Paul Bunyan statues for Paul Bunyan Day

Happy Paul Bunyan Day! I'm returning to the holiday after skipping it in 2025 with three videos about Paul Bunyan statues. I begin with FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reporting Bemidji's Paul Bunyan statue turns 90, legacy examined.

The legend of Paul Bunyan is ingrained in Minnesota history, and his statue is a symbol of local pride to Bemidji residents. FOX 9's Maury Glover takes a closer look at the legacy the statue represents as it nears its 90th birthday.

The first record of loggers telling Paul Bunyan stories may have been in Wisconsin, but the first Paul Bunyan story was published in Michigan in 1906. News Center Maine mentions the date, but not the location, in History and folklore of Bangor's Paul Bunyan statue now on display.

New signage aims to educate visitors about the folklore and history behind the iconic statue.

I learned something new about the importance of timber to Bangor from this video. Any day I learn something new is a good day.

I close with Insider explaining How A Deteriorating Paul Bunyan Giant Is Restored | Refurbished | Insider.

Joel Baker is the owner of American Giants, a company that restores muffler men. Muffler men are 18- to 25-foot advertising giants that were popular in the 1960s and are becoming popular again.

He shows us how his team restores a Paul Bunyan muffler man. This includes patching up cracks on the giant, adding a structure inside, repainting it, and placing it in its new location.

I could have used this information 25 years ago when I was a tour guide and consultant for Pre-Historic Forest in the Irish Hills, which had fiberglass dinosaurs and other extinct animals that needed repairs. It's still worth knowing now, even if I don't have an immediate use for it.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for another post I can share in July tomorrow followed by International Asteroid Day, the younger but paradoxically more established version of Apophis Day, to close June, and Canada Day to begin July.

Celebrate Paul Bunyan Day with National Day Calendar, 8SA, and News Center Maine

Happy Paul Bunyan Day! I'm observing the with two videos, beginning with National Day Calendar's National Paul Bunyan Day | June 28.

Described as a giant and a lumberjack of unusual skill, Paul Bunyan is one of the most famous North American folklore heroes. In the tales, Paul Bunyan was almost always accompanied by his companion, Babe the Blue Ox.

8SA has more in What is Paul Bunyan Day (June 28) - Activities and Why We Love and Celebrate Paul Bunyan Day.


I'm glad that the video mentioned Michigan's role in the Paul Bunyan legend, as my adopted home state is where Paul Bunyan first appeared in print, although the legend itself says that the character was born in Maine. News Center Maine made that the focus of It's National Paul Bunyan Day!

Bangor Historical Society Curator Matt Bishop told NEWS CENTER Maine Bunyan has deep ties to Maine's logging history.

Oh, my, Bangor created a birth certificate for Paul Bunyan. That's going the extra mile to support the legend.

Once again, happy Paul Bunyan Day!

Samantha Bee explains the importance of voting for U.S. Senators

In the same episode where Samantha Bee asked her viewers to Power The Polls, she explained the importance of down-ballot races, specifically the U.S. Senate, in a monologue that her show uploaded in two parts on YouTube. Here is Part 1.

It’s easy to blame Trump for the current hellish state we find ourselves in. But much like his business “success”, when it comes to enacting harmful legislation, Trump couldn't have done it alone. November is the perfect time to hold his accomplices accountable.

Since this was uploaded four weeks ago, the FiveThirtyEight Senate Forecast shows that Jaime Harrison has a 23% chance of winning to Lindsey Graham's 77%. That's not as good as Bee made it out to be, but it's better than one would have expected a few months ago. FiveThirtyEight's Perry Bacon Jr. explains how that happened in How Did Lindsey Graham End Up In Such A Close Race? Click on the link to read his answers to the question.

The situation is reversed in Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly is leading Martha McSally 79% to 21%. FiveThirtyEight's Clare Malone explains what is happening in Arizona Is The Democrats’ Purple Splotch In The Sunbelt.

Bee continued describing the state of the race in the more visible Senate elections in Part 2.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from horror movies, it’s to always expect the worst. So when it comes to the 2020 election, voting Trump out of office won’t be enough to save our country. We have to also get rid of the monsters that lurk down the ballot!

Bee and her Emmy-winning writers were right about that attack ad on Sara Gideon; it looks like something her campaign could have produced as a positive ad. It may actually be helping the Democratic challenger. A few days ago, the Maine Senate election was the closest one at FiveThirtyEight, with Collins marginally ahead. Now, it's the third closest, with Gideon having a 63% probability of winning.

