Kelly's 101 Things in 1001 Days

KCY's election special: Congress

2008-11-01T22:22:00.006-04:00

After that state legislature one I am pretty tired. But, I don't think this one will be much shorter. For U.S. House of Representatives we have John Dingle (D) and John Lynch (R). I'm going to cheat and just use Mlive again.

Michigan continues to lose manufacturing jobs. What can the federal government do to help stem those losses or replace the jobs?

John Dingell: My top priority as the federal representative has always been to look out for the working families of the 15th District. As such, the shedding of jobs here in Michigan is one that causes me deep concern. Since 2001, Michigan has lost 409,700 jobs, 244,000 of which were high-paying manufacturing jobs. This year alone Michigan has lost an average of 5,130 jobs a month for the last six months. It is clear that we must help those that are struggling, while also finding ways to improve our manufacturing sector, train new workers, and compete in international markets. Since taking back the majority the Democratic Congress has made it a priority to help train workers for 21st Century Jobs. Last year we passed the America COMPETES Act, which would expand education, research and training in math, science and engineering fields. Without a doubt the US has the talent to compete globally, however, without access to education and training we will not be able to keep up with the competition. This legislation would also establish public-private partnerships between higher education institutions and businesses to educate and train mathematicians, scientists and engineers. Congress must also continue to fully fund the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. I have been a longtime supporter of this program because it has proven to be an effective program in terms of creating and retaining jobs, as well as increasing investment and sales for companies in Michigan. In Fiscal Year 2007 Michigan MEP clients reported more than $100 million in sales, $18 million in cost savings, 956 jobs created or retained, and $30.5 million in investments made in fiscal year 2007. Authorizing the full $122 million for MEP would help small manufacturing companies that are struggling and could prevent future job loss in the sector in Michigan. More importantly, this funding will be used by manufacturers to modernize so that they can remain competitive in the global marketplace.

John Lynch: First, keep taxes low and regulations fewer. Second, beef up funding for fixing the roads. Better roads would make Michigan a more attractive place to live and work. Third, encourage entrpeneurs - make it as easy as possible to start a new business.

Kelly: I can tell right now I'm not going to like this Lynch guy. Dingle seems high on math and science - cool.

Do you favor withdrawal of most U.S. troops from Iraq in the next year?

John Dingell: I believe the next President should pursue a strategy to bring our troops in Iraq home both quickly and safely in a way that minimizes the danger posed to American troops and to innocent Iraqi civilians. I have great confidence that our military commanders and troops on the ground could execute that mission successfully by the end of next year. Over 4,000 American men and women have given their lives in Iraq, including 149 from Michigan, and tens of thousands more carry physical and mental scars that will last a lifetime. At least tens of thousands of Iraqis have died, and millions more have been forced to flee their homes, creating one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. I opposed the Iraq War from the very beginning, and nothing we have learned in the five years since the invasion has led me to believe I was wrong. Our troops in Iraq are performing admirably, and have proved once again that we have the most capable military in the world. It is clear to me and to most Americans that the fault lays not with them, but with the civilian leadership that has continuously failed to provide the troops with a successful strategy that would provide for a victory in Iraq. While the President and Senator McCain believe that we are succeeding in Iraq, no strategy can be considered successful if it calls for 160,000 soldiers to remain in Iraq indefinitely. That is why I introduced legislation that would have required the President to withdraw our troops from Iraq by the time he leaves office. Unfortunately, it now appears that President Bush will avoid the responsibility of making the tough decisions needed to bring about an end to the Iraq War. I am pleased that Senator Obama has agreed to take a different approach stating he supports a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces in Iraq “in a manner that's as careful as we were careless getting in.”

John Lynch: No - I would not set a timetable. It must be determined based on the situation in the country and how it would affect the entire region.

Kelly: Finally, someone who understands that wanting to end the war doesn't mean we don't support the troops.

Do you favor a proposed constitutional amendment that would expand embryonic stem cell research in Michigan?

John Dingell: Yes, I support the current proposal for the Michigan ballot that would expand stem cell research in Michigan. Last month the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on stem cell science. This hearing highlighted the need for increased access to more stem cell lines and the potential stem cell research holds for future cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Yet despite all of this possibility, Michigan has one of the most restrictive laws regarding stem cell research. Currently, Michigan law prohibits researchers from deriving new stem cell lines forcing them to rely on other universities and researchers for new lines. Furthermore, because State and Federal dollars are not available for research, universities such as the University of Michigan must rely on private funds. Given that the healthcare industry is one of the few industries that is still growing in Michigan, I believe that it is our duty to do what we can to further such growth. In Congress I voted twice to pass bipartisan legislation that would lift research restrictions on embryonic stem cells. However, the Bush Administration vetoed this legislation. The current proposal for the Michigan ballot would contain language stipulating that only unused embryos created at fertility clinics can be used for research and only if the would-be parents donate those eggs for that specific use. I support this proposal because I believe that we must do whatever we can to expand stem cell research. Michigan is facing a brain drain, many young minds are fleeing the state to conduct research where funding is available and restrictions are less onerous. Expanding stem cell research could be an opportunity for Michigan to not only continue to attract top researchers, but also attract new researchers who may have been discouraged by Michigan’s current law.

John Lynch: Absolutely not - embryonic stem cell research destroys embryos - the tiniest human beings. Remember you and I were once embryos! Adult stem cell research has already had many successes, emryonic stem cell research none that I am aware of.

Kelly: I don't think Lynch has even read this proposal. Idiot. The embryos to be used for this are the ones that are going to be thrown away because they aren't viable. I guess we should send them all to him instead so he can SAVE THE EMBYROS.

Do you favor a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage?

John Dingell: No. The Constitution of the United States has been amended just 27 times in 220 years. When those amendments have affected the privileges and rights of citizenship, it has been to expand upon them by expressly providing for those rights that we consider fundamental, the right to free speech, to freedom of religion, and to keep and bear arms, or to provide equal protection under the law for all Americans, regardless of color, or to provide the vote to all Americans, regardless of gender. To take the extraordinary step of amending the Constitution to deny individuals the rights granted to them by the properly exercised authority of a state government is an act that would demean the Constitution and the Congress.

John Lynch: I favor an amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman - because that's what it is! That would rule out all other combinations. I consider this currently one of our highest priorities as a nation.

Kelly: One of our highest priorities? Wow. And yikes.

Should the United States institute a cap and trade program to limit greenhouse gases? Should the country take any measures to limit greenhouse gases?

John Dingell: Yes, the US should take action to curb global warming and I am taking a leading role in Congress on this issue. The science is no longer in question, the earth is getting warmer and human activities are a part of the cause. The best scientists in the world are in agreement: we need to reduce greenhouse gases by 60-80 percent by 2050 and I am currently working to draft legislation instituting a cap and trade program that would do just that. However, I should stress that this is no easy task. We have no help from Congressional Republicans, a skeptical White House and a variety of views from Democrats. My goal as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is to draft a bill that is fair and balanced – one that protects both the environment and the economy.

John Lynch: I am not in favor of a cap and trade program. I do think we should take reasonable steps to limit greenhouse gases - research into methanol (not ethanol) as a replacement for gasoline seems promising as well as other alternate fuels.

Kelly: I think a little more detail beyond "reasonable steps" is in order from Lynch. I'd like to at least hear some acknowledgment that you know it is a big problem.

What is the greatest threat, in your opinion, to America's national security?

John Dingell: The greatest security challenge this nation will face in the 21st Century will not be a rival power, such as China, or a rogue state like North Korea. Rather, the threat that will pose the greatest challenge to our nation, and to every nation around the world, is the threat posed by global problems that cannot be solved solely through the use of military power or traditional diplomacy. This includes not only the threat of terrorism and extremist movements, but also old problems like nuclear proliferation and new problems such as depleting natural resources and rising global temperatures. President Bush’s foreign policy viewed any concession by the United States as an affront to our sovereignty, and shunned international institutions in favor of unilateral action. This must be replaced with a foreign policy vision that emphasizes increased international cooperation and shared sacrifice in order to achieve strategic goals. More so than at any time in the history of the world, the fates of all the world’s people are interconnected, and the well being of this country depends on our willingness to work with other nations to find common solutions to security threats.

John Lynch: Violent jihadism as we saw on September 11, 2001.

Kelly: Hey, I thought it was the gays.

The federal government has assumed a large role in local education policy with the enactment of No Child Left Behind. Do you support that legislation, and is it appropriate for the federal government to assume such a role?

John Dingell: When my dear friend Senator Kennedy put together the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act almost eight years ago, it was presented as way to ensure that all students would get a quality education. Public schools would be provided with federal funding in order to help them meet the accountability standards put in place. I supported NCLB because although it was not perfect, I believe that the overall goal of enhancing our public education system is worthy of my support. Since then we have seen this Administration continually underfund this bill, in fact, President Bush’s 2009 budget proposed funding $14.7 billion below authorized levels for NCLB. This brought the cumulative shortfall to $85.6 billion since the President signed this legislation into law. As a result, many state and local governments, whose budgets are already strapped, are forced to pick up the tab. The federal government made a deal with the states when we passed NCLB. We would set challenging standards, but we would help the states meet them. Congress made a commitment to properly finance this massive education reform bill, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure this happens. While I do not believe Congress will finish its work on NCLB reauthorization this year, I look forward to working with the next Administration to ensure that the concerns of state and local educators are adequately addressed. Congress must do all that it can to ensure that our public education system is training our children for the 21st Century Workforce and it is my belief that with a new Administration in place we will be able to do so.

John Lynch: I do not support it. I see virtually no role for the federal government in education. Decisions regarding public education should be left to state governments, local school boards and above all parents.

Kelly: I know the only person I criticize is Lynch, but he just makes it so easy. And he deserves it for saying things like the federal government should not have a role in education.

Do you favor making permanent federal tax cuts that expire in 2010?

John Dingell: I believe that we can afford to keep that portion of the Bush tax cuts which benefit lower and middle income workers. In 2001, the President and the Republican Congress implemented a tax plan that gives 60 percent of the tax breaks to the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans, with 43 percent of the breaks going to the wealthiest one percent of Americans. Since then, the income gap between the richest Americans and the rest of the country has grown at an unprecedented rate. For example, the top 1 percent of earners took home 23 percent of all income in 2006, the highest total since just before the 1929 stock market crash. I am in favor of providing further tax relief to most Americans by enacting common sense solutions, like taxing the income of hedge fund managers who make tens of millions of dollars per year in fees but pay no income tax at all, and instead are taxed only at the lower capital gains rate. Early in his first term, President Bush liked to describe himself as the “C.E.O. President,” and now that C.E.O.’s are making record salaries while workers are being laid off, I think we know what he meant by that. It will be the job of Congress in the coming years to ensure that our economic and tax policies are fair for all Americans.

John Lynch: Yes - I consider this a top priority.

Kelly: Ok, here is my chance to criticize Dingle. This is actually against democratic tax policy in general. They always like to complain that big tax cuts are given mostly to the wealthy. Here, Dingle writes that 43 percent of tax breaks go to the top one percent, and then goes on to say that those earners took home 23 percent of all income in 2006. Doesn't he realize the flaw in his argument that he himself has just pointed out? The top wage earners in the country pay the most taxes, in fact, the top 1 percent of earners pay about 33 percent of taxes. It only makes sense, then, that tax cuts go mostly to the wealthy. They are the ones paying all the taxes!

Do you favor expansion of health care coverage to include all Americans?

John Dingell: I believe that this year’s presidential election offers a historic opportunity to finally pass a universal healthcare bill. However, I am a realist and understand we cannot let the perfect become the enemy of the good. I am I have been fighting for universal healthcare coverage long before it was popular. In fact, when my father started this fight in 1936 he was one of the only Members of Congress advocating for a national health insurance system. I have continued his work on this issue; it is not just an issue of compassion; it is very much an issue of economics. Sadly, 47 million Americans do not have any health insurance today, one million in Michigan alone. Frankly there is no reason why families should have to choose between putting dinner on the table or taking their child to the doctor for a check-up. This is why, as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have introduced two pieces of legislation that would ensure that all families have access to healthcare. The first, H.R. 15, is a piece of legislation that is particularly dear to me. Like my father, I believe in a national single-payer healthcare system. Every Congress since I was first elected, I have introduced this bill, the “National Health Insurance Act.” It is a simple bill, it is direct, and it would address the problem the uninsured face head on. I have also introduced, with my old friend Senator Kennedy, H.R. 2034 the “Medicare for All Act,” which makes Medicare available to those under age 65. This is another option to provide health care to all Americans, using a proven program for its delivery.open to hearing from my colleagues on this issue and look forward to working with the next Administration.

