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Dear editor
With the recent retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court, it has never been clearer that women’s reproductive rights are in great jeopardy.
When Roe v. Wade was first decided in 1973, the court ruled in a 7-2 decision in favor of the right to privacy that gave women the ability to choose safe, legal abortions.
However, in recent years, many cases that have upheld abortion rights were made into 5-4 decisions, with Justice O’Connor being considered the swing vote.
The ramifications of a court that would not uphold Roe v. Wade would be disastrous for women’s health and lives. Prior to Roe, many women had no other choice than to turn to illegal and often unsafe abortions.
In the mid-’60s, seventeen percent of all deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth were the result of illegal abortions.
With the steady decline in support from justices to uphold a woman’s right to choose, it is imperative that we encourage senators Levin and Stabenow not to confirm any judicial nominee who would not uphold the tenants of Roe v. Wade.
Lacy Gregg

Children’s Museum raffles fine gifts; tickets now on sale
The U.P. Children’s Museum will hold a raffle at 5:00 p.m. on September 17 to support exhibits and programs at the museum.
Prizes include: a $1,000 shopping spree from Jandrons Fine Jewelry; one night’s stay, dinner and breakfast at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island; use of a suite at a Northern Michigan University hockey game; a framed print of McCarty’s Cove; front-end alignment and maintenance package from Marquette Automotive; family membership or birthday party at the Children’s Museum; a hot tub; and gift cards donated by Gander Mountain, Wal-Mart, American, ShopKo, Target and Kohl’s.
Tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and can be purchased at the museum at 123 W. Baraga Avenue or by calling 226-3911.

Omega House annual raffle offers Packers-Lions tickets
The Omega House Community Hospice Project will hold its annual sports raffle at 9:00 a.m. on August 29 on the WMPL 920 AM Sports Junkies radio show.
Prizes include luxury box tickets to the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions game with a two-night stay, a regular pair of tickets to the Lions vs. Packers game with a two-night stay, a framed and signed Steve Yzerman jersey with two pucks, a signed 2004 Green Bay Packer football and display case, a MTU signed football jersey by Joe Berger and a Red Wing hockey puck signed by Curtis Joseph, as well as other signed sports collectibles.
Tickets cost $10 each or three for $25. For details, call 482-4438.

Society finishes renovations to Pickle Barrel House
The Grand Marais Historical Society completed renovations to the Pickle Barrel House Museum, the former home of author-illustrator William Donahey.
Built in 1926, the Pickle Barrel House was a summer cottage for Donahey and his wife Mary, who worked together to create the Teenie Weenie newspaper comic. The sixteen-foot-high barrel served as their home on Sable Lake for ten years and attracted hundreds of curious visitors.
The Grand Marais Historical Society acquired the property in the summer of 2003 and converted it into a museum honoring the creative couple.
The museum includes an exhibit and collection of the Donaheys’ work and areas refurbished to look as they did in the 1920s.
The museum is open from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. daily and admission is free. Visit www.grandmaraismichigan.com for details.

Annual U.P. Gem and Mineral Show set for August 6
The thirtieth annual Upper Peninsula Gem and Mineral Show will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on August 6 at the Ishpeming Elks Club.
Hosted by the Ishpeming Rock and Mineral Club, the free show will feature mineral dealers from throughout the Midwest and will provide an array of items, such as fossils, agates, handmade jewelry, pendants, mineral specimens and more.
Demonstrations on faceting and micro-mounting, as well as a silent auction of mineral specimens will take place during the show.
A special area for children will be set aside where they can purchase mineral specimens for twenty-five cents or less.
Two field trips will complement the show, including a field trip to the Republic Mine on August 5 and a trip to the Lindberg Quarry on August 7.
For details, call 228-9422.

POW Camp documentary to air again on Public TV 13
The award-winning documentary The Enemy in Our Midst: Nazi Prisoner of War Camps in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will air at 4:00 p.m. on August 21 and 1:00 p.m. on August 29 on NMU Public TV 13.
The 161-minute film details the internment of roughly 1,100 German prisoners of war in the Upper Peninsula during World War II.
The film features interviews with two former German prisoners, historic photographs and film clips, reenactments, interviews with people who encountered the POWs and modern footage from the camps where prisoners cut pulpwood in the Upper Peninsula.
For more information, visit www.nmu.edu/wnmutv/enemy.htm

Art gallery in Michigamme nominated for national award
Niche magazine nominated the Michigamme Moonshine Art Gallery for its 2005 Top 100 Retailers of American Craft award.
More than 18,000 professional craft artists nominated more than 700 galleries, retail stores and museum shops.
Criteria for selection included treating artists with courtesy and respect, paying on time, promoting and marketing America crafts, giving back time and energy to the craft community and mentoring emerging artists.
Niche will announce winners on August 5. For details, visit www.nichemag.com or call 323-6324.

