Bob CollinsHere’s today’s moments of bittersweetness, parental-guilt edition. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Economy
Anybody who drives 55 mph on Minnesota highways can confirm what the Washington Post is reporting about our driving habits: We’re not at all interested in savings a few bucks no matter what the cost of gasoline these days. Read more →
Writer James Fallows seems surprised to find out that the entrepreneurial environment isn’t limited to San Francisco. Read more →
Homeless people in San Francisco are bringing a ‘tech bro’ down. Read more →
Maybe Americans did learn a few things from the economic collapse of 2008. An interview with an executive of Fidelity suggests so, anyway. People are saving money. Maybe. Read more →
There’s really not a lot of new information in the Washington Post’s documentation today of the economic tsunami that’s wiping out the Iron Range. But the domestic economic collapse hasn’t gotten anywhere near the attention it deserves, at least from a human scale. Read more →
You’ve probably noticed you’re getting next to nothing for giving your money to your local bank, which in turn, could lend it out and get a higher interest rate than what you’re getting. There’s money in the middle-man business. Read more →
Although they’re the least supported major sports team in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Timberwolves are quietly revolutionizing how you’ll buy tickets to sporting events, and, in the process, increasing the price you’ll pay.
Read more →
Whose fault is it that nobody but one person helped a homeless person sleeping by the side of a major highway in Minnesota? Read more →
The demand for larger, less fuel efficient vehicles in on the rise.
Read more →
The U.S. economy, not exactly humming along at 2 percent growth and stagnant wages, is the jewel of the global economy now. Europe is a mess. China is getting its bubble comeuppance and the daily business watch is now a debate over whether a recession is ahead.
Read more →
Of course the airline has gone no-frills, so you’ll pay extra for baggage, including carry on, but any time a carrier takes on the ‘big airlines’ — now down to a very few — it’s worth watching whether other airlines try to match the fares in some way. Read more →
In the last days of the 2014 legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature tried to pass tougher legislation against payday lenders. Several religious groups whose members were being decimated by triple-digit interest against future paychecks were stymied when Republicans blocked the measure, arguing it removes options for low-income families.
It’s an option for getting ripped-off as PBS NewsHour proved yet again last evening with a focus on a Sioux Falls, S.D., family living paycheck to paycheck.
Read more →
The social media landscape has given rise to a new art form: the ‘why I quit’ treatise. You’ve probably seen them from time to time. Someone doesn’t want to work somewhere anymore, quits, and then bares all of the faults of the workplace with the innuendo that its time is up. Read more →
How you feel about a new study on telecommuting might well depend on whether you’re anxious to get back to the workplace today after the holiday break, or whether you’d like to stay put and work from home.
Read more →