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In the Race
Now, here, you see, it takes all the blogging I can do, to keep in the same place.
If I want to get somewhere else, I must blog twice as fast as that!
You see....I'm in The Red Queen's Race
By Janet Evans
Friday, May 16 2008, 08:24 PM
Lost "There's No Place Like Home, Part 1"
I want the old Lost back....
No more flash forwards.
No more flashbacks. I just want the Island with the Losties and the Others.
Where ARE those kids that the Others took anyway????
It just seems to me that since the producers now know the end date of the series, it's a jumbled rush to the finish line.
Don't misunderstand me, I still like Lost and I will miss it when it's gone....but all I can say about it right now is that it's WRONG.
And last season, when the finale was over, I couldn't wait for the next season to start...six months was a long time to wait.
In two weeks, I know the two hour finale will be something special, but maybe during the hiatus, I won't be "So Lost" this time.
I may be able to hold on....
That said, last night was a mess as far as I'm concerned - just a typical lead-in to the final episode.
But what I found, is that the music, and the momentum of the show just kept increasing...it was as if everyone was marching into a war...and I believe that's what is going to happen.
Some type is warlike disaster. Something horrific.
Jeff Jensen from EW.com has some bizarre views on it all....but I see he agrees with me regarding something wicked on the horizon:
Ominous signs of impending doom abounded in last night's Lost. There was Flash-Forward Hurley's T-shirt, the one that said ''Ace of Spades'' — the death card, the card of war. There were also his accursed Lotto numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42), taunting him from the speedometer of his symbolically loaded Camaro, causing the soon-to-be loony-bin returnee to run like a proverbial madman. And there was the Orchid, our newest Dharma station, also known as ''the greenhouse,'' perhaps the most foreboding omen of all.
Operation Greenhouse was the code name for America's A-bomb testing program in the South Pacific during the 1950s — a terrifying allusion in an episode where we learned that the freighter is a ticking bomb and that ''moving the Island'' could be a perilous, possibly catastrophic endeavor. ''Doing it is both dangerous and unpredictable,'' said a glibly cryptic Ben. ''It's a measure of last resort.'' Whatever it is that the Orchid can do, it was enough to cause Faraday to make an I-think-I-just-peed-myself face: ''We have to get off this island,'' he told Charlotte. ''Right now.''
Read his article 'Lost': Not Adding Up í here
And EW.com gives you a bonus tonight … a slideshow
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The 17 Most Enduring Lost Mysteries í here
Will we get some answers to these unsolved questions in the season finale? (Don't hold your breath.) In the eventual series finale? We'd better...
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Unanswered questions
On the Island
 What is the nature of the Orchid station?
What is Ben's plan?
Who left the lock box that contains the crackers and the mirror?
Who was Ben communicating to with the mirror and what did he say?
How does Daniel know about the Orchid station?
What is Richard's purpose for taking Kate and Sayid prisoner?
Why were the Others wearing their "disguises"?
How did Daniel know about the "Secondary Protocol"?
How did Daniel already have the Orchid symbol in his notebook?
How did Ben get his baton back from Locke?
When Jack and Sawyer leave the helicopter, is Frank still handcuffed to it?
Was Ben in on Sayid and Kate's capture?
Daniel’s notebook with drawing of the Orchid Station
Entrance to the Orchid Station
On the freighter
What happens to the survivors that we don't know that ended up on the freighter?
Why is there a room filled with armed explosives?
Who put it there?
What is the trigger for their detonation?
What is causing the interference on the freighter's fathometer?
Why are Sayid and Daniel able to travel between the freighter and the beach camp in the Zodiac apparently without experiencing the lengthy transit time that has happened during other trips between the two locations (ie. the missile test, and the helicopter trips)?
After the rescue
How much money did the Oceanic Six receive in their settlement?
What plans, if any, does Sun have for her father's company?
Who was the second of the two people Sun claims is responsible for Jin's death?
It is mentioned that 8 initially survived the crash, who are the 2 (or 3 depending on how you count Aaron as a "crash survivor") that didn't make it?
