Monthly Archive: November 2007
Commission for a Greener Tomorrow Meeting
Friends,
This is clearly something that we at Citizen Wausau take seriously. Something we hope that more people are interested in. So, we are passing along this email that we got from Susie and Kelly. The work that they have initiated is impressive, and will be something that propels our city into the future.
Hope to see you there.
Commission for a Greener Tomorrow - Meeting Dec. 4, 2007
Wausau City Hall - 5:00 to 6:30pm
The Commission for Greener Tomorrow is working towards creating sustainable communities within Central Wisconsin. A sustainable community respects its own diversity and accepts responsibility for …
Gary Baseman Headed to Gallery 402
If you have eyes, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of artist Gary Baseman’s work, perhaps in the form of Teacher’s Pet, the award-winning Disney series, or maybe during a heated game of Cranium. His work definitely has a style all its own, so I’m excited to see that he’ll be making an appearance at Gallery 402 (in the mezzanine of Van Dalfsen’s) in downtown Wausau. Details as follows:
The Mayor Announces
So “Tis the Season” and all that sort of jazz. Holidays, family, bowl games, NBA basketball, new video games, and apparently local politics. We are thrilled to be a part of this sort of thing, and by no means are we taking sides (yet). But we have this release that we got from Mayor Tipple’s people (and by people we mean email) so I am just going to cut and paste it up here in all its glory:
Expanding on Community
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the last few days about Community. For example, what does that mean - really, what is it specifically, what does it look like and why do I crave it? There has got to be reason this void forces me to drive on and create it wherever I can.
In 1996, my brother and I initiated what would eventually become RockWater. Teens were looking for something relevant to do in the city. It was straightforward — we saw the need for Internet, music and a place to hang out …
The Wausau Freecycle Network
Recently, I read online that Americans toss 195 tons of garbage every year. That amounts to over 1400 pounds a year per person, a staggering statistic, and landfill space is at a premium. The obvious answer to this problem is to reduce, reuse, and recycle much more efficiently than we ever have before. That’s where Wausau’s Freecycle Network is making a difference. The Freecycle Network is a nationwide movement dedicated to encouraging recycling, one that goes beyond simple trash sorting. The group seeks to reduce waste by encouraging members to offer their unwanted items up for grabs …
Dr. Michael Moore: Drug Trafficker or Modern American Hero?
Dr. Michael Moore: Drug Trafficker or Modern American Hero?
The right to nonviolently protest in peaceable assembly for redress of grievance is a cardinal guarantee so primary that the founding fathers placed this privilege in the American Constitution’s First Amendment. We ought recognize this with due homage to our Veterans this past week.
Out of respect for the holiday, I suggest you read the Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr. Reverend King’s I Have A Dream speech given late August of 1963 is widely recognized as one of the great rhetorical performances of the Twentieth Century. The Letter …
The City of Wausau Budget
I hid this at the bottom of the other post, but this time I thought I would put it right here at the top:
- The Wausau Capital Plan (PDF)
So, I encourage you to take a look at it. It is, at the end of the day, the budget that will, as I am told, dictate your property tax. We want to make sure it has a place of greater prominence, rather than be buried at the end of some rant I put together.
My Growing Love and Hate of City Council Meetings
I am a City Council fan. I like going to the meetings, I like listening to the folks, and at the end of the day (is that my catch phrase?) I like everyone up there for the simple reason that they are leading. Yeah, some of them are not my favorites, but that is like trying to pick a favorite pizza topping. They are all good people, trying to lead the city they care about in the way they think works. Sure, the alliance or voting block is a bit upsetting, but so it goes. It is politics after all.
This post is not about them though. This post is about you, dear reader, dear commenter, dear complainer, dear curmudgeon. You who sit at home and complain that your taxes are too high, that the 400 block is a bad idea, that renaming Stewart Avenue or buying new pools is a waste of your tax dollars. You who complain that Mr. Dudley, both father and son got too much public funding to build the buildings that will end up being cornerstones of Wausau future. You who get on 550 AM morning show and accuse the Sustainable Wausau folks of being owned by the Concrete Lobby or Smart Growth weirdos from California. Heck, this post is even dedicated to Pat and Tom from that morning show.
A Veterans Day Type of Experience
It has been a strange two weeks for me, both work and Citizen Wausau have been a bit overwhelming. The transition to winter, and my new Doctor stuff are sure to be an exciting thing, but I wanted to sit down and write about something else.
A while ago we talked about giving me the title of Community Builder, or whatever we came up with. I suggested, Over-Sentimentalist. I am prone to cry, and prone to giant swings of passionate discourse or lack thereof. Last week though I learned a lesson in the true meaning of community.