Mike Cihak's Blog on Everything

Troubled Waters an issue that won't go away.

2010-10-06T10:30:00.007-05:00

I watched Troubled Waters this morning, the University-produced documentary on water quality of the Mississippi River that caught national attention when a University administrator pulled the plug on its premiere. It was pretty good - and reminded of the work we did a decade before on the very same issues regarding the Minnesota River Valley in Minnesota: Rivers and Fields. A story on our project from 1999 is below.

Documentary produced at UMM
explores Minnesota River Basin … to be on TV.
A new television documentary created at UMM explores the history,
environment, and agriculture of the Minnesota River basin.
Morris Sun-Tribune - September 1999 - Reprinted with permission

By Liz Morrison
The river was born in a magnificent cataclysm at the end of the Pleistocene Epoch. Within days, floodwaters carved a 335-mile channel across the ice-scoured landscape, draining 10 million acres of rich glacial soil.

For the next 10,000 years, the river basin supported an intricate ecosystem of tall grasses and large herbivores, adapted to the region's harsh, continental climate.

Then, little more than a century ago, that ecosystem changed forever.

Vast reaches of prairie grass, huge herds of bison, numberless wetlands that spangled the valley like sequins-all vanished. European settlers began farming the fertile watershed, creating one of the most productive agricultural regions on earth.

This is the Minnesota river watershed, stretching from Browns Valley southeast to Iowa, traversing the most intensively farmed area of the state. It's cut by a slow brown prairie river that some say is one to the most polluted waterways in America.

Now, the story of the Minnesota River and the people who farm near it will be presented in a new television documentary.

Minnesota: Rivers and Fields, produced at the University of Minnesota, Morris, will air on Pioneer Public Television beginning in February. The 13-part series explores the profound changed agriculture has brought to the river basins environment, culture, and economy.

Broad scope
The show's scope is huge, spanning 10,000 years of natural history, says UMM physicist Gordon McIntosh of Morris, one of the creators of the series. It begins with the formation of the Minnesota River basin in glacial times, then moves on to investigate the character of the soils and topography, weather, and water resources of the region.

The show's social scope is equally broad, tracing the cultures of native people in the river basin, European exploration and settlement, the breaking of the prairie, the growth of farming, and the rise of large-scale, mechanized agriculture.

Uniting all these diverse elements is the Minnesota River, whose opaque waters reflect the complex interplay of natural environment and human endeavor.

"We're an agricultural region because our soil is fertile," McIntosh says. But the rich land is poorly drained and floods readily: to grow crops, farmers must drain their fields. "And that has affected the river," which now carries a burden of sediment, pesticides, and fertilizers washed through a network of field tiles and drainage ditches. "The Minnesota River defines or area and our agriculture," McIntosh says. "We want to show why agriculture here developed as it did. Our hope is that the series will put the present situation into historical context."

Vanished Prairie
McIntosh, 46, spent the first part of his scientific career looking up at the sky as a radio astronomer. After he joined the faculty at UMM in 1992, he began looking for local research projects, too, and in 1994, he changed directions " 180 degrees. Instead of looking up, now I'm looking down."

McIntosh, who grew up in Ohio where his family had a small commercial strawberry farm, began investigating the movement of heat and water in soil. "I started reading about the history of soils in this region, and I thought it was very interesting."

About the same time, McIntosh's two children were learning about the disappearance of tropical rain forests. It struck him as ironic that local schoolchildren were studying environmental threats half a hemisphere away, yet knew little about the original tall grass prairie-"one of the most decimated ecosystems in the world."

So in 1997, McIntosh, along with others in education and agriculture, set out to tell the story of the vanished prairie and the river that runs through it.

A story in pictures
This past October, Mike Cihak of Morris found himself hanging out the open door of a helicopter, bouncing in the strong winds that sweep the Minnesota River valley. The same month, he stood on a flatbed truck, surrounded by a herd of 60 edgy buffalo panting like freight trains.

Cihak, an avid award-winning cameraman, is part of the team that produced Minnesota: Rivers and Fields.

Others on the team include UMM Media Services Director Roger Boleman, who oversaw production; scriptwriter Kathryn Gonier; University College teacher Polly Fry; West Central Outreach and Research Center Director Gary Lemme; AURI manager Mike Sparby; and UMM student Philip Drown.

