Quoted: “It?s very confusing to voters because the districts holding recall elections are scattered around the state,” said Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Treasury can cry foul all it wants, but the decision by Standard & Poor?s to downgrade America?s credit rating by one notch last Friday, and the subsequent plunge in the stock market, are serious symptoms of a loss of confidence ? an assessment that is fundamentally political, not economic.
With its fiscal agenda mostly complete, members of the state?s Republican leadership now are turning their attention to social issues. On Tuesday, Assembly Republicans introduced a bill backed by an anti-abortion group that would make it illegal to provide or use for experimentation a “fetal body part.” Many fear the legislation would have a “chilling effect” on a range of biomedical research conducted at places such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
…. “I think what’s particularly concerning is the motivation behind this legislation; it’s based on either a lack of understanding or misplaced view of what actually goes into the research that goes on at the university,” says Mark Bugher, the director of University Research Park and a special assistant to new UW-Madison interim chancellor David Ward. “I read the memo from Rep. Jacque and it sounded pretty ominous but not based on any evidence or fact.”
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a political scientist at UW-Madison.
Brian Hellmer, director of the UW-Madison School of Business? Hawk Center for Applied Security Analysis, said he thinks concerns about the finances of Italy, Spain and Greece were exacerbated by a loss of confidence in the ability of the U.S. to handle its own debt problems.
“This group tends to live in underground burrows. When they are above ground feeding, they are constantly on the lookout for predators – feral cats, hawks, owls and eagles,” says Hannah Carey, a professor of comparative biosciences in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine who who studies hibernation in the 13-lined ground squirrel.
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Noted: Mark Berres, a genetics researcher in the Department of Animal Sciences at UW-Madison.
“Rarely in American politics do you have a chance for a do-over,” UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said. “This is as close to a do-over as you are going to get.”
There is wide support for a regulated wolf hunt in Wisconsin, according to a new study published by UW-Madison researchers, although that approval was more tepid among non-hunters and those who live outside wolves? range. In a study published in the journal Society and Natural Resources, Adrian Treves and Kerry Martin surveyed hunters and non-hunters in Wisconsin, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming between 2001 and 2007 to gauge their attitudes toward wolves.
Quoted: “The major driving factor is the nature of the economy and more people falling into the EITC range,” said John Karl Scholz, who studies poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: ?He?s the hated real deal for the Democrats and the adored real deal for the Republicans,? Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said in a telephone interview. ?That?s the dilemma he faces. He?s a genuinely polarizing figure.?
Quoted: Karen Kehl, assistant professor at the school of nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it?s important that hospice staff answer questions, but also ask questions back about the patient.
Quoted: ?[A shift in power] is a very real possibility. It won?t be easy, but it?s a real possibility,? said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: “The rhetoric and the division between the parties probably goes to the high points precisely when control of institutions is in doubt,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
Quoted: “Both sides don?t seem to want to fight their recall battles on the original turf,” says Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Noted: “Our recent predictions failed to predict activity in this solar cycle,” said astrophysicist Benjamin Brown of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Instead of a lot of activity, the most recent 11-year-long solar cycle was eerily quiet.
Quoted: “It?s not clear whether the mood has shifted dramatically enough to recall Republicans, but it?s certainly shifted enough to make some tight races,” said Katherine Cramer Walsh, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor who directed a recent poll that found dissatisfaction with both Democrats and Republicans.
Noted: David Canon, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor, says there?s no doubt that combined candidate and third-party spending in the state?s nine recall elections (one already decided) will top $10 million. One of his colleagues has predicted based on early totals it could go as high as $20 million.
Noted: After so many years in the minority, Republicans had a lot of “pent-up concerns,” said Barry Burden, a professor of political science at UW-Madison.
In case the incessant ads haven?t clued you in, there?s a lot riding on the upcoming recall elections. “There are two parts to this story,” said Charles Franklin, a professor of political science at U-W Madison.
