Karen's Lighthouse Mosaic

My friend Karen and I are a riot together.  I posted about an Artists in Residence day that we both participated in, and I realized she would make a great post herself.  Karen's business is named Re-Creations Mosaics.  She used to be a successful decorative painter and very much in demand, but the stresses on her body were getting to be too much, so she sold that business. Now she channels her artistic urges into her mosaics, and they are something.  At first she was timid about showing them to people (she still gives away more than she gets to galleries!), but I talked her into doing a show at the Peninsula Art School in Door County, Wisconsin (specifically in Fish Creek) and they both sold, which blew her away!  I wasn't surprised because I know how great her work is.  She has started to show them more, and I keep encouraging her to do more, because they are wonderful.

She and I have been friends since the fifth grade.  We were both crazy artist types, and e were the bane of Mr. Jones' art classes.  I know he loved us, but we couldn't have been easy to have in class.  We have always been able to inspire each other, and we sure have fun while we do it.  We try to get together regularly to do art projects, sometimes it's jewelry for me and glasswork for her, but most of the time we try to paint, or collage, or some other medium.  She and I also are the leaders of our church Youth Art Ministry (YAM).  We get a group of the junior and senior high kids together and go crazy.  We call these YAM jams. 

Karen does her mosaics in much smaller pieces than I've ever seen - they are literally paintings done with glass pieces.  The detail and color is fantastic!  She typically does them on old salvaged windows (some from my old house), but sometimes she finds cool old frames and uses those, too.  Her creativity is contagious.I am working on her to get a website and Etsy account, etc.  For now I will just brag about her on mine.  The pictures don't do her work justice, but I hope you can get the idea.

I don't know why being called an artist always surprises me, or makes me feel all funny inside.  Does it sound pretentious?  Is it wishful thinking?  I don't know exactly, but it still gives me a thrill and yet makes me feel like a phony at the same time! 

This past weekend my good friend Karen and I were the Artists in Residence for The Old Church Gallery in Cedar River, Michigan.  We brought our respective work and spent the day there, meeting the customers and having a ball together.  Karen Brabender and I have been friends since grade school, and we are each other's inspiration for artwork in a lot of ways.  Karen does gorgeous mosaic glass paintings under the business name Re-Creations Mosaics.  She takes a lot of old windows and does mosaic work on the glass.  Anyway, the day was a great success and they have already asked us to do it again next year, and they are going to be having a lot more artists come in also.  People seemed really excited to see us working on our things right in front of them. 

I love the contact with people - I have always been very outgoing and I love to socialize, so these kinds of events are something I really enjoy.  I hadn't had enough beading time lately, so it was nice to get back to designing and creating jewelry.  I have been so busy with other things that I have been neglecting my creative side - my internal artist - and that has to change.  That artist inside is important and I need to let her out to play more.

1.) Tickets are way to much

If you've bought a ticket before, you know that's a big wad of cash to slam down for a chance to win any of it back. Yes, it's the best odds, but there's only so many times you can play and not win. If I were not much of a lottery player, you wouldn't see me slap 50 bucks down for the 3rd time in hopes of winning.

2.) One Raffle is all you need

They alternate with the 1 million dollar Michigan Millionaire Raffle and the Super Raffle. One costs 20, the other 50. If you want to attract more people, make it just the Michigan Millionaire Raffle and charge 20 bucks. The top prize should be the 2 million dollar one and the odds of winning less prizes are taken away. The cost could be made up by selling more tickets.

3.) Make more prizes!

Everybody wants to be an instant millionaire, how about making a 20 dollar raffle with 1 prize of a million dollars and TONS of people winning smaller prizes. Such as 1 prize of 1 million and about 30,000 100 dollar prizes. Better odds to win 100! The tease? The one million would be tax free! Well I know there's laws against that, but Michigan should offer up to pay the taxes and anything else to ensure that the winner indeed banks 1 million dollars. None of this, take a lump sum for half the cost or take it up the rear with taxes. One Million Dollars, no questions asked. This would be impossible cause the state wouldn't want to cough up the taxes or let it slide.

4.) Less tickets please

We all know that the trouble with not doing the drawing is that they didn't sell enough tickets. Even with the great discount, 5 bucks....ok it's not great but if your shelling out a 50 spot, 5 bucks is enough to make you feel sort of good for buying a ticket. Anywho, make a Super Raffle with a 2 million dollar pay out, but less smaller prizes so they can lower the amount of tickets sold. It's a thin line. Half the people want the 2 million, the other half want a chance to get something and would take winning double their money back.

