Baron Dave Romm
Hidden Minneapolis
By Baron Dave Romm
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My suggestion for what to call this secular year: MMX, pronounced "MeMex".
The Mural behind the KMart
Hmm... a short one this week, as I've been busy. Playing with my post-Chanukkah splurge Flip video camera, I revisited an old posting... and it became a larger project.
I like to play with my toys. When I upgraded to my current digital camera, one of the first things I did was walk across the street to take a little photo essay of the mural behind the building I can see from my computer desk. Full report here
Mural behind the KMart on Lake St. and Nicollet in
Mpls
report and another picture on Baron Dave's
LiveJournal from May 10, 2008.
I then went on to do a series of Hidden Minneapolis pictures (in LJ, follow the "hidden Minneapolis" tag) some of which turned into Bartcop-E columns.
Last week, my new toy arrived. Using the pocket-sized camcorder, I walked across the street and made my first YouTube video, and made the link on Facebook as well as LJ:
Facebook allows for more connections than LiveJournal does. I prefer LJ for longer conversations and threaded comments, but there's no question that FB casts a larger net.
The response to the video included people who had lived in the area before it was painted. Before the KMart was built, Nicollet Ave. went straight through. The city's decision (by one vote in the City Council) to allow the street to be blocked off was and remains controversial. The neighborhood association was granted permission by the city and KMart to paint a mural, and made the current one, depicting (apparently), someoneonesomeone closing the door on the neighborhood to reveal a battleship, symbol of corporate power.
So I started doing research for deeper story. In the few days since posting the video, I've talked to several people on the Whittier Association (then and now), one of the artists who painted the mural, became Facebook Friends with another artist, have leads on more people, and talked to the manager of the KMart.
Amazingly (to me), the KMart guy was the least helpful. The manager was friendly and told me what he could, but he simply didn't have information about his own building. He declined an interview, largely because he didn't feel qualified to say anything useful, and promised to ask higher-ups in the organization. I haven't heard anything back from them, and am not holding my breath.
Plan is to make a longer video report/podcast, with interviews and better pictures. That will involve figuring out how to compile an HD movie and voiceovers on iMovie 6 and other techie considerations. Whee!
So I'm celebrating Martin Luthor King Jr. Day by promoting neighborhood associations instead of listening to new CDs or chasing down Heartland Perverts. More later, probably.
Vikings vs. Cowboys: Ghosts laid to rest
Vikings won decisively, 34-3. Somewhat anti-climactic, actually. The Cowboys looked sharp early, but then the Vikes dominated the rest of the game. For all the footage of the Vikings losing to Dallas in 1975 and reminders of major chokes in playoff games past, the Vikings are now a game away from the Superbowl. Further, they are the underdog against the Saints next week. Traditionally, the Vikings have won games they weren't expected to and lose games in which they are heavily favored. The Saints are very good, but not invincible. We shall see.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog maintains a Facebook Page, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Susan Estrich: The Resolutions Racket (creators.com)
The other day, I walked into a bookstore looking for some escapism and stumbled right into a wall of diet books. It's January. I published a diet book right around this time back in the '90s, which is why I've been able to mostly avoid the diet book section ever since. But did I ever used to know that world.
Froma Harrop: Why Profiling Can't Ensure Airline Security (creators.com)
Fifty years ago this month, a lawyer living in a posh New York suburb with his former model wife was being investigated for embezzlement. Julian Andrew Frank of Westport, Conn., took out nearly $900,000 in life insurance and then, investigators believed, boarded a National Airlines plane with a bomb and blew it up over North Carolina, killing himself and 33 others.
Connie Schultz: Most Headlines Missed the Real Hero (creators.com)
On the same day that former baseball superstar Mark McGwire dominated media coverage with his steroids confession, a real hero passed away virtually unnoticed.
A Letter to Rush Limbaugh From Roger Ebert
You should be horse-whipped for the insult you have paid to the highest office of our nation.
A Scam that hits the jackpot for stupidity offers valuable lessons (latimes.com)
These guys have to be some of the dumbest scammers ever. But their ploy is so brazen -- and so potentially attractive in these tough economic times -- you could just see it succeeding.
The 20 best moments of The Simpsons' 20 years on TV (guardian.co.uk)
Happy Simpsonniversary! It's 20 years since 'The Simpsons' graced screens as a fully-fledged series. Let's celebrate two decades of "Doh!"
Randy Lewis: 'Crazy' luck for author (Los Angeles Times)
Jeff Bridges' star turn in "Crazy Heart" as downtrodden country music legend Bad Blake has been earning the veteran actor some of the most glowing reviews of his career, from writers who have invoked the names of many real-life musicians in their assessments of Bridges' portrayal of the fictional Blake.
William Zinsser: Writing English as a Second Language (theamericanscholar.org)
I've given you these examples because writing is learned by imitation. We all need models. Bach needed a model; Picasso needed a model. Make a point of reading writers who are doing the kind of writing you want to do. (Many of them write for The New Yorker.) Study their articles clinically. Try to figure out how they put their words and sentences together. That's how I learned to write, not from a writing course.