Tom Mahoney, UMM grants developer, helped obtain funds for the $250,000 project, which is supported by grants from the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Farmers Union, AURI, Otter Tail Power Company, Land Stewardship Project, and the Kellogg Foundation.

To tell the story of the river basin, the team interviewed a host of scientist, historians, and ag experts. They also spoke with farmers and ag industry leaders from around the state, including former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland, who introduces each 30-minute segment of the show.

The team filmed dozens of sites along the Minnesota River and its tributaries, capturing the diversity and natural beauty of the region. "We pulled out the map and tried to get a good cross section of the valley," says Cihak, who went up in a helicopter to show the river meandering through a brown and green patchwork of fields. Finding good shots was one of the best parts of making this documentary, says Cihak, 29, who grew up on a grain farm near Barnesville. " I like going off on the back roads, and riding around the countryside finding treasures from the past."

Among the locations Cihak and the team filmed for the series:
-Big Stone Lake, the southern outlet of extinct Lake Agassiz, and the source of the Minnesota River.
-The Jeffers Petroglyphs in Cottonwood County, site of over 2,000 rock carvings, some of them nearly 5,000 years old.
-Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge near Odessa, one of the few remnants of virgin prairie in Minnesota, and a nesting ground for the prairie chicken.
-Pipestone, where for thousands of years, native people mined red rock for peace pipes.
-The Pine City fur post, an original wintering post set up by the Northwest Fur Company to trade with the Ojibwe people.
-A native grassland near Starbuck, where the team filmed the burning of the prairie.
-Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne, where they ventured into the bison paddock. "The day we filmed," McIntosh recalls, "Bull Number Five had gored Bull Number Six," and cameraman Mike Cihak, perched on the pickup, had instructions to roll under the truck if a buffalo jumped onto the flatbed.

Pace of change
The documentary also incorporated hundreds of photos from the archives of the Minnesota Historical Society. These images give a picture of farming in the river basin over the past 100 years and chart the astonishing pace of agricultural change.

The extent of this change was a real eye-opener for Gonier, a teacher at UMM, who wrote the script for the documentary. Like most Minnesotans-and most Americans-she knew little about how food is produced. Even the vocabulary of modern, high-tech farming was foreign. "I had no idea what Roundup Ready soybeans were, or GMOs, or GPS."

That turned out to be an advantage in writing for a general audience, though, says Gonier, 29, who grew up in Minneapolis, but always wanted to live in a rural area. "I think I was typical of most people, who don't know anything about agriculture. So I didn't make assumptions about what the audience would know."

The great tension
Roger Boleman, 55, producer of the series, grew up on a small dairy farm near the St. Croix River. When he was a chilled, the river was an important part of his life. "I've always had an infatuation with rivers," he says.

In October, Boleman took a flat-bottomed boat down a stretch of the Minnesota River near Montevideo. The trees were in full autumn splendor, and the river was serene and beautiful. At the same time, he reports, low water had exposed heavy accumulations of silt-the result of sedimentation from agricultural drainage systems. Boleman, like others, asked himself: "What was the river really like 100 years ago?"

This question goes to the heart of the river basin's fate. "Of course, we could have a pristine environment-with no people in it," McIntosh says. "We have to figure out a way to have both productive agriculture and a well-kept environment. This is the great tension."

A basis for public debate
Minnesota: Rivers and Fields raise other difficult questions, too, McIntosh says. For example:
-What should be done to rehabilitate the river and its tributaries?
-How should farm drainage systems and other sources of river pollution be controlled?
-How will technological and genetic advances in agriculture affect the river?

These and other issues will be explored in public discussions before a live audience, following three of the broadcasts.

"We hope the series will provide well-balanced information" for a civic debate about "how people want to see the region develop," McIntosh says.

Adds Boleman: "The Minnesota River is a treasure in our back yard that we take for granted."

Farewell to our Pastor, Sarah and Kerena

2008-11-01T12:49:00.003-05:00

Our pastor Luther was called to Springfield, MN and we attended his farewell party for him, his wife Sarah and their daughter Kerena.

Addison's first Halloween

2008-11-01T12:20:00.004-05:00

Addison enjoyed her first Halloween by going trick-or-treating. She didn't quite enjoy her peapod costume because she is getting quite long and her poor toes were getting curled. Nonetheless, she had a great time.

