Tuesday, September 12th at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of Asteroid City @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:
Comedy/Drama/Romance
Rated PG-13
1 hour, 45 minutes (2023)
Written and directed by Wes Anderson (“Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “French Dispatch”), this esoteric film features an ensemble cast including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Ed Norton and Willem Dafoe. A family of astronomy fans travels to a youth stargazing event in Asteroid City. Quirky, odd and fun
There’s good news from Alaska, as indoor-outdoor cat Leo, whose house fell into a river, survived the calamity and returned to his family twenty-six days later:
Thursday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 68. Sunrise is 6:26 AM and sunset 7:18 PM for 12h 51m 44s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 43.3% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1940, the German Luftwaffe begins the Blitz, bombing London and other British cities for over 50 consecutive nights.
If Entitlement Doesn’t Recognize Limits (and it doesn’t), then overreach is its practical problem. Not knowing what it doesn’t know, and overestimating what it does know, entitlement finds itself in the situation of an overweight German boy who leans too far over a chocolate river:
Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with occasional drizzle and a high of 81. Sunrise is 6:25 AM and sunset 7:20 PM for 12h 54m 33s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 53.6% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1803, British scientist John Dalton begins using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements.
Entitlement, the feeling of a person or group that it is owed special status and privileges, grows stronger while it remains unchecked. After a while, it becomes impossible for that person or group to imagine any other perspective.
So, over a generation, a small faction of residents (e.g., bankers, landlords, public relations men) may come to believe that a community of many thousands revolves around and serves only the needs of that faction. Appeals issued to others to serve the faction’s bidding are simply pretexts to attract a few dupes, pigeons, marks, or stooges. The most deluded of those outside the faction think that they’re inside.
Some of this peripheral ilk will speak with a devotion about those men as intense as a normal person’s devotion to God, family, or country. Watching a few local politicians of this type, this libertarian blogger is surprised that they don’t genuflect upon seeing a landlord, banker, or public relations man walk by. Perhaps they do, and I’ve not noticed.
(In my case, I worship with a progressive Episcopal parish that uses an Anglo-Catholic liturgy. Something of left and right, so to speak. In that tradition, parishioners genuflect, for example, to honor the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I’d teach these local sycophants how to bend their knees if it didn’t seem so irreverent to me to do so in ordinary affairs.)
Tuesday in Whitewater will be mostly cloudy with a high of 88. Sunrise is 6:24 AM and sunset 7:21 PM for 12h 57m 24s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 63.9% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1905, the Russo-Japanese War ends with the Treaty of Portsmouth, mediated by President Theodore Roosevelt (Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts).
Whitewater has a school district and a city government, each governed through boards of seven elected residents, and each bound by law and their own policies. To govern well, these elected representatives need something else to guide them: an understanding of their primary obligations.
For the school district, the primary obligation is obviously internal: students (responsible to their parents) and those who teach them. Others (residents who are non-students and non-parents) matter, but only secondarily. How are children learning, feeling, and experiencing their scholastic environment? It simply cannot be the case that non-students and non-parents matter as much as children, parents, and faculty within the district. To give everyone equal time and attention would mean insufficient attention to those who are the key subjects of the district.
This perspective is so important and should be so obvious that those who do not grasp it require, themselves, a remedial education.
For the district:those inside the district’s walls matter most. The district’s most important responsibilities are thousands of minor children within its care.
For local government:those outside the walls of city hall matter most. The city’s most important responsibility is the thousands of residents outside the municipal building. A small number of city employees should not be the primary concern of Whitewater’s elected representatives. That’s all trivial as against providing fundamental services for residents. Whitewater is not a prosperous city, and as America flourishes the gap between nation and city only widens.
It’s a myopic perspective that leads councilmembers to focus on the internal when there are important external problems that longtime politicians have failed to address, have excused, or for which they have shiftlessly blamed others.
Labor Day in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 91. Sunrise is 6:23 AM and sunset 7:23 PM for 13h 00m 12s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 74.1% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1888, George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak and receives a patent for his camera that uses roll film.
The state’s monthly jobs reports hit a new record of more than 3 million in July, continuing to surpass Wisconsin’s peak number of jobs before the COVID-19 pandemic crushed employment through the summer of 2020.
