Writing to Write (Richard Sherman,Dollar Tree Theater and a Act of Kindness)

Its 9:29 pm

    Bitterly,bitterly cold tonight....this is a killing cold if one was caught unawares outside without the proper protection. I felt it tonight,the 40 yard walk to the Rodger Young was so cold,my hands started hurting in just the 3 minutes it took to walk to it!
 
  My thanks to those of you who read my last blog and offered some kind comments on it. It was not a easy one to write,I can assure you. But I hope it can help someone in the near future. Feel free to share the blog with anyone whom you think may benefit from it.

I don't have a theme tonight other then to write. Some blogs are like that...you just sit in a warm den with a fun orange and white cat attacking your feet,drinking a cuppa tea in a Starbucks mug that was your wife's,listening to the Eric Stuart Band tearing it on iTunes.

But I will start with this story.
 There is a 53 year old man named Don here in Detroit. He is raising four children who are doing very well in school. Sadly,Don is out of work and like so many of us,is struggling badly. His utility bills are so far behind,that they were turned off.
  Don has been reduced to walking throughout his neighborhood in the bitter cold looking for a most unlikely treasure,wood. He goes into abandoned homes and looks for scrap wood that he then carries home. He takes a ax and cuts the wood up,taking care to remove any metal,nails,etc out it. The wood is then used to help keep his family as warm as it can. They heat water in pots and pans that is used for bathing and having clean dishes.
  Don keeps his struggles to himself as he trudges the empty streets looking for that wood,looking to keep the bitter cold at bay for his children's sake. Well someone must have gotten wind of Don's efforts and they contacted our local Fox station,Fox 2 Detroit.
  Andrea Isom,the journalist who does the leading stories on the 11 o'clock news,covered Don's plight a couple of days ago.
 


  The station's Facebook page BLEW up with hundreds and hundreds of people wanting to help. Offers of help,free wood,hot meals,clothes,jobs and cash were posted. Of course the station wasn't ready for that kind of overwhelming support and it took them a day to get a way to get those offers to the family. A stranger stepped up and paid the past DTE bill so the family could have light and heat again. The outpouring of compassion was awesome to see and I hope half of those folks come through with those offers. I would have liked to join that group but I don't have anything I can spare. Don's story hits closer to home closer then I care to admit....but just so thankful that he got such love from a very unlikely place.

   You can read the story on the station's website by clicking on the link.

I am here listening to my iTunes and once again the Eric Stuart Band has popped up into play. The song is "The Land of Might Have Been". Its an incredibly touching song and I can't but help sit here and wonder what might have been .....

One last look, before you go
One last dance, nice and slow
One last drink, before we sink

Into the land of what might have been
The land of what might have been

One last gaze into your eyes
One last chance to say goodbye
One last call, before we fall

Into the land of what might have been
The land of what might have been

I've been thinking 'bout the talks we had
All the dreams we shared and the plans we made
It seems the timing was much more than bad
We were ill-prepared for when they fade away

One last mile before we rest
One last word, we did our best
One last stop before we drop

Into the land of what might have been
The land of what might have been

One last dance in the land of what might have been
You never know what might have been

- Eric Stuart Band

Pretty haunting words to say the least. I was talking about my last blog with a young lady named Devin,who is studying to become a pharmacist. She is leaving in July to attend Belmont University and she was very helpful when Lori was sick and I asked her about different chemotherapy meds. It was a pretty good talk until I started talking about the lost time that happened to us. That is always what makes my heart crack,the one thing I would go and change,to get back that time....what might of been.
  But that isn't going to happen,is it?

I am more then amused by all the fur flying in the wake of the Seahawks beating the 49ers last weekend. Seahawk CB Richard Sherman made a great play on a poorly thrown ball to Michael Crabtree that Sherman knocked away and another Seahawk made a nice pick that sealed the game. Afterwards,Sherman,in the afterglow of winning this game wasn't holding back on how he was feeling. Instantly,the backlash started...while I expect that from Whiner fans (hello Kenny and Greg!) *L*,the rest of country acting like Sherman committed mass murder was beyond stupid.



Calling him a "thug" because he was happy he made a Super Bowl clinching play really does smack of racism. If any of these dumb fucks actually followed football,they would have known Sherman went to college at Stanford University,where he graduated with a 3.9 GPA! That isn't a "thug", that is a hell of a human being who was just showing some human emotion. Just as any of my 49ers friends who have shown if Crabtree would have caught that pass. Fans,you have to be classy in defeat as well as when you win. Admire Sherman as a hell of a player....you don't have to root for him or his team but respect him for the whole of the package,not just for barking a little bit.
  And before you get all huffy about,note that I am not a fan of Stanford or the Seahawks but I do enjoy watching good players play cleanly.

 The weather has been so nasty as of late that Dollar Tree Theater has been getting quite the workout. To those who may be new here,I hunt for cheap DVDs to watch. Our local Dollar Tree,sometimes Target and now sadly,our Blockbuster store which is closing,often sell some pretty obscure films. So I buy them and pop up some Pop Secret and get away for a couple of hours. I have a stack of dollar movies that Paladin and I take turns in choosing what we watch.
  So this past week was spent watching the first 10 episodes of the old TV series called "Renegade" which starred Lorenzo Lamas.The plot was simple,a cop framed for a murder he didn't commit and becoming a bounty hunter. I remember the show but never watched it...


I have to admit,it was a pretty entertaining show once you get by the cheesy music. Lorenzo Lamas was actually decent as Reno Raines,the framed hero. The show was created and produced by Steven Cannell (who brought us the A-Team). It was interesting to see all the bad guys use the same guns that Hannibal Smith and his team used in the earlier A-Team. The plots were a bit generic but it had good action and chemistry between the lead actors was pretty good until the end of the fourth season,Lorenzo and Kathleen Kinmont,who were married in real life,divorced and she left the show.
  Another movie I stumbled upon was a action film called "Cross". I started watching this movie but 10 minutes,I stopped and hit "Director's Commentary" and I was glad I did. This movie was very low budget but made with a lot of heart and effort by Patrick Durham.


The movie aimed for a superhero feel with bright colors and the main hero,Callen,wearing a powerful anicent Celtic cross which gives him superhuman abilities. For a low budget film,this one packs a hell of a lot of star power! Michael Clarke Duncan,Vinnie Jones and Jake Busey join Brian Austin Green in trying to launch a potential series. While I do think it was a noble effort,unless you have a budget for effects,you are doomed to failure and having a weak script really hurts as well. I did enjoy Patrick's commentary and his unique use of one building for most of his set pieces. The script,while weak,was never mocked by the cast and they tried their best with what they got. Durham mentioned many times about making a second film but based on the 3.0 rating on IMDB and the crushingly bad reviews this movie got,I doubt we'll see another Cross. Which is too bad because I think with a decent script and effects,this could have taken off.

    Okay,that is all for now.....I know this was a fluff post for the most part but I just wanted to write something,anything.  Thanks for reading!

If you are on Twitter,look for me at @Jinzo_2400


Shout outs

Amy - I'm trying,I promise. Its just very hard.
Debbie T - Holy crow,fencing! But why not,right?
Calvin Mann - enjoyed the Campbell debate
Patrick Durham - keep trying!
Metro Detroit area - Way to step up in helping that family. It shows what we can do UNITED!
49er fans - Still behind the Steelers!
Devin- Thanks for the talk. Medicine is not for the weak hearted!
Eric Stuart - One hell of a songwriter
Smooth Jon Jones - Michigan at San Jose State,can't wait!

