Shorts yesterday and parkas today. Welcome to Minnesota. Snow took out the power in Moorhead yesterday. There's a winter storm warning for northwestern MN.

Ahem. You cannot have a winter storm in fall. Can you? Shouldn't this be a pre-Winter Winter Storm Warning? It'll all melt soon, of course, but for now it's just cruel. It's like shelling a city that's already fallen. Anyway, I have a column to write, so I'm light here. Apologies.

SPACE So . . . who's the current mayor of Mars on Foursquare? John Carter? Well, if there is something coming towards Curiosity, like an enormous space whale, we're not totally defenseless. Introducing the SPACE HARPOON.

FOLLOW-UP The guy who sent the newsreader a letter that criticized her weight has apologized and said he's learned a lesson about judging others. In an alternate universe, I mean. In this one he's redoubled his efforts, releasing a response to the kerfluffle:

Oh, go away. On the other hand, the anchor's reaction seems a bit much, especially tying the criticism to National Bullying Month, or whatever it's called. But this is what happens when weight issues become everyone's business, and get freighted with the implications of moral failings.

HISTORY This week's example from the 1900 Minneapolis Tribune book of editorial cartoons: Cuba is a good little girl!

And Aguinaldo was a bad little boy. He was a Philippine leader for two years, fighting for the removal of one "p" from Philippine. (He failed.)