Kudos to the MnDOT Library!

When Minnesotans think of transportation we are inclined to think about highways, bridge safety, LRT, buses, Lexus lanes and potholes.  The work of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)  and its network of regional outlets is behind the scenes.  And behind all that is the MnDOT library, 395 John Ireland Boulevard, a bustling hub of information housed at the MnDOT  building near the Capitol – a mighty little librry that opens the world of transportation-related data, research, digital archives, journals and more to hundreds of MnDOT employees who are working on a vast range of transportation issues – broadly defined to cover a multitude of topics.

The MnDOT Library is in the spotlight these days for an aggressive action campaign to showcase their resources and services.  One of the most prestigious awards in the library world is the John Cotton Dana award – and the MnDOT Library is a 2012 winner!  No small feat for a modest state agency library pitted again the super stars with gargantuan budgets and legions of professional PR staff.

The national award, to be conferred at the annual conference of the American Library Association, asserts that “the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) created the ‘moving knowledge’ campaign to convey updated space and resources and to improve outreach efforts.  The space redesign transformed the library from a ‘bland government’ look to a warm and inviting environment.

Much of the work on the outreach campaign was conducted by consultant organizations including Law Library Consultants, Kathleen Bedor, President, and Modern Design Group, Chris Foote President and Diane Foote Design Associates.

This is not the first award for the redesigned MnDOT library.   First, the library received an Award of Merit from the Minnesota Association. of Government Communicators.  That started the ball rolling – the next award was the 2011 Innovation in Action award from the Minnesota Chapter of the Special Libraries Association.

The MnDOT Library is sponsoring an open house and reception on Thursday, May 3, 10:00 AM-3:00 p.m.  Free and open to the public .  Contact the Library at library.dot@state.mn.us.

Minnesota Constitution – A Work in Progress

It’s Sunshine Week, the annual shout out to open government – a great way to celebrate is to dig deep into some of the information by and about state and local government.  Though for the most part focus is on open meetings and data access, public information resources in libraries, archives and museums throughout the state – and increasingly online – offer a rich record of Minnesotans through the decades.  An armchair dip into the online resources will expand your definition of access to government information.  Warning – you may lose yourself in the stories.

Because we are currently floundering in information and misinformation about State Constitutional amendments, I took a mental dip into the historic records of the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, one of the state’s information treasures.  It came as no surprise to learn that staff at LRL had collected and preserved everything anyone could ever want to know about the history of  proposed amendments to the State Constitution whether the amendment was adopted or rejected.

Suffice to say, since the first amendment was proposed and approved there have been scores of proposals.  That first amendment, passed May 1, 1858, was to establish state government.   That same year the people of Minnesota adopted an amendment to authorize a $5 million railroad loan – an amendment the voters repealed two years later in an amendment that required popular approval of tax to pay railroad bonds.  The more things change…

In a different vein in 1865 and again in 1867 Minnesotans rejected proposed amendments to authorize Negroes to vote, an amendment that finally passed in 1868.  By 1875 Minnesotans authorized the legislature to grant women suffrage in school affairs – the school board members probably had a hankering for pie and coffee at their meetings.  Two years later Minnesota males rejected a proposal amendment to authorize women to vote in local elections.

The Governor was authorized to use the veto pen with passage1876 of a 1876 amendment to allow the chief executive to veto appropriation bills.  Next came an era of government organization.  Voters approved amendments to establish biennial sessions (1877), to extend terms of representatives to two and six years (1877) and to prohibit special legislation on certain subjects (1881), while they rejected a proposal to regulate compensation of legislators in 1881.

In 1886 the issue was the provision of loans to state school funds to counties and school districts.  By 1896 voters approved an amendment to permit cities, towns and villages as well as counties and school districts, to borrow school and university funds.   Tax issues took precedence as voters approved of inheritance taxes (1896)  and taxing large corporations (1896) while rejecting several tax-related initiatives.

In 1898 Minnesotans wisely approved an amendment to permit women to vote for and serve on library boards.

An initiative and referendum proposal was rejected by handily rejected by voters in 1914 and again in 1916.  In 1918 Minnesotans narrowly rejected an amendment to prohibit the manufacture and the sale of liquor.

