Public Meetings
Park & Rec Board
by JOHN ADAMS •
Uncategorized
Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 8-2-10
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning,
Today’s forecast for Whitewater calls for a partly sunny day, with a high of eighty-five.
The City of Whitewater has three scheduled public meetings for today. At 4 p.m., the Parks and Rec Board meets. At 6 p.m., the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve Task Force meets.
Also at 6 p.m., Whitewater’s Planning Commission meets, to consider, principally, the possible expansion of Whitewater’s Walmart. If there’s a single document other than the agenda that the Planning Commission will have before it, it’s not online as of this writing. It’s possible, of course, that there are no documents to consider, and everyone will walk into this meeting, sit down, and just start talking.
The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls that on this date in 1832, the Black Hawk War ended:
1832 – Black Hawk War Ends
On this date the defeat of Black Hawk and his followers at the Battle of Bad Axe, ended the Black Hawk War. Black Hawk led the American troops northward while the rest of the Indians constructed rafts and canoes to facilitate an escape over the Mississippi river. The plan was successful initially but eventually General Atkinson realized the ruse. In the battle, women, children and the elderly hid behind rocks and logs and American soldiers often could not or did not differentiate between warriors and the women and children. Atkinson sent Wabasha and his Sioux warriors, enemies of the Sauk, after the approximately 150 members of the British Band that made it to the Western bank of the Mississippi. The Sauk, “escaped the best they could, and dispersed”, but only 22 women and children were spared. Black Hawk escaped, but the Battle of Bad Axe marked the end of the war. [Source: Along the Black Hawk Trail by William F. Stark, p.142-153]
Beautiful Whitewater
Exhibit honors late Whitewater photographer, and the art that inspired him — Walworth County Today
by JOHN ADAMS •
The exhibit will run from August 1 to September 12th, and will be open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 pm. On August 1st, it will be open form 1 to 4 p.m. The show takes place at Whitewater’s Cultural Arts Center, on 402 West Main Street, Whitewater, WI.
View Larger Map
See, Exhibit honors late Whitewater photographer, and the art that inspired him — Walworth County Today.
Recent Tweets, 7-25 to 7-31
by JOHN ADAMS •
A biker to drivers: Let’s call a truce http://bit.ly/atiZd1
about 12 hours ago
Town fathers in a place like Whitewater deride successful departures and so condemn themselves only to unsuccessful arrivals
1:55 PM Jul 30th
Among Whitewater, WI’s self-declared elite, does no one know how to say, simply, “Goodbye and Good Luck?”
1:50 PM Jul 30th
Squires of small-town Whitewater WI: Welcome, we’re so glad you’re here Wait, you’re leaving us? Go go Hell you ungrateful wretch!
1:44 PM Jul 30th
41.5 pound brown trout sets Wisconsin record http://bit.ly/atsoRW
1:08 PM Jul 30th
The Associated Press: AP survey: A bleaker outlook for economy into 2011 http://bit.ly/dlmSUd
9:12 PM Jul 29th
“Should local officials follow Eau Claire’s lead and ban marijuana-like substances?” by On the Beat — GazetteXtra http://bit.ly/bqzgtd No!
8:47 PM Jul 29th via bitly
Wis. DNR: 41.5-pound brown trout sets state record http://bit.ly/a912oh
8:44 PM Jul 29th
RT @IJ: Opponents of Citizens United fear that corporations will “buy” elections. Find out why this isn’t true: http://iam.ij.org/dbxDwe
4:28 PM Jul 29th
Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Supervisors Sidestep Proposal to Cut Own Pensions Supervisors shouldn’t have pensions http://bit.ly/cwudxB
4:08 PM Jul 29th
RT @CatoInstitute: In just 3 sentences you can see the White House attitude toward the Constitution & court precedent: http://bit.ly/b5MDha
9:47 AM Jul 29th
iPad Owners Are ‘Selfish Elites.’ Critics Are ‘Independent Geeks.’ Discuss. | Epicenter | Wired.com http://bit.ly/bUKKSr
8:02 PM Jul 28th
Aftermath of a Wisconsin storm — 2 billion gallons of sewage and water overflow That’s billion http://bit.ly/c4rybV
12:51 PM Jul 28th
Greedy PA teachers steal federally-subsidized lunches from hungry students http://bit.ly/8Yz1lL
12:47 PM Jul 28th
RT @IJ: How can we transform communities & create economic growth? Through power of one entrepreneur. Learn more: http://iam.ij.org/9NjDFM
10:07 AM Jul 27th
Cartoons & Comics
Sunday Morning Comic: Classic Peanuts
by JOHN ADAMS •
Uncategorized
GazetteXtra.com: When Mark Twain Came to Janesville, Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at GazetteXtra.com, there’s a video from community blogger Glen Lloyd that recalls When Mark Twain Came to Janesville, Wisconsin. It’s both informative and well-narrated.
