By now, every alert North Dakotan must know about last week’s rather unorthodox take on religious freedom by the state House of Representatives. Republican leaders in District 24 (Valley City area) took to the Web to sound the alarm: A Muslim, the president of the Bismarck Muslim Community Center, was going to offer the daily invocation in the House chamber. …
On the title page of my first novel, “Every Common Sight,” is the standard disclaimer for fiction. “Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.” That is true, with a couple of exceptions. …
UND (16-9-3 WCHA, 20-11-3 overall) finished the regular season with it fourth consecutive shutout by defeating Minnesota St.- Mankato (1-26-1 WCHA, 3-30-1 overall) 2-0. UND is locked into third place in the WCHA and tied for eigh th in the Pairwise raking, with a good chance of making the NCAA tournament.
UND (9-6 Big Sky, 17-10 overall) hosted Sacramento State (10-5, 12-14 overall) in a battle for second place in the Big Sky Conference. Down by as many as 19 points, UND rallied back, but fell just short in a 64-62 loss Saturday in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D .
Do you know anybody who doesn’t like barbecued chicken? Of the many ways to prepare chicken, it’s probably the most popular of all. It’s the centerpiece of most summertime grilling events, perhaps even more so than hamburgers and hot dogs. But when the temperature is between 10 below and 20 below zero and it’s the last thing even avid grillers have on their minds, …
Big oil funded scientist’s climate denial ‘deliverables’ According to the New York Times, a top scientist whose research has been used to support the denial of climate change has received more than $1 million from big oil corporations. Dr. Wei-Hock Soon accepted the funds from the fossil fuel industry for 10 years. The doctor has long denied that his big …
Not everybody gets to spend an hour talking about himself in front of a roomful of strangers. But every year, I get to. Each week, second-year medical students at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Grand Forks break into teams to study a different medical condition. The students themselves are responsible for much of …
Oliver Sack’s soaring essay on the end of his life (read it here) somehow reminded me of an experience I had several years ago while camping in Colorado. I had come down from my campsite in the high country to visit friends in the town of Crested Butte. They were husband and wife, both scientists, and they were a high state …
The sun sets over the National World War II Memorial on Friday in Washington, D.C. The Washington Monument stands tall in a Washington, D.C., sunset on Friday.
People who grew up in the ’60s and ’70s ate a lot of casseroles. I know because that’s my generation. I can’t vouch those who came later but suspect that’s also the case for them. We used to have casseroles — or hotdishes as they are called around here — for school hot lunch and at home when I was a …
Lenovo installed evil adware — on its own computers Lenovo, the computer manufacturer, chose to preinstall malicious Superfish adware on laptops it’s been selling since September. That’s scary. Why? Superfish, “the most virulent, evil adware you could find,” blows a big hole in your browser security making your passwords ripe for theft. In typical corporate spin, Lenovo says it has done …
TransCanada wants another oil pipeline TransCanada Corp. wants U.S. approval to build another pipeline. The “Upland Pipeline” doesn’t have anything to do with hunting game birds. However, it would move Bakken Shield oil from North Dakota 200 miles north and then east to “great markets” in eastern Canada. TransCanada and North Dakota officials provided predictable comments in the story by …
There are many great sites on the Internet to find recipes. A good number of them feature not only tasty ones but healthy ones, too. One of my favorites in this genre is that of American Institute for Cancer Research, which features recipes that have been rigorously tested by and approved by AICR devolopers, dietitians and staff (www.aicr.org/test-kitchen/). I’m particularly fond or …
Pigs in a blanket come in many variations. Just about every culture across the world has its own way to make this sausage-based food. For example, if you’re from the United Kingdom, small sausages are wrapped in bacon and baked on a lightly greased oven tray. In Mexico, the sausage is wrapped in a tortilla and deep-fried in vegetable oil. …
North Dakota’s oil boom was built on the back of lax regulation of the oil industry. Period. When Jack Dalrymple takes credit for the oil boom, let’s remind him: The train that blew up in West Virginia on Monday did not have to blow up. It could have derailed without blowing up. It’s easy to blame the railroad — they …
Since 2006, when “I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers” was first published, I’ve heard from hundreds of people, many of whom who tell me something to this effect. “I know those letters and emails from Fred were written to you, but if feels like they were written to me, too.” I met Fred through a newspaper assignment …
A good beef roast always makes for tasty leftovers. For that matter, so does pork. And if you want to take a walk on the wild side, consider venison or elk. Another meat that ranks right up there is buffalo or bison. I know this for a fact because once or twice a month we cook a bison roast, which we purchase from Siouxland …
So, we’re doing this thing. It’s called “Guys on Ice.” It’s a fairly new musical comedy about ice fishing in Wisconsin. It has some great scenes and songs in it. Not being an actor/singer/dancer-type, the nice people at the Fire Hall Theatre in Grand Forks created a role for me that doesn’t require any singing or dancing. It’s doesn’t require …
Lent starts this week. That means the end of Mardi Gras, which is celebrated for about two weeks before Ash Wednesday. But not before the biggest celebration of the season — Fat Tuesday. Among the traditions of Mardi Gras is a parade every day and a hefty dose of customary Cajun and Creole foods. My favorite dish that’s a mainstay during the New Orleans celebration …
