350: OMG WTF GOP

Because LIGHT BULBS are the real problem facing our country today:

(I love that even the reporter starts laughing at Sen. Coburn's secret lightbulb stash.)

This is the most ridiculous thing I've seen all week.

I can't even.

220: Tick tock

timrobisonjr on Flickr

Watching BBC coverage of the riots in the UK. Insane, and nonsensical -- burning stores with housing over them does nothing but hurt the small business owners and the people who rent the apartments.  Perplexing and very sad.

(Photo unrelated, but makes me marginally less dispirited.)

143: Community

photo by Darrin Rogers via StarTribune.com

Yesterday afternoon, a tornado ripped through North Minneapolis, blowing down trees, taking off roofs, and knocking out power to much of the area -- that's $166 million in damage, according to the Star Tribune.  We only caught the very edge of the system, but it was enough to make it look like a hurricane was rolling through.  The storm damage in North Minneapolis is so severe that Xcel Energy cannot even find evidence of telephone poles to reconnect power lines, so electricity may not be restored to parts of the city until Wednesday.  Today, throughout North Minneapolis, there was an extraordinary outpouring of community support and neighbors sharing resources and doing whatever they could to lend a hand to those who need it most.  Meanwhile, Joplin, Missouri is dealing with the aftermath of a much stronger tornado that caused shocking devastation and killed as many as 30 people (per the New York Times).  Those of us fortunate enough to have dodged the meteorological bullet are keeping them in our thoughts.  Please, if you are able, consider donating to the American Red Cross or North Minneapolis Recovery Fund.

122: Geronimo

It was slightly unbelievable to hear the news about bin Laden last night. I can't imagine what the atmosphere was like in the Situation Room.

083: Occupational hazards

This is crazy.  You could not, under any circumstances, convince me to be a war correspondent.  I do not have the guts for this job.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Holy crap.

076: Luck of the Irish

This morning, I woke up to the sound of sirens wailing as a fire truck sped down the county road; it turns out there was a fire around the corner from my dentist's office.  Then I sat down to breakfast around 9:00 and turned on the TV to find that there was a natural gas explosion and massive fire in South Minneapolis.  The Star Tribune's photo gallery from the latter is impressive; it gives a pretty good idea of how huge that fire was -- and yet, even through two explosions and heat so intense it melted cars in a nearby parking lot and the sign on the Cub Foods building, no one was seriously injured.  Crazy, crazy morning.

(In other news, happy St. Paddy's Day!)

Luck of the Irish, indeed.

070: Seismology

Please, blog visitor, consider donating to aid those affected by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan.  The American Red Cross has a dedicated fund to aid disaster relief in Japan and areas around the Pacific that experienced tsunami damage in the aftermath of the quake.  Also at that link, you have the option to donate to the fund to aid relief in North Africa, disasters in the U.S., or to help military families.

If you have the means, please consider either visiting the above link or texting REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

069: The Fair

After a 136-year run, Nevada will have no state fair this year.  That would never -- never -- happen in Minnesota, and as a faithful fairgoer, it makes me sad to see the end of such a longstanding tradition.  Of course, I'm aware that most state fairs aren't as popular or well-attended as the Minnesota State Fair, which takes place right in the middle of the metropolitan area.  The Fair is so popular that Minnesota expats try to recreate the experience elsewhere with bar food and the company of other Midwestern transplants; I happened to be in New York for Minnesota State Fair Day last year, which was both odd and fun.  Then I came home and went to the real thing, for what was probably the twentieth year in a row.

They call it the Great Minnesota Get-Together, and it's hard to argue with that when you look at the numbers: the 2010 Minnesota State Fair saw over 1,776,000 people walk through the gates.  And it felt like it when we were shuffling down Judson Ave. with the rest of the state.

(Those cream puffs were delicious.)

Man, I can't wait for August.

All photos by M. Tam

033: Unrest

You may have heard that my favorite newsman, Anderson Cooper, had some trouble in Egypt today:



These were reportedly pro-Mubarak demonstrators that attacked journalists throughout the day.  Going into the midst of the protesters is either very brave or very stupid, but either way, having journalists on the scene to report events as they observe them -- rather than depending on state-run TV or unverified reports -- is important.  Regardless of how these events ultimately play out, the impact will be far-reaching, and for the sake of the Egyptian people and the reporters from around the world putting themselves in harm's way to show us what's going on, the very least we can do is pay attention.

008: Sanity

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head during an event in her Arizona congressional district this morning. Giffords is in critical condition; six others, including a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl, were killed. In all, nineteen people were shot. While he didn't confirm a political motive for the shooting, the Pima County Sheriff had this to say:

“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital, we have become the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry. There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue, and I think that people who are unbalanced might be especially susceptible to vitriol.”

So I just want to take a moment to use my insignificant corner of the internet to advocate for sanity and civility in the way we talk about politics, especially when talking to those with whom we disagree. From what I've seen, very little gets done and accord is rarely reached by screaming at each other. My thought is this: a little common sense is never a bad thing.

All hopes and wishes for recovery to Rep. Giffords and the others injured today, and condolences to the families of those killed.