From time to time the geeks who comment on this website will get into arguments about grammar, spelling and so on. It doesn’t happen too often, but when it does it kind of excites certain people while it embarrasses and annoys others. Some people just love to show off their mad English skills, while others don’t care if their capable of getting there sentences from here to they’re properly.
With that in mind, this post has been created as a separate bitching ground — similar to the Troll Zone — for uptight word nerds.
Don’t let this post stop you from creating your own post to showcase public blunders in the future, it just seemed like this type of stuff needs a home base.
To help this discussion along, we’ve started the “Perfect Duluth Day Writer’s Guide,” as a handy reference to Duluth-related nouns that are frequently botched.
Folks, please be on the lookout for a bass guitar that was taken during a burglary at my home recently. This bass is a viola-type, hollow body (think Paul McCartney, Hofner-type bass) painted green with a small spot on the back that was sanded down to the original wood. It was in a soft gig bag. I don’t have a picture, unfortunately, but really you can’t miss this if you see it. Very high sentimental value. If you happen to see it around please call the Duluth Police Department, or call me at 341-8175.
Anybody else notice a high amount of burglaries in Duluth lately? It seems that a lot of people I tell about this has a similar story of being burglarized recently.
Three blocks away from my home, every Sunday morning, in front of Holy Rosary Cathedral, in spite of a two-thirds empty parking lot kitty corner from the church, Wallace Avenue is clogged with cars parked up on the sidewalk on both sides and in no parking zones.
Since my neighbors and I have been cited for parking facing the wrong direction (but on the correct side of the street) there’s obviously enforcement available in the area. So what’s going on just up the hill? Maybe they’re actually parked legally… But on the sidewalk? Really? On both sides of the street? So they can avoid walking 80 yards? That’s odd.
I emailed the chief of police, Donny, and my city counselor to bitch (okay, I’m a crank). Not a peep.
In the great scheme of things this is wholly without significance — who cares where the Catholics park? — but in the microcosm of my own petty concerns, it feels just a little bit unfair.
I recently moved out of a property that was managed by Eagle Hill Development. After I moved, I received an invoice that listed what was going to be deducted from my security deposit. However, many of the deductions were for ambiguous things such as “repairs” without any explanation of what the repairs were.
They provided a number that we could call if we had any questions. Unfortunately, after three voicemail messages and six calls over the span of three weeks, I have received no response of any kind whatsoever.
This behavior is very characteristic of what I experienced when I was renting from them. If we had an issue/question of any kind, it took them days and sometimes weeks to respond. My question is: Has anyone else experienced a similar problem with this company?
My patience is wearing very thin at this point and I just want the money they owe me which, as of now, has still not been sent to me (over a month after I moved out). Please help. I am tired of being taken advantage of by these people.
“In amessage to Congress in 1977, I said the country should decriminalize the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, with a full program of treatment for addicts. I also cautioned against filling our prisons with young people who were no threat to society, and summarized by saying: ‘Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.’”
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We’re working on the problem, but it may take awhile for us to set things straight. Don’t check back. Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook accounts for further information.
Is it just me, or is there an insane amount of vandalism in Duluth this spring? It seems like everywhere I go there’s a bunch of random scribbles on everything. I’m even seeing it on the sides of people’s houses! I went for a walk down in the ol’ Canal Park this morning, the first time this year since the thaw, only to be pretty disappointed by what I found. (more…)
I am asking all opinions on the state of literature today. Does it exist? Is there a difference between Literature and what most people read today (if they do happen to read).
It makes me sad that many men see reading as a “women’s” activity. Don’t we all appreciate a good story? Why is any novel that has an “Oprah” symbol on it now seen as weak fluff that is not suitable for men to read?
I hate buying books that have the movie cover on the book. Most of the time I have never even heard of a really good book until it is set to come out as a movie. Is that the only way books actually sell?
I am not sure if I will ever own an e-reader but I know I will never give up my books.
Somebody tell them to turn down their music at Leif Erickson and/or Bayfront Park. I live above Skyline and it’s been driving me insane. And while they’re at it, get off my lawn.
The pomp of musicians, and why we care
Jill Lawful
Associated Press
DULUTH–Poor Kristen Jacobs. She’s not just marrying a local singer. She’s marrying us all.
