MLK Day speakers in Rochester say disparities remain
Speakers at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day event Sunday in Rochester noted that the nation continues to face problems in race relations, the Rochester Post-Bulletin said. Mahmoud El-Kati, a Macalester...
View ArticleTranscript of President Obama's second inaugural address
President Obama’s second inaugural address as prepared for delivery on Jan. 21, 2013.Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow...
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Sales of million-dollar homes bounce back
I was so worried about this particular market segment … . In the Strib, Jim Buchta writes: “When Ralph and Peggy Burnet put their sprawling Lake Minnetonka estate on the market during the depths of the...
View ArticleBetween the pomp and circumstance, Obama outlines a more liberal second term
WASHINGTON — John Bessler and Franni Franken sat huddling with other senators’ spouses on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Monday morning. To the right, their House counterparts stood snapping photos...
View ArticleHow will conservatives view Obama's speech?
Maybe I’m having a bad ear day, but President Obama’s inaugural address did not move me much.Personally, I embrace most of the center-left goals and policy preferences he expressed. None of them were...
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Obama's dwindling prospects in a second term
Four more years for Obama. Now what? What does Barack Obama do in his second term and what can he accomplish? Simply put, his options are limited and the prospects for major success quite...
View ArticleSoap and cosmetic antibiotics going toxic in Minnesota waters
And where did we think it was going?Josephine Marcotty of the Strib says: “An antibiotic widely used in soaps and cosmetics that mostly goes down the drain is slowly converting to toxins at the bottom...
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Over 100 years of winter fun with the St. Paul Curling Club
Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical SocietyA curling team at the St. Paul Curling Club, c.1935.At its centennial in 2012, the St. Paul Curling Club was the largest curling club in the United States,...
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CVA closing surprised students, alumni; Walker names Galligan deputy director
The College of Visual Arts’ closing was news to a lot of people, including its own students, alumni, and faculty. Most heard about it first from MPR. CVA will hold an information session on Wednesday...
View ArticleGambia's new 4-day work week
Gambian government workers are going to work a little less than the rest of the world next month.Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh declared a four-day work week Monday for public service workers only.The...
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Return to the U: The Confession
Sauron’s ring had nothing on mine.Both were made of gold, but a Dark Lord forged the Hobbit’s, and a loving dad bought mine. Still, it burned just the same.One of the joys of a long writing career is...
View ArticleCould Silvio Berlusconi rise again to scramble Italian politics?
As Italians prepare to vote next month in one of the country’s most crucial elections in decades, a prospect that may seem incredible to outsiders confronts the recession-hit country: the return of...
View ArticleHealth care disparity reveals Russia's income inequality crisis
Comparing the Divide: Income dictates access to health care in the capital cities of Russia and the United States, where lawmakers debate policy mere miles from some of the country’s most underserved...
View ArticleDutch minister tapped to steer Eurogroup — and navigate eurocrisis
After over a month of rumors, Jeroen Dijsselbloem has been officially tapped as the new head of the Eurogroup, putting the Dutch finance minister into prime position to guide Europe's navigation...
View ArticleArab League encourages Israeli Arabs to get out the vote
On the eve of Israeli elections, the Arab League has taken the unusual step of intervening in Israeli politics, urging Israel’s Arab minority to flock to the polls. Otherwise, they warn, the country...
View ArticleMartin Luther King Day: How far is America along road to the 'dream'?
President Obama began his second presidential term on Monday by laying his hand upon two Bibles: One was used by Abraham Lincoln, the other belonged to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the “traveling"...
View ArticleSame players, different ties: France's delicate role in Mali
The first casualty named in the two-week old fight to liberate northern Mali from Islamists militants was a Frenchman. Damien Boiteux, a lieutenant, was reported killed while flying his helicopter into...
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Another way to curb invasive species: If we can't beat 'em, then we can eat 'em
It was a weekend for being indoors, for reading about being outdoors, and as often happens when stuck in the wheel ruts of winter I reached for my books on foraging.Where this impulse comes from I...
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Northfield writer Scott Carpenter and the art of short fiction
Courtesy of MG PressScott Dominic CarpenterScott Dominic Carpenter thought writing a novel would be easy. He’d studied literature from every angle and deconstructed numerous books with his students in...
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Joys and tribulations of doggies in the city
Back when I lived in Connecticut and New York, adopting a dog was no problem. Our family simply visited a shelter — the North Shore Animal League and the Connecticut Humane Society, to be specific —...
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