Saturday, January 20, 2018

Existentialism at the Beach



A Wisconsin community is in an uproar after police shot and killed a 3-year-old Australian cattle dog during a raid on a suspect’s house.

Cell phone video of the shooting sparked outrage, but police say it does not tell the whole story.

“I am saddened over the loss of a domestic pet that more than likely, had no malice against anyone,” Racine Police Chief Art Howell told the Racine County Eye. “[However]... after the dog was released, the dynamics of this encounter changed.”

Fox 6 reports that the incident was sparked Nov. 1 after a neighbor asked the dog’s owner, Kurt Hanson, to clean up some feces that the dog had left on his lawn.

"'Fire and Fury' author Michael Wolff: Trump may be having extramarital affair in White House"




President Trump may be having an extramarital affair in the White House, according to the latest bombshell claim from “Fire and Fury” author Michael Wolff.

Wolff said Friday on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” that he was “absolutely sure” of such a tryst, but acknowledged that he lacked “ultimate proof.”

“I didn’t have the blue dress,” Wolff told Maher, referring to the key piece of evidence from Bill Clinton’s notorious Oval Office dalliance with Monica Lewinsky.

 The author said he’d even planted a clue in his controversial best-seller.

“You’ll know it,” he said. “Now that I’ve told you, when you hit that paragraph, you’ll say, ‘Bingo.’”

Wolf later added that there were "back doors" at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., saying, "If I can get into the White House, porn stars can get into the White House."

The claim took social media by storm, with viewers speculating on the identity of Trump’s alleged paramour.

Adult actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, said she had an affair with Trump after they met at a celebrity golf tournament in July 2006 — months after Barron Trump was born.

Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen arranged for Daniels to receive $130,000 in hush money before the 2016 presidential election, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Still, Trump "vehemently denies" any sexual encounter with Daniels, according to Cohen.
In Touch initially interviewed Daniels about the affair — but decided against printing it in 2011 after Cohen threatened legal action.

The magazine printed the 5,000-word interview on Friday after the Wall Street Journal report emerged.

From:  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/michael-wolff-claims-trump-affair-white-house-article-1.3767521

"Tom Petty died of accidental drug overdose, coroner says"

Tom Petty in 2005.(Photo: Karl Walter, Getty Images)
More than three months after rocker Tom Petty died, his official cause of death has been determined as an accidental drug overdose.

Los Angeles County coroner spokesman Ed Winter confirmed Petty's autopsy results, which were written by Chief of Coroner Investigations Brian Elias, in a statement to USA TODAY.

Petty had a mixture of fentanyl, oxycodone, temazepam, alprazolam, citalopram, acetylfentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl in his system. The musician,66, was found unconscious and in cardiac arrest at his Malibu home on Oct. 3 and died at the UCLA Medical Center that evening.

According to the coroner's report, Petty had fallen asleep next to his wife on the couch in their living room. She momentarily left to go into their kitchen, and upon her return found him unresponsive and not breathing.

Paramedics performed CPR on Petty on site and saw signs of a pulse, but the musician went into cardiac arrest en route to the hospital. Once there, Petty experienced additional cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead roughly 21 hours after being admitted.

"The Corporate Wisconsin history of Gilbane Construction"

The Corporate Wisconsin history of Gilbane Construction - a Foreign Corporation which has been selected to build the Foxconn Manufacturing Facility in Mount Pleasant, WI.

"Family of man killed by Racine police march on City Hall"

Donte Shannon, 26, died Wednesday

"Witnesses hear more than 12 shots in fatal police shooting"

They have three witnesses, so that equals more than 36 shots.

I Dreamt Last Night That I Killed Myself

Short dream.

I was standing before a wood wall with three levers sticking out of it.  I pulled down the right one and nothing happened.  I pulled down the left one and nothing happened.  A voice or a thought admonished me for avoiding the inevitable.  I pulled down the middle lever and everything went black.

"WI Governor Scott Walker Calls For A Special Session On Welfare Reform"

Wisconsin’s first Special Needs Governor, Scott Walker has called for a special session of the Legislature to work on new requirements for government assistance programs.


