The closing of Madison's Borders Books West is the end of an era in more ways than one

The parking lot of the Borders bookstore across from Hilldale is as busy as ever, but now it's filled with bargain hunters. This location, which employs about 40 people, is one of the stores the chain chose to close in conjunction with their bankruptcy (apparently because the lease is more expensive than that of the smaller store on the East Side). They've been holding a going out of business sale the last few weeks and will close their doors next month. I've spent a lot of memorable moments here over the years. Superstore or not, it's still a bookstore, and its closing is a sad occasion.

Borders died slowly, bit by bit. Who killed Borders? The usual suspects -- you and me and technology. Not to mention a clueless corporate hierarchy that never could quite figure out what to do with the chain of superstores after it purchased them.

They used to hold author readings here on the second floor. The book shelves toward the back would be wheeled out of the way, and they would set up folding chairs. I saw Paul Krugman read here, standing directly below where the "Everything Must Go!" sign is now. Paul Theroux, too. Now the whole store just looks sad.

The liquidation signs everywhere are a jarring reminder that this superstore is in its final days. Ironically, Borders themselves helped popularize a concept that paved the way for their own demise. Bookselling, with a few exceptions in major metropolitan areas, used to be a small, intimate, leisurely business. Once you accustom people to the idea of shopping in a super bookstore with nearly unlimited inventory, it's only a matter of time until somebody named Bezos comes up with the idea of the ultimate superstore -- one that's online and virtual and bigger than any mere physical bookstore could be. A place called Amazon where you could easily order any book you want with one-click ordering from the comfort of your home.

And that, of course, was just the beginning. Just as the distribution of books became more virtual, now the books themselves are becoming virtual as well, reduced to mere electrons displayed on the screens of e-readers and tablet computers. Judging from the comparative sales growth of e-books and books on paper, we're getting close to a tipping point. It's only a matter of time until most of us mainly read books on an e-reader or tablet device, or an even better next new thing. This will change the nature of books and reading. How, nobody really knows right now, but it's likely to be in the direction of more of a multimedia, networked experience.

In such a world, what will take the place of that unique, private imaginative space between a reader and an author that reading a book used to provide, and what will take the place of the public spaces bookstores used to provide to encourage that pursuit?

Strong unions allow us all to move forward

The sign at the base of the famous Forward statue at the Wisconsin State Capitol explains why unions benefit everyone, not just union members: "Unions set the bar for all of us!"

One day longer!

One person at a time, one day at a time: While there's strength in numbers, in the huge rallies we've had recently, there's also the quiet strength and courage of single individuals standing up for what they believe in.

How vulnerable are Wisconsin's reactors -- Point Beach and Kewaunee? (Sort of) not very.

The Daily Beast consulted with experts to come up with a ranking of all U.S. nuclear power plants for their story Most Vulnerable U.S. Nuclear Plants. Wisconsin has two operating plants -- Point Beach and Kewaunee, both on the Lake Michigan shoreline. They are ranked almost the very least vulnerable -- way down the list, 62nd and 63rd of all 65 plants in vulnerability.

Based on the input of more than a half-dozen experts in nuclear energy, nuclear engineering and risk assessment, The Daily Beast ranked the country's power plant sites based on three, equally weighted metrics: risk of natural disaster, safety performance assessments, and surrounding population. In other words, which nuclear power plants are located in the most dangerous physical locations, have the weakest relative operating conditions, and would affect the greatest number of people should an unforeseeable emergency occur? For the complete, detailed methodology, click here.

Why are the Wisconsin plants so invulnerable, relatively speaking? if you look at the criteria, it all boils down to the old retailing adage -- location, location, location. Unlike nearly half of the country's 104 operating reactors, neither of Wisconsin's nuclear plants is near a major earthquake fault line. They're not near a volcano. They're not going to be hit by a Category 5 hurricane. And another big plus is that there are no really large population centers within 50 miles of the plants, and the prevailing winds blow out to Lake Michigan.

If you look at the safety ratings of the plants themselves, the outlook is not quite as rosy. Both are aging plants that date back to the early seventies, operating past their original design expectancy. Point Beach's "relative safety ranking" is in the bottom third, and Kewaunee's is in the middle third.

So it isn't so much that the plants are safer than others, but more that if something does go wrong, it's not likely to be compounded by natural disaster (except possibly a tornado). Each is within 50 miles of about 800,000 people (still a lot of people, but a small number compared with many U.S. reactors). And we've got Lake Michigan there to soak up some of the mess.

