by Dino Corvino on November 30th, 2007
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 the social, economic and ecological well-being of the present and future generations through individual and collective actions.
Membership is open to all citizens in Central Wisconsin who support the ideas stated above. This is a great opportunity for citizens to become a voice in their community.
The next meeting of the “Commission for a Greener Tomorrow” will be held on December 4, 2007 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Wausau City Hall in the council chambers.
Cynthia Holt from the “Fort Atkinson Project” will be the guest speaker. Please visit www.theatkinsondiet.com to learn more information about the “Fort Atkinson Project.”
We will also give an update on what has been happening since the last meeting.
New members will also have the opportunity to sign up on the different committees. The committee options are as follows:
- Purchasing Options
- Water
- Buildings
- Communication – Education
- Energy
- Waste/Recycling
- Community Planning
- Transportation/Mobility
Join the team – help make Central Wisconsin Green!
Please forward this email to others that may be interested in attending and becoming a member.
Thanks
Susie and Kelly
by Andy Laub on November 28th, 2007
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: (more…)
by Dino Corvino on November 27th, 2007
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: (more…)
by Citizen Wausau on November 26th, 2007
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 — but that was a distinct target market.
The Citizen Wausau experiment is much more fluid. Our target is dynamic and opinionated, even more so than teenagers.
So here is where I’m struggling: the Citizen Wausau project is elusive and free; it can spike with participation or dry up with silence, seemingly on a whim. No one has the ability to control it – and that freaks me out a bit.
At the same time, it’s exhilarating to watch this site take on its own personality. It’s an organic experience, one that can only be compared to child rearing. In this case, it really is going to “take a village” to raise this baby.
As parents we should discuss things about our baby. How are we going to raise it? What do we want it to do and how shall we go about getting it there? Those sorts of things:
- Should it be just another “news-y” sort of discussion?
- Who’s going to collaborate in contributing to its content?
- What is the sole purpose of CitizenWausau.com?
These are pretty important conversations that need to be wrestled with – we’re only six weeks in and content is only being driven by a handful of people. So maybe this is the time to discuss where we should go from here.
- How should we diversify content?
- Have micro-blogs on topics like Politics, Food, Reviews, Events?
- Who should should take ownership for these pages?
Let’s mull over this idea. Assuming only 20% of our signed up audience participates, that’s about 60-70 people. We could get a lot done with that many people helping, don’t you think?
The idea of taking this online offline seemed to suggest several ideas (and we still fully intend on doing that). Before the first of the year we’ll have a calendar in place to list new events and activities – just like we talked about before; game nights, concerts, poker, computer training, hacking and probably some more parties!
These too take time and effort to create, so we all have to work together. Many hands make for light work (as the saying goes), and Citizen Wausau has got to be a collaborative effort if it’s to form into an actual community site.
So, we should probably get more organized, which is why the calendar would be a useful tool.
Another useful tool we could start using immediately is Twitter. It’s a messaging tool for short form blogging. I’ve created a more thorough explanation on my blog, but I think if we can get people talking, both here and online – that would be a good step to growing this online community.
So let’s talk.
- What would you like to see?
- What part would you like to play?
- What other ways could you contribute?
by DeeDee Meyer on November 20th, 2007
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 rather than adding to the ever increasing mounds of garbage in our landfills. The Wausau chapter of the Freecycle Network boasts over 1000 members to date. Whether you’re looking to clean out the clutter or you’re in search of a used item, you can post information on the network boards and find the connection you’re looking for. Whether it’s a piano, tv, fax machine, computer, book or even a used orthodontic retainer (no kidding!) – there’s a home waiting for your stuff. The main rule? Everything must be free. There is no trading, no compensation, and no exceptions to the rule. So far, I’ve given away a washing machine, a dvd player, an old car stereo, and even a broken printer. On the flip side, I’ve received a wonderful card table and a computer desk for my husband. Anyone can join, and non-profits are welcome to post their needs as well. So, in the interest of saving our planet, I’d like to challenge each of you to look around today and find that one thing that you’ve been meaning to throw away, and post it on Freecycle instead. Join today by clicking here:
by Barry Liss on November 17th, 2007
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 from a Birmingham Jail preceded the march on Washington by four months and a better summary of the belief system supporting civil disobedient nonviolent protest is yet to be written.