John Lynch: I favor private, market-based reforms that would lead to that outcome. Let's remember that everyone here still has access to health-care coverage if they can afford it - and that many health-related issues are not expensive to get resolved. And ER service is available to everyone. So we shouldn't make the picture bleaker than it really is, given the fact that there are gaps.

Kelly: I can't believe that this man could get elected after saying "everyone has access to health-care coverage if they can afford it..."

Do you favor a woman's right to abortion? If no, please note any exceptions.

Kelly: I'm putting my response first this time because I have a good guess about what Lynch is going to say. We can't kill the embryos!

John Dingell: I personally believe abortion is an intensely private and moral decision. In Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court held that, based on a Constitutional right to privacy, a state cannot prohibit a woman from obtaining an abortion during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. I support the Court’s decision and do not believe I have the right to force my views on others. As a Member of Congress, I have tried throughout my tenure to prevent unwanted pregnancies. For example, I have consistently supported legislation that would give more women access to contraceptives. It is my opinion that legislation such as this would go a long way in preventing abortions. This is a goal we can all agree on and should all strive for.

John Lynch: One of our most cherished values as a country is sticking up for the litte guy. There is no "littler guy" than an unborn child. The only right here is the child's right to life. No Supreme Court decision can make right what is intrinsically wrong, as the Court also tried to do with the infamous Dred Scott decision in 1858 making slavery a "right" of slaveholders. The only exception would be the life of the mother.

What are your plans to improve the infrastructure in your district?

John Dingell: Candidate response is not yet available.

John Lynch: As I mentioned, secure more federal funds for road improvement. Let's take a look also at "transportation depots" where a variety of forms of transportation would be available from one place.

Kelly: He's big on this transportation thing... Transportation Depots? Is this what is most important to Michigan?

What is your position on U.S. trade laws?

John Dingell: Candidate response is not yet available.

John Lynch: Currently researching the issue more closely.

Kelly: Meaning: I need to go look up the laws and see what they are.

What measures do you support to counter rising gasoline prices?

John Dingell: Candidate response is not yet available.

John Lynch: Candidate response is not yet available.

Kelly: Read - I have no idea.

Since I seem to be becoming increasingly sarcastic, I think I will quit for tonight...

KCY's election special: State Legislature

2008-11-01T21:03:00.002-04:00

The candidates: Eric Lielbriedis (R), Pam Byrnes (D), and John Boyle (L). I haven't seen ads for any of these people. Are they sure they want the job? This is a two year term, in the 52nd district which covers central and western Washtenaw. Bynes is the current rep, Lielbriedis is a small business owner and real estate broker, and Boyle is a consultant. It annoys me that Lielbriedis has a Comcast email address for his campaign. Is that a good enough reason to not vote for him?

Here's what they said on Mlive:

Gas tax revenues are not keeping pace with the cost of fixing Michigan's roads. Do you favor a tax (or fee) increase of any kind to fix the roads?

Pam Byrnes: I am a member of the Transportation Funding Task Force that is charged with the task of finding alternative sources of funding for our motor fuel tax. Currently we are examining various sources of revenue including drawing in more Federal dollars, public/private partnerships, toll roads, monetizing assets, local funding options and user fees. A report will be issued later this fall.

Eric Lielbriedis: We can not TAX ourselves to prosparity - the solution to funding Michigan roads properly is a statewide economic recovery. Michigan residents already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country; about $.19/Gal MI Fuel excise tax + $.18/Gal Fed. fuel Tax, and (as of early July,) about $.24/Gal Sales tax. That is app. $.61 per Gallon in Government taxes. 20 gallon fill up equates to over $12 in taxes.

John Boyle: No. Michigan's "gas tax revenues" have, in fact, significantly outpaced inflation over the last few years -- as the sales tax on gasoline has increased by 11 cents per gallon (a 22% increase), adding $550 million to the state's tax coffers. Michigan's total state and federal gas tax is 60.7 cents per gallon (19.0 cents state gas tax plus 23.3 cents state sales tax plus 18.4 cents federal tax) - 4th highest in the country and higher than all Midwestern states except Illinois. Michigan is suffering through its 5th year as a shrinking economy -- and another tax increase of any kind will not serve the state. The 12 steps in my platform (see JohnBoyleForMichigan.org) will substantially reduce the overhead costs to run Michigan which, in turn, will make funds available for road improvements and other infrastructure improvements.

Kelly: Lielbriedis needs a spell checker. Maybe we pay high taxes on gas but it can't be by very much. It's only 19 cents... Boyle sounds like he is one of those self-help guys with his 12 step program. Byrnes is just sort of vague.

Michigan's new business tax is under attack as unfair and complex. Should the tax be scrapped and replaced?

Pam Byrnes: The State has just replaced the often-criticized Single Business tax with the new Michigan Business tax after many months of work groups and hearings with representatives of business in Michigan. Any tax that is the product of the democratic process of negotiation and compromise is complex because it reflects the concerns of the various stakeholders. Any new comprehensive endeavor will need to be reviewed to examine areas that may not have been thoroughly addressed initially. I would refer businesses to the Dept of Treasury webite for many helpful FAQ's.

Eric Lielbriedis: Scrapped - Taxes

John Boyle: Michigan's tax structure is too complex and the entire tax system should be overhauled. I recommend replacing (i)the current sales tax, the personal income tax, the Michigan Business Tax, and the personal property tax with (ii) a simple retail sales tax. This will (i) reduce double taxation of goods and services and eliminate hidden taxes paid by businesses and passed on to consumers and (ii) reduce the paperwork burden of complying with Michigan's myriad of tax laws.

Kelly: Lielbriedis forgot to come back to this one... Boyle seems to have a good approach but neglects to explain how he plans to rework the ENTIRE tax system.

Should Michigan require that 10 percent of state electricity come from wind and other renewable sources by the end of 2015?

Pam Byrnes: I supported the energy package that was recently passed by the Legislature, including the RPS of 10% by 2015. Michigan has tremendous potential in this industry, using our natural resources, our public research universities, our agricultural base and our skilled work force. Many renewable energy providers are waiting to invest in our state which is a great opportunity to create thousands of jobs and put Michigan as a leader in renewable energy.

Eric Lielbriedis: Candidate response is not yet available.

John Boyle: No. The marketplace should determine the best sources for electricity which, based upon consumer preferences, may well include renewable resources. However, the state of Michigan can ill afford to implement and sustain more laws and another bureaucracy.

Kelly: Lielbriedis was too busy on the phone with Comcast about his cable being out to fill out all of these questions. I don't think Boyle has the right idea here. While I think it is not very realistic to make laws that we must achieve a goal like this, the first step to moving forward is making the goals in the first place. If it takes a law to make the state actually work for it and take it seriously, then we should do it. The marketplace should not rely on consumer preferences - consumers aren't qualified to make a decision on what kind of energy is the best for the environment.

The state's largest utilities want a guaranteed customer base before they invest in new plants. Should they have this guarantee?

Pam Byrnes: In order to grow our economy and attract business, we need to be able to address our growing need for energy. Although P.A. 141 provided some benefits for large consumers, the utility companies seeking to build a new power plant, which will cost billions of dollars, need to provide a predictable customer base in order to obtain the necessary financing to undertake such a costly project. There is no dispute that we need more power plants. If we do not provide this guarantee, we will end up buying energy from other states who will charge us a premium and thus be more costly to the consumer. In addition, thousands of new energy jobs will be created for workers here in Michigan.

Eric Lielbriedis: Those construction loans must be guaranteed by something or someone. This argument is about risk management. I would agree to the guarantee to modernize/replace old plants but look for competition from other energy providers once a base level of power is met. This would help keep our energy costs in check.

John Boyle: No. The state of Michigan should not be in the business of guaranteeing customers to for-profit corporations.

Kelly: I had no idea the government could make a guarantee like that. Byrnes has some good points, but we are still talking about businesses none-the-less. If I started a company I wouldn't expect that I would get a guarantee not to fail if I tried to expand. I guess it is more important that the energy companies stay in business than it is for me. However, this seems like it could lead to other companies wanting similar deals...

Do you favor a proposed constitutional amendment that would expand embryonic stem cell research in Michigan?

Pam Byrnes: Yes. The ballot proposal would allow the use of embryos which otherwise would be discarded from fertility treatments. Only those embryos that are excess or not suitable may be used provided that the donor voluntarily consents. The current restriction has severely hampered the growth of research at our universities. Key scientists are hesitant to come to Michigan because of this restriction. Furthermore, this restriction impedes efforts to discover and develop cures for many illnesses and disabilities.

Eric Lielbriedis: Results show that adult stem cell research is the overwhelming road to progress and cures - there has been tremendous success there. Current Embryonic stem cell research in various labs and currently done in Michiga, is showing little progress in reaching cures.

John Boyle: Yes, if that is required to "open the door" on embryonic stem cell research. Still, wherever possible, I believe research should be conducted using adult stem cells.

Kelly: Pause while I go find out what an adult stem cell is...

From NIH:

An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ, can renew itself, and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Some scientists now use the term somatic stem cell instead of adult stem cell. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which are defined by their origin (the inner cell mass of the blastocyst), the origin of adult stem cells in mature tissues is unknown.

Research on adult stem cells has recently generated a great deal of excitement. Scientists have found adult stem cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible. This finding has led scientists to ask whether adult stem cells could be used for transplants. In fact, adult blood forming stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for 30 years. Certain kinds of adult stem cells seem to have the ability to differentiate into a number of different cell types, given the right conditions. If this differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of therapies for many serious common diseases.

Ah, okay, so this avoids killing babies and cloning people.

Michigan runs one of the nation's largest and most expensive corrections systems, taking up 20 percent of the state's general fund. Do you favor reductions in some sentences to save money?

Pam Byrnes: Before addressing sentence reductions, we need to look at the budget to determine ways to cut costs and provide more efficiency. The Council of State Government is conducting a study to help develop policies that will address the crime rate as well as the spending on corrections.The increased use of tethers as well as the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry program are new efforts to address these concerns.

Eric Lielbriedis: Cost cutting options do exist - we should act on them.

John Boyle: Yes. I believe the state should combine sensible prison reforms with the elimination of laws that make felons out of people who represent no danger to society – laws that only serve to expand the already-unaffordable “court/prison” system.

Kelly: Whoa, what does Boyle mean by that? Lielbriedis seems to have forgotten the question.

Do you support reduction in crimes that carry mandatory minimum sentences in order to allow judges more discretion in sentencing?

Pam Byrnes: Mandatory minimums contribute to our prison overcrowding and the high cost of corrections. The Legislature is reviewing parole guidelines to address this concern.

Eric Lielbriedis: No - Truth in Sentencing should be the law of the land.

John Boyle: Yes.

Kelly: I'm not sure what I think about this. People who commit the same crime should get the same punishment. One person shouldn't get less of a sentence because they had a better defense. However, I don't know if a minimum sentence really helps in this case at all.

Should the state approve a $1.3 billion environmental bond to clean up polluted sites?

Pam Byrnes: This funding will allow for continuation of the earlier enacted Clean Michigan Initiative. These funds will help with ongoing projects that clean up contaminated sites and help with brownfield redevelopment projects. This funding could also provide for matching funds to clean up our Great Lakes, including invasive species and contaminated sediments.Michigan is defined by its water and thus we need to take the necessary steps to protect it.

Eric Lielbriedis: I want a clean Michigan just like everyone else does. The question is how to pay for it. 2008 is showing itself to be an economically disasterous year. This bond should be moved forward to 2010 - it could be the straw that breaks the camels back.

John Boyle: Yes -- as long as the state also aggressively seeks reparations from individuals and corporations who have violated the state's environmental laws.

Kelly: Spell checker for Lielbriedis again. Everyone has reasonable points here. This is a lot of money, but obviously a good cause.

Should term limits for state office holders be increased or ended altogether, or should the limits be left alone? Briefly explain your answer.

