Home Blog Page 248

Burnard: Looking at the future

By
Don Burnard
-
0

The task at hand is to present a vision for the future of our nation based on the outcome of the 2012 election. This election is probably the strangest election season I’ve seen in my 60 years, and the stakes for the average middle-class American couldn’t be higher. The moneyed class has got the bit in its teeth, and with the help of the religious right, and in spite of the help of a crowd of self-styled constitutional experts and economists, they’re going for the whole enchilada, a corporate-led takeover of the governance of this country.

The aforementioned groups can be summed up as angry, white and mostly males. Unfortunately, they haven’t picked the best person for their candidate. Mitt Romney has turned out to be an arrogant apostate who doesn’t seem to connect with most people in the real world most of us live in.

Romney has tried, between faux pas, to come across as someone who has our best interests at heart and a secret plan to create jobs for everyone by basically returning to the same failed policies of the past. For 40 years or so, we’ve been told that if we give tax breaks to the rich and get rid of those pesky regulations that keep companies from reaching their full potential, jobs will come pouring into the workplace and everything will be hunky-dory. Well, we’ve basically tried that, and it still hasn’t worked! All it has done is crash the economy and taken away 40 percent of the middle class’s worth. But still, they keep doubling down on it, and why shouldn’t they?

In the past 50 years, Republicans have held the presidency for 28 years and the Democrats for 22 years. During the GOP terms, they created 24 million jobs, while the Democrats created 42 million. The stock market returns: GOP, 109 percent vs. Dems, 992 percent. Annualized stock market returns: GOP, 2.7 percent vs. Dems, 11 percent. GDP growth: GOP, 2.7 percent vs. 4.1 percent. And finally income growth: GOP, 0.6 percent vs. 2.2 percent. These figures come from the Dept. of Labor, Bloomberg and Politico.

Am I missing something here? In virtually every economic indicator, this country has done substantially better under Democratic governance than under Republican rule. How is it then, that even after the crash of the economy and the Great Recession, so many people are willing to clearly vote against their own best interests? Well, if they can gin up enough of a smoke screen to get the attention off their clearly failed policies, maybe they have a chance. That’s where issues like gay marriage, race baiting, so-called socialism and all those angry white guys come in. We’ll just channel the Founding Fathers in spite of what the true history is, and while we’re at it we’ll rewrite the Constitution, ignore even the most basic economic theories and blame everything on the profligate socialist black guy in our White House.

Let’s look at Obama’s so-called profligacy. In the President’s first real budget, spending was down 1.8 percent to $3.46 trillion. In 2011,  it rose 4.3 percent to $3.6 trillion and for 2012 is set to rise 0.7 percent to $3.63 trillion. The 2013 budget, his final for his first term, is scheduled to fall 1.3 percent to $3.58 trillion. These figures are hard to follow for the average layman so perhaps a little perspective is in order. Obama has been accused of running up the debt more than any other president in modern times. Let’s see how he stacks up against his predecessors in annualized growth in federal spending. We’ll start with Ronald Reagan:

  • Reagan ’82-85: 8.7 percent
  • Reagan ’86-89: 4.9 percent
  • Bush I ’90-93: 5.4 percent
  • Clinton ’94-97: 3.2 percent
  • Clinton ’98-01: 3.9 percent
  • W. Bush ’02-05: 7.3 percent
  • W. Bush ’06-09*: 8.1 percent
  • Obama ’10-13: 1.4 percent

*2009 budget was reassigned to Obama. It took effect four months before he took office.

These figures come from the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office and Haver Analytics, and were published by Rick Ungar on Forbes.com in his column “Token Lefty” (I can relate). He pointed out that Obama is the smallest government spender since Eisenhower. Another right-wing myth bites the dust.

So if you want to look at the future, look at the past through cold hard facts, not through the rose-colored glasses the right uses to sell its lies and innuendoes.

Muslims thankful for support after arson at mosque

By
David Yonke
-
0
Crime scene tape closes off part of the parking lot at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo while an arson fire is investigated there. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr

Toledo-area Muslims are reeling from an arson fire at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, but are grateful for an outpouring of support from the local interfaith community.

“All the support we get is very welcome because if you are going through a tragedy and you have a friend who is holding your hand it means a lot,” said Dr. S. Zaheer Hasan, a spokesman for the United Muslim Association of Toledo.

