The Kentwood library held a celebration of the life and teachings of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the community room, consisting of readings from lead organizer Jessica Ann Tyson and Mayor Stephen Kepley, a fact-filled PowerPoint, a powerful and moving musical solo, and food and drink for guests. This celebration was an inaugural event in Kentwood’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day plans, in the works for now two years.
Lead organizer Jessica Ann Tyson led the proceedings, initially admitting she neither knew the late Rev. King or had actually participated in his rallies or demonstrations, but she was determined to keep his ideals alive through the celebration and remembrance of the iconic civil rights leader.
After the introduction came a presentation by the Kentwood ARCH program, the program helmed by Kentwood Public Schools in an effort to aid disadvantaged youth in the bottom 30% of the schools. ARCH stands for academics, recreation, community and health, and it allows students to focus on excelling in the classroom by connecting learning to their everyday lives. Later on, Mrs. Tyson gave out awards to student essayists and artists alike who made contributions to the celebration proceedings. It was a great choice to get the younglings involved in the celebration proceedings, so as to spur on their talents and imaginations with the universal topics Dr. King’s work can provoke.
Mayor Stephen Kepley spoke on how influential the Rev. Dr.’s I have a Dream speech was on his perspective and life choices. A Proclamation was performed by various personnel from around the area of varying ages, cultures, and viewpoints, all in the name of simultaneous equality and diversity.
Craig Tyson performed a song for the guests that was most effective. All present truly felt the emotion of his musical plea for leadership. Tears welled, guests cheered, and this here reporter cannot deny the passionate power of his simple musical interlude.
Passion is a powerful thing; ’tis something that can inspire, unite, employ the emotions of your surroundings to further a cause, and all present at the MLK Jr. celebration knew exactly how to utilize these feelings for the betterment of the community at large. This day speaks to not just persons of color, but to all populations, black, white, brown, pale, dark, big, and small, who believe in justice, equality, and the power of ordinary people in (extra)ordinary times.
Celebration Cinemas and Founders Brewing Company are teaming up for yet another incarnation of their popular Brewed for Film series.
Starting February 10th, Founders Brewing will install itself inside 5 Celebration Cinemas across West Michigan and present a specifically chosen film to share on the big screen with thirsty film-goers, along with serving some fine beverages that match the tone of the shows.
Mixed among the films picked are a Scorsese gangster epic, a classic Indiana Jones adventure, 3 Coen Brothers comedy-dramas, including their award-winning FARGO and Oscar-nominated True Grit remake, a stop-motion animated Wes Anderson family flick, and some Monty Python shenanigans to wrap up this particular series.
As per usual during the series, entry is only $2 per person, 21 years of age and above. In addition, the series is selling a pass for entry to all films as well as a complimentary beer for each show for $25, while supplies last.
Having attended last years showing of The Shawshank Redemption with a friend, I can truly attest to the friendly atmosphere and unique experience offered at the events the two collaborators offer here. The value of entertainment for the price offered is exponentially more than a typical movie outing. Plus, who wouldn’t want the option of refreshing Founders classics at hand for viewing and consuming pleasure?
For all the information, including show dates and featured beer choices, please visit the Celebration information page.
Just over fifteen months ago, South Christian girls golf coach, Rod VanDyke was killed while riding his bicycle to work as he so often did.
This year, even though Coach VanDyke was two years short of the usual criteria to be elected, the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association has announced that the South Christian coach will be posthumously inducted on Friday, May 20, 2016. The induction will take place at Tullymore Golf Resort as part of the MIGCA Hall of Fame and Coach of the Year banquet.
This year’s newly elected members will also include Jack Baumgartner from Perry, Tim Bradley from Lapeer West, and Doug McKay from De La Salle Collegiate, bringing the total membership to just one hundred.
“Coach Rod was truly a man of God that enjoyed what he did everyday,” said Curt Copeland, South Christian Athletic Director. “He was very dedicated to his family, the school, his students, and his teams, but at the same time was never afraid to enjoy it and laugh at himself. He never took himself too seriously.”
In addition to his coaching duties, VanDyke was a teacher at South Christian for twenty-two years.
The statistics seem to lend themselves that Coach Dyke, as he was often called by both his own players and opponents alike, was more than qualified to enter into the elite Hall of Fame. The only thing holding him back was the minimum requirement of twenty years, or thirty combined seasons, of coaching boys and girls. He coached the girls teams for eighteen years and also led the boys team for seven seasons.
South Christian’s 2014 Regional Championship Team
His teams combined for a match and tournament record of 672 – 119. They secured thirteen conference and fifteen MHSAA Regional Championships. He had either an individual or a team qualify for twenty-four MHSAA State Championship tournaments, including his last team that had to play their Regional tournament the day following his death.
“South Christian has a different basis for things than some other places might have,” explained Copeland as he looks back on 2014 and that fateful October day. “We felt we put the people in place to help handle the circumstances with that basis as the emphasis.”
The result of South Christian’s foundation, and the people in the program, played a part into the decision to have the girls play the following day. The team ended up winning Regionals and qualified South Christian for their sixteenth consecutive State Finals berth. Coach Dyke’s tradition of excellence has only continued as the team extended the streak to seventeen this last October under the guidance of new coach Ben Cook.
VanDyke’s teams finished State Runners-up five times, once with the boys and four times with the girls. The girls won two Division III State Championships in 2007 and 2009.
In 2007, on top of a State Championship, VanDyke also brought home honors as Michigan Coach of the Year. He repeated the feat with the boys in 2011. In 2009, Coach Dyke become one of only three coaches to be named as both the girls and boys Coach of the Year in the same year.
When asked how Coach Dyke would react to the honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Copeland said, “I think that he would probably be a little embarrassed by it all. It wasn’t initially his goal to be in the Hall of Fame. At the same time, he would say that he was honored, but would quickly add that he was blessed with good athletes to work with and that he was fortunate not to mess them up too badly.”
Coach VanDyke coached the girl’s team for 18 seasons.
Each of the young men and women that were fortunate enough to play for Coach Dyke over the years have a very special memory or token that they will carry with them not only on the golf course, but through life itself. Rod is survived by wife Julie and their three daughters Kelsey, Kenzie, and Maddie.
The Hall of Fame is something that only the best in that particular area are allowed to be a member of, and the rest of us can only look at, read about, and remember. In Coach Dyke’s case, when his membership is reflected upon, and since this is for golf, say a quiet “Thank you for the job well done and congratulations Rod.”
Over the course of time, many films have come and gone about the press and its volatile relationship to democracy and the public it serves. To many, All the Presidents Men remains the benchmark for exceptional storytelling in the investigative journalism field that went on to become a beloved masterwork of true-life drama and political intrigue.
Since then, every newspaper movie has to have a conspiracy, a cover-up, something hidden in plain view that no one dares bring up for either reasons of personal safety or the argument of “the greater good” of society better left not knowing about the filth lying beneath society’s mirror sheen, sometimes both. Movies such as Zodiac and Michael Mann’s excellent The Insider both deal with journalists as the diggers, the folks who latch onto a story and dedicate the whole of their lives, for better or worse, to seeing their stories through.
In late 2015, two films were released that dealt with journalistic events in the 21st century, both dealing with scandals that had repercussions in society, as well as the news field and the journalists who had to break the story.
Released first was Truth, covering the 60 Minutes Killian documents scandal, when, just before the 2004 election, CBS News Producer Mary Mapes ran a story that questioned George W. Bush’s National Guard duty in the 1970s. Acquiring questionable documents from a biased source who expected a political favor in return, the semi-anachronistic documents, once aired on television caused a major stink on conservative web-blogs, who lambasted the reporters and the network for airing such a questionable, scoop-worthy piece of glorified hear-say. This eventually led to CBS apologizing for the story and the termination of Mapes and accelerated resignation of Dan Rather, the legendary anchor who stood by Mapes as the controversy unfolded.
Spotlight dealt with the Boston Catholic child abuse scandal uncovered between 2001 and 2002 by the titular Boston Globe investigative team. The team, headed by “Robby” Robinson and overseen by incoming editor Marty Baron, follows up on various news clippings on abuse in parishes all over Boston, involving approximately 90 priests who were simply moved to different parishes to avoid scandal, only creating more issues of abuse.
The city officials and law offices refuse to participate with the team for the most part, leading the team to do most of the footwork themselves to interview victims and hunt through phonebooks and go door-to-door to ask about the priests involved. Eventually, thanks to some alliances made in the law offices and a miraculous legal loophole, they eventually manage to uncover damning documents that prove the Cardinal of Boston knew of the abuse and merely covered it up rather than dismissing his troublesome clergy.
While journalists have been portrayed as heroes in many titles, there is still a slight stigma on the news community as troublesome and prone to “scooping” for some publicity rather than the democratic principles journalism is expected to fulfill.
The 1981 drama Absence of Malice portrays a headstrong reporter (Sally Field) who goes to great, morally unethical lengths to get the first word on a juicy murder story that may just be damning an innocent businessman. Even Roger Ebert noted in his review for the film that Sally Field’s character “is a disgrace to her profession”. Other films such as the satirical Thank You for Smoking and the recently released ROOM feature journalist players that exploit their subjects in order to make names for themselves or simply to make it a “good story”, aka a ratings success.
Kirk Douglas in Billy Wilder’s scathing news drama, Ace in the Hole
While this may seem like a common trope of today, that is not quite the case, as journalists have been portrayed both as crusaders for democracy as well as scuzzy ratings fiends as long as the classics of old. In films such as Billy Wilder’s seminal Ace in the Hole, Citizen KANE, and the classic Sweet Smell of Success, journalists hound sources and stories until tragedy strikes their subjects and launches an even bigger scoop, that only serves to disgust the moral centers and further the careers of the scum who tackled the story; behold the dark side of capitalist journalism.
Meanwhile, classic films such as 1947 Best Picture-winner Gentleman’s Agreement and Deadline U.S.A. feature the typical champion reporters who risk it all to take down the corruption they see surrounding them, all for the sake of democracy. It’s still inspiring sometimes, to read about true-life heroism in the print, on-screen, and in your neighborhood.
To conclude, check out Spotlightif and when you get the chance. The movie is a great example of a near-flawless journalism picture that covers just how the work is done and the lengths reporters go in order to break a story that just needs to be told. The acting is spot-on, the drama effective, and the story is anger-inducing in the best of ways. The anger involved is specific to the wrong done to generations of Bostonians and other effected youth around the world. While Truth is certainly an interesting story to read about, the film presentation is a bit biased and not quite as involving as the Boston controversy. Here’s to more great journalism in the future…and movies, too!
The H8ful Eight is among other things a troubling work to behold and mull over. On one hand, this is to be expected, coming from the most beloved exploitation director of Gen-X, Quentin Tarantino, who loves his women bare-footed, his violence explosive and over-the-top, and his dialogue so chewy and memorable, it’s no surprise he keeps picking up awards for screenwriting. On the other hand, it’s not as much the content that troubles the author as much as the sloppy presentation of Mr. Tarantino’s work, who is expected to know better by now.
Before all the film geeks pounce and spear me with their pitchforks and flambé my pudgy rump with their torches, note that I am not complaining about the format I viewed the film through. I traveled all the way to Livonia to view The Hateful Eight in Glorious 70 Millimeters, complete with Overture and ten-minute Intermission. While the print seemed a little wonky at times, the format was not what I take issue with at all. I am a terrific fan of old-school entertainment presentation, the roadshows, the Ben-Hur’s, heck one of my favorite films ever made is Lawrence of Arabia, which I saw twice au cinéma when Celebration Cinema featured it as part of its now sadly defunct “Celebrating the Classics” series, presented in such a format.
My problem is with aspects of the storytelling that Tarantino uses to possibly make his work stand out from his stolen draft that was leaked online by the Internet press in early 2014. If this is the case, I still feel the choices made in the later pages of the screenplay render much of the entertainment garnered from the early pages moot. Let me explain:
The H8ful Eight starts out with Samuel L. Jackson’s Maj. Marquis Warren hitching a ride on a stagecoach in the snowy wilds of Wyoming with bounty hunter “The Hangman” John Ruth, played with mustachioed machismo by Kurt Russell, who himself is transporting a prisoner, Daisy Domergue.
Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Domergue takes a lot of abuse in this movie, hence troubling aspect number one. Granted, she is an outlaw who takes the most vicious of glee when harm and disappointment comes to her captors, but the level of violence directed toward her just to fill in the silence gets a little uncomfortable even for a he-man like myself whose favorite works include the many visceral works of Dario Argento and John Carpenter.
As their carriage navigates the snowy drifts reminiscent of Michigan’s current roadways, the trio picks up yet another guest, the self-professed new Sheriff of Red Rock, Domergue and Ruth’s destination. The new sheriff only happens to have been a former southern raider during the Civil War, leading to a beef with Warren, former Union cavalry. Shortly thereafter, the travelers arrive at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a lodge that already houses four guests, the Red Rock hangman, a cow puncher, a Mexican named Bob, and a grizzled old Confederate general. Our now 9 players, I forgot to mention the carriage driver O.B. who takes as much crap as Domergue takes beatings, hunker down in the lodge to escape the hostile blizzard just arriving at their doorstep.
But is all as it seems at the lodge? For those answers, you’ll have to see the film, and then we’ll talk.
As for the questionable elements, I’ll be as discreet as possible without spoiling the whole film. The film is split into 6 chapters, the first four of which function magnificently as an outrageous, slow-burn, pseudo-stageplay. Seriously, if the film had only consisted of the first four chapters with a slightly retooled ending, the film would be a near-masterwork of modern frontier westerns along the likes of Once Upon a Time in the West via the Coen’s True Grit.
Unfortunately, after the movie ended and I mulled over the contents as a whole, elements of the last 45 minutes only angered me as to provoke the question, “why was this film over 3 hours long?” The choices and events of the last act only instilled in me the unbelievability of the story as a whole, it took me out of the movie, and when that happens, the director and script have utterly failed at their jobs.
But this is not to say the movie is awful as a whole. On the contrary, many of the elements of the story come together like magic and work marvelously.
The wintry photography is cool and effective in its isolation. The acting all around is spot-on, from Tim Roth’s slimy, smug “hangman” to Bruce Dern’s grizzled, bewildered ol’ general, alongside the powerhouses that are Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell. But the two greatest standouts of the picture are Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins, portraying Daisy Domergue and Sheriff Chris Mannix, respectively.
Leigh gives Domergue a quiet, palpable menace that comes alive when she just silently stares at her captors, actively seething while letting nothing explicit show in her facial features. Goggins’ Sheriff is a fun misanthrope who simply fought for the wrong side of a conflict and is now paying karma’s toll. He has a gleeful streak of humanity and clownishness in an outright cruel and killer environment. Much of the dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny in the most pitch-black fashion and truly haunting in its realism at many points in the story, such as Warren’s introduction to Ruth as well as his eventual conversation with the grizzled general who executed black soldiers at the Battle of Baton Rouge.
But undoubtedly the most memorably awesome aspect to The Hateful Eight is maestro Ennio Morricone’s wicked musical score, a first for a Tarantino picture, which typically steals from 60s and 70s Top 40 hits to fill the musical accompaniment. Once the overture struck the big screen over the image of a lone carriage against a blood-tinted landscape, I found myself totally engaged in the proceedings and enthralled by the sense of simultaneous dread and excitement that Morricone instills in the audience, courtesy of some unused music from John Carpenter’s The Thing.
I keep looping the soundtrack on YouTube as I compose this piece; that is how good the film soundtrack is.
Morricone, a seasoned veteran of spaghetti westerns and blockbusters such as The Untouchables, has still got whatever he had way back in the days of yore when he was the Italian equivalent of Hans Zimmer, with his paws in a lot of pictures of varying quality that still had the great fortune to land his talents as musical maestro. I need this soundtrack, like yesterday!
Being the Tarantino-brand of picture, it is no surprise that The H8ful Eight is in parts outrageous and glorious. It just so happens that I took more offense at what I perceived to be sloppy storytelling rather than the raucous content Mr. Tarantino is peddling this time around. It is most concerning that his projects get seemingly less thought-out the more ambitious his projects get. I do recommend viewing the movie but only if you know what you’re getting: a Tarantino western with a bleak moral center and a killer soundtrack that outshines most everything in the movie.
