New Kruse Connection

I was pleased to see that one of my favorite local comedians - Colleen Kruse - now has a radio show and a video blog on 107.1 - way cool. The chance of me actually having time to listen between 11am-1pm M-F is not real high, but I will try when I can!

I Should Care

I suppose this is something I SHOULD read and I SHOULD care to learn about - but the extent of my interest is that I'll put a link here so you can see The Top Ten Scientific Breakthroughs of 2007 for yourself...

10. Transistors Get Way Smaller
9. Scientists Clone Rhesus Monkey to Produce Stem Cells
8. Planet Discovered That Could Harbor Life
7. Engineers Create Transparent Material as Strong as Steel
6. Soft Tissue from T. Rex Leg Bone Analyzed
5. Laboratory Mice Cured of Rett Syndrome
4. Enzymes Convert Any Blood Type to O
3. Mummified Dinosaur Excavated and Scanned
2. Chimpanzees Make Spears for Hunting
1. Researchers Turn Skin Cells to Stem Cells

But really, I'm more interested in Diablo Cody right now - she is a seriously interesting chick. Check her out at the Strib and on Letterman - and go see Juno if you haven't already!

We're Number One!

Here's a great thing to celebrate being #1 at: most literate city in America! Yay, Minneapolis! And we have to love that St Paul is #3...

The ranking is apparently based on education, booksellers, libraries, magazine & journal publishers, newspapers, and internet use.
The top ten in 2007:

Minneapolis, MN
Seattle, WA
St. Paul, MN
Denver, CO
Washington, DC
St. Louis, MO
San Francisco, CA
Atlanta, GA
Pittsburgh, PA
Boston, MA

She's With God Now

I am horrified that Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated - I wonder if her supporters in Pakistan feel the way Americans did at the death of JFK or MLK...

The editorials don't do her justice, but here's the Strib and Slate just because I want to know more about her...

But if anyone on the planet has earned the right to "rest in peace" it is Bhutto - may God hold her close in eternity.

Amen.

Of Mangers and Other Uncomfortable Things

Meditation on the Manger

By Melissa Borgmann

Consider that straw.

Pointy and prickly in Desert dry space, and supposed to swaddle Him?

Little baby skin - freshly addressing this world.

And then a possible, "Ouch!"

Preparing Him, I suppose.


Preparing him - for the trials of the world. The ever-present thorn in his side that is humanity! What a metaphor. My friend Eva collects creches, little manger scenes, and she says it's because as a teacher of literature she thinks this is literally the greatest story ever told. Homeless couple - need for a safe place to give birth - nowhere comfortable available, but the miracle comes anyway! Isn't life SO MUCH like that?

When was Jesus ever comfortable? When did he say that we should pursue comfort? And yet... isn't that what so much of American life is about? We're so pathetic. Jesus said "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep" - but how much of our lives do we devote to THAT?

Reality check: "Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable" - which side of that phrase am I on?

Merry Christmas!

Sweetness

Coming out of the grocery store, a Salvation army bellringer - but no bell. Instead, a harmonica, playing "Silent Night..."

Slow down and savor!

The Truth about Work

Wellington Grey nails it again:

You at Work - this will look familiar...

Brain-Computer Collage - This is funny - especially if you really are on the computer too much!

Free Rice

This is cool - according to MPR, the FreeRice website was apparently designed by a humanitarian as a way to encourage his son to study for the SAT - they give away rice to needy people for each vocab word you get right. Check it out!

Faith in Youth

I still like the Timberwolves.

The one-point loss to Atlanta the other night was sad, but the quality of play that kept the Wolves within a point for much of the fourth was really fun to watch. (Who's idea was it to remove Corey Brewer at the very end anyway?!)

Being in education, I live my life with faith in youth. Couldn't do the job otherwise. So maybe that's why I'm enjoying this team as much as any since '04 - and probably more. Sure, I still miss Sprewell, but the young ones are really fun to root for.

And I have a whole new respect for Marco Jaric!

Facebook, MySpace, and Feeling Old

I received a Facebook invitation by email the other day from a friend who is 12 years my junior. He just turned 28 - not Gen X.

So - although I'm sure my daughter will be appalled - I set up a profile and checked it out - and I turns out that I have more friends on Facebook than I realized - at least 8. Of course only one of them was my age, but no surprise there. (I think it's interesting that the 20-yr-olds are using this is a HUGE way, and the 30/40-yr-olds are just about totally ignoring it....)

What really cracked me up was that a search for people from my high school graduating class of almost 300 people revealed... just me. The class just before ours had 2 people and just after ours had 5. That's it. We're all turning 40 this year and none of us are using Facebook. We are officially OLD.

I also have a MySpace profile, and most of my "friends" there are local artists or former students. All much younger than I am. I started it as a professional tool to keep in touch with the local arts community while I was the arts coordinator at PHHS, but now it's just entertaining.

So I'm reflecting on how my generation doesn't seem to be in on the fun, and then I get an update email from LinkedIn - a professional networking site that I think is a kick, but in this context, just looks like Facebook for Old Folks.

Sigh.

Yeah, Thanks

It is so unlike me to be cynical or ironic about something like Thanksgiving! But here I am, having an attitude, the day after a perfectly lovely holiday. Go figure.

Yes, I have much for which to be thankful, but I guess I don't find overeating to be all that inspirational! So today I am eyeing the leftovers and thinking more about the school & house projects I have to get done this weekend than about blessings... yet feel the need to note some of the blessings of my life:

My daughter turns 19 today - other than being a pretty bad driver, I think she turned out GREAT.