Perrysburg Township police said Oct. 2 that a suspect has been arrested and is in custody in Fort Wayne, Ind., for the Sept. 30 arson blaze at the highly visible mosque just south of Toledo. Surveillance footage from the Islamic Center, located at the junction of I-475 and I-75, showed a “person of interest” — a white middle-aged male wearing a camouflage sweatshirt and hat — at the mosque’s entrance shortly before the blaze, which was reported about 5 p.m.

Suspect in custody

Det. Sgt. James Gross said Perrysburg Township police and the Ohio State Fire Marshal have identified the individual in custody and are continuing an investigation with help from the FBI and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Gross did not name the individual but the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette reported that Randy T. Linn, 52, of Saint Joe, Ind., was arrested at his workplace on Tuesday and was being held at the Allen County Jail until an extradition hearing. He faces charges in Ohio of aggravated burglary, carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of arson.

Mahjabeen Islam, president of the Islamic Center, said the suspect poured gasoline in the center of the main floor where men worship at the mosque. Women pray on the same main floor, but in an area separated by a low divider.

“It was set in the men’s prayer area and the sprinklers turned out the fire. There is a lot of water damage from the sprinklers,” Islam said. “The Islamic Center is uninhabitable for easily three months.”

She said the Islamic Center is making plans for an interfaith prayer session on the mosque’s grounds at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 5, the time Muslims normally hold Juma prayers, their main service of the week.

“All the faith communities are invited to come and join us in solidarity,” Islam said.

Outpouring of support

The mosque has received many phone calls and emails of support from non-Muslims in the Toledo area, Islam said. The outpouring reminded her of when Toledo Christian radio station YES FM organized a prayer rally at the mosque a week after 9/11. In the wake of 9/11, someone had fired a bullet from the road through one of the mosque’s stained-glass windows.

More than 1,500 people of all faiths turned out on Sept. 18, 2001, holding hands as they encircled the Middle Eastern-style mosque and prayed for the safety of those who worship within.

Rev. Steve Anthony, executive director of Toledo Area Ministries, said he and his organization that represents 125 Christian churches and faith-based agencies are outraged by the arson attack and will do what they can to help local Muslims.

“Any attack on a house of worship, no matter what faith, is deplorable and should be condemned,” Anthony said. “And there’s no room for that in a pluralistic society. We should respect each other’s houses of worship.

“I want to be a part of whatever [local Muslims] are doing to support them,” he said.

Islam said there is no information yet on a possible motive for the blaze.

“It’s difficult to draw a conclusion as to whether it’s connected to world events, or a simple case of Islamophobia, or if this is someone who is a pyromaniac,” she said. “Unless we find him and talk to him we don’t know.”

But the damage to her house of worship is heart-rending, she said.

“It’s so painful to see. It goes to my heart to see the prayer area where there is now a crater, a black crater.”

She said the fire reached high enough to shatter lightbulbs on a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“You can smell the gasoline. The main damage is in the prayer area but the rest of the Islamic Center has water damage,” Islam said.

There were no services or organized activities taking place at the mosque at the time of the fire, Islam added.

Islam said mosque officials are discussing what they will do until the center is repaired. Insurance officials inspected the building.

Members of the Islamic Center will likely worship under a tent on the mosque grounds as long as the weather permits, according to Islam.

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has reported community opposition to 53 mosques and Islamic centers across the United States in the past several years, including one in southwestern Ohio.

Rathbun: On the sidelines, not out of the game

By
Gary Rathbun
-
0

Those of you who read my columns consistently or listen to my radio show know that I feel the market is being held up by fumes and we need to be very cautious. Due to being extra cautious, I sometimes have quite a bit of money in cash. Currently, we have between 33 and 58 percent in cash in most of our accounts due to this market uncertainty.

I often find myself in the conversation that the cash account doesn’t earn any interest to speak of and shouldn’t we get that where it could earn more. My answer is always the same: Just because we are on the sideline doesn’t mean we are out of the game.

Using a football analogy is new for me but let me explain my reasoning. If you are an NFL team you have an offense and a defense. Both cannot be on the field at the same time. When you are playing defense your offense is on the sidelines doing virtually nothing. Does this mean that your offense is not worth its money when it is not out on the field? Of course not! Your offense is there waiting to go in when needed and it will perform at that time.

If your defense has done its job, you will have better field position for the offense and a much better chance of scoring.

This strategy will protect your end zone from the other team and ultimately win the game.

Let’s leave the analogy for now and see where we are in real life. By keeping our cash on the sidelines instead of in the market 100 percent of the time we are protecting our capital from decline. It may earn nothing but it will not lose anything either. Cash sitting on the sidelines will gain if the market goes down. If you don’t lose it you gain it. Better field position is your cash getting back into the market after it has declined.

