tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316542472024-03-13T02:22:19.626-04:00Sun InsiderNews and quick-hit commentary from around mid-Michigan ... from the Morning Sun.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger516125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-25283486403083797172009-06-03T22:13:00.000-04:002009-06-03T22:14:22.933-04:00Second graders tour The Morning Sun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmtexE2t3PslM1ifzXqSy6UEjo5y8vZWHD5EVbDvAc9TZyFPg1nIFDXLkFM97PY2SR9N0GuaWAA8Pq9rdvev4clmiguEcmAq-VmFwJYmDbUS4eR3YWGeIIMuLuISSvoQLaGPkEQ/s1600-h/FrontLobby.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmmtexE2t3PslM1ifzXqSy6UEjo5y8vZWHD5EVbDvAc9TZyFPg1nIFDXLkFM97PY2SR9N0GuaWAA8Pq9rdvev4clmiguEcmAq-VmFwJYmDbUS4eR3YWGeIIMuLuISSvoQLaGPkEQ/s400/FrontLobby.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343287324248589282" border="0" /></a>It's never too early to become media literate - and a group of second-graders from Mt. Pleasant's Vowles Elementary School got to see first-hand how their local newspaper is put together.<br />The group toured the Morning Sun, and staffers Tony Sapienza, Nancy Shackelford and I got to be their tour guides.<br />We showed them how ads come together, told them how news gets to be news, and how it all gets onto paper.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMPgTYbLMSnx__MRsOkImYZieVAAc6pAkbmrp9LGPuvkG8z0K13JcsI15IV4-e4iRtAS07ziOPWET65bANQxUqjiJj7mdh-CakxpButtRXYyyUGdUgxFO0C0eV-lfC2WrZZQQVQ/s1600-h/Pressroom-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMPgTYbLMSnx__MRsOkImYZieVAAc6pAkbmrp9LGPuvkG8z0K13JcsI15IV4-e4iRtAS07ziOPWET65bANQxUqjiJj7mdh-CakxpButtRXYyyUGdUgxFO0C0eV-lfC2WrZZQQVQ/s400/Pressroom-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343287327644528770" border="0" /></a>The presses weren't running, so we could stop and take a good look at the remarkable, precision machinery that puts ink on paper.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmELvDU0U7FyKkbSbW3AWHeSg3nDcZdCFGRlZaeVwpT-0cfj9bMBxFZWKu7tsQub_nldvOSZyf1FZuuJbayu2Z-9Cjg-Y8VWCPblMi0UtTOejnypD6HUL33zLdFv5aFbUA9V0mQ/s1600-h/Pressroom-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmELvDU0U7FyKkbSbW3AWHeSg3nDcZdCFGRlZaeVwpT-0cfj9bMBxFZWKu7tsQub_nldvOSZyf1FZuuJbayu2Z-9Cjg-Y8VWCPblMi0UtTOejnypD6HUL33zLdFv5aFbUA9V0mQ/s400/Pressroom-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343287331088446178" border="0" /></a>I pointed out how we can print in color, and how the web-fed offset press works.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KKLhGC7tohjAcV27KO39m3leneqCEJhJjnRMYREhTuzrwIrmskVyuJEUwbL_fri9sHCtpiwSECpud7lt4YzTW57zUhn6VDVMHUwswPrfqoBqLquph8hiWr90W9AkvP1fkMbTmQ/s1600-h/Pressroom3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KKLhGC7tohjAcV27KO39m3leneqCEJhJjnRMYREhTuzrwIrmskVyuJEUwbL_fri9sHCtpiwSECpud7lt4YzTW57zUhn6VDVMHUwswPrfqoBqLquph8hiWr90W9AkvP1fkMbTmQ/s400/Pressroom3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343287328870732194" border="0" /></a>And how, after everything's printed, folded and cut, it comes out at the end of the line, ready for inserts, packaging and distribution. I'v been around it for years, but I'm still amazed at what happens to produce The Daily Miracle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-89446273934207201562009-05-20T10:44:00.002-04:002009-05-20T10:48:31.953-04:00Prudence, paranoia and the white minivanIt's easy to see how the <a href="http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2009/05/19/news/doc4a1320fdac46e496540069.txt">whole white van thing </a>got to where it was - because people did exactly what they're supposed to do, and reacted the way they can be expected to act.<br />Let's go back to the beginning of the incident at Fancher School. A group of kids - and remember, Fancher houses fifth- and sixth-graders - runs ahead of the rest of the class after outdoor physical education.<br />Waiting outside the school in a white minivan is a man who is a substitute teacher for the school district, but who doesn't get assigned to Fancher very much. His wife was subbing at Fancher that day, and he's there to pick her up.<br />Being a responsible adult, he speaks to these apparently unsupervised kids. Nothing's wrong.<br />But imagine this: One of the kids goes home and tells a parent, "This creepy guy talked to us outside school today."<br />If you've been a parent of a sixth-grader, particularly a sixth-grade girl, you'll know that any male over 30 is, by definition, "creepy." But if you're the parent of a sixth-grade girl, and she tells you a "creepy guy" talk to her outside school, you'd be a responsible adult and make sure the school administration knew about it.<br />The school administration, being responsible, would then gather information about what happened. Maybe there was a threat, maybe not, but it's prudent to let police know.<br />There's <a href="http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2009/03/04/news/doc49af103426a8b778877923.txt">enough weird stuff going </a>on that it's best to err on the side of caution.<br />It's also prudent to give parents a clue. Imagine the headlines if something really were amiss: SCHOOL KNEW ABOUT THREAT, DID NOTHING - subhead: SEARCH FOR MISSING GIRL CONTINUES<br />No, let's get the police on board and notify parents. That's prudent and responsible.<br />As soon as the note from school went home, the Sun began to get phone calls and message-board postings from people - good parents who wanted to be responsible - who wanted to know more about the incident. The newspaper did the responsible thing, gathered what information there was, and presented it.<br />The police did the responsible thing and increased patrols around Fancher.<br />In short order, police <a href="http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2009/05/14/news/doc4a0c29a9a6620248513681.txt">identified a possible suspect</a>, but determined there was no wrongdoing. That, too, was made public.<br />Finally, the actual guy in the actual white minivan comes forward and tells what happened. Now it all fits, and it's all perfectly harmless.<br />What strikes me is that <span style="font-style: italic;">everyone</span> did the responsible thing. We were looking out for one another. Every single move was aimed at keeping our kids safe.<br />And our kids are safe, because we look out for them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-51109348206066741862009-05-19T08:45:00.003-04:002009-05-19T08:48:19.210-04:00Are we ready for hybrid cars?Is the answer to the automakers' woes 'going green?"