Posts by Dan Haugen

Bruce Springsteen, Arcade Fire endorse Obama; Hold Steady and Plastic Constellations next?

I read an article on MTV.com yesterday that made me smile and want to throw a fist in the air. It’s about some dudes from Minneapolis who came up with a concept “that could possibly change music forever.” All over a case of beer [...]

Chemists in Japan have figured out a way to sequester carbon emissions into a polycarbonate plastic that could be used to make compact discs or DVDs.

The breakthrough was reported at the 235th annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. The Inhabitat blog notes that much of the discussion around carbon sequestration has focused on finding [...]

Minneapolis City Councilman Cam Gordon writes on his Second Ward blog about the city’s resolution supporting this week’s Human Rights Torch Relay between the University of Minnesota and the state Capitol: “This is part of an international effort to help raise awareness about and change the inhumane, unjust and oppressive practices of the Chinese government… [...]

The Government Accountability Office says stolen military equipment is turning up for sale on Web sites including eBay and Craigslist. A report released Thursday raises concerns that the not-for-public items might be sold to enemies, who could take them apart, figure out how they work, and use it against us. For more, watch the video [...]

A round-up of headlines from neighborhood newspapers

The sign over Northeast’s Hollywood Theater marquee these days is looking a bit like a hockey player’s smile. The ‘Y’ has gone missing, and the other letters look like they’ve taken some punches, too. Residents in the Audubon Park neighborhood, off Johnson Street and 29th Avenue, have been trying [...]

Cat and dog owners in Minneapolis are required by law to license their pets with the city before the animals turn 4 months old. In reality few pay the fee, and it’s largely unenforced. Of the estimated 107,000 dogs in the city, only 9,007 were licensed last year, according to Minneapolis Animal Care & Control. [...]

As a rookie home brewer, I wasn’t happy to see this headline from MSNBC: “Beer lovers beware of global warming; Growing malting barley is gonna get tougher, expert warns.” Regional droughts and flooding have already spiked the price of hops. Now, news that barley will likely be in shorter supply as a big grower, Australia, [...]

After decades of sewer upgrades, the city of Minneapolis didn’t experience any raw sewage overflows into the Mississippi River in 2007. The accomplishment is highlighted in the city’s newly released, annual environmental self-report card called the GreenPrint.

Because of how some cities’ rainfall and sewage drains were originally designed, heavy rainfall can overflow from one into [...]

The Minneapolis City Council is due this morning to discuss public comments on the “Framework for the Future,” a draft plan on how the city should proceed with community engagement after funding for the Neighborhood Revitalization Program expires next year.

The comments are posted on a city website here. At first glance, they appear to mostly [...]

Remember that survey a few years back that named Minneapolis the most fun city in the country? Apparently, the reputation isn’t sticking, which is why Mayor R.T. Rybak says he wants the City Council to stay open-minded to the idea of extending bar closing time to 4 a.m. during this summer’s Republican National Convention.