Once again, I’ve spent a great deal of time eating my way around the state of Michigan. It’s a wonderful life when it is your “job” to eat, drink and play in your home state. Living now in Petoskey has introduced me to a wealth of new restaurants serving up the tastiest of fare. Here are 15 that stood out as best of the best for me.
Shortly after moving to Petoskey, this wonderful thing called “Restaurant Week” was held – a chance for me to visit some new places around town. After perusing the menus online, I settled on Seventeen in Bay Harbor where they were serving cavatelli with morels and asparagus – two of my favorite spring ingredients. It was one of those mouth-watering dishes that you slow down for, savoring each bite until the bowl is scraped clean. It was so good, I went back for it several times during the early summer (and after morels were out-of-season, other mushroom varieties were suitably substituted). The views of the harbor, the staff and live entertainment made Seventeen one of my most visited spots throughout the summer (including July 3 for Bay Harbor’s famous Fourth of July celebration).
2. Dry-Aged Tomahawk Steak at Vernales, Harbor Springs
Rated the #1 steakhouse in Michigan by Mlive.com, Vernales has become my “neighborhood” hangout since moving to Petoskey. The vast menu offers some mouth-watering pasta dishes, fish, pub fare and the best steaks around. If you’re hungry and wanting to splurge (or make a good impression), order up the 32-ounce dry-aged Tomahawk ribeye steak (for two). This is where I took my kids for our family Thanksgiving meal, where not only did we get the Tomahawk, but also a selection of pasta, crab legs, stuffed shrimp, lobster tails and scallops.
There are several places up north that I always thought were off limits – clubs that were reserved for the elite who played golf, sailed or had money to pay for private memberships. Turns out, many of these places are actually open to the public. My first visit to the Country Club of Boyne was to listen to my pal Pete Kehoe play music. It was a hot summer day – and the Gazpacho Shrimp Cocktail seemed a refreshing way to start my meal. The tiny dish of diced tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro, topped with a couple giant shrimp was so good I almost ordered a second one. At the end of the night, Pete introduced me to Chef Tyler Brune (who has since been promoted to Executive Chef at Boyne Highlands) who graciously provided me with the “recipe” for this summer treat (which I prepared at home for guests over the Fourth of July holiday weekend).
Brunching is a popular activity in Northern Michigan, and Palatte Bistro downtown does it right. On weekends, you can take your turn at the “build your own Bloody Mary bar” and then settle in on the upper deck and watch the city in motion. The Caprese Omelette is as light as a breeze on a summer day – with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil rolled inside a fluffy egg wrap, drizzled with a balsamic reduction and served with toast and home fries (and for me, a side of crispy bacon, of course).
While in GR for the Wine, Beer & Food Festival, I spent some times exploring the Uptown area – which includes four thriving business districts: East Fulton, East Hills, Eastown and Wealthy Street – with friends and colleagues as we scoped out the neighborhoods for a possible business venture. Seeking a cocktail and brunch, we landed at The Winchester where this delicious cured salmon “rosette” served on a thin and crispy potato cake, with crème fraiche, red onion and crispy capers (which are an edible flower bud, if you didn’t know). This was another one of the small plate offerings that was so delicious I could have eaten two (or, maybe even three).
One of my favorite items on the menu and even though it’s a “shared plate” I often enjoy it all by myself! There’s not much better than pork belly. Chef Matt’s team serves it perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful on the inside, served atop firm pinto beans it is absolutely delicious. I’ve seen it featured also with a poached or fried egg, which I’ve yet to experience (but it’s on my radar for a future visit). Either way, I typically enjoy a simple Farmers Greens Salad as my first course, along with a fine selection of Michigan wines.
It’s no secret that Reserve is one of my favorite places to eat in the entire state of Michigan. And, narrowing down one menu item to feature on this annual list is always a challenge. Over the years, I’ve raved about the lamb Rueben on the lunch menu, as well as the pork belly hash and smoked rabbit gnocchi (the best gnocchi I’ve ever had is at Reserve), among countless other dishes. This time, they’ve knocked it out of the park with the Duck Confit Carbonara— pasta with leeks, chestnuts and a rich deliciousness known as confit duck. It’s one of those dishes that you have to keep yourself from burying your face right into bowl. One of those dishes where you struggle between eating slowly to savor every single bite and rushing through it because it’s just so darn good.
Formerly the South American Grill, inside the Inn at Bay Harbor, Vintage Chophouse was unveiled this summer and affords one of the best outdoor dining options in northern Michigan – with Little Traverse Bay just a stone’s throw from the patio. The Squid Ink Linguini, with roasted shrimp, blistered cherry tomatoes, spinach, fresh herbs and white wine garlic cream sauce, was the perfect summer dish. Upon further research, I found out that squid ink is a thick gourmet ingredient that is often used to create a dark and briny coating to pastas and risotto rice. Though it has a sea salt, somewhat “maritime” flavor, it is not fishy in taste. Combined with traditional linguini, it reminded me a tuxedo with its classy black and white color scheme.
The long-anticipated southern-influenced restaurant from Chef Matthew Millar opened this summer in Saugatuck. I was fortunate enough to attend a sneak preview back in May, including a guided foraging trek through the nearby woods, followed by an insane seven (or eight) course dinner back at the restaurant, overlooking the Kalamazoo River. In early August, when Mother Nature prohibited my mother and I from getting out on Lake Michigan aboard the historic sailboat the Bernida, we opted for shopping and eating in downtown Saugatuck. The comfort food at The Southerner was perfect for this cool, rainy day and we loaded up on the breakfast special: smoked rib hash with cabbage, potatoes, jalapeno peppers, poached eggs and that glorious topping known as hollandaise sauce, served on country-style plates reminiscent of grandma’s house. After our meal, we treated ourselves to a sweet cinnamon roll—which we shared.
10. Risotto with Smoked Salmon at Bistro FouFou, Traverse City
I’ve love the creamy, fulfilling taste of risotto and Chef Guillaume always tosses in the best ingredients to make it even more enjoyable, especially on a cold, winter day. I think risotto is actually always on his menu, but the preparation varies from season to season. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed his morel risotto, asparagus risotto and most recently, the smoked salmon risotto with roasted tomatoes (and, traditionally fennel—which I’m not a fan of, so I asked for sans-fennel). If I recall correctly, the night I enjoyed this risotto there was also a hearty beef bourguignon on the menu (which I had never had, but wanted to try ever since watching Julie & Julia)—so I ordered it to go and enjoyed it at home the following evening with a Michigan pinot noir and crusty bread.
Another one of those places I thought was private, but opens it restaurant doors to anyone. Following my pal Pete again, I landed here one summer evening just in time to hear some classic tunes, watch the sun set and to savor a half dozen decadent lamb chops served over mashed potatoes, alongside fresh asparagus and topped with a rich au jus. After dinner, I convinced the bartender to bring our table individual servings of vanilla ice cream and a couple bottles of what I believe was Founders Porter, which we used to make sinfully savory beer floats.
I think I’ve had duck more than any other single meat at Chandler’s, and I’m never disappointed. The accoutrements changes seasonally, but one thing remains constant – the crispy skin and the rare meat, tender enough to cut with a butter knife. In early summer, the preparation included roasted beets, asparagus and a few leaves of arugula drizzled with au jus.
13. Lentil Stuffed Tomato at Café Sante, Boyne City
One of the things I enjoy about Sante is their attention to the seasons of northern Michigan. In the spring, you’ll find dishes featuring ramps, morels and asparagus. In the summer, its strawberries and other fruits. In the fall, harvest vegetables and in the winter, root vegetables. One of my favorite menus was the one focused on tomatoes (the fruit that we all treat like a vegetable). After speaking on “Michigan’s Ghost Towns” at the Boyne City Library, I stopped in to Santa for a late dinner – a plump and juicy tomato stuffed with a mixture of lentils and served on a bed of greens, that was light yet satisfying.
While following John Gonzales on his Mlive.com search for “Michigan’s Best Mac & Cheese” we landed at Bridge Street Tap Room to indulge ourselves in an ultimate carb-overload. As if stuffing creamy mac-n-cheese between two pieces of asiago sourdough bread wasn’t enough, the addition of crispy bacon, avocado and sriacha aioli make this a two-handed sandwich. Be sure to wash it down with one of the nearly 30 Michigan craft beers available on draft.
With all of the great places I get to eat, it’s inspired me to do more cooking at home. From my favorite breakfast (Eggs Benedict) to infused salads to appetizers and full entrees, it’s a challenge to cook for one. Luckily, I’ve found lots of friends in the area willing to take “leftovers” off my hands. I’ve also found an interest in creating “new” meal ideas from leftovers brought home from my favorite restaurants. Probably my favorite thing to cook at home these days is grilled pizza. I start by grilling seasoned chicken thighs, adding the pulled pieces to crust coated with either pesto, tomato sauce or simple olive oil, and then any ingredients I happen to have on hand: sweet banana peppers, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, asparagus, roasted garlic, capers and then topped with shredded cheese and added back to the grill. Even the leftovers are great when warmed in the oven. The great thing is, no two pizzas are the same.
During my first visit to the Les Cheneaux Islands area (Cedarville & Hessel), I had the pleasure of enjoying a couple meals at the newly opened Les Cheneaux Culinary School—overlooking the lake. I started my meal with the recommended hors d’oeuvres – Moroccan dates stuffed with goat cheese, toasted pecans and house-cured duck prosciutto.
When it comes to salads, the culinary team at six.one.six always delivers something unique and tasty. The kale salad has made this list in previous years – and this year, it’s the beat salad. Roasted red beats and a pickled hard-boiled egg are served over a bed of lightly seasoned greens, making for a colorful and flavorful summer lunch.
Best Soup: Butternut Squash & Roasted Tomato Bisque at Mustang Wendy’s, Harbor Springs
I never would have thought to combine two of my favorite bisques together in one pot, and I was intrigued to see how they blended together. Turns out, it was pretty tasty. Topped with a swirl of crème fraiche and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Best Dessert: Pecan Ball at Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island
This dessert is synonymous with this historic hotel, and yet with all the times I’ve stayed there (on personal vacation or business), I’ve yet to have the noted Pecan Ball. So, while staying at the hotel for four days during the Bayview to Mackinac Yacht Race, I finally gave it a try. Normally not a dessert person, I found that I couldn’t put the spoon down and ended up eating nearly the entire thing (it’s ice cream after all, which just fills in all the spaces in your stomach after a multi-course meal).
Best Liquid Meal: BLT Bloody Mary at Sundance Grill, Grand Rapids
After the Michigan Winter Beer Festival, it seems fitting to end the weekend with a liquid brunch in the form of a BLT Bloody Mary. Homemade bloody Mary mix and vodka is served tall, on the rocks and garnished with bacon, lettuce and tomato standing upright in the glass, served with a side of toasted sourdough bread, mayo and a five-ounce shorty beer.
Safe Travels!
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
It is behind this north wall, an exact replica appearing here from the exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, where researchers have discovered the hidden chamber. Could the royal tomb of Queen Nefertiti be behind this wall?
By Tom Norton
With the exhibit of the Treasures of King Tutankhamen winding down in less than a month at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the latest news out of Egypt creates a new reason for revisiting, or catching the exhibit for the first time, what is likely one of the greatest exhibits ever to come to West Michigan.
3,300 years ago King Tutankhamen was laid to rest in what researchers now believe was a hastily constructed or modified tomb. Since its discovery in 1922, one nagging question remained unanswered; why was his burial tomb not fitting that of a ruling pharaoh?
Scores of reasons were supplied; the tumultuous period in Egyptian history when Tut lived and ruled was the most obvious. His father, the heretical pharaoh Akhenaton had recently been deposed and the 11-year-old Tutankhamen placed on the throne. DNA evidence today shows he was a sickly teen who died at the age of 19, but beyond all that there were tantalizing items in the tomb that didn’t add up. A number of the treasures didn’t appear to have ever been owned by the boy king. Treasures where the text has been erased altogether or altered to reflect the new “ownership” of Tut.
Now in 2016, the news coming out of Egypt could be as thrilling as it was in 1922 when the most famous Egyptian tomb ever was discovered.
The Egyptian government has now announced that it has a 90% certainty that there is a hidden chamber behind the north wall of Tut’s tomb. Far from being a storage room, researchers and Egyptologists believe the north wall of Tut’s burial chamber may have been built and painted over to conceal the entrance to the tomb of the fabled Queen Nefertiti, possibly an aunt of the boy king.
The north wall of the burial chamber shows the young King in the afterlife and going through the ritual known as the “opening of the mouth.” A ritual performed by the gods as the pharaoh enters the underworld. Strangely, however, some of the figures that were always assumed to be the boy king have certain feminine characteristics. Could these images have been originally been painted for Nefertiti?
If all this is true, the tomb of Tut that we know today would actually be merely the outer rooms to a much larger tomb built for the most famous Queen of Egypt.
The questions surrounding the strange size of Tut’s tomb would also be answered.
The results of the radar scans which discovered the hidden chambers will be announced in the coming few weeks. If an intact royal tomb is found within Tut’s tomb, it would be the most spectacular archaeological discovery of the last 100 years. All the more reason to take in the breathtaking exhibit at the Grand Rapids Public Museum before it leaves at the end of January.
“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” Han Solo once spoke those words in a galaxy far, far away.
A few weeks ago, they had the premier for The Force Awakens in Los Angeles at the TLC Chinese Theater. I watched the event online and it was spectacular! The set up they had for the event was supposedly twice the size of the Oscars Red Carpet event.
There were fans that waited at least a week or longer to try to win tickets for the premier. I heard that Anthony Daniels showed up one night and talked to the fans waiting.
As I watched the premier, I saw that George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, John Williams, Billy Dee Williams, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and many more show up to the event.
About a week later, the movie opened in theaters to the mass public. I went on opening day, December 18. I took the day off from work and met friends at the theater. As I was waiting for the movie, I received a message from a good friend of mine who works in one of the restaurants in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, she was standing five feet from George Lucas.
I also received a few messages from my friends asking why I hadn’t gone the night before on the 17th. You know it’s a big event when you’re already behind for seeing a film on opening day instead of the night before with seemingly everyone else.
My friends and I waited in line at the theater for a couple of hours ahead of time because we wanted to make sure we got good seats. When we sat down I had a troubling thought, “Guys what if the movie sucks?” Except, it wasn’t an original thought, I was totally referring to Eric’s line in the movie Fanboys.
Fans waiting in line in December 18th.
SPOILERS AHEAD!! Read at your own RISK!!
The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after Return of Jedi. Where we meet Poe Dameron, a fighter pilot for the Resistance, who is sent by General Leia Orgainana to retrieve a map with the location of Luke Skywalker. Which, the First Order, and Kylo Ren are also looking for.
The First Order sends Kylo Ren and the stormtroopers to Jakoo to retrieve the map from Poe and the Resistance. Before being captured trying to save a village from Stormtroopers and Kylo Ren, Poe made sure to give the map to his droid BB-8. BB-8 escapes and eventually meets up with the story’s main protagonist Rey and, eventually, Fin.
Fin, a former stormtrooper, aids Poe in escaping from the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order.
Before Poe escaped from the First Order, Klyo Ren tortured him to find out where he hid the map. Ren learns of the maps location in a BB-8 droid still back on Jakoo. So, he heads to the planet to retrieve the droid.
During the attempted retrieval, BB-8, Rey and Fin are attacked by stormtroopers and end up stealing the Millennium Falcon to escape. Once far enough away from Jakoo, the ship is caught in a freighters tracker beam. Assuming the worst, Rey, Finn and BB-8 hide in the bowels of the Falcon. However, this is when we first meet the old starts as Han Solo and Chewbacca have stolen back their old ship!
The story now has a new gang with Rey, Fin, Han Solo and Chewbacca. The group makes a stop to one of Han’s friends, and while they are there, Rey finds Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber and starts to realize that she is Force sensitive and that there may be more in her background than meets the eye.
