From readers

GIVE US A CHANCE

Rant: A reader responds to the rant published April 26 regarding “junky” yards: “In case the reader has not noticed, we had a lot of very wet snowfall last month and a lot of rain this month, making it rather difficult to get out and clean these ‘junk’ yards. In many cases (like mine), the yards are simply too wet to be walking on in order to clean. Rather than complaining about these yards, why doesn’t the reader A) show a little understanding that it’s spring and the work will get done as soon as it is possible, or B) if the yard in question is so offending, volunteer to help the homeowner clean the yard? Did the reader think that maybe the homeowner has health problems or is in some other strait that makes it hard to get out and clean?”

FRIENDLY REMINDER

Rant: A reader writes: “The new addition of a dance studio and coffee shop on Colorado Street has caused some traffic problems for those living on this street. For those of you picking up someone, please use the parking lot across the street from these facilities. You are parking on both sides of the street, and this makes it difficult to get home. We want to be good neighbors, but sometimes it is difficult.”From staff

CHECK THOSE DOORS

Rant: You know when you clean the windows in the spring, and then some poor bird crashes into it in high gear? Well, the same thing happened to me at the store the other day as I headed out of the automatic doors. They opened so slowly that I about bounced off the glass. I know, there’s something to be said for slowing down in life, but does the average person really walk that slowly? I nearly fell over to stop short and give the doors time to open so I could make my grand entrance. “Ta da! Here I am!” I think someone needs to check the timer on those. – Joanna Miller

HULU IS HERE

Rave: Hello, Hulu. The Web site www.hulu.com offers full-length movies and TV shows for free. It doesn’t have a huge selection yet, but it’s a little more organized than youtube.com (if you want to watch a movie instead of someone’s video blog about their pet, hear them philosophize about dating, or do skateboarding tricks in their front yard (not that those items can’t be entertaining, too.) – Joanna Miller

THANKS, BUT…

Rant: I have been taught since I was a child not to bite the hand that feeds me, but occasionally I’m ignorant enough to take a little snip, so here goes. I’ll be the first to say thanks for the extra $600 I found in my bank account this week, as a result of the “economic stimulation package,” but in my opinion it comes a day late and a dollar short. Seriously, with gas and food prices going through the roof, $600 is just a drop in the bucket. Sure, everything helps, but will the rebate really help stimulate the economy? Will it really help people stay out of foreclosure? Will it allow a struggling family to put a down payment on a home? Will it help the housing market at all? Will people really spend this money in a fashion that will give the economy a boost, or will they pay off accrued debt due to a rising cost of living and shortfalls in health care among other economic issues? If economic analysts truly believe this “stimulus package” will help the current downturn in the economy from turning into a crisis, then I guess I’m skeptically thankful. Only time will tell. – Shawn Hogendorf

NOT HIS STYLE

Rant: I hate to rant about the Music in the Zoo concert series, because I absolutely love the venue. The zoo is one of my favorite places to see a concert in the country, but in my opinion, this year’s lineup is quite disappointing. Sure, there are a few musicians I would like to see, such as the Radiators, the Wailers with my friends’ band the New Primatives, Matisyahu with Pete Francis, Bootsy Collins and Derek Trucks with Susan Tedeschi, but I think past lineups have been much more solid throughout. Where’s the bluegrass? For the past several years, I have been able to catch both Yonder Mountain String Band and Grammy winner Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at the zoo. Not this year. Ah well, what’s disappointing according to my musical taste is probably a dream lineup for others. There are still a few shows I will go see this year.—Shawn Hogendorf

DRINK IT UP

Rave: I waited a long time to see “There Will Be Blood,” and now that I’ve seen it, I can say it’s the best movie I've seen in a long, long, long, long time. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t get made much anymore – great acting, original storyline, fantastic cinematography and a well-placed and not overdone musical score. There’s really not much blood in it, despite the title. But Daniel Plainview’s (Daniel Day-Lewis’) bleeding of people’s land and hearts (figuratively and in some cases, literally) is far more compelling than the bloodiest of action films. Few movies these days have the mix of subtlety and dramatic effect this film achieves. It’s just plain good stuff. I guarantee after seeing this movie, you’ll be yelling “I drink your milkshake!” and “I’ve abandoned my child!” like a true Oscar contender. – Lori Carlson

Do you have a rant or a rave? Send us your musings:

E-mail: rantsandraves@swpub.com

Address: Prior Lake American, Attn: Rants and Raves, P.O. Box 538, Prior Lake, MN, 55372

Guidelines: Reader rants and raves must be no more than 100 words. The deadline is noon each Wednesday.

Rants and raves that are potentially libelous will not be printed or will be edited.

Submissions will not be refused because staff disagrees with their content. Anonymous submissions are acceptable; however, including a contact name and/or phone number is helpful for staff, who may have questions about the submission.

Rants and raves may be edited as space requires. All publication decisions will be made by the editor.