September 26th, 2018
To pee or not to pee—that is a question a worker needs to answer
The fact that the richest man in the world is screwing his workers around the world out of living wages while he makes $277 million a day is “Shakespearian” in drama and brings to mind the most revealing soliloquy ever written, Prince Hamlet’s ruminations about what kind of life he should lead and live: “To be or not to be—that is the question.” Jeff Bezos’s employees at Amazon and the Washington Post,…
September 19th, 2018
We failed to educate the players of “flag” football
I passed all of the American history courses in Morrison County District 54, Little Falls High School, and Moorhead State Teachers College, but I’m often appalled about what I don’t know about the history of race relationships in this “shining city on a hill.” I had never heard of the 1873 Colfax, Louisiana Massacre of blacks that took place eight years after our American Civil War killed 750,000 until I read a September 4,…
September 12th, 2018
The dilemma of spenders and producers
The Carnegies, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts all killed workers who protested their wages and working conditions. They gained so much wealth using such tactics it has kept their descendants from soup lines for five generations. After acquiring so much wealth, power, mansions, and personal possessions enough to boggle our minds even today, these three families did do paybacks. Andrew Carnegie built 25,000 libraries across this great expanse of…
September 5th, 2018
Let’s start with a riddle
A car containing a father and his teenage son failed to make a curve and hit a tree. The father was killed instantly, but his son was severely injured and was taken to the city’s hospital and immediately wheeled into an operating room. The trauma surgeon on call raised the sheet on the boy’s face and exclaimed: “This is my son! I can’t operate on him!” How can that be?
I was going to write a column about a “real” fact that first-time mothers on…
August 29th, 2018
Just How Long Will Our Democracy Last?
A truth hit me the other night while Corky and I were watching Simone Biles defend her national championship in gymnastics. Our democracy is very young and vulnerable. One of our daughters was a very competitive gymnast in middle and high school and was a member of the F-M Acro team that entertained at half-time for numerous state and national events, including several National Basketball Association playoff games in the 1970’s. We have…
August 22nd, 2018
What Kind of Country Will Our Grandchildren Live In?
Perhaps the developers of a new science called cliodynamics will help us find an answer. In this new field, scientists and mathematicians analyze history in the hopes they can find trends and patterns in order to predict the future. Remember the adage: “Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it.” I wonder if they are analyzing history to see if there ever was a leader with less character than Donald Trump. The word…
August 15th, 2018
Well, Mr. President, Have You No Sense Of Decency Sir, At Long Last?
We might have another flag debate in this country. We still see the Confederate symbol flying in activities promoted by white supremacists on the streets of America and at numerous Klu Klux Klan meetings in the South. And on rural pickups. A new American flag has been created by a New York artist that symbolizes our divided country. Yes, the red, white, and blue stars and stripes are still there, but a divided black…
August 8th, 2018
Actually The Times Have Been A-Changin’ Since The Big Bang
Bob Dylan did a terrific job reminding all of us that “the times they are a’changin’.” My first 14 years were spent on a small farm near Little Falls, living in a house with no electricity or running water, reading books by kerosene lamp, and dashing to the two-holer 60 feet away in the boondocks when it was 20 below.
This morning I microwaved an old cup of coffee, got on the Internet and read The Washington Post, The…
August 1st, 2018
1978-2018: Average CEO Pay Up 64% To $13.94 Million Average Worker Pay Up 2.6% To $38,613
Since the Bush Great Recession ended in 2009 corporate profits have grown at an annualized rate of 6.5%. Big bank profits have grown at even a higher rate. If we go back forty years we come up with the shocking figures in the headline. Since the end of the recession in 2009 yearly wage growth has never hit 3% while the Consumer Price Index has hovered around 2%. The Labor Department just announced…
July 25th, 2018
The Long Road From Plymouth Rock To Fantasyland
Did a liberal or conservative make this statement?
“I believe that in a modern, moral, and wealthy society, no person in America should be too poor to live. So what that means is health care is a human right. It means that every child, no matter where you are born, should have access to a college or trade school education if they so choose it. And, you know, I think that no person should be homeless if we can have public structures and…
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By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.com The business of Indian Hating is a lucrative one. It’s historically been designed to dehumanize Native people so that it’s easier to take their land. ‘Kill the Indian, save the man,”…
SHSND delves into their ornament collectionBy Jenny Yearoushistory@nd.govIn 2017 we received Christmas ornaments from the North Dakota Former Governors’ Residence. The ornaments were gifts from local chapters of the Germans from…
Saturday, December 21, 7 p.m.Drekker Brewing, 1666 1st Avenue N, FargoEmbrace the naughty and celebrate the dark side of the solstice. From 7-close, Drekker’s mavens of mischief transform their taproom. There’s a photo booth,…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com I’m really sick of the “Nobody wants to work anymore” narrative. Like, really sick. I can’t hide the eye rolls and I don’t even try to hide them anymore. In fact, I feel like they’ll…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comA new type of Civil War: “smash-and grab” capitalism and healthcare The Divided States of America has the greatest economic inequality among wealthy nations on Planet Earth and has birthed a…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com In this land of hotdish and ham, the knoephla soup of German-Russian heritage seems to reign supreme. In my opinion though, the French have the superior soup. With a cheesy top layer, toasted baguette…
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By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature “Dandelion” is now playing in theaters following a world premiere at South by Southwest in March. The movie stars KiKi Layne as the…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIn 1974, the Jamestown Arts Center started as a small space above a downtown drugstore. It has grown to host multiple classrooms, a gallery, performance studio, ceramic studio and outdoor art park.…
By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…
By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On Dec 5, the Turning Point USA chapter at North Dakota State University hosted an event called BisonFest. This event featured Chloe Cole, a former trans kid, known for detransitioning and…
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By Curtis W. Stofferahn, Ph.D.Curtis.stofferahn@email.und.edu In June, two events markedly contrasted the difference between two different visions of agriculture: precision agriculture and regenerative agriculture. The dedication…
