Times Are Tough

We have a 15.3% unemployment rate in Michigan right now. Because of that, we are seeing more creative ways to make a living of any kind. I found this at the bottom of driveways during my daily walk. The sign is asking for used books and is placed in a ziplock baggie with two stones used as weights. 

It is a sign of how hard things are getting here. At the same time it is uplifting, as this is an example of a person looking for alternative ways to earn some kind of income. I like this a lot, as it encourages recycling while helping someone at the same time. This is the first step for any entrepreneur. I wish him luck!

Hi, ho! Hi, ho!

It's off to build a fort we go! 

Yes, this is one of the things I did this past weekend! I built the roof of this fort with several kids aged 3 to 9. I was the contract supervisior and engineer. The kids, well they helped sort the materials and mostly I built it, but what fun we had building it and then playing in it! It was a perfect project for a perfect day!

Don't Eat That Dinner Roll!

Wholly moly! How crazy is this world becoming? This recently in from the Associated Press:

"Police arrested a 42-year old woman who said a dispute over a dinner roll led to a fatal fight with her father.

Melvindale, Michigan police report a 62-year old man called 911 saying he'd been stabbed in the stomach. Officers found him mortally wounded with several stab wounds.

The man's daughter was found hiding in the woods behind the suburban Detroit home and was taken to a hospital, then to police headquarters.

Local channel 4 reported the woman told investigators she ate a dinner roll her father had been saving for later, even though it had a note telling her not to.

Police say she also fired a gun but apparently didn't hit her father. She remained in custody awaiting arraignment for second degree murder."

Happy Mother's Day!

It's that time of the year again. 

Enjoy! 

Be nice to your Mom. You wouldn't be here without her!

My Dream House!

Thirty years ago! 

This is my friends daughters stilt house. It has been built out of all recycled items, expect for the roof. (Apparently they didn't want to deal with possible leaks. Who could blame them.)

What I wouldn't have given for a personal space like this. The closest I came was a tiny balcony off the back of our house. We were told we would fall through the roof if we went out on it. Experience told us that if we were very careful and not to let the parents know, we were just fine. 

Don't worry Mom, Margie and I only crawled out once or twice. It wasn't as cool as we had thought it would be! Nothing like this house. 

I'm waiting for my invitation. Perhaps I should stop by with some warm freshly baked cookies?

Man owes $530,000 in child support

Thomas Frazier has been jailed for not paying child support for his 14 children. Authorities say he fathered these children with 13 different women and has failed to pay to support them. 

"I tried to find someone who would love me for me," he said. He also describes himself as a victim of poor upbringing that caused him to seek comfort from older women. Further, he believes that only three of the children are his and that he is unfairly being saddled with debt for children he did not father. Currently he has not made any payments in over six years.

He was arrested in Iowa last month after being pulled over for a broken taillight. He claimed to be returning to Flint to pay his debt. When he was pulled over he had $5,000 in cash on him. He now has five days to come up with another $22,900 otherwise he may spend to to 90 days in jail.

There are so many things wrong with this story. But the one glaring issue for me is, how does jailing this man help the situation? The average cost to house a prisoner in Michigan is $33,000 a year. How does charging the tax payer $8,250 to house this man for 90 days help to pay for the back child support? This makes no sense to me.

At his court hearing he did have one piece of advice for his children. "Use a condom," he said. "You don't want to end up like your Dad."

Good advice. 

Come one! Come all!

This is the announcement for an art show featuring six artists, of which one is my mom. The exhibit runs from March 28th to May 9th at the River Gallery in Chelsea, Michigan. Come meet the artists on Saturday April 4th from 1 to 3 PM. This is a lovely gallery tucked between charming local businesses in a quaint small town. Chelsea is also home to The Common Grill as well as the Jeff Daniels Purple Rose Theater. (Yes, that Jeff Daniels - his home town.)

We can learn something from these four

Unlikely pairs are a passion of mine. If the animal kingdom can be accepting of others why can't the human race? 

