Creative Commons/brykmantra

Researchers found that no matter what day the patients were admitted to the hospital, if they stayed over a weekend, they had a higher risk of dying in the hospital on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Past research has suggested that patients who are admitted to a hospital on the weekend are more likely to die in the hospital than those with similar medical problems who are admitted Monday through Friday. This “weekend effect” has been documented for a variety of medical conditions, including heart attacks, stroke, head trauma and aneurisms.

The reasons for the effect are not entirely clear, but the leading theory is that it’s due to reduced hospital staffing and/or access to specialists and certain kinds of treatments.

Of course, another explanation could be that people who are hospitalized on the weekend are sicker, on average, than those admitted during the week because they put off going to the hospital until the weekend.

To try to figure out if that second explanation is true, a team of Canadian researchers decided to conduct a study that would investigate whether more hospital patients died on the weekends no matter which day of the week they had arrived at the hospital.

Surprisingly, it appears to be the first study to take that approach. The findings were published Thursday in the European Respiratory Journal.

And they are not reassuring.

Method and results

For the study, the researchers analyzed data collected on more than 300,000 people over the age of 50 who were admitted to acute-care hospitals in Montreal with either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pneumonia between January 1990 and March 2007. The average age of the patients was 75, and slightly more than half (55 percent) were men. They stayed in the hospital for an average of 12 days.

After crunching the data, the researchers found that no matter what day the patients were admitted to the hospital, if they stayed over a weekend, they had a higher risk of dying in the hospital on Friday, Saturday or Sunday than on any of the other four days of the week.

Specifically, the death rate was 80 per 10,000 patients per day on Monday through Thursday. It rose by 5 percent, or 4 additional deaths per 10,000 patients, on Friday, which is the day when hospital staffing tends to begin its weekend dip, the researchers note.

But on the official weekend days — Saturday and Sunday — the risk was even greater. It was 7 percent higher than on weekdays, suggesting an additional 5.6 deaths per 10,000 patients.

‘A crucial time period’

“In Quebec, there are yearly approximately 30,000 patients in hospital for COPD or pneumonia on any given Friday and weekend,” the researchers note in their paper. “Our study implies that 12 additional deaths occur by the mere fact of being in hospital on the Friday and 33 by staying on the Saturday or Sunday.”

Hospital administrators and staff should be concerned, they add.

“This study identified a crucial time period during which in‐patients are more likely to die,” write the researchers. “Adjustments in the organization of care of patients staying in hospital from Friday to Sunday could avert a significant number of likely preventable deaths.”

These findings have implications beyond Canada's health-care system, of course. After all, much of the previous research that documented the “weekend effect” took place in U.S. hospitals.

You’ll find an abstract of the current study on the European Respiratory Journal website.

In a watery, bat-dense cave in Australia some 17 million years ago, tragedy befell a cluster of seed shrimp during their mating season. Immediately upon copulating, at least five of the tiny, water-borne crustaceans were abruptly covered with sediment – a splotch of bat guano, perhaps, or a clod of wet dirt dislodged from the cave's wall.  

Many geological eras later, a group of scientists who study ostracods – a class of small, flat crustaceans measuring about a millimeter – uncovered this tiny time capsule and found something extraordinary: petrified sperm coiled inside all five creatures. These are the first sperm to enter to the fossil record.

They are astoundingly large. The coiled, now-petrified sperm are hard to measure, but based on the proportions of similar species alive today, the scientists estimate these sperm may be 1.3 millimeters long, slightly longer than the creatures themselves. They used microtomography and nanotomography to image the fossils without breaking them.

So much about this finding is peculiar, beginning with the fact that the sperm managed to become petrified at all. It seems to have happened in part thanks to their sudden entombment, and in part because the sperm cells were covered by a hard, protective shell of chitin, the substance that makes up insect skeletons. Unlike plant cells, whose rigid walls help maintain structures as plants fossilize, animal cells are normally soft, and thus far less resistant to time's ravages. 

In addition to their odd hard shells, these sperm, unlike most known modern sperm, lacked tails.

"Although tailless, these gargantuan gametes are motile," reports the study, published in the current issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Biology. "Contractile organelles produce both ripples along the length of the posterior region and longitudinal rotation of the entire sperm, and all of the sperm body enters the egg during fertilization."

Another reason why these gametes were preserved so well, was probably the high concentration of phosphate in the cave's water, thanks to the bat guano.

"Fossilization is often present in phosphatic environments," says Renate Matzke-Karasz, the ostracodologist from Munich's Ludwig-Maximilians University who led the study.

By itself, the size of these sperm isn't entirely unusual. Modern ostracods are one of a handful of animal groups that, for unknown reasons, have evolved giant sperm cells. But what's shocking is knowing how long these tiny animals have found it worthwhile to invest so much energy in their sex cells.

The sperm of today's ostracods have hardly changed at all, from the time of their Miocene ancestors, indicating that "giant sperm have only evolved once in ostracods," says Dr. Matzke-Karasz. "It seems it's a very successful reproductive mode over an extremely long time."

The sex organs of these five animals have also been exquisitely preserved. The filamentous sperm are bundled into the vas deferens of one male Heterocypris collaris, and the seminal vesicles of three females of the same species, as well as a female Newnhamia mckenziana. According to Matzke-Karasz, these organs indicate that the species' male and female sex organs co-evolved. "It is very clear that the female developed organs that are adapted to these long sperm," she says.

Why these animals evolved and kept such outsized sex cells is a mystery that Matzke-Karasz is now trying to crack by watching their living descendants reproduce. "We want to learn about the very basics. We don't know a lot about the facts around the copulation of arthropods," she says. "How long do these sperm live in the female? How does she use the sperm? Does she use the sperm from the last male she copulated with, or the first one?"

The field of micropaleontology, which examines tiny fossils like these ones, provides important context for geological and paleontological findings. Dating geological layers, Matzke-Karasz says, is the "core purpose of micropaleontology." Another application, she adds, "is the reconstruction of paleoenvironments, because ostracods are very particular in their environmental tolerance."

The most exciting part of this finding, she says, is its revelation "that there's so much hidden that we're not aware of. I'm quite sure that we don't need to excavate many more fossils. There are so many osctracods tucked away in collections that we can now study using modern techniques."

Last week, we looked at all parcel values — commercial and residential — in Hennepin County. In the map below, we have added Anoka County and focused on only residential properties (taking both land and building value into account). The map reveals distinct trends in residential values around the metro area — note, for example, the difference in overall property values between east and west sides of south Minneapolis.

We hope to add more counties as the parcel data becomes freely available.

It was nearly impossible for a Chinese citizen to travel outside his or her nation when the Mall of America opened in 1992. And even if they could, they had no money to spend.

Twenty years later and Chinese tourists are the world's biggest spenders. More than 100 million Chinese are expected to travel abroad this year, splashing out well over $100 billion during their travels. By 2016, China will be the world's biggest business travel market — and by 2020 some have projected that annual international trips by mainland Chinese will reach 200 million.

The Mall of America is now joining the fight for the world's most lucrative tourist.

And it is a fight. In Europe, where a solid chunk of the tourism industry more or less relies on Chinese tourism, Britain and France are at war again — over attracting Chinese visitors. As Britain rushes to scrap its colonially bureaucratic visa restrictions, Paris is importing a police force from China to protect its VIP tourists.

When it comes to attracting the world's new No. 1 spending tourist, price is a big advantage for the Mall of America, and for America in general.

"I have witnessed Chinese buy 20 pairs of the same shoe to bring back for friends and family, because it is so much cheaper," said Lauren Himle, the Mall of America's first ever China-focused tourism account executive.

With its 10 million-square-foot expansion, the mall hopes to attract 8 million more international visitors, an increase of 62 percent. If Himle and other Minnesota groups can swing it, a large share of this increase will be cash-in-hand Chinese.

MOA struggles to get tourists' attention

The biggest immediate obstacle: Flush Chinese tourists don’t know MOA exists.

When I lived in China, I casually polled a smattering of professional friends in Shanghai and only one had heard of the MOA — and none at all had heard about Minneapolis. The one, an HR manager for an American Fortune 500 firm, described the MOA, from his understanding, as "the shopping paradise of girls." 

