We’re in the process of doing some updating and overhauling of Northern Letter. Most of the work is being done by web designer Michael Blaha of Organic Arts, who now hails from Taos, New Mexico.

This is still an ongoing process, but it will most likely include the following:

• transferring the web hosting to Dreamhost
• updating WordPress and its plug-ins
• adding the capability to subscribe to comments via email
• improving the backup functions
• incorporating Google Analytics for site stats
• adding “Now Reading” to the sidebar, which links to Amazon.com
• adding a Paypal “donate” button

The latter two options, along with the existing Google ads, may provide some revenue for this site, though I expect any proceeds will remain small. As an “Amazon Associate,” I would receive a small percentage of the sale of books bought through the links to Amazon.

It occurs to me that selling books through Amazon is not exactly a way to support my local economy (unless the author lives here). I wonder if there is a way I could advertise the books for sale at a local bookstore?

In any case, I appreciate the skill of Michael Blaha in making all this happen. With his help, this site is improving. If you have other ideas, just let me know.

This blog is now featured in a blogger “spot” on the Northfield.org sidebar, under “N.org sponsors.” You’ll only see it occasionally there as it rotates through a number of different spots. Thanks to Adam Gurno for including me in this. See the Northfield.org blog and feed aggregator for a complete list of the Northfield blogosphere.

About the picture: yes, the bike helmet never comes off. You can never be too safe.

Another major Northfield web site, Locally Grown Northfield, run by Griff Wigley, alerted me to the Northfield.org update. Thanks, Griff.

This development has prompted me to add to my short list of blogs on the left sidebar. Thanks to those who have done the same for me!

Some weeks ago a new blog, “Rudely Stamped: Heterodox Views on Politics and Public Policy,” made its debut. Its author, Michael Blaine, offers valuable and incisive comment on politics and culture from a generally left-wing perspective, with an international outlook that is often missing in the United States.

Of the early posts, I especially appreciated one on immigration. Recently I’ve come to think of immigration as necessary to save our social safety net. That is, with fewer young workers supporting an increasingly elderly population, I believe we’ll need a healthy level of immigration to provide the tax revenue to support Social Security and Medicare. Anyways, here’s an excerpt from Rudely Stamped that puts Latin American immigration into the U.S. in a positive light:

In reality, the U.S. finds itself in a relatively fortunate immigration situation. The vast majority of our nation’s newcomers are Roman Catholic, capitalistic, zealously eager to work — that is why they come, after all — and family-oriented. These millions of Latin Americans speak a European language and are eager to become part of their new society, even if they also retain a foothold in their old one. Indeed, these people already are American in the sense that they have grown up in the Americas, the New World we natives are taught in school to cherish. Without them, our nation’s population would actually decline, a phenomenon that would produce difficult economic consequences.

Contrast this with Europe, where most new arrivals are not Christian, do not know Western-style capitalism or democracy, and do not join the social mainstream. These North Africans and Middle Easterners communicate using inscrutable languages, and frequently remain alienated from their host societies (by choice or not), while retaining loyalties that do not include their new countries. Europe thus confronts an enormous and ongoing immigration challenge, one that by most accounts it is not handling well.

By the way, the phrase “rudely stamped” comes from Shakespeare’s play, Richard III, I’ve been told. Richard calls himself “rudely stamped” - that is, ugly. Methinks Mr. Blaine is too hard on himself!

The StarTribune has a blog called Road Guy, which I read for the first time today. Its author is described this way:

Roadguy is Jim Foti, a transportation geek who is fascinated with the ways that Minnesotans get around town. Join him for smart remarks, navigational nuggets and adventures in the Twin Cities and beyond.

I kind of like the term “transportation geek” and have to admit that, much to my surprise, it’s come to apply to me.

I’m glad to see that the Road Guy pays attention to issues that affect cyclists and pedestrians, and I thought I would pass on this quiz that he provided in a post. I’ve included the answers, I’m afraid, because my main interest is in spreading knowledge about Minnesota state laws:

Answers to the bike quiz

1. How many feet of clearance are Minnesota motorists required to give when passing cyclists? Three (state law)
2. Where are cyclists allowed to ride on sidewalks in Minneapolis?
• Anywhere except business districts or where posted
3. Are cyclists restricted to the bike lane on streets that have a bike lane? No (state law)
4. Is a motorist required to yield the right of way to a cyclist riding in a crosswalk? Yes (state law)
5. In Minneapolis, is it legal to park and attach your bike to:
   • A tree? No
   • A signpost? Yes
   • A parking meter? No

In writing the previous entry I was delighted to find that the New York Times has an option for permanent links to its articles - that is, links or “permalinks” that do not expire or require the user to access a restricted archive. This is something I’ve wanted from newspapers, and according to The Next Net, the Times started doing so at the end of last year (2006). With Times articles, click on “Share” near the beginning or top of the article on that page (on the right), then “Permalink,” and you’ll have the link you want. The Times even has this cool “link generator” for finding permalinks to its articles.

From what I can tell, the StarTribune, the principal newspaper here in the Upper Midwest, does not have permalinks for its articles. For example, when I wrote about a biofuels study in an entry a few weeks ago, I linked to a Dec. 7 StarTribune article on biofuels. When I click on the link for the latter now, I get this “file not found” message: Read the rest of this entry »

One of the possible uses of a blog is as a searchable database - a way of collecting information without having to file it. While this doesn’t fit the mold of a conventional publication, it can have its uses.

So, with that said, here are some scholarly publications I’ve come across that relate to nonmotorized transportation: Read the rest of this entry »