I love my job - it's interesting and fun.

My kitchen ceiling and one upstairs bathroom are being replaced because of some water damage - but it'll all be fixed within a week.

Much love.

Yes, I am thankful! :)

More Doctoral Craziness

I have a 20-page paper to write this week - an analysis - after which I have to take that info & turn it into a research proposal. I was amused to see in the directions for the second part:

Alternative ways to structure a presentation of a research project:
Thematically
Analytically
Exemplificatively
Exegetically
Existentially

I think I'll stick with number one...!

Diamonds or Pearls?

Apparently the last question asked at Thursday’s debate was to Hillary Clinton: does she prefer diamonds or pearls? Flashback to the MTV Forum at which Bill Clinton was asked “boxers or briefs” in 92, and the answer is still – who cares?

What’s even worse is that the UNLV student who asked the question says that CNN didn’t allow her to ask any one of her five previously submitted questions about issues that were important to her, and instead made her ask that one.

So they not only allowed it – they CHOSE it! Pathetic.

Question of the Day

"What if Prince Charming had never shown up? Would Snow White have slept in that glass coffin forever? Or would she have eventually woken up, spit out the apple, gotten a job, a health-care package and a baby from her local neighborhood sperm bank?"

- Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City

Post from Philly (Not)

U Penn's Parent Weekend: actually took a day off work & went out to see my kid. Had such a good time I didn't even think to post!

Nothing earth-shattering, nothing even that interesting... uneventful flights both ways, no big agenda other than SHOPPING - we didn't go to any of the Penn events. I thought it was cool that my kid actually got us tickets to a spoken word poetry performance Sat night - very cool thing to do together!

This was my third trip to Philly this year - we visited in the spring when she was choosing, I took her out this summer to move in, and now I went back just to visit. I'm learning my way around the area so well that I didn't bother to check the directions from the campus to the airport - I just went the way that seemed familiar and it worked perfectly.

So I guess that means I'm getting comfortable with her being out there...?

Yes - I'm still not a huge fan of living alone, but my daughter loves college and she loves U Penn, so I'm comfortable with her being out there. She's doing well - what more can I ask?

Scary

Having been in the Philly Amtrak 30th St Station just a few months ago, this article from Huffpost concerns me even more than it otherwise might. Apparently the power went out, and Amtrak fed a story about it to the press that does not match the reality of those who were there.

While I tend to give big media a lot more credit than many bloggers, I do think this incident is a good example of why a free press is so critical in this country. If mainstream media, consolidated in the hands of a few rich folks with personal agendas, continues to stupidly report the company line on public incidents without actual research & reporting, then it will not only become obsolete, but deservedly so.

The beauty of blogging is that it's cheap, and you build a reputation the same way as mainstream media - consumers like what they get, and come back for more. Huffpost has grown into a serious site, and I have no doubt that Rosenbaum's post is as accurate as anything I'd read in the Strib or Wash Post.

Not that there isn't a LOT of crap out in cyberspace, but these days, if you get your news from blogs instead of TV, that might be a good thing.

(I'll save the implications about readiness for a terrorist attack for another post, another time.)

GPS Your Kid

There are a hundred examples of tension between freedom and education, but this one is really a kick. A school in the UK, Hungerhill School in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, is trying out a system that embeds microchips into students' uniforms that register their attendance as they come into the classroom. The kids are participating voluntarily as part of a science project.

Of course an article in the London Times today sparked immediate controversy. While the school officials maintain that this is for attendance purposes only and they are not trying "Bog Brother" tactics to monitor students' every move, critics point out that it's not much different that a criminal wearing an ankle-bracelet tracking device.

Action on Rights for Children (ARCH) makes the connection with another recent article about a company that is considering putting microchips into kids' clothing for parents to be able to track them. Apparently, after contacting the company, ARCH found out that this isn't just an idea, but something the company is actively working on. How long until that's something parents can buy at Macy's?

I don't know a ton about the British education system, but the website says the Hungerhill School is a "11-16 comprehensive school" - which implies upper high school grades to me. I think it's interesting to start at the level rather than with younger kids.

What exactly is being accomplished? If it saves the teacher the time of taking attendance, I think that's cool. I have fantasized about a system in which a kid just swipes their ID card at the door & it monitors who's where. This just takes it to the next level - no ID card necessary.

But the idea of having one's movements monitored should be of serious concern to Americans. Right now, if I don't actively turn it off, my cell phone has a GPS that can track me. (I'm not even sure about my work cell - can my boss track me now? Good grief.) In an emergency, sure, I'd love to be tracked down by someone coming to rescue me. But daily life?

As you've seen in previous posts, I long ago gave up any pretense to privacy. In this age, you can find out a lot about me without leaving your living room (or wherever your computer is.) My have always been listed in the phone book, and in 15 years my students have never abused it. I guess I just don't see the point of privacy if I'm not doing anything I shouldn't - and in my profession, doing things I shouldn't isn't really an option. So it's sort of moot for me. But for average Americans, I'm not so sure.

Bottom line - I have no problem monitoring kids and I don't think they need adult freedoms until they are adults. But I think every encroachment on freedom is dangerous, and things like microchips in kids' clothing need to be VERY carefully considered as a matter of public policy.

Ironically, Boondocks today is on technology - so McGruder leaves us with a laugh. :)

Questions about Love

My friend Melissa wrote these questions for another friend to ponder, and I found them powerful....

Questions about Love

* How are our spiritual journeys and falling in love similar?

* How is falling in love, the path toward love and partnership, a metaphor for going toward God?

