Featuring the Keep Aways.

This is the maiden voyage of the Gonzo Science youtube channel, the Gonzonomicron.

With three amazing colleges in the area, producing some of the most intelligent minds Minnesota has to offer, investment in the future of technological progress in Duluth already seems like a good idea. Recently, however, with the advent of Mayor Don Ness’s term, our city has seen a robust growth on the involvement of younger generations in the politics of the region. These are the same minds that, generally speaking, fully comprehend the vast value of human inter-connectivity and the ability to utilize cloud data to apply distributive processing to the human intellect. Duluth in particular represents a bastion of human kindness and advanced social responsibility the likes of which are nearly incomprehensible on a large-city scale; our downtown area is immensely reflective of this. As a veteran of the United States Air Force, I’ve witnessed firsthand not only the inhuman characteristics and notions of self-entitlement prevalent in cities such as Tokyo, but also the indifference and uncaring attitudes fostered by lackadaisical local political forces in a two-city region, as the Shreveport/Bossier area of Louisiana proved so succinctly for me.

In short, Duluth and Superior represent the best-functioning example of an interstate relationship between two medium-sized cities, united by a common goal: survive the next winter.

My earlier local Winter Olympics connections post here on PDD didn’t exactly catch fire, what with Wilco coming to town, people waving pitchforks at the DNT, and new doorknobs or cheaper beer or fill-in-the-blank down at Luce. However, I’m gonna take another crack at the local Olympics connection with these two items.

a) The USA Men are in the Medal Game Sunday afternoon vs the Canada/Slovakia winner (that game is tonight). Captain of Team USA is Cloquet Native Jamie Langenbrunner

b) According to the Wall Street Journal, UMD has produced more Vancouver Olympians than any other college in the World besides the University of Calgary. Full story is here. Naturally, not all of the UMD Olympians are Americans, which is also impressive to me. UMD is a magnet for many of the world’s finest women’s hockey players, including 6 from my ancestral homeland Sweden.

There’s a pretty good interview with Al about Retribution Gospel Choir and Low (among other things) here on AVClub.com today. I assume this means the interview will be in this week’s print issue of The Onion as well.

Defaced poster at Chester Creek Café.

Howdy. I have a couple of items for sale on Craigslist that someone out there in PDD land may be interested in.

#1-Two Technics SL-1200MK2 turntables with cases. These are the original Random Radio turntables and they are still in excellent condition.

Technics SL-1200

Craigslist Link.

#2-Anvil Briefcase. This is the briefcase I used when organizing Homegrown, Geek Prom and whatever other silliness I could come up with. Now it just sits in the basement begging to be used.

You can run this thing over with a truck and it will still function. Just ask Eric Swanson.

Anvil Briefcase.

Craigslist Link.

The V-day Calendar for this year has been finalized! V-day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls. Money raised by these events will be donated to PAVSA (Program of Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault) who provides survivor-centered services to people of Southern St. Louis County.

V-day 2010 Calendar of Events

Events Co-sponsored by The UMD Women’s Resource & Action Center and The Kirby Program Board

Any One of Us: Women’s Words from Prison

Presented by   V-day UMD 2010

Monday, February 15th 6PM

$2 with one non-perishable food item, or $3 without

UMD Kirby Student Center Rafters

“Any One of Us: Words From Prison” evolved from a decade long writing group with Eve Ensler and 15 women at Bedford Hill’s Correctional Facility. This piece is a collection of stories from the raw voices of fierceness and honesty written by the original 15 women combined with writing from women in prisons across the nation moving forward toward healing, understanding, and change with the ultimate goal of using their writing and voices to impact policy, laws and treatment of incarcerated women. Together these writings reveal the deep connection between women in prison and the violence that often brings them there. Performed by UMD students.

(more…)

Rudy Carlson’s show opens tonight at the Carnegie Center for Visual Arts (ye olde library, 2nd St & 1st Ave W), 5-8 p.m.  Rudy’s sense of humor is the connecting thread across the wide range of his work, from intimate portraits to absurd political sculpture.   The Duluth-based artist is also a teacher in a Duluth Heights one-room schoolhouse and father to three smokin’ hot ladies.

(Photo swiped from here)

Laskiainen Finnish Sliding Festival
Feb. 6 & 7 (Sat.Sun.) at the Loon Lake Community Center in Palo MN

Celebrating the ethnic heritage of customs, crafts, music, sports,
marketplace, foods and of course sliding! Free and super family-friendly. Featuring the infamous vipukelkka or whipsled! An excellent opportunity to generate your own exclamation points!

http://www.ironrange.org

816 Highway 100 Palo
Aurora, MN 55705

Laskiainen

The Rubber Chicken Radio Hour has a new permanent home at The Shack in Superior.

Thursday, February 18, from 8-9pm is the first live broadcast from the new venue.

Eat, drink, watch a live comedy show on the radio…all for just $5.00.

The Celebrity Guest for this show is Duluth News Tribune Arts & Entertainment Reporter Christa Lawler.

Musical guest is singer-songwriter Sara Thomsen, with an easygoing performance style that is full of humor and depth.

For more information on The Rubber Chicken Radio Hour, Rubber Chicken Theater, or anything Rubber Chicken-related, please call (218) 213-2780, check out the website at www.RubberChickenTheater.com, or email Brian@RubberChickenTheater.com.

THE STRUGGLE FOR ABORTION RIGHTS: a panel discussion
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Sunday, January 24 at 7pm
Duluth Building for Women at 32 E. 1st St. (basement meeting room)
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To mark the anniversary of the historic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, you’re invited to a panel discussion on abortion rights. Speaking will be Heather Bradford, Chere Suzette Bergeron and Linda Gokee-Rindal. After the presentations there’ll be an open discussion period.

