I’m very excited about the upcoming debate this afternoon from UM-Dearborn. I’m glad that Fred Thompson is finally IN, and can be tested instead of the free ride he’s been enjoying since he announced. It should be interesting how Romney, Rudy, McCain, and Thompson fare. I hope it’s not like a lot of the other debates that we’ve seen though where no one really gets any time to speak because there are so many people involved. I hope that Romney punches his way through, and takes command like he did at the first debate in California.
It’s nice that it’s in my homestate of Michigan, I read that the car makers are really going all out for the event both by showing off some of their newest cars and by donating $10,000 each back to UM-Dearborn to counteract costs of the debate.
This debate is about economics and Michigan is one state where the economy is in complete and utter disarray. Hopefully Romney can really talk up his business background, and his ability to turn things around and that it will greatly appeal to the desperate voters of Michigan. By desperate I don’t mean they are desperate at a personal level, I mean that they are craving leadership…competent leadership. Too bad they didn’t vote in DeVos!
Feel free to post comments!
Doing the rounds on the news sites this morning (i.e. CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews, et al…), I came across this profound post….I mean come on people how much more stupid can we get than to have a world championship for VIDEO GAMES? Lets test who has the fastest thumbs why don’t we.
Here’s a picture from the story…
I’m with the guy in the back with his chin rested on his hand. Great caption would be, “How much more bored can I get”, or “How did I let my friends convince me to do this”?
Here’s a quote from the story:
Didn’t hear about it? You’re not alone. Competitive video gaming, or e-sports, haven’t made much of a splash here in the United States. You might see the occasional segment on “60 Minutes” about Jonathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, who’s made buckets of money playing video games competitively. But for the most part, we Americans like to kick back with a beer and some NFL. Video games are for playing, not watching.
But International Cyber Marketing, the outfit that puts on the World Cyber Games, wants to change that perception. The event, now in its seventh year, has plenty of big-name, high — visibility sponsors like Microsoft, Circuit City and Samsung. They’ve also secured some airtime on Spike TV: a half-hour Oct. 12 and then an hour-long special on the Grand Finale Nov. 9. And their focus for the spots, says Michael Arzt, head of the ICM in the United States., is to make people care about the players, much like NBC does with its Olympic coverage.
Oh yeah, comparing VIDEO GAME PLAYING to the Olympic games. LAME LAME LAME, but then again maybe my husband could win some cash doing something like this. I for one would have zero interest in watching though. What is up with this life in The United States?
From: Detroit Free Press, MI - Oct 6, 2003
BY MORT CRIM
Russell Ruzio has a unique talent other disc jockeys must envy. The disc-spinning host of an Internet radio blues show claims he can instantly tell if a song is going to be a hit.
Does he have a special ear for success? Does he just know instinctively that rare quality of commercial promise when he hears it? Not exactly. With only 1 percent of his hearing intact, Russell Ruzio is hearing-impaired.
He claims vibrations from the loudspeaker are all he needs to determine which songs are going to be big hits and which songs aren’t. And super-amplified headphones allow him to do interviews with performers and take phone calls from listeners, just like any other disc jockey.
So far, Ruzio says, he’s the world’s only deaf disc jockey. But he’s hoping to change that by one day starting a broadcasting school specifically for hearing-impaired children.
In addition to the usual stock of broadcasting lessons, I imagine they’ll learn something about disabilities and how to overcome them.
What they’ll learn is this: The only real disability isn’t physical at all. It’s a disability of attitude that can affect anyone. It’s that little voice that says: ‘I can’t’ and when we listen to that little voice, that’s the greatest hearing impairment of all.
Today’s thought: Physical disabilities present us with detours, but it’s disabilities of attitude that present us with barriers.
Earlier this week I posted a story that MSNBC did on Teacher Crushes and their innocence and how they actually inspire students to do well. After the story was published they received letters from people describing their individual “crushes” and here are a few of them. I thought that they were all very good.
