For some reason, many people, including North Dakota legislators, think that trying to get the Bakken oil producers to “stabilize” the crude and THEN put it in the railroad tanker car is a big joke. I didn’t coin the phrase “bomb trains.” That label came from the within the industry because they knew. It’s just good ribbing, though. I’ve been …
My youngest sister posted a comment that is not only funny but sad because it is full of truth: “When I was little and made prank phone calls, my mother took the phone away. When my sons made prank phone calls, I took the phone away. Apparently, Donald Trump doesn’t have a mother.” She was, of course, referring to our …
I keep thinking that if Rip Van Winkle woke up this week, he’d crush up a bottle of Ambien and snort it all. It’s getting weird out there, and we’re only in the third week of America being great again. We’ve banned, unbanned and then banned Muslims again, according to tweets from the White House. The president and his press …
Humans vaulted, or quietly tiptoed, to the top of the food chain when our brains evolved enough to overcome our 1,246 physical shortcomings, including subpar vaulting, which the other critters made fun of, before having a quick snack. Generally, we’re slow, with poor climbing skills and buoyancy issues. We couldn’t catch much — or escape much. And being tender and flavorful …
In 2002, I shot this picture on film of a demonstration in New Zealand of the “Haka,” an ancient Maori war dance intended to frighten an enemy. New Zealand’s rugby team still uses it to intimidate international opponents. The first Europeans to see it were Dutch traders (who knows, possibly including one of my ancestors). They landed in 1642, and …
Quinton Hooker scored a game-high 26 points to lead the University of North Dakota men’s basketball team to an 87-77 overtime victory over Northern Colorado in Big Sky Conference action Saturday in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Fighting Hawks (13-8, 8-3 BSC) trailed almost the entire portion of regulation, holding only a 4-2 advantage early in the contest before claiming the win against the …
Mike Gornall hadn’t scored a goal all season. But Saturday night, he tallied two —the second in overtime — to lead the University of North Dakota to a 2-1 National Collegiate Hockey Conference win over St. Cloud State University in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Fighting Hawks (9-9-1-1 NCHC, 15-11-3 overall) trailed 1-0 before Gornall scored his first goal at 6:10 of …
I will be honest. When Denise and John suggested that I join them on this trip — OK, it also may have been me inviting myself — I was a bit concerned that the focus would be pastoral. Yes, I am a pastor, but to be honest, I am aware of the heavy burden Africa bears because of colonial missionary work …
As I advance into my Golden Years, I sometimes think of the 1969 Academy Award-winning movie “Midnight Cowboy.” Few scenes in cinema are more powerful than the one in which Ratso Rizzo, played by Dustin Hoffman, after limping through most of the film, tells Joe Buck, played by Jon Voigt, that he no longer can walk. Joe promises to take …
The University of North Dakota men’s hockey team’s scoring woes continued Friday night as the Fighting Hawks dropped a 3-1 National Collegiate Hockey Conference game to St Cloud State University before 11,682 fans in Ralph Engelstad University. Tucker Poolman scored the lone goal for UND (7-9-1-0 NCHC, 14-11-3 overall), which was on the verge of facing back-to-back shutout losses for …
I think I’m just going to rerun this column from the Unheralded.Fish website from two years ago about this time of the year in every odd-numbered year from now on. Nothing seems to change. Why should I spend a bunch of time writing something new? Nobody seems to be paying any attention anyway. JIM FUGLIE: View From The Prairie — …
Connections and relationships are vital when engaged in meaningful community development. Sudanese Lutheran Community Development, the organization with which I am volunteering, began when my friend Denise’s bishop approached her about building a relationship with some Sudanese Lost Boys about 15 years ago. When Denise and her husband John go into something, they go big or go home. Or in this …
Perspective is an interesting thing. On my first day at Olwa 1 Refugee Camp, I went to what I thought was the designated latrine. I had to hold my breath when I went in and found it to be, well, primitive. After using it for a couple of days, one of the women saw me coming out of it and pointed …
I’ve preached on the woman at the well dozens and dozens of times. It is one of my all-time favorite Bible stories, where Jesus encounters a woman getting water at the well in the heat of the day and extends to her love and acceptance when so many had rejected her. But it never held the same power as today. …
Considering that the whole of North Dakota Republican officeholders backed the callus free lunatic with the “narcissistic personality disorder,” who likes signing large menus — with covers made out of baby dolphin skin and then waving them around like he’s bringing in a airliner, it stands to reason that the North Dakota GOP and white nationalists would be on the …
