Republican Racial Mindset

On the 6/19 Mitch Henck Show on 92.1FM in Madison, Steve nASS staffer, Mike Mikalsen was on a roundtable discussion with Bret Hulsey.

The debate turned to race, where Bret Hulsey called him out on Republicans trying to put obstacles in the way of minorities voting and called Republican policies, at their core racist.

Mike Mikalsen, had this response(at the 1:40 mark of the podcast):

 " For Those people, they couldnt have a checking account, they cant conduct daily life, they couldn't get on an airplane. What you would want us to believe, is there is this huge group of people, and they happen to be in your argument, African Americans, who apparently dont participate in society in any way, shape or form.  when they go sign up for welfare they have to bring identification of some kind.  When they sign up for services, or when they run their own lives in terms of checking accounts.  You would have us believe that all of these folks who operate in society, and happen to be of one race, are incapable of having ID's" 

Thanks to Mr. Mikalsen, for showing the true colors of the party.  Why would the ONE example that he would use when discussing minorities and ID's be - Welfare? Could it be that is what the Republicans think when they think of African Americans?  Could it be that  they truly believe all African Americans are a drain on the system?  Is that why the Republicans in Wisconsin have given up trying to create jobs and instead spend their time punishing the poor with waste of resources drug tests and telling them what foods they can and cant buy?

Did Mr. Mikalsen just show the Republicans hand?

PS:  If Mr. Mikalsen had done any research at all, he would find that the majority of people on welfare are white, however they have stars upon thars like him so that is OK,

Looking at national numbers, most of the people who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are actually white. U.S. Department of Agriculture data from 2013, which administers welfare, 40.2 percent of SNAP recipients are white, 25.7 percent are Black, 10.3 percent are Hispanic, 2.1 percent are Asian and 1.2 percent are Native American.

Robin Vos - Quote of the Day

By Jeff Simpson

“Continually, time after time after time, you have embarrassed the state of Wisconsin,” said Rep. Robin Vos, R-Burlington. Seated just feet from him were the targets of his fury: Kevin Reilly, University of Wisconsin System President, and David Ward, interim chancellor of UW-Madison.

I wonder if these people would agree?


 There are more than 400,000 UW-Madison alumni living around the world. UW alumni or faculty have been awarded 17 Nobel Prizes and 26 Pulitzer Prizes. More than 1,050 UW-Madison alumni serve as CEOs and nearly 16,000 hold an executive management position. Following is a compilation of notable and famous alumni in a variety of fields.

