• A Sventabulous Time!

    Kathryn Savage

    What is it about Sven Sundgaard? All the other news anchors are just news anchors; chipper, vaguely good looking, with the ability to pull off a solid color pantsuit. But Sven, there’s just something about him. Is it his frighteningly tan skin, regardless of season? His petite faux-hawk, nice pec muscles, and suspicious gayness? What…

  • Logging Those Frequent Diner Miles

    Jeremy Iggers

    What’s next, green stamps? With the cost of food and dining going up, and the economy going down, restaurants are scrambling to find new ways of keeping diners coming in the doors. Both Parasole, Inc. and the Twin Cities Originals have recently introduced customer loyalty programs that use member cards to track purchases and reward…

  • Downtown Militarized Zone

    Rich Goldsmith

    Photos by India Bell Hard to believe that as recently as Sunday, downtown Saint Paul was a bucolic paradise ringed in chain link, the peace kept by strapping young men with plastic handcuffs. Sadly, the photos below didn’t jibe with the reality of yesterday’s protests. While Minnesota’s, and the nation’s, eyes should’ve been turned to…

  • Rake Against the Machine

    Todd J. Smith

    Andy Stern, the president of the Service Employees International Union, has the rugged good looks of a guy who’s been in his fair share of scraps. With his bawdy East Coast accent and bulging nose, he’s definitely not a man to mess with. When he got up on stage at the press conference for the…

  • Sexy Librarian Makes Me Stupid

    Chris Birt

    A few days ago I had an allergic reaction to Obama’s acceptance speech. I have not changed my mind about Obama, but I have also quickly learned the perils of speaking out of my butt too fast–which is essentially the origin of most political commentary offered without the baptism of time and experience. I should…

  • A Rakish Interview: Big Quarters

    Max Ross

    In the Jasmine Deli, Zach and Brandon Bagaason – the brothers that constitute the rapper/producer team Big Quarters – don’t mess with the menu. Regulars well-acquainted with the selection at this Vietnamese spot on Eat Street, they ordered without consulting the dual-language laminated pages. Regularity, it might be said, is what defines Big Quarters –…