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Speed Gibson

  • New Home

    Follow the link in the banner to my new TypePad site, where all new posting will be published.

    All of my archives have (finally!) been transferred.

    Please update whatever links and blogroll entries you may have accordingly. This site will disappear at the end of this month.

    [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 2:10am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Lost My Lease

    What a shame. PowerBlogs is hanging it up on November 30, so I have barely a month to find a new blog host.

    I started blogging in 2004 using Blogger.com, which I still use for two other blogs. Back then, Blogger was up and down, fast and slow, and [...]
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    Posted: October 21, 2009, 9:10pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Speaking of Incompetent ...

    Remember the early days of Monday Night Football, with Howard Cosell? Legend has it that a bar in Denver, whose Broncos allegedly got no respect during Cosell's halftime highlights, auctioned off a brick each game. The winner got to throw that brick at an old black and white TV at [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 9:10pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Surrounded by Incompetence

    As several of us moaned during that voyage of the damned, watching the McCain campaign sink beneath us, Brack Obama had no experience whatever in running anything. And as I personally inferred and feared, he has no executive skills to even develop on the job. He's a weak person thrust [...]
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    Posted: October 20, 2009, 8:10pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • District 281 Candidate Forum

    I have given out some incorrect information regarding the upcoming Robbinsdale School Board Candidates Forum being presented this week by the League of Women Voters. Here is the information I verified with the District this morning:

    Date: Thursday, October 22

    Time: 7 pm

    Place: Education Service Center [...]
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    Posted: October 19, 2009, 1:10pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Equal Time

    I am of course sad to report that a woman died after being hit by a Metro Transit bus Friday morning. As you may remember, about one person a year is dying from Hiawatha Line accidents, which should be of great concern to those planning the much more exposed [...]
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    Posted: October 18, 2009, 10:10pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Above Normal!

    It hit 63 degrees today, a whopping 5 degrees above normal! No wonder I had to doff the jacket while out walking this afternoon, listening to the Vikings. Something's different this year, must be Favre. These are exactly the kind of games we normally lose in the waning minutes thanks [...]
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    Posted: October 18, 2009, 10:10pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Meet John Doe

    The stock market is up, some say the recession is over, but the rest of the news is pretty bleak. What a treat to see America at its best Saturday morning (SD 45), meeting Jeff Wiita, GOP candidate for State Auditor. He's a CPA who's done considerable work in the [...]
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    Posted: October 17, 2009, 9:10pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • El Elefante en la Sala de Estar

    Tuesday night's 2 1/2 hour District 281 School Board meeting spent 90 of those minutes on just one seemingly minor item: a revised Entrance Policy for its legendary Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion (RSI) program. It was last updated in 1999.

    Assistant Superintendent Gayle Walkowiak presented this first reading of the [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 9:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Sacked Again

    I'm sure making hard work of this. After sounding defeating the State Fair, Labor Day weekend got the better of me, leaving me with quite the mountain to climb this week for the first down.

    The irony is I feel so much better when I am under control. That's [...]
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    Posted: September 09, 2009, 8:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • First Day of School

    Today started the 2009-2010 school year throughout Minnesota with a scant few exceptions granted to give 2010 construction projects more time. It was also the first "prime time" School Board meeting for the year in District 281, which I attended.

    Given all the changes in the Robbinsdale district, everything [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 11:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • General Quarters

    Labor Day is over, the State Fair is over, and in many ways, the Summer is over. As is my custom, I am again wearing long sleeve shirts and ties, until Memorial Day 2010. It's time to refocus, getting back to school, work, and football.

