March 2007

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You have to be this tall to legislate

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

In a bid to honor Faribault's favorite son Herbert Sellner, Rep. Patti Fritz (DFL-26B) has proposed a bill (H.F. No. 2354) in the Minnesota Legislature creating a State Amusement Ride, akin to the state flower, drink, muffin, etc., with Sellner's invention, the Tilt-A-Whirl, as the choice. Sellner created the ubiquitous fair ride in his backyard in 1926, and it made its debut at the Minnesota State Fair the following year, one of only nine rides on a Midway that 80 years later would be touted as one of the world's largest.

Herbert's great-granddaughter, Erin Sellner Ward, currently oversees the manufacturing company he formed following the success of the Tilt-A-Whirl. The Sellner Manufacturing Co. produces, on average, 50 rides a year, including other spinning rides, kid-powered mine cars, track rides, and swing rides, for amusement parks around the country. Each Tilt-A-Whirl takes six weeks to construct and costs $375,000. A perfect addition to that water garden in the backyard, next to the cotton candy machine.

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 30, 2007 3:35 PM | Comments (1)

 

3/30 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Catwalk Confessional p. IV, Mary O'Regan's online diary about her experiences modeling for next month's Voltage fashion show, has been posted in our Gallery section.

Peter Scholtes has the latest on KMOJ's quest for a new home at Culture To Go.

We remember Saul Swimmer, the director of The Concert for Bangladesh, at Corpus Obscurum.

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007

The City Pages Media Taster lets you actually hear the great music you read about in City Pages—just launch, click, and listen. Simply download the Media Taster and you'll automatically receive a digital mixtape of music on a semi-regular basis (including free MP3s), legal and free of charge.

THESE DAYS

Thousands of harp seal pups have died in eastern Canada due to a lack of ice floes, caused by global warming, conservationists say.

A receptionist for the Affordable Suites of America hotel chain told a South Carolina TV reporter that it's company policy to not rent one-bed rooms to same-sex couples. [via AmericaBlog]

Republican State Sen. Dan Patrick of Texas has proposed that pregnant women considering abortion be offered $500 not to end their pregnancies.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Mike Lyon blogs about his history with the Presidents of the United States, suffering from the Norwalk virus, and buying director Kenneth Anger's camera at Fourteen Seconds.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Quiz #1: Christian band or Star Trek episode?

Frank Zappa, Charles Grodin, the Replacements, and other celebrities banned from Saturday Night Live

Quiz#2: Arial or Helvetica?

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I actually buy my own clothes. It's kind of a drag. But I have a new philosophy, now I always wear whatever I'm wearing, the same outfit, for four days, and then I never wear it again. I do change my underwear though."

— actress Cameron Diaz, in case she gets in a car accident

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 30, 2007 6:40 AM | Comments (0)

 

3/29 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007

We remember the monk who helped rebuild Buddhism in Cambodia following the downfall of the Khmer Rouge at Corpus Obscurum.

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Askeleton, the Hopefuls, Chris Koza, M.anifest, the Plastic Constellations, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

A life-size marble statue of the former glamour model Samantha Fox is to be erected in Serbia after she agreed to sing at a pop festival.

Lawrence Roach agreed to pay alimony to the woman he divorced, not the man she became after a sex change, his lawyers argued Tuesday in an effort to end the payments.

The U.S. is now ranked seventh in the World Economic Forum's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Bob Johnson blogs on east metro politics, civil rights, and the real estate market at A Democracy.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

A CBS News clip on Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign featuring a brief interview with a boyish Karl Rove by Dan Rather [via Norwegianity]

The USPS rolls out its rate hike with 30th anniversary Star Wars stamps. Do they break the rule about living persons appearing on U.S. stamps?

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Undercover Brother's good at karate and all the rest of that, but the Brother can't drive."

— actor/comedian Eddie Griffin, referring to his crashing of a $1.5 million Ferrari Enzo while practicing for a charity race

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 29, 2007 6:33 AM | Comments (0)

 

The Boogeyman comment thread

Filed under: City Pages

In this week's cover story package, editor Kevin Hoffman profiles the Minnesota Wild's Derek Boogaard, one of the fiercest players in the NHL. An excerpt: "The Boogeyman streaks at his target like a heat-seeking missile. But then the other player somehow manages to slip out of the way. The Boogeyman slams the glass, shatters it, then continues his trajectory like a passenger ejected through the windshield... The Boogeyman gathers himself, dusts glass shards off his uniform, and looks up at the camera. Although his face is cast in shadows, if you squint, you'd swear he was smiling." Check out the main story here, as well as an extended Boogaard interview, videos of his greatest hits, a photo series of a fight from a recent game, and a Q&A with The Code author Ross Bernstein, them come back here to join the discussion.

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 28, 2007 8:44 AM | Comments (10)

 

3/28 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Stephen Litel is left practically speechless after last night's Timberwolves loss at Balls.

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007

The City Pages Media Taster lets you actually hear the great music you read about in City Pages—just launch, click, and listen. Simply download the Media Taster and you'll automatically receive a digital mixtape of music on a semi-regular basis (including free MP3s), legal and free of charge.

THESE DAYS

Authorities have given preliminary approval to grow rice plants that include human genes involved in producing breast milk in the state of Kansas.

In what is becoming a trend among conservative Christians in the United States, girls as young as nine are pledging to their fathers to remain virgins until they wed, in elaborate ceremonies dubbed "Purity Balls."

Philippine police issued a warning to gay officers to not sway their hips or display other suggestive behavior while on duty—or they could risk losing their jobs.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

PiedPiper, Ilya, Anti-Everything, Xtrachromosomeconservative, Mandingo, Archduke F. F., and a Green Cowboy blog about handicapping the presidential race, the Iraq war, and the gas tax at the Pie-Eyed Picayune.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Top 15 Unintentionally Funny Comic Book Panels

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Ten Favorite Movie Posters

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Lady, fuck off."