As a Special Needs recipient himself, being fully taxpayer funded for life, Governor Walker admitted that being a Politician was better than being an Industrious Person and having to work in a shitty proposed, poorly lighted,  hot, environmentally polluting, taxpayer funded, and dangerous taxpayer Foxconn Factory any day!

Hey! Lots of goodies go with being the Guv –  he proclaimed – like Planes, Trains, Automobiles & Mansions, while Big Boss Daddy  Robin Vos  expressed his approval while watching Wisconsin’s first  Special Needs Governor express his primitive thoughts.

Uh yeah, lots of stuff is gonna happen – and lottsa sacrifices will have to be made- to uh, meet the demands of me & mine, and da future will be more prosporous.  Okay – Ya’ all gonna have a lotta more – and dats is whut wez want!

 

https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2018/01/19/wi-governor-scott-walker-calls-for-a-special-session-on-welfare-reform/

"Foxconn Costs Escalate to $4.5 Billion, While Wisconsin Residents Say NO to Republican Sponsored Corporate Welfare and Hand Governor Walker a Stunning Defeat!"

The Top Stories say it all – costs continue to escalate, up to $4.5 Billion (and counting) at this time, while Wisconsin Voters take heed to the fact that “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is“.

“We already knew that the FoxConn deal represented the largest taxpayer giveaway by a state to a foreign corporation in our country’s history. And we knew that due to the Man and Ag tax credit, FoxConn is already not paying any taxes, therefore making these new tax credits cash payments.

What this memo details is a bad deal is getting worse.

Since the FoxConn deal was announced, the pattern has been predictable:

FoxConn asks Governor Walker to jump, he asks ‘how high?’ Whether the request is to lower environmental regulations or raid $134 million from the state high rehabilitation fund to pay for local roads supporting

FoxConn, the Walker Administration has given blanket approval.”

Governor Walker’s track record on large-scale job creation and economic development projects shows one failure after another.

Each of his failed economic development plans also happen to coincide with upcoming election cycles.
  • Kestrel received $25 million in tax incentives to create over 600 jobs in Superior. Few jobs were created and the Superior community is left holding the bag on loan repayments.
This deal was announced the day before the recall petition was filed against Governor Walker.
  • The Governor tried hard give Gogebic Taconite the kitchen sink to bring mining jobs back to Wisconsin. They left in 2015. No jobs were created. And the miner on our flag remains a symbol of our past.
  • During his first campaign, he said over and over that he was going to create 250,000 jobs in four years, a number he still hasn’t achieved in over seven years.
“The costs of this project should alarm every Wisconsin family. This memo shows a 50% increase from the initially reported state investment. We will be pay for this now and long into the future, both in the direct costs and opportunity costs in cuts to K – 12 education and the UW System in upcoming budgets.”

“Governor Walker is in an election year. He will say and do anything to get re-elected, even if it means selling Wisconsin’s future for the FoxConn deal. Despite the Governor’s political motives, every Wisconsin family deserves to know how much higher the price tag of FoxConn will go.”


https://concernedracinecountyresidentsjustsaynotofoxconn.wordpress.com/2018/01/20/foxconn-costs-escalate-to-4-5-billion-while-wisconsin-residents-say-no-to-republican-sponsored-corporate-welfare-and-hand-governor-walker-a-stunning-defeat/

"Foxconn picks Gilbane as general contractor"

Foxconn Technology Group plans to select Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co. as the general contractor for its $10 billion Mount Pleasant manufacturing campus, according to numerous real estate and construction industry sources.



The site Foxconn Technology Group has selected for its 20 million-square-foot campus.
Curtis Waltz/Aerialscapes.com

“Everyone kind of knows,” said a construction industry source who did not want to be identified.

Gilbane, which has an office in Milwaukee, will serve as the general contractor, working with another international company based in Germany that focuses on clean air, that source said.

Gilbane has led several major construction projects in Wisconsin. The firm worked with Milwaukee-based CG Schmidt as general contractor on the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons project.

