Stock photo by Jeff Skrenes, crappy Pamiko propertyBlog post by John Hoff
The Mpls Mirror--which provides friendly reporting for notorious nutcase Al Flowers and the self-described "best friend" of one of the T.J. Waconia fraudsters, Jim Watkins of Texas--suddenly lost its reader comments function late today, without explanation.
Several loyal readers of THIS blog had been submitting comments to an article on the Mpls Mirror--the article being a crude hatchet-job faux-reporting op-ed gonzo piece written about myself, Hawthorne Housing Director Jeff Skrenes, and Realtor Connie Nompelis, when suddenly...
The ability to submit comments to the Mpls Mirror just--poof!--vanished.
This disappearance of the comments function happened not only on THAT particular article, but apparently on ALL the articles. (Not to say the Mpls Mirror has ever managed to put out THAT much content, compared to THIS blog) Now even old Mpls Mirror comments are not visible, the comments all appear to have disappeared.
This may be just a temporary glitch in the Word Press platform used by Mpls Mirror or...or...
Well, who knows? But it makes you wonder WHY BOTHER to comment on the Mpls Mirror, let alone read it. Meanwhile, on the Minneapolis Issues list, plenty of people have been letting loose on the Mpls Mirror, with the exception of Bill McGaughey, whose ability to identify a "premiere journalist" is about as well-developed as his ability to produce mayoral votes.
But, hey, if you can't get your comments printed on the Mpls Mirror, you can always come here to Johnny Northside Dot Com!
Several loyal readers of THIS blog had been submitting comments to an article on the Mpls Mirror--the article being a crude hatchet-job faux-reporting op-ed gonzo piece written about myself, Hawthorne Housing Director Jeff Skrenes, and Realtor Connie Nompelis, when suddenly...
The ability to submit comments to the Mpls Mirror just--poof!--vanished.
This disappearance of the comments function happened not only on THAT particular article, but apparently on ALL the articles. (Not to say the Mpls Mirror has ever managed to put out THAT much content, compared to THIS blog) Now even old Mpls Mirror comments are not visible, the comments all appear to have disappeared.
This may be just a temporary glitch in the Word Press platform used by Mpls Mirror or...or...
Well, who knows? But it makes you wonder WHY BOTHER to comment on the Mpls Mirror, let alone read it. Meanwhile, on the Minneapolis Issues list, plenty of people have been letting loose on the Mpls Mirror, with the exception of Bill McGaughey, whose ability to identify a "premiere journalist" is about as well-developed as his ability to produce mayoral votes.
But, hey, if you can't get your comments printed on the Mpls Mirror, you can always come here to Johnny Northside Dot Com!
12 comments:
I just happen to have all of the comments from that post. Here's the one you left, John.
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Jan 10, 2010 (23 hours ago)
Minneaplis Mirror--Errand Boy Of the T.J. Waconia Fraudsters
from Misadventures Of Johnny Northside: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
Another proud day (sarcasm font) for your not-very-influential Mpls Mirror blog which puts out so little content that, really, it's not worth checking back daily, more like weekly. Are you just mad for being so completely scooped on the Eco-Village groundbreaking when you went to all the trouble of showing up on such a cold day? In this blog post, once again you are carrying water for the self-proclaimed "best friend" of the T.J. Waconia fraudsters, namely Jim Watkins of Texas. After my blog published exclusive pictures of the lavish former digs of Thomas Balko, and the current digs of Jon Helgason's family (the house being in an LLC, but the family definitely residing there) I was promised this kind of specific retaliation by Jim Watkins. Well, I see that you are all-too-happy to doing Watkins dirty work on behalf of T.J. Waconia. Naturally, you managed to screw up the facts and tread very near (or even directly into) defamation territory. Loads of work has been done on both houses. And, oh gee, I'll be very sure that before I SELL my house I have the Truth in SALE of Housing stuff all nicey-nice, with the i's dotted and the t's crossed. In the meantime, your efforts to "expose" anything rise to the level of mildly amusing. By the way, there is no sign that you can or would do anything worthwhile or helpful in the Fjelde house controversy, because even in your own backyard of South Minneapolis, the Johnny Northside blogs scoops Mpls Mirror every time. Why don't you think hard about getting on the winning side--the side of crime fighting and neighborhood revitalization--instead of hanging out with losers and nobodies like Al Flowers and Jim Watkins? - John Hoff
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Unless this is a temporary glitch, it appears the Mpls Mirror has a new letters/comments policy.
For the record, I went to the Mpls Mirror today to see what new derogatory things were being said about me and my followers--I mean FRIENDS. Why do I always get those two mixed up?? While there, I noticed a commentary about the swearing-in of the mayor and council.
(You don't have to read it; it was just a rant about how the good things aren't that good, or at least the incumbents don't deserve credit for them, but the bad things are their fault. Typical Mirror fluff.)
