Author: Syndicated

Netflix, Amazon, and modern streaming services may have cleaned up at the Emmy Awards, but there’s one area where viewers seem to prefer the classics: theme songs. A new survey conducted by audio branding specialist PHMG revealed that 21% of voters named Happy Days as America’s most memorable TV theme. The show ran from 1974 to 1984 on ABC, finishing up after 11 seasons with a total of 255 episodes. It was followed by The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (14%), while Cheers, Gilligan’s Island and Friends were tied for third (8%). The survey was conducted among 1,000 US consumers....

In 1945, at the end of WW II, Milwaukee had 350 miles of streetcar lines and 198 miles of interurban electric trains that served Burlington, East Troy, Waukesha and Sheboygan. In addition passenger trains connected to Madison, Green Bay, Chicago and beyond. There were over 80 round trips to Chicago provided by the Milwaukee Road, the Northwestern RR and the electric North Shore Line. In addition there were 110 miles of electric bus lines run by the Milwaukee Transit Lines. All of this service was privately-owned and paid substantial state and local taxes. In the post-war era, the US...

Amid severe shortages in affordable housing, receiving a voucher after years of waiting can feel like literally winning the lottery for a low-income family. But that’s just the first step in a long and arduous process for families in search of a decent place to live. Families who receive a voucher then have to find an apartment that meets the program’s requirements and a landlord willing to rent to them. That means sifting through countless apartment advertisements, making numerous calls, and dealing with a chorus of “Nos” when they ask if landlords accept housing vouchers. In a new Urban...

On the rocky beach at Little Girls Point County Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the heavy wash of Lake Superior seeking the shore rolls stones the size of softballs back and forth in the surf. The power and immensity of the lake seems immutable. If there is anything in nature that will withstand the passing of time, this inland ocean would seem a likely candidate. Peter Annin knows better. The author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, which examines the fight to protect the lakes from an encroaching and increasingly water-starved world, has stood in the dry ocean bed...

A Boston newspaper proposed a coordinated editorial response today, August 16, from publications across the U.S. to President Donald Trump’s frequent attacks on the news media. “We are not the enemy of the people,” said Marjorie Pritchard, deputy managing editor for the editorial page of The Boston Globe, referring to a characterization of journalists that Trump has used in the past. The president, who contends he has largely been covered unfairly by the press, also employs the term “fake news” often when describing the media. The Globe will join editorial boards nationwide to write and publish editorials on August...

Research from Harvard University suggests that children as young as three years old, when exposed to racism and prejudice, tend to embrace and accept it, even though they might not understand the feelings. By age 5, white children are strongly biased towards whiteness. To counter this bias, experts recommend acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and as often as possible. Children’s books are one of the most effective and practical tools for initiating these critical conversations; and they can also be used to model what it means to resist and dismantle oppression. Beyond addressing issues...