Once upon a time, Duluth citizens gazed upon their rock musicians from afar. Not any more.
Members of the band Sexhawk are now Hollywood-style mega-celebrities — their cellulite, receding hairlines and boozy nights out subject to the same relentless scrutiny as other A-listers.
(Story continued on page 4A with details about what kind of cake will be served at Hot Rod’s wedding. Look below the fold for a chart with important details like what time it will be in Abu Dhabi or Hong Kong when Hot Rod’s parents arrive at Sacred Heart.)
I propose that the City only issue event licenses under the condition that tickets must be purchasable locally. For example, do I really have to pay Ticketmaster $11.37 in handling fees for a $35 concert ticket at Bayfront Festival Park this summer? A 32% markup paid to a California company? I would much rather pay any ticket markup to a local record store or nonprofit. Or, directly to the City for that matter. Anything to keep the money in our community, not exporting it to a corporation in California. Maybe I am missing something?
To bank tellers, store clerks and post-office-counter workers:
Don’t ask my children if they want candy. And while you’re at it, and even though it’s far more appropriate, don’t ask me, in front of the children, whether they may have candy.
If it were 1931 and candy were a rare treat I couldn’t afford, it might be cool to get free candy. But candy is cheap, and my children don’t need more.
My children are not deprived of sweets. We have baskets full of Easter candy, stockings full at Christmas, Valentine’s candy, birthday treats, and fat pillowcases at Halloween. I realize that another lollipop isn’t going to tip the scales. But the 13 grams of sugar and Red No. 40 aren’t the only issues; it’s also about the message it sends.
When my 6-year-old daughter slammed the minivan door on her fingers, and I took her to urgent care, I thanked the receptionist who asked me whether she could have a lollipop, and I gladly accepted. But when the children’s only accomplishment is standing in line to watch their mother buy stamps, they don’t need a treat for that. I don’t want them thinking that candy is something you eat all the time. I don’t want them eating treats that, seconds ago, they were fine without, but now that it has fallen in their laps, they suddenly want.
Candy-givers, I know you mean well. But you risk taking well-behaved, happy children and turning them into crabby children on a sugar rush, or discontented children who feel like they’re missing out because mom said no to the free sugar.
The ubiquitous candy bowls and offers of treats are wearing on me. Please, make it stop.
According to this, Minnesota ranks #50, meaning we get about $0.50 back in federal funding for every dollar in taxes we pay (using 2007-2009 figures).
This does not make me want to take former Senators Dayton and Coleman out for dinner in downtown Duluth.
It also brings this question to my mind: how much influence do governors have over federal funding? Are governors involved in the discussion of federal funding in any concrete way?
Nothing will drive viewers to a new blog like gypsy moth abatement! Did anyone else get the gypsy moth abatement report in the mail yesterday and can anyone explain to me why pheromone treatment is fine for 99 percent of the treatment areas, yet in a small area of East Hillside they’ll be spraying insecticide?!?
When I heard there would be boxing at Clyde Iron, I knew my dad would love to go. He enjoys watching boxing on TV and has never been to a live fight. Tickets were being sold for $20 each for General admission and $40 for what I guess was reserved, although they did not mention what or where those seats would be, in fact the woman I spoke to had no idea how the seating would be arranged. (more…)
I was just downtown and parked at the meters in front of Pizza Luce and the Technology Village. I noticed that the hours that the meters were enforced was until 9pm. It looked like there was a new sticker covering up the old one. When did this change, and does anyone know if it is actually enforced? I just noticed it, could have been there for a while before.
With tax time upon us, one has to wonder where all of the money is going that is supposed to be maintaining our roads?
How many roads have gone without repair this year because funding was instead redirected to horrific ideas like installing an ‘s’ curve at the end of the freeway where it joins to London Road?
What kind of brilliant ‘road engineer’ would go out of the way to bend traffic with a ‘I’ll show you’ attitude regarding a speed drop from 50, to 40? Is the message here that he would rather see faster moving men, women, and children in a horrific accident then to be traveling fast?
Is that the same mentality behind the ‘speed bump’ pot-holes? What’s next? Barrels in the road that we will have to weave between?
