So I’ve done the work: finding dad-friendly gifts from Minnesota and Wisconsin companies. Any of these gifts are guaranteed to make your dad happy.

Taki Watches

Dads love watches, and Taki Watches is a Twin Cities company, run by David Spencer. He created OGI Eyewear in 1997.

For Father’s Day, Taki is taking $30 off the Boone, Penn and Kenwood watches. They feature very stylish designs and bright colors. The watches (on sale) are $69 each. You can also find Taki Watches at Hammer Made in Edina’s Galleria Mall.

Man Law BBQ Tools

Man Law — sounds perfect for Dad, right? It’s a Rockford, Minnesota company owned by Eric Halberg. The Man Law 3-piece wood handle set is awesome: oversized, heavy duty, heavy weight handles, and perfect for dad.

The 3-piece set includes a set of tongs, a spatula and a fork, it costs about $50 on Amazon.com.

Minnesota/Wisconsin Booze

You can’t go wrong by getting your dad a special bottle of booze. 45th Parallel Vodka is made in Wisconsin – by a couple of Twin Cities guys and retails at $30 – $40 at local liquor stores.

Prairie Organic Vodka gets its grain from three family farms. It’s distilled in Benson, Minnesota and bottled in Princeton by Ed Phillips and Sons, a Minneapolis company. It’s also delicious.

And Death’s Door Gin is made near Madison, Wisconsin. The organic wheat in the base comes from Washington Island. It’s clean and unique – the perfect spirit for sipping or mixing.

iPad Stands

Solid Manufacturing Company is in Bloomington, Minnesota. They make a beautiful and minimalist iPad stand from white ash wood. The grains on each piece are unique, because they’re made by hand. Everything they sell is designed and manufactured in the Twin Cities. The iPad stand is just $35.

Pad & Quill is another Twin Cities company, making extremely unique iPad cases from leather, the cases look like books. The Graduate Edition case is two tones of leather, with access to the camera and on-off switch. It retails for $60.

Leather Wallet

A wallet is always a nice gift, but why not get the Dad Billfold from Leatherworks Minnesota in St. Paul Park. The wallet has burnished edges and the quality of a handmade product, it costs $50 and is available in Black, Red Maple, Natural, Tan, Black Cherry.

Ethnotek Messenger Bags

Ethnotek is a Minneapolis company that makes cool laptop bags that incorporate a panel that’s a handmade ethnic textile.

The company partners with local artisans in Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia and Vietnam to create the textiles used in the bags. Ethnotek’s team scours the globe for talented artists and her company provides and helps provide a sustainable living for them by buying from them directly (including founder Jake Orak, who does most of the scouring).

Each Ethnotek bag can be customized via the removable front panel called a THREAD. Each THREAD is created from handmade textiles that are sourced in person and purchased directly from the artisan or craft village in which they were created. The THREAD lets people update the look of their bag without having to buy a new one entirely.

I think Dad would love the Vietnam 4 laptop messenger bag. It’s $159, but if you use the code DADSROCK at checkout by Thursday, you’ll get 25% off, so that’s about $120. I also like the limited edition Ghana backpack.

You can also buy their bags locally at REI, Cliche, ALT, Forage Modern Workshop and Midwest Mountaineering.

I was intrigued! Could we find a mathematical equation for efficient shoveling? Should we do horizontal stripes down the length of the driveway? Verticals across the width? Start in the middle and work to the sides?
So I reached out to Larry Gray, a mathematician at the University of Minnesota. And he promptly stuck a pin in my balloon.

“This is the kind of question that could be approached mathematically, but there are so many variables that it probably wouldn’t be a good way to find an answer,” Gray said.

Here’s the problem: your strength, the type of shovel, the depth and weight of the snow, the stickiness of the bottom layer to the driveway, the width of the driveway all make a difference.

Plus: are you a pusher or a tosser?

“One might think: working from the middle outward means minimizing the total distance moved per cubic foot of snow, so that’s the best method,” Gray said. “But if you are primarily tossing the snow from your shovel, it doesn’t really matter where you start, and the wind will play a significant role in which direction you toss it.”

My driveway is too wide to toss the snow, quite frankly, so I’m a pusher.

“If you are primarily pushing the snow, then you have to take into account the inefficiency created by walking back and forth to the middle, and then the depth and weight of the snow, the width of your shovel, the width of the driveway, your personal strength, and so on are all going to play significant roles in how this inefficiency affects the overall outcome,” he said.

So all that walking back to the midpoint is wasted energy, although you’re not hauling snow, so there’s that.

Sometimes a good question doesn’t have a very good answer, and that’s why we’re not putting this one on TV tonight, Suki.

The professor’s advice? “People will find what works best for them if they simply pay attention to what they are doing.”

I solved this dilemma last year: I bought a snowblower.

I’ve compiled a list of the currently active Best Restaurant Gift Card Deals for Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the suburbs. Because deals keep getting announced, bookmark this page, and I’ll keep updating it throughout the 2012 Holiday Season. Most of these gift card deals can be redeemed at the online link, but some are in-store only.

If you know of other deals that should be on the list, send me an email.

RESTAURANT GROUPS

CRAVE: Buy $100, get $20 (or donate $20 to a nonprofit)

http://craveamerica.com/giftcards.html

D’Amico Restaurants: Buy $100 get $25
D’Amico Kitchen, D’Amico & Sons, Café Lurcat, Campiello, Parma 8200, Gather, Masa

http://www.damico.com/gift_card/index.html

Hemisphere Restaurants: Spend $25, Get $5 ($100 – get $25)
Mission American, Atlas Grill, Flame Rotisserie, Tavern Grill, Tavern on France

http://hrprestaurants.com/gift-cards

Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant Group: Spend $100, Get $25
Big Bowl, Wildfire, Magic Pan Crepe, Tucci Benucch, Twin City Grill,

http://www.leye.com/gift-cards

Parasole Restaurants: $100 for them, $25 for you
Manny’s, Mozza Mia, Uptown Cafeteria, Burger Jones, Chino Latino, Salut, Pittsburgh Blue, Muffuletta, Good Earth,

http://store.parasole.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=7

Blue Plate Restaurant Group: Spend $100, get discount book valued at $100 – coupons for various Blue Plate restaurants
Edina Grill, Highland Grill, Longfellow Grill, 3 Squares Restaurant, Groveland Tap, Scusi, The Lowry

http://blueplaterestaurantcompany.com/

Morrisey Restaurant Group: $100 gift card, 5 $20 promo gift cards
St. Paul Grill, Pazzaluna, Tria, Enjoy!, Crossings Inn & Suites, Paradise Landing, St. Paul Hotel

http://www.stpaulgrill.com/store/results/

LOCAL RESTAURANTS

Axel’s Bonfire: Buy $100, get $20 (good Jan 2013-March)

http://www.facebook.com/AxelsBonfire

Barrio: Buy $100, Get $25 (in-store only)
www.barriotequila.com

Birdhouse: Get $50 for $37.50 (online only)

http://www.birdhousempls.com/connect/

Broders’ Pasta Bar and Cucina: Buy $100, Get $20

http://store.broders.com/categories/Gift-Card/

BLVD Kitchen & Bar: Spend $100, Get $20

https://www.facebook.com/BLVDkitchen

Davanni’s: Buy $25, Get $5

https://www.davannis.com/giftcards

Heidi’s: Get $100 for $75 (online only)

http://heidismpls.com/stewpon/

FireLake Restaurant: Buy $100, Get $20

http://firelakerestaurant.com/gift_cardsb.php

Kincaid’s: All gift cards 20% off

https://www.jettdirect.com/RU/

Lucky’s 13 Pub: Buy $100, Get $20

http://www.luckys13pub.com/

Mill Valley Kitchen: Spend $25, Get $5 ($100 – get $25)

