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Adventure of a lifetime: St. Paul teen back from around-the-world bike trip

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

It was in a remote area of Kyrgyzstan, about midway through his 20,700-mile bicycle journey around the world, that Adam Swanson worried he might not make it home.Sick with food poisoning and out of toilet paper, the 19-year-old St. Paul man hitched a ride with two Russian speakers on their way to Siberia for a shipment of watermelons. During the four-hour ride, he and the other passenger communicated by passing his phone back and forth using Google Translate.Suddenly, the driver turned off the main road, and Swanson read the next message on his phone: “We revenge slaughter you.”Instead of Swanson’s intended destination of Osh, the trio were approaching Uzbekistan, a country he wasn’t yet authorized to visit.“We pull off this road and drive for, like, half an hour, and then we come up to this gate,” Swanson said. “The gate opens, and it’s an open lot with one guy and a bunch of relics from the Soviet Union and nothing else.”The passenger handed Swanson his phone. “It said, ‘Get out, ...

Literary calendar for week of June 25

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

Nicole Baart (Aaron Baart / Simon & Schuster)NICOLE BAART: Iowa-based author of 11 novels discusses her atmospheric thriller “The Long Way Home,” in which an Instagram-famous teen goes missing and her mother grapples with revelation of dark secrets. 7 pm. Monday, June 26, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.; 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul, in conversation with bestselling Minnesota author William Kent Krueger.MICHELLE BRUHN/STEPHANIE THUROW: Sign copies of their book “Small-Scale Homesteading.” Subtitled “A Sustainable Guide to Gardening, Keeping Chickens, Maple Sugaring, Preserving the Harvest, and More,” this handsomely designed paperback is packed with color photos and facts. 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, June 30, Lake Country Booksellers, 4766 Washington Square, White Bear Lake.MARY CHRISTINE KANE/SANDRA ELIASON: Introduce “True Stories About Love Vol. 2,” made up of 33 sto...

Skywatch: Shooting the moon

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

Over the next two weeks, the moon will be very prominent in our sky, starting as a first quarter (half moon) on Monday and becoming a full moon a week later on July 3. It will be the first full moon of the astronomical summer. Without a doubt, moonlight, especially full moonlight, louse up the skies for good stargazing and astrophotography, which are near and dear to me. Despite that, I love, love, love full moons! I call it my magic moon time.I love the names given to full moons by various cultures worldwide. One Native American name for the July full moon is the Full Buck Moon because this is when buck deer begin sprouting new antlers. It’s also called the Thunder Moon because of the more frequent thunderstorms this time of year. My favorite name for the July full moon comes from the ancient Chinese Buddhist tradition. They called it the Hungry Ghost Moon. I am still trying to figure out why.Whatever you call the July full moon, you can’t help but notice that it’...

Letters: I’ve been a proud Democrat for a long time, but spending is out of control

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

Yes, a growing concernThe letter Ed Sellner wrote for the June 22 paper about state and local Democratic spending being out of control was right on.The squandering of the recent budget surplus on so many marginal programs is astonishing.I too have been a proud Democrat for a long, long time but these recent policies have really got me questioning.  I’ll continue voting Democrat at the federal level, but I’ll probably go Republican at the state and local levels. I wouldn’t be surprised if other good Democrats are thinking the same thing. Ed Sellner was right, the spending is just out of control.Joseph Bianconi, St. Paul No good choiceI’m not going to vote in 2024.Why? The Republican party is morally bankrupt. They want to interfere with medical treatment for women and LBGTQ persons. They want to cut taxes for the uber-wealthy. They want to gut Social Security and Medicare. They are the party of book bans and limited education curricula. They are the party...

Literary pick for week of June 25

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

Allison Blevins (Courtesy of Allison Blevins)Raedial Book Fair returns for its second year Saturday, July 1, at Harriet Island Regional Park, 200 Dr. Justus Ohage Blvd., St. Paul, offering readers a chance to meet more than 20 literary vendors, authors, booksellers and publishers dedicated to uplifting diverse literature.It begins at 11:30 a.m. with a Drag Queen reading hour, followed by 1:30 p.m. author talks and a 3:30 panel about social media’s impact on the discoverability of diverse books.Shannon TL Kearns (Courtesy of Shannon TL Kearns)This year’s guest authors are Shannon TL Kearns and Allison Blevins. Kearns is a transgender man who believes in the transformative power of stories. He is an ordained priest, a playwright/screenwriter and theologian. He’s been a Humanitas New Voices Fellow, a Lambda Literary Fellow, a Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellow, and a Finnovation Fellow. His debut book, “In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey with...

