Long, long ago on one of our “urban assault” mountain bike rides, I encountered this artwork with some friends of mine. It was late at night and we were biking past the Gold Seal Building since I used to rent an apartment nearby. I remember thinking that it was really cool, but this was long before I got into photography and I never thought to get a picture.
Later on when I bought my first camera and was looking for cool things around town to photograph, a vague recollection of something really cool on the wall of that building with the gold mirrored windows popped into my head. I drove by and examined the building from multiple angles, but sadly it was gone. I was sure I remembered it, but perhaps it had simply been removed? That would certainly be a shame…but in any case, it was no longer there.
A couple of weeks ago I went for a walkabout with a friend who worked in the Gold Seal Building back when it was leased by the MDU Resources Group. I mentioned that building and the etched stone artwork I thought I remembered, and he knew instantly what I was talking about. “That was moved out to the University of Mary,” he revealed. Joy! I knew then that I somehow had to find that slab of stone which had eluded me for so long.
A quick trip out to the ACC Art Show a couple of weekends ago gave me the opportunity to ask someone at the desk of the Harold Schafer Leadership Center if they knew what I was looking for. Naturally they did, and they led me to a concrete patio on the lower level of the building. Voila’ – here stands the stone I was seeking, looking boldly over the Missouri River to the west. Score!
I guess I can cross this one off my Bismarck-Mandan photographic “Bucket List” and move on to the next one. Thankfully this piece, commissioned by Harold Schafer himself, was preserved. It’s available for anyone on campus to see, but it’s in a location that isn’t readily obvious. The best way to find it is to wander the lawn to the west of the Tharaldson Business Center and saunter slowly southward toward the back of the Schafer center. Once you get to the right area you can’t miss it, unless of course you’re overwhelmed by the stunning view of the Briardale woods and Missouri River valley below.
I was thrilled when I heard that Rick Green was coming to New Song Church last weekend, because I’m a huge fan of his work with Wallbuilders. This was an afternoon presentation on the Constitution and the Christianity of the founders of our nation, and the information presented was extremely eye-opening and educational.
If you haven’t visted the Wallbuilders website, you simply must do so. And even better is the daily half-hour Wallbuilders Live podcast. With a tagline like “The intersection of faith and politics” this show is enlightening and puts current issues in the context of the country’s founding documents and the faith of those responsible for them.
There was plenty of Q&A which ranged from current affairs and the upcoming elections to the original intent of the founders and some very interesting technical “nuts & bolts” about the Constitution (including some common misconceptions), the role of the courts, and the powers of the branches of the federal government. If this sounds like dry stuff to you, you’re mistaken.
I found out about this at the last minute or I’d have posted more about it earlier, giving people time to call New Song and RSVP to attend. The cost was $10 and pizza was provided (yum). The next time Rick comes to town, I’ll make sure to help New Song promote his visit and encourage you to come! In the mean time, check out Rick’s website and the Wallbuilders Live podcast.
In a shocking move that will send central North Dakota air travelers scrambling for replacement travel plans, United Airlines announced today that they will be terminating their airline service to/from Bismarck Airport. While air travel to and from the Bismarck-Mandan area has picked up sharply, the reason for this rapid departure is simple: Bismarck’s decision to subsidize United’s competition. Delta Airlines has not yet returned inquiries for comment.
In February of this year, the Bismarck City Commission offered $200,000 in what amount to “break-even guarantees” to Frontier Airlines, a low-cost air carrier, in order to lure them to Bismarck as an additional provider. The Bismarck Tribune reports that in addition to the $200,000 guarantee the airline has also been offered “$50,000 in free marketing of its services for one year and certain fees will be waived at the airport.” It reports that the incentives have been given to “other new air carriers.” (emphasis added)
Al Flaweigh, spokesman for United Airlines, put it plainly: “United Airlines has been faithfully providing air service without interruption to the Bismarck Airport for years. Now the city is going to foot the bill for our competitors to come in and inevitably take business away from United.
We struggle to make a profit in this area, and now the City of Bismarck has conspired to pay our competition to make it harder to do business here? We don’t need this. Rather than struggle to swim upstream against the flow of money from the City of Bismarck and the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber, we will simply devote our resources to a market that’s more friendly to open competition and won’t pay other airlines to lure away potential United customers.”