— actor/director Mel Gibson to Alicia Estrada, an Assistant Professor of Central American Studies at Cal State University at Northridge, after she questioned the racist and incorrect depictions of Mayans in Gibson's movie Apocalypto during a film class

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 28, 2007 12:00 AM | Comments (0)

 

Online Accountability

Filed under: Politics

Someone just installed a giant window into the corridors of power. The new website OpenCongress.org offers easy access to the entire voting records of America's representatives in Washington—something government websites never really managed to do. Now you can read bills and track their histories, run down campaign contributions, follow legislators in the news, and look up stats such as "Republican most often votes with" (for Democratic Representative Keith Ellison [pictured], one of the site's most viewed lawmakers, that would be fellow Minnesota Representative James Ramstad).

In theory, all this was online already. But the site's one-stop-browsing makes it easier than ever to connect the dots between dollars and votes. Two years ago, the currently tough-on-Mastercard Norm Coleman gave his "aye" to a reform bill making it harder for people with huge credit card debts to file for bankruptcy; the Minnesota Senator called it a "pro-consumer bill" with "overwhelming and bipartisan support in the Senate"—and, indeed, a quick search of OpenCongress.org confirms that just 25 Senators voted against the bill before it passed through the House to become law. One was California Democrat Barbara Boxer, whose own "Republican most often votes with" is—none other than Norm Coleman. No doubt, deeply held moral principles divided these two in this rare instance. But clicking through OpenCongress.org to the pair's respective profiles on the related OpenSecrets.org, you'll notice the RBC Financial Group ($20,625), U.S. Bancorp ($28,600), and Wells Fargo ($40,600) among Coleman's "top contributors." Boxer's list, on the other hand, looks comparatively light on commercial banking interests.

Hillary Clinton, whose No. 1 campaign contributor is Citigroup, Inc., courageously abstained from voting.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at March 27, 2007 5:24 PM | Comments (0)

 

Just Don't Inhale

Filed under: Environment

With the attention paid to the hazards of coal-fired power plant recently, you asthmatics might want to blame Xcel Energy and other power producers for your hacking and wheezing. Think again. According to a report released last week by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, the big bad utilities don't top the list when it comes the release of so-called "respiratory toxicants" in Minnesota.

That dubious distinction belongs to an agricultural outfit, CHS Oil Seed Processing in Mankato. In 2004, according to U.S. PIRG's review of the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory data, CHS released a total of 520,000 pounds of respiratory toxicants at its Mankato plant. Statewide, the report says, industrial facilities released almost 12 million pounds of respiratory toxicants.

Meanwhile, Flint Hill Resources, an oil refinery in Rosemount, tops the list for reproductive toxicants, release an estimated 10,561 pounds of the worrisome chemicals. Another Rosemount company, Spectro Alloys Corporation, which manufactures aluminum alloys, is the state's leading emitter of dioxin (at a modest 2.4 grams). Super Radiator Coils in Chaska leads the overall carcinogen release category at 125,250 pounds.

This could be the next-to-last year Minnesotans have such access to such a complete data set. That's because the EPA changed recently changed its reporting rules, effectively weakening the public's ability to know, according to Monique Sullivan, U.S. PIRG's Minnesota field organizer.

"According to the EPA's own reports, toxic pollution has decreased 57 percent nationwide since 1998 [when the toxic release inventory was created]," says Sullivan. "It served as a very powerful incentive."

Right-to-know legislation seems to be gaining a foothold in Congress. Two members of the Minnesota congressional delegation—DFLers Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum—have signed on as co-sponsors. The big question, says Sullivan, is whether such a bill would fall victim to a presidential veto.

Posted by Mike Mosedale at March 27, 2007 8:56 AM | Comments (0)

 

3/27 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Askeleton, Malachi Constant, Hockey Night, Telephone! featuring Lolly Pop, Mach Fox, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS (WILD KINGDOM EDITION)

A woman with three crocodiles strapped to her waist was stopped at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after guards noticed that she looked "strangely fat."

The orangutan could be virtually extinct within five years after it was discovered that the animal's rainforest habitat is being destroyed even more rapidly than had been predicted.

A specific group of cells in the brains of mice becomes active when they see a potential nesting spot—but only if it perfectly matches their size.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Gomer and Opie are a couple of adopted rescue dogs who, even though they lack opposable thumbs, blog about their lives in Minnesota at Dogs' Aye View.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Important guidelines to follow if you're a Christian clown in a nursing home

The Millennium Falcon cookie goes great with a tall glass of tauntaun milk [via BoingBoing]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Any president who says, I don't care, or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else, or I don't care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed—if a president really believes that, then there are—what I was pointing out, there are ways to deal with that... You can impeach him, and before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment."

— Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 27, 2007 6:34 AM | Comments (0)

 

Bird brains

Filed under: Environment

This month the Twin Cities became a safer place for migrating birds. The Department of Natural Resources' Nongame Wildlife Program, in cooperation with other conservation groups, launched the Lights Out Twin Cities Project, an effort to reduce building collisions from birds that migrate during the night in the spring and fall. According to the DNR, millions of birds die each year from flying into highly reflective or brightly lit buildings, or drop dead from exhaustion after circling a bright lights for hours.

The project, similar to programs in New York, Toronto, and Chicago, asks that tall buildings dim or turn off all unnecessary lighting during peak nighttime bird migration hours—midnight until sunrise from March through May. Minneapolis' Wells Fargo Building and the Accenture Building have both signed on. Street-level lighting would be unaffected.

"Reducing bird deaths from collisions will have a positive effect on bird conservation," states Mark Martell, director of Bird Conservation for Audubon Minnesota. "The Lights Out program costs building owners or managers little or nothing to implement and will save energy and money at the same time it saves birds."