These are just some ideas running through my head, nothing that needs to be done, but some ideas nonetheless. If Michigan continues with both raffles, it's just going to hurt them. I've been saying it before, if the Raffles aren't restructured SOMEHOW, I don't see both staying in the game very long. I do see one staying in, and that would be the 20 dollar Michigan Millionaire Raffle.

I miss the colors of the leaves, and the crunch of the leaves, blowing leaves, and making a huge pile and jumping right into them. (No, you're never too old for that!) I miss the crisp air in fall, and the dew on the grass in the morning and that it's starting to get dark on your way home from work at 5:30 p.m. I miss hay rides, pumpkin patches and drinking apple cider. (I suppose I can buy apple cider in Florida, but it doesn't taste the same for the simple fact it doesn't feel like fall here). I miss wearing jeans, a sweater and a scarf.

I miss early October and counting down to my birthday. Making plans for a party, or a night out, maybe plans for Halloween. I miss decorating for fall and carving pumpkins.

I'm feeling nostalgic today. What do you miss? About anything?

www.askdangerouslee.com

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I did however take pictures at Missy's house as I went to visit her, she got home from the hospital. Took pictures of the roses her mother got her, and random thing's around her yard, including a canoe her father crafted. He does amazing wood work and I'd love to get pictures of some of his other stuff some day. I'll have to work that out I suppose, it shouldn't be hard I bet :).

So below are the pictures. It ends with the road outside my house... good ol country life. I hope you all enjoy.

This past Monday, our team at Audu Real Estate decided to take a fieldtrip.  Our foray out of the office took us to Dégagé Ministries, a Christian outreach ministry on 144 South Division Avenue.  It was a cold and rainy day, but Marge Parmalee, the Program Director greeted us with a warm smile. 

I had heard about the Dégagé Coffehouse ministry shortly after I graduated from college, but was unfamiliar with what the program did.  Today, Dégagé Ministries offers it's patrons, many of whom are homeless and suffer from mental illness, a whole range of social services.  The focus of the mission is to " To reflect the love of Christ to all who come through our doors by building relationships and offering programs that foster dignity and respect."

Marge graciously toured us through the 5 story facility which includes the basement.  On the street level, the ministry has a large room with tables and chairs.  Patrons can recieve a warm meal for a minimal fee and some can earn vouchers for meals or other services by doing one of the 40 jobs which the facility offers.  We observed individuals in the kitchen cleaning up and others sweeping the floors.  Most of the cleaning in the facility is done by those who use the service.

We toured the women's lounge where Marge indicated that approximately 30 women had slept on mats the night before and received follow up care and counselling.  Although empty during our visit, the lounge was spotless and this included the shower and locker area.  It was incredible to realise that for these women, this shelter was their only home.

The ministry provides a wide array of support tools such as mailboxes for people who have no address, showers, lockers and laundry facilities, a State ID program and referrals to area professionals such as doctors who offer their services at reduced or minimal rates.  And...there's always the support of Prayer.

Marge shared the story of Karen, a woman who is featured in the latest newsletter for the ministry.  Today, through the work of God's grace, Karen is gainfully employed and has gotten back on her feet.  We were reminded that with the economic crisis that is facing our nation, there are many people who are on the verge of falling 'through the cracks.'

It is sobering to see the impact of the 'other side' of the housing crisis.  Homelessness is a crisis which impacts not just the individual, but the community.  And...the power of community is reflected in the work of ministries like Dégagé in which individuals and business leaders have come together to extend a hand to those who need a loving touch

Dégagé Ministries ~ 144 South Division
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

This page was a lot of fun to do. We used the edges that we trimmed off the pictures to fill in the background. I think it makes a neat effect.

I also like Sadie's little drawings of buckets filled with blueberries.

SONIC® Drive-In Opens Location in Flint

(Oklahoma City) – Flint residents now have a reason to stay in – stay in their cars that is. SONIC®, America’s Drive-In® today announced the opening of Flint’s first SONIC Drive-In, a restaurant where you order your meal and eat right from the comfort of your own vehicle.

“We are very excited to open a SONIC in Flint,” said Bill Wentworth, Jr., franchisee of the SONIC Drive-In. “We are looking forward to serving the community and delivering the fun Carhop service SONIC Drive-Ins are known for across the country.”

The Wentworth Group is the principal owner of the new SONIC located at 3140 Miller Road in Flint. The restaurant features 27 drive-in stalls, two walk-up ordering stations and a drive-thru.

The drive-in will open at 7 a.m. on Oct. 13 to serve customers a delicious breakfast. With the full menu available all day, customers can enjoy a Breakfast Burrito to start their morning or as a late night snack.

