Is this how it was supposed to work? A person runs for Congress from somewhere in Texas. The candidate is not exactly called from the plow to serve briefly in the public arena. She or he has already established a public life back home — the school board, city council, mayor of Lubbock, the community development foundation — and now …
It’s terrible. The president is an asshole and his poll numbers go up in unison with his every act of ignorant cruelty. That’s one of those “known knowns.” And maybe, “known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know.” And I thought Donald Rumsfeld was a dick. Now, this odd character just entered. …
What Jefferson wanted more than anything else was severely limited government, administered by modest and reluctant representatives who would rather be home tending their fields. He wanted well-educated, self-sufficient and vigilant citizens to do whatever it took to protect their liberties and their natural rights. He wanted our leaders and representatives to be high-minded, virtuous (in the Roman sense of …
I had the most interesting experience recently. I was asked by a friend to portray Mr. Jefferson at a seed conference. More than 100 gathered on the Great Plains to learn about the latest work in agricultural seed development. It’s a fascinating and even breathtaking enterprise — to manipulate what’s going on inside seeds to maximize production on America’s farms. …
Rep. Ruth Buffalo doesn’t report to Rob Port. “She refuses to speak on POVnow’s show, or at AM 1100, or with Rob Port because she said they’re not journalists seeking the truth, they’re personalities pushing agendas.” — C.S. Hagen, HPR Unless he has a dog with no self-respect, nobody reports to Rob Port. I believe it’s because he’s a creep that …
On April 9 in 1963, a classic of children’s literature, Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are,” was published. It is what is known as a picture book and has been beloved by generations since then. Max, a little boy, travels in his imagination (or sleep) to an island inhabited by wild creatures. “Let the wild rumpus start,” he says! …
The great French essayist Montaigne (1533-1592) wrote about everything. He’s one of the inventors of the essay as a genre, though there are roots as far back as Plutarch and Seneca in the ancient world. Montaigne used the word “essais” to mean something like “informed trial balloons,” and he very frequently ended some passage or assertion or conclusion by saying, …
It just doesn’t get much better than homemade bread. There’s nothing like it when it’s fresh out of the oven and topped with a dollop of butter or some peanut butter and jelly. In our house, I leave the “real” bread-making up to Therese. There’s no way I can top the bread — or the buns — she bakes. I’ve …
I’m looking forward to Red River High School’s production of “Godspell” this weekend for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it’s one of my favorite Broadway shows. It led to the stardom of people like Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy and, in the orchestra pit, a young bandleader named Paul Schaffer, Canadians all. The musical is …
The National Council On Education for the Ceramic Arts held its 53rd annual conference this past weekend at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Founded in 1966, NCECA was created to serve the interests of ceramics as an art form and in creative education the United States. Most major American ceramic artists since the 1970s, including Frances Senska, Paul Soldner, Peter Voulkos and Rudy Autio have been …
Beans and rice are a popular combination. Add sausage and green bell pepper to the mix and you have a dish that many people, especially those from southern Louisiana, might say is a touch of heaven. For Cajuns and those of Creole descent, red beans and rice is classic comfort food that has been around for a couple of centuries. …
“North Dakota’s oil regulator (Lynn Helms) is planning to sue the state of Washington if it goes ahead with a proposal to reduce the volatility of Bakken crude oil transported by rail, saying it is not supported by science and would devalue the product.” — The Columbian. “Helms also wants the North Dakota Legislature to add $500,000 to a litigation fund …
A Jefferson Hour listener wrote me a snarky letter last week after Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary of the Mueller Report, apparently clearing President Trump and his closest aides of colluding with the Russians in the 2016 election. After informing me that I have been embarrassing myself with what he called my anti-Trump rhetoric, the writer asked …
Albert Sickler died last week. He was 94. You maybe didn’t know Albert. Let me tell you a little about him. The first time I met Albert (at least that I can remember) was in the summer of 2004, on the front steps of his aging house on a farmstead in Dunn County, N.D., some 25 miles northeast of Dickinson. …
Grand Forks photographer loves to snap shot of bald eagles. Here’s what he’s seen this past month, along with a couple of other species that caught his eye. (Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.)
