Bear Hunting - Alaska style

The Pope took a couple of days off to visit the rugged mountains of Alaska for some sightseeing. He was cruising along the campground in the Pope Mobile when there was a frantic commotion just at the edge of the woods. A helpless Democrat, wearing sandals, shorts, a 'Vote for Obama' hat and a 'Save the Trees' t-shirt, was screaming while struggling frantically and thrashing around trying to free himself from the grasp of a 10-foot grizzly.

As the Pope watched in horror, a group of Republican loggers with 'Go Sarah' t-Shirts came racing up. One quickly fired a 44 magnum into the bear's chest. The other two reached up and pulled the bleeding, semiconscious Democrat from the bear's grasp. Then using long clubs, the three loggers finished off the bear and two of them threw it onto the bed of their truck while the other tenderly placed the injured Democrat in the back seat.

As they prepared to leave, the Pope summoned them to come over. 'I give you my blessing for your brave actions!' he told them. 'I heard there was a bitter hatred between Republican loggers and Democratic environmental activists, but now I've seen with my own eyes that this is not true.'

As the Pope drove off, one logger asked his buddies 'Who was that guy?'

'It was the Pope,' another replied. 'He's in direct contact with Heaven and has access to all wisdom.'

'Well,' the logger said, 'he may have access to all wisdom, but he doesn't know squat about bear hunting! By the way, is the bait still alive, or do we need to go back to Massachusetts and get another one?

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. For many of us, it's a day off work, the unofficial start of the summer season. And while it's nice to have the day off and I'm definitely ready for summer, we need to insure that the true meaning of the day isn't lost in the rush to enjoy warm weather and a barbeque.

Originally called "Decoration Day", today is a day to remember the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and for those of us who remain behind. It was first celebrated shortly after the end of the U.S. Civil War and was originally a way to remember those Union soldiers killed during that conflict. Since the end of World War I, it's been a day to remember casualties of all U.S. wars and military actions.

Whether you attend a memorial service at your local cemetery, watch a parade or just spend some time in quiet reflection, I hope that you'll take time to honor the thousands of men and women who have made the freedom you enjoy possible. And when you see a veteran who has returned home, please take a moment to let them know you are grateful they sacrificed their time and put their life on the line.

It's especially important that we tell our veterans now how we feel. Many of the remaining veterans of World War II and Korea are in their 80's and countless Vietnam vets are getting ready to collect their pensions because they're turning 65.

Better still, if you get a chance to have an in depth visit with a veteran, listen to what he or she will tell you about his or her experience. I know there are many experiences which are just too horrible to relate, but there are valuable lessons to be learned from those who have seen the horrors of war. May we learn those lessons and use them to avoid the horrors in the future!

New Blog!

I've decided to expand my reach into the blogosphere with a new blog aimed at a fairly narrow audience. Having grown up in northeast Montana and covered sports in that part of the world for a number of years, I've returned to my roots with the MonDak Sports Blog.

The first couple of stories have been posted. There's news from the Northern B Divisional Track Meet this past weekend in Glasgow and the upcoming Bump N Run Racing season in eastern Montana. I plan to include coverage this summer of American Legion baseball in the region as well as some rodeo results and anything else that comes up regarding sports. If you have any suggestions or maybe are planning to attend an event and take along a digital camera, let me know. I'd love to hear from you and share the photos and results.

Thanks.

Dave

Sports Rivalry Renewed?

Cat-Griz, Aggie-Longhorns, Alabama-Auburn, all are famous college sports rivalries which have existed for years, some even going back to the 19th century. One rivalry which hasn't been played out on the field for several years is the Sioux-Bison rivalry in North Dakota.

When the NDSU Bison made the move to NCAA D1 a few years back, they dropped the UND Sioux from their schedule. This pissed off more than a few fans and even got some notice in the North Dakota legislature, which in the last session wasted some time debating the merits of renewing the football series. Now, according to the Associated Press, the athletics directors at the schools in Fargo and Grand Forks are talking, something they hadn't done for years.

It's a little too soon to start staking out your tailgating position at the Alerus Center or the FargoDome, but it's about damn time! Having the two largest universities in a state turn their backs on a rivalry that dates back a century is just plain stupid. Add in the fact that these schools are only an hour apart on I-29 and you have another good reason to resume the series.

Now if we could only get the Big Sky Conference to drop the California schools and add UND and NDSU to give the Cats & Griz another natural conference rivalry.

God grant me the courage...

This picture made me stop to think about how often I complain about things I have no control over while ignoring the obvious changes I can make in how I live my life.

Where are they now!

The Missoulian newspaper had the following article in today's edition. I'm reposting it despite the fact it makes me feel old. I've known Dan Moe for 31 years, since he first moved to Plentywood as a teacher and coach and I was a high school sophomore.

LINK TO STORY

One of my favorite memories of Coach Moe is visiting with him on the sidelines of a Baker - Plentywood basketball game back in the mid 1980's. I had noticed that one of Plentywood's early non-conference games was against the high school in Estevan, Saskatchewan, not a place known for producing top caliber basketball teams. I asked him why he'd allowed them on the schedule and he said he "wanted to play a physical team of hockey player types to get ready for playing Baker".

The Spartans basketball team, then as now, is made up of some very big boys who ruled on the football field and were very good on the basketball court too. I didn't have the heart to tell him that in addition to football skills, at least one of the Spartans was a stand out rodeo cowboy. Dean Wang was on the court at the time and he had been to the National High School Finals Rodeo as a Steer Wrestler. He later qualified for the NFR in Las Vegas as a member of the PRCA. Imagine having to block him out in the lane!