SONIC, which specializes in made-to-order fast food, is known for its specialty menu items and personal Carhop service. Unique drink combinations make SONIC Your Ultimate Drink Stop!® SONIC’s slow-melting ice, helps drinks stay cool and keeps them cooled longer while maintaining flavor. SONIC’s full menu is available all day, giving guests the option of eating breakfast for dinner or ordering a SONIC Blast in the morning. Favorites include TOASTER® Sandwiches (sandwiches served on thick Texas Toast), Extra-Long Cheese Coneys (hot dogs with chili and cheese), fresh hamburgers, handfresh-made Onion Rings, Tater Tots and a variety of Ffrozen Favorites® treats and Fountain Favorites® drinks. SONIC’s ever-growing menu is full of options to satisfy every taste, such as Fresh Fruit Smoothies.

SONIC, America’s Drive-In (NASDAQ/NM: SONC) started as a hamburger and root beer stand in 1953 in Shawnee, Okla., called Top Hat Drive-In, and then changed its name to SONIC in 1959. The first drive-in to adopt the SONIC name is still serving customers in Stillwater, Okla. As the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants, SONIC has more than 3,400 drive-ins coast to coast. More than a million customers eat at SONIC every day; and with more drink combinations than any other quick-service restaurant – more than 168,000 to be exact – SONIC is Your Ultimate Drink Stop®. For more information about Sonic Corp. and its subsidiaries, visit SONIC at www.sonicdrivein.com.

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Im Süden von Michigan kann man die Auswirkungen der aktuellen Krise hautnah sehen: An jedem zweiten Haus steht eine Werbetafel für einen der Kandidaten bei der bevorstehenden Präsidentenwahl. Das ist ja an sich nicht bemerkenswert, wären an den anderen Häusern nicht auch Schilder zur Strasse hin. Auf denen steht allerdings weder "Obama" oder "McCain", sondern "For Sale". Das ist schon ziemlich bedrückend, man hat den Eindruck dass fast jeder dort von der Krise unmittelbar betroffen ist und sein Haus verkaufen muss.

Und dann hört man von den amerikanischen Kollegen täglich das Update über die aktuellen Wertverluste ihrer 401K-Pensionspläne. Da wird einem echt übel. Und die Aktionen von Regierungen und Nationalbanken verpuffen im nichts, kaum dass sie bekanntgegeben werden. Frustrierend.

Ich hatte auch das zweifelhafte Vergnügen, die Kandidatendebatte dieser Woche live bei CNN - zumindest in Auszügen (bin irgendwann eingeschlafen) - sehen zu dürfen. Danach würde ich mich sehr wundern, wenn der nächste Präsident McCain hiesse. Und damit ist alles zu diesem Thema gesagt.

“Let us so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire last for a thousand years, men will still say: this was their finest hour.”—Winston Churchhill

In World War Two, when Nazi bombs were falling on England, the citizens came together like never before. Far from breaking their spirit, the attacks strengthened their resolve.

Similarly, in Michigan today, a common purpose has united men and women from every walk of life. Not separated by artificial labels like Republican and Democrat, church-go’er and not, male and female, young and old, Michiganders are mounting a non-partisan effort to throw off the cruelest anti-research laws in the nation.

Current law?  If you are trying to find a cure for cancer and you make a stem cell line, you can go to jail for ten years, and be fined a million dollars. This is nonsense, and it is time for change.

The state of Michigan is fighting for the right to turn medical trash into treasure, to use blastocysts that would otherwise be thrown away to give hope to suffering people, so that every American family can have the right to the best medicine science can provide.

Here is how it works. When a childless couple goes to the In Vitro Fertility (IVF) clinic, to try to have a baby, fifteen or twenty microscopic blastocysts  are made—microscopic unions of sperm and egg. The best ones are put inside the woman, implanted in her womb, to help her and her husband achieve their dream. But what about the other 12-15 blastocysts?

Under current law, they must be thrown away, given to some other couple, and be stored in frozen nitrogen (at an expense) forever. But they cannot be used for research which might save lives or ease suffering. That’s correct— a blastocyst which can legally be tossed in the dump, cannot be donated to the quest for cure.

Would it not be better to allow these microscopic dots of tissue to be used to help bring about relief for suffering people? Remember, it is biologically impossible for these cells to ever become a child unless they are implanted in a woman’s womb. No mother, no baby: that is a simple fact of life.

A lot of good people have worked years to overturn those laws.

Why? “Everybody knows someone with a terrible condition, who cannot be cured right now,” said Sophie Eichner of Michigan for Stem Cell Research and Cures, “like my husband, who has cancer and diabetes, and my mother, who has rheumatoid arthritis.”

People like Sophie mounted a campaign, and put Proposal 2 on the ballot. As an initiative, Proposal 2 needed 380, 000 signatures to qualify for consideration; but the men and women fighting for Proposal 2 gathered more than half a million individual signatures.