In a statement, Foxconn said it is moving forward with all aspects of its Wisconsin campus.

 https://www.biztimes.com/2018/industries/construction/foxconn-picks-gilbane-as-general-contractor/

I am mad as hell.

This letter is do to your derelict and egregious conduct as public officials. 

I demand that Racine county turn over the Surety bail/bond of Isaiah Degroot to Jeff and Cheryl Coopman as partial recompense of their destroyed lives.

Want to know more?



Respectfully,

Harry Wait

Open Blog - Weekend


Woop, woop!

Friday, January 19, 2018

"Update: Protesters pound on mayor's office door after officer-involved shooting"


RACINE — At least 250 people gathered Friday afternoon to bring attention to Wednesday's fatal shooting of Donte D. Shannon, a 26-year-old Racine man who reportedly ran from police while being stopped, allegedly brandished a gun at officers and was subsequently shot and killed.

The group gathered in the 1400 block of Park Avenue, with Shannon's family, including his 5-year-old daughter, sister and aunt, in attendance.

Shannon's aunt said a prayer, which kicked off the march to the Racine Police Department. The group headed west of 14th Street and then walked to the Center Street police station.

Many of those in attendance are seeking to begin a dialogue with police to prevent things like Wednesday's shooting from happening in the future.

At this time, march participants have a police escort and are cooperating with police. 

As of 12:38 p.m., the group had advanced to the police station and were chanting "We want the chief," "We want answers," "These are our streets" and "No racists police" in front of the station.

As of 12:55 p.m., the group was entering City Hall, 730 Washington Ave. As of 1 p.m., the group was on the second floor of City Hall banging and knocking on the doors of mayor's office, chanting "#BlackLivesMatter." 

Around 1:05 p.m., the group was negotiating with police and tensions were rising.

As of 1:25 p.m., the group was starting to leave City Hall and return to the 1400 block of Park Avenue.

As of 1:35 p.m., the group is on Grand Avenue, on their way back to the site of the shooting. 

1:45 p.m., protesters are heading to 14th Street and preparations are being made to shut down 14th Street from Grand to Park Avenue. 

Racine Police Chief Art Howell could not be immediately reached for comment on the situation. The department has been limited in what they can say since the Department of Justice has taken over the investigation. The last fatal police-involved shooting in Racine was July 6, 2014 in the 3000 block of Durand Ave. In that case the man who was shot, 37-year-old Rajko Utvic, came at police with a knife.

The Journal Times will provide updates to this story.

Read and see more: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/update-protesters-pound-on-mayor-s-office-door-after-officer/article_89aa3d89-0506-57cf-9c60-def6599869e6.html


The Journal Times achieved the desired effect after pimping their article that the gunfire sounded more than a dozen times . .  How many of these people knew Donte Shannon? 

"Hundreds attend Yorkville hearing, express Foxconn anxieties"

Jean Urry speaks in front the Yorkville Town Board and Plan Commission and a full house at the public hearing on the proposed amendment to the town  land use plan. The hearing was held Wednesday at Union Grove Elementary School  

UNION GROVE — Hundreds of Yorkville residents filled the gym at Union Grove Elementary School Wednesday night and vocalized their fears for the future and a desire to protect their small rural community.

During a public hearing on proposed changes to the town’s land use plan, resident Jo Halladay called the informational meeting a “shock meeting.”

“It was you telling us what you were going to do,” said Halladay. “You didn’t even do a great selling job on it.”

Town resident Joseph Bergs took issue with how the plan was put together.

“This is not how town government should work,” he said. “We should’ve had input.”

The Racine County Economic Development and Land Use Planning Committee also had a hearing on the proposal on Monday. A handful of community members found out and spoke at the hearing asking committee members not to pass the amendment. The committee decided to table it until the town had held its hearing and made a final decision.