This was on our board at work on December 19th
Eventually Kylo Ren shows up, crashes the party, and a battle ensues. Rey tries to run away but Kylo Ren hunts her down and captures her to take to Starkiller (a new and improved Deathstar) for further questioning.
Finn, Chewbacca, and Han head to Resistance headquarters with BB-8 in tow to meet with General Leia Orgainana. We learn that Han Solo has been away from Genera Leia Orgaiana for quite some time. Their son, Ben, had trained to become a Jedi with Luke Skywalker, but he was seduced by the Sith and Supreme Leader Supreme Leader Snoke.
Ben Solo was no longer Ben, he was now Kylo Ren!
Back at the Resistance, Poe and Finn meet again, and Poe takes Finn to General Leia Orgaiania and they formulate a plan to get Rey back and destroy Starkiller.
Back on Starkiller, Kylo Ren interrogates Rey and tries to get into her mind to read the map to Luke’s location. After failing, Kylo Ren leaves the room flustered and confused as to why he couldn’t access Rey’s mind. Rey then uses the Jedi Mind Trick on the stormtrooper in the room to unlock her bonds and escape.
Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Fin eventually make it onto the base on Starkiller to rescue Rey and blow up the base. As Han Solo and Chewbacca set the charges to later detonate, Han sees his son and attempts one last time to save him from the Dark Side.
Han desperately wants his son to come back home, and for a second it seems Ben (Kylo Ren) wants the same, but in an instant that feeling is gone and Han finds himself falling down an endless shaft. Kylo Ren has completed his transition to the Dark Side.
The charges are detonated and the Resistance finishes the job, destroying the Starkiller just as Rey, Fin and Chewbacca escape. With the Starkiller destroyed, and the leaders of the Resistance back together at headquarters, R2-D2 and BB-8 provide both pieces of the map to Luke Skywalker. In the final scene, Rey and Chewbacca set out to follow the map and find the final remaining Jedi.
Personally I give the movie a B+. I have already seen it twice. I enjoyed more the second time. Out of my about 30 of my closest friends, the most amount of times any of them had seen it was 5! Even on Christmas, my cousins one by one asked me what I thought and wondered how many times I had seen the movie. By the time I’d gotten back to work on the 19th, the guys were surprised I had only seen it once up till that point. Some friends thought I’d be on round 9 by now.
There were two big cameos in the film that were fun to spot. One was Daniel Craig as the stormtrooper Rey used the Jedi Mind Trick on to escape her cell. The other cameo was Simon Pegg as Unkar Plutt who bartered with Rey for food on Jakoo.
There are still some unanswered question from the movie, many of which are about Rey. Who is Rey’s family? Most believe she is a Skywalker. Some wonder who is Finn’s family? Is he possibly the child of Lando Calrissian? And who is Supreme Leader Snoke? One discussion at work, was brought up, that Snoke could possibly be Darth Plagueis?
Why did Luke Skywalker leave? In the movie they say he went looking for the first Jedi Temple. Since Kylo Ren was also looking for it, is it possible that Luke went to protect it from Kylo Ren? So, then what is Kylo Ren searching for?
To quote Han Solo once again…”It’s True. All of it. The Dark Side, the Jedi. They’re real.”
Katie works in the film industry as a camera operator and has worked on films like ‘All You Can Dream’, ‘Set Up’ and a TV show called ‘American Fallen Soldier.’ She loves helping WKTV with the Citizen Journalism team and working as a tech at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Katie loves working in the film industry and loves watching movies just as much!
Another year has come and gone. Here at Wyoming-Kentwood NOW, we take a look back at the year that was with some of our favorite, and most memorable, stories from here in Wyoming.
After almost 15 years on the job, former Wyoming Deputy City Manager Barbara Van Duren retired. Her retirement was celebrated at the Wyoming Public Library to make room for all the people in attendance! 28th West, the re-development of 28th street, was a project close to Barbara’s heart. In the words of Barbara Van Duren, “28th streets needs a facelift.”
One Wyoming 1 on 1 offers mentors the opportunity to make a difference in children’s lives. Not only that, but the children will make just as big–if not bigger–of an impact on you! Deb Havens shares her story on mentoring Amber and the bond they’ve created.
The Wyoming Department of Public Safety recognized their top employees. Among those honored was Jason Caster for Officer of the year, Brian Illbrink as Firefighter of the Year, Terra Wesseldyk as Civilian of the Year, and Lt. Kirt Zuiderveen received the Chief’s Award of Professional Excellence.
March is a special time for basketball lovers of all ages! The MHSAA playoffs kicked into full gear with multiple schools from the Wyoming area vying for a State Championship.
Harriet Sturim, a proud Wyoming homeowner since 1977, highlights some new and positive building in the city. From the new Veterans Clinic in Metro Village to the new businesses on 28th and 36th street, the City of Wyoming is continuing the city’s growth of vision and progress.
Wyoming’s, and most like Kent County’s, oldest home was put up for sale in 2015. For the first time in 179 years, the ‘Rogers Mansion’ was put on the market for someone outside the Rogers family. The house comes with the original skeleton key to unlock the front door. History is all around us.
General Motors used 2015 to invest in their Burton location with capital and full-time job opportunities. $119 million and 300 jobs were announced in June and another $43 million 55 new jobs were announced later in December! A reinvestment in West Michigan manufacturing is sometime to get excited about.
Wyoming continues to add new businesses to the area. Three new businesses found a home at the corner of Clyde Park and 44th Street. A four-story WoodSpring Hotel, a Fox Powersports, and a J&H Mobil Station with a Tim Horton’s right next-door broke in the dirt.
The Pinery Park Little League was in troubled water as they risked losing their contract to the fields at Pinery Park with the Wyoming City Council due to a lack of transparency and losing their 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. Fortunately, the league was able to get it together but will need to run more efficiently going forward.
Wyoming Public Schools found themselves on the winning side after election day with the passing of a sinking fund to help the school. The sinking fund works a little differently from a bond issue and will end up raising over $400,000 per year with little, if any, increase to Wyoming tax payers.
The Great Candy Cane Hunt had another successful season with Santa being delivered by the fire department and then leading the children on a candy cane hunt throughout Pinery Park. The event continued at the Wyoming Senior Center with “life-size” jenga and connect four that families could enjoy!
WKTV is home to Wyoming-Kentwood NOW. Sharing the stories in your community!
Every year stories are written and consumed by the masses, but here at Wyoming-Kentwood NOW we focus on the hyperlocal. More specifically, we focus on YOU and YOUR community.
As we say goodbye to 2015 and get ready to say hello to 2016, let’s take a quick look back at our ten most popular stories from the past year:
Don’t forget to make now.wktv.org a part of your daily routine, and if your interested in writing about the stories that surround you, we know just the people to talk to! Email us at news@wktv.org.
The holidays are a time of shopping for family and friends, but have you ever thought of shopping for a cause?
The War Chest Boutique, located in the Women At Risk, International headquarters at 2790 44th Street in Wyoming, offers an opportunity to do just that. The elegant and spacious storefront displays items produced or supported by women who have escaped sexual slavery or other at-risk situations such as domestic violence, substance abuse, and exploitation. The products include spa items, scarves, cards, bags, and beautiful jewelry made from items unique to their country of origin such as pearls, gems, paper, and nuts.
From its humble beginnings in the kitchen of founder and president, Rebecca McDonald, Women at Risk, International, or WAR Int’L, now has safe houses in 40 countries. These safe houses and related programs work to rescue women and children from the ravages of human trafficking and bring them to a place where they can enjoy job training, education, counseling, therapy, and mentoring. Stephanie Cozzolino, Retail District Manager, shared that recently the organization achieved a grant allowing WAR Int’L to increase the size of their program. Cozzolino asserts their excitement that lives can be restored and dignity reclaimed.
You may be thinking that WAR Int’L is a noble cause to help these women and children in foreign lands, but that human trafficking doesn’t have an effect on your life. Unfortunately, sexual exploitation not only exists overseas but indeed is thriving underground in small towns across America; Yes, even towns like Wyoming, Kentwood, and Grandville.
An estimated 2,400 children are living in slavery, exploited, or sold in West Michigan, according to the U. S. Department of State.
According to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Michigan ranks 13th in the country for the number of sex trafficking victims.
You may remember the recent news headlines when WCSG radio personality, John Balyo, was arrested and convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for arranging sexual encounters with minors. Internet child pornography is an ever-growing industry in our country. According to the FBI, “The new slavery…human trafficking, is the fastest growing segment of organized crime.”
“There is a misconception that all traffickers are men,” states Cozzolino. “It is surprising that women play a growing role in the trafficking and prostitution business.”
Large public events such as the Superbowl have become the largest incidents for human trafficking in the United States. Likewise, Cozzolino states local Grand Rapids events such as Art Prize have drawn similar crime. Many from out-of-town use internet sources like Backpage to obtain children and women for illicit purposes. War Int’L closely monitors these events, participating with groups like the S.O.A.P. project to offer rescue and assistance to those in need.
The S.O.A.P. project works to place bars of soap in hotel bathrooms (many times the only time the victim is away from her captor) with the number for the National Human Trafficking Resource Center imprinted on the wrapper. Aside from large events, intervention and assistance is also offered at bars, strip clubs, and red light districts within the city.
Traffickers are very adept at luring vulnerable teens with flattery, gifts, or the promise of love or riches before drugging them and selling their bodies to the highest bidders. Those victims who are able to escape are left with nothing but scars, both emotional and physical. That is where WAR Int’L comes in. Rescued and at-risk women can come to the WAR Int’L headquarters for protection and assistance. Safe houses offer “safe places to turn crisis into hope, where women can be rescued, restored, and empowered to walk with dignity.”
How can you help? Shop! That’s right, it’s as easy as visiting the War Chest Boutique in Wyoming (or its counterparts in Rockford, MI and Napierville, IL) and picking out an item, made with love by a woman who has overcome darkness and is on the path to independence. One hundred percent of the money from the product made by these women returns to them and their programs. Staff at WAR Int’L are compensated through donations.
Looking forward to the spring, Cozzolino explained that the current Winter Wonderland theme in the anteroom will be transformed into a café, staffed with baristas to make and serve fresh coffee and treats. Please take the time to stop in for a break and peruse the gorgeous products being sold in the name of love.
While donations are always appreciated, you can also host a War Chest party at your home, church, office, or at the War Chest Boutique. Please go to www.Warinternational.org for more information.
Kathy is a long-time employee with Spectrum Health. She has been married for 28 years to her wonderful husband, Duke. Together they have 2 children, Emily and Daniel. In her free time she enjoys volunteering with the Casting Bread Mobile Food Pantry at Kentwood Christian Church, making sandwiches at Kids Food Basket, and leading Ladies Bible Study on Thursday nights. Writing has been her passion since elementary school and she loves to write about how others enjoy what they are passionate about!
Long lines surrounded the DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center on Monday, December 21, 2015 as people eagerly awaited the arrival of front-runner Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump.
Several Trump supporters were in line since early afternoon anxiously waiting for the doors to open at five.
“I would not stand in line this long for any other politician,” exclaimed Barbara Sue Damore (Suzie), a committed fan from right here in Grand Rapids. Suzie even made ‘Big Trump Cookies’ to distribute to the line of supporters while they waited.
A row of satellite trucks, media, and television remotes dominated the south entrance to the convention center, and over ten thousand people were counted in attendance for the Trump rally. In all, it was the largest crowd ever at the DeltaPlex.
The rally hosted support from all age groups. There was a large portion of the younger generation in attendance as well.
While awaiting Trump’s arrival, I spoke with several teenage students. One group of Byron Center high school supporters were there to hear Trump talk about his plan to combat ISIS. Students from Martin, Allegan, Hopkins, Caledonia and Forest Hills High Schools were also interested in hearing Trump talk combating ISIS and gun control.
I spoke with a group of college students from Ferris State who were awaiting some fellow students from Baker and Fremont college. They were interested in hearing about Trump’s tax plan, the budget, and military spending.
High school and college students weren’t the youngest in attendance, the Harrison family from Dorr brought along their three little girls. This was their first rally and they wanted to part of the history in making America great again.
Eighty-five-year-old Betty Stott traveled from the Ft. Wayne Indiana area just to see Trump and listen to all he had to say.
Kathy and Mary from Muskegon were there in hopes to hear Trumps plan for education, and immigration.
In talking with a group of some Grand Haven supporters, they liked his celebrity and wanted to hear Trump’s famous catch phrase “Obama you’re fired.” Others just wanted to watch his antics, and they were not disappointed.
The evening’s ceremonies started with everyone singing the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. After singing, everyone stood up with hands over their hearts for the saying of the pledge of allegiance.
The crowd roared as Donald Trump hit the stage.
He started with a light joke on the good deal he got on the DeltaPlex center. From there, it was all business, Trump got serious and went into an attack mode against his competitors.
The comments came out hot and started with Lindsey Graham’s decision to leave the race earlier that Monday. He criticized Jeb Bush’s poling numbers as “sad.” And, to no one’s surprise, the biggest target was Hillary Clinton.
Trump made a comment about Hillary being “schlonged” by Obama in 2008. He took a jab at Hillary’s claim that terrorist groups are recruiting fighters with a video of him. “She’s a liar,” he said.
The next day Trump tweeted that his reference about Hillary being “schlonged” is a common term used frequently by politicians.
He also made reference to Hillary’s “break” during a recent Democratic debate telling the crowd, “I know where she went, it’s disgusting.” Laughter filled the arena.
Trump went after the media, daring the camera crews to get a good crowd shot of his supporters in reaction to protesters interrupting the rally. Trump called the protesters “a bunch of losers” and waved goodbye as security escorted them out. This again brought thunderous applause from his supporters.
He told the crowd he hated journalists because some of them are lying, disgusting people. “It’s true,” he stated, before sarcastically adding with a smile and a wink, “But I would never kill them.”
Trump talked about the car manufacturing industry here in Michigan. He said he would slap Ford with a punitive 35 percent tax for ‘every car and part’ produced at an expanded plant in Mexico. “I am a free trader, but we can’t be stupid traders,” he told supporters.
A tax on car parts made in Mexico wasn’t the only reference to the country. If Trump was elected, a ‘beautiful’ wall would be built to keep illegals out. The ‘Trump Wall’ as he named it.
As the rally continued, Trump mentioned his recent support from Russian President Vladmir Putin and asked his supporters, “wouldn’t it be great if we could all just get along?”
After over an hour of speaking to a highly vocal crowd, Trump exited to the stage and left a favorable impression on those in attendance.
Comments such as “he tells it like it is”, “Trump expresses the views of the common people”, and “we believe he will make America great again” were commonly expressed by those in attendance.
P. Williams “Patty Williams” has a life time of experience in the entertainment business. On stage at an early age with West Michigan’s first family of bluegrass music, The Williams Family. Patty started P. Williams Productions in 2003. Three Eclipse Awards and Two Telly Awards grace her mantle. Patty enjoys working with professionals, and is always open to new adventures.
Peppermint…the flavor of red and white striped candy canes…has synonymous with the holiday season since the late 1800s. To celebrate this long-standing tradition, Hudsonville Ice Cream announces its seasonal release of its Limited Edition Peppermint Stick Ice Cream flavor.
“This flavor will bring back childhood memories of snowy days,” says Ray Sierengowski from Hudsonville Ice Cream. “To create this refreshing and cool flavor, we take our Original Vanilla ice cream and blend in actual candy cane pieces. It’s delicious on its own, or in a creative recipe.”
Michigan is rich with mint history, dating back to the early 1900s when the Albert M. Todd Company in Kalamazoo was recognized as the leading producer of the distilled flavoring that leads to peppermint and spearmint. In fact, in the early Twentieth Century, 90 percent of the world’s mint was grown on Todd owned farms within a 90-mile radius of Kalamazoo. The Todd Company still manufactures mint and other flavorings in Kalamazoo, selling it to other companies like National Flavors, who in turn work with producers like Hudsonville Ice Cream.
“When you look at the whole picture, Peppermint Stick is actually a Pure Michigan flavor,” Ray says.