Volunteers will also be collecting dead birds around highly trafficked buildings along the West Bank and both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul for further research.

Posted by Jessica Armbruster at March 26, 2007 4:56 PM | Comments (0)

 

The kids are all right

Filed under: Crime

From the headlines, you'd think there was an epidemic of child abuse going on. Not just child abuse, but fatal baby and toddler abuse. Every week or two this winter, a new account has shocked readers from the pages of the daily papers.

The Star Tribune headlines feel appalling and yet almost monotonous:
"Police investigating death of 5-week-old" (March 21)
"Police investigating baby's death in St. Paul" (March 6)
"Baby Dies From Injuries; Dad Arrested" (February 14

Then there are the old court cases—grievous wrongs that are only now coming through the system:
"Mom Admits Letting Boyfriend on Drugs Care for Son Who Died" (March 6)
"Mother sentenced in toddler's suffocation" (January 27)

Throw in the Mankato parents charged with battering a once-conjoined twin—an headline-grabber if ever there were one—and you'd be forgiven for wondering if it's open season on little children.

The statistics, however, tell their own callous story. There were 12 child-abuse deaths in Minnesota last year. A third of the way through 2007, there have been three reported deaths—about normal. (Over the last five years, child abuse deaths peaked at 16 in 2004, and bottomed out at 7 in 2005.)

A question about the exceptionalism of the recent flurry of crime elicits an audible sigh from Connie Skillingstad, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota. "I don't know," she says, before adding, "I don't think it's ever normal that this stuff happens."

Skillingstad attributes the latest wave of incidents to some of the same factors that drive a lot of child abuse. "Women mak[e] choices to trust men with their children and those men don't know how to parent unless it's their birthchild, or they were there early and bonded with the child. With a crying baby—a child who can't be comforted—they’re not going to have the patience and the capacity to be compassionate.

Skilingstad underlines the fact that substantiated incidents of child abuse in Minnesota haven't changed much over time: There are roughly 8,000 cases a year. Yet she maintains that the media underplay the ability to prevent abuse through social spending. A sick child—and uninsured children get sick and stay sick—is a crying child. And though she's heard her share of outrage over the latest infant deaths, she argues that in tough circumstances, almost anyone is capable of awful acts against children.

"It's complicated," she says. "I would think these guys don't really want to hurt a baby in their better moments. They've had all they can handle and they snap."

Posted by Michael Tortorello at March 26, 2007 11:28 AM | Comments (1)

 

3/26 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Stephen Litel goes one on one with the Timberwolves' Ricky Davis at Balls.

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Brother and Sister, the Plastic Constellations, Valet, Big Quarters, Little Man, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

Beginning in 2009, astronauts on the international space station will drink their own recycled urine, sweat, and even rat pee from the labs as a cost-saving measure.

Laptops will overtake desktop PCs as the dominant form of computer in 2011, according to a report by analysts IDC.

A Rhode Island mother and her boyfriend were sentenced to three years probation on Monday for having intercourse in front of the woman's 9-year-old daughter to teach the girl about sex.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Alison Norman takes beautiful color and black and white photographs of our little corner of the globe at the Twin Cities Photo Project.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The fast and the religious: Xtreme Mormons

32 Things You Can Do with Beer

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I had absolutely no idea we had a world monument of western music."

— British collector Alec Cobbe, after discovering that the piano he bought 20 years ago for 2,000 pounds was once owned by Frederic Chopin and used on his last concert tour

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 26, 2007 6:38 AM | Comments (0)

 

The Little School That Could

Filed under: Education

Only in Prospect Park would news that the neighborhood's pride and joy, Pratt Elementary, is slated for merger with another Southeast Minneapolis school be greeted with vows to redouble the amount of community elbow grease being applied.

In other quadrants of the city, the kind of news Pratt's absorbing would touch off a stampede to get little Charlotte and Dylan into the Waldorf school. But Pratt's parents--half Somali immigrants, half university staff and other middle-class types hopelessly prone to civic do-goodism--are apparently responding by e-mailing one another to make sure there are enough volunteers on the roster to bring all the new students up to speed.

Sure, make the rest of us look all self-interested and unwilling to sacrifice our pocketbooks for our principles. We ought to come TP your precious watchtower.

On Monday night, parents and neighbors gathered at Pratt, expecting to hear Minneapolis Public Schools brass say their school was one of the ones the district planned to close. They thought it was a courtesy call to let the community know before MPS staff presented their explanations to the board the following night. As it happened, the meeting was a heads-up, but to news that staff were recommending nearby Tuttle be closed and it's elementary students moved to Pratt. Pratt currently has just 90 students in four classrooms; the addition of Tuttle's K-5 population would triple the size of the student body.

The community publication The Bridge has a lengthy dissection of MPS staff's reasoning, posted today on www.tcdailyplanet.net.

It's not a done deal; MPS has scheduled a public comment session at Tuttle, the school slated for closing, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 28th. That's to be followed by a larger hearing on the overall closing plan to be held at Patrick Henry High School on April 10, and, of course, a school board vote, now scheduled for April 12.

Still, Pratt's supporters--who lovingly rehabbed the old school with their own hands and their own money--are already talking about how to turn disappointment into opportunity. "To make the Pratt model survive, we'll have to be really careful," says parent Scott Johnson. "I would never want to get into pitting one community against another. We all care deeply about our schools."

Posted by Beth Hawkins at March 22, 2007 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

 

Swan Songs comment thread

Filed under: City Pages

In this week's news article, Swan Songs at the Strib, Beth Hawkins wonders if the departure of several prominent bylines at the Star Tribune will hurt the paper's relationship with its readers. Hawkins talks to veterans Al Sicherman and Jeremy Iggers about being two of 24 newsroom employees to take the recent buyout offer. An excerpt: "As a venture capital firm, Avista is expected by analysts to try to unload the paper in a few years at a handsome profit. With ad dollars shrinking, newspapers throughout the country are increasing profit margins by reducing staff, and Star Tribune management has been silent on the question of whether more jobs will be lost." Read the article here, then come back to discuss it.