Minnesota voters rejected a 1952 proposal to clarify the meaning of who shall be entitled to vote.  Four-year terms for constitutional offers were approved in 1958. That same year voters approved three to one to prescribe the place where a person moving to a new precinct within 30 days before an election may vote, eliminating obsolete provisions on the voting rights of persons of Indian blood.   By the same margin Minnesotans approved a 1960 amendment to provide for succession to the office of government to provide for continuity of government emergencies caused by enemy attack.

Many Minnesotans voting in the 2012 election will recall casting a ballot, or being confused by some more recent proposals including authorization the 1988 of a state-operated lottery;  in 1990 the vote was to dedicate 40% of the lottery proceeds to the environment  and natural resources.  That amendment covered the trust fund until 2001; in 1998 the environmental trust fund, expanded to include preservation of the state’s arts and cultural heritage and increased ales and use tax was approved by a huge majority; by 2008 voters were more divided but approved what is known today as the Heritage Fund.

These are just a new of the two hundred plus amendments rejected or approved  by Minnesotans since 1858.  Topics of proposed amendment run the gamut – government organization to taxes to the courts, the railroads, farms, highways, lotteries and prohibition.  This year it’s the Marriage Amendment.

Lots more on the history and the ratification process on the LRL website.  This take on the state’s bumpy constitutional history offers an intriguing mental excursion for Sunshine Week and an informed approach to the 2012 election.  Click on the LRL website and explore how Minnesotans have spoken up on a host of issues over the decades.

Northeast News

• Local Officials Host Area Town Hall Meeting

Representative Diane Loeffler and newly-elected Senator Kari Dziedzic are planning a series of joint town meetings to hear constituents’ views and ideas.  The first sessions will be Saturday, February and Saturday, February at a variety of Northeast location yet to be determined.    Watch the Windom Park beat in the TC Daily Planet or neighborhood email networks for the details.

Or you may contact Representative Loeffler’s office.  Her legislatiave assistant, Charlotte Antin, can be contact by email (charlotte.antin@house.mn) or phone 651 296 5360.

And start keeping track of your complaints, questions and ideas – not necessariiy in that order!

• MAGIC at the State Capitol

During the interim Representative Diane Loeffler co-chaired the Bipartisan Redesign Caucus.  The Caucus just released a report on findings gleaned from meetings held throughout the state to engage school, city and county officials to identify ways in which the state could foster innovation at the local level.  The report has the support of the Minnesota School Boards Association, the League of Minnesota Cities and the Association of County Commissioners, an unlikely harmonic convergence of advocacy groups that are not always inclined to collaborate.

In her recent report to constituents Loeffler points to a Star Tribune article describing the work of the Bipartisan Redesign Caucus.   Referring to the Bipartisan Redesign Caucus the Strib reporter notes that “the group is pushing a piece of legislation with the catchiest acronym of 2012 — the MAGIC act – short for the Minnesota Accountable Government Innovation and Collaboration Act. Approved by the Senate last year, the bill would allow counties to sidestep regulations and legislative restrictions and come up with their own solutions to problems in a limited number of test cases.”

Watch the MAGIC happen when and if a divided Legislature takes time to listen to the bipartisan ideas for concrete steps that just might create a system that spurs collaboration and promotes inter-agency collaboration.

 

• Ashmores Tell Tales of Northeast History February 11

Kerry and Margo Ashmore, publishers of the Northeaster and North News, will team up to share the stories and history of Northeast with friends and neighbors, old-timers and recent arrivals to this promised land.  They’ll be walking through the history of the legendary Northeast community on Saturday, February 11, 1-2 p.m. at the Northeast Library, 2200 Central Avenue Northeast.

The talk is free and open to the public.  If you haven’t visited the library recently take time to explore what’s new – consider a good read about the city, the immigrants to Northeast or something appropriate to African American History Month to be celebrated all during the unusually long month of February.  You’ve got an extra day, use those 24 hours to spend time with a good book.

• Elementary Students to be Feted at Edison

Another fun evening at the Edison Community Gym, 700 22^nd Avenue Northeast.  It’s the 4^th Annual Elementary School Night, Thursday, February 9. Elementary schoolers (maybe especially Tommies) are welcome to a great basketball game matching the Edison girls against the team from St. Paul Academy and Summit.

Half time treats include the STEP team, dance team and cheerleaders along with the 2011 robot, musical performances and more.

There will be pre-game musical performances beginning at 6:30 with the game starting at 7:00 p.m.  Elementary school students in free – regular admission $6 for adults, $4 for students and free for kids under 7.  Raffle prizes throughout the evening.

