Local (Madison &WI)

The global economic crisis deepens by the day, yet the gambling industry continues to rake in enormous profits as people everywhere pump billions of dollars into slot machines in the hope of winning the ever elusive jackpot. Sandra Adell' s Confessions of a Slot Machine Queen offers an intimate look into problem and compulsive casino gambling and the impact the casino industry is having on vulnerable communities, especially poor and working class people, the disabled, communities of color, and women the fastest growing population of problem gamblers in the United States. Adell' s narrative of gambling and loss unfolds against her history as an unwed and uneducated teen mother from Detroit who beat the odds stacked against her and went on to earn a Ph.D. and a coveted position as a literature professor in a major Midwestern university. In a clear and unaffected prose style, Adell describes how she went from having no interest in gambling to risking everything she had worked for after playing the slots and winning a small jackpot. We watch as she struggles against the lure of the slots only to get seduced time and again until she finally spirals out of control and is forced to confront the demons that lay beneath the surface of her professional persona. Confessions of a Slot Machine Queen is as much a story of redemption as it is a critical examination of the casino gambling industry and the potential dangers of this new and high-tech form of entertainment.

"A wonderfully useful book."-William Cronon, Frederick Jackson Turner Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin--Madison

"This atlas fills a void in the bibliography of Wisconsin history."-Margaret Beattie Bogue, professor emeritus of history, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author of Around the Shores of Lake Michigan

"The Historical Atlas of Wisconsin is a first of its kind for this state and is long overdue."-Onno Brouwer, associate director, University of Wisconsin Cartography Laboratory, co-editor of the Cultural Map of Wisconsin

Despite Wisconsin's rich history, no historical atlas has been produced in the state since 1878. The Historical Atlas of Wisconsin, created by the Wisconsin Cartographers' Guild, has filled this void with a fascinating and colorful portrait of the state's complex development. This useful and entertaining guide, produced to mark 150 years of statehood, provides a lasting resource for map lovers and history buffs of all ages, and anyone interested in Wisconsin's heritage. The Atlas features more than 100 pages of historic and geographic data, including full-color maps, descriptive text, photos, and illustrations.

The Atlas highlights the peoples and cultures, economy and land, and socio-political landscape of Wisconsin-from Native American mounds to weather hazards to labor history. Situated at the intersections of natural and cultural regions, Wisconsin has always been an area "on thecutting edge." It formed a boundary between the glaciated and unglaciated regions of North America, which evolved into the "tension line" between the Northwoods and the Central Plains. It later became the meeting ground among Native American nations, and a new home to diverse groups of immigrant settlers, who introduced cutting-edge political and economic ideas to the rest of the country. Wisconsin still serves as a borderland between the agricultural Midwest, the industrial Great Lakes, and the Northern forests. The Atlas explores the history of indigenous cultures, immigrant groups, natural resources, agriculture, industries, boundaries, political and social movements, and government institutions in lively detail.

"Wisconsin, with its verdant hills and limestone-filtered waters, was made for making cheese. For more than 160 years, cheese-makers and dairy farmers have been working together to create unparalleled Cheddar, mozzarella, artisan, and other delicious cheeses-more than 600 varieties, types, and styles in all. Wisconsin wins more national and international cheese awards than any other state or country, and you can be sure that its residents have invented just as many ways of enjoying that cheese. With more than 100 recipes-from farmhouse favorites to sophisticated cuisine from top chefs-and packed with cheese trivia, profiles of cheesemakers, and cheese tips, Wisconsin Cheese is the ultimate cheese lover's resource and a fitting homage to Wisconsin's rich cheesemaking history. Celebrate Wisconsin Cheese with Recipes Such As: Blueberry Ricotta Coffee Cake Wisconsin Three-Cheese Soup with Parmesan Croutons Wisconsin Buttermilk Blue and Asian Pear Salad Santa's Wisconsin Cheese Delight Asiago Cheese Puffs Wisconsin Cheddar Scones with Smoked Turkey Hook's Blue Cheese Cake Cherry Cheddar Crusted Pork Tenderloin Wisconsin Gruyere Fondue Fontiago Polenta with Tomato Basil Concassee Goat Cheese Fudge Milk Chocolate Cheesecake"

Popular public radio show host Michael Feldman and coauthor Diana Cook introduce Wisconsin's weirdest, wackiest, and most outrageous people, places, and things including a man who owes his life to a foam rubber cheesehead, a worm that plays basketball, and the best place to savor chicken in a hubcap.

A brand new bathroom reader collection, from the beloved trivia voice of public radio.

SO…DID YOU KNOW THAT:

• 53% of American workers feel they work "with a bunch of monkeys." (What the monkeys think, we don't know.)
• During shaky economic times, lipstick sales go up.
• The longest conflict in American history was fought over a pig.
• Washington state has the best-dressed State Troopers.

AREN'T YOU GLAD YOU NOW KNOW THAT?!

If you'd love to quiz yourself about what you know, and then fill your brain with thousands of fascinating and highly useful facts like these, look no further. (And as an added bonus, you'll get jokes and stories too!) Every weekend, radio listeners across the nation delight in the facts and fun of the hit show Whad'Ya Know? with Michael Feldman. Now, for the first time, Michael collects the greatest trivia, quizzes, stories, and fun facts just for you.

Every weekend, thousands of public radio listeners across the nation delight in the facts and fun of the hit PRI show Whad'Ya Know? with Michael Feldman. Now, for the first time Michael collects the greatest trivia, quizzes, stories, and fun facts from the show in Whad'Ya Know?.

With features perfectly sized for spending a little time on the throne, Whad'Ya Know? contains sections that fans of the show will be sure to recognize, such as:

• Things You Should Have Learned in School (Had You Been Paying Attention)
• The Daily Briefing
• Thanks for the Memos
• The Best of the Best
• And much more

If your answer to "Whad'Ya Know?" is "not much," get ready to become the smartest person on the block… or at least the one that knows the most stuff.