Science


EV’S THE TRUTH

The groundswell of trash talk around electric cars leaves me, an owner of both a Chevy Volt first, and now a Bolt, mystified, angry,  but hardly speechless.  Mystified, because the complaints about EV's bear no similarity to my own experience with them over the past six and a half years.  Angry, because I'd bet good money that the source of the snow job comes directly from the fossil fuel industry first, and anyone hawking the Infernal Combustion Engine (ICE), second.  After almost seven years behind the wheel of an EV here is what I have found. My entry into the EV ...

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Academic AND Vocational Education

Sidetracking traditional education and leaning into vocational training at an early age will only exacerbate cultural division in the U.S. Much of what currently upsets under-educated Americans is that they do not understand much of what they have to deal with on a daily basis. It’s not news that people fear the unknown. The anti-vaxxers are a perfect example—people who know nothing about viruses or how they function in the human body or how vaccines work to provide a level of immunity. So there’s all this pressure from the educated (scientists, doctors) and ...

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The Gift of Yellow Leaves

If there be wood sprites at play upon this land let them dress up in all the yellows of a late autumn day.  Glorious October yellow stands of unruly tamarack, meandering branches that twist and turn like dervishes, sublime with ecstasy, begin our journey across the enchanted north woods.  Poplar and birch, both paper and gray, rise up on sturdy, ballet toes, twirl exuberantly yellow beyond compare.  Even the few not yet naked maples glint yellow amid a myriad of other colors.  You would never call it an explosion of yellow, or accuse the lemon forest of being ablaze.  ...

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THE HUMAN JOURNEY

Historically, two of the strongest indicators that a dominant "empire" is irreversibly in decline, are the financialization of its economy (manipulating money to make money - effectively parasitism) and excessive militarism (to defend and spread its parasitism). The US now exhibits these indicators in spades. Our nation, the United States, follows the path of previous great powers exiting the stage. But again, speaking historically, the equation is different this time around. Humanity, for the first time, faces two great threats to our actual ongoing presence on Earth ...

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Tiffany Song and Dance

“I hope you are enjoying the summer heat.” Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI). This is the opening line in Tiffany's August 11 email newsletter. Wisconsin is suffering from unprecedented heat. Almost all of Wisconsin is experiencing drought. Parts or the state – including Tiffany's northwestern district – are in “extreme” drought with the south shore of Lake Superior having “exceptional” drought (the National Weather Service's highest category). Where I live in Douglas County is 6-9 inches below normal rainfall. Given these facts, Tiffany's statement is particularly ...

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THE RIGHTS OF NATURE TWO

    This year WISDOM brought together a core group of us, who together have worked on what is known as the Rights of Nature. Please click on the photos to enlarge. You can also check us out at: www.rightsofnaturewi.org. You can also find us on FaceBook.    

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Join us on Earth Day


A History of Mining Failures in Northern Wisconsin

Tom Tiffany’s mining fantasies have not been working out.  He authored what may go down as one of the worst laws ever written, designed to create a low cost iron mine by removing the top of the Penokee Hills and filling in the headwaters of the Bad River, a major river feeding Lake Superior, with the mine wastes.  It did not end well for Mr. Tiffany. Then Senator Tiffany’s dream came true when he was able overturn the so-called “Mining Moratorium Law”, despite overwhelming opposition to his scheme.  The law was never a moratorium on metallic mining in our ...

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Nuclear Weapons and the Environment

January 22, 2023 marked the second anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. On January 22, 2021 nuclear weapons officially became illegal under international law. The world community declared the mass murder resulting from using nuclear weapons a crime against humanity. Currently 92 nations have signed and 68 have ratified the treaty and are bound by its provisions. Unfortunately, none of the nine countries who have nuclear weapons have signed and ratified the treaty. Because they have not, the treaty does not apply to them. As a result, human ...

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Wisconsin’s Fish Are in Hot Water

According to the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts our state has warmed by three degrees Fahrenheit since 1950, and as a result our waters are warming up too.  From our ponds and lakes to our winding rivers and cold, clear, trout streams these warmer temperatures spell trouble for some of our favorite fish.  To learn more about these impacts our local Citizen's Climate Lobby brings retired Senior Fisheries Biologist, Frank Pratt, to town for a discussion of his 45 years worth of research in Northern Wisconsin. If you love fishing you will want to hear ...

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