'Someone's Knocking' - - - on the Basement?!!

"Relatively quiet night in Wisconsin boom town"
Associated Press, via Chicago Tribune (March 22, 2012)

"If the number of phone calls to police is any indication, it was a relatively quiet night in the eastern Wisconsin community of Clintonville where mysterious booms have awakened residents for several nights.

"Police received several calls early Thursday morning, compared to more than 100 overnight Sunday to Monday when the racket began.

"The strange disturbance sounds like distant thunder, fireworks or someone slamming a heavy door. Officials have checked water, sewer and gas lines, contacted the military about any exercises in the area, reviewed permits for mining explosives, in addition to testing methane levels at the local landfill.

"The city is also investigating geological causes. Officials plan to bring in vibration detection devices to try to determine the epicenter of any underground activity. Authorities set up audio and video equipment overnight but didn't capture any evidence of shaking or booming despite at least one loud noise about 5 a.m. Wednesday...."

The odds are, in the Lemming's opinion, that Clintonville, Wisconsin, isn't in any particular danger at the moment. The booms and rattling could be caused by mining or heavy truck traffic. If either was in the area. Which they're not.

'Nothing to Worry About,' and the Kryptonian Science Council

"...However, a local scientist said nothing has surfaced that suggests townspeople should be afraid...."

Didn't the Kryptonian Science Council say something like that, shortly before the planet blew up? Well, that was a comic book story. Clintonville, Wisconsin, is a real place.

Something like this happened in the small Minnesota town where the Lemming lives. Except that was one really big 'BOOM!' And we found out what happened pretty quick. Someone had decided to get rid of a big pile of stuff, by burning it. And discovered what happens when fuel vapors accumulate before you set the fire. Nobody was hurt, happily.

No Known Fault Lines

"...Steve Dutch, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, said the ground beneath them is solid, and that there are no known earthquake fault lines in the area.

"Dutch said he heard some people worrying that a sinkhole might open up and swallow homes. That can happen in areas where the ground is rich with limestone and other rocks that can be dissolved by water, he said. But the rock below Clintonville is mainly solid granite that's largely impermeable.

"He speculated that water and granite could hold the key to the mystery. Granite has small cracks that water can fill, but if the underground water table falls especially low, water can seep out, leaving gaps that cause the rocks to settle and generate loud noises...."

There are several things going on here.

What Dutch said about sinkholes lines up with what the Lemming's read about those real estate surprises. Granite simply isn't the sort of rock that's at all likely to develop big holes like that.

The Lemming doesn't doubt that there aren't any known fault lines under Clintonville, Wisconsin. But folks didn't know about the New Madrid fault, until it unclenched, back in the 19th century. Still, it doesn't seem all that likely that there's a previously-unmapped fault under Clintonville.

Let's Not Forget Cthulhu

Looks like the Lemming isn't the only one with an imagination.

"...Some residents are having fun with the mystery, which has drawn media attention from around the nation.

"Jordan Pfeiler said people stayed up late on the first two nights to walk around listening for booms. They came up with outlandish theories to explain the noise - for example, that the White House was building an underground bunker in the area or that mole men had found a home there.

" 'And the aliens, of course, there's always the aliens,' she said...."

Mole men are a good start. So are aliens. But let's not be satisfied with half-measures here. Eldritch subterranean thunder? No readily-apparent explanation? Cracks in the basement walls? If this were a particular sort of story, we'd be within a few chapters of the big guy himself showing up: Cthulhu.

No, the Lemming doesn't really think so. Cthulhu and company are fiction. That sort of thing does make a good story, though. In the Lemming's opinion.

Sort-of-related posts:

• "Lemming Tracks: Oklahoma Earthquake, 'Unexplained Increase,' and Sounding Crazy"
  (November 7, 2011)
  • And see:
    "Oklahoma Earthquake - or - THEY Awakened the Sleeping Spawn of CTHULHU!!!"
    Drifting on the Edge of Time and Space (November 7, 2011)
• "Beware Warmonger Imperialist Space Aliens!?"
  (January 11, 2011)
  Particularly
  • E.T., Klaatu, and Cthulhu
• "Gliese 581g, Space Aliens, and the Canals of Mars"
  (October 12, 2010)
• "Mississippi River, Glaciers, and a Whacking Great Earthquake"
  (July 30, 2010)
• "Laacher See Supervolcano Eruption: You Think You Had a Bad Day?!"
  (September 26, 2009)

Mayfair Mall: Delayed Flash Mob in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin?

