Media Posts

Renegade Duluth makes “the Network”

Aug 13, 2009 3 Comments

I had given up on much Duluth art being discussed ever on MPR, after forever of hearing the Pioneer Press’ Dominic Papatola’s eye-rolling, painfully self-conscious weekly host chats, (yes, “host chat” a la Regis and Kelly, only if you added a condescending air to their blather). But then they added this interesting feature “Art Hounds” which is a great step in the right direction, only they’re very Twin Cities centric, as is standard for “the Network.” THEN, today I heard a familiar voice: Lucie Amundson, who is (if I’m not mistaken) a PDD and/or Park Point regular. Haven’t heard her on the “network” since election day. They should use her more. Good work, Lucie. Would love to hear you do stories in person sometime!


http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/13/art-hounds/?refid=0

She talks about the new renegade theater show, hopefully there is a link there ^ and you can click and listen …


Art, News and Current Affairs ,

Help Musicians: Fight Corporate Radio!

Jul 30, 2009 19 Comments

Fun fact: Elvis made no money from having his hits played on the radio. You see, although songwriters receive royalties from radio play, performers don’t. Think about it; for all the years you’ve heard “Louie, Louie” on the radio, Jack Ely and the Kingsmen never made a dime. (Any money they made would have been on record sales, and few people bought their albums for the sake of one song. In fact, Richard Berry, the song’s composer, offered to help out Ely, who was living in poverty.)

A bill currently in Congress, H.R. 848, is attempting to address this issue by requiring royalties be paid to the artists who recorded a song, as well as the songwriter. Needless to say, Big Radio opposes the measure, and has been running quite a few commercials lately, urging you to call your Representative, etc., to oppose H.R. 848. I’m urging you to call Senators Franken, Klobuchar, Kohl and Feingold, and Representatives Oberstar and Obey (depending on what state you live in) to SUPPORT H.R. 848.

Here are a few of the mis-truths corporate radio commercials are claiming:

  • This is a tax on radio stations. (No, it’s a royalty payment to performers.)
  • The money will go to big overseas record companies. (Only so that it can be distributed to the performers.)
  • This will kill independent radio stations. (Small, independent stations have an exemption.)

What really steams me is that this last argument was being made this morning on KDAL, a news station. Seriously! When was the last time KDAL played music?

There’s a pretty good op-ed on the Huffington Post today by Dionne Warwick about the bill. (She feels that the lack of performance royalties has hit black artists particularly hard.) The article can be found here.

Again, please call or e-mail your Reps and Senators to support H.R. 848, or at least call out the radio stations when they run their misinformation campaigns.


Music

Heh.

Jul 28, 2009 6 Comments

From the Star Tribune.

Capture


Random

Second season of comedy series

Jul 15, 2009 No Comments

Hello. I am interested in scheduling some pre-production meetings for the second season of an independent web-based comedy series. The catalyst for the series is from the first season, about a failed writer and actor who had the misfortune his old college roommate hiring a documentary crew to follow him around for a week. This week caused him great embarrassment, termination from his job, and eviction from his apartment. Worst of all, it gave him a false sense of stardom. This series picks up after the incidents of that week. The character seeks a fresh start, and tries to get his ‘reality show’ back online with no knowledge of video production, no budget, and no direction other than his preposterous ambition of launching a dramatic/action film career.

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Art, Videos

DNTV Showcases Murder Victim’s Blood

Jul 13, 2009 41 Comments

In what is perhaps a new low for the Duluth News Tribune, the DNT’s website just posted its first-ever “DNTV Special Report” in which Executive Editor Rob Karwath basically reads the paper’s earlier story about last night’s murder in Duluth’s Central Hillside, apparently as an excuse to show what did not run in either the newspaper or on the website’s text version of the story: a photograph of the crime scene with large pools of the victim’s blood.

In the video, Karwath narrates as the photo appears not just once, but over and over again, interspersed with other photos from the crime scene. Apparently, it is unethical to print the victim’s name at this sensitive time for his friends and family. But it is perfectly OK to showcase photos of the blood that came out of his fatally damaged head.

In addition to the DNTV piece, which at least does not allow comments, there is the text story, which unfortunately has comments open. At the time of this posting, there are 43 comments, which vacillate between racist, asinine comments about the type of person who lives in Duluth’s Central Hillside, and commentary about the shocking disrespect which is allowed to run rampant in our hometown’s newspaper of record.

I ask this, openly of everyone involved with the DNT and the news media in general: Is this how you would have handled this story if the victim were one of your own loved ones? Do you actually think that any of this is ethical?

I’d also like to know what the PDD community thinks of this specific issue. People bitch about the DNT on this site frequently, and even sometimes unfairly. But on this specific topic, I’d like to know what people think.

Personally, I think it’s disgusting. I would link to the video for you, but that would only give them exactly what they are transparently after.


Uncategorized ,

Family problems?

Jul 08, 2009 3 Comments

Boyz II Dadz is hosting another FREE FAMILY LAW clinic, next week because …

Unfortunately, this ….
images - j & k cuddle

sometimes turns to this …

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Recommendations ,

finally!

