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Daily Bread for 12.18.24: That ‘Bipartisanship’ Didn’t Last Long — Because It Was Never There

Good morning.

Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 31. Sunrise is 7:21 and sunset is 4:22, for 9 hours, 2 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 87.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1865, Secretary of State William Seward proclaims the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, prohibiting slavery throughout the United States.


Five days ago (less than a single week for those with calendars), one read that Wisconsin’s Senate Democrats had hope for a more bipartisan politics. This libertarian blogger had his doubts (see The Glistening Optimism of Wisconsin’s Senate Democrats).

Along comes Wisconsin Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) to confirm my skepticism:

New-elected Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said Tuesday that she hopes for more bipartisan conversations next year, but that her caucus plans to operate in the same way it has previously, since Republicans still hold the majority in the Wisconsin Legislature, even after losing a handful of seats this election year. 

The Legislature will return with closer margins next year following elections under new legislative maps. Republicans will have an 18-15 majority in the Senate, down from their previous 22-seat supermajority.  In the Assembly Republicans will hold  a 55-45 majority. Felzkowski made her comments during a WisPolitics panel Tuesday alongside Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) and two strategists — Keith Gilkes, a consultant and former chief political advisor for Republican former Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic strategist Tanya Bjork.

“Make no mistake, we still hold the majority,” Felzkowski said. “I hope we have better conversations. I hope we have better negotiations.” 

See Baylor Spears, ‘Make no mistake, we still hold the majority’ says Wisconsin GOP Senate president, Wisconsin Examiner, December 18, 2024.

Again, as before: “For a decade, Wisconsin was the most gerrymandered state in the country, the WISGOP still controls both chambers of the Legislature, and the GOP will soon control all three branches of the federal government (the single most powerful human institution on Earth).”

Those aren’t the sort of people in a genuinely compromising mood.


California driver safe after car plunges into fitness center pool:

A driver in California escaped with minor injuries after they crashed through the glass wall of a fitness center and plunged into a swimming pool.

Daily Bread for 12.17.24: Landlines (Remember Them?) on the Way Out

Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 38. Sunrise is 7:20 and sunset is 4:22, for 9 hours, 2 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 93.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

The Whitewater Common Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1835,  the second Great Fire of New York destroys 53,000 square meters (13 acres) of New York City’s Financial District.


One could guess that telephone landlines were in decline, but a recent story drives that point home:

AT&T plans to discontinue its traditional landline telephone service in Wisconsin and most states in its service area by the end of 2029. 

….

The company says only 5 percent of its residential customers still use copper technology and it’s working with them to ensure they do not lose voice or 911 services. The company has introduced a new service that works like a traditional landline, but connects using wireless networks or broadband.

In Wisconsin, roughly 15 percent of households still had a landline as of 2022, while roughly 5.5 percent of adults still primarily used their landline and 3 percent rely entirely on landlines, according to the National Center for Health Statistics

The vast majority of households used only wireless telephones in 2022 — 83.7 percent in Wisconsin. That number has come up substantially over the last few decades as advancements in cell phone technology have led to consumers increasingly ditching traditional landline service.

For comparison, about 12.8 percent of American households only had wireless phones in the latter half of 2006, according to federal data.

See Joe Schulz, AT&T to discontinue traditional landline service in Wisconsin by the end of 2029, Wisconsin Public Radio, December 17, 2024.


Rare tornado rips through Northern California town:

Daily Bread for 12.16.24: Slow Going on the Farm Bill (From Those Who Say the Farm Bill Matters)

Good morning.

Monday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 42. Sunrise is 7:19 and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 2 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 97.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

The Whitewater School Board goes into closed session shortly after 6:15 PM and resumes open session at 7 PM. Whitewater’s Library Board also meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1773,  members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians dump hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the Tea Act.


If rural America matters, and if it needs what advocates for rural America insist it should have1, then there’d be a new Farm Bill by now. The best that these advocates and professed defenders of rural America will produce, however, is likely to be a second extension of the existing legislation:

Wisconsin’s federal lawmakers are blaming the other side of the aisle for getting in the way of extending the farm bill.

