Mike Wilken's (marken_ssa) Blog

Interested in information about the City of Shawano?  Here is list of sites for government, schools, police, chamber, library, economics and more.  Also you will find links to nearby Legend Lake and the Menominee Community.  If you have any questions about Shawano or are considering a relocation ...

Photos from a February 2008 trip to Praia do Flamengo, Salvador Bahia Brazil and the return scene to Wisconsin.  It is mid-summer in the southern hemisphere and vacation time for Brazilians.   Any worker who has worked one year receives an extra months paycheck in December called month 13.  Later...

Forget about Carnaval, forget about the warm, clear days, the dream-like beaches, the 'gente bonitas' (The Beautiful People) and their nation's culture that  North Americans and Brazilians themselves can not fully grasp or explain.  Forget not being able to 'swing a dead cat by the tail' and not ...

With the help of technology, planning and executing a vacation for the 'non-teamed' agent was never easier.  Our last winter trip below the equator lasted 3 weeks and I listed a home (back in Wisconsin not in Brazil) while in South America.  It was an REO and the contracts were via email, I just ...

I have never seen so much real world excitement, passion and action from so many people towards solving our energy/environment/economy situation.  Years ago after the Arab oil embargo many US businesses were formed to produce alternative energy.  Unfortunately OPEC raised their oil quotas and dum...

An alternative to solar panels for hot water in our northern climate may be solar vacuum tubes. These panels of  tubes are manufactured in Great Britain, China and other countries* andhave been used in Great Britain with success for many years where the sunlight is limited due to cloud cover.    ...

Just closed on an 11 acre piece of vacant land.  I commend the Buyer.  He has acquired a windmill permit and now has a contract to sell energy to electric company.  He has stated that his plans are to only use a small portion of the land for his future eco-friendly home and seems interested in le...

Millions of acres of farmland in the Midwest that have been taken out of production due to marginal soils are going to replanted with Switchgrasses.  These soils for a variety of reasons are not productive for corn.  Switchgrass is a native grass of the U.S. plains and has been grown in European ...

It is probably not well known or at least forgotten that under a large expanse of Northern Wisconsin lies one of the world's largest mineral deposits.  When Exxon Corporation attempted to open a mine near the Wolf River by Crandon, the project was met with a lot of opposition and the Wolf River b...

 It appears Shawano County is down only about 5% in total sales dollars compared to 2006.  Due to the typical lag of reporting December sales, the conclusion more than likely will have to be adjusted in early 2008.  The number of units sold is down about 15% but since the average price of a home ...