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 recent gag orders from the White House — I have but two words: Freakin’. Brilliant. The Don said he’d create jobs, right? Well, let me tell you, the pingpong ball, tennis ball, cord and handkerchief manufacturers of the good ol’ USA are tip-toein’ across their shop floors today. The latest numbers I found at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management …
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 …
Sometimes things don’t work out the way you want / I don’t know if I’m gonna laugh or cry … / But listen, I’ll tell you / I’m glad to be alive and kickin’ / I’m glad to hear my heart’s still tickin’ / So pass me the wine, baby, and let’s make some love. — The Rolling Stones, “Pass …
Of the great American writers, John Steinbeck is the most accessible. His masterpiece, “The Grapes of Wrath,” is perhaps the most widely read of all American classics. He wrote it in the white heat of anger — how the 1 percent were mistreating displaced Americans, “Okies,” good agrarian men and women of the Plains, who had made their way to the fields of …
My dog disappeared for a few days this week. Marti is beagle terrier cross, with the energy of a terrier and the intelligence and roaming instincts of a beagle. She’s a sweet little dog who is terribly anxious, because she was abused before I got her from the Humane Society in Willmar, Minn. (my hometown — where my first dog, …
It’s much easier to stuff lately. And it’s not like I don’t have the energy to feel, it’s more like I’m making the conscious choice to avoid feeling much of anything that relates to the distance between us. Like wearing a life jacket in a rainstorm, it makes my inner child think I’m protected. Something new has started where I …
It’s bash the refugees season again. We have one every month, so you never have to take down the decorations — or buy new torches. This time, it’s in the form of North Dakota House Bill 1427, introduced by Republicans Chris Olson, Rich Becker, a pair of Koppelmans and four others. As always, they say they just want to know …
The University of Minnesota-Duluth men’s hockey team completed its first sweep of the University of North Dakota in its 73-year history, a 4-0 National Collegiate Hockey Conference shutout of the defending national champions Saturday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. UMD freshman goalie Hunter Miska made 29 saves in the shutout of UND (6-7-1-1 NCHC 13-9-3 overall), the first time the Fighting Hawks …
Grand Forks photographer Dave Bruner captured these images before our recent thaw, when there was quite a bit more snow around than there is now.
I inherited an interest in photography from my father. A lifelong photo hobbyist himself, he gave me a Kodak Pony 135 camera as a birthday gift while I was still in high school. Since then I’ve shot thousands of pictures, sometimes for pay as a freelancer or as part of my job. But mostly, it’s been a pastime, a way …
Grand Forks photographer Michael Bogert took these nice shots recently before the January thaw the area has been experiencing the past few days.
You are being rescued. Republican state legislators are taking North Dakota back. From themselves. In the immortal words of Stevie Wonder, who used to be a legislator from District 28, “Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, Pretty Mama.” And let me tell you, Al Carlson, another blind legislator, hates being called Pretty Mama. The mama part, anyway. There’s a lot …
The University of North Dakota men’s basketball staged another second-half come-from-behind victory, defeating Idaho State University 89-64 in Big Sky Conference action Saturday in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Corey Baldwin led the Fighting Hawks (11-7, 6-2 BSC), scoring a career-high 23 points. UND trailed 36-35 after 20 minutes but outscored the Bengals (3-14, 1-5 BSC) 54-28 in the second half. Quenton Hooker was one of three other Hawks …
May our eyes see the humanity of all people, worthy of dignity and respect, especially those who are clouded in the shadows of an unfair world. May our ears hear the cries of the oppressed, marginalized and forgotten and those being left behind, drowned out by the din of intolerance May our lips speak truth to power with boldness, grace …
Today, for the 44th or 45th time (you do the math — I was an English major), Americans woke up with a different president than the one they awakened with the day before. I’ve lived during the terms of 13 of them, about a third, depending on who’s counting. I can actually remember 12 of them; I was 5 when Gen. …
The University of Minnesota-Duluth men’s hockey team continued its mastery over the University of North Dakota this season, posting a 5-3 National Collegiate Hockey Conference win over the Fighting Hawks on Friday night in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Bulldogs beat the Hawks twice in Duluth earlier this season. After Tyson Jost gave UND (13-8-3 overall, 6-6-1-1 NCHC) a 1-0 lead in …
The University of North Dakota men’s basketball team, behind strong performances from Gino Crandall and Quinton Hooker, scored a come-from-behind 83-77 win over Weber State University on Thursday night in Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Crandall scored career-high 33 points and Hooker added 22 to lead the Fighting Hawks to the Big Sky Conference victory over the the Wildcats (9-7, 4-1 BSC), …
And so the Illegitimate One has taken the oath and in so doing has vomited even more lies with the world as a witness. Meanwhile, “Hairman Mao’s” Cabinet of criminals awaits approval from his fellow congressional conspirators. Never has a man so unpopular and so divisive taken the oath of office as the president of the U.S.A. As the world …
We’ve all been there. You’ve bought something — an appliance, tool, toy, DIY furniture, whatever — and the time arrives to use the thing. But first, decision-making time arrives. You see, humans divide themselves into those who read instructions before use, and those who don’t. Many, many men (mostly) I know believe they are born with that special intuitive skill — you know, …
There’s been an argument simmering over the years about whether chili should contain beans. To make a long story short, it depends on who you ask. In Texas, there’s a saying, “If you know beans about chili, it’s that there’s no beans in chili.” In other parts of the country, particularly in the North, beans are a staple. And, of …
Chopin’s “Waltz In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2” was etched into Eric Bergeson’s subconscious by his father, who learned it when Eric was 3 years old. Eric recalls his dD put masking tape on the keys to learn the last run.
One who writes for the Fargo newspaper (not to be confused with Moorhead’s No. 1 publication, The Extra) had some sharp advice to citizens who have issues with laws being proposed in North Dakota. Apparently, he believes those who oppose some legislation coming before the North Dakota Legislature as a “waste of time” are typical groaners and usually “lightly informed.” His advice: …
Back in simpler times, when I worked with Tourism Director Joe Satrom in Bismarck, one of our main objectives for bringing tourist dollars into North Dakota was to persuade the media to write about North Dakota, that “large, rectangular blank spot in the nation’s mind,” as native Eric Sevareid memorably put it. To write about North Dakota, that is, without …
“Orv, are you still fuming about not being invited to perform at the inauguration?” asks Stan. “You can still do that thing, right? Very entertaining, as I don’t recall. Was it a card trick? Was it an egg yoke? Hee hee.”” “I told you to shut up,” grouses Orville. “I’m busy drinking and thinking.” “That was three minutes ago, if …
Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons recently stopped by the Red River Zoo in Fargo and snapped these photos at the gray wolf compound. (Check out more photos from Russ Hons here.)
Sabino Canyon, located north of Tucson, Ariz., in the Santa Catalina Mountains, is a favorite walking, hiking and riding recreation area for residents and visitors to southern Arizona. Just minutes away from the desert, the canyon features large waterfalls along Sabino Creek with minor bridges constructed over them. Wildlife also is abundant in the canyon, including deer, javelina, skunks, tortoises, rattlesnakes and mountain lions. Stonework …
I knew nothing about Ernest Hemingway in the fall of 1961. He had recently committed suicide in Idaho at age 60. My freshman English class at the University of North Dakota was assigned to read his short story, “A Clean Well-Lighted Place.” Impressed with Hemingway’s writing, I dashed off a story in his “style” and submitted it to “Tyro,” the campus …
