I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend.
U of M basketball players drafted by NBA teams yesterday: ZERO
It was the second time MSU had three players drafted (2001 was the other). It was the fourth time MSU had two players picked in the first round. And it gave the Spartans six first-round selections since 2000 - trailing only Connecticut (eight) and Duke (seven) in that time.
"It was a huge night for the program. I thought Stephen A. Smith did us a lot of favors," MSU coach Tom Izzo said of the ESPN analyst who praised MSU's player development more than once. "And I think that is respect for the program and the guys that have played here."
Here's my dad's expert analysis:
Shannon Brown to Cleveland: could play a lot right away, the beneficiary of passes from another former Spartan, Eric Snow...with lots of open court room as Lebron James is double-teamed. Look for him on ESPN's Top Ten plays of the day with a few explosive dunks next season.
Maurice Ager to Dallas: Whew. Could be a tough lineup to crack, what with having just made the Finals and all. Somebody in the paper sees him as the ultimate successor to Jerry Stackhouse for bench scoring, to which I say...'huh?' Stack must be four inches taller and 40 pounds heavier.
Paul Davis to the LA Clippers: will make the team, and then might lead the NBA in splinters behind Chris Kamen and Elton Brand on a young team that's finally moving up after a history of futility. Hope I'm wrong.
Todd Shulz of the LSJ had an interesting article in the paper yesterday about this draft though:
Not to stick sand in that sharp new Sparty swimsuit, but if Brown, Ager, and Davis truly are first-round talents, it would be fair (and even more frustrating) to re-ask the question: How did MSU manage to finish 8-8 in the Big Ten and get bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the first round?
"We had three very good players," Izzo says. "But it takes more than three very good players to win at the level we're trying to win at. We didn't have the depth or the luck to get done what we wanted to get done. I don't look at it as a negative because I understand some of the reasons why we weren't (better)."
It is a little ridiculous when you think about all the talent these three guys have, that they didn't do more as a team last year. I'm still really proud of our guys and the program though. This sends a message in a big way to everyone in the basketball world that MSU is still a force to be reckoned with. Of course, we'll have to wait and see what happens next season.
Anyway, it's a normal workday today. I will have to duck out for a bit to head over to the Palmer Bush funeral home to pay my respects at Dan's brother's mother-in-law's visitation. Yeah, I know that sounds like a pretty distant relation, but Dan's brother Chris and his wife Rachelle have always been very nice to me. And since my mom and Dan won't be able to come (for obvious reasons), I guess that makes me the de facto representative.
After work I'm heading out to my dad's for dinner, since it's my last chance to see everyone before they leave for their 4th of July vacation to Vermont. I'm holding out hope that dad and I will be able to play some tennis tomorrow afternoon, but I also won't be shocked if it doesn't work out because there's probably packing and stuff to do.
Well, whether I play tennis or not, I am heading to Stef's house after work tomorrow. This will be the third time I've made this drive in a week (fifth, if you count single legs), but it's worth it because I know we're going to have a really fun weekend out at the lake. We're seeing Chicago and Huey Lewis and the News at Pine Knob on Sunday, so that'll be a lot of fun. I'm hoping they do "Power of Love" from Back to the Future.
That's it for now. I hope everyone is having a great week so far.
Anyway, I got a lot done at the apartment tonight. The fellow I'm working with at Superior has been sending me a lot of new stuff to pot together for their website, so I spent the night piecing some things together. If all goes well, I could be wrapping this thing up in the next week or two.
Here's hoping...
We're going to my favorite hamburger place in the world, Kewpee's, today! There's an King-size Olive Burger with fries and a Coke in my future. Mmmmmmm. Lots of other places around town try to replicate the goodness that is the olive burger, and while a few come close, no one will ever beat Kewpee's.
What's your favorite place for a burger?
• See Dick Run: a funny editorial comic from the Freep
• Gov's race featured on WaPo blog
• USA Today: majority of Americans want out of Iraq
• LSJ's Melot is either lazy or dumb... or both
• Senate debates pointless flag burning bill
(P.S. I want Marvin's Green suit)
Anyway, all of that will basically wrap up the next couple of days. Thursday I'm heading to dad's for dinner, and on Friday I'm driving to you-know-where to spend the weekend at Bald Eagle Lake. I'm sure the long weekend will fly by though, and the next thing you know it'll be this time again next week. Whew! Man, this summer is flying by.
If your name is Dick DeVos, and you live in a place like this, what do you do with all your money? You spend a lifetime giving it away to hacks in the Republican party, and then try to buy an election so you can become one of the partisan hacks yourself. If your name is Warren Buffett, you give 80% of it away to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation [from iWon, via my dad]:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett, the world's second-richest person, is donating about $37 billion -- more than 80 percent of his fortune -- to foundations run by his friend Bill Gates and by the Buffett family.
The move is the biggest-ever single act of charitable giving in the United States...
In a letter to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Buffett, said he will set aside 10 million shares of Berkshire class B common stock for the foundation.
Based on the stock's per-share price of $3071.01 as of Friday, the total amount for the Gates foundation comes to about $30 billion.
