Guest, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Amy Thomas: A Milwaukee witness at the Dakota Access Pipeline

Posted by Guest | Sep 23, 2016 |

A travelogue of a Milwaukee woman’s trek to the Dakota Access Pipeline protest that highlights Native American injustices and environmental concerns. There are important issues that cross into the awareness of our busy lives, things we feel strongly about but for many reasons are unable to support with action. Amy Thomas is not an activist, but was moved to visit the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protest as a silent witness. With her two young sons, Thomas made the 1,500 mile round trip from Milwaukee and has this experience to share. I was browsing through Facebook one day in the...

Muslim holiday celebration packs Wisconsin Center

Posted by Guest | Sep 16, 2016

Thousands of Muslims streamed into the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee to offer their holiday prayers. Eid al Adha or Festival of the Sacrifice, the most significant holiday in the Islamic calendar, was celebrated on September 12.

Photo Essay: Reflections from today at Ground Zero

Posted by Guest | Sep 11, 2016 |

These photos were taken on September 9, 2016 by Adam Levin at Ground Zero in New York.

The Muslim Mind: Cultural Misperceptions

Posted by Guest | Sep 8, 2016

This essay is part of a series that explores the Muslim community in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Independent previously published an extensive interview with Janan Najeeb. It was an effort to help our readers better understand the people of Islamic faith who live in the city, and address questions that were not the usual fear-based reactions to news events. As a result of the positive impact and popularity of Najeeb’s profile, the Milwaukee Independent invited her to offer a continuing editorial voice about our Muslim neighbors and their shared stories from the community. Fielding calls from interested teachers, perplexed employers,...

Dennis Biddle: In and out of baseball by 19

Posted by Guest | Jul 5, 2016 |

Playing as a pitcher, Biddle said he earned the wordy nickname “The Man Who Beat the Man Who Beat the Man” for a victory his first season over Lefty McKinnis, one of the few pitchers who ever defeated the legendary Satchel Paige. The record for wins at the age of 17 in the major leagues is five, set by Bob Feller in 1936. In 1953, Dennis Biddle, pitching in the Negro leagues, equaled that number. Then he turned 18 and won ten more, giving him 15 wins in his rookie season. Injury derailed Biddle’s baseball career when he was...

Kathleen Baert: Mr. Roboto goes to Washington

Posted by Guest | Jun 30, 2016 |

Editor’s Note: A team from Marquette University traveled to Washington DC as part of an expo hosted by the Congressional Robotics Caucus. The event marked the five-year anniversary of the National Robotics Initiative, a multi-agency effort among the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, the National Institutes for Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Energy (DOE) to accelerate the development and use of robots that work beside or cooperatively with people and solve problems in areas of national priority. This essay describes that journey of technology and possibilities. I...