Fixing Potholes On The Road and At The Top

A transportation package that would benefit roads, bridges and mass transit is a reality because, for the first time since Republican Tim Pawlenty became Minnesota's governor in 2003, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor-dominated Legislature overrode one of his vetoes. And, for good measure, his lieutenant governor Carol Molnau no longer moonlights as the head of the transportation department.

The new law, which goes into effect later this year, would raise $6.6 billion dollars by levying the first Minnesota gas tax in 20 years. It would go up by at least five cents the first year, then a little more thereafter.

Six Republican House members joined 85 DFLers in voting to override the veto 91-41. (The Senate voted 47-20) For their trouble, the six were called on the carpet by the GOP leadership for the sin of (A) commiserating with the enemy, and (B) breaking from the conservative mantra that any tax is a bad tax, no matter how much it might benefit your constituents.

Governor Pawlenty has used his Magic Veto Pen 37 times since taking office, in the name of cutting the budget. Which is all well and good, unless the end result is a state that's so screwed up, no amount of money can undo the damage.

Granted, this is not the best time to launch an ambitious transportation program. As it happens, the economy's in the tank. Foreclosures are rampant. Unemployment is up. Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline is a real possibility. But in the wake of the 35W bridge collapse, and with so many roads and bridges falling apart, it needed to be done.

Which leads us to Molnau, for whom the Senate decided to take away her role as head of Minnesota's Department of Transportation. From all reports, she made a mess of things when she mistook political considerations for leadership, possibly endangering thousands of lives in the process.

Governor Pawlenty has been campaigning for John McCain's presidential run, allegedly on his own time and spending his own money, and has been rumored to be in line to be the Arizona senator's running mate. One wonders whether the ouster of Molnau was a wise thing to do, given the possibility that she could become governor should McCain be elected President of the United States and Pawlenty becomes his Vice President. In that case, what was the DFL leadership thinking?

Desperate Candidates

The Texas and Ohio Democratic primaries are upon us in a week, with Hillary Clinton needing big victories against Barack Obama to stay in the race, so let's use this lull in the proceedings to catch up on the political scene:

• Losing 11 consecutive primaries/caucuses to Obama has turned Clinton into a desperate woman. With her lead in Texas and Ohio melting like butter on a hot skillet--even the superdelegates are abandoning her--Clinton has resorted to accusing Obama of plagiarizing his speeches (what candidate hasn't done that?), twisting her words on health care reform, and allegedly publishing pictures of the Illinois senator in traditional Kenyan garb (read: Muslim) taken in 2006. But Clinton can't break through. Obama is this year's Teflon candidate, with nothing significant sticking to him. And anyone who does try to criticize him risks getting branded as a racist, since the senator happens to be biracial. That's why he was so calm and collected in comparison to Clinton during Tuesday's debate in Cleveland on MSNBC.
• Obama's wife Michelle made her bid to become the Next Hillary with this statement at a rally in Milwaukee: "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country--and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change". Can anyone tell us what's wrong with that sentence? And why we should care?
• The New York Times reports that John McCain, the apparent Republican presidential nominee, had an affair during the 2000 campaign with Vicki Iseman, at that time a lobbyist for Paxson Communications (now called Ion Media Networks). McCain and Iseman have denied that there ever was that kind of relationship. The article itself dealt at length with McCain's dealings with special interests such as Paxson, even though he claimed not to. But the Times felt the need to sex up the story at a time when the public has moved past such scandals. The upshot is that all the right-wing loudmouths who have been whining that McCain isn't as conservative as they wanted him to be have rallied to his side, at least in this case. Let's see how loyal they really are come November.
• Mike Huckabee is still hanging around, even though he has little chance of overtaking McCain in the delegate count.
• Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is back as a presidential candidate, whether anybody likes it or not. Some people still blame him for giving George W. Bush the White House instead of Al Gore in the 2000 election. This time, Nader's running on the premise that the real issues aren't being discussed because of corporate control of the political parties. As in the previous elections, Nader is not given any chance to win. Still, if you don't want to see a third Clinton term, a continuation of the Iraq war under McCain, or think Obama's too inexperienced to be President, then Nader might be your man.