While New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco are famous in China, America's flyover country in general struggles for awareness. The biggest challenge, Himle says, "is without a doubt raising awareness” of Minnesota and MOA.

The mall's struggle begins with the fundamental fact that much of the information out there uses different Chinese names.

At the travel section of the huge information portal 163.com, the MOA is the "美国商城" (měiguó shāngchéng) but at its Wikipedia-like page on Baidu, often called "China's Google," it's also called "美国购物中心" (měiguó gòuwù zhòng xīn). The mall officially uses the first translation, but the problem is evident.

Other barriers are out of local control, such as tight federal visa requirements for Chinese tourists. (Taiwanese and South Korean visitors receive waivers.) 

Another: no direct Minneapolis-China flights. Chinese MOA visitors have to connect through Japan, Chicago or Detroit or some other city, making a trip not only more expensive, but more time-consuming.

Data intelligence is also an obstacle. Roughly 5 million of the mall's 42 million annual visitors come from outside the United States, but the MOA struggles to determine exactly where those 5 million come from. This will only because more difficult as China's restrictions on tourism loosen and more of the nation's travelers opt out of tightly managed tour groups in favor of independent, individual or family travel.

Coach incents, Nordstrom’s doesn’t

Competition is intense, and U.S. malls need to distinguish themselves with attractions and services "that specifically appeal to the Chinese shopper," says Alexander Glos, CEO of i2i Group China, a media marketing and sales consultant for global enterprises interested in developing and strengthening themselves in China.

"It's unlikely that a Chinese shopping customer is going to travel to a specific destination just because of a particular shopping experience — unless that shopper believes the services and experience will be unique and specifically designed for their needs," Glos notes.

He singled out Mandarin language shopping assistance, VIP concierge services, high spending incentives, Chinese specific events, and cooperation with hotels and other entertainment facilities such as casinos.

Himle's own experience backs up Glos' observations. She said that stores — such as Coach — have hired Mandarin speakers to make Chinese tourists more comfortable. Those outlets have seen a "substantial increase" in Chinese customer purchases. 

Other programs are more controversial. Tour guide incentives are characteristic of China's travel market. And yes, "incentive" is a nicer word for kickback. Chinese tour guides who deliver their big-spending Chinese shoppers take a percentage of the group's total store spending, while delivering a special store discount to the group's shoppers.

These incentives are generally around 5 percent, and are the standard practice worldwide when it comes to Chinese tourists. (For example, malls in Southern California like the Beverly Center have advanced incentive programs and Mandarin concierge programs already in place.)

Himle calls this a "tricky area" for MOA, with stores on both sides of the argument. For example, Coach and Sterling Jewelers have opted into incentive programs, while Nordstrom's does not. (Mall representatives originally said Macy's didn't, but corrected that to say the store offers gift card givebacks, not cash.)

Himle does not take a side in the debate, except to note that such programs help "track how many Chinese visitors we have coming through the mall, as the guide needs to register the group and the group reports the registration number in order to receive the discount or commission."

Bill Deef, vice president of International Relations at Meet Minneapolis, the local visitor’s bureau, says in the last five years, basic relationships have been strengthened with the important, well-connected California, New York and Florida operators.

More basic fixes include Himle’s Mandarin profile sheets for tour operators, highlighting the goods and attractions Chinese consumer will likely find most interesting. 

Himle says that the new connected Radisson Blu hotel has also been a "terrific asset" for attracting Chinese visitors. Also, the mall is working to add Union Pay — the credit/debit card system linked to China's bank accounts — to all cash registers, making dollar payments from yuan accounts painless and convenient.

Ultimately, Glos says, “mall operators have to communicate these services to the Chinese before they depart or plan their travels to the USA." 

Corporate cooperation

Minnesota is far from a lost cause; 5.6 percent of the state’s overseas visitors are Chinese, Deef notes. MSP saw 33 percent more Chinese visitors last year than the year before — though Chinese traveler count still stood at only 10,472, fewer than half the 22,253 from the United Kingdom.

Despite its unheralded status, Minnesota does have advantages for some pockets of Chinese tourists.

Local multinational organizations offer foundations for increasing Minnesota's China profile, since business interests remain the biggest reason Chinese find themselves here.

When Mayor R.T, Rybak visited China in 2009, it was mostly about Target. However, he also smoothly mixed in some tourism interests, to demonstrate how Minneapolis businesses, and good coordination, could be a tourism marketing message multiplier.

Said Himle, "We are looking at leveraging the fact that the University of Minnesota has the largest population of Chinese nationals, as well as a huge alumni base in China with an alumni office operating in Beijing. The Mayo Clinic, Medtronic, 3M and Cargill are all also huge draws."

The mall works with operators to ensure the city's corporate visitors include a trip to the mall. The MOA's proximity to the airport makes this an even easier possibility.

The MOA is also getting help from partners. Explore Minnesota Tourism has issued a $45,000 RFP for China-market representation to trade groups and media there. This outreach will include a Mandarin website and social media outreach.

Last year, the Minnesota Legislature also bumped up the state’s marketing budget by $5 million, a significant chunk targeted on China.

Beyond the region's Fortune 500 draws are the state's natural wonders. With China becoming increasingly polluted and its citizens increasingly concerned about pollution, the abundant lakes, parks and eco tourism make for an excellent tour package that includes mall shopping.

But even here, the mall faces a steep, competitive climb to get a foothold in the mindspace of Chinese tourists who face increasingly wide options.

New Zealand is quickly becoming a favorite destination for its landscape. Domestic travel by RV is growing. Carnival just sent its fourth cruise liner to China to meet booming demand. All are indications that as the MOA ramps up, marquee destinations are not going to just hand over the barcode scanner.  

I do not take seriously the idea that congressional Republicans will attempt to impeach President Obama. It didn't work for them against President Bill Clinton, who had done far more to deserve it. And perhaps they have figured out by now that it takes a two-thirds vote in the U.S. Senate to convict and remove a president.

On the other hand, I do take legal affairs analyst Jeffrey Toobin seriously, and his latest New Yorker piece made at least a back-handed argument that influential conservatives think Obama has committed impeachable offenses.

What it comes down to is this: Toobin takes the Federalist Society seriously. He knows that many liberals view the Federalists as "a shadowy cabal." But Toobin knows better. Their programs are intellectually rigorous and, he notes in the key punchline of his short piece: "Where the Federalists lead, Republicans follow."

So Toobin was struck by the rhetoric at a recent Federalist meeting which didn't just disagree with Obama's policies, but made a legal and constitutional case that Obama has regularly violated both the law and the sacred charter. Obama is “opposed to and hostile to the Constitution,” said Arkansas Congressman and Senate candidate Tom Cotton.

One of several examples of Obama's disrespect for the balance of powers was the postponements he authorized to the deadlines for several provisions in the Affordable Care Act. I have heard this complaint before and have not read a good analysis of where Obama claimed to find the authority to change the implementation schedule. But it is inconceivable to me that he could be impeached and removed over that matter.

Nonetheless, Charles Cooper, described by Toobin as "a longtime stalwart of the Federalist Society," bespoke himself thus at the meeting:

“Our system of checks and balances has been no match for President Obama,” Cooper said. “He has violated his oath of office comprehensively. He has done what the Constitution forbids him to do, and he has not done that which the Constitution requires him to do.” According to Cooper, the real issue to address was impeachment: “The threshold question is whether President Obama’s serial violations of separations of powers satisfies the constitutional standard for impeachment. Has he committed … ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’? I believe there is little doubt that he has.”

The good news is that when Toobin asked Cooper whether is backing an actual move toward impeachment, Cooper said he isn't — yet.

CC/Flickr/dni777

In a typical CCD scenario, a hive of commercial honeybees simply empties out over the winter, during a period when bees are taking a long break from pollinating chores or even, in cold climates, hibernating.

A new study of honeybee die-offs from the Harvard School of Public Health adds much to the case that neonicotinoid insecticides are a key cause of the problem.

Even more important, perhaps, the research suggests that these increasingly ubiquitous insect poisons are killing bees all by themselves — that is, without the partnership of parasites or malnutrition.

