National/International Politics

Death and Taxes

June 21, 2007

Wonder where your federal tax dollars go? A freelance graphic designer by the name of Jess Bachman has designed a poster that shows in simple form the breakdown of the federal budget. It’s a great example of graphic design being well-used to present a ton of information, and it’s a simple way to envision what [...]

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The Arts Make Money

June 15, 2007

The Wisconsin Arts Board has come out with a new study showing the impact the arts have on local economies. According to the report, “in 2005, Wisconsin’s non-profit arts industry generated over 15,000 full-time jobs and $61,840,000 in state and local government revenue. Cumulatively, the arts contributed $418,055,786 in total economic activity.” The Wisconsin Arts [...]

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Wisconsin Blue Books Online

June 8, 2007

The University of Wisconsin has created an online digital collection displaying all Blue Books since the the very first in 1853. The Blue Book is the almanac of Wisconsin state government. This is a great resource for history buffs, and includes many old maps and photographs. It’s also a fine demonstration of the power of [...]

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Does this make sense?

May 31, 2007

“At 10:14 EDT, CBS affiliate KOTV (Tulsa, OK) reported that a lightning strike had caused a fire at an Oklahoma refinery–sparking a flurry of excitement among energy traders and boosting U.S. crude prices 40 cents.” Does it really make sense to base so much of an economy on such a volatile market? With the oil [...]

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Some Random Thoughts and Facts on the Election

May 25, 2007

469 candidates vying for 165 seats – wow! Candidates don’t have to live in the constituency (district) where they’re running for office. So, some candidates can’t even vote for themselves – Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is one example. There has been no television advertising during this race – I’m assuming it’s against the law. The signs [...]

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Election Day in Ireland

May 25, 2007

Today was election day in Ireland for national offices. People are headed to the polls to elect their local Teachta Dail (similar to U.S. Representatives). Because Ireland has a parliamentary system, this election will also decide, somewhat indirectly, who will run the country for the next few years. Citizens will elect the members of the [...]

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June 29, 2005

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. -Albert Einstein Just finished reading the President’s speech from last night. The above seems the only appropriate response. How many times [...]

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May 20, 2003

USDA has awarded $20 million through their Community Connect Grant Program to provide broadband network development in 40 rural communities across the country. Grants like these will be very necessary for the future of rural areas due to the difficulty of recouping infrastructure costs in areas with a low population density. I think an effort [...]

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