Open Government Issues on Minnesota Legislative Agenda

If all politics is local, policies, laws and regulations pertaining to state and local government information are hyperlocal.  What matters to most citizens is the right to access to information by and about state, regional and local government information – state agencies, county boards, advisory committees and regulators, every entity from the Governor’s office to the local school board.  A citizen who wants to know about a dump sight or a school bullying or a state agency budget doesn’t – and should not — have far to go.

The spirit, if not the letter, of the state statute that establishes state information policy is clear:

All government data collected, created, received, maintained or disseminated by a government entity shall be public unless classified by state, or temporary classification pursuant in section 13.6 (Discoverability of non-public information), or federal law, as nonprofit or protected nonpublic, or with respect to data on individuals, as private or confidential.  The responsible authority in every government entity shall keep records containing government data in such an arrangement and condition as to make them easily accessible for convenient use.  Photographic, photostatic, microphotographic, or microfilmed records shall be considered as accessible for convenient use regardless of the size of such records. Minnesota Statute 130.3 Access to government data: Subdivision 1. Public.

The twin pillars of access in Minnesota are the Data Practices Act and the Open Meeting Law.  Essential guides to each include these:  Open Meeting Law, Government Data Practices Act.  The Legislative Reference Library also offers a comprehensive list of guides and information about parallel laws and regulations in other states.

Still, in real life agencies have a way of setting their own procedures in light of the laws and regulations on the books. Concerned citizens need to be aware of the agencies’ responsibilities to assure compliance with the spirit and the letter of the law.  In this day of rapidly changing technologies access can be determined by everything from the assumption that everyone has web access to outright bureaucratic resistance to officials’ failure to know either their responsibilities or the public’s right to know.  Many local officials and state agency staff have had no orientation to the ways in which state access regulations relate to their work.

As the legislators unpack their laptops, there is talk among bureaucrats and advocacy groups of review and possible revision of state statutes relating to information practices.  A draft prepared by the Information Policy Advisory Division, the state bureaucracy that deals with such matters, is generating blog reaction before it goes on stage.

Prognosticating what will happen during any legislative session is ill-advised; this season it is downright foolhardy.  Still, open discussion of open government may shed light on the law, its implementation, the need for clarification, simplification or more stringent sanctions and ways to assure that Minnesotans know and exercise their information rights.

During the legislative session the place to go for information on the status of legislation relating to information policy and practice is the Bill Search and Status site fed diligently by overworked legislative staffers.  In addition to the latest information on the status of individual bills the site provides excellent guides including “How to Follow a Bill” and “How a Bill Becomes a Law” as well as a handy look-up feature if you want to reach your member.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Repositioning Players in the Government Information Game

As the Legislature gathers in St. Paul this week my focus is on the maze of information issues embedded throughout state and local government – open government, accountability, transparency, data collection, preservation, access, affordability, broadband, the list goes on.  In truth, information/communications issues undergird every bill, every vote and every citizen’s interaction with elected officials and the state, regional and local agencies for which the state sets policy and establishes budgets.   For several hours I even struggled with the desultory task of writing about information policy and procedures, legal rights and how to find state government information.

Weary of the topic of access to government information I stepped back to “re-imagine” the playing field.  By today’s rules, government information providers are lined up on one side of a perceived line; the keepers are rich with data, overwhelmed by ubiquitous information and communications technology, and burdened with legal mandates.  On the other side the information seekers are lined up — parents, small business owners, health care planners, caregivers, homeowners worried about pollution in the neighborhood; the seekers are unfamiliar with the rules, the structures, the pathways to information, and their rights to access to information by and about the government. It’s a game that subtly pits keepers against seekers, a game in which neither the rules nor the goals are understood.

Imagine a Minnesota in which keepers and seekers joined forces to work in tandem towards a common purpose.  The rewards of collaboration in the information game are both unique and generous, precisely because the information rules of the game are antithetical to traditional zero sum thinking.  The unique character of the information resource are that:

• Information is not an end in itself but a means to an end — answering a health care issue, cleaning up a waste site, creating an arts community, selecting a school board member, building a transit system or managing a drug store on Main Street.  The product of good information is a wise decision, a new connection or a great idea.
• Information shared is information expanded (“like a kiss” as Harlan Cleveland told us long ago.)

Sharing a goal casts sharing information in a different light.  That shared goal ultimately, if implicitly, flows from the premise that the state will thrive if the people of Minnesota harness the power of good and accessible information to create a more vital economy, a first rate education system, affordable health care, a cleaner environment, livable communities, an electorate who know the issues and the options.