Published at the end of last week in the Bulletin of Insectology, the study is the Harvard team's second look in a couple of years at how exposure to "neonics" seems to promote the baffling phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder, or CCD.

In a typical CCD scenario, a hive of commercial honeybees simply empties out over the winter, during a period when bees are taking a long break from pollinating chores or even, in cold climates, hibernating.

Some dead bees are left behind, their numbers a small fraction of the hive's healthy population, and in less typical incidents there may not be a large-scale abandonment. There may also be signs of other bee-killing factors, like mites, but not on a scale sufficient to explain the wholesale die-off.

The prevailing explanation for CCD since its emergence in 2005 and 2006 is that bees are overstressed by the triple burden of pesticides, parasites such as mites and intestinal fungi, and loss of foraging territory as more and more fields of wild flowering plants become lawns and parking lots.

By feeding the bees with sugar syrup and protecting from mites, the Harvard team has produced results suggesting that maybe it's pretty much just the pesticides — and at levels far below what regulators have established as a lethal dose.

Scientific transparency

The design of this study and of its essentially identical predecessor, reported in the spring of 2012, is simplicity itself. Let's take a minute with the details, partly because they've been widely misreported this time around and partly because I happen to think the research's sheer transparency is interesting in itself.

• In the summer of 2012, researchers led by Chengshen Lu selected six colonies of honeybees at each of three apiaries in central Massachusetts, for a total of 18; each colony consisted of a standard 10-frame hive.
• At each site, starting at the beginning of July, bees in the six selected colonies were given sufficient sugar water, made either with sucrose or high-fructose corn syrup, to take the possibility of malnutrition out of play.
• In each group of six, the sugar source for two colonies was treated for 13 weeks with a sublethal amount of the neonic imidacloprid; for two more, the treatment was with clothianidin; the last two were left untreated. All the colonies  consumed all the sugar water they were given each week.
• Starting in November, with the onset of colder weather, all of the colonies got a paste form of the same sugar solution without any neonic treatment. (This would mimic real-world exposure to neonics, which typically are applied to crop seeds and then expressed throughout stems, leaves, flowers and fruit throughout the plants' life cycle; in addition, some crops are dusted with neonics during the growing season.)
• All the colonies were treated identically with one application of Miteaway and one of  Apistan, used by beekeepers to kill the Varroa mites that used to be the leading cause of massive bee die-offs before CCD came along. Mite counts were then taken "using the common alcohol wash method." (But you knew that.)
• Later on, the colonies were treated with Fumagillan-B to take care of two fungal, intestinal parasites known as Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae, also commonly big trouble for honeybees.
• From the beginning of the test period in July 2012 through the end in April 2013, the colonies' health was tracked with biweekly "brood assessments" and measures of "cluster size" using methods that might interest any entomologists in the house but were frankly a little opaque for me. Suffice it to say they were scientifically standard.

All's well till winter

All of the colonies thrived about equally until winter approached, regardless of apiary location or specific sugar source or even neonic exposure. But then:

As temperatures began to decrease in late October 2012, we observed a steady decrease of bee cluster size in both control and  neonicotinoid-treated  colonies. While such decline was quickly reversed in the control colonies in January 2013, the neonicotinoid-treated hives continued to decline ...

The diminishing cluster size in the neonicotinoid-treated  colonies led to the loss of six of the twelve (50%) with symptoms resembling CCD, whereas only 1 of the 6 control colonies was lost exhibiting Nosema ceranae like symptoms, although we did not perform any test to confirm Nosema infection in this control hive.

No similar Nosema-like symptoms were observed in the treated hives. Upon close examination of colonies in early April 2013, we found that the majority  of bees in all neonicotinoid-treated colonies, regardless of whether they survived or not, had abandoned  their  hives during the course of winter.

 However, we observed a complete opposite phenomenon in the control  colonies in which instead of abandonment, hives were re-populated quickly with new emerging bees. The honey bee clusters in the six surviving neonicotinoid-treated  colonies were very small, and were either without queen bees, or had no brood.

We found no significant difference in the degree of Varroa mite infection between the control and neonicotinoid-treated colonies. ...

More study needed, but...

The new study differs from its predecessor in a few ways, all of which would seem additionally damning to neonics:

• In the earlier study, only imidacloprid was tested, with similar but worse results; the new one extends the finding to a second neonic.
• The first study took place in a colder winter — an unavoidable, somewhat unpredictable variable that probably helped to bring the incidence of CCD-pattern mortality to 100 percent in the treated hives, even though the neonic exposure was at one-seventh the level of the newer research.

So far, critical response to the study has been both sparse and muted. Bayer CropScience, which makes neonics, says the dosages were mu'ch larger than what bees would actually encounter in the real world.

An interesting defense, considering that Bayer can neither know nor control environmental levels of exposure; they're determined by the actions of applicators, some of which might not follow the label instructions precisely.

(The levels are also influenced, it's becoming increasingly clear, by neonics' unexpected and unadvertised persistence in soils and water, which can essentially reapply them in successive years without an applicator being involved at all.)

Others have dinged the study's small sample size and its publication in a journal that doesn't have the stature of, say, Nature, which seems to me a weird way of dissing a piece of work from, like, Harvard.

Science proceeds by disproof, as they say — or, as Holmes would have it, by eliminating all possible explanations until just one remains. And more work needs to be done on neonics and honeybees, for sure.

But with this paper, the Harvard team may well have taken Varroa mites and Nosema fungi away from center stage, where the neonics stand increasingly alone in the spotlight of discovery.

* * *

The full paper, a mere six pages, can be read right here.

Every session of every legislature produces its share of “no brainer” ideas. Some, literally so. Time and money-wasting notions are floated that are so bereft of imagination and polluted with ideology you wonder if brain power was involved at all. Others though, like the expansion of broadband across Greater Minnesota being pushed in the Senate by DFL Sen. Matt Schmit of Red Wing, seem so self-evidently necessary and valuable — in terms of tele-medicine, on-line education, essential business connections — it's hard to make a coherent case for resistance.

Essentially, Schmit’s plan (mirrored by DFL Rep. Erik Simonson in the House) is the 21st-century version of rural electrification, with the goal of eventually — perhaps over a decade … of good-paying tech construction work  — providing every community and farm access to genuine high speed broadband service. [Here’s a breakdown of the blizzard of clauses and differences between the two bills.]

The demand is evident. Several dozen Minnesota communities have petitioned the FCC for federal assistance. But resistance, in the form of lobbying pressure from telecommunications giants like Comcast, has produced foot-dragging in the form of arguments that expansion of the sort Schmit and Simonson and others are talking about is best (and only) served by private enterprise. Which might be the case if tech companies could promise shareholders return on investment in the next couple quarters.

We met with Schmit in his Capitol office. A 35 year-old first termer with a Bible salesman’s zealotry for his product and a TV anchor set of teeth, Schmit sees broadband as an essential key to the rejuvenation of the outstate economy.

MinnPost: There have been three different-size packages for broadband expansion batted around this session. A $100 million version, a $50 million version and now the one that seems most likely to move, the $25 million version. Can you explain what we get for each?

Sen. Matt Schmit: Well look, what came up over and over in our informal broadband listening tour around out-state is that there isn’t enough return on investment in the short term for private capital, so there has to be an infusion of public money. That much is completely clear.

I also got the message that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, meaning each different city or area, has to build out from its existing strengths.

There are different competitive markets, different geographical situations and different visions for how this should be done. So, in my mind, you want the state to facilitate this discussion, and provide a path forward for investment.

So I hope we leave here this year with a fund that is large enough that it gets people's attention and they say, “Look, the state is serious about this, we need to get serious, too.”

But as for size, we’re really just talking down payment this time around. We’re not going to leave with a fund capable of doing everything that needs to be done. We’d be looking at $900 million to $3.2 billion to provide fairly basic broadband to everyone statewide.

The state can’t do all that. That’s why we’re looking at targeted public investment. I’m pleased the House has come around as it has on this and seen the value of this investment.

