tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80532042011-04-21T15:55:19.322-05:00Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-21050923188078918002006-12-29T21:45:00.000-06:002006-12-30T21:33:05.836-06:00

To this layman, one of the salient strengths of Judaism and Christianity is their common agreement that scriptures are granted authority to guide our personal behavior as well as the corporate life of the religious community. This willingness to defer to a sacred document no doubt laid the foundation for what we now call the rule of law, in which documents that are accepted as binding on a

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1165878130903864252006-12-11T16:58:00.000-06:002006-12-15T18:00:20.626-06:00

If understanding of the soul of a community is your desire, then listen, and listen again to its artists. A community’s treasures of memory and passion are packaged for us by its musicians—gifts for us to cherish and preserve. But do we have the courage to listen?After an evening with singers Mitch Walking Elk and Larry Long at the Mendota Mdewakanton Dakota Community Center recently, I can no

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1157679746573821902006-09-07T20:41:00.000-05:002006-09-09T14:00:11.753-05:00

Day 1 (Sun 8/27) - Day 2 (Mon 8/28) - Day 3 (Tue 8/29) - Day 4 (Wed 8/30) Too see photos from this trip, click here: 2006-08-27 Apostle Islands Mon, 9:00 AMPresque Isle Bay, Stockton IslandHeading: Beating up 25° (NNE)Wind: NE 10 to 15Temp: 70+The brilliant 9AM sunshine and modest breezes awake both of us. The forecast calls for 10 to 15 knot winds from the NE, and 3 to 5 foot waves—much tamer

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1157679675652842472006-09-07T20:40:00.000-05:002006-09-09T19:51:37.133-05:00

Day 1 (Sun 8/27) - Day 2 (Mon 8/28) - Day 3 (Tue 8/29) - Day 4 (Wed 8/30) Too see photos from this trip, click here: 2006-08-27 Apostle Islands Mon, 7:00 AMQuarry Bay, Stockton IslandWind: NE 15 to 25Temp: ~60Although we are protected from the NE winds, we can hear them all night long whistling and roaring through the trees surrounding the bay. I make a breakfast of Dick’s Super Duper Vegan

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1157679578552766342006-09-07T20:37:00.000-05:002006-09-09T19:23:51.596-05:00

Day 1 (Sun 8/27) - Day 2 (Mon 8/28) - Day 3 (Tue 8/29) - Day 4 (Wed 8/30) Too see photos from this trip, click here: 2006-08-27 Apostle Islands 5:30 AMPike’s Marina, Bayfield WIWind: CalmTemp: 70+My time to rise and fulfill my obligations to my employer is announced by my Blackberry—I smother the alarm and disable it. Awake, I see that the sun will be rising soon and I disembark our floating

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1157679457560632092006-09-07T20:35:00.000-05:002006-09-09T19:11:18.010-05:00

Day 1 (Sun 8/27) - Day 2 (Mon 8/28) - Day 3 (Tue 8/29) - Day 4 (Wed 8/30) Too see photos from this trip, click here: 2006-08-27 Apostle Islands11:00 AMStillwater, MNHeading: 270° (west)Apparent Wind: W at 47 knots (55 mph)Temp: 75After packing an excessive collection of clothing ("Bring winter clothes", Rick said--good advice, even for August) and more food than was strictly necessary for three

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1125538902216504052005-08-31T20:37:00.000-05:002006-07-31T19:31:05.770-05:00

A simple woman with long brunette hair awaits her afternoon MTC transport on the busy corner of Marquette and 4th in downtown Minneapolis A white Labrador seeing-eye dog and a walking stick offer to define her place in society.An MTC bus number 260 stops, opens its door and the driver announces his number to her, a courtesy that MTC drivers are trained to provide, asking if she wants to

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1121642278308973482005-07-17T18:03:00.000-05:002006-09-09T19:43:04.593-05:00

I walked from my hotel on Central Park South to the gorgeous 1920’s-era Walter Kerr Theatre, in plenty of time to take my seat in the center mezzanine where I could appreciate the theater’s chandeliers, ornamental woodwork and paintings interspersed between wall decorations. The theater filled while our usher announced to us in a humorous New York brogue that “there can be no pictures taken

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1120970901883531702005-07-09T23:37:00.000-05:002005-07-17T18:35:32.806-05:00

