When I was growing up, this bank had a 'bubbler' ot front bythe corner where the kids hung out. Friday nights were the big time when all the farmers came to town. This was the spot where I heard my first 'fuck'. Said by a sweet looking farmers wife. I was SHOCKED! Probably because at 7 or 8, I didn't know what the helll that was. So, we went home and used that word.....the soap didn't taste so good.....geez, my mother had no sense of humor.....
A Richland Center bank has been selected for the filming of a robbery scene in the gangster flick "Public Enemies," according to a newspaper report.
M&I Bank in Richland Center, which was built in the 1920s and features chandeliers and marble floors, is one of four banks to be robbed on camera, the Richland Observer reported. The other three have yet to be determined.
Scouts visited the Wells Fargo and Baraboo National banks in Baraboo a month ago, but seem to be broadening their search, visiting communities across Wisconsin, Illinois and parts of Indiana. Universal Pictures location scout Adam Boor told the Observer the studio has verbally committed to shooting in Richland Center, but no contract has been signed. The only other Wisconsin site Mann has chosen is the Little Bohemia Lodge in Manitowish Waters, the scene of the John Dillinger gang's 1934 shootout with federal agents.
"That means that we're still in the running," said Gene Dalhoff, executive director of the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce. "That's better than the alternative."
The film is set to star Johnny Depp as Dillinger and Christian Bale as the FBI agent who hunted him down. Filming reportedly will begin in Chicago. The Observer reports filming in Richland Center is scheduled for one day in early March.
While scouts choose locations for filming, others on Mann's team will conduct a casting call for Depression-era vehicles to appear in the movie. Filmmakers want people with antique cars, trucks and buses from 1930 to 1935 to bring them, or pictures of them, to Milwaukee's Miller Park on Sunday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. About 45 people turned out for a recent vehicle call in Madison, although nearly all just brought pictures of their vehicles because of road conditions.
Somehow, I feel like I am becoming a geezer. After my bike accident, I have used a cane. I feel like poking a young whipersnapper...
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
You go guy!
Years ago, I had argumets with my bank managers over using the drive up window at the bank. Much easier than taking the bike inside and I was always ready, so I didn't delay anyone. After a few discussions, they let me use the drive up window without hassle. Alas, that bank no longer exists....ATMS rule the day
Perhaps, one day, freeways will give way to bikeways.....
Chuck Thomas tried to get a TxTag; he really did.
Thomas, a financial analyst at Dell Inc., went on the tollway Web site and started filling in the boxes.
Texas 45 North's shoulders are wide, clean and smooth - ideal for Chuck Thomas, whose commute takes him about an hour.
"I got as far as 'type of vehicle,' " he says.
That was a problem, though, because you see, there's no box for "bicycle."
Yes, Thomas wanted to ride his bike to work on the Texas 45 North tollway. Actually, Thomas does ride his bike to work on the Texas 45 North tollway — has done so since October.
As far as I know, he's the only tollway bicycle commuter in Austin. And as far as I know, he's not deranged.
The Texas Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety aren't quite so sure. Thomas e-mailed TxDOT back in early October, inquiring about the legality of riding a bicycle on the four tollways here in Austin (TxDOT runs three of them, including Texas 45 North). He expected to hear that what he had in mind was against the law. To his great surprise, it isn't. Not yet, anyway.
Marcus Cooper, a spokesman for TxDOT's Austin district, replied in an e-mail to Thomas that the agency really wishes he wouldn't do it, that the tollways are designed for cars going 70 mph and that entrance and exit ramps would be especially problematic because the shoulders are thinner than on the highway proper.
"However, if it comes down to it, (it) is not against the law," Cooper concluded.
So Thomas, who has commuted by bicycle his whole working life (he's 43), started using Texas 45 North last fall. He and his family had moved west of Lakeline Mall off RM 620, rendering his former McNeil Drive commuting route well out of the way. The tollway is a straight shot, about 14 miles portal to portal. The ride takes about an hour.
He uses the shoulders, of course, not the highway lanes. The shoulders are a spacious 8 feet wide, Thomas says, and, being relatively new and made of concrete, are unusually smooth. There's very little trash, unlike Loop 360, for instance, where many cyclists ride, and traffic is much lighter than on 360 or other Austin highways. He says he feels safe.
There have been obstacles, though, mostly of the organic life-form variety. He began pulling into tollbooths at the Lake Creek plaza and asking what he needed to pay. Sometimes they charged him the 75-cent toll, sometimes not. But many times, in the early weeks, they told him he wasn't supposed to be riding there with his $600 Fuji Silhouette bike and its special commuter tires coated with Kevlar.
He carries a copy of the Cooper e-mail as a sort of hall pass, and that tended to do the trick.
"I'm not trying to freeload on anything," Thomas says. "I'm perfectly willing to pay a reasonable fee for a 30-pound bicycle." Whatever that might be.
TxDOT has since determined that it can legally charge tolls only on motorized vehicles, and the tollbooth hassles have ceased.
State troopers have pulled him over twice. He flashed the e-mail at 'em.
"Now they wave at me," Thomas says.
Then there's his wife, Pei. They have a 14-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. Thomas said that, philosophically, his wife likes that he's doing something ecofriendly. And that it keeps him in shape (5 foot 11 inches tall and a sturdy, wind-resistant 200 pounds) and saves the family money (they have just one car).
"But she's concerned about the danger," he says. "There is some risk."
Thomas stays well to the outside on the shoulders, and he has developed strategies to minimize his exposure time on the ramps. He says his exit at La Frontera Boulevard has a 6-foot shoulder and is lightly used because most eastbound Dell commuters take an exit east of Interstate 35 instead.
Despite the well-publicized deaths of a couple of cyclists in the past couple of years, both on Loop 360, Thomas said he is not frightened while riding on the tollway.
"I would like some company, though," Thomas wrote in a blast e-mail he sent to a cyclist forum in November.
Thomas has yet to see another cyclist on the tollway, and he's worried that if some don't join him, the powers that be might ban turnpike biking. The Texas Transportation Commission has the authority to do so, according to TxDOT, but hasn't.
"I would like to have some momentum (number of cyclists) to fight it in case that happens," he wrote in that posting.
Thomas never did get that TxTag, by the way. After being foiled on the Internet, he phoned the tag office and inquired. Given that he has no windshield for the tag, and the general oddity of his request, the tollway folks decided not to complete the sale.
"It jangled them," Thomas says. "I'm sure they had a good laugh and shared it around the water cooler."
Perhaps, one day, freeways will give way to bikeways.....
Chuck Thomas tried to get a TxTag; he really did.
Thomas, a financial analyst at Dell Inc., went on the tollway Web site and started filling in the boxes.
Texas 45 North's shoulders are wide, clean and smooth - ideal for Chuck Thomas, whose commute takes him about an hour.
"I got as far as 'type of vehicle,' " he says.
That was a problem, though, because you see, there's no box for "bicycle."
Yes, Thomas wanted to ride his bike to work on the Texas 45 North tollway. Actually, Thomas does ride his bike to work on the Texas 45 North tollway — has done so since October.
As far as I know, he's the only tollway bicycle commuter in Austin. And as far as I know, he's not deranged.
The Texas Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety aren't quite so sure. Thomas e-mailed TxDOT back in early October, inquiring about the legality of riding a bicycle on the four tollways here in Austin (TxDOT runs three of them, including Texas 45 North). He expected to hear that what he had in mind was against the law. To his great surprise, it isn't. Not yet, anyway.
Marcus Cooper, a spokesman for TxDOT's Austin district, replied in an e-mail to Thomas that the agency really wishes he wouldn't do it, that the tollways are designed for cars going 70 mph and that entrance and exit ramps would be especially problematic because the shoulders are thinner than on the highway proper.
"However, if it comes down to it, (it) is not against the law," Cooper concluded.
So Thomas, who has commuted by bicycle his whole working life (he's 43), started using Texas 45 North last fall. He and his family had moved west of Lakeline Mall off RM 620, rendering his former McNeil Drive commuting route well out of the way. The tollway is a straight shot, about 14 miles portal to portal. The ride takes about an hour.
