The mystery illness that reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar is suffering with, has finally been revealed, although not necessarily 100% confirmed. A “source” told Minnesota news station WCCO that Lesnar has a severe case of diverticulitis.

According to the Mayo Clinic, diverticulitis occurs when one or more diverticula in your digestive tract become inflamed or infected. Diverticula are small, bulging pouches that can form anywhere in your digestive system, including your esophagus, stomach and small intestine. However, they’re most commonly found in the large intestine. (more here)

Mild cases can be treated with rest and diet changes, but Lesnar has a severe case, which will require a major surgery. Our best wishes to Mr. Lesnar as he battles through this painful disease.

WCCO’s John Lauritsen published a story last night on the gifts of autism. I would have posted the story last night, but they were slow to get it online partly due to internet connection problems at the studio. But that is irrelevant with the story now online.

Loc Tran is a 17-year-old senior attending Champlin Park High School. While his gifts would be enough to make him a fan favorite in the autism community, he’s also blind. Not that it stops him from pursuing aspirations in music. Give this guy a song and he’ll give you five avenues composed in his brain. As you may have guessed, his math and numbers memory could rival that of Rain Man. He even composed a song for the Minnesota Timberwolves (perhaps he could write a few more given the team’s struggles).

This continues the new trend in autism I noted last week with the New York Times article on the possible removal of Asperger Syndrome. A trend that shifts away from despair and the years of struggle for everyone involved to one that emphasizes individuality within the autism and other disability community. I can tell you that my capacity for music is nowhere near this guy, but we probably could share an intellectual moment in the sports world. Not a single sentence is mentioned about Tran’s difficulties as a result of his sight or autism. I’m sure they exist, but as I’ve come to learn through my documentaries and this blog, it’s hard to find someone that doesn’t have any crises to deal with.

The story is simply a profile piece showing what this kid can do that not everyone can replicate as smoothly as him. No concerns about what his life will be like or how he’ll take care of himself when he gets older (video does show him using a special projection screen to help him read assignments and a cane to sense what’s in front of him). No talk about how agonizing adjusting to his life is. Every second of the story is spent on optimism.

As the new decade approaches, it’s a safe bet to say we’ll see more stories like Lauritsen’s. New controversies will undoubtedly emerge too as people discover how autistics can excel at subjects that leave everyone else in envy, but the envy will be created because reporters are spending more time focusing on specifics than the generic tragic storyline of the “Rain Man era.”

I picked up a new laptop the other day, partly because I was going on an out-of-town trip and wanted to get some tape logging done on location and just because I always wanted one. And it’s not like work didn’t offer to get me one, it’s just the one they were going to get was a little smaller than I wanted… small screens and old eyes do not mix. And for once, I got exactly what I wanted.  A little extravagant, but I don’t care. It’s really nice.

Fresh Minnesota Tomatoes

Cool efficiency

As I mentioned yesterday, I’m in Minneapolis for the first half of this week. Our first stop was a produce distribution company. All the fresh fruits and vegetables in the refrigerated section of the facility made the place smell like a giant salad.

Besides distributing food, the facility also processes food, peeling carrots, cutting celery and the like. And again, the crew works in an area cold enough to keep the food fresh, so they’re wearing warm clothes, with their clean white coats and rubber boots. On top of that, they’re wearing cut-resistant gloves to protect their hands and rubber gloves on top of them… I was just watching and could barely move.

We stopped off at a local farm as well. It was their smaller facility, where they give hayrides and tours for kids. There are also a few farm animals on display, which always makes for some fun.

There was a coin-operated dispenser full of some kind of feed grain near the hog pen. Which, I guess, gives you the opportunity to feed Truffles the hog, if you want. Truffles is very aware of the possibility, and will give you the sad eyes as soon as you go need the machine.

Will & Truffles

Videographer Will Bezubic was more than willing to borrow several quarters to give Truffles a little something for her effort. Of course, the feeling of warm hog tongue is not necessarily a good feeling, but Truffles appreciated it. Of course, a couple of the goats wanted to get in on the act.

While I’m down on the farm, it’s turning out to be one of the bigger sports weeks in the city’s recent history. The Twins win what was supposed to be their final game in the Metrodome, setting up a one-game playoff with the Detroit Tigers to see who goes up against the Yankees in the ALDS.

Then there was the madness of Vikings-Packers game on Monday Night Football. Former Packer and current Viking Brett Favre was facing his old team for the first time since leaving the team.

