Wednesday, March 12, 2014

What Pepsi Can Teach Us About Soft (Drink) Power In Russia : The Salt : NPR

What Pepsi Can Teach Us About Soft (Drink) Power In Russia : The Salt : NPR

From the Wyoming Bench: Launch of iCivics in Wyoming

From the Wyoming Bench: Launch of iCivics in Wyoming: PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE     February 6, 2012                                            For more information, contact the  Offi...

Thursday, March 12, 1914. Weird fascinations.

 An issue of the Cheyenne paper from 1914 demonstrates that sexual mutilation of minors, just banned in the last legislative session, as been around for a long time, although ostensibly it exists for a different reason now than formerly.



Also interesting is that a Wyoming paper would bill itself as "Constructive Progressive".

Bishop McGovern's send-off was being filmed. 

The nation was reinforcing the Mexican border.

Last prior:

Monday, March 9, 1914. Surprising news on Mexico.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Today In Wyoming's History: Wyoming History in the Making: United States Supr...

Today In Wyoming's History: Wyoming History in the Making: United States Supr...: The United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Brandt v. United States. Supreme Court of the United States MARVIN M. BRA...


Interesting U.S. Supreme Court opinion, with potentially vast financial consequences.  And, while I haven't studied it yet, and haven't seen any commentary of this type, I wonder if it also will ultimately go on to be  present a basis for other arguments about the nature of Federal grants, which might have an even more vast, and entirely unintended, series of consequences.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Society of the Military Horse • View topic - Women's Emergency Service Corps

Society of the Military Horse • View topic - Women's Emergency Service Corps

Monday, March 9, 1914. Surprising news on Mexico.

Jesús Salgado, a lieutenant of Emiliano Zapata, surrounded Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, with s force of 5,000 men.

Other news of the Mexican Revolution hit the front page of the Laramie Boomerang, including some surprising "facts" about Pancho Villa.


The story on the fire in St. Louis was tragically accurate.

Mexico figured in the headlines of the Cheyenne paper as well.


Prime Minister H. H. Asquith proposed to allow Ulster to vote on whether to join a Home Rule parliament in Dublin.

YMCA Convention, Salina Kansas:

Last Prior:

Sunday, March 8, 1914. International Women's Day, Berlin.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Finds in the Week: Vintage Poster on Food, 1917

Finds in the Week: Vintage Poster on Food, 1917

We've posted on this topic in the past, but here's one we haven't posted

This particular one is sort of oddly contemporary, combining the current points of folks like Michael Pallin, the paleo diet folks, and even Pope Francis, here and there.

Y Cross, UW, CSU, Donations, Money, and Lost Opportunity

About 14 years ago the Denver owners of the Albany County Y Cross ranch donated it to the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University.  A clause of the accepted donation was that the schools could sell it after 14 years.  They now intend to do so.

I don't know much about how the ranch was used in the 14 years the schools have owned it.  It was supposed to be used for the purpose of teaching agriculture, but from what I read, it wasn't used much.  The former owners now say that they regret donating it to the schools, and frankly they should regret it.

This is hard to understand.  A 50,000 acre ranch, situated near both schools, should have provided a variety of opportunities for both schools to both teach practical agriculture and, in this day and age, perhaps also experiment a bit with "sustainable" agriculture, a topic which has been hot in agricultural fields in recent years.  Now those opportunities will be lost, and the ranch will simply be sued to generate money.

On that both schools would be well advised to note the history of the results of ignoring the wishes of donors.  Potential donors to both schools are now on notice that the schools feel free to sell donated assets as quickly as they can.  Not all donations are suitable for long term keeping and preservation, of course, but if that is the wish of the donors, they now know that neither UW or CSU can be depended upon to do any more than accepting the donation requires.  That may give such potential donors pause, or at least put them on notice that a restrictive clause in any donation may be necessary.  For some it may mean no donation at all, something that at least UW, which is under orders to cut back financially, may wish to rethink

Postscript

This matter remains pending in Court.  But, with the new University of Wyoming President emphasizing the land grant nature of the institution, and with a huge amount of turnover going on at the upper levels of the school, I wonder if its too much to hope for that the decision to depart with the Y Cross might be reconsidered? .

Postscript II

This is the Y Cross which UW and CSU jointly own:  Y Cross Ranch | Wyoming Ranches for Sale

I've posted an earlier thread, well really a compliant, on the plan to sell this facility.  This listing, I suppose, shows why the universities are so tempted, or rather have yielded to the temptation, to sell the place.  Quite a nice location.

Well,  the answer to this question; "I wonder if its too much to hope for that the decision to depart with the Y Cross might be reconsidered?" appears to be "yes, too much to hope for."

The Wyoming Supreme Court issued its decision yesterday concluding:

The district court correctly concluded that the donation from the Davis Interests to the University Foundations was a gift, that the MOA did not create an implied trust, and that only the attorney general has standing to enforce the terms of a charitable gift. We thus affirm the court’s dismissal of the complaint and amended complaint for lack of standing.
I'm not surprised and I'm sure the Court is correct, but it's disappointing anyway.  That disappointment must be directed at UW however, which still has the opportunity to behave correctly here, along with CSU, but which probably isn't going to.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

There's not an App for that. WYDOT

Dear Wyoming Department of  Transportation, you need an App.

There's nearly an App for everything, but not for Wyoming road conditions.  I know I can sign up for email alerts and the like, but an App is what I really want, and what you really need.

With an App, I could worry just the necessary amount, without  having to turn the email on, on my phone, and hear the "ding, ding, ding" stream of emails as every road in the state turned cruddy, save perhaps for the few I care about.

Come on WYDOT, give us an App.