More on immigration

So you all know that I generally have some pretty pro-immigration views. After all, my current household has benefited greatly from immigrant labor. But I also think nations do have the right to control their own borders. My father-in-law, a first generation immigrant to the U.S., once told me he thinks there should only be one factor in considering U.S. immigration policy - whether each and every immigrant seeking entry would help make the U.S. a better place.

I'm a little more liberal than that. On the other hand, some proposals seem a little bit out there. This story in The Washington Times would fit that mold:

"Congress will approve an immigration bill that will grant citizenship rights to most of the 12 million to 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S. after Democrats take control next month, predict both sides on Capitol Hill. While Republicans have been largely splintered on the issue of immigration reform, Democrats have been fairly unified behind the principle that the illegals currently in the country should get citizenship rights without having to first leave the country...

With President Bush as an ally in the White House [] Democrats will proceed next year with legislation to ultimately make citizens out of most of the illegals now in the country. And Republicans, still reeling from deep losses in the November elections, will give up the fight. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, said he expects an immigration-reform bill that doesn't deport illegal aliens to be the only significant legislation to come out of the new Democratic Congress and win Mr. Bush's approval.

'The only real legislation that can be expected from Congress is amnesty,' he said. 'If they come up with a plan and the president is behind it, it will pick up a lot of our own members.'"

Diversity, open-mindedness and violent assaults

Another tale of students at a Michigan University displaying unbelievable hypocrisy, this time at Michigan State. On Thursday, anti-immigration Congressman Tom Tancredo was scheduled to give at speech at Michigan State's law school when protestors twice emptied the building by pulling a fire alarm and violently assaulted those who supported the Congressman.

Here's the story from the Denver Post. The State News, MSU's student newspaper, has an account here.

From the Post:

"Violence erupted at a Michigan law school Thursday when protestors tried to block a speech by Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo. Police were called after protestors pulled a fire alarm prior to the speech on immigration policies. There were at least three violent incidents with protestors targeting student backers of the event, Tancredo, R-Littleton, said today.

'One was spit on, one was kicked, and one was punched,' Tancredo said in an e-mail. 'Tires were also slashed'... Protestors interrupted the speech with loud shouting... Tancredo said in the email that protestors organized on the Internet social networking site Facebook.

'They declared ahead of time on facebook that they would not allow me to speak,' Tancredo said in the e-mail."

I'm no fan of Tom Tancredo. I strongly disagree with his overly narrow views on immigration and his animosity toward immigrants generally. But this type of behavior by college students is unbelievable. When you react violently to a person giving a speech and presenting their views simply because you disagree with what they are saying, to me that demonstrates a profound lack of confidence in your own views and the ability to convince people of the truth.

It makes you wonder what these "students" are being taught in the classroom if they are so quick to resort to violence when presented with views they disagree with.

The most wonderful time of the year

Well, today's December 1st, so I guess I can no longer avoid getting in "The Holiday Spirit." Not that I'm a Scrooge, but I think it is so lame to be shopping for Christmas before Halloween and listening to Christmas music at Thanksgiving dinner. So I've been kind of ignoring it; like if I don't acknowledge it then it doesn't exist.

Today I guess I'm ready. Especially considering that we have four parties to go to this weekend, three of which are explicitely Christmas related. Tonight we have the Ave student party, which has become quite a tradition here and promises to be pretty fun.

Tomorrow night we have Naj's residency "holiday" party. (The University of Michigan apparently has an official policy against acknowledging there is any such thing as Christmas, though I've noticed their holiday party is always at the same time every year. I'm sure it's a coincidence).

On Sunday I may stop in at the Law Review Christmas party, though I'm not yet sure. But the party I'm looking forward to most is tomorrow afternoon at the Vansciver's. So far I think it's just going to be me, Luke, Kurt, Megan and the baby. No tie, no mingling, no Christmas music. Just three old, good, friends and one new friend chilling out and talking about the mysteries of life. Now that's a party.

Starbuck's Trivia

What is the most venemous animal in the world?

Answer

Women talk more than men? Uh, yeah.

From the Londan Daily Mail

"It is something one half of the population has long suspected - and the other half always vocally denied. Women really do talk more than men.

In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man. Women also speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit-chat - and actually get a buzz out of hearing their own voices, a new book suggests.

The book - written by a female psychiatrist - says that inherent differences between the male and female brain explain why women are naturally more talkative than men. In The Female Mind, Dr Luan Brizendine says women devote more brain cells to talking than men.

And, if that wasn't enough, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high. Dr Brizendine, a self-proclaimed feminist, says the differences can be traced back to the womb, where the sex hormone testosterone moulds the developing male brain.

The areas responsible for communication, emotion and memory are all pared back the unborn baby boy. The result is that boys - and men - chat less than their female counterparts and struggle to express their emotions to the same extent.

'Women have an eight-lane superhighway for processing emotion, while men have a small country road,' said Dr Brizendine, who runs a female "mood and hormone" clinic in San Francisco."

I've never been much of an expert on the femal mind, and I definitely have second thoughts about any research coming from a mood and hormone clinic in San Francisco, but experience around here suggests there might be something to this. The Cheat gets so caught up telling stories sometimes she can get completely dominate a conversation and even has trouble breathing. Me, I just chill on my small country road. I call it Reason Road.

Letter Came Today

"The Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California is delighted to report that you achieved a passing score on the July 2006 administration of the California Bar Examination. Congratulations; you may justly be proud of your achievement."

O.K. I will be.

U of M and the Poor

I've always thought poverty is an under-discussed aspect of the affirmative action debate. The University of Michigan, of course, has gone to great lengths to bring minority students to campus, and it does so pretty regularly at a great cost to better-suited white students.

Meanwhile, I've often theorized that truly underprivileged white kids from rural backgrounds get nothing, while privileged kids from Oakland County who just so happen to be black get welcomed into school and the life of opportunity that comes with a U of M degree. It seemed U of M and the other affirmative action defenders were ignoring the socioeconomic status of those being helped and those being hurt.

Now there is some suggestion this is more than a hunch. From today's Ann Arbor News.

"The University of Michigan is becoming less accessible to students from low-income families, according to a new report from The Education Trust, a national organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap that separates low-income and minority students from other students.

The nonpartisan foundation released a study today that graded the nation's top 50 public universities on their enrollment of underrepresented minority and low-income students.
In its report card, the foundation gave U-M an "F'' for access to low-income students. Twenty-five other schools also were given a failing grade. Seven received an "A,'' including the University of California-Berkeley.

The Education Trust looked at the percentage of students who received a Pell Grant, the federal school aid for low-income students. In 2004, the average family income for all Pell Grant recipients was $19,299.

At U-M, 13.5 percent of students in 2004 received a Pell Grant, down from 28 percent in 1992, according to the study. Meanwhile, 33.9 percent of all students going to a college or university in Michigan received a Pell Grant in 2004, up from 30.6 percent in 1992.

U-M did much better on access to minority students, receiving a "B'' on the foundation's report card, while 27 schools received an "F.'' The foundation considered the percentage of black, Latino and Native American freshmen at U-M in 2004 and compared it to the percentage of those students among the 2004 high school graduates in Michigan."

More California Bar Exam Information

True to form, it turns out the California Bar Exam was once again a very difficult test to pass.