Oceanic’s press conference map  Dashboard in Hurley’s car with the numbers
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By Janet Evans
Friday, May 16 2008, 04:16 PM
Mullen Lauds U.S. Troops in Armed Forces Day MessageAmerican Forces Press Service
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WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – It is right for Americans to pause and honor the country’s military on Armed Forces Day tomorrow, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a message to the troops marking the event. His full message follows:
“Today, American citizens will pause to honor those of you who accept the grave and honorable responsibility of defending our country. It is right we do so.
“The world remains a dangerous place. The hundreds of thousands of you who have deployed since September 11th -- many of you more than once -- already know that. You've stood up to those dangers. You've lost friends to them. You may even have lost a bit of yourself to them.
“You and your families have sacrificed greatly, and we appreciate it.
“The enemies we face, from radical extremists to regional powers with nuclear ambitions, directly and irrefutably threaten our vital national interests. They threaten our very way of life.
“You stand between these dangers and the American people. You accepted a grave and honorable responsibility. You signed up, took an oath, made a promise to defend something larger than yourselves. And then you went out and did it.
“Whether you serve in Baghdad or Bagram, Kabul or Kuwait -- whether you find yourself at sea in the Pacific, flying support missions over Europe, on the ground in Africa or working every day at stateside bases -- you are making a difference and so is every person in your family. Your service matters.
“Thank you and God bless.” |
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By Janet Evans
Friday, May 16 2008, 11:48 AM
That CRAZY global warming issue…..
Is there anything that can’t be attributed to causing “climate change?”
Well hang on to your Big Mac, because if you are over weight, you are being picked on again…..
“Obesity contributes to global warming, too."
"Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says.This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school's researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday."We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility," Edwards said in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a key part of the big picture."
Read the entire article from Reuters
Obesity contributes to global warming: study ç here
Phew…I don’t think this one is President Bush’s fault, do you?
Just for you, once again here is the BMI calculator
This time it's to help save the planet!
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, May 15 2008, 09:23 PM
Before I begin this post, I would like to state that my main concern with the Boomgaard issue at this point isn’t the name, per se. It’s not Zizzo Group, either. It isn’t Zizzo’s fault they were hired. My main concern is the bad government behind this debacle.
The main issue is the gall of the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint Steering Committee to baptize the 27th Street Corridor with the name “Boomgaard,”and the Common Council’s of both cities blessing the christening without any input from the communities of Franklin and Oak Creek. Meeting minutes from the Steering Committee were not posted on a website to be viewed. Meeting dates were not posted in advance, even though meetings were planned weeks in advance. If these had been done in conjunction with each other, and the public had a clue as to what was going on, perhaps some public comment may have been given at Steering Committee meetings.
I question why at a minimum the 100 names that were chosen by the steering committee weren’t made public, at least for some basic input. Still worried that 100 URL’s would be purchased by an “unscrupulous” individual? Well, that would be $1,000. That’s a possibility. But you didn’t have to advertise the fact ahead of time that you were going to have a website for the Corridor. That didn’t occur to me, and I don’t believe it would have occurred to any other average person.
At any rate, I believe there was more to all this than is being said, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Now on to my post….
“Red Light” Means Stop…and Why “Boomgaard Must Be Stopped”
Red-light district of Amsterdam
It has been submitted that the designation of “Boomgaard” as a label for a section of one of the Red-Light Districts of Amsterdam is a falsehood.
As far as I am concerned, there is no proof of this either way. I will tell you now, that I believe it could very well be a distant possibility.
I will also tell you, I believe there is no way in hell that the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint Steering Committee should retain the name Boomgaard District as the name for the 27th Street Corridor.
And this, is why….
Red-light district.
A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution and other businesses in the sex industry flourish. The term “red-light district” was first recorded in the United States in 1894 …get this…in an article in the Milwaukee Sentinel (September 10, 1894). Other mentions from the 1890s are numerous, and located all over the United States.
It’s said that the red lanterns carried by railway workers would be left outside brothels when the workers entered. That way if the workers needed to be located when the trains needed to move, they could be easily found. Others attribute the red lanterns back to ancient China and where sensual red paper lanterns were hung outside.
The color red has been associated with prostitution for millennia: in Biblical story of Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho aided the spies of Joshua and identified her house with a scarlet rope. During World War I there were many brothels in Belgium and France; blue lights were used to indicate brothels for officers, red lights for other ranks.
