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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Michigan - Follower or Leader?

Governor Snyder’s goal of abandoning Michigan’s 1976 Retail Price Scanning law is baffling to me. For a guy who has seemed to want to at least pretend to be bipartisan, he falls into a predictable category, by attacking what has been a popular consumer safeguard against fraudulent charges. It’s too early in his tenure to suggest that he’s trying to make points with wealthy constituents. However, dumping the law doesn’t seem to benefit anyone except retail business owners. It’s a fallacy that prices on goods will drop if price tags are eliminated. And as for the single Sound Off caller who suggested that we’re losing businesses to other states because of this law, think about it. All Michigan retailers have the same rules and therefore have no competitive advantages or disadvantages over other local retailers.

I’ve read comments from at least one retailer that said it wouldn’t have an effect on jobs and it will just save on the costs of labels. We’d have to be pretty gullible to believe that. The only real savings that retailers could enjoy by eliminating price tags would be to eliminate the salaries of those responsible for the tagging, at a time when we’re struggling to reduce unemployment.

A few years ago we moved our daughter to Texas to start a new job to achieve her goal of living in a warmer climate. Before we left her, we wanted to fill her pantry with food and other necessities. We went to the local grocery store and immediately noticed the lack of any price tags. Being frugal Michigan shoppers, we also struggled to even find shelf labels and it was very confusing. We hated it and I remember telling my wife and daughter how much I loved Michigan’s price law!

I’ve thought about why Governor Snyder lacks the knowledge of why that law is so valuable to Michigan shoppers and believe I know the answer. It’s not totally about politics and more about perspective. He is simply not the shopper in the Snyder family. I’m not saying that he doesn’t shop, but I seriously doubt he could ever be seen pushing a shopping cart overflowing with groceries with a shopping list in one hand and a stack of coupons in the other. That’s something my wife and I do together on a regular basis, so I can claim to be somewhat of an authority. I call it our “date-night”. A true shopper always compares can label prices, sizes and brands in an effort to find the best deals. Eliminating the price tags on merchandise will make that job extremely difficult.

Another confusing statement made by Governor Snyder was that Michigan is only one of 2 states that still require this supposed archaic practice. While he seems to imply that we’re behind the curve, I think we’re the leaders on this and other states are seriously lagging. Why is it too much to ask to have price tags on basic staples? I hate looking for new or used cars that lack price tags – please don’t make shopping for canned soup just as frustrating! Governor Snyder also said that savvy shoppers will use their smart phones as a barcode scanner. From what I’ve read, the industry is not there yet, but even if it were, I don’t own a smart phone and don’t plan to any time soon and resent the idea of having to spend money so I can look up the price of a can of soup.

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Friday, January 28, 2011

DEMOCRACY IN EGYPT?

I hope you followed the epic changes going on in Egypt today.

President Obama made clear that the United States supports freedom for the Egyptian people. He talked directly with President Hosni Mubarak after he, Mubarak, made his television address.

What we are witnessing may be as important to Egypt as was the U.S. Revolution was to us. It could bring true democracy with greater economic and political freedom, or, if fundamentalist Islamic terrorists take control, another theocracy that would change the dynamics throughout the region.

Please wish well the efforts of the men and women of a great country succss.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

ODE TO IMODIUM

25-Jan-11

I’m not certain why I feel like posting this but here is the latest poem(????):

ODE TO IMODIUM

Imodium is a pill many of us take whether young or old;
It helps us to stymie a problem that can be chronic we’re told.

It helps us to feel relief from our uncomfortable feelings;
Even though if you have the chewable kind, the taste is not appealing!

‘tis quite effective we often find in “stopping up” the problem we have;
‘tis one of many things we might try – but I’ve never tried a salve.

So it gives us relief from pains and more and helps with the discomfort we’re in;
But sometimes we wonder as Imodium works – will we ever “go” again?

Poetry (????) 4therestofus
Bert Coe 1/2010

Sorry ‘bout that but we don’t seem to get any comments anyway so this is a type of a test!

Bert

ART REACH SCHOLARSHIPS

Art Reach of Mid Michigan has begun its search for the recipients for the two scholarships that the organization administers. Applications for both scholarships must be delivered to theArt Reach Center, 111 East Broadway, by March 11, 2011.

The Folkert Scholarship to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp is awarded to an area student who will be entering 9th grade this fall. It is a partial scholarship award of $500 for one two-week session in the fine or visual arts. The student must make an application to Blue Lake and be accepted by the camp prior to any award being made by Art Reach. Application requirements to Art Reach include a letter of recommendation from an art educator, a short personal essay stating why he or she would be a good candidate for the scholarship, and a copy of the acceptance form from Blue Lake. This award is partially funded by the General Federation of Women’s Club, Mt. Pleasant.

