Black Lives Matter is a Jewish issue

from TC Jewfolk by Carin Mrotz

I’ll be direct: this is a Jewish issue. Racial violence is a Jewish issue, even when Jews are not directly involved as victims or perpetrators. Instead of telling you how Jews should feel, I’ll tell you what you should know. You should know that recent studies show that a black man or woman is killed almost daily by law enforcement. Black offenders are more likely to be convicted and serve longer sentences than white offenders, and since the majority of black men in prison are there for drug-only offenses, you should know that while black youth are far less likely to use drugs than their white counterparts, they are 10 times more likely to be arrested for it.

What’s German for bah, humbug?

from streets.mn by Adam Miller

So it seems our little Holidazzle Market has some critics. Apparently, it’s not stroller or kid friendly enough. Apparently it’s outrageous to stop offering the same old free entertainment the patronage for which was insufficient to induce downtown businesses to continue supplying it. Apparently it’s just uncouth to ask visitors to contribute a small amount of money to cover the costs. Apparently the organizers are supposed to be thankful if people just browse for free.

Pointergate points to the imperative of oversight

from Poking Around with Mary by Mary Treacy

In another life I was a stooge on the Minnesota News Council. At some point I, as a member in good standing, read in the press that the MNC was to be no more – no explanation, a simple affirmation that the staff person had acquired a safe position at the University of St. Thomas. Because I was too otherwise engaged to explore the roots of a decision I accepted as a done deal, closed that file, and gave complicit assent to a decision I knew was wrong.

Bottom line: Minnesota News Council, thou art needed at this hour.

Historic women: Who was Hilma Berglund?

from Squeaky Green Machine by Heidi Van Heel

Hilma co-founded the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, took a woodworking class so she could develop a student loom with interchangeable parts (the Minnesota Multi-Use Loom) and experimented with natural dyes. She did all this while also hand making Christmas cards to send the nearly 200 people on her Christmas card list. Her cards were made and sent for 65 years, the message in her final card read, “Day by day and year by year the life pattern grows. How interesting it would be if we could see the completed design on the life-span loom.”

My winning Americana photo

from Minnesota Prairie Roots by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

As a photographer, you know when you’ve snapped a photo that tells a story, that freezes a moment, that captures an emotion. Light and composition and focus also factor into the equation of a memorable image.

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