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THE BOY WHO BIT SHEEP AND CRIED WOLF
This parable was reprinted with permission from Democratic Underground . com
Once upon a time there was a boy who bit sheep.
"Wolf!" the boy cried, when shepherds saw the toothmarks.
The town sheriff investigated. He talked to a wolf biologist. She told him there were no wolves in the area, and the bite marks were human anyway. He talked to an eyewitness. He talked to a dentist, who provided a cast of the boy's teeth. He obtained the boy's diary, in which was written "I like biting sheep."
The sheriff made his report. "The boy has been biting your ...
CELEBRATE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY IN WAUSAU, WISCONSIN
People for the Power of Love presents a weekend to build on the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
People for the Power of Love is a Wausau area organization working to develop community with diversity. You can learn more on their Facebook page.
On Saturday, January 18, Chris Norfleet and David Deon Stuart will lead the program called “Into the Deep.”
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The program is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch is included.
On Sunday, January 19, Pastor Joseph Ellwanger will lead the program called “Les...
INTO THE FUTURE, OR BACK TO THE FUTURE?
As we approach the beginning of a new year, you can find any forecast you wish, from negative to positive. You surely can find a forecast that suits you.
I would like to share a view from Cameron Trimble:
She tells the story of four rabbis. An angel visited them and carried them to the seventh Vault of the Seventh Heaven. There they beheld the sacred Wheel of Ezekiel.
One Rabbi saw such splendor that he lost his mind and wandered about the earth in madness. He could not handle such splendor from the other world.
The second Rabbi was very cynical and ...
WISCONSIN SPECIAL ELECTION
Wisconsin will have a special election for the U.S. House of Representatives this spring. This election is important for many reasons. Democrats have an opportunity to take back the 7th Congressional District formerly held by Democratic Rep. Dave Obey for 40 years.
The good news for Democrats is their candidate will not be facing Republican Rep. Sean Duffy. Duffy resigned his seat creating the need for the special election. Duffy had dominated the district since 2010 defeating five Democratic challengers. The bad news is many of the factors that led to Duffy's ...
NOT THE TIME TO DEBATE GUN CONTROL
This is not the time to debate gun control. It’s been just a few days since the last massacre of ______________. (Please insert one of these: high school students; grade schoolers; adults at a gathering; a friend; my relative; your spouse; their child.) We should not debate while family and friends grieve, and their grief can last a lifetime, so there is never a good time to debate. So, let’s change the subject. I have a story for you.
I grew up in an undistinguished neighborhood in mid-century Illinois near the Wisconsin border. But, the kids in my neighborhood? We ...
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BECOME JOURNALISTS
Here is a great opportunity for high school students to become a journalist while still in high school. You can learn valuable skills in the WIPPS Student Journalism Program.
Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS) is sponsoring the Student Journalism Program in partnership with Midwest Communications’ WSAU radio. This is for students in grades 10 – 12.
Students:
learn marketable skills, including writing, editing and interviewing.
Interact with radio broadcast professionals
Have your stories read, watched and ...
THE BILLIONAIRE THEFT OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR – THE BILLIONAIRE THEFT OF HOPE
A version of this article appeared in the 6-20-2016 edition of Middle Wisconsin. Given the growing level of inequality in America and how it is destroying our democracy and our nation, the message still seems relevant.
The investment - - and the enablement - - began 3.6 million years ago in Tanzania when two early humans stood upright and left the “Laetoli Footprints” in the wet volcanic ash. We do not know what these humans knew, but they had mastered enough of their environment to survive, because we are here today. We owe them a great debt.
A million years ...
TEN TALKING POINTS TO END GERRYMANDERING IN WISCONSIN
We’re (Wisconsin Democracy Campaign) playing a key role in the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, including writing up a handy toolkit for activists. Here’s an excerpt:
The Founders of our country fought the War of Independence over fair representation. Gerrymandering deprives Wisconsinites of fair representation.
The health of our democracy depends on the integrity and fairness of our election system. The more rigged the system is, the more cynical and apathetic the citizenry will become.
Wisconsinites believe in fair play. ...
SOLUTIONS TO THE RETIREMENT CRISIS: PART 3
“...as soon as 2025, as many as 30 million Americans, many of them originally middle class, will find themselves either poor or “near-poor.”
From “How to Solve the Retirement Crisis: A Politico Working Group Report”
“The great lie is that the 401(k) was capable of replacing the old system of pensions,” Gerald Facciani former head of the American Society of Pension Actuaries (quoted in the Wall Street Journal)
Continuing our look at the retirement crisis, this article discusses several proposals to provide secure pensions to all ...
WHEN A VILLAGE STANDS BEHIND OUR CHILDREN
Parenting.
It’s just a word to a young couple thinking about maybe having kids. Then, it happens. The kids, I mean. Everything getting real, fast. The jitters hit us—a ton of bricks in a diaper. Some check out parenting gurus. Some wing it. Some are red. Some are blue. All are green. All soldier on.
And finally, we become expert, after the fact, with that first one. Our first-timer false starts and miscues aside, we’ve got the next one covered. There’s a swagger in our step. We’ve got this. Except, of course, that our next child isn’t anything like the ...