He uses the shoulders, of course, not the highway lanes. The shoulders are a spacious 8 feet wide, Thomas says, and, being relatively new and made of concrete, are unusually smooth. There's very little trash, unlike Loop 360, for instance, where many cyclists ride, and traffic is much lighter than on 360 or other Austin highways. He says he feels safe.
There have been obstacles, though, mostly of the organic life-form variety. He began pulling into tollbooths at the Lake Creek plaza and asking what he needed to pay. Sometimes they charged him the 75-cent toll, sometimes not. But many times, in the early weeks, they told him he wasn't supposed to be riding there with his $600 Fuji Silhouette bike and its special commuter tires coated with Kevlar.
He carries a copy of the Cooper e-mail as a sort of hall pass, and that tended to do the trick.
"I'm not trying to freeload on anything," Thomas says. "I'm perfectly willing to pay a reasonable fee for a 30-pound bicycle." Whatever that might be.
TxDOT has since determined that it can legally charge tolls only on motorized vehicles, and the tollbooth hassles have ceased.
State troopers have pulled him over twice. He flashed the e-mail at 'em.
"Now they wave at me," Thomas says.
Then there's his wife, Pei. They have a 14-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. Thomas said that, philosophically, his wife likes that he's doing something ecofriendly. And that it keeps him in shape (5 foot 11 inches tall and a sturdy, wind-resistant 200 pounds) and saves the family money (they have just one car).
"But she's concerned about the danger," he says. "There is some risk."
Thomas stays well to the outside on the shoulders, and he has developed strategies to minimize his exposure time on the ramps. He says his exit at La Frontera Boulevard has a 6-foot shoulder and is lightly used because most eastbound Dell commuters take an exit east of Interstate 35 instead.
Despite the well-publicized deaths of a couple of cyclists in the past couple of years, both on Loop 360, Thomas said he is not frightened while riding on the tollway.
"I would like some company, though," Thomas wrote in a blast e-mail he sent to a cyclist forum in November.
Thomas has yet to see another cyclist on the tollway, and he's worried that if some don't join him, the powers that be might ban turnpike biking. The Texas Transportation Commission has the authority to do so, according to TxDOT, but hasn't.
"I would like to have some momentum (number of cyclists) to fight it in case that happens," he wrote in that posting.
Thomas never did get that TxTag, by the way. After being foiled on the Internet, he phoned the tag office and inquired. Given that he has no windshield for the tag, and the general oddity of his request, the tollway folks decided not to complete the sale.
"It jangled them," Thomas says. "I'm sure they had a good laugh and shared it around the water cooler."
Saturday, January 26, 2008
You go guy!
I'm a geezer who began riding on Washington's streets during the Johnson administration. I've never had any real problem with motorists, and I've never caused any motorist to do anything crazy or unsafe. Counterintuitively, I've found that drivers of buses and large trucks are among those least fazed by my presence. On both sides, I believe it's clear that sharing the road is all about competence and attitude and that the physical situation is not a problem unless we make it one.
With regard to bike paths, I think it's absurd to burn gasoline in order to take a bike ride. I'd rather just push my bike out the door and start riding than to load my bike onto my truck and take a drive before taking a ride.
TOM WILLIAMS
With regard to bike paths, I think it's absurd to burn gasoline in order to take a bike ride. I'd rather just push my bike out the door and start riding than to load my bike onto my truck and take a drive before taking a ride.
TOM WILLIAMS
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
rebates
I guess Walmart is not part of the economy
Tim from Richland Center, who questioned whether tax rebates to stimulate the economy would work if people will just spend them at Wal-Mart.
Tim from Richland Center, who questioned whether tax rebates to stimulate the economy would work if people will just spend them at Wal-Mart.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Pi a la mode
from south dakota
Our Friday afternoon meeting was over, a poll question had been set, but as we were walking out, someone asked “What if we were to include pi (3.14) in our weekend question asking our readers’ favorite pie?”
Perfect. Not only are we big fans of math humor (when have you ever seen those two words used in the same sentence), but we had long been looking for a way to tap into that elusive, coveted demographic: geometry teachers.
And, despite its potential obscurity, we have been pleasantly surprised by pi’s showing in the race. Despite still trailing the field, it has more respectable John McCain-type numbers as opposed to Dennis Kucinich-type results. The tally as of 3 p.m. Monday:
Apple (523 Votes, 22%)Cherry (310 Votes, 13%)Lemon meringue (358 Votes, 15%)Pecan (482 Votes, 21%)Pumpkin (425 Votes, 18%)3.14 (249 Votes, 11%)
Way to go PI!!!!!
Our Friday afternoon meeting was over, a poll question had been set, but as we were walking out, someone asked “What if we were to include pi (3.14) in our weekend question asking our readers’ favorite pie?”
Perfect. Not only are we big fans of math humor (when have you ever seen those two words used in the same sentence), but we had long been looking for a way to tap into that elusive, coveted demographic: geometry teachers.
And, despite its potential obscurity, we have been pleasantly surprised by pi’s showing in the race. Despite still trailing the field, it has more respectable John McCain-type numbers as opposed to Dennis Kucinich-type results. The tally as of 3 p.m. Monday:
Apple (523 Votes, 22%)Cherry (310 Votes, 13%)Lemon meringue (358 Votes, 15%)Pecan (482 Votes, 21%)Pumpkin (425 Votes, 18%)3.14 (249 Votes, 11%)
Way to go PI!!!!!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Used to be a cool guy, but now he is a geezer!
Paul Soglin was once mayor of Wisconsin, some 35 years ago....I think he may have turned into a geezer!Suggesting bicyclists who venture out in winter storms be taken out and shot may not win friends in the two-wheeled world, but the modest proposal is a hit on the Internet.That wasn 't former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin 's main intent when he slipped the suggestion -- which he insists was meant to be subtle and ironic and topical -- into his blog, http://www.madison.com/toolbox/%22http://www.waxingamerica.com/%22. But it has opened a car door of insults onto a coasting commentary."Some people have no sense of humor, " he said Thursday, as the number of hits on the blog, and on him, continued to climb.Links to the blog, which Soglin shares with UW-Madison telecommunications professor Barry Orton, were passed around the country and soon the response list was replete with insightful and inciteful commentary.Winter bicyclists from the Yukon were pedaling their insults in response to Soglin 's relatively brief Wednesday commentary: "Bicycling Madison Style: As Dumb as it Gets. ""I was driving home Tuesday at a snail 's pace, and there were these lunatics out there riding their bikes in a snowstorm, which they had been doing over the weekend as well, " Soglin said Thursday."So there was a new five inches of snow on top of the ruts and ice we already had on the streets, and it was the middle of rush hour. And (the bicyclists) were all over the road, not to mention the guy who was on a moped, " he said."As a bicyclist myself, I hold us to higher standards than that. We are supposed to be more rational, more sane, smarter and better looking, " he said.In writing the storm-bikers should be "taken out and shot, " however, he used a phrase he thought would be familiar to the blog 's usual readers.The comment was an oblique reference to a similar comment posted facetiously by a teacher on another blog in mock praise of the Columbine shooters. The suburban Milwaukee teacher was arrested, but Washington County officials said this week he would not be prosecuted.But some in the bicycling community, especially those who bicycle during the winter, were incensed at Soglin 's remark."Fat, grumpy, intolerant ex-mayors ought to be shot. Get some exercise, ------- " was one, posted by "cyclomaniac. ""Maybe I was too subtle, " Soglin mused."There is a certain artistry to writing a post for a blog, and I had carefully woven in (self-effacing) references to calcified hippies, ' and then ... I thought this would be a subtle way of linking together all of us in the cheddarsphere ' who follow Wisconsin news and politics. "Orton thought Soglin was sort of asking for it."Paul deliberately put should be shot ' to echo that controversy, but not overtly, " Orton said. "Looking at it in straight print, it doesn 't always work so well."At the same time, he had a valid point. There are bikers who, in the middle of a storm, take it as a personal challenge to see if they can do it. The problem comes when bikers make that magic transition from biker to invisible being. "Many of the comments were impolite, some profane, and a few seriously discussed winter bicycling. Some savvy bloggers suggested the comment was "link-bait, " and the traffic was up, Orton confirmed. There were 1,600 hits by noon Thursday.A local bicycle listserve not only carried sarcastic reactions to Soglin 's comments but also a discussion on equipment for riding a bicycle in winter. (Tungsten carbide studded tires were recommended.)Soglin, who has defended himself online in a light-hearted, sometimes caustic fashion, notes he has consistently stuck up for bicyclists ' road rights and frequently tweaks the authorities if bicycling conditions are not addressed."As a bicyclist, I felt I had a responsibility to say something (about the snowstorm bikers). That 's probably why they are so upset, because it is coming from another biker. "By mid-day Thursday, Soglin sounded as if he was tiring of the controversy."If these nitwits don 't leave me alone, I 'm going to go after the trail bike riders next, " he threatened, subtly.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Max McGee, RIP
Met him once when he came to our High School is Wisconsin....
