Inside the Little Plastic Castle

When I was a kid I played with my Kenner Girder & Panel building set, delighting in the mysteries of cantilevers. Taking it apart and putting it together again was very gratifying. I was amazed today to see a full-size girder & panel set on the way to the library.

Lustron homes were mass-produced, all steel with baked-on porcelain finish inside and out. Designed to meet the post-World-War-II demand for housing (financed by the racist G.I. bill), they arrived in a truck and could be erected in a week.

( Before )

( Right now )

Of the 2500 prefab houses made before the company went bankrupt, 16 were in Madison, most in neighborhoods near my house. The owner of the nearest had no success renting it, and sought a demolition permit. The city asked that he take the house apart and make it available to other Lustron owners. and that’s why there’s a small-house construction set on Chatham Terrace.

Use http://www.lustronlocator.com to see if there’s one near you.

A great day to hang by Lake Monona

Puffy clouds piled high above a small lake wind-ruffled to a gray green. Near shore features tall prairie flowers, human-height scrubby bushes, and a very weather-beaten oak -- all frame the fifteen-story and smaller buildings on the far shore (our State Capitol pokes up among them).

( image here )

It began 51 years ago with a riot. I first attended in 1974, without a police presence. I vividly remember hearing Holly Near and Jeff Langley performing from the back of a truck.

It’s continued in various forms—officially sponsored and not; city-sanctioned and not; police dressed in blazers and national guard in riot gear. Today the police said, "nope." Their notice was wry and very ahistorical:

This Saturday was to be the spring gathering largely known as the Mifflin Street Block Party.

“While MPD has historically taken a fairly tolerant view of the Mifflin Street Block Party, this year is different,” said Chief Vic Wahl, adding, “Any parties or gatherings occurring are in violation of the Governor's ‘Safer at Home’ order. Please do what's best for public health and stay home.”

Is there a standing unofficial event in your part of the world?

Thanks to sonia who provided these questions back when it was warm and sunny, and has waited patiently:

( five Qs five As )

One of my earliest and longest-lasting fandoms is civic infrastructure. Not only did I float boats down the gutters when I was a child, I built dams and spillways.

( decoding the title of this post )

( A musical rabbit hole )

Last week I went to an informal get-together organized by UW students for folks interested in academic disability studies as well as community activists and disability services providers.

Heard two tales which opened up my heart and gave me hope for the future.
( re raising Deaf kids and organizing disabled students )

How do people living in the Southern U.S. manage? Or any of the other hot places on earth? It's been hovering at 100°F/~38°C for a week and I don't know how to cope. I'm too hot to write both C and F, so there's a temp calculator after the poll.

Tell me how you cope:

Fahrenheit:


Celsius:

Kelvin:

Yee-haa-hoo DUCK!

I wish I was boogying with all the fan girls (but I'll wake up earlier and clearer-headed)

Yesterday I went up to the Capitol and found it shorn of all the signs. The line from the Republiguns is the blue tape is damaging the marble -- of which none of us would approve. But the good news was a stack of songsheets, so I had the chance to share an hour in song with good-hearted comrades from all over.

A better taste here: Long time favorites Lou and Peter Berryman were rousing the crowd a few weeks back, as captured on video by Luciano. There were stereo interpreters, but they're not always in frame. I don't have the energy or cognition to provide full transcripts: a couple of polished folk singers changed up the lyrics of two standards to fit current conditions.

on the frame of We Shall Not Be Moved....

We'll keep this rally rolling
We Shall Not Be Moved
Although we should be bowling...
We Shall Not Be Moved

and to the tune of My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean:

Wisconsin whose motto was 'Forward'
Was populist as it could be
But now the new motto is 'Backward'
O bring back Wisconsin to me.

and finally, all the verses to Solidarity Forever!
(what a grand song!)

Major excitement continues. Madison is the arena for a fierce battle between newly-elected Gov Scott Walker and all unions. Also many Democrats and, it seems, most Madisonians. (It's a company town, between the State, County and University. Walker's all about the cuts.) Jesse Jackson was talking today, Sarah Palin is due to talk tomorrow, and I'm planning on staying the hell out of Dodge. Navigating a crowd in a powerchair is claustrophobic at best, imprisoning at worst.

Ever wondered how to ensure that the maximum amount of money goes to the musician when you buy tunes? I surely have! NPR's story says (in summary). Any retail, whether online or bricks-and-mortar, takes a huge chunk out of the transaction before the musicians see any of it. Best way to buy is direct from the band.