Ideally, with the $25 million package we’ll see quite a few communities, I think there are 50 around the state who have already contacted the FCC asking for assistance, putting in serious applications for projects that are very close to being “shovel ready” if you will.

The experience we have with those communities will give the legislature a lot more to work with next year and the years after that.

But what is already clear though is that this isn’t another solution in search of a problem. This is a solution that is far overdue for problems facing much of Minnesota. Also, I’m certain that however much we put into this fund, there’s going to be a great deal of interest in tapping it.

MP: Well, Speaker Thissen sounds optimistic, to the point that he was making comments the last month about coming back next year for additionally funding, based on the response you get to this year’s package. But I’m curious what you believe you can actually get done between now and next winter. Sure, a lot of people will raise their hands and say, ‘I want some.” But what can actually get done?

MS: Look, I think there have been three governor’s task forces on broadband. There has been a great deal of work done by philanthropic organizations, like the Blandin Foundation. They are well aware of what we heard on our turn. And that is that in 2014 when people consider moving to a community, or setting up a business in a community where they used to ask first about schools, today they ask about technology. [Here are some fascinating stats on broadband availability — or the lack thereof — from the Greater Minnesota Partnership.]

Ideally I’d like to see a series of partnerships with existing local providers, with a matching fund program from the state to expand out their system. I don’t want to be telling them what to do, what sorts of technologies to use. As I say, I want the state to be a facilitator for whatever communities decide is best for them.

We don’t to be overly proscriptive. We just want it built for the long-haul, scalable up to speeds … 

MP: You have to have some kind of basic technical standards … 

MS: Yes. And what we’re asking in the bill we’ve got now is that it be scalable up to 100 [mega bits per second … the average home Comcast broadband download speed in the Twin Cities today is about 28 mbps — but Google fiber is working toward 1 gigabit per second in its test cities.]. We are well aware of the speed of change in both technology and demand. But we are confident with fiber optic that once it’s in the ground it will be scalable and reliable for decades.

MP: I imagine a lot people hearing about this think a plan is afoot to connect everyone to fiber optic in the near future. But the reality, for the foreseeable future, is schools, hospitals/clinics and larger businesses across the state. Isn’t that right?

MS: Those are what we call “anchor institutions,” and we’ve made great strides in connecting them. But they’re not all covered.  But in my mind it’s not just the “anchor institutions,” it’s the end user experience. Schools often have good connections, but students at home don’t, which means they’re at a disadvantage when doing homework. So you get these scenes of kids in parked cars next to hot spots doing their homework in the depths of winter.

That has to change. Likewise, whether it’s tele-health or sufficient bandwith for home-based businesses. That’s where you start to see real improvements. And I’ll remind you the Blandin Foundation has a report showing a 10-to-1 return on investment on broadband. Next to early childhood, I don’t know where you’ll see better numbers than that.

MP: The usual resistance to something like this is the ideological position that government has no business here, never mind the history of road-building and rural electrification, and that it should be left to the private sector. But even if you dismiss that as dime-deep thinking there is the valid concern that technology is advancing so rapidly, with the next invention we could find a lot of public money lost in obsolescence. [Can you say, “Project Loon”?] What do you say to that?

MS: Well, I defer to the experts who tell me fiber is future-proof. Once you put it in the ground you can play with both ends to increase the bandwith, and remember, even wireless relies on fiber. You have to connect to the towers.

But again, I don’t want the state to be dictating the terms. If a community can find another way, a viable path, I want to facilitate. But you also don’t want fiber running down both sides of a highway. You want enough coordination to promote efficiencies and economies of scale.

I’m convinced we’re going to have a lot of interest, even with this $25 million down payment. And what it’ll really do, by showing communities that the state is serious, is create even more demand, more fully-conceived ideas for the next session, when we could be looking at a larger fund.

MP: I’m a little surprised I haven’t heard you guys banging the “jobs, jobs, jobs” drum on this. There’s a lot of long-term, higher tech work to be done here.

MS: Absolutely. We’re not building a stadium here. We’re looking at a long window to get from where we are today to where we need to be. This will put people to work for a long time. So yes, there is a very large jobs component here. But this isn’t just spending money to put people to work, it’s money spent to create competitive environments where new businesses can form. 

Legislative efforts to toughen reporting requirements for Minnesota campaign spending are floundering this year — despite an aggressive push after two U.S. Supreme Court rulings allowing major money to influence elections.

Some small changes are likely to be adopted, but the biggest change — requiring nonprofits and other groups now outside disclosure laws to report spending and donors — has stalled in the House.

Advocates cite opposition from two groups: Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), the state’s largest anti-abortion group, and the Minnesota chapter of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Thanks to almost all Republicans and some DFLers, the House has a pro-life, pro-guns majority.

What the bills would do

Political nonprofits can skirt disclosure laws if they avoid words like “vote for” or “vote against” a certain elected official. If these groups simply point out an official’s stance, they don’t have to report to the state’s campaign finance board. 

The bill would require donors who give more than $5,000 for some types of ads, mailers and voter guides to report. The bill also lumps into the disclosure law all “electioneering communication” 30 days before the August primary and 60 days before the general election.

The MCCL and the NRA have sent emails and spoken to members in the DFL-controlled Legislature opposing the measure, said Rep. Ryan Winkler, the bill’s chief sponsor. Neither organization returned a request for comment.

A similar measure has moved through Senate committees, but supporters there are waiting for a signal that it can move forward in the House.

“It’s just very frustrating that two organizations that have nothing to do with campaign finance were able to wield that much control over legislators votes,” Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, said. “There’s no Republican votes, so it’s hard for me to blame Democrats alone for not wanting to disclose where campaign money is coming from. We should expect Republicans to have some interest in that.”

‘Rule of the land’

Sunshine law advocates have pushed hard since the 2010 ruling on Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission that struck down corporate and union candidate-spending restrictions. This year, in McCutcheon v. the FEC, a court majority nixed aggregate individual-contribution limits to candidates and parties.

Last year, Minnesota legislators managed to change campaign finance law, increasing how much individuals can donate and candidates can spend. That effort tried to combat the influx of non-candidate spending, but campaign finance reform is always fraught with politics.

State Rep. Ryan Winkler

Winkler still hopes to see an up-or-down House vote on the proposal Thursday, which will likely be brought as an amendment to another campaign finance bill on the House floor.

Said Common Cause executive director Jeremy Schroeder, “We had leadership, we had the governor, and we had everyone supporting it to bring Minnesota back in line supporting it in other states. We weren’t able to overcome the opposition to the bill. The focus on real changes is being stopped by the special interests that would have to disclose what they are doing. To us that’s the most troubling and points to the reason why we really need it.”

For some legislators, it’s a policy and a personal issue. DFL Sen. Jim Carlson said upward of $100,000 in unreported spending attacked his positions during his 2012 race. Some legislative races that year attracted more than $500,000 for a single legislative seat. That kind of big-dollar spending, until now, had been reserved for statewide races. 

“After this year, when we get into a presidential election, there will be a lot more money that’s loosened up,” Carlson said. “It makes it real attractive to spend money behind the scenes.”

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, up for re-election this fall, has signaled the bill is also a priority for him.

“This doesn’t limit anybody’s ability to exercise their First Amendment rights of free speech, and it shouldn’t, but it does say that people have the right to know where the money is coming from … if they are going to be bombarded by televisions ads that are clearly about influencing the result of an election,” Dayton said. “Money is increasing in every campaign. The U.S. Supreme Court says that’s free speech, so that’s the rule of the land, but that doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be complete disclosure, in fact it increases the need for disclosure.”

Smaller changes pass

Still, legislators are pleased with small campaign finance reforms that will likely move through this year.

State Sen. Jim Carlson

Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL-Inver Grove Heights, would force more corporate disclosure by requiring state and local contributions and independent expenditures only from funds ultimately reported on income tax returns. That includes things like “corporate dividends, salaries, wages, commissions, bonuses and capital gains,” according to Atkins’ bill.

Rep. Laurie Halverson, DFL-Eagan, is pushing hard to get legislators to disclose to the campaign finance board any potential financial conflicts of interest.

