FREE WHITEWATER

Monthly Archives: August 2007

Cartoons & Comics

Friday Cartoon Feature

by  • 

Here’s a new, Friday-morning feature from FREE WHITEWATER. It’s not specific to Whitewater, but I think that it will be enjoyable nonetheless. There are many funny, captivating public domain cartoons from America’s early animators. I thought that I might include a weekly clip to a cartoon or comic strip from one of them, to end the week.

This week’s clip is a 1945 Looney Tunes cartoon, Hare Conditioned, starring Bugs Bunny as a department store employee. I’ve seen it several times, and it holds up for me. (I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing cartoons like this in a movie theater, as Americans did when the cartoon was first released.) It’s directed by Chuck Jones, story by Tedd Pierce, with Mel Blanc providing the voice of Bugs. Quick Trivia: Tedd — who was both a writer and voice artist — added an extra ‘d’ to his name in response to a colleague who spelled his own name ‘Bil’ using only one ‘l.’

Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYb9el12YZQ more >>

City, Inbox Reader Mail, Review

City of Whitewater Website Review: Reply and Thoughts

by  • 

I arrived home late last night to the city, but wanted to post quickly this morning excerpts from an email that I received from Tim Nobling, Whitewater’s Information Technology Administrator. The use of excerpts is intended solely to convey the meaning of the email, while making this post manageable to read. The email in black, my remarks in blue.

Good evening. I am the Information Technology Administrator for the City of Whitewater. I was forwarded an email with a link to your suggestions in regards to our City’s redesigned website. You offer some very good suggestions in regards to the website. Please note that I am not a web designer by trade, it just happens to fall under the responsibilities of my title (I believe it is the ever popular “other” category that is very prevalent in many job descriptions). That being said, I am encouraged with the feedback I have received from the community (good and bad) and look forward to input from everyone on making the City’s website better….I have listed your suggestions, and my responses follow.

Calendar….[where I suggested a calendar for the city website]….Meetings used to be on the first page at the bottom on the old site, and were moved to the Public Service announcements of the new one. I have received a few emails asking that they be moved back, and have done so. I have also added a quick link to the appropriate agenda next to the individual meeting (if I have had the agenda sent to me). There is no reason I cannot have the meetings for the entire month listed, so I will have to look into getting a listing of the monthly confirmed meetings. Agendas will be a bit trickier to post so far in advance as they tend to evolve quite a bit up until a week before the meeting….

Calendars are probably a matter of personal taste. While you have a nicely formatted calendar on your site, you can see that only three out of 30 days are actually linked to something currently. I know this will fill up as your calendar expands…. If you visit the Special Events page, (For Residents/Special Events) you will see a calendar of events by month beginning to populate as I receive the event ….

Disclaimers….[on the idea that disclaimers were displayed too prominently on the city’s splash page]….This has been changed (it was on the original site as a PDF as well). While I haven’t had anyone mention this specifically, this was done because of the complete site overhaul. For a visitor that was used to the look of the old site, the new site was probably so drastically different, he/she might wonder if they went to the correct site. I wanted to make sure for the first couple of weeks the disclaimer was in plain text and the Adobe Acrobat Reader was not needed to read it. It may seem like silly logic to some, but you may be surprised how many bases I need to cover when maintaining information for a government agency. Needless to say, it is indeed a nice small disclaimer once again.

Translations…. [on the suggestion of adding a translation tool to the city website]….This is something I am researching but have not had the opportunity to spend a lot of time on. It is a great idea, and one that will be acted upon (no time frame given yet). Google is a very simple solution and seems to be fairly effective. As you have stated on your site though, it is a “loose translation”. I feel it is fairly accurate, but not accurate enough to use as a tool on our website. Websites can be viewed as official documents, and I would hate to see Google translate something into an un-intended meaning. (That wouldn’t be good for anyone) I may be able to write a disclaimer about the accuracy and utilize a tool like Google or Babelfish, but I would prefer it be an accurate translation.