Pam Byrnes: While term limits may provide for a steady stream of new faces and ideas to Lansing, it sets up a system that prohibits the development of leadership and experience. Extending the number of terms may help to alleviate this lack of institutional knowledge and reliance on bureaucrats. It is difficult at best to develop long range planning and goals when the participants are always changing.

Eric Lielbriedis: An increase in current limits would allow for less Lobbyist influence overall.

John Boyle: Term limits should be eliminated -- as it is important to have legislators who are knowledgeable about the state's laws, policies, procedures, systems, and customs. This change should be combined with the implementation of a part-time legislature and commensurate reductions in pay and benefits.

Kelly: Wow, everyone agrees.

Do you favor a woman's right to abortion? Please note any exception.

Pam Byrnes: Yes.

Eric Lielbriedis: If you mean killing children, born or unborn, I would say no.

John Boyle: Yes. First trimester only, barring a life-threatening occurrence. In a perfect world, abortion would be a rare event. However, far too many politicians will fight for the right to life in the womb and then support spending priorities that abandon the child upon birth -- including the ongoing support at all levels of Government for sending unfunded liabilities (currently at $53 trillion) to our children. This debt will doom future generations of Americans to lives of deprivation. We need only look at what is happening to our economy today because of $1 trillion in bailouts. Now multiply that by 53 -- and you have the magnitude of the problem we are forwarding on to our children.

Kelly: If you didn't think Lielbriedis was an idiot before...

Should Michigan lawmakers serve on a part-time basis, and should their pay and benefits be cut accordingly?

Pam Byrnes: I am always looking for ways to make our government more efficient, but at the same time, we need to make sure that we are still providing the best service we can to our constituents. One of the "pro's" of a part-time legislature is that sessions are shorter, which, in theory, should provide for more efficient use of legislators' time, unless there is a major issue that needs time to develop. To be an effective legislator requires a commitment to spending most of your non-legislative time in the district with your constituents. Would a part-time legislature mean that more staff would have to handle constituent concerns or would they go unheeded? Does it really save money? These are issues that should be addressed.

Eric Lielbriedis: Yes - currently they work about 3 days a week for about 6 months. We pay them about 100k/year. If they would pass laws that solved our current crisis.

John Boyle: Yes.

Kelly: Again, Lielbriedis you forgot to come back to this one.

Should the state separately regulate bottled water plants, and should the state and citizens be compensated for water taken from the ground or surface and sold for profit?

Pam Byrnes: Although the concept that Michigan's water belongs to the people and should be considered held in trust for the benefit of the people was debated earlier this year, the concept was not part of the final water withdrawal package that was enacted. This policy debate resulted in the increase in standards for the bottled water companies. As there are many users of our water, we need to address the withdrawal issue in a fair and measureable fashion with standards that apply to all water users.

Eric Lielbriedis: This is not the time for excessive regulations on business. The Great Lakes Compact tightens water use - I would look at this as a tax and regulation plan which would hurt our economy and throw even more people out of work.

John Boyle: I believe the state's current statutes -- along with Federal statutes -- are sufficient to regulate bottled-water plants. I believe the state should be compensated for any "large-scale" extraction of water that is sold for a profit.

Kelly: Byrnes seems to be getting increasingly vague. And to be fair I have to point out that she spelled measurable incorrectly. Lielbriedis is such a republican.

Will the state's new mandated curriculum be too much of a burden for school districts?

Pam Byrnes: There has been much discussion on the new curriculum. The goal of these new standards are to prepare our students to compete in a global economy and this means more math, science, language skills, and social sciences. We have been complacent far too long and other nations are rapidly catching up to us and surpassing us in graduation rates. while this curriculum may not be suitable for all students, there are procedures to address personalized curricula. There may some adjustments necessary as the implementation process goes forward, but I believe our children have the same intellectual capabilities as children from other countries and we should expect nothing less.

Eric Lielbriedis: Candidate response is not yet available.

John Boyle: No. The state's mandated curriculum (as reflected in Public Acts 123 and 124) represents the minimum foundation necessary to succeed in college and in today's competitive workplace. However, as discussed in the following answer, the state's schools will not succeed with this newly-mandated curriculum unless they devote more resouces to "educating" and less to "overhead".

Kelly: Good call. I hate it when people start to worry that kids have too much pressure to succeed in school. That is such b.s. If you don't have pressure to succeed, then guess what, you don't. Compared to the rest of the world, the U.S. is only mediocre on education. You'd think we'd be in the top with all our resources. What are we doing wrong? We are too worried about hurting little Johnny's feelings if we don't give him an A+.

What is the best way to help districts that struggle with low academic achievement?

Pam Byrnes: Successful schools often have the financial and supportive backing of the community. When that is lacking, we need to look at the causes for this lack of support and address those issues. Whether it is economic or social issues, I believe the state should help address those concerns.

Eric Lielbriedis: Compete! Reward good teachers. Reward and promote districts that meet standards. Give special attention to K-3 where reading should be the first step and no child should leave the 3rd grade with low reading scores. Privatize various school services and let the saving all go to students and teachers. Streamline union negociations so everyone in the district can focus on kids and teaching instead of contracts and strikes. Lastly, all schools should be funded equally on a per student basis. Schools collect about $10,000 per student per year - given 25 kids to a classroom that means $250,000 per classroom per year for 25 kids - that is alot of money for one classroom over 9 months.

John Boyle: I believe the best way to help districts that struggle with low academic achievement is to spend less on overhead in the K-12 school system and more on "teaching". This can best be accomplished by providing incentives and establishing a long-term goal of reducing the number of K-12 school districts from 553 to under 100 (while maintaining the same number of schools) – increasing the average number of students per district from 3,200 to over 18,000 – and reducing the school system’s overhead costs by more than 50%. (Note : the average number of students per school district in Maryland is 35,100.) Also, by establishing a long-term goal of eliminating the 57 Intermediate School Districts and integrating critical needs provided by those districts into the K-12 school districts.

Kelly: Does anyone else find it funny that Lielbriedis writes that no child should leave the third grade with low reading scores, and then goes on to write the word "negociations"? But seriously, he has the best ideas here. Alot of them.

What is your position on state aid for local governments?

Pam Byrnes: Our local governments are the front line of service to the people: public safety, utilities, infrastructure. These local units are best able to provide the services directly to their residents. Revenue sharing is provided to these units of government, both under the Constitution and by statute. Due to the shortfall in state revenues, there has been a concurrent shortfall in revenue to local government. This last budget year, revenue sharing received the same amount as the previous budget plus some units received a 2% bonus.

Eric Lielbriedis: Candidate response is not yet available.

John Boyle: I believe that state aid for local governments is necessary, given Michigan's current tax structure. I also believe there are too many units of local government. To reduce the cost, I believe the state should develop incentives to encourage the state’s 1,242 townships and 533 cities (or incorporated villages) to consolidate. The state also should work with local units of government to eliminate responsibilities that are (i) redundant offerings available from the state and/or the counties, (ii) not the province of government in the first place, or (iii) of marginal value to the taxpayers.

Kelly: Is it just me or has Byrnes stopped answering questions?

Do you support legislation to ban smoking in the workplace?

Pam Byrnes: Yes.

Eric Lielbriedis: Seperate smoking areas allows some people to smoke while those who wish to avoid them have there places as well.

John Boyle: Yes -- except that I believe employers should be allowed to have designated "smoking" areas which do not expose non-smokers to second-hand smoke.

Kelly: I'm beginning to think that English is not Lielbriedis' first language.

What is your position on the current state administration's reform plan for public education, for example smaller high schools, stricter curriculum, full-day kindergarten etc...?

Pam Byrnes: Proactive measures to address our educational structure should be explored through implementation of pilot programs. Innovative techniques keeps us moving forward to improve and increase our educational skills. Adjustments to programs may have to be made given limited financial resources, but the alternative is to not expand our tool box, which is regressive, not progressive.

Eric Lielbriedis: I am sure it has the best of intentions and the PR surrounding it is strong; but education really comes down to the teacher - the principal - the parent - and the student. Each has a responsibility and if they fail in that responsibility - the student will not reach the goals all expect.

John Boyle: I support high schools that are not "too large" and a stricter curriculum. I support the availability of full-day kindergarten, as long as it is not mandatory. However, the state cannot afford the current K-12 school system, and changes that cost additional money should be preceded by reductions in overhead costs.

Kelly: I'm glad this is over...

KCY's election special: School Board

2008-11-01T20:45:00.002-04:00

I didn't even know that you could vote for this, or what these job titles mean. You can vote for State Board of Education, Regents of the University of Michigan, Trustees of Michigan State University, and Governors of Wayne State University. I think the last three might be the same thing? This is compounded by the fact that there are nine candidates for each (you pick two). Here is a link to the mission of the State Board of Education.

Regents of the University of Michigan:

The University is governed by the Board of Regents, which consists of eight members elected at large in biennial state-wide elections. The president of the University serves as an ex officio member of the board.

The Regents serve without compensation for overlapping terms of eight years. According to the Michigan Constitution of 1963, the Regents have “general supervision” of the institution and “the control and direction of all expenditures from the institution’s funds.”

The Regents meet once a month in a public session.

Michigan State and Wayne State have a lot more blah blah on their websites, but it is basically the same job as far as I can tell.

So, maybe I am a bad person, but I'm not going to research all these candidates so that I can vote for the ones I think are the best. For one, I don't have any kids in the school district, and it is too late for anyone to change the requirements for my program. I feel that if a vote doesn't affect me, I probably shouldn't be voting either way. I guess you could argue that the success of school districts affects everyone (it would be nice to have fewer stupid people on the bus), but still...

KCY's election special: Washtenaw

2008-11-01T20:31:00.003-04:00

Here's an easy one. For Washtenaw county you can vote for Prosecuting Attorney, Sheriff, Clerk / Register of Deeds, Treasurer, Drain Commissioner, and County Commissioner. The only one of these in which there is more than one person running is Sheriff. The candidates are Dwayne Taylor (R), and Jerry Clayton (D).

Here's what they said on Mlive:

What are the most important issues that need to be addressed?

Jerry Clayton: The economic condition and the need for public safety services for county residents are not going to improve anytime in the near future. We have a pressing need to develop a collaborative strategy to meet the public safety needs without breaking the budget of the county and other municipal units. I believe that the Sheriff’s Office must take a leadership role in developing a strategy that accomplishes both. The Sheriff must engage all stakeholders in this issue and emphasize that a strong police presence by the Sheriff enhances the public safety and quality of life of all residents, even for those jurisdictions that have their own police agency. Second is the damaged relationship that the Sheriff’s Office has with its contracting townships, County Commissioners, other municipalities and many residents. The Sheriff must be committed to building partnerships with a broad spectrum of stakeholders and working together to address challenges. Third is the status of the jail population and how we manage the jail now and in the future. Washtenaw County continues to rate as one of the counties with the fewest number of beds per capita in the state. As part of the overall discussion of public safety, the state of the jail and how we respond to crime, incarceration and aggressive alternatives to incarceration without compromising public safety is important.

Dwayne Taylor: Improving community relations, the drug problems, budget management, reduced response times / increased road patrol presence and jail overcrowding.

What makes you uniquely qualified for the position?

Jerry Clayton: During my service with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office I worked in Corrections, Police Services and Support Services. My service in Corrections provides me with an appreciation for both the demands of a job that requires an officer to manage the behavior of dozens of incarcerated individuals while maintaining a safe and secure environment and the importance of providing Corrections with an operational philosophy and structure for managing inmates. I developed my knowledge of managing contract service providers, negotiating contracts for service providers, training staff, budgeting and policy and procedure management during my appointment as Corrections Commander. During my time spent as a deputy sheriff, police academy instructor, swat team member/instructor and appointment as Police Services Commander I developed a keen understanding of the value of the relationship between a law enforcement agency and the community and an appreciation for the balance that a police officer much have in terms of enforcing the law, maintaining personal and public safety and protecting an individuals rights. As an administrator, I know the value of having an administration that is engaged with the community and recognizes that their success is dependant on the level of mutual trust, understanding and respect they share with the community.

Dwayne Taylor: I have worked in the field of private security for nearly fourteen years and held supervisor / management positions. I also worked as a reserve and auxiliary police officer for several years. When I was a youth I was a sheriff's cadet and police explorer for three years.

