October 2012 Odd Wisconsin
When George McGovern died this week, obituaries focused on his failed bid for the White House in 1972. He carried only Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., after a dirty tricks campaign by incumbent President Richard Nixon that included forged letters, false press releases, IRS harassment, campaign spies, and of course the famous Watergate break-in. But it might have been Wisconsin Sen....
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Posted in Curiosities on October 25, 2012
Most Wisconsin communities grew up accidentally. An entrepreneur bought the land near rapids on a river or the junction of two well-travelled roads and sold lots to newcomers. If the town boomed, new blocks were laid out helter-skelter as the landscape, opportunity, or a developer's whim suggested. On 19th-centurybirds'-eye views, Wisconsin cities and towns spread out like six-legged insects or...
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Posted in Curiosities on October 18, 2012
Strangely enough, the vice-presidency used to be considered so insignificant that many politicians turned it down. Paul Ryan and Joe Biden are competing for an office that FDR's vice president said was "not worth a bucket of warm..." Wait. We probably shouldn't say that on a family-oriented Web site. If elected, Rep. Ryan will be the first vice president from...
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Posted in Odd Lives on October 9, 2012
Last week La Crosse news anchor Jennifer Livingston sparked a national conversation after a viewer claimed she was a bad role model for girls because she's overweight. Her on-air reply was picked up by media outlets around the country and went viral on YouTube. This prompted us to wonder about why the appearance of public figures has become so important,...
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Posted in Curiosities on October 4, 2012
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