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Richard Parker

Roseville, MN
Commenter for
5 years 24 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 05/13/13 at 11:10 am in response to The WBDC: ‘a very feminine, very driven business incubator'

This fine article spurs me to add a note of recognition for an effort close to home (at home, in fact) that succeeded without much notice. My wife, Deb Parker, started her graphic design and desktop-publishing company, Pages Inc., in early 1986, and indeed wore big shoulder pads and operated in the burgundy-and-gray decor of the new Empire Builder Business Center in St. Paul. She got mailings from Lt. Gov. Marlene Johnson addressed to her official title as "President, CEO and Queen" of our...

Posted on 03/27/13 at 01:45 pm in response to My encounters with unexpected signs of getting old

I remember that on the Tribune copy desk we had a style rule banning the use of "elderly" because it might hurt the feelings of folks over about 50 -- the elderly -- or at least was a relative, judgmental label. You and I were about 30 at the time, eh?

It just took me three tries to log in here. I can never remember the name and password I use here.

Posted on 03/16/13 at 09:19 am in response to Improv is a challenging artistic form, and performers ought to be paid

It's happening in other fields -- notably journalism. A freelance writer recently related an episode involving an outrageous offer from the venerable Atlantic Monthly. Here's an article about that:

http://www.editorsweblog.org/2013/...

Posted on 02/21/13 at 01:35 pm in response to Ron Schara, other outdoors types rip federal gun proposals

"Modern sporting rifles" vs. "assault weapons." We choose not even to speak the same language. "Magazines exceeding arbitrary capacity thresholds." Must be some public-relations people and lawyers among those outdoor enthusiasts. I was already tired of the hair-splitting semantics argument used by gun enthusiasts; this letter raises that to a new level, and it seems to make the chance of some agreement on how to reduce needless deaths less likely. I agree completely with the previous two...

Posted on 02/18/13 at 02:29 pm in response to Regulating cremations' mercury emissions proves as hard as pulling teeth

... possibly because I was at the dentist's this morning. I have met John Marty, like and admire him, and support his stand on almost every issue. But not this one, I'm afraid, for all the "con" reasons cited above. I really don't think the numbers of fillings incinerated -- a diminishing number, as mentioned -- are enough to add appreciably to the problem of mercury in the environment. Not enough to warrant the unpleasant measures involved in removing them from our bodies.

As a...

Posted on 02/16/13 at 12:42 pm in response to Mary Jo Copeland: Citizens Medal 'a very beautiful thing'

Sue Peterson's too modest to make a big deal of it, but her daughter, Michelle, made the trip to the White House with Mary Jo Copeland. Michelle wrote a biography of Copeland, "Great Love," published in hardcover in 2003 and currently being updated. Susan Peterson, a retired Star Tribune business writer/editor, is a comment moderator for Minnpost. (Now, Sue, don't deep-six my comment.)

Posted on 02/01/13 at 04:09 pm in response to St. Paul District Court dismisses case against Hebrew National

Frank's name isn't ironic, it's coincidental -- a common reporters' misuse that copy editors haven't been able to stamp out. Other than that ... hot dog!

Posted on 01/30/13 at 03:15 pm in response to What happened, Wisconsin?

RBC Plaza bought by KBS REIT... Do you suppose they'll put in the world's largest PDQ?

Posted on 11/05/12 at 12:44 pm in response to Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe quits Pioneer Press blog after marriage amendment editorial

I'm losing patience with the PP, but with a different perspective. I'm sick of the almost exclusive diet of right-wing op-ed pieces and cartoons on the editorial pages -- no Tom Friedman, no Paul Krugman. Michael Ramirez' anti-Obama cartoons are especially hateful and offensive to me. Coupled with the paper's continued tolerance of Soucheray, I see a disagreeable conservative slant to the paper and I've mentally composed a subscription-cancellation letter many times. But I take your last...

Posted on 10/19/12 at 02:30 pm in response to No more homestead credit: Has that meant higher property taxes?

The taxes on our 98-year-old Roseville house have climbed steadily, but not precipitously, as its supposed value peaked around 2007 and then dropped by $37,000. I don't have the figures handy, but I guess the taxes did go down about $400 at that point. Meanwhile, the taxes on our $40,000 cabin on one-third acre of sandy lakeside in central Wisconsin have been about the same as or higher than our Roseville property for years. Property taxes on my daughter's little house in Milwaukee also were...