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Dedica - Coca-Cola and AMC Theatres - PreFeature AD

I thought about this for a year and I just want to say, Jeremy reminds me a lot of the backup dancer in the AMC Theaters/Coca-Cola commercial that runs before every movie. You will know which one. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vTd...

youtube.com

YouTube video by Dedica

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I was curious what was going to happen with the Star Tribune after they announced they were closing their printing facility. And the answer is a Washington Post-esque collapse of the number of print newspapers sold.

A top ten list from Press Gazette showing the biggest print newspaper circulation numbers from the United States and their relative declines from six months and 12 months ago. Almost all newspapers are decreasing and in the case of the Star Tribune, doing so very quickly. One newspaper is showing growth, the Villages Daily Sun.

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I didn't try it because I thought the photo looked unappetizing but a friend did say they wanted to and that they were going to bring in kettle chips because it looked like a good dip!

Glancing at this you can see, no one should be buying the Brandy Old Fashioned Cookie Dough, Surf 'N' Turf Burger or Honey Brisket Battered Potatoes. Commiserations to the Australian Battered Potatoes, Cafe Caribe and Kora & Mila's Cookie Dough for this ignoble and inedible distinction.

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Heading to the Minnesota State Fair for the last weekend? I've created a basic Positive/Neutral/Negative roundup of the 2026 reviews for the #MNStateFair New Foods.

Spreadsheet with dark green, light green and dark blue colors that help separate the positive, neutral and negative food reviews from different media about the New Minnesota State Fair foods in 2026.

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Or indoor, secured bike parking! Or pubic playgrounds run by the park board! - I do know this is a pollyanna take on things and pie in the sky and requires serious political manuerving but also, more things are possible than what we are limiting ourselves as a city.

Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I solved it! What if we see our abundant empty retail spaces as future ........ public or private bathrooms! bsky.app/profile/tjm6...

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Just the loading screen of The People's Joker alone was worth checking out that Blu-Ray from the St. Paul Library.

Currently the worst reviewed foods: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Loaded Fries, Honey Brisket Battered Potatoes, Pickle Pie, Brandy Old Fashioned Cookie Dough, and the Surf 'N' Turf Burger. Still can't believe the Strib recommended the Pickle Pie.

Currently the best reviewed foods: Bao Belly, Elote Tots, Pumpkin Bar Funnel Cake, and duking out for the top spot, the Hmong Corndog and the Walking Chopped Italian Grinder. Personally, I'd recommend the Apple Donut Ham Grinder.

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Copy of 2026 MN State Fair New Food Media Ratings

Are you braving the rainstorm to take advantage of the short food lines at the Minnesota State Fair? Here is the spreadsheet of the aggregated new foods reviews for 2026. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

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Great question. In a head to head battle, the Schnitzel would edge out on taste but I can have schnitzel sandwiches outside the Fair, so the unique novelty does give ADHG an advantage.

Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I think there are some interesting ways to charge out-of-staters more. Of course you could charge folks at the ticket stand but license checks can slow things down for everyone. One possible solution, have Falcon Heights charge Wisconsin cars quadruple for street parking.

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Reposted by Antonio

David Brauer @dbrauer.net · 28/08/2026

Sucks that the Univ of Minnesota libraries are closed to the public. If the past several years have taught us anything, it’s that knowledge is necessary to fighting stupid bad fascists. So here’s a helpful doc on how to assist good U people who want knowledge freed: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

docs.google.com

UMN Libraries Public Access

THE CONTEXT After slowly closing parts of campus off to the public over a handful of years, in January of 2026 amidst Operation Metro Surge, the University of Minnesota’s upper administration decided...

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Reposted by Antonio

Mpls.St.Paul Magazine @mspmag.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Our team spent Day 1 at the Minnesota State Fair eating all the official new foods, from pickle pies to pumpkin bar funnel cake, so you know exactly how to budget your stomach space while at the fair over the next 11 days. Read the full reviews of all the official new foods.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The 2nd day at the MN State Fair turned things around! Longanisa Cheese Curd Lumpia was a solid 3.5/5 but the Apple Donut Ham Grinder was very good, 4/5 and was the best new thing at the Fair this year. The Strawberry Tanghulu, was fun but no one needs to piss off their dentist by eating this, 2/5.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Early reviews for the pickle pie, one review is not like the other.

A black and white spreadsheet. Food ratings for the Minnesota State Fair's New Food, the Pickle Pie. Reviews as follows: Axios is 1, MSP Mag is 1, Pioneer Press is 1, RacketMN is 1 and Star Tribune is 4.

Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Maybe I'm in my hater era? But I would rate the following: Hmong Corndog 3.5/5, Brandy Old Fashioned Cookie Dough 3/5, Sweet Peach Lemonade Sparkler 2.5/5, PeriPeri Bowl 2/5, Banana Butterscotch Barnraiser 1/5, Caramel Apple Iced Tea 1/5, and Apple Fries 1/5. Finally tried Rick's Pickle Pizza, 4/5.

Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I spent four hours at the MN State Fair this morning and a few things became clear to me. The weather was perfect, which meant it was already very crowded early in the day, and it also coincided with the most disappointing slate of new foods that I've ever tried at the Fair. Can't wait for tomorrow!

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Getting the spreadsheets ready for the #mnstatefair and preparing myself to try some new foods!

Screenshot of a spreadsheet showing a list of some of the new MN State Fair New Foods and some of the news media outfits that will likely review those food items.

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Reposted by Antonio

Twin Cities Geek @twincitiesgeek.com · 22/08/2026

Are you wondering about the new foods coming to the #MinnesotaStateFair this year? We’ve got you covered with our alignment rating for nine of the snacks making their debut. Get the full details here: twincitiesgeek.com/2026/08/the-... #MNStateFair #TwinCitiesGeeks

Twin Cities Geek alignment chart titled "New foods of the 2026 Minnesota State Fair." Assigned alignments and image descriptions for individual photos provided at the full article linked in the post.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

This sucks that we are getting to this point.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

If Klobuchar wins the governorship, I just want to wildly speculate who she will appoint to the Senate. 1. Melisa Lopez Franzen 2. Steve Simon 3. Ilhan Omar 4. Don Ness 5. Melvin Carter 6. A mayor from Greater Minnesota 7. An ambitious, moderate HC commissioner ... 13. Angie Craig .. 42. Jacob Frey

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I mean this screenshot shows why, people didn't trust Craig on ICE to put it mildy.

Screenshot of BSKY posts. Top post from Jason Derusha asks "Why do you think people so severely underestimated Peggy Flanagan and the strength of her support?" Bottom post is a quote post that repeatedly says "Fuck Ice", time stamps put both posts together.

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Reposted by Antonio

Library Futures @libraryfutures.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

"A 17.3% annual increase is not inflation. It’s economic extraction from institutions which cannot take a pass on popular content without community blowback. Libraries cannot substitute. For bestselling titles, there is no alternative product." personanondata.substack.com/p/killing-me...

personanondata.substack.com

Killing Me Quietly

Library Ebook Lending Is Not Killing the Book Market. Publisher Pricing Is Killing Library Budgets

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Some screenshots of the Hennepin County Library hours proposal. www.hclib.org/about/news/2...

Mostly black text on white background: Library Hours Changing in 2027
August 06, 2026
Hennepin County Library is preparing changes to public operating hours beginning in January 2027. The changes are part of the Library’s requested budget and are not yet final.

A tentative schedule is available below. Hennepin County Administration and the Board of Commissioners will review the proposal through the county’s annual budget process.

Under the proposal, no library locations will close. Open hours would decrease by approximately 7% across the library system, about 140 hours per week. Most libraries would move to more consistent eight-hour service days, and some locations would gain Sunday hours.

Mostly black text on white background: Why hours are changing
The cost of providing Hennepin County’s public services continues to grow. Countywide cost pressures include increasing personnel costs, rising employee health insurance costs, technology and facilities expenses, inflation in supplies and services, and uncertainty surrounding federal funding.

County departments were directed to submit 2027 budgets within a target of 102% of their current budgets. For the Library, that means finding approximately $5 million in efficiencies to absorb the increasing expenses for our current services.

Budget pressures have been building over the past several years. We have managed those constraints with minimal impact on patrons through a combination of generous support from Friends of the Hennepin County Library and targeted reductions in other areas.

Since 2025, our collections budget has shrunk by approximately $1.5 million. Hiring has slowed across job classes, and spending on public computers, employee training, and other operating expenses has also been reduced.

Meeting the budget target will require the Library to hold open a significant number of vacant positions. At the same time, Southdale and Westonka libraries are expected to reopen in 2027 and will need to be staffed. With fewer staff available across the system, the Library cannot maintain all current hours while safely and reliably operating every location.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

If you wanted to see what the library hours are at Hennepin County Library for your local branch you can go to the website. Current library hours as of 8/6/2026. www.hclib.org/about/locati...

Sparse screenshot of some of the library branch hours in Hennepin County. Arvonne Fraser through Franklin Libraries, most libraries have 12-8 or 9-5 ranges.

