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15:53
I’ve neglected to advise you of a ...
» Minnesota Threshold NetworkI’ve neglected to advise you of a great new website called preparingtodie.com. It has wonderful information for caregivers, on writing your will and much more. Check it out!
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“Take me out to the…”
» Minnesota Mom
Yesterday I went with my two bookend boys on a private tour of Target Field.
That’s our new stadium for the Minnesota Twins.
Just so you know.
I didn’t take a ton of photos because most of the time, my arms were full of two-year-old. Don’t let the above photo fool you—that is like one of the only times he let his brother hold him.
And here’s his mother foolishly wearing heels.
Anyway, it was very cool! We were there with Joe’s class for an end-of-the-year outing (they do class parties every month) and this tour was donated by one of the boy’s parents, who had won it at an auction. Very nice and again, very cool.
My favorite parts of the tour were the lockers rooms (Concrete floors and metal lockers? Not! Think wall-to-wall carpet and plush leather arm chairs) and the lower-level “keg room.” Here’s a bit of trivia for all you baseball fans: How much beer do you think gets consumed during a single baseball game?
Venture a guess before you check. The answer’s in the com-box!
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23:32
1984 Minnesota Overtures
» Nokohaha
“Oh, Yes! I’ve been coming here since I was a child. that’s a lot of vacations, a lot of nice memories…”
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23:31
Butler Square’s Great Glass Elevators
» Nokohaha
In the Seventies I spent a least at couple weekends a year with my mother at Art Fairs all over the Twin Cities. I still remember the feeling I used to get after the booth was all set up and Mom unfolded her little yellow lawn chair. It was like somebody had just turned over an enormous hour glass in my gut. I knew it would be the longest day of the year. Fortunately my leash was loose. Mom used to let me wander. I remember discovering the length of Lake Street at the Uptown Art Fair. I found my self a little turned around in search of the Wax Museum and the latest Kiss Album. I must have been somewhere near Blaisdell when I asked a little old lady for directions,
“Are you lost?” she said and then she flagged down a bus and tried to put me on board all the while explaining to the bus driver that this little girl was lost. I told the driver I was not a girl, not lost and I was looking for the Wax Museum.
1910
My mom thought it was perfectly safe to turn me loose in Uptown, Har-Mar, Maplewood Mall or 50th and France, but Downtown was just too scary. The next door neighbor had been telling her about “white slavers” that were kidnapping kids in the arcades on Hennepin Avenue. After we got all set up in Butler Square I was told not to leave the building. What did I do for Nine hours? I rode the great glass elevators up and down, over and over. I got out and poked around on every floor. There was a science and nature sort of toy store on the second floor and I spent a couple hours in there day dreaming about kites and little pieces of plexi that sent prisms dancing on the walls. After they kicked me out I went back to the elevators and soared up above the trapeze artist and the hang glider. I imagined my self tip toeing out there on one of those giant rough-hewn beams. I wonder what kid og tree that was anyway and is it really strong enough to hold up this big brick building? well it may have been a long and tedious ordeal, but it makes for a good memory. I’ll tell you something else. To this day, whenever I’m downtown and it feels just a little bit scary, I head for Butler Square where I know I’ll be safe.
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23:25
Hi Paul! I have been slowly making my way through 240+ page of your blog. I'm moving to Minneapolis in the fall to attend school at the U. In July my mom and I are trekking out from the state of Virginia for my orientation/registration. First time ever
» Stuff about Minneapolis36 hours in Minneapolis? Let’s do this.
Since you are coming out for orientation, I won’t throw everything at you all at once, just a few nuggets in that area I would recommend.
1) Check out Father Hennepin Bluffs Park. Not far from campus, and you can see downtown/St. Anthony Falls, plus you can check out some of the restaurants along St. Anthony Main. (The Aster Cafe is a favorite of mine)
2) Mesa Pizza in Dinkytown. You’ll love it sober, but you’ll really love it if you are…not sober.
3) Downtown/Loring Park Get your picture taken in front of First Avenue and the Spoonbridge and Cherry. All out-of-towners do it, and If you really want to embrace our city, you will get to know both of them very well.
Welcome to Minneapolis kid.
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23:10
Cool streetcar pic and loved the earlier tortoise pic. You *are* the new journalism!
» Stuff about MinneapolisThanks much. I’m just a guy who loves the Twin Cities, and really only responds to questions/comments after I’ve had some beers.
Now you know.
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23:00
Hi - love your blog! I was wondering: Last year, you posted a list of things to do in Minneapolis in the summer on the cheap. Could you either repost it or post the link from last year? Thanks!
» Stuff about MinneapolisThanks Jocelyn! Not sure, but here is a link I did from a post in 2010 [stuffaboutminneapolis.tumblr.com] about that subject. We all know the usual suspects, Como Zoo, Minneapolis Institue of Art, and the Sculpture Garden are free, and hopefully folks will chime in with some other/new ideas for doing the Twin Cities cheap this summer.
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What’s My House Worth in Ham Lake, MN? Or Lino Lakes, Forest Lake, Hugo orBlaine?
» Minnesota Real Estate Update
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18:27
“Dwarfed by artwork at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.” by...
» Stuff about Minneapolis -
18:14
Northeast Minneapolis realtor Michael Gacek, got his beloved...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Northeast Minneapolis realtor Michael Gacek, got his beloved “Nordeast Directional Sign” back up just in time for Art-A-Whirl, after it was vandalized a couple of weeks ago.
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17:54
Art-A-Whirl 2012 Art-A-Whirl is the largest open-studio tour in...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Art-A-Whirl 2012
Art-A-Whirl is the largest open-studio tour in the country. It’s a great opportunity to tour private artist studios and galleries, connect with the artists, and purchase original artwork.
Art-A-Whirl takes place annually in Northeast Minneapolis, the third weekend of May. This event is free and open to the public.
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Two Shows Tonight!
» Minnesota MMA
Combat sports fans in Minnesota have two shows to pick from on this hot and steamy day in May.
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Driller Promotions are at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, while Brutaal MMA return to Owatonna. UFC/Strikeforce veteran Paul Bradley will be a special guest at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna.
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MnSCU Legislative Session Summary
» Minnesota State University Student Association
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities2012 Legislative Session Summary
Higher Education Omnibus BillThe House and Senate higher education committees put together a bill that passed both bodies April 27, 2012. The higher education omnibus bill, while not large, includes provisions important to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. One of those is the continuing operations language that will allow colleges and universities access to their cash in order to continue serving students if a government shutdown were to happen again.
The bill also includes an increase in the revenue fund authority from $300 million to $405 million. This language will allow campuses the opportunity to evaluate and plan, in consultation with students, for the future of revenue generating facilities including, but not limited to: dorms, student unions, dining facilities, and parking.
The bill adds categories of students to the types of students who are not required, under current law, to have a statement of immunization on file with a college or university as a prerequisite to enrolling. The new language specifically excludes students attending only extension, online, or evening or weekend adult accelerated programs.
The textbook language in the bill includes the establishment of a work group to study methods that result in lower textbook costs for students. There is also language that requires the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities institutions to publish course schedules and course material lists on the institution’s Web site.The textbook language also makes the notification to the campus bookstore of selected course material mandatory for MnSCU academic departments or instructors, and requires the notice of selection to be provided to the bookstore and students 45 days, instead of 30 days, before the start of the term in which the selected material will be used. The bookstore is also required to make reasonable efforts to notify students at least 30 days, instead of 15 days, prior to the start of the term of the most recent copyright date of the printed course material and the copyright date of the most recent prior edition of the course material, if that prior edition is acceptable for class use.
Language regarding the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) student fee, a classroom-based, content-specific assessment that captures teacher candidates’ performance in planning and delivering instruction primarily taken during the student teaching phase of a student’s education, was included in the bill and requires the Minnesota Board of Teaching to report to the K-12 and higher education legislative committees by January 5, 2013 with recommendations for eliminating lower priority tests or assessments required of teacher education students to offset the additional fees charged to students for the TPA. Currently the student is not bearing any cost for completing the TPA because the assessment is in its pilot phase.The governor signed the bill on Wednesday, May 2, 2012. The final bill is available at:
www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=270&year=2012&type=0.
Bonding Bill
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) requested $278 million ($222 million in state funding) in higher education asset and preservation and bonding projects for the 2012 legislative session. Chancellor Steven Rosenstone and Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Brian Yolitz presented the request to the Senate and House higher education committees and capital investment committees explaining to members that the system’s request covers two main areas; asset preservation projects to protect the campus facilities keeping them safe, efficient, dry, warm and code compliant; and projects to provide the necessary facilities for graduates to learn the skills required to meet business and industry’s current and
future needs. The request can be found at: [www.mnscu.edu]
In mid-January, Gov. Mark Dayton released his bonding recommendation totaling $775 million, of which $112 million was recommended for MnSCU. The Legislature introduced legislation in the area of $500 million for bonding, but the two bodies structured their bills differently.
The House worked with two bonding bills; a statewide infrastructure bill that funded $280 million in projects, of which $56 million was earmarked for MnSCU. The second bonding bill included $221 million for State Capitol restoration. The State Capitol bill failed by one vote on the House floor, so House members added the $221 million restoration project in the statewide infrastructure bill and reduced other projects, including the amount set for MnSCU. Instead of $56 million for the system, the House bill scaled the system funding to $30 million for HEAPR only.
In the Senate, members worked with just one bonding bill totaling $496 million, of which $127 million was slated for MnSCU - $32 million in HEAPR and the remaining $95 million in projects. The Senate included $25 million for the State Capitol restoration project in the same bill.
Neither body took up their bonding bill on the floor in order to send it to conference committee to iron out the differences between the House and Senate. However, in the final days of session, the Republican leadership brought forward a $496 million bill that included $44 million for the State Capitol restoration project. With the large drop in proposed funding for the State Capitol restoration, and the exclusion of local civic center projects, there was room in the bill for other projects.
The House passed the $496 million bonding bill May 7, and sent it to the Senate for final passage. The Senate passed the bill, but also amended it, so the bill had to be sent back to the House. On May 8 the House concurred with the Senate bonding bill, passed it and sent it to Gov. Dayton.
The final bill includes $132 million ($94.7 million in state funding) for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, of which $20 million is for HEAPR, higher education asset preservation and replacement.
The individual projects include:- $13.389 million for the Minneapolis Community and Technical College workforce program renovation;
- $13.851 million for Ridgewater College, Willmar technical instruction lab renovation;
- $4.606 million for Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Worthington renovation and addition;
- $13.315 million for South Central College, Faribault classroom renovation and addition;
- $0.980 million for Anoka Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids bioscience and allied health addition;
- $26.292 million for North Hennepin Community College bioscience and health careers center addition;
- $0.500 million for Southwest Minnesota State University science lab renovation;
- $1.5 million for Saint Paul College health and science center design;
- $5 million for Century College academic partners classroom design and construction;
- $7.230 million for Dakota County Technical College transportation and emerging technical lab renovation;
- $8.746 million for Rochester Community and Technical College workforce center;
- $2.5 million for the system wide STEM renovation;
- $2.065 million for Minnesota State University, Mankato clinical science building design;
- $3.303 million for Bemidji State University business building addition/renovation design and demolition;
- $4.549 million for Northeast Higher Education District Itasca Community College demolition, renovation and addition;
- $4 million for St. Cloud Technical and Community College medium heavy truck and auto body addition and renovation; and
- $0.300 million for Northland Community and Technical College aviation maintenance facility expansion.
The final bill is available at:www.revisor.mn.gov/bin/bldbill.php?bill=ueh1752.1.html&session=ls87
In addition to the HEAPR funding and projects included in the bonding bill, there is also language related to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. The scope of two projects funded in the 2011 bonding bill were modified to align with the intended project description; the Normandale Community College Academic Partnership Center and Student Services project, and the Mesabi Range Community and Technical College Iron Range Engineering Program Facilities project.
There is also language that expands the authorized use of state bond appropriations made in the 2008 bonding bill for the National Hockey Center at St. Cloud State University to include HEAPR uses on the St. Cloud State University campus.
Other bill highlights related to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system
Leveraged Equipment FundingChapter 292, the annual forecast bill, includes funding for several items totaling $2 million including $210,000 for the GI Bill and $457,000 in fiscal year 2013 for a leveraged equipment program for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. The equipment is to be used for instructional purposes for programs that the Board of Trustees has determined would produce graduates with skills for which there is a high employer need within the state. This one-time appropriation must be matched by cash or in-kind contributions from non-state sources.
K-12 Education Bill Chapter 239 includes language regarding post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO). Currently, the PSEO program allows high school juniors and seniors to take post-secondary level courses while still completing high school. The bill expands PSEO to 10th grade students by permitting them to enroll in a career or technical education course at qualified postsecondary institutions.Basic Skills Exam Bill
Chapter 122 requires teacher candidates to pass a basic skills exam in reading, writing and math prior to becoming a licensed teacher in Minnesota. Current law allows students who have completed a teacher preparation program to receive up to three one-year licenses without passing a basic skills exam.Online / Digital Learning Bill
Chapter 273 requires all colleges and universities who prepare teacher preparation students to include in their teacher preparation programs the knowledge and skills teacher candidates need to deliver digital and blended learning and curriculum. Staff development of teachers must include the accommodation of delivery of digital and blended learning and curriculum and engage students with technology.Student Transition Plan Bill
Chapter 207 strongly encourages school districts to assist students by ninth grade to explore their college and career interests and aspirations and develop a plan for a smooth and successful transition to postsecondary education or employment. The plans should, among other things, provide a comprehensive academic plan for completing a college and career-ready curriculum, help students identify personal learning styles that may affect their postsecondary education and employment choices, and help students succeed at gaining access to postsecondary education and career options.
Greater Minnesota Internship ProgramThe tax bill passed by the House and Senate and sent to Gov. Dayton includes language regarding the Greater Minnesota Internship Program. The Office of Higher Education is to administer a grant program for eligible employers who hire interns in greater Minnesota through eligible postsecondary institutions that provide academic credit. To participate, an eligible institution must enter into a written agreement with eligible employers to provide paid internships at least 12 weeks long, determine the work experience is closely related to the student’s course of study, and provide academic credit for successful completion of the internship.
