This was a great article on the gun culture of the area. The overwhelming majority of firearms enthusiasts are not crazed nuts just hoping for some punk to “make their day.” We just want to protect our house and family from the worst that could happen. Thanks. –Adam Houtkooper, Burnsville
Thanks for your excellent piece by Tom Bartel, “Guns in the City” [April]. It’s great to read a balanced, level-headed article about gun ownership in our city—one that dispels the myth of the slack-jawed, chew-spitting, ignorant “gun nut.” People who are anti-gun either by choice or by default often view a gun owner as some … Read more
I was deeply offended at your insinuation that Crocs are anything less than the finest advancement in footwear since the invention of the cushion insole [“Clog Wild,” April]. Have you ever worn a Croc? I suspect not, because if you had you would be aware of their superior support, breathability, comfort, and engineering. These are … Read more
Hosannas to the artist-designed initial caps and the stories/poems [17 Voices literary supplement, April] that followed, aimed at lovers of literature and libraries and books and life. Oliver Nicholson’s fragrant essay of ancient library information and memories reminds me to emphasize as well the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library, located among the monks of St. John’s … Read more
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, so I’ll put it off. I always find plenty to appreciate in The Rake. On picking up 17 Voices [April], I turned first to Robert Bly’s “The Book You Can’t Find,” and then pondered the coincidence of its being immediately followed by Oliver Nicholson’s “Halls of … Read more
Though it now seems long ago, it’s only been a few weeks since a brace of bona fide Hollywood stars descended on downtown St. Paul. The city was abuzz with famous people and the regular folks who admire them, but nothing rivaled the enthusiasm of the international, domestic, and local press. Since this was, after … Read more
The other day, the McNally Smith College of Music held a press conference to note the creation of a special scholarship in the name of producer, actor, and rapper Ice Cube. The school is housed in St. Paul’s old Science Museum building, and the feeling one has in its familiar corridors and public spaces is, … Read more
A few miles from the McStop off 35W, down a road that winds along black-dirt fields and stretches into downtown Lakeville, you’ll find the last Twin Cities-area Ben Franklin five-and-dime store. Once a staple of small-town Minnesota, and the anchor in any tiny downtown, Ben Franklin was the place we all biked to on our … Read more
The U.S. Embassy in Yemen was only a stone’s throw from my snug, little brick house. Next door, in a smaller home made of mud, lived my landlady Saida, her four young children, and her mostly absentee husband. I was a twenty-four-year-old aid worker, eager to help in any way I could. Saida’s kids were … Read more
I was beginning to suspect that I was the last person on the planet who hadn’t read The DaVinci Code, and so I remedied that situation last weekend. I like a good page turner as much as the next guy, and this was a good one. But man, I can sure see why this is … Read more