I was very happy to see the standing room only crowd at The Free Press/Minnesota Public Radio event on diversity at Minnesota State University Tuesday night.
The crowd was at least 300 in my estimation, and many community leaders showed up as well as a good cross-section of the diverse community. It was standing room only.
It was a continuation of Free Press efforts to shed light on the issue of diversity in our community. One by one, Sudanese, Somali, and others from the diverse community and ordinary Caucasian citizens stood up and talked about what Calling Mankato Home means to them, and just how welcoming we are as a community to people of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and sexual orientations.
There were many positive stories, but also some stories of discrimination and disrespect. A Mankato high school young lady had her hijab ripped from her head and teased about it when she was at school one day. A longtime Native American talked of how the adoption agencies described him as someone no one would want.
But on balance there were many positive stories. It was good hearing from AmeriPride Production Manager Tom Blaido talk about all the people of color his company has hired as a proactive effort. Others like Abdi Sabrie couldn't say enough good about how welcoming a place Mankato has become.
I was asked to sum up the evening and suggest things I've learned or taken from the conversation.
Here's what I came up with:
I hear a lot of hope in the voices of refugees and immigrants who spoke. They want to stay in Mankato and will do so, if they can find employment.
The community needs to be proactive in "opening our circles." I heard this from the schools, from the university people and the newspaper. Many in the diverse community will not come forward to participate in our community if they do not know the door is open.
Mankato can be not exactly welcoming but "not mean" to diverse people. That's not good enough. We have to do better at welcoming. We have to do better than "not being mean."
We can understand diverse people if we just listen to them a bit. Where they come from, things are different. A visit by police in the Sudan or Somalia may mean you're never heard from again. It's reasonable to expect they will have trepidation in dealing with police in America then.
We have to be proactive about developing a culture that is accepting of diverse people. We can't turn on a switch. It has to be ingrained in our mindset.
The term "Home" is a universal concept. If we want people to "Call Mankato Home" we have to help them find things that are homelike -- good friends, accepting people, comfort in social settings, employment that can sustain a family.
I heard from a lot of community leaders that this conversation turned out great, and we received thanks for hosting it. It is simply the kind of thing The Free Press wants to be associated with. It's our brand. Community leadership, civil discussion of the issues.
Lul Ahmed, a Somali woman who is part of The Free Press advisory board, said she didn't hear anything really new at the meeting, but she was glad that many more people were in on the message.
MSU professor Tony Filipovitch said there may not be a lot new, but it was important we were finally maybe having the discussion "with each other," thereby raising the overall community awareness.
It will provide another springboard for continuing Free Press coverage on the diverse community. You can participate in that coverage by giving us your feedback. Hopefully it will raise awareness that we can really grow this place to be even better than it is.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
I wish the Fed would stop controlling my life
The Dow Jones Industrials rocketed 2 percent higher on Thursday and moved ahead again Friday to finish at 11,444, the highest since September 2008, just before the financial crisis-crash.
The Wall Street Journal and other credible publications attributed the rise to "the Federal Reserves plans to spur the U.S. economy" by buying $600 billion worth of U.S. Treasury bonds that "helped fan fresh rallies in oil, gold and Asian stock markets."
The move helped push down interest rates caused American companies like Coca Cola and Dow Chemical "racing" to sell $12 billion in new debt.
But this kind of interference is just another example of government getting too involved in our personal lives. My kid's college fund what up so much it was detestable. I would rather take my jolts without the Fed's unwarranted and unwelcome intrusion into my personal finances.
If we were this "fair and balanced"
our readers would be burning our building down.
A column by Dana Millbank of the Washington Post has me trying to figure out why people call the Foxnews network fair and balanced.
He cites a number of Fox news employees taking sides in the recent election coverage.
If Free Press reporters even came close to any of this kind of behavior, our readers would be burning our building down, and, by the way, the reporters would be fired.
The Wall Street Journal and other credible publications attributed the rise to "the Federal Reserves plans to spur the U.S. economy" by buying $600 billion worth of U.S. Treasury bonds that "helped fan fresh rallies in oil, gold and Asian stock markets."
The move helped push down interest rates caused American companies like Coca Cola and Dow Chemical "racing" to sell $12 billion in new debt.