21st Century Battlefields: Detroit (and other stuff)

Its 12:10 pm

    It's a cool day here in Michigan. The only sound in the house is a ceiling fan and a meow or two from Derek when he hears me typing in the den.
I like to thank and give respect to Susan Smiley for sharing her eulogy for Hercules,by the traffic,her words really touched a lot of hearts. I like to thank my readers for supporting this entry in a big way. As you know,pets are a huge part of my life and Hercules was one of the best. Glad you all had a chance to get a idea of how much he was loved and Susan was a great mom to him.
   Been a so-so week here,haven't really done much worth writing home about. I did finally buy some Roundup and sprayed my driveway which was slowly turning into a jungle. I started to cut my backyard and as I was do,I was pretty surprised to the amount of weeds that have invaded both my flower beds and lawn itself...considering I had pulled a full lawn bag of them a mere 3 weeks ago. So I decided to leave the front alone and hit the back again....I cut back the huge sage bush we have and pulled every weed from stem to stern,once again thankful for the heavy gloves I bought at an estate sale. Truly have been a saving grace....
   Going to have to buy some mulch for the central flower bed,the bare dirt is showing and it looks ugly.
My wonderful neighbor Kathy has been watering the plants for me....she is such a kind hearted soul,Larry and her have been such good neighbors and she is always checking in on Derek and myself. She pointed out that I have a tree growing in the back,courtesy of a bird no doubt. She suggested I lose it before it gains traction and starts growing,so that is my next project after mulching.
   Talked to my other neighbor,Charlie,who was cutting his lawn as well. We talked about the fence Al put up to protect his garden,it really needs a paint job. I suggested to Charlie we paint it blue with a "Go Blue!" in yellow written on it along with some rabbit paw prints and a flag.
 Being Al is a Ohio State fan,I think this might get him out there to paint the fence a nice shade of white.
When I told Al this,he laughed and then said he was thinking of taking it down. I don't think he needs to do that,but perhaps cutting it down would be nice. I said the fact that our yards (Al,Charlie and ours) are open is a real asset and it would be sad to see fences go up.
 But I know I have to be more of a good neighbor by controlling those weeds,its not fair to my neighbors who work hard at their lawns to be subjected to my lack of effort and desire to work outside.
 Also cleaned out my lint trap for the dryer,it was getting pretty nasty but 10 minutes later and it looks good.

Pretty exciting life,isn't it?

Yesterday was Detroit's primary for Mayor and City Council. 13 folks were running for Mayor and a slew of other folks,including Aaron Brown (who I wrote about 2 entries ago) were battling for city council spots.

Now take a GOOD look at these numbers. This is a primary election to help cull the crowd for the General election. Now remember,Detroit is under a Emergency Financial manager who basically is running the city and will guide the city through bankruptcy before turning it over to the duly elected officials.
Now some folks like Steve Hood and Sam Riddle would have you believe that this takeover is the teapublican way of suppressing the democratic process. I like both men and respect them tremendously but their vision is clouded. As much as I don't like Rick Snyder and his underhanded tactics,in this case,he did the right thing in pointing a beyond broken city towards bankruptcy. These folks who claim race is behind this are themselves showing their own racist tendencies. They remind me of those religious parents who refuse to let medical doctors treat their families even if it means their child will die without help.
  They mean well but they are also very misguided and the above graphic proves this. Detroit has about 710,000 citizens now,you would guess that with this primary and the eyes of the nation on them,the voter turnout would be huge. And you would be wrong. Originally the estimated voter turnout was going to be 17% of all registered voters but in reality,only about half of that turned out.
   This is the NORMAL type of turnout for the city....there was a spike during the Presidential elections but as far as state and local races go,this was even a little lower then normal.
  The Motor City Muckraker published a article trying to say that Snyder,Bing (voted into power by the citizens of Detroit) and other state/city leaders were already looking to take Detroit into bankruptcy as early as 2011 when they created the EM law. Well....so what? You have a city billions in debt,a shrinking population and 47% of the people don't pay taxes because of severe poverty or other reasons. You have the city throwing out tax abatements around like Christmas candy for wealthy businesses who want to come to Detroit but unwilling to pay their weight. City services are third world level,IF,they work at all. The mayor and city council can't work together on even the most basic common problems and this has been happening for over 50 years!
  Detroit has fucked itself over and over electing poor leadership choices based on color then ability. This was never more evident by this mayor's race when a a four time loser for mayor,Tom Barrow,made it his mission to get perhaps the most qualified (on paper maybe,I think Lisa Howse might have been the best choice,ethics wise) candidate off the ballot through technicalities and skin color.
  Mike Duggan,who is white,was forced off the ballot and had to declare himself a write-in candidate...of which Barrows challenged and lost that round. Instead of debating records and skill sets that are so needed in the city,Barrows,who is black,decided to use a tactic that only showcased his own political weakness.
  And the voters for a refreshing change,saw right through this and helped write in Duggan with over 50 percent of the vote......while Barrows had his ass handed to him with a mere 4 % percent,finishing dead last.
  These tactics are a prime example of self suppression by the voters....that a man like Barrows would do his best to keep perhaps a man with the ability to change the culture of Detroit off the ballot because of his skin color is deeply disturbing.
  Anyone who has gone through bankruptcy knows its a hellish way to escape one's debts. You get in too deep,lose a job,get a serious illness (hello cancer!),the housing bubble collapses and you need help. You do the right thing by exploring all avenues but sometimes,only a bankruptcy is the answer.
 Snyder knows this,Dillon knows this,Mayor Dave Bing and the city council knows this. A bail-out from Washington was never in the cards because why? The same culture and brokenness that is Detroit will not be fixed,just like the car industry and the housing market,unless massive changes are effected,this cycle will happen again and again. So why waste tax payer dollars on a huge band aid?
  Bankruptcy is the best answer for the city,it really is....but Snyder and company better be ready to use the fresh start and help the citizens with better training centers....you could in effect create a little New Deal action within the city itself by hiring and training the unemployed into tearing down the 78,000 abandoned buildings being used as crack dens,squats and arson targets. This is what is needed far more then walking in and selling assets like the Zoo and the fine art at the DIA.
  Snyder has a chance to show that all the behind the door bargaining has a real pay-out,he needs to show why this bankruptcy was the right call....and men like Hood and Riddle need to realize that as well. Because for their posturing,just like the teapublicans opposing healthcare reform,I have yet to see anyone come with a way to get Detroit whole again.....

I am getting pretty excited about the upcoming college football season. The San Jose Spartans open up against Sacramento State and then battle 4th ranked Stanford.
As I have blogged before,Lori and I tried to attend at least one Eastern Michigan game a year. It was a lot of fun and we always had a good time. The two favorite games we attended were against Howard (they have a awesome band) and Maryland. This year,Western Michigan is playing at EMU and I am looking to get some people willing to go to the game and watch it with me. Lori graduated from Western and I thought it would be fun to get some folks together,make some banners and watch the game.




 I have written many times about how damn lucky we are to have the finest journalists here working in Detroit. One of everyone favorite's is Fox 2's Hall of Shame reporter Rob Wolchek. He works tirelessly to expose some pretty unsavory characters,be a rancher who lets his animals rot where they drop,sleazy "music promoters",unsafe,unlicensed contractors and stoned and drunk autoworkers. If you are doing bad and you see Rob coming at you...there is nothing you can do but report to the Halllllll of Shaaaaame!
  So this week Rob breaks a story of this internet bully called Ebay Is A Joke who goes around and smears other people's good names and online businesses. He wears a mask that "V" wore from the film "V for Vendetta" and goes on these senseless rants about other people. Basically,he is a asshole who likes to hide and harass people. Well some of these folks struck back when they contacted Rob and told him about this guy. I am guessing that they found him by his Ip address and the trail led to the metro Detroit area....right in Rob's stomping grounds.
   After some more work....Rob went after this guy and it turns out he lives in my town. When you watch the video,that is the local theater about 7 miles from my house! It means,that Charles Fitch can no longer hide out,that he is now exposed as the small minded little roach that he is. Personally,I can see why he wore the mask but it won't do him any good now.
  This was a great story and one I hope you'll pass on to your friends as well.

You can read and see the story here.


Well,that is all I have for now....new "8 Questions with......" coming soon.


You can follow me on Twitter @Jinzo_2400

Aaron Brown: Not a bad showing at all. You'll be one to keep a eye on in the future.
Gina : Good luck with your show!
Michelle (N.D.): Thank you for the song,you indeed made me cry.
Sam and Steve: Have nothing but respect for you both.
Rob: You're just awesome.
Amy: Just realized you are still on vacation,you picked a good week for it!
Elissa: Thank you for sharing your Loo with us,I never would have guessed how sweet a pigeon could be!
Susan: Thank you again.

Still in Ann Arbor...