This is the opposite of what is commonly called the “buy and hold” strategy. Buy and hold is the equivalent of having your offense on the field the entire game. Sure they get pushed clear back to the goal line by the other team but, hey, they can fight back the way they always do. This idea does not work in football and it doesn’t work in investing either.

When the market is going against you, as with the opposing team, you want your offense on the sideline and your defense on the field. You want to minimize the loss of yardage and money. In 2008, when the market went down 40 percent, where would you have rather been, on the sidelines or riding the ride down and not recovering until 2012?

This is not market timing. This is playing defense or offense as indicated by the market trend.

Offensive strategies include carefully using options, e.g., calls and puts, as well as stop limits and limit orders. Additionally, equity collars, private options and several combinations of option contracts will allow you to be on defense or offense when needed.

Convincing people to invest in something and hold on to that investment, regardless of what the market does, is the equivalent of hoping for a neutral outcome in the football game.

There is a lot of research that says that a buy and hold strategy consistently outperforms market timing, and I agree, but playing defense when appropriate or offense when appropriate is neither buy and hold or market timing. Cornell University recently did a study looking at the past 100 years that validates the strategy of defense/offense hedging and proving it greatly outperforms both previous schools of thought.

Give it some thought and your own study, then decide.

 

Gary L. Rathbun is the president and CEO of Private Wealth Consultants, LTD. He can be reached at (419) 842-0334 or email him at [email protected].

Szyperski: Sebastian the Great

By
Shannon Szyperski
-
0

One August morning more than 10 years ago I woke up to find our two cats nestled up against my belly, one on each side. Considering they had never done such a thing before, I had a strong feeling that they knew something I didn’t. The two feline friends we had come to love almost like children seemed to be subtly letting me know that our first child of the non-furry variety was less than nine months away. They were right.

Having our cats be the ones to unveil our parenthood was quite fitting, for it was Sasha and Sebastian who first introduced us to the world of household chaos and sibling conflict. Sasha, our black shorthair, embodied everything we imagined our future family life to be — a calm, warm and loving slice of heaven on Earth. Sebastian, our orange longhair, then came along as the living expression of everything our future family life actually would be — an unpredictable journey of sneak attacks and random yelping.

Sebastian, the adorable kitten we adopted to ward off the loneliness we assumed Sasha was experiencing during our long work days, instead terrorized her relentlessly from day one. The fast friend we had imagined for Sasha quickly became a fast fiend and we couldn’t help but wonder if we had made a big mistake.

Sebastian’s reign of terror during the early years even spilled over onto us. Many, many a night we would wake up with the cutest, most playful little orange kitten clamped forcefully down upon at least one of our unsuspecting toes. The brutal middle-of-the-night, sorry-I-mistook-your-feet-for-mice-again wake-up calls were actually good practice for the curious, who-needs-sleep children we were destined to have soon after.

Throughout the years, we came to know all of Sebastian’s idiosyncrasies. His obsessive-compulsive nature constantly manifested itself in new and interesting ways, from avoiding his food dish unless not a speck of white was showing at the bottom to licking his fur cleaner than we kept anything else in our entire house. He could wildly jump higher than our shoulders during playtime and then lovingly curl up in our lap when he sensed that we needed him most. Whether good or bad, we learned to accept him for what he was and came to realize that his presence in our family was always a perfect gift and never a mistake.

I can’t believe he’s gone.

As the thought occasionally crossed my mind that Sasha may not have too many years left in her, I never considered that our younger, full-of-life Sebastian might go first. Even when he began to slow down and look a little thinner, I just didn’t think of it as a prelude to an ending. I wasn’t ready to lose him.

In less than a week, Sebastian went from his normal self, welcoming guests at the front door, to huddled under a table with a frail frame and a face I barely recognized.  When our vet confirmed that things didn’t look good, we took our three children in to be with him as a family one last time. Mike and I then went back alone the next day to accept the inevitable. As we tearfully held him on his last day, I couldn’t help but recall holding him as a new kitten at his very first vet appointment, never imagining a day 12 years later when we would sit and be with him as he took his very last breaths.

The week before his end, my 3-year-old had walked up to me out of the blue without explanation and said, “Sebastian’s gonna die.” Assuming she had picked something up from a random TV show, I reacted somewhat angrily and quickly explained that we don’t say things like that. He wasn’t sick, we didn’t consider him old and she really wasn’t all that involved with him, so I couldn’t imagine why she would ever utter such a thing.

