Retiring Guy's Digest: 2018-06-24

Friday, June 29, 2018

New York's 14th congressional district: Archie Bunker doesn't live here anymore

Source: Census Reporter, U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

It's Not Archie Bunker's District Anymore. (City Journal, 6/28/2018)

[James] Delaney’s views, particularly on social issues, reflected those of the then-heavily white, Catholic, and blue-collar congressional district, which voted strongly for John F. Kennedy over Richard Nixon in 1960 but three-to-one for Nixon over George McGovern in 1972. The opening-credits scene for All in the Family was filmed there, in Glendale. But the district, and the Queens Democratic Party, were already changing when Delaney retired in 1978 and Ferraro won an upset primary victory (over Manton) in the race to succeed him.

Source: Sunnyside Post

Atlantic City offers yet another bridge for sale

I have a bridge to sell you.

Can Sports Betting Do for Atlantic City What Donald Trump Couldn’t? (The New York Times, 6/25/2018)

Donald Trump is now running the federal governemnt like he ran his businesses: recklessly, imperiously. The president, then a casino impresario, opened the Trump Taj Mahal, the biggest gambling venue on the boardwalk, with great fanfare and at a cost of $1.2 billion in 1990, only to have it collapse into bankruptcy the following year. After years of decline, it shut down in 2016, seemingly consigned to symbolize the ruinous excess here during the Trump era.

Atlantic City's population peaked in 1930.

Source: Wikipedia

Dear Barronelle Stutzman, It's Civics 101; the United States is a democracy, not a theocracy

Photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom

(euphemistically named organization promoting religious bigotry)

Reported in Justices Send Gay Rights and Voting Cases Back to Lower Courts. (The New York Times, 6/25/2018)

Related reading:
Religion and democracy. (The Atlantic, 12/3/2009)

Congressman Kennedy has not allowed the church teachings to alter his political position, but it is certain that there are members of Congress whose political decisions are based on the teachings received from pulpit, Sunday school, or the particular scriptures to which they subscribe. These teachings - beliefs - truths - may make the holder a better person but may at the same time interfere with the ability of that person to base his or her secular political decisions on the requirements of the law, the Constitution, or fair and impartial reading of legislative proposals.

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Was this Jonathan Delagrave's first ride on public transit?

Sure sounds like it.

Reported in Taking a ride to Foxconn: Officials explore transportation options. (Racine Journal Times, 6/24/2018)

UPDATE. Running for a third term, Scott Walker hangs dairy farmers out to dry when it comes to immigration

Reported in Scott Walker weighs in on tariffs, stays mum on immigration questions. (Capital Times, 6/25/2018)

As you can read below, Scotty, Trump's misguided immigration views and policies directly impact businesses in the state of Wisconsin. The dairy industry is a business.

Related post:
Scott Walker opts for a nativist approach to immigration, ignores the realities at home. (7/21/2016)

Original 3/19/2017 post, "Trump's America in Dairyland: Pepin County, Wisconsin", starts here.;

Source: Wikipedia

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Source: CNN

Under Trump, Wisconsin dairies struggle to keep immigrant workers. (Madison.com, 3/19/2017)

Now living with their two young children on a Pepin County dairy farm in northwestern Wisconsin where Manuel works, the couple — who asked that their real names not be used because of their immigration status — are making plans to leave their life in America’s Dairyland and go back across the border, much sooner than they had expected.

[snip]

Jiménez says she has also noticed a change in the way her family is treated in the community. “There have always been racist people. That’s nothing new. They’ve always been there. But it’s like now people feel more free to be offensive or do things that aren’t right,” Jiménez says. In a recent incident, Manuel was filling up his tank at a gas station when a group of men dressed in hunting gear stopped to insult him. His wife declined to repeat the remarks, which she described as “ugly.”

What’s in a middle school Little Free Library during summer vacation?

Photos by Retiring Guy

The usual mishmash of discards

Top 100 Middle School Must-Reads. (GoodReads)

I'll let you figure out if any titles list here are in this LFL. Doubtful.

