Northern Express - April 12, 2021

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SPRING HOME EDITION Northern Home Visionaries

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The Salvage Stars Fixer-Upper Fans Need to Know

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What’s Hot in Outdoor Living

NORTHERN MICHIGAN’S WEEKLY • april 12 - april 18, 2021 • Vol. 31 No. 15 Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 1

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231.218.5324 - Lakehomes.com 2 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

letters Our simple rules: Keep your letter to 300 words or less, send no more than one per month, include your name/address/ phone number, and agree to allow us to edit. That’s it.

Email info@northernexpress.com and hit send!

Vapor State I just read an interesting interview with J. Carl Ganter in the March 15 issue of Northern Express [“Why the World’s Water Scarcity Matters Here, Now”]. I disagree with one quote that was attributed to Mr. Ganter. He was quoted as saying that water is not something that can be sublimated.

I assert that water is something that can be sublimated. This phenomenon may be observed on our icy sidewalks and driveways on cold sunny days.

Timmy P., Cheboygan Border Business I am surprised and disappointed by the current illegal migrant surge at our southern border. Press Secretary Jen Psaki describes the surge as a challenge when, in reality, it is a disaster and threat to our national security and a humanitarian crisis. Why haven’t President Biden and Vice President Harris visited the border to properly assess the situation? Why hasn’t the media been allowed to view the detention facilities?

Have the migrants been properly vetted and COVID-19 tested before being released?

Who is supplying the Biden T-shirts and large “Biden2020” flag? What is the plan to deal with the situation and prevent it from happening again? [Various media reported, about Biden’s presidential bid, that an unnamed source said they reportedly heard former President Obama state “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fu@% things up.” Where is the administration’s leadership to deal with this ongoing disaster? Are you concerned as a citizen about the future of our country with open borders?

Wally J., Traverse City Fake News Regarding Dan B.’s letter in the March 22 issue, “Trump Mob Boss Phone Call”: Hey, guess what, Dan? The whole phone call turned out to be 100 percent fake. The Washington Post even admitted it and has retracted. So don’t jump to conclusions next time. Remember what they say about assume.

Charlie M., Topinabee What the Hex? Perhaps you read the March 27, 2021, New York Times story “GOP Chair in Michigan Tars Officials as Witches” in which “Ron Weiser, the chair of the Michigan Republican Party, drew swift criticism … after a video surfaced that showed him

calling top Democratic officials in his state ‘witches’ and referred to assassination while discussing two Republican Congressman who had voted to impeach … Trump.”

Weiser also blabbered on tape about burning at the stake Gov. Whitmer, Attorney General Nessel, and Secretary of State Benson.

Of course, such idiocy should be taken seriously, especially by Republicans who can’t possibly expect anything other than their own collective demise by their own dangerous threats.

The 5,000 University of Michigan students and faculty should go back to work to force Weiser to resign from his position on the UM Board of Regents this time, not only for not denouncing Trump for the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol.

Some of us UM alums and friends will join with a song, sung to the tune of “Take Me out to the Ball Game,” with the lead line courtesy of Attorney General Dana Nessel: Sign me up for that coven Give the GOPers the hex Bigots and proven predators More of the plague? What the heck?

Sign me up for that coven ’Cause the GOP’s gone coo coo We Dems kick ass, it’s proven GOPers knee deep in doo-doo Sign me up for that coven We’re the good witches, folks Help magically clean the environment And in poverty make a huge dent Come on, join our coven Where good works abound We plant in good ground, solar surrounds Give our kids a future that’s sound Anabel D., Mackinaw City Accountability Fantasy I wonder what it would be like if districts of the legislators who voted against the most recent national relief bill received zero money. I am looking right at you, Jack Bergman. What if there was no relief for those who live in District 1 because you voted no? Imagine the mom-and-pop small businesses that would get no relief, while in other districts, where the legislator voted for the bill, did.

How about the young families who could really use those $1,400 relief checks and child credits? Sorry, but if you live in District 1, you get none, while those in other districts do. Oh, were you counting on eviction protection? Again, not in Michigan’s District 1; your representative voted against the relief bill. Tough rocks.

I am a big fan of accountability and dependability. You luck out on those counts, Mr. Bergman, because while you voted no, criticized the bill, and Mondaymorning-quarterbacked its needs and impact, your constituents still get the benefits of the bill. Sweet deal. I can only hope that the District 1 citizens have very good memories next election. Remember, you got much-needed relief, but no thanks to Bergman; h2e voted no.

Jeff K., Elmwood Township

Lead by Example, Cheboygan BOC Ever since Cheboygan County’s Board of Commissioners Jan. 26 “Declaration of Concern,” our COVID cases continue to go up in Cheboygan County. On April 1, we had the great distinction of reaching the “extremely high risk for COVID.” I recall saying on Jan. 26 that “the variants are coming. Now is not the time to open everything up.” Now Michigan has the highest number of B 1.1.7. cases. B 1.1.7. is 50 percent more contagious, creates harsher symptoms, is attacking younger people, and has worse outcomes, such as death.

At the town-hall COVID meeting on March 24, I was quite surprised that the board let Commissioner Warfield open the meeting with garbage science while we had Dr. Meyerson from Northwest Health Department and Ms. Bryan from District 4 Health Department online. Mr. Warfield calls this virus “C2,” a made-up name that shows he has no respect for science. It is SARS CoV-2, which literally means “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.”

If Mr. Warfield wants to shorten it, call it SARS 2 to give it the weight and respect it deserves. This respiratory virus is transmitted by people without symptoms over 50 percent of the time. This is why masking became a mandate and continues today. Cloth masks or plastic shields keep you from literally spitting into another person’s face. Mr. Warfield and others do not care to wear them.

As members of a governing body that holds the Public Trust, the BOC breaks that trust every time they don’t support wearing masks. Even when fully vaccinated, I will continue to wear my mask, because transmission science is still developing.

However, we know that this is not the fly. The Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners sets a bad example for our community, and I implore them to stop being so irresponsible. View the meeting at youtu.be/Y41–T56B8Co. Lena T., Cheboygan Bill the Polluters Those of us living on or near the Great Lakes are well aware of rising waters. Record levels reported in 2019-20 were devastating for lakeshore property owners and a call for action to us all. We all see the extreme weather events across the country.

The glaciers are melting, oceans are acidifying and rising, plant and animals are dying off. The hotter and drier summers are causing larger and more frequent wildfires.

And climate change has already “made conditions more favorable to the spread of some infectious diseases,” according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

We need to consider how much carbon and methane pollution our earth will withstand. Failing to address climate change and the human causes is not an option if we want future generations to survive.

What can we as individuals do? Write and call our representatives, Senators Debbie Stabenow, Gary Peters, and Congressman Jack Bergman to encourage them to support any climate bills, including a carbon fee and dividend package. We must decrease this pollution, and making it costly for the polluters will be our best solution Berta M., Lake Ann

CONTENTS features Mim’s Mediterranean......................................7

Northern Homescape.................................10 Trends in Outdoor Living...............................12 Truth vs. the World.........................................14 Salvage Stars....................................................16

columns & stuff Top Ten........................................................5 Spectator/Stephen Tuttle...............................6 Opinion..........................................................8 Weird............................................................9 Dates........................................................18 Advice.....................................................21 Crossword..................................................21 Astrology.....................................................22 Classifieds...............................................22

Northern Express Weekly is published by Eyes Only Media, LLC. Publisher: Luke Haase PO Box 4020 Traverse City, Michigan 49685 Phone: (231) 947-8787 Fax: 947-2425 email: info@northernexpress.com www.northernexpress.com Executive Editor: Lynda Twardowski Wheatley Finance & Distribution Manager: Brian Crouch Sales: Kathleen Johnson, Lisa Gillespie, Kaitlyn Nance, Michele Young, Randy Sills, Todd Norris, Jill Hayes For ad sales in Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Boyne & Charlevoix, call (231) 838-6948 Creative Director: Kyra Poehlman Distribution: Dave Anderson, Linda Szarkowski, Sarah Rodery, Randy Sills, Roger Racine Matt Ritter, Gary Twardowski Listings Editor: Jamie Kauffold Reporter: Patrick Sullivan Contributors: Amy Alkon, Rob Brezsny Ross Boissoneau, Eric Cox, Jennifer Hodges, Michael Phillips, Steve Tuttle, Meg Weichman, Craig Manning Copyright 2020, all rights reserved. Distribution: 36,000 copies at 600+ locations weekly. Northern Express Weekly is free of charge, but no person may take more than one copy of each weekly issue without written permission of Northern Express Weekly. Reproduction of all content without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

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Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 3

this week’s

top ten Local Engineers in State’s Largest River Restoration project Win “Academy Award”

Despite the failure of a temporary floodcontrol structure during the 2012 removal of the former Brown Bridge Dam — the first of the three Boardman River dams to be removed as part of the state’s largest-ever river restoration project — AECOM of Traverse City (which was not responsible for the failure) recently nabbed a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in what’s known as the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry,” the American Council of Engineering Companies’ annual Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA). Judged by a national 20-member panel of builtenvironment leaders, along with experts from government, media, and academia, the award recognizes the firm’s role in reconnecting 160 miles of free-flowing cold-water stream, including the restoration of more than three river miles of native cold-water fisheries habitat, more than 250 acres of wetlands, and nearly 60 acres of upland habitat.

The last remaining dam on the river, the Union Street dam, remains at the center of a controversy regarding its removal and replacement with FishPass, a hot topic Northern Express began writing about in the story, “Is Traverse City Ready for FishPass,” in its Oct. 7, 2019, issue.

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bottoms up ultimate mary mix

Yes, Ace is the place with the helpful hardware folks. Less apparent to those who don’t, like us, diligently stalk the home improvement store’s register shelves is that it’s also the place for life-improving food products. (See our May 25, 2019, review of Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels, which appeared at Traverse City’s Ace Hardware long before your local grocery, Target, or Walmart caught wind of those sticks’ magical blend of butter and mystery spices.)

This garden season, while paying for nine 40-pound bags of topsoil and manure, we happened upon another life-changer: the self-proclaimed “Ultimate Mary Mix” by TRÜ ($8.95). No stranger to claims like this, we initially scoffed, then read the label further.

This mix, it turns out, is blended with one of TRÜ’s flagship products, Smoked Black Pepper Pickles.

Now, we don’t know this Coloradobased pickle purveyor TRÜ. We’ve never tasted their or any Smoked Black Pepper Pickles, for that matter.

But as anyone who has devoted entire summer Sunday mornings dosing lowly cans of spicy V8 juice with spurts and sprinkles of lime juice, pepper, pickle juice, horseradish, and whathaveyou in search of nailing the perfect homemade mix, a singular swivel of a lid that opens to this — a readymade revelation that’s mildly tangy and robustly spicy, with just a touch of sweet to save your tongue from burning but with enough bite to make you beat your tingling chest — well, let’s just say TRÜ’s “Ultimate Bloody Mary Mix” proclamation is not a load of manure. But you can get that, too.

We bought our jar (conveniently located next to the Dot’s) at 734 W. Front St., in Traverse City. (231) 946-2140, www.acehardware.com

4 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

Whattaya say? Whattaya know?

All About Midwest Gangsters Put on your zoot suit or flapper dress and join Chad Lewis — researcher, author, and lecturer “on topics strange and unusual” — to follow in the footsteps of America’s most infamous gangsters as they turned our beloved Midwest into their personal crime vacationland. Filled with deadly bank robberies, explosive shootouts, brutal murders, and daring kidnappings, this free online presentation shows audiences the locations where gangster history will never die. To register for the 7pm April 15 presentation, click on “Gangsters of the Midwest” under the events tab at the Petoskey District Library’s Facebook page.

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Hey, watch it!

THE MIGHTY DUCKS: GAME CHANGERS

Disney+’s Marvel TV spinoffs (Wandavision, Falcon and Winter Soldier) might be getting the lion’s share of the streamer’s buzz, but in true underdog style, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers is a gem of a new series that will win you over with its heart. A sequel to the hit ’90s films, Game Changers introduces us to a new generation of would-be hockey stars.

After Evan is cut from the ultra-competitive Mighty Ducks youth hockey squad, his hard-working mom (the ever-delightful Lauren Graham) helps him form a new team of lovable misfits.

And just who happens to be running the rink where they practice? None other than a curmudgeonly, defiantly retiredfrom-hockey Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), the man who first helped the Ducks take flight. With sweet charm and escapist good cheer, this is a wholesome saga the whole family can root for.

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Stuff we love

Need staff?

Back by popular demand, Northern Express will publish its fourth annual “Now Hiring” special section in the upcoming May 17 issue. If your business is looking to hire, you can feature a help wanted ad — free! — if you get us the information by Wednesday, May 5.

The section, sponsored by Hagerty, will showcase hundreds of available jobs and be seen by 100,000 readers across 13 counties in northwest Lower Michigan. The listings will include full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions in professional, retail/restaurant, healthcare, construction, and more.

To list a job free, visit www.northernexpress.com/jobs. To learn more about making a bigger splash with a paid display ad in this special section, email us at info@northernexpress.com

Virtual Inspiration for Home Design Addicts Perhaps not surprisingly, COVID-19 restrictions forced cancellation of the Grand Traverse Area’s Home Builders Association’s Home Expo last week. Somewhat more shocking, the Home Builders Association of Northern Michigan also canceled its annual home and outdoor living show, which was set to take place online from April 16 to May 8. If you’re as bummed as us, you can still get your northern home design fix with some in-person browsing or online feeds we frequent(ly drool over): • The Quiet Moose: A photo-rich and thoughtful design blog lives on the website of this full-service interior design studio and furniture store in Petoskey. If monthly posts aren’t enough, however, you’ll find daily posts featuring home-styling vignettes, new and on-sale pieces, and loads of links on the shop’s Instagram page (pictured above). www. quietmoose.com.

