JP Rennquist
Third Annual Minnesota Fathers Forever
This Saturday, March 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. is the 3rd Annual MN Fathers Forever at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, it is a collaboration of many people who have worked hard to put together a quality program that can reach fathers wherever they are at in their parenting journey. (more…)
Duluth, Time Lapse
I don’t think I’ve seen this here yet, but it was on MPR’s Bob Collins’ Newscut blog today, scroll down past the more newsy stuff for the write-up.
Thirteen Moons Anishinaabe Storytelling
In the Ojibwe tradition there are hundreds of stories, some as old as the earth itself. Traditionally, these stories can only be told when there is snow on the ground. This Saturday about a dozen storytellers will be at the Sawyer Center to share some of these amazing stories. Everyone is welcome, the cost is free, but they are asking people to pre-register at the site.
Here’s a schedule
Fond du Lac Sawyer Center
February 19 1pm-6pm
Free Registration starts at 12:15 pm
3243 Moorhead Road, Sawyer, Minnesota
Here’s Jana Peterson’s article about this event from the Cloquet Pine Journal
Canal Park Adventure Zone
Stopped down at the Canal Park Adventure Zone today with Mrs. Goose and the Goslings. Had to be dragged there is a little more like it. My wife got some free passes to the Laser Tag so I couldn’t very well say “no,” could I? So we went. (more…)
Merging on I-35 — Please Stop the Madness
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.
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“When all is said and done, more is said than done.” – Alan Page
Sure the Packers won (another) super bowl victory tonight. Congratulations, I guess. But hey, for those of us that are Vikings fans, we may not have a gillion Lombardi trophies like Green Bay does, (we don’t have one even, Packer fans will be sure to tell you), but we’ve got something even better than the Packers:
A state supreme court justice. SO there.
Here’s MN Supreme Court Justice and former Viking great Alan Page talking about education, transcending politics, and the importance of strong families last week on MSNBC
“When all is said and done, more is said than done.” – Alan Page (more…)
East Hillside Patch seeking director
East Hillside Patch, a nonprofit organization, is seeking a program director.
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Free Rent for a Year in Duluth: Go Downtown, Grow Downtown
The Greater Downtown Duluth Council and a bunch of other organizations are offering free rent for a year plus free advertising, business planning and technical support for two businesses in Downtown Duluth. Click the picture for contest details.
One of my obsessive Duluth-oriented twitter feeds led me to this on the Star Tribune website. I couldn’t find mention of it in the online Duluth News Tribune, but they are a sponsor so I’m sure it will get in there sometime, (unless maybe they’re hoping to bring in outside ideas first).
Free rent for a year? And who said this town wasn’t business friendly. I’m all for revitalization in Downtown Duluth. I hope it works.
Valentine’s Day Swing with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley
Hot Toddy is swinging back from Los Angeles to do several shows in February. He’ll also be at Clyde Iron with The Fractals and Aces in Superior with John Seguin.
Rank Duluth
After a great showing in the still ongoing Google fiber campaign Duluth has another chance to “Cheer” for ourselves in the “We Hear You America” contest from Reader’s Digest.
I guess the contest has been running for a few months, but I’m not much of a Reader’s Digest Reader so I just found out about it yesterday. I “cheered” and I encourage other PDDers to play along. Yeah, I’d love for us to get the $5 million bucks or whatever it is, but I also like the idea of people mobilizing to be positive about our town. It has been fun to do with Google Fiber and this should be no different. (more…)
Dr. Martin Luther King Through Kindergarten Eyes
I meant to post this last year, but I forgot. This is a picture that my daughter made in kindergarten. I found it in with some papers when I was cleaning her room and it just struck me right between the eyes. First, I thought it was all wrong: “What is that school teaching my daughter about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? I mean, she took away his whole essence, she’s stripped away his race, she’s missed the whole point …”
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Karen Diver and Barack Obama
Fond Du Lac Chairwoman Karen Diver seated next to President Barack Obama at the 2nd White House Tribal Nations Conference in December. You can read about it in this months’s Fond Du Lac Band Tribal newspaper.
This story also made the DNT but somehow it only rated a “Faces and Names” mention in the DNT, below Shania Twain, Jermaine Jackson and Stephen Baldwin in the online version that I called up today. Who knows? Maybe they did another story somewhere but I missed it.
Survival of the Funnest
Here’s another t-shirt gift idea for the person that has everything from former Duluthian Emily Kuznia. Emily lives in Florida now but she is a product of Duluth’s Central Hillside (began her artistic career at Nettleton, in fact). I was just thrilled to see that this t-shirt design of hers was a “derby” winner on shirt.woot.com
Ah crap … I guess you can’t buy it anymore, it’s a competitive t-shirt design site, and man are they ever competitive. Much to my own chagrin, it looks like her shirt was only available for a couple weeks, not nearly long enough for a procrastinator like me to get them into the various stockings that I host. But as long as I’ve gotten this far I might as well leave the post up, Hey, maybe it will generate enough demand to get more available. Or you could also contact Emily via her blog and tell her how cool the shirt is.
The Fortunately, Unfortunately, Fortunately of Google Fiber
Fortunately, Duluth-Superior put together a great bid for Google Fiber in the Spring as Google Twin Ports. We generated tons of buzz nationwide, and even worldwide and mobilized thousands of community members in support of the project. I was a tiny (miniscule, really) cog in the wheel that was the ad-hoc Google Twin Ports steering committee in the first part of this year. And just like everyone else, I have been anxiously waiting for the end of the year for the community (ies) that will get Google Fiber to be announced.
Unfortunately, as noted in another PDD post, Google has said they can’t decide yet and they’ve kicked the announcement date down into 2011.
Fortunately, that aforementioned PDD post from Brian B was on the coveted first page of “links” on the most recent official Google Fiber blog post!
This could mean anything or not much so try not to call me too naive here. But one thing is certain: They haven’t forgotten us. I say that means we are still in the hunt folks, and I think we’re a front runner when I consider all the factors I can think of, climate, community support, integration, availability of “dark” fiber, competing delivery systems (WiMax, 3G, Cable, DSL, even Superior Broadband’s nifty radio thing) attractiveness of the community and the list goes one. And I’ll just add in one more huge asset we have: Perfect Duluth Day. And that there screenshot proves they know that, too.
Secretary Oberstar?
From Star Tribune/Hot Dish Politics:
[T]he president called at breakfast Wednesday morning … Staffers who were gathered with Oberstar at the Duluth Holiday Inn heard Oberstar tell Obama, “Mr. President, I want you to know that while my service in Congress has ended, my commitment to public service has not, and I’m ready to assist your administration in any way.”
To which, the president reportedly replied, “Let’s let the dust settle and talk again.”
Straw Poll: Who Shocked the World More?
I woke up today with an otherworldly, twilight zone-like feeling similar to the one I had in November of 1998, like where I had to check multiple news sources to see if I was understanding the election results correctly and then check back again to make sure. Shocked I tell you. Shocked.
My question to the PDD brain trust: What was more shocking Jesse’s win or Chip’s? And you can do a “where were you” personal memory or two if you want for color and flavor.
Love, Wild Goose
Young at Heart Records on GoJohnnyGo.com
Nice trip down memory lane with some snapshots of Young at Heart Records from 1996 and recollections to fill them out. The pictures themselves are just snapshots, as I said, but upon close examination they do capture the feel and the spirit of that place nicely. I just wish there were more of them. Click the image to go to the post and see it all in context. (more…)
R.I.P. Cathy Curley, feminist pioneer
“Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“If I can’t dance I don’t want to be in your revolution.” — Emma Goldman
I was shocked and deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death last night of Cathy Curley – founder of Safe Haven, the Lake Superior Regional Justice Center, domestic violence prevention and intervention pioneer, community activist, mother, friend, mentor, lover of life.
My Favorite Minnesota: Duluth Nightlife
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
A very flattering portrayal of Duluth “night life” from Explore Minnesota.
Trampled by Turtles on MTV?
It just might happen if the band gets enough votes in MTV’s online contest.
I just love seeing that iconic MTV logo up in the corner, makes me smile, but then again I’m a child of the 1980s and maybe it means something different to me than others.
Boys of Summer Comes to Life
Don Henley was right …
… Deadhead Sticker on a Cadillac. Downtown Duluth Thursday.
PDD’s Economic Stimulus Package
Saw this ad in Sunday’s DNT
The Ojibwe Experience – Learning Opportunities
This week I had a chance to glimpse some of the immense cultural riches of the Ojibwe people who along with other Native American people have occupied this area for thousands of years. And you can check them out too, if you want.
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Stuff I Like – Father’s Day Edition
I like my Infantino baby carrier.
Originally we had gotten an infant sling carrier for Mrs. Goose to carry the baby around in but she didn’t like it, and it was a little too small for me to use, plus it seemed vaguely unsafe so it sat on a shelf and she got a another one that worked well for her and worked with breast feeding and nap time, etc. But we didn’t have one for dad. Then, sure enough, the other carrier WAS unsafe, we got a recall notice in the mail and I wouldn’t have even done it since, by then, he was over a year old and walking and we didn’t really need one, but hey … free stuff.
So this is what they sent me:
