11 Years After the Riot: Revisiting Racial Tension

Cover by Raul Gomez

Almost every firework has at least a few main ingredients: The black powder, which provides fuel; oxidizing agents that keep the fire lit once burning; reducing agents and regulators allow the speed of reaction to be controlled. And finally, coloring agents provide the flash of brilliant color.
Just add the spark, and the reaction is often explosive and magnificent. 11 years ago — on July 4, 1998 — one simple spark set into motion an explosion, and its report is still echoing across the city of Moorhead.

Jagged Edges

By Cameron “The Card” Sherber
http://www.jagged-edges.com

Deadly Duo Rocking the Hub

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Hollywood Undead will appear together Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at The Venue in Fargo. The tour has RJA supporting their second studio release, “Lonely Road,” and HU supporting their first major label release, “Swan Song.”  I had a chance to catch up with RJA’s lead singer, Ronnie Winter, and J Dog from HU, to discuss what is happening with their bands and what Fargo can expect from the show.

Love for Sale in Soderbergh’s “Girlfriend Experience”

Steven Soderbergh’s “The Girlfriend Experience” is as lean and brutal as its chief attraction Sasha Grey, the young starlet whose appearances in more than 150 porn videos lend the movie an air of authenticity — real or imagined — to the story of a high-priced call girl working in NYC during the midst of the current economic collapse. Adding another chapter to the tale of Soderbergh’s fascinating balancing act that alternates between big budget Hollywood fare like the “Ocean’s 11” series and the modestly priced, intimate digital features that offer a different kind of introspective artistry, “The Girlfriend Experience” is the most successful of the director’s smaller scale projects.

…Or What’s Inside This Box

There is probably nothing more picked on than boxed wine. It is the butt of the joke in many circles as it has come to represent the epitome of cheap wine, one step up from Mad Dog 20/20. So, how do I even begin writing about boxed wine? It is hard enough to purchase (wearing a fake mustache and sunglasses), let alone to admit it doesn’t really taste that bad—in some cases, er, boxes. Yes, I have found a box from which I can drink (occasionally).

The Road Less Traveled

Q: Throughout your work, have you discovered things that cause you to live your life differently?

A: Every moment of every day! But I tend to be a little stubborn, so it takes a while to catch on. I call myself a head butter. If I run into a brick wall, I’ll back up, run at it again, back up, run at it again. Over and over, until battered and bloody, then I stop, look at it, and figure out another way.

Warring With the Web

There’s no denying that the internet has successfully infiltrated most American’s lives. With Wi-Fi hotspots in almost every coffee shop — and even some Burger Kings — the internet has become a permanent fixture of life here in the States. The internet has crippled the newspaper industry and even changed the way we educate ourselves.

While commerce and information are plentiful on the internet, there is no shortage of mindless rubbish available to distract you from any productive work. Even television has found a home in the internet. But while the internet offers an easy way to shop or entertain oneself, for many around the world it has become a valuable tool for political resistance.

Celebrating Culture on the Plains: The Pekin Days Events

The commitment of arts advocates in the small town of Pekin, North Dakota, continues at an energetic pace as the Pekin Days Art Show opens with juror awards selected by North Dakota’s own Walter Piehl—acclaimed Western Americana painter, art educator and Bush Enduring Visions award winner.  Participating artists include well known practitioners like Ellen Diederich, Michael Dunn, Janna Warcup, Guilleimo Guardia, Robert Kurkowski and 87 others, with a total of 237 artworks.