Evers

Just before reading this, I noticed that Bill Evers' old house at 704-706 N Irwin is now FNMA owned and listed. I suspected this guy was behind both the "Weary of Wery" and "Zima has a love child" smear campaigns in recent years. It also seems to me he was instrumental in helping Olde North Neighborhood Association along toward inactive status at one point. Definitely an interesting guy to have as a constituent. He didn't seem so civic minded but he and his wife always voted.

Wishes and Hopes

It has been many years since I've spoken to my to my former colleague. From my side, Kathleen and I are social network friends because she is a talented photographer and is kind enough to share the product of her skills with her connections. What she gets from this relationship I have no idea-- I'm muted on her end for all I know. One day you actually log in to social networking and life happens to someone, gets shared and you trip over it.

Kathleen, the meditation from your aunt is better than any words I can find.

May baby Hana feel safe and protected.
May baby Hana feel loved and held in gentle kindness.
May Hana be healthy, strong, and whole.
May Hana be free from suffering.
May Hana grow in joy and peace with her family.

May Kathleen and Paul be safe.
May Kathleen and Paul be surrounded by love, hope, and strength.
May Kathleen and Paul be free from suffering.
May Kathleen, Paul and Hana grow in joy and peace as a family.

Best wishes from a long ways away from someone you knew a long time ago.

UK Trip Litmus Test!

Last presidential election, Mitt Romney had a bit of a rough trip to the U.K.

Have you noticed how many of the Republican hopefuls have made trips to the U.K. this go round? So far, Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie, and Scott Walker have all gone.

It has gone so poorly that this article suggests then Senator Obama basically set them up for failure by having a successful trip abroad while running for the presidency.

I have a different thought. I think major Republican financiers-- you know, the ones who aren't allowed to coordinate with the candidates or campaigns-- have requested that serious candidates undertake these trips to figure out who to back. Given how poorly these trips have gone, I don't see any other reason that would motivate other candidates to keep trying.

Squeaky Wheel or Barking Dog?

The old saying goes, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." I like better this concept Maynard Webb introduces, "Don't feed the barking dogs."

Fortuitous and/or apropos? Time will tell, but I predict yes to both.

Decoy Story

C'mon people. They had everyone talking about the "One Wisconsin" wording and now everyone is being smug for winning the push back. No one has their eye on the ball. IT'S A FREAKING DECOY. I think the whole debacle was intentionally executed to keep attention from THE REAL STORY: the 150M/yr in cuts from the already tight budget of an organization that no longer has reserves.

This seems especially brutal since most employees about undergo lay off just got a $4000 compensation cut just a few years ago. It is my understanding that prior to the cuts our UW System employees were already compensated lower than their peers from other states.

I worry about how much damage this will do to our UW System and, by extension, the state.

Totally irrelevant, but ironic. This from a guy who didn't graduate from college.

Three Childrens!?

"One reason for having three kids is so that you can stop talking about having three kids." Jennifer Eyre White - havingthreekids.com

Funny stuff. Yes, definitely funny, but definitely scary too.

Jennifer also wrote a review of The Three-Martini Playdate: A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting that makes it sound pretty darn funny. Though, I wonder if the book will live up to the review.