rakemag Since we do listen to our voice mail, it’s a valid way to communicate with us. This month, we had a number of calls about April’s cover subject, Tom Friedman [“A Man of His Times”]. Friedman’s old friends, colleagues, and even rivals phoned us. Tom M. said his mother and Mrs. Friedman were old card-playing … Read more
Has “bird flu” already arrived in one of the world’s most crowded cities? The other morning an old man spent several minutes mumbling angry Shanghainese phrases at the two parakeets that hang in cages in front of my apartment building. A few of the old women who regularly congregate in front of the gate watched … Read more
Mary Alice and Art Jacobson, of Bloomington, take The Rake to new depths—twenty-five feet underwater—in the Gulf of Siam. They jumped out of the boat at Sail Rock, about five miles off the coast of Koh Tao (Turtle Island), Thailand, and buried their noses in The Rake on the way down. Here’s the whole story: … Read more
Mike Gottsacker of St. Paul takes the battle Down Under. (Thanks so Patty Schulz of Minneapolis for documenting the event.) Author(s) and Location: Mike Gottsacker
Liz Benser, chef at Cafe Brenda since 1986 (!) was enjoying the Taj Mahal on Nov. 18, 2005, and decided to take a “Rake Break”. Liz spent earlly a month in India gathering culinary ideas. Interestingly enough, Dan Buettner (on the cover) is a regular diner at Cafe Brenda. Liz will celebrate 20 years of … Read more
Eric Sustad sent us this photo from Tikal, Guatemala, with Temple I in the background. Author(s) and Location: Eric Sustad
Calhoun Square shoppers peek into Aura during the day and see no action, just stools flipped on top of tables. Dedicated purely to nocturnal enjoyment, the former 101 Blu space is atmospheric and alluring, ushering in nightfall early with a happy hour that includes delicious mini sandwiches–BBQ pulled pork, BLTs, and tangy El Cubanos. Unusual … Read more
Near Block E on March 31, spring arrived with a .44-caliber bang. The hero of the day was Minneapolis Police Officer Jomar Villamor, who quickly apprehended the suspect. It turned out that Officer Villamor was working off-duty, as were many of the police who responded that Friday night to the murder of a Minnetonka mortgage … Read more
Perhaps if Augusten Burroughs’ successful memoirs Running With Scissors and Dry hadn’t made addiction look like such a profitable publishing proposition, James Frey wouldn’t be tormented by persistent nightmares in which Oprah chases him down dark alleys brandishing his own shaken “memoir” and calling him a lousy liar. Burroughs is one of those writers who’s … Read more
An abbreviated rant: At one of the “experimental” theater productions I attended over the weekend, they were distributing a lil’ pamphlet called “How To Look At New Work,” and it was about the most condescending thing I’ve ever seen. It was enough to send a girl shopping, and that’s about all I did on Saturday … Read more