Mailbox

Dear editor
In the beginning of his second term, President Bush proposed overhauling the Social Security system to allow workers to invest part of their social security taxes in privately owned accounts. The president is claiming that “the crisis is now” for Social Security.
The first contentious issue is when will Social Security run out of money? Not any time soon, is the best guess. However, people are living longer and the Baby Boomers will soon start to reach retirement age. There is some debate about when the surplus in the existing trust fund will begin to go into the negative. The best estimates say that will happen in 2042.
Bush’s plan is to give younger workers “ownership” in Social Security.
“These private accounts are not just a program, they are your property,” Bush said. Since it’s private property, what right would the government have to tell you what to do with this? Suppose you want to use the money in your account for a down payment on a home or pay for a child’s education?
President Bush’s plan disregards why Social Security began. The perils of individual saving, which led to the creation of Social Security, still exist today. For instance, you can’t be sure how long you will live, whether you will outlive your savings or whether you will lose your job or become disabled. Social Security addresses these problems by offering a fixed annual pension and covers out-of-work and disabled workers. These kinds of transfers are only possible if all workers pay their taxes into a collective fund. Once you individualize the system, it’s every man for himself.
The AARP has taken a strong position against Bush’s plan and is proposing a less drastic plan of investing part of the surplus in non-government bonds and taking the cap off Social Security taxed income. These steps alone won’t fill the entire future gap, but they are a substantial step toward solving the problem.
I believe that if we really want a Social Security crisis, then we should adopt privatization. The AARP proposals offer a better plan.
Robert C. Anderson

Dear editor
Effective communication is the single most important ingredient to the success of any individual or organization. With that in mind, all elected officials have the hope and prayer that they will serve by leaving their city in a better place than when they started. They work together as a commission, yet independently as elected officials, serving in an honorable manner.
The City of Marquette is at a tipping point. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point, he alludes to the fact that a certain single incident can have tremendous impact, creating a tip that will go in either a positive or a negative direction. People generally tend to dwell on the negative, not looking for solutions, hence pulling the community downward.
Teetering at this tipping point, the Marquette City Commission has asked the Michigan Municipal League, our state organization, for guidance and assistance. They connected us with Marilynn Semonick, CSP, from Spectrum, a team of highly committed professionals that help organizations work toward the futures they desire.
Semonick’s credentials include working with many major corporations and nonprofit organizations, as well as the municipalities of Lansing, Alpena, Midland, Muskegon, Traverse City and others.
Semonick came to Marquette recently to work with city commissioners and former mayors to have structured conversation about how the commission can work together effectively to serve the best interests of the city.
 We have a new city commission. Strong, effective leadership is necessary at this juncture for the good of the city. Difficult decisions must be made. Elected officials are obligated to search for the right questions with due diligence and then to search for the answers to the best of their ability.
People may not always agree or support each others point-of-view. Effective communication is necessary as is working in a timely, thoughtful, courteous manner at all times. The City Commission and all city residents must do the same to assure that the business of the city can move forward and to assure that the tipping point is in a positive direction.
Sandy Spoelstra,
City Commissioner

Dear editor
We all know the ads for “the many caring hands of Marquette General Hospital.” Those same caring hands, at least those of MGH administration, have delivered a slap in the face to U.P. children with mental illness and/or emotional impairments.
MGH has known for years that their only outpatient child psychiatrist, Dr. Elodie Imonen, would retire near the end of 2004. Instead of careful, proactive planning to ensure that essential psychiatric services for children would be continued without interruption, MGH did nothing. They’ve finally said they “have not chosen to recruit a child psychiatrist at this time” and will be “exploring other avenues.” With all due respect, MGH has had years to explore other avenues, to be proactive in their approach, but they’ve done nothing. They have simply and shamefully dropped the ball.
As for their plan, you can only shake your head in wonder at a plan which includes transferring children to adult psychiatrists who specialize in geriatric psychiatry and have none of the specialized training specifically relating to children, their biochemistry, developmental stages, diagnostics and therapeutics. For many U.P. families, psychiatric services by a qualified child psychiatrist are essential.
Could it be possible that MGH administration believes children with mental illness and/or emotional impairments just don’t require this expertise? MGH administration has ignored the pleas and recommendations from parents, professionals and their own behavioral health staff, imploring them to provide a child psychiatrist. 
So what are parents to do? They either travel every month to Green Bay or Traverse City, or they accept the adult services provided at MGH. If travel out of the area every month is impossible for many reasons—work, school, a child who can’t tolerate the long ride due to his psychiatric or emotional disorder—then they have no choice at all. It is irresponsible, unethical and wrong on so many levels for MGH to place parents in this situation, and to make adult psychiatrists take on patients they are not trained to treat. Apparently, the Hippocratic Oath is being retired along with Dr. Imonen.
It’s also not beyond the realm of possibility to think that MGH has seized this golden opportunity to eliminate, through attrition, a service they are tired of subsidizing. After all, child psychiatry will never be as exciting as a new trauma center or as trendy as the proposed bariatric surgery center—and it will never be as profitable. It is, however, essential for many families who live here.
We need MGH to live up to their commitment as our regional medical center and to all their patients, not just the ones from which they can profit. Without appropriate child psychiatric services, there will be many children headed for trouble—emotional, behavioral, educational, social and, sadly, even criminal trouble. That’s a risk our U.P. community cannot afford to take.
Judy Lindstrom

