Saturday, April 14, 2018

More tales of evangelicals who practice phony religion


Photo credit:  Connection Point Church

Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, His Affair, and the Chaos that Followed.   (4/13/2018)


Another central-casting GOP candidate finds that good looks do not insure a smooth path to election.  (4/14/2018)
Dear Kevin Nicholson, Running for U.S. Senate as a Trump fanboy is not a savvy strategy in the collar counties.  (4/11/2018)
Another clueless central-casting politician who stumbles.  (3/1/2018)

President Trump's lyin' eyes


My wife and I noticed the half moons last night while Trump interrupted the opening of The Rachel Maddow Show.


Reported in Comey’s Memoir Offers Visceral Details on a President ‘Untethered to Truth’.  (The New York Times, 4/12/2018)

Every time I see Donald Trump, I'm reminded of the time in high school when Veryl Brinkley over-applied Copperton Quick Tan to his face.  He wasn't aware of the transformation until someone directed him to a mirror.


Another central-casting GOP candidate finds that good looks do not insure a smooth path to election



In Missouri, Governor’s Scandal Ensnares a Republican-Leaning Senate Race.  (The New York Times, 4/22/018)

Another GOP central-casting post:
Another clueless central-casting politician who stumbles.  (3/1/2018)

Glimpses of the future of toll roads: 1995 and 2018

1995

New Toll Road Offers Glimpse at Future.  (The New York Times, 9/29/1995)
But the new highway, the 14.1-mile Dulles Greenway, is viewed as more than a quicker alternative to a stuttering trip through a dozen traffic lights along nearby state roads. It is, government officials and transportation experts say, a prime example of the way big public construction projects will be built in the future. 
Those experts say that with fewer tax dollars available, with a reluctance by elected officials to impose new taxes and with increasing demands on existing structures, capital improvements and new projects may be possible only with at least some private financing.




Virginia's $40 toll road better be the future of driving.  (WIRED, 12/9/2017)
The nice thing about congestion charges isn't just that they can encourage people to take public transit, or at least to carpool, but that they make drivers pay for their role in creating traffic and spewing greenhouse gases. Forty bucks is a lot for a toll, but it just might be the fair price for the right to drive by yourself down a majorly busy highway. The scourge we know as traffic costs the American economy about $125 billion to traffic per year, according to traffic analytics company Inrix.



Other Rand McNally Road Atlas as a file drawer post:
Trump's America: Return to Worthington and Nobles County, Minnesota 22 years later.  (1/28/2018)

Beyond CES 2018: Nokia sleep tracking pad doesn't poke you in the ribs


$99.95 ($89.54 at Amazon)



Nokia’s sleep tracking pad gets official launch.  (Gadgets and Wearables, 4/13/2018)
Announced at CES 2018 earlier this year, the Finnish company’s sleep mattress pad is designed to be positioned on the side of the bed, at chest level. There is nothing to wear or do. Simply slip the gizmo under your covers and plug it in. In the morning, the gadget will provide you detailed info on sleep cycles (deep, light and REM) and heart rate. It even detects snoring.

Nokia Sleep

Other before, during and after CES 2018 posts.  Or not.
March 2018
iRobot Braava robot mop.  (3/26/2018)
Meet Buddy, social robot personal assistant.  (3/9/2018)
 
February 2018
You could use LinkSquare or just eyeball those pieces of tuna.  (2/22/2018)
Dogbot, by Boston Dynamics.  (2/21/2018)
Petrics, a smart bed for your best friend.  (2/21/2018)
Household robot from the loins of Rosie.  (2/15 /2018)
Sorry, folks, but I'm going to pass on this Lovebox gadget.  (2/14/2018)
Meet Somnex, the sleep robot.  (2/8/20
Deskcise Pro V9 Bike Desk allows you to work and exercise at the same time.  (2/8/2018
The Hyperloop has some folks giddy, light-headed, and untethered.  (2/5/2018)
Ovie Smarterware, refrigerator manager.  (2/5/2018)
Colgate smart toothbrush provides you with a 3D brushing coach.  (2/1/2018)
Meet Laika, a gadget that rolls around the house and keeps you connected to your dog all day long.  (2/1/2018)