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/hundreds-attend-yorkville-hearing-express-foxconn-anxieties/article_70ab96fd-4a37-564b-85e9-ada680c66afb.html

Reminder

Court protest begins today, Friday, January 19th., 8:30 AM.

outside of the 

Racine County Justice Center,  

730 Wisconsin Ave, Racine Wi.

WILL on Facebook and Twitter


https://www.facebook.com/WILawLiberty/

https://twitter.com/WILawLiberty

"WILL Press Release | WILL Puts DPI, Evers on Notice for ESSA"

Department of Education approves Evers’ State Plan

January 17, 2018 – Milwaukee, WI – Yesterday U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos approved Wisconsin’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Plan.  Secretary DeVos acknowledged that the “plans should not be seen as a ceiling, but as a foundation upon which states can improve education for students.”

ESSA has been a missed opportunity for Wisconsin, a state struggling with low-performing public schools and the widest racial achievement gap in the country. Our state plan fails to maximize the opportunity to change education. Rather, it furthers State Superintendent Tony Evers’ status quo policies.

An independent review of the ESSA state plans by the Collaborative for Student Success and Bellwether Education Partners concluded:  “Wisconsin’s plan largely continues processes and effort it has been pursuing for the last several years. While that means the state can point to stakeholder buy-in for decisions it is already implementing, Wisconsin could have capitalized an opportunities provided by ESSA to move in new directions.”

This echoes criticisms from Governor Scott Walker, who said in a September letter to Evers that the plan “does little to challenge the status quo for the benefit of Wisconsin’s students.”

The Wisconsin legislature can – and should – take steps to improve the plan.

WILL’s Executive Vice President, CJ Szafir, noted, “DPI cannot implement parts of the state plan until they get the appropriate legal authority to do so.  This could mean going through the rule-making process and possibly new laws.  We will monitor the process and outcomes to ensure the rule of law is being followed with the state plan and failure to do so could result in litigation.”

From: http://www.will-law.org/essa-plan-draws-will-scrutiny/

"Shut-in Shout Out"

From the Shepherd Express:


January 16, 2018
4:18 PM


I’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, I was sitting around the other day with nothing better to do than to think I ought to decide pretty damn soon to decide about which side of the gubernatorial candidacy pot I ought to pee in—in it, or on it.

 And whenever I got an important decision to pull off, I first seek consul with my personal brain trust, already ensconced within the friendly confines of The Uptowner tavern/charm school, majestically crammed at the corner of wistfully historic Humboldt Boulevard and the fabled Center Street. Come along if you’d like, but you buy the first round. Let’s get going.

Herbie: All I’m saying is that Trump really ought to know from “shithole” but good. Just look at some of those goddamn states that went big-time for him in the election, for crying out loud.

Ray: Yeah, President Dumbass doesn’t want any more people coming here from “shithole countries,” he says. He only wants people from Norway named Dag.

Herbie: Except the people from Norway don’t want to come here. To them, the U.S. is a shithole country as long as the asshole orange circus peanut is president, ain’a?

Ernie: What the fock, where’d the bartender go?

Emil: Hey, that’s my bar change, numbnuts.

Julius: The hell, “your” bar change. You talk like a sausage. Ray’s got you two rounds now and you haven’t bought even one yet to have money on the bar that’s yours. That’s my bar change.

Little Jimmy Iodine: Hey, Artie! Over here. Put a load on your keister.

Art: Hey gents, what do you hear, what do you know.

Ray: I know I saw O.J. on TV the other week ’cause he was in Vegas to watch a football game with some Buffalo Bills fans.

Little Jimmy: I heard Trump wants to make it official for O.J. to go out and search for the three million people who voted for Hillary illegally. And I’ll bet you a buck two-eighty some of those three million could be the murderers, to boot.

Julius: And I know we haven’t seen much of you’s lately, Artie. What, are you some kind of shut-in these days?

Art: No, I get out once in a while. Heck, I was just over by the Potawatomi with a couple good old buddies, and I was wondering how come they don’t have some slot machines at the Milwaukee Public Museum in the Native American area. Seems like a perfect fit.

Julius: And potentially a lot more lucrative than pushing the secret snake button they got there, what the fock.

Art: Listen guys, I need to tap your smarts on an important decision I got to be mulling over on soon.

Ray: What the hell is “mulling”?