A grant for an eligible employer equals 40 percent of the compensation paid to each qualifying intern, not to exceed $1,250. An employer may receive a grant for a maximum of five interns in a fiscal year. The total amount of grants is limited to $1 million per fiscal year.
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12:14
tcdailyplanet: “No cussing at passersby, no glass, no hard...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
“No cussing at passersby, no glass, no hard alcohol, no one under the age of 18, no booze on board unless everyone is age 21, no one over 300 lbs. pedaling, no nakedness, no exiting the vehicle until it comes to a complete stop, no taking your drink with you if you exit the vehicle and we only wave at people with all five fingers.”
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09:39
5-18-12 WOD
» CrossFitMN“Team Challenge”
Phase I
20-16-8
Weighted Walking Lunges
BurpeesPhase II
20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2
Toes to Bar
Kb Swings (55/35)Phase III
800m
Bar Hold (185/135)
600m
Bar Hold
400m
Bar Hold
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First Five Fragments for Friday
» One Minnesota Writer1. Never set herb seedlings in front of the window that will allow a wind gust to blow the seedlings into the sink where clean dishes are drying.
2. Mobius strip as metaphor for....what?
3. Today's soundtrack: wind chimes, traffic, wrens in the crabapple, pine boughs in the wind, chattering one-year-old.
4. The oriental poppies have exploded into one of my favorite violently bright shades of orange-red in the front yard.
5. Cutting my caffeine intake does make a difference.
And your fragments are....?
REMINDER: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - GREAT BIG LITTLE POEMS CONTEST
Every Day Poets' Great Big Little Poems Contest is still accepting entries, so check out the guidelines and see if this contest is for you. Good luck to all who dare to enter.
This is Ruby. She is actually smirking. (photo by kcmickelson)
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How Rich Could You Have Been?
» Simply Squirrel Food[creativecommons.org] src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3za9gNYW_UE/T7U-dCkk0xI/AAAAAAAAHfI/kfyCfJsaJGY/Flickr-4881843809.jpg" />
Everywhere you go these days, it seems everyone is talking about Facebook and the long-awaited IPO. Well today's the day the company that originated on a college campus in 2004 goes public. In the span of slightly more than 8 years, Facebook has over 900 million users and is estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
Countless companies have started since 2004, was one of them yours? How much would your business be worth if you enjoyed the same level of meteoric success as Mark Zuckerberg? One Simply Squirrel Food reader sent me an interesting tool that allows you to calculate the value of your company if it had followed Facebook's rate of growth.
You can access it here:
What if I were Mark Zuckerberg?
Have a topic you'd like to see discussed on Simply Squirrel Food? Send me an email I'd love to hear from you.
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06:00
Online Marketing News: Top Internet Retailers, Google Penguin & Panda Party Crash, Users Distrust Facebook
» Online Marketing Blog
Top 250 Internet Retailers
Social networking for retailers makes sense right? Make your brand visible where your consumers are spending the most time. This infographic from Campalyst shares information on one of the things that helps makes retailers successful online, a social presence. Key findings include:
- Number of followers by social platform
- How success on social networks is distributed
- The most followed industries on specific social channels
Mike Yanke – Who Will Win the War of the Sidebars?While Google made headlines this week with the launch of its Knowledge Graph (ie a new sidebar element designed provide facts the search giant has amassed on people, places and things), emerging force Bing made its own announcement last week with a platform relaunch, complete with a social sidebar. So what sidebar format will most engage users – a vast collection of knowledge on people, places or things you may never see – or a vast collection of facts on people, places and things you may see every day? Check out Search Engine Land for more on both Bing’s social sidebar and Google’s Knowledge Graph.
This Week in Online Marketing NewsFacebook IPO Could Place Its Value at $140 Billion
The social network priced its shares at $38 apiece, valuing the company at $104 billion. The average first-day “pop” for a technology company is 32 percent; if Facebook follows that trend, it’ll be worth $137 billion by day’s end. Via Bloomberg.Who Invited Penguin & Panda to the Party?
Google’s new penguin update has many organizations confused, frustrated, and angry. It seems that many sites have seen a sudden drop in traffic, and are blaming “Penguin” and “Panda” for the decline. This article covers the importance of knowing which update affected your traffic as well as tips for gaining some of your traffic back. Via Yoast.57% of Facebook users Never Click Ads
Facebook’s public offering has generated a lot of buzz and anticipation. However, the ineffectiveness of advertising and user distrust due to policy changes may stunt aggressive growth goals. Curious to know other results of this poll run by CNBC? Via MSNBC.Is Google+ Becoming a Ghost Town?
This week Fast Company received exclusive insights into Google+. If it’s true that Google+ is the company’s “social spine” then they are in need of some serious adjustments. The picture painted by the data shows very weak user engagement, waning interest and minimal social activity. Via Fast Company.9 Ways to Be An Expert, Without the Attitude
There is a fine line between providing valuable information, and the stigma that comes with being thought of as an expert. This article provides 9 helpful tips that you can share valuable information in an influential way without being perceived as a jerk. Via Brass Tack Thinking.17 Steps to Becoming a Content Curator
TopRank Team News
Many people curate content without even thinking about what they are doing. Re-sharing an article from a friend or colleague, or collecting and sharing a series of blog posts on a particular topic. There are some very simple rules that you can follow to properly curate and share the information you find online. This guide from Econsultancy covers the basics to set you up for success. Via Econsultancy.Kodi Osmond – Yahoo Debuts Big Data App Called “Genome” at Internet Week
Genome, over-simplified, refers to the biological information needed to build a living thing. If one thinks of data as capturing the behavior of a living thing, then data must be a “living thing”, too. Perhaps this was the logic used when Yahoo named its big data software, scheduled to release in July. Read more of Yahoo’s press release and what EVP of Americas Rich Riley had to say at Venture Beat.Shawna Kenyon – What People really Want vs. What They Share on Social Media
Social media monitoring company NetBase published a year’s worth of its own data and compared it against a Harris poll to determine the gaps between what people say in social media updates compared to what they actually want. They found that in general people are ‘emotional sharers’ but in actuality tend to be quite logical when asked a direct question. This article poses an interesting comparison between men and woman within a number of categories. Via Mashable.Roxanne Hagberg – Google Search Just 1,000 Times Smarter
(We all know that Google’s Knowledge Graph is big news this week. Our team found this change to be very important for our readers so we have included another review from Mashable)Google taps into a variety of knowledge databases to roll out “Knowledge Graph”, the next generation of search. Knowledge Graph allows users to quickly narrow their search to find the most relevant results. Via Mashable.
Brian Larson – Saving Time in Google Analytics
I remember the first time I really, really dug into a Google Analytics (GA) profile. I logged into GA at noon and the next time I looked up it was time to go home. There’s no doubt that there’s a tremendous amount of valuable information in GA. There’s also no doubt that it can be easy to lose time data mining in this tool. Search Engine Watch’s Eric Stiu shares ‘7 Time Saving Google Analytics Custom Reports’. Via Search Engine Watch.Time to Weigh In: Wow, this was a big week in SEO and social news. Google “Penguin” as well as their new “Knowledge Graph” are on the minds of many organizations. Has your company seen any significant decreases in traffic since this release? Do you believe that Google+ is a truly effective mechanism for engaging customers and clients socially? What updates would you recommend Google+ make to increase usability and engagement?
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Online Marketing News: Facebook IPO: Worth $140 Billion, Google Penguin & Panda Party Crash, G+ Ghost Town | [www.toprankblog.com]
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21:16
openstreetsmpls: New flyer art for 2012. Thanks to Johnny at...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
New flyer art for 2012. Thanks to Johnny at Modern Climate. Full-size posters coming soon!
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20:37
Familia & Nike
» Familia Skateshop | 2833 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55408
Nike “non-tourage” dunk will be released at 11am Sat May 19th. First come, first serve, 1 per customer $160
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19:52
5-17-12 WOD
» CrossFitMN
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18:14
Minnesota Public Radio News: Is Minnesota music in a golden age?
» Stuff about MinneapolisMinnesota Public Radio News: Is Minnesota music in a golden age?:Over the decades there have been some really robust cycles in Minnesota music, to the point where they’ve been described as “golden eras.” The local garage rock craze of the mid-’60s is one such period. The 1980s, when Prince owned the national airwaves and groups like the Replacements and Hüsker…
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18:13
mprnews: Minneapolis City Council has voted to grant a...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Minneapolis City Council has voted to grant a demolition permit for Peavey Plaza.
Historic preservationists have been fighting a plan to redesign the 37-year-old downtown park in front of Orchestra Hall. They argue Peavey Plaza is an important example of modernist architecture that should be restored, not removed.
The committee’s vote means it’s likely that next week the full City Council will overturn a previous ruling by the city’s Heritage Preservation Commission.
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17:52
Buildings Built for Permanence are Built of Concrete
» Nokohaha
Built in 1912 the Leamington Hotel was originally 10 floors. In the 1960′s, three additional luxury floors landed on top of the building like a space ship. The hotel had 700 rooms that were usually full of conventioneers. It was demolished in 1992 and replaced with the Leamington Municipal Ramp. I guess some concrete buildings are more permanent than others.
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Grain Elevator - Butterfield, MN
» Minnesota Pictures
from flickr user RyanShoots
For some reason I love grain elevators. SOme of them are the size of small towns while others, like this grain elevator in Butterfield, MN, are showing their age but are likely still the hub of activity in their respective small town.
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The Close of Our First Year of AHG
» Minnesota Mom
A {Pretty Happy Funny Real} Round-Up
{Pretty}
This is so totally a personal bias, but I find little girls in uniforms to be very pretty.
The above picture was taken before the American Heritage Girls Spring Court of Awards ceremony, which was held last Monday evening. It is not to be confused with this photo, which was taken after the Joining Ceremony held last fall:
Clearly my eye for composition hasn’t changed a bit.
{Happy}
Enough said?
{Funny}
This week’s “Funny” comes at my expense, as in, I embarrassed the heck out of myself. Ha ha! Isn’t that funny?
We leaders were asked to introduce ourselves—on stage, of course, in front of everyone. Most people said their name and the level that they led—i.e. “My name is Mary Smith and I am an Explorer leader.” Thinking I wanted to make a little ol’ bit of an impression, (first mistake), I said, “My name is Margaret Berns and I am a leader of the super-cute, super-sweet Tenderhearts!”
At least, that’s what I meant to say.
The actual introduction went like this: “I’m Margaret Berns, super-cute and super-sweet Tenderhearts leader!” There was a startled pause…then people laughed….and I realized, horrified, what I had said.
“Well, you certainly made an impression,” my husband remarked.
{Real}
“Real” is the pride that I felt in presenting the Roman Catholic religious medal award to my two Tenderhearts.
“Real” is also seeing these photos later and not feeling “super-cute” at all.
“Real” is thinking, “Oh my goodness, I’ve gained weight.”
It’s knowing that it’s not being pregnant that makes me look like this—it’s overeating. It’s wondering why all the weight’s going to my stomach—is it a thyroid deficiency? A gluten intolerance? Too much butter? Too many Cheez-Its?
It’s not knowing if I even am still pregnant, because I don’t see my doctor until the 12-week mark. It’s worrying...and eating...and worrying...and...
It’s watching my girls grow up and hoping that I’m doing right by them, despite some of my more glaring weaknesses.
It’s thanking God regardless for the gift of this new day, and for having salad for lunch, not Cheez-Its.
As always, special thanks to Like Mother, Like Daughter for hosting!
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11:09
finding-joy: Come to the Anti-Wrecking Ball this Friday night...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Come to the Anti-Wrecking Ball this Friday night at the Soap Factory! It is FREE and there will be a food truck & Surly beer to buy, as well as a Booze Wall where you can win gift certificates or bottles of wine, liquor, and even growlers from local breweries!
And lots of cool historic photos from around the Twin Cities! If you pre-register (just click the picture for more info), you can win exclusive door prizes, too.
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Gophers redesign their season tickets program
» Minnesota Golden Gophers
A seating chart for the Williams Arena, one facility where seats have been rearranged.
For the 2012-2013 season, a lot of things will be changing for the truly devoted Gophers fans.
The University of Minnesota decided the pricing was wrong for their season tickets, but, instead of changing the prices, instead required a donation based on the seats held, ranging from $100 to $400. While some long-term fans abandoned the season tickets, the Gophers say the numbers are still very comparable. And, with the donations, the facilities (Mariucci and Williams in particular) have been improved to the tune of $8 million.
What bugs most ticket holders, though, is that everyone was re-seated. It was based on a rather vague "point system" of investment in the teams and loyalty. Some fans have purchased season tickets in the same place for years, and there's been a fair share of grumbling that people are being moved - to new seats and away from friends.
Regardless, this year the Gophers sold about as many tickets as last year, so it's clear that people still support the Golden Gophers!
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09:32
hclib: Poster for the 1929-1930 Minneapolis Millers of the...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Poster for the 1929-1930 Minneapolis Millers of the AHA
We found part of a hockey poster for the Minneapolis Millers on the back of an Andreas Larsen stained glass drawing.
The 1929-1930 season was the first coached by Coach Bill “Red” Stuart, who had previously played for the Boston Bruins of the NHL. The Central Hockey League was created in 1931 and Minneapolis joined it. Stuart played for Duluth for 1931-1932 and returned to coach the Millers in 1932. He led them to a 25-13-2 season, losing the league championship to the Eveleth Rangers at the Minneapolis Arena (now the site of the Uptown Rainbow) 2-1 on March 31, 1933.
Coach Stuart was released after the 1932-1933 season, replaced by Stewart Adams, who was also on the 1929-1930 Millers. Coach Stewart Adams led the Millers to a league championship with a 27-11-5 record. The Millers swept Hibbing in the league series. The Millers returned to the American Hockey Association in 1936.
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09:22
weworkhere: Stories and Shoes Needed! A MILE IN OUR SHOES is a...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Stories and Shoes Needed!
A MILE IN OUR SHOES is a storefront artwork that invites the public to contemplate the links between housing, transportation, and employment through the diverse experiences of Twin Cities residents. It is being created at the Shoebox Gallery near the corner of Chicago and Lake in South Minneapolis. To complete this work, we need your shoes and stories! The planned installation will feature pairs of shoes paired with stories collected from people who move through the Chicago-Lake neighborhood on a daily basis.
