Category Archives: History

A big “thank you” to all those who died in the Chicago rail yards so that we might have the day off to grill hot dogs… Happy Labor Day

I know it’s probably cheating, but here’s something that I posted over a decade ago on the occasion of Labor Day. If anything, I think it’s even more appropriate today, seeing as how Michigan has since become a so-called “right to work” state, and we now how have an unquestionably anti-worker administration running our country. […]

Also posted in Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Trump nearly doubling his death toll estimate, continues to urge states to reopen despite official White House guidelines

On Fox News yesterday, Donald Trump, after making the ridiculous case that he’s been “treated worse” than Abraham Lincoln, said that, in his opinion, it is now safe to re-open society. He then went on to say that, by the time all of this is over, the COVID-19 death toll in the United States could […]

Also posted in Michigan, Politics, Rants, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 84 Comments

Documenting Ypsilanti in the time of COVID-19

Back in 2017, I got the idea that we should designate a weekend to collectively documenting our lives in Ypsilanti. I called the initiative #DocumentYpsi, and the results were pretty awesome. In fact, I was 100% committed, given the response, to make sure that it became an annual thing. But, like so many other things, […]

Also posted in Art and Culture, Health, Ypsilanti | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The story about my great, great grandfather nearly severing the leg of his brother with an axe

Not too long ago, as you may recall, I shared a few family stories here that had been handed down by my great grandmother’s cousin, Mattie Belle Wise (1892-1992). Well, I’ve got another family story to share with you today. This one, however, comes from my recently-discovered fourth cousin, Stephen Wise. [Stephen reached out to […]

Also posted in Mark's Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Untold History of Zines… Alex Hubbard and Dan M on “The Removal Technician”

About a year or so ago, when I was done interviewing Sean Tejaratchi, the man behind Crap Hound, for my History of Zines project, I asked him who else I should be talking with from Portland’s golden age of self-publishing, and he suggested that I try to track down Dan M. and Alex Hubbard, who […]

Also posted in Art and Culture, Mark's Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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