In the months that followed that initial pandemic crash, Wisconsin’s job growth shot ahead of the rest of the U.S., according to the report. Since February 2022, however, it has fallen behind the country as a whole while still on a trajectory toward record job numbers this year.
“Given the different rates of recovery, the national economy recovered to the pre-pandemic jobs threshold a year before Wisconsin did,” the report [from the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, COWS] states.
Leisure and hospitality workers were hardest hit by job losses early in the pandemic, with their number of jobs cut in half. They have rebounded dramatically, but still hold fewer jobs than before the pandemic.
The nature of those jobs, with “low wages, insufficient and volatile hours and few benefits” remains a challenge, the report adds, but nationally those conditions appear to be improving.
At the same time, however, the report finds “troubling trends in Wisconsin” for other job sectors. Information jobs have fallen by 8.3% since February 2020, just before the pandemic, while nationally the sector has grown 5.7%. Professional and business services jobs have grown 1.6% in that period, just a fraction of the 7.4% growth they have had nationally. Government job growth is also behind national trends.
“Taken together, weakness in these sectors — which tend to have high job quality and jobs for college graduates — presents an economic development challenge for the state,” the report warns.
The fundamental mistake a generation of Whitewater policymakers at the Whitewater Community Development Authority have made is thinking that capital projects are the sine qua non of economic development. That’s false (whether ignorantly or mendaciously false). These bankers, landlords, public relations men or lobbyists (an occupation more confession than boast), and longtime councilmembers have held this city back. (After all, ‘It’s possible, but unlikely, that there are any parents who say “Dear God, let our son grow up to be a lobbyist.”‘)
The measure of a thriving economy is productivity gains, reaching across the society, and expressed by consequence as gains in individual and household income. Whitewater’s last-generation types have failed in this key regard.
America and Wisconsin are doing better than Whitewater because our aged generation of local development men have done worse than others in America and Wisconsin.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 93. Sunrise is 6:22 AM and sunset 7:25 PM for 13h 03m 02s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 83.2% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1783, the representatives of the United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris: “The treaty demanded land, including Wisconsin, be ceded from Britain to the United States. Two years after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, American and British delegations met in Paris to formalize Britain’s recognition of the United States of America. The treaty articles were drawn up on November 30, 1782 and formally agreed upon on September 3, 1783.”
DEIADAR is a compound word in Basque language made up from the words DEI-ADAR. “DEI” means “call”, and “ADAR” stands for “horn”. Therefore, DEIADAR is “horn call”.
Versatility, freedom and nature. Probably these three words are the best to define the concept of gravel. Originated in the United States, this cycling modality has reached vigorously our country and all Europe, becoming one of the most important current trends in the world of cycling.
Gravel must be considered the cycling adaptation to modern times, in the form of an interesting mix between road cycling and mountain biking. It allows us to squeeze the charm of both disciplines and to enjoy cycling without any limit or restriction derived from the kind of bicycle we use.
In gravel one no longer has to decide between track and road, asphalt or dirt paths. This discipline allows you to enjoy a more versatile and dynamic way of cycling.
Our starting points are the hills and tracks in Bizkaia, right in the middle of an impressive landscape which offers us a unique scenario to practice this sport. Furthermore, the hardness of the race, due to the large slope riders have to cover, turns it into a challenge and an attraction for the contestants. The event also relies on the concept of semi-self-sufficiency.
DEIADAR GRAVEL is a true celebration around the bicycle and the mountain. During the previous week, the event includes a large amount of related activities, such as conferences, videos of athletes as well as a popular meal.
Saturday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 87. Sunrise is 6:21 AM and sunset 7:27 PM for 13h 05m 50s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 91.2% of its visible disk illuminated.
New Berlin woman creates dolls for kids who don’t see themselves on the shelf. She’s made over 400 dolls for children with limb differences, medical conditions, birthmarks, and hand differences. Children who generally have problems finding dolls or toys that they can self identify with when playing.
If you answered, ‘Thomas Edison,’ you are mistaken!
It was actually a bookseller in Paris, in the mid-1800s. Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville invented a device called the Phonautograph, which recorded audio. He never considered that the sound could be played back, he simply wanted to record speech with the intent of reading it back instead. History was not kind to him, as Thomas Edison stole his thunder 20 years later. Over a century later, we unearth his long-forgotten recordings, and celebrate the real inventor of sound recording.