In different cultures red-light districts are identified differently, the most common being “district of prostitutes.”
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The largest and best-known red-light district in Amsterdam….
De Wallen
Also known as Walletjes, it is a major tourist attraction and is located in the heart of the oldest part of Amsterdam. It covers several blocks south of the church Oude Kerk and is crossed by several canals.
De Wallen is a network of alleys containing several hundred tiny one-room apartments rented by females (and some “ladyboys”) who offer their services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theaters, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana.
De Wallen, together with the prostitution areas Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade, form Rosse Buurt (red light areas) of Amsterdam.
Location
The total area is approximately 6500 square, meters, limited by the Niezel in the north, the sea dike/Nieuwmarkt in the east, the Saint Jansstraat in the south and the Warmoesstraat in the west. Prostitution takes place within this area in the following streets:
Bloedstraat, BOOMSTEEG, Dollebegijnensteeg, Enge Kerksteeg, Goldbergersteeg, Gordijnenstee, Molenstee, Monnikenstraat, Oudekerksplein, Oudekennissteeg, Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Oudezijds Boorburgwal, Sint Annendwarsstraat, Sint Annenstraat, Stoofsteeg and Trompettersteeg.
Map of De Wallen
Organization
Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, with the exception of streetwalking. However, only EU citizens can work legally in the sex industry, since no working permits are given for prostitution. While health and social services are readily available, sex workers are not required to undergo regular health checks. A study conducted before 2006 found that about seven percent of all Dutch prostitutes (including street prostitutes) have HIV/AIDS.
City authorities are concerned about reports of pimping and human trafficking in the area, although to what extent is uncertain.
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Above, I stated the following:
It has been submitted that the designation of “Boomgaard” as a label for a section of one of the Red-Light Districts of Amsterdam is a falsehood.
As far as I am concerned, there is no proof of this either way. I will tell you now, that I believe it could very well be a distant possibility.
I will also tell you, I believe there is no way in hell that the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint Steering Committee should retain the name Boomgaard District as the name for the 27th Street Corridor. And this, is why….
I believe the street “Boomsteeg” could very well have been confused with “Boomgaard.” If that is, in fact, not the case, I believe since there is, in fact, an actual street in Amsterdam, in the largest red-light district, named Boomsteeg, it is just too closely related to the name Boomgaard for us to disregard.
I have no idea what Boomsteeg means. I don’t even care what it means. It doesn’t matter at this point. I just know that this whole “Dutch,” “Amsterdam,” business has no place being used in relation to the 27th Street Corridor. Do we really want this stigma to be connected to Franklin-Oak Creek for all time?
I drive up and down 27th Street four times a day during the week. The only apple trees I see are a few landscape Chinese crab apple trees that were planted last year. Unless a billboard or monument is put up with the history of the apple “orchards” that once graced old 27th Street or Ryan Road, who will ever know what our Steering Committee had in mind when they made their landmark decision behind closed doors? People will always ask what “Boomgaard” means. I have no doubt about that. There will always be multiple answers.
So, I say scrap it.
You want to attract “international business” to 27th Street?
***Newsflash***
When you visit another country you don’t want to eat the same food you have in your homeland. You want to try new things. If businesses want to come to the U.S. let them invest in American.
We need an American name.
That’s what we need for the 27th Street Corridor.
Wake up, Franklin-Oak Creek Joint 27th Street Steering Committee!
This advice was 100% FREE.
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Resources
Amsterdam Red Light District turns spotlight on its practice
Red Light District holds 2nd annual Open Day
Amsterdam's Red Lights: about to go out?
Information was gathered from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, May 15 2008, 05:03 PM
 Will we see Claire again? Is she dead?
Tonight’s episode is titled “No Place Like Home” and is the first of a two-part season finale.
That’s right!
That’s all folks.
Thanks to the writer’s strike we’ve already gone through the freakingly short Lost season.
But, at least the final show, in two weeks, on May 29th, will be a two-hour show.
Tonight the Oceanic Six return home via Hawaii and The face-off between the survivors and the freighter people begins.
But, in doing so, they leave behind Sawyer, Locke, and other castaways….
