Glib Replies

Take Back The Night

2011-05-04T21:34:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, remember the Take Back The Night (TBTN) event we have on campus? It is coming up again this in late September. In case you might not be familiar with it, here is capture from our own website:

Take Back the Night

The 21st Annual 2011 Fox Valley Take Back The Night involves partner agencies and citizens from throughout the Fox Valley standing up to violence. The problems of violence against women and the broader issues of sexual violence need to be addressed.

Maybe we could get a dynamic speaker at the event, possibly from our own campus. How about our own Mike Lenza? He is a is in Public Affairs and after all his "...experience allows (him) to bring a different perspective that most academics wouldn't have".

Um, that perspective would be that he murdered his first wife and mother-in-law. http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2004/08/08/justice-put-him-in-prison-now-justice-is-his-missi/ His perspective would be great to hear because after all, he doesn't want to talk about the murders because "he feels that while he can defend his actions, his victims cannot". A man to be admired, no doubt.

I'd love to hear about this perspective; about how he can defend the actions of a double murder. After the years of hearing about why students missed exams, didn't turn in assignments, plagiarized papers, staff being sick, etc; I've never heard why someone feels it is okay to MURDER two women.

After all, we all have academic freedom so come on Mike, profess to us unlearned and unwashed masses on why murdering your wife and mother-in-law is hunkydory.

I'm guessing for a preview of the "perspective" and the defending of "his actions" could be found in his appeal to the 8th Circuit (caution: graphic)http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/665/804/408273/

AND before someone says "hey, he served his time and is square with the house" please remember we kick students out of dorms for drug and alcohol offenses. If you can reconcile kicking an 18 year old out of dorm because of drug or alcohol violations while employing a double murderer (of his wife and mother-in-law) as an Asst Prof on a campus that values women's rights well; God Help You.

Real News Not From The Onion!

2010-11-10T19:30:00.002-06:00

The Onion couldn't make up a story this good: Lt Col Tim Donovan, former spokesperson for the Wisconsin National Guard not hired as spokesman for the Wisconsin Dept of Veterans Affairs and is suing:

"Donovan scored the only 100 percent on the qualifying test and was also the only veteran to make it to the final interview for the position, according to the complaint.

“The WDVA has admitted Colonel Donovan was not only fully qualified for the position, but that he was the only veteran among the seven finalists who could possibly have been hired,” Donovan’s attorney Michael Fox said in a statement.

The DVA ultimately awarded the position to Sara Stinski, 36, who scored an 82 on the test and has no military experience, according to the complaint. According to court papers filed by the DVA in response to Donovan’s complaint in the spring, Stinski’s 15 years in marketing writing about discounts for veterans qualified her for the position. Prior to her appointment by the DVA, Stinski worked as the marketing and public relations officer for the Wisconsin Restaurant Association." See the entire article here: http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/11/09/iraq_vet_files_discr.php

So to sum it up for the WDVA: write a press about a veteran's discount at a restaurant and you too are qualified to be their spokesman!

Olberman Suspended

2010-11-05T22:26:00.002-05:00

And his toupee was put to sleep!

Read here http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/11/05/entertainment/e105245D05.DTL

Was It Halloween Today?

2010-04-28T20:40:00.003-05:00

A great sight today and fortunately for me, he isn't one of my students because I would have had a hard time keeping a straight face with him in my class.

He was about 6 ft tall and maybe 120lbs and he was wearing East German (I doubt he was old enough to have been born before German reunification) combat fatigues. Shoulder length scraggly unkempt hair, wire-rim glasses and a black beret. The best part of the outfit was the black, pointy toe, high-heeled boots.

Long live the revolution comrade!

ABC World News

2010-02-17T21:36:00.002-06:00

I got the chance to watch ABC's World News tonight. The lead story? Might it be one of our wars? Our economy? Iran? Haiti? Dubai? The stimulus anniversary?

Of course not. The lead story and 1st 5 minutes was devoted to Tiger Woods having a press conference on Friday.

Un-effing believable.

A Nod to The Chief

2009-10-22T20:27:00.002-05:00

I was discussing The Chief/JB's recent feature of Capt Karl with a few JB readers. I'm not going to co-opt JB, go to The Chief for the link. Capt Karl is, as the English would say, a nutter. But read him and see for yourself.

Anyway, as we chuckled over the bizarre philosophy floated by Cat Karl someone mentioned Steve Quayle www.stevequayle.com. I'd never heard of him but after reading a few of his postings, he is far and away nut job #1 in my book. Capt Karl doesn't come close to the fear and paranoia floated by Quayle.

Any other blogs way out there? Post 'em here!

Green Campus?

2009-09-24T19:35:00.002-05:00

I'm having hard time grasping this one: why parking services needed a brand new 8 passenger Suburban to cruise the parking lots in their never ending quest to issue parking tickets.

We don't have a very large campus, couldn't parking enforcement walk or bike? Likewise, couldn't a more fuel efficient vehicle be found in the campus fleet than an 8 passenger Suburban? I mean really, an 8 passenger, 4X4 SUV is needed to drive one parking enforcement guy around campus to issue tickets?

Someone please put a happy face on this story.

Our salaries are being cut and we say we are trying to have a sustainable, green campus but yet, we outfit a metermaid in a vehicle costing upwards of $40,000 and getting God knows what for fuel economy.

C'mon, please put a happy spin on this for me. Pretty please? I'm beggin!

Kathleen Parker Channels Me

2009-08-21T22:25:00.002-05:00

Where have I heard this before?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/18/AR2009081802849.html

Goes to show you, a good idea bears repeating.

Sprouts, Tofu & Healthcare

2009-08-15T21:01:00.004-05:00

What a great op-ed piece!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html

John Mackey, co-founder of Whole Foods (if you don't know what Whole Foods is, try watching Emeril Green http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/emeril-green/), opines brilliantly on healthcare/health insurance based on what Whole Foods has done.

The problem though is that some Republicans will write it off automatically 'cause of Whole Foods' consumer demographics. Likewise, some Democrats will write it off because Mackey doesn't automatically embrace the Obama plan and he points out problems in Canadian and British plans. And, egad, he dares to suggest that perhaps, people should make better individual choices rather than have a government fix.

His approach is from the real world and approaches the healthcare/health insurance challenge in a very pragmatic fashion. That is why it won't gain acceptance: it lacks political ideology!

OK, A Recap

2009-07-03T23:08:00.003-05:00

Let's see:

A Coup in Honduras.

A Velvet Revolution in Iran

Economy in the Tank

Unemployment Creeping Up

North Korea Going Nuclear.

Soooooooooo, what do we have the media reporting on? C'mon what? Potential global nuclear destruction. Ahhhhh, no! Better story! Economic meltdown. Nooooooooooooo! A Revolution in Central American. Naaahhh!

We are more concerned, according to what we are fed from the main stream media, the following:

the death of Michael Jackson;

the death of Farah Fawcet and,

Camp David is hosting a sleepover/birthday party for one of Obama's daughters.

Yep, got to love the third estate. Working real well. Got an odd story, hold page one, we'll get on.

Substance? Not needed

Why Do We Have To Read Local News in Newspapers From 90 Miles Away?

2009-05-23T20:40:00.003-05:00

from the Sat May 21 Wis State Journal

Judge's son accused often, rarely prosecuted

By DEE J. HALL608-252-6132
dhall@madison.com
HORTONVILLE — Reymundo Avila says he doesn’t remember what prompted Michael Froehlich to attack him, chase him through the streets of Hortonville and taunt him with racial slurs while Avila cowered in his second-floor apartment with a broken nose.

Avila, who admits he had plenty to drink that night, said his memory of the Sept. 11, 2005, incident starts with him running, bleeding from the face, from the bar Froehlich owned in this community 120 miles northeast of Madison to another bar across the street. He says it continues with Froehlich and at least one other man chasing Avila to his apartment.

“All I know is when he did what he did, I walked out of the bar. I was in a daze,” recalls Avila, 48, who has since moved from Hortonville. “My face was pretty well messed up.”

Normally, the type of attack suffered by Avila — whose account is backed by other witnesses in Hortonville police reports — could land a perpetrator behind bars for months, if not years. But Froehlich, 34, walked away from that incident without so much as a fine — and it wasn’t the only time.

Records show that over the past four years, officers from Hortonville and Outagamie County have arrested and ticketed Froehlich, the son of Outagamie County Circuit Judge Harold Froehlich, more than a dozen times for allegedly making threatening phone calls, drunken-driving related offenses, resisting arrest, battery, false imprisonment and threatening a sheriff’s deputy.