Growing drought consumes Upper Peninsula counties
The National Weather Service announced that a moderate drought is occurring across portions of Alger, Delta, Dickinson, Luce, Menominee and Schoolcraft counties.
The NWS also announced that abnormally dry conditions exist across the Western and Central Upper Peninsula.
Above-normal temperatures and a lack of rain have aggravated dry conditions, leading to low river and stream levels, damaged agriculture and moderate to high fire risks in areas of the U.P.
A ridge of high pressure over the Great Lakes region in July kept much needed precipitation away from the Upper Peninsula and may continue to influence dry conditions.
Visit www.weather.gov/up for details.

Mentor Michigan regional training set for August 18
Mentor Michigan will host a regional training session from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on August 18 at Northern Michigan University.
First Gentleman Dan Mulhern will lead a discussion about program standards designed by and specifically for Michigan-based mentoring programs. There also will be workshops on supporting and retaining mentors, using current mentors to recruit new mentors, fundraising and protecting the safety and security of mentored children.
The training is designed for mentoring professionals and volunteers and costs $15, including lunch and materials. For details, call (517)373-4200 or e-mail vasilionk@michigan.gov

Marquette General welcomes new neonatologist
Neonatologist Dr. Lea Bonifacio has joined Dr. Julia Frei in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the Marquette General Health System.
Bonifacio provides diagnosis and treatment of newborn infants. She deals with problems such as prematurity, respiratory distress syndrome, infection or sepsis and infants with congenital anomalies.
Dr. Bonifacio completed her neonatology fellowship at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital/Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick (New Jersey).
Bonifacio performed her pediatrics residency at the Jersey City Medical Center in New Jersey and earned her medical degree from the University of the City of Manila in the Philippines.
For information or a referral to Dr. Bonifacio, call the Marquette General Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at 225-3358.

New State of the Youth Report released, analyzed
The Great Lakes Center for Youth Development released the 2004 State of the Youth Report.
The report found a majority of teens in Marquette and Alger counties have a positive view of their personal future, feel safe in their environment and highly value integrity and honesty.
The report also found many youth do not feel valued by adults, believe communication lines between parents and kids aren’t open enough and don’t know how to plan for their futures.
The report was based on surveys taken by more than 2,000 students in sixteen schools in Marquette and Algers counties.

Catholic Diocese offices move to downtown Marquette
Several departments of the Catholic Diocese of Marquette moved to downtown Marquette.
All Diocesan Pastoral offices on South Fourth Street, and two departments from the St. Joseph Center on Rock Street, relocated to the third floor of the Wells Fargo building at the corner of Front and Washington streets.
The relocated offices include those of the bishop, Marriage Tribunal, chancellor, Propagation of the Faith, the departments of Ministry Personnel, Administration and Finance, Communications and Faith Formation and Education.

Calumet Electronics leads the way to RoHS compliance
Calumet Electronics Corp., long known for manufacturing printed circuit boards in the U.S., is blazing the path to meeting stringent new content restrictions for electronic equipment sold in Europe.
CEC has developed a new line of printed circuit boards that comply with European Union Directive 2002/95/EC, which places restrictions on the use of hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) in electronic equipment.
These circuit boards are available with Electroless nickel/immersion gold or immersion silver surface plating, and use FR4 base material designed to withstand the higher process temperatures associated with lead-free assembly.
Calumet Electronics’ customers can be assured that the removal of these standard hazardous substances will not reduce performance of their products.
For thirty-five years, Calumet Electronics has been setting the standard of excellence for printed circuit boards.
Continuous building and equipment upgrades have created a state-of-the-art production facility, serving clients around the world.
For more information on the new line of RoHS-compliant circuit boards from Calumet Electronics Corp., contact the company at 337-1305 or e-mail leadfree@cec-up.com

United States Olympic Education Center Update
• Boxing—Ray Robinson represented the United States at an AIBA World Cup event in Moscow (Russia). Al Mitchell will serve as head couch of the World Cup Team. David Clark competed at an international event against Korea in Reno (Nevada). The USOEC hosted eighty athletes and coaches from across the country for a Boxing All-Comers Camp.
• Speedskating—Twenty-four athletes are participating in an intense summer training program in preparation for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino (Italy). Included in this group are Amy Peterson, a five-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist, and Shani Davis, a 2002 Olympian and reigning World Champion.
• Weightlifting—Seven weightlifters are participating in a summer resident training program. Three athletes competed at the University World Championship in Villeneuve-Loubet (France). Amber Davis won third place in the fifty-three-kilogram class, Rachel Hearn took third place and Emmy Vargas won fourth place in the seventy-five-plus-kilogram class.
• Men’s Greco-Roman Wrestling—Harry Leter won the World Team Trials competition in Ames (Iowa). By winning the event, Lester will represent the United States at the World Championships in Budapest (Hungary).
• Women’s Free-style Wrestling—The USOEC hosted a Women’s Junior World Team Preparation Camp for eighteen athletes. Toccara Montgomery, who finished seventh at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, assisted USOEC coach Shannyn Gillespie with the camp.

