Columns

“For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” -Khalil GibranBeing retired and on a fixed budget, I’m always looking for ways to save a few bucks, and being a nice guy, I am…

While perusing the latest “Great Lakes Bay Catholic”, the magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, I noticed that there are 24,466 registered families in the Diocese of Saginaw, along with 56 parishes. I remembered that a long time ago…

By Scott SullivanEditorOctopus EthicsPETA is on a roll. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, having taken credit for closing the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Circus, now wants Detroit Red Wings fans to stop throwing dead octopi onto the hockey arena…

I put on a DVD of George Clooney’s film “Good Night and Good Luck” the other evening. Although 20 years old, it is just as relevant, if not more so, today.It’’s the story of U.S. news reporter (radio, journalism and television), Edward…

I don’t care how bad your Trump Derangement Syndrome might be, you have to give the man credit for orchestrating a deal that released the 20 living Israeli hostages from the grips of Hamas on Monday.On Monday, the world witnessed…

I’ve noticed two major concerns of older people that I talk with. One is that as they get older, they feel less worthy and the second is that they feel more and more restless, and not at ease with God.…

By Scott SullivanEditorSalvationLeonard Michaels’ 1982 short-story collection “I Would Have Saved Them If I Could” explored how a writer/creator gives birth to characters, then watches almost helplessly as they develop and follow their own free wills towards whatever fates awaits…

By G.C. StoppelAbout the time Pat and I married, new neighbors moved next to our home, and in no time Pat and Sylvia became close friends.Pat had worked in the fur department at Marshall Field’s in Chicago. Sylvia was across the street…

Interaction with other people is critical to our mental health. The texting, phone calling crowd must put down their cellphones occasionally and actually visit friends and families. Unfortunately, this is not happening enough and so many problems are caused because…

“Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There is no courage unless you’re scared.” -Eddie RickenbacherThe month of October is the time when we can all enjoy the arrival and colors of Autumn. It’s probably the last opportunity we…

One of the reasons that sin is so appealing is that it can masquerade as virtue.  The most obvious of these is romantic and sexual love, aka lust.  I am not saying that romantic and sexual love is evil, yet…

By Scott SullivanEditorDead in the WaterOur Physics Made Simple series has been on hold due to popular demand. Not that physics is so complex it’s incomprehensible, just my writing. Are physicists geniuses or the rest of us so dumb we…

   Prior to the Presidential election of 1932, Will Rogers and Franklin Roosevelt were standing in front of a microphone at a public event.  Of the two, Rogers was the better known and held in higher esteem by most Americans. …

One of my often rants is the use of earmarks or pork barrel, as we used to call them, projects sneaked into the federal or state budget at the last minute, to benefit a particular constituency. It happens every year…

By Frank Passic HARNESS RACETRACK ONCE LOCATED HERE Have you ever wondered why there is a “jog” in the road on North Street headed east at the intersection of North and Clinton Streets? The reason is that there once was…

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” -John A. SheddSome bees can fly as fast as 15 miles per hour, depending on their species and wing shape. Weather and wind can also speed…

What is retirement going to look like? Some say that it is going to be great. Just think, you can sleep in and stay up late. You can do whatever you want, eat whatever you and whenever. No worries! Watch…

By Scott SullivanEditorBuggyI’m moving to Japan, where they keep bugs as pets. Not just fleas as a corollaries to dogs and cats — real insects.“Japanese people,” reports Yuri Kageyama for the Associated Press, “appreciate the glitter of fireflies let loose…

    The name “Ned Ludd” was quietly whispered from person to person throughout the central part of England beginning in the early 1800s.  People would say, “We’re going to meet up with Ned Ludd tonight at the Dew Droppe Inn.”  …

When tragedy strikes, our instincts often turn toward anger, resentment, and the pursuit of vengeance. That is human nature. Yet, every so often, someone rises above those instincts and shows us a higher way — a path of grace that…