The BCS: Should Congress Get Involved?

This time of year everyone is a college basketball fan.  From college hoops junkies to the office worker indifferent to sports, filling out The Bracket forces fans and “fans” to follow the NCAA basketball tournament with an almost maniacal intensity for three weekends every March.
College football, however, as popular as it is, does not have the same sweeping [...]

Eye on Monday: Earth Hour

 On Saturday, March 28, 2009, close to one billion people in nearly 4000 cities across more than 80 countries came together for an event called Earth Hour.  From the tiny Chatham Islands of New Zealand to the Palace of Westminster in London to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the symbolic gesture of switching off lights for one hour, beginning [...]

The Farmland Almanac: Thursday, March 26, 2009

with Harrison Beillor 
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Fortune Cookie
by LiLi Hao Ki Lan
Picking up take-out,
It’s a tangle,
It’s a tussle,
It’s a turmoil.
Why do they pack it
So badly?
Why is my order always
So wrong?
Why are my steamed dumplings
Fried?
Please don’t crush my fortune
Cookie.
I wait to read my fate.
What will I find?
Will I have a good day?
Will I have a [...]

The Seven People in the World Not on Facebook

Facebook.  They’re coming after you.  Your neighbors.  Your children.  Everyone.  They are systematically taking over the universe.  It was only a matter of time before they reached Earth.
Can you hear me screaming?  It’s a quiet scream.  A private scream.  It’s a cry for help.  My life has turned into one of those horror movies where [...]

Eye on Monday: Cannon Beach, Oregon

I went to Oregon for the first time about 30 years ago.  Although I wouldn’t return for another 14 years, it left an indelible impression on me.  Have you ever gone somewhere and got the distinct sense it was speaking to you?  As if  it reached out, tapped you on the shoulder and said “hey, you and me – [...]

Nikos Got a Gig!

After arriving in Wisconsin several months ago, Nikos’ green card finally came through.  And I’m happy to report he got his first voiceover gig!  It’s a radio ad for a small Minneapolis jewelry store owned by Russian transplant and all-around good guy, Boris Valnekoff.  Nikos was the Sales Star of the Month for both January and February and [...]

The Farmland Almanac: Thursday, March 19, 2009

with Harrison Beillor 
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
My Cupboard
by Fennis Vanderslink
I have a cupboard full of dishes
They’re all different sizes
They’re all different shapes.
I look at them
Daily.
I use them
Daily.
I wash them
Daily.
I break them
Not daily.
Why do I have to use dishes, from my cupboard?
It’s so…common.
Could I use my hands?
That’s not so common.
I don’t know.
I don’t travel.
Should I [...]

Bison Fever! North Dakota State Marches to Minneapolis!

Bison Nation is coming to Minneapolis to play a little basketball.  Basketball?  They don’t play basketball in North Dakota.  Do they? 
The Bison have been to Minneapolis before.  They were here to play the Minnesota Golden Gophers in football for both the 2006 and 2007 seasons.  That last game, on October 20, 2007, worked out pretty well [...]

Eye on Monday: Late Night Dining…My Way

When it comes to what I like to call Late Night Dining, I’m referring to restaurants (or stands) many would call a “dive.”  But one man’s dive is another man’s 5-star eatery.
With that in mind, I give you my three favorite places in the United States that fall into the category of 5-star slices of simple, culinary [...]

Gabriel Theatre on the Air: Bert and Ernie Don’t Dance

 Bert and Ernie Don’t Dance
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Voices:  Christopher Gabriel, David Allen, Lena Svenson
Produced by:  Gabriel Radio Network and David Allen Productions

The Farmland Almanac: Thursday, March 12, 2009

with Harrison Beillor 
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
The Whispering Cloud
by Guy Bouchard
I lied on my back in the front yard
Watching a Cloud.
I thought it was a nice Cloud
It was a puffy Cloud
Until it whispered to me…
It said,
Why the hell are you lying there looking at me?
Who are you to judge me?
Who are you to call [...]

The Madness of March: Women on Fire!

It’s March, which means it’s time for March Madness.  College Basketball.  The NCAA Tourney.  The Big Dance.  So let me get right to it:  Gentlemen, do not start your engines.  Do not, under any circumstances, get into a tourney pool with your wife or girlfriend.  You do it every year, and every year sends you one [...]

Eye on Monday: Chicago

This is post #100 for Blog Harbor which makes this something of an occasion to commemorate.  And I can think of no better way to do so then by highlighting my beloved hometown of Chicago.
I began this blog with a simple premise:  Writing about people, places, things and events that passionately and/or humorously moved me [...]

The Farmland Almanac: Thursday, March 5, 2009

with Harrison Beillor
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
The Lonely Fish
by Morris Klinkmen
I watched a salmon run today.
He didn’t have shoes,
He wasn’t very fast,
He might have been a she…
How do you know?
I never saw its feet.
Fish don’t have feet…
Do they?
But they run.
How do they do that?
Maybe they have tiny feet.
When I look at a fish,
I [...]

Snow Event 2009: Panic in Minneapolis

It was February 26, 2009.  In the language and psyche of Minnesota, this was to be . . . The Day.  Snowmageddon.  Snow Emergency.  The End is Upon Us.  You betcha, we’re in trouble.
The lines at the stores were insane.  People buying all the eggs, butter, milk and bread they could fit into their baskets.  Cross country skis, [...]

Eye on Monday: Finger Puppet Theater

Blog Harbor was given a rare behind-the-scenes look at the Gabriel Finger Puppet Theater.  They’re currently in rehearsals for the world premiere production of Le Vol de la Princesse.  Notice the minimalist set design in stark contrast to the elaborate costumes.  This is the signature style of director and legendary performer Caleigh Gabriel.

 Le Vol de la Princesse