugal. (6/19/2017)
The Netherlands. (6/19/2017)
Brazil. (6/8/2017)
Global Seed Vault on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. (5/20/2017)
Madeline Island, Wisconsin. (2/23/2017)
Mexico City.  (2/19/2017)
Kansas. (1/29/2017)
Moose of Maine.  (1/21/2017)
Florida Keys.  (1/14/2017)
California wine country. (1/11/2017)
Kaktovik, Alaska. (12/20/2016)
Bolivia. (7/11/2016)
Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park. (7/7/2016)
Kiribati. (7/6/2016)

Peru, (5/21/2016)

GOP hypocrisy and cartoon conservative principles: The Iowa edition

If any of the language below is meaningful, GOP members of the Iowa State Legislature should be up in arms.

Source: Republican Party of Iowa (underlining added)

Apple's billion-dollar data center 'puts Iowa on world stage'. (Des Moines Register, 8/24/2017)

Related post:
Iowa provides Apple with $200 million in incentives for 50 jobs. (8/25/2017)

Iowa provides Apple with $200 million in incentives for 50 jobs

States continue to play a desperate and crazy game of "Can You Top This?" At taxpayers' expense.

Reported in Apple's billion-dollar data center 'puts Iowa on world stage'. (Des Moines Register, 8/24/2017)

Let's take a cursory look at the numbers.

Iowa. $213,000,000 in incentives divided by 50 jobs = $4,260,000 per job.

Wisconsin. $3,000,000,000 in incentives (mostly annual cash payments) divided 13,000 jobs (discounting Scott Walker's ongoing inflation) = $230,769 per job.

Do you really think your state can afford that stage, Kim?

"Waaaahhhhhhh," cries Scott Walker, "the big union bosses are out to get me"

@ScottWalker

Related reading:
Scott Walker Details Plan to Curb the Power of Labor Unions. (The New York Times, 9/14/2015)

Mr. Walker’s core argument is that unions inhibit economic growth and job creation, and that union leaders – “big union bosses,’’ in his words – hold too much power over public officials.

Apparently, there's a Walker double standard when it comes to one of America's richest women who has generously contributed to his campaigns.

Source: Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Our sloganeering governor: Scott Walker takes playing politics to new heights

Quoted in Business coalition forms to lobby for Wisconsin Foxconn deal. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/24/2017)

Who's playing politics?

@ScottWalker

Other Foxconn posts:
GOP hypocrisy: Fiscally conservative, small-government, free-market guy signs off on Foxconn deal. (8/24/2017)
About those Foxconn environmental exemptions, Wisconsin (Prepare for the worst).  (8/24/2017)
The Scott Walker Foxconn inflation factor: Do I hear 60,000?!!!!  (8/23/2017)
WEDC CEO Mark Hogan announces symmetrical distribution of Foxconn salaries. (8/23/2017) Wisconsin DOA Secretary Scott Neitzel gazes into his crystal ball.  (8/23/2017)
Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) wets his pants over Foxconn vote.  (8/21/2017)
So excited: Rep. James Edming (R-Glen Flora) wets his pants over Foxconn vote. (8/18/2017)
Rep. Warren Petryk (R-Eleva) wets his pants over Foxconn vote. (8/18/2017)
Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) wets his pants over Foxconn vote. (8/18/2017)
The lemony flavor of the Foxconn lure.  (8/18/2017)
Dear Politifact, there's a big difference between "is bringing" and "is pledging". (8/18/2017)
WEDC hasn't done its Foxconn homework yet and GOP committee members are fine with that. (8/16/2017)
UPDATE. Funny how there's all this talk about Foxconn jobs that pay well below the alleged average salary. (8/12/2017)
Reggie White:Green Bay Packers:: Foxconn:Wisconsin (Scott Walker analogy reveals his crazed desperation). (8/10/2017)
Foxconn has been looking to replace workers with robots for at least 2 years. (8/9/2017)
Scott Walker and Terry Gou share a laugh at Wisconsin taxpayers' expense. (8/8/2017)
Really, Ray, all this and heaven too provided by a factory to assemble display panel screens?  (8/6/2017)
That was then. This is now. The free market/small government Robin Vos.  (8/4/2017)
Bloomberg sees short-term gain, long-term pain for Wisconsin's Foxconn deal. (8/4/2017)
Sean Duffy gets it wrong. (8/3/2017)
Scott Walker and Paul Ryan collude on campaign digital ads for Foxconn. (8/3/2017)
Here's some news that pains Scott Walker to his core: Foxconn considering Dane County site. (8/2/2017)
Fast Company: Scott Walker deal a transfer of wealth from Wisconsin taxpayers to Foxconn shareholders. (8/2/2017)
Donald Trump pinches off another loaf. (8/1/2017)
Scott Walker lets Fiserv piggyback onto Foxconn legislation. (8/1/2017)
Calendar UPDATE. In the case of the committee hearing, 1 day is sufficient time to prepare, sez Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. (8/1/2017)
Rep. Bob Kulp sprinkles Foxconn fairy dust all over the Badger State. (8/1/2017)
Of which just 3,000 of these 'new' jobs are permanent. (7/31/2017)
UPDATE. State Sen. Van Wanggaard on board with Wisconsin's Foxconn deep-pockets strategy. (7/30/2017)
A Ring of Familiarity. Once upon a time in Pennsylvania.....  (7/29/2017)
Matt, it doesn't appear that 'rigorous' and 'review' are in Scott Walker's and Foxconn's vocabulary. (7/29/2017)
Scott Walker and Foxconn steamroll environmental regulation going forward.  (7/29/2017)
UPDATE. The luring of Foxconn intensifies in Wisconsin.   (7/20/2017)
While Wisconsin and Michigan duke it out for low-paying jobs, Foxconn announces $5 billion investment in India. (7/8/2017)
UPDATE. Foxconn becomes pawn in Wisconsin transportation funding tussle. (7/6/2017)
Foxconn officials eyeing sites in Michigan.  (7/6/2017)
UPDATE. Foxconn becomes pawn in Wisconsin transportation funding tussle. (7/6/2017)

