Random

What am I doing here? That’s a good question. This is my second year at LSC so I was confused when I looked at my degree audit report and saw that I needed to take this class. Intro to College during my third semester of college? I think that might be a little backwards.
I think it might be because I was a PSEO student last year so when I reapplied this year they must have thought I needed this class. Oh well, I had Jocelyn for College Comp last year and liked her class so I’m not going to complain about taking this class.
I am in the Professional Pilot program here at LSC, and this will be my second year living in Duluth. Having a hard time getting back into the school mode though.

Carl

Learning Style 

         None of the 3 learning styles have a large difference for me. This means that I don’t remember better in one specific way versus the other. I would agree with this result because sometimes it will be the image of something that makes me remember it. Other times it will be a sound or a memory of how I did something that  is retained.

Myers-Briggs Personality Profile 

            I was in the second grade when I read the book Stone Fox. I immediately wanted to get some dogs and a dogsled. It took until I was in fifth grade before I finally was able to fulfill this interest. However, by this time I had many new interests. The ENTP personality type is known for a fondness of “toys”, the more sophisticated the better. Often they tend to tire of them and move on to new ones. Bored by routine, ENTP personality types jump from one interest to the next often. Being very good at problem solving and arguing it makes it somewhat easier for them to fulfill their interests           

Throughout my life so far I have gone through many interests, of which all still interest me, but there is always the new interest that gains priority over all other interests. I can see in myself how ENTP’s have a fondness for “toys”, and especially the more sophisticated the better. I always had a love for flight, and some of my main interests as a kid reflect that. More importantly though, is how my interests constantly change reflect my ENTP personality. The thought of having a dirt bike never entered my mind until the day I rode one. Immediately that was my newest interest, with the biggest priority. It wasn’t long after I got one that my interest changed to a new “toy”. Next I wanted a snowmobile, and again, after figuring out a way to get that, my interests changed. Next I wanted a car, and as one can see, the “toys” were getting more sophisticated as the interest with priority changed.            

How sophisticated the “toy” was often wasn’t initially as important. For example, when I became interested in paintball I went ahead and figured out a way to purchase a paintball gun. Soon I got bored with that one and wanted a better and more sophisticated one, and not long after accomplishing this the interest to play paintball was almost none. The same thing occurred with my interest in remote controlled airplanes.               

I say that I had to “figure out” ways to accomplish these interests because at the age I didn’t have any kind of job to go ahead and purchase these toys such as the paintball guns or R/C airplanes. I would see them as a problem and figure out a way to make the money to buy them. Often times the argumentative side and being able to read other people that is common with ENTP types helped me. Being able to convince my parents to co-sign my first loan took a lot of manipulative arguing. These personality traits are still recognizable in me now but on a larger scale since being old enough to have a regular job.

                I often have thought that this was just me. Apparently though, these are a few of the traits that are common with all ENTP personality types. I was amazed at how well I could connect the descriptions of my personality type to my actual life. Upon writing about it I realized even how each characteristic linked into another, all playing a role in my history.

First Year Experience: Intro to College

Jocelyn Pihlaja

November 3, 2007

Carl Hendrickson — Ryan Pasiuk — Dillon Lee

Susan McLeod — Valerie Sager — Phillip Norris

As with most cities, Duluth was founded on the basis of economy. A man by the name of Daniel Greysolon, Sieur Du Lhut got things going again after “The New France Company” went bankrupt in 1663 when French Canada was overtaken by the French Crown. It was somewhere within the years of 1669 – 1679 and the Frenchman was here to settle disputes between the Dakota and the Ojibwa Indian nations. His goal was economic from the start, and by working with the Dakota and Ojibwe he was able to advance fur trading in the area. The area was prosperous and a decade and a half later, in 1692 the Hudson Bay Company built a small post at Fond du Lac. It would take a century before advancement in the area was made again. Jean Baptiste Cadotte of the North West Company built the next trading post in 1792, on the Wisconsin side of the St. Louis River. Eight years later, in the year 1800, the North West Company trading post was destroyed by fire. Nevertheless, Duluth was on the charts and it was only a matter of time before people began to settle there.

After the Fur Trade declined sharply in 1830 the Delta treaty of 1837 opened much of eastern Minnesota for Euro-American settlement. Lumber was in demand due to the wave of migrations to Minnesota. Many immigrant farmers in the south and eastern part of the state resigned to building temporary houses from sod due to the lack of, and high cost of lumber. The lumber industry was the new cash crop for the Duluth area.
_{(Minnesota, a History, Second Edition, William E. Lass, W. W. Norton & Company, 1998.)}

_{Rumors of copper mining began to get around in the 1850’s, sparking new interest in the area. In 1852, a government land survey was conducted, which was followed by a treaty with the local tribes in 1854. This secured the unsettled lands and led to development of iron ore mining in the area. Advances were also being made in the east, providing channels and locks so that larger ships could access the area. Also, with Duluth having access to the east through the Great Lakes, a road connecting it to the Twin Cities was inevitable. (http://dulutharea.com/history.php)}