January 2018
Bloomberg reviewer definitely not impressed with this $400 window cleaning robot.  (1/30/2018)
Cinema snowglobe.  (1/28/2018)
Hip airbag for seniors leaves knees and elbows unprotected in a fall.  (1/27/2018)
Meet ElliQ, the active aging companion. (1/2 4/2018)
CLOi, robot touted as 'ultimate in simplicity' gets a case of stage fright.  (1/23/2018)
Robots, robots, and more robots.  (1/23/2018)
Rollable OLED TV.  (1/21/2018)
Meet Forpheus, the ping-pong playing robot.  (1/20/2018)
You'll need Keecker-ready walls and ceilings to get the most use out of this robot.  (1/19/2018)
At a list price of $8700, you have plenty of time to procrastinate about this umbrella purchase,  (1/18/2018)
For just under a thousand bucks, Foldimate will save you from the tyranny of folding laundry.  (1/17/2018)
Softcore toilet porn from Kohler.  (1/16/2018)
Smart mirror could use more of a human touch.  (1/16/2018)
Meet Aibo, the robot dog.  (1/15/2018)
File this Modius Health headset under 'absurd'.  (1/15/2018)
The creepy underbelly of CES 2018. Robot strippers.  (1/14/2018)  
Toyota introduces e-Patette, autonomous vehicle, modular store.  (1/14/2018)
Meet AvatarMind's iPal.  (1/12/2018)
Security robot Nimbo scares away the bad guys.  (1/12/2018)
Concept robots designed to eliminate service sector jobs.  (1/5/2018)
Travelmate Robotics suitcase.  (1/5/2018)
Samsung's GoBreath.  (1/3/2018)
A robot that plays Scrabble without making a mess.  (1/1/2018)

December 2017
Keratase hair coach.  (12/23/2017)
Travis the Translator.  (12/20/2017)
Pro-Protection toothbrush holder.  (12/19/2017)
PetMio smart technology.  (12/18/2017)
Rinspeed Snap concept vehicle.  (12/17/2017)
SignAll, an automated sign language translator.  (12/13/2017) 
Homni sleep solution.  (12/11/2017)

November 2017
Guz 2 electronic dartboard connects you to the world.  (11/22/2017)
I assume the SureFly will also be able to carry women.  (11/21/2017)
Now you can party every day and rock all night at any age.  (11/17/2017)
Pointivo.  (11/17/2017)
Jibo, the social robot, makes the cover of TIME.  (11/17/2017)

Scott Walker's sugar daddy and far-right conservative rich guy Richard Uihlein writes big checks for like-minded Supreme Court candidates


Source:  Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Related reading: 
Inluence Peddlar of the Month:  Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein.  (Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, 4/1/2016)

What made me think of the Uihleins.

Wisconsin Supreme Court to take up politically charged case that pits Scott Walker against Tony Evers.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/13/2018)


The timing of this case, of course, has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the Governor's race.

For sale.  Cheap.


Original 4/6/2018 post, "Scott Walker's sugar daddy and far-right conservative rich guy Richard Uihlein sets his sights on defeating Tammy Baldwin", starts here.


'Unprecedented' outside spending hits Tammy Baldwin, boosts Kevin Nicholson in US Senate race. (Madison.com, 4/8/2018)

Photo credit:  Ballotpedia

Related reading:
The Far-Right Megadonor from Lake Forest.  (Chicago Magazine, 5/17/2016)
Uihlein has supported Republican candidates and far-right political groups since 1997. Forbes reported that Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, spent more than $5 million in the 2014 midterm elections.

"Rich Man" appears on the Climax Blues Band 2nd studio album, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for the week ending February 17, 1973.  It spent 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #150.