During that time, Froehlich has been criminally prosecuted just once — in 2008 — after he was caught driving drunk for the third time with a 0.361 percent blood-alcohol level, more than four times the legal limit.

In two other incidents, Froehlich was fined but not criminally charged after wrecking pickups — including one instance in which he later admitting to having been drinking, according to police reports. In both cases, he fled the scene and eluded police for more than three hours, preventing police from taking a blood sample for alcohol testing.

In an interview, Froehlich, who now lives in Appleton, denied he was driving either time — contradicting what he told police.“You can’t put me in that vehicle,” he said of one of the crashed trucks. “I never acknowledged that.”

In the Avila case, Froehlich acknowledged ousting him from his bar, The Thirsty Otter, because, he said, Avila was “not welcome” there, but he denied chasing him through town. “Never happened,” Froehlich said, contradicting other witnesses’ version of events.

‘Terrified’ residents, chief saysHortonville Police Chief
Michael Sullivan said the younger Froehlich “terrified” residents in this community of 2,700 people and has repeatedly dodged consequences in Outagamie County, where his father has been on the bench for 28 years.

The Wisconsin State Journal found no evidence that Froehlich’s father ever sought to influence his son’s treatment by authorities. Through an assistant, the judge declined to comment on his son’s legal troubles.

To avoid any potential conflict of interest, Outagamie County District Attorney Carrie Schneider said she referred seven cases involving Froehlich to the district attorney in Brown County and two to Winnebago County since 2005.Just one of those nine cases — the third-offense drunken driving — was prosecuted, by Winnebago County, resulting in a conviction. The other eight are either pending or were dropped.According to online court records, however, Schneider’s office handled six other referrals from police, including unlawful use of a telephone, drunken driving-first offense, failure to notify police of an accident, and hit and run.

In each case, Outagamie County court records show, Froehlich was ordered to pay a civil forfeiture.Schneider didn’t respond to repeated messages over the past several weeks. And while Brown County District Attorney John Zakowski declined to prosecute most of the cases sent by Schneider, he denied any special treatment. (One referral sent last month for unlawful use of a telephone is pending.)“Nobody took steps to ensure that (Froehlich) not be prosecuted, and there was never any communication with (Harold) Froehlich, the judge,” Zakowski said. “If it was anybody else, given those facts, he wouldn’t be prosecuted. It’s so ridiculous to think this guy would get a break because he’s a judge’s son. The cases were just not that good.”

In the Avila case, for example, Zakowski said, “everyone was drunk” and no one saw the attack, which would have made it difficult to prove the case. But Sullivan, who referred the case to Schneider for prosecution, said several witnesses were sober, and Froehlich acknowledged to him that he manhandled Avila.

According to Sullivan’s report, during the 13-mile ride to the Outagamie County Jail in Appleton, Froehlich admitted calling Avila a “useless Mexican,” grabbing him around the neck and physically tossing him out of The Thirsty Otter but said it was in response to Avila “throwing things” around his bar.“Froehlich also brought up several times that his dad is a judge, but I should not worry about it because he does not like dropping names,” Sullivan reported.

Froehlich denies threat
According to the numerous police reports compiled by Hortonville and the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department, Froehlich is often quoted threatening officers and bragging about his ability to avoid prosecution.In the transcript of one tape-recorded conversation with Outagamie County Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Oligney in 2006, Froehlich made a veiled threat to harm Oligney’s children if he ticketed him for making harassing phone calls to one of his former employees, Melissa Reimer.The sheriff’s office referred that incident — and the text and tapes of the phone messages Froehlich allegedly left on the former bartender’s phone — for criminal prosecution but no charges were filed. Oligney declined to comment on the case.

For his part, Froehlich contended the veiled threat to Oligney “never happened.”

Standoff at the tavern
One incident on Oct. 14, 2005, culminated in Froehlich locking himself in The Thirsty Otter with a frightened patron while police, investigating reports that Froehlich created a disturbance at another bar, surrounded Froehlich’s tavern. Although the incident prompted police to arrest Froehlich on several tentative charges, he again wasn’t prosecuted.

During the standoff, the woman told police she repeatedly asked Froehlich to let her go. She said he relented after she told him “either he lets me out, or I can get him in trouble.”At one point, Harold Froehlich and his wife came to The Thirsty Otter. The younger Froehlich was arrested, police said, after his father restrained him. Hortonville police referred a complaint alleging false imprisonment, trespassing, resisting police and disorderly conduct to the Outagamie County district attorney’s office, but no charges were brought.

Asked about that incident, Michael Froehlich became agitated, called a reporter a series of vulgar names, then hung up.

Two mystery cases
The disposition of two cases against Froehlich remains a mystery. Schneider said she referred seven cases to Brown County, but Zakowski said he knows of just five, including the referral sent last month.The two referrals unaccounted for are from the 2006 allegations investigated by Oligney involving threatening phone messages to Reimer and her fiancee, and another complaint from that year about continuing harassment of the couple. Zakowski has asked Schneider’s office and the police agencies to resend the reports for evaluation of possible charges.

Schneider didn’t respond to messages seeking an explanation for the discrepancies or the reason for not seeking a special prosecutor in the six cases against Froehlich that her office handled.

Under Wisconsin Supreme Court rules, prosecutors are required to act on a conflict of interest “as soon as they become aware of it,” said Keith Sellen, director of the Office of Lawyer Regulation, who emphasized he was speaking generally and not commenting on Schneider’s conduct.

According to OLR records, the agency investigated Schneider for a possible conflict of interest in 2005 after her office initially prosecuted Schneider’s brother, Thomas Q. Rathsack Jr., for third-offense drunken driving. Schneider showed up at the scene of her brother’s motorcycle crash before he was arrested and taken to the hospital for treatment, police records show.The regulatory agency declined to discipline Schneider in that incident, however, noting she eventually turned the case over to Brown County.

Handling of cases ‘fishy’
Sullivan said the two missing cases and the rationale for not prosecuting most of the others appear “fishy” to him.He’s not the only one. In all, Reimer and her fiancee have called police at least half a dozen times to report threatening phone calls and text messages from Froehlich. Last month, Schneider referred a case of unlawful use of a telephone to Brown County. No decision on prosecution has been made, Zakowski said.

Froehlich “has basically always gotten a slap on the wrist,” Reimer said. “He’s been sent ticket after ticket. It doesn’t seem to affect him at all.”Zakowski said the cases he declined lack proof that Froehlich engaged in criminal activity. “There’s no statute for prosecuting somebody who’s being difficult or a jerk,” he said.

Sullivan disagreed.If he believed the incidents weren’t prosecutable, the chief said, “we never would’ve sent them up.”Froehlich “was just very abusive, just very dangerous. That’s the part that really upsets me. He was left to roam the streets and harm people.”

Thus, our own inept Osh Northwestern doesn't see fit to report on pedestrian deaths and ignores this in our back yard. Way to go, Stew. You are a credit to your fishwrap.

Oshkosh Pedestrian Deaths

2009-04-27T21:17:00.005-05:00

This has been on my mind for the past number of months.

February saw the tragic death of Joan Domke on Pearl St. While you might not have known her, you might have recognized her if you frequented Planet Perk or were a regular downtown wanderer. We've heard basically nada on this since it happened.

To the best of my knowledge, the name of the person who hit her hasn't been released. Why?

We see published in the Osh NW every frickin divorce in the county. This is news? Someone gets divorced and we need to see that in print? Someone died here, quite tragically. And the story is met with nary a word about who did it. The status of the investigation? Who knows?

I may not have the best memory but didn't we have a similar case in town in late 2007. Happened on the south side of the river. A guy who used to ride around town in a 3-wheel bike was hit and killed. Never heard anything more. Who did it? Were they charged?

Every divorce is proudly published. Every kid popped for a nickel bag gets his/her name published. So in order to gain true anonymity, your need to kill someone with your car?

Not sure where the issue lies, with the OPD or the Osh NW. But, something doesn't sit right

NW Article on Titan Stadium

2009-04-25T16:59:00.002-05:00

I'm a wise ass, I admit it. Hence 'glib replies'.

I read this today about how one of our neighbors continues to be aghast at the noise, traffic and light spillage from our sports complex.
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/article/20090425/OSH0101/304250046/1987

Wondering out loud here but, wouldn't one think there might be a touch of activity at a collegiate sports complex? As such, if one was not wanting to be subjected to the hubbub and all, why buy a home nearby?

Reminds me of people who move to the country and complain that the farms smell

I Wish He Wrote For The AT

2009-04-23T22:01:00.004-05:00

from the 4/22/09 Royal Purple-UW Whitewater's Student Newspaper

Spoiled athletes need reality check (by Mike Daly)

"Not often are you afforded the opportunity to compare UW-Whitewater's sports to a typical Division I athletic program, but there's one similarity between the two: the preferential treatment some athletes receive.

