Author Archive for JOHN ADAMS
Daily Bread, Elections, Politics, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 8.18.24: Prof. Anthony Chergosky on Wisconsin’s 2024 Partisan Primary Vote
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Sunday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 78. Sunrise is 6:06, and sunset is 7:50, for 13h 44m 40s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 98 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1937, a lightning strike starts the Blackwater Fire of 1937 in Shoshone National Forest, killing 15 firefighters within three days and prompting the United States Forest Service to develop their smokejumper program.
Anthony Chergosky on Wisconsin’s 2024 partisan primary vote:
Ferris wheel catches fire at German music festival:
Daily Bread, Sports
Daily Bread for 8.17.24: Jai Alai, The Sport That America Forgot About
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 78. Sunrise is 6:04, and sunset is 7:52, for 13h 47m 18s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 93.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1936, the state of Wisconsin issued the first Unemployment Compensation Check in the United States for the amount of $15. The recipient was Neils N. Ruud who then sold it to Paul Raushenbush for $25 for its historical value. The check is now at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Wisconsin was the first state to establish an Unemployment Compensation program.
On this day in 1978, Double Eagle II becomes the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
Jai Alai: The Sport That America Forgot About:
Progress cargo spacecraft docks with space station in time-lapse:
Daily Bread, Nature, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 8.16.24: Wisconsin State Parks Remain Popular After Pandemic
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Friday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 83. Sunrise is 6:03, and sunset is 7:53, for 13h 49m 55s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 87 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1930, the first color sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, is released by Ub Iwerks.
Evan Casey reports Wisconsin state park use remains high since COVID-19 pandemic boom (‘Wisconsin Policy Forum report found state park sticker sales in 2023 were up nearly 50 percent from 2019’):
When businesses shuttered and schools went remote during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Wisconsin residents flocked to parks and nature trails across the state.
Now, a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that Wisconsinites are still using state parks at higher rates than before the start of the pandemic. The report found there were 518,848 state park sticker sales recorded in 2023, up from 346,491 in 2019 — a nearly 50 percent increase.
Tyler Byrnes, the lead researcher on the report, said there were massive increases in outdoor recreation seen across the state in 2020.
See Wisconsin Policy Forum, Staying Engaged in Outdoor Pursuits:
A small benefit following a large tragedy.
Snow leopard cubs begin exploring at Virginia zoo:
Cats, Photography
Friday Catblogging: Camouflage
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Film
Film: Wednesday, August 21st, 1:00 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Anatomy of a Fall
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wednesday, August 21st at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of Anatomy of a Fall @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:
Psychological Legal Drama
Rated R (language)
2 hours, 31 minutes (2024)
A woman is suspected of her husband‘s murder. Her young, half-blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness. Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actress (Sandra Huller); Winner: Best Original Screenplay. Dialogue: French & English; shown with English subtitles.
One can find more information about Anatomy of a Fall at the Internet Movie Database.
Conspiracy Theories, Crackpots, Daily Bread, Elections, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 8.15.24: Wisconsin Conspiracy Theorists Take Losses
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Thursday in Whitewater will be rainy with a high of 76. Sunrise is 6:02, and sunset is 7:55, for 13h 52m 30s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 78.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
The Whitewater Community Development Authority meets at 5:30 PM.
On this day in 1944, Operation Dragoon begins as Allied forces land in southern France.
Sarah Lehr reports Two of Wisconsin’s most vocal election deniers lost their bids for the state Legislature Tuesday, coming up short in Republican primaries:
In suburban Milwaukee, state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, lost to state Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, in a race for the recently redrawn 24th Assembly District.
And in eastern Wisconsin’s new 20th Senate District, former state Rep. Timothy Ramthun of Campbellsport was defeated by state Sen. Dan Feyen of Fond du Lac.
….
Brandtjen lost despite being endorsed by former President Donald Trump ahead of the primary. Brandtjen has promoted false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and has echoed calls for the results to be overturned in Trump’s favor.
These two defeats are not enough, but they are something. Some days one settles for something.
A Scottish origin for Stonehenge’s mysterious Altar Stone:
City, Daily Bread, Elections, Wisconsin
Daily Bread for 8.14.24: Proposed Wisconsin Constitutional Amendments Fail
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 82. Sunrise is 6:01, and sunset is 7:56, for 13h 55m 05s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 68.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill sign the Atlantic Charter stating postwar aims.
Two proposed Wisconsin constitutional amendments on the ballot yesterday failed decisively:
Statewide, Question 1 (Prohibit Legislature from Delegating Appropriations) lost 57.4% to 42.6% and Question 2 (Require Legislative Approval for Federal Funds) lost 57.5 to 42.5%.
In Whitewater, the questions had a similar fate (combining totals from Jefferson and Walworth counties):
Question 1 (Prohibit Legislature from Delegating Appropriations) lost 68.8% to 31.2% and Question 2 (Require Legislative Approval for Federal Funds) lost 68.6 to 31.4%.
See also No on Amendment Questions 1 and 2 (“Questions written nebulously, and presented to voters on a month of traditionally lower turnout, deserve rejection. Government, and the questions it presents, are meant to be more than semantic trickery”).