Winker also spearheaded a provision allowing local candidates to accept higher individual donations — from $300-$600 for most local races, to $500-$1,000 in major metropolitan areas — much like the higher state maximums passed last year. The bill would also require local governments to report campaign fundraising on a public website linked to on the state campaign finance board’s site.

This would be “something close to centralized reporting for local government, which doesn’t exist anywhere in the country,” Winkler said. “I don’t think that we should increase the amount of money in campaigns unless we increase the amount of sunlight so people can see who’s paying for what.”

Yesterday MPR said that during Green Line testing, trains were running an average of 67 minutes between the downtowns. The planned time is 40 minutes, and according to the article, signal prioritization is still being worked out, which could have an impact.  I wondered whether this was slow for LRT (it’s slower than the current 16 bus service), which brings me to the chart of the day.

I collected a sample of LRT running speeds from various sources – mostly schedules combined with google maps measurements of distances – to produce this chart.  I think it captures a representative sample of modern American LRT systems.  It does have a few international examples, but could use more.  I tried to use mostly line segments that ran from a downtown to the end of the line.  Few cities have the “bar bells” of urban density that Minneapolis and Saint Paul have on each end.  If you want to see the data, which includes distances, go here.

In the Twin Cities, we seem to have some of the slowest LRT, but also some of the fastest (if Bottineau and Southwest perform as planned).  Of course speed is not accessibility, but the former impacts the latter.

Light rail thumbnail image courtesy of Metro Transit/Drew Kerr.

This post was written by Brendon Slotterback and originally published on streets.mn. Follow streets.mn on Twitter: @streetsmn.

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Minnesota lost 4,200 jobs in April, according to the state report released today.

And the March numbers were downgraded: the 2,600 jobs reportedly gained that month was dropped to 700 jobs gained.

The state's unemployment rate, when seasonally adjusted, actually dropped, though, from 4.8 percent to 4.7 percent.

Stae Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben, was unbowed by the numbers and took the long view:

"While hiring slowed in April, the overall trend remains positive, with all but one of the state’s industrial sectors adding jobs over the past year."

The state's reported numbers show:

Manufacturers added 2,400 jobs in April, reaching a post-recession high of 315,000 jobs. Other sectors that added jobs in April were government (up 1,500) and information (up 200). Trade, transportation and utilities held steady.

The following industries lost jobs: construction (down 2,200), professional and business services (down 2,200), leisure and hospitality (down 1,700), financial activities (down 800), education and health services (down 700), other services (down 600), and logging and mining (down 100).

The practice runs of the new Green Line light rail cars — scheduled to start running June 14 between St. Paul and Minneapolis downtowns — are being criticized as too slow, taking more than an hour to cover the 11-mile route.

Met Council officials say that will improve, as tweaks are made in stop lights along the route. The goal has been to get the trip down to 40 minutes.

Now Brendan Slotterback, of nonprofit streets.mn, has tried to put bring some perspective to the issue by comparing the speeds of other light rail lines around the country.

The Green Line, with its current 67-minute trip, is the slowest, at 9.85 mph. It moves up to 16.5 mph, if they can hit the 40-minute goal.

He notes that the Green Line is unusual in that it has downtowns, and the incumbent slower traffic, at both ends of the line.

The Hiawatha Blue Line in Hennepin County is pretty slow, too, at 12.32 mph.

But the projections for the planned Bottineau extension of the Blue Line, from Minneapolis to Brooklyn Park, would make it the fastest of those listed, at almost 30 mph.

The Business Journal's Jim Hammerand reportsMinnesota lost 4,200 jobs in April, though unemployment fell a tenth of a point to 4.7 percent. Construction and business services took the brunt of the losses, while manufacturing and government were up. Overall, the state has gained nearly 42,000 jobs in the past year.

At least mortgage delinquencies are down,the Strib's Jim Buchta notes. Minnesota's tardy rate is the nation's 44th-lowest (that's good). One in 30 mortgages are late. The rate excludes foreclosures, whose rate is also falling.

MPR's Tim Pugmire updates the big bonding-bill holdup: that $70 million southwest Minnesota water-treatment project. DFLers in control of the legislature only funded it to $22 million, setting off GOP protest howls. A new deal could work a la the Mayo expansion — state funds and local sales or property taxes.

Strib business columnist Lee Schafer gives Target exec Jeff Jones a warm if not wet kiss for his response to that Gawker-posted complaint from an employee. Writes Schafer, “… this post, published late Tuesday on the personal LinkedIn page of Target Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Jones, was easily the best communication that’s come from Target in months. … Everyone has to perform better, and the enemies are ‘apathy and indifference.’ Jones only hints at this, but it’s a point other executives have made when faced with more than the usual set of challenges.”

Really ... it was worse. In the Minnesota Farm Guide, Andrea Johnson writes, “At the Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, the air temperature averaged 47.4 degrees for May 1-7, 2014. That was 7.1 degrees cooler than normal, but much better than one year earlier. ‘Last year, this week was miserable with temperatures averaging 43.9 degrees — precipitation totaled 2.1 inches, including 9.9 inches of snow ... ,’ reported Tom Hoverstad, University of Minnesota scientist.” Thanks, I feel a lot better.

Are there Hotwire packages for a romantic Mogadishu weekend? At MPR, Jon Collins says, “Extremist group al-Shabab released a video in English this week that calls for supporters to carry out a ‘lone-wolf mission' of terrorism or travel to Somalia to join the group. The video closes with a mock-up of an airplane boarding pass showing Minnesota as the point of origin and the slogan, ‘Next flight to Mogadishu the only one missing is you.’”

At the Verge Sean Hollister looks at our first-in-the-nation “kill switch” legislation for cellphones and sniffs, “Strangely, the actual text of Minnesota's ‘kill switch’ bill doesn't actually require a kill switch at all. The letter of the law simply states that phones be ‘equipped with preloaded anti-theft functionality or be capable of downloading that functionality,’ without specifying what ‘anti-theft’ means or what sorts of protections the software might actually offer. However, that might be a moot point: nearly every major player in the smartphone industry has already promised to offer remote lock and remote wipe functionality by next July.” Yeah, OK but still … we were first!

In the on-going struggle for transparency … . Mark Sommerhauser of the St. Cloud Times writes, “Time is running short for a bill that would close a legal loophole that allows Minnesota lawmakers and other public officials to shield income from independent contracting work from public view. … St. Cloud-area representatives joined the majority of Republicans in opposing the bill, except Rep. Zachary Dorholt, DFL-St. Cloud, who voted for it, and Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton, who did not vote.” Check out our morning story on the issue here.

At The Street Jonathan Marino reports, “One month after the Milwaukee Bucks fetched a record price for a National Basketball Association franchise, ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves is considering various strategic options for the team, according to sources. Less than two years after his attempt to sell the franchise foundered, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has received renewed bidder interest, sources said. One source said the Timberwolves were approached earlier this month by an investor consortium looking to buy the franchise outright.”

The City Pages cover story, on the “Lord and Lady” who ripped off the welfare system (and relatives and investors) to finance their ludicrous lifestyle is really worth your time. Jesse Marx and Allie Conti write, “Colin conceded that he might be a ‘sinner,’ but professed that he was innocent of the present charges. He asked for refuge and concluded by appealing on religious grounds. ‘You know how to help us or direct us, thank God.’" When cornered, always invoke your proximity to the lord.

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez comes to the Twin Cities Friday with events in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

In St.Paul, he'll join Mayor Chris Coleman in the morning to bring attention to the national Youth CareerConnect program that's designed to better prepare students for the work force.

They'll talk about a partnership between St.Paul School District and St. Paul College, which will use a $3.7 million grant to develop career academies in finance and information technology, starting next year.

In the afternoon, he heads west to Minneapolis, where he'll be at Chuck and Don's pet supply store on Lake Street to promote an increase in the federal minimum wage. Minnesota has already raised the minimum wage — up to $9.50 an hour by 2016 — and President Obama wants Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and index it to inflation.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and Congressman Keith Ellison are scheduled to join him for the media availability.

CC/Flickr/Senate Democrats

Sen. Al Franken issued a statement condemning the FCC plan.

WASHINGTON — On a 3-2 vote Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission formally kicked off the process of rewriting its net neutrality rules.

