Secrets of the City

First!

DAMNIT

The internet seems to be broken today on my computer. I can come to MNspeak, yahoo, and not much else. In what world does MNspeak work, but not the NY Times?

In the best kind of world, kc!

this guy wants to know where to eat in Minneapolis.

Are you at work, kc? Because I’m having the same problem.

Ang, yes. But it seems to have straightened itself out some. I can get on Twitter now at least.

whew. I was starting to panic.

Found this interesting “modern vehicles vs. the Model T” piece on Treehugger:

The Ford Model T, which was invented in 1908, got 25 miles to the gallon, whereas in 2004 the average car got only 20.8 miles per gallon. Not only was the Model T more efficient than many of todays vehicles, it was also capable of running on either gasoline or ethanol. Of course, the Model T had a much smaller engine and lower top speed than todays cars, but consider that 100 years of engineering has given us cars that, while fast, safe and comfortable, deliver worse fuel economy than did the first production vehicle.”

bob, stopped by your propaganda tent…i mean wonderfully informative display on wednesday. Talked to Bob Fox for a while. Lotta yellow shirts around there!

Three days at Farmfest are WAY more than anyone should have to deal with.

If you saw a lot of yellow shirts, that was likely the Minnesota Corn Growers Association’s tent, although they did borrow our new wrapped Impala and they hand out our E85 station list brochure there.

We shared space in the Minnesota Soybean Gowers tent (by Culvers and KEYC-TV) and focused mostly on biodiesel rather than corn.

Our new guy, Jon, did all three days of FarmFest. The rest of us just did one day and drove back to the Cities.

I thought you said you were there with the Corn Growers.

Way to force the new guy into all three days. You should fee fortunate if he doesn’t come in the office this morning stabbing people after that.

oddly enough bob, I’d just read the same thing in a book this morning — the explanation being that many small farm operations made their own ethanol, so with a flip of a switch, they could use their home-made fuel.

If you saw a lot of yellow shirts, that was likely the Minnesota Corn Growers Association’s tent

The ADM Youth? Heil!

08-08-08
Is today lucky or unlucky?

Give me about 15 hours and I’ll let ya know…

08-08-08

It means the Chinese will slit our throats as we sleep.

Unlucky for US.

We’ll be your New York Times, kc.

Let’s see — nice slideshow about the Olympics (those Communists really know how to put all of the money on the screen!). Monohla Dargis has mixed, mostly negative feelings about “Pineapple Express.” David Brooks namechecks Pitchforkmedia.com (!!!) in his op-ed piece. Krugman is unhappy about nativist tendencies in the Republican Party. Thom Shanks reports that Secretary Gates is pushing to double the Afghan army. A woman in Queens was arrested when police found baby bones in her closet. The question of whether or not New York is ready for Bret Farve is raised. The S+P 500 is up 7.33. Community organizer Isaac Abraham is running for City Council in Brooklyn.

That’s most of it.

We’ll be your New York Times, kc.

We’ll also be your New Bicycle.

We’ll also be your mirror, your baby tonight, your slave, your everything, your pilot, your dog and your crying shoulder.

Today, 8-8-8, is two aces away from a dead man’s hand. Since aces are Hoyle’s 1s, I’m guessing something odd happens today @ 1:01 pm. Not that I’m a numerologist or anything.

andy…you forgot to be our captain.

The dead man’s hand was two pair, not a full house.

That would be a Full House, g rote. The Dead Man’s Hand is two pair.

Oh my stars, did Bob just pull a “first”? Bob, kick yourself in the shins and then pretend its from me. I’d feel bad about thinking about kicking you in the shins but something has to be done to discourage the practice of posting “first”.

technically, we don’t know what the 5th card was…don’t spoil my fun.

doesn’t matter…the only card that i need is the ace of spades.

Forget Dargis; Pineapple Express was excellent!

Ang, I’m seeing that tomorrow. Glad to hear that you liked it!

Don’t forget the Joker, G.

A couple of things:

1. I think that weapon is racist. Playing into the stereotypes that black people are violent AND like watermelons. I know that there is going to be a flood of those knives coming into North Mpls and I do not approve. I also do not think that weapon should be allowed in checked luggage. I do, however, believe it should be a weapon in the next installment of Halo.

2. Has the supreme clusterfuck known as the Olympics officially kicked off? I’m not sure of the time difference and when the ceremony actually begins.

I love how reporters who have been reporting on the human rights violations/censorship/other shit in China are all getting surprised about China censoring things and doing basically whatever they want. Why would they think China would suddenly change? What is anyone going to do to them? Tell them they’ll never get the Olympics again?

This morning the BBC was wondering how the torch was going to be lit. Based on the live images of China, I’m thinking that the large torch is going to be lit when someone carries the smaller torch out of the tunnel at the stadium and the sky catches on fire – that’s how bad the smog appears to be.

I’m convinced that most Metallica was nothing but Motorhead LPs played @ 45rpm.

1. I think that weapon is racist. Playing into the stereotypes that black people are violent AND like watermelons.

But the weapon is called a WASP!

Everybody, listen to me! And return me my ship. I’m your captain! I’m your captain! Although I’m feeling mighty sick.

God bless you, Grote. Am I in my cabin dreaming, or are you really scheming to take my ship away from me?

