Karl Jansen

Waiting For "Superman" - Pledge Now

2010-09-24T10:38:00.002-04:00

In the News

2010-08-24T19:30:00.000-04:00

If you thought traffic was bad, think again...
China's massive traffic jam could last for weeks

Here's an interesting article that explains the results of some research on the hardest word for the fun game of Hangman...
25 Best Hangman Words

Stormy June

2010-07-03T13:06:00.001-04:00

The month of June was a very active month weather-wise in Lower Michigan. Between Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor, I experienced tornado sirens on multiple occasions. According to the Storm Prediction Center, Michigan had 15 tornadoes during June 2010. Fortunately, I was not immediately affected by these tornadoes and most didn't cause too much damage. One however did manage to blow part of the roof off a Cabela's store in Dundee and cause an emergency shut-down of the nuclear power plant in Monroe. Beyond that, most of the confirmed tornadoes where in the weakest classification.
One of the evenings some bad storms were pushing through the area, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County was a potential target for a tornado. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the area 45min before the storm was to arrive. The sirens went off for a mere 5min, as if to say to residents in the area, "Take Notice, a potential tornado producing storm is on the way. Please turn on the TV or Radio or refer to a superior source of weather information for more details. Stay tuned...". Well, after 45min of tracking the storm on Weather Underground, I was not surprised when the sirens were silent for the rest of the night. The questionable storm veered well south of Ann Arbor.
This storm did have some amazing lightning associated with it. I was about to head to bed for the night, when I looked outside my apartment window and noticed the bolts of lightning lighting up the dark night sky. It had been well over 4 years since I tried to photograph any such objects, and I pondered to myself that it might be fun to try again tonight and snap some photos of lightning. Well, I must say that was a great decision. The photos I collected in the ensuing 1 hour amaze me. You can see my favorites from that night on my Picasa Web Album, or Flickr. Enjoy!

Gulf Oil Disaster

2010-06-11T14:41:00.000-04:00

Here's one big problem with our society today. I was quickly reading an article on CNN relating to the oil rig that exploded and caused the whole oil disaster, and this paragraph stuck out like an elephant grazing in a pasture with a herd of cats. [Drill rig crew pressed to work faster, survivor says]

BP, which owns the well; Transocean, which owned the rig; and oilfield services contractor Halliburton, which performed the cementing on the well, all blame each other for the disaster.

They "all blame each other". In other words, nobody is stepping up and taking responsibility for their own actions. That's frustrating, for the everyone in the whole world. If there's one thing I'm learning about leadership, it's that a good leader doesn't always make the right decision (however a good leader makes a wise and well informed decision), but they do know how to take responsibility for the consequences of any decision they make.

So, multi-million-dollar companies, which one of you will be LEADING this world through the future decades as this mess get's cleaned up from our beautiful planet?

Ann Arbor is Great

2010-05-09T19:05:00.000-04:00

but...

1) Parking

I think that would be the top response to a Family Feud polling to the question:
"Ann Arbor is a great city except for what?"

What do you think? What are the con's to living in the city of Ann Arbor, MI?

Ann Arbor was recently ranked the 4th most livable city in America by Forbes.

[Read More]

Teacher Layoffs

2010-04-28T08:06:00.000-04:00

Teachers are being laid-off all over the country. It has taken a few years, but the Michigan budget crisis is finally affecting the school districts here in Washtenaw County, where it seems the University of Michigan has shielded this community from lots of economic hardships so far. Ann Arbor is laying off almost 200 teachers, the first layoffs in the district in several years. [Read More on Ann Arbor] Other districts including Dexter and Saline have announced layoffs of 24 and 63 teachers respectively if funding sources don't adjust to save some of those positions. [Read More on Dexter] [Read More on Saline]

I don't think this is good at all. In 10 years, this whole country is going to pay for what they're doing in the schools today. The number of students in K-12 isn't decreasing, but the number of teachers is. That means a much increased teacher:student ratio.

I don't know where all our tax money is going these days, but it's obviously changed in the last 10 years. Now, we don't have money for our roads, or our teachers. This is not a good trend, and something needs to happen. I know that's the easy thing to say, but I don't know enough to lead a revolution right now. Sorry.

Maybe we just need to pray for ideas, for significant change to come to this country in some way. Or better yet, change for the whole world! That would be absolutely amazing.

Stupid Parking Tickets

2010-04-15T23:24:00.000-04:00

Earlier this evening, I received yet another stupid parking ticket. Let's review the time line...

5:55pm: I park my car in UM Lot W18, I walk away and go to dinner.
5:58pm: I receive a parking ticket for parking in this lot without a permit
6:00pm: Enforcement of permit parking ends and free parking begins in the lot I parked my car.

I'm quite happy, it has been over a year since I got a parking ticket. This is my fifth overall. They all have one thing in common, they are stupid tickets.

History...

2008-10-24: Expired Meter in UM Lot W18 (I was in a hurry and didn't remember what time the lot became free, I was off by an hour)
2008-11-02: Within 15ft of Fire Hydrant (I know not to park in front of fire hydrants, I grew up with one right out in front of my house. My bumper was 5 feet in front of the hydrant with a driveway on the other side, so I was sure there was enough room, but I didn't know there was a specified distance 15')
2009-03-06: No Permit in UM Lot SC6 (I was volunteer at K-grams Kid's Fair at Crisler Arena on a Friday morning. The parking situation was not clear for volunteers and that information was not passed along from my group to the volunteers. I parked drove in the parking lot from a direction that had no sign posted for the row I eventually parked in, but the other direction had the sign)
2009-03-11: Blocking Driveway (I also know not to block driveways. I was not withing the driveway, however my bumper was withing 4 feet of the curb cut for the driveway, which is the specified distance and I didn't know there was such a thing until I received this ticket)

Now, you will notice something odd about all these stupid tickets. I received 4 tickets above, in 2 at a time in the same week. Why does that happen to me? I hope now that I've received one today that I won't be receiving anymore anytime soon, especially stupid ones like every single one.

Letter Rejecting an Employment Rejection

2010-03-19T10:13:00.000-04:00

I found this one day during lunch at work while surfing the web using StumbleUpon. I thought it was kinda funny. The original can be found here. Enjoy...