What else do you want voters to know about you?

Jerry Clayton: The focus of my candidacy and the reason I am seeking office is based on “potential”. During my twenty plus years with the Sheriff’s Office I have witnessed and experienced the impact that the staff can have on the quality of life of the residents of this county when the agency operates close to it’s “potential”. I have also witnessed the impact that can be felt by, residents, county, townships, other municipalities and the employees themselves when the Sheriff’s Office is not operating at close to it’s “potential”. I am committed to leadership that is focused on developing an organization that values it’s role of community leadership, being a great community partner, delivering excellent public safety service and providing direction and support for the brave men and women that serve the public on a daily basis. I believe that if as Sheriff I maintain that focus and commitment to leadership, then the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office will exceed it’s potential and be the standard bearer for not only local public safety service (Both Corrections and Police Services), but at a national level.

Dwayne Taylor: I pledge to give the citizens of Washtenaw County my full commitment and nothing less. I am running for sheriff because I truly care about the overall quality of life and safety of all our citizens. I believe that there is a need for a higher level of accountability and professionalism. My primary goal will be to improve the overall quality of life and safety of all citizens. I will have an open door policy to meet with community leaders, citizens and business leaders to assure that we have an open dialogue to understand the many concerns that they have. I will also make certain that community policing becomes an integral part of the way that the sheriff's department conducts it's operations and protects and serves it's citizens.

Taylor is a man of few words. That's not bad, but Clayton has a lot more experience and seems to have a good idea of what needs to be done. To me, he seems to be the best candidate for the job.

KCY's election special: Mayor

2008-11-01T20:04:00.004-04:00

The two candidates for mayor are John Hieftje and Eric Plourde. Hieftje is the current mayor, and has been for the last eight years, which I am embarrassed to say I didn't know. Hieftje is a democrat and Plourde is libertarian.

What else should you know about these two before voting? Here's something: Plourde is 20 years old and is an undergrad at Michigan. There's his senior picture for you on the left. He wants to lower the drinking age in the city to 18 "so that those caught drinking do not have a Minor in Possession Charge on their record that they have to disclose on graduate school or job applications." Also, he believes the marijuana fine of $25 is too high. He is supported by Ron Paul, was a summer baseball camp coach in Lake Orion, and served over 100 hours of community service before attending the University of Michigan.

Lol, next thing you know I'll be running for mayor.

Seriously though, it's not that I don't support him because he is young. If he had good ideas and knew what he was doing, I'd be all for it. Even if he just had one thing he wanted to change about Ann Arbor because he passionately believed in it, or he wanted to show young people in Ann Arbor that they can make a difference, I might consider voting for him just to show support. But to me it sounds like made a bet with his buddies that he could run for office, and he doesn't really stand for anything. The four "issues" listed on his website are lowering taxes, protecting personal freedoms, trolleys being expensive, and new housing. He is running on a platform that is meant to appeal to the students of the city because that is his only hope to gather support. Lower the drinking age to 18? Yikes. This is like when you ran for student government in elementary school and promised that, if elected, the drinking fountains would be filled soda instead of water. Give me a break.

KCY's election special: Judicial

2008-11-01T18:39:00.003-04:00

There have been a surprisingly large number of ads for these candidates lately, especially Cliff Taylor (the "sleeping judge") and Diane Marie Hathaway.

Let's start with State Supreme Court. The candidates are Diane Marie Hathaway, Robert W. Roddis, and Cliff Taylor. This is supposed to be non-partisan, but Roddis is actually Libertarian, and Hathaway is backed by the Democratic party. In fact, you must be backed by either the Democrats or Republicans (or Libertarians as the case may be) at the state nominating convention in order to get on the ballot.

There are seven people on Michigan's Supreme Court. The term is eight years. Cliff Taylor is currently serving and defending his position, mainly from Hathaway. There are usually two contested spots each election period since it is a eight year term, but since there are only seven justices, every eighth year there is only one justice up for reelection. If Hathaway wins, it will be the second time in thirty years that an incumbent on the ballot has not been reelected.

Cliff Taylor has been a justice on the Surpreme Court for 10 years. He was originally put in to fill a vacancy in 1997, was voted to keep the spot in 1998, and was given a full 8 year term in 2000. He has been chief justice (chosen by other members on the Court) in 2005. Taylor is a conservative, meaning that he tries to follow the law and constitution as closely as possible (not to be confused with political conservative). He has been endorsed by the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, and Grand Rapids Press, among others.

Taylor's accomplishments include:

Holding court proceedings in cities around the state to enable more people to observe the court's proceedings.
Asking that all judges who receive a state car as part of their salary return it to the state for auction, as an acknowledgement of Michigan's financial woes. This act led to savings of $420,000.
Recommending that judicial vacancies not be filled in areas where court filings are down.

Diane Marie Hathaway has been a circuit judge in Wayne County since 1993. Some of the organizations that have endorsed Hathaway's candidacy are:

AFL-CIO
Michigan Professional Firefighters Union
Michigan Nurses Association
UAW
UNITE HERE
United Food and Commercial Workers
The Teamsters

Hathaway's campaign centers around being "for the people of Michigan" and claims that Taylor makes decisions that hurt the everyday lives of people living here. Taylor responds to this by saying that his job is not to be "for" anybody, but instead to interpret the law as it is written. "We don't make laws, we interpret them. Far too many courts think they get to make the laws."

The problem I have with Hathaway is that a lot of her advertising is false. You know that sleeping judge ad? The people who said he fell asleep in court forgot that most court rooms have cameras, and it turns out that there is no evidence that that is true. In addition to the claim that Taylor feel asleep, the ad also claims that he was voted the worst judge on the court by some attorneys. That claim is "based on a Michigan Lawyer's Weekly online poll. The Michigan Republican Party says only 77 attorneys responded to the survey and they self-selected themselves, so the poll wasn't scientific." It really seems like her entire campaign is about how Cliff Taylor does not deserve to be a judge. I'd like to know more about what she stands for...

Okay, let's switch over to district court. This is for the 15th district, so, Ann Arbor only (not AA Twnshp). This is a 6 year, non-incumbent position. The candidates are Chris Easthope and Eric Gutenberg. This is such a small district (comparatively) that it is hard to find non-biased information about the two candidates.

When asked what are the most important issues that need to be addressed, they answered:

Easthope: The most important issues facing the 15th District Court are the lack of public funding and resources to get treatment for people with substance abuse and mental health problems and jail overcrowding in Washtenaw County. Alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offenders should be a priority.

Gutenberg: I. Public safety II. Accountability III. Education and prevention IV. Fair and equal access to justice.

Apparently Gutenberg likes lists and doesn't like specifics.

What makes you uniquely qualified for this position:

Easthope: I am the only candidate in this election who is experienced in every aspect of District Court Law. I have extensive experience in handling felony preliminary exams, misdemeanors, landlord/tenant, traffic cases and code violations. I have handled well over 100 preliminary exams, trials, and administrative hearings. I operate my own law practice with an emphasis in these areas. I was rated "well qualified" by the Washtenaw County region of the Women Lawyers Association. I have served 4 terms on the Ann Arbor City Council and 5 of those years as Mayor Pro Tem.

Gutenberg: I. Successful record as First Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the day-to-day supervision of 10 – 15 attorneys handling thousands of cases in all of Ann Arbor’s courts, including cases of murder, rape, domestic violence, and drunk driving. This experience prepares me well to serve on the 15th District Court, as those judges have administrative and supervisory responsibilities in addition to hearing courtroom proceedings from an annual caseload of 40,000 cases. II. Proven record in district and circuit courts for exercising fair, honest, and independent judgment. III. Trusted to accomplish administrative responsibilities in an efficient and transparent manner. IV. Established reputation within the legal community for a respectful, fair, and courteous manner. V. Command of knowledge of the relevant law and procedure in the courts, and demonstrated commitment to keeping abreast of changes in the law.

What else should people know?

Easthope: I am endorsed by more members of the Washtenaw County Bar Association then any of the other candidates. I have a strong desire to continue in a public service role. I know that a Judge can have a significant impact on a person's life, whether it be a victim of a crime or someone with a serious substance abuse problem. I will honor the separation of powers and treat all people who enter the court with dignity and respect. I recognize that a district court is truly a people's court.

Were more people running at one time?

Gutenberg: My nearly two-decade long record for serving the people of this community in our courts demonstrates that I possess the knowledge, commitment and values required of the next judge of the 15th District Court. My wife and I chose to raise our family in Ann Arbor, and our children attend Ann Arbor public school. I respect and appreciate our City’s diversity and I am invested in our City’s future and quality of life. I understand the value of the innovative programs in 15th District Court in which the Court works with local community agencies to address the underlying social and medical issues that contribute to repeat criminal behavior. I am convinced that, with my knowledge of local resources and experience, I could help make the court even more accessible and effective through expanded community outreach efforts. After 19 years of hands-on courtroom experience in some of the most serious and complex cases in our courts, I possess an ideal perspective to address the public safety issues facing our community.

Well, I really don't know about this one. Gutenberg looks to have more experience, but they both have pretty good records. I'll have to think about it.

Okay, we've also got the Appeals Court, Circuit Court, and Probate Court. For Probate, you only get one choice, Nancy C. Francis. For Appeals there is a partial term for Jane M. Beckering, and full terms for Richard Bandstra and Jane E. Markey. There are two spots open for this so these two are running unopposed. For Circuit, you get to pick two of three: Douglas B. Shapiro, Donald E. Shelton, and David S. Swartz. On Mlive, the only person with info is Swartz. He is an army reserve officer and has 35 years of experience in law (wow). Shapiro doesn't seem to be campaigning very hard, considering the fact that a google search didn't even bring up anything about the election. The website about his lawfirm says he got his JD before his BS? Shelton has been a circuit judge for 16 years, but he also doesn't seem to be campaigning too hard. If you check out his profile on WashtenawTrialCourt.org he has a bajillion presentations and papers. I wish my CV looked like that.

KCY's election special: Proposals

2008-11-01T17:09:00.006-04:00

Since number 17 on my list is to know exactly what I will be voting for this coming Tuesday, I am having an election special on my blog.

Let's start with the easier ones first. There are two proposals that Michiganians can vote for or again. The first one is about medical marijuana. The second one is the one you've probably already heard about, considering how many ads there have been against it.

Proposal 08-1: A LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE TO PERMIT THE USE AND CULTIVATION OF MARIJUANA FOR SPECIFIED MEDICAL CONDITIONS

There are four parts to this proposal:

1. Permit physician approved use of marijuana by registered patients with debilitating medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, MS and other conditions as may be approved by the department of Community Health.
2. Permit registered individuals to grow limited amounts of marijuana for qualifying patients in an enclosed, locked facility.
3. Require Department of Community Health to establish an identification card system for patients qualified to use marijuana and individuals qualified to grow marijuana.
4. Permit registered and unregistered patients and primary caregivers to assert medical reasons for using marijuana as a defense to any prosecution involving marijuana.

Now, I think there are a lot of people who would take advantage of this if it passes, meaning a lot of people would get the drug even though they wouldn't really need it. People who were caught with marijuana would also use this law as an excuse. I really don't like how in part 4 you can assert medical reasons to defend a prosecution even if you aren't registered. Also, why are the primary caregivers using marijuana? However, if it can help people who need pain relief then it is probably worth it. Twelve other states have already passed a similar law.

Proposal 08-2: A PROPOSAL TO AMEND THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO ADDRESS HUMAN EMBRYO AND HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH IN MICHIGAN

This proposal also has four parts:
1. Expand use of human embryos for any research permitted under federal law subject to the following limits: the embryos are created for fertility treatment purposes, are not suitable for implantation or are in excess of clinical needs, would be discarded unless used for research, were donated by the person seeking fertility treatment.
2. Provide that stem cells cannot be taken from human embryos more than 14 days after cell division begins
3. Prohibit any person from selling or purchasing human embryos for stem cell research.
4. Prohibit state and local laws that prevent, restrict or discourage stem cell research, future therapies and cures.

Stem cell research scares a lot of people for the same reason that nuclear power scares a lot of people. After all, the purpose of this research is to clone humans and god doesn't like that.

