Citizens

The lint trap

San Diego, northwest quadrant

There.  Right there.  No!

In love

On the thirty, the twenty, the ten, five...

Liar's Gulch, lookin' down the business end of a six-shooter

Your grocer's peanut bin

Vivi wrote this newspaper while I was traveling earlier this week. Click on it to see a more legible version. It’s worth the time:

Vivi’s Newspaper

I’ve been told many times that a guy who has my same name but completely opposite political views is a serial commenter at MinnPost. In fact, I once received an e-mail message from a prominent MinnPost columnist, asking me why I hadn’t made any of my right-wing rants in a while. So I can’t think [...]

Just about a year from now, we will cast votes for the President, a U.S. Senator, numerous county and city offices, and a new Minnesota legislature.  I am announcing my plans to, once again, run for a seat in the Minnesota Senate.  This election is not about getting my “old seat back.”  This election is about reclaiming a voice for Senate District 25 and all Minnesotans.  The current party in power in the Minnesota legislature fails to listen.  This past summer’s government shutdown proved they are more concerned about their party platform than the constituents who elected them.  I worry about the tone of today’s politics and our basic priorities.

We talk about recession…yet ignore the needy

We talk about test scores…while ignoring educational funding.

We talk about wanting quality health care, yet over 400,000 Minnesotans go without.

We talk about local control, yet we starve our cities and counties.

We talk about Republicans and Democrats yet we forget about Minnesotans

I believe the basics include a job, a quality education, affordable college, a clean and healthy environment, equality for all, and a right to grow old with dignity.

We are facing a critical time in Minnesota.  We can no longer allow extreme political agendas to divide us — the success of our state and our communities depends on our ability to find common ground on many critical issues.

We can do this together.  When we stop working together… government ceases to work. Again, let’s make Minnesota proud!

I recently finished reading Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. I recommend it highly to those who want to know more about cancer.

It’s a long and challenging read, but it’s worth it. The main thing I learned: cancer is a many-headed hydra. Each type of cancer is a different disease that requires a different type of treatment.

This site has been dormant for some time, but I’m going to kick it off again by ranking Northfield-area nonmotorized accommodations and projects.

The rich, the well-connected, the privileged, and the powerful have given themselves the society that they deserve. The rest of us deserve better.

On November 22nd, all of the members of Norcoh met for their second programming meeting.   These cards with simple but effective drawings helped express their hopes, dreams, and goals for the neighborhood.

The cohousing design discussion on November 5, 2009, was well-attended and lively conversation sprouted afterward. Attendees included ages from very young to retirement-age, which is a perfect match for our goals for our community.

In February, we will be offering a Community Ed course in four sessions for those who would like more information. Also, stay tuned to this blog for more opportunities to engage!