This event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by Socialist Action and the UMD Reproductive Justice Collective. Bring a friend!

The Wilco folks contacted us about screening their newish documentary by Brendan Canty (Fugazi) and Christopher Green. This film will screen one time only at 7:15 on Thursday Jan 28th. We will also be giving away two free tickets to their upcoming show at the DECC. Cost is 6.50.
Also want to remind folks about the upcoming screening of Buster Keaton’s The General with a new score written and performed by Marc Gartband. This Friday & Saturday at 7:30p.m. For tickets head to Zinema 2

Jazz and blues with a little pop

At Sara's Table Wine Bar Event

You can see the listing at www.duluth.lib.mn.us
Country Teacher will be shown on Sat, Jan 16.

I have found the most wonderful work distraction.  Not that it’s wonderful to be distracted from work, but I can’t take my eyes off of this webcam. 

Lily the Black Bear at the North American Bear Center in Ely is just days away from having her cubs.
She is in hibernation and you can watch it all unfold on the den cam. 

For the most part she’s just snoozing away … zzzzzzzzzz

I’m also addicted to other Ely, MN cams like:  Fall Lake and Birch Lake 

Has anybody done the math on what Superior and Duluth bars are geographically closest to each other? I’m thinking Schultz’s and Quinlans. Am I right?

Stand strong Conan.

“Lewis and Clark and the Indian Country,” a national traveling exhibition, is on display in the UMD Library fourth floor rotunda reading room. The public is invited to a traditional Ojibwe opening ceremony in UMD’s Weber Music Hall at 6 p.m. on Friday, January 15. The ceremony will include drumming, prayer, and welcome statements at the Weber, followed by a reception and viewing of the exhibit on the fourth floor of the UMD Library. Refreshments will be provided by Friends of the Duluth Public Library. Call 218-726-8130 for more information.

The exhibit, which tells the story of the explorers’ historic 1804–1806 expedition from the point of view of the Indians who lived along the route, is available for viewing during all hours when the UMD Library is open. You can learn more about the exhibit and check the library hours by going to the UMD Library web site:

http://libguides.d.umn.edu/lewisandclark

Then: Knight Creative Communities Initiative, 2008:

Technology, Tolerance, Territory, and Talent. These four T’s are the base for building a more attractive environment for economic growth, according to Dr. Richard Florida and a growing number of other internationally known researchers.

In 2007-2008, the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation in connection with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation led a process to build on these assets in the Twin Ports….

Now: Alec McGillis, “The Ruse of the Creative Class,” The American Prospect 4 January 2010.

[It] is wrong, [Florida's former manager] says, to see any conflict in Florida’s dire pronouncements on the places that bankrolled this success, because he hadn’t promised prosperity in the first place. “He wasn’t really making prescriptions,” Frantz says. “This wasn’t Jesus Christ throwing the money men out of the temple; this was an academic. He was a fucking college professor, and you’re hoping to resurrect Canton, Ohio? Yeah, good luck with that.”

We talked a little about the Knight Creative Communities Initiative project back at its inception. Florida sounds like a classic snake-oil salesman, but I note that people who participated in the project seemed to feel it was valuable in spite of his contribution/lack thereof. I’d be interested to hear what people had to say about the project–and its broader goals of community revitalization–now.

Rubber Chicken Theater heads down I-35 to stage An Evening of Gilbert and Sullivan on February 11, 12, and 13 at 7:30pm and February 14 at 2:00pm at the Encore Performing Arts Center and Gallery in Cloquet, Minnesota. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

Act One will be a Rubber Chicken Theater Special Educational Feature: “How to Recognize a Gilbert and Sullivan Opera!”, hosted by a Super Secret Celebrity Guest.

Act Two will be the hilarious comic opera “Trial by Jury”.

Starring Chris Nollet, Jill Hoffman and lots more super talented singer/performers!

Tickets and Info: (218) 213-2780, www.RubberChickenTheater.com

Local Doulas Sara Weik and Jesse Dykhuis are teaching a Winter Session Natural Parenting Workshop through Duluth Community Ed. The class will run for three Wednesdays beginning 2/27. The cost of the whole session is $25/person or per couple.

Topics will include doulas, choosing care providers, hospital vs home birth, cloth diapering options, baby wearing, and nighttime parenting.

You can register at www.duluthcommunityed.org or by calling 218-336-8708.

Email jesse@duluthdoula.com with any questions.

What do you think about this idea?

Any musicians interested in a 7PM – 9:30 PM gig on New Year’s Eve?
Contact me: click on Guy

Does anyone have a key to the armory? I figure all of us non-native Christmas refugees could set up camp there and have our own non-family celebration. I’ll bring the Charlie Brown tree. Who knows the Linus speech? I recall driving 60 miles to Mankato during the Halloween blizzard to make it to an old college roommate’s house, knowing we wanted to be in the old neighborhood for four days of snow fun. It took 3 hours. I was younger, stupider, and perhaps not now as motivated to take on the weather with my car. Home is an hour south of the TCs. A string of 43 straight appearances will be broken. Lamentations?

Forecasters are calling for some big time Christmas Eve snow so this could be a classic opportunity to snowshoe downtown, get a great meal, celebrate the original meaning of Christmas and maybe even walk away with a gift or two for the kiddies. My favorite part? After years of being part of all kinds of spiritual traditions around the world, finally at this party I see people of all shapes, stripes and shades joining together as one. That is truly a beautiful very Duluthy thing for me and I’d love to see some of my PDD pals there, too.

In any event, Merry Christmas, folks. – WildGoose

I’m looking to score on an old-school cell phone. Brick phone. Bag phone. Talking 1980s styles here. Have a friend who is fascinated with then compared to now and it would make a great talking piece/paper weight Xmas gift. Any ideas on how/where to get one?