Friday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 82. Sunrise is 6:20 AM and sunset 7:28 PM for 13h 08m 37s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 96.3% of its visible disk illuminated.
Patrons, scientists and staff at Hauser’s Superior View Farm prophesied the poplars’ future like new parents wondering how their children might one day change the world. Within a week, each of the sprightly trees ornamented with paper tags saying “InnovaTree” had been sold.
“We’re really excited about the potential uses of this tree,” said Jeff Jackson, an educator for the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “They’re sold out for 2023. Next year Hauser’s will be selling about 500 InnovaTrees. I think other nurseries will begin offering it for sale, too.”
The InnovaTree is a new hybrid developed following decades of breeding research by the Duluth-based institute. When its research began in the 1990s, there was a shortage of tree pulp needed to make paper. But as the need for pulp eased over time, the research shifted to reducing pollution.
The InnovaTree ultimately proved to be excellent at pollution cleanup, disease resistance and fast growth, Jackson said. This year, the institute partnered with Hauser’s Superior View Farm in Bayfield and officially brought the InnovaTree to market.
“This tree was designed for the climate we have in Minnesota and Wisconsin,” Jackson said. “It was built for the upper Midwest.”
At Virginia Tech, there’s a study on the benefits of taking shelter cats for a stroll now and again. Marjorielee Christianson writes that
Over 3 million cats enter shelters in the United States each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Julianna Scardina, a member of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2024, knows that the stress of living in a shelter long-term can negatively affect cat behavior and that behavior is often a reason cats aren’t adopted as quickly. She joined a research project with Erica Feuerbacher, associate professor in the School of Animal Sciences, who partnered with the Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center, to find a solution.
Just like humans and their hobbies, animals can relieve stress by engaging in enrichment activities.
“Dogs living in animal shelters are often taken out of their kennels for walks and play groups, while cats typically remain within the confines of their kennel for the duration of their time at the shelter,” said Allie Andrukonis, postdoctoral research associate in the School of Animal Sciences within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and one of the researchers in the study.
….
The research team observed the behavior of cats and kittens over several days to determine their overall well-being and any changes after a 15-minute walk in the stroller. Some cats also went through stroller desensitization training prior to walks.
“We have a coding system that documents different behaviors to determine the cat’s comfort level,” Scardina said. “If they begin to display behaviors like yowling or crouching, we make sure to remove them from the environment and get them comfortable again.”
Cats were observed in their kennels, while training, and, using some do-it-yourself techniques, during their time in the stroller.
Thursday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 77. Sunrise is 6:19 AM and sunset 7:30 PM for 13h 11m 25s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 99.6% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1939, Nazi Germany mounts a false flag attack on the Gleiwitz radio station, creating an excuse to attack Poland the following day, thus starting World War II in Europe.
There’s a common advertising pitch on the web that entices consumers with the promise that ‘One Weird Trick’ will produce a useful result. Here’s an example from Know Your Meme:
One Weird Trick / Doctors Hate Him refers to a popular culture trope that’s frequently used in online advertisements dating back to the late 2000s, especially with clickbait, chumbox or pop-up ads. This trope has been parodied in jokes across the internet in the form of countless memes and shares many similarities to the Trainers Hate Him format.
Click on the advertisement, buy a product or service that relies on that one weird trick, and purchasers are promised happier lives.
This libertarian blogger has no tricks, weird or otherwise, for Whitewater. Instead, some sensible advice for local organizations that have too few volunteers. A few actions, applied over a year or so, can improve recruitment and retention.
First, encourage younger members over the peers of older members. Organizations that are looking for friends or peers of older members are looking in the wrong place.
Second, young members should be given initially only moderate work assignments but prominent public placement. This is the only way to attract and retain younger, creative new members. Looking for younger people to do most of the work while older members hog most of the credit is why Whitewater organizations lack sustaining members of any age. The younger ones quit and the older ones eventually succumb to decrepitude.
People don’t join organizations to become indentured servants. People don’t join organizations to become indentured servants while older members sit in rocking chairs. People don’t join organizations to become indentured servants while older members sit in rocking chairs reading their own names splashed across press releases and websites.
