Bob CollinsExploring the exotic land, drama on line one, driving Mr. Yogi, Duluth… very fast, and a statistical breakdown of the Oscar nominees.
Quick note: I am burning up vacation time next week. A cast of tens will fill in for me here.
1) EXPLORING THE EXOTIC LAND OF WISCONSIN
Other than football, a Minnesota-dweller’s view of Wisconsin is often a land of mystery. For a state that is only a half dozen miles from the metro’s border, news from the exotic land often doesn’t make it this far west. That all changed a couple of weeks ago with the battle over collective bargaining rights for public employee unions.
So this week, three MPR reporters hit three counties — three very different counties — along the border to see how the battle is being viewed outside of Madison.
Two of the dispatches are here. The third will be coming this afternoon on All Things Considered.
Meanwhile, in Madison overnight, the bill eliminating collective bargaining on non-wage issues passed the Assembly.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel issued an editorial this morning pointing out that there’s more in the bill here than just collective bargaining for public employees:
Those enrolled in the state’s BadgerCare Plus and Core plans, FamilyCare and SeniorCare and Medicaid for those with disabilities and the elderly could be affected.
There is a shortfall in the state’s health care efforts of $214 million this year and $1.8 billion over the next two years. But maintenance of care for the least vulnerable among us has to be a priority. Undue cuts to the Core program, in particular, would be disturbing.
The state persuaded Milwaukee County to give up its program to aid childless adults, taking on the responsibility itself. Walker, the former Milwaukee County executive, likely knows this. Even if the poverty level standards have changed, this is called bait and switch.
The state could also sell off its power plants.
News Cut reader Derek provides today’s discussion point:
It’s my understanding that the reason we have unions, at it’s core, is to keep a company fair when it comes to their treatment of employees. Unions can do this because they have large groups of people together that can bring a company to a halt if they don’t get their way. In this day and age doesn’t the Internet basically serve this purpose for free? If someone is being treated unfairly at their job, it seems like a well-worded post to Facebook or Twitter would have just as much, if not more, force behind it as a union, right? Do we need unions anymore?
2) CIVIL WAR HOLDING ON LINE 1
For sheer drama, nothing beats this interview aired on All Things Considered last night. In the town square of Zawiya in Libya, a businessman on a cellphone was telling host Michelle Norris about the scene. Then machine guns started firing. Then a tank rolled by. And when the interview ended, the man said, “have a nice day.”
How many stories wouldn’t ever have been told if it wasn’t for the invention of the cellphone?
3) DRIVING MR. YOGI
Winter has made a comeback this week so it’s more important than ever that we get a warm story from baseball’s spring training scene. The New York Times delivers with this story of the driver and valet for Yogi Berra. It’s Yankee great Ron Guidry. It’s too early in the baseball pre-season to expect me to already be in Yankee-hating mode. Worry not. It’ll come.
4) DULUTH… VERY FAST
This film was just posted. A filmmaker staked out 20 spots around Duluth, and recorded time-lapse material at each spot:
It was apparently made for the Yeti Film Festival, which is underway (through today) at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
This is a weekend for film festivals. The Fargo Film Festival opens next Tuesday evening with the mockumentary, “The Lutefisk Wars.”
5) NATE ON OSCAR
Stats guru Nate Silver has dusted off his method of predicting the Oscar winners. It’s not foolproof, but it’s hard to argue with it. He doesn’t properly explain, however, why Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) doesn’t win best supporting actress.
And all of that is fine, but aren’t Rosalie and Doris, the mothers of WCCO TV anchors, worthy of some award?
Bonus: This afternoon at 2:30 is the 2nd annual University of Minnesota snowball fight. Enjoyable pictures from the first one here.
TODAY’S QUESTION
Ten films are in contention to be named Best Picture Sunday night at the 83rd Academy Awards. What movie would you consider the best picture of 2010, and why?
WHAT WE’RE DOING
Midmorning (9-11 a.m.) – First hour: Today’s manufacturing is more advanced and high-tech than old-fashioned production lines. But is America ready to support more training and innovation to align its available workforce with the manufacturing needs of our future?
Second hour: While staying at home to raise children has benefits that you can’t put a price on, it also has consequences. Midmorning looks at why many parents are penalized for that decision, and why work-family balance has become an urgent but elusive goal for millions of Americans.
Midday (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.) – First hour: MPR special reports on the protests over government unions in Wisconsin, and a debate on this subject featuring two Minnesotans — Phil Krinkie of the Minnesota Taxpayers League and Eliot Seide of AFSCME.
Second hour: A new documentary from Stephen Smith and Kate Ellis of American RadioWorks: “Say it Loud: Great Speeches on Civil Rights and African American Identity.”
Science Friday (1-3 p.m.) – First hour: How cellphones affect your brain.
Second hour: Are we too fond of our devices?
All Things Considered (3-6:30 p.m.) – One of Wisconsin’s most rural counties helps define “America’s Dairyland” with small communities and lots of farms. The county was evenly split in the last election. How is the budget debate sounding in this sparsely populated county? MPR’s Elizabeth Baier will have the story.
The University of Minnesota is about to open a brand new children’s hospital. It has all the latest bells and whistles in terms of design — floor to ceiling windows, in suite bathrooms, pullout couches, large TV monitors in each room so kids can play computer games, connect with classmates and family members from afar and sunny, kid-friendly colors. Comforts like these used to be an afterthought for hospitals, but MPR’s Lorna Benson reports that today, they’re considered essential to a patient’s well-being. Some new design features are also making it easier for doctors and nurses to care for kids in their rooms.
