Post your comments for Feb. 19-25

I'm a bit behind this week. I'll be posting tomorrow myself. Please post yours. And DON'T FORGET -- WE'LL HAVE PIZZA NEXT WEEK FOR OUR LAST CLASS!!!

News of the Week: Feb. 12-18

“The Times To Cut 100 News Jobs,” 2.15.08, C1

Well, this is the beginning of the end, as far as I can see. They’re putting a good face on it, but this is the newspaper with more reporters and editors than any other – 1,332. They have already made significant cuts at their other properties, including the Boston Globe, and now it’s apparently time to spend its capital. Buried in the story is the interesting fact that 10 percent of its stock is now held by two hedge funds, and that there is increasing pressure to “improve the bottom line.” They are now also feeling pressure from The Wall Street Journal, recently purchased by Rupert Murdoch of NewsCorp. He wants it to be an alternative to The Times. Why, nobody knows – that’s just his style. I don’t care if the paper part of newspapers go, but who will do news? They’ve apparently been hurt by the $3 million annual cost of covering the war in Iraq and the endless presidential campaign – in other words, too much news. Weird. When will newspapers realize that their core mission is news, not paper? Obviously, they haven’t and won’t until it’s too late. We’re all the losers. No, sorry, I forgot. The stockholders and the hedge funds will win.

“Judge Says Use of MySpace May Violate a Court Order,” 2.15.08, C11

I just thought this was curious. MySpace is now considered a “form of contact,” that violated a restraining order. Is MySpace a public space or private? Is receiving an invite to join your MySpace site from someone who has been ordered to leave you alone a violation, just as a phone call or knock on your door would be? Apparently yes. I guess I’d agree.

“Signs in Kenya of a Land Redrawn by Ethnicity,” 2.15.08, A1

This is so strange – that a sophisticated country could descend into the chaos of ethnic gangs. One man said his shop was burned down by people with whom he used to play soccer. The term “ethnic cleansing” is now being used to describe what’s been happening since the contested election of two months ago. Kenya was supposed to be a model for what Africa could become. This kind of gang mentality seems to be a poison on this continent. The issue, according to this article, is land. Some ethnic groups felt that others had unfairly gotten land that should have been theirs decades ago. It’s just the Middle East all over again. At least 600,000 people have been uprooted. Many are eating rats to survive. Gangs wielding table legs and iron bars are terrorizing people. It’s just sad.

“When Strains on Military Families Turn Deadly,” 1.15.08, A1

This was horrifying. A young woman was killed by her husband, who was supposed to be confined to his base. They were both Iraq war veterans. She’d done everything right – getting a restraining order, sending her kids to her mother’s. He shot her in the head as she walked out of her house. The army’s answer to the last such incident ten years ago was parenting classes and victims’ advocates. Some say that it’s lost its priority because “we’re in a war.” Sounds like the war is being played out in families. The military is apparently sending convicted domestic abusers to war. One might say it’s a perfect match. Ironically, it may be that because the sanctions for such abuse are now stronger, it may prevent women from reporting it. The article includes story after story of men gone crazy. But, we’re in a war.

Here is my entry for the week of Feb. 5-12: Now post yours!!

Reading the New York Times in Bemidji

Elections gone real wrong (no, not here!), swine disease mysteries, and other news of the weird

I tried to avoid all too tempting barrage of stories about the presidential race. I have a weakness for that kind of addictive story just as many men are addicted to sports stories. I forced myself to read a few of the “tougher” stories first. The most tragic right now is what’s going on in Kenya.

“Death Toll in Kenya Exceeds 1,000, but Talks Reach Crucial Phase,” 2.6.08, A8

What’s quite striking to me about this situation is that the term “gangs” is used a number of times in describing the troublemakers. They’re not “dissidents” or “insurgents” or anything else. It really is “Men with Guns” (which is the name of a wonderful movie about Central America) who take charge in areas of the world where the rule of law is tenuous. One could easily imagine how the same thing could have happened here in the past two presidential elections when half or more of the electorate felt betrayed. The only thing stopping us, other than our general, calming affluence, is our strong history of all the things that support democracy: the rule of law, general literacy (although one could begin to question that in recent years), a strong middle class (again, that’s coming under stress) and relative transparency in government (once again, we’re facing a few problems in this regard lately). What’s frightening is that the Times stated that until this slaughter, Kenya was considered “one of the most stable and promising countries on the African continent.” Yikes!

“Fighting in Chad Stirs Fears of Wider Conflict,” 2.7.08, A1

More problems in Africa. This one is disturbing because it just widens the horrible circle of pain in Darfur. Chad and Sudan, which share a border, blame each other for “fomenting” rebellions. What a horrible image and quote described in the lead: a provincial governor quoted as saying “We are just cleaning the garbage off the street” while smiling. This is in reference to dead bodies of rebels being loaded into dump trucks. What a chilling reality. What I found even more chilling was a report about French and American expatriates who were just evacuated. One woman said she knew it had gotten serious when it was no longer just men with mounted guns on pick-up trucks and machine guns but men with cannons! Oddly disturbing was the kicker – a guy who said, “My life in Chad was great until last Tuesday.” Didn’t he have any clue that things were going real bad? Was he aware of what was happening in Sudan next to Chad? Maybe things look different when you’re up close, but it’s pretty astounding.

