Apollo 11 – A Four-Year-Old’s Perspective

On July 20, 1969, this four-year-old kid from small-town Iowa knew something was up when his Dad came home from work early one morning to watch television.  In fact, with a quick glance down the neighborhood street, I would have noticed lots of cars parked in the driveway – with everyone inside staring at their [...]

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Intolerance for A Day

I’m intolerant today. So… To the Red River, Fargo, Moorehead – and the two 100-year-floods which happened within six years of each other: Folks, if you knowingly live in a flood plain, quit your whiney complaining. Your options, as you have known since the time you bought the property included flood insurance, sandbags and flood [...]

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Keys to Key West

The South Beach of Miami and Key West held a varitable cornocopia of sites to see. We arrived on the front end of Spring Break, which meant plenty of youth, energy, martinis, mango margueritas, and Cuban pork (with black beans and yellow rice). Best takeaways of 96 hours out of Minneapolis… Exit and bulkhead row [...]

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Many Stories Still To Come

In a stunning discovery, daily page views at “Views from Minnesota” jumped a whopping 62 percent in the past 10 days! For all intents and purposes, I have no clue why the dramatic increase. I haven’t added new sites on the blogroll. I didn’t change my writing style. I didn’t add any deep, thought-filled content [...]

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Columnist Gone Mad

I want to get paid to write a column for a liberal newspaper. Why? Earlier this week, a local Minneapolis columnist (who happens to write for the Star Tribune) inked a piece on the newly chosen contractor who has been selected by the State to build the replacement bridge over the Mississippi River. (You likely [...]

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California En Fuego

Fire.  We typically think it a good thing, unless it engulfs a prairie, attacks our home, or comes from the sky in the form of a meteor – then it’s not so good. At one point in my childhood, Dad drove a ’73 Ford Econoline van. That van experienced an engine fire once and after [...]

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Michigan Wolverines Collapse…Again

Hard to believe that the Big 10 standings look like this two weeks into the season. Michigan. No wins. Imagine that. I feel a little sorry for the Blue. And I really wish the Hawkeyes had Michigan on its schedule this year. It could be a real drubbing, which Iowa doesn’t get to do very [...]

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Plenty of Pawlenty

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty’s approval rating has skyrocketed recently. Why? In the aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis that killed 13 people, his face, name and voice have saturated the media. The Republican, now twice elected as governor, has stepped up, admitting some of his own short-sighted thinking about passing legislation that would [...]

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Thirty Years Ago Today

On Aug. 16, 1977 I was standing outside my junior high school, waiting for orientation to begin when a friend told me Elvis Presley had died.  The King. Gone. I’ve never been a big fan of Elvis, although I’ve known many people who were, including my Grandma Elliot. This picture is the Elvis I grew [...]

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Kevin Garnett and The Celtics

Out of the chute let me say I’m not a big professional sports fan. Sure, I follow (at arm’s length) the home town teams of the Vikings, the T-Wolves, the Twins and the Wild (although I just don’t get hockey). Pro sports are, in my view, getting closer and closer to resembling the World Wrestling [...]

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