Find Peppermint Stick and countless other Hudsonville Ice Cream flavors in grocery stores and ice cream parlors in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. In addition to its “All Season” flavors, which are available year round in blue cartons, several “Limited Edition” are offered seasonally throughout the year, in distinguished red cartons.
Started in 1895 as a farmers’ cooperative, the Holland-based Hudsonville Creamery & Ice Cream is the largest manufacturer of branded ice cream in Michigan. For nearly 90 years, this Midwest company has been producing its creamy, delicious ice cream – using many of its original flavors, while at the same time creating refreshing new recipes inspired by the Great Lakes.
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
Like GONE WITH THE WIND in 1939, STAR WARS in 1977, and JURASSIC PARK in 1993, this will go down as The Film Event of a generation.
It’s most certainly a JJ Abrams/STAR WARS film. There are moments of brilliance, as well as occasional narrative shortcomings that frankly come with the territory. It’s almost as if the creators came together to make the perfect ode to all things Long Time Ago/Far Far Away, even the flaws that tend to make the films all the more treasured. There is amazing technical wizardry on display along with a wry and splendid sense of humor that the Original Trilogy thrived on. And I for one am glad to have sat in awe for two glorious hours of welcome nostalgic joy that myself and numerous other fans of the Force have waited too long now for.
To talk cast, the original crew is still in prime form. Ford is now a fine vintage Han Solo, fully developed after his rollicking adventures with Luke and the gang aboard the Millennium Falcon. Alongside Solo, Luke’s mere presence gives all fans strength, Chewie is still violently charming, and Carrie Fisher is a breath of nostalgic majesty as General Leia who’s only gotten better with age. Now if only they’d allow her to hold some true screen time, but there be a firm reason for that.
The Force Awakens functions as a film that passes the torch down the line. The Original Cast won’t be around much longer, and therefore an insurance policy must be taken out in the form of the new characters. And what a solid policy they’ve landed!
Oscar Isaac is The Man! From his excellent supporting moments over the years in projects like Drive to his powerhouse roles in A Most Violent Year and Ex Machina, I have been fanboying all year in anticipation of him truly hitting the big time with this here War in the Stars franchise. He gives the charming ace Poe Dameron a vivacity that rivals Ricky Ricardo in just his ability to smile.
John Boyega is solidly enjoyable as the Stormtrooper turncoat Finn, who makes strides to improve his lot in life by escaping to better worlds, stumbling over each step as he goes.
There’s also the wonderful revelation that is Daisy Ridley as Rey, our Luke stand-in who has spunk, a history, and a no-nonsense sense of feminine agency that is more than welcome in the STAR WARS canon, seeing that the character of Mara Jade has been retconned entirely (boo!).
One of the films protagonists, Rey (Daisy Ridley)/Our Luke Skywalker stand-in.
Of the new arrivals, the one that had the most to prove was Adam Driver as our antagonist, Kylo Ren. I was most worried that this was going to be another Anakin situation, with a promising actor being forced to play up angst in a character that needs a finer touch in performance. Lo and behold, I was impressed by Mr. Driver’s palpable sense of impotent rage and innate menace that the Prequel trilogy just couldn’t quite harness. Bravo, sir.
My hesitant attitude towards Kylo Ren mirrors my thoughts on the director, JJ Abrams. Previously, his films have proven to be hit-or-miss at best, strange and obtusely irritating at worst. Don’t get my words wrong, I was not going into the film expecting a total trainwreck, but having seen his prior work in science fiction (Star Trek +Into Darkness, Super 8), I was cautious about expecting anything extraordinary from the now 49-year old boy genius, who tends to struggle with the third act of storytelling.
But my thoughts were for naught. This film is thriving with imagination, grit, suspense, and childlike glee. Abrams knows how to intrigue fans by not insulting their intelligence. I loved the look of the film, the practical effects, the minimal obvious computer effects, the classy atmosphere of fun and high adventure, the colors, and the glorious situations he presented for our enjoyment. And the film magic he brings forth in the third act is probably some of the strongest work he’s ever made in his career.
Several moments just stick out as all-time best franchise moments: The first glimpse of the Falcon and the associated comments from the characters; the Falcon dogfight on Jakku; Kylo Ren’s lightsaber tantrum; “We’re Home”; and best of all, the final moments, which shan’t be spoiled here, which will drive home the stakes of what we can expect of the next installment in 2017, helmed by Looper director Rian Johnson.
Director JJ Abrams directs his diverse cast well in Episode VII.
While I have had much positive to say about the film, there are a few minor hiccups in the storytelling. Yes, this film is a retread of the first STAR WARS, but it is the good kind of retread that takes the same goals of the first but takes it on the road less traveled. The final sequence steals outright from the initial Death Star run so much so that I thought aloud, “Haven’t we seen this before?”
Along those same lines, a lot of happenstance moves the story forward. Han and Chewie appear in the film mostly out of a stroke of good luck more than anything else. The cute droid BB-8 only happens to go in the right direction to run into a Force-sensitive junk forager on Jakku. Finn barely escapes a TIE fighter crash with only stress and plenty of sweat stains. At this point, you’re either in this series for the long haul or you’re not. I do have gripes, but blast it all, I’m glad to be seeing a new STAR WARS movie!
There is a genuine sense of wonder and fun that has been missing since Return of the Jedi in 1983. Since that flawed film concluded the series proper, fans have been scrounging the corners of the galaxy for things to sate their thirst for all things STAR WARS, be it books, television properties, LEGO sets, lunchboxes; the marketing juggernaut at Lucasfilm Limited has boomed in the absence of proper continuations of Lucas’ science fantasy epics (I refuse to rant on the Prequel trilogy, as there is more than enough valid and overhyped criticism of that saga on the internet as is, from much more qualified personnel than I). Heck, I’ve been going on a mini-binge of licensed properties since watching the Despecialized Editions at home in preparation for the release last week. But, since the Disney corporate heads decided the Expanded Universe is no longer canon in tandem with my local library vastly depleting their catalog options, my options for satisfying this STAR WARS craving has been limited outside of spending my hard-earned Christmas cash on various tithes of formerly licensed literature, television programs, and video games.
Thankfully, this movie is a welcome retread that changes just enough aspects of the Original Trilogy while keeping things fresh enough for the old and new fans to stay excited for the upcoming installments. Overall, ’tis a bravura example of popcorn science fantasy done right, just as they were 35 years ago. You’ve got your hooks in me and the audience, Lucasfilm. I can’t wait to see this one again au cinema. I can’t wait until Rogue One is released next year. I Definitely can’t wait until the next installment premieres in 2017. Heck, I can’t wait to go home and break out Shadows of the Empire for the N64 to spend some of my break time on.
The Michigan State Police reported over 21,000 people were caught defrauding major retailers in 2014, counting for 8.3% of all criminal arrests in Michigan alone. This has led to retailers boosting prices to make up for the theft. From the beginning of the holiday busy season in October through the start of the new year in January, retail stores see their greatest sales volume of the year, but this particular quarter also accounts for half of all retail shrinkage.
There’s a common misconception among those who “lift” that the big retailers can afford the loss of a candy bar or a pack of smokes since it doesn’t really add up to a hill of beans when compared to the cash flow in the day-to-day business of retailers. However, all the fraud and theft adds up to $44 billion in what the retailers call “shrinkage”.
In Kent county alone, of 629,000 residents, 2,359 arrests were made for ‘the ol’ five finger discount’ or retail fraud, comprising 16% of all criminal arrests in the county.
According to Data Mine, women comprise 53% of shoplifting and fraud arrests, with white women comprising a third of those total arrests. However, you are three times more likely to be arrested for suspicion of shoplifting as a black woman. Likewise, black men are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested.
In addition to the gender disparity, two-thirds of shoplifting involved items priced under $200. This is classified as third-degree shoplifting, with second degree involving items priced between $200 and $1000, and first-degree consisting of items above $1000. Meanwhile, only 91% of the arrests for shoplifting concerned actual theft, while 5% dealt with fraudulent exchanges and 4% with misrepresented, switching price tags for higher priced items.
Those arrested for shoplifting ranged in age from 9 to 92 years old, with four different 9-year-olds, one 90-year old woman, and one 92-year old white man arrested for such offenses. And of all the metropolitan areas and counties in the Mitten, Cadillac has the highest rate of theft and fraud per thousand residents.
Each of the last four years, West Catholic High School has earned the right to play in the Division 5 Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. This season, the Falcons were looking for their third straight title.
Making it to Ford Field is a statement of a long season of hard work paying off and it culminates into the biggest game of the season as a battle for the best team in the division. Division 5 consists of teams with an enrollment of around 400 – 500 students.
The day of the championship, the team met at West Catholic High School to have breakfast together before loading on the bus. After breakfast, the team, along with many of its fans, attended Mass together at Saint Adalbert’s Church, which is a nice way to start the day before the Big Game. After Mass, the team loaded back on the bus to head to Detroit.
I am a graduate of West Catholic. My family and my cousins have all gone through West Catholic for many years. My father taught math, coached track and football, and ultimately retired from the school after 40 years. We always go to the football games. West Catholic as a program travels very well. Many people past and present make an effort to go to the games.
This year, there were five big Grey Hound buses that made the trip to Ford Field. Hundreds of cars ended up making the trek to support the team in the Championship as well.
The bus ride was a blast. Of course, everyone on the bus knows each other because they are all from West, which makes the trip even more fun. After arriving in Detroit, the whole bus went to Hockeytown Café for lunch and to talk about the game with fellow friends and fans.
This past season, I was very proud watching the team play. One of the players, Carl Myers, happens to be my cousin! Carl is one of the captains and is an all-star lineman who earned All-State Honors. Carl has chosen to continue his education next year at the University of Michigan as a “preferred walk-on” for football. Carl also excels in track and field events such as the shot put and discus throw.
After lunch, it was time to head over to Ford Field to cheer on our team as they prepared for another State Championship against River Rouge. It was an exciting game that was consistently back and forth, especially during a 20-point 4th quarter when River Rouge threatened West Catholic down the stretch.
In the end West won 40 to 34! As the clock worked its way down to zero, you could feel the excitement brewing on the sidelines and in the stands. After the clock hit zero, the team ran onto the field to celebrate with their teammates and coaches. They received their third straight championship trophy and will also receive rings.
With the season in the books, I had the opportunity to talk with two important pieces to the Falcon’s success in 2015, my cousin Carl Myers and his good friend, and fellow captain, Connor Nemmers.
What do you remember from the game?
Carl: “The guys were very big, very fast, and came down very hard. It was super hot in the stadium after playing in the snow the week before. They [River Rogue] were very disciplined. I knew that since it was my senior year and that it was going to be my last game, I had better go out on top! It was a lot of fun.”
Connor: “I remember everything from the game. Every snap and whistle. It was such a great way to leave our legacy at West.”
Connor, can you give me a few details describing the game? Also, what was the toughest part of the game from your standpoint?
Connor: “It was the greatest time of my life. The atmosphere inside was unbelievable when I looked around seeing all of the fans. In the game, the toughest part for me was, the last quarter as a whole. They started scoring very fast, and I thought we were going to lose at one point. We ended up coming up with the win though.”
Carl, you were voted to be a part of the “Dream Team”, could you tell me a little about that?
Carl: “I was the only one from the west side to be on the Dream Team, there were tons from the east. I got to meet and talk to some of the top guys in the state, but it’s cool knowing that I am also in the top. Mark Dantanio gave a good speech to the guys on the team about dreams.”
Connor, last question, looking back on the season, which game was the most rewarding?
Connor: “My favorite game of the season was probably when we played Lansing Catholic. They were expected to win the state championship, but we ended up with the win. It just felt like a great game.”
It certainly sounds like the boys really worked hard to pull off the win at the championship game and it definitely shows they pulled together to get the final win. Good luck to the team next year and to Carl and Connor as they finish up the school year. Go Green! Go White!
Katie works in the film industry as a camera operator and has worked on films like ‘All You Can Dream’, ‘Set Up’ and a TV show called ‘American Fallen Soldier.’ She loves helping WKTV with the Citizen Journalism team and working as a tech at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Katie loves working in the film industry and loves watching movies just as much!
The popcorn’s popping, the crowds are gathering, and those pesky limited releases are finally getting to the general public in hopes of snagging a nomination for my beloved personal Super Bowl, the Oscars! The race has begun, so before the nominees are announced January 14, the studios are pushing the pride of their harvest, hoping to land at the least consideration for one of those gilded statuettes. The first films I’ve managed to see that I know to be striving for consideration is Jay Roach’s biopic of much-maligned screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, starring Bryan Cranston as the titular TRUMBO.
Bryan Cranston IS Dalton Trumbo
Bryan Cranston, as always, owns the film, playing the unflappable screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, leading the fight against the Red Scare in US courts and tirelessly concocting stories for various studio bosses behind pseudonyms so as to keep his family living in comfort. A communist in belief, he is held in contempt of Congress when he refuses to answer questions before HUAC and sent to prison. After serving his sentence, he finds the big studios don’t seek him out because of the stigma of his politics in the wake of McCarthyism, and instead seems doomed to work in B-movies and trash pictures like The Alien and the Farm Girl for the rest of his days due to his blacklisting. Even his neighbors make evident their disdain for him in their petty acts of vandalism to intimidate his family.
However, his passion and quality of work (including the likes of Roman Holiday and The Brave One) spreads the word of his still-present talent and eventually draws the attention of powerful, A-list Hollywood players such as Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger, and the ire of John Wayne and gossip queen Hedda Hopper. In order to combat the crushing and relentless atmosphere of work, Trumbo enlists the aid of his children and devoted wife to help him cruise through screenplays bestowed on him by the company, while he sneaks his classier works to the bigwigs. Cranston has always had a knack for making us in awe of an average man’s amount of integrity and energy, from Malcolm in the Middle to last year’s GODZILLA. He is always pleasant to watch and has a wry wit that permeates this sometimes harrowing picture.
An example of Trumbo’s now-classic works.
The rest of the cast is of particular mention as making the ticket price worth it. Joining Cranston is Diane Lane as his aforementioned wife, American treasure John Goodman as a cheapo movie producer who employs Trumbo after his prison sentence, cult favorite Alan Tudyk as a still-employed front for Trumbo’s classier work, Louis C.K. brings an anarchic edge to his extremist partner-in-crime to Trumbo, and Dame Helen Mirren oozes a petty grandeur as the debonair and equally detestable gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper.
A key standout in the supporting cast is Kiwi actor Dean O’Gorman playing legendary leading man Kirk Douglas. Mr. O’Gorman did such a great job that I hope they find time to make a Kirk Douglas biopic so he has an excuse to keep playing him.
The film plays out quite well, never stooping to clichéd routes of storytelling outside of the final speech, where it felt deserved. It takes a special hand to make these true life accounts not seem like they’re going by the numbers as some biopics can easily go (*cough* 42 *cough*). In terms of telling the story without overstaying its welcome, it is also a success, being very brisk in pacing. Whenever something dour happens, Trumbo proverbially brushes off his coat and continues onward, unswayed by the roadblocks before him.
If you’re still wondering if this qualifies as an awards contender, this film is leading the Screen Actors Guild awards in nominations, a sure sign of Oscar-worthiness. As a history lesson, TRUMBO proves just as watchable as one of the History Channel’s epic mini-series, and as a tale about the dangers of hateful group-think, it’s a film that could be useful as a tool exploring the consequences of blacklisting others because of their differences, regardless of your political or religious beliefs. Check it out at a theater near you!
Bill Murray in Rock the Kasbah at Comic-Con in Hall H.
I saw Rock the Kasbah with Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, and Kate Hudson. If you remember from a prior installment, I was in Hall H for that movie and was about 10 feet from Bill Murray!Rock the Kasbah is based on real events in Afghanistan. A music producer, played by Bill Murray, found a girl who had a beautiful voice and because of her culture could not share that gift. Bill Murray, her producer, was able to get her on Rising Star and she won. I loved the movie.
A few movies have broken records this year, with two of them being Furious 7 and Jurassic World. Also of particular notice is Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, which crashed the Internet in 88 seconds when their first trailer aired. The Force Awakens is also expected to break records at the Box Office, having already shattered pre-sale records.
