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March 31, 2007

Patriots will embiggen America.

Time for this week's edition of My Favorite Wiki.

Have Fun!

Hazel Update

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Hello everybody,

Wow. What a weekend so far. As most of you know, Hazel had surgery yesterday to get tubes put in her ears and have her tear ducts unblocked. What was supposed to be a simple in-and-out procedure turned into an overnight stay at the hospital.

When she had the surgery done, all was well. It turned out that her tear ducts weren't actually blocked - they just didn't curve at the bottom. (Did you know your tear ducts curve? lol...) So they added the curve to the tear ducts and all was well. Her ears were, as we knew, quite infected and a lot of purulent goo came out of her ears when they did the surgery, but the surgery went fine, tubes were in place. She had a little cough going in but the anesthesiologist listened to her chest and said she sounded great, so they went ahead with the surgery. Nobody anticipated what was going to happen next.

During the surgery, they discovered that Hazel has reflexive airway disease. Basically, it's a really fancy term stating that Hazel's trachea and esophagus are hypersensitive to anything foreign being introduced to her airway (like a breathing tube.) It caused her to have a bronchiospasm and her oxygen saturation levels went down. She had the symptoms of a partially collapsed lung - it didn't actually collapse but it had the signs of collapsing, which made the doctors a little nervous. They got her sats back up but noticed that the tubes were just covered in thick mucosy goo from her lungs and it seemed that the goo was neverending.

So what happened was they kept her in recovery for a bit longer and all was well. She came back to her room on the surgical unit and she was great. Sleep, kinda drunk-looking, a little bloody from the surgery, quite cuddly, but overall doing great. Her oxygen was great. Until she fell asleep and her oxygen levels dipped down. When she woke up and coughed, her levels went back up, but the minute she'd fall asleep down they'd go again into the 80s, which is not great for a little baby.

So after many pokes and proddings and many visits by just about everyone you can think of, the decision was made to admit Hazel to the pediatric unit overnight for observation and some nebulizer treatments to assist her with the breathing.

Hazel, throughout all of this, was dopey (from the anesthesia) and smiley and her usual happy self, giving lots and lots of love to everyone she saw, except the thermometer nurses.... lol... so after she was admitted to the peds unit, she did all right and throughout the night, her levels just kept steadily improving. She got off her IV late in the evening last night - mostly because that little monkey figured out how to disconnect herself, which caused momentary panic when I picked her up and found copious amounts of blood everywhere, but also because she was drinking enough fluids that she didn't need it any more.

Ezra and I both spent the night at the hospital - we were exhausted, having been up since 5am yesterday morning, and we did manage to get a little sleep but those hospital beds were not made for healthy people, let me tell you!

This morning, she was looked at again and since her levels were good, she was eating and drinking and playing, the decision was made to let her come home, which made her and us very very happy. :) So we are all home now and Moonbaby Hazel is sleeping like an angel.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers and good wishes!

love,
ezra, tamara and HAZEL!

the Reader Weekly's Andrew Olson doesn't like me, my bands, my friends or my friends' bands.... so i guess this means life just isn't worth living...

from this week's Reader Weakly...

(p.s. - the punctuation, spelling, grammar... all that jazz... appears below exactly as it appears in print....)

The Fartwell Tour
Hubert Cumberdale (andrew olson)
Northland Enquirer (reader weekly)

The Fartwell Tour have announced their 4th Cd release this month titled, He Who Smelt It Dealt It. The State Chumps will be opening the show and kicking off their "When Nerds Attack" three city tour. The cities include far off locations like, Proctor, Hermantown, and Cloquet.

From the Fartwell Tour, Fat Milkawitch and his negative methane enhanced drums are quite the spectacle. When he thinks negative thoughts the drums play faster and at an increased swiftness. Sometimes it is too quick for normal ears to comprehend, playing with the verosity of Tinkerbell. Of the 15 bands that Fat is in, only Trucks and SUV's and Lyrics To A Soundtrack were worse than Fartwell Tour.

Fartwell Tour has done well at selling its Heavy Metal meets Frampton sound. After paying people to attend their shows these last few years the band has hit hard times. At their previous CD release party last week for their self-advertising magazine, And The Heroin Screams, "Get Off Me" they had an eventful evening. When Fat started to let the methane drums go two people passed out.

During "The Smell", someone actually threw up. Not to say the music is bad, but it just is the worst in history. Even Enya would cover her ears during what was being played.

On cowbell Greg "Pussycat" Connor put Will Farrell to shame. Not many can wrangle the electric bell, but Greg makes it an essential to any band. He also was showing off his latest tattoo of his cat's name, and the girls were swooning. Fat also had another tattoo, but this one was of his pet gerbil, Sandy.

this dude is fucking clever.

changing mat milinkovich to fat milkawitch?

the farewell well tour and cars & trucks to the fartwell tour and trucks and suvs? wow...

and calling the state champs the state chumps?

wow. this guy's genius. he's worth all the coupons he's paid in.

March 30, 2007

Anybody else see this unmarked military chopper spraying stuff over Lake Superior near the buoy, around three weeks ago when the ice was skateable? Just wondering... WTH?

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The chopper had a trapeeze-like undercarriage (not quite visible in photos) that was the source of the spray. Someone told me they'd seen a similar chopper de-icing a plane on a runway with the same get-up. Was this chopper dumping de-icer, or fuel, basically right by the lakewalk? I remember as it was approaching, it was faced down by an orange (or yellow?) single-engine prop plane that eventually veered off. Any info welcome, leave in comments or email [email protected]. Thank you.

UPDATE: As explained in the comments, it is just water mist, the chopper and the prop plane were part of a boring de-icing operation, and bigfoot was the chopper pilot. Thank you!

