Martin Hertz
@martinhertz.com
I discovered Seam and Spent a year or two after this. So wish I could have seen them touring together in small venues.
November 2, 2025 at 4:42 PM
I discovered Seam and Spent a year or two after this. So wish I could have seen them touring together in small venues.
At least you have lots of pockets to put them in?
October 2, 2025 at 1:50 AM
At least you have lots of pockets to put them in?
"...The Lord of the Rings. Written long before the popular film series, the essay critically examines Tolkien’s novels and comments on the nature of fictional creation. Mills argues that Tolkien designs a racial hierarchy in the novels that recapitulates the central racist myth of European thought."
September 6, 2025 at 2:50 AM
"...The Lord of the Rings. Written long before the popular film series, the essay critically examines Tolkien’s novels and comments on the nature of fictional creation. Mills argues that Tolkien designs a racial hierarchy in the novels that recapitulates the central racist myth of European thought."
I can't remember where I got my copy of the essay, but the abridged abstract is "This previously- unpublished essay by the late Charles W. Mills (1951–2021) seeks to demonstrate the racially- structured character of the universe created
by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Hobbit..."
by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Hobbit..."
September 6, 2025 at 2:50 AM
I can't remember where I got my copy of the essay, but the abridged abstract is "This previously- unpublished essay by the late Charles W. Mills (1951–2021) seeks to demonstrate the racially- structured character of the universe created
by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Hobbit..."
by J. R. R. Tolkien in The Hobbit..."
The essay, "The Wretched of Middle-Earth: An Orkish Manifesto" by Charles W. Mills, opened my eyes to this. I couldn't find a non-paywalled copy of the essay, but found this discussion of it: metahistory.substack.com/p/the-wretch...
"The Wretched of Middle-Earth"
Charles Mills and J. R. R. Tolkien
metahistory.substack.com
September 6, 2025 at 2:50 AM
The essay, "The Wretched of Middle-Earth: An Orkish Manifesto" by Charles W. Mills, opened my eyes to this. I couldn't find a non-paywalled copy of the essay, but found this discussion of it: metahistory.substack.com/p/the-wretch...
The MN "Only One True Line" culture is so weird.
Last week, my spouse was concerned that the line at Sweet Martha's was too long. I walked 20 ft to the side of the building, where I was immediately second in line. This all happened *while the workers yelled at people to line up more efficiently.*
Last week, my spouse was concerned that the line at Sweet Martha's was too long. I walked 20 ft to the side of the building, where I was immediately second in line. This all happened *while the workers yelled at people to line up more efficiently.*
September 1, 2025 at 11:00 PM
The MN "Only One True Line" culture is so weird.
Last week, my spouse was concerned that the line at Sweet Martha's was too long. I walked 20 ft to the side of the building, where I was immediately second in line. This all happened *while the workers yelled at people to line up more efficiently.*
Last week, my spouse was concerned that the line at Sweet Martha's was too long. I walked 20 ft to the side of the building, where I was immediately second in line. This all happened *while the workers yelled at people to line up more efficiently.*
When people try to diminish systemic problems by saying it's just "a few bad apples," I always ask, "So, the good apples were just sitting around and cool with what the bad apples were doing?"
Good apples have agency!
Good apples have agency!
August 22, 2025 at 3:20 AM
When people try to diminish systemic problems by saying it's just "a few bad apples," I always ask, "So, the good apples were just sitting around and cool with what the bad apples were doing?"
Good apples have agency!
Good apples have agency!
- dress in so many MN-related wearables (state-shaped patches on hats, "oof da" t-shirts, etc.)
- embrace the outdoors in winter
- mispronounce "Las Vegas"
- freeze up at 4-way stop if other drivers within 100 feet in any direction
- lay claim to "Minnesota nice" when it's a broadly midwestern trait
- embrace the outdoors in winter
- mispronounce "Las Vegas"
- freeze up at 4-way stop if other drivers within 100 feet in any direction
- lay claim to "Minnesota nice" when it's a broadly midwestern trait
August 15, 2025 at 2:03 AM
- dress in so many MN-related wearables (state-shaped patches on hats, "oof da" t-shirts, etc.)
- embrace the outdoors in winter
- mispronounce "Las Vegas"
- freeze up at 4-way stop if other drivers within 100 feet in any direction
- lay claim to "Minnesota nice" when it's a broadly midwestern trait
- embrace the outdoors in winter
- mispronounce "Las Vegas"
- freeze up at 4-way stop if other drivers within 100 feet in any direction
- lay claim to "Minnesota nice" when it's a broadly midwestern trait
Bring Me the News is saying 10:00 PM for Minneapolis.
July 28, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Bring Me the News is saying 10:00 PM for Minneapolis.
The one exception is Alpana Singh, who appears in the most recent season. She hosted a local PBS show called "Check, Please!" in the 2000s, which played a significant role in my social cohort's understanding that there was whole world of interesting and accessible food to seek out in the city.
July 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
The one exception is Alpana Singh, who appears in the most recent season. She hosted a local PBS show called "Check, Please!" in the 2000s, which played a significant role in my social cohort's understanding that there was whole world of interesting and accessible food to seek out in the city.
The one thing that hasn't clicked with me is the cameos by locally/nationally famous chefs, as well as the interiors of fancy restaurants. Wasn't my thing when I lived there, but I know that world exists.
