Water is Precious – Part III
Water is cheap. Fixing water quality problems is expensive. Protecting our water before polluting it is less expensive. We can take steps now to preserve our cheapest most precious resource. Changing our perceptions about water use, using nature to help us preserve water and reinvesting in science are easy ways to show how an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
In the last two columns, I discussed how water sustains our lives and how important it is for our economic prosperity. This week I will offer simple, but critical ways we can invest in water, our most ...
MAKING THE WORLD WORK FOR EVERYONE – A PALE BLUE DOT PART V
Planet Earth from a distance of 4 billion miles. Photo by Voyager I. Source: NASA/JPL Feb. 1990 (Just below middle of page in orange/brown color band on right)
Imagine we had a magic wand we could simply wave to solve humanity’s problems and make the world work for everyone. We could assess all of the human activities occurring around the Earth, decide if they were beneficial or harmful to the health of people and the planet, and use the wand to end bad activities and initiate good ones. Simple. So, what might we do if we had such a wand:
The use of ...
VOTE TUESDAY APRIL 2
April 2 is Spring Election Day in Wisconsin. Important races are being held in state, county, municipal, School Board and other areas.
Voter turnout for this type of election is often very low. Please remember to add your voice by voting.
An extremely important statewide race on April 2 is the seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Voters will elect the next Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, replacing retiring Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
Why is this race so important? There are many lawsuits that may ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court, including:
The ...
VOICES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
“When blatant antisemitic conspiracy theories were spread against George Soros, President Trump retweeted them. When antisemites carried tiki torches in Charlottesville, Donald Trump called them “very fine people.” Under Trump, well-known antisemites and white supremacists have unprecedented access to positions of power.
Yet when Congresswoman Ilhan Omar criticized AIPAC [American Israeli Public Affairs Committee] for behaving like any other powerful lobby, Trump has the audacity to feign concern over antisemitism?
We don’t buy it. Ilhan Omar supports our ...
Wisconsin Fish Tales
It was a real eye opener for those of us who fish Wisconsin's waters last week when retired DNR fisheries biologist Frank Pratt spoke at the UW Center for Civic Engagement. He told us how our changing climate already affects the fish in our rivers, lakes and streams, and what is yet to come. The news could hardly have been worse.
Careful monitoring and diligent record keeping reveal that the waters our fish live in are warming. Numerous factors determine just how much, but the temperature rise ranges between half and one and a half degree Celsius - as much as almost ...
The Year of Clean Drinking Water
It is a remarkable question to have to ask: Why do people oppose protecting our air and water? One would think protecting these vital resources would not be a controversial or a political issue. Everyone's heath and the health of the economy depend on clean water and air. Tourism, agriculture and many other industries must have clean water. You aren't going to have many tourists coming north to see smog and enjoy “dead zone” rivers and lakes.
Governor Tony Evers is trying to move the state forward on these issues. Will the Republican controlled legislature coopera...
Fixing Market Madness
“The focus by elites on making money out of money rather than making real goods and services has led to wealth for the few, and overall national economic decline. In a financialized economy, the financial tail is wagging the economic dog.” Steve Denning, (Forbes magazine, May 31, 2015)
America used to make things, but now we make financial deals. Leveraged buy-outs, mergers, hostile takeovers, and similar stock manipulation games don't actually grow the real economy. None of this increases sales or production. None of it improves the financial security of the ...
Latin American Deja Vu
Deja vu is French for the feeling that something is strangely familiar. You feel like you are experiencing something that you have already experienced. For anyone even vaguely familiar with the history of U.S. interventions in Latin America, the news about Venezuela should spawn Deja vu. In the words of a song by Vietnam veteran Pat Scanlon,
“I've got a feeling I've been here before
In a jungle in a dirty little war
Young men can die so fast
My God let's not repeat the past
I've got a feeling I've been here before.” *
The U.S. has frequently interv...
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PART II
III. Strategies for Community Schools
A. “A strong and proven curriculum, engaging students with culturally relevant and challenging material, and offering a robust selection of classes, AP and honors courses, as well as after-school programs in the arts, languages, and ethnic studies, ELL, Special Ed, GED preparation, and job training.”
The curriculum in Community Schools emphasizes real-world learning and community problem-solving skills. These opportunities would be provided by partners in the community--environmental groups, businesses, community gardens, ...