Other LFL posts:
2018
Hate has no home here. (5/15/2018)
Hilldale Little Free Library: Too much taking, too little returning. (4/25/2018)
UPDATE: The Little Free Library of the Lost Gable. (3/30/2018)

Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, and see all the books. (2/24/2018)

2017
Slim Pickins in this Little Free Library. (12/23/2017)
UPDATE: St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church will say a little prayer for you (Dionne vs. Aretha). (11/15/2017)
Across the street from Weston Place.  (4/1/2017)
Seen yesterday while doing a lit drop for Hans Hilbert, candidate for Middleton mayor redux. (3/29/2017)
Seen yesterday while doing a lit drop for Hans Hilbert, candidate for Middleton mayor.  (3/28/2017)

2016
Nearly empty Little Free Library has since been replenished and includes 2 Bart Starr biographies.  (10/15/2016)
This colorful Little Free Library features James Clavell's chunkster novel Noble House. (9/14/2016)
Little Free Libraries spotted during yesterday's Elroy-Camp Douglas Omaha Trail bike ride. (8/8/2016)
Little Free Library at end of Woodrow Street in Madison has Scruples Two. (7/10/2016)
Little Free Plant Stand meets Little Free Library.   (5/21/2016)
UPDATE: This Little Free Library now features 3 Jeffery Deaver titles. (3/21/2016)

2015
More taking than returning at this Little Free Library location. (11/2/2015)

Taking Little Free Libraries to the next level. (10/20/2015)
An attractively designed, little box of discards on Amherst Road. (10/13/2015)
Kudos to this Little Free Library design on 13th Street in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. (7/27/2015)
The Chamber of Manitowoc County offers a Little Free Library. (7/27/2015)
One of the most colorful little box of discards set-up I've encountered. (7/10/2015)
Little box of discards with benches. (5/6/2015)
Get me rewrite: Little boxes of discards have big appeal. (5/1/2015)

2014
Middleton little free library cleaned out; Independent bookseller suspected. (12/19/2014)
Charter #5763. (8/14/2014)
Charter #8443. (7/25/2014)
Unchartered #2. (7/24/2014)
Unchartered #1. (7/21/2014)
Charter #5719. (7/19/2014)

Charter #0657. (7/18/2014)

Welcome to the Sears Home Warranty help desk

Or, you could just forget about the ice maker in the first place and use this....

...to fill these.

Photos by Retiring Guy

Rudy Guiliani looks in mirror, thinks he sees Joe Biden

iPhone screenshot

Apparently, most registered Democratic voters don't know anyone younger than 70

Or much under 70.

Biden leads 2020 Dem field in new poll. (The Hill, 6/27/2018)

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Some triumph: The Trump effect scrounges up an additional 3,435 votes for Henry McMaster in South Carolina

Source: Ballotpedia

2018 primaries: Key takeaways as Democrats get a shock and Trump triumphs. (USA Today, 6/27/2018)

Trump made it clear to supporters when he flew through a thunderstorm Monday night to lead a rally for Gov. Henry McMaster that if the governor was not nominated for another term, the "fake news" would take it out on Trump. South Carolina came through for the president, giving McMaster a win in a runoff against businessman John Warren.

Overall, 24,690 fewer voters found their way to the polls for the runoff election, a drop of 7.2% from the primary election. Can't say that Trump lit a fire here.

Dear Scott Walker, Will you stand up to Donald Trump tomorrow in support of Wisconsin's cheesemakers?

Reported in Trump’s Trade War Could Shut Cheesemakers Out of Foreign Markets. (The New York Times, 6/24/2018)

“If export markets get shut off, I could see us getting to the point where we’re dumping our milk in the fields,” said Jeff Schwager, the president of Sartori Company, which has produced cheese in a nearby town for generations with milk it purchases from more than 100 dairy farms throughout Wisconsin. “It’ll be a big ripple effect through the state.”

Apparently, white Trump supporters are the only ones to tighten their embrace for the record

Photo by Retiring Guy

Different headline online
As Critics Assail Trump, His Supporters Dig In Deeper. (The New York Times, 6/23/2018)

Johnny Nash's "Hold Me Tight", his first of 2 singles to reach the top 10, debuted at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending September 14, 2018. It spent 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5 for 2 weeks.

