In November, 1998, I was very actively contemplating retirement, and I attended a conference of the National Education Association (NEA) in the Houston area. We were at a nice resort hotel, but the weather was – to put it mildly – awful. By the time we left we were shuttled around in large trucks due […]
One of the recent Presidents of the U.S., who was born 100 years ago on February 6, is having his memory celebrated…by people who were his mentors and advisors. In their words, they are elevating the man to far larger than life status. Perhaps they can enshrine the idea that he was more awesome than […]
Saturday we went over to watch our 6th grade grandson play basketball in the local athletic league. The league is like leagues in most towns of any size: if you show up, you play. There are eight five minute segments, and if there are ten boys on a side, five of them play every other […]
UPDATE February 5, 2011: Twin City Daily Planet review of the Ballet here; Minneapolis Star Tribune review here. I was a very reluctant stand-in Thursday night, when we went to see the Ballet at the Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota. My wife had purchased tickets to the Voronezh State Ballet Theatre performance of […]
Sometimes events intersect and their very intersection adds to their individual meaning. Such happened in my own life during the last two weeks. It began with a phone call on Jan. 20. I heard Cathy gasp, and say “oh no.” The call was about her niece’s 8-month old daughter, Brooke, hospitalized in critical condition with […]
Terri Ashmore recently wrote the below column for the Basilica of St. Mary (Minneapolis MN) Church Bulletin. A discussion of this book will be held at the Basilica on Sunday, January 30, at 1 p.m. in the Mother Teresa Hall. Panelists include experts from the Humphrey Institute, Human Rights Watch, and Advocates for Human Rights. […]
Bob throws his hat in the ring for 2012 (his bio is at the end of this post): Declaration of Candidacy I’m running! This is the declaration of my candidacy for the Presidency in 2012. I have no idea with what Party as I expect them to pick me rather than I picking them. [If […]
Sunday we were privileged to attend a photo exhibition and talks telling the story of the Las Madres, Argentine Mothers who lost children during Argentina’s “dirty war” 1976-83. The event was presented by the Twin Cities organization World Without Genocide, a group worth learning more about. At the Sunday gathering, the photographer Sylvia Horwitz gave […]
I “watched” the State of the Union address in its entirety last night. The word is in quotes, because, while I sat in front of the TV, I mostly watched with my eyes closed. In other words, I listened, like one would be forced to listen in pre-television and instant analysis days which in historical […]
Tonight President Obama gives his State of the Union before a joint session of Congress. That this will happen is no surprise: it is an annual event with a long, long history in our country. This year, beyond any in my own memory, this one is preceded, will be attended and followed by, numerous ‘clowns […]