December 2005

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Stocks drop into the red in 2005

Filed under: Economy

With the Dow average falling on the last day of trading today, the New York Stock Exchange is almost certain to post its first losing year since 2002. As of 12:14 p.m. CST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was at 10,728.55, a drop of 56.27 for the day. It needs to nudge above 10,783.01 to close out 2005 in the black.

The silver lining? President Bush's proposal to allow citizens to invest a portion of their social security in the stock market remains politically dead in the water.

Posted by Britt Robson at December 30, 2005 12:51 PM | Comments (0)

 

Minnesota by the numbers: The nation's biggest importer of electricity

Filed under: Environment

A few weeks ago, Ken Bradley was poking around one of the more obscure corners of the Department of Energy website when he came across an eye-popping table. Minnesota, Bradley discovered after scrolling through the chart, is the United State's single biggest importer of electricity.

For Bradley, who works for the non-profit advocacy group Minnesotans for an Energy Efficient Economy, that fact wasn't so shocking; but the margin was. According to the DOE numbers, Minnesota's net imports of electricity--28.2 trillion BTUs in 2001--account for more than a third of the entire nation's imports.

The vast majority of this electricity comes from Manitoba Hydro, the provincially-owned utility which operates an enormous network of power generating dams on the rivers in central and northern Manitoba. Bradley has a laundry list of complaints about Manitoba Hydro. As coordinator of ME3's Just Energy campaign, he has worked for years to highlight the impacts of dam construction , both on the environment and the impoverished Cree communities that live near the flooded areas.

But in Bradley's view, Minnesota's atypical reliance on foreign electricity highlights another important problem: the state's failure to live up to the ubiquitous political rhetoric about the importance of energy independence. "We haven't done enough to take advantage of our own resources," Bradley offers. "Texas has ten times as much wind power as Minnesota. It's not because they love wind. It's because they know how to make money off energy and they see that fossil fuels are diminishing, so they're planning for the next generation."

Ross Hammond, a former manager of environmental affairs at Northern States Power (now known as Xcel Energy), says there are a couple of explanations for Minnesota's status as the nation's top importer of electricity. In part, he says, its a simple matter of geography. Minnesota's proximity to Manitoba--and its vast water resources--makes for relatively easy transmission.

But internal politics at the utility where he used to work also played an important role. "In the mid-80s, there was a shift at NSP, an internal corporate thing," Hammond explains. "The people who were in charge of purchasing power really took control of the company, so as Manitoba built more dams and we signed more long term contracts, we stopped building power plants in the state." In fact, says Hammond, Xcel, the state's largest utility, has not put a new plant on line since the late 80s--this, in spite of the considerable increase in demand.

As Hammond sees it, the reliance on Manitoba Hydro is not all bad. Hydro power, he notes, doesn't emit greenhouse gases and, therefore, doesn't contribute to global warming. It doesn't produce nuclear waste. And it is relatively cheap. "The dams are a good thing," Hammond says. But he adds one major caveat: "Manitoba Hydro needs to fulfill its obligations to the Cree people--has to do the right thing by Cree. And they haven't."

For his part, Ken Bradley offers one further objection. "We're not just importing electricity," he says. "We're also exporting a lot of dollars."

Posted by Mike Mosedale at December 30, 2005 10:30 AM | Comments (6)

 

12/30: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Jack Abramoff and Tom Delay star in Kickback Mountain, now playing at American Idle.

THESE DAYS

Reno Tobler, a truck driver whose route regularly brings him to the Des Moines area, was charged with littering and harassment for throwing laundry detergent-size bottles of his urine into residents's backyards.

A former officer in the Peruvian army whose hands were injured after handling an explosive has two new "thumbs" after doctors transplanted one of his toes to one hand and turned the index finger into a thumb on the other one.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Cyclist Sascha from Minneapolis spends her holidays making home improvements instead of filling her face with chocolate and white zinfandel. Check out her new and improved living room at First and Last and Always.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Smoking Gun looks back at their favorite mug shots of the not-so-famous in 2005.

Aaron Eckhart is a smooth-talking Big Tobacco spokesman in the comedy Thank You For Smoking, also starring William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Rob Lowe, Katie Holmes, and Robert Duvall.

Rex Sorgatz has posted his predictions for 2006 at Fimoculous.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I think people have different points of view and they can be discussed in school. They don't need to be in the curriculum."

-- Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL), on Darwin's theory of evolution not needing to be part of the Florida's public school science standards

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 30, 2005 6:43 AM | Comments (0)

 

Will playing up prejudice backfire on Pawlenty?

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

You know it's getting close to election time for Governor Tim Pawlenty when he starts bashing immigrants. Eighteen months ago, when Pawlenty's political priority was burnishing his national credentials for a potential run for the White House, he was full of smiles and praise for Minnesota's immigrant population as he hosted a visit by Mexican President Vicente Fox. But now that he will have to stand for reelection in little more than ten months, the Governor has once again pulled out the Prejudice Card for that time-honored political game of divide and conquer.

A few weeks ago, a report commissioned by Pawlenty, titled "The Impact of Illegal Immigration on Minnesota," stirred controversy by claiming that illegal immigrants cost the state between $175-$188 million every year. The report immediately brought to mind the controversial television ad that Pawlenty ran at the height of his campaign for governor three years ago, urging that a "status check" be placed on the driver's licenses of foreign nationals who legally reside in this country.

But even something as naked as an appeal to prejudice can be handled too ham-handedly. Slapping a huge pricetag on those troublesome brown-skinned people who don't talk like us is one thing; but not even bothering to calculate the revenue that goes into state coffers from illegal immigrants exposed the Governor's hand a little too baldly.

Deep within the bowels of the report, under "challenges," it reads, "there are approximately 8,000 illegal immigrants who file state income taxes--using an ITIN number--to replenish state resources. Illegal immigrants also pay taxes by employer withholdings. Because they do not file tax returns, these funds are kept by the state and federal government, resulting in 'stranded withholdings.' Although some argue that the value of these withholdings is significant, the exact dollar amount attributable to illegal immigrants is unknown." But they are no more "unknown" than the cost of educating, medicating, and incarcerating illegal immigrants, and the report had no trouble coming up with numbers there. Indeed, in some cases, the estimated costs were wildly inflated. One example is in education, where the report included the cost of schooling children born in this country to illegal immigrants, which makes those children fully as much U.S. citizens as the offspring of Tim and Mary Pawlenty.

