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The Mountaintop
Many of you have probably seen this several times, but if you haven’t, check out this clip from the speech Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered in Memphis the night before he was murdered in 1968. I show this in my public speaking classes. Some people on this earth are sent to things so important that…
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Even attractive anchors are feeling the pinch (of the economy)
You might remember that I am involved in a special national project called “PurpleStates” where bloggers from all 50 states share their diverse views on the national economy. My segment aired last month. There have been many notable submissions from other state bloggers, though, and I think today’s entry from an out-of-work Republican TV anchor…
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One way to follow the inauguration from a Northern Minnesota perspective
WDIO reporter Kim Johnson is covering Tuesday’s Obama inauguration for the Duluth ABC affiliate by traveling with Northlanders who are attending the ceremonies. She’s keeping a blog at the station’s website. I am also betting that any Facebook or MySpace friends you have in the D.C. metro area can probably give you a pretty good…
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Merger talk for metros
The Star Press? Bob Collins at Minnesota Public Radio poses the possibility of a Star Tribune/Pioneer Press merger. Related posts: No related posts.
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Jeez, I guess history will vindicate just about anyone these days
Bless their hearts. The Mesabi Daily News ran an editorial today in the heart of Northern Minnesota’s blue collar Iron Range pumping up the legacy of George W. Bush. Sometimes I wonder if the MDN‘s editorial positions are, in fact, some kind of elaborate sociological experiment of which I am an unknowing participant. Well, anyway,…
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A whole (parking) lot of anarchy
This is my weekly column that ran in the Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune: A whole (parking) lot of anarchyBy Aaron J. Brown Even here in Northern Minnesota, where we’re used to a cold, snowy winter, it takes time to fully adjust to winter driving. Drivers struggle with slippery intersections…
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In honor of the King holiday, a bonus column … reprised
In honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, here’s a bonus column originally published in the Jan. 14, 2007 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. This was before I or anyone could have predicted we’d be swearing in an African-American president tomorrow. ‘Every mountainside’ means ore dumps too By Aaron J. Brown Monday…
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Range’s largest paper finally turns hoses on rabid commenters
A while back I posted about the bat guano insanity of the comments on the Mesabi Daily News website. The MDN is the Range’s largest paper, predominantly covering the eastern portion of the region. One of my friends even went in and determined that many of the comments were coming from the same person and…
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Paper: Range towns offer wide range of pay to elected officials
The Mesabi Daily News published a story Sunday, Jan. 18, comparing city councilor and county commissioner compensation on the Iron Range as part of a series detailing the financial woes facing government units in 2009. It’s interesting to see the differences between the towns. Most interesting is the $55,000 and full medical benefits enjoyed by…
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Reminder: HCC Theater Celebration tonight includes touch of ‘Overburden’
I’ll be reading and signing books tonight as part of a much larger program for the Hibbing Community College Theater Celebration tonight at 7:30. My book, “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” is a collection of related humorous and historical essays charging at the topic of how life is changing in this unique, important…
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Iron Ranger was featured guest on The Daily Show last night
Hibbing/Iron Range native Bethany McLean appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” Thursday night to talk about the origins of the economic crisis. She spoke with great knowledge. I interviewed McLean when I was at the Hibbing Daily Tribune after she first broke the Enron scandal for Fortune Magazine. She now works as a…
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Brown on the Air: SOUP
My essay for the Saturday morning call-in and music program “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE will deal with the show’s unique weekly topic: soup. January is National Soup Month. Didn’t know that, did you? Second question: have you ever had to write a 500 word essay about soup? No? Well, you’ll want to…
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Blogger vs. WordPress
For those considering starting or moving a blog, I was sent this interesting comparison between the two major free hosting services: Blogger and WordPress. Everyone’s got their favorite for different reasons. MinnesotaBrown is a Blogger blog with a custom template. It’s easy to use, which is why I’ve stuck with it despite the chattering of…
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The porcupine and the beaver
I love this cartoon from Wednesday’s Grand Rapids Herald-Review, submitted to the paper by Jeanne Newstrom.I don’t exactly get it, but I love it anyway. Here what I know. The issue is the sale of land from Itasca County to Essar Steel for its up-and-coming Minnesota mining and steel mill operations near Nashwauk. A faction…
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OMG! Charles Gibson knows who we are
The top story on the Duluth News Tribune website when I logged on this morning was that Charles Gibson talked about the Duluth News Tribune on ABC World News last night. It’s cold in northern Minnesota today, get it. I must admit, if Charlie Gibson talked about ME on World News I would be plastering…