I start all my sensances with “I was reading in the New York Times…”

The internet seems to be broken today on my computer. I can come to MNspeak, yahoo, and not much else. In what world does MNspeak work, but not the NY Times?

kc & ang – it’s a state thing. Ours here have been acting up for several days. Something about a new something or other. OET is working to pinpoint the problem.

And by the way, a pair of balls beats everything.

Christin, you can way up your snobbo ante if you drop the “New York” part and just start with “I was reading in The Times…”

Grand Funk…Flint’s finest.

haha, andy, I do that.

It looks like andyst has heard the competent drum-work of Don Brewer.

technically, we don’t know what the 5th card was…don’t spoil my fun.

There was no fifth card. The shooting interrupted the draw.

Oh my stars, did Bob just pull a “first”? Bob, kick yourself in the shins and then pretend its from me. I’d feel bad about thinking about kicking you in the shins but something has to be done to discourage the practice of posting “first”.

I’ve done a lot worse things than “pull a first,” bix, but consider my shins kicked….

Oh boy! On that note, and in the spirit of the open thread, let’s all enjoy the competent drumwork of Don Brewer on perhaps the most gruesomely unneccessary cover in the history of pop music: GRAND FUNK DOIN’ “GIMME SHELTER”!

I prefer the International Herald Tribune actually.

Actually, in the stories I’ve heard about the Dead Man’s Hand, it’s black Aces and Eights, with the King of Spades thrown in for good measure; the Wikipedia entry lists many different alternatives, none of which is the King of Spades, so I dunno.

Black Aces and Eights seem to be the standard, though.

This morning the BBC was wondering how the torch was going to be lit.

I heard that the Chinese are planning to light the torch with Bob Costas… as a simple, yet effective warning.

Hm. I saw the complete hand at Deadwood Gulch. Surely such a tourist attraction wouldn’t fudge on historical authenticity!

The fifth card they showed was the Queen of Hearts. The joker ain’t the only fool, hoo hoo, who’ll do anything for you.

Here are more theories on the fifth card. I knew I had some basis for my “King of Spades” theory!

Does anyone else look at this picture of Brett Favre and see a guy who eloped to Vegas and feels just a tinge of regret.

Caption contest!

Here.

“I lost my self respect, my loyal fans and my adopted home of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”

Kevin, you’ll apreciate this comment from Tom Swift, from my MinnPost op/ed:

“Mr. Moffitt is known for tossing out completely unsubstantiated and wildly overheated statements such as these into the wind so often that it is tempting to flatly state that his appearance immediately poisons the air of any reasoned discussion.”

Love U 2, Swiftee!

bob…opinions aside, you have to admit that his air-related metaphors are apropos.

You’ve made it.

he looks like a mother-to-be at the end of a very long and unwanted baby shower. as in: “ugh…how many more “GOT MILK” onezies am I going to have to open?”

His blog name is clever, too, g_rote: Pair ‘O Dice.

Swiftee and I go way back. During the Tobacco Wars, he used to just go nuts whenever I was quoted in the Pioneer Press or appeared on Jason’s Station. Heh!

Ah, those were the days..

Do not despiar, I’m sure there are other freedoms out there you can snuff out. This is still America.

(sniff)

I thank you, my comrades…

(wipes tear)

I start all my sensances with “I was reading in the New York Times…”

Whenever anyone quotes me something from the NY Times, I always reply, “I wonder if that’s true?”

It’ll most likely be accurate.

Yeah, but you can NEVER doubt facts and tibdits from public radio. NEVER!!!!

Yeah, but you can NEVER doubt facts and tibdits from public radio. NEVER!!!!

Whenever I read something written by maz, I always think, “ok, I know what ISN’T true.”

I was just listening to “Making the Scene: An Oral History of Twin Cities Rock” on MPR. Good stuff.

I start all my sentences with “I may not know as much about the plight of black people as Maz does…”

All of them.

Even the ones where I’m not even talking about the plight of black people.

Except for the ones above (and this one).

As well you should.

Kevin’s Kacus has treated Rep. Mark “Wifebeater” Olson with the scorn he so richly deserves. He lost his staff, his committees, and more recently, the endorsement for his 16B seat to former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer.

From today’s St. Cloud Times, this headline:

“Republicans endorse Mark Olson to fill Wergins Senate seat”

Kevs, what are those people thinking?

Tangentially, what’s with the double doses of political posting lately?

Rampant idiocy.

PIM posts and Rich posts. Sometimes simultaneously.

Oh I thought she meant double posting, which I did once this morning.

As far as friday opens go, this one was a disappointment. I blame Rex’s absence.

I was just listening to “Making the Scene: An Oral History of Twin Cities Rock” on MPR. Good stuff.

that was cool. I missed the end thanks for the post.

i blame dennis tester’s parents.

I heard this morning that “an American relative of a US volleyball coach” was stabbed to death in Beijing, as he and his wife walked through a popular tourist site. The wife and Chinese guide with them were both injured in the attack.

I see now that it was a well-known Minnesotan who was killed.

Very strange, and very sad…

I think we’re all going to learn some things about China in the years to come, Bob.

I’m in Beijing next month. Gonna watch my back.

This might be a site worth watching, if they didn’t post reviews on dive bars that closed more than a year ago.

PS: It wasn’t the smoking ban that closed Sully’s down. They lost their license after the rampant drug trade on the premises. Same for Diva’s in Saint Paul and Johhny As in North Minneapolis.