Selected Columns News Today

When I was young, our family had an Advent calendar that magically appeared on our kitchen wall each Dec. 1. It had a sweet treat tied to it with yarn

Ready. Set. Go! It’s time. It is time for me to shine. I love giving gifts. It is my favorite thing to do, like a hobby. I have spent most

The legacy of a former Central Michigan University professor and columnist for The Morning Sun is being celebrated through a published book of some of her written works.

Merry Christmas greetings to all our Christian friends and neighbors.Kwanzaa greetings to all our African American friends and neighbors.Enjoy being with friends and families during the season. *** I have some wonderful news to share.Sherry Wilson of...

Global perspective: US-China tension may offer new opportunity for N. Korean diplomacy April 12, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen in this file photo. (Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, First Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK), adopted a policy of "parallel construction of economy and nuclear arsenal" in March 2013, less than a year and a half after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. At that tim...

Why is Japan cautious about taking stance on alleged Uyghur human rights abuse by China? March 17, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is seen at the prime ministers office on Dec. 21, 2020. (Mainichi/Kan Takeuchi) TOKYO -- While the U.S. government has officially deemed Chinas oppression of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region a "genocide," the Japanese government has taken a cautious stance toward making such a declaration. The question of whether the Chinese g...

Edging Toward Japan: A fantasy of Japan revealed in a lavish Japanese garden far away March 16, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) By Damian Flanagan Passing through the thatched gateway, you enter another world: The torii of an old Shinto shrine sits serenely on an alluring island in a lake festooned with lotus leaves while a delicate arched bridge beckons. Across a stream, a winding path leads you past a stone lantern to a teahouse, while a covering of moss under a canopy of cypress trees gives a ...

Opinion: What is the cost of apologizing in Japanese politics? Not much, it seems February 24, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) (Mainichi) I hear that Japan has a unique "apology culture." For example, in North America and Europe, monetary recompense is considered important, but in Japan, it is the words of apology that are apparently important above all. This kind of culture may be changing in recent years, however. According to the results of a large-scale 2012 survey carried out by Japanese sch...

Edging Toward Japan: The Zen-like insight of Raymond Carver February 3, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) The Salisbury Cathedral in Britain (Photo by Damian Flanagan) By Damian Flanagan Its been many years since I read Raymond Carvers iconic short story, "Cathedral" (1981), so I thought I might reread it. The plot runs something like this: a wife announces to her husband, in some humdrum East Coast American town, that an old friend -- a middle-aged blind man who she used to work for -- is coming ...

Japans news media needs to bark more as govt watchdog: former NYT bureau chief January 18, 2021 (Mainichi Japan) Martin Fackler is seen standing on a street corner in Ebisu, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Dec. 30, 2020. (Mainichi/Taro Fujii) TOKYO -- 2020 is over, and a new year has begun. With the governments performance in question following issues including the declaration of a state of emergency shortly after the New Year holidays, what role is the media playing in overseeing the administratio...