Good morning, Whitewater.

Morning fog will give way this Sunday to afternoon sunshine, and a high of forty-four.  Sunrise is 7:11 and sunset 4:20, for 9h 09m 29s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 21.3% of its visible disk illuminated.

Friday’s FW poll asked whether readers thought that a photograph from Mars showed a mouse-like animal on the surface of that planet.  Most respondents were not convinced: 85.71% said ‘Oh, no, that’s crazy.’

On this day in 1884, construction finishes on the Washington Monument:

Construction resumed in 1879 under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Lincoln Casey of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Casey redesigned the foundation, strengthening it so it could support a structure that ultimately weighed more than 40,000 tons. He then followed the society’s orders and figured out what to do with the memorial stones that had accumulated. Though many people ridiculed them, Casey managed to install most of the stones in the interior walls — one stone was found at the bottom of the elevator shaft in 1951.^[39] The bottom third of the monument is a slightly lighter shade than the rest of the construction because the marble was obtained from different quarries.^[41]

The building of the monument proceeded quickly after Congress had provided sufficient funding. In four years, it was completed, with the 100-ounce (2.83 kg) aluminum apex/lightning-rod being put in place on December 6, 1884.^[37] The apex was the largest single piece of aluminum cast at the time, when aluminum commanded a price comparable to silver.^[10] Two years later, the Hall–Héroult process made aluminum easier to produce and the price of aluminum plummeted, making the once-valuable apex more ordinary, though it still provided a lustrous, non-rusting apex that served as the original lightning rod.^[42] The monument opened to the public on October 9, 1888.^[43]

Not every home is the same. Bruce Campbell (not the actor, but the airplane enthusiast) lives in a 727:

Good morning, Whitewater.

Saturday in town will be sunny and mild, with a high of forty-seven. Sunrise is 7:10 and sunset 4:20 for 9h 10m 33s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 29.1% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1933, America repeals Prohibition:

Economic urgency played no small part in accelerating the advocacy for repeal. The number of conservatives who pushed for prohibition in the beginning decreased. Many farmers who fought for prohibition now fought for repeal because of the negative effects it had on the agriculture business.^[63] Prior to the 1920 implementation of the Volstead Act, approximately 14% of federal, state, and local tax revenues were derived from alcohol commerce. When the Great Depression hit and tax revenues plunged, the governments needed this revenue stream.^[64] Millions could be made by taxing beer. There was controversy on whether the repeal should be a state or nationwide decision.^[63] On March 22, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an amendment to the Volstead Act, known as the Cullen–Harrison Act, allowing the manufacture and sale of 3.2% beer (3.2% alcohol by weight, approximately 4% alcohol by volume) and light wines. The Volstead Act previously defined an intoxicating beverage as one with greater than 0.5% alcohol.^[9] Upon signing the Cullen–Harrison Act, Roosevelt made his famous remark: “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”^[65]

The Eighteenth Amendment was repealed on December 5, 1933, with ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Despite the efforts of Heber J. Grant, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Utah convention helped ratify the Twenty-first Amendment.^[66]

….In 1930 the Prohibition Commissioner estimated that in 1919, the year before the Volstead Act became law, the average drinking American spent $17 per year on alcoholic beverages. By 1930, because enforcement diminished the supply, spending had increased to $35 per year (there was no inflation in this period). The result was an illegal alcohol beverage industry that made an average of $3 billion per year in illegal untaxed income.^[117]

Heavy drinkers and alcoholics were among the most affected groups during Prohibition. Those who were determined to find liquor could still do so, but those who saw their drinking habits as destructive typically had difficulty in finding the help they sought. Self-help societies had withered away along with the alcohol industry. In 1935 a new self-help group called Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded.^[114]

This day in 1879 was a good day for Wisconsin:

1879 – Humane Society of Wisconsin Organized

On this date the Humane Society of Wisconsin was 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. [Source: Humane Society of Wisconsin]

Good morning, Whitewater.

Friday in town will be mostly sunny with forty-four degrees. Sunrise is 7:09 and sunset 4L31, for 9h 11m 42s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 38% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1945, the U.S. Senate approved American participation in the United Nations:

Washington, Dec. 4–The Senate passed by a 65-to-7 vote this evening the legislation to give the United States full, active participation in the United Nations Organization in accordance with the San Francisco Charter that it ratified, 89 to 2, last July.