Dear ________,
Thank you for your letter rejecting my application for employment with your firm.
I have received rejections from an unusually large number of well qualified organizations. With such a varied and promising spectrum of rejections from which to select, it is impossible for me to consider them all. After careful deliberation, then, and because a number of firms have found me more unsuitable, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your rejection.
Despite your company’s outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my requirements at this time. As a result, I will be starting employment with your firm on the first of the month.
Circumstances change and one can never know when new demands for rejection arise. Accordingly, I will keep your letter on file in case my requirements for rejection change.
Please do not regard this letter as a criticism of your qualifications in attempting to refuse me employment. I wish you the best of luck in rejecting future candidates.
Sincerely,
________

Daylight Savings Time Begins

2010-03-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

I'm happy this morning, because today is the first day of Daylight Savings Time. Most people hate the start of DST because they lose an hour of sleep, and they really like the end of DST because they gain an hour of sleep. I'm not happy because I lost an hour of sleep in one night, but I am happy because for the next several months my day will be consist of one hour more daylight in the evening after I return home from work.

Eat Your Vegetables!

2010-03-04T12:49:00.001-05:00

Super Bowl Ads

2010-02-04T11:19:00.007-05:00

With this year's Super Bowl just a few days away, I've noticed more articles than usual on the topic of the television commercials that have become so popular to watch. So popular, that some people actually watch the Super Bowl not because they care at all about the football game, but because they want to watch the advertisements. And, Super Bowl commercials are expensive. For Superbowl XLIV, CBS is asking on average approximately $3,000,000 for just 30 seconds of airtime. That is ridiculous.

This year though, there is much discussion leading up to the big game on they types of commercials that get aired during the event. It is a fact that in these modern times, sex is known to sell just about anywhere advertisers can mix it in to make a profit, and the Super Bowl is inherently at risk to these types of false messages due to the high profile nature of the event. It saddens me greatly to think that civilized human beings have been corrupted to such a level where degrading women (as women are usually the focus in such messages) is acceptable to the point where it is the norm.

This morning, an article was posted on AnnArbor.com (Super Bowl ads feature sex, violence — and now abortion. Will you let your kids watch?) that caught my attention because it discusses a very important issue I've been thinking of. As I continue to grow older and someday think about raising a family. How can I protect my children from lies and false messages that have become the cultural norm? It is becoming a bigger challenge every year. As a culture, I believe we have become so desensitized to sex and it's true purpose that God had in mind when he created us. I find this disturbing. Even more disturbing is how far some people have gone. Earlier this week, I ran across the headline for an article stating that an inventor had invented a robot that you can "use". Are you serious? Is this what the world is coming too? Our daughters are going to grow up thinking they aren't even needed by a man in a marital relationship because our sons are going to grow up in a crooked and perverted environment where they will learn that robots can take care of their deepest God-given desires. This has got to stop.

Back to the Super Bowl. I've already determine that I don't think it is an appropriate family event to watch, due to the inappropriate commercials that will air. Sure, there are plenty of step that can be taken to still enjoy the game and protect ourselves from the false underlying messages presented in the breaks.

Also a popular topic of discussion has been the controversial abortion commercial featuring college football star Tim Tebow and his mother. As the AnnArbor.com article states, and I agree, I find it hard to argue why this particular commercial is being questions as to whether or not it should air, but other erotic and stimulating commercials are permitted with very little questioning. To me, this says that we as a population have gotten completely mixed up in our idea of morals and ethics.

As for me, this year I have no plans to watch the Super Bowl in much of any way. Maybe I'll watch it with some friends, to grow in relationship with my friends, but not for the pleasure of watching the commercials like others.

Raincatchers

2010-02-01T12:51:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, Raincatchers launched their new website. It gave a much needed face lift to the old and outdated version that had been. The new site features updated testimonials, a sleek new design, photos, and a blog! I know the gentleman (simplData) who designed the site, he went on a trip with me a few years ago. I suggest you check it out sometime.

In other news, Raincatchers has canceled not just the trip I was helping lead coming up in the first week of March, but also all the trips for the remainder of this year. We had a meeting at New Life Church this past Sunday to discuss the situation in more detail. Bob and Kim (the Raincatchers duo) were at the meeting and shared in more detail the tragic situation as it stands in Haiti. Bob told us, "What you see on TV is just scratching the surface". While most of the people I've met while on my trips down there over the years are mostly known to be okay, there are sleeping problems that will soon hit hard, such as the lack of water (which is nothing new to Haiti, but the earthquake has just magnified the problem), same for the infrastructure. Food will run out, it's only a matter of time. Corruption in the government (through which all the aid money goes) will only make matter worse, as only a fraction of the aid will actually make it to it's intended recipients. All this deeply saddens me. It has been hard these past few weeks, sitting in my cubicle working and wishing I could do something first hand to help out.

Haiti Earthquake

2010-01-12T11:27:00.000-05:00

This is not good. This picture I found online is of what's left of the Haitian Presidential Palace. I have seen this building, and now it's a pile of rubble.

Earlier this evening, a little before 5pm on the east coast, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, centered just to the west of Port Au Prince, devastated the capital city and surrounding areas of Haiti. With the depth of the earthquake being just 10.0 km, the area felt the full force of this event. The population in the capital is over 1 million people, with hundreds of thousands more living in the vicinity.

The epicenter location was almost right below Christianville, where several American's my friends and I know work at as missionaries at a clinic.

work in progress...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake

Job Vacation Time

2010-01-06T12:46:00.002-05:00

I find it interesting that as you work more at a job, you receive more paid time off. But the problem is that over the years you have become more important to the company and you probably have to work more, so you can't use your vacation time.

Televison Commercials

2009-11-23T10:41:00.005-05:00

First, let me share with you a favorite of mine in the past week. It's a commercial for Verizon Wireless...

Now, I will continue by sharing my disgust with a recent Reebok commercial (I will just be talking about it, I will not be sharing even a link to the video). It features a woman's breasts talking to each other about the woman's butt. I think the commercial is absolutely horrible, and could not believe it when I saw it for the first time last night with a group of my friends. Sure, underwear commercials show people in their underwear, but I don't think companies like Fruit of the Loom or Hanes zoom in at all, which this Rebook commercial does.