I appreciate your feedback on the new website, in fact I appreciate everyone’s feedback on the website. I appreciate the time you took to review the new site, and encourage others to do the same. The one thing I would ask though, (for you and for everyone) is that you email me with revisions, errors, suggestions, etc. directly. I am not saying “don’t place suggestions on your site”, but if I wasn’t forwarded the link to the suggestions, I probably wouldn’t have seen them to review them. You can always email directly at tnobling@ci.whitewater.wi.us or use the webmaster@ci.whitewater.us. Both of them come directly to me, and I try respond to website emails within 24 hours upon receipt. Customer service is a very important process and one that I take very seriously….

Just some more number facts about the website currently- There are 4,299 total links on our website (internal, external, etc.). There are 177 pages….

Regards,

Tim Nobling MCP, MCSA, Security +
Information Technology Administrator
City Of Whitewater

Adams: I appreciate your email reply to my review. Thanks for looking into my small suggestions, and the likely far better suggestions of others. As I noted in my review, the new city site is significantly more attractive than the previous one, with features that the old one never had.

I try to confine most — if not all — of my writing to this website itself, to avoid side conversations via email of which readers would be unaware. In my eyes, every post is a small, simple public message: some posts are like editorials, and some are reviews, as is true for many blogs. Your suggestion of both posting here and sending an email simultaneously for a specific suggestion is a good one, as it preserves the public nature of a blog while assuring the suggestion/message gets to the right person. (For many posts, that are commentary only, there’s no single recipient implied; the post is just a public message, like an editorial.)

The listing of the disclaimers through a single hyperlink, and the listing of events on the main page, are easier — as you write — than a formatted calendar. My calendar will probably never have more than several events each month, as I will select only what I wish to write about as the focus of the FREE WHITEWATER site. A listing works just as well, if not better, than a calendar for the city’s more exhaustive schedule.

Translations, as you note, are the hardest of all. Our city’s demographic will not fundamentally change, and we will find many of our fellow residents will need some sort of language translation. The suggestion is easier than the effort, but as you mention, the effort is a worthy one.

Again, thanks for your comments, and reply.

Adams

City, Review

Review: The City of Whitewater’s New Website

by  • 

Whitewater has a new municipal website, available at http://www.ci.whitewater.wi.us/. There are both strengths and weaknesses to the site, as with any site, but I’ll start with what’s appealing about the site, and offer a few suggestions thereafter.

The new website displays a clean, attractive look. It’s a more polished, business-standard website than the previous version. Surfers who visit lots of sites will find this website appealing; it looks like the websites of many major corporations and organizations. (Gone, thankfully, is the Comic Sans font used on the old website, a font unsuitable for a city website, but great for a child’s party invitation.)

There is a good deal of information available – contacts, department organizational charts, publications, etc. It takes time to put up that much information, but it now seems to be linked through the new website. The site has links to departments, government meetings, a citizen request center, and the local municipal code, among other features.

I have three quick, easy suggestions:

Disclaimers. One of the most unusual aspects of the new website is the overly-prominent use of disclaimers on the main page. I am not opposed to disclaimers, but their presence on so much of the main page is unexpected, unnecessary, and unfriendly.

Of the words on the main page of the city’s website, 382 involve disclaimers, terms, conditions, etc. By contrast, the city manager’s message of introduction is only 216 words long.

I wrote that this was unexpected. It certainly is. Consider the links, immediately below, to other municipal websites, in Wisconsin, and across the nation. Not one of them has as prominent — as obtrusive — a disclaimer as we do.

City of Fort Atkinson
City of Jefferson
City of Elkhorn
City of Janesville
City of Milwaukeee
City of Madison
City of La Crosse
City of Chicago
City of Minneapolis
City of Houston
City of Boston

It’s unnecessary that our city’s disclaimers should take up so much space; not one of the other municipalities’ sites to which I have linked feels a similar need. Those other cities place the disclaimers, terms, etc. under a single hyperlink (typically “Terms and Conditions, etc.”) to a secondary page. We are at no greater risk than the clever and serious people who run all these other cities. There’s no reason to believe that they are all wrong about their understated display of disclaimers, and that we are right about our obtrusive display.

