BY AMY BLUMENSHINE As the drums beat once more to rev up the nation for war with Iran, the moral, religious and psychological consequences get little consideration. As a deacon called by the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) to address the suffering of military veterans and their families, I…
BY MEREDITH ABY-KEIRSTEAD On Jan. 4, over 700 people took to the streets of the West Bank in Minneapolis to protest the Trump administration’s attempt to provoke a new war with Iran by assassinating Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian military leader, and by sending more troops, further prolonging the U.S.…
BY ISSRAA EL-KHATIB Last November, I was invited to speak at Darcy Samek’s class at St. Mary’s University to explain more about Palestinian culture and history. It was a marriage and family therapy class that was interested in better understanding the context and values of Arab (Palestinian) immigrants specifically,…
The following is a statement from the artist regarding our previously published Southside Pride article “The future of our trash at Lake Hiawatha”: All of the trash items here are from the Earth Day cleanup at Lake Hiawatha. The cleanup was attended by 104 volunteers on April 20, 2019, and…
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) The American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Ave., Mpls. Join us to honor the earth with words and music! Organized by poets and writers Ruth Bly, James Lenfestey, Freya Manfred and musician Tim Frantzich, this free event presents music, poems and…
BY ED FELIEN Beginning in January we’re going to change the way we deliver Southside Pride. Each of our three editions will be will be available at 100 convenient locations: at businesses, libraries, churches and community centers. Home delivery will be discontinued. It was a lot of hard work, but…
BY ED FELIEN The walls are closing in on you. Everybody knows your game. It’s all coming out now, your connections to the Russian Mob. How they bought condos at Trump Tower and had them repossessed by the feds for money laundering. How they gave you tons of money when…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE In 2008, at age 55, I lived in a small town in England. I had recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and my blood glucose and cholesterol numbers were high too, though not demanding treatment. I started an exercise regimen at a private gym in…
BY TONY BOUZA By 1975 women were entering police ranks in great numbers. They’d been piling up at the gates for years and then the dam broke. I am very proud of my role as an expert in demolishing the barriers. The Southern Poverty Law Center sued to eliminate the…
Dear Ed Felien, Deb Keefer Ramage, and Dave Tilsen: I saw the heading “Celebrate Mayday,” so of course I had to pick up this issue: The November 2019 Nokomis edition. I am glad that you wish to see Mayday celebrations continue, and that you wish to uphold the Free Speech…
BY KATHRYN KELLY How does the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board get what they want? One way is to twist and change input from their Community Advisory Committee (CAC) members to suit their agenda. And, according to Commissioner AK Hassan, referencing the 2020 budget, it is also through “a series…
BY ED FELIEN Obnoxious plutocrats and Donald Trump have given golf a bad name. That’s too bad, because it really has an honorable history. It’s probably the oldest game played with a stick and a ball. Our ancestors in Egypt, thousands of years before they crossed the Sinai Desert into…
BY ELINA KOLSTAD The other day while crossing the street with my family (including my 2-and-a-half-year-old) an oncoming car slowed to a stop. The car behind that one, however, sped up and aggressively passed the first car on the right. Luckily, my family had just made it to the opposite…
BY FRANCIS X. KRONCKE “Your sacrifice in fighting against the war in Vietnam defined your life.” Someone recently wrote that to me, and it is true. “Sacrifice”—I’m not sure about that word. At the time, I was young (mid-20s), now I’m old (mid-70s). Like the guys (some gals) who went…
BY LAURIE SAVRAN When Ram Dass (formerly known as Richard Alpert, sometimes known as RD), died on Dec. 22, 2019, at age 88 in Maui, I had recently returned from Maui, where I had gone to attend a retreat with Ram Dass entitled “Open Your Heart in Paradise.” People considered…
