• Franz, Chapman and the Minard Hall Collapse Behind the Scene.
• NDSU, however one defines it, hasn't done anything wrong: only two individuals, one, the Fargo Forum's man of the year
• This coming Monday. the mostly unqualified NDSU Presidential Search Committee will announce which of the under qualified candidates it prefers to be NDSU's next president.
• Steve Swiontek , chair of the presidential search committee at NDSU, even though not being formally associated with the University, announced the finalists for the position.
• American's accomplishment should not be belittled. We scored in sports for which the podium had been only viewed from a distance by US athletes.
• Cormac McCarthy(Brokeback Mountain, No Country for Old Men), The Road, is no playing on the off Broadway screen at the Fargo Theatre.
• Obama Pays North Dakota Big in 2009 Healthcare Debate
• This decline has been going on at NDSU for well over thirty years, and I see it as a crisis.
• Condition of NDSU is Bleak....Creeping Meatballism
• Graduation North Dakota State University 2009

Recently, Steve Swiontek , chair of the presidential search committee at NDSU, even  though not being formally associated with the University, announced the finalists for the position and expressed “excitement” at the qualifications of the list of candidates.  I strongly disagree with that sentiment, and wonder if the State Board of Higher Education is going to have to actually ... 

Fargo ND. – Although Congress is still working on health care reform legislation and it is far from final, rural North Dakota may be at the center of what some believe is the crowning achievement of the Obama Administration’s first year in office. Virginia Wolking, rural organizer with the Center for Rural Affairs, says the lack of health care services in rural areas has led to more serious... 

Menards Hall collapses at North Dakota State University. Definition of “Creeping Meatballism” The idea of thinking individually has become a big joke. Old Thomas J. Watson of I.B.M. came up with the idea for a sign which just said: “Think”. And today, it’s a gag! This is the result of “Creeping Meatballism”. On the first of December, Dr. Richard Hanson became... 

On Saturday, December 19, NDSU held the first commencement since the “retirement” of Forum Man of the Year Joseph chapman.  Presiding over the ceremonies was interim president Dr. Richard Hanson. Anyone that has not been to a major(well, in this case, maybe semi-major) college graduation shuold go, at leatt once.  They are colorful, precise and a true ceremonial tribute to the students,... 

The unemployment rate has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983 — and is likely to go higher. Nearly 16 million people can’t find jobs even though the worst recession since the Great Depression has apparently ended. Many economists worry that persistently high unemployment could undermine the recovery by restraining consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy.... 

Finally Roxana Saben has been released from an Iranian prison and returned home among much publicity.  I’m not sure what all the politics were that were involved in this, but I’m glad she’s not any longer in danger in an Islamic rogue state. Are all Islamic states rogue?  Decidedly not: Egypt and Jordan are two that, to me, clearly aren’t.  I will not dispute thta the Islamioc... 

Fargo Phantom, ND — President Barack Obama’s overall job approval rating has been highly stable since mid-February, averaging 62% since Feb. 16, as well as in the most recent week, from March 30 through April 5. Still enjoying a honeymoon period, Obama’s approval rating has fallen only slightly from its 67% starting point even as he has outlined an ambitious agenda that has been... 

Warning: Holy Crap is Congress Corrupt and We Have the Goods… WATCH video.  Read More →

FARGO, N.D. (FargoPhantom.com)–On Tuesday night, the NDSU Bison Men’s basketball won the Summit League tournament and thus qualified for the NCAA tournament.  This is indeed laudable, since this is the first year Bison were eligible for the tournament.  This has only been done once before (L:ong Beach State in 1970).  Even more impressive to me is that the Bison are primarily made up of... 

FARGO, N.D. (FargoPhantom.com)–On Tuesday night at Babbs Coffee Shop the College of Science andMathematics at NDSU held its fourth “Science Café.” There will be a fifth in April. with hopes of a more regular schedule during the 2009-2010 academic year.  According to Dr. Kevin McCaul, the Dean of the college, the meetings are held downtown to make them more informal and more attractive... 

WASHINGTON — President Obama urged the nation on Tuesday to see the economic crisis as reason to raise its ambitions, calling for expensive new efforts to address energy, health care and education even as he warned that government bailouts have not come to an end. In his first address to a joint session of Congress, Mr. Obama mixed an acknowledgment of the depth of the economic problems with a... 

Lately the news, particularly the sports news, has been filled with news about Yankee baseball star Alex Rodriguez and his history of steroid and performance enhancing drug use.  There is also an old saying that “those that don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it.” What do these things have to do with each other?  A lot, I think. No one denies that our country is in... 

I think everyone knows our country is in trouble. Most politicians and civic leaders alike agree that we desperately need to put differences aside and work hard to get us out of this mess.  Everybody, it seems, except Republican Congressmen and a certain far right talk show host I’ll mention later. To set the record straight, I consider myself a-political.  Some strong conservatives call... 

“there are no institutions of higher learning that have as part of their mission statements “entertain the local population by having athletic teams.” By:The Norwegian Explorer A recent local topic of discussion is the consideration of the North Dakota Legislature somehow requiring the football teams of NDSU and UND to play each other on an annual basis.  Even though I don’t... 

In our last installment, we discussed some positive signs in the race relations situation. I have now graduated from college and am hanging around Raleigh, taking courses and working for the Raleigh Recreation Department in preparation for graduate school in the fall.  This was the summer of 1963, called by some the “long hot summer,” or by others, the summer the police turned around. To... 

The new president has made a pledge to spend money on infrastructure across the United States because he believes it is a way to strengthen the economy. While the country is spending money to build/maintain roads and bridges, Caterpillar in North Dakota will reap the benefits of increased demand for their equipment.  Read More →

What’s going on in Gaza…Same as usual just more intense. Israel expanded its most lethal air offensive to date (some 300 air strikes since midday Saturday) against Gaza’s Hamas leaders yesterday. The successful attacks dolled out more damage than ever before, making rubble out of parts of the city. They are amassing what appears to be a large ground force attack as well  Read More →

In our last submission, I was attending a Southern institution of higher learning that was ahead of its time in that it did admit some African Americans, allowed them almost equal rights with their white(and asian and middle eastern counter-parts), even though all other surrounding schools were strictly segregated, as was the town of Raleigh, NC, where the college was located.  Read More →

“We were really busy leading up to the storm,” Thompson United for the Homeless Director said. “Some days we can get all of them in, some days we can’t.” Area shelters have similar ways of dealing with homeless who have to be turned away. The New Life Center can house about 100 men and serves 180 or more meals each day.  Read More →

Citing the usual suspects…credit crisis and dwindling sales, Chrysler LLC on Wednesday said it would shut down all of its manufacturing operations from the end of this week for at least a month.  Read More →

Lets Just Say Millers Spot on Here 10. Larry Craig 9. Ted Turner & Deepak Chopra 8. “The Pregnant Man” Thomas Beatie 7. Fischer Stevens “He Dumped Michelle Pfeiffer and he resembles a toad.” 6. Fidel Castro “Head Moran in Cuba” 5. Plaxico Burress  Read More →

Republican opposition killed a $14-billion auto industry bailout plan in the Senate on Thursday night, putting the future of U.S. automakers in doubt and threatening to deliver another blow to the economy.  Read More →

CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama asked the White House if his family could move to Washington earlier than normal, but aides say the White House couldn’t give them the official guest house as early as his family wanted.  Read More →