Hymie's Vintage Records

I just resently read a magazine article about this record shop tha my dad and I used to go to buy records when i was a little kid. The shop is called "Hymie's Vintage Records". It is located in minneapolis buy my house. When i read this articleI rememberd all about the details that made me always want to go down to it. When you enter the store you always smell all of the musty and sthe old paper covers around the records. More than anything though I love the big RCA dog at the back of the store. Also this is like the biggest store ever! IT has like two floors! I think is has more songs than itunes. Overall i just injoy going there for the old feel and even if i dont buy anything i still have fun just looking around.

Stoynoff, Natasha and Tauber, Michelle. "Hymie's Vintage Records." Metro Magazine. 28 October 2008: 53

Wooden Legs For All!

I recently read something about the Minneapolis St. Anthony Falls area that really surprised me. It was from an article I found in the "Twin Cities Metropolitan" magazine that talked about a booming industry that has existed in our capital city for over 120 years. I knew that for many years Minneapolis was known for its flour mills, logging industry and even the heavily used railroad transportation system along the river banks, but I never would have guessed that they would also be known world-wide for their artificial limb production. It turns out that in 1988, the Winkley Artificial Limb Company opened its first shop in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis, near the mills at St. Anthony Falls. Back in those times, there was a very high incidence of work-related accidents caused by logging, milling and working on the railroad. Lumberjacks would frequently lose a leg while hopping across slippery timbers during logjams. The grinding gears and saw blades of the mills were even more dangerous, as many workers lost their arms or legs while they were grinding lumber. The flour mills and the railroads weren't any safer in those days. The demand for artificial limbs began to grow just as fast as these dangerous industries did. Soon the mills began to provide wood to the Winkley Artificial Limb Company and several others in the Warehouse District to create experimental limbs. The industry boomed and the competition was fierce among the various limb-makers, especially during the Civil War and after World War I. By 1918 Minneapolis had become the "artificial-limb capital of the world"! It was only much later, when safety measures in the workplace increased dramatically and World War II was over, that the need for artificial limbs declined. By the 1980's the only artificial limb company that survived in Minneapolis was Winkley (which still has six offices in the metro area today). That's surprising.

Dregni, Eric. "Wooden Legs For All! - How Minneapolis's mills created an unexpected splinter industry." Metro, Twin Cities Metropolitan." June 2008: 96.

Heroes in a Box

Range Rovers

The Range Rover is the heroes of all suv's because of its great looks, wounderful interior, and its off road skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I3jCU_FoO8&feature=related

This video is a perfect example why the Range Rover is the sickest off roading vehicle ever made.

Overall i think that this car is so cool that it deserves to be a hero. The look of it is so classey yet you can go muddin' on the weekends!

American Idol, Paul Newman 1925-2008

I read an article in the most recent issue of People Magazine about the life and death of the famous actor Paul Newman. I knew he was a race car driver and an actor, and I had seen his picture on our salad dressing bottles. After reading the article, I learned a lot more about him as an actor, a family man, and a philanthropist. Paul Newman was born in 1925 and he lived to the age of 83. He died from cancer this past September 26, 2008. He was married to Joanne Woodward, another famous actress, for over 50 years and they had three daughters. Newman worked as an actor from about age 25 up to age 81, receiving nine Oscar nominations and winning for the lead male actor role in the film "The Color of Money" in 1986. Along side his acting career, he developed his skills as a professional race car driver for more than 30 years, thus becoming the oldest driver to ever win a major professional car race at age 70 in Daytona in 1995. In 1982 he co-founded "Newman's Own", a food empire dedicated to raising money for charities to help children all over the world. Starting with his famous salad dressings, he has managed to donate over $250 million to charities over the years. Even though Paul Newman is well known for his good looks, his steel blue eyes and his rugged and tough guy roles in films, he always remained a humble and down-to-earth person. He was born in the midwest, in Ohio and he chose to settle down in Westport, Connecticut where he raised his family and lived with Joanne for over 40 years. He preferred to stay away from the glamour of Hollywood and to live a quiet life in the countryside of Connecticut. It surprised me to learn that at age 25, Paul Newman first married a woman named Jacqueline Witte, with whom he had one son and two daughters. They were married for about 8 years before he met Joanne. Sadly, his only son from his first marriage, died at age 28 of an alcohol and drug overdose. Newman explained that he would never be able to escape the guilt and the devastating loss. He felt that he "wasn't there much" when his children were growing up. He later founded the "Scott Newman Foundation," which is a charity dedicated to educating young people about drug and alcohol abuse. I enjoyed learning more about Paul Newman as a person and seeing all the photographs taken of him over the years in this article. He is someone I admire and I think he truly is an "American Idol."

