tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55257537607863089612024-03-18T10:56:40.236-07:00i love morris. . .because Morris, Minnesota, is a pleasant, quiet, safe yet intellectually stimulating place on the west central Minnesota prairie, home of the U of M-Morris and a whole lot of interesting people. - morris mnbrian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.comBlogger1820125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-40219024225748470372024-03-18T10:56:00.000-07:002024-03-18T10:56:08.289-07:00A truism borne out again: money<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's Monday morning here in March 2024 as the more typical temperatures have set in. I talked to someone who just got back from Florida and had to remind him that the weather has been overall so mild. Of course weather is fickle in Minnesota. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One thing that seems a constant is how MAGA stays in our faces. The new thing to hash over on this Monday is the "bloodbath" comment. Once again there are so many apologists out there for what the orange man says. These people know full well there is a scary aspect to Trump when he speaks this way. If society could just settle into a consensus over how the orange man is a truly bad person, we'd all be fine. We could move on. Wouldn't that be a tremendous blessing? <br />Of course it does not happen. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The underpinning <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As is always the case, big money influences the tenor of the conversation. You might say there are puppetmasters. And so we have, in my educated view, the top one percent or even a fraction of the top one percent pulling strings and for what reason? It is clear to me. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The popular commentators are not going to come out and describe things the way they are. Glenn Beck will sit down with his microphone and spend three hours today trying to make the orange man look heroic and for his critics like Nancy Pelosi to look tremendously stupid. Stupid, vain, cowardly - I could go on about the characterizations offered by such people. It got old a long time ago. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The people in the stratosphere with their wealth know that Trump will seek maximum power as president. A prime focus for these people is the Federal Reserve. The financial media seems literally to scream continually about how the Fed needs to take interest rates lower again and quickly. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Background: The Internet has whittled down our attention span and made us impatient. Call it a reflection of "instant gratification." Failure to defer gratification is supposed to be a trait of poor people. But my, those in the rarefied air with their wealth simply must have rock-bottom interest rates at all times! It "juices" their short-term gains, pushes them to the next higher rung on the ladder. Which is what life has become for these people. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Can't get enough." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isn't this a defect that our Lord has instilled in us? Us sinful creatures? Does any one person really need a billion dollars? We used to think differently about these matters. Think about the days when the Peace Corps was launched. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have no doubt that people are incentivized by the profit motive. But my point is that it has become too much, a matter of excess which we as sinful human beings have caved to. To illustrate, just back off a little and try to sensibly characterize Donald Trump as a national leader. He most surely is a leader, what with leading in polls for being in power again. It is most surely "in the cards." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have friends who try to dismiss such talk. I don't know what they are really trying to tell me, that we shouldn't waste our thoughts continuing to try to react to Trump? They all smile. So if the fraction of the one percent gets its way, helps the orange man become president again, then sits back and watches as he literally seizes control of the Federal Reserve, you're OK with that? <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Fed is not a daily talk show topic. I assure you that its moves have tremendous consequences. Interest rates are the vehicle for trying to hold inflation down. Frankly we all ought to be troubled by inflation. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember 2008? <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We can think back to 2008 and realize that the proper remedies were never implemented for the so-called "financial crisis." This may underlie the adversity we are now dealing with. We allowed the financial crisis to be "papered over." A skeptical David Stockman referred to the crisis as "the Blackberry crisis." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And where did all the free market advocates of Wall Street turn when they began panicking with their "Blackberries?" Well where do you suppose? The government? Well yes. Well, who else was going to help them? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a true free market advocate I would have liked to see things play out the way they should have. Put simply, let the chips fall where they may. Free market capitalism, right? But the big operators, the heavy-hitters, were not good with that. They did realize there had to be a sacrificial lamb, so it was Lehman Brothers. Related, Bernie Madoff was revealed to be a scoundrel and so the heavy-hitters trotted that all out to try to prove that Wall Street really is a wholly ethical place. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And now the richest element is trying to get Donald Trump through the obstacle course of getting back his seat in power. They don't care if he supports Russia and Putin. Their eye is on the prize of Trump taking over "the Fed." Get the short-term heroin fix of lowest possible interest rates again. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"QE" was seen as an aberration at the start. Holy cow, it has turned into the norm. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Interest rates exist for a reason. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Commentators in Trump's first term speculated on whether Trump could indeed influence or take over "the Fed." Because they went back and forth on this, we deduced that there was a possibility. Powell could be terminated "for cause." Well you know what Trump could do with that little detail. He'd say the Fed is ruining the country with its policies. Therefore, "cause." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A dictator would want control of everything. And if there's resistance, a "bloodbath?" That is what we are all pondering this morning in America. And the Glenn Becks of the world, Fox News et al. are so predictably quick to try to turn the barge around with Trump, to make his statements look defensible. And just as important for them, to make Trump's critics look like absolute hopeless fools. On and on it goes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And my friends seem to think it's pointless to bring it up. Yet many of them would vote for Trump again. Our congressperson Michelle Fischbach will probably not let up in her support for the truly wannabe dictator. It appears she would be good with a violent overthrow of the U.S. government. So bizarre, because for most of my life, political conservatives had a defining quality of wanting American life to be peaceful and settled. This was even if they didn't get their way all the time. Now they're good with the "bloodbath" comment. <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isn't now the time for the likes of Fox News to start showing some intelligent reservations? The GOP had the chance to simply nominate Nikki Haley. This should have been "her time." Maybe she'd lose in the general but she'd emerge as the prime conservative spokesperson. Instead we'll have Trump who could inspire his followers to commit heaven-knows-what. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Trump wants Liz Cheney in prison. And we have learned to never bet against Trump. The very richest Americans are working in subtle ways to bring him back, because of what a return to "QE" would mean for their fortunes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How much money is enough? God created us with such human limitations, vanity, short-sightedness and greed. And we all more or less follow along now. Well I'm not. But many local people would dismiss me out of hand. Hope you enjoy seeing your grocery bills doubled.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com</span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-91136558258033845612024-03-15T09:45:00.000-07:002024-03-15T09:45:11.384-07:00MACA boys runner-up in Section 3AA<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZCwjZcf9D82YjWz7yGQEKzJ0cFfzCG_0W5LcSR1vi3urLFGgDNIVFK87cBGZPXbN593OPcrnfDcr4DFThuw5r7j0iLwKhK-FedVrWuS5XAf4FzoBFAAnqMmGwtNu3pdjJmsUxh0je-MBU2QuaSL54WnBrbrweAVcL9J7NIzEsG3L8biZcWqJSYQcUlI/s1280/jcc2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZCwjZcf9D82YjWz7yGQEKzJ0cFfzCG_0W5LcSR1vi3urLFGgDNIVFK87cBGZPXbN593OPcrnfDcr4DFThuw5r7j0iLwKhK-FedVrWuS5XAf4FzoBFAAnqMmGwtNu3pdjJmsUxh0je-MBU2QuaSL54WnBrbrweAVcL9J7NIzEsG3L8biZcWqJSYQcUlI/s320/jcc2.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tigers lost 67-52<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The Tigers' long trek of the 2023-24 hoops season has ended. Many wins could be savored along the way. The Tigers were a mere one win shy of making state. Still they were in rarefied air: the 3AA championship game. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We took our 3AA-North banner into Thursday night play at Southwest State U, Marshall. I know, a long trip to make for the Tiger faithful. I shouldn't assume they minded much. Maybe at my relatively advanced age I would have minded. But I have no newspaper obligations these days. I can still practice journalism - my life's calling. But last night I could retire at my pretty standard time which was about the time the game started. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Tigers played the Jackson County Central Huskies at SSU's R-A Facility. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">After lying in bed for an hour I rose to catch the game's closing stages. I'm not sure about these live stream radio deals online. Seems we just get a burst of advertising/promos. So I abandoned that approach and tuned in the old terrestrial radio, KKOK. Unfortunately the Tigers were fading at the end. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mark Torgerson's monotone voice couldn't celebrate much. Torgerson described the game down to the end, when the scoreboard showed MACA on the short end, thus having to accept runner-up in section. The Huskies are on to state. Congrats to them. The final score was 67-52. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anything on the Stevens County Times website about the game? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the fourth time for JCC boys hoops making state. Previous appearances were in 2016, 2017 and 2020. Asterisk: the state tournament was not played in '20 due to covid. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our orange and black crew got off to a nifty start Thursday: a 10-4 lead. But the Huskies fought back with an 8-0 run, good for getting the lead at 13-12. The first half had a back and forth look,. MACA held the lead at the halfway mark, 29-27. Lots of hope and confidence! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The teams continued fighting pretty even as the second half unfolded. But a Weston Rowe score put JCC up 38-36 and they never trailed after that. JCC went up 48-39 after an 8-1 run. The Tigers, not down for the count, scored the next six points. Alas, the Huskies decisively seized the "mo" for a time: a skein of seven points to create a bulge of ten, 55-45. Just under five minutes remained. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6X2jlQwjf_K3MlG57FwGgp-XRqpu8eZLeRGbOL7bRQO6wrz9CH26hXG0-KmlljezKzUXpOgnUyzDGwf1uZi943txPJoWdlwlOLHshm3iquc3TQA54VcrOliujfhjuhhoaVx_f47Evlkxrpr49ppApP3B7oLDB6bLchgGQ8TW2LtzvuKovSUKa3v30WE/s480/jcc3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="480" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6X2jlQwjf_K3MlG57FwGgp-XRqpu8eZLeRGbOL7bRQO6wrz9CH26hXG0-KmlljezKzUXpOgnUyzDGwf1uZi943txPJoWdlwlOLHshm3iquc3TQA54VcrOliujfhjuhhoaVx_f47Evlkxrpr49ppApP3B7oLDB6bLchgGQ8TW2LtzvuKovSUKa3v30WE/w200-h147/jcc3.png" width="200" /></a></div>JCC would maintain a comfortable margin. Grant Freking gave his team an exclamation point with a dunk to end it. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Roman Voss topped a balanced JCC scoring effort with 23 points. Rowe finished with 12, and Freking and Ben Gallagher with ten each. Others who scored were Carson Pohlman 4, Thomas Liepold 4, Thomas Sether 3 and Aiven Farmer 1. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Both teams young<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is interesting: JCC had five underclassmen starters, MACA had four. The next couple years at least have a promise of great quality. Perhaps a re-match in the offing? Nice, but I hope the game time can be earlier than 8 p.m. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'll repeat that we had the unfortunate convergence of the basketball game and the MAHS spring band trip departure. On Thursday the musicians departed for New Orleans. I personally wrote a check to the MAHS band activity fund to help in the venture. The venture eliminated any chance that the MAHS pep band could play. I'm not sure the band would have played anyway, but I always personally recommend this sort of thing: good PR for the music program. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pep band is probably the only way many community residents get exposure to our music program. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's a reminder that the annual May concert includes ice cream in the cafeteria! Solos and ensembles play in the cafeteria area, then everyone moves into the concert hall. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, the Tigers had four underclassmen starters with the one senior being Owen Anderson. There were three other seniors on the roster. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Coach Jacob Torgerson has a nice arsenal returning for 2024-25," my friend Randy Olson of Bonanza Valley says. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Randy further observed: "The Tigers' 3/4 court press was chewed up by JCC's transition game down the stretch." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYlFSFLeCBRTER0RcrH4JkQmhCrMWV8JMlCocPjcUlS4L1mq-aQnSuF53ckEwWVjkLSilvl9kN9oUpfYMv7lOBFBn4Q6ZxTJCxz3IHGetHf7c72_-Lwu0HkQL5XeNYQEjz75LcS2-CqMCIQNZJ95EzMorPRN8guQGM1silB54Ieraf4EuQ84N2vkQJQs/s1500/tigers.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkYlFSFLeCBRTER0RcrH4JkQmhCrMWV8JMlCocPjcUlS4L1mq-aQnSuF53ckEwWVjkLSilvl9kN9oUpfYMv7lOBFBn4Q6ZxTJCxz3IHGetHf7c72_-Lwu0HkQL5XeNYQEjz75LcS2-CqMCIQNZJ95EzMorPRN8guQGM1silB54Ieraf4EuQ84N2vkQJQs/w200-h200/tigers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The top MACA scorers were Riley Asmus (16 points), Alex Asmus (12), Drew Huebner (11) and Charlie Hanson (7). Charlie probably feels bad he's missing the band trip. His grandparents advised him this is a life's lesson: "You have to make choices." A problem for school schedule-makers is that we simply cannot know how far teams will progress in the tournament. MACA was only seeded No. 4 for sub-section. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wish the MACA girls team had advanced further. I thought they had the potential to do that. I'm not sure Kaylee Harstad reached her potential as a player. I wonder if the coaching situation there could use a shakeup. I'm hinting yes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's great to see all the younger players in the boys program but you can never assume anything about future conquests, I assure you. Everyone wants to win. The key is keeping your focus.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>Amazing Caitlin Clark</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span>From an email I sent to friend Warrenn Anderson this a.m.:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;">It's amazing to watch highlight videos of Caitlin Clark. I'm more amazed than when I watched Larry Bird. She has almost other-worldly skills. She has instincts in every phase of game, but one thing I've noticed is that she has this technique for getting breathing room for taking a three-point shot. She'll sort of thrust her body forward for an instant, causing the defensive player to back off out of fear of fouling. Then a millisecond later Caitlin puts up her long-range shot. She gets just enough breathing room this way, and the defenses just can't clamp down on her. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;">Her instinct with these body movements reminds me of Fran Tarkenton scrambling. He just had an innate sense. Caitlin amazes me too because she looks like a real girl. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;">A neat highlight video is from when Caitlin was playing in front of an opposing team's "rat pack" that taunted her with "overrated" chant. She scored time after time and the camera kept panning over to the rat pack. I personally do not like rat packs at all, never have, and UMM had its share many years ago. I suspect that would not be tolerated today as a matter of institutional policy. I think Charlie Grussing had instructions to ignore it. I think Imholte liked it when UMM students behaved arrogant. He would not recognize the UMM of today.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;"><br style="outline: none !important;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;">I recently came across a photo of Jackson Loge but he was playing for Concordia-Moorhead. I know he originally committed to Augustana. Maybe he transferred a while ago and I am just now aware. It's harder for me to keep track of things now. Concordia would be a step down, I believe, so Jackson would be following in his father's footsteps. I actually saw a game program for Fergus Falls Comm. College that had Kevin's picture in it. Then he disappeared. I have heard different theories, but I think Kevin realized all along he wasn't going to be good enough for NCAA Div. I, and then he just wanted to withdraw. Division I players are like street fighters. I don't think Kevin fit in with that. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;">Looks like the Gophers coach is getting better established now.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;"><br style="outline: none !important;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;">Tigers lost last night. Terrible for fans to drive home that far after an 8 p.m. game. The band trip is a much more worthy activity.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;"><br style="outline: none !important;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none !important; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none !important;">- BW</span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span></span></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-86140008612515485412024-03-13T07:03:00.000-07:002024-03-13T07:03:18.942-07:00Normally basketball "shortens" winter<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The prep hoops season goes on and on. Rather intoxicating, right? I know full well the lure of it all. Truly it offsets the blahs of winter in a typical winter. Of course we have had the most untypical (atypical?) winter. Rather blows my mind. Remember the back-and-forth of how Donnelly would get arrangements for snow removal? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Normally at this time of mid-March, we're wondering when the biking/walking trail east of town will get completely open. Our dogs look forward to that as much as the people. What a wonderful place to meet dogs. Such fine therapy for one's soul. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes I'll be approaching someone who feels he should "rein in" their dog lest the dog "greet" me in a way that I might not like. When this happens I'll shout "I don't care if your dog greets me." I have had more than one person thank me for that. So the dog can get its paws on me and I couldn't care less. (Yes it's "couldn't care less" and not "could care.") </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel joy befriending our canine friends like Sharon Martin's "Goldy." There are many others I have become familiar with, like an "eskimo dog" whose owner I do not know. My family's last of three small dogs was 1/2 eskimo dog. The other half was poodle. At first my dad joked the dog might be called a "peskadoodle." I later learned our dog had two correct terms that could be applied: "poodle mix" and "eskipoo." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It has become so expensive to have a dog now. Of course expenses have gone up for everything. Veterinarians can do so much to extend a dog's life. That can become a mixed bag: we want to hold on to our cherished companions as long as possible, but a very old dog presents issues and we wonder how much the dog still enjoys life. Maybe a parallel to be made with people? Having a role with taking care of the very old is more difficult than many people realize. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCCUEKESCBPORjiohKQojHyrLPgNV8ncvEVNRCmuSajd0lv7KXgc6B_JzCjTI4BZwzqXEC9nIoNTESLdMjkBS1szXJChHtakpViVxjPFjKtRtDnojsuythdS4dW5zwudTeMzrglEVaW5dhfQxVVvyjhFo0Wk_SmDl8rksBMYU0blEkjFHLOOhU5L8RzY/s700/tiger23.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCCUEKESCBPORjiohKQojHyrLPgNV8ncvEVNRCmuSajd0lv7KXgc6B_JzCjTI4BZwzqXEC9nIoNTESLdMjkBS1szXJChHtakpViVxjPFjKtRtDnojsuythdS4dW5zwudTeMzrglEVaW5dhfQxVVvyjhFo0Wk_SmDl8rksBMYU0blEkjFHLOOhU5L8RzY/w200-h200/tiger23.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Jubilant time (for some)<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We're at the prime time for high school basketball enthusiasm now. Talk about a mixed bag: people with an interest in the Tigers are jubilant. And by the way I hate to tell you this, but the overall population is not as interested in this as you may assume. The interest is limited but very intense. Those intense feelings bubble up as the Tigers of boys basketball get set to play yet again. Ah, yet again. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No one can map these things out. The school administration cannot plan things with any assumptions about how long a team will play in the tournament. It really is a problem. So, the MAHS band will depart on its exciting spring trip on Thursday. Congrats to this whole group for having this opportunity, so precious. The problem is that the MACA boys will play "yet again" on Thursday night. Sheesh, an 8 p.m. starting time for a game way to the south in Marshall, Southwest State. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm getting too old to consider a trip like that just by myself, and that's how I'd probably be doing it if I was still with the paper. I don't even like driving downtown after dark any more. My vision has declined. Much as I, as a baby boomer would like to deny the effects of age, I cannot. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember the late Les Lindor, esteemed school board chair, expressing concern with how far sports teams were traveling for so many of their games. I remember one year when MACA football had its first-round playoff game set at Fairmont way down by the Iowa border. If the Forum had owned the Morris paper then, I probably would have been required to make the trip. That would strike me as basically senseless. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first two playoff games should be against the likes of Lac qui Parle, West Central Area, Benson or Minnewaska. Have fun and keep it close. Again I'll remind that many of our high school playoff games used to be here at UMM. It has been a long time. I remember the very congested parking situation out there. You'd enter the P.E. Center and hear the loud pep bands, part of overall pandemonium that I sometimes found troubling. Think of all the pressure we put on the high school kids to perform. I guess they accept that when they sign up. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A missing element? <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know what all is practical, but it seems to me MACA cannot have a pep band Thursday. Maybe something can get worked out. The "real" band will be headed south. I personally made a financial contribution to help make the New Orleans trip possible. Even if my $ wasn't essential for the trip itself, I think it reduced the financial burden for some of the kids. I have very little else to live for. So I am happy to have done that. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am concerned that maybe my money is becoming a "jinx." First of all, it helped create this problem with the basketball game and New Orleans trip converging. I know some people must be upset about that. I cannot talk some people out of thinking that sports is life, sports is everything. But our school parents should be thankful that the trip reflects the opportunities we give our kids. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Simply being a "fan" at games does nothing for you. Yet people get so carried away with that. They do not stop to think of the excesses of it all. Maybe it's a sedative. It helps shorten winter. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Broader picture<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is a lot that doesn't make sense these days, like how Americans may well choose to put a rapist in the White House (again). Don't you worry about what the world will think of this? A rapist who has said favorable things about Hitler, and who had to be told by his chief of staff that he really shouldn't do that? This is America in 2024? A place where Hitler admiration does not get you kicked to the curb? Nor being a rapist? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm sure our congressperson Michelle Fischbach will enthusiastically support Trump. She showed sympathy for the attempted violent overthrow of the U.S. government on Jan. 6. How can we explain all this to our kids? Overthrow of the government. Can't you stop and think what all the ramifications could be? I'm just sitting here trying to have the proper thoughts. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I hope I wasn't upsetting the apple cart with our school by providing the $2000 to help with the New Orleans trip. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With mixed feelings I wrote out a check to my church of First Lutheran in December. Just trying to be positive. Where does that get me? Since December our church has gotten worse off, now appearing comatose. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have given considerable $ to UMM, mainly to keep the memory of my late parents alive. I strive to support music. I like the new choral director. Nothing is her fault. The philosophy appears to be different now. And that's fine. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But my, I remember when "University choir," the non-auditioned group, was truly a big deal on campus. Free admission, "raucous" audiences. But the choir has shriveled up which I guess reflects UMM in general. It's shriveling up before our eyes. At a certain point will the state decide it has to take drastic action? If the state is responsive, it would really have to. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stay "blue" <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maybe the best thing we have going for us is that Democrats remain largely in control of Minnesota. Some people predict a "civil war" between red and blue states. If this happens, we had better hope the "blue" states win. That's what we are, Michelle Fischbach notwithstanding. The big cities are where the people are, don't lose sight of that fact. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Up until last year I was giving about $400 annually to the WCROC Horticulture Garden. That's a somewhat small total by my standards. I would have cut another check late last year. But the funding letter from the WCROC was strange. Oh I knew their thinking: try to make it seem like things are going to heck with the garden, get more $. It had the opposite effect on me: I gave no money. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I ask, is it a jinx for any organization to receive money from yours truly? I told a friend that it might not be good news for me to switch to Faith Lutheran, to give $ to Faith, because maybe that organization would start failing. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I will be curious to see if MACA basketball gets supported by a pep band of some sort on Thursday. Maybe everything can be patched up. But I do seem to cause my share of problems, n'est-ce pas? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'll try to calm down and feel peace when I go out to the biking/walking trail, hopefully to renew my friendship with the various friendly canines. They are so much smarter than the Trump and Fischbach voters among us.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Addendum: </b>Stop and think, considering Biden's very advanced age, do you really think he's focused on receiving any personal "glory?" Do you really think he's motivated by this? Or can't we all conclude that he really wants to help Americans, to help the country be more prosperous and secure? What happened to the compromise border security bill? The bipartisan effort? It was nixed by Republicans. So put the blame where it belongs. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Republicans <i>want </i>the problem at the southern border so they can give speeches, get money and go on Fox News. Can't you see that? Biden is a lifelong public servant. He loves America and loves Americans. He loves people. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At this time of Easter, can't we appreciate these qualities a little more, rather than to be on the verge of putting a rapist and Hitler admirer in the White House? Why am I having to ask these questions?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com</span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-81659326312063189332024-03-10T16:01:00.000-07:002024-03-11T06:06:10.997-07:00Tigers set to play JCC Huskies next!<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQ9hSsWhjfOdFxmkAcWd36jnnJFt_PPm9ABM6JKgoOFSJLGDW6cDBBB6WRa5qzX9KJYQQgRmPMtY4QTuNtto4eRDPUnKVcRkWvuRcHznzDyXMYKlL2QiBkpqJr3t76cje_CB8SD6KtideSs_4sldJuDIUVP56-RAIHzGX5KlLlFO_mjgAxeEIxreI7ho/s473/tiger2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="473" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQ9hSsWhjfOdFxmkAcWd36jnnJFt_PPm9ABM6JKgoOFSJLGDW6cDBBB6WRa5qzX9KJYQQgRmPMtY4QTuNtto4eRDPUnKVcRkWvuRcHznzDyXMYKlL2QiBkpqJr3t76cje_CB8SD6KtideSs_4sldJuDIUVP56-RAIHzGX5KlLlFO_mjgAxeEIxreI7ho/w200-h193/tiger2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Tigers 57, EV-W 53</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wonderful mood in Morris on this Sunday afternoon with the sun shining and the boys basketball team fresh from a significant tournament win. The Tigers turned back the Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins at Southwest State University, Marshall. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fans had to be happy about the afternoon starting time. "Happy" sure describes everyone's mood now that coach Jacob Torgerson's team advanced with the 57-53 win. So, action continues! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm a little concerned because the next game is on the day when the MAHS band group will depart for its exciting trip south. It's "destination New Orleans" for the band kids. Is there a conflict with sports? Indeed it must be hard for planning many school things when there's a tournament and heaven knows how far any team is going to go. No one wants to say anything pessimistic or discouraging about sports. So we must root for the Tigers every step of the way. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Tigers were only the No. 4 seed for the sub-section tournament. The team needed to show upset form more than once. But this can surely happen. As the iconic sports broadcaster Chris Berman is known to say, "That's why they play the game!" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The orange and black went out and played their best game Saturday at Mustang country of SSU, Marshall. It was No. 4 defeating No. 2. So now the orange and black reaches for higher heights. It is a given that we are happy here in Motown. But immediately upon listening to game's end over the radio Saturday, oh my I thought about the music commitment coming up. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes the music kids are departing on Thursday for what will surely be an enriching and memory-filled trip. But their adrenaline is probably pumping for basketball too. Can there be any doubt? And it has probably not stopped pumping since midday Saturday. The hits can just keep coming in post-season basketball. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Really the games can turn into a kind of a blur. Let's see, who was our first tournament game against again? We can get a refresher from the "Minnesota Scores" site. Let's take a look on this late Sunday afternoon. We beat New London-Spicer 70-58 on March 2 at Tiger Center. Then we beat the top seed Montevideo in a nail-biter 65-63 on the 7th at Willmar. Yes, action went to a neutral court starting with the second game. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">March 9 featured the climactic win for all the sub-section marbles. The Tigers downed EV-W, the No. 2 seed, by the 57-53 score at SSU. That brings us up to the present. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">How will conflict between band and basketball be resolved? For sure the players are committed to the latter. Basketball is life, right? Well, the hockey crowd would offer a correction to that. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shall I assume that the kids who are in band but who are not players are committed to the trip? It's an assumption. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let me say with assertiveness that I do not like this conflict. I know difficulty arose about three years ago with the Texas trip. The band had to narrowly shoehorn in a pep band commitment at state before immediately heading south en route to the Lone Star State. It's awkward. Of course, sports would never have to shoehorn in anything to accommodate music, right? The sense of priorities is indeed glaring. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is a band concert tomorrow night (Monday) at the MAHS concert hall. Director Wanda Dagen takes such great pride in those. Oh, and the director for the lower grades also, Andrea DeNardo who I see on so many mornings at Caribou Coffee. Awful consistent, right at 7:15 a.m. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I guessed quite wrong on Andrea's age recently. I had commented to Wanda that Andrea looked quite young, the point being that yours truly is getting older! But Wanda responded in our email exchange to note that Andrea is really rather middle-age, 47 years old to be exact. So I must conclude that Ms. DeNardo looks very young for her age - that's just from my perspective. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Full disclosure: I have a vested interest in the New Orleans trip. I made a financial contribution to the band activity fund that I think was very helpful for making the upcoming trip reality. I am proud of that - anything for the humanities. But now of course I'm concerned about any sense of conflict between music and the (sacred cow of) sports. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRA61_6UaQyYizRhN0-vabkEcplxFUrYdHb3QuUufHk5oG-GImQ8d2VYHhhMoHf7m0MguvUS1aokNHf7Zg7T2bdrn6bPf_UGDlNRKXfjyP5B8XKGS5oCadgXfEnyroBaMV6JwnFpULglf-hnfazg90V6hVsGtbu5xTVts49tzQsunWu-mgKD6_VhkPVHo/s249/golden.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRA61_6UaQyYizRhN0-vabkEcplxFUrYdHb3QuUufHk5oG-GImQ8d2VYHhhMoHf7m0MguvUS1aokNHf7Zg7T2bdrn6bPf_UGDlNRKXfjyP5B8XKGS5oCadgXfEnyroBaMV6JwnFpULglf-hnfazg90V6hVsGtbu5xTVts49tzQsunWu-mgKD6_VhkPVHo/w177-h200/golden.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sacred cow<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I hope the kids on the band trip can temporarily erase basketball from their thoughts, get totally focused on music and jazz. New Orleans is synonymous with jazz. I'm sure the kids will get basketball updates from home. The Tigers have made it this far so there's no ruling out another win this Thursday. I'll say "go Tigers" even though I really wish to focus on the music. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Tigers are going back to Southwest State. That's the alma mater of Vicki Dalager of Morris. SSU is known as the "Mustangs." The hoops action is at the R-A Facility. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bad news: unlike this past Saturday, there is no afternoon starting time. Anything but. So it's 8 p.m. - groan - as the Tigers will face Jackson County Central. Yes, the boys from southern Minnesota. The winner will own the Section 3AA crown. I pointed out to a friend at Caribou this morning (Sunday) that the sub-section finals are the same as the section semi-finals. A media person can get confused sifting through all the info. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was a media person with the print media for many years here in Morris. As the years pass, more and more people might not be familiar with that. Could I do it today? For sure I would not want to drive home from Marshall after an 8 p.m. game through pitch darkness. I'll get into bed instead, stay safe. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let's take a look at the Jackson county Central Huskies. JCC has a 20-7 record. In section: 12-3. Conference: 12-5. At home: 8-4. JCC has made its trek through sub-section with wins over St. James Area 90-45, Pipestone Area 94-80 and Redwood Valley 59-46. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I was a kid, St. James had some fantastic teams in the days when two-class was in effect. They sure don't have that caliber now. Ups and downs can be marked in high school sports, pilgrims.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But I'd like to put sports aside just a little. Let's "root" for our band kids, first at the concert Monday night and then for the ambitious trip south. Wanda is the able person in charge. I think very highly of her.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Addendum:</b> Up through this afternoon I found nothing beyond the score in various media sources. Just the score. I suppose there's a problem with people "not working on weekends." That rule is breaking down with the passing time. But it hangs on to a degree. There was a time when Willie's Super Valu was closed every Sunday. Willie said it was because "Sunday is the Lord's day." Well us mortals might need a loaf of bread. Some people appreciate the opportunity to work some hours on Sunday, presumably. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shall I assume the "sports desk" at the Willmar paper was shut down Saturday night? High schools sports is not often played on Saturdays but some important events do sometimes fall there. Ironic how the Willmar paper tries to prioritize sports so much, but they can miss the boat for weekend games. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I thought maybe a radio station website would have something today. Our Morris station's site is "down" and it probably doesn't matter, as their sports commitment online has faded terribly. Very often we only get "scores" now. We can find "scores" elsewhere. Brett Miller did an excellent job for a long time. He's gone from the station. No one has continued the kind of work he did. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Recently there was a Willmar radio station that had a nice game summary for an MAHS game, even giving us some names. Couldn't find that today. I thought for sure that by this afternoon I'd find something helpful, especially considering the importance of the game. Well, no dice, at least not on this weekend. I sort of "improvised" the blog post you're reading now. It's always a pleasure for me to give attention to the Tigers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But let's focus equal attention on music now. Well no I guess that would be impossible. We do all want the Tigers to win. Oh, should I even mention the website of the Stevens County Times? There's a "sports" link. What are the odds you'll find info about Saturday's win there? Tons of stuff about UMM, following form, almost zero about the Tigers. We should all just pull the rug out from under the SCT, wouldn't you say?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Update:</b> I'm adding this paragraph Monday morning because I discovered the coaches submitted stats for the "Maxpreps" site. Here is the link for my new post which is on my "Morris of Course" blog site. Thanks.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/03/charlie-hanson-alex-asmus-lead-scoring.html">https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/03/charlie-hanson-alex-asmus-lead-scoring.html</a> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-8675394257216363812024-03-08T08:39:00.000-08:002024-03-08T08:39:33.666-08:00Wow! Tigers surge to defeat Montevideo<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLchMys1wKOnKAZSmKhM4NDQ5qo6YQM6D7lzzy-3PkuMNr9jIWdqlJnc738nJOOapA8lZS3FPV5ArvZSn-yx3-1Y61-wXjK9NOtkrZd-Ola9YnV4h8eXzNCq_Hw00P__prmg5WU9xLZYECIltmTb0J10nMb_zsbVWUeri9Ue4XolsIib8vBYeKabGS9Gk/s1016/besttiger13.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="656" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLchMys1wKOnKAZSmKhM4NDQ5qo6YQM6D7lzzy-3PkuMNr9jIWdqlJnc738nJOOapA8lZS3FPV5ArvZSn-yx3-1Y61-wXjK9NOtkrZd-Ola9YnV4h8eXzNCq_Hw00P__prmg5WU9xLZYECIltmTb0J10nMb_zsbVWUeri9Ue4XolsIib8vBYeKabGS9Gk/w129-h200/besttiger13.png" width="129" /></a></div>Tigers 65, Montevideo 63</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What an evening of thrills for the MACA basketball faithful. Unforgettable really. This is the time of year when such thrills prompting high emotions happen. Sometimes the emotions bother me a little. That's just me. As a former community newspaper writer, I know how the parents/fans get fanatical being served up the best possible, most supportive coverage all of the time. As the writer you can stand back and admire your work for a day or two, and then it's forgotten as the pressure rises to do it all again! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But for some perspective, just think how Joe Biden comes out for his State of the Union speech every year. That is the epitome of "balls," wouldn't you say? And I'm so relieved he did well last night (Thursday). Meanwhile we read about what Stormy Daniels has to say about her encounters with the GOP nominee. This in America? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I posted a comment to Yahoo! News just moments ago, wondering if there's still a chance the GOP could put forward Nikki Haley. She's so fresh, invigorating and principled. But we won't see it. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bring on hoops<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">A good high school tournament basketball game pushes aside any thoughts of politics, n'est-ce pas? So politics was totally on the back burner last night as fans focused on the sub-section semis tournament game from Willmar. Yes, a neutral court. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">MACA fans came away with superlative memories. My, the orange and black came on strong when it counted most. We came from behind. I suppose no one should have been surprised. But we were the No. 4 seed, Montevideo No. 1. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our Charlie Hanson had a quiet game in the quarter-finals but he emerged as a major standout for the semis, indeed. Charlie excelled in the clutch, helping his orange and black achieve a 65-63 win over the on-paper favorite Montevideo. The Tigers had to work past a six-point second half deficit. Action was at the "Big Red Gym" of Willmar. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The neutral court will continue now. And guess what? It's time for everyone to gas up their vehicles and head to Southwest State, Marshall, a fair distance to the south. We've been doing this for years. In the "old days" so much of the action was at our UMM. Gone with the wind. SSU can be bad news for night games that call on fans to drive home late. The good news coming up is that we'll play at 12:30 Saturday afternoon! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEpY_iRJwepKAnVG0Po0NQ9f2LpP1LiaIyZ4hvNGCtI-p3cQDTDHwQf90BHuF3jfQs2tJrvBR1ALWgb1RfUMr0kEICvwZffzhXzqcCqSYZF4YfVTcw7W5W9SJB5eFNt8peFtq9G9fsYrfDKchLM3CsqfN11zdNL2HqSHn_xUv7_KQqh7V8WD7N0recsw/s1600/ssu.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZEpY_iRJwepKAnVG0Po0NQ9f2LpP1LiaIyZ4hvNGCtI-p3cQDTDHwQf90BHuF3jfQs2tJrvBR1ALWgb1RfUMr0kEICvwZffzhXzqcCqSYZF4YfVTcw7W5W9SJB5eFNt8peFtq9G9fsYrfDKchLM3CsqfN11zdNL2HqSHn_xUv7_KQqh7V8WD7N0recsw/w200-h133/ssu.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R/A Facility at SSU<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We'll take on the No. 2 seed Eden Valley-Watkins in the 3AA-North finals. Action will be at SSU's "R/A Facility." The Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins advanced with a 72-44 win over Paynesville. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charlie Hanson put up a '3' that found paydirt to tie the score 54-54. The time remaining: 5:48. He kept on finding paydirt, scoring with a layup and another '3' to put MACA up 61-58. Now the time remaining is 2:21. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hardly a comfortable lead. In the old days I might write "it was sweaty-palm time." Charlie hit a freethrow that gave us some breathing room, score now 65-60. It was our biggest lead up to that point. Now there's 13.8 seconds left. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We're in! In for the sub-section championship game. File these memories away, Tiger fans. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charlie is a junior standing six feet even. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first half story was rather different. Monte showed it was seeded No. 1 for a reason. The T-Hawks led for 17 minutes of the half. Alex Asmus led the charge back for the Tigers. Alex made back-to-back 3-pointers. The Tigers enjoyed a 10-4 run that helped put them up at halftime 30-28. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Monte coach had an interesting post-game quote: "We got out to a big lead, you knew they were going to make a big run." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Really? He was coaching the favored team. I would not have made the assumption that he did. The coach is Derek Webb. Our coach is Jacob Torgerson. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The West Central Tribune continued its practice of referring to us as "Morris/CA" and not "MACA." The paper is in error. Does someone at the Willmar paper "have it in" for us? Forum Communications did leave Morris and it was amidst well-informed talk that they were going to close the Morris paper, as they did with the Hancock paper. MACA is no longer in the WC Trib's coverage territory, unless that has been changed just recently. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Monte beat MACA twice in the regular season. The T-Hawks finished with a 21-7 mark. I would not have assumed, like Webb did, that MACA was going to come on strong with a "run." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Three in double figures<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The WC Trib does have the MACA individual scoring stats reported. That's a rarity. So here goes: Hanson led our scoring with 19 points. Drew Huebner closely followed with 17, then we see Riley Asmus with 11. Continuing: Alex Asmus 8, Owen Anderson 6, Tyler Friesen 2 and Jack Kehoe 2. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hanson and Asmus each made two 3-pointers. Huebner and Anderson each came through with one '3'. Alas, the WC Trib has "N/A" for "not available" for the other stat categories. The paper had all stat categories filled for Montevideo. So we're still getting the short end of the stick. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'll faint if the WC Trib ever refers to us correctly as "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" or "MACA." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I invite y'all to compare my coverage of this game to what you see on the Stevens County Times website. Please, compare.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">More on SOTU</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today on the day after Biden's big speech, I wonder if we'll keep getting dispatches from our 7th District Congressperson Michelle Fischbach that put forward the possible impeachment of Joe Biden. She has been doing this a while. Maybe she has to keep acting super right wing as she tries to fend off her GOP challenger from the right, Steve Boyd. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, has Biden committed "high crimes and misdemeanors?" Seems to me that Donald Trump has done multiple totally egregious things. Don't you follow the news? But the trials are so slow to arrive. That's our white collar legal system, which may eventually require some re-shaping. Slow as molasses, escape routes for big shots all over the place. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don't people in the legal system ever work under deadline pressure the way little ol' me once did? I'm just an anonymous soul out in Flyoverland. Do the legal people work weekends? Time drags ad nauseam. The Jan. 6 outrage happened three years ago. Can't we get a sense of finality with the resolution? If not, what is wrong with us? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What is wrong with us for allowing one of our two major political parties to nominate someone like Trump again? Here's a comment I posted on Yahoo! News just a couple of hours ago:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The recent polls showing Trump leading Biden, thus on the doorstep of presidency again, should have Republicans almost intoxicated with a sense of power to come, right? But I'm not sure they really want it! The stumbling in the SOTU rebuttal has me wondering this. Does Rand Paul really want to be Senate GOP leader with the GOP in charge? Republicans know if they really "get in the driver's seat," they will have full responsibility for what happens in America. I think they fear that, terribly. As a rule, Republicans do not believe in legislating to solve problems. But when you're the majority, it really becomes incumbent on you. Deep down does the GOP relish instead being the hyper-critical minority, led by the wailing talk radio people?</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Bruno Bender" liked my comment. Nice to have support from someone named "Bruno Bender."</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-17756104761510980892024-03-07T09:38:00.000-08:002024-03-07T09:38:15.856-08:00Teachers union bares fangs like before<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Remember the scene in "All the President's Men" where the heroic reporters get warned by a confidante "your lives are in danger?" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I can remember twice getting heads-up from people I knew, in this town, re. my apparent expiration notice for my career. Maybe you aren't familiar: I worked at the Morris newspaper for 27 years. That's in the historical record, it cannot be changed. Oh, 15 years for the Hancock Record newspaper too. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">After I left, another person close to me said there'd be a "shock effect" for the community just not seeing me around any more, not making my rounds for the paper in so many ways. Maybe you don't remember but in the latter stage of my career - I really did have a "career" there - I drove the van and handled a lot of the distribution. This was after Howard Moser had to retire due to declining health. I think his retirement was expedited by the company "suits." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Forum Communications definitely had company suits who moved the chess pieces around. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I later came to realize that my exit from the paper was at the high water mark for the industry. It really was a question of "when" and "how fast" the decline was going to happen, because so much of our communications was going electronic. Papers could still make money by cutting. The electronic age did bring new efficiency and savings in overhead for papers. But the effect of the digital world would become too much for the papers to really feel vitality any more. Certainly it was not going to be "the good old days." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Work culture changed too. The silliness and irreverence that we could once show as employees got eliminated. Practical jokes? A little misogyny here and there? Yes Virginia, there was a time when misogyny was accepted in the workplace. Remember how James Carville defended Bill Clinton? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Carville has since admitted that the stance would not fly today. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Young people would probably not accept our excuses about how "that's just the way it was then." They'd ridicule us. Do we have it coming? People must realize that our culture goes through significant changes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can we make excuses about how we all once "looked the other way" when it came to smoking cigarettes nearly everywhere? A scene from "All the President's Men" fully illustrated. The Woodward and Bernstein characters get on an elevator. Woodward hadn't previously said anything about his partner's smoking but here he abruptly blurts out "is there any place you don't smoke?" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, misogyny and public smoking: a past chapter of American life. And certainly we could cite other examples of how attitudes have changed. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had to try to survive professionally as a known skeptic about the local public school teachers union. A friend came to the office one day and advised me on the kind of storm clouds I might be facing. I'll name-drop: Mick Rose. Mick and I were closely associated with the sport of wrestling. Mick has fallen on hard times health-wise. A prayer is in order. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mick stopped by to advise me one day after the paper had published a letter critical of me. So critical it was, it's debatable whether it should have been published. Did I as a small town newspaper person really meet the definition of a public figure? Public figures are fair game for pretty sharp criticism. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The letter accused me among other things of being a "miserable failure." Translation: an element of this town was piqued at how I did not give a rubber stamp to the Morris teachers union. I felt for one thing the union had rather odd priorities at the time. These people were so intransigent. Their emotions bubbled over with the behavior of a particular individual at of all things a sports banquet. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ah the irony: these people falling on their swords over an area of school life - extracurricular - that they rather liked to pooh-pooh as being such a secondary priority. What's the word, disingenuous? I could think of some other words. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The letter to the editor was from a dentist. So Mick advised me that there really was a class of people in town that were, shall we say, trying to gang up on me. To generalize, let's think of the rarefied air crowd of doctors/lawyers and other such folks. Maybe they resented the reach that I had as a journalist/writer without having any lofty credentials for assuming this role, whereas the doctor/lawyer crowd had to go to school for years and years, get specialized degrees/credentials. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoX6RNhq9VguW4tCLJWcRjKn1SLXAtCbyGq5JOiIXDOH6MbcAyrNQlFKDWexTW7GqeJHXPdFRsAtGbn7crG-BfLYDVD5BL8SCylh3ePhQQFd3rhUBPsJoHogdJmF3hJtMqwznM5ZGS26dCJf21PE2XrIcNdVM0HAUpZi6KQdWIp3QpHpHbdXI1HnGM38/s429/yogi.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="370" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKoX6RNhq9VguW4tCLJWcRjKn1SLXAtCbyGq5JOiIXDOH6MbcAyrNQlFKDWexTW7GqeJHXPdFRsAtGbn7crG-BfLYDVD5BL8SCylh3ePhQQFd3rhUBPsJoHogdJmF3hJtMqwznM5ZGS26dCJf21PE2XrIcNdVM0HAUpZi6KQdWIp3QpHpHbdXI1HnGM38/w173-h200/yogi.png" width="173" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yogi Berra<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I had a B.A. degree but so what? I didn't show up for work in the morning wearing a suit and tie. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And so now, fast-forward to year 2024, it's deja vu all over again which makes me wonder if Yogi Berra really said this. I know there's a famous quote that everyone wrongly assumes that the Yankee backstop said. Is this the one? A quick check indicates that "deja vu all over again" is a true Berra-ism. So it's in the pantheon with "Nobody goes to that restaurant any more - it's too crowded." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I digress but it's fun. The "deja vu" quote inspired a well-known Fogerty song that was anti-Iraq war.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here in Motown</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's deja vu all over again with Morris teachers really getting in our face with discontent and demands. I was not prepared to learn all this just recently. It kind of floored me, the rude and threatening language. And now I see lawn signs "support our teachers." I did not realize the teachers were so bereft of support. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I saw a residence with such a sign out front, where the teachers might have second thoughts because this particular teacher lives at a place that really looks opulent. Downright opulent I tell you. Not a good exhibit for showing need. But we are so human an animal: we all want more money. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And inflation makes us claw away harder. We're like hamster in a treadmill as the Fed pushes up inflation with its actions. Our local teachers just never change their ways: they are so dogged and determined, they lose a sense of simple decorum which we ought to expect of them. No pleasant surprise now. "Deja vu" indeed. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The dentist who wrote the letter to the editor has been gone from Morris for a long time now. I think he's in Alexandria. He'd be one of the Morris expatriots in Alexandria. But I'm still here. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I still enjoy writing about MACA athletics when I can, which is less often than before. I can only try. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In "All the President's Men," Woodward and Bernstein heeded the warning from their friend, and suddenly started typing messages to each other lest there be a planted tape recorder somewhere. And when I say they "typed," I mean they were banging on the old manual typewriters. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The two made it to the end of the movie looking like heroes. We see video of Nixon giving his 1973 inauguration speech as we know what's coming for him. I'm not sure Nixon's character flaws were really his main downfall. I think he had allowed the Vietnam war to continue for too long, way too long. What a hero he could have been, had he tried to get our troops home as fast and safely as possible starting after his inauguration speech <i>in 1969</i>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What a period of American history to live through.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Addendum:</b> A hockey parent who remembered me from years ago said to me, at the hockey foodstand at the county fair, "you look like you could still be doing it." One thing is for sure, newspaper management would have had to call me in and say the money was no longer available to pay someone like me, doing the kind of work I did for the two weekly Morris papers and the Hancock paper. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But maybe the management would have been conciliatory. They could have been constructive and considerate, suggesting a package that would keep my self-esteem at a decent level while acknowledging the reality of what was happening to print. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Would I have accepted that? We can only speculate. But it's better to get along with people than to not get along with them. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And I'd be perfectly happy to put irreverence and misogyny aside as our culture moved forward, moved forward to where your typical private sector employees have their cheeks sucked in. It's "tight." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">One of my favorite economic commentators, the permabear Peter Schiff, says "as soon as you take a job, you start taking risks." Such frank truth. And when one gets older, you get more risk-averse. I can think of so many times in my younger years when I might have been on the edge for disaster. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But our society was also more loose. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maybe back when the Carl Bernsteins of the world were ubiquitous smokers, we were more relaxed because cigarettes are a sedative. So let's go back to that? Remember when DeToy's was Atlantic Avenue Family Restaurant? The air was "blue" as they say. Males hung around there to talk, drink coffee and smoke cigarettes. Today we go to restaurants to eat. And you'd better have a fair amount of money on you.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Update:</b> I now remember the quote that is often mis-attributed to Yogi Berra: "Nostalgia isn't what it used to be." It is credited to Peter DeVries. So strong is the assumption that Yogi said it, it's urban legend.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-82136927608875155532024-03-05T08:41:00.000-08:002024-03-05T08:41:18.659-08:00Tigers set to face Montevideo in round 2<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVozzkEibUcoQsFGIvavcdG5tFvExTfvnlF_LQfoXsCq53VV9AxzW1F2Cn5JXjMJE4-CTwxLS_WL8gq73A-c_rD1Voj4m2Ip3IiAMdVFLoscNHReJceDtT_hsJco4GjXreBa3WBl5-6ZcYR4UXMsjl_2gNb-QRxfut2taoPB59vZ0E4-Oep-OCJxMe6RE/s999/tigers4.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="999" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVozzkEibUcoQsFGIvavcdG5tFvExTfvnlF_LQfoXsCq53VV9AxzW1F2Cn5JXjMJE4-CTwxLS_WL8gq73A-c_rD1Voj4m2Ip3IiAMdVFLoscNHReJceDtT_hsJco4GjXreBa3WBl5-6ZcYR4UXMsjl_2gNb-QRxfut2taoPB59vZ0E4-Oep-OCJxMe6RE/w200-h189/tigers4.png" width="200" /></a></div>The Section 3AA-North basketball tournament is in focus now. The MACA Tigers have advanced with their win over New London-Spicer. I was happy to post about the game Sunday morning on my "Morris of Course" blog site. Here is the link:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/239359403372964510/2281148196278756995?hl=en">https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/239359403372964510/2281148196278756995?hl=en</a> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Montevideo is the #1 seed. Monte climbed also. The Thunder Hawks survived a decent challenge from Minnewaska Area. Monte was the 56-49 winner at the T-Hawks' court. The stage is thus set: our Tigers will take on Monte Thursday at Willmar, 6 p.m. Yes, neutral court. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember the days when so much post-season basketball was here at UMM? Maybe you don't, it was a long time ago. Big and loud crowds and ear-splitting pep bands. Sometimes it almost seemed a bit much. I just smiled from my role as newspaper person. I'm glad I'm not now forced to drive as far as Southwest State, Marshall, especially for night games. My years are advancing. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps "decent challenge" is an understatement regarding Minnewaska. Indeed, those Lakers were leading Monte toward the end. Can that be deemed a big surprise? I mean, the Lakers finished their season with an abysmal 2-25 record. I might have expected a blow-out loss versus the top seed. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">MACA fans can feel heartened, perhaps, going into Thursday. A win in the works? Ah, you have to take 'em one at a time. Monte has a 21-6 record. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The March tournament season arrives with the very discouraging development of intense conflict between MAHS teachers and the school board. Should we accept this system? Or should the state take over, decide what's fair for teachers and leave it at that? Teachers who don't like the situation can resign and explore other opportunities. But it's demoralizing for the whole school district and community to hear such pointed gripes from teachers like Kevin Pope. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was really surprised at the invective. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If we did not have a local newspaper, I wouldn't even know about all this conflict. Would we be better off without a local paper? Seriously? It's not as if we need the paper to be a "watchdog" on government because it doesn't do that anyway. For one thing, the paper would be taking risks of alienating high-standing people who of course influence the amount of advertising dollars coming to the paper. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Forum was set to close the Morris paper when it left town, a very well-placed source informed me. It did close the Hancock paper and it cut the Morris paper's product to one weekly issue, from two. It was twice a week through my whole career there. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last week's paper really hung out to dry the intense conflict building up between the teachers and the board. Teachers can take the risk of asserting themselves in this manner, I suppose, because of their job security. They can "give lip" to those in charge. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My experience has taught me that a certain segment of the community will stay quiet or actually say they support the teachers, and I would put these people mostly in two categories: 1) current parents who are afraid of the wrath the teachers might exercise, and 2) people who make their salaries from government, thus they feel kin with the teachers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As for those who want to offer a negative critique sometimes, they might find their business/professional lives threatened. We saw this in Morris in the 1980s. So I'll repeat: might there be a better way? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a comment I received from my Bonanza Valley newspaper friend via email last night:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;">Hello again!<br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;">I find Kevin Pope's comments to be completely ridiculous. He says the teachers are disappointed that the district has only added 2 percent on top of the 6 percent that the state is adding to Morris's coffers.<br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;">Well, what the heck? They indeed SHOULD be glad that Morris is adding 2 percent! For crying out loud, Brian, where's your 8 percent increase to your retirement funds comparable to 2023? I doubt you're getting an 8 percent bump.</span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;">I will have to work extra hard just to keep "even" with 2023...no pay increase. I'm not complaining about it either, I just put my head down and get the work done that's necessary.</span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;">It will be interesting to see all that drama play out in Morris. Yikes!</span></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;">(end of quoted item) </span></span><i style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><span style="outline: none;"><br /></span></i></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">What gives?<br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I have never met this Kevin Pope. But he is coming off as a total, irredeemable jerk.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z3hoeTD2SYjBoVFx1J2eF4ERGc4Eyv1LPLDdS_TQhlF0DVl-VtQte2RtfIl038mNz0P7HYyCDiNeKjuSHW0iAbuP8cXoKF8CoKnQ0BAdq1-gXr3HNrI_sAFqvSVb6W8xlbGVS3iOGU1R2goy4kmGY8M4zis9B3bC5jcuuKDsaONKnkViiMdn3gx1AKs/s510/monte3.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="510" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z3hoeTD2SYjBoVFx1J2eF4ERGc4Eyv1LPLDdS_TQhlF0DVl-VtQte2RtfIl038mNz0P7HYyCDiNeKjuSHW0iAbuP8cXoKF8CoKnQ0BAdq1-gXr3HNrI_sAFqvSVb6W8xlbGVS3iOGU1R2goy4kmGY8M4zis9B3bC5jcuuKDsaONKnkViiMdn3gx1AKs/w200-h178/monte3.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Montevideo 56, Minnewaska 49</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Montevideo had five players score in their Saturday win over the Lakers, led by Gannon Reidinger with 20 points. Then we see Carson Boike with 13 and Cooper Dack with eleven. To continue: Griffin Epema 8 and Devin Ashling 4. Noike connected for four 3-pointers. Dack had two long-range makes and Reidinger one. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Reidinger and Dack led in rebounds with eight and six respectively. Dack and Ashling each had two assists, Boike had two steals and Reidinger blocked two shots. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Our neighbors to the east, Minnewaska Area, had Alex Panitzke lead in scoring with 15 points. Tenzin Dahl joined him in double figures with ten. To continue: Marc Gruber 7, Connor Frey 6, Owen Meulebroeck 6 and Dylan Alexander 5. Panitzke made three 3-pointers followed by Frey with two and Gruber with one. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Rebound leaders were Dahl 8, Alexander 5 and Gruber 5. Alexander led in assists with five and steals with four. Dahl blocked a shot. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The Thunder Hawks actually trailed No. 8 Minnewaska in the closing minutes. Monte awakened to their emergency and went on an 11-1 run. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Our MACA Tigers are seeded No. 4. The West Central Tribune reports we're No. 5 but that is contradicted elsewhere. The WC Trib had our win over New London-Spicer reported as 70-59 but that too is contradicted. I've seen 70-58 in other places. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"Minnesota Scores" reports that MACA has an 18-9 record, 6-4 in section, 9-5 in conference and 7-5 at home. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Good luck to the Tigers! Good luck too to our school board as it deals with the hugely malcontent teachers. I've seen all this before. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">BTW I think our girls basketball team could have gone further.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com<br /></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-56510911438196540242024-03-02T12:27:00.000-08:002024-03-02T12:36:43.965-08:00Time for the boys hoops post-season!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKFOS3QjeqMYZT-rEX4fPCSth0BG1vMkYw4pqYpJTKqhA8cq83hzEL0GhGleRZ14YeJqfEt155TrcQx1K1eNUmxt329WuCJgTySV6zNmIQqUasbrjH3A78-Q0KEm_WYNUeXsvN0m4pydOe4ebSIpLnMdOO6A7QUc1_V5tiSxaRWQiPo5eQc7YKdlkMeE/s1103/tigers8.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="983" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKFOS3QjeqMYZT-rEX4fPCSth0BG1vMkYw4pqYpJTKqhA8cq83hzEL0GhGleRZ14YeJqfEt155TrcQx1K1eNUmxt329WuCJgTySV6zNmIQqUasbrjH3A78-Q0KEm_WYNUeXsvN0m4pydOe4ebSIpLnMdOO6A7QUc1_V5tiSxaRWQiPo5eQc7YKdlkMeE/w178-h200/tigers8.png" width="178" /></a></div>"We'll be back soon," I see as I attempt to access the kmrs-kkok website. Down for "maintenance?" Appears so. My intent was to get the heads-up on when tournament action starts for MACA boys basketball. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's nice to focus on the "real" news and "real" priorities of our school district. This, in contrast with the anguished hue and cry from the teachers about how mistreated and disrespected they are. Those are allegations. Biased allegations? Let's take that one "up to eleven." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But let's retreat from that mess some, focus on MACA boys basketball. I was disappointed yesterday (Friday) in checking the "Minnesota Scores" site and not finding info on the Tigers' first tournament game. Therefore I tried kmrs-kkok which in the past had the very reliable Brett Miller posting info. But he has been gone now for a while. His shoes have not been filled, at least not with anything close to his thoroughness. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brett would have 3-4 paragraphs laying out the sub-section game info with seeding positions of the various teams. I presume our Tigers have a high position. The season has been successful. Unfortunately our girls team lost right away to Paynesville. The boys? After failing to find schedule info on "Minnesota Sores" or kmrs, I tried a long-shot, "Maxpreps," and actually found something there. Hooray! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So it looks like we're playing tonight (Saturday, March 2) at home against New London-Spicer? At 7 p.m.? Well, good luck to the Tigers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately the Tigers did not win their final regular season game. I thank Randy Olson for finding some game review info and relaying it to me. I do not pay for access to anything online. My own two blog sites are completely free for readers. Click and read. Makes a lot of sense IMHO. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I strongly believe that high school sports info should be free-access and user-friendly online. What do you think? Unfortunately the Stevens County Times website is worthless when it comes to Tiger sports coverage. I think that's terrible but what do other people think? Sometimes I'm not on the same page as others. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">On Friday night I was at Don's visiting with someone I consider a community leader, and I asked him if I was a complete outlier with my skeptical views on the softball complex. He candidly replied that I was. I reminded him that fans have to bring their own chairs, that they often sit out by the outfield fence which would not be their first choice, would it? Put chairs down on ground that is probably not level, and possibly muddy. The place is on low elevation close to the river. Well I could go on. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But my friend insisted to me I'm rather alone in my views. I still think it's important to have your own views. Another one of mine: I think the girls basketball program should adhere to the quite-understandable goal of winning at least one post-season game. If that doesn't happen, let's adjust the coaching situation. Nothing personal. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Teachers take a lot of things personal. Be careful what you say about all their loud complaining and posturing at present. Be careful or your business/professional life could well be affected. I have seen this in the past. The teachers are getting mighty aroused now. In more blunt terms, mad as hell. But I'd wager that all these people were happy when they were first hired. What happened?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Montevideo 86, Tigers 78</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">At least the Tigers know they can't take anything for granted in the post-season. We hosted the T-Hawks of Montevideo on Monday and were dealt our ninth loss. That contrasts with 17 wins. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We led by four at halftime 47-43, but then got outscored the rest of the way 43-31 as our offense tailed off. Final score: 86-78, Monte prevailing and improving to 20-6. So it's a fine T-Hawk unit on the court this year. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eureka: Some individual data for MACA appears from the WC Tribune site. That is a rarity! So we see individual scoring totals for the Tigers along with 3-point shooting details. That's it but we'll take it. Riley Asmus scored the team-best 21 points for our Tigers. He was joined in double figures by Charlie Hanson 14, Alex Asmus 11 and Owen Anderson 10. Nice balanced scoring effort. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The other totals: Drew Huebner 9, Jack Kehoe 6, Tyler Friesen 5 and Kaleb Heins 2. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alex Asmus was sharp from long range with his three 3-pointers. Friesen and Hanson each made one '3'. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Montevideo also had four players score in double figures. They were led by Gannon Reidinger with 27 points. Then we see Griffin Epema 22, Carson Boike 16 and Cooper Dack 11. Devin Ashling scored eight points and Brody Dack 2. Boike made three 3-pointers to lead there. Cooper Dack, Reidinger and Epema each made two 3's.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Girls basketball: Paynesville 53, Tigers 44</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The season ended too soon for our girls basketball Tigers. I think there was potential to do better. The Tigers lost right out of the starting gate to the Bulldogs of Paynesville, score of 53-44. The location was Paynesville. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We showed our potential to do better in the first half. So at halftime we were up 31-27. Alas we could not sustain it. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We ended up with seven players scoring points. No one in double figures scoring for the orange and black. Cate Kehoe came close with her nine points. She made two 3-pointers. Addison Cihak and Kaylee Harstad each put in eight points. The others: Brianna Marty 7, Samantha Konz 6, Chloe Fehr 3 and Mylie Fehr 3. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kehoe's pair of 3's were complemented by one each from Cihak and Marty. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-9Y1YkjUEzafSgEGbyCTh13w3Pv6q25HuyG0PTWLG_sdktD08DTByC-LsEVPWa1wTmJ2JDO7UEMrGtRHBj8Y7fRMZb4qAZA54X7usWgyBQJFAeZdV6J7zQKd0UoxRsz89QQ2w3kUUWL2T4cxTikBdpIBCfDl8_kGjb_VEeluICg8ztIt-Zb4TgB7vR0/s498/pville.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="441" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-9Y1YkjUEzafSgEGbyCTh13w3Pv6q25HuyG0PTWLG_sdktD08DTByC-LsEVPWa1wTmJ2JDO7UEMrGtRHBj8Y7fRMZb4qAZA54X7usWgyBQJFAeZdV6J7zQKd0UoxRsz89QQ2w3kUUWL2T4cxTikBdpIBCfDl8_kGjb_VEeluICg8ztIt-Zb4TgB7vR0/w177-h200/pville.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>Paynesville had two big scorers: Emma Flanders 18 and Rayna Spanier 14. Grace Roberg and Alivia Schaefer each scored seven. Kylie Pauls scored four and Finley Anfinson three. Spanier connected for four 3-pointers. Pauls had one long-range make. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">MACA has a final won-lost of 12-14. Paynesville marched onward with a 15-12 mark. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We should note that on December 21, the Tigers beat Paynesville 53-37.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The current distaction</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The early 1980s were a notorious time in our state's history when public school teachers got rattled all over the place, went on strike or threatened to go on strike in nearly every outstate community. These things seem more painful in the outstate small towns, wouldn't you say? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And then relative calm took over. I assumed the state must have adjusted the education systems to discourage such conflict from breaking out. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">One worrisome thing about right now: Minnesota is a blue state (Democrats in good position). The Achilles heel for the Democratic Party is its affinity with the teacher labor unions. And maybe we are being reminded of that bond now. As much as I consider the recent Republican Party to be almost a cancer upon our nation, I could vote for a few Republicans if my anger is aroused enough by the teacher labor unions. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Look what is happening in our Morris rig<span style="font-family: inherit;">ht now. A series of newspaper articles has revealed aroused and angry teachers, demanding attention at school board meetings. Such meetings are supposed to be about the interests of the kids IMHO. Once wasn't enough. Twice wasn't enough. Then it got even louder for the third time. It is extremely concerning. Here's from an email I sent to a friend:</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span><span><br /></span></span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Again, I'm totally surprised to learn how angry the schoolteachers are now, and they are so up front about it, getting in the faces of the board members! Incredible. I suppose they have power because of tenure contracts. Normally you just don't "give lip" to your superiors. Few people have that luxury. Here's a huge problem with teachers: they are never satisfied. Give them everything they want now, they'll be back complaining in a year or two. </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Maybe Odello doesn't care because he works for the big and powerful U which spends money like it's just being printed somewhere. I would actually root for more Apostolics getting on the board. I am astonished at Kevin Pope's language. I have never met him, a UMM grad. UMM grads can be arrogant people.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following is from an email I sent to fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson. He is also a veteran of dealing with public school matters.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Warrenn - I have predicted that the new U of M president will come out here and talk in flowery terms about UMM. But, what if she doesn't? Would that be a hint?</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Man, a topic that just came out of the blue at me: the discontent of the Morris public school teachers now! If the article in the paper is an accurate reflection, the teachers are totally on the war path if I may use a politically incorrect term. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Someone put a harsh comment on my blog post where I said the original Indian school on our Morris campus was begun "with good intentions." Well, maybe I should write that it was begun with malevolent intentions, I don't know. Well, I'm prepared to smoke the peace pipe with these people. Oh there I go again! Remember Charlie Berg talking about the Natives sending smoke signals? Oof.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu_4IXu_RuwaR8N3KVs5zTZj5ILJ_oNZLLc9l8WjT9gf7I9O_zcIRu6ntRc40iZcsXBM3Eu6OzWR6sd6icmkusbcv5TTgwrqFayEnJL_BEq0xNiD_GYi1Ck1UcXoMJbDsejIM0qYzMuJkrfdEGDrL5EYGHTFxOIN4lvhN7SQV9lNUeSiuqsjGO4E76g0/s320/kevin2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="239" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu_4IXu_RuwaR8N3KVs5zTZj5ILJ_oNZLLc9l8WjT9gf7I9O_zcIRu6ntRc40iZcsXBM3Eu6OzWR6sd6icmkusbcv5TTgwrqFayEnJL_BEq0xNiD_GYi1Ck1UcXoMJbDsejIM0qYzMuJkrfdEGDrL5EYGHTFxOIN4lvhN7SQV9lNUeSiuqsjGO4E76g0/w149-h200/kevin2.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Pope<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">So now the Morris public school teachers are hugely upset and using quite strong language when addressing the board. You and I have seen this kind of phenomenon before. I advised a friend this morning that you have to keep an eye on the teachers, because they could organize a secret write-in campaign for school board. This happened before when Gail Nelson got elected to push out (name withheld) who the teachers felt was crossing the line with comments that got too much into personnel.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">It's the football coach who made the most pointed statements at the recent school board meeting, so pointed I think he could be reprimanded. Kevin Pope? I have never spoken to him. Jerry Witt has a standing invitation for me to visit his Harvest Church in Alexandria.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;">I get so mad about teachers sometimes I could just scream. Here's where I think my values are the same as the Apostolics'.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- Brian W.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">UMM's image</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">UMM sought to lead public opinion on enlightenment with gay rights. The institution picked up a certain reputation among many of the "townies" and others in this part of the state who are outside the enchanted citadel. Oh I think the enchanted citadel is just fine if it sticks to its priorities. In fact we're blessed having UMM if I may state the obvious</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">And I think "gay rights" is just fine. But it has been in our faces too much over too long a time. Locally this was led by UMM. Maybe I should not use the past tense. Take a look at the poster below please. A friend writes: </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"You’re always looking for UMM events to attend, so here you go":</span><span style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AYIqT4YZSdQzqGe-1WRCDXQBxtRuvnYk4hxxe0k7Kepom4Su0ij3WvNKtuwSaOsVgyO6JQYO5WkK31NMzriWbwBdVaLoKzSYtA6klq_9KTUSUfwl_lkqBBlKs0qre71Szhhx61evk9ONZ-keJfjkHRPO-odCT20LiAIHfLdxqmCEeTnjcFDWV1yL5sM/s582/gay.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="438" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AYIqT4YZSdQzqGe-1WRCDXQBxtRuvnYk4hxxe0k7Kepom4Su0ij3WvNKtuwSaOsVgyO6JQYO5WkK31NMzriWbwBdVaLoKzSYtA6klq_9KTUSUfwl_lkqBBlKs0qre71Szhhx61evk9ONZ-keJfjkHRPO-odCT20LiAIHfLdxqmCEeTnjcFDWV1yL5sM/w482-h640/gay.jpg" width="482" /></a></div> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com<span style="font-family: inherit; outline: none;"><br /></span></span></div></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-89372579243797459832024-02-29T07:13:00.000-08:002024-02-29T07:13:48.177-08:00Morris public school teachers belligerent<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What a shocker Wednesday night as I relaxed at our public library, consumed some news. You just never know what will happen in our world. We are willing to consume the most embarrassing headlines about Donald Trump day after day, and yet he has a very good chance, it appears, of gaining the presidency again. The news rolls on. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But on Wednesday night I was subjected to a "shocker" at the micro level here in Morris. And here I thought this whole community was on the same page about feeling so warm and positive about our public school. No referendum ever fails here. We seem to trust the school board on all funding matters, even in connection to the "softball complex." The City of Morris did a reversal on its stance regarding that, at a certain point having to issue "no" as a response to a request for more funding. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, a tip of the hat to our City of Morris, at least on this one matter, based on showing just a wee bit of well-advised restraint. The "complex" is far below what we expected it to be, based on the hyperbolic (obviously) initial pronouncements. The row of people with the shovels photographed for the "groundbreaking." The accommodations for fans there are woefully limited. Bring your own chair, place it on mud or out by the outfield fence (mud there too most likely) and squint to see something. It's rude to the out-of-town fans like for the sub-section games. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But let's move on in our assessment of community mood at this time. Oh my, all is not tranquil with our public school in Morris. In the old days when I was with the Morris newspaper, I would have seen all of this coming, all of this bubbling up. Today? "Mongo just pawn in game of life." (That's a movie reference.) </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I'm sitting at our public library where Anne does such a good job being in charge. I still miss Melissa but that's another story. So many stories, so little time. I grab the current Morris fishwrap. It's the "Stevens County Times." Far, far less product than when I made my rounds for the paper. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There have been hints lately that our public school teachers have been getting a little, well, restless. I even wrote about this some, my feeling being that the purpose of our school board meetings should be to discuss what the school is doing for the <i>kids</i>, not what the school is doing for the teachers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am not naive and I have been around this kind of issue from rather long ago. There was an eruption of controversy - real controversy I assure you - in the late 1980s but it wasn't about money, at least not directly. Maybe indirectly it was. The school employees are so hard to satisfy. So like crime, death and taxes, this never changes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Xrsrs10uMIeEPRznmaYeeLetEhCq_YSWuCC_v9W9H7xRDJeNni2Dubu6_e8hiCJYPxUnGpPWW7QQvwMGQqRfcwIpp07ttHrj9xU-BB_gafuncdB86fQ43pf4Lqmmh_ZhlfH0vVup23m0dyuiVY7wJ11cAkGCdk5Cb96YO9_ssN5P09tce1WzkPvdiLE/s1200/morris%20high%20school.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Xrsrs10uMIeEPRznmaYeeLetEhCq_YSWuCC_v9W9H7xRDJeNni2Dubu6_e8hiCJYPxUnGpPWW7QQvwMGQqRfcwIpp07ttHrj9xU-BB_gafuncdB86fQ43pf4Lqmmh_ZhlfH0vVup23m0dyuiVY7wJ11cAkGCdk5Cb96YO9_ssN5P09tce1WzkPvdiLE/w200-h105/morris%20high%20school.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unsettled mood?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>In the late 1980s the most visible issue was co-curricular, its performance and the philosophy behind it, the philosophy pushed by various school employees. The public appeared to decide "we should be doing better than we are even without spending more money." People rose up even amidst fears that their business and professional lives were at risk. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Was it successful? I would say in the long term yes, maybe not so much in the short term. That's the way change has to happen sometimes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Standard form <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You'll always find a certain element in the community that supports the teachers even when their stance becomes unpleasant and confrontational. I learned in the 1980s that there was a class of people who got their salaries from the government - U of M Extension people for example - who were inclined to go along with the belligerent teachers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even when talk circulated of business boycotts promoted by the teachers (i.e. a considerable faction of the teachers), the "intelligentsia" as I called it would be beside them. Now in the year 2024, I sense that faction is not as powerful in this community. I think there has been a lot of "conservative" pushback. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conservatives of today have really gotten "into the driver's seat." They had better be careful how they use this power over the long term. Can they finally show some skepticism about the "Orange Jesus" Donald Trump, now as the porn star matter is about to come at us from a courtroom? Are y'all prepared to share about this with your children? Can't y'all pick a national leader with a little more character and then sell him as a "conservative" leader espousing "conservative" principles? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I actually support a lot of those principles. I do not respect Trump and the people around him. So on Wednesday night before going to the Lent service at Faith Lutheran, I study front page of Morris paper and learn that Morris teachers are just incredibly rocking the boat now. I didn't think things could ever get worse than in the 1980s. But my, look at the language used by this guy last name of Pope. It was eye-popping to read those quotes. Eye-popping I tell you. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is our school board really "threatening" the teachers? If so, that is unacceptable. I'm prepared now to say it's hyperbole. But what if it isn't? What side do I take? I never side with the teachers. I have been around this element for most of my life. Their persecution complex never ends. I have seen them try to use their union-supported power to hurt people and businesses around the community for the most parochial of ends. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was just shocked Wednesday evening to see that this is all bubbling up again in the year 2024. The teachers shouldn't point fingers. I think we have an issue with an underperforming girls basketball program. And when you make a comment like that, be prepared for slings and arrows to be directed at you. My God, those people can be mean. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Review the language used by the teachers in this week's Morris fishwrap. Just look at it right there in black and white. When a union is involved, you get into attitudes like this. <i>Remember that unions are all about power, and that's all there is to it. Power is the only language those people understand.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQascu4u5k11-Bh-vfnUR11CN39s1PgpdJMhb0_lryEn7jtxZJ4ZLdpDH2cJ1GZHvhJqpAuWzrngPN2MpU-jG2JV0wSk4ySUobUSnxPFCcQ-jP65CEqSGIoCfnjtAMKqGExQ0BqCE68QQjuTGC5zyBDZzc0z9Y7xAm9x5Oj4jA-SZXvhe7GsCS9S6IyI/s1024/board2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQascu4u5k11-Bh-vfnUR11CN39s1PgpdJMhb0_lryEn7jtxZJ4ZLdpDH2cJ1GZHvhJqpAuWzrngPN2MpU-jG2JV0wSk4ySUobUSnxPFCcQ-jP65CEqSGIoCfnjtAMKqGExQ0BqCE68QQjuTGC5zyBDZzc0z9Y7xAm9x5Oj4jA-SZXvhe7GsCS9S6IyI/w400-h320/board2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></i><b>Under siege from their own employees? Be careful guys because the teachers do have power, maybe not as much as they once did, but it can be palpable. The photo shows our Morris Area board of education. I don't think these people are Neanderthals.</b><i><br /> <br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Addendum: </b>I was in Morris in the 1960s so I'm especially amazed how school referendums never fail these days. You should know it was like pulling teeth to get a referendum through back then. A book could be written. Remember the school proposal that had the "pool?" You probably don't. Too long ago.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com</span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-70557694656708227682024-02-28T09:31:00.000-08:002024-02-28T09:32:56.317-08:00Breakfast cereal suggested for dinner!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>OK so is it "dinner" or "supper?" Maybe a discussion for another time. I have an informative graphic at the bottom of this post.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, why not have a government shutdown too, on top of so many other concerning things? We hear names of so many prominent political leaders now who are Southerners. You might say, from states of the old Confederacy? We could try to moderate that here in the Midwest by elevating some Democrats for balance. But no, if anything we have joined right in. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">I cannot fight it. I can try to share some cautionary notes, that's all. No one need feel threatened by me, as I am part of such a small minority. People do sense that there is something wrong. They have refused up 'til now to think maybe the political left has anything to offer. Up to now they follow the lead of the righties when it comes to demonizing the so-called "left." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The left simply arises when the common people realize they are being screwed. The political left is a matter of utility - it arises when there is a need. A need like right now when a corporate big shot makes news by saying that all the struggling Americans could get by better by having breakfast cereal for their evening meal! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The wealthiest people want the poor to "just get by." That way, the poor can stay quiet and suppressed. Just stay out of the way of the wealthiest with their stock investments. Make sure to keep interest rates rock-bottom. Because that always feeds the interests of the stock market which is now the golden calf. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">An ordinary stock market is supposed to have real fluctuations. Instead we have the occasional "pullback" which is often attributed to "profit-taking" and isn't that kind of a cute term? It suggests something positive, because of course profits make the world go 'round. The pullbacks are so short-lived, they hardly prompt any concern. Well, no real concern at all, it appears, because we yawn and expect the "financial news" portion of our media to tell us within a day or two that everything is rosy again! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz_d9yDfciMvX8JAip2ROQaC993bdtfhAUbCTzCnmh5fn7_XzVBwfLhyvfUHxdrHZhFXEzk4iFnoxdYNJPVBTWl-WNaHWXZugLY1TplIb2Qi6rwREdrTKwzZyJKAGoSY7uBfOKAEYIFL-4OVErDyKoCaJZmswkyKcopAKmIgDnzAu1GI6hxF5KY7XfUY/s1000/corn.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz_d9yDfciMvX8JAip2ROQaC993bdtfhAUbCTzCnmh5fn7_XzVBwfLhyvfUHxdrHZhFXEzk4iFnoxdYNJPVBTWl-WNaHWXZugLY1TplIb2Qi6rwREdrTKwzZyJKAGoSY7uBfOKAEYIFL-4OVErDyKoCaJZmswkyKcopAKmIgDnzAu1GI6hxF5KY7XfUY/w200-h200/corn.webp" width="200" /></a></div>How rosy is it for the average American? I mean, when corporate movers and shakers are quoted in the (sympathetic) financial media saying that "common" Americans could remain stable in their lives by having breakfast cereal for dinner/supper. From boxes, I might add, that have shrunken. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few years ago "shrinkflation" was a rarely-heard term. You might have to explain it to someone. Today the U.S. president actually uses it in a public pronouncement, a plea to companies to just knock if off. You might be thinking, "well leave it to a Democrat to make a statement like that because they depart from reality. They think there is a 'free lunch' and there isn't. Businesses have to do what they have to do." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well fine, let them do what they want in our purportedly free market system. But when enough of the common people feel they're being screwed seriously, a rebellion can become fomented. Doesn't world history teach us this? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The right wing protectors of the status quo would accuse me of suggesting such a thing, a rebellion. Silly rabbit, I am just trying to point to the possibility. Indeed, in the "cautionary" context. Which is fair enough? Well I don't know, and here I'll point to the extreme right wing: Senator John Kennedy, he of the same name as a past president. He is from Louisiana and reflects the reactionary forces in his part of the country. For the record he was a Democrat who endorsed John Kerry in 2004. Today - no hyperbole intended - he looks like the reincarnation of Joe McCarthy. Look how he has grilled some nominees. He is absolutely Joe McCarthy redux. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">The right wing element reflects a considerable portion of society that thinks something is wrong. And they flail away. We see it here in Western Minnesota - so many have "drunk the Kool-Aid." We need answers to try to live happier lives. The wealthiest people have pushed a system that insists that interest rates must be kept super low, forever preferably. But it's like ignoring climate change. The consequences in the long run could be catastrophic. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let me explain something pretty fundamental to you: the wealthiest element of society <i>likes inflation</i>. Again, no hyperbole intended. And why would this situation exist? It exists because as a basic economic fact, inflation increases the separation of rich from poor. The wealthiest strive to protect their status which I guess is just human nature. It's human impulse. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">And to keep the less-well-off subdued and compliant, they make suggestions like how people can get by eating breakfast cereal in the evening. Or in the same category, the suggestion to "stop buying coffee at places like Starbuck's." Or here in Morris, at Caribou I suppose. It is patronizing. People are not stupid and if they choose to buy coffee that seems expensive, it's because they really want it. We don't need lectures. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dining out is getting steadily more problematic. It's in the news: the buffets that are still out there are getting strained - think "endless shrimp" - by customers coming in and consuming a whole lot. People are doing this to ensure they'll get decent nutrition that might cover their needs for 3-4 days. If restaurants don't like people doing this, they can change the terms of their service, change the contract between business and customer. It's their prerogative. But don't complain about people coming in and "feeding their faces." </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Food is a fundamental need. The wealthiest people want us to get by eating breakfast cereal, so as not to notice how tough things are for the rank and file. Meanwhile the stock market rises as if by magic. No longer any fears at all about stock investing. I had the notion ground into me when I was young that the stock market is all about risk. It's a playground for the rich people only, I was told. Well it still is in 2024, only they have contrived a system with low interest rates to keep everyone comfortable and anxiety-free within their class. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile the artificially low interest rates are screwing the less-well-off. Until what happens? Well who knows? But just look at world history. Senator John Kennedy cannot fend off the inevitable forces, not with cheap rhetoric from the political right. In the meantime, looks like we'll get another "government shutdown." You have to follow the bouncing ball and sing along.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMCeTeTvTnauHbxeLaRKIifXk7FUk7jKjdgBqA-AjQC_j3vJbR5OZ7EqLNTaZCvnRzT6Q66bjRIJzIWOeGVSe2mhxM9awU_lN6iCFzlDB_V_KFsV6nxXQjxGpXr2A80uwvw6-mKNg-e61VGeu1IMs3hfBrN4q4IBkXFvVqzI4F9KJ2thL9RnnZj9oAhM/s640/supper.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMCeTeTvTnauHbxeLaRKIifXk7FUk7jKjdgBqA-AjQC_j3vJbR5OZ7EqLNTaZCvnRzT6Q66bjRIJzIWOeGVSe2mhxM9awU_lN6iCFzlDB_V_KFsV6nxXQjxGpXr2A80uwvw6-mKNg-e61VGeu1IMs3hfBrN4q4IBkXFvVqzI4F9KJ2thL9RnnZj9oAhM/w400-h268/supper.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(from "pro writing aid")<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-75022203719684680542024-02-25T09:18:00.000-08:002024-02-25T09:18:43.234-08:00UMM tries patching its holes<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another Sunday in this most anomalous winter of 2024. In the spirit of procrastination I was going to wait until the first big winter storm to get a snowblower at Town and Country. I am getting old and more in need of the device. No storm ever came. Amazing. Could keep a little more money in the bank. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Most often I will check on the Morris and Minneapolis newspapers by stopping in at our public library. Word is, things are back to normal for our library post-covid. Such good news obviously. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The library has not had to worry about inadequate snow removal by its front entrance this winter. Looking back a few years, I regret not volunteering to shovel snow there for Melissa when she was librarian. It crossed my mind but I believe I only did it once or twice. You can argue that the City of Morris should have done it. The service could be quite limited or negligible. People would track snow into the library. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course that was very small potatoes compared to when the place got flooded! What a disaster that was. I eventually learned from a retired city employee that a softball was responsible, which got lodged in the drainage system. And at about the same time, a wine bottle did the same number at St. Mary's School. I opined that it seemed rather Biblical. Are the Catholic priests behaving themselves these days? Why don't they get rid of celibacy? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ahem, so I'm in the library on Saturday and there's the newspapers I want to look at, Morris and Minneapolis. I get seated, relax, and do not expect anything momentous to arise in this examination. But wait, here I see where Morris is in the news! We're in the statewide news, in the glow of the Star-Trib out of Gotham. We ought to be proud maybe? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sometimes it's notorious to be in the news. Our community made the international news with the goalpost incident at UMM in 2005. I'm guessing that Sam Schuman was haunted by that for the rest of his life. I'm haunted too because I was the newspaper's representative at the campus that day but was not present for the big tragic accident. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What's up now on this Sunday of February 2024 when we might think it's actually March? Most of the winter has really seemed like March. Well, the State of Minnesota, belatedly perhaps, sees issues with UMM's performance. Enrollment has been heading steadily down. UMM simply does not seem like it once was. We can ponder the various factors. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The state legislature is getting restless, impatient maybe, and maybe there is no silver bullet to amend that statement, I might suggest. There is no silver bullet for restoring UMM to what it was as a liberal arts bastion. I think that train has left the station. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Strib article from last week reports on a new model that maybe will inject new life? Notice the question mark. I don't have the paper beside me as I write on this very early Sunday morning. I'll go with impressions that I made. Surely other people made the same impressions, like that UMM is pushing this novel approach wherein a three-year degree is just as good as the standard four years. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I think more people have begun wondering through the years if four years is a bit much. This seems like such a simple solution: three years instead of four. It appears UMM is walking a tightrope on this, as it's quick to add that the studies will remain intense and a student might have to attend in summer. My reaction is that summer study has always been available, hasn't it? Nothing new there? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And some kids are going to be pushed to exit their high school classes so as to begin acquiring college credit? Kids are doing this through this thing called PSEO. A good thing? I have demurred on that. I might suggest it's a ploy for colleges to try to prop up enrollment numbers in this challenged time for them. "Invade the high schools," you might say. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I might have felt rather indifferent about PSEO had I not learned a couple years ago that our high school band was losing prime talent because of this. I became greatly concerned actually. I'm inclined to think that high school kids should just stay in high school because it's the place to be for them: appropriate socialization. "You're only in high school once." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frankly, I think many of the people who read the Star Trib article are going to come away thinking that this "magical" three-year degree plan might be a way for institutions to reduce costs. Get kids through in three years instead of four. Shall we just "look the other way" and think no more of this? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Students probably don't need the four years because these days, as they grow up, they have the Internet to fulfill them in myriad ways, putting them frankly light years ahead of the pre-digital generations. And if this is true to the extent that seems apparent, we might question not only the four-year degree - especially the "liberal arts" degree - but college itself! Shazam! A painful thing to ponder here in Morris. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZNwyi7zHOMBDT6qsO6EmrsZPKnr29JE9wsXdY4icJ1-oODeEFmPawAI8syxdDKYbfZsFOEksZMQUaBDk2ZY2qADnROC1bOtDtIFQLlxZ19anfVK5mHUUhLl5-1ICCUkUYBbHkVzM68-StNH06k_UbQLZGuVbh9U8XC2ZSVljWvMSLwIqRpSJMj0AiXQ/s360/janet2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="240" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZNwyi7zHOMBDT6qsO6EmrsZPKnr29JE9wsXdY4icJ1-oODeEFmPawAI8syxdDKYbfZsFOEksZMQUaBDk2ZY2qADnROC1bOtDtIFQLlxZ19anfVK5mHUUhLl5-1ICCUkUYBbHkVzM68-StNH06k_UbQLZGuVbh9U8XC2ZSVljWvMSLwIqRpSJMj0AiXQ/w133-h200/janet2.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>The image shows Janet Schrunk Ericksen, chancellor of our University of Minnesota-Morris. Doggone it, I have to look up her name to confirm exact spelling every time. The Morris newspaper had her name misspelled in its banner headline at the time of her inauguration. And look at the current Morris newspaper with "Gipson" instead of "Gibson" in the big wrestling headline. Egad!<br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span>My personal priority<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have begun putting myself forward as an advocate for the Morris <i>campus</i> but not necessarily for the U. In December when I sent a check to the Twin Cities campus, a check for the betterment of our UMM music department, I included a note that stated "I hope the new U president will take a hard look at the Morris campus and make sure it is delivering maximum benefit for the state. " </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don't you think that is reasonable? If the U isn't prepared to do this, maybe the campus could come under some other umbrella. And I don't care. "I couldn't care less." (Remember that it's "couldn't care less " and not "could care less.") </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1W5xshIFH9MpZ5CCKjqUHOqT8YDwDcs8Ty8HJfAxJV4RXyq-iXsYynmm294YaqvYwMSIQBw9ISIuyZBkxmMqnBaASX9lcqyvDlTOlOfJD0yAoHePrGqGPuTLtATK5YoXme2ClaSyoJEXjjpAjJi7GEMiS1MI7OE2uCMOvzB49dI4U2rNKHDx-yOvp_8I/s1280/umm11.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="1280" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1W5xshIFH9MpZ5CCKjqUHOqT8YDwDcs8Ty8HJfAxJV4RXyq-iXsYynmm294YaqvYwMSIQBw9ISIuyZBkxmMqnBaASX9lcqyvDlTOlOfJD0yAoHePrGqGPuTLtATK5YoXme2ClaSyoJEXjjpAjJi7GEMiS1MI7OE2uCMOvzB49dI4U2rNKHDx-yOvp_8I/w200-h132/umm11.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An engaging campus<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The <i>campus</i> is the asset. It would be nice if we had an institution here that did not require a parking permit. It's not like space is scarce for parking, as the big wide-open prairie beckons to the east. And what beckons to the west? A cemetery! Ugh, not really cool. And cemeteries are fading. I only established a family plot there because I thought it was the thing to do. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have gotten compliments on the family monument, so that's nice. It's a bench - feel free to sit there any time courtesy of the Williams family. You'll read there that my father was "founder of UMM music." Cool. My father was the only music faculty in the institution's first year, back in the Pleistocene Age of course. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our Morris campus has gone through significant changes in its history. There would be precedent for significant new change. "Whatever it takes" is my attitude now, whatever it takes to get a campus with about 2000 students. A school of nursing maybe? To at least be part of the mix?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Morris newspaper</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">On Saturday I examined the Morris or "Stevens County" newspaper. Oh my, how embarrassing or disgusting: the wrestler's name is misspelled in the headline. What moron committed this mistake? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The paper misspelled the name of the UMM chancellor in a headline after the inauguration. Obviously I wonder "what would people be saying about me if I made these mistakes?" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The mistakes make me wonder if I could actually get back to being involved with the paper. Times are totally different. The print media has been through a steady siege to try to survive, ever since I walked out the back door of the Morris paper on June 2, 2006. Such an abrupt departure - that was hard to deal with. The paper was owned by Forum Communications. Forum Communications has a reputation of being quite heartless with employees whom they decide should just mosey on down the road. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For a while I thought I had escaped that fate, then I got run over. Because of the lingering effect of the goalpost incident? Because of a letter to the editor from a pompous Morris physician who was a throwback to the days when local doctors didn't just do their jobs, they were supposed to be local icons. We had a dentist like that too. The less said about him the better. He eventually left town (fortunately).</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I get cards and letters, you might say. Emails to be precise and current, and two of these received Saturday are worthy of quoting here:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Hello Brian,</span></i></span></span><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">I stumbled onto a complete digital version of the newsletter for UMM alumni sent out in the spring of 1995.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">Thought
you would find this part interesting which I included in a screenshot
here. Amazing to see that from 1979 to at least 1995, the UMM Concert
Choir toured across the U.S. and Europe.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">So
sad to see how far the once-mighty UMM music program has fallen. Doc
Carlson is rolling in his grave, God bless his jazzy soul.</i></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Randy </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And. . .</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To: Brian Williams</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Yes, UMM is becoming known for the 3-year degree thing. I’m not in favor of that. The kids get college credit for taking certain classes in HS that are determined to be “college level”, but still taught by HS teachers. For example, they get college credit for being in Wanda (Dagen's) band. So, some kids get enough credits in advance to be able to skip 1 or even 2 years of college. 2 things wrong with that - first, they are missing out on the “college experience” which will cost them some emotional growth. Then, if a 19 or 20 year old is applying for the same job as a 22 or 23 year-old, even if both have the same credentials, which is more apt to be hired?</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">(end of quoted email) </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> <br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Keep the focus<br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I elucidated some more with my thoughts re. UMM to a friend Saturday. Might as well share portions here. Thanks for paying attention. Hope I can help focus people's thoughts on UMM, even if readers might want to read this with clenched fist!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">Del - Just got back from downtown, went to library to examine Morris and Mpls. newspapers.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">Oh my, Morris in the news! UMM as some sort of forerunner with the 3-year degree concept?</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">What do you make of that, besides a hat, a brooch or a pterodactyl?</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">You know how my cynical mind is going to work. Just cheapen the degree, lower institutional overhead costs and hope you can fool everyone into thinking the degrees here are as good as they ever were. Presto! Will it work?</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">So not only have the numbers been tumbling here, we have all the Indians getting to go to school with no tuition. That makes the money picture more daunting.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">Looks like the Twin Cities campus heeded my little note I included with my check in December: "I hope the new U president takes a hard look at the Morris campus to make sure it is delivering maximum benefit to the state."</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">Hint: I don't think it is. Does that make me a rat here in Morris? Actually if the institution can make a radical adjustment of some kind, what could better cement its future? But it could be a tough pill for some people to swallow. I have written regularly that a group of legislators should usurp the role of the board of regents. The legislators need to know what's going on everywhere. The regents have been like a buffer, giving the legislators "cover."</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;"> </span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">The Morris paper looks like it is being made with cheaper paper. It is not as "white" and you can see through it a little.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">Look at the headline on the front sports page: "Gipson" instead of "Gibson." It's Grayson Gibson. Imagine if I had made that mistake. And they only have one paper to put out each week, lots of time for proofreading.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">Just ate at Pizza Ranch! My body has been aching for more meals like this, as you could tell. Now I'll try to be real disciplined next week. But right now I'm on cloud nine. I'm actually not hungry. I spent about ten months feeling a little bit hungry all the time. I will eat nothing tonight. When will Wanda (Dagen) get word on the School Foundation grant? Are schools everywhere going to have to give up making trips like this due to $ ? Jenessa of the School Foundation knows all about my efforts to support the band trip. She drove to my house.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hd2HZCzLh_q1fIIVqsZm_zxX4LnS4kntXRJdFUvC5qMgbjQyMd336RgJQ9KUBYHP3cMjERuPUmZi1XvT7pO13Bi1qyHFjfYvZE87q8T60EbJst70CaeRAx_eWy3CCl2PjU_lWEprOHQ0vXRc_qtWyju8-KPnBClQBz7ch5_7PFQpXSVfGRqWSOHMJ2k/s1024/firstluth.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1024" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hd2HZCzLh_q1fIIVqsZm_zxX4LnS4kntXRJdFUvC5qMgbjQyMd336RgJQ9KUBYHP3cMjERuPUmZi1XvT7pO13Bi1qyHFjfYvZE87q8T60EbJst70CaeRAx_eWy3CCl2PjU_lWEprOHQ0vXRc_qtWyju8-KPnBClQBz7ch5_7PFQpXSVfGRqWSOHMJ2k/w200-h133/firstluth.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Lutheran Church<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I will not go to (First Lutheran) church tomorrow. I'm discouraged about writing the check in December and then in a couple weeks we got word on the 11:00 service time, the purpose of that being so we could be "parasitic" on other churches, borrow their ministers. I wonder if this is controversial with the other churches. I might call up Todd (Mattson's) service tomorrow on YouTube. Mammaries.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">I can't see attending for the 11:00 time. At some point we will hear that the church is dissolving. Karen Uphoff told me she was worried about Pastor Emmy getting "burnout." Serving our church would only worsen that.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">How the mighty have fallen. Remember how we used to have two service times on Sunday? We had the big "UMM Sunday" with pot luck meal. Maybe you could write a little analysis of how we've declined so far and I could share it on by blogs. I have already shared my views and maybe this is one reason I shouldn't attend any more.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">I cannot see attending for the 11:00 service time. I wonder if we'll hear sometime that First Luth. is dissolving.</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">- BW</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;"> </span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">OK so Trump wins South Carolina</span></span></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;">I sh</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="outline: none;">ared immediate reaction to Trump's victory remarks from South Carolina on Saturday night. I posted this on the "Newsmax" YouTube site.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span><span style="outline: none;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">I'm watching this Trump speech and it is a "dark art." Have noticed this all the way back to 2016. And Trump is very, very good at it. If he truly had benevolent intentions for the U.S., I would be happy for him and his gift. But my goodness. I can see what's going on as he ingratiates himself so lavishly. It's hard to describe this appeal in words. I am exhausted trying to find the words. We can hope that Trump will finally be humbled but I am absolutely not betting on it. I see storm clouds ahead, getting worse as Trump has happier and happier "rallies."</span></i></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">Not a fan</span></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="yt-simple-endpoint style-scope ytd-notification-renderer" role="link" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: var(--yt-endpoint-hover-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary)); cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-direction: row; flex: 1 1 1e-9px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-right: 24px; min-width: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" tabindex="0"><div class="text style-scope ytd-notification-renderer" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: var(--yt-spec-text-primary); display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 1e-9px; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i>Scully Mulder replied: "How about you focus on important issues like mass migration, inflation and the wars breaking out everywhere, instead of weird esoteric stuff about "dark clouds" whatever that means."</i></div></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">Postscript Sunday a.m.</span></span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">Feeling downright cheery as the sun is out on this Sunday morning. Had breakfast at Caribou Coffee where I often see a UMM faculty friend of mine. This sage individual said of the new 3-year emphasis of UMM, that well - my words - it's a little ballyhooed out of proportion. Many colleges have been doing this, he said. It's just that it's being more "formalized" here. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">I'd surmise the U is pushing attention toward Morris for marketing reasons. Would other colleges be a little resentful of this attention? Because, all colleges are scrambling for students now, right? So they notice that UMM might be enticing kids to come here who can spend one less year being encumbered with studies and costs? Not that simple I guess, but on the surface one might think this. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">Do I have laser focus? Well, "Mongo just pawn in game of life."</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span></span></div></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-87040785961875962912024-02-23T09:13:00.000-08:002024-02-23T09:13:38.467-08:00No one way to be a "believer"<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another week closer to Easter, yes. We celebrate the gruesome death of this man named Jesus who "died for our sins." Thus, "those who believe" will have "eternal life." I could try to tell myself all day that this is true, but I cannot. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Religion is OK when it tries to instruct us on doing the right thing, to treat others as we would want to be treated. The most committed Christians would rebut that by saying "good works" do not figure in at all. All that matters is "faith." How many of you get confused if you just think about that a while? I would be enthused about believing anything that I really thought was true. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are too many ways that the Christ story could simply be a fabrication. People with political or philosophical motives can pull all sorts of deception. Look at how so much of Christianity in America has become so intertwined with right wing politics. Many of these spokespeople would actually defend the ties as being essential to the Christian faith, but wait a minute, I thought that "having faith" was the only thing that mattered. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For sure there was a nice turnout at Faith Lutheran Church in Morris Wednesday night. I'm assuming. All the gentle young families setting the proper example for their kids. We want the kids to be nice and do all the nice things. That is wonderful. But, steering them toward the Christian story with all its unspeakable violence just before Easter? That is unnecessary. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I remember growing up at First Lutheran in Morris, taking part in all the things because it was required by my parents. We would "dress up" for Sunday services. Take "confirmation" classes.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then during the week, I'd come home after school and turn on the evening newscasts because I had high interest for someone my age. And of course there would be a flood of news about this thing called the Vietnam war. It was a bummer, just like hearing about the violence done to Christ at the end of his life. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Violence, violence, violence. Why? Why not focus on a happier template? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why do I ask such inconvenient questions? The Vietnam war was a nightmare that happened to be real. The flood of news on our TV screen came to include news about the protests and "counterculture" from the young. And could you blame them? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">How many young men killed directly in the Vietnam war? Close to 60,000? Think if all of them could have been allowed to live out a normal life and to fulfill their potential, potential for goodness and for fulfillment that God instilled in them. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSLPBmWF7-D7yQOKrevovC0JKUuBQJkpRwaQ7x-n6EXmHbM2uthmFrJ8G4dqKMjpp5IXAb6ZPhdJfFtwNZvcGfNnr9L29LdlGbxsRGg6zGrOR_giUvSucSfowQsESSRg5ZFUhE_fuBnItkIjoU10q_xbsm6p9Jp1-W8_4HcZ9saJw7pzbVUx5PIbG0_8/s599/jesus2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="523" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSLPBmWF7-D7yQOKrevovC0JKUuBQJkpRwaQ7x-n6EXmHbM2uthmFrJ8G4dqKMjpp5IXAb6ZPhdJfFtwNZvcGfNnr9L29LdlGbxsRGg6zGrOR_giUvSucSfowQsESSRg5ZFUhE_fuBnItkIjoU10q_xbsm6p9Jp1-W8_4HcZ9saJw7pzbVUx5PIbG0_8/w174-h200/jesus2.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesus Christ<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>There, now I sound like a believer, don't I? Maybe I really am. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But I want nothing to do with church around Easter-time. We have let Mel Gibson influence us with a choice toward emphasizing the literal torture of Christ. Can't help but be reminded of how John Wayne influenced us during the time of the Vietnam war. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can't you all see that these guys are professional entertainers? They are good at their craft, good at knowing what the American people will "buy." They are flawed human beings like the rest of us. To know them would be no different from knowing anyone else. We let them become bigger than life. We are in denial about this simple fact. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gibson is in fact the worst anti-Semite you could ever come across. I am profoundly offended by anti-Semitism even though I am against Israel. America should not be a supporter of a religious state. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the subject of anti-Semitism, Martin Luther was one of the worst in all of world history. And yet we allow churches like several in the Morris area to bear his name. Can any minister truly justify this? If they were to try, I'd say "a pox on you." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Am I like Ronald Reagan Jr. who says "I'm not worried about burning in hell?" He doesn't buy all the Christian mumbo-jumbo. The mumbo-jumbo is like a security blanket for so many Americans who really just seek an escape from all the insecurity, fear and ennui in their lives. I felt ennui anyway, even when taken to church by my parents way back when. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The U.S. accomplished nothing in Vietnam. Then I suppose we were just supposed to forget about it. People get on me for remembering stuff from the past too much. It's just the way I am. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Seasonal priority<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, what's up on this late February day in 2024? This late February day which seems more like a late-March day? In a winter when we haven't had to activate our snow-blowers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are on the threshold of the high school sports post-season. Success for us would mean making trips to the south like to Marshall. It's been this way for a while now. We might forget the days when our Tiger teams had so much tournament action right here in Morris, so incredibly convenient of course. As just stated, I remember stuff from the past. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">High school sports was a springboard for an email I sent to my fellow UMM advocate Warrenn Anderson on Thursday. I should clarify: I am an advocate for our <i>campus </i>while not necessarily signing on with the U of M all the time. We want a vibrant and purposeful <i>campus </i>even if we have to incorporate something like a school of nursing. There, Jack Imholte would roll over in his grave. Well, I have already criticized Christianity in this post, so the inhibitions are pushed aside, eh? The email I sent to Mr. Anderson:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Hello Warrenn - I have been blessed for a long time being able to blog pretty regularly about Tiger sports. I have used a variety of info sources but one by one these sources have been vanishing. I have lost critical mass for doing this, unfortunately. So it looks like I'll spend more of my time watching cable news programs on my laptop. I will miss the sports coverage activity. I could spend several paragraphs explaining how the sources dried up. Actually I have written blog posts lately that are precisely about this. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Yesterday it was fascinating to look at the kmrs website, because in their sentence-long item about our impressive boys basketball win, they did not give any details on MACA individuals, HOWEVER they gave the two scoring leaders for BOLD. The radio station had to be giving a "hint" by doing this, so maybe coaches are not cooperating. The West Central Tribune is a story unto itself. Mark Torgerson used to supply detailed game stats through the "Maxpreps" site, and I'm 99 percent certain he became aware of this from my suggestions. But that's gone now. Everything is gone. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Speaking of losing critical mass, I think this is happening to our United States of America with this continuing spectacle of Trump being in our faces every damn day. On the threshold of getting back in power and then consolidating power. Getting control of the Federal Reserve. The whole country could implode and I'm serious, very serious. Sounds now like he'll "appeal" the New York judgment based on "cruel and unusual punishment." No matter what he does, he will have Clarence Thomas supporting him. Alito too? Maybe Trump has "I like beer" Kavanaugh in his back pocket because of knowing some "dirt" about Kavanaugh beyond the woman who came forward before. So Kavanaugh will have to vote based on what Trump wants. I think Trump has dirt on Lindsey Graham too. This all is getting to be beyond "Alice Through the Looking Glass."</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">First Lutheran Church continues its slide into oblivion, badly. And what of UMM? Seriously. You know who is keeping an eye on the U's coordinate campuses? KSTP News.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- BW</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQV9DCDWDLXM8Lcpxrz0DrHqdBm92M_JxD5-Z0fEzFP6FrjUHnZ8-cc7IrqBoUEgdKtJ6ytkUYCZ45qiXdwy88LjvQZXobSojxHKGV4OeEaN_4WpVG8XjokoCNkIBZptfIcSkVJrvSN_dwRfrZ7rwib6tlZxWpkpZu5MBY0hvp2DSBEfbwWhDFcRqS_4/s445/jesus.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="445" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQV9DCDWDLXM8Lcpxrz0DrHqdBm92M_JxD5-Z0fEzFP6FrjUHnZ8-cc7IrqBoUEgdKtJ6ytkUYCZ45qiXdwy88LjvQZXobSojxHKGV4OeEaN_4WpVG8XjokoCNkIBZptfIcSkVJrvSN_dwRfrZ7rwib6tlZxWpkpZu5MBY0hvp2DSBEfbwWhDFcRqS_4/w400-h290/jesus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><b>Listening to Jesus would be a lot like listening to Bernie Sanders. Jesus would have been in favor of universal healthcare.</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0nnRVVcSbq6ojHFRzJv5Q_bbOfMJ34eKsrTBViNyFUW__ldSaZ9g3ELutAvdIjUO2TETtShTXCvZOCgltTrpJiCiK-zpWLFRt3LIKHudeQ-EWZlCVJVrp7ZLARAUvyN9E05BhmgRWa4t3DFS27692bXdPz8PEwB45Q3Ov3dJ_MuTWsbh8vF4LCpE6jw/s600/Stop%2520sign%2520bullet%2520holes%5B2%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="600" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ0nnRVVcSbq6ojHFRzJv5Q_bbOfMJ34eKsrTBViNyFUW__ldSaZ9g3ELutAvdIjUO2TETtShTXCvZOCgltTrpJiCiK-zpWLFRt3LIKHudeQ-EWZlCVJVrp7ZLARAUvyN9E05BhmgRWa4t3DFS27692bXdPz8PEwB45Q3Ov3dJ_MuTWsbh8vF4LCpE6jw/w400-h323/Stop%2520sign%2520bullet%2520holes%5B2%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com<br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-61084286011345840492024-02-20T09:12:00.000-08:002024-02-20T09:12:52.901-08:00We are lost in a sea of irrationality<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No man is an island. A nice throwaway line that we might think carries weight. A person who insists on criticizing the "Orange Jesus" might well feel like me, trying to survive out here in the Seventh Congressional District of Minnesota. When you try asking questions of our congressperson, one consequence is that you'll be put on her email list and you'll get her dispatches about the need to look into impeaching Joe Biden. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I try to do what I can out here in rural America trying to be reasonable, trying to use basic logic and rationale while everyone around me comes off like the AM talk radio crowd. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Obviously I should not be writing what I am writing here. But it's too late to try to protect myself on this. Long ago I began writing skeptically about the Orange Jesus. I had to put up with seeing the local Apostolic Christians drive their pickups with Trump flags flapping from in back, or having a nice big Trump flag in the front yard on its own flagpole. They reflect so many other factions but I am especially disappointed in them. They are such hard-working successful business people. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiau4hb2WOJKqq9JrQeYKvFBn7yLFuUJK-8F96orNdWpfO_Dt870t4ZENg_tn6dsjXkNe_j0Cu2tpoTCygivRyOtcoi5uBNGO_4AyCqjmR17pXZa3FD-xSaE7VuKVSe5Nqk384y0wC8XiW5IBpGvbL_0oggWXjselsYy8Hxx5vWUasYS2FKUPolMNHrf2I/s706/stormy.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="504" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiau4hb2WOJKqq9JrQeYKvFBn7yLFuUJK-8F96orNdWpfO_Dt870t4ZENg_tn6dsjXkNe_j0Cu2tpoTCygivRyOtcoi5uBNGO_4AyCqjmR17pXZa3FD-xSaE7VuKVSe5Nqk384y0wC8XiW5IBpGvbL_0oggWXjselsYy8Hxx5vWUasYS2FKUPolMNHrf2I/w143-h200/stormy.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stormy Daniels<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>But we continue to be lost in this sea of irrationality. We're on the doorstep of this whole trial that will focus on the Stormy Daniels thing. Not just "the other woman" but a literal porn star. Imagine if a case like this involving a national leader had happened 30 or 40 years ago. It at least would have been considered tawdry. So tawdry, we would have wanted to push the public figure off the national stage, to spare ourselves the discomfort of the whole subject. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But today it's a "Tuesday in America" in which everyone has become zombie-like in allegiance to the Orange Jesus. Only a few "survivors" like myself scattered around who just refuse to go along with it. And yes I'll be teased and insulted. That, or people will say I'm so irrelevant I don't deserve to be listened to. Maybe someday people like me will be forced into mental health treatment because of our refusal to acquiesce. Let's consider the term "re-education camps." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm at a crossroads in my life on this Tuesday morning. My church of the "liberal" ELCA, a denomination that has been absolutely thrown on its heels, revealed a huge sign of capitulation recently. We are going to an 11 .m. service time and will be "parasitic" off other churches. We'll "borrow" other pastors, who for some reason are going along with this. Shall I assume they'll get paid for their troubles? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why are the other churches going along with this? I mean like Faith Lutheran, which is showing all the signs of being the "winner" in the comparison with First Lutheran. I write more on Faith Lutheran's current good times on my "Morris of Course" blog site. Congrats to them. I invite you to read:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/02/happy-state-of-affairs-at-faith-lutheran.html">https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/02/happy-state-of-affairs-at-faith-lutheran.html</a> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wrote out a check to First Lutheran Church in December because I was trying to keep the faith. What lousy judgment I have, I guess. We had a visiting person from "Pulpit Supply" on Sunday who didn't even stick around to shake hands and chat with people in the narthex afterwards. Everything is going to hell. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">MAGA has taken over Stevens County. The only really accepted Christian churches appear to be those with the LCMC. That's the denomination that really started to blossom with the gay rights issue. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I care hardly at all about gay rights. I believe as a matter of good sense that gays deserve equal rights. There, now that that matter is taken care of, shall we move on to the uplifting principles in the gospel and overall Christianity? Shouldn't all that count for something still? Instead of the "Orange Jesus" or gay rights? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just talk about good uplifting principles and the gospel of Jesus Christ, who of course could sound like Bernie Sanders with a lot of what he said. And yet all the MAGA people still at least pretend to admire Jesus, all the charming older people who really do rely on Social Security and Medicare while condemning "big government." Like I said, they are zombies. And they absolutely predominate in Stevens County, in the Seventh Congressional District. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Contact Michelle Fischbach and you'll hear about efforts to impeach Joe Biden. I don't really care all that much about Biden but I care about the continued strength and momentum of the Orange Jesus. But what good does that do? It does no good. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If I stop blogging, someone might have law enforcement do a welfare check on me. So I should continue writing at least occasionally. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No man is an<span style="font-family: inherit;"> island? Well I sure feel like one, for a number of reasons. I share more in an email I sent to a friend this morning. I'll share it here with maybe one or two tidbits deleted to "protect the innocent." You know what I mean.