Bob Collins
John Ydstie’s story on All Things Considered last night about the stagnant worker productivity was distressing in so many ways, not the least of which is the subtle suggestion that we’re somehow goofing off at work. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Oh, Minnesota. What has happened to you?
The era of outdoor hockey may be ebbing, if a report from KSTP has a ring of truth. It may be the canary in a coal mine of sports. Read more →
This being Labor Day and all, might we suggest taking a half hour to acknowledge why we have labor laws protecting workers in the United States. Read more →
An Olympian’s gold medal was stolen and Joe Jacobi thought it was gone forever. There are a lot of creeps in the world.
Fortunately, there are little girls and families of character.
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For too many parents, never. Read more →
It’s been obvious since the moment Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the National Anthem last week that the protest would spread.
Yesterday, it did when soccer star Megan Rapinoe knelt during the National Anthem before last evening’s National Women’s Soccer League match between the Chicago Red Stars and the Seattle Reign, for whom Rapinoe plays. Read more →
A good obit makes you sad you missed out on meeting a person. Here’s an example.
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Like many Minnesotans, I did something last night I rarely do. I left the porch light on.
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I had such a good time last year with my Labor Day radio show on the best/worst job you ever had…
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We talk often in this category — The Art of the Obituary — about portraying and defining our lives outside of the jobs we hold. Nineteen year olds don’t have the big jobs that permeate many obituaries. And it didn’t matter a bit in relaying a life well lived. Not a bit. Read more →
With the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years came a return to the water for the nation’s TV reporters.
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This week’s StoryCorps segment on NPR’s Morning Edition was a perfect conclusion to the week during which an uplifting moment came when a grown-up sat down with a young boy.
Today’s segment described the uplifting result when a young boy sat down with grown-ups. Read more →
In Weare, New Hampshire (pop. 8,785), townspeople have posted plastic flamingos on their lawns as a symbol of their support and hope for a 12-year-old girl fighting leukemia.
The flamingos are being sold for $10 each to raise money for Abby Van Dyke’s expenses. Thirteen-hundred birds have been sold so far. Read more →
Two items in the news today show the inconsistency we have toward the issue of free speech. Read more →
On Saturday, artists and volunteers at the Weisman Art Museum Collective at the University of Minnesota are going to pick up trash along the Mississippi River. They will create some sort of installation to show how our everyday actions are affecting the river. In one section, someone has beat them to it. Read more →