I didn’t reflect upon her declaration until the day after Sebastian was gone. Could she have known it was time for him to leave our world just as Sebastian had known it was time for her brother to enter it? Whatever the exact meaning, I can’t help but think at moments like this that there is some sort of framework and purpose to it all. When I stare at his still-fur-covered chair, hardly able to handle no longer seeing him in it, I find solace in the fact that he may be out there somewhere prancing around with the ease of a kitten and playfully terrorizing parts of the universe we have yet to reveal.

Shannon and her husband, Michael, are raising three children in Sylvania.

Two Chick-fil-A’s set to open in region this fall

By
Toledo Free Press
-
0
Mike Herrick, local owner and operator of Chick-Fil-A franchises, poses at the Perrysburg location. Toledo Free Press photo by Joseph Herr

On Aug. 1, hundreds of Chick-fil-A customers formed lines around the food court at the Westfield Franklin Park Mall in support of the chicken chain. Two months later, two new locations are preparing to open in the Toledo area.

“Because of the receptivity of the Toledo community, [Chick-fil-A] felt like we needed to grow by 200 percent in a very short amount of time in order to service the demand for our product,” said Jonathan Winn, who will operate the 4260 Sylvania Ave. location, just outside the mall.

The other new location will be at 10315 Fremont Pike, Perrysburg. Owner/operator Mike Herrick, who used to run the Chick-fil-A in the mall food court, is transitioning to the Perrysburg location. Chick-fil-A business interns will run the mall location, formerly the only Chick-fil-A in town, until Nov. 1 when a new owner comes in.

Each location is more than 4,000 square feet and includes a play area and double drive-thru lanes. About 200 employees are being hired at the two new restaurants, which will be closed on Sundays as is chain policy.

Herrick’s franchise is slated for a Nov. 1 debut and Winn’s location is set to open Nov. 29.

Winn and his family moved to the area about two and a half months ago after operating a Canton Chick-fil-A for three years.

“Our plan for coming to Toledo is to be here the rest of our lives, to be able to retire here,” Winn said. “That’s why we moved up to be here, just to be part of the fabric of the community in a big way.”

Before signing on with Chick-fil-A, Winn was a college and young adult pastor.

“One of my students said, ‘Man, you are just like one of the owners of a Chick-fil-A restaurant that we know. You should think about doing this.’ And so I researched it, hung out with a couple owners … got to know the business a little bit and decided this was something I wanted to give my life to and give my career to long term.”

Herrick had been with the mall Chick-fil-A for 21 years. Although there will be some changes, such as going from 900 square feet to more than 4,000 and from about 40 employees to 90, Herrick is confident.

“The basic idea of service is still the same. You’re still going to take care of customers the same, but the whole service model changes,” he said.

Despite his history in the area, Herrick still had to apply for the owner/operator position along with about 260 other applicants. Although Chick-fil-A owns the property and equipment, the franchise owners, like Winn and Herrick, own the business license and employs the workers.

Herrick said he was excited about the new locations and that Chick-fil-A was also looking into opening an Airport Highway location in the future.

“I’ve been the only game in town. I haven’t had any friends. Now I’ve got friends,” Herrick said and laughed.

That wasn’t always the case — Woodville and North Towne Square malls had locations that closed in the ’90s. Westfield Franklin Park Mall’s location opened in 1984 and Herrick came onboard in 1991.

The controversy

Herrick was at the helm of the mall location during Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day on Aug. 1. Controversy sparked after the chain’s president Dan Cathy offered his thoughts on same-sex marriage on “The Ken Coleman Show.”

“I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about,” Cathy said.

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and allied community along with mayors of major cities like Boston, Chicago and San Francisco lambasted Chick-fil-A in turn. To support the chain, former Arkansas governor and FoxNews personality Mike Huckabee rallied for an appreciation day. In response, customers formed lines with hours-long waits at Chick-fil-A’s nationwide.

Herrick declined to share specific figures from the day, but did say it was record setting and extremely busy.

“It was like surfboarding on a tsunami. You’re just holding on for dear life, hoping to get to the other side,” he said. The mall location stayed open until 10:30 p.m. to finish serving customers and Herrick had to travel to Columbus the next day to replenish supplies.

Winn emphasized that Chick-fil-A didn’t market the day, but that it was a grassroots effort.

“We’re thankful for whatever stage God gives us in order to serve our food and be an impact in the community. And that was just somewhat of a bigger stage,” he said.

Winn added, “Dan was speaking his personal views on the biblical definition of marriage and that was not representative of the 1,000-plus owners that we have as a chain or the company.”

