January 2011
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National GLBT group sees major social and legal... →
When the conference was here in 1990, most mainline Christian organizations refused to allow gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people access to the ministry.
Now, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Presbyterian Church have opened — or are in the process of opening — pulpits to people of all sexual orientations.
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Watchnationaljournal:
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) gets a second chance at delivering a rebuttal to Pres. Obama’s State of the Union address.
Bill Maher, on the State of the Union: “I love it when they come out and the guys says, ‘Ladies and Gentleman the President of the United States’ really loud so McCain can even hear.”
Today’s Must See Moment — Fast forward to 0:47 for Bachmann’s second...
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Al Jazeera Releases Egypt Coverage Under Creative... →
Fantastic.
pantslessprogressive:
This is wonderful.
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Do you have family or friends in Egypt? I want to... →
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Twitter List : Egypt →
An incredibly helpful list if you’re following the news out of Egypt.
soupsoup:
I’ve created a list of the best Twitter accounts to follow for news out of Egypt.
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Bush White House improperly billed Mark Kennedy... →
The political arm of the George W. Bush White House required federal officials to use taxpayer time to plot campaign strategies to elect Republicans, a federal investigative agency found after an extensive review of campaign activity by federal officials during the 2006 election.
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Chairman Cornish comes out blazing as House... →
When Heather Martens — president of Citizens for a Safer Minnesota, which supports stricter gun laws — testified, she told Republicans on the committee that she could see that “this is an effort to get rid of background checks all together.”
Passage of the bill would put Minnesotans at harm and be beneficial to those who do harm, she said.
Then, she asked, “Which side are you on?”
Cornish...
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Kiffmeyer unveils Photo ID bill as battle over... →
The anticipated battle over election law reforms kicked off today at the Capitol.
Minnesota Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R) unveiled a 40-page bill that would require various forms of official photo ID to vote.
The measure also would begin controversial provisional ballots and would, among other things, prohibit court-appointed guardians from helping disabled people vote.
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“The Academy prefers its films to be maudlin and its social consciousness to be...”
– One more from Max’s column: What shouldn’t have been nominated, and what was overlooked
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“After all, the Academy has failed definitively at creating a benchmark for...”
– Sparber takes on the Oscars in today’s Max About Town
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“It’s all the [misguided] idea of calories-in, calories-out — the idea that...”
– Carbs, not fats (nor gluttony, nor sloth) are what’s making us fat, says author of controversial new book
The idea’s not new, but Taubes’ latest novel affirms what more and more research is backing up: Fat is not the enemy, and weight loss is far more complicated than simply...
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WatchHistory schmistory.
pantslessprogressive:
Rep. Bachmann: America’s Founders ‘Worked Tirelessly Until Slavery Was No More’
Hmm… I already see a chronological issue here…
The bad news is that Michele Bachmann seems to have a slightly skewed vision of how America was founded. The good news? Her version is much nicer. Sure, it’s not 100% true that America’s founders “had different cultures,...
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Jesse Ventura sues TSA for 'unlawful sexual... →
No one pats down the Body, unless the Body wants to be patted down.
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Why 'Blue Monday' should have you seeing red →
That whole “Blue Monday” formula for the saddest day of the year and ensuing media coverage? It’s a load of … bunk.
“So Blue Monday does not put a catchy name on a simple human truth. It only really shows us how easy it is to take an idea that people think they already know, and then sell it back to them. Even if it’s false.”
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“Go talk to hospital administrators, doctors,’’ Dayton said. “That’s where people...”
– Bachmann wants Medical Assistance expansion rescinded; Dayton labels it ‘presidential politics’
Dayton said that people who have questions about whether moving Minnesota to the expanded Medical Assistance program is good or not should not ask “politicians,’’ including himself.
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“The charge from Dayton to his commissioners: What are you waiting for? Get...”
– Mark Dayton’s cabinet choices make it clear: He intends to move fast
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A breakthrough year for MinnPost
An update from founders Joel and Laurie Kramer:
In 2010, MinnPost ran its first surplus.
A $17,594 surplus on spending of $1.261 million may not sound like much. But this is tremendous vindication for our business model, because it resulted from 18 percent revenue growth, not budget-cutting.
We ran deficits of $605,000 in 2008, our first full year of operation, and $126,915 in 2009. (We...
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Weight-loss competition focuses on building... →
The Biggest Loser is flashy and may work for some individuals, but the Department of Health’s focus is broader: working to build healthier environments for smaller communities within Minnesota. And actually changing behavior while they’re at it.
One example: With the encouragement of health officials, some American Indian tribes are working together to develop programs focused on...
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“the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact noted that she had made false statements...”
– PolitiFact: Bachmann’s claims ‘false’ more often than any other politician | Raw Story (via militantagnostic)
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Ideological opponents Kline and Duncan now the... →
They could, in short, create only gridlock. So it’s a good thing the two men not only enjoy each other on a personal level but share some beliefs about education.
“It’s almost impossible not to like Arne Duncan,” Kline said in an interview Thursday. “He is very engaging. He is very accessible to me and vice versa. We have a good working relationship.”
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“That is why I have come to speak to you tonight - because the promise of America...”
– Excerpts of Michele Bachmann’s speech (scheduled for tonight) were obtained Thursday evening by MinnPost. Read more here.
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Forty Years Later: How 'Oregon Trail' Was Born →
A fun story of the classic game from a Twin Cities writer.
longreads:
For the next two weeks, Dillenberger and Heinemann spent each night wedged into a tiny computer office—a former janitor’s closet at Bryant Junior High School—tapping code into a teletype machine. The teletype was a screen-less, electromechanical typewriter connected via telephone to a mainframe computer that could issue...
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International Falls Recess Policy
We have the same recess policy.
adambez:
winnerrobot:
•In International Falls, Minn., the self-described “Icebox of the Nation,” where the average high temperature in January is a frosty 13 degrees, Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer says, “if it’s 15 below (or warmer), they go out, no matter what.” “At 20 below, it gets iffy,” he adds.
Ha, that’s great.
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Alec Soth Portraits From a Job-Starved City
Minnesota-born photographer Alec Soth has a stunning series of portraits at the NYTimes.
littlebrownmushroom:
Sorry for the quiet blog of late. I’ve been on the road since the holidays. After some lonely nights in Kansas, I worked on a fantastic assignment in Rockford, Illinois for the New York Times Magazine. (Read about the making of this work here). Now I’m in Italy preparing for a workshop...
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