Monthly Archives: July 2010

Not so easy, this journalism thing

Posted on July 29, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell I’m a fan of Sara Paretsky and her V.I Washawski private eye novels. Hadn’t read Paretsky in years. My wife brought the Warshawski detective novel, Blacklist, on our vacation to Canada. I read it, enjoyed it, and … Continue reading →

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Vote for Susan!

Posted on July 23, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Susan Tompor is on the hustings. She’s not running for office. She’s trying to win five hundred bucks for a charity devoted to helping people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Susan is the personal finance columnist at … Continue reading →

Posted in Joel's J School | 2 Comments

Parsley, sage, rosemary and journalism

Posted on July 22, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell There’s a lot of yackity-yack from traditional journalists about how bloggers don’t adhere to the same high standards as our morally superior print cousins. In this exalted view, practitioners of the old format — for example, newspapers … Continue reading →

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No free lunch

Posted on July 21, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell They say there’s no free lunch. I’m a journalist, so I know that’s not true. But one thing is sure — there is no such thing as a free boat. This is a fact so evident, a … Continue reading →

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‘Mud’ rules Michigan lakes

Posted on July 19, 2010 by hro50ta1

Here from my files is the uncut version of my Detroit Free Press lake names article that ran in shorter form on March 22, 2002: By Joel Thurtell Beverly Zeldes looked out at the 6.2-acre lake behind her West Bloomfield, … Continue reading →

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The ‘rainmaker’ and the Senate

Posted on July 18, 2010 by hro50ta1

Here, followed by my introduction, is the 1992 Detroit Free Press article that set off the “Sewergate” scandal in Canton, Northville and Plymouth townships. I reprinted it on May 29, 2010, and now that one of the key actors is … Continue reading →

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Rainmaker

Posted on July 17, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Well, well. So Abe Munfakh, the “self-made man,” is running for state senate. Seems just yesterday that his $10 million inside deal — the no-bid contract his engineering firm received from the Western Townships Utilities Authority while … Continue reading →

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Unconstitutional = whatever bugs Matty

Posted on July 15, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Spike Kopee JOTR Copy Editor Normally, we copy editors like to stay anonymous. We glower under our green eye shades, slash the copy of hireling writers and toss insults at those reporters brave enough to object to the lavish … Continue reading →

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Naming names — lake names, that is

Posted on July 14, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell   How do places get their names? Some place names seem self-explanatory. If it’s the name of some person, like Lafayette or Washington, it’s easy. Some are a mystery until you learn the secret. There’s a stop … Continue reading →

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Turning rain into smoke

Posted on July 12, 2010 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Mostly, I let people post comments on JOTR without adding my two cents. Now and then, though, a comment will contain some quality that seems to cry out for my reaction. It may be very interesting, very … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in history, Adventures on the Rouge, Bad government, Lakes and streams, Muni bonds, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment