Chinese Art Comes to the Milwaukee Art Museum

If you need a reason other than the Brewers to head to Milwaukee, here's good one (text copied from the MAM website):

Summer of CHINAJune 11, 2011–September 11, 2011

This summer, enter a realm of majesty and mystery. Experience three thousand years of Chinese art and culture in five exhibitions at the Milwaukee Art Museum. This ambitious series, titled the Summer of CHINA, is part of a year-long celebration honoring the ten-year anniversary of the Museum’s Santiago Calatrava—designed Quadracci Pavilion.

Visit exhibition website

High-speed Passenger Details

Here's more information on high-speed passenger rail service from Madison to Milwaukee (and Beyond!). I emphasize the 'beyond' because this service will not just be about taking the train from Madison to Milwaukee, but probably more importantly connecting to passenger service to major Midwestern cities like Chicago (good-bye Northwest Tollway! - err, Jane Addams Memorial Tollway).

Another point to note: The Wisconsin effort is part of a long-standing larger Midwestern effort called the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI).

The following is an excerpt from the overview section of Wisconsin Department of Transportation's application for funding to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The overview is at:


[Begin excerpt]:Main features and characteristics of the Corridor Service

Wisconsin's corridor service plan (together with Illinois and Minnesota) is to implement 110 mph passenger rail service between Chicago-Milwaukee-Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago-Milwaukee-Green Bay. The implementation of this corridor service is planned in phases, which are consistent with the Midwest Regional Rail System (MWRRS) phases:

Phase 1 of corridor service plan: Milwaukee-Madison (Extension of Chicago-Milwaukee)
-Initially 7 round-trips between Chicago and Milwaukee with 6 continuing on to Madison in 2013 (Final design and construction applied for October 2, 2009 HISPR Track 2, project 5 on table).
-Increase to 10 round-trips between Chicago and Milwaukee with 6 continuing on to Madison upon completion of improvements between Chicago and Milwaukee. This includes three track 1a improvements (see project table).

The other improvements will be applied for in 2010 following completion of the Service Level NEPA. Phase 2 of corridor service plan: Milwaukee-Minneapolis/St. Paul
-10 round-trips between Chicago and Madison, with 6 round-trips extending to Minneapolis/St. Paul (via Madison route alignment depends on results of Service Level NEPA study. Funding for Service Level NEPA applied for August, 2009 HISPR Track 3 by Minnesota)

 Phase 3 of corridor service plan: Chicago-Milwaukee-Green Bay-Increase to 17 round-trips between Chicago and Milwaukee with 7 continuing on to Green Bay-Increase speed between Chicago and Milwaukee to 110 mph

Existing passenger service operating over the area of the corridor service plan as defined above includes Amtrak Hiawatha Service with 7 round-trips per day between Chicago and Milwaukee, and Amtrak Empire Builder with one round-trip per day between Chicago and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Madison and Green Bay currently have no rail service.
…

Implementation of the corridor service plan could potentially serve most of the Wisconsin's most populous and fastest-growing regions. Approximately 76% of Wisconsin's total population lives within 30 miles of proposed Midwest Regional Rail System stations.

Based on MWRRS, Wisconsin service characteristics include:
Travel Time:
- Chicago to Milwaukee: Existing = 1:29 / 2020 = 1:05
- Milwaukee to Madison: Existing = N/A / 2013: 1:14 (1:09-Express)
- Chicago to Minneapolis/St. Paul: Existing = 8:37 / 2020 = 5:37
- Chicago to Green Bay: Existing = N/A / 2020 = 2:58

The participating states of this corridor service plan, which include Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, have a long history of coordination and cooperation, which will continue with the implementation and operation of the corridor service.
The Midwest Regional Rail System (MWRRS) has been under development since 1995, when the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri in partnership with the FRA and Amtrak, began to evaluate the potential for high speed rail in the Midwest."


[End of excerpt]

***

If this post doesn't do it for you, then you can find enough info for even the frothiest foamer at:

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/recovery/railroad.htm

Putting the Mayor in Charge of Schools?

Am I the only one who just doesn't get how putting the mayor of Milwaukee in charge of the Milwaukee public schools is going to fix that school system?

The draft proposal would give the mayor incredibly expansive powers, including the power to appoint the school superintendent who would serve at the pleasure of the mayor and the to appoint half of the members of budget committee. The draft also transfers most of the remaining power from the elected school board to mayor's appointed superintendent. The proposal is profoundly undemocratic.

(Try a search for 'superintendent' within the draft legislation and in nearly every instance, the super takes power away from the school board.)

Would it work? Is there any reason to think the mayor of Milwaukee knows anything about running a big city school system? Doesn't the mayor already have plenty to do without adding a 82,000 student school system to his plate?

Is an unresponsive school board the reason the Milwaukee students do so poorly and have a horrible black/white achievement gap? Or is a more likely cause the large number of unemployed and the huge disparity of black/white income? The fact that Milwaukee has the 7th highest poverty rate in the US? One-fourth of the people who live in Milwaukee are below the official poverty line. That's $21,000 for a family of four.

Maybe Doyle, Obama, and Barrett should take a crack at fixing that problem.

I don't pretend to understand the Milwaukee politics - supporters include State Sen. Lena Taylor, along with fellow Senators Jeff Plale and Tim Carpenter, and state Reps. Pedro Colón and Jason Fields (all Democrats who represent the Milwaukee area), but the Milwaukee NAACP opposes it as as does the teachers' union. A group has formed to fight the changes: Coalition To Stop the MPS Takeover.

And all this is coming right when Tom Barrett is expected to finally get off the fence and run for governor.

The whole idea smells of politics and another simplistic idea to fix schools.

Doyle announces bill to let mayor take over MPS

Doyle says he has votes for MPS overhaul - JSOnline

Why the Milwaukee Mayor should not take over MPS ACLU of Wisconsin

Is 'Mayoral Control' The Answer For Urban Schools? from the National Journal, a bunch of education experts:National Journal Online -- Education Experts -- Is 'Mayoral ...


A mayor's school takeover plot Socialist Worker Online - ‎Nov 9, 2009‎. See if you can get past the byline and read this cogently written story.

Milwaukee Museums - Feed Your Brain

It goes without saying that Chicago has great museums (or I guess not since I just said it), but Milwaukee has a few worth visiting too. Summaries are from the museum web sites.

Milwaukee Public Museum

The exhibit Bodyworlds is only there through June 1.

"The Milwaukee Public Museum, a not-for-profit organization operated by Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., is an institution of human and natural history providing a dynamic and stimulating environment for learning.

The Museum interprets the world's cultural and natural heritage through the integration of exhibits, education, collections and research. MPM holds its collections as a public trust and is dedicated to their preservation for the enrichment of present and future generations."

Milwaukee Art Museum Art Lives Here

"The Milwaukee Art Museum collects and preserves art, presenting it to the community as a vital source of inspiration and education.

20,000 works of art. 300,000+ visitors a year. 120 years of collecting art. From its roots in Milwaukee’s first art gallery in 1888, the Museum has grown today to be an icon for Milwaukee and a resource for the entire state.

The 341,000-square-foot Museum includes the War Memorial Center (1957) designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the Kahler Building (1975) by David Kahler, and the Quadracci Pavilion (2001) created by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

Central to the Museum’s mission is its role as a premier educational resource, with educational programs that are among the largest in the nation, involving classes, tours, and a full calendar of events for all ages.
Collection"


America's Black Holocaust Museum Inc I've never been here. Anyone else?

"America's Black Holocaust Museum was founded to educate the general public of the injustices suffered by people of African Heritage in America,and to provide visitors with an opportunity to rethink their assumptions about race and racism.

We are America's only memorial to the victims of the Black Holocaust. Visitors leave with a deeper understanding of history as it relates to racial injustice and the African American experience"

Discovery World Museum There's just too much going on at this relatively new attraction for them to summarize it on their web page.

Betty Brinn Children's Museum

"The Betty Brinn Children's Museum is dedicated to providing interactive exhibits and educational resources that promote the healthy development of children in their formative years—from birth through age ten. The Museum experience encourages hands-on learning and the development of fundamental skills, self-esteem, and the ability to work with others. Caregivers use the Museum as a resource that provides information on early childhood brain development, learning styles, and effective parenting skills. The Museum maintains a strong commitment to providing access to all children and families in the community, including low-income and special needs families."

Photo credits: Milwaukee Art Museum (night) and Discovery World - Wisconsin Department of Tourism

Milwaukee Art Museum by MARINA GOLUBOVA - USA from http://www.thespiderawards.com/