- Prairie Independent
Transcription
- Prairie Independent
FREE Est. 2007 Vol. 2, Iss. 1 January 17, 2008 Local Celebrations of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Featuring Reflections on King and His Impact in North Dakota from: Brian Palecek 1991 Recipient of the North Dakota Martin Luther King Holiday Award Dan Ulmer Mandan City Commissioner Amy S. Nelson Fair Housing of the Dakotas Scott Davis United Tribes Technical College Dr. Paul Johnson School Superintendent Carole Barrett ND Commission on Civil Rights Christie Iverson Physician Carly Schaub Professional Dancer Brandi Powell Journalist INDEX Editorial & Letters 2 Local Culture 3 Movies 4 - 5 Choreographers’ Showcase 6 City Life 7 Season of Nonviolence 8 Cover Story 9 - 10 Presidential Caucuses 11 The Agitator 12 Fatdad CD Release13 Calendar 14 - 15 Jonathan Frye Student The Legacy Lives on in North Dakota Starting 2008 the Right Way Editorial and Letters By Ryan Gustafson EDITOR Our invaluable volunteers put in long hours to create this newspaper, and we can’t thank them enough for all they do especially when volunteering for us means braving the bitter North Dakota winter! Our first issue came out a little over a year ago, on January 4, 2007. It’s hard to believe it’s been an entire year already. We’ve reached a great milestone at the one year mark, which we’re very proud of: this is our first issue printed in color. We wouldn’t be able to do it without the great people of Bismarck-Mandan who’ve helped us along the way. Thanks for reading, and here’s to a great 2008! And now... the letters! What Vast Wasteland? While vacationing in eastern Idaho recently, I was approached by a guy that asked if I was from North Dakota. I replied that I was and he said he was from Rugby. We conversed and realized that we had a friend in common. He proceeded to ask me if I had read the last issue of the National Geographic. He was really upset with an article in the magazine that painted very negative picture of life in North Dakota. The name of the article is “The Emptied Prairie.” I purchased the magazine and was horrified and also maddened that an article like would be published in a respected journal. It portrays a state of extreme hardship and a wasteland. Nowhere in the article does it convey the variety of people that live here with the spirit of living a good life in a good and healthy place to raise families. Is this the way we want other areas of the United States to perceive us? I am worried about the continued migration of rural North Dakotans to our urban areas. I see it is the only thing for people to do, however, as good jobs disappear and the rural medi- cal facilities have to shut down because of a lack of people to keep them running. What worries me even more is the past and current problem of outmigration. Our young people leave because of a lack of quality jobs – jobs needed to own a home and raise a family comfortably in this state. We can’t expect them to want to stay if there is not going to be a future here for them. Where do our elected officials stand on these issues? As my partner and I travel, we see other rural states that have developed factory and industry jobs in their states. Without the better paying companies coming to North Dakota, how can we expect the money to ripple through our community keep the rest of our businesses in business? Is it not true that without good jobs, it will be impossible to afford good healthcare and a continuing good education system for our children? It’s time we wake up and demand quality jobs before North Dakota does go to sleep and the prairie does become a vast wasteland. Dan Tokach Mandan When Justice Reigns As a rural community pastor, I am disappointed in National Geographic’s recent portrayal of North Dakota. Unfortunately it feeds the very frustration of rural residents who have come to reluctantly expect that the losses in their communities and their state are inevitable. How you read the National Geographic story all depends on your perspectives and your hopes for the future. We should grieve many of the changes that have happened to our rural communities and the losses they have experienced. Rural America is being depopulated, decapitalized, and demoralized. There is a reality to that fact. That doesn’t mean we should give in to fatalism or go into a state of denial. We need to face the changes that have occurred, analyze why they have occurred, and determine how these losses can be rectified and reversed. We need to look with eyes that are trained to identify systemic injustices in our economic, political, and social culture. There is a real sense of loss in rural communities and there is a sense of despair about the changes. Perhaps the most devastating loss is the sense of the inability of those remaining to reverse the course of events that has led them to their current status. This doesn’t mean there isn’t hope. Nor does it mean that these economic, political, and social forces are inevitably leading to further losses in rural community. We cannot cover up the reality that has already occurred, nor can we paper them over with press releases and defensive letters to the editor. When I travel to rural places that I have known (and I have traveled most of the back roads and lived on one of those backroads) and when I see the negative changes of recent times I have the same sense of grief and loss that I experience when I do a funeral service. I have to remind myself that there are a variety of steps in the process of grieving over the loss of someone or something loved. First, there is denial, then often there is bargaining, then there is anger, and in the final stages of grief we come to an acceptance of what is and a resolve to make whatever changes are necessary to overcome the loss. I am not happy with the article, and how it portrays our state. But mostly, I am disturbed that it does not investigate the underlying causes or even raise solid questions probing the why’s. Instead, it gives into the inevitabilities of the trend lines that it projects. It leaves you a signed, sealed, and delivered bankruptcy for the future of the Great Plains. What is happening in rural America is not a natural process. It is a man- Get the Prairie Independent Delivered! Never miss an issue - have the paper delivered directly to your home. Subscribe for one year for only $30! Name ______________________________ Address ____________________________ City _____________ St ____ Zip ________ Mail with check or money order to: Prairie Independent Subscriptions 410 E Thayer Ave, Suite 2, Bismarck, ND 58501 Put Your Name on the Independent! Help us grow by sponsoring a PI Distrubution Rack with your name on it. Call for information. 701-224-8090 made phenomenon. Capitalism can be just as destructive as it is creative, especially corporate capitalism. Denial does not deal with the reality of rural losses. Anger often adds to the violence that has already occurred. We cannot and should not return to yesterday, but we can learn from history and we can change the course of history. While we have no choice, but to accept the realities of the present, we can and must change the future. That it is the real task. Attacking National Geographic or the Poppers or other Northern Plains doomsayers often serves to deepen the chasm between reality and possibility. What we need is the imagination to envision a different future and the commitment to bring our new visions into a reality. The Hebrew prophets understood that process, and so should we. They identified the systemic injustices within their society that was creating the doomsday. They named names and confronted the power structures of their day. Then they imagined the different future of what their social order could be when justice reigned. And they called the people into action. That is where I hope the others here in the Northern Plains who are also disappointed in National Geographic’s article will focus their energy. Karl Limvere Medina, ND Prairie Independent January 17, 2008 - Vol. 2, Iss. 1 410 E Thayer Ave, Suite 2 Bismarck, ND 58501 701.224.8090 701.255.0848 (fax) www.prairieindependent.com [email protected] Published by: The North Dakota Center for the Public Good Editorial Board: Lydia Richez-Bowman, Dan Tokach, Ron Hildahl, Ryan Gustafson, Aruna Seth, Vinod Seth, Brian Palecek, Hollis Mackintosh, Don Morrison Contributors: Todd Ford, Jennifer Tosner The Prairie Independent delivers to the Bismarck-Mandan area and is available for free at designated distribution points. Limit one copy per person. Subscriptions available for $30/year. No portion of this newspaper may be reproduced or reused without prior permission. © 2008 The North Dakota Center for the Public Good. All rights reserved. Letters and Op-Ed Submission Policies Letters will be published in the order they are received, space permitting. Letter-writers are encouraged to keep their