Arts and Entertainment

• Jim Abrahams (x’66), filmmaker, founder of Charlie Foundation to Help Cure Pediatric Epilepsy
• Mason Adams (‘40, MA ’41), Emmy Award-winning TV actor (“Lou Grant”)
• Don Ameche (x’31), actor (“Cocoon”)
• Iris Apfel (’43), fashion icon
• Andrew Bergman (MA’66, PhD ’70), film director/producer and writer (“It Could Happen to You,” “Blazing Saddles”)
• Chester Biscardi (’70, MA’72, MMusic’74), composer
• Jerry Bock (’48), co-composer of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Fiorello”
• Phyllis Bramson (MA’64), artist
• Carol Helen Buele (’69, MFA’72), Emmy Award-winning costume designer (“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”)
• Stephen Burrows (’84), actor, film director
• Dale Chihuly (MS’67), glass artist (“Mendota Wall” in the Kohl Center)
• Joan Cusack (’84), actress (“Working Girl,” “In & Out,” “Grosse Pointe Blank”)
• Lee De Boer (’74), HBO mogul
• Andre DeShields (’70), Emmy award-winning actor (“I Dream of Jeanie”), Broadway actor (“The Full Monty”), director
• August Derleth (’30), author
• Howard Dratch (’67), filmmaker
• Michael Feldman (’70), host of public radio show “Whad’Ya Know?”
• Sandy Fellman (MFA’75), photographer
• Kit Reuter Foss (’79, MA’82), opera singer
• W. Jerome “Jerry” Frautschi (’56), donor of $205 million to create Madison’s Overture Center
• Zona Gale (1895, MA 1899), author
• Erica Gruen (MS’75), former president and CEO, Food Network
• Uta Hagen (x’41, honorary doctorate ’00), Broadway actress and acting teacher
• Jane Hammond (MFA’77), artist
• Lorraine Hansberry (x’52), playwright, author (“Raisin in the Sun”)
• Kevin Henkes (x’83), children’s book author
• bell hooks (MA’76), cultural critic, author, poet
• Frieda High (a.k.a. Wasikhongo Tesfagiorgis) (MFA’71), artist, scholar, educator
• Mary Hinkson (’46, MS’47), dancer, dance teacher
• Jim Hirsch (’69) Hollywood screenwriter and producer (“The Incredible Hulk” and “Rome”)
• Lee Hoiby (’47), composer
• Mac Huff (’77), choral arranger
• William Immerman (’59), film studio executive
• Jane Kaczmarek (‘79), actress (“Malcolm in the Middle”)
• Ben Karlin (’93), executive producer (“The Daily Show”)
• Rocco Landesman (’69), Chair, National Endowment for the Arts
• Sherrie Levine (MFA’72), artist
• Steve Levitan (’84), TV writer and executive producer
• Truman Lowe (MFA’73), sculptor; Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2008
• Michael Mann (’65), filmmaker (“Public Enemies,” “The Insider,” “The Last of the Mohicans”)
• Fredric March (’20), actor (“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”)
• Steve Marmel (’88), comedian, writer, TV producer
• Steve Miller (x’67), rock singer
• Thomas L. Miller (’62), TV writer/producer (“Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Bosom Buddies,” “Perfect Strangers”)
• Walter Mirisch (’42), producer (“The Magnificent Seven,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “West Side Story,” “The Apartment”)
• Linda Montano (MFA’69), artist
• Erroll Morris (’69), movie, cable TV, and documentary producer (“The Thin Blue Line,” “Mr. Death” and others)
• Bruce Nauman (’64), artist
• Tracy Nelson (’67), country singer
• Joyce Carol Oates (MA’61), novelist
• Zorba Paster (’69), public radio host (“On Your Health”)
• Meinhart Raabe (’37), actor (“The Wizard of Oz”)
• Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (’18), Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Yearling”
• Gena (Virginia) Rowlands (x’51), actress
• Neil Sandstadt (MFA’75), designer
• Richard Schickel (’55), Time film critic
• Michael Schultz (’61), actor, director, filmmaker
• Al Schwartz (’53), retired TV producer, longtime producer and director of the Golden Globe Awards and American Music Awards
• Ben Sidran (’67), jazz pianist
• Boz Skaggs (William Royce, x’66), rock singer
• Sue Solie (MFA’82), designer
• Richard Steiner (’68), co-producer, Broadway musicals
• Peter Straub (’65), gothic author, Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2009
• Susan Straub (’66), founder of New York City non-profit “Read to Me,” Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2009
• John Szarkowski (’48), photographer, director emeritus of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City
• Peter Tiboris (’70, MS’74), conductor and founder of Mid America Productions
• Daniel J. Travanti (’63), Emmy Award-winning actor (“Hill Street Blues”)
• Butch Vig (’80), music producer of bands Nirvana, Garbage
• James Watrous (’31, MA’33, PhD’39), painter of Memorial Union’s Paul Bunyan murals
• Eudora Welty (’29), Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist
• Michael Wilmington (x’68), Chicago Tribune film critic
• Tom Wopat (x’74), TV actor (“The Dukes of Hazzard”), Broadway and movie actor and singer
• Frank Lloyd Wright (x1890), architect
• David (’70) and Jerry (’72) Zucker, movie producers (“Airplane,” “Naked Gun”)

Athletics

• Alan Ameche (’56), 1954 Heisman trophy winner (football)
• Kenneth Behring (’51), former owner, Seattle Seahawks
• Steven Bornstein (’74), president and CEO, National Football League
• Ron Dayne (x’00), 1999 Heisman trophy winner (football)
• Harold “Bud” Foster (’30), longtime UW basketball coach
• Suzy Favor Hamilton (’91), track star, competed in 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics
• Eric Heiden (x’81), Olympic speed skater
• Phil Hellmuth Jr. (x’86), professional poker player, youngest winner of the World Series of Poker
• Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch (x’45), UW football star
• Beau Hoopman (’03), gold medalist, rowing, 2004 Olympics
• D. Wayne Lukas (’57, MS’60), thoroughbred horse trainer
• Buddy Melges (’51), America’s Cup skipper
• Eric Mueller (’94), silver medalist, rowing, 1996 Olympics
• Carly Piper (x’05), gold medalist, swimming, 2004 Olympics
• George Poage (‘03), African-American medal winner in track in 1904 Olympics
• Allan “Bud” Selig (’56), commissioner, Major League Baseball; chairman, Selig Executive Leasing Corp.; former owner, Milwaukee Brewers
• Judith Sweet (’69), first woman president of National Collegiate Athletic Association
• Al Toon (’95), Badger wide-receiver turned businessman
• Professional football: Tom Burke, Lamar Campbell, Ron Dayne, Terrell Fletcher, Aaron Gibson, Donald Hayes, Cecil Martin, Chris McIntosh, Pete Monty, Bobby Myers, Joe Panos, Cory Raymer, Michael Roan, Tarek Saleh, Mike Schneck, Tony Simmons, Jason Suttle, Mark Tauscher, Donnel Thompson, Mike Thompson, Troy Vincent, Jerry Wunsch
• Professional hockey: Chris Chelios, Tony Granato, Dany Heatley, Sean Hill, Curtis Joseph, Scott Mellanby, Brian Rafalski, Paul Ranheim, Steve Reinprecht, Barry Richter, Mike Richter, Gary Suter, Dave Tanabe
• Men’s professional basketball: Michael Finley
• Women’s professional basketball: Keisha Anderson, Robin Threatt, Katie Voigt
• Professional volleyball: Kelly Kennedy, Colleen Neels