A few other movies I saw this year were Pixels, Black Mass, Everest, and The Martian. I also saw Spectre. Daniel Craig is one of my favorite James Bond actors. I really enjoyed Skyfall, but I thought Spectre was even better.
Cast of Mockingjay Part 2
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is also out in theaters now. I am a big Hunger Games Fan and Finnick Odair is my favorite character. He is the victor from District 4 who wields the fishing spear as his weapon of choice, and in Catching Fire—the second film—he becomes allies with Katniss and Petta. Mockingjay Part 2 follows Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her allies during the rebellion against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the Capitol. Katniss has some familiar allies like Haymitch, Finnick and Plutarch.
As we left Mockingjay Part 1, Peeta, Johanna, and Annie had been taken hostage by the Capitol. In Part 2, Gale, Boggs and a few others have rescued Petta, Johanna, and Annie. Finnick and Annie get married and Prim becomes a doctor. Katniss, Gale, Boggs, Finnick, and Petta storm the Capitol along with the help of the rebels and District 13. The final chapter in the saga makes some changes from the book, but I think they changed it for the better.
Supergirl is here!
I have also been watching some of the TV shows that I heard about from Comic-Con. I’ve been watching Blindspot, The Player, and Supergirl. Blindspot follows the FBI team Kurt Weller, Reade, Zapata, Patterson, and Mayfair as they figure out Jane Doe’s (Jamie Alexander) tattoos to figure out a corrupt world. Jane has also lost her memory, making the mystery that much harder to solve. They had a neat episode where one Jane’s tattoos was shaped like a Petoskey stone and led them to Michigan to catch the bad guy.
The Player is about a corrupt Las Vegas where the House has recruited Alex Kane (Phillip Winchester) to help solve cases in and around Las Vegas with Wesley Snipes and Chastity Wakefield. I loved the show. Unfortunately the network has canceled it mid-season. They should have given it more time!
Supergirl is going strong. The network has gone ahead and said to keep going with a full season. It’s been exciting so far. It is different from Smallville, another of my favorite TV shows which follows a young Clark Kent/Superman. Supergirl sort of continues from that since she and Clark Kent are cousins. In her show, Supergirl played by Melissa Benoist, has had to save her sister from a plane crash. We do see some familiar names such as James Olsen and Lucy Lane. James Olsen, who was one of Clark Kent’s good friends, also becomes good friends with Kara Danvers/Supergirl. So far in the show we have met Maxwell Lord and Red Tornado.
First two rows: Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. Bottom left: Gal Gadot, bottom center: Jesse Eisenberg, and bottom right: Amy Adams.
Coming soon to theaters areBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Deadpool,Captian America: Civil War, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Point Break, and Suicide Squad.
Don’t forget next week, December 18th, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens comes to theaters. I already have my tickets. I have also read that fans are already lining up at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles waiting for opening day.
Let’s have a little fun since Star Wars finally opens this next week. Let’s dive into some theories on the upcoming film. If you don’t want any theories… STOP READING NOW!
I have watched every trailer and every TV spot and read some of the different theories. One big theory is that Rey and Kylo Ren are the Solo twins. Another is that Luke has turned to the Dark Side. We know that Simon Pegg has a mysterious role, so be on the look out for that. Hopefully, no more Jar Jar Binks. And a possibility that a major character, possibly Chewbacca, might die. But I guess I’ll have to wait and see until next week.
I’ll see you at the movie, and signing off until next time, “May The Force Be With You.”
Katie works in the film industry as a camera operator and has worked on films like ‘All You Can Dream’, ‘Set Up’ and a TV show called ‘American Fallen Soldier.’ She loves helping WKTV with the Citizen Journalism team and working as a tech at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. Katie loves working in the film industry and loves watching movies just as much!
The Christmas season is one steeped deeply in traditions. The tradition of decorations, traditions of assorted foodstuffs, and my favorite, holiday movies. Everyone knows the classics:
*Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life,
*A Christmas Story,
*Elf,
*Love Actually,
*Nat’l Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
And those are just five of the most popular choices. Every list tries to top the trending bars by listing the “Best Christmas Movies Ever”. Well, I’m here to try something different. Instead of shoving my opinion of the greatest holiday flicks, I am going to showcase the holiday movies most tend to forget about, with a couple of exceptions, just because. I hope to bring some entertainment and appreciation to these little-known classics that are certainly worth finding.
Christmas with Nick and Nora
The Thin Man (1934)
First up is a noir caper from the early days of Hollywood, and also the film debut of the popular detective duo, Nick and Nora Charles. The film is the granddaddy of the murder mystery, with snappy dialogue, shadowy showdowns, and two of the classiest detectives this side of the pond. It also takes place during the holiday season, opening with Nora going Christmas shopping for her girlfriends, and ending just after New Years at a dinner party with all the suspects invited to be wined and dined by the witty couple. But that still dictates a Christmas morning scene that remains one of the most dryly funny interactions between a couple on such a day that was ever put on celluloid.
The Bishop’s Wife(1947)
Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and the unflappable David Niven star in this delight of a romantic comedy from the 40s. A down-on-his-luck bishop (David Niven) is trying to raise funds for a new cathedral and decides to pray for guidance, expecting a sign. Instead, he is surprised to find he has an unexpected guest, a suave angel named Dudley (Cary Grant). Dudley professes to know exactly what to do in the poor bishop’s situation, and then sets off to woo the Bishop’s wife, who has been almost abandoned in her husband’s obsessive quest for monies. I know what it sounds like, but you have to watch the movie. It’s actually quite heartwarming, and funny, too! This is a very popular treat among classic movie lovers who have outgrown the typical NBC broadcast fare and wish to explore other Christmas classics from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Three Unlikely Angels: Bogey, Peter, and Aldo
We’re No Angels (1955)
A seldom mentioned dark comedy from 1955, the film We’re No Angels deals with 3 convicts who escape from jail with only their wits, the clothes on their back, and their pet snake Adolphe in tow. Determined to escape Devil’s Island and make their way to a far-away paradise, they hole up in a local shop run by a much-beleaguered family who give supplies on credit. Initially intent on knocking over the joint and skedaddling, the three ex-cons grow fond of the family and decide to help them in regards to their visiting villainous store owner (Basil Rathbone, the original screen Sherlock Holmes) and his equally duplicitous nephew who plan on ruining the store so as to take it over and ensure a bigger profit margin. The three “angels”, played by Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, and Aldo Ray, are a delight as characters that operate more like a military unit, with quality repartee between the three of them in regards to properly demonstrating the customer is not always right and how to cook a grand Christmas turkey, after stealing the money to buy it first, of course. Best of all, the snake prominently features in the film, but is never really onscreen for those squeamish of the slithering reptiles. I would know, since my mom loves this movie, and absolutely hates snakes.
SantaClaus (1959)
SANTA vs SATAN
Somebody stop me! No seriously, this particular entry might be dangerous if not viewed under the right conditions. This Mexican production of the Santa Claus myth takes a go-for-broke approach in terms of creativity. Here, Santa Claus lives in space, having…erm…adopted various kids of all cultures into his workforce in place of unionized elves and teamed up with Merlin the Magician to ensure Christmas goes well for the children of the earth. However, (this is where I lose people) Satan sends his underling Pitch to force children to do bad and make Santa’s Christmas delivery most difficult, including breaking store windows and promoting theft to get the gifts they want. Imagine if David Lynch made a Christmas movie…for children. That’s sort of what you’re in for with the proto-NSA technology Santa uses to keep an eye on Earth’s child population as well as the strange life-size doll interpretive dance nightmare sequence and don’t forget the terrifying wind-up toy reindeer, whose laughter will stain your thoughts for the rest of time, that Santa uses to fly across the world. This gem was featured on the cult comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 so you should know what you’re in for. Watch at your own weird risk.
Christmas with The Duke and Co.
Donovan’s Reef (1963)
John Ford directs The Duke and Lee Marvin in this glorious vacation home movie masquerading as a tropical buddy comedy. Before you look at the poster and yell at me, “What does John Wayne and John Ford on a Polynesian island have to do with Christmas?”, two words: Christmas pageant. The film takes place during the month of December, as a brief scene in Boston alludes to how the majority of the world experiences the holiday season. About two-thirds the way into the film, the entire cast sits down to view a Polynesian Nativity story complete with appropriated wise men and updated gifts for the wee Son of G-D. Even the sudden cloudburst of rain can’t bring down the show, even though it kinda does, for the characters. There’s plenty of shenanigans and post-war humor that makes this movie a classic that deserves a better reputation, though it has its share of fans across various communities. It also functions as a good anti-bigotry tale that eventually crosses into the Christmas spirit.
DIE HARD + Die Harder
I know, I know. Every man’s man whom you ask about Christmas traditions immediately spouts, “DIE HARD! Greatest Christmas Movie, Ever!” While I slightly disagree on the term greatest, I cannot deny that DIE HARD is both a great action movie, and it does take place on Christmas…so it’s a great Christmas movie. But, also worth mentioning is the sequel, directed by Renny Harlin, who will direct another flick on this list. While not quite as fresh and overall inspired as the initial film, this film does continue to showcase the action talents of Bruce Willis and his supporting cast, including William Sadler, Dennis Franz, and the original Django, Franco Nero. Two quality Christmas actioners that take no prisoners, count me in!
The Nutcracker Prince (1990)
While not the best Nutcracker adaptation by a long shot, this particular version, released in the early 90s by a tiny Canadian animation studio that didn’t quite survive into the millennium, holds a dear place in my heart as it reminds me of my childhood days when I would get up before the parents on cold December weekend mornings, huddle close to the fireplace and turn on Cartoon Network’s Cartoon Theatre to spend some time catching up on the delights of animated classics like Balto, various Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry movies, and Race for Your Life Charlie Brown. This particular classic was a retelling of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet, via The Princess Bride. It’s got a decent cast at it’s head, Kiefer Sutherland as the Prince, Peter O’Toole makes a cameo as the lead soldier general, and Phyllis Diller plays her usual shrill self as the mother of the Mouse King. It’s not a maligned masterwork, but it entertained me in younger times, perhaps some of that charm is still present…?
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
Oh, the 90s! Renny Harlin, of Die Harder fame, gives the world another holiday season-set action film, this time not starring the ever-receding hairline of Bruce Willis, but a super sensual and cold-as-ice Geena Davis. Davis plays Samantha Caine, a small-town housewife and local celebrity who was previously an assassin for the CIA, unbeknownst to her and her family until a concussion brings to light her skills with cutlery and crack shot skills. Shortly after, a busload of goons decide its time to wipe her and her associates off the map, prompting her and her private investigator buddy Mitch, played by the always-entertaining Samuel L. Jackson, to clear the playing field, unlocking her latent abilities, and saving the world from shady chemical weapons dealers by shooting them mercilessly. It’s a tad bit vulgar and toes the line between blunt-force trauma thriller and buddy comedy, but it’s still a very fun ride to go on.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1998)
Another favorite of mine from years ago that begs a revisit. Back in the days of yore when Jonathan Taylor Thomas was relevant and riding the wave of post-Home Improvement popularity that could be argued to have proven his undoing, Disney released this little gem concerning a college boy who has to hitchhike across the United States in a Santa Claus outfit after a juvenile prank gets out of hand. His goal is twofold: I- Win back his disenfranchised girlfriend (Jessica Biel, post-Seventh Heaven) before his arrogant rival scoops her for himself, and II- Get to his New York State home before Christmas dinner so he inherits his father’s vintage Porsche. Along the way he has to deal with bratty children, disgruntled bus drivers, and the wrath of his frat boy rival. A genuine little family film teaching the wrongs of arrogance and the fruits of perseverance in a comic fashion.
Tokyo Godfathers(2003)
The typical audience reaction to most Satoshi Kon movies.
The late Japanese animation legend Satoshi Kon spent his career building stories that got under viewers’ skin while introducing concepts of humanity and imagination that stick with you after the story has ended. Of his oeuvre, this film, his second-to-last, is the most inviting and least disturbing feature, being an off-beat Christmas tale that concerns three homeless vagrants, each with a tragicomic backstory that tugs at your heartstrings and your sense of humor, who discover a newborn baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a trash can. Determined to find out the babe’s origins and return him to his parents, they set off across Tokyo in search of answers, and maybe a hand-out along the way. Imagine The Hangover crossed with Adventures in Babysitting and toss in a little Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and you have a rough idea of what kind of journey you have in store when you watch Tokyo Godfathers. I am unashamed to admit that I was so struck with this movie’s heart and zany tragicomedy that it is now one of my cherished holiday traditions. Check this one out!
CAROL(2015)
This is currently in limited release across the country, and from what I hear, a big Oscar(tm) contender. Based on a story by Ripley mastermind Patricia Highsmith, Rooney Mara stars as a young 1950s-era department store clerk who falls for an older woman, the sumptuous and charismatic Carol (Cate Blanchette). That’s the gist of the plot that I dare to give away. More than likely the prettiest movie released this holiday season, the film promises luscious photography and a tumultuous romance between 2 of the loveliest people working in the movies currently. My contacts in the industry centers tell me this is The Movie to see this Oscar season. I can’t wait!
I hope to have inspired some newfound Christmas spirit in time for the approaching flurry of festivities.Peace, Love, and Happy Viewing to all.
Since the early 1800s, families have hung stockings from the mantel on Christmas Eve in anticipation of a visit from St. Nicholas. As you plan for this year’s holiday season, look to the Mitten State for unique and inexpensive stocking stuffers for everyone in the family.
HER
Dress up any outfit with a handcrafted, Michigan-shaped piece of jewelry from Ferndale-based Glass Action, found at Little Luxuries on Mackinac Island or Posey in Royal Oak. A series of celebrity-inspired nightlights, as well as personalized custom pieces, are also available online.
Pampering never felt so good as with Bizzy Fizz bath and body products, handmade in Macomb. Choose from body scrubs, oils, lotions and lip balms in a variety of shapes, textures, colors and fragrances. Find a selection of options at Celtic Sisters in New Buffalo and the Made in Michigan store at Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls.
Grocer’s Daughter in Empire creates mouth-watering chocolates including truffles, caramels, bonbons, bark, bars and puddles. Vegan and gluten-free options also are available. Shop online or at finer retail outlets around the state including Detroit Mercantile Co. and Food Dance in Kalamazoo.
HIM
Never be left without an opener for your favorite craft beer or soda. The Michigan-shaped bottle openers (both Upper or Lower Peninsula shapes) from Kalamazoo-based Michigan Bottle Opener are so thin they fit in your wallet. Find them online or at Essence on Main in Clarkston and NorthGoods in Petoskey.
Pick up a tin of Beard Balm made with ingredients like beeswax, lanolin, grapeseed oil and eucalyptus oil to help men keep a full beer smooth and fragrant. Developed in Detroit’s revitalized Corktown District, these products are available at Rail & Anchor in Royal Oak or Taylor & Colt in Birmingham, as well as online.
Start a new trend in 2016 by sending handwritten notes on the stylish monogrammed cards from Detroit-based Shinola. The 5.5-by-8.5 cards come in a packet of five with envelopes. Shop online or stop into one of the three locations in southeast Michigan.
THE KIDS
“Good Night Michigan” is a mini-book by Adam Gamble, with illustrations by Anne Rosen. It features notable locales throughout the state, including Sleeping Bear Dunes, Tahquamenon Falls, Detroit, St. Joseph and many others. Find it at bookstores around the state, as well as the gift shop at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids.
Keep the kids warm and stylish with a cap from Dearborn-based Carhartt. The girls pink Trapper Hat and boys duck yellow Bubba Hat are sherpa lined and have a hook-and-loop chin strap closure.
Rebuild a tradition with handmade wooden blocks from Uncle Goose in Grand Rapids. You’ll find nostalgic gifts to entertain kids and parents alike, from classic alphabet blocks in dozens of languages to nursery rhyme blocks, as well as pull wagons to canvas bags. Find them at dozens of locations across the state.
FOUR-LEGGED KIDS
Dress up your dog’s appearance with a colorful Michigan Paw Bandana from Pup North. Shop online or stop by My Secret Stash or Suhm-Thing in downtown Traverse City. Then, pop into the D.O.G. Bakery (dogbakeryonline.com) just down the road for a four-pack of mitten-shaped Iced Cherry Chews for your pooch’s snacking enjoyment.
