Pale Blue Dot
The following quote is from the book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan. The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles, 40 AU) from Earth. The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which had completed its primary mission and was leaving the Solar System, was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space, at the request of Carl Sagan.
“Look again at that dot. That's ...
Corporate Tax Dodgers . . . Microsoft
This is the first in a series of articles on corporate tax dodgers that will be presented over the next several weeks. These summaries are taken directly from the report on Corporate Tax Dodgers by Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for policy studies
It is a bitter irony that some of the wealthiest people in America, those most responsible for causing government debt, are doing everything in their power to balance the budget on the backs of average workers. Yet this is the case.
Multi-billionaire Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, one of the largest ...
The Dangers Of Tar Sands Oil – In Wisconsin
Tar Sands Oil is coming to Wisconsin. Last Thursday the state DNR approved an air permit to triple the capacity of the pipeline between Superior and the Illinois state line.
Construction could start as soon as Friday on three new storage tanks near Superior.
Environmentalists are not happy with this decision. The DNR received 200 written comments and 3400 e-mails asking for a complete environmental review of the project. However, the DNR decided not to do the complete review.
This pipeline has been used since 2009 and now carries 400,000 barrels of oil a day. By ...
We Are Not A People Divided
A version of this article was previously published in the Wausau Daily Herald
It is said that Americans are divided, that conservatives and progressives have irreconcilable differences represented by the Republican and Democratic parties. But perhaps a more accurate assessment is that we have been deliberately divided and are no longer represented by either political party. Perhaps we are not as divided as we think.
Conservatives and progressives alike feel anger for the looting of Americans that occurred in the bailout of Wall Street banks. We are united in ...
The Struggle between Freedom and Safety
The recent tragedy near Santa Barbara, California, where a lone gunman killed six innocent individuals, has ignited yet another firestorm of commentary regarding the growing divide between those who value our unalienable rights and those who place a value on public safety. This constant struggle between both sides can often times leave more questions than answers. Whose viewpoints are right? Which takes precedence over the other?
The answer to that question lies at the very bedrock of who we are as a society, and ultimately, who we want to be. A middle-gro...
Flag Day – June 14
“The Ragged Old Flag,” by Johnny Cash, speaks of the flag and all she’s been through as a symbol of our nation. The lyrics remind us of our history.
“You see, we got a little hole in the flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and it got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing “Say Can You See”
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham and Jackson
tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on through.
She got cut by a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she ...
ON THE BOOKSHELVES . . . The Dumbest Generation
"The Dumbest Generation" is a book written by Mark Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. It was published in 2008. In cybertime, that is a long time ago!
The title almost kept me from reading this book, until a friend reminded me of the subtitle:
How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, don’t trust anyone under 30).
This book examines the intellectual life of young people. You hear of the top high school student, overworked, overscheduled and yet maintaining perfect grades, “aiming for HYP ...
Evolving Crisis for Wisconsin Elderly and Disabled: Audit Committee Investigation
Through our democratic processes, we Wisconsinites provided oversight to protect our most vulnerable citizens when they needed to be protected the most. But, the current administration is removing that oversight, and we are seeing the consequences.
By outsourcing more and more services to private companies, the state is causing a plethora of problems, while select private companies make big profits.
For example, by outsourcing the transportation of low-income elderly, veterans, and disabled citizens to their Medicaid appointments, the state has literally left many ...
ON THE BOOKSHELVES… “Wisconsin Bucket List: 100 Ways to Have a Real Wisconsin Experience”
“In my opinion, it is entirely possible that America’s Dairyland was once a shooting star
that traveled from the Milky Way and landed in the heartland of our great nation.”
— Kelly Jo Stull, author of The Wisconsin Bucket List
Looking for a home-grown GRADUATION, RETIREMENT, or FATHER'S DAY GIFT to kick off the summer travel season?
Wisconsin Bucket List: 100 Ways to Have a Real Wisconsin Experience is a compendium of 100 iconic Wisconsin attractions that will warm your heart as you laugh and nod in recognition of your own childhood memories and musings...
Rocketship Is Not Rocket Science
A chain of charter schools called Rocketship started in California and has now come to Wisconsin. Rocketship Southside Community Prep opened in Milwaukee in August 2013, and Rocketship plans to open seven more schools in the city with 4000 students by 2018 according to the organizations website http://rsed.org/ . In the next five years, the company plans to open eight school-chains in seven cities and expand enrollment to 30,000.
Rocketship is a low budget operation “that relies on young and inexperienced teachers, that reduces curriculum to near-exclusive focus on ...
