Minneapolis / St. Paul News Blog

City Pages received a missive this afternoon from a Star Tribune employee suggesting that another round of belt tightening is imminent at the state's largest daily newspaper. I certainly can't vouch for the veracity of its claims, but given recent events anything seems possible. Here's the nub of it:

I'm a current (for now) employee of the Strib. There have been rumors flying around in the last couple of days that another mass layoff is imminent [next week], way larger than the last layoff/buyout ... which was 145 persons [for buyouts] from varying departments.

This coming from two different persons in two different departments.

Just an anonymous heads-up from a third-person party.

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Peter Schilling Jr. discusses the Luis Castillo trade and Scott Baker's inspired performance at Balls.

Read Christopher Matthew Jensen's review, and view Daniel Corrigan's photos, of the recent Fratellis show in our gallery section.

DVD Reviews this week include Hot Fuzz, The Darwin Awards, 300: Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition, and more.

Check out the best photos and artwork in City Pages from July 2007 in our gallery section.

THESE DAYS

A 2006 government report found more than 1,000 soldiers being billed a total of $1.5 million for lost and damaged equipment.

An electronic tissue dispenser is being rolled out to the masses by Kimberly-Clark Professional as it seeks to capture more of the $1 billion US away-from-home toilet paper market. The company believes most people will be satisfied with five sheets.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Photos and stories of Twin Cities' wind-surfing community can be found at Atlas Surfed.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The 50 Best Movie Robots

Dramatic Prairie Cat (not bad, but no Dramatic Prairie Dog)

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"It was logical."

— 76-year-old actor Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock in Star Trek TV shows and movies, on agreeing to a role in the Trek prequel directed by J.J. Abrams and scheduled for release Christmas 2008

Text by Matt Smith

If you happened to catch the CNN-YouTube Democratic debate last week—and with Minnesota's caucuses more than six months away, who didn't?—you may have noticed one of the video questions from a somewhat excitable Minneapolis man named Marcus Benson, who asked if the candidates would raise his taxes.

That national coup was the handiwork of the Uptake, a new nonprofit devoted to citizen journalism. As one of their first public efforts, the Uptake solicited man-on-the-street questions to the candidates, then sent the videos to the YouTube debates. (You can see the selected question and others at www.theuptake.org.)

But that's only a prelude to their real ambition—to train as many as 100 amateur video reporters to cover the Republican National Convention next year in St. Paul, plus the Democratic convention in Denver and the Iowa caucuses.

Lord knows times are tough at the Newspaper of the Twin Cities, and Stribbers take heart: We feel your pain. Still, our empathies took a nosedive once we caught the fawning profile of Michele Bachmann in last Sunday's paper.

In the age of declining readership and sharp media scrutiny, no one could really fault the old Star and Sickle for straining to hook the Fair and Balanced crowd. Still, would it hurt the paper's credibility to be even slightly critical of our daffiest congressional member? Kim Ode's "impossibly gleaming" (her words to describe our nation's Capitol) piece on Bachmann was headlined "Watching Her Step," something that apparently applies to subject and author as well. Setting the equal rights movement back 40 years, Ode regurgitates Bachmann's election victory vow to "hit the ground running, even in high heels" in the lead, before moving on to recount "exactly what [Bachmann] was wearing when she decided that she no longer was a Democrat."

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Steve Monaco has posted the latest Monday Movie Quiz at Couch Pundit.

We're adding new articles like DVD and game reviews every day. Use our Recent Article RSS feed to check for new content:

THESE DAYS

Pharmacists have sued Washington state over a new regulation that requires them to sell emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill."

A surgeon general's report in 2006 that called on Americans to help tackle global health problems has been kept from the public by a Bush political appointee without any background or expertise in medicine or public health, chiefly because the report did not promote the administration's policy accomplishments.

Although the federal government ordered states more than a decade ago to dramatically limit mercury discharges into the Great Lakes, the BP refinery in northwest Indiana will be allowed to continue pouring small amounts of the toxic metal into Lake Michigan for at least another five years.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Amy Crea blogs about losing Teddy the Wonder Dog, Harry Potter, and, of course, knitting at Knit Think.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Artistic tanks of the oil, propane, and water varieties

10 Unfortunate Business Names

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it's a reasonable thing to do."