Benefit fund set at Wells Fargo for Brodersen family
A fund has been established to assist the family of James Brodersen, a well-known Marquette area musician-vocalist and music director at the L’Anse Public Schools.
The Brodersen Family Fund has been set up to help with medical expenses, following the recent illness of Brodersen, who is in a Grand Rapids clinic due to a severe insulin reaction, which caused a diabetic coma. Donations can be made through Wells Fargo Bank.

White Water holds NHS orchestra benefit concert
The White Water Family Band will perform a benefit concert at 7:00 p.m. on March 3 at Peterson Auditorium in Ishpeming.
The concert will open with the Lakeview Elementary Chorus singing a selection of patriotic songs. The Negaunee High School Chamber Orchestra will then perform with White Water. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults and are available at Negaunee High School, Negaunee Middle School, Lakeview Elementary School and Midtown Bakery in Negaunee, and Forsberg Flowers in Ishpeming and Marquette. Proceeds will help defray the cost of the NHS Orchestra’s 2005 tour of England. For details, call 475-5072 or 475-2816.

Jazz concert planned for
Co-op Preschool fundraiser
The group LuLu will present an evening of jazz at 7:00 p.m. on March 12 in the Harbor View Room in the Landmark Inn.
The group features former Atlantic Recording Artist Kirsten Gustafson, former Chicago percussionist Carrie Biolo and pianist/flutist Andra Sullivan. Also included in this special performance will be guest artists Dave Ziegner on bass and Jim Strain on drums. In addition to music, the evening will include a silent auction featuring a wide range of art and donations from local businesses. Proceeds benefit the Marquette Cooperative Preschool.
Tickets are $15 or two for $25, and are available at the Landmark Inn or MacDonald’s Music (cash or check only). Tickets include appetizers and cash bar and will not be available at the door. For details, call Marquette Cooperative Preschool at 225-0518.

Basketball tournament sets dates, entry deadline
The 2005 Negaunee Invitational Basketball Tournament will run from March 25 through April 24. Class A action will be held on April 22, 23 and 24 and Class B tentatively will be held on April 15, 16 and 17. The 45 & Older class will play March 25, 26 and 27.
Tournament staff also is encouraging entries for a new high school seniors division. Also new this year, the 45 & Older teams who lose in the first round will have a consolation bracket.
Invitations can be obtained by calling John Basolo at 475-4268, e-mailing jbasolo@negauneeinvitational.com or visiting www.negauneeinvitation al.com, where they can be downloaded. The deadline for entries is March 11.

Annual Marquette Monthly contest judging underway
The fifteenth annual MM short story contest received fifty-four submissions. The MM staff reviewed all entries, and twenty finalist stories have been submitted to a panel of judges.
MM would like to thank this year’s judges: Matthew Gougeon (last year’s winner), Chris Hansen, Leonard Heldreth, John MacDevitt, Moira Reynolds and Gerald and Sue Waite.
The winning story will be published in the April 2005 issue of Marquette Monthly.

Singer/songwriter returns home for album release
Folk singer/songwriter Tret Fure will be celebrating the release of her tenth CD, Anytime Anywhere, with an 8:00 p.m. show at the Ramada Inn on March 18. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased in advance at The Coffee Cup at 112 West Spring Street or online at www.tretfure.com
The release of Anytime Anywhere falls on Fure’s birthday and she chose her hometown of Marquette for the dual celebration. 
One of the most prolific artists in the contemporary singer-songwriter arena, Fure was a female pioneer in the male-dominated music industry of the early ’70s; during the past thirty years, she has engineered and produced countless recordings by a variety of artists, including her own work. In 2004, Fure won the prestigious South Florida Folk Festival Songwriting Competition in two out of three categories, Best Up-Beat and Best Overall.

