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Cracking the Code: A time to celebrate

In 2000 we had a new millennium — an event that only happens every 1,000 years. A time for celebration, almost. Do you remember Y2K? Because of a possible computer glitch, we were told our power could go off. Airplanes could fall from the sky, and other terrible things would happen to worry about. Companies had teams working for months to make sure bad things didn’t happen. It took some of the fun out of the celebration and replaced it with worry. Lynnda and I stayed home on New Year's Eve just in case. Two of our three children and their spouses came home for New Years. Our kids and ...

Cracking the code: Control your destiny

People have come from all over the world to see the World Cup hosted by the USA. Many are first-time visitors. We hear from them how special our county is. They love things we take for granted like ranch salad dressing, barbecue, the American people, and our freedoms. We can learn from them to have a greater appreciation of our country. When we teach our high school soccer players leadership, they learn the importance of taking responsibility, to take control. We can’t always change what happens to us. We can always choose how we respond. If I blame other people, the government, or ...

Early Marietta: The Port Royal Experiment

I had never heard of the Port Royal Experiment. In 1861, Union forces took control of the islands around Beaufort, Port Royal, Paris Island, and Hilton Head in South Carolina. 195 plantations were abandoned, liberating thousands of slaves. The Union army, federal government, and charity ...

MOV Climate Corner: Break free from plastics in July

In last week’s Climate Corner, Rebecca Phillips explained the connection between plastics and climate change, and the general detrimental impacts of plastics on human health and the environment: Plastics are made from fossil fuels, are challenging to recycle, and do not biodegrade but disintegrate into persistent microplastics. Still, the demand for plastics continues to grow. Who is responsible? I am. You are. Much of the plastic we use is our choice, though often unconsciously. Plastic makes our lifestyle more convenient (think ready-to-eat bags of salad and baked goods in plastic ...

The Way I See It: We the People … read it in a newspaper

Two hundred fifty years ago, members of the Second Continental Congress were busy preparing the Declaration of Independence, the remarkable document that would turn 13 colonies of the British Empire into the United States of America. The document was formally approved by all attending on ...

Early Marietta: Nahum Ward snow travel adventures

We’re in full summer mode, so why not talk about snow. 200 years ago prominent Mariettan Nahum Ward was a frequent traveler in weather of all kinds. Nahum Ward was a successful business person and civic leader. Two cold weather travel adventures are chronicled in his personal letters, from Marietta College Special Collections – Ward papers. Spelling and punctuation are from the documents. The first trip featured a serious accident and severe cold on a stagecoach going from Baltimore to Philadelphia, reported in a letter to his wife Sarah dated January 6, 1822. Edited excerpts: "You ...