The overly-prominent disclaimers on our website are unfriendly, and reveal a skittish, defensive, standoffish view of the world. We should be more open and welcoming to visitors to our site. Our first words should not include so many words of caution.

Consider a man on a date with an attractive woman. Having talked with her many times, and after taking her out for dinner and a movie, he takes her back to her apartment. There, on her front steps, he has the occasion to kiss her goodnight. He surmises, correctly, that she would welcome a kiss. What should he do? He might, of course, reach out, tilt her chin ever so slightly, and kiss her as the end of a wonderful evening.

What if, by contrast, as she waited for his touch, he instead produced a detailed document for her review, enumerating the terms, conditions, and disclaimers to govern any future affection between them?

We will not turn visitors into residents by an overly-prominent use of disclaimers, conditions of use, and terms and conditions. Let’s be friendly and welcoming, and place those full passages on another page, accessible through a hyperlink.

Translations. We have a fair number of Spanish speaking residents in our community. Some municipal websites place a link on their pages, where English can be translated into Spanish automatically. Among those city webpages is the one for the City of Minneapolis. (Using a different translation program from Google’s.)

I have a link like this on FREE WHITEWATER, too. You’ll find it in the right hand sidebar, with links to Spanish (and French!), for automatic translations of pages that I have written in English. The link uses the translation tools from the fine people at Google, Inc. Anyone can use a tool like that, so why shouldn’t Whitewater? The city’s webpages would be in English, but could be translated by the click of a button into other languages for those who wanted vital city information in another language. Only the people who wanted another language would see the page in that other language. (I know – and you know – that it won’t always be a completely accurate translation. The best is the enemy of the good; if you’re waiting cautiously for perfection, afraid of any venture that’s not sanitized and wholly antiseptic, you’ll accomplish nothing.)

Some want to trumpet outreach efforts – here’s an easy way to make good on those promises.

Calendar. How about a calendar on the main page with a listing of upcoming public meetings? It’s easy to do – there’s one on this website. A reader could select a day, and on that day, could see what public meetings are taking place, when and where. (I have listed ones that interest me on my site, but someone could add a comprehensive listing on the city’s website.)

Over at the FREE WHITEWATER Design Labs™, these features have already been deployed. (The Design Labs are, by way of description, located in my office, and have a staff of one: yours truly.) This site has permanent links, photos, a reader mail feature, ‘email-this-post’ links, an archive, translation tools, and an events calendar.

I’m not – of course — really the designer of any of these tools; they’re freely available as open source programs for use on websites anywhere. All that I have done is add them to the FREE WHITEWATER site, and tweaked a bit of code to make them work. The City of Whitewater, and lots of people in town, could easily do far better than I have done.

Why not try some of these suggestions?

City, Review

Review: Wal-Mart No. 1274

by  • 

Why not branch out a bit, and review places and events in town? I have no experience as a critic, but I am a consumer, and consumers make market choices all the time, so why not?

We have a Discount City Wal-Mart in town, and for many of us, it’s a great convenience. The increase in store hours a few months ago has made the Wal-Mart even more convenient. It carries many of the ordinary items that a person might need, at prices that are usually low. Wal-Mart – nationally – is controversial, I know, but I’ve no interest in wading into that nationwide battle. There are plenty of sites on the web that present the benefits and detriments of Wal-Mart, Inc. My review is of Wal-Mart 1274 only.

Our Wal-Mart is a smaller sized Discount City, with less floor space than the Super Wal-Mart now in Janesvillle, and the one to be built near Jefferson. Wal-Mart does not expand the size of an existing store to make it a Super Wal-Mart; they leave the old property, and build a new, larger store nearby (as they have done in both Lake Geneva and Janesville.) I see no reason to think that we will get a larger Wal-Mart in Whitewater anytime soon.

Store 1274:

A retail store’s not just a place for selling goods; it’s a place where people work selling goods. Starting with the workforce is as good a place to begin a review as any other. Wal-Mart doesn’t pretend that it’s a full-service retail store, where obliging associates rush to meet your every need. It’s Discount City, not Tiffany’s. Still, the combination of college students, middle-aged workers, and retirees does a good job when asked, with a few exceptions. The only disappointing experiences that I have had at Wal-Mart 1274 have been with two cranky senior citizen workers.

