Word of Mouth: Free service gives you the phone numbers
Saving money is easiest without personal sacrifice. Here's a simple way to save a buck that doesn't involve carpooling or turning down the thermostat.

John Ewoldt, Star Tribune says:

Saving money is easiest without personal sacrifice. Here's a simple way to save a buck that doesn't involve carpooling or turning down the thermostat.

A new service by Jingle Networks Inc. called 1-800-FREE-411 (1-800-373-3411) eliminates the $1 to $1.50 fee for each call to directory assistance. It's a flashback to when directory assistance was free. It can be used from any phone, including cellular ones. If you're one of those spendthrifts who's contributing to the 6 billion 411 calls made nationwide each year, you can save a few dollars each month by calling the toll-free number.

In a quick test, the drawbacks were few. Occasionally, we had to listen to a 10-second commercial. Some numbers given were incorrect, but Qwest's and AT&T's systems make mistakes too. On one occasion all circuits were busy, and we had to try back later.

Sometimes customers are even automatically connected, but that was rare on recent calls, due to heavy call volume. Getting through to the automated attendant was no problem. Sometimes we talked to a live person. Each gave the number twice for verification.

Seem too good to be true? Maybe, so use it while you can.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 Ewoldt's articles are online at www.startribune.com/dollars.

In Door County or Denmark... dare to exercise your freedom to peek.

Message from
The Fellowship of Reconciliation

Offensive Cartoons: Respecting what is Sacred

The response in parts of the Muslim world to publication of crude and deeply offensive cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad is shocking and distressing. Yet the pain felt by Muslims is real and understandable. By insulting the core of their religion, the cartoons constitute a vile attack on Muslims everywhere. But despite the egregious nature of the insult, it cannot not justify mass violence, arson and death threats.

The cartoons, which depict Muhammad as a violent, degenerate criminal, were first published in a Danish newspaper last September, in an act of extraordinary insensitivity and poor judgment. (Interestingly, the editor who commissioned them now admits to his own ignorance of Islam and of the way Muslims feel about the Prophet Muhammad.)

But ignorance is only part of it. There is clearly a certain malice involved, if not in the first Danish publication of the cartoons, then in their repeated publication in newspapers around the world. No longer can editors claim ignorance. The whole world now knows that the Prophet Muhammad is not supposed to be depicted at all, let alone in a disparaging manner.

Nor can offending newspapers claim that this is valid political or social satire, protected by free speech. These cartoons of the Prophet do nothing but ridicule the core idea of an entire religion. They attack what is sacred. And there is no deeper wound, no deeper fury, than that.

Many Muslims feel an intimate, personal connection to the Prophet Muhammad. When they think of divine mercy, kindness and integrity, they think of the Prophet. He is the embodiment of every virtuous ideal. In fact, the ideal of every Muslim is to become as much like the Prophet as possible. He is regarded as the best of human beings, the exemplar of humanity.

In short, the Prophet Muhammad is sacred to Muslims.

Westerners understand the concept of the sacred. Christians have been hurt and outraged by disrespectful and blasphemous depictions of Jesus. Jews feel pain when the holy Torah, the word of God, is ridiculed, vilified, or desecrated. In this country, burning of the flag -- near-sacred to many -- gives similar offense.

The emotional wound caused by the cartoons cannot be undone, but there is plenty that can be done. After 9/11, a great effort was made in the West to learn about Islam and to understand Muslims. That effort should be stepped up.

The incident also provides an opportunity for people of all faiths to recognize and acknowledge that which is sacred in other religions, even if it is not sacred to them personally.

For Muslims, this is an opportunity to examine the issue of how to respond to what offends them. Retaliating with a call for a Holocaust cartoon contest, as an Iranian newspaper has done, is to fall to the same level of ignorance, bigotry and malice that the original cartoons represent. Instead, Muslims should transform the incident into an opportunity for dialogue, education, and understanding.

There is a story in the Hadith (sayings and doings of the Prophet Muhammad) that Muhammad was with his companions in the simple mosque of Medina.The mosque had an earthen floor and was open on all sides. A Bedouin man walked in and began to urinate in the corner. Muhammad's companions were incensed, yelling at him to stop and threatening to assault him.

"No," the Prophet told his followers. Let him be. He does not know any better." When the man had finished, Muhammad addressed him gently: "This place is not meant for urine, but only for prayer and the remembrance of Allah." Then he told his followers to get water to wash the floor.

Burning embassies and demanding that editors be executed is not an Islamic response to insult. That response lies in the nonviolent actions of the Prophet Muhammad, as illustrated above. Educate those who have offended by violating what is sacred to you. Reach out to them. Teach them so they may know better.