Put simply, the estimated dollars illegal immigrants are costing Minnesota are counted and the estimated dollars illegal immigrants are contributing to Minnesota are entirely ignored in the report. When asked by the Pioneer Press why they didn't even consider the plus-side of the immigration ledger, Commissioner Dana Badgerow of the Minnesota Department of Administration responded that Pawlenty didn't ask for it. "Obviously there is a school of thought that there is an economic advantage to having these folks in our workforce," Badgerow told the PiPress. "We didn't look at that side of it."

The Star Tribune sensibly sought out experts to provide that gaping piece of the economic puzzle the report left out, and came up with a figure of $300 million per year, which of course exceeds the estimated cost in Pawlenty's report. This would be in keeping with the 2005 Economic Report of the President, submitted to the U.S. Congress ten months ago, which states, "A comprehensive accounting of the benefits and costs of immigration shows that the benefits of immigration exceed the costs."

The local dailies have also reported that state demographer Tom Gillaspy was not "in the loop" when the Governor's report was estimating that 80,000-85,000 illegal immigrants currently lived in Minnesota. Gillaspy has subsequently told both the Strib and the PiPress that he thought that the estimate was too high. The person who did make the estimate used in the report, Jeffrey S. Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, told the PiPress last week that, "in the grand scheme of things, the 50,000 and the 80,000 are roughly the same." Maybe to Passel it is a "rough" estimate, but for Pawlenty's minions crudely toting up the cost of services, the number used was obviously significant.

One sign that Pawlenty may have overplayed his hand occurred in Wednesday morning's Strib, with an op-ed piece by the Governor's communications director, Brian McClung, entitled, "Article attacked messenger." Claiming that the Strib supported illegal immigration, McClung fumed that the paper had engaged in a "classic attack: If you don't like the message, attack the messenger." He then launched into a raft of figures showing "the recent explosive growth of illegals in our state." He concluded by criticizing the $300 million estimate of the annual contribution illegal immigrants make in Minnesota, saying that "the state's leading economists criticized that report for overstating the impact of illegal immigrants in Minnesota."

This begs an obvious question: If the state's leading economists know that $300 million is too high, they must have some idea of what number is about right. If Pawlenty wasn't just playing cheap and dirty politics with anti-immigrant prejudice, then why didn't he seek out and utilize that best estimate from his economists?

Posted by Britt Robson at December 29, 2005 1:42 PM | Comments (7)

 

12/29: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Britt Robson breaks down last night's Timberwolves game at Balls!

The poster for the Bubble Boy sequel, starring a certain sequestered president, is on display at American Idle.

Peter S. Scholtes delivers his Top 10 Albums and Top 10 Singles of 2005 at Complicated Fun.

THESE DAYS

Kurdish leaders have inserted more than 10,000 of their militia members into Iraqi army divisions in northern Iraq to lay the groundwork to swarm south, seize the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and possibly half of Mosul, Iraq's third-largest city, and secure the borders of an independent Kurdistan.

Calum McNeil and his colleagues at the University of Newcastle have created a gyroscopic disc less than 0.1 millimeters across that can be used to "weigh" proteins, which allows it to identify particular proteins produced by cancer cells.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

A new story every day can be found at the prolific Chuck Olsen's videoblog Minnesota Stories.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

University of Michigan Professor Juan Cole posts his Top Ten Myths about Iraq in 2005

The Columbia Journalism Review's blog, CJR Daily, compiles the Five Great Stories You Didn't Read in 2005

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Any girl who is interested must simply be born female and between the ages of 18 and 45. They must have an IQ above 130 and they must be honest. They must not have any clinical, psychological disorders... and a kind heart. Clearly beautiful - but beauty on the inside is more important - but no deformities, third legs, fifth nipples..."

-- John Lennon's 30-year-old son, Sean, looking for love in the New York Post

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 29, 2005 6:51 AM | Comments (1)

 

Pioneer Press Agonistes: So much for happy endings

Filed under: Media

In the months since revolting shareholders at Knight Ridder announced they wanted the newspaper chain sold off, there has been a plethora of speculation about what this will mean for the KR-owned St. Paul Pioneer Press.

None of the commonly mentioned scenarios have been especially heartening. That is, with one exception: news of a Newspaper Guild proposal to buy nine K-R properties (among them, the Pi Press, the Duluth News Tribune, and the Grand Forks Herald) and turn them into employee-owned operations.

It looked like a long shot from the start. Now it looks downright impossible. According to a report in today's San Francisco Chronicle, K-R execs are refusing to even consider offers to sell the chain's assets piece-meal. Why? Evidently, that manner of sale would trigger a major capital gains penalty.

Posted by Mike Mosedale at December 28, 2005 3:27 PM | Comments (1)

 

12/28: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

THESE DAYS

President Bush and other top officials in his administration used the National Security Agency to secretly wiretap the home and office telephones and monitor private email accounts of members of the United Nations Security Council in early 2003 to determine how foreign delegates would vote on a U.N. resolution that paved the way for the war in Iraq.

The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Peter Pace said that the number of U.S. troops in Iraq could increase next year, not decrease, if the insurgency continues.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Mick is a musician and writer from St. Paul. He's just finished eight years of school and is currently blogging from beautiful Hawaii at Sweet Immolation.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Wizard of Oil starring President Bush in pigtails

2005 Year in Review from Blogpulse

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"As much as I would like to share some delicious Minnesota treats with Senator Allen to ring in the New Year, I look forward to snacking on some tasty peanuts from the Old Dominion at the conclusion of a great college bowl season."

-- Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), ruminating on a Music City Bowl bet with Sen. George Allen (R-VA) that would have Coleman eating Allen's Virginia peanuts if the Gophers prove victorious

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 28, 2005 6:30 AM | Comments (0)

 

12/27: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Britt Robson breaks down last night's Timberwolves game at Balls!

Steve Monaco announces last week's Monday Movie Quiz winners at Couch Pundit.

THESE DAYS

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has a database with close to 500 names, all of them Hurricane Katrina victims whose whereabouts are still unknown.

A Jesuit magazine has apologized after inadvertently publishing an advertisement for a Virgin Mary statue wrapped in a condom that an artist intended as a protest against the church's opposition to condom use.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Relive Christmas dinner with photo-blogger Aaron Landry at s4xton.com.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Icky Dick Cheney/Donald Rumsfeld slash fanfiction [via Boing Boing]

It's a GameTap commercial, but this Pac Man puppet show is pretty good.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"If we look at the vaccine, HIV vaccine, we're going to have an HIV vaccine. It's not going to be made by a company. They're dropping out like flies because there's no real incentive for them to do it. We have to do it."