“Toll of Deadly Tornadoes in South Climbs Past 50,” 2.7.08, A1

Ho sad – 54 people killed! We in Minnesota all know about tornadoes and how scary they can be. The closest I ever got was to view one touching down in Fridley while watching from a rooftop in a nearby suburb. The photo of the middle-aged man viewing the rubble of his dead daughter’s home was surreal.

Photos I loved:

I always look forward to just browsing through the photos in the Times. This week is no exception. Ones I found especially dramatic, artistically composed or revealing are the following:

2.6.08, P1: Residents in East LA voting in an elementary school with childish homemade Valentine’s Day decorations on the wall.

2.5.08, B1: Sheryl Crow looking especially rumpled, artsy and lovely.

2.5.08, A1: All four leading presidential candidates during the last hours of Super Tuesday. None were traditional front shots – all from odd points of view. Very revealing of their campaign styles and about campaigning in general.


“Public Broadcasters Prepare to Fight Federal Budget Cuts,” 2.6.08, B1

This is outrageous. The federal government has, over the years, cut their percentage of support to “public” broadcasting to 15% of their actual costs. And now they’re complaining about that! It’s amazing that with such stingy funding, which forces “public” broadcasting to seek more and more “underwriting,” that they still do aggressive, relevant programming that is not duplicated anywhere in the wasteland that is network AND cable TV. As my 18-year-old son says, “TV is really stupid.” Well, maybe not as stupid as the president and Congress.

“When Anxiety Is At the Table,” 2.6.08, D1

“For some diners, a disorder haunts every thought.” This was a wonderful article about what eating out is like for obsessive-compulsive people, several of whom I have in my family. What’s especially engaging about it is the reporter (Jeff Bell) admits that he, too, is obsessive-compulsive. It’s hilarious, sad and enlightening. A worthy read.

My class will benefit from this food section. I was so inspired by the article on sun-dried tomatoes that I plan to make them a batch of hummus with sun-dried tomatoes recipe on page D3. Yum!

“A Corporate View of Mafia Tactics: Protesting, Lobbying and Citing Upton Sinclair,” 2.5.08, A14

News of the weird for certain! Smithfield Foods (pig processors) are suing the union representing thousands of workers under the RICO statute, which is aimed at organized crime. Their claim is that the union’s lobbying efforts with the government for worker protection is racketeering. One of the lawyers said “it was perfectly appropriate to cite activities protected by the First Amendment as evidence of racketeering.” Unbelievable.

“Slaughterhouse 12: When a dozen workers at a Minnesota meat plant are stricken with a mysterious neurological illness, health officials scramble to figure out why,” 2.5.08, D1

I remember well the Hormel strike in the 80s, when Barbara Koppel won an Academy Award for her documentary about it: American Dream. Those who survived a strike that literally pitted brother against brother ended up earning about half of what they were before the strike. And yet they remained loyal to this corporation without a conscience. Now 12 people have developed these horrible symptoms from inhaling or otherwise ingesting particles of pig brains. The description of how its done in the plant is gut-wrenching. Read it to believe it. Sick.

“Famous Black Lives Through DNA’s Prism,” 2.5.08, B1

I really look forward to seeing this on PBS. I’ve already missed the first broadcast, but I’m sure there will be reruns or I can watch it on-line. I watched the earlier series on the same topic, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. It was very moving to see people’s expressions when they learned exactly where their ancestors came from. Some had no idea they had European (or Asian) ancestors; or that theirs were very accomplished people, etc. Oprah was one of the first clients. This time it includes Prof. Gates himself. So much more can be learned through DNA now – it’s a strange new world we’ve entered.

“Paper Cuts: Shrinking advertising and falling profits imperil an industry,” 2.7.08, C1

This one is no surprise, but it continues to sadden me. The Times itself saw its profits reduced by 4% last year. Newspapers just couldn’t adapt to nor co-opt newer technologies. Our Times education rep said he thought it was mid-sized papers such as the Star Tribune that were having the most trouble now. They are not the “hometown” paper they’d like to be seen as, and they’re not national, such as the Times is. That makes sense. All I know is that when I want to advertise something or buy something, I go to CraigsList like everyone else. Ultimately, that’s what put the nail in the coffin. But I do love real paper newspapers. They create a different kind of reading experience for me. I love the layout, the design, the circus of headlines all competing for my attention. On a computer I am forced to drill down before I get to see the landscape. Not nearly as much fun or as relaxing or satisfying. My fantasy vacation would be to ride a train cross-country with a sleeper car and dining car, while reading the Times every day and a book. No cell phone, no TV, no computer. Aaaah.

