Sunday, August 4th
Mining, Economics, and Critical Thinking

Bob Tammen is pictured here with his wife Pat, a former teacher with whom he lives in Soudan, MN.  As a master electrician Bob has worked in mining operations all across the Midwest.  But when he visits the communities he has worked in, he finds more poverty than prosperity.  While some individuals reap economic benefits from mining, it is quite rare that the whole community benefits in the long run.  Promoting mining seems to be a faith-based activity.

Besides the mines, Bob has worked in nuclear, coal, and gas fired power plants.  This and his service on the ground in Vietnam have made him skeptical of both governments and corporations.  Indeed, some recent revelations about Minnesota’s mine approval process give us cause for concern.

Full disclosure: Bob and Pat bought 100 shares of Polymet so they could attend its annual meeting.

  9:00     Coffee and Conversation
  9:30     Breakfast Buffet Available
10:00     Formal Program Begins
 
Duluth Radisson Harborview
505 West Superior Street
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 727-8981

Wednesday, July 17, 5:30 pm

Golden Inn Restaurant was founded by two families with over 100 years of combined experience.  It has been at this location for many years and has earned a reputation of serving the finest quality authentic Cantonese and Szechwan cuisine in the area. Its mission is to provide a family-friendly experience with great food and excellent service at a reasonable price. Enjoy mixed drinks and imported or domestic beers in the open cocktail lounge with its Chinese décor.

Golden Inn Restaurant
24 “E” Street*
Superior, WI
54880-3053
(715) 395-2565

   Rachael E. Martin

“Kalevala – More Than Just
a Town South of Cromwell”

Find out more about Finland’s national folk epic, the Kalevala. In this slide presentation we will explore the origins of these oral folk poems, the main heroes and some stories included in the epic, and what scholars say about the meaning of the Kalevala. Discover what life was like in pre-Christian Finnish culture and the role of mythology in a culture’s development.

Rachael Martin is a historian and scholar focusing on the local history of the Western Great Lakes region. She earned her MA from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in American Studies. As an outgrowth of her studies, Rachael developed a course and wrote a textbook on the history of northern Minnesota women. This course has been offered at all U of M campuses throughout Minnesota.

Rachael teaches other local history classes at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, at the University of Wisconsin, Superior, the College of St. Scholastica, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and for Community Education programs in Duluth and Superior and writes a monthly column on local history for the Senior Reporter magazine. She recently retired after 30 years as a museum director and educator in various museums throughout the region and now serves on the board of the Finnish American Historical Society.

Rachael is a native of northern Minnesota, where her Finnish grandparents homesteaded land on the Prairie River. Her mother was born on this homestead and grew up in Wright. Rachael grew up in Duluth and now lives on forty acres outside Superior, Wisconsin, where she and her husband maintain three vegetable gardens, 15 colonies of honeybees and a sauna.

  9:00     Coffee and Conversation
  9:30     Breakfast Buffet Available
10:00     Formal Program Begins
 
Duluth Radisson Harborview
505 West Superior Street
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 727-8981

This month, the first Thursday falls on July 4th, Independence Day.  Nonetheless, you and your friends are invited to visit Mexico Lindo for Happy Hours from 4:00 – 6:00 pm.  Sure, you’ll miss some kind of military parade on the television, but your hosts Tom and Gerry are looking forward to sharing some food, drink, and jocularity with you.  If you’re not there, you will miss it!

On Wednesday, June 19th, a fun group of thinkers will come together to eat and drink and chat and giggle. You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you? This month our gathering will be at Black Woods Grill & Bar at 2525 London Road (at 26th Avenue East) starting at 5:30 pm. There’s lots of parking and good food but it’s not cheap, so don’t forget your credit card! 🙂 (218) 724-1612

This month, the first Thursday falls on June 6th.  Your friendly face (and the rest of you) is cordially invited to visit Mexico Lindo, within the Fitger’s complex at 600 East Superior Street.  Happy Hours run from 4:00 – 6:00pm and your hosts Tom and Gerry look forward to sharing some food, drink, and jocularity … along with a great view of The Biggest (freshwater) Lake in the World !!

Sunday, June 2nd will be a special day as we review the origins and history of the Lake Superior Freethinkers.  In 1997, the group began as a reaction to the sale of Duluth health care centers to the Catholic Church.  In 2000, the group met with the governor to present its concerns.  In 2002, it raised objections to the Boy Scouts’ statement about its “duty to God.”  In 2005, its lawsuit successfully got a Ten Commandments monument removed from the grounds of City Hall.  Learn about these battles and more from “our flounder” (as he likes to be addressed).

Bill VanDruten was born in San Francisco and raised as an atheist.  He became a psychiatrist working with the California state prison for the mentally ill and then for thirty one years at the Duluth Clinic, now part of Essentia.  He has been at the helm of the Lake Superior Freethinkers for 22 years (so far), surviving death threats and keeping up his sense of humor … even volunteering for “Ask An Atheist” day at The College of St. Scholastica.  You won’t want to miss this presentation!

  9:00     Coffee and Conversation
  9:30     Breakfast Buffet Available
10:00     Formal Program Begins
 
Duluth Radisson Harborview
505 West Superior Street
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 727-8981