NPM: Detroit

Despite a short stint up in the Wolverine backwoods, I've spent over 75% of my life living one block from the city of Detroit. I grew up in a house across the street from my grandparents and I now live in my grandparents old home. Funny how life can work out sometimes.

Anyone paying attention to the News is well aware of the problems with Detroit. I love the city. I love how dirty, grimey, and unpolished it appears to outsiders. I love the view you get driving north on I-75 coming over the Rouge River Bridge and the city skyline appears with the RenCen glistening and the Ambassador bridge in the foreground and the smoke and haze of manufacturing surrounding the beauty. I'm pretty unapologetic of my love for all things Detroit (even Kid Rock and Eminem, but not so much Lions and City Council)

They say New York is the city that never sleeps, well Detroit is the city that never stops working.

That was until they starting bailing out Wall St.

I won't aplogize for this video, and it's as in your face as it needs to be.

“Pardon me if I don’t shed a tear...‘Cause they’re selling make-believe and we don’t buy that here.” - John Rich

Unfortunately, no one's listening.

NPM: Black and White

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. And you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn't agree with you. A camera in the right person's hand can be as powerful as any great work of art or composition. For quite sometime now a niche market has developed within photography focusing on black-and-white and the artistic ability it provides. According to Wikipedia,

"Today black-and-white media often has a "nostalgic", historic, or anachronistic
feel to it."

Who doesn't love black and white pictures? They usually capture a moment that communicates pure beauty. The magic is in there simplicity. Just one snapshot, catching a slice of life, that can sweep through our emotions. Stripped down to bare essentials, everything covered in shades of gray.

It evokes a simpler, much more easier time.

How long before my grand-children look at pictures of my life and "see the story of my life right there in black and white."

What I mean is, many of us nowadays hear the phrase "back in the day" to explain a time when things were easier and a Norman Rockwell moments was more commonplace than a car in the driveway. Dad worked, mom stayed home, and Eddie Haskell was your biggest problem.

But were those times easier?

Did my grandfather find times were great and things were easier as he walked to his factory job every day? Did my grandmother find her life charming and quintessential washing laundry by hand and walking to the grocery store with her kids everyday? Did they view their experiences as Norman Rockwell moments.

So, when will my grandkids pull out some old pictures and see my life in Black and White?

Really, is any time in life ever really simple and completely pure? Black and white? I don’t think so.

”A picture’s worth a thousand words but you can’t see what those shades of
gray keep covered …You should’ve seen it in color.” - Jamey Johnson

I'm on Board

Unless we are anywhere near Somalia or Rush shows up.

NPM

In answer to Corey's comment and to show my support for NPM and to prove just how clueless I can be sometimes, I offer this little diddie....

They said timing was everything, made him...
Want to be everywhere, there's a...
Lot to be said for nowhere
(Eddie Vedder dba Pearl Jam - "MFC" from the album Yield)

Most of you are far more talented in the arts than I am and should have a pretty easy time with this one....

Hopefully

Someday

....and Mike is now with him.



See you on the flip-side buddy.

Sunrise

He is not here....

9 lbs. 6 oz. 22.5" long 8:16 am 10-02-08

NOAH MICHAEL

Still speechless, just like last time

Born a week earlier than the due date, and 1 oz bigger and 1.5" longer than Seth (who was born on his due date)!!! To quote the doctor, "You made the right decision to deliver this baby with a planned C-Section."

Michele is a small woman at only 5' 3", Doc says no way she delivers that baby the normal way.

So Seth now has a big, little brother sort of

The Revolution continues!!!

Watch out world, couple little Maloney boys gonna be running around doing there thing!!

*TEAR-DROP(S)*

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!!!

This "Presidential Debate" is absolutely brutal.

Neither one of them are answering any of the damn questions.

Lehere specifically asked each candidate what are they going to cut out of thier budgets and programs to help accomodate that probable, supposed $700 billion buy-out, and they spent (no pun intended) more time talking about what they want to do. Be a leader!!! Be a Maverick!!! Bring change!!! SOMEONE...ANYONE

AND THEN LEHER HIT THEM ON IT!!!!