— PepsiCo spokeswoman Michelle Naughton, responding to pressure from Corporate Accountability International on bottled water sellers to disclose where the water comes from. Bottles of PepsiCo's Aquafina will soon reflect the water comes from the same source as tap water.

THESE DAYS

For the past year, a special Colombian police unit has been locking rats in cages with cats as part of a project to train the rodents to sniff out the more than 100,000 land mines planted mostly by leftist rebels across the conflict-wracked Andean country.

Researchers at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research have found tonsils might serve as a passageway through which HIV enters the body.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

The AimClear internet marketing firm blogs about search optimization, link baiting, and blogging tips at the aimClearBlog.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Ten Fictional Characters Who Must Die from New York Magazine

The Lost Nintendo Sex Ed Tape

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"If the show works, it will work because people care about these three guys under a lot of makeup and... can relate to their problems and find them charming."

— Mike Schiff, producer of the new ABC series "Cavemen," based on the popular Geico ads

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Read Sarah Askari's review, and view Daniel Corrigan's photos, of St. Vincent's Tuesday night show at the 7th Street Entry in our gallery section.

THESE DAYS

Oscar, a Rhode Island cat, has been observed to have an uncanny knack for predicting when patients in the nursing home in which he resides are going to die.

Countrywide Financial Corp.'s CEO Angelo Mozilo stated during a conference call with investors that the U.S. is experiencing home price depreciation as never before, with the exception of the Great Depression.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Brandon Ivers, James Laurie, and Jared Thiele blog about L.A. punk movies, Brigitte Bardot songs, and the Turkish version of Star Wars at Die Monster.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

From McSweeney's: My Father's Harper's Index

The Top Five Ballpark Promotions That Went Wrong

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Our Earth is talking to us and we must listen to it and decipher its message if we want to survive."

— Pope Benedict XVI, speaking about global climate change during his holiday in northern Italy

Yesterday was the deadline for Pioneer Press staffers to opt for a buyout package offered by parent company MediaNews. The goal was to convince 30 workers to voluntarily leave the company, including 15 editorial employees. Looks like they came up a little short. Among the soon-to-be departed: veteran travel writer Beth Gauper and Positive MEInforcement author Matt Peiken. Here's the note sent around this afternoon by editor Thom Fladung:

Over at Minnesota Lawyer (subscription required), Editor Mark Cohen recently slammed the way U.S. News & World Report ranks law schools.
Cohen says that despite the disparity in the rankings of the four Minnesota law schools—the U of M ranks 20th in the country, while Billy Mitchell and St. Thomas are listed as "Tier 3" and Hamline is relegated to lowly "Tier 4" status—graduates of these schools are indistinguishable from each other.
Thoughts?

In this week's cover story, Trials and Stribulations, G.R. Anderson Jr. and Paul Demko analyze the recent sales, buy-outs, and legal tangles involving the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. An excerpt: "Avista Capital Partners, a private equity firm with no prior experience in the newspaper business, agreed to buy the Strib for $530 million—less than half what McClatchy had paid for the paper eight years earlier. McClatchy tried to put a positive spin on the shortfall by pointing out that the sale would save the company $160 million in taxes. But the Strib sale nonetheless became a national benchmark for how steeply the value of daily newspapers has tumbled in recent years. 'I was stunned,' says Tim J. McGuire, the newspaper's former top editor. 'I didn't realize that revenues had declined quite as much as they obviously had.'" Can two daily papers thrive in such a small market? Can daily newspapers survive in the internet age? Check out the cover story here, then come back to join the conversation.

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Peter Schilling Jr. bemoans the lack of Twins' scoring at Balls.

Check our gallery section for photos of last weekend's Art Car Parade.

THESE DAYS

The National Braille Press estimates that today only 12 percent of 55,000 legally blind children in the United States can read braille, down significantly from 50 percent in the 1960s.

A study conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that Muslims and white evanglical Christians have significant similarities, especially with regard to the gay lifestyle.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Erica blogs about seeing Guster, dubious furniture store brochures, and performing with the Twin Cities Women's Choir at swirlspice.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Quiz: Ripped from the headlines or plot from Scooby Doo?

