"Shocking" Layoffs hit Normal, Mn.: Tales from Normal, Mn.: FICTION

Just got the text today from Normal, Mn. that there has been shocking news...about shocking layoffs in the established, do not touch professions, the ones that folks lived and worked and sacrificed in so that they would never be shocked by cutbacks...and they made severe sacrifices to make...very high wages for 9 months work or so, and/or got very nice thank you pensions that nobody bothered to really calculate the real cost of if...in times of contraction..one had to really pay for them...it was always assumed that the entities would just discourage folks from staying for more than five years or so, and thus there would be just minimul liability...but in a total surprise folks decided to make it a career, and the nice regular folks that sat on boards that decide such matters, and never understood the matters, but were waiting for someone up higher to warn them of fire and difficult decisions that needed to be made....never even dimly understood, much less acted to serve the public. And so...pink slips.

"Americans are excited about lower wages": Tales from Normal, Mn.: FICTION

Just got the text today from the fishing guys at Betty Lou's Cafe in Normal, Mn, that they are getting pretty excited about all the good news about America's corporate profits caused by lower wages driving stocks higher and higher....Even though as they stare at the giant tv's in the cafe in the morning, just past 6am is best for the best seating...and they just love it when the highly caffeinated guys on the morning stock tv shows talk about how the SandP keeps going higher and higher, and this seems to match the higher and higher they feel with the double strong caffeine plus the whipped cream that is no extra at Betty Lou's. It is kind of funny when one just ponders...none of the guys has any stocks...they just invest in minnows and bait for fishing walleyes...but still they are real positive about the future of America and all the great things that will hopefully come of all this greed, and the wonderful things that come of greed...at least the wonderful things they talk about on t.v.

More sports solves Normal,Mn Academic Decay: Tales From Normal, Mn: Fiction

Working on this story--got a short text today that hinted that by requiring all students to be 5 sport athletes, the ACT scores just skyrocketed upward in Normal, Mn...stay tuned...

"In Order for the firm to be "nimble" You need to sign the resignation form in front of you": Tales From Normal, Mn.: FICTION

Just got the text from Normal, Mn that the bass fisherman at Betty Lou's coffee shop were just flabergasted when one of the guys was pitched that the firm he worked for wanted to be "Nimble" and needed to terminate him and then consider his reemployment on entirely different terms and conditions...the young 21yr old senior executive seemed to be well intentioned enough with his bright smile and glazed eyes, but ...our friend just kept thinking that he was of a different planet...maybe the planet Earth had been taken over by aliens who had forgotten a bit...like everything about employment...and then had substituted the alien culture...maybe like slavery....The guys did the best to console him and even offered to buy the coffee, double strong with a dash of whipped cream...but he insisted he needed something stronger...stay tuned as I follow this story...it seems to be spreading all across the country.

"Not available at Press time" Loses School Board Election: Tales From Normal, Mn: Fiction

Just got the note today---seems the legendary "Not Available at Press Time" lost in the recent school board election...the bass fisherman at Betty Lou's coffee shop just smiled when I asked why---they said in bass fishing it is important to be timely...ditto for public service....

There are no "human beings", just "Human Resources" in Normal, Mn: Tales: FICTION

I am currently working on this breaking story...maybe you have a personal experience to validate the story that you want to share till the broadband comes back up from Normal, Mn.

Girls's Hockey saves Normal, Mn. School District; Tales From Normal, Mn.: FICTION

Just got the text today from Normal, Mn....it seems that there has been a school bonanza there this year...in enrollment...and it all started out from just one idea from an early morning coffee "blue sky" session at Betty Lou's coffee shop...where all the bass fisherman meet each morning to discuss what the bass might be looking for...as well as other topics. Billy Bob had just thrown out the idea that all over this nation there were lots of girls that wanted the opportunity to play ice hockey, and in light of the falling enrollment that was threatening the very existence of Normal, Mn School District, and also the problem looming that they did not have the money to even think of upgrading.... anything... in the school, well...death and dying of the district did seem to loom...Ice Hockey was the answer...and the guys at Betty Lou's to a man loved the idea. They formed a group that started to build the boards for a giant outdoor ice rink....and they announced to the entire nation that enrollment was now being accepted for girls that might want to join the ice hockey program...all students that wanted to play were guaranteed a spot on the team...and well...the rest is history... Enrollment skyrocketed...Money from the state skyrocketed...and the results for the whole community were astounding...homes were in high demand, money from the state for enrolled students went to pay for the very latest in mobile wireless computers....visitors from all over this great nation came to view the school in Normal, Mn as a role model for academic success. And that's the way it was...stay tuned as I follow this story.

Parents live with their kids in Normal, Mn: Tales from Normal, Mn: FICTION

Just got the text today from the guys in Normal, Mn---seems they have been watching the news and in light of possible cuts to Social Security, the retired guys have been simply moving in with their kids---just like the "good old days"----most have not even called first---they just show up....stay tuned as I follow this story---this is just what conservatives have always dreamed of....

Conservatives want Harvard to be more friendly to Conservatives: Tales from Normal, Mn.: FICTION

The guys at Betty Lou's coffee shop in Normal, Mn. were watching the brand spanking new tv sets that have been installed overhead so they can watch CNBC in the morning as they are talking about their fishing prowess....this morning, the conservatives were ranting that Harvard was was just so hard on conservatives, who had to be soo much tougher and smarter to compete at Harvard cause they were questioned all the times and the regular liberals just had nobody questioning their ideology....Grover Norquist was on the program.... The guys found the program real funny...they thought it was a comedy show...the notion of the conservatives urging the Dems to be tolerant, when they could not even stop interrupting their fellow guests when they were agreeing with them,much less when they were disagreeing...anyway...lots of laughter here in Normal, Mn. today...and a beautiful day it is for bass fishing...and where they do not have tv in the boats, cause there is a real focus on what the fish are eating...stay tuned.