NoiseInsideMyHead

Here's a hot take. The REA, frustrated that Kennedy was taking a harder line than they expected and fearful of the golden goose laying a couple fewer eggs, ran to the Herald with this story to test the waters of public opinion. What happens next will depend on the public's response. Either Kennedy will be hailed as a hero for bravely trying to right the ship by deftly renegotiating the one-sided REA contract albatross, OR the public will be outraged by Kennedy's cold-blooded assault on 'those wonderful Engelstads, who have done so much for UND and are (apparently) infallible and incapable of doing anything wrong.'

Hey, mods. This discussion really deserves its own thread.

With the anger brewing on here, it seems that a lot of people are breaking the cardinal rule. This is business, not personal. A legal threat is strategy, not malice. Nobody is saying that the REA gift was not a watershed moment for UND and for Grand Forks, or that it wasn't insanely generous. Hard to fault either side for looking out for itself. Easier to fault REA if it turns out that they are stubbornly turning a blind eye to the University when there's an opportunity to help in fiscal crunch time by renegotiating. Just as easy to fault UND if it hasn't done the right math and has made an unreasonable demand. Whoever ran to the media is definitely worthy of blame. A simple 'no comment' would have kept the dealings behind closed doors. Again, business. Not personal.

You seem to be loyal to them. Do you have inside information? Are you really willing to say it's "stupid" to suggest that they might not presently be acting in the best interests of UND? Why is it so easy to accept that Kennedy is in the wrong? I mean, he must have access to the financials, right?

Since I suspect neither of us were at the table, all we can do is speculate. My hunch is that Kennedy didn't lead with "Give me what I want or I'll sue you." But I could be wrong. One thing we can probably agree on...there must be a heck of a lot of gravy in the current deal.

Maybe the Engelstads have outlived their usefulness. A one-trick (albeit a big one) pony with perpetual sour grapes about the Sioux. Maybe they're insufferable, which is why the negotiations went south?

Kennedy critics can't have it both ways. If the contract is as bad for UND as some suggest, and re-negotiation (by force, if need be) is an absolute economic necessity, then he has to do something. Keeping the Engelstad family happy and not hurting their feelings are probably not as important as keeping the lights on.

But the REA economic model probably won't work if they lose non-profit status, and isn't that status tied to their support of UND?

This is why I question REA leadership playing hardball here. They know they have a shelf life, and one would think they want to be the obvious choice to manage the arena full time once control is officially ceded to UND, and UND inevitably puts it out for bid. Unless, perhaps, they are content to run out the duration of the gift and then bail. They are a benevolent non-profit, right? Set up for the good of UND? And they run to the Herald to crap on Kennedy?

Fate (and necessity) took me to the Grand Cities Mall the other day. I entered off of Washington across from the bowling alley and passed the Tesoro station. Then I made my way toward Kmart. After a brief stop, I exited to the north along the path defined by Play it Again, Ace Hardware, and Popplers, passing by Northwest Tire as I turned onto 17th. I really missed that series of obnoxious, black, suspension-destroying speed bumps outside of the HOPE Church entrance, because they would have been the smoothest, least jarring part of the entire freaking trip. To the owners of this property, I say - with all sincerity - F THE HELL OFF. If North Korea launched a nuke aimed at the Grand Cities Mall parking lot, and I alone held the key to self-destruct, let's just say...it must have bounced out of my cup-holder and slipped between the seats of my car.

Coeds have for years been trying to keep the Minutemen around longer.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/entertainment/music/4441932-organizers-contend-big-crowd-downtown-grand-forks-rock-show I didn't go, and I wouldn't have gone given I have no interest in glam cover bands, but that seems like one of the biggest 'events' GF has seen in a while. Anyone there that can attest? Was it an epic scene with that many people crammed into a few blocks? How was parking and just getting around?

How many licks does it take?

So the Peter Johnson search for "perfect" goes on after multiple rounds of interviews, but the innovation search yields a single candidate and that's good enough?

Setting aside the lightning rod issues of mental illness and access to firearms... Food for thought: does this tragedy reveal a dark, ugly secret about "GoFundMe" and its role in society? Do we so much publicize and celebrate the 'viral' success stories, that when someone makes a very modest (and desperate) plea and gets nothing, the pain and despair are magnified? Humboldt is a unique case, obviously, but doesn't it plainly illustrate the unquestionable generosity of strangers? Should there be a GoFundMe safety net? Does GoFundMe now occupy a special role vis-a-vis state or local government, kind of like a social services surrogate, to assist in the identification of those in need, and the provision of services? If the absolute last gasp of an individual on the edge of the cliff is to reach out via GoFundMe, does the platform necessarily have a moral obligation? GoFundMe is, it would seem, the 21st century version of panhandling and street begging. Yet the latter seem to pay off better than the former. As always, answers are elusive.

From the Googles: Tragic.

Transdermal tuition remittance upon graduation...sure beats the heck out of the rectal extraction methods used by most schools.

Sadly, that would be the best possible news.

Beauty rest tonight. I don't see any reason to watch this one any longer.

Sounds like you have a goaltender interference problem. Both OT games could have been a lot shorter if Vegas had gotten those calls. I have read and re-read the rule, but I think a case can be made that Vegas got jobbed twice.

He's gonna need a tutor. I predict problems in astronomy (will call Pluto a planet), computer science (still can't decide between AOL and CompuServe), geography (will struggle with TWO Dakotas, Burma/Myanmar, Zaire/Congo, Siam/Thailand among others), biology (confident there are only two human genders and that the mysterious structure of genetic material will soon be discovered), nutrition (thinks there are still only four food groups as well as a food pyramid), law/civics (doesn't realize that neither the 18th Amendment nor the Code of Hammurabi still applies), political science (committed to the sanctity and durability of civility and the two-party system), math ("What do you mean there's a new math?"), economics (thinks Enron is a solid investment), marketing (absolutely convinced that Pepsi Clear will catch on), TV/film (looking forward to that Weinstein/Cosby rom.com collaboration), and US history (eager for Geraldo to open Al Capone's vault to see what riches it contains). He will, however, ace both "Survey of Obsolete Textiles and Garments" and "Navigating Native American/White Relations in the early 21st Century."

Thought all three candidates were the same for a second.

Goodbye, Chelsea Dagger. Hello...

Seeing the Vegas "show" for the first time tonight, I have to say shame on the US Army for being dicks about the name. Total missed opportunity there. Was that dispute ever resolved?

It's like Medieval Times on ice. Do wenches serve beer in the stands?