As many of you know, I was not at all confident that I would pass. At one point I was seriously considering not taking the test because I believed I had not prepared enough. In the last few days I have heard from several people who were upset because I had convinced them that I would fail. Please indulge me while I explain how I came to that conclusion myself.

According to the official results, 8,908 took the three-day test. The overall passage rate was just 51.8 percent. First time test-takers such as myself did better (67 percent passage) than repeat takers (those who have failed the California Bar Exam at least once before). Only 15 percent of repeat takers passed.

In addition, lawyers who have been admitted at least four years in another jurisdiction were eligible to skip one of the three days. As I was sworn in to the Michigan Bar less than a year ago, I had to take the full three-day exam. Of the 319 lawyers took the two-day Attorneys' Examination, only 35.7 percent passed.

Thank God I made it. It is a huge relief. Next, before I can be sworn in and become eligible to practice law in California, I have to submit a lengthy character and fitness application and await the results of an investigation into my moral character. I am told this can take as long as eight months. But (hopefully) the hard part is over.

California Bar Exam Results

This is the entirety of the information I recieved tonight. But it really says it all.

"Aaron T. Keesler

The name above appears on the pass list for the July 2006 California Bar Examination."

Needless to say I'm elated. More to come.

Bo Schembechler R.I.P.

On the day before the University of Michigan football team plays one of the biggest games in its rich history, the man who more than anyone else has symbolized Michigan football has died.

Former Coach Bo Schembechler died today at Providence Hospital in Southfield. He was 77. Schembechler was taping his weekly TV show at the Channel 7 studios across the street from the hospital. He was presumably talking about tomorrow's huge game; the first Ohio State - Michigan game ever when the two teams were ranked number one and number two.

It is a sad day in Ann Arbor.

Chicago

Got to go see brother-in-law Will this weekend in Chicago. He's chugging along through his first semester of medical school and seems to be doing very well.

After a particularly difficult anatomy exam we took him out to blow off some steam. I've found from past experiences that there are few better ways to blow off steam than a hookah with friends. You can actually see the steam being blown off. Ding!

After a stressful beginning, Will has pretty much completely settled into his place . The only alarming thing was that he has NO food whatsoever in his apartment. None. I was so famished by the time we got to the grocery store I couldn't wait long enough to take off the pealing.

Reflections from the campaign trail

So we lost. Big. Pete Ricketts was defeated by current Senator Ben Nelson in a romp, Tuesday. Despite using $12 million of is own personal wealth ($61 spent for each vote), he only recieved 36% of the vote in the reddest of red states. Had he won, the Republican party would still control the Senate. Today the Democrats do.

The story can be found here, in today's edition of the Lincoln Journal Star.

I'm not going to say it wasn't discouraging or even really all that fun [some of the time]. Going door to door, dodging dogs and angry Democrats to ask people for their votes is difficult. Telemarketing people to get them to the polls is unpleasant. Challenging voter eligibility and voting procedures is contentious at times. We worked very hard, very long hours and really did our best to get this guy elected.

All of this sucks even more when you realize that the election was such a landslide that literally nothing I did the entire time made a lick of difference in the grand scheme of things. I could have stayed home and nothing would have been different.

But I did learn this: If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone and do unpleasant things you never imagined you would do. Like spending vacation time at the Super 8 in Omaha Nebraska, away from my wife, doing telemarketing and not sleeping.

There is a famous quote from Theorodore Roosevelt that I thought about today and thought I would share:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

I don't want to be too dramatic, but I felt a little bit like that today. Then I came home to Ann Arbor to a beautiful and loving wife and ate dinner with her while we talked about her day at work. And I realized maybe everything will be OK after all.

Attack Ads

It's getting ugly here in Nebraska.

Tomorrow's the big day

Finally getting to the lawyerly stuff in the morning. Going to Lincoln to go from polling place to polling place challenging shady voter's ability to cast ballots. I haven't done this before, so I'm a little unsure how it will go, though I have no doubt it will get contentious at times. I'll have more in a few days to tell you guys how it goes.

Say this fast 100 times an hour

While people are trying to eat their dinner.

"Hi my name is Aaron and I'm a volunteer calling from the local Republican campaign headquarters. Republican Pete Ricketts is running for the United States Senate to lower your taxes, control government spending and bring change to Washington. The race in Nebraska could decide who controls the United States. Senate. It's important that you get to the polls and vote on November 7 for Pete Ricketts, Congressman Lee Terry and our Republican team. I hope we can count on your support on Election Day. Make sure you get to the polls to vote. Than you, have a good day. This cal was paid for by Nebraska families for Pete Ricketts."

FUN!

Who is this man?

And why am I spending four days in Nebraska to help him?

This is Pete Ricketts, heir to the Ameritrade fortune and a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska. He's challenging popular Democrat incumbent Ben Nelson. Probably his most intelligent move of the campaign to date was hiring my close friends, Josh and Nikki Shasserre, to work on his campaign staff.

Josh is in charge of lawyerly stuff and asked for my help on election day and in the days leading up to it. I like Pete Ricketts politics and I really like Josh and Nikki, so I jumped at the chance to help out. Not to mention I'll be meeting up with a few law school friends who have also donated their services. One friend, Mike Bryan, has been partying in Key West for so long I can't remember when he left.

I'm really looking forward to seeing these guys, working hard for Pete and, just maybe, striking a blow for justice. I'll keep you guys updated as the week goes by.

Wanna vote pro-life next week?

Michigan Right to Life has endorsed candidates in the coming election from the top of the ballot to the bottom. You can find their endorsements, broken down by congressional district, here. I always print the list for my district and take it with me right into the polling place.

Vegas, Baby. Vegas.

Just got back from Naj's big diarrhea party in Las Vegas.

Here I am chilling with my Doggs on the strip. Notice the short sleeves in late October, even at night. Ding! (And of course the Starbuck's cup is never far from my Lyrical reach)

Here's me and my chicka kicking it. What do you guys think of my new military hairdo?

Here she is with her poster discussing the benefits and disadvantages of diahrea. She ultimately came out against it. Sure looks hot in that suit, though.

Hiking at Red Rock Canyon in the desert just a few minutes from the strip. This was my favorite part of the trip.

Raw milk operation continues

Apparently the raw milk hippies are back in business. According to this story in the Ann Arbor News, Richard Hebron is still selling unpasteurized milk to co-op members ($6.25 per gallon for boarding of cows and transferring the milk to it's "rightful owners"). But instead of bringing it to the store where I went to pick it up this summer, he's taking it to a farm near Ann Arbor and selling it out of a barn.

"Richard Hebron pulled his food-filled truck up to a barn in Lodi Township and got back to business Friday - two weeks after the state Department of Agriculture confiscated a load of his food worth $7,000.

Hebron - whose cell phone, computer and home files also were seized - said he was pleased to have some money coming in again after his involuntary hiatus.

In turn, members of the Family Foods Cooperative said they were happy to make the bumpy, muddy trek to the country to buy the food they swear by.

'The milk, meat and eggs are of exceptional quality, so we've been very pleased,' said Susan Gavrilides, of Ypsilanti, who said her family is much healthier since switching to nonpasteurized milk a year ago."

We also hear from Mary Greiner, a local family practice doctor who drinks raw milk herself and recommends it to her patients. "Raw, or unpasteurized milk, is a superior product,'' she said. "I think unpasteurized milk should be legalized and available in stores."

The most important aspect of the story, however, is the status of the criminal investigation and whether or not The Lyrical Gangster is likely to get caught up in the dragnet. The news is not good.

