Eponymous

Representative Tim Walz (D-MN) visited the high school where he taught before becoming the first public servant in the United States Congress. His visit was chronicled locally and nationally, setting the stage for today's battle. The arena is a "series of tubes" called "internets." The cage is the fence around the fourth estate. It's about to get biblical as David, played by Dan Linehan, weighing in as a 2005 graduate of St. Thomas University and representing the Mankato Free Press, takes on Goliath, evinced by Columbia University journalism professor Samuel Freedman and representing the New York Times. Officiating tonight's bout is perennial University of Minnesota senior Andrew Eggenberger. "Protect yer subjunctives boys, cuz i'm gonna let this one go 'til acute Carpal Tunnel gives one of y'all apoplexy. Let's get ready to journaaaaaaaaaaal!"

Continue reading ""Too wierd to live, too rare to die" - HST" »

Posted by Andrew Eggenberger at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

"The type of behavior is disturbing," Douglas County Judge Michael Lucci said. "It's disturbing to the public. It's disturbing to the court." It is also breaking news from underpaved Benton, IA, all the way down under, and a cold shower for a town that was riding the soft-news panda through south Asia just days ago. Because virtually every news outlet published the canned AP article in its entirety, this might be a good opportunity to look at how a headline can affect the tone of a piece. Props go out to the montage master, Sergei Eisenstein, for 'nuff inspiration and who, incidentally, brutally slaughtered a bull to make a revolutionary statement.

Continue reading "Headline Case Study" »

Posted by Andrew Eggenberger at 12:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The premise of this article seems inane at first glance. After all, who would have cared what Michael Dukakis was doing with his time in 1990? (I was busy planning an assault on the technodrome in dimension-X) However, this article reveals and documents the cultural phenomenon of ostracizing losers, which has characterized the Democratic party in the past few decades. It also features reflective and interesting reporting. Plus, by giving a nod to the "also-rans," I'll feel like I'm doing Fritz a solid. See you at Kowalski's, Homey.

Continue reading "The Man who would be Kennedy" »

Posted by Andrew Eggenberger at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From headquarters:
Star Tribune article acknowlegdes the departure of colleague Steve Perry, editor of City Pages, who was often critical of Minneapolis' so-called minor-major. City pages devotes a cover story and supplement to the Strib's hasty and reportedly cheap sale.
From the trenches:
Steve Perry gets into a electro-mediated row with Monica Moses over a not-for-publication letter to the editor, which, to everyone's surprise *irony*, wound up on the local blogosphere.

Continue reading "Frats vs. Geeks" »

Posted by Andrew Eggenberger at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This article, on the precipitous rise of probiotic foods in the US marketplace, calls to mind the yogurt enemas of the old Battle Creek Sanitarium. It has taken about a century, but Kellogg's has finally brought an version to market that can be taken orally. Cheers.

Continue reading "John Harvey Kellogg Rides Again" »

Posted by Andrew Eggenberger at 2:17 PM | Permalink