Retiring Guy's Digest: 2023-02-26

Baby, scratch my back: Florida GOP governor Ron DeSantis math textbook ban is good thing for Virginia GOP governor Glenn Youngkin's bottom line. (4/26/2022)

It can happen here. (1/18/2022)

Ron DeSantis fiddles while Florida burns with the omicron variant. (1/10/2022)

2021

Florida as GOP wasteland. (12/26//2021)

Dear insane fuckup Ron DeSantis, Nobody should die from the virus due to heavy-handed anti-vax mandates from a crazed, power-mad governor. (11/24/2021)

Ron DeSantis fiddled while Florida burned with the delta variant, part 97. (12/21/2021)

Will the real Ron DeSantis please stand up. (11/6/2021)

Meet the University of Florida Board of Governors. (11/5/2021)

Delirium sets in at Florida capitol. (10/12/2021)

Thomas Sulo Jr. (1928-2023) Warren High School class of 1946

1946 Warren Dragon yearbook

Source: Warren Times Observer

Thomas's high school activities: none listed

1967 Warren City Directory

Sulo Tom T (Evelyn M) retired h1203 Madison Avenue

1983 Warren City Directory

Sulo Tom T (Evelyn M) retired h1203 Madison Avenue

The popularity of Thomas as a baby name is graphed here. Let's take a look at Chance.

Source: Social Security Administration

Chance traveled a bumpy road on his first 15 year on the chart. He got a big boost in 1984, making a huge leap from #555 to #249. He spent 27 consecutive years in the top 300 (1994-2020), peaking at #154 in 1996.

Other class of '46 graduates (32):
2022

Adele Erickson Tranter. (12.7)

John Nordin. (2/23)

2021

Jean Ryberg Yaegle. (5/10)

Frances Pulli Suppa. (3/30)

John Harrington. (2/10)

Elizabeth Manfrey Steinkamp. (2/9)

Barbara Benson Campbell. (2/8)

2020
Patricia Lawton Stanton (12/17)

Betty Mae Bliss Werner. (12/8)

Anita Cheronis Kettis. (9/12)

Donald Russell Johnson. (8/24)

Mamie Scalise Spear. (5/29)
Doris Jewell Vicini. (2/7)

2019
Gerald Nelson. (3/9)
Rachel Smith Robertson. (1/21)

2018
Neil Tucker. (3/28)
John Farrell. (3/25)
Beverly Adams. (2/28)

2017
Betty Smith Berry. (11/4)
Robert Gerardi. (10/15)
Edwin Streich. (9/3)
Mary Larsen Pierce Foley. (4/24)

2016
Ruth Figliuzzi.  (11/5)
Donna Mack Schuler.  (3/19)

2015
Carol Jean Niver Hampson.  (10/22)
Frank Marlett.  (9/13)
John Giltinan. (7/7)
Lela Nichols Akeley. (6/24)

2014
Ella Atwell Blum. (12/24)
Betty Carlson Johnson. (10/26)
H. Kent Peterson. (10/1)

Charles "Jim" Farrell (1927-2023) Warren High School class of 1945

1945 Warren Dragon yearbook

Source: Warren Times Observer

Joseph's high school activities:

Basketball (2, 3, 4); Boys' A. A. (2, 3, 4); Carnival, (2, 3); Class Officer (4); Commencement Usher (3); Dragon (4); Dramatic Club (4); German Club (2, 3); Hi-Y (2, 3, 4), Presidente (4); Junior Play; Lebewohl (2, 3); Senior Play; Standing Committee (2); Student Council (3, 4), Vice-President (3).

1967 Warren City Directory

1983 Warren City Directory

The popularity of Charles as a baby name is graphed here. Let's take a look at Owen.

Source: Social Security Administration

Owen has spent all but 3 years -- a late 60s/early 70s clump -- in the top half of the baby names chart. And he is currently kickin' butt, having spent the past 20 years in the top 100, peaking at #21 in 2019.

