Government Layers: Understanding Twin Cities Government from Outside In
Government in Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, has multiple layers that can produce watery-eyed confusion unless you know how to target the right person or office when things go...
Future research censorship is of serious U.S. concern
Late last week, an analyst from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a federal agency with the goal of improving the public's health using research, released a set of forbidden words that...
Does Fashion Have a Lasting Impact on Society?
The fashion industry is often seen as vapid, superficial to the point of parody (and it often is parodied). But fashion is simultaneously a reflection of society' social, cultural, and economic milieu;...
When and How To Argue in the Age of Information
It's a beautiful, late-summer day. The sun is shining outside. Your favorite song is playing on the radio. You woke up on the right-side-of-the-bed this morning, you're feeling great - your hair...
Revisiting Minnesota Fireworks Laws
The 4th of July is upon us and we all know what that means: Fireworks.
Fireworks are everywhere. For the week preceding the 4th and even afterwards, all of...
A four-day workweek is best for workers and for business, New Zealand company proves
If the chance came around to only work four days a week and enjoy an extended three-day weekend, I think the majority of us would jump on that opportunity. That extra day to relax,...
President Obama hits the Billboard charts with “One Last Time (44 Remix)”
Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Harvard graduate, the United States' most-admired man (11 years straight), husband and father can now add R&B star to his lost list...
The Minnesota fight against female genital mutilation
By now you've probably heard about the two 7-year-old girls who were taken by their parents to Michigan for "surgery" and instead had their clitoral skin removed by Dr. Jumana Nagarwala (allegedly).
The response from the...
Arguing Online: Being “Right” in the Digital Age
The Digital Age is the current period of human history: We’ve moved from the industry-based society of the Industrial Revolution to a focus on computerizing information and creating a more knowledge-based society.
State Capitol brought back to brilliance
I remember the first time I went to the Capitol Building in St. Paul. I was on a school field trip, and I remember being in awe as we went on the tour. The...
