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Metrodome roof enjoys second life as many, many bags
The “Domer” bags, Duluth Pack Minnesotans of my GenX/Y vintage have distinct memories of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, an historical oddity in sports stadiums. It is, essentially, an inflatable stadium. It’s loud. The roof is the exact same color as a baseball. The Twins would move out to Target Field in 2010. It was…
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Close-up video of mosquito bite: cool, gross, informative
Minnesota residents are well aware of mosquitoes, often referred to as the unofficial state bird. In northern Minnesota they are a particular factor in the enjoyment of the outdoors, and here in the deep woods of northern Minnesota where I live mosquitoes are a constant consideration between May and September. I think we all get…
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Never mind #SharkWeek, this is #AsianCarpCentury
Progress Illinois Sure, those Great White Sharks on the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” are menacing, to the point that this cable channel’s annual tradition gets a Macklemore shout-out. But you know what? Sharks don’t bother me. We’re in the Midwest, for one, and we’re thousands of miles from salt water. Plus, Mayor Don Ness of…
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Generation driven to find reality amid false fronts
Last week, Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com, announced he was leaving his partnership with the New York Times to take his unique brand of data-driven journalism to the goliath sports network ESPN. He’ll still be covering national elections with poll analysis, a real boon to sister network ABC, but the bulk of his number crunching will…
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From the many, one mighty river to the sea
Slate shared this graphic of the tributaries of the Mississippi River. Here in northern Minnesota we’re well aware the river officially starts here, over in Clearwater County, flowing small and gentle through nearby towns like Grand Rapids and Brainerd. But if North America has one true river, it is this one. I also enjoy seeing…
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What’s in a name?
Watching the nightly network newscasts this week has me wondering who really won the U.S. Revolutionary War some 235 years ago. Somewhere the ghost of Cornwallis smirks as Americans fawn over the heir to the British throne. A KING! HE WILL BE A KING! Despite our protestations those centuries ago, Americans then and now still…
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Testosterone problems in western North Dakota
This commentary in Sunday’s Star Tribune shows the social strife facing women in western North Dakota as the region teems with male workers in the booming oil industry. Reading this reminds me of the stories surrounding northern Minnesota’s Iron Range in the early 1900s as male immigrants poured into this region, most of them single…
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Sudden heat, wind fuel dangerous Northland fires
This morning a fire service helicopter buzzed just above the treetops over our home in rural Itasca County. The incredible swing from a cold, snowy spring to today’s hot, dry, windy conditions has brought a sudden and extreme fire danger. We were under a red flag warning with yesterday’s high winds. Large fires prompted evacuations…
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Major layoff announced at International Falls paper mill
Boise Cascade is laying off 265 workers, about a third of its workforce, at its paper mill in International Falls, Minnesota. Boise will close two lines to focus on more successful products before the end of the year, according to this story at WDIO. International Falls is a paper town and this will have a…
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And so wily propsectors shall battle the Fightin’ Poes
I feel compelled to say something about the Super Bowl this Sunday. It is the most American of American holidays — billions spent and made on a sport that only Americans understand or enjoy (and, more recently, Canada … but, you know). The San Francisco 49ers, a team named for gold prospectors from a city…
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Local News: The Musical
Here’s what they do for traffic reporting at WKRC in Cincinnati. This is how I want to see WDIO-Duluth’s “This Week in Mining” from now on. I’m talking to you, Renee Passal. (Clip via Mashable) Related posts: No related posts.
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Looking back at the Letterman years
Though having kids dramatically reshaped how I watch late night television, I probably logged as many hours watching David Letterman in my teens and early 20s as anyone but the feed managers at NBC and CBS. It was cool to see him honored recently by the Kennedy Center for his work. CBS is re-airing the…
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What is the sound of five accordions playing A-Ha?
OK, time to change up from the seasonal music: That would be A-Ha’s “Take on Me” by five young accordionists from the KUM SONG School, filmed in Pyongyang, North Korea a year ago. (h/t Dan Lewis’s “Now I Know” newsletter, which has more fascinating back story on North Korea’s fondness for accordions) Related posts: No…
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Come on, come on, RUDOLPH … Uh. Uh-huh.
Rapper DMX drops a killer version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” during a stop at a radio station. Safe for work. Safe for everywhere. Related posts: No related posts.
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Tired of holiday music? Try some Back Door Santa
Another alternative to traditional Christmas music, an R&B throwback with Mr. Clarence Carter: Related posts: No related posts.