Today's Question Blog

January 6, 2014 2:57 AM

What is your most vivid cold weather memory?

Frozen fairgrounds. #tellmpr pic.twitter.com/9yu3nDYBAZ — Jeffrey Thompson (@jeffreythompson) January 6, 2014 Minnesota is colder than Mars today. It is expected to warm up a bit tomorrow, but temperatures will be nearly as cold as they were this morning. Cold comfort: at -50 Siberia is still colder. Temperatures on Monday will not likely break the Twin Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 3, 2014 1:17 AM

How closely do you record the developments in your life?

An unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates NPR’s David Green spoke with two people involved with the Quantified Self movement who belive that if you want to make your life better you need to keep track of it. Green chatted with Kitty Ireland, who works for a life logging app called Saga, and Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 2, 2014 1:19 AM

Is serving ‘the loaf’ to prisoners cruel and unusual punishment?

Those who misbehave don’t get the bland, brownish lump just once. They have to eat it at every meal, for days or weeks at a time. The practice is starting to fade as more prisoners argue that it is cruel and unusual punishment. “In many prisons and jails across the U.S., punishment can come in Read more →

by Michael Olson

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December 31, 2013 1:14 AM

What is your wish for 2014?

Arrival of 2014 marked with new year celebrations in Auckland, New Zealand http://t.co/sXsklLf4fq #NYE pic.twitter.com/1fdlRhHBXR — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) December 31, 2013 Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett’s wish for 2014: ‘An end to online hate’ I’d settle for people being nicer to one another on the internet. My general rule is, if you wouldn’t have the Read more →

by Michael Olson

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December 30, 2013 1:16 AM

Does Mark Dayton deserve another term?

Sen. Mark Dayton once gave himself a failing grade for his time in Washington. He’d spent millions of his own fortune to get elected but left after one term, frustrated by his inability to get things done, writes MPR News reporter Mark Zdechlik. It’s an altogether different story for Gov. Mark Dayton. He’s found the Read more →

by Michael Olson

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December 26, 2013 1:32 PM

Is it getting easier to find products made in the U.S.?

“Since 2010, U.S. manufacturers have added 665,000 jobs. Now some economists say that doesn’t mean much. Manufacturing lost nearly 7 million jobs in the 30 years before that, so historically this could be just a blip. They expect job losses will soon continue in the long, sad story about the decline of manufacturing jobs in Read more →

by Michael Olson

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December 23, 2013 12:57 AM

Do you support Sunday liquor sales?

“The perennial debate about whether to lift Minnesota’s ban on Sunday liquor sales could get fizzier in the 2014 legislative session as citizen activists make a strong push to rally craft beer drinkers to their cause,” writes Jon Collins for MPR News. They face an uphill battle against influential business associations, a strong union and Read more →

by Michael Olson

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December 20, 2013 2:09 AM

How important is privacy to you?

The massive data breach at Target stores has justly angered many customers who are trying to protect their identity. While a breach of this scale isn’t common, personal information is inadvertently released, or stolen every day. “In a recent report, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics found that total losses attributed to identity theft in Read more →

by Michael Olson

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December 19, 2013 2:15 AM

Is Christmas a cultural or religious holiday?

Nine-in-ten Americans say they celebrate Christmas, but the meaning of the holiday is changing for many according to a new report by the Pew Research Religion & Public Life project. Only about half see Christmas mostly as a religious holiday, while one-third view it as more of a cultural holiday. Virtually all Christians (96%) celebrate Read more →

by Michael Olson

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December 18, 2013 1:30 AM

Should we be getting more of our power from nuclear energy?

“California is regarded as the leading state when it comes to addressing climate change. But in 2012, according to analysts at Rhodium Group, California’s carbon emissions actually increased more than 10 percent, bucking the national trend of decreases. That’s in large part because California shut down one of its few remaining nuclear power plants,” writes Read more →

by Michael Olson

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