There’s a Dennis Miller joke that people who work, and shop, at Wal-Mart are disproportionately overweight. I don’t find that true of our Wal-Mart, but that sort of jibe must be galling to Wal-Mart, and they have over the years tried to become more trendy, to attract the style-conscious customers that Target attracts.

Staffing’s not always the best, however, at Wal-Mart 1274. Sometimes the registers seem understaffed. That’s not an associate’s problem, but a management problem.

What’s most interesting to me about our Wal-Mart is how it affects nearby businesses. (In neighboring Jefferson, residents fought a years-long battle over a Super Wal-Mart, with those in favor finally prevailing. Much of the concern addresses whether Wal-Mart would harm small, independent businesses.)

One of the readers of this site, wrote in recently about our downtown area that, “Experience establishes that an enterprise most likely to succeed in a decaying downtown environment is a “niche” business provided, of course, that the costs of purchase or tenancy are reasonable.”

That seems right. A coffee shop, hot dog vendor, or restaurant is beyond Wal-Mart’s competition. Even two local pharmacists have survived, although almost certainly with supplemental sources of income (likely from rental property). A conventional five-and-dime, however, wouldn’t likely long survive.

What of the grocery business? It’s an area where local Wal-Mart 1274 has expanded, with nearly double the shelf space for foodstuffs of a year ago. Without the floor space of a Super Wal-Mart, I am not sure how much space Wal-Mart can devote to groceries, but if Store 1274 could add more, it could sell more.

Wal-Mart must place considerable market pressure on our Sentry. The addition of beer at the Wal-Mart will be another point of competition with Sentry and local liquor stores. For consumers, it’s a recipe for lower prices, or better selection (as competitors of Wal-Mart move to distinguish themselves, for example, with more exotic brands).

Are the soon-to-open Red Onion, and the Malone meat market, selling perishables because the want to, need to, or both? Both, I’d say. There’s room to walk around Wal-Mart, and our city can support many specialized retailers that can operate in that space past Wal-Mart’s reach.

There’s nothing elegant about Wal-Mart, and Wal-Mart wouldn’t expect there to be. Without this general merchandising retailer, however, our small town would likely have fewer items for sale, stocked less frequently, and priced above Wal-Mart’s prices. A few cranky senior citizen workers are not enough to disturb the benefits of Wal-Mart’s ready stock at low prices.

City

Tips for Meetings

by  • 

I wrote last week about the atmosphere of a recent Common Council meeting, in a post called, “Tax Incremental Financing, Part 3: The Mood of It All.” Everyone who has been to a public or private meeting has a few tips for making the most out of the event. A reader asked me recently if I had ever been on a public board or commission, and the answer is that I have. Someone in that situation, or anyone on a private charitable or corporate committee, has a few ideas about how to be effective. Here are mine, addressed from a man’s point-of-view, as you’ll see.

1. Go to listen. Presume people are clever, interesting, with something to say. Most of them are; listen to their opinions.

2. Have a position or philosophy to guide you. What do you believe your city, charity, or corporation needs? Try to summarize your core beliefs. More spending, less spending, rational principles, ad hoc pragmatism: what’s your fundamental perspective? It helps if people can easily summarize your views, and can describe those views to others.

3. Avoid direct, personal confrontations. A few questions, or remarks by reply, are often more effective than a direct, boorish assault. You needn’t ‘win.’ It’s enough to get your point across.

4. Treat women respectfully, as you should in any event. Sometimes men, even younger ones, have trouble treating women respectfully during discussions or debates. It’s rare, but it happens. If you have this sort of problem, stay out of public life until you get the private help that you need. No one will like, respect, or listen to you if you mistreat women. The world is filled with countless intelligent, knowledgeable women. Everybody except a buffoon understands this to be true.

