Author: Insights

The United States has always been an experiment in ideals. Whether Americans have lived up to them at any given point is a different question, but the idea of “government of the people, by the people, for the people” has guided the country through crises that might have ended it long ago. One of the nation’s darkest chapters came in the aftermath of the Civil War, when leaders of the defeated Confederacy refused to accept federal authority and instead waged a sustained campaign to recapture power. The betrayal happened not on battlefields, but in legislative halls, shadowy backrooms, and...

Corporate supremacy first dragged the United States to economic devastation nearly a century ago, and it now tightens its grip with even greater ruthlessness. The 1975 film “Rollerball” foresaw a nightmarish future in which corporate giants displace governments entirely. That future envisioned an economic tyranny that is no longer a distant fantasy. The era leading up to the 1929 crash was defined by industrial barons who operated with impunity while elected officials stood aside. That corporate rule delivered the Great Republican Depression. Today’s corporate masters have refined those methods, seizing control of policymaking, hollowing out democratic institutions, and replacing...

In the realm of iconic landscapes, Mount Fuji stands among the most photographed and revered in the world. Its near-perfect cone has been the subject of art, poetry, and pilgrimage for centuries, firmly cementing Fuji-san in Japan’s cultural and national identity. While the mountain has slumbered for over 300 years since its last significant eruption in 1707, volcanologists today caution that Fuji is far from dormant. If Mount Fuji were to erupt with the intensity of the catastrophic 1980 Mount St. Helens event in the United States, where much of that volcano’s summit was blasted away, the impacts on...

In a world where technology is increasingly defined by lines of code, microchips, and artificial intelligence, a centuries-old art form stands as a reminder that “mechanization” once had a more tangible, hands-on character. Japan’s Karakuri automata are a brilliant example of human ingenuity that dates back to the Edo period. These exquisitely crafted mechanical dolls perform tasks such as serving tea, writing calligraphy, and even dancing with a fan in hand. Such mesmerizing performances amazed audiences then, and still do so today. But while exploring these charming robotic ancestors, an unexpected link to Milwaukee’s German heritage emerged. Known for...