Romney visits Ripon College

But not that one.
'Tis the season for politics with the Iowa Caucus right around the corner. In February of 1968, Gov. George Romney, father of current GOP Presidential nominee contender Mitt Romney, visited Ripon College while campaigning for the GOP nomination. He eventually lost to Richard Nixon, but was later named by Nixon the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
The primary in Wisconsin is scheduled for April 3rd, 2012--though there are no plans (yet) for Mitt Romney to make any appearances in Ripon.

A Festivus for the Rest of Us!

In an episode of Seinfeld aired in 1997, America was introduced to the anti-materialistic, non-religious holiday we have come to know and love - Festivus!!

In this episode ("The Strike"), you may remember that George Costanza sends Christmas cards to his fellow employees, in an effort to save money on real gifts, stating a donation had been made to a fake charity (invented by George) called The Human Fund (with the slogan "Money For People").

Later, George is confronted by Kruger, his boss, after handing out the fake donation cards. George defended himself saying that he feared persecution for his beliefs, for not celebrating Christmas. Attempting to call his bluff, Kruger came home with George to see Festivus in action.

Interestingly, in 2005, an organization came into existence that is actually called "The Human Fund". To my delight, I came across their website during my research for the Festivus display case (go check that out, by the way!).

So, all you Seinfeld fans out there can make a REAL donation to "The Human Fund" on behalf of your friends and family, and along with making them laugh, you can make a real impact on the lives of the under-served youth in Cleveland, OH.


The mission of The Human Fund (it's not just "money for people"):

The Human Fund effectively supports arts education programs for the under-served youth of the city of Cleveland, providing a commitment to funding several arts programs annually.

We are a non-traditional foundation taking a fresh approach to fundraising. Our foundation takes arts education seriously and as a friend of the arts, The Human Fund is committed to financial support for youth arts programming.

To learn more about The Human Fund, visit their website!


http://www.the-human-fund.org/index.php

Pompkin Pudding

This recipe for "pompkin pudding" in a crust comes from the first American cookbook, Amelia Simmon's American Cookery (1796). For more on the history of pie, see Pie-ology: A Full Filling Story at the Library Of Congress website.

The data behind "We are the 99%"

As a rallying cry and internet meme, the slogan “We are the 99%” has spotlighted the Occupy movement’s protest against the political influence of the wealthy, and promoted empathy with stories of economic hardship. Underneath these figurative uses, the phrase is a reference to real data on increasing economic inequality in the United States.

Lane Library’s government documents collection is a good place to find that data. As a federal depository library, we receive print copies of government publications and facilitate access to materials published online.

Where to find income data:
These agencies have different data collection methods, each with its own limitations (hence the discrepancies).

• IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) Division (Call number: T 22.35/4)

In 2008, 20% of the total Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) went to the top 1%. (SOI Bulletin—Individual Income Tax Rates and Tax Shares, Table 5)

• The U.S. Census Bureau’s income data and reports

In 2008, 21.5% of aggregate income went to the top 5% of households. (Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Table H-2: All Races)

• Trends in the Distribution of Household Income Between 1979 and 2007 (a Congressional Budget Office report based on both Census and IRS data)

After-tax household income for the 1% with the highest income grew by 275%, compared to 62% growth overall. This growth disparity has increased income inequality.

Where to find wealth data:

• The Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF)
• Congressional Research Service Report on the Concentration of Household Wealth (based on SCF data)

In 2004, the top 1% held 33.4% of the nation’s wealth.

Tools for finding this information:

USA.gov. The official search engine for government publications.

FedStats. A portal to statistics from federal agencies.

American FactFinder. A database of census information.

OpenCRS.A searchable collection of Congressional Research Service reports that have been released to the public.

3 fantastic databases of London crime, poverty, and social policy, 1674-1913

Ever wanted to know what the trial of a pirate would be like? Or exactly what crime do you have to commit to be drawn and quartered as punishment in the 17th century? Wonder no more! Old Bailey Online is, "a fully searchable edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing 197,745 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court." An incredible resource that allows you to search by criteria such as: offence, verdict, sex and age of defendant and/or victim, punishment, and more! Gather statistics, read trial notes, and learn about adjudicating London's seedy underbelly!

A sister publication of the Old Bailey is the Ordinary of Newgate's Accounts and contains biographies of people executed at Tyburn. I know, it sounds pretty macabre, but it is "a valuable source of information about both elite attitudes towards criminality and the lives, attitudes, and dying behaviour of executed convicts. "

Need more biographical, primary documents? London Lives provides access to historical records containing over 3.35 million names from a wide range of primary sources about eighteenth-century London with a particular focus on plebeian Londoners. This resource includes over 240,000 manuscript and printed pages from eight London archives.

Have fun!

-Kate

Journey's End (1931)

The Ripon College Theatre department is presenting The Tempest starting tomorrow evening and running through Saturday. For more information, check: here.
The above images are from Journey's End, put on by the Mask & Wig theater club at Ripon, eighty years ago in 1931. For more images from Ripon's past, check out the digital collections made available through Wisconsin Heritage Online. You can find Ripon College's collections: here.

Ripon College Cycling

Congratulations to the Ripon College Cycling team for their third consecutive Midwest Collegiate Conference Cycling Division II championship! Several of the members will compete this week at Nationals in Angel Fire, New Mexico. Best of luck to all. Go Hawks!
Pictured above: Ripon College Cycling club ca. 1901

Pickard Commons, October 1961

In October of 1961, construction was begun on Pickard Commons behind Lane Library on Elm Street. Harwood Memorial Union served as the dining hall before the Commons was built and before that, students lined up outside of West Hall for their meals until 1942.
Fifty years later Pickard Commons now also houses the Student Activities offices, a Starbucks as well as the newly named David and Lynne Joyce Student Lounge.
Many thanks to Mary Brandt for her gift of the above photographs to the Ripon College Archives.