Hart Van DenburgThe first sign of the Rupert Murdoch/News of the World scandal meant something to the lives of people across the pond came when Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating claims that the tabloid hacked into voice-mail accounts of Sept. 11 victims. The once untouchable Murdoch became “wounded” and Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Archives for July 2011
Three by Seven
dgaraetsProponents of a new Vikings stadium are renewing efforts to secure public funds now that an agreement to solve the state budget impasse appears within reach. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf spoke with Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday, according to team vice president Lester Bagley. Bagley said the team was hoping to get a deal done Read more →
David Cazares
While the Minnesota state budget battle is moving toward a final resolution, the federal fight is moving into high gear. A new tool might help you make sense of a complicated issue. “If you ever wanted to control where your tax dollars go, here’s your chance to decide,” begins the Budget Hero game from American Read more →
The morning after
Consider the can kicked
A digital music service for which Europeans have gone nutso launches in the U.S. today, after a couple of years of promises and waiting. “If Apple’s iTunes ushered in digital music’s first phase as a large-scale business, then Spotify and other services like it could be its future,” writes Ben Sisario on the New York Read more →
Smile! You’re on ‘Candid Camera’A Blaine man who hijacked his neighbor’s Wi-fi and then made threats to Joe Biden and distributed child pornography using his victim’s identity has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. It’s just one more nasty incident — albeit a very small one — in the long war between forces of good and evil online. Read more →
Those tap-tap-tap noises you hear are DVD coffin nails. Netflix is trying like mad to get out of the DVD business. Peter Kafka of All Things D nails it: Even though the majority of Netflix’s 24 million subscribers are still paying it to get DVDs by mail, Reed Hastings and company see themselves as Internet Read more →
Weary of the state government shutdown? If not, read Shutdown 11 — MPR News is all over it. But you could use a break, right? We offer the following distractions: 1) How ships are launched 2) Macaque self-portrait That’s one compelling photo — taken by the monkey who grabbed a camera from a nature photographer. Read more →
Is this Heaven? No, it’s Iowa
Bob Collins
Ever pull into a city in a suburb and notice a shopping center with a Target at one end, a Home Depot at the other, a bunch of chain stores in the middle and forget what city you’re in? It could be Anywhere USA. That, my friends, is what people are trying to do with the English language.