(In keeping with all things politics..)
To argue successfully your choice for president, you need to first know where the candidates stand on the issues, and really which issues you deem most important. How does McCain plan to improve education? What is Obama's stance on foreign relations? How much will McCain's plan tax you versus Obama's plan? How does each candidate plan to solve the energy crisis and lessen our dependence on foreign oil? Which candidate's platform do you see as having a greater impact on stimulating the United States depressed economy?
Any idea?
The best place to start is to go straight to the source. I present, the McCain-Palin platform and the Obama-Biden platform.
Read away. Refer to these pages as often as need be. I cannt count how many times I've visited them myself.
And if for you, the environment and energy exploration are hot topics, I urge you to check out this NPR interview with Thomas Friedman. His interview does an excellent job at summing up the candidates' stances on the environment and energy and explaining why this issue merits our attention. As a side note, Friedman is an incredibly talented and intelligent author who wrote The World Is Flat, one of the most eye-opening books I have ever read.
September 8, 2008
September 7, 2008
Fitting In
For a few prideful days in sixth grade, I thought I was pretty cool. I was not the prettiest girl in my sixth grade class, nor the most athletic or funniest. I was a pretty standard wall flower. Generally I could be found in a small cluster of giggling girls but was never the one to stand out. But for a few days back in 1992, I did.
I remember feeling a lot of pressure in sixth grade. It was the year my classmates and I were finally the big dogs in elementary school. Jungle gyms held no excitement for us. I think we collectively spent the entire year trying to act cooler and more mature so our transition to junior high wouldn't be so jarring. Sixth grade I also felt was the beginning of the clothing wars. It seemed this was the grade where us girls really started paying attention to what one another wore and heaped on the criticisms or compliments accordingly. This sadly also was the era of clothing where B.U.M sweatshirts, Used jeans and Guess anything prevailed. When future generations look back to the early nineties, it will not be known for it's fashion-forward thinking.
On one fateful trip in 1992 to the local mall with my mom I spotted an item of clothing I simply could not live without - a black and white leather jacket with a red satin inside. I saw it and instantly knew it would be a hit at school. No one had one. No one had anything like it. I suspected with this coat for that first day I wore it I might be the coolest girl in sixth grade. I had to have it. My mom took a mental note and within a few weeks (I believe for Christmas or my birthday) I got the coat.
I was bursting with extreme pride that first day I wore it. I distinctly remember at recess being surround by the girls of my grade, them questioning me about my new coat. I was the coolest girl that day and my new-found popularity lasted for another week or so. It turned out my cool, new coat produced one effect I had not anticipated. It was so cool that in a short matter of time two other girls in my class got my exact same coat. It was over. My popularity had ended. I had started a trend, but now I wasn't unique and with no distinguishing feature I was left to choose from
my closet full of B.U.M sweatshirts and Guess jeans just to remain an active participant in the sixth grade clothing wars.
my closet full of B.U.M sweatshirts and Guess jeans just to remain an active participant in the sixth grade clothing wars. This past weekend I went home to Michigan and learned my mom has saved this jacket. I also learned that it still fits. Fits is a relative phrase. It was tight at the waist with enough room in the bust to hold my 14 lb. cat. It must have fit my 13-year-old body horrendously. I can't remember, or maybe I've blocked out the memory. In cloaking myself in this memory, I also learned I could not be more happy that I am no longer a sixth grade girl who believes an ugly leather coat will help her gain friends.
Also pictured is my sister and her equally ugly childhood coat. Hers was preserved as well. However, these coats may already be in the trash. I saw my dad's eyes light up the moment we gave the go ahead to get rid of our jackets. I can't say I blame him.
September 4, 2008
Getting Political
One of my goals for 2008 was to make an educated choice for president. As the political season heats up, I have found myself engrossed in all things presidential.
I don't want to make my personal political stance on this blog. Those of you who know me probably have an idea of who I'm voting for. And yes, I already know who I am voting for. However, that is not stopping me from researching all I can about the candidates to make sure my decision is an informed one. I've hear people arguing politics a lot these days, but most o the time I feel like they are arguing the points of a popularity contest versus the changes each candidate will make upon their election to this most highest title. I want to argue issues. I want to argue policy and I want to be sure I understand what each candidate's policies mean for the country before I open my mouth.
In an effort to educate myself, I've come across a lot of good information via the Internet, and I hope to come across a lot more in the months to come. As it is my hope to make an informed presidential selection, I hope I am not alone. To do my part this political season I plan to pass along to you, dear Internet, anything I find as a credible, helpful source of information.
To start, here are two Web sites I'm checking on a weekly, if not daily basis. As politics go, a lot is said, not all of it true. The following Web sites are good for sorting fact from fiction:
FactCheck.org
PolitiFact.org
Please feel free to pass along any good reading you've found regarding your election selection. I am open to any and all suggestions.
