Polygon, the Dancing Bear

Occasional notes on politics, history, technology, architecture,
and the life of a county clerk

2002:
May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2003:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2004:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2005:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2006:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2007:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2008:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July

Current entries

Friday, February 16, 2007, 2:33 pm

Working Cats. From the New York Times obituary of former Boston mayor and U.S. Secretary of Labor, Maurice Tobin, July 20, 1953:

As mayor of Boston, Mr. Tobin concentrated on nursing a virtually bankrupt city back to financial health and even reduced the appropriation covering milk for the two official cats in the public library. He won a reputation as an honest Mayor and defeated Mr. Curley again in 1941 for re-election by 9,000 votes.

So, as of 1941, if you believe the Times, the Boston Public Library had resident cats who were a line item in the city budget.

....Posted by Lawrence Kestenbaum —

Monday, February 12, 2007, 7:35 pm

From the Clerk-Register. Today's message to my staff.

Today is the 198th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. I'm guessing we'll be hearing a lot more about him as we get closer to his 200th.

Lincoln was a lawyer; since he traveled a great deal for his practice, the county clerks and court clerks of Illinois (our long-ago predecessors) surely had a lot of contact with him during his career. From accounts of people who knew him, he didn't look majestic or impressive. Elihu Washburne wrote:

No one who saw him can forget his personal appearance at that time. Tall, angular and awkward, he had on a short-waisted, thin swallow-tail coat, a short vest of the same material, thin pantaloons, scarcely coming to his ankles, a straw hat and a pair of brogans with woolen socks.

No doubt some of the court clerks he dealt with regarded him with pity or contempt. But this awkward and poorly dressed young man went on to become the greatest president in American history.

There's no telling which of our customers might one day do great things. Indeed, some of them already have. Washtenaw County has more than its share of residents who have written novels, invented tools, discovered medicines, composed music, engineered bridges, or advanced human knowledge and progress in a myriad of ways.

And even if they haven't become nationally prominent in their fields, a great many more are unsung heroes for their devotion to their families, for overcoming personal handicaps, for healing the sick, for fighting fires and crime, for fixing our great networks of pipes and wires and roads, for service in our military, for helping make this a great community.

Sometimes we know our customers and the things they have helped make possible through their lives and work. More often, we don't know just how much someone has done. And they themselves don't know how much they will ultimately do for the country, for the community, even for us as individuals.

Treating each and every customer with courtesy and respect is a small but important way to show our appreciation for all those past and future contributions.

Let's have a great week!

....Posted by Lawrence Kestenbaum —

Monday, February 5, 2007, 11:00 am

From the Clerk-Register. Today's message to my staff.

Most local schools are closed today. This took us by surprise. As my wife said, "Don't kids go to school in Minnesota?"

Kids go to school through the winter even in the Yukon. But here in Ann Arbor, the prospect of children walking a mile to school when the wind chill is 25 degrees below zero seemed like not such a good idea. Moreover, I hear that a lot of school buses wouldn't start this morning.

The implacable chemistry of lead-acid batteries and low temperatures affects us all: my car was slow to start, too. But if you're reading this today, you're in the office anyway, and I appreciate it.

Yes, it's below zero outside, and drafty in some of our offices. Our cars are encrusted with ice and salt, and our hands ache from the cold. The papers and radio and TV are full of grim news at the local, state, and national level.

But the sun is shining, and so are the faces of the customers who appreciate our being here to serve their needs.

If you were cheering for the Colts yesterday, congratulations on the win.

Let's think positive, and have a great week!

....Posted by Lawrence Kestenbaum —

2002:
May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December

2003:
January / February / March
April / May / June / July
August / September / October
November / December