The special treatment some athletes receive at the Division I level has been well documented. Most people have heard the story of former Ohio State University running back Maurice Clarett accusing his former coach, Jim Tressel, of arranging for him to get passing grades, cars and money for bogus summer jobs. Clarett also once walked out of a midterm exam because he "didn't know a thing," and was later allowed to take an oral exam instead. He "passed."

The likelihood of such events occurring at UW-Whitewater is highly unlikely, if not impossible. But some Warhawk athletes do receive treatment their non-athlete peers are not afforded.

While I was in the Williams Center weight room April 10, three athletes from one of UW-Whitewater's elite programs attempted to work out, independent of their team, without handing over their student IDs. They had their IDs, they just simply didn't want to perform the laborious task of handing them over to the Williams Center employees. One athlete was cooperative, a second eventually forked over his ID, but the third refused until the police were called. That's right; the police were summoned because an athlete wouldn't take his ID out of his wallet and hand it to the employee. Nothing really happened, and all three were allowed to stay after wasting everyone's time.

Days later, the athletes didn't want to comment on it. The coaches didn't want a story about it, and the Williams Center employees-presumably due to the fear of singling out athletes-didn't want to talk about it either.

This particular athlete conducted himself in a way his coaches surely would not condone. Neither their demeanor, nor their language was respectful, but that's OK, because they're athletes. They're allowed to play the system. Next time I'm in the Williams Center, I'll keep my ID, wear my headphones on the bottom floor and bench press naked because I feel like it. Although when I break the rules and act like a goon, I won't have a coach or administrator who will go to bat for me.

And that's where the real problem lies. The guilty party usually isn't the typical student-athlete. It's really not even the few who misbehave or accept preferential treatment. The villains are the "adults" - the coaches and administrators - who send the message it's acceptable to behave how you want because you can run fast or jump high.

I've been associated with the Royal Purple for almost two years, and in that time, I've been directly involved with, or caught wind of, people within the athletic department objecting to certain stories the paper has run.

There are no complaints when the front page displays the latest WIAC championship. No one whines when there's a story about a Warhawk athlete winning player of the year honors, or a state-of-the-art athletic facility opening. Some athletes even send complaints to the paper about a lack of coverage.

But when the same individuals bend the rules, they instantly want nothing to do with the spotlight. And their coaches and the administration are quick to defend them and explain why the negative attention is unjustified.

Sadly, the adults don't realize they aren't doing the athlete-students any favors. They'll leave UW-Whitewater thinking they can always behave how they want and be bailed out. That would probably be true, unfortunately, if they could jump high enough and run fast enough to play professionally.

But this is UW-Whitewater, and excluding rare exceptions like Derek Stanley or Matt Turk, pro sports are not an option for graduates.Then again, sometimes exceptional talent still isn't enough to bail out someone who thinks he's above the rules. Ask Clarett. You can reach him at the Toledo Correctional Institution."

Wow! Why can't we get a student writer like this instead of the current current AT editor who rails incessantly about the evils of business?

Mulitcultural Preview Day

2009-04-17T21:38:00.002-05:00

Yep, great idea.

Really, I'm in favor of it.

Bring in lots of potential students, particularly 1st generation higher ed students. Always a good thing. Great thing actually.

Issue I have (note I'm not saying problem) is in regards to the tour of the students about campus. I saw several of the groups touring. They were every where and for this type of program they should be. I saw one group just sitting in the grass by Taylor and noted the smiles of the students. This was fun. Many were experiencing a college campus for the first time and one could see the delight in their faces.

My issue? Did we really need to have a a tour in Spanish? I'm not getting this second hand. I saw it and heard it, in Reeve. I know enough Spanish to understand basic things. What I was able to understand from this group as I walked by was it sounded like any other student tour I'd heard go through Reeve...but in Spanish.

Why?

We've got students from abroad on campus. I delight in having them on campus. Foreign students are generally good students and they add to the discussion in upper level classes I've taught here and elsewhere. Great kids for the most part and I'm glad they are here. They don't get a tour here in their native tongue. Like wise, we've got numerous other ethnic groups represented on campus with ESL issues, most noted are the SE Asians (Hmong and Vietnamese) and I don't remember ever seeing tours in their languages. These kids are so rewarding in class. They are almost all first generation students and so damn eager.

But we bus in kids from a Wisconsin High School and speak to them in Spanish, is it me or are we going a bit overboard here? Really, I teach in English. I speak a couple of foreign languages pretty decently (some might suggest English ain't one of them and to that I say: youse guys is all wrong) one because I took it in high school and as an undergrad and one because it was a family language (I'm truly very close to being a goat herder so be careful)

I really would like to know what others thoughts are on this. What do other faculty, staff and students think?

Wow, Never Would have Thought of This.

2009-03-14T09:46:00.003-05:00

From the Osh Northwestern, March 14, 2009:

"......UW-Oshkosh will pull in $428,000 for two separate projects, which includes $333,000 requested by Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisconsin, to create a demonstration training program for preventing elderly abuse and neglect at nursing homes, said Tom Sonnleitner, vice chancellor for administrative services. Sonnleitner said the Kohl-backed project would provide the resources for UWO's Center for Career Development to create workshops, a Web site and a CD for training employees of nursing homes."

We need to teach professionals in nursing homes to not abuse and neglect patients? I never would've thought that. Guess I thought that the various degree programs for RN's, CNA's, LPN's etc would've mentioned that somewhere along the line.

So once again, we are on the cutting edge of vocational education.

The Emporer's New Clothes?

2009-01-31T13:53:00.004-06:00

Why was it when the international press reported of American failures under Bush, the US media picked up on those reports and used them to correctly illustrate the US landscape but NOW, when the international press critiques THE ONE, they are ignored by the US Media? Same for many bloggers. Bloggers critical of Bush linked international media reports correctly illustrating American missteps. But now? If the international press dogs Obama, not so much!

Read Rosemary Righter of The Times here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rosemary_righter/article5613759.ece

An excerpt as follows:

"....Is Mr Obama a protectionist? Instinctively, yes; he has never seen a free-trade deal he would actually vote for, and he talks about trade policy as a tool “to support good American jobs”. But as the election campaign wore on, he toned down his invective against foreign competition, and, because his economic team is basically free trade, the jury is still out.

The verdict, however, will be in very soon. At the behest of the most protectionist Congress in memory, Mr Obama may be about to repeat, at the dawn of his presidency, the same historic error that the much derided Herbert Hoover made just before quitting the White House in 1933. In the depths of the Great Depression, he signed into law the innocent-sounding Buy America Act. It required the US Government to use American suppliers in all public contracts. Less notorious than the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, “Buy America” did huge damage. It proved a disaster for US manufacturing exports and the global economy. Other governments followed suit, and it took decades to begin to reverse the closure of markets.

Now, prodded by America's mighty steel lobby, a key congressional committee has voted, 55-0, to attach a still more rigorous “Buy America” clause to President Obama's stimulus package. It bars federal funding of any public projects “unless all of the iron and steel used is produced in the United States”. The clause could be extended to asphalt, cement, heavy machinery, you name it. US dollars, the committee intones, must be used to create “American jobs in America, not Chinese jobs in China”.

Leave aside value for money. Pass over the detail that the US does not produce enough steel to meet domestic demand. Admit that, when economic activity evaporates as precipitately as it has this winter, “saving” jobs looks more important than ensuring long-term competitiveness. Admit, further, that all governments are in the hidden subsidy game right now, whether they boast about it, as in France, or deny it as stoutly as Lord Mandelson - whose “this is not a bailout” brings to mind Magritte's famous “ceci n'est pas une pipe” painting.

Agree, finally, that when you are the newly elected US President and the money you are preparing to print runs into the trillions, the queue at the trough is bound to form pretty fast. But the scale of the temptation is precisely what makes Congress's populist “Buy America” rider an irresponsible, innumerate, pernicious bit of political and economic folly.

If Mr Obama blocks this clause, he will anger the Left. If he does not, retaliation is inevitable. That will shut American workers out of “hundreds of billions of dollars of new business”. Caterpillar, to take just one example, is actively bidding for big infrastructure projects in China; it reckons that “Buy America” would kill its prospects there.