I don't want to make my personal political stance on this blog. Those of you who know me probably have an idea of who I'm voting for. And yes, I already know who I am voting for. However, that is not stopping me from researching all I can about the candidates to make sure my decision is an informed one. I've hear people arguing politics a lot these days, but most o the time I feel like they are arguing the points of a popularity contest versus the changes each candidate will make upon their election to this most highest title. I want to argue issues. I want to argue policy and I want to be sure I understand what each candidate's policies mean for the country before I open my mouth.
In an effort to educate myself, I've come across a lot of good information via the Internet, and I hope to come across a lot more in the months to come. As it is my hope to make an informed presidential selection, I hope I am not alone. To do my part this political season I plan to pass along to you, dear Internet, anything I find as a credible, helpful source of information.
To start, here are two Web sites I'm checking on a weekly, if not daily basis. As politics go, a lot is said, not all of it true. The following Web sites are good for sorting fact from fiction:
FactCheck.org
PolitiFact.org
Please feel free to pass along any good reading you've found regarding your election selection. I am open to any and all suggestions.
September 3, 2008
Rewinding the Past
As I was preparing for my fiddle three class (take two) last night, I stumbled upon a little bit of my past. We don't get sheet music for fiddle three, so we're encouraged to bring recorders to tape the song and play it back in the coming week while practicing our tune. I have a small tape recorder I have had for years now. I think it was given to me as a college graduation present from an editor of mine.
I cued up the tape and let it run for a bit. After a little bit of static, the tape cut and suddenly my recorder sounded with the roar of cheering and hollering over the results of a roll call vote. I knew instantly what it was. My coverage of the Reed City bond vote of 2004. This is a story I covered for months and probably spent more time on than anything else I covered in my two-and-a-half-year reporting career.
I was instantly transported back to that night. For me, it was the culmination of hours of sitting through school board meetings, talking with teachers, talking with students, touring the facilities and listening to people in the community say painstakingly that as much as they wanted to give their kids a new school, it just wasn't in their budget. That same year, Reed City had lost hundreds of manufacturing jobs - the backbone of the community - to Mexico and China. In the end, the bond passed by less than 30 votes. The whooping and hollering on the tape was the result of that board's and those parents' hard work to get their kids and the district a new school.
What followed next on the tape was the sound of my own voice. It was my congratulations to members of the school board as well as my interview with the district superintendent. I didn't usually tape my interviews, but I considered this to be such a big story that I didn't want to miss a thing.
It was weird to hear my voice, even weirder to be back in that moment. I remember being nervous for the outcome of that vote because I had become so engrossed in the lives of these people. It really was what I considered to be my biggest story as a young, fresh faced reporter. And looking back, I still am very proud of the work I did on that issue. It was a a few years ago now, but I remembered for a moment how great it was to be terribly invested in my job which really was being invested in the community I served. Sure, reporting in small town America was far from glamorous. I covered more events where the main feature was a tractor pull than I care to admit. But still, it was fun. And there is still a part of me that is sad my business card no longer reads reporter.
I rewound that tape and briefly thought about how after that night's fiddle class I wouldn't have portions of that tape any more. But I figured that didn't matter. because my business card no longer reads reporter.
I cued up the tape and let it run for a bit. After a little bit of static, the tape cut and suddenly my recorder sounded with the roar of cheering and hollering over the results of a roll call vote. I knew instantly what it was. My coverage of the Reed City bond vote of 2004. This is a story I covered for months and probably spent more time on than anything else I covered in my two-and-a-half-year reporting career.
I was instantly transported back to that night. For me, it was the culmination of hours of sitting through school board meetings, talking with teachers, talking with students, touring the facilities and listening to people in the community say painstakingly that as much as they wanted to give their kids a new school, it just wasn't in their budget. That same year, Reed City had lost hundreds of manufacturing jobs - the backbone of the community - to Mexico and China. In the end, the bond passed by less than 30 votes. The whooping and hollering on the tape was the result of that board's and those parents' hard work to get their kids and the district a new school.
What followed next on the tape was the sound of my own voice. It was my congratulations to members of the school board as well as my interview with the district superintendent. I didn't usually tape my interviews, but I considered this to be such a big story that I didn't want to miss a thing.
It was weird to hear my voice, even weirder to be back in that moment. I remember being nervous for the outcome of that vote because I had become so engrossed in the lives of these people. It really was what I considered to be my biggest story as a young, fresh faced reporter. And looking back, I still am very proud of the work I did on that issue. It was a a few years ago now, but I remembered for a moment how great it was to be terribly invested in my job which really was being invested in the community I served. Sure, reporting in small town America was far from glamorous. I covered more events where the main feature was a tractor pull than I care to admit. But still, it was fun. And there is still a part of me that is sad my business card no longer reads reporter.
I rewound that tape and briefly thought about how after that night's fiddle class I wouldn't have portions of that tape any more. But I figured that didn't matter. because my business card no longer reads reporter.
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