Several downtown Ishpeming businesses on the move
• Rock Barn Windows and Doors, located at 212 Front Street, has begun installation of a new roof in colors consistent with the Hematite Drive skyline. In spring, work will begin on the Front Street façade.
• Butler Theatre Antiques, located at 119 South Main Street, has opened an extension of its antique mall next door at 121 South Main Street. This new location is a combination of the Treasures & Pleasures Antiques, Collectibles and NASCAR, formerly located across the street. Floor space is available for vendors to rent.
• Dries Mercantile has moved to 110 East Cleveland Avenue.

Coast-to-coast hiker hits halfway point in Marquette
Twenty-three-year-old, Andrew Skurka, student, runner and avid backpacker, has set out to accomplish a feat that no other hiker in history has completed—becoming the first person ever to hike the entire 7,700-mile Sea-to-Sea Route (C2C). The C2C is a network of existing long-distance hiking trails that span almost continuously between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Skurka arrived in Marquette, his halfway point, on February 12. He continues on Michigan’s North Country Trail through the U.P. So far he has hiked more than 3,941 miles.
Skurka received a $4,500 grant from Balance Bar to pay for food, transportation and supplies for his hike. He took to the trail on August 6, 2004 from Quebec’s Cape Gaspe in Forillon National Park.

Spring 2005 Read! Marquette program now underway
The Read! Marquette book selection for spring 2005 is Alexander McCall Smith’s mystery series, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, is set in Botswana. The series includes five titles: Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, The Kalahari Typing School for Men and The Full Cupboard of Life. A sixth book, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, will be published in April.
All five titles are available in print at the Peter White Public Library. The first three also are available in audio format. Books may be purchased at Snowbound Books and B. Dalton in the Westwood Mall.
Book discussions are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on March 22 and 7:00 p.m. on April 5 in the Shiras Room on the library’s second floor. A potluck meal will be held at 11:00 a.m. on April 14 in the Community Room for book discussion; participants are invited to bring an African dish to pass.
Wednesday March 23 at 7 p.m. NMU professor Louise Bourgault will speak on the AIDS crisis in Africa in the Community Room.
Logjam, a local drumming group, will perform at 7:00 p.m. on March 29 in the Community Room. All ages are invited to listen and dance.
An African film, Faat Kine, will be shown at 7:00 p.m. on April 18 in the Community Room. This 110-minute film, made in 2000, is director Ousmane Sembene’s tribute to the “everyday heroism of African women.”
For details, call Cathy at 226-4323.

Library of Ideas now open in Christ Scientist Church
The Library of Ideas, located inside the First Church of Christ Scientist Church at 121 North Front Street in Marquette, is now open. Its collection includes books concerning philosophy, religion, science, art, architecture, music, dance, literature and more.
The public is welcome to stop in and browse the collection from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Mentor of the year selected; honorable mentions awarded
Monika Jenczala was chosen as Marquette and Alger County Child and Family Services Better Futures Program Mentor of the Year. A recent graduate of NMU, Jenczala has been a mentor for four years. Two mentors from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Jill Marcotte and Bill Johnson, received honorable mention.

Bowl For Kids’ Sake event set for Marquette County
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marquette County will hold this year’s Bowl for Kids’ Sake on March 19 at Superior Lanes in Marquette and Country Lanes in Ishpeming. This event has been the top fundraising activity for the agency for more than fifteen years.
Bowlers have the opportunity to win prizes based on the dollar amount raised by the pledges they secure. The top pledge prize this year is roundtrip tickets for two aboard Midwest Express/Skyway Airlines; travel restrictions apply. Other pledge prizes include a Green Bay getaway and a $250 shopping spree at the Westwood Mall. The top kids’ prize (sixteen and younger) is a $100 gift certificate for the Westwood Mall.
Big Brothers Big Sisters asks that a minimum of $50 is raised by each bowler to cover the cost of a game of bowling, shoe rental and a Bowl for Kids’ Sake Survivor T-shirt. For ages twelve and younger, the minimum is $30. Bowlers who raise $125 are eligible for a long sleeve T-shirt and will be entered in the grand prize drawing for a twenty-five-inch color TV.
For details or to receive a bowling packet, contact the Big Brothers Big Sisters office at 475-7801 or go to www.bbbsmqt.org

Father, son professors hold dual book release reading
“Rural Landscapes: A Fiction and Poetry Reading” will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Women’s Federated Clubhouse on March 23. Ron Johnson, an NMU professor in the MFA Creative Writing Program, will read from his new book Silver Thaw and Selected Short Stories, published in January 2005.
His son, Jonathan Johnson, the incoming director of the Inland Northwest Center for Writers MFA program at Eastern Washington University, will read from his book Hannah and the Mountain: Notes Toward a Wilderness Fatherhood, to be released March 1. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the reading. The reading is free and open to the public.

