About the would-be bomber

Marc Lynch makes an important point:

The Arab media's indifference to the story speaks to a vitally important trend. Al-Qaeda's attempted acts of terrorism simply no longer carry the kind of persuasive political force with mass Arab or Muslim publics which they may have commanded in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.   Even as the microscopically small radicalized and mobilized base continues to plot and even to thrive in its isolated pockets, it has largely lost its ability to break out into mainstream public appeal.  I doubt this would have been any different even had the plot been successful -- more attention and coverage, to be sure, but not sympathy or translation into political support.  It is just too far gone to resonate with Arab or Muslim publics at this point.

Sometimes not caring is best, it seems.

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Exploded dumpster at bremer mfg st. Anna

One reason to be thankful the Dems are in control; or, "federalism and local control be damned, I want that blasted snow gone!"

Senator Glenn Grothman doesn't think much of local control:

He wants Wisconsin's Department of Transportation to set standards for the city of Madison. As 27 News has found, that's created a flurry of debate.

Glenn Grothman, a Republican Senator from West Bend, says, "The city of Madison really isn't up to the job."

Firstly, it's terribly sad to see Sen Grothman, who, as a Republican, should theoretically be championing the ideas of small government and local control, putting forward a bill that would extend the power of a non-elected group of bureaucrats at the state level. That's an abrogation of what the Republican party stands for, and he should be ashamed of himself.

Moreover, for someone who flaunts his association with the Tea Party movement, it's a terribly cynical move. The Partiers are opposed to exactly this kind of legislation, and they'll need to call Grothman out on his statist tendencies soon or lose a certain amount of legitimacy on their primary issue: keeping control of government to the most local level, and preventing its powers from expanding, especially into the hands of "czars" and bureaucrats. Anything less than condemnation on their part for this move is base hypocrisy, and should be equally condemned.

Bomb Threat at the Wisconsin State Capitol

Three members of Letters in Bottles happened to be roaming downtown Madison.  Police outside the capitol building tell us the building is closed off - and they can't tell us why.  The news crews, though, have said a bomb threat was called in and nobody was hurt.  State Senator Glenn Grothman was seen wandering amongst the news vans in a red winter coat.

UPDATE:  4:41 p.m.   After seeing the Chief Justice here at the Capitol Square Starbucks, we were just told to evacuate the building - they're clearing all the buildings around the Square, apparently.  I hope everything is okay...

In the Past 24 Hours

1.  I sat down for a great chat with Representative Brett Davis, candidate for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor.  A full report will follow at some point soon.

2.  I ended up playing an impromptu live show of sorts at one of my favorite taverns of all time, Sessler's Meeme House, when Val, the 90 year-old bartender and proprietor, started talking about how her husband used to play accordion in the bar.  Highly appreciative crowd.  Pure joy.

3.  I caught up with a relative and friend who recently landed a gig directing Shakespeare plays at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts.  Sounds quite interesting.

4.  I played sidekick to the historian of Kiel, my dear friend Ed M.  Just like old times.

5.  A certain football team from Green Bay won a game.

Fun times.

A Visit to Henning's Cheese Factory

Kiel, my hometown, is also home to one of the finest small cheese factories - Henning's Cheese.

I stopped out on Christmas Eve morning, and I found the factory's new store and museum rather enthralling.  Both were full of people milling about, chatting, sampling a wide variety of cheese (and some Door County plum wine) and viewing the exhibits of historic cheese-making implements.  Large viewing windows also permit visitors to watch the actual cheese-making process unfold in the factory itself.

A few limited edition cheeses filled the coolers - including Blueberry Cobbler (surprisingly good!), Peppercorn, and a caramel flavored cheese.  When I added the cajun cheese curds to my pile of potential purchases, I had to stop and reassess - I had too much to carry.

The store and museum were recently featured on the Today Show, and Mrs. Henning reported that business picked up briskly in the two weeks that followed.  If you're ever in the area, stop by for a real treat - or order online.

Oh Yeah

Don't forget. 

Under cover of garland and tinsel, the health care reform bill passed.

As I noted back in November, it's time to get more involved in politics:

I oppose passage of the health care bill.  And if it passes, I'm going to have to start getting much more involved in politics.  This legislation would take us down the wrong path.