If you turned on the news, you wouldn’t have known there was anything else going on in the world. The upside of watching the news in Minneapolis is getting a chance to see some former Memphis news folk. I caught former 24 & 5 anchor Bill Lunn anchoring an early newscast on KSTP. An hour or so later, I spotted former 13 reporter Esme Murphy on WCCO. Nice to see them again.

We’re so proud of Dragon Diva member Carol Rohrer who was recently recognized by local radio station WCCO (830 on the AM dial…) as their Good Neighbor of the Day for September 21.

A woman who’s been charged with 12 felony counts of swindling more than $300,000 from an autistic man might hear that phrase from the person she’s accused of stealing from.

Katherine Rosenthal was given power of attorney over the swindling victim because he was autistic. The autistic man’s mother saved money while working at the Federal Reserve Bank as a librarian in order to support the rest of the family after her death. The father granted power of attorney to Rosenthal sometime after she and the autistic man befriended each other at an Eagan apartment. When the man’s father died in 2004, Rosenthal began withdrawing money from the autistic man’s account, along with cashing out 17 savings bonds. An attorney who filed charges against Rosenthal claims she used the money to pay off student loans and purchase a house under her name alone in San Antonio when it was intended to go to the autistic man. Her response? “That’s my money.”

Umm, I’m pretty sure the money belonged to the man and not you. Swindling is a heartless crime as perpetrators often take advantage of someone else’s trust for a cruel purpose. This case is no different. The WCCO story spent a lot of time focusing on the crime itself, not revealing much detail about Rosenthal’s motive or how severe the autistic man suffered from his disability. Knowing those two things would answer some questions and serve as a potential lesson for people dealing with autism about criminals preying on easy targets (the mentally disabled fall here). I’ve discussed lack of awareness, particularly to danger, as a symptom for autistic people. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rosenthal stole from the autistic man as his condition would likely reduce his awareness to the crimes Rosenthal allegedly committed.

The crime itself is a story, an all-too-common one for reporters (TV and newspapers often have several crime beat reporters), but there’s a much deeper story embedded within the charges. Should WCCO pursue the juice inside, the rest of us might learn something and adequately prepare ourselves in case our internal sensors detect a scenario similar to the autistic man’s. We work hard to earn our money. The only shortcuts are game shows and lotteries. I’d never support swindling, but if you have any dastardly plans to do so, target someone who can at least match your intellect. You’ll most likely get busted, but you’d save some face versus stealing from a mentally disabled person.

As posted on Social Studies on August 18:

Michael Jackson’s funeral notice may have generated a CNN Breaking News Alert today, but the big news for us Minnesotans captured four of the top 10 trending spots on Twitter:

Brett Favre, Farve, Vikings and WCCO.

But why was local CBS affiliate WCCO-TV trending right along with the news of Brett Favre signing with the Minnesota Vikings?

Because they broke the story — via Twitter.

Via David Brauer at MinnPost:

Reporter Mark Rosen, preparing for a Hawaiian vacation set to begin Wednesday, got a call around 8:30 a.m. from a team poohbah. Fifty minutes later, the tweet heard round the world — well, at least the sports world — went out via @wccobreaking:

“A high-level source with the Minnesota Vikings tells WCCO’s Mark Rosen that QB Brett Favre is expected to sign with the team Tuesday.”

The station’s willingness to sit on a story that would quadruple its web traffic — producing a spike only exceeded by the 35W bridge collapse — reflects oft-derided mainstream newsroom values.

While the concept of news breaking online is nothing new, it’s exciting — and indicative of the changing landscape — to watch legacy journalists embrace new media channels, such as Twitter, for their breaking news reports.

The content mainstream news institutions gather, confirm and report is just as valuable today as ever before, but the distribution model must change to keep pace with technology, generational habits and the ever-quickening pace of the news cycle.

For example, although I don’t often watch local television news, I do subscribe to all available local TV station Twitter feeds, frequent their Web sites and read reporter blogs. I learned of Favre’s new Vikings deal via Twitter, sent it to a friend via e-mail, who posted it to his Facebook page.

News is news, in spite of the delivery format.

Now bring on the Super Bowl tweets!

Leave your comments on the Social Studies blog.

