Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

Exodus out of Michigan is occuring, according to survey

Michigan had the second highest percentage of people moving out of its borders last years, according to a survey by United Van Lines.

Looking at all the interstate moves done by the company in Michigan, 63.9 percent were moving out.  Number one on the list was North Dakota with 67.8 percent going out of the state.

A friend shared this statistic which he quoted from a story in the Lansing-based MIRS Capitol Capsule. 

Wherever you go in mid-Michigan, whether it's the local coffee shop, church or grocery shopping at Meijers, there's a cloud hanging over hope that there's a future in the Great Lakes State.

technorati tags: Michigan, Michigan economy, Economic growth, Job creation, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Dick Devos, Michigan Democrats, Michigan Republicans,

U.S Navy tells chaplain no praying in Jesus' name

U. S Navy Chaplain is being told by bosses that he can't pray in Jesus' name.  The Chaplain is protesting by going on a hunger strike.

Technorati Tags: U.S.Navy, prayer, chaplain, hungerstrike,

 

Are you getting ripped off with all this Jesus talk?

An Italian judge is being asked to decide the question of Jesus' existence, according to CNN.  An old atheist who went to the seminary and then got turned off on Jesus says the country's people are being ripped off by the church.

Now, it's up to an Italian judge to decide if Jesus was real or not.

Most Christian churches will probably get snarly about this kind of action, but maybe they should take it as free publicity and use this off-the-wall lawsuit as an evangelism tool to show that he does exist.

Technorati Tags: Jesus, CNN, evolution, intelligentdesign, Italy, Roman Catholic Church

Lansing's new mayor listens to wise counsel

I'm impressed with what I read about new Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero in the Lansing City Pulse, an alternative newspaper to the Lansing State Journal.

Apparently, Bernero has drawn former Mayor David Hollister into his inner circle and he seems to be getting some great advice.

Hollister told the new mayor about the importance of communicating with the citizens of Lansing.  They need to be in the loop or the circle.  Amen.  We all have a stake and a responsibility in the future of our city.

In the Pulse story, Hollister says:

Communicating with the public will be one of the
          most important tasks for the new mayor.

Technorati Tags: VirgBernero, cityofLansing, Michigan, DavidHollister

GM fires 500 engineers at its Warren Tech Center

Storm clouds are still over Michigan's economy.  Today's news brings word that General Motor's is cutting 500 engineers at its Tech Center in Warren.  How will this affect their future?  How will it affect the pool of engineering talent in Michigan?  Where in Michigan will graduating engineers work in the future?

Technorati Tags: GeneralMotors, GM, engineering, WarrenTechCenter, Michigan'seconomy,
 

Answers for some basic Apple iPod questions

I just spotted this in today's Detroit Free Press about iPods with Q&A about various issues that can come up.  Heather Newman answers questions about loss of quality when sound tracks are transferred from CD to iPod and what to do when you are running two iPods off your computer.

Technorati Tags: iPod, Apple, DetroitFreePress, HeatherNewman

Some facts about baby-boomers turning 60 this year

I'm a little scared and excited about turning sixty this year.  When my mom turned that age, I thought she was really old. 

The U.S. Census Bureau has an online fact sheet about baby-boomers who turn sixty this year.  This is great for those born in 1946 and for their friends and family planning birthday parties. 

Did you know that the most popular baby name for boys and girls in 1946 was James and Mary?

Technorati Tags: Babyboomers, U.S.CensusBureau, AARP, retirees

My vision for Daily Grit in 2006

The DAILY GRIT has been my blog space for more than 15 months.  During that time I have experimented with this new channel of communication trying to learn how it works and how it can be most effectively used.

I've written more than 400 posts on a wide variety of topics.  These bits and pieces of first-person writing have centered around stuff that's either important in my life or something that just catches my eye.

My Typepad counter says that the DAILY GRIT has gotten more than 10,000 page visits during that time and my Site-Meter put on six months ago says it has more than 6,000. 

The name--DAILY GRIT--reflects contemporary life in Michigan.  There are the gray days of winter that match the perceptions of the future of this state.  At one time, the words General Motors and Michigan were synonomous and redundant.  What was once golden in the Great Lakes State has turned into rust.

This is the mileau where I see this blog during the next year. 

With the decline of daily news outlets, blogs are assuming a more important role.  Citizen journalism represents a hope for a better informed citizenry.  Blogs can play an essential role in this equation.

I'm anxious to see how this concept can be implemented in the mid-Michigan area.

Lansing's new mayor says he won't leave people down

Michigan's State Capital city, Lansing, has a new mayor, Virg Bernero.  He was sworn in yesterday, Jan. 1.

I feel like I have a real stake in this city's future.  I went to college down the road in East Lansing at MSU, left for about three years and then came back and never left.  I've lived here more than three decades. 

In the sixties and seventies, Lansing was alive and vibrant and kept humming by being the seat of State Government and the headquarters for Oldsmobile.  Times have changed and in seems to be in a downward spiral and the challenge is pulling out of it.