The home of the brave has gotten irrationally fearful
from Wry Wing Politics by Joe Loveland
Despite this relatively low level of risk, many Americans are overcome by our fear of terrorism. Even in June 2015, well before the recent Paris and California terrorist attacks, Gallup was finding that about half (49%) of Americans were worried that they or someone in their family would personally become a victim of terrorism. Given the 1-in-20,000,000 odds, that level of fear is not rational.
New ed bill would not have happened without Kline retirement
from mnpACT! Progressive Political Blog by Dave Mindeman
Congressman John Kline is getting kudos from various quarters over passage of the new education bill that replaces No Child Left Behind. And I am not going to disagree with most of that. Kline played an important part.
But I would also postulate that this bill would never have passed if John Kline was going to run for re-election.
Let’s call a ‘Merry Christmas’ truce
from After Thought by Nancy Edmonds Hanson
December was so much sweeter before the militants weaponized “merry Christmas.”
There was a time when greeting friends and neighbors was simple. Sharing warm good wishes required no more strategic thought than handing out candy canes or hanging the mistletoe. Whether we chose the long form ― explicitly citing the major holiday and its late December consort, as in “merry Christmas and happy new year” ― or seized the harmless shortcut, “happy holidays,” we could count on pleasant feelings all around. Friendship and good will were gently affirmed, and we could confidently move on across the rest of the minefield of seasonal etiquette.
The prairie part of Minnesota
from Minnesota Prairie Roots by Audrey Kletscher Helbling
MINNESOTA IS MORE than the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, Rochester and Duluth. It’s also farms and small towns like Vesta, Sleepy Eye, Gaylord and St. James. I’ve lived in all of those rural areas and, for the past 33 years, in Faribault.
Embrace the darkness
from streets.mn by Janelle Nivens
As we creep toward the shortest day of the year, it may be tempting to skip your walks, runs, and rides outdoors. For many Minnesotans, it’s dark when we go to work and dark when we return home.
Fight the urge to binge watch your favorite TV series and “go air out to get the stink off of you” as my grandma Sallie used to say. There is a different (and free!) type of entertainment waiting for you in the dark – holiday light displays.
You could ride your bike
from Biking in Mpls by Lindsey Wallace
You could ride your bike to the grocery store. You don’t need any special gear. Grab that old Jansport backpack you’ve had since 1998 and a cable lock and head out the door. Don’t worry about getting a huge load of groceries, just buy a few things: some milk, a few vegetables, a box of pasta. It’s okay to start small just to see if you like it.
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