What becomes of them? Jeff Jensen has a “tease” for us tonight:
''No Place Like Home'' — which promises to elaborate upon John Locke's stated ambition to ''move the Island'' — is not the first time Lost has referenced The Wizard of Oz. Ben's origin story episode last year was dubbed ''The Man Behind the Curtain.'' And in season 2, there was ''Henry Gale,'' Dorothy's poor, catastrophe-rocked uncle and the alias Ben used during his Hatch captivity. Given the strong Ben/Oz link, we can presume the former uber-Other will figure prominently in the season finale.
[...]
"In light of last week's cryptic business in which Richard Alpert tried to awaken young John Locke to his true self, it makes more sense that John Locke is our resident Graham. What has emerged over the course of the past 13 episodes is the story of two rich and powerful candidates, Ben and Charles Widmore, battling for control over the Island, and perhaps the course of history itself. Their fates rest on the shoulders of a single super-delegate, John Locke. Judging from ''Cabin Fever,'' they have clearly spent considerable resources over the span of his troubled life to influence the kind of man that will one day make the defining choice of their lives. And it appears that day has arrived. Step into the box and pull a lever; it's time to move the Island.
In light of this political subtext, the old speculation that Lost's four toed statue = The Statue of Liberty now seems relevant to me. Inside Lady Liberty you will find a poem written by a woman with a great Lost name: Emma Lazarus. ''Emma'' is close to Emily, a name shared by Ben and Locke's respective mothers; the name means ''universal.'' ''Lazarus'' evokes the dead man raised to life by Jesus in the New Testament. The famous poem linked to the monument is called ''The New Colossus,'' a swipe at another Four Toe possibility, the Colossus of Rhodes. Her poem reminds us that America is a lot like the Island: a home to ''the homeless,'' to ''exiles,'' to ''the tempest-[tossed],'' and to ''huddled masses'' yearning to ''breathe free'' from old, oppressive circumstances. But specifically, the poem speaks of paradigm shift; this statue, this symbol, this country, Lazarus says, signals a change in what has come before. The poem:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
''Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!'' cries she
With silent lips. ''Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!''
Will Locke lead his fellow exiles in a revolution that will save the Island and renew its magical promise? Or will Keamy follow through on his threat to ''torch the Island'' and bring it to ruin?
Hmmm.... ''Torch the Island.'' You know, the Statue of Liberty has a torch. And as it happens, ''Emma'' is also the name of the Buddhist god of death. And did you know that ''Keamy'' sounds like the Mayan word ''Kimi,'' which means...death? If the Island = America, then is Lost trying to suggest that, like Lazarus, it's time for our country to be born again? "
Read the complete article from “Doc” Jensen at EW.com
“Lost”: Not In Kansas Anymore í here
***Spoiler****
One of the following is revealed to be in the coffin of the final episode of the season:
Ben
Sayid
Desmond
Jacob
Sawyer
Locke
Alpert
Hmmm....I've always believed Michael is in the coffin. Whoever it is, according to the article Jack had in his hand, died in a loft in New York and had a teenage son. Hmmm....
"The body of John Lantham of New York was found shortly after 4 a.m. in the 4300 block of Grand Avenue.
Ted Worden, a doorman at the Tower Lofts complex, heard loud noises coming from the victims loft.
Concerned for tenant's safety, he entered the loft and found the victim hanging from a beam in the living room.
According to Jaime Ortiz, a police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide after medical tests.
Latham (sic) is survived by one teenaged son.
Memorial services will be held at the Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral home tomorrow evening?
See you tomorrow night for a recap of tonight's episode.
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, May 15 2008, 11:50 AM
On Monday I reported this:
“No federal law prohibits North Carolina from admitting illegal immigrants to its colleges and universities, officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said today [May 9, 2008]. The statement from federal officials contradicts a letter sent this week by the office of state Attorney General Roy Cooper."
College O.K. for Illegal Immigrants É here
Now in a complete turn-around, North Carolina will no longer allow undocumented or illegal immigrants to attend their community colleges.
"I don't think its fair," student Patrick Chen said. "Everyone deserves a right to education."
Oh, really, Mr. Chen?
Since when do illegal immigrants have a "right" to a college education?
Student Daniel McCauley disagrees. "I think that if you are illegal, you shouldn't be allowed to go to school because it takes away from the people that are here that are us citizens."
