Category Archives: Uncategorized

Every time there’s a local sports event (the Vikings, the Twins, the Timberwolves, the Gophers …), my Twitter feed is overrun with play-by-play commentary from news guys.

At BSM v. SLP.  Jacks little brother Max skates in his jersey and drops the first puck #jabs #mnhspuck

Has there ever been medical research into why players for the #twolves have no ability to be ashamed of themselves?

Every time there’s a GOP debate (or caucus or primary), not only my Twitter feed, but also the pages of otherwise reputable newspapers, are overrun with play-by-play commentary:

Trend Chart: Mitt on a glide path to victory in NH — opponents as falling as primary nears http://t.co/bCoERWaW via @TPM

RT @jess_mc: 1. Santorum’s “spendometer” in a real thing. 2. It kind of looks like, well.. http://t.co/WeH04QqR

VP material MT @badler: Perry: “Iran will move back in [to Iraq] at literally the speed of light.”

Did Mitt blow off Newt’s handshake? #nhdebate #firstworldproblem

The sports chatter is annoying, but only because I don’t share the passionate devotion to this form of entertainment. The political chatter is more alarming. Where is the serious discussion of issues? That, of course, was a rhetorical question. Political reporting is about the horse race, the color of someone’s tie, and the gotcha moment.

Important: New York Times and MinnPost stories about how good teachers can change students’ lives, and how that result is measurable, albeit not easily. Quantifiably — good teachers mean higher lifetime earnings. Hmm. Something wrong about measuring the effect of good teaching in dollars, but I would guess that if a teacher makes  a difference in dollars, s/he might also make a difference in other ways: shaping moral behavior, fostering self-esteem, “education for democracy,” and more.

Appalling: The Texas teen deported to Colombia by mistake:

“She looks like a kid, she acts like a kid. How could they think she wasn’t a kid?” Lorene Turner, her grandmother, told the AP.

Also, Turner doesn’t speak Spanish.

Way too much ink: Iowa. New Hampshire. All of them.

Central Corridor construction has been hard on a lot of on- and near-University Avenue businesses, among them the spot of color and sunshine that is Caribe Caribbean Bistro at 791 Raymond Avenue, just north of University. Caribe’s mango and cheese empanadillas and mofongo taste like a little bit of winter vacation in the sun, without paying airfare. Continue reading →

Scan old photos.

Write letters.

Watch Jon Stewart.

Try not to look at Twitter feed. Continue reading →

Hero coming to town. And you can see him, up close and personal.

Hollis Watkins was a leader in the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 70s. When I interviewed him for Freedom Song, he described leading songs as part of the movement: Continue reading →

I’d like to resolve, like Susan Mernit, that I’ll blog every day this year. I doubt that I’ll make it – but I’m going to try. And maybe re-make the resolution on the first of every month.

Of course, the library is closed January 1-2 for New Year’s Day, but you can still check out a book. In fact, said the St. Paul Public Library in a press release, on the day after Christmas, with the library closed up tight, “Customers downloaded nearly 200 eBooks from Saint Paul Public Library on December 26, reaching an all time daily high for the eBook lending service.” Continue reading →

I got a phone message at the TC Daily Planet yesterday from someone who wanted a local source where she could buy red worms. She said she  read about red worm composting and TCDP was the only phone number on the page. Probably — we published the article, and we don’t always have phone numbers in stories.

I didn’t want to go find the article and track down a local red worm outlet, so I threw up a quick question on my personal Facebook account. Wow! Within minutes, I had multiple responses from the author of the TCDP article about places to go, and more responses from other friends who also knew where to get red worms or offered to share their own.

I think this Facebook post got more responses, more quickly, than anything else I’ve ever posted. (Yes, the caller got her worms.)

Maybe I’m missing something. I should write about worms more often.

Which story is the biggest news: the death of Osama bin Laden, ten years after he orchestrated the September 11 attack on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon or the Florida trial — and acquittal — of Casey Anthony for the death of her two-year-old daughter? Continue reading →