Grant Johnson scored three shorthanded goals and added two assists to lead Grand Forks Central to a 7-2 high school hockey win over crosstown rival Grand Forks Red River on Tuesday night in Purpur Arena in Grand Forks, clinching the Knights’s first Gambucci Cup since 2011. Tyrese Murph added two goals and Bo Bjorge and Judd Caufield chipped in one …
An old, old friend and I were having lunch last week, grumbling mildly (as old, old types are wont to do) about how much better behaved and more polite children surely were back in our day. Suddenly, it struck us: Where were we when we heard our first “bad words”? This wasn’t quite as random as it may seem. We’d …
It has become obvious to me that Donald J. Trump is not the actual president of these United States. The resident Nazi, Steve Bannon, is. As Trump’s so-called “chief strategist,” Bannon has authored all of the executive orders relating to barring immigrants from coming into this country. Even Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels didn’t have the powers Bannon has …
After serving four decades in the North Dakota Legislature, William “Billy” Kretschmar no longer has a seat in the House chambers. What the Venturia resident does have is perspective and more than a few thoughts on the state of politics today. Kretschmar (on left in above photo), who was first elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican in …
A few of you might remember a big dust-up about five years ago over the State Land Board’s decision to offer, for lease, the right to drill for oil on the west side of one of southwest North Dakota’s major landmarks, Bullion Butte. The butte and some of the acreage around it are owned by the U.S. Forest Service, and the …
I returned to my room tonight, exhausted from an emotionally draining day, greeting the news that there is electricity but that there will be no Wi-Fi for the immediate future with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I like to be connected. I’m a wired sort of person, and I will claim that. I enjoy being able to text my …
Facebook friends may recall my New Year’s Resolution to read the novels of the writer James Joyce. This past Sept. 24, I celebrated my birthday in his native Ireland. I’m about halfway through “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” regarded by aficionados as the necessary prelude to tackling ‘”Ulysses” and “Finnegan’s Wake.” My longtime friend high school classmate, …
I am a Lutheran pastor who is currently in Adjumani Uganda, working with Sudanese Lutheran Community Development in refugee camps. Our organization supports community-based organizers in the camps that help us address specific needs and issues. I am here with two other people for two weeks doing Trauma Healing Training with pastors and lay leaders (pictured above) in the camp and also …
The Southgate Outdoor Bonspiel was held Friday through Sunday in the bar and restaurant’s parking lot. Photographer Russ Hons had the opportunity to stop by and snap these images. (Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.)
I woke up today after an unsettled sleep. The events of the past week, and especially the past day, played heavily on my heart and soul and the power failure in the middle of the night played on my CPAP machine. The combination left me far from rested. The good news, though, was that it is Sunday, and we had …
The University of North Dakota women’s hockey team secured home ice for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs after skating to a 1-1 tie with Bemidji State University on Sunday afternoon in Ralph Engelstad Arena. Charly Dahlquist scored for UND (13-9-6, 10-7-5-3), while Emily Bergland notched the goal for Bemidji State (9-14-3, 5-14-3-1). Lexie Shaw made 23 saves in net for the Fighting Hawks, while …
I know, I know, a bunch of my readers have been waiting for me to do a little North Dakota post-election analysis. I’ve been waiting to see how the new governor starts out. He’s started. Here’s what I think. So far. Doug Burgum is a lot smarter than me. So I’m not going to use this space to tell him …
Have you ever eaten a dish that seems to be intoxicating? I’m sure we all can name a dessert or two that would fit into that category, especially if it contains alcohol. Perhaps a cake recipe with beer, an ice cream sundae topped with wine-soaked fruits, dessert cocktails, ice pops made with wine. And even ones without booze, such as Better Than …
Our plans for the day shifted. Denise and I had prepared to focus on the women today and Monday, but the arrival of the food truck changed all that. The truck arrives once a month, providing the food that will sustain the village until the truck returns. When the truck arrives, the refugees unload the 50 kilogram bags and stack them. They …
My grandfather, Hans Vorland, 1865-1930, had exceptionally keen hearing. My dad said he “could hear through the walls,” much to the dismay of the mischievous Vorland children. But in his 50s, Hans became nearly deaf. I noticed a diminution in my own hearing at about the same age, raising the possibility I had inherited the trait. I ignored it for …
It’s hard to keep up with the North Dakota Legislature, since the idiotic bills shoot out faster than Donald Trump running from a Syrian toddler. The kid was “yuge.” Believe me. Then, you add in the daily hijinks and lies of our new administration in D.C., and you have a bottomless stockpot of rancid confusing soup and a small slotted …
Today began with a trip to the Office of the Prime Minister, where we planned to get permission to enter the camps. Well, it was supposed to begin that way, but our van ran out of gas before getting three blocks from our hotel. I said a prayer of thanks that our driver’s failure to check for gas was noticed …
Donald Trump delivered a 16-minute inaugural address January 20. Some have called it “the most divisive in American history.” I did not hear it — with Trump tone and delivery matter greatly — but on the page it certainly does not seem to me to be that divisive. Here are my thoughts about reading it quietly in my library. Donald …
The University of North Dakota women’s basketball team used a balanced attack — four players scored in double figures — en route to a 75-70 win over Southern Utah University in Big Sky Conference play on Thursday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Fighting Hawks (13-7, 8-1 BSC) were led by Fallon Freije’s 16 points. Lexi Klabo and Makailah Dyer each chipped …
I knew in August 1988, when I left Africa after six months of traveling and being an occasional student (a phrase I took VERY literally) at the University of Zimbabwe, that I would be back. I am a bit surprised that it took almost 30 years but unsurprised that I return with Denise Scheer and John Musick. Denise was my roommate …
I find it interesting that for eight years the anti-Obama legions kept their eyes open at all times for signs that Barack Obama was “an angry black man.” If at any time, he showed the slightest impatience or raised his voice above a certain level, or spoke in something that could be thought to resemble black street English, the conservative …
I’ve spent a lot of nights sleeping within spitting distance of the Little Missouri River. God willing, I’ll spend a lot more. I’m pretty sure I’ve slept there in every month on the calendar. Some nights — and some months — were better than others. I’ve slept there alone, I’ve slept there with canoeing buddies, I’ve slept there with wives, …
I’m feeling nostalgic as I write this, a mood brought on by snow falling outside my window. Reminds me of North Dakota. Friends may previously have seen this image, on Facebook or even in person. In 2010, the University of Washington, which owns the original, scanned and printed a copy for display in a historical exhibit I curated, “When the …
Anyone who is familiar with farming and has hunted in northwestern North Dakota knows about lentils. Williams and Divide counties are among the top producers of the legumes in the country. I’ve been chasing pheasants in the area for years but yet have never done much cooking with lentils, which are among the most versatile and nutritious foods available. (Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition. They are …
As sustaining members of tpt public television, my husband and I are sometimes invited to their St. Paul studio to take part in special events. In preparation for tonight’s nationwide roll-out of “Every Minute Counts,” a program about the national Alzheimer’s epidemic, we were among about 100 select guests attending a screening Tuesday evening of program highlights and a panel discussion …
The signs were hopeful, positive, even sometimes funny — “Love Trumps Hate.” “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights.” “Girls Just Wanna Have FUN-damental Rights.” But, for me, one bright green placard seemed to say it all: “I can’t believe I still have to protest this crap.” Yet there I was, along with perhaps 3,000 of my new best friends, at the …
With all the news over the weekend, it is odd, that The Forum, the largest newspaper in North Dakota, paid no attention (at least through Monday) to Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, when she said a lie is “an alternative fact.” She was, of course, referring to the size of President Trump’s inauguration crowd and disputed the estimates published …
Arguably, Los Angeles International Airport is one of the most stressful places in the country. Why not? LAX is the third-busiest airport in the U.S. and seventh busiest in the world, serving almost 75 million passengers a year. And yet LAX is trying to make itself a little less stressful for passengers. Enter Cali. Cali is one of the airport’s PUPs, Pets Unstressing Passengers. Coming back …
There is a dreary predictability about the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy, especially in the words that come out of people unsympathetic to the protest. I’m listing those I hear most often: 1. There are lots of non-Indians down there. They have no business here. They discredit (here’s the special kicker in this argument) “what otherwise would have been a perfectly legitimate …