"No charges have been filed, but MDA spokeswoman Jennifer Quimby said the investigation has expanded beyond Michigan. She said she couldn't provide many details. 'I can just tell you that we are working cooperatively with other states and federal agencies in reviewing the evidence,'' she said." Crap.

More raw milk news

The comments section is especially hot these days. You guys really ought to check them regularly. One item that simply had to be brought to the forefront is this, from one of the other cow share operators in Michigan. Notice our friendly farmer does not identify him or herself. Probably trying to keep a low profile considering all the heat on these guys lately. Anyway, here is the full comment:

"Milk does not come from the belly of a cow. It comes from the udder of the cow. And as one of 4 other cow share operators in the state ,I am not a "goofy" farmer but a wise farmer who serves other well respected people of this state. If you were ever to see my customer list, you would wonder what these people knew that you didn't know about milk. It a wierd world that we live in. It would be easier for us to produce liquor than it is raw milk. And we could even sell that too - instead of the crop that it came from. In other states it's perfectly fine to buy raw milk. Hopefully, Cheeseburger can find another source for her milk soon."

OK. My "goofy" comment was probably a little over the top. I guess. But do we really have to get into the anatomical discussion about which part of the cow the milk comes from. Belly is a pretty generic term anyway. And I'm no raw milk farmer or anything, but where do you suppose the udder is located?

I wonder if our anonymous farmer is trying to get Cheeseburger as a new customer. Incindentally, she told me today that now that her source has, um, dried up, she has gotten on a WAITING LIST for GOAT'S MILK from Lapeer. Raw goat's milk, natch. So if she's selected she'll be buying a share of a goat to go along with her fractional ownership of a soon to be indicted cow. Some people collect baseball cards.

Cheeseburger unveiled

A west coast reader had inquired into whether or not Cheeseburger is single and whether or not I have a picture of her. I always aim to please. First, yes, she is single. And second, here is the picture. It's kind of an old picture, but I thought it was appropriate considering she is engaged in her favorite activity.

Despite Universities efforts, black enrollment at UM is down

To say the University of Michigan is aggressive in its efforts to recruit black students would be a monumental understatement. Aside from the University's famed victory at the Supreme Court, apparently the University President is personally visiting black churches to recruit black students. But for some reason it isn't working.

From the Ann Arbor News:

"The University of Michigan this fall has the highest enrollment in its history, but one group of students that the university is working to increase - black students entering with the freshman class - has declined. The fall freshman class of 5,339 includes 330 black students - the fewest in nearly a decade. Black freshmen make up 6.4 percent of the class, down from 7.5 percent last year... Because [the] university wanted its freshman class to be smaller, it offered admission to fewer students. But part of that equation this year is alarming to U-M officials because fewer black students applied while the applications from all other students went up. Applications from black students dropped by 5 percent. Overall, applications were up 8 percent to 25,806, just short of a record set in 2003."

I've never been a big fan of the government treating people differently based on the color of their skin. And my own personal anecdotal experience seems to suggest that race-based affirmative action programs don't help the downtrodden, but often give wealthy black students who are on the bubble academically an unfair advantage over other students similarly situated. On November 2, Michigan residents will vote on whether or not to effectively outlaw affirmative action in the state. Interesting that it seems to be taking care of itself somewhat here at U of M.

On how I got caught up in a sophisticated criminal enterprise

Today's Ann Arbor News arrives with this story about local police taking down a criminal conspiracy right here in Ann Arbor. And it turns out I might be involved.

See, there's this goofy girl I work with who shall remain nameless - though I will tell you her gang name is Cheeseburger - who is a health food fanatic. When I say health food, I'm sure most of you are thinking fruits and vegetables, salad as the main course, maybe a little vegetarian, whatever. That's not what I'm talking about. Cheeseburger buys all her groceries on the Internet. All-organic is the minimum, including sun tan lotion. As far as I can tell, she has never eaten anything I have ever heard of or can even pronounce. She's out there, frankly. Which is fine... until The Lyrical Gangster gets drug into it. Which is exactly what happened about a month ago.

She came to me frantically one Friday morning with a very strange and urgent request. She had a two-hour window to pick up two gallons of milk on the other side of town or she would lose her monthly dairy supply. She couldn't get away from work and asked me if I would go on my lunch hour and help her out. This is where it gets weird.

It seems Cheeseburger actually owns part of a cow. She had signed up for a cow share program where she basically bought a fraction of a cow, sort of like a time share condo arrangement. This gives her the right to legally purchase non-pastuerized milk, otherwise known as raw milk. I am not making this up. Apparently in Cheeseburger's world, when dairies pasteurize their milk so it doesn't kill you this is a bad thing because the corporate conglomerate, Bush Administration blah blah blah is engaged in this big conspiracy to take all the health benefits out of the milk we drink. Of course drinking non-pasteurized milk can be very dangerous, which is why it is illegal to sell it in Michigan. The only people who can even drink it are people who own and board their own cows. Thus is born the cow share program.

These goofy farmers take their milk directly from the cow, skip the pastuerization, put it in jugs and bring it to Ann Arbor once a month where the hippies who "own" part of the cow line up to buy it. And Cheeseburger couldn't make it to the other side of town to pick it up. So she asked me to go and, after some negotiation, I agreed.

When I arrived at the wine and cheese shop she had directed me to I didn't notice any customers at all, especially not a huge line of raw milk drinking hippies. I walked over to the lady behind the counter and told her I was here to pick up some milk. She gave me a knowing look and told me to follow her. She took me into the store's backroom and then down these rickety stairs into a shady looking basement. And there they were. A huge line of Kerry-supporting, long haired 60's holdouts waiting to buy milk that only hours ago was being drained from the belly of a cow. It was like some Prohibition era speakeasy. You wouldn't guess from the outside what was going on and only those select few who knew the secret were allowed in.

I waited forever, found Cheeseburger's order form (placed, as required, a couple days in advance), paid an outrageous price and left with my two gallons of milk. Other than the weirdness, I hadn't really thought about it much until today when the whole system was busted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and the state police.

Here's a portion of the story from the Ann Arbor News:

"Every Friday morning, about 100 people show up at the Morgan & York wine and specialty shop on Packard Street to pick up their weekly orders of raw, unpasteurized milk as well as eggs, chickens, honey and other naturally grown food delivered straight from three Michigan farms.

But last week, the members of a local food co-op waited in vain - the delivery truck never arrived. En route to Ann Arbor, poultry and beef farmer Richard Hebron of Vandalia was stopped by state police troopers, who seized his load of goods under a search warrant obtained by the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

The MDA says it is investigating possible violations of the state's food and dairy laws, including the selling of unpasteurized milk, in Washtenaw County and Cass County, where Hebron lives...

Authorities seized 450 gallons of Hebron's raw milk, as well as fresh cream, kefir, buttermilk, yogurt, butter, all the milk coolers, invoices for that day's distribution and his cell phone, Hebron said.

Attorney Peter Kennedy of Weston A. Price Foundation in Sarasota, Fla., who is acting as an adviser to Hebron, said the investigation was touched off last April when a Washtenaw County woman's three children became sick. She told her doctor she thought they'd become sick from pasteurized milk, but added that she also bought raw milk from the co-op.

That doctor followed up with the county health department, which passed the information on to the MDA, Kennedy said. The MDA began a sting operation. An agent joined the co-op and bought raw milk from Hebron from May through October. The milk was tested, and found to be fine, Kennedy said."