That is the largest commitment to a philanthropic cause ever made by one person in the United States, said Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
"Even if you look at what (John D.) Rockefeller and (Andrew) Carnegie gave historically -- even if you do it in today's numbers, it doesn't come close to that," she said.
The Gates foundation is one of the world's richest philanthropic organizations.
It has committed millions of dollars to fighting diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries, and to education and library technology in the United States.
There's nothing wrong with wealth... it's what you do with it that matters. I don't have a problem with people giving money to politicians either; I'm just a po' college graduate, and I've done it. Regardless of your political ideology though, one can't argue that any money given to politicians and parties usually only lasts through the next election cycle (at best).
However, this world will be a better place for generations because of Mr. Buffett's donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as the fruits of this philanthropic investment will be harvested for years to come. Sure, we can't all donate $30 billion to causes like this, but it should remind everyone to spend some of their cash where it really counts.
(cross-posted at pohlitics.com // remember to go bookmark the new site!)
I told Dick DeVos right up front I was skeptical about his bid to become the Detroit Lions' next head coach.
"What do you know," I asked him, "about professional football?"
"I've been a part of winning teams all my life," the multilevel marketing magnate answered confidently. "I think I've got what it takes to turn this one around."
"But where would you start?" I asked him. "The Lions have so many problems."
"With all due respect, Brian," DeVos answered, "there's only one problem: The Lions' opponents consistently score more points than the Lions do. That's what the next head coach has to focus on like a laser."
"So you'd start with the defense?"
"Defense, yes, because we've got to stop opposing teams from scoring so many points. But that's only part of the equation, because we've also got to score more points ourselves. That's why my turnaround plan focuses on defense and offense.
"It sounds complex," I said.
"It is," DeVos agreed. "But my plan breaks it down into a logical sequence of specific steps."
"Starting with?"
"Mission No. 1 is making a change at quarterback, " DeVos said. "I don't care what the incumbent coach says, Joey Harrington is the wrong guy to lead this offense."
"But everyone agrees with that," I said. "Joey's already been traded."
"Sure," DeVos agreed. "And I'm proud to have played a leadership role in that."
"So who should replace him?"
"I want to be clear about that," DeVos said. "The Lions definitely have to replace Harrington. That's Mission No. 2."
"So you think finding a strong quarterback is the key?"
"I'm not sure it has to be a quarterback," he said. "But I think we need some kind of player, probably an offensive one, standing where the quarterback usually stands, and doing many of the things that quarterbacks do."
"Do you have any particular player in mind?"
"Well, those are the kind of details that we're going to have to get to down the road."
I was beginning to get frustrated. But I didn't want to seem negative, so I changed the subject.
"Lions fans have heard an awful lot of turnaround plans over the years," I began. "They weren't all as specific as your plan, but still, there's a lot of skepticism. How do you turn that around?"
"We've got to make it easier to root for the Lions," DeVos said. "As a first step, I'm proposing to slash ticket prices by 50%."
"But won't that hurt revenues the team needs to rebuild?"
"Not if four times as many people buy tickets," DeVos answered brightly. "Then we'll have twice the revenues!"
"But Ford Field only holds 65,000 people," I pointed out. "Won't the Lions need a bigger stadium to make your plan work?"
"I think we need to make Detroit a more attractive place for all kinds of teams to build stadiums," DeVos said.
"But I'm getting ahead of myself," he added. "First, we need to unload this Harrington fellow."
It all makes perfect sense!
(cross-posted at pohlitics.com // remember to go bookmark the new site!)
Friday: The drive up to Mackinaw City was smooth sailing the whole way. Stef got us there in record time, and with an easy boat ride over to the Island, we were able to check into our hotel by about 6 p.m. After throwing our stuff down in the room real quick, we headed out for a little stroll through the town.
I really wanted to do dinner at my favorite restaurant on the Island, 3 Brothers Sarducci Pizzeria, and that's exactly what we did. It was just as delicious as I remembered it, and a big honkin' pizza really hit the spot after a long day in the car. Once we were done with din-din, we did a little more poking around some of the shops on our way back to the room, but both of us were pretty pooped by then. We did manage to stop by one of my favorite places for fudge at the Murray Hotel on the way back, and then we sat out on the rocking chairs on the front porch of our hotel for a bit before heading upstairs to call it a day.
Saturday: Stef and I managed to cram a lot into our full day on the Island. It was about 8:30ish by the time both of us were up and around, and after getting up and around, we went downstairs to the hotel's "Goodfellows" restaurant for our free breakfast buffet. After loading up on a big breakfast, we stepped outside to the little bike shop owned by the hotel and checked out our wheels for the ride around the Island.
It was still relatively early (10:30) and a bit chilly by the time we hit the trail, but it was good timing, since we basically had the road to ourselves. I think both Stef and I were a little shaky on our bikes to begin with, but both of us got the hang of it pretty quickly and had a really smooth ride for the whole 8 miles. Riding bikes on Mackinac Island is always one of my favorite things to do there. That trail is just about the flattest road imaginable, and of course the view is absolutely gorgeous, so it was fun to get out and enjoy the scenery for a couple hours. We actually finished the whole thing in less than 90 minutes, so that left us with the whole afternoon to poke around town.