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I am starting to withdraw a little. You can say what you want about my blogging being futile, but it engages my mind and gives me some sense of purpose. The problem now is that I am almost completely cut off from Tiger sports info. I'm just now starting to realize how empty this makes me feel. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I had a "re-lapse" yesterday and ate/drank some things I should not have. I feel fine right now, totally, but I have to put my foot down again. I went to McDonald's because I was picking up car after oil change at Heartland, and I felt ripped off by the meal. French fries were sub-par and McDonald's cannot afford to put out mediocre orders, not with the way prices have shot up there. Nothing like the old days at all. McDonald's used to be such a relaxed place with a full lobby so often. So different now. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I have told Randy Olson that my writing will be slowing down now. I depended on Tiger sports to stay engaged not only with writing but with life, but that's basically gone now. I have to adjust.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I am an outcast, really truly, because people all around me root for Donald Trump so much. It is not a laughing matter any more, but there's no point in me trying to fight it. All the Apostolics will be rooting for Trump. This is a more grave matter as time goes on. And people HATE any and all prosecutors and judges involved in these matters. Our legal system could break down and die. I cannot fight it. I am just one person. Turn on AM radio and you hear pro-Trump talk constantly. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">The thing that may literally kill the U.S. may not be Trump or Biden, it will be the Federal Reserve and its easy/free money policies. We are like the "boiling frog" with how we deal with inflation. I remember people screaming complaints when we raised the price of the paper from 50 to 75 cents.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3x1n6-XCxs_NhcHfKVybDkiRPeNU3Tg3jYS7czmo6q5k8E14ewONr1iNb47s_O8D5O1qs0Myku9V4qhKLA-hXuEfKcfB4Axa3pqAmoic2SRU9oEp3z_5ltWlF0uBRorFVvrdURDJqiopSqimsIpErT1rPFvj8uX_YTiClZbF8wdmx2ymEsWzJBTkbwk/s1024/firstluth.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1024" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3x1n6-XCxs_NhcHfKVybDkiRPeNU3Tg3jYS7czmo6q5k8E14ewONr1iNb47s_O8D5O1qs0Myku9V4qhKLA-hXuEfKcfB4Axa3pqAmoic2SRU9oEp3z_5ltWlF0uBRorFVvrdURDJqiopSqimsIpErT1rPFvj8uX_YTiClZbF8wdmx2ymEsWzJBTkbwk/w200-h133/firstluth.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Lutheran Church<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>And now I'm getting to the subject of church. Of course no one will give a damn if I stop going. But I keep going to stay somewhat sociable with the outside world. And now I may lose that. I wrote out a check to church in December but I should have written it out to Faith Lutheran. Shortly after I wrote the check I learned that First Lutheran is "surrendering" and will have the new service time as a means of capitulating. So to heck with that. I am also bothered by the fact that Dave Clark on Sunday just "split" at the end of the service and did not stay in narthex to shake a few hands with people and chat. It was just a "gig" to him. Well he can go to hell. And I can just stay at home. But I can't stand AM radio any more. I am not a Hitler supporter.<br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">So, I just don't know what is going to happen. Now we'll get headlines daily about the Trump/Stormy Daniels thing as it goes to trial: "hush money." And Trump supporters just think it's funny, or they are mad at the court system picking on their guy.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">My ties with UMM kept me going for a while, and then they hired Sue Dieter. Everything is gone.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Being on maximum dose of Metformin for about ten months was a hugely risky time in my life. I think I survived it OK but it could have been a disaster. Just 24 hours after I stopped, I was 100 percent back to normal. Medical office has still not written me. My phone is disconnected. I got tired of constant phone calls from these outfits trying to sell Medicare supplement insurance. It is a plague on older Americans. Bernie Sanders is right, the gov't should just try to do a little more. And you can't tell me a lot of older people don't get fooled by the calls, thinking they are from Medicare. I'm sure it happens all the time. Life can be like a minefield.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Get a new car? One minute I hear you "have" to buy electric, then I read about how they don't start in cold weather, and now I read that the gov't is continuing to try to prohibit the gas-powered cars. So it's a no-win all the way around. So I have to prepare for living without driving.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br clear="none" style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- BW</span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span></span></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-3576815148025952102024-02-17T08:36:00.000-08:002024-02-17T08:36:33.870-08:00Tigers shine at Benson court, win handily<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAOMqs5ClLdqlJz6KOeUODU5HGJ0ZLXvqP1PU9DKDMKUOxCyDz4bqRsFvhc_Tw6DzMrFU6o5oTCVj-2PKqQ-TQ9OqMVUVqMIRVVq5nJX7LtItxi7wsNZGydTu-c4b5RhxiFsjk-FrHb1NpT6UCEXfBatIiqUX1TGgFA_NIQBWHJiHdwD-FbhjyAFg568/s702/besttiger6.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="585" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAOMqs5ClLdqlJz6KOeUODU5HGJ0ZLXvqP1PU9DKDMKUOxCyDz4bqRsFvhc_Tw6DzMrFU6o5oTCVj-2PKqQ-TQ9OqMVUVqMIRVVq5nJX7LtItxi7wsNZGydTu-c4b5RhxiFsjk-FrHb1NpT6UCEXfBatIiqUX1TGgFA_NIQBWHJiHdwD-FbhjyAFg568/w167-h200/besttiger6.png" width="167" /></a></div>Another impressive win by MACA boys basketball Friday night. Hugely impressive in fact because the Tigers downed Benson at Benson 84-53. What an impressive margin. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The West Central Tribune website appears open this morning (Saturday) at least for those who are registered readers. That includes me although I do not pay anything. I do not pay to read anything online. That means I cannot read David Brooks' columns for the New York Times. I actually do not pay for anything online. Isn't there always a risk of getting "hacked?" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">If the bank in Hancock could get hacked, then what guarantee is there for an individual like me? The bank has since come under new ownership. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm "in" for looking at the West Central Tribune's sports coverage on this pleasant Saturday morning - a little nippy outside but we have been spoiled this winter. I'm happy about it as long as it is not evidence of climate change. I do fear that it is evidence. And you may be happy in the short term. But climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather. Remember the "derecho" of a couple years ago? Are you all prepared to have the roofs blown off your homes? Maybe that will change your perspective. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wish my writing this morning could focus on the MACA boys basketball game. In an ideal world, that's the way it should be. But life rolls on with the Willmar newspaper really "sticking it to us" here in Motown. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The little heading that reports the score refers to us as "Morris/CA." That is an improper reference. We are "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" or "MACA" and proud of it. The Willmar paper has done this for a very long time. Very unprofessional, and I thought Forum Communications prided itself on its professionalism. The Forum owned the Morris newspaper for a while, then the company just up and left. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first sentence of today's WC Trib item refers to us as "Morris/Chokio-Alberta." Well, a pox on those people at the Willmar paper. And how much of a service is the WC Trib today, in terms of reporting to us about our 84-53 win? They more or less dump on us. The coverage is four sentences with the last one announcing when Benson's next game is. No reporting on the Tigers' next game. A middle finger to the WC Tribune, and to think they want online readers to "subscribe." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">No players' names in today's coverage. Not for either MACA or Benson. The third sentence tells us that Benson has a 0-13 record in the conference. Maybe Benson needs to start focusing more attention on its programs instead of fighting such a nonstop battle to keep its "Braves" nickname. Where does that stand now? Is Benson using a "delay" tactic just like Donald Trump? They should have made the change a long time ago. Be done with it. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">When all else fails, go without a "nickname." Just be Benson High School, boys and girls basketball. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The third sentence says the Tigers are now 8-4 in conference, 16-8 overall. That's nice. Lots of excitement and highlights I am sure. Nothing would make me happier right now than to supply an individual scoring list and some other stat highlights, plus the halftime score and other standard details. I cannot. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why can't the parents and fans organize some way to remedy this situation? I look at the clock and it's 10:30 a.m. Nothing on the kmrs-kkok site about the Benson game. Well, it's the "weekend." No one ever bought that excuse from me when I was at the paper. Oh, "people don't work on weekends." Well, good for them. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our win over BOLD was reported with just the score on the kmrs-kkok site. Just the score, which we could find on "Minnesota Scores" within seconds. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Who was the scoring leader for the Tigers? Any 3-pointers? We're in the dark. Brett Miller was very helpful on the kmrs site when he was at the station. But he left, so now we are screwed.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yes, more Trump news</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">More disturbing news about the habits and attitudes of the former president yesterday (Friday). Yes indeed, more big headlines today, but to what effect? Do we ever learn anything? Someone should write an alternate history of the U.S. in which Trump lost in 2016 as a result of getting three million fewer votes than the Democratic Party nominee. Wait, that's what actually happened, I mean the vote difference of Trump vs. the Democrat. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We got four years of Trump and he's been in the headlines every day since. Gerald Ford talked about our "long national nightmare" due to Nixon's missteps. Appears like child's play compared to what we are looking at now. Because, Trump could well come back into the presidency. Hold on to your seats. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The biggest danger will be if Trump gets control of the Federal Reserve. It appears not many people are thinking about this. I am assuming he will want to get control of the Fed because he truly wants to be a dictator, and toward that end he appears to have the support of our congressperson here in western Minnesota. And that person would almost certainly be re-elected regardless of her specific positions on things, because she has an "R" next to her name. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are now just like the Dakotas. We are "East Dakota." Rural America wants to put the Orange Man in the White House again. And if he gets control of the Federal Reserve, he will want interest rates to be pushed down recklessly. I assure you that interest rates <i>do exist for a reason</i>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh well, you probably don't listen to me. And if the country virtually implodes, Trump will sit there and blame others as he always does. The "radical left Democrats." Someday we might pray for a return of the "radical left Democrats." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Below is the comment I submitted to Yahoo! News yesterday, soon after the big news came out re. the fraud trial. Most of you will be tuning in to Fox News to get your take on that, or Newsmax.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">For most of my life, I understood that Republicans had their principles - fine and good - but they could still distinguish right from wrong and would never countenance sheer wrong. They could dismiss one of their own and move on, because they were a party of ideas. So it's so strange now. Defrauding banks and insurance companies. And a well-known Fox News host is already quoted saying today's verdict is a positive development for Trump's campaign. I had to read this twice. Really, do principles matter at all any more to the GOP? Will Trump's rallies get more pumped up now?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"Anonymous" liked my comment.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com<br /></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-9335935497032452302024-02-16T07:54:00.000-08:002024-02-16T07:54:52.871-08:00Boys take charge vs. BOLD, win 84-62<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnOQkoRzAvzZ-wgKlUewgYH0VGGBNXoMBqDLB0TGmgKp-onuKWdp2YwI-X70_0Cn09_7rg66f5CJy9TjBzXrCMkJgAv7bX-6Ed4E9NIKra0gD6I_g6CaMfrcsrQB4mYjkJgHtgA_6BjR6GHNJ1att8sycHhy9NPDRuhIFNzX0QnGI61sGlM8uPYldHT0/s912/besttiger7.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="912" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnOQkoRzAvzZ-wgKlUewgYH0VGGBNXoMBqDLB0TGmgKp-onuKWdp2YwI-X70_0Cn09_7rg66f5CJy9TjBzXrCMkJgAv7bX-6Ed4E9NIKra0gD6I_g6CaMfrcsrQB4mYjkJgHtgA_6BjR6GHNJ1att8sycHhy9NPDRuhIFNzX0QnGI61sGlM8uPYldHT0/w200-h196/besttiger7.png" width="200" /></a></div>A big night for MACA boys basketball Thursday, and an 84-62 winning score against the Warriors of BOLD. The West Central Tribune of Willmar reported this not as an MACA win but as a BOLD loss. "Jack Gross scored 34 points in BOLD's loss to Morris/Chokio-Alberta at Bird Island." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, congrats to Gross on the talent he exhibited. He's a junior guard. Nice to get all this info from the West Central Trib, which I can access this morning (Friday) without having to try to get past a paywall. You never know what the Forum-owned Willmar paper is going to be up to with these things. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a "registered" reader which maybe gives me some access, but I do not pay anything. As a matter of philosophy I believe information should be free. I think high school sports results should be totally free for the public to consume. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any Morris area people who "subscribe" to the WC Trib website would have to be quite perturbed at times. Not only for the lack of attention that MACA so often receives, but for how we get treated as the "other" team. I mean, BOLD gets the preferred treatment: it was their loss, not our win. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And the WC Trib does not even refer to our sports teams correctly. It has been standard for them to refer to us as "Morris/CA." On and on this has gone on, and if anyone there has been familiar with my online writing, they are obviously not persuaded by it. I have repeatedly pointed this out. We are "Morris Area Chokio Alberta" or "MACA." The Willmar paper routinely refers to us as "Morris/CA." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who are they to apply this judgment? And then they diss us by writing about our teams like we are the "other" team. It was <i>Lac qui Parle losing</i> to the MACA girls on Feb. 13, not the <i>Tigers winning</i>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And now it's BOLD losing to the MACA boys, not MACA winning. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I'm sure the WC Trib would happily take subscriber money from the Morris Area. Some people may sign up not knowing any better. They find out later how we get practically ignored. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is the situation with our Morris paper even worse? The SCT has a website all set up to cover sports but does it even try to render timely coverage of the MACA teams? If not, does their management get complaints about this? How do they respond? It's crazy how if you check the sports headlines there, they are often close to 100 percent about UMM whose programs are covered fantastically on UMM's own website, better than the paper ever could. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If certain newspaper management people were to read what I'm writing today, would they see any merit to what I am observing? They might say they are not even aware. To the extent they might want to respond to what I'm saying - as I know how these people think - they'd probably try to find a way to attack me personally, ad hominem. I can just sense the wheels turning in their heads. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They would claim I'm stupid or that my motives somehow suggest a lack of credibility. I might get called names. I remember the unpleasantness in my final days when I was with the Morris paper. I have had to live with that bitter taste. I am not stupid like my critics claim. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Right now they would laugh. <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You get a business under siege like all newspapers are now, then you throw into the mix how emotional everyone gets over high school sports, and it's a minefield for someone who has just tried to keep his job. In the end that's all I was: a guy just trying to keep his job. To keep his health insurance. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The emotions around high school sports can be suffocating. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What does the SCT management say to people who have issues with the paper's website? I mean, about the total emptiness of the website with respect to MACA? Recently the site had a couple headings about Storm hockey but the coverage was old. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember a former MAHS administrator who could erupt with anger over timeliness in sports coverage. First of all, a school administrator should never be driven by emotions. Emotions rarely serve our best interests. And my God, were Morris area residents ever fully familiar with what my job description was through the many years I was with the paper? Not knowing the full circumstances of my work, how could they be so certain I was such a hopeless fool? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I try to write about MACA sports today in the year 2024 because I like it, am interested in it. The opportunities to do this on a timely basis are drying up. That's because of the performance of other media. So why doesn't the local public describe those other media people as fools too? I realize that the 1980s were a very difficult time for MAHS co-curricular and really the whole school system. Those were the waters I had to navigate. It is not an "opinion" that our school had serious problems. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the time the community began demanding accountability, way too much time had been wasted, like years. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The West Central Tribune reports that Jack Gross, in addition to his 34 points scored, had five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal. MACA led 41-30 at halftime. The WC Trib item has "stats not available" for MACA. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BOLD had five players score points. Behind Gross we see William Penkert 13, Hudson Vosika 5, Maverick Kaufenberg 5 and Mathew Jacobs 5. Gross built his total with four 3-pointers. Penkert made two long-rangers while Jacobs, Kaufgenberg and Vosika each made one. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Penkert and Gross led in rebounds with six and four respectively. Vosika and Daylen Weber each had three assists. Owen Baumgartner had four steals. Gross swatted aside three shots. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Tigers came out of this action at 15-8 in overall won-lost. BOLD's record: 13-11.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Macro news picture</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, what all are we forced to consume in the national news scene in this mid-February of 2024? What would life be like without all the Trump-related headlines, the scandal and ridiculousness of so much of it? Imagine a normal life without all that. Imagine Nikki Haley as the normal Republican nominee with the expected conservative "creds." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The problem is we have a cult. I have tried to implore my Apostolic Christian friends on the basic character issues with Donald Trump. That should be an easy task. I should not even have to do it, with them or anyone else. Maybe they just think a man should be president. That would erase the only semblance of a rival to Trump: Ms. Haley. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Would progressives be relieved if Trump exited the picture - how would that happen exactly? - and Haley took over? Relief? Ought not feel relief because on policy questions, Haley would appear quite firm to the right. But I guess our instinct would be to feel relief because of the return to normlcy (normality?). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have written to try to persuade the Apostolics to revise their thinking. To try to persuade the huge MAGA element locally to back off. And why should that be difficult? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I get called a "Trump hater" or I'm described as having "Trump derangement syndrome." Frankly I do not like Trump at all. But I have no personal relationship with him. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are many others like me. A person who goes by "Codex" wrote in a manner much like I have written, when I have tried to dissuage the Apostolic element (the men really). So here's what "Codex" wrote to Yahoo! News:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #070707; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Once again; How many people do we meet in a lifetime? Through work and just life stuff after many, too many, decades, I've met or worked with thousands of people who are as different as you can imagine. Most, were interesting and great, and a few, were not so great. And, in thinking back about that, and evaluating all of that, I can say with some authority / longevity, and based upon the mathematics of sheer numbers, and the huge demographic diversities of all of those people in my long varied history, that, Donald Trump, is without a doubt, the most evil, the most odious, and the most putrescent person I've ever had the extreme displeasure to run across. And achieving that sad status, takes some considerable doing.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yours truly supplied a supportive response to "Codex." Here it is:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #070707; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Congrats "Codex" on wonderfully articulated thoughts. Next, imagine taking an average person from about 40 years ago, placing them in a time machine and having them come to the present time where they could read this Yahoo! News article and then be informed that Trump is the runaway favorite for the Republican nomination. Yes, Republican. Family values? You'll get nowhere trying to discuss this with Trump supporters, naturally. The great mystery.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #070707; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></i></div><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What on earth is going to happen today? Heaven help us.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Addendum:</b> Take a look at the Stevens County Times website today (Friday), click on "sports." Cougars, Cougars, Cougars, Cougars. This is worse than inconsiderate, it is insulting. <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-36819562183880251792024-02-14T10:07:00.000-08:002024-02-14T10:11:22.101-08:00MACA girls climb over .500<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXonbPPBOD_-AQdNSPUNPnhgaNS-iwhbrAIIn5_77EIE8ZtxQEbgtObmfvuah4ioySd35frJ8k6ZQv6a-hugGgpyvESuc_td-kAKeOYUKqqkkrvaw032JGX5u4UhQ7FQ59Dd6rtCub1aw0Xy_4pvBZqs3sx-dki5LbD0Iq_otgW0JTNgeNYzEDO543M04/s800/besttiger5.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="800" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXonbPPBOD_-AQdNSPUNPnhgaNS-iwhbrAIIn5_77EIE8ZtxQEbgtObmfvuah4ioySd35frJ8k6ZQv6a-hugGgpyvESuc_td-kAKeOYUKqqkkrvaw032JGX5u4UhQ7FQ59Dd6rtCub1aw0Xy_4pvBZqs3sx-dki5LbD0Iq_otgW0JTNgeNYzEDO543M04/w200-h169/besttiger5.png" width="200" /></a></div>Girls basketball action Tuesday at Lac qui Parle Valley: it was a win for our MACA Tigers, 59-26, quite impressive. The West Central Tribune gives the game bare bones attention. The first sentence reports this game not as a win for MACA but as a loss for LQPV. We learn that the Tigers' record coming out of this game is 12-11. And LQPV's: 4-20. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The rest of the "coverage" announces Lac qui Parle's next game. No mention of when action resumes for The Tigers. I hope MACA fans do not consider "subscribing" to this "service." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It is noon Wednesday, and is there any coverage on the kmrs site? All I see there is bare bones coverage of a wrestling tournament. We all know the Stevens County Times website is worthless. Someone needs to "step it up," don't you think? Feel free to give me feedback. Knowing this town, I could get some nasty feedback. But probably not, as there's too much apathy for people to even pay any mind.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Boys basketball: EV-W 65, Tigers 62</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The Eden Valley court was the site for a hard-fought hoops game Tuesday, a game unfortunately that slipped away from the Tigers. Just our eighth loss of the season. The loss by three, 65-62, left our W/L mark at 14-8. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Any other game coverage I can supply? If there is data on the West Central Tribune site, I cannot get access to it. I do not pay to "subscribe" to anything online. I believe information should be free. The newspapers might say their labor costs money. In theory yes but how much "labor" is really required in these endeavors? The people who type up sports are really just stenographers, aren't they? And in a typical small community newspaper, don't the sports coaches themselves do a lot of the writing? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">So I cannot report the scoring leaders from the Eden Valley-Watkins game, sorry. I would like to.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Whither church, government? </b><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Got an email from my church yesterday saying we're going to an 11 a.m. Sunday service. We do not have a pastor. Maybe our tribulations are due to the overall tribulations of the ELCA these days. It is a "liberal" denomination which we might surmise could be - <i>could be</i> - a kiss of death. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Unless. . . Unless maybe the views of Americans are beginning to moderate some. Perhaps the spell of MAGA is diminishing. I'll believe it when I see it in full. We're not there yet. But look at the Tuesday special election out in New York state. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I am prepared to respect Republicans fully when they get back to normal reasonable "conservatism." Nothing will make me vote Republican faster than if I sense the Democrats are supporting teachers unions. Believe me I can vote Republican, was a Reagan Democrat once. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">But the GOP of the recent past has turned into a cult, a cult of the Orange Jesus, and now we read that Lara Trump may be in line to lead the national Republican Party. More signs that there is an attempt to establish a royal family in America. I would be dumbfounded. But it could happen.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">In the meantime we hash over the daily headlines. Here's how I reacted to a Yahoo! News article the other day. I posted this comment with Yahoo! News. It got some notice.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">A simple question: Why do Speaker Johnson and other GOP office holders feel they should even be communicating with, or listening to Trump a whole lot, when Trump holds no office. If he gets elected to something, then they can deal with him. Lindsey Graham would say "Trump is the leader of the party." The party is not the same as real government. Seriously, they all should ignore him for now, and part of the reasoning would be the incredible legal trouble that Trump appears to be in. Certainly the GOP office-holders must know that the prosecutors are not coming from out in left field. Do they? Deep down, do they? Or are they just vessels for the MAGA masses? For the radio talk show listeners? Does Speaker Johnson really think that MAGA reflects what God wants? He says the Bible guides him.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"It" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Not my Bible.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Pookie" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Brian, do you think that Johnson might think that Trump is his God?</span><span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Scott" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The GOP are running a shadow government. The GOP are communicating with Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other dictatorships behind the back of the USA government. Tucker (Carlson) went to Russia as Trump's ambassador. GOP have become traitors. They are White Hamas.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"James Deming" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Why? Because the would-be Orange God/King is their prophet, their leader, their paragon of Republicanism.</span></i><span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Nichols Alton" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">When Trump goes down, many of those who let him dictate how they should vote are going down with him. Those who follow his destructive advice will help us separate "the wheat from the chaff."</span></i><span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Punk Rock and Minerals" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Because traitor Trump now owns the GOP.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Andrew" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">They still believe the election was stolen and all 91 charges are fake. The only good thing is they are weak and cowardly so they won't get violent when he loses again.</span><span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Patte" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Actually the prosecutors are coming from way, way left.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>On micro level here in Motown<br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">We here in Morris might be paying attention to the U of M president search. Me? I came out of the previous experience rather jaded. We had a search process that ended up bringing someone here from South Carolina. The person was here for what amounted to "a cup of coffee," then she re-programmed herself to start singing the praises of University of Pittsburgh. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Why should I have cared about that person? What will the new U president do for our U of M-Morris? I guess that's the big question we should focus on. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I overheard a person at a restaurant recently saying "I don't see UMM students around any more - they used to be all over the place." What we might consider "anecdotal" evidence. How credible are the reports about UMM enrollment? I mean, in this age of online students and PSEO kids, the latter having departed from their high schools where they really ought to stay. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Is PSEO a means for colleges to try to stay relevant, to fill the gap caused by fewer college-age kids enrolling in the traditional way? Is the cost of college too daunting? </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Let's get down to the nuts and bolts with UMM: the campus was built as I understand it for 2000 students. From an email I sent to a friend:</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I
told (name withheld) at breakfast Friday that my attitude about the local campus is
this: I support the campus "but not necessarily the University of
Minnesota." I stress now that it is up to the state with its legislators
to make sure all the publicly-supported campuses are serving the
interests of the state. If the U can accomplish that here in Morris,
that is absolutely wonderful. But the U has overseen a decline in our
campus. If the current philosophy behind the campus is not working
anymore, it has to be changed. We're down to a "real" enrollment of
maybe 500 and maybe less than that. I think all the estimates are too
generous. We just don't seem to see students around town much any more.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">The
bottom line for me is that we should seek a mission that could fill out
our real enrollment to about 2000. I don't care what gets offered here,
maybe a school of nursing? Try mentioning that to Jack Imholte. Holy
balls. But I don't care any more. I never really did care if liberal
arts monopolized things here. If that's good for 2000 students, fine,
but it's a losing strategy now. The legislators need to recognize this
themselves. My regard for this "board of regents" has slid steadily
down. We get these people like Wendell Anderson and Dean Johnson with
their checkered backgrounds. And I think they're interested in
glad-handing with administration more than anything, patting themselves
on the back. Was Ken Powell shown the door? </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">There
is no page on the world wide web where you can find a convenient
listing of upcoming UMM music events. I always thought music could
survive here because we all need music. Maybe I was wrong? What all else
is dying at UMM? The state legislature can't just sit on its hands
about this. Forget the Regents, get some legislators to work directly.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">That
guy who wrote the op-ed for the Peach observed that the "coordinate
campuses" have always been considered a pain by the central
administration. So now the U president candidates have to make their
visits to the coordinate campuses, which probably infuriates some people
in the Twin Cities. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Morris?