Though I’m still working on that user guide to state government information it’s with a re-kindled spirit that positions keepers and seekers on the same team aiming for a common goal.

And Now the Facts about Native Americans in the Minnesota Legislature

With the Legislature headed to town for the session that opens Tuesday, January 24, I find myself thinking and fretting about issues of transparency and open government.  At the same time I am intrigued by the changes in legislative composition that result from recent elections, including the election of Kari Dziedzic to replace Larry Pogemiller as Senator from my legislative district.

On the way to learning more about the history of similar legislative turnovers I returned to my hands-down favorite legislative resource, the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.  Their resources and service are astounding – and the website supported by the LRL staff is a constant and totally reliable source of fascinating information.  Today I found this treasure I just have to share, partly to stem the free flow of misinformation and, even more, to share a good story about the Minnesota Legislature – a unique history that deserves to be known.

The following is taken directly from the Legislative Reference Library website,12/7/2011.  Though it was clearly posted before the final election, the facts are relevant, timely and prescient in light of the election results:

Minnesota Legislators of Native American Descent

Attorney Susan Allen won the DFL primary in District 61B. She will face Nathan Blumenshire in a special election on January 10, 2012, to fill the seat of Jeff Hayden, newly elected to the Senate. If elected, Allen would be the first woman of Native American descent to serve in the Minnesota Legislature.

Some news outlets have noted that Senator Skip Finn was the first Native American to serve in the Senate, and even the first Native American Minnesota legislator. Wrong on both counts!

There was at least one member of the Minnesota Legislature who was Native American who served in the Senate long before Skip Finn. Senator Henry G. Bailly served in the first state legislature (1857-1858). For years people have been inaccurately reporting that Sen. Finn was the first to serve in the Minnesota Senate. Bailly also served in the Minnesota Territorial Council, the predecessor to the Minnesota State Senate. 

In addition, there were a few House members who had Native American ancestry who also served before Finn. As we do more research, it’s more than possible that we will find other former members who had Native American ancestry. Here are the members we’ve found, so far, who are members of minority groups (there are probably more that we haven’t found yet). Self-Reported Minority Legislators Use the drop down box to limit the list to Native Americans.

Note:  If you do make your way to the LRL website, take a few minutes to poke around this digital treasure trove – you never know what you’ll need to know and share with your representative during the months to come – it’s likely accessible through LRL.

 

Reflections on the “1968″ Exhibit

The Minnesota History Center’s blockbuster “1968” exhibit has definitely got  museum visitors talking – during and after the exhibit.   Having made but one pilgrimage to the MHC for the exhibit I have been mulling it over in the aftermath of what I do hope is the first of several visits during the month to come.

Reflecting on my MLK Day visit evokes vivid images not so much of the exhibit but as the visitors.  First there were the young folks (because it was MLK Day the audience was skewed to the school-age crowd.)  The boys were exploding with military adrenalin at the very sight of the helicopter (which I found almost unbearable);  I heard in-depth discussions of the relative effectiveness of grenades vs. rifles – the kill-power was of great concern to a couple of pre-teens in particular.  The little girls  seemed more concerned with their own 2012-era  finery  and the blaring music from ancient times than with the subtleties of feminism.

And then there were the moms and dads – “That was five years  before Mommy was born…”  was the sort of phrase I heard repeatedly.  These were good parents, trying to expose their kids to history they themselves had learned about from stories their elders passed down or from documentaries.  They knew the big names (Humphrey, the Beatles, RFK) and many had a dad or granddad who had served in the Nam.

It was the grandparents I watched with the keenest interest.  They were quiet, reflective, remembering.   Me, too.  I was remembering where I was, with whom, what I was wearing during the protests, the day MLK died, the torturous Dem Convention  in Chicago, the Children’s Crusade led by McCarthy.  I remembered the music, the clothes, the funeral of MLK (which I listened to time after time.)

The memories and reflective spirit have been with me since.  I’ve talked with friends about our reactions.  Underwhelmed, we said to each other.  We were there.   We know what it was like.   We had friends and family members in Vietnam.  We marched for civil rights and against the war.  For my part I was working at a predominantly African American college  in inner-city Washington, DC throughout that tumultuous year so life in a burning city is etched permanently in my living memory, along with the strident voices of “women’s lib” before it had a clear thrust, much less a handle.