letters brief. Letters containing offensive material will not be published. Send letters to editor@ prairieindependent.com or mail them to: Prairie Independent, 410 E Thayer Ave, Suite 2, Bismarck, ND 58501. New Blood Means New Energy for the Bismarck Arts Scene By Jennifer Tosner As a North Dakota native, I probably fall into the generation of twentysomething wannabe-hipsters who feel the urge to leave the state in pursuit of something more in the far corners of the world. I’m back now, surveying my community not in terms of what it’s lacking, but in terms of what it has. Surprisingly enough, I’m finding there are a lot of new people here, especially new people in leadership roles in our community. And by new leadership, I don’t mean in the ruling sector - that would be the apocalypse. I am, however, talking about new blood in the arts, in non-profit organizations, and in professional positions. I am one of two newcomers that make up the management team of Dakota Stage Ltd. Northern Plains Ballet is under new management. The Symphony was recently under new management, in addition to all the newcomers at Urban Harvest, The Downtowners Association, Theo Art School, and The God’s Child Project, just to name a few. I’m also finding that there are new people working for local news stations, the media industry, printing businesses, store owners, and restaurants. These new people are creating new connections in our community that help foster a vision of collaboration. This vision has especially taken off in the arts scene. Local musicians have banded together for music festivals and concerts, most recently for a benefit concert for the God’s Child Project. The theatre has featured Northern Plains dancers in our Late Night Alternative venue, and they in turn are featuring Dakota Stage actors in their upcoming Choreographer’s Showcase. Live music is showing up at Urban Harvest and onstage in Northern Plains Ballet productions, a trend which continues as they plan to use a real beatboxer and string ensembles from the Suzuki School of Music in their latest production. No longer are we subjected to our plastic worlds of artistic isolation. to promote each other’s endeavors, and to benefit from others supporting us. Cross pollination in the arts is a good thing - it expands our ability to offer more quality experiences to a community that is otherwise lacking in the arts. New leadership is recognizing this, and is adjusting their priorities accordingly. What I see happening Above: A publicity photo from Dakota Stage’s newest is an arts community that production, Kitchen Witches, about cooking show hosts is coming together to help who hate each other’s guts. Kitchen Witches runs Jan. support each other as we reach for common goals. The 30 - Feb. 3 and Feb. 6 - Feb. 10. attitude of competition over that making it better does not revolve audience members and fundaround doing what’s always been ing sources is slowly ebbing away as done. It takes something new - a fresh people are seeing that interconnection perspective, uncommon risks, bringing is a more powerful way to reach their people in from the outside, and workgoals. ing together to create the kind of synThis collaborative energy is here ergy that we need to promote a culture because people care about making of arts in North Dakota. our community better, and they see Gaining Ground A new energy is springing forth from our willingness to work together, Worship at The Well Sundays at 6 p.m. All are welcome! First Presbyterian Church Sunday Services 9 & 11 Wednesday Programs Starting at 5:30 Third & Thayer, Bismarck 701-223-6091 Spiritual Café: Scented with candles and freshly roasted coffee, an alternative worship experience. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church South Campus 106 Osage Ave, Bismarck (701) 255-1001 GoodShepherdBismarck.com Bismarck Mandan Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 818 East Divide Avenue, Bismarck www.bismanuu.org Free Minds, Hope, Respect, Justice January 20: “The Essential Quaker” with Larry and Joanne Spears January 27: “Growing Old Gracefully?” with Helen Hammond February 3: “The Ethics of Herosim” with Bill Thomas February 10: “Worths, Dignity, and Respect: Why Economic Justic is a Moral and Faith Imperative” with Chad Litton Coffee at 10:30 a.m., program at 11 a.m. Child care, Sunday school, senior high youth groups A Welcoming Congregation PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 3 THE MOVIE PAGES WITH TODD FORD AND CINEMA 100 The New List Cinema 100 is back with a brand new series of interesting and unique movies A you need to run to the bathroom or, as I’ve had to do many times, help your teenager with math homework. Does that sound heavenly? It certainly has its good points. But stop to think about how it cheapens the moviewatching experience. Most obviously, no matter how much money you pour into your TV, it isn’t going to approach the size of even a small theater screen – and no, I’m not forgetting about home video projectors. And it is amazing what happens when you view a film you think you know well for the first time in a theater. Details unnoticeable from across the room on a 35-inch screen suddenly stand out five feet tall. I “saw” Apocalypse Now countless times before attending a Cinema 100 screening and never noticed the very important words “Death from Above” scrawled across the front of a helicopter. I never noticed the book titles, such as “World Targets in Megadeaths,” from Dr. Strangelove, or “Introducing Sociology,” from Eyes Wide Shut, until seeing them boldly projected on a huge screen. The Communal Experience Movies are a communal experience, or least they should be. I’ve never found Night of the Living Dead nearly as terrifying as I did while watching it at midnight with hundreds of other college students. Star Wars will never be as thrilling as it was when I stood in line around the block as a kid and felt the electricity in the air as over 1,000 other “kids” young and old cheered the death of the Death Star. And I’ve never laughed half as hard at Young Frankenstein or Annie Hall as I did last year during crowded Cinema 100 screenings. Laughter has a funny way of building from one person to the next up and down the aisles of a theater. Movies are meant to be watched start to finish, without stopping. They aren’t books. David Lynch (he’s getting pretty grumpy these days) refuses to MARY SPLICHAL REALTOR®, CRS, GRI Thinking of buying or selling a home? It’s one of the biggest decisions of your life. Mary will work with you personally and give you the time you need to make this selling or buying experience the best possible! Get Started Today! Color and Lights And, if you really want to get technical, chew on these facts for a moment: DVDs never really get the colors of a movie quite right – or even close in some cases. Yasujiro Ozu’s late color films Good Morning and Floating Weeds look fine on DVD until one compares them side-by-side with the 701-220-3348 [email protected] MarySellsMandan.com MarySellsBismarck.com 533 Airport Rd, Bismarck, ND 58504 Continued next page choreographers’showcase very humorous video clip was recently posted on YouTube featuring director David Lynch ranting about the ills of watching movies on an iPhone. He comes completely unglued, cursing and everything, while making his point that anyone who watches a movie in a subpar format is delusional if they think they’re actually seeing the movie. We have an unprecedented number of non-theatrical movie-watching options nowadays. People will download movies (illegally) or convert them from DVDs (legally) and watch them on iPods and Zunes. People will stream movies to their computers and watch them in low resolution in tiny little windows. And, most often, people buy or rent them on DVD to view on their televisions. At the very best, that television will be really big and surrounded by a great set of six speakers. Now, I doubt I need to convince anyone that watching movies on an iPod or streamed to a computer cheapens the movie viewing experience. In a medium so heavily weighted toward visual details lurking in every part of the frame, I can’t imagine a serious defense being waged in favor of squinting simply to determine which character is speaking. I can, however, imagine a good argument in favor of a high quality home theater experience over a movie theater. I’ve chosen that option myself at times. Going out to movies isn’t perfect. Tickets are expensive. Concessions are expensive. Babysitting is expensive. A night out at the movies can easily run $40 or more, and that’s without treating your date to a nice dinner. A DVD – or often two – can cost less, especially at Target. In fact, one may even have enough money left over for about a gallon of pop and a box of microwave popping corn. Toss the kids in bed, sit back on the sofa, and hit play. You can even talk all you want without dirty looks – or not have to fire dirty looks across the room if silence is your preference. Heck, you can even hit pause if allow chapter stops on the DVDs for his films to discourage treating them as books. He’s also cited the cheapening (that word again) effect of our lazy stop and start viewing habits. People will often (and I’m also to blame) start a movie one day, continue it a day or so later, and finish it when they get the chance. They may even jump back and re-watch a chapter or two – or even start over completely – because they’ve forgotten what was going on. We just have so many distractions at home. Watching a movie in a theater forces you to concentrate – if you miss something, there’s no going back – and forget about everything else. People often talk about their love of movies as a form of escape. This is only really possible – I propose – if one first escapes from their house and goes to a theater. Ballet to Beatbox featuring A Midsummer Night’s Dream a northern plains ballet production february 23, 7:30 feburary 24, 2:30 reserved tickets available at northern plains ballet $18 adult, $15 student/senior, $12 children general admission tickets available at all dan’s supermarkets: $10 in advance $12 at door 1125 e. main ave. 701.530.0986 sponsored by MDU Resources Foundation & KFYR TV projected image from film. Or did you know that films run at 24 frames per second while video runs at 30 frames per second here in the United States? Obviously, some form of trickery has been imposed on the film, changing it in a subtle but meaningful way, to make it run at a different speed. Or did you know that half the time one sits in a movie theater, the screen is completely dark? Two pulses of light are shown through a frame and then the screen is dark as the next frame is moved into position by the projector. This causes a flickering effect (thus the slang term “flicks”) that is cancelled out by persistence of vision. Its subliminal effect is still felt. Video doesn’t flicker. It is smooth, as a TV screen constantly emits light. Again, the difference is subtle but meaningful. For these reasons, filmmaker Stan Brakhage refused to allow his films to be made available on DVD until near the end of his life and only then accompanied by a disclaimer that they are merely approximations of the films. To see the films as they really are, he advised to try to find a film society screening. As luck would have it, Bismarck’s own Cinema 100 Film Society is holding a series of movie screenings at the Grand Theater. Eleven movies – eleven opportuni- ties to escape for a few hours and put a smile on David Lynch’s face – will be shown on Thursdays, from January 31 through April 24 at 3 and 5:30 p.m. See below for the complete schedule. Todd Ford has been a film nut since 1981. He watches far too many movies through Netflix and enjoys a home life with his wife, two daughters, two dogs, and five cats. Cinema 100 Film Society Presents The 2008 Winter/Spring Film Series All movies shown at Grand Theater at 3 and 5:30 p.m. January 31 The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters An acclaimed and hilarious documentary about video game enthusiasts competing to break classic game world records. February 7 Hud A caustic tale of a young man, played by Paul Newman circa 1963, who tarnishes everything he touches. February 14 Offside An Iranian film about women sneaking into a soccer match dressed as men (Iranian women aren’t allowed to attend sporting events). February 21 Paprika A Japanese anime involving a device that can record and replay dreams. Check out my review at www. cinema100.com. I pushed hard for this terrific film. March 6 The Lives of Others April 3 Secret Film Surprise Inspired by my favorite feature at the Seattle International Film Festival, there’s nothing quite like the excitement of not knowing what you’re about to see. (It’ll be good though. I promise.) April 10 My Kid Could Paint That A look at the work and surprising success of a fouryear-old girl whose paintings have been compared to the likes of Picasso. April 17 To Kill a Mockingbird The Depression-era South classic with Gregory Peck defending a black man against an undeserved rape charge while defending his kids against prejudice. April 24 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days The Cannes Film Festival grand prize winner about a woman who assists her friend to arrange an illegal abortion in 1980s Romania. Set in East Berlin, this Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner looks at a surveillance man who gets absorbed into the lives of two of his subjects. March 13 The Red Balloon/White Mane A double bill of two classic short family films. Bring the kids, share some popcorn, and have a great time. March 20 Water From India, the film focuses on the relationship between a woman who wishes to escape from social restrictions imposed on widows and a man from the highest caste. PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 5 Choreographers’ Showcase Turns Two New Production Features Beatboxing, Shakespeare, and Ballet By Hollis Mackintosh A young man sitting in Seattle traffic takes his talent for imitating musical instruments to the next level. Listening to the radio and imitating the vocal percussion noises that were new on the music scene gives him something to do. On a road trip from Utah to Canada, a little girl gave her parents a challenge, “buy me a harp and I will learn how to play.” Another little girl stood in front of MTV in Dickinson, North Dakota and mimicked Janet Jackson’s dancers. She cleaned the dance studio in exchange for classes. Nathan Lansing, Carly Schaub, and Alysia Klein could never have known that one day their talents would come together in Bismarck, North Dakota. Klein first met Lansing when choreographing My Fair Lady at University of Mary in 2006. Discussing electronica music over dinner one night, Klein found Lansing trying to describe the backbeats of the musical genre using beatboxing, the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one’s mouth, lips, tongue, voice, nasal passage and throat. She kept challenging him to do other beats and found that there was almost to limit to what he could do with his voice. Klein first ran across a Korean commercial featuring hip hop dancers, a beatboxer, a DJ, and gayageum (12 string zither-like instrument) players late last fall but didn’t think twice about it until Schaub mentioned in passing that she could play the harp. Within two weeks, the trio was together arranging and notating the music that will be featured in Cannon with Beats, the working title for Klein’s 2008 contribution to Choreographers’ Showcase, and the inspiration for the subtitle Ballet to Beatbox. Ballet to Beatbox For the second year, Northern Plains Ballet will present Choreographers’ Showcase: Ballet to Beatbox. This year’s production will feature pieces by five choreographers currently residing in North Dakota. The evening will be rounded out by the one act ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream choreographed by NPB’s Guest Artistic Director Robert McFarland. Northern Plains Ballet first featured their Choreographers’ Showcase in February of 2007, collaborating with visual artists from the area and giving dancers from the ballet company a chance to play the role of choreographer and put their own ideas on stage. The results lead to something completely new and refreshing to dancers and audience members alike, enticing Northern Plains Ballet to make the Choreographers’ Showcase a yearly tradition and a part of every performance season. This year NPB is going one step further with collaborations of local musicians, area artists, and Dakota Stage actors. The atmosphere at the studio is encouraging. Dancers perform in each other’s pieces and support each other’s work. In only the showcase’s second year it has evolved into an opportu- From l-r: Meghann Theurer, Davis Benity for the attie, Samantha Stockman dispersed choreographers throughout the state of North Dakota. The show proves the old saying that North Dakota is “one small town with really long streets.” The statewide talent includes: Job Christensen of Grand Forks; artistic director of the North Dakota Ballet, Marlo Miller, of Langdon; Alysia Klein of Dickinson; owner of Velocity Yoga and Dance in Dickinson and Northern Plains Dance Academy’s Hip Hop and Jungle instructor, Carly Schaub of Bismarck, who is also a Northern Plains Ballet dancer; and Hollis Mackintosh, the Academy Director of Northern Plains Dance Academy and a company member of Northern Plains Ballet. Choreographers’ Showcase: Ballet to Beatbox will be performed at the Belle Mehus Auditorium on February 23 at 7:30 p.m. and February 24 at 2:30 p.m. Reserved tickets are available now at Northern Plains Ballet located at 1125 East Main Avenue in Bismarck. Tickets cost $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $12 for