Other members of the class of 1945 (32):

2023

Joseph Constable (1/7)

2022

Joan Dobbs Lucia. (1/22)

Henry Allen Peterson. (1/6)

2021

Wilda English Rashid. (7/25)

Rhea Schmiedel Burleigh. (5/28)

Julana Hannold Hanson. (3/19)

Evelyn Wilson Pratz. (3/5)

2020
Roger Nuhfer. (12/15)

Helen Nyberg Clark. (2/2)

2019
Myron Sorenson. (9/8)
Paul Dickerson. (9/2)
Robert Uhr. (7/16)

2018
Glenn Slocum. (4/9)
Violet Bimber Kavinski. (1/25)

2017
Richard Peterson. (1/4)
Ruth Peterson Bennett. (11/5)
Jean Park Johnson. (10/23)
Marion Cook Klakamp. (3/30)
Raymon Billstone. (1/29)

2016
Barbara Coe Sly. (9/20)
Richard Olney. (7/4)
Robert Scalise. (3/21)
Doris Dinsmoor Lyle. (2/6)

2015
Mary Ann Masterson. (9/28)
Clara Gelotte Wooster. (7/19)
Dorothy Smith Bowser. (6/30)
Charles "Lindy" McConnell. (2/14)

2014
Ruth Campbell Freeman. (2/3)
Dixie Eaton Weldon. (1/25)

2013
Dorothy Kavinski Wycoff. (12/21)
Robert Hammerbeck. (12/14)

When was the last time any reporter checked the demographics of Chicago?

The only combining form of 'demo-' you'll find here is in the words 'Democratic', "Democrats', and 'Democrat'. 16 of 'em.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

New York Times, 3/1/2023

Now, an unanticipated mayoral runoff in the country’s third largest city between Paul Vallas, the white former Chicago public schools chief running as the tough-on-crime candidate, and Brandon Johnson, a Black, progressive Cook County commissioner questioning traditional methods of policing, will elevate public safety on the national stage and test how ugly the Democratic divide might get in a city known for bare-knuckled politics and racial division.
“Oh, it’s going to be good,” Christopher Z. Mooney, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said of the runoff contest, which will culminate on April 4. “It’s going to get pretty rancorous, and underlying all of it will be the racial subtext. ê

GET ME REWRITE: Iowa GOP fights crime and inflation with bill to ban same-sex marriage

Top headline: NBC, 10/16/2022

Bottom headline: USA Today, 3/1/2023

From USA Today:

The proposal comes amid a flurry of anti-LGBTQ bills authored by Iowa Republicans, including bathroom bills, gender identity, and banning gender-affirming care for minors. The onslaught mirrors actions taken by GOP lawmakers nationwide. [emphasis added]

Related posts:

Nationally

Presidential candidates

U.S. House of Representatives

Ohio

What is Ron DeSantis hiding?

Headlines from top to bottom:

Holocaust Encyclopedia

CNN, 5/6//2021

Alligator, 10/20/2022

New York Times, 2/10/2023

Dallas Morning News, 3/2/2023

Ron DeSantis gives the racist, homophobic Republican party just what it wants to hear. (3/1/2023)

Is America ready for a fascist president? Ron DeSantis thinks so. (Chapter 2) (2/28/2023)

Is America ready for a fascist president? Ron DeSantis thinks so. (Chapter 1, 2/27/2023)

Florida GOP fights crime and inflation by banning gender-affirming care for trans kids. (2/20)

This rabid, anti-education bully wants to be president of the United States. (2/15)

Florida GOP fights crime and inflation with fascism. (2/15/2023)

Let the 2024 election speculation begin: Will Ron DeSantis become Scott Walker 2.0? (2/9(

Boneheaded Florida Governor pushes racist agenda. (1/27/2023)

2022

MSM anoints Ron DeSantis as 2024 GOP frontrunner, ignores his consistently hellish behavior as elected official. (12/17/2022)

When it comes to the GOP attacking Black candidates, it's deja vu all over again. 11/11/2022)

Meet Ron DeSantis, Florida death merchant. (11/2/2022)

The two faces of Ron DeSantis. (9/29/2022)

What's wrong with this picture? (6/29/2022)

So this is the best the GOP has to offer (Death wish for American democracy). (6/23/2022)

Florida high school principal to senior class president: "Don't say gay!" (5/24/2022)