...And to all a Good Night

Here's hoping your Christmas was merry and bright.

Wisconsin: Home of the Snowmobile - and the Servais Antique Snowmobile Museum

Sarah Palin may call them "snow machines," but in the land of their birth, we call them by their rightful name, the name they've borne since the 1930s: snowmobile.

Odd Wisconsin History takes a brief look at the genesis of the snowmobile in the 1920s in the northern part of the state.  The post mentions a number of museums Up North that display historic snowmobiles.

I just wanted to note that my grandpa Francis maintains what many visitors have described as the largest collection of antique snowmobiles in existence in Champion, Wisconsin.  At what's been dubbed the Servais Snowmobile Museum, he has over 220 snowmobiles organized by year and make in his old dairy barn, most dating from the 1960s and 1970s when they began to enjoy widespread commercial popularity.  As I know from personal experience, it's a chore to move them around at the holidays any time Grandpa makes a trade or makes a new acquisition.  But it's well worth it - the collection is pretty impressive, and it's interesting to trace the development of the snowmobile form in Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo, and a host of other more obscure brands.

Grandpa also has a good number of gimmick snowmobiles back in the silo room - an "electric snowmobile" with a long, long cord; a propane powered snowmobile with tank in its hood; a stretch limo extended snowmobile; and a "jet-powered" snowmobile that you'll have to see for yourself.

I've never been to the snowmobile museums in Eagle River, St. Germain, and Sayner, but I've heard from people who have been...that Grandpa's museum is more comprehensive and has more snowmobiles overall.

If you know of anyone who has an old snowmobile (pre-1975) who may be interested in displaying it at the museum or donating it to the museum (or even trading), just get in touch.

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Sheboygan riverfront

The Top 100 Songs of the Decade

Inspired by Steve S, I present what I found to be the top 100 best songs of the Aughts.  Yes, it's a subjective list.

Some songs were moving.  Some were crazy and creative.  Some got me dancing in spite of myself.  Some marked memorable moments, people, or places.  Some made for amazing live performances.  Some broke new ground.  Some traced the continuation or fall of a giant.  Some denote a particular movement or genre that came to the fore.  All of the songs listed here wove themselves into my overall conception of the decade.

100. Rainbow Warriors - CocoRosie
99.  Volcano - Damien Rice
98.  Half Moon Rising - Yonder Mountain String Band
97.  Three More Days - Ray LaMontagne
96.  Scythian Empires - Andrew Bird
95.  Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue - Toby Keith
94.  Roll Out - Ludacris
93.  News - Jack Johnson
92.  Elevation - U2
91.  Go It Alone - Beck
90.  New York I Love You - LCD Soundsystem
89.  Stiff Upper Lip - AC/DC
88.  Rebel Rebel (Bowie cover) - Seu Jorge
87.  Something of an End - My Brightest Diamond
86.  Icky Thump - White Stripes
85.  Tunnels - Arcade Fire
84.  Coldplay - The Scientist
83.  1234 - Feist
82.  Last Night - The Strokes
81.  Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
80.  Devil's Dance Floor - Flogging Molly
79.  Don't Know Why - Norah Jones
78.  Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z, Alicia Keys
77.  Nantes - Beirut
76.  You Love Me - Devotchka
75.  Haiti - Arcade Fire

Roundup: "what does it mean?" edition

+Mark Neumann has hit 5000 followers on Facebook; Walker is close behind.

+A French connection on Iran sanctions?

+A two-hour trial for a Chinese dissident.

+A buzz on Twitter

+California.

Milwaukee Stands Up

I have to agree with this assessment by Shepherd Express about the revitalization of Milwaukee in the past decade, especially the anchor development, the iconic addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum:

Officially, its name is the Quadracci Pavilion. But Milwaukeeans simply—and proudly—refer to it as “the Calatrava.”

It’s hard to imagine Milwaukee’s shoreline without the graceful white wings, lake-reflecting windows and grand gardens of Santiago Calatrava’s design. But it didn’t exist a mere decade ago. After years of planning, the addition was opened to the public in 2001 and has since become the symbol of the city.