Michigan Tech teams with patent assistance company
The Michigan Tech Enterprise Smart Zone has partnered with Brooks Kushman of Southfield (Michigan) to provide patent assistance to high-tech entrepreneurs and small businesses in the U.P. under a grant from Michigan’s Technology Tri-Corridor Fund.
The new program will provide entrepreneurs and businesses in the U.P. with local access to a full-service and well-known intellectual property (IP) firm. Brooks Kushman will travel to Houghton quarterly to conduct seminars and meetings with individual businesses and entrepreneurs to assist them with IP strategies, patent applications, trademark and copyright issues and license negotiations.

Clergy get reassigned in local Catholic parishes
Due to the departure of Father Abraham Kazhunadiyil to India, Father Thomas Thekkel, MST, has been appointed by Bishop James Garland as parochial minister of Holy Family Parish of Ontonagon, St. Mary Parish of Rockland and St. Jude Parish of Pine.
With Father Thekkel’s move, Father Christopher Gardiner has been appointed as parochial administrator of St. Rita Parish in Trenary and St. Therese Mission in AuTrain. Father Gardiner will continue to serve as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Munising, a post he has held for just two months.
The diocesan pastoral plan for parish ministry that was developed in 2003 called for the future linkage of the churches in Munising, Trenary and AuTrain. A transition task force, composed of lay representatives from those three faith communities and Father Gardiner, is now reviewing those plans. The group will study the linkage as called for in the area plan, as well as other possibilities.

Fudge bunnies on sale for Omega House fundraiser
The Lunch Bag in downtown Houghton is selling fudge bunnies as a fundraiser for Omega House hospice throughout the month of March. They hope to repeat the success of their fudge snowman sale in December. For details, call Jo Lorichon at 482-4438.

ACEEE announces energy plans to reduce gas prices
According to a new study released by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), making key changes toward energy efficiency could cause residential, commercial and industrial natural gas customers to save billions of dollars annually.
Organizations dedicated to improving energy sustainability throughout the Midwest are encouraging the development of energy efficiency programs that could save Midwest energy consumers approximately $4 billion per year by 2010. For details, visit aceee.org/pubs/u051.htm

Landlords encouraged to adopt smoke-free policies
The Marquette County Tobacco Prevention Coalition and the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project of The Center for Social Gerontology, Inc. have joined a new statewide campaign to encourage landlords to voluntarily adopt smoke-free policies in their apartment buildings. The effort is in response to the many complaints the organizations have received in recent years from apartment tenants about secondhand smoke from adjoining apartments and questions from landlords about their right to adopt smoke-free policies.
For details, visit www.mismokefreeapartment.org

Seventh annual Noquemanon ski race results announced
Twelve hundred skiers, ages two to eighty-four, participated in the seventh annual Subaru Noquemanon Ski Marathon.
First place winner of the 51K Men’s Classic Division, was first-time Noquemanon participant Ivan Babikov (2:35:16) from Canada. Babikov shed ten minutes off of last year’s record time. In the women’s 51K Classic, Abigail Larson (2:57:59) took first.
Matt Weier of Marquette (2:19:14.0) won the 51K Freestyle event for men, while Kim Rudd (2:45:10.3) finished first in the women’s division.
In the 25K Half Marathon Men’s Classic Division, Dan Streubel (1:12:13.9) won. Emily Flynn, who took first place in the Women’s Half Marathon Classic event in the past, claimed first place with a time of 1:29:31.
The Half Marathon Men’s Freestyle Division was won by Marquette resident Dan Dehlin (1:01:47.7). The winner of the Half Marathon Women’s Freestyle Division was Eileen Kirsch of Lacrosse (Wisconsin) with a time of 1:18:21.6.
In the 25K Snowshoe Division, the top man was Stuart Kramer of Marquette and the top woman was Anne Siegrist of Appleton.
For details, visit www.noquemanon.com or call (888)578-6489.