Baby, scratch my back: Florida GOP governor Ron DeSantis math textbook ban is good thing for Virginia GOP governor Glenn Youngkin's bottom line. (4/26/2022)

It can happen here. (1/18/2022)

Ron DeSantis fiddles while Florida burns with the omicron variant. (1/10/2022)

2021

Florida as GOP wasteland. (12/26//2021)

Dear insane fuckup Ron DeSantis, Nobody should die from the virus due to heavy-handed anti-vax mandates from a crazed, power-mad governor. (11/24/2021)

Ron DeSantis fiddled while Florida burned with the delta variant, part 97. (12/21/2021)

Will the real Ron DeSantis please stand up. (11/6/2021)

Meet the University of Florida Board of Governors. (11/5/2021)

Delirium sets in at Florida capitol. (10/12/2021)

GET ME REWRITE: Ron DeSantis rips page out of the Hitler playbook to attack his 'enemies of the state'

Headline top to bottom:
Facing History. 4/20/2022

Governor Ron DeSantis, 12/15/2021

CNN, 5/17/2022

NBC News, 6/2/2022
PBS New Hour, 1/23/2023

Is America ready for a fascist president? Ron DeSantis thinks so. (Chapter 2) (2/28/2023)

Is America ready for a fascist president? Ron DeSantis thinks so. (Chapter 1, 2/27/2023)

Florida GOP fights crime and inflation by banning gender-affirming care for trans kids. (2/20)

This rabid, anti-education bully wants to be president of the United States. (2/15)

Florida GOP fights crime and inflation with fascism. (2/15/2023)

Let the 2024 election speculation begin: Will Ron DeSantis become Scott Walker 2.0? (2/9(

Boneheaded Florida Governor pushes racist agenda. (1/27/2023)

2022

MSM anoints Ron DeSantis as 2024 GOP frontrunner, ignores his consistently hellish behavior as elected official. (12/17/2022)

When it comes to the GOP attacking Black candidates, it's deja vu all over again. 11/11/2022)

Meet Ron DeSantis, Florida death merchant. (11/2/2022)

The two faces of Ron DeSantis. (9/29/2022)

What's wrong with this picture? (6/29/2022)

So this is the best the GOP has to offer (Death wish for American democracy). (6/23/2022)

Florida high school principal to senior class president: "Don't say gay!" (5/24/2022)

Baby, scratch my back: Florida GOP governor Ron DeSantis math textbook ban is good thing for Virginia GOP governor Glenn Youngkin's bottom line. (4/26/2022)

It can happen here. (1/18/2022)

Ron DeSantis fiddles while Florida burns with the omicron variant. (1/10/2022)

2021

Florida as GOP wasteland. (12/26//2021)

Dear insane fuckup Ron DeSantis, Nobody should die from the virus due to heavy-handed anti-vax mandates from a crazed, power-mad governor. (11/24/2021)

Ron DeSantis fiddled while Florida burned with the delta variant, part 97. (12/21/2021)

Will the real Ron DeSantis please stand up. (11/6/2021)

Meet the University of Florida Board of Governors. (11/5/2021)

Delirium sets in at Florida capitol. (10/12/2021)

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Photos on this date from past years

2018: Wisconsin State Capitol

Photos by Retiring Guy

2018: Section of 1958 City of Madison map in Madison Central Library collection, showing the following neighborhoods (starting clockwise at 12 noon):

Yeah, not much development on Mineral Point Road west of Midvale Boulevard.

2022: Received this gen of a family from a second cousin with whom I had recently connected.

Left to right: Great-grandfather August Luthgren, great-grandmother Jennie Luthgren,

great-uncle Oscar Luthgren, grandfather Adolph Luthgren

(photo taken in late 1890s)

Related posts:

Meet Paul Ryan: Fox shill, GOP hypocrite, major-league phony, board of directors whore

Whore as defined in sense 4.

Fox Corporation Board of Directors

The Bulwark, 228/2023

Charlie Sykes calls him out for his hypocrisy.

The court filings show that Ryan played an active and vocal role behind the scenes, urging the Murdochs to push back against the flood of election lies on the network.\

But he remains on the Fox board, even though the network continues to push baseless conspiracy theories about the election and January 6th.

