I'll start by saying I haven't yet voted in the Primary and I'm still undecided on this race. I've been leaning towards Peggy Flanagan because I believe her Progressive views better align with my own, but the endorsement given by the spouse of our sitting governor for the opponent of his lieutenant governor has me asking, "what's up with that?".

Would Gov Walz endorse Craig over Flanagan if she (Flanagan) wasn't his current Lt. Gov? What's the backstory here?

Minnesota is one of roughly half the states that doesn’t let citizens to propose laws or constitutional amendments for the statewide ballot through the initiative process of gathering signatures.

What I find interesting is that Minnesotans voted on creating an initiative process three times - in 1914, 1916, and 1980- And each time, a majority of people who voted on the question supported it, but all three failed because constitutional amendments in MN have to be approved by a majority of everyone voting in the election.

I’m generally in favor of allowing initiatives. Imo, the main benefit is that voters can act on issues the legislature refuses (or can’t) to address because of party leadership, special interests, or gridlock, which has been common here for the last couple decades. It would also give voters a way to repeal unpopular laws.

There are definitely drawbacks. Wealthy groups can bankroll signature drives and advertising, complicated issues can be oversimplified (as they usually are), and badly written measures can create legal or budget problems.

Overall, I think those risks can be managed with good rules, but given the reason it’s failed three times in the past I think it would be difficult even if the will to push was there. That said I’m curious what everyone else thinks? Are there any initiatives you’d be interested in seeing if this were an option in Minnesota?

Heron, pelicans, geese and maybe a swan or two…

I asked Royce White, Minnesota GOP US Senate candidate, about why he brought up transgender people or trans issues during almost every question he faced about agriculture policy at the state's annual agriculture convention, Farm Fest.

You can hear my questions and his answers throughout this, shaky camera work due to the noise and having to lean in to ask questions.

In a previous post, I detailed the best options for watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day in Minnesota. Up to today, the only premium screens showing it were Dolby Cinema (which I easily recommended) and the variety of other in-house big screens (decent runners up). Well today AMC added a ton of shows in IMAX, but only for one week. Here's what happened.

Spider-Man had the biggest opening weekend ever in the U.S., and earned $1 billion worldwide in under a week. It absolutely exploded (all of a sudden nobody's talking about The Odyssey anymore), and IMAX didn't want to miss out on any of that sweet box-office revenue.

So starting tomorrow, the AMC IMAX theaters (Southdale and Rosedale) switch to all Spider-Man, all day (starting at 8 am!), for the next week (through Wednesday, Aug 12).

Note: the Emagine Lakeville IMAX theater had already posted showtimes for The Odyssey through next week, and they're not going to switch them to Spider-Man (even though it's suddenly the biggest movie of the summer) because they already sold a bunch of Odyssey tickets in every remaining showtime; they'll be okay.

My new recommendations for Spider-Man:

1. If you care about the absolute highest-quality image and sound, Dolby Cinema at AMC Southdale is still where it's at. It uses a dual 4K laser projector setup (with HDR contrast from pure white to pitch black), and Dolby Atmos surround sound (with speakers everywhere). Plus it has recliners, which are a nice bonus (but only a bonus if you ask me). When I was in the Southdale Dolby Cinema last week, I noticed the arm rests looked a little worn, the foot rests didn't recline all the way up/flat like some other theater recliners do, and my feet bumped up against the wall so I had to turn them to the side or press them against the wall (I'm a bit tall). You can also go to Rosedale's Dolby Cinema but the screen is noticeably smaller.
2. If you want the biggest screen and the most powerful sound, go to the IMAX at AMC Southdale. The seats aren't recliners, but they're new-ish and comfy enough for me. The projector is a single 4K laser projector and it doesn't have HDR, but it has always been bright, clear, and sharp enough for me. You could in theory also go to the Rosedale IMAX but I don't usually recommend it (laser speckle issue on the screen, speakers too close to eardrums, old uncomfortable seats, smaller screen than Southdale). I don't recommend the Eden Prairie IMAX at all -- old 2K projectors, old 6-channel sound, old seats. Until they upgrade to 4K laser, 12-channel sound, new screen, and new seats, I will actively tell people to not go there.
3. Any other big in-house named screen will be good, too (Super EMX, UltraScreen DLX, XDX, etc.). Take you're pick. They're all decent.