I think a lot of people don't know that since 1978, the use of embryos for research in Michigan has been illegal. The laws against stem cell research are some of the most restrictive of any state. The point of Proposal 2 is to try to reverse this situation.

One of the sticky parts of this type of research is where do we draw the line of when an embryo becomes a "person". Is it immoral to do this type of research? This is the reason that a lot of the major opponents of Proposal 2 are the same organizations that fight for Pro-Life legislature.

The ads with "2 Goes 2 Far" are funded by a group called Michigan Citizens Against Unrestricted Science & Experimentation. The group argues that this proposal will lead to human cloning, mixing of animal embryos and human DNA, and higher taxes. For one, cloning is banned in Michigan and proposal 2 doesn't change this. Also, Proposal 2 does not include state funding. The ads claiming that taxpayers in other states owe lots of extra taxes because they passed stem cell research proposals are technically true, but that is only because state funding was included in their proposals. Also, cloning is banned in Michigan.

Besides the fact that stem cell research has been proven to be successful, this proposal could also bring lots of research and researchers to Michigan, which would hopefully help the struggling economy of the state. For whatever it is worth, both McCain and Obama support stem cell research. To find out more: About.com, CureMichigan.

Okay, moving on...

Washtenaw County:

COUNTY PARKS MILLAGE RENEWAL

Proposition to renew the increase in the tax limitation for County Parks and Recreation purposes including acquisition, development, maintenance and operation of park lands and recreation facilities for the benefit of Washtenaw County citizens "to renew the millage expiring after December 31, 2009, shall the limitation on the amount of taxes which may be imposed each year for all purposes on real and tangible personal property in Washtenaw County be inrcreased as provided in Section 6 Article IX of the constitution of the State of Michigan and the Board of Commissioners of the County be authorized to levy a tax not to exceed one quarter of one mill, reduced by the Headlee Amendment to 0.2367 ($0.2367 per $1,000.00 of State equalized valuation), on the taxable value of such property for a period of ten years beginning with the levy made on December 1, 2010 (which will generate estimated revenues of $3.6 million in the first year) for the purpose of acquiring, developing, operating and maintaining park lands and recreational facilities for County citizens?

Wow, they couldn't have made that more boring or impossible to read. Basically, this is money for Washtenaw Parks and Recreation. It is a renewal, not a new tax. The reason it has been decreased from .25 to .2367 is because property value has increased (they must not have looked at the news lately). Anyway, this tax only affects you if you own property. If you own property that is worth $100,000 (as valued by the state), then you would owe $23.67 for this tax. In general, the research I have done on this makes me think it is a good use of tax payer money - the parks here are pretty great. And again, it is not a new tax. However, it seems a little weird of me to vote for or against this considering that I don't have t

Ann Arbor:

CHARTER AMENDMENT REQUIRING VOTER APPROVAL OF THE SALE OF CITY-OWNED LAND ACQUIRE

Shall Section 14.3(b) of the Ann Arbor City Charter be amended to require voter approval for the sale of any land within the City purchased, acquired or used for park land, while retaining the Section's current requirement for voter approval of the sale of any park land that is designated as park land in the City of Ann Arbor Master Plan at the time of the proposed sale?

I love how they phrase this as a question. Here's an interesting article from the Ann Arbor News about this. This proposal sounds to me like somebody has too much time on their hands.

Well, that's all the proposals than Ann Arborites get to vote on in this election. Stay tuned for info on the candidates...

It's Tango Time!

2008-10-30T21:16:00.007-04:00

Whew

2008-10-30T20:17:00.005-04:00

In defense of my latency - my computer was broken for a while and I have also been at work very late the past several days. My computer decided to barf on me last week so I ended up buying a new motherboard, processor, power supply, memory, and hard drive. I also now have vista. All in all I spent a bunch of money but I don't think the computer is any faster. At least it is quiet. I think I like vista - it isn't as bad as everyone says.

Unfortunately this means I need to be grateful for 17 different things. Instead of doing it day by day I think I will just make a list.

1. I didn't lose my files when my power supply killed my hard drive. I was pretty sure I was screwed when chkdsk said the drive was corrupt and unreadable.

2. My computer is up and running again, and it wasn't too painful.

3. Cornelius taught me how to make a computer from scratch. Thanks Cornelius.

4. I'm still in the running for the playoffs in fantasy football.

5. Tango got adopted!

6. Avis and Goober got adopted!

7. The weather has somehow stayed nice for dog walking days.

8. Vista isn't super lame like I thought it might be. And it was only $8.

9. It's almost Thanksgiving - I can't wait to go home!

10. I got to see an old friend from Rochester last week that I haven't seen in three years.

11. Round one of pimp a snack was moderately successful. More on that later once it is complete.

12. It looks like Obama is going to get elected.

13. The stock market was up 10% the other day. I've never seen that happen before.

14. My car checked out okay at the mechanic. Oil change and check up for only $19.95!

15. Hulu - it saved me when I couldn't record my shows while my computer was broken.

16. Our apartment gym - it's my running substitution since I am too wussy to go outside and work out.

17. Joseph Addai is coming back this week. Finally.

Things I have accomplished from this list:

I updated my scientific articles file. I went to the humane society a bunch of times. We are going every Thursday for two hours after I finish my class. That's a total of six hours since I last updated. We went to a comedian at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase two weekends ago. I ate a new food: Tomarillo. I bought herb seeds at Ikea and they have started to grow. I don't have any sun in my apartment so I hope they don't die.

Two in a row makes...

2008-10-13T19:55:00.003-04:00

Today I am grateful for beautiful weather in mid-October.

I finished the sixth Sword of Truth book today and started the seventh. Sometimes I can listen for most of the day at work if I'm just taking data and don't need to think too hard. I also checked my CV for needed updates, but sadly there is nothing to add. Soon I hopefully will get a chance to update my scientific articles file.

I just did 50 squats and 50 lunges. Hope I can walk up stairs tomorrow.

Sunday Night Foo...nevermind

2008-10-12T22:10:00.003-04:00

All in all this was kind of a weird weekend, but it was still fun. We went to Rochester Hills on Friday night to celebrate Paul's birthday with a bunch of his friends who live in that area. It wasn't as much fun being designated driver, but I was definitely grateful the next morning.

I didn't really accomplish much on my list that I made in my last post. Paul and I went to the Humane Society this past Thursday for about two hours, so at least I can check that off. Also, we went to Borders last night for about an hour.

Paul and I went running this morning. I didn't go very far because I haven't run since we did the race two weeks ago today. I timed my mile at 9:39, which I thought was okay after a long break. I wish there was more warm weather so that I could keep up the running. Maybe I should just get warmer clothes...

Grateful list:

Tuesday: I started working on my project right away. It's impossible!
Wednesday: I finished the cookies in time
Thursday: I didn't completely lose it in front of my teacher...
Friday: Everything went well for Paul's birthday celebration
Saturday: Finally getting my matlab program to work
Sunday: A mile in less than ten minutes

I'm so far behind I have to...

2008-10-06T18:14:00.004-04:00

update from work.

Tuesday: It wasn't me getting waxed...
Wednesday: Hulu! It's my new favorite website!!
Thursday: Joe Beagle cheered up my day. I hope he gets adopted soon.
Friday: A boyfriend who will carry my coat to the car in the freezing cold
Saturday: Sleeping in really late and then taking nap later
Sunday: This is awful, but Trent Edwards getting a concussion
Monday: My microwave detector works!

Paul and I went to the Humane Society for a couple of hours last Thursday and had a lot of fun. I really wish I had had my camera. We walked three different, extremely adorable, dogs, and then played with the kittens for a while. It was great. I think I forgot to update the last time that we went, but hopefully we can catch up on the hours anyway.

It's been not quite three months since I started this list. That means things I am supposed to do monthly should have been done at least three times by now. Things on my list that I need to work on:

06. Update scientific articles file once a month (2/33)
10. Keep my CV updated by checking it once a month (2/33)
18. Do at least one hour per week at the Humane Society (6/143)
26. Pick raspberries three times each season (1/9)
53. Learn to cook 33 different meals, write down recipe (2/33)
54. Try 33 new foods (2/33)
64. Meet 33 new people (2/33)
90. Go to the bookstore once a month and just sit (2/33)

I think number 26 might be a fail. The weather might be too cold to pick raspberries anymore. I will give them a call and see if they are still open. Tomorrow I am thinking of taking an office day, so I can hopefully check off number 6 and number 10.

Am I just making myself more busy?

Run Run Run

2008-09-29T13:14:00.006-04:00

Grateful list:

Tuesday: I didn't strangle the guy who came to class with a terrible cold and didn't know how to use kleenex...

Wednesday: I didn't get sick one day later

Thursday: Getting to watch Ellen on days when I stay home sick

Friday: Being better enough to go to work

Saturday: A short run with Paul, even if I did horrible

Sunday: I kept going even though I wanted to die...

Monday: Talking to new people

Well, it is officially over. Beth, Kristin, and I all finished the Big House Big Heart 5k. Our time was about 34 minutes. I think this was pretty good, considering the fact that we were all injured/sick/out of practice due to school stuff. You can see the results here.

Last week I got really sick on Tuesday night and spent two days on the couch with a fever oscillating between 101 and 102.5F. It was not a fun time. On Thursday I was convinced there was no way I could run the race, but I felt a little better Friday and was able to go to work. Saturday, Paul and I went for a practice run and my mile time was 12:50. This was not a good sign. I think I probably should not have tried to run on Sunday, considering how I was feeling, but it just seemed like it would be such a disappointment after all the training I did. Our time of 34 minutes was almost 3 minutes slower than my record, but I am just happy I finished. There is another 5k at the end of October that we are considering running in. Hopefully then we will be back up to speed.

Suffice it to say I was not embarrassed during this race. I logged 62.3 miles of training, and I am happy that I made it through. Pictures of the race are forthcoming...

Monday update

2008-09-22T20:06:00.002-04:00

Grateful list:

Wednesday: A day without rain. It's almost fall but I'm happy the weather is still pretty warm.
Thursday: Paul being home when I got home.
Friday: My 4.4 mile run after school was actually relaxing and didn't make me want to pass out.
Saturday: I cleaned the bathroom! I love having a clean bathroom.
Sunday: I wasn't horrible at tennis. Not great, but not horrible either.
Monday: My experiment seemed to go well today. It has been a while.

I finished the 5th Sword of Truth book last week and am about a fourth of the way through the 6th one. This one is supposed to be really exciting but so far it is kind of boring...

This Saturday I finally met Beth's friend Katz at Rob's birthday party. He's my second new person! I didn't have a camera that night so I'll have to get a picture later.

There is an engineering career fair going on at Michigan today and tomorrow. I went for a bit today but there were so many people I could barely move. I didn't have much time so I only was able to talk to the person at the booth for the Mayo Clinic. There were about 20 people in line ahead of me, but it only took about 20 minutes. The person there didn't know anything about Medical Physics, but she took my information anyway. Maybe they will call. I'm going back to the fair tomorrow with a resume this time. Hmm...I guess I should finish it up then :-) Converting a CV to resume is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Lots of updates!

2008-09-16T20:37:00.002-04:00

Okay, let's start with the list...

Last WEEK I was grateful for:

Tuesday: Walks home from north campus
Wednesday: Brenton and his infinite microwave knowledge
Thursday: Ice cream with raspberry/lime break on top
Friday: Ice cream with peaches on top
Saturday: A break in the rain long enough to run
Sunday: Kurt Warner is a sexy sexy man
Monday: Elizabeth did great on her prelim!
Tuesday: Understanding angular momentum selection rules

This weekend I went for a 4.6 mile run. I timed 4.4 miles of it and got 50:14, which I was reasonably happy with. It was raining lightly most of the time and even down-poured for a few minutes, but I'm not sure if that affected my performance. I was just glad I made it the whole way. I walked for about a minute when it started to really rain hard, but then I got going again once it let up again.

Yesterday I updated my CV and my scientific articles file. The CV was pretty easy...just added a new paper I've been working on, so I think I won't bother posting it for now.

Beth passed her prelim yesterday with flying colors so we went out to the Brown Jug to celebrate with some drinks last night. I was slightly distracted by the football game (my team one by one point!!!) so hopefully I didn't annoy the crowd too much. Congrats Beth!

