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Sports

State Journal: UW-Whitewater’s strong wheelchair basketball program prepares players for international court

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Update, 9.9.12: Video highlights from the U.S. Paralympics Division of the U.S. Olympic Committee:

Today in London, at the Paralympic Games, the United States defeated Great Britain to win a bronze medal in wheelchair basketball in international competition.  It’s an extraordinary accomplishment, to reach the highest level of competition, against athletes from around the world.

(The American women’s team came close to a medal, too, falling short in a difficult match for the bronze against the Netherlands.)

UW-Whitewater’s wheelchair basketball program, winner of almost a dozen national championships, played a vital role in America’s medal-winning effort:

When he’s not helping first-time offenders avoid prison at the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, Melvin Juette helps coach the U.S. men’s wheelchair basketball team, which Saturday won a bronze medal in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

Juette is not the only Wisconsin tie to the team. The state is a hub for wheelchair basketball, thanks in part to the strong program at UW-Whitewater.

Six of the 12 members of the U.S. men’s wheelchair basketball team in this year’s games played for UW-Whitewater, which has won 11 national titles. The school also boasts the current national championship women’s team, and several Warhawks women competed on the U.S. and other national teams in the Paralympics. Juette and fellow assistant coach Tom Colwell also played for UW-Whitewater.

Via Wisconsin State Journal.

So very well and admirably done.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 9.8.12

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Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny, with a high of seventy, and a thirty percent chance of showers in the late afternoon.

On this day in 1974, Pres. Ford granted an unconditional pardon to former Pres. Nixon.

Also on this day, in 1664, New Amsterdam became New York:

Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrenders New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland, to an English naval squadron under Colonel Richard Nicolls. Stuyvesant had hoped to resist the English, but he was an unpopular ruler, and his Dutch subjects refused to rally around him. Following its capture, New Amsterdam’s name was changed to New York, in honor of the Duke of York, who organized the mission.

The colony of New Netherland was established by the Dutch West India Company in 1624 and grew to encompass all of present-day New York City and parts of Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey. A successful Dutch settlement in the colony grew up on the southern tip of Manhattan Island and was christened New Amsterdam…

In 1664, New Amsterdam passed to English control, and English and Dutch settlers lived together peacefully. In 1673, there was a short interruption of English rule when the Netherlands temporary regained the settlement. In 1674, New York was returned to the English, and in 1686 it became the first city in the colonies to receive a royal charter. After the American Revolution, it became the first capital of the United States.

The Wisconsin Historical Society records that on this day in 1958,

1958 – Janesville Women Belly Up to the Bar
On this date the Janesville city council voted 4-2 to finally end a paternalistic and discriminatory ordinance that prohibited women from drinking at the bar. Since the end of Prohibition in 1933, women had been banned from being served while standing at the bar in Janesville taverns. [Source: Janesville Gazette]

A quick check of an atlas confirms that, despite this change, Janesville’s still around.

Google’s daily puzzle‘s throwing out a bit of weekend math and physics: “Would you describe the mathematical quantity represented by “a = F/m” as a vector or scalar quantity?”

CDA, City, Development, Green Energy Holdings

A Waste Digester Proposal Summary, June to August

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As with so many other recent proposals, the proposal for a large waste digester in Whitewater was announced quickly, without public input, and trumpeted unthinkingly. In this way, the scheme was the quintessential proposal of the outgoing Brunner administration.

There’s much more ahead about all this, but before that, a summary of where we are. I’ve also a category dedicated to the proposal.

1. Council approved a preliminary agreement with Green Energy Holdings in June.

This supposedly ‘monumental’ deal received no public consideration. See, The CDA and GEH.

2. Shortly thereafter, Whitewater’s Community Development Authority reviewed and made changes to the proposal.

That meeting was held on 6.27.12, and was a near-parody of how to review a proposal (with questions begging conflicts of interest). See, The CDA Session from 6.27.12 and Questions for the CDA about a Proposal with Green Energy Holdings (with eleven questions for the CDA).

There’s been no subsequent, public Council session about the proposal following those proposed changes.

3. On cue, the local press touted the preliminary deal as an accomplished fact, considering nothing, but unthinkingly accepting everything.

See, in response, my posts Questions for the Press about a Proposal with Green Energy Holdings (with another eleven questions) and Part 2: Questions for the Press about a Proposal with Green Energy Holdings (with another nine questions).

One of these stories didn’t even identify Green Energy Holdings correctly, oddly and falsely contending it was a Florida coal company.

4. Whitewater’s municipal administration has had ample time to show former city manager Brunner’s work – whatever it might have been – as analysis of and justification for the project.

After all, claims of the monumental should, reasonably, be founded on diligent (dare one say monumental?) preparation.

