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Iron Range Resources: let the light shine in
It bears mentioning every time I find myself in complete and total agreement with a Bill Hanna editorial in the Mesabi Daily News. The Iron Range Resources agency needs reform, a refocusing on quantifiable results, and increased transparency. Iron Range Resources is a difficult agency to explain to outsiders, many of whom think it’s just…
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We don’t collapse, we fall hard on purpose!
Salon.com details four ways that America could collapse in the next 15 years. Good news: most of the ways are fairly bloodless. Bad news: this is a thing. Related posts: No related posts.
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Range boondoggle dealt ironic setback: being ignored
This isn’t so much news as it is the gradual realization of the haphazard Iron Range economic development planning surrounding the Mesaba Energy Project, a coal gasification power plant proposed 10 years ago by the ethereal Excelsior Energy of Minnetonka. The U.S. Department of Energy recently removed the plant from its listing of so-called “clean…
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How does it feel, to be somewhat older than before?
The Wall Street Journal poses the question “Should Bob Dylan retire?” The Duluth native and Hibbing-raised musician is a favorite here as I help coordinate Dylan Days in Hibbing and have long been a fan of the man’s songwriting and songs, particularly his 1965-1975 catalog. This is not the first time we’ll be asking such…
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COLUMN: The return of winter’s empire
This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. The return of winter’s empireBy Aaron J. Brown All things change. In reading history all things change with regularity only because we have the advantage of looking back at vast amounts of time condensed into tiny paragraphs. For…
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Brown on the Air: BATH vs. SHOWER!
Almost forgot to mention this week’s edition of “Between You and Me” Saturday morning on 91.7 KAXE. The show’s topic is “bath vs. shower.” Which is your preference? I’ll be chiming in with an attempt at being clever and guest host DJ the DJ will be taking stories from you and others in, around, and…
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Tech infrastructure only the first half of the battle
In recent years I’ve advocated high speed internet infrastructure as one possible way to diversify the Iron Range economy and move us past the local dependence on natural resource industries to provide jobs. My reasoning, in truth, sounds more like faith than fact. I have faith that with high speed, world class communication capabilities, and…
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Apocalypse diamonds ‘not helpful’
In the Blogging Bible it is clear that a blogger must never belabor a topic for risk of alienating his or her readers. Nonetheless, there’s even more to this LTD Jewelry “Second Coming” sale TV ad that I’ve now written about three times. Steve Kuchera of the Duluth News Tribune has now interviewed Larry Falter,…
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The end is near and the prices are unbelievable, ctd.
The Consumerist, a consumer rights blog of some national note, has picked up on the Twin Ports based LTD Jewelry’s “Second Coming” 50 percent off jewelry sale ad. We’ve been talking about this all week. Countdown to Good Morning America? I say Saturday morning. Related posts: No related posts.
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Oberstar’s exit leaves behind huge political questions
The Star Tribune had a nice interview and video of Jim Oberstar’s last day at his Congressional Office in Washington, D.C., from Tuesday. Check it out. It occurs to me that Oberstar’s defeat remains so surprising that I haven’t known what to write about it or what comes next for Democrats in MN-08. In truth…
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The 2010 "Overburden" holiday promotion!
Three years. That’s what they say represents the life of a traditional trade paperback book, such as my book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” This means that as 2011 approaches we are entering the last of the prime years of “Overburden,” the book I wrote for the lost generation of Iron Rangers tooling…
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The end is near and the prices are unbelievable
In addition to being the most prolific voice on Minnesota news Twitter, @NewsCut (MPR’s Bob Collins) has broken open the story I only dreamed of exposing. He found shaky YouTube footage of the LTD Jewelry ad from Superior, Wis., featuring the “Second Coming Sale” that I wrote about a couple days ago. He also talked…
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Mining vs. the Environment: a debate not centered in reality
The debate continues over new forms of mining in northern Minnesota, the way it always does: dueling op/eds. Deciding Iron Range issues via op/eds is like having zoning disputes being settled by a figure skating competition between Oksana Kryksstrkgghg and Svetlana Rokavrrrkgrrgh. What? What is going on? Who won? She did? Really? What I’m saying…
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When the (precious) metal ones come for you
Normally I’ll let the eccentric northern Minnesota TV advertisements go without notice here on the blog. There are just too many and one could really allow this sort of thing to consume a blog of its very own. There’s the aggressive wardrobe, hair and makeup choices of the one furniture store spokeswoman. Then there’s the…
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COLUMN: We’re not going to take it, or will we?
This is my column for the Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece was broadcast on an earlier episode of “Between You and Me” on 91.7 KAXE. Support this blog by considering: Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range as a holiday gift. We’re not going to…