Good morning.
Thursday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of thirty-two. Sunrise is 7:23 AM and sunset 4:25 PM, for 9h 01m 49s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 35.3% of its visible disk illuminated.
The Whitewater Fire Department will hold a scheduled business meeting at 6:30 PM.
On this day in 1864, Gen. Sherman offers a Christmas gift to Pres. Lincoln, and the president later replies with gratitude:
Sherman telegraphed to President Lincoln, “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty guns and plenty of ammunition, also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton.”[15] On December 26, the president replied in a letter:[16]
Many, many thanks for your Christmas gift – the capture of Savannah. When you were leaving Atlanta for the Atlantic coast, I was anxious, if not fearful; but feeling that you were the better judge, and remembering that ‘nothing risked, nothing gained’ I did not interfere. Now, the undertaking being a success, the honor is all yours; for I believe none of us went farther than to acquiesce. And taking the work of Gen. Thomas into the count, as it should be taken, it is indeed a great success. Not only does it afford the obvious and immediate military advantage; but, in showing to the world that your army could be divided, putting the stronger part to an important new service, and yet leaving enough to vanquish the old opposing force of the whole—Hood’s army—it brings those who sat in darkness, to see a great light. But what next? I suppose it will be safer if I leave Gen. Grant and yourself to decide. Please make my grateful acknowledgements to your whole army, officers and men.
Worth reading in full —
Oleg Kashin writes of Rex Tillerson’s Special Friend in the Kremlin: “[Head of Rosneft, Russia’s state oil company Igor I. ] Sechin is not just the chief executive of Rosneft, he is also one of the heroes of contemporary Russian politics. He is believed to have served as a K.G.B. agent in Africa and had no real experience in the business world until he was over 40. He didn’t come to lead the state oil company because of his business acumen; he earned his position through his loyalty to Mr. Putin. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mr. Sechin aligned himself with Mr. Putin, another former K.G.B. officer, as he began consolidating power in post-Soviet politics. Everywhere Mr. Putin went, Mr. Sechin was by his side as a trusted aide and adviser.”
Well, she’s found an inside job after all, as Kellyanne Conway, ‘Trump Whisperer,’ Will Be Counselor to President: ”She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message,” Mr. Trump said. “I am pleased that she will be part of my senior team in the West Wing.” Ms. Conway stood by Mr. Trump after a 2005 video surfaced in which he spoke in vulgar terms about groping women, proving her loyalty and helping to secure her position as someone who will have the president’s ear on a wide variety of topics. Ms. Conway has been a favorite strategist for conservative candidates, such as Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential race, and she was an adviser to Vice President-elect Mike Pence in his run for governor of Indiana.”
Steve Reilly of USA Today reports that some Teachers who sexually abuse students still find classroom jobs: “When it came time to deal with the Orangefield High School football coach, administrators didn’t fire McFarlin or report him to police. They didn’t even notify Texas education officials who had the power to take away his teaching license. Instead, they let him become someone else’s problem. They hid his behavior from state regulators, parents and coaches. All McFarlin had to do was go teach somewhere else. “This incident does not have to end McFarlan’s (sic) career,” school district attorney Karen Johnson wrote in a letter in 2005 to then-superintendent Mike Gentry. In the letter, Johnson recommended the district negotiate “a graceful exit” for the teacher. Less than two years later, McFarlin, then 38, landed a job at a nearby school district, where no one had any idea about his past problems. In 2011, he had sex with one of his students, a 16-year-old girl.”
Philip Rucker and Karen Tumulty report that Donald Trump is holding a government casting call. He’s seeking ‘the look.’: “Trump’s closest aides have come to accept that he is likely to rule out candidates if they are not attractive or not do not match his image of the type of person who should hold a certain job. “That’s the language he speaks. He’s very aesthetic,” said one person familiar with the transition team’s internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “You can come with somebody who is very much qualified for the job, but if they don’t look the part, they’re not going anywhere.” Several of Trump’s associates said they thought that John R. Bolton’s brush-like mustache was one of the factors that handicapped the bombastic former United Nations ambassador in the sweepstakes for secretary of state. “Donald was not going to like that mustache,” said one associate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak frankly. “I can’t think of anyone that’s really close to Donald that has a beard that he likes.”
Chefs in Chicago are helping make ‘elite’ cuisine approachable:
While New York might be the city most known for excellent cuisine, the food scene in Chicago is increasingly innovative and vibrant, especially on the weekends. At EL Ideas restaurant, people pay a fixed price for a unique and interactive experiences. For example, guests eat the first course of caviar by licking it off their plate, no silverware allowed. “Chicago is an exciting food town,” says Phillip Foss, the chef and owner of EL Ideas. “Chefs here in Chicago are actually pushing a little bit harder to explore the boundaries of what a restaurant can be.” This is the eighth and final episode in The Atlantic’s video series “Saturday Night in America,” which uncovers pockets of nightlife across the nation. It was directed by Ben Wu and David Usui of Lost & Found Films.