Max McGee, the unexpected hero of the first Super Bowl and a long-time challenge for Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, died Saturday after falling from the roof of his home, police confirmed. He was 75.
Police were called to the former Green Bay receiver's Deephaven home around 5:20 p.m., Sgt. Chris Whiteside said. Efforts to resuscitate McGee were unsuccessful.
McGee was blowing leaves off the roof when he fell, according to news reports. A phone message left at a number listed for an M. McGee wasn't immediately returned.
"I just lost my best friend," former teammate Paul Hornung told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "(His wife) Denise was away from the house. She'd warned him not to get up there. He shouldn't have been up there. He knew better than that."
Inserted into Packers' lineup when Boyd Dowler was sidelined by a shoulder injury, McGee went on to catch the first touchdown pass in Super Bowl history in Green Bay's 35-10 victory over Kansas City in January 1967. Still hung over from a night on the town, McGee caught seven passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
"Now he'll be the answer to one of the great trivia questions: Who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history?" Hornung said. "Vince knew he could count on him. ... He was a great athlete. He could do anything with his hands."
Though an admirer of Lombardi, McGee time and again pushed the tough-as-nails coach to the breaking point.
McGee -- remembered for saying: "When it's third-and-10, you can take the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time." -- put Lombardi to the ultimate test prior to the first Super Bowl.
Max McGee, the unexpected hero of the first Super Bowl and a long-time challenge for Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, died Saturday after falling from the roof of his home, police confirmed. He was 75.
Police were called to the former Green Bay receiver's Deephaven home around 5:20 p.m., Sgt. Chris Whiteside said. Efforts to resuscitate McGee were unsuccessful.
McGee was blowing leaves off the roof when he fell, according to news reports. A phone message left at a number listed for an M. McGee wasn't immediately returned.
"I just lost my best friend," former teammate Paul Hornung told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "(His wife) Denise was away from the house. She'd warned him not to get up there. He shouldn't have been up there. He knew better than that."
Inserted into Packers' lineup when Boyd Dowler was sidelined by a shoulder injury, McGee went on to catch the first touchdown pass in Super Bowl history in Green Bay's 35-10 victory over Kansas City in January 1967. Still hung over from a night on the town, McGee caught seven passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
"Now he'll be the answer to one of the great trivia questions: Who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history?" Hornung said. "Vince knew he could count on him. ... He was a great athlete. He could do anything with his hands."
Though an admirer of Lombardi, McGee time and again pushed the tough-as-nails coach to the breaking point.
McGee -- remembered for saying: "When it's third-and-10, you can take the milk drinkers and I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time." -- put Lombardi to the ultimate test prior to the first Super Bowl.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
geezer having fun?
I have met enough 80 year old men fighting over women to not be surprised about this story. I just could never understand why they do not share....
"An 80-year-old man accused of locking his girlfriend in a camper trailer has been sentenced to probation and ordered to attend an anger management class when he returns home to Oregon."
This odd story from the Reuters wire makes you go "hm".
The first thing that caught my attention is that the 80-year-old geezer has a girlfriend. I imagine a Depends-clad octogenarian vegetating in front of a TV, aiming his remote control at the alarm clock as he desperately attempts to change the channel.
But with the advent of Viagra, every old coot imagines himself the stud of the rest home. You go old man, I'm glad you aren't shooting blanks.
The old guy locked his girlfriend in a camper trailer; maybe that's the only way an octogenarian can keep a girlfriend for any length of time.
The idea of an 80-year-old goat taking an anger management class simply does not compute. When you reach the ripe old age of 80, your habits and temperament are set in stone. There is no way in hell that taking a class will make a senior citizen change his pugnacious ways.
I'm glad the old codger wasn't sentenced to a 30-day jail term; at his advanced age he may not have that many days left.
"An 80-year-old man accused of locking his girlfriend in a camper trailer has been sentenced to probation and ordered to attend an anger management class when he returns home to Oregon."
This odd story from the Reuters wire makes you go "hm".
The first thing that caught my attention is that the 80-year-old geezer has a girlfriend. I imagine a Depends-clad octogenarian vegetating in front of a TV, aiming his remote control at the alarm clock as he desperately attempts to change the channel.
But with the advent of Viagra, every old coot imagines himself the stud of the rest home. You go old man, I'm glad you aren't shooting blanks.
The old guy locked his girlfriend in a camper trailer; maybe that's the only way an octogenarian can keep a girlfriend for any length of time.
The idea of an 80-year-old goat taking an anger management class simply does not compute. When you reach the ripe old age of 80, your habits and temperament are set in stone. There is no way in hell that taking a class will make a senior citizen change his pugnacious ways.
I'm glad the old codger wasn't sentenced to a 30-day jail term; at his advanced age he may not have that many days left.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
In it for the money?
A group of 60-something men who live in Madrid are peddling something that may sound like it would not have much of a market.
The group, which calls itself the Geezers, is publishing the Nude Geezers calendar featuring nude pictures of themselves.
"There are some people who are offended at naked old men," said Doug Wesley, one of the participants.
"All clothes does is cover up the beauty," chimed in Len Self.
"Well, that's what our theory is, actually," said Wesley.
"If you come out in favor of motherhood and apple pie, somebody in town is going to take exception to it," added Peter Bruso, a third member of the Geezers to be featured in the calendar.
Unlike other beefcake calendars of firemen or police officers, the money raised by selling the Naked Geezers is not going to charity. It's going to the Geezers.
"This summer was my 60th birthday and so I officially became a geezer by our rules," said Wesley. "I gave this project to myself for a birthday present."
The grand unveiling of the Nude Geezers calendar takes place Saturday afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. at Madrid's old boarding house, and the geezers will be on hand to sign the calendars.
So far, the Geezers say the reaction to their project has been positive.
"Well, the women," said Bruso, "I've gotta fight 'em off. I'm approached on the street every day and it's been a project fighting 'em off."
The group, which calls itself the Geezers, is publishing the Nude Geezers calendar featuring nude pictures of themselves.
"There are some people who are offended at naked old men," said Doug Wesley, one of the participants.
"All clothes does is cover up the beauty," chimed in Len Self.
"Well, that's what our theory is, actually," said Wesley.
"If you come out in favor of motherhood and apple pie, somebody in town is going to take exception to it," added Peter Bruso, a third member of the Geezers to be featured in the calendar.
Unlike other beefcake calendars of firemen or police officers, the money raised by selling the Naked Geezers is not going to charity. It's going to the Geezers.
"This summer was my 60th birthday and so I officially became a geezer by our rules," said Wesley. "I gave this project to myself for a birthday present."
The grand unveiling of the Nude Geezers calendar takes place Saturday afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m. at Madrid's old boarding house, and the geezers will be on hand to sign the calendars.
So far, the Geezers say the reaction to their project has been positive.
"Well, the women," said Bruso, "I've gotta fight 'em off. I'm approached on the street every day and it's been a project fighting 'em off."