<br /><a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/05/19/us_auto_industry_needs_to_go_green/">Boston.com's Derrick Z. Jackson</a> thinks so:<br /><br />Toyota sales in Japan are up, <a href="http://www.smartmoney.com/breaking-news/on/?story=ON-20090518-000042-0152">driven by the new version of the Prius</a>:<br /><br />The Canadian Press says <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hGpFUj2_09DEJFJbe-whqROy0fhg">Nissan is trying to catch up</a> on the hybrid front:<br /><br />The hybrid Honda Insight has become the largest-selling vehicle in Japan, according to a <a href="http://www.designtaxi.com/news.jsp?id=27049&monthview=0&month=5&year=2009">company press release</a>:<br /><br />But not everyone loves the Insight. Jeremy Clarkson writes the <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article6294116.ece?print=yes&randnum=1242604714984">most devastating car review</a> I've ever read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-15162186406134934972009-03-23T06:07:00.002-04:002009-03-23T06:13:06.355-04:00Your Monday morning linksConventional wisdom takes a beating this Monday morning.<br /><br />Firms nationwide say they're <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-weatherize_for_monmar23,0,736350.story">doubling or tripling work forces </a>to upgrade millions of homes, businesses and government buildings to make them <span style="font-weight: bold;">more energy efficient</span>, reports ChicagoTribune.com. The reason? The stimulus spending and an accompanying batch of new tax breaks for efficiency.<br />CEOs and analysts expect the demand to last, in part due to some fine-print strings attached to the stimulus money that push states to adopt ongoing efficiency incentives.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steven Henderson </span>asks, in Freep.com, could a <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20090322/COL33/903220359/1302/NLETTER10?source=nletter-top_stories_8pm">backlash to Gov. Jennifer Granholm</a> -- call it the "Granholm effect" -- threaten what should be a strong Democratic year?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Swedish government</span> says it won't prop up Saab, the Swedish car company owned now owned by General Motors. NYTimes.com reports that the last thing they want is to seem to be <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/world/europe/23saab.html?_r=1&th&emc=th">bailing out a despised foreign company.</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Suzanne Garment,</span> writing an op-ed piece for WSJ.com, says <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123776419952308805.html#mod=djemEditorialPage">the president was irresonsible </a>in his approach to AIG's bonuses.<br /><br />And a provocative piece from <span style="font-weight: bold;">David Barash</span> on Chronicle.com.<br />Marx was wrong: The opiate of the masses isn't religion, but <a href="http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i28/28b00801.htm">spectator sports. </a><br /><a href="http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2009/03/23/sports/doc49c753a81a922771718797.txt"><br />Go State!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-54644708362642053492009-03-22T10:10:00.002-04:002009-03-22T10:15:31.257-04:00From the Sunday sitesAdd Brighton to the list of school districts closing schools in face of dropping enrollment. Freep.com reports that <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20090322/NEWS05/903220410/1001/NLETTER09/Online+petition+not+enough+to+save+Brighton+school?source=nletter-news">parents' battles, including an online petition, went for naught</a> in saving the Miller Early Childhood Center, which currently houses 568 students.<br /><br />Congress is sending money to schools. But NYTimes.com reports that <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/education/22schools.html?hp">some dollars are going to districts that don't need it</a>, while some poorer districts are getting little.<br /><br />WashingtonPost.com reports that <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/21/AR2009032100066.html?wpisrc=newsletter">these are tough times for Starbucks.</a> It's been closing stores by the hundreds and laying off workers by the thousands. People started skipping Starbucks even before the recession got really bad. What to do?<br /><br />How are we dealing with tough times? Sacbee.com says <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1719240.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1#Comments_Container">thrift and responsibility suddenly sound sexy</a>. Balance, both in lives and in bank accounts, oozes desirability. Instant gratification, by contrast, sounds like the cheap thrill it really is.<br /><br />How can business prosper in these times? My old friend and editor Jack Telfer at OurMidland.com reminds us of how <a href="http://ourmidland.com/articles/2009/03/22/opinion/editorials/doc49c585d58c760421250970.txt">treating customers like they were the people who pay the bills pays off</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-14477582718491575862009-03-20T10:05:00.002-04:002009-03-20T10:08:55.686-04:00Friday morning readsHeading into the weekend, check out these must-reads:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/03/buoyed_by_strong_support_in.html">The Grand Rapids Press</a> looks at polling data showing Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Rep. Peter Hoekstra as the leading candidates to be the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2010.<br /><br />Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2009/03/20/news/doc49c36edfdc773364167583.txt">we're reporting on a non-politician</a> who might seek the office, too.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=7262">The Globalist</a> puts together in a simple, easy-to-digest format, a look at the troubles facing General Motors.<br />Note: It doesn't seem to be a marketing problem or a product problem. It's a health care problem.<br /><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20090320/BUSINESS07/903200437/1002/NLETTER01/Wal-Mart+to+give+hourly+workers+$2+billion+extra+after+sales+soar?source=nletter-business"><br />Bloomberg News</a> reports that Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, plans to award $2 billion in extra compensation to about 1 million U.S. hourly workers this year after sales jumped in the recession. Through freep.com<br /><br />How'd the president do on "The Tonight Show?" Well, except for that little Special Olympics gaffe ... Read about it in <a href="http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/people,,barack-obama-makes-special-olympics-gaffe-on-jay-leno-show,78280">The First Post.