Christine Otten

The outage | Mark’s Remarks

Where were you? Many of us can remember who we were with, what we were wearing and even what words were said if we were around for important, shocking, or…

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Nuanced conversation and complex thinking

College student pro-Palestinian protests have dominated the news cycle of late.   University administrators have been struggling to find the right balance between respecting freedom of speech, protecting students from…

OK | Mark’s Remarks

Several years ago, I was pumping gas and I heard a noise over the usual gas station noise. Finally, I realized it was a voice. “Mr. T.! Mr. T.!” I…

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

A sweet change: Cutting back on added sugars | For Your Health

By Dr. Graham A. Colditz Siteman Cancer Center You often wouldn’t know it from what we see on TV and social media, but the basics of a healthy lifestyle can…

quiet place day one FEAT

A Quiet Place: Day One | Movie Review

I was so impressed with both of John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” movies, from 2018 and 2021, and as I entered the theater to see the third installment, I felt a…

Wicked anyway | Mark’s Remarks

Scholars, believers and skeptics all tend to have the same questions about the Bible. At times, we come across things that are puzzling or even hard to believe. Those folks…

bikeriders movie FEAT

The Bikeriders | Movie Review

Author and photographer Danny Lyon followed a group of bikers around in the late 1960s and published a book full of riveting interviews and photos of Chicago’s Outlaws Motorcycle Club.…

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Real journalism | Ott Observations

Thanks to performance artist politicians who don’t want to be contradicted by the truth, it has become vogue to dismiss any media criticism as “fake media.” Let’s explore more deeply…

Tweener | Mark’s Remarks

I was born in 1967 and technology was pretty advanced at that time, more so during the first decade of my life. We had rotary dial phones that took, if…

Ambitious mowing | Mark’s Remarks

I am pretty sure I don’t like to mow or paint, because I had to do both of them as part of extra employment during my lifetime.   I have…