Business

• Carol Bartz (’71), chair, president and CEO of Yahoo! Inc.
• Kenneth Behring (’51), former owner, Seattle Seahawks
• Oscar C. Boldt (’48), chair, Boldt Group
• G. (George) Steve Burrill (’66), CEO, Burrill & Co.
• Jerome A. Chazen (’48), Chazen Capital Partners, former CEO, Liz Claiborne Inc.
• C.K. Chow (’72), CEO, MTR Corp.; former CEO, GKN, London
• Paul J. Collins (’58), vice chair, Citigroup, London
• Susan A. Davis (’68), chair and CEO, Susan Davis International (public relations), Washington, D.C.
• Kenny Dichter (’90), CEO, MarquisJet, 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient
• Marshall Erdman (’48), architect and builder, protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright (x’1890)
• Thomas Falk (’80), president and CEO, Kimberly-Clark Corp.
• David W. Grainger (’50), senior chairman, W.W. Grainger Inc., Lake Forest, Ill.
• Elzie Higginbottom (’65), chair and CEO, East Lake Management
• Hugh Jones (’85), president and CEO, Travelocity Global
• Aaron Kennedy (MBA’89), founder, chair and president, Noodles and Co.
• Kenji Kitatani (MA’78, PhD’81), president, Tokyo Dome Enterprises Corp.
• Kay Smith Koplovitz (’67), founder, USA Network
• Erick Laine (’55), chair, former president and CEO, Alcas Corp.
• Joan Lappin (’64), chair, Gramercy Capital Management
• Michael Levin (’72), founder and CEO, e-STEEL Corp.
• Sheldon (’51, LLB’53) and Marianne (x’54) Lubar, UW Board of Regents President ’97-’98, former assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Sheldon), Philanthropists; Distinguished Alumni Award winners 2008
• John P. Morgridge (’55), chairman, Cisco Systems, San Jose, Calif.
• David Nicholas (’83), president and CEO, the Nicholas Co.
• Arthur C. Nielsen Sr. (’18), founder, A.C. Nielsen Co.
• Arthur C. Nielsen Jr. (’41), former chair emeritus, A.C. Nielsen Co.; former director, Dun & Bradstreet
• Bill Nygren (MS’81), mutual fund analyst and manager
• Tadashi Okamura (MBA’73), president and CEO, Toshiba Corp.
• Steven Pogorzelski (’83), former president, Monster North America
• Tom Pyle (MBA’63), chair and president, Pyle Group; former chair and CEO, Rayovac Corp.
• Lee R. Raymond (’60), chairman and CEO, Exxon-Mobil, Irving, Texas
• John Rowe (’67, JD’70), president and CEO, Exelon Corp.
• Bob Schlicht (’73), president, M&I Bank
• Toni Sikes (MS’83), founder, president and CEO, Guild.com
• Carol Skornicka (’62, MS’64, JD’77), senior vice president, Midwest Express Airlines
• Joan Edelman Spero (’66), president, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
• Peter Tong (MA’65), high-tech entrepreneur; president, Mandarin Management Partners
• Charlie Trotter (’82), chef and owner of Charlie Trotter’s restaurant, Chicago
• Scott Vandersanden (EMBA’00), president, AT&T Wisconsin
• Peter Weil (’70, JD’74) Los Angeles-based Attorney, Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2009
• William B. Winter (’51), president and CEO, Becor Western
• Duane Zitzner (’70), executive vice president, Hewlett-Packard; president, Hewlett Packard Personal Systems Group

