Killing bees and butterflies
from LeftMN by Lois Schadewald
Last Friday’s Star Tribune reports that the monarch butterfly population is at an all time low this year citing the factors of last year’s drought and loss of habitat as the culprits. There may be other factors at work, too.
The same issue of the paper includes a review of More than Honey, a documentary concerning the world-wide collapse of the honey bee population. Most articles that you read about this cite a combination of factors for this phenomenon, including loss of habitat, weakened immune systems of the bees and use of neonicotinoid type pesticides.
Those colorful newsboxes
from streets.mn by Reuben Collins
Do these publications provide value to the residents of the city? Of course they provide literal value (and costs) to the city, in the sense that the box owners pay an annual licensing fee for each box (and subsequently staff time must be devoted to management), but beyond that, is this information actually useful to residents?
A weakness of Facebook likes and ads for political campaigns
from The Deets by Ed Kohler
If you want to follow an organization, company, politician on Facebook, you have to “Like” them. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you like them, but you still have to like them if you’re interested in following what they’re posting to Facebook. This can get really odd at times.
Minnesota revenues are about average
from Minnesota Budget Bites by Caitlin Biegler
We rank 27th among the 50 states in total revenues as a share of personal income. This comprehensive measure of state and local government revenues includes a broad range of revenue sources, including taxes, federal funds and public university revenues. Measuring revenues as a share of personal income allows us to compare states in a way that takes into account the size of the state’s economy.
OMG, you guys, what can we do to put ourselves on the map?
from Minnesota Brown by Aaron J. Brown
I'm parked 280 miles north in the woods surrounding the Mesabi Iron Range. So what would our new slogan be?
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