We need: your stories. What’s it like to walk a mile in your shoes? How do you get to and from the places you need to go? What challenges do you face in your daily travels? How do you overcome these challenges? Has lack of transportation ever kept you from taking a job? How does transportation figure into your choice, or lack thereof, in the places you live, work or play?
We need: a pair of your shoes. We’d love to display a pair of your shoes for approximately 7 weeks as part of this installation. Don’t worry about cleaning ‘em up or lending us your fanciest pair. They can be an old pair, any old pair. If they help illustrate your story, that’s even better. For example, if your story is about your work, what does a pair of work shoes look like for you? Do you have an old pair that you can spare for 7 weeks? If so, we’d love to include them in the display along with your story!
Pairs of shoes and quotes from personal stories will be on display at The Shoebox Gallery at Lake and Chicago for approximately 7 weeks. Your participation can be anonymous if need be.
If you are interested in being a part of this project, please get in touch with Colin Kloecker at Works Progress by Monday, May 21st. Shoes and stories will need to be collected by Thursday, May 24th to be included in this project.
Email: colin@worksprogress.org
Phone: (612) 839-0810Sidewalk Reception // Friday, May 25th from 4-8PM
Join us on the sidewalk for refreshments and conversation. Visitors will be invited to share their own connections to these issues by answering the question: What’s it like to walk a mile in your shoes? The Shoebox Gallery is located to the right of 2948 Chicago Avenue South (the Robert’s Shoes building). This public installation will be on display from Friday, May 25th to Friday, July 6th.Who we are
Works Progress is an artist-led public design studio that creates projects that inspire, inform and connect; catalyzing relationships across creative and cultural boundaries; and providing new platforms for public engagement. EquityNowTC is a diverse group of passionate people and organizations who believe that by working together, we can achieve equity for Minnesota and beyond. The Shoebox Gallery is a storefront window display located to the right of 2948 Chicago Avenue South in the Robert’s Shoes Building.
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Father Tierney Stumbles - John Shekleton
» Reading Minnesota
Father Tierney Stumbles
by John Shekleton
In the blink of an eye, everything has changed for Father Joe Tierney. He feels trapped. He needs to get away-far away. Dressed in disguise, he opens the door of the STD clinic and runs until his sides hurt and he is gasping for air. Father Tierney, activist pastor of a large Catholic parish and closeted gay man, has just learned he is HIV positive.
As if the diagnosis were not enough, a big city newspaper has just published an exposé on Catholic priests with AIDS. Father Tierney must guard his secret with his life or become the victim of a witch hunt, or worse yet, a public scandal of monumental proportions. Desperate to confide in someone, Father Tierney finally reveals his secret to Pascal LaVigne, his openly gay friend. But when Pascal hears from his ex-boyfriend, a freelance writer who wants to write a similar story with a local angle, Father Tierney and others in the Catholic Church fear the worst.
As guilt, shame, and a desperate struggle for redemption plays out in the lives of clergy, friends, and the media, Father Tierney struggles to keep a secret that has the potential to destroy everything-including his own soul.
BIOGRAPHY
John Shekleton is a former Jesuit of the Wisconsin Province who has spent years writing fiction set in a contemporary Catholic setting.
Two of his essays have appeared in Commonweal magazine. For several years he wrote for the magazine of the Basilica of St Mary in Minneapolis and for Equal Times, a Twin Cities GLBT newspaper.
WEBSITES
Author page: [www.johnshekletonauthor.com]
PURCHASE
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever books are sold.
OTHER WORKS
PUBLISHER
iUniverse: [www.iuniverse.com]
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07:20
All Marketing Should Be Optimized – Geoff Livingston & Gini Dietrich
» Online Marketing Blog
Photo Credit: Geoff Livingston - Flickr
[Note from Lee: The growing trend towards integration of marketing and communications disciplines has brought a tremendous demand for guidance and insight. I'm happy to say that my friends Geoff Livingston and Gini Dietrich have published a new book about just that. We rarely publish guest posts but the message of integration and optimization in this book blend perfectly with our core messages here.]
One of our favorite books to come out in a long while is Lee’s Optimize. We love the three discipline approach — content, search and social — to online marketing. Without integration across all marketing disciplines we fail to understand the customer experience.
We just published Marketing in the Round on a overarching integrated communications, traditional and new, and see online as the backbone for all marketing today, on or offline.
Consider the customer experience. They weave between traditional broadcast and print media into online seamlessly. For example, someone could ride their local train or subway, see ads, surf the Internet on their mobile phone, read a magazine (on their tablet or not), or a host of other activities.
You get the point. Customer media use supersedes tactical practices. That’s true for both B2B and B2C, though as Lee points out in his book, these sales cycles are very different.
Multichannel marketing applies to traditional print, broadcast, mail and PR approaches, too. They should all be optimized for search, too, with messaging and keywords that will invoke familiarity with stakeholders regardless of which media form they are seen.
Think about it. Customers search when they are looking to find something. If you optimize online ads, content, social and SEO so that search indexes your company’s name first, then you absolutely need your print ads, direct mail, press documents, white papers and broadcast ads to use the same keywords.
A customer may not even realize it, but they are mentally associating these words — message components — with your brand. When they search, they will use the keywords, and your optimized content will naturally come up in the top results. More importantly, it will already be familiar to your customer.
Take it a step further and add your creative, ads and content to the web site in a the modern press room. Transcribe the broadcast media so the keywords are searchable. Make them shareable. and start real discussions on them. Even ask for feedback on the ads. All of your traditional content can be repurposed, optimized and indexed for social and search.
That’s why all marketing disciplines should be integrated and operate together as a collective whole. Marketing in the Round discusses selecting traditional tactics and newer disciplines like social, online and mobile. It’s about how to weave them together to achieve the common objective.
Geoff Livingston is an author and marketing strategist, and serves as VP, Strategic Partnerships for Razoo. A former journalist, Livingston continues to write, and most recently he co-authored Marketing in the Round, and authored the social media primer Welcome to the Fifth Estate.
Gini Dietrich is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communication ?rm. She also is the founder of the professional development site for PR and marketing pros, Spin Sucks Pro and co-author of Marketing in the Round.
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | All Marketing Should Be Optimized – Geoff Livingston & Gini Dietrich | [www.toprankblog.com]
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22:25
In the Courtyard at the Curtis
» Nokohaha
1959
FREE TELEVISION IN EVERY ROOM
TWO HEATED SWIMMING POOLS
AAA APPROVED
1969
FREE PARKING
INSIDE CORRIDORS TO HOTEL LOBBIES
AIR-CONDITIONEDThis large hotel and apartment complex occupied most of a downtown block between 1903 and 1984. The hotel tower and apartment hotel tower flanked two of the low-rise Curtis Court Apartments. With 800 rooms, the Curtis billed itself as the largest hotel in the Upper Midwest. In it’s later years the hotel added a suburban style motor lodge with a pool worthy of being marketed on another postcard. The Curtis was located downtown at Tenth and Third Avenue South. The Curtis Motor Lodge was on the corner of Third at Eleventh Street. The entire Curtis complex was demolished in 1984.
1958
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21:42
stargazinginspring: I love this city. #minneapolis (Taken with...
» Stuff about Minneapolis -
18:50
wr3n: I have found the epitome of Hipsterdom. Hipsters, a...
» Stuff about Minneapolis -
15:02
A tornado’s scar in Minneapolis The blog, Geo-Located...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
A tornado’s scar in Minneapolis
The blog, Geo-Located Minneapolis, says Google Earth has released new imagery from above and it clearly shows the path of last year’s tornado through north Minneapolis.
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14:39
5-16-12 WOD
» CrossFitMNFind 3RM Weighted Push-Ups
(12 Minute time limit)THEN
5rds
20 Double Unders (Scale to 20 Tuck Jumps)
10 Deadlifts (135/95)
5 Hang Power Snatches (135/95)
3 Overhead Squats (135/95)
1 Rope Climb
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Saint Mary's honors students at Academic Awards Banquet
» Press ReleasesSaint Mary's University of Minnesota
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11:29
Rebuild Caribe Caribbean Bistro In 2010 a creative cook and his...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Rebuild Caribe Caribbean Bistro
In 2010 a creative cook and his artist wife poured their retirement and savings into opening Caribe Caribbean Bistro in the Midway area of St. Paul, Minnesota.
When? Caribe opened April 15th, 2010 and closed April 15, 2012.
Why did Caribe close? Light rail construction near by in 2011 caused business to decline.
How? Access to restaurant was difficult for many months. Sales dropped significantly. We began pouring our personal income into trying to save the business.Serving up dishes from across the Caribbean, Puerto Rico native Tony Panelli was fulfilling a dream along with me, his wife and business partner. The dream is temporarily on hold now, as the restaurant had to close. We are asking you to help us open again in a new location in the Audobon neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis.
Check out their Kickstarter page, and thanks to MinnPost for the initial post.
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11:03
Foshay by Kyle Frink
» Stuff about Minneapolis -
09:24
Woman learning about edible mushrooms. (1938) via the Minnesota...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
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Announcing the MinnPics Store
» Minnesota PicturesRarely do I do self-promotion here because MinnPics is all about great photos captured by great Minnesota photographers but I wanted to officially announce the arrival of the MinnPics Store. After nearly a decade of my wife and myself photographing the scenes of Minnesota we decided last August to pursue selling prints -- in limited quantities -- of our photographs. I'll omit the boring details of how we arrived at the launch of the MinnPics Store but it's here and I think that the price point is fair and that the photos are wall-worthy.
If you don't personally feel the need to purchase a print of one of our photos, please tell a friend or two about the MinnPics Store.
Thanks for reading and now back to your regular dose of photo goodness.
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Minnesota Guardianship and Conservatorship Data
» Minnesota Guardianship & Conservatorship Law BlogEver wonder how many current guardianships and conservatorships there are in Minnesota?
Here is the data, from the Court Information Office of the State Court Administrator's Office (and with a BIG thanks to William Mitchel College of Law student Jacob McKnite who gathered this information for a paper he is writing and kindly provided it to me):
Guardian totals: 17,040
Guardian/Conservator totals: 7,020
Total combined: 24,320
With the aging population, we can expect these numbers to grow.
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06:50
Interview: The Future of Cloud Marketing Software with Vocus CMO Jason Jue
» Online Marketing Blog
At TopRank Online Marketing, we are fortunate to provide consulting to quite a few innovative B2B companies that serve other marketers. A great example of that is PRWeb and parent company, Vocus, both long standing clients.
In late 2011 Vocus welcomed Jason Jue as Chief Marketing Officer. As Vocus & PRWeb’s Account Manager at TopRank, I was keenly interested in getting to know Jason better and learning his plans for the future – and what better way than through an interview for all readers of Online Marketing Blog to see?
In this interview Jason talks about the undeniable convergence of PR and marketing, what social media metric is most undervalued by many PR and marketing professionals, where marketers should invest for 2013 and his vision for Vocus.
Tell us a little bit about your background and what excites you most about joining Vocus?
Prior to Vocus, I was Vice President of Marketing at Rackspace and had several executive positions at Dell in the US and Asia, marketing to businesses. Vocus offers cloud marketing and PR software to businesses in every market sector and size that want to reach and influence buyers.
I’m excited about sharing with businesses how easily our products work wonders for our current customers. Some of the leading marketing consultants such as Sirius Decisions and MarketingSherpa use our products to maximize their online publicity.
For some people, Vocus is synonymous with Public Relations software. Can you speak to how and when Vocus first expanded to offering marketing solutions?
We have always believed PR to be a core part of “promoting a product or service” or marketing. Many customers who buy our PR software have a marketing title, and we’ve recently seen faster growth in this group. These customers use our social media and PRWeb news release features of our PR software. For them, we created a cloud marketing suite which integrates search, publicity, and social media marketing. Our cloud marketing suite was the most successful product launch in Vocus history, and will be even better when it includes email later this year.
Do you see PR and marketing professionals as two separate audiences? Or are they converging disciplines?
In marketing teams that have PR and marketing professionals, we continue to see them as two audiences with different product needs, although their roles are converging, especially around social media. PR professionals are using social media for brand positioning. Marketing professionals use social media for lead gen. Meanwhile, for the millions of businesses who have few, if any marketers at all, the marketing functions blend together.
Use your crystal ball and give us a glimpse into the future. How will the Vocus offering change over the next 2 years? Where do you see the most opportunity for growth?
The future of marketing is simple and powerful integrated campaigns. Every marketing team realizes that when working together on unified and integrated campaigns, lead generation and brand perception results are much better than working alone.
I know that sounds like a pipe dream as marketing complexity has increased to address the everywhere all the time customer. Today’s customers are constantly switching back and forth from website, news, social, search, email, and mobile. To add confusion, each specialty has their marketing tools resulting in silos and disjointed communication.
In the near future, marketers will be able to buy cloud marketing software to easily manage integrated campaigns. It will incorporate the trendy with the tried-and-true tactics of marketing The essential elements will work together for better results in lead generation and brand perception. And, it will recommend how and when to engage with prospects and customers.
Seem unbelievable? I think it’s unbelievable that it hasn’t already happened. In the past 15 years, every corporate function, from marketing to sales to HR, has seen a proliferation of technology tools. Marketing is the only function without a major product suite. IBM is doing it for large enterprise marketing. We are integrating all the important marketing tools into a cloud marketing suite so every business, large and small, can easily achieve big results .
Staying on social for a moment, what is one social metric that you think may be most overlooked by PR and marketing professionals alike? On the flip side, any stat that you view as overvalued?
The most important social media metric is how many people actively recommend your product or service. I think the most overvalued metrics are fans, followers, and likes.
As 2012 is well underway, what is one investment you think marketers must make in order to succeed the rest of the year and into 2013? (i.e. invest in mobile marketing)
Focus on marketing fundamentals that will dramatically accelerate growth. Who is your target customer? What product or service should you develop for them? How should you promote to them? Why should they buy from you?
Then, find the best product for you that simplifies all the marketing tactics and trends. This product will then let you focus on the marketing fundamentals.
Thanks, Jason!