1,600 locations

The company has more than 1,600 locations across the country and has reached $4.1 billion in sales. Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in 1946 and the first Chick-fil-A debuted in 1967.

Winn estimated that 80-90 new locations open every year. Both owners said they didn’t think boycotters had slowed down sales.

“It was the highest August we’ve ever had. We were up double digits in sales. September, we’re up more than normal so it has continued. Some of it is publicity,” Herrick said.

Herrick said of the boycott, “People don’t run to boycott Ben & Jerry’s or Starbucks because they support issues that maybe I object to. I love Starbucks and I’ll spend my money there.”

He added of same-sex marriage, “From my political views, it really clashes with my spiritual views because I’m a libertarian.”

“From a libertarian point of view, I don’t care. Just so long as your rights don’t infringe on my rights and just as long as you don’t cost me any money to enforce your rights or you don’t hurt or hit anybody.”

Gay and bisexual individuals work at the area Chick-fil-A, he added.

Winn said everyone should feel comfortable eating at Chick-fil-A.

“Chick-fil-A has had a policy now for the last 60 years since Truett opened his first restaurant in 1946, that we’re going to do our best to serve every customer irregardless of religious affiliation, age, gender, sexual orientation, and that’s really been our philosophy and our standard. So that’s going to continue to be what our policy is here in the greater Toledo area, to serve the diverse culture of Toledo residents,” Winn said.

Not comfortable

Sherry Tripepi, executive director of same-sex marriage advocacy group Equality Toledo, said she wouldn’t be comfortable at a Chick-fil-A.

“I want to spend my money and support those organizations that stand for equality for all people, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and it doesn’t appear that Chick-fil-A does. So, no, I would not visit one of their franchises,” she said.

Winn and Herrick said they do not consider sexual orientation when hiring employees.

“We’re going to take a look at people-oriented applicants that have a driven passion to treat everybody with honor and dignity and respect, to go the extra mile in meeting the needs of the customer, to really seek leverage making emotional connections with customers,” Winn said.

“You’re gonna see 16-year-old men pulling out chairs for moms with their kids. You’re gonna see college-aged young ladies helping moms carry their babies out to the table for them and getting them all situated,” he added.

Both restaurants will have a “First 100” event the day/night before the openings. The first 100 customers, who will need to camp out overnight, will receive 52 coupons for free meals. Activities will be planned throughout the day and meals will be served.

“It’s just gonna be party time,” Herrick said, adding that he’s met people who have been to 32 “First 100s” and a couple who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at one.

“I mean that’s dedication. You can’t tell me it’s for the free Chick-fil-A for a year. It’s more than that. It’s almost like a cult following,” he said.

To learn more, visit www.face book.com/PerrysburgPlazaChickFilA and www.facebook.com/Chick FilAToledo.

Baumhower: The extinction of the ‘Happily Ever Afters’

By
Toledo Free Press
-
0

My heart was recently broken when I learned that another of my “couple” friends are in the process of getting a divorce. Our children go to school and play sports together, their kids are a part of my extended family, my “Jackies.” My kids broke the news to me, as the announcement filled their school’s hallways, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. It felt as if my divorce was happening again.

Are “Happily Ever Afters” going extinct in the suburbs?

It’s been more than two years since my divorce was finalized. I fought for the last year to save my marriage, when I should have been working on it the previous 10. I am an excellent father, but I was a horrible husband. My battle to stop the divorce was ultimately for our three children. I could just see their future lives and I wanted to save them from it. Why fill their lives with heartache, when daddy simply needed to manage his ADD better?

My ex-wife and I had somehow fallen out of love. I was too blind to see it, she was too resentful to forget it. The busyness of a suburban schedule somehow hid the ongoing true feelings that were filling our SUV as we drove to baseball, soccer or dance. Our not-so-obvious previous attempts at fixing a failing marriage with children, both planned and unplanned, confused our hearts with the love of our babies, but not each other.

The words “single parent” carry a certain stigma, a cliché, something that may be completely outdated. “Single parent” used to clearly mean … the father was not present, there was no man in the house, often indicating some type of a mother’s financial struggle. Somewhere in the evolution of technology and relationships, the words “single parent” began to be used as a description by divorcées with joint custody of their children. One failed marriage with children creates two single parents because half of the time we are, in fact, a single parent.

An epidemic is happening in the suburbs, and no one seems to be noticing. Couples with slightly grown children (age 5 and older) seem to be fleeing from each other with nothing but self-interest at heart. Facebook and technology have made it so easy to see how green the grass really is, that people are forgetting about the roots they have planted.