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/The-lingering-stench--airing-Stalin-s-archives-4028">The New Criterion</a> reports that while supposedly living in a market economy, today’s Russians understand making money by stealing, but not by producing. Efficiency remains a foreign concept. One scholar remarked that Russian spirituality allows people to deal with abstractions but leaves them unable to repair an elevator or television.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-35939096432602823612009-02-24T09:54:00.002-05:002009-02-24T09:57:37.057-05:00Quick read - Tuesday<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/24/obama.speech/">CNN is reporting </a>that President Obama's address Tuesday to a joint session of Congress will have a heavy emphasis on the economy and will try to strike an optimistic tone, aides said.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20090223/NEWS15/90223065">Freep.com is reporting </a>that Rep. Dave Camp was one of the participants in Monday's Fiscal Responsibility Summit called by the president.<br /><br />Camp <a href="http://video.ap.org/?t=By%20Section/U.S.&g=0221dvs_gop_response&f=MIPLE">has been a leading voice of opposition to the stimulus plan</a> in Congress. (Video)<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/23/AR2009022302176.html?hpid=topnews">new Washington Post poll </a>says 64 percent of those polled back the economic recovery package, and the same percentage support the mortgage proposal. Only 10 percent said the bill was too heavy on spending and too light on tax cuts, the primary contention of the Republican leadership in Congress. Overall, 60 percent of poll respondents approve of how Obama is dealing with the economy.<br /><br />But <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/23/poll.obama.media/index.html">CNN says its new poll</a> says most Americans are fearful about the state of the country<br /><br />Willie Nelson's <a href="http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/46589,features,americans-willie-nelson-back-to-the-land-message-for-america">answer to economic downturn</a>: Back to the land, according to TheFirstPost.co.ukUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-8197009299952417402009-02-11T17:06:00.003-05:002009-02-11T17:11:40.202-05:00Founders Day in Isabella County<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvq0RdTWpRiUDVMymKUru5XA-TsPUJSzLK6rZFsv00GL-ZgKEy8tKCrBS8x8PUbwwgY9PXxeR_CTJVi2DnnHa7sJVVDVXi-ChyphenhyphenjSxVqs_BOqirbEjyTxlNMNEgiTIAkqUW1xlvg/s1600-h/LookingSouth-net.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 397px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvq0RdTWpRiUDVMymKUru5XA-TsPUJSzLK6rZFsv00GL-ZgKEy8tKCrBS8x8PUbwwgY9PXxeR_CTJVi2DnnHa7sJVVDVXi-ChyphenhyphenjSxVqs_BOqirbEjyTxlNMNEgiTIAkqUW1xlvg/s400/LookingSouth-net.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301664791986919874" border="0" /></a>One hundred fifty years ago today, Isabella County was organized as a county by the Michigan Legislature. Today, the county celebrates its history and its founding families.<br />Historians, history buffs and history groupies came to the Isabella County Building for Founders Day. Above, dozens of people stopped by the Morning Sun and TheMorningSun.com's display.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h8lxzVPBDMSltQKchKrTckD8Vju9mRmTbQyxQYZedx5a8g51dK0_1F6zcWzmQXzYB4jYzYjX77CdMrtREzgZc3d4fdrGNnazAhCR6k9rGb8pS-BXLk4Q4d5xG_Qlw3KYll1dgg/s1600-h/LookingNorth-net.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7h8lxzVPBDMSltQKchKrTckD8Vju9mRmTbQyxQYZedx5a8g51dK0_1F6zcWzmQXzYB4jYzYjX77CdMrtREzgZc3d4fdrGNnazAhCR6k9rGb8pS-BXLk4Q4d5xG_Qlw3KYll1dgg/s400/LookingNorth-net.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301664789968876850" border="0" /></a>Bound newspapers from 1961 provided a hands-on experience for Founders Day visitors. And the site was updated - including this post - several times from the field as people looked on.<br />The past - and the future - side by side.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-72820218666605479552009-02-06T15:19:00.001-05:002009-02-06T15:28:41.767-05:00Why not a pedestrian bridge over Mission?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNgP4YodjELkFmuf3-yEqqh8z5mN9ULHGMR3Q-crk8PNfw0lj3K-D9D_mv9ltgsbzfF2fjpsFWtzO4uWsyMd3E5O6YClYqizLimlPtx707MU0nQQyW_TfFRQL5m68tZc23e29TA/s1600-h/PGPLAZA-s.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNgP4YodjELkFmuf3-yEqqh8z5mN9ULHGMR3Q-crk8PNfw0lj3K-D9D_mv9ltgsbzfF2fjpsFWtzO4uWsyMd3E5O6YClYqizLimlPtx707MU0nQQyW_TfFRQL5m68tZc23e29TA/s320/PGPLAZA-s.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299783809394806146" /></a><br />The Mt. Pleasant Planning Commission's discussions about improvements to Mission Street have, once again, brought out well-meaning questions asking why the Michigan Department of Transportation doesn't just build some pedestrian bridges over the busy roadway.<br />The reason: They won't work. They would be a gigantic waste of money.<br />Here's why: In real life, most pedestrians, confronted with stairs, long ramps, switchbacks or even elevators to a pedestrian bridge, would choose to take their chances in traffic.<br />The Americans with Disabilities Act would require the construction of a pedestrian bridge with either a long ramp or an elevator.<br />The recommended slope for a public access ramp is 1:12, meaning 12 feet of ramp for each 1 foot of rise.<br />A pedestrian bridge's deck would likely be about 18 feet above the road, giving 15 feet for truck clearance and 3 feet for trusses supporting the bridge. That would require ramps 216 feet long on either side of the bridge.<br />How much is that? It's roughly the distance between Washington and Main streets - a city block.<br />Few people would walk two blocks out of their way - and climb - just for safety's sake. People, especially young people, judge real risks very poorly. <br />Take a look at a full explanation, with pictures, at <a href="http://www.pedestrians.org/bridges.html">pedestrian.org.</a><br />Any Mission Street pedestrian bridge would be a lot like the crossing pictured in Maryland - expensive, with the pedestrians running through traffic in the shadow of the bridge.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-56960837332818504092009-01-23T11:00:00.002-05:002009-01-23T11:02:46.290-05:00What's wrong with us?It's Friday morning and people around town are joyous!