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Interview: The Future of Cloud Marketing Software with Vocus CMO Jason Jue | [www.toprankblog.com]
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00:19
Shoes and the Sharood Catalog
» Nokohaha
There is ample substantiation of the truth in the old adage, “Great oaks from little acorns grow,” in the business growth and history of the Sharooci Shoe company of this city. Some ten years ago Charles K. Sharood, now president and general manager of the Sharood Shoe company,commenced the manufacture, in a a small way, of boots and shoes, combining in the product his ideas of quality, style and workmanship, and aiming to produce shoes that would fit Northwestern feet. How well he has succeeded is attested today by the success of the firm, now rapidly outgrowing its six-story brick factory building, with its three acres of floor space, as well as by the thousands of satisfied feet today shod with footwear ‘bearing the Sharood trademark. The factory’s output has found a ready market throughout the West, and the sales are increasing yearly with surprising rapidity.Some idea of the great industry carried on under the roof of the Sharood factory may be gained from the fact that the daily output of the 500 and some odd people employed there’is over 2,500 pairs of fine shoes, in the making of which are required from 1,200 to 1,500 skins —kid, kangaroo, colt, calf, etc., as well as about two tons of sole leather —and this every working day of the year. The public’s appreciation of “a good thing” is daily demonstrated by the sales of the factory’s output, which are to be found on the shelves of dealers all over the middle and far West, as well as. in the Orient. Incidentally it may be mentioned that the Sharood factory is practically the only one in St. Paul which does any considerable business in the Orient, or that manufactures for export trade.
-The Saint Paul Globe, Monday June 13th, 1904
jQuery(document).ready(function() { var imageflow2_1 = new imageflowplus(1); imageflow2_1.init( {conf_autorotate: "on", conf_autorotatepause: 3000, conf_startimg: 1} ); });
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Dress Like Your On Vacation All Summer! Inspiration from Miami, St Bartz, and St Tropez
» Oh You Crafty Gal
It officially feels like summer here in MN and it has me dreaming about what I want to wear this summer. When I think of getting ready for summer and going through my closet,I feel like I'm getting ready to go on vacation in a tropical paradise for a couple of months. So I thought, even though you're not going on vacation, why not look like your are everyday this summer? We live in an old house with little closets so I have to change my closets out every season. This season I'm going to pack as though I was going on vacation somewhere warm for 3 months.
Love this makeup for summer!
image from Make Up For Ever via Black Market Mag
Read more »This material is copyrighted by Oh You Crafty Gal [ohyoucraftygal.blogspot.com]
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20:57
Chana Masala Downtown Smackdown
» Nokohaha
Recently I found myself eating Indian for lunch three times in one week. Since I’d made home made chana masala, chick peas in a spicy sauce, for the first time a few weeks ago, I was curious how the restaurant versions compared. I made the ghee and toasted the spices and it turned out great- very easy for someone who is not an Indian chef. So, how did three Indian restaurants near my office fare in comparison?
Bombay Bistro Express is located in what I call the Dayton’s Arcade. I don’t know what it’s called now. It’s the hallway on 7th between Foot Locker and Candyland that deposits one right at the clearance women’s shoe rack in Macy’s. In itself, a clearance shoe rack within a few feet is a good reason to visit a particular restaurant. But, the food here is really good. It’s the same food as the higher priced Bombay Bistro Buffet in the Medical Arts Building. At the BB Express, you may choose five items including an array of vegetarian and non vegetarian entrees, naan, rice, and even a Mexican- Indian style taco (which I’ve never tried- although the idea of blending the spices of the two styles is intriguing.) The Chana Masala is slightly tangy, bright and very fragrant. The spices are fresh with a tiny kick and there’s a sheen of ghee over the top. It’s really good. And I do love eating under the constant loop of Bollywood videos.
The next place we tried was Kabob’s in the State Fare food court in Gaviide. Kebab’s also serves lunch buffet style and you can choose as many items as you can fit on the Styrofoam tray for a fixed price. The bonus is they also have some kind of soup or dal and desert included in the price. Though I love a buffet, it’s easy to lose sight of the individual entrees when they’re all mashed together. My other problem is although I’ve been given enough food for a week, I have no internal mechanism that tells me I’m full and just because it tastes good I shouldn’t eat the whole plateful. Call it the Chipotle Effect. The chana masala at Kebobs is rich and has less tomato than BBE. The spices are well balanced and overall it is pretty good. And if your co-workers have more pedestrian tastes, there’s a McDonalds and a Broadway Pizza place cross the room.
The third place we tried is the new Ipotle in the North Star building on 7th and Marquette in the Taco Bell, My Burger, Zen Box stretch. The idea is basically the same as the other places, choose two entrees and rice for a fixed price. Ipotli is a buck or two more expensive than the other places. On the plus side, you may substitute brown rice for white rice. On the down side, I am pretty sure there was Heinz ketchup in my mutter paneer. It was so sweet and tomatoe-y I couldn’t eat it. The chana masala was almost tasteless. The spices were totally flat- I think they were old and needed to be thrown out. My lunch mate, originally from Somalia said, “They have no business calling themselves an Indian Restaurant.” Seldom have I felt it a chore to finish a pile of chana masala- usually I anticipate some kind of special Indian food elation.
Chana Masala Round 1= Bombay Bistro Express wins with Kebob a decent second place. In the end, it’s a grand day when one can try three chana masalas within a block of ones cubicle.
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16:37
bentyecomics: This cartoon will appear on the Citypages website...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
This cartoon will appear on the Citypages website some time this summer but you get the exclusive sneak peak faithful Tumblr followers! Go Twins!
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16:27
5-15-12 WOD
» CrossFitMN1600m Run
30 Push-Ups
30 Sit-Ups
30 Goblet Squats (55/44)
800m Run
30 Push-Ups
30 Sit-Ups
30 Goblet Squats (55/44)
400M Run
30 Push-Ups
30 Sit-Ups
30 Goblet Squats (55/44)
200m Run
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National Alzheimer's Plan
» Minnesota Guardianship & Conservatorship Law Blog
Today the Obama Administration announced the release of the National Alzheimer’s Plan. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius reaffirmed our nation’s commitment to conquering Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, with a specific goal of finding effective ways to prevent and treat the disease by 2025.The Obama Administration also published a new website alzheimers.gov [alzheimers.gov] which will serve as a resource for those fighting the disease, as well as those caring for individuals who have the disease. At first glance, it looks like a very comprehensive resource,.Read the entire text of the National Alzheimer’s Plan here
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Shooters News for the Minn Area - May 15th, 2012
» Minnesota Rifle ShootingThe (my) long spring migration from Arizona is over, and my Mn computer is up and running. For me, the Minn shooting season starts this coming weekend So, let's see what is happening.
The Week Ahead There are 3 good rifle matches to choose from this coming weekend. The choices include a little something for everyone --- Small Bore, Long Range, and Over the Course matches all happening this weekend. Saturday, May 19th, Gopher Rifle and Revolver Club (GRRC) is challenging all shooters to come and contest their rifle shooting skills in the "Bob Hall", 80 shot "over the course" match. This is a traditional, beginning of the season, Fun Match, so no matter if you are a marksman or highmaster shooter, this match will be a good time. Click Here for match program Sunday May 20th, Long Range shooting at GRRC. This will be a 45 shots for record "Palma" match, with 15 shots each at 800, 900, and 1000yds. Match program for the "Rudy Wadekamper" Palma match -- Click Here Sunday May 20th, (Sm. Bore) Mpls Rifle Club hosts the first of the "Outdoor Prone 1600" series of summer matches. Shooters fire 4 prone matches starting at 50 yds, then 100 yds, and finally 50 meters with .22 cal target rifles. This is excellent practice for Mid Range and Long range matches. Click Here for match program 300 meter Int. (results of Apr. 15 match) From Brian Shiffman: "It turned out to be a fine day for shooting with light winds. Four F-Class shooters scored 590 or above and one just missed at a 589. The three junior shooters accounted for themselves quite well with Kamilla Kisch picking up 2 points from the March match and Konrad Kisch picking up 7 points from March. But, Kamilla still scored higher than the other juniors. Tom O’Donnell and Ed Facundo were the only 3-Position shooters, but Tom had the pin holding the extractor to the bolt of his rifle break and he was not able to finish the match. Erhardt Bruderer was the only shooter in Offhand (standing) for the match and did quite well. Robert Smith was the only Prone shooter and he handily won that class with a personal best of 570. Quite a few of the F-Class shooters were very consistent, varying by just a point or three over the three series of fire. I think consistency is very important, even if the scores are not stellar because it shows the shooter is doing the same thing over and over. Scores should improve by more trigger time, tweaking of body position, breathing, wind reading, and sight alignment. Sometimes it means a tweak in the ammunition. Or, like me, the shooter is just having a bad day. (Yes, I know, the dog ate my homework.) The full results can be found at [www.edfpages.com] Two items for immediate attention: 1. This Saturday, May 5, is work day at the range and we can use a lot of help. We start at 9am.2. There is a membership meeting on Tuesday, May 8 at the Anoka American Legion Club on Main Street. The next MRC 300 meter match is scheduled for Sunday, May 13. Remember to bring chamber flags." 
Brian D. Shiffman shiff004@umn.edu
Small Bore This in from Chad Danielson: "Jim, Junior information below from the National Junior Olympic Rifle Championships for your website. Five Juniors Represent Minnesota at 2012 National Junior Olympic Rifle Championships. In April five Minnesota juniors competed at the National Junior Olympic Rifle Championships in Smallbore and Air Rifle at the US. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs , Colorado. Allie Taschuk and Samantha Peterson represented Minnesota in both Women's disciplines of Smallbore and Air Rifle, while Elizabeth Ewert competed in the Air Rifle competition. In the Women's 3X20 Smallbore competition, shooters shoot 20 shots in each of the positions Prone , Standing , and Kneeling, which is shot two times for a possible 1200. In the first day of the women’s smallbore competition Samantha Peterson shot a 537/600 while Allie Taschuk was only 3 points behind Peterson with 534. On the second day of shooting Peterson put up an extremely impressive 559, while Allie Taschuk also put up an improved second day score of 551. Those scores secured Samantha Peterson a 1096 total and a 45th overall finish ,but a Silver Medal in the J3 age category. Allie Taschuk finish the competition with 1085 finishing her 52nd overall out of the 68 competitors in Women’s Smallbore. In the Women's Air Rifle portion female shooters shoot 8 standing targets over the course of two days for a possible 800 points. Samantha Peterson in Air shot a 757, and finishing 47th overall within the 100 women competitors. Allie Taschuk shot a 756 just a point behind Peterson for a 49th overall finish. Elizabeth Ewert also in the J3 category in Air Rifle shot a 752 placing her 64th overall and 6th in the J3 age category. Allie Taschuk will be attending and shooting for the 2012 NCAA National Champions Texas Christian University (TCU) in the fall. For the Men's competitions juniors, Patrick Sunderman, and Scott Chester represented the State in Men’s Air Rifle, where competitors shoot 12 Air Rifle standing targets over the course of two days for a possible 1200. Patrick Sunderman posted an 1174 for 3rd and securing him a spot in the final which the top 8 competitors advance to. While Scott Chester put up an 1127 for 42nd overall. In advancing to the final Patrick Sunderman shot a score of 98.9 for a total of 1272.9 and finishing him 4th overall after the final. Men¹s Air Rifle saw 101 competitors compete in the event. In the Men's Smallbore competition Patrick Sunderman was the only Minnesota men's qualifier for the event, which consists of 60 shots in Prone, and 40 shots in both Standing and Kneeling for one day of competition, and repeated for a second day of competition, for a possible 1200 in the Men's Prone competition, and a possible 2400 in the Men's 3X40 position portion of the competition. Patrick overcame unexpected adversity in the course of competing at the Championships as after he arrived he found the bolt of his Feinwerkbau .22 rifle had been broken during the flight to Colorado and in turn rendering his rifle useless for the competition. Patrick had to have a bolt overnight next day shipped to him from another local junior shooter who happened to shoot the same model rifle and was willing to send Patrick his bolt to be used for the competition. Patrick posted in the Prone competition a total score of 1176 out of 1200 giving him a 12th J1 category finish , and a 15th overall of the 61 total competitors. In the Men's 3X40 position competition Patrick posted a 2305, placing him 5th in his J1 age category, and 5th overall again securing a spot in the final of the top 8 competitors. In the Smallbore 3 Position final Patrick put up a 91.6 for a total of 2396.6 holding his 5th place overall for the competition. Complete results of all the matches can be found on the USA Shooting website All junior competitors had to qualify through previous competition shooting a minimum qualification score to receive an invitation to compete out at this championship. All five above Minnesota shooters showed exceptional skill, and tremendous dedication in the accomplishment of even qualifying for the competition, as it is only each years top juniors shooters in the country who receive invites. Please be sure to congratulate these five shooters if you happen to have the opportunity to see one of them on a range during this upcoming summer shooting season."Thanks, Chad for that report.
Notes:1. This Wednesday continues Highpower, and Service Rifle practice at GRRC. Shooting starts at 5pm and the course of fire rotates from 200 yd Offhand to 600 yd prone each week. This week is 600 yd Prone. 2. If you want to read more about the "March Madness" spring series of Sm bore prone matches held in Phoenix, Click Here and scroll down to Pg 4 to read Mick Walkers report on all 5 weeks of sm bore competition. 3. Capt. Bob is almost done with Pt. 3 of his series of articles on Rear Sight Diopters. Stay tuned.
4. Leo Huhta informs me that Elk River Sportsmans club has Tuesday night organized High Power practice -- 6 pm start. Any questions please give Leo a call on his cell phone at 612-804-7813 Leo.huhta@remmele.com
Two Weeks out May 26 and 27 will see prone shooters headed down to NorthStar Rifle Club for a two day Mid Range belly match. Click Here for match program. from Capt. Bob:
"Hello belly shooters: Attached is your program for the 2 day MRP/F class at North Star May 26-27. I'm thinking about taking the camper down about noon on Fri. If there is enough interest I think I could arrange for a $2.00 organized practice about 2 or 3 Fri. afternoon. Maybe shoot 15 ea at 3 & 500 or some such. Let me know if you would be interested. Holdhard- Bob"
May 26, 27 -- Mid Range Prone at NorthStar -- program click here May 26, 27 -- Sm. Bore Prone Regional Championships at MRC - program click here
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52 Ways to Shift Your Focus
» One Minnesota WriterShift #7: Pull the Weeds
This morning, I was all set to write about postcards and travel, summer and journeys. Then, I read an email from The Old Farmer's Almanac and completely changed my plan, which fits in pretty well with the whole intent of this series, don't you think?