With aunt Delores.

Getting a kiss and tons of treats.

With Annette.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T12:12:00.002-05:00

Jen and I went as Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth. We went with a group of friends and hit the contests - we won 1st place at the Eagles Club. Along the way, we collected some bail jumpers.

However, not everything is easy for Dog and getting his bounties.

Hobie & Maya say bye to Sheeba

2008-10-09T09:00:00.004-05:00

Our neighbor from the apartment next door and her dog Sheeba moved to the cities last week. Sheeba, a husky/rotweiler mix, liked coming over and laying near the kennel to keep our dogs company or to keep them barking at night. The pix are from Sheeba's last day in Morris. Bye Sheeba!

Sheeba laying out in the sun before her move.

Hobie says 'bye!' :-[

Maya says 'Hey, take me with you!!!'

Jen and Addison heading to work ... and daycare

2008-10-09T08:51:00.003-05:00

You can guess which one is going where. Jen and Addison were all smiles this morning.

Addison photo update!

2008-10-09T08:47:00.002-05:00

Addison has been busy growing. She is now four-and-a-half months old about now, and she enjoys hanging out with us, on the floor watching things and smiling. She is now beginning to eat solid food. Mom won't let Dad feed her a steak anytime soon.

Eisenbacher tribe visits Addison

2008-09-22T14:10:00.003-05:00

Mike's college friends Harold and Janelle Eisenbacher visited Addison a few weeks back and dad forgot to post it! Here Harold and Janelle's children meet and hold Addison. We're looking forward seeing them in February for the annual Cihak Super Bowl Party.

No one puts Baby in a corner...

2008-09-22T14:06:00.006-05:00

... but that doesn't relate to cats. It's sad when you can't put Addison in the bassinet because it is occupied by two large furry things...

Watching the Morris Tigers at Big Cat Stadium!

2008-09-22T10:04:00.002-05:00

We brought Addison to Big Cat Stadium to celebrate Homecoming as the Morris Tigers played the Montevideo Thunderhawks. Jen found a great tiger costume for Addison and she was a big hit. The Tigers lost, but it was a great night for football.

Arriving at the Big Cat Stadium - probably the best football stadium in out state Minnesota - Addison and Jen wearing their tiger colors.

In the stands cheering on the Tigers.

Addison was always looking at her feet and her tiger toes.

Addison is a Vikings fan!

2008-09-16T13:04:00.004-05:00

No better way to teach a child the meaning of the word 'disappointment' than making her watch the Minnesota Vikings...

Addison wearing her Vikings' cheerleader outfit as we watched the Vikings' win over Carolina.

EPA Golf Tournament

2008-09-16T12:53:00.002-05:00

Bob and I played in the 2008 EPA Golf Tournament held at Rush Creek in the Cities in August. We didn't bring home the hardware, but we enjoyed the beautiful weather on a great course.

Addison grows!

2008-09-16T12:50:00.003-05:00

Addison wearing her favorite hat.

Hangin' out in her crib.

Sleeping on the couch after a long day of napping.

Baptism Sunday!

2008-08-05T10:45:00.004-05:00

Addison hanging out with mom

2008-08-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

Addison was all smiles hanging out with mom last week!

Something isn't quite right...

2008-07-23T12:47:00.004-05:00

I got this small flag during the Prairie Pioneer Days parade in Morris last week. Something not right about this.

Randy is one unhappy American.

Golfing the Bois de Sioux

2008-07-23T12:36:00.007-05:00

On Friday, July 18th, Bob and I met at the Bois de Sioux Golf Club in Wahpeton, ND for a round of golf. We kept on talking about getting out and playing a round of golf, so we set the 18th for the date. We had originally planned on golfing Pebble Lake Golf Club in Fergus Falls - since the distance is about even between Moorhead and Morris. Unfortunately, Pebble Lake was hosting a tournament that particular day, so we made a tee time at Bois de Sioux, which is also about halfway for each of us. The course was pretty good shape, with the exception of two holes are still unplayable due to the annual flooding they receive each year. Otherwise, it was a nice alternative to our plans.

The weather was great - you couldn't ask for a better day - 83 degrees, no wind, and more importantly, no bugs. We got our golf games ready for the EPA Golf Tournament at Rush Creek in August.

