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Don’t blame the U.S. Constitution for the filibuster
One in a series of articles. You can read the whole series here.I’ve mentioned the filibuster several times in passing. Some reader comments over the course of this series have identified the...
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Opening in Minneapolis: 'Chasing Ice,' a film that moves skeptics to tears
I watch Bill O'Reilly every day. I love Bill O'Reilly. I am proud to be an American. But I saw this movie, "Chasing Ice," today. It hasn't just changed me about global warming. It has changed me as a...
View ArticleOrganic gold mining? Meet 'Green Gold'
TADO, Colombia — Can rain forest plants replace toxic chemicals in the production of gold? The answer is a qualified “yes.”Instead of using mercury to separate the precious metal from tailings, a small...
View ArticleShowdown looms between Argentina's Kirchner and her biggest media critic
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s battle with the press is set to intensify this week asArgentina implements a polemic media law that her administration says encourages a plurality of voices...
View ArticleRussia to break ground on new gas pipeline to Europe
MOSCOW, Russia — After years of deal-making brinksmanship with European rivals, Gazprom is surging ahead by launching construction Friday on a major new pipeline it hopes will cement its grip over...
View ArticleNew push for two-year degrees could be smart move for US, report says
If the US is to become a world leader once again in the percentage of citizens earning college degrees — as President Obama has called for by 2020 — it could go a long way by giving more attention to...
View ArticleWhy did America change its mind about legal marijuana?
One month after Colorado and Washington State voters approved legalized marijuana for recreational use, a new poll suggests that a majority of Americans back the move. According to a Quinnipiac Poll...
View ArticleJapan tunnel collapse ignites debate about infrastructure spending
Japan has ordered immediate inspections of dozens of road and highway tunnels after the ceiling of a major tunnel near Tokyo collapsed on Sunday, killing nine people. The tragedy has prompted questions...
View ArticleIn Cairo, shooting, anger, and bracing for more confrontation
Sherif Azer, one of the original Tahrir Square activists who helped sweep Hosni Mubarak from power in February 2011, is matter-of-fact, as if what is happening today in Cairo was somehow...
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Should evangelical Christians give up the fight against legal recognition of...
Theoblogy It seems that I disagree with Tim Dalrymple on lots and lots of stuff. Nevertheless, it’s been interesting watching him publicly wrestle with the question of whether his evangelical...
View ArticleFew would likely mourn an end to Minnesota's high-school exit tests
In the spring of 2013 when the obituary is written, as seems likely, for Minnesota’s high-school graduation tests, it might read thusly:Following nearly two decades of efforts to turn them into...
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‘A Minnesota Without Poverty’: Proposals from anti-poverty conference
Photo by Ron MaekerAdvocates for the poor "voting" for anti-povertyissues they support.Sometimes less is more, the Cliff’s Notes version way more readable and meaningful than the unabridged.So, with a...
View ArticleTime to bury the 'five stages of grief' myth
The idea that we go through five stage of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance — when we experience a major loss, particularly the death of someone we loved, has become deeply...
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'Servant' at the Guthrie; 'Santaland' at the Southern
Friday, December 7Sedaris in a StockingWHAT:The Santaland DiariesWHERE: Southern Theater, MinneapolisWHEN: 8 p.m.Joe Leary returns as Crumpet in Frank Theatre’s one-man production of The Santaland...
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Minnesota’s budgeting efforts clouded by nation’s fiscal uncertainty
There are so many uncertain factors affecting Minnesota’s next budget cycle that top officials say Wednesday’s forecast offered the least clear economic picture in recent state history.Minnesota’s...
View ArticleHouse DFL leaders announce staff appointments
Top staff members for the DFL House caucus were named today by incoming House Speaker Paul Thissen and Majority Leader Erin Murphy.Here is the list, based on caucus-provided bios:Mike Charboneau,...
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Gov. Dayton 'very likely' to propose tax increase on top 2%
Reacting to Wednesday's budget forecast, Gov. Mark Dayton again made the case that taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans — the top 2% of income earners — would need to go up to address long term state...
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The Wolves stay competitive with early survival techniques
If the Minnesota Timberwolves can return home Friday night and defeat a Cleveland Cavaliers team that has lost 13 of its last 15 games (and is missing its star second-year point guard Kyrie Irving),...
View ArticleHumphrey School awards to honor 18 innovative local government projects
Eighteen local government projects, all designed to improve local services, have been selected for awards by the the Humphrey School of Public Affairs’ Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center.And three...
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