Clarification? Holy Guacamole!

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

A Gay Garnish

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

Dedicated Followers of Fashion

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

Nothing But Love

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

But Wait! Did He Read the Same Piece as that Last Guy?

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

A Careful Reading of the Facts

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

Springfield, Illinois

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

What is a Conservative, Exactly?

I have a new respect for the lady [Katherine Kersten, as profiled in “The One-Woman Solution,” February]. Does the Star Tribune know that they have readers in out-state Minnesota that may be conservative? What is your definition of “neo-con”? That word is thrown around and many people have no clue what it is. I think … Read more

Less Hannity. More Lewis.

To the surprise of no one who can read a ratings book, my former employers at KTLK have at long last spared Twin Cities radio listeners a third hour of Sean Hannity. The downside of course is that that same audience will get a third hour of Jason Lewis. … Oh, come on. That’s a … Read more

Driving

I’m got the car loaded with music, my dog, and blankets, and am headed west into the teeth of a blizzard. I’m preparing to be erased by the endless range and big sky. Wish me luck. I’ll be back in a week, and if I figure out how to use the technology I might post … Read more