Village Spillage

I'm a big proponent of wireless internet projects.   Part of it is the geek in me, who loved playing with walkie-talkies as a kid, but I think a case can be made for free wireless internet in business areas to add this increasingly important amenity.

I've been a fan of a company called Meraki, who've created a few cheap, extremely simple wireless devices that are perfect for turning areas large and small into wireless zones.

Meraki just rolled out a $10,000 package that contains enough "repeaters" to blanket one square mile with internet connectivity.  How big is our Silver Spring business district?   About 2/10ths of a square mile, or 14 acres.  Heck, all of WFB is a mere 2.5 square miles.  Imagine blanketing the whole village for $25k.

Suffice it to say .. covering the Silver Spring business district, from Lake to Lydell would be in the $3,000 neighborhood.  Peanuts, in comparison to the $3m we are spending on sewers and street-scaping on Silver Spring.

The Meraki system starts with an internet connected router that costs $150 and needs internet connectivity and electricity.  The remainder of the system are these little boxes ($180) that are simply plugged in to your regular electrical outlet.   (See picture)

The wireless signal goes from box to box, and is "repeated" creating a wireless mesh of connectivity.

Meraki has some case studies on their website, and I'd direct you to the one they did for Ypsilanti, Michigan an area of 270 acres.   They were able to deliver internet access to all 270 acres for a grand total of $3,725.

So .. what would this do for Silver Spring?   Just ask Starbucks why they have wireless internet access.  It brings in customers.

But further .. I'd think the businesses along SS themselves would appreciate the internet connection, instead of each business paying for it individually. 

It's really something to think about, especially with the reasonable price tag.

Make sure you read other items:

1. Why is the NY Times picking on WFB?
   
2. WFB Scam Alert
   
3. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
4. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
5. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS

 *** Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.

Berkeley's Cafe has been open for a few weeks now, so I stopped in to see how life on war-torn Silver Spring was going.

Answer:  Pretty well.

Anecdotally, I've heard from a number of people who have eaten there, finding Berkeley's a tough table to get on Fridays and Saturdays during the hour.

Sadly, my wife and I have not gotten to Berkeley's, as our twice weekly dinner outings have been sharply curtailed by the birth of our second child.  However .. after helping my neighbor, they thanked me with a Gift Certificate from Berkeley's, so we should be dining soon.

And to show how well Berkeley's is doing .. the manager told me their first printing of Gift Certificates was sold out.  Pretty good first month.

Other bits:

First, you can read Berkeley's entire menu on their website: http://www.berkeleyscafe.com

They are open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, all of which are available for take-out (Phone: 897-8624), and of course, have a nice bar for drinks.

They also have a quick to-go menu (see picture) with coffee, espresso, soups and salads, ready for a quick purchase.

Here's a sampling of their menu items:

Breakfast:

• Egg Croissant or Wrap 
• Belgium Orange Waffle
• Huevos Rancheros Omelet
• And all the basics .. Eggs, pancakes, bacon.
• Prices: $5-$9

Lunch:

• Appies: Cheese Plate, Fondue, Wings, Nachos, Samosas $6-12
• Soups: Tomato Rosemary, Whitefish Corn Chowder $4-5
• Grilled Burger / Chicken
  
• Tuna Salad
  
• Mustard Egg Salad
  
• 1/2 Soup, Sandwich
  
• Prices: $8-10
  

Dinner:

• Most of the Lunch menu plus..
• Roasted Pork Loin
• Apple Duck Confit
  
• Chicken & Mushrooms
  
• Fish & Chips
• Cafe Meatloaf
• Prices: $14-19

They have a great, cheap kid's menu, if I do say so myself:

• Chicken Strips
• Grilled Cheese
  
• Pasta & Marinara
• Mini Burgers
• Fruit Cup 
• Prices: $3-5
• They have high-chairs, crayons, the usual kid-friendly stuff
  

Deserts:

• Warm Sugar Donuts
• Chocolate Bouchons 

Now listen up, Whitefish Bay Villagers:  Many of us, myself included, have been waiting for a decent restaurant on Silver Spring.   It has arrived.

It's about a 3 minute drive from wherever you live.