In biology class, we had a student teacher come in for a semester. My grade went from a D+ to a B+ in a matter of weeks. I didn’t want her to think I was dumb. I am pretty sure she had no idea. After all that time of my parents telling me if I applied myself I could do it, imagine that — they were right.
— Chip, Kalamazoo, Mich.
In the 7th grade, in Jacksonville, N.C. in 1966. He was, first of all, the first male teacher I had ever had, and he was gorgeous! Tall, dark and handsome. Prior to that year I was always getting into trouble for talking too much. In his class, I hung onto every word he said. My grades went up that year! I certainly didn’t want him to think I was stupid, as if it would matter! It was innocent, it was lovely, it is a very sweet memory. I’m sorry in today’s world we have to be so cautious of our children and they can’t enjoy the innocence of a teacher crush.
— Debi, Greensboro, N.C.
In high school I had Mr. V for AP history. So smart which I found sexy (and easy on the eyes). I did more work in his class than any other. Plus I loved the class and had to work twice as hard because everyone was so smart. He wrote very positive and encouraging words on my very lengthy assignments. I did well because I wanted too impress him. I still have some of those old assignments in my yearbooks. He inspired me as a teacher as well. Last year I taught a global studies class and loved it! He was a result of that.
— Pamela
Click on over to MSNBC for more letters.
What’s your opinion of this cute story from MSNBC?
Some points:
No matter how far removed you are from your school days, those loopy feelings associated with a teacher crush can stick with you long into adulthood, psychologists say. That’s because the years between late elementary school and early high school — when teacher crushes are most likely to happen — are when kids are most impressionable.
“A classroom where the kids are really crazy about their teacher — that’s a terrific classroom,” Cottle says. “When stress is down, you learn better. When you’re feeling good, learning is enhanced, memory is enhanced.”
Often, rather than anything romantic or sexual, a teacher crush is about a student searching for a role model, Bigler says. One of the girls would often come by to chat after school or between classes, and Bigler thought she might have just needed someone to talk to.
Experts assure parents that most of the time, a teacher crush is a positive thing. But parents should pay attention to the stories their child brings home from school. If they’ve suddenly stopped all chatter regarding their teacher or they say their teacher’s making them uncomfortable, that can be a warning sign that the student-teacher relationship may have taken an inappropriate turn, experts say.
I’m not sure I ever had a “teacher crush”, but there were definitely teachers that I really admired and I did REALLY well in those classes. My elementary teacher Mr. Ramault comes to mind, as well as my HS teacher Mr. Bruce…both of which weren’t very good looking. My son had a teacher crush last year, and he definitely did tremendously well. Maybe it’s true. Give me YOUR thoughts!
Mort Crim
Besides my little stint in Kindergarten when I wanted to be a Vet (but later realized that being one would involve me having to put animals to sleep and other assorted emotionally painful things), my interests lied in either journalism or politics. Obviously by reading this blog, and my other one at Elect Romney in 2008 the political side of me is winning out right now.
There was a time though when I was pretty certain that I’d become a journalist. All through my Middle School and High School years I wrote the senior anchor at WDIV-TV4 in Detroit. His name being Mort Crim. He was electrifying in my 10, 12, 14 year old mind. He had a commanding presence on television, and on top of that he had whit. He always was ready for the one liner at the end of the newscast or before. I became a lover of puns because of him. I remember him telling about going to Nome Alaska, and remembering the adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans”, only he changed the words to, “When in Nome, do as the Nomans”. He also impressed me in which his humility came through on his newscasts. Anyway, we had a correspondence relationship for a long time, and that relationship culminated in my visit of WDIV studios in Downtown Detroit where I not only got to meet Mort Crim, but Carmen Harlan his co-anchor as well as various other WDIV journalists. At the conclusion of our visit he and Carmen allowed me to get a few pictures. As you would imagine this was definitely the fulfillment of a dream, and when my pictures came back blank I was utterly devastated. Well, I knew it was a long shot, but I contacted his secretary about the matter and she set me up for another studio visit. This time the pictures came back perfect (I’ll have to dig them up and get them scanned, so that I can post them here sometime…warning in advance though, my hair is typical 80s style).