To make a long story short, the cops and the state are accusing the farmers of selling unmarked or mislabeled goods.

I'm not sure Cheeseburger even knows about the bust, but her fellow hippies are enraged.

"For two years, co-op member Diane Thal Gluck of Ann Arbor has bought everything she can from Hebron, right down to bones for the family dog. She's convinced that raw, unpasteurized and unhomogenized milk is superior, and feels better getting her milk from cattle that are not given hormones. 'I'm outraged this is what the Department of Agriculture chooses to do with our (tax) money,' Thal Gluck said. She said she believes the state's laws should be changed to allow for the sale of raw milk. 'It seemed that extraordinary, almost odd measures were taken against someone trying to sell a healthy product,' her husband, Peter Gluck, said. 'You can investigate, but to attempt to put a farmer out of business is a little beyond investigation. It's intimidation. We understand the issues, but this is a little harsh...'"

The farmer has sent an e-mail to his customers (I'll try to get a copy) saying he will be back at the Ann Arbor store to sell his goods tomorrow. You can bet I won't be standing in line this time.

Reader e-mail

Cheeseburger responds:

"Hey,
I’m happy to see you too. you just bum-rushed me with this whole raw milk thing this morning and I had 87 emails and 6 voice messages, one of which was michelle telling me to call her as soon as I got in. just a bit overwhelming.

Cannot believe you put me on the blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You’re lucky you did not put my name on there.

The way I see it, here is the most important part of the story and people should stop freaking out.

"That doctor followed up with the county health department, which passed the information on to the MDA, Kennedy said. The MDA began a sting operation. An agent joined the co-op and bought raw milk from Hebron from May through October. The milk was tested, and found to be fine, Kennedy said."

Pasteurization only came about in the ‘30’s or 40’s. what do people think human beings have done for THOUSANDS of years?"

Editor's note: Please listen to Cheeseburger. She is a wise health sage.

The accused speaks

Here's the full text of the e-mail from Richard Hebron, who was busted with the illicit milk. Mr. Hebron sent this message to his, um, supporters, including Cheeseburger, who sent it along to me.

"Dear Family Farms Coop Customer,
We are sending out this e-mail with the help of our customers to inform you of the events of 10/13/06.

I was on my way to our buyer’s club in Ann Arbor Michigan on Friday, 10/13/06 when I was pulled over by the state police just out side of Ann Arbor. I was served with a search warrant for the delivery truck by Mike Yuhuz from the Michigan State Agricultural Department. At this time they seized 450 gallons of raw milk, 29 quarts of fresh cream, 11 quarts of kefir, 4 quarts of buttermilk, 9 quarts of yogurt, and 29 pounds of butter, my cell phone, all of our milk coolers, and invoices for that day’s distributions. They refused me any calls to distribution location to inform our customers of my delay or Annette. When I asked why they were doing this, Mike Yuhuz’s reply was “You are distributing unmarked products.” After they realized they couldn’t haul all the seized products in their minivan, Mike Yuhuz gave me the option of reloading my truck and hauling products to Lansing for them or seizing my truck and products and leave me responsible for my own way home. I agreed to take the products to Lansing for them if they would release my truck to me to drive home.

I was released from East Lansing at 2:30 p.m. to return home only to find at the same time that same morning Annette was served with a warrant and our property at which time they seized our computer (NOTE: we still do not have our computer or email!!) all cow share records, cow herd release agreements, rolodex, invoices, current order sheets, products sheets, delivery schedules, and all raw dairy products in storage on the farm. Upon reading the warrant at home, I found that a customer of ours at the Ann Arbor location was a Michigan Department of Agriculture agent who had signed a cow share contract in early May after he tried to purchase milk the week before without a cow share contract. He made 10 purchases of various products between May and October 2006. It was noted in the warrant the milk was tested to be and proven to be raw milk of very high quality by the Michigan Department of Agriculture on more than one occasion. At this time, there are no charges pending investigation. I have been in contact with Peter Kennedy, attorney for the Weston A. Price Foundation, and Aajonus Vonderplanitz, an attorney who orginally set up our cow share program.

On Friday, 10/20/06, we will make delivery to Morgan & York in Ann Arbor at the regular time, then go on to Birmingham Unitarian Church for delivery at the regular time with meat and egg products. At this time, the only way to order is by our home phone, 269-476-8883. Regarding Chicago area deliveries, we hope to make a delivery of all products 10/23/06 to scheduled locations at scheduled times. As for this Monday, 10/16, we will be at scheduled locations at scheduled times with as many products as possible. We don’t have any current orders for what was seized on Friday.
Call the home number for orders 269-476-8883. Annette and I thank you all for your support and prayers over the past two days. We look forward to serving all of you again soon. Richard and Annette Hebron and family.
The officials with the Michigan Department of Agriculture who searched and seized both property from our truck and property from our home are listed below with phone and fax numbers.
Terrance Philibec, Dairy Supervisor, MDA, direct phone: 616-356-0600; fax: 616-356-0622
Mike Yuhuz, Elizabeth Hunt, MDA agents: 989-757-7501
We will very soon send another email with suggestions for action you can take, especially with contacts and testimonials to Michigan State representatives who are willing to help us right now. Please stay tuned.”

Banned: The rally towel

OK, maybe not banned, but I was pleased to see the Tigers announced today they will stop giving away those stupid rally towels that people were twirling during the league championship series.

Here's my thing with rally towels. They were pretty cool the first time or first few times. I still remember when Minnesota Twins fans used them in the early 90's and the whole stadium was this sea of white. But now they're such a cliche. It's like an official announcement goes out that your team is moving through the playoffs and might be pretty good so we better get a bunch of these stupid towels so fans can waive them when they're too bored to pay attention to THE WORLD SERIES!!!

I mean if ever there was a special team, it's this year's Tigers. So why are we borrowing everyone's else's stupid towel thing. I say goodbye and good riddence.

Starbucks trivia

Who was the starting pitcher the last time the Tigers won the World Series?

Answer

Go Blue

I'm still a little too emotional to discuss the fact that the Tigers are in the World Series (sorry, more on this later), but did you guys see that Michigan is quietly undefeated and number 2 in the nation? I'd really hate to be Ohio State. I mean I would always hate to be Ohio State, but especially now. They're done.

P.S. World Series tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. Anybody wanna buy me some?

Snow

It's been cooling off quite a bit here in Ann Arbor the last few weeks. You can definitely tell winter is coming, slowly. But today was a tough milestone in the annual march toward winter. When I left for work this morning I noticed an alarming thing. As the garage door opened I saw a very light snow flying through the air.

At first I wasn't sure, or maybe I didn't want to admit it, but as I backed out and looked through the windshield it was unmistakable and undeniable. Like I said, I knew it was coming. I'm just not sure I'm ready. I mean, the Tigers are still playing baseball for Pete's sake.

To be honest, snow itself doesn't bother me. A lot of people talk about how much they hate snow, but I think what they're really saying is they hate winter and snow is the most obvious indicator of winter. I've always thought snow is pretty. And not only that, it seems to me that it doesn't snow when it is super cold, so snow can actually be an indication that the weather in fact isn't that bad.

