For over 100 years, University of Minnesota Extension has brought educational programing to greater Minnesota. The success of Extension’s educational programing – both in the past and present – is heavily dependent upon understanding the needs of the people of Minnesota. To understand what Minnesotans need, the University must maintain continuous and open dialog with Minnesota … [Read more...]
Journal Writing Project You are more than a number
An ACT score. The size of a pair of jeans. The GPA recorded at the top of a report card. A reading on the scale. The capacity of the group of friends chosen to surround oneself with. The sum of a paycheck received every two weeks. A listing of likes on a social media post. The total points the all-star scores in a sports game. The amount of birthdays under one’s … [Read more...]
If you want to change things…
One of the gifts of living in a representative democracy is that voting is only one of the rights it confers. For ordinary people who want to make change — who in some way want to alter their neighborhood or town or state or even the nation — the promise exists that by dint of their own efforts they can do so. This is a precious gift. But it is not an easy one to enjoy. Even … [Read more...]
Minnesota? Nice.
Minnesota has gone “blue” in every Presidential election since 1976. Three times since, it has been the only state out of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and both Dakotas to vote Democratic. In 1984, as quipped by Homer Simpson, Minnesota was the only state won by Walter Mondale, not counting the District of Columbia. In 2010, when the rest of the country went under a red tide … [Read more...]
Devil’s Advocate…Humanizing
As many of you already know from previous articles, I give tours to the public. At the beginning of every cave tour, I go through a regular spiel, giving my name, going over rules, and encouraging questions. I don’t fully understand the reason for my joy of a guest getting my attention by calling me by name, but it exists nonetheless. Remembering “faces and names and … [Read more...]
It’s what we do that counts
I’ve been reminded recently of the old cowboy song, Home on the Range. You know the line, “Where never is heard a discouraging word”? That is not the United States right now. It feels like pretty much everywhere I turn, all I hear is discouragement. Our institutions of government are paralyzed. We face serious national problems with no effective response in sight — or even, in … [Read more...]
Letter about Shooter accomplices…
To the Editor, “He must have had an accomplice!” they say of the Vegas mass murderer. “How could he have done it otherwise?” Of course he had accomplices! He had the NRA, the gun lobbyists, the gun nuts and gun culture, Senators and Congressmen and their lax gun laws and their cowardice before their big billionaire donors. He had the American romance with the gun and the … [Read more...]
Letter about Rebuttal on Jeff Erding’s essay on technocrats…
To the Editor, Mr. Erding is quite disturbed that we in America now have unruly people protesting. I assume he is including the Tea Party of a few years past in his criticism. He then states there is a worldwide effort by mega rich wealthy elitists to achieve world domination. Again I assume he is including the Koch brothers, mega corporations too large to fail and the one … [Read more...]
What do you do all day?
The hardest thing I do is wake up in the morning. I figure I know how Lazarus felt when he was raised from the dead! As I struggle to become conscious, I pass through a field of dreams inhabited by shadowy figures. One morning as I woke I heard a jingle of female voices singing a happy little song. (Did I mention I watch too much television?) It seems even my dreams are … [Read more...]
Tyranny of the technocrats
Having been absent from the pages of FCJ for several months, many readers have asked me why. Two main reasons: One, I thought people would enjoy a break from political discussion. Two, The subject I really wanted to share was difficult to broach because it flies beneath the notice of almost everyone. A couple weeks ago I sent an editorial about it to a large local paper and … [Read more...]