Related post:
For Donald Trump, it's all about the base. (6/25/2018)

Black homicide vicitimization rate nearly 4 times higher than overall national rate

Source (above and below): Violence Policy Center

Excerpt from Missouri Ranks #1 in Nation for Black Homicide Victimization. (Violence Policy Center)

Wisconsin ranks #2

Related reading:
Deadly disparities: African-Americans increasingly targeted as gun homicides spike. (Capital Times, 6/27/2018)

Of the 15 people killed by gunfire in a two-year spike starting in 2016, nine were black men. That’s 60 percent of the gun deaths in a city where blacks comprise just 7 percent of the population.

In those two years, not a single white man in Madison was killed by gunfire.

Wisconsin 2018 elections: Who's running in the 37th Assembly District?

Just John Jagler

Sources include Wisconsin Elections Commission

Jagler's margin of victory in last 2 elections:

unopposed in the 2014 general election; no primary challenger
23.7 percentage points in the 2016 general election; no primary challenger

One of the most shameless examples
of WIGOP gerrymandering

Source: Ballotpedia

(which does the best job of outlining

The Art of the Wisconsin Gerrymander)

Related links:
John Jagler
Charisse Daniels for Assembly

Related articles:
First-time legislative candidate touted on CNN may not make it on Wisconsin ballot. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/4/2018)
Watertown police investigating allegations of fraud with Assembly candidate's nomination papers. (Capital Times, 6/5/2018)
Elections Commission boots Democratic Assembly candidate from ballot over faked signatures. (Fox6Now, 6/11/2018)

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Mes Amis says 'au revoir' to Hilldale, 'bonjour' to Middleton Center

The storefront with the yellow awning. There's a lot less foot traffic here than at Hilldale.

Photos by Retiring Guy

Hilldale dress shop heads to downtown Middleton. (Madison.com, 6/13/2018)

Plasch had inquired about a larger space at Hilldale Shopping Center, where she opened her 1,400-square-foot Mes Amis Boutique in 2015, but the shopping center's management said she wasn't meeting sales goals and terminated her lease two years early after she rejected a smaller, temporary location in the shopping center next to Macy's.

UPDATE. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Bucky's back and looking better than ever!

Photo by Retiring Guy

Original 6/14/2018 post, "Thoughts and prayers", starts here.

Photo by Retiring Guy

Get to know all 85 of the Bucky on Parade statues. (Wisconsin State Journal, 5/21/2018)

William Frederick (1924-2018) Warren High School class of 1942

Source: Warren Times Observer

1942 Dragon yearbook

William's high school activities:

Dragon (3, 4); Hi-Y (2, 3); Junior Shorthand Club (3); Band (2, 3, 4); Orchestra (4); Carnival (2, 3).

1967 Warren City Directory

Frederick William (Guyma) retd h477 Buchanan
Frederick William (Lois G) slsmn Armour & Co h2 Center

1983 Warren City Directory

Frederick Robt W & Judy; dispr Masterson Transfer r900 Follett Run
Frederick William & Lois (Photography by Frederick) h8 2d Av

The popularity of William as a baby name is graphed here. Let's take a look at daughter-in-law Noreen.

Source: Social Security Administration

Noreen had a relatively short and unexceptional run, her best years occuring during the mid-20th centuy. She peaked at #299 in 1948.

Other class of '42 members:

2017
Carl Russo. (11/1/2017)
Barbara Jane King Anundson. (9/5/2017)
Ray Devore. (6/4/2017)

2016
Phyllis Heald Albaugh. (12/11/2016)
Corynne Peterson Schumann. (7/22/2016)
Marjorie Gillett Larson. (7/21/2016)

2015
Robert Weidert. (8/25/2015)
Margaret Siefert Lane. (8/12/2015)
Richard Hause. (4/6/2015)

2014
Elizabeth Hottel Streich. (8/16/2014)

2013

Mary Hoskins. (10/12/2013)

Monday, June 25, 2018

Lazy reporting and even lazier editing (The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel edition)

Apparently, Trump has many reporters wrapped around his Twitter finger.