The truth politicians need to ponder is that the financial crisis has made sophisticates of us all. Most of us understand far more about how globalisation works, how the pieces hang together, than we did before everything went pear-shaped. We have made the connection between prosperity and globalisation - at the simplest level, that cheap T-shirts from Bangladesh leave us with more money for other things. We do worry about our ability to compete; we demand clear and impartial trade rules. But we can see how beggar-thy-neighbour protectionism creates more beggars - costing, not “saving”, jobs. It is time the language of politics caught up with us."

Hhhmmmm. Chickens....coming.....home....to roost?

Caterpillar just announced layoffs. About 20,000. Read here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-caterpillar-layoffs-090126-ht,0,2651573.story

Nice to See Where My Money Is Going

2009-01-31T13:31:00.003-06:00

From the Jan 30, 2009 Daily Mail on line (www.dailymail.co.uk) blog of reporter Mary Ellen Synon.

"The Democrats: packing the pork barrel with fish.

Washington Democrat pork-barrel, how its done: this just in to me from an former Senate staff member. If you want about a couple of hundred other examples of this kind of thing -- 'pork barrel' is legislation designed to pay off or buy up political supporters -- just go through Obama's so-called stimulus Bill, which the House Democrats passed on Wednesday. It is almost 90 percent pork, and not much stimulus. For details, see my piece on Obama on the Mail's Online Debate page.

So, the example of how this is done on the Hill. The wildly-powerful Speaker of the House is the Democrat Nancy Pelosi. Her home district -- that is, constituency -- includes San Francisco. The headquarters of the Star-Kist tuna brand, owned by the global giant Del Monte Foods, are in San Francisco.

Star-Kist is a major political contributor to Pelosi.

Star-Kist is the leading employer in American Samoa, employing 75 percent of the Samoan workforce. According to the Washington Times, the company has two packing plants there with 5,000 workers. More, Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul holds a substantial amount of Star-Kist stock. The guess last year was $17m (£12m) worth.

In January 2007, when Congressional legislation increased the US minimum wage from $5.15 (£3.60) an hour to $7.25 (£5.10), Pelosi had American Samoa exempted from the increase -- making it the only US territory not subject to federal minimum wage laws. This insured that that Del Monte would not have to pay the higher wage -- so Del Monte products would be less expensive that those of their competitors.

Now Pelosi has added an 'earmark' to one of the Democrat bail-out bills adding $33m for an 'economic development credit in American Samoa.'

The frequently-disgraceful Republicans refused, to a man, to vote for Obama's so-called stimulus bill, just because it was loaded with this kind of thing. Which shows that the Republicans can occasionally find their spine."

OoooKaaaayyyyyy-let some of you arguing for higher minimum wages opine how this was good to exempt American Samoa? Tell me how carving them out helps them, helps me, helps the country. And Pelosi supporters, tell me how it is merely a coincidence that substantial portion of the Pelosi family net worth is being benefited by this action.

C'mon? JB, maybe you?

Illinois Politics

2008-12-09T15:07:00.002-06:00

Hey how 'bout them Illinois politicians?

You know Illinois politics. It is the state where 5 out of every 4 vote Democratic. It is not just a joke that they vote early and often down there.

So what about their Good Guvn'r? He who comes in like a White Knight after Gov Ryan with his free driver's license scandal (among others). Is he arrogant, ignorant or just an idiot?

Check it out and you make the call. http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/acrobat/2008-12/43789468.pdf

Salary Irony

2008-12-07T16:27:00.003-06:00

Barack Obama today on the possible domestic auto industry bailout:

“What we haven’t seen is a sense of urgency and the willingness to make tough decisions. And what we still see are executive compensation packages for the auto industry that are out of line compared to their competitors, their Japanese competitors, who are doing a lot better”.

Jonathon Cohn wrote in The New Republic, Nov 21, 2008:

"According to Kristin Dziczek of the Center for Automative Research--who was my primary source for the figures you are about to read--average wages for workers at Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors were just $28 per hour as of 2007. That works out to a little less than $60,000 a year in gross income--hardly outrageous, particularly when you consider the physical demands of automobile assembly work and the skills most workers must acquire over the course of their careers." (My emphasis)

Oh yeah, but considering the the skills and education most tenure track faculty members must acquire, we're (in most disciplines) not worth $60,000. It has dawned on me that some of the folks lobbying for a bailout for these autoworkers are the same folks who figure someone with 1 or 2 MA's plus a PHD is worth about $50,000 or so to start teaching college.

Campus Newspapers

2008-11-26T15:32:00.002-06:00

Okay, I have to admit that I am a newspaper junkie. Real live newspapers though, not the on-line version, although I do read them, as well.

That said, I thought it was a neat idea, although pricey, when the free newspaper program was kicked off. I would have thrown the Chicago Trib in there instead of USA Today, but hey, that is just me. Yep, I know the program is from USA Today but it isn't like a trademarked program......

I had my doubts how successful it would be and have continually noted that even later at night in Reeve and in Clow, there usually is a pretty good stack of available newspapers particularly the JS and NYT. Why the USA Today runs out I can't imagine.

That said, I'm surprised at the little machines dispensing the newspapers. There didn't seem to be an issue with there not being enough papers to go around, at least in my little haunts. Were we having non-students go into dorms, the Rec Center etc to get a free newspaper? Was there really a problem?

I'm sure somewhere, somehow, part of UW Oshkosh paid for the machines. How much? They don't look cheap. Reminds me of the old story about a men's razor company (Gillette?). They had the idea that they didn't sell razors, that they sold razor blades, hence they damn near gave away the razors for free so one would buy the blades.

Is that what happened conversely with the machines? Did UW Oshkosh get in to a program to get out newspapers for free (fairly inexpensively) and then got stuck buying these white elephant machines?

Anyone know truly how much they cost or what the issue is?

CNN

2008-11-22T09:59:00.002-06:00

We've got one of those awful anniversaries upon us and the cable news shows are doing their best to mark it: 45 years since JFK's assassination.

On CNN this morning though, they run through it and state that Lee Harvey Oswald was 'accused' of the assassination and was shot to death 2 days after the assassination. Is there anyone other than Oliver Stone who thinks otherwise? Ever hear of the Warren Commission?

To be sure Harvey wasn't convicted of the killing because he never went to trial courtesy of Jack Ruby. But for CNN to say that Lee Harvey Oswald merely was 'accused' is beyond all logic and becomes revisionist history.

We have a news network saying a presidential assassin was 'accused' while running seemingly non-stop repeats of a former VP candidate in front of some redneck turkey ranch. And we wonder why our students don't have a better grasp of history?

Ummm

2008-11-06T22:11:00.003-06:00

Ummm, I was watching the 10pm news tonight.

Ummm, there was an ummm interview with with our VC Petra Roter and ummm, she was talking about ummm, a pub crawl thing like, ummm.

Dr Roter, if you are going to be the official commentator for UW Oshkosh, please turn it up a notch.

Ummm is not a word, but it was the predominate sound you made during your interview.

You did verbally defend you dissertation, didn't you?

Shopping Trip, Part II

2008-10-20T15:22:00.001-05:00

It is beginning to look like I can’t have a normal shopping trip anymore……

I was in the checkout line at Wisconsin’s very own Man Store (if you can’t buy it there, you don’t need it) and behind me a few spots was a 20 something male and a woman in her mid 50’s. I noticed them earlier shopping because they both were wearing dark sunglasses in the store, which I thought was odd. They were both wearing workout suits but it was fairly obvious from looking at them that neither wore them for that use.

The store had very few lines and consequently, the few lines were long. As soon as they got in line they began to talk with one another. The both had a soft southern accent that reminded me of a Tennessee or Kentucky drawl. After a few seconds of small talk, the 20 something started saying repeatedly “only in America” with a dismal tone in his voice. The woman asks what he means. He goes on about “only in America” would people be willing to wait in lines like this. He continued on, with a touch of smugness in his voice that no where else would people be willing to wait like this and he offered up Germany as an example. The Germans wouldn’t wait in line like this he stated emphatically. They just wouldn’t he said. He got back on to muttering “only in America” dismally.

The woman gave up a little “I know” with an air of understanding. She continued on that “that was why she was voting for Obama-he’s gonna change things”. She then added that the “McCain-fella scares” her.

Yep, “only in America” would someone link their Presidential vote to waiting in line at the Man’s Mall.

Politically Incorrect

2008-10-13T20:11:00.005-05:00

Pronounciation (po li tic al ly in corr ect).

Generally not accepting commonly accepted ideals or having beliefs that others may find offensive.

Use in a sentence:

Although Tina Fey is funny, it is politically incorrect for me to not give a shit as to what she thinks about Sarah Palin or her political views in general.

Actorvist

2008-10-13T20:03:00.003-05:00

Pronunciation (ak-ter-vist).