Its 10:47 pm

    So what was supposed to be a somewhat joyous day has turned into a long day of uncertainty. I was supposed to be able to bring my Lori today. I called her and she said she was ready to go...but she had yet to see the medical team to get the official thumbs up for a discharge.
  I had to call off from work because we don't have anyone else whom I feel comfortable placing her with as far as picking her up. I have people I trust,but with her medical issues,I wouldn't want to put them in that position in case something went wrong...I got there at 2 pm and asked how she felt,if she had eaten anything. She said she had been drinking a warm cup of Ensure,she had eaten tomato soup last night and had thrown it up. I started getting a sinking feeling in my stomach,this was not good news. That and the fact she hadn't dressed sort of tipped me off I would be driving home alone tonight.
   We talked about eating,Lori is now scared to eat,scared to throw up....scared of having the neogastric tube put in place. I do understand that,I just know unless she can eat something and hold it,she isn't going to be able to come home. She agreed to let me order some tomato soup again...seems like the doctors were waiting on how well she would do with some food before possibly discharging her.
 The team came in and talked with us,they showed the IV equipment that would have to go with me today. We talked meds and dosages and introducing a new med called Tamoxifen which in theory is supposed to help block any new growth of her tumor. In reading about it,I commented to Lori that it has a nasty side effect,it can cause cancer. We both laughed gently at this...anyways,the team said they wanted to hold Lori one more night. After they left,she threw up a small patch of bile and said her stomach was hurting.
I feel extremely defeated as I write this...I know now I waited too long before get her into the E.R.,but what the hell was I going to do...I was trying to follow the doctors orders in getting her to drink/eat before taking her meds. I had no way knowing that she was getting a partial bowel obstruction...I know if I had waited another day or so,I may have killed her...which is something that is gnawing on my heart right now.
  I tried getting her to take a walk with me but she wasn't feeling up to it....so she slept while I packed up the medical supplies and excess stuff that she now had and took it to the car. I came back and just watched her sleep,my heart is breaking into so many pieces right now...I'm really trying to hold on to my self,to stay strong but its so sad watching this to a great person like Lori....its so not right,words that have spoken by so many families who have lost loved ones to this monster.
  Finally it was time for me to go,I gave her a kiss goodnight and came home to a empty house once again.
I unloaded the car,put the medicine in the fridge,ate a bowl of sloppy joes that my neighbor made for me and then did a load of laundry...I also called the hospital and left a message for Dr. Schenk to call me,I want her to tell Lori that its okay to push a little harder as far as eating goes.
  Talked for an hour with my brother Philip,he really is hurting along with me. He loves Lori and told me he looks for the same sweet spirit in a woman that Lori has...of course that made me cry...
We talked about a lot of things,he told me again if I needed him just to call and he would be here but I am going to have to keep that in reserve because the hard work has yet to be crossed.

 Seems like a local journalist who we like quite a bit found himself in some hot water this past weekend. Fox 2 reporter Charlie LeDuff,who specialty is exposing city government screw ups found himself drunk during a St. Patrick's Day parade in Corktown,the Irish section of Detroit. He was spotted taking a public piss in the street,a local group who was having a party,got him off the street and invited Charlie and his brother to relax with him. Charlie then said some crude things to three women who happen to be policewomen. When the host tried to calm Charlie down,a big fight broke out in which a security guard was bitten by Charlie.



  Now we are waiting to see how Channel 2 handles this,especially since another local station decided to report on it,thus turning up the heat on the GM of Fox 2. Charlie admitted he most likely had too much to drink and caused some sort of ruckus. Sort of interesting that another local station is airing out this kind of story about another reporter,thought there would be sort of a unspoken rule about not doing this....but then again,what do I know?

  Alright then.....I'm heading to sleep now. My emotional gas tank is at zero....please continue to pray for us.

Thanks for reading!


Debbie T. - Thank you for reading every entry.

21st Century Battlefield: Helping one of Detroit's Finest

Its 11:09 pm

 You're a hard working police officer. You have worked 19 years in one of the toughest,most violent cities in America. You strive every day to make a difference despite having broken equipment,less brothers in blue then the year before. Your last two mayors,one a convicted felon,the other a blunder,egotistical fool who forced out the one leader who cared about his men and appointed a man who had no moral or ethical center.
Your fellow cops aren't even safe in their own station houses...morale is getting worse while you are forced to take a steep pay cut. You could go to another city,a seasoned cop with 19 years is a real asset somewhere,right?
  But you love your city,you stay....because you still want to believe that you didn't waste those years,that somewhere,somehow they counted for something.
   Things are getting tight now...the money has so many different places to go....and now you get the news,your wife is ill...cancer. How can you handle that,working 12 hour shifts,with a 10% pay cut plus huge cuts in heath and pensions? Yet you do...every day,you gear up.....do your shift,try and get your beloved wife the best care possible. Some of the drugs and tests you need,your insurance won't cover. You grit your teeth and continue to move forward.
 What more can you handle? Juggle? Balance? How about a faulty furnace catching fire and almost burning down the home. You have home owners insurance but can't afford the 2,500 deductible to get the ball rolling,to get the damage repaired so your sick wife can continue her fight.
You take stock....you have 15 bucks in the bank and a quarter tank of gas....19 years you have served this city and this is what it has come down.

But your fellow brothers in blue see what has happened and there is now way they are going to let you continue to fight this alone.They are going to try and help...they quickly raise over 2,200 for you.
Not enough,not nearly enough....but perhaps more help may come ....maybe others who may read this will somehow manage to help you in small ways. Like the writer of this blog,who has no money to give but has a forum in which to share your story. Maybe some of his readers will repost or share this story,maybe some will donate what they can. Who knows.....but we have to try. We can't let a good cop who has spent 19 years in the trenches of hell go through this ordeal and say nothing. And so,Officer Eric Ewing of the Detroit Police Department,this is my small attempt to help out,to say I care,to acknowledge the service that you have given.
 

Local police officer in need.

The link is how Fox 2 covered the story.

If you care to donate anything,here is the address of the Detroit Police Department.

13530 Lesure St, Detroit, MI 48227 attn: Ofc Eric Ewing.

21st Century Battlefield: Shawty Lo,Steve Burke and Bob Greenblatt

Its 3:25 pm

     Its a bright beautiful chilly day here in SE Michigan. I have a day off which means I can throw down a quick entry. While I did sort of ramble on a bit,I was glad to finally be able to write something down...its such a great stress release to be able to blog and get my thoughts on the page.
  Thanks to Dayle,Renee and Alexis among others for dropping by and taking the time to read my latest entry.
    As I posted before,we finally have a winner of one of the 3 FREE CDs that Carl Henry graciously allowed to be given away during his "8 Questions with...." interview with me. And now the winner is getting her CD....I still have TWO free CDs to be had merely by leaving a comment below...leave me a email addy so I can contact you for your information.

   I was on Twitter last night when I caught a tweet from local journalist Alexis Wiley of Fox 2 talking about a new series called "All My Babies' Mama" which is being produced for Oxygen (which is owned by Comcast/NBC/Universal/General Electric). The premise of this "reality" show is showcasing a rapper named Shawty Lo who has 11 kids by 10 different women and all the "drama" that goes with it.
  The show has been instantly blasted for the damaging stereotyping that shows how careless and reckless blacks are in regarding bringing kids into this world.
  There are far too many black families that suffer from a single parent which is almost always the momma that once they get pregnant,the father skips town and pays little or no support. The concept of what a true family is in the black community is a rare event. So many times you'll read about a sports star or entertainer like Shawty himself who was raised by a single parent or maybe a grandparent. The structure of raising a family is forever broken for far too many kids.
   Shawty,or Carlos Walker,knows first hand what this is like....he was raised by his grandmother but was having his first child at the age of 15.
  He spent 10 years selling poison in his projects before deciding to get in the "game" by using the profits of his drug dealing to fund a record. He later was arrested and spent time in jail for assault and selling cocaine.
 Between having kids by the 10 different women,he still made music,had a hot feud with another rapper which caused an awards show to be shut down when both rival posses clashed and had to separated.
In other words,if Carlos didn't have his music career,who knows where he would be and what he would be doing.


Alexis asked what her Twitter followers what we thought of this upcoming show. I commented its just another way that the media continues to keep the black race down by promoting shows like this as the new slavery. Because face it....its a racist concept,the black man as an uneducated,sex on the mind,gots to get mine that the media keeps force feeding us.
  So whose idea was it for this show and to "green light" it? How about the friendly folks from General Electric,Comcast and Universal? Steve Burke,a fine white Irish Catholic gentleman who is also a director at JP MorganChase.