Posted by Beth Hawkins at March 21, 2007 1:06 PM | Comments (3)

 

The Human Shield comment thread

Filed under: City Pages

In this week's cover story, The Human Shield, G.R. Anderson Jr. profiles John Delmonico, the controversial head of the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation. An excerpt: "We consider John Delmonico the unelected mayor of Minneapolis," says Michelle Gross of the activist group Communities United Against Police Brutality. "He and the federation have that much power. With its endorsements of judges, council members, the mayor, the sheriff, and candidates for other positions, the federation exercises significant influence over every area of local government." Read the cover story here, then come back to discuss it.

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at March 21, 2007 12:55 PM | Comments (2)

 

3/21 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Stephen Litel believes Kevin Garnett will retire as a Timberwolf. Read his analysis at Balls.

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007 and you could win a $150 prize pack from the 2007 winners.

The City Pages Media Taster lets you actually hear the great music you read about in City Pages—just launch, click, and listen. Simply download the Media Taster and you'll automatically receive a digital mixtape of music on a semi-regular basis (including free MP3s), legal and free of charge.

THESE DAYS

A valet accidentally drove an amputee's specially equipped car through a Pensacola hospital's front entrance, knocking the car's owner from his wheelchair.

A House committee released documents Monday that showed hundreds of instances in which a White House official who was previously an oil industry lobbyist edited government climate reports to play up uncertainty of a human role in global warming or play down evidence of such a role.

The restaurant chain Hooters will open its first branch in Israel this summer, in the Mediterranean seaside city of Tel Aviv.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Charlie Quimby is writer and consultant who blogs about politics, health care, taxes, and other hot-button issues at Across the Great Divide.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Better have someone hold your beer: Zorb, the human hamster ball

The briefcase you can poop in (if you have to) [via Attuworld]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"We decided that some of the messages conveyed in the program are not consistent with the efforts of the Pops to reach out to all members of our community."

— a statement from the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, discussing the cancellation of a "Dukes of Hazzard"-themed show featuring cast members Tom Wopat and John Schneider, because some community members find the program racist and offensive

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 21, 2007 6:35 AM | Comments (0)

 

Not Quite Ready comment thread

Filed under: City Pages

Mike Mosedale's news story, Not Quite Ready for His Close-Up, examines the work of Dr. John F. Cragan (left), a University of St. Thomas communications professor who, along with Donald Shields of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, contends that federal prosecutors during the Bush administration have investigated Democratic officials seven times as often as Republicans. Mosedale examines the Minnesota contingent and finds the numbers questionable: "While it's possible [Mayor R.T.] Rybak was investigated, it's highly doubtful. Tom Heffelfinger was the U.S. attorney in Minnesota until his resignation last year. Under federal law, Heffelfinger says, he cannot comment on investigations that did not result in charges. But it doesn't take a scholar to read between the lines: 'Rybak should be pissed off,' Heffelfinger says. 'That's irresponsible for someone to publish something like that.'" Read the story here, then come back to discuss it.

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 20, 2007 5:17 PM | Comments (0)

 

Prairie Homophobic Companion

Filed under: Sex

Garrison Keillor pulls an Ann Coulter in his latest homespun column

Garrison Keillor, the host of American Public Media's Prairie Home Companion, has bloggers fuming over a recent edition of his syndicated column The Old Scout, published on Salon.com.

The March 14 article entitled "Stating the Obvious" begins with Keillor's patented folksy, self-deprecating prairie populism on how neat-o it was to come from a family raised by a plain old mom and dad who put up with each other's shit until they were both in the dirt. Keillor bemoans today's "serial monogamy," where the Thanksgiving table expands to make room for mom's third husband and Grandpa's girlfriend.

Then it takes a sharp right turn. Keillor, possibly on a sugar high from too many Powdermilk Biscuits, worries about that the queers will want to go out and get kids. He ponders how those "sardonic fellows with fussy hair who live in over-decorated apartments with a striped sofa and a small weird dog," would be able to let their children be the stars of the family.

"If they want to be accepted as couples and daddies, however, the flamboyance may have to be brought under control," Keillor harrumphs.

Keillor's exasperated vision of a Freddie Mercury/Dame Edna-run household raised the ire of gay political blogger John Aravosis of AmericaBlog, who called the MPR star a "bigoted homophobic pig." Sex columnist and gay parent Dan Savage cited Keillor's Wikipedia entry that divulges his three marriages and notes the "serial monogamy" hypocrisy. Political commentator Andrew Sullivan chimed in as well.

Keillor says the column was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. "I did not refer to homosexuals as 'sardonic fellows with fussy hair,' etc. I was referring to a stereotype," he tells City Pages.

UPDATE: Mr. Keillor's response on the Prairie Home Companion site posted earlier this week:

"Ordinarily I don't like to use this space to talk about my newspaper column but the most recent column aroused such angry reactions that I thought I should reply. The column was done tongue-in-cheek, always a risky thing, and was meant to be funny, another risky thing these days, and two sentences about gay people lit a fire in some readers and sent them racing to their computers to fire off some jagged e-mails. That's okay. But the underlying cause of the trouble is rather simple.

"I live in a small world—the world of entertainment, musicians, writers—in which gayness is as common as having brown eyes. Ever since I was in college, gay men and women have been friends, associates, heroes, adversaries, and in that small world, we talk openly and we kid each other and think nothing of it. But in the larger world, gayness is controversial. In almost every state, gay marriage would be voted down if put on a ballot. Gay men and women have been targeted by the right wing as a hot-button issue. And so gay people out in the larger world feel beseiged to some degree. In the small world I live in, they feel accepted and cherished as individuals, but in the larger world they may feel like Types. My column spoke as we would speak in my small world and it was read by people in the larger world and thus the misunderstanding. And for that, I am sorry. Gay people who set out to be parents can be just as good parents as anybody else, and they know that, and so do I."

