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There is no such thing as “Shaanxi Nice.” For three weeks, I’ve tried to make an appointment with someone—anyone, really—in Shaanxi’s provincial government building on the basis of being a Minnesotan. Obviously, Minnesota residency doesn’t get me far in most Chinese cities. But Shaanxi is not most Chinese cities. In fact, it’s not a city … Read more

On a recent night near Norwood Young America in Carver County, more than a dozen people arrived at Baylor Regional Park and headed toward the high, arched roof and warm, red glow of Onan Observatory. As the sun set, Tim Hagen threw his six-foot-seven-inch frame against a manual lever inside. Hagen is a volunteer with … Read more

Hank Lederer is an “anticipatory thinker” who plots trends. From this plotting, he hopes to predict all the great (and not-so-great) things that might await us in the future, from cryogenics to extraterrestrial colonies. He is a futurist, and he is my tax accountant. Each spring when my kitchen table overflows with W-2s and 1040s … Read more

You hear it on the streets. On the news. In the halls of Congress. There’s no agreement on the issue, except this: “Iraq” is a problem. There are at least four common ways English speakers say the word “Iraq,” including “Ee-RACK,” “Ih-ROCK,” “Eye-ROCK,” and “Uh-RACK.” Which is correct? Technically, none. The Q at the end … Read more

The sugar glider is an adorable, furry animal that measures about a foot in length—roughly half body and half tail. This expensive flying marsupial comes from the Australasian rainforest, and it’s suddenly become popular here and nationwide. The animal is named for its attraction to sweet tree fruits of the rainforest canopy, and its ability … Read more

It started as a tiny inventory issue four years ago, no big deal. So why has their stock taken a billion-dollar tumble? And why won’t anybody just say it like it is? It’s not exactly Enron, but there’s something funny going on at Minnesota’s venerable, publicly-owned grocery supplier. The Hopkins Police Department is headquartered in … Read more

How many art-house theaters does one town need? A city’s “real” cultural vibrancy can often be measured by the size of its network of art-house cinemas. While the Twin Cities scene is hardly New York, we’re well ahead of cities of comparable size. Fifteen years ago, the Uptown and University Film Society were about the … Read more

Why can’t I be Dave Eggers? It’s a question every writer between the ages of 20 and 40 has been asking for the last five years. An understandable question. The 32-year-old Chicago native has been blessed with two rare gifts: the ability to compose hilarious prose about virtually anything, and an uncanny knack for self-promotion. … Read more