Third, let the community see the new, younger members in press releases, introductions, announcements, and as emcees of events. These younger members should be the most prominent. The older incumbents in an organization should be unobtrusive, offering advice if asked but otherwise holding back. They should observe and encourage, not monopolize and dictate. (An aged organizational member can observe very well from the sidelines while peering over the cover of a large-print book or while enjoying a refresher dose of Centrum Silver.)
What will happen if an organization follows this advice — sticking with it — for a year? The hard work of a changed approach diligently applied will lead to easier work for everyone thereafter.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 72. Sunrise is 6:18 AM and sunset 7:32 PM for 13h 14m 11s of daytime. The moon is full with 99.7% of its visible disk illuminated.
Traditionalists in Whitewater, who want a return to the past, face two big problems.
First, when traditionalists call for a return to past conditions, one naturally asks: How did the present come to be so different from the past — under the traditionalists’ watch — that they want to go back to a now-defunct state of affairs?
Second, and even more difficult to answer: How do they propose to return to the past? For H.G. Wells in his novella and in a later film adaptation the answer was clear: build a time machine. (In the novella and the film, the time traveler uses his machine to go into the future, but traditionalists could use a machine of their own to go into the past.)
Easier said than done. In the film version of the story, it’s actor Rod Taylor who builds a time machine. That’s the same Rod Taylor who, in The Birds, convincingly played a man who formerly dated Suzanne Pleshette and presently dated Tippi Hedren. Whitewater’s traditionalists may be wonderful people, but there is simply no possibility that any of our local traditionalists have that kind of mojo. (A man who could convince you he dated those two extraordinary actresses could convince you he built a time machine. Indeed, he probably could have built one. Someone should also have asked him to build a fusion reactor or craft a plan to end world hunger.)
And yet, and yet… these men and women of Whitewater who yearn to restore the past have no machine in which to transport the city. They have, instead, only a project of forcing present-day residents into past roles (undesirable for many, and pleasant only for the traditionalists) or talking about doing so while producing nothing.
Those in local politics who would like to take the city back to an earlier time are wasting their energy (and everyone else’s) in politics. The retrograde and revanchist cravings that grip them cannot be satisfied through policymaking. A support group or a psychiatrist might help, but our present politics won’t, and can’t, fulfill their nostalgic yearnings.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 80. Sunrise is 6:17 AM and sunset 7:34 PM for 13h 16m 58s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 96.6% of its visible disk illuminated.
Consider a sheet of paper divided into quadrants. Each of the four sections might contain a portion of something. For someone, a libertarian blogger, let’s say, the four portions might describe possible topics: government (state or local) performing well, government (state or local) performing poorly, private activity going well, and private activity going poorly. Into each of these quadrants would go topics to discuss, each topic requiring reading, observation, and writing.
In a well-ordered community, most topics would describe positive private activity. (There are more private residents than politicians and officials, and private action accounts for most of a community’s productivity and prosperity.) One would expect in that same well-ordered community the fewest topics that described government failures. There one would find a happy prevalence of successful private action over failed government.
A dilemma, a choice between unfavorable alternatives, emerges when the unfortunate necessity of addressing government error and misconduct draws attention from positive private accomplishment. In this way, government failure is a problem in itself and for the diversion from better subjects and opportunities that government forces on others.
The principal tragedy of finding the occasional misfit, mediocrity, ignoramus, confidence man, or sycophant in government is that a community foolishly chose that type for authority over others. (That this ilk has been recklessly chosen does not make them any less repulsive.)
The secondary tragedy is the time the occasional misfit, mediocrity, ignoramus, confidence man, or sycophant in government takes from better topics of private success.
For Whitewater, when private activity was more robust, government failure disturbed less within a healthy community, as attriting that public failure simply removed an impediment to flourishing private activity. Now that private activity is less robust, government failure is a double blow to a community, for the harm it causes and the private accomplishments from which it distracts.
An inadequate politician in Whitewater now is even more objectionable than twenty years ago.
Addressing the dilemma that political inadequacy imposes on Whitewater requires scrutiny of politicians’ inadequacies, but something more: filling another quadrant of the sheet with attention & suggestions for positive private action that inadequate politicians fail to offer.
