If there’s one thing the current financial crisis has made abundantly clear, it’s that “global economic independence” is no longer just a textbook term.
It’s a headline-generating reality — and not only in the international pages, but in the local business section as well. Wisconsin is home to multinational giants such as SC Johnson, Kohler Company, and Kikkoman Corporation. When they suffer an economic downturn, we all do.
Q. How do birds migrate?
A. The essential skills of bird migration are orientation — knowing north from south, and east from west — and navigation, having some sort of “map” to establish the location you’re aiming for, says Stanley Temple, emeritus professor of conservation at UW-Madison.
Jim Lattis, a UW-Madison astronomer who keeps close track of light pollution issues, said it makes sense to extend the tradition of protection along the Lower Wisconsin to the skies.
Quoted: Political scientist Kenneth Goldstein of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said the deep unpopularity of the current Republican president and the spiraling economic crisis caused the “extraordinary” GOP reversals.
University officials celebrated the past 10 years of breakthrough discoveries in the area of stem-cell research by James Thomson at the Overture Center for the Arts Tuesday.
A UW-Madison professor of law and bioethics was appointed to President-elect Barack Obamaâ??s transition team Friday.
Quoted: “Not knowing what is expected in the workplace is stressful,” said Joan Gillman, director of special industry programs at the School of Business at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “In my adult classes, when asked, most supervisors don’t really know what is expected or what they are being judged on.”
Quoted: Michael Schatzberg, African Studies Professor at UW Madison, says its anarchy in the country.
Quoted: Kidney stones in kids are one the rise, for the past 5 to 7 years, according to a pediatrician. Bruce Slaughenhoupt, UW Assistant Professor of Urology, says in the past decade the average age of children they’ve seen develop the condition is 10-years-old.
A prominent University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher has been named to President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team.
R. Alta Charo, a bioethicist who has served on a federal panel on embryonic stem-cell research and on President Clinton’s National Bioethics Advisory Commission, will review health policy for Obama.
Online holiday shopping is in full swing, according to the associate dean at the University of Wisconsin Business School.
Deborah Mitchell, associate dean of enterprise MBA programs, said this season’s tight economic times are driving retailers to ramp up their online deals earlier. Other experts said it’s a way to get consumers into the shopping mood, although the success of the season is still up in the air, WISC-TV reported.
Noted: Dr. Michael Fiore has heard them. He runs the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin. Cigarettes distributed during World War II, he said, spawned a generation of smokers, with six of every 10 US men identified as tobacco users in the 1950s.
Quoted: Dr. Nancy Sweitzer is a clinician-scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose research focuses on the physiology of heart failure. Sweitzer recently took a break from seeing patients — including those from Dubuque — to attend the association conference.
UW-Madison physiology professor Kevin Strang gave a presentation on â??The Science of Drinkingâ? Friday as part of the Wisconsin Alumni Associationâ??s First-Year Parentsâ?? Weekend.
A poll released by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute on Friday revealed a deep level of distrust between elected officials and their constituents, in addition to an overall concern for Wisconsinâ??s economy.
Quoted: Karen Holden, an economist at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
Quoted: Barry Gerhart, human resources professor.
Quoted: Rob Meyer, director of the Value-Added Research Center at UW-Madison.
“Quantifying the impact on people, ice, agriculture, etc., is certainly going to be useful,” he said. “The study also brings together scientists who don’t traditionally work together into thinking together about the impact, mitigation and fundamental science on how this works.”
Quoted: Ankur Desai, assistant professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin political scientist Ken Mayer said Doyle’s comments indicating he’d consider an appointment, but isn’t seeking one, aren’t necessarily indicative of any outcome. He said that typically those serious about positions want to lay low and that it’s quite possible Doyle is being considered for something given his early support and experience in domestic issues.
Quoted: Some, such as the University of Wisconsin’s Allan Odden, think even this won’t be enough in the current crunch.
“What we’re facing is going to require more than a 5 percent reserve,” said Odden, a former financial consultant to New York State who is now a co-director of a center that recruits and trains teachers and principals. “This is huge.”