Herbie: Isn’t “mulling” one of those kind of words you only ever find in a newspaper headline? I think it means same thing as “bullshit.”

Ernie: Artie, you want to tap something important? How ’bout you get behind the goddamn bar and tap me a focking Leinie.

Emil: All right Mr. Smarty-focking-Pants, if this really is your bar change, tell me who’s on this five-dollar bill I’m holding.

Herbie: Artie, if what you’re “mulling” is about paying back that ten bucks you owe me, I say yea before I mull to kick your butt ’round the block and back but good.

Art: Hey! One for Herbie over here. Yeah, put it on Ray’s tab.

Little Jimmy: So what you trying to decide, Artie?

Art: To run for governor or not.

Herbie: Oh christ, not this again. How many times you run now, six, seven?

Ray: Yeah, about the same number as votes he’s gotten all put together, ain’a?

Little Jimmy: So why not run, Artie? Seems everybody else is.

Ernie: Hold on, Artie. I thought you’s were going to run for the county sheriff.

Ray: Did you say “for” or “from”?

Art: I’ve bailed on the county sheriff gig. I figured a while ago that I’d probably need a driver’s license to be sheriff, and I don’t have the dough to get one. Cripes, how would that look, the county sheriff trying to pull over a speeder from the back seat of a focking freeway flyer?

Little Jimmy: I don’t think you should be governor or anything like that, Artie. It’s too dangerous. Don’t forget they let that nutbag John Hinckley, who shot at Reagan, out of prison the other year. We haven’t had an assassination for a while, but it would be just your luck that you’d be the guy some crackpot would hanker to take a pot shot at, I kid you not.

(It’s getting late and I know you got to go, but thanks for letting us bend your ear, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.)

From: https://shepherdexpress.com/around-milwaukee/art-kumbalek/shut-in-shout-out/

Four for Fridays!

Good morning everyone I hope all of you are doing well today. The weather is a real roller coaster lately and I am just hoping no one is coming down sick. Here are your questions.

1) Do you know about how many different birds you can identify when you see them?

2) Have you ever went out driving or walking around looking for birds?

3) Do you have any bird feeders hanging outside to watch the birds?

4) What is your favorite bird to look for?

I hope everyone is going to enjoy the nice weather we are going to have this weekend.

Open Blog - Friday


And then you hug me.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Here: Waste 15 Minutes Of Your Life

"Man fatally shot by Racine Police officers, DOJ says"

RACINE — The suspect shot multiple times during an officer-involved shooting Wednesday has died, according to a Department of Justice news release.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation responded to a critical incident in Racine Wednesday at the request of City of Racine Police Chief Art Howell.

Two Racine police officers conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of 14th Street and Villa Street Wednesday around 4 p.m. The driver of the vehicle fled on foot and was pursued by the officers. The officers witnessed the vehicle’s driver showing a firearm and responded with gun fire, striking the driver.

“The operator of that vehicle fled the vehicle,” said Racine Police Malacara said. “He ended up in the 1400 block of Park Avenue and our officers followed in pursuit. They chased him into the yard of one of the homes. He presented with a gun and aimed it at the officers. The officers fired upon him and he was struck multiple times.”

The driver of the vehicle died while being transported to a local hospital by paramedics, the Department of Justice release said. The suspect’s identity is not being released at this time.

The involved officers are not injured and have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of this investigation, per department policy, the release said. The offier's identities are not being released at this time.

The officers were 15- and 16-year veterans of the force, according to Malacara. He said that for the most part, the officers were doing alright as of Wednesday evening.

“Obviously any incident like this is a traumatic incident,” Malacara said.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice-led investigation of this incident has been a collaboration between DCI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pleasant Prairie Police Department and Mount Pleasant Police Department. The Racine Police Department has been fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is continuing to collect evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Racine County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.

"THE EMPEROR'S HAVE NO CLOTHES"

CASE # 17CF1505
GAMERS GOT A NEW GAME IN THE RACINE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT SYSTEM 
THE BLAME GAME
 But lets first introduce two more gamers hidden amongst the court  records in the Isaiah Degroot Court fiasco.