One of the issues that really gets my goat though is when people say that crime is down here because it's down everywhere as some sort of national trend. Wrong, and the EcoVillage is exhibit A in refuting that misguided notion. I made a comment to that effect on the Mirror's site.
I also pointed out that the Mirror FINALLY got around to posting a video of the EcoVillage groundbreaking, but only after their lead story for several days dragged my name and that of two friends through the mud. That is not okay. We'll see if the comment section ever gets brought back and if that comment is approved.
I am asking this question because, I honestly don't know, not to cause a defensive answer.
That said, I am curious to know what a Housing Director's job duties are?
Do they differ from one neighborhood to the next?
Thanks
I'm glad they stirred the pot. You guys crank out content that is much more entertaining when you have a villain, and the Old Majority hasn't been popping their heads up enough lately to effectively play that role.
Who was Superman without a Lex Luther... or Hawkman without Green Arrow?
@ Anon 10:52 - I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and not assume that you're what AMG would refer to as a "villain" looking to stir the pot.
The Housing Director position job description for Hawthorne was written when the neighborhood correctly identified the need for such a person, but didn't really have a deep understanding of how to go about addressing some of the issues. Heck, I've been on the job almost three years and I'm still learning new things.
Sometimes I wind up being an "organizer du jour," which is the nature, I think, of any neighborhood council employee. If there's a need (like, oh, Hmong police officers or community gardens) I can't very well say, "That's not in my job description so it's not gonna happen."
But I do have to be focused enough to get things done. I'd say my primary roles around housing right now are the EcoVillage (and this year hopefully starting up other development clusters), foreclosure prevention work with NCRC, and policy issues surrounding vacant homes. There's a whole lot of other things - some housing, some not - that get mixed in.
And yes, it's different from neighborhood to neighborhood.
@ AMG - the geek in me is compelled to correct you. It's Lex Luthor with an "o," and I'm not sure if the Green Arrow has ever been a villain/enemy to the Hawkman. The Green LANTERN has been competing for the love interest of Hawkgirl in the animated series. But Hawkman's main villains are the Gentleman's Ghost and the reincarnated spirit of an Egyptian high priest named Hath-Set.
I have theory on the disappearing comments at the Minneapolis Mirror. Like a neutron star collapsing under its own gravity to form a black hole, the Minneapolis Mirror is collapsing due to the incredible mass of Terry Yzaguirre's stupidity from which not even reader comments can escape.
If Terry Yzaguirre can engage in ad hominem attacks against people working hard to better their community, I figure that I can direct a bit of anonymous internet flaming at a misanthrope that has not made a single positive contribution to her neighborhood.
What would one expect from the mirror, other than they miss the real issue entirely?
I don't believe that the JNS blog (or any of the "cronies" that [particpate on it) have ever attacked owner-occupied properties in disrepair.
There is a huge difference between attacking absentee slumlords that chose to as part of their business plan, operate their rental properties in a continual state of disrepair and rent to tennants that degrade the neighborhood even further, and owner-occupied houses that were purchased out of foreclosure that still need repairs.
Or is it Terry's position that neighbors in disadvantaged neighborhoods such as NOMI do not deserve the right to raise their families in an environment that does not foster crime?
Ed - post all the comments here - for history's sake.
My theory is there was too much pushback coming in - no voices of agreement - or atleast no credible voices of agreement - so best to just erase them all as if they don't exist.
And now the geek in me is compelled to offer a slight "mea culpa" to AMG.
A quick Googling of "Hawkman vs. Green Arrow" turns up the following wikipedia entry: "This Hawkman became a member of the Justice League of America, where he often verbally sparred with the iconoclastic liberal hero Green Arrow..." Argh! Should have remembered how Hawkman is politically conservative and the Green Arrow is a left-wing nutcase. (A COOL one, I might add, but still a nut.)
There's also some VERY cool shots of scenes from "Smallville" where the two actually duke it out.
Given the political basis for differences between the Hawkman and Green Arrow, I have to admit that AMG's comparison was accurate on multiple geeky levels. I tip my hat/Hawkman mask to that.
So, we can be co-geeks on both mortgages and comics. Huzzah.
PS: I don't plan to start hooping.
AMG- Another Mortgage Geek.
This is off topic, but I was wondering if you had ever considered doing a post about the basics that people should know if they are seeking a loan modification for their home loan. Are there organizations to contact that are better than others, programs people should specifically ask for, arguments they can make, websites with information? I know of a situation or two where this would be useful.
AKL
Isn't Johnny being sued for "not posting dissenting comments?" Isn't Terry really just a mouthpeice for Jill Clark and her cause as the "great white hope?" Yeah Jill, Black people need you to save them like the Northside needs another auto store on Broadway.
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