"No Country", Few Surprises At Oscars

,At the 80th Academy Awards Sunday night, the Motion Picture Academy's fascination with violent, depressing movies continued with No Country For Old Men winning four Oscars, including Best Picture. Joel and Ethan Coen took home two awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and for Best Directing, then showed us why they'd rather let their films do the talking with their acceptance speeches, in which they didn't say much. Javier Badem won for Best Supporting Actor, then proceeded to thank his mother in Spanish.

Daniel Day-Lewis, who was expected by most pundits to win Best Actor for There Will Be Blood, did so.

Marion Cotillard, in one of the few surprises of the evening, won as Best Actress for her role as singer Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. A Frenchwoman playing another Frenchwoman. What a concept.

Tilda Swinton took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress with her role in Michael Clayton. In her acceptance speech, Swinton said she'd give the Oscar to her agent, because it looks just like him. Was he in the audience, by any chance?

Congratulations are in order for Betty Rubble--excuse me, Diablo Cody--for her Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Juno. Only Cody could have pulled off the feat of being better known for writing a film than any of the actors who were in it.

Other Oscar observations:

• Jon Stewart did a better job hosting the ABC telecast than the last time he did this. His opening monologue was excellent, and kept things moving in spite of the lack of bad montages. Now, aren't you glad the writers' strike is over?
• A song from Once won for Best Original Song. And, unlike Disney's Enchanted, it only had to be nominated once.
• The Best Foreign Language Film went to The Counterfeiters from Austria. We know the Holocaust is an important topic, but has there ever been a film in that genre that didn't win an award of some kind?
• In the category of Interesting Presenters: Owen Wilson, a few months removed from an alleged suicide attempt, presented an award for Live Action Short Film. Jerry Seinfeld as an animated bee. Two guys who were introduced as Halle Berry and Dame Judith Evans who don't look anything like them. Hilary Swank introducing this year's Obit Reel. Spokesman for the American Soldier Tom Hanks, with help from some of George W. Bush's troops in Iraq via satellite, presented the Documentary Short Subject award. And Jack Nicholson, His Shaded Eminence, introduced 79 Best Picture Oscar winners.

Now let's see how many of these fine films do when they're released on DVD, so cheapskates like me can actually see what all the fuss was about.

Twilight For The Dictator Next Door

Fidel Castro, one of the world's longest-serving leaders, is retiring as president of Cuba after nearly a half-century of ruling with an iron fist. At 81 and suffering from an undisclosed illness, he's expected to cede power to his brother Raul (who is 76), but remain with the government in some capacity.

Castro has outlasted nine U.S. presidents since taking power in 1959, from Dwight Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. The Soviet Union, Cuba's chief benefactor during the Cold War years, no longer exists.

Believe it or not, there was once a time when Castro was considered a hero for ousting the hated dictator Fulgencio Batista. That was before he declared himself a Comminust and turned Cuba into a socialist state. Since then, the United States has tried to get rid of Castro who knows how many times, mostly ending in disaster (see: Bay of Pigs invasion).

When the Soviets put nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962, President Kennedy orders a blockade to force them out. War almost broke out before the Soviets agreed to dismantle the missiles and JFK agreed not to invade Cuba.

In the half-century since Castro took control, Cuba changed from a vibrant country to a ramshackle existence, dotted by dilapidated buildings and 1950s-era transportation. Government-mandated repression and alleged human rights abuses abounded. Thousands of Cuban exiles have fled to the United States in rickety old boats, risking death and the possibility of getting turned back by the Coast Guard.

The U.S. embargo on trade and tourism has been in place since the early 1960s, and it looks as if the Bush administration and whoever succeeds them intend to continue the policy, even though there seems to be no good reason for it. What's the excuse this time? Has Castro been harboring terrorists?

The news of Castro's retirement has not set off any parades in the Cuban-American section of Miami, where thousands of exiles now live, because no one really expects their onetime homeland to suddenly drop Communism until both Castros are out of the picture for good. Besides, after having spent so much time in America partaking of all it has to offer (not to mention wielding extraordinary political clout), why would they want to go back?

