From Abe Lincoln to the Vote No Gnomes: Minnesota State Fair Seed Art 2012
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Love seed art? Here’s a new crop from 2012 (slide show below) and some of the former fairs:
ST. PAUL NOTES | St. Paul police: Kick a man when he’s down
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UPDATE 9/1: A St. Paul police department press release said a second, unidentified, officer has been suspended and that an investigation is ongoing.
“He done sprayed him, maced him, tased him. He just pulled up on us, jumped out the car and maced him … Ain’t done nothing, we ain’t done a damned thing.” That’s the voice of someone near the Android phone as it records video footage of a St. Paul police officer kicking a man in the chest as the man lay on the sidewalk. The incident occurred August 28 and the video was posted on YouTube on August 29.
Talk therapy for racism
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Eight Jewish teens beat a 17-year-old Arab boy almost to death in Jerusalem’s Zion Square on August 16. This week, reports the New York Times, “The education minister instructed all junior high and high schools to conduct a lesson on the episode” as the new sc Continue Reading
ST. PAUL NOTES | Black Hawk up, Special Ops come to town
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What’s that in the sky? It’s no bird, it’s a Black Hawk military helicopter and it’s coming to my house — or yours. We don’t know exactly where or exactly when, since that’s highly classified information, but St. Paul has been chosen for U.S. military Special Ops “urban environment” training. The Special Ops began August 19, according to the St. Continue Reading
Public money + private business = Strange results in Minnesota
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Even setting aside the stadium debates and subsidies (and don’t we wish we could?), lots of public money goes to subsidize private business. Corporate subsidies are “officially justified in the name of keeping jobs in the state, attracting new businesses to areas that need help the most, and spurring new job creation,” according to a just-released report from the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. In fact, the report finds, public money often supports moving jobs out of the inner cities and increasing racial employment disparities. Often the corporations getting public subsidies don’t even live up to their promises to create new jobs — anywhere in the state. Continue Reading
Celebrating Minnesota Monarchs as they head back to Mexico
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UPDATED WITH 2012 PHOTOS (9/9/2012) – Butterflies, kids and dancers are just part of the annual Minneapolis Monarch Festival, scheduled for Lake Nokomis on Saturday, September 8.
Remembering the past: The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862
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On August 17, 1862, as the United States fought our bloody Civil War, another civil war began in Minnesota, pitting native Minnesotans against immigrants, Dakota against European. Continue Reading
You and me together
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Words are not enough. The front page of the anti-bullying task force report quoted from a listening session participant who said, “There needs to be more behind the posters than just tape.” The task force recommendations agree, calling for a new Minnesota law and school policies to prevent bullying. The report opens with a summary of the problem:
Back to college — but remember to vote first!
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If you’re a Minnesota student heading off to college, you may need an absentee ballot. Before you head back to campus, you should be sure you are registered, and ask for an absentee ballot to be sent to you. (Before you leave for campus, you can also vote in the primary election on August 14.) As a college student, you can register and vote either from your parent’s home address or your school address, depending on what you consider your official residence. For example, if you are a St. Paul resident attending UW-Madison, you can choose either city as your home address. Continue Reading
PREVIEW | Community garden tour in Minneapolis and St. Paul on Saturday, August 11
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More than 50 gardens across the state will strut their stuff on August 11 in Community Garden Day 2012. Among them: The oldest: 12th & 13th Ave Block Club Community Garden 2727 12th Ave S., Minneapolis 10 a.m.-2 p.m.The newest: Merriam Station Community Garden Prior Ave & Gilbert Ave., St. Paul – Groundbreaking Ceremony!10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The hippest: Sisters Camelot applies permaculture, grows food for kitchen bus! 5th Ave Community Farm 2939 5th Ave S., Minneapolis1-4 p.m.Somali: Brian Coyle Community Garden 1515 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis 10 a.m.-NoonAmerican Indian: Good JuJu Garden, 2121 14th Ave S., Minneapolis Native American seed & planting techniques; community cookout 1-6 p.m.Latino: Jardin Paraiso/ Paradise Garden 3405 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis Live music, freshly grilled veggie kabobs; more 8 a.m.-10 a.m.African American: Kwanzaa Church Community Garden Dupont Ave N & 21st St., Minneapolis Presentation & instruction on uses of our culturally specific foods & herbs; more 5-8:30 p.m.And there’s LOTS more! Check out the pdf listing below, or the on-line map for a garden near you. Continue Reading