YouTube O' the day

Line 25... There is no Line 25...

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So I was doing my Minnesota State taxes and filling out form M1M and I found this line stuck in there. Anyone else find this vaguely Pythonesque? Hails of derisive laughter!

this evening

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Chris Trapper and myself will be playing at Beaners Central tonight. He used to perform in a band called The Push Stars...who were slightly popular. If you've never heard me play, what better time?

8pm.

Photo above by a great graphic designer and artist, Bud Rodecker.

Check it out.

March 29, 2007

Darling's Observatory

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Have I been living under a rock or something?

I was browsing the Duluth Wikpedia Article tonight when I came across a piece of Duluth history I'd never heard of before--Darling's Observatory. J.H. Darling (some rich dude in 1917) built an observatory that housed a 9 inch private telescope as a "means of awakening an interest in this noble science [astronomy] among the people of his city and of contributing to the popular knowledge of the subject." It seems the spot that it used to stand on is now Observation Park out by Emerson. I went out to the spot tonight to look for evidence, and it was scanty. I was just curious if anyone else could shed some light on this topic or maybe just a better picture? From the one above the observatory looks quite grand. I wonder why it's still not there? It looks like it was kind of a big deal for its time........

Me + splatline (over) deckrail (into) seagull = midair collision

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I used to crew on a tall ship called the Lady Washington back when I lived in Seattle. We were primarily an education vessel, and our focus was teaching traditional sailing. In the summer, a lot of our time was spent sailing around Elliott Bay doing sunset cruises and fun things for the touristas. This was ever so delightful to me because I got to flirt with lots of women. Somehow, climbing up and into the rigging, hauling bowsprits, halyards and gathering sheets while balancing on two inch manlines 60 or so feet above the deck was somehow quite alluring to beautiful young ladies.

At the end of a sail, we would have to pull alongside the dock where we moored and send someone out on a splatline, which was a rope which hung from the fore course yard on the starboard side of the boat, swinging over the deckrail and down onto the pier(dock) to catch the mooring lines and run them around the cleats to tie the vessel up.

I was manning the line on one afternoon, returning from a trip around the bay, and as we neared the dock, I swung out over the deckrail and out over the side of the boat. Anyone who's ever been to Seattle knows that seagulls there are quite plentiful, and inhabit pretty much ever level surface in the city, and poop. All. Over. Everything. (but I digress) Just as I was about at the apex of my swing out, I startled a seagull which had been sitting on the dock. He flew upward and right at me. I was just about to let go the splatline and drop to the deck when the seagull and I met...in midair. Caught me dead in the middle of the chest, and fell to the dock, ran a little then flew away in a flurry of feathers and squawking. I let go of the rope, landed on the dock, stumbled a bit, lost my balance and then rolled over once, jumped up as if nothing had happened, and caught the incoming mooring line just in time to drop it over the deck cleat and tie the boat up.

Ray the Wolf at Beaner's Saturday night 10pm UPDATED

Ray the Wolf (late of Crew Jones) and his new Co-op Crew are playing a not-advertised-in-the-Transistor show at Beaner's Saturday night 10pm. That makes it even more underground than the aborted show at Dick's that got SDBTC*. Ray & Co. are going to have pent-up frustrations from that so this should be a wall-banger. Also check his style out at Ray's myspace page www.myspace.com/raythewolf.

*Shut Down By The Cops.

UPDATE: This show rocked. Ray was in full effect and he has a great band, to wit: straight outta Evelyth Jason Kokes on bass, Cool Brad who is a monster on drums, El Lobo who was crazy!!! and Nate on backup vox or whatever they call it in the rap world. Can't wait to see you guys at Homegrown.

Thoughts...

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Tomorrow Hazel is having some surgery done. While it's not serious surgery, she does have to be put to sleep for it to take place, which is kind of scary. She's facing it with her usual smiles, however. Mommy and Daddy are more worried than she is! So please keep her in your thoughts...

Duluth Superior GLBTAQI Fundraiser

Spaghetti Dinner

The Details

Cost: $10.00 donation per person

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2007

Time: From 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM

Location:

JT’s Bar & Grill
1506 N. 3rd Street
Superior, WI 54880
Sponsored by JT's Bar and Grill
Good people. Good food.
Great cause!

Join others at JT’s Bar & Grill for the first Pride Fundraiser of 2007. For over 10 years Pride Spaghetti has been a “tasteful“ way for community members like you to help build a stronger GLBT presence in the Northland.

JT’s Bar & Grill
1506 N. 3rd Street
Superior, WI 54880
(715) 394-2580


March 28, 2007

Community Foundation Introduces Plan to Attract and Retain Young Adults in Duluth and Superior That Will Be K-Rad or Cool or Hip or Whatever You God Damn Kids Call It Now in "Solutions," Presented by the Attracting & Retaining Young People Initiative

Duluth, Minnesota – A new plan to attract and retain Young Adults in the Duluth Superior Area will be unveiled Thursday by the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.

The recommendations will be unveiled – along with two original skits at the Renegade Comedy Theatre (222 East Superior Street in Duluth) Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.

The solutions proposed by the Task Force Include:

Give Young Adults the chance to lead. The Community Foundation will create a Young Leaders Advisory Committee and Fund that will allow young adults themselves to make decisions about projects to fund while giving them practical leadership experience and allowing them to decide for themselves what’s important to their generation.

Creation of a “One-Stop Shop” website for information on living and working in the Twin Ports region geared toward the 18-35 year old age group. The task force found that the difficulty in finding information was consistently cited by young adults as one of their frustrations.