Voting for the implementing measure, which now goes to the House, were forty-one Democrats, twenty-three Republicans and one Progressive. Opposing its passage were six Republicans– Senators Langer of North Dakota, Moore of Oklahoma, Revercomb of West Virginia, Shipstead of Minnesota, Taft of Ohio and Wherry of Nebraska, the minority whip–and one Democrat, Senator Wheeler of Montana. Senators Langer and Shipstead were the two who voted against ratification of the Charter.

Passage came after seven days of the Senate contest, which reached its final show-down stage in late afternoon as Senators Wheeler and Willis, Republican, of Indiana, sought to require the President to obtain specific Congressional authorization before he could make armed forces available to the UNO Security Council to halt an aggression or to maintain peace.

On this day in 1933, Janesville won’t quit:

1933 – Janesville Council Denies Prohibition End

On this date the Janesville Council drafted a “drastic liquor control law” that prohibited serving liquor. The law prohibited distilled spirits, but not beer, at bars, and limited liquor service to tables. Backrooms and “blinds” (closed booths) were also prohibited. The only place where packaged liquor was allowed to be sold was at municipal dispensaries. Further, bars were prohibited from selling packaged liquor. The next day, the city was uncommonly quiet as the 18th Amendment was repealed. For nearly 14 years, the 18th Amendment (the Prohibition Amendment), outlawed the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the U.S. [Source: Janesville Gazette, December 5, 1933, p.1]]

Here’s the final game in this week’s series from Puzzability:

This Week’s Game — November 30-December 4

The Possessive Filmfest

This week features some very personal movies. For each day, we’ll give you a series of clues, each of which leads to a word. You must drop one letter out of each of these answer words and put them together (in order), adding spaces as needed, to get the title of a movie that starts with a possessive first name.

Example:

Container for groceries / improved / out of danger / when dessert is served in a meal

Answer:

Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)

What to Submit:

Submit the movie’s title and the smaller words (as “Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)” in the example) for your answer.

Friday, December 4

Hot chocolate holder / brightest star in Orion / made a cut in lumber / wild dog of Australia

Good morning, Whitewater.

Thursday’s morning clouds will give way to sunshine and a high of thirty-nine. Sunrise is 7:08 and sunset is 4:21, for 9h 12m 53s of daytime.  The moon is a waning crescent with 47.9% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1776, Washington arrives at the Delaware:

In a letter dated December 3, 1776, General George Washington writes to Congress from his headquarters in Trenton, New Jersey, to report that he had transported much of the Continental Army’s stores and baggage across the Delaware River to Pennsylvania.

In his letter Washington wrote, “Immediately on my arrival here, I ordered the removal of all the military and other stores and baggage over the Delaware, a great quantity are already got over, and as soon as the boats come up from Philadelphia, we shall load them, by which means I hope to have every thing secured this night and tomorrow if we are not disturbed.”

Washington then made the critical strategic move of confiscating and burning all the boats along the Delaware to prevent British troops from pursuing his beleaguered forces across the river. The British strategy of chasing Washington across New Jersey, rather than capturing his entire army in Manhattan, seemed to be a stroke of genius. As New Jersey was devastated at the hands of British forces and Washington’s men cowered in Pennsylvania, even staunch Patriots, including Thomas Jefferson, considered surrender to the crown….

On this day in 1947, Wisconsin gets a station, of a new type:

1947 – First TV Station in Wisconsin Established

On this date the first TV station in Wisconsin, WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, was established. The seventeenth television station in the country, WTMJ-TV was the first in the Midwest. [Source: University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Libraries]

Here’s the 121.3.15 game from Puzzability:

This Week’s Game — November 30-December 4

The Possessive Filmfest

This week features some very personal movies. For each day, we’ll give you a series of clues, each of which leads to a word. You must drop one letter out of each of these answer words and put them together (in order), adding spaces as needed, to get the title of a movie that starts with a possessive first name.

Example:

Container for groceries / improved / out of danger / when dessert is served in a meal

Answer:

Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)

What to Submit:

Submit the movie’s title and the smaller words (as “Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)” in the example) for your answer.

Thursday, December 3

Christmas song / a fan of, slangily / use a needle and thread / comedian Schumer

Good morning, Whitewater.