 Racine County Sheriff Chris Schmaling and 
Deputy Sheriff  John Hanrahan
Neatly tucked away in records was a court document that the sheriff's office denied access/release of Mr. Degroot for an evaluation and risk assessments to be performed.
This document is dated 11-1-2017 implicating the sheriff's department as the denier of the assessment. 

This lack of assessment was in fact another greasing of the court's revolving door policy of getting the criminals out the door ASAP.

You may ask why does it matter?
Because had a mental evaluation and risk assessment been performed on Isaiah Degroot before he was released, there may have been a very different outcome for 
Jeffery and Cheryl Coopman.

BUT why didn't any of the Judge's involved in this case question the sheriff's denial of access to this mental evaluation and risk assessment???
You will have to ask the Judges and the 
prosecutors office to get an answer

We know who has suffered the most for the failures of this derelict and corrupt court system.........
Jeffery and Cheryl Coopman

But who in the court system ultimately bears the
 responsibility for this injustice?

Will the guilty parties please step forward
Alice Rudebusch
Amy Vandehoef
Chris Schmaling
Faye Flancher
Gregory Reed
Jason A. Rossell
John Hanrahan
Louis C. Moore
 Mark Nielsen

How is that for a beginning list?
Let the finger pointing begin
Reminder
Court protest begins on 
 Friday, January 19th., 8:30 AM.
outside of the 
Racine County Justice Center,  
730 Wisconsin Ave, Racine Wi.
Bring friends, signs, bullhorns and effigies.

Racine County Corruption


My buddy over at RCC has been been posting about local crime and I was unaware of it.  


This piece of shit should never have been released in the first place.  He was the driver and the shooter.  He has no drivers license.  Yet our court system gave him only $3,000 bond.  That amount was met readily, freeing Isaiah to drive another stolen vehicle, attempt to get away from a Sheriff, crashing the vehicle in the Kohl's parking lot, putting two people who were just minding their own business in the ICU unit of Froedert Memorial Hospital.  The woman lost a leg and an arm.  If not for the first-aid work done on her and him by the Deputy and onlookers, she would have died.

Notice the cocked back head in his jail photo.  He's proud of what he's done.  May his ass be sentenced to prison and daily rapes for the next 100 years. 

"VW Bike!"

"Yeah!"

"Moped driver escapes from police officer during Miami's Wheels Up, Guns Down"

"10 Products That Are Designed To Fail"

Open Blog - Thursday


Originally, 'thumbs up" meant kill the guy and "thumbs down" meant spare him.  See, at the JTI you learn something new every day.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

"Facebook is a ‘living, breathing crime scene,’ says one former tech insider"

SAN FRANCISCO — With more than 2 billion users, Facebook's reach now rivals that of Christianity and exceeds that of Islam. However, the network's laser focus on profits and user growth has come at the expense of its users, according to one former Facebook manager who is now speaking out against the social platform.

"One of the things that I saw consistently as part of my job was the company just continuously prioritized user growth and making money over protecting users," the ex-manager, Sandy Parakilas, who worked at Facebook for 16 months, starting in 2011, told NBC News. During his tenure at Facebook, Parakilas led third-party advertising, privacy and policy compliance on Facebook's app platform.

As Facebook transitioned from a Harvard dorm-room project into one of the world's most valuable companies, its power grew in ways that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg never could have anticipated.

Over the past 14 months, Zuckerberg has gone from saying it was "crazy" to think Facebook could influence an election to vowing that 2018 is the year he will "fix" Facebook.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-living-breathing-crime-scene-says-one-former-manager-n837991

"Majority Of National Park Service Board Resigns, Citing Administration Indifference"

"U.K. Appoints a Minister for Loneliness"

Tracey Crouch, left, Britain’s under secretary for sport and civil society, is to coordinate the government’s response to loneliness. Credit Stephen Pond/Getty Images for Sport England
LONDON — Since Britain voted to leave the European Union more than a year ago, Europeans have mockingly said that the decision will result in an isolated, lonely island nation.