Raise Awareness of Career and Economic Opportunities. While the Task Force acknowledges that there are sometimes few jobs in specific job categories, the tide of economic opportunities is beginning to change. As the Baby Boomers retire, an estimated 75,000 job openings will open up in the region. The biggest job issue is going to be matching people with the right jobs and encouraging young adults to get the right training in job categories that will be open in the area. In addition, the Task Force believes that all of the existing workforce and job development programs should be supported.

Increase Connections between College and University Students and the Community. The community needs to find ways to develop stronger ties between the college students already in our community and others. Internships, mentoring, job shadowing and networking should all be encouraged. Universities, colleges, technical schools, and K-12 institutions should be encouraged to take the young adult issue seriously. Civic Engagement and Service Learning opportunities for college and university students should be increased. And there should be better collaboration and coordination. Many of these projects are already underway in both Superior and Duluth with programs ranging from the Duluth Chamber’s College Connection program to Leadership Superior/Douglas County Superior Connections program, to the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Office of Civic Engagement.

We love living here, so let’s celebrate this. The task force feels that a positive vibes campaign would help create a positive presence in the area. The region has many great assets, which are often overlooked.

Support of Community Initiatives and Projects. A public relations and marketing effort by the Community Foundation to invest in projects that foster Duluth/Superior being a more vibrant place for young adults aged 25-34 to live and work. The Community Foundation will emphasize that we want people of all abilities and ages to know that they can come to us as a resource and supporting organization.

Building on a variety of research projects, a Community Foundation Task Force worked for a year to develop a series of recommendations that would help transform the climate for young adults in the Twin Ports.

The recommendations are short-term, long-term, and ongoing and will engage individual and/or organizational partners to make them a reality.

“The time for action and solutions is here,” said Holly C. Sampson, President of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. “We have a series of concrete steps that our region can and will take to reverse the decline in the number of young adults in this region.”


“A community that embraces the energy and vitality of its young adults makes a connection that will resonate with a person through their life,” said Lisa Heyesen, Director of Business Retention at the Area Partnership for Economic Expansion and a member of the Task Force.

The Community Foundation convened a 12-member task force representative of people working on the young adult issue from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives.

The Task Force was created after the Community Foundation conducted extensive research of its own as well as reviewing research of others related to Young Adults in the Duluth Superior region. The Community Foundation’s study found that while jobs, or the perception of a lack of jobs, were the reason that many thought young adults had trouble staying in the region, a variety of other issues, ranging from a sense of a lack of connection to the community, to feelings that social and cultural offerings were limited were also substantial. For more information on the Community Foundation’s Key Informant survey, go to: http://www.dsacommunityfoundation.com/initiatives/docs/ARYPI_survey.pdf.

The interest in Young Adults grew out of the larger goal of the Community Foundation to make investments in areas that will address critical needs of the region. Earlier research had shown that a social capital gap existed between young adults in the region and the rest of the population. And, that the 25-34-year-old age group is well below where it should be based on historical trends for the region and when compared to other communities of similar size.

A recent report from the Community Foundation found that young adults in the Duluth/Superior Area are heavily involved in community work – they vote and volunteer at high levels – yet they still feel disconnected from the rest of the community. For additional information on social capital and young adults, go to: http://www.dsacommunityfoundation.com/initiatives/social_capital_survey.html

The Community Initiatives work of the Community Foundation involves a variety of projects, of which the Young Adult Initiative is just one. Other initiatives include studying and developing practical solutions to the region’s social capital strengths and challenges; developing ways to make economic development less contentious; continuing to build on the nationally recognized Speak Your Peace: The Civility Project; and, serving as the Host Organization for the year-long Knight Creative Communities Initiative that will focus around what Richard Florida calls the four T’s of a healthy and vibrant community: Technology, Tolerance, Territory, and Talent.

Below you will find details on Thursday’s event:

The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation Proudly Presents…

“SOLUTIONS”

Starring
The Attracting & Retaining Young People Initiative
Task Force

John Bennett
Jen Bertsch
Jenny Carey
Craig Chilcote
Drew Digby
Lisa Heyesen
Jen Medak
Don Ness
Fariba Pendleton
Jill Rogers
Jennifer Smith
Laura Whittaker

What: The Task Force Reveals Their Recommendations in Skit & Word
Date: Thursday, March 29, 2007
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Location: Renegade Comedy Theatre - 222 E. Superior St. in Duluth

The US Arms Trade: Promoting Freedom or Fueling Conflict?

Lecture Presented by UMD’s Royal D. Alworth, Jr. Institute for International Studies
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
7:30 p.m. in the Library Fourth Floor Rotunda

Frida Berrigan
, a renowned world policy researcher, will speak this evening on the topic of “The US Arms Trade: Promoting Freedom or Fueling Conflict?”.

Perhaps no single policy is more at odds with President Bush’s pledge to “end tyranny in our world” than the United States’ role as the world’s leading arms exporting nation. Although arms sales are often justified on the basis of their purported benefits, from securing access to overseas military facilities to rewarding coalition allies in conflicts such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, these alleged benefits often come at a high price. Berrigan, co-author of the well-received "U.S. Weapons at War 2005: Promoting Freedom or Fueling Conflict? U.S. Military Aid and Arms Transfers Since September 11," will provide an updated look at this under-reported and under-analyzed topic.

There's an article about the lecture in today's DNT but I can't seem to link. See below for more info:

About Frida Berrigan:

Berrigan is a Senior Research Associate with the Arms Trade Resource Center of the World Policy Institute in New York. A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Frida worked with a Central America solidarity organization for two years before coming to the World Policy Institute. Maintaining an interest in U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America, she also focuses on nuclear weapons policy, weapons sales to areas of conflict particularly in SE Asia, and military training programs. Most recently she has published articles in the Providence Journal, the Nonviolent Activist and the Hartford Courant.