Seeing this commercial reminds me how messed up the world is. Children watch so much TV these days, and they are constantly bombarded with lies. Lies about who they are, where they should get their value from, how they should go about life. These lies from the mainstream media are well hidden but very potent, and our youth are not old enough to realize that's what they are being fed, lies.

If and when I get the chance to raise my own child(ren), I know it will be a huge challenge to protect them from these lies. I know I cannot do this on my own.

Sunrise/Sunset in the Winter

2009-11-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

Ugh.
December 16th is going to be the worst. For Detroit, sunrise is 7:54am and sunset is 5:00pm. I work 8:00am to 5:00pm. That means the sun is up for only 6 min while I'm not at work, but I'll be driving to work during those 6 minutes. That is depressing to think about. +1 for summer time.

Michigan's Budget Problems and Schools

2009-11-17T12:05:00.004-05:00

Where's the money going? Over the past couple months, Jennifer Granholm and the rest of the State of Michigan government have been trying to fix the budget, and cut lots of stuff. Okay, so money has to be saved from somewhere, that's understandable. What's not understandable is how much, and where they're deciding to get it from.

The 2010 budget that was enacted by Governor Granholm on October 30th, and included the following noteworthy cuts...

First, the Michigan Promise scholarships which helps 96,000 Michigan college students pay for school with grants of $1,000 to $4,000.

Second, public school cuts of at least $292 per pupil and up to twice that in 39 districts, including 26 in suburban Detroit.

(I got these two items from a Detroit Free Press article... Granholm: Michigan budget 'fight is not over' )

We're destroying out schools, starving them of the funding they need to run effectively. This is not good. Don't our public officials know how important education is?

These cuts are starting to take their toll on districts now. This morning I read a little about my school district back home. It has caused so much tension, it may be one of the reasons the president of the school board has decided to resign. (Article... Shake-up on Portage School Board). Another article I saw this morning describes the real possibility of this district laying off 53 teachers and staff. (Article... Portage schools could lay off dozens of employees to cut). THAT A LOT OF IMPORTANT JOBS! We need more teachers, and they already don't get paid enough in my opinion and other's opinions too (Article... Teachers have a tough job and deserve to be paid well)

Now, I don't know what should be done to fix this. But I think we need to find another way to save money other than cutting education.

I got Google Wave

2009-10-24T14:03:00.002-04:00

Last week, I got an invitation to Google Wave from a friend of a friend, I think. It's pretty cool. It's weird, and will take some time getting used to. It's pretty basic right now I think. The most frustrating part is that I only know 1 or 2 other people that have it that I can collaborate with on it. So far, I've mostly used it like a chat medium with my friend. It's cool to see what he's typing, so I can respond faster. I think that was one of Google's goals, to make communication faster. There's some other cool features, but it's still pretty early. I think Google Wave has a lot of potential. But right now, it's obviously just a beta release.

A Fun Day at Work

2009-10-13T14:28:00.004-04:00

Last week, I got to watch a small building get demolished.

Check out this cool video I took...
[Link]

Haiti Progress

2009-10-09T11:05:00.002-04:00

For the last month or so, I have gotten quite a few articles to my Haiti news feed that have made me happy.

Most have been about statements from former president Bill Clinton, the current UN Envoy to Haiti. He has been promoting the improved state of Haiti, safety and infrastructure, calling now a perfect time to invest in the country's future. Among the areas to invest in, the one the sticks out to me is tourism [Read More]. I've been to Haiti a hand full of times, and it is a beautiful country. But with big safety concerns in the past, prompting State Department travel warnings, Haiti has never been a place to travel to for pleasure. But, as Clinton is arguing, times are changing and now is the time to invest.

Also, I've seen a lot of headlines about Haiti's debt. Many of the headlines are about the cancellation of some amount of the country's crippling debt to other nations. With the cancellation of some debt, I can only imagine how freeing it must be for Haitians. I'm excited to see the impact of the reduced debt, to see how all that money that was being used to pay off as much of the debt as possible, will now be used to increase the conditions that Haitians are stuck living in. Personally, I hope to see the money go toward schools, I think an improved public school system would be very beneficial, and food production and exports. I think Haiti has a real opportunity to jump into the world economy and take off from there.

Two other headlines I've noticed are former president Carter has launched a multi-million dollar campaign to eliminate malaria on the island of Hispaniola (which includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti) [Read More]. I think the island is the last in the Caribbean that still has to deal with malaria. I'm excited for this, because not only will the Haitians' lives improve health wise, but this will make tourism even safer as medial concerns diminish. The second headline is about infrastructure. With the world energy crisis on the horizon, Haiti has a chance to help lead the world into the alternative energy sector. Solar power companies should take note, some have already decided to take action in Haiti.

All this news in the last few weeks has been really exciting and encouraging for me. My heart is with Haiti, and it brings me joy to hear about forward progress down there. There's still a long way to go, but we're stepping in the right direction.

Swine Flu

2009-09-23T09:17:00.004-04:00

In my opinion, this whole H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic is getting a little ridiculous. There are much larger health concerns in the world than this bug that's going around. I'm no flu expert, so maybe I don't know the power of this strain, but I don't think it's as big a deal as the media and general public is making it to be. Additionally, I think the cost of the overreaction has become more costly than the virus (see this Article)

It started earlier this year in May, the 2nd to be exact. The University of Michigan College of Engineering Commencement Ceremony to be precise. The Dean, probably prompted by other university officials, announced that we should not be shaking hands as we walked across the stage as a health precaution. Instead, high-fives, fist-pounds, salutes, and chest-bumps were suggested alternative. While it was funny for people to picture the dean and a chest-bump, the whole situation became awkward, because some folks were still shaking hands. Though, it was pretty funny to actually watch some of my colleagues chest-bump the dean of the college of engineering.

Since then, it didn't seem like anything major was happening. But when the students came back to school in the fall, so did the fear of H1N1. Now, students must swipe their own ID to get into the cafeteria, so the cafeteria worker doesn't touch hundreds of student IDs at risk of contracting Swine Flu. Also, all over campus there are hand sanitizing dispensers. That's when I realized how much people are overreacting.

