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News Cut: October 8, 2012 Archive

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Why do we still have Columbus Day? (5x8 - 10/8/12)

Posted at 7:22 AM on October 8, 2012 by Bob Collins (5 Comments)
Filed under: Five by 8

The history of Columbus Day, a good run in the Twin Cities, going Full Cycle, farewell Midway Stadium, and for the love of apples.

Continue reading " Why do we still have Columbus Day? (5x8 - 10/8/12)"

Who doesn't like Big Bird?

Posted at 10:49 AM on October 8, 2012 by Bob Collins (12 Comments)
Filed under: Icons

Who doesn't like Big Bird? Apparently, quite a few people.

Public Policy Polling released its poll of Virginia voters today and has thrown in some questions about Big Bird.

Clearly, this is aimed at Gov. Romney's comments in last week's presidential debate that he'd like to cut PBS funding.

But the question in the poll was on a favorability rating for Big Bird, not his employer. And nearly half of those surveyed aren't sure they favor the Bird or don't like him (or her, whatever).

big_bird_1.jpg

A subsequent question asks specifically about PBS funding. And there, people are more sure of their opinion.

big_bird_2.jpg

A possible future polling question might be whether people don't favor Big Bird because they don't like funding of PBS, or whether people don't like funding of PBS because they don't like Big Bird.

Who doesn't like Big Bird?

(12 Comments)

Lynx star stopped by cops for air freshener

Posted at 12:00 PM on October 8, 2012 by Bob Collins (23 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice, Sports

The air-freshener-off-the-rear-view-mirror crime has apparently nabbed Minnesota Lynx star Seimone Augustus.

Augustus, who is black, is tweeting today that she was stopped in Roseville for having the air freshener -- which is technically a violation of the law -- but was then quizzed because of alleged crime in the area.

In many cases, police aren't all that concerned about air fresheners; they're looking for a legal reason to stop a motorist.

The air freshener justification for being stopped by police has been widely cited by those who are convinced they were stopped for "driving while black." The illegal air freshener gives police the probable cause to stop a car beyond the possibility they were actually stopped for their race, according to the ACLU. Frequently, police search the vehicles.

It's all perfectly legal. The Supreme Court said so in 1996.

In 2008, a federal appeals court ruled that a driver can be stopped for up to 30 minutes when pulled over for air fresheners. And last year, an immigration case in Illinois hinged on the air freshener debate. It, too, was upheld.

Here's how the law reads in the state:


169.71 WINDSHIELD.
Subdivision 1.Prohibitions generally; exceptions.

(a) A person shall not drive or operate any motor vehicle with:

(1) a windshield cracked or discolored to an extent to limit or obstruct proper vision;

(2) any objects suspended between the driver and the windshield, other than:

(i) sun visors;

(ii) rearview mirrors;

(iii) driver feedback and safety-monitoring equipment when mounted immediately behind, slightly above, or slightly below the rearview mirror;

(iv) global positioning systems or navigation systems when mounted or located near the bottommost portion of the windshield; and

(v) electronic toll collection devices; or

(3) any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, sidewings, or side or rear windows of the vehicle, other than a certificate or other paper required to be so displayed by law or authorized by the state director of the Division of Emergency Management or the commissioner of public safety.

(23 Comments)

One man ran a marathon without setting foot on the course

Posted at 2:40 PM on October 8, 2012 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: People doing good

IMG_0486.jpg

This may not look like one person's relaxing day off or another's lifeline, but that's what it is. Karl Stoerzinger at Freewheel Bikes writes on the blog, The Golden Wrench, about a wheelchair athlete from Spain in one of Saturday's Twin Cities marathon events. The airline damaged the wheel "gizmo" that turns a wheelchair into a hand-crank racing vehicle.

He had only a few hours to try to solve the problem. So he designed and created a new piece by hand. On his day off.

"I did the concept and design work in my head, made a few simple sketches, and pretty much went from one logical step to the next until I had a working part," he writes. "If I goofed up anywhere along the way, I certainly wouldn't have time to start over again. Fortunately, everything went perfectly."

At 8 Friday night, he says, he ran the part to a hotel in Saint Paul and assembled the entire contraption in the lobby.

IMG_0491.jpg

The next morning at 7:30, she was racing in the 10K event.

(h/t: Phil Kaasa )

(1 Comments)

The homecoming

Posted at 3:33 PM on October 8, 2012 by Bob Collins (1 Comments)
Filed under: War

It happened in South Carolina on Saturday. The young family of a soldier was on the sidelines for a tribute to the off-in-the-service soldier father/husband -- pretty much the sort of thing we see at sporting events around here these days.

But we don't usually see this...

The family is originally from South Carolina, but has moved around as the military transferred Sgt. 1st Class Scott Faile from one post to another. Of late, he's been in Korea. They've been in Georgia.

(1 Comments)
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