Around Town
NEW FISHING PIER: Veterans Memorial Park will see a fishing pier into Lake Iola as a result of new fundraising efforts, with Holly Neumann spearheading the effort. Read the Waupaca County News story here.
TOT SWIM CLASS: Openings are available for the parent and tot swim class, which starts today from 6-6:30 p.m. and continues for the next four Wednesdays. Families are invited to participate and introduce their children to swimming, an essential life skill. For more information or to register, call 715-445-2411 ext. 1501 or email welcht@iola.k12.wi.us.
Around the State
GAMBLING EXPANSION: A new bill would allow Wisconsin residents to bet on sports anywhere in the state. Under the Wisconsin constitution, betting is only allowed on tribal lands. The bill would circumvent this restriction by allowing people around Wisconsin to bet remotely through servers located on tribal land. Read the Wisconsin Public Radio story here.
ACADEMIC CONSERVATIVE ISOLATION: University of Wisconsin–River Falls professor Trevor Tomesh said conservative faculty often feel isolated in higher education, calling it a “hostile environment” for dissenting views. Read the FOX News article here. Two points to address: The first is that Americans, and especially students on college campuses, need to unlearn the idea that speech itself is violence. Secondly, he said Americans need to separate their political ideas from their identities, pointing out that when a political ideology becomes someone’s entire identity, any attack on that ideology becomes an attack on the person.
Interesting Facts
In the daily surfing of the internet, some interesting facts arise that are worth sharing. These are a few recently seen.
DAILY HABITS: From grooming to fashion to nutrition, here are some now-common habits that came out of World War II: wearing T-shirts (the undershirt became a standard part of the Army’s uniform), daily brushing of teeth (to prevent “trench mouth”), daily shaving, blue jeans (courtesy us Navy), red lipstick (Hitler disliked it), and orange juice (developed during the war but never utilized by troops).
HALLOWEEN SPENDING: Americans spend $10.6 billion on costumes, candy, and other related items. Today’s Halloween is derived from the Celtic Samhain, a pagan holiday. Celts left food offerings at welcoming bonfires to appease angry ghosts.