The Lakers did have considerable success on the day. They swept the three championship matches in doubles.
Cate is the granddaughter of Janet Kehoe with whom I worked for a long time at the Morris newspaper.
Abbigail Athey of MACA/WCA vied with Laker Allissa Thorfinnson for the title at No. 1 singles. Thorfinnson prevailed. Our Kassidy Girard bowed in the match for No. 1 at second singles - her foe was Addy Randt. Our Claire Stark took second at fourth singles, bowing in the end to Laker Maddie Thorfinnson.
Yours truly has considerably more MACA update material on my "Morris of Course" blog, posted yesterday. This includes: the football team's 25-22 home loss to Pierz, the volleyball team's 0-3 setback vs. BOLD, the tennis team's 4-3 win over Benson/KMS, and the swim meet vs. Sauk Centre, a defeat, 112-74. I invite you to read by clicking on permalink, and thanks. - BW
Music event at UMM
What could be more enjoyable than the UMM Homecoming concert? (Should I be typing "UMN?")
The 2021 edition was held on Saturday. Many people appeared to be streaming into the HFA. I once called it the HFAC and then was questioned on that. People who questioned me in the "old days" often did so by questioning my basic intelligence. Eventually I found some literature that UMM put out when the building first opened, and I saw the "HFAC" initials, for "Humanities Fine Arts Center." People eventually decided, apparently, that the last word was superfluous.
I watched people arrive at the place Saturday but I could not stay myself. Maybe you can question my intelligence on this one: I overlooked how masks might be required, not just a "suggestion." So there I was, sans mask, and had I driven to campus I could have retrieved one from my car. Alas, such a beautiful fall day, I elected to ride bike out to campus. It's not that I didn't anticipate a mask requirement, it's that the thought of masks did not flit through my mind at all.
We had all gotten out of the habit of masks and such. Remember the "reopening?" I guess the approach is being modified for fall, but naturally there are inconsistencies. In the "main street" world outside of government-supported places, there is reluctance to observe strict measures vs. covid. I dined out on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, would wager that not a single restaurant patron was wearing a mask for entering/exiting.
The main street world of greater Minnesota is populated by people who tend to be skeptical of covid rules and maybe even vaccines. If our elected representatives are a barometer, which surely they must be, well they certainly are not setting an example with vaccine promotion. Jeff Backer did a radio interview in which he said he hadn't gotten the shot, and did not indicate any future inclination to do so. He said he felt he might have "already had" the virus, and as support for that he cited, as I recall, a couple days where he felt tired. I could call that lame but that would be too obvious.
Morris MN is quite in the midst of bright red Trump country, where you'll see guys with pickups that actually have Trump's profile on the side. Certain wild-eyed MAGA people have signs out on their property, like a place right next to East Side Park. That place has recently had a "medical freedom" sign. Ah, freedom.
You know, when the excrement finally hits the fan in this country, it won't be because of all the silly things that dance around in the heads of MAGA people. It won't be because of "critical race theory" or other such buzzwords. Most likely it will be because Trump used improper influence over the Federal Reserve, an organization that is set up to be independent.
A president always wants interest rates to be low in the short term to try to ensure re-election. In Trump's case, he was desperate to win re-election in order to keep the protections of his office and keep prosecutors off his tail. We had a succession of interest rate cuts, just prior to and then following the onslaught of covid, covid being a cover I guess.
Why should the Fed be independent? It's simple: sometimes higher interest rates are the prudent, necessary course to take for the long-term health of the economy, even if short-term there is pain. Higher interest rates force politicians to be more fiscally responsible. Now, why am I laughing out loud?
A footnote: I could not stay for the UMM Homecoming concert Saturday. Do not feel sorry for me, I am just delighted that the program included the "UMM Hymn" which was written by my father, the late Ralph E. Williams. A friend informed me later. I had peddled my bike home. Beautiful day to be engaged in that of course.
Thanks and praise to Laura Wiebe of the UMM music department for leading her choral musicians on the "Hymn." It takes only a couple minutes to sing, and ought to be rather a tear-jerker for alums (maybe encouraging them to reach for their checkbook?). Anyway, thanks again.
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| Ralph E. Williams |
The UMM music faculty hasn't been the most stable lately, so it's super hearing such a rave review of a concert. My father always felt the Homecoming concert should be made up of crowd-pleasers and not necessarily the most esoteric stuff.
Man, what would Dad make of the tech elements and tech talk? "QR code sheets." He might say "let's all just get back to essentials." He got his undergraduate degree from the U of M in 1939. His life was interrupted by WWII, the Navy, where he was a lieutenant in the Pacific. The most important chapter in his life would be UMM, for Mom Martha too!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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