Friday, April 13, 2018

In my life, all but 2 of Wisconsin's largest cities have gained population


Sources:  1950 (Sporcle), 2016 (Wisconsin Blue Book 2017-18)

Since 2000, Madison's population has increased 21.3% -- an additional 44,497 residents.

Since 2000, Waukesha's population has increased 11.6% -- an additional 7,538 residents.



Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, a man withoiut a shred of integrity, sez 'hooray' for voter ID and intimidation


Once again running into the comfort zone of Vicki McKenna's radio studio.


Quoted in Attorney General Brad Schimel suggests Donald Trump won Wisconsin because of the state's voter ID law.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/13/2018)

Related posts:
2018
UPDATE. Mexico border wall support and opposition by generation.  (Marquette Law School poll).  (3/20/2018)
Fight fire with fire: Be careful what you wish for, Brad Schimel.  (2/21/2018)

2017
Still marching in the parade of GOP incompetents, Attorney General Brad Schimel.  (12/8/2017)
Wisconsin AG Brad Schimel places himself above the law.  (2/16/2017)
When WI Attorney General Brad Schimel sez "kick ass every day", what does he mean exactly?  (1/7/2017)

2016
UPDATE. So sez Scott Walker/Brad Schimel mouthpiece.  (11/3/2016)
UPDATE. Once again, it's 'mission accomplished' for proponents of voter ID.  (10/13/2016)
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel serves up a partisan mush of GOP talking points.  (9/21/2016)
Despite recent appeals panel ruling, Brad Schimel continues to waste taxpayer money.  (8/24/2016)
Get me rewrite:  Schimel 'misspeaks' again.  (8/16/2016)
Get me rewrite:  Wisconsin is open for polluters.  (7/12/2016)
The best and the brightest: DOJ mouthpiece sez, "Fuck it, we're not doin' our jobs!".  (6/21/2016)
How corrupt is the Walker administration? Read up on 2011 Wisconsin Act 21 for the answer.  (5/11/2016)

2013
Who's Running for Wisconsin Attorney General in 2014: Waukesha County DA Brad Schimel.  (10/10/2013)

The pressure is building on Donald Trump like never before




#1 with a bullet


Actually, Trumpkins, it's one word.

According to Merriam Webster, the first known use of 'slimeball' occurred in 1986.

Other coinages from the same year.
  • crack baby
  • crackhead
  • shock jock
  • spinmeister



Another Sauk County Board of Supervisor screw-up (The Tim Meister edition)



Reported in Application for new ATV routes on Sauk County highways invalid.  (Madison.com, 4/12/2018)

(emphasis added)

Reported in  Board approves funds for environmental projects.   (Baraboo News-Republic, (10/19/2017)

Sauk County Highway and Parks Committee

Luckily for Sauk County residents, Tim did not run for re-election.  The bad news is that Brian Peper defeated challenger Sandy Vieth by 8 votes.

Related Sauk County Board posts: 
Fortunately, Tim Meister is not running for re-election to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors.  (3/23/2018)
Supervisor David Moore, gun fetishist, wants to put a lid on public comment at Sauk County board meetings.  (2/16/2018)
Lie or misrepresentation: Newspaper gives Sauk County Board chair benefit of the doubt.  (1/11/2018)
Sauk County Board sideshow: Dennis Polivka makes his constituents proud.  (4/6/2017)
UPDATE. The fussin', feudin', and finger-pointin' continues in Sauk County.  (1/20/2017)
Sauk County administrative coordinator under scrutiny.  (11/3/2016)
Discussion of Sauk County administrator's removal delayed.  (11/10/2016)
County board approves special meeting on administrative calendar.  (11/15/2016)
New Sauk County jail health contractor subject of controversy.  (11/17/2016)
County supervisors ordered to preserve documents, data.  (11/20/2016)
Sauk County Board approves separation agreement with top administrator.  (11/22/2016)
Sauk County's last two top administrators dismissed under similar circumstances.  (11/29/2016)
Letter to the editor:  Sauk County must fix high turnover in top positions.  (12/1/2016)
Sauk County won't release complaints against administrator.  (12/1/2016)

For this immigration/voter fraud pearl-clutcher, it's all about the color of their skin


Photo credit:  Independent Institute

Quoted in 2020 VISION: The dawn of a new conservative era – but only if we have voter integrity.  (Frontpage, 4/12/2018)

Lloyd turns a blind eye to these headlines.