News and notes from the desk of Mike Prusi
• State Senator Mike Prusi (D-Ishpeming) announced $4 million in federal transportation project funds for ten communities in the Western Upper Peninsula. Set to receive the funds are Marquette, Houghton, Escanaba, Ishpeming, Menominee, Iron Mountain, Laurium, Ironwood, Kingsford and Gladstone. The grants were secured through MDOT for road improvements and transit projects in small urban areas.
• Governor Jennifer Granholm signed legislation introduced by Prusi allowing higher education institutes to seek bonds for capitol maintenance. The legislation is designed to spur job creation through various construction and improvement projects, such as roof repair, safety and accessibility improvements and technological infrastructure upgrades.

Items of interest from the desk of Bart Stupak
• Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced a $36,000 Rural Development grant for the Keweenaw Industrial Council from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant will be used to help the council move forward with plans for a Business Development Center in the Houghton County Airpark. As a Renaissance Zone, the Airpark is exempt from paying Michigan taxes and offers a fully functioning facility to growing businesses.

Tidbits from the desk of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
• The U.S. Senate approved an energy bill that included an amendment by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) requiring a formal investigation into whether gasoline prices are being manipulated. The investigation by the Federal Trade Commission also will examine if prices are being controlled by reducing refinery capacities or by other forms of market manipulation or price-gouging practices. The bill will not be in effect until matching legislation is approved by the U.S. House and signed by the president. Despite this, Stabenow urged the FTC to launch its probe immediately.
• Stabenow helped secure Senate approval for emergency funds to assist the Veterans Administration, an agency that provides health care for America’s growing population of military veterans. Funds will help fill a $1 billion shortfall for the current fiscal year.
• Stabenow and Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) voiced their support of a vote by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee to help block the flow of Canadian solid waste into Michigan. The senators said they will work in the Senate to match the House legislation.

Local news and business ventures in brief…
• MSHS students Bridget Holliday, Traci Jutila, Thomas LaTourneau and Gabrielle Trudeau took fifth place at the National Leadership Conference in Nashville (Tennessee); working as a team, the students solved a problem relating to the tsunami relief effort and presented their solution to a panel of judges.
• The Marquette Area Public School District raised $10,820 during the winter and this spring of 2004 for the Save the Children organization, a charity supporting victims of the tsunami disaster.
• Rotary has awarded Burt Parolini Jr. with the Paul Harris Fellowship for his thirty-seven years of service to humanitarian and educational programs.
• Marquette General Health System earned a Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations for meeting national stands for health care quality and safety.
• Dr. Nicole Linder of Carney graduated from the MGHS Family Medicine Residency Program with five other family physicians.
• Michael P. Mlinar, former president and general manager of Cliffs Michigan mining operations, was named vice president and general manager of Cleveland-Cliffs’ Northshore Mining Company; Edward M. Latendresse will assume Mlinar’s current position as vice president and general manager at Hibbing Taconite and United Taconite.
• Cleveland-Cliffs announced a 100-percent increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend from ten to twenty cents per common share.
• The Omega House Community Hospice Project received $50,000 in grants from the Lions Club International Foundation and District 10 Lions clubs for the purchase of medical supplies.
• Finlandia University received a $150,000 grant from the Coleman Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Excellence in Teaching Colleges program.
• Finlandia softball team members Angela Gallardo of Marquette, Jana Riutta of Stanton Township and Lyndsey Moxie of Wolverine were named to the first-ever All-Independent Women’s Softball Team.

U.P. authors’ corner
Beth Virtanen released her first book of poetry, Guarding Passage.
In the Finnish-American poetic tradition, Guarding Passage touches on many of the themes from the Finnish diaspora, including ideas of connections to mother country and assimilation in America. Virtanen’s poetry takes readers to various places, including Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Denmark, Finland and Alaska, but her focus rests in the Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior. For details, visit www.penfieldbooks.com

