Month: June 2013

Vignettes: 19th-century brothels and the lost history of prostitution on the Minneapolis riverfront.

June 27, 2013

Penny A. Petersen is author of Minneapolis Madams, the surprising and riveting account of the Minneapolis red-light district in the late nineteenth century and the powerful madams who ran it. In their heyday Minneapolis brothels constituted a substantial economic and political force in the city. Penny digs deep into city archives, newspapers, and other sources … More Vignettes: 19th-century brothels and the lost history of prostitution on the Minneapolis riverfront.

Prism leak reminds us to be critical of the seemingly essential—but risky—tools we use every day.

June 19, 2013

BY ULISES A. MEJIASAssistant professor of communication studies at the State University of New York, College at Oswego If leaked information about the surveillance program Prism is correct, the U.S. government is treating every citizen of the world as a potential terrorist. If the sign of a true democracy is that even the rights of … More Prism leak reminds us to be critical of the seemingly essential—but risky—tools we use every day.

Pigeons. Cockroaches. Grasshoppers. Just what is a ‘trash animal’?

June 12, 2013

So-called trash species—including pigeons, gulls, coyotes, carp, and cockroaches, among others—cause wonder as to why some species are admired while others are reviled. BY KELSI NAGYM.A. in philosophy from Colorado State University and a graduate student of anthrozoology at Canisius College in New York What is a ‘trash animal’? I am often asked this question … More Pigeons. Cockroaches. Grasshoppers. Just what is a ‘trash animal’?

Talk to the (all-star!) hand: A Vacationland supplementary.

June 5, 2013

One (likely snowy) evening this past April in Minneapolis, a group of local literati gathered at the Turf Club’s Clown Lounge to celebrate the launch of Sarah Stonich’s latest novel, Vacationland. Writers Carol Connolly (St. Paul’s Poet Laureate), Peter Geye, Marty Kihn, Danny Klecko, Pamela Klinger-Horn, Kathryn Kysar, and Andy Sturdevant joined in the good … More Talk to the (all-star!) hand: A Vacationland supplementary.