Mayfair Mall (www.mayfairmall.com), in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, closed early yesterday afternoon. A large crowd of "unruly" teens smashed glass, damaged merchandise - but didn't manage to hurt themselves or anyone else. Happily.

That last is the good news. The bad news is that there's quite a lot of damage done: and quite a few kids who seem to need a reality check. In the Lemming's opinion.

So far, that's the gist of what's been released. The police weren't releasing many details of the incident. Or, rather, the Lemming didn't find any updates in the news, as of about 10:45 a.m. Central today.

Here's some of what the Lemming did find, with the inevitable comments:

Mayfair Mess: a Personal View

"No fun at Mayfair"
Todd Bragstad, Milwaukee BizTalk blog, The Business Journal (January 3, 2011)

"What my family and I witnessed on late Sunday afternoon at Mayfair Mall not only turned our stomachs, it turned us off.

"After watching throngs of young people congregating unchecked in the corridors on both the mall's upper and lower levels as we shopped, we had just paid for some items in the accessories department in the lower level of Boston Store when things got crazy.

"After hearing a commotion toward the center of the store, I looked over to see a white-cloaked cosmetics clerk yelling “stop it; get out of our store.” A line of kids were shouting and following each other single-file up and down the stairs and escalators before they raced through the store, smashing signs, knocking over displays and dodging security.

"My wife, two teenage daughters and myself...."

This blog post has the virtue of showing what happened at Mayfair Mall from 'inside:' and not edited down to a sound bite by reporters and editors.

The Lemming also appreciated this bit of background:

"...Mayfair's management and owners, General Growth Properties Inc., Chicago, took a lot of heat in 2007 when it enacted its parental guidance policy, a rule that requires mall visitors age 17 and under to be accompanied by an adult 21 or older from 2 p.m. to closing on Fridays and Saturdays. Unfortunately, it did not include Sundays...."
(BizTalk blog)

Mr. Bragstad doesn't specify who complained about the parental guidance policy, back in 2007. It could have been teens who didn't like restrictions; or it could be folks closer to the Lemming's age, who never quite got over the '60s. 'Responsibility' isn't the four-letter word it used to be, but it's still occasionally inconvenient. And that's another topic.

Mayfair Mall News: Making the Most of Few Details

"'Group Of Youth' Causes Disruption At Mayfair Mall In Wauwatosa"
WISN, Milwaukee (January 2, 2011)

"Very Few Details About Incident Being Released

"Few official details are being released about an incident that occurred at Mayfair Mall on Sunday around 5:30 p.m.

"Wauwatosa Mayor Jill Didier told 12 News there was 'definitely a disruption' that forced the mall to close early.

"A customer inside Boston Store during the disruption described what she witnessed to 12 News.

" 'A crowd of like 50 to 60 kids just came barreling through the upstairs door at Boston Store, knocking down everything they could touch. They went running down the stairs. All that we heard was glass breaking. There was security yelling to every manager to lockdown the doors, lockdown the mall, lockdown the store,' the customer said.

"That customer sent a few photos to 12 News that show mannequins and items knocked down inside Boston Store...."

The WISN article has an embedded video, and a link to photos of the Mayfair Mall damage.

The Lemming sympathizes with folks in the news business, when something like the Mayfair Mall mess happens and there aren't all that many important facts to report. WISN did a pretty good job of it, in the Lemming's opinion.

Moving along.

Mayfair Mall: Early Report and Why Earwitness Testimony Need Salt

"Mayfair Mall closes early after tumult"
Meg Jones, Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel Online (January 2, 2011)

"Unsubstantiated reports of gunfire received

"Mayfair Mall closed down early on Sunday afternoon as New Year's weekend shoppers were told to leave after witnesses reported seeing groups of unruly young people shouting and running in the Wauwatosa shopping center.

"There also were unsubstantiated reports of gunfire.

"Elsa Mercado was trying on clothes in a fitting room at Ann Taylor Loft when she heard loud noises. Her sister was at another store, and when Mercado tried to leave to check on her, she discovered she was locked in as some of the stores brought down their security gates.

" 'Someone was pounding on our door and saying, "Please let me in. There's gunfire." We unlocked the door and let him in. He was very frightened, he was very pale,' said Mercado, who used her cell phone to call 911.

"Mercado said the 911 dispatcher asked her location.

" 'They wanted to know where I was; it seemed like they had gotten a lot of calls throughout the mall,' said Mercado, who saw a group of rowdy young people she estimated to number around 100. 'It was happening throughout the entire mall. It was not isolated to one part of the mall.'

