Snow Daze

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How snowy is it?  It’s so snowy that … I’m not in a mood to joke.  The Midwest in general has seen more snow than any of us would like.  As of today the official total for the season at the MSP Airport is over 72 inches, putting us on a pace as the second snowiest Winter ever (behind 1981-82 by just under 4 inches).  That’s six feet of snow, about two meters.  Once it’s taller than I am, I give up.

The record total, set in 1983-84, is 98.4 inches total.  That’s over 8 feet. It took a very snowy March that year to give them the record.  How snowy is March?  Last year, for the very first time, we had … no snow at all.  So you never know in the middle of a big continent.  Follow the link to this and more information than you could possibly ever want on weather for nearly 200 years here.

But could this mean anything?

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Consensus

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Tens of thousands of people have filled the Capitol grounds in Madison.  They have taken over the marble hall itself, banging on the doors of the Senate Chamber and making noise not normally heard in Wisconsin outside of a Harley rally.  The Senate Democrats have fled the state, stopping all action for lack of a quorum.  It’s hardly business as usual in a state that is generally known for hard work and quiet contemplation, at least when the Packers aren’t playing.  What will happen?

The way out is the same way that the good people of Wisconsin and all over the USofA have gotten through this before.  Our traditions, sometime enshrined in our Constitutions, laws, and legislative rules are all there for some very good reasons.

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Pledge Drive!

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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.

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Saint Paul’s Community School Plan

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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.

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Lift Every Voice and Sing

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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;

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