Don't know much about history: The spelling-challenged Lynn Fewell edition

Procter and Gamble’s new anti-racism ad is roiling white America. (Quartz, 8/24/2017)

Parents across America squirm over having “the talk” with their children. For many parents, “the talk” refers to an awkward chat about the birds and bees. But for black Americans, it’s a distressing conversation about the racism their children have and will continue to experience.

UVA drops National Anthem performance by Charlotte Vila, Bob Vila's granddaughter, at football home opener

Inspiration provided and apologies to ESPN Pulls Announcer Robert Lee From Virginia Game Because of His Name. (The New York Times, 8/23/2017)

You've heard of guerrilla marketing, how about guerrilla pimping?

Refresher

Reported in Hunting a Killer: Sex, Drugsand the Return of Syphilis. (The New York Times, 8/24/2017)

Not sure if these shoes are the best choice to run away in

Hunting a Killer: Sex, Drugsand the Return of Syphilis. (The New York Times, 8/24//2017)

All kidding and this discconnect, this article is a harrowing, disturbing read, especially when you consider how widespread the opioid crisis is.

Dear Rolling Stone, I still love this album

I somehow stumbled across this album in late 1974/early 1975 when I was living in Montana. The exact circumstance has long faded from memory, but my best guess is the discovery occurred while browsing through the bins of a Missoula record store. I held onto the vinyl as the album was never released as a CD. The cover is well-worn, but the record itself has few scratches. My favorite cut is "Sometimes", a 7:30 magnum opus, the opening cut on side 2. It never fails to recharge my batteries.

20 R&B Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s You Never Heard. (Rolling Stone, 6/25/2015)

Photo by Retiring Guy (1975)

Mount Powell, west of Deer Lodge

Jobs and energy at the cost of environmental destruction

Energy and EnvironmentTrump administration halted a study of mountaintop coal mining’s health effects. (Washington Post, 8/21/2017)

Coal mining in Central Appalachia, where the committee’s work is focused, includes mountaintop removal in which peaks have been blasted off and valley streams have been buried in rubble. Scientists have said the practice is so destructive that the government should stop issuing permits for it.

Source: Communities at risk from mountaintop removal

(iLoveMountains.org)

For years, it was impossible to track the spread of mountaintop removal coal mining in Central Appalachia over the course of time. Appalachian Voices has compiled 30 years of satellite imagery and other data to show how this destructive form of coal mining is gradually getting closer to communities, even as coal production in the region is declining.