Bob CollinsWe have many obvious needs in life — food, water, a housebroken puppy, for example. But if there’s one thing that drives Americans, it’s outrage. Without it, our lives lack a certain meaning. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Archives for December 2014
It’s not as if Stephen Colbert is going anywhere. He takes over for David Letterman, of course. But his character — Stephen Colbert — is being retired and last night was the last Colbert Report.
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Serial, the Public Radio version of ‘Who shot JR?’ (ask your parents), has concluded its first season without us knowing who killed a young high school woman. Read more →
As soon as authorities can figure out how to stop people from leaving the country to fight with Islamic extremists, perhaps they can figure out how to stop trucks people trade in at the car dealership from ending up in the hands of Syrian rebels. Read more →
The European Court of Justice today ruled that obesity is a disability, a ruling which could mean employers have to treat those obese workers as disabled. It ruled in the case of Karsten Kaltoft, who was fired for his size. His employer said the child care worker was so fat he needed help to tie children’s shoe laces. Read more →
For several years, I’ve been considering what sort of unique and insightful (or inciteful, as the case may be) post would constitute the 10,000th NewsCut post. Read more →
A decision this week by the Minnesota Supreme Court will never make the news but it’s significant for anyone in Minnesota with siding that might get damaged in a hailstorm.
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Word has filtered from the mountains of North Carolina that Brasstown will not be able to drop a possum to mark the beginning of the new year. The judge said if the convenience store owner with the idea gets a waiver from North Carolina wildlife officials, it still might be a possum-possible event.
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There isn’t a pauper among the groups trying to bring Major League Soccer to Minnesota, but that’s never mattered before when it comes to public handouts for sports facilities. Read more →
It may well be that people stealing Christmas packages off doorsteps has been going on for years, but it certainly seems as though the crime is increasing. Read more →
Thanks, Sony. Now we’ve got to talk to each other again. Read more →
Bruce MacDonald
The lunar missions and, later, the Skylab program relied on the work of a remarkable young mathematician named Margaret Hamilton, a pioneering software engineer. Read more →
There is no NewsCut today. It’s the annual Christmas shopping extravanza at Casa Collins. But, just so you didn’t come here today for nothing…
Pundit brothers Brad and Dallas Woodhouse, who operate on opposite ends of the political spectrum, were guests on ‘Washington Journal’ on C-SPAN Tuesday when host Steve Scully took a call from a viewer.
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We’re not sure what the most impressive element of this video — discovered thanks to a KARE 11 tweet — is: the shorts in December, the shirtless lads, the water skiis on ice, the tricks they do, the fact they’re wearing life jackets, or that they didn’t fall through the ice on a lake in Brainerd. We just know it’s pretty spectacular.
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