Sparse screenshot of some of the library branch hours in Hennepin County. Hosmer through Northeast Libraries, most libraries have 12-8 or 9-5 ranges.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Maybe, especially if you have guest curators from the college, or local musicians or local radios? HCL has brought some interesting one-off curators in the past.

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Reposted by Antonio

Bill Lindeke @blindeke.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I wrote about why you should vote for Rebecca Noecker for Ramsey County Board. Vote early or on Election Day on 8/11! tcsidewalks.blogspot.com/2026/08/vote...

tcsidewalks.blogspot.com

Vote for Rebecca Noecker for Ramsey County Board

[Rebecca is the right choice for Ramsey County Board.] There aren’t many elected officials that I’ve seen up close for their entire career...

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The Minnesota State Fair is a month away! To celebrate more than 500 new food debuts at the Fair since 2010, I've created a tournament bracket, with artwork from Jordan Wagaman. I've added the best reviewed new foods from each year, plus 2026's Hmong Corndog because who are we kidding? #MNStateFair

A green and blue background with the shapes forming something similar to the MN State Fair entrance, with little green flags on top. The 16 berths are filled with the best reviewed new foods from each year from 2010-2026. The 2026 berth is unofficially there because the reviews have not been released, so the Hmong Corndog was selected. 2010-Grilled Marshmallow Chocolate and Banana Sandwich, 2011 - Sweet Corn Ice Cream, 2012 - Classic Walleye Roll, 2013 - Craft Beer Battered Onion Rings, 2014 - Korean BBQ Collar with Kimchi Pickles, 2015 - Butter Queen Coffee Ice Cream, 2016 - Paneer on a Spear, 2017 - Slow Roasted Pork Mole Tamale, 2018 - Mangonada Shave Ice, 2019 - Lavender Lemonade, 2021 - Dual Berry Shortcake, 2022 - Mov +Nqaij, 2023 - Irish Butter Ice Cream Over Brown Sugar Cinnamon Toast, 2024 - Fried Bee Nana Pie, 2025 - Somali Street Fries, and 2026 - Hmong Corndog. Artwork made by Jordan Wagaman.

Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Incoming #MNStateFair post later today, the best Minnesota State Fair New Foods of all time bracket challenge!

White text that says Minnesota State Fair New Foods. In the background are green and dark blue colors, with the image looking a little like the entrance to the MN State Fair. Artwork courtesy of Jordan Wagaman.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Find out if you have some unclaimed money from the State of Minnesota here: unclaimedproperty.mn.gov Credit to @nickhalter.bsky.social at Axios for this.

unclaimedproperty.mn.gov

MN Unclaimed Property

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

If someone wanted to update Dante's Inferno, I can't imagine a more appropriate adaptation than writing of the experience of trying to find a long-term home while working a low-paying job in the US. Great book, would be a good conversation to listen to.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

What kind of air purifiers did you get? I'm looking to buy some.

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Antonio @antoniobackman.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Did you want watch a show that equal parts crafting and chaos? www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p6P...

youtube.com

Boots the Lighthouse Down! | EP 5 | MAKE IT ‘TIL YOU MAKE IT

YouTube video by Humdinger

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First story idea! Find out how many times you can fold a New York Style slice of pizza!

really riley @rly-riley.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Reposted by Antonio

Are you excited about new State Fair Foods and want a map to get to all of them in an efficient and thoughtful way? I WILL MAKE YOU A MAP! PLEASE LET ME MAKE YOU A STATE FAIR MAP forms.gle/LvjML6fJxcCS...

forms.gle

Minnesota State Fair Route Map

Do you want to have an efficient yet comprehensive route through the State Fair? Are you planning to see and eat plenty of things but have no idea how you'll find them all? Do you worry about eating t...

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Meanwhile, a new competitor to the Pronto Pup and Corndog duolopy has appeared!

Picture of Union Hmong Kitchen's Hmong Corn dog. A deep-fried, batter-y corndog that is golden brown, next to a small bowl of chunky green sauce.

Heavy Table @heavytable.com · 09/07/2026

Is this not the most unappetizing thing?

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Reposted by Antonio

Just posted some initial thoughts on the 2026 new Fair foods. This year we'll be out at the Fair in force (as always!), with a ruthless eye on value as prices spiral ever upwards.

heavytable.substack.com

2026 Minnesota State Fair New Foods

First thoughts (and some perennial warnings) about the list of new Fair treats.

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The Jump by Brittney Morris (near future, techy adventure-mystery, teen group in Seattle), Coldwire by Chloe Gong (Action/Cyberpunk, two heroines, 1st in trilogy), Fathom Fall by Matteo Cerilli (videogame, climate fic), and graphic novels: Cosmoknights, Shangri-La Frontier, and The Color of the End.