This statement was written by a team of FOR staff representing the Muslim, Christian and Jewish faiths.

Jennifer Hyman, Communications Coordinator
Rabia Harris, FOR Chaplain
Ibrahim M. Abdil-Mu'id Ramey, Disarmament Coordinator

For bicyclists, there is no better mid-size city than Madison, according to the March 2006 issue of Bicycling magazine.

According to the magazine, Madison is at the top of the list for cities with a population of 200,000 to 500,00 because of its commitment to providing a friendly environment for cyclists. Along with its hundreds of miles of bicycle paths, Madison has had a bicycle transportation plan on the books since 1975.

The city is also looking to receive a “Bicycle Friendly” certification from the League of American Bicyclists later this year, according to a release from Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.

In addition to its recognition for bicycle friendliness, Madison also boasted a Metro ridership of over 11 million in the last year. The city’s highest metro usage since 1986 resulted in the reduction of over 15,000 tons of CO2 emissions, according to the mayor’s office.

Author Nancy Wikarski moved to Fish Creek from Chicago recently. She stopped in the Coffeehouse for an iced soy latte, celebrating acomplete denial of winter. Her latest novel exposes an affection for historical research coupled with her love of crafting an engaging mystery...

The Fall of White City takes place in 1893. The entire world has come to Chicago to marvel at the wonders of the Columbian Exposition World's Fair. When a penniless seamstress is found stabbed to death in Chicago's grandest hotel, wealthy and eccentric Evangeline LeClair sets out to discover the truth of the matter. It doesn't take long to find out that nothing is what it appears to be.

Find out more at her Web site: NSWikarski.com.

Chinese New Year's resolution... to post "local" news more often

Adrian LaTrace and Tedeana McFarland commute regularly from Barrington to their condo in Ephraim. They carry a laptop and hunt for wireless connections to manage their on-line business - an e-Bay specializing in iPod accessories. Stopping in at the Compass Coffeehouse in Fish Creek, they get wired before heading back to Illini-land.

"Our basement in Barrington is a warehouse full of iPod stuff," says Ted... (on the left). "When somebody needs something like a replacement battery they are often down and out until they get one," says Adrian (at the keyboard). "So, they want it NOW."

Check out their stores... MyPOD Products and the Quick Cadet Warehouse for sports memorabilia and speedy service.

The Cook Political Report and the Rothenberg Political Report, two respected political handicapping organizations that follow congressional races, rate Wisconsin's 8th district race for Congress as one of the 40 most competitive of 435 House races. Three Democrats and two Republicans are vying for the open seat currently held by Rep. Mark Green, (R). They include:

Democrat Steve Kagen: www.Kagen4Congress.com

Democrat Jamie Wall: www.wallforcongress.com

Democrat Nancy Nusbaum: www.Nancy2006.com

Republican John Gard: www.gardforcongress.com

Republican Terri McCormick: www.mccormickforcongress.com

They are all appearing tonight in Kaukana at a candidate forum hosted by the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 400 at 7 PM at its training center, 2700 Northridge Drive.

The Southern Italian town of Altamura, Apulia is "breaking the chains" by supporting local businesses. Five years ago, McDonald's Corp. revealed plans to open a fast food restaurant in the town. Area citizens, supported by Italy's Slow Food movement, campaigned against the development by establishing their own group "Friends of Cardoncello" (named after an Italian mushroom).

Despite community opposition, McDonald's built a fast food store in town, but struggled over the next few years, as townspeople shunned the "golden arches" and supported local baker Luigi Digesù and other community restaurants.

Last month, McDonald's closed its doors and left town.

"There was no marketing strategy, no advertising promotion, no discounts," Il Giornale, an area resident commented. "It was just that people decided the baker's products were better. David has beaten Goliath."

Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/btc/slowfood010906.cfm

A 21-year-old grain terminal worker in McFarland, Wisconsin who became buried up to his neck in soybeans was rescued about four hours after he went into a storage bin to investigate what was clogging its auger feed and became trapped in the beans, officials said.

"You know what quicksand is?" Schaller asked. "That's pretty much what it was."

Worker rescued four hours after becoming trapped in soybeans

In Muscatine, Iowa, Dean L. Wooten was fired for greeting Wal-Mart customers with a computer-generated photo in which he appeared to be naked _ except for a carefully placed Wal-Mart bag. Wooten reportedly told customers the store was cutting costs and the bag was the company's new uniform. A supervisor told him to stop showing the photo after customers complained. He was canned when he displayed the photo again.