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 20, 2007 11:56 AM | Comments (14)

 

3/20 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007 and you could win a $150 prize pack from the 2007 winners.

The City Pages Media Taster lets you actually hear the great music you read about in City Pages—just launch, click, and listen. Simply download the Media Taster and you'll automatically receive a digital mixtape of music on a semi-regular basis (including free MP3s), legal and free of charge.

THESE DAYS

Researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville have discovered during a DNA study that gorillas were responsible for giving early humans pubic lice.

The Utah Tax Commission has asked Glenn Eurick to remove the license plate reading "merlot" from his 1996 Mercedes because the state doesn't allow alcohol-related words to be used on vanity plates.

Tommy McHugh was an angry and violent man until a stroke turned him into a happy artist who spends his days drawing, sculpting, and writing poetry.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Craig is a 34-year-old web developer living in Minneapolis and blogging about 300, his love-hate relationship with Avril Lavigne, and mountain biking at neongreen.com.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The 10 Crappiest TV Spin-Offs Ever

From PC World: The 10 Worst PCs of All Time

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Over the years, Ding Dongs have had brushes with Hollywood fame, with reports indicating that chocolate lover and singing sensation Kelly Clarkson is a fan of Ding Dongs as well as the lead character in TNT's award-winning crime drama, The Closer."

— excerpt from a press release promoting the 40th anniversary of the Hostess Ding Dong

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 20, 2007 6:43 AM | Comments (0)

 

Faggot-phobia at the Walker and the Children's Theatre?

Filed under: Sex

Want your band to be on the cover of City Pages? Be careful what you wish for. Last year, confrontational hard rockers Faggot were pretty much unknown outside the local punk scene before they appeared on the cover, timed to coincide with Pride weekend ("Out Loud" 6/21/06). The article described anal sex onstage with a guitar, song-titles including "Have an Abortion," and the personal backstory of singer Tim Carroll, who recalled giving a priest oral sex at age 14, then added, "I'm not going to sue the church. I liked that guy's dick."

Within weeks, Carroll received an email dismissing him from his stage door job at the Children's Theatre Company, where he'd worked for three years. More recently, Faggot was left out of this Saturday's Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council-sponsored rock and roll scavenger hunt March of Madness: Bands on the Run!, organized by artist Michael Gaughan, who had included the band in two previous versions of the event, and had informally invited the group to participate again—until, apparently, somebody read the article.

When Carroll requested an explanation from the Children's Theatre last year, managing director Teresa Eyring sent him a July 26 letter stating: "CTC discharged you because of a recent article in City Pages that contains statements attributed to you regarding your personal conduct. CTC students brought the article to our attention. The quoted statements and the public image of you that the statements promote are inappropriate and unacceptable for an employee of CTC."

She didn't mention the reason why the company might be overly skittish about such matters: 23 years ago, CTC's co-founder was convicted of having sexual relations with three boys at the theater, a scandal that has hung over the place ever since.

Carroll, meanwhile, has let the issue go, though he remains stung. "I never missed a day of work, and I did a good job," he says. "But at the same time, I can understand, given their history. When you go to work there, you have to sign a 20-page document that's mostly about child abuse. But their kids are perfectly safe with me."

As for the Walker, teen programs manager Witt Siasoco says he simply didn't think he could trust the musicians to keep their clothes on during the show. "It's more their live performance, not the name," he says.

Which only goes to prove that even in this un-shock-able age, rock bands can still go too far—even for the Walker.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at March 19, 2007 9:20 AM | Comments (13)

 

3/19 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Stephen Litel blames last night's loss to the Lakers on Kevin Garnett at Balls.

Part two of Mary's O'Regan's online diary, Catwalk Confessional, has been posted. Mary, who will be modeling in next month's Voltage fashion show, heads to her designer's studio for a fitting.

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007 and you could win a $150 prize pack from the 2007 winners.

Diablo Cody scores some Degrassi beefcake on location at Pussy Ranch.

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Askeleton, the Hopefuls, Chris Koza, M.anifest, the Plastic Constellations, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

People who collapse from a sudden heart attack should not receive mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, according to a study that overturns the advice given on how bystanders should react in such a situation.

Las Vegas, the country's gambling mecca and one of the top destinations for weddings, is bracing for an onslaught of couples wanting to walk down the aisle on 7/7/07.

A British Columbia man claims his erratic driving was not due to the 10 beers and double cocktail he had cosumed, rather he was trying to unwrap a sex toy and put batteries in it.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Farm boy-turned city slicker Sornie blogs on late-winter grilling, presidential three-ways, and "Tuned-In" Fridays at A Day in the Life.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Paperweight trivia from the International Paperweight Society [via Incoming Signals]

Vintage toy robot head gallery [via BoingBoing]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Everybody knows he's a genius, but he's like SpongeRobin SquarePants. He's just a big sponge."

— veteran stand-up comic Scott LaRose, in a Radar interview, on Robin Williams' habit of lifting jokes from other comedians

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 19, 2007 6:40 AM | Comments (0)

 

3/16 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Music editor Sarah Askari is blogging from SXSW at Culture To Go.

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007 and you could win a $150 prize pack from the 2007 winners.

Shuffle your iTunes and give us your Friday Random Ten at American Idle.

Diablo Cody's dog Barnabas is ready for his close-up at the Pussy Ranch.

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Askeleton, the Hopefuls, Chris Koza, M.anifest, the Plastic Constellations, and more at Music To Go.

We remember the medical coordinator for the historic 1964 surgeon general report on smoking at Corpus Obscurum.