A theatrical proponent of activism, who relies heavily on their popularity as a performer in an attempt to advance their own personal political agenda.

Use in a sentence:

When actress Tina Fey commenting on the possible election of Sarah Palin as US VP states in a recent issue of TV Guide says "If she wins, I'm done. I can't do that for four years. And by 'I'm done,' I mean I'm leaving Earth" she actual meant to say "I'm an actorvist and if you like me you'll vote for my candidate."

Can't Take A Joke

2008-10-08T11:11:00.002-05:00

Political parody has been around for centuries. Think Punch magazine satiring the UK and monachary in the mid-1800's

Modern political satire coming form Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher and others encourages a healthy debate. Recently Tina Fey's dead-on rendition of Sarah Palin has been great. I can't seeing anyone disagreeing that a little political satire is fun.

To be sure, some of it is slanted. Humor usually is slanted, that is why we are amused. It tickles our funny bone because we were not expecting it. Yet, in most political satire there is a grain of truth.

On Saturday Night Live this past weekend, we saw a great skit in the tradition of the long history of their political satire. Watch here:

http://video.yourfindit.com/ViewVideo.aspx?fileid=2193

It seems though, this skit went too far by poking fun at major Democratic supporters George Soros and Herb Sandler. Apparently they can't take a joke. The clip is disappearing faster the the Packer playoff chances. After protests by both Soros and Sandler, it was taken off the NBC website. It disappeared from YouTube and Hula.

I like satire and political parody but it seems the new message coming from Democratic supporters is that it is all well and good to go after Republicans and Republican supporters but Democrats and Democratic supporters are off limits.

A Question of Morality

2008-10-05T15:39:00.003-05:00

There has always been one deep, dark ethical question universal to mankind. It existed in prehistoric times the same as it exists today. The question is 'could I kill another human being?'

To be sure, we've all thought of the question. Some of us have probably even assigned the question to undergrads as coursework. If you served in the military, the question wasn't just an academic exercise. Many of us have probably waxed philosophical on the topic over a beer or coffee with friends.

I'd answered the question to myself years ago. To protect my family and loved ones? Yep, that is a no-brainer. In defense of someone else being harmed? Quite possibly. To defend my country? I guess so. To defend my personal property? I think that might be a stretch.

I'll admit that I hadn't really thought about it much until yesterday when I was shopping. I was in one of those big box stores I absolutely loath. I was in line waiting as usual, since they had too few checkers to handle the throng of shoppers.

The shopper ahead of me was attempting to buy some fresh produce among other things. Peppers to be exact. The clerk handled the bag of peppers and the exchange between the shopper and clerk went something like this:

Clerk: What are these?
Shopper: Peppers
Clerk: Yes, I see that. Do you know what kind?
Shopper: No.
Clerk: You don't know what kind they are?
Shopper: No.
Clerk: How come you don't know what kind of peppers they are? After all, you are buying them.
Shopper: How come you don't know? You work here.
Clerk: OK, let me get my produce book out to see if I can find them.
Shopper: Oh, maybe they are Hot Peppers.
Clerk: Hmmmm (scanning book), there are no 'Hot Peppers'
Shopper: That's what they are.
Clerk: They aren't in my book.
Shopper: So.
Clerk: Why don't I read the pepper names to you, tell me if anything sounds right.
Shopper: OK.

Well, the peppers in the book were arranged it seems alphabetically because she started with Bell Pepper-Green and followed that up with Bell Pepper-Orange quickly followed up by Bell Pepper-Red and Bell Pepper-Yellow. I realize that grocery clerking is generally not a profession populated by Mensa members but I thought even the most dense individual would realize that the small green things in the bag were not Orange Bell Peppers.

This exchange continued for minutes until the clerk got to 'serrano' peppers and the shopper delightedly cried out that these Unidentifiable Vegetable Objects (UVO's) were in deed 'serrano peppers' and the clerk was able get her little code out of the vegetable book to complete the sale.

See, it was during the debate between the shopper and clerk over who bore the responsibility of knowing what these UVO's were called that I began to ponder that age old question again. I decided right then and there that yes, yes I could kill another human being.

VP Debate

2008-10-03T14:41:00.003-05:00

I watched, and enjoyed, the VP debate of last night. I tuned around after the debate to listen the various pundits give their take on it.

I'm left with one question after hearing the pundits: what the hell is on Keith Olbermann's head? Ye gods man, if you are going bald just let it go. That thing looked like a Halloween wig gone bad.

M.I.A.

2008-10-01T15:30:00.002-05:00

Two of my favorite blogs are Missing In Action.

Wisconsinology http://wisconsinology.blogspot.com/ which boasts odd and offbeat stories from Wisconsin is really a fun read. From odd historical facts to more modern fare, it is a treasure trove of all things Wisconsin.

The Chief http://foxtrot-echo.blogspot.com/ blogs more so on national and local current events with attention to Oshkosh. The Chief links articles from all over the globe on the blog and comes at topics from all angles.

Both haven't blogged in quite some time and both are missed. If anyone knows where they are hiding, please tell them that they are missed!

Couric and VP Candidate Interviews

2008-09-30T14:14:00.002-05:00

Yes, Palin didn't exactly shine sitting down with Couric. Delivery and content were weak. Analysts pointing this out were right in pointing it out. A few analysts though might have gone over the top wondering on the basis of this interview that she might be replaced on the ticket.

Less press and analysis went towards the Couric interview with Biden. Particularly when he had his own Dan Qualyle moment.

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"

Hoover was President in 1929 at the time of the market collapse and TV was in the experimental stage and there were no commercial stations.

And yet there is not much press and analysis of this 'oops'. The only big story is Palin's halting delivery.

Lobbyists and The Road to the WhiteHouse

2008-09-22T15:31:00.002-05:00

Glad to see Obama taking the moral high ground and denouncing the McCain campaign's association with lobbyists. Of course there is that pesky problem of saying you are taking the moral highground without actually doing so.

Biden's son is a lobbyist. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/13/1393483.aspx Yeah I know he quit but just like the folks who work McCain's campaign did as well. So if the McCain staffers are still lobbyists, seems Biden's kid must be, too.

David Axelod, Obama's campaign head was the next best thing to a lobbyist. http://www.newsweek.com/id/138519 But, since he never registered, he must be okay.

Oh, and Obama's fundraising campaign staff? Looks like they are the lobbyist dream team. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-04-15-obama_n.htm

Reminds me of the old adage "How can you tell when a politician is lying? His lips are moving".

And Under the Fairness Doctrine

2008-09-17T19:41:00.002-05:00

If the FCC re-enacts the long disbanded fairness doctrine, as some in the Democratic Party have insisted should happen (including Joe Biden), would Palin's email be the only one hacked?

Shouldn't Obama and Nader be hacked, too? See the Palin story here:

http://tech.msn.com/news/articlepcw.aspx?cp-documentid=10415573&gt1=40000

You've Got to Be Kidding Me

2008-09-12T22:38:00.002-05:00

From the ABC news website:

Former Clinton campaign communications director Howard Wolfson characterized her foreign policy answers as "formulaic and unimpressive."
"She didn't say anything disqualifying, but it is unlikely that anyone watching would have come away sanguine about her ability to step in as president on day one if necessary," Wolfson wrote in his New Republic blog "The Flack."
"Don't expect to see her do many more ... the McCain campaign knows they will pay a price for keeping Gov. Palin from the national press -- but they also know that price is worth paying if it buys them insurance against her giving a disqualifying answer to a legitimate question." ABC news website:

This is news? A Clinton supporter giving Palin a less than rosy review? Wow, we are talking newsflash here folks: "Stop The Presses, Extra, Extra Read All About It!!!!!!"

Next thing you know, in unbiased reporting, the Green Bay press will start to suggest the "Bears Still Suck".

The Race to DC

2008-09-06T17:22:00.003-05:00

You know they're right. The pundits, the politicos. On the whole trying to raise a family while running the country.

Tough task, nearly impossible task actually. I can't even begin to fathom how difficult it would be to do it with little kids regardless of your spouse.

So, they're right. And Senator Obama should renounce his party's nomination for the presidency in order to take care of his family. After all, he has two small daughters and his wife is an attorney. She has a job; a career which she has a right to have, correct? Can't hold her career back.

Someone has to take care of the kids, right?

Fore!

2008-08-27T18:47:00.002-05:00

Getting back to campus now for the start of the Fall semester, it has been fun to catch up with colleagues. Rumour has it, from a very lowly placed source, that our humble campus is now the proud owner of a new golfcart. Said golfcart it has been heard, has been purchased for the very expressed purpose of ferrying one Vice Chancellor about campus, perhaps with a student assistant as the driver.