Here's my advice... Eat your fruit and vegetables. Sleep. And then you will be healthy.

Storm Sewer Explodes

2009-09-22T10:29:00.002-04:00

Michigan Football vs. Notre Dame 2009

2009-09-12T22:41:00.011-04:00

MICHIGAN: 38
NOTRE DAME: 34

http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=292550130

You can see me! Between 1:42 and 1:44 in the video clip I'm helping throw my friend in the air!

charity: water and Born in September

2009-09-01T21:43:00.009-04:00

My friend posted a video on his blog (here) that caught my attention earlier today. After watching the video, I decided to start a campaign for my birthday, to raise money for this cause. The cause is called charity: water. Here's the video...

Ever since I went to Haiti for the first time with Raincatchers, my eyes have been opened wide to the world's water crisis. Living my whole life in Michigan, surrounded by the largest supply of natural fresh water in the world, it is easy to see how I learned to take clean water for granted growing up. After experiencing the situation my Haitian friends live in, I see the need so much more clearly, and I want to help.

So, for the next 3 months (until Dec.01,2009) you can help out too. I invite you to visit mycharity: water campaign webpage and consider donating $22 for my 22nd birthday this year.

Moving Apartments in Ann Arbor

2009-08-30T10:36:00.000-04:00

Well, it's time for me to move from one apartment to the next. I've been living in The Highlands Aparments up by UofM's North Campus. I'll be moving to Island Drive Aparments on the north side of UofM's Central Campus. Here are my thoughts about this move...

The Highlands, are great!

It was so easy to live here for my senior year of civil engineering. I'll never forget the maintenance guys and our landlady, the community manager as her title states on memos to us residents. There are so friendly, and helpful. There were no holes or unexpected surprises, the whole process of living there was so easy. The maintenace guys always say I when you're walking by or driving in and out. Duirng the winter months, those guys work extra hard keeping the sidewalks and parking lot as safe as possible.

They get to problems or inquires super fast. We had almost no problems with our apartment during the school year. But then this past month, I had two things I needed their help for. The first, was I needed another set of keys for a friend that was moving in with me for the last month of the lease. I called a few days before I was expecting him, thinking it might take a few days to get the keys to me. I was surprised to find the keys on my kitchen table the next day. Then, earlier this week, our bathtube drain got clogged. After normal hours, I got to talk to one of the maintenace guys. He wasn't available to fix it immediately, but came in to work early the following morning to fix it for us. They really go out of there way to make us feel comfortable and satisfied. And it works. I'm going to miss the high quality service those guys provide for the residents.

And now, I live in Island Drive Apartments.

Within the first week of our lease, my fears about this complex were being realized. I had read in online reviews about the poor quality of serivce from the management. And, from my first experiences, those reviews are dead on. It place is definetly more of a college student complex than the Highlands, though there are a good number of families I see walking around every once in a while. The management tries to take advantage of this crowd too.

On the day we moved in and signed our lease, I was informed the in the late morning, while at work 30min drive away, that I needed to have a cashier's check for the first rent amount and a confirmation number from the energy company, before I was able to even get the keys. That was extreamly inconvient, I get back to Ann Arbor only for the last 30min the office is open. Then, even though they knew there were 3 of us living together, they only had 2 sets of keys, and I had to pay $9 for another set. I had to pay $50 deposit for a parking permit.

Then, there was the time the maintenance guy tried to earn a quick $10 off us because of a problem with our cable line which should have been taken care of before we moved in. Also, when we signed the lease, we found out that we don't pay the rent to the office right there, we mail it to a place in Troy. So they provide us with receipts and envelopes, which they told us they would put in our mailbox before we had to pay rent for the next month. They never put it there, I had to go into the office and ask for those items. I suspect they were trying to earn some extra money with a late fee from occupants not aware of the full situation.

In conclusion, The Highlands is amazing. I highly recommend anyone looking for super affordable, high quality, off campus housing withing walking distance of UofM North Campus to check out The Highlands.

The Highlands
734-769-3672
1687 Broadway #301
Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Watch out for stupid people on the road

2009-08-27T12:43:00.005-04:00

I can't believe the stupid things people do. Just this morning I've gotten 2 news feeds about stupid people on the road.

Woman arrested, driving on 45 license suspensions
FERNDALE, Mich. - Police say not only was a Detroit woman behind the wheel of a stolen car with a 24-ounce can of beer on her lap, but her license had been suspended 45 times.

[Read More]

Man arrested in New Mexico for 22nd DUI
ESPANOLA, N.M. – Police said a man was arrested on Monday for his 22nd drunken driving offense — and his blood-alcohol content tested almost five times higher than New Mexico's legal limit.

[Read More]

I mean, how many chances do these people get to hurt or kill an innocent civilian?

Relient K - Be My Escape

2009-08-19T09:39:00.005-04:00

And this life sentence that I’m serving
I admit that I’m every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair

[Listen]

Kinetic Sculptures

2009-08-14T10:34:00.007-04:00

Just thought this was really cool. I wanted to share it.

StoryPeople: Original Drawing #1710-Boxed Book Set

2009-08-03T13:39:00.002-04:00

I held out my hands & asked where I could help & somebody grabbed me & pointed me towards the future & said, You've got your work cut out for you & I said, isn't there anything easier? & he laughed & said you could dig around in the past, but it's just busywork & that made perfect sense so I shrugged & started right where I was, along with everyone else

[Original]

This was a good reminder today, so I thought I'd share it with you. It reminded me not to dwell to much on past, which I can't change, but to remain focused on the future and what I can still do. For me, it is definitely easier to think about things that have happened, and often times I get caught up in it and forget about the "now" and the "yet to come" which are so much more important.

Summer Thunderstorms

2009-07-28T17:51:00.004-04:00

I really enjoy the random, surprise, pop-up thunderstorms that happen during the humid months of summer. Even if they do prevent me from having a quite time at the Botanical Gardens.

Google Wave

2009-07-23T09:44:00.007-04:00

Today, I signed up to try to be a tester for Google Wave. Google Wave is a new product/platform/protocol developed by google of the past few years in their Sydney office. It looks really cool, like next generation email. I remember how Gmail revolutionized webmail, and I think Google Wave has the same potential, and more.