-- Dr. Edmund Tramont, head of the AIDS research division of the
National Institutes of Health, declaring the U.S. government will eventually have to create an HIV vaccine

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 27, 2005 6:36 AM | Comments (0)

 

12/26: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Steve Monaco has your Monday Movie Quiz at Couch Pundit.

THESE DAYS

The first evidence that some of the basic organic building blocks of life can exist in an Earth-like orbit around a young Sun-like star has been provided by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

Internet guru Jakob Nielsen discusses the future of the now one-billion strong internet.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Minneapolitan John Andreini is a senior copywriter who's posted his predictions for 2006 at That's Going Too Far!

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

St. Petersburg Times A&E writer Rick Gershman's Top 10 Worst Films of the Year

Activate the ultimate polypsychotronic transdimensional superhero identity calculator to find the super hero inside you. BTW, I'm really Demon Wolf and I have invisible hands.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"The girls we spoke to see Barbie torture as a legitimate play activity, and see the torture as a 'cool' activity."

-- University of Bath researcher Agnes Nairn, who interviewed children as part of a branding study and found them to be fans of the vice president

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 26, 2005 6:32 AM | Comments (1)

 

The War Comes Home

Filed under: War on Terror

A few weeks ago, Hank Kaszynski celebrated a friend's birthday at the Liffey in St. Paul. An Irish band was playing, the whiskey and Guinness was flowing, and the 80-year-old father of eight ended the night by dancing enthusiastically with all comers.

For much of the night, Hank and his wife Mary Helen sat back and played the role of wallflower party guests. They talked about their passion for walking and biking, and about the spirit of their oldest son, Bruce, who was born with cerebral palsy and who has lived with the couple all their lives. There was also some worried talk of their 39-year-old son Kyle, a St. Paul policeman who had recently taken leave from his job to work for a private contractor in Iraq.

Kyle Kaszinski was killed Thursday when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle as it traveled from Baghdad to Baquaba. Last night, the devastated family's home in south Minneapolis was surrounded by candles, lit by well-wishers and fellow mourners, many of whom received this email, forwarded by Hank at the beginning of the week:

Let's all go and Totally Enjoy the Christmas Season.

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it.

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them! again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Remember this motto to live by:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, margarita in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Posted by Jim Walsh at December 23, 2005 11:32 AM | Comments (1)

 

12/23: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Steve Monaco will be bringing us all a gift on Christmas Eve. Find out what it will be at Couch Pundit.

Jack Sparks has the year in alt-country at the Other Side of Country.

THESE DAYS

Venezuela has given the world's biggest oil company, ExxonMobil, until the end of this year to enter a joint venture with the state. Failure to do so will almost certainly result in Exxon losing its oil field concessions in the country.

Mattel, the maker of the American Girl dolls, has decided it will not renew its partnership with Girls Inc., due to the threat of boycotts from groups who oppose Girls Inc.'s stands on abortion and homosexuality.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Chip D. and Big Man Luke are right-wing bloggers discussing the Vikings, Pawlenty's "health impact fees," and the smoking ban at Lake Minnetonka Liberty.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Reuters Pictures of the Year 2005

Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley are buckling their swashes again in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man's Chest.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"It seems to me that if you're the president, you have to proceed with great caution when you do anything that flies in the face of the Constitution."

-- Former senator Warren Rudman (R-NH), in yesterday's Wall Street Journal

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 23, 2005 8:11 AM | Comments (0)

 

Pioneer Press cleans house

Filed under: Business

The Pioneer Press is terminating the cleaning contract for its downtown St. Paul office building. This means that five part-time, unionized employees, who earn $9.40 an hour working for American Building Maintenance, will likely lose their jobs at the end of the year.

The newspaper has decided to bring in a cheaper, non-union contractor, Leone's Building Services. "They're just trying to save a buck," says Russell Lewis, a business representative for Service Employees International Union, Local 26, which represents the workers. "Leone's is not going to pay their people anywhere near the $9.40 an hour that these ABM people are being paid."

The Pi Press' parent company, Knight Ridder, is currently being shopped to various newspaper chains and investment groups. Consequentially the newspaper is under tremendous pressure to cut costs and boost profit margins. The ABM workers were slated to receive a 35-cent-an-hour raise on January 1st. "ABM had actually said they would eat the 35 cent raise themselves and not charge the Pioneer Press, and they still fired them," says Lewis.

In a statement released by the Pioneer Press, the newspaper says that ABM simply lost out in a routine competitive-bidding process. "The Pioneer Press does not handle the hiring or firing of individuals who work for contracted janitorial services," the statement notes.

Union supporters passed out flyers outside the office building during lunchtime yesterday. (To see a copy of the flyer click here). But it seems highly unlikely that they'll be able to convince the newspaper to reverse the decision.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 22, 2005 12:38 PM | Comments (0)

 

12/22: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Britt Robson breaks down last night's Timberwolves game at Balls!

THESE DAYS

Federal researchers said U.S. women of child-bearing age who were surveyed in 2002 revealed that 14 percent of their recent births were unwanted at the time of conception. In a similar survey seven years earlier, that figure was just 9 percent.

Instead of feeding children in third-world countries and fixing the leaky roof, a woman used money from First Church of Lansdowne collection plates to buy a shore home and breast implants. [via Fark]

The Republican-controlled Senate, with Vice President Dick Cheney casting the deciding vote, passed legislation to cut federal deficits by imposing the first restraints in nearly a decade in federal benefit programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and student loans.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Cranky Grandma's getting married! Follow her pre-wedding adventures at Attack of the paper clutter.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Dennis Quaid plays an inept president from Texas who, in an effort to boost his poll numbers, becomes a guest judge on an American Idol-like show featuring a Simon Cowell-esque Hugh Grant in American Dreamz.

Festivus - The Movie

Chris Messick's 2005 Punchy Awards - I would add "one-dimensional" when discussing athletic prowess, and "triangulation" in general. Add your "punchies" in the comments section.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Release me from his mental harassment and hammering."

-- Santa Fe resident Colleen Nestler, who alleged in a request filed last Thursday that talk show host David Letterman has forced her to go bankrupt and caused her "mental cruelty" and "sleep deprivation" since May 1994 by using code words to show he wanted to marry her and train her as his "Late Show" co-host

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 22, 2005 7:03 AM | Comments (2)

 

If gas cost $9 a gallon, would you take the bus?