Any child of the 1970s or 1980s can agree that there was maybe one kid in your entire grade with divorced parents. Now many times there are only one or two children in a classroom with a single family home. Can you imagine how teachers have to manage the new co-parenting schedules, the pick-ups, drop-offs, the communicating with two houses? The school’s copy machine used to be filled with copied tests or upcoming lessons, now it’s filled with copied parental communications and waivers.

If you are one of those parents currently dreaming of finalizing your divorce, or just filing for it, allow me the privilege of describing to you what life is like once you’re a “Suburb Single Parent.”

In most cases today the children’s visitation schedule is almost equally split, meaning you will miss up to half of your children’s lives. They become dual citizens of multiple homes, our new-age lil’ nomads, living out of the transition bag filled with previously worn clothes, bills, iPods and Nintendo 3DSs. Often when you do have a shared schedule, your time with your children is booked so full with sports to grandparent visits, you just end up driving your minivan or SUV the entire time. And let me not forget to describe the constant feeling of “competing” with your ex’s time spent, the whole “Mommy took us to see a movie,” and “What special things are we going to do this weekend, Daddy?”

Your kids’ lives become a seven-day-a-week promotional tour with appearances at the mall, grandma’s and the local soccer field. The chaos rarely stops.

Then the chaos quickly turns to silence and, for myself, the “you” time is often the hardest. The once deafening constant commotion becomes your catch-up time for cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and of course dating.

A common cause of divorces today is the desire to date someone new, find your heart or fall in love again. Imagine trying to sort out and sift through the douchery or potential psychos, to date them in your down kid-free time, all while trying to protect your most loved ones. It is nearly impossible. When simultaneous “kid-free” weekends are a plus to your new relationship, then we as a society are doomed.

My advice for those considering trying the greener grass is to not. If there is even 1 percent of you that believes you still love or could possibly fall back in love with your current spouse, than it should become your mission to explore every avenue on how to make your marriage work.

Your children deserve the effort. Our babies will never know the strength of love in a single-family home if we continue to quit the marriage the second we’re bored, or when our high school crush “pokes” us on Facebook.

The only lessons these quick divorces are teaching our children are how to properly organize a social calendar and how not to offend mom or dad.

They have been told they were made with love, but mommy and daddy no longer love each other. As if love somehow has an expiration date.

If you do not want to repeat the same mistakes I’ve made, simply learn how to love someone other than yourself. Use Facebook as a medium to show how much you love each other and this will ultimately discourage the random “pokings” from past lives. Instead of texting each other all day while working, have a no communication order, like they did before the cellphone.

Grandma and grandpa have been married for 50 years because grandpa didn’t drive grandma crazy all day with texts. This communication freeze will allow you to have an actual conversation at the dinner table.

My last words of advice are: Do not cheat. Physical or emotional affairs only screw your children. Although the orgasm or attention fills a recently created void, it simultaneously put an even bigger void on your children’s perception of love. And no matter how many times you tell them you love them, your actions have told them more.

I am sorry, Kelli.

Barhite: Scholar says Muslims likely scared, but will rebound from mosque fire

By
Brandi Barhite
-
0

BGSU scholar Marne Austin believes the fire intentionally set at the Perrysburg mosque will only further cement the Muslim community’s resolve to practice their faith.

“The community is resilient and they are some of the most intelligent people I have met,” she said.

Austin is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the School of Media and Communication who is focusing on the topic of Muslim identity in an anti-Islamic environment. We became friends while I was getting my master’s; I began to admire her when I saw her passion for interviewing Muslim women as part of her doctoral research.

“What saddens me most about it is the fact that it happened in an otherwise peaceful community,” Austin said. “The Muslim population has been here for decades. They are well-regarded and contributing members of society.”

Austin said the mosque is left open to the public because local Muslims want to be transparent and welcoming. The accused arsonist from Indiana violated that ideal by going into the mosque Sept. 30 and setting fire to the prayer area.

“This is a particular community that shows great integration, and the women I have interviewed don’t report any outright anti-Muslim sentiment,” Austin said. “It is sad because if there is one place where things are good for them, it could be here.

“Unfortunately, it shows that the best of places are subject to hate.”

While Austin said it is too early to label this a hate crime, she said any violence is a hate crime.

“It doesn’t have to be toward a certain group or religion. The fact that someone had to plan it and do it, it is hate.”

Austin has been encouraging Facebook friends to change their profile photo to the mosque. She is glad the arson is getting front-page attention, but wishes more Muslims would be asked — or willing — to be interviewed. If more people hear the Muslim perspective, they will realize this is impacting their friends, co-workers and neighbors, she said.