Julia Keller: Tortured tales of Nordic mystery leave 'Beowulf' far behind (Chicago Tribune)
It is a world of bleak twilights and tortured souls. A world of cold dawns and dour sleuths. A world of frozen lakes and repressed detectives. A world of winters and losers.
PAUL CONSTANT: "I Think It's a Whole Lot More Fun" (thestranger.com)
An Interview with Julia Nunes About YouTube Comments, Her New Album, and Remaking the Record Industry.
PAUL CONSTANT: Video Made the Internet Star (thestranger.com)
Julia Nunes's YouTube Ukulele Takeover.
David Medsher: A Chat with Russell Leetch, Editors bassist (bullz-eye.com)
We did become a little bit formulaic with how we write the songs. We know what the hi hat hand might do, and the bass is going to chug along and the guitar can be quite stabby. We just said, 'this is going to get really boring for us,' and it did.
Hubert's Poetry Corner
Truths AND Consequences
Embarrassing, damaging truth?
The Weekly Poll
New Question
The 'What ever happened to... Where are they now?' Edition
Every now and again, an article appears about what a former 'Celebrity', e.g. an actor/actress, politician, author, musician or sports star, is now doing in their present state of obscurity and where they're doing it.
Is there a former 'Celebrity' that you'd be interested in knowing where they are and what they're doing?
Send your response to
wrote:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Purple Gene Reviews
"3 Idiots"
Purple Gene's review of the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots" (2009).
Directed by Rajkumar Hirani.
Trailer at the You Tubes
Reader Comment
Jeff Gannon alert!
I've been watching the NFL playoffs on Fox over the weekend.
If you watch behind the studio announcers (Howie, Jimmy, Terry, et. al) they have television personnel walking around, talking on the phone, sitting by computers, etc.
I think one of television personnel walking around is Jeff Gannon!
Watch!
Take Care,
KevKev in Apache Junction
Thanks, KevKev!
Contributor Suggestion
BadtotheboneBob
Halfway between Pinckney and Hell (Yes, there actually is a Hell, Michigan and it's not Detroit), more than 100 buffalo have a home on the range. Their owner, Kevin MacRitchie, has two goals in mind: humanely raising healthy meat and bringing back the mighty animals that once roamed the West... MacRitchie is a member of a unique niche group in Michigan, ranchers and farmers who raise American bison. Bison once roamed most of the U.S., including Michigan...
Michigan: Where buffalo roam | freep.com | Detroit Free Press (with video)
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
Yellowstone Bison
Ted Turner
With 88 bison from Yellowstone National Park facing possible slaughter, billionaire Ted Turner has swept in and offered to hold the animals for five years on his sprawling Montana ranch while a new home for them is found. But Turner, ever the shrewd businessman, won't do it for nothing. The media mogul says he will care for the bison only if he can keep up to 90 percent of their offspring.
Hunters, environmentalists and property law experts have all weighed in and most say Turner's plan sets a dangerous precedent for the commercialization of public wildlife. Others describe Turner as a responsible steward of the land with the resources needed to take care of animals that desperately need a home.
Despite warnings from Montana about possible slaughter, federal officials said earlier this month that the bison could be kept longer if needed at a quarantine compound north of the park. They have already been there for several years to make sure they are disease free.
Dennis Tilton, a rancher from nearby Livingston who worked for a year feeding the animals under government contract, said giving the animals to Turner amounted to "robbing from the public domain." He said the state should put them onto public land to establish new herds.
Ted Turner
Saudi Billionaire Eyes New Links
The Saudi billionaire whose investment firm is one of the biggest stakeholders in Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. said he is looking to expand his alliances with the media giant, in the latest indication that his appetite for growth remains robust even as his company retrenches.
News Rupert Corp
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a nephew of the Saudi king and who was listed last year by Forbes as the world's 22nd richest person, met with News Corp.'s chief executive Rupert Murdoch on Jan. 14 in a meeting that "touched upon future potential alliances with News Corp.," according to a statement released by his Kingdom Holding Co. late Saturday.
Media reports have indicated that News Corp, parent to Fox News and Dow Jones & Co., among others, may be thinking of buying a stake in Alwaleed's Rotana Media Group, which includes a number of satellite channels that air in the Middle East.
Kingdom Holding's statement said Alwaleed is already the second largest stakeholder in News Corp., with 5.7 percent of the shares of the media company. The stake is held through Kingdom Holding, in which Alwaleed holds a 95 percent stake.
News Rupert Corp
Massachusetts Visitor
Hummingbird
A hummingbird rarely seen in Massachusetts and trying to survive a brutal Cape Cod winter has wound up in the hospital. The Cape Cod Times reported that the Allen's hummingbird was brought to the Wild Care of Cape Cod animal rehabilitation center in Eastham after being found in the snow with ice crystals on its wings on Sunday.