Comments anyone? I'm certain someone can comment knowledgeably on this. And yes, welcome back!

Campus Information Kiosks

2008-08-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

Every time I walk by one of these things I have to chuckle. There is one adjacent to Lot 15 across from Reeve and one on the corner of High & Osceola. I really like the picture serving as the backdrop for the Spring 2008 listings. You know that picture, four college age adults flying a kite on gorgeous sand beach surrounded by lush greenery and multi-story developments.

I can’t really seem to place that scene on our campus. Likewise, haven’t seen it on Lakes Butte des Morts or Winnebago.

Must be around here somewhere-alas-I’ll just have to keep looking!

Doha Development Agenda (DDA)

2008-06-23T10:51:00.001-05:00

Barrack Obama: I’m not listening. Don’t want to, can’t make me. Nyah, Nyah!!!!!

I’ve got news for the Senator from Illinois: free trade works, protectionism doesn’t. The global opinion of the DDA agrees. But obviously Obama Knows Better!

The Scene

2008-06-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

What a rainy, rainy weekend. Practically everything I wanted to do this past weekend was rained out. What to do? Read and blog, of course!

I typically enjoy reading The Scene and I usually read all the articles and columns even if I have no particular interest in the topic. A big disappointment though was the latest edition. Good God, what horrible writing from Gavin Schmitt and Will Stahl! What are they trying to accomplish with their respective pieces? Are they trying to report? No, they make too many style and reporting errors for their pieces to be considered ‘news reports’. Ah, they must be ‘op-ed’ pieces or persuasive essays. Again, no! They make far too many errors to fall into an ‘op-ed’ category particularly by repeatedly stating opinion as fact. They fail to adequately support their opinions which is the cardinal sin on an ‘op-ed' piece, no matter how worthy the opinions are.

What are they trying to do with their pieces? To me, they are written as poor examples of an opinionated undergrad desperately trying to fill required space in a blue-book thinking that the sheer mass of words, no matter how poorly strung together, will equal a better grade.

To The Scene: start editing for style and content!

Carolyn "Biddy" Martin

2008-06-08T11:12:00.002-05:00

Did anyone catch Frederica Freyberg's interview of Biddy Martin on WI Public TV. How and why will she be running our flagship UW?

Very uninspiring and not very polished in this interview, one wonders what leadership abilities she has. Was she the best applicant? If she was, that truly was a sorry lot!

I imagine her term in office will be both short and unproductive.

Why Does This Feel Creepy?

2008-05-27T20:31:00.002-05:00

I've had either good fortune or bad fortune lately to find two music artists that I really, really like. It is great these days because you can find these websites and on-line radio stations playing all different types of music and geared to unique musical tastes. For example, I'm sure if one looked hard enough one could probably find a website featuring ska-polka bands!

But here is my dilemma: two recent artists that I've found and like are dead! They weren't old when they died and both tragically died of cancer. In both cases, I heard them a few times on-line and they grew on me. Zip out to eBay and pick up some CD's, google the artists and BAM----they're dead and have been for several years.

It feels weird to really enjoy their work and to know that their body of work is finite. I can't really look forward to that new release 'cause there isn't going to be one. That is what feels creepy: I enjoy their music but unfortunately they met an early death and there is nothing to look forward to, it is just this finite body of work.

NY Times & McCain

2008-02-21T12:01:00.000-06:00

Hmmm….

The New York Times, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23263742/?GT1=10856, is running an expose on the premise that Sen John McCain was friendly with a lobbyist. It takes great pains to point out that while some of his staff have said there was no illicit romantic affair, they wanted to make sure that one didn’t happen. And nothing happened either, but they just wanted to make sure the public didn’t get the wrong idea. Mind you this was all eight years ago.

Elsewhere we find Sen Barrack Obama completing a sweetheart deal in 2005 with the now indicted Tony Rezko to buy his multi-million dollar house. There was no appearance of impropriety in the deal, there was actual impropriety. For what ever reason, The Trib is the only real media outlet that is covering this saga in depth, http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-rezko-arrested_webjan29,0,6857272.story.

Which one is the bigger story, the one about McCain not having an affair but gasp, looking like he might have an affair or the one about Obama doing a real estate deal with a now indicted lobbyist?

Yep, I guess we know the answer!

Radio Obama

2008-02-19T11:15:00.003-06:00

If I hear one more Obama radio spot……

Ya know the one, the one with “CEO’s who earn more in 10 minutes than the average worker earns in 1 year. Yep, that one!

Let’s do the math shall we:

$48,201 Average annual salary per US Census Bureau 2006
x 6 1 hour divided by 10 minutes
x 2,080 Annual hours worked
$601,548,000 Obama’s mythical CEO Salary

Exactly how many corporate CEO’s are earning this? Pretty much none. Look at the Fortune or Forbes data. To be sure, some CEO’s have cashed out stock options and retirement benefits that are mind-boggling but these folks are an exception rather than the rule. By the same token I’ve known some individuals who worked in R&D at a local consumer products company (guess who, they are out of Texas but used to be headquartered here until taxes made them flee south) who retired with about $2 million between 401(k) plans and other retirement money. They’ve worked hard for a 30+ year career and became successful. Want to nail them, too?

This Obama ad is pandering to the “stick it to the rich” segment and the “all corporations are evil” mentality.

It is going to be interesting to say the least.

Dick Clark

2008-01-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

A post about Dick Clark? You've got to be kidding, right?

Mrs Glib Replies and me-self are at that age where New Years Eve is spent watching TV with a bottle of cold duck and a bag of beer nuts wondering and worrying where/what the little Glib Repliers are doing. That said, we happened upon Dick Clark tonight.

If you are a certain age you will remember Dick Clark and American Bandstand as something you watched on TV but didn't want to admit it to your friends. Kind of like Tony Palmeri watching Bill O'Reilly. We know it happens but it is best not talked about.

Anyway, let me be the first to congratulate him on coming back. He is a prime example, and this had been noted in the media extensively, of an aphasic stroke survivor. That is to say the stroke largely affected his ability to speak but fortunately, not much else.

I suspect there will be a few in the entertainment media who will say, as a result of his broadcast, that he should've packed it in. Screw 'em I say! Courage to come New Years TV? Ya, you betcha! You could see and hear him warm up and his delivery get better during his broadcast.

The broadcast media should be more representative of the general population and having Dick Clark on TV, during one of the most watched shows, with his aphasia is step towards that goal.

Going Home

2007-12-28T11:16:00.000-06:00

I was able to visit my hometown over Christmas. While there, I was able to get in touch with a good friend from my high school and undergrad days. We hadn’t connected in about 8 years.

It was a bittersweet visit with him. As a young adult, the world was waiting for him. A natural and gifted athlete, he was out-going and made friends easily. He had a very marketable undergrad degree from a Big Ten School and he landed an internship that he parlayed into a great and lucrative job upon graduation. I was jealous of him then. I was still plugging away in school looking to become a social worker and he had this great job. As well, he had just gotten married and bought a house. He looked like a great success story and I used to second-guess my chosen educational and upcoming career path.

Fast-forward 20 years and boy oh boy how the times change.

He is on his third marriage now, run into some legal challenges for himself and he has stepchildren who are on a first name basis with the local DA. His once promising career evaporated years ago and he bounces around now in jobs that aren’t in any fashion related to his education, abilities or intelligence.

People making wrong choices, well, I’ve seen a ton of ‘em. I usually have a bit of que sera sera attitude when I see it professionally with colleagues or students. This one hits close to home and it makes me uncomfortable. I realize I shouldn’t be sad for him, or me either I might add. But, I still wonder what went wrong and wonder what could’ve been.

Home Schooled Students

2007-12-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

Twas a few days after grades were turned and all through the campus not a professor stirred, not even the early tenure hopefuls.

My grades had been posted and several malt beverages had been toasted.

An what should appear at my door?

Was it Prancer, was it Dancer?

No!

It was that bore!

The one who was home schooled and taught by mom.

He had just found out his grade in my class had been a bomb.

This has never happened to me before, I've always done well.

I replied with a huff and a snort, I'm a teaching professional and not your mother.

I give credit where credit is due.

And unfortunately young man, the grade you've earned is true!

So away to the parking lot I did fly

And with a tip of my hat, I bade him good-bye!

(My sincerest apologies to the fine English faculty over in Radford!)

Rob Kaiser of the Appleton Post-Crescent

2007-11-19T14:05:00.000-06:00

At this level of teaching, most of us are authors. We author books and textbooks. We publish articles in our areas of scholarly endeavors and obviously have written a thesis or two. Very few of us, though, are writers.