Stoynoff, Natasha and Tauber, Michelle. "American Idol, Paul Newman 1925-2008." People Magazine. 13 October 2008: 56-67

Remembering Newman

I just read an article in the October issue of People magazine that was written by the actor, Tom Cruise. The article was all about Paul Newman and the lasting impression he had made on Tom Cruise. Cruise stated that his first oppotunity to work with Paul Newman was in the film "The Color of Money," acting in the lead role opposite the "bigger than life" actor. Cruise was surprised to learn that Newman, despite his fame and iconic stature, was "incredibly down-to-earth and real." He also said that Newman had an amazing sense of humor that he seemed to use in his approach towards life and even towards himself. Cruise remarked that after filming "The Color of Money", Newman and he became lifelong friends. Newman gave Tom the nickname "Cruiser" and he also liked to call him "Kid". He tells a story about going to dinner at the Newman's home and that Paul, himself, cooked for the entire crowd. Once on New Year's Eve they all gathered around the piano to sing with the entire family. Cruise says that it was Newman who got him involved in car racing and he even gave Cruise the chance to race on Newman's team. The hugely successful actor, Tom Cruise, remembers Paul Newman as a "great movie star, a great actor and a great family man...And then on top of it all, he became a great philanthropist." But above all, Tom says that the greatest gift that Paul gave him was his friendship. Speaking very candidly after the news of Paul Newman's passing on September 26, 2008, Tom Cruise said that he felt he had lost a personal idol of his.

Cruise, Tom. "Remembering Newman." People Magazine. 13 October 2008: 66.

Jeff Grell, Inventor of the Highback

I recently read an article in the September 2008 issue of Transworld Snowboarding about the inventor of the support bindings found on snowboards today. His name is Jeff Grell and he lives in Aspen, Colorado. Back in 1983 he was one of the first snowboarders around that started to look for ways to build better support for your ankles while riding a snowboard in backcountry of the Aspen Highlands. At the time, snowboards basically just had a baseplate that you would bind your Sorels boots to with straps. At first snowboarders would use the liners from their ski boots and stuff them into their Sorels for better highback support. Jeff was the first one to design a prototype highback binding that actually fit onto the back of your boots with straps, like a cuff. When you leaned back, the original "Hi-Bak" supported your boots, your board and your edges, making it a lot easier to traverse the mountain on your snowboard. He Later collaborated with a friend and they came up with a better model for a convertible highback which was attached to the baseplate, forming one unit or support binding for snowboards. Unfortunately, Jeff Grell didn't get rich off of his invention (nor did he become famous) because he didn't have the money to patent his idea or mass produce it. As soon as the large skiing companies, like Burton, caught on to his invention they started making the new bindings and sales took off like crazy. Even though Jeff finally got a patent on his highback binding in 1998, he says he's not interested in getting a lawyer or suing the snowboard industry for money. He says he has a lot more fun just being a snowboarder and being known by his friends in Aspen as the inventor of the original highback binding for snowboards. I enjoyed this article and really like the attitude that Jeff Grell has towards snowboarding and inventing.

Sherowski, Jennifer. "Jeff Grell, Inventor of the Highback." Transworld Snowboarding. Volume 22, September 2008: 74-75.