The legislation is renewed every five years to fund programs around agriculture, conservation and food assistance.

Congress failed to pass a new farm bill in September 2023 and have instead extended the 2018 bill in order to keep programs operating. After making little progress on new legislation this year, federal lawmakers are expected to pass another extension as part of a deal to fund the government into early 2025. 

See Hope Kirwan, Partisan approach to farm bill delaying updates for Wisconsin farmers, Wisconsin Public Radio, December 16, 2024.


Rescuers seek cyclone survivors in devastated Mayotte:

Emergency workers race to find survivors and restore services to the French overseas territory of Mayotte, where hundreds, possibly thousands, are feared dead from the worst cyclone to hit the Indian Ocean islands in nearly a century.

_____

  1. Not what this libertarian blogger insists rural America should have, but what professed advocates of rural America (from both parties) insist rural communities should have. ↩︎

Daily Bread for 12.15.24: World’s Most Unusual Christmas Traditions

Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 43. Sunrise is 7:19 and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 3 minutes of daytime. The moon is full with 99.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1864,  the Battle of Nashville begins at Nashville, Tennessee, and ends the following day with the destruction of the Confederate Army of Tennessee as a fighting force by the Union Army of the Cumberland.


World’s Most Unusual Christmas Traditions:

From Austria’s scariest Christmas tradition, the krampus parade, to the man who is legally called Santa Claus, and Catalonia’s figurine, the Caganer.

Kevin the Chihuahua manages the trash in his house:

Daily Bread for 12.14.24: Kakigori

Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be cloudy, with snowy conditions this evening, and a daytime high of 36. Sunrise is 7:18, and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 3 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 99.2 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1911,  Roald Amundsen‘s team, comprising himself, Olav BjaalandHelmer HanssenSverre Hassel, and Oscar Wisting, becomes the first to reach the South Pole.


Kakigori:

Japan’s shaved ice treat is DELICIOUS Kakigori is a traditional Japanese shaved ice dessert dating back to the late 1800s. Originally meant for Japan’s elite. Chefs still abide by ancient methods of preparation, using ice frozen naturally by winter weather. But regardless of the texture, flavor, or weather, kakigori is delicious in every form.

The pride takes a stroll:

Daily Bread for 12.13.24: The Glistening Optimism of Wisconsin’s Senate Democrats

Good morning.

Friday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 22. Sunrise is 7:17, and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 4 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 95.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1972, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt begin the third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or Moonwalk of Apollo 17. To date they are the last humans to set foot on the Moon.


For a decade, Wisconsin was the most gerrymandered state in the country, the WISGOP still controls both chambers of the Legislature, and the GOP will soon control all three branches of the federal government (the single most powerful human institution on Earth). And yet, and yet, Wisconsin’s Senate Democrats are hopeful they can work ‘across the aisle’ with the WISGOP:

Wisconsin Senate Democrats knew going into this year’s elections that their opportunity to flip the Senate wouldn’t come until 2026, but they had a goal of flipping four seats and keeping every seat already held by a Democrat. They succeeded, and now the caucus is preparing for a legislative session with high hopes for bipartisan work.

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) told the Wisconsin Examiner in a year-end interview that her 15-member caucus is bringing “a lot of energy, enthusiasm and honesty” to the Senate and is looking forward to working next session. She said the bolstered caucus is returning for the next two-year session with “a lot of good ideas.”

….

With a more evenly split Legislature, Hesselbein said there will be the potential to get more things done in a bipartisan way. She noted that last session several big pieces of legislation, including funding renovations at the stadium where the Milwaukee Brewers play, investing in the state’s local government funding and overhauling the state’s alcohol licensing, had bipartisan support.

See Baylor Spears, Senate Democrats aim to work across the aisle, Wisconsin Examiner, December 13, 2024.