True writers are artists. The blank page is their canvas and their words are brushstrokes that paint indelible images as vivid to the eye as if Renoir or Monet stood at the easel.

It is not often that I’ve come across a newspaper columnist who is, by my definition, a writer. The late Mike Royko, Bob Greene and humorist Dave Barry come to mind while Stew Rieckman, doesn’t. But to the list of the former I add Rob Kaiser from the Appleton Post-Crescent.

Read his Sunday front page column, http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711180559
and try not to be moved. You can’t. His words paint an indelible picture. Those painted words draw you in. We smell, we see, and we feel the story. He is a writer and a very good one at that. I look forward to reading more of his work.

Halloween!

2007-11-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

I’m a simple guy, really I am. I enjoy simple things. Simple things are fun. Simple things like watching the Chicago Bears lose, fun! Another one of these simple things is Halloween. Candy, kids in costumes, the whole bit. Fun. Really.

My ire has been raised though by an apparent societal movement of wrecking Halloween for kids and for those simple folk such as me. This movement is coming from two schools of thought. Movement one comes from the very fundamentalist Christian folks who see Halloween as Satanic Rituals (ooh!) taking over the hearts and minds of our children. Newsflash one to these folks, giving a KitKat bar to an eight old year old dressed as Ninja Turtle is not going to convert anyone to a follower of ol’ Beelzebub. Newsflash two, Harry Potter is make-believe!

The second school of thought is directly opposite the bible-thumpers. We must stamp out Halloween because it is a Christian Holiday. It is that whole separation of church and state thing thus, public grade schools everywhere have FallFest and Pumpkin Days instead of ‘trick or treating’ and Halloween. Jesus was nailed to a cross, died and went to Heaven ……so kids can get those little tubes of Whopers (personal fav) and boxes of MilkDuds because they are dressed like Shrek? Yeah, right!

True, some of the origin of modern Halloween is rooted in Christian tradition but actually early Christianity co-opted many of the pagan and druid traditions of harvest celebrations. Those crazy druids were of course worshiping trees, bushes and sacrificing the occasional goat in the name of their religion during the harvest season and early Christians must have thought, there has got to be a better way and they of course came up with those little peanut chewy things wrapped in the orange and black wax paper (who eats those things, anyway?) as a way to spread their enlightened thinking.

Halloween is, or should be, a kid’s holiday. Ya hoo, free candy! Costumes! Pretend to be something you’re not (hmmm, are we talking presidential primaries or ‘trick or treating’).

If you don’t like Halloween, don’t participate. Keep your kids out of the costume contest at school, turn your porch light off and don’t hand out candy. Stay home and read your bible. Stay home and gnash your teeth about how only you can save the world from the horrors of the spread bite-size Snickers.

Da Comrade

2007-10-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

I’ve been reading, with a mix of humor and consternation, many of the blogger posts (Miles2Go and others) on the Rivermill sidewalk issue.

“Wealthy elite”, “wealthy entitled group”, “snobs” These are just a few of the adjectives used to describe the residents of the Rivermill area. What a load of crap! Wealthy elite my ass, these are folks who work at the university, school teachers and local business people. So if you get an education, work hard and earn a decent salary somehow or another you deserve to be scorned and ridiculed for your opinions? Yes, they have a vested interest in the sidewalks that were installed in the subdivision. And yes, despite their vested interest in the sidewalks it is an exceedingly dumb project to be tying up the city council with considering all the other issues that have faced the city in the last year.

The way some of the postings are vilifying the Rivermill residents I am half expecting marchers carry torches shouting “death to the bourgeoisie and long live the proletariat” traipsing up and down the blessed sidewalks!

Could This Happen Here

2007-10-08T10:54:00.001-05:00

This was brought up this morning by a fellow faculty member; the UW financial aid office contacting students to rally for Gov Doyle's budget. This is at WTMJ's website http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/charliesykes#Scene_1

I would hope, but I'm not confident, that this couldn't happen here (how about that US Bank deal). Regardless of one's stance on Doyle or the budget (which needs to get settled)it is patently wrong of a staff member to glean students for a press conference. What is next? Do we as faculty members get a request to troll for our students, too?

When we as a university start asking students to do something i.e. support a political budget we are abdicating our responsibilities as educators. To a student, getting an email such as one that went out at UW, there is an undercurrent of 'do this or else'. We are here to educate students in their chosen fields and we can educate them on the political process and not suggest that they participate on one side or the other. Students learn and discover what is right and wrong according to their own political leanings.

That memo shouldn't have gone out and I hope it doesn't happen here.

You’ve Got to be Kidding Me!

2007-10-05T15:39:00.000-05:00

What a bill! Check it out here: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=671251

Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids) is proposing to limit public access to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Project internet search site. What happened to the ‘public’ in public records?

No one, other than Schneider and the bill’s co-sponsors, seems to be cheering this blatant attempt to limit public access to public records. The argument from one of the co-sponsors that public access unfairly allows criminal convictions to haunt individuals convicted of crimes is laughable. The fact that they were convicted of the crime haunts the criminal not the fact that there is public access to said conviction. What would be next under this type of scenario of closing public access? Closing trials to the public and banning media reports of criminal cases?

The records through this website include traffic, probate, family court, civil and criminal and the bill proposal comes forth under the proviso to protect those convicted of crimes? In California, for a small fee you can get entire case pleadings on line.

The records are public, the internet is a means of accessing the records. Anyone can go to a courthouse and get court records as they are public. For a lawmaker to propose to make it more cumbersome for the access of public records is a very, very scary proposition.

McGee Nails It

2007-09-24T14:58:00.000-05:00

Kevin I applaud your column in the Northwestern this morning http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070924/OSH06/709240413/1189.

When this scandal first surfaced via the Milw JS we were all treated to this official comment from the university:

“Nonetheless, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article does raise some questions regarding costs to students who select the debit card service…. While recognizing that larger financial institutions typically offer a wider array of services and thus, may charge higher fees for some of those services, we will use this opportunity to review the fee policies associated with offering our students the best services for the best value.

In short, we will use this opportunity to continue to advocate for even better service at reduced costs for our students, faculty and staff.” Email from Tom Sonnleitner to university staff dated Monday June 18, 2007 in re: UW Oshkosh - U.S. Bank

Almost 4 months later, what has been done? One is tempted to think that the university has decided that as the university is getting paid by US Bank, it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks.

Media Censorship

2007-09-21T10:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, I’m in favor of it!

Last night while surfing the news networks while watching the Brewers lose (CNN, MSNBC, et al) I was left with the understanding that two of the most pressing issues facing our country, nay THE WORLD, are the child custody case of Britney Spears and the OJ Simpson, robbery case.

I almost sprained my thumbs trying to avoid that drivel. If there is such a thing as the v-chip can’t there be such a thing as the idiot celebrity news-chip? Bill Gates are you listening?

Osh NW Articles

2007-09-10T15:37:00.000-05:00

This morning’s Osh NW had 2 interesting articles which shows, for us UWO folks, the differing priorities of our city.

One article, on the bailout of the 100 Main TIF shows that the city has had mixed success in revitalizing the downtown. On one hand, it physically looks good (I’ve been here for about 20 years so I remember what it looked liked pre convention center/hotel, the 100 Main project and Soldiers Square green space) but really it has just been window dressing as the 100 Main project failed from the beginning (which many thought it would).

The other article was on the state budget and the financial needs of the campus to continue expansion projects. What wasn’t mentioned in the article is the need for additional financial support from the community for the new academic building and the stadium complex.

What is interesting is that the university is a proven economic commodity. More so, we are an economic powerhouse. We bring students here, we bring staff here, we bring faculty here. They bring their money here, they put down roots here and they better the community.

A vibrant university fostered the development of the Pearl St corridor with business and apartment complexes paying God only knows how much in property taxes into city coffers. The university has made an effort to show to the community how the stadium complex will continue university growth but the city, via the school district which uses the complex and the community at large won’t help with financial support. The university is now trying to show the community at large how beneficial the new academic building will be.

100 Main was a pipe dream and got taxpayer support, UWO is a proven economic (and social) powerhouse. Which one gets the handout? Yep, 100 Main St. Yes I know, we can’t get TIF money but the school district which uses our facilities, can kick in money towards those facilities.
I’m not crying in my beer but, the university DOES make a tremendously positive (financial, social, intellectual) impact on this city. It would be nice to be recognized by the community at large for this.

Faculty Leadership

2007-09-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

As we embark upon a new academic year with the promises of personal, professional and academic rewards to come, I thought about a character trait that is sorely lacking in many faculty members at many universities: leadership.

Too often, we choose our faculty for tenure track positions solely on the basis of their accomplishments within our discipline and we fail to look at them empirically. By this I mean the individuals are talented within their respective field but we should look at what else can they bring to the university and community.

This lack of leadership leads to failure by some tenure track faculty in the form of being denied tenure. Where am I going with this one may ask? Another Oshkosh blogger is decrying the denial of tenure, at other universities no less; of two rather well known academics/pseudo-political philosophers. The crux of the posting on the denial of tenure is that their political and social beliefs/positions are not in the mainstream and therefore these universities are effectively censoring them, and their beliefs, by denying them tenure. To quote an oft used trite phrase “the man is keeping them down”.

I really don’t think so. The universities I’ve been at are virtually the same for tenure track requirements: scholarship plus university and community involvement. We have freedom to teach, within reason, many different view points. I do not know the two individuals involved but, I’ve seen this type of faculty member before. Big “new” ideas (often poorly researched, too) and a lack of involvement in campus activities in favor of a preaching the “new” doctrine. Often times these individuals feel that their “message” is more important to get out than the actual business of learning students. I’ve seen these types of folks hold themselves up as too globally important to teach 101 courses, hold regular office hours or participate on campus committees.

Being a leader means looking forward and charting a course not only for ones self but for students and the university. We know in tenure track positions what we need to do in order to get tenure; please don’t whine when you so obviously miss the mark.

DB Cooper Lives

2007-09-04T11:02:00.000-05:00

You’ll have to be of a certain age to get the reference about my last blog entry. If you don’t understand it, one can always google it. Back in my day, that was the use of the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature. I’m always amused by blogging gone bad i.e. the name calling, the finger pointing and recriminations not to mention the off topic responses.

Play Nice or Not at All

2007-08-28T15:05:00.000-05:00

Some recent replies calling me ‘evil’ from a local blogger on my post on Tony Palmeri and his opposition to Dave Omachinski reminded me of how I describe what I do to folks not in higher education.

Way back when, in meeting neighbors or individuals in social situations, the subject of employment inevitably would come up. When mine was discussed, the reaction always was along the line of ‘you teach college’. I’d always explain that I’m not a teacher but rather, I facilitate learning at a university. Young children are taught. Don’t touch the stove because it is hot and it will burn you, etc. They remember lessons by rote.

It isn’t until later, that children begin to learn by making discoveries and thus at the post secondary level, we don’t teach our students but we learn ‘em. I present topics and ideas, and students research and form opinions and come to formulate their own ideas in my area.

Often times at this level, our learning ‘em improves on the rote learning of their youth. Finally, I’m getting to make my point.

As a child, one is taught to not call others bad names; it is not nice. As the child grows and matures the child learns, hopefully, that calling names also isn’t productive to rational discourse. Calling someone a derogatory name or assigning them uncomplimentary character traits isn’t a way to win an argument. So as I make my point (see first paragraph) on the postings of “working to make a living” I’m guessing that as a child he/she wasn’t taught as a child not to call others names and as a young adult, he/she hasn’t yet learned that name calling doesn’t lead to swaying the opinions of others.

So, play nice and post nice is my motto. Rational discourse is good, name calling is bad. I ask “working to make a living” to save the name calling for the street rallies ‘cause if you do it again, I got the big ol’ delete key ready and waiting.

Right on Schedule?

2007-08-20T14:47:00.000-05:00

I dropped in last week to get my parking permit and I learned that the much awaited parking ramp won't be done until mid October. I'm wondering why it isn't on schedule and if there are any contract penalties that will be paid be the general contractor as it was supposed to be done prior to the start of the semester. I'm not bothered by the delay as I don't park down there but still........

I look at my email today and see that the new Rec Center will be $360 per year and oh yeah, I can't bring my wife. I guess we are keeping the Y membership! PS, it isn't on schedule either!

A Mistake

2007-08-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

Last late night one of our own, Tony Palmeri, blocked one of our own, David Omachinski (Foundation Board, Alumn, Guest Lecturer) from a position on the Oshkosh Redevelopment Board. That crux of the argument to block the appointment was that Oshkosh Bgosh outsourced jobs to third world countries and that third world countries labor standards are not very good.

Right church, wrong pew.

Yes, there is no denial that third world labor practices are below those of developed countries. Often, compared to the practices in the US, these practices are abhorrent. There is no dispute here. However, one of the comebacks to the labor practices is that by having some jobs over no jobs, it will allow the third world to develop better economies. Economic historians bolster this argument by showing how the textile trade left the UK in the late 1800's and early 1900's for India and arguably now, India has one of the faster growing economies world wide and is one of the world's largest secular democracies. True, there are still major problems in India but economic historians will point out the growth and changes to bolster their argument.

But back to Mr Omachinski. I know Dave, I've worked with Dave and Tony you were wrong to block him. Should Dave had not outsourced Oshkosh and gone bankrupt? Would that have been a better outcome for the entire company to fold? Is it better for all to perish in outside the lifeboat if you can't fit everyone in? Is this your point?

To argue that the Authority needs someone representing organized labor on there is an interesting concept. Let someone from organized labor who has Dave's background (successful CEO of a public traded company, board member of others, and civic/philanthropic participation) step to the plate. To argue that the Authority needs organized labor representation is a hollow argument: the Authority needs competent membership not special interest group representation. If you've got someone out there equal or better to Dave from organized labor, please let us see it. You knew about the opening, did you present some candidates to Mayor Tower?

Don't just grab someone because of organized labor. Job creation and economic expansion starts with ideas and not with protecting the buggywhip industry.

Morning Walk

2007-08-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

I had the occasion this morning to need to go downtown-yes there still are reasons to go down town-and rather than driving, I walked from my campus office.

It brought back memories as I walked by the many churches and remembered several weddings I attended. The memories that surprised me while walking were as I walked by the Salvation Army across from the Courthouse. Way back when, some 2 decades ago, I was a social worker before my quest landed me working and teaching in higher education.

A saw mothers going into the Salvation Army with children in tow. I thought how hard it was to reconcile the mission of the SA with our mission of higher education and how just 2 blocks away from each other, they appear to conflict. We are turning out educated students who should have bright futures and the SA is trying to keep young adults just hanging on.

My memories of working as a social worker, being a naive youth armed with BA degree, were how could this be happening with young women-girls actually-having babies and not wanting an education or anything more in life such as a career? I had several client families that were 3 generations of women living on welfare with no desire to go further. As a professional I felt helpless at times. I remember one young mother of about 18 or 19 who wanted to learn to read so she could read to her baby. As much as I tried as a professional to help this young woman, I thought how the baby was still lost

I saw that today. Young women with children going to the SA, the children growing up not wanting or expecting to succeed based upon the situations in which they are being raised.

As I embark on a new academic year I want to remember to encourage my students to remember that higher education will give them the tools to succeed and when they succeed that they need to make damn sure they give back and that they instill the drive and passion for success in others who may not have it.

Textbooks in the UW System

2007-07-30T11:38:00.000-05:00

Go figure. Textbooks through the UW System bookstores are high priced-very, very high priced! The Milw Journal-Sentinel ran a great article http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=639173 on this issue focusing on all the campuses.

The dirty little secret not brought out in the article is the university profit margin on the textbooks. Some faculty, not myself, have opposed rental textbooks because of quickly changing texts would freeze out the latest and best scholars. To a certain extent, in many areas, I can understand that but, in other areas I don't agree with it.

Our university administration though, opposes rentals simply on a profit margin. A former asst vice-chancellor here did trumpet the rental program which was shot down very quickly. The dirty little secret is profit margin. Reeve Union sucks up over a $1million in student seg fees every year and the bookstore profit margins mitigate this figure.

Many of my students routinely spend $500+ for books per semester. What further is driving this figure up is as many students figure out alternative methods of book shopping i.e. Amazon, Harry's Books Store etc, the university bookstore raises prices further to offset lost sales. Much in the way Reeve food sales volume continues to decline annually with the influx of restaurants on Wisconsin St, the unit prices continue to increase.

Howdy!

2007-07-26T20:40:00.000-05:00

I'm new at this but I think I can do it. My goal is to provide commentary on political issues that I really can't comment on publically because of my job. Yep, not fair and all that but tis true.

My political leanings are exactly that: leanings, as I bounce back and forth between candidates and parties.

At UW Oshkosh, I have concerns on a variety of topics and the whole freedom to speak your mind in the world of academics is a noble concept but it does have limits thus, my identity is a secret.

In the City of Oshkosh: where or where do I begin to comment!

Participate along with me and in the words of Garrison Keillor "do good work"!