* What happens when we let go, or realize how not-in-control we really are?

* Who do we discover in such a state of unbalance, or groundlessness?

* What is this love that you have and feel and live for?

* How is it calling you both to the deep waters where you cannot stand?

* What is it to perceive this time as one where you are not in charge as teachers or leaders or ordained people, but rather: mere humans with hearts?

* What is God asking of you as an individual? As a woman or man?

* Where is God for both of you in this love? In this emotion?

* If God resides at the center of your lives, then what do you have to fear?

Blog Action Day and Al Gore

What would happen is bloggers around the world joined together to write about one topic at the same time? Apparently it's "Blog Action Day" and we're all using our blogs to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Did you know that global warming is real?

I do think that Al Gore being among the Nobel Peace Prize recipients this year for his work on environmental awareness is worthy of note... and I'm kindof disgusted that some "conservatives" (quotes because I don't see how anyone can claim conservatism and not be concerned about the environment, but whatever) have called the Nobel committee political - give me a damn break.

Happy Things from Colleen Kruse

Every Saturday I get to my step class a little early - it gets crowded so I have to - and read the new City Pages or Rake mag for a few minutes before class. Rake is no longer weekly, so it's a treat when there's a new one, and I always turn first to Colleen Kruse's column.

She's always funny - I first discovered her as a stand-up comedian well over 10 years ago when she was the warm-up for Lizz Winstead one night, and have been to see her lave many times. But this month's column about the pleasures of autumn is particularly entertaining, so I have to share.

A sample:

I love wearing clothes that cover my stomach. I love that the threat of being invited to something that might require a bathing suit is past. I like incorporating more cheese and less salad into my diet. I love watching television while eating cheese while wearing something that covers my stomach.

At this time of year I love soup. It is hot, salty, soothing liquid love. That sounds dirty but it’s not, so get your damn mind out of the gutter; I’m talking chunky chicken noodle here.

I love turtleneck sweaters, the smell of Vicks VapoRub, and having a sore throat so I don’t have to talk. I love catching cold, because I love soup and I love it when people feel sorry for me and I love complaining about my lot in life while people I love make me soup.

She's random, but she's funny. :)

Prayer - the Original Wireless Connection

A fun local company called Halowear makes T-shirts with funny church-related sayings.

The one I want: Modern Day Church Lady

Other fun ones:
Communion - the Real Wonder Bread
Altar Your Ego
iGod - Free Downloads

Check it out!

Emily X - Not Me, but It Could Be

Interesting concept - a woman who works at a Planned Parenthood clinic started a blog to share her experience there, including the protesters, the work... the whole deal. Worth a look!

I suspect much of Gen X takes legal abortion for granted - it's been legal for most of our lives. Even if we don't it ourselves, we see that it's a necessary option for some folks and just expect it to be there. I sort of know in the back of my mind that abortion rights have actually been scaled back in recent years and in some states it's almost impossible to get one, but it's not high on the radar. I did some fundraising for the MN Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights when I was in college - we do so much more volunteering in college! - but not actively involved since then.

Emily X lets us see what's really going on - check it out and see if it matches your expectations.

A Tip of the Hat...

Have to take a moment to acknowledge Congressman Jim Ramstad's retirement - sad all the way around, (except maybe for him!) A truly moderate voice shouldn't be such a rarity these days (as the general population seems to be growing more moderate) but unfortunately, it is. Can't really blame him for getting sick of Washington in the current climate! DC's loss.

Some of my friends have speculated that he may run for governor, and I'm sure I'd have a hard time voting against him, even as a Republican. Will be interesting to see what's next for him!

Now apparently Republican Edina mayor Jim Hovland is thinking about a run for Ramstad's seat - as a Democrat! (Well hey, if you're really moderate, why wouldn't you want to be with the majority?!)

This will certainly be an interesting race...!

Two Years Later, Results Are In…

I was interested to see an article in the Strib this weekend - in the style section, ironically - about the fact that it's been two years since gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts.

And what's the result? Nothing interesting! Life goes on for everyone. Straight people still get married and divorced - with no perceptible impact by gay marriages. (Imagine my surprise.)

Check it out:
Withering Glance: Gay Marriage, a Slippery Slope?

Still Wondering (Tell Me Again... part 2)

Another fun quote from a text I paid a lot of money for:

"Phenomenology asks for the very nature of a phenomenon, for that which makes a some-"thing" what it is - and without which it could not be what it is."

But it gets better...

"The essence of a phenomenon is a universal which can be described through a study of the structure that governs the instances or particular manifestations of the essence of that phenomenon."

Yeah, what he said.

(Max van Manen, if you want more!)

Tell Me Again Why I'm Doing This...

A phrase from the text I'm supposed to be reading tonight for my doctoral work:

"Pedagogy requires a hermeneutic ability to make interpretive sense of the phenomena of the lifeworld in order to see the pedagogic significance of situations and relations of living with children."

That means ya gotta get where the kid's coming from in order to teach 'em.

Yeah, fun stuff.

Beauty in the Form of a Young Poet

I first met this kid when he was about 17, at a poetry slam at the Underground at the U of MN. I was so taken with one of his poems that I introduced myself and asked for a copy to use with my students. I was working with my school's poetry slam team at the time and Ryan's work was inspirational to all of us. We've kept in touch & he recently sent this video for me to check out. You may need to watch it more than once. Beautiful.



Check out more of Ryan's work at www.myspace.com/homelessryank

What Would the World Look Like if Everyone Lived Like You?

OK, still thinking about lifestyle, here's another interesting thing to consider. How do I impact the planet?

