I’m sitting on the dusty steps of a Kodak camera shop on Bai Se Road, just down the street from my apartment, looking through some black and white photographs. They’re the first pictures I’ve taken in China and I’m so excited to see them that I can’t be bothered with getting on my bike and … Read more
Though I agree with Clinton Collins’ main point, that often blacks use the “Uncle Tom” accusation too broadly [Free the Jackson Five!, September], I think his analysis of why it occurs is too crude. Mr. Collins errs greatly by using Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as an example of someone who was called out by … Read more
I found Jon Zurn’s recent article on the state of the arts and opportunities for artists in this area very much on-the-mark. There are so many talented persons in the Cities that are not being shown or collected and might be if more of the public would take time for a closer look at what … Read more
When reading your article on Ken Pentel, the Green Party candidate for governor [“It Ain’t Easy Being Green,” September], I felt a deep sense of envy and awe for Minnesotans. Out here in California, we don’t have public policies which encourage desperately needed third parties to participate in government. Third-party candidates in California don’t have … Read more
I graduated from St. Thomas Academy in 1984, and while I appreciate Tom Bartel’s observations on the benefits of private schools [“Is Private School Right for You?”, August], I cannot get past the fact that for four years I wasted my time taking mandatory and contradictory religion and military classes in which the primary goal … Read more
Wow. In one article, Jon Zurn manages to put the lid on and pound the nails into the coffin for the Twin Cities arts scene [“State of the Arts,” September]. “Small collectors are an endangered species”… “visual arts coverage in the local press has been little more than an afterthought.” I’m sorry Jon, but where … Read more
Jeannine Ouellette reverts to simplistic name-calling in her column about Promise Keepers [Wife, Interrupted, August]. Ms. Ouellette states that Promise Keepers has “misogynistic, homophobic, racist underpinnings.” If we examine these labels a bit more, Ms. Ouellette’s charges come up woefully lacking. First, PK has made racial reconciliation a cornerstone of the organization. One of its … Read more
In his column, “Pick that trash up, homeboy!” [Free the Jackson Five!, May] Clinton Collins wrote, “Oh, I can hear the apologist now…” Well, Mr. Collins, if you step out beyond your own back yard into the community, you can see the institutions that those apologists have built: Pilot City, Father Project, Turning Point, StairStep … Read more
At 17,582 feet above sea level, the Taglang La is the world’s second highest motorable pass. It’s the highest point on the 300-mile “highway” that connects the northern cities of Leh and Manali. On a bicycle, getting to the top of the pass from the southern side requires a 3-hour, 12-mile climb that takes you … Read more
I have great admiration for Ann Bancroft; she is an amazing woman and a good friend. I was taken aback, however, by your reference to Will Steger and the idea that Ann has eclipsed Will by creating an educational program and meeting and greeting her followers [“If the Breakers Don’t Get You…,” July 2002]. In … Read more