If Charles Bukowski had written Peanuts [via BoingBoing]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I learnt how to systematize my impressions and to read other (people's minds), and through the horses I learnt to communicate with the animals on a deeper level. It was while I was taking care of the horses that I got in contact with the angels."

— Norwegian Princess Maertha Louise, claiming to be clairvoyant

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Peter Schilling Jr. discusses why Johan Santana won't win the Cy Young this year at Balls.

Check out our gallery section for photos of last weekend's Art Car Parade.

Chris Ward finds the Transformers game for the Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 stuck in first.

This week's DVD Reviews: Hard Boiled: Two-Disc Ultimate Edition, The Exterminating Angels, Zodiac, and more.

THESE DAYS

The more exposure middle school students have to anti-smoking ads, the more likely they are to smoke, according to a new University of Georgia study.

Climatologists are building evidence that crops, particularly corn, are driving up dew points as they put water into the atmosphere through evaporation.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Goobermaster, Mom, and Rabbit post on mojito recipes, Simpsons avatars, and revenge of the cheerleader ninja movies at Goobertech.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

A middle school science teacher battles a hot sauce mogul for the Guinness World Record on the arcade classic Donkey Kong in The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

Hey, it's a bunch of babies eating lemons!

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"I'm cool with it."

— 83-year-old game show host Bob Barker, on comedian and sitcom star Drew Carey replacing him as host of The Price is Right

Bill Kling's American Public Media Group has reportedly offered more than $20 million to buy WGTS, a college-owned radio station in the D.C. area.

The proposed deal, first reported by the Washington Times, would give Kling's public radio empire, which includes MPR and Southern California Public Radio, a presence in the nation's capital. MPR quoted Kling as saying the station, which can reach up to six million people, would focus on "global government issues."

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Steve Monaco has posted the latest Monday Movie Quiz at Couch Pundit.

The 6th Annual Lebowski Fest was held this past weekend in Louisville, Kentucky, honoring the Coen Brothers' 1998 film. Check out photos from the two-day festival in our gallery section.

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Cloud Cult, the Hopefuls, Ben Harper, M.anifest, the Plastic Constellations, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

A small genetic mutation in the section of human DNA that codes for immune proteins appears able to reduce the amount of HIV in the body by an average of 90%, new research at Duke University suggests.

In an apparent violation of the law, a controversial aide to presidential candidate Mitt Romney created phony law enforcement badges that he and other staffers used on the campaign trail to strong-arm reporters, avoid paying tolls and trick security guards into giving them immediate access to campaign venues.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Scooter blogs about lawn jockey sightings, puppets in the shape of giant toes, and eating banana-flavored Play-Doh at A Nod to Nothing.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The 10 Worst Celebrity Bands from Cracked.com

Over 1,500 prisoners in the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines re-enact Micahel Jackson's Thriller

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Pretty soon (I) came to a pile, that had a fifty dollar bill hanging out, part of a fifty, and I said 'gosh, look at that."

— Debbie Hulleman, owner of an eight-year-old Lab-German shorthair mix named Pepper Ann who ate and subsequently shat out more than $800 in cash from Hulleman's grandmother's purse [via Obscure Store]

Earlier this month Rep. Michele Bachmann, visited Iraq. This was particularly newsworthy because the freshman Republican had previously made waves by announcing that Iran had a secret plan to take over our Middle East colony. This revelation was either a serious breach of classified military information or delusional speculation.

Since returning from Iraq, Bachmann has been spouting sunny rhetoric about the country. "(Gen. Petraeus) said al-Qaida in Iraq is off its plan and we want to keep it that way," she told the St. Cloud Times.

But Bachmann may as well have been reporting her opinions about this year's soybean crop on Pluto. As Daily Kos pointed out earlier this week, the freshman congresswoman was in the region for less than day. She never left the Green Zone. And she never spoke with an actual Iraqi.

But she did get to wear one of those cool kevlar helmets throughout her stay.

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Steve Monaco updates us on his Movie Year (So Far) with some '80s schlock starring Ryan O'Neal, and a 1950's crooked-cop flick starring Jack Klugman at Couch Pundit.