About the Alworth Institute:

The Royal D. Alworth, Jr. Institute for International Studies (The Alworth Institute) was established in 1987 by the Alworth family to commemorate the life and interests of Royal D. Alworth, Jr. In line with those interests, the Alworth Institute aims to engage students, staff and the wider public in open discussion, for educational, social and democratic purposes, of a wide range of international issues and of their domestic implications. The Alworth Institute’s programs include the annual Royal D. Alworth, Jr. Memorial Lecture, the ongoing International Lecture Series and the weekly International Brown Bag Series.

www.alworth.org

March 27, 2007

Come on Dad Give Me the Car Tonight.

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Alan Sparhawk tells a story about his first car crash here. I have had my share of car crashes but my first accident was under similar circumstances. I was driving to school without permission on a snowy, slippery day. Of course I lost control and ended up in the ditch. No damage done but it still sucked.

What about you? Ever steal the family car?

March 26, 2007

Bailey the puppy asks "would you please help me?"

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PDD villagers ...
Many folks here who blog and read on PDD are involved in very important community organizations. It's the involvement of fellow Duluthians that make this town such a wonderful place to live. I want to take a moment to post about an organization I volunteer with that is little known in the northland Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota. As of last night RAGOM and Animal Ark took on the heroic and daunting task of rescuing 83 golden retrievers from a puppy mill in North Dakota that the USDA has shut down. It was covered on all local news casts ... the one on KSTP particularly tear jerking.

If you are interested in helping RAGOM with this effort, please click here for more information. Also, here is an address to send donations. They need food, toys, volunteers, foster homes, cash and of course forever homes for each golden!
I have rescued two since I became involved and they have been a joy in my heart!
RAGOM
Attention: Puppy Mill Rescue Fund
P.O. Box 5567
Hopkins, MN 55343-0492

ALL ANIMALS NEED LOVE AND ATTENTION :

This is just one example of a need to help an organization who's been helping animals for over 25 years. If we could be a voice for all animals in need that would be wonderful. I could put up a picture of the Goldens that were treated so inhumanely you would cry, but that's just not as grand as seeing the longing eyes of Bailey the puppy.

Charlie, one of my golden's I rescued from RAGOM, was surrendered because he had such bad allergies he was constantly bleeding and had lost a lot of his hair on his chest on stomach. Don't tell him this but he wasn't very cutesy. Turns out he was allergic to the food they were feeding him. Within 8 weeks of having Charlie, his hair grew back and he is a handsome boy. My other golden suffered from a common problem with animals breed poorly. She had an invasive cancer called oral fibrosarcoma. A tumor grew on her nose forcing teeth to fall out and blood clots to randomly fall out as well. Before she passed the tumor was as large as a grapefruit causeing people to stop point and stare. Not all animals are cutesy but we love them just the same.

That's just my story. RAGOM has brought joy in to many people's lives .. and has helped many animals in the process rehoming more than 300 abandoned, stray or surrendered goldens a year.

The greatness of a nation and its progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. -Gandhi

From NYC to Arizona...this Tuesday

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Actually, it's Arizona from NYC...and it's a band, not a trip (though some might call them a trip). They're from Brooklyn, NY and they've never been to AZ, but they'll be in MN tomorrow night in UMD's Rafters. Only $5 for the public and free to UMD students. Opening are locals The Brushstrokes. It should add up to one plump basket of sweet, melodic goodness poured over tender chunks of rawk-and-roll. 10pm Tuesday

http://www.arizonatheband.com
http://www.myspace.com/thebrushstrokes

Fun with scanning

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The sign (In the U.P.) says Prison Area Do Not Pick Up HItchhikers

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March 24, 2007

has anyone else seen this?

The candyman can cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good

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Join your fellow PDDers for a fun night of games! Last week's game night included clay, a mangrove root and pee-inducing laughter. Who knows what the next game night will bring! So...


When: Monday, March 26, 2007 at 6pm-ish (please note the ish!)
Where: Robin Goodfellow's
What: PDD Game Night


Generally, food is ordered, however, this week's special food is: potluck! Bring a dish to share and pass! Utensils and other such sundry items shall be provided.

Come and have fun with your fellow game-playing PDDers!

Just a note: I'm bringing homemade cherry cheesecake. :)

Anyone still having trouble with comments

Mine just seem to disappear, I get the "Thank you for you comment" screen but the comment itself never shows up in tread. (and I am filling in the "PDD" box.

Now Showing...

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Duluth's Newest Blog is now functional. Sort of.

Now Showing

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Duluth's newest blog is sort of functional: www.shiningreputation.com

Duluth Basement Parties

DLTHbasementParty.JPGThis is how I grew up. When the talk about the "duluth music scene" starts flaring up, I think back to good ol' january, febuary basement parties I used to go to. Iron Youth, Zen ID, YRU...The Device in the basement of 15th and 2nd...Tonight, I just walked away from 2ndE and Sup. as three squads pulled up. There was a band in the basement and I felt in my heart that the torch is still burning..and it was good.

March 23, 2007

Carmody Show

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

imitation - the lazy form of flattery

I like to check in with the Twin City folks from time to time over there at mnspeak. Sometimes I could whittle away the hours reading comments and feeding fuel to the fire myself. Love it or hate it .. it's fun to be a blog voyeur!
Anyhooo
They have a fun post this afternoon about what is overrated or underrated about the Twin Cities .. I think we should start a post like that today about Duluth. So go ...
overrated = the cold
underrated = PDD!

You should hear how she talks about you

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This entry simultaneously cracks me up and makes me cringe. It totally conjures up images of driving around town with my mom while she was doing errands, listening to Melissa Manchester on 610 AM KDAL, in our 1974 AMC Hornet station wagon with wood paneling on the sides.

March 22, 2007

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Cool.

