How to change your mind

In this edition of Brain Pickings, Maria Popova dives into Michael Pollan’s recent work titled ‘How to Change Your Mind’. His work dives into new studies and neuroscience exploring the benefits of treating depression, addiction, and iminent mortality with a rediscovered catylst that’s proven effective and rewiring our perspectives.

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Sioux Falls adopts city flag

Have you noticed the trend? The national pride in America that we hold so dearly and defend is trickling down. Not only are we proud of our country, but we’re increasingly wearing and flying our pride in state and city. Want proof? The Bismarck Tribune has it. Coincidentally, it seems Minot is in front of

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The Case for Small Commercial Spaces

What type of land development fosters an entrepreneurial ecosystem? If we think in terms of the biological ecosystem, we don’t have sustainability unless there are species at every level of the food chain. That metaphor speaks to a start-small mentality; this commentary from Strong Towns does also.

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Public engagement in local decisions evolving rapidly on the shoulders of technology

How do we awaken citizens from their apathy and get them engaged with the decisions being made in their communities? One town in Colorado made an investment in technology, trashed the traditional model that only allowed input at live meetings, and catered to the lives of their citizens. The result is a cross-section of public

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In Bismarck, private developers are changing the conversation around land development practices

How does a community plan what type of expansion and development is appropriate? Should private property rights trump community interest? And how do we measure the balance between the two? These are simple questions, but the answers have big implications for the physical and financial health of our communities. In Bismarck, the private sector is

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In Bismarck, expanding city results in expanding costs

When we need them, the fire department and our police officers show up, but it’s easy to take those services for granted. It’s even easier to forget that we have to pay for those services. And one of the first rules of municipal budgets, bigger cities, and more employees equals more costs. The Bismarck Tribune

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‘I wish I hadn’t waited so long to visit’: Badlands and history in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

On the list of states and sites to see, North Dakota rarely rises to the top, but for one East-coaster, that fact now holds a tinge of regret. Beth Harpaz made her first visit to the Badlands last fall and after seeing it first hand, the experience now rates as one worth putting higher on

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In Sauk Centre, moving ‘Main Street’ to Main Street

Sinclair Lewis wrote ‘Main Street’ almost a hundred years ago, and the themes it captured are still echoing through small-town America. But so is a new spirit which seeks to capture the value of choosing ‘Main Street’, and in Sauk Centre, that starts with putting a tribute to the author back in its rightful place.

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Can Recreation Make Minot Stronger?

“A couple years ago, it would’ve been hard to find a tourist in Bentonville. Now there are people here from all over the world every weekend.” The quote is from an article on Strong Towns, and the sentiment is the result of a transformation that’s taken place over the past 10-years. The lesson worth evaluating

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#GoodTalking Minot Flood Protection & History

The Wednesday editions of #GoodTalkMinot featured two keystone conversations — one focused on our future, the other, our past. Watch below as Jonah Lantto and I discuss the status of the region’s flood protection efforts with SRJB and Mouse River Plan Project Administrator, Ryan Ackerman. And for our afternoon session, we were joined be long-time

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Harvey investing in streets and infrastructure

With the help of an infrastructure loan program through the Bank of North Dakota paid back by local property taxes, the town of Harvey is making a big investment in improving their streets and infrastructure. The $7.5 million project will go on all summer, and it’s a good reminder of how Minot’s neighboring small towns

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Monday night storms pack a punch in northwestern North Dakota; 2 dozen injured

Summer storms and temporary living quarters popular in the oil field are not a good combination. Last night’s storm passed through Watford City near midnight and it led to several injuries, most coming from people staying in an RV park. The Bismarck Tribune has the story.

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Prairie Expedition Elm a disease-resistant, NDSU variety

A new variety of elm tree, the Prairie Expedition Elm, was discovered South of Fargo among a stand of trees taken by Dutch elm disease. The disease-resistant tree was cloned and is now being cultivated commercially. It grows tall, grows fast, and makes great shade. The Grand Forks Herald has the story.

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An Illustrated Celebration of Jane Jacobs and Her Legacy of Livable Cities

What makes a place remarkable? Maria Popova explores the question through an exploration of Jane Jacobs life. Her conclusion: “Out of this arises the awareness that a city, like a niche in nature, is an ecosystem. The synergy of its various human and nonhuman components — neighborhoods, parks, stores, streets, sidewalks — is what makes

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EPA officials visit ND for Grain Growers Association’s 25th E-Tour | Agweek

What do you get when you put a bunch of common-sense North Dakota farmers on a bus with a bunch of Washington bureaucrats? No, this isn’t a set-up for a joke — it’s a real-life news story, and the meeting happened not-far from Minot. Agweek has the article on the meeting that’s the hopeful basis

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The economy keeps adding jobs, but filling them gets harder

Jobs, jobs, jobs — they aren’t hard to find. The tricky part is for the businesses that need qualified people to fill them. NPR has the story on the national trend, but there’s a message we’d do well to take note of here in Minot. We perpetually pursue jobs through economic development, but we already

Read & Share   sourced from: NPR