Play the Consumer Consequences Game from American Public Media and find out!

I did, and my reactions is - wow – I did much worse than I thought! My scores were good for recycling and saving energy, but because I live alone in a 3-BR home and drive my own car everywhere, my overall impact on the earth is not even close to proportionate to my fair space on the planet!

TRY THIS – it’s really interesting. (It's also quick & easy - will only take a couple minutes.)

Living Biblically

The new book "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible" is not fiction. The author, AJ Jacobs, really did spend a year trying to follow ALL the bible's rules. (The book goes on sale Oct 9, so I haven't read it yet, but I imagine I will!)

I love the concept and the outcome. Apparently a task that was sort of a joke turned into a genuine spiritual quest, after which the author found himself a changed person.

Some of the rules he followed:
* No clothing of mixed fibers
* No sitting in a chair that a menstruating woman has used
* No beard cutting
* No winking

Apparently the bible has 72 pages of explicit rules. Not sure what following all of that would do for my soul, but I have a pretty good idea of what it would do to my lifestyle!

Gen X in Power

I’m intrigued by Gen X in power. More of my friends are moving into spaces of influence in their careers and I wonder – how are we different from those who held those positions before us? In some cases, no one did – some are in positions that didn’t even exist a decade ago. But others, like me, are in positions that have existed for a long time. How do I approach my work differently than my predecessors?

A couple things come to mind.

I suspect I’m more inclusive. Is that because I was born in 1968? Yes, I am a product of the feel-good education movement of the 70’s, but I was a high-achiever, so I don’t think that affected me much – certainly not by creating in me any great need for the opinions of others. I am inclusive because I want to be included, so I extend that to others.

I’m not authoritarian. But what does that have to do with my birth year? I suffered under many teachers and bosses who were, and didn’t like it, so I’m different? Hardly. Generations for centuries have learned from authoritarian leaders and turned out just like them. Why should I be different?

I think my leadership is an expression of my personality, and maybe that’s where Gen X comes in to play. It’s not about my age or birth year, except that we believe more in authenticity. I allow my personality into my work because I believe in living out loud, in being who I am, and impacting the world accordingly.

That would not be a bad legacy for our generation.

Pressure Check

My friend Melissa takes a walk, goes by some firemen testing their equipment, and the result is a fascinating set of questions about life. (She's like that!) Get the context at her blog: QueenMAB Contemplates

What does it mean to do routine pressure checks?
If a particular hose can withstand 400 pounds of pressure, what is the equivalent for a human being?
How do we check our own pressure? (Is this called a "physical"?)
What is the equivalent of us laying ourselves out flat and running force through our bodies?
Do we swell and expand just like fire hoses? What do our hearts look like under pressure?
How does a mind or spirit expand or contract with pressure?
If we are in tune and can withstand such levels of pressure, what is our power in the face of fire?
Are our bodies capable of being conduits for water flow, a kind of saving energy?
As humans, do we have a routine way of doing this?
What happens if we aren't doing routine checks?
Is there any way we can make sure that we can withstand the fire, and be a positive force, rather than add to mess and damage?
What is it to be certain?

Above and Beyond...

from Thoreau:

“Do not be too moral. You might cheat yourself out of much of life. Aim high above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.”

Yes.

Although I was raised in a home that prized integrity above just about everything, this quote resonates with me. Love in action. Making a difference. Appreciation of beauty. These things exist beyond the plane of simple morality. Beyond right or wrong... to intensity and passion, where we really live.

Controversy in Chaska

There's a new law in Chaska:

Should parents be held legally liable for the results of underage drinking that goes on in their home, even if they did not actually procure the alcohol themselves? Even if they are not at home at the time the alcohol is consumed?

First reaction - of course! Raise your kids right, darn it.

Second reaction - hmm... what would that law have meant for my own parents?!

I told my daughter that we could lose our home if anything drug or alcohol related ever happened on our property. (That's actually true in some townhome communities around here - a drug-related arrest is cause for eviction. But Golden Valley hasn't adopted it yet...) I think she believed me!

My parents pretty much had no clue about any of the teenage drinking that went on in their home because it never happened with them there. That's an interesting twist within the law - they don't even have to be home to be responsible.

But if they don't shovel the sidewalk they don't have to be home to lose the lawsuit when someone falls...

Perspective

Shimu's story is not as different from some of our local children's lives as we would like to think. Many American - and Minnesotan - kids still struggle with expectations from families that they work to support the family, and some are still pressured to get married young.

Panthar, on the other hand, truly lives in a different world. Herding cattle is not how most 12-year-old American boys spend their days.

The stories of these two young people are detailed in the StarTribune today under the headline "Their stories reveal struggles of the young for a different future." In Shimu's case, she is resisting her family's pressure for her to quit school & get married, hoping to continue to study and work toward a better future. Panthar's older brother, Bol, goes to school in a nearby town, with the hope of a better life through a "new way."

I will never call any of my students lazy, though some are very unmotivated and unambitious. But I wish they had a clearer sense of what the options are, and how lucky they are not only to have school available to them, but to live in a society that actually expects them to attend & learn. "Poor" in America is nothing like poor in Bangladesh or Sudan. I just wish they all understood that!

Wish I Was This Generous

My friend Melissa shared this poem she just wrote about love found and lost - with a guy she met at my cabin - I am in awe of her ability to know and express herself so openly and honestly!

With Deep gratitude, emotional Clarity,

a poem for this beloved and divine presence:

divine man that appeared, so angelic even.

this beautiful adonis, brown and muscled, tender and sweet.

so amazingly articulate on manners of politics and faith,

conservative core that i appreciated.

touch that inspired a kind of transcendence in wake of wonder, woe.