I wrote a haiku for them...

rainy day at work
dreaming about far off lands
need to ride the wave

Read More about Google Wave...
Official Google Blog: Went Walkabout. Brought back Google Wave.

biweekly

2009-07-22T22:51:00.003-04:00

This explains my confusion for so many years...

Main Entry: bi·week·ly
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)bī-ˈwē-klē\
Function: adjective
Date: 1832

1 : occurring twice a week
2 : occurring every two weeks : fortnightly

What a horrible word.

Haiti debt relief to free up $50 mln a year - IMF

2009-07-22T12:06:00.002-04:00

WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - Canceling Haiti's debts will free up about $50 million a year for spending over the next 10 to 15 years to reduce poverty in the Caribbean nation, an IMF official said on Wednesday.
The country won $1.2. billion in debt relief from the World Bank, IMF and other creditors earlier on Wednesday under a program by rich nations to ease the debt burdens of the world's poorest countries.

[Read More]

Pixar grants girl's dying wish to see 'Up'

2009-06-19T12:06:00.003-04:00

HUNTINGTON BEACH – Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.
From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.
After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

[Read More]

Life Lessons by Regina Brett

2009-06-12T12:22:00.010-04:00

Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on...

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
When in doubt, just take the next small step.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
Pay off your credit cards every month.
You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
It's OK to let your children see you cry.
Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
Overprepare, then go with the flow.
Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
The most important sex organ is the brain.
No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
Always choose life.
Forgive everyone everything.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Believe in miracles.
God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
The best is yet to come.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
If you don't ask, you don't get.
Yield.
Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

[Original]

Young Con Anthem

2009-06-04T18:46:00.007-04:00

This video features my cousin's roommate at Darthouth College, Josh Riddle. It attracted a lot of attention, especially from the liberals (see the comments on YouTube). It even made it into the national news, featured on The O'Reilly Factor on FOX News. Not really my style of music, but it's still a neat idea.

Haiti: the land where children eat mud

2009-05-19T12:52:00.004-04:00

If you ever hear of Haiti, it is usually because of something frightening. It is famous for hurricanes, deforestation, poverty, drug smuggling, violence, dictatorships, voodoo and slavery. Half a century ago, when it was under the tyranny of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier and his “zombie” militia, Graham Greene called Haiti the “nightmare republic”. Though Papa Doc has long gone, the nightmares have never ended in this Caribbean dystopia. Haiti is the poorest country and only Third World nation in the western hemisphere, and it’s getting worse.
Two centuries ago, the political economist Robert Malthus postulated that a society in which the population grew too fast could reach a point where people simply could not be fed, leading to a total collapse. Over the past five years, Haiti has not only met but exceeded the conditions for a Malthusian catastrophe. The only things keeping the country from absolute disaster are imported food and charity. With a global economic crisis afoot, the question is how long that can be sustained. I had plenty of reservations about going to Haiti. It is a place born out of the darkest days of slavery: a country where white people have always been regarded, with some reason, as the enemy, and where, in some areas, half of all women and girls have been the victims of rape.
I am a historian, not a foreign correspondent or aid worker, but I wanted to see for myself what life was like in this haunted nation. Notables including Ban Ki-moon, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton have visited Haiti in the past couple of months, highlighting the fact that the country is poised on the brink of what could be a humanitarian crisis of terrifying proportions.

[Read More]

12B The Condomanium

2009-05-16T18:04:00.005-04:00

Ahh, good times. Dug this one up from recently. It's from my summer (2007) in Virginia Beach participating in the Leadership Training program through my church, New Life Church.

The Goo Goo Dolls - Better Days

2009-05-10T16:08:00.001-04:00

And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

My First New Car

2009-05-09T20:50:00.003-04:00

Today, I bought my first new car. It's a 2009 Toyota Corolla LE.

This week I was at home trying to figure out what to buy, so my family could take back the car I had been using. I pretty much had it narrowed down to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. Both are great cars, and I knew I couldn't really go wrong with either one. The difference was Toyota had a better deal (I got Low Financing and a College Graduate Rebate).

UofM CEE Video Competiton (W09)

2009-05-09T13:15:00.007-04:00

First Place: Dave Hawkins

Health and Social Justice Video Network

2009-04-28T15:54:00.006-04:00

http://www.mogulus.com/global_health_equity

One Ending Leads to a New Beginning

2009-04-13T19:11:00.000-04:00

The Ending:

This is the last of my days of school. I have 6 days of classes (13.5 hours) before I am done with my undergraduate career at the University of Michigan. In 6 days, I will be done with school projects, homework, group meetings. But also in 6 days, I have 2 presentations, 3 project reports and 2 exams due. Talk about going out with a bang!

Over the past year, I have come to realize that I find school to be rather easy. I may not get straight A's, but what I mean is it has become routine. I've been going to school since I was 5 years old. So it seems natural that after 17 years I would get the hang of school and how to do it. At the same time, I've realized that real life is hard. Planning for the future, maintaining good friendships and relationships with the people you interact with daily. Making GREAT choices day in and day out, over and over again. Manage friendships, time, and money. That is hard stuff to do I believe. I've really only been doing semi-real life for a few years.

The Beginning:

Last week I got a job offer for a civil engineering consulting firm (Northwest Consultants, Inc.) located in Canton, MI. I decided to take the job. It will be nice, I think, to stay close to Ann Arbor where I feel at home for now.

It really is the beginning of a new period of my life. My formal education is now complete, and I am moving on and going to we working full time.

Sigur Ros

2009-03-30T23:46:00.002-04:00

How to Pump Water in Developing Nations

2009-03-22T11:58:00.002-04:00

This is a really ingenious idea. It involves using kids playing on a merry-go-round to generate the energy required to pump water up into a water tower. Kids in deveolping nations don't have television or video games, so merry-go-rounds are a real treat for them to play on. Now, if I could just figure out how to modify the system so that it takes water from a check dam instead of the non-existent underground water aquifier that is probably the case in Seguin, Haiti.

For more information, visit PlayPumps International

World Water Day 2009

2009-03-15T20:05:00.002-04:00

Next week on March 22, celebrate World Water Day 2009!

