There is a great deal to be said about Election 2014, now only five weeks away. The succinct message: The vast majority of Americans over 18 years of age are qualified to vote. Regardless of roadblocks thrown up to keep some away from the polls, few Americans are excluded from the right to vote. Unfortunately, […]
NOTE October 8, 2014: This post will likely continue to be preceded by DRAFT. My apologies to Prof. Beeman if I missed his point(s). The very interesting additional opinions (below) are as expressed (interpreted) by the writers, including myself. Last night (Sep 18, 2014) I was one of about 35 persons who had a great […]
In May, at the annual dinner of the Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota, teacher Suzanne Quinn-McDonald received an award for outstanding service. During her brief remarks she quoted something Eleanor Roosevelt had once said, something I’d not heard: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I went home and looked up the quote, and indeed it […]
Today, September 17, is Constitution Day in the United States. This year the U.S. is 227 years young. Happy Birthday! Some serendipity happenings cause me to give focus, this day, to the original Constitution of the State of North Dakota. North Dakota is my home state. This year, November 2, is the 125th birthday of […]
The two ladies saw me coming, and knew what to expect. I had come armed, with my camera. My target; (click to enlarge) Several successive Saturday mornings I’d seen this pooch in a stroller. Fourteen years of walking in this park, and I hadn’t seen a pooch so royally treated. This was a dog who […]
It’s been a rough week for the National Football League (NFL). First comes the indefinite suspension of Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice after the violent incident with his “then-fiancee” in a hotel elevator. Then, this mornings banner headline in my local paper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, about Minnesota Vikings star “Adrian Peterson Indicted” for disciplining “his […]
Yesterdays post, here, relates to this one. Recently, in an e-mail, came a very interesting short test on current events* from the highly respected Pew Research Center. It asks 13 questions: “What do you know about the news?”. You can take the test privately. Here it is. Elsewhere in this post I will tell you […]
A couple of weeks ago a waitress at a local restaurant I frequent asked me a question. She knows I’m interested in politics, and her son-in-law, now in law school, had developed a strong interest in the Constitution. Could I give her some ideas? There’s loads of materials on the U.S. Constitution, of course. I […]
(click to enlarge) Eleven years ago, sometime in August, 2003, a group of peace and justice folks at Minneapolis’ First Unitarian Society had an idea: let’s do a Peace Day at Loring Park on the International Day of Peace, September 21. Their plan involved enlisting churches in the downtown Minneapolis neighborhood. I volunteered. “Peace Day”? […]
In a few hours, most Minnesota students return to school for the 2014-15 school year. At this moment, more than 800,000 Minnesota public school students, and more than 100,000 more teachers, administrators, cooks, custodians, bus drivers, etc., are, regardless of their grade level, or number of years of experience, somewhat nervous about tomorrow. It is […]