The blood of peaceful disobedience runs deep in American veins. In addition to the Bill of Rights, the philosophy is present in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay Politics, when he writes “Every actual State is corrupt. Good men must not obey the laws too well” (205). Emerson bestowed the sacred flame over to his good friend Henry David Thoreau who penned the Essay on Civil Disobedience, contending “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison”(275). The Essay on Civil Disobedience profoundly influenced Mahatma Gandhi whose Satyagraha method of peaceful disobedience overthrew the stale subdivisions of the caste system and liberated India from British imperial rule. I cannot stress enough the Christian roots of nonviolent protest. A fundamental inspiration of Gandhi’s method is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, specifically the Sermon on the Mount’s edict “love thine enemy.”
I offer this local example as a method for establishing doubt – to unsettle the taken for granted by pointing out an instance whereby perhaps morality and the law hold opposing ground. Recently, a man and his wife were arrested in Antigo. Their names are Michael and Kerry Moore. There is no doubt that these two were growing marijuana for non-personal consumption – over 5 pounds! The police found all the evidence necessary to warrant a host of charges involving the felonious manufacture of the substance. Case closed. Given the clarity of the evidence the two miscreants deserve a hefty prison sentence as penance for their unlawful acts against the state. So meets the naked eye.
However, with a little magnification the lens uncovers disconcerting facts. Michael Moore is a board certified physician with a lucrative salary. Greed, the typical motive for narcotics manufacture and trafficking, cannot be applied in this context. What could be happening here? I have no evidence as of yet to support my contention, but my sense is that Dr. Moore was providing marijuana to patients as a means to medically alleviate their suffering. In confronting the misery of AIDS, Cancer, Glaucoma, Lupus and the other diseases we turn away from in unspeakable fear, is it not likely that this man adhered to his Hippocratic Oath instead of obeying the laws of the land? If this be true, the case is potentially precedent-setting and could find its way to the United States Supreme Court.
It’s a generalization, I realize, yet American physicians today maintain the ugly tendency of tranquilizing themselves in the material trivialities of luxury their fiscally rewarding careers provide. The effect is a diminution of character evident in their everyday speech. If the topical content of conversation is a golf handicap, new automobile, expensive wine, professional sports, or most recent vacation experience, the physician maintains little difficulty in establishing some measure of commonality in the communicative interchange. These topics pose little risk to identity because they fall within the boundary of cursory small talk with little potential for substantive disagreement. However, in matters of significance such as culture, philosophy, morality or aesthetics too often I have seen the medical doctor’s words take on the awkward contortions of the dilettantish dabbler who lacks the spiritual force requisite for eloquent speech. Moreover, rather than assume the risk of taking an argumentative and moral position, the medical doctor stands down and folds for the easy stream of trivial talk. Monetary wealth that maintains its foothold in buying an endless array of baubles causes a scarring effect of inducing complacency and indolence in the higher social forms.
However, in Antigo we have a highly distinct situation. Could it be possible that a local physician would place his entire life in the balance to heroically stand his ground against what he believed were the government’s unjust and inhumane edicts regarding his patients’ suffering? And further, will those whom this man helped publicly speak out in his defense or cower like frightened rabbits if the authorities attempt to brand this man a common criminal, a felon, a drug trafficker? The case is in its preliminary stages and I will be following its unfolding.
Barry D. Liss
References for further consideration:
- Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Essays (Second Series). New York: A.L. Burt, Publisher, no date (originally 1846).
- Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and Civil Disobedience. New York: Barnes and Nobles Classics, 1854/2003.
American Constitutional Amendment I.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
by Dino Corvino on November 15th, 2007
I hid this at the bottom of the other post, but this time I thought I would put it right here at the top:
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. (more…)
by Dino Corvino on November 14th, 2007
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. (more…)
by Citizen Wausau on November 14th, 2007
First Snowfall 2006
by Marcus Nelson
by Dino Corvino on November 12th, 2007
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. (more…)
