Editorial

Happy two-year!

March 6th, 2014

Our opinion/ Tell me what you think at diane@hpr1.com

March is my two-year anniversary as editor-in-chief of the High Plains Reader.

As I usually do, I’d like to push for your honest feedback on my work and the paper as a whole. What makes you pick up the HPR when you see it? What can we do to progress? Do you have a story idea you’d like to pitch?

Email me at diane@hpr1.com. Piece of steak.

While I never thought this is what I’d be doing at the age of 27, I’m 110 percent sure that,…

Hiring musicians?

January 30th, 2014

*This editorial is targeted at no single person, band or place.

Musicians, promoters, bar and restaurant owners and music fans: Please take your blinders off for a second. We need to get on the same page about live music.

I recently saw a post, “HIRING A MUSICIAN?” on Facebook that has more than 64,000 shares and 36,000 “likes.” It was one of those “what you think you are paying for/what you are actually paying for” types of posts.

According to the post, musicians’ Internet…

Top 13 songs of 2013

December 19th, 2013

1.Kanye West – “New Slaves”

Not only is Kanye’s flow incredibly sick on “New Slaves,” so are his rhymes about injustice, power and hate. Yes, I’d much rather be a d**k thank a swallower too, Mr. West.

2.Beyoncé feat. Frank Ocean – “Superpower”

Extraordinary harmonies, extraordinary atmosphere and extraordinary originality – “Superpower” is an immediately satisfying listen. It’s off of Beyonce’s new visual album, “BEYONCÉ,” which has only been out for a…

What Fargo-Moorhead Still Needs, part 2

November 27th, 2013

Thank you, readers, for your excellent feedback on our “What Fargo-Moorhead Needs” list from a few weeks ago. This is absolutely worth following up on.

Your response to a list about brunch, music, dancing, gayness and recycling really shows you care about the community’s growth. It shows we have faith that Fargo actually can grow into a place that’s much more cultured, hip, fashionable, diverse and groovy.

Let’s start by saying Fargo-Moorhead is getting there. We’ve got some…

What Fargo-Moorhead still needs

November 7th, 2013

Let’s just say, Vinyl Taco has raised the damn bar. That place is cool.

But Fargo-Moorhead still could use more “cool” spots if we want to make this place truly, madly, deeply happening.

If I had the money, here’s what I’d add to F-M.

-A hip brunch joint.

Coffee. Buckwheat blueberry pancakes. Maple Syrup. Eggs. Warm croissants. Wood floors. Sassy young servers sporting navy blue aprons. Silver bells. Perky jams. Crammed, scuffed walkways. Goodness, we need a place like this for…

Is it OK to brag on Facebook?

October 17th, 2013

Huffington Post recently published an article called “7 Ways to Be Insufferable on Facebook.” It basically tells us to quit “serving ourselves” on social media.

Sure.

The author did use some great examples of statuses that can absolutely be self-serving:

“Ughhhhhhhhh,” – Goodness, you’re not the only one with problems.

“Finally finished my paper!” – Well, whoop-de-doo-doo.

“Hawaii!” – Yes, we are happy for you that you are in Hawaii, but at least post a picture…

18 Little Public Courtesies

October 3rd, 2013

Small courtesies are not living requirements, but by abiding by them we make life enormously easier.

Because they are small gestures we often think of them as unworthy of mentioning or unworthy of making an impact.

Think again.

Ahem … Let’s review:

1.Put trash in recycling receptacles. It doesn’t take long for the workers to sort the garbage anyhow.

2.Always leave at least a 20-cent tip. Yes, buffets included.

3.When parking, take up two spots. White lines are nothing more than white…

Welcome to America

September 19th, 2013

Nina Davuluri

Last Monday, Buzzfeed.com published a list of tweeters who made racist comments about this year’s Miss America winner, Nina Davuluri, an Indian-American.

The list included the names and links to the accounts of each of the offenders. After clicking through every account posted on this Buzzfeed page, we found nearly all of the accounts had been deleted or suspended.

In fact, the only ones that were kept active were by foul-mouthed, unapologetic dudes continuing the conversation and…

Questionable customer service

July 25th, 2013

Our opinion/ Let’s keep big retailers honest

If a business tries to tell you your damaged product is unfixable or that “It would just be much cheaper to buy a new one,” remember to be skeptical. It is one of many popular dealings that companies use to increase their revenues.

Is this wrong or is this okay?

First of all, whether it’s wrong or not, it most certainly is something we as consumers have every right to know – because it can be extremely valuable information.

For example,…