After our round, we headed to the Wilkin in Breckenridge for a great meal. I highly recommend this place if you find yourself in the area.

Bois de Sioux has very lush fairways with well timed rains.

Bob showing his support for MSUM while driving up the 17th fairway.

My new profession...

2008-07-21T14:16:00.004-05:00

I came across a photo of me when I went up shooting footage from a chopper a few years ago. I thought I'd make a funny ad as the dude that always shoots the car chases and catches the ass kicking at the end.

Camping at Maple Lake

2008-07-18T10:35:00.009-05:00

Jen and I decided to camp at my sister and brother-in-law's lake lot on beautiful Maple Lake over the 4th of July weekend. Maple Lake is only 38 miles from Morris, so we invited several friends to take advantage of not having to drive very far for a three-day 'staycation.' The weather was perfect and we had a great time.

This was our view for the entire weekend. Perfect.

Dean takes care of the fire duties during the weekend.

Janie, Jeff and the girls made it for the weekend.

Jen's sister Amanda and fiance' Josh made it for supper on the 4th.

The photographer hamming it up.

A great expression of the fun we had during the weekend! I call her 'Bug.'

How can you not take advantage of this place on Maple Lake? Perfect sunsets!

What's camping without the evening bonfire. Thanks Dean for staying up and taking care of the fire!

Mark (the Cowboy) and Mick Ekren pitched a tent and camped the entire weekend. They also brought their boat!

On Friday, the 'camp dog' was Champ. Othertimes, it was 'the Cowboy.'

Addison visited on Friday evening and experienced her first time at a lake.

We played texas hold 'em and Dean was a 'lucky' winner. He took out the author in the final.

I had pocket aces - Dean beat me with three of a kind. Bummer.

We used the term 'chef' very loosely at the lake.

Jeff enjoys the 'chef's' work.

Dean ... not so much. Where's the condiments?!?!?

Happy Birthday!!

2008-07-18T10:29:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Spring birthdays at the Cihak's in May. Celebrating birthdays were Isaac and Abby. Next year, Addison will be added to the group. Happy Birthday everyone!

Mary Ann had an opportunity to hold Addison during the birthday celebration.

From left to right: Nathan, Alex, Abby, Isaac, Ryan and Anna sing a spirited rendition of 'happy birthday.'

Nathan takes a break from playing with his cousins and holds Addison.

Uncle Ted finally gets a chance to hold Addison.

In honor of Moondance Jam

2008-07-08T15:40:00.003-05:00

Since we are not making the trek up to Walker for Moondance Jam this year, I thought I'd post a few photos from the past two years.

Friend's Photos of the Buffalo Ridge

2008-06-26T09:50:00.005-05:00

My friend, Randy Bannick shared these photos he took while driving through the Buffalo Ridge area in Southwestern Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. They are great shots and thought I'd share them here.

Hobie Gets Groomed

2008-06-26T09:45:00.002-05:00

We have to remember are other dependents too. I took Hobie, our alaskan husky to the groomer for a well-needed grooming last week. He came back looking and feeling great. The groomer said it was 'like a fog' with all the hair floating around while he was being combed.

Addison's attends baseball game

2008-06-26T09:41:00.001-05:00

Addison attended her first baseball games this past week and watched her second cousins play. She was a fan (and player) favorite!

Terri Wins Baby Pool!

2008-06-26T09:35:00.002-05:00

Terri Hawkinson was the lucky winner of the baby board! How did she do it you ask? She bought the earliest square on the board - June 3rd on both genders - to ensure that if our baby came early, she would win. Well, she did, as Addison Lynn came four weeks early! Mike, Jen and Addison visited Terri at work with our own 'prize patrol' and gave her the proceeds. There was a total of $330 collected, which Terri received 50% of the proceeds - $165! The remaining $165 will go toward Addison's college fund. Thanks to all who contributed and played!

June Visitors!

2008-06-26T09:31:00.004-05:00

We had several visitors in June. Here are some photos!

Shower Fun!

2008-06-26T09:27:00.004-05:00

Aunt Amanda and Grandma Judy hosted a shower for Addison in June. Here are some photos of the event. Thanks to everyone who visited and gave great gifts for her!

Four Generations!