The twilight of a bearded, cigar-smoking man who symbolized a revolution wearing army fatigues and making long speeches while ruling his country with an iron fist is upon us. What remains to be seen is what will happen to Cuba after Fidel Castro is gone.

Digital TV: In Search of a Clearer Picture

In a year from now. all broadcast TV stations will be going digital, and only recently has there been a push to make people aware of the situation. There are approximately 117 million analog TVs, equipped only with rabbit ears, and the potential of people raising hell because they woke up one morning to find nothing but a snowy picture on their screens is enormous.

Before we plunk down a ton of money for an high-definition set, or use those government-issued $40 coupons for analog converter boxes, we have a few concerns about digital TV that haven't been (but should be) addressed.

• What will a digital picture look like on your analog TV, whether or not you have cable or satellite? Will it be oversized? Will it be in the widescreen format, shrinking the picture? Or will it look the same as it always has?
• You may have heard that the format war for DVD on HD is all but over. Most of the major movie studios and retailers have aligned themselves with Blu Ray over HD/DVD, which is supposed to be technologically superior. Toshiba has announced that it will no longer make any HD/DVD players. Two things: 1. Unless you actually have an HD set, this bit of news doesn't mean squat to you, and 2. It'll be a moot point once people start legally downloading movies off the Internet.
• Can you record TV programs from digital using the VCR? Believe it or not, there are people out there who still use them and don't want to spend money on TiVo's monthly subscription fee.
• Will cable providers such as Comcast use the switchover to phase out its basic package, forcing those customers to pay for the more expensive digital tier?
• After the changeover, how will TV stations brand themselves? In most cities, network affiliates bill themselves as CBS 2, NBC 4, FOX 5, ABC 7, or whatever, instead of their call letters. The Twin Cities stations, for some reason, doesn't do that. Here its WCCO, 5 Eyewitness News (for KSTP), FOX9 (for KMSP) and KARE 11. Since the digital signals will be on different channels, people may have to get reacquainted with call letters.
• Then there's the matter of local newscasts on HD, in which KARE is the only station in the Twin Cities broadcasting in it. Others won't do it beacuse (A) it's too expensive (You would think that CBS and News Corp., the owners of WCCO and KMSP respectively, would spend the money) and (B) nobody's clamoring for it (If the networks would put more of its programming in HD, there'd be more of a demand, wouldn't there?).

There's one other possibility surrounding the digital changeover that nobody talks about: Some people might use this as an opportunity to pull the plug on their TV for good.

The Clemens Hearings: Who Do You Trust?

Many have wondered how Roger Clemens, one of the winningest pitchers in Major League Baseball history with 351 victories, was able to pitch at a high level into his mid-40s. After testifying in front of a congressional panel Wednesday, we're still wondering.

Clemens, who was cited in the Mitchell Report on steroid use in baseball, told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under oath that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs.

His former personal trainer Brian McNamee (who was sitting a few feet from Clemens) and former New York Yankees teammate Andy Pettite (who wasn't involved in the hearing, but did issue a statement) begged to differ. Both said that Clemens was injected with human growth hormone (HGH) and other performance-enhancers.

This spectacle was televised live on several cable networks and led the network evening news, something you wouldn't get for a hearing on, let's say, bean futures. Considering the contradictory nature of the testimony, wouldn't an appearance on Dr. Phil or The Oprah Winfrey Show have been more appropriate?

The testimony also included descriptions by McNamee of how he injected HGH into Clemens' buttocks, as well as his wife Debbie (which Clemens claimed he knew nothing about), in preparation for a feature in Sports Illustrated's 2003 swimsuit issue. Then there was also talk about what Clemens' nanny heard. At least we were spared details about the Clemens' sex life.

In the end, for all the partisan questioning (Democrats on the committee railing against President Bush's buddy Clemens, Republicans berating McNamee) and finger-pointing, the matter of who's telling the truth remains unresolved. It is now up to the Justice Department to decide who, if anybody, is facing major prison time for lying under oath.

But was this hearing really necessary? Congressman Henry Waxman, the Democrat from California who chaired the committee, told the New York Times that it never should have happened, and that Clemens and his attorney were the ones pushing for it.