http://www.facebook.com/MillValleyKitchen

Murray’s Restaurant: Buy $100, get $25

http://www.murraysrestaurant.com/gift-cards.html

Nonna Rossa: Buy $50, Get $10 promotional gift certificate

http://www.nonnarosaswinebar.com/productinfo_v3.aspx?productid=GIFT-CARD

Oceanaire: Buy $100, get $20 (for use in 2013)

http://www.theoceanaire.com/GiftCards.aspx

Origami Restaurants: Buy $100, Get $15

http://www.origamirestaurant.com/promotions/gift_card_2012/giftcard.html

Pizza Luce: Spend $100 get $25

https://pizzaluce.com/giftcards/

Pizzeria Lola: Buy $100, Get $20

http://www.pizzerialola.com/

Prima Restaurant: Spend $100, get $20

http://www.primamn.com/promotions.php

Rudolph’s Ribs: Buy $100, Get $25

http://www.rudolphsribs.com

Saffron: Buy $50, Get $10; Buy $100, Get $20

http://www.saffronmpls.com/giftcards.html

Sample Room: Spend $100, Get $26

http://www.the-sample-room.com/

Seven Steakhouse & Sushi: Spend $100, Get $25

https://7steakhouse.com/7mpls/certificates.php

Solera Cocina de Espana: Spend $100, Get $25

http://www.solera-restaurant.com/contact.html

St. Clair Broiler: Buy $100, Get $25

http://www.stclairbroiler.com

Stella’s Fish Café: Lobster Bake for 2 for $83; or Spend $100, Get $25 (in-store or phone 612-824-TUNA only)

http://stellasfishcafe.com/

Vincent A Restaurant: Buy $100, Get $25

http://vincentarestaurant.com/

Zen Box Izakaya: Spend $100, Get $25 (good in Jan 2013)

http://www.facebook.com/zenboxizakaya

NATIONAL CHAINS

Applebee’s: Buy $50 get $10

http://applebees.com/gift-cards

Buca: Spend $50, get $10 (good Jan. 2013-Feb. 10)

http://www.bucadibeppo.com/gift-cards/

Capital Grille: Buy $500, get $50

https://gift.thecapitalgrille.com/giftcard/

Chipotle: Buy $30, get a free burrito

http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/html/holidaygiftcard.html

Famous Dave’s: Spend $25, Get $5 bonus card (in store only)

http://www.famousdaves.com

Green Mill: Buy $50, Get $10

http://www.greenmill.com/gift-cards

Leeann Chin: Buy $25, Get $5; Buy $40, Get $10 voucher (in-store only, use voucher in Jan.)

http://www.leeannchin.com

Outback: Spend $100, get $20

http://www.outback.com/gift-card/

Ruby Tuesday: Buy $50, Get $15 bonus coupon (good Jan-Feb 2013)

http://www.rubytuesday.com/gift-cards/

TGIFridays: Spend $25 get $5 bonus

http://www.tgifridays.com/giftcards

Which Which: Buy $20, get $5

https://whichwich.cashstar.com/gift-card/buy/

We have city-run liquor stores here. We only recently allowed breweries to have their own tap rooms.

So no surprise that Lee Ann Chevrette emailed me today, “When I was younger the bar & Liquor stores were closed till after polling. When did this all change??”

I had to ask around, because most of my coworkers didn’t remember that.

Turns out, Minnesota outlawed liquor sales on national election days until 1985, according to the Secretary of State’s office — so 28 years ago.

According to Time.com, Kentucky and South Carolina remain the only two states without booze on election day. Mind you, prohibition was repealed 79 years ago!

In Kentucky, the booze ban lasts until polls close (6 p.m.). In South Carolina, it goes all day.

Since 2008, Indiana, Delaware, Utah, Idaho, and West Virginia have lifted their bans.

Why did they exist in the first place? Two reasons.

First, there was fear that people would pay off voters with booze (which would be nice, if you ask me).

Second, saloons were polling places back in the day. There is an existing Minnesota law that doesn’t allow voting to take place in a location that serves or sells alcohol.

The strangest thing about election night is the free food. A news director would be literally killed if he or she did not provide food. There are boxed dinners for the crews in the field, pizzas for the people in the newsroom. Why? I’m not sure. But it is tradition. And don’t mess with TV news people and their right to have free food.

I shot this video when all the crews started arriving at work today:

I remember watching my first election night in 1984. Ronald Reagan versus Walter Mondale. I was a 9-year-old in suburban Chicago, already dreaming of a future in broadcasting. On this night, I pinch myself: The kid who loved politics, history, and broadcasting gets to be on television sharing the next chapter of our nation’s history with you.

See you at 10!

I checked with the Secretary of State’s office, and indeed, the state buys the sticker and distributes them to local election officials.

“The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State purchases the “I Voted” stickers to promote voter participation,” said assistant communications director Pat Turgeon. “The stickers cost $.002368 per sticker.”

Turgeon told me the office ordered 4.2 million stickers this year at a cost of $10,182. Some have asked if the stickers are made in the USA, Turgeon said they’re ordered through Office Max. She’s pretty sure she designed them, too (part of her gig at the SOS’s office).

There’s good research that supports the value of an “I Voted” sticker. Yale University researchers found that emphasizing high turnout motivates on-the-fence voters (via The Atlantic).

When you see an “I Voted” sticker, it reinforces that you should also go vote. For two-tenths of a cent per sticker, it’s not a bad investment, right?

Gallery: Voters Flock To Minnesota Polls

Years ago, the candidates just stopped advertising on Election Day. The idea was that people had already made up their minds.

But now if there’s money left to be spent, the campaigns spend it. They’re not trying to convince people to change their minds, they’re trying to motivate their supporters to get out and vote.

North Dakota actually had a law that bans all campaigning on election day. No ads, no signs, no nothing. But there was a recent lawsuit to overturn the ban, and at least for now, a federal judge has thrown the ban out. The argument is that the ban is an unconstitutional limit on free speech.

Plenty of North Dakota candidates have stopped campaigning, anyway. Candidates used to just not waste their money, but now Election Day advertising is part of the strategy. A lot of candidates fill the air with upbeat, positive ads, a break from the negative. Of course, all the ads will end Wednesday.

Incidentally, Kentucky and South Carolina ban alcohol sales on Election Day.

As you may know, I have a side-life as a food writer. I do “DeRusha Eats” segments for our Saturday morning news on WCCO, and I write for Minnesota Monthly magazine.

So I was most interested in what Chef Paul Berglund put on the menu on Friday for President Barack Obama at The Bachelor Farmer, the restaurant owned by the sons of Gov. Mark Dayton.

They started with non-alcoholic beverages (it’s a proper Minnesota lunch) of Sanbitter (an Italian soda), pressed orange juice, white verjus, seltzer and lemon. Sounds refreshing.

Then it was onto house-smoked pork breast, spiced pork rillettes (kind of like a pate), Dijon mustard, and chives from the rooftop of the restaurant and a puree of English pea and crème fraiche, radish, mint, and Parmesean.

The appetizer was followed by a salad course from Laughing Loon Farms, early summer vegetables and flowers, aged goat’s cheese, and pistachios topped with a cider vinaigrette.

The main course was a choice: salmon or chicken. The Copper River sockeye salmon came with a Choron sauce (béarnaise without tarragon or chervil, plus added tomato), new potatoes, grilled asparagus and tarragon.