We're adding new articles like DVD and game reviews every day. Use our Recent Article RSS feed to check for new content:

THESE DAYS

President Bush has rejected entreaties by his Republican allies that he compromise with Democrats on legislation to renew a popular program that provides health coverage to poor children.

Someone broke into the New Orleans Zephyrs baseball stadium in Metairie last week and stole a Coors Light beer truck containing 51 kegs of beer.

The vast majority of New Zealanders are against a recent rule approved by lawmakers that bans using images captured inside Parliament to satirize, ridicule, or denigrate lawmakers on broadcast and print media, a la The Daily Show.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Kevin-M from Minneapolis blogs about farting during national holidays, the resemblance between Donald Rumsfeld and Ghidorah, and the musical stylings of Brigette Bardot at the restarted Insomnia Report.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Can you name all the U.S. presidents in 10 minutes? I got 36 out of 43. Stupid Rutherford B. Hayes.

A 1966 interview with William Shatner describing his new show Star Trek

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Now that I have won my freedom and I get to choose my next team, I am just like many other people who have to go out and find employment so that I can take care of my family."

— Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper, following his release from the Miami Dolphins after they acquired Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green

Rep. Keith Ellison (Minnesota's 5th District) is taking flak from the Anti-Defamation League for controversial remarks he made earlier in the month. During a July 8 speech he gave to a group of atheists in Edina, Ellison compared the Bush administration's post-9/11 actions to the heavy-handed undertakings carried out by the Nazi government in the wake of the 1933 Reichstag fire—initiatives that fomented Adolf Hitler's rise to power.

"After the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it and it put the leader of that country [Hitler] in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted," a July 8 Strib article quoted Ellison as saying.

So in a Tuesday press release, the Anti-Defamation League took Ellison to task and demanded that he retract his remarks. "[His] comments comparing the rise of Nazism in the aftermath of the burning of the Reichstag to the War on Terror in the aftermath of 9/11 is outrageous and offensive to all Americans," read the statement.

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

We remember Will H. Schaefer, who composed background music for Hogan's Heroes, The Jetsons, The Tonight Show, The Flintstones, and more at Corpus Obscurum.

Download free MP3s from local artists such as Avenpitch, the Blind Shake, Fort Wilson Riot, Romanitca, and more at Music To Go.

THESE DAYS

A surge in the demand for ethanol—touted as a greener alternative to gasoline—could have a serious environmental downside for the Chesapeake Bay, because more farmers growing corn could mean more pollution washing off farm fields. [Related]

A study of 50,000 post-menopausal women found eating just a quarter of a grapefruit daily raised the risk of developing breast cancer by up to 30%.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon, and Shad Petosky are a few of the comic conspirators features in our Comix Issue. Find more of their work, as well as tutorials, and posts about their influences at Big Time Attic.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Sweathogs enroll at Hogwarts: Welcome Back, Potter

Peanuts painted to resemble Harry Potter, the Powerpuff Girls, Albert Einstein, and more [via Neatorama]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"If we had those 40 million children that were killed over the last 30 years, we wouldn't need the illegal immigrants to fill the jobs that they are doing today. Think about it."

— Former Texas representative Tom Delay, connecting the dots between abortion and illegal immigration in a recent speech to the College Republicans

Perhaps the most interesting name to pop up in the ranks of candidates for office this year in Ramsey County is John Kysylyczyn. The former Roseville mayor has filed to run for the Roseville school board. He's one of 12 candidates vying for three seats. Kysylyczyn was elected mayor in 1999 and served a contentious (to put it charitably) four-year term. His tenure was marked by personal attacks and unusually combative city council meetings that often dragged on into the wee hours of the morning. (The drama was similar to what's been happening in Maplewood in recent months.) Kysylyczyn didn't seek a second mayoral term in 2003. Instead he opted to run for city council, losing in the primary election. For those not familiar with Kysylyczyn's leaderhip style, here's a May 2002 clip of him browbeating then-city council member (and now mayor) Craig Klausing:

This week we turn our pages over to the International Cartoonist Conspiracy, based in Minneapolis, for their take on life in the Twin Cities through their words and art. Local cartoonists such as Ken Avidor, Kevin Cannon, Sara Witty, Justin "Spanky" Cermak, and many more contributed comics that can be viewed here. Check them out, then come back to tell us what you think.

