The character of 26th and Lyndale has changed little in the last few decades. The C.C. Club still has a decent breakfast and a better jukebox. Though Oar Folkjokeopus is gone, the ancient carpets in Treehouse records steeped so long in Oarfolk essence that a sniff can bring the old days back, as you wander … Read more
John Cosgrove grew up playing football in the small Ulster village of Enniskillen, just north of the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It was odd, he said, playing pickup soccer in the intensely nationalistic region. “There we were—kids pretending to be players from Manchester United or Arsenal. Kids of IRA men, yet … Read more
The recent kerfuffle about the telecom scandal has not yet yielded a satisfactory answer to a question that troubles millions. Ellen Anderson, for one, wonders why we are powerless to stop telemarketers from calling us. “Virtually everyone hates telemarketing calls,” said the Minnesota state senator the other day. “Why can’t we pass laws that reflect … Read more
It might have been a lull in the news cycle. It might have been the fact that every news outlet from TV to the daily newspaper wants to be a magazine. (Stories that make you feel good! Pretty pictures! Candid opinion!) But for one glorious week this summer, we were introduced to, fell in love … Read more
I hope you are enjoying the new Harry Potter. Such a wealth of invention. And so witty. No profound psychological penetration, I suppose, but who ever expected that in a school story or a murder mystery? J.K. Rowling may not be Jane Austen, but then neither is Dorothy Sayers (who made the error of falling … Read more
Wheat is under attack. Not from nasty-toothed beetles or fungus-ridden blight. This attack is more sinister, more devastating, because it comes from those once whole-heartedly on wheat’s side. The traitors are none other than the very same nutritionists who used to harp on you to eat your whole-wheat toast. Wheat and all its lovely products … Read more
Independent cinema is a bigger growth industry than you might think. A decade ago, there were maybe a hundred film festivals worldwide showcasing foreign films, documentaries, and low-budget fare. Now that number’s about a thousand. Here in Minnesota, the reigning king is the U Film Society’s international festival, one of the largest yearly draws of … Read more
A green sign on the east end of the National Sports Center in Blaine beckons young golfers with a verdant 18-hole putting course called “Tournament Greens.” On a late July afternoon, the course crawls with boys and girls as young as six years old practicing their putting. They wear lime-green T-shirts that advertise the Southwest … Read more
Is it OK for married guys to go to strip clubs? First, let’s get something out in the open right away here: Men are duplicitous scumbags. That doesn’t stop when they get married. Is there a woman alive who truly believes—in her heart of hearts—that her husband is a saint? This is the great white … Read more
I like luck. I don’t understand it and can’t predict or explain it, but I enjoy courting it and can’t help believing in it. Philosopher Nicholas Rescher—author of Luck: The Brilliant Randomness of Everyday Life—contends that without luck, life as we know it would be unsustainable, that the randomness of good and bad luck gives … Read more