Well, at least you're a more intelligent college student, Daniel...
And, not surprisingly, of course, we have, what else? "Outrage"
"In Raleigh, at El Pueblo, an advocacy group for Hispanics, community leaders are outraged."
"No, there is nothing at all from the federal government saying that a school cannot permit a student paying out of state tuition go to school," one leader said.
The state attorney general disagrees a passed down new guidelines to the state's 58 community colleges. The new rule went into effect Tuesday.
That means students graduating from high school, who are illegally in the U.S., will not be admitted.
Undocumented students can attend any of the 16 public universities. The problem is most can't afford the out of state tuition and they are not eligible for state or federal financial aid. So, why don't student's apply for citizenship? Some say its a lengthy and expensive process."
A lengthy process? Yes...becoming a citizen of the United States of America doesn't happen overnight. It never has, and it probably never will. But immigrants have been becoming American citizens the proper way for decades..... And it is a proud moment for those who have followed the process and can now say the are Americans. Expensive? I've never heard that one before. College is expensive, though. See an interview of students at
Wake Technical Community College and advocacy group El Pueblo É here
and read an article from the Guardian.co.uk
North Carolina Bans Illegal Immigrants from Community Colleges É here
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, May 15 2008, 06:35 AM
It’s all Gouda…
No problem.
Wisconsin still keeps the #1 spot as the nation's top cheese producer, beating out California.
For a while there, and just for a while, it was thought that California had a chance of overtaking Wisconsin and taking our "Cheese head" title with it.
About half of the 9.7 billion pounds of cheese made in the U.S. comes from the two states, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Production has grown much more rapidly in California in the past decade as large plants opened there year after year.
Wisconsin's lead in annual production shrank to about 164 million pounds in 2007, according to NASS. Last July, California came within less than 6 million pounds of Wisconsin in monthly production.
But then the gap started growing again, reaching 30 million pounds in March.
The quick shift is partly due to two plants closing in California in 2007, while two opened in Wisconsin this year, [Dick] Groves said [longtime owner of the Madison-based trade publication, Cheese Reporter.]
This is good news.
While, besides cheese, we're also known for beer, sausages, and cranberries, somehow I can't see our football fans wearing a foam Pilsner glass or brat on their heads during games. It just wouldn't be the same.
And, we might have had to replace the "Dairy" in "Dairy State" with something like, well, I don't know, apples or something clever like that.
Maybe one of the reasons we produce so much cheese here in Wisconsin is because of our demand for cheese curds....
Seriously, can you get them anywhere else? And if you can, are they as fresh as ours?
Do they "squeak?" I think not...
So, to celebrate, why not have a little California w(h)ine with some Wisconsin cheese this weekend.
Both states will thank you.
From the Sacramento Bee
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, May 14 2008, 05:31 PM
I guess it can’t be blamed on global warming climate change, though.
I mean, if it was...we would consistently be getting warmer.
But our temperature keeps fluctuating and dipping back into low temperatures.
We even had a frost warning this past week.
Oh, well....
By the way, polar bears are now officially classified as "threatened with extinction."
"The animal, whose habitat has been shrinking with the melting of arctic sea ice, is the first to be designated as threatened with extinction mainly because of global warming."
"Today's decision came after a U.S. District Court in Oakland forced the Bush administration's hand by imposing a May 15 deadline for the decision that was supposed to have been completed by Jan. 9.
[…]
"The court's deadline evolved from a lawsuit seeking to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to comply with a legal deadline for the decision and from another suit challenging the offshore leases. The Interior Department's inspector general then opened an investigation into allegations that the decision had been detained by "inappropriate political influence."
[…]
"The proposal did not include a scientific analysis of the causes of climate change, which Kempthorne said was beyond the scope of scientific review under the Endangered Species Act. He directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to work with the public and the scientific community to broaden understanding of what is happening to the species."
Read the full story from the Los Angeles Times É here
So, now what?
I sure hope El Niño pays very close attention…
"Populations Are Growing"
"Environmental activists have presented only one academic study that shows any negative effect of warming temperatures on polar bears. That study examined only one population of polar bears, in Canada's Western Hudson Bay, and linked the early breakup of ice in the bay to a 21 percent decline in the polar bear population.Other, more comprehensive research suggests the plight of that one population does not reflect the polar bear population trend as a whole.