<br />I've had three or four people tell me how nice it is outside.<br />I was feeling the same way.<br />It's cloudy, drab, a little breezy, and it's 28 degrees.<br />Twenty-eight degrees. Warm and nice, huh?<br />I guess it's all in comparison to what we've gotten used to.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-85640975261424425342009-01-19T21:22:00.004-05:002009-01-19T21:31:08.948-05:00A disquieting contrastAs the inauguration of Barack Obama as president of the United States approaches, I set up a keyword notification system from the Associated Press to notify me anytime something on the newswire contains both the words "Obama" and "inauguration."<br /><br />Believe me, there's a more than you can imagine, in text, in images, in graphics and in videos. The whole world is watching.<br /><br />But sometimes, things come too close together. Take these two photos. I was paging back in my notifications tonight, and found this one:<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqy-wFTueL9CMmunohevxsgq2Fwrbay_7FJjb6f6s_C0tqtUJrpJAbg-DjPYBk5_pDVLv3jIjR1tEsJty2TilrJcfaz5r-YUYUCGOQIL8m1iah2jQhx3-18llx75DyEN9qLSWb1A/s1600-h/ElizabethBailey.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293196853133114610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqy-wFTueL9CMmunohevxsgq2Fwrbay_7FJjb6f6s_C0tqtUJrpJAbg-DjPYBk5_pDVLv3jIjR1tEsJty2TilrJcfaz5r-YUYUCGOQIL8m1iah2jQhx3-18llx75DyEN9qLSWb1A/s400/ElizabethBailey.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:arial;">Elizabeth Bailey, 8, seated with her father, Coast Guard Lt. Jim Bailey of Bowie, Md., cheers during the "Kids' Inaugural: We Are The Future Concert" in Washington, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)</span><br /></div><div>That image of the joyous, all-American girl had crossed the photo wire just after this one:</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnw8S9rxqmHw5MnhPtNmxAWoTZqRmxuMXhSuY8Ec3osm80v9qsGujuYFCor62SkxknTbA9QtW1A3twOW6TuKNVqDWzxr6jnm7tQS13x9N_4-TQBsW3IrHyXPni57uKHvdXKUjDA/s1600-h/Ayat.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293196857629072178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 276px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnw8S9rxqmHw5MnhPtNmxAWoTZqRmxuMXhSuY8Ec3osm80v9qsGujuYFCor62SkxknTbA9QtW1A3twOW6TuKNVqDWzxr6jnm7tQS13x9N_4-TQBsW3IrHyXPni57uKHvdXKUjDA/s400/Ayat.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Palestinian girl Ayat, 10, reacts at her house after her uncle Billal Nabham, not seen, was found dead under rubble of a house, after being missing for 20 days, in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza strip, Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. Israel hopes to pull all its troops out of the Gaza Strip by the time U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is inaugurated as president of the United States on Tuesday, Israeli officials said. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, Pool)</span> <div> </div><div>The whole world's watching. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-27249655329897003832009-01-19T13:54:00.002-05:002009-01-19T13:55:32.596-05:00Friedman and Der SpiegelDer Spiegel, the German news magazine, does a <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,602075,00.html">wonderful interview with Thomas Friedma</a>n on the eve of the Obama inauguration.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-63315528206271980472008-12-20T00:02:00.005-05:002008-12-20T00:09:03.868-05:00Saginaw Chippewas send semi-load of gifts to Pine Ridge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/content/articles/2008/12/19/news/local/doc494b4595bf930675503936.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/content/articles/2008/12/19/news/local/doc494b4595bf930675503936.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Santa Claus traveled more than 1,200 miles and arrived at the Piya Wiconi (New Beginnings) administration building Wednesday and Thursday, handing out presents to students in the Oglala Lakota College Head Start Program.<br /><a href="http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/12/19/news/local/doc494b4595bf930675503936.txt">The story from the Rapid City (S.D.) Journal.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-42425362665992003682008-12-19T15:27:00.002-05:002008-12-19T15:35:52.829-05:00In the snow in Alma<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5GhOIfSg3QmiyQ42SDwTtmvS1-O70rnV2l8rV00ehrI8wt6bPVP4nkTZJTAlU6E7-A0NMvoBzL1vI1P5TIPNjOooaPr-b2m18qaRuUiUK9hb7zk6uwV7Ls89UJ0Oc5bI7mLpCw/s1600-h/AlmaWreath.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5GhOIfSg3QmiyQ42SDwTtmvS1-O70rnV2l8rV00ehrI8wt6bPVP4nkTZJTAlU6E7-A0NMvoBzL1vI1P5TIPNjOooaPr-b2m18qaRuUiUK9hb7zk6uwV7Ls89UJ0Oc5bI7mLpCw/s400/AlmaWreath.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281600877326789874" border="0" /></a>There's probably a good chance of a White Christmas this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbsCzQV4SYehx4G19U_mdLFx1ugz_clcHyDdVyJneF8Tc0a3ximAvcAEBc0lQgZeUwNZ-K9Q-zlfV93dKjks0-pV6nfTXJT-fGW1PYAL8kHt6uKm-Vl_Xf6avhtrhkPPYBD8uOg/s1600-h/Roof.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHbsCzQV4SYehx4G19U_mdLFx1ugz_clcHyDdVyJneF8Tc0a3ximAvcAEBc0lQgZeUwNZ-K9Q-zlfV93dKjks0-pV6nfTXJT-fGW1PYAL8kHt6uKm-Vl_Xf6avhtrhkPPYBD8uOg/s400/Roof.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281600887866727970" border="0" /></a>Roofs are full of snow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-mzCtpy0FERU7ihdH2qMemeQy5qMQ2i78U6KT0rv7nF3GgvrlQmWy8ExgncZHFcTay_hBbHhvegcsDhDNHuXikgrySSENBx6FVasVn4-9LdWu2WfWRP7Xt-WsYB69zINMmM8UQ/s1600-h/Richmond.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-mzCtpy0FERU7ihdH2qMemeQy5qMQ2i78U6KT0rv7nF3GgvrlQmWy8ExgncZHFcTay_hBbHhvegcsDhDNHuXikgrySSENBx6FVasVn4-9LdWu2WfWRP7Xt-WsYB69zINMmM8UQ/s400/Richmond.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281600884337661330" border="0" /></a>Only a few tracks made it through the 10-inch snowfall at the corner of Court and Richmond in Alma.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPpGhcP-dKKH_vk6Xe0kD5vMhWxE2REnI_jKm257CH9xyZV72zpWTvCPpxu6OUFcfgIyhuA4u65YwdJvw9GAp2FUFHxjTaCnsU4yfd6dc96-J5CV3h5CpAjOxjwUURlgtqEwyCQ/s1600-h/BackYard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPpGhcP-dKKH_vk6Xe0kD5vMhWxE2REnI_jKm257CH9xyZV72zpWTvCPpxu6OUFcfgIyhuA4u65YwdJvw9GAp2FUFHxjTaCnsU4yfd6dc96-J5CV3h5CpAjOxjwUURlgtqEwyCQ/s400/BackYard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281600880446260898" border="0" /></a>Icicle lights and snow in the back yard.