Now it must be voted on, decided by Michigan.

It is an uphill battle.

The Religious Right likes to brag about their domination of Michigan, taking pride in the very restrictions on research that we hope to overturn-- and they have virtually unlimited resources.

Among the enemies of research is (unfortunately) the Catholic Church, the single largest property owner in the world. In addition to attacks from the pulpit, the Michigan Catholic Conference has spent vast amounts of money on their seemingly endless campaign. For example, one of their widely-distributed propaganda messages was a professionally-done 12 minute anti-stemcell DVD. This was sent to every Catholic family in Michigan—think of the cost of 503,000 DVD’s plus postage for that single mailing—not to mention the television ads.

Fortunately, Catholics can be independent. My wife Gloria is Catholic, as are my children Desiree and Roman, and they are among the 72% of American Catholics who support embryonic stem cell research.

Unfortunately, we are up against people who are willing to lie.

These are supposed to be champions of morality. Certainly they praise themselves enough, implying that only non-virtuous folks could disagree with their views.

To me, when the  Good Book says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness”, that means no lying—the opposition tossed that commandment out the window.

Three examples:

Lie Number One: the opposition knows perfectly well Proposal 2 is not about money for research: not a nickel, not a dollar, not a cent.

But the opposition runs expensive TV ads showing an actor shoveling mountains of money, saying Michigan can’t afford to spend millions on stem cell research—even though Proposal 2 asks for no money at all.

Lie number Two:  The opposition pretends the bill is about cloning, using the fear of this horror movie fantasy in more professionally-made TV ads, with an announcer intoning like the voice of doom, while the video shows a bunch of buildings with labels like “Crop Clones” on them. I have no idea where they got these companies, or if they exist at all— (a Google search reveals no company by that name) or maybe the company (assuming it has an existence) has something to do with cloning plants, increasing farm crops they way gardeners do when they cut a slip from a plant—but the clear implication is that there is a business trying to clone people, which is completely false. 

If the opposition was seriously worried about cloning, all they would have to do is to read the first sentence of the bill itself: here it is.

“Article I   Section 27. (1) Nothing in this section shall alter Michigan’s current prohibition on human cloning.”

How much clearer can words get? There is no possible excuse of misunderstanding here; the opposition seems to hope Michiganders will not read the bill for themselves.

Lie number three is the cruelest deception of all—that we don’t need embryonic stem cell research-- because adult stem cell research is already bringing cures to 70 (or 58 or 100 or whatever number they are using today) of diseases.

This is the one that angers me the most. Adult stem cell research is valuable, no one says it isn’t. I am in favor of stem cell research from many sources. Where it works, it should be used.

But talk to people who have Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s disease and more—all conditions presently incurable—and ask them if there is a cure.

My son is paralyzed. If there was a cure, I would sell my house to make it happen for him. There is no cure yet, but the best hope I have is embryonic stem cells.

Adult stem cells to me are like bandaids: they are useful for minor repairs of the body, all through life. I am glad they exist. My sister Barbara, who has cancer and leukemia, was given our younger brother David’s adult stem cells, and they helped—for a while. But then the cancer came back. There is no cure.

No serious scientific or medical body pretends adult stem cells are an acceptable substitute for embryonic stem cell research.

They may even be less valuable than we think.

Here is a small piece of an article which just came out. It is about the adult stem cell research which the opposition tries to say is just as good as embryonic.

  
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/1500ap_stem_cell_study.html

Last updated October 7, 2008 10:59 p.m. PT

University: Stem-cell study used falsified data

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota has concluded that falsified data were used in a 2001 article published by one of its researchers on adult stem cells. The school is asking that the article be retracted.

The conclusion follows an 18-month investigation into research published by stem-cell expert Dr. Catherine Verfaillie. The investigation clears Verfaillie of misconduct but points to a former graduate student, Dr. Morayma Reyes, who is now an assistant professor at the University of Washington.

The university blames Verfaillie for "inadequate training and oversight," and says it has asked for a retraction of the published article, which appeared in the journal Blood.

Reyes said it was an honest error and there was no intent to deceive.

The study was one of a series that Verfaillie published, suggesting that adult stem cells could be used as an alternative to embryonic stem cells in medical research….” (emphasis added.)—end of quote.

Dr. Katherine Verfaille is a decent and honorable person. She never said her research should replace embryonic stem cell research—she always said both adult and embryonic forms should advance side by side-- but those who oppose embryonic stem cell research tried to use her work as an excuse to stop it.

The truth is being heard at last. But facts alone cannot prevail. It takes people brave enough to stand up and speak, sometimes at great cost to themselves.

