Secrets of the City

Yes, according to The Daily Beast: The Land of 10,000 Lakes might safely be renamed the Land of 10,000 Dates. The Twin Cities’ chilly climes gave us Al Franken, Jesse Ventura, and Thomas Friedman—a comedian/legislator, a wrestler, and a well-known intellectual—which says something about their ability to produce desirable men of all types. Minneapolis ranked high in all our criteria.

… by the Daily Beast. [FTA:] The Twin Cities’ excellent scores in bachelor’s degrees per capita and voter participation vaulted them to the top five of our list. The Midwestern work ethic doesn’t hurt.

Yay! And we beat Portland, OR, too! They came in at #9. MSP IQ=159; Portland IQ=143.

The #1 city is Raleigh-Durham, NC.

MPR reports: Minnesota students who took the ACT this year once again scored well enough to rank the state first in the nation. Whoo hoo! We are so smart. S-M-R-T!

In sharp contrast to the recent comment on “50 Minutes” that Minnesotans were “little houses,” the Twin Cities metro has been ranked second fittest metro area in the U.S. by the American College of Sports Medicine. Generally speaking, Minnesota ranks pretty high in such ratings, although our grades have slipped a bit of late. In related news, overall cancer deaths continue to decline in the metro area and across the nation.

So, have any of you made some progress on the fitness front lately?

Men’s Fitness magazine has named Minneapolis the 3rd fittest city in America, behind Salt Lake and Colorado Springs. What do you do to keep fit?

The Deets, via Google Reader, points out this list of references that a local would instantantly recognize, including the Erik the Bike Man theme and the Ice Palace. But I think the author has only touched the tip of the iceberg. What else can we add to the list?

The year is winding down, so, as they do every year, the local media is wrapping it up by listing their selections of the really notable of 2008. Here are the first few  have found. More will be added. The Star-Tribune looks at the best in theater. City Pages lists the Best New Bands. And Vita.mn — well, let’s just say they are assembling all kinds of lists.  What are your favorite Minnesota moments from 2008?

Prince (as giver and taker) and Humphrey (as recipient) make this Top-25 list from Men’s Health. Also: the 11 smartest things ever said about fatherhood, featuring Harmon Killebrew and Garrison Keillor.