2008-06-11T22:41:00.004-05:00

While visiting Addison's maternal great-grandmother Lillian Moen, we snapped this special photo to commemorate four generations on the Moen side. Left to right is Jen, Lillian, Addison and Judy. Congratulations on four generations!

Lillian is a proud great grandmother!

To grandmother's house we go!

2008-06-11T22:36:00.003-05:00

While we were out and about making surprise visits on Saturday, we made a surprise visit to Grandma Cihak's house in Barnesville. She enjoyed our visit!

Heading to the Lake!

2008-06-11T22:32:00.003-05:00

On the way home from dad's, we stopped by Ten Mile lake on the way back to Morris to visit some of Addison's cousins.

Second cousin Brady Jergenson was all smiles holding Addison at the cabin.

Future babysitters cousin Penny and Keith!

Grandpa John meets Addison over the weekend

2008-06-11T22:28:00.002-05:00

Mike, Jen and Addison got into the car over the weekend and visited Grandpa John, where he got to meet Addison for the first time. Dad resides at the Fergus Falls Veteran's Home. He already had a few pictures of Addison hanging in his room - thanks to Aunt Lynn and Uncle Ted! Dad enjoyed our surprise visit.

Addison is welcomed at three weeks old!

2008-06-11T22:23:00.004-05:00

Addison hit three weeks old on Monday, June 9th. She welcomed many visitors during the week. She appreciates all the hugs and really enjoys getting held!

Jean Spohr visited Addison!

Sue Gooch visited Addison and brought a blanket she made just for her! As you can see, Addison took to the blanket and likes it very well! Thanks Sue!

Baby shower planned for Addison in Morris

2008-06-04T16:31:00.004-05:00

A baby shower is being planned for Addison on Saturday, June 14th at the Morris Senior Citizens Center. Dad doesn't know the exact time, but Dad does know that Addison is registered at Target.com! Just put in Mom's first and last name 'Jen Cihak' and the month of 'June' and you should see the things that Addison (and mom and dad) would find useful.

http://www.target.com/

New visitors in June!

2008-06-04T16:28:00.006-05:00

The Eystad family visited on Saturday and they thought Addison was so cute. Left to right: Cierra, Mariah and Kiana.

Joyce Van Eps also got to meet Miss Addison.

Addison Hits Six Pounds!

2008-06-04T16:25:00.001-05:00

Stevens County Public Health visited and welcomed Addison into the Morris community. They weighed her and she tipped the scales at 6.00 lbs.!

Many visitors for Addison

2008-05-28T13:21:00.004-05:00

Randy Bannick holds Addison

Joan and Roger Boleman stopped by as well.

Chris Butler and Jennifer Rothchild made a stop just a day after returning from a trip to Florida.

Sara Hesse stopped by as well!

Kirby and Inga Cline, along with children Josh and Jasmine, made a visit all the way from Colorado!

Rochelle Peyton visited from the Twin Cities.

Janie Pring and the girls stopped by over the weekend.

Ted and Lynn Cihak and their kids visited from Detroit Lakes. Here Anna gets to hold Addison.

and so does Isaac Cihak...

Photos of Addison

2008-05-28T13:18:00.002-05:00

Heading into week two, here are some photos of the little one. You can see how much she has changed in just a week and a half.

One Week Old!

2008-05-28T13:10:00.002-05:00

Addison turned one-week old on Monday, May 26th at 12:10 p.m. We were watching television and snapped a photo of the exact time she was born - at 12:10 p.m.

Conrads visit Addison

2008-05-24T18:19:00.007-05:00

Addison welcomed her aunt Christy (Mike's 'younger sister) and uncle Peter Conrad, along with new cousins Abby and Alex on Friday night. They brought her a cool baby papasan and some new clothes. Each had a chance to hold her and welcome her to the family.

Aunt Christy holds Addison within minutes of arriving.

Cousin Abby is the future babysitter of the family!

Cousin Alex said hello to Addison. The Conrads stopped through on their way to spend Memorial Day Weekend at Ottertail Lake.

Going Home!

2008-05-24T16:50:00.007-05:00

Addison was cleared to go home on Wednesday, May 21st round 8:00 p.m. So we dressed her in an outfit Aunt Amanda gave her for the special occasion.

Addison and Jen are ready to leave the hospital.

Addison wearing her special outfit from Aunt Amanda.