In other words, they're not like the two reactors at the Dresden plant on the Illinois River southwest of Chicago. It's within 50 miles of nearly 8 million people.

Words like a beacon in the night

Poignant sight, when I happened to be walking on the Capitol Square. Few people around. At first glance, there were few signs of the events of the last few weeks. But you didn't have to look far to find them. I found these famous words of Ted Kennedy on a bench in the dark with a bouquet of flowers -- a powerful symbol of unquenchable determination to take back Wisconsin. I still hear Teddy's voice whenever I see these words.

"Miracle on the Hudson" copilot talks to "Miracle in Wisconsin" rally

This was several weeks ago, but I missed it at the time (thanks to Robin Good for the link). Jeff Skiles talks about not leaving anybody behind and what he feels about the teachers in his hometown of Oregon, Wisconsin. Powerful stuff.

Note: Jeff Skiles also withdrew his money from M&I Bank.

Gov. Scott Walker Starring in "Total Recall" -- playing all over Wisconsin through January 3, 2012

Although Scott Walker stars as the villain of this political potboiler, there's a strong supporting cast playing 8 Republican state senators also facing recall. Enablers of Walker's ambitious dream of leapfrogging to high national office on the backs of Wisconsin workers, the senators sacrifice their own careers in blind obedience to the opportunistic scheming of their boss. It's an exciting tale of blind ambition going disastrously awry, of overweening hubris brought low by the heroic resistance of hundreds of thousands of working men and women all over Wisconsin.

Badger Not Weasel Rating: 540,000 thumbs down!

Actually, it's still winter hereabouts

Not for long. It's supposed to really warm up the next couple of days. But as of today, Lake Wingra, Madison's smallest lake and the first to open up in spring, still had enough ice on it to support a couple of ice fishers way, way out there.

Which makes the number of people who have shown up at the Capitol the last few weeks all the more amazing.

Hearing crazy voices? Turn off Fox News!

Old folk remedy, but it works. Try it. You'll like it.

WI shall overcome -- and it will change politics as usual in Wisconsin for a long time to come

I think this left-over sign from the rallies is right. We shall overcome. And it's going to lead to some changes in Wisconsin Democratic politics as usual -- changes that are well underway.

Isthmus blogger Jack Craver (the Sconz) wrote a post yesterday with the provocative title of "Union-busting: It's the Democrats' fault too." In light of all that has happened, his words may seem harsh but he has a point.

Union-busting. We're supposed to act surprised. That's what Democrats tell us. How could the governor so callously overreach? And yet, many Dems fully expected Walker to target unions. Many were convinced the GOP would go further and make Wisconsin a right-to-work state. They just never said it in public.

Democrats never made workers' rights an issue in the last election because they didn't think it was an issue that voters would care about. Despite the backing Democrats get from organized labor, their candidates hardly mention unions unless they're releasing an endorsement from one. Even those endorsement announcements hardly ever touch upon the fundamental issue of the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain. Usually the backing of a union is just an opportunity for a candidate to boast that he has support from "working people."

Craver has a point about the past, about politics as usual in Wisconsin before all this came down. Going into last fall's election, Democratic politics in Wisconsin had become dominated by career politicians and lobbyists. Politics had become an insider's game. Of course, Democrats supported unions, but mainly as a campaign resource. Certainly not as a cause, which was thought to be a turn-off at the polls. If all things were equal, Democrats' votes were more liberal than the Republicans. But things were rarely equal. Thus, last fall's listless race for governor. If the Democrats had been more energized and better connected with working people, a yahoo like Walker also would never have been elected in the first place.

The great thing about the protest movement is that this has changed, probably for a long time to come. Democrats have been forced by events -- and the people -- to become fighting populists. They have been forced by events to stand up for unions, not just privately, but publicly as well -- and to help educate the public about how, if the unions lose, we all lose. We're all in this together.

The sides have been drawn so clearly now that there's no mistaking them, and the real fight has just begun. And it's going to change politics as usual in Wisconsin for a long time to come, especially as a younger generation of activists, veterans of this battle for the people's rights, start to move into electoral politics themselves.

Not so fast -- for sale but they didn't close

The Wisconsin State Capitol is a pretty big building to try to sell quickly in today's real estate market, especially if you're trying to do it under the table. But the Republicans priced it for a quick turnaround, and they thought they had buyers. But they failed to close the deal.

We the People took back our house. Next we'll take back our government.