Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/mary-treacy/page/11/)
Please check out my blog at:http://marytreacy.wordpress.com One time librarian and former executive director of the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information I am currently a very happy independent consultant exploring untold options. My passion is to contribute the bit I am able to an informed and engaged community in which everyone's story can be told - and heard. This means using a dynamic array of media - newspapers, websites, television, radio, social media and whatever comes on line tomorrow. It means being willing to plumb the depths of a story - and it means having the courtesy, if not the intellectual curiosity, to learn from others. My sons are both enmeshed in the information maze. Rick Birmingham is the Manager of IT Services at MAP for Nonprofits. Steve Birmingham works his magic on the public access terminals in Hennepin County Library. Grandson Will Birmingham, 19 months, loves food, slides, puddles and books - in that order. A graduate of what was then the College of St. Catherine I went on to get a MS in Library Science. Truth to tell, I didn't work in real libraries that much, but I did work 18 years as Director of Metronet, a collaboration of nearly 600 public, academic, corporate, medical, school and other libraries and information services in the TC's. In recent years I've worked in a number of consulting positions, most notably the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation. As a hapless volunteer I've worked with a host of nonprofits including the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, Learning in Style, the DFL Education Foundation, the Village Farmers Market among others. I've also written several pieces for TCDP. In recent weeks I've been joined the throngs of scribe wannabes by launching my own little blog called Poking Around With Mary - because poking around is what I do a good deal of the time.
Commenting on the “America the Ugly” social studies curriculum now raising such a controversy in Minnesota, an opinion piece in the National Review Online blog asserts that “any development of American-citizenship education (history/social studies) standards should involve elected legislators in the states, which have the responsibility for education under the Constitution.” Continue Reading
Terms such as “transparency” and “open government” fall trippingly from the tongues of elected officials and bureaucrats. Still, the intricacies of assuring open government present a mighty challenge to persistent advocates. Today’s headlines describing the inappropriate handling of public records exacerbate the situation. Continue Reading
February is the cruelest month when it comes to honoring our nation’s heroes. We used to recognize Honest Abe on his February 12 birthday and our beloved first President on February 22 – not one but two days off school! Now it’s President’s Day only, and even that is more about sales than patriotism. Thirty yeas ago we had the wisdom to add Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the pantheon of our nation’s leaders; still even he is eclipsed this year by the second inauguration of President Obama, moved to Monday because the traditional January 20 fell on a Sunday. Continue Reading
Before you visit the Growing Up exhibit at Mineapolis Central Library – and before you read or re-read any of the books in that exhibit – take time to listen to the NPR interview with Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor. The delightful interview is a remarkable testimony to the power of books, reading, youth, and coming of age in the life of a poor immigrant kid living in an NYC tenement. Continue Reading
Monday, January 21, 2013, Americans will celebrate two significant occasions that shed a light on recent American history. One occasion is the Second Inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African American President of the United States. The second event is the celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a national holiday established thirty years ago when Ronald Reagan signed the much-contested holiday legislation. Continue Reading
In Minneapolis it is a sad fact that most of the street names are logical, but boring. Still, there are exceptions. Streets in Southwest Minneapolis, for example, still bear the names of prominent citizens who built the city. Some neighborhood street names are just plain quirky, often the remnants of the original landowners. Northeast stands out as the most patriotic of all neighborhoods. The Presidents’ Streets are legendary, an inspiration to most and a conundrum to those who aren’t up to speed on American history. Continue Reading
“The brain may die, but my compulsion for useless trivia lives on.” Continue Reading
Note: As families and friends gather to enjoy the feasts of this holiday season it is a privilege to know and share the story of one man who spends his long days making sure that everyone in the community shares both the bounty and the love of their neighbors. Continue Reading
For far too many children abject poverty and insatiable hunger are a constant reality. Still, most children are shielded from the facts that sine of their peers know only too well. For children who live in comfort, good books that portray children with whom they can identify can open doors of understanding, even empathy. Continue Reading
Thrift shopping is hot with teens. Thrift is a major motivator for young fashionistas who search out name label finds for fun and fashion. Teens for whom recycling is a way of life assume that recycling wear-ables is an environmental issue. The essence of thrift shopping is that it is a grand adventure that comes with bragging rights for the shopper. Continue Reading