MPR News Reflections and observations on the news

Archives for September 2009

Jody Powell, 1943-2009

Bob Collins September 14, 2009, 4:30 PM Sep 14, 2009

The news today that Jody Powell died has sent us scurrying for the News Cut Wayback Machine. It’s 1977. And Time Magazine hates the new administration in town, and the new press secretary, a Mr. Jody Powell: Jody Powell, the other principal staff strategist in the Lance affair, turned out to have some of the Read more →

What’s so scary about H1N1?

Bob Collins September 14, 2009, 3:05 PM Sep 14, 2009

3

You get a runny nose. You get some fever. You feel lousy. And your best friends will make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be.

One picture

Bob Collins September 14, 2009, 1:59 PM Sep 14, 2009

One picture on which to ruminate.

Surveys and trivia

Timewaster: Kanye West interrupts Obama

Bob Collins September 14, 2009, 12:17 PM Sep 14, 2009

2

If we only could harness the creativity of people for something other than a good laugh

AP or JM?

Bob Collins September 14, 2009, 10:45 AM Sep 14, 2009

4

Who’s the most important sports star in the Twin Cities?

Five at 8 – 9/14/09: Harvesting help

Bob Collins September 14, 2009, 7:27 AM Sep 14, 2009

10

Kindness in Brooklyn Center, Piggly Wiggly’s last stand, why you can’t believe polls, how many fingers were on the nuclear button, and is the news inaccurate or are listeners and readers biased?

Regional history

On Norman Borlaug

Bob Collins September 13, 2009, 7:41 AM Sep 13, 2009

2

There aren’t many people who can legitimately be considered the greatest human, but Borlaug is one of them.

Checking the speech

Bob Collins September 12, 2009, 5:52 PM Sep 12, 2009

3

Fact-checking the president’s speech in Minneapolis.

The Quiz: Stump the blogger!

Bob Collins September 11, 2009, 4:01 PM Sep 11, 2009

5

There was plenty of news this week. Very little of it made any sense.

Making the news

Bob Collins September 11, 2009, 11:13 AM Sep 11, 2009

3

‘Never check the facts, son. You ruin a lot of good stories that way.’

Five at 8 – 9/11/09: When the towers stood

Bob Collins September 11, 2009, 7:51 AM Sep 11, 2009

2

The best of us on 9/11, midnight college classes, how do you lose a bra at the State Fair, our dogs ourselves, and the leaders of the band.

2,996

Bob Collins September 10, 2009, 4:36 PM Sep 10, 2009

3

It’s getting harder to memorialize the people who died on September 11.

The ongoing 9/11 attacks

Bob Collins September 10, 2009, 12:25 PM Sep 10, 2009

2

People are still dying from the aftermath of the World Trade Center collapse.

Can undocumented immigrants get government subsidized health care?

Bob Collins September 10, 2009, 9:34 AM Sep 10, 2009

23

Technically, yes. And that’s the problem with the health care debate. It demands a discussion of details.

Five at 8 – 9/10/09: Keillor’s stroke

Bob Collins September 10, 2009, 7:23 AM Sep 10, 2009

4

Signs of stroke, love me don’t, the Glensheen rap, the real gift of music, and citizen journalism and 9/11.