The issue is actually a constitutional one. According to constitutional scholar Reed DeLaw, Article X Section 18 of the state constitution is clear: “…neither the state nor any political subdivision thereof shall otherwise loan or give its credit or make donations to or in aid of any individual, association or corporation”. This apparently hasn’t presented an obstacle to the City of Bismarck, however.
A noteworthy analogy is the case of a “mom & pop” store in the Kirkwood Mall. Suppose that suddenly store owners Mom & Pop McGillicuddy open the Bismarck Tribune one day and find out that the City of Bismarck is going to promise Corporation X $200,000 in guarantees to move into the mall right next door to McGillicuddy’s, give them free advertising, and discount their rent and utilities. Suddenly, Mom and Pop not only have a new competitor in town, but their own tax dollars (and those of their family, friends, neighbors…) are being given to that very same competition.
DeLaw simplified it even further: “Should Ruby Tuesday’s invite Chili’s to build next door, help them do it, write them a check every month, and call it ‘economic development’? They could bypass the tax ‘middleman’ and do what the City Commission would already be requiring them to do indirectly.”
Ironically, Frontier Airlines pulled out of Fargo in 2010 after only two years of being “touted as a low-cost carrier that would bring down fares at Fargo’s Hector International Airport” (Associated Press, 2/5/10). Flaweigh surmised, “Once that happens in Bismarck, maybe the City of Bismarck will consider offering United a ‘break-even guarantee’ and some other concessions as they are currently offering our competitors. They can call it a ‘no-harm, no foul’ I suppose, or even an ‘April Fools‘ if you will.”
I’ve always been of the opinion that an empty (or mostly-empty) fuel tank or can is a far greater hazard than a full one, so it was time to set this fuel can outside the Garage Majal. I can’t say with any certainty that it’s responsible for the bunnies hanging out nearby, but it probably can’t hurt.
This stuff smells so AMAZING in the tank or after it exits your exhaust pipe, I’ve always described it as high speed perfume. Spendy, too – I got this drum from the factory Kawasaki team but I don’t know how to import it. I’m of the understanding that at the time it was about several times as expensive as pump gas or even the Turbo Blue race fuel I buy here in town at Racer Performance Center. I guess the local rabbits have distinguished noses!
As you can tell from the lush green foliage, this photo was from a couple of years ago and I just ran across it while looking for something else. I was able to get the can back in the garage before any little hasenpfeffers were able to huff or siphon it. Sadly, I no longer have need for race fuel, although I wouldn’t mind roadracing again someday… *sigh*
With permission, I was able to roam an amazing old farmstead for the last huge solar blast, shooting time lapses and stills until nearly four in the morning. I didn’t even get to explore every corner of the yard, but I did get an amazing variety of shots…even though I’ve never seen the place in the daylight to scout it out! For instance, the shot above shows a stoic Rumely Oil Pull kerosene-burning tractor…facing south, it appears oblivious to the amazing lightshow taking place behind it.
This rustic garage is home to a few noteworthy artifacts, the most obvious being the 1971-1973 Mercury Cougar peeking around the corner at me. Once again, with the rainbow colored sheets of light shooting across the northern sky, this is a bad time to be stuck on blocks inside the garage.
I’ll continue to roll out Northern Lights photos from time to time, but hopefully I’ll be able to acquire even more in the near future! We’re approaching the peak of the solar maximum, so I expect this to be a very interesting summer. With any luck we’ll have plenty of opportunities for photos like these!
I forgot to mention this a while back, but I found it noteworthy that the Associated Press chose a new logo about a month ago, after thirty years with the previous version. Personally I prefer the 1981 model, but I’m not a credentialed graphic designer. Regardless, it looks like someone got paid a lot of money to create the new logo…one which shows no relationship between the A and P and tells nothing about the Associated Press. That got me thinking, and after about thirty seconds I had brainstormed a version of my own:
I stayed with the same A and P that their new logo uses, since they probably paid a lot of money for it. In an effort to generate a logo which actually says something about the Associated Press as an institution, I decided to add some text and a tag line which serves as a mission identifier as well as a design element. It may look familiar to you, which is intentional:
Since the AP as an institution pretty much acts as a stenographer and cheerleader for the Democrat Party, I figured it would be fine to graphically allude to the affiliation. After all, stories which are inconvenient to Democrats are spun or buried entirely, while industry-standard techniques are used to mock and vilify conservatives wherever they may be found. I know of a few notable standouts that don’t fall into this depiction, a few bright stars who actually practice journalism, but we’re talking about the AP as a whole here.
