Paul Lundgren
Ye Olde Traditional Thankfulness Post
Allow me to once again lead the PDD Thanksgiving prayer. I’ll go ahead and take friends, family and food for granted as usual.
This year I’m most thankful for dentists, particularly the one who is finally going to fix my cavity next week.
I’m also thankful for Minnesota Care and Delta Dental, which aren’t necessarily the best friends of dentists, but are a big help to me.
I’m also thankful for people who won’t turn the comments to this post into a bitter debate about health care, even though I kind of provoked them.
There. Now what are you thankful for?
(Here’s what we were thankful for in 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2003.)
Ideas for reusing a vacuum cleaner
We’ve got this old Hoover vacuum cleaner taking up space in the basement. It kind of still works, but mostly it just makes a bunch of noise and reorganizes the dirt on the floor. It was replaced with a new Hoover about two years ago.
I haven’t looked into whether the garbage man will take it or if it needs to be brought to a materials recovery center or what. In the meantime, here’s what I’m wondering:
If I were a creative or moderately handy person, what kind of reuses for this vacuum could there be? Could Tim Kaiser make a musical instrument out of it? Would the brush roll make a good dog brush? Can I donate the hose to Last Place on Earth as drug paraphernilia or maybe a sex toy?
This vacuum was built to clean up the world, so help me resist the urge to just toss it into a landfull. Or at least help me come up with a bunch of entertaining and impractical ideas for reuse before I just go ahead and throw it out anyway.
Whatever you do, don’t try to explain to me how it can be fixed. The ship already sailed on that when it was replaced. If you want it fixed, I’ll glady give it to you and you can fix it all you want.
David Guttenfelder: AP photographer with Wisconsin ties
AP Chief Asian Photographer David Guttenfelder has been covering Afghanistan since 2001. His photos are impressive to say the least.
He vacations every summer with his wife and two daughters at Three Lakes, near Eagle River, Wis. His wife is from Neenah.
Listen to Mike Simonson’s interview with Guttenfelder on KUWS.fm.
View Guttenfelder’s photos on Denverpost.com.
More harsh online criticism of the Duluth News Tribune
Just when PDD had gone a full month without a post specifically targeting the local daily newspaper, Business North coughs this up for us to share:
U2 + TCF/UofM = -beer
U2 is booked to play at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Gopher football stadium in Minneapolis on June 27. Tickets go on sale Saturday (11/21) at 10 a.m.
Interesting footnote: No alcohol will be served. The U of M does not allow it.
Win Haley Bonar tickets
The show is on Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., at Sacred Heart.
To win two tickets, answer this question: Who shot the photo above?
Zeitgeist Arts grand opening Thursday
Thursday, Nov. 12
4 p.m. | Ribbon Cutting by the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and a champagne toast. Reception follows with music by Tangier 57 until 7 p.m.
7 p.m. | Low
9 p.m. | Low, again
How Low can they go? There will be two performances by Low. Both are free, but limited space requires that patrons pick up a ticket at one of the Zeitgeist Arts venues prior to the celebration. (UPDATE: Tickets to both Low shows are sold out).
222 E. Superior St., Duluth
Home of Teatro Zuccone, Zinema 2 and Zeitgeist Arts Cafe
Leftovers
I visited my parents yesterday and my mother told me she had a gift for me. She produced a bottle of sloe gin and a bottle of grenadine, the contents of which had both been partially consumed.
The two bottles have been in my parents coat closet for many years. The theory is that they were leftover from my brother’s wedding reception in 1985.
I’m pretty sure the grenadine should go straight down the sink, although I’m kind of wondering if corn sweetner and citric acid blended with various preservatives tastes any different after two-and-a-half decades.
The sloe gin, on the other hand, needs to be consumed and enjoyed in excess. Does anyone out there have a parent with some vermouth in the closet? We should get together for cocktails.
And by the way, what’s your favorite sloe gin drink?
Duluth 2009 General Election Results
These are the final numbers.
Still no mandate on the school district’s long-range facilities plan. Half of the opponents of the plan were elected, and half were not. Jim Stauber is the comeback kid in the at-large city council race.
Duluth Second District City Councilor
Patrick Boyle – 2,543 | 78%
Rob Wagner – 668 | 21%
Duluth Fourth District City Councilor
Kerry Gauthier – 1,932 | 52%
Gordon Grant – 1,779 | 48%
Duluth At-large City Councilor
Top two candidates are elected
Dan Hartman – 9,322 | 26%
James Stauber – 9,045 | 25%
Beth Olson – 8,851 | 25%
Becky Hall – 8,256 | 23%
Question 1: Amending the city charter so the mayor can appoint a communications and policy officer and a community relations officer.
Yes – 10,797 | 59%
No – 7,431 | 41%
Question 2: Amending the city charter so city employees are not required to take a leave of absence from city employment to run for any political office, except city offices or Duluth’s board of education.