Cockroach eating promotion

Six Flags theme parks are having cockroach eating contests in celebration of Halloween. According to this story from Reuters, the deal is if you eat a "live Madagascar hissing cockroach," (Wow. Hissing.) you can get in free or even jump ahead of lines. Of course PETA is flipping out -- "Insects do not deserve to be eaten alive especially for a gratuitous marketing gimmick." Especially for marketing.

According to Reuters, though, "the only complaints [Six Flags] received were from people who did not have the opportunity to sign up and eat a cockroach because only 12 of its 30 parks in the United States, Canada, and Mexico were participating in the promotion." OK stop right there. Can you imagine calling a theme park and complaining that the park near your home doesn't offer a cockroach eating contest?

In case you're wondering, by the way, a Madagascar hissing cockroach is a "large, wingless cockroach[] that can grow to between 1.5 to 3 inches." Six Flags says "the cockroaches were raised in a sterile environment and were as safe to eat as shrimp or lobster with high nutritional value."

Happy Ramadan Part 2

If you listened to the first post below, you had to see this coming. It's the dance mix version. Very funny. Listen to the first post before listening to this one.

Thanks to Will for keeping his eyes peeled. The rest of you are also encouraged to send along important news items such as this.

http://webfiles.berkeley.edu/elnachef/public_html/TheNicePodkhaledyounis.mp3

Happy Ramadan

I recieved this from an alert reader, in celebration of Ramadan. Thought I should share it with all of you.

https://webfiles.berkeley.edu/elnachef/public_html/Sound1.mp3

Tigers Mania

Last night was the first time playoff baseball has been played in Detroit since I was 13 years old. More than 43,000 fans showed up to see the first playoff game ever played at Comerica Park. I remember times when there couldn't have been more than a few hundred of us poor souls suffering through another humiliating loss at Tiger Satdium. (Hint: don't try to start the wave when entire sections of a huge stadium are completely empty).

Of course we couldn't get tickets last night. But Naj and I stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings (a huge, gaudy suburban sports bar with about a million giant TV screens) after we hit the mall for a few hours. What we saw was awesome. First, the place was packed and very loud; people watching baseball on TV at a bar and cheering even strikeouts. Hadn't seen anything like that before.

We saw a 41-year-old guy named Kenny Rogers pitch one of the best games I have seen pitched in a very long time. He threw pitch after pitch of simply unhittable balls and brought an intensity you seldom see in sports. It was a masterpiece. And we listened to 88-year-old legendary Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell, long ago retired and a personal hero of mine, call an inning on ESPN as the amateurs sat back and watched.

You have to understand. I'm a sports fan, sure. I love Michigan (currently undefeated), the Pistons, Red Wings, etc. But the Tigers are different. Maybe that's because baseball is different. I'm not sure I can really explain it. Many of you reading this are nodding right now. For those who aren't, you really have to see it first hand to understand.

For me, last night was the feeling I've been waiting a very long time for. I hope the Tigers go on to finish the Yankees off later today, but if they don't I have to say last night was worth it. For a few moments, at a bar in Novi, my Tigers were playing baseball in October, Detroit was rocking and Kenny Rogers owned the New York Yankees. I won't soon forget it.

The Ann Arbor OutFest has a Beer Tent

I guess I didn't know gay people were in to beer. The Ann Arbor News covers the OutFest, held (you guessed it) on the site of the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market.

"Music, speakers, theater, dancing, a beer tent and a silent auction were all part of the 11th annual OutFest celebration Saturday evening for Washtenaw County's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Most festival activities took place at the Farmer's Market, where for at least part of the evening people had to take cover under the market canopy to avoid the on-and-off rain.

The dominant theme for many who attended was the opportunity to be open and unafraid of their sexual identity."

Perhaps the biggest news of the day was that one Christine Cook, who we are told just moved to Michigan, "had recently seen an antigay bumper sticker." Shock! Ms. Cook wants us to know, though, that gay people are "just like everybody else."

OK. And by the way, don't forget to get your tickets for the theater presentation of "'Vampire Lesbians of Sodom' at the Kerrytown Concert House as part of the festival."

Anybody wanna see Ecuador pictures?

If you see my wife, or talk to her, remind her that she is supposed to send me pictures of her trip to Ecuador so I can post them to the blog.

A.L. Central Standings

Here is the last post of the year regarding the Tigers regular season penant race. They lost today, the last game of the regular season, and with that loss they lost the division title to Minnesota. The playoffs begin Tuesday at Yankee Stadium in New York.

Minnesota................................... --
Detroit ..........................................1
Chicago .........................................6
Cleveland ......................................18
Kansas City ...................................34

A.L. Central Standings

The Tigers play in less than two hours. With a Twins loss today, a Tigers win tonight means they clinch the division. Tomorrow is their last regular season game of the year.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ........................................0.5
Chicago ............................................5.5
Cleveland .........................................19
Kansas City .......................................35

A.L. Central Standings

Sure the Tigers are in the playoffs, but wouldn't it be great if they went in after having won their division? Remember, with just six games left we still have a penant race on our hands.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota .........................................1
Chicago ............................................7.5
Cleveland .........................................21
Kansas City .......................................36

The Tigers are in the Playoffs

For the first time since 1987 (19 years!!!), the Detroit Tigers have made the playoffs. The race for the division is still on for the next few days, but with a win today the Tigers assured they will at least win the Wild Card berth to the playoffs. I can't tell you how excited I am to watch my team play baseball in October for the first time since I was a small child.

The Detroit News has the story.

Sweet Action

I'm sure many of you have already seen this. For those who have not, don't delay.

Starbucks trivia

Which character in the TV show The Office often has his supplies put in Jello?

Answer

I got this one right too. Only because I watched the season premier last night.

A.L. Central Standings

Tigers lost early in the day and for a few hours they were actually tied with the Twins for first place. But the Red Sox beat the Twins at night so the Tigers are still in first place, barely.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota .........................................0.5
Chicago ............................................6
Cleveland .........................................20.5
Kansas City .......................................32.5

Reader e-mail

Received this from an old friend recently. I do not vouch for the entertainment value of this video in any way.

"Hey Keesler:

In the spirit of the other videos on your blog, when I saw this one I thought you might enjoy it. If this doesn't motivate you to come for a visit to Utah, I don't know what will."

Fun with dead people

From the Associated Press:

"NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- A doctor has pleaded not guilty to stealing a hand from a New Jersey medical school cadaver and giving it to an exotic dancer, authorities said.

Ahmed Rashed, a 2005 graduate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, was charged this week after voluntarily returning from Los Angeles, where he is in a residency program, said his lawyer, Hassen Abdellah.

Rashed, 26, is free on $1,000 bail.

The dancer, Linda Kay, kept the hand in a jar of formaldehyde in her bedroom. Friends have said she called the hand "Freddy."

Police discovered the hand, along with six human skulls, at Kay's home in July, after being called there on a report that a roommate was suicidal. The roommate was not home, but Kay was.

Kay, 31, has pleaded not guilty to unlawful disposal of human remains. Her mother has said she believed the skulls were bought from a mail order catalog.

The left hand was taken in 2002, according to an investigation. The charge against Rashed carries up to 10 years in prison."

Tigers beat third place Chicago last night. They play a make up game against Baltimore this afternoon. Minnesota beat Boston last night (which, incidentally, assured the Yankees their sixth straight penant in the A.L. East). Twins take on the Red Sox again tonight.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota .......................................0.5
Chicago ............................................6
Cleveland .........................................20.5
Kansas City ......................................33

A.L. Central Standings

The race tightens even more with just 10 games left. Tigers take on third place Chicago tonight, Minnesota plays Boston.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota .......................................0.5
Chicago ............................................5
Cleveland .........................................19.5
Kansas City ......................................32

Sweet Touchdown Jesus!