THESE DAYS (U.K. EDITION)

The Scottish town of Linlithgow is building a memorial to its most famous, albeit fictional, resident: Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, the chief engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise from the original Star Trek.

Henry the hamster was rescued from inside a kitchen pipe in Tamworth, Staffordshire, by being sucked up on the end of a vacuum cleaner.

A British firefighter was docked one week's wages for taking time off to donate life-saving bone marrow to a teenage girl.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Minneapolitan Lisa Ray blogs about making Al Franken laugh, Scooby-Doo Gogurt, and marketing to children at Two Knives. Oh, and getting hit in the testicles.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

If you can't tell your Night Train from your Thunderbird, BumWine offers a crach course on the five most popular fortified wines.

The Winners of the 2007 Weblog Awards

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"It ought to be God's agenda, not the Republican Party's agenda, that drives us. We're actually tired of being represented by people with a very narrow focus. We want to have a focus as big as God's focus."

— National Association of Evangelicals board member Rev. Paul de Vries, standing by NAE's Washington policy director, the Rev. Richard Cizik, and Cizik's focus on global warming

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 16, 2007 6:39 AM | Comments (1)

 

3/15 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Cast your ballot now for the Best of the Twin Cities 2007 and you could win a $150 prize pack from the 2007 winners.

Peter S. Scholtes has new details regarding the 25th Annual Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival at Culture To Go.

The City Pages Media Taster lets you actually hear the great music you read about in City Pages—just launch, click, and listen. Simply download the Media Taster and you'll automatically receive a digital mixtape of music on a semi-regular basis (including free MP3s), legal and free of charge.

THESE DAYS

A Northern Ireland mortuary director has launched a pioneering service of broadcasting funerals on its Web site for mourners too distant, ill, or busy to make it in person.

A Billings prosecutor told a district judge that Phillip C. Holliday Jr., 42, claimed a unicorn was driving when his truck crashed into a light pole earlier this month.

Combining sympathy with discipline, a military-style boot camp near Beijing is at the front-line of China's battle against internet addiction, a disorder afflicting millions of the nation's youth.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Jroosh is a financial advisor blogging about the myth of global warming, the perfect snow thrower, and caring for a daughter with Type 1 diabetes at Roosh Five.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The 20 Worst Cover Songs in Pop Music History

Former prostitute Mike Jones has placed Rev. Ted Haggard's massage table for sale on eBay

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"People are doing whatever they can to survive. There's been a real shake-out."

— Ali Joone, founder of Digital Playground, on the 15 percent drop in sales of porn DVDs in 2006

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 15, 2007 6:53 AM | Comments (3)

 

Welcome to Maplewood comment thread

Filed under: City Pages

This week's cover story, Welcome to Maplewood by Paul Demko, examines the political soap opera unfolding northeast of St. Paul. An excerpt: "In the municipal elections of 2005 and 2006, residents elected a trio of neophyte politicians—Diana Longrie, Erik Hjelle, and Rebecca Cave—who promised change... Since their rise to power, at least a dozen key municipal employees have resigned, been fired, or had their job eliminated. Those lost include the city manager, human resources director, city attorney, finance director, assistant city manager, deputy police chief, deputy fire chief, and parks and recreation director. 'We've lost over 200 years of experience,' says Kathleen Jeunemann, one of the two dissidents on the City Council. 'It's the total unraveling of government and it's really scary.'" Read the cover story here, then come back to give us your thoughts.

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 14, 2007 11:57 AM | Comments (46)

 

Michele Bachmann loves kittens and the American flag

Filed under: Politics

Michele Bachmann has made quite a name for herself in less than three months in Congress. The freshman Republican from Stillwater first garnered national headlines for fondling the President following his State of the Union Address. She followed that up by revealing to the St. Cloud Times Iran's previously unknown plans to partition Iraq and turn it into a "terrorist haven." Bachmann's tenure has become so widely ridiculed that Wonkette has taken to soliciting spies to intern in her office.

So it's understandable that she might be seeking more sympathetic coverage in the local media. Bachmann's press secretary, Heidi Frederickson, recently sent out an email soliciting friendly letters to the editor from supporters. "As you may have seen, Michele has been the focus of lots of media lately and most of it not friendly," the missive, first published by the Dump Michele Bachmann blog, begins. "We want to make sure that the media and others reading the paper get a balanced view of Michele Bachmann." The letter then goes on to suggest potential topics for the supportive letters, such as Bachmann's "strong fiscal conservative roots," and "her devotion to her family and making Minnesota a better place."

While definitely pathetic, Minnesota Monitor suggests that the email, which was sent from Frederickson's government account, might also be illegal. Jeff Fecke points out that federal law prohibits using Congressional resources from being used in a manner that "specifically solicits political support for the sender or any other person or any political party, or a vote or financial assistance for any candidate for any public office."

Frederickson did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 14, 2007 10:23 AM | Comments (12)

 

3/14 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGE NEWS AND BLOGS

Stephen Litel talks to Larry Bird about Kevin Garnett and last night's Wolves-Pacers game at Balls.

THESE DAYS

A Connecticut man is donning ski masks wherever he goes to dispel the myth they're just for bank robbers and terrorists.

The late John Denver's 1972 hit song "Rocky Mountain High" has become Colorado's second official song. West Virginia adopted Denver's song "Take Me Home, Country Roads," also as a second song. Is there a Denver song for Minnesota? Leave it in the comments!

A 22-year-old woman sought medical care for a lesion on her foot, only to discover it was a well-formed nipple. [h/t Pharyngula]

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Pamela is studying toward a degree in journalism at the U and blogging about a moody Ike Reilly, playing the violin, and kickboxing at Pamela from Brooklyn.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Can you guess all 50 guitar icons pictured here?

A Woody Allen walking tour of New York City [via Design Observer]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"When the Secular Coalition asked me to complete a survey on my religious beliefs, I indicated I am a Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being."

