May 11, 2008 - May 17, 2008

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Man tries to commit suicide by diving into wood chipper and lives (w/pictures)

Filed under: Really bad ideas

Just when people were finally getting close to stop associating all things Minnesota with Fargo, now comes the story of a man who dove into a wood chipper just like the body disposal method in the Coen Brothers film.

In a move already being nominated for a Darwin Award, the man (in his late teens or early 20s) dove into a wood chipper in Roseville that was being use to clear trees. Much like Pete Rose, the man dove into the chipper head first. He was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul with injuries to his head and torso.

Here's the Pi-Press' description of what happened:

But it was bad: The man — who had been wandering uncomfortably close to the industrial-grade tree chipper for about 15 to 20 minutes — had his arm and shoulder pulled into the teeth of the machine.

Heavy, block-shaped teeth — meant to grip and pull, rather than grind — were closing upon the man's head with 13,000 pounds of pressure. His hand may have reached the spinning grinders 3 feet inside.

But he was alive.

Pictures after the jump.

No, I don't have pictures of the carnage, you sicko, but I think the wood chipper was something like this:

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 17, 2008 7:56 AM | Comments (9)

 

Strib Guild to members: Plug those leaks

Filed under: Media

The Pi Press has an anonymous source on the Star Tribune's woes, and newspaper guild officials are none too pleased.

Following their rival's story published this morning, in message posted to the guild's blog, co-chairs David Chanen and Graydon Royce wrote:

3. A reminder. The Pioneer Press quoted an anonymous source in a story today discussing cost cuts in our newsroom. We want to echo what Nancy Barnes told everybody during her meetings yesterday: Please keep such information inside these walls. It is the Guild's own best interest to do so. [Emphasis in original]

An addendum: if you're going to spill, spill to your friendly neighborhood alternative weekly instead. It's the right thing to do.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 16, 2008 3:55 PM | Comments (0)

 

Gawker hates on all of Minnesota

Filed under: Media

We dumb Midwesterners voted for Jesse Ventura and now might vote for Al Franken. Yeah, cause New Yorkers never let celebrity interfere with common sense.

Snarky much?

Midwestern State Determined to Embarrass Self

Because Minnesota cannot bear not being the laughingstock of a nation with plenty of contenders to that title, they may very well elect comedian Al Franken to the United States Senate this year. Or perhaps Jesse "The Body" Ventura, the noted Predator star and former professional wrestler. And governor of the state. Great work, guys. (Well, Ventura doesn't actually seem that inclined to run. He's just threatening to because he so dislikes Franken and Norm Coleman. Which, yeah, we do too, but we'd still rather see Carl Weathers in that seat. Someday all of our elected officials will have their political resumes replayed on TBS every Saturday afternoon.) [KARE11]

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 16, 2008 2:09 PM | Comments (4)

 

Tired of high gas prices? Make your own ethanol

Filed under: Economy

Terrified of those rising gas prices? Instead of undertaking less genteel solutions like walking or public transportation, now you can buy a home ethanol converter and pump to brew your own fuel.

The company offering this product is called EFuel100, and you've sadly got to drop ten grand on the machine, which is even more painful than rumors of $6/gallon at the pump.

However you feel about the environmental issues associated with ethanol (and you can read more at Scientific American), the economics of it might be the limiting factor here.

The company says that families would save a barrel of cash in the long run. It estimates, for instance, that a family will save about $4,200 per year on fuel (assuming gas costs $3.60 per gallon and ethanol costs $1 per gallon) if it has two cars that get 22 miles per gallon (9.3 kilometers per liter) and are driven a total of 34,500 miles (55,500 kilometers) annually. Automobiles do not require their fuel to be 100 percent ethanol, so greater savings are possible if drivers dilute the finished product with water (as long at that mixture contains at least 65 percent ethanol).

