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Parenting and teaching | Mark’s Remarks

I have often wondered, during my teaching career, how many parents simply want a break.  I mean, how often did we wish we had an easy kid to take care…

bill ott

The Age of Skepticism | Ott Observations

I was on a retreat recently and the issue of the decline of the institution of religion was part of the discussion. Less than half of Americans are members of…

The Horror | Mark’s Remarks

I have said for all of my married life that I could die a happy man if my wife ever told me she’d found the perfect swimsuit and was also…

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The Holdovers | Movie Review

I am a fan of Alexander Payne for many reasons. I like how he doesn’t sugar-coat things. I like that he is a director who is character-centered and one that…

Hezekiah and praying | Mark’s Remarks

Hezekiah was the 13th king of Judah and is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus, written in Matthew.  He was a righteous king who enacted religious reform in an attempt…

Graham A. Colditz, MD, Deputy Director, Institute for Public Health, is photographed at FLTC on March 15, 2022. MATT MILLER/WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Warming up to cold-weather activities | For Your Health

Maybe it’ll be this week. Maybe next, or the week after. But before long, the weather’s going to make its shift to the consistently colder days of fall and winter.…

bill ott

A missed opportunity | Ott Observations

Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the U.S. House Speaker position. This is the top leadership position in the House of Representatives, chosen by a majority of the representatives. Prior…

Cartoons | Mark’s Remarks

“That’s something kids today will never know about.” How many times do you say that as you grow older?   Michelle and I were talking about cartoons the other day…

Walk and Roll, 1978 | Mark’s Remarks

Last week was “Walk and Roll To School Day.” I don’t know the origin, but I think it’s been around since the late 1990s. Someone asked me if it was…

bill ott

Lines in the sand | Ott Observations

Mike Bost is our representative in Congress. He has a website which summarizes his positions on a variety of issues.  Our country is divided over whether the past presidential election…