Minnesota politics crossed a threshold when Michael Brodkorb was elected Vice Chair of the state Republican Party. His name was well known to many people as a blogger for Minnesota Democrats Exposed (MDE), a site that has a name that pretty much speaks to its content. To many, this signals an endorsement of blogging as a way to advance in politics. Yet if you look closely at the political blogs here in Minnesota, you can see that the influence MDE enjoys is masked by an amazing fact – hardly anyone reads it or, for that matter, most of the other Minnesota political blogs.
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Category Archives: People & Culture
All about the standing-upright chimps that really love to talk about themselves.
Scaminars
We’ve all seen the pitches in our inbox. They careen from the aggressive “Make Money Fast!” to the more subtle “The Financial Freedom You Deserve.” Most people ignore this mail and go on with their lives – but the invitations keep coming all the same. Is there something to this? I decided to spend some time finding out.
Beer
The problem started soon after people started messing around with barley and other grains. Sure, they were an interesting crop that you could make a lot of with this “plow” thingy, but what could you do with it? You can imagine the debate running on and on, with the Sumerians that were pro-grain being called all kids of names by the anti-grain faction of Sumeria. Somewhere along the line, some of this grain rotted in bowl of water in a very careful kind of way and soon there was something everyone could agree on – it was a tasty and good thing, and not just because it was alcoholic. The whole debate got a lot more mellow after a few bowls full of it were downed, and everything was allright.
That’s about how making beer was the first act of civilization.
Craftsmanship
Woodworking is a strategic craft. It often starts with a plan, but it may start with a irresistible chunk of raw wood that seems destined to be an expression of beauty. In either case, the goals are formulated, the steps outlined and the tools sharpened. Perfecting the craft itself isn’t much different. The woodworking his or her self is the block of uncut wood, molded and shaped through years of practice, mentorship and gobs of quantity time with other devotees of the art. Together, it is the Way of the Craftsman – patient yet active, contemplative yet expressive.
It’s also the way that I approach writing. I believe many others do as well, but I very much wish that this view was universal.
Handles
It’s one of those things that happens on The Daily Show. A perfectly normal roasting of a “Good Morning America” segment on Michael Jackson hysteria was being pulled off by … well, by merely playing the self-parodying thing. Just when it didn’t seem like it could get any stranger, a man was introduced as a “Celebrity Gravesite Expert”.
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 