These pairs are fast friends who hang out with each other every moment of the day and evening. Perhaps we could all learn from these fabulous four!

It's almost Christmas!

Do you need a last minute gift idea? Well, this is not recommended for you or anyone else for that matter. 

It doesn't mean I didn't want to share it. At one time, not so long ago, this was a real suggestion for  a gift for every family member. 

And some American's wonder why the world thinks we are a violent society? This ad and serial killers (another American product) are good examples. Hmm.

Merry christmas!

Tattoo Gun!

'Tis the season for marketing! 

Now who in the heck decided that this was a good idea? 

This is so wrong on so many, many, many levels.

This could very well define "toxic toys" in a different light.

Tragedy in Mumbai (Bombay)

 
My younger sister leads such a different life than I. Tara lives in Mumbai, India with her husband Angad within walking distance of where much of where the melee occurred. Fortunately she was home when the chaos began, but she was near enough that she heard shots and blasts. 

My father and I had a somewhat harrowing Thanksgiving as information was limited. The only communication that we had was via email. (Thank goodness for the Internet.) All phone communication was nonexistent. 

These are photos that she took in the area where she lives, shops, and works in. If the attacks had happened one day earlier she could well have been a victim  in one of the restaurants that was targeted. As expected, reconciling what happened is difficult for everyone there and around the world. Here is a link to an essay that my very eloquent sister wrote about the aftermath. 

It still surprises me that we are such similar people with such different life styles. She is literally a world away. Thank goodness she is safe in hers.

Another sad story to be sure

A boy from Westfield, MA accidentally killed himself with an Uzi. While an instructor at a gun fair was watching, 8-year old Christopher Biziljat aimed an Uzi at a pumpkin and pulled the trigger as his dad reached for a camera.

Christopher lost control and fatally shot himself in the head.

Now gun safety experts and some gun enthusiasts are wondering why such a young child was allowed to fire a weapon used in war. Local, state and federal authorities are also investigating whether everyone involved had proper licenses or if anyone committed a criminal act.

Christoper, a third grader, was attending the show his father and sixth-grade brother, Colin. He had fired handguns and rifles before, but Sunday was his only time firing an automatic weapon, said his father, Charles Biziljat.

What a horrifying story. R.I.P. Christopher.

Teacher injured by student

This is from the Ann Arbor News Police Beat section on Thursday September 18, 2008. 

"An Ypsilanti school teacher told police she wants to press charges against a 9-year old student who broke her hand on Wednesday September 17, 2008. 

Ypsilanti Police said the 52-year old Adams Elementary School teacher told them the boy had not been taking his medication and got into a fight in her classroom at 1 p.m. She said she and an assistant restrained the boy on the ground in an attempt to bring him under control, but he punched and kicked her. She later realized her hand was injured and she reported the incident after a doctor confirmed the fracture, she told police.

Ypsilanti schools spokeswoman Emma Jackson said this morning that the boy has been suspended from school."

It's no wonder we are loosing teachers. What is going on? What happened to parents accountability? This is insane.

My sister's column

My half sister lives in Mumbai, India and works as a graphic artist for Rolling Stone, India (just released in the last year). The image above is one of her first pieces that was published. It is titled, City of Ghosts and has cultural references that don't make sense to me, but nevertheless, I'm proud of her. She is currently working on a graphic novel that I am anxiously awaiting.  Stay tuned!

It's Mom's Day soon!

Don't forget Mother's Day this Sunday! 

Haven't thought about Mother's Day yet? Just what do you get Mom? If you are hard pressed for an idea, how about his one? Give the gift of life to a homeless pet. My favorite animal charity, Best Friends, has this wonderful program where you select the type of animal that you would like to sponsor. You can select a cat, a dog, a barnyard animal, a bird, a bunny, or how about a general wild life animal? Many animals are in need, so don't delay. Won't you consider sending a message that means more than cut flowers which will die in a week. Spend your money wisely and sponsor a needy animal!