David Speers of Madison, Wisconsin and Nancy Miller of St. Paul recently called upon the Lincoln Family at the new Lincoln Museum in Honest Abe’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois. They had along The Rake’s October 2006 all-music issue, and it inspired some fairly solid verse. Writes Miller: In these times of war and strife, Lincoln … Read more
In his profile of Katherine Kersten, Brian Lambert states: “nor does she stoop to … cynical mangling of facts…” You can argue about her cynicism, but as I recall when she was writing occasional policy pieces for the Star Trib op-ed page, those pieces were usually followed by letters to the editor stating where she … Read more
It’s rewarding to see Brian Lambert back in print once again. Despite being a failed newspaper columnist and a fired radio talk-show host, Lambert’s hiring by The Rake must be complimented. By employing him—“an embalmed white man”—to “sneer about” Katherine Kersten. The Rake displays both its hostility to conservative viewpoints and selective devotion to diversity. … Read more
With all due respect, your “raking” over of the Strib [“Go Down Moses,” February] doesn’t resonate with me, a Strib subscriber. Au contraire, I’m of the opinion that the Strib is actually turning out a much-improved product since the takeover. I have no other conflict of interest in coming to the aid of the Strib. … Read more
What a fabulous idea! Leave it to The Rake to figure out that men have a pretty good fashion sense when it comes to their ladies by sending four of them on a shopping trip [“Guys and Paper Dolls,” February]. My husband has this same knack. I think it works for guys who are especially … Read more
After reading Joseph Hart’s article “When Harry Met Betty” [February], I pulled my well-used 1974 Betty Crocker’s Cookbook off the shelf and turned to page 108 to refresh my memories of the cake my mother used to bake in the 1950s. Under the “Orange Chiffon Cake” heading, Betty Crocker included the following bit of info, … Read more
Stephanie March reported last month that Super Bowl Sunday is the number one day for avocado consumption in the U.S. Reader Dennis Lien pointed out to us that, according to the California Avocado Commission, Cinco de Mayo-related sales account for fourteen million pounds of the green god of fruits, while Super Bowl-related sales are in … Read more
Melanie Kim and Layne Bittner went to South Africa last year on a very specific mission: To study the promise of reconciliation in the wake of apartheid. They were traveling as part of a team from Columbia Heights’ Church of All Nations that included four Koreans, two white Americans, a South African Indian, a Kenyan, … Read more
I grew up in Saudi Arabia, where my parents worked for Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company). I found the article “Postcards from Saudi Arabia” [December] to be a very memorable and well-written description of life in the country based on my experiences growing up. Both my parents and I have many insights on the country … Read more
Unfortunately we live in a time of intolerance and incivility fueled by a bullying, divisive, and fear-mongering administration that increases our collective xenophobia daily. Thank you to Peter Schilling [“Postcards from Saudi Arabia”] for bringing some of us just a bit closer together by sharing his personal experiences and reflections. I am sure he made … Read more