The Dictionary of Wisconsin History explains more than 8,000 terms (people, places, things, and events) used in writings about Wisconsin history. The Wisconsin Historical Society says, "Help us continue to expand it by adding a term."

Imagine Earths’ a heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No war to kill us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine our daily bread
Shared without a question
Till all the poor are fed.
It’s something we can do,
People seeing Humans
As friends and family

Imagine Earths’ a country,
It isn’t hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
Just love from me to you,
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

Imagine no possessions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
In a brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

Imagine no one lonely
I wonder if you can,
No need for crime and violence,
Imagine all the people
Accepting our truths
As we accept those
Whose truths are a mystery

Imagine saving our planet
For generations yet unborn
I wonder if you will
No waste, no squandered riches
That are not really ours to burn
Think of the bounty we leave them,
It’s the only Earth they’ll have


You may say I’m a dreamer;
But, I’m not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And belief and logic will be one.

John Lennon

Another blanketing of fresh snow on Thursday evening that hasn't melted off and the peace and quiet of a Sunday morning caused me to climb up into the attic and break out my skis and boots. I expected to be the first one to ski on the fairways of Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek and I am pleased to report that several other avid skiers beat me to it.

This posting can be considered the first of our regular Door County ski trail and snow conditions reports. You can find local trail maps and individual area reports posted throughout the upcoming ski season at SkiDoorCounty.com. With steady low temps, the 1 - 3" snow cover on any of the numerous golf courses in Door County provides numerous opportunities to get back on the boards...

With two local snowfalls on record before Thanksgiving, this winter promises to be a good one for skiers in Door County. Nonetheless Gannett reports, More cross-country courses turn to man-made snow.

Alpine skiers who want to ski at areas that have made a commitment to improving their environmental impact are now ranked on a scorecard compiled by the Ski Area Citizens' Coalition. Review their criteria and find out the top ten and the bottom ten ski areas on the Ski Area Environmental Scorecard.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan recently accused Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., of "endorsing the policies of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party."

When some enthusiastic Davison, Michigan residents began to consider asking hometown "hero" Michael Moore to accept a membership in their local Davison Hall of Fame a wave of opposition started to manifest in equal measure. Moore says people will say almost anything to attack him - like Moore secretly owns stock in Halliburton. He explains, "I have never owned a share of stock. If anyone wants to attack me there are enough truly bad things about me they might use instead, like..."

"I attend weekly meetings and I am a member of an organization that seeks to cover up sexual abuse by some of its members... the Catholic Church. I am a Catholic," confesses Michael Moore.

"I also spent four years working in an institution that researches and perfects weapons of war... the University of Michigan. And, I support a cartel that has killed more Americans than any other group on Earth... the McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Belle, Colonel Sanders fast food cartel."

Moore went on to say that he believes that when the final reckoning comes everyone will be asked, "Where you an American? And did you support the war?"

"In 1776 we had a dictator and we overthrew that dictator ourselves. We didn't ask anyone to invade our country. Imagine in 1776 if the French just invaded our country, and then told us we were free... It wouldn't have worked. It wouldn't have worked back then and it's not working now." Moore recently told an audience in Flint, Michigan.

"Have you ever heard the name of a suicide bomber in Iraq? In Israel, right after a suicide bomber attacks, the name of the Palestinian bomber is announced. Right after 911 the names of the attackers were announced. Have you ever wondered why you never hear the name of a suicide bomber in Iraq announced over the news?" Moore explained "It's because they are Iraqi people fighting for their independence."

"I went to Mass this morning in Davison," Moore says. "The gospel was about Jesus explaining how you get into Heaven." After explaining the details Moore, says it simply boils down to, "You cannot get into Heaven without a permission slip from the poor." He explained that the priest closed the gospel saying, "We ask dear Lord that you remind the people who run Delphi that we need those jobs here in Flint."

You can hear Michael Moore's entire speech rebroadcast on C-SPAN tonight at 7 PM Central time. It's listed as Wellstone Memorial Dinner Democratic Party, Genesee County, MI Michael Moore.

When Utah Valley State College announced that liberal filmmaker Michael Moore would speak on their campus two weeks before the 2004 election a media frenzy erupted as angry community members and religious leaders shouted protests, pointed fingers, and quoted Mormon scripture. Attempting to calm the outrage, the college invited FOX News pundit Sean Hannity to speak a few days before Moore. But the controversy continued to explode into a full-blown war of political and religious differences… This Divided State, is the next film in the Compass Coffeehouse Cinema Series on Saturday, November 26 at 7 PM.