children. General admission tickets are available at all Bismarck-Mandan Dan’s Supermarkets for $10 and will be sold at the door for $12. Dancers rehearse Kline’s piece at the Northern Plains Ballet studio. PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 6 whole downtown area of Bismarck.” Congratulations, Michelle - we look forward to your opening. CITY L IFE Beginning of the (Tr)End BY LYDIA RICHEZ-B OWMAN Art, Music and Culture in the Center of the City A s we slip into 2008 filled with anticipation of the unknown, looking forward with hope and perhaps child-like innocence to a new year of peace, positive changes, growth, and fulfillment, it becomes more apparent that the Bismarck art organizations must unite. We need to work together and involve the merchants and the community at large in the development of a thriving and inspiring downtown cultural center. You may have noticed more stores downtown are vacant, leaving additional spaces for art. This is good, but the sad truth is that if this trend continues we may lose our quaint and charming downtown to more office spaces and corporate investments, failing in the creation of a cultural, shopping, and tourist-attracting center in historic downtown Bismarck. The merchants need to unite in their efforts to enhance, enliven, and develop the downtown experience. They have an opportunity and an obligation to come together and join with other organizations such as the Dakota Stage, the Northern Plains Ballet, the Symphony, and the Bismarck Arts and Gallery Association to work together create new cultural activities and opportunities on a regular basis. Little steps become long strides in time. Fargo has done it, but we are lagging. Tourism is an important consideration. Bismarck sells its fishing, boating, golfing, Lewis and Clark Days, and the Civic Center. The downtown area is the perfect location to sell visual arts, theater, ballet, the symphony, and unique foods and shopping. It is all there right now - it just needs to be developed. Important Actors T he city government is vital in this process and can support this growth by making permits easier to obtain and by removing some of the unnecessary restrictions it places on the merchants and the use of outdoor space. As the creator and promoter of Uptown…Downtown in October 2006 through 2007, I am very much aware of the pitfalls of not working together as a cohesive and strong group. Unity in this instance never happened. One person or even five are not enough. We all need to work together: merchants, arts organizations, and any individuals with a vision for a better and more developed future downtown. It is my hope to bring Uptown…Downtown back in a new format and on a seasonal basis. The merchants will have another opportunity to breathe life back into downtown and their businesses. Downtown Studio Opening One wonderful and optimistic note: late last summer, Mike Lindblom, Michelle Lindblom’s brother, mentioned he and his business partner were moving toward purchasing the old Treasures of the Sea and Earth building at 116 N 5th Street. The building became part of the Renaissance Downtown project. Michelle told her brother that she had been looking for an alternative space for her studio and that she would be interested in renting part of the first floor. The construction began and the first floor should be finished by the end of January. “I have moved most of my studio to the downtown location, but nothing is set up yet,” Lindblom said. “I anticipate being able to open up the studio the first part of February. My intention is to use the space as a working studio. I will sell work, mostly by appointment, and be open regularly on Saturdays and Thursday nights. On occasion, I would like to feature other artists, conduct artist talks/conversation nights, and possibly a workshop or two during the summer months. The summertime will bring more regular open hours during the week. Nothing is set in stone except that it will be my working space and I want to be flexible and open to what could happen with the space and the T his could be the beginning of a new trend. As businesses leave and more stores become vacant, opportunity also arises for business people with a vision to not just make money, but also to invest in a creative way to enhance downtown by working with the artistic community. Leasing some of these buildings as studio, living, and gallery spaces at a reasonable price is one possibility. Imagine what possibilities exist! Call for Artists and Competitions 3rd Annual International Juried Human Rights Exhibition www.southtexascollege.edu/womens_ studies Deadline: Postmarked by February 15 Entry Fee: $25, 3 entries (35mm slide, DVD, or CD) This year’s exhibition is in collaboration with the 2008 Sex Trafficking Conference at South Texas College. Concept of art must be related to any type of human rights issue. The traveling exhibition will be shown in the United States and Mexico. Fifth Annual AHL Foundation Visual Arts Competition www.ahlfoundation.org Deadline: February 29 Entry Fee: $35 (please pay by check) The AHL Foundation seeks to support Korean-American artists and build awareness of their contributions to contemporary art through grants, workshops, and exhibitions. Jurors: Nathalie Angles, Robert Berlind, and Heng-Gil Han. For details, send SASE to: The AHL Foundation, 545 Asharoken Ave., Northport, NY 11768 Tel/Fax 631754-7320 Art and Auction www.innovatorsawards.org Bismarck has what it takes to become a progressive and more vibrant community, a cultural center. No great civilizations became great without investment and support of their arts and artists. We are fortunate to have so many arts organizations, artists, and individuals with the passion, vision, and energy to work towards this goal. Our historic downtown is an asset and with the proper investment of time, care and vision, it can grow and gain in value - not just for the merchants, but for all of us in the area. The capital of North Dakota should be a cultural capitol, too! Deadline: March 1 Entry Fee: None National Juried Book/Exhibitions exploring Art and Addiction. Content of artwork should be a narrative of, reflection upon, or expression about drug addiction and recovery. All 2-D and #-d works (including video) are eligible. Finalists will receive honorarium, published book, and inclusion in exhibitions. Innovators Combating Substance Abuse Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 443-287-3915 Call to Artists: The Cradle Project www.thecradleproject.org The Cradle Project is a fundraising art installation design to represent the plight of the 48 million children who have been orphaned by disease and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. We need artists to create and donate cradles for this event. One thousand cradles and cribs made by artists from around the world will fill an abandoned warehouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mass Consumption: The Influences of Popular Culture on Contemporary Art www.mesaartscenter.com Deadline: February 1 by 5 p.m. AZ Entry Fee: $25 for 12 slides/digital files (4 artworks with 2 details each) June 13-August 10, 2008. Mesa Contemporary Arts at Mesa Arts Center. National Juried Exhibition. $2000. in awards. For prospectus: 480-644-6567 PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 7 Gandhi-King-Chavez Season for Nonviolence “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” --Gandhi By Vinod Seth O n January 21, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, The Gandhi Peace Network of North Dakota (GPN-ND) will launch the 6th Annual North Dakota Season for Nonviolence at United Tribes Technical College from 9 a.m. to noon. A Season for Nonviolence, from January 30 to April 4, is a national, 64-day program of individual practice created by Dr. Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and his wife, Sunanda. Visit www.agnt.org. The program shows us nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Inspired by the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world in more than 400 cities in the United States and 18 other countries. My wife, Aruna, and I first learned about this program in June of 2001 at the US-Canada Peace Festival at the International Peace Garden and decided to bring the program to North Dakota in January of 2002. Past and present supporters include, among others, United Tribes Technical College, the Bismarck Public Schools District, the Bismarck Parks and Recreation, the Bismarck Human Relations Committee, the North Dakota Center for Public Good, the North Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association of University Women, the Unitarian Universalist fellowship of Bismarck/Mandan, the North Dakota Women’s Network, the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition, the Abused Adult Resource Center, and Charles Hall Youth Services. Brochures of The 64 Days and 64 Ways are available at UTTC, the Bismarck Public Library, the Bismarck Parks and Recreation office, and at www. gandhipeace.org. The first seven days of practice are printed here to start you on your way. For more information and weeks 2 through 9, visit www.gandhipeace.org. 64 Days and Ways to Practice Nonviolence Week One: Nonviolence begins by learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect, honor and reverence for our own being. For weeks 2 through 9, visit www.gandhipeace.org. Day 1: Courage Eleanor Roosevelt has urged, “You must do the things that you think you cannot do.” Practicing these 46 ways will challenge you to do things (that you think you cannot do.) Today, light a candle and accept the courage to practice 64 ways of living nonviolently. Day 2: Smiling Buddhist Teacher Thich Nhal Hanh said, “If in our daily life we can smile... Not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.” Today, share a smile with at least three people, knowing that your smile contributes to peace. Day 3: Appreciation Louise Hay says, “Praise yourself as much as you can... The love in our lives begins with us... Loving yourself will help heal this planet.” Write down 10 things that you appreciate about yourself. Read aloud what you have written. Day 4: Caring According to Peter McWilliams, “Nonviolence toward the self is caring for oneself. It is what the Greeks call reverence for the self.” Real caring is not just what we say, but what we do. Make a list of at least five ways that you can take better care of yourself. Practice at least one today. Day 5: Believing Author Wayne Dyer writes about the impact that our beliefs have on our daily lives. Today, believe that you have all the resources to move your life in the direction of peace. Be aware of simple demonstrations of peaceful responses you receive. Day 6: Simplicity To simplify is to invite peacefulness. Think of three ways you can simplify your life and put at least one of them into practice today. Day 7: Education Knowledge strengthens your conviction and deepens your wisdom and understanding. Learn about the power of nonviolence by educating yourself. Read or watch on a subject that relates to non-violence. Learn about human rights, diversity, ecology, history, and politics, forgiveness, spirituality, peace studies, biographies of heroes and more. PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 8 The Legacy Lives On North Dakotans Reflect on the Spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Amy S. Nelson Executive Director, Fair Housing of the Dakotas Why I celebrate? Because of Dr. King, we are free to choose where we want to live. The Fair Housing Act was passed by Congress on April 11, 1968 to fight segregation and housing discrimination. There had been an effort to pass the Act for several years, an effort that had been led by Dr. King. Unfortunately, it was only upon Dr. King’s assassination that the Act was passed, a week later, in tribute to him. Discrimination in housing still exists today but progress has been made and continues to be made because of Dr. King. That’s why I celebrate. Carly Schaub Professional Ballet Dancer Carole Barrett Teacher, University of Mary; Chair, North Dakota Commission on Civil Rights I was born in and raised for a period of time in the Jim Crow South. My Virginia birth certificate contains racial information reaching back into my grandparent’s generation. This birth certificate and a physical appearance were required for admission to the local public school. Only white children were permitted (and this was after Brown v. The Board of Education). I recall “Sorry, White Only” signs posted on restaurants and hotels. Even at the tender age of eight I knew these businesses were not sorry. These images and experiences take on particular meaning on Martin Luther King Day. Every year I listen, by myself, to the “I Have a Dream Speech.” As a teacher, my classes examine King and his meaning to our lives through a panel discussion open to entire university. Students sometimes complain that this should be a day off; I can think of no better place to be than talking about Reverend Martin Luther King’s challenges among a community of learners. Brian Palecek Instructor, United Tribes Technical College and Vice President North Dakota Peace Coalition, 1991 Recipient of the ND Martin Luther King Holiday Award My three favorite American national holidays are Martin Luther King Day, Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. These three holidays contain our history as a nation: our beginnings, our independence, and our ongoing historical struggle for justice and equality. Nobody is left out. It’s nice that the three holidays are scattered throughout the year and, for us Americans, the year begins with Martin Luther King Day. For a couple of years when my children were small we would save some of the bottle rockets from the Fourth of July and shoot them off in Bismarck on the night of Martin Luther Day. The celebration of freedom in July merged with the justice of January. It’s just too bad that Dr. King was born in our darkest, coldest month. Most national holidays honor an event or person associated with the emergence of some new philosophy. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day acknowledges a man whose work defines the American Civil Rights Movement, as well as the evolution of modern morality. Many events led to the ratification of the Civil Rights Bill, but the implementation of the military draft temporarily placed Americans on equal ground. People from different races and classes fought side-by-side only to return home and be told to drink at separate water fountains. With looming issues such as the healthcare crisis and the growing economic gap, one wonders what event will spark the next moral revolution. Dr. Paul Johnson Superintendent, Bismarck Public Schools The observance of Martin Luther King Day symbolizes so much more than civil rights for African-Americans. It celebrates the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent civil rights legislation. For instance, employers cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Civil Rights Act paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act. Title IX guarantees young women the same rights as young men to participate in sports. I celebrate Martin Luther King Day by reflecting on how much stronger our country is, and how much better life is for my children, because of the civil rights legislation. Brandi Powell Journalist It’s not just black people who care about black people. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived that message - that however we uniquely or collectively define ourselves through race, culture or religion, we all can, and should, care about one another’s successes and struggles. Whether or not Dr. King entered the American construct fortuitously, it’s no accident, that in my life, his message is a part of my daily journey. I am blessed to have great diversity in the people I surround myself with, and in the people whom I call my most dear friends. Jonathan Frye Nursing Student, United Tribes Technical College I think it is important to remember the sacrifices that people made so that today we can all be treated with equal justice and treatment. It was brave people that decided that they didn’t want their children to live in a world divided by prejudice and discrimination so they fought for what they believed in. We must recognize the battles these people fought everyday so that we can enjoy the privileges they brought us today. Scott Davis Chair, Culture Committee, United Tribes Technical College, Standing Rock Lakota/Turtle Mountain Chippewa (Also pictured: Santana, newborn, and Angelina, 3) Why should we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? From a Native American point of view, Dr. King opened the doors for minorities in the areas of equality and justice. I believe that through his servant leadership he opened the eyes of the world to the decades of injustices and persecution done by the United States to generations of minorities. His leadership in the Civil Right Movement opened the door to equality for the Red Man. The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act are three major turning points in Indian Country. Imagine that, not having these freedoms for decades. How does a race survive without these freedoms? How can a group of people move forward on their own when they are oppressed by a higher power? Dr. King raised the heads of many oppressed people and showed them that there is freedom. But this freedom came with a price. Dr. King undoubtedly knew his fate, just as Benazir Bhutto knew hers. I really think they sacrificed their own lives not to be martyred, but for the cause. It is people like this who have the dream, the faith and the fearlessness to stand up to racism and injustice in a peaceful way that we should martyr them at