What’s the counter-argument to Senate Minority Leader Hesselbein’s optimism for legislative bipartisanship?

The Wisconsin Assembly Speaker is… Robin Vos.


Perseverance Rover Panorama of Mars’ Jezero Crater:

Travel along a steep slope up to the rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater in this panoramic image captured by NASA’s Perseverance just days before the rover reached the top. The scene shows just how steep some of the slopes leading to the crater rim can be. The rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to capture this view on Dec. 5, 2024, the 1,349th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. At the time, the rover was about 1,150 feet (350 meters) from, and 250 feet (75 meters) below, the top of the crater rim – a location the science team calls “Lookout Hill.” The rover reached Lookout Hill on Dec. 10 after a climb of 3½ months and 1,640 vertical feet (500 vertical meters).

Daily Bread for 12.12.24: November Inflation Numbers

Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 13. Sunrise is 7:16, and sunset is 4:21, for 9 hours, 4 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 90.5 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1941, Hitler declares the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.


CNBC offers a summary of national inflation numbers for November:

Consumers saw inflation pick up slightly in November as price increases in categories including groceries, gasoline and new cars outweighed a deceleration in others such as shelter during the month.

The consumer price index, a key inflation gauge, rose 2.7% last month relative to November 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. The annual rate was up from 2.6% in October.

….

See Greg Iacurci, Here’s the inflation breakdown for November 2024, CNBC, December 11, 2024.


Volcanic eruption covers a Philippine town in ash:

Homes, roads and buildings were covered in ash in the aftermath of the Kanlaon volcano eruption in the Central Philippine province of Negros Occidental, drone footage released by the Philippine Red Cross on December 10 showed.

Daily Bread for 12.11.24: National Election Doesn’t Nullify Wisconsin Law

Good morning.

Wednesday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 28. Sunrise is 7:16, and sunset is 4:20, for 9 hours, 5 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 81.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1972,  Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and final Apollo mission to land on the Moon.


First, an update to an earlier post (Imperfect Justice): Alex Jones keeps Infowars for now after judge rejects The Onion’s winning auction bid. Jones doesn’t deserve the site, but its next ownership is now unclear.

Second, it turns out (properly) that the results of a national election do not nullify Wisconsin’s criminal law:

Wisconsin prosecutors filed 10 additional felony charges Tuesday against two attorneys and an aide to President-elect Donald Trump who advised Trump in 2020 as part of a plan to submit paperwork falsely claiming that the Republican had won the battleground state that year.

Jim Troupis, who was Trump’s attorney in Wisconsin, Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney who advised the campaign, and Mike Roman, Trump’s director of Election Day operations in 2020, all initially faced a single felony forgery charge in Wisconsin. Those charges were filed in June.

But on Tuesday, two days before the three are scheduled for their initial court appearances, the Wisconsin Department of Justice filed 10 additional felony charges against each of them. The charges are for using forgery in an attempt to defraud each of the 10 Republican electors who cast their ballots for Trump that year.

See Scott Bauer, Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors, Associated Press, December 10, 2024.


Aerial video captures Franklin Fire impacting thousands in Malibu:

Daily Bread for 12.10.24: U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Eau Claire Parents’ Challenge to Gender Identity Support Plans

Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 32. Sunrise is 7:15, and sunset is 4:20, for 9 hours, 6 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 72.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Public Works Committee meets at 5:00 PM.

On this day in 1864, during his March to the Sea, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Union Army troops reach the outer Confederate defenses of Savannah, Georgia.


On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from a decision of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (based in Chicago):

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take a Wisconsin case that could have made it easier for parents to fight schools’ efforts to support transgender and nonbinary students.

Three of the court’s six conservatives — Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh — said they would have taken the appeal.

A group of Eau Claire parents argued challenges to gender identity support policies are being dismissed by judges across the country before they can be fully litigated because parents can’t show they’ve been affected.

….

