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Art, Daily Bread, Language

Daily Bread for 4.27.25: Why Do We Call the Mona Lisa the Mona Lisa?

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Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 67. Sunrise is 5:54 and sunset is 7:51, for 13 hours, 57 minutes of daytime. The moon is new with 0.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1945,  Benito Mussolini is arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, while attempting escape disguised as a German soldier.

Sophia Smith Galer on why we call the Mona Lisa the Mona Lisa:

The Most Unusual Churches in the World:

From ancient cliffside chapels to bone-filled cathedrals, these are the most unusual churches in the world. While The Vatican and The Pope represent the heart of Christianity, this video explores lesser-known yet astonishing churches shaped by religion and built with truly unique architecture. These aren’t the most famous churches you’ve seen on postcards — they’re stranger, more remote, and full of unbelievable stories that that redefine places of worship.

Daily Bread, Language, Law, Legislature, State Government, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 8.4.24: No on Amendment Questions 1 and 2

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Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 86. Sunrise is 5:50, and sunset is 8:10, for 14h 19m 39s of daytime. The moon is new with 0.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1914,  in response to the German invasion of Belgium, Belgium and the British Empire declare war on Germany. The United States declares its neutrality.

Voters will see two questions on the state’s Aug. 13 primary ballot to amend the state constitution, both of which would shift power to direct federal funding from the governor to the Legislature.

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.

These are the amendment questions:

QUESTION 1: “Delegation of appropriation power. Shall section 35 (1) of article IV of the constitution be created to provide that the legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?”

QUESTION 2: “Allocation of federal moneys. Shall section 35 (2) of article IV of the constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?”

For more information on the amendments, see Michael Keane, Wisconsin Constitutional Amendments, Wisconsin State Law Library. Keane writes:

If a majority of those voting on the ratification question vote “yes,” then the amendment has been ratified and becomes part of the constitution upon certification of the results by the chairperson of the elections commission, unless another date is specified in the amendment. (Wisconsin Statute 7.70(3)(h)).

The two amendments on the ballot in August, dealing with the expenditure of federal funds, were approved by the legislature on first consideration during the 2021 session (2021 Senate Joint Resolution 84; Enrolled Joint Resolution 14); they were approved on second consideration by the 2023 legislature (2023 Assembly Joint Resolution 6; Enrolled Joint Resolution 14). Two questions must be submitted to the vote because two different constitutional revisions are incorporated in the single joint resolution. The Supreme Court has ruled that in such cases, separate questions must be submitted to the people. (State ex rel. Thomson v. Zimmerman, 264 Wis. 644).

It appears that, for the first time, the people will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment at a primary election. All previous constitutional amendments have been submitted to the voters for approval at the non-partisan general (April) election, or the partisan general (November) election. (Wisconsin Blue Book, p. 509-514).

Signs of Ancient Life on Mars? Here’s What We See in This Intriguing Rock:

NASA’s Perseverance rover has made very compelling observations in a Martian rock that, with further study, could prove that life was present on Mars in the distant past – but how can we determine that from a rock, and what do we need to do to confirm it? Morgan Cable, a scientist on the Perseverance team, takes a closer look.

America, Culture, Daily Bread, FDR, Fortitude, History, Language, Rhetoric

Daily Bread for 6.16.23: Inspiration from a Unexpected Source (Who Shouldn’t Be Unexpected at All)

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Good morning. Friday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 75. Sunrise is 5:15 AM and sunset 8:35 PM for 15h 19m 49s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 2.9% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1911, IBM is founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott,…

City, Conservative Populism, Culture, Daily Bread, Education, Excuses and Rationalizations, Freedom of Speech, Language, Low Standards

Daily Bread for 2.14.23: Nothing Upsets the Populists Like Contrary Speech (esp. from Blacks or Gays)

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Good morning. Valentine’s Day in Whitewater will be rainy with a high of 50. Sunrise is 6:52 AM and sunset 5:25 PM for 10h 33m 36s  of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 40.9% of its visible disk illuminated. Now, Whitewater — don’t let showers dampen your spirits. There’s romance in the rain.  Whitewater’s…

Culture, Daily Bread, Language

Daily Bread for 7.17.22: On Latinx

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Good morning. Sunday in Whitewater be partly sunny, with scattered afternoon thunderstorms, and a high of 84. Sunrise is 5:32 AM and sunset 8:29 PM for 14h 58m 38s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 80.7% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1955, Disneyland is dedicated and opened by Walt…