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I have been designing my very first web page recently and in an effort to raise our page ranking in Google I am promoting it here. It is a very simple page with a small store selling all things "Cool City." If you aren't local and want your very own piece of Duluth you can now order online. If you are local we are having our annual 50% off sale. Don't delay it won't last long.

It took a decade of practice

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Left: The 1997 Paul Lundgren wishes he could render his literary works aloud at a coffeeshop in West Duluth.

Right: The 2007 Paul Lundgren wonders if anyone will show up now that he has his gig.

Paul Lundgren with Jerree Small & the Junk Drawers
and the Lake Superior Cacophonic Choir

Thursday, March 22 | Beaner's Central | 8 p.m.

March 21, 2007

Lock Up Your Cars!

At around 1:00-1:30am on Tuesday night (Wed. morning), I stepped out on the deck and noticed three guys walking down the street, trying the doors of every car on the block. This happened about two blocks from the place where Ezra & Tamara's car was broken into last week.

I yelled at the guys and they ran. The police were called. When the cops came, they circled the area with what looked like two squads, but I doubt they caught the little douchebags, who were probably long gone.

So if you live in the East Hillside, don't forget to lock your car. Also, you might just want to step out and look around if you're awake at night. Neighborhood watch and all that.

The Very People



www.theverypeople.com

Friday, March 23 - Carmody's Pub

Saturday, March 24 - The Tap Room
with The New Congress

Spam!

Because you asked for it.

March 20, 2007

40 for 40

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On my 40th birthday last month I started a 40 day project on my blog. Every day I put up a quote of some signficance to me. Some are well know, some idiosyncratic. Well, that project is over as of today and I thought I'd post a graphical index to all the quotes. Enjoy!

Commenting Fiasco

I'm sure that many of you have noticed that the TypeKey commenting system is currently down. To be honest, I have no idea what is wrong with it. I've contacted the people at TypeKey, and they insist that the problem is not on their end. However, both PDD and my personal blog are experiencing the same problem, even though they are separate installations.

We'll try to figure out what is wrong. In the meantime, I've opened the commenting to everyone -- not just TypeKey members -- to allow free access to commenting.

What this means to you is that for the time being, you won't have to log in to comment. You will, however, notice spam in the comments from time to time.

Sorry about the inconvenience.

If you still see a "sign in" requirement, do a SHIFT + REFRESH and that should clear up the problem.

UPDATE: There is now a simple word-verification test in the comment form. From now on, no one will be asked to log in, but instead will have to type "PDD" into the comment form to prove that they're a human being, and not a spambot. This should work. TypeKey no more!

March 19, 2007

Hundreds March Against War in Duluth

Over 250 people marched through downtown Duluth, Minnesota on Sunday.
Protesters called on Congress to stop funding the war in Iraq and
bring the troops home now.

People attending the protest came from all age groups and all walks of
life. Chants of “Support the troops, bring them home!” and “What do we
want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!” rang out on Superior Street, as
spirited marchers made their way from the Minnesota Power Plaza to the
Civic Center. Protesters rallied there and were addressed by several
fiery speakers. The rally was MC’d by Carl Sack of the Northland
Anti-War Coalition.

The first speaker, Iraqi-American Dr. Sabah Alwan, graphically
outlined the damage that has been done to Iraq, “a beautiful country,”
he said. He drove home how much the U.S. occupation of Iraq has
contributed to recruitment of anti-American fighters throughout the
Islamic world.

City Councilor Russ Stewart next spoke about the anti-war resolution
recently passed by a 6-2 vote in Duluth City Council. He attributed
the victory for anti-war activists to grassroots efforts and their
willingness to work with elected officials such as himself. He noted
the commitment people have to ending the war, and surveyed the crowd
to show that many participants had also protested against the invasion
four years ago.

Local artist Dave Hopkins gave the rally flavor and kept participants
upbeat by leading the crowd in some musical chanting.

The next speaker was Melissa Helman, a junior at Northland College who
was arrested for trespassing onto Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia
during a protest against the U.S. Army School of the Americas. She
spoke about the connections between the war and U.S. foreign policy,
which has affected Latin America as well. She told those gathered to
work for social justice and against U.S. interference in other
countries throughout the world.

Local peace and social justice activist Michelle Naar-Obed addressed
the crowd with information about the current spending bill going
through Congress. She told protesters that the current supplemental
budget bill, sponsored by Rep. Dave Obey, should be voted down because
stopping the war requires that no more money be allocated for it. The
Lee Amendment, which would require the money to only be used to bring
the troops home, had a very slim chance of passing if the bill passed,
she said. She noted that Rep. Jim Oberstar, who represents Duluth, has
not given a definite answer which way he will vote, but told her by
phone that he is “against funding the war.”

The final speaker was Mike Rogge, a member of Socialist Action. He
gave a rousing speech calling for an end to U.S. imperialism.

The rally ended with the traditional “We’ll Be Back!” clap chant.
Indeed, participants seemed to leave the rally in the mood to act.

The event was widely covered by the local media. TV Channel 10,
Channel 6 and Channel 3 all covered the rally prominently in their
Sunday evening news programs. The Duluth News Tribune ran a prominent
article in the March 19 edition of their paper. There were also
reporters at the rally from the Labor World, Socialist Action and the
Hillsider newspapers.

No counter-protesters were sighted.

The march and rally was sponsored by the Northland Anti-War Coalition
and endorsed by Progressive Action, Duluth Area Green Party, Socialist
Action, Veterans for Peace, Grandmothers for Peace, UMD Students for
Peace, UWS Students Against War, Grandmothers for Peace, Peace North
and Northland College NAWC. Information about upcoming anti-war and
progressive events in the region can be found at
www.northlandantiwar.blogspot.com.

opportunity awaits

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

March 18, 2007

John Holden in duluth...