 Steve Burke



Bob Greenblatt

Bob,who is the only openly gay Jewish broadcast TV president,are the slave owners of this unholy mess.

But they are merely following the course that the media has laid out for us regarding blacks and other minorities. While you won't see a black driven character show on TV,you can get your fill of "Basketball Wives","Real Housewives of Atlanta","Lock-Up" or any other stereotypical crap you see on the TV or big screen. There are so little positive role models for the black community outside sports and music. How can there be when people like Burke and Greenblatt are doing their best to prevent that? They rather keep fostering the shuck and jive and hustle of the black man instead of putting on more shows that promote positive role models.
  Carlos is merely being played for a fool,a pawn in the bigger scheme. NBC wants to appear like a liberal "brother" to America,using its MSNBC Newschannel to support President Obama,but take a deeper look down the rabbit hole,they are no better then other media outlet who continues to show different minorities in an overwhelming negative light.
   There is no easy answer to this problem....but rising up and demanding such filth not be shown on TV is a good start. And shame on NBC for once again taking the cheap tawdry way instead of truly being daring and showcasing a postive family who is trying to do the right in bringing up a family.

Thoughts?
 

21st Century Battlefield: Detroit

Its 1:37 pm

   Been one crazy week here in the metro Detroit area.....its on the edge of summer and already its looking like a fucking war zone here.....young thugs busting caps over who makes the best Kool-Aid,a granny was so scared of her 17 year old grandson that she bought a gun and ended up putting EIGHT rounds in him. Mix in the 22 year old Warren dad whose pregnant ex-girlfriend he had kidnapped,set on fire and shot twice and left for dead.
Fox 2's Charlie LeDuff exposing the criminal conditions of the working men and women of the Detroit Fire Department...when he confronted the assistant fire commissioner about the problems,he gets assaulted and cursed at.

  I guess I will start with recalling the brutal attack of the wealthy Cipriano family a few weeks ago. A adopted son who had become a drug addict,along with a friend,broke into the family home,killed the father with a baseball bat and critically wounded the mom and a younger brother.
  But what made this story so "sexy" to the local media is a synthetic marijuana called K2 which is basically poison but because its supposed to be used a incense,isn't considered illegal and you can buy at any smoke shop/gas station around here. Supposedly the suspects had smoked K-2 and this triggered the robbery.
  Because the family was wealthy and a suburb family (white),this story was a hot subject here for weeks.
The media kept on harping how bad K-2 is and had countless stories on its dangers and why is it still legal to buy. I mean,they really pushed and still are pushing on how dangerous this stuff is. But of course they completely bypass the gun shops and gun shows who push/flood the streets of Detroit. They ran several stories on how many women are buying guns,including how a woman could buy weapons with a pink pistol grip!
   So after the extensive coverage of the Cipriano case,this spurred a grandma to purchase a handgun for protection from her own grandson who was staying with his grandparents to finish high school. His parents had moved to Arizona and despite problems at the grandparents house including you guess it,a drug arrest and a fight with the grandparents,they made no moves to come get their unruly son and he remained troublesome.
  Turns out the kid had run around with the Cipriano son who had killed his father and had also been smoking K-2. This led the grandma to buy that gun...and after one incident too many,the grandma sent her husband out on a errand,loaded up her handgun ....and went and shot her grandson eight times. In self-protection of course cause you never know,7 shots may not be enough.
 The grandma was arrested for 1st degree murder...but will plead temporary  insanity.

Next up....caught the local "Let It Rip" a couple of weeks and because of the incredible upsurge in violence in Detroit,the question was asked "Does Detroit need the National Guard to help police the city"?
No,I'm serious.....that was actually a question. Now this happened the year before last in Chicago,the gang violence in the ghettos and projects was getting so bad,there were calls for the governor to deploy the National Guard. It didn't happen and by increasing the police forces in the area,Chicago survived one bloody summer.
   Now the question has been asked here.....and its a double edged sword,does Detroit need to have to the Guard here? I would say "hell no" IF Warren Evans was still Chief but with Keystone Kop Ralph Godbee in charge,its not such a stretch to say "yes....send in the Guard". The Detroit cops are so badly led and non-managed,the crime rate is just awful....its so bad,it has led to more and more citizens to arm themselves and as much as I hate to admit,I can't blame them. The cops either don't respond or they show up DAYS later to take a report that will be filed under the desk to help balance it. Every day,we hear more and more stories  on just how senseless and violent this city is.
  But it just not violence that continues to rip the city,the city leadership is also to blame. Between Dave Bing and his decision to have whatever streetlights left running in the city turned off and the absolutely god awful conditions the firehouses in the city are in,the city reflects its leaders and right now,Detroit is completely leaderless.
   Watching journalist Charlie LaDuff just trying to help the fire department and getting attacked for it just speaks volumes for the Mayor and the City Council. While the Mayor and several council members are up at super swanky Makinac Island for a 3 day "policy" session,we are being shown just how filthy and broken down the fire stations are. Human waste backing up the sewers,broken rigs that have leaks in the water tanks that would be needed to fight a actual fire and we have council people who appeared slightly tipsy,proclaiming that Detroit 18 months away from returning to its "glory days". Really????
  But the answer to the National Guard question....no,Detroit doesn't need the Guard,it just needs to have better leadership then its been getting in the past 10 years. Its no longer a "jobs can fix things",its a cultural change that is so badly needed.
  Otherwise you're going to get more incidents like this.....yesterday,two groups of thugs were across the street talking shit....about who made better Kool-Aid. You read that right.....they were frontin' about who made better Kool-Aid. Well someone's momma got dissed so one group broke out the guns and the other group did as well and gunfight broke out sending people scattering for their lives.

  Two teens were shot......all for nothing. Because all they had to do was YouTube this subject and see how Kool-Aid really is made....
But all kidding aside,this is what happens here....no one knows how to  solve problems anymore other then with a gun.

Its Saturday....good news,the fire department official who assaulted Charlie LeDuff was fired for his actions this week. Charlie also interviewed the Fire Commissioner,Don Austin,about the conditions of the stations. Austin,who landed here in high hopes a year ago,has sadly seen what he has to deal with and to his credit,he knows he is up against a real monster. You get the sense he really is aware of the problems but his hands are tied....because the new 60 million dollar headquarters for Fire and Police was put in place before he got here.
  Oh,did I mention to forget to mention that? Yep....the same leaders who allow broken EMS rigs,filthy fire stations,leaky engine companies to make runs,that close stations due to budget short comings,that staff police stations after 5 pm with 2-3 cops and lock the doors and still,after having a shooter come in and injure 4 cops with a shotgun because the metal detectors weren't working (and STILL are not!!),are having a new 60 million dollar HQ being built! And that is on top of a 300 million dollar jail that Robert Ficano is having being built using all sort of cronies in doing so,making who knows how much in kickbacks and favors. When the FBI and the Feds get done with ex-Mayor Kilpatrick,you can rest assured,Ficano will be joining Kwame in that jail cell
   And it seems like the push to ban K2 Spice is going to work. Citgo is already telling its gas station owners to pull it off their shelves. Wow.....2 high deaths and look at how fast this gets pulled. But guns,how kill and maim 30k a year? Still legal......only in motherfucking America.  *smh*

I'm off to make some Kool-Aid.

Musing on a Monday (and happy Booday to Boo)

Its 8:58 am.

       First and foremost,I like to wish Boo,a slightly belated birthday. After watching the videos and hearing about Boo's background,you come to realize that Boo really is a "Cinderella Man" type of dog.....click on YouTube and "Your daily Boo" and prepared to be enchanted by Boo and his fun loving buddy,Craig.




  I like to say a big thank you to everyone who came by and read the interview with Joan Lemon. Already have the next one ready to go and seeing who else will want to drop and chat with me here.
  Its a beautiful day today...the sun is shining,the sky is blue and the weather is getting warmer. The neighbors across the street are having new siding put on their house so you can hear the work crews already at it. Have seen a couple of morning walkers of which one of them will be me.
   Like to to report that our gutters look nice and clean but I can't. Seems like the guy with whom we had coming from Chimney Cricket broke his thumb last week and couldn't make it on Saturday. Sort of hard to lift and place a ladder with a broken thumb but no worries,they already called and are coming out this afternoon to get the job done.
   Like I wrote before,being a 99er means a lot things don't happen,like simple things like cleaning a gutter or planting a flowerbed,you don't have the money to do these small little take it for granted projects. So I hope folks can understand why I'm so tickled with being able to write about my gutter or getting the carpets cleaned or bathroom painted. Makes it seem like life is returning to normal a project at a time.
 