8-18 Media book reviews by kids for kids
Say What? by Margaret Peterson
Published by Simon & Schuster, 91 Pages
Six-year-old Sukie Rose Robinson has been noticing that her parents are acting very strangely. They’re saying the wrong things at the wrong time.
For instance, when Sukie spills her milk, her mom says, “No, you can’t have a snack, we’re eating dinner in five minutes.”
And they were eating dinner already.
But when Sukie and her two brothers, Brian and Reed, find out why their parents are acting this way, they come up with a plan. Now it’s parents against kids.
When I saw this book, the first thing I thought was, “This book looks funny and easy to read.” I was in the mood for a funny book, so I just grabbed it and read away.
I like that the kids in this book are troublemakers and the parents are control freaks.
What I don’t like is that the kids in the book are two or more years younger than I am. I like to read books about kids my age.
This book is well organized and easy to follow. It stays on topic.
The character I relate to the most probably is Brian, who like me, is the oldest child in the family and likes to be in charge.
The words used by the characters were appropriate for their age and personality. I understood most of the words, but there were some (such as “rendezvous”) that I didn’t recognize at first. The title refers to the weird things Sukie’s parents say. It’s like she is thinking, “Say what?” because she is confused.
I have never read any other books by Margaret Peterson Haddix, but I definitely will, because Say What? is funny, and I wonder if her other books are too.
I recommend this book to kids ages eight to eleven.
—Reviewed by Alex Bott, eleven

A word to the wise
Verbum satis sapientibus: A word to the wise is sufficient
This month, let’s consider the mighty verb, easily most powerful and many-faceted of all the parts of speech. Verbs can make a sentence stutter, stammer or sputter; cry, crawl or croak; or simply be.
Yet all verbs are not created equal; some are less equal than others. The second-class verbs I have in mind are those few not able to connect with an object, something most verbs do as their proper inheritance.
Verbs that take an object we call transitive. For example, “A southern gardener plants okra,” or “The sinner beats his breast,” or “The pitcher throws a spit-ball.” In each case, the italicized verb is followed by an object answering the question, “What?” or sometimes “Whom?” The transitive verb carries the action.
Intransitive verbs, however, never transit through to an object, though they may be followed by phrases: “The crime stinks to heaven,” “She treads softly,” or “We all cried like the Missouri.” These verbs don’t stink anything or tread anything.
Yet again, a good number of verbs can be both transitive and intransitive: we can play baseball, or we can simply play; we can speak riddles, or merely speak.
So where is all this pedantry leading us? The point has to do with the misuse, or modified use, of a few verbs. Verbs like award, graduate and lie/lay cause many of us confusion with respect to whether or not they take an object, and if so, what sort of object.
The rather modern word baby-sit illustrates one kind of problem or evolution. Whenever, as a teenager, I tended small children, I baby-sat for them, intransitively. Today, for some speakers, this odd verb often takes an object: they simply baby-sit children, not for them. What follows the verb, now transitive, is an object, not a phrase.
A similar instance of this attempt to ban discrimination among verbs is with the verb graduate. Stylebooks used to insist that schools graduate their students, still formally proper. Students were graduated from their schools, in the passive voice.
Today, however, few would fuss on hearing that students graduated from, rather than were graduated from, schools. Some would take this even further, omitting the preposition and making this usage of the verb transitive: “Students graduated their schools,” just the reverse of the old standard. It’s not yet the Queen’s English, but maybe it will catch on.
Award suffers a different sort of misuse. It takes an object all right, but it also often is tailed by an indirect object. Properly speaking, colleges award scholarships to students, or they award (to) students scholarships. But they never ever simply award students, no matter what the headline may say.
Recall that the transitive verb tells us what the verb does. Award what? Certainly not students, though it may honor them. The confusion here occurs because, while the scholarship or specific honor is the object, the verb also has an indirect object, indicating not what is awarded but to whom.
Lie and lay may be the most misused verbs in the language, bedeviling almost everyone. It turns out that lie is intransitive: it cannot take an object. “We lie on the beach.” Unfortunately, yesterday “we lay on the beach,” and there’s the rub. The past tense of the verb lie is the same as the present of lay, which just so happens to be a transitive verb, taking an object always. “Now I lay the book on the table,” and yesterday “I laid the book someplace.”
Should you have to pause a moment before choosing the correct form of these two verbs, take comfort. Everyone does. It’s lie/lay/have or has lain, while the principal parts of lay are lay/laid/have or has laid. I wouldn’t lie to you.

Word for the month
Segashuate (se-GASH-oo-ate), a wonderful verb located in the tales of Uncle Remus, by Joel Chandler Harris. Its meaning? Let’s put it into context, and you tell me what it means. Brer Rabbit salutes the Tar-Baby, fashioned of tar and molasses, with this greeting, “How duz yo’ sym’tums seem ter segashuate?” The word is not in the Oxford English Dictionary.
—Gerald Waite

Editor’s Note: Questions and comments are welcome via e-mail at marquettemonthly@chartermi.net

MM

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