The MHC exhibit is captivating, informative and a fine tip of the historic iceberg it represents.  This is a good thing for Minnesotans of every age.

Still, what chaffs for those some of us who were submerged in all that – the war, the riots, the murder, the music — is that we have been “museum-ized.”  We are not the observers but the subject of the exhibit.  We want to shout out, to inform the visitor’s experience with our own perceptions and experiences.

When I mentioned this concept of museumization to a group, one friend was quick to recollect a visit that he and his wife had made to a history of technology exhibit.  They were early computer geeks, when computers were behemoth and geeks had not yet become a career option.  After viewing the punch cards and IBM 360 machines behind glass enclosures these early adapters concluded that they should be behind glass as part of the exhibit – museumized in real time.

We expect museums to explore and expose remote relics of the past to those of us who are living and learning from a position of power built on the progress of humankind and on our power to shape the story.   It’s a different and uncomfortable experience to find oneself as the subject memorialized on film or photo or bit of realia.   The universal response seems to be an irresistible urge to correct, or at least augment, the story.

This bit of introspection is helping me understand with newfound clarity the response American Indians have to the depiction and interpretation of their role in Minnesota history.  Though this was not the intent of 1968,  for me it’s a healthy byproduct of a memorable museum experience.

Museumization  is not easy for a person or for a people.

Invoking the Spirit of Ruth Myers, Grandmother of American Indian Education in Minnesota

“Uncouth Ruth from Duluth” she loved to call herself to the delight of my young sons.  We all knew that nothing could have been more from the truth.

 

For decades, Ruth M Myers, known as the “grandmother of American Indian Education in Minnesota” was the driving force and voice for American Indian children and their families.  Though she died in 2001, Ruth left a legacy that might well serve as the model for Governor Dayton and the educators who are struggling with the same issues today.  Her spirit, ideas, courage, and unstinting commitment to American Indian learners set a standard to be emulated.  Her spirit can infuse and thus help shape today’s efforts.

 

Ruth was not a professional educator but a concerned parent, citizen and a proud member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.  Ruth was sent at an early age to an Indian boarding school, a sad fact that shaped her life and fueled her fervor.  Though she spoke little of those sad experiences, it was easy to feel her pain and the ways in which she harnessed that pain to inspire positive change.

 

Her accomplishments are legendary.  An elected member of the Duluth School Board, Ruth was appointed by the Governor as the first American Indian member of the Minnesota State Board of Education. Though at times she chaired that Board, she always ruled it by her presence and her persistence.

 

At the University of Minnesota Duluth where she worked for many years, she remains a legend.  She is credited with starting sixteen of seventeen UMD programs for American Indian students.  Colleagues there recall that, in 1973, she saw a notice in the newspaper that the UMD Medical School was developing a program for American Indians and, in the process, was organizing a committee of community members.  She knocked on the office door of the Dean of the Medical School and asked, “What Indians do you have on that committee?”  The rest is history….

 

Ruth’s position at UMD before retirement was Co-Director of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the School of Medicine.  There she tended not only to recruitment and academic coaching but to life’s details;  she regularly stopped at a legendary purveyor of low-cost fresh produce every time she had a meeting in St. Paul – which was often.  Often I think of how proud Ruth would be of the students to whom she offered a gentle helping hand at the most unexpected moment.

 

Not one to bow to academic measures, Ruth was truly pleased when UMD named the Ruth Myers Endowed Chair in American Indian Education; though she cared little about the honor she knew it would convey status and support on her beloved program.  She was also touched deeply when the Fond du Lac Community College Library was named for her; that library continues to reflect her influence in many ways.  Ruth understood well the power of the record; she often expressed a conviction that American Indian students should be encouraged to pursue professions in museums, libraries and archives so they could correct, complete and basically set the historic record straight.

 

Though the list of honors for Ruth is nearly infinite, possibly the most inclusive is the Minnesota Indian Education Association Elder of the Year – it says it all.

 

My introduction to Ruth was as a member of the State Board of Education.  On the first day, she reminded me that I was as much a member as any of the older and, I presumed, wiser members.  She also declared that,  from that day forward, I was to watch out for women’s issues so she could concentrate on American Indian and other minority students.  Ruth was the mistress of gentle delegation.

 

Though her accomplishments as a member and Chair of the State Board of Education are inestimable, a few stand out in my clear memory of those days:

 

• Ruth advocated unceasingly for review of the image of American Indians in textbooks, library materials, the core curriculum.