July 23, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The one thing that hasn't clicked with me is the cameos by locally/nationally famous chefs, as well as the interiors of fancy restaurants. Wasn't my thing when I lived there, but I know that world exists.
I know people like the Fac (?) brothers, though they are not as common as the show might make you think.
July 23, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I know people like the Fac (?) brothers, though they are not as common as the show might make you think.
It's organic. If you're from Chicago, you know exactly where the fictional restaurant is, the restaurant that inspired it, the area the Bears' family is from; you lived in an apartment just like Sid's. You'd default to disliking Josh Hartnett's character based on his neighborhood and townhouse.
July 23, 2025 at 7:01 PM
It's organic. If you're from Chicago, you know exactly where the fictional restaurant is, the restaurant that inspired it, the area the Bears' family is from; you lived in an apartment just like Sid's. You'd default to disliking Josh Hartnett's character based on his neighborhood and townhouse.
IMO, Minnesota drivers struggle to cope with stop signs. Broken traffic lights just exacerbate the problem.
June 11, 2025 at 12:53 AM
IMO, Minnesota drivers struggle to cope with stop signs. Broken traffic lights just exacerbate the problem.
Don’t get me wrong. I *want* a city government I can trust in trying times. It’s just not this administration.
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Don’t get me wrong. I *want* a city government I can trust in trying times. It’s just not this administration.
When Frey says his administration will fight with “facts and evidence, not panic and confusion,” his track record tells us he is incapable of doing this effectively. He’s a part of the problem, not a part of the solution
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
When Frey says his administration will fight with “facts and evidence, not panic and confusion,” his track record tells us he is incapable of doing this effectively. He’s a part of the problem, not a part of the solution
Finally, when Derick Chavin killed George Floyd, the initial Minneapolis Police press release framed it as "man dies after medical incident during police interaction."
How Minneapolis Police first described the murder of George Floyd, and what we know now | CNN
The original press release is worth revisiting to understand the ways that police statements can hide the truth with a mix of passive language, blatant omissions and mangled sense of timing.
www.cnn.com
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Finally, when Derick Chavin killed George Floyd, the initial Minneapolis Police press release framed it as "man dies after medical incident during police interaction."
And there was that time O'Hara denied he was involved in hiring an officer who had been previously charged with assault while on duty in another city. The officer *and the police federation* then called out the chief for lying.
Minneapolis police chief denies he lied about Timberlake hiring
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara clarified Sunday what he knew about a controversial officer hire after a leaked email from the officer accused the chief of lying. Tyler Timberlake was hired in J...
www.fox9.com
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
And there was that time O'Hara denied he was involved in hiring an officer who had been previously charged with assault while on duty in another city. The officer *and the police federation* then called out the chief for lying.
Oh, and Frey was the one who explicitly changed MPD policy to allow for less effective discipline, even though he consistently presents himself as pro-reform.
Mayor, chief quietly codified change to discipline policy in police manual • Minnesota Reformer
The Minneapolis Police Department police and procedure manual was quietly updated on New Year's Eve to remove a requirement that cops be disciplined for misconduct.
minnesotareformer.com
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Oh, and Frey was the one who explicitly changed MPD policy to allow for less effective discipline, even though he consistently presents himself as pro-reform.
After “coaching” came under scrutiny as an ineffective and dishonest disciplinary method, city officials claimed it was used for minor policy violations. Only after a lawsuit was it revealed that MPD had for years used "coaching" to avoid disciplining more serious offenses.
MPD 'coached' officers for serious violations, despite years of saying it did not
After years of insisting that “coaching” was only used for minor policy violations at the Minneapolis Police Department, court records now reveal that’s not true.
kstp.com
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
After “coaching” came under scrutiny as an ineffective and dishonest disciplinary method, city officials claimed it was used for minor policy violations. Only after a lawsuit was it revealed that MPD had for years used "coaching" to avoid disciplining more serious offenses.
In March, Frey said that he and the city are "committed to the important work of police reform." Reform has been a consistent theme for him. Back in 2021, he campaigned on banning no-knock warrants. It took Amir Locke getting killed in a raid for Frey to admit he had misled the public.
Minneapolis Mayor Frey Admits To Being Misleading On 'No-Knock' Policy Changes
"Language became more casual, including my own, which did not reflect the necessary precision or nuance. And I own that," Mayor Jacob Frey said.
www.cbsnews.com
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
In March, Frey said that he and the city are "committed to the important work of police reform." Reform has been a consistent theme for him. Back in 2021, he campaigned on banning no-knock warrants. It took Amir Locke getting killed in a raid for Frey to admit he had misled the public.
Speaking of Moturi, before he was shot, O'Hara said he had been getting updates on the situation every day. However, on the day of the shooting, O'Hara had to ask someone, "Who is this guy?" He didn't know who the perpetrator or the victim was, even though he claimed to be on top of the situation.
You can read the full results of our data requests here, showing how city leadership, including Frey and Commissioner Todd Barnette sent no texts and made no phone calls in the critical days after Moturi was shot.
bit.ly/MorturiDataR...
bit.ly/MorturiDataR...
June 6, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Speaking of Moturi, before he was shot, O'Hara said he had been getting updates on the situation every day. However, on the day of the shooting, O'Hara had to ask someone, "Who is this guy?" He didn't know who the perpetrator or the victim was, even though he claimed to be on top of the situation.