Stefan writes: Sharon, Liam and I just returned from two weeks in Israel. We carried a copy of the Rake with us to the Golan Heights and gave into the pull of pop culture and took a few shots with the Rake! The shot of us is in front of the Chateau Golan Winery at … Read more
Mark writes: I had the opportunity to catch up on the latest edition of the Rake while waiting in line to cross into Nicaragua from Costa Rica on vacation… and there was plenty of time to catch up. There were a total of three stops crossing the border where we had to pay both coming … Read more
Paulette writes: Rake, Rake — whose got my Rake. Well, I have two men on vacation in Sayulita Mexico, vying for a Rake read. They had to take turns. Here are pix of both sitting on a palapa at the top of “gringo hill” — there’s no specific evidence of place, but you can see … Read more
There weren’t many people on the plane from Minneapolis to London. My husband, Mike, and I could have had our own aisles, our own sections, our very own bathrooms. Granted, we were traveling in the off-season, but also, dollar-wise, visiting Europe has become rather stupid. Thanks to our huge national debt, the war in Iraq, … Read more
DO LITTLE Thank you for the auto magnets guide [the Rake’s Progress, April]. I had considered having one made that said, “Is this all I have to do?” Simple sentiment is right. Beadrin Urista Minneapolis SHOOTIN’ THE BREEZE I really enjoyed Maria Rubinstein’s article on the IRS’s image [the Rakish Angle, April]. And I know … Read more
Kieran’s Letter of the Month: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHTThe Rake rightly deserves enormous credit for advising Bob Dylan in June 1963, “Move away and write your own damn songs,” and for predicting the date of Garrison Keillor’s conception in Anoka [Good Intentions, March]. Concerning mistakes and missteps, you do not seem to recognize that your … Read more
REPRESENTATIVE MANWhile Clinton Collins’ musings have long been a favorite of mine, it is a shame that he is perpetuating the (implied) myth of how the shortest month of the year came to be Black History Month [Love It and Leave It, February]. The selection of February, in fact, was made by a black scholar, … Read more
HARD-SCRABBLE LIFEIn “War of Words” [the Rakish Angle, January], Tim Bewer is kind enough to cover the National Scrabble Association’s activities here in the Twin Cities, as well as mention the All-Stars tourney in Rhode Island, which was also on ESPN, and finally he acknowledges that two Scrabble-oriented movies are soon coming out of Hollywood. … Read more
Apart from the usual stuff—saving four-leafed clovers, never opening an umbrella inside the house, throwing a broken mirror into a stream—Italians observe a mind-boggling array of superstitions. When I walk with Italians on the street, I notice many little tics and odd gestures. Most Italians have elaborate routines designed to bring good luck and avoid … Read more
COUNTRY MUSIC RECONSIDERED It seems to me that Mr. Eisenbeis needs to listen to a little more country music before he tries to explain its popularity or lack of same [“It’s My Country…,” November]. In today’s music world, pop hardly exists, and no one can understand the lyrics of today’s rock. There is no longer … Read more