And how does Ryan respond when Sykes pushes him on this point?

He shills. He shows his true colors. He shreds whatever is left of his reputation as a policy wonk. He pimps the Fox News line-up.

So, the board, you don't decide content and personnel you don't decide who goes on the air, who doesn't, what they say, that's not what you do on the board. I mean, it's a big company….You’re probably ask me why I'm on the board. I think that's probably where you're going next. I think it's really important in society, that we have strong cultural, private institutions that can stand up toward what I would call it sort of a woke conformity. I think it's really important for the sake of pluralism that you have alternative voices that are readily accessible and are strong enough to stand up for for pluralism then get sort of pushed down. So, if only for that reason alone, I think it's very important to have an institution like that.

Yup, it's important to have an 'institution' like Fox News to lie to its viewers, to give them what they want to hear so they don't go running and screaming into the arms of Newsmax and OAN.

Paul Ryan in Trump lapdog mode again. (9/14/2018)

Paul Ryan, obedient lapdog to the rich and powerful, tries to sell middle class a bill of goods. (11/25/2017)

The lapdog chronicles: House Speaker Paul Ryan content to eschew leadership, prop up Trump on Obamacare. (10/17/2017)

The lapdog chronicles: House Speaker Paul Ryan content to eschew leadership, remain Trump's pet . (10/17/2017)

With its population in decline and its residents aging, Warren County Pennsylvania finds it increasingly challenging to support 4 high schools

Which translates into tough decision for members of the Warren County School District.

Photos: Warren County School District

Warren Times Observer, 2/28/2023

More than 100 people attended Monday night’s school board committee meetings.
The board reconfigured its meeting space to allow more people into that room and provided a room for overflow seating nearby.
Many of the 60 visitors in the meeting room wore clothing showing their colors – Sheffield and Youngsville garb were scattered throughout.
A few people spoke, directly addressing the board’s stated interest in reconfiguring its schools.

The population of Warren County has declined 19% to 38,587 since its 1970 peak of 47,682.

Source: Wikipedia

The population of the Borough of Youngsville has declined 23% to 1,711 since its 1960 peak of 2,211.

Source: Wikipedia

At the end of the 2004-2005, WCSD closed the remaining elementary schools in Warren and North Warren and opened a consolidation Warren Area Elementary Center in September.

Warren County School District

Of the schools pictured here, Market Street was repurposed while the Home Street and North Warren schools were demolished. As for Jefferson, the school Retiring Guy attending from 2nd through 6th grades, the building has remained empty since 2005.

2022

Photos by Retiring Guy

2021

2016

And then there are these gems from 2008.

Ron DeSantis gives the racist, homophobic Republican party just what it wants to hear

Headline: Truthout, 2/28/2023

Photo: Wikipedia

Related posts:

Is America ready for a fascist president? Ron DeSantis thinks so. (Chapter 2) (2/28/2023)

Is America ready for a fascist president? Ron DeSantis thinks so. (Chapter 1, 2/27/2023)

Florida GOP fights crime and inflation by banning gender-affirming care for trans kids. (2/20)

This rabid, anti-education bully wants to be president of the United States. (2/15)

Florida GOP fights crime and inflation with fascism. (2/15/2023)

Let the 2024 election speculation begin: Will Ron DeSantis become Scott Walker 2.0? (2/9(

Boneheaded Florida Governor pushes racist agenda. (1/27/2023)

2022

MSM anoints Ron DeSantis as 2024 GOP frontrunner, ignores his consistently hellish behavior as elected official. (12/17/2022)

When it comes to the GOP attacking Black candidates, it's deja vu all over again. 11/11/2022)

Meet Ron DeSantis, Florida death merchant. (11/2/2022)

The two faces of Ron DeSantis. (9/29/2022)

What's wrong with this picture? (6/29/2022)

So this is the best the GOP has to offer (Death wish for American democracy). (6/23/2022)

Florida high school principal to senior class president: "Don't say gay!" (5/24/2022)

Baby, scratch my back: Florida GOP governor Ron DeSantis math textbook ban is good thing for Virginia GOP governor Glenn Youngkin's bottom line. (4/26/2022)