— California Rep. Pete Stark (D), the first member of Congress—and the highest-ranking elected official in the U.S.—to publicly acknowledge not believing in God.

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 14, 2007 1:19 AM | Comments (4)

 

Housing bust as deconstructivist architecture

Filed under: Economy

Maybe it's a piece of art. The medium is lime green rebar and concrete—tons and tons of concrete—and the sculpture (if that's what it is) can be found squatting just a block from the river, in Minneapolis's North Loop neighborhood. The structure is perhaps 25 feet high, and 60 yards long on each side. If you happened to live next to it, in a half-million-dollar condo, you might identify the monumental concrete slab as an unfinished building foundation and consider it an eyesore.

This much is known: The slab started out as a high-end residential project, back in the spring of 2003, when the condo market was in full bloom. It was known then as "The Reserve," a planned 108-unit luxury development, with amenities like a concierge and doorman. Yet according to a June, 2005 article in the Twin Cities Business Journal, the mover behind the Reserve, B.J. Spathies of Bejco Development Corp., filed for personal bankruptcy in 2004. Next Lehman Brothers, the project's New York financiers, foreclosed on the property. The remains of the original plan are entombed in that concrete crypt.

Today, a squat blue trailer sits adjacent to the slab. Its overhang has broken off and the light fixtures have been stripped. A banner on the east face of the trailer advertises condos for sale in bold black, foot-high lettering. The phone number has been disconnected.

Shouldering the concrete slab now is the Magellan Development Group, of Chicago, Illinois. They've reconfigured the interior plan to accommodate 131 units, ostensibly downscaling the price-list in the process. But according to Brian D. Gordon, a Magellan v.p., no investors have committed to finish the building. And no units have been sold.

"We're trying to get financing," Gordon says. He puts the odds of that actually happening this year at "50/50."

The chair of the North Loop planning and zoning committee, Chuck Peterson, says the neighborhood is "hopeful" that construction will resume. But the concrete slab must weigh heavily on residents who recently invested in the limping condo market, and on the real estate agents who still have a glut of nearby properties to peddle.

Does Gordon hear the concerns of these people? "All the time," Gordon says, sounding suddenly quite tired. "All the time."

At this point, Magellan might be wise to call the slab sculpture and declare it a finished piece. Recommended title? "Speculation, 2003."

Posted by Michael Tortorello at March 13, 2007 12:48 PM | Comments (1)

 

3/13 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

We remember one of the last "Angels of Bataan" at Corpus Obscurum.

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Apraxia, the Divebomb Honey, Cloud Cult, the Hold Steady, Mach Fox, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

A Pennsylvania sportsmen's club was fined $400 on Friday for using dozens of live turkeys secured to straw bales at their feet as targets in an archery contest.

Federal officials secretly schemed to limit payouts for sick and dying nuclear weapons workers, including thousands from the Rocky Flats plant outside Denver, newly released documents show.

A man who was cleared of murder when outtakes from the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm put him at Dodger Stadium when the crime occurred will get $320,000 in a settlement with Los Angeles.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Chow & Again is a food and dining blog by Andrew Zimmern, the star of the Travel Channel's new show Bizarre Foods.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Scarves, tongues, beards, and dessert: The 30 Strangest Deaths in History

David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross edited to become a heartwarming tale about four guys with Tourette Syndrome

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"If Obama knows that his lawyer is doing this, then that's one reason not to vote for him. These are clear free speech issues."

— First Amendment lawyer Jonathan Katz, on Sen. Barack Obama's threat of legal action against self-professed pedophile Lindsay Ashford, who's handicapping the 2008 presidential campaign by judging the "cuteness" of several presidential candidates' underage daughters and granddaughters

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 13, 2007 6:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Retired Northwest Airlines pilot joins the 9/11 conspiracy movement

Filed under: War on Terror

As anyone who spends much time trolling conspiracy theory websites knows, 9/11 has become the JFK assassination for a new generation. Naturally, there is considerable dissent among the "truth movement" types about the particulars. Some believe a commercial airliner struck the Pentagon on 9/11, others contend it was a missile. But most are in agreement that the dark conspiracy has links to the Bush White House.

Then there is retired Northwest Airlines pilot Field McConnell. McConnell, who lives in rural Glyndon, Minnesota, claims that another 9/11 attack is imminent, Muslim terrorists are scapegoats, and that commercial airliners have been rigged with "Improvised Killing Devices."

McConnell, who is currently suing Northwest on the grounds that the airline cannot guarantee the safety of its passengers, writes on his website that Northwest "implied he was crazy be asking him to undergo psychiatric tests."

Although McConnell does not provide full details on his theories about 9/11 (that will be forthcoming "9/11 Solved" DVD), he intimates that the plot has connections to Hillary Clinton and the Rose Law Firm.

McConnell, who could not be reached for comment, did issue a warning to the "treasonous traitorous cowards" behind the plan, writing: "Take a look at who is pursuing you and is in position to send a skinny little heat seeker up your great big tailpipes."

Posted by Mike Mosedale at March 12, 2007 3:23 PM | Comments (3)

 

Coleman's credit card flip flop

Filed under: Business

Last week, Sen. Norm Coleman opened a Senate hearing with an impassioned speech about abuses by credit card companies. "Although the practices at issue today are not criminal schemes, they clearly have a devastating impact on the many families who are mired in debt—and credit opportunities that look like a helping hand actually become snares that sink the consumer into further depths of debt," Coleman intoned. "High interest rates, hefty fees, and crippling penalties impede more and more hard-working families from pursuing their American dream."

Never mind that two years ago, Coleman voted in favor of a law that made it significantly harder for people with unmanageable credit card debt to file for bankruptcy. His reasoning: Too many irresponsible wealthy people were exploiting loopholes in the old bankruptcy laws. "This pro-consumer bill will curb gaming of the system and I'm sure that's why it enjoys such overwhelming and bipartisan support in the Senate," he declared in a press release issued March 10, 2005.