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Geezer sex
THE NEW report from the New England Journal of Medicine detailing the sex lives of the elderly might have a big "ewwww"; factor for some people. Especially those whose image of "elderly" is a doddering, frail 90-year-old with limited, er, faculties.
That's not our image of the elderly, at least not since the AARP started stalking us through the mail a few years ago.
In fact, we're happy about the news that many people between 57 and 85 report having active sex lives, engaging in it at least two to three times a month.
For us, the "ewww"; factor comes after pondering the implications of this news. By that we mean: Geriatric STDs.
For as night follows day, isn't it safe to assume that if more elderly are having sex, more are also suffering from sexually transmitted diseases?
The Center for Disease Control says its data doesn't show an increase in STDs among the elderly, although other health experts are not so sure. Anecdotal evidence suggests that certain sex-transmitted diseases could be on the rise.
So, for all you dirty old men (and women) out there: Have fun. But be careful. *
That's not our image of the elderly, at least not since the AARP started stalking us through the mail a few years ago.
In fact, we're happy about the news that many people between 57 and 85 report having active sex lives, engaging in it at least two to three times a month.
For us, the "ewww"; factor comes after pondering the implications of this news. By that we mean: Geriatric STDs.
For as night follows day, isn't it safe to assume that if more elderly are having sex, more are also suffering from sexually transmitted diseases?
The Center for Disease Control says its data doesn't show an increase in STDs among the elderly, although other health experts are not so sure. Anecdotal evidence suggests that certain sex-transmitted diseases could be on the rise.
So, for all you dirty old men (and women) out there: Have fun. But be careful. *
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Father in law used to work at S&S in Viola
Thousands of motorcyclists are expected here when S&S Cycle holds a 50th anniversary celebration in June of 2008.S&S, which has facilities in La Crosse and Viola, plans to sell the first 50 cycle engines it produced to 50 of the top custom cycle builders in the world during the celebration. That sale will be only one event during what organizers believe will be a rally that could attract 2,000 or more cyclists.S&S was founded S&S was “founded on speed,” by world record holder George Smith Sr., in 1958. Now under the leader of Smith's grandson, Brett, S&S remains devoted to producing engines and parts that make motorcycles, ranging from Harleys to custom cycles, go faster. The company employs more than 400 people, ranging from engineers to workers on the assembly line. S&S opened a 170,000 square foot facility in La Crosse in 2005 and has its original plant in Viola.S&S might be best known in Wisconsin for the development, production, marketing and sales of performance parts for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. But the company has more than 6,000 domestic and international customers, primarily dealers, distributors and most recently, American motorcycle manufacturers like Victory Motor Cycles, Indian, Titan and Big Dog. Tens of thousands of riders annually install S&S parts on their bikes. The company's line of Super carburetors, with a distinctive chrome teardrop air cleaner cover, has been the industry's most popular carburetor for years. S&S products also have won numerous awards in competition. Some recent ones include Hot Bike's High Tech Product of the Year for its performance motors, American Rider's Aftermarket Company of the Year, and Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year's Special Award for "Relentless Research & Development."
An environmental friendly Congressman
Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.) is a bicycle fanatic who rides his various bikes about 2,300 miles a year.
One of his bikes, a limited-edition Trek, cost $6,800. "Better be quiet about that, my wife may be listening," he said quietly during a telephone interview from his home.
It should be no surprise that Oberstar -- the powerful chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee -- recently inserted a bicycle provision into a hefty bill dealing with major airport and airplane projects.
On page 13 of the 168-page bill needed to fund the Federal Aviation Administration and its next-generation air traffic control system, Oberstar ensured that bicyclists and their rides were being represented.
The bill would allow airports to use federal funds -- which are usually tapped to build terminals and parking garages -- to construct bicycle storage facilities for passengers.
"Doesn't it make sense?" Oberstar said, noting that the fathers of aviation, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were originally bicycle builders.
Oberstar, 72, said he got the idea to include the bicycle provision in the FAA bill when he read a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about a man who rode his bike to catch a flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The man could not find a place to put his bike, so he locked it to a signpost inside the terminal, the newspaper reported.
When the traveler returned from his trip, his classic Raleigh three-speed was gone. It had been cut up and carted away by security, said Oberstar, his voice dripping with equal parts remorse and disgust.
Oberstar quickly enlisted the help of bicycle enthusiasts to reassemble the bike. It was returned it to its owner at a press conference just days before the November elections. The incident got Oberstar thinking: Why were there no storage facilities for people who might want to use pedal power to reach the airport?
He made a pledge to his bicycle friends. "I told them that we are going to change the law," Oberstar said.
If the bicycle language becomes law, serious questions will soon emerge. Who would ever want to ride a bike to the airport? How would you get your luggage there -- in a side car?
"True, you likely wouldn't be going to an airport on a bike with a suitcase," Oberstar concedes, adding that bikes might work better when flying out on short trips.
Even if your airport has bike racks -- Reagan National has them; Dulles International does not -- how do you safely navigate NASCAR-inspired cabbies and other drivers racing to catch a plane?
Oberstar, who has never ridden a bike to take a flight, said he is already thinking of a solution: bike lanes on airport roads.
One of his bikes, a limited-edition Trek, cost $6,800. "Better be quiet about that, my wife may be listening," he said quietly during a telephone interview from his home.
It should be no surprise that Oberstar -- the powerful chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee -- recently inserted a bicycle provision into a hefty bill dealing with major airport and airplane projects.
On page 13 of the 168-page bill needed to fund the Federal Aviation Administration and its next-generation air traffic control system, Oberstar ensured that bicyclists and their rides were being represented.
The bill would allow airports to use federal funds -- which are usually tapped to build terminals and parking garages -- to construct bicycle storage facilities for passengers.
"Doesn't it make sense?" Oberstar said, noting that the fathers of aviation, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were originally bicycle builders.
Oberstar, 72, said he got the idea to include the bicycle provision in the FAA bill when he read a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about a man who rode his bike to catch a flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The man could not find a place to put his bike, so he locked it to a signpost inside the terminal, the newspaper reported.
When the traveler returned from his trip, his classic Raleigh three-speed was gone. It had been cut up and carted away by security, said Oberstar, his voice dripping with equal parts remorse and disgust.
Oberstar quickly enlisted the help of bicycle enthusiasts to reassemble the bike. It was returned it to its owner at a press conference just days before the November elections. The incident got Oberstar thinking: Why were there no storage facilities for people who might want to use pedal power to reach the airport?
He made a pledge to his bicycle friends. "I told them that we are going to change the law," Oberstar said.
If the bicycle language becomes law, serious questions will soon emerge. Who would ever want to ride a bike to the airport? How would you get your luggage there -- in a side car?
"True, you likely wouldn't be going to an airport on a bike with a suitcase," Oberstar concedes, adding that bikes might work better when flying out on short trips.
Even if your airport has bike racks -- Reagan National has them; Dulles International does not -- how do you safely navigate NASCAR-inspired cabbies and other drivers racing to catch a plane?
Oberstar, who has never ridden a bike to take a flight, said he is already thinking of a solution: bike lanes on airport roads.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Geezers Rule
The Geezer Brigade,celebrating its tenth anniversary (http://www.thegeezerbrigade.com) as THEhumor organization for "clever old people and their attorneys," has oncemore proclaimed July to be "Appreciate A Geezer!" with the theme, "EmpowerYour Inner Geezer!" Curmudgeons everywhere are again urged to speak up: "Not only do I wantmy Seniors' Discount, I'd like a little more APPRECIATION around here! Ididn't get to look this way just sitting around waiting for The DenturesFairy ... " (Phyllis Diller, the group's first Honorary Comedian, obviouslyinfected the Geezers early on with her offbeat irreverence for their"Golden Years.") Geezer-in-Chief, Hurricane Katrina survivor -- "It went right over ourintergalactic headquarters with me in them!" and Founder, 73-year-old JohnKernell, a former vice president of Hill and Knowlton International PublicRelations, is now calling on the talents of fellow Geezer, writer-artist-designer Ann Williams, 71, of Traverse City, MI, to remake the Website andhelp take the organization into its second decade online. The Brigade, with over a million visitors to its site since itsinception and 300 dues-paying members still standing (with help), willcontinue to offers its members a reliable dose of offbeat Senior humorevery morning of their fearsomely feisty lives, but plans on even moreinteractivity. A recurring theme continues as part of each morning's "Nooze of the Dayfrom The Geezer Brigade." The Chief always tells members of The Brigadewhat his helper. Babette nee O'Kallikak, of Wiggins, MS, is "doing" whileshe is, in fact, away visiting family. When she returns, she is inevitablyhorrified to discover the fantastical lengths to which he has gone to amuseand delight The Geezership. E.g. Artist Williams is asking visitors (and members) to picture whatthey think Babette will look like once she takes the bag off her head. Key to the future is how the Brigade redefines the word "Geezer" tosuit itself as "A mildly eccentric older person of either sex, who isgenerally fun to be around." "For example," chortles Kernell, "if good ol' eccentric Dick Cheneyonly knew how much fun he could be if he tried, we'd be out of Iraq in, oh,720 days, or so."
