Columns

It finally happened. I am retired! Who could ask for more? Then it happened. We had planned to sell the office, but God had something better in mind. Through the grapevine I learned of a doctor who may be interested…

By Scott SullivanEditorTrumping the SharkThere’s go big or go home, then there’s stealing a shark out of an aquarium. Three sharknappers did so in San Antonio last month, smuggling it out in a baby stroller.Viewers’ knee-jerk reaction to coo at…

1-22 Stoppel-cr By G.C. StoppelTwice, in less than 12 hours and from two different sources, I heard basically the same message on how to deal with the swirling chaos in much of the news.The first was when I watched the…

Every few years, the same frustrated question resurfaces: With all the money, technology and brainpower in the world, why haven’t we cured cancer yet? It’s a fair question. We’ve put men on the moon, decoded the human genome and carry…

By Scott SullivanEditorAge of InnocenceI can’t tell you how many women mistake me for Tom Brady. Is it my movie star looks? Seven Superbowl rings? Status as football’s GOAT? Untold millions?“No,” said Madge at the Pullman Tavern. “It’s your personality.…

The year that my late wife Pat turned 95, MENSA sent a reporter to interview her about her nine decades as a professional artist and writer.The writer first asked who or what inspired her to become an artist. Pat explained…

Not long ago, I set aside part of my workday to ask the Internal Revenue Service a simple question. This wasn’t a complicated audit issue or a dispute over taxes owed. It was a basic inquiry that should have taken…

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” -Eleanor RooseveltWelcome 2026. May this year bring us all more together and more understanding…

I just had the experience of officiating at a friend’s funeral. Though not a frequent church goer, she professed a personal relationship with Jesus, prayed often, and though a sinner like the rest of us, did her best to live…

By Scott SullivanEditorMr. Sunshine“In the depth of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus Good ol’ Al, Mr. Sunshine. Camus’ opening for “The Stranger”: “Mother died yesterday. Or perhaps today. I’m not sure,”…

Every December, Sen. Rand Paul releases his annual Festivus Report, a nod to the fictional holiday made famous by Seinfeld. The tradition includes an “airing of grievances,” and for taxpayers, there is no shortage of them.I just got the opportunity…

When the holiday season began to wind down I checked the little recipe box that contained the names and addresses of people on our Christmas card list. Every year a few new names are added. Every year a few more names get…

“Great men are rarely isolated mountain peaks; they are the summits of ranges.” -Thomas Wentworth HigginsonI’ve come to the conclusion that in life, you only have two things to worry about, whether you’re healthy, or whether you’re sick. If you’re healthy,…

By Scott SullivanEditorBowl BingeThey said it was impossible — watch every holiday college bowl game — and dumb to boot, which meant somebody had to do it. Why not me?First things first: head to Tiny Giant to stock up on…

In the 1950 movie “Harvey” Jimmy Stewart plays Elwood P. Dowd, a certifiable eccentric befriended by 6-foot invisible rabbit named Harvey.It’s a light comedy, but at one point Dowd says something meaningful: that in order to be liked, one had…

In a world addicted to outrage, the most radical protest I’ve seen lately involved no slogans, no megaphones, and no demands shouted into the air. It was a line of Buddhist monks walking.I first noticed this on Facebook. The monks…

At one time I held the belief that God created each person good, holy, and sacred and that they were called to be natural, just be themselves. It seemed that whatever could be justified as natural was good, holy and…

“Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.” -Dwight D. EisenhowerAs long as I can remember, I’ve dreaded visiting the dentist. Like my mother, I’ve always…

Recently, I have been focusing on being a caregiver. It seems that at some time in everyone’s life they get to have the role of being a caregiver for someone they love. While we think of caregivers as saints, the…

By Scott SullivanEditorCall of the WildThere’s a monotony to monogamy but things could be worse. Say you’re Sherrone Moore, fired as Michigan football coach last week for having a years-long affair with a staffer, then breaking into her apartment and…