Quoted: If the economy were healthy, it would be much bigger than it was four years ago. Economists refer to the difference between where the economy is and where it could be if it met its full potential as the ?output gap.? Menzie Chinn, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin, has estimated that the economy was about 7 percent smaller than its potential at the beginning of this year.
Quoted: Dietram Scheufele, John E. Ross Professor of Science Communications at the University of Wisconsin.
Quoted: “You don?t have to stretch to see the connection with labor issues in Ohio, with an upcoming referendum there for public employees, and the other states doing things with labor,” says Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor.
?When the growth rate gets low enough, certain factors may kick in, nonlinearly,? says Menzie Chinn, an economist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and co-author of a new book, ?Lost Decades.?
Noted: So now that we?re moving into an unprecedented batch of recall elections, national attention will return. In fact, MSNBC will broadcast its ?Ed Show? live from the Capitol square Monday and Tuesday night. UW-Madison Political Science Professor Charles Franklin is not surprised.
Quoted: Romney?s public release of an extensive list of prominent conservative advisors is intended to ?reassure conservatives in the party and clearly the Rick Perry-Michele Bachmann wing of the party,?? said Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: “Clouds are one of the major feedbacks in cooling and heating the surface” of the ice, said Nate Miller, an atmospheric science graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. But it?s not clear which effect predominates in the Arctic, he explained, since different types of clouds have different effects on climate, depending on whether they?re made of ice or snow, whether they?re thick or thin, and how high they sit in the atmosphere.
According to this Huffington Post article, a good number of young people, mostly women, are paying for college or paying down student debt by hooking up with “sugar daddies” ? wealthy men who pay for companionship and sex. And according to information provided to the Huffington Post, the University of Wisconsin is among the national leaders in producing “sugar babies” ? young adults willing to provide these services.
Quoted: Janet Hyde, UW-Madison professor of psychology and women’s studied
Noted: New census data released last week shows that rural America now accounts for just 16 percent of the U.S. population ?the lowest ever. The statistics mirror a trend in Wisconsin, according to Gary Green. He?s part of U-W Madison?s Department of Community and Environmental Sociology and studies demographic changes.
Quoted: ?Instead of mere lists of online accounts, [hackers] could steal the full package of real world identities,? said Nakho Kim, a media researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ?Due to government policies and industry laziness, many Korean online services tend to collect a lot of personal identity information.?
Quoted: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Minnesota got involved along with the state health departments. The Minnesota Department of Health in 2010 issued a health advisory about increased reports of ehrlichiosis – the illness caused by the various ehrlichia species – in humans.
Quoted: James A. Wollack, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert in test security, says that testing systems would benefit from impartial investigators who would independently investigate cheating allegations.
Quoted: “It?s pure chance,” Warren Porter, zoology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told DailyFinance. “It?s like playing roulette.”
Quoted: Nolan Andersen, a UW Extension Dairy and Livestock Agent for Dane County, says, “If we don?t get a good crop, that?ll drive costs up, the price per bushel will go up, and that all impacts the consumer.”
Sandwiched between Klinke Cleaners and Check ?n Go in a strip mall in Sun Prairie is one of the biggest financial players in Wisconsin?s historic round of recall elections. But don?t be fooled by the 1223 W. Main St., #304 address. The conservative, pro-business Wisconsin Club for Growth boasts no posh suite, just a simple mailbox at a UPS store. While its office presence may be lacking, its political influence is not.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison professor of political science
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a polling expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: ?He?s really willing to put himself out there and he?s willing to make a bit of a spectacle,? said Kimberly Alderman, an art law expert at the University of Wisconsin. ?And because in a lot of these repatriation requests, they don?t have a legal claim, it ends up being well, ?Who?s making the most noise?? We?ll see in the coming months whether Egypt?s new government is able to replace him or not.?