 

• She fought for preservation of American Indian languages in the schools.

 

• She insisted that every Minnesota student must know something about Indian culture.

 

• She regaled education professionals about their indifference to the nutritional needs and dietary threats (e.g. milk products) for American Indian youth.

 

• Ever open to change, Ruth examined every proposed rule from the perspective of how it would affect Indian kids and their families.

 

• And she would frequently point to the American Indian origins of the U of M Morris campus – and the rights of American Indian students who should be encouraged to exercise their inalienable right to attend UM-Morris.

 

Often a body of writing conveys the thoughts of an academic who wants to have a voice in the future.  For Ruth, the voice was so strong, the commitment so staunch, the vision so clear and the passion so fervent that it is her voice that speaks to those who will but hear.  My hope is that this includes those who are shaping the future of American Indian Education in Minnesota.  As with other great leaders, the vision outlives the individual and must inspire those who would seek to accomplish similar goals – if they will just listen.

 

My heart rejoiced just recently when I learned that the Duluth School Board has approved changing the name of the Grant Elementary School to Myers-Wilkins Elementary in honor of Ruth Myers and Marjorie Wilkins, an African American advocate.  The Board also approved naming the new auditorium at East High School as the Myers-Wilkins Auditorium. It was an unprecedented battle and a true victory that would please Ruth especially because the honor is shared.  It is a reminder that the voice of Ruth Myers lives.  Her vision and relentless commitment should set a tone and a pace for what comes of the recent first-ever Summit on American Indian Education.

New Year’s Day – Celebrating Whenever, Wherever and However

For many Minnesotans, the media, shopping centers, nonprofit fundraisers and tax collectors it’s common knowledge that January 1 marks the first day of the year – Sunday we will wake up in a world in which it’s 2012 – even in Samoa.   Or is it?

Last year, writing about Chinese New Year, I got entranced with our myopic view of the calendar which is based on the narrow premise  that the Gregorian calendar dictates some sort of global order that rules the happenings of humankind.

Still, many Minnesota residents will tell a different and wonderful story of when and how the turn of the calendar is celebrated in their culture.

As one way of expanding my own understanding of the world in which we live, I decided to poke around to capture the barest scraps of information about the advent of the new year around this very large planet.  Though this is far too skimpy a search, a resolution for 2012 (Gregorian calendar) is to pay more attention to the many faces of the new year.

New Year’s Day – A moveable feast.  As the rules dictate, I started with what I know – the Gregorian Calendar, the one that says that New Year’s Day falls on January 1.  My first web hit was the story of how the Brits set the pace for Samoa’s recent calendar realignment when, in 1752, they tweaked the calendar ordered by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582;  it seems they cut out eleven days – days that had accrued when Great Britain stuck with the Julian calendar.  We do the same thing now when, on February 29, 2012, we make our quadrennial effort to align the solar and Gregorian calendars – as it turns out the Gregorian calendar is off by 26 seconds, meaning that there is a full day’s discrepancy between the two every 3,323 years.

Though this doesn’t relate to cultural mores, it’s a fun story in its own right.    Besides, it’s a good reminder that any calendar is a human take on a cosmic reality.

Back to the ways in which we go about acknowledging the calendar shift in wondrously different ways.  The options are myriad and randomly chosen simply because of their different spins on a common theme.

The Gregorian Calendar, and the Julian calendar on which it is based, are basically solar – except when it comes to the calculation of Easter which is related to the moon’s cycle around the earth.

Many calendars are what is known as the “lunisolar” calendar which, as the name suggests, is based on the phases of the moon and the solar year.  One of the characteristics of the lunisolar year is that there are a whole number of months, normally twelve – except of course when there are thirteen.

The lunisolar calendar is the basis for the Hebrew, Buddhist, Hellenic, Hindu lunisolar, Burmese, Tibetan, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mongolian and Korean calendars, as was the Japanese calendar until 1873….wherein lies a tale.

The Islamic calendar is lunar, but not lunisolar because its date is related to the sun, but not the moon.  Since the Islamic year is eleven or twelve days shorter than the Gregorian years the new years do not coincide.  And then there’s the Irish calendar of times gone by – and thereby hands a whole other tale.

Though calendars of different cultures have vastly different histories and customs, virtually all cultures celebrate the passage of time with a significant day or days that mark the end of the old year and beginning of the new – a sort of rite of passage that rids the people of the past and anticipates what is yet to come.

