Randy Jennings has a guest column in yesterday’s Nfld News titled What is economic development? Yawn? Nosiree. It is a benign title for a hard-hitting piece. (I assume the headline was crafted by the editorial staff at the paper, hence my use of the word ‘excoriates’ in the blog post title. It essentially means ‘kicks the ass of’ but you can look it up.)
It’s a well-written piece, so I encourage you to read the whole thing. But here are some excerpts:
With its takeover of the Economic Development Authority and the resignation of yet another member of the city’s professional staff, the city council has completed its dismantling of Northfield’s economic development, community development and city planning efforts…
Since then, the city council has new members with their own agendas and priorities. Community re-engineering ideas with clever names like “green steps,” “strong towns” and “complete streets” get attention. Job creation and tax base expansion do not…
Several current council members are actively opposed to commercial and industrial development. They spent more than a year angling to take control of the EDA without advancing a single idea about job creation or tax base expansion. They are instead funding specific organizations and activities that enhance their definitions of quality of life in Northfield. No impact on attracting jobs or expanding the tax base. Not economic development…
Perhaps the next election will serve as a referendum on what kind of a future Northfield would like to develop: more quality of life re-engineering, or more jobs and an expanded tax base…
I’m not well-informed on matters of economic development but I’m more supportive of the direction the current City Council has taken. Two large Northfield employers, Monster Games and Perkins Specialized Transportation Contracting, were featured in the Northfield Community Video project for which Randy was hired to be the Project Coordinator by the EDA. If you watch the videos that feature their owners (here and here), you’ll see that they attribute their location of their businesses in Northfield in large part to the very things that Randy criticizes in his column: Northfield’s vibrant downtown and overall quality of life.
So let’s talk Northfield economic development: the good, the bad, the ugly.
I got this email from staffers Linda Oto and Cheryl Strike yesterday:
January is National Mentoring Month, and as part of the celebration Connected Kids is participating in I Am a Mentor Day via Facebook. The first-ever I Am A Mentor Day takes place via Facebook on January 11.
We’re asking mentors on Facebook to tell a story or anecdote about what it means to be a mentor or how being a mentor has impacted you.
Connected Kids, a program of Northfield Public Schools Community Services, currently supports 96 active matches and has served nearly 200 youth since its inception 7 years ago. Over that time, over 88 percent of youth have demonstrated improvement in academic performance and over 87 percent have improved attendance.
Black has come to believe that “the vast majority of people” should give up yoga altogether. It’s simply too likely to cause harm. Not just students but celebrated teachers too, Black said, injure themselves in droves because most have underlying physical weaknesses or problems that make serious injury all but inevitable.
Instead of doing yoga, “they need to be doing a specific range of motions for articulation, for organ condition,” he said, to strengthen weak parts of the body. “Yoga is for people in good physical condition. Or it can be used therapeutically. It’s controversial to say, but it really shouldn’t be used for a general class.”
But even Dr. Vad has a warning about yoga and Pilates (excerpt from this web site):
The paradox is that although yoga and Pilates are ultimately the best possible way to maximize back health, in the short run the vigorous twists, turns, and bends of advanced yoga and Pilates can actually cause back injuries.
It’s quite a catch-22: the very thing that can help you the most can very easily hurt you. Back Rx solves this problem with a carefully sequenced introduction of yoga- and Pilates-based movements and poses that will strengthen the back without traumatizing it.
I’ve heard horror stories from fellow Northfielders who’ve been injured at local yoga and Pilates classes. I’m not interested in ‘outing’ any local instructors or classes so if you comment on this blog post, please refrain from using names.
Host Will Healy and co-host David Henly celebrated the 3rd anniversary of The Long Way Home tonight at KYMN’s studios. Some of Healy’s former colleagues from Over and Back stopped by for an in-studio performance: Stephen Kampa, harmonica; Craig Wasner, keyboard; Michael Hildebrandt, fiddle. Here’s a one-minute video clip:
As I walked in the Lower Arb this afternoon, it was hard to believe we’re heading into mid-January: runners in shorts; March-like mud; no snow anywhere. WTF. If it wasn’t for mountain biking, I would be really difficult to live with. I may have to start wintering in Valdez, Alaska, the snowiest city in the US, where they’ve gotten 270 inches thus far.
