Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

iPhone line at AT&T in Lansing, MI

  iPhone line at AT&T in Lansing, MI 
  Originally uploaded by west846

After watching the excitement over the introduction of the Apple iPhone in Lansing (MI), I'm starting to wonder what would happen if Steve Jobs was governor in this troubled state.

This state is facing an uncertain future, but the introduction of the iPhone was what people were talking about in Michigan's Capital City today. 

Just after six o'clock I went to the AT&T phone store on the westside of Lansing just across from the Lansing Mall.  There were two television stations with their live trucks and there was a line of people around the building.

But, most important there was excitement and there were people ready to make the financial commitment to own a piece of this revolutionary technology.

Can you imagine if Steve Jobs could do that for getting manufacturers to locate in the state?  Using his ability to create buzz and interest, he'd probably have new business lined up at the border to get into Michigan.

Maybe it's time to start a Draft Steve Jobs movement.  He's getting the job done for his phone.

Right now, Michigan's spokesman for recruiting business is Jeff Daniels.  Remember him in Dumb and Dumber?  The results have been similar to those of the movie, a few laughs and that's about it.

It would be nice if Steve Jobs could package his magic and make it work in the economic development area.

It won't be long and the big excitement in this business strip where AT&T is located will be when Weight Watchers meetings let out.

Movie Review: Take the family to see Evan The Almighty and feel good about it

My  wife  fresh  out of the third-grade classroom where she's a teacher and I snuck away from this afternoon's household duties and went to watch, Evan The Almighty.

We both enjoyed it and would recommend it to anybody tired of movies dipped in a combination of sex, drugs, swearing and violence.  You could take your great-grandmother and your five-year-old and be comfortable that they would both like it.

In a nutshell, it's a story about a modern-day Noah who has been told by God to build an ark as a defense against a coming flood.  This reluctant ark-builder just happens to be a newly-elected U.S. Congressman who drives a Hummer. 

Just imagine telling your wife that God told you to rebuild the biblical ark.  Then check the reaction from the chair of the Congressional committee who believes that the only power comes from the art of the deal.

It's funny, but it's not slapstick funny.  You will leave with your sides intact.  But you will walk away with a smile on your face and with some key lessons from the movie.

Steve Carrell played the Noah character and Morgan Freeman played God again as he did in Bruce the Almighty.  This movie was from the same genre.

It's worth the price of the ticket. 

 

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For 26th Anniversary, we celebrated at Zehnders in Frankenmuth

  For 26th Anniversary, we celebrated at Zehnders in Frankenmuth 
  Originally uploaded by west846

One more item's left for our celebration of our 26th anniversary.  We have a bottle of blueberry wine in the fridge that we will pop open as we watch Everybody Loves Raymond.

For lunch, we went to Zehnders in Frankenmuth.  Joining us was Aunt Aileen and Uncle Ron from Bay City.  They've been married more than 60 years.

Being married to Gladys has been the high point in my life.  I've loved every minute of it.  She has been a gift from God.  Her unconditional love has been an engine for hope in my life.  Encountering all the experiences of life with her has been a joy. 

Thank-you God for Gladys!

Were these Lansing (MI) School District teachers assaulted by students?

You decide whether these Lansing (MI) School District middle school students assaulted their teachers.

Read the Lansing State Journal Story and then click on the lawsuit in the margin (pdf) filings filed by the teachers who claim that they were assaulted. 

The teachers say the district failed to expel the students as required by state law.

School district attorney's say the teachers have no standing to sue the district for disciplinary decisions about students.

Could such decisions about violence in the classroom be the reason why there's an exodus of families from Michigan's capitol city for other school districts?


Technorati Tags: lansing, schools, lansing school district, mea, teachers classrooms, middle school

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What's the answer to the feeling that Michigan is going down a rathole?

The case seems to be building that the state of Michigan is in a death dive that it can't pull out of.  That's not a good feeling when you live right in the middle of the state and you want to think that there's a future in living here.

Today's Detroit News story about a poll of 600 Michigan voters earlier this month shows our state is pretty much unified about what it thinks about the future.

Live blogging a vist from George Foreman at my house

I've watched so many commercials with George Foreman about his grill that I feel likes he's actually sitting on our countertop.

For Father's Day this year, my wife bought me one of George's G5 Next Generation Grills. You have five separate cooking plates where you can make everything from eggs, to chocolate chip cookies to waffles with quite a bit in-between.

I never picked up serious cooking, but with more time and because of the Food Network I am anxious to try more.

Getting more fat out of what we eat has a whole lot of appeal and this seems to be the ideal way to do it.  I know that tomorrow is the big day, but my wife decided to give it to me a day early.  That way we can use the grill in the morning to cook low fat waffles. 

It looks like it's perfect sized for an empty-nested couple who are trying to be careful with what they eat.

Can anybody recommend any good recipes using George's grill?  Has Rachael Ray or Giada developed any dishes using this interesting cooking tool?

Michigan is becoming a poor state and will stay that way, says economist

Living right smack dab in the middle of the state, it's hard to read the story in this morning's Detroit News about how Michigan's sagging economy has not bottomed out and probably won't, at least, for some time.

According to economist Dana Johnson, Comerica Bank's chief economist, Michigan is a "relatively poor state" that is likely to get poorer unless the auto industry rebounds.

What would it take for the state to bottom out economically and start catching up with the rest of the nation?  He says Detroit automakers would need to halt their market share slide and return to profitability.

Reason for Michigan's economic slide is tied to the state's intimate relationship with the auto industry:

"The state's economy is almost 700 percent more concentrated in the auto industry than the national economy.

"While the U.S. economy has been creating jobs for the past three years, Michigan has seen tens of thousands of jobs vanish."

Technorati Tags: michigan, auto industry, economy, state budgets, comerica, dana johnson, detroit news

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Thanks to the Library of Congress blog for reminding me of Rodgers and Hammerstein

I haven't thought of the old Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific in a long time. I was reminded of it in the reasonably new Library of Congress blog where there's a post about this famous musical duo and about their song "June Is Bustin Out All Over."

Their music is part of our heritage and it shouldn't be forgotten. The post contains links to the LOC collection of Rodgers and his memorabilia.

My next web stop is iTunes where I'll check to see if they have any of their music for sale that I can buy for my new iPod which my favorite son is buying me.

Technorati Tags: library of congress, rodgers and hammerstein, puppy