November 15, 1999 - MPR's special week of programming "The Surveillance Society" begins on Midday, where we hear about the range of private information about people that is available, who can find it, and how. Guests Ari Schwartz, policy analyst at the Center for Democracy & Technology in Washington D.C.; and Don Ray, independent investigative journalist and author of Public Records Primer and Investigators Handbook give insights into the topic.
November 15, 1999 - In an essay on flyfishing, the novelist Thomas McGuane writes, "What is most emphatic in angling is made so by the long silences...the unproductive periods" That essay is called "The Longest Silence". It's also the title of McGuane's new collection of 33 essays, in which he charts a lifetime with a flyrod pursuing trout, salmon and saltwater game fish. Thomas McGuane talked to Minnesota Public Radio's Mike Edgerly about his new book and his life in fishing
November 16, 1999 - MPR’s Shirley Idelson profiles Minnesota's grape growers, who are experiencing a boom. Producers say 1999 season has resulted in a record harvest. While grapes are still a tiny portion of the state's agricultural economy, high prices and a strong market for wine means expansion for this cottage industry.
November 18, 1999 - MPR's "The Surveillance Society" series continues with a call-in program about workplace privacy. Studio guests are labor lawyers Greg Corwin of Corwin & Associates and Richard Ross of Frederickson & Byron.
November 18, 1999 - Walter Kirn lives in Montana where he works as a book critic. But he grew up in Minnesota, and so its not surpring his new novel "Thumbsucker" is set in the St Croix River Valley. Although it's probably not going to please the Minnesota Tourist board. Kirn's satirical view of rural Minnesota in the 1980's is a turbulant world of Miami Vice, Izod shirts and Mormons. In a town gone suburban, 14-year-old Justin, gives up thumbsucking his long-time security blanket, only to replace it with girls, cigarettes, booze and drugs. With adults too self-absored to care, Justin is forced to navigate the bizarre waters of adolesence alone.
November 19, 1999 - A compilation of the special reports from the MPR "The Surveillance Society" series.
November 26, 1999 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews Minnesota author Tom Hegg about his "Cup of Christmas Tea" books. Hegg hopes his titles can help people relax and focus on the true meaning of the holidays.
November 27, 1999 - The Savvy Traveler’s Rudy Maxa interviews American journalist and author Jerry Hopkins about his book Strange Foods: Bush Meat, Bats, and Butterflies: An Epicurean Adventure Around the World. The two discuss interesting delicacies, including snake blood, water bugs, iguana eggs, and durian fruit.
December 3, 1999 - Minnesota author Frederick Manfred was so dedicated to his creative calling that despite writing 33 books, he was frequently broke. The critically acclaimed author of Lord Grizzly, The Golden Bowl, and This is the Year died in 1994. While he was good at getting his books published, he was not as adept at negotiating his pay. In her new memoir, Frederick Manfred: A Daughter Remembers, Freya Manfred says her father didn't have a lot growing up and in some ways it's surprising he went on to become a respected literary force.
December 8, 1999 - Midday holds a conversation on homelessness in Minnesota with Sue Watlov Phillips of Elim Transitional Housing and legislative chair of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless; and with Herb Frey, program director for the Alliance of the Streets.