Education

• Ann Amore (’69, MA’76), president, Rosemont College, Pennsylvania
• Marjorie Pfankuch Bakken (’58), former president, Wheelock College, Massachusetts
• Roland Barden (MS ’66, PhD ‘69), president, Moorhead State University, Minnesota
• Daniel Bernstine (MLaws ‘75), president, Portland State University, Oregon
• Elizabeth Burmaster (’76, MS’84), president, Nicolet College, Wisconsin; former state superintendent of schools
• Mickey Burnim (PhD ‘77), chancellor, Elizabeth City State University, North Carolina
• Joanne Creighton (’64), president, Mt. Holyoke College, Massachusetts
• Pat (Pascal) De Luca (PhD’80), president, Marycrest International University
• Joanne Disch (’68), Director of the Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership at the University of Minnesota; Distinguished Alumni Award winner 2008
• Phillip Dubois (MS’74, PhD’78), president, University of Wyoming
• Michael Engh (PhD’87), president, Santa Clara University, California
• Lesley Hallick (PhD’72), president, Pacific University, Oregon
• Peter Hoff (’66), president, University of Maine, Orono
• Robert Ivany (MA’76, PhD’80), president, University of St. Thomas, Texas
• Jolene Koester (MA’72), president, California State University-Northridge
• Ryan LaHurd (PhD ’73), former president, Lenoir-Rhyne College, North Carolina
• Dianne Lynch (’79, MA’86), president, Stephens College, Missouri)
• Carolyn “Biddy” Martin (PhD’85), chancellor, UW-Madison
• Alan Merten (’63, PhD’70), president, George Mason University, Virginia
• Kathryn Mohrman (MA’69), former president, Colorado College
• Pornchai Mongkhonvanit (MBA’83), president, Siam University, Thailand
• John E. Murray (JD’59), chancellor, Duquesne University, Pennsylvania
• Kitt Saunders-Nordeen (MS’66, PhD’77), first UW Women’s Athletic Director
• Mark Nordenberg (JD’73), chancellor, University of Pittsburgh
• Thomas Patton (’71, MS’73, PhD’75), president, St. Louis College of Pharmacy
• Susan Resneck Pierce (PhD ’72), former president, University of Puget Sound, Washington
• Richard Peck (MS’62, PhD’65), former president, University of New Mexico
• Harry Peterson (PhD ’77), former president, Western State College, Colorado
• Paul Risser (MS’65, PhD’67), former president, Miami University, Ohio; president, Oregon State University
• Patrick Schloss (PhD’79), president, Valdosta State University, Georgia
• John Strauss (’59), president, Harvey Mudd College, California
• Frederick Jackson Turner (1884, MA 1888), historian who devised the “frontier thesis” about the American West
• David Ward (MS ‘62, PhD ‘63), former chancellor, UW-Madison
• Helen C. White (PhD ‘24), pioneering English professor at UW-Madison
• John Wiley (MS ‘65, PhD’69), former chancellor, UW-Madison
• Linda Wilson (PhD ’62), former president, Radcliffe College, Massachusetts
• James Wright (MS ‘66, PhD ’69), former president, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire

Government and Politics

• U.S. Vice President: Dick Cheney (PhDx’68)
• U.S. Senators: Herb Kohl (’56), Wisconsin; Russ Feingold (’75), Wisconsin. Former: Jon Blair Hunter (’64, MS’66), West Virginia; Robert Marion La Follette Jr. (x’17), Wisconsin; Charles Robb (’61), Virginia.
• U.S Representatives: Tammy Baldwin (JD’89), Wisconsin; Tom Barrett (BA’76, JD’80), Wisconsin; Marcy Kaptur (’68), Ohio; David Obey (BA’76, JD’80), Wisconsin; F. James Sensenbrenner (JD’68), Wisconsin. Former: Bob Kastenmeier (LLB’52), Wisconsin; Mark Green (JD’87), Wisconsin; Scott Klug (MBA’90), Wisconsin; M. Bob Carr (’65, JD’68), Michigan.
• Governors: James Doyle (’67), Wisconsin. Former Governors: Lee Dreyfus (’49, MA’52, PhD’58), Wisconsin; Phillip Fox La Follette (LLB’22), Wisconsin; Richard Lamm (’57), Colorado; Patrick Lucey (’46), Wisconsin; Russell Peterson (’38, PhD’42), Delaware; Tommy Thompson (’63, JD’66), Wisconsin.
• Mayors: Dave Cieslewicz (’81), Madison; Laura Miller (’80), Dallas, Texas. Former Mayors: Sue Bauman (’65, JD’81, MS’81), Madison; John Norquist (’71, M’88), Milwaukee; Paul Soglin (’66, JD’72), Madison; Sergio Fajardo Valderrama (MA’81, PhD’84), Medellín, Colombia.
• Others: Iajuddin Ahmed (MS’58, PhD’62), president of Bangladesh
• Thomas Barnett (’84), Pentagon adviser, senior strategic researcher, Naval War College
• Charlene Barshefsky (’72), former U.S. trade representative
• Jodie (Joan) Zeldes Bernstein (’48), former director, Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection
• Cecil Blake (PhD’76), chief government spokesperson, minister of information and broadcasting, Sierra Leone
• Lynne Vincent Cheney (PhD’70), spouse of vice president Dick Cheney (PhDx’68); former head, National Endowment for the Humanities
• Florence Chenoweth (MS’70, PhD’86), former minister of Agriculture in Liberia
• Piyabutr Cholvijarn (’72), vice minister of education, Thailand
• Ada Deer (’57), former head of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Lawrence Eagleburger (’52, MS’57), former Secretary of State, diplomat
• Abdel Rahman Hamad (MS’72, PhD’75), Palestinian minister of housing
• JoAnn Jones (’82, MS’83, JD’87), former president, Ho-Chunk Nation
• Richard Jones (MS’76, PhD’80), former ambassador to Lebanon
• Robert M. La Follette (1879), former Wisconsin governor and congressman, leader of Progressive movement
• John Lange (’71, JD’75), former ambassador to Botswana
• Jon Leibowitz (’80), chair, Federal Trade Commission
• Patrick Lucey (’46), former U.S. ambassador to Mexico
• Doris Meissner (’63, MA’69), former head, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
• Gaylord Nelson (LLB ’42), former Wisconsin governor and U.S. Senator; founder of Earth Day
• Vel Phillips (LLB’51), first woman and African-American elected to Milwaukee’s Common Council, first African-American judge in Wisconsin, and first woman and African-American to serve as Wisconsin’s secretary of state
• Joy Newberger Picus (’51), former Los Angeles city council member
• Conchita Poncini-Jimenez (MS’64), president, Non-Governmental Organizations Committee on the Status of Women
• Rafael Rangel-Sostman (MS’67, PhD’73), president, National Council of Lifelong Education and Workforce Development, a cabinet position in Mexico’s national government
• Daniel Speckhard (’80, MA’82, MS’83), former ambassador to the Republic of Belarus
• Tommy Thompson (’63, JD’66), former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services
• Hung-mao Tien (MA’66, PhD’69), minister of foreign affairs, Taiwan
• Frances Ulmer (’69, JD’72), former lieutenant governor, Alaska
• Jean Wilkowski (’44), former ambassador, Distinguished Alumni Award winner 2009
• Yeshey Zimba (’75, MA’76), prime minister, Bhutan

