News Cut: November 9, 2008 Archive

Tales from the 'Greatest Generation'

Posted at 10:17 AM on November 9, 2008 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: Regional history

I admit. I'm a sucker for stories from the Greatest Generation.

Here's one from the paper up in Detroit Lakes.

Tony Cichy's story: He was drafted into the Army in April of 1941 after working with his father drilling wells in New York Mills. He was stationed in the Philippines when war broke out. He was taken prisoner and was held for 3 1/2 years.

Three and a half years after being a prisoner in camps, the Japanese took 1,800 men and loaded a fighter ship -- the Arisan Maru.

"That's when the hell started."

The men were stuffed in the hold of the ship with no toilets, no light, no water, and were only fed one time. They sat on three-foot shelves.

"I sat in one corner for 14 days."

Walls and beds were made of bamboo, and

It's a gripping account.

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Is blue the new red?

Posted at 10:30 AM on November 9, 2008 by Bob Collins (4 Comments)
Filed under: Surveys and trivia

Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, was on Face the Nation this morning and something didn't seem quite right. After nearly 30 years of a steady diet of red power ties on Sunday morning talk shows, there he was in a power blue tie.

Then I realized, it's not an accident. Check the lineup from Friday's Obama news conference:

And I can't quite tell from this picture of Friday's news conference by Mark Ritchie, Minnesota's Secretary of State, on Mary Lahammer's excellent blog, but from a distance, isn't that a bluish tie?

Ritchie popped up on KSTP today on Tom Hauser's show (which I believe is taped) and we have not one, but two power blues.

On Meet the Press, meanwhile, House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn was sending a bipartisan message.

Perhaps last week's election was the first part of the men's department stimulus package.

Update Mon. 11/10 4:35 p.m. - President-elect Obama met President Bush at the White House today, and injected new life into the blue-tie theory.

(Washington photos via Getty Images)

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Cindy Lander

Posted at 11:51 AM on November 9, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: Health

We received a sad update today to a story MPR's Lorna Benson did in August 2007 about the pioneering open-heart surgery by doctors at the University of Minnesota

It focuses on Cindy Lander, who had a hole in her heart and wasn't expected to live past 20 without help. She was just 11 when she had her surgery.

In August 2007, she returned to the U of M to celebrate 50 years of life thanks to the surgeons at the U.

Her cousin wrote today to tell us that Cindy has died.

I am sorry to report that the subject of this article, my cousin Cindy Lander, passed away on November 6, 2008. She will be buried on November 11, 2008. You can view the obit .

She was a wonderful, kind, joyful person who will be greatly missed by her family.

The family is requesting donations to the Lillehei Heart Institute.

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