What does it mean if you play the number two team in the nation, on that team's home field, and blow them out? I guess we'll find out on November 18.

I had an amazing opportunity on Saturday to attend the Michigan - Notre Dame game in South Bend, Ind. I had always wanted to go to a game over there and seeing Michigan play them when the Irish were ranked number two was amazing. Adam, the new guy at work, is a Notre Dame alum - as is his wife, Maria. Adam's mother-in-law works in fundraising for Notre Dame and was able to get me a ticket. I crashed at Adam's parents' house on Friday night and tailgated with him and his in-laws on Saturday before the game. I have to say, the people I was with, as well as all of the Notre Dame fans in general, were incredibly hospitable, even though I made no secret of the fact that I wanted to see Michigan crush the home team. And they did just that.

Mitch Albom said the 47-21 win made it look like Notre Dame's number two ranking was a typo. They flat out killed them and I got to see it in person. Supremely satisfying.

Michigan - A Liberal Failure?

The National Review slams the Great Lakes State in a column today by Richard Lowry. He pulls no punches, to say the least. Observe:

• "The state represents a rough approximation of ideal liberal economic policy. It is heavily unionized, taxed, and regulated in a failed attempt to close its eyes to the dynamic forces of the market and globalization all around it."
• "Michigan was the only state in the country not hit by Hurricane Katrina to lose jobs between September 2004 and September 2005. The state unemployment rate just ticked up again to 7.1 percent, substantially above the nation’s rate of 4.7 percent. The rate of growth of its per capita gross state product is 49th in the nation; lowly Mississippi is 44th."
• "According to the free-market Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s analysis of United Van Lines data, Michigan is now the No. 1 state in the continental United States for outbound traffic. An estimated 65 percent of the moving company’s Michigan interstate traffic is families moving out of the state, headed to more economically open and vital destinations. As an official in Wyoming put it, 'Michigan has been very good for us.'”
• "The way to thrive in a globalized environment is to create a low-tax economy without the rigidities that come with heavy unionization and regulation. For those who disagree, Michigan beckons."

Ouch! Wyoming? That's gonna leave a mark.

By ANY Means Necessary?

More from the voices of tolerance. It seems a couple counter-protestors showed up at a pro-affirmative action rally in Lansing Saturday and were accosted by an angry mob. According to the Ann Arbor News, U of M student Dan Shuster and about nine others had to have a police escort after being accosted by the pro-affirmative action thugs.

"About 2,000 protesters rallied against Proposal 2 [which is on the November ballot and would effectively ban government imposed racial preferences in Michigan]. Shuster said neither he nor other counter-protesters tried to interfere with the rally or spoke to the protesters walking along the rally route. He said they held signs. One read: 'End the racial preferences,' he said. As the protesters passed by, Shuster said, some of them stopped to yell at his group. He said he recognized some of them from previous events as being affiliated with the pro-affirmative action group, The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action & Integration and Fight for Equality by Any Means Necessary, or BAMN. 'The crowd was building up,' Shuster said. 'They were definitely getting unruly. They were not happy, to be mild about it.'"

How nice.

A.L. Central Standings

What an amazing race. Tigers sure are hanging tough.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ........................................1
Chicago .............................................5
Cleveland ........................................19.5
Kansas City .....................................31.5

A Night With My Brothers and the Tigers are in a Penant Race

So I go to Novi for the second ever Ave Maria alums working in Southeast Michigan networking gathering. And the second I sit down to dinner I get a call from my brother. Both brothers and Brian's wife Abigail are on their way to the Tigers game, staring in 5 minutes, and they have an extra ticket.

Now friends, I must explain that to my knowledge I've never attended ANY baseball game in the month of September. To see a game the Tigers are playing this late in the season, in the midst of a verifiable penant race, well that is truly a rare occurrence. And to see it with my two brothers, that is the icing on the cake.

Here we are in a group photo moments after Carlos Guillen hit a walk off homer in the bottom of the ninth to break a tie and secure a Tigers win. A September win, that is. It was a moment I will remember for quite some time.

Here's the Freep photo of Guillen rounding third to win the game. Since Jeff was doing his best Beastie Boys video impression, I missed this scene in person.

And now for the standings

Detroit ........................................... --

Minnesota .......................................1.5

Chicago ...........................................3.5

Cleveland ........................................18

Kansas City .....................................32

A.L. Central Standings

Tigers are struggling a bit of late.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ........................................2
Chicago ...........................................3.5
Cleveland ........................................17
Kansas City .....................................32

The comforts of home

This one's for my lonely wife. I hope she has speakers on the computer she's been using.

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ........................................5
Chicago ...........................................5.5
Cleveland ........................................18
Kansas City .....................................34

Where's The Cheat

I guess I just figured she was working late every night. Then I get this e-mail in my inbox today. South America? Who knew?

"Hello readers, this is The Cheat writing from Ecuador. I´m doing a medical rotation here with my friend Deepika (aka Chevere´- look it up in your Spanish dictionary). We spent the first few days in Quito, the capital city, and it was a blast. We hung out all over the city. We went to the equator and did some hiking in the Andees Mountains. When I get back, I´ll be sure to hook up the lyrical gangster with pictures of our escapades.

After a few days of goofing around, we left for Puyo which is a small city (population 20,000) that is on the edge of the Amazon Rain Forest. We came here to work in the public hospital of Puyo. The relationship with the University of Michigan is a new one and we are the first residents to come down from UM so we were a little surprised to find out that the program isn´t that organized right now and that a lot of the work initially entailed meeting with administrators to negotiate terms of the relationship with UM. That was a little stressful at first but we´re finally doing some of what we came here to do. I´ve had the opportunity to practice using Spanish in a medical setting. Many of the illnesses are similar to what we often see in the US, but it has been quite an experience to treat illnesses with limited resources. I´ve also heard some amazing stories. Today I saw a patient who was 3 months pregnant who presented to the hospital with a complaint of vomiting profusely for 2-3 weeks. You´re probably wondering why she didn´t come to the hospital sooner? Well, she lives in the middle of the rain forest. She and her husband walked 3 days to get to a place where they could radio a helicopter. Once they made that call, they had to wait one week before the helicopter was able to get to them and then they were brought to this hospital. The residents here told me these kind of stories are quite common here.

Well, this weekend Deepika and I are planning to go to Baños which is a tourist city nearby that supposedly has some great hiking. Then, I´ll only have a few more days before I come back home to the arms of the lyrical gangster!

Con mucho amor en Ecuador,
Najwa "

Street Fighting A2 Style

OK, so I stole this one from another blog, but it was way too good to leave alone. It turns out that a certain 1980's rap artist was referenced during what Ann Arborites refer to as a "street fight." Ohh. Scary. The Ann Arbor News has the details.

"Taunt of 'Vanilla Ice' precedes street fight

A University of Michigan student said someone called him 'Vanilla Ice'' and then struck him in the face as he was walking on East William Street early Monday, Ann Arbor police said.

The student said he and a friend were walking in the 600 block of East William at 2:25 a.m. when four men walked by, and one punched him for no reason, reports said. The man's friend said one of the other men called the victim 'Vanilla Ice.'' The friend said he started swinging to protect the victim and also was hit, reports said. Officers arrived, and the four men said the victim and his friend started the fight.

