They need to leave John Burke out of this!

Blessing or a curse?

I was planning on writing about my Business Associations Exam that was this morning.  I wanted to point out that given the past success rates given to us by our Professor, that the best strategy was to be able to confidently answer 35 or 40 questions [out of 75] and then make educated guesses for everything else.  This was because the average success rate was below 50%, yada yada, ad infintum . . .

But now for today’s North Dakota news:

North Dakota tops analysis of corruption from USA Today.

Say what?

The story points out that ND, Alaska, and Louisiana [LA, no shit, I'm not sure why they're making this list.] all have corruption convictions at a greater rate than Illinois.  The story continues:

But North Dakota?

Don Morrison, executive director of the non-partisan North Dakota Center for the Public Good, said it may be that North Dakotans are better at rooting out corruption when it occurs.

“Being a sparsely populated state, people know each other,” he said. “We know our elected officials and so certainly to do what the governor of Illinois did is much more difficult here.”

Morrison said the state has encouraged bad government practices in some cases by weakening disclosure laws. North Dakota does not require legislative or statewide candidates to disclose their campaign expenses.

Id. (As usual linked added to the blockquote for background information.)  The story does include the little tidbit that that it may just be that smaller states are better at rooting out corruption leading to greater per capita convictions.  I would say that this is probably the case, for ND because I am biased.

John Burke in the US Capitol. Is this the same statute as the one in Bismark?

Although this business with Kent Conrad‘s favorable loans kind of bothers me a little bit.  Who knows how far corruption runs anywhere I guess.

Perhaps my views have changed since moving to Washington DC, the root of government wrongdoings.  I consider DC to be both corrupt and ridiculous, but I never thought I’d be reading a news story making the claim that ND is the most corrupt state.  IL and LA have that honor [which they share with NY and FL, a fact which should surprise no one].

So, I’m just going to go ahead and call shenanigans on USA Today: ND isn’t the most corrupt state, unless you are only comparing it to its neighbor to the south.

I missed the memo about it being ND Week, but I caught up quickly.  By the way, USA Today, what the hell did John Burke ever do to you? Do you think we should take his statute out of the capitol building now? Back off.  I’ve said it once and I hope I don’t have to say it again: ND get out of the news.

Oh and mass media: Please decide if we North Dakotans are the simple, conservative, never fancy types, or the evil corrupts, crazy type.  It be best if you could get back to us before the weekend, we’ve got a lot of snow coming.

Just Like Fargo?

Okay, I could not resist.  I might as well keep the weeks theme going.  Fargo is currently the bane of my existence.  I have no idea what has gotten into me this week.  Fargo is just not that interesting and therefore I shouldn’t be able to write about it for days on end.  But for some reason the stars must be aligned in a way to encourage references and stories about the biggest metropolis in that tiny state.  Well this picture has come to my attention via a twitter search I have set up.

[Okay, so i have a twitter search for Fargo set up.  So sue me.  Its my home town so I'm generally interested in what is going on there.]

Either way, this picture come courtesy of Twitter user Twood.  On the picture page, the caption reads: “Stagecoach turning south on calif ave. outside my off. Just like Fargo, ND.“  Click on the picture for a better look on the photo page.

Believe me, this is a great picture but I can think of many more reasons that this picture is not like Fargo.  So what reasons are there that this picture couldn’t have been taken in Fargo?  I’ll get you guys started:

1. No Snow.
2. There is a man in a suit taking a picture of the stagecoach.
3. That man . . . is using an iPhone.

What else?

Secretary of State Al Jaeger, who thinks the law might attract business to North Dakota, supports the effort. “Our position was … we will build it,” Jaeger told the Journal. “If somebody wants to come and play in our ball field, that’s great.”

The North Dakota law is unlikely to draw much business to the state soon, experts say. But activist investors say the North Dakota law adds fuel to the debate over shareholder rights and oversight, which has intensified during the financial crisis.

See Law Blog – WSJ.com : North Dakota Sends Delaware a Wake-Up Call on Corporate Governance (links added).

[Begins slow clap . . . no one joins . . . starts typing again]

Maybe this just interests me because I’m currently enrolled in Business Associations.  Or maybe because I’m from ND I’m contractually bound to point out the state any time it appears in the national media.  Maybe I’m just addicted to the song of the western meadow lark.  I just don’t know.

Either way, I can’t remember the last time North Dakota was in the national news three days in a row [well maybe during the 1997 flood].  But here’s to you North Dakota, for trying to steal business from Delaware while Joe Biden isn’t standing guard on a slow news day.

I’m just going to pretend that this, “The Pride of Fargo” story doesn’t exist.

By the way ND, get out of the news: you’re blocking my view.

The Bling Bling Showcase at the Fine Arts Club was meant to show off local jewelry, purses and accessories, as well as draw people into the clubhouse at 601 4th St. S., Fargo.

See Fargo Fine Arts Club sells locally made ‘Bling Bling’ from Inforum.com.

What makes this story even more entertaining?  Read the story and check out the picture that accompanies the article.

