February 14th, 2018
Do we finally have ‘beauteous mankind in a brave new world?’
British philosopher and writer Aldous Huxley used a line of Miranda’s speech in Shakespeare’s play "The Tempest" as the title for his book about the future published in 1932: “O wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world! That has such people in it!”
Two recent news stories reminded me of why I taught his novel to my senior classes in English literature at Fargo…
February 7th, 2018
Finally, a fitting monument to the One Percent—a gold toilet
The Middle East has been a human maelstrom for thousands of years because of tribes fighting one another for the four necessities of life. If you wonder about it, study why the region has the highest unemployment rates in the world and presently has 29 million children living in extreme poverty. Many millions of their parents live in abysmal conditions, unable to supply decent housing, water, or nutritious food.
Poverty is the…
January 31st, 2018
In this weird world we live in we have religions where worshippers beat themselves bloody with chains and other sharp instruments; true believers stick knives, swords, and other sharp objects through mouths, cheeks, tongues; and snake idolizers wrap themselves with poisonous snakes, hum hymns, and do a hokey dance. Sometimes they die because the rattlers and water moccasins didn’t like their shaving lotion.
Some are Christians who use the Bible to come up with bizarre ideas. We have…
January 26th, 2018
Helen Grace James
According to modern scientific research, over 1500 animal and human species have different gender identities while evolving. We have presently identified at least 60. Facebook offers its clients the right to identify up to 50 different gender identities.
Many countries in the world have approved same-sex marriage, military participation by gays, and some recognize third genders on birth certificates. When King Donald decreed that our military would no longer accept…
January 17th, 2018
Corky had a knee replaced in late December and she has been diligently doing the physical therapy connected with the rehab. Although the operation was done in Fargo, I imagine the procedure would have cost about the same if it had been done in Minnesota.
I haven’t asked, but I do wonder if it cost Medicare and our supplementary insurance $6,200 or $47,000. If we use free market principles at the grocery store, do we pay as little as 88 cents or as much as $7.04 for a head of…
December 27th, 2017
The homeless love those rich ZIP Code dumpsters full of goodies
The Grand Old Party of Predators, Pedophiles, and Parsimonious Pricks (GOPPPP) has finally reached its Nirvana, the perfect place of peace and happiness, by passing a tax bill that will enrich their owners in Bel Air and rich ZIP Codes scattered around the richest country in the world.
But the recent fire that burned many of those new mansions in Bel Air signaled that the homeless and the poor like to sleep near those wide…
December 20th, 2017
What will it take to change our gun laws? Twenty first graders torn apart by 100 Bushmaster rounds couldn’t do it.
Would 100 first graders torn apart by 500 bump stock rounds fired by an AR-15 do it? Would four senators and representatives from Congress torn apart by .45 caliber rounds from a 100-round drum magazine on an old Thompson do it?
So far we have had only two representatives in Congress wounded by shooters, Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Gabby Giffords of Arizona. What will…
December 13th, 2017
What the hell is happening to this country?
For a long time the United States has been considered to be the richest and most powerful country in the world. Our president has been the leader of the free world for decades because of the combined intellectual, philosophical, and economic power of the U.S. and European countries. Until now.
After ten months of trying to deal with a pathological liar and fulltime nutcase in our White House, European leaders have anointed Angela Merkel of…
December 6th, 2017
fargogadfly@gmail.com
If men will be boys, will women be girls?
This sexual harassment thing is way beyond a minor kerfuffle, but it remains to be seen if it has finally reached the ultimate tipping point. Groping private parts, grabbing butts and breasts, the laying on of hands, sextexting, propositioning, and brute force have gone on for millennia. If Adam did not harass Eve in the Garden of Eden, then Cain and Abel must have started it a little later.
I believe in the long-held axiom…
November 29th, 2017
What happens when the eight richest men in the world possess wealth equal to the bottom half of the entire world population?
There I was, in a pew at Cormorant Lutheran Church on Sunday morning, when I got the Christian view of acquiring wealth in a Christian country. A quote from the gospel of Matthew makes the point: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in…
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By Bryce Vincent HaugenOn Palm Sunday two thousand years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey to directly take on the authoritarian Roman rulers of the region, according to Christian scripture. It was an overtly political…
By Michael M. Miller Rev. Salomon Joachim, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Beulah, North Dakota., delivered an address to the Western Conference of the Dakota District of the American Lutheran Church in 1939. His presentation was…
Wednesday, March 25, Group lesson 7 p.m., Dance 9 p.m.Sons of Norway, 722 2nd Avenue North, FargoCare to dance? If you don’t already know how to dance, the Northern Lights Dance Club can show you a thing or two about social…
By John StrandDisclaimer: This editorial is the work of someone who’s spent most of his adult life working in the media — most of those years co-owning this very entity, the High Plains Reader, since 1996. The notion that folks…
By Ed RaymondWhat if eight billion people looked and acted like Adam and Eve?So, we have different fingerprints and DNA. We can transfuse people’s blood and implant organs with some limitations. With facial recognition equipment,…
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 Sabrina Hornung There’s a Bosnian saying that states simply, “It’s a sin to throw away bread,” which really resonates with me — especially growing up with grandparents who lived through the Second World War and the Great…
The Slow Death at The AquariumSaturday, March 21, doors at 7:30 p.m. The Aquarium above Dempsey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe Slow Death is a punk supergroup led by Jesse Thorson, with members and collaborators that include…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s third feature, a mashup of body horror, family melodrama and AIDS allegory set in a grim and gray dystopia, fails to live up to the promise of her wild debut…
By Jacinta TensI have been a fan of graffiti since I first saw it as a child. As a kid who was always into some sort of creative endeavor, the movement, colors and intricate details of pieces I would see on trains always fascinated…
Saturday, January 31, 6:30-9 p.m.Transfiguration Fitness, 764 34th St. N., Unit P, FargoAn enchanting evening celebrating movement and creativity in a staff-student showcase. This is a family-friendly event showcasing pole, aerial…
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 Ellie Liverani In November 2025, the FDA initiated the removal of the “black box” warning from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The “black box” warning is a FAD safety warning for healthcare providers and patients…
January 31, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead2026 marks 10 years of frosty fun! Enjoy sauna sessions with Log the Sauna, try Snowga (yoga in the snow), take a guided snowshoe nature hike, listen to live…
By HPR StaffI'm a Gen Xer who landed in Fargo in the late '90s, a small town kid who didn't know a soul. By sheer dumb luck I ended up at Ralph's, and that place gave me my people. Lifelong friends, the kind you don't find twice.…