"Neither one of you have said what you would do to make up for this buyout"

"One of you will come into office in January and be staring down one of the biggest and toughest times our country as ever faced."

AND THE BOTH GO BACK TO PARTISAN POLITICS.

"We have to do this..." "I want to do this..." healthcare, education, defense, blah, blah, blah...

And then Lehere says let me ask you the same question a different way to try and get an answer...

The poor guy can't get a straight answer from either one of these chumps, and one of them will be President.....

*sigh*

Hey, did you know that McCain is a Maverick?

Did you know that McCain agreed with Bush 90% of the time?

Did you know that Barack Obama is the most far left voting Senator?

Did you know that John McCain was a war hero?

Did you know McCain was for the war?

Did you know that Barack opposed the war from the beginning?



Do you know what John or Barack are going to do to solve the current crisis?

What are they going to do to maybe balance the budget?

Do we know what actual leadership qualities either of these guys bring to the table?

Week 3 Fantasy Football

Not a very good week at all. Matter of fact, I think this is my worse week in Fantasy Football ever. Looking over our league's archive the last time I failed to reach 80 points in one week was back in 2006 during Week 5 when I scored 79.

Then, when you realize that A) - The guy I played only scored 92.65, which is less than the 3 week average, including this stinker of 76.7, of my team's scoring B) Another guy only scored 67.1 C) I left Fred Taylor on the bench (he got me 21 points) and D) this makes me the only 1-2 team in my divison.

Additionally, things aren't looking very good for my team right now. I just lost Jeremy Shockey for 4-6 weeks. I've already lost Colston and with the Brady injury, technically appear to have lost Randy Moss. David Patten appears to be hurt too now. My team is becoming a M.A.S.H unit.

I came very close to landing Addai and Gregg Jennings in a trade, but it fell through Saturday morning when I wouldn't part with Randy and Hines Ward....I probably should have. My own stupid fault there.

Anyway, here is the breakdown for this week.

I lost 92.65 to 76.7

My top 3 - Titans DST 25, Romo - 17, and Mason Crosby (yes my kicker) with 10 for a total of 52

His top 3 - Ravens DST 41, Anthony Fasano (who? exactly) 12.6, and Mat Prater (yes his kicker) with 10 for a total of 63.6

I'm definitely looking to make some trades this week and am wondering if I can tolerate Moss on my bench this week for the bye and then give him one more week (week 5) to see if Belicheck begins to allow his QB to throw deep to Moss. or if I should just take what I can get.

Crapping the Bed

Being thoroughly confused to just what in the hell is going on with all this financial meltdown crisis and watching the Stock Market drop 1,000 points in just a couple I've been trying to read a whole hell of a lot and try and figure out to what extent my family will be affected.

By all accounts, with the exception of the 401K, HSA's, and IRA's we have, we should be ok going through this. We only are in debt the cost of our mortgage (which is only 30% of the orignal mortgage cost, so even if our house has lost value, our loss what be percentage points), and in addition to the 10% of pre-tax money we put into 401K's, HSA's, and IRA's we always aim to save an additional 10% of take home pay. No Credit Card debt, School Bills, or Car Payments. So, we are not overborrowed or in heavy debt but we'll need to still do some buckling down if we want to keep on saving. I am pretty convinced, as of now, this is great chance to Buy-Low, extremely Low.

ANYWAY, here are a slew of articles, commentary, and blogs on the situation for you to read if you want. They have helped me to really understand what in the hell is going on.

• Maybe the best and clearest explanation from the WSJ "No end in Sight"
• Doctor Doom from Forbes
• Time Magazine weighing in (with a very lengthy piece) to let you know how massive this perfect storm is.
• From the BBC, which is basically saying see you later to the Clinton Democrats (don't let the door hit you on the way out) and this modern anti-fiscal conservative Republican Party (good riddance!!!)
• And, from the Atlantic it's not all George W's fault.......
• it's ours as Deneen (some good Perotesque charts and graphs) and Larison say (this is succint, to the point, and brilliant)

Please make sure your seatbelts are buckled, your trays are in their upright and locked position and you have a snickers bar (or two) - we're going to be here awhile.