And YOU and I have to support it.   Silver Spring is going through tough times right now.  With the economy in the tank, times will get tougher.  It is now more important than ever to support these local merchants, or .. guess what?  They'll close. 

Imagine if Berkeley's succeeds, turns a profit, and has some spill-over customers for the rest of the Silver Spring merchants, from 7am to 11pm.  That would be fantastic.  Imagine a 2nd restaurant (Hooters!) .. and an ice cream shop.  Bingo.  Silver Spring is back on track.

So how do you support it?  Take the pledge:  Eat at Berkeley's every 3 months.  Something, anything, a breakfast here, a dinner there.  4 times a year, once a season.  If you have kids and can't make it out, fine.  Do take-out.  Here's the phone again:  897-8624.

Marija Whitman, co-owner passed along this bit:  

Kevin, it has been the most wonderful feeling to see the outpouring of support and sincerity from customers.  What a warm welcome. We thank them sincerely for coming, and they thank us sincerely for being here. 

It makes us want to try harder to never let our amazing community down!

Make sure you read other items:

1. Election Prediction wrapup
2. Why is the NY Times picking on WFB?
   
3. Local Election Predictions
   
4. WFB Scam Alert
   
5. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
6. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
7. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS

 *** Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.

Last week, I got an email from a WFB resident temporarily living in Germany who discovered that the DMV was charging residents of the 53217 Zip Code an additional $20 "Wheel Tax" which was recently enacted in the CITY of Milwaukee.  WFB shares 53217 with Milwaukee, Glendale, Fox Point, and Bayside.

UPDATE: The 53211 zip is also effected, as it has part of Milwaukee, WFB, and Shorewood.

So, thank you to the Yunker family for discovering this, and passing it on to Village officials.   They have sent out an email alert, although I imagine not many people have subscribed to this system.  I am reprinting the Village's warning for your pleasure:

Recently the City of Milwaukee enacted a Wheel Tax on all vehicles owned by their residents.  The State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is enforcing this "wheel tax" by including it to the cost to register a vehicle.  Unfortunately, the DMV has been including the tax on all residents who live within a shared zip code where both the suburb and portion of the City are located.

This charge is only for City of Milwaukee residents, and all Whitefish Bay residents who received this charge in error are encouraged to call the DMV to have it removed.  Please choose the following options to have this corrected:

If you feel you've been incorrectly assessed the City of Milwaukee wheel tax, you can call the DMV's Vehicle Records Section at (608) 266-3666.

If you believe that you erroneously paid the tax without realizing it, you can call the DMV's Research and Information Section at (608) 266-1466 or send a written request for a refund to: Department of Transportation, PO Box 8070, Madison, WI 53708-8070.

Residents are reminded to list Whitefish Bay and not Milwaukee as their place of residency when registering their vehicles.  This information is important because it is used to help calculate State funding sources like shared revenues which are important to the general operation of the Village.

Generally, the renewal fee is $75 for autos, but more if you have personalized plates or other special items on your bill.  You can determine the correct DMV renewal fee by hitting this site:  http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/vehicles/veh-fees.htm

But, hey, Whitefish Bay Village Hall .. thanks for sending out that email bulletin.   That's a great use for that system, sending out news alerts villagers need to know.  It'd be great if we could get other pressing information, like the status of Silver Spring closures, police reports of frequently occurring crime we should be aware of .. plenty of other examples.

Email is free, use it!

Make sure you read other items:

1. Election Prediction wrapup
2. Why is the NY Times picking on WFB?
   
3. Local Election Predictions
   
4. WFB Scam Alert
   
5. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
6. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
7. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS

 *** Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.

The paper version of the NorthShoreNOW has a little table with the voter turnout for the North Shore suburbs, Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, Glendale, Mequon, River Hills, Shorewood, Thiensville and Whitefish Bay.

Who had the best voter turnout?  Whitefish Bay with a whopping 89.4%.   Thiensville was 88.5%, followed by Fox Point at 87% .. the remainder of the suburbs were around 70-83%.

That's really a fantastic turnout.

Voter turnout for the rest of the US was around 61% .. Wisconsin's was 2nd in the nation at 71%.