Yesterday I was cruising along the highway at 60-odd miles per hour when another car came speeding down a ramp and almost was on top of me. I thought about changing lanes but there was a car coming up in the left lane.
I watched the situation develop, waiting to see if Captain Clueless on the ramp was going to slow down — or speed up enough to “beat” me — but there was no adjustment. With a car length or two between us I hit the breaks and the horn hoping to avert catastrophe. No one hurt, thank God. But I’m tired of people merging into traffic expecting me to change lanes to suit them. (more…)
In the interest of moving this thread off the well meaning post about Low playing at HCIS for their album release, I offer you a righteous old school PDD GAUNTLET! I’ve always viewed serif’d fonts to be archaic Gutenburgian throwbacks to screw presses. And now, in the days of info-overload, a visual hazard! What say you?!? Hopefully this escalates to some form of pub debate at Carmody where we get award winning graphic designers really blitzed and they fight so they break their mouse hands and can’t make bad ads the next day at work.
I was reading a recent DNT article about the Twin Ports credit debt. Mainly, how it’s one of the highest in the country. Just nutty, but got me to thinking about my personal debt and why I have it. What do I have to put on a credit card? Well the creditor changes, but it is always that — a creditor. Cellphone, electric, Charter … they have all had the plastic treatment.
Why does this happen though? I work 60 hours a week, make a living wage … perplexing. (more…)
Someone recently wondered why there had not been a PDD post regarding Social Security being “bankrupt.” Here goes:
Social Security currently has a 2.5 trillion dollar surplus. This is partly due to Ronald Reagan raising SS taxes on working people. Then he started to raid the fund to make it look like he could cut taxes on the rich and corporations, bloat the military, and still “balance” the budget. Well, he still wound up turning a surplus into a massive deficit, but I digress. (more…)
If you’re one of those compulsive people who likes to read every single comment on Perfect Duluth Day, the past few days have been a challenge for you.
The “Comments” column on the left is supposed to show which posts have new comments you haven’t read, but it hasn’t been working since PDD upgraded to WordPress 3.0.4 on Dec. 31.
In the meantime, if you’re noticing anything else not functioning properly since the upgrade, let us know. The comment thing is the only thing we’ve noticed.
UPDATE: The problem was fixed on Jan. 3, so there should be no more issues.
If crappy Disney movies like Iron Will were exempt from the list, how did The Mighty Ducks get included?
Anyway, on the list are:
A Prairie Home Companion – Fitzgerald Theater, Mickey’s Diner Grumpy Old Men – Lake Rebecca North Country – The Iron Range Purple Rain – First Avenue The Good Son – Palisade Head Beautiful Girls – Bryant Lake Bowl Jingle All The Way – Mall of America Sweet Land – Southwestern Minnesota The Mighty Ducks – Rice Park Fargo – Brainerd Lakes Area
Iron Will was shot in Duluth in the early 1990s and features scenes in the Greysolon Plaza (Hotel Duluth), outside the Central Administration Building (Old Central High School) and probably other local places I’ve forgotten. (It’s not exactly the kind of movie anyone would watch over and over again, but I’m sure it provided a handful of Duluthians memories of drinking with Kevin Spacey that will last a lifetime.)
My pharmacy is closing and I need recommendations for a new one. I live in Lakeside and will not use Walgreens. I would prefer to go to the ER before having another prescription filled by them.
With the DEA’s emergency ban on the synthetic marijuana compounds used in K2 and other brands, is the local battle between the Duluth City Council and the Last Place on Earth and others over? Should it ever have started?
It was torture to have the City Council’s attention and efforts focused on what was clearly a federal or state issue. With all the money we dump into federal regulatory agencies, we can be certain that if there is something to regulate, they will get around to it. Synthetic reefer had no real special interest or political support. So what were the local yocals we elected spending all their crusade power on? Did they really need to focus their efforts on what chemicals to ban? The last time I checked (about an hour ago) we still had a high rate of unemployment and many people in need. Didn’t we elect council members to improve our local economy and quality of life.
The DEA ban goes into full effect on the Dec. 24. All I want for Christmas is local government that does some real work to make Duluth more perfecter.