Also, one of the artists, Eric Lappegard, was recently injured severely in a car accident near Seattle. Updates on his condition can be found here, and information on an upcoming benefit can be found here. Donations can be sent to: Account of Eric Lappegard, Voyager Bank, 500 Marschall Road, Shakopee, MN 55379.

UPDATE: Steven Stwalley of the International Cartoonist Conspiracy informs us in the comments section that Eric Lappegard passed away at 3:00 am this morning from his injuries. City Pages offers its condolences.

A former University of Minnesota scientist received the Congressional Gold Medal Tuesday during a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. Dr. Norman Borlaug—who earned bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees while studying plant pathology at the U of M—was honored for developing high-yield strains of disease-resistant wheat in the 1960's, an achievement that sparked the Green Revolution and helped to alleviate hunger throughout much of the Third World.

"He has long understood that one of the greatest threats to global progress is the torment of human hunger," said President Bush during the ceremony. "Dr. Borlaug, I thank you for your vision and dedication." (A full transcript of Bush's speech can be found here.)

In conducting his research, Dr. Borlaug confronted what he called "the Population Monster"—mankind's inability to produce enough food to keep up with worldwide population gains. He saw various social ills, such as war and terrorism, as consequences of this phenomenon. As Borlaug explained in 1970 upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize: "You can't build peace on empty stomachs."

Read more about Dr. Borlaug and his accomplishment here.

THESE DAYS

An ingredient in curry may help stimulate immune system cells that gobble up the brain-clogging proteins that mark Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the University of California.

The Bush administration has said it "strongly opposes" key military pay and benefit gains placed in the fiscal 2008 defense bill.

Australia's prime minister announced plans to ban pornography and alcohol for Aborigines in northern areas and tighten control over their welfare benefits to fight child sex abuse among them.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Dylan is a St. Paul resident who posts on bad names for boy children, the Taste of Minnesota, and the Seven Wonders of Minnesota at A Place Called B.L.O.G.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

A Knitted Ferrari

Potato porn

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Jon picked Andy up by the head and smashed him into the bar four or five times, and blood started pouring out of his nose."

— Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada, describing a recent fight between SNL alum Jon Lovitz and fellow comedian Andy Dick after Dick refused to apologize for telling Lovitz, "I put the 'Phil Hartman hex' on you—you're the next one to die."

Not be outdone by the Star Tribune, the Pioneer Press announced this afternoon that it's seeking buyouts from 15 editorial staffers. Employees who voluntarily depart will receive two weeks of pay for each year of service at the St. Paul daily. Here's the note sent out by editor Thom Fladung:

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Ward Rubrecht took in the Dragon Festival at Lake Phalen last weekend. Check out our gallery section to view his photos.

We're adding new articles like DVD and game reviews every day. Use our Recent Article RSS feed to check for new content:

THESE DAYS

A study of humans and chimpanzees has provided new evidence to support the theory that our ancestors evolved to walk upright for the simple reason that doing so saves energy.

Years before the war began, Pentagon officials knew of the effectiveness of a type of vehicle that better shielded troops from bombs that have killed 1,500 soldiers and Marines. But military officials repeatedly balked at appeals—from commanders on the battlefield and from the Pentagon's own staff—to provide the lifesaving Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Teresa Boardman blogs about condo rules, house prices by neighborhood, and absorption rates in the capital city at St. Paul Real Estate.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

From John D. Rockefeller to James C. Flood: The Wealthiest Americans Ever

Super-cheesy corporate music video from Apple circa 1984 (Irene Cara, call your lawyer)

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"This is bizarre, but this apparently was a normal occurrence."

— Edgewater (Fla.) Police Detective Heather Brady, on Edgewater city councilwoman Debra Rogers and her husband, Daniel Rogers, attempting to exorcise the demons out of their daughter by pouring olive oil on her while they held her hands behind her back. Police have recommended the State Attorney's Office file charges of battery and false imprisonment against the couple.

"Dolphins are easily excited when they sense people making love. They get jealous and bang their noses against the window."