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March 17, 2007

I'll throw this in comments when TK is up again

Re: Blogs You may be interested in this. It's not a blog, but a long list of interesting Web things, including some blogs.

Disclaimer, it's hosted, at least for now, on my site. However I didn't compile most of it. When the original "Fluffy Stuff" site seemed to go black permanently I grabbed the HTML from a cached copy and put it up with credit to the original compiler.

It's where I found most of the places I check regularly.

In Response to "In Search of Blogs"

The totally crap Movable Type system is FUBARing out on me, so here's my reply to the previous "In Search of Blogs" post.

I've got over 70 sites in my Bloglines. You can check them out here. I don't think you'd call them all "blogs," but close enough. I'd pick a few to recommend, but that would ruin the whole point now, wouldn't it?

Any other Bloglines people out there that want to share?

In Search of Blogs

I used to have quite a long list of blogs that I would read every day. But you know what? So many of those bloggers have either started slacking or given up entirely. So what I'm wondering is: What blogs do you read?

Mostly, I read Dooce and Blurbomat, Que Sera Sera, Massdistraction, Fimoculous, and Cheek. I also watch Detrimentalevison, which is awesome.

This is a nice chunk of reading, but I feel the need for new blood. It's hard to find unfamiliar blogs.

Any suggestions? Who do you read, and (this is important) why?

March 16, 2007

March 18 Anti-War Protest

Emerson St Patty's Day Party

This Saturday is the Annual St Patrick's Day party and Fundraiser at the Emerson Tenant's Coop. Everyone is welcome. The schedule at this point looks like:

LOWER LEVEL
DJ's Featuring The Supreme Rockers

GYM
8:30 Retribution Gospel Choir
9:30 Vincent Cadillac Band
10:30 The Brushstrokes
11:30 Taconite w/Jamie Ness
11:45 Elf Lettuce (from Madison, WI)
12:45 Crew Jones

10 bucks gets you good beer all night, food, and entertainment. Check out our decorated coop living space.

Slow Food

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live music tonight

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leprechaun freak!

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March 14, 2007

Systematic - Washington Studios - 03/31/07

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stay posted to http://www.wrekt.net for updates, info, set times etc.

This will be all day fun..... come check it out!

CALLING ALL DULUTH AREA ARTISTS WITH DISABILITIES!

(pass along post)

"King Gimp" artist Dan Keplinger www.kinggimp.com


People with disabilities (physical, sensory, cognitive or emotional)
who are interested in pursuing careers in the arts and networking with
other artists are invited to a gathering on THURSDAY, MARCH 22 from
4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the ACCESS NORTH CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING,
118 EAST SUPERIOR ST, DULUTH.

We will be meeting to share our experiences in the arts, and to
establish a schedule for ongoing discussions, presentations, and
networking. The gathering is free and refreshments will be served.
Supporting organizations include: Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, VSA
Arts of Minnesota, and Minnesota State Arts Board.

For more information, contact:
Bridget Riversmith (riversmith - at - gmail -dot- com) 218-391-7661
Bob DeArmond 218-751-5447 or 800-751-2777

Denfeld Auditorium Grand Reopening

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The Denfeld Auditorium has been fully restored the grand reopening concert is Saturday night, March 17, at 7:30 p.m.

hmmm...

"New Mexico makes the bolo the official state tie"

"Bush seeks better ties in Latin America"


both from yahoo news this morning...


kinda makes ya think, no? or not?

Happy π Day!

March 13, 2007

Beware the Dark Side

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So the good news is that they didn't break a window to get into our new-to-us 1987 Volvo wagon, which we haven't even owned for two days yet. The bad news is that they stole the faceplate off the radio and our digital camera, which I had forgotten to take out after our excursion to Split Rock Lighthouse to test the new-to-us car out.
I could give a crap about the radio but I want the f-in' camera back, a-holes!

Minneapolis Studio Apartment

This may be a stretch-But hey, I moved to Minneapolis from Duluth. I've got a studio apartment in Uptown in Minneapolis by the Wedge available May 1st. Rent is 535-560 a month, I think it just got raised, but I'm not sure. It's spacious, wooden, high ceilinged, gorgeous, quiet, and in a convenient location. If this interests you please reply or let me know.

Greg

i vil break yoo

Didn't his encounter with Drago teach him anything?
Sly slips the steroids

We ALL knew it...

Screenshot-1.jpgYep, I first heard about it from Donn Hansen...jets from the airbase scrambled, dog fight with UFO over the lake right off the point...the paper for that day missing from the library micro-fische, the "Kinross" incident, the "atomic hand gernade" "barrels"..recent discovery of a "shipwreck" that no-one knew about...My direct observations of grey helicopters hovering over this part of the lake escorted by coast guard boats...and now this..recent updates of google earth maps imagery for this area show an obvious doctoring....Gonzo scientists please help us...

March 12, 2007

lighthouse window

What a Pissing Match!


The Bayfront Blues Festival is leaving Duluth.

According to news release, for financial and business reasons, the festival “has accepted an offer to conduct the Blues Festival at a location minutes from downtown Duluth but outside of the Duluth city limits. Bayfront Blues Festival is excited and grateful to continue its event of 18 years at a new location.”

Blues Festival spokesman and attorney Michael W. Lien said he understands that the new location will be announced in the next few days.

The announcement comes as Duluth administrators and Bayfront Blues Festival President Chris Mackey wrangle over potential fees and taxes owed to the city. City Attorney Bryan Brown said he will take Mackey to court if he doesn’t provide financial documents for an exhaustive audit of the festival.

Mackey and new Bayfront Festival Park director Craig Samborski have also been unable to agree on the terms for this year’s festival.