So, assuming no problems with the system, and that you use all the ethanol, and that you're a two-car family that drives a lot, you'll basically break even in a little under three years if you don't factor in time as a considerable expense. But hey, at least it's a sugar-based ethanol converter, so you can leave the corn for eatin'.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 16, 2008 11:58 AM | Comments (3)

 

Star Tribune financial backers and handlers are top John McCain campaign contributors

Filed under: Media

In the course of posing a question to John McCain in the new issue of Newsweek, George Will reminds us of some connections between McCain's benefactors and the Star Tribune's:

You say "some greedy people" on Wall Street "perhaps need to be punished." So, government should treat greed as a crime—as punishable? What other departures from virtue deserve punishment? How do you distinguish between greed and the socially useful pursuit of personal gain? Your top 20 contributors include this dozen: Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Credit Suisse, Lehman Brothers, Bank of New York Mellon, Morgan Stanley, Wachovia Group, Bridgewater Associates, Blackstone Group and Bear Stearns. Are any contributions from these financial institutions so tainted by greed that you are returning them?

Notice any familar names in there? Yes, Credit Suisse is a lender to the Strib and could take over in the event of bankruptcy, though Publisher Chris Harte recently said, ""Credit Suisse and the other lenders absolutely do not want to run the newspaper." And the Blackstone Group is the cost-cutting company that's currently running the show.

Although there are some donors that cross over and are also among Obama's top contributors, Credit Suisse and Blackstone Group are not among them.

Which makes one wonder how this might affect the Star Tribune's coverage of the upcoming presidential race. I'm sure Editor Nancy Barnes would argue, "not at all," but when the bosses are cutting the newsroom by 10%, do you really want to get on their bad side?

Here is the list of McCain's top contributions. I've highlighted the two that are also neck deep in the Strib's finances:

Merrill Lynch $226,550

Blank Rome LLP $222,050

Citigroup Inc $206,102

Greenberg Traurig LLP $173,837

AT&T Inc $149,305

Goldman Sachs $128,770

Morgan Stanley $124,951

JPMorgan Chase & Co $123,450

Credit Suisse Group $115,625

Lehman Brothers $98,400

Univision Communications $87,000

Bank of New York Mellon $86,500

Blackstone Group $86,350

IDT Corp $84,850

Wachovia Corp $84,050

UBS AG $82,865

Bear Stearns $80,200

MGM Mirage $76,100

Bridgewater Assoc $69,900

PricewaterhouseCoopers $69,850

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 16, 2008 9:25 AM | Comments (1)

 

Breakfast of Champions 5/16: Top stories

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

Matt Snyders brings you the story of a man allegedly recruited by the FBI to keep tabs on RNC protect groups. My favorite part: they wanted him to show up at vegan potlucks. Hail seitan.

When, inevitably, someone starts an online petition for my ouster, I promise to do as Katherine Kertsen did and link to it.

You should have gone to see City on the Make at the Varsity last night. Andrea Myers did, so she's got a full report if you missed it. If you did, there's still time to catch Busdriver, El-P and Dizzee Rascal at the Triple Rock tonight. For more pure review satisfaction, try Ward Rubrecht's recap of Flight of the Conchords.

Augusten Burroughs has led a variety of different lives, much of them trying. He speaks to Ben Palosaari about his latest book.

A reference to Neville Chamberlain and the Princess Bride in the same post: I live for this.

The Miami Vice Grip is a great name. Apparently it's a pretty great drink, too, says Jessica Armbruster.

Do video games do as much innovation -- real innovation -- as they should? Jonathan McNamara looks for examples.

Judd Spicer offers his recommendations for Twin Cities sportswriting voices in all forms of media.

That's it for the fresh content from yesterday. Hungry for more? Try our most popular five stories, posts and slideshows from the previous publication week, May 7-13.

TOP FIVE STORIES
Campus Con Man
Buried Treasure
Eat the animals
Underground punk clubs
Best Of/City Gritty

TOP FIVE SLIDESHOWS
Wolf puppies
Goth Prom
Campus Con Man
Competitive eating
Kitten Forever

TOP FIVE BLOG POSTS
Klobuchar for VP?
Pawlenty VP
Hillary in bed with Republicans
Swell Season review
Strib Bankruptcy

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 16, 2008 6:40 AM | Comments (0)

 

Minneapolis foreclosure crisis story in USA Today

Filed under: Economy

A local crisis goes national, as USA Today uses the Hawthorne neighborhood as a jumping-off point to talk about foreclosures.