Jun 30, 2009 No Comments

crazy m.b.

check out this excellent post over at dumpbachmann.com on the MSM’s years of silence on Minnesota’s #1 whack-job  here.


Politics ,

Nokomis in Wall Street Journal

Jun 29, 2009 11 Comments

Nokomis, the restaurant on the North Shore between the French and Knife rivers, gets play in the Wall Street Journal:

Dinner Deep in Walleye Territory

The premise of the piece? “There’s good eats in places other than New York and L.A.” What do we learn from it? “Walleye is a very big deal hereabouts.” In any case, congrats to Nokomis for the (IMO, deserved) recognition.


Restaurants , ,

Green Brief 7

Jun 24, 2009 No Comments

“Mousavi and Khatami’s offices have told their supporters to use a different tactic to get their demands by going to the bazaars with their families everyday starting Tuesday at 9 and not buy anything at all. If anyone is to ask them, they’re to say they’re there to shop.”

Read more.


News and Current Affairs

Helpful American

Jun 20, 2009 No Comments

logo

“Injured protests are confirmed to be being removed from hospitals and taken away.” [ https://twitter.com/ProtesterHelp ]

Proxy Info | Anonymous Iran | Tehran 24 | Tatsuma’s Iran Update
Green Brief 6 | Green Wave Info | Hackers Without Borders


News and Current Affairs

Father’s Day

Jun 18, 2009 3 Comments

animal dads

Some father’s day notes …

I read this great book (above) to my daughter at the dentist’s office yesterday. Working with fathers for my “real” job, I notice these things like how medical offices are decorated and set up, many are very friendly to mothers (great), but some are a little daunting for dads (too bad). It’s wonderful that in addition to providing great quality and accessible health care, the Lake Superior Community Health Center also makes an extra little effort like this to make dads feel comfortable and welcome at their kids’ appointments.

I read a lot of books for kids and adults about dads, this book was really great I had never seen it before. I think it would make a good father’s day gift for a dad of school age kids, or one who appreciates crafty art like Steve Jenkins’ paper cut images in the book ….

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Art, News and Current Affairs, Recommendations ,

Video Equipment Scouting

Jun 09, 2009 2 Comments

Hello,

My name is Rob Larson, and I posted a couple of weeks ago about compiling a name list for future video production work in the Twin Ports. I currently live and work in the Milwaukee area, and I am moving with my wife to Duluth in a couple of weeks.

My business partner and I are taking inventory of our equipment and deciding what I will be bringing with me to Duluth. We currently use all sorts of fun stuff: Green screens, dolly tracks, the FigRig, the Sony HVR-V1U, updated NLE studios and editing bays, etc…

I would like to get a sense of the equipment available in the area, as well as who’s who in Twin Ports video production. I plan to hold a meeting in July to become better acquainted with individuals who would like to have steady commercial and narrative production work.  

Anyway, I would like to leave most of our equipment in the Milwaukee studio, but I can’t service any of our increasing number of Twin Ports clients without good equipment. So this post is to ask, “who has what?” 

[email protected]


Art, Videos

Cover Story: Gay Getaways & Duluth

Jun 08, 2009 24 Comments

gay-getaways

Somewhat difficult to find the story online, but click the picture and that will get you started, anyway.


Uncategorized

DNT Watch: Headline changes, but little else

Jun 03, 2009 36 Comments

dnt-edison-article-search-cropped1

Yesterday the Duluth News Tribune online version printed an article on Edison Schools which is listed in the search above. I am not sure if it was in the paper version or not, because I rarely read that except for the headlines when I see the paper, or on weekends. And yes, I do subscribe, weekends only, but I want to support the paper especially for the many fine people I know and care about who work there.

So in the search that I screen-shotted (if that’s a proper term) above I noticed two articles on the same report on Edison schools. The thing is … it’s the same article. So they changed the headline, good. But there is no retraction, no correction, and the article’s substance is essentially the same: no more analysis, interviews, or balance brought to the piece. I am not a journalist by any means, but for me, this doesn’t really pass the smell test. I mean there are, I suppose, a thousand or more families in this community involved in Edison schools and maybe a couple thousand more at other area and regional charter schools. That should be enough people who are affected to get the story out properly in a balanced and factual manner, shouldn’t it? And if not then I say don’t cover it at all because something this critical of an organization requires level headed reporting in order to be responsible.

A final note … anyone who clicks on the new “version” won’t see all of the critical comments from me and nearly a dozen other readers on the first piece. Naturally, they weren’t included in the update. Thin skinned much DNT?


Uncategorized

“I’ll give you a medal if you get out alive.”

May 28, 2009 28 Comments

“You’ll never see another town like Duluth.  It’s not a tourist destination, but it probably should be.  Depends what season you’re in there, though.  There are only two seasons:  damp and cold.  I like the way the hills tumble to the waterfront and the way the wind blows around the grain elevators. The train yards go on forever, too.  It’s old-age industrial, that’s what it is.  You’ll see it from the top of the hill for miles and miles before you get there.  You won’t believe your eyes.  I’ll give you a medal if you get out alive.”

Bob Dylan,
Rolling Stone #1078, May 14, 2009


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