Secrets of the City

Gergen said the Minnesota Zoo sent Knobby [the camel] to Alaska by FedEx.

Maybe it was a fainting camel. That or FedEx — they are always drop kicking whatever packages UPS can’t get to. Use DHL next time… when you’ll discover Sturgeon’s Law.

Does the Old Gray Lady have a Twin Cities bureau now, or what? I know they came here after the last election, but they must have really liked what they saw.

Does the Old Gray Lady have a Twin Cities bureau now, or what?

They should. A lot of interesting things happen here.

…at least, according to Alexis….

I’m thinking the OGL just has a few ‘local boys made good’ on staff who, in typical minnesotan fashion, can’t let go of the place.

scary about the lake, eh?

If Superior’s water temperature could nudge itself above “witch’s teat” cold, the new beachfront would be awesome.

“scary about the lake, eh?“

Not really. The “lowest in 81 years” is a fairly anthrocentric measure. The lake’s been around for about 1.6 million years, and it’s undoubtedly undergone far more drastic changes than we’ll ever know about, simply because recorded human history only covers a tiny fraction of that time.

Like everything else, the lake level cycles. In X years, we (or our kids, or their kids) will probably be reading about how the record high levels are threatening shipping, recreation, housing, wildlife, etc.

You mean the lake level 81 years ago wasn’t caused by all the 1926 Ford Explorers?

Maz, 81 years ago people were car pooling and taking the LRT to work. Duh!

Maz, 81 years ago people were car pooling and taking the LRT to work. Duh!

Duh, indeed!

I can agree that “The “lowest in 81 years” is a fairly anthrocentric measure”, if it’s just nature doing its thing. If it’s a we-done-it situation, however, this is an example of the power we currently have to change our environment frighteningly quickly.

I suspect that California/Nevada have built a secret, subterranean pipeline from Superior to their ever-growing settlements in the arid southwest. They know Powell and Mead aren’t going to last forever.

“and it’s undoubtedly undergone far more drastic changes than we’ll ever know about, simply because recorded human history only covers a tiny fraction of that time.”

Actually, we can have a fairly accurate picture of the lake’s history, even for times long before humans were around to see it. Analysis of sediment cores, among other things allow us to determine lake levels, lake temperatures, etc.
We have exteremly accurateinformation on the history of ancient glacial Lake Agassiz, in spite of lakc of human records.

I would suspect that someone has already done research on Lake Superior’s water levels for much further back than 81 years.

I suspect that California/Nevada have built a secret, subterranean pipeline from Superior to their ever-growing settlements in the arid southwest.

That’s not our water heading west in the secret pipeline. It’s our ethanol!

bobby, do you assume that we should never try to solve a crime because there were no eyewitnesses?

It happens very slowly, but one reason for changing water levels in the Great Lakes is isostatic rebound. Basically, the land around the lakes is still recovering from the effects of having a nearly 2 mile thick sheet of ice on it for several thousand years. This is why there are waterfalls around Lake Superior.

It probably wouldn’t be very noticable over 81 years, because as you can imagine, it happens at a glacial pace (ha).

Elizabeth,

Did you get through that article? What it says is that in the Great Lakes levels are rising on the southern shores and lowering on the northern shores. I have a hard time believing this would be the cause if the entire lake is lower than normal and shouldnt the levels be rising in Duluth?

Yes, I did read the article. I thought I was being rather tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing–the bad pun, etc. In no way do I think that’s the reason for the low lake level this year (personally, the fact that we haven’t gotten much rain in the last year seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation). I just thought it was an interesting factoid.

Why yes, I am the type of person to read the educational plaques in state parks along the North Shore. Where do you think I heard of this information?

“bobby, do you assume that we should never try to solve a crime because there were no eyewitnesses?“

??

I mean . . .

???

Since we do not KNOW for certain that a giant planet-busting astroid won’t be hitting the earth next month, we should halt all production of food and funnel the food-growing resources into a massive campaign to move the population of the endangered side of the earth over to the back side of the earth where they’ll be safe!

(I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you were trying the strawman trick, because if I thought that you really considered your question as being apposite to my comment, I’d have to move the nametags around and seat you way over by the rainbird.)

There’s a giant planet-busting asteroid hitting the earth next month?!?!

You would think this would have been on the news!

They’re trying not to panic you Chicken Little types.

“Oh, oh, a giant asteroid is going to hit us with the force of 70,000 hydrogen bombs! Oh the sky is falling!”

“You would think this would have been on the news!“

Not here. The entire damn Asteroid-Hitting-Earth desk was given the choice of layoff, or reassignment to the “Outdoor Sex in Minnesota” beat.

Most chose layoff. They all knew that giant asteroids can hit Earth every few million years and so they at least had a shot at stories, but the Outdoor Sex in Minnesota beat seemed, comparatively, like a backwater.