Ask Amy: Abuse survivor thrives and tells the tale

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

Dear Readers: Like you, I’m often curious about what happens to the advice I offer once it leaves my desk, and so I’ve asked readers to send in “updates” to let all of us know how my advice was received, if it was followed, and how things turned out.The responses have flowed in, and I’m interested and often gratified to learn what impact this experience has had on readers.Of all of the updates I’ve received, today’s update has moved me the most.The original Q&A is printed below, followed by the update.Dear Amy: I’m an adult man, nearing 50, with a very difficult family history. My parents divorced when I was 9 years old. I lived with my mother and stepfather. Their relationship was quite twisted, and between the ages of 14 and 15 he sexually molested me, with my mother’s knowledge.I have done lots of healing about this, and today I have a great life.My question is: Now that my mother and biological father are elderly (my stepfather committed suicide), what kind of “allegiance” d...

Bridge: June 25, 2023

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

The venerable Vanderbilt Knockout Teams, the premier event at the ACBL’s Spring NABC, saw victory for a team led by Jeff Wolfson (Steve Garner, David Gold-Zia Mahmood, Joe Grue-Brad Moss). In the final against Francisco BERNAL (a Colombian player now living in the United States, plus four Italians and one player from the U.S.), WOLFSON took a huge lead and held on to win 141 to 113.As usual, most of the top teams comprised a wealthy “sponsor” and a supporting professional cast. The demand for pro services meant that many foreign pros were present, and by the Round of 32, a majority of the players were from overseas.The results depended in great part on which sponsor could afford to retain top players, or perhaps which sponsor had hired a set of pros who were having a hot week. (Many sponsors are capable players; some are less so.)WOLFSON struck a heavy blow in today’s deal from near the end of the final’s first quarter. The auction started the same way at both tables, but when East ...

Word Game: June 25, 2023

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — THREATEN (THREATEN: THRET-n: To menace; portend.)Average mark 46 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 59 or more words in THREATEN?TODAY’S WORD — THREATEN tare tarn tart tear teat teen teeth tenet tent tenth tern tether tetra than that theater thee then there theta threat three treat tree hare hate hater hatter hear heart hearten heat heater here ranee rant rate reheat rent earn earth earthen eaten eater enter entreat erne ethane ether ante anther antre arete natter near neat neater neath netherTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, sl...

Horoscopes June 25, 2023: Linda Cardellini, do what’s best for you

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Busy Philipps, 44; Linda Cardellini, 48; Ricky Gervais, 62; Carly Simon, 80.Happy Birthday: Study before you delve into something new. The key to success is knowledge and handling those who try to interfere with your plans. Press forward with a guideline in place and a budget that suits your needs. Home is what counts, and nurturing meaningful relationships will make a difference in how your life unfolds. Do what’s best for you, show gratitude and take responsibility for your happiness. Your numbers are 9, 16, 20, 27, 32, 36, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Participate in something you find exhilarating. A change in your routine will spark your imagination. Put some muscle behind your ideas; an opportunity will develop. An event or conversation you enter into will bring high returns. Listen up and follow through. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t change course midstream. Take a moment longer to map out your plans, define what you want to ...

Un hombre y su hijastro adolescente mueren mientras hacían senderismo en el Parque Nacional Big Bend, según las autoridades

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:32:58 GMT

(CNN) — Dos personas murieron este viernes mientras intentaban conseguir ayuda después de hacer senderismo en condiciones de calor extremo en el Parque Nacional de Big Bend, en el suroeste de Texas, según un comunicado de prensa del Servicio de Parques Nacionales (NPS, por sus siglas en inglés).“Un padre y sus dos hijastros de Florida estaban haciendo senderismo por el sendero Marufo Vega bajo un calor extremo” este viernes, con temperaturas de 48 grados centígrados en ese momento, según el comunicado de prensa.Durante la caminata, “el más joven, de 14 años, cayó enfermo en el sendero y perdió el conocimiento”, dijeron los funcionarios del NPS.El padre, de 31 años, “abandonó el lugar para volver a su vehículo en busca de ayuda, mientras el otro hermano, de 21 años, intentaba llevar a su hermano hasta el inicio del sendero”, dice el comunicado.Según el NPS, sobre las 6:00 p.m. hora local, el “Centro de Comunicaciones del Parque Nacional...