"what you want: this is what I want."

blessings on the lips.

He is gone. He is sweet. We are friends, if that is called for. Or calls us further. I ask for your prayers as heart matters unfold, life and love manifests. (May God's will, not mine, be done.)

Gratefully,

Melissa

Amen!

Word of the Day

HYPERGOLIC (hy-puhr-GOL-ik) adjective: Igniting on contact. Refers to substances that ignite or explode on contact (without needing an external aid such as a spark). Hypergolic substances are used as rocket fuel and explosives.

[From German Hypergol (hypergolic fuel), from Greek hyper- (over, above) + erg- (work). Ultimately from the Indo-European root werg- (to do) which gave us ergonomic, work, energy, metallurgy, surgery, wright, and orgy.]

Thinking of things that can ignite on contact...

* Hyper middle-school kids
* Democrats & Republicans
* Some couples
* Mitch's gun if anyone ever breaks into his house
* Media with a big story

I'm sure there are more...

Conservatives Starting to Like Clinton?

Gotta love it...

Weekly Standard editor William Kristol:
"Obama is becoming the anti-war candidate, and Hillary Clinton is becoming the responsible Democrat who could become commander in chief in a post-9/11 world."

National Review Online editor Kathryn Lopez:
"In response to more than a few answers tonight - on Iraq, on China - I've said 'she sounds reasonable.' That's really hard to admit."

Bruce Bartlett, in the Los Angeles Times:
On economics, Clinton seems likely to be... fiscally conservative, free-trade-oriented, pragmatic. Clinton said: 'There is no greater force for economic growth than free markets." That's about as good as any conservative can hope for from a Democrat."

Salute to the Wingman!

This is a riot - haven't we all been in this position at some point?

Fun Stuff

Oh the fun things we can find on the web! I'm not too familiar with Tarot Cards, but I love random quizzes, so when I ran across this one I had to do it. And since I found the result amusing, I had to share it!

You are Strength

Courage, strength, fortitude. Power not arrested in the act of judgement, but passing on to further action, sometimes obstinacy.

This is a card of courage and energy. It represents both the Lion's hot, roaring energy, and the Maiden's steadfast will. The innocent Maiden is unafraid, undaunted, and indomitable. In some cards she opens the lion's mouth, in others she shuts it. Either way, she proves that inner strength is more powerful than raw physical strength. That forces can be controlled and used to score a victory is very close to the message of the Chariot, which might be why, in some decks, it is Justice that is card 8 instead of Strength. With strength you can control not only the situation, but yourself. It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor. It can also stand for a steadfast friend.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Poets of the City

Our local arts community is growing - we just hosted 9 of the best spoken word artists from around the country at one event last night! Poets of the City hosted it at the U of MN and not only was it an amazing show, but I was just really proud that our little town on the prairie has reached the level that we can attract things like this! Two of the young poets I've worked with in recent years provided the opening act, and that was pretty powerful too.

Of course all the poets were from cities bigger than ours - LA, Atlanta, New York, Baltimore, Milwaukee... that's where the spoken word scene really thrives. But I know we have professional poets here - Sha Cage, Frank Sentwali - who are right up there with the talent I saw last night.

I love Minneapolis!

Focus

The world continues to spin, but I am hard-core focused on work these days! Partly because we're ramping up to the beginning of a new school year... partly because my kid is off at college & it's weird living alone... partly just because I love my work...

As the school year goes, this time of year is so sweet... all anticipation, high energy, positivity and hope!

Labor Day Weekend approaches:
* Thursday - staff party, BB King at the state fair
* Friday - staff breakfast, light work day, The Final Word spoken word performance at the U
* Saturday & Sunday - at the cabin, hopefully with lots of sun :)
* Monday - re-focus & get ready!

Brio's Reflections from the Stone Arch Bridge

My friends Brionna & Anne & I had drinks downtown Friday and then walked over the Stone Arch Bridge to see the 35W bridge and then have dinner on the other side. Brio wrote some reflections that night and said I could reprint them here.

Hi Everyone,
Thought I would share something that I wrote about the 35W bridge
collapse. It's funny how the mind works. I wrote this almost
immediately after coming home from hanging out with a couple of my
favorite people. When I returned to the same place today with Chris and
Ben, I found it odd how much my memory of seeing it the night before and
the images I took in today were, in many ways, different. While the
storm last night had something to do with that, I'm sure, I think my
narrative below is more indicative of how seeing it affected me rather
than a true account of what I saw. Emily and Anne - it will be
interesting to hear how your recollections of what you saw agrees or
conflicts with my recollection of what I saw). Anyway, for what it's
worth. . . here it is.
Brionna

A couple girlfriends and I met up downtown for drinks this evening and
walked over to the Stone Arch Bridge. For those of you unfamiliar with
the Twin Cities, the Stone Arch Bridge is part of a large historical
park memorializing the flour mill ruins. (A little over 100 years ago,
Minneapolis was known, in part, for its flour mills. Flour dust is WAY
more combustible than gunpowder and with the Industrial Revolution
relatively new to the States, the technology and working conditions were
ripe for sparks to fly. A number of mill explosions, including the BIG
one, resulted in too many worker deaths. The park honors that history by
turning the ruins into an educational park. It's pretty cool.)