In chatting yesterday with Brenton Balvin, I reminisced a bit about my life as a hockey rink rat from about 5 years old through high school. We had a pond near our house in Eagan and I pretty much lived there all winter. We built our own warming house, fully equipped with a pot-bellied stove. It was classic pick-up hockey, also known as pond or shinny hockey:
There are no formal rules or specific positions, and generally, there are no goaltenders. The goal areas at each end may be marked by nets, or simply by objects, such as blocks of snow, stones, etc. Bodychecking and lifting or “roofing/reefing/raising the puck” (shooting the puck or ball so it rises above the ice) are often forbidden because the players are not wearing protective equipment.
I went to grade school as St. Peter’s Catholic School in Mendota where we had enough hockey players to have intramural leagues. Raising the puck was allowed, and we had goalies, but bodychecking wasn’t common and I don’t remember any fights.
I went to high school at Nazareth Hall seminary in Aden Hills, MN where we could not only skate on Lake Johanna, but where we had full responsibility for maintaining the ice for two hockey rinks (with lights!). We had giant hoses for flooding and dozens of shovels for keeping the rinks snow-free. Although our class was small (I graduated in 1967 in a class of 33) we had enough good players to field a team that played some of the other teams in the Central Catholic Conference (St. Agnes, Hill, Benilde, Cretin, St. Thomas, St. Bernard’s, DeLasalle). We finished 4-5 my senior year. I loved it. Again, bodychecking was allowed but it was uncommon, especially along the boards since they were only hip high on the outdoor rinks. I don’t remember any fights.
By the time my three sons were old enough to skate here in Northfield (early 80s), I became unhappy with direction hockey was taking. Pick-up hockey was losing ground to organized hockey, even for the youngest kids. Parents were getting up early to haul their kids to the indoor arena and spending their weekends hauling their kids to games and tournaments around the state. I was disappointed to see how much time and money was required and secretly hoped the boys never got interested in playing. Thankfully, they didn’t.
Brenton’s tweets and blog posts are personable, often opinionated, and cover many different topics but nearly always linked somehow to Northfield and his life as a husband, dad, rink rat, store manager, part-time preacher, kids baseball coach, and many other roles. He’s an occasional commenter here on LoGro and his blog posts often appear on Northfield Patch.
WCCO News recently aired a Good Question segment about breastfeeding in public as a result of a Texas woman’s nationwide call to for a "nurse-in" at Target stores after she said she was humiliated by Target employees.
The segment reminded me of a blog post I wrote in July 2006 (Pornography yes – Breastfeeding no – Are We Serious?) on the hypocrisy and idiocy of the fact that our nation accepts and promotes the normalcy and legitimacy of pornography, and yet demands nursing mothers sit in dirty bathrooms and closet spaces to feed their infants just so passerby’s aren’t exposed to the slightest embarrassment of having to see a sliver of a breast performing its most natural function.
Last week I went for a night ride from downtown Faribault to the nearby River Bend Nature Center (RBNC). Earlier this year I rode a few of the trails at RBNC but mainly the wide, well-traveled ones. I didn’t really see it as a good place for mountain biking. But I was wrong. I rode a single track trail to get to RBNC that was very fun, even though I only had a weak handlebar light. And once there, I discovered many other fun single tracks that I had no idea existed.
So I went back this week in the daylight to get a better idea of what I’d just experienced. (My apologies for the semi-lousy photos. I took them with my smartphone.)
The best mountain bike trail from downtown to RBNC begins at the eastern edge of Teepee Tonka Park, underneath the Hwy 60 viaduct that crosses over the Straight River at the southeast corner of downtown Faribault. There’s another route, the recreational trail that begins at the southern edge of the park on the west side of the river but if you take that, you’ll miss the fun stuff. See this City of Faribault Parks and Trails map (PDF) for more detail.
