It's not the fact that the teens stupidly featured filming themselves being little pissant thugs pushing down unsuspecting walkers and bikers near the Minneapolis greenway are apparently Somali - any other race or nationality would be just as stupid for featuring their juvenile hijinks on video - it's the fact that they did it in the first place. Here's an idea: if you don't want to pigeonholed as a bunch of ingrateful little shits and troublemakers who, based on this video, seem destined for a life bouncing in and out of the jail system do something with your teenage years. Get a job. Volunteer in your community. Build some goodwill.
But the problem goes beyond just that. I'm guilty of it too but I prefer, in my daily business, to deal with people whose accents aren't so thick that I can't understand what they are saying. Chalk it up to my hurried lifestyle or the fact that, even though my grandpa himself was an immigrant from Denmark and probably faced at least some level of discrimination, I harbor at least some level of racism. There are bad apples in every racial or nationality group but the little pricks in this video made the ultimate mistake. They outed themselves for the world to see just how damn stupid they are. I hope that they are punished for what they did and I hope that this serves as a wake-up call for these kids and doesn't leave them further resenting the culture of Minnesota which they likely feel that they are outcasts in.
If you want something less controversial, check out MinnPics. A photographic tour through all corners of Minnesota that's open 24 hours/day.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Belts of America
For many decades, portions of America have been identified by various "belts". These are large geographic areas of the country which share similar characteristics relating to geography, climate, inhabitants and a whole host of other items.
The accompanying graphic is by no means a comprehensive rundown of but I've done my research. Feel free to add other "belt" suggestions in the comments.
Then head to MinnPics later to see the freshest in Minnesota photography.
The accompanying graphic is by no means a comprehensive rundown of but I've done my research. Feel free to add other "belt" suggestions in the comments.
Then head to MinnPics later to see the freshest in Minnesota photography.
(11:10 AM: The newly updated map indicates newly discovered information that it is possible to be a perverted hillbilly who dabbles in/enjoys incestuous relationships)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sammy Sosa's bleached face and why Minnesota is better
Disgraced former Chicago Cubs slugger and steroid user Sammy Sosa seems to have Michael Jacksonitis. Yep, Sosa's once rather dark skin is moving towards that of a sun-deprived Irishman.
The fact that he's now basically two shades away from an albino leads to a ton of questions. Was Sammy Sosa involved in a bleach accident? Did Sosa vacation at some sort of reverse tanning spa/resort? Is Sammy Sosa trying to distance himself from his own race? Has his own race shunned him to the extent that he has to go find his own race because they don't want him any more?
Or, the more likely question, does his recently lightened pigmentation have something to do with his prolonged use of steroids? That particular reason is one of many which, in the 1990s, lead me to abandon baseball. I used to be a huge baseball (and basketball) fan. I even subscribed to The Sporting News back when it was a weekly newspaper. When it moved towards a magazine I quickly dumped it but the damage had already been done to my favorite sports. The players got greedier and the owners got greedier. Both major league baseball and the NBA had strikes or lockouts which ruined entire seasons.
When the greed of pro sports meant that the World Series was cancelled one year and another year the NBA played a severely shortened season, I was quickly done with it all. Sure, after the turn of the century I was back to going to Minnesota Twins baseball games but it's only because the Minnesota Twins players don't show their greed. They play for much less than they would make with other teams and the Minnesota Twins were mostly absent from baseball's steroid era of the 1990s but this also meant that they were overlooked for about a decade as roided up jackasses like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds broke homerun records year after year while their testicles shriveled to the size of tiny raisins.
And where has all that greed and steroid use gotten those players? They are no longer in the game and many view those 1990s and early 21st century homerun records as false. They are tainted and the game is as well. And douchebags like Sammy Sosa are unemployed and flaunting his freakishly lightened skintone prompting nobodies like me to jump to conclusions, ask questions and remember why I'll only cheer for the Minnesota Twins today.
It's because things are in fact simpler here in Minnesota. That's what makes MinnPics unique too, a few photos about Minnesota each day taken by Minnesotans who love the state. Check it out today.
The fact that he's now basically two shades away from an albino leads to a ton of questions. Was Sammy Sosa involved in a bleach accident? Did Sosa vacation at some sort of reverse tanning spa/resort? Is Sammy Sosa trying to distance himself from his own race? Has his own race shunned him to the extent that he has to go find his own race because they don't want him any more?
Or, the more likely question, does his recently lightened pigmentation have something to do with his prolonged use of steroids? That particular reason is one of many which, in the 1990s, lead me to abandon baseball. I used to be a huge baseball (and basketball) fan. I even subscribed to The Sporting News back when it was a weekly newspaper. When it moved towards a magazine I quickly dumped it but the damage had already been done to my favorite sports. The players got greedier and the owners got greedier. Both major league baseball and the NBA had strikes or lockouts which ruined entire seasons.
When the greed of pro sports meant that the World Series was cancelled one year and another year the NBA played a severely shortened season, I was quickly done with it all. Sure, after the turn of the century I was back to going to Minnesota Twins baseball games but it's only because the Minnesota Twins players don't show their greed. They play for much less than they would make with other teams and the Minnesota Twins were mostly absent from baseball's steroid era of the 1990s but this also meant that they were overlooked for about a decade as roided up jackasses like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds broke homerun records year after year while their testicles shriveled to the size of tiny raisins.