Not only has the Calatrava beckoned and awed Milwaukee Art Museum visitors, but it’s also had a huge influence on other structures, like the neighboring Discovery World and the Sixth Street bridge. More importantly, it’s raised Milwaukee’s spirits. If we can host world-class architecture, then surely we rank with other great American cities that may be bigger or wealthier or warmer. The Calatrava just may be the thing to help Milwaukee shake off its low self-esteem, stand up a little straighter, and demand more respect and attention from its peers.

Milwaukee is back in play, so to speak.  I think the city's reputation nationwide has improved significantly in the course of the decade.  I hope the city retains as much of its amazing cream city industrial heritage as it can even as it reinvents itself - the Historic Third Ward and the Menominee Valley are good examples of how re-use can retain identity.  Revitalizing the Pabst brewery acropolis, too, was a great move.

"Graffiti of graffiti paint,

a smiling piece of cement, a posh entrance for a cat, a house that has a crayola color scheme and a home emblazoned with the warning 'Looters will be shot'"...

Encapsulating the Aughts

What's your word for the decade in politics?

Waves of dark matter

And who would be the one to decide its true location?

Alas, to celebrate would be premature: The reported results are intriguing, but less than convincing. Yet if the two pulses observed last week in Minnesota are followed by more signals as bigger detectors turn on in the coming year or two, it will provide serious vindication of the power of human imagination. Combined with rigorous logical inference and technological wizardry—all the things that make science worth celebrating—scientists' creativity will have uncovered hidden worlds that a century ago could not have been conceived.

The clean fad

France’s Henri IV was famously filthy, “stinking of sweat, stables, feet and garlic”. Upon learning that the Duc de Sully had taken a bath, the king turned to his own physician, André du Laurens, for advice. The king was told that the poor man would be vulnerable for days. So a message was dispatched informing Sully that he was not to go out, or he would endanger his health. Instead, he was told, the king would visit his Paris home: “so that you come to no harm as a result of your recent bath.”

I've always been a bit persnickety -- I hate getting myself gunked up with mud, say, or grease. But perhaps strangely, a bit of basic dirtiness has never bothered me tremendously. Maybe it comes of travel: even before I got to Azerbaijan and the pipes in my village froze up for the winter and every bus ride was ripe, missing a shower never left me a trembling heap of fear. It turns out, that's not necessarily such a bad thing:

Has the persecution of dirt, however, gone too far? Some immunologists believe that children now growing up in hyperclean, sterile environments are failing to develop immune systems properly because of inadequate exposure to bacteria. This idea, known as the hygiene hypothesis, is a possible explanation for growing incidences of eczema and other allergic diseases in rich countries, which are rare in poorer ones. Various studies have shown that children growing up with older siblings, who bring germs into the house, or on farms, where they come into daily contact with animals, muck and unpasteurised milk, are less likely to develop hay fever or asthma, though the scientific evidence is not conclusive.

A recent experiment by dermatologists at the University of California, San Diego, suggests a molecular basis for the hygiene hypothesis. They found common bacteria living on the surface of skin that can help wounds to heal by releasing a special molecule to stop outer-skin cells getting inflamed. Bacteria-free skin, in other words, may provoke inflammation and slow healing.

Pregnant in Iraq

A few of my friends and I have discussed the U.S. military policy of penalizing female soldiers on active duty overseas who get pregnant.  Some support it, some think it's abhorrent. 

While the policy may make civilians uncomfortable, as it deals with a person's reproductive rights, I think it's permissible when weighed in the balance.  Importantly, the policy does not penalize those women who get pregnant due to sexual assault.

The policy deals with a soldier's ability to perform her duties in the end, and if that ability is compromised by an individual's consenting choice while in the field, then I think it's subject to penalty in the military setting.  That's especially true in an overseas war zone where lives depend on each individual soldier to perform given duties adequately.

More interesting to me is the overall package of restrictions placed on U.S. troops in Iraq over the course of the conflict in an effort to avoid offending Islamic tastes.  From the soldiers I've talked to who've served Iraq, this is the first "dry war" (except for the Super Bowl) and alcohol is not the only thing off limits:

The memo outlines a long list of behaviors that are prohibited, from gambling and using drugs to behaviors that would offend Iraqis, such as entering a mosque or religious site unless "required by military necessity."