The Jo Stephenson Creative Writing Award of $300 goes to a high school senior graduating in 2011 that resides in Isabella or Gratiot County. Students must submit a letter of application and a sample of original prose or poetry, no longer than 250 words, signed by a high school teacher or counselor. If you know of a student who would be eligible for either of these scholarships, please tell them about this opportunity. Both scholarships will be awarded on April 13 at the Annual Art Reach Board meeting.

For details call Art Reach at 989-773-3689 or visit their website at www.artreachcenter.org.

Monday, January 10, 2011

MARY McGUIRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ART CRITICS




I have been an Art Reach docent at Mary McGuire Elementary School for a number of years. Each month I present the works of two artists, talking about their history, style, and their impact on the world. In December I distributed post cards, one to each student, showing an image of an artist’s work and asked them to write about what they liked and disliked about the picture. Mrs. Janis Carroll teaches a sixth grade class. She gave her students an additional task, to use Microsoft Power Point to display their information.

I was astonished at their results. The images above show twelve students’ work. There is only one slide from each presentation to give you an idea of their imagination and insight. This is what the Art Reach Picture Program is all about: giving students an opportunity to see, understand, and explain how art influences our lives.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

TWELFTH NIGHT


January 6th is Twelfth Night, the last event of the holiday season. Throughout northern Europe Yule has been celebrated this time of year longer than the advent of Christianity. The cold bitter winter meant hardship, even death if a family was not prepared.

So they prepared: they gathered wood to burn, including a huge log to last through the festivities, stored food and drink, which they sampled generously and often, and gathered family to insure no one was left out. They sang, and told ancient stories; they ate heartily and drank deeply.

Thus we must end our Yule and remember it well. Treasure your friends and family. If good fortune did not visit you in 2010, put out some mead and cheese tonight. Be sure to sample it well to insure a good night’s rest.

DISCOVERY MUSEUM SCULPTURE CONTEST

Art Reach of Mid-Michigan posted the following notice on its website:

The Mt Pleasant Discovery Museum is seeking applications for the 2011 Sculptures for Discovery small sculpture competition.

The contest is open to artists over the age of 18 working in the Central Michigan area, and it is free to apply. Eight designs will be selected by committee. These finalists will receive up to $750.00 to be used to create a small sculpture that aligns with the theme: Children's Discovery and Exploration: Learn, Create, Explore, Grow.

The eight completed works will be exhibited throughout the 6 county region which will be served by MPDM. They will be featured in Museum publications, and once the museum opens they will become part of the exhibitory in the museum itself. Winning sculpture will be prominently displayed in the new Museum for one year and will be featured in contest publication.

Sculptures must fit the following parameters:
• No larger than 24 inches in height
• Suitable for indoor and outdoor environments
• "Kid" friendly
• Align with MPDM mission and values
The selection committee may include selected members of the board, art professors, community members, and members from the museum's Youth Advisory Board.
In addition to alignment with the museum's mission statement, the selection will be based on the artists preserving the museum's core values:
• All children deserve respect.
• Families are important as children's first teachers.
• Learning occurs in different ways.
• Stewardship of the Earth is everyone's responsibility.
• Communities are diverse and connected.

Artists must submit a detailed budget along with their concept design by February 1, 2011. Winning designs will be announced March 25, 2011.

Completed sculptures must be submitted by August 1, 2011. Overall contest winner will be announced by August 31, 2011.

All entries should be submitted to:
MPDM Sculptures for Discovery
200 E. Broadway
Mt. Pleasant, Mi 48858

This project is partially funded by a Mini Grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For more information about the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum please visit www.mpdiscoverymuseum.org

Sunday, January 2, 2011

HIGH SCHOOL BURNOUT?

If you are, or know of a high school senior please read on. The year-end holiday is about over. Many seniors complain of burnout. You should not be one of them. If you think high school is too tough you are not ready for college.

The fact is that all individuals do not need to go to a four-year university, such as CMU. Many job openings are for people with skill sets in specialties in fields such as robot repair, medical assistance, and logistics, for which two years of community college or trade school is sufficient.

Only about a quarter of high school graduates are really ready for college; the others require remedial courses in math, science, and language skills. Rather than jump into an advanced curriculum, many are choosing to take a year or two to take night classes, work to save enough money to pay for school, going into the military (where some programs offer scholarships), or community service to hone their ability to work with others.

If you are thinking about a particular field, say education, it would be very good to work as a teaching assistant to see if you really like it. Too frequently, after four years invested in a degree there may be few openings, or one finds that the actual job isn’t what you thought it would be like.

Find out where the jobs will be, and prepare yourself to be valuable to your employer. Learn how the computer is used in that area: spreadsheets and interactive databases are almost universal, as is on-line search.

Be ready. Be excited. There are opportunities out there, so take advantage of them.