The step was procedural and not unexpected after FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced his proposed rule changes last month, but it was still met with bitterness and dire warnings from net neutrality activists and lawmakers, including Minnesota Sen. Al Franken.

To recap: Wheeler's proposed rules would undo FCC regulations against an Internet "fast lane" and allow Internet service providers to charge companies for quicker delivery of their content. Net neutrality proponents say the new rules would destroy the fundamental principle behind that philosophy — that the government and Internet service providers should treat all online content equally — by allowing providers to discriminate against content from those who can't or won't pay for faster access.

The FCC's vote, which opens up a four-month public comment period ahead of a potential final vote this fall, "could spell the beginning of the end of the Internet as we know it, plain and simple,” Franken said.

"Because of net neutrality, the Internet has been a tremendous platform for innovation and connectivity," Franken said in a statement. "But the FCC has taken a woefully misguided step toward handing the Internet over to big corporations who can pay boatloads of money for preferential treatment. Anyone who values a free and open Internet should be deeply troubled by the FCC’s vote, and I plan to do everything I can to convince them that they need to change course.”

This whole controversy came about because of a federal court ruling in January that said the federal government doesn't have the power to regulate the Internet the same way it does public utilities. Some Democrats — including Rep. Keith Ellison's Progressive Caucus— have argued the FCC could reclassify broadband internet as a telecommunications service, a move that would mitigate the decision. The proposal approved Thursday solicits comments on whether that should happen.

Internet providers, obviously, oppose this plan, and, as Vox explains, it would cause a host of headaches for regulators, both legal and political. Top House Republicans sent a letter to the FCC this week to "warn that implementation of such a plan will needlessly inhibit the creation of American private sector jobs, limit economic freedom and innovation, and threaten to derail one of our economy’s most vibrant sectors."

Thursday's vote doesn't guarantee the FCC will sign off on the rules this fall — in fact, Wheeler's two closest ideological allies had hinted they would oppose his plan unless he rewrote parts of it, which he did earlier this week— but it was an opportunity for progressive, consumer and technology groups to reinforce their opposition to the proposal.

The Consumer Union said the rules "could eventually mean an end to the free and open Internet as we’ve known it." Tech group Public Knowledge called them "well short of real net neutrality rules. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee — for whom Franken cut a widely-circulated video about net neutrality last week— consider the rules a "major assault on Internet freedom."

Franken penned a Huffington Post op-ed on Wednesday, restating what he's been saying all along: the new rules "could end with an Internet of haves and have-nots, with big corporations deciding who falls into which camp, all based on the amount of money they pay."

Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com.

Emotions flowed Thursday afternoon with the announcement that the House and Senate have come to agreement on a bill that will legalize — in very limited ways — medical marijuana.

Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, and Rep. Carly Melin, DFL-Hibbing, were the two who were able to work out a compromise, which is almost certain to pass in both chambers on Friday.

This bill, which is expected to serve around 5,000 Minnesotans, will not lack for critics, most of whom will argue that it does not go far enough.

But given the long, tortured history of trying to pass any sort of bill, this moment has to be considered historic.

Ventura supported, Pawlenty vetoed

Recall, Gov. Jesse Ventura supported medical marijuana but couldn’t get legislative bodies to pass a bill. In 2009, Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill that would have been more expansive than this bill.

Gov. Mark Dayton was against it before he was for it. Dayton always said he would lean with law enforcement, which has declared itself a neutral on this bill.

Despite the tough restrictions — for example, there will be just eight distribution centers in the state, a far cry from the 55 sites Dibble initially sought — emotions ran high, especially when Rep. Rod Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake, described his change of heart.

Hamilton once was a rock-solid foe of any form of medical marijuana bill.

But then, in January, he had a conversation with Angie Weaver of Hibbing. Weaver’s daughter, Amelia, struggles with a condition that causes her to suffer up to 50 seizures a day. The family has long argued that marijuana treatments in California have created miraculous results.

'Happy to be a flip-flopper on this issue'

Hamilton talks, passionately, of how he was moved by a mother’s anguish.

“I’m happy to be a flip-flopper on this issue,’’ he said. “Only a fool or a dead man never change their mind.’’

Hamilton has spoken passionately on the House floor in support of a bill, though he still says that he needs the restrictions that fill this bill.

“This means the world to us,’’ said Weaver of the bill.

The main thing it gives her family is “hope,’’ she said. It also means the family can stay in Minnesota for the treatment her daughter needs.

Other impacted families made similar comments.

'Citizen government at its best'

“This bill is citizen government at its best,’’ Dayton said in a statement. “It has been led by parents, who deeply love their children, are anguished by their pain and insist their government try to help them. As a father and a grandfather, I both understand and admire their devotion.’’ 

It was, recall, a visit to the governor’s mansion by parents of suffering children that began the process of moving Dayton on the issue.

Prior to the news event, Dibble spoke of how this bill is similar to the legalization of gay marriage that came last session. This is one of those changing-times issues, Dibble said.

“It’s generational,’’ he said.

Compromise was important because it is a foot in the door for an issue that has faced so much opposition in the past.

Could inspire DFLers in the fall

According to some union leaders, who were strong proponents of passage of the bill, this also is important politics, perhaps especially for the DFL. Along with minimum wage, this is the sort of bill that might inspire DFLers, who typically don’t show up to the polls in off-year elections, to vote in November.

Ultimately, union leaders say this isn’t only a bill that makes sense to younger voters; it’s potentially a jobs bill. It will, they say, create work from the production to sales points.

Minnesota will  join 21 states and the District of Columbia as a state where medical marijuana is legal, though legislators noted that Minnesota will have tighter controls than anywhere else.

This bill also continues the long road on how marijuana is viewed by the state.

In '70s it was decriminalization

On Thursday, Bob Vanasek, who was a member of the House from 1973 to 1993, recalled the struggle to decriminalize possession of marijuana in the late 1970s.

He credited a speech by a conservative Republican, the late Rod Searle, in leading to decriminalization.

“He gave a memorable speech on why it should be decriminalized,’’ Vanasek recalled. “If we didn’t act, he said that we would be destroying the futures of so many young people. If we didn’t decriminalize we would be stopping people from becoming doctors, attorneys. He was so adamant.’’

Assuming passage, this bill will create an avenue for people suffering a fairly long list of health issues:

Those who have cancer and accompanying severe or chronic pain or nausea; glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, tourette’s syndrome; ALS; seizures; severe and persistent muscle spasm, including those characteristc of multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and severe pain cause by a terminal illness.

Left out, however, are those suffering from post traumatic stress issues (think military veterans) and those suffering from “intractable pain.’’

“It gives us no pleasure,’’ said Dibble of those excluded from the bill.

But most seem to believe that larger groups will be included in future years. 

Four-step registration for treatment

There is a four-step registration proceedure for those seeking medical marijuana treatment. Registration will cost $200.

Medical marijuana would be provided in such forms as a liquid, pill or vaporized proceedure that does not required dried leaves. However, the compromise law does allowfor whole plant extracts to be used.

Jeremy Pauling, father of a child who will qualify for medical marijuana, admitted he was near tears as the compromise was unveiled.

The process was exhausting and emotional.

“It’s the wildest roller-coaster ride I’ve ever been on,’’ he said. 

CC/Flickr/Jeremy Yoder

At the University of Minnesota, you’re free to speak, within prescribed channels.

Twice this spring, university officials have moved to discipline students for loudly protesting events on campus. These episodes highlight the tension between rights and regulation through the counterposition of noise versus authority.

Eva von Dassow

In one case, the student group Whose Diversity? protested the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renovated second floor of Coffman Memorial Union on March 12.  The students reportedly kept speaking loudly enough to disrupt the speeches celebrating the renovation, and wouldn’t quiet down when asked. The Office of Student Conduct and Integrity has since notified several protest participants that for their disruptive behavior they may be subject to penalties ranging from a warning to expulsion.