Right photo above: within a few yards, you have the option of taking the lower trail that goes along the river (intermediate difficulty) or the upper trail along the bluff (advanced/expert).
The lower trail has several well-constructed bridges over the creek beds.
The lower trail has the potential for lots of technical areas, with many logs and rocky creek beds. I say ‘potential’ because with a few exceptions, the technical stuff is in ‘raw’ form, ie, not constructed to make it rideable or interesting for most riders.
The upper trail has some fun ups and downs, and is solidly constructed with rocks and logs along the steeper parts to prevent erosion. While not too difficult technically, the trail is narrow in many places, along some steep drop-offs and thus would be a little freaky for an intermediate rider.
There are some fun tunnels to explore.
Next time out, I’ll try to find more of the single-track trails in the heart of the park. But I’m thrilled to find out how much RBNC has to offer, as it’s only 15 minutes from my house in Northfield.
I noticed this week that the downtown storefront for Ali Hohn Photography is empty. A month ago, Northfield Patch did a story titled Hoffman’s Photography Closed? It’s been a while but Stone Cottage Photo had a studio on Bridge Square. I’m not sure what’s happening with Green LightHouse on Division above Champion Sports but their website is dead. And Harmon’s Photography in the lower level of the Nutting Block has disappeared.
The title of Betsey Buckheit’s blog post last week, Social media are not new, immediately got my attention, as much for its grammar as its subject matter.
I’ve always found the plural usage of ‘media’ and ‘data’ to be awkward, less colloquial.
While calls for service are up through the end of last week, crime overall is down, most notably in the burglary category, which saw a 40 percent drop over 2010.
Deputy Police Chief Chuck Walerius believes that the reduction, along with a drop in reported crimes, is linked to a new method of policing the department instituted this year that takes into account the types of crimes being committed and the most likely trouble spots when allocating resources. Walerius said it’s not only helped to reduce crime, but help officers catch things as they unfold.
Here’s a map of property crimes in Northfield in the past 90 days, as generated by Northfield’s Police Incident Mapping Application. The pushpin icons represent burglaries, thefts, vehicle thefts, and damage to property. No robberies or arsons were reported. (The crime map only displays property crimes, whereas the table above shows all types of crimes. Also, see this site on the difference between theft and burglary.)
Where are the "most likely trouble spots" that would be new?
And what might Deputy Police Chief Chuck Walerius mean when he says that the new policing method "takes into account the types of crimes being committed"?
I may be able to get him to comment here but it might be helpful to first have some discussion. Maybe I’m the only one who’s puzzled.
I am writing to you not as executive director of the NDDC but as a citizen of Northfield. It is on a subject about which I have very strong beliefs.
Northfield’s economy is driven by knowledge workers, the "creative class", or economic innovators. These individuals, businesses, and institutions "export" their information-based products and services around the country and the world. Their clients and customers reflect the diversity our our country and our world. In addition, our economic future is based on our community’s ability to continue to attract and retain these people and these organizations. Northfield must be safe and welcoming to all people.
Working with a small group of Northfield citizens, I have drafted a statement (which I have attached) that I hope the Council will adopt for MLK Day 2012. For many Americans, Dr. King has come to symbolize the on-going struggle for human rights. I thought adopting the statement for his birthday was a way of honoring his work.
I have only managed to share this idea with a dozen or so people. I plan to come to the January 3rd City Council meeting to ask for Council adoption of the statement. I may be alone or I may be joined by others.
Thank you for considering my request and thank you for all you do for Northfield,
In January, Rice County Solid Waste will start accepting many more types of household plastics via the single-sort curbside recycling bins. See their PDF flyer for details. Items include:
All soft drink/water bottles (leave the bottle caps ON the bottles), beverage and mouthwash bottles, and rinsed plastic food jars/containers
Plastic bottles, plastic milk and water jugs, detergents, cleaners, shampoo bottles
Household cleaning product bottles (must be empty), cooking oil bottles, salad dressing bottles, and some shampoo bottles. (No PVC piping allowed at all!)