College Requirements

When I headed off to college in 1981, I loaded up my 1979 Chrysler Cordoba with my stereo system, album collection, a portable electric typewriter and my clothes. That's what was necessary. The college bookstore was where I shopped for my textbooks and they were pricey...I remember spending about $30 for an "Intro to Sociology" text that for some reason the professors insisted needed to be changed every fall, so you couldn't just buy a used text from someone who took the class the year before.

Today's new collegians still need to load up their clothes, but their music is probably on a mp3 player about the size of a pack of gum. Text books are getting more expensive and some professors still insist on a new textbook each year. But probably the biggest change has been in the requirements for personal electronic equipment.

At the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, where I attended in the early 80's, there was a computer lab equipped with the state of the art at the time in personal computing. There were some Apple II's, Tandy TRS-80's, some KayPro10's and for those in programming classes, an old IBM Mainframe. Most of the teachers on campus though didn't want to see assignments turned in that had been typed using a word processor because the printer technology back in those days was "dot matrix" and they didn't want to play "connect the dots" with your paper for English 101.

I was just reading that the Missouri University Journalism School, one of the premiere schools of its kind in the country, is now going to require its students to purchase an iPod touch or iPhone.

The reasoning being that lectures alone are a poor way for students to learn. If they listen to a lecture a second or third time they'll be able to retain much more. As a result, classes will be recorded and podcasts of the lectures will be available for the students to download. And by making the devices a requirement, students will be able to include them in their financial aid applications.

Now this makes a lot of sense to me. I would like to applaud the forward thinking faculty at Mizzou for making sure their students stay on top of the learning curve in any way possible. And there's no sarcasm in that statement at all. The only criticism I would have is that one brand was singled out over all others. Is the retirement fund at MU vested in Apple stock?

It would have been easy enough to write the requirements to state students need a device able to store and play back audio of certain formats and up to a certain size. Keep the whole process as open source as possible.

One thing, if Johnny flunks out of J-School, he'll have something he can listen to as he mops floors at the local fast food joint.

Why Twitter?

If you're on Twitter, you can find out exactly why you hate Ashton Kutcher!

Cold Beverages in Seconds

Here's how you can chill your favorite beverage in just minutes from room temperature to frosty goodness.


Ice Cold Drinks In 20 Seconds! - For more amazing video clips, click here

Joe Cocker

I came across this video on the net. It's Joe Cocker at his best at Woodstock in 1969, but he's been captioned for the clear headed. Enjoy!

Click here for the video.

Bet you didn't know that Joe was able to see the future!

Who was General Tso?

Bet you've wondered that as you browsed the buffet at your favorite Chinese restaurant. Jennifer Lee of the New York Times enlightens us on that and many more topics in the following video.

It's Friday!!!!!!!!!

That's right, the end of the week! What have you accomplished? There are times when I haven't felt like I've gotten anywhere, but as long as I've made my best effort, I can always say "Okay, I'm done with that, let's move on and see what happens tomorrow!"

On that note, my friend Bryan Cox, who's blog "Hey, Get Off My Lawn" is always a source of either a laugh or a post that makes you go "Hmmmm", passed along this video that he found on YouTube. So I thought I'd pass it along as well. Enjoy!

How's my Driving???

I drove back to Jamestown, ND today from my parent's home in Plentywood, MT. Anyone who's driven eastern Montana and western North Dakota knows that there is a lot of wide open spaces. Perfect for letting your mind wander so you can come up with offbeat ideas as you drive. Today was no different.

As I was on US Highway 2 between Culbertson, MT and Williston, ND, I was following a semi-truck from Saskatchewan that sported one of those "How's my driving? Call 1-800 yadda yadda" stickers. Well the guy wasn't driving erratically or anything. But I got the idea to call the number anyway, just to see what would happen.

Like I thought, my call went to a call center in some far off place. At least it was somewhere in the US or Canada though, judging from the accent of the operator. When she asked what I had to report, I gave her the code number on the back of the truck and said "I just wanted to tell you that this driver is doing a wonderful job today!" She said "What was that?" And I repeated "He's driving in a responsible manner and I thought you should know that."

That seemed to shock her a bit, so I continued, "The sign on the back of the truck doesn't say 'If my driving sucks call, it says How's my driving' and I figured you and the driver could use some good news once in a while."

That caused her to start laughing and seemed to really brighten her day, which in turn helped with my mood.

Try it next time you're on the road and are behind a semi with one of those stickers, call it and tell the operator you want to report a good driver. I'd love to hear the reaction you get. If you're in radio, this could make a funny prank phone bit. I know I'll be using it at my next on-air job.

Just for fun!

It doesn't matter which of the two parties you voted for back in November, you should be able to get a chuckle out of this.  Thanks to my friend Greg B!

I am lost and it is your fault !

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. 

She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. 

She shouted to him, 'Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I

don't know where I am.' 

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, 'You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14..97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.' 

She rolled her eyes and said, 'You must be a Republican..'

'I am,' replied the man. 'How did you know?'

'Well,' answered the balloonist, 'everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me.' 

The man smiled and responded, 'You must be a Democrat.'

'I am,' replied the balloonist.. 'How did you know?' 

'Well,' said the man, 'you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but,  somehow, now it's my fault.'

Perez Hilton can kiss my...