Why is Congress (if you'll pardon the expression) injecting itself into an issue that Major League Baseball should have addressed years ago? It's not as if they don't have more important things to do, such as protecting the American people from President Bush's security excesses, or hold more hearings on the latest school shooting, this one at Northern Illinois University which left five dead including the shooter.

In the next few years, Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds will all be eligible for induction into baseball's Hall of Fame. Since those names and others have been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, voters will be extremely reluctant to give them the keys to immortailty. Which means only one thing: Bert Blyleven finally has a shot at the Hall.

Even In Death, Cuteness Rules

In the first Minneapolis homicide of 2008, a four-year old was allegedly beaten to death by a relative who was taking care of him.

Some of the basics of the crime, according to police accounts and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, are these: Carla Poole of north Minneapolis is charged with second degree murder in the death of her cousin's son Demond Keith Reed. Police believe Reed was fatally beaten and stuffed in the closet for days after he soiled his pants, an act allegedly witnessed by Poole's children. She was taking care of Reed while his father was serving time in Chicago for a probation violation.

This could have been written off by the local media as just another tale of the mean streets of north Minneapolis. Had this taken place in, say, Burnsville, politicians would be expressing outrage and pass anti-crime bills named "Demond's Law", just like they did for Dru Sjodin. But since Reed was African-American, that's not likely to happen.

Since this happens to be sweeps month, when local TV stations trot out their best programming to get more viewers and charge more for advertising, the news departments fell all over themselves to cover this story. Because Demond Keith Reed wasn't just any four-year old crime victim. He was a cute and cuddly four-year old crime victim.

There are, unfortunately, cases of child abuse and neglect that sometimes leads to death every year. Ask any social worker. Not all of the victims are as photogenic as Reed, but if you watch local TV news long enough, you'd be forgiven if you thought they're the only kind that exist.

The media's obsession with pretty people in peril isn't limited to children, of course. Cable news, unless there is a disaster or a presidential campaign to cover, fills its time keeping viewers up to date on the disappearance of Natalee Holloway or the travails of Britney Spears. Neither of them would be considered plain Janes.

Crime victims come in all shapes, sizes and colors. But unless you're young, attractive and (more often than not) white, you're just another statistic. It's all for ratings, don't you know. Gotta lock in that 18-49 female demographic, and the hell with everyone else.

A funeral service will be held on Monday for Demond Keith Reed. He'll never know if his death had made a difference, or if he was just used for ratings fodder.

The Writers Strike Is Over. But First . . .

The Writers Guild of America has settled its dispute with the Association of Motion Pictures and Television Producers, reaching a three-year deal.

The writers didn't get everything they wanted, but they did get compensation for new media ventures such as the Internet, which was one of the main sticking points.

During the 100 days of the strike, production on most movies and TV shows shut down. Late night talk shows (with the exception of David Letterman) had to find unscripted things to do without major celebrities plugging their projects. Awards shows like the Oscars and Grammys were threatened, but only the Golden Globes canceled its ceremony and announced its winners at a news conference.

Most of the hit TV shows such as CSI, Grey's Anatomy and House should be ready by late April. Some of the shows that premiered last fall, such as Private Practice, Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money will be held to next fall. Others, such as Cavemen and Bionic Woman, you can forget about.

Until then, feast your eyes (or avert them) on the following: Big Brother: Til Death Do You Part, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, Moment of Truth, Cashmere Mafia, Lipstick Jungle (yes, the last two are scripted. But it's essentially the same show) and Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Faves.

With all those cheap-to-produce, no-script-necessary shows clogging the airwaves, is it any wonder folks are looking for other things to do? And when the scripted shows come back, will the viewers?

There's one more hurdle before Hollywood reaches labor peace. The actors union is looking for their own agreement, and could well be on the picket lines by summer.

The Grammy Awards at 50: The Best On Record?

For much of the 50th Grammy Awards, which came to you from the Staples Center in Los Angeles and televised by CBS, it seemed like Old Home Week. Prince, The Time, Andy Williams, Tina Turner, Keely Smith, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis were among those trotted out as either awards presenters or performing in one of those made-for-TV duets with one of today's stars--think Beyonce, the 21st Century Diana Ross.