Buckled up and ready to go - Addison's first car ride.

Glen and Judy's First Grandchild

2008-05-21T09:47:00.008-05:00

Addison is Glen and Judy's (Jen's parents) first grandchild, so this is a pretty exciting time for them. Here are a couple of photos of Grandpa Glen and Grandma Judy with Addison, plus first-time auntie Amanda holding Addison on Tuesday, May 20th.

Grandpa Glen and Grandma Judy visiting Addison on Tuesday

Grandpa Glen giving 'advice' to Addison

Aunt Amanda holding Addison on Tuesday

Flying Poop!!!

2008-05-21T09:41:00.004-05:00

This one is funny! We were in the middle of changing Addison Tuesday night, and she wasn't messy. Before I could get the diaper back on ... grumble, grumble, grumble, and this trajectile came shooting out all over her basinet. Pretty funny. I'm sure there will be many more of these, but I thought you would like to see my reaction to it.

IT'S A GIRL!

2008-05-19T17:16:00.009-05:00

In a pleasant and early surprise, Jen and I welcomed a baby girl into our lives today (May 19, 2008) at 12:10 p.m. We named her Addison Lynn. She weighed 5 lbs. 10 ounces and was 19 1/4 inches long. Addison and Jen are doing well and are recouperating at Douglas County Hospital, Alexandria (OB Room #9) ... although Dad could be a different story. :-] Although she was three and a half weeks early, she is doing very well and we are tentatively slated to be home Wednesday.

Here are the first 'official' pictures of her arrival!

Addison in Mom's arms.

Her first close-up!

The expanding family - Jen, Addison and Mike.

Addison being held by Cousin Nate (with aunt Lynn's assistance).

We hope to post more images soon! Well wishers can give us a call on either of our cell phones. We'd love to hear from you!

Mike, Jen and Addison Cihak

House for Sale!

2008-05-16T16:10:00.003-05:00

In an effort to make room for the new addition to our family, our house is on the market. It's perfect for a new, young, up and coming UMM faculty and staff member. Also, the property is perfect for an older couple or single elderly Morris-ite who wants everything one one level and is handicapped accessible. If you know of anyone that would be interested - send them our way!!

Town Hall Meeting March 25th

2008-03-19T09:21:00.003-05:00

It's been over a month, but we've been amazingly busy on preparation for a live town hall meeting regarding wetlands on March 25th at 8:00 p.m. broadcast live on Pioneer Public Television from the UMM campus. The live event is a collaborative effort of UMM and Pioneer Public Television and follows the airing of our documentary Echoes of Cry of the Marsh. In addition to the event on Pioneer Public Television, the event will also be web cast live on the internet. If you are available on Tuesday the 25th, watch on television or on the web and check it out. Click here for the website and for more information on the project. www.morris.umn.edu/cryofthemarsh

Photo of the Week V

2008-02-04T09:01:00.000-06:00

My wife Jen and I would like to place this special photo as the Photo of the Week. It is the ultrasound of our first child due in June 2008. Everything looks good. No, we didn't find out what gender it is - we'll keep that as a surprise for us until the little one decides to enter the world.

Photo of the Week IV

2008-01-16T09:33:00.000-06:00

As the mercury plummets below zero this week, it is a good time to put up a photo from last summer as the photo of the week.

This week's photo is from the EPA Audio Video, Inc. annual golf tournament held in August at the Rush Creek Country Club in Maple Grove. I golfed with a great friend of mine, Bob Schieffer of MSUM. We had a great time and finished 4th in a field of 28 teams. We had a chance to come in second if we could have parred the final hole. We carded a bogey on the par-5 9th hole. Them the breaks.

Doing the 'Iwo Jima' after a birdie.

Hobie and Maya

2008-01-14T12:31:00.000-06:00

I took our two huskies, Hobie and Maya, to a fenced-in softball field in town on Saturday, January 12th to let the dogs run in the snow. My photographer friend, Dean Danter came with and brought his pro camera and took some shots of them playing. He sent me these images of the shoot and I thought you might enjoy them! He said he wants to display this photo in his studio display. Thanks Dean!

Sports announcing at all-time low

2007-12-17T10:30:00.000-06:00

If you are like me and can't stand many of the sports announcers on the television today, here's a great website/blog - www.awfulannouncing.com - that picks apart the awful announcers that shouldn't be in the booth - and that includes Bryant Gumbel. Bryant, it's time to leave the booth.