Gosh

2008-09-08T22:35:00.003-04:00

Ok, being grateful every day is going to kill me. I'm going to have to start keeping a list next to my bed or something, since I don't seem to be able to get online much anymore. Let's see...

This past week I am grateful for:

Monday: An extra day off
Tuesday: Patrick getting adopted
Wednesday: Spending time with animals
Thursday: Dog walking class at HSHV!
Friday: Working from home
Saturday: 5k runs and seeing some of Paul's family again
Sunday: Football starts today!
Monday: At least Addai is okay...

Wow, a lot has been going on. I finished another sword of truth book, so I am now on the fifth one. Paul and I went to the HSHV dog walking orientation last Thursday but we have been too busy to go back again. I ran the 5k by my apartment 3 times, but the first time I got lost and went too far so I can't compare that time. My times were 35:51 (long), 34:21, and 32:51. I managed to finish the last one without walking, even up the hill, so I was pretty happy about that.

What else...Paul and I bought a papaya for number 54, but I didn't really care for it much. Maybe it wasn't a good one. I brought cookies to work for Georg's birthday on Thursday. I'm behind on a bunch of my academic things. I'll try to catch up tomorrow if I have time.

And now it is time for a rant. I have complained about this countless times before, but since it is the start of a new school year I am going to do it again. I think that you should have to pass a test before you are allowed to get on the bus. List of offenses I have witnessed/experienced over the past week (keep in mind I only rode the bus on four of these days):

1. Not moving to back of the bus when other people need to get on. I have seen people stand in the aisle in the middle of the bus completely oblivious as more and more people try to pack into the front. Sometimes people can't even get on because the bus gets too "full". Last Wednesday when I was in the aisle I had to crawl past one guy who wouldn't move even when I asked, and then proceeded to glare at me as I pushed past. Even when the driver yells to move back people typically take only one or two steps and then stare around dumbly like they don't know what is going on.

2. Bad hygiene. Now that the school year has started again I am realizing I took for granted all the times when I didn't have to sit next to anyone during the summer. If you choose not to shower regularly, don't brush your teeth, or eat excessive amounts of spicy foods, please do not sit next to me. Also, do not sit next to me and proceed to have a conversation with the person on the other side of me when your breath smells so bad I start seeing random spots in my vision. This happened to me this morning and I spent the whole ride with my hand over my mouth trying to smell my hair instead of the woman next to me.

3. Irresponsible umbrella use. I can't count how many times I have been soaked with rainwater because someone dripped it all over me or opened their umbrella in my face. Today was the first rainy day but already I can tell it is going to be a rough year.

4. Forgetting you have a fifty pound backpack strapped to you. I don't want a black eye. It amazes me how people can be so unaware of their surroundings. I've had people practically set their backpacks in my lap while they were standing in the aisle. Also please try to be aware of those little strappy things that are flying all over the place. Sheesh.

Yay!

2008-09-02T20:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was grateful for an extra day off from work, even if I spent it doing laundry and cleaning. Today I am grateful that the cutest little kitten in the world got adopted from HSHV. In fact, he is the cat in the picture from my last post, Patrick. He was so friendly and wanted to cuddle with everyone, but they told us he had been there a long time and no one wanted to take him home. He was only four months old and had spent half his life in the shelter. I hope he has a loving family and will be taken care of for the rest of his life. :-) YAY.

Sunday Night Fever

2008-08-31T23:08:00.005-04:00

It's late but I thought I should sign on and try to catch up at least a little bit... The last time I posted was Tuesday so I have almost a whole week of things to be grateful for. Here is an abbreviated list:

I am grateful for...

Wednesday: Late night runs
Thursday: Adorable kittens at the Humane Society
Friday: A long weekend, obviously
Saturday: Making it through a 3.3 mile run in slightly less than 36 minutes
Sunday: Walks to McDonald's for ice cream

Paul and I went to the comedy show this weekend, but I don't think I will cross off "see a stand-up comedian" since this was different. He was a hypnotist, and since it was the late night show, it was the "erotic hypnotist" show. I have never laughed so hard in my life. ...Seriously.

Days Go By

2008-08-26T20:31:00.010-04:00

Is it just me, or are the days flying by faster than ever... I can't believe school is starting up again next week. I don't have to take any classes, but I decided to register for Medical Imaging Systems, a biomede class that gives an overview of the physics of imaging with techniques like MRI and CT. Hopefully it will be useful and give me an idea of whether or not I am interested to look into a career in medical physics.

This weekend I went raspberry picking with Kristin and Jana. It was lots of fun :) Stolen from Kristin's website:

Since I couldn't begin to eat all the berries I picked before they go bad, I made lime and raspberry bread. It is ridiculously limey. I didn't even use all the lime it called for! If I ever make it again I will use about half the lime juice and zest. I made a double recipe and froze half of it right away.

I also found out that the berries freeze really well, but you can't just throw them in the freezer. First you wash them, and then you lay them out on a pan so that they aren't touching each other. They only have to be in the freezer like that for about an hour, and then you can put them in a bag. Here is a good explanation.

I am behind again on my gratefulness. I guess it is just unrealistic to try to keep posting every day, especially once I am also in class. I'll try to stay up to date though. No excuses! Well, Sunday I was definitely grateful for raspberries. And along the same lines, yesterday I was grateful for the reamer my mom bought me so that I could get the juice out of the limes for the lime and raspberry bread. Today I am grateful for LabView. That might sound weird, but I wrote a nifty little program this afternoon that is going to make data-taking a lot easier and less work on my part. I only wish I had done it earlier!

One Month Update

2008-08-23T12:21:00.005-04:00

I did my first mile in under 9 minutes today! The official time is 8:50:78. The time on my watch has an extra 24 hundredths because it won't stay in stopwatch mode without some time already on it. I wore my darogas today, so maybe that had something to do with it. They are technically racing shoes, but I only bought them because I thought they looked comfortable (and they were only $15). They weight about half as much as regular tennis shoes, but don't give any support, so I think they aren't the best for someone like me.

Today I am grateful for doing something I never thought I'd be able to do. Yesterday I was grateful for animated movies. Paul and I went to see Kung Fu Panda at the dollar theater and I thought it was great, although not as great as Wall-E. It's hard to compare though, Panda is a comedy and while Wall-E was funny sometimes, it was more about engaging you in a story. The animation for both was awesome, but I still give the nod to Wall-E.

As of yesterday, I am done with my no elevator challenge! I'll probably keep trying to avoid it, as I am certain that one of these days someone is going to plummet to their death in the one next to our offices in Randall.

And, it's official, I finally got my hair cut (yesterday). It is REALLY short. From the picture you can't tell so much because you can't see the back, but it's much shorter than I intended...and certainly not long enough to put in a ponytail, which was my only request of the stylist. Sheesh. Oh well, hopefully it will be cute. Today was my first attempt at styling it myself. It is tough in the back because it wants to flip out. Hopefully I will get better at it.

It has been 31 days since I started my 101 Things in 1001 Days project. I thought this is probably a good time to do a progress report so I know how I am doing. So far I have checked off 13 items. (Technically 14 because I didn't check off number 51). I also have a start on 13 other items. Most of those are monthly though, so it will be a while because I can't check them off.

Academic:

I'm actually very near to crossing off number 4 - have an idea for an experiment and carry it through to the end. I'm taking "end" to mean submit and/or publish a paper on it, so this is going to take some work. I finished the first draft of my paper for what I have done so far, and if it gets accepted I'll cross this one off. It will probably take quite a bit of work before the paper is ready to send in though.

It is almost time for me to update my CV again, but unfortunately I don't think I have anything to add. If I hurry up I might be able to put a different paper on there as "submitted" - we have been working on this one FOREVER.

It's almost time to update my scientific articles file too. Since I am doing it once a month now, the task shouldn't be so daunting anymore.

Life Enrichment:

I am happy with my progress on the Sword of Truth series. I am well into the fourth book now and really enjoying the story. This book has been a little slow so far, but it is always relaxing and a good way to start and end the day.

I haven't done much research to get ready for the election. Soon I will have to make some progress there...

I have a lot of Humane Society stuff in this category. To be honest I haven't been very impressed with them so far. I'm disappointed that they don't have anywhere to take the cats, so you can only stand by the cages and not take them out. This is so unlike what I did in college. Paul and I are doing the dog walking orientation in early September, so hopefully I can rack up more hours then.

I'm planning to go raspberry picking tomorrow so hopefully I can get a check mark on that one. I was going to go today but it is almost 90 degrees, and probably will only get hotter.

Physical:

It seems like I have been working out a lot lately, but I haven't checked off much in this category. I'm very close to being able to do the splits, so hopefully I will get that one soon. Paul and I were also thinking about possibly going canoeing tomorrow, so that would be another check mark. I'm nervous I won't get the pull-up done...I better find that bar.

Food and Nutrition:

I think the try 33 new foods idea might have been a little ambitious. I better pick another food soon... I'm happy I finished a week without soda, a week of drinking tea, and a week as a vegetarian. I don't plan to do any of those regularly, but it was a good experience.

Relationships:

Meeting new people is harder than I thought. I guess I will have to go to Gay Night more often.

Travel:

I have done zero travel. I hate driving, so I am wondering why I put "go on a road trip" on there.

Home:

I'm glad I finally learned how to hand wash things. I have done this several times since then, and I think it is a lot better for my clothes. Maybe I should clean out the room next to the balcony today so I can find my pull-up bar...

Financial:

The stock market is pretty lame this year. At least I will be getting taxes back for the first time ever.

Random:

I'm happy to have four of these done already. A lot of them are pretty easy. I've really been enjoying going to the bookstore, so I'll probably have way more than 33 visits by the time my 1001 days is up.

Yay for Saturday!

20k walk

2008-08-21T22:07:00.003-04:00

I just watched end of the women's 20km walk in the olympics. All I can say is that now I feel really lame. They can walk faster than I can run!! The rule is that you have to have at least one foot on the ground at all times, and let me just say it has got to be a lot harder than it sounds. The winner had a time of 1:26:30-something. That is less than a seven minute mile for twelve and a half miles. How many sub-seven minute miles can I run? ZERO! I guess I better not count on being an olympic walker.

Today I am grateful for blueberries. It always makes me feel good to eat them. I've read that the richer the color the better a given food is for you, so blueberries must be a super fruit.

I finished another Sword of Truth book. I sure wish that they could stick with the same reader for each book. I finally got used to the last one. This is the third reader in four books! At least he could listen to the old ones and learn how to pronounce the names correctly. Who the heck is Colin?

Daily tasks:

No elevator today!

Behind!

2008-08-20T21:40:00.003-04:00

Oh my gosh I am so far behind. Things have been really busy the last few days. Last night I had my fantasy football draft over at Eric's new apartment. I think my team turned out really well, mostly thanks to Paul. Go Seattle! I still need to think of a good team name...

Okay, too catch up, what am I grateful for... Monday I'll say I was grateful to not have any more daily obligations like drinking tea, I kept almost forgetting! I haven't had any tea since the last day of my week, but I think I would again. Maybe when the weather gets colder. Yesterday I was grateful to get Addai with the sixth pick! Nice.

Today I am grateful for my new ipod battery. I have a second generation iPod mini. You know, the kind they don't even make anymore? The battery was totally dead and would only stay charged for about an hour, so I bought a third party battery from laptopsforless. I didn't know if it would work, and I had to crack open the casing to replace the battery, but now it seems to be working great. I used it all day and the battery meter has barely budged. It was really interesting to see the inside of the iPod too. I'm glad I don't have to buy a new one.

Today I walked home from school, so that is my last time for the season. I might squeeze in a few more, but I'm glad I got at least a third of them done.

Daily task:

I did not take the elevator today. This is my last week!

Gay Night

2008-08-17T14:50:00.004-04:00

Three pretty girls at Necto. :-) This weekend was fun, although it seems like it went by awfully fast. Dhruv, I'm counting you as my first new person for my list.

I spent a long time getting the colors right for these pictures and they look all washed out online... wth? Something to do with web colors I guess.

Today I am being pretty lazy. I should start some laundry. Yesterday I was grateful that my hard drive didn't die before I made a backup of everything. My computer is making a funny noise, and I thought it was the hard drive, but now I am thinking that it might actually be the power supply fan. Hmm.

