Furst Draft

Wonder what happened to the Chocolate Twist?

Today's Answer Man column is especially dazzling: It leads with an item on the Chocolate Twist, then meanders through a report on Mitt Romney's wealth, how to get a broken iPhone fixed and more on why you get a good vibration from the downtown Barnes & Noble in Rochester. Talk about value-added!

Today's front page

Today's front page: Two Red Wing brothers survived the Red Bull Crashed Ice extravaganza last week and made it onto the U.S. nationals team; what's the delay in the new Buffalo Wild Wings, planned for the Crossroads area; and state jobless rate continues to drop.

It’s time: 5 reasons to put up a metered paywall | Poynter.

Here's something that we're considering...a "metered" paywall similar to the New York Times, Star Tribune and hundreds of others. What do you think?

It’s time: 5 reasons to put up a metered paywall | Poynter..

What's the pledge that lawmakers were asked to sign?

Today in Answer Man: What was the "pledge" that some people wanted legislators to sign, Wednesday night at the P-B Dialogues event, and who was distributing it? Also, why does the earth move in the Barnes & Noble in downtown RST?

Today's front

Today on the front page: Real estate sales improved in Roch area last year; Perry is quitting the GOP race; we'll actually get snow tomorrow; Second St. institutions get hit with assessments. #rochmn

'Internet battle is all about money'

The Answer Man touched a nerve with this reader today. FYI, our columns typically don't get posted for two days after print publication, but in this case, we'll put Answer Man outside the paywall, since the issue is timely today.

Here's the email:

Dear Answer Man:

I am emailing you to say that I am very disappointed in your "Internet Battle is all about money" article that appeared in the Post Bulletin today, January 18, 2012.
I feel that you really made light of very serious legislation being proposed.

Wikipedia is a a not-for-profit website, funded solely from donations, so how can this issue simply be "Just about money"?

I feel that your column didn't show both sides of the issue, and really downplayed the possible censorship possibilities from SOPA and PIPA.

Being that you work for a newspaper, I am surprised that you made light of legislation that could threaten free speech.

This link has quotes from a New York Times writer, and our Secretary of State regarding SOPA and PIPA:
http://americancensorship.org/#quotes

Comparing SOPA and PIPA to Nigerian scams?

Really????

Way to really downplay some very serious legislation that could have chilling effects to the Internet itself.

-Chris Wroblewski

Here's how the Answer Man responded:

Thanks for this and I'l add to the record on Friday (in shorter form) -- everything I read about the issue from mainstream news sources, as opposed to Reddit or the Hollywood Tattler, says people have gone off the deep end at both ends...i's still legislative in process, and in fact on "life-support," according to a story today...and no doubt it's primarily about money (like most things), not speech.

Now, if you wanted to take me to task for working for a media company that may or may not care about this issue, that's another matter...I'm not aware that anyone in our organization has tuned in, though.

Regarding Wikipedia, there are a ton of nonprofits on the "strike" list, including OccupyMN...that doesn't mean the legislation isn't primarily about for-profits.

The A-Man also added after the fact, in a personal aside, that it's not quite right to say it's not about left vs. right...there's a lot of "left" in the hysteria that's being generated on this issue.

Big news for opera lovers

Can't resist posting this release regarding the Lyric Opera's plans for next season -- they'll finally get Netrebko to Chicago, for "La Boheme." Warm up my seats, please!

Lyric Opera of Chicago Announces Its 2012-13 Season
 
Lyric’s 58th Season Features Nine Operas: Elektra, Simon Boccanegra, Werther, Don Pasquale, Hansel and Gretel, La bohème, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Rigoletto, and A Streetcar Named Desire,
 October 6, 2012 Through April 6, 2013
 
Reduced Prices for Families and Students for Selected Performances,
 40% Discount for Subscribers, and a Recital by Renée Fleming and Susan Graham
 
Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, announced yesterday the repertoire, principal singers, conductors, directors, and designers for Lyric’s 2012-13 season. This was Freud’s first news conference since becoming Lyric’s general director on Oct. 1, 2011. Joining Freud for yesterday’s announcement was Sir Andrew Davis, Lyric’s music director, and Renée Fleming, Lyric’s creative consultant (via Skype).
 
Lyric’s 58th season features 68 performances of nine different operas: Elektra, Simon Boccanegra, Werther, Don Pasquale, Hansel and Gretel, La bohème, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Rigoletto, and A Streetcar Named Desire. The season runs from October 6, 2012 through April 6, 2013 at the Civic Opera House, an art deco landmark in Chicago. Lyric is staging new productions of Elektra, Werther, and Die Meistersinger, as well as a special presentation of Streetcar. Oklahoma!, the American musical-theater classic by Rodgers and Hammerstein, is scheduled for the spring of 2013, following Lyric’s regular season. Subscribers will get first choice of seats and special pricing for this production. The on-sale date and production details of Oklahoma! will be announced later.
 
Major artists making their Lyric debuts in the 2012-13 season include Christine Goerke (Elektra), Krassimira Stoyanova (Simon Boccanegra), Sophie Koch (Werther), Anna Netrebko and Dimitri Pittas (La bohème), Andrzej Dobber, Željko Lučić, and Albina Shagimuratova (Rigoletto), and Teddy Tahu Rhodes (A Streetcar Named Desire). Two young conductors make their Lyric debuts on the podium: Ward Stare (Hansel and Gretel) and Evan Rogister (Rigoletto, Streetcar); and chorus master Martin Wright is new to the company this season.

 

Join us for an insider's view on the Capitol

Apologies for ignoring my blog since Christmas vacation...it's just way too easy to use Facebook and Twitter instead! But I hearby flaggelate myself and promise to do better.

Tonight at the Rochester Public Library, for one precious hour, we'll have just about all the local and area legislators at the head table for our P-B Dialogues forum. Begins at 6:30 p.m. and it's a chance for you to ask questions and get answers on key issues heading into the legislative session.

Reporter Heather Carlson will join me and write the story for Thursday. I'll add some notes here as well.

If you can't make it, post a question here and I'll bring it along.

 

Today on the front page: Rochester schools OK with cellphones for students; mother of 18-year-old found dead in car early Sunday morning shares memories of him, as investigation continues; squad cars collide in N.W. Roch.