Crookston? I'm sure the Twin Cities stuff is enough for the adm. to
handle. And Tim Pawlenty thought a "Rochester campus" was essential to
create? Could that have been politics? A sop to a region? Well,
Southwest State was a sop I guess. In Morris we needed to keep the old
ag school campus going.</span></i></div></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I
do not believe in the continued free tuition for Native Americans,
unless maybe the percentage of required Native blood is raised, perhaps
considerably. And how can we really trust those numbers? If you're
one-quarter Native, do you really identify with that group? Should you?
And what about the Supreme Court's ruling against "affirmative action." I
will say again: unless the Morris policy is based on an actual
"treaty," I think it needs to be questioned strongly if not wiped out by
the ruling. Policy based on some "old law," maybe? Well that's the sort
of thing a Supreme Court ruling can nullify. I know there is a think
tank of lawyers going to work making sure the court's judgment is
carried out vs. all the clever-talking college administrators. I wish
all the Natives well. I think they can hold their own. Why should I
think otherwise. And secondly, college isn't for everyone.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Remember the Indians on "F Troop?" They were Jewish guys!</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- Brian W.</span></i></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">(end of quoted email)</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3Tca_cKwANskwW8Z7rjjRkxzx3e-UQ19xYP6MTic0J5AdB95znRbblJaoJdDKnT6hqlBAHtxhJsgS2ugvrzPXGR5LZN2O0a7DmruSk5lq-qkNc7iuD4hg4d5W0SlKn9RFr55YLwLTp5r_EBm8EkozikcIh0De_JD8lfhQE255pLDSUuMmy79Mk75iYg/s600/yulene.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX3Tca_cKwANskwW8Z7rjjRkxzx3e-UQ19xYP6MTic0J5AdB95znRbblJaoJdDKnT6hqlBAHtxhJsgS2ugvrzPXGR5LZN2O0a7DmruSk5lq-qkNc7iuD4hg4d5W0SlKn9RFr55YLwLTp5r_EBm8EkozikcIh0De_JD8lfhQE255pLDSUuMmy79Mk75iYg/w160-h200/yulene.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Yulene Velásquez</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Uplifting event<br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">My recent assessments of UMM music have not been the most optimistic. But good news: On Tuesday evening I visited campus for a music-flavored event and was cheered. It was not an actual performance, at least not formally promoted as such. I walked out to campus not expecting much really. It was a "good faith" visit. But I was pleasantly surprised by how delightful it was! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">My mood is lifted, buoyed, even though I don't think we can see a return any time soon to the kind of music department we remember. Our campus was of course once blessed by much stronger numbers. Even if those days are gone, UMM music can re-shape itself into something we can feel joy about. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">The Tuesday night event at TMC on campus was a "Mardi Gras" community sing-along for "Fat Tuesday." We were treated to jazz accordion! Super! I went home with a bounce in my step. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Also lifting my mood was the chance I had to meet UMM's new choral person. She exudes cheer and commitment. Her name<span style="font-family: inherit;"> is </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Yulene Velásquez</i></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Below </span>is a picture from the event taken by Del Sarlette. Tuba complemented the accordion. I'm the one seated alone at right. I complained to Del that his camera makes me look old!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzuYyYa0lcVZuVXPiVl3rKjBMEpLiB16Zc5XTY8KPNgVHj-O8DlF8ub4ChBhLu7uJsi2ui5lKjNIixTeIPodE2mnOAmGgEqIJrhGlAQdGTD_iXbR29jm8oKNx63ipIwmJQD0L1SSwP3nIQp-wFbZNU6rib4sZI5xnLkXMJJ4TYeSzbk-53rDhzqEkmVA/s719/mardi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="719" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzuYyYa0lcVZuVXPiVl3rKjBMEpLiB16Zc5XTY8KPNgVHj-O8DlF8ub4ChBhLu7uJsi2ui5lKjNIixTeIPodE2mnOAmGgEqIJrhGlAQdGTD_iXbR29jm8oKNx63ipIwmJQD0L1SSwP3nIQp-wFbZNU6rib4sZI5xnLkXMJJ4TYeSzbk-53rDhzqEkmVA/w400-h198/mardi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-74492302895180743952024-02-13T06:25:00.000-08:002024-02-13T06:25:40.766-08:00Brave new world, sort of<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is 3 a.m. and I cannot sleep any more. Common situation to be in. Middle of night is such a calm and tranquil time. A time to put aside the fuss of real conflicts out there. We can all see where we are all headed as a country now, maybe? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">No point in showing any cautionary notes about this. Most people will not listen. Old norms just continually crumble before us. Now it's the U.S. Senate that is shape-shifting. It is becoming more like the restless House of Representatives. Its image as the more "mature" body is fading fast. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The House of Representatives is led by this big totally Bible-believing Christian, a guy with a Scandinavian name and look about him, but he is no Midwesterner. He's from the very Deep South. Between the Deep South folks and AM talk radio listeners, we see a class of people now with strength to dictate the norms for all of us. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am not going to sit here and try to argue against what such folks stand for. They assert themselves tremendously right here in Stevens County. I believe it's wise to try to get along with my friends and neighbors. Maybe the signs are not all bad. Frankly it's hard to figure sometimes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I had thought my church of First Lutheran was literally dying. This would be because we're an outlier with our affiliation with the ELCA. CW has it the ELCA has been tumbling in its national fortunes. I don't know why any organization would accept this as its fate. Up until December the denomination had a really nice magazine with a long history. December marked the end of that. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meaning what? A reflection of the tumbling fortunes of the ELCA? Or, the tumbling fortunes of the on-paper media? Now there's a challenging question. But the magazine is most certainly dead. There has been a raft of new headlines lately about the accelerating decline of legacy media. So we're talking all the newspapers and magazines, long taken for granted. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We all know there's been some erosion there. It's impossible to miss the headlines. The most recent headlines make clear it's hardly over. One prominent article talked about the current decline being an "extinction-level event." All the tricks that have been applied for a sort of "artificial resuscitation" are failing one-by-one, if you believe many of the current articles. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Interesting, First Lutheran Church is now showing signs of newfound stability. Well, at least that's in terms of the impression gained at the Sunday services. The turnout appears satisfactory in this time when we do not have a pastor. So we've been using this resource called "Pulpit Supply." Has kind of an uninspiring ring to it, wouldn't you say? But actually I find the system to be quite satisfying. And one reason is that we can get a variety of styles and viewpoints from the front of he sanctuary. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Having the same pastor means you accept the idiosyncrasies and biases of that person all the time. A pastor inevitably bonds with certain people more than others, which is one reason why church bodies don't want a particular minister to become a "lifer" somewhere. The parishioners become suspicious that the pastor has his "favorites." (When I say "his" I really mean it as a unisex term. Ah, the problem with pronouns! What a fundamental problem with the English language!) </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My old late friend Glen Helberg talked about the problem of ministers being seen as "having their favorites." He said the main church bodies "don't want that." There will always be exceptions, ministers who can plant their flag and stay somewhere for years, raising their kids and sending them through one school system. A retired area band director was known to say "don't put the minister's kid on the tuba." We might be amused but that's really a pretty good point. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can the ELCA enjoy a comeback? I sure don't see how, not with the political winds blowing in this country the way they are. Maybe the decline of the legacy media helps explain this. The legacy media in its prime was a blessing but could also be a curse. Maybe they felt too much pressure to "be on the same page" about certain things. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">At present, were the legacy media still enjoying their old prime, I think they'd be leading us along with the assumption that the U.S. needs to send all that foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel. The U.S. Senate with its "maturity" and measured judgment might want to follow that drumbeat. Wait, if there's such a strong drumbeat, shouldn't we put trust in our august national leaders? Not so fast: remember how the status quo persisted with how we needed to continue fighting in Vietnam? Maybe a good democratized Internet could have gotten us out of that so much faster. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoO4aqyW4q7NrWGeBbBskoUOoR0Bz2Bi8UrnC3Um_nzqoFk8GdPIyBTwRK45cdMZUbWCgQzYi_zeSqUAbLi7h3FuK32BytV46vVkXfAafdlQMdRZ2y23QOfmirDorr8FeejvH51uSXELdHONKRVTcr-KWKZDFppR7_E3o-w0TNR64bmUqo0pPWLM5IiY/s2100/mitch.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoO4aqyW4q7NrWGeBbBskoUOoR0Bz2Bi8UrnC3Um_nzqoFk8GdPIyBTwRK45cdMZUbWCgQzYi_zeSqUAbLi7h3FuK32BytV46vVkXfAafdlQMdRZ2y23QOfmirDorr8FeejvH51uSXELdHONKRVTcr-KWKZDFppR7_E3o-w0TNR64bmUqo0pPWLM5IiY/w143-h200/mitch.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mitch McConnell<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Right now we are seeing the GOP institutionalists of the Senate - let's name-drop with the doddering Mitch McConnell - appearing to get thrown on their heels. We haven't seen the last act of this, but don't you think it's coming? The speaker of the house appears of no mind to join the McConnell camp. And, Speaker Johnson with the perfect name and image for being Minnesotan - but he isn't - is a totally Bible-believing Christian, right? He of the total faith in "The good Book" to guide everything he does in his secular position. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">But we the people have put him there. Say what you want, we all take responsibility for having put these new hard-edged Republicans in their positions of power. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">AM radio factor<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The old gatekeepers of the media are fading so fast. But "talk radio" has carved out its very firm niche. It is incredible - don't you think? - how such predictably strident voices have taken over this medium. The people who are in this racket must see what's happening, how they increasingly sound alike. Check the radio dial for "news talk" and the phenomenon of which I speak is all over the place. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is so predictable, it's hard to see why people seek it, why they wouldn't just choose to listen to music. I listen out of mere curiosity: what are all these hyper souls up to? Well there's a market for it: that is self-evident. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And anyone with a functioning brain can see that all this could be leading us down a trail like 1930s Germany. We have the additional parallel of having inflation: a factor creating unease, making more people receptive to despotic leaders. The AM talk radio voices feed right into that. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's 3:30 a.m. now as I continue writing, still very tranquil, all the sound and fury still in the distance for now. But the cacophony will awaken. Another day of listening to the hard right wing. I can only hope that this overwhelming movement will create something good. After all, Speaker of the House Johnson is about the biggest Bible-believing Christian you can find. That's what he says anyway. He would probably want to distance himself from the ELCA. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What does the future hold? My headline for today's post uses the expression "brave new world." This is from Shakespeare, from his play "The Tempest." What does it mean? It is used ironically, we learn, as it denotes a "utopia which turns out in fact to be a nightmare in which human beings are trapped in a society where their humanity is deleted." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shall we be whistling past the graveyard?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>Back-and-forth</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span>Here's a comment I posted with a Yahoo! News article in middle of night!<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaFkgTMDBuldyoOKMm9od4caT5rnhbiVxGJNaTuk-1zrabN2-0muy0kdD3Y2W2jHX-WkG0j0Z0NhxsW179bg3wVcklxQBfR5CKyDgTN_Gm3s99CcpwLpm-jzivn0SFJo6jZ6kOHAZCgO_NElLBfxynvIH4y7Eo2RBE6g_ARFIbjWg5mYztEiXINDGOio/s1708/mike2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1708" data-original-width="1366" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgaFkgTMDBuldyoOKMm9od4caT5rnhbiVxGJNaTuk-1zrabN2-0muy0kdD3Y2W2jHX-WkG0j0Z0NhxsW179bg3wVcklxQBfR5CKyDgTN_Gm3s99CcpwLpm-jzivn0SFJo6jZ6kOHAZCgO_NElLBfxynvIH4y7Eo2RBE6g_ARFIbjWg5mYztEiXINDGOio/w160-h200/mike2.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Johnson<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>A simple question: Why do Speaker Johnson and other GOP office holders feel they should even be communicating with, or listening to Trump a whole lot, when Trump holds no office. If he gets elected to something, then they can deal with him. Lindsey Graham would say "Trump is the leader of the party." The party is not the same as real government. Seriously, they all should ignore him for now, and part of the reasoning would be the incredible legal trouble that Trump appears to be in. Certainly the GOP office-holders must know that the prosecutors are not coming from out in left field. Do they? Deep down, do they? Or are they just vessels for the MAGA masses? For the radio talk show listeners? Does Speaker Johnson really think that MAGA reflects what God wants? He says the Bible guides him.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Pookie" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Brian, do you think that Johnson might think that Trump is his God?</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Nichols Alton" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">When Trump goes down, many of those who let him dictate how they should vote are going down with him. Those who follow his destructive advice will help us separate "the wheat from the chaff". . .</span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span>"James Deming" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Why? Because the would-be Orange God/King is their prophet, their leader, their paragon of Republicanism.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Andrew" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">They still believe the election was stolen and all 91 charges are fake. The only good thing is they are weak and cowardly so they won't get violent when he loses again.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Punk Rock and Minerals" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Because traitor Trump now owns the GOP. </span></i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">"Patte" responded:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Actually, the prosecutors are coming from way, way left.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrYCnh1ovmC6gLfOkF-vL5PcU6zXl7Inwzx-rkzsV9TtcLmCk0MTLdCqSSGFYUHlC4W851Mgu1EKnJTkStsoeTH0qWMyqnv_YpHIS-JnZ1i9y2EAvzkT79emgcKvCOkLOvvFR4-Sx2nvjaevKcJLLF41kDmdBN7TDRULO5KBjTPGXxW838TVo0S_qd_s/s567/mitch2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="567" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrYCnh1ovmC6gLfOkF-vL5PcU6zXl7Inwzx-rkzsV9TtcLmCk0MTLdCqSSGFYUHlC4W851Mgu1EKnJTkStsoeTH0qWMyqnv_YpHIS-JnZ1i9y2EAvzkT79emgcKvCOkLOvvFR4-Sx2nvjaevKcJLLF41kDmdBN7TDRULO5KBjTPGXxW838TVo0S_qd_s/w400-h300/mitch2.webp" width="400" /></a></div></span></span></i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>A younger Mitch McConnell is at left. Interesting backdrop for photo.</b></span></span><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 0px; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 600px; orphans: 2; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" role="presentation" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-collapse: collapse; border-radius: 0px; outline: none; width: 600px;"><tbody style="outline: none;"><tr style="outline: none;"><td style="border-collapse: collapse; direction: ltr; font-size: 0px; outline: none; padding: 30px 0px 0px; text-align: center; word-break: normal;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-3752055427901886322024-02-11T11:25:00.000-08:002024-02-11T11:25:10.523-08:00Storm boys win 2-0 at Park Rapids<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbi3nRDPBmty0yEOo3rNFBPTcQX9aXv62X39WnSF4-MUL1lmPUNei9irXf5yobf0-_K1ytugOWdGZ3JD9bxr2PSJe2k7ARYmVpo8OiyxaQa8NAeByVD9urWhwSZdAUooqSWK4lXGJkK2nQjrvbE5NsDFAjFyLdvc9OBhtSPRmvmuKcpYFk9MTPIMMahg/s300/storm2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="300" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbi3nRDPBmty0yEOo3rNFBPTcQX9aXv62X39WnSF4-MUL1lmPUNei9irXf5yobf0-_K1ytugOWdGZ3JD9bxr2PSJe2k7ARYmVpo8OiyxaQa8NAeByVD9urWhwSZdAUooqSWK4lXGJkK2nQjrvbE5NsDFAjFyLdvc9OBhtSPRmvmuKcpYFk9MTPIMMahg/w200-h181/storm2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>More good news from the hockey rink: The boys of MBA won Friday by shutout 2-0 on the road. On the road against who? Well, a series of communities actually all packed into one team. So we're talking Park Rapids, Menagha, Nevis, Walker, Hackensack and Akeley. From "north woods" country, quite beautiful to behold as I remember from my hunting days with my father. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shall I refer to this team as just "Park Rapids?" The game was played there. MBA of course stands for "Morris Benson Area." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The website known as "The Rink Live" shared some highlights. The Storm and the Panthers had a 0-0 stalemate in the first period. Early in the second, Charlie Goff scored for the Storm with assists from Logan Hadfield and Zach Wrobleski. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was Hadfield scoring our second goal to complete the scoring work in this 2-0 shutout. Goff assisted. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The "Minnesota Scores" site shows just one game remaining in the regular season for the Storm: Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Breckenridge/Wahpeton. The Storm have a 13-11 overall record, 5-5 in section, 5-4 in conference and a super 8-4 at home. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What about the MBA girls? The story there is a 7-18 record, 2-3 in section and 5-11 at home. The girls lost their regular season finale on Friday, Feb. 2, to Northern Lakes 4-2. <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Credit where it's due<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks to "The Rink Live" and I mean that. It is getting more difficult to find timely sports info about our Morris area athletes, and I'm thinking mainly of "free" information, because I personally think information about these activities should be free. No need to feed the coffers of legacy media businesses like newspapers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How much work do the newspaper writers even do? I would guess that a fair amount of the material is spoon-fed by coaches, with the papers then just doing a modicum of editing. I do have a background in this activity, pilgrims. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">C'mon, stop and think: given the large number of teams that "the media" is expected to stay on top of, their threadbare staffs cannot come close to covering a whole lot of games in person. And if they do, it's probably just to get a picture or two. And that is fine, but our paper in Morris cannot escape the serious timeliness issues. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We once had a school administrator who thought timeliness was so important, it was worth losing your temper over. I'm thinking of an administrator with the initials M.M. One theory I had/have about M.M. was that he just wanted to wedge into the media himself where he'd get paid a lot of money, as a "sideline" job. I know some people felt uneasy about that. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm sure M.M. had a mandate when he started here of wanting to make sure Tiger sports got the most positive coverage. In other words, a "selling" job. Tiger sports had been through some pretty troubled times. And whose fault was that? I remember talking with the late Merlin Beyer about how the buck got passed around constantly in the school system. The news is much better today: the system seems properly accountable. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know why things were ever allowed to degenerate. And my, the sheer time that dragged on while many of us waited for the simple remedies, i.e. the proper philosophy behind extracurricular, really the proper philosophy behind the whole school system. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The MACA girls basketball team played Friday at Minnewaska and unfortunately did not fare well. 'Waska has our number in GBB this season. The West Central Tribune of Willmar only has minimalist coverage of the game. That's unfortunate too. Check the Stevens County Times website and I'll bet you'll find almost 100 percent links that pertain to UMM sports. I have written about this odd situation repeatedly. So time drags on. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My preference <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If I had more good current MACA sports info to deal with, I wouldn't end up writing so much about these media coverage issues. I could just write about the games. Yes I would prefer that. But that is not the reality I am being dealt. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Below I quote from an email I sent on Saturday to my old Central Minnesota newspaper compatriot (Bonanza Valley). "SCT" stands for "Stevens County Times" (our fishwrap).<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">The SCT website is worthy of discussion! Occasionally I check it, most often find long list of UMM-related headlines. If a high school post is there, it is either very old news or the actual article is just two sentences with the second being a "plug" to buy the paper product. I remember people complaining when our single copy price went from 50 cents to 75 cents! I heard comments because I did "newsstand collections." Look at the price today. And we put out so much more content long ago. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">So we're supposed to rely on the Internet? Yes we are, but look how negligent the SCT is. I really wonder how Shelly responds to complaints because I have to believe they get complaints. Also, complaints from people who "didn't get their paper" on time, because the P.O. is supposed to prioritize Amazon deliveries all the time. Reed's own column admits that's a big problem, so I'm sure "the phone rings." I wonder how many complaints Shelly has to take in a day.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">The individual scoring totals for the Morris-Benson girls game were in WC Trib. Game played at Morris. Coach Henrich of Morris has never been strong on calling in. So I wonder if Benson coach called in for both teams, even though game was in Morris. Most of the stat categories for both teams had "N/A" for "not available" so that's a little discouraging. But all I need is the point totals and halftime score and I can write something! Every day I consult with the "Minnesota Scores" website, very reliable. I keep track of BBE too!</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">If I were the guy paid to write sports for Morris paper, I would feel bothered if I couldn't share more stuff with the public on a timely basis. It would really eat at me actually. And there sits the website, all set to go at all times. But all we get to read about is UMM. And UMM's website covers everything anyway.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">There is no place you can go online to find a handy reference for upcoming UMM music events. That is a very bad sign. Looks like the "University choir" (the non-auditioned group) which was once such a strong program exists in name only now. It's a "campus-community choir" and with low participation. The U at Crookston has music groups that are all campus-community. They only offer a music minor. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">The signs at UMM are not good at all. I heard someone say at DeToy's recently "I don't see UMM students around any more - they used to be all over the place."</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I told (name withheld) at breakfast yesterday that "I am a supporter of the campus, but not necessarily the University of Minnesota." The place might have to be re-structured. Eventually the people out there will have to capitulate to that idea. Ten years ago it would have been sacrilege.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">My
strategy right now with diabetes is that I'm eating a healthy diet,
keeping my weight down and getting lots of exercise and rest. That's it.