Tom Davis describes how far the GOP has fallen



Photo credit:  Wikipedia

Paul Ryan's departure sparks unrest, GOP fears losing House.  (Madison.com, 4/13/2018)

Other Ryan retirement posts:
Dear Glenn Grothman, Paul Ryan has told his share of whoppers and is seemingly comfortable with that.  (4/12/2018)
Dear Ron Johnson, At least 2 people beg to differ with your assessment.  (4/12/2018)
After months of waffling, Paul Ryan finally announces the obvious: "Yes, folks, you're right; I'm retiring."  (4/11/2018)

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Dear Glenn Grothman, Paul Ryan has told his share of whoppers and is seemingly comfortable with that



Quoted in Wisconsin politicians jolted by Ryan's decision, but not necessarily surprised.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/11/2018)

Make that 4
Time after time, Ryan would be hailed as a sage: a budget wonk, a "reformer" of Social Security and Medicare, a defender of the poor. Time after time, he would articulate the most transparent lies about social insurance programs and the Affordable Care Act, while interviewers as august as Charlie Rose sat at his feet, lapping it up. It was a conspiracy of ignorance that placed the welfare of millions of Americans at risk. 
Some journalists laudably were immune to the magic. Among them, Matthew Yglesias  [make that 5] of Vox, who on Wednesday recalled Ryan's fatuous promise to protect "dreamers"—the beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program being canceled by President Trump. He failed to protect them and failed to move legislation to revive DACA.

Related links:
All Mostly False statements involving Paul Ryan.  (PolitiFact Wisconsin)
All Pants on Fire statements involving Paul Ryan.  (PolitiFact Wisconsin)
Here are the lies Paul Ryan told about Obamacare during his town hall meeting.  (Los Angeles Times, 1/13/2017)

Other Ryan retirement posts:
Dear Ron Johnson, At least 2 people beg to differ with your assessment.  (4/12/2018)
After months of waffling, Paul Ryan finally announces the obvious: "Yes, folks, you're right; I'm retiring."  (4/11/2018)

Dear Ron Johnson, At least 2 people beg to differ with your assessment



Quoted in Wisconsin politicians jolted by Ryan's decision, but not necessarily surprised.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/11/2018)

But he deserves to be remembered as the person who, more than anyone else, committed the Republican Party to an extreme libertarian vision of government in response to Obama’s election. In doing so, he ended up achieving little of the party’s priorities — and created an opening that helped propel Trump to the White House.


Make that 3.

Ryan knows.  He knows his historical reassessment will be dizzily swift, deeply cutting, and personally painful.  No surprise he's runnin' away,



Sly and the Family Stone's "Runnin' Away", from the 1971 album There's a Riot Goin' On, debuted at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending February 5, 1972.  It spent 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #23.

Integrity?
Secret corporate cash funded posh convention hideaway for Paul Ryan, GOP lawmakers.  (Center for Public Integrity, 10/23/2017) 

Related post:
After months of waffling, Paul Ryan finally announces the obvious: "Yes, folks, you're right; I'm retiring."  (4/11/2018)

Average teacher salaries in the U.S. (top and bottom 10)


Source:  Rankings & Estimates  (National Education Association)


Mapping the Great American Teacher Pay Gap.  (City Lab, 4/11/2018)
But it’s not just that these teachers are underpaid—it’s that they make much less than college-educated peers working in other professions across the country. And that gap persists nationwide. “There is no state where teacher wages are equal to or better than those of other college graduates,” a report by economist Sylvia Allegretto from the Center for Economic Policy reveals.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 76.3% of teachers are women.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

After months of waffling, Paul Ryan finally announces the obvious: "Yes, folks, you're right; I'm retiring."







