It’s Pledge Drive time at Minnesota Public Radio! This Winter’s pitch for bucks comes at the same time Congress is (once again) looking to slash funding for public broadcasting. That means one thing to me – I better get my own Pledge Drive in while I can.
Welcome to the first ever Barataria in-blog Pledge Drive! There’s a survey at the end where you can tell me just what you think anonymously and easily, whether you give or not.
Saint Paul Public schools, like just about every school district in the US, is in a bit of trouble. Budget cuts, declining enrollment, and the K-12 funding “delay” in Minnesota are all taking their toll. They’re responded with a plan called “Schools at the Heart of the community” that addresses this and a lot more of their lingering problems all in one grand strategic plan.
Does this plan work? I think it does. There are a few questions and suggestions that I have outstanding, but overall this shows what a dedicated group of public servants can do under extraordinary circumstances. They also appear to be listening to the public as they shop this plan around, meaning it will probably only get better. I’m impressed and I want to add what I can to both the thanks and the suggestions.
Our third grade class filed under the concrete breezeways that loosely connected the classrooms of Coral Reef Elementary, past the Seagrape tree at the end of the open courtyard, and into the big cafeteria. It was the only space large enough to hold all the energy of so many kids, cooled only by tall jalousie windows that caught the breezes off Biscayne Bay. The air inside was heavy and anxious, and just like nearly everything in Florida it could be oppressive if you let it get to you. But we kids just took it in and made it exciting. This was our music class, the time when we could bubble our energy in a new song taught to us on the tired piano by Mr. Michaels.
Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
There’s little doubt that the Depression we’re in is testing the global economy. What may be less obvious is that the very nature of our global system might be increasing volatility, making downturns more likely in the future. Preventing this will test the ability of this entire planet to act in ways that further both our own long-term interests and the interests we share together.
In short, it’s been a helluva ride, sure, but the scary part may be yet to come.
The Superbowl is over, and the Packers won a great game. I couldn’t have asked for much more, except a Steelers win, but that wasn’t coming to a team that managed to cough the ball up three times. For many people, however, the game was just the setting – the event that got them huddled around the teevee with friends with a little bit of everything for everyone. That obviously includes the ads – aired at a cost of $3 million for every 30 seconds.
But do these ads – big single events on what is increasingly called “old media” – really sell anything?
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 