I couldn't handle the medication I was prescribed any more. These side
effects are well-known, as you need only go on YouTube.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> <br /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><br style="outline: none;" /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- Brian W.</span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-23364381230292228272024-02-09T08:45:00.000-08:002024-02-09T08:45:03.186-08:00Kaylee Harstad scores 24 in home win<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEtq3zJhSm7vF3w-RI5ezpJxYeAaDArR8S3sS0HvxRmBtRu-bPucNo3gFesBFhN5UH_ENWduJwT-AzUdzmsNgjinjFJ6iOLAd2UHovsdTStCDkE5qFVyF78Es98N5fI9TNOV514Nq54c3tNIKZ1_LpmhUA8-H0Dk1d0KkL3HEbBRFoeshkHYZmywtJPM/s313/besttiger9.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="313" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEtq3zJhSm7vF3w-RI5ezpJxYeAaDArR8S3sS0HvxRmBtRu-bPucNo3gFesBFhN5UH_ENWduJwT-AzUdzmsNgjinjFJ6iOLAd2UHovsdTStCDkE5qFVyF78Es98N5fI9TNOV514Nq54c3tNIKZ1_LpmhUA8-H0Dk1d0KkL3HEbBRFoeshkHYZmywtJPM/w200-h128/besttiger9.webp" width="200" /></a></div>Tigers 67, Benson 31</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The MACA girls came on strong Thursday evening to prevail over Benson at Tiger Center. The success pushed the season won-lost over .500 to 11-10. The Tigers surged to a 35-14 lead at halftime. A 32-17 advantage in second half play put the final score at 67-31. A nice confidence builder as we enter the home stretch of regular season play. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The weather outside has turned back to winter-like today. We have only been teased by the spring-like conditions of late. However, the temperatures look to remain relatively mild by the standards of February. Theoretically we are in mid-winter. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Benson girls are struggling. Their W/L coming out of Thursday was 6-13. I wonder what the status of their "Braves" nickname is, as we speak. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kaylee Harstad was at the fore of the MACA scoring in the triumph: 24 points. Two of her teammates each put in ten: Cate Kehoe and Hana Schutz. These Tigers also contributed: Brenna Jorgenson 5, Addison Cihak 4, Samantha Konz 4, Makenzie Konz 3, Callie Koser 3, Chloe Fehr 2 and Leah Berlinger 2. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Four Tigers each made a 3-pointer: Makenzie Konz, Schutz, Jorgenson and Koser. The West Central Tribune has "N/A" for the other stat categories but I greatly appreciate seeing the amount of info that was provided. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So now let's look at Benson. Their top scorer was Kaida Helgenset with 16 points. Then there's a dropoff to Presley Nygaard 6, Elle Kletscher 4, Kaylin Grube 3 and Norah Hilleren 2. Helgenset and Nygaard each made two 3-pointers. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shall I abstain from using the term "Braves" with Benson summaries? We might remember the 1991 baseball World Series when the Star Tribune newspaper covered the whole thing without ever using the term "Braves" in connection with Atlanta. The Twins beat Atlanta of course. Thing is, it seemed nobody even noticed the paper's avoidance of "Braves." That's what the paper's management told us after the fact. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our Tigers have had mixed results in recent play. Last night's results were quite encouraging, along with the 46-39 win in the previous game over Montevideo and the Jan. 30 success versus Melrose, 69-37. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Losses to West Central Area and Hancock have tempered the exuberance just a little. Losing to Hancock seems rather like crime, death and taxes for MACA GBB. Well we can feel happy for our neighbors in Hancock. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Looks like there are only four games left in the regular season. The opponents will be Minnewaska, Lac qui Parle, Sauk Centre and BOLD. How will the Tigers be seeded? Looks like the remaining games will weigh in quite a bit. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's keep an eye on the weather too. Looks like yours truly will don his long underwear again for the daily walk today. TGIF. Actually "TGIF" doesn't mean much to me any more. But I will have my weekly classic chocolate shake at Don's Cafe tonight (Friday)! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The "Minnesota Scores" site tells us that MACA sits at 11-10 overall, 4-2 in section, 4-4 in conference and 7-6 at the home court. We're at a pivotal stage.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Boys: Tigers 68, Minnewaska 47</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More good news for the orange and black: The Thursday night boys' success on the road versus Minnewaska. Our W/L got elevated to 14-7. Frankly the Lakers are having a quite struggling campaign. Our 68-47 win set back the Lakers to a 2-19 record. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We led 37-26 at halftime. The second half story was a 31-21 advantage. Took care of business quite nicely. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately for me as a scribe I see "stats not available" for MACA in the West Central Tribune. Happens rather often. As stated in the girls coverage here, I was happy to have some MACA details available! Did Dale call in to the WC Trib or was the data provided maybe by the Benson coach? Well, the paper got it from somewhere. I would not bet on Dale calling in very often, just judging from experience. If he did, that's great. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just one Laker scored in double figures. That's Owen Meulebroeck with 11 points. Connor Frey scored eight followed by Marc Gruber and Alex Panitzke each with seven. Luke Danielson's contribution was five points. Others joining in: Levi Johnson 2, Dylan Alexander 2, Tenzin Dahl 2, Carter Meyer 2 and Jack Majerus 1. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three Lakers each made a '3': Gruber, Panitzke and Frey. Alexander's eight rebounds topped the list. Gruber, Panitzke and Dahl each dished out two assists. Ryland Martin had two steals. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The "Minnesota Scores" site tells us that MACA sits at 14-7 overall, 5-2 in section, 6-4 in conference and 5-4 at the home court. I invite you to compare my coverage of MACA hoops here with what you see on the Stevens County Times website.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>Joe Biden's mental acuity</span></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span>Let's be careful about throwing stones. I'm talking to Republicans. Below is a comment I posted with a Yahoo! News article early this morning. The article reported on special counsel Robert Hur's conclusions about President Joe Biden. I doubt the guy is a neurologist. And who among us would want to be "quizzed" on anything?<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">So Ben Hur or whatever his name is notes that Biden doesn't remember the years when he was VP? Look, I'm a very "wonky" type of person who follows the news but if someone asked me point-bank the years when Biden/Obama were in power together, I might not be able to instantly recite those years. Put yourself in a position of answering this type of question. For one thing, it's in the past. You think a president doesn't have enough to think about in the present? I remember when Mark Halperin had Trump himself in the studio and asked him "of the last three presidents, who do you think was best?" Incidentally Trump responded "Clinton" and you can verify that. But Joe Scarborough "helped out" Trump by reciting the last three names before Trump answered. Would not surprise me if Trump had struggled to remember, because we just don't need this past info at the tip of our tongues. We're not thinking about it, not the "for the record" details. I'd have a hard time reciting the three names at a moment's notice, and believe me I am not cognitively impaired.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Super Bowl on Sunday</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Are you all in step with Taylor Swift and the "Swifties" for the Super Bowl on Sunday? It appears Republicans are scared that the game is "rigged" for the Chiefs and that the singer will endorse Joe Biden right after.</span><i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span>- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-88445978235129122512024-02-07T08:41:00.000-08:002024-02-07T08:41:08.774-08:00Girls get to .500 with Tuesday win<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-6gdk7kUwesLDo4YI64QeGxMHHVVE5ueVPKiwyGEj8rVSFkgkWCj6EblAn8KPJW5_OJuxhKxDa8N1p98drelv9HUvOWNLw4W4V5x1-3I2hICZfgXoOY9tsreW6Jjcpw-1707OakFyUAgIeLbFA48unyNrjml1CaIYLYMwCHcCtTfxFjnWqB9hyphenhyphenVIYYA/s350/besttiger11.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-6gdk7kUwesLDo4YI64QeGxMHHVVE5ueVPKiwyGEj8rVSFkgkWCj6EblAn8KPJW5_OJuxhKxDa8N1p98drelv9HUvOWNLw4W4V5x1-3I2hICZfgXoOY9tsreW6Jjcpw-1707OakFyUAgIeLbFA48unyNrjml1CaIYLYMwCHcCtTfxFjnWqB9hyphenhyphenVIYYA/w200-h200/besttiger11.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It is Wednesday morning which means I have eaten biscuits and gravy from DeToy's in Morris. Like Spinach for Popeye. Sort of. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We learn that Tuesday was a good night for MACA girls basketball. The kmrs website has one sentence that cites three individuals from the successful night. I'll take what I can get - often not much. The public sure set higher standards for judging the media when I was involved! Kmrs tells us that Kaylee Harstad led the attack for MACA in the Tuesday night win. She scored 19 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the team's 46-39 win over the Montevideo Thunder Hawks at Monte. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The sentence of highlights also informs us that Brianna Marty contributed with eight points and six rebounds. And, that Catherine Kehoe supplied eight points and seven boards. Then the radio station's coverage moves on with the sentence that starts "up next." Would be nice to see a few more game details, like leaders in assists and steals, plus a full rebounding review. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Found out this past weekend that Kaylee Harstad is an occasional server at DeToy's. I had seen her before but didn't have a name to go with the face. She looks like a basketball player! </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can get into the West Central Tribune's online sports coverage this morning by just being a registered reader. You never know on any given day. Sometimes the barriers are down, sometimes they are only partially down and sometimes it's wide-open. I suppose they want to entice you sometimes. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But an MACA fan can often feel affronted when looking at their coverage. Officially speaking, MACA is not in the paper's coverage territory. Quite often though, our game results show up there because of who we are playing. So Monte makes the grade? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today the WC Trib site has a little subhead about the game with some details below, but. . . But there's a familiar bugaboo for MACA fans. "Stats not available" for the Tigers. We are not alone as these three words appear for Minnewaska for today's coverage too. "Stats not available." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that the coach in question decided to "stiff" the WC Trib? I would assume no. I'd assume that various coaches do not sense any formal obligation to call in to this newspaper. So it's nothing personal or anything like that. But it just looks bad. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It looks bad for the WC Trib. It can put coaches on the defensive. They might get asked why the details do not appear there. Coaches have no formal or contractual relationship with newspapers. The newspapers are private businesses. They make money by selling advertisements. Actually they will try to extract money from people any way they can think of. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today's WC Trib coverage of the Monte game does have all the stat details for Montevideo. Monte hosted the game. Former home of the "Montevideo Mohawks." Such names have been pushed aside except in Benson. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our Tigers led Monte 32-23 at halftime. The winning outcome pushed our W/L to .500 at 10-10. It's a respectable record to be sure, but we might feel discouraged some by how badly we have lost at times like to Hancock. I write about the historical disparity between the Morris and Hancock girls on my "Morris of Course" site. You may read with this link. I greatly appreciate any visitors to my blogs.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/02/hancock-girls-hoops-frustrates-maca.html">https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/02/hancock-girls-hoops-frustrates-maca.html</a> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two Monte T-Hawks each scored 12 points Tuesday: Teagan Epema and Brooke Lindstrom. Here's the rest of the list: Lily Eisenlohr 6, Hallie Helgeson 5, Taya Weber 3 and Jessa Norby 1. Epema succeeded twice from 3-point range. Weber and Helgeson each made one '3'. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My, four T-Hawks each with five rebounds! These were Epema, Eisenlohr, Norby and Helgeson. Epema had the team-best three assists. She led her team in blocks with three. Monte came out of the game with a 5-14 record.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD9qEvSu_C_ZP2XWuU0IffU4vzhhgaNZ0xVbpmVSGzteasak6LkbYL5HWV1_2O8UlgRK5nd9KA7Asnc1sAW9cRGdPs3KvZu2ubavu1wUt_U9GgVNu95dBBX-a6WxxaG46wUpUI0lsnKjW8fcxJUiboqZarYoDI2-cF2DFgbAHUtWmeFQbFnHX8E-bRUM/s300/storm2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="300" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD9qEvSu_C_ZP2XWuU0IffU4vzhhgaNZ0xVbpmVSGzteasak6LkbYL5HWV1_2O8UlgRK5nd9KA7Asnc1sAW9cRGdPs3KvZu2ubavu1wUt_U9GgVNu95dBBX-a6WxxaG46wUpUI0lsnKjW8fcxJUiboqZarYoDI2-cF2DFgbAHUtWmeFQbFnHX8E-bRUM/w200-h181/storm2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Boys hockey: Storm 2, Prairie Centre 1</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good news on the hockey front: the MBA Storm boys turned back Prairie Centre at the Morris ice. We had the edge by one goal, thus our won-lost improved to over .500 at 12-11-0. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After getting shut out in the first period, we scored one goal each in the second and third. Prairie Centre's lone goal was in the third. Prairie Centre came out of the game at 7-13-1. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our goalie was Christopher Danielson. He stopped 25 shots on goal in 26 attempts. Carter Holman wore the mask for the opponent (28-30). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's look at how the goal-scoring happened. Charlie Goff put the Storm up 1-0 in the second period. He was assisted by Kaleb Breuer and Logan Schauer at 13:51. Prairie Centre tied the score in the third as Zac Bick scored with assists from Leyton Fuchs and Caiden Frerichs at 10:51. MBA's Alex Claussen scored at 14:51 with the assist from Breuer.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Hockey night in Morris" is always special!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Below is photo of the MBA Squirt "Blue" team which placed third in the Brookings SD tournament. <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV7kU7piTv1cvIAIo0EAqMdauRs7JL1iU6FB7bS6GSPIk8oY5RsmhmQwpjfgq_djyPL0nG1LkDR38KcFl_b7gDe04IxllPMZmBfkDVT7RCSHzH39LxDGmd7GWZE3EzjnE_YPcERxLEiErQwzExm3jLr7wJ1h_DhVTakkH_W6-taFtOt7RTyvi10NWcjg/s843/squirt%20blue.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="843" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLV7kU7piTv1cvIAIo0EAqMdauRs7JL1iU6FB7bS6GSPIk8oY5RsmhmQwpjfgq_djyPL0nG1LkDR38KcFl_b7gDe04IxllPMZmBfkDVT7RCSHzH39LxDGmd7GWZE3EzjnE_YPcERxLEiErQwzExm3jLr7wJ1h_DhVTakkH_W6-taFtOt7RTyvi10NWcjg/w400-h376/squirt%20blue.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com</span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-8526303918560287872024-02-06T09:13:00.000-08:002024-02-06T09:13:23.277-08:00Wrestling and the fixation on weight<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Don't we all have memories of male high school classmates who went out of their way to lose too much weight in wrestling? Looks like we have girls wrestling now too. Maybe they have the same temptation in dealing with weight. The Star Tribune had a pretty major piece recently on how some enlightenment is coming to this matter. Didn't the article really state the obvious? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Certain kids have historically gone to such great lengths to lose weight. And weren't you convinced just as an observer that there might be negative long-term health consequences from this? I would guess your concerns went unstated. We lived with the reality of the various sports, saw how boys absolutely clobbered each other on the football field. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enlightenment about football began seeping into our culture a long time ago. A true shift in attitude takes a long time to make inroads. Sad thing about football is that most of us consume big-time football which is such light intoxicating entertainment. So focused is our attention, so high our thrills as with the upcoming Super Bowl, we conflate to the younger ages and think the activity is just fine. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And I found long ago that if I broached serious concern about football for kids, the immediate response would be a smile because I was bringing up such a "light" subject. Ah, football. "How will the Vikings do next year?" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Keep kids from playing football? You can't be serious. Don't you want to support our student athletes?" </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ah, "student athletes." I have written about the activities all my life, has rather been a trademark of mine. But, I never put myself in a position of torturing myself to lose weight down to skin-and-bones for wrestling. And I never played football. I simply stayed on the sidelines and at the typewriter keyboard. Typewriter! That dates me. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Star Tribune article on wrestling came across as wishful thinking, well-intentioned but. . . </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We all want to talk up optimal health and optimal diet. In an ideal world, such priorities really would lead to optimal success in competition. So people can read the article, look at the nice big pictures and reason "this all seems to make sense." I might suggest it's pie in the sky. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the boys in wrestling who really want to win, I think the legacy instincts will remain. I remember covering our Morris team in the '80s, when we had a top wrestler who was made to stay at a higher weight for the post-season. The coach pulled these strings. The coach had to organize a whole lineup that would compete ideally. In this instance, a star wrestler who had manhandled many of his opponents - I had witnessed this - was put at a weight that did not maximize his potential for post-season. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I might whisper: "Well, at least he didn't have to starve himself. He could enjoy eating like the rest of us." But the boys have such a strong passion for winning. Oh, and the parents too? Ahem. So I remember that fellow, initials L.M., going gamely out on the mat for the district finals - we were in the old "District 21" - and unfortunately meeting a buzz saw foe. He didn't just lose, he was dominated. So out of character for this young man, to be humbled. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">There I was a mere observer, a mere newspaper person. I never had to worry about sports humility. I wrote about it as if it was all a big Homeric poem. And I could go home and eat. And I didn't have to worry about head injuries that could catch up to me years later. Like now when I'm 69 years old. I think I'm quite OK. And I still do write about area high school sports when I get the opportunity. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Incidentally my opportunities are becoming more limited. I have lost access to much of the basic info that I used to find online from various media sources. The sources are either drying up or going behind rigid "paywalls." The MACA boys basketball team played last night, Monday. When will the Morris newspaper be submitting a report to us about that game? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's the big problem with the Morris newspaper now. You probably should not even look at their website because it would make you upset. I really don't know why the paper does this: annoy us with a sea of links about UMM sports to the almost complete exclusion of the prep stuff. And if prep stuff is there, it is either 1) old, or 2) presented as a "teaser" where there is a sentence giving the score, and then there's a plug for buying the next print edition which could be several days off. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Should we really have to pay for basic information? If I were a parent now, I guess I'd just shrug and figure "well, if I have the schedule that's enough - I'll just go to some games and enjoy them." Which might be fine and dandy. But in "the old days" the public demanded more. We published twice a week and put out so many more pages of product. There was no "website." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today with the "liberation" brought by websites, we don't need the newspaper any more. But we need certain people to "step it up" and make sure some content gets posted somewhere. Brett Miller was doing that when he was with the radio station. Then he left. Are fans really content just knowing the "scores?" That, and the schedule? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the go-to place for schedule info is the "Minnesota Scores" site. Lately I see you have to click through one or two ad attempts they might throw at you. The radio station site has been known to do that too. But "Minnesota Scores" has both the schedule and the scores of all the games played to date, very reliably. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What about basic game reviews and stats? Really, these may not even be essential in the eyes of parents and fans. We'll see down the road. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLIKTPJyoTwZcEqL3LsMDylBwwgUYrjG-b6Suy2x2NEP26X2ND3GtliaepfV6OI0G40xZo60QTxgyIT0EgXjEZLqNHcqZBOfHEVhPczBo-CzmVGGs7KxZM9J0i1jBP7GXZlle-cK5qk5YWvgR7jtJPOeZlukmdNv0RpgXe2Awm_4Ov-bF1Ou2eIC_mqA/s768/besttiger3.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLIKTPJyoTwZcEqL3LsMDylBwwgUYrjG-b6Suy2x2NEP26X2ND3GtliaepfV6OI0G40xZo60QTxgyIT0EgXjEZLqNHcqZBOfHEVhPczBo-CzmVGGs7KxZM9J0i1jBP7GXZlle-cK5qk5YWvgR7jtJPOeZlukmdNv0RpgXe2Awm_4Ov-bF1Ou2eIC_mqA/w200-h200/besttiger3.webp" width="200" /></a></div>I know the MACA boys lost Monday night at home against Redwood Valley. I knew about the game because our band director Wanda Dagen had to leave the band fundraiser early because she was directing the pep band. Now we'll see if our newspaper can give some nice flattering attention to the Morris band like it did for the Hancock band last week. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was puzzled why the band fundraiser would be held on a night when the band had an actual commitment. I also didn't think the fundraiser was promoted well enough. I found out through word of mouth. Many parents and other band supporters showed up at Pizza Ranch. I availed myself of the buffet format! Could not have done that if I was a high school wrestler!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Or, if I was still taking Metformin. Perhaps I'll share more on that in the future.)<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-54600674802463341022024-02-03T15:17:00.000-08:002024-02-03T15:17:43.574-08:00Public school teachers keep on complaining<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is Saturday and such a typical day for March. Maybe mid or late-March, but of course the reality is that we're merely in the first week of February! "Punxsutawney Phil" must have been amazed. I have no excuse not to be walking to town now and then. Perhaps aging changes my attitude, so last night I took car and stopped at our library. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The library has appeared to recover from the challenged covid period. I find myself thinking "when did they start hiring kids to work here?" That is a thought offered in a spirit of levity, a variation on the established line "when did they start hiring kids to be policemen?" The gag of course is that we are all getting older! We need to remind ourselves. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I remind myself as I put reading glasses on. And what do I peruse at the library? The Morris paper for one thing. So on Friday I made a check of this mere 16-page product. It's getting harder to remember that the product was much bigger over most of its history. It was twice weekly and commonly had 20 pages or more. That's for a single issue. Not suggesting that arrangement was necessarily better for us, because today in the digital age we are served so much better, resources far beyond the local paper. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I look at the Morris paper with no eagerness to feel perturbed by anything. What do I take away from this week? Well, I glance at the front page of what's called the "Stevens County Times" and see an immense piece of fluff, absolutely sugary fluff, for the Hancock school music program. I don't care if the article is based on communications received, or that the school wants to trumpet this (so to speak), it's still sugary empty-calorie fluff, the effect of which ought to be some annoyance for the Morris school stakeholders, like me. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Doesn't Morris have a music program that is commensurate? Would you care to argue to the contrary? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The paper's staff would have a rejoinder. The praise is not being bestowed by the paper itself, or whatever. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maybe it's fine for this reporting to be done on a more low-key basis, lodged further into the coverage of a school board meeting or whatever it was. I don't take notes. I'm not going out of my way to evaluate these things. But I know "puffery" when I see it. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And then my mood was worsened, unfortunately, as I turned the page. So on page 2 we all get deluged once again by complaining from the teaching staff. I'm old enough to remember when public school teachers all over the state either went on strike or were threatening to do so. It was incredibly disruptive and demoralizing for everyone. The system had to get modified so I think it did. We hardly hear of teacher strikes now. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And of course we all want to appreciate our teachers and to see they are able to lead a comfortable middle class life. Maybe middle class isn't good enough for them? Well then I would demur. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">First we heard complaining from someone last name of Messner a few weeks ago. That volley I guess wasn't good enough, so now we get another dose in our faces. Here's a huge article in the Morris or Morris-Hancock paper that shovels out more of same, maybe with more fierceness. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So why did all these teachers agree to work here if they were going to get screwed so bad? And why is it that when a teacher takes leave as Trent Oberg did, they seem to always want to come back? Why come back if it's such a raw deal? Aren't the benefits of the job quite enticing? Many people who survive in the world outside do not even have the benefit of being with a union. They have to show their value in a very direct way all the time. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another point to be made: why are teachers even allowed this platform of bitching to the school board in board meetings where the media is going to be paying attention, and in the paper's case to write a super-big headline for pages 1 or 2? Are the teachers doing this knowing they'll get so much attention? My suggestion would be for such arguments to be made in closed sessions classified as "personnel matters" or "negotiations." Forget this open posturing to the public. This grandstanding. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have an even bigger worry to cite as the fallout from this: given the teachers' dissatisfaction with their jobs, or how they're rewarded, might we expect a drop-off in morale, or bitterness. I didn't come into town on a turnip truck, so I have seen this happen before. It was an epidemic in the 1980s: rampant cynicism and bitterness. We had to worry about teachers actually "taking it out on the kids" although they'd vociferously deny that. But it was true. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Teachers had too much power. They could pick on a kid if that kid's parents were reputed to differ with the teachers' position on things. Teachers would deny that. Would you expect them to admit it? The late Dave Holman said of this suspicion once: "They (the teachers) say they don't do that but they do." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We want our public school teachers to love their profession and to be idealistic. Now I wish they'd just shut up a little. Stop using the newspaper to get in our faces. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And shouldn't the people running the paper be smart enough to realize this Hancock music thing is going to grate on the Morris school parents? We're all ready to acknowledge that Hancock probably does just fine, is exemplary in music. But isn't this just a case where the music educators are "doing their jobs?" Just like the educators in Morris? Why don't we all just sit back and let this all roll on, without the sugar-high testimonials. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the teachers are not likely to be satisfied anyway, as they'll just piss and moan about needing more money from all of us. Shut the f--k up. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh, and look at the "sports section" of the paper, so bloated, much of it so non-timely. All these long articles that no one reads. Only there as a sop for some very narrow constituencies. And that's part of what you are paying for. Sports reporting should be online where the people who deliver it can be as generous as they want, congratulations. And it should be on websites that are free-access for all. It's PR for the school. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So the school can sell itself and the teachers can get more infatuated with their own importance. So as, to get more money. Because it's all about money, right?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Addendum: </b>What are the odds that I can type "</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Punxsutawney Phil" right without looking it up? Well, zero.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com<br /></span></span></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-14118334899359182472024-02-02T09:05:00.000-08:002024-02-02T09:05:19.191-08:00Wrobleski a key Storm player in 5-3 win<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0sZBiTnYI2eGy8Bt5wwaiOJ1zkvQ7kskaNjl4LOiIWP6KnFYuyhyIr3GkCRbTafVqJAevg2D0siYxp7jo0yCuigVycChglNEtaIfd45cI17TUEJBPg3JN6kXlSPvLDWpAR-e2oG4Lzz0Yjp3zyN4fiGeiicKfTyBxyPTlyV9nHvGccRbutXsZRZEkic/s300/storm2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="300" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0sZBiTnYI2eGy8Bt5wwaiOJ1zkvQ7kskaNjl4LOiIWP6KnFYuyhyIr3GkCRbTafVqJAevg2D0siYxp7jo0yCuigVycChglNEtaIfd45cI17TUEJBPg3JN6kXlSPvLDWpAR-e2oG4Lzz0Yjp3zyN4fiGeiicKfTyBxyPTlyV9nHvGccRbutXsZRZEkic/w200-h181/storm2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Lest there by any doubt that we are really in "winter," there's lots of prep hockey to be enjoyed. We're in the midst of another exciting campaign for the puck sport, at the same time we can take walks with just shorts on! How about that? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our MBA Storm boys and girls have skated with resolve. The outcome was victory for the boys in the Tuesday game against Wadena-Deer Creek. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Home games can be played at either Morris or Benson. Morris fans had the convenience of seeing the win over WDC at our "home" of Lee Community Center. MACA and Benson have hands joined on the ice in this longstanding arrangement. I wrote about sports for the Morris paper when Morris fielded its own high school hockey team. At first I was disappointed to learn about the pairing. With time it seemed quite acceptable. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Benson is relieved of having to answer for the "Braves" nickname in hockey! Outside of hockey it is indeed a tussle for the Benson school leaders. They have tried to get permission from Native American organization leaders. Mixed results, last I checked, and not good enough to get a continued pass for "Braves." Yes it'll cost a fair amount of money to make the change to something new. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Benson Bobcats? I don't know what it would be. I think of alliteration first. Maybe Benson is in a game of "chicken" with the State of Minnesota. Benson wants the state to pay the expense for the change. Oh my, what if the big bad state says "no?" Imagine the ill will that would be created with the community of Benson! Stay tuned. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The MBA hockey boys skated to a 5-3 win over Wadena-Deer Creek. The game-winning goal by Zach Wrobleski was of the short-handed kind. Wrobleski had two goals in the second period. MBA came out of the game with an 11-9-0 season record. The WDC numbers: 5-12-0. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WDC scored first as Carson Davis got the puck in the net assisted by Cooper Ness. MBA answered with an unassisted goal by Logan Hadfield. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second period was when MBA really took charge. The Lee Center fans cheered as Wrobleski scored with a Hadfield assist at 7:31. Charlie Goff did the job unassisted at 13:28. Then it was Wrobleski coming through again at 14:03, short-handed and unassisted. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tucker Blume scored our final goal of the game. Assists were from Kye Suess and Daniel Bovee. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WDC scored two third period goals which were by Davis unassisted and Davis again, assisted by Ness and Nicholas Wright. Gavin Schmidt wore the goalie gear for the Storm. He turned back 22 shots in 25 attempts. Gunner Olson did the goalie work for WDC.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Girls hockey: Windom 3, Storm 2</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The MBA girls have been faring below .500. They were dealt defeat Tuesday in a very close contest by Windom at the Benson arena. The outcome was 3-2. The Storm out-shot Windom 36-24 but couldn't reap victory from that. We never led. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjA8OBv7AxcMo55uqTZ2SaS7pG18asy0BxM6QDWbltxbbTzGa9uZJ5YmsQIWUFTrAi19diejxdhZEebkO6EVhDbco9RYYAr7mbdLOeLaES9tagxbPHM7JYE2t5jDHiLbyX9QysnTJxGFMveq23SSexO7NX5E4_KiGDPnIW5BcUNDL6eLKRJVR1_UPj95E/s200/karlie2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjA8OBv7AxcMo55uqTZ2SaS7pG18asy0BxM6QDWbltxbbTzGa9uZJ5YmsQIWUFTrAi19diejxdhZEebkO6EVhDbco9RYYAr7mbdLOeLaES9tagxbPHM7JYE2t5jDHiLbyX9QysnTJxGFMveq23SSexO7NX5E4_KiGDPnIW5BcUNDL6eLKRJVR1_UPj95E/w200-h180/karlie2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karlie Bruns<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Our Karlie Bruns kept making waves with her stellar play. She's a senior who achieved 45 goals and eight assists over a span of 22 games. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The game againsst Windom required overtime. The teams traded goals in the first period. Our goal came from Bruns in unassisted style, also short-handed. Windom's Mataya Hall scored with an assist from Gretta Smith. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Windom had the only second period goal. It was unassisted by Madyson Fredin. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our Sadie Koehler got the puck in the net at :10 of the third period. Charli Erdahl assisted. Bring on overtime! Alas it was Windom with the game-winning edge. Reagan Haugen scored. Ella Dockter assisted at 6:22. Our goalie was Ava Breuer who had 21 saves in 24 attempts. Windom's work in goal was done by Fiona Robillard.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's an assist!</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I got help from a friend for having access to the MBA hockey info for this post. I do face lots of choppy waters these days. By that I mean, very limited info available from area media. Brett Miller left the Morris radio station. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The newspaper's website deserves a thumbs-down. Not pleasant to be critical but I fail to see why the UMM teams dominate the paper's site, I mean like almost to the tune of 100 percent. I saw some Storm news there recently but it was very dated/old. No sense of performing a service on the part of the newspaper management. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I heard an interesting thought on KFGO yesterday from a guy filling in for Joel Heitkamp. Why don't newspapers give their product away? he asked. It's not an absurd thought. "Free circulation papers" do exist out and around. The business advantage is this: advertisers are delighted to know that there are no obstacles for the public to obtain the paper. No payment needed. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cost of the Morris paper at places like Willie's is not token, in my opinion. "Senior Perspective" is free to the public. Get your product out there into as many hands as possible, and the advertisers in the product ought to be happy. Seems like sound theory. The guy on KFGO articulated it pretty well, maybe better than yours truly here. I'm an old "ink-stained wretch," to use a term that I associate with the late Steve Cannon of WCCO Radio. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seriously I'm simply a journalist. It's just that I once had my home in the print media. And I fully appreciated that experience over many years. I wrote about the birth of Morris prep hockey and I even remember who scored our first goal, guy named Dan Zahl. I wrote of the irony of the first goal being by a guy who was last on lists that were organized alphabetically! First and last. But in the history books. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ah, "Morris Area High School hockey," has its niche in our history. I contributed a thousand bucks to the construction of Lee Center. I wrote about countless hockey games through my halcyon days with the Morris paper. It all got to be a zoo sometimes. I would not trade the experience for anything. It had to end because of certain pressures and complications building up. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My career experienced "slippage," to use the word that might be offered by the late TV journalist Edwin Newman. Slippage. The owner of the Morris paper at the time I left ended up leaving town, I would say ignominiously. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today the paper survives but it has a flaccid website. Not worth the trouble to check in there. Why does this have to be? A true journalist wants to get his work out in front of the public. It's in our blood. It was why I got up in the morning. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have trouble these days partly because the Willmar paper has been in retreat. Morris is outside its official coverage territory. Not that some MACA games, or at least scores don't show up there sometimes. But even then, there is an ever-tighter "paywall." And I don't pay to read anything online. I don't buy anything online. If the Hancock bank can be "hacked" as what happened a year ago, is anyone safe? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I sometimes communicate on current media trends with my old Bonanza Valley compatriot. That's who helped me get the hockey info for this post. Thanks a bunch Randy! I share further on local media frustrations in my email. So I'll quote from it here. Thanks for reading y'all.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Randy - Checked in with WC Trib site this morning. It was open for those who are registered. I am registered and have never paid any $ for this. I never pay for anything online. I notice that the Hancock bank just got sold to "Star" Bank. The Hancock bank was the one I told you about having gotten hacked. So that may have really hurt them.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Willmar paper changes-up its system from time to time. Sometimes they totally lock-out those who don't pay. This morning you get in if you're registered, and sometimes I think it's totally open and free. Nothing about Morris teams there today. I wonder how they'd respond to a complaint where a caller says they paid for subscription but then their favorite team isn't showing up much if at all. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Of course it's up to the coaches to "call in." I wonder how many coaches are weighing whether to continue doing that. They might consider it a game-night hassle, and if some of their info is questioned, as it always could be, that's another issue. I told you before about the disaster of a call-in from the Paynesville coaching staff maybe ten years ago after a game in which Morris came back miraculously in the fourth quarter to win. The info that was called in was riddled with errors. Lyle Rambow even emailed me to give me a heads-up about 3-4 hours after I had posted. They had the wrong name of the Tiger who caught the game-winning pass among numerous other errors.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Right now I'm feeling almost completely shut out from blogging about Tiger sports any more, and that makes me sad. My life is overall rather empty. On occasion I might get a chance. I blogged about Tiger boys' close loss to Osakis last week, but my post did not include any MACA names. Game was on Monday, which means what for the SCT coverage? We'd have to wait over a week, totally unacceptable. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I remember when I left the paper, the mgt. was all excited about shooting video at sports events! And they did in fact do that from time to time, but just showed brief snippets. So what happened? Well, the kids decided to establish something through YouTube, completely bypassing the paper. When I left the paper I was scared that the video thing was going to substantially increase my workload. Already we had the "photo gallery" which stood to do that also. What became of that? That died even while Sue was there. I guess I was a victim of changing times and technologies. </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">BTW I was doing the obits for the Morris paper during the "faxing" era! Very dodgy, that was. And now today, newspapers expend no labor with obits. The funeral home does all the work and then the families pay. I think funeral homes are going through a huge transition now as people back off from the traditional approaches. Cemeteries will stop expanding, they'll be frozen. Frozen in time. And what will become of them in the next couple hundred years? </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Columbaria? Why do we even need those? A way for the funeral business to keep making money? </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">All these news articles about the high percentage of Americans who can't put their hands on $400 for an emergency expense - well what happens when there's a sudden death and there's a $10,000 funeral bill? There's a topic for your blog. People can't even afford to have kids any more.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">There is an exodus of people from YouTube. I can easily see why. It has become such an endless sea of stuff, it's nigh impossible to put anything there that has a chance to get noticed. My song about Joe Mauer should have gotten some clicks recently and it did not. I experimented with the search bar and found it was nigh impossible to even find the song, even with the carefully crafted search terms. The situation was much different ten years ago. A good topical song could get attention. Well I wrote a few of those.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">If I'm shut off from writing abut MACA sports, the pace of my overall blogging may slow down, so be aw</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">are of that. High school sports was kind of a mainstay for me. And I'm tired of writing about Trump so often.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- BW</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"> </span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>R</b></span><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">emembering my dad</span></b></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Let's always remember my father Ralph E. Williams who passed away on this date, Feb. 2, in 2013. He's pictured below. He started the UMM music department in 1960, ensured it would get off the ground quite solidly. He directed the first-ever UMM music concert at the old armory, located where the public library is now. Historic occasion. Size of the band was bigger than had been forecast. That's my dad!</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="outline: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFNanvBsDHeR2JnWQMIh1DpiagTTDDgTHI0EjCkmsxMAlqAuZiv1HoJOGWi36xEC67N_JKQKemURvfPce0iUJ3boL07Zj_c52qncAAsMpN6WdXxWInWYDUQAisgz0NNr1W-AW2dbKITUWTojDVDDmCbq3sN8QRM9Ny7WqDhO3pliHAfFoxlEFnG08i2w/s1191/dad.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="745" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFNanvBsDHeR2JnWQMIh1DpiagTTDDgTHI0EjCkmsxMAlqAuZiv1HoJOGWi36xEC67N_JKQKemURvfPce0iUJ3boL07Zj_c52qncAAsMpN6WdXxWInWYDUQAisgz0NNr1W-AW2dbKITUWTojDVDDmCbq3sN8QRM9Ny7WqDhO3pliHAfFoxlEFnG08i2w/w250-h400/dad.jpeg" width="250" /></a></div></span></i></span></div></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-28072833002147606192024-01-31T09:01:00.000-08:002024-01-31T09:01:12.600-08:00Good enough food for the price?<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How well does the average Morris resident eat? I'm not just asking "how much," I'm asking how well. Our lifestyle can change a lot over time in ways we might hot appreciate or notice much. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember when the Morris main street had a nice standard diner that was known as Ardelle's in its last iteration. It was "Kelly's" before that. And before that, "Del Monico." Going back even further, "Del Monico" was across the street in the space that was taken over by Carl Benson's drugstore. You might think of it as the Rentz building now. Many of us will attach the name "Thrifty White." Remember Marty Ohren? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We went to Thrifty White to get a lot more than prescriptions. Thrifty White greatly modified its service after abandoning that place. It set up shop on the outskirts. Can't go there to get a spiral notebook any more. I remember the newspaper taking a photo to mark the opening of the new place as if it was a big special deal. Of course it was not. The newspaper people needed to put on their thinking caps and of course they did not. I'm sure they were invited to send their picture-taker over there because that's how these things work, "I know." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The new Thrifty White bears little resemblance to the old, as it is a specialty pharmacy place now in a minimalist building. Not to say it doesn't serve its purpose fine. But no spiral notebooks or bird feed there. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And what of the restaurant situation now? We hear in the news about food inflation and it's real. However, we don't hear so much grousing on the street about this, not like we used to. I remember when the newspaper raised its single copy price from 50 to 75 cents - there was grousing. I heard it as I did my newsstand collections for the paper. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">75 cents! Someone said in raised voice "there isn't 75 cents of news in there." What is the single copy price of this thing called the Steven County Times now? Does anyone care much? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have heard you can blow a hundred bucks for a meal at the new steak restaurant. People express surprise but I don't sense any real resentment. I think in "the old days" when people fumbled for cash and change all the time, price got more attention and got more people nervous. Because you really were aware that you were spending money. Today we have the plastic cards handy, credit and debit cards. Whip out a card and it does not feel like you are spending money. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We can be more relaxed, maybe, but the whole system could start catching up with us. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I fondly remember the many Saturday mornings in my working years with the Morris paper, going to the restaurant known at the end as "Ardelle's." Saturday morning was like a weekly rite, seeing your friends and neighbors with everyone enjoying a standard breakfast for clearly a middle class price. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, whatever. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The restaurant went out of existence to make way for expansion of a bank. The restaurant was never really replaced in the local business ecosystem. Maybe a restaurant of this type found it tough-go to continue. Many small towns had more than one of these on their "main street." Clearly middle-class places. They must have been successful business ventures. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I live alone and find it is impractical to do much if any food prep at home. As a diabetic, the last thing I need is a fully stocked refrigerator and freezer. I do not find it palatable for getting the raw material for meals at the grocery store, taking the trouble to prepare meals, putting "leftovers" in the fridge and then "doing dishes." I don't need that much to eat. But I want good nutritious food at a reasonable, hopefully middle class price, whatever "middle class" means any more. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A huge development was covid: it wiped out the buffets and salad bars almost completely. Getting "seconds" at a salad bar would help you feel filled up when you left the place. Restaurants still give out refills of the soft drinks pretty liberally. If all else fails you can feel "filled up" that way, but of course it's totally dubious from a nutrition standpoint. But are we content just feeling "filled up?" Even if it's with a questionable approach? I suspect the answer is "yes" for a lot of people.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Restaurants are still decent places to get breakfast. However, there seems a huge drop-off when it comes to meals that are outside of the breakfast menu. Remember that the salad bars are gone. Rare to find a buffet and if you do, how nutritious is all the food really? Remember nutrition? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A void<br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My prime contact at the U of M-Morris said to me a couple years ago, "I think the town could use another restaurant." She brought up the subject. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We heard about the college town of Moscow, Idaho, a lot after the murders there. The media talked a lot about the small town image of the place - less than ideal "amenities" or so they thought. Big city chauvinism I guess, or grasping stereotypes. My goodness, what would that media say about Morris? I mean, Moscow ID does rings around Morris when it comes to amenities. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good thing there is no "true crime" magnet in connection with our town now. We came close back in 2005 - where has the time gone? - when we had the quite major news story of the goalpost incident here. But the media came and went. In Moscow, the incident that propelled them is still arousing so much interest and speculation. Why? Easy: the public has decided it isn't being told the whole story. So on and on the speculation and suspicion goes. There is something behind the scenes there. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Moscow has a population of about 25,000, has a vegan restaurant and bagel shops. Morris? I'll let you answer that question, but we do have the new steak restaurant where apparently you can blow a small fortune. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The bars? When I was a young adult, a bar was a place where you went to consume alcohol. You'd sit in a circle with your friends and then if you "bought a round," everyone would be so effusive thanking you. What a total waste of time and money. And then the crackdown came with DWIs. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Today bars emphasize food. I don't doubt you can get a fine meal at a place like the Old No. 1. But think of the price, compare it to dining at a "main street" diner of yesteryear. A "hot beef sandwich" special with a scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy. Any place like that now? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few months ago the Meals on Wheels was closed for a holiday so I went into Detoy's over noon. Did they have a "special?" Well yes they did, but it was a "crispy chicken sandwich" on hamburger bun with (of course) "fries." I probably had coffee instead of Pepsi because of my health condition. A person can easily make decent instant coffee at home. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My lunch at DeToy's was frankly unsatisfying, sorry. I could be less charitable: "gut bomb." So much for trying to salvage the tradition of a noon hour "special" at a downtown restaurant. But these businesses do what they have to, to survive. And food costs go up markedly. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I recommend DeToy's for their breakfast menu. I can not be so charitable about the other stuff. They used to have a salad bar which really helped, I mean for quantity at least. Gone. Gone with the wind. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I try to get by as best I can. I miss my old friends at Ardelle's Saturday morning - many of these guys have gone on to the next life. Remember the angel character in "It's a Wonderful Life?" He said "there is no money in heaven." And Jimmy Stewart had the rejoinder "Well it's pretty important here." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Good luck relying on all your plastic cards.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">On another subject: the DMV</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't we all love sharing thoughts about the Department of Motor Vehicles? Below is a "news tip" I shared with the Star Tribune this past weekend:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AkUtct2f7_AvIGtVYx3O3iZmfIUHz_HZEfIxH31FmFzcez0BjgqiwwsOutudgnU1ANmsNxI-3wEx5RDZMjWYacj9rXinG7bXx-Jr_Qt2RgNNwnbNmJ8wGMJy6xYd2PcisnI-iKaSZexByuFyH89osiciN6PRBoDEEEHlSqrdLV_rCAIPM_IIainq5Ik/s425/dmv2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="425" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AkUtct2f7_AvIGtVYx3O3iZmfIUHz_HZEfIxH31FmFzcez0BjgqiwwsOutudgnU1ANmsNxI-3wEx5RDZMjWYacj9rXinG7bXx-Jr_Qt2RgNNwnbNmJ8wGMJy6xYd2PcisnI-iKaSZexByuFyH89osiciN6PRBoDEEEHlSqrdLV_rCAIPM_IIainq5Ik/w200-h138/dmv2.png" width="200" /></a></div>Hello Strib, I have a story idea.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">How strict is the DMV with the "vision test" that I know a lot of older people dread? I went in last week for the renewal where they took my picture etc. and they didn't bring up the vision test. I know the postcard I got in advance said I'd have to take it, and I was very concerned.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I have anecdotal evidence on how the state may not be so "strict." One might assume they would be strict.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- A friend told me he struggled with it but when it was over, the employee said "Ah that's good enough."</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- I struggled the previous time and the employee, who I knew somewhat, "helped" me on one or two letters, and I wondered if she'd get in trouble for that. But people told me later the state is not all that strict. That puzzles me.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- Another friend told me he struggled, then was referred to the local eye doctor who gave him the OK to pass.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">- I saw my own eye doctor as a pre-emptive move, and he said: "There's only one line that you really have to get right." Also, I must have done well enough on their own little exam that day that he said "you can get a note from this office." Of course that would require another paid appointment, and these are partly covered by Medicare which is a Federal program, even though the only reason I'd be there is to satisfy state regulation.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I hope this isn't an arbitrary thing where if you're a buddy of someone who works at the DMV, you have nothing to worry about. That wouldn't be fair.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Why do I care about this? I don't want to buy new car only to find out within months I've lost my license. I can type and proofread this email. So you'll laugh and say I have nothing to worry about. But I know I struggled the previous time at the DMV and for sure my eyes aren't as good now.<br style="outline: none;" /></span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHVpsOQMqv2vLcl7K-5FttDVJUKA6QsY9T19XF089-lxWUK_CvRVkXb5ziXcD3KP3IVK4CrjhS1SI89np-s3Dd_4yPAqW-QzIbyX9wT3LvY8Kda8pLgdG9mvvT5q-Ssa_sF5ik2faWOQIf_upTcz5QfpigOdvxtWt4at3ESEosmtQ_AdvgQrbrBaIIew/s620/dmv.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="620" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHVpsOQMqv2vLcl7K-5FttDVJUKA6QsY9T19XF089-lxWUK_CvRVkXb5ziXcD3KP3IVK4CrjhS1SI89np-s3Dd_4yPAqW-QzIbyX9wT3LvY8Kda8pLgdG9mvvT5q-Ssa_sF5ik2faWOQIf_upTcz5QfpigOdvxtWt4at3ESEosmtQ_AdvgQrbrBaIIew/w200-h113/dmv.webp" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(pioneer press image)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Is it possible that if the eye-testing equipment breaks down, they just "skip it" for a while? The DMV employees are not trained optometrists. I'm sure administering the exam is a cause of stress and a time burner for employees. And maybe the DMV has had trouble hiring people since the re-opening from covid. I know our office had a couple temporary closures.</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">Maybe the state isn't as strict in rural parts of the state where driving is more routine?</span></i></div><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; outline: none; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; outline: none;">I would face hardship if I lost my license.</span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minneosta - bwilly73@yahoo.com</span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5525753760786308961.post-55876426807057881852024-01-28T05:55:00.000-08:002024-01-28T06:01:33.205-08:00Time slips away so now I am age 69<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4fRn2MoyiIQlj2XgJGgoi9p8CjyDdyMQRFt1kFrZ9xuXRm9sr0x48FfNrq2G36PVnNUOe7vQ-TD5lA1n6IjkJsei5tSFqVScczlgyvwen2abp8O2EUa_cdkyD4o3ti-rX31Bo5t29prV1ft2B-3IDNoi5BbHcljYE2IEpjLAf_iSpOTP7zEOD7bXQvg/s896/F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="896" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4fRn2MoyiIQlj2XgJGgoi9p8CjyDdyMQRFt1kFrZ9xuXRm9sr0x48FfNrq2G36PVnNUOe7vQ-TD5lA1n6IjkJsei5tSFqVScczlgyvwen2abp8O2EUa_cdkyD4o3ti-rX31Bo5t29prV1ft2B-3IDNoi5BbHcljYE2IEpjLAf_iSpOTP7zEOD7bXQvg/w400-h275/F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><b>My birthday in the Eisenhower years! The most cherished part of my life: preschool when the Williams family lived in St. Paul. Morris still had the ag school on our campus. I imagine the folks in Morris knew the writing was on the wall for closure of the WCSA. This type of institution had run its course in Minnesota - the need was lessening. It's all about need. Our campus started out to serve the Indians or Native Americans. I was recently taken aback by a commenter for one of my blog posts where I reported that our campus began with "good intentions" for the Natives, even if the outcome was not deemed successful. Some people would not want to be generous about those intentions. Are they right? Maybe. There's a tussle now over whether Benson High School should continue to be known as the "Braves." I'm sure they rue the day they ever chose that nickname. </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>My birthday is today, Sunday, Jan. 28, and if you wish to acknowledge it, please click to listen to Elvis Presley sing "Funny How Time Slips Away." Here is the link:</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZcnT5gqRXk">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZcnT5gqRXk</a> </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is Saturday as I write this. The sun is out and temperature most pleasant. Our winter is an aberration and is that good? May not be, if it's an exhibit of climate change. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Four sentences into my " birthday post" and I'm already at risk of alienating Republicans! My birthday is on Sunday, Jan. 28. I'm doing the heavy lifting of writing this post on Saturday. Early on Sunday I'll have breakfast at Caribou and then come home and click on "publish." At Caribou I see a bunch of Apostolic guys gathered at the "cafe" seating area. I admire them greatly and hope/pray that they take the blinders off politically some. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vote for Biden? Would never happen. But to vote for Trump? The man in the news for having to make an astronomical payment to E. Jean Carroll? (Since I'm writing about Caribou at Willie's Super Valu I'll use the term "astronomical" as a gesture to the late Willie Martin.) </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Let's be clear <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rudy Giuliani has rushed to the media to emphasize that Trump is judged to have committed sexual assault which is not the same as "rape." So Rudy wants us all to know we shouldn't say Trump committed rape, just that it was sexual assault. I prefer my president of the U.S. to have done neither of those things. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Republican friends - or maybe let's just call them acquaintances - will not appreciate me alluding to climate change. They'd echo Trump in saying climate change theory is a "hoax." I would hope that my Apostolic Christian friends - and I do consider them friends - would not be so lock-step with Trump now. I saw the signs of them coalescing around Trump in 2016. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Feeling good today <br /></span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I'm 69 years old. On the whole you might say I'm well-preserved. Knock on wood. As I sit here at home looking out our picture windows to the north, I cannot complain of anything. But it's difficult to be at such an advanced age and have no health issues in the background. I do. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am shying away from medications at present: the issues with side effects became too much. My path now is to strive for the healthiest possible diet. This will be within reason. I have seen the tongue-in-check advice for diabetics that "the best diabetic diet is to eat nothing." Not really far from the serious advice you'll find, unfortunately. I cannot eat kiwi fruit and avocados all day, plus olive oil, I just cannot. I'll get multi-grain bread and make toast from it, which I consume dry. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I bought four of the most expensive oranges at Willie's on the way home this morning. I assume the most expensive fruit is the best-tasting? But look out, as anything that tastes good would probably be on the "not recommended "list for me. I know I should take all advice seriously. I simply cannot turn my whole life upside down which is what the maximum dose of Metformin would do to me. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the moment I will celebrate just feeling good. A lot to be said for that, always. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We lost Steve Van Kempen recently. The fate we all will face at some point. Would the Christian faith be a beacon of inspiration and hope for me? Hard to answer "yes" when such a large portion of the faith is totally invested in Donald Trump still. Yes, the man found responsible for committing sexual assault. Not to mention a substantial additional list of terrible things. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I can make up my own mind about Trump. But I cannot put aside the fact that so much of our precious Christian faith has been co-opted by him. Are we ever going to come out of this? We have been in this curious funk ever since 2016. A picture of a pouting or screaming Trump at or near the top of Yahoo! News every day. Every day. Why can't we all just start laughing at him? Why don't we all just start telling him to get lost, to get out of our faces? Makes too much sense. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We are awash in this foul stuff, this excrement. I suppose the world has seen worse like Nazi-ism. But what on earth is headed our way now? Trump is not the Messiah.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Girls basketball: Tigers 49, Osakis 43</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is something I enjoy very much doing: writing about MACA Tiger athletics. The girls basketball Tigers, who have an up-and-down look, were up with their fortunes on Thursday as they downed the Silverstreaks of Osakis by six, 49-43. The action was here at Tiger Center. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My attempts to continue writing about Tiger sports are being hindered pretty substantially. I have difficulty getting access to the basic info. On the whole I have done well over the last dozen years. It is getting harder for various reasons. Sources within the media are closing off their content with "paywalls." They are getting wise to various tricks for getting around the paywalls. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">My view is that MACA Tiger sports reporting should be on totally free-access sites, the way our "YouTube geniuses" of MAHS operate. Encourage as many people as possible to consume this material. The problem is the "legacy media" which feels it is still entitled to make money from this. We could always understand buying the local paper because we knew it cost money for the paper to publish and to distribute. That was in the "old days." </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today the Internet has created a whole new reality. "Media" need not deal with overhead costs like before. I can write about Tiger athletics on my blog sites and it costs me nothing. And I certainly hope the public has paid some attention. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I cannot find any info on how MACA individuals performed and scored in the win over Osakis. I found a short item on the Lake Region Echo site, not too helpful for us in Morris. I would love to report the usual range of statistics. There will be a report in the next Morris print newspaper which costs money and presents coverage in a <i>very</i> non-timely way. Maybe at some point the Morris community can do something about this. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, I'm glad I'm still standing at age 69 (as of today, Sunday) to do some continued writing. I open up my pocketbook for the MAHS band program. Word is, Wanda wants to keep directing for as long as she's physically capable. That's the spirit! I'll never forget the massed band performance at the end of the December holiday concert, with two vocalists out front. Priceless.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>My current post on my "Morris of Course" blog site is about how the legacy media faces headwinds right through the present time, little chance of the stress abating. You may read my post:</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/01/morris-newspaper-part-of-eroding.html">https://morrisofcourse.blogspot.com/2024/01/morris-newspaper-part-of-eroding.html</a> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HSxpgJMjyE8Y7NgFTbYJkPCY7fFCOPtmYVXIb9Ff3Um7UF1564XTwiULIvyGHRVzfXtIEYiD3ibVZU03uHs_hX-_NqcDa3cEh_C5Dtz_pDiHIYwloUzQkA0XzmMWS0UPBDip5G1UIubMK9LNw_di3b5Q-hWcsAQwgvC42PH8l45gwLwLBpvLjtJt0qg/s432/G.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="432" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HSxpgJMjyE8Y7NgFTbYJkPCY7fFCOPtmYVXIb9Ff3Um7UF1564XTwiULIvyGHRVzfXtIEYiD3ibVZU03uHs_hX-_NqcDa3cEh_C5Dtz_pDiHIYwloUzQkA0XzmMWS0UPBDip5G1UIubMK9LNw_di3b5Q-hWcsAQwgvC42PH8l45gwLwLBpvLjtJt0qg/w400-h395/G.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>Brainerd has a niche in my background. It was my mom's hometown. The photo shows me there with Nancy Closson whose mother was Mom's best high school friend, Ruth Schiel-Closson. Us two are on a boat. Lots of lakes around Brainerd of course. Would you say the photo is charming? Today Nancy's last name is Briley. I haven't seen her in many years. Mom and Ruth graduated with the Brainerd High School Class of 1942, storm clouds of wartime in the U.S. Brainerd had a National Guard unit that got captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. Americans used the word "Japs."</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMkSZ3k6a69xKceVaW8Q6yLAR2-HindmeYAPI9YvkmpLD9ETyifjZMloHnIqNeHUXc-N4KJp-4zh7H7pDuLDMjxQLOWSzJqqcMmABvAvlUXCWAp5LptUt85pCpeIF5I0P7pWGkIgxTKzkkSYfRCzKqWdBu57VSYiX9jAqUyJVng29a25TD3fWL6DZDdI/s623/TV.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="416" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhMkSZ3k6a69xKceVaW8Q6yLAR2-HindmeYAPI9YvkmpLD9ETyifjZMloHnIqNeHUXc-N4KJp-4zh7H7pDuLDMjxQLOWSzJqqcMmABvAvlUXCWAp5LptUt85pCpeIF5I0P7pWGkIgxTKzkkSYfRCzKqWdBu57VSYiX9jAqUyJVng29a25TD3fWL6DZDdI/w268-h400/TV.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div>Don't we all remember the first TV we ever used? Here I'm tuning in at our St. Paul residence, maybe to my first favorite TV show "Sky King." "Brought to you by Nabisco." My generation of the boomers was the first young generation to be marketed to. I'd say it had a profound influence on us. Our parents were just thankful to have this new resource called "television." My generation gained cynicism from TV in our living rooms with its commercial messages. We saw through it? Evidently. Sugary breakfast cereals, alas. TV made us cynical and this gave birth to "Mad Magazine." The lead character in "Sky King" was Arizona rancher and aircraft pilot Schuyler "Sky" King. The series had strong Western elements. The hero "King" flew around in his plane the "Songbird." King and his niece Penny lived on the Flying Crown Ranch near the fictitious town of Grover, Arizona. The series ran from 1952 to 1959.<br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com </span></span><br /></div>brian williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14979209978729041925noreply@blogger.com0