SUNKEN TREASURE: The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary offers glass-bottom boat tours of Lake Huron wrecks. (Photo by National Marine Sanctuaries; used under Creative Commons license) With 3,000 miles of shoreline on four of the five Great Lakes, there are so many places in Michigan to explore that it would take a lifetime to […]
Brunch with Bridge
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
In an echo chamber, language loses its power
SAY WHAT? Words really do have meaning, and distorting their meaning can have disastrous consequences. (Photo by Flickr user Ashley Marinaccio; used under Creative Commons license) I think evil is real. I also think we need to pay attention to language. For example: I’m haunted by my memory from a photographic history of Jim Crow […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
In examining U.P.'s issues, Native Americans weigh in
TIME TO TALK: Amidst the Upper Peninsula’s beauty lie problems bedeviling its Native American population. (Photo by Flickr user rosefirerising; used under Creative Commons license) Sometimes I get disappointed in Yoopers when they refuse to discuss the problems we have in the area, wanting to pretend there are none. I’d much rather address them and […]
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3-D printing is new way to make things, in state where manufacturing thrives
JUST PRESS PRINT: Whether it’s used to make trinkets or custom-designed machine parts, 3-D printing will change manufacturing. (Photo by Flickr user theycallmebrant; used under Creative Commons license) The 3-D printer is no Star Trek replicator, but it’s pretty darn close. The futuristic machine could well be the next big thing in manufacturing, and substantially […]
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Put pen to paper, and give the world a gratitude adjustment
PUT IT IN WRITING: Whether it’s on plain paper or a fancy card, there’s nothing like a handwritten thank-you note. (Bridge photo by Robin Miner-Swartz) I sent a thank-you note to my therapist last week. I hadn’t seen her in more than a decade, but recently found myself reflecting on my time with her and […]
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Misplaced rage over minimum wage: Workers need options to leave burgers behind
WRONG RECIPE: One-day strikes by fast-food workers, like this one last year in Milwaukee, are spreading, with demands for higher wages. But fast food shouldn’t be a long-term stop for most workers; their energy would be better-spent on school and training. (Photo by Flickr user Light Brigading/used under Creative Commons license) The recent marching and […]
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For military spouses, a needed break; for Legislature, a call to act
WHEN DADDY (AND MOMMY) COME MARCHING HOME: Military service is hard on soldiers’ families, too. So why are bills to give soldiers’ spouses leave time from work languishing in the Michigan legislature? (Photo by the National Guard; used under Creative Commons license) I really wanted to tell a story this time, a sad one. The […]
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In the nation’s increasingly powerful cities, a need for serious thinking
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: As the U.S. has left its agrarian roots behind, cities and metro areas are the country’s new economic drivers, a new book by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley posits. (Photo of Jackson by Flickr user Lane Montgomery/used under Creative Commons license) There’s a revolution afoot. Have you heard? If you have […]
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A conservative case against small-town Walmarts
WHAT PRICE BARGAINS? While Walmart’s low prices may help some shoppers, a store in a small community carries other costs, says Conor Dugan. (Photo by Flickr user Ron Dauphin/used under Creative Commons license) This spring, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, announced plans to build a Supercenter east of the towns of Whitehall and Montague, just […]
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Now more than ever, say nice things about Detroit (because they’re true)
NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES: If you think Michigan’s largest city is defined by its fiscal troubles, you haven’t been there lately. At least not downtown. (Photo by Flickr user April Janowski; used under Creative Commons license) After weeks of press about Detroit’s bankruptcy, I am clearly not the only one who feels compelled to speak […]
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