The thumb-sized bird had survived two major snow storms, subfreezing temperatures and high winds by feeding on sugar water from a Harwich woman's back yard feeder.
Lela Larned, Wild Care's executive director, said the bird was "at the end of the line."
The bird is native to California and Mexico and rarely seen east of the Rockies.
Hummingbird
Pink Snow
Buffalo
Some snow in a Buffalo neighborhood turned a deep shade of pink after a cloud of powder was released during demolition of a business that used to make food coloring. As surprised parents and pet owners wondered whether to ban outdoor play, state health and environmental officials collected samples.
A demolition contractor said a pipe that contained about five pounds of residual red dye No. 40 ruptured at a building being torn down near the former Buffalo Color plant Thursday afternoon. John Yensan of Ontario Specialty Contracting says powder was carried by the wind across homes, cars and streets.
Authorities said the dye didn't appear to pose a health problem.
A water truck was sent in to clean up.
Buffalo
World's Biggest Problem: BBC Poll
Poverty
Poverty is the most serious problem facing the world, according to a major worldwide poll out Sunday which put the issue well ahead of climate change, terrorism and war.
Overall, 71 percent of people named extreme poverty as the biggest global issue, compared to 64 percent who cited the environment or pollution and 63 percent the rising cost of food and energy.
Terrorism, human rights and the spread of disease were singled out by 59 percent, climate change and the state of the world economy by 58 percent and war by 57 percent.
Japan was the only country to view climate change as the most serious issue, while China ranked it second and the United States ninth.
Poverty
Health Overhaul Leaves Gap
Disabled Workers
Disabled by chronic back pain and unable to afford medical insurance, Lea Walker hoped President Barack Obama's health care overhaul would close a coverage gap that has trapped her and millions of other workers.
It won't.
Although disabled workers can expect improvements, the legislation moving toward final passage in Congress doesn't deliver the clean fix that advocates for people with serious medical conditions hoped for. Some of the neediest could find themselves still in limbo.
In 2007, the government declared Walker, a home health nurse from Indian Trail, N.C., too sick to work. She started receiving monthly disability checks from Social Security, but found she would face a 24-month wait for Medicare. Insurance available through her husband's job was out of reach at $800 a month.
At any given time, an estimated 1.8 million disabled workers languish in the Medicare coverage gap, a cost saver instituted nearly 40 years ago. Many, like Walker, are uninsured. Lawmakers had hoped to eliminate the gap as part of health care overhaul, but concluded it would be too expensive.
Disabled Workers
Ohio County Pays
Bat Bite
An Ohio county has agreed to pay $1,500 to a man who was bitten by a rabid bat and turned to a little-known state law that allows for compensation. Commissioners in Delaware County, north of Columbus, voted Thursday to provide 61-year-old David Froehlich with the maximum reimbursement under the law, even though he put in his request for the money two days late.
The law allows a person hurt by a rabid animal to seek a county's help with the medical bills. But the request must be made within four months of the bite, and Froehlich just missed the window.
A prosecutor who reviewed Froehlich's claim said he was surprised to learn of the law.
Froehlich's wife said her husband was bitten Aug. 22 and that insurance didn't cover the $5,000 hospital bill.
Bat Bite
Over Reaction
San Diego
Fire officials said a San Diego middle school was evacuated when a student's science project was mistaken for a bomb. Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said a vice principal's concerns prompted the evacuation of Millennial Tech Magnet Middle School Friday afternoon. Luque said an arson team took photos and x-rays of the empty plastic bottle with wires and determined it was harmless.
Luque says the 11-year-old boy was trying to build a motion detector from instructions he found on the Internet and parts he bought online with help from his father. His parents did not realize that the object looked threatening.
He said the student was "a genius-type kid" who undertook the project on his own, had no intentions of hurting anyone or causing any disruptions.
San Diego
Weekend Box Office
'Avatar'
James Cameron's "Avatar" had a $41.3 million weekend to shoot past "Star Wars" as the No. 3 movie on the all-time domestic box office charts. Next stop, "The Dark Knight."
No. 1 for the fifth-straight weekend, Cameron's sci-fi saga raised its domestic total to $491.8 million and should top $500 million after revenues are counted on Martin Luther King Day, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Worldwide, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" lifted its total to $1.6 billion, second only to Cameron's last movie, 1997's "Titanic," at $1.8 billion.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "Avatar," $41.3 million.
2. "The Book of Eli," $31.6 million.
3. "The Lovely Bones," $17.1 million.
4. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $11.5 million.
5. "Sherlock Holmes," $9.8 million.
6. "The Spy Next Door," $9.7 million.
7. "It's Complicated," $7.7 million.
8. "Leap Year," $5.8 million.
9. "The Blind Side," $5.6 million.
10. "Up in the Air," $5.5 million.
'Avatar'
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