So, I thought I’d ask. See, An Open Letter to the Interim City Manager on a Proposal between Whitewater and Green Energy Holdings.

Of analyses and justifications for the GEH proposal? One still finds nothing.

That, however, is yet an answer – a telling one – all its own.

5. I showed how this deal was kept from public view.

See, How to Keep a Public Deal from Common-Sense Evaluation.

6. I showed Whitewater what officials and the local press won’t about the public reaction near Maribel to a proposal like this – from the same parent company involved in the Whitewater deal.

See, What Whitewater’s Officials Don’t Know (or Don’t Want You to Know) about that “Green Energy” Deal.

Maribel area residents want answers about proposed facility

There’s much yet ahead to consider (including the vast contradictions between this proposal and prior municipal plans), but this is a summary of where the summer has left us. more >>

Cats

Friday Catblogging: Oscar the Bionic Cat

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Update, 9.9.12: I’ve an update to this Friday catblogging post about Oscar the Bionic Cat: a link to a full program (available online) from the Smithsonian Channel about Oscar, entitled, “The Bionic Vet: Oscar & Mayo.”

Injured in a farm accident, Oscar’s now ‘better, stronger, faster’ (or at least in pretty good shape for a formerly crippled feline).

Poll

Friday Poll: Do We Need a Longer School Year?

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I saw a post at Slashdot that asked if we needed a longer school year. (That post has links to stories arguing in favor of a longer year.)

Well, do you think we should we have a longer year? Alternatively, should school sessions be spaced more evenly throughout the calendar year? Perhaps both: a longer year and more even spacing?

I’d start with a more even spacing, and only afterward think about expanding the days in school. What do you think?


Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 9.7.12

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Good morning.

The forecast calls for a rainy day, a high of seventy-two, and light winds throughout the day.

Over at LiveScience.com, an animation shows how a recent Costa Rican earthquake affected the U.S. (blue is downward motion of the ground, red is upward motion):

We’ve come through a year of recalls, but the Wisconsin Historical society recalls the first judicial recall we had, on Sept. 7,  1977:

On this date Wisconsin’s first judicial-recall election was held. Dane County citizens voted Judge Archie Simonson out of office. Simonson called rape a normal male reaction to provocative female attire and modern society’s permissive attitude toward sex. He made this statement while explaining why he sentenced a 15-year-old to only one year of probation for raping a 16-year-old girl. After the recall election, Simonson was replaced by Moria Krueger, the first woman judge elected in Dane County history. [Source: Initiative & Referendum Institute]

From Google’s daily puzzle, some geology: “The geologic period known for the Earth’s highest atmospheric oxygen levels is divided into epochs named after which two U.S. states?”

City, Politics, Press

What Bill Clinton Correctly Teaches (and What Local Leaders Can Learn from It)

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I’m not a Democrat, but I have always admired and respected Bill Clinton’s rhetorical power, a power on display again last night in Charlotte. In a time when few politicians are persuasive, Clinton stands out even more.

James Fallows, writing in the Atlantic, in a post entitled, Why Bill Clinton’s Speeches Work,” posits that it’s

Because he treats listeners as if they are smart.

That is the significance of “They want us to think” and “The strongest argument is” and “The arithmetic says one of three things must happen” and even “Now listen to me here, this is important.” He is showing that he understands the many layers of logic and evidence and positioning and emotion that go into political discussion — and, more important, he takes for granted that listeners can too.

This is true about Clinton’s perspective, and about people: he treats people as if they are smart, and it works because they are smart.

People easily see through dodgy claims and shoddy reasoning. Local politics, local reporting, etc. fails when politicians, bureaucrats, and reporters futilely insist that sow’s ears are silk purses, and naked emperors are resplendently dressed.

Perhaps there’s an implicit compact between a few that they’ll brook each other’s mediocrity as the price for inclusion in a tiny social circle.

If so, it’s a deal that normal, thinking people would (and should) readily reject.

Clinton’s approach is the right one.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 9.6.12

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Good morning.

It’s a sunny day with a high of eighty-four in store for Whitewater.

The city’s Landmarks Commission meets at 6 PM today, with a work session of that commission to follow at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1915, in England, the first tank was built:

On this day in 1988, a Wisconsin entertainer, whose work is known to anyone who’s visited the Dells, passed away:

On this date Wisconsin Dells showman, Tommy Bartlett died. Bartlett began his show business career at the age of 13 when he went to work at WISN, a radio station out of Milwaukee. By the age of 17 Bartlett was hosting a show at Chicago’s WBBM. During World War II, Bartlett was part of the Army Air Corps. After completing his service he worked for a short time as a pilot for Northwest Airlines. In 1952, The Tommy Bartlett Water Ski & Jumping Boat Thrill Show was born in Chicago. After a single performance in Wisconsin Dells, he was asked to locate the show permanently at the growing tourist destination. The performance became the Tommy Barlett Show which is still popular with tourists today. [Source: Tommy Bartlett Show]

Google’s daily puzzle asks a question of metallurgy: “What do you get if you add tin to the element that’s named after the island of Cyprus?”