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I miss you already Mr. Wizard
Don Herbert, 89, who as television's Mr. Wizard was for many years one of the nation's foremost popularizers of science, particularly noted for his ability to attract, inspire and hold the interest of children, died June 11 at his home in the Los Angeles area.
A son-in-law, Tom Nikosey, said Mr. Herbert died of cancer.
'Don Herbert, 89, who as television\'s Mr. Wizard was for many years one of the nation\'s foremost popularizers of science, particularly noted for his ability to attract, inspire and hold the interest of children, died June 11 at his home in the Los Angeles area.
Once an aspiring actor, Mr. Herbert used gifts of showmanship, imagination and manual dexterity to create demonstrations that satisfied the senses, expanded the mind and provided insight into the workings of nature.
People of all ages remained enthralled by his television appearances, which included brief science news flashes for adults, a number of TV science specials and "Watch Mr. Wizard," the long-running children's show that transfixed the baby-boom generation.
His instructional legacy, begun in the days of small-screen black-and-white television, has continued into the computer age, with the Web site http://www.mrwizardstudios.com.
Of all his achievements, his son-in-law said, Mr. Herbert probably considered his most important legacy to be "communicating science to children." Nikosey said thousands, and perhaps millions, were influenced by his TV show.
A significant figure in television history, Mr. Herbert brought his first show to the air on NBC on March 3, 1951. Television was still in its infancy in terms of the number of viewers and the effect it had on American culture.
Mr. Herbert's 30-minute show seemed to symbolize the potential of the new medium to instruct and entertain and to unite a mass audience around a common interest.
Within three years, almost 100 stations carried the show and science clubs inspired by it sprung up around the United States. In contrast with the modern admonition "don't try this at home," Mr. Wizard's viewers were prompted to do just that: that is, to reproduce the experiments and demonstrations they watched on the show.
Mr. Herbert had served in World War II as the pilot of a heavy bomber, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross and holding the rank of captain, and was unfazed by the challenges of performing live in the days before the modern TV prompter.
However, he prepared himself with "18 file cabinets full of notes," he once told the New York Times, and kept reminders to himself posted around the studio, out of sight of the camera, for emergency use.
Another of his secrets: "Even when things went wrong, we could always explain why."
With almost 550 live broadcasts, the show ran through 1965, winning praise from scientific organizations and earning Mr. Wizard the image of a permanent ambassador from the world of science.
After being revived on NBC, the show came to life again on the Nickelodeon cable channel from 1983 to 1990.
Donald Jeffrey Herbert was born in Waconia, Minn., on July 10, 1917, and studied at Lacrosse State Teachers College, now a branch of the University of Wisconsin. He studied drama and science in college and once performed in summer theater opposite Nancy Davis, the future wife of President Ronald Reagan.
In Chicago, where Mr. Herbert acted on radio, he presented broadcasters with the idea that combined his interests in theatrical performance and in the hard facts of scientific truth.
His first marriage ended in divorce. Survivors include his wife and three children.
The "wizard" of the title of Mr. Herbert's trademark show might seem to be the antithesis of science, but Mr. Herbert knew its value.
"We thought we needed it to seem like magic to hook the audience," he said, "but then we realized that viewers would be engaged with just a simple scientific question, like, why do birds fly and not humans?"
A son-in-law, Tom Nikosey, said Mr. Herbert died of cancer.
'Don Herbert, 89, who as television\'s Mr. Wizard was for many years one of the nation\'s foremost popularizers of science, particularly noted for his ability to attract, inspire and hold the interest of children, died June 11 at his home in the Los Angeles area.
Once an aspiring actor, Mr. Herbert used gifts of showmanship, imagination and manual dexterity to create demonstrations that satisfied the senses, expanded the mind and provided insight into the workings of nature.
People of all ages remained enthralled by his television appearances, which included brief science news flashes for adults, a number of TV science specials and "Watch Mr. Wizard," the long-running children's show that transfixed the baby-boom generation.
His instructional legacy, begun in the days of small-screen black-and-white television, has continued into the computer age, with the Web site http://www.mrwizardstudios.com.
Of all his achievements, his son-in-law said, Mr. Herbert probably considered his most important legacy to be "communicating science to children." Nikosey said thousands, and perhaps millions, were influenced by his TV show.
A significant figure in television history, Mr. Herbert brought his first show to the air on NBC on March 3, 1951. Television was still in its infancy in terms of the number of viewers and the effect it had on American culture.
Mr. Herbert's 30-minute show seemed to symbolize the potential of the new medium to instruct and entertain and to unite a mass audience around a common interest.
Within three years, almost 100 stations carried the show and science clubs inspired by it sprung up around the United States. In contrast with the modern admonition "don't try this at home," Mr. Wizard's viewers were prompted to do just that: that is, to reproduce the experiments and demonstrations they watched on the show.
Mr. Herbert had served in World War II as the pilot of a heavy bomber, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross and holding the rank of captain, and was unfazed by the challenges of performing live in the days before the modern TV prompter.
However, he prepared himself with "18 file cabinets full of notes," he once told the New York Times, and kept reminders to himself posted around the studio, out of sight of the camera, for emergency use.
Another of his secrets: "Even when things went wrong, we could always explain why."
With almost 550 live broadcasts, the show ran through 1965, winning praise from scientific organizations and earning Mr. Wizard the image of a permanent ambassador from the world of science.
After being revived on NBC, the show came to life again on the Nickelodeon cable channel from 1983 to 1990.
Donald Jeffrey Herbert was born in Waconia, Minn., on July 10, 1917, and studied at Lacrosse State Teachers College, now a branch of the University of Wisconsin. He studied drama and science in college and once performed in summer theater opposite Nancy Davis, the future wife of President Ronald Reagan.
In Chicago, where Mr. Herbert acted on radio, he presented broadcasters with the idea that combined his interests in theatrical performance and in the hard facts of scientific truth.
His first marriage ended in divorce. Survivors include his wife and three children.
The "wizard" of the title of Mr. Herbert's trademark show might seem to be the antithesis of science, but Mr. Herbert knew its value.
"We thought we needed it to seem like magic to hook the audience," he said, "but then we realized that viewers would be engaged with just a simple scientific question, like, why do birds fly and not humans?"
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
One tough geezer....
A man cut off his own leg with a pocket knife to free himself after he was pinned beneath a fallen tree for almost 11 hours.
Al Hill, aged 66, from California, was working alone chopping down trees in a remote area of woodland, when one fell on his leg.
Unable to summon help because he could not get a signal on his mobile phone, he cut off his trapped leg. His cries for help were eventually heard by a neighbour, Eric Bockey, who ran for two miles before he was able to get a signal strong enough to call the fire service.
Mr Hill had been working near Iowa Hill, 60 miles from Sacramento, on Friday. The town of 200 people has no electricity and few services. Mr Bockey and another neighbour loaded Mr Hill on to a truck and drove him to an emergency landing site from where a helicopter flew him to hospital. Mr Hill, who had not gone into shock despite, received amputation surgery, said Luana Dowling, Iowa Hill's fire chief. "He's a pretty remarkable person," Mr Dowling said.