Filed under: Economy

By Eliot Brown

What's bad for SUV dealers is good for the light rail... and visa versa.
High gas prices earlier this fall brought Metro Transit a welcome boost in popularity as more metro-area residents were leaving their cars parked at home and hopping on the bus or light rail. In September, the month with the highest fuel prices to date, the transit system saw a boost of 450,000 rides over the same month in 2004: a 7.5 percent increase.

But today, with gas prices at somewhat more reasonable levels, transit ridership has followed the numbers at the pumps. October registered a 5 percent increase over 2004 and November saw a modest 4.2 percent increase over the previous year. While these numbers still spell out generally good news for Metro Transit--the system managed to bring in new riders despite a fare increase over last year--thousands of riders turned back to their cars... or SUVs.

SUV sales may be back on the rise after a significant decline. In late August and September, with gas near $3.00 a gallon, the going was tough for truck and SUV dealers. "It was really, really quiet," says Steve Monk, sales manager at Apple Valley Ford.

But today, with gas closer to $2.00, Monk says sales seem to be picking up again. Ford's mega-midsize pickup, the F-150, is selling well, as is the Explorer, the company's midsize SUV. Both vehicles register 15 miles per gallon in the city.

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 21, 2005 4:22 PM | Comments (3)

 

Overheard

Filed under: Overheard

Outside The Cabooze, at roughly 7:30 p.m. last night. Two dudes with impressive facial hair smoking on the sidewalk.

Dude #1: Southwest is a big hockey school too.
Dude #2: It was.
Dude #1: Yeah, it was.
Dude #2: The Somalians don't like hockey.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 21, 2005 11:17 AM | Comments (2)

 

Minnesota 42nd in the nation in offering school breakfasts

Filed under: Education

The 2005 School Breakfast Scorecard released last week by the Food Research and Action Center stated of the 2,115 Minnesota schools who participate in the National School Lunch Program, only 1,489 offer school breakfast. Minnesota law states school breakfast is to be required in public schools at which 33% of school lunches are served free or at reduced price. The report states school breakfasts have been linked to a healthier overall diet, reduction in obesity rates, and improved academic performance. R. Jane Brown, Executive Director of Second Harvest Heartland, also suggests participation in these programs would relieve some of the burden on poor families.

The Minneapolis and St. Paul School Districts have recently implemented a more universal school breakfast program, and has seen an 8.7% increase in the number of students eating school breakfast comparing October 2005 to October 2004. This increase has happened despite declines in enrollment.

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 21, 2005 10:13 AM | Comments (1)

 

12/21: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Peter S. Scholtes has a ton of photos from First Avenue's 35th Anniversary party at Complicated Fun.

PizzaMan tells you how to spot a shitty tipper at Streets of Pizza.

THESE DAYS

Counterpunch has learned that the FBI has possession of the two "missing" black boxes from the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers.

Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer for the Mac on December 31st, 2005, and will provide no further security or performance updates.

Pentagon officials have been spying on what they call "suspicious" meetings by civilian groups, including student groups opposed to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

DFL Governor and MN Campaign Report track news on the DFL candidates for Minnesota governor at the aptly named DFL Governor.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Don't forget the tampon angel for the top of your tree!

Tackle the harshest Minnesota winter with a V8 snow blower

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"The senator recognizes that in times of war, the President has the constitutional oversight or the constitutional ability to do whatever is necessary to protect the American people. He fully supports the President's ability to protect American lives by going this step in terms of listening in on conversations."

-- Robert L. Traynham, spokesman for Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) [via AmericaBlog]

"We're not astronauts. We're just asses."

-- Paul French, 26, a contestant on the UK reality show Space Cadets, who was one of three participants tricked into thinking he had traveled in space

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 21, 2005 6:35 AM | Comments (0)

 

Flying Blind

Filed under: Business

Yesterday, a sobering government report was released that should make all airline passengers cross their fingers as they lift off and land during the holiday rush. The U.S. Department of Transportation inspected noncertified repair centers operated by six different airlines, including on-site visits to ten centers. Inspector General Kenneth Mead concluded that all six carriers faced "significant shortcomings" in the training and oversight of workers at those centers.

The use of noncertified repair centers has grown exponentially since airlines began frantically laying off union employees in an effort to cut costs. But companies are only allowed to use those centers if the work is approved by a mechanic who is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. According to a story by John Hughes of Bloomberg News (here's the link to it in Tuesday's Strib) the FAA, the agency that is supposed to provide oversight, told Mead that work at the noncertified centers was restricted to minor things such as checking oil for contaminants.

But at more than half of the centers visited by Mead and his staff, uncertified workers were doing such jobs as inspecting wings and replacing hydraulic valves. Mead found that centers in St. Thomas, Bermuda, and El Salvador had never been visited by the FAA yet were doing such "critical repairs" as replacing engine components.

As for the carriers themselves, one performed no oversight at all, while the other five did evaluations without reviewing the work performed, relying on telephone contact rather than on-site reviews, Mead said. The carriers visited by Mead and his staff were American Airlines, Continental Airlines, AirTran Holdings, Frontier Airlines, American Eagle, and ExpressJet Holdings.

Meanwhile, the CEO of United Airlines said Monday that inadequate staffing and unpreparedness contributed to huge lines that stretched outside in freezing weather and created four-hours waits for service at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Saturday. The City of Chicago wound up sending four buses to help provide shelter to United's customers that day.

Posted by Britt Robson at December 20, 2005 4:20 PM | Comments (1)

 

12/20: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Peter S. Scholtes has his choices for albums and songs of the year at Complicated Fun.

Lindsey Thomas has posted her year-end Top 10s at This is Pop.

Steve Monaco has last week's Monday Movie Quiz winners at Couch Pundit.

THESE DAYS

After two years of Biblical debate over whether or not nudity is sinful, a 67-year-old Quaker grandfather is preparing to open a Christian nudist camp 40 miles north of Tampa, Florida.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) said Monday in a radio interview that President Bush should be impeached if he broke the law in authorizing spying on Americans.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Scooter is an Eagan resident, a lead developer for a legal company, and proud owner of the Child's ABCs of Terrorism. Check out his blog at A Nod to Nothing.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Ad Age's Media Guy looks back on the 10 Most Pathetic Media Meltdowns of 2005

The video of Fatboy Slim's cover of "The Joker" for you cat lovers

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I want to play where I'm wanted."

-- Injured Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, feeling the heat over recent indictments in the love boat scandal

"I was up against the Estonian and I won the race. He actually fell off his sleigh. But he got awarded extra points for falling in a particularly Santa-like style. I was pretty miffed at that, I can tell you."