I am meeting some interesting people at my job.....had a guy come in wearing a BP (as in BP oil spill) gas station shirt and buying some things for a project. I asked him where his station was at,he says "Detroit". I made the Sign of the Cross because owning a gas station in Murder City might challenge a crab fisherman or a bomb disposal expert for the most dangerous job in America. While most of us go there for gas and a slurpee,niggas go there to get beat and shot. A man and a woman were beat senseless this week when the man,who is black,said "Hello" to a couple of other black men in a gas station. The two thugs took exception to that and started jacking him up...when the guy tried to run outside,he ran into four other black men who were friends of the attackers,who then proceeded to sock both the man AND his girl up.
   The gas station owner shook his and smiled at my gesture...but he said "But no more. I'm getting out,its too dangerous for me anymore. I don't want to get robbed anymore or even die". It was pretty sad to hear him this because you know he had invested his life savings into trying a piece of the American Dream,owning a business that helps the community,going home to family and friends. And now being forced to sell because of fearing of who or what might happen to him....just sad.
   And the other person I met this weekend also was interesting,a dealer at Greektown,a local casino in Detroit. She was wearing her uniform and I asked her what she did at the casino. When she said "Dealer",I said "That must be pretty exciting" to which she replied with a sad voice "No,its actually pretty crappy. I deal with a so many people who can't afford to be there losing their money and blaming me for it. I just don't understand it,how they blame me...I didn't put them there,didn't force them to gamble and lose the rent check or house payment".
  After she left,we talked about about casinos,while a couple of my co-workers have been,they rarely go because they don't like the idea of losing money. Can't say I blame them. But with casinos now opening in Ohio,including Toledo,the fear is Detroit is going to lose about 30-35 million dollars a year in revenue from the folks in Ohio who will stay home and gamble instead of coming to Detroit.
  Guess the wackiest story this week happened when a man was (all together now) shot in Detroit. All three local stations sent crews out to report on the shooting. The Keystone Kops of Ralph Godbee,the "chief" of the police went out and worked the crime scene,throwing up a yellow taper barrier to keep the shooting site off-limits to everyone.



As the news crews waited patiently outside the crime,the cops wrapped up the scene and left. The crews interviewed the people around the area asking what happened. Fox 2 sent journalist Robin Schwartz to cover this murder and as she and her camera person were in the van,another camera person from WDIV 4 tapped on Robin's van and showed them what he spotted right by the Fox 2 newsvan...something the hard hitting dicks from the DPD somehow managed to overlook:



A gun lying in the open....in some grass but visible to the naked eye. Robin called the police who then came back and took control of the weapon. The murder victim,a 23 year old man,Marcus Anderson had been shot 5 times and when the cops opened up this gun,there were 5 spent shell casings. The local media had found the murder weapon!! Pretty  surreal to say the least. But glad the gun was found and hopefully the Keystone Kops don't fuck it up even more so justice maybe can found for Mr. Anderson.

  Still haven't seen The Avengers yet,but so far no one has knocked on my door and asked for my fanboy card back as of yet. Fact is,my wingman and fellow fanboy,the infamous Farm Boy,has been galloping around the countryside working and is rarely here long enough to check out a flick. But am keeping out hope that one day before its run ends,I'll be able to see it.
  Alrightly then.....guess that will be a wrap for today! Time to put on some socks and get ready to mow some grass,get the gutters cleaned and start working on my new 8 Questions interview,one that I think will inspire a lot you.

Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there!

Saturday/Sunday (includes a medical update)

Its 12:50 pm Saturday

   After a totally delightful stretch of summer like days,spring has decided to return to Michigan today. Its gray and overcast and despite my best attempts to jump start this entry,I'm finding myself sort of fighting to put words down.
   This is another big week for us as its time to see if the 28 days of radiation has done its job and kick the cancer off Lori's colon and lymph nodes. Once more the days have slowed to a crawl,each minute leading to Thursday feels like a hour,my sleep patterns are really getting screwed with,my C-PAP machine isn't working worth a tinker's damn.
  Our spirits are good however,we spent Thursday doing some early deep spring cleaning in the house,washing blinds and curtains. We swapped out some winter dishes for more festive ones. Went to ACO to get a screen repaired but I'll have to wait til Saturday for that as they haven't opened that department yet.
We're going to tackle 3 main projects this summer,painting a upstairs bathroom,our bedroom and finally getting a french drain put in. We have the bathroom budget already so that will come first. We are trying to find the right color to go with the hallway and bedroom.
  Projects like this really raise our morale and spirits...take our mind's off the fight. Of course it is always with you but as me (because I can't speak for Lori),I feel I can keep it at bay and not let it overwhelm me. But the big days such as seeing Dr. Johnston or tests like a PET scan always make up the nervous ante.


Its now 10:22 am Sunday

   Yeah,I didn't post yesterday,got sort of blockish and couldn't finish....so I'll just pick up where I left off  yesterday and carry on.
  Didn't too much yesterday which is why today will be so busy,already got laundry going and I prepped the dining/living room to get vacuumed. Ginger has picked the dining area as her "place" to shed and the floor is covered with orange fur. She lies under the table and licks/pulls tufts of fur off and this is after we brush her. Her fur is much thicker then Derek's by far...he rarely sheds but will leave fur upstairs when he and I play "flop". Cats.....an endless source for entertainment.
   Walked up to the Meijer store by our house,our bank is within the store so we can pay our bills and grocery shop as well. Paid a house payment and then picked up a loaf of bread and some lunch meat.
 I was going to get a lottery ticket or two but the line was long. Guess trying to win a 360 million jackpot will do that to people.
  The lottery is a trip to me....I enjoy playing once in a while,I wait til the jackpot gets over 100 million and then buy a couple of quick picks. Now what is really funny is I never get any numbers...EVER. As far as the Mega Millions/Powerball lottos go,I have won exactly THREE DOLLARS total. That is all....I keep telling Lori that she needs to play for us as she is the lucky one in our household.I don't why I can't win at least 5 bucks,maybe its my breath,I don't know.
  My wife asked me what would I want to do if we won....and I'm not kidding,I haven't a clue other then helping my family. All I know is if we did win,my first call would be to Suze Orman for help!!
  As I am blogging this....I am just now hearing some incredibly sad news....once again,our favorite local news station,Fox 2,has suffered a terrible loss. Cameraman Rodney Ferguson has passed away. This is the 3rd sudden loss for this station in a matter of months....the station news manager,the husband of a news anchor and now Rodney. I had just befriended him on FB,I always thought of Rodney as Amy Lange's wingman when she was out covering the news. Covering the news in Detroit can get sketchy at times,we have seen journalists roughed up at times but you never got that feeling that would happen when Rodney was there,I don't think he would have ever allowed that to happen to his reporter.
  Now he is gone and once again,the crew at Fox 2 will have to say goodbye to someone they loved and cherished much too soon. I know some of the station's journalists actually honor me by reading this blog and so I'm going to take this moment to say how sorry we are at Rodney's passing and know he'll be deeply missed.

    But also want to celebrate some good news as well....our friends Brad and Michelle Myers have finally reclaimed their home back 100%. No more FEMA trailer as they have completed all the major repairs and are all back in the home they had before the Mouse River tried to wash them away. So happy for the 4 members who can cook,clean and climb into the dryer. And with such a mild winter,this will give the state time enough to continue to strengthen the defenses so that if the water rises again,they'll be to warn people faster and slow the river down from cresting and flooding again.
 
I wonder whatever happened to Ryan Downe.

  So war criminal and draft dodger Dick "I would have shot Trayvon Martin and got away with it" Cheney had a heart transplant. Which is shocking in of the fact I always thought he was born without one. I mean,I know he was born without a spine but without a heart?
  I wonder who he had murdered to get that heart and we only had to wait for less then 2 years when the majority of people have waited longer.
  You know,there are a few people you just wish God would have taken out of the gene pool,Hitler,Stalin,Mao,George W. Bush,Cheney...its hard to fathom why some people who deserve death live while the ones who make the difference are taken much too soon. Its one of those things you tuck into your back pocket and hope one day you can actually ask God these questions.