The email that shifted my focus was about weeding the garden. Yeah, sure, this sounds mundane. Maybe even unpleasant. Bear with me.
Leopard's bane
Anytime I do anything in the garden, I'm soothed. I'm disconnected from electronic tools. I'm not looking at a screen. I'm not listening to news or music. I am being engaged in the natural world. That's what a garden is for.
Yesterday, I had a to-do list that felt overwhelming. I tried to take some time for myself over the weekend, but things piled up. That's life, right? And I was cranky, thinking about this list of things I had to get done.
Then I thought, wait. Just wait one damn minute. I get to have a weekend without feeling awful on Monday. Something is out of whack. And whatever is out of whack is making me less productive.
At this point, some people would meditate or pray or go to church. Me? I go outside. I went outside before I got anywhere near my computer.
And I pulled weeds.
Pasque flower
Pulling weeds is and always will be one of those perfect metaphors for getting rid of the unnecessary stuff. It works for editing. It works for long lists of tasks that feel overwhelming. It works for trashing blurry photos, saying no to too many volunteer commitments, eliminating useless expenditures, closing the cover on the book that isn't as good as expected.
It also works as a way to blow off steam, redirect focus. Rip out those damn raspberries that keep popping up even though the raspberry bed is now across the yard. Yank out that chamomile that won't accept that it's not invited. And those dandelions with the incredibly long root systems? Gotta go.
Next stop for weeding: the current draft of what I'm working on. How about you?
All photos by Kathleen Cassen Mickelson.
Bleeding hearts run amok
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Sunset Panorama - Rochester, MN
» Minnesota Pictures
from flickr user -chad johnson
Downtown Rochester, Minnesota at sunset along the Zumbro River.
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Safe Routes to School Victory!
» Minnesota Advocacy Beat
Thanks to all of our volunteers who made a real difference on this bill!
We are already planning ahead for next year to secure the funding needed
for Safe Routes to School in Minnesota.
The Legislature has adjourned for the year and we are happy to report one more legislative victory in the final days of the session. The policy language to establish the Minnesota Safe Routes to School program was passed as part of a larger omnibus transportation bill. The bill passed with very strong bipartisan support (Senate 61-5; House 128-2) and Governor Dayton signed the bill into law on May 10th.
Thank legislators and the Governor for taking this important first step to promote walking and biking to school!
Minnesota is one of just a handful of states that have established a state-level Safe Routes to School program to complement the federal program! The law requires the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation (MNDOT) to establish a state SRTS program and account. While $3 million was requested in the bonding bill, the account received no funding this year. The program would be open to all Minnesota schools on a competitive basis (the federal program excludes high schools from applying) and requires a resolution of support from the local school board. The law also requires the commissioner of MNDOT to establish criteria for the program, publish a manual on the safe routes to school program, and requires an annual report to the Legislature on the program.
While not funded this year, this is an extremely important first step in promoting SRTS in Minnesota. Rarely does legislation make it through the process in a single year, so this policy language is a great victory to be celebrated. Thank you for your help by contacting your legislators at key points during the legislative session. You helped pass this important law and laid the groundwork to secure funding for the program next year.
Thank Policymakers for Promoting the Health of Minnesota’s Children!
Thank you!
Your MNA Advocacy Team,
Anne, Justin, Ngia and Rachel
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Gophers will share TCF Stadium with the Vikings
» Minnesota Golden GophersMore... »
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The Greatest of These...
» Minnesota Mom
A Mother’s Day Re-Cap in Three Parts
Part I
My Mother’s Day began most cheerfully, with lots of hand-lettered cards and some inimitable drawings.
(rendered by my 7-year-old Angela)
(of course)
The front of her Mother’s Day card looked like this:
(The “lift” on the corner revealed an arrow pointing to the back of the card.)
The back of the card:
And on the inside:Sory about that. i got the rong daisy. Anyway…mary christmass! Opsy i mean happy valintines day! Um…I mean forth of July! I mean rnnnnngg!! I give up! wait a minit……..happy mohters day!!!! Now i get it! Love, Angela ☺ Love you much!♥
You’re getting, maybe, her sense of humor? It’s as quirky as the day is long, as “0 to 60” as she is.
Though my husband would argue that she hasn’t been at “0” since she was a baby.
* * *
Part II
The day continued somewhat less cheerfully. We went to the 11:00 Mass as a family and I spent almost the entire hour...crying.
I cried, initially, because of a whispered reprimand by my husband; I cried, understandably, as I watched my First Communicant receive Our Lord for the second time; and I cried, mostly, because who am I to be honored on Mother’s Day? Who am I to expect accolades when I fall so painfully short of who I long to be?
I know, I know. Hormonal much?
You have to admit, though, that this job is hard.
* * *
Part III
The day ended beautifully busily fun. I got my nap, and I got a garden.
I have always wanted a vegetable garden.
On Mother’s Day, my husband and children planted me one.
It’s kind of appropriate, don’t you think? A garden’s a work in progress, just like me. Lots of sowing, lots of weeding…
A labor of love.
Hard work equals harvest.
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Flying the Socially Friendly Skies
» Simply Squirrel Food[creativecommons.org] src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sJgSLLEvDbU/T7FWGZkbBWI/AAAAAAAAHe8/IrtnD5PBnJo/Flickr-5582502532.jpg" />
Now that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been around for more than a decade, I thought I had figured out how to prepare for a flight to incur the least amount of interference and delay possible. I move all sharp and pointy objects from my purse and carry-on to my checked baggage, all necessary liquids are under 3 ounces and placed in a 1 quart clear plastic baggie, and my selection of shoes worn will be with the one intent of getting them off and on with ease and speed. With my ID and ticket in hand, I should be good to go. But wait...maybe not everyone is satisfied they know enough about me yet.
Earlier this year the Dutch carrier KLM rolled-out "Meet and Seat" which allows ticket-holders to share LinkedIn and Facebook profile information as a tool for selecting seat-mates. Not only will passengers have the opportunity to pick a coveted window or aisle seat, by sharing their social media profiles they can strive to find conversational compatability with fellow passengers as well. It's a totally voluntary option allowing in-flight meet and greets to those who are interested.
Though it sounds like a way to deliver some pleasantness and fun to the travails of flying, I can see some likely problems. First, basic profile information doesn't reveal the type of information one might find useful while contemplating a long flight in cramped quarters, like:
- How much do you weigh? (How much of my seat are you going to appropriate?)
- How much do you drink? (Are you fun or surly when intoxicated and how many times will you need to step over me to get to the lavatory?)
- What viruses have you been exposed to in the past 2 weeks? (Why does a cough heard on an airplane always conjure up thoughts of some rare but deadly air-borne illness?)
Next, I know a woman who kindly describes any nosy and inquisitive person as simply being someone with a "high need-to-know". Matching that personality type with their equivalent "I have a high need for you to know" types makes me wonder if it's really a good idea to expand our social media platforms to real-life situations. What would be worse - being questioned for the duration of a flight about the details of your life or business; or being held captive to someone's ongoing braggadocio about theirs? Admittedly, both of these scenarios happen everyday and everywhere outside the realm of social media; but I'd have to admit to being both curious and nervous about why someone pre-selected me to be their seat-mate.
Lastly, sharing a flight with someone, in most cases, does not provide enough common ground to start a relationship. Without the benefit of pre-selecting the seat-mate, a passenger will typically greet each other cordially and make some small-talk conversation as a way to pass the time. At the end of the flight, each will extend to the other good wishes upon departure and go their merry way. Neither has the other's full name, place and position of employment or other personally identifiable information.
In the event the two personalities really hit it off and wish to continue to foster the budding relationship for either personal or business reasons, I see the end of the flight as the best time to share some limited contact information, and even then with an eye towards personal security.
At least for now, when flying, I'm going to leave the personal profile fact-gathering and interrogation to the TSA and not worry about passing muster with my randomly assigned seat-mate.
What do you think? Would you be interested in sharing your Facebook and/or LinkedIn profile info to be able to select your seat-mate? What info do you think would be good to know about a potential seat-mate?
Have a topic you'd like to see discussed on Simply Squirrel Food? Send me an email I'd love to hear from you.
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05:25
Channel Your Internal Marketing Warrior: 4 Tips for Strengthening Your Marketing Plan
» Online Marketing Blog
Release Your Internal Marketing Warrior
In March of this year I made a decision: I wanted to get healthier. The problem I have always faced is that I didn’t see the point of exercise, just for the sake of exercise. Treadmills and stationary bicycles never did much for me, but I was looking for a way to regain some focus and start down a healthier path.
About a month ago I spoke with my good friend Ali who had recently started a training program to become a yoga instructor. She convinced me to attend a class with her and I even though I’ve done yoga before, this was an entirely new experience. After 75 minutes in a sweltering room (enduring one of the toughest workouts I’ve had in a while) the strangest thing happened. I felt stronger, lighter, and more focused.
Many times as marketers we get caught up in daily tasks and lose focus of what is really important. When we lose focus, we may become uninspired, lazy, and complacent. It is undoubtedly just as difficult, yet as essential, to breath new life into our marketing plans as it is to jumpstart our bodies. The question is: where do we begin on the road to creating a “healthier” internet marketing strategy?
4 Tips For Strengthening Your Internet Marketing Plan# 1- Become An Agent of Change – Don’t be Afraid to Try New Things
Fear consumes many people both personally and professionally. A fear of failing or disappointment can often lead to a stagnant and uninspired plan for dominance on the web. Instead of allowing fear to make an appearance, instead recognize that mistakes will be made, but they will be a learning experience. What are some changes you can begin implementing today?
- Surveys of existing customers
- Develop different ways of communicating with your audience (blog posts, social media outreach)
- Ask questions of industry thought leaders
- Join new virtual groups on LinkedIn
- Begin attending more events locally to gain industry insight
# 2- The Journey Is Just As Important As the Destination – Just Make Sure You Document
Along the way to creating your “perfect” internet marketing plan, there is a lot to learn. Remembering that the journey leads to our destination will put us in the right frame of mind to learn from the experience. As you’re making mistakes or experiencing success it is essential that you document the steps that you took to get there.# 3 – Take Some Time to Breathe – Step Back and Survey the Situation
A true marketer knows that our industry is a very customer-centric business. Without our customers we wouldn’t have jobs. It can become very easy to fall into time sucking tactics that may only put us further behind. Before jumping head first into the newest social media platform or marketing tactic take some time to ask a few questions:- Who will we target with this approach?
- What will be our core messaging or strategy?
- Why should we include this tactic?
- How will my team accomplish this tactic and how will this benefit my customers?
- How much will this cost in both time and money?
# 4 – Have An Open Mind – Brainstorm With Your Team Regularly
Collaboration with fellow team members can be of benefit to all parties involved. Not only will collaboration open up new ideas, but it will also improve buy-in from other associates. If you’re in an internet marketing rut, or just looking to breathe that new life into your plans to dominate the search and social web, be aware of the resources you may already have at your disposal.All of the tactics mentioned above will lend themselves to creating a stronger, more cohesive marketing plan. At one time or another, most of us have faced a situation where we knew our plan wasn’t working, but weren’t exactly sure how to fix it. I hope that these tactics will become part of a stronger plan and give you the jumpstart you need to get on the road to internet marketing success.
I’m curious to know what experience you have had as a marketer attempting to breathe new life into and strengthen your internet marketing plans? What were some of your biggest obstacles and what was the most important lesson you learned?
Namaste.
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Channel Your Internal Marketing Warrior: 4 Tips for Strengthening Your Marketing Plan | [www.toprankblog.com]
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21:17
The Plymouth Building
» Nokohaha
1913
During the construction 12 story of the Plymouth Building in 1910, the Hennepin Avenue facade was switched from gothic to beaux-arts. Unfortunately the terra cotta cornice and other ornament in this postcard was removed and replaced with brick in 1936. Owned by the Thorpe real Estate Family for over 90 years, The Plymouth Building sold for for $14.5 million in 2002.
1962
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20:22
Food, Drinks, and Fun in Minneapolis - A mini break to the...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Food, Drinks, and Fun in Minneapolis - A mini break to the northern city
Want to get away? Take advantage of the warm weather and head north to Minneapolis. The city is teeming with Scandinavian curiosities, hearty food, stiff drinks, art, and the kindest people imaginable.
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18:14
Minnesota Zoo will end its dolphin exhibit via StarTribune One...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Minnesota Zoo will end its dolphin exhibit via StarTribune
One of the Minnesota Zoo’s most popular species will no longer be on exhibit.
The two remaining dolphins are moving within a few months and will not be replaced, the zoo in Apple Valley announced Monday.
Zoo Director Lee Ehmke said Semo and Allie must be relocated because extensive repairs are needed to the 15-year-old Discovery Bay building and the dolphin tank, where the two are housed.
The refurbishment, combined with the species’ low availability, means there will be no dolphins at the Minnesota Zoo “in the foreseeable future,” Ehmke said.
Ehmke acknowledges that losing dolphins as an attraction will be disappointing to visitors. Except for a few brief interruptions, dolphins have been exhibited at the zoo since it opened in 1978.
“People love dolphins,” he said. “It has consistently been one of the favorite animals. They have a lot of charisma, and people find them fascinating and love them, as do we.”
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17:20
The Familia H.Q. Video by Oskar Barrett
» Familia Skateshop | 2833 Hennepin Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55408
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2012 Spring Creel Final
» Minnesota Steelheader
2012 Spring Creel Final Numbers along with Trap numbers through 05.14.2012. We'll still see a few fish here and there on the Upper Shore with rain, but temps are getting awefully high so I'm not sure how long that will last. Not many people out fishing anymore so it's hard to say what numbers are truly like; the US numbers in particular. Unknown if the Traps are now closed as well...
