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Author Archive for JOHN ADAMS

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 6.7.12

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Good morning.

Whitewater’s Thursday will be sunny, with a high of eighty-two.

Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission meets at 6 PM, and Common Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1913, America saw the first successful assent of Mt. McKinley (Denali):

In March 1913, the adventure-seeking [Hudson] Stuck set out from Fairbanks for Mt. McKinley with three companions, Harry Karstens, co-leader of the expedition, Walter Harper, whose mother was a Native Indian, and Robert Tatum, a theology student. Their arduous journey was made more challenging by difficult weather and a fire at one of their camps, which destroyed food and supplies. However, the group persevered and on June 7, Harper, followed by the rest of the party, was the first person to set foot on McKinley’s south peak, considered the mountain’s true summit. (In 1910, a group of climbers had reached the lower north peak.)

The Wisconsin Historical Society writes about recognition for an extraordinary inventor:

1924 – Monument to Wisconsin Inventor Unveiled

On this date the bronze tablet memorializing C. Latham Sholes was unveiled. Sholes, who lived in Milwaukee, invented the typewriter in 1867. The plaque gives thanks to the “one who materially aided in the world’s progress,” and can be seen at the Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, where Sholes rests. [Source: Badger Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Homes]

Google’s daily puzzle‘s right up the alley of a materials scientist: “What material is your fork made of if it contains the same polysaccharides (C6H10O5)n as the corn that you’re eating?”

City, Elections, Politics, Recall

The (Red) State, the (Blue) City

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A few remarks on the recall elections:

There are thousands of happy and thousands of disappointed Wisconsinites today.

A third-party voter looks at elections differently, because in many cases he or she doesn’t have a partisan candidate in the race; one votes for or against the candidates of other parties. This places a certain distance between the third-party voter and the candidates – there’s just not the same ardor or abhorrence. The legitimate appeal of a major party’s chance to form an administration isn’t present (or isn’t appealing enough to entice membership in either leading party).

One goes on, to the next debate, the next elections, with neither the hope nor the worry that one’s own party members will win or lose.

Although control of the state senate may change hands, this is for now a predominantly red state. How long that will last I’ve no idea, but at the state level Gov. Walker has a comfortable base: 1,331,076 to 1,158,337, 53-46%. That’s more than adequate.

The City of Whitewater’s moved in the opposite direction: without campus being in session, Whitewater still chose Barrett over Walker, by about 1,988 to 1,460. There may be some adjustment to these totals, from Jefferson and Walworth Counties, but that’s a greater margin than I would have expected. (Walworth County – now with a much better, much needed election details pdf – and Jefferson County results are online. Walworth County chose Walker 26,201 to 14,330; Jefferson County went for Walker 22,461 to 14,678.)

Barrett carried each of the precincts in the city, in either county. Whitewater’s progressives have typically done better in bigger elections, not as well in smaller, spring elections. (See, Why Whitewater Isn’t a Progressive City; Why Whitewater’s ‘Conservatives’ Hold the City Tenuously.)

What they haven’t been able, or wanted, to do is to remake the city as a blue town, so to speak. A recall election won’t change any of this, and the town fathers remain principally conservative. Over time, however, there is likely to be a generational change to a blue(r) city within red or redder Jefferson and Walworth counties. That’s not simply because of how people in the city and counties will be voting; it’s because I’d guess the next generation of voters will be assertive about shaping their communities’ institutions along more ideological lines.

That kind of transformation has already happened in other parts of the state, in communities dominated, respectively, by the left or right.

It’s likely to come to our area, too.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 6.6.12

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Good morning.

It’s another beautiful day for Whitewater, with sunny skies and a high of seventy-five.

Whitewater’s Community Development Authority meets today at 4:30 PM.

On this day in 1944, Allied forces landed at Normandy to begin the liberation of Europe.

The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls this day in 1822 as the date on which an odd series of experiments began:

1822 – Shooting Leads to Medical Experiments

On this date Alexis St. Martin was accidently shot in the stomach at Mackinac Island. St. Martin was treated by Dr. William Beaumont, who saved his life but left an open wound in the young man’s side. Over many subsequent years, Dr. Beaumont conducted experiments through the opening in St. Martin’s stomach. Beaumont and the St. Martin family moved to Prairie du Chien for a period, where the doctor conducted 238 scientific experiments on St. Martin’s exposed stomach with only a spool of thread, a scissors, various foods, and a thermometer. Beaumont’s important discoveries about digestion were published in 1833 in “Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of Digestion.” His experiments proved to be crucial to a scientific understanding of how human digestion works. More information is available elsewhere at wisconsinhistory.org. [Source: Badger Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Holmes, p. 136-150]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about a simple pleasure: “How much would it have cost a family of four to enjoy patent #1,909,537 on the day it was introduced to the public?”