In the other case, Students for a Democratic Society held a protest outside Northrop Memorial Auditorium on the occasion of Condoleezza Rice’s speech on April 17.  The group had obtained a permit for the protest, which was joined by others. Subsequently, prompted by a report from the University of Minnesota Police, Student Unions and Activities notified SDS of potential sanctions for using amplification outdoors. (Meanwhile, a military veteran who informed the UMPD that he also used amplification at the protest, and moreover that he called out from the audience at Rice’s speech with intent to disrupt, received a reply saying that no action would be taken against him since he’d broken no law.)

Venerable (if not admirable) precedents

In both instances the protests were loud, peaceful, and opposed authorized speech with unauthorized speech. In both instances university officials cite the making of noise as the reason for punishing the protesters. They should know that their confrontation of noise with control – up to controlling the noisemakers out of the universe/ity – has venerable (if not admirable) precedents. This very theme figures prominently in ancient Mesopotamian literature, where noise accompanies both creation and disruption, connotes dissent as well as bustling activity, and provokes suppression by authorities that can’t abide challenge.

The myth entitled Enuma Elish (“When on high”) relates how in the beginning, when primordial elements mingled to give birth to gods, the echoes of that big bang within them made such a commotion that they tried to destroy their own offspring. The ensuing conflict among the gods concluded with the winner, Marduk, taking control and creating the world.

Creating the world was hard work, according to another myth, entitled “When Gods Were Man.”  The long eras of heavy toil provoked the laboring gods to go on strike against the management, headed by Enlil, CEO of the universe. Recognizing the justice of labor’s complaint, Ea, god of wisdom, proposed to create humankind to take over the toil of making and maintaining the world (and the gods). The manager gods slaughtered the strike leader and mixed his flesh with clay to make humans, in whose hearts the slain rebel’s spirit would beat perpetually.

They made us male and female so we’d reproduce, but initially they didn’t make sure that we’d also die. Humans reproduced and reproduced, filling the world with our clamor until the noise reached heaven, so the gods in charge could get no rest. Enlil tried several methods (plague, drought, famine) to reduce overpopulation, but he was thwarted every time – for, with the help of Ea, humanity always found a way to cope. Eventually, exasperated by our resistance to regulation, Enlil decided to wipe us out with a universal deluge. But Ea got a message to his protégé Atrahasis, who built a round ark and ... you know the rest of the story: Humankind survived even the Flood.  The gods’ final solution was to make humans mortal.

Still another myth explains how humankind controls its population itself through warfare. The weapons of Erra, god of war, were feeling the need for exercise and for respect. As a pretext for action they argue that the noise of humanity has grown intolerable, that in its clamor the population waxes impious, that people no longer obey authority, so they must be cut down. Erra goads the supreme god Marduk to yield him the reins of the cosmos, whereupon warfare is unleashed in all its ungovernable horror until humankind is reduced to a submissive remnant.

Danger seen in loud and free speech

Myth imitated reality: Kings of Babylon and Assyria portrayed challenges to their rule as “noise.”  There was danger in loud and free speech, for discussion risked dissent and dissent could spawn rebellion.  Accordingly, rulers endeavored to confine and regulate what, where, and how people could speak, suppressing unauthorized speech and punishing violators. The Laws of Hammurabi include regulations imposed on brew-pubs, for there the public could gather over beer and discuss politics.

As in Mesopotamia, so on campus. You’re free to speak, within prescribed channels. You may protest, but not loud enough to be heard. You may dissent, but only for three minutes parceled out of the hour allocated for a public forum. Your free speech must not interfere with authorized speech. Authority abhors disruption – so much that even a silent protest at last Friday’s meeting of the Board of Regents provoked the chairman to threaten to have the protesters thrown out.

Yet as Mesopotamian myth relates, the blood of the rebel god flows in our veins.  Let’s make some more “noise.”

Eva von Dassow is an associate professor in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota. The views expressed in this piece are her own and do not reflect those of the university.

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In addition to our Doug Grow, coverage of the deal on medical marijuana comes from the likes of Mike Cronin at the AP. “The compromise bill allows for two manufacturing facilities and eight dispensaries statewide, more than the House bill called for. But it covers fewer conditions than the Senate favored. Its prohibition against using plant material disappointed some advocates, who said vaporizing the leaf or smoking the drug were the only ways some patients could get relief from their maladies.”

Don Davis of the Forum News Service says, “About 5,000 Minnesotans a month could benefit from marijuana, state officials say. … Medical marijuana could be used to treat some cancer that is accompanied by severe pain, nausea or severe vomiting; glaucoma; HIV-AIDS; Tourette’s syndrome; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; severe and persistent muscle spasms such as those in multiple sclerosis patients; some forms of seizures; Crohn’s disease; and terminal illnesses accompanied by some specific complications.” Dang. Nothing about just general peevishness … .

At City Pages, Jesse Marx says, “Critics were quick to point out that lawmakers just approved a bill that costs $5 million and benefits an estimated 5,000 people, over a bill that would have paid for itself and benefited an estimated 39,000 people — all so that the governor could save face."

And I know this one means a lot to some of you … .  The AP says, “Instant-play lottery games won't be available on the Internet or Minnesota gas pumps as of November if legislation ready for final votes prevails. ... The bill reels in a Minnesota Lottery that has gradually expanded into new areas without getting lawmaker permission first.” The vendor says the cancellation would cost the state $4 million, but lawmakers believe they can cancel the expansion without penalty.

The Strib's Steve Brandt goes all sensationalist on bikes, inflating a $3 million Minneapolis bike bridge in tricky terrain to a "per-mile rate of $12 million," then gets go-to City Hall griper Cam Winton complaining North Side kids will be crime victims because of the spending. As long as we're doing equivalencies, $3 million would pay for 30 cops for one year, or fix 3,000 potholes until they re-sprout. The new St. Croix bridge at Stillwater costs $97 million per mile, by the way.

It’s a “down payment” … . Says the AP, “Supporters of expanded broadband in rural Minnesota claimed victory Thursday as the Legislature appeared ready to set aside $20 million for their cause. The amount was far short of the $100 million they proposed, but the money included in a supplemental budget bill was seen as a first step on a critical need.”

At MPR, Dave Peters says, “The new legislation requires communities to come up with at least a 50 percent match to get any money. ... The maximum grant will be $5 million, Schmit said. The money has to go to areas that don’t meet the state speed goals of 10 megabits per second download and 5 megabits per second upload, and the top priority will go to areas that have far slower speeds.”

At the PiPress, Emily Gurnon reports, “The woman involved in the criminal sexual conduct case of a Maplewood priest has received threatening letters, and the prosecutor wants a sample of the priest's DNA to see if he may have sent them. … "The woman ‘has received at least five cards or other correspondences’ from an anonymous sender, said prosecutor Therese Galatowitsch. They contained ‘very disturbing references to the Bible, what an evil person she is, even her parents, how they spawned an evil child,’ she said.” That does have a certain Biblical tone to it … .

In the interest of shareholder value … . Susan Feyder of the Strib says, “Finding an apartment in today’s tight rental market can be tough for anybody, but it’s getting a lot tougher to find one that accepts Section 8 vouchers. When rents are rising as they are now, there’s less economic incentive for landlords to participate in the program, a longtime pillar of rent support for low-income people used by about 30,500 households in Minnesota, about two-thirds in the metro area. … .”

What? Congress is actually doing something useful?Henry Jackson of the AP reports on agreements in D.C., one of which may bring a large chunk of federal money to the Red River Valley. “House and Senate negotiators on Thursday unveiled a compromise bill that authorizes billions of dollars for water projects over the next decade … as much as $800 million for a flood diversion project that would protect the Red River Valley region of North Dakota and parts of Minnesota, which have suffered major floods in four of the past five years.”

In a Strib commentary, Will Stancil, a researcher at the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity. Notes the 60th anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education and declares, “Single-race schools have been making a comeback in Minnesota. It’s the charter schools that are the problem. Charters are rapidly growing, but ... a disturbing reality ... is widely overlooked: Many boast student bodies that are entirely composed of members of one race. Nonwhite students are particularly isolated.”

First came a deal on medical marijuana Thursday afternoon, and then — after hours of stalled action and closed-door compromise — Minnesota legislative leaders emerged in the early hours Friday with a deal on the 2014 session’s last sticking points: bonding, taxes, and the budget.