-- The British Father Christmas, Ron Horniblew, 70, upon losing his Santa of the Year world crown to Estonian accordionist Aare Rebban

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 20, 2005 6:45 AM | Comments (1)

 

Dubya speaks, Norm barks

Filed under: National

MN junior Senator responds to Prez's war ... uh, plan

Norm Coleman staked his claim on President Bush's latest address to the nation last night, wasting no time in firing off a press release of his own.

"This evening President Bush did what he needed to do," Coleman "said" in a statement that hit e-mail inboxes just 30 minutes after the Prez wrapped his speech. "He offered the American people a candid progress report at a turning point on the path to democracy in the Middle East."

Coleman went on to prove just how much of the president's bluster he's willing to swallow. (Click through to read the whole statement.)

"While hailing historic milestones being made toward self government and freedom in Iraq, the president also acknowledged the setbacks and challenges that have marked this noble mission.

The president's address comes days after millions of Iraqis of all segments of society braved the memory of tyranny and the threat of terrorists to vote to elect their own leaders and together chart a course for the future. He communicated a clear strategy for continuing our important mission, based not on an end date but on a successful outcome, reminding us that 'not only can we win the war in Iraq--we are winning the war in Iraq.'

And we are mindful that this success is based on the courage and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. For their bravery we thank them and pray for their continued safety. I am confident that as progress continues, our priorities will change as we help the Iraqi people take charge of their country."

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at December 19, 2005 1:01 PM | Comments (0)

 

12/19: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Steve Monaco has your Monday Movie Quiz at Couch Pundit.

The PizzaMan compares his current ride to a certain octogenarian sports columnist at Streets of Pizza.

THESE DAYS

Ancient tools found in Britain show that humans lived in northern Europe 200,000 years earlier than previously thought, at a time when the climate was warm enough for lions, elephants and saber tooth tigers to also roam what is now England.

Women who take longer to get pregnant are more likely to bear sons than those who conceive quickly, a new study indicates.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

You'll find one of the most forthright and cranky Minneapolitans blogging at Undercurrent.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Nominations are open for the 2005 Koufax Awards

Listen to a podcast by The Office and Extras co-creators Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant at the Guardian.

Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Andre Braugher, and Emmy Rossum are cast in Shinji Aramaki and Wolfgang Petersen's remake, Poseidon.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Beach Boys, Beatles, Alan Jackson, Alan Jackson, Alejandro, Alison Krauss, The Angels, The Archies, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles... Dan McLean... remember him?"

-- President Bush, scrolling through his iPod inventory for Brit Hume on FOX News recently

The Archies?

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 19, 2005 6:45 AM | Comments (4)

 

Janecek, Lambert head to K-Talk

Filed under: Media

Local politicos Brian Lambert and Sarah Janecek are the latest additions to the programming lineup for Clear Channel Radio's new FM talk station, KTLK-FM (100.3). The pair will host a weekday show when the station launches next month.

"For a long time I've thought that a person who is right of center, moi, and a person who is left of center, Brian, would make a good talk radio team," says Janecek, co-publisher of the Politics in Minnesota news service. "To some extent people are burned out on the extreme left and the extreme right in radio."

Lambert is the former media critic at the Pioneer Press. He also worked briefly as a media adviser to Sen. Mark Dayton.

Janecek says that she believes the show will initially air from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. But apparently the exact details are still being worked out.

Mick Anselmo, Clear Channel's regional vice president, is coy when asked about the show. "I can't confirm or deny," he says.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 16, 2005 4:04 PM | Comments (3)

 

Crime blotter: doggy style

Filed under: Crime

On November 7th, an unnamed passenger reported that his dog, Gigi, had been stolen from the baggage claim area of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, the pet was worth more than $2,000. The breed of dog is not noted, but it does state that the animal was registered with the American Kennel Club. Six days later, in an unrelated investigation, airport police discovered a "priority pet receipt" for Gigi in the possession of Anthony Thomas Rocco. The 21-year-old Cottage Grove resident allegedly admited that he stole the dog. Rocco faces two felony counts of theft.

Posted by Paul Demko at December 16, 2005 1:32 PM | Comments (0)

 

Judicial news flash: Lawyers are fond of money

Filed under: Business

On the road to becoming a Bush nominee for a federal judgeship, Patrick J. Schiltz clerked for Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia and helped to defend the Catholic Church against more than 500 suits brought by victims of sexual abuse. On the face of it, that's not a CV that inspires a lot of enthusiasm, except among fans of theocracy and pederasty. Just kidding. (Schiltz has written critically about the way the media have "poisoned" the minds of jurors and judges against the church; let's just say we're paying back the favor.)

In Minnesota, Schiltz was a partner at Minneapolis's heavyweight firm Faegre and Benson, and a founding dean of the law school at the University of St. Thomas. (One wonders if he played any role in the faculty hire of Robert Delahunty, the former special counsel in the Justice Department, who collaborated with John Yoo in one the Bush administration's now-infamous torture memos.)

When he wasn't defending frocked men with feely hands, Schiltz was apparently meditating on the ethics of his profession. In 1999, he penned a widely circulated article for the Vanderbilt Law Review that cautioned young lawyers about the temptations and trespasses of contemporary corporate law. The article, it should be said, probably won't find a home in the next William Bennett reader. Schiltz comes off less like a moral scold than a keen-eyed cultural observer. In fact, his description of one legal rite-of-passage--the law-firm barbecue--could come from a Tom Wolfe set-piece:

"During his first month working at a law firm, a young associate will be invited by some senior partner to a barbecue at his home. This 'barbecue' will bear absolutely no relationship to what the associate's father used to do on a Weber grill in their driveway. The associate will drive up to the senior partner's home in his rusted Escort and park at the end of a long line of Mercedes Benzs, BMWs and sport utility vehicles. The house will be enormous. The lawn will look like a putting green, and be bordered by perfectly manicured trees and flowers. He will walk through the rooms, each of which will be decorated with expensive carpet and expensive wallpaper and expensive antiques. As he enters the partner's immaculately landscaped backyard, he will be offered pate or miniature quiche or shrimp and be given a drink of the most expensive brand of whatever liquor he likes. In the corner of the yard, a caterer will be grilling swordfish. In another corner will stand the senior partner, sipping a glass of white wine, holding court with a worshipful group of junior partners and senior associates. After a couple of hours, the associate will walk out the front door, slightly tipsy from the free liquor, and say to himself, 'This is the life.'