We dropped our bikes back off by about 11:45, and made our way up to the Fort to spend some time wandering around up there. I don't know if I've ever actually gone up to Fort Mackinac to look around, and Stef hadn't done it in many years, so it was kind of fun to walk around and see all the old buildings and creepy mannequins on display. Of course, the weather took a short break from being nice when the rain clouds rolled in and misted us with some light rain for about a half hour, but it wasn't too terrible. It let up by the time we wanted to leave the fort and go find a place to eat lunch.
There was this little burger joint near the bottom of the hill, so Stef and I popped in there to grab some grub. While the meal hit the spot, both of us were beat from all the walking/biking we'd done so far that day, so we went back to the hotel to rest for a couple hours after lunch. It was about 4 p.m. by the time we were feeling reenergized enough to venture out again. We just decided to go for a walk through one of the neighborhoods in town to look at all the houses we'd passed earlier on the bikes. By the time the road started to wrap around the Island, we came by this hotel on the corner that has a gorgeous view of the lake, and these really cool putting greens. They basically have a traditional mini-golf course setup, but with real grass instead of the cheap turf you'd see at a place like Putt-Putt. We thought it would be fun to take a little break and play for a while, so we got some clubs and balls and hit the links. At first I though both of us would be pretty terrible, but of course my girlfriend (in a sleeveless black dress no less) proceeded to sink a hole-in-one on the third hole, and it was pretty much downhill for me from there. The final score only ended up being a two stroke difference, but it really wasn't that close because Stefy basically smoked me the whole way. It was a lot of fun though. It almost made me wish I could play golf, but it was also a good reminder of why I should stick with tennis. Once we were done with our mini PGA championship we snagged a couple adirondack chairs on the grassy area overlooking the lake, and just sat back and did some people watching. It was a nice little break to just sit back and enjoy the view.
Stefy and I were starting to get hungry again at that pint, so we walked back to town and went into the Pink Pony restaurant/bar to grab some dinner. We both got "light" dinners thinking it would save us some room for ice cream on the way back to the room, but of course that didn't quite pan out. It was still a really yummy meal though. By the time we were done eating, both of us were really full and tired, so we just decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel. There wasn't much on TV (big shocker for a Saturday night), so we just tuned into Forrest Gump on TNT and watched one of our favorite movies to quote for about the bazillionth time.
Sunday: Well, the last morning of a vacation is always a little sad, but we didn't let that stop us from having one last great meal on the Island. We wandered down to this little pancake house owned by the Ryba's people (who seem to own about half the shops in town) for breakfast. The food was really good, and it definitely hit the spot for a Sunday morning. On our way back to the Lake View for checkout, we stopped back into the Murray Hotel to buy some more fudge. There's an early bird special on all of the fudge they sell there, so we had to wait in a pretty long line before we could even order. Some obnoxious people in front of us had to order about 10 pounds of fudge and take full advantage of the morning savings.
Once we had our fudge, we finished the walk back to our hotel, packed up all of our stuff, and went downstairs to check out. The walk over to the Star Line ferry dock was pretty easy: out the front door and across the street. Yep, Stefy did a good job on picking a place to stay. We managed to catch the 11 a.m. boat ride back to Mackinaw City, and were on the road for home by 11:30. The ride home was a bit more hectic than the ride up had been, but it wasn't too bad at all. After a short stop by the Spiro cottage on the way to say hi to Stef's folks, we made it back to her house by a little after 5. I basically just hopped right into my car to head home afterwards, and made it back to my place by about 7.
So, as you might've guessed, it was another wonderful weekend with my girl! We had an absolutely fantastic time at Mackinac Island, and I can't wait to see what our next adventure will be.
Anyway, since they don't even allow cars on the Island, I'm assuming that internet access will be zilch up there. So, I'm afraid iBZP won't be updated again until the weekend. If you really need a fix though, go over to pohlitics.com and check out the beta version of my new political site. Right now the only content is all of the political posts that I've made on this site dating back to late May-ish. I'm just curious to hear what people think about it though. I would say from here on out, I'll be starting the steady phase-out of political posts on iBZP over the next couple of months. So, head over to the new site, bookmark it, submit some rants for me to post if you like, and I'll be back on Sunday.
Until then, have a great weekend!
Dick DeVos actually talks to black people!
Well, the Detroit News offers part one of a lavish two-part spread on the cover of its
The high point of his arguably peripatetic business career was serving as president of Grand Rapids-based Alticor Inc., formerly Amway Corp., from 1993 to 2002. During his tenure, the family company swung to losses but eventually rebounded by expanding globally and embracing the Internet.
Well, what they gloss over here is that "expanding globally" means shipping jobs off to Asia. Yep, Amway loves doing business in Communist China. Oh, and the internet thing is Amway's latest and greatest creation, Quixtar. Hey, if anyone needs some makeup, toothpaste, or vitamins for their home, just give Dick a call. He'll have you selling in no time.
He is credited with helping revive downtown Grand Rapids, but critics say he leveraged family money more than political acumen.
I know, maybe Dick can have the state build a giant hotel in every depressed urban center in Michigan!