 My 10 favorite female vocalists

1. Barbara Manning
2. Penelope Houston
3. Mary Fahl
4. Monique Powell
5. Sarah Brightman
6. Kate Emerson
7. Gretchen Peters
8. Martina McBride
10. Jennifer Charles

Of course this list changes but at this moment in time,these are the ones who I'm listening to the most. Maybe I can get some of you to share a Top 10 list as well...
  I'm still awaiting for my first two interview subjects to return their questions....writer Joan Lemon and social activist John Cromer were the first two I asked for a interview and I just caught them at very busy times but they have said they will get them back to me....

Okay,that is all I got for now....I'll be back Tuesday.

21st Century Battlefield Detroit- Good vs. Evil.

Its 9:03 am
 
  Sorry for such a shorty punchy entry yesterday,just couldn't find my writing mojo....but lets see if we can't change that a little bit today.
 As soon as I finish this post,going to take the trash out and then walk over to the U of Michigan medical center and make a appointment for Lori to get her chemo port flushed. A port has to be flushed once every 4-6 weeks to prevent any issues in case it needs to used,one doesn't want to have a blocked port,its a pain in a ass to clean,or so we have been told.
  Lori has to have her port for a year to the day that Dr. Johnston says she is in remission. So,despite her surgery being almost a year ago already (I know,amazing,right?) we still have to live with it and that means putting on lidocaine once every 4-6 weeks and getting flushed.
  So I decided to put Derek's bed under the window where he has taken up residence for next 6 weeks...figured he would enjoy the bed and the softness of his blankets. I took a peek this morning and the goofy cat was curled up besides the bed sleeping away. Needless to say,the bed was moved back to its normal spot and he went back to sleep where the bed had been. Gotta love my cat!
   Had a couple of interesting stories come through the city this week. Seems like a local attorney,David Dunn,who defends a lot of dangerous thugs,is now himself in jail facing the same murder charge his client is after being arrested for trying to get a witness to commit perjury. Dunn is also facing eight other counts,including the murder charge he was defending 22 year old Andre Collins from. The witness was supposedly wearing a wire and not only did they catch Dunn trying to cajole this witness but he was also was heard bragging that he had done this on other cases as well.
 
"Mr. Dunn's alleged behavior is a poison arrow in the heart of the criminal justice system," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. "The evidence will show that he's done this more than once.

Pretty damn sad if you ask me....how many murderers,rapists,thugs has Dunn broken the law for in order to get them off and collect his now blood money? Now the DA's office will have to back and re-investigate every case Dunn has defended to see just how bad this miscarriage of justice runs.  The one good thing is that is that more likely that Collins will never see the free world again. And hopefully,if Dunn is also convicted,this will discourage any other lawyers from doing such a terrible crime.
    Another example of just how bad of a Police Chief Ralph Godbee is for the city of Detroit. I mean,can this guy do more then bumble and stumble his way in to work everyday?  We had a tourist in from New York in for a convention who vanished and after 4 days,his family got worried when they hadn't heard from him.
Mike Treder was here for a engineering and science expo but has simply vanished after checking in his hotel. He told his family and girlfriend that he was a guest speaker at the expo but it turns out that wasn't the case.
So the family reached out to police and they responded...led by Chief Godbee himself and at least 3-5 other officers. Now I can hear you saying "Why are you spracking on Godbee like this? It isn't every day that a major city police chief will take such a active role in finding a missing tourist!"
  And you would be right,normally this WOULD be a feel good story and I am very much hoping that Treder is found safe and sound,this is a weird case,that is for skippy.
   But this why I'm once again ripping on the chief and also the Mayor's office.
Detroit has 700,000 citizens living in it and at least 4,000 are convicted sex offenders who have had to register as sexual offenders. This means they have to let the police/probation office know where they,the offenders,are as far as living and working. If they plan on moving,they have to tell the cops,if they get a job,same deal. Now with 4,000  registered offenders,you would think the cops would have a dedicated force to keep a wary eye on these folks,right? I mean,if the police chief and 3-5 cops are looking for a missing tourist,we probably have at least 30-50 cops of sex offender duty...
   Well we don't. We have ONE cop to keep track of those 4,000 offenders...oh wait,I forgot to tell you the best parts,at least 650 offenders are now unaccounted for,they for all purposes,have flown the coop,they're in the wind. They have neglected to tell the cops where they are,where they are working,if they are drug-free,if they haven't raped a 12 year old lately.
   But in defense of Godbee,the department has had budget cuts to be sure...which forced the reduction of the sexual offender task force. So just how many cops USED to be on this section being it was reduced to one cop? Try TWO cops. Two cops to track 4,000 dangerous felons in a city of 700,000.
 But we can get our chief and 3-5 cops to track down a missing tourist,once it made the local news.
Now are you sure you want to visit Detroit if you're a woman? Sort of makes you think twice about that doesn't it??
  And this is Bing's folly as well....how the hell could you let your fucking ego get in the way of a damn good cop like Warren Evans doing his job??? The city has gone to shit and it really did start with Warren being asked to resign. This city has a special talent for turning on the people who really want to help Detroit recover....Warren Evans,Gary Brown,Robert Bobb,Dennis Archer,Roy Roberts...all being attacked just because they want to be honest and not sugar coat that the people here have to be accountable for their actions.
  But going to end this on a positive note....
Last January a man lost his life when he fell while working on the Ambassador Bridge. Kent Morton was painting when something went terribly wrong and he fell into the Detroit River. He survived the fall but with all the heavy gear he had on plus the injuries he sustained,he drowned before any help could reach him...to this day,his body has not been recovered.
Kent left a little girl and his fiance,who was expecting their first child together. By all accounts,Kent was a good man,a loving father and a kick ass brother.
  Kent and his fiance,Kristi Waltsgott,had bought a home and were just starting to renovate it when Kent was killed. Kent had painted his daughter's room and Kristi was getting the kitchen ready on the day he passed away. For two months now nothing as happened as Kristi being pregnant was and is finding it harder to get along. And I'm sure money is also tight for the little family. The Western Wayne Plumber and Mechanical Association reached and as contributed time,labor and manpower in help Kent and Kristi realize their dream home. But they still needed some help and so they reached out to Fox 2 for that help.
The media covered this story very compassionately when Kent was killed and that is one thing I love about the people who report on our area,they don't simply file a story and move on. Over and over they revisit it and bring us updates.
  Our best journalist,Amy Lange,covered this story and after meeting with Kristi,the work crew and seeing the house...she called a local store,ABC Warehouse (I blogged about these guys before),who jumped at the chance to help. They are supplying brand new kitchen appliances to Kristi,top of the line gear to help this woman get ready for her upcoming son,Kent's legacy,who she is expecting to come in August.
 What a beautiful thing that these men,ABC Warehouse and Amy did for this family. We are blessed to such angels in our community,we really are!

Well,that is it for now. My postman is downstairs and he has some new news on how Rick Santorum is really Ron Paul's love child.

be safe!

3 Days (includes a medical update)

Its 8:40 am
 
   Never fails....I go away for three days and the world changes on a dime. Where to start,what to say?
First,thank you for reading my last blog about Verily Vereen,I'm going to be pushing that entry a lot...I forwarded it to both Rep Hansen Clarke and to the White House. And based on my little visitor tracker,someone was paying attention. So who knows,maybe one voice can make a little difference...

 Its a snowy day here in SE Michigan here on Valentine's Day. Got iTunes up and on shuffle,blogging to music is one of my favorite ways to write and listening to Kristy MacColl (you are so sorely missed!) while Derek is camped out on the big comfy chair behind me. Once I get some coffee,we'll be ready to turn this mutha out...*s*

First,the big news....
  Yesterday was our re-scheduled appointment in Ann Arbor with Dr. Johnston. She talked and examined Lori and again expressed just how remarkable Lori is doing. She did indeed schedule us for another PET scan but it sounds like she looking a clean scan this time around and while she didn't say the "R" word,she has never sounded more hopeful. Of she did temper it a bit by saying if we needed to continue,they would have a next phase already mapped out.
 But Lori is feeling so much better and stronger,she says this is the best she has felt in two years. A great sign indeed! Of course once again,we turn our eyes to the PET scan and await what the results will be.