Hillsong United - Solution

2009-03-09T09:18:00.006-04:00

It is not a human right
To stare not fight
While broken nations dream
Open up our eyes, so blind
That we might find
The Mercy for the need

Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey now
As we hold to our confession

It is not too far a cry
To much to try
To help the least of these
Politics will not decide
If we should rise
And be your hands and feet

Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey Now
As we hold to our confession

Woah-oh-oh,
God be the solution
Woah-oh-oh
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.
Yeah, yeah

Higher than a circumstance
Your promise stands
Your love for all to see
Higher than protest line and dollar signs
Your love is all we need

Only You can mend the broken heart
And cause the blind to see
Erase complete the sinners past
And set the captives free
Only You can take the widows cry
And cause her heart to sing
Be a Father to the fatherless
Our Savior and our King
We will be Your hands, we will be Your feet
We will run this race
On the darkest place, we will be Your light
We will be Your light

We will be Your hands , we will be Your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place, we will be your light
We will be your light
We'll sing

Woah-oh-oh,
God be the solution
Woah-oh-oh
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.

We will run we will run
We will run with the solution [2x]

We will be Your hands we will be Your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place we will be Your light
We will be Your light
We sing

[Listen]

English with Accents

2009-03-07T19:02:00.002-05:00

This morning, I was working on a math group project in the South Quad computer lab, and I overheard an interesting conversation. One of the people made some comments on how he thought English should use accents over the vowels, so you can tell the difference between a long "i" and a short "i" sound. My group members and I looked at each other and kinda shrugged, like "That's ridiculous", and then continued working on our modeling project.

University of Minnesota Television Commercial

2009-03-05T11:26:00.005-05:00

My roommate saw this commercial on television last night during the Minnesota basketball game. I'm glad he shared it with me.

Hillsong United - Second Chance

2009-03-04T14:31:00.001-05:00

So I’ll wait upon You now
With my hands released to You
Where a little faith’s enough
To see mountains lift and move

And I’ll wait upon You now
Dedicated to Your will
To this love that will remain
A love that never fails

Raincatchers Trip

2009-02-28T20:19:00.003-05:00

Last night I got back from another mission trip to Haiti with Raincatchers. It was a pretty nice trip, I definetly enjoyed being back down there again. I had lots of flashbacks on this trip recalling things that happened on my previous three trips and how my life has been affected by those events.

It was an encouraging trip for me this time. I was very please to see progress being made in Seguin. The past 6 months have been very good I appeared, despite the hurricane disaster last fall. I saw latrines and check dams being built all over the town. Apparently, there is an NGO behind all this wonderful developments: Foundation SEGUIN.

Good Life Verse

2009-02-14T22:52:00.004-05:00

I have found a verse that I think fits my life, or at least I want it to...

Colossians 1:29 (NLT)

That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me.

It really spoke to me, in a different way than any other verse I have heard or read. I heard it earlier today at the Core Retreat. New Life Church people went to a YMCA camp in Ohio with folks from campus churches at Ohio State, Kent State, and BGSU. It was quite a mix of people there. It was really nice that we could all come together and learn about Changing the World! Some of the teachings were pretty intense, and it was very busy. Lots of stuff to process this week, just before spring break!

Hillsong United - Hosanna

2008-12-26T19:31:00.006-05:00

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

[Listen]

Baby Jesus vs. Santa

2008-12-25T15:47:00.002-05:00

... or ... God vs. Satan

First, I would like to make clear something (with regard to my entry on Buy Nothing, Love Everything post from Nov. 27, 2008). I'm not apposed to the tradition of giving gifts for Christmas. I just want to make sure the reason for giving gifts is right. The real reason for giving gifts to celebrate Christmas is it is supposed to remind us of the gifts given to Jesus by the three wise men. I have a problem when the world forgets the real significance of Christmas, and uses the holiday as a commercial to make more money.

Now, about Jesus, Santa, God and Satan. In my recent past, I've discovered I believe Santa is of Satan (just move the 'n'; also "Claus" is an anagram for "Lucas" or Lucifer which is Satan all the same). Wow, now that sounds a bit crazy don't you think? But I've found a lot of evidence to support this claim (Santa Claus: The Great Imposter).

But, maybe that's not the point. There is no point obsessing about the deception that is Santa Claus, there is nothing any single individual can really do about it to eliminate it. I learned this after reading a particularly enligthening section from The Sacred Romance. The section is about spiritual warfare. The truth is that Satan will do anything to keep us away from communion with God, anything. Even obsessing about what he is doing keeps us apart form God. Worrying about the enemy is like a form of worship, and the devil will use that to his liking. But God desires communion with us. So it becomes an issue of trusting the goodness of God rather than obsession about the enemy's tactics. We glorify God by trusting that his Story is the truth. That was a humbling realization for me.

So now, I can just sit back. My trust is in God everyday. I have to remind myself of that constantly. One thing that I realized I can do, I have control over, is the way I live my life. How can I glorify God in the day-to-day decisions I have to make. In this particular situation, I was thinking about the decisions that are inevitable with raising a child. I may not be able to control the beliefs of other parents or their sons and daughters, but I can do my best to teach my children the Truth that is God.

Jansen Family Holiday Letter 2008

2008-12-22T15:44:00.002-05:00

The 2008 Holiday Season is upon us, and the Jansens can’t believe that another year has passed so quickly. Since we don’t see many of you as often as we’d like, please allow us to share some of our family’s news with you.

Karl is in his senior year at the University of Michigan where he continues to do very well. He was able to make two more trips to Haiti to do work he enjoys with Raincatchers (making water more available to the Haitian people). He also continues to be active with several intramural teams, and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. He spent his summer working for MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) on a project nearby, so we were lucky to have him close to home this summer. Currently, he’s concentrating on finishing his BS in civil engineering and looking for employment after graduation in May of 2009.

Go Green, Go White! Karen is in her second year at Michigan State. She has changed her major to English and has applied to the college of Education. She would like to teach in a high school some day and maybe work advising students on the yearbook staff too. With the tight economy, she was not able to find a summer job, but she was able to pick up quite a bit of spending money through babysitting and pet sitting. She’s currently helping the family get ready for Christmas as well as relaxing so she can be ready for her second semester as a sophomore at MSU.

