MinnesotaBrown

Bobby Dylan's Christmas Fun Time

2009-11-24T13:15:00.004-06:00

The newest video from Hibbing's son Bob Dylan, "Must Be Santa Claus," debuted last week. I finally found it on YouTube. Oh, you must watch the whole thing. It gets crazy toward the end. I was skeptical about the Dylan Christmas album, but I might be coming around after seeing this.

COLUMN: "To sleep, perchance to write"

2009-11-22T12:46:00.003-06:00

This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune.

To sleep, perchance to write
By Aaron J. Brown

Dreams supposedly reflect your fears, inadequacies, hopes and desires. Lately I’ve been having writing dreams.

Recently, I told everyone I know that I was stepping away from blogging to focus on my fiction. A novel. The Great American Novel. I didn’t call it that, but everyone knows that’s what you mean. It’s code. Your going to shake the dust off this little town (or large metropolitan area, or vague suburban area, or vast untamed wilderness and/or prairie) and become a Writer with a big “W.” Sunday columnist for a regional daily? Yeah, that’s nice and all, but, you know. (This is also code).

The writing started with a flourish, much like the excitement that would accompany my entry into Ultimate Fighting or professional tennis. I’d buy my tights and/or rackets and, for a moment, the excitement of the situation would overshadow the reality. Oh dude, I have a job! Oh dude, I have kids! Oh dude, I have been writing pithy 600 word newspaper columns for almost a decade … maybe that is, like, entirely different than writing a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Maybe, indeed, I am a living cliché.

The other day I had a rare vivid dream. I have many dreams, mostly vague, sprinkled with unusual psychological cues. Too much food (dreams about food). Too many beers? (Dreams about beers … or bears, language is fluid). For me, and perhaps for most, dreams are neither predictable nor surprising.

But in this particular dream I was an observer, not a participant. The scene was a home day care. Kids ran. Kids screamed. Kids expressed frustration with the human condition. I can recall the pattern on people’s shirts, plaids and stripes, but also could feel their emotions. The day care was both a sanctuary and a prison for these children, as they brought the burdens of their home life with them. One particular boy seemed especially troubled. His dad was always late to pick him up. This affected the staff. The boy could sense the tension.

“So literary!” While I slept, my dream self was writing more (and better) than my waking self had written in months. Here I saw the vulnerability of a child juxtaposed with societal norms pertaining to child rearing. In the dream, the father arrived to pick up his son well after the predetermined time. Professionally dressed and tired, he mumbled a half-hearted apology to the staff while his son silently shuffled to his side. As the door closed, the staff muttered as they cleaned.

“This is gold!” And as I thought that, I saw the father earlier that day – without the five o’clock shadow and sagging eyes. He was a doctor, you see, and a good one. He tended to his patients, fought for them, well, like a father should fight for his son. But it wasn’t easy. Administration was holding him back, denying him the chance to save lives. The system was flawed and he grew frustrated. Topical!” I thought.

The final straw came as the doctor ate lunch. He was interrupted by a hospital lawyer, advising him not to perform a critical operation. My writer self began to realize the true possibilities of this plot: Conflict, humanity, intrigue. I watched the doctors face fall, his brow wrinkle. Suddenly, he became … so … angry. His skin … started to turn color. With his arms held out to the side, his shirt sleeves began … to tighten.

“No!” my writer/narrator/subconscious self yelled. “It couldn’t be!”

The doctor’s skin was now a deep green, his shirt burst open and his body increased notably in size. His eyes glowed. He smashed the table, threw his lunch tray and ran, presumably to perform the operation anyway – or else fight crime. And I realized the ugly truth. The reason that the doctor was always late to pick up his son was because he was the Incredible Hulk. Even in my dream, I cursed the implausible plot twist. Later, the doctor would wake up in his normal state, dazed and wearing tattered clothing. Checking his watch, he would dash to pick up his son at the day care.

Dreams can lift hope, and sometimes they can smash a good plot. Hulk Smash. The writing continues.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Contact him or read more at his blog MinnesotaBrown.com. His book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” won the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award.

The return of my giant head on a tiny screen

2009-11-21T14:15:00.002-06:00

At this approximate moment I am about to "address" a session on "hyperlocal" blogging at the Netroots Nation conference in the Twin Cities. I am not there; rather I recorded this opening statement and will be participating in the panel discussion via an audio connection. If you're interested in the challenges facing local political and news bloggers, this might interest you.

Brown on the Air: GIVING THANKS

2009-11-20T10:23:00.004-06:00

The Saturday morning call in/music program "Between You and Me" on 91.7 KAXE returns this weekend with guest host Linda Johnson. My regular contribution is an encore presentation that fits with this week's topic of "Thanksgiving." The piece is about the importance of two little words, "thank you," in parenting. It's all funny and cute and stuff. Meantime, back to work for me!

Tune in for "Between You and Me," 10 a.m. and noon Saturday on 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota or streaming live all over the world at www.kaxe.org.

47 layoffs at MN Discovery Center

2009-11-19T20:42:00.000-06:00

The press release from the Ironworld Development Corporation, regarding the situation at the Minnesota Discovery Center:

Minnesota Discovery Center announces layoffs

CHISHOLM – The Ironworld Development Corporation Board of Directors today announced that Minnesota Discovery Center (formerly Ironworld), a 660-acre museum, entertainment venue, research library and park in Chisholm, MN, will temporarily be closed to the public, effective Friday, November 20, 2009, at 5 p.m.

“We would like to thank our employees for their patience and understanding as we determine what the future holds for this institution,” said Minnesota Discovery Center CEO, Mike Andrews.

Iron Range Resources created the nonprofit organization and negotiated a Management Agreement in 2007 for its operations. They supported the nonprofit through an endowment of $10 million and a transitional subsidy that is to be phased out over a five-year period. With the world recession, the endowment declined to $5.9 million this spring, resulting in substantially lowered funding levels.

The new name, Minnesota Discovery Center, provided a broader platform in the effort to re-invigorate the facility and give it national importance. This strategy worked. Revitalized programming within budget yielded a 15% increase in attendance figures despite cold weather, five months of highway construction, and an economy where tourism spending in northeastern Minnesota saw double digit declines.

“The financing model developed two years ago, combined with the world economic situation, just doesn’t work”, states CEO Mike Andrews. “Our overhead costs, not fundable by grants or sponsorships, are considerably higher than our declining subsidy and endowment interest. Although we experienced an increase in visitor attendance, it is not enough to make that up difference in a limited market.”

The temporary layoffs affect 47 dedicated employees who have been passionate about the success of the facility.

“The board is currently reviewing all options for continuing operations,” said Rich Puhek, IDC Board Chair. “We owe it to our dedicated staff and to the public that has been so supportive of the Minnesota Discovery Center to continue to make every effort to succeed.”

The IDC Board remains optimistic about the future of the facility.

Minnesota Discovery Center opened in 1977 as the Iron Range Interpretive Center with 34 exhibits and a nominal admission charge. In 1979, the Hall of Geology was added, followed by the 1980 opening of the Research Center library and archives. In 1986, after an 18-month shutdown, the facility re-opened as with a railroad, amphitheater, new admissions building and "Festival Park."

Financial problems at the former Ironworld

2009-11-19T08:16:00.001-06:00

Major news will be breaking today and Friday about serious financial problems at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm (formerly Ironworld). Several inside sources have relayed information to me independently, enough that this cannot be a secret.

In addition to the name change, the Discovery Center has been going through an extended transition from state management to that of a private nonprofit corporation. The facility was never intended to be a financial boon to the region; rather it was intended to be an historical and cultural interpretive site for the people of the Iron Range. Nevertheless, the anticipated announcement is particularly rough. Layoffs and a temporary closure are expected unless emergency funding is secured. The development is not being presented as the end of the facility, but those involved expect serious restructuring.

Fundamentally, the thing to remember is that this facility was built for the people of the Iron Range so that they, too, could remember their history and celebrate their unique culture. That mission should not be abandoned regardless of what happens next.

UPDATE: WDIO has the story. No different than what I've heard.

The Whistling Bird is no more

2009-11-18T14:51:00.004-06:00

The Whistling Bird, the Iron Range's best (and only) Jamaican restaurant, has closed. For a decade, the "Bird" represented a pearl of uniqueness in the blue collar grit of the Iron Range. There is nothing funny about this. Nothing at all.

The MDN has its story behind the pay wall. The DNT will post its story on Thursday, according to its food blog.

Iron Range education at a crossroads

2009-11-18T08:47:00.004-06:00

As a loyal WDIO viewer I missed a couple of interesting education stories from Northland's News Center (Channels 3, 6, 11, et al).

On consolidation ... and on the future of Iron Range education. Both of the stories focus on the plight of the St. Louis County school district, which is important, but a Range-wide discussion about the merits of consolidation and a new focus on educational outcomes is also long overdue.

St. Louis County schools are holding a special Dec. 8 operating levy vote that some say could determine the survival of this rural northern Minnesota district.

Mesabi Nugget slated to go in mid-December

2009-11-18T08:42:00.002-06:00

In other news, Mesabi Nugget plans to begin shipping its unique iron nugget product by mid-December. This reflects another slight delay but is small enough where we might be able to consider this a likelihood.

Once more, with feeling

2009-11-18T08:18:00.005-06:00

Maybe you heard about the Mesaba Energy Project Final Environmental Impact Statement released this week. Local newspaper readers were treated to this Bill Hanna Mesabi Daily News story in the Range's largest newspapers. The company is still pretending like it doesn't understand why the Administrative Law Judge's, Public Utility Commission and even this very EIS point out that carbon sequestration on the Iron Range is not currently possible. And of course, Excelsior Energy's lack of a customer for the power is but a minor concern. Everything is fine, we are told. It's always fine. It will be fine forever and ever.

Bill's story is balanced enough to point out that environmental groups oppose the project because it uses coal. That's true, I guess, for some. But the project's biggest problem isn't coal. It's that it's a massive taxpayer funded boondoggle that can't and won't stand on its own two feet. This project is a mix of the worst elements of capitalism and socialism, serving the needs of the few through questionable means.

Even the most optimistic realist (one not on the company dime) could predict only a tiny fraction of the original jobs promised through this project. At "best," we're gonna get a small natural gas plant with an adjoining science experiment. For all the millions of public dollars and time invested, the Mesaba project just isn't worth it. It never was. The reasons why have been presented to key local officials and local media outlets. They have ignored it. Newspaper stories like this are a huge part of the reason why this thing has gotten as far as it has.

But, I've said this all before. If the company is going to hold its line, I guess I have to hold mine. I'll write about something else today to cleanse the palate.

Final EIS released for Iron Range boondoggle

2009-11-16T20:52:00.003-06:00

Today, the Minnesota Department of Commerce released the long awaited final Environmental Impact Statement for the Mesaba Energy Project, a proposed (and beleaguered) Iron Range coal power plant. (WDIO has the story). The EIS is a large and nuanced document, but my cursory reading of the nuts and bolts reveal few surprises. The project's fundamental problems remain.

The start-up company Excelsior Energy, an organization that grew out of power industry lobbyists and lawyers, still has no customer and no permits and almost no private investment. It's been rejected by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and faces stiff opposition from Xcel Energy and Minnesota Power, two strong forces in the state's energy industry. The whole project is based on the political support of "clean" coal technology, a technology that does not currently exist and that cannot practically be developed on the Iron Range because of our hard rock geology. Local politicians, state politicians, federal politicians and government bureaucrats of all political stripes have united behind a myth that could be built, the same way the Monorail was built in the satirical cartoon The Simpsons. This is not satire. The Mesaba Energy Project is a sad metaphor for everything that's wrong with politics on the Iron Range and probably every place else where population loss and economic trouble fosters false hope. So many other ideas for entrepreneurship, technology and infrastructure could have better used the money and political energy burned, like a lump of coal, on this foolish snipe hunt.

Hey, I don't lose sleep over coal. Lots of Range facilities burn coal. I don't like coal, but hey, coal can just get in line with all the other things I don't like, including state budget shifts, public education funded by local property taxes and beef casserole. It's the principle of this thing still bothers me and always will. I haven't written about this topic since July. That's how I prefer it, frankly.

COLUMN: "Notes from November"

2009-11-15T12:47:00.000-06:00

This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. It represents the rare "notes" column on my part, in which I invoke the spirit of an elderly weekly newspaper editor to write about all sorts of things in seemingly random order.

Notes from November
By Aaron J. Brown

2nd week of deer camp arrives

The local TV accounts from the deer hunting opener always amuse. The news van parks at a wild game registration site and films the first successful hunters as they drag their deer onto the scales. These hunters always report a wildly improved hunt from the previous year. Amazing that the hunt keeps getting better and better, every year, no matter what! It couldn’t be that the only people who tote carcasses to registration sites on the first day are those who shot their deer as soon as the season began, could it? Indeed, one might suggest that no one shows up to tell the DNR what they didn’t shoot.

If the reporters wanted to be brutally accurate they’d be out in the woods (in orange) filming the weekend warriors sleeping in their stands, lamenting the presence of a wolf pack or sitting back at the shack nursing their aching heads. The DNR will release the real numbers in due time and then we’ll know for sure.

Taconite worker health study begins

I’ve been in touch with an official with the University of Minnesota School of Health about the start of the Minnesota Taconite Workers Health Study. That’s a whole lot of boring words strung out in a row, but some high emotions and deeply impacted lives are responsible for this happening. You might remember the hubbub when many ex-taconite workers were being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer often found in people working industrial jobs. In 2007, there was demand for a state study on the matter, some political intrigue, and eventually money was allocated.

For reasons of research integrity, a select sampling of taconite miners have been invited to participate in a very simple review. The results of this process could greatly improve the lives of those who have worked in taconite mining in the past and those who work there now. For as bad as the economy is these days, no one needs additional mesothelioma. If you are asked to join the study, participate if you can.

The phantom recovery

Minnesota Public Radio’s Bob Kelleher filed a report that was republished in several area newspapers last week about the state of the Iron Range economic recovery. In short, we’re still waiting for the substantive boost from the slowly improving national economy. Joblessness is higher here in Hibbing than anywhere else in Minnesota and the prospects of our local mines resuming production soon are mixed at best.

As we celebrate Hibbing’s new slogan “We’re More Than Ore” (indeed, it could substitute as the slogan for the entire Iron Range) we must also remember that we are still deeply connected to the booms and busts of the iron mining industry, and that other economic growth will be necessary for us to enjoy genuine community prosperity.

Schools of Hard Knocks

Amid all the bad news there was a surprising piece of good news for a cash-strapped local school district. Voters in Nashwauk and Keewatin voted to approve part of an operational levy request that will close a massive budget gap in the Nov. 3 election. They had lost a referendum last year, as had Greenway, the St. Louis County schools and other financial beleaguered districts around the state.

The organizers of the Save Our Schools committee deserve congratulations for their well-organized and effective campaign to pass the bond measure. They provided a lesson for any district hoping to pass a levy in such hard times. On the other hand I must point out the reality of our situation here on the Iron Range. Any hope of providing advanced math, college writing, music and art, along with the extracurricular activities that most parents expect to be available to their children will require more than this month’s vote. No matter what town you live in, all Iron Range residents should seriously consider the merits of a regional educational model, one that provides regional hub public schools and smaller specialty (or charter) schools in other existing buildings. No one referendum can solve the problems of N-K, Greenway, St. Louis County, Ely, or others, so the time for a meaningful “One Range” consolidation plan is long overdue. Done properly, the results could prove better for all students, teachers and communities involved than the status quo.

Hunting, cancer research, the economy and school consolidation: Yes, this is just the right amount of controversy for one week.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Contact him or read more at his blog, MinnesotaBrown.com. His recent book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” is out now.

Brown on the Air: LAKES!

2009-11-13T20:41:00.003-06:00

Tune in Saturday morning for 91.7 KAXE's call-in/music program "Between You and Me." My weekly contribution joins the show's topic of "lakes." Living in a state known for 10,000 (plus) lakes, in a relatively small county that boasts more than 1,000 lakes, and living on on of those lakes -- hey, let's just say I'm all about the lakes.

The show airs from 10 a.m. to noon on 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota and streaming live all over the world at www.kaxe.org.

COLUMN: "Ask a Stag"

2009-11-08T13:14:00.001-06:00

This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. I performed a live dramatization of this script for the Nov. 7 edition of "Between You and Me" on KAXE, Northern Community Radio. Click over to that if you have the time. (You can find it in the archives in the files from 10:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 8. I'll post the direct link when one is ready).

Ask a Stag
By Aaron J. Brown

For almost everyone, deer hunting conjures at least one touchstone memory: the Disney animated movie, “Bambi.” Hunters shoot Bambi’s mom and then Bambi’s dad emerges from the woods to protect him. Later, there’s a thing with a forest fire and blah, blah, blah, Bambi grows up strong. Some find Bambi’s dad a reassuring figure of strength amid tragedy and injustice. Others, especially those out in the woods this weekend, find him to be a trophy buck, and also delicious. Well, this week I’ve really scored a coup. Joining us now is Bambi’s dad, the Great Prince of the Forest, for what I hope becomes a regular segment: “Ask a Stag.”

STAG: Good morning.

AB: Good morning. Say, can you, uh, do the line.

STAG: The line?

AB: You know. The line. You know which one.

STAG: (Long pause). “Bambi, your mother won’t be coming back.”

AB: Awesome. “Your mother can’t be with you anymore.”

AB: Awesome. You hit that so well. (imitating) “Bambi … Bambi.”

STAG: Yes, yes, well, let’s just move on.

AB: Right, so I have some questions here from listeners and I figure you pass along your wisdom like we’re all Bambi and you’re our single dad, Great Prince of the Forest.

STAG: Right.

AB: OK, so, first question. This one is from Zack. “Dear Stag. I’ve been having some problems with my girlfriend. She just doesn’t understand me. What should I do?” What do you think, Bambi’s dad?

STAG: Zack, perhaps you are a mighty buck, capable of bounding through a forest at high speeds. Perhaps your hooves are made of steel and your antlers glean with the moonlight. That’s no excuse for not being a sensitive lover. You must cherish your doe. Nuzzle her snout. Briefly copulate. And in 25 to 31 weeks she will bear you a fawn.

AB: Excellent advice, Great Prince of the Forest. Good luck, Zack. The next question comes from Chad who writes “Dear Stag, sometimes I feel like everyone is out to get me. Am I just being paranoid?”

STAG: Chad, yes they are trying to get you. In every tree, in every ditch, along every country road there lies the very real possibility that you will draw your last painful breath from a cruel world. You might wonder if they are not trying to get you, and that the urine you smell is real urine from a fertile doe, but it is not. They are trying to get you and they will. Maybe not this year. Maybe not next year. But eventually.

AB: Well, time is running out and we have time for just one more question. Diane asks “Dear Stag, any tips for someone going through menopause?”

STAG: Well, the first thing, Diane, is that what you’re going through is a beginning, not an end. (GUNSHOT) …. Oh, my. (groaning, sounds of painful struggle).

AB: Stag, Stag, are you OK? Oh my God, you’ve been shot. Someone shot you.

STAG: (muffled) I know, idiot. Of course I’ve been shot.

AB: Why are you rubbing on that tree ? Doesn’t that hurt.

STAG: It’s a flesh wound … I’m working the bullet out … to avoid infection. Yaaa (more painful moaning)! Listen, man, I’m going to ditch.

AB: Hey, now, Stag. We signed you for six episodes and an option. We had a deal.

STAG: (continues to struggle, pain). Call my agent.

AB: Stag, I’m in for a million five on merchandising and cross promotion. I’ve got a garage full of “Ask a Stag” keychains. Don’t screw me on this!

STAG: (continued painful cries) Hey, pal. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I’m Bambi’s dad. B-A-M-B-I. Cultural icon. And I’m bleeding out my haunches.

AB: You’ll never work in this wooded hallow again!

STAG: I’m out (sounds of bounding deer through forest).
AB: Hey. You’re leaving a blood trail … just sayin.’ (pause) Well, there he goes. Happy Hunting, everyone.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Contact him or read more at his blog MinnesotaBrown.com or in his recent book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.”

Brown on the Air: ALL THINGS NOVEMBER

2009-11-06T07:22:00.001-06:00

This week my contribution to the Saturday morning radio juggernaut "Between You and Me" on 91.7 KAXE is a true experiment. Some of you, probably not many, might remember my portrayal last winter of Bambi's dad -- the Great Prince of the Forest -- the mysterious stag who raised young Bambi after his mom was stone cold Disney shot in a World War II era animated movie. Someone mentioned this essay to me recently and I felt the urge to bring Bambi's dad back to Saturday morning public radio.

The premise is "Ask a Stag" an advice segment featuring the wisdom of the paternal buck. I play myself and Bambi's dad and use a lot of creative editing for a unique effect. I wonder if something amusingly macabre will occur! You'll have to tune in between 10 am. and noon on Saturday to find out! The show's topic is "November" and people will be talking about all sorts of seasonal topics, most notably this weekend's Minnesota firearms deer hunting season opener. The show can be heard 10-noon on 91.7 FM or streaming live online at www.kaxe.org.

"Between You and Me" is a call-in and music program that allows northern Minnesota's unique culture to just sort of hang there, all obvious and such, while callers explore a topic -- either timely or inane, sometimes both. Call in with your own stories at 218-326-1234.

COLUMN: "A 'vital' life in the 'zone of plenty'"

2009-11-01T08:30:00.001-06:00

The following is my weekly column for the Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Fans of the blog might recognize part of this column that ran as a post last winter. Check it out to see an image of the Great Northern ad I talk about.

A vital life in the ‘zone of plenty’
By Aaron J. Brown

Living on the Iron Range means navigating between good and bad economic news on lands north of the power. The power is elsewhere, you see. The power is east. The power is south. Lately, the power is even west. The power is not here. Iron Rangers live powerless, despite their great, immeasurable power.

This fact is disguised by our lives. We in northern Minnesotans operate in seasons, some celestial and some of our own design. As Halloween approached this past week some considered the costumes they would wear, or the costumes of their children or dogs. “Field of Screams” was going on. Next up is the deer hunt and soon enough Thanksgiving will arrive: the ham, the turkey, the relatives. Then Christmas, and ice fishing, snowmobiling and shoveling. The kids need our attention. Then school will be out, and in. The mines are open, then closed.

Here in northern Minnesota it’s easy to believe that nothing will change and that we are indeed powerless. In fact, the story of the last 30 years has done nothing but implant that belief in an entire generation. If you leave that’s understood, and if you stay you exist in a bubble of your own creation, separated from all those outside your circle. In all this, it’s even easier to forget that history has called the Iron Range’s number many times before.

Early this year I received a letter from Earl Currie. Currie shared an old Great Northern Railroad advertisement from 1943 along with his own recollections from living in that time in West Duluth. He watched as the iron ore of the Range met the shipyards of Duluth on its way to east to feed the American war machine. The Great Northern ad reads:

“All the gold buried at Fort Knox, Ky., is less important to Victory than the rich iron ore deposits of the Mesabi, Cuyuna and Vermilion Ranges of Northern Minnesota. The Mesabi Range alone contains the world's largest developed deposits, and much of this ore lies in open pits. … The fabulous iron ore deposits in Minnesota are only part of the wealth contributed to America by the Zone of Plenty -- and delivered by this vital artery of transportation.”

This ad is accompanied by a map showing the 1943 routes of the Great Northern Railway, running across what the company terms "The Zone of Plenty." The Zone of Plenty includes the northern plains states, the Northwest, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Chicago and – lit up like a Christmas tree – the entire state of Minnesota. How many maps do you know that show Hibbing and Virginia in the same sized font as Chicago and New York?

The vague wartime train propaganda actually does a great job of explaining, in the present tense, why the Iron Range is so significant to the nation's economy and history. This rich value now stands in stark contrast to our beleaguered economic present, but if we’re smart the “vital” life may again be part of our future.

In 1999, at age 19, I purchased a Great Northern Railway hat at a model train show in Dyersville, Iowa. The guy asked me why I would do that, since there weren't any Great Northern routes near there. "There are where I'm from," I said. I remembered the Great Northern logo on all manner of historical trains, displays and documents from my recent and yet vague youth. I didn’t know then what I knew after I read Mr. Currie’s letter about the Great Northern. The “Zone of Plenty” remains the future of the Upper Midwest, just as it did during World War II.

Our minerals, our timber and water ensure the future of the Iron Range. Some demand, and jobs, will always exist for these pursuits. But these things do not ensure power for our people. In this 21st century, which might seem greatly removed from our past, a single truth remains. The zone of plenty is ours – to protect, to use, or to destroy. We make our own future.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune“Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range”. Contact him or read more at his blog MinnesotaBrown.com. His book "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range" is out now.

Brown on the Air: HALLOWEEN COSTUMES!

2009-10-30T06:53:00.000-05:00

My weekly contribution to the Saturday morning KAXE call-in and music program "Between You and Me" joins the show's topic of "Costumes," in honor of Halloween. I'll be exploring the strange world of children's costumes.

"Between You and Me" airs from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. The program features the voices of northern Minnesotans and explores the unique culture of the people in KAXE country. KAXE will wrap up its Fall Fundraiser on Saturday and, if you're not a member of this truly special independent public media organization, you should join now (either online or by calling 218-326-1234). They have all sorts of premiums and incentives and they treat members well.

Happy Halloween!

COLUMN: "Do It Yourself"

2009-10-25T12:53:00.004-05:00

This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece was featured on yesterday's episode of "Between You and Me" on 91.7 KAXE, which is taking part in its "Do It Yourself"-themed fall fundraiser. Join today!

Do it yourself
By Aaron J. Brown

We live in a “Do It Yourself” nation, supposedly. If you ever get tired of working on your house you can crack open a Keystone Light, eat some pretzels and watch fancy folks from geographically indistinct suburbs fix their house on one of a thousand cable home improvement networks. Sometimes these shows are focused on redecoration, where a designer with a one-word name like “Fantanta” turns a house that looks like your house into a house that is owned by someone much, much fancier. Other times these shows simply document a young couple attempting to buy a home – usually in places where starter properties sell for a half million dollars. For the prices these people pay for a middle class house they could buy a whole city block in most towns on the Iron Range. And also a spec building for manufacturing rubber goods. And you’re welcome!

At one time these shows were on all the time in my house, but not so much since our twin boys were born. Now we avoid these programs because we do enough chores that we don’t need to watch people do additional chores on the teevee.

As a couple, my wife and I have a checkered home improvement past. During the construction of a roof rake in 2002 we encountered a major marital crossroads. We learned that our respective temperaments limit our team jobs to painting and child care. Anything else must be done by me or her alone.

Certain tasks are worth doing yourself. Mowing lawn is my favorite. The task takes some time, especially out in the country, but the lawn machinery is simple enough for a panda bear to operate and the end result smells and looks fresh. But when my septic tank needs pumping I’m willing to pay.

Frankly, that’s the problem with being a guy like me in northern Minnesota. It’s not like I don’t know what hard work and MacGyver-like ingenuity are. I was raised in an environment where my dad rigged a fix for a cracked axle on the family station wagon and then drove us home on his rusty handiwork, all the time saying that if the axle broke we would die. I get the implications. But I always liked writing and media stuff, see. I went to college, see. And I don’t know what I’m doing insofar as cars, engines, machines, appliance repair or electrical wiring is concerned. I could learn, but doing so would distract me from updating my blog.

I know lots of people who swear by the do-it-yourself lifestyle. Many of these people have construction skills and hand-eye coordination, two things I lack. Still, my philosophy is this: Why spend three days trying to do something yourself when your time, even at minimum wage, is worth more? Also, I like the feeling that my house won’t cave in and my electrical wiring won’t shoot lighting bolts at my family. That’s the kind of security that experienced trades people can provide, well worth the investment.

I suppose if our economy collapsed, if our nation rattled apart in civil unrest, if half our population died from disease while the other half was forced to serve warlords in an endless battle for resources I might do my own sheet rock. May as well not bother, though. Few homes will escape the nightly air raids unscathed and I think Home Depot will be one of the first places looted when the government falls. Really, it’s all highly theoretical.

Maybe I would become a D-I-Yer under other circumstances. Until I’m given a good reason, though, I remain a P-F-I-A-K-I-T-W-D-Ter. Pay For It And Keep It Together With Duct Tape. Our people don’t have our own cable network yet, unless you count ESPN, but that’s fine with us.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Contact him or read more at his blog MinnesotaBrown.com. His recent book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” won this year’s Northeastern Minnesota Book Award.

Brown on the Air: DO IT YOURSELF!

2009-10-23T10:37:00.003-05:00

Tune in Saturday morning at 10 for KAXE's weekly call-in and music program "Between You and Me," to which I contribute yet another timely and deficit neutral essay. This independent public radio station kicks off its annual fall fundraiser this weekend and the themes of the fundraiser, this show and my essay are all "Do it Yourself."

We all know the DIY phenomenon. It even has its own cable channel(s). I explore this concept and my own lack of DIY skills. This deficiency is particularly dangerous for me here on the Iron Range, where Do It Yourself is assumed for most any project. The writing of this particular essay was an amusing exercise as I realized halfway through the draft that I was writing nearly the same essay I had once written in 2007. The result is an entertaining combination of the two items. It's been that kind of month, I think.

"Between You and Me" airs from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. You can listen at 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota or streaming live online anywhere in the world at www.kaxe.org. A version of the piece will also run as my Sunday column in the Hibbing Daily Tribune.

And if you are not a member of KAXE, the jewel of northern Minnesota's unique culture and media, you should join now. They do amazing work and are building for the big picture of changing media.

WDIO: KeeTac restart delayed

2009-10-20T06:49:00.004-05:00

WDIO is reporting about a potential setback in the economic recovery on the Iron Range. Steelworkers suspect that the scheduled October restart of the idled U.S. Steel Keewatin Taconite plant will be postponed. It's not known how long the delay will last, but maintenance workers are apparently winterizing the equipment. That's not good.

Unemployment continues to decline on the Iron Range, but the ups and downs of KeeTac show that the road back will be complicated.

Steve Kelley: the MinnesotaBrown interview

2009-10-18T21:50:00.001-05:00

Today we explore the Minnesota gubernatorial candidacy of Steve Kelley. My candidate series is now nearing completion. Previous posts have included (chronologically) Tom Bakk, Paul Thissen, Mark Dayton, Matt Entenza, John Marty, Susan Gaertner, Tom Rukavina and Margaret Anderson Kelliher. With St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman's departure as an exploratory candidate, the last candidate in the series will be Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

This series has now lasted more than a year. When it's finished I'll have some deeper analysis of the entire field. I'll republish them with added material for an e-book I hope to write and market for DFL delegates and the scads of political operatives who will one day rule the earth. And by "rule" I mean make persuasion calls and canvass.

The interview

Steve Kelley will officially announced his run for governor on Monday. I received the e-mail alert from his campaign about the “special announcement” to take place at Mahtomedi High School Oct. 19 while I was actually talking to Kelley last Friday, Oct. 16, by phone. As with many other campaigns this cycle, I remain impressed with the amount of message and media work that goes on even while the candidate is set on some other task.

Like other DFL candidates, Kelley struck on some familiar themes.

“Minnesota faces great challenges,” he said. “My work as a legislator would allow me to act on a range of issues. Health care, economic development, education; I was successful with these issues in the legislature and I can do more as governor.”

Kelley served in the Minnesota Legislature from 1992 to 2006, chaired the Senate Education Committee, and nearly earned the DFL endorsement for Governor in 2006, falling short to eventual nominee Mike Hatch. Kelley was then endorsed by the state central committee in the kerfuffle that followed Matt Entenza’s departure of the Attorney General’s race that year, falling to Hatch ally Lori Swanson after a hastily conducted primary campaign. Kelley is currently a teacher and senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute and the director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Public Policy.

“Our campaign and my work as governor will focus on some core values,” said Kelley. “One, opportunity for everyone. There are too many who aren’t employed. We haven’t been helping all the kids in our schools be successful. We need to be a fair state, with justice for everyone, health care for everyone.”

Also on Kelley’s list are environmental protection and the end of “stigmatizing” of gays through unfair marriage laws. Through these myriad familiar issues, Kelley says he offers a record of innovation, providing new solutions to old policy debates.

Practically speaking, Kelley also offers something geographic and demographic to the race. It’s all about the suburbs, where population and political influence are growing. The DFL field contains three candidates with a Minneapolis address, two with a St. Paul address, two from the Iron Range – all places that have been part of the traditional DFL base. Only Dayton, to some extent Marty, and Kelley can claim suburban addresses, and Kelley in particular found a successful political message through the right-leaning ‘90s and early 2000s in his Hopkins district.

“We’ve got to run the kind of campaign that turns out Democrats but persuades independents that we’ve got a governor that will work for everyone, not just Democrats.”

This blog represents the Iron Range, an area hit particularly hard during this recession and that faces unique economic, political and governmental challenges during the next few decades. Kelley laid out the basics of his potential approach to the region, where high DFL turnout often tips close races.

First, we need to recognize that mining will continue to be important in the economy of the future,” Kelley said. “But (steel and iron ore) prices will continue to go up and down as part of the global economy, and the Iron Range is now truly part of a global economy. The state needs to continue supporting mining on the Range and at the same time pay attention to the environment, because much of the population growth in Iron Range counties comes from people who move there because it is a beautiful place to live.

“Secondly,” Kelley continued. “I’ve always supported that we have a telecommunication network that allows high tech work to go on anywhere in the state, including the Iron Range. To a certain extent Iron Range Resources and local cities have been exploring this and as governor I would support local leadership in that direction.

“Third, there’s a significant overlap in the Iron Range economy and the forestry economy. Sustainable forestry can take advantage of high value markets for our timber markets.”
Kelley mentioned a project that he’s been exploring in his work at the Humphrey Institute, sustainable polymers, or plastics made from plants.

“The potential isn’t just in agriculture products but also in pine trees and other forestry products,” said Kelley, who vowed to support the continuation of that research as governor, along with exploration of other biofuels.

Central to this battle, Kelley said, are the state’s and region’s colleges and universities. Northeastern Minnesota is home to five community and technical colleges that serve several remote communities.

“My goals is to have it so that birth through higher education, there is opportunity for every student, so that everywhere in Minnesota we can boast an effective workforce with citizens literate in a range of things,” said Kelley.

That may sound like some of the sound bites that have come from Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but Kelley said his philosophy differs in some key ways.

“One part is that first you need a governor who believes that higher education is a public good not just a private good,” said Kelley. “Ventura and Pawlenty have acted as though higher education is only good for the students getting the degrees, that there isn’t a value to society in these institutions. I’m of the opposite view. Yes, there’s a real value to students – life improvement, career enhancement – but there is also a greater value. We all do better where there are more educated students. We will not be able to compete globally if we don’t have more of our kids graduating from some kind of postsecondary education, whether that’s two-year programs, four year degrees or more."

How to change the downward momentum in education?

“We need to raise revenue,” said Kelley. “I have a whole range of options on the table and haven’t picked one yet, but we need a more progressive tax system than we have today.

It’s not just revenue, however, Kelley highlights the imperative to close the achievement gap for students in poverty, often students of color.

“There are a lot of theories, but it’s time for a governor who recognizes that the achievement gap has to do with the income gap. If we’re going to close the achievement gap schools can’t do it by them selves, we’ve got to line up community help and make sure that kids are getting the right care from zero to high school to college, that their families are healthy and that they have stable housing. He compares his concept to a similar idea that’s been used with success in Harlem.

“I’m the only one who is talking about how to see all these pieces working together and the only one with an announced plan on this,” said Kelley.

Relating to the state’s budget crisis – both for citizens and state government – Kelley laments the rising cost of health care.

“A national plan would help the state with its fiscal problems,” said Kelley. “We take on more of a burden in paying health care costs that other states, so we have to control inflation in costs. For instance, higher education cost increases often have to with rising health care costs in higher education budgets. We need to reverse those trends to bring money back into higher education and other places where it’s needed.”

Kelley said that if he were governor now he’d be working with Minnesota’s congressional delegation to ensure that the federal health insurance reform benefited Minnesota.

“The assumption is that (the federal bill) will be a net positive but that it won’t cover everybody,” said Kelley. “We need to consider the moral imperative that everyone should have health coverage that is affordable.”

On the governor’s role in the economic crisis, including job creation, Kelley argues that the first priority is infrastructure, creating the environment in which jobs can grow naturally. Central to that is Kelley’s aforementioned commitment to a high speed internet network that serves the whole state, something that he has been championing in some form since 1993, long before the existence of this or any other political blog. Included in his infrastructure push would be electrical grid improvements and transportation initiatives.

Kelley’s higher education focus shows in his second economic priority, the support of the University of Minnesota and other research institutions to develop new technologies and train the next generation of high level innovators.

Kelley’s final economic priority is what he describes as “a set of tools that encourages the economic growth of companies in the state.” This would include tax credits and other incentives to both attract and also keep Minnesota companies located in Minnesota.

“This governor (Pawlenty) goes around Minnesota’s economic climate when we need to talk about Minnesota’s positives,” said Kelley.

Fundamentally, it’s Kelley’s record that sets him apart, he said.

“These ideas are not newly formed convictions that I developed because all of a sudden I’m running for governor,” said Kelley. “I’ve developed these convictions on my own over the course of a career. Leadership is a term that gets thrown around but leadership is not just a privilege, it’s a responsibility. It comes from not giving up, coming up with new ideas and trying again and again to implement them. DFLers and Minnesotans in general know that what I say I want to do matches what I’ve done the last 16 years.”

And on strategy?

“We’re working hard to accomplish a break-out moment, but there is a shortage of concrete benchmarks that people can use to determine how campaigns are doing,” said Kelley. “My game plan is to be at the top of the list, but I recognize that there are several candidates who will be players at the convention.”

Kelley, who went down to the final ballot in 2006’s three-way endorsement battle, said his goal right now is to become the strong second or third choice for delegates committed to other candidates in what will be a much larger, more unpredictable convention.

“At this point I’m really pleased that many of my supporters from last time, previous delegates, are with me again. That gives me a huge advantage and they are people from all over the state. And the past delegates I’m picking up aren’t just my supporters from last time. They include Hatch and Lourey delegates, too.”

Kelley is hoping that support, and the support of other delegates, is the winning combination for what is probably his last chance at the governor’s office.

My analysis

Steve Kelley is the only candidate in the field for whom I can say the following: One tiny twist of fate in the previous election process and we’d be talking about a tough but winnable re-election fight for Governor Steve Kelley. If Steve Kelley had been the endorsed candidate in 2006 he could have won a tough primary and avoided the gaffes the caused Mike Hatch to lose the general to Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a strong DFL year.

There are arguments against this theory. One, Steve Kelley would not have been a sure bet in the 2006 primary against candidates that likely would have included then Attorney General Hatch and liberal stalwart Sen. Becky Lourey. After all, the endorsed Kelley would later lose the hurriedly realigned 2006 Attorney General nomination to Lori Swanson (all of this occurring when AG endorsee Matt Entenza, a 2010 top tier gubernatorial candidate, dropped out of the race).

Possibly, but also consider the possibility that Kelley would have been more organized for a gubernatorial run, including post-convention momentum, than he was for the stutter-start AG campaign in which the party offered fewer resources. Furthermore, an endorsed Kelley might have been able to talk Becky Lourey into dropping out of the primary, which might have led to a favorable one-on-one against Hatch. In the general election, a friendly suburban technocrat like Kelley would have fared much better against Pawlenty in what was a national DFL wave election. I’m almost certain he would have won. And I say all of this even though I was a Hatch delegate in 2006 who wouldn’t have agreed with the future me at the time. Fundamentally, I was impressed with Kelley’s nomination speech and his concession speech. I wasn’t alone.

That said Kelley faces serious problems in breaking out of this huge pack of DFL candidates in this field. He’s been out of the State Senate now for four years and while it’s encouraging that he’s spent his subsequent time working in higher education, instead of the more lucrative lobbying or private sector fields, his outsider status is a hurdle.

There are two often divergent instincts that hit convention delegates as the deadlock of a multi-ballot convention sets in. Assuming their first choice is out or in trouble these delegates might feel the urge to back “the electable one.” The other urge would be to go with “the likable one,” the one they hated telling “no” during the 8,157 persuasion calls they received leading up to the convention. These two candidates are usually different people. This year, Steve Kelley is banking on the hope that he might represent the best of both options to many uncommitted, disillusioned and worried delegates wandering the floor after the sun goes down. Kelley might be the only candidate who can rally hard in late ballots. With suburban bonafieds he can speak confidently about rural and urban issues. He knows policy and politics.

For Kelley, the challenge will be to place in the top half of the field on the first ballot and then increase it by small amounts through the second or third, which will be very dramatic, indeed, traumatic as the field thins. Once one or more of the Range candidates, three or more of the city candidates and/or one of the frontrunners is forced out, up to a third of the floor will be shopping candidates at the same time. If Kelley wins half of them, he suddenly gets a new look from everyone else. If Steve Kelley were to last until the final two against anyone in the field, it’d be hard for a hardened DFL insider (the kind who will likely dominate this convention) to avoid asking the question: “Did we miss an opportunity in 2006?”

COLUMN: "Public speaking no 'bear'"

2009-10-18T12:27:00.002-05:00

This is my weekly column for the Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 edition of the Hibbing Daily Tribune. A version of this piece ran as part of the Oct. 10 edition of "Between You and Me" on KAXE.

Public speaking is no ‘bear’
By Aaron J. Brown

As the old cliché goes people fear public speaking more than they fear death. As I recall, the original poll that yielded this truism involved people randomly naming their biggest fears, rather than a specific choice between death and public speaking. I do a lot of public speaking (I teach it for a living) so I’d much rather give a five minute talk than die horribly before my time. Death is a pretty heavy subject to fear on an everyday basis. Conversely, public speaking is something that could hit us at any time, from the time we go to kindergarten until our aforementioned death.

Public speaking is like a bear that never kills, but instead just bats you around for 15 or 20 minutes every time it sees you. Every time. No exceptions. You’re dressed up to give a wedding toast? Bear’s gonna maul you. Going to school? Bear’s gonna maul you. Work presentation? Bear. Join the Rotary Club? Bear. And then another bear next month when it’s your turn to introduce the guest speaker. Then you retire and they throw you a big party and there in the back of the party, way back by the punch bowl next to the amusing youthful picture of you is the bear – punching a fist against his open paw. He’s not done yet. Or is he?

Back when the cave people ruled the world, humans operated off a much simpler if somewhat more dangerous system. A cave person, upon encountering a saber tooth tiger out in an open field, faced two simple choices: kill the animal using brute strength or run away at a speed faster than the tiger. The implied alternative is to become a pleasing meal for a saber tooth tiger. The implications are clear and evolution responded with the development of adrenaline.

You know what I’m talking about. ADRENALINE! This force can help us lift up a car to save a life or teach that car a lesson for not starting when we’re late for work. Adrenaline serves us well when we’re fighting saber tooth tigers, opening jars or winning high school sporting events that will later seem less relevant. But adrenaline often works against us in the modern world. When your boss tells you he needs you to brief the clients on the Jenkins account, society doesn’t allow you to crush your boss’s skull with a nearby stone. Nor are you allowed to scurry out the window, across the parking lot of the office complex to live the rest of your days foraging in the grove of trees by the adjacent drainage pond. No, today one must solve problems that require pinpoint accuracy with a brain built for clubbing things with tree trunks.

The secret in all this is knowing that public speaking is much more than a bear waiting to slap you around. Public speaking is a skill, not unlike being a ninja. Dare I say it: a bear-fighting ninja?

The fear that hits you before you have to stand up and present yourself and your ideas in front of others never goes away. Rather, you must learn ways to use that sensation to your advantage. Through practice and perspective, you can teach yourself to turn fear into power.

If you can walk up in front of strangers, peers, friends and neighbors and speak with confidence – not perfection, just confidence – you will own something that most people never know. To turn the primordial fear of rejection and humiliation into what Quintilian described as “a good man speaking well” is to build the future. And the glory is that anyone can do it.

Just be sure to mind the bear.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Contact him or read more at his blog MinnesotaBrown.com. His recent book “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range” is out now.

Brown on the Air: LAUNDRY!

2009-10-16T10:20:00.002-05:00

Tune in to KAXE's "Between You and Me" this Saturday morning for a conversation about laundry, specifically stories of amusing and/or outrageous laundry shenanigans. My regular contribution will be a childhood story about a wringer remixed into a postmodern parable, as is my wont these days. Also with humor and whatnot.

The show airs from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday morning on 91.7 FM in northern Minnesota or streaming online all over the world at www.kaxe.org. "Between You and Me" is a call-in program that features great music and highlights the culture and characters of northern Minnesota.

'Ho, Ho, Ho' does it feeeel?

2009-10-14T13:35:00.004-05:00

The reviews are mixed for Bob Dylan's new Christmas album. This is the least surprising news I've ever heard. Regardless of your opinion, Dylan Days 2010 in Bob's hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, will be held well after Christmas, May 27-30.

Owner of Iron Range papers faces default

2009-10-14T08:46:00.003-05:00

Offered without commentary because of its potential significance to local media:

"Superior Publishing owner faces technical default" (Business North, Oct. 13, 2009)

In another sign of distress in region’s newspaper industry, the owner of 11 dailies and weeklies in Northeastern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin confirmed it expects to be in technical default on loan covenants related to their 2007 purchase.

...

[Australia-based] American Consolidated Media’s properties include Minnesota newspapers in Virginia, Hibbing, and Grand Rapids; and Wisconsin newspapers in Ashland, Hayward, Spooner, Park Falls and Phillips.