It can happen here. (1/18/2022)

Ron DeSantis fiddles while Florida burns with the omicron variant. (1/10/2022)

2021

Florida as GOP wasteland. (12/26//2021)

Dear insane fuckup Ron DeSantis, Nobody should die from the virus due to heavy-handed anti-vax mandates from a crazed, power-mad governor. (11/24/2021)

Ron DeSantis fiddled while Florida burned with the delta variant, part 97. (12/21/2021)

Will the real Ron DeSantis please stand up. (11/6/2021)

Meet the University of Florida Board of Governors. (11/5/2021)

Delirium sets in at Florida capitol. (10/12/2021)

It's 2023 and we still have headlines like this in the USA

Headline and graphs: Governing, 3/1/2023

There’s no doubt that homeownership is a primary driver of wealth. When equity is taken into account, Census Bureau data shows that the median net worth of American homeowners is almost 75 times greater than that of renters.

In 1968, the Fair Housing Act outlawed discriminatory practices such as redlining and covenants forbidding Black ownership of homes in white neighborhoods. Despite this, the gap between Black and white homeownership rates in 2022 (29 percent) was wider than it had been in 1960 (27 percent). [emphasis added]

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Dear Republican Party of Dane County, Dane County has been lost territory for Republicans for years. Best, Retiring Guy

Source: Wikipedia

Headline: Wisconsin State Journal, 2/28/2023

Speaking with conservative radio host Vicki McKenna on Monday, Maly attributed his victory to growing frustrations within the party over low overall turnout among Dane County conservatives in recent elections. Maly said the county party needs to find a way to better drum up GOP votes in the Madison area and show that "Dane County is not going to be lost territory for Republicans any longer."
Maly, who has worked for Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group founded by election denier Charlie Kirk that organizes young voters, pointed to the Feb. 21 spring primary in which the two conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates on the ballot, Jennifer Dorow and Dan Kelly, brought in a combined 17.4% of votes cast in the county.

The last time a Republican won Dane County in a presidential race was in 1956.

Tim Michels won just 2 Dane County municipalities in the 2022 gubernatorial election:

Town of Dane (57.9%)
Town of Medina (51.2%)

Percentage-wise, Dane County Republicans had their worst showing ever in a presidential election: 22.86% of the vote.

GET ME REWRITE: 24 years later, Baton Rouge has transformed its downtown

This is now

Photos: Downtown Development District

That was then: New York Times, 10/24/1999

Related posts:

California

24 years later, Silicon Valley commuter traffic is still a nightmare. (1/17/2023)

24 years later, the way to San Jose's downtown revival remains elusive. (2/16/2023)

24 years later, Laguna Woods California still has no shortage of elders. (2/16/2023)

Colorado

24 years later, ski season traffic jams are still a headache in Colorado. (2/16/2023)

24 years later, Vail Colorado still determined to keep out the riffraff. (2/15/2023)

Florida

24 years later, Disney's master planned community of Celebration Florida has problems just like everywhere else. (2/27/2023)

24 years later, Virginia Key, once Dade County's only beach for Blacks, has been preserved and is on the National Register of Historic Places. (2/25/2023)

24 years later, Florida learns that stricter building codes make a difference during a hurricane. (2/20/2023)

24 years later, Key West Florida has finally addressed its sewage problem. (2/19/2023)

24 years later, illegal dumping is still a big problem in Miami. (2/19/2023)

24 years later, fences dramatically reduce suicides at Florida's Sunshine Skyway Bridge . (2/18/2023)

24 years later, Miami is one of the worst cities in the world for traffic congestion. (2/18/2023)

Georgia

24 years later, Metro Atlanta's sprawl creeps toward Charlotte and Chattanooga. (2/21/2023)

24 years later, population of Georgia's Forsyth County has increased 155% since 2000 census. (2/21/2023)

Illinois

24 years later, the population of Monroe County Illinois increased 26% and the number of farms has stabilized. (3/24/2023)

24 years later, Downers Grove Illinois has a revitalized downtown. *2/24/2023)

24 years later, 33.6% of Huntley Illinois residents are 65 and older. (2/24/2023)