Regarding “Our Controlling Nature,” [Good Intentions, October]: In September 1868, the Eastman Tunnel collapsed and the falls were about to give away. This was due to human and commercial development at the time and had nothing to do with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In fact, the Corps’ St. Paul District, then only three … Read more
Although I can’t speak to forestry practices cited in Frank Erickson’s letter, “Forests in Turmoil,” [Letters, November] I can tell you that newspaper publishers respond to their customer base. More national publishers are asking for “greener” paper. If you want more recycled content, ask them to use it or to increase the percentage of post-consumer … Read more
It’s nice to read about the area you live in–makes it feel kind of glamorous, so I really enjoyed reading the article about the Midway [Sweet Spot, November]. It pretty much all rang true with me, from the eclectic mix of people and shops to the strongly represented blue-collar vibe. Just one thing was missing: … Read more
Every Saturday, James McManus’ poker column appears in the New York Times. An odd gig, if you can get it–and even ten years ago, McManus, a novelist and teacher, would have been completely unqualified. However, in 1999 Harper’s magazine hired him to write about the World Series of Poker, and thus began his obsession with … Read more
Dance without music would fall pretty flat, but it seems that many modern choreographers are afraid to make bold choices in this area, lest it overshadow their own work. Not Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. The last time the Belgian choreographer came to town, in 1999, she and her company worked with Steve Reich’s thunderous composition … Read more
We grownups are very strange, indeed, and often fail to see what’s obvious, important, or interesting. So posits Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic tale of a world that’s best seen through the eyes of a child. We see Jeune Lune’s persistently youthful artistic director Dominique Serrand as something of a little prince himself–after all, he has … Read more
Even by the standards of today’s spectacle-seeking club promoters, it’s hard to imagine a club named the Funky Butt. But in New Orleans in the early 1900s, it was the place to be–renowned for a lively, nonconformist atmosphere that bred musical improvisation. In fact, some have pinpointed it as the birthplace of jazz, having housed … Read more
When Harold Pinter won the Nobel Prize for Literature a few weeks ago, it highlighted in a way how he has lately been better known for his politics than his prose. Although it’s easy for one’s art to be overshadowed when one makes front-page news for likening George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler and calling … Read more
Xmas, 2005 Whew! I never seem to actually find the time to get this annual Christmas letter in the mail, but as always I have nothing but the best intentions. Every December I drag my typewriter down to the laundry room and spend a couple hours trying to get some thoughts down on paper, and … Read more
Do you remember how Hansel and Gretel came to be lost and wandering in the woods? Consulting our Brothers Grimm, we read that they were sent there to die when their parents didn’t have enough food for them–an act that renews our appreciation for civilized society and its social safety net. Add to the starving … Read more