Press
NYT Blogger Who Knocked Fox News’ Audience Diversity Has the Same Problem
by JOHN ADAMS •
Interestingly, though, the media site where Stelter [the NYT blogger] primarily blogs (New York Times’ Media Decoder) suffers from the lowest percentage of African-American readers (4.6%) when compared to comparable media sites like Mediaite (5.8%), Gawker (6.4%), Mediabistro (9.2%), etc., according to Nielsen Media Research.
I haven’t seen Fox News in who knows how long, but I watch the more libertarian-oriented Fox Business Channel (a newer channel) frequently.
See, NYT Blogger Who Knocked Fox News’ Audience Diversity Has the Same Problem.
Government Spending
Mark Budman: New Jobs at $100,000 a Pop?
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Local Jobs for America Act proposes to spend up to $100 billion to create and save a million public and private jobs in communities this year. While a million jobs sounds like a huge number, let’s look at the money spent on that task and analyze the premise….
The money will go someplace, obviously, and therefore stimulate the economy. They might even create and save some jobs. But the number will be much lower than a million. And if it is, the arithmetic changes. If you think that $100,000 per job created is high, how about $500,000 or a cool million bucks?
Which raises the question: Could $100 billion best be spent to buy a smarter and more accountable Congress?
Cars
2011 Chevrolet Cruze: Brand-New and Almost Out of Date | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
Trouble is, the real segment leader, not in sales but in value, is a Hyundai, and not the compact rival Elantra but the new Sonata midsize. If you’ve got $20,000 to spend on a four-door family car, would you rather have the audaciously ordinary-looking Cruze or the bigger, quicker, more powerful and more generously equipped Sonata? Throw in the Sonata’s swooping, wind-laminated styling, and this choice isn’t close. I mean, it’s murder most foul, right?
Chevrolet didn’t make any Sonatas available [for a test comparison]. Perhaps the local Hyundai dealership was sold out….
The Cruze, a long time in development and slow to reach the crucial U.S. market—no thanks to a little thing called bankruptcy—arrives out of synch with the rest of the market. Yes, it drubs the Corolla, but the current Corolla has been around since the Earth cooled (2006). Yes, it outpoints the Civic, but the current Civic goes away in less than a year.
In duck hunting, you always lead the duck, which is to say, aim where you anticipate the duck to be in flight. General Motors has not led the duck.
2011 Chevrolet Cruze: Brand-New and Almost Out of Date | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil – WSJ.com.
Cars
Honda CR-Z: A Hybrid That’s Hot—Sometimes | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
The CR-Z—which uses essentially the same hybrid powertrain as the Honda Insight—scoots from 0-60 mph in under 9 seconds, gets 39 miles per gallon on the highway and is priced under $20,000 to start. Those are some worthy numbers. Compared with the driving experience of the CR-Z, the Toyota Prius (which represents half of the hybrid market) feels like going on a hunger strike….
Hardy or foolhardy, it [Honda] means to scratch a niche out of the hybrid segment that it can call its own. It’s got a program, it’s got a mission, it’s got a machine. Meanwhile, year by year, model by model, Honda is crafting a portfolio of faster, more fuel-efficient cars. You can’t hate on that.
See, Honda CR-Z: A Hybrid That’s Hot—Sometimes | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil – WSJ.com.
Economy
The 2.4% Recovery – WSJ.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
Yesterday’s report also contained the government’s annual historic GDP revisions, and growth was revised downward for the last three years. This means the U.S. is $130 billion, or 1%, poorer than previously thought and that growth will have to be that much faster to catch up….
The message of 2.4% second quarter growth is closer to the opposite: The epic government stimulus has failed to produce the robust expansion the White House promised, and the prospect of higher taxes and more regulation is inhibiting the private animal spirits needed for growth to accelerate….
Politics
North Korean football team shamed in six-hour public inquiry over World Cup – Telegraph
by JOHN ADAMS •
The entire squad was forced onto a stage at the People’s Palace of Culture and subjected to criticism from Pak Myong-chol, the sports minister, as 400 government officials, students and journalists watched.
The players were subjected to a “grand debate” on July 2 because they failed in their “ideological struggle” to succeed in South Africa, Radio Free Asia and South Korean media reported.
The team’s coach, Kim Jong-hun, was reportedly forced to become a builder and has been expelled from the Workers’ Party of Korea.
See, North Korean football team shamed in six-hour public inquiry over World Cup – Telegraph.
Film, Liberty
Was the Legendary Robin Hood a Libertarian Rebel?
by JOHN ADAMS •
Cathy Young of Reason thinks that the character of English lore and American film was a liberty-loving individualist.
See, A Libertarian Rebel.