Some highlights:

Minneapolis and three of its neighborhoods won their first legal battle last month in a separate lawsuit against real estate company TJ Waconia, when a judge appointed a legal caretaker to manage 141 mostly vacant properties.

Cleveland, Baltimore and Buffalo also have sued lenders and banks in recent months. St. Paul has written to its lenders threatening a lawsuit if they don't fix their foreclosed properties.

"Hundreds of cities across the United States are in the same position," says Greg Squires, a professor of sociology at George Washington University who studies urban redevelopment. "I think there will be more lawsuits. If we get an early decision in one of these cases, it will either encourage or discourage" other cities from filing suit.

There's some depth here, and it's worth a read if you're interested in potential remedies people are trying here and around the country.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 16, 2008 1:21 AM | Comments (0)

 

Fire Kersten: You can help rid the Strib of its conservative columnist

Filed under: Media

Katherine Kersten may have just made a career-ending mistake: She linked to an online petition calling for her firing.

... I’ve made an enemy at the highest reaches of state government, and she’s calling for my head.

Rep. Mindy Greiling is Chair of the House K-12 Finance Committee. In a dither over my columns [here and here] about one of her favorite schools, she wrote a letter published in the on-line Star Tribune and demanded that the paper give me a pink slip. ...

The smug, self-satisfied scold continues:

Oh well, all in a day’s work. But now, I see with horror that Greiling’s letter seems to have ignited a public campaign for my ouster! An online petition drive is now demanding that I be fired. Folks have signed in droves — from Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey across the globe to Turkey, where “Can Atik” signed. Dozens of Minnesotans, including Coleen Rowley, have added their monikers.

Said petition can be found here. It currently has 183 signatures. We urge all of you to take the time to make your voice heard on this important issue.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 15, 2008 12:26 PM | Comments (11)

 

Strib Bankruptcy Watch: The Incredibly Shrinking Newsroom

Filed under: Media

David Brauer reports that the Strib will cut newsroom expenses by 10 percent in the wake of revelations that the newspaper is the worst performer in Avista's portfolio:

The Star Tribune's newsroom budget will be cut 10 percent, with a plan in place by June 1, according to a knowledgeable source. The reduction amounts to $2.5 million — part of $20 million in cuts Strib management wants to deliver to lenders by June 30.

Management has just entered formal contract negotiations with the Newspaper Guild, which represents newsroom employees. According to the source, if the $2.5 million can't be cut cooperatively, layoffs are an obvious option.

Management does not need the Guild's permission to cut jobs. If layoffs occur, newest hires lose their positions first. Last year, the paper offered buyouts so more experienced, higher-paid newsroom staff would quit; no word if that approach will be tried this time.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 15, 2008 12:10 PM | Comments (0)

 

City Pages nominated for three AAN awards

Filed under: City Pages

Every year, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies selects the best work from its member papers. Yesterday, the finalists were announced, and City Pages has been nominated for three awards for papers with a circulation of 55,000 or more.

The "Innovation" category focuses on creativity in journalism, which may be expressed in print, online or a combination. Our Rock Atlas, both in print (12.3 megabyte PDF) and online, is one of three finalists in that category. Congratulations to art director Nick Vlcek, artist Kevin Cannon, and author Peter Scholtes.

In the photography category, Vlcek garnered another nomination. His photographs for "Boy, Interrupted," our story about an anorexic man, earned him one of four finalist slots.

For food writing, a sampler of former staff writer Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl's work ("Then There Were None," "Port Is The Answer?," and "Colonel Mustard") made her one of three nominated for the food writing award.

We write for readers, not for awards, but it's still a nice feeling when your efforts are recognized. Whether or not we're fortunate enough to win, thanks to all of you who read what we do, because that's what makes it all worthwhile.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 15, 2008 11:25 AM | Comments (0)

 

Breakfast of Champions 5/15: Halfway

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

When Richard Nixon ran for re-election, one of his slogans was "In Your Heart, You know He's Right." When Nixon died, I made a series of bumper stickers organized around the theme "In Your Heart, You're Glad He's Dead."

How this applies to Matt Snyders' invective-flecked elegy for Jerry Falwell a year after his death is an exercise left to the reader.