I'm getting very tired of the controversy surrounding Miss California's performance at the recent Miss USA pageant.  First off, I didn't watch the show because I'm not a fan of Donald Trump, owner of the pageant.  Then psuedo celebrity Perez Hilton grabbed his share of the spotlight when he asked Miss California her opinion of gay marriage.  Nothing like dropping the poor woman into the middle of a mine field!

Carrie Prejean, who's otherwise known as Miss California USA is off on a promotional tour right now, promoting a newly formed group, the National Organization for Marriage.  She made an appearance with Matt Lauer on NBC-TV's The Today Show and I'm sure she's been booked for many other such appearances.  

In case you don't know who Perez Hilton is by now, he's an online gossip columnist who dishes the latest dirt on the hip and famous of Hollywood.  He also happens to be very much out of the closet.  

Now Perez, I believe you were made the way you are, so I'm not going to suggest you change your wicked ways.  But if you ask someone their opinion, you have a 50 - 50 chance they're going to disagree with you, so why are you so shocked?  

And to the California pageant officials who are criticizing Miss Prejean for using her pageant title to promote her religious and political views.  It was the pageant, in the form of Mr. Hilton, who opened the door wide for her to take center stage when he asked the question.  If you don't want your pageant winners to have strong opinions, then don't ask them questions that require an answer that's liable to piss off sizable portion of the audience.

There's gay bashing and there's Christian bashing going on out there and it needs to stop.  I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating.  If Jesus Christ came back to Earth today, judging from what was written in the Bible, I'd be willing to bet that he'd go after the Wall Street & corporate big big shot types before he went after the gay population.  Remember, Christ sat down and ate with the fallen women and sinners and he chased the money changers out of the Temple.

Small Town News

One of the most read columns in any small town newspaper is the police blotter.  Some of these are fairly bland, filled with statistics about the number of speeding tickets issued and the occasional DUI.  Others are a real hoot to read.

I happened across the Valley County Sheriff's report in a recent issue of the Glasgow, MT Courier.  There were some interesting items noted, the best one is the one I'll share now.

Monday April 13, 2009 time: 2004 - A Valley County Deputy says there is a bunch of old ladies in a van and they are sitting at the side of US 24 at mile marker 18.  They are going to be there all night waiting for aliens.

 How could you not find that funny?  Knowing the area, US 24 heads north to the Canadian border at Opheim, MT.  Were the ladies hoping to stop Al Qaeda operatives sneaking in from the north?  Or were they waiting for little green men who planned to make the airstrip at the former Glasgow Air Force Base into the next Roswell?

Unfortunately there was nothing else in the Sheriff's report regarding this matter.  

Controversy in Colstrip, MT

The Senior Class at Colstrip High School in southeast Montana wants to take a trip and being enterprising young folks, they held a fundraiser.  The students packed the school gymnasium for a Donkey Basketball game.  For the uniniated, an animal trainer brings in a truckload of donkeys wearing special rubber shoes to prevent damage to the hardwood.  Players are issued scoop shovels to take care of any "accidents" and they mount up to play an interesting game of hoops.

Most people in Montana have no problem with this sort of entertainment, save for a few PETA types.  However, one of the teams in Colstrip managed to stir up a rather nasty hornet's nest.  The team took the floor with the name "Retard Rodeo" according to a letter to the editor in the Billings Gazette.

Throughout the game, the announcer used the team name, offending at least one person in the stands.  And I will have to take the side of that person as I find the name to be offensive as well.  

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm not exactly "Politically Correct", but I like to think I draw the line at ridiculing a group of people who don't deserve ridicule.  It's one thing to make fun of politicians or yourself, but the person who named the team crossed the line in my book.

In reading the comments posted online after the letter, it was revealed by a parent of one of the team members that the name was decided on at the last minute by one team member, who didn't have the support of the rest of the team.  That student then told the team name to the announcer who went ahead and used it.

I can buy that explanation, and the mother says her daughter has already written a letter of apology.  I say good for the daughter and good for the mother involved there. 

But that still leaves the questions of what should be done with the person who came up with the name and where did the announcer leave his brain that night?  It's not like we didn't have a recent example of something very similar to this blowing up in the press.  President Obama took his lumps and moved on.  The people involved in Colstrip should be taught a lesson too.  I'm not talking anything drastic like drawing & quartering or staking them to an anthill on the prairie drenched in honey.  But seeing as how the name was offensive to those who participate in Special Olympics, why not make those involved in this whole mess spend the day as volunteers at a Special Olympics track meet?

The timing is right, they're being held around the state of Montana right now.  I'm sure they wouldn't have to travel far to find one.  And I think a day with these special people would go a long way to educating our clueless friends as to why they were wrong to use the name "Retard Rodeo".  

You can't believe everything you read!

Back in the olden days, information came in the form of daily and weekly newspapers, hourly radio newscasts, the nightly news on one of the 2 or 3 TV stations you could pick up with your antenna, or in letters that the Post Office delivered in a week or so.  There was plenty of time to digest and analyze the information you received and make sure you had the story right before it got passed on.  Today, with the advent of 24 hour news networks and the internet, our society is bombarded with information from all sides.  

Being a bit of a news junkie, I find this a very good development.  In high school I was the guy who kicked ass when we played "Current Events", a Jeopardy style game using questions ripped from that week's headlines.  Mr. Bob Kuntz, my junior year U.S. History teacher at Plentywood, MT High School, used to make me play against the rest of the class and then cheat for the other side.  My edge came because I worked after school at KATQ AM & FM and read the Associated Press wire during each shift, keeping names and events current in my mind.  

