MinnEconomy In-Store!
Ryan Van Slooten will be playing a free in-store show on Thursday, March 18 at the Electric Fetus. It’s at 5pm, and totally free.
Ryan is our featured artist this month. His new CD All But My Soul is on sale for $7.99 throughout March. Come check out his acoustic set and support local artists!
Hibbing calls for Bob Dylan to come home
The Iron Range Tourism Bureau has a new website called comehomebob.com.
“Cities Go Gaga for Google Fiber”
Catching up on some of my favorite tech blogs this morning and found this familiar face headlining a post on Gizmodo.
Duluth, Minnesota
But wait! Patrick Garmoe, public information officer of the Google Twin Ports Initiative laughs sheepishly as he explains Googlefest, an event that is one part rally, one part carnival and all parts enthusiasm for the promise of Google Fiber. In the midst of bands, choirs and other entertainment, “We’ll be shooting a movie with real actors and a Hollywood director and live-streaming the event to impress Google,” Garmoe says. The new initiative comes on the heels of Deluth mayor Don Ness’s own stunts. In a spoof video proclamation that in honor of Google, all first born males would be henceforth named GoogleFiber and first born females would of course be Googlette. Also, he literally sunk to a new low in the brutal battle for business. He jumped into the freezing waters of Lake Superior. Hizzoner, perhaps you’ll be deterred from further lunacy by these extremely gnarly Google Image results for “frostbite.”
Why DOES Duluth deserve fiber-optic based internet access?
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.
Request!
So, I’m currently an 11th grade student at Harbor City International School downtown, but I’ll be spending my senior year somewhere in Brazil. When I get there, I need to give a presentation on my home town, and I’m looking for some photos of Duluth that exceed my photography skills, and some advice on what to include in my presentation. Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.
Happy early Spring on the North Shore — Things are breakin’ up out there
Check out a few river shots from this past weekend.
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Dog Thieves?
Has anyone else heard about dog thieves or “bunchers” in the area?
Two different people have told me to keep an eye on our dog as there has been a rash of stolen dogs in the Duluth area. I just peeked on craigslist and the pets board is full of warnings.
Why hasn’t the DNT or the news picked up on this?
Keep an extra close eye on Fido for the time being.
Meat Puppets returning to Duluth
The Meat Puppets are scheduled to play Pizza Luce again. Con Queso and the DTs will open.
Wednesday, April 7 | 10 p.m.
$10 tickets; cash only; available at the Looch
Inexpensive skateboard
Finding myself recently laid off, I have decided to get a start on my midlife crisis by buying a skateboard. Being laid off (need a database person?) I don’t want to spend too much but being a gearhead I know I want something decent to learn with. Where should I go in the Twin Ports to find such a board?
And the Wall Came Tumbling Down
The ~4 foot-high retaining wall that holds up (well, used to) our driveway just dumped over with an impressive thud. Can anyone recommend a (reliable but not bank-breaking) contractor for this kind of work? It has been leaning for a couple of years, so there will probably be some excavation of dirt that has to be done before a new wall is put up. Only the top of one section fell down, but the rest is really leaning.
Thanks!
The Duluth Photography Institute Public Event
There will be a public promotional event for the DPI at Valentini’s Restaurant on Monday, March 29th at 6:00pm. FREE with appetizers, a cash bar, and entertainment by singer/guitarist Emma Rustan. Please RSVP to the Facebook event, calling the DPI 218.393.2468, or by emailing dpi@duluthphotographyinstitute.com. Go to www.duluthphotographyinstitute.com for more info on the DPI.
Hope to see you all there!
Protest the 7th Anniversary of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq
This March 19 will mark the 7th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. During these past seven years hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of Americans have needlessly lost their lives – and millions more have had their lives disrupted by physical and psychological injuries, by having their homes demolished, and losing loved ones. And tragically, after the passage of all of this time, there is no real end in sight.
To show our continued opposition to this senseless war, and to remind the powers that be that the people still insist on immediate withdrawal, we are calling on all of you to join us, yet again, in taking to the streets!
