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The Kentucky / Iron Range comparison
As some of you know, I am one of several people who claim the title “Former Editor of the Hibbing Daily Tribune.” (There are more of us than there are licensed pilots in many large western states). It’s a tough job but an important one. The Tribune just hired a new editor after publisher Wanda…
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Perfect winter eludes us again
Well, here we are in early December. We just got a good foot of snow last weekend with more coming this weekend. That’s plenty for snowmobiling. I could tell people were anxious last Saturday because when the first flakes began to fall we saw a guy in what appeared to be new jacket, helmet and…
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Banana ethics
Bananas look funny, sound funny and they’re a three-dimensional euphemism for something naughty. (Have you ever noticed how a banana resembles a hot dog? Those have so many nitrates! OMG!). Meantime, old bananas are turned into a great source of alliteration (and carbs): banana bread. Banana bread is tasty and beloved, harkening Midwestern memories of…
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Surviving the first salvo of the holiday season
I’m generally a positive, happy dude. But it’s hard for me to avoid cynicismduring the holiday consumerism assault. Every year we are treated to the false impressions that our economy relies on everyone buying plastic goods the day after Thanksgiving. We are told what toys are “hot” and what our rooftops should look like from…
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Black Friday observations
The family and I decided to go shopping today despite the many predictable frustrations that would occur on “the biggest shopping day of the year.” Things went fine, by and large, but it sure does raise the blood pressure. My Hibbing Daily Tribune column for this upcoming Sunday deals with the Christmas shopping concept, so…
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Highway 63 Revisited
They say the Iron Range is entering a modern age, a time of renaissance and progress and probably even fancier words that will be invented when the new noun factory opens just outside Buhl. I have seen proof that this is true but it has nothing to do with our impending new steel plant or…
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Bananas on deadline
I’m going to give readers a glimpse into the creative process. I write two things on a weekly deadline, a newspaper column and a radio essay. The radio essay topic is generally dictated by KAXE’s “Between You and Me” show topic that week. In a way, that makes this piece easier to write because it’s…
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Universal coverage closer than imagined
If you add your out-of-pocket insurance expenses to your taxes that support existing government health care programs, you’ll probably find that you’re already paying plenty for health care, more than enough to cover actual medical expenses. So converting to a universal system is really more a matter of getting the money we already pay devoted…
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New media punch, old media counterpunch
I’m no stranger to letters to the editor taking issue with something I’ve written, but today was a first. I got a letter opposing a column that never ran. In a recent column, Aaron Brown made several inaccurate statements as he reviewed my editorial from the Duluth News Tribune. That editorial was in support of…
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Health care future hinges on community strength
Government’s main purpose is to serve the people in all ways that the private sector and market can’t. That includes highways, public works, education and, more than ever, health care. And it seems we’re closer than you’d think to being able to solve some basic service issues, especially on health care. ~An excerpt from my…
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Server trouble at MinnesotaBrown.com
My web host is having some kind of server problem over at http://www.minnesotabrown.com/ where I post my columns. I don’t know how long the page will be out. Over here at the blog we’re still in business, thanks to the good people at Google. I love Google. Google is wise and benevolent. If problems continue…
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October nears end
We’ve got a couple days, including Halloween, left in October. So the month is kind of like the Bush Administration now. Almost done, but several acts of civil disobedience will probably occur before its completely done. Here’s a round up of what’s going on in Brown country this week: Flu shot dayToday is flu shot…
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Obvious safety tips for the Halloween oblivious
Halloween Safety Tip #2If you see more than one child dressed as a soldier, confirm that they are in fact celebrating Halloween and not staging a military coup. If it is a coup, assess their strength and determine whether you should alert authorities or aid the rebels in order to protect your family under the…
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Got gourds?
“Sure, there are other fall traditions. Raking leaves. Watching “foo-ball” on “teevee.” But none of these photograph as well as picking out a pumpkin and petting goats so domesticated they know how to TiVo stuff. I don’t mean to diminish the very real and very fun time we had; but I had to chuckle when…