No one wanted to press charges"

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ........................................4
Chicago ...........................................5.5
Cleveland ........................................18
Kansas City .....................................33.5

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ........................................5
Chicago ...........................................5
Cleveland ........................................19
Kansas City .....................................34

Starbucks trivia

What is the second largest city in Ohio?

Answer (scroll down)

I got this one right on the first try and, thus, received ten cents off my purchase.

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ......................................4.5
Chicago ...........................................5
Cleveland ........................................18
Kansas City ....................................33.5

Who pays what in taxes?

The next time someone tells you the rich don't pay their fair share of taxes, remember this article from today's Wall Street Journal. Remember Al Gore's repeated lecture on how the "wealthiest one percent" weren't paying their fair share? Ever wonder what percentage of all federal taxes the bottom FIFTY percent of taxpayers pay? How about 3.3%. Yeah. Here's the WSJ:

"First, the new data show that the bottom 50% of Americans in income--U.S. households with an income below the median of $44,389--paid a smaller share of total income taxes in 2004 (3.3%) than in Bill Clinton's last year in office (3.9%). That 3.3% is the lowest share of total income taxes paid by the bottom half of earners in at least 30 years, and probably ever. The majority of American families with an income below $40,000 pay no income tax at all today, and many of them also get a welfare subsidy from the Earned Income Tax Credit that effectively offsets much of what they pay in payroll taxes.

By contrast, Americans with an income in the top 1% paid 36.9% of all federal income taxes in 2004, down slightly from 37.4% at what was the height of the dot-com boom in 2000. But the top 5% and 10% of earners saw an increase in their tax share over that same period, with the top 5%'s share rising to 57.1% in 2004 from 56.5% in 2000. If this isn't the definition of a highly 'progressive,' a k a redistributionist, tax code, we don't know what is."

OK. So I'm not rich and I'm no big fan of trying to make rich people richer at the expense of the poor. But I do believe in logic. When more than half of taxpayers combine to pay 3.3% of all taxes collected, I'm pretty sure this is not a system that is designed to prop up the robber barrons at the expense of the little people.

People who make more money pay more in taxes for two reasons. First, if the tax rate was set at 15% for example, it is obvious that 15% of $10,000 is a heck of a lot less than 15% of $1 million. But many people don't realize that those with higher incomes also pay higher rates. To use the above example, if people who made $10,000 paid 15% of that, people who make $1 million would actually pay something more like 35% of their income in taxes. How is this system so unfair to poor people again?

Danny gets a haircut

My brother in law Danny has been growing his hair without cutting it since about fifth grade, as best I can tell. For some undisclosed reason he recently got a haircut. A lot of hair cut.

For comparison purposes, below is a picture when it was near its longest.

Please cast your votes in the comments section below about which hair style you like best. I will say this: he looks considerably younger with his hair shorter. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's true.

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota ......................................5.5
Chicago ...........................................6
Cleveland ........................................19
Kansas City ....................................34.5

Law School Opening Mass

At Ave we have mass every day, multiple times throughout the day. I normally don't go, but on special occasions I do. This week, the opening mass of the new school year was one of those occasions. A lot of ugly things have happened around here lately. It seems so appropriate to pray for my school at this time. I wanted to share these words from the program handed out at the opening mass. Pray for Ave if you think of it.

"As we begin a new academic year we invoke the Holy Spirit to renew in us His gifts of wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, knowledge, reverence, awe and wonder. It is only through God's grace that we can fully appreciate God's law for the governance of civil society and do what is required to ensure the dignity of each person made in God's image and called to eternal life with Him. Today under the Spirit's guidance we recommit ourselves to our vocation as servants of the law to do justice, love goodness and walk humbly with our God."

Amen

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Chicago ...........................................4.5
Minnesota .......................................5
Cleveland .......................................19
Kansas City ....................................34.5

Starbucks trivia

What year did the movie The Lost Boys come out?

Answer

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Chicago ...........................................4.5
Minnesota .......................................6
Cleveland .......................................19.5
Kansas City ....................................34.5

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes

Sleeping Bear must be one of the most beautiful spots in all of Michigan. We had the chance to go there last weekend with Naj's co-workers Rob, Jim, Nirmal, Heather and Dina. It was so much fun and a great way to cap off the summer before classes began this week. This picture pretty much says it all.


And the scenery in this picture is amazing.

What do you do when it rains on a camping trip? Mad Libs, natch.

Rain and a flat tire. It's a wonder we managed to have so much fun. By the way, yes I'm pumping a car tire with a handheld bike pump. And yes, it worked.

Here's Nirmal demonstrating that my sleeping bag is plenty long for her. You can't actually see where it ends in this photo.

The Great Cornholio.

Here's Heather making us a healthy snack of eggs fried in a gallon of bacon greese. But it was sooooo good.

Big News

Congratulations to brother in law Will, who started medical school yesterday at Northwestern University in Chicago. It's a huge accomplishment and we're very proud of him. I'm sure he'll do very well there and in the family business after graduation.

In the meantime, Naj and I have been busy getting him moved in to his new digs just off North Michigan Avenue. It's a pretty swank place, but it came unfurnished and Will only brought with him from California what he could carry to the airport. That coupled with the fact that he has a broken foot and we (especially Naj) have had our work cut out helping the child.

Ready shoppers?

And they're off.

Here's Will in his new place reading, for the first time, that he will have to disect human bodies in the first semester of med school. Gross!

Starbucks trivia

Which U.S. state was the first to outlaw slavery?

Answer

Hint: I guessed Michigan and Utah, both of which turned out to be wrong.

A.L. Central Standings

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota .......................................5
Chicago ..........................................5.5
Cleveland .......................................20.5
Kansas City ....................................35.5

A.L. Central Standings

Tigers win last night is a rebound from a slight rough patch and guaranteed their first winning season since 1993.

Detroit ........................................... --
Minnesota .......................................5
Chicago ..........................................5.5
Cleveland .......................................21
Kansas City ....................................35.5

For Nikki, Whenever I May Find Her


I hope this meets my obligations.

Exciting News

When I was in law school I wrote a law review article that ended up getting published in the Ave Maria Law Review. In this article I argued that a recently enacted law designed to protect the ability of churches to build, expand and otherwise use their property for religious services was constitutional.

In one case, Elsinore Christian Center v. City of Lake Elsinore, a federal trial court judge had struck down the law as exceeding Congress’ power. Since I believed the law to be constitutional, I thus argued the Lake Elsinore case was wrongly decided. Today I found out that on Tuesday the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overruled the District Court in Lake Elsinore, effectively validating my argument (though I sincerely doubt the Ninth Circuit judges were swayed or even aware of my article).

Also, I found out that a student who graduated this summer cited my article in her own law review article that was published in the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review. Those with Lexis or Westlaw access can find her article at 13 Am. Bankr. Inst. L. Rev. 839. I'm at footnote 212.

A.L. Central Standings

Tigs drop their second straight to the Sox.

Detroit ........................................... --
Chicago ..........................................5.5
Minnesota .......................................6
Cleveland .......................................22.5
Kansas City ....................................35

Good news for him, but...