Personally .. I'd like to hear from the 10.6% who didn't vote.  I'll bet half of those "non-voters" are really errors in the voter registration database.

About 5 years ago, I started thinking about getting LASIK.  I've worn glasses for 25 years, and thought it was about time for an upgrade.

When I first looked into it 5 years ago .. there's clearly a two-tiered system of LASIK doctors. 

The first tier "shop" is the kind of place you see advertised in the Sunday paper .. $399 per eye!  The second tier is the professional ophthalmologists who also do LASIK surgeries.

So, I went to both, admittedly 5 years apart.  The low-cost LASIK came out to $1,500.  That $399/eye figure is for their lowest, most basic, old technology type surgery.  I'll bet a total of zero people opt for that.

When I went to the regular ophthalmologist, the charge was around $4,000.  

What's the difference?  Neither doctor actually owns the multi-million dollar equipment .. they both RENT the exact same machine in the same building, performing surgeries.  Most of the work is done by computer anyhow.

There is a difference in sales technique, though.  The low-cost guys tend to "upsell."  When I went in, they tell you the cheap price is for the old dusty machine, you want the new technology for double the price.. they explain for an extra couple hundred, they'll throw in "free lifetime tweaks" .. so that, 10 years from now, you want your vision tweaked, they'll do it free.

I asked the ophthalmologist about that .. he said, in general, he does "tweak" operations for only 1 in 20 patients, and almost never after a year or so.  

Another up-sell: Tear Plugs.  The low cost shop explained the various plugs that could be inserted into my tear ducts, so that healing would be quicker, eyes less dry, etc.  For a fee, of course.   The regular ophthalmologist said he never puts tear plugs in, as generally speaking, if you have a condition that required tear ducts installed, he would refuse to do the operation. -- Sure seems like tear plugs are a revenue generator for the low-cost shops.

When asking a tech about what they thought the difference between the high and low cost LASIK shops was .. she suggested that it isn't the LASIK technique that is any better from one doc to the next.  -- She said they could teach ME to use the LASIK machine in a week.  -- The true difference is the care before and after the surgery, where a highly trained ophthalmologist would be able to recognize ocular health issues where a low-cost doc might not.

I also think the trained ophthalmologist is quicker to turn you down as a candidate for LASIK, if you're not nearly perfect .. the low-cost guy is looking for volume and has a higher tolerance for risk.

So .. I think it comes down to .. 98% of the time, you'll come out with the exact same outcome.  If you're a good candidate, with a "simple" LASIK procedure, no complicating factors (like you wore hard contacts for 20 years, or have some scarring, or whatever) .. I think you will be happy going the low-cost route.  I mean, $1500 up to $4000 is a HUGE difference.  

So, I had my surgery in February of this year.  I did go with the high-cost ophthalmologist, not having learned the above, but also, being financially comfortable enough to pay the premium.

I won't get into the details .. suffice it to say, LASIK took about 25 minutes, beginning to end, which is a fact I state because knowing the short amount of time got me "through it."   Truth is, I was pretty scared.  Apparently, the prep-nurse wasn't the "usual" one, and didn't explain the steps.  They tell you to focus on this red light .. I was unaware that at some point, you can't see anything, no red light, nothing, and you are effectively blind with your eye open.  That's scary without being prepared in advance that something like that happens.

Anyhow, all went well.  I had very little discomfort, my eyes felt pretty good right away.  They give you pain and sleeping pills, but I did not need them.

The next day, I went in for another exam.  The 20/20 line was razor sharp.  All was well.

A week later, another exam.  Suddenly, that 20/20 line was fuzzy.  My vision had slipped to 20/25.

A month later, another exam.  Now I'm 20/30, and having troubles reading, watching TV, the whole deal.  At the end of the day, my eyes hurt.   The doctor gave me a prescription for glasses.

Six months later, I'm still 20/30.  At that time, the doc examines me for a possible 2nd LASIK procedure to "tweak" my vision.  Apparently, I'm now more astigmatic than nearsighted (or something), meaning a 2nd surgery could do more harm than good.

