A neighborhood pharmacist, fed up with the failures of the American health care system

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Tom Sengupta, a pharmacist in southeast Minneapolis, says that he has never denied a customer a drug if the need is legitimate. During the 37 years that he has operated Schneider Drugs on University Avenue, he has filled more than 1.2 million prescriptions. “If I’ve known someone for 30 years,” Sengupta says, “I’m not going to deny him his drug because his insurance company will not authorize that drug.” As an independent pharmacist, he quickly points out that he does more than filling prescriptions. He also advises patients on the selection, dosages, interactions, and side effects of medications, and he deals with drug companies and insurance companies. Continue Reading

Beating the odds

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“It’s about giving these kids an opportunity to shine,” said Marc Kimball referring to the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Minnesota’s ‘Beat the Odds’ program. The four seniors honored at the Beat the Odds dinner on Tuesday, February 26 are Maricruz Monreal, a senior at Johnson High School, Justin Haynes McKizzie, a senior at Washburn High School, Maipacher Her, a senior at Harding High School, and Fadumo Hassan, a senior at Edison High School. Annually, CDF awards scholarships to further their education to high school seniors who have overcome difficult and exceptional challenges to become personally and academically successful. More than 80 students applied this year, each one very deserving, said Kimball. After a thorough review of each application by a selection panel, fifteen finalists were interviewed face-to-face and videotaped. Continue Reading

Summer enrichment camps can change children’s lives

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A special guide for students of color is now available
It’s cold outside and the children are in school, but before long spring will come. Now is the time for parents to start thinking about what their children will do when summer is in and school is out. For Roslyn Harmon, the decision she and her parents made in the spring of 1994 as to how she would spend her upcoming summer vacation was life changing. Harmon, then a shy 18-year-old high school senior, was apprehensive about starting college in the fall. Her mother picked up a summer Academic Guide, reviewed the listings, and chose a program that she and her daughter thought would be a good fit for Harmon. Continue Reading

The Heart of the Beast gets wet

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Do you know where your drinking water comes from? In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT) would like to educate you with its lively, humorous, and interactive production Beneath the Surface. With song and prose, the production is a joyful and bubbly celebration of water. Beneath the Surface, presented through March 16 by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, 1500 E. Lake St., Minneapolis. For tickets ($17), see hobt.org. Continue Reading

Theater note: Four plays examine Latino identity

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Welcoming the audience at the Political Theatre Festival, Teatro del Pueblo artistic director Alberto Justiniano invited us to “embark on a journey of exploration.” He also encouraged each person to open his or her mind and appreciate other perspectives. What followed in Series B of the Festival were four short plays, each one conveying a unique perspective on Latino history, culture and identity. The Political Theatre Festival is presented by Teatro del Pueblo, Intermedia Arts, the Resource Center of the Americas, and the University of Minnesota through March 2 at Intermedia Arts, 2822 S. Lyndale Avenue, Minneapolis. For tickets ($15), see intermediaarts.org. Continue Reading

North Mpls woman creates exercise program that keeps ‘Families in Motion’

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When Lisa Dunlap decided to embark on an exercise routine to lose weight four years ago, she thought to herself that there must be others in the community who wanted to do the same. So she called a few friends and invited them to walk with her. Today, that walking club has evolved into the Families in Motion program at Oak Park Center in North Minneapolis. A recently separated mother of two girls and a Girl Scout leader, Dunlap describes herself as always being a go-getter and very sociable: “I like to talk to people. I enjoy getting involved in different things. Continue Reading

Book note: How ‘Perfect’-ly ironic

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Imagine a parent and a child reading a picture book together. The parent is wildly animated and the child’s eyes are glued to the pictures on the page. The child is mesmerized by the wide eyes of Jack the cat as he builds his nest in the red barn. A chicken enters and lays an egg in the nest. A duck follows the chicken, and a goose follows the duck. Continue Reading

Promising high school students get free college coaching

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Judging from Admission Possible’s success rate, a more accurate name would be ‘Admission Probable’
Farrington Starnes is a senior at Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis. He is ecstatic. He has already received notification of his acceptance into three colleges, and he is still waiting to hear from more so that “I can have a wider range of options,” he says proudly. Justin Nash is a 2006 University of Minnesota graduate. He too is ecstatic. Continue Reading

Ghanaian dance troupe pays a visit to their Minnesotan ‘family’

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This weekend, the Twin Cities will welcome Saakumu Dance Troupe of Ghana, West Africa on their first United States tour. Made up of 11 dancers and four musicians, Saakumu Dance Troupe is among Ghana’s leading traditional/contemporary dance and music groups. The Troupe is from the Bagara region in northwest Africa and their performance represents that region’s culture as well as that of other regions of Africa. “This is an opportunity to celebrate Black History Month and to bring together people from different communities,” says Amy Miller. Miller is the Troupe’s tour coordinator. Continue Reading

After the Carnival is over

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The 2008 St. Paul Winter Carnival has come to an end. Most organizers and participants have packed up their talents and put them away for another year. Not everyone. Not the wood carvers who demonstrated their skills at Black Bear Crossings on the Lake in Como Park. Continue Reading