"For the first time, this state's economic future has become disconnected from the national economy," DeVos said in a recent interview with The Detroit News. "But here's the good news: I've been through changes. I've been through a turnaround process. I know there is light at the end of the tunnel."
Voters may buy that message, said Charles Ballard, an economics professor at Michigan State University, especially when it's fortified with millions of dollars in TV ad buys. But he questioned the substance behind it.
"I think it's a stretch that experience in business might necessarily be better than government experience in terms of running the state," Ballard said. "The state has long-term structural problems that have led to this economic decline. I would submit that if Alan Greenspan had been elected governor four years ago, our economy wouldn't look dramatically different."
One interesting tidbit from this quote is that Charles Ballard was my ECON 201 professor during my freshman year. This guy is hardly a partisan hack. I remember him making little rants about how the economic policies of both political parties are stupid. But he's basically right to point out the difference between running a successful (if, by successful, you mean exploitative) company, and running a government. Once again, just consider the current occupant of the White House.
Dick DeVos didn't aspire to be a politician as a youngster, when his main interest was water-skiing with his best pal, Steve Van Andel, on the Thornapple River that ran behind his boyhood home.
Or when he'd lie awake at night on his parents' 40-foot sailboat in the Saugatuck marina, listening to rock 'n' roll blaring from a downtown biker bar.
Gee, sounds like he's just one of us! Man, Dick DeVos' childhood was a lot like mine. How about you?
The idea [of entering politics] didn't fully hit the father of four until last spring, when he slammed into a gaping pothole on a highway near Grand Rapids.
"I started contemplating what the cost would be to repair this pothole and what it would take to build roads more effectively so we wouldn't have potholes anymore, instead of just swearing," he said. "I knew then that I had crossed the line."
Crossed the line he has, spending more than $6 million, much of it his own money, to introduce himself to voters in feel-good TV ads that have been running constantly for four months. He dismisses claims he'll spend more than $60 million to win the race, saying it would be difficult to "responsibly" spend that much.
"Remember, you're talking to a guy of Dutch descent here," quipped DeVos about his frugal nature.
You heard it here, folks. Dick DeVos was inspired to run for governor by a pothole. Man, this guy's a dreamer. And now he's already dropped $6 million dollars of his daddy's money in a race to become the new governor so he can fix that gol' darn pothole, and all the potholes across the great State of Michigan!
But, then again... he does have limits. Apparently $60 million is a bit too steep a price to pay for one campaign. Well, he sure is "frugal" I guess.
Make no mistake about it: DeVos has money. He won't release his tax returns or comment on his net worth, but he's the eldest son of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos, who, with a net worth of $3.4 billion, is the nation's 65th-richest person, according to Forbes magazine. Dick DeVos is not on the list, but estimates begin at about $500 million.
He's a freakin' hobo!
DeVos joined the family business early, watering the lawn at Amway for 35 cents an hour at age 12.
And his plan to "put Michigan back to work" includes a similar future for your child! If they got two legs, they can water the lawn at Amway's headquarters.
Over the years, a more competitive side of DeVos' personality began to emerge. He briefly served as president of the Orlando Magic, the NBA basketball team his father bought in 1991 for $85 million. His father still owns the franchise, now valued at about $250 million.
You see, people! He doesn't even root for the Pistons!
"For me, Jesus serves as my most important role model," DeVos wrote in his 1997 book "Rediscovering American Values."Unapologetically straight-laced, he'll nevertheless let the occasional curse word fly. "Bull----" was how he described the Democrats' attacks on him early in the campaign.
Hey, JC is a great role model, ya can't knock that. It's a good thing that Christ was such a successful governor of heaven, because Michigan voters can rest well knowing that Dick has a good man to turn to for advice.
Boy, oh, boy! He has me convinced! But, if you're one of the many Michigan voters who still haven't made up your mind about how to vote this fall, I encourage you to watch this segment from an episode of Dateline. It's all about Dick's business, AMWAY/QUIXTAR, and what a bunch of go-getters those folks are. Really, you need to watch this video.
The US Army's newest recruit
You can now be 42 years old and join the United States Army. Dan Schafer, are you listening? You have just over a month left to sign up!
[from WaPo]:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army, aiming to make its recruiting goals amid the Iraq war, raised its maximum enlistment age by another two years on Wednesday, while the Army Reserve predicted it will miss its recruiting target for a second straight year.
People can now volunteer to serve in the active-duty Army or the part-time Army Reserve and National Guard up to their 42nd birthday after the move aimed at increasing the number of people eligible to sign up, officials said.
It marked the second time this year the Army has boosted the maximum age for new volunteers, raising the ceiling from age 35 to 40 in January before now adding two more years.
Next thing ya know they'll be phoning up my 79 year-old WWII veteran grandfather and ask him to go fight in Iraq.
I'm sorry, but this is so pathetic. What 42 year-old man do you know that would sign up for this crap? Here's a wacky idea for how the Army could encourage people to join... STOP FIGHTING UNNECESSARY WARS!
Apparently the owner of the New York Knicks likes losing a lot more than anyone thought [from AOL Sports]:
NEW YORK (June 22) - Larry Brown was fired by the New York Knicks on Thursday and replaced as coach by president and general manager Isiah Thomas.