Don’t be overly solicitous, either. Just speak as you would normally, to anyone. Avoid odd and unfortunate references to how attractive a woman is, although she may be lovely. Many women are both intelligent and beautiful. Your wife is surely no less so; go home to her.

5. Don’t cram. Cramming may have worked in college, but it seldom works so well as a thorough, deliberate preparation with time to reflect on one’s opinions, and to consider the contrary opinions of others. Finish preparation for a meeting two nights’ time in advance. Spend the night before with your wife and kids, or out on a date, or just watching television. You are part of the meeting, not its servant.

6. Arrive on time, but not too early. There’s no sense sitting around, possibly becoming anxious, while staring at the four walls.

7. Dress conservatively. You’re there to represent your judgment, and that of your fellow citizens, not to attract attention with fluorescent colors or revealing attire. For cologne, perfume, and jewelry, less is more.

8. Dress effectively and comfortably. If you’re too warm, too cold, or your clothes are too tight, you’ll be distracted from the only important part of a meeting – hearing what people have to say, and representing your own views when appropriate.

9. If possible, change clothes for the evening. You’ve worked all day, and you’re tired. Sometimes small physical changes have a big psychological value. A fresh shirt, a chance to shave before the evening meeting – there’s a way in which these seemingly common acts work a powerful effect to rejuvenate an otherwise tired, citizen-volunteer.

10. Drinking (moderately) before a meeting? That’s challenging. A man should never drink to excess. The best way to avoid that embarrassing situation is not to drink at all. Wait until the meeting is over.

11. Drinking (moderately) after a meeting? Enjoy.

12. Acknowledge your own silly mistakes; avoid drawing attention to the silly mistakes of others. There’s a difference between a significant error of position and a silly mistake. People fumble occasionally, this being an imperfect world. Don’t try to capitalize on trivial errors and mistakes. If you believe an error has a deeper meaning, then say so. Otherwise, recognize that small errors are not targets of opportunity. When you make a mistake – and you will – admit it, and do so honestly, without excuses. Self-deprecating humor is often effective, if used sparingly, and with a true sense of humility.

13. Don’t be shocked easily. Suppose, for example, someone nearby starts telling a suggestive limerick. If he’s an opponent, for goodness’ sake don’t interrupt him; let him tell the entire, ribald rhyme. He’ll do himself more damage by finishing than you can do by interrupting him with a rebuke. Someone else is likely to rebuke him, in any event, and that’s your opportunity for a sympathetic glance toward those who were offended. If he’s an ally (and if you need him as an ally), then a mild word of caution may be in order. (Most of these unfortunate moments transpire in smaller gatherings, before or after a meeting, and away from television cameras and reporters.)

There’s one set of statements, however, that require a more direct response: racial or religious bigotry. Still, do not show surprise or shock – show calm disdain and disagreement. Don’t raise your voice. Be firm, clear, and direct – those views are inconsistent with the deepest traditions of this country. If a person shows genuine contrition, accept his apology.

Beautiful Whitewater, City

Build a Good Building — Wednesday, August 15th

by  • 

I received a notice yesterday about a Stone Stable Work & Pizza party, to be held on Wednesday, August 15th.

Here’s the notice, with all the information volunteers will need to help with this fine effort.

Please join us for a Work & Pizza Party at the Stone Stable Rebuilding Site on Wed. Aug. 15 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. All are welcome.

Pizza and beverages will be provided. Many thanks to Toppers Pizza and Sentry Food Store!

Much work has been accomplished already in sorting, brushing and stacking the stones on pallets. You can do the heavy lifting or you can brush off smaller stones. All are welcome. A water bottle, sturdy shoes, gloves, sun hat and eye protection are recommended. Safety First.

Questions, contact: Kristine Zaballos
Volunteer coordinator 473-9822
zaballos@charter.net

I’ve posted previously on the stone stable project, and that post, “Beautiful Whitewater: The Stone Stable,” includes interesting historical information about the stable that those working on the project have gathered.

