BY ED FELIEN Jews were always revolting. When they revolted against the Persian King Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC he carried the leaders of the rebellion off to Babylon. In exile for 70 years they studied in one of the great libraries of the ancient world and came up with their…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Kristi was dead, there was no doubt about that. Her passing was sudden and cruel, and it was also 35 years ago. But I only say there was no doubt that I wasn’t seeing a living but long-lost sister in the struggle to make it clear…
BY ED FELIEN In 1970 I was publishing Hundred Flowers, a weekly underground newspaper, an anti-war, anti-racist, early feminist, psychedelic fun rag that sold for a quarter. Some people were having a demonstration somewhere on Harriet Avenue protesting the demolition of houses to make room for a two-and-a-half story walk-up…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN There’s a special place in heaven (or, at least in my heart) for people who make music a reality in the lives of children. Such people are found at St. Helena Catholic School, a PreK-8 in South Minneapolis. The music program at St. Helena isn’t what it…
Are you feeling helpless and hopeless because of the madness in Washington? Take some time this holiday season to speak out for peace: No War for the Holidays is the theme for the peace vigil on Dec. 20. Several Twin Cities area peace and anti-war groups have issued a call urging people…
BY TONY BOUZA The job sucks. The Chief is a psycho. We’re going to hell in a handbasket. Morale has never been lower. These are a few of the bromides that drive police thinking. Civilians, though, are looking at Atlantis and don’t know it. An unfathomable world, several fathoms deep.…
BY STEPHANIE FOX In December, Christmas takes over everything. Christmas music is everywhere, dozens of TV specials and shows have Christmas themes, decorations with Christmas themes fill homes, stores and the streets. Anything winter related becomes a symbol of Christmas, from toy soldiers to snowflakes to bells to stars to…
A wrongfully-convicted man’s vision During these depressing “Days of Trump” a little positive news is helpful. Therefore with anticipation I began to read the Oct. 6 New York Times article entitled “An Innocent Man Who Imagined the World as It Should Be.” His name was John Thompson, a resident of New…
BY DEBRA KEEFER RAMAGE Saturday and Sunday Brunch. For some people they are a special occasion, for others they’re just a way of life. Especially if you’re in the second category, you probably won’t want to spend a lot of time waiting, or spend more money than you need to.…
It’s good to open a discussion on poverty. I appreciate Joe Selvaggio’s article in that regard. However, his tone makes one think that he lives miles and miles from the people who find themselves, for many, many different reasons, without the means to survive. His deprecating tone is disturbing. And…
BY JOE SELVAGGIO Upon reading the amazing book “Amazing MN” by Lee Lynch, I found myself smug and proud of my adoptive state, Minnesota. Fact after fact, picture after picture evoked, “Wow, I’m lucky to live here.” We have invested wisely in literacy and education, recreational sites, arts, sports teams…
BY ELAINE KLAASSEN The federal government is planning to spend $2.1 billion on four new immigrant detention centers in the U.S. One of them will be in Minnesota. There are already 200-plus existing sites in the country. According to Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement (CIVIC), in 1996 there…
BY ED FELIEN This is the interregnum—that period between regimes, when the new government begins to organize themselves and the old government packs up and leaves. The new City Council will be deciding who will be president, who will be majority leader and who will head up the various committees.…
BY ED FELIEN First, let’s look at the facts. Leanne Tweeden wrote to Al Franken: “You forcibly kissed me without my consent, grabbed my breasts while I was sleeping and had someone take a photo of you doing it.” Tweeden agreed to rehearse a skit with Franken in which he kisses her. This was…
BY ED FELIEN Congratulations to Jacob Frey on winning the mayor’s race. He ran a marathon and made it look like a sprint. He’s charming and he has infectious energy. He promises to be the most accessible mayor, ever. He even published his cell phone number on campaign posters: 612-968-4443.…
