Breakfast of Champions: 1/23

This Christmas, I asked Santa to deliver certain gifts to the rest of the staff, including Ward Rubrecht. Let me just point out that Santa came through.

I'm not sure if eleventy billion people will read Jeff Severns Guntzel's feature on photographer Alec Soth, but I hope so. If you're one of them, make sure to scope our expanded web content:

* The author's reporter's notebook, which includes numerous anecdotes, photographs and video

* An audio slideshow (1:30) where Soth talks about his creative process while the photos he made scroll by,

* A photo gallery of Soth's work

Elsewhere from the print issue, Paul Demko explains how the decimation of the Minneapolis civil rights department happened under new head Michael Jordan's watch.

It was celebrity endorsement Tuesday at Elephants in the Room. First, Jonathan Kaminsky graced us with a post about who Republican celebrities are voting for, a spectacle worth seeing if only for the photo of Vince Van Patten's dad. Then, Kevin Hoffman upped the ante with a short film we produced featuring an endorsement from Jesus himself. Also inside are links to past CP-produced videos.

Who doesn't like free music? Especially if it's quality indie pop from Great Britain? Take a look at this defunct label that has put their entire catalog online.

The gloomy economic news extends to the Strib, and it's worse than previously feared.

"Dumbfuckingest" is my new favorite word.

If you're keeping score at home, and God knows I am, Ben Palosaari's last posts have been about pie and fast food. Maybe it's time to start mixing a salad in, Benji.