least one day a year. Each year I celebrate Dr. King’s life by participating in the annual United Tribes Technical College “Martin Luther King Day.” This year will be no different. The theme Continued next page PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 9 The Legacy of King (continued from page 7) Carole Barrett Teacher, University of Mary; Chair, North Dakota Commission on Civil Rights I was born in and raised for a period of time in the Jim Crow South. My Virginia birth certificate contains racial information reaching back into my grandparent’s generation. This birth certificate and a physical appearance were required for admission to the local public school. Only white children were permitted (and this was after Brown v. The Board of Education). I recall “Sorry, White Only” signs posted on restaurants and hotels. Even at the tender age of eight I knew these businesses were not sorry. These images and experiences take on particular meaning on Martin Luther King Day. Every year I listen, by myself, to the “I Have a Dream Speech.” As a teacher, my classes examine King and his meaning to our lives through a panel discussion open to entire university. Students sometimes complain that this should be a day off; I can think of no better place to be than talking about Reverend Martin Luther King’s challenges among a community of learners. Brian Palecek Instructor, United Tribes Technical College and Vice President North Dakota Peace Coalition, 1991 Recipient of the ND Martin Luther King Holiday Award My three favorite American national holidays are Martin Luther King Day, Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. These three holidays contain our history as a nation: our beginnings, our independence, and our ongoing historical struggle for justice and equality. Nobody is left out. It’s nice that the three holidays are scattered throughout the year and, for us Americans, the year begins with Martin Luther King Day. For a couple of years when my children were small we would save some of the bottle rockets from the Fourth of July and shoot them off in Bismarck on the night of Martin Luther Day. The celebration of freedom in July merged with the justice of January. It’s just too bad that Dr. King was born in our darkest, coldest month. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY EVENTS MLK Day Holiday Celebration McCabe United Methodist Church, 1030 N 6th St, Bismarck Sunday, Jan. 20, 7p Gospel Songs by “Trilogy” (Barb Egan, Deb Aleson, Jane Morgan), vocal solo by Loretta Graham, harp and mandolin by Gayle Sherman and Dan Foster. An offering will be received for the Charles Hall Youth Services. MLK Day Student Panel University of Mary, Heskett Hall, Clairmont Center Monday, Jan. 21, 10a Annual United Tribes Technical College MLK Day Celebration UTTC Wellness Center Healing Room Monday, January 21, 9a-noon Theme is “Dealing with Discrimination with Dignity.” Student forum consisting of different races and interpretations about the holiday’s meaning from the point of view of First Americans. Presentations by Dr. David Gipp, Dr. Harriett Skye, and Dr. Cheryl Long Feather. Launch the 6th Annual Season of Non-violence by the Gandhi Peace Network, Aruna and Vinod Seth. Public program welcomes all who wish to observe the national holiday. Refreshments will be served. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Celebration “Exploring Nonviolence” McCabe United Methodist Church, 1030 N 6th St, Bismarck Monday, Jan. 21, 7p In honor and memory of Therm Kaldahl. Includes “What Is Nonviolence?” by Brian Palecek; MLK Jr and Nonviolence by Lionel Muthiah; Therm Kaldahl video “Alternatives to Violence”; and a review by Janet Merrill of Marshall Rosenberg’s “Nonviolent Communication: a Language of Life.” Landlords must allow you to make reasonable accommodations to ensure full use of your apartment. Telling you that you can’t install grab bars and ramps is against the law. You can fight back. If you feel you’ve been discriminated against, call Fair Housing of the Dakotas at 221-2530 or 1-888-265-0907. Everyone deserves a fair chance. Area Caucus Locations for February 5 The ads appearing on this page are paid advertisements. All major candidates and parties were offered space. - Ed. - All Bismarck-area districts are conducting voting at the Moose Club, 312 N. 20th St - Mandan (D34) is conducting a Caucus at the Morton County Courthouse - D31 and D33 are conducting a Caucus at the Seven Seas Inn (Mandan) Anybody can vote at any location in the state. Polls are open from 2pm - 8pm Central Time everywhere. 701-255-0460 www.demnpl.com Paid for by the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party - David Strauss, Chairman Vote John Edwards For Change on February 5 johnedwards.com Kucinich for President Strength Through Peace A Ron Paul presidency will: •Bring our troops home from no-win “police actions”. www.dennis4president.com •Let Americans keep more of their own money. •Secure our borders and end illegal immigration. Hillary Clinton •Protect our privacy and stop the national ID card. for President •Protect 2nd Amendment rights and oppose gun regulation. •Preserve the Constitution and protect our civil liberties. We can rebuild America and reinstate the Republic that the Founding Fathers envisioned... Vote for Ron Paul in the Republican caucus on February 5th. Be a part of the Hope for America today. Authorized and paid for by Ron Paul 2008 PCC Paid for by Sanjay Seth Congressman Ron Paul is serving his 10th term in the U.S. House. He has delivered over 4000 babies and served his country in the Air Force. www.RonPaul2008.com 1-877-766-2008 It is my privilege to support Hillary Clinton for President. Hillary has the capacity to change our country. She has the compassion to do it right. She has the experience and ability to make it happen. She has the heart to sense the soul of this country and improve our relationships with the world. I am grateful for the outstanding Democratic candidates for President. And I am proud to affirm and support the historic election of our nation’s first woman President, Hillary Clinton. Please join me. THE ANTAGONIST BY CHARLIE BARBER The Show Biz of Big Biz Anti-Community Policies for the Sake of Profit Hurt Everyone I have a wonderful conservative singing buddy. He is a responsible businessman in the BismarckMandan community, but he has deep pockets for a baseball team in the McQuade Softball Tournament. While this might not qualify him for sainthood outside of slow-pitch softball, it certainly shows him to be the kind of responsible businessman who could call himself a conservative and not make us cringe. In today’s hyperbolic political environment, he might accuse me of being a left-wing wacko (commie just doesn’t have the same ring to it these days), and I might accuse him of being to the right of Attila the Hun (since Conan the Barbarian moved to the left). Of course, to the right of Attila the Hun is still well to the left of Grover Norquist and Duane Sand, the greed merchants masquerading as patrons of the private sector, the alleged sole source of our wealth. Sand’s fig leaf is called “Americans for Prosperity.” But whose prosperity? Certainly not mine. Yours? Probably not, unless you make substantially more than the average North Dakotan. The broader community? Of course not. Our communities are supported by the government (in turn supported by our tax dollars), which Norquist & Co. have said they want to make weak and small enough to drown in a bathtub. Are they concerned about the prosperity of themselves and a few favored friends of Dick Cheney (the penultimate big biz CEO) and George W. Bush (the penultimate spawn of a silver spoon mentality)? We’re getting warmer. Their horse hockey about government being the enemy of those poor, helpless, giant corporations is all part of the “show biz of big biz.” Those businesses are absolutely dependent on the infrastructure, such as highways and police protection, provided by American taxpayers. Their complaints about how bad the government is has been exploiting the gullibility of Americans since well before the phrase attributed to P.T. Barnum informed us, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” For the sake of my friends who are genuinely conservative and Republicans who really care about their communities, let’s call guys like Grover Norquist, Duane Sand, and the lingering supporters of Bush’s anti-populist policies the Scrooge Republicans. Charles Dickens got it right when he drew his epitome of avarice and indifference in “A Christmas Carol.” There are no ghosts of past, present, and future conscience waiting for Scrooge Republicans, however, unless a full depression should cause financial bankruptcy to equal their moral bankruptcy – but that isn’t something I would wish on any of us, even the greedy. A lesser known contemporary of Dickens, the art critic and conservative, John