As we often do on a Thursday evening, we compared notes about our day over bar food and beer at Maxwell’s. As usual, Dwight had been tending to the plants at the university greenhouse. My day was somewhat less remarkable since school is out. So, here are some of the flowering plants he spotted as he went about his duties in different climates today.
Category: Living
Empathy, community, and lived history
Tonight: Come from Away at the Guthrie, about the airline passengers stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11. I was struck by how much of the Guthrie’s online study guide explains the actual events of 9/11, but then I realized that over 40% of Americans were either not yet born or were too young to remember it. I’m expecting good theater focused on the acting, with strong doses of empathy and community, and minimal conflict.
Speaking truth to power
Took the light rail to Fort Snelling Station to meet a friend for a bike ride along the Minnesota River. While waiting, I waved to these good people who had been risking arrest monitoring ICE activity at the Whipple Federal Building (seen on the left). Activity here is way down from last winter, when brown people, including U.S. citizens, were swept off the streets and detained under cruel conditions.
Snippets from a fluid conversation
Out walking with friends, the contents of a board game lay scattered across our path. A brief effort to spin a story about the spill sparked a discussion on the proliferation of Little Free Libraries, which are often packed with books no one wants. This led to a nod of appreciation for digital library books.
Guardians of the Flame
On my cycle ride today, I spotted this photo session. Known as the Guardians of the Flame, law enforcement members and Special Olympics athletes will carry the Flame of Hope into the USA Games Opening Ceremony at the U this evening. There are currently 4,000 athletes from all 50 states in town
Focaccia Friday
We subscribe to the bi-monthly Cook’s Illustrated from America’s Test Kitchen because we like its analytical approach to cooking. Recently, Dwight has vowed to try one new recipe per month from the magazine, something I strongly encourage. Already, his banana bread and biscotti are the best; today, it was the turn of focaccia, hopefully a new Friday tradition.
Past is present
My cycle route included Fort Snelling. In the 1830s, Dred Scott (yes, that Dred Scott) lived here, enslaved by an army surgeon. The infamous 1857 Supreme Court ruling declared that Black people, whether free or enslaved, were not United States citizens, and that the federal government lacked the authority to restrict or abolish slavery. In 2026, we continue to resist the undermining of human rights by today’s Supreme Court, which is once again dividing our nation.
Artificial and real intelligence
Attended a panel discussion on AI in cancer research and care. It’s not the kind of event that would normally catch my eye, but when I received an email from the U about it, I decided to go. My oncologist, a professor at the U who researches recurrent and advanced prostate cancer and uses AI in his work, was one of the featured speakers. Hearing him speak reassured me that his real intelligence and good humor won’t be replaced by a machine anytime soon.
So many buttons to push
My friend and I cycled to the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum, a place filled with several large model railroad layouts and interactive buttons to push. While we were there, one volunteer, an older guy like most of the folks helping out, told us that he actually has more fun at the museum than the visitors do. The photo shows a mid-century view creatively based on my Minneapolis Mill District neighborhood, including the Stone Arch Bridge.
Our paid news subscriptions and media ownership
We have six paid news subscriptions, all digital. Today I decided to check the ownership of each news outlet to understand which could be most susceptible to political interference. None is owned by a conglomerate or individual with strong ties to a political party. Click through for a table showing ownership of each news source.