People like Joe Schwarz, Republican, former Member of Congress. Joe sacrificed his political career to advance stem cell research. In Michigan, people in government are often afraid to speak out against the powerful “right to life” special interest group. If Joe had kept quiet about supporting stem cells, he would very likely have won his race. But Joe Schwarz showed the content of his character, as Martin Luther King said, and spoke out strong for stem cell research. The Religious Right targeted him, and defeated him—but he will be proven right. Michigan and America are richer for the integrity of public servants like Joe Schwarz.

Stem cell research can never belong to one political party. It is above the petty partisanship which so often dims our hopes.

Rick Johnson, another Republican, powerful leader, former speaker of the house, is a Cure Michigan board member.

Democratic champions definitely stand tall. People like Governor Jennifer Granholm, Senator Gretchen Whitmer, Representative Andrew Meissner and other Wolverine State legislators have fought in the trenches for years on our behalf.

Some folks hold no public office, but exercise influence by the power of their voice: people like Danny Heumann. who has been fighting to ease stem cell restrictions since 2004. Paralyzed in body but never in spirit, Danny is a motivational speaker, with so much energy the wheels of his chair almost seem to turn themselves. He is everywhere nowadays, and the next month will see him working to exhaustion and beyond, towards the great goal of freedom to research cure.

We have outstanding leaders, people like Mark Burton, chair of the Committee to pass Proposal 2, to allow responsible embryonic stem cell research in the state of Michigan. Mark is a charismatic young leader, vibrant, vocal—he speaks clearly, putting into words the hopes and dreams of millions—and every strength he can bring to the table is needed right now.

Behind the scenes folks make things happen: people like Amber Shinn, communications director for the effort. You may not see her in the papers, but you will see her work, bringing people together. When I called her to tell me a little about what she does, a question for this article, her first thought was for others, and she said: “Don’t forget to mention Laura DePotter, The Rossman Group, Minda Nyquist, Chris DeWitt, Erica Barrera, Kelly Dancsok”—and a bunch more.

Right now, Michigan is the center of the stem cell universe.

People are standing up everywhere, some everybody knows, like former President Bill Clinton, who is in Michigan, right now, as this is written.  How fitting, that the first President to   authorize embryonic stem cell research (his permission was overturned by President Bush, who replaced it with his own very limited version) Bill Clinton should come to Michigan to help the struggle.

And if the former President of the United States is coming here, so is the man who has done more than any other human on earth to advance stem cell research—Bob Klein. I think of him as the six billion dollar man, because that is how much his leadership persuaded California to invest in stem cell research: three billion and three billion in interest. He runs his company, a real estate endeavor, does his job as the chair of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for the California stem cell program, and supports stem cell research in other states as well. He barely has time to breathe. But he is making time to come to Michigan to help raise funds for the effort. It means a day on the plane each ways but when there is fighting to be done for stem cells, Bob Klein is there. 

He will shake hands with A. Alfred Taubman,  who made the Michigan campaign possible. Like Klein, Taubman has put his fortune on the line for biomedical research in general and stem cell research in particular. Without his vision and kindness, there would no money to try and match the outrageous distortions of the opposition.

Both men should put their hands together in a round of applause for the almost unbelievable accomplishments of Marcia Baum, Mary Smyka, Sophie Eichner of Michigan Citizens for Stem Cell Research and Cures. In the past year, these folks made 170 visits and presentations on stem cell research to churches and social clubs—in the next 30 days they will do 100 more—that’s more than three a day!

Scientists like Sean Morrison, Doug Engel, and Jack Mosher are not sitting back and hoping for the best—they are raising their voices on behalf of the research they know is good and wholesome.  Morrison in particular has set an example every scientist should emulate. He knows if we the people do not understand what he is doing, we will not support him, and the research will stop.

People are coming together. Every friend of cure research—regardless of party, religion, or whatever-- is working toward the same goal.

I just have to be a part of it. Which is why, Sunday morning, bright and early, I am heading out to the Wolverine State.

Thanks to the Cure Michigan campaign, my wife Gloria’s and my plane fare and hotel room will be covered, and for one week I will get to do what I like most in the world—fighting for stem cell research in a battle when everything is on the line. I will be doing chores, helping in small ways, writing, talking, phonebanking, whatever. Like I told one person, I want to do the chores they would do if they had the time, which they do not.

You can help too.

Tired of divisive politics? Want to work across party lines? Help us in Michigan.

Go to the campaign website. Consider volunteering your time, if you live near enough to the state. Write a letter to the editor. Send a couple bucks if you can.

Help Michigan succeed. A victory here will not only free up some of the best universities in the world to work for cures, but also send a message to the nation that embryonic stem cell research cannot be suppressed any more.