Bankruptcies fell sharply nationwide in response to the '05 bankruptcy law reform, to their lowest levels in more than 25 years. In Minnesota, almost 7,800 were filed in October 2005, the month the change took effect, vs. 108 the following month. Numbers have crept back up every month since, however, recently hovering around 800 per month. Meanwhile, average credit card debt is about $9,000 per person.

Coleman's staff defends the senator's votes, which they say aren't contradictory at all. Coleman Communications Director Tom Steward points out that the 2005 reform requires debtors to get counseling before they can file for bankruptcy. Since then, Coleman also has worked to reform the credit counseling industry, he says: "The credit counseling agencies become a funnel-point for debt-strapped Americans, and Senator Coleman's success in cleaning up that industry will mean that many Americans successfully manage their debt with credit counseling, rather than declaring bankruptcy."

Posted by Beth Hawkins at March 12, 2007 9:36 AM | Comments (1)

 

3/12 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

We remember the director of ABC's Wide World of Sports at Corpus Obscurum.

The City Pages Media Taster lets you actually hear the great music you read about in City Pages—just launch, click, and listen. Simply download the Media Taster and you'll automatically receive a digital mixtape of music on a semi-regular basis (including free MP3s), legal and free of charge.

THESE DAYS

In a survey of 5,000 U.S. households, more than half of all respondents said they dislike their current jobs, compared to less than 40 percent in a similar survey conducted 20 years ago.

South Carolina lawmakers are considering legislation that would let prisoners donate organs or bone marrow in exchange for time off their sentences.

Sixteen Springfields across the United States are competing to host the premiere of the Simpsons movie in July.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Forty-five-year-old Minneapolitan Todd blogs on gay fraternities, his upcoming move to Honduras, and touching remembrances of his brother, Eric, at Todd's Rules.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The U.S. Postal Service will help Star Wars celebrate its 30th anniversary with these sweet R2-D2 mailboxes

Take a stroll through an inflatable colon. Perfect for kids' birthday parties!

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"It's extremely painful, no doubt about it. But at the same time I can only say that it'd drive me crazy if I kept confronting myself with those kinds of things."

— Country singer Keith Urban, on being known more for his marriage to Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman than for his music

"If those 45 million children had lived, today they would be defending our country, they would be filling our jobs, they would be paying into Social Security."

— former Georgia senator Zell Miller, speaking recently to an anti-abortion group on the ramifications of Roe v. Wade

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 12, 2007 6:39 AM | Comments (0)

 

3/9 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Download free MP3s from local artists such as the Hopefuls, Little Man, Danny y Elliot, Big Quarters, Valet, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

The Walt Disney Company has been forced to back down over its 'dreams come true' slogan, as it's already used by a British porn producer.

A new study by Indiana University concludes that the popular comedy program, "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, is just as substantive as "serious" primetime network news broadcasts.

A new line of fruit juice whose bottles bear the names and images of notorious leaders like Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro and Josip Broz Tito has been launched in Serbia.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Maria is a 27-year-old St. Paulite currently blogging from the Power-Gen Renewable Energy & Fuels Conference in Las Vegas at Maria Energia. Split your eights, Maria!

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

RetroCrush has compiled the worst sex scenes ever on film

Google Maps for Biblical times

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"As mayor of the capital city of the reddest state in the nation, I am proud to join with millions of good, patriotic Americans who are standing up and willing to raise their voices against this madness."

— Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, speaking at an "Impeach Bush" rally at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 9, 2007 6:32 AM | Comments (0)

 

And the Strib Departures Commence

Filed under: Media

The subscription-only newsletter Politics in Minnesota is reporting that Star Tribune veteran Dane Smith has taken a buyout:

Remember that fascinating story about the state's two most powerful interest groups, Education Minnesota and the Taxpayers League? That was vintage Dane Smith. He excelled at being the first to flag the "next big thing" in Minnesota politics....

To be sure, there are other fine political reporters at the Star Tribune, but over the years, Smith became the de facto dean of the bunch. His Minnesota political institutional knowledge is tough to replicate.

Check back: As we come across coverage--including details of other bylines that will be disappearing--we'll post it.

Posted by Beth Hawkins at March 8, 2007 11:36 AM | Comments (3)

 

3/8 Morning Communiqué

Filed under: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

The Pizzaman is holding a contest to help him fill out his employee self-assessment questionnaire. Details on the Streets of Pizza.

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Brother and Sister, Hockey Night, the Original Mark Edwards, Fort Wilson Riot, the Divebomb Honey, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

Northwest Airlines pilot Field McConnell has joined a number of 9/11 conspiracy theorists in filing a lawsuit in Fargo's federal court alleging that B747-400 planes are rigged by Boeing and can be remotely detonated.

A Robot Ethics Charter to prevent humans abusing robots, and vice versa, is being drawn up by South Korea.

Psychology Today reveals the various theories behind why Finns are so quiet.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Blogging on $6,000 fly-fishing seminars, the pleasures of cutthroat trout, and "happy tail" removals at the dharma blog.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning will show up at your birthday party, if you have $200,000

Blender ranks the 10 Worst Rock Star Plane Crashes

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"It was obscene to show Prince, a HOMOSEXUAL person through a sheet, as to show his siluette [sic] while his guitar showed a very phallic symbol coming from his below-midriff section. I am very offended and would preffer [sic] not to have showed it to my 4 children who love football. One of them has hoped to be a quarterback and now he will turn out gay. I'm actually considering to check him for HIV. Thanks CBS for turning my son GAY."

— one of 150 FCC complaints this year's Super Bowl telecast generated, via The Smoking Gun

Posted by Corey Anderson at March 8, 2007 6:34 AM | Comments (0)