AnnArbor.com News - Category: Opinion http://www.annarbor.com/ en-us RLKinsey323@gmail.com Copyright 2013 2013-09-05T05:58:00-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Police work: Sometimes it's a crappy job, but somebody has to do it http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/a-crisis-that-confronts-us-all/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion The cable guy, plumber, electrician and heating and cooling guys all do it, but cops will not. There is usually no time and it would not be safe for a patrol officer. Those other professionals, who come in your home, may put surgical booties on when they walk on your fine carpet, but the first responders that come in will not. 129401@http://www.annarbor.com/ The cable guy, plumber, electrician and heating and cooling guys all do it, but cops will not. There is usually no time and it would not be safe for a patrol officer. Those other professionals who come in your home may put surgical booties on when they walk on your fine carpet, but the first responders that come in will not. They do not have the time, and usually when they are there it is an emergency, and at that point you will not care.

Continue reading Police work: Sometimes it's a crappy job, but somebody has to do it...

]]> Crime | News | Opinion | Pets 2013-09-05T05:58:00-04:00 Answering the phone call to a dream opportunity - Jeopardy! http://www.annarbor.com/news/ypsilanti/answering-the-phone-call-to-a-dream-opportunity/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Langston Hughes once asked what happens to a dream deferred. But what about the opposite? How does it feel when a dream deferred ... happens? 120300@http://www.annarbor.com/ jasonjeopardy.JPG

Don't get overly excited ... this is just inside the door to the studio. Guests (and contestants like me) can get their pictures taken here upon leaving.

Courtesy photo

Langston Hughes once asked what happens to a dream deferred.

But what about the opposite? How does it feel when a dream deferred ... happens?

Continue reading Answering the phone call to a dream opportunity - Jeopardy!...

]]> Entertainment | News | Opinion | Ypsilanti 2013-08-31T05:56:00-04:00 Welcome, students: Here's how to avoid getting an arrest record or an MIP before you graduate http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/welcome-students-1/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Welcome students! Whether you are a freshman or a returning student, Ann Arbor and the surrounding area welcomes you. 120118@http://www.annarbor.com/ Welcome students! Whether you are a freshman or a returning student, Ann Arbor and the surrounding area welcomes you. Do not worry, I warned all the locals that you were coming last week and they are ready to enrich your total educational experience while you are residing with us. There are, however, a few things you should remember as you embark on what may be the most fun, memorable and, relatively speaking, carefree years of your life.

Continue reading Welcome, students: Here's how to avoid getting an arrest record or an MIP before you graduate...

]]> Crime | News | Opinion 2013-08-29T05:56:00-04:00 As students return, plan ahead to avoid aggravation later http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/prior-planning-prevents-aggravation-later-the-students-are-returning/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Enjoy the final weeks of summer and the relative ease of traveling through the streets of Ann Arbor, because as veteran Ann Arborites realize, it will be getting harder to move around downtown when the students return. 119865@http://www.annarbor.com/
  • Related: Expect traffic pattern changes in late August when students move back to Ann Arbor

    • I hope you have had a good summer thus far. Enjoy the final weeks of summer and the relative ease of traveling through the streets of Ann Arbor, because as veteran Ann Arborites realize, it will be getting harder to move around downtown when the students return. Time to start planning for the onslaught of maize-and-blue clad future world leaders. Planning now can save you countless headaches later.

    Continue reading As students return, plan ahead to avoid aggravation later...

    ]]>     Crime | News | Opinion 2013-08-22T05:56:00-04:00     Editorial: Try to look at Ann Arbor through eyes of a visitor http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/editorial-what-would-you-do-in-ann-arbor-if-you-were-vacationing-here/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Summer in Ann Arbor brings a sigh of relief for many residents. After all, in the weeks following the activity of Summer Fest and the Art Fairs, we’re able to take a deep breath, savor the season and brace for... 119776@http://www.annarbor.com/ Summer in Ann Arbor brings a sigh of relief for many residents.

    After all, in the weeks following the activity of Summer Fest and the Art Fairs, we’re able to take a deep breath, savor the season and brace for our population to swell again as the fall semester starts.