The Eau Claire Area School District of Wisconsin, which is defending its guidelines for ensuring a supportive environment for transgender students, countered that the parents are trying to create a new standard for lawsuits that would allow parents to preemptively challenge any school policy even if it doesn’t apply to them.

….

The template Gender Support Plan prepared by the Eau Claire Area School District in 2022 recognizes that parents may not always be involved in a plan’s creation for a student. School personnel are supposed to check with a student before discussing their transgender status with a parent. But the support plan will be released to parents who request it.

A three-judge panel of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in May that none of the parents challenging the policy “has experienced an actual or imminent injury.”

See Maureen Groppe, Supreme Court rejects Wisconsin parents’ challenge to schools’ gender identity support plans, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 9, 2024.


Did Tesla Go From Cool to Cringe?:

Daily Bread for 12.9.24: A Fundamentally Strong National Economy (and a Local Reminder)

Good morning.

Monday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 49. Sunrise is 7:14, and sunset is 4:20, for 9 hours, 6 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 61.5 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

The Whitewater School Board meets at 5:30 PM to review a community referendum survey.

On this day in 1775, British troops and Loyalists, misinformed about Patriot militia strength, lose the Battle of Great Bridge, ending British rule in Virginia.


Now, in December 2024, America has a fundamentally sound economy:

The economy added 227,000 jobs in November, making for a strong jobs report despite a slight increase in the unemployment rate. Although the labor market has cooled this year, the Trump administration stands to inherit a fairly healthy labor market, with decent job growth across many sectors.

The number of jobs was bolstered by the return of striking workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Employment in transportation equipment manufacturing rose by 32,000 jobs. Boeing machinists who went on strike in September seeking higher pay and better retirement benefits reached a deal in November.

The agency also revised up the number of jobs added in the October and September reports by 56,000 jobs combined.

Although the unemployment rate ticked up from 4.1% to 4.2%, the economy is looking strong, particularly when you look at gross domestic product, said Louise Sheiner, with the nonpartisan Brookings Institution.

“It’s been remarkably strong. If you look at what the Congressional Budget Office projected the level of real GDP before the pandemic, it’s higher now. We’ve just had a really strong economy,” said Sheiner, who focuses on fiscal policy.

See Casey Quinlan, US adds 227,000 jobs in what analysts say is a healthy economy, Wisconsin Examiner, December 8, 2024.

There are three reasons to mark the present state of the national economy: (1) a simple affirmation of the truth, (2) a reminder that the national economy has been good before when local special-interest types failed to capitalize on it (notably 2014 to 2017 and 2019 to early 2020) in Whitewater, and (3) a reminder that these old-guard types expect deference today despite serial failures for many years.


Amazon is using generative AI to drive more same-day shipping using smarter robots and better routes:

Daily Bread for 12.8.24: A Challenge (from the Left) in the State Superintendent Race

Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 50. Sunrise is 7:13, and sunset is 4:20, for 9 hours, 7 minutes of daytime. The moon is in its first quarter with 50.2 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1941, President Roosevelt declares December 7 to be “a date which will live in infamy,” after which the U.S. declares war on Japan.


Jill Underly, Wisconsin’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, faces a challenge from the left in her race for re-election:

Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly, who is running for her second term in office with the backing of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, faces a challenge from Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jeff Wright, a Democrat who says he wants to improve DPI’s communication. 

Elections for the state superintendent are technically nonpartisan. Candidates run on the same ballot in the February primary, and the top two advance. The primary is Feb. 18, 2025 and the general election is April 1. No other candidates have entered the race so far.

….

Prior to winning her first term in 2021, Underly served as the superintendent of Pecatonica School District, a rural district in southwestern Wisconsin. She has also previously worked as a principal, a teacher and a state consultant to Title I schools in Milwaukee and across the state.

Wright, who launched his campaign about a month after Underly, has served as the superintendent of Sauk Prairie School District since 2019 and was named Administrator of the Year in 2024 by the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance. He also previously served as a principal in Chicago. He hasn’t held public office before, but has run unsuccessful campaigns in 2016 and in 2018 for the state Assembly. 