Hey, discount groceries! My diet's in luck if something falls off a truck! Elsehwere in the food world, if you would like some cheese with that wine, James Norton tells you how to combine the two into a weekend getaway.

Les Deux Magots play an all-ages show tonight at Eclipse Records. Don't believe us? Check the flyer of the week.

The latest on the Strib, from Rupert Murdoch's take to the potential for a land deal with the Vikings.

Somebody vandalized old pictures of Minnesota's governors. Well, at least they got Jesse's portrait, I guess. They should be able to tell from the photo in the post whether Ben Palosaari did it or not.

Are you ready for the Republican Party Reptiles? Matt Snyders is. That's him in the corner, talking to their daughters.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 15, 2008 8:36 AM | Comments (2)

 

Gubernatorial Graffiti

Filed under: Crime

The portraits of Jesse Ventura (1999-2003), Harold LeVander (1967-71), and Elmer L. Andersen (1961-63) were vandalized with with markers most likely some time today.

An artist's rendering of the crime scene.

When reached for comment this evening, Lory Sutton, head of public relations and marketing for the Minnesota Historical Society describes the graffiti as magic marker lines through one of the governor's faces and an inverted V on Ventura's shiny bald head. No funny mustaches were drawn. Sutton, who has not seen the augmented portraits, said that there is no way of telling who did it, and the portraits themselves are not under surveillance. According to a MNHS press release, the paintings will be removed promptly and repaired. Sutton said the cost to erase the damage should be 'minimal'. It appears the vandal did not select the victims (two republicans and an independent) for their political persuasion.

Posted by Ben Palosaari at May 14, 2008 5:31 PM | Comments (1)

 

Strib in talks with Vikings on land deal

Filed under: Media

If there's one advantage to being part of the story, it's that you're guaranteed the exclusive:

As Tuesday's deadline for bids on the Star Tribune's five blocks near the Metrodome passed, Avista Capital Partners, the newspaper's parent company, remained mum about potential buyers. But Avista Vice President Greg Evans acknowledged in an interview April 17 that the company has had several discussions with the Vikings' owners concerning the 12.4 acres of land -- a point verified Tuesday by Vikings Vice President Lester Bagley.

Jonathan Kaminsky was chasing Bagley on this yesterday too, but he didn't have any land to sell the Vikings, and therefore did not get the exclusive.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 14, 2008 9:02 AM | Comments (0)

 

Good News for the Strib: Rupert Murdoch is bullish on newspapers!

Filed under: Media

Anybody at the Star Tribune who reads Playboy for the articles can take some hope in the fact that Rupert Murdoch believes the rumors of print's death have been greatly exaggerated.

Is print dead?

No, I don't for a minute believe it's dead. It's got a great future. Newspapers will change, but the business model is a good one. It's a great brand and an essential part of a community. Maybe we're getting to the point where you can drop the word paper. It can come out on the internet, it can come out any number of ways, but it will be under your brand.

Avista, are you listening?

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 14, 2008 8:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Breakfast of Champions 5/14: Medical alert

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

Join us tonight at your favorite downtown danceteria for our annual Best of the Twin Cities party. Doomtree will be there performing, and so will the Alarmists, Romantica and Gospel Gossip. Plus, you can find your favorite writer and give them a hug. Or find your least favorite writer and tell them they suck. If you can't find your least favorite writer, you can come tell me that I suck by proxy. It's cool, I can take it. Hugs would be better, though.

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

When a mysterious illness devastated her son, a mother had to go toe-to-toe with some of our most prominent medical professionals. See family photos here. Beth Walton's extensive Reporter's Notebook explores litigation around medical cases such as this one.

Rumors have been circulating for months about the RNC protests and how security procedures will affect the area. In Jonathan Kaminsky's
Convention Fact Check, we tell you whether that homeless shelter's going to close, whether protesters will be rounded up and shipped away from town, and more.

Have to make a film in 24 hours for the film race? Need someone on the scene to document it? Sonja Henie's out. I'll take Matt Snyders.

Tou Saiko Lee, local Hmong rapper, and Cloud Cult, local art-eco-rockers, both made national news this week.