Keep your cat entertained with a catnip toy from Lake Orion-based Fat Pyewacket. The best parts of organic catnip, minus fillers, are stuffed into natural cotton sacks reinforced for hours of kitty play. Pick up these toys at The Pet Beastro in Madison Heights or Pets ‘n Things in Saline.
THE FOODIE
Handcrafted kitchen utensils from Loon Hardwoods in Dorr make the perfect gift for the chef on your list. Select from a cheese slicer, strainer, spatula, recipe box or utensil holder, all made from maple and finished with Tung oil for a beautiful luster. Look for items at Calico Cat in Grand Haven or Old Town General Store in Lansing.
A Michigan-shaped cookie cutter makes for lots of family fun throughout the winter months. Find both the upper and lower peninsulas at stores around the state, including Heart of Michigan in Howell or The Zany Kitchen in Cheboygan or online at puremichiganstore.org.
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
Editors note: Article was reprinted from the winter 2015 issue of Michigan BLUE Magazine.
Last week was Thanksgiving here in the United States, and columnists writing things-I’m-thankful-for columns is as much a tradition as turkey and stuffing and family arguments. Who am I to buck tradition? So let me present my 2015 list of technology stuff that I’m thankful for.
Find My Friends. This year my son started middle school and my daughter high school. They’re both now using hand-me-down iPhone 5’s, and it’s extremely helpful to be able to find where they are when I’m wondering. Part of growing up is gaining independence, but that doesn’t mean dad’s feelings aren’t improved when I know that my son’s a couple blocks away and will be home on his bike in just a minute.
Apple Music. It seems to be popular to rip on Apple’s fledgling music service, but I’m using it far more than I’ve ever used any other streaming service, and I’ve tried most of them. It’s great that Apple Music integrates into my iTunes music library, so I can mix and match music I’ve bought with music from the service, and I’ve come to really appreciate the curated playlists of new music from different genres. I have discovered a huge swath of great new music simply by subscribing to the A-List Alternative playlist. I wish my family would embrace it, though—my daughter loves listening to music, but is a devout Spotify user and won’t make the switch.
Shared shopping lists on iPhone. I’ve been using Grocery IQ for a few years right now, which lets my entire family place items onto our grocery-store list. Recently I switched to AnyList, which is more modern and full featured than Grocery IQ, and adds Siri integration, so I can say, “Hey Siri, add an aluminum turkey roasting pan to the grocery list.” Pretty great.
Time-saving features in Overcast. I listen to a lot of podcasts (almost as many as I make myself!), and since I work at home, I don’t have a commute to use as listening time. In order to get as many podcasts in as possible, I’ve come to rely on the Overcast podcast app, which has some pretty amazing time-saving features. Overcast’s speed-boosting feature is the first one I’ve heard that makes faster audio sound natural, and not choppy and artificial. And its Smart Speed feature scales down pauses and silences, saving time even if you’re listening at standard speeds. I’d never go back to listening to podcasts at 100 percent speed and without Smart Speed.
External bluetooth keyboards for iPad. Even before the iPad Pro came out, I’ve enjoyed writing on the iPad as a change of pace. It helps me get up from my desk and be productive in some other location, whether it’s a cafe, the kitchen table of a friend or relative, or even the bar in my kitchen, where I’m writing this right now. To write at peak efficiency, I like to use an external keyboard, and while Apple now makes its Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro, there are plenty of great Bluetooth keyboards out there that offer more keys, better key travel, and even backlighting in some cases. (I’m still using Apple’s excellent last-generation Wireless Keyboard, which works great, even with the iPad Pro.)
Digital comics. As a kid I read an awful lot of comics, but largely stopped between about 1986 and 2010, when the iPad came out. Now I’m back as a comic reader again. Switching to the iPad Air 2 from the iPad mini has made comics even more fun to read. I buy new comics from Comixology, read DRM-free comics using Chunky Comic Reader, and binge-read a whole bunch of stuff from Marvel Unlimited. No, it’s not cheap, but at $69 per year, Marvel Unlimited is a pretty great deal if you like Marvel comics and don’t mind being a few months behind on the latest releases.
Slack. I don’t work in an office with other people—my dog wanders in from time to time, but that’s about it—but Slack keeps me connected. It’s a place to plan projects, explain ideas, and yes, have those water-cooler conversations that no longer take place around the water cooler, because who has a water cooler in their house? Businesses can pay for Slack to get extra features, but you can set up a Slack group for free and use it essentially forever. Think of a group you interact with mostly online—college friends, a club, even your family—and give Slack a try. You may be surprised at how much fun it is.
Social news discovery. I don’t read RSS feeds anymore—if I ever did, really. But I follow a lot of interesting people on Twitter, and have built several Twitter lists full of people who cover non-tech things I’m interested in, most notably sports and science. Thanks to Nuzzel, a clever iOS app and web service, I can browse my Twitter feed and my various lists as if they were news sources. Links recommended by more than one person will float to the top. It’s improved my news consumption for the better.
Apple Watch. It’s also been cool lately to slag off the Apple Watch, but I still love mine. Not only does it tell the time—the most important function of any watch—but the new Night Stand mode has allowed me to replace my old alarm clock. I love getting notifications on my wrist and seeing my activity for the day and the week. Yes, there’s still a whole lot here that needs to be improved—that’s another column—but I wear mine every day.
A really big DVR hard drive. My TiVo Roamio has three terabytes of storage on it, and that’s a good thing. Between broadcast and cable, there’s a shocking amount of good television on, and I just can’t watch it all. And TiVo has done a good job of supporting streaming, too. Streaming shows appear as peers in the Now Playing list, show up in searches, and play—whether on Amazon, Netflix, or Hulu—with a couple of clicks of the remote. And streaming shows don’t take up hard drive space, which is good, I guess?
There’s plenty to criticize about the technology we use every day, and the stuff that the tech world keeps trying to sell us. But it’s worth stopping once in a while to consider all the great tech stuff that we use everyday. (And for tech columnists, “once in a while” means Thanksgiving week.)
Whenever the gift giving season comes around I’m at a loss for ideas on what to ask for and, more importantly, what to give. Every year it never seems to fail.
Sure, I can ask/give the mundane gift card to a various store, restaurant or iTunes. I mean, that’s easy, right? Do gift cards really say “Happy Holidays”? Okay, maybe they do, but only because it is already literally written on the plastic card!
Technology is always a great gift idea, and it also happens to be my forte. So, without further ado, here is a quick and simple gift guide to five holiday gadgets–in no particular order–anyone could use!
1. A Streaming Media Player.
If you’re still watching Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime on your computer or a tablet, it’s time to upgrade to a media player. There are several options available in a variety of price ranges. As I’m partial to Apple products, I can’t help but speak to my love affair with Apple TV ™. With the release of the 4th version just in time for the holiday season, it’s worth the trip to wander yourself up to a local retailer for a looky look.
I currently have 3 Apple TV’s in my home and have been using them for several years now. I love the ability to access TV, movies, and stream music directly from Apple as well as watch Netflix, Hulu, and sample other channels. An entry-level device starts at just $69 while the new models start at $149. However, if you’re dead set against anything Apple, make sure to check out either Roku or Chromecast as both give similar options.
2. SmartWatch
Now, before you start telling me there is no way you’re going to buy an Apple Watch, take a deep breath and let me calm your fears, I don’t blame you. I don’t have one most likely for the same reason you don’t, I’m not about to spend $350 for a watch. (Disclaimer, if you do have an Apple Watch let me know, I’d love to talk to you.)
Any who… there are plenty of other options out there for you. Fitbit and Pebble both have reasonable options for SmartWatches. If you want something to help track you in the health and fitness area, a Fitbit Charge or Charge HR are great options that connect to your smartphone. Interested in just the smarter part of the smartwatch? Take a look at Pebble. Pebble allows you to receive technology notifications and music right on your wrist at a much more reasonable cost.
3. Say Cheese!
Now that most smartphones have cameras that can rival most point and shoot cameras, there are a slew of accessories to further enhance your smartphone camera’s possibilities. Olloclip has a nice 4-in-1 lens kit that can slip right over your phone. The lens hug the camera giving the option of a Fisheye, 2 Macro’s, and a wide-angle shot. Brilliant!! If you’re more the adventure type, a quick look over at Optrix gives you lenses, cases, and mounts for the phone.
4. Play that Funky Music Caucasian Youthful Male.
Remember the BoomBoxes of the 1980’s? They were HUGE, literally. Those large musical boxes have disappeared from our shoulders and have now been replaced with something that can easily fit into a backpack or purse. Portable speakers come in all sorts of shapes, colors and size. In fact you can even find some that are waterproof in case you want to bring the beat into the shower.
5. Super Sleek Storage
It is probably one thing that is over looked because it is more practical than fun, extra storage for your digital device. Maybe it’s a new, larger hybrid hard drive for your son or daughter. It could be an external hard drive case for your sister who has been working on a genealogy of your family. Maybe it’s just something as simple as a USB 3.0 32GB Flash Drive for the kid’s school projects. It doesn’t matter the reason or for who, sometimes the gift has to be about need instead of a want.
I could easily list many other gift options, but if you didn’t know where to start, hopefully I’ve provided a clearer path to set you out on your shopping journey. Good luck!
Deidre owns and operates Organisum: Technology Services, a business serving the West MI area. In her free time she likes to hike & bike local trails with friends and family when she isn’t pinning, instagram’ing or Netflix’ing.
“As a player, it says everything about you if you made the Hall of Fame. But, then again, boy… there’s something about winning a Super Bowl.” – Terry Bradshaw
By: Dianna Higgs-Stampfler
The Super Bowl will reach a milestone on February 7, 2016 with the observance of its 50th “Golden Jubilee” game to be held at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California—home of the San Francisco 49ers. In celebration of this milestone, Traverse City-based JKR Ventures has released a commemorative book focused on the long-standing history of “The World’s Greatest Entertainment Event.”
Super Bowl 50: Celebrating Fifty Years of America’s Greatest Game is written by acclaimed sportswriter Bethany Bradsher, with a foreword written by Super Bowl Champion and retired San Francisco 49er Dwight Clark. With 344 action-packed full-color pages, including more than 650 photographs, the book is bound to score with football fans around the world. This must-have book unveils the whole Super Bowl experience, one that most fans could never access.
Jerry Jenkins, founder and CEO of the publishing services firm Jenkins Group, and colleagues Brett Karis and Ron Harris, are investment partners for the book, under the JKR Ventures brand. They in turn partnered with Greenlight Marketing in Traverse City to create the book layout and design.
“I’ve seen a fair number of Super Bowl books over the years, and most of them were written for the football enthusiast,” shares Jenkins. “Not many images, too many statistics, and somewhat bland design and content. We wanted to create a book that not only covers the games, but also captures the cultural celebration that the Super Bowl has become.”
Through never before released anecdotes, photos and facts, Super Bowl 50: Celebrating Fifty Years of America’s Greatest Game brings readers behind the curtain to experience this spectacle in an unprecedented manner. It highlights the games, players and coaches, as well as the diverse activities and fun beyond the gridiron.
Story headlines like “The Clydesdales,” “Super Bowl Party Food,” “Media Frenzy” and “The Evolution of Halftime” illustrate how this book showcases elements of the Super Bowl to which even non-sports fans gravitate. Every page in Super Bowl 50 is guaranteed to bring back a Super Bowl memory (heartwarming or heartbreaking).
“What I first envisioned was a book not just for a sports nut, but for every person who watches the Super Bowl for the halftime shows, commercials, and the ceremony of it all,” says Jenkins.
With over 500 images, “Fun Facts,” a multi-page timeline of all 50 halftime acts, and even a salute to the beloved Detroit Lions (a no-show at the Super Bowl, if you’ve been keeping track), the book content will stand out against any other of its kind on bookshelves.
“We typically collaborate with clients who need marketing assistance – advertising, websites, branding, and the like,” says Kevin Gillespie, owner and creative director of Greenlight Marketing in Traverse City. “But this was a once-in-a-lifetime project, and our entire team of designers and project managers were on board.”
The Super Bowl is much more than just a game, and Super Bowl 50: Celebrating Fifty Years of America’s Greatest Game covers them all:
The Games
◦ Super Bowl I (actually called “The AFL-NFL World Championship”)
◦ Last season’s breathtaking game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots
The Players
◦ The stars (Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers)
◦ The ones who never made it to a Super Bowl (Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions)
The Coaches
◦ Vince Lombardi (Green Bay Packers)
◦ Bill Parcells (New York Giants)
The Halftime Show
◦ Michael Jackson
◦ Janet Jackson’s “Wardrobe malfunction”
The Commercials
◦ Apple’s debut in 1984
◦ Mean Joe Greene for Coca Cola: “Hey, kid, catch!”
The “oddities”
◦ The Chicago Bears’ “Super Bowl Shuffle”
◦ The “Blackout” game at the Super Dome
The Audience
◦ The international appeal, making the Super Bowl the #1 sporting event in the world
◦ Super Bowl Parties
Author Bradsher comprehensively narrates details about the Super Bowl and all the festivities and pomp around it, offering all fans unparalleled access. In Super Bowl 50: Celebrating Fifty Years of America’s Greatest Game, she’s analyzed the unforgettable plays, players and coaches; even researching how much beer, chips and dips are consumed (and what the consensus is for “Favorite Super Bowl Snack.”)
Two editions of Super Bowl 50: Celebrating Fifty Years of America’s Greatest Game are available: a commemorative hardcover edition, with football grain textured cover material, gold foil, and laces embossed on the spine ($49.95), and a softcover edition ($29.95). Both editions are timeless keepsakes, and were released in September to coincide with the kickoff of the 2015 NFL season. They are available in bookstores nationwide and at www.SuperBowl50Book.com.
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
Community Awareness is a show produced at WKTV and hosted by Donna Kidner-Smith. The show acts as a conduit for people in the local community to share their stories. Donna’s latest series focuses on homeless teenagers and how they were able to cope.
Mortisha Olvera was found herself homeless at 17 years old, here is her story. The full interview can be seen in the view above.
Thank you for joining us to share your story.
Thank you Mrs Smith. I appreciate that a lot. I have been wanting this opportunity ever since I was a little girl, to tell my story because I have a really good one, and I would love for my story to help many other children out there. Because what I went through, I don’t want anyone else to go through too.
Mortisha, what is your earliest childhood memory?
When my mom, sister and I went to the park and we were having a really good time. My mom was barbecuing but my dad wasn’t around at the time. We were having a really good family time, and I miss that to this day.
How many sisters do you have?
I have four sisters.
Tell me a little bit about your family set up?
My mom and dad were married. They were together for nine years, but when I was three my father left. I actually just recently got to see him after 17 years! I was scared, I didn’t know what to say. He got to meet my little daughter, and I was happy for that. It was nerve-wracking because I don’t know what to say when I meet new people.
And where has your dad been since then?
He’s been in Florida the entire time.
What brought your father to Michigan?
To come see my 9 month old daughter. That one of the reason I wanted to see him. So he could meet a new member of the family.
So he was seeking a relationship with you?
Yes, he always has, but I’ve been too afraid to reach out and be willing to meet him. I don’t want to get hurt either.
Have you completed High School Mortisha?
I actually have not. I didn’t drop out, I quit in the 11th grade because I was in Comstock but going to school in Ottawa Hills. That was a long distance and very difficult to do.
So you were living in the Comstock Park area and you were enrolled at Ottawa Hills High School?
Yes I was. It was hard to make that transfer every day, and then my mom was also sick at the time. She has been sick almost her whole life, but it got worse and we started living at York Creek.
What do you think about school?
I like school. I like art. I think more kids should go than skip it to do drugs and the whole immaturity thing.
Tell us a little bit about elementary and middle school. What were some of the things that you enjoyed the most in school?
I liked the people. I liked the teachers. I got to know the teachers very well, they were like my friends because I didn’t have many friends in school. The teachers were my friends and they helped me through so much! Without them I wouldn’t have made it through any grades.