Junior year for Erika at Portage Northern HS / Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center is quite busy! Erika had two big events this year. First she was able to travel with the high school Spanish Club to Costa Rica in June for 10 days. Second she is now a licensed driver! She continues to play soccer, piano, and cello. Erika was part of the high school soccer team that captured the Conference Championship and made it to the State Semi-finals before their season ended. She’s currently exploring college options and enjoying her Christmas break before a busy spring arrives (including soccer every day).

Krystal’s year was relatively uneventful until late in the year. She continued to work for Alta Resources for the Lilly Grant Office, but then on December 1st she started another part-time job at Western Michigan University in the Civil & Construction Engineering Department. She is enjoying being back in the college atmosphere and around the students. She will be finishing up her position at Alta by Christmas. She’s looking forward to spending her time-off with the kids before they go back to school in January.

Norman still works for Pfizer; while his lab is in a different building and he spends some time supporting chemical processing, he still supports fermentation and isolation work too. Times are challenging for the pharmaceutical business, as new drugs become harder to discover, and society places less value on drugs that are discovered, so everyone’s working even harder to reduce costs. He also serves as a consultant on homework etc., and tries to keep up with younger employees in company volleyball and soccer leagues.

Summer vacation consisted of two short camping trips along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The first was to Great Lakes Recreation Area north of Ludington where many roads had been washed out, and the water supply shut down by floods the previous month, but the sparse crowd made it even more serene. The second was at Hoffmaster State Park, and while more crowded, it was also relaxing and enjoyable.

We hope you and yours have a very enjoyable Holiday, and... Best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Norman, Krystal, Karl, Karen & Erika

Waste of Time

2008-12-09T09:56:00.003-05:00

just in time for final exams...

http://www.sporcle.com

http://www.thisissand.com

Buy Nothing, Love Everything

2008-11-27T18:16:00.011-05:00

First off, happy Thanksgiving everyone. It's nice to have a whole day devoted to giving thanks, but I really think that we should express our thanks every single day. Through my experiences, I have really been able to appreciate how blessed I am to live comfortably in America.

With the upcoming holiday season, there has been one thing on my mind that has really got me stuck. Why do we buy so much stuff for other people to celebrate Jesus's birthday? Santa Claus isn't real, but Jesus is, and so many people have this fact backwards.

buynothingchristmas.org

I really don't like the way our society works. We keep on putting more and more emphasis on money, which is the root of evil if you don't remember (1 Timothy 6:10). God calls us to repent from evil things and love one another. Consider this logic: If God is good, and God is love, and money is evil. Then money is not love, money is NOT love.

So let's start a revolution... or better yet, join one that's already begun!

buynothingday.info

This isn't just about money and consumerism either. It's about justice. It's about loving friends and strangers alike, the earth, and God.

It's not "Merry Christmas, HoHoHo". It's "Happy Birthday Jesus".

Females and Engineering

2008-11-12T21:11:00.001-05:00

I just discovered that the ratio of guys to gals in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan in Fall 2008 is 3.55:1

Best Friends

2008-11-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

How can I describe the kind of friend you are? It’s really hard to know where to start because you are a friend to me in so many different ways. You’re the friend who can tell when I‘m not fine, even if I say I am, the one who draws me out, not to pry, but because you really care about what I’m feeling. You’re the friend who won’t hesitate to do something totally goofy just for the sheer pleasure of cracking me up. You’re the friend who remembers things I’ve said, the one who knows what I worry about, and the one I trust with my most precious secrets. You’re worth more than a thousand “mere acquaintances” because this adventure called “life” wouldn’t be half as fun if I couldn’t share it with you.
+ Linda Lee Elrod

So Rich

2008-10-24T16:26:00.002-04:00

We are so wealthy. check out Global Rich List. If you make $10,000 per year, you are in the top 15% of the world. If you make $50,000, the top 1%!

Michigan Football

2008-10-11T17:28:00.000-04:00

Well, today was a new low for Michigan Football. The Toledo Rockets from the MAC defeated the Wolverines 10-13. The Wolverines are now 2-4 this season, and this loss marked the first loss ever to a MAC team. I was at the game physically, but not mentally. It was a little surreal, and full of bizarre plays. The play that stands out the most to me was Toledo's game winning field goal. My seats lined me up with the back of the goal line, so I had the perfect view to watch the low kick bounce off the cross bar and through the up-rights. But the clincher was the missed game-winning field goal on UM's part in the last few seconds. Boy did that bring back memories of last year's loss to Appalachian State and that missed game-winning field goal. It will be a miracle if Michigan makes it to a bowl game this year to extend their longest consecutive bowl appearance streak.

The Price of Gas

2008-10-10T23:52:00.000-04:00

Just a few moments ago, I was out with my friend to get some Taco Bell. We were driving a along talking about various subjects, and recalling how our trip to Taco Bell reminded both of us of two summers ago at Leadership Training in Virginia Beach when we went a few times to get Taco Bell late at night. But tonight, I saw something unexpected. We passed a gas station on the corner and the price of gas read "299.9". I could not believe it, only $2.99 per gallon, I never thought I would see it below $3/gal. Just 2 weeks ago the price of gas was hovering near $4/gal. But it was true, as we passed two more gas stations advertising the same price, $2.99/gal!

Kroger now recycles plastic grocery bags!

2008-10-10T15:12:00.001-04:00

I am very happy today, because I recently discovered that Kroger will recycle my plastic grocery bags which me and my roommates have been collecting in the back of one of our closets.

I tried to find out more about the Bag2Bag program, and stumbled upon this pdf file which explains a lot more of what Kroger is doing to help make the save the environment.
Kroger Sustainability Report 2008

The Irresistible Revolution

2008-08-25T21:52:00.000-04:00

The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne is a very powerful book. Many of my friends had read it, and recommended it, saying that it really makes you think hard about how you go about life. And after reading it myself, I can say it definitely had the same affect on me.

Some thoughts that have stuck with me...
- Living with the poor, different perspective, makes the issues personal with a face.
- Charity to help, but not to maintain the social canyon

Buy American Gasoline

2008-08-11T08:38:00.002-04:00

Gas rationing in the 70's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor.