Karen picks me up a little after five o’clock on 3rd Ave just shy of 5th Street in the midst of rush hour traffic in downtown Minneapolis, and we circle around to the old Milwaukee Road Depot on 3rd Ave and Washington, which is our dinner destination, now a Courtyard by Marriot and Residence Inn. The pretext for the evening is the annual report/dinner/fund-raiser being held by the Minnesota

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1113399256429878382005-04-13T08:30:00.000-05:002005-04-14T08:27:47.870-05:00

We have a group who, for lack of a better term, I might call multi-cultural people in the general area where I work. Sanjay, Srini and Pradeep are from India; Lisa is from Jakarta; Jill is Vietnamese, but grew up here; Pam and Darrin are African American; and Naiyer’s family is also from India, although he was raised in Winnipeg. Most recently Mark joined my team as a contractor and he was

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1111631740391639542005-03-23T20:33:00.000-06:002005-03-23T21:15:22.153-06:00

A steady stream of important and well-presented documentaries have been offered of late on public television, most recently a series on Auschwitz which humanized for me both the Nazi criminals and their victims, and another entitled, Slavery and the Making of America, a production of Thirteen/WNET New York. While watching recently the stories of brutal, self-serving slave owners in 19th Century

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1102042809519689602004-12-02T20:55:00.000-06:002005-07-17T10:23:07.113-05:00

I departed the beautiful Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan and re-entered the real world. I walked south on 5th Avenue for a bit and turned left on 45th, where enroute to my hotel I walked by a Jewish bookstore. Being tempted to matters religious on this lovely Sunday morning, I entered and methodically browsed my way to the back of the store.One of the young men in the store,

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1101271193215585532004-11-23T21:59:00.000-06:002004-12-04T10:49:50.453-06:00

This is Lady Liberty—-impressive and beautiful, the inspiration of immigrants. She perpetually strides forward with noble and serious purpose. If she were a symphony, she would no doubt be Beethoven’s 5th, supremely confident and solemn. Politically she represents Jefferson’s liberated nation, free to achieve greatness while insisting on goodness. To the individual, she promises freedom, the

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1097777741702444122004-10-14T13:06:00.000-05:002004-10-14T13:15:41.703-05:00

And, I hope that noone ever suspects that I harbor any such delusions, on any topic of political currency whatsoever. Kerry should not, must not become our next president. Given the options with which we are presented, the choice is easy. Steve made several characteristically hard-hitting arguments in defense of Bush's choice to go to war, and his execution of it, in the prior post. Unwisely

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1097290531406743072004-10-08T21:44:00.000-05:002004-10-08T21:55:31.406-05:00

A quick comment may help to clarify my comments on Bush's military initiatives. I was supportive of the war on the Taliban because it was clear they supported Bin Laden, and I believe we have no choice but to engage the "war on terror."Such an engagement does not, however, necessarily infer an invasion of Iraq, which invasion worries me for its long-term implications for a) our relationship with

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1096664985025783962004-10-01T15:31:00.000-05:002004-10-03T17:17:34.120-05:00

Where do you think I would look if I wanted to find an individual who is in public office, but has kept his humanity? Certainly not in this year's presidential race, nor any in recent memory. What do I mean? I mean I wish for an honest candidate who talks to us candidly and with humanity. Campaign rhetoric this year (every year?) is a tragic combination of dishonesty and salesmanship, of which

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1095220713399432372004-09-14T22:32:00.000-05:002004-09-14T23:16:43.096-05:00

The editor of the National Geographic introduces the articles in the September issue as the “biggest story in geography today” and begs those of his readers who don’t believe in global warming to face up to the facts. I will admit to having harbored some skepticism on this topic over the years, so I took him up on his challenge. The authors successfully surveyes a broad variety of researchers

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8053204.post-1093303526709774742004-08-23T18:15:00.000-05:002004-08-23T20:58:03.353-05:00

Whereas in years gone by I might have discounted the ideas presented on stage in Arthur Miller's fabulous play, Death of a Salesman, currently showing at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, I no longer have any desire to do so. Miller’s analysis is refreshingly honest and timely, despite a 50 year intermission. Having experienced something of the joy and pain of business ambition, I understand

Dick McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02414864587204056631noreply@blogger.com9