Monday I was completing a project, and noted to my colleague that I was about to go to a funeral. “I am sorry that you will be at a funeral; my condolences”, came the reply, to which I replied “I’m at the age where these are increasingly common events…life goes on….” It was not a […]
Today is primary election day in Wisconsin. As per custom, I write before the first vote has been officially counted; at about the time the polls open. Some weeks ago I was on a busy street here in Woodbury, waiting to make a left turn enroute home. Crossing at the light was a guy carrying […]
(click to enlarge photos. This post includes two parts, with information from Lou Ann Matossian and Peter Balakian Updated May 9, 2016_ The internet brought an announcement of “A presentation and discussion led by Lou Ann Matossian on “Armenian Genocide Education and the Community.” I went to the presentation at the University of Minnesota last […]
Recently I have been reviewing the index of 22 years, 1980-2002, of the newsletters Chez Nous and Nouvelles Villes Jumelles. These 145 “kitchen table” publications were for those of French-Canadian and French heritage, and affection, primarily in the upper midwest of the United States. In the midst of the project, at page 651, I found […]
Mondays post (here), led with this: “I have always liked the oft-repeated story about the “wolves” within each of us: The Two Wolves. Which Wolf Do You Feed?“. I had intended it as lead on another topic, but the Presidents visit to Cuba “bumped” the other. Now a new terrorist tragedy in Brussels, Belgium bumps […]
I have always liked the oft-repeated story about the “wolves” within each of us: The Two Wolves. Which Wolf Do You Feed? Sunday President Obama flew into Havana and is there through today. The predictable positioning takes place in the media and from the chattering political class: what he’s doing is wonderful; it is treasonous; […]
A few days ago a good friend, Barry, sent some of his friends, including myself, a brief e-mail: “This week on March 20 marks the 13th anniversary of our invasion of Iraq. I encourage you all to send of letters to the editor and remind folks what a fiasco that was and continues to be. […]
Much more information about the French in Minnesota available here and here. What is your heritage? What is your story? Comment/Questions/Stories are welcome: dick_bernardATmsnDOTcom. (For many more stories, simply put the words Collette or Bernard in the search box of this blog.) I’m in the midst of updating the index of a small French-Canadian newsletter, […]
This election season I’ve tried to make sense of the assorted “races” in the early preliminary “wars” over who’s “winning” the election for President, 2016. Previously, I posted about Iowa, New Hampshire, and Minnesota. Here’s the morning after data about Michigan. 7,292,065 – Registered Voters 2,515,911 – Total Voters This, and following from official data […]
POSTNOTE March 7: Here is a powerful video from Kathy, who says: “Here is a short video recently completed under IARP [Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project Minnesota] guidance. A refugee story of recent reluctant Iraqi refugee. Ali lives here in Mpls. now. I find his telling of his story quite impactful.” PRE-NOTE: If you haven’t […]