    Continue reading Editorial: Try to look at Ann Arbor through eyes of a visitor...

    ]]>     News | Opinion 2013-08-18T05:45:35-04:00     Weighing the complexities of wisdom and intelligence in old age http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/weighing-the-complexities-of-wisdom-and-intelligence-in-old-age/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Whatever the reality, one of the more satisfying misconceptions of aging is the assumption that the foolish comments of grey-haired old men are gems of wisdom decades in the making. 119714@http://www.annarbor.com/ Survival skills during the early days of the Great Depression depended on a lot more than economic insights and good luck. It demanded a continuing effort to use all available assets for productive purposes, leaving nothing to be wasted — not even free time.

    Continue reading Weighing the complexities of wisdom and intelligence in old age...

    ]]>     News | Opinion 2013-08-15T12:30:00-04:00     You can tell a lot about a person by the way he walks http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/everyone-walks-a-little-differently/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion I would be a relatively easy person to follow. I am a rather large man and I walk with a “duck” walk that looks like my legs want to head off in separate directions. 119576@http://www.annarbor.com/ I would be a relatively easy person to follow. I am a rather large man, and I walk with a “duck” walk that looks like my legs want to head off in separate directions. I have a clear conscience and nothing to hide. Therefore I seldom look behind me.
    Have you ever taken the time, while “people watching,” to notice how people walk?

    Continue reading You can tell a lot about a person by the way he walks...

    ]]>     Crime | News | Opinion 2013-08-15T05:56:00-04:00     New Ann Arbor superintendent sets the right tone, offers reason for hope http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/new-superintendent/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion It would be easy to see the Ann Arbor school board's recent superintendent search as something less than a full success. 119469@http://www.annarbor.com/ It would be easy to see the Ann Arbor school board's recent superintendent search as something less than a full success.

    With the district having seen six superintendents over the last decade, the desire to get this choice right was deep and obvious. The process generally went well—for the most part, it was timely, transparent and collaborative. Despite some polite disagreement as the search narrowed, the board members ultimately voted unanimously to offer the job to their top choice, Brian Osborne of South Orange Maplewood School District in New Jersey.

    But then things changed. Osborne's answer unexpectedly took more than a week to arrive; when it did, it turned out to be no. That left the school board choosing among less-than-ideal options: Should it move on to its second choice? Start over? Or what?

    Continue reading New Ann Arbor superintendent sets the right tone, offers reason for hope...

    ]]>     Education | News | Opinion 2013-08-11T05:36:03-04:00     There are pros and cons to cable median barriers on freeways http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/cable-median-barriers/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion I am not an engineer, traffic or otherwise, but those cable median barriers that have been installed on the expressway look awfully uninviting and unforgiving to me. Perhaps that is part of their appeal or, more likely, their lower cost is the reason they are appearing on interstate highways. 119371@http://www.annarbor.com/ I am not an engineer, traffic or otherwise, but those cable median barriers that have been installed on the expressway look awfully uninviting and unforgiving to me. Perhaps that is part of their appeal or, more likely, their lower cost is the reason they are appearing on interstate highways.

    Continue reading There are pros and cons to cable median barriers on freeways...

    ]]>     Crime | News | Opinion 2013-08-08T05:58:00-04:00     Time to consider nonpartisan elections for city councils http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/time-to-consider-nonpartisan-elections-for-city-councils/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Ah, August. The time of year when much of our community goes on vacation, the universities are at their quietest, and the pace of life around here noticeably slows down. Oh — and we decide who's going to be on the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti city councils. That is, a few of us decide — those who are still in town, who are watching local politics more than lake sunsets, and who can manage to remember there's an election taking place. 119181@http://www.annarbor.com/ Ah, August. The time of year when much of our community goes on vacation, the universities are at their quietest, and the pace of life around here noticeably slows down.

    Oh—and we decide who's going to be on the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti city councils. That is, a few of us decide—those who are still in town, who are watching local politics more than flowers and fireflies, and who can manage to remember there's an election taking place.

    Continue reading Time to consider nonpartisan elections for city councils...

