Mike’s Musings-Why the difference in American, European foods?
In America, many of us suffer from a variety of illnesses and medical conditions. Many more of us are overweight and feed on a diet that includes too much junk food and cola. It is a shame that many of…
Life as a Performance Art
Mother may not have orig-inated the concept of Cancel Culture half a century ago, but when the occasion called for it she was aces. She did it quietly and judiciously.One time John Birch Socie-ty representative turned up at our door,…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorDownloadI learn doing and undoing. Take the flash. After nine years of natural-light photography I bought a Speedlite for an indoor shoot. Time had come.It arrived the p.m. before the shoot and I quaked unpacking it. My Depression-raised…
Mike’s Musings: Big Oil… Soaking our Savings
Those of us who use more than a tank of gas on a weekly basis, have felt the doubling of gas prices in our pocketbook. What use to be a $40 fill-up is now $80 and if you own a…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorDownloadI learn doing and undoing. Take the flash. After nine years of natural-light photography I bought a Speedlite for an indoor shoot. Time had come.It arrived the p.m. before the shoot and I quaked unpacking it. My Depression-raised…
Supreme Court says rehear dunes standing
By Scott SullivanEditorThe Michigan Supreme Court Friday struck down past local and state appeals court rulings that a dunes preservation group lacked standing to appeal 2017 go-aheads given a proposed NorthShore of Saugatuck development north of the Kalamazoo River channel…
No bowl of cherries for toppled truck
First responders don’t get to cherry pick incidents they are called to but an exception came July 13 when a semi and 48-foot trailer hauling 48 crates of cherries overturned on northbound I-196 just north of Exit 34 at 3:41…
Blue Star Trail alive +, backers say
By Scott SullivanEditorRumors of the Blue Star Trail’s death may be premature, witness backers’ response to a temporary state grant turndown and perhaps a July 21 Commercial Record front-page headline “$1.72+ million Trail request dead ends, for now.”Assuming one overlooks…
Life as a Performance Art
The toll road around Chicago had ground into a slow-moving parking lot, and my favorite uncle and I were caught in the middle of it. I was bored and restless, much as any youngster would be. Going to the railroad…
$40 billion without oversight? I think not
There is a different side to the Ukraine story than we’ve been told. Corruption has run rampant through the Ukrainian government ever since it gained independence from the former Soviet Union. One watchdog name Ukraine the second most corrupt nation…
Blue Star
By Scott SullivanEditorGimme Dat“I’m banging on doors of the universe,” I told Flannery.“It has doors?” my daughter asked.Should I run with or from this metaphor? “God isn’t in,” I told her. “The doorman told me.”“Kafka or the Emerald City? …”“Look!”…
Drunken Boat
Jeremy Barnett’s and Jason Maricani’s red wooden sticks based sculptures spread at sis outdoor sites community wide come to this in the Saugatuck Center for the Arts’ Bertha Krueger Reid Gallery, an homage to poet Arthur Rimbaud’s ‘The Drunken boat’…
$1.72+ Trail request dead ends, for now
By Scott SullivanEditor“Houston, we have a problem.” Expected by many Blue Star Trail go-aheads hit a snag when the Michigan Department of Transportation dinged a $1.725-million Transportation Alternatives Program grant request to link the most-local part of it.MDOT noted two…
Mike’s Musings: Airline travel woes, flying is frustrating
Editor’s Note: My friend wrote the following commentary about his experience flying to Florida. We have all been warned that flying is becoming more and more dicey. Personally, I fly back in forth monthly from Florida to Michigan, and luckily,…
Life as Performance Art
A retired parish priest told me he always prayed no one would pass away on Christ-mas Eve or Day. He didn’t want family or friends to connect the most joyous day of the year with a loved one’s death.Perhaps we…
Blue Star
In the Sticks: Fishing near the Jeremy Barnett/Jason Maracini sculpture installation is an arts adventure. (Photo by Scott Sullivan) By Scott SullivanEditorAtomize“Welcome to McDonald’s,” a voice crackled through speakers.“My order’s random.”“Want fries with that?”So much for foisting chaos. “Medium, extra…
Other ways to see
Tolerance of diversity and diverse ways to express tolerance are part of the Saugatuck-Douglas Art Coast experience. These daylilies in front of downtown Douglas’s Redefine Med Spa, shown with colors inverted, are only part. (Photo by Scott Sullivan)
Woodmen may spare maple after all
By Scott SullivanEditorWoodmen may spare the 70-year-old maple near Douglas City Hall first slated for removal to make way for a west side of Union Street sidewalk after all.City manager Rich LaBombard reported July 4 council, hearing residents’ pleas to…
Mike’s Musings: America at a Critical Crossroads
Editors Note: I wrote this one year ago, and now find it more relevant than it was when it was written.I’m growing more and more concerned that our republic will struggle to maintain its standing as a leader in this…
Life as Performance Art
It was just after we returned from watching the Independence Day parade here in Saugatuck that our phone rang. It was Pat’s oldest son, telling us that he and his wife were safe. At first, we were confused by their message,…