The chicken was roasted with an arugula-bread salad, chicken confit, and pickled shallots.  I think I would have done the chicken.

The menu is really cool. It was designed by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s DesignWorks studio, the in-house, on-campus design studio.

The Bachelor Farmer’s owners, Eric and Andrew Dayton, shared a joint statement with me about the lunch: “It was a thrill and a tremendous honor to host the President in our restaurant.  And we’re incredibly proud of our entire team for the terrific job they did today.”

On Sunday, we heard that her autopsy was complete, but it was going to take several more weeks to get the toxicology results back. Why?

Rich in Brooklyn Center, John in Mounds View, Teri in Redwood Falls, and I wondered, is it a backlog at the lab or a technological limitation?

USA Today explained – it really is about the details of the technology.

During an autopsy, the coroner takes several fluid samples from the body: blood and urine samples are taken to find out if there are chemicals in the body. Just like during a drunken driving blood screen, they look for alcohol, barbiturates, amphetamines, opiates, and common prescriptions.

It takes a day to assign the samples, a day or two to run the test, then another day to interpret the results. These things can be somewhat sped up if the case is time-sensitive, but in the case of Whitney Houston, time is not an issue. There’s no foul play suspected.

That first screen doesn’t tell you how much of any of those drugs are in the system, just if there drugs in the system.

According to USA Today, “investigators take those initial results and then do a more precise test called ‘gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.’ That typically takes two to three days and shows concentrations of the chemicals.”

But in a high-profile case, doctors do multiple tests and re-tests. With Amy Winehouse, it was the same deal. CNN wrote about how complex things are when someone has multiple drugs in their system.

“Drugs could be present in very minute levels, in measurements like parts per million or parts per billion,” they explained, “it’s like “searching for five black marbles in a pile of 1 million white marbles.”

So it’s partially a workload issue and partially a technology issue. Having bad results sooner doesn’t do anyone any good, and that’s why law enforcement will often give a four to eight week timeline.

It’s a Good Question — but the reality is, candidates rarely have much money left in the bank. In fact, we reported that former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty left the Presidential race with $453,000 of debt.

Rep. Michele Bachmann likely will also have debt. But if she happens to have money left in her campaign coffers, she can do a couple things:

• You can donate an unlimited amount of money to a charity

• You can donate an unlimited amount to a political party

• You can donate (within Federal election limits) to other national, state or local political candidates

• You can save it for another race

The biggest thing candidates can’t do with leftover money is to use it for personal expenses. In the “good ol’ days,” retiring lawmakers used to save the extra campaign cash and use it to go on vacation, buy a new Cadillac, that kind of deal. But in 1989, the Ethics Reform Act put an end to that practice.

Source: FEC

The estate planning community has been all abuzz about our Good Question on “What happens if you don’t have a will?” that re-aired on Monday night [link]. I’m pretty sure these lawyers are excited that the news media is talking about the issue of wills, since only about one in eight Minnesotans have one.

At least I think they’re excited, when lawyers send e-mails about news stories, they tend to be several pages long. (I kid, lawyers! Don’t sue me.)

Many of them wanted to add some detail that would have been hard to get across in a two-minute story. So with their help, we’ve put together a few more bullet points to help you decide whether or not you need a will, and what happens if you don’t have one.

• Everyone has a will: either written by their lawyer or by state law

If you don’t have your own will, there are procedures set up as to how your estate gets divided. Things get complicated pretty quickly, considering how complicated our families are today. That’s why attorney Megan Kraby recommends at least checking with a lawyer to see what your situation requires.

“As an estate planner, I want people to know that not everyone’s situation is the same and that what worked for Harry down the street might be disastrous for you from a planning and tax perspective,” wrote Kraby.

In general, if you don’t have a will, in Minnesota this is what happens: If you have a “traditional” family, a spouse and all the kids belong to you both, then the spouse gets everything. If you have a blended family: your spouse gets the first $150,000 and then half of the balance, the rest gets sorted out in court. (Source: Cooper Law Firm) Obviously if you have children from another marriage, out-of-wedlock, step-children, etc., things get complicated, and if you don’t have a will, you’re stuck with the formulas set up by the state.

• The truth about writing your will on a napkin at a bar

I thought it was clear in my story that the advisable path to estate planning success was to see a lawyer. In fact, you saw my will, written by my lawyer, in fancy legal writing in the story. And Norm Bjornnes, the attorney, was clear that the bar napkin will would have to be witnessed by “a couple of disinterested third-parties.” Also, Kraby points out, “keep in mind that both the person signing the will and the witnesses cannot be under the influence of alcohol.”

Let me reinforce the concept here: don’t write your will on a bar napkin. But if you do, and you get two witnesses, it might hold up in court. Might.

• The truth about online wills

We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about online wills in the story. There are many different types of online wills of varying levels of quality.

“It is frustrating once you witness the mess that can be made from do-it-yourself estate planning and it’s not the one who made that choice who suffers – it’s the heirs who didn’t have a choice,” said Kraby.

Another lawyer friend of mine told me that you’re often better off with no will than with a garbage online will.

Kraby echoes that point: “The important distinction is that doing wills yourself can cause much more harm than good and can likely cost your heirs at least 2-3 times as much as just going to an attorney in the first place.”

• Children inherit at age 18

We stated that you may want a will in order to make sure that your kids don’t inherit all of your estate at age 21. (If my wife and I die together, my kids get a chunk of my money at 21, another chunk at 25 and another chunk at 30.) Kraby points out that “The age of majority in Minnesota is 18. Children inherit at 18.” If you want your kids to not inherit your estate until they are 21, you need a will.

Either way, this seems to be a time of increased activism – either in real life (Occupy Wall Street, Occupy MN, etc.) or in virtual life (with the massive number of online petitions).

Tonight in Good Question, we’re going to explore whether these activist efforts work.

My short list:

Protest movements: Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party, anti-Vietnam War, Civil Rights.

Petition efforts: today it’s the anti-early Black Friday sales by Target, maybe it’s saving a favorite TV show like Jericho, Arrested Development or Chuck.

What do you think? What does it take to make a protest work? What about a petition? Or are these efforts just a waste of time and energy? Share your comments, I’ll use them in Good Question tonight at 10.

Of course there’s a large chunk of our viewers who wonder — what’s the point of the protest itself? Generally speaking, the crowds in front of the Government Center in Minneapolis have been relatively small. They’ve tried to get arrested repeatedly, and they’ve failed. The main issue over the past couple days seems to be tents: they were told they can’t have tents, they brought in tents, the tents were confiscated.

People: if you’re focused on tents in the Government Plaza, you’re focused on the wrong issue.

Gail Duncan of Maple Grove emailed and raised an interesting issue: “I notice the media is emphasizing coverage of occupy wallstreet on the security issues and keeping the protesters compliant with the law rather than why this organization had to be created in the first place. Where was this intense media coverage for security of American home values, jobs and retirement funds when the Wall Street financiers were selling the future of our children and grandchildren down the tubes?”

Reg Chapman and I were talking in the newsroom last night about how the coverage of the protest itself probably should stop fairly soon. Frankly, the fact that crowds haven’t really mushroomed tells us something about Minnesotans. Perhaps we’re not really the protesting type; perhaps this crowd of protestors doesn’t resonate with the middle class working people who are upset about Wall Street, mortgages, bank fees, etc; perhaps it’s getting cold.

But the bigger issue is that the crowd is smallish, and there just isn’t news happening.

And in fact, that’s where I’m inspired by Gail’s email. Because we stop covering the protests or protestors doesn’t mean we stop covering the issue that motivated the original Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City.