I guess it becomes official when there's a press release. Josh and Nikki are leaving Ann Arbor (again) for the wilds of eastern Nebraska. The official announcement came this morning:

"RICKETTS HIRES COLUMBUS NATIVE AS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

OMAHA, NEBRASKA – The Ricketts campaign today welcomes Nikki Beran Shasserre to its staff as Communications Director. 'We are happy to welcome Nikki to the campaign,' said Pete Ricketts, Republican nominee for Senate. 'Her background in politics and communications brings a lot to the campaign, and it’s always exciting to see young professionals return to Nebraska.'

"Nikki Beran graduated from Columbus Scotus Central Catholic High School and has a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. She was the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Dave Maurstad for Lieutenant Governor Campaign in 1998 and went on to work for the Nebraska Republican Party as Communications Director for the 1999 Midwest Leadership Conference. Beginning in 2000, Nikki Beran accepted a position with Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). She joined the organization as Campus Director at the University of Illinois and went on to serve as Director of Public Relations at FOCUS headquarters.

"'I am very excited to be on board with the campaign,' said Shasserre. 'My husband Josh and I have been looking for a chance to return to Nebraska, and it’s a great opportunity to come home and join the campaign. I’ve followed Nebraska politics and Pete’s race, and I’m honored to be able to be part of the effort that will send him to Washington to represent Nebraska.'”

OK. Did he say it's always exciting to see young professionals return to Nebraska? Always? What's so exciting about that? This guy really needs a new communications director. Anyway, pretty sad news, wouldn't you say?

Godspeed friends. Go and do good. We'll miss you. (Except for Josh, whom I'll be driving to and from work for the next 10 days. I don't miss him that much yet).

Starbucks trivia

What book was the basis for the movie Apocalypse Now?

Answer

Owls Killing Rats

Apparently St. Clair Shores has a significant rat problem. So serious they are planning on trying an alternative form of rodent removal - owls. The Freep explains:

"A pair of barn owls can be expected to kill several hundred rats over a 1-year period, according to the study. [Editor's note. AWESOME!] It's not a birdbrained idea, said St. Clair Shores code enforcement supervisor Sandy Wolny, who mentioned it at Monday's City Council meeting. 'Because the owl diet consists of rodents, it's a natural way to keep an area free of rats,' she said."

Here's the best part. They've already decided which owls to try and attract. Apparently a screech owl is too small to kill a rat and "the great horned owl at Metro Beach is too big -- it might take small dogs or cats." [Editor's note. AWESOME!]

AL Central Standings

Tigers lose to the White Sox, who gain a full game.

Detroit ........................................... --
Chicago ..........................................6.5
Minnesota .......................................7
Cleveland .......................................23
Kansas City ....................................35.5

Bless You Boys

There's something strange happening around here. A certain illness. I've been trying to ignore it all year, but I'm afraid I've come down with penant fever. You see, I've been a Detroit Tigers fan all my life. One of my fondest memories of childhood was the 1984 World Series Championship team. But that was 22 years ago. And 22 years is a long time in the life of a gangster like myself.

1987 was the last year the Tigers were in the playoffs. This will be the first year in a decade that they will win more games than they lose. A decade. To say there have been some slim years of late would be a pretty huge understatement.

But this year, pretty much out of nowhere, they got off to a great start and had the best record in all of baseball after the first week of the season. To my knowledge they have kept the best record in baseball all year long, an exceedingly difficult thing to do even for a team that is used to winning.

I cannot explain it, but this can no longer be called a fluke. So, in honor of this amazing, surprising team, The Lyrical Gangster is creating a new regular post, which I will update whenever I feel like it, showing the current standings in the American League's Central Division. We can all watch together and see if the Tigers win the penant and make the playoffs for the first time since I was 13.

Team Games Back

Detroit ........................................... --
Chicago ..........................................7.5
Minnesota .......................................8
Cleveland .......................................24
Kansas City ....................................35.5

Starbucks trivia

What is the youngest country in the world?

Answer

me n my bro

Looks a lot like Naj and Will.

Bunch of family pictures

Bear with me non-family members, but I wanted to throw up a bunch of family pictures all at once. Enjoy. But note. These people are perfectly normal.


Abby's showing off her new dental work.


Nicely done.


That's enough.


Forgot to tell you guys Brian got arrested recently.


As you can see the punishment was severe.


Brian and Rosarita.


The Dog Whisperer.


Riggghhttt.

Have you guys seen my numchucks?


Four generations. I'm pretty sure we can tell which generation each of these people belong to. Hint: The old ones are older.


Daddy and daughter.


Ab kicking it with Rosie.

Return to Dearborn

Brother Brian and Sister (in law) Abby came down with a good friend from the past, Mr. Ryan VanLoon. They've been doing a lot of do it yourself hookah at home and wanted to see if they were ready for prime time. No better place than Sinbad's Cafe in Dearborn to test their mettle.


Let's start with a lesson from some old pro's.


Looney's getting the hang of it.

Brian has got some issues.


Awwwwwww


First time trying Arabic food. Umm umm good.

Solla Solla Enna Perumai

This looks a lot like the TV shows my inlaws watch every night. It's like the Arabic version of Austin Powers or something.

Thanks Alishia. For this, and your consistent comments, you earn a link. Ding!

Starbucks trivia

Approximately how many hours worth of music did the Beatles release, not counting re-released songs?

Put your answers in the comments or, if you must, go right to the answer.

What's that outside my tent

It's 2:13 a.m. and I've just been woken up to a large noise in our campsite. Something is definitely out there and it's not a bird. I hear whatever it is smash forcefully into the bear container where we're supposed to be keeping our food. It's about 25-30 feet from where I'm sleeping. I begin to sit up and then I realize that whatever it was that made the noise has now walked over to my tent and is about 2-3 feet from my head. I'm halfway sat up in my sleeping bag and I freeze. I glance over and, luckily, Naj is sound asleep. If she was awake I would have two problems on my hands, dealing with whatever is out there and dealing with her being afraid of whatever is out there.

Two seconds later, seemingly two hours, I hear something walking right by the back of my tent, grunting and breathing heavily. This is a very large animal. The sound of the breathing makes crystal clear what I had previously feared. It's a bear. I can hear it walk away, but I'm paralyzed with fear.

I hear the dog at the campsite across the road start to bark. I slowly sit up and look out the window into the night, just in time to see a very, very large, dark figure moving through the moonlight. It never came back, but I laid there with my heart beating for more than an hour. Naj never woke up, except to go to the bathroom about an hour and a half later. I never told her until morning.

We knew it was bear country and I'm always careful about putting food away when camping in places like this. But I guess I wasn't quite convinced that it would be a problem. I put our food in the bear container at our campsite (they all have one. clue?) but didn't think anything more of it.

Earlier in the day our neighbor came over and talked to us and introduced himself. He said he hoped we like dogs because the houses adjacent to the campground had a bunch and they bark all night. Then he told us a bear had been through the campgrounds three nights in a row, but I figured it was just a lie to get us to put our food away. Especially when he kept saying, "Don't worry, you guys will be fine because you keep a clean camp. Right?"

As I went to sleep the dogs behind us began barking. His prediction was already half right but I ignored the other, more onimous, prediction. Luckily we were ok, but there were a few scary moments there.



Here I am at the tent.

Here's a picture of the bear container. They're a little tricky to get latched if you're not paying attention. It's obvious the bear knows that occasionally they don't get fully shut so he was whacking it to see if it would open. I think that dirty print there is a paw or nose or something. We're not sure.

Close up of the print.