"A Mayfair Mall official said in an e-mailed statement late Sunday that the behavior of a group of young people was isolated and there were no injuries.

" 'What occurred this afternoon appears to be a group of youth intent on disrupting the shopping experience at Mayfair. The safety and security of our visitors are always our top priority. This behavior is isolated and we will not condone it,' Mayfair Senior General Manager Steve Smith said in the statement...."

"Gunfire!" Or, rather, "unsubstantiated reports of gunfire."

There's a difference. The Lemming discussed eyewitness testimony last year:

• "Chukchi Blob: It's Algae (No Space Aliens, Alas!)"
  (July 20, 2009)
  Particularly
  • About Eyewitness testimony:
  • It's not entirely unreliable
    • "Is Expert Testimony On Eyewitness Reliability Admissible?"
      Forensic-Evidence.com (March 18, 2003)
    • It's not entirely reliable
      "HOW RELIABLE IS EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY?: A Decision By New York State's Highest Court Reveals Unsettling Truths About Juries"
      FindLaw (May 16, 2001)

The Lemming hopes that Mayfair Mall's Mr. Smith is able to carry through on his assertion: "....This behavior is isolated and we will not condone it."

It's nice that nobody got hurt this time: but broken glass and damaged merchandise costs money to repair or replace. Folks working at the closed shops may not get paid for the time they'd have put in, if the young nitwits hadn't misbehaved: and the Lemming remembers what being a few hours short on a weekly paycheck can do to a household.

Bottom line: yesterday's activity at Mayfair Mall was not exactly a harmless prank. How much property damage and lost wages there was isn't clear yet: but a whole lot of folks got more than just inconvenienced.

For the sake of the kids involved, I hope that they're given an opportunity to pay for the cleanup and reimburse the folks whose jobs they interrupted. And that they learn how to behave around people who aren't their own circle of acquaintances.

Maybe that sounds "judgmental," or the more up-to-date "hateful." The Lemming doesn't think so: but that's just the Lemming's opinion.

Delayed Flash Mob at Mayfair Mall?

"Police foil planned mall flash mob"
Odd News, UPI (December 30, 2010)

"Police in Wisconsin said they foiled an attempted freeze tag-playing flash mob event on one of the year's busiest shopping days.

"Wauwatosa police said managers at Mayfair Mall became concerned after learning 130 Tosa West High School students joined a Facebook group organizing a flash mob -- a group of people assembling in a public place to perform a pre-arranged activity -- to play freeze tag at the mall Dec. 23, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday.

"Police said the students in the Facebook group were issued one-day bans from the mall on the intended day of the event and the four teens who organized the Facebook group agreed to call it off...."

Maybe this is why the police have been so quiet about yesterday's incident. In their position, the Lemming would be looking very carefully at connections between the flash mob that didn't happen on Friday, and the vandalism that did on Sunday.

Milwaukee Art Museum: 'It's Alive!!'

Milwaukee Art Museum
"Art Lives Here"

The website's designed, the Lemming suspects, to encourage folks to come see the Milwaukee Art Museum. Which, living in Minnesota, I'm not likely to do any time soon. It's not that roads don't go this far: I like it here, and that's another topic.

Where was the Lemming? Milwaukee. Art. Tables.

Tables?

Right. Tables:

• "Milwaukee Art Museum Launches First-Ever Art of the Table Weekend"
  Milwaukee Art Museum News (November 1, 2010)

You may think that a table is just something that keeps your plate from hitting the floor, or a place to park one's elbows. But the MAM avers that there's more to tables than mere functionality:

"The Milwaukee Art Museum is premiering Art of the Table, a four-day event that presents the unique tabletop installations of twenty-two area artists and designers, inspired by the art in the Museum's galleries. A lecture by design impresario and vibrant personality Alberto Alessi is among the slate of program offerings. The event runs Thursday, November 18, through Sunday, November 21, and is included with Museum admission.

"Art of the Table is a tribute to art and installation design, and the perfect complement to the feature exhibition European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century, which is on view through January 9, 2011. Twenty-two area artists and designers were each challenged to create a non-traditional tabletop installation for specific galleries throughout the Museum. Participants include Anthropologie, Williams Sonoma, Design Within Reach, and Crate & Barrel...."

Like many well-behaved websites, they've got an 'about' page.

The call it "Museum Info:"

"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 Lemming found the idea of four floors and 40-plus galleries a little easier to visualize than "20,000 works of art." Either way, that's a lot of exhibition space.