Since the 1970s, while much of the world was warming, polar bear numbers increased dramatically, from roughly 5,000 to 25,000 bears, a higher polar bear population than has existed at any time in the twentieth century. "
ESA Listing Not Needed for Polar Bears É here
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, May 14 2008, 11:48 AM
 Noted for her accuracy and powerful command of the game, American
tennis player Chris Evert swings for a forehand shot in 1985. Winner of
a total of 157 tournaments, Evert collected 18 grand slam singles titles
during her prolific career. She turned professional as a teenager in 1972
and helped popularize the sport of women’s tennis. One of the pioneers
of the two-handed backhand shot, Evert retired from competitive play in
1989 and became a television sports commentator.
UPI/THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE
Are you interested in women’s tennis?
Who's your pick for all-time greatest female tennis player?
I guess I was always most interested in Chris Evert...she's my age and was popular when I lived in Florida.
But I still remember the big battle of the sexes with Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
ESPN has reported 25-year old Justine Henin is retiring.
They say she's an all-time great.
They invite you to rank the
Women's Tennis Greats í here
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, May 14 2008, 06:45 AM
"Asked why he ordered two escorts, Ralph said he thought it was the thing to do when you win a "World of Warcraft" tournament.
They told the suspicious working girls they were people of restricted growth working with a traveling circus, and as State law does not allow those with disabilities to be discriminated against they had no right to refuse them. The $1,000 a night girls sensing something up played "Halo" on the Xbox with the kids, instead of selling their sexual services. Ralph's ambition is to one day become a politician."
Read the story
13 Year Old Steals Dad's Credit Card to Buy Hookers × here
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That's right...it sounds like it came out of the movie Risky Business
Ralph has too much time on his hands....playing games.
Maybe he needs some quality time with his parent's.
A politician?
He might want to consider moving to New York to begin his political career.
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, May 13 2008, 09:32 PM
I attended the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint 27th Street Steering Committee meeting early this evening at 4:00 p.m. It was held at Oak Creek City Hall.
During the Citizen Comment period, I asked the Committee why the minutes of meetings were not posted on the City of Franklin website, next to the agendas. After making my comment, which was actually a question, there was no response from the Committee. I was the only citizen to make a comment. Chairman Grintjes then closed the comment session and asked the Committee if anyone had anything to say, and Kristen Wilhelm asked whether anyone was intending to respond to my question. Oak Creek Director of Community Development, Doug Seymour, stated that meeting minutes are always available upon request. That was it. No one went into why they are not posted, etc.
FranklinNOW blogger Greg Kowalski covered most of the points of the Boomgaard issue in his blog. Basically, there was nothing Earth shattering. Mayor Bolender was forthright in his comments.
Here is some of what he said:
"The name in my situation did not appeal to me and like a good soldier you fall on your sword once in a while. And so I did that, and basically I received a lot of criticism for that, which I understand. I was never nuts about this but I ‘m a team player and I thought O.K., Franklin likes it; half of the Council liked it, half didn’t and we could have went through that all week. So, the idea I have is you should never do anything knee-jerk because knee-jerk never gets you any place you really want to go. It just postpones failure generally. So, I’m with you people if you’re in the same pew I am in church here in that we should be looking at this and if you know if it doesn’t sit right with us, and we think about this and we get some input from the citizens. And you know I look at it in today’s world if kids who are text messaging each other talking a different language than us old people do and I look at it that that can be changed to several different things and I think that’s part of what we also have to guard against."
"I don’t think that we want to make a giant mistake and then say O.K. I’m just going to show you I can make a mistake, and I think that this would be the dumbest thing we ever did is to just proceed on and say well too bad, that’s what we want. And I just want to look at this and get some feeling for it because like I say, nobody’s convinced me yet. "
"And I always tell everybody I’ve got this little voice in my head that kept me alive and well in the service. It tells me what to do and what not to do. And I think this is about the second or third time that I went against that little voice. And it happened just like the other times. And I just want to review this. And I’m making this public and I don’t care what people think about this. It’s not a switch. I never was nuts about it but I did it for the good, the common cause of pushing 27th Street forward which is very good for the region and our two cities. But to keep it in the suspension and to think about it for 60 days or 30 days or whatever the councils want to do, I think that’s just the smart thinking. And if this name is a failure, then plan B comes jumping out at us and I don’t see any problem with that. And I don’t believe to run…because people call me up….Saturday with the Mayor two people came in and made a joke and laughed, but after I explained it to them I said I’m not for this thing but I did it for the good of the group and I said you can’t be too strict so we’re going to think about it. They respected the idea that we’re going to think about it. If it doesn’t appeal, it doesn’t appeal. But to just say O.K. drop it and let’s go to something else doesn’t show our maturity. So that’s my stance on this thing."