• Betsie Bay Furniture: We love the website’s portfolio page and the shop’s Instgram feed, but it’s the Facebook page we follow to find the news we love most: sales and special deals. www.betsiebayfurniture.com • Nest of Grand Traverse: Not only can you shop the breadth of the Traverse City’s store’s wares online, by department, you can also live out your voyeuristic design dreams in Nest’s online design portfolio, which lets you peek inside homes across Northern Michigan (and even Hawaii) that have used Nest’s interior design services. www.nestofgrandtraverse.com

Find Hidden Money in TC! Ready to sniff out some cold, hard, er … gift certificates? Head to downtown Traverse City April 21–25, when 100 envelopes containing downtown TC gift certificates will be hidden inside downtown businesses every single day. The “Make It Rain” event — designed to celebrate Honor Bank’s new Commercial Lending Center at 415 E. Front St. in downtown Traverse City, will hide $5,000 worth of certificates. Lucky finders are encouraged to post a photo on social media with the #makeitrainTC hashtag, tagging the business location, Honor Bank, and downtown TC. More info and a list of participating businesses will be posted at www.myhonorbank.com/rain by April 21.

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Crooked Tree Breadworks’ Cheddar Scallion Scone

We tend to think of scones as dry, dense, not-very-sweet triangular blocks that are made moist and most palatable when served, as the Brits do, under a pile of clotted cream, or, as Americans do, dipped in coffee.

Then we tried Crooked Tree Breadworks’ Cheddar Scallion Scone. And our appreciation for the lowly doughy accompaniment said to be invented by the Scots (who knew?) rose like a wedding cake.

Picture, if you will: a buttery (so, so buttery) dough studded with fresh scallions and aged sharp white cheddar cheese, bubbled and toasted by the oven’s heat, with golden, crackly bits that rivals the best southern biscuit you’ve ever eaten.

We can attest one is amazing all by its lonesome — no clotted cream, coffee, or pinkiehigh tea necessary — but slice one of these savory suckers in half and slip an egg and bacon or sausage inside … ? A fully legit breakfast, best accompanied, naturally, by one of Crooked Tree Breadworks’ dessert-worthy scones: Apple Streusel, or White Chocolate Cherry, or Currant Orange. $4.35 each, available at its bakery inside the Clock Tower Plaza at 2264 M-119 or shipped; order at www.breadworks.com.

Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 5

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by Stephen Tuttle It would seem winter has timidly departed, probably, so some local spring cleaning is in order.

Traverse City’s proposed fish pass project becomes more and more mysterious. No one can yet tell us which fish species will be allowed passage and which, other than sea lampreys, will be stopped. In fact, no one can even tell us what species would swim upstream if there were no barricades at all preventing it.

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6 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

Now, not content with the outrageous failure to notify people of the problem, a task force has formed to determine how best to communicate such disasters to the public.

And, of course, their first two meetings were not open to the public. Here’s a hint: If public safety is at stake, you tell people

Businesses and private citizens in Elk Rapids are being asked to cough up $100,000 to pay an individual to teach some people there how to behave like grown-ups instead of finger-pointing, name-calling ninnies of the project is an effort to restore the upper Boardman to its “natural” state, we have a lot of work to do beyond the proposed fish pass experiment.

For those who like to fly fish on the upper Boardman, the rainbow trout is a much beloved target and the steelhead a muchreviled danger to the fishery. Ironically, both fish are the same species, siblings who have evolved totally different lifestyles, and neither are native to northern Michigan waterways.

Rainbow trout, native to the western U.S., were first introduced here into the AuSable River in 1876. They’re more or less homebodies, preferring to stay in the river. Their twins, the steelhead, are more adventurous, spending most of their time in open water before returning to rivers and streams to spawn.

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city water after it was discovered their private well water was highly contaminated with PFAS, in some cases thousands of times more than is considered safe. Even more outrageous, authorities knew about people drinking, cooking with, and cleaning in the poisoned water for eight months without telling anyone lest residents panic. Contaminated water is a good reason to panic and immediately.

The only trout native to Michigan are lake trout and brook trout, and neither have need to swim upstream. Our only native anadromous species — those that most of the time live in open water, including our oceans, then return to rivers and streams to spawn — are the endangered lake sturgeon, several species of sucker, and the Arctic grayling, which became nonexistent in Michigan in the 1930s but could be reintroduced by 2025 if a 2016 project between the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources continues to go well.

Brown trout, a European native introduced to Michigan in 1883, don’t belong in the Boardman, nor do salmon, first introduced here in 1966. Given there are so few native species that would swim up the lower Boardman, zip through the fish pass, negotiate Boardman Lake, find the culverts under South Airport Road, and become part of the upper Boardman fishery, one does wonder if a cheaper and less destructive solution might be found.

Some residents in Traverse City’s Indian Trail subdivision are finally being connected to

immediately so they can stop doing whatever it is that endangers them and their families.

Apparently, the lessons of Flint have not yet been learned.

Businesses and private citizens in Elk Rapids are being asked to cough up $100,000 to pay an individual to teach some people there how to behave like grown-ups instead of finger-pointing, name-calling ninnies. If you thought library boards mostly discussed books, you would be wrong in Elk Rapids.

Antrim County is also home to a remarkably pointless campaign lawsuit that grinds along for reasons unknown to all but Judge Kevin Elsenheimer. Would the state or someone please ask for a summary judgment so we can move along? We already know there was neither fraud nor irregularities in Antrim County; the human error that caused a miscount was quickly discovered and corrected. Every vote legally cast was accurately counted, and nary a soul was disenfranchised.

Traverse City and its Downtown Development Authority (DDA) continue their headlong rush into a downtown of more condos, more density, less empty space, and fewer places to park. The DDA is playing a pretty nifty game with parking; if they eliminate more surface parking lots, that will absolutely necessitate the construction of a third parking deck, and in order to pay for it, they’ll have to extend the TIF97 district tax capture another 13 years, making downtown Traverse City into something it never wanted to be: an urbancondo and subsidized-housing desert.

There is not much support for young families wanting a yard in which their kids can play, and trees in which songbirds can live. Those folks are out of touch with the new urbanists, ignored or considered villainous sprawlers.

Our downtown social engineering experiment continues apace, the rest of the city on the outside looking in.

Mim’s Mediterranean A home restaurant, a food truck, and some of the freshest Greek-inspired eats you’ll ever taste.

Story and photos by Eric Cox Mim’s Mediterranean Grill, 1823 U.S. 31N, Petoskey, is a bit of an oasis for some. Its Greek-inspired cuisine and diminutive and colorful house-turned-restaurant serves as a welcome respite from the region’s delicious but ubiquitous pub fare.

At Mim’s, says owner Brett Brinkle, freshness, quality, consistency, and value collide. And it may be the happiest accident in northern Michigan.

Now with an additional food truck location at downtown Petoskey’s popular Back Lot, Mim’s is hitting its stride, offering a diverse menu of solid Mediterranean-style offerings, including a roster of tasty gyros, chicken kabobs, a slew of excellent sides, a few seafood items, and a string of salads with eye-popping ingredients.

For starters, we tried the Mediterranean Plate ($12.25), a gorgeous small plate of Greek favorites, including falafel, tabbouleh, rice-stuffed grape leaves, hummus (garlic or red pepper), and pita bread.

Aside from the savory falafel (served with a dollop of sour cream and diced tomatoes), the tabbouleh was extraordinary with its fresh, emerald parsley and white bits of bulgur wheat.

The dark green grape leaves envelope rice marinated in a weirdly delicious and super fresh tasting lemony-dill solution. These offer an unusual flavor that compliments the plate’s other offerings, such as the startlingly potent garlic hummus smeared over the fluffy pita triangles.

For entrees, we chose both the Original and Neptune gyros, two of a dozen gyro options, including the Veggie Gyro – all priced between $6.50 and $8.25.

The Original Gyro ($7) included everything that makes this Greek sandwich great: tender, rotisserie-cut gyro meat, creamy tzatziki sauce, strong white onions, and ripe tomatoes. For those meat lover’s tired of the bar-burger routine, this is a solid and filling option — especially when paired

with Mim’s Fiery Feta Sauce ($2/4 oz.), in which we dipped our crispy french fries.

The Neptune Gyro, with its planks of crispy, deep-fried cod tenders, also buoyed our spirits. The Guinness-battered fish planks nestled tastily between thin slices of American cheese, lettuce, tartar sauces, tomatoes and onions.

All are made more delightful by the fresh, unprocessed flavors and colors that electrified each dish — something on which Mim’s owner Brett Brinkle prides himself.

“I’m proud to say we use a tremendous quantity of fresh vegetables and products that come to the restaurant every week,” said a smiling, gregarious Brinkle, who always works alongside his tiny staff of hustling workers. “We have a small restaurant, and that kind of forces us to always be going through fresh product.”

The freshness of the flavors speaks for itself, though Brinkle seems extremely happy to report that he bends over backward to locally source as many of his products as possible.

“I have a fabulous food supplier that can get me great products year-round,” Brinkle, who claimed no Greek or Mediterranean heritage, explained. “However, when it’s available locally — spring, summer and fall — we use local sources for produce. There’s lots of great local produce around this area, and that goes hand-in-hand with our sustainability practices.”

Mim’s hasn’t used styrofoam in years, he said, instead opting for compostable carry-out boxes, utensils, and more. Those are the rules for any food truck wishing to have a presence at the Back Lot, downtown Petoskey’s openair taproom/food truck corral. Adapting his food truck operation to conform to Back Lot policies led Brinkle to extend those practices to Mim’s, a few miles north.

It’s plain such sustainability practices satisfy him, and he’s clearly proud to discuss it. Brinkle enjoys helping protect the environment, and his locally sourced ingredients are another source of esteem.

“I can tell you exactly where this food came from, and I know the people who pay the taxes on the land where it’s grown,” he said. “It means something to me at least.”

If online reviews are any indicator — and they are — Mim’s fresh ingredients, creative approach and quick, consistent service are helping make it a popular destination. Brinkle credits his young staff and their willingness to work with the restaurant’s success.

“We have a fun, team environment here with a friendly atmosphere,” he said. “That’s something I’ve been trying to cultivate here for the past 12 years now. We feel like that atmosphere is experienced on both sides of the counter — not just employee to customer, but employee to employee also. That helps us maintain our staff in an area where it’s difficult to find help. So, with a consistent staff and consistent products, you get consistent results.”

Mim’s has both vegetarian and vegan options, including salads, tabbouleh, and more. Additionally, the menu includes a Chicken Kebab Plate ($13), Curry Chicken Shawarma Plate ($12.50) and offerings for kids, like the Chicken Tender Basket ($7.25) and the Grilled Cheese Pita Basket ($6.75).

There’s currently no interior dining at Mim’s Mediterranean Grill restaurant.

Carry-out orders are available at both the U.S. 31 (restaurant) and Back Lot (food truck) location, though diners can sit outdoors and eat at the latter. Carry-out orders may also be made in person at the front door of the U.S. 31 restaurant.

Find out more by visiting www. mimsmediterraneangrill.com or call 231348-9994.

Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 7

THE WORLD BENEATH OUR FEET opinion Cathye Williams We tend to think big when it comes to fixing environmental problems — towering turbines, expansive solar arrays, or giant facilities to recycle waste. And we should strive for big ideas; we need them if we’re going to create cleaner ways to make and move things and to feed and heal ourselves. But not every solution for pollution and waste has to be big.

Spring also reminds me that Mother Nature, in her cleverly understated way, has placed one simple and quite elegant solution right under our feet.

What’s under our feet is more than dirt; in many places, it’s soil — a biological system where organisms grow and interact in a sustainable balance. When people farm, they become part of those relationships. However, at some point in farming, we began taking more from the system than we put back.

Generations of farming practices that were developed to feed the world led to depleted soils that no longer can produce what we need. Families began leaving the field, discouraged by declining yields, impossible time demands, crushing debt, and crops

Sometimes land is so stripped that the raw materials nature needs for living soil are no longer there. It requires some restoration before other practices can be employed.

Amends, and amendments, need to be made.

Noxious invasives that inhibit microbes and germination need to go. This is when farmers bring in the cows (or chickens, or geese, or goats — basically any livestock with a taste for bad weeds and a propensity to poop) to get the organic processes going again.

Cover cropping is another regenerative practice that can help turn monotonous rows of single crops into the richly diverse and “buzzing” ecosystems that farms can and should be. Cover cropping flips conventional farming on its head. Instead of using the soil as a medium to grow the plants, the plants are grown to draw nutrients from the atmosphere and “fix” them in the land itself.

No-till planting, livestock integration, and cover cropping are among the most frequently used but are still just the tip of the corn stalk among the variety of regenerative practices.

And while numbers vary widely between states,

While regenerative farming does take study and practice, it doesn’t require more expensive, diesel-hungry machinery. Sometimes all it takes is letting things be. that can’t thrive or withstand stress without substantial inputs of industrial fertilizers and pesticide products — the same products that pose serious health risks to the environment and the farmer.

Fortunately, there is a way back to the soil, and an increasing number of farmers are partnering with researchers and field scientists to get there: regenerative farming, a broad system of practices that treat the farm as an ecosystem, with the soil an integral part of that system. For those who have taken up regenerative ag, the benefits are real: lower inputs, higher yields, fewer pests, and less exposure to harmful chemicals. While regenerative farming does take study and practice, it doesn’t require more expensive, diesel-hungry machinery. Sometimes all it takes is letting things be.

No-till planting is one example of the good that can come when we let organisms do what they were made to do. The ground is home to countless living things (bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, springtails, mites, nematodes, earthworms, ants, and insects) that have evolved together over millennia to feed the plants above and take from them what they need, in a breathtaking, never-ending cycle.

8 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

It’s a veritable party going on down there.

These natural processes keep the soil rich in organic matter (the building blocks of plants — and us!) and more permeable to water, that other essential life-giver.

Running a plow through this is like raiding the house party, kicking out half the guests and leaving the rest to clean up the mess and start over. Eliminating tilling allows the party to keep on rocking.

their use in the U.S. increased significantly during the most recent Census of Agriculture reporting period conducted by the USDA. So with methods this efficient, healthy, and profitable, why aren’t more farmers getting on board? It may come down to human nature.

Because farming is tied so closely to home and culture, changing the way we grow takes more than handing over information.