In Brown's one season in New York, the Knicks stumbled to a 23-59 record - second worst in the NBA and matching the most losses in club history.
Thomas was the mastermind who engineered last year's spectacular failure of a team. And they just made him the new head coach? Sure, Larry is a bit overrated and made some dumb moves last year, but making Isiah the new coach is the NBA equivalent of the Detroit Lions firing a hall-of-fame coach (not that we've ever had one) and replacing him with Matt Millen.
Well, I guess this just means the Pistons have one less team to worry about in the Eastern Conference next season (not that they would anyway).
DeVos' 64-page "Michigan Turnaround Plan: Version 2.0" includes 134 separate action items and may be the most detailed set of objectives ever produced by a candidate for statewide office in Michigan. But it leaves key questions unanswered and was quickly assailed as insubstantial or wrongheaded by Democratic critics and a spokesman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm...
Among his prescriptions are some outlined earlier, especially the proposed elimination of the state Single Business Tax. Others echo long-standing Republican proposals -- some of them previously rejected by Democrats and Granholm -- like curtailing health insurance costs in public schools, tort liability for health care providers and providing merit pay for exceptional teachers...
DeVos also proposed eliminating state income taxes for families earning $14,000 or less, cutting business equipment taxation and spending more on higher education and in public school classrooms.
In response to questions seeking more detail about his business tax plan, DeVos said he doesn't expect to have a specific policy proposal until after the election. Polls, including three released Wednesday, show the race a statistical dead heat or DeVos with a small lead.
I love how magnificently vague all of this is. This is basically Dick's sell: "I'll do X-Y-and-Z if you vote for me now, and I'll tell you how we'll actually accomplish any of this once I'm governor."
In many elections where a challenger has to face an incumbent, the candidate has no choice but to make somewhat hollow promises that are light on specifics, but this is different. DeVos acknowledges what a bind the state is in, and setting "objectives" is clearly necessary (even if people like me think they're idiotic), but you can't call this a "plan" since we never get details on how these "objectives" will be met. This is all smoke and mirrors... just like the whole AMWAY operation.
Well, the trip to Mackinac is officially on. Stefy made reservations for us to stay at the Lake View Hotel this weekend. I'll be leaving work at the usual time on Friday morning, and then drive to Stef's house. While it seems a little nuts for me to drive to her house and then leave for up north, I think we'll have fewer problems taking I-75 all the way up than if we took 127, since there's so much construction going on between Lansing and Mt. Pleasant right now.
Anyway, I'm really excited for the trip! It'll be a fun weekend.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Republican leaders on Wednesday postponed a vote on renewing the 1965 Voting Rights Act after GOP lawmakers complained it unfairly singles out nine Southern states for federal oversight...
The statement said the GOP leaders are committed to renewing the law "as soon as possible."
The four-decade-old law enfranchised millions of black voters by ending poll taxes and literacy tests during the height of the civil rights struggle. A vote on renewing it for another 25 years had been scheduled for Wednesday, with both Republican and Democratic leaders behind it...
"The pre-clearance portions of the Voting Rights Act should apply to all states, or no states," Westmoreland said. "Singling out certain states for special scrutiny no longer makes sense."
They want to renew the law "as soon as possible". Gee, it's a good thing that there's no reason to doubt them (*cough* black voters disenfranchised in Florida in 2000 *cough* black voters disenfranchised in Ohio in 2004 *cough*).
Oh, and singling out certain states for special scrutiny doesn't make sense? Yeah, when state's like Kentucky are blocking liberal websites from state government offices, there's no reason to think they might keep some black people from voting in November, is there?
I've been wanting to add a search feature for quite some time, and while it's not that hard to do, I haven't really seen any that worked the way I wanted them to. Anyway, it's pretty straightforward. If you want to go find a specific post you remember seeing on the site a while back, just type in a keyword you think might've been in it, click search, and it'll take you to the Technorati results page. If you find what you're looking for, just click the link, and it'll take you to that specific entry. Pretty easy.
I know it's nothing earth-shattering, but I just wanted to make a note of it.
Dude, they may be cheap, but Dell computers are, well... cheap [from the Inquirer via Gizmodo]:
AN INQUIRER READER attending a conference in Japan was sat just feet away from a laptop computer that suddenly exploded into flames, in what could have been a deadly accident.
Guilhem, our astonished reader reports: "The damn thing was on fire and produced several explosions for more than five minutes".
Should you witness such an event, his advice is, "Don't try anything courageous/stupid, stay away, away, away!"
"For the record, this is a Dell machine," notes Guilhem. "It is only a matter of time until such an incident breaks out on a plane," he suggests.
Guilhem managed to catch all the action in these amazing pictures.
"Fire extinguishers leave a mess on your suit and belongings; pack your stuff (if you can) and leave, leave, leave!" he advises.
Dude, yer gettin' third degree burns!
It's been nine years since the minimum wage was increased. Nine years. A person who works full-time and earns $5.15/hr will make approximately $10,700/year.
Today the Senate voted on a bill introduced by Democrats to raise the minimum wage. It failed 52-46. Here's how the do-nothing Republicans tried to spin it [from CNN]:
"This is a classic debate between two different philosophies. One philosophy believes in the marketplace, competition and entrepreneurship, and the second is a philosophy that says government knows best," said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Georgia.