Ask State Assemblyman Garey Bies if he's still a dues-paying member of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Recently a couple of staffers for People for the American Way went undercover to a conference of the ultra-conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. Here's what they discovered: Creating a Right-Wing Nation, State by State by Joshua Holland.

It is the connective tissue that links state legislators with right-wing think tanks, leading anti-tax activists and corporate money. ALEC is a public-policy mill that churns out "model legislation" for the states that are unfailingly pro-business. The organization fights against civil rights laws, as well as consumer, labor and environmental initiatives.

According to the National Resources Defense Council, corporations "funnel cash through ALEC to curry favor with state lawmakers through junkets and other largesse in the hopes of enacting special interest legislation -- all the while keeping safely outside the public eye."

Madison attorney Mark S. Zimmer and Willem (sometimes also known as xickx), a computer programmer and lifelong Beethoven-lover in the Netherlands met on the Internet. Together they have created UnheardBeethoven.org, a collection of over 600 previously unrecorded works on vinyl or CD.

Both of them had over the preceding years developed an obsessive desire to accumulate recordings of all of Beethoven's works. Through the miracle of the internet, they were able to compare notes and see where each had been missing various items. But still, there were a multitude of works which sounded intriguing but which were unavailable on record or CD. Indescribable was their shock and horror upon learning the sheer quantity of works that really did exist but were quite inaccessible such as the Hess-list (containing 335 unknown works). Their shared frustration over the many works which had not been recorded was vented at about the same time as reasonably good computer soundcards became readily available.

Suddenly, the fog lifted, and they saw that they didn't need to wait for others to record and release the many missing pieces; they could, through creation of MIDI files, make their own "recordings" of these unheard pieces. Now they could hear these pieces, and in the process learned that there is indeed a wealth of interesting material amongst the unheard Beethoven. Willem and Zimmer assiduously began ferreting out these many mysterious pieces, with the tireless support of Patricia Elliott-Stroh, curator of the Ira F. Brilliant Beethoven Center at San Jose State University, and set to work on turning these scores into MIDI files.

Search the works, download and enjoy them for free at UnheardBeethoven.org. They also have a great set of links to more on their favorite composer.

If you get hooked on classics... you may enjoy searching through more free music at ClassicalArchives.com.

Research report from Trout Lake Station...
More than 80 years ago, two University of Wisconsin-Madison biologists opened a rustic research outpost on Trout Lake, deep in the heart of Wisconsin's pristine northern lake region. Their goal was to unlock some basic mysteries of freshwater lakes, from their chemical makeup to their elaborate circle of life.

Today, research at Trout Lake is thriving more than ever, but a great deal of the focus has shifted to the developmental pressures that threaten what people cherish most about recreational lakes. An online news package by University Communications science writer Paroma Basu, based on a summer visit to the station, takes a fresh look at Trout Lake research projects that monitor species diversity, land use practices and other lake health issues.

The Scalito Threat...
Amanda Griscom Little of Grist Magazine sheds some light on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito's Enviro Past:

"The most troubling skeleton in Alito's judicial closet, according to Sierra Club senior attorney David Bookbinder, is the dissent he wrote in U.S. v. Rybar in 1996. Alito advocated striking down a federal law banning possession of machine guns on the grounds that, in some instances, it exceeds congressional power under the Constitution's Commerce Clause. He argued that, as in-state machine-gun possession is not interstate economic activity, such authority should be conferred to state governments alone. This kind of reasoning strikes fear in the hearts of enviros, as the Commerce Clause is the basis for nearly every major federal environmental law in the U.S.

"If he is willing to find that Congress doesn't have that sort of authority over possession of machine guns, it makes you very concerned he will apply the same logic to Congress's authority over interstate pollutants," said Bookbinder.

"This is particularly concerning to enviros given that three weeks ago, the Supreme Court decided to review Rapanos v. United States and Carabell v. Army Corps of Engineers, two landmark cases that challenge the reach of the Clean Water Act and call into question state-level versus federal authority to protect the environment. "The stakes are enormous," said Kendall. "If the federal government loses these cases, millions of acres of waters and wetlands could be left unprotected. And an adverse ruling would also call into question a much broader array of environmental safeguards."

Peg Lautenschlager meet Mr. Floatie...
"After a year of failed negotiations aimed at averting litigation, Wisconsin's state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager said Tuesday that she would sue the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District for dumping about 1.5 billion gallons of untreated storm water and sanitary waste into local waterways in May 2004."

Canadians are contending with an even greater disregard for the effects of municipal sewage dumping, but their cleanup candidate, Mr. Floatie, a sewage activist, was wiped clean off the B.C. ballot recently.