But this kind of interference is just another example of government getting too involved in our personal lives. My kid's college fund what up so much it was detestable. I would rather take my jolts without the Fed's unwarranted and unwelcome intrusion into my personal finances.
If we were this "fair and balanced"
our readers would be burning our building down.
A column by Dana Millbank of the Washington Post has me trying to figure out why people call the Foxnews network fair and balanced.
He cites a number of Fox news employees taking sides in the recent election coverage.
If Free Press reporters even came close to any of this kind of behavior, our readers would be burning our building down, and, by the way, the reporters would be fired.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
What goes into an election night in the newsroom
The Free Press newsroom is recovering from a wild election night that taxed staffers for hours and at the end had reporters filing stories to editors every five minutes.
That led to more than 40 election stories being posted to our online website as the results began coming in at about 8:30 p.m. It also led to updating those stories several times during the night and producing several additional stories to publish in one print edition that rolled off the presses at about 1:45 a.m. and another so called "remake" with more final results rolling off the presses about 2:30 a.m.
In between we chased down politicians for quotes, pictures and their reaction to their winning or their losing.
In the days before newspapers had online sites, this kind of a night was a bit less hectic. But now we must produce our product on several "platforms" or places readers want to go to find news.
To that end, we were putting short headlines and updates on our Facebook site, that by the way, is automatically connected to our Twitter site.
The effort was one of high quality for a gargantuan task, and I'm proud to be associated with our team.
Readers, print and online, Twitterers and Facebookers were served.
The traffic to our website Tuesday and Wednesday totaled over 120,000 page views, usually the normal amount of traffic for four days.
But the presses ran, the microchips hummed and Democracy was served.
That led to more than 40 election stories being posted to our online website as the results began coming in at about 8:30 p.m. It also led to updating those stories several times during the night and producing several additional stories to publish in one print edition that rolled off the presses at about 1:45 a.m. and another so called "remake" with more final results rolling off the presses about 2:30 a.m.
In between we chased down politicians for quotes, pictures and their reaction to their winning or their losing.
In the days before newspapers had online sites, this kind of a night was a bit less hectic. But now we must produce our product on several "platforms" or places readers want to go to find news.
To that end, we were putting short headlines and updates on our Facebook site, that by the way, is automatically connected to our Twitter site.
The effort was one of high quality for a gargantuan task, and I'm proud to be associated with our team.
Readers, print and online, Twitterers and Facebookers were served.
The traffic to our website Tuesday and Wednesday totaled over 120,000 page views, usually the normal amount of traffic for four days.
But the presses ran, the microchips hummed and Democracy was served.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Countdown to election: mission impossible
With only three days before the election, it's amazing that the whirlwind of events doesn't just blow us over sometimes.
The newsroom becomes a busy place: candidates roll in every other day; letters flood the editor's desk, with the writers calling and anxious that their letter get in.
In my experience, this year ranks much higher for the amount of voter interest than other mid-term elections. Voters are stressed, angry, confused and in some cases voraciously defending their favorite pols in a year when all seem at risk for losing their jobs.
I was honored and fortunate to be in the middle of it at times while I hosted two debates through Debate Minnesota, an organization I have volunteered for now for three elections. Debate Minnesota is a nonpartisan group dedicated to rigorous but fair and civil discussion of the issues of the day.
They require orderly crowds as well and one of my jobs was to be the "no clapping" policeman.
I hosted with Pete Steiner of KTOE the 1st Congressional District Debate between Tim Walz, Randy Demmer and Steven Wilson. I also hosted the Minnesota gubernatorial debate at MSU with longtime St. Paul Pioneer Press political reporter Bill Salisbury.
I enjoyed doing both debates and take my hat off to all the candidates. It never ceases to amaze me the time and commitment these candidates put into their races. They take time away from their jobs, their families and their life in general to put themselves out there with their ideas, often unfairly attacked by their opponents.
It's a wonder we have anyone willing to run at all.
The newsroom becomes a busy place: candidates roll in every other day; letters flood the editor's desk, with the writers calling and anxious that their letter get in.
In my experience, this year ranks much higher for the amount of voter interest than other mid-term elections. Voters are stressed, angry, confused and in some cases voraciously defending their favorite pols in a year when all seem at risk for losing their jobs.