Ruskin, also got it right about the proper responsibility of a businessperson to their community in his essay, “The Roots of Honour.” Five great intellectual professions, relating to daily necessities of life, have hitherto existed... in every civilized nation: The Soldier’s profession is to defend it. The Pastor’s to teach it. The Physician’s to keep it in health. The Lawyer’s to enforce justice in it. The Merchant’s to provide for it. In other words, a merchant who does not enrich their community, as well as themselves, is not a conservative. They are someone who doesn’t conserve, but destroys communities, unlike my singing buddy. The reckless policies of the current administration are very much based on the ideology spouted by people like Norquist and Sand. They encourage robbing the national treasury for their well-placed friends, disrupting our beleaguered public school system with their dishonest “No Child Left Behind” snake oil, and lying us into a war in Iraq on behalf of – you guessed it – the big oil biz. Halliburton, for instance, provided our troops with tainted water while bilking the government for millions. Say No to Blackmail S Free - Confidential - 24/7 Information, Referral, and Crisis Management. We connect people to services. peaking of the oil business, Don Kessel of Murex Petroleum was quoted in the Bismarck Tribune on June 25 last year as saying, “We wouldn’t be [drilling for oil in western North Dakota], if not for this tax change.” That’s extortion, folks. Blackmail. The good citizens of North Dakota are supposed to be grateful that the Scrooge Republicans in the 2007 Legislature and their banker/governor rammed through another tax break for big biz, even though we are going to have to subsidize their greed with low wages, and higher property and retail taxes. Who pays for the highway, police, fire, and ambulance services in western North Dakota? Murex? Doubtful. But if we don’t bend over backwards to throw money at them, they threaten to up and leave. Our legislators are so cowed by these bullies they turn their backs on their constituents in order to provide millions for the already-profitable oil industry in our state. Sure, the oil companies provide a few high-paying jobs for highly-skilled labor that may or may not be from North Dakota, but their major motivation is like that of extractive industries around the world: “Get in, get rich, and get out.” What newspapers like the Bismarck Tribune, the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, and the Minot Daily News forget to remind you in the course of their oil headlines is that the oil reserves of the Williston Basin rank up there with Iraq and Iran. They just require more drilling and investment. If Murex doesn’t do it, Halliburton will, or someone else, regardless of how many tax handouts we give them. Forget those bullies. We could do it ourselves through the same mechanism that built the Bank of North Dakota and the Grain Mill and Elevator. We could harness some of the profits of the energy industry for the people of North Dakota, rather than watch them flow into the pockets of out-of-state people who don’t care about our communities at all – to them, we’re just another quick buck. We could create our own “State Energy Bank” to create genuine competition and accountability for the monopolistic fossil fuel industry and, more importantly, seize the future for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren with a Department of Agri-Energy within our Energy Bank, which would capitalize and develop wind farms, bio-diesel, and other serious, environmentally-friendly forms of energy production. There’s no reason to allow ourselves to be locked into one or two non-renewable resources when the land of our state can provide so much more – a fact unknown, apparently, to the leaders of the state legislature. A State Energy Bank, with its Department of Agri-Energy, cannot happen with the current Scrooge Republicans who dominated the legislature in 2007 or their big biz banker/governor, who flies around the state trying to take credit for every federal project brought here by our Democratic-NPL representation in Washington. The bottom line: we don’t need to be grateful to Halliburton, Murex, or anyone else for coming in here and making billions of dollars on our oil, while whining all the while they don’t receive enough handouts for their trouble. There is a wonderful baseball saying, “Show no fear, throw strikes.” My singing buddy’s team won first place in their softball division. If we dare to challenge companies like Murex, we can also place our communities and values first. Charlie Barber is a retired history professor and was active in the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial reenactments. He studies the Non-Partisan League and has written several books and papers. PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 12 A Good Reason to Throw a Party Fatdad Releases Their First Full-Length Album By PI Staff vides vocals. Sarah McMahon plays keyboards and provides vocals. Fatdad is throwing an all-ages Brandon Clayson plays bass, and concert to celebrate the release of their Tommy McMahon plays drums and fi rst full-length all-original album. also provides vocals. The CD was released on December The album was recorded last sum19, but the party starts Friday, January mer at 18, at 7:30 Makoche p.m. at the Recording AMVETS studios in Club (2402 Bismarck. Railroad Fatdad Avenue, and David Bismarck, Swenson, $5 cover). owner of Joining the Makoche celebration Studios, are Luke co-proGraner and duced the members of album. Gypsyfoot. All of the For peocomposiple unfations on miliar with the record Fatdad, are songs the band written by is comThe cover of Fatdad’s CD (image courtesy Fatdad) Pat Phillips posed of five and James McMahon. people: Fatdad came off a big summer. James McMahon plays trumpet, They played the 10,000 Lakes Festipercussion, and provides vocals. val, one of the premier midwestern Pat Phillips plays guitar and pro- Fatdad musician James McMahon plays the trumpet at The Seven Seas. Brandon Clayson plays his bass in the background (image courtesy Fatdad). music events of the year, and joined the fun in Bismarck at the Harmony Music Festival. There are several different styles of music on the album, all influenced by different inspirations, leading to a completely original sound. Fatdad thrives on the creative process and the improvisation of a live show and tried to capture that essence on the record. Judge for yourself how successful they are - go check out the show and the new CD. CD’s are available at the CD release party, as well as Stringbean Music, Eckroth Music, and Nightlife Music. For more information on Fatdad, visit www.fatdadmusic.com. Stand out in a crowd Market your business with colorful large-format printing Susan Thompson's Certified Yoga Instructor YOGA FOR LIFE, HEALTH AND FUN! Whether it’s networking with clients at a tradeshow, branding a company, or proudly decorating an office – our large-format banners and displays are sure to impress. For convenience, try one of our quick and easy retractable banners or 10-foot displays to make a big impression. Marketing your business is now "Down, dog, down!" more colorful and affordable than ever! Beginners--Tues. 7 p.m., Sat. 9:05 a.m Intermediates--Tues. 5:30 p.m. 701-223-6162 Classes held at Unitarian Fellowship, 818 E. Divide, Bismarck 117 W. Front Ave. Bismarck www.spitnimage.com 223-0505 • 800.437.8040 A Division of United Printing Ilustration Copyright 2007 by Steven Fisher PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 13 THE PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY CALENDAR JANUARY 17 - MARCH 16 THURSDAY, JAN. 17 UNITED TRIBES NATIVE RESEARCH LECTURE SERIES: Dr. Robert Megginson (Lakota), University of Michigan presents “2+2=Indian: The Math Path to Self-Determination,” 3 p.m., lower level, UTTC Jack Barden Center. Info: 255-3285 ext. 1491. MINNESOTA TWINS 2008 WINTER CARAVAN 6:30 p.m., Civic Center Exhibit Hall A. Info: 255-1234. FRIDAY, JAN. 18 FATDAD CD RELEASE CELEBRATION 7:30 p.m., AMVETS. All ages; $5 cover. See story. MANDAN HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS OKLAHOMA 7:30 p.m., Mandan High School Auditorium. Tickets: $7 adults, $5 seniors 55 plus, $3 students. BISMARCK MANDAN CIVIC CHORUS PRESENTS AN EVENING ON BROADWAY Sidney J. Lee Auditorium at BSC, 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY, JAN. 19 MANDAN HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS OKLAHOMA 7:30 P.M., MANDAN HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM. TICKETS: $7 ADULTS, $5 SENIORS 55 PLUS, $3 STUDENTS. BISMARCK MANDAN CIVIC CHORUS PRESENTS AN EVENING ON BROADWAY Sidney J. Lee Auditorium at BSC, 7:30 p.m. SUNDAY, JAN. 20 MANDAN HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS OKLAHOMA 2 p.m., Mandan High School Auditorium. Tickets: $7 adults, $5 seniors 55 plus, $3 students. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR, HOLIDAY CELEBRATION McCabe United Methodist Church, 1030 N 6th St, Bismarck. 7:00 p.m. Gospel Songs by “Trilogy” (Barb Egan, Deb Aleson, Jane Morgan), vocal solo by Loretta Graham, harp and mandolin by Gayle Sherman and Dan Foster. An offering will be received for the Charles Hall Youth Services. SENSATIONAL SUNDAYS “JANUARY IS FOR JOURNEYS” Gregg Marsland performs on the Scottish bagpipes, 2 p.m., Heritage Center. Free, open to the public. WINTER BLUES PARTY 5:30-9:30 p.m., AMVETS. Joe Moss Band, Richard Torrance, the Levee. Tickets: Nightlife Music, Laure’s Banner and Print, Eckroth Music, the AMVETS, or Steve, 391-0799. BISMARCK MANDAN CIVIC CHORUS PRESENTS AN EVENING ON BROADWAY Sidney J. Lee Auditorium at BSC, 7:30 p.m. WARRIOR’S CALL POTLUCK TO DEVELOP INDIAN CENTER IN BISMARCK 5:30 p.m., United Tribes Technical College, Building 61. MONDAY, JAN. 21 ANNUAL UNITED TRIBES TECHNICAL COLLEGE “MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY” CELEBRATION Theme is “Dealing with Discrimination with Dignity.” Student forum consisting of different races and interpretations about the holiday’s meaning from the point of view of First Americans. Presentations by Dr. David Gipp, Dr. Harriett Skye, and Dr. Cheryl Long Feather. Launch the 6th Annual Season of Nonviolence by the Gandhi Peace Network, Aruna and Vinod Seth. From 9:00 a.m. to noon, at the UTTC Wellness Center Healing Room. Public program welcomes all who wish to observe the national holiday. Refreshments will be served. MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY STUDENT PANEL University of Mary, Heskett Hall, Clairmont Center 10:00 a.m. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., HOLIDAY CELEBRATION “Exploring Nonviolence” at McCabe United Methodist Church, 1030 N 6th St, Bismarck. 7:00 p.m. In honor and memory of Therm Kaldahl. Includes “What Is Nonviolence?” by Brian Palecek; MLK Jr and Nonviolence by Lionel Muthiah; Therm Kaldahl video “Alternatives to Violence”; and a review by Janet Merrill of Marshall Rosenberg’s “Nonviolent Communication: a Language of Life.” TUESDAY, JAN. 22 BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL FILM SERIES “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” 7 p.m., Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. BISMARCK CITY COMMISSION 5:15 p.m., City/County Building. View: http://www. freetv.org. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 23 Dyer & Summers, P.C. Edwin W.F. Dyer III and Anne E. Summers Attorneys at Law phone 701-223-2099 888-695-4936 fax 701-223-4889 [email protected] www.lawyers.com/dyersums THURSDAY, JAN. 24 BASKETBALL BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE VS. UNITED TRIBES TECHNICAL COLLEGE Women 6 p.m., Men 8 p.m., BSC Armory FRIDAY, JAN. 25 WALK INTO A WINTER WONDERLAND Frances Leach High Prairie Arts & Science Complex, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. free event for families to experience winter through the arts and sciences, all ages welcome. Check out the calendar at http://www.bisparks.org SATURDAY, JAN. 26 BISMARCK MANDAN SYMPHONY LEAGUE’S 26TH ANNUAL WILD-N-WOOLY WING DING DINNER AUCTION 6 p.m., Radisson Ballroom. Social, dinner, silent auction, live auction, Ja Makin Meh Crazy. SUNDAY, JAN. 27 SENSATIONAL SUNDAYS “JANUARY IS FOR JOURNEYS” Bismarck High School New Generation Jazz Choir, 2 p.m., Heritage Center. Free, open to the public. BISMARCK TRIBUNE SPORT SHOW Noon-5 p.m., Civic Center. Info: Paul Patera, 250-8221. WINTER DAZE OPEN SKATING 3:30-5 p.m., Mandan Pepsi All Seasons Arena. Info: Kelly, 667-3260. WARRIOR’S CALL POTLUCK TO DEVELOP INDIAN CENTER IN BISMARCK 5:30 p.m., United Tribes Technical College, Building 61. MONDAY, JAN. 28 ARTIST OF THE MONTH @ GALLERY 522 All-member exhibit, “Landmarks and Landscapes.” Gallery closed on Sundays. BISMARCK SCHOOL BOARD 5:15 p.m., City/County Building. View: http://www. freetv.org. TUESDAY, JAN. 29 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. THURSDAY, JAN. 31 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. CONVOCATION WITH GUEST SPEAKER ANDREA PETERSON University of Mary, Music Department. 11:00 am, Andrea Peterson, National Teacher of the Year, place to be determined FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1 UNIVERSITY OF MARY JAZZ FESTIVAL CONCERT 8 p.m., Bismarck Civic Center (small charge for concert) DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 LIVE ART IN MOTION 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kirkwood Mall, call Dakota West Arts Council 222-6640 for more information. DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. DAKOTA GOOD FRIENDS DANCE 9:30 p.m., Prime Steer, $8 or $5 with college/military ID. 18 or older. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 2 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL FILM SERIES “Bride and Prejudice,” 7 p.m., Sidney J. Lee Auditorium. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. THE SYMPHONY Guest Artist: Winner of the Collegiate Young Artist Competition; 7:30 p.m., Belle Mehus City Auditorium, 7:30PM INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF BISMARCK-MANDAN POTLUCK 6 p.m., program at 7:00 p.m. Bob Wefald “Trans Siberian Express” Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 818 E Divide. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10 BOOKTALK AT BSC Discusses “The Tie that Binds” by Kent Haruf (fiction). Discussion leader is Kitty Netzer, BSC Assistant Professor of English. 1-3 p.m., BSC Library. Public is welcome. DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 2 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 UNITED TRIBES NATIVE RESEARCH LECTURE SERIES Dr Jeff Henderson, M.D., M.P.H., Lakota. “Strong Hearts: Researching the People for Wellness” 3:00 p.m. UTTC Jack Barden Center, Lower Level. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15 FANCY FRIDAY! 5 to 7:30 p.m. Mid-America Credit Union Association offices, 2005 N. Kavaney. John Krueger Jazz Quartet. The antithesis to casual day at work! Fundraiser for the Dakota West Arts Council, 222-6640. SATUDAY, FEBRUARY 16 DAKOTA DIVAS IN DRAG Doors open at 7:30 p.m., Ramkota Hotel, $10, 18 and older. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 BROADWAY IN BISMARCK PRESENTS CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY 7:30 p.m. Bismarck Civic Center SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23 NORTHERN PLAINS BALLET PRESENTS CHOREOGRAPHERS’ SHOWCASE: BALLET TO BEATBOX Featuring A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 7:30 p.m.. 2nd Annual showcase of regional choreographers, Belle Mehus Auditorium. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24 NORTHERN PLAINS BALLET PRESENTS CHOREOGRAPHERS’ SHOWCASE: BALLET TO BEATBOX Featuring A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 7:30 p.m.. 2nd Annual showcase of regional choreographers, Belle Mehus Auditorium. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 29 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS CINDERELLA: A PLAY FOR CHILDREN 7 p.m. Frances Leach High Prairie Arts and Science Complex, family night $5/person or $20 for immediate family. SATURDAY, MARCH 1 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS CINDERELLA: A PLAY FOR CHILDREN 1 and 3 p.m. Frances Leach High Prairie Arts and Science Complex, tickets $5. SUNDAY, MARCH 16 SPRING BAND CONCERT University of Mary, 3 p.m., Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel To submit your events to the calendar, send the date, time, location, and other information to [email protected]. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7 BASKETBALL UNITED TRIBES TECHNICAL COLLEGE VS. BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE Women 6 p.m., Men 8 p.m., at United Tribes DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. GYPSYFOOT VFW, 7:30 p.m. all ages. Bismarck Art & Galleries Association’s A T a e n sting i W .BSDItQN #JTNBSDL.VOJDJQBM$PVOUSZ$MVC FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. GYPSYFOOT VFW, 9:00 p.m., 21 and over. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 DAKOTA STAGE LTD PRESENTS “THE KITCHEN WITCHES” 8 p.m., adults $15, students/seniors $12, comedy. Sponsored by Tickets available at BAGA and $BQUBJO+BDLT (north & south locations). Questions? Call the BAGA off ice: 223-5986 PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 15 ,ATITUDES ("--&3:'3".*/((*'54 Local North Dakota Art & Custom Framing 107 N 5th Street w Bismarck, ND 58501 w 701-224-9034 Mixed Media Painting I & II Instructor: Lydia Richez-Bowman Starts February 2 at B.A.G.A. Call 701- 223-5986 to register. An introduction to abstract art and an opportunity to think and create on an individual level. Mention this ad and receive a gift in class! Call 250-7169 for more information. PRAIRIE INDEPENDENT JANUARY 17, 2008 16