Gee whiz… it’s hard enough to come up with some interesting prose every week without being told there are now certain words and phrases that need to be eliminated from the conversation. But such is the case with the 2025 release of the annual Lake Superior State University Banished Words List. In case you’re ... Continue Reading
Three Wishes for the New Year
AS I TAKE INVENTORY of the Christmas bounty, I find Santa got me everything I need, but not everything I want. It seems some things aren’t so easily wrapped and placed under the tree. My wish list isn’t long. Over the years I’ve learned to keep my wants modest… better to avoid the inevitable disappointment. ... Continue Reading
The ROI on Public Art
ROI. It’s an acronym common in the business world. It means… Return on Investment. In other words, am I getting what I paid for, and then some? Can that same formula be applied to how our public servants invest our tax dollars? That’s the question being batted around this week with the appearance of ... Continue Reading
Doggone It!
THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER are a distant memory, but dogs and their owners are in the news again, regardless of the season. It seems there’s an issue with folks bringing their furry friends to our city parks and finding they’re not all that welcome. I don’t know what percentage of our households have dogs as ... Continue Reading
Forward Thinking
AS IS ALWAYS THE CASE, complaining about what has happened is a fruitless exercise. Sure, we can learn from our mistakes, but to dwell on them is wasted energy. In other words… what’s done is done, and all the Facebook posts in the world lamenting the fact that “this town isn’t the same town I grew up in,” won’t ... Continue Reading