But Britain, in fact, already has a serious problem with loneliness, research has found. More than nine million people in the country often or always feel lonely, according to a 2017 report published by the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.

The issue prompted Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday to appoint a minister for loneliness.

“For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life,” Ms. May said in a statement.

“I want to confront this challenge for our society and for all of us to take action to address the loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, by those who have lost loved ones — people who have no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with.”

Mark Robinson, the chief officer of Age UK, Britain’s largest charity working with older people, warned that the problem could kill.
“It’s proven to be worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, but it can be overcome and needn’t be a factor in older people’s lives,” he said.

A former United States surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review last year arguing that loneliness needed addressing in the workplace.

It could be associated, he wrote, “with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression and anxiety.”

The British report was commissioned by the Red Cross in partnership with the Co-op, a cooperative supermarket chain, and published by the Cox commission in December.

The group operates in memory of Ms. Cox, 41, a Labour Party lawmaker who was shot dead by a right-wing extremist in 2016, and who had been a prominent voice in Parliament on the issue, setting up a cross-party commission that aimed to start a national conversation and establish the scale and impact of loneliness in Britain.

"WILL Press Release | WILL and Voters With Facts Challenge Eau Claire TIF District #12"

City claims completed building would not be built without a new TIF district


January 16, 2018 – Eau Claire, WI – On behalf of Voters With Facts, an Eau Claire volunteer organization, and multiple individuals whose taxes will be affected, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a notice of claim with the City of Eau Claire on Friday, challenging the legality of newly-created Tax Incremental District (TID) #12.  The challenge comes as the Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to review the legality of Eau Claire TIDs #8 and #10.

Tax incremental financing is an extraordinary mechanism that cities may use only in precisely limited situations.  Cities are allowed to create TIDs, borrow money to pay for improvements within the TID to encourage new development, and then dedicate the taxes paid on that new development to repaying the loans.  Among many other requirements, a TID can only be created if the new development within the TID wouldn’t occur unless a TID is created.  In other words, if new projects would happen in the area anyway, then creating a TID is not only unnecessary, it is not allowed. 

Those new projects should be placed on the ordinary tax rolls like any other property.

Eau Claire is claiming that without TID #12, the Aspenson Mogensen Hall, at 222 Water Street, would not be built.  But the Hall is already built.  The building was completed in 2017 and UW-Eau Claire students had already moved into the upper-floor apartments before city government approved TID #12.

“It is unlawful to approve a TID project plan that relies on ‘incremental’ tax revenue from property that was fully developed before the TID was enacted,” explained Rick Esenberg, President and General Counsel of WILL.  “Capturing existing developments in a TID removes the property from the allocable tax base, and burdens other taxpayers with taxes that would otherwise be allocated to the new property.”

A copy of the notice of claim can be found here.  More information about VWF’s and WILL’s challenge to TIDs #8 and #10 can be found here.

http://www.will-law.org/voters-facts-challenge-eau-claire-tif-district-12/

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and Irregulars!  How are you?  I'm OK, I guess, but I keep being plagued by memory lapses.  I awoke at 3-something this morning to take a pee.  Somehow I arrived at the conclusion that today is Tuesday and I slept in.  This follows an incident yesterday where I left my wallet at a gas station and didn't realize it until I arrived at the Piggly Wiggly.  There's no pure panic like the thought that someone has your everything and you don't know who.  I went back to the station and someone had found my wallet on the counter and turned it in.  Nothing was missing.  This is the same gas station where I pulled my car up to a pump, went in and paid for $10 worth of gas, and then drove off without pumping the gas.  I returned later and they were kind enough to let me pump the gas then.

I hate getting older.  So many connections within my body now pop and crack, and some ache like hell.  I'm always preoccupied.  I'll write out the grocery list but then fail to bring it with me.  Yesterday, at the gas station, I put my car in reverse without looking backward and hit the gas.  I went maybe 10 feet when I snapped to and hit the brakes.  I was within a few feet of the plow and another customer.  Sometimes I think I should be encased in a large foam ball with just my head, hands, and feet peeking out.

