Bill Ott

bill ott

The importance of accurate legacies | Ott Observations

I recently read a letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The writer was acknowledging that the newspaper had done an extensive job summarizing the national service Colin Powell…

Attic holiday remembered | Mark’s Remarks

I’ve told you before about my little apartment when I was in college. I found out about this upstairs apartment from a co-worker at my part time job and after…

Dr. Graham A. Colditz headshot

COVID-19 vaccination benefits children, families | For Your Health

By Dr. Graham Colditz It may be hard to believe that, after almost two years, COVID-19 is still a major issue in the U.S. and the world over. It continues…

Second annual Non-Thankful List | Mark’s Remarks

I had an extensive and hilarious response from last year’s “non-thankful” column, so I thought I’d do it again. Since I take notes when I get good ideas, and because…

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Evidence-based decision making | Ott Observations

Before I became a columnist, I spent some years working in healthcare consulting. One of the big trends was embracing “evidence-based medicine.” Basically, this was a leveraging of ALL of…

The misunderstandings of teachers in their dotage

When I was in school, we had a group of teachers who most of us thought must be at least 90 years old. I mean, they seemed ancient to us.…

Pig-out planning | Mark’s Remarks

I’ve been dragging my patootie out of bed long before the sun comes up since mid-summer.  You see, I finally made a plan I could stick to and finally collaborated…

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Explain yourself or get out | Ott Observations

It feels like we have reached a low point in our national history where leaders are not accountable to explain their actions and decisions while at the same time we have…

Staging | Mark’s Remarks

Here we go again. Several years ago, I wrote two consecutive columns about moving to a new house.   One person I know well said “Don’t write about moving again.”…

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Reconciling faith and politics | Ott Observations

When time permits, I attend a Saturday morning men’s discussion group at my church. We review the scripture readings for Sunday and then discuss what they mean to us in…