What are the economic questions you want answered? What kind of coverage would tap into the anger about the economy without just showing this small group in Minneapolis. This group is a symbol of what’s happening, but its small size doesn’t really say anything to me about the desire for coverage of the economy.

If you want that kind of coverage, you need to make your voice heard.

The display is part of the magic of Christmas. Our 10 p.m. executive producer Matt Liddy was talking today about remembering waiting in line with his family when he was a kid, sweating in his snow suit, waiting to see what the Dayton’s elves dreamed up.

The elves don’t to use much imagination today. Paula Moscatelli from Blaine emailed a Good Question yesterday, asking “Why is Macy’s not changing their 8th floor display at Christmas? It has been A Day In The Life of An Elf for years?”

Kamal Bosamia, a Media Relations Manager for Macy’s in Chicago, confirmed that indeed, this year will be the fourth year of the Elf display. When it debuted in 2008, the Star Tribune was cheering for it, pointing out “the last time the show had a ‘fresh’ theme, it worked out pretty well.” Dayton’s Santa Bear became a huge deal after that exhibit debuted in 1986.

The first display was in 1963; “Santa’s Enchanted Forest,” it was called. There’s been a “The Wizard of Oz” show in 1994 and “Nutcracker” in 2007.

Here’s my then 2-year-old son Seth mesmerized by the “Nutcracker” display in 2007:

So why are they doing the same show again? I’m still waiting for the official answer from the company, but clearly cost is a concern. Building a new show every year can’t be cheap, and Macy’s doesn’t have to pay a licensing fee like they did for the shows based on other shows, like “The Wizard of Oz” or “Nutcracker.”

But what do you think about it? Do you miss the rotating shows? Does it hurt Macy’s image to repeat? What was your favorite display as a kid?

Share thoughts in the comments, and if you have pictures of you in the display, email them to me and I’ll use them in the 10 p.m. news tonight!

I realize that Twitter isn’t for everyone, and I certainly realize that Twitter isn’t for Joe Soucheray.

Joe hosts a radio show called “Garage Logic,” and he unleashed some of that ol’ fashioned logic in his Pioneer Press column this morning.

Joe got the logic started right from the headline: “If you’ve got nothing to say, Twitter is right for you.” It’s hard to even analyze that it’s so ridiculous. It’s like saying, “Television is garbage” or “Newspapers are good for wrapping fish.” Yeah, some TV is garbage, some newspapers are better suited for fish-wrapping, and some of Twitter is nonsense.

Sample pearl of wisdom, which Joe gleaned from a discussion in 2008: “Twitter, in other words, is a means by which people, mostly using their cellphones, send out the thoughts that just popped into their head, believing those thoughts to have weight by virtue of the technology used to disseminate them.”

I tweeted about Joe’s column this morning (because that’s what Twitter is REALLY for — mocking people who hate Twitter), and that led to Taylor Carik creating a hashtag “#FutureSoucherayColumns.” Taylor started with: “my new car’s XM Radio has too many stations #FutureSoucherayColumns”

Some of my other favorites:

@Brigie6 Brigitte Leininger “If you’re not home, you don’t deserve to watch the tv you missed. #futureSoucherayColumns”

@justacoolcat David: “I don’t understand the Internet, but I can say it’s worthless. #futureSoucherayColumns”

@MorningWXGuy Mike Augustyniak “Balloons that inflate on impact during a car crash? That’ll never work. #futureSoucherayColumns”

@panopticon13 Kevin Hoffman “Smart Phones: Refuge of the Stupid” #futureSoucherayColumns”

@_taylor_ “People aren’t having enough kids like they used to even tho I don’t like kids #futureSoucherayColumns”

@_taylor_ “streetlights are too bright and also too expensive #FutureSoucherayColumns”

It’ s a fun game to play at home.

Anyway, I’m fine with not liking Twitter (follow me at @DeRushaJ and @DeRushaEats), but the best thing to do about that is to not use Twitter. Just because you don’t get it — doesn’t mean it’s stupid. It just means that … well, it means you don’t get it.

Friedberg argued that rich people get no benefit in front of a jury, and when it comes to charging decisions. In fact, he argued they may have an obstacle in that Minnesota prosecutors, police and jurors work so hard to avoid the appearance of giving special treatment, they may be tougher on prominent people.

Some people on Twitter (rightly) asked if I got the perspective of a public defender who represents more poor people. That was a great idea, and I reached out to Bill Ward, the chief public defender for Hennepin County.

Since I didn’t talk to Bill on camera, I wanted to publish his comments here:

On Arrests:

“Our agency represents roughly 85 to 90 percent of the accused caught up in the criminal justice system. I do believe there are subtle differences in treatment — I’ll get to that in a moment — but not in the way folks probably think. To use the Senser case for instance, it is important to understand that the police cannot just grab people and bring them down to the station and interrogate them. To arrest, there must be probable cause. My guess — and it is merely speculation — is that the police are continuing to investigate to attempt to establish probable cause.”

The Rich Hire Good Attorneys:

Ward echoed Friedberg’s remark that people with money tend to hire a good lawyer, who will advise them (generally) to not talk to police.

“In a way, if a person has the means and the wherewithal they will contact an attorney and will be appropriately advised (this isn’t necessarily associated with socioeconomic status though — it is more with education),” he said.

The Rich Post Bail:

“To the subtle and not so subtle differences. If an individual has the means, upon arrest they will be able to post bail and not sit in jail until the case is resolved. This is a huge difference in how the poor are treated differently. The pressures of wanting to be released to be with family are not present and allows the attorney to do a full investigation to prepare for resolution or litigation. As we move forward with technologies and efficiencies in the criminal justice system in this state, this will become more apparent with the increased use of ITV (i.e. the poor may appear in court by ITV from the jail while the well-heeled will have posted bond and will appear before the judge in person).”

The Rich Pay Restitution:

“Another example is in cases involving making the complainant whole — restitution. If an individual has the means to pay the damages or loss, it can help resolve the case with potentially less sanctions against the accused (complainant is made whole). If unable to come up with restitution up front, the accused will be placed on probation and will need to pay “probation fees” until the complainant is made whole (these examples obviously reflect issues on more minor accusations/charges),” said Ward.

Last night at 5 minutes to airtime, executive producer Matt Liddy came to me and said, “We lost the signal to the fair. You may be doing sports.” We don’t do our entire newscast live from the State Fair at 10 p.m., we do have one anchor, weather and sports out there.

Technical gremlins messed with the audio, so we had a nice HD picture from the fair, but no audio. That’s a problem.

My good question (on the Lynx) aired, and then I left the anchor desk to go chat with producer Gregg Litman, who was doing sports last night.

In the meantime, we tried to get Chris Shaffer on the phone, but the signal kept dropping out. So we took a break, tried again, and failed again. I tweeted it out, and people thought I was kidding that I was going to do sports.

Nope.

——-

Then we took another break, and rather than trying a third time get Shaffer on the phone, Amelia and I took over.

——-

Believe me, it’s good we have Mark Rosen and Chris Shaffer on a nightly basis, but that was pretty fun getting through it with Amelia.

Oh, about my initiation. This weekend I’m taking on a new challenge at WCCO — I’ll be anchoring Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. and 10 pm with my good friend Liz Collin. On big news nights or during special events, I’ll be doing Saturday as well (I’ll be on this Saturday live at the fair, and then at the station at 10).

I’ll still be doing Good Question, Monday through Thursday nights at 10.

I couldn’t be more excited to be sitting next to Liz on Sunday nights, and I think we make an incredible team. Liz grew up in Worthington and in her time here, she’s been involved in covering almost every big story that’s happened: from tornados, to flooding, to the RNC Convention. She’s also our top investigative reporter, as you saw in this week’s I-TEAM story on St. Paul’s Union Station condo debacle.

