Here in "safe" Appleton, I was actually victimized today by a bold gang who robbed me right on my doorstep. Beware, you could be next. I should have noticed the bright gang colors as they approached: blue and yellow shirts, baseball caps, with bright bandannas around their necks. There were two main perpetrators, relatively short white males, about 3 foot four, no visible scars or tattoos, and there was an accomplice nearby, an older white male who pulled the red getaway wagon. This dreaded local "Cub" gang held me at smilepoint until I agree to fork over $20 for a 1-pound bag of toffee popcorn. Thank goodness I didn't have a lot of cash with me, or it could have been much worse. I might be wolfing down two bags instead of just one.

This is the price I pay for being stuck working at home, getting ready for a presentation on Monday when I should have been at Octoberfest today. Could have been enjoying Tiger Paws! Maybe there's still time....

Don't waste your time calling the police when these gangs come after you--turns out quite a few police have sons who are tied to these groups. Some even help them out during so-called "fundraising drives." The only thing you can do to protect yourself is to be prepared: remember, no matter what they say, don't look at those eyes and especially not at those smiles. It's kind of like a reverse Gorgon effect: one look and your stone cold heart will turn all soft on you and have you handing out your hard-earned money to fundraising gangsters. Be prepared!

Hey, this popcorn is actually really good. Whoa, maybe I should have bought two....

The Learning Shop on West College Avenue is still an fun place to visit, even with my kids all mostly grown up. Went there the other night with my wife to pick up some items for some classes at the Classical School where she teaches. What fun I had! Couldn't resist buying a few things. And hey, I love that truck. One of the prettiest in the Valley. This was a shot at about 7:30 pm, after dusk.

Appleton offers some terrific options for advanced education. Here's a partial list of opportunities in the Valley:

• Lawrence University - a private university with an outstanding reputation and a beautiful campus, drawing students (1400, all undergrad) from nearly every state of the US plus over 50 foreign countries. Founded by the Wisconsin territorial legislature in 1847, it has been coeducational since its founding and is the second oldest coeducational college in the U.S. In 1964, Milwaukee-Downer College in Milwaukee consolidated with Lawrence, thus merging the traditions of an established coeducational institution with a highly regarded women's college. Lawrence University is a source of numerous cultural events for the community. The music offerings rival that of many larger cities and larger universities.
• Fox Valley Technical College - a college providing training in many career-related areas. It began in 1917, becoming the first school dedicated exclusively for vocational education. It is one of the best technical colleges in the nation, in my opinion and the opinion of many others. Large, beautiful campus with numerous high-quality courses and leadership committed to excellence. It's a gem for the Midwest and truly one for the Valley.
• University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley - A significant institution in the UW system, UW-Fox Valley sits on 41 acres of land and boasts 1,782 students. It hosts the world-class Barlow Planetarium and the state's official mineralogical museum, the Weis Earth Science Museum.
• Extension campuses or centers in the Fox Valley:
  
  • Concordia University, Appleton Center. A Wisconsin university with a center in our town and a partnership with Fox Valley Technical College. Outstanding programs, according to one student I talked to.
  • Marian University, Appleton Center - A Fond du Lac university with a center in Appleton.
  • Rasmussen College, Appleton. Rasmussen College - Appleton offers Bachelor's and Associate's degrees in Business, Allied Health, Justice Studies, and Technology & Design. Founded in 1900, Rasmussen College is an accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and offers degrees both online and through a network of 21 campuses in the Midwest and Florida.
  • University of Phoenix, Appleton Learning Center. Popular remote learning school with a center in town.

What does Johannes Gutenberg have in common with Henry Frambach of Kaukauna (1840-1921) or John Swanson of Appleton (1917-2004)? These three men, with two others, will be inducted to the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame on Sept. 23, 2010 in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Henry Frambach was a 
pioneer papermaker who built and ran six paper or pulp mills in Wisconsin and Michigan. Frambach was instrumental in bringing an advanced groundwood process to Wisconsin in 1872 which helped accelerate the US paper industry. He obtaiined fourteen U.S. patents. One interesting part of his career was being the manager for paper making exhibit at the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893e.

John Swanson was a famous professor at the Institute of Paper Chemistry, where he served from from 1941 to 1982. (The Institute later moved to Georgia and became part of Georgia Tech as the Institute of Paper Science and Technology.) He was an expert in the chemistry of surfaces and colloids and used his expertise to help advance papermaking from a mysterious art into a science.

Gutenberg, I understand, was some guy from Germany who had something to do with early non-electronic media (maybe early precursors of the Kindle and iPad?), apparently using some kind of printing technology to create reading material that had to be physically picked up to be accessed. Go figure. Well, I guess that's cool, too.

There are two other inductees: Friedrich Gottlob Keller (1816-1895, Germany) who helped develop ways to use trees for papermaking (it was his process that Frambach brought to Wisconsin and further refined), and Jasper Mardo (1921-1997, Vancouver, Canada), a leader and educator who brought about many advances in knowledge and practice in papermaking.

Labels: education, Kaukauna, paper

As reported by the Post-Crescent, there will be a debate tonight at Fox Valley Lutheran that I'm planning to attend.

An 8th Congressional District debate among Republican candidates Terri McCormick, Reid Ribble and Roger Roth will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at Fox Valley Lutheran High School, 5300 N. Meade St., Appleton.

Maybe some fireworks? Should definitely be interesting.

Doors open at 6:30 pm.

I used to be a debater in high school and always enjoy a meaningful debate, rare as they are.