Welcome to spring. It’s a lovely Tuesday, so I hope you’ve brought your laptop outside to read the Daily in the sun.

Famous Minnesota Poet Robert Bly will be honored Thursday through Saturday on campus, as well as with a trip to his hometown of Madison, Minn. According to the Star Tribune, Bly, 82, was first renown for translating poems into English, but now is considered one of Minnesota’s greatest poets.

Retail sales are down after two months of gains. The New York Times report is a dampening on the recent economic gains. Retail spending at Wal-Mart was steady, but department stores like Nordstrom and Abercrombie and Fitch are suffering, signs that the recession isn’t over yet.

The pirates strike back off of the Somali shore, capturing four ships and more than 60 hostages. According to the Associated Press, none of the ships were American vessels, but the attacks fly in the face of a successful American operation that rescued a hostage American captain over the weekend.