David CazaresThe Mall of America launched the #ItsMyMall hashtag to ask people to talk about their experiences at the mall. For those opposed to the mall’s response to a Dec. 20 demonstration, it was an invitation to protest. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
By David Cazares
David Cazares is an editor for MPR News. He also writes about jazz and Latin music.
A Demonstrator protesting the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown holds up a sign on August 13, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) There is a tendency among many in the United States to view young black men as dangerous. As Morehouse College professor Marc Lamont Hill has said, many whites view Read more →
The difference in reactions to the disturbances in Ferguson, Mo., where a white police officer shot an unarmed young black man nearly two weeks ago, sadly isn’t surprising. Many white Americans reportedly think the black community’s anger over Michael Brown’s death – indeed, the growing movement in Ferguson to address longstanding inequities — and the Read more →
When President Obama addressed the nation Monday on crises in war-torn Iraq and Ferguson, Mo., millions likely waited with anticipation for inspiring and defining words. Across the country, the attention was focused not on the Middle East but on what the president would have to say about Ferguson, which has swirled in turmoil since police Read more →
By MPR News editor Bill Wareham Earlier this week, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), announced it was accepting nominations for a new award. It could well be argued that industry awards tend to be overly self-congratulatory and are handed out a little too freely. But this award, the Golden Padlock, is different: “This honor acknowledges Read more →
Just yesterday Vikings punter Chris Kluwe hinted that his outspoken ways might by why the team is thinking about cutting him from its roster, according to NBC’s Pro Football Talk. Today, his advocacy won him an award. From WebbyAwards.com: Among professional athletes, Kluwe is one of the foremost proponents of marriage equality and has thoughtfully Read more →
I spent a lot of time and money in various Peet’s locations in the San Francisco Bay area, so here are my impressions, for those of you who’ve never been to one.
From MPR News editor Bill Wareham: The Minnesota Twins have changed musical directors, according to the Gimme Noise blog. A fellow named Dan Edwards, who’s been doing the job for a couple years, is being replaced by Tim Miller, who apparently performs the same duties for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Fans erupted after a Orlando Hudson Read more →
Recall when Bob Collins wrote about whether public radio can still take risks? In June of 2012, when we learned Car Talk was going to stop producing new shows, Bob said, “This has been an interesting time in public radio of late, and the next few years are going to test whether it’s capable of Read more →
Now: (via Reuters and the New York Times): A dozen car bombs and suicide blasts tore into Shi’ite Muslim districts across Baghdad and south of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people on the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein. Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda are Read more →
Google has released Street View images of some of the most famous mountains on Earth. Travel vicariously to Mt. Kilimanjaro: View Larger Map And Mt. Everest base camp: View Larger Map Roberto Baldwin has the story on Wired.com: One lucky engineer, who happens to be a passionate mountaineer, led the Google Mountain Enthusiast team during Read more →
From MPR News editor Bill Wareham: Hostess announced today it plans to go out of business, prompting cries of anguish from Twinkie lovers everywhere. Personally, I won’t be shedding a tear – not because I don’t like Twinkies, but because I enjoyed a lifetime’s worth in about a three-year span in a place I like Read more →
Remember when Duluth was vying for the big Google Fiber project? It lost to Kansas City and now, finally, some homes are getting hooked up to the really big pipes. Excerpt from the Google Fiber blog: This coulda been you, Duluth. I found this on Twitter, along with all my news of the day. Bob Read more →
I used to be a tech journalist and, if today’s News Cut posts tell me anything, I guess I’m still pretty interested in tech-related stories. All day I’ve been getting my news just from Twitter links and sharing what I’m reading. The latest: Petraeus Case Raises Fears About Privacy in Digital Era – New York Read more →
The get-all-your-news-via Twitter fest continues, with this CNET story I found. It’s an interesting look at how giant retailer Walmart is adapting to consumers who do their product and pricing research on mobile devices. Bob Collins is off this week.