The Muslim women she has seen on Facebook are questioning why this is happening, while also asking for prayers.

“It would be a lie to say they won’t be impacted or won’t be scared. If this happened to a school or synagogue, people would be impacted, but I think they will be resilient and keep going,” she said. “They are going to pray outside the mosque; they are going to pray in their homes.”

And most notably, “Their first thought will be to pray for the man who caused the fire, not vengeance,” Austin said.

 

Frogapalooza: Disco bash to benefit Habitat for Humanity

By
Brigitta Burks
-
0

Eventgoers can catch some “Saturday Night Fever” to benefit Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity at Frogapalooza Disco Bash on Oct. 20, 2012.

“We want people to dress up in their best disco attire with their platform shoes,” said Gary Ross, one of the developers behind Frogtowndeals.com, the business behind the bash. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Ross runs the sales part of Frogtowndeals.com, a website for local businesses that offers daily deals à la Groupon. His partner Todd Gagné runs the technology side of things and Brent Fink backs the pair up.

“Part of what our company wants to do is really help and work with the community and charities. We really want to be involved. This is just the first thing that we want to do,” Gagné said. “[Habitat does] so much for the community and there’s a lot of people involved with it and it brings communities together.”

During the past 20 years, Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity has built 150 homes for needy families with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers.

Frogtown launch

The Frogtown website officially launched in July and recently partnered with Clear Channel to feature deals on the radio. Frogtown is under i2M, a social media management and text marketing company.

The Clear Channel partnership has the possibility of eventually catapulting the business to a national level, Gagné said. Still, being local is an important part of Frogtown. If the company expands, it will use its locally based model.

“People love the local aspect of this thing. That’s very important for people to support local. That’s where our big difference is from LivingSocial or Groupon is,” Ross said.

“I’m here. I’m local. I’m here for the customer and they can get ahold of me,” he added. “I like the warm and fuzzy, where you can actually be there for them.”

Another big part of the business is its amphibian mascot — which is usually Gagné in a frog costume.

“People love it. We go to events and people come and hug the frog,” Ross said. “One thing that we are that nobody else is is a lot of fun.”

The business originally started as Glass City Deals before its owners decided on something cuddlier.

“There’s a lot of other companies out there that do what we do, but nobody’s doing it the way that we’re doing it,” Gagné said.

18-hour days

Despite all the fun, Gagné and Ross are currently putting in 16-18 hour days to make their business a success.

“It’s a challenge because all of our revenue goes back into the company,” Gagné said, adding that going to bed at 3 a.m. and waking up at 8 a.m. is not uncommon for him. He is also working to develop a social media presence and smartphone applications for Frogtown.

Gagné, a Waterville native, used to work in real estate and Ross, a Toledo native, was once in print advertising. The pair encourages businesses to think of daily deals as a form of advertising.

“It’s a unique way to advertise because you only pay for what people are coming in for,” Gagné said. There is no upfront cost for companies and if someone purchases a deal, Frogtown takes a portion of the revenue. Most deals offer services for half off.

Frogtown is partnering with Costume Holiday House and Attitudes A Salon to help outfit eventgoers for the party.

Staying true to the ’70s theme of the Disco Bash is important to Frogtown.

“We want it to be what it was then. Oh God, help us all,” Ross said and laughed.

The website will also offer dinner deals the day of the Disco Bash to encourage a “date night.” The party conveniently falls on Sweetest Day, Ross pointed out, adding that surprises, raffles and contests are in store.

The Disco Bash is 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Oct. 20 at The Premier, 4480 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo. Tickets are $25 each or $300 for a VIP table of 10 at FrogtownTickets.com. A cash bar will be available.

Sharp: You decide

By
Kenneth Sharp
-
0

After eight years of a Republican president, two wars, the Patriot Act, financial meltdown,bailouts and uncontrolled government spending and borrowing, just to start a list, Americans wanted a new course. They wanted hope and change.

They elected President Barack Obama and they got expanded military action in at least three other countries (Libya, Yemen and Syria), the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), continued bailouts, more quantitative easing (printing money) and more government spending and borrowing, just to start.

Now we are told that our choices are four more years with Obama or to elect Republican Mitt Romney.

Both candidates are openly hawks on Iran. Both openly support the NDAA, which includes the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial. Both support drone strikes, which have been used to assassinate American as well as foreign citizens (though no kills yet on American soil).