But of course the big news is the terrible loss of a major talent that was taken away much too early.  Last weekend author and speaker Jeffrey Zaslow was killed in a car accident while promoting his latest book.
Jeff was a best selling writer who co- wrote "The Last Lecture" w/teacher Randy Pausch who continued to teach while dying of cancer.
  He also wrote about Gabby Giffords and Captain Chesley Sullenberger,both books which are major bestsellers. He traveled everywhere to promote his work and was very well known for staying way past his signing time to talk to his readers and fans. Now while I had heard about the books and subjects above,I didn't know it was Jeffrey who had co-written/written these works. But thinking about it and listening to all the wonderful tributes pouring in on his death,I am not surprised. Thinking how compassionate one would have to be to sit and talk to someone dying,another who almost died and had suffered greatly and a man,who along with his aircrew,brought down a jet safely in a major river with no loss of life...to sit there and gently coax into words what these folks were feeling,thinking and remembering.
  It takes an extremely gifted writer to do that and by accounts,Jeff was such a rare writer who could do this.
 Now while we didn't know Jeff,we do his wife...we watch Sherry Margolis every weeknight on the news on Fox 2 here in Detroit. Sherry is a very good anchorperson who isn't afraid to show her personality when she reports the news. Far too many times,you get anchors who act more like robots then really care about the people and issues they are reporting on. Sherry isn't like that at all and is one of the main reasons we watch Fox 2 on a daily basis.
 
To learn more about Jeffrey and his career:
http://www.jeffzaslow.com/

 Saturday saw us taking a trip to Westland to get our taxes done. We had planned for a 10 am appointment but we had to go in later because we had to get our medical receipts in order....another fun fact of having a serious illness,you must be track of every slip of paper so you can claim it.
 We headed to the tax place,it was so bitterly cold. We passed several little malls and some of the businesses have people dressed up and holding a sign promoting their businesses. The local ordinance says you can't place a stationary sign on the sidewalk,so if you want a sign,it has to stay in motion. Hence why the folks are out there moving,sometimes in goofy costumes. But Good Lord,it was so cold last weekend...you felt like doing one of two things....buying the sign holder a hot drink and/or driving to the shop,ask to see the owner and punching him in the throat for making these guys stand out there in the cold.
  Traffic was pretty thick and we eased our way to the tax office. While we were there,different workers were calling folks to say that the IRS was saying return checks would be late. Seems like a whole lot of fraud and ID theft was in place this year and combined with a new IRS computer program,its been hell for some folks.
 And of course you know Detroit had to get in the mix....seems like some tax workers at a local office decided to steal and cash some of the folks they were paid to help. The owner suspended 4 of his workers for the thefts,seems to me,he should be seeking to have them arrested and refund the victims not only their returns but the fee they were charged as well.
  We ended the day with some grocery shopping and headed home.
But in watching the news,we found out why our traffic was so heavy,a woman was killed on I-275 by the Michigan Ave. overpass. She had hit a patch of ice,spun her car,hit a barrier and then was t-boned by a Jeep. This caused a massive traffic backup and thus the above average traffic. The roads are icy because of last weeks snow. Add in today's snow PLUS we're expecting rain on Thursday and accidents will be plentiful if folks aren't careful.
  Sunday saw us heading to Taylor to one of our favorite little places,the Christmas Tree Shop. This is a deep discount store owned by Bed,Bath and Beyond. It really is more of a old fashioned General Store then anything else. You name it,this store has it. We picked up some pantry items,new kitchen gadgets,some tablecloths,a beautiful pasta cookbook and I even found a fun looking Blu-Ray movie for only 5 bucks.
Now we had a coupon that saved us 10 bucks on 50 spent. We thought we had 30 bucks in goods but when we had 40...we decided to get a few more items to take advantage of our coupon. We had a good laugh at that because that is how we are now.
   Came home and cooked a roast and baked a cake. And then we did something we hadn't done in years...we watched the Grammy Awards. Normally I avoid this show like the plague but Lori and I wanted to watch Adele collect her 6 trophies and sing live.
  We set up our little coffee table up and had dinner in there while the show was on. While the awards were predictable (they are based on SoundScan sales),the live performances were pretty good....enjoyed Bruno Mars channeling a little Morris Day and Taylor Swift is pretty spunky as well. One can't get the feeling that little Taylor carries a mean streak in her when she gets crossed. The Foo Fighters tore it up as well and of course Adele was amazing. I really hope she takes care of that voice,it really quite lovely.
 But there was bad moments as well....like Katy Perry,wow,did that suck...and just when I was thinking of getting into Nicki Minaj,she gave us that mess? Coldplay? More like Snoreplay....
And I guess Whitney Houston finally cashed in her chips....I used to have her on my Celebrity Dead Pool list 4 or 5 years running. I know she was supposed to be making a comeback but drugs and a heavy smoking habit had robbed her voice YEARS ago. I don't think people are mourning her today as much as they are mourning what she USED to be years ago.

    Monday saw us in Ann Arbor and then we came home. Had a great lunch and did more bill paying and other exciting stuff like that. While Lori took a nap,I downloaded enough songs to get me past 1,000 on the iPod. We ran more errands and finished our day by watching the rest of Season 2 of the Mary Tyler Moore show.
   I stayed up to catch Kevin Dietz's report on Channel 4 on how people talk about Detroit via hidden cameras. It was interesting but pretty flawed when they had a local shrink try and say anyone putting down Detroit is the one who has problems. Really? So I guess the 9 people that shot in a 24 hour period are only to considered a source for a "Pure Michigan" ad? (4 people,including a 17 year old died,5 were wounded).
But look at the report yourself and decide.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/investigations/Detroit-residents-either-love-hate-the-Motor-City/-/1719314/8771370/-/ujt7n8/-/index.html


And on that note.....I'm outta here for now. I have a class to get ready for today. Thank you for reading and take a second to to become a Follower or drop a comment!

Happy Valentine's day to everyone...



John/Dayle - Thank you for reading
Paul G - I agree and I will do just that-thanks for following me here.

24 May 2011

Its 9:06 am

   Its a cold overcast morning,looks like the Queen of Snow really must have been dancing hard last night because it sure LOOKS like snow. We are still on track to get a inch or less starting around 4 pm-ish.
I see another of the original IC has followed me here....I thank you a lot for that,Paul. Sort of cool to check in and see another reader has joined up. We're up to 5 now....and very thankful you are all here.

