Bob Collins1) A glance at the major Twin Cities Web sites this morning reveals we’ve reached the “pick your priorities” stage of the Minnesota legislative session:
Pioneer Press: Minnesota Vikings President Mark Wilf will sit down today with men and women in suits at an Oakdale banquet hall. It is a scene that has become more familiar to Wilf and his brother, principal Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, over the past several months, as he pursues a new stadium for his team.
Star Tribune: With the odds still long and time running short, the Vikings bring pressure — and even a Pro Bowl defensive end — into their quest for a new $870 million stadium.
MPR: Out of work, broke and disabled, Freddy Toran, 49, headed to the Hennepin County welfare office, where he learned he could receive $203 a month from a state program. In February, Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed eliminating General Assistance, which covers about 19,000 Minnesotans.
2) The Grand Forks Herald reports on what happened when a young kid heard the Fighting Sioux would be changing their name at the University of North Dakota.
As Jace began what would be a half-hour meltdown, his father picked up his camera phone and documented about 60 seconds of one young Sioux fan’s reaction to the apparent demise of the 80-year-old UND athletics nickname.
Funny. But, then again, it’s not my kid. Does the quest for the elusive viral video invade some moments that, perhaps, aren’t our business? If so, you know who we have to blame, right? This guy:
(h/t: Bob Ingrassia)
What moments in your childhood would your parents have posted if they were “YouTube Parents?”
Today’s New York Times remembers a simpler time.
Not that long ago, many were leery of using their real names on the Web, let alone sharing potentially embarrassing personal details about their shopping and lifestyle habits. But these start-ups are exploiting a mood of online openness, despite possible hidden dangers.
3) Garrison Keillor won an award from the American Society of Magazine Editors last evening for his essay on state fairs in National Geographic. He considers the 10 top joys of state fairs:
Of the Ten Joys, the one that we Midwesterners are loath to cop to is number three, the mingling and jostling, a pleasure that Google and Facebook can’t provide. American life tends more and more to put you in front of a computer screen in a cubicle, then into a car and head you toward home in the suburbs, where you drive directly into the garage and step into your kitchen without brushing elbows with anybody. People seem to want this, as opposed to urban tumult and squalor. But we have needs we can’t admit, and one is to be in a scrum of thinly clad corpulence milling in brilliant sun in front of the deep-fried-ice-cream stand and feel the brush of wings, hip bumps, hands touching your arm (“Oh, excuse me!”), the heat of humanity with its many smells (citrus deodorant, sweat and musk, bouquet of beer, hair oil, stale cigar, methane), the solid, big-rump bodies of Brueghel peasants all around you like dogs in a pack, and you–yes, elegant you of the refined taste and the commitment to the arts–are one of these dogs. All your life you dreamed of attaining swanhood or equinity, but your fellow dogs know better. They sniff you and turn away, satisfied.
4) Minnesota Vikings fans spent all evening last night waiting for their first-round draft pick in the National Football League draft. It was time wasted. The Vikings traded their pick for a pick in later rounds. The NFL draft isn’t just for football fans. With every pick, you can play “Find the Agent” for hours of fun.
5) A team of 30 Spanish doctors have performed the world’s first full face transplant. The man, a shooting victims, has seen the results and is satisfied with his new face, the BBC reports.
Followup: Masschusetts had its appliance rebate program kickoff yesterday. They apparently learned nothing from Minnesota.
TODAY’S QUESTION
A recent study suggests that men are taking on a greater domestic role as the numbers of women in the workforce increase. How do you divide household duties in your family?
WHAT WE’RE DOING
Midmorning (9-11 a.m.) – First hour: A recent report from the Council on Contemporary Families shows men feeling more stress about balancing work and family than their wives, and are providing more support for their family. Midmorning explores reasons for men taking bigger roles in domestic life from housework to partnering and parenting.
Here’s the full report. Let’s hope we get a definition of “housework,” because I’m pretty sure mowing the lawn and sealing the driveway isn’t on it.
Second hour: Literature for the young man. A recent study from the Center on Education Policy shows that boys’ reading performance lags behind their female peers.
Midday (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.) – Both hours: The DFL State Convention in Duluth. Guests are former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer and former Secretary of State Joan Growe. At noon: Political commentators Todd Rapp and Maureen Shaver.
Talk of the Nation (1-3 p.m.) – It’s Science Friday! First hour: The Hubble turns 20.
Second hour: A conversation with biologist E.O. Wilson about his new novel, “Anthill.”
All Things Considered (3-6:30 p.m.) – We’ll have an extensive segment on the DFL state convention.
The DNR begins work this summer to drain groundwater from Bovey, where an overflowing mine pit is seeping into basements and yards. That may help in the short term, but it doesn’t address the big problem. The Legislature approved more than $3 million two years ago to bring down the water level in the Canisteo pit, but state officials and a local planning board have yet to agree on the best plan. MPR’s Bob Kelleher will report.
NPR will have an inside look at how the Los Angeles archdiocese treated one of its most notorious pedophile priests. The archdiocese knew for more than 15 years that Fr. Michael Baker was a pedophile. Instead of alerting authorities, the archdiocese decided to handle the situation on its own.
