Image by Jen Dolan   March is MS Awareness Month, but for those of us with multiple sclerosis, we just want people to be aware that we exist. I have MS, and I often feel forgotten. I have family members with MS who feel forgotten too.   It doesn’t just start when a diagnosis is given. Most other MS sufferers I know received a diagnosis when they were still highly functional. I envy those people because they had the opportunity to seek treatment early on. Some are still able to work. I wasn’t so lucky. I was misdiagnosed for over a decade, being ...

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On Tuesday, April 7th, Wisconsin residents in Seventeen communities will vote on whether to amend the U.S. Constitution to clarify that only humans should have constitutional rights and that money is not the same as speech and political spending can be limited to allow all Americans to participate in the democratic process. Voters will cast ballots in the following cities and towns: Cities: Rhinelander, Eagle River Towns: Wescott (Shawano); Newbold, Crescent, Pelican, Woodruff, Pine Lake, Hazelhurst (Oneida); Arbor Vitae, Presque Isle, Winchester, Boulder Juncti...

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(This article is reprinted from YES website under the Creative Commons agreement.)   The rapid spread of novel coronavirus has prompted government, business, and civil society to take dramatic action—canceling events large and small, restricting travel, and shutting down major segments of the economy on which nearly all of us depend. It is a demonstration of our ability, when the imperative is clear, for deep and rapid global cooperation and change at a previously unimaginable speed and scale There is an obvious desire to protect ourselves and our loved ...

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In an age when falsehoods arrive in gleaming packages promising truth, ferreting out actual truth to help us make the most important decisions of our lives can be daunting.  Yet, the consequences of bad decisions are escalating daily.  If only we could know one truth, one big TRUTH, we could shine a light on its deniers and know they routinely lie about a host of other things as well. This quandary was vexing me for the umpteenth time the other day when I found myself staring at my smartphone.  I had my answer. In 2018 alone, Apple and its competitors were granted ...

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  We all know there is too much money in politics. Running for office has become outrageously expensive. Politicians, who are supposed to be “representing” us, spend all their time fund raising. Big donors have too much influence and elections are being bought by a few deep pockets. Obviously, the country needs serious campaign finance reforms. But this isn't likely to happen. So we, the people, must counter the corrupting influence of big money by supporting candidates that actually serve the public. Most people don't have deep pockets but collectively we have ...

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March 16 is Freedom of Information Day. It is a day to commemorate people who have worked for the public’s right to know and to reinforce that right in our own lives.   The Freedom of Information Act was suggested by John Moss, a Democrat elected to Congress in 1952 during the secrecy of the Cold War. He believed that “the present trend toward government secrecy could end in a dictatorship. The more information that is made available, the greater will be the nation’s security.”   He worked for more than a decade to finally have FOIA passed and ...

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Waste is a human invention. Nature has no waste. In nature everything is recycled. A fallen tree is shelter for animals and food for insects and fungi. Everything decomposes and becomes soil or nutrients for plants, bacteria, and fungi. Dead organisms become food for other organisms. All this material transfer happens in closed circular patterns called cycles. There is no garbage, landfills, or toxic Superfund sites.   Humans are the only animal that fouls its own nest. We are the only ones creating toxic materials that do not exist in nature or cannot be broken ...

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  With the looming threat of an epidemic, people are preparing in all sorts of ways. Hand sanitizer, toilet paper, cold and flu medication are gone from store shelves. People are washing their hands more often, wearing masks, and telecommuting to work. Athletes and entertainers are playing for fans who are watching via television only, and events, some of them slated for several months from now, are being canceled or postponed. So what about voting?   On April 7, Wisconsinites are expected to vote in local races and cast their ballot in the presidential ...

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The April 7 ballot will include this question:   Question 1: Additional rights of crime victims. Shall section 9m of article I of the constitution, which gives certain rights to crime victims, be amended to give crime victims additional rights, to require that the rights of crime victims be protected with equal force to the protections afforded the accused while leaving the federal constitutional rights of the accused intact, and to allow crime victims to enforce their rights in court? YES vote would mean updating Wisconsin’s Constitution with strong, ...

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  WISCONSIN GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL GOES VIRTUAL   IN THE CLOUD WISCONSIN GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL SATURDAY MARCH 21st 9:30 AM   On March 21st Visit https://tinyurl.com/s4v2yzq For Easy Steps to Join the Festival Also Visit Anytime for the Latest Information   MUSIC The Raging Grannies - Raging Grannies of Madison Tom Kastle - Tom Kastle   SPEAKERS  Lisa Graves - Truth North Research Mike Crute - Devil's Advocates Radio Karen McKim - Wisconsin Election Integrity Tyler Norman - Community Disaster Preparedness  Ben ...

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