Dear Crabby, Every summer I brace for the chorus of “We’re bored!” from my children. But since they’ve been home the last three months with online schooling, I feel extra pressure this year. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks, Serenity Now Dear Serenity Now, I have been waiting for someone to ask me this question. It seems like I get a frazzled parent such as yourself every two years or so wondering what can be done to keep the kids from becoming one with the sofa. In the past, … [Read more...]
Dear Crabby, What’s Up with Amazon?
March 9, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Dear Crabby, What's Up with Amazon Making All These American Cities Jump Through Hoops for Them? Sincerely, Y. Bother Dear Y. Bother, You're speaking about Amazon's search to build their second home of operations. It's simple, they do it because they can. It's humiliating to the city and disrespectful to the residents. They offer huge secret incentives and tax breaks - mostly NOT transparent - so the average citizen has no idea what's being offered. Cities spend tons of … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: The Indie Publishing Revolution
August 7, 2018 by 2 Comments
The Indie Publishing Revolution As recently as ten years ago, it was a print-centric world. Printed books accounted for nearly all book sales and the traditional publishing houses controlled the means of production, distribution and sales, working strictly with agents who would screen manuscripts before they were sent anywhere. The agents and publishers of the traditional houses decided which writers actually got published; which books would become available for the public to read; which … [Read more...]
Dear Crabby, What do you think is the Best Movie Streaming Service out there?
July 27, 2018 by 2 Comments
Dear Crabby, What do you think is the Best Movie Streaming Service out there? Curious Carol Dear Carol, You may be thinking about cutting the cord to cable television - do it, do it now! Cable TV likes to package what it wants us to watch and sells it at a high price. We don't want or need most of what they offer, and for years I wished you could a la cart TV. Now you can, kind of. You have more options than ever before and the easiest thing to do is to get an antenna to … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Preparing Your Manuscript for Printing
July 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Preparing Your Manuscript for Printing For my first book, I had written the original draft in WORD. I told you in my last column what an effort it was to create the digital versions. The paperback books were a bit easier (or maybe I was just numb from creating those digital versions). In any event, when I was ready I downloaded that original manuscript (still in Word), into the size I wanted (5.5 x 8.5 is a standard trade paperback) making the necessary tweaks to the file for proper type … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Formatting Your e-Books
June 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Formatting Your e-Books A friend asked me earlier this year which company put together the Kindle and Nook versions of my books. When I told him I did it myself, he seemed amazed. “I didn’t know you knew how to do that kind of stuff,” was his response. I smiled and let him think I was a genius. The truth is, I didn’t know. I had to figure it out. I started the same way I suppose many author wannabes begin. I Googled "self-publishing companies" and looked at the first page of 28.2 … [Read more...]
Patterson Announces I-75 Upgrades at State of the County Address
February 11, 2016 by 1 Comment
The Modernization of Interstate 75 Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson, spoke for an hour Wednesday night delivering his 2016 State of the County speech to nearly 600 people in attendance at the Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac. Representatives from Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township were there - mayors, city council members, state reps, supervisors, and others - among hundreds of elected officials and invited guests from Oakland County. "Adding a lane north and … [Read more...]
Best health-related gifts to give this year
December 4, 2013 by 2 Comments
Deck the halls with apples and reflective running gear, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-laaaa! The healthy revolution continues in our family and yours this holiday season. So why not support the wellness endeavors of your loved ones with gifts that might bring more return than any toy or gadget might. (OK, there are some fun fitness gadgets that might be on the list, but that’s not the point!) This week, the Rochester Media team rounded up a few of the best health-related gifts you can give this … [Read more...]
Local Author Releases LOST Lessons 2
April 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Dr. Randy Johnson and David Rutledge released their latest book this week titled "LOST Lessons 2," a unique look at the TV show LOST by 27 high school students from Oakland Christian School. The students' assignment was to review each episode and create a devotional that would apply to real life. Read more … [Read more...]