They've got a fair number of photos, giving visitors a sample of what to expect at the museum. It's not just paintings: sculpture, furniture, bowls and photos are on display.

There's a wide range of style: from Frank Lloyd right to pre-1900s furniture and 'modern' art. Which is more than paint spatters sold to gullible sophisticates. And that's yet another topic.

Here's Looking At You: Chicago Gets the Eye

"The odyssey of Chicago's new Eye sculpture"
Arts, Chicago Tribune (July 3, 2010)

Or, "How the giant sculpture got from rural Wisconsin to the Loop"

"On the ides of June, while squinting at a cluster of threatening clouds from his perch on a grassy construction site just outside of Sparta, Wis. this small city, Chicago sculptor Tony Tasset is, to use his words, totally freaking out.

" 'You know those reality shows?' Tasset says, a slightly uneasy smile on his face. "This is that part when the team is up against their deadline, and it looks like they're never going to finish on time.'

"Tasset's 'team' is made up of a half-dozen fiberglass workers at Sparta's Fast Corp. (Fiberglass Animals Shapes and Trademarks), who have been assigned to construct the artist's largest piece to date: a giant eyeball aptly named Eye, which, upon completion, will stand three stories tall and stare east from the Loop's Pritzker Park, at State and Van Buren streets. Tasset was commissioned for the job last fall by the Chicago Loop Alliance, and Fast Corp., with which he had collaborated on prior sculptures (including a 12-foot-high eyeball), took the engineering reins earlier this year...."

Maybe a more important question than how this titanic eyeball got to Chicago's Loop is why?! The article answers that, too:

"...Eye was commissioned by the Chicago Loop Alliance as part of its premiere Art Loop installation: a new, temporary work 'by an important artist' to be installed each summer in the Loop and paired with free programming. For its part, the CLA is promoting the sculpture as if it were the next 'Bean.'

" 'We wanted to have someone do something that we thought was fun and a little irreverent,' said CLA Executive Director Ty Tabing, who sat on the committee of art-centric locals that picked Tasset as the debut Art Loop artist. 'His art is not too highbrow,' Tabing said via telephone in June, 'and still very provocative and thought-provoking at the same time.'..."

I'm not sure that "thought-provoking" is quite what I'd call a 30-foot eyeball staring across the heads of Chicago's commuters. Or maybe I'm being too narrow in the way I define "thought."

It's possible that the sight of that outsized, disembodied eyeball will encourage some to give up drink, see a psychiatrist, or run - screaming - to fling themselves in Buckingham fountain a few blocks east. Provided the traffic doesn't get them on the way.

Okay: "a few blocks east and a little south."

One thing puzzles me about the article. I don't mean some group of citizens intentionally arranging for a huge ersatz eyeball to be placed in their city: 'art' folks have been doing weird, bizarre things for most of my life.

It's that cryptic reference to "Bean." Someone who lives in Chicago and follows culture and the arts there probably knows what "Bean" is - and if that person is you, I'd appreciate it if you'd share your knowledge in a comment. Thanks in advance!

Wisconsin Garage Bites Wienermobile: Photos

"Wienermobile Crash"
WLUK FOX11 (July 18, 2009)

"The owner of a southern Wisconsin house might not be in love with the Oscar Mayer wiener right now.

"The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile crashed into a Mount Pleasant house around noon Friday...."


FOX11 (July 18, 2009)
video (sequence of still photos with narration) 0:29

That's not the sort of thing I'd prefer to come home to.

UPI had a bit more fun with this story:

"Wienermobile crashes into Wisconsin house"
UPI (July 18, 2009)

"The Oscar Mayer hot dog company probably didn't relish the apology it had to issue after its famed Wienermobile crashed into a Mount Pleasant, Wis., house.

"Sydney Lindner, a spokeswoman for the company, a division of Kraft Foods
based in Chicago, said Oscar Mayer would work with insurance companies after an unidentified 22-year-old driver of the hot dog-shaped vehicle managed to slam it into a home Friday while trying to turn around on a dead-end street, WLUK-TV, Green Bay, Wis., reported...."

I know: this is a serious matter. But still: "...didn't relish the apology...." I suppose the driver feels that she didn't quite pass mustard today. Hot dog, though: those are photos you don't see every day.

There. I've got that out of my system.

No: there's one more. The UPI story concludes:

"...A tow truck was used to dislodge the Wienermobile from its pickle, the station said."

What put the wienermobile part-way into that garage seems to have been mistaking a gas pedal for the brake. I suppose it's a natural enough error, sandwiched in a dead-end street like that.