Arts and Culture Center sets Kids Sing Broadway 2005
The Marquette Arts and Culture Center presents Kids Sing Broadway 2005, a musical cabaret featuring area youth from preschool to elementary school and junior to senior high school students.
The production is the fundraiser show of the year for the Marquette Arts and Culture Center Youth Theatre program and all proceeds go to support future productions.
The performances are on April 9, with the Preschool/Elementary show at 1:00 p.m. and the Middle/High School show at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $8 adults and $5 children in advance, and $10 adults, $7 children at the door. Seating is general admission and the doors open one hour before every show. The show will be held in the Red Room of the Masonic Building located at 128 West Washington Street.
Tickets can be purchased in the Gifts and Gallery in the MACC, located in the lower level of Peter White Public Library.
For details, call 228-0472, visit www.mqtcty.org (under City Departments, Arts and Culture) or stop into the MACC office.

Planned Parenthood shows client increase in 2004
During 2004, more people than ever before received health care at Planned Parenthood Northern Michigan (PPNM), participated in the agency’s prevention education programs, and financially supported the agency.
PPNM reported providing 13,596 visits to 8,672 women, teens and men last year between the four health centers in Marquette, Mt. Pleasant, Petoskey and Traverse City. This indicates an increase of five percent in clients served over 2003.
Planned Parenthood cited tough economic times for the increase, as women and families look to alternative sources for affordable health care.

2005 Regional Spelling Bee winners crowned at MSHS
The 2005 Regional Spelling Bee was held February 23 at the MSHS Shirley Smith Little Theater. The first and second place winners at each grade level will move on to the U.P. finals, which will be held on March 16 in Iron Mountain/Kingsford. The third place winners will serve as alternates.
In Grade 5, first place went to Kaylin Marshall from Aspen Ridge; second place went to Drew VanDrese from Graveraet; and third place went to Brianne Hintsala of Lakeview.
In Grade 6, first place went to Clayton Simons from Superior Central; second place went to Sarah Leppanen from C.L. Phelps; and third place went to Jin-in Min from Gwinn Middle School.
In Grade 7, first place went to Kelsey Parkkonen of Negaunee Middle; second place went to Kristy Howe of Superior Central; and third place went to Benjamin Brow of Bothwell.
In Grade 8, first place went to Francis Maynard of Gwinn Middle School; second place went to Becky Cairati of Bothwell; and third place went to Joe Waring of Superior Central.

Relief collection largest ever in Marquette diocese
With the total over $190,000, the special collection for the Tsunami Emergency is believed to be the largest ever taken up in the Catholic Diocese of Marquette. Donations from more than 130 Catholic parishes, institutions and individuals totaled $191,249.83 as of January 31.
The money funneled through the Diocese of Marquette is being given to Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian organization of the U.S. Catholic community. CRS is funding emergency relief, as well as long-term rehabilitation efforts in the region.
To contribute to the relief effort, send a donation to: Diocese of Marquette, P.O. Box 550, Marquette, MI 49855 and indicate that the donation is for the tsunami emergency.

Annual Glacier Glide art show winners awarded
Lake Superior Art Association hosted the seventeenth Glacier Glide Outdoor Art Show in February and had the highest attendance to date. Adult awards were given as follows:
• Best of Snow (People’s Choice)—Ritch Branstrom, “Heavy Metal Sax Band”
• Best of Fiber—Jane Van Evera, “Waterfalls”
• First Place—Ritch Branstrom, “Heavy Metal Sax Band”
• Second Place—Steve Uren, “Pedestal Table”
• Third Place—Robert LaLonde, “Marquette Harbor”
• Honorable Mentions—Scotter Schieler, “Snowshoes;” Ben Dawson, “Scrapheap Phoenix;” The Explorers, “Cool City”
In the Youth division, the winners were as follows:
• Best of Snow (People’s Choice)—Ryan Johnson, “Silent Turtle”
• First Place—Lauren Early, “Lizard”
• Second Place—Kori Richards, “Rabbits”
• Third Place—Hannah Donahue, “Frosty Trees”
• Honorable Mentions—Tom Cory, “Cro-Magnon Shower;” Connor Wilkinson, “Owl;” Brook Price, “Mask”
A selection of the winning work will be on display in the front window of Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers at 118 West Washington Street in Marquette through March 7.