"In this and a thousand other ways, young lawyers absorb law firm culture--a culture of long hours of toil inside the office and short hours of conspicuous consumption outside the office. They work among lawyers who talk about money constantly and who are intensely curious about how much money other lawyers are making. Any lawyer who wants to get some sense of this should leave his tax return on the photocopier glass sometime. (At least one hapless lawyer seems to do this every spring at most firms.) Every lawyer in the firm will know how much money the lawyer made last year in about 15 minutes, and every lawyer who joins the firm during the next quarter-century will hear the story of the lawyer's tax return....

"Law firm culture also reflects the many ways in which lawyers who are winning the game broadcast their success. A first-year male associate will buy his suits off the rack at a department store. A couple of years later, he'll be at Brooks Brothers. A few years after that, a salesperson will come to his office with tape measures and fabric swatches in hand."

We can only hope the future Judge Schiltz will write something that insightful and incisive about the mores and customs of life on the bench.

Posted by Michael Tortorello at December 16, 2005 11:50 AM | Comments (0)

 

Zerby slides toward sunset

Filed under: Minneapolis

Outgoing MPLS CM honored by community group

Paul Zerby, the Minneapolis City Council's Second Ward rep, is counting down his final days in office. He did not seek re-election this year, which, in many ways, is a loss for the city.

Zerby, who is 73, did indeed have a grandfatherly presence on the council, which sometimes made him seem like a dotard. But appearances can be deceiving, and despite long-winded lines of questioning and soliloquies, close observers could see that Zerby was often asking the tough questions that no one else wanted to ask--and certainly didn't want to answer.

Unlike many of his colleagues on the council, Zerby was never one to rubber-stamp any policy piece, no matter how seemingly trivial. He was especially dogged in trying to hammer out the details of the city's deal with Clear Channel, which effectively gave the entertainment behemoth control of the State, Pantages and Orpheum theaters. And any line items on the budget were usually given the thrice-over.

This is not to say Zerby was perfect--many landlords in his ward, especially around the U of M campus, were angry at him for pushing for tougher, more frequent inspections after a fire damaged a rental house. And students themselves harbored ill will toward the council member.

But it should be said that Zerby perhaps did more for police-community relations in Minneapolis the last four years than any other elected official in the city. Zerby was tireless in his pursuit of many details in drafts of a federal mediation agreement broked by the Department of Justice. He often spoke with a sensitivity toward and understanding of communities of color that few of the white power brokers in City Hall share. And after the agreement was signed by the police, city and community leaders nearly three years ago, Zerby took his place as a city rep on something called the Police Community Relations Council.

At the PCRC's regular monthly meeting Wednesday night at the Urban League on the north side, Zerby's work was acknowledged.

With some 15 PCRC members looking on, the Rev. Ian Bethel presented Zerby with a "distinctive service award." Bethel, the co-chair of the group, acknowledged that the community and the city has had some "ups and downs" over how best to adhere to the agreeement that purports to overhaul many of the MPD's policing practices. Still, he noted, that "Paul Zerby has been in the process from day one.

"He always brought a dignified manner," Bethel continued. "And it is with mixed emotions that we see you leaving the city."

Zerby joined Bethel to accept the plaque with a certain humility. "It is with very mixed emotions that I leave the job I'm in," he said. "One of the things I'm most proud of is my work with this group of people."

Zerby went on to note that the PCRC, made up of community reps, police brass, the police union and at least one city official, was at a "turning point." The PCRC is struggling right now over how to correct the MPD's lack of diversity within its ranks as new hires are set to come on board in 2006. Zerby noted the importance of the community's pusuit of more officers of color.

"I'm not good at saying goodbye," Zerby concluded. "I count you all as friends, and I'll see you sometime."

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at December 16, 2005 9:59 AM | Comments (0)

 

12/16: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Diablo Cody is itching for a little California sun at Pussy Ranch.

THESE DAYS

The Boston Globe asks for the resignation of Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Blockbuster Inc. stores in several states are quietly resuming late fees for customers who keep movies too long, rejecting the video-rental chain's national advertising of "No Late Fees!" because they can no longer keep popular movies on their shelves.

The Democratic National Committee has launched a media campaign against Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) for her attacks on Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), the House Democrat and ex-marine who called for the beginning of an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Cherry-picking some of the best bits of the internet are Blukis and Peter at The Contradictions I Adore.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The cast of Debbie Does Dallas: Where are they now?

The Museum of Advertising Icons

Cast your ballot for the Center for Media and Democracy's Falsies Awards

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I'm not talking about nothing."

-- Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot, when asked to a comment about being charged yesterday with misdemeanors alleging lewd or indecent conduct in connection with the boat party on Lake Minnetonka

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 16, 2005 6:49 AM | Comments (0)

 

Red light special

Filed under: Crime

Minneapolis resident challenges photo cop in the courts

On August 11th Daniel Kuhlman allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of West Broadway and North Lyndale avenues in Minneapolis. The 29-year-old computer consultant and property manager's car was captured on film by one of 16 cameras installed at high density intersections throughout the city.

Several days later he received a $142 ticket in the mail. The only problem? According to Kuhlman, he wasn't driving the car. "I just thought, Sheesh this is wrong," he recalls. "I wasn't driving the vehicle and yet I'm getting a ticket for it."

Kuhlman is one of roughly 22,000 people who have been ticketed through the photo cop program since it was implemented in July. By some measures it has been a spectacular success. With the city receiving $53.60 from each citation, it's provided a significant new source of revenue for the cash strapped municipality. What's more, according to Lt. Greg Reinhardt, who oversees the program, accidents are down 53 percent at the 12 intersections now watched by photo cop.

But as Kuhlman's case shows, photo cop is not without its flaws. Backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, Kuhlman is now challenging the legitimacy of the Minneapolis ordinance that created the program. Kuhlman argues in a brief filed earlier this month that the municipal ordinance is in conflict with state law and that it violates the constitutional rights of residents.

The chief problem with the ordinance, according to Howard Bass, the attorney handling Kuhlman's case, is that vehicles owners are ticketed even if they were not driving the car at the time of the violation. This contradicts state law, under which the person driving the vehicle--regardless of ownership--is penalized. "The ordinance shifts liablity for red light violations from drivers to owners," says Bass. "That's the conflict."

In addition, Bass argues that the municipal ordinance violates the due process rights of residents as guaranteed under the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Similar arguments challenging photo cop programs have been rejected by the courts in other parts of the country. But Bass says that the Minneapolis law overreaches by potentially imposing criminal sanctions (such as revocation of license) against traffic scofflaws. "I believe that what distinguishes this from all the other cases across the country involving these automatic traffic enforcement systems is that in Minnesota there are criminal ramifications," says Bass.