Sadly, I don’t think my version of the AP logo has a chance. It would be a great example of truth in advertising, but for now I guess we’ll just have to let the AP’s words depict their agenda instead of a simple graphic representation.
That’s what little PJ says it’s all about these days. We took their bikes out for a ride and watched the sunset, airplanes flying overhead, and even stars beginning to show up in the darkening sky. While we do plenty of family stuff too, it’s nice for Mommy to get all three guys out of her hair for a while and give her a break while we explore the world.
We’re really thankful for this pleasant weather…a guy’s gotta roam, whether he’s four or forty. Now that we can do it without freezing little noses or other extremities, the possibilities are opening up quickly. Add to that the fact that our city isn’t battling a flood this time around, and we should be able to draw a stark contrast between this summer and “the summer that wasn’t” of last year.
I was distressed to find out that the Minot Air Force Base’s “Northern Neighbors Day” air show has been CANCELLED for this year – I’ve been looking forward to it since 2009 – but I’m determined to make this summer one for the record books anyway.
I decided to go out on a limb and head out on this breezy night in the hopes of seeing some auroras. I spotted a dull glow in the northern sky and set up to take a quick shot. As you can see from the blurred windmill, the breeze was blowing tonight. The auroras didn’t ever do anything for me other than cast a dull green glow near the horizon, so I started coming home. I did, however, spot something really cool…
Too bad I couldn’t get the Northern Lights in the background of this shot, because that would simply be too darn cool. I could Photoshop it, but that’s not how I operate. In any case, I came home with a unique “Aurora” photo to show you!
I spent the past couple of nights trying to find the right timing, location, and conditions to show the alignment of the planets Venus and Jupiter with the capitol building in the foreground for context. Clouds got in the way for a couple of nights in a row, but tonight I solved that issue somewhat by choosing a lower vantage point. It seems that no matter what, when the planets approach the horizon some distant clouds creep in and block them from view.
The funny thing is, while I tried very hard and somewhat patiently to get a shot of them close to the capitol, I think I like the distant shot even better. Ideally I’d choose a point in between, but there isn’t one with sufficient elevation to look over the treetops.
Some things just never line up quite the way you’d like, and in my case I think this event is one of them. I’d like to be able to get a distant shot of the capitol with the planets beside it while their alignment is as close as possible, but available vantages and prevailing sky conditions have conspired against me. Oh well, I think I got a couple of decent shots. It’s time to move on to another challenge.
I originally brainstormed the root idea for this post a month and a half ago – I actually made this graphic on February 3rd – but in light of a bunch of other posts I’m reading around the web coming to the same conclusion, I figured I’d finally get around to a little stream-of-consciousness here.
My friend Rob and I are not the only ones noticing that there are two Heidi Heitkamps running for office this year: there’s the relatively conservative, “North Dakota Values” type of Heidi Heitkamp running here in North Dakota, while there’s a “leftest of the leftists” Heidi Heitkamp running on the national stage.
She’s been going on a magical mystery tour with a bunch of leftist Democrat women “standing up for women’s rights” out of state, while claiming support for a religious exemption here at home. Notice in the Fargo Forum article I linked here, that even the stenographers and apologists at the Forum are forced to point out that she’s one candidate here and a totally different candidate nationally…although from a sympathetic point of view (natch).
Lest you forget, here’s Heidi addressing a bunch of her “progressive” buddies and union front groups after Obamacare was stuffed down our throats against the wishes of a vast majority of North Dakotans:
And here’s a recent ad in which she appears along with some of the more radical elements of the Democrat party in support of forcing the American people to pay for other people’s contraception and abortion-inducing drugs despite their religious objections:
By the way – has anyone actually tried to ban contraception? Nope. We just don’t want to pay for it. Apparently in the eyes of Heidi Heitkamp, that’s a sin. Notice how they will NOT mention the abortifacients: no, they know they’d lose that battle in a landslide. Instead, they re-frame and misrepresent the argument, claiming that Republicans want to BAN contraception entirely.
By the way, North Dakota has a LOT of people who profess one manner of religious faith or another…does Heitkamp really think that they’ll enjoy being forced to finance the sexual habits of everyone else including abortion-inducing drugs? Apparently she does, at least outside of North Dakota’s borders where she espouses that view.
Then you’ve got good old Gaylord “Kent” Conrad. For years he harped on President Bush about deficits that look like a monthly allowance next to the spending habits of the Democrat-controlled Congress since 2006. At President Obama’s behest it’s only gotten worse, with deficits so huge they have to be expressed in numbers typically only used in astronomy!
Don’t expect any accountability on these folks, either: Kent Conrad has been under ethics investigation forever, but the Democrats have buried it the best they could…even to the point of changing the locks on the committee room doors so that Republicans couldn’t join the investigation hearings! The Democrats have so far managed to whitewash the whole thing and claim nothing happened. How did this appear in the North Dakota media? It didn’t, until:
As far as I recall, he wasn’t “cleared” – the investigation was merely dropped. If you want to see the tip of the iceberg on his misdeeds that even a blogger from Bismarck can uncover, click here.
Which brings me back to my original point: you cannot afford to elect a Democrat, not even for dog catcher or meter maid. Why? You don’t want to be responsible for advancing their political career even one tick, because before you know it you’ll have a Byron “Abramoff Skybox” Dorgan, Kent “Countrywide Mortgage” Conrad, Earl “Union Owned & Operated” Pomeroy, or Heidi “Two-Face” Heitkamp.
Regardless of how Heidi Heitkamp campaigns in North Dakota, or what she really believes, look at how she already behaves outside the state! At this very moment she’s walking in lockstep with radical leftist Democrats who have next to nothing in common with the values of the average North Dakotan. They’re the ones whose money and support she needs to try to get elected, and they are the ones to whom she will be indebted if (God forbid) she ever gets elected. Who do you think she’ll listen to before voting on legislation: you, or the Democrat Party machine which she needs to keep her in office?
If you think that a Senator Heitkamp would be any less duplicitous as Candidate Heitkamp, then you’re fooling yourself. If you doubt me, simply look at how Dorgan, Conrad, and Pomeroy played that same two-faced game for decades. They’d throw on a flannel shirt when they come to ND, talk about “our North Dakota way”, then jet-set back to Washington and vote 90% of the time with Kennedy, Pelosi, et al…while getting most of their campaign funding from out of state.
If you still aren’t convinced, let me put it another way:
– People who support abortion, including “partial birth” abortion where a child is delivered up to the neck and then killed with a spear to the brain, even to the point of killing a child who survived an abortion because “that was the mother’s original intent” anyway – vote Democrat.
– People who hate oil, coal and gas, want us to pay European gasoline prices ($8-10/gallon), want to shut down American power plants and kill American oil exploration while handing out billions to their “green energy cronies” – vote Democrat.
– People who want freedom from religion instead of freedom of religion… people who think “separation of church and state” (which appears in NO official document) applies to banning prayer from schools or the Ten Commandments from public property, but does not apply to the goverrnment forcing churches to pay for abortions against their doctrines – vote Democrat.
– People who want to “reinterpret” or abolish the 2nd Amendment and disarm the American people – vote Democrat.
– People who want to tell a landowner what they can and can’t do on their property if they discover an endangered bug, vermin, or other critter on it – vote Democrat.
– People who scream “keep your laws off my body” but want to force their government healthcare system on yours – vote Democrat.
– People who scream “keep the government out of my bedroom” but want you to pay for what they do in there – vote Democrat.
– People who claim that America is the source of evil in the world, want to dismantle our national defenses, and treat dictators and Islamic theocracies as moral equivalents to the United States – vote Democrat (or Ron Paul).
I could go on and on, but you get the picture…and it ain’t pretty. It doesn’t matter if some local Democrat candidate sounds somewhat decent in their campaign for local or state office: at the end of the day, they’re beholden to the activists and perverted ideologies I listed above.
North Dakota Democrats have to follow their party leadership and ideologies, which is the same bunch of twisted activist radicals who have put us in this current predicament. You elect a Democrat, you’re giving all the above a foot in the door…a foot which will someday occupy the boot on your neck.