People Opposed to Outfall Pollution (POOP) says, "Watch for him to keep popping up to talk about Victoria's ongoing dumping of raw sewage into the ocean," as they continue their ongoing efforts to build greater public awareness.

Just think what Bruce Hill and a handfull of very Repuglican Egg Harborians who are against permitting unrestrained freedom of speech might be forced to do if Mr. Floatie decides to pop up in next year's Egg Harbor 4th of July Parade. Things could get ugly.

Magnum In Motion editors blend powerful Magnum photography with audio commentary, text and graphics to create an immersive, engaging multimedia experience. Photographer commentary guides the viewer through the photo essay, while text and graphics provide additional information and enrich the viewing experience.

How's this for a healthy promotion...

766 people participate in Madison's 3rd Annual 2-Week Car-Free Challenge
(September 22 – October 5, 2005)
Total vehicle miles reduced: 52,191 miles or 2.1 times around the Earth!

Together they effectively removed 136 cars from the road (driven 10,000 miles per year). Every 6 car-free challengers removed 1 car. They saved 2,088 gallons of gasoline and $6,263 in two weeks. If participants kept up this behavior for a year, they would save 54,279 gallons of gasoline. Each participant would save $213.

They reduced 41,753 pounds (21 tons) of carbon dioxide emissions the equivalent of planting 21 trees in two weeks. If participants kept up this behavior for a year, together they would reduce: 543 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

They reduced 188 pounds of nitrous oxides (NOx) and 120 pounds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the precursors to ground-level ozone.

Total miles bicycled: 13,001
Total miles walked: 1,359
Total miles bussed: 10,402
Total miles carpooled: 27,872

The extra miles biking and walking add up to 100 extra calories burned per person per day, the equivalent of jogging a mile a day!

Madisonian Pam Schwarzbach dropped in the Coffeehouse and we started talking cycling...

"50% of kids used to ride bikes to school, now it's down to only 2%, but don't quote me on those figures..." says Pam. "There's grant money available to get kids back on bikes by developing safe routes to schools."

"A generation ago, most schoolchildren walked or biked to school, while today fewer than one-third of those who live within a mile of school arrive on foot or bike," said Lee Kokinakis, director of Michigan's Active School Environments for the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness. Over 200 elementary schools in Michigan recently promoted a Walk to School Day.

Brits pointing the way: Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, works on practical projects to encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport for health, safety and environmental reasons. Our aim is to create a Safe Route to School for every child in the UK.

The Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign is an awards program that recognizes municipalities that actively support bicycling. A Bicycle-Friendly Community provides safe accommodation for cycling and encourages its residents to bike for transportation and recreation.

"A couple weeks ago I was joking with some friends and saying that when gas goes over $3 a gallon, I won't pay it, I'll refuse to use my car," said Janelle Gunther, 35, and a scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

The next thing she knew, she was leaving her Toyota Camry in the driveway and peddling the five miles to the lab. She figures she is saving about $40 a week. She usually showers and changes at work, although more than once she has found herself scurrying into an early morning meeting still clad in her Lycra cycling gear. "No one bats an eye," she said.

According to the most recent national figures, Jenelle's helping to up the numbers in the 2000 census that measured only 489,000 Americans who pedal to work, compared with 97.1 million who drove solo. But those numbers are starting to take a dramatic shift says Alex Williams in a recent NY Times article.

Several years ago Door County Chamber Chair, Karen Raymore was peddling a slide show that depicted the Swiss model of completely integrating bicycles with automobiles in roadway planning. In "theory" and in the law, drivers of either form of transportation are considered to have equal rights. The Swiss model reinforces that ethic giving cyclists greater consideration at intersections and stops. Back then I envisioned a turning point for the entire cycling movement in Door... but that enthusiasm faded.

Now Chris Hornung, the chief executive of Pacific Cycle in Madison - the largest distributor of bicycles in North America - says that a boom is occurring with sales of multigear adult cruiser bikes with medium-wide tires and cushy seats, "the sort commonly associated with commuting, jump(ing) off the Richter scale," rocketing 20 percent in the week of Sept. 7 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the spike in gas prices.

For a number of reasons, some of which are economic affordability, Door County seems to be slipping in popularity. It seems that many local business people are starting to see the flaws in trying to marry the groom of golf with the wild bride of unspoiled nature. Discussion might now begin to include marketing Door County as a mecca for bicycling and healthy family recreation. With gas prices said to rise like a rocket and sink like a feather, there is no reason to expect them to ever fall below $2.50 a gallon. A campaign to promote Door County as the cycling capitol of Wisconsin could do no harm, especially if it starts to develop that Swiss-style of peninsula bike trails that once looked so promising.