Chris Ward offers a multimedia-laden tale of his failed television show, developed contemporaneous to the cult hit Robot Chicken. Plus, a photo of Ward with MC Chris.

Tom Brady rips ESPN, but then gets owned by a 14th century friar and philosopher.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 14, 2008 7:28 AM | Comments (0)

 

Strib Bankruptcy Watch: Land ho!

Filed under: Media

The Strib has sprung a leak. A story in today's Pioneer Press reveals that the St. Paul rival obtained an "offering memo" indicating that bids on the newspaper's downtown office space are due today. The story says the land could fetch "$4 million to $5 million an acre today, or up to $60 million," but that might be overly optimistic considering the soft real estate market and the not-prime-downtown location of the land. It remains to be seen whether the Vikings will make a play for it, but Lester Bagley, the team's veep for public affairs, recently told Jonathan Kaminsky, "We believe that the property will be part of an eventual stadium development package or project regardless of who owns it."

Buried a bit deeper in the story is a window into the dire financial situation at the Strib. Citing an "Avista marketing document," the Pi-Press reveals why Avista may be looking to bail out of the Minnesota newspaper market:

The Star Tribune was the worst performer in Avista's portfolio, according to an Avista marketing document obtained by the Pioneer Press, which says the team behind Avista has a track record of generating "realized proceeds" of 2.7 times the capital invested.

Revenue at the Star Tribune declined 14 percent from $356 million at the time of Avista's purchase to $306 million in 2007, and "relevant EBITDA" (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) also slid 14 percent, to $70 million, according to the marketing document. EBITDA is considered an indicator of a company's cash flow.

Key words: Worst performer. Avista is not a newspaper company--it has holdings in healthcare and other industries. If it can find a way to get out from under the Strib and park the investment in a more lucrative concern, it'll do so in a New York minute.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 13, 2008 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

 

Breakfast of Champions 5/13: The roundup

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

It'll be a short roundup today, since I was out late with the other children of the night at Saloon's Goth Prom (and we're working on putting out the print issue today). See these images from Goth Prom and you'll see what kept party-goers out late.

Like Andrea Myers, I consider the Cedar Cultural Center one of the best places in town to see a show. Artistic Director Bill Kubeczko has just resigned from the venue after 20 years of service.

Here's the latest on Pawlenty's VP chances and love life.

Did you see Galactic Pizza on CNN? No? Well, you can always go see them on Lyndale.

James Norton supplies a list of new vendors at Mill City Farmer's Market.

BRAIN CANDY

I have to leave you with this Daily Show video where Jon Stewart interviews Doug Feith, the man who General Tommy Franks described as "the dumbest fucking guy on the planet." Watch the video and see why. He actually uses the Roger Clemens "misremember" dodge.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 13, 2008 5:12 AM | Comments (0)

 

VP Pawlenty Watch: More likely to get love from McCain than Mrs. Pawlenty

Filed under: VP Pawlenty Watch

Will Governor Tim Pawlenty become our nation's next vice president? It's hard to keep track of all the many factors at play. Each week, the VP Pawlenty Meter (TM) provides an odds sheet to ensure you make your best bet.

Today, the Star Tribune is front-paging a report in Sunday's Washington Post that Pawlenty tops the field of candidates for McCain's running mate:

"The Minnesota governor remains the single possibility in the Republican vice presidential field who best fits what McCain wants and needs in a VP. Pawlenty has been elected twice in a Democratic-leaning state that is almost certain to be a battleground in the fall. He is liked and respected by both conservatives and moderates, and he gets rave reviews for his political instincts. He has also known McCain for nearly three decades and, at 47, could allay some concerns about McCain's age."

MOST LOGICAL VEEP CHOICES?
Here is the Post's list of the "five most logical veeps," assuming McCain and Obama are the candidates, ranked in the order of the likelihood of being chosen.

REPUBLICANS
5. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts

4. Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida

3. Former Rep. Rob Portman of Ohio

2. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota

1. Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota

Meanwhile, Bloomberg News names Pawlenty among three frontrunners, but says McCain is keeping a "cone of silence" on VP selection--which for some reason reminds me of the "Circle of Trust" from Meet the Parents:

Campaign Notebook: McCain Keeping Lid on Running Mate Debate

By Joe Sobczyk and Edwin Chen

May 10 (Bloomberg) -- Republican John McCain insists his vice presidential search is ``still in initial stages'' and that he looking at ``a large number'' of potential running mates.