On Friday, March 19, the Northland Anti-War Coalition is going to be holding three vigils/pickets at different times of the day, in different parts of Duluth. Our goal is to raise the anti-war banner high to remind that public that the war is still being waged, and show that there is still a vibrant anti-war movement for them to join. Please try to find time in your day to join us for one or more of these vigils.
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What the F-Bomb happened in front of my house yesterday?
My son and I were sitting in the front room and heard the common yelling fight there usually is on our Armpit-of-Duluth-Corner-of-Doom. It was 5 p.m., the time the kid got off the bus last Friday, when all the chaos happened. Yesterday, Pirate was sick sans bus.
At the first “gun-shot,” I told Pirate to duck, then covered him. I counted seven gun shots; the sound was not “together” like a firecracker. And it was LOUD!
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‘Ello What’s This?
The cream is here, the cream is here! At the Coop next to the whipping creams. Man it would go good with a big bowl of Google Fiber.
Sen Al Franken Resurrects “Duluth Answer Man” to Support Twin Ports Google Fiber
MARCH 10, 2010 – Minnesota Sen. Al Franken has joined The Google Twin Ports Fiber Initiative by resurrecting his Duluth Answer Man clips.
Duluth’s campaign combines a fun and creative grassroots campaign with a very serious effort to build a strong business case for bringing Google Fiber to the Twin Ports.
The Duluth Answer Man campaign was produced in the mid 80s by the Duluth Convention and Visitors Bureau, known today as Visit Duluth. The series ran in the Twin Cites market as the summer tourism campaign for Duluth.
Please don’t cheese
From DNT article…
“We found a Hollywood director with ties to our area to shoot a short movie, about 10 minutes long, that we are gearing for Google,” Garmoe said. “We want to make sure that Google sees us, and this is one of our many efforts make us stand out from other cities.”
In my head, a collage of clips from movies and songs that mention Duluth would be pretty cool. Make it artsy, I says. Other ideas that aren’t terribly cheesy? (i.e. DBU commercials; no offense)
Help!
My work is conducting a training tomorrow for about 75 people, and the guy who was providing our sound system had a family emergency. So now we have no sound system. We don’t need anything elaborate – just a speaker or two, and a microphone, and an easy-to-understand setup. We would have to pick it up tonight and would return it tomorrow night. Can anyone help us out? You can either respond here or call me at 218-391-2733. Thanks!
This Old House
We have a 1904 model house and we are thinking of a big remodel. I would like to know if anyone has recommendations for someone that could come in and tell us our redesign and construction options.
Have away. Thanks
Duluth’s Oneota Football Squad – 1915
I’m not sure if these are junior high students from Oneota School or if they are high school kids and this is a community team for the Oneota neighborhood (part of West Duluth). Denfeld didn’t have an official football team until 1917.
I don’t know the names of any of the players, except the guy sitting cross-legged in the middle — he’s my great uncle, Sam Brassard. (Yep, Uncle Sam.)
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Martin Zellar and Charlie Parr @ Beaner’s
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_99vz79CUw
(This video is from the Rochester Civic Theatre. On stage with Martin Zellar are Brandon Sampson and G.B. Leighton.)
Martin Zellar will be in Duluth for a gig at Beaner’s Central Thursday night with Charlie Parr. Show starts at 8 p.m.
Anyone planning to portage a canoe through Beaner’s during the performance?
Anyway, two free tickets will be given to the first person to leave a comment with the word that joins these two song titles:
“Statue of “_ _ _ _ _” at the Kenmore”
Why Bikes? – Feminism, you, and the mighty bicycle machine
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
University of Minnesota Duluth Campus, Kirby Student Center 268, Noon-1:00
Sadie Sigford of the Bike Cave Collective will be talking about bike culture, how it has traditionally excluded women but how women are now defining their space within it, why bikes are important and why they are just awesome!
Following this Sadie will go over common bike problems and demonstrate how to do maintenance on your own two-wheeled bicycle machine.
Hosted by the Women’s Resource and Action Center and the University of Minnesota Duluth Women’s Studies Department.