Journalism and Media

• Stephen E. Ambrose (’57, PhD’63), author, biographer, historian
• Avi (Edward Wortis) (’59, MA’62), children’s author; Newbery Medal winner
• Lowell Bergman (’66), former “60 Minutes” producer; Pulitzer Prize winner as New York Times journalist
• Deborah Blum (MA’82), author; Pulitzer Prize winner
• Walt Bogdanich (’75), “60 Minutes” producer, New York Times investigative editor, Pulitzer Prize winner, Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2009
• Steven Bornstein (’74), chair, GO.com; former head of ABC Sports
• Rita Braver (’70), national reporter, CBS News
• William Broad (MA’77), Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, New York Times
• Jane Brody (MS’63), health columnist, New York Times
• Christopher Bury (MA’77), correspondent and backup anchor for ABC News’ “Nightline”
• Kelly Cobiella (’93), CBS Evening News correspondent
• John Darnton (’67), Pulitzer Prize winner and writer for New York Times
• William Evjue (x’1906), founder of The Capital Times
• John Geddes (MA’76), co-managing editor, New York Times
• Peter Greenberg (’72), chief travel correspondent, Travel Channel; travel editor, “Today”
• Jeff Greenfield (’64), news analyst, CNN
• Ina Jaffe (’72), NPR correspondent
• Carrie Johnson (MA’96), NPR justice correspondent
• Haynes Johnson (MS’56), author and journalist; former columnist, Washington Post; Pulitzer Prize winner
• Kay Koplovitz (’67), former president and CEO, USA network
• Belle Case La Follette (1879, LLB 1885), journalist, Progressive movement leader
• Dale Lang (’55), former chair, Lang Communications (publishes Working Woman)
• Harriett Goldhor Lerner (’66), psychologist, author
• David Maraniss (x’71), Pulitzer Prize-winning associate editor, Washington Post; author
• Bruce (Rudy) Martzke (’64), sports columnist, USA Today
• Patricia McConnell (’81, MS’84, PhD’88), co-host, “Calling All Pets,” Wisconsin Public Radio
• Robert D. McFadden (’60), Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, New York Times
• Karl E. Meyer (’51), editor, World Policy Journal; former reporter, member of editorial board, New York Times
• Edwin Newman (’40), author, journalist
• Eric Newhouse (’67), Pulitzer Prize winner
• Pongsak Payakvichien (MA’71), Thai newspaper-journalism pioneer
• R. David Pittle (MS’65, PhD’69), senior vice president of technical policy, Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports
• Steven Raymer (’67, MA’71), former director, National Geographic Society News Service
• Rhonda Wolter Rowland (’84), former CNN correspondent
• Richard Schickel (’55), book author; former movie critic, Time/Life
• Anthony Shadid (’90), journalist, Washington Post; Pulitzer Prize winner
• Leonard Shapiro (’68), sports columnist, Washington Post
• William Siemering (’56, MS’60), a founder of National Public Radio, creator of “All Things Considered”
• Robert Sims (MA’71), former executive vice president, National Geographic Society
• Steven Smith (’72), CEO, Journal Communications, Milwaukee
• Alair Townsend (MS ’64), vice president and publisher, Crain’s New York Business
• Greta Van Susteren (’76), attorney, CNN legal analyst
• M. Mitchell Waldrop (PhD’75, MA’77), author, public affairs specialist, National Science Foundation
• Patricia K. Wells (MA ’72), cookbook editor and author; restaurant critic; former food editor, International Herald Tribune
• Michael Wilmington (x’68), movie critic, Chicago Tribune
• Jonathan Wolman (’72), chief editorial-page editor, Denver Post; former executive editor and vice president, Associated Press
• David Zweifel (’62), editor, Capital Times, Madison

Justice

• Shirley Abrahamson (SJD’62), chief justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
• William Bablitch (’63, JD’68), former justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
• Ann Walsh Bradley (JD’76), justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
• Louis Butler (JD’77), first African-American Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
• William Callow (’43), LLB’48), retired Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
• Barbara B. Crabb (’60, LLB’62), chief U.S. district judge, Western District of Wisconsin
• Judith Dobkin (’65), prosecuting attorney, Chicago Justice Department Strike Force
• James Doyle (’67), former attorney general, State of Wisconsin
• Nathan S. Heffernan (’42, LLB’48), chief justice (retired), Wisconsin Supreme Court
• Richard B. Lowe III (’64), justice, New York Supreme Court
• David T. Prosser Jr. (JD’68), justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
• Donald W. Steinmetz (’49, JD’51), former justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court
• Greta Van Susteren (’76), attorney and CNN legal analyst
• JB Van Hollen (JD’90), attorney general, State of Wisconsin
• Jon P. Wilcox (JD’65), justice, Wisconsin Supreme Court

Nonprofit Leaders

• Paula Bonner (MS’78), president and CEO, Wisconsin Alumni Association
• Josh Bycel (’93), founder, OneKidOneWorld, 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient
• Kaleem Caire (’00) and Lisa Peyton-Caire (’96, MS’99), co-founders, Next Generation Education Foundation, 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients
• Abigail David, (’96, MS’98), director, Helping Hands Center, 2009 Forward under 40 award recipient
• Clayt Freed (’97), founder and director, Progressive Voter Network, 2009 Forward under 40 award recipient
• Shihoko Fujiwara (’03), coordinator with the Polaris Project, non-profit organization that combats human trafficking; 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient
• Matthew Geck (’92, MD’96), founder, SpineHope, 2009 Forward under 40 award recipient
• James Kass (’91), founder, Youth Speaks, 2008 Forward under 40 award recipient
• Janet Olson (’92), founder, Basic Animal Rescue Training, 2008 Forward under 40 award recipient
• Ben Schumaker (’03, MS’06), founder, The Memory Project, 2008 Forward under 40 award recipient
• Kathy Dwyer Southern (BBA’68, MA’72), president and CEO, Capitol Children’s Museum, Washington, D.C.
• Zoe Timms (’97), director, Women’s Education Program, 2009 Forward under 40 award recipient
• Neil Willenson (’92), CEO and founder, One Heartland, 2009 Forward under 40 award recipient

Science

• Fay Ajzenberg-Selove (MS’49, PhD’52), physicist; recipient of 2007 National Medal of Science
• Ethel K. Allen (’28, MS’30), co-author of the “encyclopedia” of the role of legumes in nitrogen fixation
• John Bardeen (’28, MS’29), winner, two Nobel Prizes in physics
• Günter Blobel (PhD ’67), winner, 1999 Nobel Prize in medicine; head of cell biology lab at Rockefeller University in Manhattan
• Laurel Clark (’83, MD’87), astronaut, space shuttle Columbia
• Raymond Damadian (’56), inventor, Magnetic Resonance Imager for diagnosis
• Hector DeLuca (MS’53, PhD’55), UW faculty, pioneer in synthesizing Vitamin D
• Carl Djerassi (PhD’45), chemist, Stanford University professor; “father of the birth control pill”; novelist; playwright
• James Dumesic (’71), discovered process for turning biomass into hydrogen
• Conrad Elvehjem (’23, MS’24, PhD’27), former UW professor and president; discovered cure for pellagra
• Jack St. Clair Kilby (MS’50), physicist; inventor; winner, Nobel Prize in physics
• Charles Lindbergh (x’24), aviator who completed the first solo trans-Atlantic flight
• Karl Paul Link (’22, MS’23, PhD’25), discovered blood thinner dicumerol
• Jim Lovell (x’50), astronaut, Apollo 13 mission
• Alan MacDiarmid (MS’52, PhD’53), professor, University of Pennsylvania; winner, Nobel Prize in chemistry
• Abraham Maslow (’30, MA’31), psychologist, devised “hierarchy of needs” theory
• Karl Menninger (’14, MS’15), psychiatrist; founder, Menninger Clinic
• John Muir (x1863), naturalist, father of national park system
• John Allen Paulos (’67, PhD’74), mathematician, author of 1989 bestseller, Innumeracy
• George Schaller (MS’57, PhD’62), animal behaviorist
• Brewster Shaw (’68, MS’69), astronaut, space shuttle Columbia; former director, Space Shuttle Operations, NASA,
• Linnea Smith (’81, MD’84), founder and medical director of Yanomono Medical Clinic in Peru; Distinguished Alumni Award Winner 2008
• Fredrick J. Stare (’31, MS’33, PhD’34), founder of Harvard’s department of nutrition
• Harry Steenbock (MS’10, PhD’16), professor, discovered and patented Vitamin D irradiation method
• Stephen Turner (’91), founder and chief technology officer of Pacific Biosciences; Distinguished Alumni Award winner 2008

Don't Call Him Shirley

By Jeff Simpson

We have been here once before, but as the "great spender" once said - "There you go again".

Earlier in the year the Wisconsin Tourism Department gave big money to the Zucker brothers who hail from Wisconsin to produce a tourism ad for Wisconsin.   Since the Zucker's are well known for making spoof films in the 80's, it is only fitting since Scott Walker's version of government is also a spoof from another era.   

While we have made record cuts in public education, the one area that has made out like bandits is the Tourism budget.  The Walkerites raised it from $9.9 million to $12.3 million in Walker's first two years alone!

Walker and Department of Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett said it's important to increase the tourism budget, even while other departments are seeing cuts, because tourism creates jobs. Tourism is Wisconsin's third-largest industry, drawing $12.3 billion in spending in 2010.

Yes, tourism "creates jobs", unless of course you have no idea what your doing, then it turns into a big waste.  See when looking for someone to give our hard earned money too - the one criteria apparently was they had to be republicans.   So the Zucker's fit the bill!   Now that we found someone who fit the bill, let the silliness begin. 

First off the produced this little fishing video that showed the wold that Wisconsinites are imbeciles:

 Then reality hit and as so often is the case under Walker, the people were leading the way. While we were paying big money in wing nut welfare to the Zucker's to produce "tourism" video's that no one saw, Scott Walker was directing his own video's right in the Capitol that the whole world was able to see

Strike one ....so the Zucker's took another swing at it:

 

 

When trying to persuade people from IL and MN to come visit WI who better to use than a Packer....o wait.  The Viking and Bears fans hate the Packers!   Strike 2!  

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Mike Huebsch was producing and Chief Erwin directing their own WI tourism ad that the world was able to watch:

With two strikes against them and lots of our money in their pockets, the Zucker's tried again.   This time Scott Walker used it as a nice vacation get away (on our tax dollars) to CA to play in Hollywood.   The Governor tweeted this pic today:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Hayes recreate their Airplane! scene with help of WI natives David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams to promote tourism in Wisconsin. Nice cheesehead!

