HEADLINES
Wal-Mart violated worker rights more than 2 million times, Minnesota judge rules
by Barb Kucera, Workday Minnesota
Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, violated the law more than 2 million times over a six-year period by denying workers time for breaks and forcing them to work “off the clock” for no pay, a Minnesota judge has ruled.
Dakota County District Judge Robert King ordered the company to pay $6.5 million in back pay.
Oil crisis leads to calls for offshore drilling in the Great Lakes
by Tom Elko, Minnesota Independent
Republican politicians across the country, led by Sen. John McCain and President George Bush, began calling for offshore drilling as a solution to high gasoline prices, often despite their prior positions. No surprise then that Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., became one of the more vociferous proponents of offshore drilling as a co-sponsor of the “No More Excuses Act.”
25 years of advocating for human rights
by Ariah Fine, TC Daily Planet
Halfway across the globe in a small village of Nepal, a group of students recently celebrated their eighth grade graduation, something they achieved thanks to the Minnesota-based Advocates for Human Rights.
What is a “No Match” Letter?
by staff, La Prensa de Minnesota
Are they being used incorrectly as a weapon against immigrants?
INSIDE THE DAILY PLANET
Views and Reviews
Art note: Choose your own SooVAC adventure
by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet
Your friend tells you there are two great new shows at the SooVAC. If you say, “Let’s go!”, skip to 7. If you say, “I already have an Oreck,” skip to 3.
Snazzy, jazzy Babalú
by Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet
To get a better deal for your entertainment dollar, you’ll have to go to McBurger Thing and bring your iPod.
Film note: Will Smith cashes in with unimpressive Hancock
by Jim Brunzell III, TC Daily Planet
Will we ever know why Hancock is able to have bullets bounce off of him, pick up cars, and toss whales hundreds of feet back into the ocean, yet can’t sleep off a hangover?
Music note: Mute Era’s Light Dreams of Darkness/Night Dreams of Day
by Chris Polley, Reveille Magazine
The four tracks that encompass Light Dreams of Darkness hypnotically combine tribal rhythms with effervescent guitar effects while the four on Night Dreams of Day focus more on pulsating grit, oscillating between monstrous and fun in its sound.
NEW IN VOICES
One year of moving the education debate forward
by John Fitzgerald, Minnesota 2020
Since launching a little over a year ago, Minnesota 2020 is moving the public education and funding policy debate forward. We’re producing thorough, vetted research reports. We’re highlighting underreported issues. We’re calling out people and organizations that deceive, inveigle and obfuscate the truth about education.
NEW IN BLOGS
Local bands play copycat to benefit Spout Press
by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet
Each year, Spout Press convenes a group of local bands to battle it out with cover tunes in the Gasthof basement, judged by notables such as Jim Walsh and Lori Barbero. Spout has just announced the date of this year’s show: July 17th.
White Collar Blues
by Hispanic Fanatic, 5/31/08 • For years, the diversity at my job consisted of an Asian woman and me in a sea of 40 white people. A few months ago, everyone got excited because it seemed that we had hired our first gay employee. But as it turned out, he was merely effeminate and not so exotic after all.
DIY St. Paul walking tours
by Mary Kay Bailey, live.eat.play.twin cities
While on the St. Paul Phototour Web site, I discovered that Joe Hoover has posted a bunch of neighborhood walking tour maps. They bring you into some pretty interesting parts of the city.
What the heck is a Fringe Festival?
by Matthew A. Everett, TC Daily Planet
One time when I was talking to a friend about my Fringe Festival obsession and why I like the whole thing so much, my friend responded, “What’s a French festival?” Sigh.
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