Immigrant success stories / Jay and Mom do Macy's

Old and new, here and there: Last night I met my mom at the Macy's holiday display, which we first saw together 33 years ago, when I was two years old and the downtown department store was still called Dayton's. Then I hopped on my bike and rode through the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, where thousands of Minnesotans who have arrived from Somalia since then are working hard to succeed in their new, wintry home; and I ended up at Northrop Auditorium, where the work of Alaskan-turned-Minnesotan choreographer Emily Johnson was being showcased. It was a good night. - Jay Gabler Swedish delegation studies successes of Minneapolis Somali immigrants By Eliana Gramer and Larissa Peifer, TC Daily Planet Two dozen Swedish delegates-professionals from various governmental and academic entities working in community development-came to Minnesota in October to see first-hand the economic success and integration of the Somali-American community firsthand and to take new ideas home to the growing Somali population in Sweden. MORE » Spending "A Day in the Life of an Elf," with Mom, at Macy's Minneapolis By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet "Who would have thought," asked my mom, putting her arm around me, "it would be you and me again, 37 years later?"MORE » "Whoa, Mom," I corrected her. "Only 33 years." Macy's—Minneapolis Low-paid workers ask retail companies to clean up their act By A.J. MacDonald, TC Daily Planet "I was fired for standing up for my rights," Patricia Gil, who used to work cleaning a Lunds & Byerly's grocery store, said through a translator.MORE » CTUL helps workers claim their wages By Andrea Richards, TC Daily Planet "When someone is a low-wage worker living below the poverty line, you live pay check to pay check, when you miss a pay check you are choosing between books for children, food for your family, rent for your house.MORE » Emmer files petition with Supreme Court, Dayton camp calls it delay tactic By Andy Birkey, Minnesota Independent The Republican Party of Minnesota and Tom Emmer's gubernatorial campaign filed a petition Wednesday with the Minnesota Supreme Court alleging that more people voted in the 2010 election than registered.MORE » DANCE | Emily Johnson breaks boundaries and wins hearts at Northrop By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet "So what did you think?" asked my friend as we biked across the Washington Avenue Bridge after seeing Emily Johnson's The Thank-You Bar at Northrop Auditorium.MORE » I thought for a second. "You know," I responded, "how sometimes the people who annoy you the most are also the people you love the most? This show is like that." Northrop Auditorium, University of Minnesota MOVIES | 15 documentary features advance in 2010 Oscar race By Barb Teed, TC Daily Planet The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 83rd Academy Awards. 101 pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:MORE » Witness for MN GOP has history of making inaccurate claims By Mike McIntee, The Uptake Minnesota's Republican Party didn't have to go far to find witnesses for its pre-recount petition that the Minnesota Supreme Court is considering. Many, and possibly all of the 11 election judges who submitted sworn statements saying that proper counting procedures may not have been followed on election night are known Republicans.MORE » This week's highlights Give to the Max—and double your dollars to support TC Daily Planet by Sheldon Mains, TC Daily Planet While other media only cover Twin Cities neighborhoods when something bad happens, we cover them all the time. And we are working to provide even more coverage of all the Twin Cities --with our media partners (local and ethnic media in the Twin Cities), with citizen journalists telling their own stories, with our Free Speech Zone, and with 98 new neighborhood pages (one for each neighborhood in St. Paul and Minneapolis). ... Since TCMA was chosen to participate in the Challenge Fund for Journalism, every dollar you donate to TCDP is matched by the Challenge Fund--a 2-for-1 deal!!! REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK | Hey, Sheriff Fletcher—I've got a question by Karen Hollish • Three emails, five voice mails and 23 days later, I finally heard back from the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office about our Data Practices Act request. Sweeping changes, some closures ahead for St. Paul Parks and Recreation by AJ MacDonald, TC Daily Planet A draft of the St. Paul Parks and Recreation System