If Michigan wins, everybody wins.

www.curemichigan.com

P.S. and a special “shout out” to—

John Simon-Our go to man!  jsimon@tmo.blackberry.net

Rick Johnson-VP Board of CureMichigan rjohn@fraserlawfirm.com

Mark Burton(Burton Consulting, Campaign everyman) burton2@mac.com

Jill Alper (media) jalper@deweysquare.com

Mark Mellman(media) mmellman@mellmangroup.com

Joe Slade White(media) jsw@jswco.com

Chris DeWitt (Press) cdewitt@acd.net

Mark Pischea(Rossman Group/external media) mpischea@rossmangroup.com

Kelly Rossman(Rossman Group/external media) krossman@rossmangroup.com

Amber Shinn(Everywoman!/ Endorsements) amber.shinn@gmail.com

Cheryl Bergman(Fundraising/Gov. Granholm) cherylbergman@yahoo.com

Heather Ricketts (Fundraising) heather.ricketts@gmail.com

Carrie Jones(Fundraising point person) carriejonesmi@yahoo.com

Kris Caswell (Fundraising/Sen. Levin) kriscaswell@gmail.com

Karen DeMott( Fundraising/Budget) karen.demott@gmail.com

Laura DePotter (Intern extraordinaire) depotte5@gmail.com

Mary Anne Servian (media) bridgeviewconsulting@comcast.net

Traci Riehl(fundraising) traciriehl@comcast.

Brett DiResta (Research) bcdiresta@aol.com

Something as wonderful as stem cell research advocacy does not happen by itself!

quip
pronunciation: \ˈkwip\
function: noun 

1 a: a clever usually taunting remark: gibe b: a witty or funny observation or response usually made on the spur of the moment 2: quibble, equivocation 3: something strange, droll, curious, or eccentric : oddity

paper-quip
all of the above as applied to the wild, wonderful world of paper. 

Paper-Quip 1

I like to think of myself as a paper maverick (sorry, I couldn’t resist). It began while I was a design student at Michigan State University. The last obstacle before graduation – Senior Seminar. Final project: put together a portfolio, and of course a resume.

As any good designer knows, the message is only as good as the paper it’s printed on (or something like that). With that in mind, I scoured the globe (slight exaggeration) for the perfect resume paper. And lucky me, I found it. And in Niles, Michigan no less.

Even way back when (1998), French Paper produced the most unique paper colors on the market. Which is why they’re a staple at bluedotpapershop.com (but I digress). My dream of a hot design job in Chicago, fame, fortune, fonts, all hinged on one thing – French Construction Fuse Green. The paper that would show the design world that there was a new kid in town and she was taking over the world, one sheet at a time.

If you’re familiar with French Paper you probably know Fuse Green; it’s still part of their Construction line. For those of you who don’t, picture a sour, icky, putrid olive green. But a beautiful putrid green. A strong putrid green. A putrid green that says “Hire me!”

Unfortunately that is not what my professor heard. To him it said, “I’m the father of five kids and I have seen this color one too many times.” My resume paper was speaking loud and clear, and to him it said  poop. Baby poop to be exact. I was taken aback. Surely he had more design sense than this! I passionately argued my point. He didn’t budge. I held firm (no pun intended). 

Despite the difference of opinion I sent my resume on French Construction Fuse Green paper, with a matching #10 envelope I might add. The result? Well, it didn’t stink. I received a ton of call backs and interviews, and just about everyone commented on my choice of paper– favorably. And yes, I landed that hot design job in Chicago (kind of).

And so it began. I took a stand that day. Even today bluedotpapershop.com is one of the few sites that carry Fuse Green. I may not sell a ton of it, but at least it’s always handy. You never know when you may have a project that calls for baby poop green paper. Or when you might need to update your resume.

LE

This is pretty telling, since McCain's brand was all about being moderate (how many peans to his moderation did Broder write?). Former Michigan Governor William Milliken is backing off his former endorsement of John McCain:

"He is not the McCain I endorsed," said Milliken, reached at his Traverse City home Thursday. "He keeps saying, 'Who is Barack Obama?' I would ask the question, 'Who is John McCain?' because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me.

"I'm disappointed in the tenor and the personal attacks on the part of the McCain campaign, when he ought to be talking about the issues."

Yup, pretty much.

In my defense, I was dirt poor and worked 4 jobs my senior year.  And I drank, all the time.