So .. I went from wearing my glasses 100% of my day before LASIK .. down to about 75% of the time, after LASIK. 

20/30 vision is "pretty good".  I'm sure lots of people walk around with 20/30 all the time.  I CAN read and drive with 20/30.   But after having 20/20 vision, with glasses, for 25 years .. 20/30 is an intolerable downgrade, so I wear my glasses most of the day, so I'm pretty much back to where I started.

In the end, I paid $4,000 to not wear glasses for a few hours each day.   I can't say I'd do that over again. 

1. Election Prediction wrapup
2. Why is the NY Times picking on WFB?
   
3. Local Election Predictions
   
4. WFB Scam Alert
   
5. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
6. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
7. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS
   

 *** Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.

So .. on Monday, I wrote about the local elections .. let's see how my predictions panned out:  

1. I was wrong that Sandy Pasch would beat Wadhwa by 20 points.  The beat-down was THIRTY points.  I think back to when Wadhwa called me about the blog, how incredulous he was when I told him he'd lose by a landslide, as if no one had told him that before.
   
   
   
2. I predicted Wasserman would win by 2% .. looks like I got that flipped.  Alberta Darling won by 2%, who, as a Republican will remain in the minority in the State Senate, which means she'll be powerless once again.  Interesting that even in a Democratic tsunami election, a solid guy like Wasserman couldn't win .. that's what you get with gerrymandered districts.
   
   
   
3. I predicted the Milwaukee County Sales Tax increase would fail by 10%.  I am flabbergasted I got this wrong, as the referendum passed by 2%. 
   
   Honestly, I'm stunned.  I really had the Milwaukee area as a populace with a tremendous anti-tax bias. 
   
   Clearly, there are two groups who voted for this.. First, those voters who think their tax burden is not too high, don't mind increasing it by $63M/year, and want to increase support for Parks, Transit, Emergency Medical Services and Cultural services .. I FULLY understand there are people out there like that, but I'd put them in the 1 out of 5 range.  And I'll salute the folks who voted for this on the basis of its merits: They want more money for parks, et. al., and they are OK paying more for it.  As I said, that IS a legit vote. 
   
   The second group of people are the voters who didn't understand what they were voting for, exactly.  The warnings that the referendum's wording was confusing was spot on .. They read "property tax relief" and said, hey, something for nothing, let's vote for that.   The referendum wording didn't mention the sales tax would COST $130m.  Just that it would save/lower the property tax by $67m.  It's extremely doubtful this group really knew they would be paying $63m in the end.
   
   Well, guess what, County Supervisors who pushed this:  You succeeded, through tomfoolery and confusing language.  You didn't go for a legitimate referendum, where people knew the costs.  You wanted "property tax relief" in the wording so you could fool people into giving up $63M more of their dollars in a shell game.  Congrats on gaining your victory through the ignorance of voters.  You spun the language and won the game.
   
   
   
4. Speaking of something for nothing .. I predicted a 10+ point win for the City of Milwaukee's Sick Pay referendum.  Got that wrong, it won by a whopping 36%.  No surprise there.  Why should 9to5 stop there?  How about some other direct-legislation winners to benefit Milwaukee workers:  "Everyone gets a 50% raise!"  .. "All workers get a company car to drive!" ..  "Massage Mondays!" .. "Free Donut Fridays!" -- All of those would pass with HUGE margins too.
   
   Whoop .. We didn't have to wait long for that first lawsuit, challenging this referendum.

Make sure you read:

1. Local Election Predictions
   
2. WFB Scam Alert
   
3. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
4. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
5. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS
   

 Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.

A number of loyal readers have passed along links to the growing story about five Wisconsin School Districts that invested in a complex investment to bolster their pension/retirement funds which have now gone "south".

You may have read any of these articles that explain that Whitefish Bay and the other Districts have joined together in a lawsuit against the financial firms who sold them the instruments.

Yesterday, the NY Times, yes .. THAT New York Times .. had a front page article on this story which centers around Whitefish Bay.   No body reads that, right?  

So last night, as I'm watching Lehrer on The News Hour, I had to back up the Tivo and listen twice.  Sure enough, they were talking about Whitefish Bay's school district and how devastated they will be due to this financial scheme.  (You can listen to the broadcast here. .. NPR also did a radio broadcast.)

