Author Archives: hro50ta1

My plan for the bridge

Posted on January 4, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell At last, Matty Moroun admits he doesn’t own the Ambassador Bridge. Some legal-minded people no doubt will claim that Matty is posing, that the holding company that supposedly owns the bridge is really a puppet controlled by … Continue reading →

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Will the real Matty please stand up?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Matty Moroun JOTR Guest Columnist Finally, I get a chance to air my views in an independent forum untouched by greed or special interest. In other words, untouched by me! Ha-ha! Just kidding. As you can see, I don’t … Continue reading →

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Lap dog’s lament

Posted on December 30, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Peppermint Patti JOTR Columnist I hear them talk about it, Sophie, and there’s only one word for what I feel. Angst. If they go through with this thing, Sophie, I have a big question: Where am I gonna sit? … Continue reading →

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Dog U

Posted on December 28, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Patti, PhD (Philosophocus Dogus) JOTR Columnist You’ve heard it through the grape whine, haven’t you, Sophie? I’m Professor of Canine Studies at the U. Happened at Christmas. A present to me from my two-leggers. They got tired of paying … Continue reading →

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Out of my mind with cider

Posted on December 27, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell When I posted my plan to cut our booze bill to zero last March, a reader commented, “You’re out of your mind.” I must be nuts, then, because I followed through on my plan. The idea was … Continue reading →

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What a Muslim taught them about Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2011 by hro50ta1

By JOTR staff Once upon a time, two Peace Corp volunteers were facing a lonely Christmas in the sub-Sahara. They were thousands of miles from family and friends. They had each other, true. But they would learn that they also … Continue reading →

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Remembering the mole family

Posted on December 17, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Russell Hoban was an amazing writer whose Frances books transfixed adults as well as their target audience, which was kids. His novel, Riddley Walker, could have been classed as sci-fi or fantasy, but for pure inventiveness, the … Continue reading →

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My pal Newt

Posted on December 16, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell I like Newt. I can’t say it too often — Newt Gingrich is the greatest! I owe Newt a big debt of gratitude, because it was Newt who nudged me off the dime and into the race … Continue reading →

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Hope for Delray

Posted on December 15, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Four years ago, I retired from my job as a reporter with the Detroit Free Press. One of the last stories I wrote for the Free Press was about a seemingly hopeless community in Southwest Detroit known … Continue reading →

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Tarascans under Spanish rule: How one town stayed Indian while its neighbor became mestizo

Posted on December 15, 2011 by hro50ta1

  By Joel Thurtell Twelve kilometers east-southeast of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, four wooded volcanic peaks roughly bound the east end of a moderately fertile, flat, well-watered valley. On a long slope descending to this plain sits Cuanajo, a large[1] Tarascan town. … Continue reading →

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