Another thing that is freaking me out is this Foxconn fever.  In today's online Journal Times: "Memo: Foxconn cost to public nearing $4.5 billion"(http://journaltimes.com/business/local/memo-foxconn-cost-to-public-nearing-billion/article_26ee82a2-f12b-5c3e-a600-036ee900d01a.html#tracking-source=home-top-story)  We were supposed to be at $3 billion at this point.  A definite sign of things to come.  This damned project will kill Racine County and no liquid crystal displays will ever be built here.  They will be obsolete by the time the factory would be near production.  I say we should let Milwaukee annex the land (after they've given us $4.5 billion).  They're much better suited to fouling up a project of this magnitude.

It's 4 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside   Lord, I'm no longer able to deal with the complexities of winter life up here.  Please place me down south or 6-feet underground.

From the current Journal Times:

"Fire and Ice Festival coming to Monument Square"


"Downtown’s Monument Square is the place to be on Saturday, Jan. 20, when a new event called the Fire and Ice Festival will take place from noon to 5 p.m.

"Presented by the Downtown Racine Corp., the free family festival will offer opportunities to celebrate the season — including ice skating and ice sculptures — as well as plenty of places to warm up and stay cozy.

"Ice carvers from around the state will be on the north end of the square, transforming large blocks of ice into works of art — while the south half of the square will feature Downtown’s new ice skating rink, where all are invited to lace up a pair of skates and take a whirl around the rink for free. Free skate rentals will also be available during the festival (an ID must be provided while skates are in use).


"In between, attendees can shake off the winter chill with a bonfire located on Monument Square. The festival will also offer a vendor area featuring food trucks and handmade crafts, and businesses around the square will be open and offering more food and drink options, according to Kelly Kruse, RC executive director.

“The Downtown Racine Corporation, with the help of Racine Parks and Rec Department, are excited to bring this brand new event to Downtown,' Kruse said. 'It’s a great way to celebrate our community and get some fresh air, especially during the cold winter months.'"

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/lifestyles/leisure/fire-and-ice-festival-coming-to-monument-square/article_677587ae-a0ae-5fa9-8057-c68a11e303dd.html

I wish them luck.  It seems that Monument Square can get a little crowded, especially on weekends.  I hope especially that the ice skating rink works out.  Every kid deserves a chance to go out there and fall on his or her ass repeatedly.  What fun!  I finally learned how to stay vertical on skates.  That's enough for me.

And that's enough of me blabbering. I love you all.  C'mon down and watch the wonders this weekend.  Or stop by and skate anytime the rink is open.

madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Stay warm, dears.  When it's in the single digits, I won't leave the house.  Senor Zanza has set up some sort of primitive heater in the garage, so the car is not so cold.  We'll probably be the next house with a garage fire.  Bring your brats and weenies! Love, love, love.
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Open Blog - Wednesday


Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

"Racine commission to discuss idea of parking meter removal"


RACINE — A Racine commission is scheduled to take up an alderman’s suggestion this week that the city remove its parking meters.

Alderman Steve Smetana, who represents the city’s 5th District, asked in November for a discussion on the topic. The City Council referred the suggestion to the Transit and Parking Commission, which is scheduled to talk over the idea at its Wednesday meeting.

Smetana told The Journal Times in November that he thinks doing away with the parking meters would make the city a more welcoming place. Free parking, he said at the time, would make the community more inviting to shoppers and diners.

“It’s just a small step to start welcoming people,” Smetana said.

The parking meters have frustrated some business owners who see the pay-to-park requirement as a deterrence for potential patrons.

Kelly Kruse, executive director of the Downtown Racine Corp., said in November that free parking could eliminate the availability of spots. She said that in the past, with places where people could park for free, vehicles sometimes parked for days at a time and there was limited turnover for stores and restaurants.

Racine offers free parking at limited times throughout the year. For the past two Decembers, for example, the city allowed people to park without plugging the meters on Saturdays. The move aimed to drive local holiday shopping, city officials said.

From: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/racine-commission-to-discuss-idea-of-parking-meter-removal/article_f4bce7ac-aa44-52a7-9e85-09f4b691bb69.html