Author Archive
Some Questions Prior to Watching Fireworks
I suppose that this might be while watching fireworks as right now Sarah Palin is on television going on and on about resigning or saving Alaska, or really just Obama being a bad guy and how we need to support the troops. Honestly, I have no idea what she is talking about. But, there she is, talking on July 3rd.
1. My good friend Pat Peckham is off to Montana for a few weeks. I am inspired by both Montana and vacation. What was the longest true vacation you have taken? Let us not count that time you could not get …
A Cynical Community Goes Nowhere
I am blessed each and every day, and I fight with cynicism and sarcasm on each of those days. The City of Wausau has blessed me with an amazing life and a rich tapestry of friends and experience. Most days I feel like the luckiest little boy in the world to be living where I am, being around the people I am around, and doing the things I do. Never once do I not realize it. Often times, I hope you feel the same way.
Over the past year, I have been exploring ideas and politics in this town in a …
Tony Burton made me write these questions
1. The King of Pop and Farrah Fawcett passed away. Do the passing of folks like these, for lack of a better word — celebrities, affect you? Sadden you? In 2009 are there anymore heroes anymore? Or do we as a culture destroy this with some predatory need?
2. The heat was simply impressive, and the fact that it did not break into a massive storm boggled my mind. How did the heat affect you? As we look to the future, what societal changes can we make to ensure that these extremes in …
Community Within Community
I have spent a lot of time decrying the 400 Block plans, and the lack of transparency involved in the process, and the rising costs, but the reality of it is I love the 400 Block, and I love downtown. I spend a lot of my time there. I have also spent a good portion of my adult life living and working in and around the idea of community creation. While it would be easy for me to spout off about Web 2.5 tools and social media, I thought I would talk about the 400 Block.
This week I had a …
Five Questions Composed in a Rowboat
1. If you had to pick one finger to lose, painlessly, which one would you be willing to sacrifice? I think I would get rid of the one next to my right pinky, it never does anything.
2. Where in Wausau will you not go? Or shop?
3. Where is your favorite place to get pie in town?
4. Do you have a library card?
5. In purchasing hand tools like wrenches or screwdrivers or others, what makes a good tool? What are some prominent features that you look for in a DIY item?
Cheryl Started This
Clearly our Managing Editor Cheryl Mathis was inspired this week, and had three posts of high-level awesomeness. So, in honor of her themes, I put these humble questions before you.
1. Do you volunteer? Why or why not? Is there something you would like to work on that we simply do not have locally? For example, I would like to meet and help work on dark fiber utilization, but, no one knows what I am talking about, so I might just simply be delusional.
2. Have you been in your neighborhood long? Do you consider yourself part of your neighborhood? Who is …
May I Donate a Snow Blower
Last night I attended the Wausau City Council regular Common Council meeting. I had received a ton of email and calls suggesting I go, and with the racist letter sent to all the aldermen and women, I could not wait.
Prior to the meeting I had a chance to sit down with the young man who wants to create the statue as a gift for Wausau. I came away thinking one thing, the world looks vastly different when war happens in your hometown, and Americans do not know that yet. He was an amazing guy, had cool glasses, and I hope …
Divisive is as Divisive Does
Yesterday I received a copy of a letter apparently sent to all of Wausau’s City Council members. It is attached, and I encourage each of you to download it, and the envelope it came in. It is my contention that this is about as divisive and deliberately intimidating a piece of mail one can get if elected.
The envelope has a return address that would indicate to some that this item came from the local VFW post. But, in a Monday morning phone conversation with local VFW Quartermaster Bernie Guaerke, he said that they did not send the …
In Honor Of
It is Memorial Day weekend. A day that is in fact a weekend. While many of us use this weekend as the start of gardening, or fishing, or cleaning, the nature of the holiday is to be thankful and gracious to those that served in our military.
First off, did you know that Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day? I have a feeling it sounds better now.
I have had little connection with military folks. But at no point did I ever not feel amazed by this group of people. My grandfather fought in WWII and had his hand shot. …
CISM Battle Royale
On May 14th something exceptional happened at a local committee meeting. We have it from three sources that at the last CISM (Capital Improvements and Street Maintenance Committee) turned into both a verbal, and some might say a physical, conflict.
The issue on the table, as you can see in these minutes, was a PEACE statue or memorial a recent exchange student wanted to create and donate for placement in the triangle grass by the courthouse between the library and United
Way office — intersection of River Drive, Washington and First streets.
This discussion quickly deteriorated when first term councilman Matt Kaiser once …