When you say they helped you through so much, are you speaking academically or otherwise.
Academically, physically and mentally because I was going through a hard time in those times.
Well then, let’s launch into that if it’s not too personal Mortisha. What were some of the issues that you were contending with, that you needed the teachers’ assistance with.
Well, I was in special ed because I had a really hard time reading and in math. When I was born my umbilical cord wrapped around my brain and the lack of oxygen killed some of my brain cells. I try to fight that because It’s a really hard difficulty to deal with, but I fight through it every day.
Now you mentioned that your mother has been sick most of your life.
Yes, she’s been sick ever since she came out of the womb because she has a hole in her heart, but the doctors never found it until 4 or 5 years ago. It’s been getting bigger too. She’s been doing okay, but she’s been getting worse.
As far as a home, tell us about your home life. Experiences or hobbies that you had. Maybe some activities you did as a family.
Well, my mom was never home because she always worked. She would get up at 5 in the morning and be home at 5 at night. So every day, she only had one day off, she would go to work and come home and relax. She worked as a housekeeper for Heather Hill Care Center for 10 years. She did for 10 years on top of taking care of us at the same time.
What was the dynamic like in your neighborhood? Were they neighbors to watch over you?
No, I was an alone child. My sisters went off and did what they wanted to do. I stayed by myself. I didn’t go around anyone. I’m still that way today. Being around people scares me sometimes. I don’t know what to expect when I see a new person.
What would you say is your number 1 challenge? Being the age that you are, you are now 19 years old, what would you say is your number 1 challenge?
My daughter. She is a blessing because I never thought I could have kids. Being a first time mother, every day is different and I don’t know what to expect. Every day she’s changing. Everyday she’s growing and eating different things. It’s hard because you don’t know what she wants and since she’s only 9 months old she can’t speak. So all she does is run around on her little toesies. I went to he doctor yesterday. She’s 9 months, 20 pounds and 29 inches. So she’s a pretty good, healthy baby.
Is the father involved in her life?
No. I was tired of the abuse. I was tired of the mental abuse. I was tired of always being put down and called names. I was with him for 2 years, and for those 2 years I was going through some major, harsh stuff. For those 2 years I was homeless, pregnant, abused, and raped. I just pray everyday that I don’t have to see him ever again. I’m personally scarred. I have PTSD from this man and I can’t deal with it.
You mentioned that you were homeless. Are you currently homeless?
No, it’s my first place that I’ve ever had that I can call my own. I’ve never had that and I pray to God that I will have it until the end.
May I ask what caused the homelessness?
My mom got evicted from York Creek by the baby daddy because he was causing issues. My mom and my baby sister left to go live with my older sister. I had to get left behind because there wasn’t enough room in the car, but they said if there was enough room in the car I would’ve been taken with them. So, they left and I got left behind. Still, to this day, my mom cries and says she wishes she would’ve taken me that day. When they left I became homeless. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. I was 17 at the time. A little baby in the streets not knowing what to do.
So, you’re left there in the parking lot. What what the first step after that?
To find somewhere to stay. I was worried about when I was going to eat again because I didn’t have food stamps or state ID. I left with nothing.
And where did you go?
I stayed on the street. I stayed in a park, under a tree, hoping that it was not going to rain because it looked a little cloudy that night.
So you went from York Creek in the Comstock Park area to Downtown Grand Rapids area?
Yes, and that’s where I stayed for two years. Then I met this awesome place called Unlimited Alternatives. It is a rehab center, but they took me in. They have washers, dryers, showers, computers, stove, a kitchen, and a food pantry. That place really helped me out when I was homeless. I went there everyday. It was open from 8am to 4pm. So it was a very good time for me to stay warm.
In the evening, when those doors closed, what happened?
I went down to Rosa Parks Circle and I would spend my time there. Or I would go to the library or I would go to GrandLAN, which is a video game place. When those places closed I would find a place to stay in an abandoned apartment. Through two summers, fall, and winters that’s where I stayed. That abandoned apartment.
Were there others there with you? Or were you alone?
It was just me and the baby daddy. We stayed in the abandoned apartment. Just somewhere we could stay warm and put our stuff. Everyday I was always scared because I didn’t want to wake up to guns pointing in my face telling me to get out or getting arrested for trespassing. But I didn’t want to stay outside. I wanted to be safe. So I took my own risk and stayed in the abandoned apartment.
Did your family know you were homeless?
I didn’t inform my family of any of it. I didn’t want them to worry. If my mom has a little bit of stress, it could kill her. I didn’t want my mom or sisters to feel any stress or worry about me. I didn’t want them to feel bad for me. I need to be strong and I don’t need anyone to feel bad, because they need to be strong too.
What are your plans for the future Mortisha? You’re sitting here and you’re 19 years old, you’ve completed the 11th grade, but as you look ahead with the responsibility of a child, what do you envision as of next year?
I’m going to Youth Build which is a place that helps you with your GED. My sister just graduated from there. From her whole process being there, she’s now a certified construction work, she’s a first aid, she got her driver’s license and her GED. That’s what I want to do. I want to become a construction worker, I want to become a first aid, I want to get my driver’s license. That would be something really cool. But then when I get done with school, I want to go into cosmetology for horror films. I love horror films. That’s something I’d love to do. Doing makeup for horror films. Dead skin and blood.
Mortisha, you mentioned a few minutes ago about being homeless, having a baby and having a boyfriend. Walk us through that. That is something that has impacted you and will carry forward through your adult life. Here you are in Grand Rapids, a homeless teenage, tell us about that.
After my mom left when I was 17, I had to find a place to stay. I found different places to stay on different nights. A year and a half after being homeless I found out I was pregnant. Remember, I stayed with my boyfriend for two years. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought that was going to change him and make things better, but it actually made things worse. He constantly told me I should get an abortion and that we weren’t ready, but I’m not going to kill a kid just because I’m not ready and you’re gonna be selfish. I’m going to have this kid and I’m going to do everything I can to make this right. Well, nine months later, here comes my daughter. I had to have a C-section because she got stuck in my pelvic bone. Being a first time mom and never having a C-section was scary.
He would never help me. My boyfriend never helped me with the baby. At that time, I was taking care of two families. The family I was living with had three kids that I was taking care of because the mother didn’t do anything besides sit on her bed and be on Facebook. So I took care of their kids and my newborn baby. My baby daddy didn’t help out with the our baby either because the crying would get to him and he would go insane and not take care of her.
Elaborate on your boyfriend a little bit. You mentioned that he beat you.
Yes, he beat me everyday. When I was 4 months pregnant, he raped me because he was blackout drunk. He told me he didn’t remember, but I told him I did. I wasn’t the one doing drugs or getting blackout drunk. I remember all of it. I was sober for nine months. He constantly called me a liar and denied what he did.
So why did you stick with this guy?
I didn’t know where to go. He said he was homeless before. That’s one thing I can say that he did. He kept me safe, he made sure I ate everyday, and he kept me warm. That’s the only positive thing that happened when I was homeless.
Were you afraid?
I was scared! I was so scared because I didn’t know if I was going to get jumped, raped, or die. Especially during the winter. These past two winters were crazy with all the snow.
So what was the turning point? You found an apartment and had your daughter, but you lived there until that fell apart and you had to get out.
Yeah, after that I stayed in Mel Trotters for three months and from there I found this amazing guy. I never knew a guy as amazing as him existed. He helped me through so much and got me out of situations that I couldn’t get myself out of. I am very blessed that I met this man.
When you look back on your childhood Morticia, what is your saddest memory?
That would have to be when my baby sister was raped. That was the saddest thing because I was in still in school at the time and my sister brought me into the bedroom and said that grandpa is downstairs with Nina doing dirty things. So I went downstairs to the basement and said something and he got off of her. I told Nina to get upstairs and we locked ourselves in the bedroom until my mom got home from work.
Was he your mother’s father?
Yes.
Was this a first time event or something that happened before?
I heard it happened in the past but I had never seen it firsthand. So, when I got home from school and saw it, I was furious. I also felt guilt on myself because I felt I could’ve stopped it.
And then what happened? Did anyone tell on grandpa?
No.
Do you know if anything like that happened again?
No, after a little while my grandpa got really sick. His muscles and bones basically stopped working. He was a lot like a vegetable. So, me and my sisters had to help take care of him. We had to pick him up from the chair and carry him to the potty. I helped take care of this man who hurt my family.
So nobody told your mother what he had done?
No, we all told her. My sister actually took my other sister to a movie to get her out of the house so we could tell our mom one on one.
How did your mother receive that?
She was scared and furious. My grandpa was 70 at the time so she didn’t feel like she could really do anything.
Besides what happened with your grandpa, is there anything you wish didn’t happen with your family?
I don’t know, more than anything I wish my family was back together. I want my family to be back together so bad. Our family is spread out everywhere do to living arrangements. We don’t get to see each other much, but now that I have my own place, my younger sister comes over every now and then to get together. She’s actually coming over today!
You’ve walked us through your plan for the immediate future, and those are all great goals and I hope they workout, but where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?
I see myself running my own horror shop that has makeup and costumes. Something like the Kostume Room, but a little different from that. I’ve also always wanted to run my own gothic, metal bar. That’s something that I really want to do because I’ve never seen one of those in Grand Rapids.
Mortisha, thank you for sharing your story with us today. You have a lot of responsibilities and some lofty goals for yourself. If you keep your nose down and have people around you who encourage you, you’ll be able to reach them all. We wish you nothing but the best!
The YA film community has finally hit its last hurrah. The Hunger Games, the flagship of their current generation, after Harry Potter, and Twilight, has finally run its course.
Personally, I am glad. I found the series as a whole to be resoundingly hollow.
I have a bone to pick with the author and screenwriter’s intents with Katniss, the character that has entered the same lexicon as Charlie Brown and Voldemort. Everyone knows Katniss. She’s the bad-@$$ with the bow and arrow. This finale to the series just proved how little I cared for the concept and characters that came with. Here Katniss is still recovering from the PTSD acquired during the events of the first two flicks as well as the harrowing denouement of Mockingjay Part I, but for this reviewer, I just felt as she probably felt: empty. She sees or hears about bad things that happen to those around her and then she shoots bad guys with arrows. The gratifying moments just don’t ring true.
Jennifer Lawrence is not to blame here. The director and screenwriters messed it up, she’s just dealing with what she’s given.
My other massive problem with the movie deals with Gale (Liam Hemsworth). The other Hemsworth that has had trouble finding success outside of his big brother’s shadow. Every moment he appeared on screen was punctuated by a massive yawn. Whoever cast this man should have been fired. So much of this movie concerns a bloody love triangle between him, Katniss, and Peeta that anyone with a third-grade education can call from frame 1.
This does not necessarily mean the movie is a total disaster. Donald Sutherland milks every moment he has on screen to fill the air with menace as well as charming sociopolitical intrigue. [SPOILERS] His final moments are among the most chilling in the whole series. [END SPOILERS]
I have always considered myself a little biased against The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins created a series and concept that was lauded by critics and readers as wholly original and earth-shattering… except for the tiny fact that the title centerpiece is a clear adaptation of cult classic Battle Royale, a gory satire from Japan.*
I don’t like plagiarists, I despise plagiarists who don’t admit when they’ve been caught. I don’t respect people who lie to avoid blame getting caught in the cookie jar. Quentin Tarantino has been accused of this as well. Reservoir Dogs can be interpreted as an American remake of a Hong Kong film called City on Fire. And his use of the word homage to escape lawsuits is borderline theft.
The action was middling, the music okay, the settings standard dystopian action fare, I just felt bored the entire movie. Every other reviewer mentions the stunning homage to ALIENS halfway into the movie. Yes, I caught it. James Cameron still did it better. Heck, I was getting FURY ROAD flashbacks when albino xenomorphs started popping out of the walls for a bloodless^ massacre in the sewer. Every supporting character we followed felt expendable, which surprise, surprise, they were! This series would have been much more interesting told from the point of view of the psychotic Johanna (Jena Malone). At least there would have been bursts of giggling fury from her.
*Isn’t it funny? Hunger Games steals from Battle Royale, then Divergent outright steals from Hunger Games. The wheel of cinematic inbreeding continues to spin.
^I really dislike “edgy” PG-13 action films that showcase carnage and horrific things, only escaping the dreaded R-rating by excising all the blood. Stop it, Hollywood. This is getting annoying.
The nation’s largest privately-held baking company is planning on adding to the local job market thanks in part to a grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund.
Hearthside Food Solutions, LLC, est. 2009, specializing in grain-based foods and snacks, announced that due to the generous grant, the company would be able to add as well as train 66 positions to their 3225 32nd Street baking line location. The grant came in order to offset higher energy and operating costs in Michigan, compared to a site they considered in Kentucky.
Based out of Illinois, Hearthside currently employs over 1700 full-time employees in West Michigan, operating four plants, including the 32nd Street location, as well as one on Shaffer Avenue, one on 44th Street, and one on Oak Industrial Drive, off of Michigan St NE. The specific baking line location on 32nd Street was the former Meridian Auto Systems plant before said company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2005.
WKTV reached out for comments from Hearthside, but they could not be reached.
Smushed in-between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving sometimes feels like a lost holiday. The constant Christmas creep paired with shopping extravaganzas can give Thanksgiving the feeling of “meh.” Coupled with a forced inclusion of family and conversation topics that are sure to touch on sure-fire small talk such as religion and politics, Thanksgiving can seem like a hassle.
Seriously, Thanksgiving has been pushed so far down the list of holidays that it has become a placeholder, a pre-game if you will, for football, America’s favorite holiday no matter which day it’s on!
That’s why I’m here, to fight for Thanksgiving and its rightful place at the table next to Christmas instead of banished to the children’s table and forgotten about.
Thanksgiving, you are a beautiful and under appreciated holiday, and I am thankful for you! Here are some things to think about next time your mind flutters towards Christmas with Thanksgiving still on the horizon. Seriously, Christmas music BEFORE Thanksgiving!? Have you no shame…
Food
Let’s address the elephant in the room right away. I don’t have the true numbers right in front of me, but I took a completely unscientific poll this morning on my walk into work and came away with the indisputable proof that food is the best part of Thanksgiving for 98.8 percent of people. The other 1.2 percent laughed at me and walked away. That’s basically an answer for food, moving the results to 100 percent. Don’t even try to prove me wrong, you cannot win.
So, about the food! Thanksgiving is the one day a year where it is completely acceptable to eat as much as you want, and if anyone even thinks about judging you, tell them to stuff it – with stuffing of course. Stuffing is amazing and should be enjoyed by all. They were just judging you because they wanted your stuffing anyway.
But what about the guilt? Oh, yes, the guilt. I have met some people in my day who feel guilty that they’re eating so much. They’re on a diet and trying to lose weight, maybe they’re in the presence of a new significant other and her family and don’t want to look like a pig, or possibly the wife keeps nagging her poor husband about the tire around his stomach that continues to expand.
I have one phrase for everyone even feeling slightly guilty or judged… “Cheat Day.”
A cheat day is the greatest phrase in the world. You see, the world’s best athletes and body builders have them in their schedule, so you can too, right? The concept of a cheat day is simple, you stick to a strict diet for a week and you get one cheat day to eat whatever the heck you want. One day doesn’t kill you, whereas eating poorly over a long period of time will.
Thanksgiving is the ultimate cheat day! Start your diet tomorrow or just tell people you started a week ago. Whatever, it doesn’t really matter. All you have to say is “cheat day” and everyone will immediately dismount from your back. This is your day. Enjoy it. If it’s good enough for the most in-shape people on planet earth, it’s good enough for you.
Family
This one can be a big holdup for a lot of people. Your family can be great and awful for the same reason: There is absolutely no filter. Aunt Sally is going to talk politics no matter what and she doesn’t care which side of the aisle you’re on. Someone is definitely bringing up religion, positively or negatively. On top of those big two, you’re going to be asked about your lack of a significant other, if you’d be interested in so-in-so’s friend, why you don’t have a better job, when you’re moving closer to home, and on and on it goes.