_{Two Harbors became the first iron ore shipping port in the area after the discovery of iron ore in eastern Minnesota was made. In the late 1860’s Jay Cooke, convinced the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad to create an extension. This extension ran from St. Paul to Duluth, opening areas north and west of Lake Superior to the new iron ore possibility. The canal across Park Point was excavated in 1870. Soon Duluth passed Superior and Two Harbors, and eventually became the largest fresh water shipping port in the world. Duluth continued its role as a lumber processing and iron ore shipping port and became the second largest shipping port in the U.S. by 1960 in terms of tonnage. By the 1900’s the Duluth-Superior port had become the leading port in the United States. With such promising prospects, U.S. Steel built a plant costing $5-$6 million. A shipbuilding plan was built on the St. Louis River during WWI in the year 1916. This plant produced eight ships at once. 
 (Minnesota, a History, Second Edition, William E. Lass, W. W. Norton & Company, 1998.) (http://dulutharea.com/history.php)}

_{Foreign competition forced the steel plant to close by 1971, and the city took a major blow to its economy. More industrial activity followed behind, with more closures, including the Air Force base. The industrial core was declining in the area and soon the local economy began to shift focus towards tourism. (http://dulutharea.com/history.php)}

_{With new interstate roads and more reliable automobiles the tourism industry began to play a key role in the local economy during the 1930’s. It was no longer uncommon to make the drive for hunting, fishing, and long weekends at the lake cabin.To this day still, some 3.5 million visitors each year contribute $400 million to the local economy. 4 (Minnesota, a History, Second Edition, William E. Lass, W. W. Norton & Company, 1998.)}

_{David Johnson invented the snowmobile in 1954 and began production of Polaris snowmobiles, along with his partners, in Medina, MN. Arctic Cat began production soon after in Thief River Falls. By the early 1970’s Minnesota produced over 75% of the worlds snowmobiles. 5 (Minnesota, a History, Second Edition, William E. Lass, W. W. Norton & Company, 1998.)}

_{Cirrus Design began as an aviation design and manufacturing company in Baraboo, Wisconsin. In 1994, the corporation moved its headquarters to larger facilities in Duluth, Cirrus currently produces four-passenger, single-engine composite aircraft at the rate of 15 aircraft per week. Cirrus also has Grand Forks, N.D. and additional facilities in Hibbing, MN. Today, the company holds a 33-percent share of the single engine piston powered aircraft market. (http://www.cirrusdesign.com/about/news/pdf/0701.airport_journals.PDF)}

Two major power companies handle the areas power supply. A division of ALLETE, Minnesota Power _{covers a 26,000 square mile territory located in northeastern Minnesota. Retail customers supplied by Minnesota Power are counted at 141,000. Minnesota Power also provides wholesale electric service to 16 municipalities. Northwestern Wisconsin is provided with power, natural gas and water service by Superior Water, Light & Power. SWL&P provides 10,000 water customers, 12,000 natural gas customers, and 14,000 electric customers. (http://www.mnpower.com/about_mp/facts.htm)}

_{Lines span 8,866 miles and consist of 169 substations in order to transmit and distribute this power. To promote reliability, Minnesota Power’s transmission network interconnects to the transmission grid and is part of Midwest Independent System Operator, which is a larger regional transmission organization. (http://www.mnpower.com/about_mp/facts.htm)}

_{The Duluth-Superior port is a vital part of Duluth Economy and is actually designated as a Foreign Trade Zone, ranking among the top ports in the country by total volume of international and domestic cargo shipped within a 10-month season. On average, 40 million tons of cargo is handled at the Duluth-Superior port each year.The impact on the local economy is $200 million annually, and some 2,000 jobs are dependent on the port. Duluth-Superior operates one of the largest grain-handling facilities in the world. Grain is the primary export product; domestic shipments consist mainly of iron ore and taconite, in addition to metal products, twine, machinery, coal, cement, salt, newsprint, lumber, and general cargo. (Minnesota, a History, Second Edition, William E. Lass, W. W. Norton & Company, 1998)} 

_{Manufacturing plants, woolen mills, paper and lumber mills, food processing plans, cold storage plants, grain elevators, fisheries, and oil refineries make up the principal of manufacturing firms currently in Duluth. Also, Duluth is a regional center for services such as retailing, medical care, and banking in northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and northern Michigan. Even northwestern Ontario, Canada relies on Duluth for such services. Over 8,000 jobs in Duluth directly relate to the hospital industry. (http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Midwest/Duluth-Economy.html)}

_{In 1996 an assessment funded by the Duluth Economic Development Authority, the Duluth Housing Trust Fund, First Bank, Minnesota Power, Norwest Bank, and SMDC Health System was conducted and showed that there was a shortage of decent, affordable housing, and 16.6% of the population as living in poverty, a substantial percentage. Also, it showed that there was a need for increased neighborhood revitalization and economic development activities.}

