The Aviator
Northwest Airline’s executives went to bed downtrodden on July 14, 1938. Their plans to meet and refuel Howard Hughes’ twin engine monoplane at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport had been dashed when his crew wired that they would land in Winnipeg instead. And this wasn’t just any old pit stop — this was the last stop on Hughes record-shattering round-the-world speed race. His previous stop was Fairbanks and Hughes was streaking more than 3 days ahead of Wiley Post’s previous world record.
To make matters worse,...
The words were ringing in my ears, a dire warning from Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. He stated the theatre industry is: “not going to recover fully until consumers are confident that they won’t die if they go to the movies. That means no return to normal until there is a vaccine widely available, likely not until April to July 2021.”
Wow, what a gut punch for avid theatre buffs! And the numbers support him. Domestic movie box office is on pace to attract $2.1 billion in ticket sales this year — down 90 percent or $9 billion from the last two years. And to...
Are the predictions of a long, dark COVID winter putting you on edge? Fighting visions of being trapped in a wind–swept Ice Station Zebra? Fret no more. Much has changed since the dog days of Stay at Home MN. Many uplifting and energizing recreation options will be open this time around.
Join me as we chart our top five diversions that will keep a smile on your face and the winter blues in the rear view mirror.
1. Skiing Aims to Be the Next Golf Craze. Many ski slopes across the country were sucker punched by COVID-19 and closed abruptly in mid-March....
Not since 9/11 have the nation’s airlines faced the watershed moment occurring at the end of the month. Their $50 billion CARE subsidy commitments barring layoffs expire, Congress has not signed on for new aid and Forbes estimates that more than 76,000 employees might be axed.
On the other side of the coin, consumers are being enticed by historically low fares with few restrictions. From MSP, a quick glance at September airfare levels is stunning. Low Cost Carriers such as Frontier, Spirit and Sun Country are offering Las Vegas, San Francisco,...
As Minnesota’s death tolls surged in May, the words of a prominent Twin Cities funeral director were ringing in my ears: “What useful purpose is being served to record loved ones that died with COVID-19, not from COVID-19?” He concluded the interview by counseling: “Tony, get the total Minnesota mortality numbers for April and May and verify if the growth justifies the scale of the public emergency.”
Well, that was easier said than a done. First a voicemail to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and then an email a week later — went unanswered. Finally, an email to Director of Infectious Disease...
This may not have been a great idea after all. My legs are trembling and I’m grabbing the handle bars of my Lyft scooter for dear life. The scooter is careening violently from side to side as I rattle over the historic cobblestones leading to Indeed Brewing.
I got the idea while sipping beers with colleagues from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in Amsterdam. Every ten minutes or so, another troupe of cyclists clad in skin-tight club uniforms would peddle by, many stopping at our pub for refreshments. Sure, many of the cyclists were cut more like Kevin James than Lance Armstrong, but their message was received...
Gill Brothers Funeral and Cremation served Minnesota families by horse and buggy when it was founded in 1889 and has been family-owned ever since. When its President Dan McGraw, a funeral director since 1981, tells me the last two months have been “unprecedented,” he draws my undivided attention. McGraw explained that during the regular course of business, he picks up approximately two thirds of his decedents at long term care facilities or at private residences.
As a result, COVID testing has often not been feasible. During February and March, he said that many of those cause-of-deaths were recorded as COPD, Sepsis or pneumonia. Today, McGraw...
With the COVID-19 quarantine in full effect, people are finding themselves staying at home looking for opportunities to occupy their time. Whether that be board games, puzzles, movies or other streaming options, everyone is seeking ways to prevent cabin fever. I have a recommendation on Netflix for anyone who loves documentaries, drama, sports, and most importantly, Formula 1 racing.
Personally, I have never before 12 months ago paid hardly any attention nor known just about anything of the international phenomenon of Formula 1 racing. Sure, I knew vaguely of the sports' biggest and dominant superstar, six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, but nothing more than a few footnotes in a SportsCenter...
I have lived in Minnesota most of my life and have to admit a strong sense of pride in our innovative homegrown companies. It is uplifting to learn how 3M, Medtronic, Ecolab, Mayo Clinic, Fairview and others have rapidly ramped up COVID-19 equipment production, testing and research.
Confined at home without an NBA or MLB box score to scour, my new morning routine includes pulling up the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 case dashboard at 11:20 a.m. every day. I am eager to see how our community sacrifices are paying off. After all, we are Minnesota and we can execute this plan better than anyone else, right?
...