After Mayor Bolender commented, Jim Rhiner, and the rest of the Committee commented about a timeline. The Committee wants to take their time...60 days...90 days...120 days...150 days....this time it isn't as important to move things along from the sound of it. And, just how will input from citizens be gathered? That's what I would like to know. That wasn't mentioned. I heard mention that "feedback from the business community" is needed. Specifically "Milwaukee" businesses and developers.
I'm going to fast forward to the end of the meeting. When it was over I approached Ted Grintjes and he offered to email me past meeting minutes. I asked why they aren't posted. He said they don't work the same way as other committees. I asked if the minutes that were approved at today's meeting were available, and could I have a copy of those? He said yes, and those (April, 18th) are printed below. He said he would talk to a few people to see what would be best, posting the minutes on the "web site" or emailing them to me. I told him I felt if they could be emailed, that they could be posted just as easily. Meeting minutes need to be made public before a meeting so citizens may review them in case they have any issues they may want to address the committee about.
Next I asked about the Agenda. Why are dates and times of the next meetings not posted sooner if meetings are supposedly decided at the current meeting? Ted Grintjes confirmed the meetings are set far in advance. He said they aren't posted in advance because then the agenda would have to be posted, and it might change. I said that a meeting date could very well be posted ahead of time without an agenda. It's done all of the time. The agenda does not have to be posted until closer to the meeting. In looking at the meeting minutes below, today's meeting was decided upon back on April 18th. There is no reason the public had to find out about the meeting yesterday. People need to plan ahead if they want to attend meetings, especially if they are meetings that are held during the day. The next meeting of the Steering Committee is going to be held June 12th, at Franklin City Hall, at Noon. Most people are working at that time or may want to plan a lunch hour around that meeting time if they know ahead of time.
That said, here are the meeting minutes from April 18, 2008:
FRANKLIN-OAK CREEK
JOINT 27th STREET STEERING COMMITTEE
Franklin City Hall
Hearing room
9229 West Loomis Road
Franklin, Wisconsin
Friday, April 18, 2008
4:30 p.m.
Meeting Minutes
Approved
I. Call to Order and Roll Call
Chairman Grintjes called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. Members Grintjes,
Rhiner, Michalski, and Myszkowski all present.
II. Citizen Comment Period
No citizens came forward to speak.
Chairman Grintjes introduced new Franklin Alderman Kristen Wilhelm, followed
by introductions of Committee members.
III. Meeting Minutes
a. March 12, 2008
Motion to approve by Rhiner, second by Michalski. All voted aye;
motion approved.
b. March 19, 2008
Motion to approve by Myszkowski, second by Rhiner. All voted aye;
motion approved.
c. April 2, 2008
Motion to approve by Michalski, subject to “context sensitive design” being
changed to “community sensitive design” where it appears under item IV-B
of the draft meeting minutes from April 2, 2008. Second by Myszkowski. All
voted aye to approve the meeting minutes as amended; motion approved.
IV. Business
A. Future reconstruction of South 27th Street by the Wisconsin Department
of Transportation. Between West College Avenue and the southern boundary
of Milwaukee County.
No action taken.
B. Design and implementation of streetscape features for the South 27th Street
Corridor plan Area.
No action taken.
C. Context Sensitive Design for improvements to the I-94 freeway I-94, between
General Mitchell International Airport and the southern boundary of
Milwaukee County. This item will include, but not be limited to, cost,
timetable, and creative input.
Discussion of Community Sensitive Design cost share on major roads
between South 27th Street and I-94, and the proposed freeway interchange
at West Drexel Avenue.
D. Third-party development review process for the South 27th Street Corridor
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