Another barrier may have to do with economics and policy. Agriculture is one of the most subsidized and complicated sectors of the U.S. economy, governed by the massive and equally complicated omnibus Farm Bill legislation. We’re not all farmers, but we all sure eat food. If we want it to be healthier for us, for the people who grow it, and for the planet, shouldn’t we tell our leaders?

Think about what would happen if even a portion of the subsidies our taxes provide could be used as incentives for farmers to adopt regenerative practices. Would change, and recovery of our soil ecosystem come faster? Maybe we should try and see.

If you’re interested in learning more from local experts in soil health, sustainable farming, and rotational grazing, join the free online event Restoring Our Earth 6:30pm–8pm Apr 27.

Find more information and a link to register by searching “Restoring Our Earth: Regenerative Agriculture Forum” on Facebook.

Cathye Williams serves as a volunteer and media liaison for the Grand Traverse area chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby, www. citizensclimatelobby.com. She writes from Benzie County.

NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

April Fools An April Fools’ Day prank went wrong in Wichita, Kansas, on ... April 1, KWCH-TV reported, when Arnthia Willis, 58, called her daughter that morning and said she’d been shot. The Wichita Police and Fire departments and Sedgwick County EMS responded to the address given, but discovered no one was there. They later found Arnthia in suburban Derby and arrested her for an unlawful request for emergency service assistance.

Michael Boatman, 41, discovered by two sheriff ’s deputies wandering down the street at 1 a.m. in Spartanburg, South Carolina, wearing only a “clear bag over his genitals” on April 1, told the officers he was doing a “walk of shame” in penance for cheating on his wife, according to an incident report. The Smoking Gun reported Boatman, who was smoking marijuana, according to the report, also allegedly told officers he had taken methamphetamine earlier. Boatman briefly tried to run away from officers, police said, but was captured and arrested for indecent exposure, among other offenses.

Yikes!

An unnamed man emerged with his groceries from an Albertson’s supermarket in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on March 28, to find that his car had been overtaken by a swarm of an estimated 15,000 honeybees, according to the Las Cruces Fire Department. The man, who had borrowed the car, had left the back window down during his 10-minute trip inside the store, and the bees took up residence in the back seat. The New York Times reported he called 911, and responding firefighters turned to Jesse Johnson, 37, an off-duty firefighter who keeps bees as a hobby. Johnson brought an empty hive box treated with lemongrass oil (“It really mimics the scent of the queen,” he said) and lured the swarm out of the car. “I’ll do anything to keep people from killing bees,” Johnson said.

Cliche Come to Life Around 4:15 a.m. on March 24, an unidentified resident of Laurium, Michigan, woke to find a gun pointed at his head, WLUC-TV reported. Laurium Police said Warren Meyers, 52, of Calumet, Michigan, allegedly demanded the homeowner give him his two cats. The “cat burglar” left with one cat and was later apprehended, along with the gun he used, said authorities. He was arraigned on March 29 in Houghton County Court; the fate of the stolen cat is unknown.

Everyone’s a Critic Jason Harvey, 50, of Romford, England, has been fined about $3,800 after his east London town council received 150 complaints from neighbors about his Saturday-night karaoke parties. “It has been a nightmare,” said one neighbor. “It was so loud, and his singing was terrible.” Noise officers told the Evening Standard they received specific complaints about Harvey’s covers of Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” and Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton’s “Islands in the Stream.” Harvey, who said he would appeal the fine, defended his voice: “I admit I’m no singer, but I have a go. I would have a couple of people over and they loved all that.”

Don’t Eat That!

Among the treasures discovered at

Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk, England, is a 121-year-old chocolate bar, still in its tin, commissioned by Queen Victoria for troops fighting in the Second Boer War in South Africa, Reuters reported on March 31. Oxburgh was the ancestral home of the Bedingfeld family for 500 years, and one of them, Sir Henry Edward Paston-Bedingfeld, fought in that war; the chocolate bar was discovered in his helmet case. “Although you wouldn’t want it as your Easter treat,” mused Anna Forrest, cultural heritage curator at Britain’s National Trust, “it is still complete and a remarkable find.” On the lid, a message is inscribed in Queen Victoria’s handwriting: “I wish you a happy new year.”

Unexpected Diagnosis Kent Ryan Tomao, 25, of Kidapawan City, Philippines, has experienced pain in his chest during cold weather ever since he was stabbed by some teenagers on his way home from work in January 2020. Inquirer.net reported on March 24 that a recent X-ray taken as part of Tomao’s application for a mining job revealed the source: a 4-inch knife blade buried in his chest, just inches from his lungs. Tomao told local media he had “no idea there is a knife in my chest” and now “I am just seeking help so it can be removed.”

Animal Antics The Anchorage, Alaska, Daily News reported on March 26 that customers at a local Costco store are routinely robbed of large cuts of meat as they transfer their groceries to their cars ... by ravens. More than a year ago, Olani Saunoa was buckling her toddler into a car seat when a raven swooped in and grabbed a package of short ribs from her car. “He had picked up the entire package,” she said. And this year it happened to her again -- a bird snatched a pack of pork ribs. Other customers are reporting similar incidents on social media. Rick Sinnott, a former wildlife biologist, isn’t surprised: Ravens “much prefer ... a package of short ribs from Costco to half of a hamburger bun from McDonald’s.”

Neighbors in Northampton, England, have been annoyed by a swan that has been knocking on their doors, sometimes for hours at a time, for five years, Fox News reported on March 24. “He starts by rattling the letterbox then bashes the metal with its beak quite loudly,” said resident Stephen Legg. “The racket reverberates through the whole house.” The bird targets houses only on one particular block, according to local media, but no one seems to know why.

Overreaction Thomas McCann, 49, of Stockport, England, was sentenced to prison for life on March 30 for the brutal murder of his wife, Yvonne, 46, in May 2020, following an argument over a bag of french fries left out of the freezer, according to court documents.

The Guardian reported McCann strangled his wife in the bathroom, then dismembered her body and disposed of some of the parts in Reddish Vale Country Park, where dog walkers discovered her remains; other parts were taken to a recycling center. During this time, McCann texted their children, saying Yvonne had walked out on him. He was later spotted on video footage carrying trash bags to his car and while walking toward the park, and confessed the killing to police.

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Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 9

The first of a series of eight of Design Elemental’s customizable homes, all featuring the characteristic component-part construction. Clients will be able to order from the series online, or via Design Elemental’s new studio, set to open this summer.

Design Elemental’s Frankfort Flagship Home 2021. Featuring the company’s component construction build and luxury labels selected for interior design, the home will be used as space and presentation for clients.

Redefining the Next Northern Homescape

By Anna Faller The best designs are based in déjà vu.

At least, that’s Angelo Adamo’s approach.

A transplant to the Grand Traverse area and Creative Director at Design Elemental, Adamo’s philosophy for crafting quality spaces is focused on the evocation of emotion — whether or not his clients recognize it.

“My biggest message is to help people connect to their memories,” he says. “So, when someone says, “Wow! I feel like I’ve been here before,” that’s because they have: you’ve seen that color, you’ve felt that texture. You’re reliving the memories you’ve had a positive reaction to. That’s what I’m aiming for.”

A native Australian, Adamo got his start in the field of sports science — readying athletes for the Australian Olympics, no less — before his training ultimately sent him stateside. “I moved to Chicago to design fitness centers for Motorola,” says Adamo.

Design, however, runs deep in his blood.

“My dad and my brother are both designers,” he says, “but I never really saw it as a career, per se.” That is, until the design bug — inevitably — bit him, too. While still in Chicago, Adamo studied interior architecture at Harrington College, before cutting his teeth in New York and North Carolina.

“I started getting into different things like designing restaurants and workplace institutions,” he says. “I built a lot of technical variety, and it gave me more depth as a designer.” In fact, it wasn’t until three years ago that an opportunity at Interlochen brought Adamo and his wife to Traverse City. But by then, he’d discovered his own direction. “And,” says Adamo, “I was wellrounded enough to know what I was trying to do.”

Enter: Socks Construction. A wellestablished architectural firm with more than three decades of building experience, the Socks Brothers have long held repute in northern Michigan. In fact, when Adamo himself first sought their business, it was from the position of a prospective client.

“Interlochen had provided [my wife and I] with a real estate agent for our home,” he says, “and I wanted to build, because I wanted to showcase my skillset and design.”

But, the price tag of from-scratch construction, particularly in northern Michigan, was more than a little daunting.

“When we realized how expensive it was, the real estate agent referred us to Socks Construction,” says Adamo.

The rest is set in responsibly sourced stone. Design Elemental, a full turnkey service for both residential and workforce complexes, is a three-way partnership between Socks Construction, Angelo

10 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

Adamo, and Component Construction Systems, forged in response to the area’s problematic housing market.

“It’s hard for people to build a home on an average salary,” says Adamo. Particularly in smaller markets, such as that of Traverse City, developers often compete within the same pool of subcontractors — flooring, drywall, electrical, and the like — making it increasingly difficult to establish a reputable business. “But, if we could control the [construction] environment, we could have more control over the product,” says Adamo.

The result? “A series of affordable homes that you can purchase both online and instore,” he says. From there, the “pre-fab” concept was an obvious choice. “There’s less waste, the efficiency is awesome, and you can build everything in a qualitycontrolled environment. But pre-fab homes are standalone fixtures; the only way they make money is by promoting the same product.” For Design Elemental, “cookie cutter” construction simply wasn’t an option.

Instead, they’ve proposed a cross-marketing strategy that couples sustainable building with luxury living. Clients select their own structural components from an online interface of sustainable finishes, provided by partnered labels. From there, Design Elemental can deliver those selections, or facilitate other management options. “It could be a project for the builder, for the

developer, or the client directly,” says Adamo.

Of course, the stigma surrounding “prefab” housing is still alive and well. “You don’t buy a car in pieces,” says Adamo, “so why would you buy a house in pieces?” The fact of the matter is that the benefits of Design Elemental’s structures far outweigh those of most from-scratch construction.

“These homes are actually two-thirds better built,” he says. “They must be earthquake and hurricane-proof, and because they had to be double-walled, they’re better insulated, which dramatically reduces noise.”

The pre-fab model is also far-more efficient than starting from scratch. “It probably takes four to six months now to build a house,” says Adamo, compared to upwards of two for a typical stick build. “Timing is of the essence, and the pandemic has made that even more pronounced. Instead of waiting for years for a house, we take care of the whole project, so people don’t have to source an engineer or purveyor or architect — it’s all sort of a onestop shop.”

Efficiency notwithstanding, style is still at the forefront of every decision. “Everyone understands accessibility to design platforms,” says Adamo. “Everyone is aware of what they want, but they aren’t aware of how it makes them feel. When you tie this [adaptation] in with sustainable design and the efficiencies of custom component construction, it’s a win-win scenario.”

Design Elemental’s “East on Main” workforce housing project, located in Frankfurt, Michigan. A 30-studio unit building, the project features controlled rent for Frankfurt employees. Total project projection is estimated at between six and nine months, from preliminary design to final installation.

Design Elemental Tackles Workforce Housing in Frankfort

The Frankfort Workforce Housing Project, a product of Design Elemental in conjunction with creative director Angelo Adamo, will provide a 30-unit studio apartment complex for individuals living and working in Frankfort, Michigan. With site-work slated to begin in June, the project is a direct response to rising housing costs and a scarcity of subcontractors in Northern Michigan. Using land provided by the city of Frankfurt itself, Design Elemental aims to provide accessible housing that features aesthetic design and the structural integrity of a component build, all with rent rates per unit set between $700 and $900 per month. “It’s the lifestyle we’re trying to promote too,” says Adamo. “Workforce housing has a sense of purpose, and makes people feel like they’re a part of the design.” The project is scheduled for completion in October, with plans for 1- and 2-bedroom complexes to follow.

ONE TO WATCH Hygge Supply

Inspired by the Danish word for “cozy,” Hygge Supply’s reinterpretation of the “kit house” concept means that for many home buyers, happiness really could come in a box. Founded and designed by northern Michigan native, Kelly Sean Karcher, Hygge Supply’s architectural model combines the convenience of online shopping with the comforts of modern construction. The result? A selection of fully customizable “pods,” ranging in size from single studio to multibedroom, which buyers can either purchase individually, or connect to create the space that best suits their vision. But don’t let the ease of assembly fool you — Hygge’s products are hardly a “prefab” affair. Each features an array of sustainable materials, fixtures, and finishes curated by Karcher himself. With an end-goal of streamlining scratch fabrication, Hygge Supply aims to make home construction as simple as a cursor click.

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Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 11

Trends in Outdoor Living What’s hot for your outdoor spot

By Ross Boissoneau After a year of near-confinement, our homes’ outdoor spaces have become sanctuaries of solace and sanity — and we’re investing more time and money to make them beautiful, comfy, and, ideally, available for more than just three or four months of the year. That trend is not slowing down.

“It’s really crazy,” says Tina Garner. The manager at Labadie’s Summer Casuals, on US31, east of Honor, says the staff usually has plenty of time to clean windows, reset displays, and get ready for summer while waiting on the occasional customer during the first weeks in April that the store is open.

Not this year.

“Three days before we were open, we were busy,” she told Northern Express. Seeing staff working inside, shoppers ignored the “Closed” sign and knocked on the door. “We had a record year and were only open five months instead of seven,” she said of 2020. For 2021, she anticipates more of the same. “It’s going to be a crazy year.”

We asked Garner and other outdoor experts what trends are hot and the products high on customers’ wish lists this year.

TREEHOUSE GETAWAYS

Deb Brown at WB Builders in Boyne City said her company is getting more and more requests for treehouses. Now, these aren’t your children’s playhouses. These are comfy little getaways built high off the ground, sometimes with bedrooms, lofts, even kitchens.

They’re insulated, have functioning windows and offer electricity. “Treehouse Masters has hit northern Michigan,” she said with a laugh, referencing the television show on Animal Planet, which features builders constructing elaborate homes in the trees. Brown said many are being touted on AirBNB as getaways for those seeking some seclusion and the magic of living in the canopy, with birds and squirrels as your next-door neighbors.