    The media might get [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 2:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • O Little Town of New Trier

    I've posted before that we could do without some small cities in Minnesota. Fresh evidence is in a Minneapolis Star Tribune article about the city of New Trier, population 105. Forty homeowners are facing a $15,000 bill each to fix its "potholes and stretches of cracked, bowing and'" [...]
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    Posted: September 07, 2009, 2:09am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Point and Counterpoint

    Phil Krinkie from The Taxpayers League of Minnesota recently posed a fair and obvious question. What role did former GOP Representative Kathy Tingelstad's 2008 vote to override the Governor and thereby raise taxes have in securing her recent appointment as Anoka County's Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator?
    Of the six [...]
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    Posted: September 05, 2009, 9:09am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • School Choices for Obama's Webcast

    As of Friday, September 3, about 11 am, here's what I see on the Web regarding how some public school districts will be handling President Obama's Tuesday webcast.

    Many of the largest - Minneapolis, St. Paul, Anoka-Hennepin, Bloomington, Rosemount - have yet to post any information. Neither have a [...]
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    Posted: September 04, 2009, 12:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Where Were You In '82?

    When reading or listening to the words of those on the Left, I know I'm being misled when I see even a passing reference to Haliburton, a liberal code word for all Bush 43 ills great and small. In a Minneapolis Star Tribune commentary, Rockford High School Principal Ryan' [...]
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    Posted: September 02, 2009, 9:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Still a Passing Down

    It's Wednesday, Weight Watchers weigh-in day. After a big setback last week, I bounced back, losing 5.4 pounds. And this included a trip to the State Fair and a lot of pizza on another night!

    So now it's third down and 9 yards to go in my system, meaning [...]
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    Posted: September 02, 2009, 7:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Out for Justice at Anoka-Hennepin

    What do politicians always say, the cover-up does more damage than the charge? Faced with two teachers who repeatedly, personally mocked a student, the Anoka-Hennepin School District first tried "corrective action" paired with a $ 25,000 judgment against the District. District parents wanted more, i.e., outright dismissal. At a minimum, [...]
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    Posted: September 02, 2009, 1:09pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • No thank you, Mr. President

    President Obama is the opposite of Reagan's "hedgehog" that did a few things well, taking on too much, and so far not a win in sight. The latest is his web cast to the nation's school children on September 8. John Hinderaker calls it "inexpressibly lame--President Obama at his" [...]
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    Posted: September 02, 2009, 8:09am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • State Fair 2009

    I've been to many a State Fair, but this might have been the biggest turnout I've ever seen. It's either a green shoot or a last meal, but trying to get from point A to point B through these crowds was like working your way through lap traffic at Bristol.
    [...]
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    Posted: August 30, 2009, 12:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Schools First!

    Education Minnesota President Tom Dooher, responded to an editorial by D.J. Tice on how difficult it is to fire public employees. The particular case in question is of course the two Anoka-Hennepin teachers who didn't even come close to getting fired for harassing a student about being gay.The' [...]
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    Posted: August 28, 2009, 5:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Radio Jottings

    The State Fair has begun, and The Patriot (WWTC 1280 AM) offers the only improvement in programming. The David Strom show and the Northern Alliance Radio Network (NARN) are live and pulling extra shifts. They have their fun but don't forget to take care of business, too. Other shows like' [...]
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    Posted: August 28, 2009, 9:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Theory and Practice

    THEORY:

    The Anoka-Hennepin Schools have unveiled a new computer web service to "make it easier for Anoka-Hennepin educators and students to get together."
    Patrick Plant, district chief technology and information officer, said the new computer Web service can allow groups to get in touch via e-mail, Internet, cell [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 2:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • First Things First

    I serve on my City's Financial Commission, appointed, unpaid volunteers who assist with the annual budget cycle. We've had a couple of meetings already on the 2010 budget and levy. As I think I've written before, I think we've done an above average job dealing with the changing economic landscape,' [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 8:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Tough Week

    I could point to a number of distractions, but I made the bad decisions in most of these cases. But unlike a couple in a similar state I know, I still went to the Weight Watchers meeting. Actually, it had to be a later meeting in another location, but I [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 8:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • 2010: Year of Decision

    Last October, I posted the closing speech from a radio play by a man who found himself no longer a free man. His words are worth repeating, so well performed by Raymond Massey:"All my life I lived with freedom. Jean, we didn't know it was freedom, did we? Living'" [...]
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    Posted: August 24, 2009, 4:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Case of the Unprincipled Principal

