I couldn’t help but notice this is not quite the same quote that PDDers have repeated. In the post with the picture of our fresh-faced mayor alongsideWilco, for instance, the quote is “‘teenaged boy who claims he’s the mayor.” (And I believe that post was authored by none other than our fresh-faced mayor himself, no?)
That leads me to wonder which it was. The omission of “the” before “mayor” could have been a typo on Riemenschneider’s part, but I wondered about “teenager” v. “teenaged boy,” “said” v. “claims” and past v. present tense.
It’s no biggie, of course. I just remember that after the Sept. 4, 2007 concert, Riemenschneider reproduced Tweedy’s quote about the ore boat/fog/bridge differently than I recalled it myself. Is he just paying too close attention to the music to get quotes verbatim (which is arguably okay for a music critic)? Were the PBRs flowing too freely for anyone to take too close a notice of Tweedy’s comment? Was the concert so good no one really cares about this except me?
So I know that the whole ripping on the Duluth News Tribune theme gets a bit tiresome. Yet this article compels some response from anyone who knows better than to accept as journalism a story about the New Tribune’s publisher speaking before the Duluth Chamber. Ironically, in this story, the reporter quotes the DNT’s publisher stating that “What we don’t have is less local news content.” Well, I suppose if this article and advertisements qualify, that may be the case. But the newspaper is not even close to being “better than it was a year ago.” Read the story and you might understand my utter confusion at how anyone could possibly consider this story to be newsworthy.
One of the many Perfect Duluth Days was punctuated with I had hoped be the Perfect Duluth night … an evening with WILCO live on stage at the DECC. I had bought tickets months before and had been anticipating the night ever since. Unfortunately, instead of waking up this morning, thinking what a GREAT concert, I woke up thinking…WTF was wrong with the people in our row at the concert. The self-indulgent, self-centered, group that could not or would not just stand there, dance and enjoy the amazing music the band was putting out. (more…)
JRH sent me this. Said it was a real ad on craigslist
Looking for someone special who would kill my drummer for $100.00. do not fear any negative consequences for this act. any self respecting law enforcement agency would gladly turn the other cheek once they hear this guy “play”. I am tired of hearing his 70’s style fills put in the wrong spot and ending one half beat early or late depending on how much he’s had to drink. (more…)
FYI, SMDC netted $28.7 million in profits (despite being a “nonprofit” hospital) in 2007 and purchased over $5 million worth of property last year. CEO Peter Person makes $1.1 million per year. The average medical transcriptionist makes just on the threshold of a living wage – $35,000 per year. Solidarity! (Stay tuned for info on how you can help out…)
What do you do with your winter coat if you go to a crowded bar to celebrate the New Year? Pile it onto the coat rack that’s built to hold six coats but is loaded up with twenty and ready to fall at any moment? Throw it on the floor in the corner and hope for the best? Keep it on and sweat like crazy? Leave it in the car and suffer through the walk?
All this talk about sustainability in Duluth, and how the DTA was named Best Transit Provider in Minnesota, and it wins all the Sustainability Points it can get (biofuels, paper reduction, hybrid busses, new technology, etc) – but..
Why can’t a car-free-sustainable-person like me take a bus downtown or to a movie on a Saturday night?
Seriously… is anyone else feeling the pinch of poor transit options for the car-less or car-free of us in Duluth? Some of us make the choice to be sustainable and car-free, and then what? We get to sit at home every Saturday and Sunday evening, because our busses stop operating around 7pm! How does that make a “sustainable city” or attract sustainability-minded folks? Now service is cut on the 24th during the week (no service after 7:15pm), yet not New Year’s eve. Huh?
Have there been any attempts at better transit in the past? Advocacy groups? Sustainability groups that take action rather than pat politicos on the back or host “seminars”? Any ideas on organizing a Bus Rider’s Union or getting a Car-sharing program going in Duluth?
Or, as I asked the mayor in an email, as well as the DTA – “Should a guy like me just buy a car and ’shut up’ in Duluth?”
I just drove from the West End to the East Hillside. Here’s what I observed/experienced:
Visibility is very poor. This has improved quite a bit since I first set out, since the sun has come up. Mainly your enemies today are wind and blowing snow.
I-35 is quite clear, but slow going. I had to completely stop twice. I think the top speed was about 45, though it might have reached 50 for a moment.
Mesaba is a traffic jam. No surprise.
Second Street has a lot of snow on it. Also people are having difficulty finding their lane. There are three lanes on Second Street, and even in the best conditions it is wise to choose one. Thankfully, no one is doing that thing where you blow through the lights just as they change green. That would be stupid on a day like today.
Fourth Street is worse than Second Street.
The avenues are slippery and difficult to negotiate. As you’re spinning your wheels up them or sliding down them sideways, please take a moment to realize that this is why your house with an incredible view is affordable.
