Bob CollinsNetflix’s new policy on maternity and paternity leave should be an interesting exercise. If you give people the job of deciding how much leave they should take, will they take more than they are taking now? Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Health
The family of Coleen Sheran Singer didn’t hold back when it came to her obituary, which appears this week in the Bangor (Maine) Daily News.
She died on Christmas morning; it’s not clear why her obituary didn’t appear until this week. Read more →
There are many regrets I have but none bigger than a flight in the plane I never got a chance to make a couple of weeks ago.
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We’ve reached peak absurdity when the authorities show up to shut down outdoor grilling. Read more →
Sure, baseball’s link to fathers and sons borders on the cliche, thanks primarily to the movie, Field of Dreams.
But a game of catch is still a great way to take a snapshot of the love of a father as this story of a young baseball’s pitcher’s personal catcher proves. Again. Read more →
‘She liked four letter words as much as she loved her rock garden and trust us she LOVED to weed that garden with us as her helpers, when child labour was legal or so we were told. ‘ Read more →
When Lucas Hobbs, 12, of Eagan was at Children’s Hospital being treated for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he had trouble eating. He was in the hospital for 40 days. Then he decided what wish he’s ask Make a Wish for.
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The researchers at the University of Texas Austin acknowledge that heavy smoking is still declining, but light smoking is increasing. Read more →
Not since Jimmy Valvano gave his famous speech at the ESPY awards ceremony years ago has an athlete delivered such a touching address as Cincinnati Bengal Devon Still did last night. Read more →
In Wisconsin, like Minnesota, it’s legal to ride a bicycle while drunk. Should it be?
The Capital Times in Madison asks today whether that’s such a great idea and, somewhat surprisingly, finds plenty of people who think it is. Read more →
Alfred Postell is mostly lost to the world now, a victim of an illness that denied the world his brilliance. He’s a reality check that anyone can succumb to mental illness.
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Donald Gould, who acknowledges being a drunk and an addict, had hoped some Internet attention would allow him to reunite with his son after 15 years. It didn’t end well.
It has.
TV news stations have tried to make the story a warm and fuzzy, but it’s not. Not yet. Read more →
Tom Mork has a story to tell, one, he says, replete with ignorance, despair, bewilderment, humor, and hope. He’ll tell it while riding his bike. Read more →
Toni Poletes was beloved enough that many in the town of 600 people got naked for a 2015 calendar to raise money to help her pay for her medical care. Read more →
When you’re riding a bicycle across the entire United States — from Baltimore to Seattle — this has got to be an uplifting sight — the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wis.
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