We’ll have an even chance of snow showers today, on a day cloudy skies and a high of thirty-six.  Sunrise is 7:07 and sunset 4:21, for 9h 14m 10s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 57.5% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 2001, Enron files for bankruptcy.  It wasn’t just any company – it was a fraud repeatedly and falsely touted by prominent officials as an innovation leader.   Honest to goodness, marketing doesn’t make the man:

Enron Corporation (former New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol ENE) was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 20,000 staff and was one of the world’s major electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with claimed revenues of nearly $111 billion during 2000.^[1]Fortune named Enron “America’s Most Innovative Company” for six consecutive years.

At the end of 2001, it was revealed that its reported financial condition was sustained substantially by an institutionalized, systematic, and creatively planned accounting fraud, known since as the Enron scandal. Enron has since become a well-known example of willful corporate fraud and corruption. The scandal also brought into question the accounting practices and activities of many corporations in the United States and was a factor in the enactment of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002. The scandal also affected the greater business world by causing the dissolution of the Arthur Andersen accounting firm.^[2]

Enron filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York in late 2001 and selected Weil, Gotshal & Manges as its bankruptcy counsel. It ended its bankruptcy during November 2004, pursuant to a court-approved plan of reorganization, after one of the most complex bankruptcy cases in U.S. history. A new board of directors changed the name of Enron toEnron Creditors Recovery Corp., and emphasized reorganizing and liquidating certain operations and assets of the pre-bankruptcy Enron.^[3] On September 7, 2006, Enron sold Prisma Energy International Inc., its last remaining business, to Ashmore Energy International Ltd. (now AEI).^[4]

On this day in 1954, Wisconsin’s Sen. McCarthy fares poorly:

1954 – McCarthy Censured by Senate

On December 2, 1954, the United States Senate voted to censure Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. Declaring his behavior “contrary to senatorial traditions,” the 1954 Senate resolution officially condemned McCarthy…

Here’s the midweek game from Puzzability:

This Week’s Game — November 30-December 4

The Possessive Filmfest

This week features some very personal movies. For each day, we’ll give you a series of clues, each of which leads to a word. You must drop one letter out of each of these answer words and put them together (in order), adding spaces as needed, to get the title of a movie that starts with a possessive first name.

Example:

Container for groceries / improved / out of danger / when dessert is served in a meal

Answer:

Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)

What to Submit:

Submit the movie’s title and the smaller words (as “Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)” in the example) for your answer.

Wednesday, December 2

Member of England’s upper house / implement for cocky crossword solvers / place to see interesting animals / give away the ending

Good morning, Whitewater.

Our new month begins with cloudy skies and a high of forty. Sunrise is 7:06 and sunset 4:21, for 9h 15m 29s of daytime.

Whitewater’s Common Council meets tonight at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her place on a public bus to a white passenger:

Sixty years ago Tuesday, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Ala. A police officer made the arrest that set off the modern civil rights movement. Today police recruits in Alabama’s capital city are being schooled in that history in a course designed to eliminate bias in policing.

If you want to be a cop in Montgomery, first you have to take a bus tour of sorts. About two dozen police recruits, in cadet blues, are in the Rosa Parks Museum in downtown Montgomery, standing in front of a replica of a city bus.

In silhouette, through the bus windows, they watch as the driver orders Parks to give her 11th-row seat to a white passenger. She stays put.

On this day in 1884, a fire rearranges classes at UW-Madison:

1884 – Fire Destroys UW Building

On this date fire destroyed Science Hall on the UW-Madison campus. As a result, engineering students were forced to use the cramped space of the former dormitory, North Hall, for the next four semesters. [Source: College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison]

Here’s Tuesday’s game from Puzzability:

This Week’s Game — November 30-December 4

The Possessive Filmfest

This week features some very personal movies. For each day, we’ll give you a series of clues, each of which leads to a word. You must drop one letter out of each of these answer words and put them together (in order), adding spaces as needed, to get the title of a movie that starts with a possessive first name.

Example:

Container for groceries / improved / out of danger / when dessert is served in a meal

Answer:

Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)

What to Submit:

Submit the movie’s title and the smaller words (as “Babette’s Feast (bag / better / safe / last)” in the example) for your answer.

Tuesday, December 1

Like hair that’s not quite curly / tennis court divider / saber or foil / pot topper