 _{The Duluth LISC was created in response to the assessment in the month of April, 1997. Focus for the program lay on the city of Duluth, and its suburb cities Hermantown and Proctor. Initially the program included a nine-member Local Advisory Committee including representative of the corporate, foundation, municipal government, and social service sectors. Pam Kramer had been Manager of the City of Duluth’s Community Development and Housing Division and was additionally hired as Program Director for the Duluth LISC. With the Duluth LISC partnered with the National LISC money can be raised from national sources, and the Duluth LISC can take part in national community policy debates, and learn new community development strategy. For every dollar raised, Duluth LISC has brought $7 to the table. (http://www.lisc.org/duluth/about_us/history_8499.shtml)}

_{Duluth was selected in 2005 as the site for the Knight Program Charrette. Faculty from the Knight Program in Community Building, 11 graduate students, and 13 mid-careers (specializing in architecture, real estate development, urban planning, the arts, law, economic development, landscape design, community development, neighborhood advocacy, transportation planning, etc.) conducted the Charrette. Mayor Herb Bergson took advantage of the momentum created by the Charrette and created the Duluth Charrette Stewardship Group. The primary role of this group was to prompt consideration and establish support for the recommended actions shown in the Charrette Report and Plan. This group wrote a set of guiding Principles to evaluate proposed projects. (http://www.lisc.org/duluth/about_us/charrette_8730.shtml)Habitat-Duluth has finished over 30 housing projects since being incorporated in 1989 and has others in planning or under construction. Proctor, Two Harbors, and Hermantown are also sponsored by Habitat. More than 55 of the local churches have relationships with Habitat-Duluth, and it has been consistent on seeking out new options for funding housing development and staffing.
(http://www.habitatduluth.org/index.html)}

_{Because of such extensive development projects placing so much emphasis on the housing issue Duluth has a lower cost of living when compared to the average for the country. The average cost of housing in Duluth is at 59% of the average housing cost in the nation. Health and utilities costs jump the overall cost of living up by a substantial amount, with the average cost of utilities in Duluth 142% of the national average. Average health expenses come in at 119% of the national average with transportation costs at 106% and food expenses average at 98%. Miscellaneous expenses averaged at 103% that of the national average. With such high utility costs, Duluth would cost much more than the national average to live in, but the low housing costs bring it in at 91% of the national average cost of living. However, since the year 2000, the average cost of a home in Duluth has more than doubled, from $81,600 to $192,300 in 2007. Within the same time period the average income has only raised $5,395. It now stands at $39,161.
(http://www.city-data.com/city/Duluth-Minnesota.html)(}http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL277000.html₎

_{The labor force in Duluth has been climbing at a fairly steady pace since the year 1990. Beginning in the year 1990 the labor force was just under 125,000 and has climbed to just under 145,000 seventeen years later, in 2007. Employment numbers show a consistent set of ups and downs. More people are employed during the spring and fall, with the lowest employment rates each year occurring during the winter and summer months. (http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet)}

_{A perfect place for early fur traders to set up their trading posts, geography had decided a long time ago that there would be a city where Duluth stands today. Though it began as a few simple trading posts, the prospect of the shipping industry drew in large crowds who thrived on the lumber industry. Upon the decline the lumber industry, another promising industry arose. In northeastern Minnesota iron-ore mining began in full force. Initially Two Harbors prospered from the shipping of iron-ore throughout the Great Lakes but eventually changes made I possible for the Duluth-Superior port to shift gears into the iron-ore industry. With time Duluth-Superior became a leading port and with the booming industry came many more people. Duluth was also able to take advantage of its unique location and still today tourism makes up a huge part of its economy. Throughout the years development projects have improved the standard of living in the city and looking at the overall picture Duluth is slightly above average when compared to other cities in the United States.}

Works Cited

“Local Area Unemployment Statistics.” U.S. Department of Labor. 2006. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 3 Nov 2007 <http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet>.

“History of Duluth Minnesota.” Duluth Minnesota. 2007. 3 Nov 2007 <http://dulutharea.com/history.php>.

Piazza, Karen Di and Di Freeze. “Cirrus Designs Alan and Dale Klapmeier: “Dumb Enough to Start and Smart Enough to Finish”.” Airport Journals 7-01Jan 2007 03 Nov 2007 <http://www.cirrusdesign.com/about/news/pdf/0701.airport_journals.PDF>.

“Minnesota Power Facts.” Minnesota Power. 2007. Minnesota Power. 3 Nov 2007 <http://www.mnpower.com/about_mp/facts.htm>.

“Duluth: Economy.” City-Data. 2007. Advameg Inc.. 3 Nov 2007 http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Midwest/Duluth-Economy.html.

“Duluth, Minnesota.” City-Data. 2007. Advameg Inc.. 3 Nov 2007 <http://www.city-data.com/city/Duluth-Minnesota.html>.

2007. Habitat for Humanity. 3 Nov 2007 http://www.habitatduluth.org/index.html.

“Our History.” LISC Duluth. 2005. Local Initiatives Support Corp.. 3 Nov 2007 http://www.lisc.org/duluth/about_us/history_8499.shtml.

“Duluth Charrette.” LISC Duluth. 2005. Local Initiatives Support Corp.. 3 Nov 2007 <http://www.lisc.org/duluth/about_us/charrette_8730.shtml>.

“Best Places to Live.” CNN Money 2007 03 Nov 2007 <http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL2717000.html>.