Wright said in an October interview with the Examiner that he probably aligns closely with the current superintendent on many issues, but he thinks there is currently a “disconnect” between DPI and schools.

“They’re not bringing the people together from the teachers’ union, the administrators’ associations and other groups to have an active conversation about what concrete steps are we taking right now to get this work done,” Wright said. “Schools want to know what’s happening at the DPI. We don’t want to be surprised by changes. We want to be in conversation so that it’s very clear that we’re working on the same team.”

See Baylor Spears, State superintendent race kicks off: Underly faces challenge from Sauk Prairie superintendent, Wisconsin Examiner, December 5, 2024.

Underly has the backing of the state’s Democratic Party, and Wright has the backing of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) Political Action Committee and Kirk Bangstad’s Minocqua Brewing Company SuperPAC.

I’m not a Democrat (rather a Never Trump libertarian who supported Harris-Walz), but it’s hard for me to see how these political action committees can overcome the organizational strength of a major political party. There’s as yet no announced Republican candidate in the race, but there is sure to be at least one (for an office that is, nominally, non-partisan).

Admittedly, any campaign, against almost any incumbent, is likely to make headway with the contention that the public has a lack of information (or in the case of the DPI, technical information that’s been made readily comprehensible to most residents). No one ever went broke, so to speak, by arguing that government statistics were opaque. Still: an outsider’s climb against an organizationally-backed candidate is uphill.


Watch this bird-inspired robotic drone leap into the air:

Daily Bread for 12.7.24: Austria’s Scariest Christmas Tradition

Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be windy with a high of 45. Sunrise is 7:12, and sunset is 4:20, for 9 hours, 8 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 39.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1941,  the Imperial Japanese Navy carries out a surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet and its defending Army and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.


Is This Austria’s Scariest Christmas Tradition?:

Across Austria’s alpine villages, December 5th marks the arrival of Saint Nikolaus—a merry visitor who delivers gifts to well-behaved children. But Saint Nick doesn’t come to town alone. The dreaded Krampus is by his side. For centuries, groups of men across the region have dressed as Krampus during the Christmas season. The fearsome figure appears as a horned, half-goat, half-demon who punishes children who misbehave

I wish the people of Austria (and closer to home) only the best, but this tradition will always be strange to me.


Groucho never, ever disappoints:

Daily Bread for 12.6.24: Christmas at Cravath’s Parade of Lights

Good morning.

Friday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 33. Sunrise is 7:11, and sunset is 4:20, for 9 hours, 9 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 28.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Christmas at Cravath events tonight include a parade at 6 PM. The parade will begin in our downtown and end at the Cravath Lakefront. There is also a holiday market tonight from 5 to 8 PM at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center.

On this day in 1884, the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., is completed.


Armadillo on the move:

Daily Bread for 12.5.24: Now, the Royal Society Publishing Photo Competition 2024

Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 27. Sunrise is 7:10, and sunset is 4:20, for 9 hours, 10 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 19.8 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1879, the Humane Society of Wisconsin is organized in Milwaukee: “Inspired by Henry Bergh, a New York City philanthropist, and his Humane Movement, the state Humane Society was formed to protect both animals and children. However, with the formation of child protection laws in the early 1900s, the Humane Society of Wisconsin began to focus primarily on animal protection.”


Yesterday’s post was meant to be a video of the Royal Society Publishing Photo Competition 2024. That video was only on YouTube briefly, as the Society later removed it. Instead, I went back a year and updated with the 2023 winners (equally beautiful) from Facebook. Today, because persistence can be a good trait1, here are the 2024 winners as posted on Facebook:


See Nasa’s spectacular new images of Jupiter:

  1. In Whitewater, as change is slow and some are obstinate, persistence is also a useful trait of criticism: one returns to a topic again and again, sometimes across years. No force is so powerful and decisive as attrition. ↩︎