News and notes from the desk of Senator Mike Prusi
• State Senator Mike Prusi (D-Negaunee) announced that eight U.P. counties will receive more than $2 million for infrastructure projects through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Grow Michigan Public Works Program, including: the Village of Baraga ($150,000 for engineering costs to improve the public wastewater treatment system); Burt Township ($192,000 for new water well and transmission water main); Calumet Township ($100,000 for public improvements to convert the former Calumet Armory Building into a community center); City of Caspian ($128,188 for improvements to the city’s public sanitary sewer system); Germfask Township ($169,500 for roof and building repair, electrical and heating upgrades, and the construction of a public restroom facility to the township’s public building); City of Iron River ($768,000 for improvements to the city’s public sewer system); City of Ironwood ($400,000 for improvements to the city’s public water and sewer system); and McMillian Township ($122,000 for public sidewalk improvements).

Items of interest from the desk of Bart Stupak
• Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced that Crystal Falls Township will receive a $2,270,000 grant and a $3,589,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program to replace 74,000 feet of water main, an elevated storage tank and water meters for 506 rural customers. The project also includes the construction of a new well and the rehabilitation of a booster pump.
• Stupak announced that Peter Antioho of Chassell has received an appointment to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point for the classes entering in June 2005.
• Uninsured residents of the Upper Peninsula will continue to have access to health and dental services thanks to funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Stupak has announced the Upper Peninsula Association of Rural Health Services has been awarded an $841,844 grant to help operate four community health centers in the Western Upper Peninsula. 
• Stupak was joined by 135 fellow legislators from both sides of the aisle in signing a letter to Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Stephen L. Johnson urging the EPA not to implement a proposal that would allow partially treated human sewage to be dumped into waterways, including the Great Lakes.

Tidbits from the desk of Senator Debbie Stabenow
• Joined by state legislative leaders, Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) has created a new Web-based petition that enables Michigan residents to get involved and tell President Bush and Congress to build on the success of Social Security, and that privatization is not the answer. Stabenow’s new site is located at stabenow.senate.gov/socialsecurity The site provides links for visitors to stay abreast of the ongoing effort to protect Social Security and a Social Security Calculator that allows any American to calculate their proposed loss should privatization occur. Stabenow said the calculator is based on projections provided by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, and it assumes, for simplicity, that the individual will retire at age sixty-five.
• Stabenow has introduced legislation to lower the costs of prescription drugs for seniors and the disabled. The legislation would give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to negotiate a bulk purchase price for prescription drugs provided under Medicare.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has awarded $454,698 in grants to seven Michigan fire departments under the terms of the fiscal year 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The three U.P. departments to receive funding were the Caspian-Gaastra Fire Department ($12,150), the Escanaba Volunteer Township Fire Department ($76,361) and the Sands Township Fire Department of Gwinn ($180,000).

Stardate March 2005
Morning is one hour before sunrise
Planets—Saturn is in Gemini, high up in the east at sunset. Jupiter rises about 9:00 p.m. in the east.
• On March 11, Mercury is difficult to see, but is to the lower right of the crescent moon, low in the west.
• On the 26th, the moon passes Jupiter. • Mars can be seen at down, low in the southeast.

Moon—New on March 11, full on the 25th.

Sun—The sun crosses the equator, marking the first day of spring (vernal equinox) at 7:33 p.m. Equinox (equal day and night) sun rises directly east and sets directly west.

Constellations—Lion, the lion-following the Big Dipper bowl stars, below the bowl until you see a “backwards question mark” of stars. That’s the head. A triangle of stars below that is the end of the lion. Leo represents the warmer time of the year.

Courtesy of the Marquette Astronomical Society, which meets bimonthly. The next meeting is at 7:30 p.m. on April 8 in the Shiras Planetarium. For details, call Scott at 225-0959.