I went dancing at Sensations.  My best friend was a Kappa Kappa Gamma.  I was every cliche you could think of.  I lost my financial aid and struggled to take a class here and there.  And then I managed to get a fantastic job working in a bar called Trippers.  (Largest Sports Bar in Michigan @ the time, sat over 4,200 people - game days you made like $250-$300 easy!)  I loved the nightlife.  But I loved the bands the most.  Our house band was first Foster and Pops, which evolved to The Foster Kids.  Thursday nights with this band was so enjoyable.  I was lucky enough to wait on the band and get myself scheduled in their area every week.  They were the nicest guys, very interesting and normal.  I hearted them very much.  They even dedicated their first cd to The Tripper Girls.  And, yeah, of course I had a school girl crush on one of them .... but I never did anything about it, other than manage to attend a bachelor party with him, go to Deja Vu, see nude girls, chew tabacco, puke on the streets of downtown Lansing, and pass out in his bed before he played guitar and sang and gave me a backrub.  Ha ha ha ... I was such a nerd, and mourning the loss of boyfriend from back home that ended cause I wasn't going to marry him, on top of then mourning the loss of a friend who I dated in error, ending the friendship, after which I then self imposed a "Year off men."

A few months ago my college BFF and I were talking about her old boyfriends, and The Foster Kids came up.  I think she dated or liked one of them, too.  So I decided to search for them and found a few semi good videos on youtube.  Enjoy!  You have to watch both the videos to the end if you can, always the best part of the performances.

Foster Kids - Corduroy Boy 1999

Foster Kids - 12 in 1 @ MSU auditorium 1995

Global Village was probably THE best band in E. Lansing at the time.  Somehow, The Verve got a hit, but these guys deserved it more.  I also used to go see the band Fat Amy, but since Bob Guinney (Yes, from the Bachelor) is an ass and I personally knew him - I'm not giving him or his band mention out of spite.

Global Village Sampler

Global Village, Live - Hold On, I'm Coming

Chris Delgado was my Wednesday night band long before these bands got their start.  I'd skip 1/2 of my Abnormal Psychology class with Professor Barclay and head to The Landshark to get in before cover @ 8:00pm.  Being poor, I'd buy a Shark Bowl and slam the fucker myself in 20 minutes.  Needless to say, I was always the hammered girl at the front table.  This guy is still in business and he actually placed at my friends fundraiser last fall.  (She has Transverse Myelitis, which sucks, but she is trying hard to overcome!)

Chris Delgado Live

"He is not the McCain I endorsed," said Milliken, reached at his Traverse City home Thursday. "He keeps saying, 'Who is Barack Obama?' I would ask the question, 'Who is John McCain?' because his campaign has become rather disappointing to me."

"I know John McCain is 72. In my book, that's quite young," said Milliken, 86, Michigan's longest-serving governor. But he added, "What if she [Palin] were to become president of the United States? The idea, to me, is quite disturbing, if not appalling.

It makes me feel proud of America to see honorable Republicans standing up to the dangerously bigoted, anti-intellectual rabble-rousing by McCain/Palin. Milliken is right. Palin is appalling, and the two of them are running a disgraceful campaign. I just wish more conservatives would stand up and say the same.

Christopher Buckley (Son of William F.) is another one.

Indian Dormitory in Mackinac Island courtesy of Mackinac State Historic Parks

Mackinac Island, Mich. —Mackinac Island, a state park where bikes are the main mode of transportation and its creamy fudge is nearly a currency, will soon be home to museum featuring works inspired by its surroundings. The 1830s-era Indian Dormitory on the land is currently under renovation to house pieces inspired from the island’s American Indian beginnings to its modern, albeit old-fashioned, way of life.

“This is a great project because it allows us to restore a significant building and exhibit a major part of our collection that currently has no public display venue,” said Phil Porter, director of Mackinac State Historic Parks.

The dormitory was built on the island to house American Indians who came to receive payment as part of a provision when the people deeded portions of Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas to the United States. Since then, the building has served as a school as well as an exhibit space.

A lot of work needs to be done to get the building into shape, parks workers say. Rotten windows as well as the roof need to be replaced, and the building’s insides need to be made current in its electrical systems and plumbing. A micro-climate exhibit-case system will also need to be installed to ensure the featured art will be well preserved.

Once completed (the parks group is hoping to be done in 2010), the first floor will be home to the permanent collection, and the second floor will have rotating exhibits and feature work from contemporary artists living on the island. — Hilary Solan

It's a peaceful morning here at Chain Lake where the day starts with the calls of birds, the scurrying of squirrels through the fallen leaves (they have the kind that have beautiful black pelts here), and the occasional gunshot from a hunter. Well, I assume the shots I heard this morning were from hunters at least. I'm not sure what they're hunting. Likely birds of some kind as I know it is not yet deer season for those with guns.

The bow hunters are already around, though. As we drove in on the progressively smaller roads it seemed that every small town had the same bright orange banner hanging: an image of a deer's head with the words "Welcome hunters!" in strong black letters. As we stopped for re-fueling and lingered for a quick browse through the "Up North" store, there was also this:

This same filling station had huge sacks of deer bait, too: giant carrots, dried corn on the cob, and enormous sugar beets. I always thought it was illegal to bait for deer, but guess it's OK during bow hunting season.