Quoted: Michael Collins, UW financial specialist, said, “if you’re close to retirement and are heavily invested in the stock market, the only thing you can do is ride it out.”
Quoted: The value of the study is that scientists looked at the effect of the brown clouds on multiple levels, said Ankur Desai, assistant professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Q. Could a Twinkie really survive intact for 100 years, as people say?
A. Go ahead and pull that box of Twinkies from your bomb shelter pantry, as their ultra-long shelf life is more urban myth than truth. Made primarily of flour, various sweeteners, water, shortening and egg (with another two dozen or so minor food components thrown in for good measure), Twinkies have an official shelf life of a mere 25 days. It’s a shockingly short term, one that human experience strongly suggests is overly conservative.
Quoted: “These findings confirm some of our big picture concerns about childhood obesity,” said Aaron Carrel, an associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Wisconsin school of medicine and public health. “It is a very direct link with disease.”
Quoted: “The president can do with pardoning power whatever he wants,” explained University of Wisconsin Law School professor Stanley Kutler. “It is complete and plenary unto itself.”
Quoted: “This is now the second study that was unable to show a beneficial effect,” said Dr. James Stein, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who had no role in the research.
Quoted: Dr. Maryl Johnson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison said women who have been pregnant have slightly worse outcomes from transplants because their immune systems have been “revved up” from carrying foreign genes from their partner through the fetus.
Quoted: Robert Jeanne is an entomology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He says the Buddha-shaped hive could actually be four different nests formed over a couple of years. He says if someone wants to read miracles into that, that’s their privilege.
Quoted: Allan R. Odden, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who studies teacher compensation, â??it would raise eyebrows everywhere, because that would be a gargantuan change.â?
Quoted: “In no way do I want to minimize the sacrifices soldiers are making overseas. Those are immediate risks,” says Dr. Michael Fiore, a veteran and head of the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Quoted: “We are completely owned by our gadgets,” says Joanne Cantor, a former professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who studies psychology and the effects of media, communications and technology.
UW-Madison professors said Monday the current state of the world economy will affect the future of studentsâ?? loans.
Quoted: James Stein of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Quoted: “Half the time, patients and physicians disagree on what the problem is, and two-thirds of the time, patients and physicians disagree on what the goals of treatment are,” Dr. Alan T. Luskin, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, said in the news release.
Quoted: “School boards around the country are going to be in real trouble over the next year or two,” said Andrew Reschovsky, a University of Wisconsin economist, who added that some states may be forced to seek additional federal funds to help their school districts maintain programs.
Wisconsin residents are waiting longer to see a doctor, and a physician shortage means the situation isn’t likely to improve, according to a report released Monday by a coalition of medical groups.
The recent acquisition of Mad City Broadband by Atlanta-based Xiocom indicates that the company sees value in the struggling municipal Wi-Fi system.
Quoted: Barry Orton, UW-Madison professor of telecommunications
Quoted: “It’s going to be a challenging season for all retailers,” said Jerry O’Brien, director of the Center for Retailing Excellence at UW-Madison. “You can’t read a report that doesn’t say this is going to be a tough season.”
Quoted: “This is the bluest Wisconsin has been in a long time,” said Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor, referring to the color associated with Democrats on the electoral map.
Democrats are “going to have to do something with that power. They have the voters on their side right now. If they use it wisely, this could be a blue state for a good while into the future.”
Quoted: Barry Orton, a telecommunications professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: In exchange for a 20-year promise not to put any donor’s name on the school, the University of Wisconsin School of Business received $85 million from a group that said, “You can run your own business,” said Dean Michael Knetter. “The more flexibility you have, the better for the school. You can align it with your school’s objectives rather than the donor’s objectives.”
Quoted: The University of Wisconsin at Madison does not have across-the-board enrollment caps, and faculty who teach online courses do so as part of their regular course load, said Marv Van Kekerix, interim vice provost for lifelong learning.