The creepiest belonged to the opening number as Alicia Keys "collaborated" with the long-dead Frank Sinatra on "Learnin' The Blues". It brought back memories of Natalie Cole (who was also a presenter) winning Record of the Year for her version of "Unforgettable", which she sung with her father Nat King Cole--who died in 1966.

The Beatles were also saluted with a Cirque du Soleil interpretation of "A Day In The Life" (huh?), and a performance of "Let It Be" that resembled a Barack Obama campaign appearance (Obama, by the way, won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album with the audio version of his book The Audacity of Hope.).

Amy Winehouse, the other well-known show business train wreck, had a huge night in winning five Grammys--including awards for Best New Artist, Song of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Rehab"). Because of visa problems, Winehouse performed two songs live via satellite from London at 3:30 a.m, and managed to stay lucid through it all. And yes, yes, yes, folks, Amy's in rehab.

Kanye West, who sometimes needs to get over himself, won four Grammys including Best Rap Album for Graduation. He used part of his acceptance speech to salute his recently deceased mother, even to the point of telling whoever is responsible for cueing the "cutoff music" to back off for a moment.

Winehouse and West were the co-favorites to win the Album of the Year award, but it went to--major shocker alert--Herbie Hancock's Joni Mitchell tribute "River: The Joni Letters".

People have been complaining for years about how the organization that runs the Grammys--the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)--always seem to get it wrong in recognizing the best in popular music. This might just take the cake.

Super Humongous Tuesday: The Aftermath

Now that the closest thing to a national primary is over and done with, have things really changed after the events of February 5, or are they more muddled than ever?

• With Mitt Romney dropping out, the conservative Republicans have found to their horror that, trying in vain to derail the all-but-certain nomination of John McCain, they had been backing the wrong horse all along. They should have been paying attention to Mike Huckabee, an evangelical conservative whose message played better in the southern states where the GOP has a stranglehold anyway.
• It's not over for the Democrats, but despite what every pundit in the world tells you, all signs point to a Hillary Clinton-John McCain matchup in November. Barack Obama may have the momentum, but at some point he's going to fade and Clinton's early advantage in the delegate count (which is what this is really all about) may be too much to overcome.
• Super Humongous Tuesday was a huge hit across the country in spite of long lines, ballot shortages, faulty voting machines, and severe weather in some states. If you think it's bad now, just wait until Election Day.
• In Minnesota, people swamped their caucuses to give Obama and Romney victories in their respective parties. There have been complaints about the way the caucuses were set up, which was intended more for party hacks and political junkies than the Great Unwashed, leading to calls for the state to bring back the presidential primary (the last one was in 1992). Sounds like a great idea--until you remember that this presidential campaign is an unusual occurence, with no incumbent in either party running. If you do put in a primary for 2012, what will the political climate be like then? Will the public be as interested then as they are today? And besides, if you cross party lines to vote, do you really want junk mail from a candidate you don't actually intend to support in November?

Remember, folks, this is not the only Super Humongous Tuesday in 2008. The next one will be in November, and this time all 50 states will participate.

Knight In Tarnished Armor

Robert Montgomery Knight abruptly left his position as Texas Tech's men's basketball coach on Monday, leaving it to his son Pat with ten games left in their season.

Knight leaves with a 902-371 record over a 42-year career, the winningest coach in NCAA Division 1 history. His Indiana teams won national titles in 1976, 1981 and 1987. He also coached the United States Olympic men's basketball team to a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Knight reportedly said the reason he's leaving is because coaching is no longer fun for him. Now he knows how his players, referees and university officials felt, tolerating his abusive coaching style and embarassing meltdowns over the years.

Remember the chair-throwing incident? Hitting a Puerto Rican police officer during the Pan-Am games in 1979? Allegedly giving a mock whipping to one of his African-American players? Allegedly head-butting and choking his players during games? Strong-arming a student and lecturing him (which is what got Knight fired at Indiana)?