Plastic bags (all of the bags must be put inside one of the bags),
Small Buckets (8” diameter max.), soap dispenser bottles, food storage containers, squeezable bottles (NO Food Residue Allowed)
Right: I met these guys yesterday (L to R: Tim Larson, David Gavin, Eric Marr and Dan Malecha; Dan is a cousin of Arlen and Galen) while mountain biking the Battle Creek Park Reserve mountain bike trail system on the east side of St. Paul. (Details on my Mountain Bike Geezer blog here.)
It was classic neighborhood pond hockey: shoes for goal posts, goalies in their shoes, no checking, no raising the puck, no one bothering to keep score, lots of smiles.
It’s not only the lack of snow that’s plaguing us. It’s also been too warm to make decent ice for outdoor rinks. As of yesterday, the City’s neighborhood ice rinks weren’t skatable. Witness the rink at Way Park above. The Cannon River above the Ames Mill dam looked skatable for those looking to either win a Darwin Award or to be ticketed by the Northfield Police. Your only option for outdoor hockey: the hockey rink next to the Northfield Ice Arena, as the two hockey rinks at Carleton College aren’t yet skatable.
However, the stormwater pond in Hidden Valley Park in my backyard is near-perfect for ice skating. Some of my visiting relatives took a tour on foot yesterday afternoon.
A favorite Christmas book of mine: The Two Kings: Jesus & Elvis, by A.J. Jacobs. The author deftly notes the eerie parallels between the two superstars:
Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor” (Matthew 22:39).
Elvis said, “Don’t Be Cruel” (RCA, 1956).
Jesus H. Christ has 12 letters.
Elvis Presley has 12 letters.
Jesus is the Lord’s shepherd.
Elvis dated Cybill Shepherd.
Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4).
Elvis loved his sandwiches with peanut butter and bananas.
“Then they took up stones to cast at [Jesus]” (John 8:59).
Elvis was often stoned.
Jesus was the Lamb of God.
Elvis had mutton chops.
Jesus was part of a Trinity.
Elvis’ first band was a trio.
Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:25).
Elvis surfed (Blue Hawaii, Paramount, 1965).
Jesus was a carpenter.
Elvis majored in woodshop/industrial arts in high school.
Jesus lived in a state of grace in a Near Eastern land.
Elvis lived in Graceland in a nearly eastern state.
Jesus wore the crown of thorns.
Elvis wore Royal Crown hair styler.
Jesus’ entourage, the Apostles, had 12 members.
Elvis’ entourage, the Memphis Mafia, had 12 members.
Jesus as wine (sacramental wine).
Elvis as wine (Always Elvis wine by Frantenac).
A major woman in Jesus’ life (Mary) had an immaculate conception.
A major woman in Elvis’ life (Priscilla) went to Immaculate Conception high school.
Jesus was resurrected.
Elvis had the famous comeback special in 1968.
Son of God.
Sun Studios.
Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37).
Elvis said, “Drinks on me!” (Jailhouse Rock, MGM, 1957).
Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights.
Elvis had irregular eating habits (e.g., five banana splits for breakfast).
Jesus is a Capricorn (Dec. 25).
Elvis is a Capricorn (Jan. 8).
Jesus biography by Matthew (Gospel according to Matthew).
Elvis biography by Neal Matthews (Elvis: A Golden Tribute).
“[Jesus'] countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” (Matthew 28:3).
Elvis’ trademarks were a lightning bolt and snow-white jumpsuits.
Jesus was Jewish.
Elvis was part Jewish (from his maternal great-grandmother, Martha Tackett Mansell).
Jesus’ purple robe.
Elvis’ pink Cadillac.
Jesus’ father is everywhere.
Elvis’ father, Vernon, was a drifter and moved around quite a bit.
Doubting Thomas.
“Suspicious Minds.”
There is much confusion about Jesus’ middle name – what does the “H” stand for?
There is much confusion about Elvis’ middle name – was it Aron or Aaron?
Jesus made rocks roll away from his tomb.
Elvis was a rock and roll singer.
The 2011 national survey results from the Monitoring the Future study show decreases in teen smoking in all three grades under study—grades 8, 10, and 12. The proportion saying that they smoked at all in the prior 30 days fell significantly for the three grades combined, from 12.8% in 2010 to 11.7% this year.