City

Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters September 2012 Newsletter

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The Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters’ September 2012 Newsletter has arrived, featuring articles and a calendar of upcoming events.

This latest edition is available as a link on my blogroll, and is embedded below.

Upcoming events:

Date: September 20th (Thursday)
Event: Public Program, Civil Discourse
Where: 7 PM, Auditorium 275A, University Center, UWW Campus

Date: September 24th (Monday)
Event: Voter Registration Training
Where: 5:30 PM, University Center, Room 259, UWW

Date: October 13th (Saturday)
Event: LWVWI Issues Briefing
Where: Crown Plaza Hotel, Madison

Date: October 18th (Thursday)
Event: Public Program, Money in Politics
Where: 7 PM, Timmerman Auditorium, Hyland Hall, UWW Campus

Whitewater League Website

www.lwvwhitewater.org

City

Whitewater’s 9.4.12 Common Council Meeting

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Tuesday night was common council night in Whitewater, and below are sundry remarks about the session.

City Budget Process. Our public budget process is surely a deliberative one: it stretches over October and November. Whitewater’s interim city manager plans to deliver a proposed 2013 budget to council on 10.9 (Tue), with specific portions considered on 10.16 (Tue), 10.23 (Tue), 11.8 (Thr.), possible revisions considered on 11.13 (Tue), and proposed adoption of a budget on 11.20 (Tue).

A Liquor License for the Black Sheep Restaurant. Council approved a liquor license for the restaurant, allowing it offer mixed drinks to its patrons. If there’s ever been a sensible candidate for a liquor license (and there have been many), it would be one like this. The city is skittish about any alcohol, and so perhaps to placate the most wary in the community, one even heard that the interim, acting Community Development Authority director found the license consistent with local development goals.

I’d like to think that, just walking about town, and thinking about what people might enjoy, one could come to that conclusion, without any title, and without reference to any state statutes.

Noise Ordinances. Are people making too much noise in the morning, and particularly, are they mowing their lawns too early? Changes in existing ordinances, where those changes would limit residents’ activities, should require a showing of a significant, compelling need for new restrictions.

It should be this simple: if no significant showing, then no justification, and so no new restrictions.

Permit Fees. Perhaps permit fees are oddly distributed; it wouldn’t hurt to adjust them for a few that might be out of alignment with the rest. Best prospect: a net reduction.

The City Manager Search. This is a big development for the city, but not everyone will think it’s big for the same reason. For the old guard, this choice matters for the person selected: “What will that person be like, how will he or she relate to me?”

Those things matter, but they matter not half as much as what the candidates think about, and will do about, managing the city. These last years have put lie to countless schemes, vanities, and conceits. One cannot improve life outside without being of firm stuff inside.

It’s really too funny — and so very predictable — that an initial proposal was for an invitation-only reception with Whitewater’s notables, and an open community forum thereafter. That proposal was sensibly discarded in favor of a reception and a later community forum, both open to all. Council would interview all the candidates in closed session a day later.

Whitewater’s town fathers are in a provincial version of the British and French situation during the Suez crisis: they’ve lost their former, preeminent positions, but they’re not aware (or are unwilling to acknowledge) that loss. They can act, but not with the same effect as a previously. They’re not done, but they’re no longer what they were.

A decade from now, when the city’s prospects will likely be stronger, theirs will be be weaker still. There is, in fact, a relationship between the two: as they wane, the city will grow.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 9.5.12

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Good morning.

Wednesday in Whitewater: showers and thundershowers, with a high of eighty-six.

Whitewater’s Urban Forestry Commission meets this afternoon from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

On this day in 1972, Palestinian terrorists attacked Israeli athletes at the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, killing eleven of the Israeli team.

On this day in 1836, Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas:

Houston served as the republic’s president until 1838, then again from 1841 to 1844. Despite plans for retirement, Houston helped Texas win admission to theUnited States in 1845 and was elected as one of the state’s first two senators. He served three terms in the Senate and ran successfully for Texas’ governorship in 1859. As the Civil War loomed, Houston argued unsuccessfully against secession, and was deposed from office in March 1861 after refusing to swear allegiance to the Confederacy. He died of pneumonia in 1863.

Google’s daily puzzle is of lemurs and geography: “If you see a lemur hanging from a branch, you’re probably on an island that formed during the prehistoric breakup of which supercontinent?”