George Bush passed his tax cuts by arguing that the money from tax revenues will be more effective at stimulating economic growth if it's spent by consumers instead of the government (the historical legacy of the New Deal disproves this, but bear with me). The logic is that if consumers have more money to spend on goods and services, the extra consumption will increase economic output.
Well, the same principle applies to the minimum wage. If low-skilled workers earning the minimum wage were to make more money per hour, then they would have more money to spend on goods and services, and this spending in turn will increase economic output. Sure, it'll cost businesses money to pay the higher wages, but any short-term losses would be offset in the long haul by the increased consumer spending. This is basic economics, folks.
So here's the hitch. The GOP makes the argument that consumers should have the choice about how to spend their money instead of the government when they're talking about taxes. Why? Because rich people pay the most taxes, not poor people. A 5% tax cut keeps a lot more money in the pocket of a man earning $1 million a year than a man earning $10,700 a year. When it comes to the minimum wage though, they say "let the market decide". Why? Because rich people control the marketplace, and make the decisions about wage rates. Do you notice a trend here?
The underlying message from Republicans when they say "Let the market decide" is "Screw the poor, we'll decide what's best!" If businesses don't want to pay more than $5.15 an hour, they shouldn't have to! And the government sure as HELL shouldn't try to make them with silly minimum wage hikes!
And so it continues. Nine years with the same minimum wage. I challenge anyone out there who eschews the idea of a minimum wage increase to try living on $10,700 a year... and then imagine having kids.
Stef and I have been talking about going away for this upcoming weekend for a while. Originally we were thinking about something like Cedar Point, but suddenly talk has turned to Mackinac Island instead. From what I see in the forecast, it's still going to be a bit cool there through the end of the week, but that might be a good thing since it can get really hot there later in the summer season.
I haven't been to Mackinac since the last time I stayed at my grandparent's cabin (which they've since sold), and I think that was probably in the summer of 2003. One of my favorite things to do there is rent bikes and ride all the way around the island. There's also a really good pizza place in town that my mom, Dan, and I always like to go to. And of course, there's always the fudge.
From what I gather, Stef has either never been to the island, or it's been so long that she doesn't remember it. Whichever it is, I'm really excited about the prospect of getting to show her around a bit. A trip to Mackinac was always one of my favorite things to do when we used to drive up to Lark's Lake all the time, and summers just haven't been the same since my grandparent's sold the cabin.
Anyway, we'll see what happens. Hopefully the trip will pan out.
UPDATE: It sounds like this trip might be coming together. Stef's been researching hotels all day, and we might have one nailed down. I'm excited!
I can't believe I almost forgot that today is the day that Guster's new CD, Ganging Up On The Sun, comes out! You can buy the album on iTunes here. I'm still on the fence about whether or not I should go buy it in person, but if I don't have time to run to a store I'll probably just buy it online.
As expected, both of the songs I bought from that single release back in April make an appearance on this CD, but I can't complain too much. I don't mind giving one of my favorite bands a couple extra bucks.
Anyway, you can expect a full write-up once I get the album and have a few listens under my belt.
I also got another tidbit of good news this afternoon... I finally heard back from the people I'm doing business with in Ohio about their website project, so hopefully that assignment can start moving into the final stages of development. [CROSSING FINGERS]
Well, like it or not, I'm about 95% sure I'm going to spin off a second politically-themed website within the next month or two. Right now I'm still in the early conceptual phase of designing it, but it's coming along quickly. My plan is to cross-post all political entries here and on the new site for about a month once it's live just to allow for a smooth transition, but eventually iBZP will revert to the all-Zack, all-the-time format it originally started with. If anyone's curious about the progress, just post in the comments, and I'll email you the link.
Anyway, that's basically it for now. Just a fun afternoon/evening with my girl and the rest of the fam.
Republican candidate Dick DeVos shows how many billion dollars he wants to cut from the state budget.
I say slightly because it shows Granholm is +2 over the AMWAY DICK instead of -8, but it's better than nothing. You can see all the nitty gritty poll results here.
Here's yet another interesting read about the superstar status of Barack Obama [from WaPo]:
Obama, a first-term Democratic senator from Illinois, seems to be hitting the right notes these days. During Senate recesses, he has been touring the country at breakneck pace, basking in the sudden fame of a politician turned pop star. Along the way, he has been drawing crowds and campaign cash from Democrats starved for a fresh face and ready to cheer what Obama touts as "a politics of hope instead of a politics of fear."
His office fields more than 300 requests a week for appearances. One Senate Democrat, curious about Obama's charisma, took notes when watching him perform at a recent political event. State parties report breaking fundraising records when Obama is the speaker.
The money he is bringing in for fellow Democrats is shaping up as an important influence on 2006. And the potential Obama is demonstrating as a political performer -- less than two years after his elevation from the Illinois state legislature -- is prompting some colleagues to urge him to turn his attention to 2008 and a race for the presidency. Obama has made plain he is at least listening.