Over the years I have followed his retirement, his radio show, and his book writing. He also started a production company bearing his name called Mort Crim Communications. This week I looked him up again (as I’m known to do) on Google and found out that back at the beginning of the year he was diagnosed with Colon Cancer, at first after hearing this it was very upsetting seeing that my Grandmother died of the disease. But, after watching an interview that he gave Carmen Harlen (who still works for WDIV) for WDIV it looks as if his future is bright. According to the interview his last Chemotherapy was supposed to have ended in June. I can’t find anything else about him post that interview though as to how he’s doing right now.
Funny thing is, is when I lived in Jacksonville he didn’t live too far from me. At one point I know he lived in the Ponte Vedra area, and currently he hangs his hat on Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach. Anyway, since this is the personal blog I’ll be posting amazon links to some of his books, and YouTube videos from the “good ole days” when he worked for WDIV.
Click the image below to watch the full 20 minute interview that WDIV/TV4 had with Mort Crim earlier this year.
This has got to be THE best ad that I have seen in this Presidential Contest yet. It speaks volumes to Governor Romney’s character that he has the strength and guts to tell it like it is. This is exactly what I’ve been wanting to hear from a VERY LONG TIME!
Without further adieu here’s the ad…
Change Begins With US:
It’s hard to explain how this story makes me feel. My senior year of High School I interviewed Dr. Kevorkian for my senior research paper. I didn’t find him cold or anything of the sort, and back then I was firmly on the pro-assisted suicide side. I felt that these people were suffering, so why not help them do what they wanted to anyway. Over time, I have changed that view. Now I believe that people who are in intense pain should have as much help alleviating that pain as possible but I don’t think that a doctor assisting them in their deaths is ethical. Now don’t get me wrong, I still have good feelings about Dr. Jack. I don’t think that he’s done what he has out of violence or any sort of publicity. I believe he’s doing what he’s doing (or done) because he cares about people. I just don’t approve of his methods. Anyway, I’m glad he’s not in prison anymore. And he’s agreed to try and change the laws now instead of assisting in anymore suicides.
Here’s the story of his release from The Freep:
By JIM SCHAEFER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
UPDATED AT 11:20 A.M.
COLDWATER – Dr. Death is a free man.
Jack Kevorkian walked out of state prison today for the first time in more than eight years, flanked by his attorneys, two family friends and “60 Minutes” correspondent Mike Wallace, who greeted Kevorkian with a hug.
“It’s wonderful,” said a smiling Kevorkian, who eschewed a business suit his attorneys had brought for him for a trademark blue cardigan. “It’s one of the high points of life.”
When asked how he felt, he told pool reporters, “good.”
Mayer Morganroth, one of Kevorkian long-time lawyers, said his client was grateful for supporters who wrote him over the years and said: “he just wants a little privacy for the next few days.”
Kevorkian, 79, got into a white conversion van, rented by Morganroth, and drove away from the Lakeland Correctinal Facility shortly after 10 a.m. They avoided a media horde gathered by the prison’s administrative building by taking another exit.
The assisted-suicide doctor, who claimed to have helped 130 people die during the 1990s, served about 8 ½ years of a 10-20 year sentence for second-degree murder.
Before resting today, Kevorkian will interview with “60 Minutes” for a segment scheduled to air Sunday night on CBS. Wallace, a correspondent for the news show, has stayed in contact with Kevorkian throughout his time in prison and has visited him.
Kevorkian also is expected to interview with Larry King for a show to air Monday on CNN. Morganroth has said Kevorkian will answer questions from other media at a news conference on Tuesday.