The party of cutting funds for Special Olympics was so worried that a kid might ingest an edible form of medical marijuana, it ixnayed some of the most useful ways to help people in distress. Opponents expressed sincere concern that a chocolate chip cookie, baked with love and marijuana, would attract children, and the next thing you know, you’ve got …
Spring has arrived in the Red River Valley, but vestiges of winter remain as these recent wildlife images from Grand Fork photographer Michael Bogert bear out.
It seems like the threats to our Bad Lands never cease. Let’s go back and revisit Wylie Bice. He’s the rogue rich rancher up in Dunn County, on the eastern edge of the Bad Lands, who’s built himself a private bridge on public land, without permission, over the Little Missouri State Scenic River. Now it appears he is going to …
My monthly column in Dakota Country magazine is dedicated to conservation and the protection of our western North Dakota public lands, especially the Little Missouri National Grasslands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I’ve been traveling this winter, and I’m going to share some thoughts on public lands and national parks this month. But first … In the January issue of …
A little over a year ago, 17 people were gunned down at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Most of them were teens. Within the last two weeks, two young survivors of that attack have committed suicide, as has the father of a Sandy Hook Elementary School (Newton, Conn.) shooting child victim. All of this death. The …
Dietary fiber is essential for healthy living. Found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, dietary fiber offers a variety of health benefits. They include relief from constipation; lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer; lowering cholesterol levels; and helping to maintain a healthy weight. Most healthy eating plans such as the U.S. Department of …
I think I’m experiencing a different kind of March madness this year. Instead of going crazy about hoops, I feel like I’ve been jumping through too many of them. At the start of the month, I was constantly getting plowed and it had nothing to do with alcohol. Everything in sight was white. Shoveling mountains of snow was a daily …
“You create a law based on no science — absolutely zero science.” — Dr. Mitchell Creinin, OB-GYN; NPR March 22, 2019 I am not a woman, so I have no idea what it would feel like to even ponder the prospect of terminating a pregnancy. And neither does North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who disappoints me once per week and signed …
I’ve been feeling a little left out lately. In fact, I have been for some time now. See, just about everywhere a person goes on the internet there are conspiracy theories popping up. And I’ve never been able to get behind some of the most popular of them. You know, the ones about aliens, the Earth being flat, who was …
Most people think of a meat sauce when considering dishes such as spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli or Alfredo. A good sauce can make or break a pasta entree. But sauces without meat can be just as tasty and often are more heart-healthy. I’ll be the first to admit that a ground beef/Italian sausage tomato/marinara sauce is hard to beat when it comes …
Unless Forum Communications has some bizarre legal stipulation on page 63 of a contract with “a blogger” whereby FCC has no control over anything related to Sayanythingblog and Rob Port, a Minot legend for refusing to shovel his socialist sidewalk, then pay attention. Undiluted Hate Wall “Homosexuals corrode society from within and their degenerate heads deserve to be swinging at …
My friend, Nancy Palmer O’Malley, has written a lovely and quietly provocative book, which she intends as a gift to relatives and a small number of friends. But when she shared it with me a few weeks ago, I sense immediately that her wisdom and yearning would resonate with a much larger audience. “My family never wanted to discuss delicate …
We can’t discount the possibility. I know you’re saying, “I wouldn’t read his shoe size.” Or, “Who cares about Rob Snort,” but somebody has to keep an eye the scamp, so he doesn’t totally get away with personal shots of venom. Like his sucker punch of Jim Shaw. Shaw’s Saturday column in the Fargo Forum was an unambiguous middle finger …
Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner and his wife, Sheila, recently returned from a trip to the Southwest, specifically Arizona. Among the sites they saw were a sunrise at Watson Lake, near Prescott. “The lake is surrounded by unique rock structures that make interesting compositions for photography.” Also a sunset at Lake Powell, near Page. Antelope Canyon-Page, Arizona One of the trip’s highlights …
Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to choose. So far, because the Legislature said so, no city can conduct a gun buyback, set a minimum wage, take a pistol from a depressed man, ban plastic bags or hold a gay pride parade. The last one is still on their wish list. Kevin Cramer’s office calls every day to complain …
