News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Sunday December 14th 2025
Potter”'s Field Tales no less rich and fascinating! Generosity doesn”'t tell it all!
This marker was placed on the grave of 350 people provided by the University of Minnesota on 11-11-11. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Dedicated to the memory of those whose generosity extended beyond life for medical school anatomy teaching during the years 1914-1916.
By Sue Hunter Weir
There are 350 people buried in the cemetery”'s Potters Field whose remains were used as research subjects in anatomy courses at the University of Minnesota during the years 1914-1916. They were, to the say the least, a colorful lot: homeless men, prison inmates, men who were both the instigators and victims of crime. If they had one characteristic that they share was their social isolation; when they died, their bodies went unclaimed by friends or family. Other traits that many, though not all of them, shared, were alcoholism, mental illness and the effects of poverty.
In the early part of the last century, state law required the county coroner to turn over the remains of anyone whose body went unclaimed to medical schools. Because so many people believed that their bodies and souls were to be reunited on Judgment Day, the idea of dissection was, for the majority of people, unthinkable. As a result, there was a shortage of cadavers which made the laws governing unclaimed bodies necessary. … Read the rest “Potter”'s Field Tales no less rich and fascinating! Generosity doesn”'t tell it all!”
Winter Solstice celebrated in stories, dance, and runes
Nordic Roots storyteller and singer Kari Tauring and folk dancer Carol Sersland, along with Tapestry Folk Dance Center, bring the joy of this festival of light to the Tapestry Folkdance Center on Sunday, December 18 from 6 to 8 pm to celebrate the Winter Solstice which marks the time when the days slowly begin to lengthen and the light returns to the world. Celebrated as “Jul” (yule) in Scandinavian countries.
By Carsten Smith
The winter solstice marks the time when the days slowly begin to lengthen and the light returns to the world. Celebrated as “Jul” (yule) in Scandinavian countries, Nordic Roots storyteller and singer Kari Tauring and folk dancer Carol Sersland, along with Tapestry Folk Dance Center, bring the joy of this festival of light to the Tapestry Folkdance Center on Sunday, December 18 from 6 to 8 pm.
“This Jultid Celebration will be an interactive performance, suitable for all ages and all activity levels,” says Kari Tauring. Kari received a 2011 Minnesota State Arts Board Folk and Traditional Arts Grant to develop a series of workshops and two celebrations. The Jultid Celebration is the first and in March, there will be the Ostara, a holiday that merges into our contemporary Easter celebration.… Read the rest “Winter Solstice celebrated in stories, dance, and runes”
The Descendants
“ The Descendants”(2011)
***** Â Â Â Â
An Hominem Enterprises Drama/Comedy
Cast: George Clooney (Matt or Matthew King), Shailene Woodley (Alexandra or Alexis King), Amara Miller (Scottie King), Patricia Hastie (Elizabeth King),Beau Bridges (Cousin Hugh), Matthew Lillard (Brian Speer), Judy Greer (Julie Speer).Running time: 115 minutes. Director:Alexander Payne.
Heartfelt film that presses the drama pushing what”'s deemed a comedy too, to the back burner. As such, it”'s just as well the drama takes center stage because in my view–in this film–it”'s a better movie.
All of the breathtaking cinematography by Phedon Papamichael takes place in Honolulu, O”'ahu, Hawaii or nearby islands. Standing on what is one of the world”'s stunning paradises is George Clooney, as Matthew King in an unfortunate dilemma: a wife Liz (Patricia Hastie) in a coma from a water-skiing accident and either selling or keeping a great estate he inherited from his great-grandmother , a native princess married a non-native (haole) businessman.
Matt has two daughters Scottie (Amara Miller)and Alexis (Shailene Woodley), 7 and 17, respectively, misbehaving and sometimes mean-spirited towards their dad.  I hardly feel empathy as the girls on a number of levels,but as the movie tracks forward I begin ease my frustrations about these wayward 21st century kids. … Read the rest “The Descendants”
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