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Royal Swedes plan Duluth stop
The king and queen of Sweden are planning a visit to Duluth in October. The news comes just one year after the visit of the king and queen of Norway. That leaves only Denmark on the list for our Scandinavian monarchy punch card. The king and queen of Finland will not be visiting because they…
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The car is only OK at guitar, but still
Yes, I will share a music video that involves a song about unrequited love and a car that plays all the instruments. OK Go! is known for it’s “one take” music videos, usually involving elaborate choreography of humans and machines. Worth watching. Related posts: No related posts.
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Laskiainen ‘slides’ into many Iron Range weekend plans
The Laskiainen Finnish Sliding Festival weekend is coming up. Saturday and Sunday bring this longstanding east Range tradition in Palo. The description: Finnish sliding festival celebrating the ethnic heritage of customs, crafts, music, sports, marketplace, foods and of course sliding! A true family event. Loon Lake Community Center is located 10 miles south of Aurora…
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A ‘mitten state’ slap fight
Michigan and Wisconsin are fighting over who gets to call themselves the “Mitten State.” If you’ve ever met someone from Wisconsin or (lower) Michigan they explain where they are from by holding up their hand like a mitten and pointing at the part of the mitten where they are from. This is fine, even if…
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A cold one; dry though
“Oh, ya, it’s cold, but it ain’t snowy.” “No, dry November, that’s for sure.” “Not good for the septics.” “No, sir.” “Making ice, though.” “Oh, ya, real good. Five inches already. Heard the lake a whumpin’ yesterday.” “Good for skatin.’ Ever skate on a lake?“ “Oh, ya, but it’s been years.” “Fishing soon.” “Ya.” “Bad…
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Mugging for the camera
Duluth News Tribune opinions editor Robin Washington gives us all advice on how to pose for a mugshot photo in the event we are booked on serious charges that could be detailed in a prominent regional newspaper. I accept this advice. Thank you. Related posts: No related posts.
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Happy Turkey Day from MinnesotaBrown.com
Happy Thanksgiving from MinnesotaBrown! Unless major news happens we’ll be going dark for a few days. Indulge my sharing of a snippet from one of my favorite shows of all time. Related posts: No related posts.
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Eleven Eleven Eleven Eleven Eleven
It’s 11:11 on 11/11/11. Let’s talk about 11. Eleven is the number that says, “Things are about to get different.” Eleven is the number that says, “Stop right there, our numeric system is Base 10.” Eleven teaches kids that one and one does not always make two. Eleven is beyond fingers. It needs more. Eleven…
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I’d hunt if I needed to, OK
Minnesota’s famed rifle deer hunt begins tomorrow morning at dawn. Indications suggest a strong deer population for the shootin.’ The deer hunt is one of those cultural touchstones one must learn to embrace or at least tolerate to succeed in northern Minnesota. In this place, all men are asked if they hunt and those who…
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A good sound man is hard to find
With my foray into live radio production this year I’ve made mention of the creative influence of A Prairie Home Companion on my work. Today I join others in mourning the loss of that show’s famed sound man Tom Keith, a longtime MPR host and personality. He died of a heart attack Sunday. A Prairie…
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Daddy wears a Twins cap
NPR’s Robert Krulwich, part of the wonderful program RadioLab, posted an item on the NPR blog entitled “The Tyranny of Fathers.” He explores data showing that the single most important indicator of which sports teams you support is the fan loyalty of your father. Far and away, it’s not even close. Mothers, grandparents and friends…
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10,000 Lakes, 10,000 Logos
Now this is neat. Nicole Meyer, a graphic designer in Minneapolis, has begun creating original logos for each of Minnesota’s famed 10,000 lakes (actually there are 11,842), something she’s calling “Branding 10,000 Lakes.” She estimates this will take 27 years. These are wonderful pieces of art. Lake Vermilion: Check out all the subtle angles in…
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The wolves of October
It was sleeting as Henry and I went out to the bus stop this morning. We were chatting over the sounds of our shoes rousing the gravel. The driveway is north and where we live there’s nothing north for miles and miles. Then we stopped walking. A pack of wolves was howling, a desperate, pained…
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Pedaling on the bones of old industry
Do you like post-industrial imagery? Do you like bike tricks? You will like this. There’s a whole symbolic commentary thing I could do here, but that would cut into the time you have to watch the aforementioned bike tricks. Though this appears to be filmed in Scotland, that red color that pops off the ground…
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I suppose I am ready for some football
Speaking of new ventures, I’m thinking of starting my own fantasy football league this year. It’s hard to say why I enjoy fantasy football. I think it’s because it’s one of the few traditional male activities that I enjoy and can use to relate with men who are married to women I work with. What…