    ]]>     News | Opinion 2013-08-04T05:54:34-04:00     Meat eating vs. veganism misses the big picture - we all end lives to sustain our own http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/more-than-meets-the-eye---a-bigger-view/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion I received an email recently from a University of Michigan student who is writing an essay in defense of eating meat. Our contact arose from this student deciding that, if he is going to eat meat, it is his responsibility... 119073@http://www.annarbor.com/ I received an email recently from a University of Michigan student who is writing an essay in defense of eating meat. Our contact arose from this student deciding that, if he is going to eat meat, it is his responsibility to have a thorough understanding of the realities of slaughter and butchering.

    This gave me pause. And while I admire this young man for his personal conviction, I don't necessarily believe an individual need confront the actual process of arriving at a pound of ground beef before eating that burger any more than I believe we must all assemble an engine prior to driving a car.

    Continue reading Meat eating vs. veganism misses the big picture - we all end lives to sustain our own...

    ]]>     Opinion 2013-08-02T09:42:30-04:00     Don't squeeze out tree town's greenery http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/dont-squeeze-out-tree-towns-greenery/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion The tree-loving tradition and the special ambience of Ann Arbor have been under attack for a long time, but the city now seems to be at an important crossroad. 119186@http://www.annarbor.com/ Continue reading Don't squeeze out tree town's greenery...

    ]]>     News | Opinion 2013-08-01T12:30:00-04:00     People-watching keeps cops entertained during summertime festivals http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/the-big-white-tents-of-summer/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion We in Michigan certainly appreciate our summers, and one place in summer you are sure to see a collection of happy people? Under large white tents. No, not the ones in cemeteries, but the ones in places where usually there are none. 119060@http://www.annarbor.com/ 072713_beer_fest_CS-2_display.JPG

    While one might think cops would disapprove summer festivals encouraging people to liberally imbibe, the ones drinking aren't the only ones being entertained.

    Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

    We in Michigan certainly appreciate our summers, and one place in summer you are sure to see a collection of happy people? Under large white tents. Not the ones in cemeteries, but the ones in places where usually there are no tents.

    Continue reading People-watching keeps cops entertained during summertime festivals...

    ]]>     Crime | News | Opinion 2013-08-01T05:57:48-04:00     AnnArbor.com endorsements for Ann Arbor City Council races http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/annarborcom-endorsements-for-ann-arbor-city-council-races/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Voters in Ann Arbor's Third and Fourth wards face an important decision on Aug. 6. They have a chance to shape the direction of the city for the next two years. 119001@http://www.annarbor.com/ Voters in Ann Arbor’s Third and Fourth wards face an important decision on Aug. 6. They have a chance to shape the direction of the city for the next two years.

    Continue reading AnnArbor.com endorsements for Ann Arbor City Council races...

    ]]>     News | Opinion 2013-07-28T05:55:00-04:00     Musical pastures - Dancing with the needs of time and space http://www.annarbor.com/news/opinion/the-farm-has-three-pastures/?cmpid=RSS_link_opinion Ruth Ehman | Contributor The farm has three pastures and six pens/corrals through which the livestock is rotated as needed. Weather, the animals' biological profiles, and my convenience dictate the rotations, with my convenience running a poor third to the... 118846@http://www.annarbor.com/ jigs-and-charlotte

    Ruth Ehman | Contributor

    The farm has three pastures and six pens/corrals through which the livestock is rotated as needed. Weather, the animals' biological profiles, and my convenience dictate the rotations, with my convenience running a poor third to the first two parameters. But my convenience is at least in the race, and every year I find some way to improve its standing in the contest without compromising the deserved supremacy of the front runners.

    Which animals end up where, why, and for how long amounts to a waltz with logic as the leading dancer. Maybe a better analogy would be a square dance, a waltz being perhaps too decorous and predictable for this comparison. Yes, a lively, raucous square dance with room for self expression but with logic calling the steps is a better parallel.

    Continue reading Musical pastures - Dancing with the needs of time and space...

    ]]>     Opinion 2013-07-26T09:53:20-04:00