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‘Crossing the Divide’ with big ideas
Every day we awaken to a choice. Will today be a day for hope, vision and big ideas? Or will we stick to what we usually do? Most of the time, we choose the latter. That’s OK. Often, we have work. Other days, we are tired and need a break. But if we go too…
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Skeptical Iron Rangers warm to electric vehicles in Ely
Last week, I drove an electric car for the first time. My review of the Tesla Model X can be summarized not in words, but rather as a sound: “eeeEEEAAAGH!” That’s the approximate noise my son Doug and I made after we accelerated from 0 to an undisclosed speed on the streets of Ely, Minnesota.…
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Chalamet lights up Dylan’s old stage
Northern Minnesota is cool. Literally. We’re known for our cold weather. But in terms of social cachet, we are not cool. We handle attention and celebrities about as well as we do hugs. Which is to say, rarely and awkwardly. But drama students in Hibbing recently helped our region take a bold step forward in…
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Talking Biden, bridges, Duluth, flags and fame
I was on WCCO Radio early Monday morning talking about a host of northern Minnesota issues. President Biden was in town last Thursday touting more than $1 billion in funding to replace the Blatnik Bridge connecting Duluth and Superior. So was actor Timothée Chalamet, who visited Duluth and Hibbing to research Bob Dylan for an…
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In nobody we trust
Polls show that we Americans trust almost nothing. Not government, the media or corporations. Not political parties, doctors or scientists. We don’t even trust our own side of any given argument. Then again, who trusts polls? How would we know? Every day, people take to social media complaining of broken trust with their partners, friends…
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U.S. Steel sale a cause for concern, also curiosity
On the Mesabi Range, we spend lifetimes hoping for change before complaining when it happens. We’re like a dog that can’t decide whether to give back the ball for another throw or to keep gnawing on it. For two generations, steel industry stakeholders lamented a lack of investment in U.S. Steel’s mines and mills. Instead,…
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FARGO, Season 5, Episode 10: ‘Bisquik’
Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. ‘Bisquik’ (Original…
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A world that grew from stumps and slash
This weekend, I’m giving another lecture stemming from an unexpected twist in my book research. “A World That Grew From Stumps and Slash,” will be Saturday, Jan. 20, from 1-3 p.m. at the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The cost is regular park admission, but that means you can check out the museum…
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Western myths, morality mark latest season of ‘Fargo’
Today I’m writing about the TV show, “Fargo.” I do so knowing that this is a prestige cable series that most people don’t watch, based on a movie that tends to infuriate Minnesotans as much as entertain them. (Mostly on account of the funny accents that trigger our defensiveness, don’t ya know). The original 1996…
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FARGO, Season 5, Episode 9: ‘The Useless Hand’
Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. “The Useless…
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Anxiety in store for 2024
The text message comes from my childhood phone number. How? First of all, no one *texts* from a land line in the Sax-Zim Bog. That’s just not possible. Second, what are the chances someone with our old number would want to text me? “Time for a Zoom?” reads the message. There’s a link. Against my…
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Big ideas at TEDx Silver Lake
On Feb. 23, TEDx Silver Lake will take place at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia, Minnesota. Based on the popular TED conferences, TEDx events welcome speakers to present interesting ideas that build community and grow knowledge. The theme for this event is “Crossing the Divide.” I bring this up because I know…
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Sun shines on Iron Range solar prospects
The Minnesota Reformer published my latest essay today, the first of the new year. This one is entitled “Solar energy shines on the Iron Range; will politics throw shade.” In the past ten years or so, the Iron Range’s relationship with the solar energy industry has been something of a roller coaster. In 2011, Silicon…
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FARGO, Season 5, Episode 8: ‘Blanket’
Northern Minnesota author Aaron J. Brown reviews each episode of “Fargo” with an eye for unique details from the place where the show is set. The ratings range from INTERESTING (bad), to COULD BE WORSE (not so good) to PRETTY GOOD (not so bad), and OH, YA! (real good then). Beware the spoilers. ‘Blanket’ (Original…
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Year’s top words signal massive change
Why do people seem so unsettled even as measurable data shows an improving economy and wondrous new technology? Well, the world’s on fire, both literally and figuratively. Culture and politics factor in, too. It’s hard to rest easy when we’re constantly agitated. American society seems perpetually disappointed that we aren’t getting what’s shown in the…