An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS.

Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.

Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends.

I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell................................ 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco........... 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil................ 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway.... 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco............................... 62,231,000 barrels

Citgo gas is from South America, from a Dictator who hates Americans. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $90 - $100 a barrel)

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco..................0 barrels
Conoco..................0 barrels
Sinclair..................0 barrels
B P/Phillips..........0 barrels
Hess......................0 barrels
ARC0....................0 barrels

If you go to Sunoco.com, you will get a list of the station locations near you.

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

Haiti Trip

2008-08-09T16:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I've recently returned back to the States from a week long mission trip to Haiti. It was my third trip there, and all I can say is "wow". I had a really great trip there, it was so amazing and awesome.

Wear Sunscreen

2008-07-21T17:44:00.009-04:00

By Mary Schmich, Colomnist for the Chicago Tribune,
Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Bad Drivers and Cherries

2008-07-14T17:09:00.002-04:00

This summer I have a construction internship with the Department of Transportation, and this past week on our job on I-94, we had a lane closure. We had all the necessary signs and warnings to let people know that the left lane was closed. In spite of all this, there were several instances where accidents almost occurred because people don't pay attention to the signs. On this particular day, I did notice that many of the drives causing the problems were from out of state, mainly Illinois. They would use the left lane all the way until the barrels had half of it closed off. People need to pay attention.

This weekend I spent in Traverse City. I went up there to visit a friend and run a 15K as part of the National Cherry Festival. It was a really fun weekend overall. The run was challenging, and we successfully finished. There was a massive hill we had to run up, it felt like I was falling backwards I we climbed it. And the way down was even steeper, I had to run in a low gear so I didn't fall and roll all the way down. The weather was really nice all weekend, a little rain the morning of the race helped cool it down nicely. I got shown around the town, and ate at some good restaurants. The weekend seemed to go by super slow, probably because I was really happy. I didn't want to leave, it was hard to go.

Hope, Forgiveness, and Independence Day Weekend

2008-07-06T17:47:00.006-04:00

Well, first let's start off with Independence Day. That was this past Friday. It was pretty fun for me and my family. We went to a lake were my mom's friend has a house and had a party. One of the ladies bought a lot of fireworks, and we shot them off over the lake. It was kinda nice, our own little show. I tried to take pictures of the fireworks, some turned out better than the others.

Then, on Saturday I had a bunch of my friends from UofM come visit. We had a cookout in the afternoon, and then we when to watch our friends compete with The Cavaliers in a DCI competition. It was a lot of fun, especially to see my friends who are on tour for the summer.

This morning, my friends and I got up and went to church. We went to Mars Hill in Grandville, MI. I had never hear of it before, but it is a mega church that Rob Bell speaks at. Rob Bell is a really good speaker, and has a series of mini sermons called Nooma. It was a good experience, the sermon was nice, and the atmosphere was refreshing. The sermon had a point of emphasis on Hope.

I also had a really sweet conversation concerning forgiveness. I think it is an important step to starting the healing process in any relationship, and maintaining a healthy one. Forgiveness is a very powerful action, but not easy to fully set your heart on. I hope to learn more on this topic, and hope that it will help me heal painful relationships and experiences.

Steve's Raider Romp

2008-06-21T09:50:00.003-04:00

This morning I ran a 10K in Decatur. Overall, it was a good experience. I had never run a race or anything like that before. Since I am considering running a marathon in the fall, I thought I should run some of these races to get a better idea of a good pace and such. The best part of this race was about half way through, I ran with some guy for about a mile and we got to talk a little bit. He was really nice, and helped make the run more enjoyable. I finished in 43:03, which is about a 7min mile pace, not too bad. Now I'm tired and a little sore, but satisfied.

Christmas

2008-06-20T22:45:00.001-04:00

Here's a thought... Let's get rid of Santa Claus and start celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Texas Township is very sorry for angering MDOT

2008-06-14T11:47:00.008-04:00

This was in the Kalamazoo Gazette a few days ago, a letter to the editor. I thought it was pretty funny, as I have a co-op with MDOT this summer.

I want to apologize to the Michigan Department of Transportation. The residents of Texas Township have offended them somehow.

I work east of Kalamazoo. For the last five years I have commuted on Stadium Drives. But the have now started construction on that street.

OK, no problem, I will just take Centre to Westnedge. Whoops, they stated construction on Westnedge.

So, I will take I-94 to Sprinkle -- no, construction again.

Oakland -- no, construction. Ditto Portage.

Now, I will take U.S. 131 to West Main -- OK, more construction.

Maybe I will just call in sick for the next three months.

The residents of Texas Township must have done something to make MDOT mad and they just sat down and planned this.

Please forgive us.
John L. Brack, Jr.
Mattawan

Raincatchers - Water is Life

2008-06-02T20:51:00.003-04:00

A Child's Hope Preview

2008-06-02T19:03:00.005-04:00

I think this is a preview to a documentary about Haiti. Whatever it is, it caught my attention. Sounds like a good story of what good people are trying to do to help out in this hemisphere's poorest nation.

A Child's Hope

Blue Like Jazz

2008-05-21T17:21:00.005-04:00

I recently finished my first summer reading book. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It is basically a series of essays that tell his story and discusses various theological topics. The style of his writing is not traditional by any means, I would say. I found that aspect very appealing, and I think it helped me take the most away from this book that I could. I really enjoyed the whole book, it is one of my all-time favorites. A few points that really stuck out to me while reading were...

1.) True love turns the other cheek, does not take a wrong into account, loves all people regardless of their indifference or hostility.

2.) What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do.

3.) It is interesting that God designed people to need other people.

Of course I learned a lot more that just these three points, but those where the big ones I think.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

well, 2007 is over. it was a really good year, i will miss that. but that sets the bar for 2008 even higher, so i am looking forward to continuing the awesomeness.

C.S. Lewis on LOVE

2007-12-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

over the past two days, I have read two random C.S. Lewis quotes, both on the topic of love

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."

"Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness."

upon further research, i found the first quote is from his book Answers to Questions on Christianity and the second from his book The Problem of Pain

Ready, Set, and...

2007-12-09T18:49:00.000-05:00

go be careful
prepare