WDC enjoying Public Enemies

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign sent the following email out, which plays on the Public Enemies filming in Oshkosh:

1. The other "Public Enemies" make news
The daily newspaper in Oshkosh has been spilling serious ink on "Public Enemies." There was another story on the subject this morning, but of a distinctly non-Hollywood variety.

An Oshkosh-area legislator who earned a "bystander" ranking in the Democracy Campaign's analysis of roll call votes and bill sponsorships on political reform issues criticized our assessment for not including the votes on the constitutional amendment dealing with the so-called "Frankenstein veto." Our latest Big Money Blog lists three reasons why Frankenstein was not considered.

2. Which enemies will they be filming at the Capitol?
It's official. Makers of the Johnny Depp movie will be filming at the Capitol. Makes sense. If they need extras, there are 54 with offices in the building who fit the bill.

According to WDC:

The roll call votes on an ethics enforcement reform bill (January 2007 Special Session Senate Bill 1) that was enacted into law last year were included in the analysis for both houses. The other three roll call votes in the Senate were on electioneering disclosure (Senate Bill 77), publicly financed state Supreme Court elections (SB 171) and requiring legislators to wait one year after leaving office before becoming a lobbyist (SB 23). In the Assembly, the other roll call votes were on banning campaign fundraising during the state budget process (Assembly Bill 61), publicly financed Supreme Court elections (AB 250) and electioneering disclosure (AB 272).

Sister Lois Aceto at UWO

On May 5, 2008, lifelong social activist Sister Lois Aceto will be at UW Oshkosh to talk about her experiences working with the homeless, the criminal justice system, education, and more.

She will deliver three sessions on May 5. They Shall Rise From Their Ashes 9:30-11:15 AM South Halsey 208 - Sister Aceto spent 27 years working in the prison system, and was the founder of Vision House, a home for men coming out of prison who would be homeless, with little opportunity to start life anew.

What's Restored? 1:00-2:30 PM AC S149 - What have we accomplished with our criminal justice system? As the U.S. incarcerates ever-greater percentages of its population, Sister Aceto addresses this question and considers the concept and practice of restorative justice. She spent 7 years teaching in the Criminal Justice program at Parkside, but her critique of our system comes from actual practice, not the classroom.

I've Never Been The Same 3:30-5:00 PM Swart 217 - The highlight of Sister Aceto's visit is certain to be this session on her 17 years in Bolivia, which are the subject of her recent book "Journeying Toward Justice." She says "to live under constant suspicion, to taste and feel poverty and to witness torture and killings makes an indelible mark on the mind, but more so on the heart." Her experiences include: teaching religion in public schools, forming a group of high school and college students to work on social justice issues, being arrested--twice--by the Bolivian dictatorship of that era for speaking out against the government, starting a school for the blind and learning Braille in the process, starting the first co-ed dorms in La Paz, starting an outpatient clinic in a poor town, and even studying medicine in Madrid to better serve the poor in Bolivia.

Sessions are free and open to all. For more information contact the Sociology Department (920) 424-2030

Sponsors of the event include the Departments of Sociology and Social Work, the Women's Studies and Social Justice Programs, the Women's Advocacy Council, and the College of Letters and Science at UW Oshkosh

A little something for the Christians AND the Pagans

May Day is a Holiday for everyone these days.

Traditionally May Day is a Spring Festival time. From the Oxford Dictionary of English Folk Lore:

May Day, Bringing in the May. Many of the earliest references to May Day are ambiguous, but those which give any detail nearly always refer to the practice of going out into the countryside to gather flowers and greenery—‘going a-maying’ or ‘bringing in the may’. This greenery was used to decorate houses and public buildings to welcome the season, and for the early period this was the archetypal activity of the day.

But May Day has also been tagged as International Workers Day since around 1904, and in response to the fear of the spread of Socialism/Communism May Day was declared "Loyalty Day" in the USA in 1958.

In Oshkosh on May 1 there is something for both Christians and Pagans to do.

At Noon (Thur May 1) Christians are gathering at the flag pole at City Hall in honor of the National Day of Prayer to "...pray for our Country and our Leaders."

Later in the day (6 p.m.) there will be a May Pole Dance & Potluck at Menominee Park at the concrete globe immediately NW of the zoo sponsored by the Oshkosh Rhythm Institute. Music, dancing, and food (bring a dish to share). Everyone is welcome to this, it sounds like a fun community event and fun for the whole family.

Whatever your pleasure, there is something to do to celebrate May Day in Oshkosh!

Main Street Post Production

Public Enemies has finished filming and moved on. Main Street Oshkosh is returning to "normal".

The last few weeks have encouraged a lot of discussion around Oshkosh about the downtown area, Main Street, and whether the filming was "good" for Oshkosh or just an annoying diversion.

I think the movie production was GOOD for Oshkosh, and particularly good for Downtown Oshkosh. How ironic was it that they made the Exclusive Company a "Walgreens" when there used to be one across the street where Opera Square Park / Peace Park is now?

While some are measuring success in terms of money, I believe some of the true measures of success are:

1. The film makers recognized potential in Downtown Oshkosh (something many residents don't do);
2. Downtown Oshkosh got A LOT OF PRESS for several weeks!
3. People from out of town and out of state came to Oshkosh;
4. People were talking about downtown Oshkosh. That's good, right?

While some may have preferred that the movie folks would have left up the "pretend" Main Street, most has been taken down and downtown has been returned to its new "old" glory.

So - do you have a little more pride in Oshkosh now? Same as always? Ashamed? What?

New City Attorney

Acting City Attorney Lynn Lorenson has been named the new City Attorney for Oshkosh.