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Photos courtesy Tiffany Decker.</span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-5506467825640306772008-12-19T08:52:00.003-05:002008-12-19T15:39:34.338-05:00Images from the snowstorm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Dl_7y2-L4M788U5v_fOAiq3YHnx5n3U6m1o0CFHCor__hEBT_-U3N_u1j1auLqH9RMHQuE9Ap0g6ehJvO_tmOdQFa09QGs-IcCJOK72ziZleMj0lvGIBOOD0oWQGpVjHV0qHuQ/s1600-h/SweeneyStreet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Dl_7y2-L4M788U5v_fOAiq3YHnx5n3U6m1o0CFHCor__hEBT_-U3N_u1j1auLqH9RMHQuE9Ap0g6ehJvO_tmOdQFa09QGs-IcCJOK72ziZleMj0lvGIBOOD0oWQGpVjHV0qHuQ/s400/SweeneyStreet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281499372460912738" border="0" /></a>Heavy snow reduced the visibility in the neighborhood near Sweeney and Abbey Court in Mt. Pleasant Friday morning.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vqZk3k2sfh0D68HcUBqenT-3sOZCwTAD62gHodSFrHx1pWzyRBGIH_cz6h0z1V0fzRXPVososCsTX0WF34TbR_i1lCADh7QxwQ1vM6lGWx3Rqp3_JBu85Yyx2RF2R7LpWA3MXg/s1600-h/Eastpointe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vqZk3k2sfh0D68HcUBqenT-3sOZCwTAD62gHodSFrHx1pWzyRBGIH_cz6h0z1V0fzRXPVososCsTX0WF34TbR_i1lCADh7QxwQ1vM6lGWx3Rqp3_JBu85Yyx2RF2R7LpWA3MXg/s400/Eastpointe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281499065184330818" border="0" /></a>The Eastpointe neighborhood disappears into the heavy snow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSsSPDEwiczdQ764vFKSR4WTrjmhRniEv1Tw5WRzz8gJQpakDibTct8OHWQPRqIU5fXQ0xUEz18nix_R-hcecORE8pi4y2m0WGnh9fz5WxHzJYiIMvvGobEB-mVrM89EejKVElA/s1600-h/Neighborhood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSsSPDEwiczdQ764vFKSR4WTrjmhRniEv1Tw5WRzz8gJQpakDibTct8OHWQPRqIU5fXQ0xUEz18nix_R-hcecORE8pi4y2m0WGnh9fz5WxHzJYiIMvvGobEB-mVrM89EejKVElA/s400/Neighborhood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281499057721448162" border="0" /></a>Homes in a Mt. Pleasant neighborhood are obscured in the falling snow.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx0XEq045zkqnXdzdRoQtLsX1Elh31uG3DderTKmpxPCqg-yHn4LOxy8b7rn0Oajrr7DIwX5qrs3SY8F7IlYKxHZLIP3KJtA81xJv2SmpEaATLgc2-w24GWDwl8mxwu6muVxiWw/s1600-h/Bleachers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigx0XEq045zkqnXdzdRoQtLsX1Elh31uG3DderTKmpxPCqg-yHn4LOxy8b7rn0Oajrr7DIwX5qrs3SY8F7IlYKxHZLIP3KJtA81xJv2SmpEaATLgc2-w24GWDwl8mxwu6muVxiWw/s400/Bleachers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281499063164580898" border="0" /></a>The white stuff piles up around the bleachers at the softball diamond in Horizon Park in Mt. Pleasant.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-12772205463243861032008-12-04T16:30:00.001-05:002008-12-04T16:32:57.254-05:001972 revisitedI bought gas last night for $1.62 a gallon. <br />It’s been a long time since the price was that low. There are some gaps in my price records, but it looks as if it’s been since before Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that the price has been down that far.<br />That’s in absolute terms. But let’s not forget that the value of the dollars we’ve been paying for gasoline has been falling as inflation has crept – or leaped - up.<br />The first full year I had my driver license was 1972. Dad’s Plymouth had a 318-cubic-inch V-8, and he considered himself lucky if he got 14 mpg with it. It was the time of muscle cars, horsepower generated by pure cubic inches, and the only people who cared about gas mileage were the weirdos who drove Volkswagens, with their ridiculous four-cylinder engines.<br />I remember cruising State Road in Saginaw in my dad’s Plymouth, and having the gas jockey put in “a dollar’s worth” of regular. Gas was about 35 cents a gallon, so you got almost three gallons of gas. <br />That was enough to take you maybe 40 miles, good for a short night’s cruise. <br />The first Arab oil embargo, the very first oil shock, was year away. Life was good with gas at 35 cents a gallon. A minimum-wage hamburger flipper, like I would become, would have to work a whole 13 minutes to pay for a gallon of gas.<br />Now apply 35 years of inflation to that price of 35 cents. It works out to $1.72, which is what we were paying for gas last week – and people were screaming when Alma-area stations put the price there after it had been lower. <br />To earn $1.72, by the way, a minimum-wage worker in 2008 has to work about, um, 13 minutes. Less, at this week’s slightly lower prices.<br />So is it the same? Not quite. The elderly Ford Escort I’m driving now, and my wife’s newer Chevy Malibu, each get about 30 mpg on the highway, so we can cruise twice as far as we could … back in ’72.<br />And the CD player sounds so much better than that wobbly eight-track.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-23089526994267007122008-11-26T09:42:00.003-05:002008-12-04T16:03:57.924-05:00Recess at Rose: Just brilliant“Recess at Rose” was just a brilliant idea.<br />This holiday week is a tough time to teach or to be in school. The distraction of Thanksgiving is pretty powerful.<br />Central Michigan University came up with a brilliant solution – a combination of a leadership and anti-bullying seminar, aimed at kids, and a women’s basketball game. They invited kids from about 18 different mid-Michigan districts to come to campus.<br />It wasn’t just about filling the seats, although they did that. Think about what this did:<br />It got kids to come to a university campus. They might live just a few miles away, but if someone doesn’t have a reason to cross Mission Street, most people won’t do it. <br />There’s something about a university campus that sparks people to think more about their own possibilities. You’re surrounded by bright young people pursuing an education and having a good time. Even if you’re 9 years old, you can catch that sense of possibility, even if you can’t name it.<br />It was a women’s basketball game. A lot of the kids were girls, many from central Michigan’s little towns. How valuable is it for them to see women, just a few years older than they are, performing at the Division I college level? <br />Again, it might get them started on thinking about the possibilities, and get them past self-defeating “I’m just a girl” thinking.