Army of Dude

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The Washington Note cues us in to Army of Dude, an American military guy’s blog that the Pentagon has not yet shut down. Washington Note writer Steven C. Clemons actually suggests that the guy is on the scale of The New Republic. That ought to tell you what to expect.

Take Pride in What's Yours

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MUSIC Quirky and Hypnotic Tonight the weird and wonderful Twin Cities jazz trio Hips Don’t Lie performs the first of a three-night gig at Rossi’s Blue Star. Though the group has the consistency of a traditional piano trio — Tasha Baron on keyboards, Liz Draper on upright bass, and Pete Henning on drums — their … Read more

A Prayer For Michael Vick

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May you be forgiven. May you be given a second chance: May you come back as a dog. May you be lost. May you be found. May you be loved. May the whole world smell wonderful. And may you know the touch of gentle hands and the soft voice of someone who sees and knows … Read more

John Hock’s Playlist

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Every year, sculptor John Hock invites a couple dozen fellow artists to come and do their thing at Franconia Sculpture Park, the road trip-worthy destination he co-founded near Taylor’s Falls. The sculptors, who range from established names based in far-flung metropolises to student interns from local art schools, sweat it out all summer; come September, … Read more

Small Plates, Big Egos

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We all have to eat, but do we have to obsess about it? Hell’s Kitchen is a top-ten, prime-time show, Ratatouille is teaching our kids to rhapsodize over crème brûlée, and the Food Network force-feeds us celebrity chefs 24/7. There’s a story going around about a teacher who asked her class to list words describing … Read more

Dans Paris

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This French comedy opens with two brothers in bed with a girl. One looks at the camera, apologizes for speaking directly to the audience, and then asks, “How would someone throw themselves off a bridge for love?” Rest assured, we’ll find out. Dans Paris (Inside Paris, not to be confused with One Night in Paris) … Read more

Bridge Collapse Media Source

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Congratulations on your coverage of the tragic bridge collapse. Getting individual stories from local media was insightful. However, you missed one of the public’s most important media sources for information on that day. Jazz 88, KBEM, broke this story at 6:10 that night…just a few minutes after the bridge fell and provided vital traffic reports … Read more

Per Petterson

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It’s been a huge year for Norwegian writer Per Petterson. The acclaim for his latest novel ranged from Thomas McGuane’s front-page rave in the Times Book Review (“A gripping account of such originality as to expand the reader’s own experience of life”) to the $135,000 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. .___________________________________________________. Award-winning author Richard Ford … Read more

George Saunders

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An entrepreneur who sells his memories for three thousand dollars per decade, a verisimilitude inspector for a Civil War-themed amusement park, ghosts who relive their deaths every night when their son comes home from work: This is the stuff of a typical George Saunders story. What, then, happens when Saunders turns his pen to nonfiction? … Read more