12/21 Morning Communiqué

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Britt Robson blames Coach Casey for the Wolves coming up short against the Lakers at Balls.

THESE DAYS

A dwindling birth rate is expected to cut Japan's population by 30% over the next 50 years, a survey by the government has said.

Starting next month, Best Buy will sell a "ConnectedLife.Home" package that features a computer with software coordinating a high-definition TV, light switches, a thermostat and two remote cameras at a cost of $15,000.

Using data from a national health survey, researchers found that teenagers living in sprawling suburbs were more than twice as likely to be overweight as teens in more compact urban areas.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Surly Dave is a conservative Christian who blogs about his recovery from depression, the joys inherent in handlebar mustaches, and the lousy way the church markets itself at Surly's Soap Box.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Top 13 Worst Slogan Translations Ever

The 10 most dangerous toys of all time

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"It is effectively open season on the songwriter."

— "A Whiter Shade of Pale" songwriters Gary Brooker and Keith Reid, responding to a court decision giving Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher a 40 percent share of the musical copyright for his "distinctive and significant contribution to the overall composition" of the 1967 hit