Lynn has been the Acting City Attorney since the sudden (and welcome) departure of Warren Kraft in November.

So far I have had no problems with Lynn Lorenson, and compared to Warren Kraft she has been a breath of fresh air for the city.

2008 EARTH WEEK AT UW OSHKOSH

UPCOMING EARTH WEEK EVENTS AT UW OSHKOSH
All events open to the entire community


WEDNESDAY APRIL 16

CHILL OUT: CAMPUS SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL WARMING
Wednesday April 16, 5:45-7:00 pm, Reeve 220Join us for a nationwide simulcast about what campuses can do about global warming. Produced by the Campus Ecology Program of the National Wildlife Federation.>> Free pizza & pop!!


MONDAY APRIL 21

SUSTAINABILITY IN BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA
Monday April 21, 6:00-7:30: Reeve 221Dr. Maureen Muldoon, Dr. Pete Brown, and students from the Field Studies in Belize course will talk about the ecology and culture of Belize. Panelists will explore how Belize is dealing with challenging conservation issues. Gorgeous slides will be shown of the different ecosystems of Belize. >> Free pizza & pop!!


TUESDAY APRIL 22:

EARTH DAY!SPEED NETWORKING FOR SUSTAINABLE INTERNSHIPS & JOBS
Tuesday April 22, 11:30 a.m-1:00 p.m., Reeve 227AMeet with representatives and make connections for possible internships and jobs: Johnson Controls, Wisconsin Public Service, Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence, Simply Solar, Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust, and Habitat for Humanity.

UNVEILING THE UW OSHKOSH CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
Tuesday April 22, 1:00-2:00 p.m., Reeve 227C UW Oshkosh has committed to a new, comprehensive Campus Sustainability Plan. Chancellor Wells will make the announcement, and Steve Arndt (Director of Facilities) and David Barnhill (Director of Environmental Studies) will discuss how UW Oshkosh is working to be a leader in campus sustainability.

DERRICK JENSEN ON CIVILIZATION AND RESISTANCE
Tuesday April 22, 7:00-8:30 pm: Reeve 307 (Theater)Derrick Jensen is a nationally known author of many books about environmental issues and activism. He has completed a magesterial two volume book Endgame, which examines the disasters caused by civilization and what can be done about it.


WEDNESDAY APRIL 23

TOXIC BODIES: ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS AND THE LESSONS OF HISTORY
Wednesday April 23, 6:00-7:30 pm: Reeve 227BCDr. Nancy Langston, environmental historian at UW Madison's Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology and the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies. This talk explores the ways scientists, industry, consumers, and regulators negotiated growing controversies over synthetic estrogens, and examines the ways that endocrine disruptors in the post-war era changed the internal ecosystems of human, livestock, and wildlife bodies, interconnecting our bodies with our environments in increasingly complex ways.


THURSDAY APRIL 24

CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP: POSTERS ON SUSTAINABILITY Thursday April 24, 11:00-1:00 pm: Reeve Students in ES 490: Environmental Studies Senior Seminar will display posters on a variety of sustainability issues. Part of the larger annual Celebration of Scholarship.

EARTH DINNER Speaker: John Peck, Executive Director, Family Farm Defenders Thursday April 24, 6:30-9:00 pm: Reeve 227BC6:30-7:00 pm: Reception
7:00-8:00 pm: Organic dinner
7:30-9:00 pm: John Peck on the importance of food and farming
Organic food donated by Organic Valley. Tickets are free, but the suggested donation at the dinner is $5 for students $15 for others. Tickets will be available soon at Titan Central.


FRIDAY APRIL 25

THE CLEAN WATER ACT, STORM WATER, & UWO OSHKOSH
Friday April 25, 1:00-2:00: Reeve 214
Steve Arndt, Director of Facilities, will discuss the Clean Water Act, how it impacts, UW Oshkosh, and how we can help preserve our water.

CAMPUS CLEAN-UP
Friday April 25, 2:00-4:00: Reeve 214
Steve Arndt will lead students on a clean-up of the Fox River by campus.


For more questions, contact barnhill@uwosh.edu

Donna Lohry Calls for Citizen Involvement

In a letter to the Oshkosh Northwestern, former County Board member Donna Lohry urges citizens of Winnebago County to get involved with the County Board through attending committee meetings:

April 15 begins the new two-year term for Winnebago County Supervisors, with many important issues to be deliberated and decided.

Now is a good time for citizens to become active and further educated by attending committee meetings to hear first hand the pros and cons of issues.

This term will decide the movement of vital county offices due to space issues. Debate and discussion plays an important part in moving plans forward.

Please join me in attending as a citizen representation. It is our government at work!

I agree with Donna. We need more citizens attending open meetings of the County Board, the Common Council, and the School Board. We always champion Wisconsin's Open Meetings Laws and curse government bodies for skirting them, but most board and committee meetings are unwatched and unseen.

An informed public is better for everyone.

Find out when and where:
City Boards and Commissions
County Board Committee Calendar

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Polk Library Book Sale Tuesday

Polk Library will be holding its fourth annual BOOK SALE on Tuesday April 15 (7:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.) and Wednesday April 16 (7:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.)

Several thousand books will be available to purchase, most priced at 50 cents each, or 3 for a dollar.

We have large amounts of books on

Plays
History
Sciences
Criminology
Area Studies
Social Sciences
Political Science
Public Administration
French language literature
Urban Planning and Land Use
and many, many more!

Also plenty of Contemporary Fiction, "Classic" Fiction, and "Classic" young adult fiction.

Some of our library staff have cleaned through their home collections so you can count on a number of interesting treasures to be available!

Although we will be re-stocking the tables throughout the first day the best books tend to go fast, so come early if you can!