I’ve been here since 2003, my wife is a Wayzata High School graduate, our two kids were born here. For 3 1/2 years I’ve been answering Good Questions, trying to help make sense of a fascinating time in our history. Before that, I was the one covering every big story. The night the 35W bridge collapsed, I was one of the first reporters on the air.

Along with meteorologist Lauren Casey and sports legend Mark Rosen, you’re not going to find a stronger line-up on Sunday nights. So I hope you’ll start tuning in (or keep tuning in) starting this weekend!

Hopefully, I won’t have to do the weather anymore.

Today’s Good Question is one I wanted to answer.

Actually, it’s not really a question at all, but I wanted to give a semi formal sign-off for the months I’ve spent answering your questions as the Good Question intern.

So what does the Good Question intern really do you may wonder (or why did Jason even need an intern?) — I’ll explain.

I shadowed Jason and Jose, the GQ photographer, as well as other reporters and anchors on assignment. I got to partake in many of the things Jason does as part of his work, whether it was doing an anchor read at WCCO-TV, chiming in at WCCO Radio, or meeting other food critics at Minnesota Monthly. Of course, I answered Good Questions for DeBlog on a weekly basis too!

I wanted this internship for a long time. I was looking up WCCO internships when I was in high school!

This opportunity has been an even better learning experience and more fun than I hoped it would be, and I encourage anyone going into broadcasting to check out the internship opportunities here.

I’ll wrap things up before this becomes (too) cheesy. For those of you who have read my articles online, thank you!

For those of you wondering what kind of a guy Jason is, he’s relatively normal—suburban, proud husband and dad, but with talent and class.

I’m so thankful to have been given this opportunity. Now I’m looking forward to graduating from the University of Minnesota in December to begin pursuing a career in reporting and anchoring.

Hope to see you on the air someday!

Abby Loe from Apple Valley wants to know: What’s the most popular food at the State Fair?

“That’s an easy one to answer,” said the fair’s marketing and communications manager Brienna Schuette. “Sweet Martha’s has been the number one for a while, at least the past four years.”

If you’ve ever waited in line at the fair for a bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies (and if you haven’t, that’s just wrong) then you’ve had the fair’s most popular food.

These non on-a-stick cookies brought in about $2.4 million at last year’s fair. That’s translates to 589, 730 dozen cookies!

The #2 and #3 spots go to good ol’ corn dogs and pronto pups, and ice cream-type desserts. Exactly 578,966 sticks were used to get fairgoers their corn dogs and pronto pups last year!

Schuette recommended other great foods at the fair that are lesser known to the public.

“There are a number of goofy ones, like the alligator and deep fried baloney on a stick,” she said. “But people from outside Minnesota love the walleye on a stick, it’s unique.”

Other than inhaling all things fried and sweet, there’s plenty off attractions to keep us busy. Kelsey Bitney from Minneapolis asked: What attractions are the most popular?

“As far as rides go, the permanent rides like the Sky Ride are always the most popular,” she said. “For exhibits, the CHS Miracle of Birth Center is by far the most popular. And people will always love the butter sculptures.”

Around 200 animals are born at the birth center each fair.

Finally, Glenn Huebner from Burnsville wants to know: Who owns the Minnesota State Fair grounds and who pays to keep them maintained?

“It’s the Minnesota State Agricultural Society. It was formed before Minnesota even became a state,” she said. “The only purpose in that society is to put on a state fair and to maintain the fairgrounds.”

All of the members in the society are volunteers so they don’t get a paycheck for their ownership of the grounds. Schuette said no tax payer money goes into the fair either.

“All the money that comes in through fair sales is either reinvested for the next year’s fair or to maintaining the grounds throughout the year.”

That’s what the editors of Money Magazine want you to believe. Or at least that’s what they want the local news in Minneapolis to report. And kudos to Money, because we’re reporting it.

Chanhassen has “good jobs right within its borders (manufacturing and technology company Emerson is based here), evening diversion (the Chanhassen Dinner Theater is the nation’s oldest and largest), and nature galore (34 parks, 11 lakes, and the enormous Minnesota Landscape Arboretum).”

Glorious.

We’re suckers for lists. We’re number 1 for working moms! We’re the best for bikes! We’re tops for hipsters! And to be gay! We’re the best!

It drives me nuts. It’s a cheap way for magazines to get publicity. Nye’s in Minneapolis is a charming place, but let’s get real, it’s not the best bar in Minneapolis, let alone the best in America. But, well done, GQ. You got us to report on it!

So how does Money arrive at Chanhassen as a top 10 small town for families? It took a lot for me to find this FAQ:

3,570
Start with all U.S. towns that have a population of 8,500 to 50,000.

1,548
Screen out places with median family income more than 200% or less than 85% of the state median; those more than 95% white; and those with poor education and crime scores.

749
Exclude retirement communities and towns with major job losses. Rank the rest based on job growth, home affordability, safety, school quality, health care, arts and leisure, diversity, and several ease-of-living criteria.

100
Factor in more data on the economy (including fiscal strength of state and local governments), jobs, housing, and schools. Weight economic data most heavily.

35
Visit towns and interview residents, assess traffic, parks, and gathering places, and consider intangibles like community spirit.

1
Select the winner based on the data and reporting.

So if your city has more than 50,000 people, you’re out. So Chanhassen isn’t one of the top 10 places to live, it’s one of the top 10 places with populations between 8,500 and 50,000. According to arbitrary data points selected by a magazine. Awesome.

And I can maybe understand Chanhassen on this list. But Arden Hills is #14? Money writes: ” On the negative side, there’s a Superfund site in the area–but the EPA estimates that the cleanup process is almost complete.”

What great news for the Vikings! The Arden Hills ammunition plant cleanup is almost complete!

Wait a minute. I’ve just been named the #2 hottest male newscaster in the Twin Cities?

I guess lists aren’t so bad after all.

Lately I’ve been dealing with some uninvited houseguests in my apartment — fruit flies. It seems like they’re everywhere right now. That got me wondering, where do fruit flies come from?

“They’re actually more common in the fall but you can find them any time of the year,” said University of Minnesota entomologist Jeff Hahn.

Fruit flies use their excellent sense of smell to lead them to the rotting fruit inside our homes.

“They can come in from outside or be brought in grocery bags with our produce,” he said. “They lay eggs on the skin of fruit so suddenly the apples on your kitchen counter may host a new generation of fruit flies.”

Turns out, fruit flies aren’t just attracted to fruit.

“All that they really care about is that it’s a fermenting, damp material, so besides fruits and vegetables they can also get in the residue of soft drinks or other wet food material,” he said.

Adult fruit flies have a quick life span but reproduce quickly, which is why they can stick around for a while.

“They go from egg to adult in as quickly as a week, but they can reproduce faster than you can get rid of them,” he said.

While these pests are annoying, they’re harmless for the most part.

“They could potentially transmit a disease if they walked on something contaminated on your counter but practically speaking, there are no medical issues with them,” he said.

The easiest way to get rid of or prevent fruit flies invading your home is to get rid of any ripening produce. There aren’t any chemicals to kill these pests.

“You need to find the food source where they’re laying the eggs,” he said. “Once that’s eliminated they’ll go away on their own.”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 broke box office records opening weekend—the film sold more tickets in a single day than any other film in history. But ticket sales don’t count when it comes to naming the most “successful” movies of all time. It’s all about the money.