No – 9,069 | 50.07%
Yes – 9,044 | 49.93%
Duluth District One School Board
Ann Wasson – 2,925 | 54%
Marcia Stromgren – 2,513 | 46%
Duluth District Four School Board
Art Johnston – 1,972 | 53%
Laura Condon – 1,770 | 47%
Duluth At-large School Board
Top two candidates are elected
Tom Kasper – 11,757 | 32%
Mary Cameron – 8,960 | 24%
Nancy Nilsen – 8,308 | 22%
Maureen Booth – 7,975 | 21%
Yoshikas Sauna: Seventeen years of Memories in Duluth’s Friendly West End
From 1991 to 2008, Yoshikas Sauna served the West End with its famous “erotic” massages. Everyone in town knew prostitution was going on there, but somehow the long arm of the law seemed to ignore it.
It was finally shut down when the city decided not to grant a massage establishment license to owner Suzy Woo-Young in November 2008. (Woo-Young had operated Yoshikas without a license all those years, and decided to finally apply for one. Oops.)
Kevin Lund bought the building and had it torn down last Thursday.
Any Yoshikas memories for the record, PDD commenters? (You know, stories that won’t gross us all out.)
By the way, people always called the place “Yoshiko’s Sauna.” The News Tribune refers to it as “Yoshiko Sauna,” which is also how it appeared in the phone book. The sign (pictured above) said “Yoshikas Sauna,” so I spell it that way. It seems like there should be a possessive apostrophe, but I’m not sure who or what a Yoshika is.
Last call on the $100 drawing
Perfect Duluth Day’s readership survey will end at 8 p.m. Tuesday, when the election polls close.
If you haven’t already surrendered your private information in order to be eligable to win the drawing, you have until then. Click here for a chance to win $100 from PDD.
The drawing will be held Wednesday morning, and the winner will be announced in the comments of the original post, which is linked above.
Gutter Politics
I cleaned the gutters on my house today and found, among the clumps of various yard waste, a flier for a school board candidate forum and a slice of bologna slathered in mustard.
Trick or treat?
Blue Law Blues
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.
Read this brief story from Saint Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report for more info.
But the real reason to allow liquor stores to sell on Sundays is because it’s stupid not to, right?
Regarding Rod Raymond
Rod Raymond is a fitness instructor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He was investigated by UMD administrators this past summer and reprimanded for sexually harassing students. The issue became the hot topic in town last week when the Duluth News Tribune reported on it.
A post was made on this Web site last week regarding the issue, and a lot of people weighed in with comments. The person who made the post ultimately grew uncomfortable with it and decided to change the post and remove all the comments, except one.
Since then, PDD administrators have opted to not approve two other posts about the issue — one that didn’t seem to make any sense, and another that was purely mean spirited. A third post was automatically published, but was later removed because it was considered to be in poor taste.
This is a sensitive issue, but it’s also an important one. It is not the intention of PDD’s administrators to shut down all commentary about this. On the contrary, we encourage you to add your comments to this post. If you feel Mr. Raymond’s punishment was too light or that he was unfairly judged, by all means say so.
Just keep it productive, please. Don’t go all batshit loonball.
Honkers get together on Facebook
Surely this will come as no surprise, but there’s now a Facebook page for the Honking House.
How are you liking the Lakewalk extension?
I didn’t get around to checking it out until yesterday, but I must say the new Lakewalk extension to 47th Avenue East is fantastic. Call it reason #1,327 to love Duluth.
My only complaint: What’s the deal with the annoying chain-link fence that runs the entire stretch? I suppose it’s to prevent toddlers from crawling in front of a train, but can’t we sacrifice a few kids for the sake of aesthetics?
Minnesota Supreme Court: Bong water is a controlled substance
In a split decision today, the Minnesota Supreme Court said possession of 25 grams or more of bong water that tests positive for a controlled substance can be prosecuted as a first-degree drug crime. (more…)
Denfeld vs. Central: Bookends to a Rivalry
Duluth Denfeld played Duluth Central tonight in high school football for what will very likely be the last time. Denfeld won 20-6 in front of a crowd of maybe 500 at Public Schools Stadium. (more…)
You could win $100! Just feed the PDD marketing weasel by taking a privacy-invading survey.
Seriously. Perfect Duluth Day is going to give away $100 to one randomly drawn survey participant. Isn’t that awesome enough to make you want to answer a bunch of personal questions without feeling any reservations or contempt?
Good. Then click this link:
SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED.
Why have PDD’s powers-that-be ignored their natural Minnesota Lutheran shame and commenced prodding you to disclose information that is none of their business? Because that’s how the vicious gears of capitalism work, you silly goose.
We all got bills to pay, yo.
This survey will gather information that PDD’s marketing weasel can use to show other marketing weasels how this Web site is an ideal place to advertise certain products and services.
Rest assured, the intentions of this survey are entirely money-grabbing in nature, just as the rationale of participating in it should be. There are no plans to streamline content on PDD, based on survey results, in order to produce a highly targeted product that is perfectly tailored to your distinct demographic. PDD wouldn’t stoop that low. This is just about selling more of those little squares on the right of the page.
Your info won’t be shared with anyone, and you won’t be put on any spam list or further bothered in any way. It is Perfect Duluth Day’s policy to be as upfront and forthright as possible while taking advantage of you.
Thanks, and good luck.
PDD Contest: Guess how many razor blades are hidden in this apple
Be the first to guess the exact number of razor blades hidden in the apple pictured above to win two spots on the guest list for Evil Dead: The Musical. One guess per person, please. Make your guess in the comments to this post.