Culture

Time for the Boring Security Reminders

August 1st, 2018

Yes I know I have talked about this before but I am here to protect you from yourself. By now, we all think we know how to keep our personal information safe online, right? There have been so many stories and instances of problems that at this point every one of us feels like only the young or gullible fall into digital traps.

But the truth is most of us are not internet security experts, and instead are just regular folks who want to enjoy our online experiences. Us old folks fall for…

Thingvalla, K.N. Julius, and the Deuce

August 1st, 2018

Thingvalla Cemetery - photograph by Sabrina Hornung

Thingvalla Cemetery can be found in rural Pembina County, just a couple miles outside of the small town of Mountain. The most prominent landmark is a large monument dedicated to K.N. Julius, an Icelandic poet known for his great wit, satire, and drinking ballads. Behind the monument is an American flag, North Dakota flag and an Icelandic flag. This gesture is indicative of the area’s relationship to not only its Icelandic roots but to Iceland itself. Groundskeeper Leslie Geir said,…

Dr. Tom Isern: Man about the plains

July 25th, 2018

Dr. Tom Isern “I remember thrashing around for a dissertation topic, now we’re talking the mid 1970s, this occurred to me… what did I always want to do when I was a kid but couldn’t because I had to stay home and plough? Do the wheat harvest, custom combining the wheat harvest and make my way all the way up north to Montana maybe Saskatchewan. That ambition was kind of a broadening thing or at least a see-the-world kind of thing. Well, I did it, except I wasn’t the one running the combines.…

Living La Vida Local: Downtown Fargo Street Fair’s Local Block of Artist Vendors

July 18th, 2018

Fargo's Summer Street Fair - City of Fargo

The 45th Annual Downtown Fargo Street Fair has been making efforts to increase the number of local vendors. The Local Block will be located at the north end of the 300 block on Broadway, near the Fargo Theatre.

The High Plains Reader caught up with four of those artistic vendors to learn what to expect in the Local Block, July 19-21 in downtown Fargo.

Brittany Sinclair – Honey B Soap Company
First-time Downtown Fargo Street Fair vendor, Brittany Sinclair started The Honey B Soap…

28th annual Paws Walk at Rheault Farm

July 18th, 2018

On Tuesday the 24th, Homeward Animal Shelter will hold their 28th Annual Paws Walk at the Rheault Farm. All proceeds will go toward providing food, shelter, toys, and veterinary care for the cats and dogs currently residing at the shelter. As a community-funded, nonprofit organization, the shelter relies on donations and adoption fees to continue its work.

“We encourage you to bring out the whole family for the fun!” says Special Events/PR Coordinator Heather Klefstad. “There will…

Intersex Perspective: My Experiences as an Intersex Person

July 18th, 2018

By Anonymous
Contact: fayeseidler@gmail.com

Before I can talk about my experiences, I’ll need to explain the intersex condition, because not many people are really that familiar with what it means to be intersex. Intersex people are born with biological, genetic, or physical traits that are not fully male or fully female - instead they have a mix of these traits. There are many intersex conditions and they all vary in which traits are mixed. Overall, having some kind of intersex…

Trans Perspective: I am a Transgender Comedian

July 11th, 2018

Jan Syverson
standupjan@gmail.com

Three hundred miles northwest of Fargo, ND I find myself at the back of a small bar in a small town surrounded by nothing but snowy fields and darkness. I take a drag of a cigarette and go through my set. It’s freezing outside, but that’s my thing, I find the quietest place wherever I go and just think about what I’m going to say. All comics do something similar, and inside the tavern the audience is gearing up to laugh. I hear them tell their own…

More Dirt, More Cleaning

July 11th, 2018

It is not expensive to keep various dust removers near your computer to keep the amount of dust to a minimum. When I run out of words for this column, I pick up my duster and clean my equipment as therapy for writer’s block. Writer or not, you should set aside a few minutes before you start your computer session to clean up. Let’s continue our tips for taking care of the equipment:

Cleaning the monitor
Dirt, fingerprints, and dust can make your computer screen difficult to read;…

North Dakota’s letters from the Great War

July 11th, 2018

WWI Letters - photograph courtesy of Barnes County Historical Society_preview

“This is their encounter with these people and this may be all that’s known about them," Dr. Joseph Stuart, associate of history at the University of Mary in Bismarck, said. "These may be the only words that are preserved from this person. The students really respond well to that and they love it. It’s the power of the past that really inspires us to think more deeply about what it means to be human.”

Stuart is also part of the North Dakota World War I committee. He and his…

Poking around FM Acupuncture

June 27th, 2018

I’m not a skeptic, at least not about acupuncture. The thought of the needles however throws me off. I’m not the biggest fan. I donate plasma on a regular basis, and I am proud to say that I no longer look away when they stick me.

I have begun to think that I actually watch in defiance, as if I’m looking my fear in the face and in my head I am yelling, Stick me. Do it!”

I was looking for a bit of a calmer and less machismo experience when I went to go see someone for acupuncture.…