Would you want your son (or daughter) to play for a man like Bob Knight?

Knight's relations with the media have always been prickly, but he could always count on Minneapolis-based columnist Sid Hartman to tell us what a decent, caring man he is.

You may not agree with Bob Knight's coaching methods, but we'll say this: His teams won several conference titles and national championships. His program has never been upbraided by the NCAA for recruiting violations. And his players graduate.

But Knight is not, and never has been, a paragon of sportsmanship. His motto to his players seems to be: Do as I say, not as I do. He's the blueprint for every egomaniacal coach in every level of sports from the pros to the peewees. And we tolerate this because he won.

Giants Make Sure Champagne Flows In Miami

In Super Bowl 7 (we don't do Roman numerals here) at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team in the modern era to go undefeated for an entire season, beating the Washington Redskins 14-7. Every year since then, some former members of that team get together and break out the champagne whenever the last team to challenge their record falls to defeat.

In Super Bowl 42 at University of Phoenix Stadium (probably the only venue in the country where the school in question doesn't have a football team) in Glendale, Arizona, the New England Patriots tried to crash the 1972 Dolphins' party.

They didn't. The New York Giants, a fifth-seeded wild card team for whom few people outside East Rutherford, New Jersey thought were championship caliber, scored one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history by defeating the Patriots 17-14 on a last-minute touchdown.

This reminds us of another shocking Super Bowl upset, the one in 1969 where quarterback Joe Namath made good on his "guarantee" that his New York Jets would defeat the Baltimore Colts.
Also the following year, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the favored Minnesota Vikings, in the final matchup between the champions of the NFL and the American Football League.

But Giants quarterback Eli Manning (the game's MVP) is no Namath, nor is he as consistent and media savvy as his brother Peyton (who also has won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts). Why, the Giants themselves weren't very consistent for much of the regular season, leading to speculation that coach Tom Coughlin's job was on the line. What Eli did do was to rally his troops to road playoff wins in the heat of Tampa Bay, the bright lights of Dallas, and the subzero cold of Green Bay.

The Patriots? From glamour-boy, supermodel-dating quarterbackTom Brady (who really deserves the Namath analogy) to supposedly mellowed receiver Randy Moss to hooded genius coach Bill Belichick, New England was the talk of pro football this season. They ran down their opponents with little mercy. They were caught spying on other teams, with a slap on the wrist to show for it. They were in a league of their own.

That is, until Brady was caught on tape wearing a boot over his allegedly injured foot, paying a visit to girlfriend Gisele Bundchen in the two week break before the Super Bowl. Spygate returned to the headlines when a couple of former staffers claimed they saw the Patriots record moves of past Super Bowl opponents. Key players were injured.

Halftime musical guests Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (who were great, by the way. No wardrobe malfunctions or phallic guitar symbols from these gentlemen.) once recorded a song called "I Won't Back Down". It turns out the Giants didn't, and the '72 Dolphins can break out the bubbly. And for once, the game was far more interesting than the commercials.

The city of Boston may have gotten great years from the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics. But they can't win everything.

Twins Trade Santana to Mets: How Small Market Teams Get That Way

The Minnesota Twins have traded one of the Major Leagues' best pitchers, Johan Santana, to the New York Mets. In return, they get four nobodies. That's a far cry from the talent the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were willing to part with to land the two-time Cy Young award winner. But at least Santana's out of the American League, provided the Mets come up with the right deal.

Trades like this one only reinforce the notion that small market teams like the Twins develop talent, only to lose them to deep-pocketed clubs like the Red Sox and Yankees when they can't afford them any more. Torii Hunter, for one, signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Cucamonga as a free agent.

To be fair, the Twins didn't dump all of their best players because of financial issues. Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer recently signed extensions to their contracts.

Just think of the money the Pohlad family saved by not spending a fortune to keep Santana, Hunter, or any other player worth having. They now have enough to pay for any cost overruns on that new ballpark they've always wanted, which is set to open in 2010. Also, they are rumored to be in the market for two FM radio stations in Minneapolis to go along with the hip hop outlet they already have.

Maybe contraction doesn't sound so bad after all.