Photo courtesy of Sisters Studio

Photo courtesy of Jason Hulet Photography

OUTDOOR KITCHENS CONTINUE THEIR REIGN

An outdoor sink, fridge, and countertop does make it easier to enjoy outdoor ambience while preparing a gourmet feast on your grill, but Angela Goodall, owner of Traverse City’s Kitchen Choreography, said there are a few prerequisites: “Typically, access to plumbing, gas lines and electricity. Plus a solid foundation for setting cabinetry, an outdoor-rated material for cabinetry [typically stainless steel] and an outdoor-rated stone for countertops.”

12 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

THE GREAT RESET

Chief among the experts’ predictions in publications from Forbes to Veranda to Architectural Digest: an increasing interest in home gardening and a push for native plants and sustainable landscapes. Jeanine Rubert, co-owner of Pine Hill Nursery, with locations in Kewadin and Traverse City, said last year saw a huge increase in the number of gardeners. “Garden Media Group [a public relations firm specializing in the gardening industry] calls it The Great Reset,” she said. “Conserving water, reducing lawns, using native plants and plants for pollinators.

We have four benches full of native plants.”

Matt Lamore, owner of Black Cap Farm in Onekama says native plants will help the environment and make for less work. “Native plants have a huge role in the [local] ecosystem. Non-native plants don’t have a role in the ecosystem. Non-native pests are wreaking havoc,” he said. And once they are established, native plants typically need less watering as they are already adapted to their local environment.

Some to Try: “Blue Vervain is one of the best-selling plants, and for good reason. It is a reliable, long bloomer with strong deer resistance. It is a great nectar source for pollinators.

Yarrow comes in a wide variety of cultivated colors but is white in its natural state. It is useful in the garden to weave with other plants because studies indicate that it actually boosts the health of the plants around it. This won’t come as a surprise to people who take yarrow supplements. Jacob’s Ladder has deep green foliage that always looks new like Spring. It has soft blue or purple flowers in spring and is also deer resistant. Jacob’s ladder is useful in a shade garden.”

SMART WOOD-PELLET GRILLS

PERMANENT HEAT

Chris Foreman, a salesperson at Fireside Hearth & Leisure in Gaylord, said as people spend more time outside, the more they want to include all the necessities.

So in the spirit of go big and go home, the Castlewood Fireplace from Heat & Glo gives off plenty of heat as well as the feelings of warmth from a natural fire. The Castlewood turns any outdoor area into a welcoming and relaxing living space. Its large, high opening provides a dramatic view from across the yard or through the sliding doors in the family room.

Whether it’s brats or chicken, corn or pineapple (really, you should try it), firing up the grill is a time-honored tradition that’s never going to go out of style. The Traeger Pro 575 Wood Pellet WiFi Grill is in high demand these days. Stylish and with a bevy of features, it’s as easy to use as an oven — or probably easier; it works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Available at a number of locations, such as Ace hardware stores and Home Depot locations.

Foreman, of Fireside Hearth & Leisure in Gaylord, recommends Green Mountain Pellet Grills. “The Daniel Boone [series] is the most popular,” he said. Features include a meat probe, a peaked lid for stand-up chicken/large fowl/rib racks, a convenience tray with utensil hooks, hard rubber tires, and Sense-Mate, a thermal sensor, which constantly monitors the ambient temperature. When the weather gets cold, the sensor kicks the grill into Turbo mode, so you don’t have to wait long for the grill to heat up. And yes, it has WiFi, so you can control it from the handy app.

HEAVY, ECO-FRIENDLY FURNITURE

COMPOSITE DECKING — PREFERABLY CURVED

Deb Brown at WB Builders in Boyne City said the use of composite material to build decks is becoming more prevalent.

They offer several advantages, the biggest being they are maintenance-free. No staining, no replacing rotted boards, no slivers. She warned, however, that if in a sunny location, they can get very warm on bare feet. The company has also done curved decks, offering a stylish variation on the theme. “We’re getting more requests for curved decks. They add interest,” said Brown. Plus they make it easier to incorporate into a landscape design that’s already complete.

In anticipation of a banner year for outdoor living, Garner said the store boosted its off-season orders of outdoor furniture and decor. “Last year we sold things we hadn’t ever sold. So we doubled our wholesale order.” Good thing. Typically, special orders made in the first couple weeks of April would be delivered in four to six weeks, so people would be able to enjoy their new outdoor furnishings by Memorial Day. “Now, vendors are telling us we can’t get them until September.”

Among the most popular lines: Sling, Owlee and poly furniture from Berlin Gardens, particularly the Adirondack chairs.

“They offer exceptional quality, and they’re heavy so the wind won’t take them out,” said Garner. She said the recycled nature of the products, many of which are made from shredded milk jugs, makes them even more appealing. “They are comfortable and very low maintenance. I think that’s our biggest seller right now.”

HOUSEPLANTS INDOOR AND OUT

FLAGSTONE IS KING

JUST ADD WATER

Travis Drost of Drost Landscape in Petoskey said the company is frequently adding a pool or water feature into their design and builds. The company already has contracts to build six this year, from Traverse City to Petoskey.

Another increasingly popular trend involves using flagstones for walkways, driveways and patios. “They are different from the everyday brick,” says Drost, but every bit as durable. He calls flagstones “the icing on the cake in the landscape,” as the hand-cut stone offers something you don’t typically see.

“Houseplants are really taking off,” said Rubert. Houseplants not only reduce toxins and increase both overall health and wellness, she says, but when you use houseplants inside and out, you blur the lines between indoors and outdoors and increase the perceived size of your living space. “Lots of indoor plants are outdoor plants in the tropics. They make the space more tropical.” Among the most popular are snake plants and zamioculcas zamiifolia (pictured), more commonly known as ZZ plant. “There are so many varieties, different greens and variegations,” Rubert said. Neither requires a lot of light or water, making them great for beginners. That’s also true of philodendrons, including the monstera, a.k.a. split-leaf philodendron.

PORTABLE HEAT

Another trend Pine Hill’s Jeanine Rubert is seeing is people embracing the outdoors even when temperatures dip. One option for making cooler morning or evening temperatures more palatable, as well as stretching outdoor time into the shoulder seasons, is the use of an outdoor heating source. She recommends using a chiminea, which are safer than firepits. “Chimineas are portable,” she said, and they also add to the décor. “Anything that makes it more fun to be out in the yard.”

Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 13

Truth vs. the World Press freedom fighter Dr. Courtney Radsch to talk fake news, media, and global threats to democracy

By Craig Manning Tell the truth. A journalist’s job can be summed up in those three small words. It sounds like the simplest thing in the world.

Dr. Courtney Radsch knows better.

She knows how, when government interests clash with the truth, it’s often the journalists who pay — sometimes with their lives. She knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the hateful online abuse that many journalists — especially women — deal with on a day-to-day basis, a side effect of doing their jobs. And she knows that, in an age of misinformation and anti-press rhetoric, it might just fall to journalists to save our democracies, protect our freedoms, and foster transformative change.

So far, Radsch’s career in journalism has taken her from the Middle East to Paris to a stint with the New York Times. She was on the ground in Egypt in the early 2000s, working on her Ph.D. and monitoring the rise of cyberactivism and citizen journalism in the country — trends that eventually led to the Arab Spring. In 2008, she took a job in Dubai with Al Arabiya, a Saudi-owned television channel, to oversee an expansion of the network’s English-language websites.

She lost that job the following year, after publishing a report about safety issues with Emirates — an airline with ties to Dubai’s ruling family.

“They wanted to introduce original reporting into the English language websites, [and] they brought me on to do that,” Radsch said of the Al Arabiya job. “And then they discovered that original reporting comes with uncomfortable subject matter. I got fired for an article I wrote and kicked out of the country.”

Radsch will address northern Michigan locals at 7pm April 15 as part of the current Northwestern Michigan College International Affairs Forum series. The virtual event, titled “Protecting Press Freedom Globally and Locally,” will touch upon global threats to press freedom, the role of technology in modern journalism, and the steps people can take to support journalists in a fraught moment for the profession.

Northern Express caught up with Radsch to learn more about her current role as advocacy director for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and about her views on the current state of media, journalism, and truth.

Northern Express: What does CPJ do, and what does your role entail?

Dr. Courtney Radsch: CPJ uses journalism to protect journalists, and defends the rights of journalists to report the news freely and without fear of reprisal. What that means is that we are essentially acting as a news service reporting daily on attacks against the press around the world, and then advocating on behalf of journalists who are under threat or imprisoned, or trying to get justice when they’re murdered. Because unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases of journalists killed or murdered, it’s almost always with impunity.

I do a lot of advocacy in my role with tech platforms because they play such a critical role in enabling press freedom. And I do a lot of advocacy with governments, or multilateral organizations like the United Nations or the European Union. And then [the work involves] also leading public campaigns, so maybe that’s a petition or a solidarity letter-writing campaign to a journalist in prison, or their family.

So, we use a whole range of tools to advocate and stand in solidarity with journalists. And then we also provide lifesaving safety information, and guidance and assistance, to journalists in distress.

Express: Here in the United States, a lot of people might not fully grasp the scope and importance of citizen journalism in other parts of the world, or the threats that some journalists are under. What are a few recent events, globally or close to home, that people should consider as they try to wrap their minds around these ideas?

Radsch: I think that there are a plethora of recent events to choose from. Just to pluck a couple of headlines: In Myanmar, what is happening with the

14 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

military coup there, and what we’re seeing in terms of the violence against civilians — which has incorporated a massive crackdown on the press, including the jailing of journalists or the targeting of journalists.

And then we see that this is actually a pattern that plays out around the world when there are political upheavals or protests. In Belarus; in Russia; in Nigeria, which had its own Black Lives Matter movement; in the United States, with the Black Lives Matter movement here, and then with the January 6 uprising [at the Capitol]. We’re really seeing that there is a lot of turbulence right now around the world, a lot of political turbulence, people in the streets. And if you look at political theory, a lot of people will say: ‘You go to the streets when you feel like there are no other avenues to bring about change.’ Even in democracies, there are limited avenues for change in people’s daily life.

And then you wrap this all up in coronavirus, and the response to the pandemic — or the lack thereof, in some countries. In China, in the early months, there was a crackdown on the press. [The state] ‘disappeared’ several citizen journalists and informal journalists who were really important in documenting information from Wuhan and providing an early warning about what was going to come, what we might see around the world. We’ve seen this [narrative] play out around the world with the retaliation against journalists who are trying to provide an independent, accurate picture of what’s happening in various countries, and then they’re getting retaliated against by governments and authorities who don’t like the reality that is being portrayed, or who have different ‘official’ versions of their stories.

And throughout this all, there’s the ongoing vilification of the media that was really amplified by the ‘fake news’ and ‘enemy of the people’ rhetoric under President Trump but was very quickly taken up and became a rallying cry for dictators and democrats alike, from Putin [in Russia] and Xi Jinping [in China], to Bolsonaro in Brazil, and Duterte in the Philippines, and everyone in between. It’s become a really challenging time to do journalism. And

it’s emphasized the importance of both professional and citizen journalism living in this ecosystem.

Express: You mentioned President Trump and the whole ‘fake news’ movement. How have the past five years changed the view of journalism, journalists, and the media? And how do you expect some of those changes to linger into the future, even though we’ve obviously had a change in administration?

Radsch: A change in administration is not going to undo much of the devastation that’s been caused by the proliferation of the anti-press rhetoric, from the White House and then around the world.

Because what has happened is that [this rhetoric] has become a rallying cry by governments around the world who want to delegitimize independent reporting and inoculate themselves against criticism. It has undermined public confidence and trust in the media, which takes a long time to rebuild if — if that’s possible at all.

Express: Social media and the internet can be powerful tools for citizen journalism and journalism in general, but they can also be weaponized for the spread of misinformation. How do we find a balance between those two things?

Radsch: I think that in order to find a balance, you have to have some basic rights and protections for, we call them users and consumers, but really, it’s about citizenship and about humanity. You need to have strong privacy protections. You need to have strong rights to freedom of expression, and legislative frameworks that enable people to express themselves. You need to restrict the way that companies can target and weaponize data and information against people. You need to have strong laws that protect private companies from being forced to hand over information to authorities. You need to have strong encryption to dissuade surveillance. You need strong cybersecurity safeguards to reduce hacking and spyware.

So there are a whole host of different things that can be done. But there seems to be

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Police officers detain a photojournalist during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, on September 26, 2020. Authorities arrested dozens of journalists in 2020 and sentenced many to administrative detention and fines. Photo courtesy of the Committee to Protect Journalists. (AP/TUT.by)

a real lack of willpower in the U.S. to do that yet. I think we’re starting to see a shift and a realization that we need stronger regulations to protect our ability to have a democracy and to have a free press in this information environment. There’s this idea that ‘Oh, we shouldn’t regulate tech platforms,’ but, clearly, they are regulated. They benefit from private property rights; they benefit from copyright laws; there are all sorts of regulation that already takes place. We have this idea that somehow regulation is bad, but I think if you see the way that the information environment has been manipulated and weaponized, or the pervasiveness of online harassment — especially against women in any sort of public role — it is becoming increasingly unsustainable.

Express: The Great Recession led to a lot of shuttered media outlets, and a lot of journalists losing their jobs. These days, it seems as if that’s just become something that happens every few months: another newspaper shutting down, or another round of layoffs.

Where does that leave us in the future? You’re saying that journalism is going to play a very important role in protecting the future of democracy and of the planet, but at the same time, the economic piece of is struggling.

Radsch: The economic sustainability of journalism should be something that people in all different fields are thinking about and worrying about, and devising solutions to. Because whether you’re talking about the environment, or public health, or child welfare, all these things link back to journalism and the role that journalists play in holding those in power accountable and in the daily reporting to keep people informed.

I think we’re going to see a lot more economic devastation. There’s talk of COVID being an extinction event for journalists. And it’s not just in the United States: we’re seeing journalists around the world, and news outlets around the world, really suffering.