While I'm at it, the Monday Night Football team is terrible - and I like Kornheiser with PTI, but not in the booth. They always leave the game in the third quarter with these boring interviews with celebrities. Hey, this isn't Oprah. Concentrate on the game.

And what is it with these five and six person populated football pregame shows? There are going to need more chairs if they keep this pace up. Let's stick with four, or better yet, three. And there should be a moratorium on the number of formers players on these shows.

Photo of the Week 3

2007-12-06T09:40:00.000-06:00

Since we got a blast of snow and cold temperatures this past week, it is only appropriate to share the Star Wars movie poster spoof of my dog Hobie, an alaskan husky. In the shadow, is an image of our cat.

Photo of the Week 2

2007-11-26T11:19:00.000-06:00

Until this week, the New England Patriots have been making it look pretty easy - outscoring their opponents by an average 24 points per game. That is, until last night, when the Philadelphia Eagles nearly gave the Pats their first loss. I don't understand why Philly went for the end zone from their 30 yard line with about four minutes left in the fourth quarter. They shouldn't have been in no hurry to score, and chewed off more time off the clock as they could. But, with the throw came a costly interception. Game over.

A couple of years ago at a golf tournament, I had the chance to get my photo taken while wearing a New England Patriots Super Bowl Ring. Pretty cool. I thought I'd share the photo today since it looks like the Pats will be making a return trip to the big game unless someone, someone can knock them off. But it doesn't seem likely.

Cool photo of dad

2007-11-21T14:33:00.000-06:00

The past few weeks I have been going through some of dad's massive collection of files and papers that he had given me so the 'thieves' or CIA wouldn't get their hands on them. For the most part, they have been a reflection of ordinary life - ten-year-old receipts from Napa Auto Parts stores, grain elevator commodity stubs from the late 1950s, and large collection of Danbury Mint sales materials. Altogether, about 95% of it was garbage. However, I came across a great WWII photo postcard of my dad while he was in basic training awaiting transfer overseas to the European Theatre along with his actual dog tags. The photo is one I hadn't seen before, as I have his 'official' army portrait in my living room. This photo must be from the same sitting, but doesn't have the finished 'colorized dry brush' look of his official photo.

Veteran's home leadership change

2007-11-19T15:30:00.000-06:00

A Star Tribune article caught my attention today regarding a major change in the way Minnesota's veteran's homes are managed and operated. I'm interested in this because my Dad, a WWII era vet, is a resident in the Fergus Falls Veteran's Home - which is a very nice facility with great people. The leadership decision comes after numerous problems at the Minneapolis home the past couple of years and the entire organizational oversight became suspect.

Dad has been living at the FF home since October after living on a farm for 79 of his 84 years. His transition is going better than we anticipated and is enjoying his time thus far. We hope that continues. However, he does miss his dog, but my brother really enjoyed his dog as well and took him in. :-]

In the 1960s and 70s, Dad didn't care for the VA clinic in Fargo or St. Cloud and has been pretty vocal to us about it, but I thought he was just spouting off about it. Maybe there was some substance for his displeasure?

I hope the best for the change of leadership in the veteran's homes. They are valuable assets to have as an option for Minnesota veterans.

Webcasting UMM Basketball

2007-11-19T11:15:00.000-06:00

For the second year, Media Services is webcasting the men's and women's cougar basketball games on the net. We've produced three games so far. You should check them out, and if you can't get to a game in person, listen to the game online for free.

Photo of the Week 1

2007-11-16T08:54:00.000-06:00

For those of you familiar with video production will find this one amusing - or bring back haunting memories. This week, I grabbed a box of old 'three-quarter inch' videotape out of my attic to see what was on them. These were production tapes from my college days, so there may not be anything of significant value to the human race, but there may be a funny clip or two in there. I grabbed a dinosaur of a machine out of our storeroom to play them, I popped in the tape and ... crunch. Yep, you guessed it, and by looking at the photo, the machine was quite hungry. This type of malfunction wasn't uncommon back in the day, and I'm glad those days of working with three-quarter-inch tape are long gone. Today, we work with digital tape, and yes, something like this can still happen, but with the old format, it was pretty common.

