“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate facilities are inherently unequal.” With that, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled several states’ system of providing separate and unequal education to the children of the United States — one for whites, and one for blacks. That Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Archives for May 2014
A plan to let the students ride a camel Wednesday, apparently the last day of class, was canceled, reportedly because some students felt it was racist. Read more →
It’s National Bike to Work (Wearing a Parka) Day today and science writer Joseph Stromberg gives the pot a good stir on Vox by suggesting it’s time to stop forcing people to wear bike helmets. Read more →
An anonymous senior at the school today left 3,000 paper cranes around the school, apparently to help dispel the image of the Edina student as a self-absorbed rich kid Read more →
The end-of-hockey-game handshake is the epitome of good sportsmanship — most days. Read more →
The case of Mario Hernandez defies all logic. When he signed up to fight in Vietnam, and took his oath to uphold the Constitution, he thought he was becoming a citizen. He had a Social Security number that he got when he arrived in the United States as a child. He went on to a career as a prison guard. He voted.
He did everything a good U.S. citizen does. Then he tried to go on a cruise with his wife and when he tried to get a passport, he found out he’s not a citizen after all. Read more →
Bullying reached a boiling point over in Kenosha, Wisconsin, when a father got a restraining order against a kindergartner who allegedly was bullying his daughter. Read more →
Carl retired as an NPR newsreader a few years ago, and last night he taped his final episode of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me. Of his many accomplishments, proving that a serious news person can have a personality may be the most important, especially for public radio types. Read more →
In Idaho, Harley Brown is running for governor. The perennial candidate stole the show at this week’s GOP gubernatorial debate.
Read more →
Vikings and/or Chris Kluwe fans will be playing the ‘Guess the Uncooperative Person’ game today as the probe continues into whether the former Vikings punter lost his job because of his outspoken views on same-sex marriage. Read more →
Don’t you just hate it when you stick $40,000 in your couch and you forget you put it there? Read more →
Each speaker tried the impossible today: finding the rhetoric to describe meaning to the day two planes destroyed the icons of American financial power in the world. But words seemed to fail them all. Things don’t fail, however. The red bandanna Welles Crowther used to protect himself while he helped people out of the buildings and which was later used to identify his body. There are wallets and shoes that are now part of the museum. Read more →
Pam Whitfield, profiled on NewsCut a few years ago, has a way about her that allows her to reach students that other teachers and professors can’t.
But she can’t reach — or save — them all, she writes in an article this week for Insider Higher Ed. Read more →
The experts say there’s no way the Minnesota Twins could’ve known David Ortiz would become a feared hitter. They’re wrong. Read more →
Someone’s son, daughter, wife, husband, brother, and/or sister is going to work in California today, risking their lives to rescue people caught by the terrible wildfire north of San Diego. It’s what they do.
The fire is already a tragedy that could be made much worse because of people like this. Read more →