Officials from the City of Northfield this week, while acknowledging that this is good news for obvious reasons, expressed some concern because the Northfield Municipal Liquor Store profits from its sale of cigarettes and cigars.
"These teens are our potential future customers," said Juan Morefore DeRhode, Muni Manager. "If this trend holds up, we’re going to have to revisit the revenue projections in our long-range plan and adjust accordingly."
When asked what marketing strategies he’d consider that might help to ensure future tobacco revenues, DeRhode said he continues to have discussions with the gift shop at the Northfield Hospital, owned by the City of Northfield but operated by the Northfield Hospital Auxiliary. "We’ve always said that one of the reasons we carry tobacco products at the Muni is for the convenience of the customer. That rationale holds up for the hospital’s gift shop, too, with so many of its patients addicted to tobacco. We’d be delighted to work with them and split the profits."
"Tobacco will prematurely kill the kids who smoke but only when they get much older," said Task Force member Dr. Kirsten Mashton. "So we’re not really concerned about that. Our worries are tied to the revenue projections. We received $15,750 in 2011 from the Muni. If the decline in teen smoking continues, that jeopardizes our future funding and our ability to make an impact."
The City’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) is also concerned. "We worked hard to bring two tobacco businesses to Northfield in the past year," said EDA President Janis Tappan. "It would be a shame if Tobacco Field or Division Tobacco took a hit from this decline in teen smoking and had to close."
While the survey measures more than retail activity (it includes taxable sales reported by a dozen different industry classification codes), the presence of a single big-box retailer can significantly boost one city’s fortunes at the expense of another.
Schwartau illustrated how that’s happening in Fairmont, a city that doesn’t have a building materials retailer. His analysis suggests people are leaving Fairmont to buy building materials at the Home Depot in Mankato. Once they get there, it only stands to reason that they’re more likely shop for other things as well, such as clothes or groceries.
The anti-big-box crowd might say this illustrates exactly why small cities should be discouraged from recruiting chain retailers, but Schwartau suggests the opposite might be true. The best way for Fairmont to protect its local retail base might be to recruit its own big-box home improvement store.
From the report:
Destiny is not preordained. Cities of similar size and location often experience different outcomes. Albert Lea in southern Minnesota appears to be outperforming nearby Austin. Owatonna has outperformed Faribault. Cities can change their own vitality by making conscious decisions and investments. For example, Owatonna was successful in attracting Cabela’s, Target, Lowe’s, Walmart, and an outlet shopping center, thus becoming a retail destination.
Are Northfielder’s grateful that there’s a Menards and a K-Mart just across the border in Dundas, as well as a Target nearby, just inside our city limits?
I am. It saves having to make a lot of trips to the south Metro or to Faribault.
I wonder, though, if more couldn’t be done to attract those who travel to the area for our big-box stores to our downtown. Any ideas?
Mary Closner was one of many volunteer extraordinaires at this year’s Laura Baker Services Association Gala held back on Dec. 3 (the night of our one and only snowfall) at Carleton College. She was in charge of the silent auction, among other tasks, and twisted the arms of many into helping, including me and my sweetie.
Love these? Please contact our volunteer photographer, at 507-271-3263 for a print. All sizes, tones, canvas mounting available. Part of your purchase comes back to LBSA.
CISM is "designed to help people deal with their trauma one incident at a time, by allowing them to talk about the incident when it happens without judgment or criticism" (Wikipedia reference).
Neither Carleton College nor St. Olaf College have CSID as part of their crisis management plans but it’s evidently not by design, according to those I contacted. I think it’s safe to assume that if there were a traumatic event of some kind at the colleges, post traumatic event counseling would be made available.
I’ll invite some Northfield area psychologists, therapists and counselors to chime in here with their comments and questions in hopes that we all can get smarter about this issue and be better prepared should something bad happen.