Mary Thueringer from St. Louis Park wants to know why is movie’s success measured by how much money the movie grosses?

“The box office revenue is tied directly to the number of tickets sold,” said Marcus Theatres Communications and Marketing Manager Carlo Patrick. “[Sales] have been a constant measurement of the success of a movie for almost as long as there have been movies and theaters,” he said.

Each week Variety magazine publishes the top grossing films at the box office. Those numbers are then recorded to keep track of the top grossing, most successful movies of all time.

But here’s a real problem with using that metric to compare movies overtime.

A movie opening in North America at the box office today could gross $170 million, while a movie 20 years ago would have a hard chance of beating that record as prices for theater tickets have gone up over the years.

“You can’t go by money,” said Kevin Hynes on Facebook. “Titanic was seen multiple times by people but back then it was $5. I could’ve spent $25 seeing that five times or spend $27 seeing Captain America twice in 3D this weekend.”

“Sometimes you see the top movies adjusted for inflation,” Patrick said.

But ticket prices haven’t necessarily followed the inflation rate, so it’s not a perfect comparison.

Why not just simplify it and just go by tickets — like we do at Twins and Vikings games? Then movie studios wouldn’t get to advertise they’ve set a new box office record, all the time.

“Even if the movie is being judged by sales, that shows that the movie has lots of interest, and if people see it more than once it means it was a good movie to them,” Amanda Morrison said.

Patrick said while theaters usually report accurate sales reports for movies, errors do occur.

“Mistakes happen,” he said. “Sometimes the numbers are not reported accurately on Sundays -— they’re often estimated since it’s often based on Friday and Saturday so they’ll try to use mathematical formulas and historical data.”

Other entertainment venues like sports games and concerts tally up the number of tickets sold, but these special events don’t offer many alternatives, while films are a dime a dozen these days. Movies go by money made because it tells how worth the audience felt it was to go see it instead of waiting for it to come out on DVD or watching it online.

The bottom line is for any form of entertainment, both the money and the tickets are important.

“They’re pretty much one in the same -— a movie’s probably sold the most tickets if it’s made the most money.”

If you’re like me, you may have noticed a few new freckles on your face since the start of summer. All that fun in the sun can do some damage to our skin. Abby Adamski of Vadnais Heights wants to know, why does the sun cause freckles?

“It’s essentially the same process as a tan, but it happens in little spots,” said Dr. Jaime Davis of Uptown Dermatology and SkinSpa. “The skin tries to protect itself from UV light by producing melanin or tanning, but in fair skin this happens unevenly in little spots — freckles.”

Turns out, all freckles are actually caused by the sun.

“It is extremely rare to be actually born with freckles unless there is a true genetic problem, but (freckles) are in people with fair skin genetics,” she said.

While a normal freckle is essentially harmless, it is a sign of skin damage.

“It’s a sign of exposure to UV light, which is, by definition, damaging,” she said. “Freckles are our skin’s way of protecting itself from UV light if the skin can’t tan itself evenly.”

While it may be fashionable to get a tan on these days, tanning increases your chance of getting more freckles and also of getting freckles that are cancerous.

“Since UV light is the cause, freckling is going to worsen with exposure (to sunlight),” Davis said.

The reason you may find more freckles on your face than other parts of your body? Davis said again, blame the sun.

“They are more common in sun exposed areas naturally—face, shoulders and forearms,” she said.

Most of the Potter fans I talked with loved the books more than the movies. Frankly, I almost always love the book more than the movie. I think it’s because I get to imagine the book unfolding in my mind. The only hard thing for me is trying to pronounce the names correctly in my head.

At any rate, the people at Goodreads put together a list where the book was better than the movie. I want to know what you think! What’s the book you loved, where the movie really disappointed you? What movie was better than the book?

And why do you think the movie is sometimes so disappointing? Share your thoughts in the comments!

With the heat of summer upon us, we hear a lot about the heat index in our weather forecasts these days. But what exactly is the heat index and how is it calculated?

“It’s kind of the summer version of the wind chill,” said WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak. “Any kind of excessive heat, advisory watch or warning, is based off the heat index.”

The heat index, or apparent temperature, tells us what the temperature feels like after accounting for the amount of moisture in the air. But it’s not humidity that determines the heat index.

“The only direct measure of how much moisture is in the air is the dew point — that’s what is taken into account when you’re calculating the heat index,” said Augustyniak.

The dew point measures the weight of the water molecules (humidity) in the air. Anyone can calculate the heat index if they know the temperature of the air and the dew point.

The dew point temperature is the temperature at which the air will condense the water vapor into a visible form. The higher the temperature of the air and dew point, the higher the heat index.

“You really start to notice it when we’re at 70 [degrees] or above,” he said.

While we can feel the difference of the heat index, nonliving things are only affected by the temperature of the air.

“The only thing that fuels the heat index is something that’s alive. If the head index goes up, that wouldn’t cause the roads to buckle,” he said.

Just like the wind chill can’t be higher than the actual temperature of the air, the heat index can’t be lower than air temperature. The higher the heat index, the hotter we feel outside.

“We feel uncomfortable when it’s more humid and there’s more moisture in the air because our perspiration doesn’t happen as effectively. The cooling system can’t work as well,” he said.

If you want to calculate the heat index on your own, you can enter the temperature and dew point values from the WCCO website into this calculator from the National Weather Center!

Last week we answered a question in Reply All about the State Fair, asserting that because the fair is independent from the state of Minnesota, no taxpayer money funds the fair, and thus, it’s not affected by the shutdown.

A viewer wrote in and pointed out that state health inspectors look at every food booth to make sure it’s safe to operate.

Here’s what Lara Hughes, communications supervisor at the fair told me:

“The State Fair has a very close working relationship with the Minnesota Department of Health, which inspects food concession operations at the State Fair. We have been in contact with them about the status of their availability and been assured the agency will have inspectors on-site.”

We also wondered about the rides — since inspectors have to certify that they’re OK.

“Amusement rides are inspected prior to and daily during the fair by a contracting ride inspection company without government ties, so they will continue as usual,” Hughes said.

So there you have it. I’m not sure how the Minnesota Dept. of Health is positive they’ll provide inspectors — I’ll keep checking into that.

I’m talking about the rest of us. Are we feeling enough pain — to really be putting the heat on the politicians to work out a deal?

We’ve got a government shutdown, but the state funded zoo is still open. The state is supposedly shut down, but I was able to easily renew my license plate tabs at the Hennepin County Service Center in Maple Grove today. (I know — the service center is staffed by the county, but they had to scan my state-issued driver’s license and update a state-run database).

The state government is shut down, but the governor’s mansion is ruled “essential.” The legislators and constitutional officers (governor, lt. governor, etc.) still draw a salary. And our employers are still collecting and paying state income tax withholding. Businesses are still collecting state sales taxes.

This weekend the shutdown didn’t negatively impact a single aspect of my life. Other than the concern I have for my friends who are out-of-work state employees, and my friends at People Serving People — a homeless shelter we did a story on last Friday.

I passed the closed Maple Grove rest stop off I-94 on my way to Big Lake this weekend and wondered: “Doesn’t everyone just use the bathroom in the SA or Subway?”

I’m not trying to be glib here, rather I’m making the case that this thing should be a real shutdown. There should be shared pain. How drastic? I’m not sure. Maybe the State Patrol shouldn’t respond to vehicle crashes without injuries? No one should be getting paid. I shouldn’t be able to renew my license tabs. The zoo certainly should be closed.

This should be so bad that everyone looks at it and says: This is crazy. And we’d all demand our “leaders” figure it out.

Do you think the shutdown is drastic enough? What’s open/funded that you think should be closed?