University of Wisconsin-Madison psychology professor Richard Davidson?s research on how meditation can alter the brain in amazing ways was recently featured in an ABC “Nightline” piece examining the power of meditation. Davidson tells “Nightline” that through meditation, “we can rewire our brains to be happier and nicer.”
Quoted: Theresa Kelley, an English professor at UW-Madison.
A UW-Madison study has found that milk produced on Wisconsin?s large farms, including the controversial industrial-size operations, is often of higher quality than milk from smaller farms. Steve Ingham, who led the study while working as a UW-Madison food science professor, speculated that the bigger farms may have more money to spend on equipment or may be better able to identify and remove cows with illnesses that affect milk production, such as mastitis. Ingham, who is now the food safety division administrator at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, added that all of the state?s farms, whether large or small, produce milk that easily meets federal food safety guidelines.
Quoted: Rick Brooks, outreach program manager in the division of continuing studies at UW-Madison and a co-founder of Dane Buy Local.
Quoted: UW-Madison entomology Professor Susan Paskewitz.
Quoted: Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
Quoted: Mr. Kutler, a professor from the University of Wisconsin, has written several books about Nixon and Watergate and has previously successfully sued to force the release of audio recordings Nixon secretly made in the Oval Office.
Quoted: “Nixon knew when you testified before a grand jury you exposed yourself to perjury, so I?m betting he told the truth,” said University of Wisconsin Professor Stanley Kutler, who filed the lawsuit along with four historians? organizations. Kutler, author of “Abuse of Power: The New Nixon Tapes,” previously successfully sued to force the release of audio recordings Nixon secretly made in the Oval Office.
Quoted: Karl Malcolm, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student studying black bears.
Noted: Think you?re too smart to be influenced by the media you consume? Anything we see ? a person on the street, a character in a movie ? has some influence on your next thoughts, emotions or actions, simply because it?s the last thing your mind absorbed, says Joanne Cantor, a psychologist and member of the American Psychological Association who has studied the emotional and behavioral effect of TV and movies.
Noted: A 2009 study by Jill Harrison, an assistant professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison department of rural sociology, found that immigrants – primarily Mexicans – make up 40% of dairy employees in the state
Quoted: “He?s established a profile for himself … that goes way beyond the boundaries of New Jersey,” said Dietram Scheufele, a communications professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Noted: We asked the experts at UW-Madison?s West Madison Research Center and the Rock County Extension for advice on how to grow lettuce and other second-season crops.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a UW-Madison political scientist and co-founder of pollster.com, agrees that Wisconsin is a bellwether for a national conservative agenda. UW-Madison?s Ken Mayer doesn?t think a win by either party will have sweeping ramifications in other states.
Quoted: Up until recently, smoking has been ingrained in the mental health and substance abuse cultures, says Dr. Eric Heiligenstein, Director of Psychiatry at University Health Services in Madison.
Quoted: “I don?t think I?ve seen a single ad that?s directly about union representation issues,” said Charles Franklin, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Noted: Geoscientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oregon State-Corvallis tested the prevailing thinking by analyzing ocean sediments deposited by glaciers melting from different, chemically distinct, regions in southern Greenland.
A bumper crop of fireflies has been lighting up southeastern Wisconsin this year, thanks to a wetter-than-usual summer in 2010, said Phil Pellitteri, a University of Wisconsin-Madison entomologist.
Quoted: But the number of times the drive can write is in the tens of billions and thus probably not a concern to most computer users. If it were in a Google data center getting heavy use, it might last only a year, said Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, professor of computer science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison who studies computer use patterns.
Quoted: “What?s pushing the wealth of whites is the rebound in the stock market and corporate savings, while younger Hispanics and African-Americans who bought homes in the last decade – because that was the American dream – are seeing big declines,” said Timothy Smeeding, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who studies income inequality.
Quoted: But the proposal would force farmers to cut back production, too, shrinking supply to raise the price of milk. That part of the plan has more opponents, said Bob Cropp, a University of Wisconsin-Madison agriculture economist.