Because when you have the economy closing down, you don’t have people advertising; you don’t have people buying news; you don’t have journalists traveling; they can’t go out and do the job. It’s really been tough, and the economic model hasn’t shifted.

I do think we’re going to see some more nonprofit and foundation-based initiatives [for journalism and news media]. There’s a $1 billion moonshot idea for a public fund for media, called the International Fund for Public Interest Media. It’s basically the

idea of raising a lot of money to sustain journalism. Because I think a lot of people realize that commercial-based media isn’t sustainable; that has always been a tenuous business model in many countries. And it opens up media to media capture, where, in many countries, you have the state being one of the largest advertisers.

So it’s not like the system we had in place before was perfect around the world. For just the United States, it seemed to do better, but I think we’re going to see diversification and experimentation with different ways of paying for and supporting the news – from micropayments and subscriptions, to journalists going off and starting their own newsletters.

Express: You mentioned online abuse, and how journalists often bear the brunt of that — especially women. How can this problem be solved in a way that encourages people to speak up and tell the stories that need to be told? Who has the accountability and responsibility there?

Radsch: I think a lot of different people do. First of all, this is mainly a people problem, so there’s that whole element of things. But if we focus on the journalism side and the technology side, I think, first of all, the [tech and social media] platforms need to do a better job of understanding different types of harassment, from different types of actors, toward different types of journalists.

For instance, if you’re talking about a high-profile independent journalist in the Philippines or Brazil, the harassment that they’re getting is aligned with the state and most likely sponsored or coordinated by state actors. That’s going to look different than, say, if you are being targeted by Trump, where it’s more inspired but maybe not so coordinated.

Which is going to look different than if you’re just targeted by someone with a chip on their shoulder. So the platforms need to get more sophisticated [In fighting all types of harassment and abuse]. Because they can do things, like preventing the bot-ification of these attacks or restricting accounts that are involved in many of these different attacks.

I don’t really think that a lot of men, or people who are not experiencing online harassment as a constant part of their job, really understand how terrible it is to get rape threats, and death threats, and horrible name-calling, and de-legitimization of your profession. You can’t really explain that to someone who hasn’t gone through it.

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Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 15

SALVAGE STARS Who to know and where to go for one-of-a-kind home goods

By Ross Boissoneau Reduce? Sure. Reuse? You betcha?

Recycle? Only as a last resort. So how about rebuild? Or repaint, or refinish, or renovate?

If you’re like the legions of people who saw their increased stay-at-home time as an opportunity to redecorate, refresh, or renovate said home, you likely tackled at least one home improvement project since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States. (According to survey results published

by Statistica in July, 76 percent of 1,083 respondents stated they had made at least one improvement to their home’s interior or exterior between March and July 2020.)

Whether the coming spring or the satisfaction of completing that one pandemic is motivating you to tackle more, here are five secret weapons you should have in your home renovation toolbox.

FOR FIXER-UPPER FANS “It’s mostly repurposed wood and metal,” said Lisa Monson of the variety of goods and their uses at Antiquities Market. The spacious store in the Warehouse District in Traverse City holds a hoarder’s dream: chairs, tables, cabinets. Wood corbels.

Doors and more doors, along with oddities like a latex glove mold made of aluminum, ammo holders, olive buckets, industrial light pendants — the list goes on and on.

The store is the brainchild of Louise McDermott, a Traverse City native who now

winters in Phoenix. That’s where she has the original Antiquities Market, a massive 35,000 square-foot facility. The Traverse City version will soon encompass 9,000 square feet as a result of taking over the entire building. That will take place in early May, with a new shipment of goods from the Phoenix store helping to fill the new space, formerly home to Traverse City Bike & Brew and, before that, Inside Out Gallery.

Among the most popular items are tables. Everything from side tables to round and rectangular dining tables, with other oddities being pressed into service as same.

Folding tables are particularly hot. The No. 1 seller is stools, particularly a set of bar stools, while antique breadboards from Europe are freshly stamped, then One of Monson’s favorite reclamation projects is the conversion of a battered canoe into a light fixture, the canoe suspended upside down.

Hope you’ve got plenty of space.

BARN MARKET RISING AGAIN? Across town, Tammy Simerson’s Red Dresser offers a somewhat smaller, more curated and ever-changing collection. She originally opened her shop of new and old farmhouse finds and refinished furniture in Traverse City’s Warehouse District in 2009, but her wares have drawn such a following from customers and other collectors with eclectic and refurbed goods to sell that she’s moved and expanded three times, ultimately ending up in her fourth — and according to Simerson, final

16 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

— location on South Airport Road.

She also hosts the Red Dresser Barn Market, (usually) a twice-a-year, multiday outdoor market where she and others showcase a giant array of goods. Originally located outside her Warehouse District store, it then moved to a relative’s barn outside Kingsley (hence the name). When it outgrew that location, in 2019, she moved it to the Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds.

Typically drawing crowds of hundreds, the market was canceled last spring and this fall.

This year it is tentatively scheduled for May 28– 29, pending approval from the Grand Traverse County Health Department. So far, she’s received approval from Blair Township and the Fairgrounds, but with the vagaries of the pandemic, she’s not yet made a final decision.

That will come closer to the date, she says.

In the meantime, the shop is open and has hardly missed a beat; last year was Red Dresser’s busiest year ever, she says.

“It became more popular because of the pandemic. The furniture stores are 12 to 16 weeks out, can’t get furniture in, and people are looking toward vintage [pieces] as an option.”

OLD HOME, NEW MINI-MANSION At Bay Area Recycling for Charities, owner Andy Gale is taking things a step further, creating actual buildings from various parts and pieces of other builds. “A guy came into our office and said, ‘Can you recycle a house?’ That was two-and-a-half years ago,” says Gale.

Clockwise from top left: Antiquities Warehouse Deer Creek Junk A blue dresser at Red Dresser Inside a BARC Life Pod, a temporary solution for homelessness — or an overflowing home.

BARC Life Pod exterior The BARC HQ

For Gale, it was an opportunity to return to his construction roots. “I was in the industry 20 years. It’s cool to get back into it a little bit.”

Now Gale and his crew will deconstruct a house rather than having it bulldozed, and use the pieces to create sheds, art or yoga studios, or other tiny buildings, along with other projects. “Our De/Reconstruction (service) will take down regular houses and build them into little houses, along with picnic tables, planting boxes — all from old building materials,” he says.

Gale hired two carpenters who worked at the late lamented Odom Reuse in Grawn, and supplements the crew with labor from SEEDS and YouthWork from Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan.

They will carefully deconstruct a building in a panelized format. “I know how to slice and dice,” says Gale, which allows them to capture and utilize the energy already expended in the initial construction. They then reconstruct, repairing or filling in holes where necessary.

The results can range from the 100-square-foot Life Pod or Open Air (the latter a great play structure, potting shed, or

Deer Creek

Deer Creek

fruit stand) to the Cozy Cottage (twice the size, perfect for an art studio or additional sleeping space) to larger sizes such as the Minimalist or Mini-Mansion, all good for glamping, office spaces, or small guest homes. They are all customizable, with prices starting at $5,000.

Gale says he and his crews are getting more and more comfortable with the process, and he anticipates that the business model will continue to build as they get better at it and as more people hear about it.

He’s hopeful that it may eventually be part of a solution for area workforce housing.

“There’s no end goal, we just want it to grow.”

TRASH TO TREASURE Karen Brennan at Deer Creek Junk happened into the business when she had to clean out an old family home. From there it was on to repainting and refinishing and selling her wares through a consignment shop in Petoskey, before finally opening her own store in East Jordan.

She said the business has morphed over the years from work she did to allowing and encouraging others to do it themselves. “It kind of evolved. At first most was finished and repaired, now I have more salvage and raw materials,” she said.

Brennan still does some work, however, it’s often on a custom basis. “I convert doors to sliding barn doors, refinish, make benches out of beds. I do a lot of things with ceiling tiles.” While she usually works at the shop, she doesn’t maintain regular hours, instead suggesting people call ahead. “It’s open by appointment or chance,” Brennan said.

One of her favorite projects is on display for all to see, as she refurbished an old ambulance center into the store. Now a façade of windows and doors serves as the main entrance to her establishment. “That was really fun. Another big project was when I did a number of doors for a home on Skegemog Lake that was being remodeled.

Now every door is like a statement piece.”

She also owns a home next to the shop which she refurbished and rents out on Airbnb. “People can see examples of different ideas (there).”

These days she’s less likely to go out looking for estates or garage sales. “I’ve been doing it long enough, stuff finds me,” she said with a laugh. “People call me and say they have an old home.”

OLD SCHOOL FURNITURE REPAIR If it’s expert furnishing repair you’re after rather than the reconstruct/reuse/repaint model, Kelly Refinishing of Charlevoix may be the answer. Sam and Colleen Wilcenski

Antiquities Warehouse

purchased the business in 1998 and have been reworking, rebuilding, and refinishing furniture since then.

They offer a variety of services, typically things that go beyond simple repairs or painting. “Rush weaving, flat weaving, pressed cane — we’ll strip it, refinish it, repair, replace spindles. We do caning projects, wicker — a lot of cottages have wicker furniture need repair or repainting,” said Colleen Wilcenski.

While the exacting work of re-caning a chair and matching its original weave and look may be the most compelling work they offer, Colleen said her personal favorite project was restoring an old cabinet. “An old cupboard had been stored in a barn. It was a Hoosier-type cabinet,” she said, referring to a type of cupboard or free-standing kitchen cabinet popular in the early 20th century, when most homes did not have built-in kitchen cabinetry.

It needed a lot of TLC: It had been chewed on by various animals and was covered in animal waste. The Wilcenskis thoroughly cleaned it before stripping it down and refinishing it. The entire process took almost a year. “We put flour and a sugar sifter in it, jars for spices. It looked beautiful when it went out. That was the most satisfying of all of them.”

Like Simerson at the Red Dresser, Wilcenski said business in the year of the pandemic was brisk. “Last year was busier than we’ve been in a long time. People were in their house looking at it, and said ‘Let’s do it now.’ We had a lot of things come in last year.

“Every day is different. There’s something new every day. Sam just turned a spreader on a chair. He took the other one and duplicated it, then I had to match the color and finish.”

Now Open For ONSITE Instruction

Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 17

apr 10

saturday

FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTION: 10am-1pm, Otsego County Food Pantry, United Way Building, rear, Gaylord.

This will be a drive thru distribution.

--------------

LOCAL HIRING FAIR: 10am. Full or parttime, seasonal, or permanent jobs available.

ERACC & the Downtown ER Association will host this fair at Amvets Post #114, 410 Bridge St. in Elk Rapids. Free. elkrapidschamber.org

---------------------SPAGHETTI & WINE DINNER FUNDRAISER: Now through April 15 pre-order 5 Loaves 2 Fish freshly made pasta & red sauce for two & a bottle of Bel Lago wine for $30. Pick-up & delivery will occur Weds., April 21 with proceeds benefiting 5 Loaves 2 Fish. 5 Loaves 2 Fish aprons are also available for sale for $20 & can be added to your dinner order. 5 Loaves 2 Fish cooks about 150 meals from scratch a week out of the Leland Community United Methodist Church’s commercial kitchen. On Mondays food is provided predominantly to people experiencing homelessness & food insecurity in TC. On Fridays they provide meals to Leelanau County families. To order, email: info@bellago.com or call 231.228.4800.

---------------------THE DANCE CENTER YOUTH ENSEMBLE, DC DANCE TEAMS, & BALLET VIRTUOSO/ STUDIO COMPANY: Present Little Mermaid and More... Concert at St. Francis Kohler Auditorium, TC at 1pm & 6pm. Tickets: 947-6820. $25/per person.

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RECLAIMING IDENTITY IN EVERYDAY ENDEAVORS WITH THE MISHIGAMIING JOURNALISM PROJECT: 2pm. Traverse City’s Human Rights Commission will host fellows of the Michigamiing Journalism Project for a presentation & discussion. Sierra Clark & Meghanlata Gupta will present their individual backgrounds & current work, the need for Indigenous-centered journalism, the establishment of the Mishigamiing Journalism Project, & future goals. Held via Zoom. Pre-register: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81921806057.

Free. indigenizingthenews.com/aboutmjp

---------------------GOPHERWOOD CONCERTS PRESENTS AURA KUBAT: 7pm. Streamed over the Internet. gopherwoodconcerts.org

---------------------MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17. Today features “Talk-

ing Cents”: 15 minutes of easy strategies & simple tools you can use to start important conversations about money in a fun & comfortable way. Held at 10am. tadl.org/event/ money-smart-week/

apr 11

april

10-18

sunday

MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17.

Today features “Savings: A Little Can Make a Big Difference”: 15 minutes to review how even a very modest savings cushion can be associated with major life improvements. Held at 10am. tadl.org/event/money-smart-week/

send your dates to: events@traverseticker.com

---------------------SPAGHETTI & WINE DINNER FUNDRAISER: (See Sat., April 10)

---------------------VIRTUAL TOWN HALL ON REDISTRICTING PROCESS: 3pm. The League of Women Voters of Leelanau County & Traverse Area Community Media are holding a virtual town hall event to educate Michigan voters on the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s process in drawing new legislative & congressional maps for federal & state house representatives & the state senate.

Free. LWVLeelanau.org

apr 12

monday

MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17.

Today features “Bank On It: Finding Safe + Affordable Bank Accounts”: 15 minutes to address concerns of hidden fees & charges & minimum balance requirements. Held at noon. tadl.org/ event/money-smart-week/

---------------------SPAGHETTI & WINE DINNER FUNDRAISER: (See Sat., April 10)

----------------------

DINNER WITH FRIENDS: A NEW VIRTUAL SERIES WITH CHEF ABRA BERENS: 7pm.