No matter how bad it gets, there’s always someone who is in a big effing hurry and thinks that tailgating will help. You will encounter that person today. Please try not to be that person today.
Please post your experiences and the road conditions for your part of the region in the comments. If you are somewhere that’s warm and doesn’t get snow, and feel the need to point that out in the comments, please realize that the rest of us are rolling our eyes and making the “jerk-off” gesture with our dominant hands
According to estimates by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Minnesota could raise $10 million in tax revenues simply by allowing liquor stores to sell on Sundays.
“Branding the field [at the Metrodome] as Mall of America Field represents an opportunity to share our name and image with an even larger nationwide audience. It also connects two treasured Minnesota brands – Mall of America and the Minnesota Vikings – which adds value to both companies.”
–Maureen Bausch, executive vice president of making people want to puke
I am really interested in getting involved in efforts to support some sort of health care reform. Is there a local organization working to support this and show our leaders we think this is important and necessary?
This is something I’ve been really concerned about as an uninsured young adult and I feel like I need to do something other than shout at the television.
Today is one of four days of reckoning for the self-employed among us. I thought it was funny that these were the only stamps I had left on the sheet to put on my federal and state estimated payments.
Disturbing the Peace calls 09/08/09 through 09/13/09. Good thing we have a town with corporate rental companies who are responsible. The 300′ rule will expire soon. This means anyone can get a rental license anywhere. Central Hillside, Chester Park, Endion are canaries in the coal mine.
why if you want to see Sweeney Todd, or any Playground performance, you can’t buy tickets in advance? Oh wait, you CAN buy tickets in advance online but you have to pay a $2.50 convenience fee per ticket. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to skip the fee and just sell tickets in advance at the door?
I really just don’t get why every other theater in town can sell tickets in advance but the Playground insists on using this odd system.
So, really, can anyone explain this to me? Because I don’t get it.
I had given up on much Duluth art being discussed ever on MPR, after forever of hearing the Pioneer Press’ Dominic Papatola’s eye-rolling, painfully self-conscious weekly host chats, (yes, “host chat” a la Regis and Kelly, only if you added a condescending air to their blather). But then they added this interesting feature “Art Hounds” which is a great step in the right direction, only they’re very Twin Cities centric, as is standard for “the Network.” THEN, today I heard a familiar voice: Lucie Amundson, who is (if I’m not mistaken) a PDD and/or Park Point regular. Haven’t heard her on the “network” since election day. They should use her more. Good work, Lucie. Would love to hear you do stories in person sometime!
The MPR website recently announced a new expansion of The Current station to St. Peter, MN. Not that I don’t love some of the stations we have around here, but it really makes me feel even further from the cultural scene to not have access to all three MPR stations. As a yearly supporter of MPR it doesn’t seem fair. If there’s anyone out there who agrees, please join me in writing to MPR to let them know how we feel.
Following months of unsuccessful negotiations and numerous unfair labor practices, Workers United Local 99 is asking that the public boycott the Pickwick restaurant. (more…)
In what is perhaps a new low for the Duluth News Tribune, the DNT’s website just posted its first-ever “DNTV Special Report” in which Executive Editor Rob Karwath basically reads the paper’s earlier story about last night’s murder in Duluth’s Central Hillside, apparently as an excuse to show what did not run in either the newspaper or on the website’s text version of the story: a photograph of the crime scene with large pools of the victim’s blood.
In the video, Karwath narrates as the photo appears not just once, but over and over again, interspersed with other photos from the crime scene. Apparently, it is unethical to print the victim’s name at this sensitive time for his friends and family. But it is perfectly OK to showcase photos of the blood that came out of his fatally damaged head.
In addition to the DNTV piece, which at least does not allow comments, there is the text story, which unfortunately has comments open. At the time of this posting, there are 43 comments, which vacillate between racist, asinine comments about the type of person who lives in Duluth’s Central Hillside, and commentary about the shocking disrespect which is allowed to run rampant in our hometown’s newspaper of record.
I ask this, openly of everyone involved with the DNT and the news media in general: Is this how you would have handled this story if the victim were one of your own loved ones? Do you actually think that any of this is ethical?
I’d also like to know what the PDD community thinks of this specific issue. People bitch about the DNT on this site frequently, and even sometimes unfairly. But on this specific topic, I’d like to know what people think.
Personally, I think it’s disgusting. I would link to the video for you, but that would only give them exactly what they are transparently after.
Sunday’s Bayfront concert cancelled due to low ticket sales. Did they ever promote it? I e-mailed Secret Service on Monday asking some questions about it, since it was not listed in the Transistor and got no response. Another Secret Service flop just like Lucinda Williams last November.
Windows Vista decided to reboot my system without my consent mid-game (Yes I’m a late night gamer geek). So let’s look at this for a second. What if I were running a 2 hour crunching program, or working on an important spreadsheet? No terrible offense, MS, but your promises are half-assed.
