June 9th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
Our brave new world is now composed of Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia
Somebody in the Trump administration has read and liked the results in George Orwell’s “1984.” I suspect one is Stephen Miller, the Trump “policy advisor” who has a black cloud over his head and is always at the ultra-right shoulder of his Great Leader. Miller is very much like Joe Btfsplk, the guy in the comic strip “Lil Abner” who always had a black cloud over his head,…
May 28th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
For sale: White House in D.C. housing dung beetles and giant leeches
I suspect someone close to Donald Trump has read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,”because the Trump administration is following the guidelines developed by the Hitler administration from about 1932 through the spring of 1945. The developers of Project 2025 have simply “translated’ the work of Hitler’s and his minions to fit the American political system.
There are two…
May 28th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
fargogadfly@gmail.com
Three major religions — a trifecta of good and bad trouble for Earth
“Out of guilt or amnesia, we tend to treat wars, in retrospect, as natural disasters, terrible but somehow inevitable beyond anyone’s control,” is the opening sentence in Adam Gopnik’s New Yorker article “A Time To Kill.” At the present time, we have two major wars and a dozen minor ones supporting Gopnik’s point dominating the news. The wars between Russia and Ukraine,…
May 19th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
How many cardinals in red look at Michelangelo’s sexy ceiling?
Michelangelo finished painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 1512. It is examined and admired by millions every year. The first conclave to elect a pope in the chapel took place in 1492, and since 1878, every conclave to elect a new pope has been held in its beautiful confines. He returned in 1536 to paint the altar wall and finished it in 1541. Michelangelo painted his famous Last…
May 15th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
Perhaps it was by IVF — the Know-Nothings are “concepting” notzees
In the middle of the 19th century the Republican Party morphed to the Know-Nothing Party for a short time. Members quickly threw off STUPID and were “born-again” to the Republican Party. It remained so until the rise of the second Trump, which is an attempt to emulate the rise of the Third Reich by Hitler. In a very short time, Trumusklicans are morphing to the Notzee Party,…
May 12th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
In which century would you love to live, the 14th or the 22nd?
History tells me we are in a period where Americans are fighting for their choice. Just 48 hours after Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933, several trade agreements were about to expire. With large lumber imports from Austria and a 200 million Reichsmark trade deal with Russia pending, Hitler’s finance minister Count Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, was told an…
May 5th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
What age has been determined to be the worst in world history?
Historians have estimated about one third of the population of Europe died of the bubonic plague, also known as the black plague, from the fifth century through the 15th century of the Middle Ages. The early years of this era are also often called the Dark Ages by historians. During this disastrous time, the Roman Catholic Church (with its denizens and popes in the Vatican) burned thousands…
April 27th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
There is a big difference between ears and legs
Our English language adds words to dictionaries every year because there are more than 6,000 languages on earth and we do communicate with friends and enemies. We now have more than 600,000 words in the most complete dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary. This year we added 42 words from other languages as well as words created by new developments in many scientific fields. The dictionary added the…
April 7th, 2025
By Ed Raymond
The wizards and kleagles in whites now wear blue suits and red ties
A hundred years ago, more than 30,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan from virtually every state in the Union wearing their white sheets and pointy hoods marched by the White House and down to the capitol before thousands of cheering Americans. They came by foot, horse, steamboat, train, bus, car, taxi and perhaps plane. Rumor was the New Jersey KKK wanted to have a plane carry a huge…
March 31st, 2025
By Ed Raymond
A column on How Trumusklicans are trying to change history
It took William L. Shirer a couple decades to write and then publish “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany,” but it took a very short time to become the 1,599-page explosion that “shook the conscience of the world” after it was published in 1959. I still treasure my paperback copy I paid $1.65 for when I was teaching English literature and history to Fargo…
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Summer is a tough time for families who depend on free or reduced-price school meals, so YMCA of the Northern Sky will provide nutritious, no-cost meals to kids 18 and under through August 26. Breakfast and lunch are available…
By Jeff Armstrong Despite a history dating back many centuries and a reputation as fierce resistance fighters, the Kurds remain the largest stateless nation in the world. Divided by colonial post-WWI borders and subsumed into four…
June 6-7StatewideYou grab a line and I’ll grab a pole — and if you’re a North Dakota resident, you can head on down to your favorite fishing hole, no license needed (for this weekend, anyway). All other rules still apply…
By John Strand It took us over 30 years for us to reach out and ask for your help. The High Plains Reader has always been subscription free and paywall free. Our content has — and always will be — free to access for all of our…
By Ed RaymondIf something can go terribly wrong, it will happen on planet EarthSomewhere in the universe, there may be a planet created by a Perfect God where there are no viruses, all babies are born at immaculate conceptions and…
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…
July 8th, 5:30-8 p.m.Viking Ship Park, 202 1st Ave. N., Moorhead We’re celebrating America’s 250th birthday, Minnesota style. Moorhead Parks and Recreation and HCSCC are hosting the ultimate potluck. Whether you’re bringing…
Tuesday, June 30, 7 p.m.Parachigo, 14 8th St. S., Fargo Inspired by folk and rock influences, Bielanski's upbeat catchy tunes have gone worldwide — literally. He’s played 2,500 shows, 311 of which were performed last year alone.…
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By Greg CarlsonAlex Ross Perry follows his excellent “Pavements” by tackling the essay film with “Videoheaven,” a nearly 3-hour long analysis of the rise and fall of brick and mortar movie rental. Stimulating and satisfying…
By Jacinta Zens I recently sat down for a chat with ceramicist Louie Albertson, Clay and Studio Program Manager at the Plains Art Museum. Before the interview, I had the pleasure of getting to know him a bit as a colleague when I…
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 Eli Liverani It was in the mid-90s when I heard of homeopathy for the first time. I was at university, and it was through word of mouth. Some friends were seeking homeopathy to solve minor health issues, such as weight gain,…
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…
Chris M. Stoner I was recently dismissed from my role as drag show director and emcee for Dakota OutRight, a role I had been fulfilling for more than two decades. The reason given? My political commentary during shows, while…