Both would increase the deficit significantly, even projected over a large time span. Both have gained significant campaign contributions from Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and other bailout recipients. Both follow crony capitalism instead of free markets.

Both want federal control of health care (your body). Granted, the levels are slightly different. Romney calls for repeal and replace.

Both condone mass incarceration for nonviolent offenses that have led us to imprison more of our citizens than any other nation. A great portion of that includes incarceration for nonviolent offenses like marijuana, which 100 years ago would not have even been a crime and that many Western nations feel is a health rather than criminal issue.

Obama has admitted to marijuana and even cocaine use and says he supports the reform of drug laws, yet his Justice Department has conducted more raids on medical marijuana dispensaries than did the Bush administration.

So in states where the citizens have voted to allow their neighbors relief from chronic pain etc., Obama is using federal law and agents to stop and arrest them. Obama is using the IRS in a similar fashion.
Both candidates have similar immigration policies. Again, Obama talks one game and plays another. His administration touts a record number of deportations while Obama courts the Hispanic vote with the promise of gateways to citizenship. Both see gridlock as advantageous in blocking the opponent and yet see government as the solution.

Both parties like to divide us as it guarantees their election. They win and we lose.

Our future is evident across the Atlantic. California and Illinois will be our first Greece and Spain. Calls will come for more bailouts, printing more money (without regard to the inflation that must accompany it) and for more regulation. The insistence on raising taxes (only on the rich … to start), the need for more or continued wars to improve GDP output and to lessen the labor pool that causes social unrest at home are just the start.

We have become too good as consumers. We accept their marketing. We believe what they say and not what they do. We project our desires onto candidates and do not see how they are part of a bigger machine.

I have heard people complain about the loss of jobs, money and liberties and then they turn around and say they cannot support a candidate who will actually obey the Constitution or end corporate/government cronyism like the bailouts.

They say now is not the time to vote on principles like illegal detentions, drug reform, TSA at airports, the sale of raw milk, warrantless searches and seizures or the deficit. This I hear from both sides of the aisle.

Guess what? It is still the same aisle. An aisle doesn’t really have sides, just edges.

The time to vote principles, not party, is now. It has always been now. It is how we should have voted in the last election, the one before that and so on.

There are more than two viable candidates for president, not that they would let you know. It is up to you to do the research and find who actually supports your values. Then vote for them.

For me that ticket is Gary Johnson/Jim Gray, the Libertarian candidates. I have given you only a short list of how the two major parties are no different. Only their marketing makes them seem far apart.

We can continue to be good nonthinking consumers — to be led and be servants of the state — or we can be critical thinkers and act for ourselves, to lead and be citizens of the state. Where is America heading?
You decide.

Harley-Davidson hearse offers bikers one last ride

By
Kyle Cappelletty
-
0

A local funeral home is giving motorcycle enthusiasts a chance to have one last ride in a Harley Davidson hearse.

Sujkowski Funeral Home Northpointe on Alexis Road bought a Harley Davidson three-wheeled motorcycle with a custom-made hearse trailer at the beginning of the summer, said Hilary Sujkowski, one of the funeral home’s owners. Sujkowski said he bought the motorcycle hearse from the Tombstone Hearse and Trike Company to give people a more personalized experience.

The hearse is made of fiberglass and steel in a design that Sujkowski calls “timeless.” He said he plans to keep the hearse in good condition so he can keep it for a long time just like the other cars used for the home. The motorcycle hearse costs $300 to use, which is the same price as a normal hearse at the funeral home.

The Harley Davidson hearse is offered by Sujkowski Funeral Home.

There are at least two motorcycle hearses in the state of Ohio and about 45 across the United States, said Clint Marlin, the president of the American Motorcycle Hearse Association.

Marlin, who has ridden motorcycles his whole life, said he started the organization to provide standards for motorcycle hearses. Although he is not in the funeral home or hearse profession, he was offended when he saw people using the vehicles for parties and other events.

“The reason we started the association is to promote legitimate, respectful motorcycle hearses,” he said.

Motorcycle hearses are not common, but they are gaining popularity, he said.

Families of police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty often choose to use motorcycle hearses, Marlin said.

So far, the Sujkowski Funeral Home has not used its Harley Davidson hearse for a funeral, but Sujkowski said he has been to different bike rides to promote it.

“Even the hard bikers appreciate it and give me comments on it,” he said.

Sujkowski said he expects more interest in the hearse once more people hear about it.

“I think a lot of people don’t know it’s here, but I think when people see it, it sparks a lot of interest,” said Jan Eckel, the funeral director.

1...247248249...303Page 248 of 303