From the bridge you get a decent view of the 35W collapse and boy, it
is difficult to find the right words to string together into sentences
to describe the whole thing. I was having a difficult time envisioning
where the bridge would have been because I kept looking for a landmark
to place the bridge in my mind. The problem, I later realized, was that
the bridge itself was the landmark I was searching for and could not
find. It wasn't until I was able to make sense of the other landmarks
WITHOUT the bridge, that the gravity of the bridge collapse from a
simple environmental/geographic standpoint sunk in.

While on the Stone Arch Bridge, you look to the right and see a slab of
concrete cascading like a waterfall down into the south bank of the
river. You see concrete move like that on hilly roads and streets, but
seeing the concrete take the particularly shape it has taken as a result
of the collapse challenges the mind to grasp how a concrete road can
take such a path. Strangely, it seems very fluid, as though it is
supposed to do it. Just as the concrete takes its dive downward, you see
a car, very precariously positioned, as though a strong enough breeze
could send that car down the waterfall of concrete to the rubble below.

As you move your field of vision to the left, just passed the
lock-and-dam system - which obscures a large part of the river and thus
the rubble of the bridge - you happen upon another very part portion of
the bridge, above the water, bent in a concave manner. Once again, you
are struck by how a road just shouldn't DO that. There is no reason to
have such a strong sense of cognitive dissonance, except that this
expansion of road is also an island of sorts in the Mississippi River. A
week ago, there were a number of cars on this piece of the bridge,
including the delivery truck engulfed in flames that became the death
pyre for one of the dead. Now, all cars are gone from this u-shaped
piece of interstate, fallen from its groundedness. All that is left are
the white stripes of the lane divisions, another eerie reminder of what
it once was.

Still farther to the left, you see a mangled mess of bridge trusses,
green in color and collapsed in such a manner that the geometric
patterns formerly created by the supports have fallen into each other,
creating dozens of new triangles, hexagons and open angles searching for
the beams that closed the shape it had once been. On the northern side
of this display of metallic geometry is another large slab of concrete,
cast down at nearly a 90% angle. Most of this section is shielded by a
number of trees, if I recall. At this point, however, it could have been
partially hidden by just about anything because at the same time, you
are hypnotized by your own personal, private, intellectual and emotional
response to seeing something that the local media, in its coverage, has
been unable to "make real" in your head and heart.

From that far away, it is difficult to take in the full effect of the
view. But, I'm not sure I want to. The miracle that so few died as a
result lessened the impact. Had we lost more to the event, I'm not sure
I could write my thoughts down immediately after seeing the aftermath.

Having attended the University of Minnesota for both undergrad and
graduate school, I know the bridge, traveled it often. There is a part
of my identity that is attached to it for the sheer fact that it is the
road I took so many times to get to where I am most comfortable, a
classroom, any classroom. It's funny the flood of memories, often very
visceral, you can have of simply driving a stretch of road, slowing down
along an exit ramp, sitting at the yield sign waiting to leave the
highway, cross four lines of traffic to get in the best position to
enter Dinkytown to find parking near a coffee shop that you might get a
demitasse of espresso to fuel a quick study session before a midquarter
exam or a discussion during recitation. Somehow, now, those memories
have more value in my mind, plug a bit more urgently at my heart.

Despite having traveled that portion of 35W for any number of other
reasons, the fact that it so often served as a gateway to the U is that
of which I am most contemplative. As I look back at what I just wrote,
to share this experience, it is a bit odd that I took myself out of the
narrative, using instead second person language. I suppose I needed a
bit of space to put words to paper around the experience of seeing the
site of the collapse, because, as I sat down to write about it, I felt
that the words would not come. Still, I, like so many here in the Twin
Cities and others - wherever they may be - who have followed the story,
recognize the change it means, however small or however monumental,
however public or however private.

Like Brio, I have traveled that bridge many times as an undergrad and grad student at the U of MN. As an icon, that bridge sticks in my memory as having the most amazing view of downtown when you are travelling south and look to the west. It was strange to look AT the bridge FROM downtown - an odd reversal.

My recollections from that evening are right there with Brio's. The concrete waterfall - the twisted geometry of the green metal parts - simultaneously disturbing and interesting. Locating the bridge within the context of other landmarks - the "aha" when we remembered that the Humphrey Center is just at the south end of the 10th St bridge...

It was strange to be on the bridge with so many people when it wasn't the Fourth of July. Usually, folks are just walking across - or it's a holiday and that's a reason for crowds - but this was neither...

Structurally Sound

From the Mpls StarTribune -
the best commentary on the bridge collapse.

Even Better

Check out more entertaining social commentary from Wellington Grey! As always, razor-sharp and RIGHT ON.

Warning

More fun from Wellington Grey...

(Also - if you happen go to the archives while you're there & check out Pirates vs Ninjas, be sure to click through the whole thing! It's long, but you'll laugh.)

I Don't Get It

Not a huge controversy, but interesting anyway... a writer on PopWatch takes issue with MTV censorship of a video. Apparently the top pop song these days is "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston (or rather, by Lieber & Stoller, performed by Kingston.) I didn't know that - maybe because I'm 39 and just don't watch enough MTV?

OK, I don't watch MTV at all, so I haven't seen this - though the link includes the video - but apparently MTV, in its infinite wisdom, blanks out a couple words (or a few lines, depending on who you believe) of the song on the video. That, in itself, can't be surprising, but here are the lines:

You're way too beautiful, girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over

Now I absolutely think the lines are stupid - but not in need of censorship. The idea of dying over rejection is pathetic, but do teens need to be protected from the very idea? Come on.

Frankly, while I'm impressed that MTV actually does bleep out offensiveness - another thing I didn't know - all this does is draw attention to something that would otherwise have received much less attention.

