A reader e-mailed this morning to tell us about a South Minneapolis bistro (I won’t say which one. . . .because this is a common practice) where she and a friend enjoyed their entrées but were completely put off after being charged separately for the bread — a couple paltry, obviously store-bought slices of baguette served with two foil packs of butter.
“Our meal, with wine but no desserts, came to more than $60 for two,” she wrote. “I can understand a restaurant trying to save money by not automatically setting out a bread basket. But once you’ve ordered — at that price — shouldn’t bread be part of the deal?”
As one of those people who rarely eats bread, I’m sometimes surprised by the number of restaurants that still do set down a bulging basket at the outset of every meal. My husband might take a slice or two, but we’ll typically send back half a loaf to be discarded (I hope!) in the kitchen.
Personally, I agree with our reader: the best solution is for patrons who want bread to request it, so entire baskets don’t go to waste; but at a certain price point — say, $20 a head — it really should come gratis. Manna from. . . .well, you get the idea.
Dissenters?
She’s beautiful. She’s sexy. She’ll make you feel sexy, too. What more can you ask from a woman? The voice of an angel? A backbone? Wisdom? A maternal instinct? This woman has it all. 
I understand Zach Rogue used to work as a website developer. Oy! Fortunate for him, and for our listening pleasure, he made a break for New York and decided to try his luck in the music industry. Truth be told, he didn’t need a whole lot of luck. The man is talented. In no time at all he returned with almost a whole album recorded. Now, just five years later, with three albums under their belts, 
I, for one, am always curious about the faces behind creations. Who is the man behind the work? The woman? I create a narrative between the two — between the man and the work. So, when the opportunity arises to meet the artists, to hear from them, live and in person — to interact, engage — I have to call it out. While 
As we all sit around ceding all accountability to feelings of powerlessness, it does us well to be reminded, from time to time, of what individuals across the globe have managed to achieve — sometimes on their own, other times simply lending their voices or their leadership. But, in the end, what never fails to amaze is not the achievements at all, but the struggle. How is it that others, in the face of horror, have the courage to stand and fight, while in all our luxury we consistently fail to make the most basic demands? (So spoiled are we. So inured.) Give yourself a well-deserved and triumphant slap in the face tonight with the story of a 27-year-old Afghani woman who actually had the tenacity to speak out against corrupt warlords. 
Another great empowerment film is showing this evening at Hamline. Narrated by none other than 
A prosthetic arm covered with gilt and pink Swarovski crystals. A photograph of a suburban treehouse whose tree is being dismantled. A line — nothing more, nothing less — that runs across the gallery floor, busts through a floor-to-ceiling window and, thus liberated, continues through the city to … well, you go follow it and find out (note – you’ll be walking for upwards of an hour). These works, by 
Finally, a book about feminism that doesn’t resort to the counter-productive tradition of pitting generations against each other, rather than exploring a cohesive development. 
Whenever the question of journalistic objectivity emerges, 
The Madision Square Garden renovation in New York. The Daniel Patrick Moynihan Station in New York. The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Smithsonian National Portrait Museum expansion in Washington, D.C. The Gucci Ginza building in Tokyo, Japan. The Luminous Pier in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The American University of Beirut in Lebanon. The Reflective Clerestory Sculpture in our very own General Mills Atrium. These are all designs by 
The Parkway’s Monday night film noir series continues this evening with one of my all-time favorites, 
When