A Word to the Wise
The sublime orator Sir Winston Churchill once was asked how he felt about ending a sentence with a preposition. His witty reply: “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”
A preposition should indeed be followed generally by a noun, but Churchill’s reply, contorting his sentence to avoid ending it with “with,” demonstrates that it ain’t necessarily so. At the risk of iconoclasm, but mixing in very good company, I devote this column to a few “rules” that we do not always need to worry too much about. There’s a good chance that some never brought you any worry in the first place.
Way back in Shakespeare’s era, a geometry professor at Oxford University, John Wallis, drew up one of the first grammars of the English language. He wrote, as scholars did, in Latin, and he also used that classical language as a model for what English should be. Wallis formulated a book of rules, and these rules, we may be sure, are logical. However, the music of one language may not suit the heartbeat of another.
For example, you shouldn’t lie awake nights fretting about splitting an infinitive. We ought to avoid it generally (rather than to generally avoid it), on the understanding that the infinitive is the indivisible root form of a verb. And in Latin, as well as Greek and many other languages, the infinitive is in fact a single word. In Rome, to run was currere and to walk, ambulare.
But in English, we actually are able to split the infinitive, usually with an adverb, and doing so might hardly be noticed, or might even sound better. Try avoiding the split infinitive in the following: “The budget is expected to more than double.”
The same flexible principle may be applied to other verb forms. Careful writers have avoided splitting an auxiliary verb from the main verb, when possible. Instead of having usually avoided it, they usually have avoided it. As with infinitives, such forms are a single word in many languages.
And again, as with the infinitive, we sometimes simply have to divide the verb in English. For example, “Never have I really seen a unicorn in my garden.” Very often too, not has to break up the verb.
It was Wallis who, four hundred years ago, tried to define a distinction between shall and will, yet most of us still feel our way here with our eyes closed. If it’s any help, shall suggests obligation and will, volition, although both can designate the simple future tense, for which shall was once more commonly used than it is today.
Which, who and that have over the centuries all been used properly to refer to persons, although today only who is condoned. When the King James Bible was penned, which could properly act as a personal pronoun: “Our Father, which art in heaven.” Not too long ago, Mark Twain wrote a short story, “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.” Who are we to quibble?
And should we avoid starting sentences like this with conjunctions like “and?” Obviously, I judge it to be harmless and comfortable, but I wouldn’t do so in more formal writing, any more than I’d use contractions. Then there’s the question of proper sequence of tenses with subordinate verbs. It’s rarely an issue in contemporary style guides, and many publications completely ignore the “rule.”
Basically, it means that the tense of the subordinate verb must be logically linked to that of the governing verb. If someone says, “I am having lunch,” you would later properly report it thus: “He said he was having lunch,” not “is having lunch.”
Good writers do try to be conscious of all such norms, at least in formal writing, so as not to offend even a few purists, but George Orwell’s conclusion ought to be our ultimate adage: “Break any of these rules rather than say anything outright barbarous.”

Word for the month
Patina (Pa-TEEN-a) describes a surface that has aged to a beautiful finish. It originally described the film on old copper.
Patina should not be confused with the illegal Irish whiskey, poteen (pa-TEEN or pa-TCHEEN), often imbibed in a shebeen (she-BEEN) or unlicensed public house. With any luck, you’d be served by a sweet colleen, or Irish maiden, named Maureen, Kathleen, or even Sheila, Nora or Bridget. Happy St. Patrick’s Day—March 17.
—Gerald Waite

Edtior’s Note: Questions or comments are welcome by writing MM or at marquettemonthly@marquettemonthly.com

8-18 Media book review
book reviews for kids by kids
The Big Nothing by Adrian Fogelin
Published by Peachtree Publishers, 235 Pages

“The Big Nothing is like the second between being awake and asleep; it’s hard to pinpoint,” as Justin Riggs describes it. It’s the stage where Justin goes when he wants to take a break from reality.
Justin is a regular teenage boy who lives in Florida. His brother Duane signed up for the military and is away at different training camps. Ben, Justin’s best friend, is spending more time with his new girlfriend than with Justin. His mom and dad are fighting constantly until his dad leaves—for the longest that he ever has.
Justin is just trying to make it through this difficult time of his life. It isn’t easy, but he manages to make the best of the situation. Between trying to keep up with his schoolwork, stay in contact with his brother and help his mom, he finds a great new joy in playing the piano. He uses a friend’s piano a few times a week and creates a song about Jemmie Lewis, the girl he starts to like.
The Big Nothing is an interesting book because it shows that people learn new things everyday, even if they don’t realize it. I like how it shows many of Justin’s emotions, such as jealousy when he realizes one of his friends starts to like the same girl he does.
This book was easy to follow because it went through Justin’s day-to-day experiences with his parents and friends.
I learned even when a person is at a real low time in his life, he can still make the best out of it with what he has left.
I would recommend this book for ages eleven to sixteen. This age group may be able to relate to parts of the book because it deals with real-life situations. I would give the book a ten out of ten. It’s a real page-turner.
—Ryan Bielby, 13

Local news and business ventures…in brief
• Dr. Ken Davenport has been elected chief of staff at Marquette General Hospital.
• Dr. David Luoma, Marquette-Alger County Medical Society treasurer, is the first Upper Peninsula physician appointed to the American Medical Association’s Section on Medical Schools.
• Mark Dryer has been named area manager of land administration for Cliffs Technology Group, part of Cleveland Cliffs Inc.
• Scott Reilly has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer at the First National Bank of Negaunee.
• Stacie Kucera, an employee of the Medical Care Access Coalition, has been named the chairwoman of the Access to Care Community Coalition.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marquette County hired Annette Doren as program assistant.
• The Pancake House Family Restaurant was opened in Marquette by Mike Kowalski, and offers twenty-four hour dining; located at 2652 US-41 West near the Westwood Mall, the Pancake House serves much more than breakfast.
• Current Miss Michigan Crystal Hayes, a native of Rock and a former Miss Upper Peninsula USA, will be competing in the nationally televised finals for the Miss USA pageant on April 11 on NBC-TV.
• Pasties from Lawry’s Pasty Shop are available for order online at www.lawryspasties.com
• The atrium at Waterstone Restaurant, located at 142 West Washington in Marquette, has been converted into a wine bar; it is open to the public, but also is available for private parties.
• The Pre-Health Association (PHA) at Michigan Technological University raised $200 to support the Omega House hospice project.
• The Marquette General Health System diabetes self-management program at Doctor’s Park Family Physicians was recognized by the American Diabetes Association.
• The Nordic Bay Lodge raised $600 for the Women’s Winter Tour by hosting a snowshoeing event.
• The Marquette Area Jaycees made a contribution to the United States Olympic Education Center from the proceeds of a golf outing last summer.
• Cleveland Cliffs Inc. reported fourth-quarter net income of $203.3 million for the period that ended December 31, 2004.
• The Country Village Bookstore Coffee House opened in the Country Village in Ishpeming, featuring bagels, biscotti, cookies, donuts, muffins and weekly drink specials.
• Uncle Donut’s Chocolay Café, a smoke-free establishment located at 4021 US-41 South in Chocolay Township, offers a full line of breakfast fare and a variety of wraps and sandwiches, homemade soups, chili, breads, sticky buns and their own line of coffee for dine-in or pick up at the drive-thru window.
• New York Life Insurance Company has approved a dividend for its LTCSelect Premier long-term care insurance product; for details, call Michael S. Zinis at 228-3339.
• The City of Marquette is featured in the 2005 edition of 100 Best Art Towns in America by John Villani; the communities profiled range in size from less than 1,000 to nearly 100,000 in population and all have strong community support for the visual and performing arts.

United States Olympic Education Center update
• Boxing—Seven USOEC boxers traveled to Chicago to participate in a competition hosted by the Pipe Fitters Local 597. All seven boxers won their bouts.
• Short Track Speedskating—Based on their performances at the ADT American Cup II competition in Cleveland Heights (Ohio), Kyle Carr and Kristen Biondo qualified to represent the United States at the fifth World Cup of the season in Budapest (Hungary) and the final World Cup in Spissta Nova (Slovakia). World Champion long track speedskater and Olympian in short track, Shani Davis, was selected as Male Athlete of the Month by the United States Olympic Committee. Davis recently won the World All-around Championships and set a new World Record in the 1500 meter event.
• Men’s Greco-Roman Wrestling—Joe Betterman, Harry Lester and Adam Wheeler were selected to represent the U.S. in the Kit Carson International Cup competition in Colorado Springs. Lester won his first match against a European silver medalist and lost his second match before rebounding to defeat an opponent from Bulgaria. Wheeler lost his first match against a wrestler from Belarus then defeated the top ranked wrestler from the United States. Betterman lost his first two matches before defeating a wrestler from Bulgaria. The wrestlers also competed at the prestigious Dave Schultz Memorial International Tournament in Colorado Springs where Betterman and Lester each won gold medals.
• Women’s Free-style Wrestling—Sharon Jacobson and Randi Miller each earned bronze medals while eight members of the USOEC Team placed in the top 10 in their weight class at the David Schultz Memorial International Tournament in Colorado Springs.
• Weightlifting—Amber Davis, Paul Roberts and Rachael Hearn each finished first in their classes, and Davis set six new collegiate records at the Collegiate National Championships in Charleston (Illinois). Jason Aun and Emmy Vargas each finished second while John Harris and Kyle Cook finished third. The USOEC Team won the National Coed Team Title. MM

Marquette Monthly(TM),  *  Site Comments? Web Design