  24 May 2011

   Last year on that day here in Detroit,a fight broke out on a neighborhood street. Yelling,screaming..who knows what the beef was but in typical American style,someone had enough and went to get a problem solver.
   You all know what which kind of problem solver that was grabbed. So now here is a young woman brandishing a gun and pretty soon the bullets start flying.
 26 year old Verily Vereen,a mother of two is on her front porch minding her own business with her family. Street beefs are nothing new in  neighborhoods,they happen and most are settled quickly and peacefully.
But Detroit is different,far too many times people in Detroit hear someone yell "I'm getting my gun" and in this city,it isn't a empty threat,its a promise.
  And so it was that day and Verily Vereen started shooing in her family into the house,out of harm's way. Except that she was just a heartbeat too late to save herself. As she turned away and got the several small children into the relatively safety of her home,Fate came calling in a form of a wildly shot bullet.
 Again,Verily,had no part in this fight,she was just a innocent by-stander here. But when people pick up a gun and fire it,it doesn't give a shit if you're innocent,guilty,red,black,white or brown. It only knows what it was designed for...to shatter lives. And in this case,it achieved it goal ever so well...
  One second Verily is a strong loving mother of two...the next,she is bleeding from being shot in the neck. She falls on her porch,her first thoughts must have been..."please,don't let any of my kids or cousins be shot" because that is how a mother's brain works. No,it was just Verily lying there,blood pouring out.
Calls go to 911...a neighbor,Sonja Bennett rushes over and applies pressure to help stop the bleeding.
People gathering around,shocked at what happened. Waiting for the help to come to help Verily.....waiting.....still waiting,more calls to 911. Where IS that ambulance????
  The people of Detroit know how bad the EMS system is,they live with it every day. Half of the 24 rigs are out of service most days,they are under-equipped and stressed to the max. I blogged already how the new Fire Commissioner said he was ordering brand new ambulances but the city is so poor,it can't afford them and its credit is bad,no one will loan the money.
  But even for Detroit's hardened citizen's,this response time is beyond bad....more waiting as Verily blood seeps into Sonja's hands. Kids are crying for their momma....people wondering where the ambulance is at.
 Someone says "Lets take her ourselves! She'll die here if she doesn't get help!" But Verily can't be moved,she has no feelings in her arms or legs. If they and move her,no matter how well the intention is,they'll finish what that gun has started.
  After 30 hellish minutes a Detroit EMS unit arrives on scene and after stabilizing Verily,transport her to the ER.
  The police also come and they arrest the woman who fired the gun. Whose anger and mindset had conditioned her to solve her issues not with a brain but with steel,American style.
 But in the ER,a bitter irony unfolds...because IF you are going to be shot,being shot in the D isn't such a bad thing. Why? Let's put it this way kids,you know the US is involved in two wars and many of troops got shot to shit or blown up by IEDs. You hear about how our troops survival rate is so much improved because doctors are able to treat them so much better now. Well that is because the trauma doctors get their training by working the inner cities shootings in Detroit,Philly,Chicago and Baltimore. They see so many combat type bullet wounds that they are able to practice new techniques in the operating rooms!
 So when you are shot with a gun here,you have a much better chance of making it out alive! Provided you get a ambulance to get to you in 30 minutes or less.
 Verily is operated on...and on....and on. The bullet has left its terrible mark on her,she has gone from a strong woman to becoming a quadriplegic.
 All over something stupid.....
But Verily is a fighter and so is her sister,Denita. Denita throws her considerable might into the fray,taking care of Verily and her kids. Bathing,dressing and encouraging Verily. She is responding well,she has some movement in her hands,she can somewhat hold her kids. Denita quits her job to help her sister,she can't afford to hire a 24-7 nurse for her. The problems they face are incredible. The house they have (I don't know if its owned or rented by the sisters) isn't equipped for a handicapped person. The daily washing of Verily is extremely hard and sad. Because Denita was caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of taking care of her sister and working and leaving her job,the insurance is about to run out and then what?
  One small bullet.
The average cost of treating a gunshot victim like Verily can cost a million dollars over the victim's lifetime.
A million dollars. Not all cases,a lot of quadriplegics don't live a long life,their bodies are so broken in so many places that a mere cold can kill them if it develops in pneumonia.
  Fox 2 Detroit ran an update on the sisters last night and I'll post the link to the report in a minute.
I don't know the Vereens but in a sense I do. Because once gun violence touches you,be it the shooter or the victim,it really changes everything. The woman who shot Verily was arrested,charged and convicted for her crime. She is in jail,locked up. But you tell me,who really is the prisoner here? And to top it off,she shows no remorse to the lives she altered so sadly on 24 May 2011.
  If you like to help.....please repost this story to your friends and neighbors.

If you feel like donating anything....

WJBK FOX 2 
P.O. Box 2000
16550 West 9 Mile Road
Southfield, MI 48037-2000


Attn: Andrea Isom- Verily Vereen




This will link you to Andrea's report.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/stray-bullet-changes-the-lives-of-2-sisters-20120210

Thanks for reading.

A day with Rembrandt

  Its 8:46 am

Good morning...looking at a slightly grey looking day here in SE Michigan. Still pretty decent for the most California like winter since I have been in Michigan. Yesterday was just beautiful,a perfect day to go on a outing and that is exactly what Lori and I did yesterday.
   But I have to comment on something,we always watch Fox 2 for our news here in Detroit. Pretty much hands down they do the best job in covering the stories in Detroit. The other stations also do a excellent job but Fox 2 just has the better journalists overall in my opinion.
 So every morning while Lori is getting ready for work and I make her lunch and tea,we have the TV on. And we have started noticing that Derek Jeter really seems to watch the news when the health reporter Deena Centofanti is the screen. As soon as she is either on or starts her report,he either runs in the room or stops what he is doing and starts staring at the TV. At first we thought this was a mere coincidence but after seeing this happen 6 or 7 times,we are convinced Derek is really listening to her. He doesn't have a reaction for anyone else on the TV.  Just wanted to share that.....I know,my cat is goofy.
  So yesterday was FINALLY the day that we would traveling to the Detroit Institute of Art to see the Rembrandt exhibit of his "Faces of Jesus".
  We had made plans to see this many times but either a work schedule change,Lori's well being or the show was sold out had hampered us from seeing it so far. We got our tickets online as to ensure our entry and away we went.
   The drive to Detroit was very quick. We had a full tank of gas and our trusty GPS unit to guide us in a timely fashion. The downstairs parking was closed off so we decided to valet park our car (well worth the 10 bucks) and go in. We saw several tour buses either parked or pulling in. This exhibit has turned into a monster showing and the most successful in the DIA's history. Record crowds have turned up with many churches and groups all attending the show.
 Quite honestly,I don't think anyone saw this happening as the crowds were huge for each showing. The biggest problem was the space the exhibit was designed for was much to small to handle the each group,even with the DIA limiting the groups to 175-200 people per show.  Because the exhibit space was created weeks if not months before the showing,the DIA could not expand the showroom in time and because the drawings and paintings are only there for a limited time,they cannot delay or extend the show (but I'm thinking they will due to the great demand).
   Our tour started at 11 am. The exhibit was broken into 14 stops where you could put on headsets and listen as the DIA's director and several Rembrandt experts explain the art.
  Looking at Rembrandt's works and thinking of what is considered art today is like comparing the Wright Brother's plane to the F-22,even trying to compare is simply a waste of time. The art created by Rembrandt,Monet,Cezanne,etc is simply awe inspiring,the colors,subject matter and depth of feeling plus technique is just amazing. I can sit and stare at the masters and almost feel that I'm in the picture or smell the bronze being cast. I look at someone like Koons or Pollock and just come away so utterly unimpressed. Don't get me wrong,the art is pretty...but it has no heart,no soul and is incredibly over rated. I mean I can put some paint on Derek's paws and get the same level of depth of any modern artist. But just because I can,doesn't make it art.
  Lori said she once went to the Guggenheim in New York,walked up the stairs and saw that someone had taken a stuffed goat,dashed some paint on it and they considered "high art". Yeah,okay....its why we never go see a modern or minimalist type of art showing.
  But back to the Rembrandt show...the different ways he drew Jesus throughout his life is remarkable,from stern teacher early in his drawings to warm and thoughtful at the end,Rembrandt really seems to have really seen Jesus for who he was. And when he met some of the small Jewish community and was able to use a young man as a model,he really captured what Jesus most likely looked back when he was among us.
  Some of the drawings/etchings wee so small,you had to really get get up close and personal to see just how wonderful the details were. I mean,you can see the full facial expressions on paper not much bigger then a large postage stamp. To think of the many hours sitting there drawing in most likely not the best light at times...
 The showing also had many different pieces that Rembrandt's students also drew and placed them side by side so you could see how they each saw the same man.
  The DIA also included several silent video packages showing how Rembrandt lived,loved,created and later died. The tour generally lasts about 90 minutes and ends in a small bookstore created especially for the exhibit.
  Afterwards we walk around the DIA talking about the show. Lori was feeling a little hungry so we decided to leave and have lunch. We decided on the Traffic Jam and Snug on Canfield which was about a mile away from the DIA. Now while Lori had been there in the far past,it was my first time there. We also wanted to go check it out because Guy Fieri of the Food Network's "Diners,Drive-Ins and Dives" had stopped by last year and did a segment there.
  The place was pretty empty after the lunch rush so we got a table and had a nice lunch. The food was pretty good on my part but Lori didn't like her burger too much. The place was very old and was Michigan's first brew pub and is the smallest licensed working dairy in the state today.
  On the way out to the car,we saw a pair of small shops called NEST and City Bird which are owned and run by a brother and sister,Andy and Emily Linn. We met Emily in her store which she called NEST and it was very cheerful with small home deco items being offered as well as several local artists having their crafts being sold.
  City Bird was right next door and it was a larger place with a little variety including some very cute t-shirts which said "Say Something Nice about Detroit" and a little vending machine where you could legally buy 1 squire inch of land in the D for 12.00 bucks. We didn't see anything that we didn't need (but if they sold some local band music,I might have) and headed for home.
  It was a lot of fun and sure raised our moral that is for sure....

To learn more about NEST and City Bird:
http://www.ilovecitybird.com/

And if you are in the Detroit area:
http://www.dia.org/

and want to a good place to eat at:
http://www.trafficjamdetroit.com/