Today I am grateful for free magazines. Paul and I went to the bookstore for about an hour this afternoon to hang out. There wasn't a new Runner's World yet, but I found some interesting articles in Women's Health and checked out a Fantasy Football magazine.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today or yesterday. Today is my last official day of drinking tea!

Friday Night

2008-08-15T17:13:00.003-04:00

I'm at work right now but I find I am superbly unmotivated to get any more work done this afternoon. I was too tired to post yesterday, so I figured I'd do it now before I run out of time again. I'll be in the office the next few work days trying to finish up a paper and get it submitted, and then starting on a new paper. It is a nice break from the lab, but it also makes the days seem a lot longer.

I walked home from school yesterday (only one more to go this summer). My official time (timed it with the stopwatch on my cell phone this time) was 67 minutes and 35 seconds. Previously I had just been cutting off five minutes from my time for time spent waiting at traffic lights, but yesterday I actually stopped the watch. Five minutes was probably an exaggeration, so I think 67 minutes compares pretty well to my previous 65 minutes from July 28th.

Today I am grateful for a day off from the lab. I needed a break. Yesterday I was grateful for my experiment working (fairly) well all day so that I could get the data I needed.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today or yesterday. Just one week to go!

I had my fourth cup of tea yesterday. I am going out tonight with Beth and Kristin, so I'll have to have one right when I get home to keep my streak going. I'm still not sure if tea is my cup of tea. ...or bag of cake.

10 seconds closer

2008-08-13T21:36:00.008-04:00

Tonight I finished another one mile time trial. My one mile record is 9:26:70 with a heart rate of 178 BPM at the end and 120 BPM after three minutes of walking. I also ran up the hill from the end of the one mile to the corner of Green and Nixon in 3:02:20. I think I will start trying to run that whole thing so I will get some practice at hills. The 5k we are doing has a big hill at the start, and as I found out yesterday, I am miserable at hills.

Paul and I went to the Humane Society today. The cats are very cute. I was sad that they were all alone in cages, but at least it seems there are a lot of people around to visit with them. I hope they get adopted soon. A lot of the dogs were really friendly and cute too, but you could tell they were sad to be there and not with a nice family. I wish I could take them all home with me. They are building a brand new shelter and soon there will be lots more room for animals and visitors, so hopefully things will be more efficient then. It seems kind of crazy right now.

Today I am grateful for unconditional love. Animals don't care if you can run a mile in less than ten minutes, they just want you to hug them and scratch their ears.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I had my fourth cup of tea. I think I could get into this...it is very relaxing.

Run from Hell

2008-08-12T21:17:00.002-04:00

Today's run was really hard. I think I learned my lesson of not running to soon after eating. I guess from now on I'll have to either come home early, or try to run without eating. Stupid school. I think I also have trouble with hills, maybe because we haven't really practiced them much. This doesn't bode well for the Big House Big Heart run.

Today I am grateful for not throwing up while running, even though I really wanted to.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I'm on my way to have some tea. Maybe it will settle my stomach...

Synchro

2008-08-11T20:23:00.005-04:00

Synchronized diving is...well, pretty cool I think. When I first watched it I was surprised it was an Olympic event. (Not as surprised as I was about synchronized swimming, though.) But honestly, it seems like it would take a lot of work to get this right. Not to mention the fact that you are supposed to cut through the water like it isn't even there. Sheesh. It's hard enough for one person to do that.

I finished the second Sword of Truth book last night, and started on the third today. Just 9 more to go! I also brought food to work this morning, so I can add another check to that one. I'm off to go make some tea...

Today I am grateful for chocolate. I found a bar of chocolate I forgot I had. :-) Simple pleasures.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

Roll

2008-08-10T21:13:00.004-04:00

I am on a roll today. I drank my first cup of tea, which was pretty awful, but I think I didn't let it steep long enough. I also did the HSHV cat comforting orientation, so now I can start doing my hours for number 18. Hope it goes well!

Cleaning Day

2008-08-10T14:28:00.003-04:00

I took care of number 74 for on my list today - organize and clean jewelry. It was pretty well organized already, but I spent a good three hours scrubbing at it with metal tarnish remover. My fingers hurt, but it was worth it. I think some of the pieces look a lot better.

I bought some tea at the grocery store today, so I can start my week of drinking a cup of tea every day. I sort of cheated and got flavored (apple cinnamon) tea, but I'm pretty sure it will taste bad anyway.

Today I am grateful for the weather clearing up while I am at the Human Society (crosses fingers).

Daily task:

I did not take the elevator today.

Time Trials

2008-08-09T15:58:00.003-04:00

Wow, sure have been doing a lot of running lately. I hope that I can keep it up, but as soon as I start all I think about is how much I want to stop. I don't know why, it doesn't feel that bad to run, it just feels so good to stop running.

I did the two mile short course by my apartment twice today, and mapped out on google a one mile stretch in the middle of it where there aren't many hills. All in all I think it is very slightly downhill. I walked the first half mile, ran the one mile, then walked until I got back. My first mile was 9:36:20 and the second was almost exactly 10:00:00. I accidentally missed the stop button on the second one, but I saw the clock go from nine to ten minutes as my foot crossed the line. My heart rate was 166 at the end of the first and 176 at the end of the second. I thought I was going to beat my first time on the second one, but I guess I was actually going a bit slower. My heart rate was 127 and 125 for the two loops when I got to the top of the hill at the intersection of Green and Nixon (about a quarter mile from where I stopped running). Hopefully all these numbers will go down after I practice some more...

Yesterday, Kristin and I did cartwheels outside! She even did one one-handed. I was very impressed. If I tried to do that I would probably break my wrist.

I missed yesterday so I need two things I am grateful for. Hmm... Yesterday I think I have to say I was grateful for the weekend. I was so tired last night all I wanted to do was go to bed and sleep forever. Today I am grateful for sleeping in (there is a theme to my gratefulness). When I woke up and saw it was 9:20am, I was really happy.

Daily task:

I did not take the elevator today. Or yesterday.

Sleepy time

2008-08-07T21:55:00.001-04:00

I'm exhausted. This week seemed to go by really fast. I hope the weekend is fun...I could use something fun.

Today I am grateful for getting lots of things done all in one day.

Daily task:

I did not take the elevator today.

Ow

2008-08-06T22:31:00.003-04:00

My legs hurt so much I can barely move. Ow.

This has to be a quick post because I am super tired. Today I am grateful for great running trails by Kristin's house.

Daily task:

I did not take the elevator today. This has been a long (half) month with no elevator. Wish my office wasn't on the fourth floor and the lab in the sub-basement.

Make up day

2008-08-05T21:09:00.004-04:00

I didn't post yesterday. Oops. I didn't get home from work until almost 10pm, and I just didn't have the energy to get online. I will make up for it tonight.

I walked home from school tonight, although I didn't really mean to. I forgot there was no bus at 7:22pm during the summer, so I just walked for a bit, and then forgot to stop for the bus when it was nearing time for it to go by. Oh well. I made it in about 75 minutes. I was moving pretty slow, and I stopped to take some pictures of this sculpture by the med school that I really like.

Today I am grateful for catching up on my blog. Yesterday I was grateful for my experiment going well. I might get to cross off number 4 soon! Tomorrow I hope I am grateful for making it through a long run with Kristin and Beth.

I am halfway done with the second book in the Sword of Truth series I am reading. There are a total of eleven books, so hopefully I will keep up the pace. I just found out that they are making a television series out of the first book! I guess it was announced a long time ago. Here is a press release written by the author about the show. The show is being produced by Disney, so I don't know what they are going to do about all the parts of the book that are not only grisly but sometimes fairly disturbing. I hope they don't ruin the story by dumbing it down.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today or yesterday.

I did not have any meat today or yesterday. I almost made a ham sandwich tonight! I remembered at the last minute and it became a cheese sandwich. I am thankful to be done with that one... I think my minimal cooking skills as well as my lack of creativity with food prevent me from being a very good vegetarian. Maybe trying new foods and recipes for my list will help me out with this.

Edamame

2008-08-03T20:16:00.005-04:00

Well, I took a stab at numbers 53 and 54 tonight. I think it turned out pretty well. It ended up looking a little strange, but it tasted pretty good. We made Edamame with Mustard Vinaigrette. Shelling the edamame took FOREVER, but I couldn't find it shelled in the store. Our one pound bag turned into about a quarter of a pound when it was all done. Paul made a fruit salad and biscuits. It was the most colorful dinner I have had in a long time.

Yesterday Paul and I went to Borders and hung out. I was reading Runner's World, so that is where I got the idea to start the running log. They also had a lot of interesting articles about the best shoes/gear/etc. There was one story about a guy who ran across the U.S. with his dad. They did 3330 miles in 112 days. That's 30 miles a day! Whew.

Today I am grateful for trying new things.

Daily tasks:

I did not eat any meat today.

I did not take the elevator today.

I wanted to start my week of drinking tea every day, but I forgot to get some at the store. Maybe next time.

I has a racoon

2008-08-02T18:02:00.005-04:00

OMG he is so cute. I know that racoons are not, in general, very nice animals. And the two that Paul discovered living in our apartment's garbage bin (the outside one, thankfully) are probably no exception, but they are just so damn adorable. I want one.

Today Beth, Paul, and I went for a short run around the neighborhood. I started logging our runs on Runner's World, which tracks the routes you run and lists a bunch of stats, depending on how much info you give it. The stats for our last few runs are in the upper right corner of my blog. If you click on the links, you can see the route. The exciting thing is that, according to Lance Armstrong on Beth's Nike + Ipod sport kit, we went two miles in 19.5 minutes! I'm crossing off number 51!

Today I am grateful for making goals and meeting them. I'll change it to nine minutes now.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I did not eat any meat today.

It's Friday!

2008-08-01T20:29:00.004-04:00

I am so happy for the weekend! Paul and I went to the dollar ($1.75) theater to see Iron Man tonight. I thought it was actually really good. When I saw previews it looked sort of lame, but it was better than most action hero movies I have seen. RDJr. did a good job.

Today I am grateful for the weekend. No getting up early!

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I did not eat any meat today.

Vegetarian #2

2008-07-31T22:06:00.004-04:00

Whew. Beth, Paul and I went running down to CVS and back tonight. Google says it is about 1.4 miles from my door to the corner where the store is. I managed to make it the whole way without walking, but the end was really hard. The long break while I was in the store made it tough to get going again. Paul and I did pushups right before the run, too, so I'm guessing I'll be a little sore tomorrow.

Today I am grateful for love.

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I did not have any meat today. And come to think of it, I didn't have any yesterday either...

Best Buy part 2

2008-07-30T20:28:00.007-04:00

Well, I had another chat with Best Buy tonight. It is still completely my fault for paying my account early, but they have agreed to take off the finance charge and not charge me interest if I promise not to do it again. I swore I would never pay early again. I switched my bank account to pay every two weeks instead of once a month, so they can't trick me again. Before he would let me off the phone, the rep tried to sell me insurance on my account balance. I said I wasn't interested and then he asked if I wanted to be a burden on my family if I lost my job or became disabled. I said yes.

My camera came last night! I gave my old one to Paul so I am crossing that off my list. I took this picture of a Saleen Mustang that belongs to someone in our apartment complex. I took the picture with my left hand behind my back without looking so that the owner wouldn't think I was stalking him. Even so it turned out pretty well. Canon's image stabilization is really helpful. Click on the picture to see it in its full glory.

Yesterday Kristin, Beth, and I went for a 3.6 mile run. We did it in about 45 minutes. Kristen was the one who got us up the last hill. Last week I never would have thought I could make it through a run that far. I was listening to my ipod this time and it really helped a lot. Sometimes I have trouble running with other people because I feel bad if I need to slow down or walk. I tried to run ahead a bit this time so that I could stop if I needed to. Weird things make me anxious.

Today I am grateful for my atom trap density being higher than normal. Well...it seems high because it has been so bad lately. I guess now it is finally normal. I will be really grateful if it stays that good.

I updated my scientific articles file today. I added nine papers to it. Now I just have to read them...

Daily tasks:

I did not drink any soda today. This is my last day! I probably will go a few more days because there is no soda in the apartment. I might just see how long I can keep it up. It's nice not to have the cupboard below the sink overflowing with empty bottles waiting to be recycled. How I wish Michigan didn't have soda deposits...