By Kate Raddatz, Good Question Intern

Working in TV news isn’t your typical 9-5 job. When you work in morning TV news, you face an even bigger challenge: your sleep schedule.

This week, I shadowed Jason while he was filling in for Mike Binkley in the anchor chair at WCCO This Morning.

A lot goes into putting on the news programs in the morning. At WCCO there’s a 4:30, a 5, a 5:30, a 6, a 6:30 a.m. and then a noon broadcast to fill. That’s a lot of time! Compare it to the nightly news where there’s a 5, 6, and 10 p.m. The morning news has to find the right balance of content and conversation to give viewers.

The on-air team at WCCO This Morning is pretty diligent with their bedtimes to accommodate their unusual work schedules. All of them go to bed before 8 p.m. It makes sense. The team typically arrives at the station around 3:30 in the morning!

That doesn’t even include the overnight producers who are researching and picking stories for the next morning. They could work 9-5 … that’s 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Things I learned interning the early morning shift: there’s hundreds of scripts for the morning newscasts, the anchors and reporters do their own makeup (yep, the guys too!), and working at those hours really does change your life.

Is it still hard sometimes for the WCCO team to get up at 2 a.m.? Yep! Angela Davis admitted to sleeping through her alarm once (pretty good for one day out of five years). But the whole morning team alters sleep schedules and social lives to do what they love: bring you the news.

Check out my video above to see more of what goes on at WCCO in the early hours of the morning!

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — We’ve all had them at some point in our lives.  Goosebumps might appear when we get scared or cold.

But why do we get goosebumps? And Samantha from Forest Lake wants to know, why do we only seem to get them on our arms and legs?

“Goosebumps are our body’s reflexive reaction to cold, fear, awe, even sexual arousal,” said Dr. Jaime Davis of Uptown Dermatology and SkinSpa. “Just like a porcupine raises its quills when it’s scared, humans can automatically raise their body hairs when they’re cold or scared.”

Goosebumps are specifically the pilometer reflex, a result of tiny muscle contractions by the arrector pili muscles attached to our body hairs.

“(The muscle’s) job is to pull the hair into the standing up position mainly to provide an insulating layer of warm air trapped between the hairs,” she said. ”When the muscle contracts, it tugs on the skin and a little bump forms. When it relaxes, the bump smoothes out.”

While it may seem like goosebumps are only on our arms and legs, they’re not limited to certain parts of the body.

“You can get them wherever there are tiny hairs on the body, but we just notice them most where the hairs are largest (like) our arms, legs, scalp, and back,” she said.

Adrenaline can also play a role in giving us the goosebumps.

“This is an automatic reflex sometimes triggered by adrenaline, just like when our heart rate and breathing get faster when you’re scared,” she said.

Davis said anyone at any age is capable of getting goosebumps, even babies. Animals get them too, if they have hair, feathers, or quills.

But I think Minneapolis deserves a Millennium Park.

Chicago opened the park in 2004. It cost $475 million, and taxpayers paid for most of it ($270 million). The rest came from business leaders and private donations.

It features crazy public art, like the so-called “bean.” My kids couldn’t stop walking around and seeing their reflections inside it.

The park is 24 acres of some of the most valuable real estate inside Chicago. The process of building it was messy. But Chicago went big: they decided “we need to make a statement,” and it works. People love this park. Tourists flock to it. It’s a gathering space, and place of tremendous pride.

Where’s our downtown place like that? I know they considered a park at Block E, but the land was seen as too valuable to take off the tax rolls. That’s turned out well.

I know in a time where budgets are tight and people are hurting — it seems crazy to build a park like this. But our business community has done quite well over the past couple years. Maybe if we build the Vikings a stadium, they have to build us a Millennium Park. We deserve it.

It’s almost the official start of summer and that means, mosquito season is already here. We do everything we can to prepare but somehow we still find ourselves scratching away at our bug bites after a night outside in Minnesota. Holly Hoffman and Mindy Sticha of New Prague want to know, why do mosquito bites itch?

“It’s more like a little infection because the mosquito injects a little bit of material into the skin,” said Dr. Bruce Bart, of Hennepin County Medical Center. “You have to have had a few number of bites, than you start to become allergic to them.”

Our bodies produce histamine in reaction to the saliva injected by the mosquito.

“It’s produced by cells as an immune system reaction to any type of injury,” Bart said. “That histamine causes the swelling because the nerves are affected, and that causes the intense itching.”

Children are more susceptible than adults to have an itchy reaction because we become immune to the enzymes in the mosquito saliva as we get older.

“We produce antibodies that protect the skin — if people continue to get bitten over time they become desensitized,” he said.

And if you do get itchy from a mosquito bite, blame the female.

“The males don’t bite or inject,” Bart said. “The female mosquitoes are the only ones that need a blood meal.”

While it’s quick relief to scratch a mosquito bite, the more you scratch the more histamine is produced.

“Any rubbing or scratching makes it worse,” he said. “Ice packs help slow the reaction a lot or any creams with antihistamine will help block it.”

Americans are addicted to caffeine. Around 90 percent of us consume some form of it on a daily basis. So, how much caffeine is too much?

Sam Black from Minnetonka wants to know the answer!

Mayo Clinic physicians say moderate amount of caffeine (200-300 milligrams a day) is safe. That’s about two to four cups of coffee a day.

“That amount has actually been shown to decrease the risk of Parkinson’s disease, enhance performance for athletes, ease headaches, and increase alertness,” said Registered Dietitian Katie Elenkiwich.

Exceeding that recommendation can cause health problems. If you’re having more than 500 mg of caffeine in a day, you may have trouble sleeping, upset stomach, irritability, an irregular heartbeat, or tremors.

Elenkiwich said the limit on caffeine may be higher or lower depending on the person.

“It’s not a part of the USDA dietary guidelines so it’s kind of like any other supplement,” she said. “Going over 500 (mg) may really hinder some people’s sleep, but others might be so accustomed to it that it won’t affect them.”

On the WCCO-TV website, Sara Huffman commented, “it’s too much (caffeine) when you begin to rely on it to keep you alert…coffee is just part of my daily routine.”

Women who are pregnant should consume less caffeine — under 200 mg a day. Exceeding that amount puts them at greater risk for miscarriage.

While getting some caffeine is good for us, health officials say don’t try to pass off that Mountain Dew as a drink for your health. A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that regular soda drinkers had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas diet soda drinkers had no increased risk and coffee drinkers had a lower risk.

“It’s really a matter of looking at where your calories and sugar are coming from, where you’re getting your caffeine,” Elenkiwich said.

A Starbucks vanilla frappuccino with whip cream packs in 20 percent of the USDA calorie requirement. So, if you want your caffeine fix and a way to benefit your health, stick to a cup of coffee that’s easy on the sugar.

The city of Minneapolis has a great write-up that explains the laws. It’s pretty simple, really: Bikes belong on the road, cars need to treat bikes like another vehicle and everyone should signal their intentions.

But many bicyclists don’t stop at red lights. They don’t signal their intentions.

Many car drivers also do the same thing. But on a percentage basis, I’d argue that a much smaller percentage of cars run red lights.

What do you think? Share your stories here.

Good Question intern Kate Raddatz is different from me. In many ways, not just this one. At any rate — she needs your help for a blog post she’s working on. Kate writes:

“Like many of us, I need my daily dose of caffeine. For me, it’s all about the coffee. Honestly I can’t remember a day in the last five years where I didn’t get in at least a cup a day. At my worst I drank coffee like it was water, up to 10 cups a day. (In my defense it makes it a little harder when you’ve been working in a coffee shop for eight years.)