Enough of my ego inflating trip down memory lane, back to the present day.  I'm amazed by what otherwise intelligent people will pass along as "news and information".  It's become so easy, you get an e-mail from someone you know detailing the latest assault on your favorite hot button issue and a simple click on the Forward icon and the e-mail is passed along to everyone in your address book.  

I don't have a problem with people sharing their fervor for an issue, but please people, do some basic fact checking before you resend that e-mail.  One item that comes to mind as I'm writing this is an assertion that "In God We Trust" was being left off the newest $1 U.S. coins that were minted.  I realize that not many people are using these coins, I've yet to get one in change, but all it took for me to determine this was not the case was to search the U.S. Mint's website where I found this to be UNTRUE.  The phrase is inscribed on the edge of the coin, something that had never been done before, but definitely not leaving it off the coin.  

Other commonly forwarded missives can be researched easily enough.  Simply Google the opening line or some other significant part of the e-mail and see what comes back.  Or go to the website called Snopes.  This way, before you alarm everyone you know about the latest gang initiation rituals or where a famous fast food restaurant is purchasing their beef, you'll at least have the satisfaction of knowing that the information you're sending along is reasonably accurate.  

There's an interesting article online that I came across today regarding Twitter and it's ability to disseminate information quickly.  Unfortunately, when it comes to one of today's hottest headlines, Swine Flu, Twitter is not exactly getting a passing mark.  Check out the article by Evgeny Morozov at Neteffect.ForeignPolicy.com.  It makes for some interesting reading.

Farewell to Dog River!

Growing up 15 minutes from the Saskatchewan border in northeast Montana, I was exposed to a lot of things Canadian. Summer fallowing in the tractor went a lot better listening to rock and roll on 800 CHAB and 620 CKCK. Everything from Rush, to April Wine, to Tom Cochrane in his pre-solo days as lead singer of Red Ryder to Trooper.

I've continued my enjoyment of Canadian media and culture into my adulthood. One of my favorite talk radio programs is John Gormley Live on News Talk 980 from Regina. And my favorite sit-com, American or Canadian, is Corner Gas. For those of you who haven't seen the show, it's set in the fictional town of Dog River, Saskatchewan and chronicles life in a town 40 kilometers from nowhere. For the last six seasons, the citizens of Dog River have been making people laugh, first on the Canadian CTV network and later on WGN in Chicago, which has the US broadcast rights.

For those of you who haven't seen the show before, here's a short clip from this season. The cranky old guy in the clip is actor Eric Peterson who plays Oscar Leroy, the former owner of Corner Gas. The bald guy playing the immigration guy is a friend of mine from Saskatoon, comedian Bryan Cox.




The thing I like about Corner Gas is it makes me laugh without having to resort to humor that tears people down or makes me feel uncomfortable in some way. It's genuine humor that can be appreciated by anyone, regardless of whether they've ever lived in a small town. Comedian Brent Butt grew up in Tisdale, Saskatchewan and calls his style "Coffee Shop Humor", the type of jokes you'll hear in coffee shops across the Prairies in Canada or in the Midwestern US.

Since it's inception, the show has been filmed on a soundstage in Regina and for exterior shots, on location in Rouleau, Saskatchewan, just outside of Regina. When chatting with Canadians for the first time, I'll explain where I'm from as being about 2 hours south of Dog River and most of them get it.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The final episode will air on CTV Monday April 13th. Luckily, thanks to my friend James in Prince Albert, I have several seasons of the show on DVD to enjoy when I want and I will be purchasing the final season when it becomes available.

To my American friends who grew up in places like New Rockford, ND; Baker, MT; Powell, WY and the many towns like them, if you haven't seen Corner Gas before, find a way to watch. You'll see your hometown up on the screen and laugh your butt off remembering life in a small town. To those of you who grew up in a major metropolitan area, find a copy of the show too and you'll see why your friends who grew up in small towns in the US and Canada have fond memories of their hometowns.

To the folks of Dog River, farewell and Woolerton (spit) still sucks!

Montana's Drug of Choice? Alcohol!

An editorial in today's online edition of the Billings Gazette caught my attention. A study released by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research shows just how big the business of alcohol is in Montana. (A PDF of the study results is available by clicking this link.)

One of the highlights, in 2005, Montanans (and presumably those visiting the state too), consumed 33 million glasses of wine, 124.7 million shots of distilled spirits and 279.6 million 12-ounce cans of beer. That's 473.3 million single servings of alcohol in its various forms. Considering that the population of Montana is under one million people, that's an amazing amount of alcohol.

Now, according to US Census figures I found on Wikipedia, the population in 2006 was 997,670. So that means enough alcohol was consumed to provide an almost daily buzz for the entire population, even when you factor in tourists and other travelers.

One of the more disturbing statistics was the level of binge drinking among high school seniors. In Sheridan County, where I grew up, 51.2% of high school seniors in 2006 had experienced binge drinking in the 2 weeks before the survey. Binge drinking is defined as 5 or more drinks over the course of a couple hours. Now granted, the number of high school seniors in Sheridan County is low - I'm making an educated guess here that Plentywood had probably about 35 seniors, Westby maybe 5, Medicine Lake maybe 10 and that might have been the final year for Outlook so there was one more student there. But we're still talking about half of all the seniors at the county's high schools. There were only two counties which reported a higher percentage, Big Horn County, which has a fairly large population (Hardin & Lodge Grass would have been two of the high schools surveyed there) and Garfield County. The seniors at schools in Big Horn county reported 55.6% of them had binge drank while the Garfield County students (Jordan) reported 71.4% had. Jordan High School has a total enrollment of less than 70 for grades 9-12, so the senior class at the time was probably around 15 students.

Some of these students will be lucky enough to grow out of their binge drinking phase; others will struggle for years, in and out of rehab or jail; still others will not make it to their high school graduation.

What can be done? I think we need to start thinking of alcohol as a drug. It is, although it's one that is legal for consumption by adults. I'm not advocating prohibition. That doesn't work, as evidenced by our country's experiment in the early 20th century and with the Great War on Drugs currently underway. Instead, we need to determine what is lacking in the lives of our younger generation that they are trying to fill with alcohol.

The cry of "There's nothing to do in this hick town!" has been around for years. I remember saying it myself and while they won't admit it now, I'm sure some members of my dad's generation said it too. Of course we were wrong when we said it. There are things to do, they just don't always seem to be enough fun at the time.

The community has to get together to make sure we don't forget there are things to do that don't involve alcohol. A good start would be to organize fewer events that involve an open bar. Growing up, the message I got was "It wasn't truly a party" unless there was at least some alcohol available.

Go ahead and enjoy a glass of wine, a cold beer or your favorite cocktail tonight. But at least think about the message you're sending to the younger generation!

Winds of Change in a Small Town

The following was written by Lynn Loucks Newnam, who graduated from Plentywood (Montana) High School after I did. She posted it to Facebook, and since she doesn't have her own blog, I asked if she would allow me to repost it here to give it a potentially wider audience. Dave

Like so many others who were born in raised in Eastern Montana, my family homesteaded our farm over 100 years ago. My grandfather broke his first 40 acres walking behind a plow. He and my grandmother lived in a sod house that first winter in 1908. Over the years they raised 6 children on that piece of land. My father and all 3 of his brothers served when their country called and their sisters taught in schoolhouses in towns that no longer exist. The ghosts of that time still echo in the rotting timbers of the old barn, the rusted metal of an ancient thrasher and the worn dates on tombstones.

In the past few years, our governor has come to Eastern Montana twice to speak at high school graduations in dying towns that have one graduating student. These were communities that used to be bustling with church socials, community square dancing, and swelling with pride when their basketball teams won. Today, the governor shows up for one student? Why didn’t anyone show up when the price of wheat was $2.25 a bushel? Why didn’t anyone show up when farmers were auctioning off their land for pennies on the dollar? Where was our governor when those schools were graduating 20 to 30 students? Why show up for the requiem when you never bothered to show up to celebrate the life of rural Montana? A message of hope rings hollow in a rural community where people drive 40 miles to the nearest grocery store and 300 miles to the nearest trauma center.

I heard the governor speak to a group of high school students once. He said, “The future of Montana lies in Eastern Montana. We will not forget about you.” I guess that’s the problem with words. They are so easy to say, but so hard to mean. Teacher’s make $22,000/year starting pay in Eastern Montana, correctional officers make $15 an hour, and over 500 oil field workers have been laid off in the Williston Basin in the last 6 months. Most of these guys were locals – home owners and contributors to the local tax base. To add insult to injury our government just made it easier for these same oil companies to hire Mexicans with Mexican driver’s licenses to drive trucks and work on rigs here in the Williston Basin.

I too left the comforts of rural Montana for the excitement and lights of the big city. I moved to LA and I lived there for 15 years. I took a $30,000 pay cut to move home, but I’m home now. It saddens me that we our losing our rural culture, a way of life, and the opportunity to make a living and a future for our children.
We reminisce about the “old days.” My dad reminisces about buildings, businesses, post offices, schools and towns that just don’t exist anymore. I hope that my children and grandchildren we be able to experience the places I reminisce about and not just hear about them in stories.

George Bernard Shaw wrote, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Some philosophers think this statement suggests that turbulent change doesn’t affect reality on a deeper level…….I guess they’ve never seen a farmer covered in the day’s sweat and dust praying at sunset for rain.

The Bailout!

Ok, so this is a lazy way to do a blog, but it looked like fun so I thought I'd try it.

Dave

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Political Correctness

I'm not the most politically correct guy out there. Over the years, I've told my share of jokes that could offend and I think that there are some people in our society who are too thin skinned for their own good. But today I read about a man who has a summer home 25 miles outside of Billings, MT who's been fighting with the county commissioners in Yellowstone County about the name of the road leading to that home.

The road running past his place is called "Squaw Creek Road". The term squaw has become controversial in the past decade or so. Even though its origins appear to be pure, it comes from the easter Algonquian Indian word for "woman", over the years the term has come to be associated with a less than desirable connotation for woman.

You wouldn't name a road leading to a Catholic Church "Mackerel Snapper Way"; if a family from Italy lived there it wouldn't be "Dago Drive" and if someone of Polish descent moved in you wouldn't call it "Polack Place"?

It's time to eliminate place names that do nothing but show how insensitive we are to our fellow man!

Sandbagging...another way to look at it!

The Red River at Fargo has crested and slowly things are returning to normal. So I thought I would pass along an interesting blog post by Matt Chambers, who recently moved from Fargo to Boulder, Colorado. Matt apparently does computer based modeling and design for a company called concept3D, an architectural design firm. He took a program called "Sketch Up" and put the sandbagging done at Fargo into a whole new perspective. You can check it out here.

Job hunting

My search for a new full time radio gig continues. The economy and radio consolidation have made job searches a bit tougher than when I got into this business back in the dark ages. I'm grateful for a lot of the changes that have occurred in the business over the years. I don't miss playing 45's and albums (sorry if you're a purist who dislikes digital music). I also don't miss having commercials on carts (these are tape cartridges that look kind of like 8 tracks - remember those).

If you're reading this and are in the radio business or know someone who is, I've posted a demo of some of my recent work in a quick YouTube video. Check it out and if you like what you hear, my contact info is on the video screen.

Thanks. I'll keep you posted.

Dave

Flooding & Hate

I thought the recent flooding in the Red River Valley was the result of too much snow this winter, but apparently I'm wrong.

According to a press release from the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, “God sent the flood waters to cover the evil people of Bismarck and Fargo, ND, where you flipped off God and raised your hands against His anointed by criminalizing WBC’s gospel preaching against” gays and their supporters.

The Westboro Baptist Church is run by the Reverend Fred Phelps and his family. Their the ones going around the country picketing the funerals of servicemen and women who were killed in Iraq, all in the name of spreading "the gospel". They're upset because the North Dakota legislature, in 2007, passed a law requiring them to remain at least 300 feet away from a funeral service with their pickets.

Rev. Fred, you don't like homosexuals...I get that. I don't agree with your stand, but our country gives you freedom of speech. However, that right comes with responsibilities and it should come with a sense of decency. The servicemen and women who are killed in Iraq have nothing to do with the issue of gay rights. So why do you feel the need to picket their funerals? I'll answer that question myself, you're a publicity seeking bigot!

Why aren't you picketing outside the homes of Wall Street executives. I'm no biblical scholar, but I believe Jesus was much more critical of the money lenders than he was of homosexuals!

Every society has it's radicals, from the fundamentalist Muslims of the Middle East to the Bible thumpers of Kansas. Let's just hope that the radicals we have in the US remain in a small minority.

Weird Winter Fun

Here in the Upper Midwest, it's been a long winter. So long that it's driving some to drink. This unfortunate deer had a run in with a vehicle in a western North Dakota oilfield and some of the roughnecks took advantage of the situation.

Please don't complain to me about animal cruelty. The deer was already harmed when this was done.

Twitter & Celebs

The other day I started following Pat Sajak on Twitter. I was fairly new to using Twitter and I noticed that my friend Brian Cox in Saskatoon (@coxtox) was following Pat and there were some amusing posts, so I thought why not.

I was flattered to receive an e-mail alert shortly afterwards that Pat Sajak...the Pat Sajak of Wheel of Fortune...was following my Tweets. So I did what any Twitterer would do, I Tweeted about it.

I got a few responses back from friends in Facebook, where my Tweets are automatically posted. Someone said he'd be more impressed if it was Vanna White, but I was still feeling sorta special. I'm following quite a few people, so sometimes responses to me on Twitter get lost in the shuffle. Tonight I did a Google search of "@BigDaveBigVoice" (my Twitter handle) to see what came up. Lo and behold I found a message from Pat Sajak himself to me. I favorited my Tweet that prompted his response and then did a screen capture so I could share it. If you click on the picture, you'll be able to more easily read it.

Fun with Sheep

Please, no Montana sheep jokes. This is truly amazing what you can do with some LED's, some talented sheep dogs and a herd of the wooly buggers.

It's supposed to be spring!!!

Here it is, the last day of March. The month is definitely going out like a lion in eastern North Dakota. I snapped a few pics with my cell phone while standing on the porch this afternoon to give you an idea of what we're going through.

Where did you get your dinner?

The answer to that question for many Americans over the past several decades has increasingly been "The supermarket." or "A restaurant." And that's really a shame.

Growing up on a farm near Plentywood, MT, I was privileged to enjoy the meals that had been raised practically in my backyard. Not every meal, but many more than the average American. Of course at the time, I wasn't all that appreciative. I watched my share of TV and was aware of the plethora of processed foods available. There was a time when I would have rather eaten an Oscar Mayer hot dog than fresh garden vegetables. But what kid doesn't.

I like to think I'm a bit more enlightened these days. Plus I'm addicted to shows like "Good Eats" on The Food Network. As I sit writing this during a late March North Dakota snowstorm, I've been pondering the idea of filling some Rubbermaid tubs or similar containers with potting soil and doing a container garden, to at least grow some tomatoes, maybe some peppers and a squash or two.

It's a good idea on a number of levels. One, seeds are very cheap, especially compared to the price of a decent restaurant meal. Two, most restaurant meals and a lot of the supermarket produce in this part of the country has been trucked in from all over the country. Now I'm not a real Green Freak, but when less of our food needs to be shipped in, the less we need to depend on foreign oil. Three, home grown garden produce tastes so much better than anything you can buy in the supermarket. Ever gotten used to eating homegrown tomatoes like an apple and then try it with their supermarket cousin? YUCK!!!

Even our President and his family is getting into the act. A total of 1100 square feet of the White House grounds is being turned into a kitchen garden for the first time since Eleanor Roosevelt did it during World War II. The Obama's are getting help tending the garden from Washington, DC area fifth graders. Hats off to the President and First Lady for following through on this project.

I don't think the local supermarkets are going to be in any danger of closing as a result of small time gardeners. But I think it's a good idea for all Americans to give some consideration to growing a bit of what they consume. I am so looking forward to the summer and doing a little growing plus shopping the local Farmer's Markets.

Bathroom humor in commercials

I was watching television earlier tonight and as I surfed through the channels, a commercial on the Fargo CBS affiliate caught my attention. I don't think the advertiser is going to be happy though. The ad was for a bingo parlor in Grand Forks and I first saw a pair of women's high heels under the stall in the ladies' room. The tag line for the ad, as the woman left the rest room was "I could be playing bingo!".

What was going through the mind of the creative team on this spot???? Now granted, I didn't see the entire ad and I have only caught it once, but what good can come of using bathroom humor to sell a product?

Unique artist

Ghost in the Machine: Jim Morrison
Originally uploaded by iri5

I found this unique artist on a blog at NoiseAddicts. Her Flickr handle is iri5. I don't know much more about her, but she has some amazing work.

Shown is a picture of Jim Morrison of the Doors done with cassette tape.

The Peeing Puppy

This is just too funny. I found it on a blog called The Schmitten Kitten.

The Evolution of Man

I found this on the 100 Musical Steps Blog. Pretty darn funny (and true - at least so far).

National Champions

March Madness came to Montana this week! The Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears are the NAIA Men's Basketball National Champions. The beat Missouri's Columbia College Tuesday night by a score of 77 to 61.

Bears' coach Bill Dreikosen was named the NAIA Coach of the Year after the win. Not bad for a guy who grew up in northeast Montana and played high school ball for the Hinsdale Raiders!

There's more in this article from the Billings Gazette.

Commercial Parody

I wish I could take credit for this. Credit belongs to comedian Wild Bill Bauer who I saw on Bob & Tom on WGN tonight.

His subject matter caught my attention because earlier this evening I was visiting with a female friend who was complaining about the quality of men in her life (present company excepted I hope).

Enjoy! LOL

Dave

Flooding & Stupidity

The flooding in North Dakota is major news, not just on the Fargo stations which serve as my local news outlets, but the story lead tonight's ABC Network newscast and it even made it on the BBC in the UK. Luckily, here in Jamestown, we seem to be escaping the brunt of the flooding, although there is still some concern about the James River. The Bismarck/Mandan area received a hit earlier today, but the majority of the concern is in the Red River Valley and Fargo specifically where the river is at 36 feet and expected to crest 5 feet higher by Saturday. That will break the record set in 1997, which was an especially devastating year.

One thing concerns me about the flooding. Why are people building in areas which are prone to flooding??? There was one guy who was featured on a Fargo newscast who said he was surprised that FEMA hadn't purchased his property before this flood. He said that he'd been flooded 4 times in the time he'd lived there and there was a For Sale sign in his front yard surrounded by water.

EXCUSE ME!!!!!! You bought a lot in a low lying area by a river that is prone to flooding and you're wondering why the government hasn't come along to bail you out!!!! The recent financial bail outs of AIG and the automakers hasn't helped this sense of entitlement.

I'm sorry, but I think buyout and bailout programs should be for people who are affected by events which they could not have reasonably forseen and avoided. That does not include building your dream home in the middle of a 100 year flood plain. My heart goes out to anyone who has lost property in the flooding. But if you're not going to follow common sense when selecting a site, maybe you need to learn the hard way. Especially if this is the fourth time you've been flooded out of the same location!

No Drought in North Dakota!

The major flooding problems in North Dakota are about 100 miles east of me in the Red River Valley. But here in Jamestown we have a few problems and hope it doesn't get worse. The video is from the local cable company.

More from my friend Trina

Metalmorphosis
Originally uploaded by KaTrina Blanks

Here's another great shot of the Metalmorphosis sculpture in Charlotte, NC by my friend Trina Blanks. Hope you enjoy.

Downtown Miles City Fire

Downtown Miles City Fire
Originally uploaded by PicKLeS (Pat, Kara, Lauren, and Sam)

Another photo from the fire in Miles City, MT plus a video from YouTube.

Miles City, MT Burns

Arnold Block Burns
Originally uploaded by dave_mcmt

Downtown Miles City, MT has been hit with another devastating fire. Monday's blaze destroyed several businesses in the historic downtown.

I enjoyed stopping at the Cellar Pizza when I lived in Baker, MT. This will create a huge hole in the middle of the downtown.

Browsing Flickr

bike trip
Originally uploaded by darla.kemp

Tonight I got sucked into browsing around Flickr a bit using the location tags. It's been fun finding pictures of familiar places. This shot was taken along MT Highway 5 about 5 miles west of my Mom & Dad's. It's on the north side of the highway, just before you get to the Outlook turn.

Watching the sun set!

Watching the sun set!
Originally uploaded by KaTrina Blanks

My friend Trina Blanks is an awesome photographer. She took this shot in March 2009. It's a picture of the Metalmorphosis sculpture in Charlotte, NC. If you'd like to learn more about the sculpture you can check out it's website. http://www.metalmorphosis.tv/

I happen to believe Trina's shot is better than anything on the official website.

Paws (glowing)

Paws (glowing)
Originally uploaded by dgolterman

This is a quick snapshot I took of my friend Michelle's cat Paws. I used my cell phone and built in flash and got an a rather strange effect that was curiously interesting. As a result I thought I'd share it.

The Tonight Show with Barack Obama

President Barack Obama appeared tonight on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, an appearance which received a fair amount of hype leading up to it. I'll admit right up front that I didn't vote for President Obama, but I have to say I was impressed with the way he handled himself for the most part.

I was sure that conservative pundits would take some pot shots at President Obama for his appearance on a comedy program at this time of financial crisis in our country. I wasn't disappointed. Flipping through the channels after the show, Fox was already dissecting the appearance less than 30 minutes after it aired in the Eastern and Central time zones.

But for me that criticism is groundless. The President has a message he wants to get out to the people and he chose an outlet that would reach a significant portion of the population. There are some in the media who have forgotten that a significant portion of our population does not educate themselves on current events by watching the news or reading anything more intellectually stimulating than People magazine. President Obama certainly got his message in front of a number of Americans who would have missed him if he had appeared on 60 Minutes or one of the other news programs produced by the alphabet networks.

Things weren't all roses for the President though. He's going to take some flak for one small, off the cuff remark during his appearance. Jay Leno was teasing Obama about his bowling skills, or lack there of. A fuss had been made when he bowled a 26 during a photo op somewhere on the campaign trail. Jay asked if he was going to be removing the bowling alley in the White House since he was such a bad bowler. Obama said he'd made some improvement in his game and had even bowled a 129 recently.

All would have been good, except our Supreme Leader tried to be funny and added a line about how his bowling skills were suitable for the "Special Olympics". I have a feeling Barack is quoting Homer Simpson about now "DOH!!!!".

I'd try to come up with my own funny line now, but I'm afraid I might fall victim to the same syndrome as the President and who knows who I'd offend. So I guess I'll stop now while I'm ahead.

Dave

Annoying things on TV

Like a large part of the American population, I probably watch too much television. And being slightly opinionated, there are some things on television that I find highly annoying.

Let's start my list with some annoying commercials. The one that grates on me the most of late is the T-Mobile ad where the wife is ragging on her husband for butt dialing. Apparently he needs a phone that has a cover over the keypad. I've never had a butt dialing problem. I never keep my cell phone in my back pocket. Sitting on it would be too damn uncomfortable. Thanks T-Mobile for inventing a problem and presenting it to us in the most annoying manner.

Another recent ad that has got me on edge is the home pregnancy test kit which claims that 1 in 4 women misread their test results incorrectly. There's nothing like telling 25% of your target audience that they're idiots, especially women who are either trying to get pregnant or those who are.

Bob, the smiling male enhancement guy. Enough said.

Now there are some personalities on television which make me want to turn the channel too. Paris Hilton and any other celebrity who's famous for being famous is at the top of that list.

Actor David Caruso of CSI-Miami and NYPD Blue sets me on edge anytime he comes on the screen. His character is the same no matter the show and seems so contrived.

Doctor Phil is also on my list of annoyances. Mental health is not a spectator sport and that's exactly what the good doctor has done. His first national exposure came when he consulted with Oprah Winfrey's defense team when she got sued for making disparaging remarks about the beef industry. When she won the lawsuit, she thanked Phil on the air and then gave him a national platform. Thank you Oprah...not!

My final couple of television annoyances are technical. I'm sick and tired of trying to watch a program with logos covering the screen and even part of the action. The other comes when I'm watching something and all of a sudden the volume is at screaming level when the commercials come on.

Not everything on TV annoys me. I'll post some of my positive comments next.

Paul Harvey - RIP

An American icon has left the mortal world and has now rejoined his "Angel". Radio commentator Paul Harvey died Saturday (2-28) in Arizona at the age of 90.

I've been expecting the news for quite some time, but that doesn't make it any easier. Paul has been a part of my personal and professional life for as long as I can remember. My dad, also named Paul, was an avid listener. Paul's programs came on at 7:30am and 12:30pm each weekday and when we were at the breakfast or dinner table and heard "Hello Americans..." we knew it was time to be very, very quiet. If you caused a disturbance during Paul Harvey, you risked Dad's wrath.

Don't worry, no one got whipped or anything like that, but I think there were some times when the program didn't air because of "technical difficulties" at the local station that my Dad would have liked to have kicked somebody's ass.

Growing up listening to Paul, I got the idea that it would be pretty cool to work in radio. By the time I was 16, I was working part time at KATQ AM & FM in Plentywood, MT. After high school, I attended the Yellowstone School of Broadcasting in Billings, MT and then the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, all the while working in radio. Many of the stations I worked for were Paul Harvey affiliates and I listened to literally thousands of his newscasts and "The Rest of the Story" broadcasts.

One of my most vivid memories of Paul's broadcasts came from a program I missed hearing, but I heard about it soon afterward. While I was in the Rimrock Foundation in Billings, MT back in January 1997, my Dad came in for the family week activities with the news that our hometown of Plentywood had been on Paul Harvey. He then proceeded to tell me that Montana Highway Patrolman Del Kranzler had pulled over a suspected drunk driver and taken him to the Sheridan County Sheriff's Department to administer the breathalyzer test. When there, the suspect asked to use the restroom. When he stepped out, Del noticed a blue tint around the guys lips. Apparently the legend was that the ingredients of a urinal cake would help you defeat the breathalyzer test.

What a story to hear while you're sobering up!

That was a typical Paul Harvey broadcast, a mixture of the hard news of the day with some offbeat stories from whatever source he could find. It kept the listeners coming back daily for over fifty years.

I think Paul is now sharing "The Rest of the Story" or maybe a bumpersnicker with St. Peter and God in Heaven.

Thank you Paul for sharing with us these many year. Godspeed.