We drove down in Anne’s convertible Mustang – excellent way to start the Memorial weekend! I could feel the stresses of the week blowing away as we drove.
Shopping, sushi, sleeping late… walking by the water, chatting with the girls, wine & cheese in the sun… a most relaxing weekend so far! We’re here with little agenda other than a good time.
Some interesting options to consider:
http://girlsguidetocitylife.com/chicago/
I love this website & wish they covered Minneapolis! We found some cool stuff for Philadelphia when we were there in April. Great way to get the "inside info" on a town.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Imagine My Surprise
Having lived here my whole life, I am not at all surprised that a new study found that immigrants in Minnesota (legal and illegal) are a net benefit to the state, not a burden. Duh!
Interestingly, a recent article in the St Paul Pioneer Press notes that immigrants here do not mirror the national immigrant population – they are better educated, tend to be younger, and are more likely to be from Asia or Africa than South America.
Which does not explain why our governor seems to be more conservative & hard-line on immigration than our President…
The article also notes that the report released earlier by the Pawlenty administration “failed to take into account the ‘magnitude of state revenues generated by illegal immigrants’… something Pawlenty's communications director Brian McClung admits.”
Interesting how that works!
Read it all: http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/14669195.htm
Interestingly, a recent article in the St Paul Pioneer Press notes that immigrants here do not mirror the national immigrant population – they are better educated, tend to be younger, and are more likely to be from Asia or Africa than South America.
Which does not explain why our governor seems to be more conservative & hard-line on immigration than our President…
The article also notes that the report released earlier by the Pawlenty administration “failed to take into account the ‘magnitude of state revenues generated by illegal immigrants’… something Pawlenty's communications director Brian McClung admits.”
Interesting how that works!
Read it all: http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/14669195.htm
How Fun Is This???
Reason #46 we love living in the Twin Cities… a gay black rap artist is making it here!
Working in a high school & living with a teenager, I am coming more & more to believe that each generation is more progressive than the last when it comes to challenging stereotypes – so I shouldn't be surprised to read that Tori Fixx feels being gay is not holding him back in the rap world. Very cool. Hard to imagine back in the 80's, but very cool!
Check out the whole story: http://www.startribune.com/1371/story/454969.html
Working in a high school & living with a teenager, I am coming more & more to believe that each generation is more progressive than the last when it comes to challenging stereotypes – so I shouldn't be surprised to read that Tori Fixx feels being gay is not holding him back in the rap world. Very cool. Hard to imagine back in the 80's, but very cool!
Check out the whole story: http://www.startribune.com/1371/story/454969.html
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Walk the World to Fight Hunger on May 21
According to one.org, 825 million people around the globe do not have enough to eat on any given day. That's more than the populations of the U.S., Canada and the European Union combined…
Walk the World is literally walking around the globe to fight child hunger – in Minneapolis, our part is 7:30-10:30am tomorrow. Although I will not be getting up that early, it’s a great cause & I think it’s a cool way to get people involved with an important issue! Sometimes, a little creativity is in order!
We don’t do enough. But at least this is a start.
http://www.fighthunger.org/wtw06/minneapolis_mn
http://www.one.org/blog/?blog_KEY=1&limit=10&end=20
Walk the World is literally walking around the globe to fight child hunger – in Minneapolis, our part is 7:30-10:30am tomorrow. Although I will not be getting up that early, it’s a great cause & I think it’s a cool way to get people involved with an important issue! Sometimes, a little creativity is in order!
We don’t do enough. But at least this is a start.
http://www.fighthunger.org/wtw06/minneapolis_mn
http://www.one.org/blog/?blog_KEY=1&limit=10&end=20
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Post from Madison
Why is it that we are all so flippin' busy??? One of the hallmarks of Gen X philosophy has always been having a life outside of work - but that life doesn't seem to include much down time!
Or is it just me?
I'm at a conference in Madison that is really interesting - but it means I'm not doing 5 other things that I wish I had time for! And we're driving back early tomorrow because I have not one but two events I can't miss... our team has a poetry slam home meet, and then Louise Erdrich is doing a book talk for a parent group... both fun, so I shouldn't complain!
OK, maybe it is just me. But there isn't anything I can think of that I'd like to cut out - I just need more hours in the day.
Hey, there's a solution! :)
Or is it just me?
I'm at a conference in Madison that is really interesting - but it means I'm not doing 5 other things that I wish I had time for! And we're driving back early tomorrow because I have not one but two events I can't miss... our team has a poetry slam home meet, and then Louise Erdrich is doing a book talk for a parent group... both fun, so I shouldn't complain!