Because what shows the true beauty of Wisconsin better than a blow up doll with a cheesehead hat on?  

This from Stephanie Klett our Director of Tourism:



 

On cloud nine! The Wisconsin Department of Tourism just hosted a press conference in Hollywood that is making pop-culture history. We are reuniting two of the stars of the movie Airplane, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Hays (Ted Striker,) with the three writers/producers and directors David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams for our next 3 Wisconsin Tourism commercials. The press was insane, with CBS, TMZ, Getty Images, Yahoo Travel and Splash to name a few. We are filming on the original airplane Cockpit set now!

 O great, as if we did not have a bad enough stereotype of the people in WI, we just handed them one of us all wearing cheeseheads, while watching 80's movies and pretending they are new and relevant today.  Next thing you know they will have our most recognizable athlete do an a with the Chicago Bear superfans, who ceased to be funny or relevant the day Ditka left the Bears(1993 for those scoring at home).  

Instead of focusing on our world class educational institutions, our beautiful lakes and wildlife.  The fact that Madison is perpetually in the top 10 places to live rankings.  The beauty of Milwaukee in the summer,  the growth of the Fox valley, etc....

Our Governor and his staff go with this:

 

Yes you can just see the line of people rushing to Wisconsin to spend their money after this one:

Here is a free tip, maybe for the next round of ads, they can reunite another old movie and really promote the Wisconsin music scene:

Eric Hovde Wants Your Vote

However, the Washington DC resident who wants to be Wisconsin's Senator can not be bothered to vote himself.  He is too busy saving the poor to vote*, and he doesn't like the choices he has had.   Maybe Eric Hovde needs to look up the definition of citizen legislator!  

Senate candidate Eric Hovde is a busy guy.

So busy, in fact, he rarely has had time to vote.

"I'm a person that's spent 75% of my life in an airplane, flying around the U.S., flying around the globe," Hovde, a community banker and hedge fund manager, told the Journal Sentinel last week. "You know a lot of what I've been up to. I built homeless shelters for street kids in Kigali, Rwanda; Mombasa, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; Mexico City; Huanuco, Peru."

Records show that Hovde registered to vote in Washington, D.C., in 2004, two years after he built his 7,700-square-foot mansion there. Of the 11 elections held in D.C. since he registered, Hovde voted in just two of them - the 2004 and '08 general presidential campaigns.

In the last presidential contest, Hovde said he voted for Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona. He did not vote in the GOP primary between McCain and former Arkan sas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
It's not just his busy schedule that has kept him away from the ballot box. He also pointed to the dearth of conservative Republicans in elections in the nation's capital.

"I'm a conservative in D.C. Do you understand that?" Hovde asked. "When it comes to a vote in Washington, D.C., and you're a conservative and your only choice is a liberal Democrat and a liberal Democrat; it's a little discouraging."

A top staffer for former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, a Janesville Republican, was even more pointed.
"It's bad enough that he hasn't lived in Wisconsin for 24 years," said Chip Englander, Neumann's campaign manager. "He should have at least voted where he did live."

*When Eric Hovde says he does not like to talk about his charity work, he apparently means, he does not like to talk about his charity work, UNLESS there is a reporter present! 

RIP Leslie Nielsen

Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen is dead at the age of 84:

Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen has died.

Family confirmed to Global News that Nielsen died Sunday afternoon in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hospital from complications of pneumonia.

He was 84.

Nielsen, who grew up in Edmonton, appeared in more than 100 movies, with the star shining perhaps most brightly in comedies including Airplane! and The Naked Gun.

And the opening scene from Naked Gun:



Truly, he was one of the best.

RIP Peter Graves

Peter Graves passed away this afternoon after experiencing a heart attack:

Peter Graves, the cool spymaster of television’s “Mission Impossible” and the dignified host of the “Biography” series, who successfully spoofed his own gravitas in the “Airplane” movie farces, died Sunday. He was 83.

He died of a heart attack at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., said Fred Barman, his business manager.

It was a testament to Mr. Graves’s earnest, unhammy ability to make fun of himself that after decades of playing square he-men and straitlaced authority figures, he was perhaps best known to younger audiences for a deadpan line in “Airplane!” (“Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?”) and one from a memorable Geico car insurance commercial (“I was one lucky woman”).

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, the blond, 6-foot-2 Mr. Graves served in the Army Air Force in 1944-45, studied drama at the University of Minnesota under the G.I. Bill and played the clarinet in local bands before following his older brother, James Arness, to Hollywood.

I remember watching him in "Fury" every morning as I ate my breakfast as a grade schooler. His talent will be missed.