    A St. Clould Elementary school will have a new principal this fall, and thank goodness. Here's my paraphrase of this Minneapolis Star Tribune account of what happened.A St. Cloud elementary school principal called in sick the Friday before he was to begin a week-long February vacation to Acapulco, Mexico. [...]
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    Posted: August 22, 2009, 5:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Unreal Estate

    A Woodbury retail center project has gone bust. Yes, in Woodbury, the east metro's answer to Eden Prairie. A commenter on the Star Tribune site says there is a Trader Joe's there. And yet the loss appears to run seven figures.

    This is a sobering reality that the [...]
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    Posted: August 21, 2009, 11:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Favred!

    It was fourth and five at Weight Watchers tonight, which meant I had to lose 2.4 pounds. Alas, I only lost 0.6 lbs, but at least it's a loss. In fact, this is the lightest I've been since late April.

    This was a weird period, with my interrupted medication' [...]
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    Posted: August 19, 2009, 8:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Why not here?

    Whatever the situation was in the Louisiana public school system before Hurricane Katrina, the situation afterward was so dire that the Louisiana Recovery School District was established to "provide the supports and interventions necessary to put academically struggling schools on a path toward success." It manages dozens of schools, [...]
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    Posted: August 19, 2009, 9:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Robbinsdale School Board filings begin next week

    If you're thinking of running for the District 281 School Board, you have about two weeks starting next Tuesday, August 25 to file. Four of the seven positions are up this year.

    Among those four is Jonas Beugen, who announced tonight that he will not be seeking re-election. Beugen' [...]
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    Posted: August 18, 2009, 12:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Klaatu Lives

    My wife and I went to the one night only showing of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" at the Heights Theatre. We got there a little early and good thing, the theater being nearly sold out. We preceded this with a visit to the Sonic Drive-in just up [...]
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    Posted: August 17, 2009, 11:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Too Smart for our own Good?

    "Is human history all wrong and Barack Obama right?" asked Mark Levin on Friday's broadcast. It's really come down to that, hasn't it? Continuing to quote Levin:
    "Because for Obama to be right, and for his Party now in the hands of the radical Left to be right, the Founders'" [...]
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    Posted: August 16, 2009, 10:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Change on the Agenda

    New District 281 Superintendent Aldo Sicoli has made a welcome change, finally streamlining the tree-killing School Board meeting agendas. Typically, these ran 10-20 pages mostly because of the endless embedded minutia. The flow was also awkward, not seemingly concerned with conducting an efficient, effective, and informative meeting.

    You may [...]
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    Posted: August 16, 2009, 1:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Will Pawlenty Address Forced Unionism?

    As you may know, Speed Gibson is a sole proprietorship. You may also know that while I dabble in K-12 education issues frequently, I really haven't taken on higher education much other than to suggest that some spending restraint might be in order at both the University of Minnesota and' [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 11:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Friday Funny

    THE GEOGRAPHY OF A WOMAN
    Between 18 and 22, a woman is like Africa, half discovered, half wild, fertile and naturally beautiful!

    Between 23 and 30, a woman is like Europe, well developed and open to trade, especially for someone of real value.

    Between 31 and [...]
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    Posted: August 14, 2009, 11:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Berglin: Not My Problem!

    I wanted to take August off from politics, but this item from Politics in Minnesota really galls me. DFL State Senator Linda Berglin is now telling our health care providers to come up with at least $ 400 million to pay for her party's latest excursion into socialized medicine. [...]
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    Posted: August 13, 2009, 8:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Test Scores 2009 - Reality

    This will be the final installment on the 2009 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) test scores. (Previously: Reaction Response Reassessment) Last time, I suggested that these scores should be primarily used to evaluate teachers, not the students. The question is can you get a good education at [...]
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    Posted: August 13, 2009, 12:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Test Scores 2009 - Reassessment

    I previously posted on the 2009 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) results and the apparently unaccountable responses to come. As I said, the intentions are good and pure, but nobody is likely betting their job or elected office on their success.