OK, maybe it is just me. But there isn't anything I can think of that I'd like to cut out - I just need more hours in the day.
Hey, there's a solution! :)
Sunday, May 14, 2006
I Gotta Stay In More…
I was bummed to see that the NYTimes polled “a couple of hundred prominent writers, critics, editors and other literary sages” asking what they thought the best fiction of the last quarter-century was… and I have only read ONE of the books that made the list. Because I like to be able to say I’ve read everything Toni Morrison has written, I at least have read “Beloved” - but I haven’t even heard of half the other books on the list. Where have I been?
Maybe I can blame it on going back to grad school – as I look around my living room, the only books getting any use seem to be textbooks! That’s not cool. At least now I have a summer reading list that’s not from a professor…
www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/books/fiction-25-years.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Maybe I can blame it on going back to grad school – as I look around my living room, the only books getting any use seem to be textbooks! That’s not cool. At least now I have a summer reading list that’s not from a professor…
www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/books/fiction-25-years.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Monday, May 08, 2006
Flashback!
My 20th high school reunion is coming up this summer, and I’ve been working with the planning committee for the last few months. Interesting times...
It’s really fun to see how people are turning out. I doubt anyone who knew me in high school would have guessed I would become a teacher & administrator!
Planning this one has been affected by two major cultural trends – technology and mobility. On the one hand, very few of us have parents still living in the house they did when we were in high school – and even classmates with updated addresses from the 10-year reunion have all moved - probably more than once. On the other hand, it’s much easier to find people now that we have email, a website, and “classmates.com”!
It’s really fun to see how people are turning out. I doubt anyone who knew me in high school would have guessed I would become a teacher & administrator!
Planning this one has been affected by two major cultural trends – technology and mobility. On the one hand, very few of us have parents still living in the house they did when we were in high school – and even classmates with updated addresses from the 10-year reunion have all moved - probably more than once. On the other hand, it’s much easier to find people now that we have email, a website, and “classmates.com”!
Monday, May 01, 2006
Immigrant Appreciation Day
I was listening to MPR talk about the effects of the nationwide boycott today as I drove up to Chipotle – and found it closed! Apparently they closed about 15 of their stores today to support all their workers who were planning to join the boycott today to challenge immigration policy. It was amusing to see that, YES, this issue affects me personally – exactly the point of the whole thing!
Then, as I was reflecting on it all, I realized that, in a way, it’s about my own daughter! We don’t think about her immigrant status that much because MN law protects minors in state custody who are brought here illegally through no fault of their own, so she was never at any risk of deportation. Still, it took us 4 years to navigate Homeland Security & get her a green card. Imagine what people without resources go through!
Here’s what I don’t get: why was it OK for all of our ancestors to come here illegally, but it’s not OK for people today? How many Americans can honestly say that all their ancestors were WANTED here when they came? Not many! I doubt Native people were too thrilled when my English ancestors sailed up, and I don’t think my German Quaker ancestors were so well received by the English Americans! Not sure how it was for the Swedes, but that group was pretty low on the social hierarchy in MN around the time my people came to the Midwest, so I doubt they were too popular.
Given all that, how on earth can I complain about other people coming here “illegally”? What’s legal is arbitrary, anyway – Congress can change the laws anytime. The bigger question is why people feel the need to keep anyone out...
What would happen if we just let anyone come who wanted to?
I doubt the country would crumble.
Then, as I was reflecting on it all, I realized that, in a way, it’s about my own daughter! We don’t think about her immigrant status that much because MN law protects minors in state custody who are brought here illegally through no fault of their own, so she was never at any risk of deportation. Still, it took us 4 years to navigate Homeland Security & get her a green card. Imagine what people without resources go through!
Here’s what I don’t get: why was it OK for all of our ancestors to come here illegally, but it’s not OK for people today? How many Americans can honestly say that all their ancestors were WANTED here when they came? Not many! I doubt Native people were too thrilled when my English ancestors sailed up, and I don’t think my German Quaker ancestors were so well received by the English Americans! Not sure how it was for the Swedes, but that group was pretty low on the social hierarchy in MN around the time my people came to the Midwest, so I doubt they were too popular.
Given all that, how on earth can I complain about other people coming here “illegally”? What’s legal is arbitrary, anyway – Congress can change the laws anytime. The bigger question is why people feel the need to keep anyone out...
What would happen if we just let anyone come who wanted to?
I doubt the country would crumble.
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