I was honored and fortunate to be in the middle of it at times while I hosted two debates through Debate Minnesota, an organization I have volunteered for now for three elections. Debate Minnesota is a nonpartisan group dedicated to rigorous but fair and civil discussion of the issues of the day.
They require orderly crowds as well and one of my jobs was to be the "no clapping" policeman.
I hosted with Pete Steiner of KTOE the 1st Congressional District Debate between Tim Walz, Randy Demmer and Steven Wilson. I also hosted the Minnesota gubernatorial debate at MSU with longtime St. Paul Pioneer Press political reporter Bill Salisbury.
I enjoyed doing both debates and take my hat off to all the candidates. It never ceases to amaze me the time and commitment these candidates put into their races. They take time away from their jobs, their families and their life in general to put themselves out there with their ideas, often unfairly attacked by their opponents.
It's a wonder we have anyone willing to run at all.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Editor talks sports, Vikes, Twins, therapy
Four words and a mathematical equation
Randy Moss = Vikings Superbowl
How's that for brevity? Exciting to see the length the Wilfs are willing to go to make the Vikings real contenders. Realistically, in the last 12 years, the Vikings should've won two Superbowls, one in 1998 and one last year. But who's holding on to old disappointments?
With Moss back, it may or may not happen. (How's that for a Vikings fan employing the tools of disappointment therapy?). But it sure could happen, and the season just got worth watching every game again. Typically, when the Vikings appear to be underachieving, I'll not watch the games they definitely should win.
It's my defense mechanism. But, now with Moss, I'll be suckered back into the purple haze, rain, -- to mix a Hendrix and Prince metaphor.
Twins and Yankees: I don't want to watch, but I will
I'm tempted not to watch the Twins and the Yankees. The Yankees and Jeter are the most ignorant people in the world. How are they ignorant? They're too ignorant to ever doubt their ability to win in any way, in any situation against any opponent. Of yeah, they're arrogant too.
The Twins have seemed lackluster at best in the last what is it? eight games? Talk about playing to their competition.
Gardenhire hasn't dealt with this kind of letdown before psychologically. So he's in new territory as a manager to figure out the psychology of the team and work with it. Without Morneau and Nathan, the odds are stacked even higher against us. Matt Capps is no Joe Nathan. I hope to be proven wrong.
But again, the Yankees are ignorant and arrogant.
Randy Moss = Vikings Superbowl
How's that for brevity? Exciting to see the length the Wilfs are willing to go to make the Vikings real contenders. Realistically, in the last 12 years, the Vikings should've won two Superbowls, one in 1998 and one last year. But who's holding on to old disappointments?
With Moss back, it may or may not happen. (How's that for a Vikings fan employing the tools of disappointment therapy?). But it sure could happen, and the season just got worth watching every game again. Typically, when the Vikings appear to be underachieving, I'll not watch the games they definitely should win.
It's my defense mechanism. But, now with Moss, I'll be suckered back into the purple haze, rain, -- to mix a Hendrix and Prince metaphor.
Twins and Yankees: I don't want to watch, but I will
I'm tempted not to watch the Twins and the Yankees. The Yankees and Jeter are the most ignorant people in the world. How are they ignorant? They're too ignorant to ever doubt their ability to win in any way, in any situation against any opponent. Of yeah, they're arrogant too.
The Twins have seemed lackluster at best in the last what is it? eight games? Talk about playing to their competition.
Gardenhire hasn't dealt with this kind of letdown before psychologically. So he's in new territory as a manager to figure out the psychology of the team and work with it. Without Morneau and Nathan, the odds are stacked even higher against us. Matt Capps is no Joe Nathan. I hope to be proven wrong.
But again, the Yankees are ignorant and arrogant.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Mankato economy: some surprises
Mankato's economic indicators for this month are offering some surprises to the positive side.
Twelve indicators are up and five are down, according to the data provided in Free Press Media's Minnesota Valley Business magazine, a business magazine that's a must for anyone who is in business. (You can get on the list for free if your are a business owner or you can subscribe for $19.95 per year. Call 625-4451 to subscribe or e-mail to readerservice@mankatofreepress.com).