"Only me, Al and God were there that day," said Mr Bockey.
In May 2003, 27-year-old climber Aron Ralston, from Colorado, used a penknife to amputate his right arm below the elbow after spending five days trapped beneath a 57-stone boulder.
Al Hill, aged 66, from California, was working alone chopping down trees in a remote area of woodland, when one fell on his leg.
Unable to summon help because he could not get a signal on his mobile phone, he cut off his trapped leg. His cries for help were eventually heard by a neighbour, Eric Bockey, who ran for two miles before he was able to get a signal strong enough to call the fire service.
Mr Hill had been working near Iowa Hill, 60 miles from Sacramento, on Friday. The town of 200 people has no electricity and few services. Mr Bockey and another neighbour loaded Mr Hill on to a truck and drove him to an emergency landing site from where a helicopter flew him to hospital. Mr Hill, who had not gone into shock despite, received amputation surgery, said Luana Dowling, Iowa Hill's fire chief. "He's a pretty remarkable person," Mr Dowling said.
"Only me, Al and God were there that day," said Mr Bockey.
In May 2003, 27-year-old climber Aron Ralston, from Colorado, used a penknife to amputate his right arm below the elbow after spending five days trapped beneath a 57-stone boulder.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Burning books in Kansas City
There are segments of this city where you go to an estate sale and find five TVs and three books," Leathem said.
The idea of burning the books horrified Marcia Trayford, who paid $20 Sunday to carry away an armload of tomes on art, education and music.
"I've been trying to adopt as many books as I could," she said.
Dozens of other people took advantage of the book-burning, searching through the books waiting to go into the flames for last-minute bargains.
The idea of burning the books horrified Marcia Trayford, who paid $20 Sunday to carry away an armload of tomes on art, education and music.
"I've been trying to adopt as many books as I could," she said.
Dozens of other people took advantage of the book-burning, searching through the books waiting to go into the flames for last-minute bargains.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
flying with viagra?
I don't know about you, but I would not want to be on the test flights where they are testing viagra for jet lag....a bunch of horny guys stuck in the aluminum tube could get ungly....worse than snakes on the plane.....maybe we could call it woodies on the plane!
Worried about jet lag? Researchers think they might have just the ticket to perk you up: Viagra.
While it's too early to know if it will work in humans, Argentinean researchers are reporting that the drug sildenafil -- better known by the brand name Viagra -- appears to reduce symptoms of jet lag in hamsters.
Viagra does come with potential side effects, and some men might not appreciate experiencing a temporary respite from erectile dysfunction at 30,000 feet. Still, a sleep specialist called the research promising.
"We do need more effective therapies for jet lag and for sleep difficulties that occur as a consequence of shift work," said Dr. Robert Vorona, an associate professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School who's familiar with the study findings.
In the study, researchers administered small doses of sildenafil to hamsters before adjusting the cycles of light and dark they lived in. This reset their body clocks as if they'd taken a six-hour plane trip to the east.
The hamsters recovered 25 percent to 50 percent more quickly from the equivalent of human jet lag, needing less time to synchronize themselves to the new schedule, said Dr. Diego Golombek, a researcher with the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires. He said sildenafil worked at least as well as melatonin, a jet-lag treatment.
But the drug didn't help hamsters who underwent a simulation of westward jet travel.
The findings were published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The drug, originally developed to treat high blood pressure and angina, might alleviate jet lag by interfering with a molecule that sends signals to the hamster brain's body clock mechanism, Golombek said.
But the potential impact on humans isn't clear, and Golombek said people shouldn't rush out to prevent jet lag with doses of Viagra. For one thing, Viagra can cause side effects such as low blood pressure.
As for the next step, Golombek said "a full-scale clinical trial has to be performed in humans, which is indeed quite expensive and time-consuming. Jet-lag trials might involve laboratory simulations, but we also need 'the real thing,' which means testing pharmacological treatments on long-haul air travel."
And that, he added, will take even more time.
Worried about jet lag? Researchers think they might have just the ticket to perk you up: Viagra.
While it's too early to know if it will work in humans, Argentinean researchers are reporting that the drug sildenafil -- better known by the brand name Viagra -- appears to reduce symptoms of jet lag in hamsters.
Viagra does come with potential side effects, and some men might not appreciate experiencing a temporary respite from erectile dysfunction at 30,000 feet. Still, a sleep specialist called the research promising.
"We do need more effective therapies for jet lag and for sleep difficulties that occur as a consequence of shift work," said Dr. Robert Vorona, an associate professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School who's familiar with the study findings.
In the study, researchers administered small doses of sildenafil to hamsters before adjusting the cycles of light and dark they lived in. This reset their body clocks as if they'd taken a six-hour plane trip to the east.
The hamsters recovered 25 percent to 50 percent more quickly from the equivalent of human jet lag, needing less time to synchronize themselves to the new schedule, said Dr. Diego Golombek, a researcher with the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires. He said sildenafil worked at least as well as melatonin, a jet-lag treatment.
But the drug didn't help hamsters who underwent a simulation of westward jet travel.
The findings were published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The drug, originally developed to treat high blood pressure and angina, might alleviate jet lag by interfering with a molecule that sends signals to the hamster brain's body clock mechanism, Golombek said.
But the potential impact on humans isn't clear, and Golombek said people shouldn't rush out to prevent jet lag with doses of Viagra. For one thing, Viagra can cause side effects such as low blood pressure.
As for the next step, Golombek said "a full-scale clinical trial has to be performed in humans, which is indeed quite expensive and time-consuming. Jet-lag trials might involve laboratory simulations, but we also need 'the real thing,' which means testing pharmacological treatments on long-haul air travel."
And that, he added, will take even more time.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
quiet, please!
Sam Rozati of Colchester, England, regarding an incident that started when he walked past a nest of geese at a tranquil lake while talking on his cell phone:
"They flew over and started biting my hand until I dropped the phone."
One of the geese made off with the cell phone.
"They flew over and started biting my hand until I dropped the phone."
One of the geese made off with the cell phone.
Friday, May 18, 2007
I am glad we did have commencement when I went to this school....
Ellen Foley
Deborah Cureton, dean and CEO of the University of Wisconsin-Richland in Richland Center, invited me to give the commencement address May 11 to the school's 70 or so graduates.
It was a thrill to spend some time with the dedicated faculty at this intimate campus about an hour and a half drive west of Madison and to get to know the stories of the hardworking students, most of whom hail from the Richland Center area and many of whom will attend four-year campuses of the university next year.
I understand that a DVD version of my speech will be coming out next week. For those of you patient enough to read the full speech, you'll understand why that might be rather entertaining.
Here's your editor in her multimedia splendor:
Commencement Address
University of Wisconsin-Richland
It is such a treat for me to drive through the rolling hills of Wisconsin to Richland Center.
I couldn't help pondering on the drive from Madison the very words that name your school and your town: RICH LAND.
I am humbled to have been asked to share a bit of commencement wisdom with the graduates of such a magical place
You are some of our best and our brightest. Many of you are the first person in your family to graduate from college. And we know that it hasn't been an easy pull for most of you.
I sit on an interesting perch as an editor of a newspaper who is becoming the editor of a newspaper AND a website.
Technology is changing my work life dramatically. And because I realize that your lives are about to change dramatically, I feel surprisingly qualified to share with you a few observations about what the world needs from the graduates of this fine school.
You are blessed with at least two great gifts that are going to propel you into leadership roles ---- not only in your home communities --- but most likely in the world.
These two gifts are tools and timing.
We'll take timing first.
Congratulations on choosing the best time since the year 2000 to be looking for a job. The economy is booming for many industries. The stock market keeps setting record highs. There are a lot of business moguls with lots of cash investing in very interesting corners of American life.
A recent article in the Wisconsin State Journal (which you can also see on madison.com/wsj), noted that the hiring of college grads will increase almost 20 percent this year from 2006. That's a 20 percent increase in just one year. The big winners are those studying engineering, business, health care and computer-related fields.