Liberty

The Right to Bargain with Government

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It is a simple principle of liberty that any person, in any employ, should have the right to bargain peacefully with, and even against, his or her own government. No worldly thing is as powerful as the state: it alone possesses the right to tax and to arrest. No matter how influential other institutions may be, they don’t possess government’s vast powers to confiscate and detain.

No worker should be denied the right to join with others to bargain collectively against something so unmatched in power as government.

Our state has had difficult times, and has troubled finances. It does not matter; liberty requires citizens’ individual and collective rights even in the worst of times. Contrary views are possible, but to be genuinely libertarian and hold otherwise seems impossible.

There is not the slightest chance that I shall be a member of a union Still, liberty demands a general, rather than merely a particular, recognition of rights.

Gov. Walker has both admirers and detractors. Many hold their views of him passionately. I respect those strong feelings, but do not hold either view intensely.

Instead, on a matter of principle, I believe Gov. Walker has unjustifiably expanded the power of the government at the expense of workers’ rights to organize. Government should be much smaller and less expensive; this was not a libertarian way to achieve that end.

For this reason, simply held and without animosity, I believe it is contrary to libertarian conviction to stand with Gov. Walker.

City, Elections, Liberty, Wisconsin

The Secular Call

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For the first time in her history, likely not to be repeated in our time, Wisconsin votes on the recall of her governor.

If you are well and able, will you not turn out today? From every part of this beautiful but divided state, citizens will pour out to vote, exercising their right to select who will govern the millions living here.

There are few human things so beautiful as people voting to select those who, for limited times and with discrete powers, will govern.

This is our secular call, the natural right and desire of any free people. This is true regardless of one’s partisan convictions.

Contentious, rancorous, messy and imperfect, yet beautiful: a good day.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 6.5.12

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Good morning.

Whitewater’s election day forecast calls for sunny skies, with a high temperature of seventy-three.

On this day in 1933, Pres. Roosevelt took America off the gold standard, and in 1968, Sen. Robert Kennedy was killed in California while campaigning for the presidency, among other events happening on June 5th in history.

Google’s daily puzzle asks of the image appearing above whether “this mathematical symbol [would] typically be placed before or after a logical consequence? I certainly don’t know, but I do know that there are readers who know the answer quite easily. more >>

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 6.4.12

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Good morning.

The week begins with a slight chance of thunderstorms and a high of seventy-seven.

Whitewater’s Parks & Recreation Board meets today at 4:00 PM.

On this day in 1942, the Battle of Midway began, concluding days later in a decisive victory for the United States over Japan.

The Wisconsin Historical Society marks 6.4.1861 as first for medicine:

1861 – First Recorded Kidney Removal Occurs

On this date Dr. Erastus B. Wolcott, a Milwaukee surgeon, performed the first recorded removal of a diseased kidney. [Source: History Just Ahead: A guide to Wisconsin’s Historical Markers edited by Sarah Davis McBride, p. 22.]

Google’s daily puzzle asks about civil strife: “Which of these countries–Greece, Switzerland, Finland–had the most recent civil war?”

Beautiful Whitewater, City, Food, Hip & Prosperous, Press Release

Pork in the Park: September 21-22, Cravath Lakefront

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Something delicious for the beginning of fall, from Downtown Whitewater —

Downtown Whitewater. Inc. Announces New BBQ Pig in the Park State Championship Cook-off Sanctioned by Kansas City Barbecue Society

Downtown Whitewater, Inc. will host the area’s first BBQ Pig in the Park Cook-off, which was sanctioned by Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) 2 weeks ago, and this week became a State Championship event. The event will be held September 21-22, 2012 in Downtown Whitewater, on the beautiful award-winning Cravath Lakefront.

“This is a wonderful endorsement for Downtown Whitewater, Inc., to receive the sanctioning status from KCBS and the state championship status from the Governor’s office. A sanctioned contest brings fair scoring, integrity, experience, a built in base of cookers and judges and a support system of other organizers and members,” said Tami Brodnicki, Executive Director of Downtown Whitewater, Inc.

“Downtown Whitewater, Inc. is beginning the Annual Pig in the Park BBQ Cook-Off Competition for two reasons,” Brodnicki explained. “First we want to promote our lakefront, the downtown and the merchants.” “Second the BBQ Cook-Off will be a fund-raising event for our organization, we want to continue providing programs for the community, merchants and property owners.”

The Kansas City Barbeque Society, a nonprofit organization, sanctions over 400 barbeque contest coast- to-coast throughout America. From volunteering to actual event production, their members also offer assistance to civic and charitable organizations who organize events.

For more information about KCBS you can visit www.kcbs.us and for more information about our Pig in the Park BBQ Cook-Off or if you would like to volunteer for the event please visit www.piginthepark.net.

Downtown Whitewater was formed in 2006 and is a non-profit, community-based organization devoted to preserving, improving and promoting Whitewater’s quality of life, by strengthening our historic downtown as the heartbeat of our community.

The Triangle
Eat * Shop * Enjoy