Brought to you by the four Leelanau County libraries, these conversations are casual & wide-ranging, covering everything from the best way to cook an egg to the state of food writing. Every month, Abra Berens will talk with a visiting author over a meal made of recipes from that author’s work, & that recipe

Show your support for 5 Loaves 2 Fish who cook about 150 meals from scratch a week out of the Leland Community United Methodist Church’s commercial kitchen to help those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in TC, as well as providing meals for Leelanau County families. Now through April 15 pre-order 5 Loaves 2 Fish freshly made pasta and red sauce for two and a bottle of Bel Lago wine for $30 during the Spaghetti & Wine Dinner Fundraiser. Proceeds benefit 5 Loaves 2 Fish, who will also have aprons available for $20, which can be added to your dinner order. To order, email: info@bellago.com or call 231.228.4800. will be shared with attendees in advance. In addition to the recipe, Bel Lago winery of Cedar will supply a wine pairing suggestion to both enhance the meal & fuel the chat. For April’s conversation, you will be joined by Evan Hanczor of Brooklyn, New York. Evan is the chef at the famed Egg: restaurant for

social good & founder of Tables of Contents, a regular reading series that pairs literature & food. Registration required: https://zoom.us/ meeting/register/tJYkd-yurD0rHtMsn7T4PxbOxWcRCFFgTHP6 Free. glenlakelibrary. net/events

KINGSLEY LUMBER MORE THAN JUST GOOD WOOD. Spring is in the air! Don’t get stuck in line waiting for your new steel garage, warehouse, carport or rv cover to be installed this year!

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18 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

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apr 13

tuesday

MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17.

Today features “Understanding the Basics of Federal Student Loans”: 15 minutes to get a basic overview on federal student loan programs, learn tips to utilize federal student programs to help pay for education beyond high school & gain insights into debt relief scam prevention. Held at 12:30pm. tadl.org/ event/money-smart-week/

---------------------SPAGHETTI & WINE DINNER FUNDRAISER: (See Sat., April 10)

apr 14

wednesday

MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17.

Today features “Tax Related Fraud + Identity Theft”: 15 minutes to discover how to protect your records & stay aware of COVID-19 tax scams & phishing schemes & learn how to recognize signs that your identity has been stolen for tax-related issues. Held at 1pm. tadl.org/ event/money-smart-week/

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GTWOMAN WORKSHOP SERIES: 9:3011am. Mimi Brown presents Rockin’ Your Leadership: The 3 Beats that will Attract, Retrain, & Inspire Your Team. From Mozart to Motown, hip hop to heavy metal, & disco to pop, Brown uses a vast array of musical genres to illustrate the link between music & leadership. Held via Zoom. Register. Free. grandtraversewoman.com/events/april-14-gtwoman-workshop

---------------------SPAGHETTI & WINE DINNER FUNDRAISER: (See Sat., April 10)

----------------------

TIP OF THE MITT SCORE & PETOSKEY CHAMBER OFFER FREE WEBINAR: 11:30am-1pm. “Leveraging Social Media to Boost Your Business”: Register in advance: tipofthemitt.score.org. Featuring Social Guru 4 You, a digital marketing service, specializing in helping businesses grow through social media, SEO, email marketing & influencer marketing.

---------------------DRIVE THROUGH JOB FAIR: 2-6pm, Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville. Interview with hiring managers for available summer jobs. Applicants will drive to Lot “L” near the Loki Chairlift, where a member of the human resources team will greet you in your vehicle. Once they have verified that you’ve applied online, they will direct you to a parking spot where a hiring manager will come to your car window for a one-on-one interview. Must wear mask. crystalmountain.com/event/job-fair

---------------------STROKE SUPPORT GROUP HOSTS PRACTICAL APRIL Q & A SESSION: 2:30-4:30pm.

The Grand Traverse Bay Area Stroke Club will host an open discussion of stroke & stroke recovery. Questions may be submitted in advance via email to cfreeman@mhc.net. No names will be used during the discussion. The group will meet via telephone. Participants will receive the conference dial-in phone number & access code by registering: munsonhealthcare.org/strokeclub. munsonhealthcare.org/ stroke/stroke-recovery/stroke-club

---------------------ARE YOUR CHILDREN SAFE FROM CYBERCRIMINALS?: 4pm. A one-hour webinar on cyber safety, sponsored by Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center. Presented by Detective/Sergeant Gordon Armstrong. Gordon will focus on how criminals use technology to groom & target young victims. Pre-registration is required by noon on April 14. Free. eventbrite.com/e/lets-talk-cyber-safety-w-dtsgt-gor-

don-armstrong-tickets-145322566709?aff=eb dssbonlinesearch

---------------------DEEP SIX - TITANICS OF THE GREAT LAKES: 7pm. Online presentation by Ric Mixter. Based on Ric’s 1998 documentary, this lecture shares the largest ships ever lost on the Great Lakes. Register. Free. ncmclifelonglearning.com/event-4192000/Registration

apr 15

thursday

MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17.

Today features “Managing Personal Finances During COVID-19”: 15 minutes of suggestions for managing your money in a time of crisis. Topics covered include budgeting, emergency savings & managing debt. Held at 1pm. tadl. org/event/money-smart-week/

---------------------SPAGHETTI & WINE DINNER FUNDRAISER: (See Sat., April 10)

---------------------MARKETING WITH CLARITY & PURPOSE: 11:30am. In this workshop, Dave Doran, OneUpWeb’s director of strategy, will examine strategies for talking clearly about your customer, rather than your company, so that they understand more quickly the benefits they’ll get from using your product or service. Also look at some real-world before-and-after marketing copy that shows just how much words matter. Register. Free - online. traversecity. score.org/event/marketing-clarity-and-purpose-1

---------------------BOOK SALE: 12-4pm, Helena Township Community Center, Alden. Sponsored by Friends of the Alden District Library. Available items: books, audio books, DVDs, music CDs, puzzles. 231-331-4318.

---------------------LUNCHTIME INSPIRATION: 12-1pm. A talk on Christian Science followed by an open Q&A. Featuring Michelle Nanouche, CSB. Free. tccschurch.org

---------------------RAPTORS REVEALED: 4pm. This speaker series is held via Zoom. Today’s talk is “Joys of Hawkwatching: Basics to Beyond.” Sharing his enthusiasm for these birds will be John Richardson, Hawk Count director & naturalist of the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota. Register. Free. mackinacraptorwatch.org/events/#RaptorsRevealed

---------------------S.T.I.R.: 5:30-7:30pm, Pond Hill Farm, Harbor Springs. Socialize, Talk, Interact, (Not) Remote with the Harbor Springs Chamber. Featuring Doug Tippett from NCMC who will give an overview of the new Career Development Center developed in partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

---------------------GRAND TRAVERSE AUDUBON CLUB PROGRAM: 7pm. In 2017 local birders Brian Allen, Warren Whaley & trip leader Allison Vilag traveled to Malaysian Borneo for ten days of birding the hotspots of Sabah Province, including Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Centre, Mt. Kinabalu National Park & the Dermakot Forest Reserve. Brian will present a program telling you about these sites as well as the birds & unique mammals seen, including flying lemurs, orangutans, pygmy elephants & more. Use the following link to join the meeting at 7pm: https://interlochen.zoom.us/j/96922503816 or call in +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago). Free. grandtraverseaudubon.org

---------------------INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS FORUM: PROTECTING PRESS FREEDOM: 7pm. Dr. Courtney Radsch is advocacy director at the Committee to Protect Journalists & author of Cyberactivism and Citizen Journalism in Egypt: Digital Dissidence and Political Change. Conversation moderated by Jacob Wheeler, NMC journalism instructor, editor

of the Glen Arbor Sun. Event broadcast via Zoom & simulcast on IPR News Radio, WICA 91.5 FM. Register. $10 suggested donation; free to students & educators. tciaf.com

---------------------WALLOON LAKE READS: THE NICK ADAMS STORIES: 7pm. Featuring “On His Own” with Sean C. Hadley, teacher at Trinitas Christian School in Pensacola, FL. Held via Zoom. Register. walloonlakemi.com/grab-abook-and-join-walloon-lake-reads-the-nickadams-stories

apr 16

friday

MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17.

Today features “Housing Protections + Resources”: 15 minutes to find out where to turn if you are having trouble making rent payments & you are protected under federal law from foreclosure if you are a homeowner. Held at noon. tadl.org/event/moneysmart-week/

---------------------BOOK SALE: 10am-4pm, Helena Township Community Center, Alden. Sponsored by Friends of the Alden District Library. Available items: books, audio books, DVDs, music CDs, puzzles. 231-331-4318.

---------------------LUNCHEON LECTURE: PANDEMIC RECOVERY: 12-1pm. Held online. Featuring Lisa Peacock, MSN, RN, a health officer for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. Peacock’s organization is in charge of the complex effort to help the community maintain safe practices & stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. She will give a status report on vaccine distribution, who’s next in line, & what you can expect in the months ahead. Register. Free. ncmclifelonglearning. com/event-4171193

---------------------A TASTE OF SUCCESS TO-GO: SOLD OUT: 4pm. nmc.edu/resources/lobdells/taste-ofsuccess

---------------------VIRTUAL TECH SHARE & HAPPY HOUR: APPLE ECOSYSTEM: 4-5pm. Presented by Northern Michigan Remote Workers. Chris Larocco will kick things off, talking about the way he operates within the Apple ecosystem.

He’ll discuss the pros of the ecosystem & free alternatives to popular paid solutions. meetup. com/NMiRemote/events/276733655/?mc_ cid=396ca0ee04&mc_eid=af77663134

apr 17

saturday

MONEY SMART WEEK: Free virtual programs presented by the Traverse Area District Library, April 10-17.

Today features “Tips for Managing Money Ups & Downs”: 15 minutes on how to do your best with what you have available. Held at 10:30am. tadl.org/ event/money-smart-week/

---------------------BOOK SALE: (See Fri., April 16) ---------------------CRYSTAL CLASSIC: Noon, Betsie Valley Golf Course, Crystal Mountain. A four-person scramble that includes 18 holes of golf with cart, two beverage tickets & food. Reserve your spot. $65/person. crystalmountain.com/ event/crystal-classic

---------------------A MUSICAL JOURNEY: 6-9pm, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor. Take a Journey with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, as they celebrate 20 years of world class performances. This concert highlights memorable moments from past concerts, & features founder & Co-Artistic Director Robert Pattengale, Ph.D., as well as other founding musicians & Young Artist Competition Alumni. Pre-Concert talk at 6pm by GLCO Music Director Libor

Ondras. Tickets: $0-$50. mynorthtickets.com/ events/a-musical-journey-part-2-4-17-2021

apr 18

sunday

SLOW ROLL WITH CUPPA JOE: Noon. Presented by Norte & Cuppa Joe Eastside. Celebrate Cuppa Joe’s new store with a bike ride with Norte. Start at Norte’s Wheelhouse, TC, roll to Cuppa Joe Eastside (off of Four Mile), & finish at Stone Hound Brewing Co. You can also meet at Cuppa Joe for a shorter ride around 12:30pm. elgruponorte.org/theme_event/slow-roll/?mc_ cid=39c383e7fe&mc_eid=df24b9efb4

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10TH ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL: 1:30pm, City Opera House, TC. Enjoy six original one act plays produced & performed for the first time on the City Opera House stage. Written by regional high school students who have been matched with national mentors. Free. cityoperahouse.org/ node/376

ongoing

PEEPERS PROGRAM: Tuesdays, 10-11am through May 18. Boardman River Nature Center, outside, TC. Presented by the Grand Traverse Conservation District. For ages 3-5. Includes stories, crafts, music & discovery activities. Preregister. natureiscalling.org/events

---------------------ACCEPTING BOAT AUCTION DONATIONS: Maritime Heritage Alliance is now accepting donations of watercraft & nautical gear for the upcoming June 5th Boat Auction & Garage Sale. Call to schedule: 946-2647 or visit online. maritimeheritagealliance.org/annualboat-auction

---------------------FREE RIDES: The Otsego County Bus System offers free rides to COVID-19 vaccination appointments. They also provide free delivery of meals from the Food Pantry. Call 989732-6224.

---------------------ESSAY CONTEST: The Economic Club of Traverse City is accepting entries for its annual essay contest. This year’s essay question is: Should the government, at any level, spend taxpayer dollars for early childhood (birth to kindergarten) programs? Discuss the costs & benefits to society of such programs as Head Start, early child development, home visitation, nutrition counseling, etc. First place award is $1,500; second place is $1,000. The contest is open to all high school juniors & seniors in the five-county Grand Traverse region. Deadline to enter is May 1. Essays should be a minimum of 750 words; maximum 1,000 words. tceconclub. com/traverse-city-econ-club-essay-contest

---------------------MSU SCIENCE FESTIVAL: A free celebration of the many ways science, technology, engineering, art, & mathematics (STEAM) touch our everyday lives & shape our future. Runs through April. sciencefestival.msu.edu

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ICEMAN COMETH VIRTUAL TRAINING CHALLENGE: Ride 500, 1,000, or 3,000 miles to prepare for the 2021 Bell’s Iceman Cometh Challenge presented by Trek. Each distance will have its own exclusive Strava Club for tips & support, with all entrants eligible for prizes each month. Runs March 5 - Oct. 30. Registration ends Sept. 30. $25. registericeman. com/Race/Events/MI/TraverseCity/IcemanCo methChallenge#eventGroup-7424

---------------------VIRTUAL 2021 BAYSHORE MARATHON REGISTRATION: Featuring a marathon, half marathon & 10K. Register. Event held on May 29. bayshoremarathon.org

---------------------DISABILITY NETWORK MEN’S GROUP: ZOOM MEETINGS: Mondays, 10am through April. disabilitynetwork.org/events

Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 19

DISABILITY NETWORK PEER ADVOCACY GROUP: ZOOM MEETINGS: Held on Thursdays at 2pm through April. disabilitynetwork. org/events

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DISABILITY NETWORK WOMEN’S GROUP, SHARING HERSTORY: ZOOM MEETINGS: Mondays, 11am through April. disabilitynetwork.org/events

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NORTHPORT PLEIN AIR CALL FOR ARTISTS: Through April 10. See web site for info. northportartsassociation.org/call-for-artistsapplications

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SOUL SISTERS EXHIBIT: Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts, Manistee. An all women art show. Runs March 12 – April 16. ci.ovationtix. com/35295/production/1039657

BELLAIRE WINTER FARMERS MARKET: Held on Fridays from 10am-2pm. Located at both Bee Well & Terrain in downtown Bellaire.