However, recruiters told the State Journal that the job-seekers who will command the highest salaries and the best jobs have one distinguishing trait: They are well rounded.
Employers are looking for graduates who have had jobs during school, who can communicate, who have leadership potential and who can work on a team.
In short, they are looking for the kinds of students who come from this Rich Land.
In addition to your school work, your dean tells me that you have been athletes, newspaper editors, student government leaders, campus ambassadors, musicians, thespians, tutors, work-study students, Road Ralley winners (AND LOSERS. Sorry about that) active members of various clubs ---- and much more.
You are exactly what the nation's employers and universities are looking for.
You also have an historic demographic shift going for you. There are many Baby Boomers, like me, and a lot fewer of you. There will be many more jobs than job seekers in the coming years as the Boomers retire. If you play this right, you will be in the driver's seat when you go to find a job.
So let's move to gift, No. 2.
Tools.
You are THE multimedia generation. You have amazing tools. You watch movies at home via DVDs or TIVOs. And you do this ---- cuddling your laptops so you can IM your friends and keep your eye on the text messages coming in on your cell phones. (Laughter)
I have observed this at my own home.
Most likely every one of you has a cell phone that you will use to take photos tonight. Some of you may even be recording me right now with your Ipods.
Recently a professor at the Madison campus suggested the next wave of change will involve nanotechnology in the wallpaper of our homes. It will sit there quietly monitoring our vital signs ready to call our physicians if we need to go to the emergency room. This astonishes me!
Very soon OUR WALLPAPER IS GOING TO BE CALLING OUR DOCTORS!!!
Yes, I see you're laughing, but I also know that you are a bit relieved, because you don't want to be the ones coming by to check mom's blood pressure every day.
Let the wallpaper do it!
My point here is that the tools will continue to evolve exponentially and in another year or perhaps two, the job you have trained for or the topic you are preparing to study at your next college will be changing and you will need to be nimble enough to change with it. You will need to create the next tool. You will need to build on the technology.
With these two gifts come almost unfathomable challenges. Author Thomas Friedman of the New York Times in his recent bestseller told us that our world is flat. Routine jobs, such as customer service call centers, will be offshored to places, such as India, where the cost is lower and the quality may be better.
You will need to stay one step ahead of these complicated global changes, including the warming of the planet.
Many of you are saddled with debt from student loans. We worry about how you will build a life when starter homes in places like Madison cost $200,000 and health care benefits take increasingly larger bites out of paychecks.
You are coming of age at time of random violence, from Oklahoma City to Columbine to 9/11 to Virginia Tech. These horrific events will define the rest of your lives and keep you ever vigilant.
We are a nation at war, as your colleague Cody can attest to. We look to your leadership so that this conflict will come to an end.
We will look to your skills of diplomacy so our nation can resolve other international tensions without resorting to warfare and the deaths of our brave soldiers.
Yes, you are a lucky group but you will need to use your gifts wisely.
This, of course, is why your administrators invited ME to give this commencement speech.
I have the secret to success.
And I will give you that secret in just one minute after I explain to you how hard this is. You see, the problem with commencement addresses is that no one ever remembers what the speaker says.
I asked our State Journal researchers to help me remember the details of my own commencement from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1974. I was pretty sure it involved Sen. George McGovern and the reading of a poem.
Not only was George McGovern NOT the commencement speaker but there was no poem. (Laughter.)
Our speaker was then-Lt. Gov. Marty Schreiber and he spoke to us passionately about avoiding another Watergate scandal. You'd think I'd remember that.
So graduates, listen up. This is the only thing we expect you to remember after you have long forgotten Ellen Foley or mixed her up with Hillary Clinton. (Hoots.)
If you remember nothing else, remember THIS simple secret to success:
Are you ready?
WALK ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET.
Walking on the sunny side of the street is a choice you will have to make every day of your life from now on. And I want to emphasize that word "Choice". It is a daily job.
It is hard work to choose the sunny side.
I am not going to go on and on about this because it's getting late, and we all know you are NOT going to remember much of what I just said. So I'm going to try something that I hope will embed this secret of survival into your reptilian brains. And I'm going to use one of those multimedia tools I referred to --- albeit a low tech one.
I'm going to sing a little song for you.
A capella.
This should be memorable.
I have never done this before in public in my entire life.
GRAB YOUR COAT AND GET YOUR HAT
LEAVE YOUR WORRIES ON THE DOORSTEP
LIFE CAN BE SO SWEET
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
CAN'T YOU HEAR THE PITTER PAT
AND THAT HAPPY TUNE IS YOUR STEP
LIFE CAN BE COMPLETE
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
I USED TO WALK IN THE SHADE
WITH MY BLUES ON PARADE
BUT I'M NOT AFRAID
THIS ROVER'S CROSSED OVER
YOU'LL BE RICH AS ROCKEFELLER
GOLD DUST AT YOUR FEET
ON THE SUNNY
ON THE SUNNY
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET.
Congratulations, graduates.
Deborah Cureton, dean and CEO of the University of Wisconsin-Richland in Richland Center, invited me to give the commencement address May 11 to the school's 70 or so graduates.
It was a thrill to spend some time with the dedicated faculty at this intimate campus about an hour and a half drive west of Madison and to get to know the stories of the hardworking students, most of whom hail from the Richland Center area and many of whom will attend four-year campuses of the university next year.
I understand that a DVD version of my speech will be coming out next week. For those of you patient enough to read the full speech, you'll understand why that might be rather entertaining.
Here's your editor in her multimedia splendor:
Commencement Address
University of Wisconsin-Richland
It is such a treat for me to drive through the rolling hills of Wisconsin to Richland Center.
I couldn't help pondering on the drive from Madison the very words that name your school and your town: RICH LAND.
I am humbled to have been asked to share a bit of commencement wisdom with the graduates of such a magical place
You are some of our best and our brightest. Many of you are the first person in your family to graduate from college. And we know that it hasn't been an easy pull for most of you.
I sit on an interesting perch as an editor of a newspaper who is becoming the editor of a newspaper AND a website.
Technology is changing my work life dramatically. And because I realize that your lives are about to change dramatically, I feel surprisingly qualified to share with you a few observations about what the world needs from the graduates of this fine school.
You are blessed with at least two great gifts that are going to propel you into leadership roles ---- not only in your home communities --- but most likely in the world.
These two gifts are tools and timing.
We'll take timing first.
Congratulations on choosing the best time since the year 2000 to be looking for a job. The economy is booming for many industries. The stock market keeps setting record highs. There are a lot of business moguls with lots of cash investing in very interesting corners of American life.
A recent article in the Wisconsin State Journal (which you can also see on madison.com/wsj), noted that the hiring of college grads will increase almost 20 percent this year from 2006. That's a 20 percent increase in just one year. The big winners are those studying engineering, business, health care and computer-related fields.
However, recruiters told the State Journal that the job-seekers who will command the highest salaries and the best jobs have one distinguishing trait: They are well rounded.
Employers are looking for graduates who have had jobs during school, who can communicate, who have leadership potential and who can work on a team.
In short, they are looking for the kinds of students who come from this Rich Land.
In addition to your school work, your dean tells me that you have been athletes, newspaper editors, student government leaders, campus ambassadors, musicians, thespians, tutors, work-study students, Road Ralley winners (AND LOSERS. Sorry about that) active members of various clubs ---- and much more.
You are exactly what the nation's employers and universities are looking for.
You also have an historic demographic shift going for you. There are many Baby Boomers, like me, and a lot fewer of you. There will be many more jobs than job seekers in the coming years as the Boomers retire. If you play this right, you will be in the driver's seat when you go to find a job.
So let's move to gift, No. 2.
Tools.
You are THE multimedia generation. You have amazing tools. You watch movies at home via DVDs or TIVOs. And you do this ---- cuddling your laptops so you can IM your friends and keep your eye on the text messages coming in on your cell phones. (Laughter)
I have observed this at my own home.
Most likely every one of you has a cell phone that you will use to take photos tonight. Some of you may even be recording me right now with your Ipods.
