Editorial

Stirring drinks, stirring pots and standing for the anthem

March 4th, 2020

cyanotype with onion dye by Sabrina Hornung

Last week Inforum reported on a vinyl beer sign outside of the VFW in Wadena, Minnesota that reads, “IF YOU CAN’T STAND FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM YOU DON’T NEED TO SIT AT THIS BAR.” We’re fully aware of what bar manager Cody Boyer was getting at, but if taken out of context it could also sound like a slap in the face for the disabled veterans and members of an organization that was designed to advocate for veterans.

According to vfw.org, the organization was started in 1899 and…

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You say you want a revolution

February 26th, 2020

Mcrgh! - Trumped by Bloomberg

by Gary Olson
olsong@moravian.edu

No one knows how much abuse and humiliation the Sanders faction is willing to endure to remain in the bosom of the corporate political beast.— Glen Ford, Black Agenda Report

First, it’s my sense that the predator class and its collaborators all-out effort to smash Bernie Sanders is not based on fear that his neo-New Deal reforms will ever come to pass. In the highly unlikely event that Sanders gains the White House, the elites know his proposals, like…

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Art for our sake

February 19th, 2020

A Call to Arms by Shane Balkowitsch

Last week North Dakota made national news again and it wasn’t anything for us to be proud of… again. Our friend, collaborator and fellow artist Shane Balkowitsch proposed a 7’ photo mural of Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg to the city of Bismarck. It was to be funded by Balkowitsch and to be installed on the side of a privately owned building in which a privately run mom and pop business was operating. A local TV station caught wind and all hell broke loose. The…

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Is happy for now more accurate than happily ever after?

February 12th, 2020

Scherenschnitte by Sabrina Hornung

Thanks to Disney Plus and bouts of insomnia, I’ve been revisiting old Disney movies from my childhood to see if they withstood the test of time.The older I get the more I realize, too, that talking and making friends with gentle forest creatures is more realistic than a handsome prince coming out of the woodwork and probably a lot less trouble in the long run. I’ve never tried online dating but the consensus I’ve gotten from my friends who do has affirmed that there’re more…

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There’s a sexual awakening in the force

February 5th, 2020

Scherenschnitte by sabrina hornung

Art by Sabrina Hornung

There’s something to be said about a halftime show that overshadows the big game itself, and that absolutely warms my heart -- mainly because full disclosure: I honestly don’t care about football.

Apparently the show was seen as inappropriate to the “Concerned Carols” of the world. The controversy behind Jenifer Lopez and Shakira’s performance elicits the world’s biggest eye roll from yours truly. Why? If you happen to remember the state of pop music in…

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The world is grieving for Australia

January 22nd, 2020

photo by Erin Thostenson - Melbourne Botanical Gardens

by Erin Thostenson
photo by Erin Thostenson, Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.
ErinAT@far.midco.net

I've lived most of my life in Fargo, but I attended La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia last year to finish my degree in writing and literature. Australia is a very dear country to me and I care for the people, both the friends that I have made and the regular honest folks who make up the nation, earnestly. It is acutely painful seeing the bushfire and climate disaster they are…

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1:48 seconds of Music that Helped Midwife a Cultural Revolution

January 15th, 2020

by Gary Olson
olsong@moravian.edu

On New Year’s Day, I was sporadically listening to Sirius Radio Channel 5 as they did their annual countdown of top songs from the 1950s and cringing at my fading aural memories. This prompted me to look back on specific years and I noted that in 1954, the list of number one Billboard singles included cloying songs by the likes of Eddie Fisher, Doris Day, Perry Como, Pattie Page, Jo Stafford and Rosemary Clooney, the kind of stuff my parents watched…

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From us to you

December 23rd, 2019

artwork by Sabrina Hornung

The holiday season is upon us and we are still always surprised just how quickly time flies. That said, it goes without saying how grateful we at HPR are for ALL OF YOU. You see, the High Plains Reader is your paper. Our advertisers are your advertisers. Our mission is to be relevant in your lives.

For those who don’t already know, HPR hits the streets this week on Thursday, Dec. 26, and then we take a two-week vacation. No HPR Jan. 2 and 9. We are back and out in force Jan 16.

The…

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Good news for people who like bad news

December 18th, 2019

editorial photo by Raul Gomez - Porto Portugal

As we fall into the full swing of the holiday season, I keep hearing sentiments of shop local, keep it local, etc., etc. A sentiment that we fully support but it’s so much more than just the shopping and supporting your local eateries and watering holes. Don’t get us wrong, these are all very important parts of our community, but we’re forgetting something.

In a world oversaturated with media, how much do you think about the local media you consume? Sure at any given time we’ll…

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Do what’s best today for North Dakota’s tomorrow

December 11th, 2019

Chris Hagen - wet plate photograph by Shane Balkowitsch

When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I met Sam Walton. My father’s hand dwarfed mine as he and the Walmart founder talked from inside a convenience store in Rogers, Arkansas. My memories are vague, but I remember an elderly and kind man who bought me a 25 cent Reece’s peanut butter cup.

In those days, Walmart had just hit its billion-dollar sales mark with 276 stores. Today, there are nearly 12,000 across the world, and current executives make more money in the time it takes to…

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