Minneapolis

by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet • 11/22/08 • Studying in Australia for a few months in the mid-90s, I was party to any number of earnest conversations about “the true spirit of Australia” and the frustrations of being reduced, in the global imagination, to a kangaroo, a boomerang, and Paul Hogan.

India is an enigma of a country. It calls to mind swirls of hot pink silk, extravagant Bollywood musicals and frenetic music set to the pace of its crowded streets but it’s also a hotbed of political unrest and extreme poverty. Its clash of the beautiful and the developing make it as compelling as its history would suggest. MORE »

by Erica Mauter • Several downtown establishments—The Lounge, ENVY, AQUA, drink, and Spin—are participating in a winter clothing drive for refugees, sponsored by the International Institute of Minnesota.

Members of the Metropolitan Council’s Corridor Management Committee and community advocates met November 13 to discuss the Central Corridor Light Rail project. At a forum broadcast on KFAI’s “Truth to Tell” and recorded for later broadcast on St. Paul Neighborhood Network, participants provided an update of the project and outlined issues of concern. MORE »

As America celebrates President-Elect Barack Obama’s historic win, the Somali community in Minnesota is forced to deal with negative press brought about by one of their own. On Election Day, November 4th, stories about Somali volunteers allegedly influencing voters at the polling stations began to appear in the press. MORE »

On November 12, 200 Elders (50+) and Youngers (16-28) from around the metro area gathered in the Great Hall of Coffman Union to launch an intergenerational community-building movement, an event held in conjunction with the Positive Aging Conference at the University of Minnesota. Participants gathered to set up Community Earth Councils grouped by location in the metro area, and began to assess local needs, envisioning how to heal, steward, and sustain the earth. MORE »

World genre cinema is alive and well in Minneapolis with the opening of Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In at the Lagoon Theatre. The film, which has won several awards at film festivals around the world and carries a 97% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is the first in Magnet’s Six Shooter Film Series, a showcase of six of the best films from the vanguard of international genre cinema. MORE »

Tough as times are, it’s harder than ever on the financially challenged. They’d have a harder time still without food shelves. Accordingly, Twin Cities food shelves have become a more vital resource than ever before. MORE »