As a teaser, the alternate text of the picture includes, “You’re never too old for bling.”

North Dakota’s cheery circumstance — which economic analysts are quick to warn is showing clear signs that it, too, may be in jeopardy — can be explained by an odd collection of factors: a recent surge in oil production that catapulted the state to fifth-largest producer in the nation; a mostly strong year for farmers (agriculture is the state’s biggest business); and a conservative, steady, never-fancy culture that has nurtured fewer sudden booms of wealth like those seen elsewhere (“Our banks don’t do those goofy loans,” Mr. Theel said) and also fewer tumultuous slumps.

As it happens, one of the state’s biggest worries right now is precisely the reverse of most other states: North Dakota has about 13,000 unfilled jobs and is struggling to find people to take them.

See A Placid North Dakota Asks, What Recession? from NYTimes.com.  Trust me; I love any positive press that my home state can get.  Right now North Dakota is in a relatively prosperous condition when compared with her sister states, or with just about any state for that matter.  I also appreciate when a worldwide publication such as the New York Times prints a story about our little corner of the planet.  Really, I do.

But I have to laugh at these stories as well.  Conservative, steady, never-fancy culture that has nurtured fewer sudden booms of wealth like those seen elsewhere?  Come on, haven’t you even been to Hotel Donaldson or Monte’s? They count as fancy . . . right?  Our banks don’t do those goofy loans?  Gag me; I’d like to see that little factoid proven.  Apparently the “legendary” state doesn’t have national banks.  Fewer tumultuous slumps.  Small sample size?  This quote form Bob Stenehjem about sums up the piece’s opinion:

“Prudence is important at this point,” Mr. Stenehjem, a lifelong North Dakotan, went on. “North Dakota never gets as good as the rest of the country or as bad as the rest of the country, and that’s fine with us.”

Id.  I need a break for this story that is always told about people from ND.  Prudence, conservative, and never fancy are not words that describe any state generally.  But I guess that is the story that everyone tell about the Flickertail State, and I guess it isn’t really a bad story per se, so maybe I can live with it. [Although, whenever this story pops up in a large city my impression is that it is demeaning even though it probably isn't intended as such.]

Anyway, if you need work North Dakota is looking.  Note: Individuals who aren’t conservative, prudent, steady; or those who are fancy, need not apply.  We wouldn’t want to upset North Dakota’s homogeneous nature.

[Warning: Some sarcasm exists in this post]

I was predisposed to dislike the movie Fargo¹, but I was eventually forced to view the film for the sake of convenience. Since moving to Washington D.C., I’ve been asked about Fargo frequently. In fact, when I meet someone new around the District, as soon as they find out I grew up in Fargo, they ask either: “Have you seen the movie?” or: “Did you like the movie?” I of course would answer that I hadn’t seen the movie, but the conversation would continue with the topic being the movie. It was always somewhat awkward when someone asked me if I had seen the movie, because once I had said no, they would give me the “how could you have not seen the movie about your home town”² look. I eventually tired of these awkward situations and finally I Netflixed Fargo.³

I’m glad I took the time and have now seen Fargo. The movie was really well done, and being from the area portrayed, I thought the accents were terrific⁴. What I thought made this movie special, and why I would argue it received as much attention as it did, was the way people felt about the movie. I guess that sounds vague, but consider that all of the main characters are cheats, murderers, and otherwise unwholesome characters⁵. But there is an eerie humor to the entire movie. I’ve never felt so uncomfortable when I wanted to laugh. For all of the horrific and sometimes graphic violence in the movie, at times I wanted to laugh (or at least I found parts funny).

Consequently, that dark, brooding, and uncomfortable humor is what I find refreshing. I think the movie’s portrayal of human nature, when faced with the unconscionable acts of others, holds true. No matter what terrible things may happen, there is nothing an individual can do to avoid those events. While the degree of anguish might vary, and indeed it does to a great degree, there are times when a person is going to face the worst. And in the face of the worst, sometimes the best a person can do is look for the humor in life. Fargo was both violent and humorous at the same time; you couldn’t have either without experiencing it all. In this case, art certainly imitated life.

1. Outdoors
2. Politics
3. Baseball
4. Death
5. Naturalism

I really enjoyed reading this book. Perhaps I was predisposed to enjoying this book, because I am from the Midwest and live in DC, but I think that most of the feeling, motions and events would resonate with almost everyone. Who hasn’t experienced loss that they couldn’t cope with, or been to a baseball game? The narrative is a very American story: that anyone can create change both in themselves and also in society itself, that no man should let other define his story, and that everyone has an obligation to their family and friends.

It is difficult to find a book that successfully blends politics, hunting/nature, and romance, and then also creates a compelling narrative. But this book does just that. It is a unique and original story; I have never encountered a similar book. If you are looking for a plot line that is different from the books you usually read, and are open to exploring a more Midwestern view of the world you should check out this book.

Has anyone else read this book? Or have you encountered a story with a unique topic? A book similar to Waiting for White Horses?