Maybe Barack won't run in 2008. I'm not even sure if he should (not that I would complain). But I think any Democrat who wins the nomination would be a damn fool not to consider him for the #2 spot. Of course, my dream ticket is Edwards-Obama... maybe there's still hope.
At the very least, this guy can raise scads of money for the party, and I'm sure that'll turn heads during this year's campaign season.
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Louisiana Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed into law a ban on most abortions, which would be triggered if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 ruling legalizing the procedure, a spokesman said on Saturday.
The ban would apply to all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, except when the mother's life is threatened. It is similar to a South Dakota law that has become the latest focus of the abortion battle.
The South Dakota law was enacted partly to invite a court challenge in the hope a more conservative Supreme Court would overturn its Roe v. Wade decision that established a woman's right to abortion.
The Louisiana ban would take effect if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Medicaid, which provides health benefits for the poor and disabled, requires funding for abortions in cases of rape or incest. Louisiana would allow those exceptions so long as it was required for Medicaid funding.
If the GOP wins the top job again in 2008, my prediction is that Roe vs. Wade will be overturned by 2012.
Friday: The Ringo Starr and the All-Starr concert was a lot of fun on Friday night. Ringo's band included: Billy Squier, Edgar Winter, Sheila E., Richard Marx, Rod Argent, and Hamish Stewart. Some of those names may or may not jump out at you, but I actually recognized a lot more of the performers' songs than I was expecting to. Of course, Ringo's Beatles songs were a lot of fun to hear too. He's just about the dorkiest little white dude, but he seems totally laid back and comfortable in his own skin unlike Paul, who was a little stiff and awkward in between songs at the concert we saw at the Palace last fall. Ringo just wants to have fun and put on a good show for his fans, and that's exactly what he did... we all had a lot of fun.
Saturday: It was really nice getting to sleep in on Saturday morning. I love when I can wake up on my own without an alarm, but still just lay in bed and roll around for an hour before actually getting up. Stefy and I finally got up and had a light breakfast out on the back porch at around 10. After we were finally up and around for the day, we took off for Target to get some last-minute Father's Day items, made a quick stop at the pet store to grab some treats for Zoey, and then went to Baja Fresh for lunch. It was just a nice morning/afternoon.
After running errands we swung by the house for a bit before hitting the road for Grosse Pointe to see Colin's last soccer game of the year. Stef and I sat in the shade with Marina and her parents while Colin and his team were busy destroying the green team. There's this little boy on Colin's team who was the shortest kid on the field, but absolutely the best player out there. He scored two goals almost single-handedly, and had a hand in scoring the third. It was just really funny to see this little Owen Meany-esque kid go out there and take over like he did. We actually had a lot of fun watching the game.
Stef and I pretty much had to take off for Pine Knob right after it was over so we could get there in time for the Bruce concert. It seemed like an easy enough assignment driving from Grosse Pointe to Clarkston, but with just about every freakin' entrance ramp onto I-75 closed -- which makes absolutely no sense, since neither the ramps nor the highway were being worked on -- we wasted about a half hour trying to get on the expressway. Well, even though the driving was a pain, we still had some extra time to kill before we needed to get to Pine Knob, so we decided to stop at Great Lakes Crossing to poke around for a bit. That ended up being a big mistake for multiple reasons, but I won't get into that now (long story).
We made it to Pine Knob by 6 though, just in time for our dinner reservations at the restaurant there; the plan was to meet Justin, Mara, and Mara's parents there for dinner. Since Justin got a bit of a late start coming back from his trip to Chicago with Tim on Friday, they ended up being a bit late, but there was still plenty of time for everyone to eat. Mara's parents were really nice, and we had a nice chat with them while we ate.
It turned out that we didn't need to rush to get to our seats quite as much as we thought, since the 7:45 start time we kept hearing about came and went, and went... and went. It ended up being more like 8:20 by the time Bruce and his Seeger Sessions Band took the stage, but it was well worth the wait.
First off, while I will say that I had high expectations for this show based on how much I enjoyed the new album, I was a bit skeptical about how it would come off in a live performance. Well, let's just say that Bruce proved once again why he's the Boss. This was one of the most fun and energetic concerts I've ever seen, and it was a folk band no less! These guys were wild and raucous, and put on one hell of a show. You can read the official Detroit News concert review here, and check out the Free Press one here. What a blast!
Sunday: Father's Day morning at the Spiro household was very nice. Teri whipped up another amazing breakfast spread for the occasion, and I'm glad Tim was able to open my gift (a new live Billy Joel CD) while I was still there.
The drive back to Lansing was smooth sailing the whole way, and I made it to Marilyn's by shortly after 1. I gave Keith and my dad their Father's Day cards before we sat down to enjoy the really huge lunch that Marilyn had made for all of us. We had a nice time after lunch just sitting at the table and reminiscing, which seemed fitting for the occasion.
Dad, Sherry, the girls and I all took off for Celebration by 3:30 so we could catch the 4:10 screening of Cars. This was my first time in a theater with either Morgan or Kyra, and I must say that other than a few screeches of laughter out of Kyra (which go with the territory, considering the movie we were seeing), they were both really well behaved. I thought the movie was really cute and is definitely worth seeing on the big screen, but it's also not the best movie Pixar has made. Then again, since they've consistently set the bar so high for themselves, it's getting harder and harder to leap over it.