Why focus on WFB?  The entire amount that these five School Districts invested was $200 million.  Whitefish Bay's share of that? A $1.2 million slice of that total.   Yes, 75% of that may be gone, so we're talking about a $900k loss.  And we may get a part of that back through a lawsuit filed by all five districts.  That's not peanuts, but it IS a fraction of the $175m that's been lost in total.

Kenosha, West Allis, Kimberly .. those districts invested far more and are exponentially more sensitive to economic disasters.  Waukesha is the 5th.

I'm not saying losing a million bucks is not a story .. but national news?   (That's what got Whitefish Bay into the spotlight? Not our poor choice of Trick or Treat times?)

Well, on the bright side, Shawn Yde got his 1.5 minutes of national fame!

Make sure you read:

1. Local Election Predictions
   
2. WFB Scam Alert
   
3. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
4. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
5. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS
   

 Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.

 While I doubt many of you care what I think about Tuesday's election .. tough noogies.  I'm going to tell you anyhow.

State Rep:  Sandra Pasch will beat Yash Wadhwa easily, and win by 20 points.  Pasch won a long, tough primary battle against 3 tough, solid candidates.  I attended a forum with Pasch and Wadhwa, and two things were obvious:  Pasch was a solid candidate with a great grip on the issues, and second, Wadhwa was not ready for prime time.  In a Democratic year, Pasch wins this race easily.

State Senate:  This is a tough race to call.  Our district knows all about Wasserman and Darling, as both of them have represented us.  Wasserman is a new face in 2/3rds of Darling's district, so he had a lot of work to do to get known.   There's no doubt there are fewer Republicans in Wisconsin than 2-8 years ago, as people flip parties.   That reduction occurs all across the state, which includes those districts which are "solid Republican" areas.  

I've voted for both Darling and Wasserman, so this is a tough vote to cast.  Indeed, Wasserman has a thin resume of legislative accomplishments while Darling has some, albeit not recently.  Why?  Wasserman has spent his entire career in the Republican dominated Assembly.  Darling was a leader in the Republican Senate until the Dems took that over.   Now that Darling is also in the minority, she's also stuck in nowhere land just like Wasserman.

That's why I'm voting for Wasserman.  Having a rep in the minority party does NOTHING for you, as they are powerless, and none of the leadership listens to anyone in the minority party.   Wasserman is a decent guy.  I remember the first time I wrote him, he called me up one night around 8pm, and the two of us chatted about issues for 30 minutes like two guys drinking beer, eating pizza.  He's very likable, and will do well.  -- My prediction:  Wasserman wins by 2 points.

Milwaukee County Sales Tax Referendum:  This won't pass.  It'll lose by at least 10 points.  There are two types of voters who will vote yes.  The first group is those who want to pay more taxes, believing this sales tax increase will improve the parks.  The second, much larger group will vote yes because they don't understand the issue, and are taken in by the poor wording, suggesting a yes vote will somehow magically lower their tax burden.  It will only shift their tax burden from property tax to sales tax, plus add some.  Don't be fooled.

Finally, While I don't live in the City of Milwaukee .. I'm sure their referendum on mandating sick-leave will pass by 10 or more points.  There are far too many people who will look at that as a vote to give them something for nothing, and while I like this type of "Direct Legislation" referendum by the people, this is a terrible example.  Next, we'll see a referendum to give all employees a weekly massage.  Everyone will vote for that, too.  This is a travesty, and I'll bet a lawsuit will be filed by Wednesday morning on its validity.

Sensenbrenner will win by a million points, as well as the dozen other uncontested races that clutter up our ballot. 

Of course, I don't know what our ballot looks like this year, as it wasn't published in the NOW paper, like it is every other election cycle.    Odd.

Make sure you read:

1. WFB Scam Alert
   
2. One less bad guy on WFB's streets!
3. Silver Spring Blame Game
   
4. Solicitors DO NEED PERMITS
   

 Don't want to keep checking for news on this blog?  Have it delivered to your inbox, so you won't miss anything.  Free.  Click here.