[the daily swarm]

JonasBrothers-Larypoop: KDWB: Pre Target Center Event

KDWB: Pre Target Center Event. Les dejo fotos de los chicos en KDWB&s Twin City Hit Station&s Pre Target Center Event junto a los ganadores para, para ver un performance privado y conocerlos. Etiquetas: Jonas Brothers …

KDWB: Pre Target Center Event. Les dejo fotos de los chicos en KDWB&s Twin City Hit Station&s Pre Target Center Event junto a los ganadores para, para ver un performance privado y conocerlos. Etiquetas: Jonas Brothers …

We know KDWB superfans aren&t exactly the smartest people in the Twin Cities (trust us, we used to run with that crowd) but what&s with the willingness to be tortured for more than 24 hours just to win a prize? …

Your first and biggest source on Jonas Brothers& Nick Jonas!

KDWB: Pre Target Center Event. Les dejo fotos de los chicos en KDWB&s Twin City Hit Station&s Pre Target Center Event junto a los ganadores para, para ver un performance privado y conocerlos. Etiquetas: Jonas Brothers …

DoApp: Blog » Weather is but the Tip of the Iceberg

After the exploratory meeting, our CEO Wade and John Daenzer of WCCO worked out a way to bring the WCCO content right to your iPhone. You can see my blog about the camping trip here http://www.doapps.com/blog/?p=44#more-44 . …

WCCO WEATHER I&m including this one to make readers who think they&ve had an unbearably lousy winter feel a little better. WCCO is a Minnesota news outlet. It spent much of yesterday delivering news of a huge snowstorm that closed at …

wcco weather – latest news, information, videos, photos, images.

wcco weather – latest news, information, videos, photos, images.

After the exploratory meeting, our CEO Wade and John Daenzer of WCCO worked out a way to bring the WCCO content right to your iPhone. You can see my blog about the camping trip here http://www.doapps.com/blog/?p=44#more-44 . …

Westchester – Westchester County, New York news, real estate, classifieds, and much more., Valhalla, NY – Westchester Community College

I recorded the WCCO 10 o’clock news after the Minnesota Tax Cut Rally on Saturday, May 2nd.

I just went and watched it tonight and I wasn’t surprised to find that they didn’t mention the rally at all.  Instead they had the usual fluff that they are notorious for.  Now to be fair, I didn’t actually sit and watch the whole thing because I didn’t think I would be able to stay awake long enough.  However, I did slowly buzz through it so if they did mention it then they didn’t bother to show any pictures or video of it.

At one point I thought they had covered it but it just turned out to be a tiny rally in Fargo for that woman convicted of spying in Iran.  I guess a couple hundred people rallying in Fargo is more important than SEVERAL THOUSAND people protesting irresponsible government at the state capitol.

If I were someone who watched WCCO I would be disgusted by their horrible coverage of current events.  WCCO must be either incredibly biased or just plain incompetent.  There had to be at least 5000 people at the tax cut rally and Tim Pawlenty gave a speech!  We all know that Pawlenty was considered as a running mate for John McCain and he might run for the GOP nomination in 2012.

If that isn’t a news story then I don’t know what is.

WCCO is worthless.

I also recorded KARE 11 and they covered the rally and had video at 10pm.  Their description of the event wasn’t perfect but I have to give them props for fair coverage.

It’s not what you think. Read the post here.

Thanks to Jay Ehret, aka themarketingguy for pointing out this article from WCCO.com about the 3/50 Project.  The 3/50 project was launched by Cinda Baker, a small business consultant.  The whole thing is really simple.  Consumers pick three local, independent businesses that they’d hate to see disappear and spend $50 per month at those businesses ($50 total, not $50 each).

Consumers aren’t being asked to spend any additional money; just to redirect part of the money they’re already spending to their friends and neighbors who own local businesses.  Unlike some “buy local” campaigns, there is no cost for you to join the project, just a short registration.

Once you’re a member, you’ll be able to download a bag stuffer, counter cards and other promotional goodies.  Other non-downloadable stuff can be ordered at little or no cost.

If there’s no official “buy local” organization in your area, or if you’re running on a tight budget, here’s your chance to start something with virtually no out-of-pocket expense except for paper and ink to print the bag stuffers, counter cards, etc.  You’re inviting your friends and neighbors to support you and your fellow merchants just by spending a small amount of their monthly income with you instead of a national chain.  This is one of those win/win opportunities that can really add up.

You can make this happen today.  Go to the 3/50 web site.  Sign up.  Download the counter card and bag stuffer and put them into use immediately.  You have absolutely nothing to lose and a lot to gain.