Here are my comments -- Now post YOURS! February 5

MY TAKE ON THE NEWS: Jan. 28-Feb. 5
Louise Mengelkoch

What a week of news! Here’s what’s been going on while you’ve been spending many hundreds of dollars to keep warm and feed your car:

Starbucks has finally maxed itself out – they’ll be closing stores and ending hot sandwiches. Rumor has it that their fatal move was going to (sniff) automated espresso machines and hiring untrained baristas.

Five women were killed at a suburban Chicago shopping mall Saturday during a robbery attempt.

Harvard has an endowment of almost $35 billion. Several hundred other elite universities have spectacular endowments, but most have less than $10 million. “Higher education has always been stratified, but the disparities were never as large as today.”

The dropouts: John Edwards and Rudolf Giuliani from the presidential race; Five Republican representatives from the U.S. House, for a total of 28 Republican retirees as of November.

The non-news of the State of the Union Address was overshadowed by the endless debate over whether Barack Obama snubbed Hillary Clinton at the event. The video was replayed about a thousand times by evidence seekers to no avail. Later in the week, however, the two fueled rumors of romance (or at least running mates) with their lovefest “debate.”

Subway is suing Quizno’s for slanderous amateur video commercials.

Now that Rupert Murdoch owns the Wall Street Journal, it will sport a sports page and will relocate to the NewsCorp offices in Midtown.

Turkey may now allow Muslim women to wear headscarves.

Twenty-four people died in China when snowstorms stopped hundreds of millions of people from reaching home for the Lunar New Year holiday.

Five soldiers died in Mosul at the hands of Sunni Arab guerillas. Also, 8 of 11 rebuilding projects in Iraq were terminated before they were completed because of problems.

Suharto was mourned by millions at his funeral in Indonesia, despite the fact that he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in his 28 years of corrupt rule.

Amazon.com bought Audible, the largest online seller of audiobooks.

President Bush admitted that he drank too much when he was young.

Poor East Indians are being kidnapped for their kidneys to be sold at great profit to rich people who need them.

People in Minnesota don’t believe the report stating that the 35W bridge collapsed due to design failure – we think it was poor maintenance.

The violence in Kenya, Barack Obama’s ancestral home, keeps escalating. Melitus Mugabe Were, a freshman member of Parliament, was dragged out of his car and shot to death. He is one of 800 people who have been killed since the election on Dec. 27 that many say was won fraudulently.

Barack and Hillary both came to Minneapolis. He drew 20,000 people at the Target Center (including my 18-year-old son) and she drew a paltry 4,000 at Augsburg College (including the same son). Numbers were not given for Mitt Romney.

A tsunami of endorsements have taken place: Obama got Edward Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, a majority of legislators in both houses in North Dakota, the California Service Union (650,000 strong!), MoveOn.org, Susan Eisenhower, Garrison Keillor, the LA Times and 49 other newspapers. Hillary got the Denver Post, the New York Times, Robert Kennedy Jr., Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Wilma Mankiller, and the American Nurses Association.

John McCain got Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. Norm Coleman, Rudolph Giuliani (remember him?) and 50 newspapers. Mitt Romney got Sean Hannity and former senator Rick Santorum.

Obama took in $32 million in donations in January, which set a record.

A half-million children are now schooling on-line at taxpayers’ expense. Everyone agrees it needs more oversight.

James Risen, a NY Times reporter, was subpoenaed by a grand jury regarding information on sources in his book about the CIA called State of War.

Paul Krugman claimed that the only reason the Democrats have become the party of ideas this time around is due to John Edwards.

The editors claim that the Interior Department is “broken,” because a court has ruled that it “unreasonably delayed” its accounting for billions of dollars owed to American Indian landholders.

Nicholas Kristoff pointed out that if Hillary Clinton won the election, we could have 28 years of Bushes and Clintons as presidents.

People and chickens have been hard hit by the flu in Indonesia.

An on-line activist and his wife and infant daughter are under house arrest in China.

Hillary Clinton found her voice and Bill has toned his down. He is now entangled in a scandal about a $31 million donation to his foundation from someone in Kazakhstan for whom he arranged a lucrative uranium-mining contract.

The FDA found an increase in suicide symptoms for people on several drugs, including one my daughter takes for her migraine headaches.

Leda Livant lives in one of the strangest looking houses I’ve ever seen – see it on page D1 of Jan. 31 edition. It took 28 years to build and now nobody knows what to do with it.

Jerome Kerveil frittered away $5.5 billion on insider trading in France. Nobody’s been fired yet except him. He’s being watched for suicide. Three of his colleagues committed suicide in the past couple of years from the pressure.

North Dakotans, it was discovered, don’t like big money in big politics.