Recently a professor at the Madison campus suggested the next wave of change will involve nanotechnology in the wallpaper of our homes. It will sit there quietly monitoring our vital signs ready to call our physicians if we need to go to the emergency room. This astonishes me!
Very soon OUR WALLPAPER IS GOING TO BE CALLING OUR DOCTORS!!!
Yes, I see you're laughing, but I also know that you are a bit relieved, because you don't want to be the ones coming by to check mom's blood pressure every day.
Let the wallpaper do it!
My point here is that the tools will continue to evolve exponentially and in another year or perhaps two, the job you have trained for or the topic you are preparing to study at your next college will be changing and you will need to be nimble enough to change with it. You will need to create the next tool. You will need to build on the technology.
With these two gifts come almost unfathomable challenges. Author Thomas Friedman of the New York Times in his recent bestseller told us that our world is flat. Routine jobs, such as customer service call centers, will be offshored to places, such as India, where the cost is lower and the quality may be better.
You will need to stay one step ahead of these complicated global changes, including the warming of the planet.
Many of you are saddled with debt from student loans. We worry about how you will build a life when starter homes in places like Madison cost $200,000 and health care benefits take increasingly larger bites out of paychecks.
You are coming of age at time of random violence, from Oklahoma City to Columbine to 9/11 to Virginia Tech. These horrific events will define the rest of your lives and keep you ever vigilant.
We are a nation at war, as your colleague Cody can attest to. We look to your leadership so that this conflict will come to an end.
We will look to your skills of diplomacy so our nation can resolve other international tensions without resorting to warfare and the deaths of our brave soldiers.
Yes, you are a lucky group but you will need to use your gifts wisely.
This, of course, is why your administrators invited ME to give this commencement speech.
I have the secret to success.
And I will give you that secret in just one minute after I explain to you how hard this is. You see, the problem with commencement addresses is that no one ever remembers what the speaker says.
I asked our State Journal researchers to help me remember the details of my own commencement from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1974. I was pretty sure it involved Sen. George McGovern and the reading of a poem.
Not only was George McGovern NOT the commencement speaker but there was no poem. (Laughter.)
Our speaker was then-Lt. Gov. Marty Schreiber and he spoke to us passionately about avoiding another Watergate scandal. You'd think I'd remember that.
So graduates, listen up. This is the only thing we expect you to remember after you have long forgotten Ellen Foley or mixed her up with Hillary Clinton. (Hoots.)
If you remember nothing else, remember THIS simple secret to success:
Are you ready?
WALK ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET.
Walking on the sunny side of the street is a choice you will have to make every day of your life from now on. And I want to emphasize that word "Choice". It is a daily job.
It is hard work to choose the sunny side.
I am not going to go on and on about this because it's getting late, and we all know you are NOT going to remember much of what I just said. So I'm going to try something that I hope will embed this secret of survival into your reptilian brains. And I'm going to use one of those multimedia tools I referred to --- albeit a low tech one.
I'm going to sing a little song for you.
A capella.
This should be memorable.
I have never done this before in public in my entire life.
GRAB YOUR COAT AND GET YOUR HAT
LEAVE YOUR WORRIES ON THE DOORSTEP
LIFE CAN BE SO SWEET
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
CAN'T YOU HEAR THE PITTER PAT
AND THAT HAPPY TUNE IS YOUR STEP
LIFE CAN BE COMPLETE
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
I USED TO WALK IN THE SHADE
WITH MY BLUES ON PARADE
BUT I'M NOT AFRAID
THIS ROVER'S CROSSED OVER
YOU'LL BE RICH AS ROCKEFELLER
GOLD DUST AT YOUR FEET
ON THE SUNNY
ON THE SUNNY
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET.
Congratulations, graduates.
A bad time a long time ago....
There is little overt physical evidence now that UW-Madison's Sterling Hall was the site of a horrific act of domestic terrorism.
To date, there has been nothing to mark the fact that a young post-doctoral student in physics, Robert Fassnacht, lost his life there.
That's about to change.
This afternoon, more than 37 years after a truck bomb blasted a crater in Sterling Hall, the UW-Madison physics department will dedicate a plaque in memory of Fassnacht, who was killed in the Aug. 24, 1970, attack.
"I'm personally embarrassed that it's taken so long," said UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley, who knew Fassnacht well from his days here as a physics graduate student.
"The department's been trying to do something for a long while," added physics professor Wesley Smith.
The dedication will take place in the courtyard between Sterling and Chamberlin halls, near the bombing site.
Several members of Fassnacht's family -- possibly including wife Stephanie, son Christopher, and twin daughters Heidi and Karin -- are expected to attend.
"I did talk to Stephanie before we did this and got her permission," Wiley said. "We wanted to be respectful of her and she approved it."
The bombing capped a tumultuous time of protest on the UW-Madison campus against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The target was the Army Math Research Center on the upper floors of Sterling Hall, where it was alleged weapons research was being conducted.
The perpetrators hadn't counted on someone like Fassnacht being there at the time. Karl Armstrong, one of four people involved in the plot, said later that they bombed Sterling Hall in the wee hours of the night because they assumed it would be vacant. They hadn't wanted anyone to be hurt.
But Fassnacht, 33, was in his basement lab at Sterling Hall that night trying to finish a project before leaving on vacation with his family the next day for San Diego.
The blast at 3:42 a.m. was so powerful that pieces of the stolen Ford Econoline van containing the ammonium nitrate bomb landed atop an eight-story building three blocks away. Twenty-six buildings in the area sustained damage.
The bombing and Fassnacht's death rocked not only the Madison and university communities but also the anti-war movement.
The plaque commemorating Fassnacht's tragic part in history is simple, stating what happened there that summer morning.
There are lessons in that violent episode worth remembering, Wiley said, and posting a plaque is part of that.
"It's very valuable in a university that honors and respects free speech (to recognize) that there are limits to what's appropriate," Wiley said. "This was way beyond the extreme limits of what's appropriate."
To date, there has been nothing to mark the fact that a young post-doctoral student in physics, Robert Fassnacht, lost his life there.
That's about to change.
This afternoon, more than 37 years after a truck bomb blasted a crater in Sterling Hall, the UW-Madison physics department will dedicate a plaque in memory of Fassnacht, who was killed in the Aug. 24, 1970, attack.
"I'm personally embarrassed that it's taken so long," said UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley, who knew Fassnacht well from his days here as a physics graduate student.
"The department's been trying to do something for a long while," added physics professor Wesley Smith.
The dedication will take place in the courtyard between Sterling and Chamberlin halls, near the bombing site.
Several members of Fassnacht's family -- possibly including wife Stephanie, son Christopher, and twin daughters Heidi and Karin -- are expected to attend.
"I did talk to Stephanie before we did this and got her permission," Wiley said. "We wanted to be respectful of her and she approved it."
The bombing capped a tumultuous time of protest on the UW-Madison campus against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The target was the Army Math Research Center on the upper floors of Sterling Hall, where it was alleged weapons research was being conducted.
The perpetrators hadn't counted on someone like Fassnacht being there at the time. Karl Armstrong, one of four people involved in the plot, said later that they bombed Sterling Hall in the wee hours of the night because they assumed it would be vacant. They hadn't wanted anyone to be hurt.
But Fassnacht, 33, was in his basement lab at Sterling Hall that night trying to finish a project before leaving on vacation with his family the next day for San Diego.
The blast at 3:42 a.m. was so powerful that pieces of the stolen Ford Econoline van containing the ammonium nitrate bomb landed atop an eight-story building three blocks away. Twenty-six buildings in the area sustained damage.
The bombing and Fassnacht's death rocked not only the Madison and university communities but also the anti-war movement.
The plaque commemorating Fassnacht's tragic part in history is simple, stating what happened there that summer morning.
There are lessons in that violent episode worth remembering, Wiley said, and posting a plaque is part of that.
"It's very valuable in a university that honors and respects free speech (to recognize) that there are limits to what's appropriate," Wiley said. "This was way beyond the extreme limits of what's appropriate."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)