<br />The boys saw the game, too. They saw strong, talented women playing a game they play, too – and playing it way better than any boy can play it at the elementary school level. Practice, boys, practice. <br />The future will require well-educated, talented people, or we all will fail. If spending “recess at Rose” makes some of these young people comfortable with the idea that there are more possibilities than they have been exposed to, comfortable with the idea of gaining higher education, comfortable with being part of a university community, we all win. <br />Some of the best lessons in school aren’t learned behind a desk. <br />And it might even produce a few Chippewa fans.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-47044492296362716922008-11-06T15:58:00.002-05:002008-11-06T16:11:53.462-05:00How a mistake happensI've made my share of goofs in print, and had to run corrections. It's an occupational hazard - none of us were born in mangers nor were we dropped from the planet Krypton to save the Earth.<br />But I unilaterally elected the wrong person village president in Shepherd. The voters set me straight on that.<br />Here's what happened: Because Isabella County can't post running election totals on its own, we do it. We've designed an extensive online spreadsheet where we can enter each precinct's vote totals as they come out of the counting machine. <br />On election night, we updated the totals from that about every 15 minutes, sometimes faster. <br />We've used it the last few elections and had great confidence in it. We found the bug this time. <br />It was a human error - mine. A programming error. When I set up the spreadsheet for the village election, I put the candidates' names in the wrong order.<br />In one of the two Shepherd precincts, incumbent Lee Coughlin got the votes meant for challenger Sandy Baxter, and vice-versa. It was enough to change the apparent outcome.<br />A sharp-eyed commenter on TheMorningSun.com spotted it, and I read the comment early Thursday morning. <br />By 7:15 a.m., I had tracked down the goof and fixed it online. But that wasn't until after Thursday's print edition carried an item saying Baxter beat Coughlin. <br />I said some things that the profanity filters on our comments section would ban. <br />I count both Lee and Sandy as public-spirited people who both want what's best for their community. As people, I like them both.<br />I hope they'll accept my apology.<br />I do know that in the bang-bang, zoom-zoom world of online journalism, it won't be the last time a mistake will be made. But just as making the mistakes is faster than it used to be, correcting them is faster, too.<br />-- Mark RUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-88383844764124634012008-10-27T19:17:00.002-04:002008-10-27T19:20:54.447-04:00Want a sample ballot?<span style="font-weight:bold;">An online comment:</span><br />" Did you known there are no ballots in Clare County? We been trying to see a ballot so we could have an idea when we vote. The local papers can't get a copy it. Seems the townships can't get their [acts] together.Hey, its next week! Will there be a local ballot? Stay tuned. "<br /><br /><br />Actually, it's easier than you think. <br />All registered Michigan voters can go to the Michigan Voter Information Center, run by the Secretary of State, type in their names, birth months and ZIP codes, and get a sample ballot and directions to their polling places.<br />Try it:<br />Go <a href="https://services2.sos.state.mi.us/mivote/">here</a>: <br /><br />I know that all of my races, down to the local ones, are listed there. Take a look.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-40724467951732568112008-10-19T22:30:00.004-04:002008-10-19T22:37:10.469-04:00Who is Barack Obama?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8Y4lnibspW61CctPfBoY6bbu5jTgHS8v1vGnPpnIJYRipcnzkxbw0VHH8TQD8_Zue-ucl3Zz8DHNRNXO5-q8deHzJ93aXJ_sRqUa3dK17YLVug7_pDTSdiwVWerzLq9k1SvMbg/s1600-h/_45117712_obama_joke_512.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8Y4lnibspW61CctPfBoY6bbu5jTgHS8v1vGnPpnIJYRipcnzkxbw0VHH8TQD8_Zue-ucl3Zz8DHNRNXO5-q8deHzJ93aXJ_sRqUa3dK17YLVug7_pDTSdiwVWerzLq9k1SvMbg/s200/_45117712_obama_joke_512.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259058825212731762" /></a><br /><br />The candidate <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7675927.stm" target="_blank">answers </a>at a white-tie charity fundraiser in New York.<br /><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7675927.stm" target="_blank">Click here to play video from the BBC.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-73108787554332027032008-10-13T17:08:00.006-04:002008-10-13T17:37:35.352-04:00Habitat for Humanity construction in Mt. PleasantHabitat for Humanity of Isabella County's latest house in on Henry Street in Mt. Pleasant.<br /><br />Rich Clark of Mt. Pleasant is construction chairman for Habitat for Humanity of Isabella County and has been working on the house during his free time.<br /><br />On Monday six students from the CMU Habitat group came to the site to volunteer as well as Mel Kooiker of Mel's Electric.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNKSxkTtzlBbT6OGyKHvsDyG5P7z3D-LxgoQzIcXOSSmk9h7cb627fH8XjCa-TePX0WcwJ_0WkEYrw4kc6rps4MccJQxX0DG2BTZ5PBaoIQmfsOhDY3qLMdPcrQ-ftheinpgonQ/s1600-h/habitat7.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNKSxkTtzlBbT6OGyKHvsDyG5P7z3D-LxgoQzIcXOSSmk9h7cb627fH8XjCa-TePX0WcwJ_0WkEYrw4kc6rps4MccJQxX0DG2BTZ5PBaoIQmfsOhDY3qLMdPcrQ-ftheinpgonQ/s320/habitat7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749726320416210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfONFeJlOxsJm8I1xK8teVJwwRn3lK8myQRihU3D5EMOG2y6eAe568SBSxg1ZCmOcRvj_Q1Iwa58lNSEe1yMYeNjBUIaee7d6JCwnIIASmnnXpnhGUe_slfhRAY7EuJqw8BGBcg/s1600-h/habitat8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfONFeJlOxsJm8I1xK8teVJwwRn3lK8myQRihU3D5EMOG2y6eAe568SBSxg1ZCmOcRvj_Q1Iwa58lNSEe1yMYeNjBUIaee7d6JCwnIIASmnnXpnhGUe_slfhRAY7EuJqw8BGBcg/s320/habitat8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749732224299858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PYX0zTA8DpnIqF165nCi-FgstWEBJxtfVfqRQCCSCBEqxhOnp_4KSjQg6XazD5xdF2kmTq3H-xOiSUJz8Hg2rsKAyBwyjbdlCjQPf02862z88hletQTMUpHJSwAtgFnaxbF9Gw/s1600-h/habitat9.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PYX0zTA8DpnIqF165nCi-FgstWEBJxtfVfqRQCCSCBEqxhOnp_4KSjQg6XazD5xdF2kmTq3H-xOiSUJz8Hg2rsKAyBwyjbdlCjQPf02862z88hletQTMUpHJSwAtgFnaxbF9Gw/s320/habitat9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749729592581010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimYuox85z58GWIWNu_TQ64rs_c0Rv0jAgUojEqX4ji5e0QAXer9tKsTU8odc53oGc8WUbihZXipnqiIw9m38tcGG1McbUjxshi-r4sBi7qW3_sVXewB_NEuWAe-BgZa_R7bK_tw/s1600-h/habitat1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimYuox85z58GWIWNu_TQ64rs_c0Rv0jAgUojEqX4ji5e0QAXer9tKsTU8odc53oGc8WUbihZXipnqiIw9m38tcGG1McbUjxshi-r4sBi7qW3_sVXewB_NEuWAe-BgZa_R7bK_tw/s320/habitat1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749519336738882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Xb0xEx6pv0mTufMrzF1CBGnN6-OqrjFF54Lo1a37NskN9XsaDO0ntgLm14kpMZED42Id3NKx-nqnuYeT_RBJNK7ZWp68Kpe8h3Q26A8TzyzKTRq8XZMhN6fot5lpkCUfb4GpUA/s1600-h/habitat2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Xb0xEx6pv0mTufMrzF1CBGnN6-OqrjFF54Lo1a37NskN9XsaDO0ntgLm14kpMZED42Id3NKx-nqnuYeT_RBJNK7ZWp68Kpe8h3Q26A8TzyzKTRq8XZMhN6fot5lpkCUfb4GpUA/s320/habitat2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749524194811346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKLVo6XY6pJM3lfsWoI1eLHGHqXDMrdI3-XCyrn8uzCowUfKuNtsuGw4daClrrfOCJudfmfWQyWr0MXcR51AycNuydkuvquqrgYj_aft3XFgQVrdl2mqVhqPgZq4p0U1uWlf2iA/s1600-h/habitat3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXKLVo6XY6pJM3lfsWoI1eLHGHqXDMrdI3-XCyrn8uzCowUfKuNtsuGw4daClrrfOCJudfmfWQyWr0MXcR51AycNuydkuvquqrgYj_aft3XFgQVrdl2mqVhqPgZq4p0U1uWlf2iA/s320/habitat3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749527958130674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraG7L_Y_kcI6iVCc2_Do-N3AG31RBrJAyayeLfTAFTnvghR8NFTywwovp7iMrhtwBg_cz_K75evHbudS3K7_xzAvJrDC0slCd2Jh7Ovnz-A5MXAcN6_yhxMJFaildNBZAG3F3eA/s1600-h/habitat5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiraG7L_Y_kcI6iVCc2_Do-N3AG31RBrJAyayeLfTAFTnvghR8NFTywwovp7iMrhtwBg_cz_K75evHbudS3K7_xzAvJrDC0slCd2Jh7Ovnz-A5MXAcN6_yhxMJFaildNBZAG3F3eA/s320/habitat5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749530547335778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhP4bJ3sVv8o8AnIbbt0iuW8nAoS1SBycl5noH5sWN5cB9mDTQSCRC3dR855W6DnvviB1diZ0yvDYCSNsB36aayjS-f8VvqZQPdGRl3xdBB99q7s3-7_eM2ydjGf9_XqEfL7xjA/s1600-h/habitat6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhP4bJ3sVv8o8AnIbbt0iuW8nAoS1SBycl5noH5sWN5cB9mDTQSCRC3dR855W6DnvviB1diZ0yvDYCSNsB36aayjS-f8VvqZQPdGRl3xdBB99q7s3-7_eM2ydjGf9_XqEfL7xjA/s320/habitat6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256749532866877890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Sun Photos by RYAN EVONUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-45814925333329814142008-10-07T16:58:00.009-04:002008-10-07T17:02:04.440-04:00A walk in the woodsI spent the afternoon with a lovely bunch of preschoolers on a field trip in Veits Woods. Here are some pics:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVeO1FGueaOe2jGHVlyai6JRCx0Q4n5fwvQTFYLY6rMWnPFBn9g8qHYZPCxkpnknJyOXJ99bjRIk6ir6dsOrLIttgL7QWh4LZXa5aYC1OcZ8CFesoE48DqC4Af4uQuzndrP4s/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVeO1FGueaOe2jGHVlyai6JRCx0Q4n5fwvQTFYLY6rMWnPFBn9g8qHYZPCxkpnknJyOXJ99bjRIk6ir6dsOrLIttgL7QWh4LZXa5aYC1OcZ8CFesoE48DqC4Af4uQuzndrP4s/s400/1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254520052736358850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillf0w5ZixyzPrSFkMA1gZYWw7nFHTgF6rbhsFIZLahSyFuUHviUsL-6PD4sg5DrwX9oKnTu6852aiYHIaq555uihU2kt3jXXDhr7nTLH3dfHyzkpENoZTMyS9PTuyDv4tS_3G/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillf0w5ZixyzPrSFkMA1gZYWw7nFHTgF6rbhsFIZLahSyFuUHviUsL-6PD4sg5DrwX9oKnTu6852aiYHIaq555uihU2kt3jXXDhr7nTLH3dfHyzkpENoZTMyS9PTuyDv4tS_3G/s400/2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254519993994624546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQraFEaH3pBjGJVE-wYzh2VR5bFwZIJapP_RMTOCR8cTWIETe9F055s44KQwNvXrSgHTpVHcBClMmveDsypZA5cRyCjOwaEr70kOaHIRr0sUmbclMXZ4Xhr8GnqHXw8q3Iiwhb/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQraFEaH3pBjGJVE-wYzh2VR5bFwZIJapP_RMTOCR8cTWIETe9F055s44KQwNvXrSgHTpVHcBClMmveDsypZA5cRyCjOwaEr70kOaHIRr0sUmbclMXZ4Xhr8GnqHXw8q3Iiwhb/s400/3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254519924194408946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBnHEjnU1-srzCDnkT7KUfeAGQITDq0XDbFukkqcmhJ6CYVxh374MDmZy_Svsds3hL-yNtasrqI9IhCxJWGAMf2Qb-XJNtPI7rBQtpHoM-DUHSF7rofabqZrdEOrKs0AI9tkr/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBnHEjnU1-srzCDnkT7KUfeAGQITDq0XDbFukkqcmhJ6CYVxh374MDmZy_Svsds3hL-yNtasrqI9IhCxJWGAMf2Qb-XJNtPI7rBQtpHoM-DUHSF7rofabqZrdEOrKs0AI9tkr/s400/4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254519866952431042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5GrunvQdcmzv0LLMNS-MbwnRWDI_bomSVKc4NUIKemt77Skn3eW_hoAJ_O1ZnuS6XjxQ37D-tUfERPeJag8eY0hjwAvrUryLvZ7B2mXwvhLUCMOBNa6fz4mlhfgwyoAg8udW/s1600-h/5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5GrunvQdcmzv0LLMNS-MbwnRWDI_bomSVKc4NUIKemt77Skn3eW_hoAJ_O1ZnuS6XjxQ37D-tUfERPeJag8eY0hjwAvrUryLvZ7B2mXwvhLUCMOBNa6fz4mlhfgwyoAg8udW/s400/5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254519797587262274" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBBZDuIvDcjyqEMLn6mqpcS3GJK_uZXvqr0r1MXgvFW29vf3w3fq-JWxQTb1lgLJet09UoQF6iPl_hdOMu_1i4P5Jat5h3Eistv417gXI0EKXCQ2aVlGRUbJXRUZ4GL1hsRSX/s1600-h/6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyBBZDuIvDcjyqEMLn6mqpcS3GJK_uZXvqr0r1MXgvFW29vf3w3fq-JWxQTb1lgLJet09UoQF6iPl_hdOMu_1i4P5Jat5h3Eistv417gXI0EKXCQ2aVlGRUbJXRUZ4GL1hsRSX/s400/6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254519732125526562" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51kfPkvt1Cb6aeQNzkXcdw4EGZsywWp0TlsOLPPtcSBONJ6RoQu89XRtJkAhMf0D74Ohe7UIn6DAdIGNz2elVUK98fP_2Iy5Vywj6iXZFwjugNCoIrhiR3tjVr1LQo0Bnxcy5/s1600-h/7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51kfPkvt1Cb6aeQNzkXcdw4EGZsywWp0TlsOLPPtcSBONJ6RoQu89XRtJkAhMf0D74Ohe7UIn6DAdIGNz2elVUK98fP_2Iy5Vywj6iXZFwjugNCoIrhiR3tjVr1LQo0Bnxcy5/s400/7.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254519639889700386" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT033ttwxUg312WqbVUHo2bHFMwt7mxA0VoufkL7ms3pJrK9Da690-uBNaIumE7XZLerv4TvXX2UAF8TqWXG7KTzdyxoD62Z3h57IdHFpOkVcmrMurq5QocWuiHXvf6u6f1HoF/s1600-h/8.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT033ttwxUg312WqbVUHo2bHFMwt7mxA0VoufkL7ms3pJrK9Da690-uBNaIumE7XZLerv4TvXX2UAF8TqWXG7KTzdyxoD62Z3h57IdHFpOkVcmrMurq5QocWuiHXvf6u6f1HoF/s400/8.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254519553787199778" /></a>Lisa Yanick-Jonaitishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16966211673986243796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-26270349092872898042008-10-05T12:00:00.002-04:002008-10-05T12:44:55.311-04:00Two great papersToday's Morning Sun notes that the newspaper has, for the second straight year, been named the Michigan Press Association's newspaper of the year for its circulation class.<br />The other daily newspapers of the year are the Detroit Free Press, the Jackson Citizen-Patriot and the Traverse City Record-Eagle. That's some really great company.