New St. Paul Laws: Let’s Par-Tay Till 4 a.m.

Might the Republicans want to drink until 4 a.m. at their convention in St. Paul in the summer? Some legislators there think so.

In a proposal being considered in the Minnesota House, the last call for alcohol would be pushed back two hours from the usual 2 a.m. for all establishments within a 10-mile radius of the convention site.

The sponsors hope to spur spending at the convention from Sept. 1 to 4 — and also to make the Twin Cities metropolitan region seem “more sophisticated,” as one lawmaker put it.

“Las Vegas is open all night long, and New Orleans is open till dawn,” said Representative Phyllis Kahn, a Minneapolis Democrat who is a co-sponsor of the proposal. “I spend a lot of time in cities like New York and Montreal, and they all seem to have later drinking times.”

The change, which would last roughly 11 days and require suspending a state law, would also allow liquor sales on Sundays. A business that objects to the change would be free to close at 2 a.m. “The 2 a.m. closing hour is actually pretty common,” Ms. Kahn said. “But Paris and London barely have closing times at all.”

Ms. Kahn said she wanted her area to seem at least as sophisticated as other American cities.

“Somebody asked me if I was going to stay up until 4 a.m. partying,” she said.

The answer was no.

Article here

Never Again

Yesterday while on campus for a doctors appointment I got my free Influenza shot. Flu shots are new to me. Last year was the first time I'd ever received one. I don't know if they were just less prevalent in the Bay Area. I don't ever remember being offered a free flu shot. I also don't remember shots at Target in California. Maybe they were there, and I was just oblivious to them. Two winters ago I did not receive a shot, and about half through the winter the worst flu I've ever experienced hit me. I was out for a week, mostly unconscious, when not projectile vomiting. I wasn't going to repeat that same mistake and have been quick to get my shots.

Yesterday I was suffering all day of the post-shot flu, cloudy head, but by bed time I was feeling much better. Today I learn that the reason the flu is so common in Minnesota is because it's so damn cold. The NYTimes states:

“Influenza virus is more likely to be transmitted during winter on the way to the subway than in a warm room,” said Peter Palese, a flu researcher who is professor and chairman of the microbiology department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the lead author of the flu study.

We don't have the subway here, and the light rail is nowhere near as warm as the subway, but we do know cold. Although yesterdays grogginess was a discomfort, I'm a big fan of flu shots for all.

Introduction and Al Franken in NYTimes.

Frost-Bite is a long time coming. I've been in Minneapolis for sometime now, and my keen observation skills are best served with a forum to explore them in. Frost-Bite will allow me an opportunity to share what exactly it is I see around me: my frustrations and my appreciation of MN culture. I carry my BlackBerry Pearl everywhere I go, and with it I'm a equipped with a perfect camera phone to chronicle the World around me.

In Frost-Bite you'll find photos taken with Pearl - who has taken on an identity of herself, and at times, I'll probably refer to her as such - and a PowerShot a95. Frost-bite will also include video-blogs and short videos that should candidly capture some highlights. I plan on profiling and featuring some of my current favorite and newly discovered jewels of the Midwest. My writings won't be strictly limited to, but will emphasize Twin Cities culture. I know I spend far too much time in the Cities and not enough time exploring what else is offered out in Minnesota and the Midwest.

Frost-Bite will also include concert and music reviews of local artists and visiting musicians to the Twin Cities. Minnesotans love all aspects of the arts. My biggest joy in the Twin Cities is the fine art scene: newly released independent films or re-released classics, all genres of music performed, and theater. Although I do enjoy visual arts and museums, I'm not very educated in the subject. Basically, I know what I do and don't like.

People are really my thing, so a lot of my commentary will be made regarding interpersonal and larger social interactions. Some will be vents. Please don't take offense to these. Most will be thought out political and sociological commentary on my experience and observations. I may juxtapose article from afar and the many quality local publications.

Now that we know a little more about what to expect, I hope what I enjoy what I have to say, at the very least it will make you think, and what better way to start than my thoughts on the NYTimes article on Al Franken's candidacy for the Norm Coleman's United States Senate seat.

Al Franken's candidacy has been intriguing to me since he first announced last February. Beyond his obvious progressive-bent politics, I just don't know what he stands for, and I'm not sure most Minnesotans do, either and that is why he's spent so much time introducing himself to Minnesota this year. Franken is still viewed as a Minnesotan, more brash than most, but he is still one of their own. I know from experience this means a lot to people here. Just bring up the Coen Brothers, Bob Dylan or F. Scott Fitzgerald and you can't help but be inundated with the résumé of the local hero. Never mind that both Fitzgerald and Dylan hit the road and rarely looked back.

Norm Coleman will never seem to be viewed as a Minnesotan by the masses, but his formally centrist leading Republican politics plays well with the middle of the road state political spectrum. Now that Coleman's politics have become synonymous with George Bush's failed politics he is more than ever vulnerable to more left leaning politicians. If Franken is able to connect with Minnesotans as a true down home Minnesotan and not a Hollywood Big Shot, I think he has a great chance. His brashness is a bit extreme and outside the norms here, but his passion for helping the common man finds a home in the hearts of most everyone I've met in Minnesota. As I said, I'm still not sure what I think about what the details of how he is going to help the common man, but I look forward to learning more in the coming months. I do know I enjoyed Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. I'm keeping an eye on the other candidates and will be sure to have later entries exploring them.

Welcome!