An array of new year’s customs.  Some glimpses of the various calendars and customs around the globe offer a sense of some universal themes that relate more to our common humanity than to the date on the calendar:

Sri Lanka:  New year in Sri Lanka or the Sinhala new year, Aluth Avurudhu usually falls on April 13th or 14th.   According to Sinhalese mythology, the new year begins when the sun moves from Meena Rashiya (the house of Aries) to Mesha Rashiya. It also marks the end of the harvest and coming of spring.   In Sri Lanka, the flowers of spring, meticulous housecleaning,  tributes to elders, new clothes, games, feasting  and honored religious rituals mark the coming of the new year.

Ukraine.  New Year, the only Slavic feast recognized at the state level in Ukraine, has been celebrated on January 1 since Emperor Peter I moved the official date to the Gregorian calendar with the advent of Christianity.  Mummers are essential features of new year’s day along with St. Nicholas and his granddaughter, Snegurochka (Snow Maiden).  Some Ukrainians have it both ways by celebrating Old New Year (January 13) and the post-Peter I new year on January 1.

Japan.  Unlike China, Korea and Vietnam which celebrate the lunar calendar,  the Japanese celebrate new year’s day on January 1.  The rites and rituals are so rich that the new year actually begins well in advance with a festive new year’s eve known as Omisoka.   The stories of new year traditions in Japan are encyclopedic – some of my favorites are these:

- At midnight on December 31 Buddhist temples through the nation toll their bells 108 times to symbolize the human sins in Buddhist belief and to exorcise the 108 worldly desires of sense and feeling to which Japanese are prone.

- Poetry, including haiku (17 syllables) and renga (linked poetry) is also a part of the Japanese tradition.  The poetry custom is particularly rich with ancient traditions, some of which pre-date the nation’s migration to the Gregorian calendar.

- My favorite among the plethora of Japanese new year’s traditions is the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as a staple of the new year celebrations throughout Japan.  The symphony was introduced to Japan by German prisoners of war during World War I.  Because Germany and Japan were allies the frequent performances of the Ninth Symphony was intended to promote nationalism.

- The Japanese also celebrate the new year by recognizing a host of firsts – first sunrise, first trip to a shrine, first exchange of letters, first tea ceremony, even first shopping sale of the year (who knew WalMart was promoting a Japanese custom!)
Ecuador.   Ecuadoreans celebrate new year’s eve and new year’s day with a unique tradition that focuses on the old year passing.  Dummies representing human figures, stuffed with paper, sawdust, wood – and firecrackers – are publicly displayed before they are set afire.   The dummies represent human figures including politicians, even terrorist s– their destruction represents the end of the old year.

Sweden.  Minnesotans of Swedish heritage  are no doubt empathizing with their relatives back home.  Traditionally, the Swedes celebrate the new year with a grand seafood feast on new year’s eve.  This year’s shortage of shrimp and crayfish means hard times for the Swedes who will have to opt for lobster; anticipating the dearth of shrimp and crayfish Swedish lobstermen wisely netted large quantities of lobster early in the season – the delicacies have been waiting on ice for the propitious moment. One might assume the Swedes will bear up with their legendary strength of character.

Mexico.  Rich traditions, particularly associated with the new year, are endemic to Mexico.  One custom is Mexican pan dulce, a sweet bread in which a coin is baked.  When the pan dulce is served at the bewitching hour the person who finds the coin is deemed to be the luckiest in the new year.

A unique Mexican custom is that on New Year’s Eve everyone has to eat one grape and make a wish at each click of the clock between twelve seconds of midnight.  Each grape signifies good luck for one month of the new year.

Amidst the host of rich family, home, feasting and religious-oriented Mexican rituals is one that captures my attention – it has to do with the underwear chosen by Mexican women.  If a woman wants love, she wears red; for financial success, she wars green; for good health, it’s white.

 

Korea.  In Korea, where new year follows the lunar calendar, Seollal is the most important of the traditional holidays.  It usually falls on the day of the second new moon after winter solstice; in the case of an “intercalary” eleventh or twelfth new year’s day falls on the day of the third new moon after the solstice. This won’t happen until 2033, so not to worry.

Koreans also celebrate Gregorian new year when, in 2012 and probably in the future, North Koreans will reflect on the death of their leader.