The three outstanding issues were inextricably attached to the $1.2 billion budget surplus’ remaining cash, and legislators’ desire to leave before the scheduled Monday adjournment date. House Speaker Paul Thissen said that could come as early as Friday night.

Democrats in the Legislature wanted a smooth vote on bonding — which requires GOP votes to pass. Republicans pushed for extra money for a critical pipeline project in the southwestern part of the state that would deliver water to GOP-held districts.

Meanwhile, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton delivered a surprising and specific wish list to legislative leaders late in the evening that included everything from requiring dog and cat breeders to get licenses, to a promise that lawmakers wouldn’t sneak by an 11th-hour provision nixing a sprinkler-system requirement for all new larger homes.

No one got everything they wanted.

Bonding tied to taxes

Despite contentious negotiations a day earlier, an $846 million borrowing bill for construction projects plus a $200 million cash supplement sailed through with more GOP votes than needed. The borrowing proposal passed the House on a 92-40 vote, 11 votes higher than required. The cash bill, which didn’t require GOP support, still racked up an 82-50 majority.

To earn those votes, Democrats made a last-minute concession in the tax bill to pay the remainder of the GOP-backed Lewis and Clark water pipeline project. Under the deal, $22 million of the nearly $70 million project would be paid for in the cash construction project bill. The remaining cost would be split between the state and local governments. Local governments could pass new taxes to pay their portion, while the state cut back on future Local Government Aid increases to pay its share over 20 years.

That deal displeased some in the Legislature. House Taxes Chairwoman Ann Lenczewski said the state would ultimately cover 85 percent of the project.

“The House worked diligently to find every other way,” she said.

But the deal allowed the $103 million tax bill — which will provide homeowner, renter and farmer property tax relief to an estimated 1 million Minnesotans — to get a final stamp of approval in committee.

Contentions over budget

The budget took even longer to resolve. Dayton responded to an offer on the $283 million spending package with a list of requirements of his own, which included:

• A proposal to simplify state rulemaking
• Inclusion of the so-called Toxic Free Kids Act, requiring manufacturers to report whether they marketed products in the state that contain potentially dangerous chemicals
• A tougher pipeline safety proposal
• Passage of a bill to require pet breeders to obtain a license
• A promise not to include the so-called “sprinkler provision” in any bills
• Funding for a “sober schools” proposal.

In the end, legislators met almost all of Dayton’s requests — except for the Toxic Free Kids Act. 

Some Democrats suggested final GOP bonding votes were tied to whether the proposal was removed from the budget. Republicans had asked that the language be removed from the final bill, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt said, but in the end his caucus voted yes not knowing the fate of the provision. 

“That was language that was definitely a concern in our caucus. We’re glad it was not included in the bill,” Daudt said. “It was part of our discussion, just in a global sense. Our agreement on the bonding bill was defined last year, and our intention all along was to live up to that agreement.”

DFL Rep. Ryan Winkler, the proposal’s author, said Senate Democrats were responsible for the proposal’s death.

“The Senate DFL never identified a single reason not to support the bill, and even refused after Governor Dayton threatened a line item veto of bonding projects unless the Legislature passed the bill,” Winkler wrote in a post on his Facebook page. “The only possible reason DFL senators would play with losing bonding projects over a very reasonable bill is the army of industry lobbyists working to kill it.”

Hausman all smiles

Meanwhile, DFL Rep. Alice Hausman, the Capital Investment chairwoman who had worked for two years to pass a major construction package, was beaming just after 3 a.m., following the strong votes on her bills. 

Last year, she watched a similar package of construction projects fall five votes short, and things were touch-and-go on this year until the very last minute, she said. As early as Wednesday, Hausman had doubts Republicans would put up the eight votes needed to pass the bill.

“[I’m feeling] huge relief,” Hausman said. “I think there are many parts of the state that will feel the transformative nature of the bill.”

The bill would pump funding into a number of key projects, including:

• $126 million to finish the state Capitol’s restoration
• $279 million in higher education projects, including $119 million for the University of Minnesota and $121 million for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MNSCU)
• Over $113 million for transportation projects
• $100 million for housing.

Civic centers in Rochester ($35 million), St. Cloud ($11.5 million) and Mankato ($14.5 million) will get funding under the bill, as well as key metro-area projects like the $21.5 million renovation of the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

Dayton won some of his critical projects as well, including $56 million for upgrades to the security hospital in St. Peter and $7 million for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program.

The Senate is expected to take up and pass the bill Friday morning, and there’s little doubt they’ll vote aye. Senate Democrats need to win only two Republican votes to pass that bill. 

Both chambers will spend much of the remainder of the session taking floor votes, with the House expected to pass the taxes and budget bill Friday before sending the proposals over to the Senate. The Senate will take up the medical marijuana compromise first, and send that proposal over to the House. 

“The tax bill, the budget bill and the bonding bill are all wrapped up,” House Speaker Paul Thissen said after the floor vote Friday morning. “[Session] could end as early as tomorrow if we can get our work done, but we’ll see.”

BERLIN, Germany — Today (Friday) is Day 1,156 of the Syria conflict.

As disgruntled asylum seekers from around the world camp out in the city center — some of them on hunger strike — a group of artist-activists are trying to shame the German government into accepting more refugees from Syria’s civil war.

In an unusual public relations stunt launched this week, the Center for Political Beauty (ZPS) presented an ambitious proposal to foster 55,000 Syrian children in German homes for the duration of the conflict.

The scheme is a modern-day re-imagining of the famous “Children's Train” that enabled around 10,000 Jewish children to escape Nazi Germany and find homes in Britain right before World War II.

ZPS raised the stakes Monday by launching a mock government website introducing the program as if it were real.

Kurt Gutmann, who escaped the Holocaust thanks to the Children's Train, appears in an advertisement for the fake program, saying, “We would hardly notice 55,000 children seeking refuge in our country!”

On Wednesday afternoon, around 100 activists and unwitting supporters of the made-up scheme brought flowers to the Family Affairs Ministry to indicate they would be willing to take in Syrian children.

Alexander Buehler, a German war correspondent who works with ZPS, said the group has already received 600 phone calls from people willing to foster children.

“That's in three days,” he added. “Imagine what would happen if the German government were behind it.”

The group also enlisted Syrian children from the city of Aleppo to appear in a video thanking Family Affairs Minister Manuela Schwesig. It was unveiled earlier this week. (Don’t worry. The kids were in on the scheme.)

On Thursday, the artists planned to set up an information center for would-be foster parents in central Berlin at the site of a memorial to the original Children’s Train.

And on Friday, they'll escort a group of Holocaust survivors who were saved by the 1938 rescue to the chancellor's office, group spokesman Philipp Ruch said.

“We're artists, they can refuse to talk to us,” he said. “But they cannot reject these people.”

The campaign highlights a growing debate in Germany.

Last year, the country saw requests from asylum seekers skyrocket 70 percent. But there are increasing calls to stem the tide.

Refugees and their advocates have been fighting official policies that prevent them from working and force them to live in designated cities — sometimes little more than tented forest encampments. The law that requires them to stay in designated areas while their claims are processed dates from 1982 and applies to all refugees.

For more than a year, refugees fed up with this system have set up camp in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg. More recently, they staged hunger strikes in tourist areas such as Alexanderplatz and the Brandenburg Gate.

Despite the tense atmosphere, the artists argue Germany can't keep wringing its hands over the daily violence in Syria and pretending there's nothing it can do.

“We really want to have a debate about whether the German government allows enough access for refugees or not," Ruch said. "This debate is now really heating up."

Some 5.5 million children have already been affected by the war — so the scheme would only help one out of 100, according to UNICEF. But it would be a massive — and massively unlikely — step considering that so far Germany has only taken in 5,000 Syrian refugees. It pledged to take in 5,000 more while an estimated 2 million Syrians have scattered throughout the Middle East.

“We want to force the government to say openly, 'No, we're not going to help.'” Buehler said.

The conflict continues.

Sixty years after Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision barring school segregation by declaring that separate is “inherently unequal,” the gains in school integration that followed have largely been reversed.