UMD is getting ahead of the curve

2007-11-15T15:43:00.000-06:00

Last spring, I had an interesting discussion with a senior UMM administrator regarding her ideas on taking advantage of our communications facilities on the UMM campus (television and radio in particular) and create a full-fledged communication major degree program. I'm all for that, not only because it would generate growth in student numbers in the humanities here at UMM, but we are more and more becoming mass communicators - on a global scale - with blogging, social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace, and through the venerable personal website. It would also provide us with valuable student employment opportunities (everyone should benefit, right? :-])

A story was emailed to me today by University of Minnesota Duluth Alumni Association regarding an innovative collaborative project between their student-run radio station and their college of liberal arts to allow hands-on studio and industry courses to be taught on their FM radio station. They have previously developed print and web-based journalism components. I think this is exactly what our administrator had in mind; using technology to become a well-rounded, global communicator. Detractors in the liberal arts would say a program like this could be seen as 'technical.' But what other program can be multidisciplinary as mass communications?

Here is the story. Enjoy!

The Agony of Defeat...

2007-11-14T10:39:00.000-06:00

I attended the 2007 Upper Midwest Emmy Awards last month for our nomination of Echoes of Cry of the Marsh for best documentary in the topical category. However, the majority of categories were focused on news gathering with the big network news organizations - WCCO, FOX News, KARE, KSTP, and KMSP. Pictured at the banquet is, left, writer Chris Butler, Bob Hartkopf (the focus of our documentary), his wife Anne, and myself. Unfortunately, we didn't bring home the award. The award went to a short documentary from Fox Sports North (they do documentaries?) for a 22-minute piece they did on Anthony Bonsante, a boxer from the reality TV show The Contender, on FSN 's program Str8up.

Going into the awards show, Chris and I identified two programs we felt would be uncomfortable to lose to - and you guessed it, two Fox Sports Net pieces - the Bonsante piece and another Fox Sports Net spotlight on Joe Mauer. The other nominees were pretty solid projects - an hour documentary on the Minnesota Supreme Court from Twin Cities Public Television and a piece by Jason Davis for his On The Road series. But when it was said and done, we ended up losing to a reality show contestant. We're were pretty deflated. The award would have been a great testament of Bob Hartkopf's work and dedication for wetland restoration reform. Now it's off to several film festivals in the coming year.

In addition to three documentary categories (we were nominated in the 'Topical' category) they did have two student categories and several new online categories. We were fortunate to share the table with two student nominees from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. They were great kids.

However, the event was more of a news club. Unlike watching these professional communicators on television, this event you could differentiate the ones who carried themselves in a professional and classy manner, while others were more sophomoric in their character. The classy ones, such as Paul Douglas and Bill Hudson display great character off-screen. While Bob McNaney of KTSP 5 News was really classless when he was a presenter and managed to make the place uncomfortable all the while he was at the podium. Alan Constantini from KARE 11 made some off-color remarks that surprised me. But perhaps it was their way of putting their guard down and having fun. Just surprising to me is all.

Overall, it was a great experience being nominated and attending the gala event at the Graves 601 Hotel. Hopefully Chris and I will be able to partner up on a new documentary project and be back in a few years.

Preproduction on UMM Choral Concert

2007-11-13T09:49:00.000-06:00

UMM is taking advantage of a great opportunity to promote the music program with the production and broadcast of the 2007 UMM Choral holiday concert for broadcast on Pioneer Public Television. We're now beginning the preproduction phase of the concert, scheduled to be taped over two nights - November 30th and December 1st. The concert will broadcast on December 6th, and broadcast twice on Christmas Day at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. These are terrific air dates and great exposure for UMM.

To the right is the design I did for Pioneer Public Television and the cover of the Pioneer Preview Guide, PPTV's own TV guide they send to all members. Another great exposure piece for UMM.

Hello everyone

2007-11-12T14:13:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd get around to placing my blog on my online portfolio. I had created a blog two years ago for an educational technology class I was taking while I was getting my masters, but it really didn't have a focus - or much of a reason - to be a worthwhile venture. But now with the blog living in my online portfolio, it will be a great chance for you to interact with me regarding anything with media, my interests or news from myself and my wife, Jen.

Hopefully you'll subscribe to my blog, take part and interact. There should be plenty to talk about.

Mike.