    If you don't have to, why would you?' [...]
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    Posted: August 12, 2009, 9:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Got most of it back

    It's Wednesday, weigh in day, and as expected, the resumption of my medication brought my weight way back down again. So now I have a very doable 2.4 pounds left to make what I hope is the toughest fourth down I will face.

    I will obviously be reordering my [...]
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    Posted: August 12, 2009, 8:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Test Scores 2009 - Response

    In my previous post, I reviewed the new No Child Left Behild (NCLB) test scores that show that nearly half of our schools come up short of NCLB targets in one or more demographics. And assuming its consequences (closed schools, student relocation, etc.) are eased by Congress this year, it's' [...]
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    Posted: August 12, 2009, 12:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Test Scores 2009 - Reaction

    The Minnesota Department of Education released its 2009 test scores, the ones required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). First off, if it were up to me, I'd abolish NCLB and all the rest of the Federal education programs enacted the past 50 years. Besides not being among the' [...]
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    Posted: August 12, 2009, 8:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • New Toy

    Qwest is getting out of the cell phone business, who we were using. So, we made the switch to Verizon last night, new phones for all!

    This is cell phone #4 for me, finally a real upgrade, after #2 and #3 turned out to be net downgrades. I finally [...]
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    Posted: August 09, 2009, 9:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Transit is for Loners

    The Metro Transit web site has a trip planner which I frequently use. It's not perfect, having a bias toward always dragging you downtown, but useful for most trips. A new little blurb now appears on the results page, that I'm reducing my carbon footprint by 3.5 lbs. of' [...]
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    Posted: August 08, 2009, 5:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Ruining it for the Rest of Us

    One of the great life lessons you learn early on in elementary school is that a few can spoil things for the many. Somebody talks back to the coach and the whole team does extra laps. Your whole class misses recess, waiting for a slacker or two to finish some [...]
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    Posted: August 07, 2009, 4:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Republican Response

    The world of newspaper publishing is changing, OK, shrinking. The Red Wing [MN] Republican Eagle is responding by dropping from five to two print editions a week next month. The good news is that those editions will be larger, with time to give these Wednesday and Saturday editions more [...]
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    Posted: August 06, 2009, 2:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Flag on the play

    What did Lloyd Bridges always say in Airplane!? Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking, drinking, ...

    The Iowa reunion, one I'd never been to before, turned out to be a double header, Saturday night and Sunday noon. Still, I thought I showed some restraint, passing' [...]
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    Posted: August 06, 2009, 1:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Teach For America

    Some Twin Cities public school districts will be getting some help this coming year from Teach For America (TFA), a non-profit organization that recruits recent college graduates to teach for two years in (here we go again) low-income area schools. From the TFA web site:Teach For America aims to [...]
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    Posted: August 04, 2009, 7:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Back in the Habit

    Long ago, Hugh Hewitt had a morning show ("Morning Glory"), my first experience with WWTC aka The Patriot. He had great fun with then Governor of California Gray Davis. And he was the first voice I heard speak of the attack of 9/11.

    Then he moved to his current [...]
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    Posted: August 04, 2009, 12:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Dog Days

    I think August might be my least favorite month. This dates from my youth. I loved finishing each grade in June, but I was ready to go back for the next one by August. There was swimming and summer recreation programs and Independence Day and vacations and it all seemed [...]
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    Posted: August 04, 2009, 12:08am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • No Warranty, Expressed or Implied

    It was bound to happen. A recent college graduate is suing her alma mater because she has yet to get a job after three stressful, fruitless months of searching. She wants her $70,000 tuition back, and $2,000 more for the aforementioned stress.

    It was bound to happen because [...]
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    Posted: August 03, 2009, 11:08pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • 21 Years and Counting

    August 1 is the anniversary date of the Excellence in Broadcasting (EIB) network, i.e., Rush Limbaugh. Today closes out his 21st year, and I look forward to many more. Now if only I could lose weight as easily as he's done this year.

