There are several vital tricks to surviving life at a daily newspaper, like I did at the Pioneer Press for fifteen years. One is a developed affinity for list-making, especially end-of-the-year list-making. So, Rake readers, as my first act in this space, a list … of the best and worst in media for 2006. The … Read more
Heaven knows the European Community (or whatever they are calling it this week) fails to warm the cockles of the English heart. (How would you like life in Minnesota regulated in detail by a bloated bureaucracy, living on expense accounts in a foreign land?) But one of its pleasanter side effects has been a scheme … Read more
There are a few unwritten rules of food snobbery that come into play, especially when dining in a new hot spot or restaurant run by a big-name chef. One is for the dining party to order as many courses as possible, making sure to hit all areas where the kitchen’s repertoire is considered notable. Another … Read more
MORE GENEROUS THAN GRATEFUL Maybe it’s just me, but your series of “Giving and Getting” articles [December, 2006] seem much more weighted to the giving aspect. Even in “Rules of the Game,” which starts with “Giving and Getting,” and seems like it’s going to cover both topics equally, giving is placed before getting. All Penny … Read more
CLOSED DOORS After reading the cover story “Postcards from Saudi Arabia,” I am so thrilled for Peter Schilling that he experienced such wonderful hospitality while visiting the desert kingdom. Luckily for him, he didn’t get caught in a homosexual act, which is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia (public beheading and stoning are two popular … Read more
As an American Muslim, I think it was an ingenious idea to go to and report—very generously—on the closely confined Saudi Arabia [“Postcards from Saudi Arabia,” December]. For Peter Schilling to penetrate Saudi and report on it firsthand is absolutely honorable, since the Saudi government obstructs others (including many Muslims) from coming into its country … Read more
The Rake & supplement in front of CBs Gallery and one of the whole group in front of the Bowery Poetry Club across the street of CBGBs. Author(s) and Location: Ruthie Stevens
Athens. 2006. It’s hot. The Acropolis on its hilltop is floating above the city on a shimmer of heat. But here on the hotel balcony I’m cool. I’m reading The Rake. Everyone who reads The Rake is cool! Author(s) and Location: Robin Overmier
Me and your excellent magazine at the Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, AK. Mendenhall Glacier is in the Tongass National Forest and falls under the jusrisdiction of the National Forest Service. The have an excellent visitor’s center and trail system around the area and down the glacial morraine. This was my fourth trip to Alaska and Mendenhall … Read more
St. Paul high school seniors Ana and Erin traveled to Florida during their spring break. They visited the Everglades Holiday Park where peacocks roam freely. This bird exposed himself in the background of the The Rake issue with the cover feature, “Exposed!” Author(s) and Location: Linda Brooks