Here’s an extended excerpt from Wilson’s book about CISD:
Griff Wigley: Kiffi, I think you failed miserably on that attempt but I’m inclined to let it go for some reason.
kiffi summa: stage directions: said in the sweetest possible, most concerned voice, with no hint of sarcasm… “Oh dear, our ‘award winning newspaper’ has gotten something wrong again! “
Kathie Galotti: Griff, I don’t think that individual conversations between one FF and one CC member are the same as one (ONE!) single group conversation between the FFs and the CC. And, I don’t think the “you only have 3 minutes...
Jane Moline: Griff: I agree with Kiffi-Kris’ vote does not prove or disprove anything except that he did not agree with what was being voted on at that time— And I do not think this is a “hidden conspiracy.” It is right out...
kiffi summa: Grff: your third paragraph above does not make a succinct argument, MO, in that Kris Vohs was expressing such feelings of being at odds with his council/city role (except for the fine work of the HRA), that he ultimately resigned,...
kiffi summa: Griff: I was dong the LWV observing at the Council meeting you reference above; I do not recall hearing , or seeing in the packet materials, this vote by the firefighters that you reference. I, of course, could be wrong and/or just...
kiffi summa: Griff: regardless of Mr. Madigan’s explanation, the ISO rating is awarded by the insurance company, and yes… it takes into account several factors i.e. response time etc.; however the ISO rating NF residents enjoy does not...
Vicki Dilley: Both of our Indian restaurants in town, Chapati and Kurry Kabab, are catering the food that will be for sale at the event. Yum, Yum… Have you always wished to have your photo taken in front of the Taj? Well that night you can!
Tom Durkin: Tickets for the Event can also be purchased at the Northfield Public Schools Community Education & Recreation Office. Also, if purchasing on the www.northfieldrotary.org website, you do not need a paypal account. A simple credit...
Vicki Dilley: Most important right now is where you can get tickets…If you are downtown find Rick Estenson at First National bank. If you want to purchase through Paypal go to www.northfieldrotary.org The sooner you do that, the less...
Vicki Dilley: But, we need to pack the house on February 25th to be able to support such a large Youth Exchange program. I really would hate to have someone find out after the 25th what a spectacular night they missed…only one show, one time...
Vicki Dilley: Glad you asked, Griff. Actually in 2010 we had 15 go out and in 2011 we had 16, now we have 16 planning to leave this summer to spots all over the world. We have quite a few going to Asia this year where as the last two years we had...
Mary Rossing: OPENING TODAY!! Stop down and check it out.
Griff Wigley: Name: The Local Joint Description: A handmade and vintage collective in Northfield, MN. COLLECTING.CREATING.COLLABORAT ING. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheLoc alJoint Nfld News: Store to open in former ‘digs’ space
David Beimers: Hmmm… fans? air conditioners? ice cream?
Jessica Paxton: I know. But I don’t wanna spill the (cool) beans!
Griff Wigley: Ross, that’s good to know about Dan. I’ll have to get on his case about not including something about this on his dormant blog! It’s also interesting to hear that your perception of City Hall is changing.
Ross Currier: Griff - Thanks for your kind words. Credit really should go to Streetscape Task Force Member Dan Bergeson, who pursued those repair stands with great vigor. His long-time working relationship with the always excellent T. J. Heinricy...
john george: Kathie- I knew I was sticking my neck out on that one!
Kathie Galotti: Geez John. Don’t get Griff restarted on the geese!
john george: Yes, more beaches would certainly accomodate more geese. We have to remember to be waterfowl friendly.
Susan Hvistendahl: I totally agree with you re the need for more beaches in Northfield, having just returned from a week in Puerto Vallarta. Could have had rum punches there but….well, after we visited a local tequila distillery and got to...
Bright Spencer: Oh, you both look so happy! Thanks for sharing. More pics please!
kiffi summa: Griff: whither goest thy right arm if it starts to “whither” (sic) ? sorry; couldn’t resist… stuck at home with a bad knee provides way too much time on computer!
Bright Spencer: i’ve been looking thru a site, crazyguyonabike.com that has lots of journals and photos from around the world.
jane fenton: Congrats, Griff! That’s my son Cliff in the orange hat. He’s revamped the recycling bin prototype. You should see it!