    Locally, it was one year ago [...]
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    Posted: July 31, 2009, 11:07am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Static Analysis of Henry Louis Gates

    The facts seem pretty clear now regarding the Henry Louis Gates issue. Gates acted stupidly from the start, not first contacting the police in advance of his forced entry. He could afford a hotel room. He could have hired a locksmith in the morning. But no, he flew into an [...]
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    Posted: July 30, 2009, 7:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Strangulation

    From Richard A. Sloma's "No-Nonsense Management" (1977):"If planned new orders do not exceed planned shipments, management has announced its intention to liquidate the firm."The so-called Health Care Reform bill is lengthy, but one thing is clear: private health insurance will be all but dead. Actually, it will be totally eliminated, [...]
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    Posted: July 30, 2009, 12:07am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Second and four

    It's Weight Watchers night, and I'm very pleased with this week's three pound loss. In my football scoring, that's 3 of the 5 pounds I need for a first down, 60%, hence it is now 2nd and 4 to go as noted on the left sidebar.
    ' [...]
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    Posted: July 29, 2009, 9:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Feeling Sympathetic

    As I listen to President Obama stumbling and stammering in defense of his health care initiative, and he is definitely on defense, I'm starting to feel some sympathy for the Congressional Democrats. To the last man and woman, they want European-style state run health care, even if they won't admit [...]
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    Posted: July 28, 2009, 9:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Are You of the Body?

    I noticed via Twitter that King at SCSU Scholars picked up on the "civic engagement community" reference in my prior post of Dane Smith's latest op-ed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

    I had started a separate paragraph on it myself, but I later deleted it, unable to keep [...]
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    Posted: July 26, 2009, 12:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Dane Doubles Down

    Dane Smith is back with an opinion piece in the Minneapolis Star Tribue. He admits that, well, yes, things are kind of messed up right now, but hey, if we just "Think Big" we can again make Liberalism work in Minnesota.In [...] Minnesota's still vibrant civic engagement community, innovative [...]
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    Posted: July 25, 2009, 9:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • First and Ten, Do It Again

    It was weigh-in #1 tonight in my quest to lose the 100 pounds to reach my Weight Watchers goal. As is typical, first week results after "normal" consumption often are large, something many other weight plans depend on to tell you how you'll lose 9 pounds in 9 days or' [...]
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    Posted: July 22, 2009, 10:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Whatever it is, I'm against it

    I've seen a number of ugly, regrettable, and misleading Presidential speeches and press conferences over my many years. There was "Checkers" and "I'm not a crook!" from Nixon. There was Jimmy Carter's malaise and "moral equivalent of war." There was "I did not have sex with that woman" from Clinton. [...]
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    Posted: July 22, 2009, 9:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Use it or lose it

    Any seasoned bureaucrat - public or private - knows that you never run a surplus if you can help it. Another bureaucrat will see it and steal it. That's what's happening to Southwest Transit and the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. These are outlier public transit providers that work with [...]
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    Posted: July 19, 2009, 9:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Except for All the Others

    A St. Paul fireman has filed suit, repeatedly passed over for a promotion despite his high exam score. Sound familiar? As in Ricci and Sotomayor?

    The use of testing in hiring and promotion seems logical enough, that it should impart a strong measure of fairness. And yet it [...]
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    Posted: July 18, 2009, 12:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Stimulus Plan

    I'm a loser, just not a good enough loser. I speak of my weight. It was weigh-in day at Weight Watchers. Well, at least I went. I always do, even when out of town. And as you may know, I do walk a lot, every week. The result after over' [...]
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    Posted: July 15, 2009, 9:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Five Years!

    Tomorrow, July 14th, starts year six here at Speed Gibson. To my readers, commenters, and fellow MOBsters, I can only thank you for indulging me in this wonderful therapy.