And where has all that greed and steroid use gotten those players? They are no longer in the game and many view those 1990s and early 21st century homerun records as false. They are tainted and the game is as well. And douchebags like Sammy Sosa are unemployed and flaunting his freakishly lightened skintone prompting nobodies like me to jump to conclusions, ask questions and remember why I'll only cheer for the Minnesota Twins today.
It's because things are in fact simpler here in Minnesota. That's what makes MinnPics unique too, a few photos about Minnesota each day taken by Minnesotans who love the state. Check it out today.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Worst video editing job ever
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Sean Hannity Uses Glenn Beck's Protest Footage | ||||
| ||||
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Is innovation dead?
It's a vague question but in the current rather dire times where the economy seems to be stuck in neutral and you're supposed to "just be happy you have a job at all" it seems that innovation has taken a back seat to survival. When's the last time something at your place of employment was truly an innovation? When was the last time you saw truly innovative programming on one of the big four television networks?
Think about that last one for a minute. This is the year that gave us a second NCIS series on CBS. We were given a spinoff of the animated Family Guy series on FOX. NBC generously gave us a burned out and stale Jay Leno 90 minutes earlier and without a damn desk. ABC even dug up a series from the 80s and re-imagined it - and "V" is back again tonight, it's probably the one retread I actually like. They claim survival is the reason and that this is "what people actually want" but if they were actually in touch they'd know what we truly want or that we're only watching some of those rather pathetic offerings because it's the best of the worst. If they hadn't gone through multiple decades of greed and sure cash, they'd be more willing to innovate.
But it doesn't stop with television. Innovation seems to have come to a standstill in all forms of traditional venues. Radio, outside of The Current locally, sucks. Hell, saying that radio sucks is being generous. Radio, in all its sameness from sea to plastic-filled sea, is less innovative today than it was a decade ago and that's quite a feat.
Most of the blame for the sameness and lack of innovation from traditional venues is placed squarely on the internet. Yes, the internet is a great venue to try an idea for next to nothing in terms of monetary expense but the internet is also vast and can be rather tough to gain traction in terms of what could be considered a mass audience. I have found some success with MinnPics and its unique twist on a photo blog but that's even small potatoes. The big audiences, for whatever reason, still lie with those traditional venues. Maybe it's due to convenience. I can see that because the computer has yet to truly make its way in to the American living room and replace or meld with the television. That time is coming but it will take some level of innovation for a computer/TV hybrid to become mainstream. And then there's the connectivity issue - we're pretty much at the mercy, still, of the cable companies who control high speed internet access. Rather than offer truly high speed access at an affordable price, they price it high enough that it's still cheaper to shell out the bucks for cable television because streaming something full screen is jittery and full of more hiccups than Otis the drunk from good ole' Mayberry, R.F.D.
So while innovation isn't dead it is definitely being stifled by greater powers. After all, if there's money to be made on something old why on Earth would someone spend time, energy and money promoting, developing and being innovative with something new?
Speaking of new, MinnPics has some new photos posted today - even a couple discovered via Twitter. Check it out for yourself.
Think about that last one for a minute. This is the year that gave us a second NCIS series on CBS. We were given a spinoff of the animated Family Guy series on FOX. NBC generously gave us a burned out and stale Jay Leno 90 minutes earlier and without a damn desk. ABC even dug up a series from the 80s and re-imagined it - and "V" is back again tonight, it's probably the one retread I actually like. They claim survival is the reason and that this is "what people actually want" but if they were actually in touch they'd know what we truly want or that we're only watching some of those rather pathetic offerings because it's the best of the worst. If they hadn't gone through multiple decades of greed and sure cash, they'd be more willing to innovate.
But it doesn't stop with television. Innovation seems to have come to a standstill in all forms of traditional venues. Radio, outside of The Current locally, sucks. Hell, saying that radio sucks is being generous. Radio, in all its sameness from sea to plastic-filled sea, is less innovative today than it was a decade ago and that's quite a feat.
Most of the blame for the sameness and lack of innovation from traditional venues is placed squarely on the internet. Yes, the internet is a great venue to try an idea for next to nothing in terms of monetary expense but the internet is also vast and can be rather tough to gain traction in terms of what could be considered a mass audience. I have found some success with MinnPics and its unique twist on a photo blog but that's even small potatoes. The big audiences, for whatever reason, still lie with those traditional venues. Maybe it's due to convenience. I can see that because the computer has yet to truly make its way in to the American living room and replace or meld with the television. That time is coming but it will take some level of innovation for a computer/TV hybrid to become mainstream. And then there's the connectivity issue - we're pretty much at the mercy, still, of the cable companies who control high speed internet access. Rather than offer truly high speed access at an affordable price, they price it high enough that it's still cheaper to shell out the bucks for cable television because streaming something full screen is jittery and full of more hiccups than Otis the drunk from good ole' Mayberry, R.F.D.
So while innovation isn't dead it is definitely being stifled by greater powers. After all, if there's money to be made on something old why on Earth would someone spend time, energy and money promoting, developing and being innovative with something new?
Speaking of new, MinnPics has some new photos posted today - even a couple discovered via Twitter. Check it out for yourself.
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