But the most positive signs appear in the area of jobs. The Mankato/North Mankato metropolitan statistical area has about 1,000 more jobs than a year ago through August. The number of jobs is 54,350. But what's interesting looking at the historical data, we hit 55,343 jobs in April of this year, the highest level going all the way back to 2001.
Other indicators that are positive: initial claims for unemployment down 50 percent in nine county region from a year ago; The number of people looking for jobs is down by about 500 for the same place and time; unemployment rates for nine counties are all down; residential building permits in Mankato and North Mankato are up over last year comparing August, and prices for corn, soybeans, hogs and milk are up; vehicle sales and general sales are up in Mankato, compared to a year ago May.
Still, the economic impact of the state balancing a $6 billion deficit is likely to his the Mankato region more so than other places. In 2009, 10 percent of all wages paid in Blue Earth County came from state government. In Nicollet County, 17 percent of all wages came from state government jobs.
Twelve indicators are up and five are down, according to the data provided in Free Press Media's Minnesota Valley Business magazine, a business magazine that's a must for anyone who is in business. (You can get on the list for free if your are a business owner or you can subscribe for $19.95 per year. Call 625-4451 to subscribe or e-mail to readerservice@mankatofreepress.com).
But the most positive signs appear in the area of jobs. The Mankato/North Mankato metropolitan statistical area has about 1,000 more jobs than a year ago through August. The number of jobs is 54,350. But what's interesting looking at the historical data, we hit 55,343 jobs in April of this year, the highest level going all the way back to 2001.
Other indicators that are positive: initial claims for unemployment down 50 percent in nine county region from a year ago; The number of people looking for jobs is down by about 500 for the same place and time; unemployment rates for nine counties are all down; residential building permits in Mankato and North Mankato are up over last year comparing August, and prices for corn, soybeans, hogs and milk are up; vehicle sales and general sales are up in Mankato, compared to a year ago May.
Still, the economic impact of the state balancing a $6 billion deficit is likely to his the Mankato region more so than other places. In 2009, 10 percent of all wages paid in Blue Earth County came from state government. In Nicollet County, 17 percent of all wages came from state government jobs.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Editor's take on today's news
Surprising poll and the anger vote
Results in the latest Minnesota Public Radio/Humphrey Institute poll are somewhat surprising showing Mark Dayton opening up an 11 point lead over Republican Tom Emmer.
Apparently, Dayton's tax the rich message is not scaring too many average people. You have to wonder if one of the worst recessions in decades, angst and discord in Washington, tea parties across the country has created the perfect storm for the anger and frustration vote.
The idea that taxing the rich will hurt job creation also seems to be a message that not many people are buying. I'm not sure why they would. They haven't seen their "rich" employers add many jobs lately. So, they figure, what do we have to lose?
That's not necessarily the way I would think about it, but I've not seen anyone offer a study that shows when you raise taxes on wealthy individuals you curtail job creation, or conversely, if you lower taxes - like in 2001 - you spur job creation. That obviously didn't happen.
Anger, part two, the Chinese
With voters angry at their U.S. elected leaders in Congress, you've got to figure Congress gets angry and frustrated as well. So why not take it out on the Chinese.
A bipartisan group of 348 members of the House of Representatives voted to penalize China if we don't like how they value, or - in our view- manipulate, the value of their currency, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Journal writer Michael R. Crittenden and Bob Davis describe it as a move that is "sending a powerful warning to Beijing but risking a response that could harm U.S. companies and consumers."
That's a great piece of good old fashioned journalist intelligence to work into that lead. The politicians were acting tough, but likely to the detriment of their constituents.
But who is against bashing the Chinese, the guys who are like the "rich" of the world because they own so much of our debt.
The bill would allow us to put tariffs on Chinese goods if we didn't like the fact that Chinese currency was making ours look bad. Congress is probably posturing more on this than actually thinking about doing it, but then again, actions of Congress are often based on what looks good and not what will work well.
The risk in this kind of retaliation legislation is what the World Trade Organization won't tolerate. The WTO has the authority to rule against any unfair tariffs and allow the aggrieved country justice. This legislation seems like it would certainly fall outside the WTO rules we all agreed to abide by years ago.