    To those new here, I am a self-described recreational blogger. Oh, I try to wax eloquent like Craig Westover from [...]
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    Posted: July 13, 2009, 10:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Too Much Government

    Marty Siefert, former House Minority Leader and now candidate for Governor, was interviewed (very ably) by the First Team of the NARN today. Siefert told of his travels around Minnesota, where project after project, and therefore job after job, was tied up in paperwork across many public agencies. In one [...]
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    Posted: July 12, 2009, 7:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Preserve the Minneapolis Park System

    The Minneapolis Police and Fire departments aren't the only agencies threatened with budget cuts. The Minneapolis Park Board is seeking downright independence via a Charter Amendment they hope to get on the November ballot. I don't live in Minneapolis, but I'm all for it. It's that rare exception where' [...]
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    Posted: July 08, 2009, 11:07am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Real Middle Ground

    In her Friendly Advice for Norm Coleman post at the Freedom Dogs, "Activist Next Door" Shelia again necessarily raises the question of Conservatism vs Principled Pragmatism. In the comments we again hear that we Conservatives are the problem, unwilling to settle for half an electable loaf. What's the point [...]
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    Posted: July 07, 2009, 10:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • How to Conquer Earth

    I just watched the 1953 "War of the Worlds" with Gene Barry as Dr. Clayton Forrester. Yes, the original Dr. Clayton Forrester for you Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans out there.

    The Martians are everywhere, destroying every city in the world, curiously saving Los Angeles and Washington DC for [...]
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    Posted: July 07, 2009, 12:07am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Fountainhead of Freedom

    On this Independence Day, never has it been more apparent the value of education to a free society. Thanks to my friends at District 279 United, I found a remarkably clear explanation of this. In an interview with the author of WALKING TARGETS: How Our Psychologized Classrooms Are [...]
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    Posted: July 04, 2009, 10:07pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Is Norm Coleman Done?

    First, we all owe Norm Coleman our thanks for sparing us six years of Walter Mondale and six months of Al Franken in the U.S. Senate. He was mostly a good Senator, always strong on defense, and points for that. And points for conceding gracefully now, something Al Franken never [...]
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    Posted: July 02, 2009, 8:07am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Can an old Bureaucracy learn new Tricks?

    The Minneapolis Star Tribune supports St. Paul's plan to buy new accounting systems. It will cost about $14 million, and use software from Lawson, a company headquartered in St. Paul. I don't see much to quibble with here, even the price.St. Paul has been limping along with a Flintstones' [...]
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    Posted: July 01, 2009, 8:07am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Going Up!

    Tomorrow, the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy sales tax takes effect, adding 0.375% to the sales tax rates in Minnesota. I said rates, not rate, because of course, there are many. In Wright County, home of the Albertville Outlets, you will pay 6.875% starting tomorrow. In Minneapolis, you will pay [...]
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    Posted: June 30, 2009, 11:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • A Revolting Development in St. Paul Schools

    People my age and beyond may remember Chester E. Riley saying "What a revoltin' development this is!" That might be said of the Superintendent situation in the St. Paul Public Schools.

    You may remember that Superintendent Meria Carstarphen resigned to head the Austin, Texas school district. Sometimes, a new' [...]
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    Posted: June 30, 2009, 9:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • What a beautiful day

    It was a scrapbook kind of day for me. My walking hobby said it was time to walk around Lake Harriet and I can't imagine a better day for it. Warm and windy and not the least bit uncomfortable, and no bugs either.

    After that, I did another couple' [...]
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    Posted: June 28, 2009, 8:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • How Did This Happen?

    Looking at the brain trust assembled in Washington DC to decide the fate of American capitalism, perhaps today, I was asking myself, how could this happen? How could such incredibly stupid people rise to the top. Granted, the world of politics has always been about the acquisition of power and [...]
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    Posted: June 26, 2009, 1:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Air Conditioning 101

    I am continuing seeing cases where people don't seem to understand how air conditioning works. Are you one of those people who turns down the fan speed when the car gets too cool? Then read on.