Speaker Paul Ryan is denying rumors that his retirement is imminent.

 April 11, 2018
\

Growing traffic counts on Dane County Highway M


Couldn't shoot the video through the windshield due to the glare.



Today, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced that nearly $3.5 million in his 2018 budget will go toward studying the expansion of Highway M to four lanes, resurfacing a portion of Highway Q, and accelerating development of the North Mendota Bike Trail. As the fastest growing county in the state, vehicle counts on Highway M have increased and planned development in the area in the coming years is expected to result in an even greater number of motorists using the once rural road.

Red arrow indicates approximate length of drive during video


Albert Conklin (1948-2018) Warren Area High School class of 1966



1966 Dragon yearbook

1967 Warren City Directory
1983 Warren City Directory

The popularity of Albert as a baby name is graphed here.

Other members of the class of '66:
2018
Betsy Colt Brinkley.  (3/9/2018)

2017
Deborah Snyder Sproveri.  (8/8/2017)

2015
Sally Johnson Horrocks.  (4/3/2015)

2014
Charlene Postlethwait Knowlton. (10/8/2014)
Dennis Peterson.  (8/31/2014)

Get me rewrite: Why are Iowa GOP leaders so timid about embracing science and medical advances


Party membership source:  Iowa Legislature (Senate, House)

Why are Iowa leaders so timid about embracing science and medical advances?  (Des Moines Register, 4/10/2018)
Of course she does!  [Governor Kim] Reynolds’ spokesperson, Brenna Smith, said the governor has a family obligation.

Dear Kevin Nicholson, Running for U.S. Senate as a Trump fanboy is not a savvy strategy in the collar counties


Source (above and below):  CNN (20122016)


Senate GOP candidates spar over campaign tactics.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/10/2018)


Related posts:
Richard Uihlein and the Koch Brothers fall in love with central-casting version of U.S. Senate candidate, shower him with money.  (4/10/2018)
Kevin Nicholson's not biggest/but big geography lesson: Wisconsin is 42 times the area of Rhode Island, one-quarter the size of Texas.  (3/11/2018)
The life experiences of Kevin Nicholson, resident of deep-red Waukesha County: Opportunism, self-interest, expediency.  (2/28/2018)
UPDATE. Waukesha County resident positions himself for his U.S. Senate campaign . (11/7/2017)
Steve Bannon meddles in Wisconsin U.S. Senate GOP primary.  (11/4/2017)

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

THIS JUST IN: Scott Walker running as Libertarian for 3rd term



Sources:

Safety net shtick UPDATE: Scott Walker falls off the trampoline


He tweets about welfare reform and doesn't mention his favorite piece of equipment.

Source:  @ScottWalker

3/13/2018 update, "Scott Walker just can't let go of the dumbest, most thoughtless metaphor ever", starts here.

@ScottWalker (highlight added) 



Reported in Statistics on trampoline injuries.  (LiveStrong, 9/11/2017)

1/4/2018 update, " Welcome to America's #1 recycling site:  Scott Walker's Twitter feed", starts here.



12/5/2017 update, " Scott Walker absolutely loves this video!!", starts here.





1/26/2017 update, "Scott Walker, salesman, expands his trampoline customer base to include parents of schoolage children", starts here.


Quoted in Walker's welfare plan: Expand work requirements to parents.  (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/23/2017)





1/23/2017 update, " This from the guy who's pushing a hammock-to-trampoline public assistance transition".

@ScottWalker


Original 1/19/20176 post, "I firmly believe Scott Walker should show us his trampoline skills", starts here.

How can you not instantly recognize the absurdity of this statement?  But then this is the governor with a trampoline agenda.  Lotta damage done.


You'll find this nonsense at Weekly Radio Address: Public Assistance Should Be a Trampoline, Not a Hammock.  (Office of the Governor, 1/19/2017)



Related articles:
Surprising Dangers of Trampolines for Children.  (Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, 4/12/2016)



Home trampoline danger: 1M visits to ER, study says. (USA Today, 5/7/2014)