Plan, proposing sweeping changes to parks, buildings, and other recreational facilities across the city, sparked discussion at the first of five public meetings, held November 3 at the Hillcrest Recreation Center. The proposed closing of the Duluth and Case Recreation Center, located at 1020 Duluth St. in East St. Paul, and added dog parks were attendees' main concerns. [Final open houses for comment: November 15 and 18-see sidebar.] Want to feed the poor in Minneapolis? Not without a permit! by Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet The Hospitality Train has been derailed again, this time by the Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED.) Last month, TC Daily Planet's Amanda Noventa wrote about the project of Missio Dei, a group that for the past two years has hosted meals on Saturdays at a West Bank vacant lot. Local businesses and City Councilmember Cam Gordon voiced support for the group's soup and socializing mission. THEATER | Cowboy Versus Samurai by Mu Performing Arts at the Guthrie Theater: Tofu con queso by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet Is it just that I was a kid excited to be putting my homework off, or were 80s sitcoms like The Cosby Show, Family Ties, and Roseanne actually good shows, sometimes handling serious themes with substance and gravity despite the presence of goofy supporting characters like Skippy the neighbor and little Rudy's misogynist boyfriend Bud? The question is relevant to this review because if the answer is yes, it means that there might have been a way for Mu Performing Arts' Cowboy Versus Samurai to succeed. Getting planning on track: Twin Cities organizing around $5 million HUD transit corridor grant by Jessie Lieb, TC Daily Planet As planning for development along the five major corridors begins, community members hope to have a say in the process. On October 14, HUD awarded the Metropolitan Council a $5 million grant, which is part of a nationwide $100 million HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant to create sustainable communities by integrating affordable housing, the environment, and transportation. The next generation of public housing: A closer look at the "Rental Housing Revitalization Act" by Sharon Rolenc, TC Daily Planet The nation's public housing system is poised to undergo historic changes. Some housing advocates are saying "too much, too soon," while other contend it can't happen soon enough. After years of federal disinvestment, embattled public housing authorities across the country are struggling to deal with leaky roofs, mold infestation, broken elevators that prevent easy accessibility, and even investigations into "mismanagement." MOVIES | Trylon Premiere Tuesdays begin with Valhalla Rising, the first good Viking move. Ever. by Erik McClanahan, TC Daily Planet Take-Up Productions continues to spread the filmic love for Minneapolis cinephiles with its latest new series, Trylon Premiere Tuesdays, which showcases a Twin Cities premiere of a new film on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Spearheaded by Minneapolis film blogger Kathie Smith, the series starts strong with Valhalla Rising, a graphic, brooding Viking tale that will surely show up on my year-end top ten list. MUSIC | Tapes 'N Tapes play Outside at the Turf Club by Jeff Rutherford, TC Daily Planet In celebration of their forthcoming album Outside, Tapes 'N Tapes decided to play their new material at the Turf Club in St. Paul on Thursday night, along with many older songs as well. VISUAL ARTS | Is this ART? Isles sculpture raises the issue and more by Bruce Cochran, Uptown Neighborhood News Babies reach out for it, children like to climb on it and adults are curious. MN VOICES | Jim Northrup writes on the Rez Road by Stephanie Fox, TC Daily Planet For more than 21 years, Jim Northrup has been one of the premier literary voices of the American Indian and the Midwest writers' communities. He is a playwright, a fiction writer, a newspaper columnist and teacher, but he calls himself a bullshitter - another name he says, for a storyteller. They want a DREAM: Minnesota's undocumented students talk about their future by Eliana Gramer and Larissa Peifer, TC Daily Planet David* has been living in St. Paul since 2003, when his family decided to move from Mexico to the United States. For them the move was a long wished-for family reunion—his father and other family members were already living in Minnesota. David was 14 when his family brought him here. MUSIC | Free Energy's Paul Sprangers: "We see ourselves as being a Minnesota band" by Leslie