Watch video from space of the moon setting into auroras:
City, Conflicts of Interest, Development, Economy, Local Government, Planning, Special Interests
Daily Bread for 8.13.24: Inflation Abates, Again
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 81. Sunrise is 6:00, and sunset is 7:58, for 13h 57m 38s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 59.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1961, East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants’ attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started. The day is known as Barbed Wire Sunday.
Update 8.14.24: Yesterday (below) was a post on wholesale inflation. Today, one sees that the consumer price index is also lower: Inflation Slipped to 2.9% in July, Lower Than Expected (‘CPI report likely seals case for the Fed to begin cutting interest rates at its next meeting’). Good news, all around.
Of wholesale inflation, Jeff Cox reports Wholesale inflation measure rose 0.1% in July, less than expected:
A key measure of wholesale inflation rose less than expected in July, opening the door further for the Federal Reserve to start lowering interest rates.
The producer price index, which measures selling prices that producers get for goods and services, increased 0.1% on the month, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Excluding volatile food and energy components, the core PPI was flat.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for an increase of 0.2% on both the all-items and the core readings.
A further core measure that also excludes trade services showed a rise of 0.3%.
On a year-over-year basis, the headline PPI increased 2.2%, a sharp drop from the 2.7% reading in June.
Inflation is abating, and growth is up, and in these improving conditions residents of both big cities and also small towns (like Whitewater!) have a chance to avoid the economic mistakes of the past (and those who made them).
Some of Whitewater’s special-interest men (from the 2000s and 2010s) are like declining athletes who should have retired from the game years ago. They stayed too long, and now can’t hit, can’t field, can’t circle the bases. Overweight and underpowered. They want to blame everyone else for their below-average performance. One wonders: why pretend it’s a major-league game with these minor-league banjo-hitters stumbling up to the plate?
Whitewater deserves better.
Cats, Daily Bread, Photography
Daily Bread for 8.12.24: From Walter Chandoha, 1962
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Monday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 79. Sunrise is 5:59, and sunset is 7:59, for 14h 00m 10s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 48.8 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Planning Commission meets at 6 PM.
On this day in 1851, Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine.
Cats, because one can afford to be relaxed.
Photo by Walter Chandoha, 1962:
Music
Monday Music: David Bowie, Heroes
by JOHN ADAMS •
Daily Bread, Nature
Daily Bread for 8.11.24: The 2024 Perseid Meteor Shower
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 76. Sunrise is 5:58, and sunset is 8:01, for 14h 02m 41s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 39.6 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1919, the Green Bay Packers professional football team is founded during a meeting in the editorial rooms of Green Bay Press-Gazette.
The 2024 Perseid Meteor Shower:
Ditching generators and recycling buildings: How Paris did the Olympics differently:
Books, Censorship, City, Daily Bread, Education
Daily Bread for 8.10.24: The Store That Only Sells Fake Food
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 72. Sunrise is 5:57, and sunset is 8:02, for 14h 05m 11s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 30.2 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1519, Ferdinand Magellan‘s five ships set sail from Seville to circumnavigate the globe. The Basque second-in-command Juan Sebastián Elcano will complete the expedition after Magellan’s death in the Philippines.
This Store Only Sells Fake Food:
Giant pandas make public debut at San Diego Zoo:
Books, Censorship, City, Daily Bread, Education
Daily Bread for 8.9.24: Tracking Book Bans
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning.
Friday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 71. Sunrise is 5:56, and sunset is 8:03, for 14h 07m 39s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 22.5 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1944, the United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
Richelle Wilson reports Wisconsin’s ‘banned book queen’ tracks book challenges and worries about widespread bans (‘Tasslyn Magnusson keeps a public database of book bans around the country and advocates for students, authors and librarians’):
Magnusson worries about increased efforts to ban books from school libraries. Last year, Wisconsin was the second-leading state nationally in the number of school library book removals, according to a new report she and others wrote for PEN America. A big reason for that was one parent in the Elkhorn Area School District who requested a review of 444 books.
Other districts around the state are dealing with debates around book bans, too. Magnusson lives with her family in Prescott, a small town in western Wisconsin where the St. Croix River and the Mississippi River meet. She said local school districts have been feeling the strain of increased book challenges, which often lead to heated discussions at school board meetings.
An aspiring children’s author herself, Magnusson started participating in the “kid lit” community on social media after getting a master’s degree in writing for children and young adults. That’s when she first noticed that some of her own favorite authors, including young-adult fiction writer Laurie Halse Anderson, were having their books taken off shelves.
In 2021, Anderson posted on X that her 1999 novel “Speak” seemed to be getting banned more often. She suggested that someone should start tracking book bans around the country.
Magnusson took note.
“I was like, ‘Wow, Laurie Halse Anderson asked. I can do that. I know how to use a Google spreadsheet,’” Magnusson recalled on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “So, I took it upon myself to make a spreadsheet. And here we are three years later.”
This book-banning panic will subside when it meets opposition; opposition, however, requires awareness of the censors’ and scolds’ work.
See also PEN America, New Report Finds Unprecedented Surge in School Book Bans.