Valentine’s Day in Thailand: You better watch out In the U.S., Valentine’s Day is ripe with commercialism, mostly, with maybe a dash of romance. The day is hugely popular in Bangkok, Thailand, and for authorities, it presents huge hassles. That’s because the country’s socially conservative authorities annually warn youths to avoid “inappropriate activities” to uphold the country’s traditional Buddhist values. The …
Lent is just about upon us, and once again, I’ve been asked to kick off the season’s Friday night fish fries at Sacred Heart in East Grand Forks. It’s been an honor to work with all of the hard-working Catholic Church parishioners who volunteer their time for this fun undertaking. I particularly like seeing everyone who comes out for a …
In nearly 50 years as a professional writer, I have never done this before: Fuck. Yes, you have just witnessed the very first time that I have typed that word. Ever. It’s not quite the first I’ve thought it. (There was that incident when my husband lost one of his hearing aids in the back yard, then found it … …
Unheralded.fish used the F-bomb the other day in a headline. Kind of. Sort of. The word and its presentation in the headline offended a few of our Fish writers. They objected. Editors didn’t take the issue lightly. Discussions and debate ensued. Many discussions. The process may have helped give The Fish a better sense and identify of who and what we …
National Heart Month, which is celebrated in February, has always held a special place in my heart, pardon the pun. If you guessed that I might have had a heart attack, you’re close. I suffered a stroke in November 1993. I was just 42 years old. I wondered how that could happen to me. But not for long. After chats …
Anyone who has access to their mom’s recipe box is lucky. And if Mom had lots of friends or relatives who cooked, you’re even luckier. I’m among the latter. Not only did my mom keep good track of her recipes — even recopying many of them on new cards because they were tattered or hard to read — she also had …
It recently occurred to me that I’ve lived with the characters of my new novel almost as long as I’ve known my children. Wendell Smith, the haunted World War II veteran; his saintly wife, Selma; their son, William; Wendell’s steadfast sidekick, Francis; Claire Cavanaugh, the beautiful young woman with a secret of her own; Claire’s devoted husband, Larry. They are …
Unheralded.fish: A work in progress Feb. 10. The sun rose. A few inches of soft Arctic snow fell. And a wicked night wind challenged travelers in the Northland, one of the most god forsaken places on Earth — according to some wimpy saps — but not us. Up here and at Unheralded.fish, obstacles such as floods, blizzards, discrimination and stupid politics are …
“We had a bunch of cash lying around, and decided this would be a good use for it,” a network executive said today. In an effort to boost their “NBC Nightly News” show in the under-70 demographic, the network announced that Comedy Central’s Daily Show host Jon Stewart will replace the recently fired Williams as anchor in their regular 6:30 …
Casseroles are a mom’s best friend. They can be made in a jiffy, usually contain some nutritious ingredients and generally are loved by kids. I know that casseroles — or as we called them hotdish — were a favorite of mine and my brothers as kids. And it didn’t matter what kind Mom made. My favorites were her tuna hotdish, …
Not hiring older workers is a great strategy … especially if you don’t plan to get much older yourself. I borrowed that line from one of my heroes, New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz. But it’s been on my own brain lately, too, especially after bumping into two of my much-loved former students in recent days. Of course, age being what …
Unplugged: The highs and lows of life without cable Dropping a cable or satellite TV subscription definitely is a cost control measure. The decision to cut the cord is motivated by more than money, though, and most people still want a TV program alternative. Sony, maybe Apple, Slingbox all are or will be offering options. But having tried unplugging, one writer …
Anyone who grew up in Grand Forks, or East Grand Forks, knows about Widman’s Candy Shop. It’s located on South Third Street on the west side of the Red River, just across the railroad tracks from the old Metropolitan Opera House, soon to be the site of Rhombus Guys’ microbrewery. But a lot people don’t know that’s not where Widman’s …
With the Lenten season almost upon us, I’m reminded again how terribly bad I’ve been lately at sacrificing or “giving up” things for Lent. (Never mind New Year’s resolutions, which are pretty much out of the question. Forget about it.) But about this time last year, I read some theologian say it’s perfectly consistent with Lenten spirituality to “add” something …
Here’s a story about the best customer service ever. Even better than the lady who almost bankrupted Herberger’s. It started last March when Lillian and I attended a presentation by Robert Hanna of the Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation at the former North Dakota Governor’s Mansion. Robert’s Foundation has taken over the interpretation of the Oscar H. Will Seed …
The weather the past three to four months in the Northland has been welcome by most people. You can count those who grill among the happy campers. Grilling usually isn’t an activity most people associate with winter. But this year, I bet there have quite a few steaks and burgers and the like cooked on outdoor grills. Another popular food prepared on the …
Keystone XL Pipeline: TransCanada huffs and puffs TransCanada may be getting nervous. The company’s announcement it may ship tar sands oil by rail is hog wash and here’s why: The economics don’t compute and the company may be rethinking the pipeline battle altogether. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-steyer/transcanada-cant-change-facts-about-keystone-xl_b_6626340.html Star Trek’s hope for humanity will come true. If not … In 30 years: “No …
It’s no secret that University of North Dakota football coach Bubba Schweigert likes to recruit North Dakota kids. That was no more than evident at Wedneday’s press conference announcing the signings of 28 new players to the school’s program on National Signing Day. Schweigert, who played nine-man football at Zeeland, N.D., was extremely excited about the signing of Elijah Grady of …
