Being a native Kansan, I was delighted by the news that Topeka, Kansas unofficially renamed itself "Google, Kansas" in an attempt to curry favor with Google and be named a test city for an ultra-high speed broadband project.
Think of it as magic fairy dust for cities to get super-fast Internet. Topeka is known for jumping through hoops for even less ambitious causes, having temporarily renamed itself "ToPikachu" back in 1998 to recognize the "Pokemon" madness, according to the Topeka Capital Journal.

Also, the city jumped on KFC's offer to fill potholes, for some reason. The photo on the following link pretty much sums that up:

http://cjonline.com/news/local/2009-04-09/kfc_picks_topeka_for_pothole_f...

Duluth is in the hunt as well, as evidenced by the following delightful YouTube clip:

Rob Barrett of Cooking for Dads interviews celebrities at the MovieGuide Awards.

The Eden Prairie Library is seeking ideas for a new quote for the wall in its Teen Area. Today it says, "Never judge a book by its movie," a quote from J.W. Eagan. By the way, who is J.W. Eagan? Does anyone know? I can't find any info online.

Here's the link to submit a new quote.

Anybody have any suggestions?

How about: "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader," from Margaret Fuller?

Regardless of your political views, one thing that has always struck me about President Barack Obama is his relentless daily workout routine. He plays a ton of basketball and puts in his 45-60 minute workout day in and day out. He claims it sets the tone for his entire day- that it gives him the energy he needs to grapple with the world’s problems.

"Corrective Action" Taken Against DFL State Senate Candidate Ron Case for Campaigning in the Classroom

Read the letter: HERE!

Just in time for game day, Eden Prairie's Rob Barrett of Cooking for Dads offers "How to Make Wings That Are Guaranteed-Better-Than-Deep-Fried-But-Still-Low-Fat, With Teriyaki Sauce." Learn more about Barrett at www.cookingfordads.net or on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingfordads.

While the disaster in Haiti has been called the worst natural disaster in recent history by the United Nations, the subsequent response by the American people and others around the world can arguably be called the greatest aid effort in recent history. Numerous aid organizations have been inundated with financial support, and are still seeking more. This support has been made easier with our 21st century world: text-message donations and news updates from around the globe about the status of an ailing country have brought ease and effectiveness to helping those in need like never before.

Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire, and this is my Christmas column. It’s seemingly required of any columnist, so here is my stab at it. Consider it an early Christmas (or any holiday, I don’t mean to offend) present, from me to you.

I've got another quick post from my buddy, Mason McClellan, at The MN Clinic of Integrated Medicine. Today, he shares a very scary statistic and a little bit of wisdom. Check it out...

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 1998, a report finds that prescription drugs kill about 106,000 Americans each year – that’s three times as many as are killed by automobiles—making prescription drug death the fourth leading killer after heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Over the last decade, I have helped countless people maximize their overall health, performance, and body composition faster than ever before. Put bluntly, I know how to help people lose ugly, unwanted body fat faster than most people can fathom. Now, make no mistake about it, a big reason for this is because I make it clear to my clients that THEY NEED TO DO THE WORK. I’ll provide the tools, but you need to use them.

I have done the countless hours of research, as well as trial and error. I have worked with hundreds of people as real world case studies to prove that these steps flat out work. But, today I am going to share something more powerful; something that must be set in place before you can even start to think about following a fitness program.

What do you think is the real secret behind my client success?