Chris Carosa

Through the generations, the things that matter most are passed down in seemingly mundane ways. Yet, they form the basis of our lives and our children’s lives and our children’s children’s lives. What are they?

We often hear a phrase and naturally assume it’s been with us forever. Many times, we mistake its origin. What happens when we rediscover its inventive source? Read this week’s Carosa Commentary “Did You Know

OK, this can get embarrassing. How many times have you held yourself back from asking a “stupid” question? It turns out, what’s obvious and stupid to you is often neither obvious or stupid to someone else. Still

Why is it that hamburgers fascinate us so much? It seems like there are more variations of hamburgers than there are stars in the sky (but not as many variations of pizza). If you had to choose your favorite,

A frog will boil to death if placed in lukewarm water that’s slowly heated. In the same way, we lose our voice every time a bully nudges us further into silence. Most people don’t notice the boiling water of opp

What does it mean to be an optimist? From where does optimism come from? Read this week’s Carosa Commentary “‘There Must Be A Pony In Here Somewhere!’” to find the answers to these questions, and, along the way,

Sometimes movies represent an escape. Oftentimes, though, they represent an ideal to strive for, a moral lesson we can apply to our lives every day, and, in the best examples, a template for success. What does

Here’s an interesting idea. Let’s take the same logic used in Washington D.C. and apply it to our own region. It’s amazing how, if applied consistently, we can gain our independence. Don’t believe it? Read this we

Can you imagine what frontier life was once like? Believe it or not, we were once frontier. In fact, we were America’s First Frontier. How did we then blossom? Read “The Story of Abraham Parrish, Mendon’s First

Take a look at this week’s front page. Given the extraordinary circumstances and the importance of the content of this week’s issue, anyone can view the entire issue by registering for free and logging on when cli

Do you know there was a civil war between two colonies before the Revolutionary War? And then it erupted anew immediately after the conclusion of the War for Independence? Why is that important to us? Read “The S

Do you believe in fate? Karma? Justice? Even if it takes centuries? Here’s a local story that begins, in all places, seventeenth-century Scotland and the final battle of the English Civil War. How does that tie i

You love to laugh, right? If you’re only laughing at the foibles of other people, though, you’re not trying hard enough. But what if you find it hard to laugh at yourself? Read this week’s Carosa Commentary “Let’

Remember when you were a kid and someone goofed off in class or on the team. The teacher and the coach, instead of punishing the perpetrator, punished the entire class or the whole team. How did you feel when that

A lot has changed in a year. What you once took for granted can no longer be counted on. The daily routines you once measured your life by no longer exist. Can you ever expect to go back to the way things were

Do you smell something funny? News of Cuomo’s poor behavior both as a governor and a person aren’t new, so why is everyone all of the sudden “shocked, shocked to discover there is gambling going on here” in the

Last time it didn’t work. And you know why. This time you practice, practice, practice, making sure you get that one thing right that you missed last time. But when the real test comes, you fail again. Why? Read t

You’re tough. But are you tough enough? You can take a gentle ribbing. You can even brush aside the occasional snub. But what happens when they try to flush you down the memory hole? Read this week’s Carosa Com

Your moral conviction matter less than you think. You should worry about the moral conviction of your opponent. There are many tools that can be used against you. How can you best protect you, your family, and