<br />What also was released today was that the other paper in town - Central Michigan Life, the CMU student-run paper - was awarded the General Excellence award for large-college newspapers by the MPA and the Michigan Collegiate Press Association. Life beat out the papers at Michigan and Michigan State, among others, for this honor.<br />In other words, mid-Michigan has not just one, but two top-quality newspapers.<br />That's not just us saying that - independent professionals from outside the state judge these contests.<br />What's all the more remarkable is that these two papers are operating successfully in a community of about 40,000 people.<br />CM Life and the Morning Sun serve different communities, of course. But any good publication reflects the community it serves, and it's clear that both publications do exactly that.<br />We compete, of course, for news and advertising dollars, and that makes both publications better. But there's actually a lot of connection between the two.<br />Looking around the Sun's newsroom, there are numerous ex-Lifers, including me. Both the current Life adviser, Neil Hopp, and the previous adviser, Jim Wojcik, edited the Daily Times-News, the predecessor of the Morning Sun.<br />Two current Sun staffers are adjunct faculty members in the CMU journalism department - I'm one of them - and a third often picks up a class when necessary. CM Life operates independently of the journalism department, but many journalism students work for Life - and their offices are on the same floor of Moore Hall as the J-Department.<br />I looked over the list of the 49 individual and category honorees from CM Life, and found about a half-dozen students who have been in my classes. I also looked over the list of professional winners and found another half-dozen or so whom I taught before they graduated.<br />It's such a great feeling to be able to say, "They're one of mine."<br />It might be tough times in the newspaper industry, but a major need of every community is to have its stories told. That's what we do, and even though the landscape and media are changing, we're continuing to figure out how to make money doing it.<br />Meanwhile, my colleagues and I will continue to tell the stories of mid-Michigan, and try to do it better than those top-notch student journalists on the other end of town - the ones we teach how to do it.<br />It's also worth noting that two of our sister weekly newspapers were named Newspapers of the Year for their categories. The Southgate News Herald was honored as best large weekly, and the Chelsea Standard as best small weekly.<br />All three of us are owned by Journal Register Co. - the only chain with more than one newspaper honored this year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-68485177644333012192008-09-27T09:31:00.004-04:002008-09-27T10:01:52.303-04:00A note from Laura Rodriguez<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">TheMorningSun.com received this note from Laura Rodriguez, widow of Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Rodriguez, the Mt. Pleasant High School graduate and Weidman native who was killed in action in Afghanistan.</span><br /><br />A very wonderful man put together Greg's memorial video for me and posted it to YouTube. It is 10 minutes long as there are 3 songs - Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This," PuffDaddy's "I'll Be Missing You," and Trace Adkins "Arlington."<br /><br />For those of you who haven't seen it or gotten the chance to see the final version of it, here it is:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8EAboFqzP38&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8EAboFqzP38&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />There is also an on-line guest book for family and friends to leave comments/messages about Greg on. I will eventually get it professionally printed so each of the kids can have a copy as they grow up. <a href="http://www.legacy.com/MyCentralJersey/gb/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonID=117185619">Here is the link.</a><br /><br /><br />Greg's memorial service was beautiful. I probably cried more at the memorial than I did at his funeral.<br />Greg and I had our ups and downs, but overall he was a wonderful husband, an awesome father, and a dedicated K9 handler and soldier. During the month of August he sent me flowers with beautiful notes to both home and work. My husband was stealing my heart back all over again--after 9 1/2 years of marriage.<br /><br />Jacko, Greg's K9 companion, is now "home". He's a beautiful, wonderful companion with very good manners. I just wish his Daddy were here with him.<br /><br />On another note, I would like to thank so many people for their heartfelt support and kindness during this difficult time for our family. I have a lot of personal thank you's to do and I hope I don't forget anyone.<br /><br />I'm going to cut this short.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thoughtfully,</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Laura Rodriguez</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31654247.post-29028389262167311332008-09-21T13:10:00.004-04:002008-09-21T15:20:20.243-04:00New site FAQ: The comicsPosted in one of our forums:<br /><div class="simpleblog-response">" I like the new on line Morning Sun, but I cannot find the comics. Where did they go? "<br /><br />A. The old site didn't carry the comics in an HTML-accessible format, either. The comics still are online, right where they've always been, in the ePaper.<br />Here's what they look like:<br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF7kHCZ-L7KQ1gOLXrYDcZncSIaTwXo000CfcK7jbYmIZ2J4n_RTjEn5h3wOu2hgCE9-jZBs1xoN3Llv_XWSOEMqbn9Lk4pH5KQBgSOa-lup3u46IBN-mUrvuNGYCFnigNPYZ0Q/s1600-h/comics.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNF7kHCZ-L7KQ1gOLXrYDcZncSIaTwXo000CfcK7jbYmIZ2J4n_RTjEn5h3wOu2hgCE9-jZBs1xoN3Llv_XWSOEMqbn9Lk4pH5KQBgSOa-lup3u46IBN-mUrvuNGYCFnigNPYZ0Q/s400/comics.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248524847178518226" border="0" /></a><br />The ePaper is essentially an interactive PDF that allows access to the newspaper in the print-style look. It includes everything, including the ads. Access it by clicking on the upper right of the front page - where it says ePaper.<br />Guest access is enabled now for everyone, and although we might begin charging for ePaper access in the future, it's free now.<br />The Sunday funnies remain a print-only product.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1