I'm not sure what it is about this state, but they seem compelled to make heaps of gargantuan vegetables, even in town. As we stopped in Frankenmuth for a late lunch and a quick WiFi connection, we encountered this in the parking lot.

Welcome to fall in Michigan.

Mark Crislip rains on Parade - A little over a week ago, I blogged about my intention to write Parade Magazine for a particularly credulous story they ran that recommended acupuncture among other crap-based medicine. Well, I never got around to it. Fortunately Mark Crislip tore them a new one. Great job, Mark!

NY Times endorses dowsing - I hope they got a good price for that journalist integrity. Maybe the subject of this article would care to take the Randi Million Dollar Challenge.

Speaking of Randi, I'm going to get to see the amazing one in person tomorrow in NYC.

And Randi's annual skeptic's convention is also the focus of the latest Captain Disillusion video:

Voodoo! - George Ann Mills, a South Carolina voodoo high priestess, is alleging that Annette Kesting, an Atlanta, Georgia county commissioner, tried to pay her to cast curses on a political rival and bounced checks in the process.

WHAT'S THE HARM?

Attempted Witch Burning - Darin Najor, a 20-year-old adult education student in Michigan, has been charged with assault and battery after dousing his teacher with holy water and trying to burn her with a lighter because he thought she was a witch. Amateur Scientist points out:

Nor does he understand how to properly burn a witch. If someone's wet, you're going to have a hard time burning him or her. Yes, even if the water is holy.

For more info. on this story, click here.

The Amateur Scientist blog is now banned in China

Campus Crusade For Christ is raising money to buy supplies for the soldiers - So what are they buying? Armor? No. Guns? No. Bullets? Food? No. Medical equipment? Anything even remotely useful? No. Just useless Bibles.

Sydney Atheists doing charity work in the name of reason

ATHEIST DISCRIMINATION:

Those Evil Humanists - The Humanists and Freethinkers of Cape Fear in North Carolina set up a booth about Humanism and Freethinking at an annual street festival. Someone noticed a sign directed right at them at a local church nearby (and God's a terrible spell checker):

Richard Dawkins named one of the 50 people who wrecked Britain! WOOO!!! - This critical document was produce by some random guy named Quentin Letts, who clearly has been granted special authority on these matters. And to think I didn't even know Britain was wrecked? Funny, in all my exchanges with friends living in Britain, not one of them has ever mentioned that Britain is wrecked.

Review of The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality by Andre Comte-Sponville

Christian reality dating show - I can't beat the comment on Skepchick: "Get advice from a twice-divorced Pentecostal minister who plead guilty to assaulting one of his ex-wives! What better source could there be? "

Browse the artifacts of Geek History in Jay Walker’s library - Coolest library ever!

MONKEY NEWS:

Monkey waiters - In America we only have to compete with Indians and Mexicans for jobs. The Japanese are losing their jobs to monkeys! It's a mad house. A MAD HOUSE! Damn, dirty primates!

AND NOW FOR A MOMENT OF SCIENCE:

Circadian Clock May Be Critical For Learning - "The circadian rhythm that quietly pulses inside us all, guiding our daily cycle from sleep to wakefulness and back to sleep again, may be doing much more than just that simple metronomic task, according to Stanford researchers.

Working with Siberian hamsters, biologist Norman Ruby has shown that having a functioning circadian system is critical to the hamsters' ability to remember what they have learned. Without it, he said, 'They can't remember anything.' "

Computers 'Taught' To Search For Photos - "A pair of Penn State researchers has developed a statistical approach, called Automatic Linguistic Indexing of Pictures in Real-Time (ALIPR), that one day could make it easier to search the Internet for photographs."

Genome Of Relapsing Malaria Parasite Decoded - "In research aimed at addressing a global epidemic, a team of scientists from around the world has cracked the genetic code for the parasite that is responsible for up to 40 percent of the 515 million annual malaria infections worldwide, Nature reveals in its October 9 cover story."

Almost criminal that this is a limited-release seasonal beer, only available from late March to October. But seasonal it is - Bell's summer ale pours a very hazy amber pint with huge downy cloud of a head that floats across the top of this creamy amber delight. A clean, crisp, citrus aroma greets the nose, followed by the refreshing bite of this wheaty ale and it's long, refreshingly bitter finish that just makes you want to reach for another. Along with a sharp cheddar cheese filled croissant. Damn I'm hungry now.

Long story short: Bell's, please find a distributor west of the Mississippi. We need easy access to you here in Washington.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win