— US Submarines president Bruce Jones, discussing the use of small, private submarines to indulge in deep-sea sex and the dolphins such action attracts

As fortune would have it, a blogger named Jeremy was an alternate juror in the trial featured in this week's cover story, Devil's Advocate. You can read his thoughts on the case here.

This year, Money magazine's annual America's Best Places to Live feature focused on smaller cities, between 7,500 and 50,000 in population. Middleton, Wisconsin, (pop. 17,400) earned the top spot with the lone Minnesota entry in the Top 10, Chaska, (pop. 22,500) coming in at No. 8. The magazine cites the exurb's technology and biotech firms, as well as its small-town charm, including a city square gazebo where concerts take place every Friday night. Apple Valley came in at No. 28 and Vadnais Heights ranked 36th. Read the profile on Chaska here, and review the rest of the Top 10 here.

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Steve Monaco has posted the new Monday Movie Quiz at Couch Pundit.

Peter Schilling Jr. tell us why Babe the pig should be the Minnesota Twins' new mascot at Balls.

We're adding new articles like DVD and game reviews every day. Use our Recent Article RSS feed to check for new content:

THESE DAYS

University of Colorado police are investigating a series of threatening messages and documents relating to creationism e-mailed to and slipped under the door of evolutionary biology labs on the Boulder campus.

A new report by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research states that Hawaii residents live longer than people anywhere else in the country and residents of Mississippi are among those with the shortest lives.

McDonald's announced it is going to convert its British delivery fleet to run on biodiesel made largely from its own recycled cooking oil.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Hammer, Jambo, and Libby Mae blog from the left about Norm Coleman, the Iraq war, and other political news at Three Way News.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

The Great Internet Swear Word Project aims to find the best swear word in the world

Nittles, spraints, and chanking: 33 Names of Things You Never Knew Had Names

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"The movie refers to the big flood during the time of Prophet Noah, but this has been turned into a comedy which is insulting to Islam."

— Secretary-General Maamor Osman of Malaysia's Muslim Consumers Association, giving Evan Almighty a big thumbs-down

A queen trades her gown for camo | courtesy of Jessica Chayer

When Jessica Chayer (née Gaulke) was crowned Queen of the Lakes at the 2006 Aquatennial, she anticipated that her year-long reign would culminate at the Ten Best Days of Summer celebration where she would pass on her crown to her successor. Her service to the Aquatennial Ambassador Organization came to a halt however when her National Guard unit was called up for a different type of service in Iraq. After representing the Aquatennial in the Rose Bowl and turning her crown over to Jenna Berhhardson, Chayer headed to Fort Sill, Oklahoma where she will be stationed until her deployment in August. She took a few minutes out of her training to talk to City Pages.

As downtown suits, shoppers, and workers flooded onto the streets for their lunch breaks late Thursday morning, a group of some 50 people (mostly women, many grandmothers) from Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) marched down Nicollet Mall to protest against the war in Iraq. Their goal, according to organizer Carol Masters, was to "bring attention to the war." The group chose downtown at lunchtime, hoping to make the pro-peace movement more visible to people they may not typically meet.

CITY PAGES BLOGS AND NEWS

Diablo Cody is featured in the August issue of Playboy. Details at Culture To Go.

Check out Drunk Girls and Dissonant Toys, the artwork of Ben Moore and Telos, in our gallery section.

We're adding new articles like DVD and game reviews every day. Use our Recent Article RSS feed to check for new content:

THESE DAYS

Governments could save thousands of lives by introducing a 'fat tax' on unhealthy foods, a group of Oxford University scientists reported in the journal Epidemiol Community Health.

Arizona lawmakers voted to enact new laws designed to stop the sale of anti-war T-shirts with the names of dead soldiers—a measure a veteran media lawyer says is "unconstitutional about three or four different ways."

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Merlin's Rest is a newish bar and restaurant on Lake Street. Keep informed about single-malt Scotch tastings, folk jams, and kilt nights at their blog.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Can you tell the difference between a jam band fan and a member of the Taliban?

Aaron Schwarz has decided to change his name and wants the public's help. If he picks the name you offer, you get $25,000.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"Frankly, Michael Moore is an example of why the health care system costs so much in this country. He clearly is one of the reasons that we have a very expensive system."

— Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who lost more than 110 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes, admonishing the Sicko director for his obesity