Regards-
NMF
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Sail Away by Terry Honstead
» Daily Painters of Minnesota
This is a painting that I started a long time ago. I was not sure how to finish it so it just sat there. I think I am done with it now. I added some golds to the sky and water and finished up with my collage leaves. The land was done before. I used paint that I had painted on parchment paper and then pealed off to use after it had dried. It was fun putting the many colors together to form rocks, dirt, and tree stump. If you are interested, you may reach me at: honstead@paulbunyan.net.
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16:35
thejournalmpls: Tiny bike (downtown alleyway). Hipstamatic shot...
» Stuff about Minneapolis -
16:32
thejournalmpls: A map of the upcoming Northeast Ride, courtesy...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
A map of the upcoming Northeast Ride, courtesy of Big Time Attic’s Kevin Cannon. The Northeast Ride will be held on Saturday, June 2.
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Saint Mary's honors Dick Kowles with Presidential Award
» Press ReleasesSaint Mary's University of Minnesota
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Post Season Happy Hour / Meet & Greet - MAY 22
» Minnesota Steelheader
The Crew at Minnesota Steelheader is hosting a happy hour / Meet & Greet next week, Tuesday, May 22 at 5pm, for any steelhead enthusiasts that are interested.
The Location this time around is going to be in the heart of St. Paul. You will have to go to our facebook "EVENTS" page to get the details though. We have learned long ago not to post specifics on our blog.... weird stuff always seems to follow.
This is open to anyone, novices and veterans alike, who are interested in meeting fellow steelheaders, the people behind the website as well as share stories, tips and other fishy things with fellow anglers. No formalities here, just like minded anglers with an opportunity to meet eachother off the water with a favorite beverage.
Click HERE to head to our facebook page
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11:37
5 Ways to Optimize the Business Value of Attending Conferences
» Online Marketing Blog
Are you optimizing your conference experience?
TopRank receives a lot of value from having me speak at conferences but you don’t have to be a speaker to realize a positive return from events. Small, large online or offline, there are numerous ways to optimize and maximize your return on conference involvment both in the short and long term.
If your company is considering whether to send you to events because of uncertain return or benefits, show them the following list.
In fact, if I were running a conference, I’d make sure these tips are shared with attendees, sponsors and speakers alike.
The first step in getting more value out of event attendance is to understand the “why”. What benefit that brings value to the business can you get from attending conferences, workshops, webinars and educational meet/tweetups? I like to say that I can “make money” at any conference. The reason why is that I am specifically aware of multiple ways to create value with events – beyond simply prospecting for new business. Here are 5 key benefits you can create from event participation and goals you can set for each:
1. Grow Your NetworkThere is no substitute for a quality network. It takes time to grow a personal network and if you’re advocating for your company, then community development is also ongoing. Attending events online and off are essential for productive networking that can result in a variety of valuable outcomes including:
- Recruiting
- Collecting competitive intelligence
- Vendor and consultant sourcing
- Partner sourcing
- Prospecting for new customers.
When you attend events, set goals for the kinds of contacts you want to make. Go so far as to make a list of people you want to meet if they’re particularly important to your goals. Initiate new connections with qualified prospects, marketing partners, vendors to outsource to and job candidates. At the same time, reinforce existing connections with contacts in your social networking pipeline. Each day, tally them up and plan how you will follow up. Follow on Twitter, connected on LinkedIn. Share useful tips, links and info that are relevant to your interactions with them. Give to get, but have a purpose and a goal for the connection.
Make sure you have goals and a purpose to your online and event networking. If you leave it to chance, you’re leaving a LOT of value on the table – for your competition.
2. Get Smarter. Repeat.There are numerous benefits to attending conference sessions. The obvious is to hear smart speakers give presentations on important topics with useful tips. Sometimes speakers deliver on that promise and sometimes they don’t.
Don’t let bad conference content get in the way of getting smarter.
Pay attention to how the speaker gives their presentation and observe how the audience responds. You might think the information isn’t useful to you, but if the attendees are leaning forward, writing notes and holding up their phones and ipads to take pictures of the presentation slides, then the speaker is connecting.
You can benefit from understanding how the information is presented as much as from the actual tips. The format, sequence, design and presentation of information that connects is a model you can leverage for your own purposes: whether it’s speaking at a conference or event yourself or communicating and persuading people internally.
Planning your conference session attendance is essential. Think of how many sessions will you attend and how will you capture the information presented. Will you take notes on an iPad, laptop or (gasp) on paper? Will you take photos or video (where allowed)? Do you know where to get a copy of the speakers’ presentations? Introduce yourself to speakers and ask them a key question on video so you can review later and share with your team.
When meeting new people, discuss the sessions with them. Compare notes – it’s a great way to network and to get other opinions. Before the conference, make a grid or a plan for which specific sessions you’ll be attending. Often times, there is not much time between sessions and the difference between getting a good seat and standing room only can be a matter of minutes and you might miss out on the session entirely because rooms can fill up.
3. Curate and Create ContentContent Marketing is hotter than ever but sourcing content is probably one of the biggest challenges for companies getting into the content publishing realm. The good news is that events from Twitter chats to webinars to keynote presentations and breakout sessions all provide opportunities to capture, curate and even create content. Some examples include:
- Liveblogging – Transcribe what the speakers say word for word. Listen for key quotes or pieces of information and make a “list post” around a specific topic. Pre-write an article about the session topic and fill in stats and quotes from the speakers.
- Interviews – Reach out to speakers in advance and collect tips from their presentations as a way to help boost attendance to their session. Shoot video interviews of speakers or other smarties at the conference. Record podcast interviews with the same people. Capture single tips on video from a large number of people and compile into one video. Go to exhibitor booths and ask them for a 30 second pitch on video and compile them. Survey attendees on what they like best, tips they’ve heard, etc into a compilation video. With video, you might want to get sign-offs. Also, non-speakers may be reluctant.
- Journal – Keep notes and write a summary of key points from the day and publish like a journal entry. Link to other bloggers that are publishing liveblog posts at the same event.
- Curate – Use a tool like storify to curate the buzz of the conference. You don’t even need to be at the event to do this if a conference hashtag is used consistently.
- Track Your Own Buzz – If you are speaking, make sure someone from your team is tracking mentions of you, your company and topic on social streams like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Monitor any liveblogging of your presentations as well. Give people an incentive to liveblog your sessions too. If anyone liveblogs one of my presentations, I will send them a copy of Optimize (for example). Curate those mentions into a roundup post on your company newsroom.
Think about how you can leverage your conference experience to create new content for your company blog, articles, or process documentation. Set goals for how many content objects (blog posts, articles, videos, tweets, images) you’ll create each day. Organize what you will capture, with who and with what devices. Plan where you’ll publishing this content and when as well. For curation, compile presentations posted to Slideshare, interviews others have posted to YouTube and liveblog posts covering interesting sessions – then add your own commentary as the icing on the cake.
The content you capture and create can supply a company blog with numerous posts and show clients, staff and prospective clients that you are on top of what’s happening in the industry.
4. Share the Smarts: Knowledge Transfer With Your TeamThe explicit purpose of attending conferences is to hear industry experts share advice and insights into topics that your business can benefit from. Collecting actionable tips, statistics and other useful information form conferences to share with your team, clients and other groups in your organization can multiply the value of one person attending an event. If multiple people attend, the value can be even greater.
To make knowledge transfer from conference content work, it’s important to create a process for information capture, synthesis and distribution.
- Capture: Target specific speakers and sessions. Write questions you want answered and if the presentations do not contain those answers then pursue subject matter expert speakers to ask them directly. Capture information in text, audio, video and image. No one ever comes back from an event thinking they took too many photos. Maybe the wrong photos, but not to many. Also, be aware of conference policies on video and image capture.
- Synthesis: When you formulate questions, have specific applications for your business in mind. When you get the answers, filter the information in a way that will be practical and useful when it is shared – vs. all theoretical. Discuss the information and tips collected with fellow attendees to filter out what’s most useful.
- Distribution: Have a plan for how you will present the useful tactics, insights, statistics and case studies with your co-workers, clients and other interested parties. You could write a report, you could create a presentation to give live or via webinar, you could compile video clips and images to narration. Individual tips could be saved on an internal knowledge base blog according to category. You could have a post-conference brown bag lunch discussion or a more formal presentation. There are many different options, but have them in mind before the conference to increase the likelihood they will actually happen and in an effective way.
Knowing you will be required to present the information you are gaining at a conference with the team back at the office can helps you focus on takeaways and practical interpretations of what’s being presented, instead of what you don’t like or the lacking presentation skills of the presenter.
5. Optimize the Marketing Value of EventsFor nearly all events, I like to break things up into pre-event, during and after. You could actually further distinguish near-after and long-after as well as a recurring component if the event is held at regular intervals, like many are on an annual basis. Many conference speakers rely on the event to do the marketing. That’s a big fail.
Here are a few tips before, during and after the event to gain more attendees, more media coverage and post-event value:
Before the event:
- Write headlines, descriptions, tags and make trackable short URLs
- Pre-write tweets, updates and decide on a hashtag
- Submit your session to event listing sites, create events on Facebook and LinkedIn
- Create a contest or buzz around your presentation to inspire others to tell their networks
- Issue an optimized press release
- Schedule interviews with media attending the event and/or local media
- Connect with other speakers in advance
- Create a teaser for your presentation
- Announce your event attendance through email and your social channels
- When you meet people before your presentation, don’t be shy about sharing when you are speaking
- Create a check-in notice on Foursquare inviting people to attend your session
During the event:
- Create content the audience can participate with. I like to take photos of the audience and post to our Facebook page so they can tag themselves.
- Use tweetable, shareable content in your presentation
- Give something away to motivate desired behaviors like asking questions
- Always include a report or fulfillment piece in your thank you page
- Have someone on your team monitoring tweets and buzz during your presentation. Interact as appropriate
After the event:
- Curate buzz about the presentation into a blog post and/or newsroom post
- Follow up on questions asked and fulfillment deliverables
- Connect with new contacts through appropriate social channels
- Thank the conference for having you
- If you were on a panel, thank the panelists and moderator
- Thank any livebloggers that covered your session
- Use media coverage from the event in your newsroom, corporate email and other communications
- Follow up!!!!!
This should probably have been turned into an ebook on the topic, so congratulations on making it to the end of the post! Heck, maybe we will make it into an ebook and add a few forms, checklists and examples. In the meantime, share this list of tips with those in your organization that hold the purse strings for your event attendance. Try one or two of these tips for your next conference and share what you’ve done to get more value out of event attendance.
As always, if you like these tips, be sure to get your copy of Optimize for a deep dive into an integrated approach to optimizing your online marketing.
Gain a competitive advantage by subscribing to the
TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | 5 Ways to Optimize the Business Value of Attending Conferences | [www.toprankblog.com]
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May 2012 MSUSA Update
» Minnesota State University Student AssociationMSUSA Elects 2012-2013 Officers The Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) is pleased to announce the election of its 2012-2013 officers. Moriah Miles was elected as State Chair, Dea Price was elected Vice Chair, and Matt Lindquist was elected Treasurer.
State Chair Elect, Moriah Miles is from Sioux Falls, SD. She is attending Minnesota State University, Mankato where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations.
Vice Chair Elect, Dea Price is from Hopkins, MN. She is attending Metropolitan State University where she is pursuing a Masters of Public Administration.
Treasurer Elect, Matt Lindquist is from Mankato, Minnesota. He is attending Minnesota State University, Mankato where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Finance.
Elections took place the weekend of the April 13-15 in Brainerd, MN during the MSUSA Spring Delegates Assembly. The new officers will take office June 1st, 2012
Metropolitan State University Student Wins Textbook Survey Kindle DrawingWe are happy to announce that Metropolitan State University student, Zong Xiong won the textbook survey Kindle Fire drawing.
1,231 students responded to the survey, which collected information about textbook costs, buying/renting textbooks, the use of e-books, availability of textbook information and more.
In addition to responding to the questions, many students who completed the survey added comments. MSUSA plans to compile a report of the data and information collected, and will release that report in the future. It's clear that the issue of textbook costs is a significant one for today's students, and MSUSA will use the survey information in our work to reduce the cost of textbooks. Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey!
Legislative Update
Higher Ed Policies Signed into LawThe higher education omnibus bill, SF 1573, was passed and signed into law by Gov. Dayton. The bill includes many provisions that MSUSA worked hard to get passed and are important to student success and reducing costs.
The first major provision is the textbook language which includes the establishment of a work group to study methods that result in lower textbook costs for students. This was one of MSUSA’s key policy initiatives. MSUSA hopes that this work group will improve the delivery of textbooks to students to enhance the learning experience while also reducing the out-of-control costs.
The next major initiative MSUSA helped pass is the continuing operations language that will allow colleges and universities to continue serving students if a government shutdown were to happen again. Last year there was confusion about the possibility of summer courses ending early without credit awarded because of the state shutdown. This provision will clarify what happens in the event of a state shutdown in the future.
The bill also includes an increase in the revenue fund authority from $300 million to $405 million. This language will allow campuses the opportunity to evaluate and plan, in consultation with students, for the future of revenue generating facilities including, but not limited to: residence halls, student unions, dining facilities, and parking.
MnSCU Bonding ProjectsThe Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) was appropriated $132 million $94.7 million in bonding projects and asset preservation. The university projects are listed below:- $20 million for HEAPR
- $500 thousand for Southwest Minnesota State University science lab renovation;
- $2.5 million for the system wide STEM renovation;
- $2.065 million for Minnesota State University, Mankato clinical science building design
- $3.303 million for Bemidji State University business building addition/renovation design and demolition
Doubling of the Stafford Loan Interest RateThe US House passed a bill that would extend the 3.4% interest rate one more year by cutting a controversial part of the healthcare reform law. The US Senate took action on a bill on May 8th that would have also extended the 3.4% for one year but the bill failed to reach the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster.
MSUSA is urging our congressional representatives to continue working together to find a solution to this problem. Student loan debt has recently grown to more than $1 trillion. On average, the doubling of the interest rate would add approximately $1,000 for every year a student takes out a loan, adding up to more than $4,000 over a four-year education. This rate hike could not come at a worse time.
The national recession has led to weak state economies, which in turn have squeezed college budgets. The result is higher tuition costs being passed on to students and families throughout the country. In 2011, 46 states dealt with budget shortfalls, resulting in double-digit tuition increases. In Minnesota we had historic cuts our higher education systems and our universities all saw a tuition increase.