Whew. So, yes, it was definitely a long and busy weekend, but it's hard to complain when you get to see two concerts with your girl and celebrate a holiday like Father's Day. I hope everyone else had a great weekend.
Sunday is Father's Day, so in case I'm not able to update over the weekend, Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. I'm planning on driving back into town on Sunday morning, and meet my dad and the rest of the crew at (insert destination here) by 12:30 or so. We're all planning to go see Cars after lunch, so that'll be fun. Unfortunately I won't be able to see Dan and/or grandpa this weekend, but both of them already have their gifts, so I'm not a total schlub.
Anyway, that's basically it for now. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.
The second pick of the day is Bruce and the Seeger band doing "John Henry" live for the BBC. Enjoy!
• Freep: Seeger gang hits the road
• DetNews: Springsteen jam sessions spark tour
Some tidbits from the Detroit papers about this weekend's Bruce concert at Pine Knob. I think the metaphor that Bruce has been using to describe this project is perfect, that it's an artist's responsibility to build a box for themselves, and then climb out of it. When you consider that this album was made in less time than Bruce spent producing the song "Born to Run", you start to get a sense of what a departure this project is for the ultimate musical perfectionist.
• SI: Roethlisberger released, promises to wear helmet
I'm sorry, but this guy is a moron. It just proves the point in a post from a week ago that bikers who want to reverse helmet laws are idiots. I mean, seriously, would Roethlisberger ever play a game of football without a helmet?
• CNN Money: Microsoft Chairman Gates to leave day-to-day role
Normally I'd use this time to say something disparaging about Bill Gates and/or Microsoft, but I think this is a brilliant move on his part. He's made his billions, and now he wants to commit himself full-time to giving it away to worthy humanitarian causes. Bill Gates and his wife to be commended for the work their foundation does.
Anyway, I should be back from dinner by 7:30 or so. It's so gorgeous outside today, and I'd like to get out and go for a walk. I've been slacking off a bit this week, as I had a pretty bad headache on Monday night and then a stomach ache on Tuesday, but I did manage to get out for a stroll yesterday.
My cousin Erin and I have been going back and forth working on the website for my Uncle's contracting business in Florida, and I'm getting in the home stretch. Hopefully I can put some of the finishing touches on the site tonight, but still have some time left over to watch an episode or two of '24'. I think it's fair to say that I'm completely addicted.
That's it for now. Hope everyone is having a good one.
1. Van Morrison, Back on Top
2. Paul McCartney, Flaming Pie
3. Eric Clapton, Back Home
4. K.D. Lang, Ingenue
5. Travis, 12 Memories
The president was here for five hours. The first fifteen minutes were spent with the new prime minister, then a quick power nap to sleep off jet lag. That took two hours. Quick chat with the troops, judged a local hummus cook-off and then... With an international flight, you kinda want to get to the airport two hours ahead. You got the check-in, security, duty free shopping. (He picked up a bottle of perfume for Laura---Ahmed Chalabi's Desperation. It's an intoxicating blend of Sunni and Shiite aroma. Smells awful.)
Just his being there for five hours makes a statement. It told the Iraqi people: "I'm with you. I stand behind you. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm getting the fuck out of here."
Can you blame him?
According to the Pentagon, the death toll in Iraq just hit a new "milestone".
How many more corners are we going to turn in Iraq before we can bring the troops home?
Most blogs out there have a singular theme or topic and stick to it religiously, whereas my site is a bit of a mish-mash at this point. I write about the news, politics, pop culture, sports (sometimes), and my personal life. As much as I love posting items covering all of these topics, I'm just wondering if I've left the door open too wide. Basically what I'm thinking about doing is splitting the site by spinning off a totally separate blog with a political theme under a new URL. I would still update both sites on a daily basis, but it would allow me to focus on each one separately instead of having the content on one page (like it is now) competing for attention. In other words, there wouldn't be any more political posts on iBZP, they would go on this new blog instead.
What do people think? I know there are more than the three or four people who actually post comments visiting the site, so I want to get some opinions. Would anyone read a second site? Would anyone avoid it?
Sorry for all the public pontificating... I'm just thinking out loud.
Michigan's unemployment rate dropped to its lowest point in more than four years in May, but economists warned it was more bad news than good -- a symptom of people fleeing the workforce by taking buyouts, leaving the state and otherwise giving up job searches.
Economists also cautioned that a statistical oddity or error might have played a part in the unusually large drop in the rate, which reached its lowest point in Michigan since February 2002.
Moreover, the decline from 7.2% in April to 6.0% in May still left Michigan hovering well above the national unemployment average of 4.6%...
Michigan's ailing labor market has emerged as the top issue in this year's campaign for governor. The race pits Gov. Jennifer Granholm against Republican businessman Dick DeVos.
But Ballard said neither candidate could rightly claim to have any magic solutions for Michigan's hard-hit manufacturers. He pointed out that the state's job losses began under former Gov. John Engler, a Republican, and continued under Granholm, a Democrat.
"If Dick DeVos had been elected four years ago, the Michigan economy would look very much as it does now," Ballard said. "The percentage of th