Author Archives: hro50ta1

Redeeming the Peace Corps, or not

Posted on May 11, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell I’m not surprised that Peace Corps volunteers are being raped at their work sites overseas, and I’m less surprised that Peace Corps administrators have taken a callous, blame-the-victim attitude. I’ll be astonished if Congress passes a bill … Continue reading →

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UP THE ROUGE! at West Bloomfield

Posted on April 30, 2011 by hro50ta1

Writer Joel Thurtell will talk about the book, UP THE ROUGE! PADDLING DETROIT’S HIDDEN RIVER at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, 2011 at the West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation center. An exhibit of Detroit Free press photographer Patricia Beck’s … Continue reading →

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I’m an artist!

Posted on April 25, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell For the argument to work, you must agree that I am an artist. I’ll assume that much. Otherwise, my reasoning is high and dry. Je suis artiste. There, a declaration in French is always so much more … Continue reading →

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Cathedral of Finance

Posted on April 24, 2011 by hro50ta1

Here is another of those stories from 2008 that used to appear on my howtostopabankrun blog, now kaput. By Joel Thurtell In the wee hours of Tuesday, February 14, 1933, Michigan’s new Democratic governor, William Comstock, emerged from the posh … Continue reading →

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CROSS PURPOSES debuts

Posted on April 22, 2011 by hro50ta1

Hardalee Press published Joel Thurtell’s debut novel today: CROSS PURPOSES, OR, IF NEWSPAPERS HAD COVERED THE CRUCIFIXION. The significance? It’s Good Friday, and most of the action in CROSS PURPOSES happens on a Good Friday. In fact, the novel pretends … Continue reading →

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What a Muslim taught us about Christmas

Posted on April 20, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Floyd Inkjet JOTR Book Review Editor Once upon a time, two American 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 … Continue reading →

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A “progressive” tax

Posted on April 20, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Rich Sob JOTR Fat Cat I don’t make any excuse. I’ve got lots of money. More than I could possibly spend. And I want more. But know what I REALLY want? Two things: no more class war, and a … Continue reading →

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Turning an old boat mold into a new sailboat

Posted on April 19, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Floyd Inkjet JOTR Book Review Editor Was it magic? Anything but, writes reporter, author and blogger Joel Thurtell in this collection of essays about the joys and trials of transforming an industrial artifact into a functioning sailboat. PLUG NICKEL … Continue reading →

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Plug in the Bay

Posted on April 18, 2011 by hro50ta1

Written by Joel Thurtell Photographs by Adam Thurtell I thought I had everything I’d need for the job — a 100-foot tow rope, lines for tying the boat to docks, my tool box and one of those compartmentalized plastic tackle … Continue reading →

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Harold Collins and his wonderful 75A

Posted on April 17, 2011 by hro50ta1

    This story originally ran in the January, 2003, issue of the amateur radio magazine, QST By Joel Thurtell One crisp Saturday afternoon in October 2001 I chanced to see the red light blinking on my Radiofinder answering machine. … Continue reading →

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