---------------------BOYNE CITY INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: Saturdays, 9am-noon through May 15. City Hall Lobby, Boyne City. petoskeyarea.com/ event-detail/boyne-city-indoor-farmers-market-1

---------------------INDOOR FARMERS MARKET: The Village at GT Commons, The Mercato, TC. Saturdays through April, 10am-2pm. thevillagetc.com/ indoor-farmers-market-7-2-2-2-2-2

art

“DON’T MISS THE BOAT”: Harbor Springs History Museum. Presented by the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society. This exhibit highlights the historic ferries of Little Traverse Bay & features original watercolors & giclees by local artist William Talmadge Hall. Runs through the summer of 2021. Hours: Tues.Sat., 11am-3pm. harborspringshistory.org/ history-museum-exhibits

---------------------100 DAYS OF CREATIVE EMPOWERMENT: Held every Mon. through May 3 from 5:30-7pm.

A live online class. Register. Each week a local artist will share their skills to ignite your creativity. Engage in painting, iPhone photography, comic book creation & more. gaylordarts.org

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EXHIBIT: SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION: Charlevoix Circle of Arts. The annual regional high school student art exhibit. See unique works from 11th & 12th grade budding artists from Charlevoix County & surrounding area.

Featuring scholarship awards from Kendall College & CCA. Pick up kid’s ‘Take & Make’ art kit with each exhibit. charlevoixcircle.org/ exhibits-2021

---------------------MELONIE STEFFES EXHIBIT: Higher Art Gallery, TC. HART welcomes local artist Melonie Steffes in her second solo exhibit with eight new oil paintings. “Undomesticating - Leaving Behind the Things of Man.” Show is open online in the virtual shop as well as in person during gallery hours. higherartgallery.com

HAPPY HOUR DRINK SPECIALS Tues - 4-8pm: The Pocket Mon March 16- $5 martinis, $5 domestic beer pitcher, $10 craft beer pitcher.

FROM 9pm-1am:OPEN-6PM Kung Fu Rodeo

Hours Mon-Thurs 2pm-10pm in the can night - $1 domestic, Wed - Get itFri-Sun $3 craft-noon-10pm w/DJ JR

Mon 12th - Jukebox ThursApril -$2 off all drinks and $2 Labatt drafts w/DJ Ricky T Tues April 13th - Open Mic Comedy

Fri March 20 - Buckets of Beer starting at $8 (2-8pm)

Wed DJ The Ricky Happy Hour: The ChrisApril Michels14th Band -Then: IsaacTRyder Band Sat March Fri 21 -&The Ryder& 17th Band (No Covers) SatIsaac April 16th SoulMarch Patch22 Sunday KARAOKE ( 10pm-2am) Sun April 18th - Karaoke 941-1930 downtown TC check us out at unionstreetstationtc.net

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CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY: - YOUTH ART SHOW: Virtual event. Featuring over 1,000 images from young artists working throughout the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District. crookedtree.org/ event/ctac-petoskey-ctac-online/youth-artshow-2021-ctac-petoskey-online - “KIDS ON COMMUNITY”: Youth artists were invited to submit artwork in response to the theme of “Community.” Fun, thoughtful & creative interpretations by Michigan youth (grades 3 - 12) are included in this online image gallery. Runs through June 30, 2021. crookedtree.org/event/ctac-petoskey-ctac-online/kids-community-online-exhibit - THE COLLECTIVE IMPULSE - ONLINE EXHIBIT: Runs through Aug. Featuring the work of artists Ruth Bardenstein, Jean Buescher & Susan Moran. The three artists met in Ann Arbor &, over time, have nurtured both personal & creative connections. They regularly share & critique one another’s work & together visit gallery & museum exhibitions. The exhibition was hosted at the Crooked Tree Arts Center - Petoskey from Sept. 21 through Dec. 18, 2020. This online publication shares work from the exhibition. crookedtree.org/event/ ctac-petoskey-ctac-traverse-city-ctac-online/ collective-impulse-online - CTAC’S 19TH ANNUAL YOUNG WRITERS EXPOSITION: CALL FOR YOUNG WRITERS: Elementary, middle & high school students who attend schools served by the Char-Em ISD (or home school students in Charlevoix or Emmet counties) may submit one work of poetry, prose, or one of each.

Winning writers of all age groups receive a medal, journal, & McLean & Eakin Booksellers gift card, while also having their work published in the digital Petoskey News-Review.

Middle & high school winning writers receive monetary prizes as well. All first place writers get their work printed in the upcoming edition of the Walloon Writers Review. The Little Traverse Literary Guild will give two $500 “Best in Show” awards – the Hanna-Renkes/Jan Smith Literary Award – to high school students for poetry & prose. Work must be submitted online by a parent or teacher between April 6-19 at 5 pm. The submission page is

Y TUESDA TRIVIA TIO A P ON THE PM 7-9

located under Teacher Resources on the Petoskey portion of CTAC’s website. Winning writers will be announced May 7 via CTAC’s social media pages.

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CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, TC: - “STAY SAFE” MASKS EXHIBIT: Over 200 paper mache masks will be on display. This is extended from the Ramsdell Regional Center for the Arts in Manistee. Since launching in the fall last year during the quarantine, over 1,000 high school students, families & individuals from the Grand Traverse area & nationally have now decorated masks in this growing public art project. It will run April 1-18. Open from 11am-4pm Tuesdays through Fridays, & 10am-2pm on Saturdays. crookedtree.org - YOUTH ART EXHIBITION 2021 (VIRTUAL & IN-PERSON): The Crooked Tree Arts Center is celebrating the work of K-12 art students & educators in the Grand Traverse region. Artwork selected for an award will be on display at Crooked Tree Arts Center, TC, April 1-17 during gallery hours. crookedtree.org/event/ ctac-petoskey-ctac-traverse-city-ctac-online/ youth-art-virtual-and-person-exhibit-traverse

---------------------DENNOS MUSEUM CENTER, NMC, TC: - BLOW UP II: INFLATABLE CONTEMPORARY ART: Runs through May 16. This exhibit explores the imaginative ways that air is used as a tool to create large-scale sculptures. The artists translate everyday materials and imagery into larger-than-life, yet nearly lighter-than-air art. Curated by Carrie Lederer & organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA. - NMC ART DEPARTMENT JURIED STUDENT ART SHOW: View 30 artworks by local students selected for the show in honor of the museum’s 30th anniversary. View NMC fine arts students’ work from April 5-15 & high school student art from April 17-29. The High School Virtual Reception will be held on Thurs., April 22 at 5:30pm. dennosmuseum. org

---------------------GLEN ARBOR ARTS CENTER, GLEN ARBOR: - CLOTHESLINE EXHIBIT CALL-FOR-ENTRIES: The Glen Arbor Arts Center is moving art outdoors. The Clothesline Exhibit, July 24 – Aug. 27, is an open-air exhibition of small work. This year’s theme, Wild Friends, challenges makers of all skills to create an unframed painting, drawing, photograph or collage on a single, 5” x 7” sheet of paper around this theme. Each work will be placed in a sealed plastic envelope & pinned to a clothesline in front of the GAAC building at 6031 S. Lake St., Glen Arbor. The Clothesline Exhibition may be viewed 24/7, rain or shine.

TO-GO OR DERS AVAILABL E 231-2524157

Sunday-Saturday Noon-10pm (kitchen open noon-9pm) closed Wednesdays

DRINK SPECIALS (3-6 Monday-Friday):

$2 well drinks, $2 domestic drafts, $2.50 domestic bottles, $5 Hornitos margarita

DAILY FOOD SPECIALS (3-6pm): Monday - $1 chips/salsa Tuesday - $1 enchiladas Thursday - $5 hot pretzels w/ beer cheese Friday - $5 fried veggies (cauliflower or mushrooms)

ent Fri 16th - Project 6 tertainm Patio en -9:30) Sat17th - Don Swan &The 4 Horsemen (6:30

Noon - 10pm - 221 E State St. downtown TC

20 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

soon to Coming US-31 4041 orner!

C Chums

For info on submitting an entry to the Clothesline Exhibit, go to GlenArborArt.org/ARTISTS. Deadline for submissions in July 6. 231-3346112. glenarborart.org/artists/calls-for-entry/ clothesline-exhibit-call-for-entries - EXHIBIT: JOAN RICHMOND | PAPER + SCISSORS + GLUE = NEW COLLAGES: Held in Lobby Gallery. An exhibition of 12 new works is on display through April 22. Richmond is more widely known for her distinctive, spare gouache paintings depicting land- & waterscapes. This exhibit includes more than 60 pieces she created during COVID-19 isolation. The GAAC is open Mon. through Sat., 11am–2pm. GlenArborArt.org - CALL-FOR-ENTRIES: EVERYDAY OBJECTS EXHIBITION: Runs Aug. 27 – Oct. 28.

Online applications for this juried show may be submitted through July 15. It is open to 2D & 3D objects in a wide variety of media. The GAAC is open Mon. through Sat., 11am–2pm, but will be closed between exhibitions from March 26 – April 1. glenarborart.org/artists/ calls-for-entry/everyday-objects-prospectus - MEMBERS CREATE EXHIBITION: On display: 41 works in both 2D & 3D by northern Michigan artists & beyond. The online version of the exhibition is also available for viewing. Business hours: 11am–2pm, Mon. through Sat. glenarborart.org/events/exhibit2021-members-create

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OLIVER ART CENTER, FRANKFORT: - ANNUAL REGIONAL STUDENT EXHIBITION: Runs April 16 - May 7. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org/gallery-gift-shop/exhibitioncalendar - CALL FOR ART: LITTLE FREE ART GALLERIES: Oliver Art Center will have Little Free Art Galleries in three places: Oliver Art Center, Century 21 Northland, & Benzie Shores District Library, all in Frankfort. Volunteers make art on a small scale & place in the gallery.

Visitors may view the art, take the art, leave their own art, or make a monetary contribution via oliverart.org. Frankfort’s Little Free Art Galleries will be installed & ready for art & visitors May 1. Oliver Art Center is currently accepting art for the galleries. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org - CALLING ALL WRITERS & LITERATURE LOVERS!: For the Spring Read held on April 29. Writers are invited to submit original poetry or prose suitable for a family audience. Each reader is allowed up to five minutes to read 2-3 poems, each of one page or less, or approx. 500-600 words of prose. Short plays are also welcome. Submissions are due by April 16 & can be emailed: gretabolger@gmail.com or delivered to Oliver Art Center, Frankfort.

You will be sent the Zoom link upon acceptance. oliverartcenterfrankfort.org/events

the ADViCE GOddESS

BY Amy Alkon

Buddy Heat

such as: “Do we really have to have sex when I’m conscious?”

Q

Last Manchild Standing

: I’m dating an awesome woman I see a future with. However, there’s a hurdle: She doesn’t want to have sex until we’re committed, but I don’t feel right about committing without knowing we have sexual chemistry. A previous relationship ended because the sex was subpar, and I don’t want to go through that again.

— Conflicted

A

: Sexual chemistry is pretty important.

You don’t want to get all emotionally attached and then find that sexually, you go together like peanut butter and a repeating saw.

Men and women are alike in countless ways.

(Both have two legs; men don’t randomly have six like an insect.) However, we differ psychologically per the physical differences we do have; namely, how sex can leave a woman “with child” and a man “with a teaspoon less sperm.”

These differences drive men’s and women’s conflicting “sexual strategies,” explains evolutionary psychologist David Buss. For men, a casual sex-centric “short-term sexual strategy” — hit and run...sex and shun -- has the most “reproductive benefits,” increasing men’s chances of passing on their genes.

Women benefit most from a commitmentcentric “long-term sexual strategy” and look for signs a man is emotionally attached, making him more likely to stick around and provide for any, um, sex biscuits they might create.

Where there are deep-seated desires, there’s often deception. Buss calls this “strategic interference,” describing sneaky tactics used to get the opposite sex to go against their evolutionary best interest. Men, for example, feign commitment to get sex, while women feign sexual interest to get commitment — either long-term or enough to enjoy an evening of free fine dining. However, we have a defense against this: “negative” emotions — like a woman’s fear of getting humptied and dumptied and a man’s fear that all a woman really wants to “ride like a pony” is his American Express black card.

As for what you should do, Buss’ research might be helpful. Buss finds that men will shift to a “long-term sexual strategy” when that’s what it takes to land a woman of especially high “mate value.” If she doesn’t seem worth the risk of waiting for, it’s probably breakup o’clock. No, sex isn’t everything in a relationship. However, if you like to have sex twice a day and your partner’s up for twice every never, it’s a little hard to meet in the middle — though the less libidinous partner might come up with some, uh, helpful ideas,

Q

: I’m dating a new guy. When we’re alone, he’s sweet and a complete gentleman.

However, whenever we’re around his guy friends, he comments about how attractive he finds other women, rants about sports, and farts in front of me. I’ve hinted that this makes me unhappy, but nothing changes.

— Upset

A

: Love can be transformative — turning men into emotional marshmallows — which can lead a 20-something lovestruck dudebro to want to make it known to his posse: “I will not be waking up on Tuesday all Harry Styles in a dress on the cover of Vogue.”

Your boyfriend’s loutish behavior — talking about other girls and farting in front of you — sounds like a “costly signal,” a form of advertising used by both animals and humans. A costly signal is a trait or behavior that’s so wasteful, extravagant, and threatening to one’s evolutionary interests (mating and survival) that it’s likely to be a truthful indicator of an organism’s financial, social, or physical mojo.

The peacock’s tail is an example. As evolutionary psychologist Steve StewartWilliams points out, it’s like “a giant billboard”: a huge electric blue and green yoohoo! to peacock-eating predators. This big bunch of buttfeathers also seriously slows the peacock’s escape. However, the larger and more lush a Mr. Peacock’s tail, the more the peahens (the lady peacocks) go for him. (The fact that he avoids becoming lunch while lugging around this massive feathery impediment suggests he must be a particularly buff and genetically superior example of peacockhood.)