    Air conditioning is just that, the conditioning of air to lower the temperature' [...]
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    Posted: June 25, 2009, 8:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • This time, it's a cut

    Our friends on the left always seem confused about cuts, even when confronted with the dictionary definition. It looks to me like some of us on the right may need some clarification as well this year.

    Accounting shifts have been a time-honored, bi-partisan technique for balancing state budgets in [...]
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    Posted: June 24, 2009, 8:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Don't Drink the Water

    I always loved going to visit my grandparents in South Minneapolis, except for one thing: the water. I grew up in St. Louis Park, which has well water. Minneapolis has river water, furnished by large, modern water works facilities in Fridley and Columbia Heights. But as the Minneapolis water official [...]
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    Posted: June 23, 2009, 9:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Call Me Irresponsible

    Minnesota 2020 has published a jeremiad on Governor Pawlenty's unallotment plan that will "cut services that keep people happy, healthy and alive." That's right, our Governor is too dense to realize how he might actually be killing people by his benign neglect. Or is it worse than that? "Not" [...]
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    Posted: June 21, 2009, 11:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Hangover

    We went to see "The Hangover" tonight. I really enjoyed it, felt it was worth more than just a Tweet. It's a cast of relative unknowns, but they all did great and the script was a delight. My wife said I hadn't laughed like that in years, but then, she' [...]
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    Posted: June 19, 2009, 11:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Progressive Health Care

    I put "Flo" on my banner for a reason. The idea of people coming into her "store" to buy various insurance packages is exactly what we should be doing for health care. Technology reached the point a few years ago where health care coverage can be tailored, purchased, paid for, [...]
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    Posted: June 19, 2009, 10:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Silence of Our Lambs

    I don't know why this particular occurrence should bother me so. Maybe it's because the facts are so obvious, to anyone except the sheep in our newsrooms around town. But now that Governor Pawlenty has detailed his unallotments to comply with the State Constitution, out comes the DFL with their' [...]
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    Posted: June 17, 2009, 8:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The 2009 James Taggart Cup

    Last year, I created and awarded the first ever James Taggart Cup to Michael Brodkorb, who had lashed out at Drew Emmer as a "Man Not in the Arena."

    James Taggart was the president of the railroad in Atlas Shrugged. Always clueless in a fog of irrational ideology, [...]
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    Posted: June 16, 2009, 9:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Sunday Funnies

    A letter from a self-described "lifelong Republican" appears in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune:"In times of recession the problem is that money does not circulate. Individual people and corporations cannot solve this problem. We are all forced to tighten our belts to survive. However, government at the state and federal" [...]
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    Posted: June 14, 2009, 8:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Dave Thompson for GOP Chair

    On paper, from what admittedly scant amount I've read and heard, including first hand at the Maple Grove candidates forum, I would normally prefer Tony Sutton for GOP chair. Since I am not a delegate or such, I'll just call this a preference, not an endorsement. But that's on paper.
    [...]
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    Posted: June 12, 2009, 9:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Katie Couric Hits New Low

    What's wrong with us? Why won't we watch the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric? From TVNewser:NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams was the #1 evening newscast again last week with a more than 800,000 viewer lead over #2 World News with Charles Gibson. And with an average of' [...]
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    Posted: June 11, 2009, 8:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Job Of the Day

    KSTP has a "Job of the Day" on its morning TV News. In a just world, there would be a new opening at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDot) by lunch time. The job is "Construction Traffic Planner" - the person who puts up the signs, cones, and barrels for [...]
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    Posted: June 08, 2009, 8:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The War on Accountability

    Paraphrasing a favorite quote of mine from the movie As Good As It Gets:"How do you write about Democrats so well?"