We must continue our work to keep a college education within reach by stopping interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans from doubling this July.
For more weekly updates on the legislative activity of the Minnesota State University Student Association check out our blog every Friday.
MSUSA Participates in Events with U.S. Representative McCollum and Senator Franken
Rep. Betty McCollum Listening SessionOn the morning of Monday, April 30th students from MSUSA and the Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA) were able to sit down with U.S. Congresswoman, Betty McCollum at Century College in White Bear Lake to share their stories. The main focus on the listening session was on the proposed increase to the Federal Stafford loan interest rate, but stories were shared regarding many other issues students face while trying to pay for college.
Sen. Al Franken Press ConferenceLater in the morning on Monday, April 30th student leaders from MSUSA and MSCSA participated in a press conference with U.S. Senator, Al Franken to address the doubling of student loan interest rates and to introduce the Senator's bill aimed at simplifying the financial aid awards process by creating standardized student financial aid letters.
2012 Spring Penny Program FellowsThe MSUSA and the Penny Program Board would like to congratulate its 2012 Penny Fellowship and Scholarship winners.
Ryan Newbloom is being awarded a $5,000 Timothy J. Penny Federal Public Service Fellowship, and is pursuing an internship with a Congressional office in Washington, D.C. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ryan is attending Normandale Community College and eventually plans to obtain a degree in political science.
Alexandra Griffin is being awarded a $5,000 Timothy J. Penny Federal Public Service Fellowship to intern with Wisconsin Congressman Senator Ron Kind in Washington, D.C. Originally from Hillsboro, Wisconsin; Alexandra is attending Winona State University where she is pursuing a degree in public administration and political science.
Margaret Pence is being awarded a $5,000 Timothy J. Penny Federal Public Service Fellowship to intern with The Fund for American Studies in Washington, D.C. Originally from Westport, South Dakota, Margaret is attending Minnesota State University, Mankato where she is pursuing a degree in international relations and communication studies.
Kayla Winstrom is being awarded a $1,500 Barbara J. Penny Community Service Scholarship for her lifelong dedication to volunteerism, including her current work with Student Ambassadors and Health Peers Reaching Out. Originally from Osceola, Wisconsin, Kayla is attending Minnesota State University, Mankato where she is pursuing a degree in dental hygiene.
Kao Xing is being awarded a $1,500 Barbara J. Penny Community Service Scholarship for his leadership in community service including his mentorship work with the AmeriCorps and Picture My Neighborhood Program. Originally from Rochester, Minnesota, Kao is attending Winona State University, where he is pursuing a degree in mathematics and math education.
For more information on the Penny Program click here.
Jared P. Stene Student Leadership Scholarship 2012 Spring RecipientThe Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) and the Jared P. Stene Student Leadership Scholarship Board are pleased to honor Francis Ray Cristobal for his commitment to student leadership at Metropolitan State University. Francis has been chosen to receive the $2,000 Spring 2012 award.
Francis, originally from Iligan, Phillippines, has a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems and International Business from Augsburg College and a Masters in Management Information Systems from Metropolitan State University where he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Aviation Management to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot.
Francis is active in student organizations at Metropolitan State, and currently serves as President of the International Student Organization (ISO), and is Co-Founder and Vice President of The Walkabout Group. In addition, he was recently re-elected to Student Senate for the 2012-2013 school year.
For more information about the Jared P. Stene Student Leadership Scholarship click here.
Graduating?
Join the Alumni Association! Have you been actively involved with the work of MSUSA during your college career? Are you graduating this spring, but still want to stay involved advocating for the interests of state university students in Minnesota? Well you're in luck. By joining the MSUSA Alumni Association you can stay involved with our advocacy efforts, network with other alumni and mentor current students.
Contact MSUSA Director of Communications, Jered Weber at jweber@msusa.org or 651.224.1518 to sign up for our monthly alumni updates and to learn how you can continue your work on behalf of state university students well beyond graduation.
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08:45
Minneapolis, Portland And San Francisco Top Walk Score Ranking Of Most Bikeable Cities
» Stuff about MinneapolisMinneapolis, Portland And San Francisco Top Walk Score Ranking Of Most Bikeable Cities:The only site that makes it easy for apartment renters and homebuyers to find neighborhoods where they can drive less and live more, announced today the long anticipated launch of Bike Score(TM). Bike Score is the only quantitative measure of the bikeability of a location based on the availability of bike lanes, hilliness, road connectivity, nearby amenities, and the percent of people in that area who bike to work.
“Bicycling saves money on gas and fosters better health and a cleaner environment. But the best part about it is not being trapped in traffic. Biking can turn your commute into the best part of your day,” said Josh Herst, CEO, Walk Score. “Across the country, biking is growing in popularity and we’re excited to celebrate Bike to Work Week by introducing Bike Score to help more people find bicycle friendly places to live.”
Top 10 Most Bikeable Cities
1. Minneapolis (bike score:79)
2. Portland (bike score:70)
3. San Francisco (bike score:70)
4. Boston (bike score:68)
5. Madison (bike score:67)
6. Washington, D.C. (bike score:65)
7. Seattle (bike score:64)
8. Tucson (bike score:64)
9. New York (bike score:62)
10. Chicago (bike score:62)via Market Watch - Wall Street Journal
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08:19
5-14-12 WOD
» CrossFitMN
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16:38
When an old person dies a library burns In Memory of Wayne...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
When an old person dies a library burns
In Memory of Wayne “Badwrench” Sueker
Memorial bench at Northwood Park, New Hope
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My Mother’s Day Wish
» Minnesota Mom
:: A Good Nap ::
Whenever…wherever...however I want.
(Maybe not on the stairs, though.)
♥ Happy Mother’s Day! ♥
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Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) Tears
» Minnesota Workers' Compensation Blog
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a wide, thick band of tissue that runs down the inner part of the knee from the thighbone to a point on the shinbone about four to six inches from the knee. The MCL prevents the leg from extending too far inward, helps keep the knee stable, and allows the knee to rotate.
Injuries to the MCL can happen when the knee is hit directly from its outer side, causing the ligaments on the inside of the knee to stretch too far or to tear. It is not uncommon to tear the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the same time. The MCL can also be injured through repeated stress, which can cause the ligament to lose its normal stretch and elasticity.
Symptoms of an MCL tear can include:- Pain, the severity of which depends on the severity of the tear
- Stiffness
- Swelling
- Tenderness along the inside of the knee
- Instability, or a feeling that your knee may give out
- Locking or catching
Grade I: Some tenderness and minor pain at the injury site.
Grade II: Noticeable looseness of the knee with manual movement, major pain and tenderness at the inside of the knee, and swelling.
Grade III: Significant pain and tenderness at the inside of the knee, swelling, marked joint instability with manual movement. A grade III MCL tear is often accompanied by an ACL tear.
Tears of the MCL usually respond well to non-surgical treatment, including rest, bracing, over-the-counter pain relievers, and physical therapy. If surgery is required, it is usually done through a small incision on the inside of the knee. If the MCL has become torn where it attaches to the thighbone or shinbone, the surgeon will re-attach the ligament to the bone using large stitches or a metal screw or bone staple. If the tear is in the middle of the ligament, the surgeon will sew the torn ends together.
If you’ve sustained an MCL tear as a result of a work-related injury, you may be eligible for Minnesota workers’ compensation benefits, including medical expense benefits, wage loss benefits, permanent partial disability benefits, and /or rehabilitation benefits. For a free, no-obligation case consultation, call Meuser & Associate at 877-746-5680, or click here to send us an email.
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23:22
I hope you don't mind that I'm asking you a couple questions! My new job will involve some travel around the Twin Cities, but I am car-less. How navigable is the public transit and how bike-friendly is the city? I'm from Chicago and very comfortable w
» Stuff about MinneapolisFirst off, I love the name Claire, because that was the name of Molly Ringwald’s character in The Breakfast Club*.
But, that has nothing to do with your question, soooo here we go.
Minneapolis is the most bike friendly city in the US. I would throw out a bunch of stats on it for you, but if you just Google “Minneapolis Bike Ranking”, you’ll get the picture. As far as public transit goes, buses will get you around, and our light rail system really only goes from downtown to the Mall of America (but it is expanding into St. Paul). I’m not sure how I could compare it to Chicago, you folks have your “L” train lines that take you throughout the city, which is something we don’t have, but Minneapolis is a much smaller footprint than Chicago, and our public transit gets the job done, so I think you’ll be just fine.
As far as where to live, my first response to that question is, where will you be working? Will your job be in downtown Minneapolis, Hopkins, St. Paul? Knowing that can help us figure out a good spot for you to land. If you want “trendy and affordable” go to Northeast Minneapolis. It has lots of bars, is close to downtown, and if “trendy” is some sort of code word for “hipsters”, they got plenty of that as well.
* (I first typed in “Sixteen Candles”, but dysfunctionarian alerted me to my mistake. Got my John Hughes movies mixed up for a quick minute)
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22:23
St. Vincent Crowd Surfing at First Avenue Tonight by emoeby
» Stuff about Minneapolis
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11:51
Tooling Around Minneapolis ’02
» Nokohaha
That’s the busy intersection of Fourth and Nicollet in 1902 . Minneapolis City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse was still under construction and gas buggies had to share the road with bicycles, horses and street cars.
The design of our Richardsonian Romanesque Municipal Building was based upon Henry Hobson Richardson’s Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Washington School, the first schoolhouse in Minneapolis west of the Mississippi River, was demolished to make way for the new building. Groundbreaking took place in 1889. The cornerstone was laid a story off the ground in 1891. Construction did not officially end until 1909, but the structural exterior was pretty much complete by the end of 1895.
The Masonic Temple and the West Hotel sat beside each other Hennepin Avenue for over fifty years. Opened in 1884, the West Hotel was Minneapolis’ first grand hotel. It had 407 luxuriously furnished rooms, 140 baths and was considered for a time to be the best hotel west of Chicago. The building designed by LeRoy Buffington was built on land that was once owned by the first resident of Minneapolis, John H. Stevens. The West was demolished in 1940. The Masonic Temple was purchased and underwent a renovation to become the Hennepin Center for the Arts in 1978. These days the building is owned by Artspace and is home to more than 17 performing and visual art companies.
There’s the old Tenth Avenue Bridge and the still standing Stone Arch Bridge . Between the two is the long-gone Spirit Island where legend has it that Dakoka women would go to Spirit Island to give birth. In an effort to make the Mississippi River navigable above Saint Anthony Falls for the first time, the United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed two sets of locks at the lower dam and at the falls in the 1950s. They also covered the falls with a permanent concrete apron. The project resulted in the disfiguration of the Stone Arch Bridge by replacing two of the arches with a steel truss. Spirit Island was also obliterated in the process.
I’m guessing this young boy on a bicycle is watching goldfish. Loring Park was designed by American landscape architect Horace Cleveland. Originally named Central Park it was renamed in honor of Charles M. Loring. The park is located on the former farm of Joseph and Nellie Johnson.
Here’s the Minikahda Club & Lake Calhoun. The name Minikahda comes from a combination of two Indian words meaning “by the side of the water.”
Minnehaha Park is one of Minneapolis’ oldest and most popular parks. The 53 foot waterfall has been tweaked a little over the years, but on most days the sounds of rushing water and screaming children drown out the airplanes and traffic so it’s not too difficult to imagine that very little has changed since the days when this photogravure print was made.
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06:10
Windom Park, Northeast Mpls via Urban Sketchers Twin Cities
» Stuff about Minneapolis -
18:23
thomaslowrysghost: (via Nokohaha)
» Stuff about Minneapolis -
14:43
All He Wants To Do Is Fish - The Replacements The 2012...
» Stuff about MinneapolisAll He Wants To Do Is Fish - The Replacements
The 2012 Minnesota fishing opener starts tonight at 12:01 a.m for Walleye, Northern Pike, and Sauger.
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14:15
Minnesota Hipsters Don’t-cha-Know via Crabgrass Comics
» Stuff about Minneapolis
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The "house" that gambling built.
» Minnesota Family CouncilWe all remember the description of Yankee Stadium as the house that Ruth built. When it comes to the new Vikings stadium, it's fair to describe it as the house that gambling built. That's because the state's share of $350 million is largely funded from expected tax revenues generated by electronic pulltabs and bingo machines.
We've been vehemently opposed to the expansion of electronic gambling, which is the most predatory form of gambling. Electronic or video gambling is the most addictive form of gambling. Studies estimate that a third to half of video gambling in casinos comes from just one percent of gamblers - those who are the problem gamblers.
The state's plan calls for the placement of the electronic gambling devices in at least 2,500 bars and restaurants across the state with 25,000 or more machines used. That means we'll be blanketing the state with these addictive gambling machines and they'll be used in establishments where alcohol is served. A bad combination to say the least.
Many have questioned whether the electronic machines will actually generate the revenues they're projecting. Comments by charitable gambling advocates in the media today only reinforced this concern.King Wilson, Executive Director of Allied Charities of Minnesota, said the conference bill retains a split in charitable gaming tax revenue that is less favorable than they wanted: The state would get $59 million per year and the charities would get $13 million.
"Obviously, we're disappointed," Wilson said. "At this level, we're not convinced the machines are going to be economically viable."
Wilson said it may not make sense for organizations to install electronic pull-tab and bingo games at this level of taxation.
"I hope it'll be successful," he said. "I hope we're wrong."
The state depends for its share of the stadium funding on taxing new, electronic forms of charitable gaming. Critics have said the funding mechanism is unproven.
That's coming from the people who should know, those on the ground in the establishments which are expected to use the machines designed to generate the revenue.
What does this all mean? If they're right, the legislature will be looking for additional funding sources next year or the year after. What might they be? A further expansion of gambling? Slot machines in bars and restaurants? State run casinos at the horse tracks and elsewhere?
What the legislature did this week may well have been sowing the seeds of a massive expansion of gambling in our state. I certainly hope I'm wrong but I've seen in the past how not only do individauls get addicted to gambling so do policy makers who see it as easy, cost free money. In reality it's anything but cost free. It destroys individuals and families and corrupts our culture with a get rich quick mentality. Video or electronic gambling is a predatory business product which is dependent on indebtedness and addiction to be profitable.