Wisconsin also has a state statute prohibiting full-time state employees from earning more than $12,000 per year in overload pay from a single institution.
Quoted: “I certainly hope this drives a stake through the heart of that demon,” Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin political scientist and polling authority, said of the Bradley effect.
Quoted: Lecturer David Streckfuss from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who has studied the law, said he expected the number of lese majeste cases to rise as both pro- and anti-Thaksin camps try to appear more royalist than their rivals.
Quoted: “Million-year-old species are a dime a dozen; 15,000-year-old species are not,” says Jenny Boughman, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies the B.C. sticklebacks.
Even though negative ads pop up every election, their effectiveness is still in doubt, said Jacob Neiheisel, deputy director of the University of Wisconsin Advertising Project, which tracks and analyzes political messages.
Quoted: “I certainly hope this drives a stake through the heart of that demon,” Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin political scientist and polling authority, said of the Bradley effect.
Q. How do public health officials determine which strain of influenza to create vaccines for each year?
A. This year’s influenza vaccine in the United States contains three strains of the influenza virus. Last March, experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization chose those strains based on the varieties of flu virus that were present at the end of North America’s flu season.
The decision also took into account viruses found in Australia, South Africa and the tip of South America. “These countries were at the very beginning of the influenza season, when we were at the tail end,” says Jonathan Temte, an associate professor of family medicine at UW-Madison.
Quoted: Barry Gerhart, a professor of management and human resources at UW-Madison, Charlie Trevor, associate professor of management and human resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Q. How do public health officials determine which strain of influenza to create vaccines for each year?
A. This year’s influenza vaccine in the United States contains three strains of the influenza virus. Last March, experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization chose those strains based on the varieties of flu virus that were present at the end of North America’s flu season.
Quoted: UW-Madison political scientist and presidential scholar Charles O. Jones.
Today is the 10th anniversary of a monumental achievement in stem cell research by University of Wisconsin professor James Thomson.
Democrats took hold of the state Legislature with relative ease Tuesday but now comes the hard part – repairing an at least $3 billion projected budget hole and a shaken state economy.
With the fall of the Republican Assembly in Tuesday’s elections, Democrats now take control – and responsibility – for the steering of the course of a state where factories are closing, voters are fearful and government could be facing its largest budget shortfall in years.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, political science.
When Lori Molitor’s 9-year-old daughter, Madison, participates in gymnastics, she wears a heel cushion. After her training session she ices. And before she goes to bed she stretches. All of this is done in hopes of keeping her injury-free as she continues her progression as a budding gymnast.
The Verona mother’s cautious approach with her daughter was borne partially from observing her eldest daughter deal with injuries while competing in sports, but many parents remain in the dark about the dangers of overtraining.
Quoted: Shari Clark, a physical and athletic trainer with UW Health Sports Medicine and a lecturer in the UW-Madison kinesiology department.
Wisconsin Democrats rode a wave of national discontent Tuesday to win complete control of the state Legislature for the first time in more than a decade.
With a sitting Democratic governor in Jim Doyle, the stage looks set for the party to dominate state politics.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Katherine Cramer Walsh put it a bit more bluntly:
“It’s more of an anti-incumbent thing than a pro-Democratic Party thing. Such a huge part of that was just (a mentality of) throwing the bums out,” she said.
MADISON â?? Election workers and observers reported routine problems across the state but said, all in all, the process went remarkably well.
“My sense is things went very smoothly,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Katherine Cramer Walsh. “It seemed like there were a few glitches here and there but nothing systematic and nothing nefarious.”
Quoted: “Some of this is shorter term and some of this may be longer term,” said Charles Franklin, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin.
Quoted: “Some of this is shorter term and some of this may be longer term,” said Charles Franklin, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin.
Quoted: “Financial experts are unlikely to want to come to work in a state-owned enterprise unless that enterprise has a tremendous amount of autonomy. I’m not sure CIC for instance has that autonomy,” said Menzie Chinn, an economist at University of Wisconsin.