Griff Wigley: Don, I’ll keep ping pong in mind. I’d hate to have my right arm start to whither from a lack of racquetball. In the meantime, I’m trying to excite as many Northfielders as I can about mountain biking. I’ll...
john george: Griff- Iris will have to work real hard to keep you in focus on everything else. I shutter to think where this could go.
Megan Tsui: Edward, Sorry you weren’t able to attend. We’ll be posting notes from the meeting on the NEC website and if you send me your email, I’ll make sure you get a copy! If you (or anyone else!) would like to chat about it...
Edward Smith: I wanted to attend this, but was unable. Does anyone know if there will be a summary posted anywhere?
Kathie Galotti: My kid had a pretty decent AP Environmental Science class 2 years ago….he’s not a great math/science student, but this one got him interested in at least knowing enough science to create good policies. I remember...
Paul Zorn: A few years ago one of my daughters spent a year working in Copenhagen, largely in an office setting. All desks in her office could be raised or lowered to permit either standing or sitting positions. I have no idea whether such...
Griff Wigley: In today’s Strib: Office-dwellers stand up to ‘sitting disease’ Dr. James Levine has reviewed the statistics: One in three Minnesota adults is either diabetic or pre-diabetic, and one in four is obese. And he thinks...
Bright Spencer: The All Pro Game last Sunday between the AFC and the NFC was so enjoyable. The stess, the anger, the anxiety all gone…well I didn’t watch all of it, as I rarely do watch an entire game, usually just the beginning and...
Griff Wigley: Today’s Strib: Hockey safety goal expanded to youth In an unprecedented mid-year change, Minnesota Hockey is toughening the penalties for checking from behind and boarding. The change will affect 40,000 hockey players in the...
john george: You are correct. That is why I didn’t allow my children to attack the character of their siblings just to support their position. There do need to be some kind of ground rules in any discussion so as to keep individual...
kiffi summa: The issue could be considered to be: what is “conflict”, and what are two sides of a discussion… see #33 re: the Mayor’s admonition to Peter Dahlen at the joint Council/ChartComm meeting. I don’t see how...
john george: Kiffi- This is a good article, and I agree with most of it. Just thinking about my kids in their youth, there was always some conflict between them, but our goal as parents wasn’t to force them into some weiner form but to help...
kiffi summa: A very interesting article in the Jan.30th New Yorker magazine on the nature of the dynamics of creative discussion; it’s entitled “Groupthink; the brainstorming myth”. Based on studies done by a psych professor at...
Kathie Galotti: I read Betsey’s blog and, like most of Betsey’s blog entries, found it well-written and making a very good point. Though I agree that geographic districts aren’t the only way to represent different constituencies,...
john george: Griff- The NN editorial presents the difference between geographic representation and ideological representation. Right now, the wards establish geographic representation. With this approach, depending upon the voter turnout, a person...
kiffi summa: I hope that people will use the link here on LG to read the current posting by Councilor Buckheit on her blog, re: wards versus all at-large, and take the opportunity to comment. Once again, the NFNews has not given a very well...
Griff Wigley: In today’s NY Times: Turning to Kettlebells to Ease Back Pain Kettlebells, cast-iron weights that have been used for centuries to train Russian soldiers and athletes, appear to be a promising therapy for back and neck pain, new...
Sandy Vesledahl: UPDATE ON RHONDA: We are very happy to report that Rhonda was adopted over the weekend by a local family. Rhonda’s new mom is a Family Counselor and Rhonda will be going to her office with her and helping with her clients. So...
The paradox is that although yoga and Pilates are ultimately the best possible way to maximize back health, in the short run the vigorous twists, turns, and bends of advanced yoga and Pilates can actually cause back injuries. 
The title of Betsey Buckheit’s blog post last week, 
About four years ago, I 
Officials from the City of Northfield this week, while acknowledging that this is good news for obvious reasons, expressed some concern because the 
Are Northfielder’s grateful that there’s a Menards and a K-Mart just across the border in Dundas, as well as a Target nearby, just inside our city limits?
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