TBS aired this episode of Bee's show before Cal Cunningham's sexting scandal broke or she would have mentioned it. Despite that, the polls haven't moved much, which FiveThirtyEight's Geoffrey Skelley tried to explain in Despite A Sexting Scandal, Democrat Cal Cunningham Is Favored In North Carolina’s Senate Race, noting "On Oct. 2, Cunningham had a 67 in 100 shot of winning; today, Cunningham has a 67 in 100 chance, according to the Deluxe version of FiveThirtyEight’s Senate forecast." Right now, it's 66%. Still, not much movement considering the potential from a sex scandal, however mild.

Other close contests for the U.S. Senate Bee didn't mention are happening in Iowa, Georgia, Montana, Kansas, and Alaska. For those, I recommend reading Why Democratic Senate Candidates Are Competitive In Red States Like Alaska, Kansas And Montana and Will Georgia Turn Blue?, both on FiveThirtyEight. Maybe Bee and her writers will find enough material for a monologue about these contests in the next three weeks. Stay tuned.

Majority of Americans want to stop changing their clocks twice a year

I closed Fall back for the end of Daylight Saving Time even though it affects health and increases traffic accidents by writing "Americans are getting tired of switching back and forth between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time, having decided Daylight Saving Time sucks."  WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine reported the depth of that dislike in Majority of Americans want to do away with daylight saving time.

A new poll finds a majority of Americans want to get rid of daylight saving time all together.

70% of Americans are tired of switching the clocks back and forth, while only 30% want to keep doing it.  Americans don't agree yet on which time to stay on, Standard or Daylight Saving.  However, that hasn't stopped states from trying to please their residents by stopping the back-and-forth.  Unfortunately, it literally requires an act of Congress to finish the job.  Follow over the jump for reports about three states that have voted to stop the twice-annual changeover and five more that are considering doing so.

Many states considering bills ending or keeping Daylight Saving Time permanently

Last year I told my readers to spring ahead for Daylight Saving Time even if you hate it.  It turned out that a lot of my readers dislike changing their clocks back and forth, making Daylight Saving Time (sucks) one of the themes for the most read entries during this blog's seventh year.  They're not alone.  Last fall, I wrote that four states were considering ending or keeping Daylight Saving Time permanently.  One of those states was California, where voters passed a proposition to remain in Daylight Saving Time year-round.  CBS 47/KSEE 24 in Fresno reported the results on its YouTube channel, the text of which I'm quoting here.

In November, California voters passed Proposition 7 by a 60-40 percent margin, paving the way for year-round daylight saving time in the nation's most populated state.

The proposition still needs a change in federal law and a two-thirds vote from the state legislature to go into effect, CBS Sacramento reports. Assembly Bill 7, proposed in December, has not yet been voted on by lawmakers, it has been referred to a committee.

Supporters pointed to a study showing an increased risk of car accidents and heart attacks following the spring change, due to the loss of an hour's sleep.

Opponents of the proposition argued that even if California voters and the legislature approve of year-round daylight saving, the hurdle of getting the federal government to approve is too high, considering the state's tense relationship with Washington.

They also say the switch will cause its own headaches. If California goes to year-round daylight saving, the sun wouldn't rise until 8 a.m. during some winter months, forcing children to walk to school or buses in darkness and likely leading to an increase in car and pedestrian accidents.

California isn't the only state that wishes to remain in Daylight Saving Time.  I also wrote about Florida's Sunshine Protection Act, which requires Congressional action to be implemented.  That hasn't happened yet, so Fox 4 in Naples/Ft. Myers reported Florida legislators push to make daylight savings time year-round.


CBS Miami has a better description.

A group of Florida lawmakers are tired of the Sunshine state springing forward and falling back every year. Senators Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and Representative Vern Buchanan have introduced legislation that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent, not only in Florida, but also across the country.

I normally don't support Republican-sponsored legislation, but in this case, I'm on Rubio's side.  After all, even a stuck clock is right twice a day, pun fully intended.

Those are the states that have taken a vote of one kind or another to stop changing clocks twice a year.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty-six other states are considering joining them, either by staying on standard time year-round or changing to Daylight Saving Time year-round.  Follow over the jump for news clips and quotes from articles about those states.