Post-WWII rural America. I grew up a city mouse—town mouse really—on the edge of farm country, a mysterious realm spreading northward toward Wisconsin. In no time, I could be pedaling along a road bearing my family’s name, a single thread bordered by barbed wire and acres of hope, crisscrossing other such threads to form the web of community.   Owen Center was out there too, at a quiet intersection—a grange hall next to a church, across from the one-room schoolhouse where my dad had toiled with other farm kids through the eighth grade. This tiny cloister ...

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The star Algol appears in the constellation Perseus. Stars in constellations generally have technical names with Greek-letter prefixes (alpha, beta, gamma, etc.) in decreasing order of brightness, or magnitude. Thus Algol is officially known as Beta Persei, or the second-brightest star in Perseus. In the case of Algol, there is a problem. It isn’t always the second-brightest star. Algol is a variable star, decreasing and increasing in brightness with a very regular period of just a bit less than 3 days. This was a phenomenon that was readily observable by the ancients, ...

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I wish my life was before   doppler radar and clever weather men   I’d know about impending rain by how   the cows are all lying down at once   at forenoon in a green May meadow   I’d know about the dry spell ahead   by the dust devil that scatters   July’s newly raked hay   I’d know about a lightning strike   by the silence just before it   I’d know about the length of winter   by the pattern on the curled   wooly worm on the milk ...

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Growing up during the 50’s and 60’s in a small community in far northern Wisconsin, I was considered a “country hick.”  Within this tightly-knit community, we parceled ourselves out by the church we attended, the jobs our parents held, whether we were farmers or business owners.  Some community members were considered “high toned.”  This term was applied to people who wore nicer clothes and drove a nicer car than most, worked “in town” rather than farmed or did manual labor. The people “in town” were known as “city slickers” because we felt ...

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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 ...

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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...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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