Caffeine obviously isn’t limited to coffee. We may not think twice about grabbing an extra Diet Coke or candy bar to give us the jolt we need to get through the 3 p.m. slump. Before you know it we’re twitching on a caffeine overdose.

But how much caffeine is too much? Is some caffeine healthy? How much? What are the health effects of having too much caffeine? That’s the Good Question I’ll be looking into this week.

So tell me about your caffeine addictions if you have them! What are they? How do you feel when you have too little caffeine or too much? Post in the comments section below!”

Question

Remember when we had to ask other people for driving directions? Before the age of Garmins, Tom-Toms, and other GPS devices in our cars and apps on our phones, we had to do it the old fashioned way.

But Judy Lyons of Owatonna wants to know how exactly GPS devices collect their data?

Background

The U.S. Department of Defense first used GPS in the 1960s as a way to navigate during military operations. But after the Korean Airline Flight 007 tragedy, President Ronald Reagan let the public have access to GPS in 1983.

“GPS might have averted that kind of disaster,” University of Minnesota Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics professor Demoz Gebre said. “It was made available to the public but it wasn’t until the late 90s and early 2000s are when things really took off.”

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is really an arrangement of 27 satellites orbiting the earth. Only 24 are operational — there are three extra in case any of the satellites fail.

Each solar-powered satellite orbits the earth twice a day and is arranged so that there are at least four satellites visible in the sky from any location.

These satellites are responsible for transmitting geographic data to receivers in our GPS devices. But how is that data collected?

The Process

The GPS we use today collects geographic data from satellite and aerial images, and from data collectors who drive around the globe.

GPS receivers use triangulation, a mathematical method of determining position, to find a user’s precise location on earth and create a digital map of the surrounding area.

Triangulation determines the amount of time it takes for a signal to be transmitted from the satellite to the receiver as well as the distance between the receiver and the visible satellites in the sky.

Unlike direction services like Mapquest, GPS is in real time so it should avoid sending you down a road under construction or one with heavy traffic.

A GPS receiver needs signals from at least three satellites to determine a 2-D position and at least four for a 3-D, more accurate, position.

Best Buy technology specialist Levi Taylor says the big name GPS devices we use today all give relatively accurate information.

“Price doesn’t have a huge impact on how your device will work because they all use three satellites in relation to where you are,” Taylor said. “But you could pay more if you want a better receiver which could ensure more accurate maps on your device.”

Problems

What happens when there’s an error on the map? Your directions lead you to a dead end or a road that’s recently been renamed.

“There are lots of things that can go wrong with the satellite signals coming in, but in the future our receivers will recognize these errors and know how to correct them,” said Gebre.

Today digital mapping companies like Tele Atlas and Navteq monitor customer feedback of GPS users in order to fix inaccurate data.

Taylor says it could also be a problem with the GPS device.

“If the internal hardware gets overheated it might display wrong information — it takes a lot of energy to power that info,” he said.

Taylor advised not letting your GPS device get too hot or cold and preserving its battery life to help minimize problems with the receiver and any errors in the map.

I promise we’re not stuck in the middle of a series of Good Question rants. Last night we talked about Canada Geese. Tonight we’re talking about dandelions. But haven’t you noticed just an explosion of them this year?

Andy in St. Joseph emailed asking about all those dandelions. Why are there so many this year? And why are they so tough to get rid of?

I’d love you to email me pictures of dandelions. And not just the ugly pictures — I want the pictures of your kids making cute dandelion art projects. I want it all! And I’ll use it at ten.

We also make talk with a local chef who uses dandelions in his food. Share in the comments: is there anything good about dandelions? What’s your secret to get rid of them?

I admit I feel a little like Andy Rooney: “And what’s the deal with all these dandelions?” But I usually end up with great information in these kinds of stories, so wish me luck! See you tonight on TV at 10.

I’m an animal lover, but I hate geese. When I ride my bike in Maple Grove, I sometimes feel like they’re going to attack me. I dodge the goose poop in all of our parks. They are everywhere. Even worse: they’re Canadian.

It’s enough to make me support putting up a wall at the border. A really tall wall that the geese can’t fly over.

Why are there so many geese in Minnesota? How did it get this way? And is there any way to keep their numbers under control? That’s the Good Question we’ll look at for the news tonight.

I’ve been told that it’s an interesting story — and has nothing to do with the great social service benefits we provide in Minnesota.

But I need your help. Tell me your best goose story. Email me your pictures of geese, or send me a video of you ranting about them. (Or upload the video to YouTube or Facebook and email me a link.)

We’ll use your stuff in our story tonight at 10. We hope you’ll tune in!

But now we know why this couple split.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Arnold cheated on Maria more than a decade ago with a member of their household staff. She got pregnant. He was the father. The Times reported that he took responsibility from the beginning, privately.

After he acknowledged that he was the child’s father to Maria Shriver, she moved out.

Schwarzenegger issued a statement to the Times: “I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.”

This got me thinking about forgiveness. It’s a conversation my wife and I have had many times. If she cheated on me, a one-time deal, I think I’d forgive her. She thinks she would not forgive me.

If Arnold cheated on Maria 10 years ago, should she forgive? I presume there are other issues that happened in the marriage of late — but if we assume they had a perfect marriage, is one thing enough to make you pick up and leave? Share your thoughts in the comments.

UPDATE: 10:07AM: On Twitter, @Ryanol and @winkMSP make the salient point – that the adultery is one thing, but concealing an affair and a love child for more than 10 years, while the mistress lives in the house is quite another.

This is a really tough question. As a dad of two young boys, I think about the right things to teach them. If (more likely when) they get picked on by classmates, I think the right thing for them to do is to walk away.

But what happens if things escalate? If a bully is constantly picking on my son? If someone pushes him or punches him? Should he walk away or should he fight back?

This question came to our mind after a story that our sister-station in Baltimore did. Watch the video and watch how the mom encourages her young son to fight:

Is this the right thing to do? Is there a time where the only thing to do is to fight, physically — to stand up for yourself?

I’d be interested in your thoughts. We’ll use them in tonight’s Good Question at 10.

It’s one of those moments I’ll never forget.

Much like I remember watching ABC News from my parents’ suburban Chicago living room when the Tiananment Square uprising began; CNN when the first bombs started falling during the 1st Gulf War (“Can you hear me in Atlanta?”); and Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer when the airplane flew into the second World Trade Center tower, I’ll remember watching CBS as President Obama announced that we got him.

Osama bin Laden has been the face of evil in the United States for the past ten years. He’s been public enemy number one since I was 26. Most college and high school students can’t remember a time when terrorism wasn’t a real threat for the U.S.

And while I watched the simultaneously inspiring and disturbing sight outside the White House, as young people chanted “USA! USA!” I shared in that moment with my friends and neighbors. I didn’t have to be in a crowd to experience that moment, because I shared it with thousands of people on Facebook and Twitter.

Much has been written about how this was Twitter’s “CNN Moment”, the time it really crossed over from being a niche, to being everywhere. I don’t know that I agree with that.

But I do know that a Tweet from @PatiLucha, which read: “@DeRushaJ osama bin laden is DEAD!?” got me to stop watching TiVo, and start watching TV. I do know that I watched as people celebrated and asked questions and celebrated some more. I shared my first thought:

Can you imagine being the men and women who got the mission to go in and get Osama bin Laden? And they did it? Incredible.
DeRushaJ

I shared the moment on Facebook, and I also shared the moment with my wife as we sat in our basement, holding hands.

It’s a profound moment in our history. And it was profound to share it in such an uniquely 2011 way.