Dumb.

Modern Communication pt 2 OR It's a Small World pt 2

A colleague told me yesterday that the news of the 35W bridge collapse was so dominating national & global news that it was even the lead story on Al-Jazeera. I didn't have a chance to look at the website until today, and while it's not on the front page, it is still the lead story on the "Americas" section of the website. Interesting!

It's always hard to gauge the extent that a story in our back yard will be interesting to the rest of the world. I was in Philly on Tuesday when the Wolves traded Garnett, and was pleased to find pretty significant coverage in the papers out east.

I'm curious to see how Gov Pawlenty will deal with the national exposure he'll get from this. On the one hand, it raises his name recognition & gives him a chance to be a hero. On the other hand, he's already taking a beating for vetoing the transportation bill this year & being a generally "no new taxes" kind of guy his whole tenure in office. If he's angling for a Veep spot on someone's ticket next year, he'll have to walk a pretty fine line between now & then. It will be interesting to see how the national news covers him in the process...

Modern Communication

I didn’t understand the “are u safe? im at the u now too” text message at first – it followed an earlier text from the same friend asking about lunch, so I just replied that I was glad she had started her doctoral program, I had just landed from PA, and we’d have lunch next week.

The next “Are u safe?” text came after my mom had told me about the bridge collapse, so I understood what it meant!

I was annoyed at the airport that my call dropped about 6 times while I was trying to tell my mom which door to pick me up at – I just switched to Verizon from T-Mobile and was starting to regret it! But as I complained about it to her, she explained about the bridge and it became clear that the lines were just overloaded.

Flashback to September 2001!

I landed within an hour of the bridge collapse, and within an hour after that I had at least 3 texts from friends asking “are u safe?” – then a call, then another text… I had only called my brother after she told me about the bridge – his family was intact, my daughter was hundreds of miles away, and my mom was sitting right next to me, so all good. It just didn’t occur to me that I would know anyone in the tragedy!

Amusingly, my mother called my brother when she first heard the news – just to tell him to take a different way home, as 35W would be blocked off. She left a message & didn’t think twice about whether he might be IN it! We’re just not the worrying types, I guess.

But I have to admit it felt pretty good to have so many people checking on me… so I checked on a few more of my closest friends just because. Counted heads & all were present. One of my daughter’s friends told her that all their friends are accounted for – between texting & instant messaging I’m sure they counted heads in about 10 minutes!

Two of my good friends were in NYC on 9/11, so I was aware that the need to find out if people were OK must be strong for them. Both admitted they were more than a little freaked out by the situation. Apparently texts get through better than calls in busy times, so both used text and I was not surprised.

My boss’s brother’s wife’s sister is among the missing – that’s as close as it has come to me to my knowledge so far. Of course there are many more bodies yet to be pulled out, so who knows – but I’m feeling lucky, and loved, and blessed – by my loved ones and by modern communication. ☺

No Post from Philly or DC

The TREO has almost eliminated my need for computer access while traveling since I can get home & work email on it… so I didn’t think to post at all!

I left my lovely daughter at U Penn on Saturday, went to DC for a few days to visit friends, then came back after she was all settled in. I strongly recommend this strategy to other parents who have to leave kids at college many miles away!

It was great because by the time I came back, she had friends, knew her surroundings a bit, and had been to her classes so had a good sense that she was going to enjoy it! I even got to take her out to lunch with all 3 of her roommates – nice to put faces with the names and see that they are, in fact, pretty cool kids.

Yes, the trip was wonderful. So I didn’t post.

This Is It!

Tomorrow is the big day - I take my only child off to college!

We are NOT driving - I don't see that as the best way to spend our last couple of days together! We are bringing most of her stuff with us on the plane & shipping a box or two. Having family in the area makes the shipping part much easier! We weighed all her bags & even the very largest was under 50 lbs, so all of that comes with us for free.

We have had some drama with U Penn - the latest was over insurance during the summer program she's attending - but to their credit they have figured everything out every time. Her case is more complicated than most - I suspect she may be the first foster kid they have ever accepted - but they have managed to make everything work out in the end. I appreciate that they seem to really want her there!

I loved college so much - and I want that for her. I want her to LOVE it. I think it's the perfect way to transition into adulthood - on your own, making your own choices, but still part of a pretty sheltered community (with someone else still cooking for you!) What more could a kid ask for? :)

So tomorrow morning we're off. Wish us Godspeed.

It's a Small World...

Once again, as I was trolling through other blogspot blogs, I was struck that about half of them seem to be in other languages! I just love how global something as simple as blogging can be! :)

Here are a few of them - figuring out what language each one is can be kind of a game...
http://manskensbondensmemoarer.blogspot.com/
http://bruneiartnation.blogspot.com/
http://heliodon.blogspot.com/
http://meumundoeste.blogspot.com/
http://arcticmonkeysportugal.blogspot.com/
http://cursosfree.blogspot.com/
http://barbatrespelos.blogspot.com/
http://danielavroth.blogspot.com/
http://urikugas.blogspot.com/

Friedman Nails It

You haven't seen much war commentary here - and you won't - but Thomas Friedman's latest column so completely nails the current conundrum that I have to give him credit!

He says, simply, that if he were Bush at this point, he would draft some of the country's best negotiators and send them to Baghdad with the following orders:
"I want you to move to the Green Zone, meet with the Iraqi factions, and do not come home until you've reached one of three conclusions:
1) You have resolved the power- and oil-sharing issues holding up political reconciliation;
2) You have concluded that those obstacles are insurmountable and have sold the Iraqis on a partition plan that could be presented to the United Nations and supervised by an international force
3) You have concluded that Iraqis are incapable of agreeing on either political reconciliation or a partition plan and told them that, as a result, the United States has no choice but to redeploy its troops to the border and let Iraqis sort this out on their own."

The last option is the one the Bush administration doesn't seem to be willing to consider, but that is really most crucial. As Friedman points out, when negotiating a contract, "if the other side thinks you'll never walk away, you've got no leverage." This is Bush's basic problem - the Iraqis don't believe he'll ever walk.

How come Thomas Friedman isn't running for president? Too smart?!?!?!

Red State Heaven, part 3

I generally try to avoid Wal-Mart - I'm a good union member - and if you've ever been in a Wal-Mart you know that it can be a scary experience: loooooong rows & rows & rows of just about everything you can think of - all cheap in price and quality. The monster Wal-Mart by our cabin has everything from fabrics to hunting supplies. It freaks me out.

But occasionally when we're at the cabin there are things we need that can only be found at Wal-Mart. Recently, I needed a few more deck chairs, and Target didn't have the kind I wanted because it's already the middle of July, and Target's seasonal stuff doesn't stick around long.

So I braced myself and went to Wal-Mart. They not only had the chairs, but they had lots of them for about $5 each. Scary. I bought 6. But what really amazed me wasn't that...

Wal-Mart now offers a Wedding Registry.

Of Resumes and Digital Fingerprints

In a recent column, Thomas Friedman notes that one's personal & professional reputation is becoming increasingly transparent with the rise of the Internet and video cell phones.

In a new book called "How", author Dov Seidman posits that, according to Friedman, "...in this transparent world, how you live your life and how you conduct your business matters more than ever, because so many people can now see into what you do and tell so many other people without any editor."

There are interesting generational implications at work here. Friedman calls our online presence a "digital fingerprint" that will follow us around - an important point for young people just entering the job market or trying to establish a professional reputation. The rise of Google means that the resume is no longer the primary basis on which a potential employer will make a decision.

As Seidman puts it: "In the information age, life has no chapters or closets; you can leave nothing behind, and you have nowhere to hide your skeletons. Your past is your present."

For younger people who have Facebook pages, MySpace pages - and for everyone with a blog - it's something to think about!

Is It Legal?

Here's a cool thing - a website called Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO union, offers Ask a Lawyer, a free legal advice service to workers about on-the-job issues.

How cool is that for average folks?

I am blessed with a good friend who is an employment attorney & lets me ask him questions once in a while, but I'm guessing that's not the case for most people, so this is a great resource!

Anyone can ask a question - it's a free service and you don't even have to be a union member to use it.

Bravo, AFL-CIO!

RIP Another N-Word

Today's Strib has a commentary piece by local writer Syl Jones lamenting that the N-word we're all concerned about is not NEGLECT.

No doubt!

RIP N-Word

Last week the NAACP declared the death of the "N-Word" and held a funeral for it - which I think is appropriate. Although I get the concept of re-claiming a word to disempower it, in reality it still holds a lot of negative power.

What I think is more interesting is all the media coverage that never once used the actual word!

And my own debate right now on whether to include it or not. My inclination is to use it, because I think it's a little silly not to, but on the other hand, it's a word that we just don't use and I guess that means even while writing about it.

Now - to see if it will really happen and people will stop using it...! We can only hope.

Little Mosque on the Prairie

Seriously! A new Canadian sit-com about Muslims who start a mosque in an abandoned chruch in a rural Saskatchewan town. Check it out on YouTube - several episodes are there, broken into 5-10 minute clips. I watched the whole first episode and it IS pretty funny.

The StarTribune article about it today notes that while many Muslims were initially wary about such a thing, once they watched it, they liked it. It's funny and real - positive portrayals AND actually entertaining.

Figures it's a Canadian show, not American!

Another ridiculously entertaining Canadian show, Trailer Park Boys, is worth a look... a show about 2 guys who get out of prison and try to get their lives in order. A friend bought the whole first season, and when we sat down to watch it, we watched three in a row! It's silly and sometimes pointless, but very funny...

Not Sure How I Feel About This...

Thanks to an article in the newspaper, I discovered a website for teens that's all about sex: Scarleteen.com

It seems to exist for educational purposes - it's not porn - but a quick glance confirms that it's got both breadth and depth.

As an educator, I guess I'm all for anything educational - and this certainly is. I'm glad there are resources out there for teens, so that they aren't just listening to their friends (like we did!) As a parent, it makes me grateful that I am able to talk about stuff like this with my kid, though this website probably knows more than I do.

But the flip side is that our culture has become so hyper-sexualized that there is a serious need for a website like this - and I guess that's what bugs me. Kids see sex everywhere - they can't even walk around the mall without seeing Victoria's Secret - and that + hormones is a pretty combustible combination!

An article in yesterday's paper is not unrelated - called "A million young women never forgot the babies they were forced to surrender" - it looks at baby boomer women who were forced (by their families) to give up babies in the years before abortion became legal. The implication that they were too incompetent to be mothers scarred many of them for years.

What's the connection?
a) Kids need to know about birth control, because they're going to have sex whether you like it or not
b) Sex has multiple unintended consequences, so kids had better be informed
c) It's not just a rebellious behavior - even the "good" kids will do it, so better to be helpful than to judge
d) All of the above!

So sure, we all wish kids would just wait until they're adults to have sex (ha!) but we're also realistic enough to know that ain't gonna happen. Thus, Scarleteen.