We'd just have them retaliate with tariffs on everything we have to sell to them. And being that China is one of the largest markets in the world for U. S. goods, (why would our governors and others be continually traveling there if they weren't?) cutting off trade or artificially raising the price of our goods in the Chinese market wouldn't make any economic sense.
Tip of the day for tea party folks
The tea party continues its angry protests against all manner of federal spending that doesn't ever seem to be specified except in broad ways like welfare and Obamacare.
I offer this specific for use in their next rally: The House of Representatives approved in May a Defense Department budget that will increase $46 billion in 2011, or 7 percent. The vote was 229-186.
But Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and his deputy recently told Congress their budget is bloated and wasteful and they don't need that much money, and are aiming to cut their own budget $100 billion over five years because of waste in private contracts that should be done by the Defense Department's own employees.
They also didn't want Congress to spend $485 million on backup jet engines they say they didn't need, as did Obama, as did Bush before him. The House voted down stripping that money from the Defense bill. The vote will surprise you. Democrats voted against the wasteful spending, while many Republicans voted in favor of the extra jet engines, though there was crossover both ways.
Tea parties and citizens getting involved in government is great. It helps if you have some facts.
Results in the latest Minnesota Public Radio/Humphrey Institute poll are somewhat surprising showing Mark Dayton opening up an 11 point lead over Republican Tom Emmer.
Apparently, Dayton's tax the rich message is not scaring too many average people. You have to wonder if one of the worst recessions in decades, angst and discord in Washington, tea parties across the country has created the perfect storm for the anger and frustration vote.
The idea that taxing the rich will hurt job creation also seems to be a message that not many people are buying. I'm not sure why they would. They haven't seen their "rich" employers add many jobs lately. So, they figure, what do we have to lose?
That's not necessarily the way I would think about it, but I've not seen anyone offer a study that shows when you raise taxes on wealthy individuals you curtail job creation, or conversely, if you lower taxes - like in 2001 - you spur job creation. That obviously didn't happen.
Anger, part two, the Chinese
With voters angry at their U.S. elected leaders in Congress, you've got to figure Congress gets angry and frustrated as well. So why not take it out on the Chinese.
A bipartisan group of 348 members of the House of Representatives voted to penalize China if we don't like how they value, or - in our view- manipulate, the value of their currency, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Journal writer Michael R. Crittenden and Bob Davis describe it as a move that is "sending a powerful warning to Beijing but risking a response that could harm U.S. companies and consumers."
That's a great piece of good old fashioned journalist intelligence to work into that lead. The politicians were acting tough, but likely to the detriment of their constituents.
But who is against bashing the Chinese, the guys who are like the "rich" of the world because they own so much of our debt.
The bill would allow us to put tariffs on Chinese goods if we didn't like the fact that Chinese currency was making ours look bad. Congress is probably posturing more on this than actually thinking about doing it, but then again, actions of Congress are often based on what looks good and not what will work well.
The risk in this kind of retaliation legislation is what the World Trade Organization won't tolerate. The WTO has the authority to rule against any unfair tariffs and allow the aggrieved country justice. This legislation seems like it would certainly fall outside the WTO rules we all agreed to abide by years ago.
We'd just have them retaliate with tariffs on everything we have to sell to them. And being that China is one of the largest markets in the world for U. S. goods, (why would our governors and others be continually traveling there if they weren't?) cutting off trade or artificially raising the price of our goods in the Chinese market wouldn't make any economic sense.
Tip of the day for tea party folks
The tea party continues its angry protests against all manner of federal spending that doesn't ever seem to be specified except in broad ways like welfare and Obamacare.
I offer this specific for use in their next rally: The House of Representatives approved in May a Defense Department budget that will increase $46 billion in 2011, or 7 percent. The vote was 229-186.
But Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and his deputy recently told Congress their budget is bloated and wasteful and they don't need that much money, and are aiming to cut their own budget $100 billion over five years because of waste in private contracts that should be done by the Defense Department's own employees.
They also didn't want Congress to spend $485 million on backup jet engines they say they didn't need, as did Obama, as did Bush before him. The House voted down stripping that money from the Defense bill. The vote will surprise you. Democrats voted against the wasteful spending, while many Republicans voted in favor of the extra jet engines, though there was crossover both ways.
Tea parties and citizens getting involved in government is great. It helps if you have some facts.
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