November 23, 2024

The Economic Outlook for Washtenaw County in 2021–2023, prepared by Jacob T Burton, Tina Dhariwal, Gabriel M Ehrlich, Donald R Grimes, Owen Kay, and Michael R McWilliams, prepared for Ann Arbor SPARK, Washtenaw Community College, and Washtenaw County Michigan, as prepared for the March 25, 2021 Washtenaw Economic Club event, is available for download now.

“The Economic Outlook for Washtenaw County, 2021–2023” slide show, is also similarly available. Both are set as PDF files.

Good Friday— "By no means is Good Friday an isolated event, said Winn Collier, the pastor of All Souls Charlottesville, a partner church with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. "Following the church calendar is a congregation’s way of following the footsteps of Christ throughout the year. And for both…

– April 15, 2022
via Southern Baptist Convention (February 26, 2019)— "Who's Your One?" Day 1: John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 'No one comes to the Father except through me.' [English Standard Version] "An Online Bible Commentary You Can Understand" titled "Bible Ref"…

– July 17, 2022
via Baptist Beacon (June 1, 2022)— "A small church serves as a large witness in the wake of Taylor tornado," by Mike Durbin, State Evangelism Director for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan: An EF3 tornado ripped through Gaylord tragically taking the lives of two people and injuring more than…

– June 5, 2022
Ascension Day— via Christianity: "Ascension Day celebrates Christ's exaltation. While on earth, He was a servant. Now in heaven, He is the ruler and Lord of all. By entering heaven as the representative of mankind, He completed the work of our salvation and guarantees the eventual glorification of all who…

– May 26, 2022
via Lifeway Research (September 1, 2021)— "Most Americans Know and Trust Their Neighbors," by Aaron Earls: Despite quarantines and social distancing keeping people in their homes during the pandemic, Americans still say they know their neighbors. Almost 7 in 10 U.S. adults (68%) say they trust the people who live in…

– January 17, 2022
via Lifeway Research (February 15, 2022)— "Most Pastors See Racial Diversity in the Church as a Goal but Not Reality," by Marissa Postell: Most Protestant pastors say every church should strive to achieve racial diversity, but few are achieving it .... There are also differences between what African American pastors are…

– February 20, 2022
National Day of Prayer— "How to Pray for America," via National Day of Prayer: Why pray for America? God is sovereign and nothing comes as a surprise to Him. Whether we face fluctuating economics, threats from abroad, unrest at home, or other troubling circumstances, our Heavenly Father is not caught…

– May 5, 2022
re United States Supreme Court decision in Carson v Makin— Lifeway Christian Resources referenced Article 12 of the Southern Baptist Faith and Message, which "deals specifically and uniquely with the topic of education. ... our confessional statement affirms, Christianity is the faith of enlightenment and intelligence. As we shall see, one…

– June 21, 2022
re United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization— On May 3, 2022, Heather Riggleman addressed the question "What Does the Bible Say about Abortion?" on Christianity website. "Every year, over three million women ... in the US will face an unplanned pregnancy and of those pregnancies,…

– June 24, 2022

2018 FIRST Robotics Championship in Detroit Michigan

What’s Missing from This Image of the 2018 FIRST Robotics Championship in Detroit?

May 3, 2018

The photograph above was taken last week during Tech Challenge brackets at Cobo Center in Detroit for the latest FIRST Robotics Championship. Teams at each of four age-based skill levels had advanced to this arena over the course of the 2017-18 school year, to these final play-offs featuring robots that they themselves have built and programmed. [1,2] Anyone who’s heard of Lego Mindstorms is in the ballpark of understanding this world. “FIRST Lego League Jr” ....

Marionettes made by Meredith Bixby for "Jack and the Beanstalk"

Once Upon A Time, Marionettes Set The Stage For Entertainment Techniques That Remain Relevant To This Very Day

September 10, 2018

Every so often, someone references “marionettes” in connection with Saline. [1] Passing note of our “Bixby Marionettes Trust” was made during a City Council meeting earlier this summer. Without fanfare, the mayor has given leadership to developing a couple of display cases to highlight locally-produced string puppets at the Saline Area School District building. Saline Journal touched on the historical legacy of Meredith Bixby last week. [2,3] In an under-appreciated, no longer much viewed segment ....

Year-end report on Bixby Marionette Trust disposition outlined steady, important forward progress

December 11, 2019

A small selection of string puppets stood along one wall of a Saline Library meeting room where John Anderson provided an accounting for Arts and Culture Committee responsibilities in fulfilling City of Saline obligations under terms of its “Bixby Marionettes Trust” here. [1,2] Meticulously handcrafted by the late Meredith Bixby, these figures seemed more than contextual backdrop or props at the ready when called upon to illustrate function. Rather, they seemed here to cast scrutinizing ....

Part 2 of 3 re Future of Roe v Wade, abortion, and Michigan legislature: Interview with Dr Robert Borer, Republican

May 17, 2022

Part 1 of this series looked at questions likely to come before the Michigan legislature following leak of a forthcoming United States Supreme Court finding that would revisit the validity of Roe v Wade. [1] This November, voters in the newly-drawn 33rd District for the Michigan legislature will elect one of two candidates to represent them in Lansing. With that as current backdrop, Saline Journal put the following questions to each via eMail on May 4, ....

As a long-time talk radio listener, I strongly disagree with any claim that Rush Limbaugh transformed the format

March 1, 2021

From the Editor— I grew up on talk radio. “For those of you in Rio Linda” (to borrow a phrase), let’s start that clock ticking with start in the public school system, late 1960s. [1,2] More to the point of this writing, it means that I was listening to talkers on the AM broadcast band for some time before Rush Limbaugh started his radio career, long before he took root on the West Coast near the end ....