Pathetic Milwaukee Journal Sentinel screenshot

You'll find this background in the 30th paragraph of the article:

Last week, the European Union began rolling out tariffs on American imports including bourbon, peanut butter and orange juice. The EU tariffs on $3.4 billion worth of U.S. products are retaliation for duties Trump has imposed on European steel and aluminum.

Like the Trumpster said, "Trade wars are good and easy to win."

Related posts:
Get me rewrite: Trump flip-flops from trade war threats to concessions. (5/15/2018)
Trump, tariffs, and trade wars: Iowa's Joni Ernst talks about of both sides of her mouth. (4/3/2018)
This is the thanks that Iowa gets for voting for Donald Trump in 2016. (4/3/2018)
Greetings from Trump's America: Hamilton County, Iowa, where hog farmers are collateral damage in Trump trade war. (4/2/2018)]
Greetings from Trump's America: Lyon County, Iowa, where hog farmers are collateral damage in Trump trade war. (4/2/2018)
Greetings from Trump's America: Washington County, Iowa, where hog farmers are collateral damage in Trump trade war. (4/2/2018)
UPDATE. Trade wars are easy to win (The 'chicken wars" edition). (3/12/2018)
Greetings from Trump's America: Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, which has much to lose in a Trump trade war. (3/7/2018)
Uttered without a hint of irony. (3/6/2018)
Trump, tariffs and trade wars: Be careful what you wish for. (3/6/2018)
UPDATE. Donald Trump and his 'easy-to-win' trade war is a disaster-in-the-making for Harley-Davidson. (3/4/2018)
Will Donald Trump lose his edge in Manitowoc County with his 'easy-to-win' trade war? (3/4/2018)

For Donald Trump, it's all about the base

Photo by Retiring Guy

Read full article here

Trump’s Base: Broadly Speaking, Who Are They? (Verdict, 2/16/2018)

As best I can determine from the available material, and noted in the prior column, the Trump base has shrunk down to about 24 percent of those who voted for him or have spoken approvingly of him to pollsters. As professional Republican pollster Kristen Anderson reported: “It is around one in four [of people polled] who like his tweeting, like the insults,” which seems something of an index to Trump’s mind and actions.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

This week in the cereal (and cookie) aisle: New products with a cookie genealogy

Photos by Retiring Guy

Yes, the 70s were weird -- across the board.

Other weeks in the cereal aisle
2018
Still a little bit of shelf space provided for boxes of Big Biscuit Shredded Wheat. (4/3/2018)
Chocolate Frosted Flakes. (3/30/2018)
It's just peachy, part 2 (with probiotics). (3/26/2018)
It's just peachy (Cheerios). (3/25/2018)
Snap, Crackle and Pop shrug off competition from Fancy Friends Cereal Treats. (2/23/2018)
Lucky Charms wants you to have a daily dose of yellow 5 and blue 1. (3/9/2018)
The takeover of Mom. (3/1/2018)
Hoopla over rainbow marshmallows added to Lucky Charms. (2/22/2018)
Kellogg's Donut Shop in your choice of flavors. (2/14/2018)
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the shredded wheat go down. (2/6/2018)
General Mills offers yet another flavor of Cheerios -- chocolate and peanut butter. (1/30/2018)
I suspect this special edition Cocoa Puffs isn't exactly flying off the shelves. (1/16/2018)
What's really going on with this General Mills blend. (1/10/2018)
Giant size bargains to kick off the new year. (1/3/2018)

2017
Satisfy your craving for chocolate. (12/22/2017)
Pumpkin Spice runs amok. (11/7/2017)
Danger lurks. (11/2/2017)
Dan G. wets himself over Special K Blueberry with Lemon Clusters. (9/20/2017)
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)

2016
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)

Well, I hope you at least got a hernia for your efforts

Photo by Retiring Guy

Fee list source: City of Madison WI