I did not take the elevator today. I did have to race up the stairs once though. I think that my runs (all three of them) are starting to help.

Taking Data

2008-07-29T15:58:00.004-04:00

I'm taking data right now. Hopefully multi-tasking won't mess me up. One of the cool things about lab is that if you try hard enough, you can make almost anything automatic. I just have to push a button and wait for it to finish. Unfortunately, 75% of the time something stops working in the middle of the scan and I have to stop, fix it, and start over. Like just now...

My camera is here! Well, it is at the apartment office waiting for me to get it. I think I have a lot of reading ahead of me so I can learn how to use it.

Today I am grateful for the shoulders of giants. I'm getting a lot of help from former group members about what to do after graduate school. I really appreciate that they are taking the time to write to me.

Daily tasks:

I did not drink any soda today.

I did not take the elevator today. I also didn't have to take the stairs, but I might before the day is out.

Home again

2008-07-28T20:06:00.005-04:00

Whew! I made it home in 65 minutes today. That's a 14.4 minute mile (Google disenchanted me and told me it was only 4.5 miles).

Today I am thankful for books on mp3. There's no way I'd get all the reading on my list done without my ipod!

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I did not have any soda today. I have two days left and I think I am doing well. I was worried I'd get headaches because no soda means no caffeine, but I haven't felt anything at all. Maybe it is all the chocolate I am eating...

CV

2008-07-27T18:01:00.002-04:00

I updated my CV. Here it is. This counts for number 9 and one point on number 10!

And now...

2008-07-27T10:52:00.006-04:00

Now that I am done with my ranting...

Beth and I went for a run yesterday. I felt like I was going to die. We went 2.2 miles (according to google) and I think I ran a little more than half the way. I forgot to look at the time before we left so I don't know how long it took. We might go again later today if it is not too hot.

Today I am thankful for friends. The movie and dinner was really fun yesterday (thanks Kristin!) and I know I couldn't have run that far by myself.

I found the cable to hook my phone to my computer! This is number 99! Here are some pictures:

Mark and me at last year's DAMOP conference

Helicopter landing at U of M Hospital

Paul and me at Michigan vs. Penn State last year

Ferrari I saw by the bus stop at school

Carvings in the galley
This is from the cruise I went on with my mom earlier this year. In the middle of the table is foie gras. I tried it. It was o.k.

Frozen tree on the diag
My phone doesn't have the best options for pictures at night time. This was as still as I could hold the camera.

Daily tasks:

I will not take the elevator today.

I will not drink any soda today.

Best Buy is a piece of...

2008-07-27T09:27:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I currently owe best buy about $1200 for the tv I bought last year. It's one of those three year finance deals where you don't have to pay any interest UNLESS you make a late payment and then they charge you back interest until you owe about twice as much as you originally did. And this month, that is exactly what they did.

I know why they have these no interest deals - it's because they know more than half the people are going to accidentally pay late, and then you owe ten times the interest you would have owed on just a regular old finance plan. It makes complete sense. However, I think I manage my money pretty well (just use automatic bill pay, right?) so I think these no interest deals are great. Not paying for three years is practically like getting 30% off!

However, now I owe back interest on the past year, and my no interest financing plan is kaput. On top of that, they smacked me with a $39 late fee. And they sent me a mean letter. And quite frankly, they weren't very pleasant on the phone either.

Except...I didn't even pay late. I paid...early? My bank sends a payment once a month, but this month they sent the payment two days early because of a weekend. Best Buy says I paid twice in one billing cycle and now this month's payment is LATE. i.e. you now owe us interest on the past year of payments. Thanks, have a good day. I asked why on earth I would want to pay twice in one billing cycle, and she emphatically professed that plenty of people like to do that. Why not sneak that extra payment in one day before the next cycle?

Thanks Best Buy, you're the best.

Hand wash!

2008-07-26T10:18:00.000-04:00

I get to cross something off my list! I am cleaning the apartment this morning and doing laundry, so I thought it would be a good day to try number 78. Everything is still all wet, so I hope once it dries everything is okay. The directions said to dry the clothes by rolling them up in a towel, but the towel I used had all kinds of lint on it and didn't work so well...oops, I guess I will know better next time.

Today I am grateful for fresh breezes. I have all the windows open and it is saving me a bundle on air conditioning.

Daily tasks:

I will not take the elevator today. Well, since I am at home there is no elevator to take, but I will probably use the stairs in my apartment a few times.

I haven't had any soda today.

Sore on me

2008-07-25T21:01:00.000-04:00

My chest hurts... I tried to do push-ups last night and realized that I have no upper body strength at all. How am I going to do a pull-up?! I walked home from school today so I get to add that to my to do list. I also bought a camera! Ritz didn't have the one I wanted so I got it from Amazon instead. It is supposed to be here on Tuesday. I have to change my list a little bit because I already promised to give my old camera to Paul.

Today I am grateful being sore. It sounds strange, but it means I did something yesterday that was good for my body and will make me stronger. I've been stretching a lot too so hopefully I'll be able to check off number 49 soon!

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I did not drink any soda today.

Day Uno

2008-07-24T20:35:00.000-04:00

Ok, well I failed at number 63, "be vegetarian for a week," because Paul and I went out to Damon's Grill for dinner and I couldn't find anything reasonably healthy that was vegetarian. I ended up with salmon which was pretty tasty. I will try again later. I'm counting this for number 58.

I ran out of soda and I'm not going to Meijer for a while so I think it is a good day to start #56 "no soda for a week". Thank goodness for Crystal Light.

I'm well on my way to completing number 87. My old camera is a Canon A-Series. It has 2MP which was pretty great when I first bought it at the start of college (seven years ago!) but now they make cell phones with 2MP. I have wanted to get a digital elph for a long time, but always decided I didn't want to spend the money. Last month I went to Ritz Camera with Paul and they had a pretty good deal on them, so I might see if I can still get one.

Today I am grateful that I was able to satisfactorily entertain groups of high school students while they toured the lab. How can teenagers be so scary??

Daily tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I did not drink any soda today.

101 Things in 1001 Days

2008-07-23T21:20:00.000-04:00

This is my blog for the 101 Things Project. I completely stole this idea from my friend Kristin. I hope she doesn't mind. The basic idea is to make a list of 101 things that you think you can accomplish in 1001 days. A full description can be found on the website I linked to above, but, it is pretty self-explanatory. I tried to only list things that I have a reasonable chance of accomplishing. I saw a lot of lists that included traveling to on the order of ten different destinations around the globe. Unfortunately I do not have the money or vacation days to do that in 1001 days.

With this post and the previous one, I have completed task number one! Since it is hard to take a picture of that one, I will just post a picture of me, happy about starting my list.

Daily tasks:

Today I am grateful that the weather was nice enough for me to walk about half the way home from school (about 2.5 miles). Not long enough to count for number 50, but good anyway.

Ongoing tasks:

I did not take the elevator today.

I did not eat any meat today.

The List

2008-07-23T20:29:00.040-04:00

The Project

~~Come up with 101 things, post online~~ (updated 7-23-08)

Take a picture of each completed task (if applicable), post online (17/101) (updated 7-23-08, 7-26-08, 7-27-08x2, 7-30-08x2, 8-05-08, 8-08-08, 8-10-08x2, 8-16-08, 8-22-08x2, 9-08-08, 9-29-08x2, 10-30-08)

Academic

Publish a first author paper in graduate school

Have an idea for an experiment, and carry it out to the end

Give two conference presentations (0/2)

Update scientific articles file once a month (3/33) (updated 7-30-08, 9-15-08, 10-20-08)

Go to Saturday Morning Physics

Get my Ph.D in physics

~~Update my CV~~ (updated 7-27-08)

Keep my CV updated by checking it once a month (3/33) (updated 7-27-08, 9-15-08, 10-13-08)

Find and apply for real jobs

Get a real job

Learn Middle East Geography

Life Enrichment

Read all of the Sword of Truth books (6/11) (updated 7-28-08, 8-10-08, 8-20-08, 9-8-08, 9-22-08, 10-13-08)

Read the last Wheel of Time book

Write down something I am grateful for every day (97/1001) (updated 10-30-08)

Do enough research to understand exactly what I will be voting for in November

Do at least one hour per week at the Humane Society (14/143) (updated 8-13-08, 8-28-08, 9-8-08, 10-2-08, 10-9-08, 10-30-08)

Go to an HSHV event

~~Do the HSHV cat comforting orientation~~ (updated 8-10-08)

~~Do the HSHV dog walking orientation~~ (updated 9-8-08)

~~See a stand-up comedian~~ (updated 10-30-08)

See a concert

Learn how to change a tire

Learn how to drive a manual transmission

Pick raspberries three times each season (1/9) (updated 8-24-08)

Grow Roger and Rapha big enough so that they need new pots

Go to the Detroit Zoo

Go to the Henry Ford

Go to the North American International Autoshow

Put together a puzzle

Get a new photo printer

Organize digital photos

Have a picnic

Help someone I don’t know

Learn to play one new thing on the piano really well

Read a new fantasy book series start to finish

Eat by candlelight

Use an entire package of Crest Whitening Strips as directed

Go to a musical

Try meditation

Physical

~~Run in the Big House Big Heart 5K Run~~ (updated 9-28-09)

~~Work out enough so as not to be embarrassed during previous~~ (updated 9-28-09)

Go canoeing

Get a better tennis serve

Play racquetball

Find pull-up bar, mount, do a pull-up (0/3)

~~Go one month without using an elevator (unless extenuating circumstances)~~ (31/31) (updated 8-22-08)

Be able to do the splits again

Walk home from school (4.5 miles) fifteen times (5/15) (updated 7-25-08, 7-28-08, 8-05-08, 8-14-08, 8-20-08)

Run a mile in less than 8 minutes (9 minutes reached on 8-23-08, 10 minutes reached on 8-09-08)

Go to a yoga class

Food and Nutrition

Learn to cook 33 different meals, write down recipe (2/33) (updated 8-03-08, 8-25-08)

Try 33 new foods (3/33) (updated 8-03-08, 9-08-08, 10-30-08)

Go one week without eating any fake sugar (nutrasweet) (0/7)

~~Go one week without drinking soda~~ (7/7) (updated 7-30-08)

Go one week without using a microwave (yikes) (0/7)

Go out with friends to a restaurant once a month (4/33) (Stucchi’s counts) (updated 7-24-08, 7-27-08, 9-15-08, 10-10-08)

Bring food to work once a month (3/33) (updated 8-11-08, 9-08-08)

Cook something with raspberries I picked one time each season (1/3) (updated 8-25-08)

Grow an herb plant and use the herbs to cook something

~~Drink a cup of tea every day for a week~~ (7/7) (updated 8-16-08)

~~Be vegetarian for a week~~ (7/7) (updated 8-05-08)

Relationships

Meet 33 new people (2/33) (updated 8-15-08, 9-22-08)

Start a conversation with a stranger

Travel

Go on a road trip

Go to a club in Chicago

Go to New York and see the Today Show

Go hiking in Arizona

Go to Millenium Park with my mom

See Niagara falls

Find a new place in Ann Arbor

Home

Clean out and organize closet, keep clean for at least a month

~~Organize and clean jewelry~~ (updated 8-10-08)

Clean out room next to balcony, document what is there

Go through filing cabinet

~~Hand wash something~~ (updated 7-26-08)

Financial

Fully fund Roth IRA for 2009

Fully fund Roth IRA for 2010

Fully fund Roth IRA for 2011

Random

Pimp a snack

Paint a picture

Paint a room

Go to a drive-in movie

Learn how to use eyeliner

~~Buy a new camera, donate old one to boyfriend~~ (updated 7-30-08)

~~Cut my hair like~~ Crush (updated 8-22-08)

Wash my car by hand

Go to the bookstore once a month and just sit (3/33) (updated 8-2-08, 8-17-08, 10-9-08)

Buy a great pair of boots

Make an origami sculpture

Beat Final Fantasy XIII

~~Do a cartwheel outside~~ (updated 8-08-08)

Make a snow angel

Build a snowman

Check out a DVD from the media library

Win something at an arcade

~~Figure out where the cable is for getting pictures off my cell phone~~ (updated 7-27-08)

Create a picture in Photoshop that I love

Host a Mystery Dinner Party