News Archive

by Emilio DeGrazia, 10/9/08 • Antinomianism: Belief that salvation comes by faith and Grace alone, not good works or obedience to moral law.

by Daniel Cubias, 10/7/08 • When I was a toddler, I couldn’t pronounce her name, so I came up with a garbled nickname that I no longer use. I’ve thought about bringing it back. I think she would like that.

Aunt #1 is the only sibling of my mother whom I have ever met. She came to America after my mother had established a beachhead of sorts in this nation.

By Jeff Fecke, 10/11/08 • So as you know, the right has been getting a wee bit angry of late. It’s understandable; while elections are never over ’til the ballots are all counted, this one’s entering the late innings, and barring some sort of huge, game-changing event, it’s hard to see Barack Obama losing the election.

While Republican Party representatives took heat this week for claiming in fliers that DFL candidate Ashwin Madia had the “wrong demographics” to serve the people of the 3rd Congressional District, they got off lightly with respect to the not-so-veiled undercurrent in their attack on Madia’s “lifestyle.” By larding in mentions of Madia’s household (he’s a renter, not an owner) and his hobbies (he’s not a soccer coach), the tacit insinuation that Madia must be gay is made easier to politely ignore. But it appears to be the real payload behind GOP efforts to point out Madia’s purported, um, difference from the stolid homesteaders of the 3rd District. MORE »

Ruth Ann Plourde suddenly interrupted the workshop as her class was trying to recreate the graceful but agonizingly slow T’ai Chi forms she’d taught moments before. “How’s the monkey chatter now?” she asked, in reference to humans’ normally racing thoughts. “Are you feeling in the present?” MORE »

Gayle Quinnel, a John McCain supporter says at a McCain Rally that “Obama is an Arab”. She is quickly corrected by John McCain who takes away her microphone. MORE »

If you’ve ever tried to trace your food back to its origin, chances are you ran into some trouble. That’s because most food products travel long distances and go through several middlemen before landing in your typical grocery store. MORE »

If elected, I will be the most visible face, most credible voice, most careful listener, and most accountable city official as we together confront the challenges, create opportunities and embrace diversity. I will become a real voice of hope for all of our residents, including the most vulnerable, socially and economically challenged in the city of Brooklyn Park. I will develop youth outreach initiatives that will foster hope, promote leadership and engage our youth within the community. I will work to restore pride, respect and admiration for our city by reclaiming, reshaping and reinvesting in our city community and neighborhoods”, said Boyd Morson, a candidate for Brooklyn Park’s Central District City Council. MORE »

Readers comment on theater at St. Thomas Staff, TC Daily Planet • “Foley folly” ... “Tragic mistake” ... “Disappointment by St. Thomas choice” ... “Money isn’t everything.” Comments on St. Thomas’s plans to close its 80-year-old Department of Theater and tear down the Foley Theater show a depth of sorrow and disappointment.

Readers, Writers, and Books

Literature lives on the North Side by Elizabeth Ellis, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder • MSR attended the fall reading of the NorthSide Writers Group (NSWG) at their invitation on Friday evening, September 26, at Homewood Studios on Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis. NSWG’s mission is to dispel the notion that “There were no artists, no writers living and working in North Minneapolis. On the contrary, there were many, but they were not connected with each other; nor were they visible or regarded as community resources. NorthSide Writers Group has worked to change that perception, to connect writers of all genres, and to introduce these talented writers to the larger Northside community.”

South High student recognized for literary achievement by Dennis Geisinger, Southside Pride • South High senior Molly Hensley Clancy has been awarded a $10,000 Davidson Institute Fellows Scholarship for authoring a series of stories told through the eyes of young female characters who show that common bonds bring us all together as human beings.

150 best Minnesota books #27: Alcoholism recovery the Minnesota way by Patrick Coleman, Minnesota Historical Society • This book had a huge impact on our culture. Vernon Johnson’s experimental work with alcoholics began in the early 1960s. The treatment program he developed at his Minneapolis-based Johnson Institute is outlined in detail in I’ll Quit Tomorrow. This program became known as the Minnesota Model.

NEW IN BLOGS

DOWNSTREAM | My radiant little heresy by Emilio DeGrazia • Antinomianism: Belief that salvation comes by faith and Grace alone, not good works or obedience to moral law.

HISPANIC FANATIC | Aunt #1 by Daniel Cubias • When I was a toddler, I couldn’t pronounce her name, so I came up with a garbled nickname that I no longer use. I’ve thought about bringing it back. I think she would like that.

BLOG OF THE MODERATE LEFT | Can’t Shake the Devil’s Hand and Say You’re Only Kidding by Jeff Fecke • So as you know, the right has been getting a wee bit angry of late. It’s understandable; while elections are never over ’til the ballots are all counted, this one’s entering the late innings, and barring some sort of huge, game-changing event, it’s hard to see Barack Obama losing the election.

MORE »

The City of Brooklyn Park has reacted sharply to accusations by Boyd Morson, a candidate for Central District City Council election, that “City Hall has failed to come clean with regards to a $50,000 Civic Engagement” grant provided by the McKnight Foundation. MORE »