Kruempel, TC Daily Planet There are a few Minnesota bands whose live performances have a reputation for being especially electrifying. City Pages' 2009 Picked to Click winner Red Pens are one; garage-punk rockers the Goondas (on this year's list) are another. And while not technically local, Philadelphia-based band Free Energy also fit squarely in this category. Sisters' Camelot: Feeding Minneapolis, one bus at a time by Jeanette Fordyce, TC Daily Planet The food share bus, a mobile food shelf, is the bulk of the work of Sisters' Camelot. No identification nor paperwork is required of those receiving the produce. "You know people are feeding others when they take a large box of bananas back with them." said Czernik. MUSIC | Southern Songbook gets off to a swingin' start by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet The Southern Songbook, a three-concert series presented by the Southern Theater, swung into action Sunday night with a warm and diverse show featuring local performers spanning genres from hip-hop to funk to jazz. The evening's theme was "Lush Life," spotlighting the jazz-pop songs that constitute "the Great American Songbook." THEATER | Tim & Eric Awesome Tour, Great Job! Chrimbus Spectacular 2010 changed my life by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet You're reading this because you want to know about the Tim & Eric Awesome Tour, Great Job! Chrimbus Spectacular, which stopped at the State Theatre on Wednesday night. You want me to tell you about it. But honestly, how could I? Could I describe the sight of dewdrops on a butterfly's wings? Taking on tree terrorists: St. Paul's new trees fight Emerald Ash Borer by Sarah Vig, TC Daily Planet Call it a pre-emptive strike against hostile invaders. E.g. bailey: "We have been determined not to allow spoken word to be a fad in Minnesota" by Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet Iconic spoken word performer e.g. bailey emerged in the late 90s, knocking around here, getting his presence felt there, and made a strong impression as part of the performing ensemble Sirius B when they made their 1996 Illusion Theater debut with Monday Morning Body Count, a spotty but compelling work commenting on the rate of homicide among black men. From there, he tirelessly threw his shoulder to the wheel and is now the most vastly accomplished proponent of spoken word in either of the Twin Towns. Minneapolis Community and Technical College joins top universities in education reform project by Lisa Steinmann, TC Daily Planet One thing is clear about the future of higher education, according to Linnea Stenson, Associate Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs at Minneapolis Community and Technical College (MCTC): "The days of a single career track are gone." Students must prepare for a future where they will probably change jobs ten times in their lifetime. "The reason general education courses are important," said Stenson, "is because you have to learn how to change jobs and how to change your life." MUSIC | At First Avenue, Cloud Cult are welcomed warmly home by Natalie Gallagher, TC Daily Planet The energy at Cloud Cult's Wednesday night show at First Avenue (first of two they've nearly sold out, with openers Fort Wilson Riot) was a lot like a welcome home party—a joyous night that had more of a family vibe than a rock show vibe. For what it's worth, Cloud Cult have earned the right to celebrate a little. NEW IN BLOGS ENGAGE MINNESOTA | Muslims in Minnesota condemning terrorism by Mallerie Shirley • Twin Cities artist Kirsten Stephens wanted to give Muslims a chance to publicly speak out against terrorism, because people keep on saying that there's not enough of that. FACTS AND FICTIONS | Another dream by Eleanor Arneson • I was in a small, dark cell. There was an opening at the top, large enough for me to get a hand through. OUTSIDE THE WALLS | On turning 65 by Dick Bernard • Today, my brother is 65. He's the cherub in the blankets in the photo taken probably in very early 1946. HINDSIGHT 2020 | Create the right job, not just any job by Joe Sheeran • The new wave of conservative policymakers in Minnesota's statehouse campaigned on the slogan of putting people back to work. That brings up an interesting question. What kind of jobs do they intend to create? POKING AROUND | Universal Children's Day by Mary Treacy • Attention to the rights of children as an issue, much less a movement, is of recent vintage.
The Twin Cities Daily Planet is a project of the Twin Cities Media Alliance 2600 East Franklin Avenue Minneapolis, MN, 55406 Unsubscribe