Commentary: Sara Jane Olson should be released, but to another country; Former terrorist should have been tried for treason

Somewhere buried under the headlines of the great March snow-pocalypse, sits news about Sara Jane Olson being released from prison.
The mature public will remember Olson from her actions in 1970s, when she participated in a deadly California bank robbery and the attempted bombing of Los Angeles police cars as a member of the urban terrorists [...]

“You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas” – Thanking the Troops Part 2

Gazette reporter Elliot Mann recently traveled to Dallas along with a group of St. Croix Valley residents to thank members of the armed services arriving in the U.S., as well as those departing to Iraq and Afghanistan. This account is the second in a three-part series detailing his experience.
DALLAS – As I crouched, took aim [...]

“You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas” – Thanking the Troops Part 1

I wrote this for work after spending last week in Texas greeting the troops. It’s much more a magazine-type feature than anything I’ve written before, usually it’s all inverted pyramid. Enjoy.

(Photo: Elliot Mann) Richard Glasgow hugs a solider returning for her two weeks of rest and recuperation.
• Reporter Elliot Mann recently traveled to Dallas along [...]

Buying gifts for the person who has doesn’t use everything

With the Christmas shopping season winding down (or yet to begin for some of us), I’m always interested in hearing what people buy for their family members of significant others.
Through the years, the CD and DVD gift became the easy, go-to buy for someone you really didn’t want to spend too much money on. [...]

The Real World gets real 15 years too late, while The Hills roll artificially along

Once upon a loooooooooooong time ago, MTV played music videos. Once upon a not as long time ago, MTV created the Real World, and it was an interesting show.
They started out in New York, with the “country white girl” clashing with the “urban black guy,” no doubt creating the formula that MTV’s writers eventually pumped [...]

How I learned to stop worrying and love the Atmosphere: Sad Clown, Bad Summer No. 9 and Fall No. 10

Atmosphere has released two “Sad Clown, Bad Dub” EPs this summer, led by the strength of two cuts in particular, “Sunshine” from SCB-Summer No. 9, and SCB-Fall No. 10’s “Lyndale Avenue Owner’s Manual.” Listening to these EPs and looking at the Rolling Stone on my floor, I can’t help but think about Kid Rock, Pam [...]

If I Did It: The Confession of a Fantasy Football Mastermind

The various superstars of The Departed™ assemble during a recent team outing to Calhoun Square in Minneapolis.
By the time Peyton Manning hit a streaking Reggie Wayne in stride to pass for his third touchdown in the NFL season opener, I was already dancing in the middle of the room, high-fiving a friend of mine – [...]

Kevin Smith ethers nerd at Comic-Con

Link: http://clipaday.com/videos/no-crap-in-kevin-smiths-house (won’t reproduce on my site, follow the link, it’s worth it. NFWS-language.)
Every now and then, some idiot thinks to himself:
“Man… I’m totally going to take (insert cult movie director here) to task for his shitty production and lack of development in (insert cult movie here). I don’t care if the film – [...]

Interstate 35W bridge collapses over Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis, several dead

The I-35W over the Mississippi Bridge collapsed this afternoon, leaving an unknown number injured. Eyewitnesses accounts say several vehicles plunged into the water during the rush-hour accident. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has confirmed one death in the accident, CNN is reporting three deceased. Several state Department of Transportation employees were [...]

Wet Socks: Maxim Magazine – Why Jennifer Love Hewitt will never make Poison Ivy 4

(I’ve added a new feature to the blog and it’s called “Wet Socks.” As you can guess, the series will be about some of small day-to-day things that irritate the hell out of you. And by you, I’m trying to establish a universal relationship with the general public. But in reality, I probably really only [...]