YOUTUBE: Minnesota Gurls

Well, doncha know...I think all of us here in the North Star state knew it was inevitable that somebody would do a parody of the hit Katy Perry song, "California Girls". Look at the facts: both states have the same number os syllables, girls from Minnesota are also "unforgettable," and, last but not least, the blonde here is natural (thank you Sweden, Norway, and Germany)!

Check out the hilarious "Minnesota Gurls" video, which, along with crazy accurate lyrics, also has a killer rap verse that even Snoop would have to admit was pretty "chizzle." And you betcha, starting with the first verse the song hits on all it means to be a true Minnesota girl.

"I know a place where summer winter spring and autumn
10,000 lakes finding a beach is not a problem!"

Hitting on everything from lutefisk, Lake Wobegon, the MOA, Prince, Joe Mauer, Paul Bunyan, wind-chaffed skin, and Spam, these kids got it all right. Well, done and about time, eh?!?!

Buzzy

RAIN WEEK: Hard Rain Project

Part 4 of 5
Following the old children's rhyme, about April showers bringing May flowers, ZONINO! presents seven of our favorite "rain-themed" things.

The Hard Rain Project is a commendable organization, based out of London, with a goal to raise awareness about environmental issues, specifically climate change and its human relations, through images. Touring the globe with various exhibits aimed at making people stop and think about the interconnectivity of humanity and the planet, the charity raises money to continue the educational effort; an appropriately self-sustaining and non-hypocritical way to run such an organization if there ever was one!


The above picture, credited to UNEP and photographer Werachai Wansamngan, shows the juxtaposition of the human need for survival with the need to use and share one of the most precious and limited natural resources: water. In this image two Thai citizens search for pond snails to eat in the cracked and dried earth of what was presumably once a water-filled body of water.

Check out the book, containing powerful photographs centered around the lyrics of Bob Dylan's classic "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." Also available is the similarly themed DVD film and a list of upcoming tour cities the exhibit and lecture series will visit such as Helsingør, Denmark (now - April 11), Minneapolis, MN (April 19 - 24), and Santa Fe, NM (May 1 - 28), among others worldwide.

Sergio del Limónar

RAIN WEEK: Purple Rain

Part 3 of 5
Following the old children's rhyme, about April showers bringing May flowers, ZONINO! presents seven of our favorite "rain-themed" things.

Being a Minnesota girl, I have to give props to one of the first things to come to mind when I think of this drizzly theme and, in my opinion, Minnesota's finest export. Native son Prince's movie and album of the same name, Purple Rain, is ZONINO! if I've ever heard of a thing. While the story isn't ground-breaking and the acting not necessarily a challenge - its about the rise to stardom for a young black singer from Minneapolis - the direction is beautiful and is more entertaining than most music videos shot today. In the end, that is basically what this is too, an hour-long glorified music video is all its fantastic shiny Princeness!

The movie also features the Prince classics such as "Let's Get Crazy," "When Doves Cry," the title track, and others. While parts of the movie seem dated, in 1984 this concept was cutting edge, if not ahead of its time. Prince was, and still is, a visionary.

Buzzy

EAT OUT: Hell's Kitchen

As their website says, "We just crank out damn good food." Truer words have never been spoken. This is not a restaurant for fluffy pretentious food. This is place to eat food you can recognize on your plate but be blown away by its flavor.

Hell's Kitchen, found in Minneapolis (80 South 9th St.) and Duluth (310 Lake Ave S.), Minnesota, is a foodie's dream. The food is traditional and plentiful, free of frills and trends, but exploding with taste, probably because everything is made from scratch. Each restaurant has its own menu, which you can check out online before visiting so your salivary glands can start getting ready early.

My favorites so far are the Portobello Mushroom "Burger" and the Mac & Cheese. The Sweet Potato Fries on the appetizer menu are incredible as is the "Breakfast All Day" menu.

As an added incentive, come on Sundays for Brunch (10am - 1pm) and hear live Gospel Music performed while you each. (In Duluth the music is recorded.) This is a popular event, however, so be sure to make reservations.

Sergio del Limonar

WEB: Up Next In Sports

Inspired by the people behind the ever-popular Failblog and inspired in large part by the LOLcats phenomena, Up Next In Sports is a marriage of wit, captions, and perfectly timed photographs or mishaps captured on film.

Updated frequently, the site gives users the chance to supply both awkward and humorous sports-related pictures or create captions to images found elsewhere. Some of my personal favorites are the ones that resemble those framed one-word inspirational posters. Take the one pictured to the right, for example. The picture, of Argentinian tennis star, Juan Martín del Potro, tapping his hand to his racket cleverly states "High Fives: Not everyone has friends."

Being a native Minnesotan I also loved the self-loathing sentiment behind the sadly true photograph of Brett Favre, grinning ear to ear, holding up his new Minnesota Vikings jersey with the caption reading "There is snow in Hell." If it doesn't snow in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this year, we'll know what happened...

Sergio del Limonar