The cases is slated for trial next Wednesday. It is likely to be postponed, however, so that the judge can consider the merits of Kuhlman's motion to dismiss the charge.

"I'd hate to see the city of Minneapolis lose out on money they've invested in the equipment," says Kuhlman, "but what they're doing is just unfair."

Posted by Paul Demko at December 15, 2005 3:48 PM | Comments (6)

 

Radar folds again

Filed under: Media

Gawker is reporting that Radar, the ersatz Spy Magazine founded by Maer Roshan, has folded. Roshan, a former editor at Interview, New York Magazine and Talk, published two issues of the irreverent magazine in 2003 under the slogan "Pop, Politics, Scandal, Style." It took two more years before publishers Mort Zuckerman and Jeffrey Epstein decided to fund the publication. Three more issues were published this year, with the November/December issue, The Scary Issue, being the final one. Roshan claims the last issue sold well and that new funding is already being lined up for a possible relaunch in 2006.

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 15, 2005 11:30 AM | Comments (0)

 

Oh, that liberal public radio

Filed under: Media

It is an article of faith among certain conservative commentators that National Public Radio is staffed by a cabal of Volvo-driving Bolsheviks who, when taking a break from attending gay marriage ceremonies, are working round the clock to ban Christmas, foment the Iraqi insurgency and give all your money to public school teachers.

More than anything, this particular media-crit debate, which is now in its second decade, is tiresome. Yes, the majority of reporters for NPR--and many of the country's top news outlets--are left of the American Center on a host of issues. It's safe to say there aren't a lot of Toby Keith listeners working at NPR HQ. On a per capita basis, reporters and executives are probably below-average in the flag flying department.

But personal beliefs are just one component of any bias analysis; after all, actual work product does bear some consideration. And from the looks of that, NPR's reporters seem to compensate mightily for any partisan inclinations.

How else to explain NPR ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin's numerical breakdown of think tanks whose experts have appeared on NPR in the course of 2005? By Dvorkin's count, NPR quoted right-leaning think tanks 239 times over the year; experts from the left-leaning think tanks were quoted a mere 149 times.

Does this imbalance entirely innoculate NPR against charges of liberal bias (or, as some lefty critics would have it, conservative bias?) Probably not. But it does raise another important issue: the media's over-reliance on self-proclaimed experts and insiders who, more often than not, simply pimp partisan causes in the guise of even-tempered analysis.

Posted by Mike Mosedale at December 15, 2005 10:27 AM | Comments (3)

 

12/15: Morning Communique

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Diablo Cody goes searching for her very own Tinkerbell at the Pussy Ranch.

Steve Monaco discusses the original Crank Yanker, Jonathan Winters, at Couch Pundit.

Jack Sparks sings the praises of Big Ditch Road at the Other Side of Country.

THESE DAYS

A McGill University study suggests a new anti-depressant drug, URB597, works by raising levels of endocannabinoids -- similar to a substance found in marijuana. Side effects may include the munchies.

AMERICAblog reports that Ford Motor Company, which pulled advertising from GLBT publications to avoid a boycott from the anti-gay American Family Association, has reversed its decision.

Sen. George Allen, R-Va., after coming under fire from some social conservatives for a 2004 vote, plans to reverse course next time and oppose making hate crimes against gay people a federal offense.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Bill Roehl and Kim Roehl of Apple Valley discuss books, their recent wedding, and the culinary delights of the south metro at Lazy Lightning.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Regret the Error's Crunks '05: The Year in Media Errors and Corrections

Join the William Shatner DVD Club and you could be getting crappy sci-fi movies sent directly to your home.

Apple has the first full-length trailer for The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, and Sir Ian McKellen.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq."

-- Pres. George W. Bush, Wednesday, December 14, 2005, during a foreign policy forum

"Now, this is a conservative city, Richmond. I mean, this is not Madison, Wisconsin, where you expect those people to be communing with Satan up there in the Madison, Wisconsin, media."

-- Political pundit Bill O'Reilly, hatin' on Madtown while amonishing a Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial writer who mocked O'Reilly's War on Christmas

"The movie opens in Wyoming in 1963 where two young cowboys, Ennis and Jack, are hired to tend some sheep near Brokeback Mountain. The two men become fast friends. One night, however, their friendship becomes an evening of lust and passion, a scene that plays like a nightmarish homosexual rape set in San Quentin Prison."

-- Dr. Ted Baehr of the Christian Film and Television Commission's MovieGuide, reviewing Brokeback Mountain

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 15, 2005 6:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Feeling strangely icked out

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

Statewide poll reveals ill will toward Kennedy, Dubya

The POTUS recently came to town to raise money for U.S. Rep Mark Kennedy's bid for Mark Dayton's U.S. Senate seat. It may have cost $1,000 for a plate of chicken, beef or fish, and the appearance may have banked close to $1 million for Marky Mark's bid to do his best G-Dub impersonation in the Senate chambers.

But the event was notable for another reason: It paired the two politicians most unpopular with Minnesotans. At least that's what can be gleaned from a recent statewide poll conducted by St. Cloud State University.

The poll is somewhat unusual: It's wide-ranging and a little touchy-feely. Minnesotans are asked weigh in on everything from road repair to cell-phone use to which "direction," "right or wrong," the state is going. (Forty-six percent say everything in MN is okey-dokey.) And there are, of course, the standard-issue questions regarding the death penalty and Roe v. Wade.

(There's much scrolling to do--too much mehtodology is laid out awkwardly here.)

But it's the political findings that are the bad news for Kennedy and especially Bush. The Prez only gets a favorable rating from 33 percent of Minnesotans, and some 60 percent felt he could dealt poorly with Katrina.

But perhaps the mostr interesting aspect of the poll involves what's called the "thermometer"--the section where respondents are asked: "Please think of a thermometer that has a range of 0 to 100 degrees. I'd like you to rate your feelings toward some of our political leaders and other people who are in the news.

"Ratings on the thermometer between 50 and 100 degrees mean that you feel favorable and warm toward the person. Ratings between 0 and 50 mean that you do not feel too favorable toward the person."

Bringing up the bottom on the "thermometer" poll is the Prez, getting only a 44 percent. Just above him is Mark Kennedy, at 49 percent. Remember, people are usually inclined to give politicians the benefit of the doubt, even if they don't like their policies, as people. (That could explain why, for instance, Tim Pawlenty, a virtual hybrid of G-Dub and Marky Mark, still gets a 53.) It particularly represents a fall from grace for the President, who had peaked at 70 "degrees" in a 2001 poll.