Chances are your boyfriend is rude-vertising to the guys: Sure, he has love in his life, but he hasn’t gone all bought, sold, and girlfriendcontrolled. The costly signal in this? He’s so secure in his sexual magnetism (like, the hot chicks are lined up and begging) that he can afford to act like a turd to his girlfriend.

Um, no. Or at least, that’s what you need to put out there. In words, not hints. Tell him it’s humiliating when he comments on other women when you’re right there, plus the farting thing is a sexual turnoff. In short, he’s transforming you into an unhappy girlfriend who won’t want to have sex. Assuming he cares about you, you should see an abrupt end to the show he’s been putting on for his dudebros: “No, I Haven’t Become A Love Muppet Colonized By The Enemy.”

“Jonesin” Crosswords "Never Say Never" --just click the link, I promise. by Matt Jones

ACROSS 1 Dental degree 4 “Pygmalion” author’s initials 7 Big name in keyboards and motorcycles 13 Green Day, for one 14 Key on either side of the space bar 15 Lack of interest 16 Song activity #1 18 Senator Kyrsten 19 Linguistic suffix with “morph” or “phon” 20 Admit, as a guest 22 Director Grosbard with a palindromic name 23 Song activity #2 28 Filipino dish 29 Dock workers, at times 30 Actress Daly of “Judging Amy” 31 Capital in the Andes 34 Harry Potter sidekick 35 Song activity #3 38 ___ de los Muertos 41 Gently prods 42 Rough file 46 Integrated set that allows you to browse the Internet, e.g.

48 Seasonal gift giver 49 Song activity #4 53 Play a part 54 Knock it off 55 Aussie hopper 56 Difference in a close ballgame 59 Song-based trick wherein the things the singer’s “never gonna” do to you describe the theme answers, in order 61 Extremely ___ (addicted to Twitter, say) 62 “Thrilla in Manila” result, for short 63 “Black Swan” actress Kunis 64 World leader whose name is repeated in Dead Kennedys’ “Holiday in Cambodia” 65 “___ alors!”

66 ‘60s activist gp.

DOWN 1 Serious-and-funny show 2 Had for supper 3 Landscaping purchase 4 ___ damn (cared) 5 “Expletive deleted” sound 6 Runway 7 “___ queen!”

8 Bee-fix?

9 The Red Devils of the Premier League, when abbreviated (the team uses this as their website) 10 Artist’s workshop 11 Author better known as Saki 12 “You’re the Worst” star Cash 13 Casey’s place, in a poem 17 ___ buco (veal dish) 21 2010 Eminem song featuring Lil Wayne 24 “___ to differ!”

25 Greek vowels 26 Indian restaurant basketful 27 Channel that airs frequent reruns of “Family Feud” 31 “Arrested Development” surname 32 Venerable London theater 33 Band booking 36 Poker dues 37 Abbr. on folk music lyrics 38 Broadband internet alternative 39 Unequivocal refusal 40 Very small power source 43 Mobile phone choice 44 Leisurely walks 45 ‘50s music scandal cause 47 Vacation while stationed in parks, perhaps 48 Canine : “doggo” :: serpentine : “___” 50 “The Neighbors” actress Jami 51 17-syllable verse 52 Neckwear worn by Fred on “Scooby-Doo” 56 Alley-___ (basketball maneuver) 57 Card game with four main colors 58 Badminton divider 60 Abbr. in a rental ad

Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 21

lOGY

APRIL 12 - APRIL 18

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Today I feel the whole world

is a door,” wrote poet Dennis Silk. In a similar spirit, 13thcentury Zen master Wumen Huikai observed, “The whole world is a door of liberation, but people are unwilling to enter it.” Now I’m here to tell you, Aries, that there will be times in the coming weeks when the whole world will feel like a door to you. And if you open it, you’ll be led to potential opportunities for interesting changes that offer you liberation. This is a rare blessing. Please be sufficiently loose and alert and brave to take advantage.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Unexpressed

emotions will never die,” declared trailblazing psychologist Sigmund Freud. “They are buried alive and they will come forth, later, in uglier ways.” I agree, which is why I advise you not to bury your emotions—especially now, when they urgently need to be aired. OK? Please don’t allow a scenario in which they will emerge later in ugly ways. Instead, find the courage to express them soon—in the most loving ways possible, hopefully, and with respect for people who may not be entirely receptive to them. Communicate with compassionate clarity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Sagittarian author Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz wrote a poem entitled “Not Doing Something Wrong Isn’t the Same as Doing Something Right.” I propose that we make that thought one of your guiding themes during the next two weeks. If you choose to accept the assignment, you will make a list of three possible actions that fit the description “not doing something wrong,” and three actions that consist of “doing something right.” Then you will avoid doing the three wrong things named in the first list and give your generous energy to carrying out the three right things in the second list.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the

past few weeks, I hope you’ve been treating yourself like a royal child. I hope you’ve been showering yourself with extra special nurturing and therapeutic treatments. I hope you’ve been telling yourself out loud how soulful and intelligent and resilient you are, and I hope you’ve delighted yourself by engaging with a series of educational inspirations. If for some inexplicable reason you have not been attending to these important matters with luxurious intensity, please make up for lost time in the coming days. Your success during the rest of 2021 depends on your devout devotion to self-care right now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Sometimes

when a disheartening kind of darkness encroaches, we’re right to be afraid. In fact, it’s often wise to be afraid, because doing so may motivate us to ward off or transmute the darkness. But on other occasions, the disheartening darkness that seems to be encroaching isn’t real, or else is actually less threatening than we imagine. Novelist John Steinbeck described the latter when he wrote, “I know beyond all doubt that the dark things crowding in on me either did not exist or were not dangerous to me, and still I was afraid.”

My suspicion is that this is the nature of the darkness you’re currently worried about. Can you therefore find a way to banish or at least diminish your fear?

PISCES (Feb 19-March 20): “Some people, if

they didn’t make it hard for themselves, might fall asleep,” wrote novelist Saul Bellow. In other words, some of us act as if it’s entertaining, even exciting, to attract difficulties and cause problems for ourselves. If that describes you even a tiny bit, Pisces, I urge you to tone down that bad habit in the coming weeks—maybe even see if you can at least partially eliminate it. The cosmic rhythms will be on your side whenever you take measures to drown out the little voices in your head that try to undermine and sabotage you. At least for now, say “NO!” to making it hard for yourself. Say “YES!” to making it graceful for yourself.

TAURUS

(April 20-May 20): Taurus philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein was called a genius by Nobel Prize-winning author Bertrand Russell. His Philosophical Investigations was once voted the 20th century’s most important philosophy book. Yet one of Wittgenstein’s famous

quotes was “How hard it is to see what is right in front of my eyes!” Luckily for all of us, I suspect that won’t be problem for you in the coming weeks, Taurus. In fact, I’m guessing you will see a whole range of things that were previously hidden, even though some of them had been right in front of your eyes.

Congrats! Everyone whose life you touch will benefit because of this breakthrough.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Why don’t rivers

flow straight? Well, sometimes they do, but only for a relatively short stretch. According to the US Geological Survey, no river moves in a linear trajectory for a distance of more than ten times its width. There are numerous reasons why this is so, including the friction caused by banks and the fact that river water streams faster at the center. The place where a river changes direction is called a “meander.” I’d like to borrow this phenomenon to serve as a metaphor for your life in the coming weeks. I suspect your regular flow is due for a course change—a meander. Any intuitive ideas about which way to go? In which direction will the scenery be best?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet

Denis Johnson eventually became a celebrated writer who won numerous prizes, including the prestigious National Book Award. But life was rough when he was in his twenties. Because of his addictions to drugs and alcohol, he neglected his writing. Later, in one of his mature poems, he expressed appreciation to people who supported him earlier on. “You saw me when I was invisible,” he wrote, “you spoke to me when I was deaf, you thanked me when I was a secret.” Are there helpers like that in your own story? Now would be a perfect time to honor them and repay the favors.

NORTHERN EXPRESS

CLAS SIFIE DS

OTHER

BUYING PROPERTY AND HOUSES - CASH PAID Local guy will evaluate your situation.

Unused acreage or homes/cabins in any condition. Estates/Challenges/Etc in the 5 county area around TC. Call or text Mike 231-570-1111. _________________________________________ INTERLOCHEN SUMMER CAMP Housekeeper & Custodians $500 Bonus Opportunity Provide cleaning services for campus Valid Drivers Lic. pracilla.venhuizen@ interlochen.org _________________________________________ CRAFT & VENDOR SHOW! Crafters & Vendors from all over MI coming together! May 22 from 11am-4pm. The Ellison Place - Gaylord. First 50 people thru the door will receive a FREE goodie bag! Register as “going” on the event page to be entered into a $50 VISA giveaway.

See event page for details. www.facebook. com/events/3986763108011656 _________________________________________ PAID JOB TRAINING FOR INDIVIDUALS 55 + POSITIONS WAITING TO BE FILLED. Paid job training for qualifying seniors age 55 and over. Must be Unemployed, Seeking Work, and Meet Income Qualification. Earn while you job train part-time. For information contact the AARP Foundation SCSEP office, 231-2524544, serving Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford and other Michigan counties. _________________________________________ ORYANA COMMUNITY CO-OP - ASSISTANT STORE Operations Manager Oryana Community Co-op is seeking an experienced professional to fill the role of Assistant Store Operations Manager. Primary responsibilities include day to day oversight of store operations, facilities, and staff management, under the direction of the Store Operations Manager. The ideal candidate will have retail grocery management experience and flexible availability. To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to hr@oryana.coop. To see other open positions visit oryana.coop/careers.

COMMERCIAL INCUBATOR-STYLE Kitchen Space for Rent New on east side. Space for 1 or 2 shifts per week. kitchenrentaltc@gmail.com _________________________________________ SUMMER JOB FAIR Join us on Wednesday, April 14 from 2pm - 6pm for a drive through job fair and a chance to interview with hiring managers for available summer positions!

Please apply online prior to attending at www. crystalmountain.com. _________________________________________ ENERGY TRANSFORMER FROM Within and Beyond NOW BOOKING APPOINTMENTS! Reiki energy healing in person or at a distance for you and/or your pet. Text your requested appointment date and time! 231-463-5866 www.pkbryan.com _________________________________________ MEIJER IS NOW HIRING ALL POSITIONS Responsible for delivering remarkable customer service by providing customers with exceptional product knowledge, efficient service and a friendly attitude. jobs.meijer.com _________________________________________ MISSING CAT GRAWN AREA Cat missing. F 13 long white hair patches of mixed black and brown. No tags. (971) 263-0287 _________________________________________ LOCAL QUALITY HUMIFIED COMPOST -Krull’s Composting Builds soil 60+ years!

Delivery and spreading service available! 231360-0243 _________________________________________ DAN’S AFFORDABLE HAULING: Will haul away junk, debris, misc. Estate, foreclosures, and clean ups. Free estimates. Call (231)6201370 or (231)499-8684 _________________________________________ AFFORDABLE HANDYMAN AND CLEANUP: Need a spring cleanup? Then Mike’s your guy from cleaning out the basement to power washing the garage. Staining the deck or mowing the lawn.Cheaper than any contractor231-871-1028

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): What do you believe in,

exactly, Leo? The coming weeks will be a fine time to take an inventory of your beliefs—and then divest yourself of any that no longer serve you, no longer excite you, and no longer fit your changing understanding of how life works. For extra credit, I invite you to dream up some fun new beliefs that lighten your heart and stimulate your playfulness. For example, you could borrow poet Charles Wright’s approach: “I believe what the thunder and lightning have to say.” Or you could try my idea: “I believe in wonders and marvels that inspire me to fulfill my most interesting dreams.”

VIRGO

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo poet Charles Wright testifies, “I write poems to untie myself, to do penance and disappear through the upper right-hand corner of things, to say grace.” What about you, Virgo? What do you do in order to untie yourself and do penance and invoke grace? The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to use all the tricks at your disposal to accomplish such useful transformations. And if you currently have a low supply of the necessary tricks, make it your healthy obsession to get more.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Kublai Khan, ruler

of the Mongol Empire and China in the second half of the 13th century, kept a retinue of 5,000 astrologers on retainer. Some were stationed on the roof of his palace, tasked with using sorcery to banish approaching storm clouds. If you asked me to perform a similar assignment, I would not do so. We need storms!

They bring refreshing rain, and keep the earth in electrical balance. Lightning from storms creates ozone, a vital part of our atmosphere, and it converts nitrogen in the air into nitrogen in the ground, making the soil more fertile. Metaphorical storms often generate a host of necessary and welcome transformations, as well—as I suspect they will for you during the coming weeks.

22 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly

northernexpress.com/classifieds

Mike Annelin

Enthusiastic & Experienced

Call Mike 231-499-4249 or 231-929-7900 SO

15,000 sq. ft. office space in Copper Ridge business development Well-maintained, versatile office space $2,495,000 MLS# 1883032

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0.72 acres, corner of Carver & Hastings Zoned industrial, empty lot $850,000 MLS#1882613

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Charming 3 bed, 1 bath, 1,295 sq. ft. home Great location, right in the heart of Traverse City $325,000

Exquisitely updated 3 bed, 2 bath home Great location, minutes from downtown TC $275,000 MLS# 1884309

0.84 acre lot for a new build, near Kingsley Partially wooded with countryside views $28,500 MLS# 1882064

0.75 acre lot for a new build, near Kingsley Open lot, nice countryside views $28,500 MLS# 1882065

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7 Modern Live/Work Units near Boardman Lake Very unique investment opportunity $1,100,000 MLS#1854942

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4 bed, 3 bath, 2,193 sq. ft. log cabin-style gem 160 ft. private frontage, 1.29 beautiful acres $765,000 MLS# 1883024

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3 bed, 2 bath, 1,386 sq. ft.

Great neighborhood and lovely backyard $225,000 4861 Bald Eagle Drive

Northern Express Weekly • april 12, 2021 • 23

24 • april 12, 2021 • Northern Express Weekly