Daily Bread for 3.23.17

Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of forty-five. Sunrise is 6:50 AM and sunset is 7:11 PM, for 12h 21m 04s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 23.7% of its visible disk illuminated. Today is the {tooltip}one hundred thirty-fifth day.{end-texte}Days since Trump’s election, with 11.9.16 as the first day.{end-tooltip}

Whitewater’s Community Development Authority meets today at 5:30 PM.

On this day in 1775, Patrick Henry argues in Virginia’s House of Burgesses for mobilization against Britain : “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!” On this day in 1865, the Campaign of the Carolinas ends victoriously for Wisconsin defenders of the Union: “the 21st Wisconsin Infantry, made up mostly of soldiers from the Oshkosh area, finished fighting their way through the South during Sherman’s March to the Sea and reached Goldsboro, N.C., where the campaign in the Carolinas ended.”

Recommended for reading in full — 

Michael Judge interviews Garry Kasparov on the press and propaganda in Trump’s America: “You told Fox News last October that you believed Putin was “absolutely” behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and other attempts to sway the November election. But you also said, “It’s not just about Trump winning. It’s about … destroying the integrity of US democracy worldwide.” What did you mean by that? That while Putin clearly preferred Trump to Hillary as the next president, his other goal is chaos and weakness in his rivals, and his greatest potential rival is the most powerful country in the world, the United States. Discrediting Americans’ faith in their elections, in their country, leaders, and institutions, and fomenting divisiveness, anger, and hatred, are all key elements of Putin’s propaganda and hacking efforts. It also has a useful effect for him back in Russia, so he can say “Look, American democracy is also a sham, a cheat, chaos. You are lucky to have me, strong and stable.” This also helps other authoritarian regimes in their own domestic and international propaganda efforts, much as how they delight in any real or imagined human rights abuses by America, so they can cry hypocrisy when their own practices are criticized.”

Joel Achenbach and Dan Keating describe New research identifies a ‘sea of despair’ among white, working-class Americans: “Sickness and early death in the white working class could be rooted in poor job prospects for less-educated young people as they first enter the labor market, a situation that compounds over time through family dysfunction, social isolation, addiction, obesity and other pathologies, according to a study published Thursday by two prominent economists. Anne Case and Angus Deaton garnered national headlines in 2015 when they reported that the death rate of midlife non-Hispanic white Americans had risen steadily since 1999 in contrast with the death rates of blacks, Hispanics and Europeans. Their new study extends the data by two years and shows that whatever is driving the mortality spike is not easing up. The two Princeton professors say the trend affects whites of both sexes and is happening nearly everywhere in the country. Education level is significant: People with a college degree report better health and happiness than those with only some college, who in turn are doing much better than those who never went. Offering what they call a tentative but “plausible” explanation, they write that less-educated white Americans who struggle in the job market in early adulthood are likely to experience a “cumulative disadvantage” over time, with health and personal problems that often lead to drug overdoses, alcohol-related liver disease and suicide.”

Christopher Mele reports that Art Supply Sales Jumped in January, Thanks to Protest Signs, Report Says: “The week before the Women’s March on Jan. 21 in cities across the United States, protesters who were making signs helped fuel increased sales of poster boards by 33 percent and foam boards by 42 percent compared with the same week last year, the consumer research group NPD reported recently. Poster and foam board sales from Jan. 15 to 21 totaled $4.1 million. More than 6.5 million poster boards were sold in January, with nearly one-third sold during the week of the march. Sales of easel pads and flip charts grew by 28 percent, Leen Nsouli, an office supplies industry analyst at NPD, said in a blog post. Sales of the materials used to make the messages on the posters also increased that week: Specialty markers were up by 24 percent; permanent markers, 12 percent; glue, 27 percent; and scissors, 6 percent.”

James B. Nelson reports that Amazon brings one-hour delivery to Milwaukee: “It might be easier – and faster – to get a socket wrench set from Amazon than from Sears. The online retailer announced Wednesday that customers in Milwaukee can receive one-hour deliveries from the Amazon Prime Now service. This comes as Sears warned investors that it has “substantial doubts” about its ability to stay in business because of a cash crisis. In January, Sears said it planned to close 150 stores. Amazon Prime Now delivery is $7.99 for one hour and free for two hours or later. The site was offering a $10 first time delivery credit code (10PRIMENOW) in the Milwaukee area Wednesday morning. A minimum order amount of $25 is required for the service. An Amazon press release said the Prime Now deliveries would be available for Milwaukee. It didn’t state which suburbs were included, but a spokeswoman said that customers could enter their zip code in their account and see if Prime Now is available. The service is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Amazon said it was possible to use the Alexa voice service to place the orders, saying: “Alexa, order (product) from Prime Now”.

Tech Insider contends that this mini-camper runs on retro vibes: