COLUMNISTS
An exotic ecology comparison 
As the swamp in front of my house in Minnesota springs back to life, I think back to the truly odd history of wildlife in New Zealand.
Completely isolated for eons of time, New Zealand developed a strange ecosystem which went undisturbed by man until the first humans arrived in roughly 1250 AD.
By Eric Bergeson , April 06, 2012
Practice good etiquette at the boat launch
Now that the open water season will be getting into full swing it is time to mention again the importance of good etiquette at the boat ramps.
By Brad Laabs , April 06, 2012
A noodle by any other name...
The readers of this column have come to expect an occasional discussion of the important and interesting foods we eat here in America.
Foreign readers, for that matter, also eagerly anticipate discussions about American foods.
By Lynn Hummel , April 04, 2012
Bullying can shape a life, cause emotional scars
The other day I was sitting in school and my teacher handed out a magazine with an article written by Taylor Swift. It was about being bullied.
According to her, she was bullied pretty bad in high school, and her tool to get over that was writing songs.
By Jonah Bowe , April 04, 2012
Pet Franklin: Easy to love, hard to cuddle
My father has a genuine pedigreed pet rock. It comes from a long line of famous rocks. Its ancestors are found among the rubble of the pyramids and the Great Wall of China.
By Berit Ramstad Skoyles , April 04, 2012
You can change the world!
Do you want to do something for your country? Do you long to make a difference?
Do you want to make life better for your children, or your nieces and nephews, or your grandchildren?
Do you want to leave the world a better place than you found it? Do you want to make our society more functional?
If you want to attain these high ideals, there is only one thing you need to do:
Get off your duff and exercise.
By Eric Bergeson , March 30, 2012
Get out on the lake for early season crappies
This is the earliest ice out I can ever remember. This means we will have many opportunities for pan fish outings before the walleye and northern pike “opener.” This year’s opening date for walleyes and northern pike is May 12. Bass fishing will open May 26, and Muskie will open June 2.
By Brad Laabs , March 30, 2012
The rules keep on changing
You were probably shocked in 2006 when the ninth planet, Pluto, was demoted to a Kuiper Belt Object and could no longer be considered a planet. This was largely the handiwork of Mike Brown, professor of Planetary Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
By Lynn Hummel , March 28, 2012
btw, i’m lol, but i don’t understand
When I read papers, text messages, e-mails and so on I frequently find myself thinking, “Do you even remember how to write?” It’s a sad day when people don’t use proper English.
By Berit Ramstad Skoyles , March 28, 2012
A nice spring; Should we worry?
Nothing like a spell of incredibly good weather to bring out the inherent pessimism of the good folks on the northern Great Plains.
As the temperature climbs into the 70s at a time when it could well be zero, the question on the street becomes: “Should we worry?”
By Eric Bergeson , March 23, 2012
That amazing bakery aroma
It’s been a long week and a half in town. For what seems like forever, a sign on the door of our main street bakery has said: “Closed — March 12 - 20. Open again on March 21st.” What? No goodies this week?
By Lynn Hummel , March 21, 2012
A much too brief stay turns into a lifelong sisterhood
Way back in December I didn’t know what it was like to have a sister. All I had ever had were brothers. When I learned that my family would be hosting our eighth exchange student, I was more than excited. The fact that I was going to have a new sister fascinated me. Before Siri came to live with us I didn’t know what it felt like to be able to have someone that close to you.
By Berit Ramstad Skoyles , March 21, 2012
Best vacation ever
I’ve always been the kind of person who’d prefer to be outside seeing new things and places, than sitting inside watching TV, or playing Play Station.
By Jonah Bowe , March 14, 2012
Though snow has been missed, this skier is happy spring is here
If you’ve been outside recently, you may have noticed that the weather is warmer than the month of March usually brings. The weather forecast shouldn’t be saying 65 degrees on March 13. With the melting of the snow, it’s finally time to embrace the upcoming spring — whether it be reluctantly or not.
By Berit Ramstad Skoyles , March 14, 2012
I shot my bridge partner
“I Shot My Bridge Partner” is the name of a mystery novel I have not read and will not read because it could have been written by various bridge partners I had before they retired my jersey some years ago. Bridge players do not take the game casually, but I did. Not good. One famous bridge player, Kelley Hwang, among the winners of the Grand National Teams Championship a few years ago, tells that he started playing because his marriage was rocky, so he and his wife started to play bridge in search of an activity they could do together.
By Lynn Hummel , March 14, 2012
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