Monday, September 15

On Future Tense, High school artists will get a chance to show off their digital artwork in a new scholarship competition. It's sponsored by Imation, the imaging company spun off from 3M, and the National Art Education Association. The Imation Computer Arts Scholarships will honor 25 high school students who create original works of art on the computer with one thousan ddollar scholarships. the best five from that group will get an additional 25-hundred dollars at an awards ceremony in St. Paul next April. Natioanl Art Education Association executive director thomas hatfield says the program is a way to encourage technology and creativity in arts education. Hatfield says focusing on computer art does NOT come at the expense of traditional fine art.

The year-round education movement is slowly gaining a foothold in Minnesota. Students have traditionally had summers off, but now eleven schools in Minnesota have switched to a year-round calendar. Year-round education advocates say a growing number of parents are interested in alternative school schedules for their children. In response, the Saint Paul school district opened its first year-round school this month. Four Seasons Elementary is a city-wide arts magnet school for kidergarten through sixth grade. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Homelessness is said to be on the rise...especially among families headed by women. As Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports, the re-opening of a homeless shelter and transitional housing program in Minneapolis will now help ease the burdens of OTHER shelters...filled to capacity each night.

Former Archbishop John Roach discusses his trip to Calcutta to participate in the funeral of Mother Teresa.

Peter Bell of TCF Financial Corporation discusses a plan in its early stages that would provide privately-funded scholarships to poor children in the Twin Cities who want to attend private schools.

Tuesday, September 16

In an effort to increase numbers and political power, unions are searching outside their traditional power bases for new members. Nursing homes are an example. Workers at a New Ulm nursing home in southwest Minnsota unionized several years ago .... and currently are locked in a bitter strike with management. They want higher pay, but government medicaid policies and other regulations make that a difficult goal to reach. Mark Steil of Mainstreet Radio reports.

Microsoft is delaying the release of the next generation of its Windows software -- Windows 98 -- until the spring so it can combine two versions into a single product. Microsoft has been working on two versions of Windows 98 one that would upgrade users of Windows 95 and another that would allow users of the old Windows 3.1 to skip directly to Windows 98. By combining the upgrades, Microsoft will spare stores the need to stock two different products. Houston Chronicle computer columnist Dwight Silverman has been doing some thinking about the impending release of windows 98...and the lessons Bill Gates has learned along the way.

Don Wedl, Natural Resources Commissioner for the Mille Lacs Band, discusses the Band's intentions in the event the stay is lifted allowing hunting and fishing rights to be exercised.

Wednesday, September 17

On Future Tense, Jaron Lanier who coined the phrase VIRTUAL REALITY. Lanier is a VR pioneer, electronic musician, writer and public speaker - a real digital renaissance man. Lanier told a San Francisco audience recently why he thinks children take to virtual reality so easily.

Most of us would be stumped if asked to quickly outline the borders of the 9th Federal Reserve District.... but not Aldo Moroni. He has just finished a huge clay model of the entire 9th district to hang in the lobby of the new Federal Reserve Building in Minneapolis. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr he wanted to create more than a map of the area...but something of the spirit of the upper Midwest.

Michael Sandrett, Executive Director of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans, reacts to a survey of doctors opinions about health plans.

Leonard Sigal, who headed a study of a new vaccine for Lyme disease, discusses the results of his research.

Dr. Allen Lavine, director of the Minnesota Obesity Center, discusses the options for people who were taking the now-banned diet drug, fenfluramine.

Thursday, September 18

Just a few months after flooding irreversibly changed thousands of peoples' lives in the Red River Valley...some are telling their stories for posterity. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher spoke with two people who are gathering individual stories of struggle, despair and recovery...for very different reasons.

Tonight at the Fitzgerald Theater in St Paul, poets will gather from around the country to honor the memory of Jane Kenyon who died in 1995. A poet and essayist who published several collections of work and contributed to the New Yorker and Atlantic magazines.... Kenyon wrote about many things including her own battle with depression. Minnesota Public Radio's Steven Smith talked with Kenyon in 1994 for his documentary "A Suffering Mind." During that interview she read a poem..."Woodthrush."

On Future Tense, a new breakthrough in chip technology for Intel.

Matt Connor, editor of Indian Gaming News based in New York, discusses the Mille Lacs Band taking over control of the Grand Casino.

Jay Weiner of the Star Tribune discusses Carl Pohlad's talks with a North Carolina businessman who is interested in buying the Twins.

Friday, September 19

Die Hard Republican party activists will gather in Bemidji tomorrow for an off-year state convention. few voters are as interested in the gubernatorial campaign as THESE delegates are, but their straw poll on the race CAN either add some energy to, OR deflate a candidate's campaign. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports.

On Future Tense... chances are the shink-wrapped software you buy down at you favorite software retailer has errors, or bugs. I asked Future Tense analyst Bill Loving why that is.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley discusses weather trends and why you should wear sunglasses when you go out to view fall colors.

Julian Loscalzo of F.A.N.S. (Fans Answer to a New Stadium) discusses thedecision by the major league baseball owners to allow teams to sell stock to the public.

Filmmaker Michael Moore discusses his new documentary "The Big One" which will be shown tomorrow at the Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis.

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