About Mary Turck
News Day, written by Mary Turck, analyzes, summarizes, links to, and comments on reports from news media around the world, with particular attention to immigration, education, and journalism. Fragments, also written by Mary Turck, has fiction, poetry and some creative non-fiction.
Mary Turck edited TC Daily Planet, www.tcdailyplanet.net, from 2007-2014, and edited the award-winning Connection to the Americas and AMERICAS.ORG, in its pre-2008 version. She is also a recovering attorney and the author of many books for young people (and a few for adults), mostly focusing on historical and social issues.
April 16, 2009 · 7:35 am
Media spotlight on media From Fox News to the Strib, media is the news this morning.
Not all media are equal in the eyes of the law — or at least not in the eyes of Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan. The TC Daily Planet reports that the chief decided to give an exclusive interview to the Strib about the legal case arising from the 2006 police shooting of Fong Lee, but isn’t answering requests for interviews from the PiPress, which has reported on the family’s side of the ongoing lawsuit. Since then, the chief has also talked to MPR. Guess he doesn’t like the PiPress coverage of inconsistencies in stories about the gun found near Fong Lee’s body or questions about the patrol car video.
And then there’s Fox: the “news” channel sponsored and heavily promoted yesterday’s national tea bag protest day — and then joined the rest of the media in extensive coverage of the events. Sponsorship? Oh, yes — as Media Matters reports, “from April 6 to April 13, Fox News featured at least 20 segments on the “tea party” protests scheduled to take place on April 15 and aired at least 73 in-show and commercial promotions for their April 15 coverage of the events,” which Fox hyped as “the FNC Tax Day Tea Parties.” This goes so far beyond the bounds of journalistic ethics that it’s hard to know where to begin.
Continue reading →
Filed under news
Tagged as agriculture, budget, employment, environment, journalism, media, Michelle Bachmann, Minneapolis, Obama, Somali, taxation, Tim Pawlenty
April 15, 2009 · 8:39 am
Dumb power lines, smart grids The MN Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is set to decide on yet another power line this week, reports MPR. For those of you keeping score, the power line proposals include:
• CapX 2020 — roughly 600 miles and $2 billion.
• “Green Power Express” from ITC Holdings Group — “a series of 765 kV transmission lines across seven states, including Minnesota”
• Xcel Energy — “upgrade a power line from Granite Falls to Shakopee from the current 230 kV line to a double-circuit 345 kV”
• And don’t forget Big Stone II — already approved by the PUC “to construct and upgrade 112 miles of transmission lines in western Minnesota.”
Big Stone II is all about energy from burning coal, but the other proposals claim they are about wind energy — with no promises, of course. Power line proponents say there’s a need for more energy, but MPR notes that the Citizens Energy Task Force research found Xcel Energy’s “energy demands dropped by 12 percent from 2006 through 2008.”
Continue reading →
April 14, 2009 · 8:06 am
Franken won, and not one of Coleman’s claims was legit In a 68-page opinion (PDF), the three-judge recount court knocked down every single one of Coleman’s claims, said Franken should be seated as Senator, and gave a resounding vote of confidence to the Minnesota election system. Continue reading →
Filed under news
Tagged as afghanistan, coleman, Cuba, environment, franken, Minneapolis, Muslim, Obama, recount, Somali, taxation
April 13, 2009 · 6:30 am
Too much testing MN students face high-stakes GRAD tests and MCA II tests this week. For the first time, high school graduation hinges on the 11th grade math GRAD test, and that means failure to graduate for many, unless the law is changed. Legislators are talking about changing the math GRAD law, but not eliminating the burden of test after mandated test that eats up teaching time without delivering benefits to schools or students.
Critics around the world question the value and frequency of testing. MN 2020 describes our school testing requirements as “labyrinthian and byzantine.” Teachers in Britain threaten a boycott of mandated tests, according to BBC.
The Brits claim it’s child abuse to subject students to batteries of “educationally barren” tests. Teachers say the tests disrupt the education process by making them teach to the test, pit school against school, and actually do harm to children. The Department of Children, Schools and Families says standardized tests are required in order to raise achievement levels, and that the threatened boycott would be illegal.
Continue reading →
April 10, 2009 · 9:30 am
It’s Friday, almost 10 a.m., and I’m still plowing through news items. Though there is really serious news, including tax policy analysis, today’s crop includes massive silliness — tea baggers, more Michelle, and silliness from Wisconsin. Enjoy!
When unemployment rises, crime … falls? That’s what Minneapolis numbers show, according to the U of M’s Smart Politics blog. Continue reading →
April 9, 2009 · 8:39 am
Movers and shakers on the move Lois Quam is leaving Piper Jaffray & Co. after less than two years to start a , reports the Strib. Quam plans to start a business incubator for start-ups in health care and green technology, building on connections with Norway and its clean-energy technology. Before heading up alternative investments at Piper Jaffray, Quam was a senior UnitedHealth Group exec.
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s Lake Harriet area home is up for sale, reports the Minnesota Independent, with an asking price of $750,000. According to Rybak’s communications director Jeremy Hanson, it’s a case of “empty-nest downsizing.” Continue reading →
April 8, 2009 · 8:09 am
Budget as moral document “We’re in this together,” Rev. Peter Rogness, bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
reminds us, writing about Minnesota’s budget in MinnPost. Bishop Rogness talks about the budget as decisions made by all of us — “a family gathered around the table to talk things over or a small village where everyone meets in the town hall to discuss common concerns. There’s no them, only us.” Continue reading →
April 7, 2009 · 6:21 am
No new Senator T-Paw told MSNBC that the Senate race will take “a few more months” until “we get a proper result.” Minnesota Independent reports that Pawlenty said he won’t sign an election certificate until the appellate process is over. The PiPress reports that only 387 ballots remain to be counted Tuesday. Judges originally ordered 400 ballots counted, but it turns out that 13 of those listed have already been counted.
Continue reading →
Filed under news
Tagged as arts, coleman, economic stimulus, employment, environment, iraq, Michelle Bachmann, MN Job Watch, recount, St. Paul, Tim Pawlenty
April 7, 2009 · 6:12 am
No new Senator T-Paw told MSNBC that the Senate race will take “a few more months” until “we get a proper result.” Minnesota Independent reports that Pawlenty said he won’t sign an election certificate until the appellate process is over. The PiPress reports that only 387 ballots remain to be counted Tuesday. Judges originally ordered 400 ballots counted, but it turns out that 13 of those listed have already been counted.
Continue reading →
Filed under news
Tagged as arts, coleman, economic stimulus, employment, environment, iraq, Michelle Bachmann, MN Job Watch, recount, St. Paul, Tim Pawlenty
April 6, 2009 · 6:24 am
Franken, Coleman, Court Brace yourselves: tomorrow the ballot-counting resumes, with envelopes containing almost 400 absentee ballots to be opened and counted. Let’s get it over with so that the Coleman can start his appeals: the beginning of the beginning of the end.
Twins tonight and hot dogs for breakfast Knothole blogger Jean Gabler reports that on opening day (today!) the Twins are once again serving up hot-dog breakfasts between 6 and 9 a.m. Continue reading →
Mary Turck