The early betting among Republicans still has Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Ohio congressman and Bush administration budget director Rob Portman and onetime rival candidate Mitt Romney near the top of the list.

``There's still no update,'' longtime McCain confidante Mark Salter said when asked this week whether the list has been whittled down. The usually talkative McCain is keeping ``a cone of silence'' on the selection process, Salter said.

Although Pawlenty's chances of scoring a spot on the Republican presidential ticket seem to be good, the likelihood that the governor will get laid tonight looks bleak. Appearing on WCCO radio to celebrate the fishing opener, T-Paw channeled Howard Stern and complained that he's not getting any from his wife Mary Pawlenty:

"I have a wife who genuinely loves to fish. I mean, she will take the lead and ask me to go out fishing, and joyfully comes here. She loves football, she'll go to hockey games, and I jokingly say, 'Now, if I could only get her to have sex with me I'd really have it made.''"

Wonkette is using the gaffe to imply that T-Paw prefers the company of men, which won't go over well with the base:

Hey, maybe the Republican governor of Minnesota is gay enough to run for Vice President after all! It is a scientifically documented fact that many leading lights of the Republican party prefer the company of other gentlemen, and remarks Tim Pawlenty made this weekend suggest he is a member of the Party's elite cabal of well-groomed fellows who happen to know all the words to every ABBA album ever recorded. He told a WCCO radio show host he doesn't have sex with his wife!

This week, the T-Paw VP Meter holds steady at Yellow, but the T-Paw Testicular Meter has been lowered to Blue.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at May 12, 2008 10:19 AM | Comments (6)

 

Breakfast of Champions 5/12: Of Wolves and (Hot) Dogs

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

In case you missed it, the big news from Friday was the transfer of two-week-old wolf puppies to the International Wolf Center. We documented this rare event -- pups generally remain in the den for months -- with a photo slideshow and two videos.

From later in the weekend: among feats of competitive eating, shoving 41 hot dogs down in 10 minutes has to rank up there. Daniel Corrigan has photos from the Nathan's Famous contest in Apple Valley this on Saturday. Yet when reading the Strib's story, all I could think was: "The name of the song is 'Baba O'Riley.'"

When submitting this story to the link-aggregation site Digg, I got one of those suggestions that makes this whole web editor grind worthwhile. When you ship Digg a link, it often hits you back with other sites that it thinks contain the same content. Check out the top item it identifies with a hot dog-eating contest (click for a larger, more legible version):

Cliff's Notes in case you can't tell from the image: I submit a photo link entitled "Guy eats 41 hot dogs in 10 minutes: spectacularly gross." Digg spits back, "We're sorry, we already have Jenna Bush wedding photos."

Revisit the musical happenings with Andrea Myers in Over the Weekend, which contains reviews of The Kills, Talib Kweli, International Espionage!, Action vs. Action, and the Hasbeens. Plus, a slideshow from Interlock Lives shows images of the local label's talent, including Kanser, Prof & Rahzwell and more.

"A study released last week by the Women's Foundation of Minnesota yields scary news about the state of our state's girls," writes Jonathan Kaminsky.

The latest on Strib financial woes is brought to you by Kevin Hoffman. Check the print issue when it comes out for still more details, and of course our online Blotter blog for the latest information.

Sometimes, we drink beer in the middle of the day. Conversations ensue.

Ever wanted to make restaurant-quality Thai lemongrass soup? Jessica Armbruster shows you how.

I'm going to steal Web Intern Extraordinaire Andy Mannix's alternate headline for this post: "Vegetarian basketball psychic wins hamburger geography book."

Jacques Lemaire is back as coach of the Wild, ensuring that this Charles Trenet song stays in my head for another season.

I was babysitting Saturday night, which is the only reason I didn't win the drunken spelling bee. Seriously, when this comes around again, everyone else in town is drawing dead.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at May 11, 2008 9:39 AM | Comments (0)

 

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