Lien’s news release said Samborski and the city are asking for more than $60,000 in fees — up from $22,000 in 2006.

“Bayfront Blues Festival, Inc., does not feel it has sufficient time to complete negotiations with Secret Service Entertain-ment, LLC, for the use of Bayfront Park for the 2007 Festival,” the release said.

However, the release said the decision to move the Blues Festival is a financial decision and “is not related to the Duluth City Council’s continuing negotiations with Secret Service Entertainment, LLC, pertaining to the management of Bayfront Festival Park.”

Fun with Wax and Thunder

Photos by Xpu100

The Kissers>Pizza Luce>Wednesday 10pm

kissers
Celtic/punk/Irish-Americana rockers The Kissers are coming to Duluth. They put on a very high energy live show. All that is needed is a lively audience- that's you! The premiere event of the St. Patty's season. Don't miss!


http://www.thekissers.com/

Tangier 57 has Jetpacks

And we're not afraid to use them. We'll be riding them to the show this Thursday at the Redstar. Of course, we've had the single-user Jetpack technology for quite some time now, but only recently have we developed suffucient propulsion to transport the Organ-Bar via Jetpack. We may be unveiling some other new technologies this week as well.


Organ-March.jpg

March 11, 2007

I still don't have a jetpack...

...but, by golly, I have a robot.

bored games

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when: monday, march 12 at 6pm-ish
where: robin goodfellow's
what: fun games for everybody. food will be ordered. fun will be had. be there or be bored.

Sunday afternoon




March 10, 2007

The Inevitable Austin

The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon.jpg WizardOfOz.jpg phyllis.gif DeniseAustin.jpg

You have probably heard that the Pink Floyd album "Dark Side of the Moon" seems to synch up perfectly with "The Wizard of Oz." What you probably don't know is that the same is true of the Both album "The Inevitable Phyllis" and Denise Austin's "Beauty Workout."

Dude, it's a rush.

Save Internet Radio

http://www.savenetradio.org/
Corporate interests are hard at working making sure you don't have a choice because they make more money when you have no choices.

I'm not sure about you but I LOVE internet radio. It is a fantastic way to find new artists and who really wants to listen to the radio that is provided for us locally.. Sure there are some good stations and I do listen to them but it is usually the same songs over and over and commercials that I cant stand. I am asking that you take 2 minuets to go to this web page and support internet radio rights. savenetradio.org/ Our rights are being taken away and we need to stop big business Clear Channel from telling us what we should hear. We are in danger of loosing internet radio all together and we must act now! Please visit savenetradio.org/ and following the links to write your congress man or woman. It is easy and they even have it all written out for you. Here is a link to find and write your congress man or woman www.house.gov/writerep/

copy and paste this into a letter to your congress man or woman today...
I do not support The Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) March 2nd decision to substantially increase royalty rates. Not only will it impact my choices, but the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) manipulation of these rates, and the CRB's indifference will hurt working artists, damage small record labels and force law abiding small webcasters, already paying a large portion of their revenue per month in royalties, out of business. This decision will also damage hundreds of small businesses providing goods and services to working artists, small record labels and small webcasters.

I respectfully ask that you evaluate the CRB decision and do whatever is necessary to establish a reasonable royalty rate for all the parties involved.

March 09, 2007

Bust out the knitting needles...

http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/PATTbmp.html


Sweet...

equality ride bus vandalized

equality bus.jpg
go here and scroll down to march 8th for full story.

March 08, 2007

Benefit Concert March 10

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There will be a kick ass benefit concert Saturday at the Myth in Maplewood for Wain McFarlane, former front man for the pioneering reggae band Ipso Facto.Wain is in need of a kidney transplant and treatment and like most of us musicians has no insurance. Show is at 7pm and costs $20. Acts include Cyndy Lauper (!), Lifehouse and Soul Asylum. Details are at http://www.wainsconcert.com/concert.html. Help out a great musician and an old friend and see a great show to boot.

What all the fashionable geeks are wearing this year...

darth_duro.jpgCharlotte showed me this Darth Vader print Duro and it had to be shared.


darth_duro2.jpg

Time for a trim...

Last haircut I had was...christ...four or five years ago...it's tangly, it knots up frequently and quite frankly, I'm getting kinda tired of having so much of it.

Hence, I'm about due.

I'm not fuddy duddy about my locks...just a straightline cut right up to the shoulders...chopping off about eight inches of my mane.

Problem is...I'm not up to spending 20 bucks just to have someone whack at my hair, when there's not a lot that can be done...I don't style...I don't fuss...thus, I don't require an expensive treatment...

Anyone have an Idea as to...who or where I can get a decent trim...?

Japanator

Hey all. The previous entry reminded me of something some of you might be interested in. I've recently become a writer for Japanator.com, a site dedicated to covering anime, manga, and all other facets of Japanese entertainment and culture (like that video on the previous post.) Check it out if you're into that sort of thing. I've posted a mega-ton of links to my stories after the jump.


Cosplay: The Good, The Bad, The Oh God My Eyes! My first post, and probably the grossest. Nothing like a little green-spandex-nut-pouch to get started off on the right foot.

Thanko USB Powered Shame Disguiser This is a case of me thinking I had a good joke going. Not sure it was.

My What Big Teeth You Have, Haruhi The company releasing The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in the States is trying to get the fan-sub sub-culture to make damn sure they buy the legal DVD release by releasing fan-style sites and videos.

Is Famitsu, Is Not Famitsu Just a story about a story about Japanese gaming magazines that are NOT Famitsu.

I Just Slymed In My Mouth A Little Rip Slyme released a music video that was a four minute long Sony Vaio commercial. GET IT? Oh wait, it's not a joke...

Everything Is Someone This is an original story I put together about various kinds of Japanese mascots, both official and fan made. I still think OS-tans are pretty coo-coo bananas.