My article on the Island Scrub Jay appeared in this Thursday morning’s Bismarck Tribune. Here is it below, with my photographs, including one of the Island Scrub Jay. There are much better photographs of the jay by professional photographs easily found in a simple Google search, so do check that out if you are interested. Having birded for decades, one …
Our tattered blue laws have been a topic of biblical proportions in Bismarck, at least for the lawmakers with the highest morality index numbers, as determined by them. They number more than you think. Frankly, I don’t care if 98 percent of businesses were locked up on Sunday, or any other day of the week. Wednesday puts out apathetic vibes, …
The University of North Dakota defeated the University of Nebraska-Omaha 5-4 in overtime Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena to complete a National Collegiate Hockey Conference weekend sweep of Mavericks. The Fighting Hawks (18-15-2 overall, 12-11-1 NCHC) won Friday night’s game 2-1. UNO dropped to 9-22-3 overall and 5-17-2 in the NCHC. Jordan Kawaguchi scored two goals, including the game-winner …
There’s an old joke North Dakota Republican legislators tell about their worst nightmare: They’re walking down the Great Hall in the Capitol heading for the cafeteria on their short lunch break and they see Secretary of State Al Jaeger coming toward them. Knowing they’re going to get stuck in a boring 15-minute conversation, they pretend they forgot something back at …
Liberty is not wearing your seat belt now. Not wearing one last month paled in comparison to the rush you get today. Just in case you were unclear as to the rules of liberty. I guess I was unclear about it, but some eloquent legislator said it was true. It seems like a low bar for liberty. I don’t know …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team picked up a National Collegiate Hockey Conference win Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena, edging the University of Nebraska-Omaha 2-1. Gabe Bast and Nick Jones scored goals for the Fighting Hawks (17-15-2 overall,11-11-1 NCHC), while Zach Jordan scored for the Mavericks (9-21-3 overall, 5-16-2 NCHC). Peter Thome stopped 23 shot in goal …
This past Wednesday, Badlands Conservation Alliance, a grass-roots group of which I am a founding voice, announced to its membership that longtime executive director, Jan Swenson, is retiring at the end of March. Jan has been at the helm for the past 20 years. In fact, BCA would very likely not exist were it not for Jan’s leadership from the …
Thompson defeated Hillsboro-Central Valley 59-53 in the championship game of the North Dakota Region 2 boys basketball tournament Thursday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Tommies will make their first state tournament appearance next week in Minot with the win. Thompson was paced by Hayden Overby, who scored 26 points, and Cadyn Schwabe, who added 16. The Burros were …
Today marks a kind of a milestone for me. Five years ago, I decided to give meditation a whirl. Actually, I’d be giving it a second whirl. A million years ago, I took a religion class in college called Mysticism. It was a very popular class. I was lucky to get in. It was taught by a young rabbi who …
Thompson and Hillsboro-Central Valley won semifinal games in the North Dakota Region 2 boys basketball tournament Tuesday in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center and will meet in the championship game Thursday in the Betty. The Tommies were 57-44 winner over Hatton-Northwood, while the Burros defeated Grafton 58-44. Candy Schwabe (19 points) and Marcus Hughes (15) led Thompson to the win, while Hatton-Northwood …
Seven years ago I gave up plastic bags for Lent. Every year it seemed that when I did my Lenten Disciplines, they were self-serving. Changing a dietary pattern, improving my prayer life or decluttering. Things that would make MY life better. So in 2012, I decided to do something that would make the planet better. I gave up using plastic …
Beans and legumes rank near the top of the list among the most nutritious vegetables. Most professional agree that they are a key food group for helping prevent disease and for optimizing health, particularly in the areas of cardiovascular and blood sugar problems, including Type 2 diabetes. That fact is borne out in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans developed by …
Rep. Luke Simons is perturbed to peaches. His House Bill 1381 aiming to permanently disallow any North Dakota city or one man’s last stand to form a government, from initiating a gun buy-back, ever, was called stupid by lots of people, including me, but this is the jab that got the young lawmaker worked up: Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for …
Fear not, if you were worried that Kelly Armstrong’s feet wouldn’t be small enough to fit into Kevin Cramer’s shoes. The wingtips feel fine. No room for growth, so perfect. Like Cramer and many others in his party, Armstrong will follow Donald Trump into the always popular “obese size” executive time tanning bed slash toaster oven to retrieve an unknown …