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12:33
Today’s lunch was brought to you by “The Perfect...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Today’s lunch was brought to you by “The Perfect Burger” at Victory 44 on the Northside.
I might go back today and have another one of these for a midafternoon snack.
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12:11
siphotos: Members of the Minnesota Vikings offense — John...
» Stuff about Minneapolis
Members of the Minnesota Vikings offense — John Henderson (80), Jim Vellone (63), John Beasley (87), Gene Washington (84), and Ron Yary (73) — try and stay warm during the 1969 NFL Championship game against the Cleveland Browns. The Vikings would go onto win 27-7 to capture the NFL title before losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV. This was the last Super Bowl before the NFL-AFL merger. (Neil Leifer/SI)
SI VAULT: Vikings roll past Browns and advance to Super Bowl (1.26.70)
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Legislative Update
» Minnesota State University Student Association
Higher Ed Policies Signed into Law
The higher education omnibus bill, SF 1573, was passed and signed into law by Gov. Dayton. The bill includes many provisions that MSUSA worked hard to get passed and are important to student success and reducing costs.
The first major provision is the textbook language which includes the establishment of a work group to study methods that result in lower textbook costs for students. This was one of MSUSA’s key policy initiatives. MSUSA hopes that this work group will allow the delivery of textbooks to students can be used to enhance the learning experience while also reducing the out-of-control costs. There is also language that requires MnSCU institutions to publish course schedules and course material lists on the institution’s Web site. The textbook language also makes the notification to the campus bookstore of selected course material mandatory for MnSCU academic departments or instructors, and requires the notice of selection to be provided to the bookstore and students 45 days, instead of 30 days, before the start of the term. The bookstore is also required to make reasonable efforts to notify students at least 30 days, instead of 15 days, prior to the start of the term of the most recent copyright date of the printed course material and the copyright date of the most recent prior edition of the course material, if that prior edition is acceptable for class use. By moving these dates sooner we hope students have access to the information they need to shop at various sources for the lowest price textbooks instead of being forced to buy from the bookstore because of inadequate notification.
The next major initiative MSUSA helped pass is the continuing operations language that will allow colleges and universities to continue serving students if a government shutdown were to happen again. Last year there was confusion about the prospect that our summer courses would end early without credit awarded because of the state shutdown. This provision will clarify what happens in the event of a state shutdown in the future. The bill also includes an increase in the revenue fund authority from $300 million to $405 million. This language will allow campuses the opportunity to evaluate and plan, in consultation with students, for the future of revenue generating facilities including, but not limited to: dorms, student unions, dining facilities, and parking.
In conjunction with the Inter-Faculty Organization (IFO-the university professors union, MSUSA advocated for language regarding the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) student fee, a classroom-based, content-specific assessment that captures teacher candidates’ performance in planning and delivering instruction primarily taken during the student teaching phase of a student’s education, was included in the bill and requires the Minnesota Board of Teaching to report to the K-12 and higher education legislative committees by January 5, 2013 with recommendations for eliminating lower priority tests or assessments required of teacher education students to offset the additional fees charged to students for the TPA. Currently the student is not bearing any cost for completing the TPA because the assessment is in its pilot phase.
Other Policy Provisions that Did Not:
The Omnibus Tax bill that was sent to Gov. Dayton included $1 million for a higher ed internship grant program that would grant money to businesses in greater Minnesota for hiring paid interns. Unfortunately this provision was included in a highly controversial bill that was vetoed by the Governor.
MnSCU Bonding Projects
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) was appropriated $132 million $94.7 million in bonding projects and asset preservation. The university projects are listed below:· $20 million for HEAPR· $500 thousand for Southwest Minnesota State University science lab renovation;· $2.5 million for the system wide STEM renovation;· $2.065 million for Minnesota State University, Mankato clinical science building design· $3.303 million for Bemidji State University business building addition/renovation design and demolitionThe remaining dollars were used for projects at the MnSCU college campuses.
Doubling of the Stafford Loan Interest Rate
The US House passed a bill that would extend the 3.4% interest rate one more year but is paid for by cutting a controversial part of the healthcare reform law. The US Senate took action on a bill on May 8th that would have also extended the 3.4% for one year but the bill failed to reach the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster so the debate was stalled.
MSUSA is urging our congressional representatives to continue working together to find a solution to this problem. Student loan debt has recently grown to more than $1 trillion. On average, the doubling of the interest rate would add approximately $1,000 for every year a student takes out a loan, adding up to more than $4,000 over a four-year education. The rate hike could not come at a worse time.
The national recession has led to weak state economies, which in turn have squeezed college budgets. The result is higher tuition costs being passed on to students and families throughout the country. In 2011, 46 states dealt with budget shortfalls, resulting in double-digit tuition increases. In Minnesota we had historic cuts our higher education systems and our universities all saw a tuition increase.
We must continue our work to keep a college education within reach by stopping interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans from doubling this July.
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Our 5th First Communicant!
» Minnesota Mom
Prologue: These days—and my life—are flying past. Why, I can still remember, clearly, being in labor with this little girl. It was around 7 o’clock in the morning and I was waiting for our neighbors (Gloria & Emily, shown in a photograph below) to arrive; they were coming to watch our other children while John went with me to the hospital. This was October and the days were turning brisk, so I thought…with one last burst of pre-labor nesting…that I’d quickly place an online order for Hanna Andersson mittens. The contractions would come and I’d pause for a moment...breathing in & out and rocking back & forth...until the 60-second wave washed over me. Eventually, I placed the order; our neighbors arrived; and our third little girl (a blue-eyed blonde!) was born.
And now...and now...it’s seven years later. She has reached the “age of reason,” and has, as of Sunday, received Our Lord Jesus for the very first time.
I can’t really believe it.
Every day is such a gift.“What wonderful majesty! What stupendous condescension! O sublime humility! That the Lord of the whole universe, God and the Son of God, should humble Himself like this under the form of a little bread, for our salvation.”
I. The Food
- St. Francis of Assisi
Well, after such a lofty beginning, let us turn to something more mundane: the food for her First Communion party. Grace builds upon nature, after all!
And speaking of Grace...
This is Grace of Our Field of Little Flowers fame. She makes cookies. 
Does she ever make cookies!
Grace generously offered to make two dozen cookies for Angela’s First Communion after noting my stress level in this post. Actually, she offered to make four dozen cookies—free of charge, out of the goodness of her heart—for both the First Communion and Joe’s Confirmation, but with great restraint (and only just keeping my inner Mrs. Greed in check), I said, “No, really, that’s too much. Let’s just go with the First Communion.”
And so we did.
And they were lovely.
(To see more of Grace’s beautiful cookies and/or order a batch for your next big event, visit her blog You Smart Cookie. She really does an amazing job.)
*****
For those of you who may be interested in such things, here is the whole of our First Communion menu:
Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches (I served it on croissants.)Seven-Layer Salad (Here’s one version.)Mostaccioli Salad (Mine looked like this.) Fresh FruitPunchCream Cheese MintsFirst Communion CookiesFirst Communion Cake (from Sam’s Club)
~ Cream Cheese Mints (by my daughter Cate!) ~
II. The Faith
And now for the photos of that sweet little face.
My little honey!
My spunky girl. 
This is the part of the ceremony where words pretty much escape me. I wish—how I wish—that for one brief moment, God would lift the veil and let me see what was happening. It’s like we know and yet, we don’t know. We see without really seeing...and we are nowhere near as humbled as we should be.
Moving onto lighter fare…
III. The Friends & Family
Of course, I had to get a family photo before my crew scattered after the ceremony.
I call this one “The Widower and His Kids.”
My goodness, could my men look more cheerful if they tried?
This shot is better.
But only just.
Sometimes I think all my husband needs is to get out of that suit and grab a cold Diet Coke. He is very much a “The ceremony’s over so let’s go home” kinda guy.
Oh, and that’s my neighbor Gloria above—the one on the left laughing with my friend, Ruth Ann—and that’s her daughter Emily helping herself to some punch.
Both Emily and her sister, Megan, babysat our kids for years.
And then they had the gall to go off to college.
Eventually I forgave them.
Only because they’re so sweet.
Speaking of sweet, here’s a shot of the cake.
(Isn’t it pretty? I bought it myself.)
And with that last quip I’m going to close this long post. Are you still with me? Because here’s the best part:
~ A shot of three dozen dear sweet little souls! ~
(Hug ‘em close, dear moms & dads, ‘cause these days are flying by so fast.)
(And remember...)“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”
- St. Maximilian Kolbe
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Yogi Berra Logic & Social Media
» Simply Squirrel Food[creativecommons.org] src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SyUM21UH9rs/T6vdbByyVeI/AAAAAAAAHeo/W9fignQgayg/Flickr-3813159381.jpg" />
I love it when I can connect two of my favorite things - baseball and social media. I came across a wonderful piece about how some of Yogi Berra's sometimes mangled logic can be applied to social media. I know you'll find it both entertaining and useful. Enjoy!
Yogi Berra: 13 Social Media Lessons From The Mound [Quotes]
by Heidi Cohen
Social media can learn a lot from baseball, particularly in terms of consistently practicing to improve your results and putting the greater good of the team and its community ahead your personal feelings. (Read more)
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First Five Fragments for Friday
» One Minnesota Writer
1. Militant woodpeckers have saved the half-dead tree next door from being removed by their recent occupation.
2. I don't mind baby fingerprints all over the glass on the china hutch.
3. The RCA dog in the window of the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis makes me happy.
4. The woman who sent her twelve-year-old daughter outside in a diaper and a tank top for punishment over bad grades - what punishments has she lived through that led her to this?
5. Moment of surprise: when a baby realizes he/she is standing up without holding onto anything, which results in an immediate fall to the floor.
And your fragments are….?
Happy Mother's Day this Sunday!
Where's Mom? Photo by Kathleen Cassen Mickelson
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05:35
Online Marketing News: Take Action on Social Data, LinkedIn Gets the Scoop, Google Reigns Supreme, Google & Big Data for SEO
» Online Marketing Blog
Actionable Social Analytics
This recent infographic by awareness takes a dive into social analytics. In an era where virtually every brand is online, it is essential that action is being taken off of the data we are collecting from social networks. This infographic provides not only some of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that your company should be tracking, but how to calculate these numbers as well. Examples of the KPI’s your company should be tracking:
- Brand Awareness & Reputation
- Marketing Program Effectiveness
- Lead Generation Effectiveness
Use LinkedIn to Get Juicy Industry Scoop
LinkedIn has proven to be a great recruiting mechanism and means of connecting business professionals. Many organizations are now using the social networking platform to gain insight into potential clients. Sounds a little bit like stalking to me, what do you think? Via Inc.You’re Fired! Facebook “Likes” Gone Wrong
Should companies have a say in what their employees post on social networks on their own time? Can these posts or “likes” be grounds for termination? That is exactly what judges are trying to figure out based on two recent cases where employees claim they were fired for what their employers deemed inappropriate “likes” on Facebook. Via BtoB.Google is King of the Mountain on Mobile
comScore’s Mobile Metrix report examines mobile media usage across different devices, applications, and web browsing. According to this report, Google is leading the pack by reaching over 98% of the U.S. mobile audience. Via TechCrunch.Use Social Media to Target Existing Customers
Online Marketing News From the Top(Rank)
Social media can be used in a variety of ways to target new and existing customers. Your team can take a customer centric approach which involves answering questions and solving issues. Additionally, social networks are a great way to offer loyalty programs which encourage repeat business. This article offers 5 great tips for using social media to target your current customers. Via Social Media Examiner.Shawna Kenyon – Facebook’s Stock Price in Context
Facebook is going public, well kind of. Last Thursday they announced the release of 337,415,352 shares to hit the marketplace, making Facebook one of the most valuable US Internet companies to date. But is Facebook really a good investment? How does the offering/pricing compare to its tech counterparts? Check out the Infographic in this article to see how Facebook stacks up. Via Mashable.Brian Larson -‘Cannibalization’ Not Good For Fast Food…Or Any Other Business
To be clear, we’re talking the cannibalization of revenue. Fast food giant Wendy’s launched the ‘W’ burger last year and saw sales for the new product display consistent growth. So where’s the problem? Sales of the ‘W’ burger were rising while higher ticket items were dropping. In effect, Wendy’s had been successful in down selling their menu. Let this delicious example be a friendly reminder that just because you can launch a product doesn’t mean you should. Via AdvertisingAge.Mike Yanke – Google Extends Search Results with ‘Sources’ Area
Extended information about movies, books, people and music will soon start populating the third column Google results as the search giant confirmed its ‘Sources’ experiment this week. Learn more about this experiment – and see some early screencaps – in this article posted by Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land.Kodi Osmond – Google, Big Data & What it Means for SEO
Big data – it’s exactly what it sounds like. Marketers have always been astutely aware of how gathering and analyzing customer data allows for relevant, impactful, and timely communications. Google, one of the grand poobahs of big data companies, has alluded to how big big data will be for the future of search. So is big data really the next big thing, and what big impact will it have on search marketers? Via Search Engine Watch.Time to Weigh in: Has your company used LinkedIn to target customers in the past? If so what were your results? What is your policy or preference on employees and social media usage, both personal and professional? We look forward to your feedback on the news articles we found the most interesting this week. Have a great weekend.
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TopRank® Online Marketing Newsletter.© Online Marketing Blog, 2012. | Online Marketing News: Take Action on Social Data, LinkedIn Gets the Scoop, Google Reigns Supreme, Google & Big Data for SEO | [www.toprankblog.com]
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22:52
Flying Back Fifty Years
» Nokohaha
1963
I had another flying dream and this time I soared up from my old apartment rooftop, up above Steven’s Square and back almost 50 years. Downtown Minneapolis spread out like a concrete quilt below me. There’s the old Ivy Tower, the Lemington Hotel and Foshay’s mighty obelisk. In 1963, Nicollet, Marquette, Second and Third were all fine broad avenues with room for parking on both sides and two lanes of traffic in each direction. Just look at all that parking! All the way from the river to the convention center there were meters on the streets, lots and lots. Back then you didn’t need good karma to find a spot.
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Last Update:
19.05.2012 21:15:34
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