    "I picture a Republican, and I take away reason and accountability."In this sense, there are "good" Democrats, certainly more numerous than unicorns and gyascutuses. There are "bad" Republicans, [...]
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    Posted: June 06, 2009, 1:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Betting on Double Zero

    There are a number of public school districts with union K-12 teacher contracts expiring this month, including my own Robbinsdale Area Schools. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Forest Lake district has just completed their negotiations for the next two years.In what might be the first of such [...]
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    Posted: June 06, 2009, 9:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Burn Baby Burn

    The City of Minneapolis wants to increase "production" at the Hennepin County garbage burner, the one next to the new Twins outdoor ballpark. It currently processes about 1,000 tons to 1,200 tons. The Minneapolis Star Tribune article suggests that Federal air quality regulations might come into play above that [...]
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    Posted: June 05, 2009, 9:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • At Home With Friends

    There's a post now and then calling for GOP unity. You know the kind, that say we have to support candidates no matter what because, after all, they are not Democrats. We are not allowed to criticize a Ramstad, a Bush, a McCain, and certainly not a Pawlenty when they [...]
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    Posted: June 05, 2009, 12:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Going out on top

    We could wish for a third Pawlenty term, but I'm pleased and impressed with Governor Tim Pawlenty's decision not to seek re-election next year. Despite the facts being heavily on his side, he would have been the target of a joint DFL-union-media assault all the way to Election Day 2010.' [...]
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    Posted: June 02, 2009, 5:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Would you buy a new car from this man?

    General Motors aka Government Motors aka Obama Motors is all but dead in any real business sense. Without the full dose of Chapter 11 medicine they would normally have swallowed, and with President Obama standing on their throat with absurd MPG requirements, recovery seems extremely unlikely.

    Instead, we will [...]
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    Posted: June 02, 2009, 4:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • A Modest Counter-Proposal

    Dear Governor Pawlenty:

    Raising taxes, living within our means, confronting the Gorgon of socialized medicine, you're spot on and welcome back to the fight. I hope and expect you'll soon see the light on your "green" initiatives, particularly when you get the bills. So for now, all I'd like' [...]
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    Posted: June 01, 2009, 11:06pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • My Favorite Lois Lane

    I just found out that Joan Alexander, born and raised in St. Paul until age 3 has passed away at age 94. As an Old Time Radio (OTR) buff, I feel entitled to crown her the best radio actress of them all. Only Mercedes McCambridge came close in my opinion, [...]
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    Posted: June 01, 2009, 9:06am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Why the Deception?

    Last week on Tom Hauser's "At Issue" on KSTP-TV, Governor Pawlenty singled out the City of Wadena for complaining about LGA cuts while sitting on $1 million in "rainy day" funds. This week, Mayor Wayne Wolden was on "At Issue" to present his side. He also President of the Coalition [...]
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    Posted: May 31, 2009, 4:05pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Magnificent Contradiction

    Many years ago I had a brief flirtation with the Libertarian Party. It was different. It had answers, and some deep thought underneath those answers, thinking I still very much respect and embrace today. But there was one obvious problem. Our natural, well-founded distrust of government left us with no [...]
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    Posted: May 29, 2009, 4:05pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Governor Pawlenty

    This isn't for True North, this is just me talking about the Honorable Tim Pawlenty, Governor of the State of Minnesota.

    That's right, I said Governor Pawlenty. I borrowed Eric Escola's "Prime Minister" characterization four years ago when Pawlenty was surprisingly outmaneuvered by the DFL, capped by his infamous' [...]
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    Posted: May 26, 2009, 6:05pm EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • The Long Hot(?) Summer

    By my reckoning, today, May 26th is the first day of Summer on my calendar, almost three weeks earlier than last year's June 13th.

    Plus, with Memorial Day at its earliest and Labor Day at its latest, we get an extra week of summer activities as well. [...]
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    Posted: May 26, 2009, 10:05am EDT
    by Speed Gibson

  • Where No Child Has Gone Before

    My wife and I finally saw "Star Trek" last night, at the urgings of all but one who had seen it. It was amusing, and I always enjoy going to the Heights Theater, but in a word, this movie was juvenile. I thought I was watching Nickelodeon. Only many good [...]
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    Posted: May 26, 2009, 9:05am EDT
    by Speed Gibson
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