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FARGO REVIEW: Episode 6, ‘Rhinoceros’
The sixth episode of “Fargo” Season 2, entitled “Rhinoceros,” aired last night on FX. What follows is a Minnesota-centric review that contains spoilers. This year, “Fargo” takes us to Southwestern Minnesota in 1979, the same year I was born on the other side of the state. A small town family crime syndicate based in Fargo is…
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See author of historic Range cookbook in Hibbing, Chisholm
You might recall my review of the wonderful new Iron Range-themed cookbook “Come, You Taste” by B.J. Carpenter. I thought the book was a fantastic cultural artifact, historical document and functional cookbook. My wife Christina Brown recently reviewed the book for her site, the Northern Cheapskate, and actually made one of the recipes! (PS: Yum!) Carpenter…
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Miss the barn show? Tune in Sunday
LISTEN NOW to the Larson’s Barn show. Last weekend, I hosted another edition of the Great Northern Radio Show on Northern Community Radio. This one aired live from Larson’s Barn outside McGregor, Minnesota. It was our 17th show and marked four full years doing these hyper-local variety programs from small towns and off-the-beaten-path places around the…
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Hunting drama ‘Cold November’ gets its deer
You might remember a couple Sundays ago I wrote about Hibbing native Karl Jacob, a Minneapolis-based actor and director, who was back on the Iron Range filming a new coming-of-age movie about deer hunting. “Cold November” tells the story of a girl struggle with the elements and the emotions of growing up, set amid what Jacob considers to be one…
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FARGO REVIEW: Episode 5, ‘Gift of the Magi’
The fifth episode of “Fargo” Season 2, entitled “Gift of the Magi,” aired last night on FX. What follows is a Minnesota-centric review that contains spoilers. This year, “Fargo” takes us to Southwestern Minnesota in 1979, the same year I was born on the other side of the state. A small town family crime syndicate…
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Come on down to the big barn show!
This Saturday, Nov. 7, I will join a dedicated group of radio professionals, musicians and barn enthusiasts to do another edition of our critically-acclaimed Great Northern Radio Show. This time we’re broadcasting live from a barn, specifically Larson’s Barn near McGregor in rural Aitkin County, Minnesota. We’ll have the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank, a great…
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FARGO REVIEW: Episode 4, ‘Fear and Trembling’
The fourth episode of “Fargo” Season 2, entitled “Fear and Trembling,” aired last night on FX. What follows is a Minnesota-centric review that contains spoilers. This year, “Fargo” takes us to Southwestern Minnesota in 1979, the same year I was born on the other side of the state. A small town family crime syndicate based…
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Naked parties expose awkward moment for Iron Range city
This morning the city public safety committee met in Virginia, Minnesota. On the agenda: naked parties. Specifically, what can be done about naked parties held in city limits? (Spoiler: It’s not clear). The issue stemmed from an awkward exchange at last week’s city council meeting. If you’re looking for a little light office cubicle viewing, by all means advance to 24:15…
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FARGO REVIEW: Episode 3, ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’
The third episode of “Fargo” Season 2, entitled “The Myth of Sisyphus,” aired last night on FX. What follows is a Minnesota-centric review that contains spoilers. This year, “Fargo” takes us to Southwestern Minnesota in 1979, the same year I was born on the other side of the state. A small town family crime syndicate based…
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Great Northern ‘goin’ up the country’ for Nov. 7 barn show
The blog will be entering another “hot idle” for the same reason as last time. I’ve got a show to write. On Saturday, Nov. 7, my Great Northern Radio Show will broadcast live from Larson’s Barn outside McGregor, Minnesota. The show airs 5-7 p.m. on Northern Community Radio and its northern translators. To be clear, we…
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FARGO REVIEW: Episode 2, ‘Before the Law’
The second episode of “Fargo” Season 2, entitled “Before the Law,” aired last night on FX. What follows is a Minnesota-centric review that contains spoilers. This year, “Fargo” takes us to Southwestern Minnesota in 1979, the same year I was born on the other side of the state. A small town family crime syndicate based…
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Don Ness, Teague Alexy take book tour to Iron Range
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Duluth mayor Don Ness and musician Teague Alexy will bring their shared book tour across the Mesabi Iron Range. Ness’s book is “Hillsider: Snapshots of a Curious Political Journey,” a self-published creative memoir combining essays, stories and photographs by the popular outgoing mayor of the Zenith City. Alexy’s book is “The New Folklore:…
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FARGO REVIEW: Episode 1, ‘Waiting for Dutch’
The success of the first season of “Fargo” on FX was one of the best surprises of television last year. The 10-episode short-run series was ambitious, daring, heartfelt and yet still true to the spirit of the original acclaimed movie (without being too derivative). After the early reviews of the second season, which debuted last night,…
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A Minnesota guide to ‘Fargo, Season 2’
UPDATE: Read my Minnesota-centric “Fargo” reviews for Seasons 1 and 2 at my “Fargo” review page. Tonight at 9 p.m. CST (Fargo universal time) the sophomore season premiere of “Fargo” airs on FX. Noah Hawley’s macabre Midwestern series, inspired by the acclaimed Coen Brothers movie of the same name, will bring an entirely new story, cast…
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Neutrinos in the news
Two scientists, one Japanese and the other Canadian, are sharing this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics. Their combined research helped confirm that neutrinos — the tiny, invisible particles that abound throughout the universe — have mass. From the Reuters report: Takaaki Kajita and Arthur McDonald’s breakthrough was the discovery of a phenomenon called neutrino oscillation that…