Wonder Festival 2007 A report on the, wait for it, 2007 Wonder Festival! Think little plastic boobies.

The Adventures of the ASOS Brigade: Episode 005 See "My What Big Teeth You Have, Haruhi."

Satoshi Kon's "Paprika" Wins Award What is says, with my snide comments.

American Anime Awards Award Japanese Anime. Wait. What? The AAA were a total joke. This was a big hit on Digg. We'll probably never hear from ADV again.

Otaku vs Bullies Final Fantasy Style This is a great fan-vid, now with a translation in the comments!

Gorgeous Tiny Chicken Machine Show Just watch it and see.

Otaku USA Magazine On Its Way Could be great. Could be a huge joke.

Pantsu. Pantsu! Pantsuuu! Panty thievery is alive and well.

Scooby ala Manga Some very cool fan art featuring Scooby and the gang in black and white manga style. This one is finally cooling down on digg after getting us a bajillion hits.

Giant Gundam Lantern Squats Over Taiwan Gundam + just about anything = awesome.

New York Times Enters "Comfort Women" Controversy This is actually a very serious story that's way too complicated to go into here. This could just blow over, or it could become very ugly for both America and Japan. Please read it.

Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro Ge Ge Gets All Live Action Self explanitory.

New Death Note OP Not So Light The new OP is CRAZY.

Tofu Records Closing Its Doors Sad, but probably true.

Sushi to go...

Once again justifying the inclusion of this category on this blog. Does it seem odd to you that it isn't lip-synched even when it's in Japanese?

March 06, 2007

Turtles, Gallows, and Antmen oh my!



Special thanks to my old roomie for make this wonderful poster for me.

Hope to see all you turtles fans there...

For your amusement...It's the Pain Ray!

Allegedly being tested in Iraq.

March 05, 2007

Squeaky wheel gets the grease...

John Rathe's "Apology"

Junk Drawers farewell concert is coming your way

JunkDrawersPic.JPG

Thursday, March 22, 2007 | 8 p.m. | Beaner’s Central

Jerree Small and Paul Lundgren’s ground-solidifying band, the Junk Drawers, is calling it quits. After two years on the road, performing almost a dozen times at exotic locations as far away as Two Harbors, the rock and roll lifestyle has finally got the best of them.

“It’s been a very rewarding experience overall, but I’m pretty disappointed that we never got a good band photo taken,” Lundgren said. “Oh, well.”

Lundgren and Small plan to perform all five of their songs at the farewell show. There will also be solo performances, as well as a song from the Lake Superior Cacophonic Choir.

Sorry it's late...

Settlers_of_canaan_box.jpg

Hey folks,
If you're free from the snow, come to Robin Goodfellow's tonight for some gameplaying action with your fellow PDD snowbirds! Food is generally ordered. Show up around 6pm-ish for some gameplaying fun! See you there!

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March 04, 2007

the very people

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

the very people

Friday - March, 23 2007

theverypeople.com

www.myspace.com/theverypeople

at Carmody's Irish Pub
308 East Superior Street
(218) 740-4747
Duluth, Minnesota

www.myspace.com/IrishPirateCarmody

March 03, 2007

Total Eclipse

lunar eclipse.JPG

Any suggestions about where to watch this evenings lunar eclipse?
I believe that it is supposed to occur around dusk.

A little help from our Alien Friends...

A former Canadian defense minister seems to think that "alien" technology recovered from UFO crashes might be able to help us fight global warming.
I would like to see what (alien) technology there might be that could eliminate the burning of fossil fuels within a generation ... that could be a way to save our planet," Paul Hellyer, 83, told the Ottawa Citizen.

Umm...yeah.

I think I'd be only slightly more worried if this had been coming from Al Gore instead of an octogenarian. When Gore starts rattling on about using "alien technology" to fight the Global War on Warming...we're pretty much toast. Literally.

March 02, 2007

Park Point

These photos don't do justice to the real thing...

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“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”

snowhouse.jpg

Winter is icummen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm,
Raineth drop and staineth slop
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.

Skiddeth bus and sloppeth us,
An ague hath my ham.
Freezeth river, turneth liver
Damn you, sing: Goddamm.

Goddamm, Goddamm, tis why I am,
Goddamm.
So 'gainst the winter's balm

Sing Goddamm, damm, sing Goddamm
Sing Goddamm, sing Goddamm,
DAMM.

-Ezra Pound "Ancient Music"

Cold drinks, anyone?

WildWest.JPG

i saw your footprints

storm.jpg

Sure, but have you gone out to play in it?

Old Central

March 01, 2007

In Soviet Russia, House Brew You!

I remember years & years ago sitting at the Brewhouse with one of my friends when out of no where he just goes "Everyone here loves the Brewhouse. That is so Soviet." Then we took in the coaster as a whole. That saying, slapped on top of a huge red star. So we got to saying how the Brewhouse was our favorite (Soviet|Communist|Socialist) place to eat.

Then we catch wind that they are opening up a night club. This night club ends up being named "The Red Star". Ok, Now we have what we called the most (Soviet|Communist|Socialist) dance club in Duluth. And our suspicions are confirmed, just a wee bit more.

Then we hear they expanding into burritos. The day I first heard this rumor, I couldn't wait to see how it would play into the (Soviet|Communist|Socialist) theory. Months go by, and finally we catch the name in a paper. "Burrito Union." Perfect. It was all falling right into place.

Then, today for the first time I spied their logo.

I love when I confirm that I'm not completely batshit. I want one now dammit.

the last snowstorm of the year

I took this video about 3:30 this afternoon out the front window in Hazel's bedroom. Music is, obviously, by Low. Enjoy.


hola!

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???

but is today really a perfect duluth day?