Inbox Reader Mail

Inbox: Reader Mail — Immigrants

by  • 

Here’s an email from Tippecanoe, a resident of Whitewater, about the matter of immigration. First his message, and then my reply thereafter. His words in black, mine in blue:

Dear John,

I have been following your site with great interest. Although I don’t always agree with you, I think you have summed up a couple of local issues quite accurately. I am not familiar with details of the police investigations or the Star Packaging raid, but I do have one comment. It is my understanding that the arrests made were of “illegal” immigrants – not immigrants. I do not have any objection to the Hispanic population moving to America. Maybe the focus should be on helping the illegal immigrants to become legal immigrants.

Tippecanoe

Adams: Yes, you’re surely right that there is a distinction under the law between legal and illegal immigrants. I believe, with the Star Packaging surely closing, that the effort did not justify the expense, so to speak.

The raid is now portrayed — as you have sensibly mentioned it, as an immigration matter. That’s the primary take that the Daily Union, The Week, and Janesville Gazette all took on the one-year anniversary of the raid. What of identity theft? The raid was bad for the city, but the Whitewater police, I believe, damaged the reputation of our town, and have strained believability by insisting that it was an identity theft matter. (The Identity Theft Excuse.)

For all their efforts to make it otherwise, the raid looks to most people like an immigration matter, directed disproportionately at one group. (How to explain the odd — truly odd — former, but now discarded, Whitewater police practice of asking for Social Security numbers from drivers who were pulled over. In my whole life, I have never met a white person — and I’m white — asked that question. I’m sure that I’d be too busy laughing to answer.)

They’ve made a hash of the public relations on a matter that was, as I see it, bad already. Honesty and contrition would have worked better. There are few in private industry who have so bungled a public relations effort and still kept their jobs.

Thanks much for writing. Best wishes to you, and on those occasions, Tippecanoe, when you might be asked to speak in public, I suggest you bundle up, lest you find yourself in the regrettable circumstances of the politician who made your name popular.

Best regards,

Adams

Inbox Reader Mail

Inbox: Reader Mail — A Question for You, Too

by  • 

I received an email from a resident of Whitewater, much active in public life. Here’s her message (but not her name), and then my reply thereafter. Her words in black, mine in blue:

“a question for you”

Good stuff – glad you are writing what you think, and that you write so well.  Meanwhile, have you done anything, other than writing about it, to change things? Have you ever sat on a board or commission, or attended a council or plan board or CDA meeting and stood up and made your objections?  I have, and sometimes (granted, not always) it’s made a difference.  If you haven’t, I hope you will, because in the right venue your ideas could be more than just entertaining.

Thanks. 

Adams: My pleasure. I have the advantage over you, don’t I?  We’ve met before, but only I am aware that we have.  I’ll ask you a question, in a moment.

I am, as I have written, a common man, citizen, resident, and property owner, who by accident and circumstance began writing about life in our small town.  My website was unplanned, and if someone had asked me six months ago if I would write even a single word about our city, I would have found the idea surprising and improbable. Yet, here I am, writing back to you.

I have lived in this town for so many years, and have served on a public board. I am currently an active member of a community group in town. I never sought a political role, nor aspired to public notice.  I was contented — as I am no less now — to walk through my threshold each evening, to my family. As I write to you tonight, at my desk, computer in front of me, books around me, I have every reason to be thankful. By some lights, I should be one of the strongest supporters of the status quo. Over time, however, I grew increasingly doubtful of some of the things those in public life told us. Some of it strained, and ultimately snapped, credulity. Some of their explanations were so obviously false it seemed as though they were things only an adolescent would say.

I started writing, and here we are, you and I.

I have a question for you, too.

Why don’t you join me? I have done some (only some) of what you have done; why don’t you try what some of what I’m doing? I don’t mean that you should or would share my opinions — I hardly expect uniformity of opinion. A few clicks on a keyboard, and you could easily find yourself with your own website that could tell your fellow residents what you thought about things. It’s easy to start a website, and you possess already ample dedication to our city. Stretch out your fingers across the keyboard, and tell us more. There’s a lot we could learn from you as a publisher.

I hope you will, because with the right website, your ideas could be more than just “sometimes (granted not always)” effective.

Cheers.