The big "winner" in the thermometer sweepstakes is Kennedy's main opponent in this year's Senate race, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar, who scores a 60 (edging out the ever-likable-in-a-wind-up-doll-kind-of-way Laura Bush by one "degree.")

Patty Wetterling, the chief rival to Klobuchar for the DFL nomination, rates at 55. Norm Coleman and Hilary Clinton, two totally plausible bedfellows, each rate at 50.

Of course, name recognition is everything in politics, and so these "degree" ratings can be misleading. For instance, 48 percent of respondents said they didn't know enough about Klobo-cop to have any feelings toward her. Wetterling, meanwhile, was only unknown by 17 percent of respondents.

Enough knew Kennedy, some 67 percent, to lend credence to results showing his unpopularity. And Pawlenty, Coleman, and Clinton were recognized by 90 percent of the respondents or more.

Which leaves us with the question of the President. Is he really that unpopular across the state? Well, if anything, his low numbers come from the broadest sampling--all but one percent of poll respondents offered an opinion on him.

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at December 14, 2005 4:49 PM | Comments (0)

 

Merry happy season's holidays

Filed under: Business

By Eliot Brown

As Bill O'Reilly constantly reminds us, the war on Christmas is in full swing this season, as evil multiculturalists and godless relativists try to put a public end to the word "Christmas." Retail stores, bastions of Christmas... or holiday, cheer, serve as the front lines in this vicious battle. A recent trip to the Mall of America, the Mecca of seasonal joy and giving, revealed the brutal struggle as it's being played out in the form of promotional material.

While many shops chose to wish customers "Happy Holidays," some bold establishments dared to post signs invoking Christmas. Others, following a neutral-Swiss model, stayed out of the fray altogether, encouraging shoppers to partake in a generic "Gift Season" or to buy "candy for your feet," in the form of shoes.

Here, straight from the front lines, is a sampling of promotions sported on posters throughout shops in the 500-store mall.

Posted by Corey Anderson at December 14, 2005 2:54 PM | Comments (0)

 

Known associate of disgraced priest slanders lesbian playwright

Filed under: Media

The words are lurid, fragrant, irresistible. You see them in a headline or in a lede and you find yourself stuck to the page, scouring the story for more. Kneecapping. Pig valves. Ecoterrorist. Put them in the right order and these words have the resonance of a tone poem.

For the past day, a newspaperman in Philly, Michael Currie, has been volleying with some of his personal favorites--a little game of newspaper ping pong. It goes without saying, reader, that the comments section below ought to be turned into a round-robbin for your personal faves.

Quebecois separatist
fugitive financier
funnyman
Palestinian gunmen
psychic surgeon
Canadian doubles
coca growers federation/cocalero movement
lesbian playwright
Maoist guerilla
pirates of the South China Sea
Miami relatives

African strongman
medical marijuana
mysterious arms dealer
Holocaust denier
disgraced priest
ping pong diplomacy
known associate
splinter group
Washington-based Arab intellectual
shareholder revolt
Log cabin Republican

Posted by Michael Tortorello at December 14, 2005 1:33 PM | Comments (0)

 

The Foxes in Pharma's Henhouses

Filed under: Health Care , Health Care , Health Care

One more way profits trump science in drug trials

The author of the highly literate and widely lauded 2003 book, "Better than Well: American Medicine Meets the American Dream," Carl Elliot is well positioned to comment on pharma's ceaseless search for new maladies--which can, of course, then be treated profitably. In today's Slate, Elliot, who is a professor at the University of Minnesota's Center for Bioethics, has co-authored a terrific piece on the mechanics and dangers of allowing researchers conducting clinical drug trials to hire their own for-profit overseers.

Drug companies spend $14 billion a year testing new drugs. The products need to be tested for safety on healthy people, and the healthy people most willing to ingest them are usually those with plenty of time and little money. Nearly 10 years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Eli Lilly and Company was recruiting homeless alcoholics to take part in drug trials in Indianapolis. In 2003, a previously healthy college student named Traci Johnson committed suicide in Lilly labs after being paid to take a new version of an antidepressant. Now Bloomberg is reporting that three years ago, Garry Polsgrove, a homeless Vietnam veteran, checked into the Fabre Research Clinic, a for-profit testing center in Houston. Polsgrove was in good health when he entered the study and started taking clozapine, an antipsychotic drug, in order to get some cash and a place to sleep. Twenty-two days later he was dead of myocarditis.

The piece adds one more layer to the growing body of evidence that the pharmaceutical regulatory system in the United States is in desperate need of a wholesale overhaul.

Posted by Beth Hawkins at December 14, 2005 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

 

More talk, less music

Filed under: Media

The talk radio landscape in the Twin Cities will look significantly different in 2006. Yesterday KSTP-AM (1500) announced its new lineup for 2006. The only addition is Willie Clark, currently on the airwaves in Sioux City, Iowa. He will host the morning show from 5:30 to 9:00 a.m. KSTP is still searching for a co-host.

But the station's line-up has been significantly rejiggered, with every locally produced show set to run in a new time slot. Here's the rundown:

Mid-4 a.m.: Coast-To-Coast AM
4:00-5:30 a.m.: Wall Street Journal -- This Morning
5:30-9:00 a.m.: Willie Clark
9:00-11:50a.m.: Bob Davis
11:50-12:05 p.m.: Paul Harvey News & Comment
12:00-2:00 p.m.: Ron Rosenbaum & Mark O'Connell
2:00-5:30 p.m.: Joe Soucheray
5:30-7:30 p.m.: Tommy Mischke
7:30-10:00 p.m.: Chris Krok
10:00-12:00 a.m.: Sean Hannity

The changes are being spurred by dismal ratings and the impending departure of conservative bloviators Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity for Clear Channel's new FM talk station, KTLK-FM (100.3), set to launch in January. In the most recent arbitron ratings, KSTP had just a 3.1 share among listeners 25 to 54 year olds--down by roughly 40 percent from the previous year.

The lineup for the Clear Channel start-up is also coming together. Kelly Guest (currently of KFAN) will be paired with Andrew Colton for a morning show from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Colton is a correspondent for ABC News and a newcomer to the market. Veteran WCCO-TV political reporter Pat Kessler, already a regular guest on KFAN, will get his own mid-morning show, from 9 to 11 a.m. Then Limbaugh will be aired live from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Right now Hannity is slated to join the lineup on August 1st.

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