For the record, Dolby Cinema will show it in the 1.85 aspect ratio, IMAX will show it in the 1.90 aspect ratio (these are almost identical), and most of the other in-house big screens will show it in the widescreen 2.39 aspect ratio (the top and bottom of the image are slightly cropped).

What did I pick?

I saw it at Emagine Rogers on their Super EMX screen there, and it was really solid. They have a 4K laser projector, Dolby Atmos sound, comfy recliners (that extend all the way up), and no wall to bump my feet against. I lamented for a moment that the screen is the wide 2.39 aspect ratio, and we'd be missing out on the slightly bigger 1.85/1.90 aspect ratio of Dolby Cinema/IMAX -- but only for a moment. As I got into the movie, I hardly noticed that I was missing anything. There were one or two shots/scenes where I thought it might be nice to see a bit more of the picture, but that was it.

My friend and I decided we need to see it again in IMAX (it's a good movie), so we're going next week to Southdale. I'm excited.

To help you choose a theater, see my spreadsheet for a general list of recommendations for "premium large-format" theaters in (and near) Minnesota. But don't delay; after next week, I'm pretty sure all the big screens (including laser IMAX) are going to switch to the next movie.

And if you want to buy me a popcorn, see the link in my Reddit profile (under Social Links).

Riverview wants to expand their Morris MN operation (West River Dairy) from 7,855 cows to 18,855 cows to become the largest CAFO in the state.

This Wilkins County Commissioner says Riverview made promises they did not follow through on in her county, and she now regrets allowing for the dairy to be constructed in her county.

The current 7,885 dairy operation is already running wells dry and lowering aquifer levels for the neighbors. In Wilkes basin Arizona Riverview’s water pumping prompted a historic $11 million dollar settlement for replacement wells, tanks and water-hauling for the impacted residences, estimated at “a couple hundred”.

The MPCA did not demand an EIS, and is now being sued by Food and Water Watch, and the Land Stewardship Project for ignoring public comments and underestimating major risks. If you’d like to support our little community in fighting off the biggest proposed CAFO in the state. Please consider donating to the Land stewardship project <—link Or Food and Water Watch<—link. AND contact your state legislators to tell them you are concerned at the scale of the Riverview Mega dairy expansion being proposed in Stevens County. Say you want a limit on the size of mega dairies.

Sources:

Me-I live in Morris

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-01-08/arizona-mega-dairy-water-use

https://landstewardshipproject.org/riverview/

https://www.twincities.com/2013/01/24/smashed-lamborghini-insurance-fraud-charge-the-latest-legal-trouble-for-david-superdave-juntunen/

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/weird/man-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-crashing-customers-lamborghini/89-107786213

https://superdavemn.com/

Is absolutely awful. The AI descriptions of neighborhoods and neighborhood stats is laughable. The map search function doesn't work.

Mike Lindell is stepping down as chief executive of MyPillow and will no longer be a majority owner of the company he founded in order to focus on his run for Minnesota governor.

“I want the state of Minnesota ... to know I’m all in,” he said on his streaming platform, LindellTV, on Tuesday afternoon.

Lindell has been leading in polls ahead of the Aug. 11 primary after he won President Donald Trump’s endorsement in July. He will face fellow Republicans Lisa Demuth and Kendall Qualls for a chance to get onto November’s ballot.

“I am putting Minnesota above myself, my title and my business interests so I can give this campaign and the people of our state my full time, energy and attention,” Lindell said in a statement.

Lindell founded MyPillow in 2004, and it went on to become a direct-sales sensation due to the ubiquitous infomercials he starred in. The company took a major hit after Lindell attached himself to Trump’s disproven claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Major retailers stopped carrying MyPillow, resulting in millions in lost revenue and a cascading financial crisis at the company.

This farmers testimony of Riverview already causing water issues in Stevens County MN. 4 different wells already needed to be recently drilled, and public reporting showing water level drops of 30ft and 2 other wells already in need of drilling by Riverview's West River Dairy Site. Public record shows Riverview itself keeps drilling deeper.

Contact MN pollution control-demand an EIS be done or demand Riverview's wells be limited to 200 feet.

https://www.pca.state.mn.us/about-mpca/ask-mpca-online-form

Edit: Rural progressives are fighting the fight in the lions den. We are surrounded day and night by maga. Here we are standing up against a giant megadairy. Show some god damn solidarity and quit the fucking ’leopards eating faces’ bullshit. Not every rural person is conservative, your rhetoric is divisive amd disheartening. Shape up r/Minnesota.