Poland.  The Polish nation celebrates new year, also known as St. Sylvester’s Eve, on January 1.  Legend has it that Pope Sylvester I caught a dragon named Leviathan who escaped and set out to demolish earth and heaven alike.  The dragon was re-captured, the earth and heavens survived, and the people celebrate New Year’s Day as St. Sylvester’s Day.  The Polish people carry on traditions such as smudging windows with tar and hiding pots that were left out to symbolize driving out the old and bringing in the new.

Cambodia.  Following Buddhist customs, Khmer new year in Cambodia is celebrated for three days, usually beginning April 13 or 14, the end of the harvest.  This coincides with the solar new year as it is celebrated in India, Thailand and other nations.  The Khmer new year known as Chol Chnam Thmey in the Khmer language is one of Cambodia’s major holidays, a time when the Khmer people of Cambodia and Vietnam can rest from their labors and take time to enjoy three days of celebration.

Rosh Hashanah.  Because of its universality Rosh Hashanah is not a national celebration but a time recognized as the Jewish new year by Jews and Samaritans regardless of geography.

Rosh Hashanah is a time of prayer, reflection and hearing the blasts of the shofar.  Judgment day, when everyone’s deeds are assessed, is at the center of Rosh Hashanah.

Rosh Hashanah occurs 163 days after the first day of Passover, meaning that the feast can fall between September 5 and October 5 on the Gregorian calendar.  In 2012 Rosh Hashanah will occur at sunset September 16 until nightfall on September 18; this is Jewish Year 5773.

Rosh Hashanah is replete with beautiful ritual.  Apples and honey, representing a sweet new year, are the best known foods of custom.  The Rosh Hashanah seder is a feast that features dates, leeks, gourds and other foods mentioned in the Talmud

China.   Because I wrote extensively about Chinese new years customs last year, readers may wish to refer to that post.   In 2012 the Year of the Dragon begins on January 23.  People of Chinese heritage around the world will be celebrating telling and retelling the stories of Nian, the monster that terrorized the people of ancient China and the Jade Emperor of Heaven. Chinese new year is celebrated for fifteen days and is also known as the Spring Festival.

The stories are endless — the year is not.  The universals are clear:

Every culture celebrates the new year with time-honored and meaningful customs;  we all welcome the time to rid ourselves of the old and get on with the new;  hope springs eternal!

Happy 2012!

Transparency – A Concept Whose Time (May Have) Come

We may be living in the Teachable Moment when open government takes its rightful place as a major player – the bulwark that it must be – in the local/state access arena. Images of a closed Capitol, news reports of sequestered politicos, clandestine sessions and sub-rosa text messages have combined to dawn on us little people that we may be shut out of the process. If we don’t know what’s going, we are silenced in the decision-making process.

At some level there is discussion of the need to take a look at the pillars of open government at the state level. The Data Practices Act and the Open Meeting Law deserve an airing, if for no other reason than that the issue of open government demands public attention. For me, the details of the law are somewhat less important than the airing itself.

For starts, it’s not the laws and regulations but oversight of those well-wrought documents that cries out for attention. Who is responsible for keeping an eye on school board meetings, backroom gatherings of county commissioners, not to mention legislative cloakroom sessions?

Even more important, what is a citizen to do if a single legislator has the power to dismiss a public employee who allows citizens to sit at the table, as in House Speaker Kurt Zeller’s arbitrary firing of the chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources .

And what are information-seeking citizens to do when the press is laid off, bought off or just too stretched to cover the bases? Though there are options, ranging from MinnPost and Twin Cities Daily Planet to independent bloggers, some voices have been stifled– and not every concerned Minnesotan has the time, technology or skill to use the communications and information tools du jour. A quick review of several watchdog sites suggests that they have wilted on the information vine. The mainstream press itself has financial, technological and credibility challenges that limit its influence.

The good news is that it is beginning to dawn of us, the public, that we are out of the loop. We the people want to know more, not less. Contrary to popular belief, we are able to attend to, retain and act on solid information we trust.

Though misinformation and opaque government may have had their moment beyond the reach of the sun., a new dawn breaks. The challenge for the majority who care is to keep an eye on that horizon and to craft innovative strategies that take into account the financial and technological realities of the day.

The challenge demands time on task, collaboration and a clear vision of the meaning and strength of an informed democracy. It is a near certainty that issues of transparency and open government as manifest in the laws and regulations of the State of Minnesota will surface, if quietly, on the legislative agenda in 2012. May the voice of Minnesota citizens be heard in the ensuing discourse.