News Cut: August 31, 2010 Archive

Lost and found (Five by 8 - 8/31/10)

Posted at 7:55 AM on August 31, 2010 by Julia Schrenkler (7 Comments)

Today is Tuesday. What do you fight for on this day honoring a god of war?

1) While working at the MPR booth yesterday afternoon I found myself wondering how many items get lost at the fair. People agree to meet at our booth, reconvene at our booth if they're separated, or even jokingly offer to leave their children in our care so they don't get lost. (Please don't try this) So I started consider, what gets lost? Turns out Nikki Tundel found out last year: The Minnesota State Fair's Lost and Found. This is from 2009, don't bother placing a claim.

2) Don't you feel badly for hikers? They seem to stumble upon more than beautiful vistas. Discoveries such as... Climber discovered after perishing in ice 21 years ago:

EDMONTON, Canada -- A melting Canadian glacier has given up the well-preserved body of an American climber missing 21 years, Canadian media reported Saturday.
Two hikers on a day trip found the body of William Holland, 38, of Gorham, Maine [...]

The CBC reported that the family has been notified.

3) Again, it's enough to make one reconsider a walk.

Updated: Ninth human foot found washed up on West Coast, Tourist makes grim discovery on Washington state beach.

A tourist strolling on a beach in Washington state discovered a human foot Friday, the ninth to wash up on the West Coast in the last three years.

The detached right foot -- likely belonging to a woman or child, based on the size -- washed up on Whidbey Island Friday just before 11:30 a.m., according to Det. Ed Wallace of the Island County Sheriff's office.

4) What if you got credit for showing up? Or penalized for not checking in? Hard to go missing if you're missed in the amount of time it takes to register a proximity card.

Northern Arizona University will have a little extra incentive to roll out of bed for that 8 a.m. calculus class.The school is installing electronic scanners outside some large lecture halls to track attendance. NAU may be the first American educational institution to try the technology.

University Attendance Scanners Make Some Uneasy

5) Your real self will be found. 2nd UPDATE: 3M Agrees To Acquire Cogent For About $943 Million. What do they get for $430 million (to account)?

The deal will strengthen industrial conglomerate 3M's offerings in high-security ID systems and law-enforcement products.

That's a lot of fingerprint, palmprint, face and "iris biometric" systems.

Unrelated Bonus: Goodbye, Polinaut. Hello, astronauts! Welcome NASA to the Commons Flickr hosts "The Commons" collecting the world's public photography archives.

(7 Comments)

Longing for island food

Posted at 12:30 PM on August 31, 2010 by David Cazares (7 Comments)

I haven't been to the Minnesota State Fair yet -- still avoiding the crowds. Still, as a newcomer to Minnesota, I should go, for no other reason to explore the food booths.

Now, I've been warned that fair food can be unhealthy and if not eaten soon, less than appetizing. But I might find something good there -- and I'm not talking about corn dogs.

Tim Nelson's story on fair food has me wondering whether at the fair I might find the Caribbean food I grew accustomed to in Florida: Cuban, Jamaican, Haitian and Puerto Rican cuisine -- though I kind of doubt it.

And since this is Independence Day in Trinidad & Tobago, roti is in order.

Can anybody help a newcomer out?

(7 Comments)