Instead of stressing about the impending questions of doom, switch gears in that dome of yours and revel in the fact that you have the opportunity to show off the best of your creative skills! These aren’t necessarily lies, they’re a part of being a thespian on Thanksgiving. How outrageous can an answer be while also keeping it believable?
“What happened to Taylor? I thought you two were so great together!”
“You see Grandma, within the past year I learned to fly. That’s not a metaphor either, I can actually, literally, fly. The fact that she couldn’t fly held me back. Why should I be with someone who can’t fly? I used to be at the bottom with the other lobsters, now I’m in the sky like birds and helicopters.”
Creative? Maybe. Use of song lyrics to confuse Grandma? Check. Believable? Depends on how much wine she’s enjoyed. Did it end the immediate conversation and any future questions pertaining to the situation? Absolutely. Mission accomplished? MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Work
Thanksgiving always lands on a Thursday, and since most jobs give Thanksgiving off, it makes for a long weekend. Not having to work is always a net positive. Also, since it’s a National Holiday, if you do have to work you’re (hopefully) being paid time and a half. That’s never a bad thing!
However, if you have to work on Black Friday or at a location that runs one of those “Black Friday” sales that actually start in the evening on Thanksgiving, then bless your soul. I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m also thankful I don’t have to work and attempt to corral the madness.
Everyone avoiding working on Black Friday, extend your thankfulness to someone in need, and then shove them over on your way to that new big screen marked over 50-percent off!
Football
This is a lost cause for all us Lions fans. There is no hope. There is never hope. It’s impossible to be thankful for the pit of doom and despair that is the Detroit Lions.
If you aren’t a Lions fan, be thankful… be very thankful.
Friends
With the new phenomenon called “Friends-giving” you have all the actual joys of Thanksgiving but with the added benefit of being around people you actually want to see. An old soul once gave me great words of wisdom, “Choose your wife wisely, she’s the only member of your family you have that luxury with.”
A friends-giving is an excuse to celebrate the holiday with those that you choose to be around! No excessive travel, no stressful questions, and no real commitment if something comes up. Be thankful for Thanksgiving because it brought us the notion of a friends-giving.
From the Citizen Journalism Team here at WKTV, everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!
After holding off until deep in November, planet Earth decided it was finally time to switch over to winter and bring down the snow from above. While the temperature drop necessary to bring on a nice snowfall usually keeps people indoors, it didn’t stop dog owners and the City of Kentwood from opening the city’s first dog park!
On Saturday, November 21, Mayor Stephen Kepley lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new dog park located in Kelloggwoods Park at 275 Kellogg Woods Drive. What ensued was doggy heaven as the pups quickly began socializing with their new furry friends in the winter wonderland.
The park has designated off-leash areas for dogs both big and small, dog-waste bins, water spigots and benches.
Dog owners, and citizens of Kentwood, look forward to having a dog park so close to home. Pets are family members too, and watching them play is enjoyable for everyone involved.
Mayor Kepley said it best, “Our dogs can now have just as much fun in the City of Kentwood as the adults do.”
Before the summer blockbuster took over the box office in the 1970s with the likes of JAWS and Star Wars, Christmas was the big pull for movie-goers, and in many ways it still is. Most of the big awards contenders are sometimes pushed back to take advantage of the bustle of consumer behavior accompanying the holiday season. In recent years, at least since the successful debut of Toy Story in 1995, Thanksgiving has also become a hallmark holiday to milk for movie releases, often spawning plenty of family-friendly fare for the close-knit holiday. Looking ahead, this article is to spotlight big movies being released through Christmas.
CREED (Thanksgiving)
First up this Thanksgiving is a spin-off from the ever-popular Rocky Balboa franchise, this time focusing on the son of Rocky’s ally and rival from the first four films, Apollo Creed.
The movie follows Adonis, Creed’s son, who decides to step into the ring to prove something to his family, Rocky, and maybe himself. The films is being helmed by Ryan Coogler, who previously directed star Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station, a ripped-from-the-headlines tragedy about the last day of Oscar Grant, an Oakland native who became a victim of police brutality. The film is a different direction for the franchise giving Stallone’s Balboa a supporting turn in the vein of Burgess Meredith’s Mickey.
Reviews have been favorable so far, so hopes are this underdog can be the long shot to steal the weekend from the likes of Pixar and the monstrous Frankenstein reboot.
THE GOOD DINOSAUR (Thanksgiving)
Information is rare on this other Pixar movie being released on Thanksgiving. All we know for sure is that it revolves around a slightly altered pre-history where a meteorite didn’t wipe out the beasts that ruled the Earth pre-humanity and the interactions between a gentle dinosaur and his feral human companion. Trailers haven’t related much of a story, only images of beauty reminiscent of AVATAR and interactions reminiscent of The Land Before Time. Comic and social media artist Patton Oswalt seemed to enjoy it! The most likely winner of the Thanksgiving weekend, overall.
Saw THE GOOD DINOSAUR last night. Superb. Yummy cinematography, gut-punch laughs & heart, plus a trippy/hilarious "drug" sequence.
This is a movie I don’t think anyone saw coming. A Frankenstein movie starring rebooted Professor X as a whimsical, rebellious Doctor Frankenstein and Harry Potter as Igor, the overwhelmed assistant. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious after seeing the trailer. Mayhaps it has a chance, gobble gobble…
Macbeth (December TBA)
Being released sometime in December, Michael Fassbender takes on the Bard in the upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare’s most notorious tragedy, The Scottish Play. -sorry, my theatrical background is keeping the superstition alive- While Shakespeare has proven to be hit or miss when it comes to film adaptation, this one has a quality actor at the front as well as a unique artistic approach to authenticity that could bring in the crowds.
Krampus (December 4th)
This will be the second horror film released this year featuring a cast of people known primarily for their comedic work: Adam Scott (Parks and Rec), David Koechner (Anchorman+2), Allison Tolman (FARGO), Toni Collette (United States of Tara)… all signed on for a film not about Santa, but the other supernatural creature associated with the Christmas season, that fewer people are aware of. That being is Krampus, a Christmas demon of sorts who does not come bearing gifts, but horror and terror. Hopefully, it’ll be in better taste than Silent Night, Deadly Night…
In the Heart of the Sea (December 11th)
Ron Howard makes movies that I enjoy watching, personally. His latest, RUSH, was an exhilarating drama about a rivalry that made me care equally for both parties. Now, he’s decided he wants to adapt the true-life tale that inspired Moby Dick, that contender for the title of The Great American Novel. And it’s got Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins). Even though it’s been pushed back multiple times this year, I really can’t wait to see what the mastermind behind A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13 has in store for his audience.
Episode VII (December 18th)
Yes, yes, the movie we’ve all been waiting for is less than a month away. And it’s going to make more money than organized religion in general has seen in the last decade. Do I really need to add anything…besides the fact I already have my IMAX tickets? -sigh- I am a disgrace to objective cinema journalism.
Don’t disappoint us, Jar Jar Abrams. Some of us still remember what happened the last time you went into space…
*A brief mention regarding Sisters, the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy vehicle that’s decided to challenge The Force Awakens for a spot on December the 18th: It Doesn’t Have A Snowball’s Chance…
**A word on The Road Chip: no.
Concussion (Christmas)
Will Smith’s controversial drama putting the NFL under the radar is aiming for the Christmas crowd. I guess it’s a better spot than Thanksgiving, considering…
My dad will wanna see this. A better pick than Draft Day, I suppose.
The Hateful Eight (Christmas)
Quentin Tarantino really has a thing for releasing his glorified exploitation films at Christmas. Since Jackie Brown in 1997, he has gleefully enjoyed subverting the typical Christmas fare with his bloody, ironic takes on cinematic language, genre, and uproarious content. His second western in a row, he has promised The Hateful Eight will be “the funniest snow western ever made.” Since his crowd-pleasing movies are ridiculous in content and often hilarious as well, don’t write off the holidays as completely in the hands of Jar Jar Abrams and his space opera playset.
Point Break (Christmas)
If it were up to the author, this summary would be limited to “No Keanu? No Swayze? No thank you!” Alas…
It looks like it’ll cater to the adrenaline junkies crowd with portrayals of extreme (!) action sports like quad racing against avalanches, wingsuits flying through mountain forests, and an epic bromance between Edgar Ramirez and Luke Bracey. Yeah, I never heard of him either. Don’t expect this one to sweep the audience from their Tarantino gunplay and the continuing adventures of Han Solo and Co.
It looks like it’s going to be a very Star Wars Christmas after all.
With Thanksgiving coming up, here are 15 great ways to take advantage of what this great state has to offer! Cook healthy, eat hearty, and enjoy family and friends.
This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!
Which sounds better: Freshly made truffle fries from local potatoes or slightly-soggy fries that have been sitting out too long after being pulled out of the freezer at the local fast food joint?
Maybe that’s an extreme comparison, but it showcases the heart of the farm-to-table movement, which is well respected at dining locations throughout West Michigan.
Farm-to-Table means your food has traveled from a local source, maybe even as nearby as the garden out back (instead of being frozen or canned and transported hundreds of miles), and was freshly prepared, which means no thawing in the microwave or sitting under heat lamps for days. Farm-to-Table dining promises you a delicious and healthy meal that is truly of West Michigan.
Read on for some of our favorite Farm-to-Table dining options in West Michigan, and our apologies in advance if this causes your stomach to start rumbling.
Grove
Grove restaurant, located in Grand Rapids, is a tribute to the bounty of the earth’s harvest and how Grove brings that to the table with impeccable service, natural ingredients and innovative cuisine. Their seasonal, frequently changing selections hint at the classics with natural sauces and a slant toward sustainable seafood. They responsibly source as many ingredients as possible from local, family and sustainable farms and prepare each dish to demonstrate their respect for how these farmers raise or grow their products.
Grove carefully pairs their daily, innovative menus with the best modern wines. Their beverage menu also includes eclectic and top-shelf liquors, their own housemade infused spirits, craft beers, pour-over coffee and espresso. They’re located in the heart of East Hills at 919 Cherry Street.
Terra
Inspired, handcrafted foods that nurture both body and community. At Terra in Grand Rapids, they follow their passions – and the seasons – for only the freshest, health-filled ingredients from the region’s most dedicated growers. They pride themselves on distinctive fare, expertly crafted with passion, intellect and culinary skill. You’ll enjoy handcrafted meals that honor the purest ingredients from the finest regional farms and fields. Terra’s focus on seasonal offerings means they only use fresh, honest ingredients bursting with the flavors of each season. Not only will you find delicious dining at Terra, but also a community dedicated to the promotion and rewards of a health-conscious lifestyle.
Twisted Rooster
Satisfyingly savory and always fresh, using Michigan made products with a twist—that’s what you can expect when dining at the Twisted Rooster in Grand Rapids. Twisted Rooster’s Executive Chef and his culinary team work with local vendors and suppliers to provide guests with a decidedly tasty twist on classic American fare. Twisted Rooster’s mantra is to provide each guest with “Simply Impeccable Food & Drinks with Uncommon Hospitality.” Their locally sourced, scratch made menu is full of local flavor and includes vendors such as Byron Center Meats, R.W. Bakers, Faygo and Founders Brewing Company. Ogren said their menu is meant to emphasize their twisted “Commit to the Mitt” motto.
The Green Well
At The Green Well they serve honest fayre with local flair in a neighborhood setting that keeps customers coming back. Their innovative gastro pub is green beyond its name: Their LEED® certified building is environmentally safe, ultra efficient and leaves behind the smallest possible carbon footprint. “Gastro pub” is British for a public house that specializes in high-quality food served in a relaxed atmosphere. The Green Well’s creative menu features a global range of eclectic flavors prepared with ingredients from local farmers. Over 20 rotating taps focus on Michigan brews, as well as a vast selection of bottles, ranging from local and American craft to traditional European styles. The wine list features creative flights that encourage multiple wine flavors paired with food. Classic cocktails are also available. Their greenness also spills over to their guests who benefit from affordable prices and outstanding service by a fun, welcoming staff. Located at 924 Cherry Street in East Hills, Grand Rapids.
Bistro Bella Vita
At Bistro Bella Vita, they go above and beyond to deliver the ultimate dining experience with top-notch, personable service, whether it’s a simple pizza and beer with friends, or an elegant chef’s table meal perfectly paired with appropriate wines. Their vision is to be West Michigan’s most respected restaurant destination. Guests enjoy Bistro Bella Vita’s unique downtown atmosphere and their creative cuisine made exclusively from fresh, natural, ingredients purchased daily from local farmers in season. The culinary team creates authentic, scratch-made recipes that blend the delicious flavors of the Mediterranean countryside with a perfectly paired beverage offering served by a devoted staff whose passion is to ensure your complete satisfaction. They’re located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, just west of the Van Andel Arena on Grandville and Weston.
San Chez Bistro
Stop by San Chez Bistro for the most unique dining and entertainment venue in Grand Rapids. San Chez Bistro offers a blend of authentic European and Mediterranean cuisine in a fun, laid-back, and artful atmosphere. Take a break from fast food with breakfast and lunch by San Chez Café, made with the finest local ingredients, and prepared to order fresh seven days a week. Enjoy omelets, scrambles, pastries, bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit, or the best sandwiches and soups in town. Appreciate gourmet fair-trade coffee and whole leaf organic tea while you linger with free Wi-Fi, or hold a breakfast meeting in our comfy café.
Six.One.Six
The JW Marriott Grand Rapids‘ signature restaurant, six.one.six, offers the breathtaking blend of sophisticated urban ambience, palate-pleasing cuisine, and the finest wines and perfectly poured cocktails. But more than just a “pretty face,” six.one.six. takes its cuisine seriously. Dedicated to the concept of buying local, the chef’s pantry is bursting with locally grown ingredients, some of which are picked just a few feet away at the JW Chef’s Garden. The six.one.six. kitchen also participates in Sort, a recycling and composting program coordinated with Zeeland-headquartered Spurt Industries, which helps turn food scraps into top-quality soil for area parks. You’ll find dishes sourced from New Holland Brewery, Black Star Farms, Founders Brewery, and many more when you dine at six.one.six.
Downtown Market
Downtown Market Grand Rapids offers farm to table dining, and everything in between. Visit in the spring and summer for their outdoor farmers market, where the best of everything fresh and local will be on display for purchase. The indoor Market Hall is open year-round, and offers everything from local produce, fish, meats, and cheese to restaurants serving tacos & thai food sourced from local ingredients. Downtown Market offers regular cooking classes & demonstrations to help you bring that fresh and local taste right into your own kitchen.
Reserve Wine & Food
Michigan’s award-winning Reserve Wine & Food in downtown Grand Rapids is the epitome of a farm-to-table experience, in a classy, urban setting just a short drive from the rural countryside which provides the bounty for the menu. Reserve fills its kitchen with foods raised by their friends—local farmers, growers and harvesters with a passion for fresh flavors. Chef Josh Adams cooked throughout his childhood with his mom and grandmother, who encouraged his creativity and curiosity. Applying progressive techniques to pristine ingredients, Adams seeks to preserve and accentuate the natural properties of the ingredients through precision cooking. “With the development of each dish, I take into consideration the aroma, taste, texture, temperature, color, shape and arrangement to bring about the best possible result for the customer,” he says. Opened since September, 2010 and celebrating its 5th year, Reserve Wine & Food has been recognized by Grand Rapids Magazine, OpenTable, Food & Wine Magazine, the James Beard Foundation and Wine Spectator. Located in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at 201 Monroe Avenue NW, Reserve Wine & Food offers a world-class menu fully embracing the West Michigan farm-to-table philosophy in an elegant yet casual fine dining setting.
As the holidays approach, you may be planning a gift list for those special people in your life. You may also be worrying about adding to your already sizeable credit card balances. In America today, carrying some debt is unavoidable, and even desirable, for most households. But between mortgages, car payments and credit cards, many Americans find themselves over their heads — unable to dig out from under a debt burden that consumes an ever-growing portion of their resources.
The median U.S. household owes $3,000 in credit card debt. Credit card companies have made running up that balance deceptively easy. But what’s lost when you are racking up big credit card balances is the realization that paying off your debt can be costly, in terms of its impact on your cash flow as well as your overall financial health.
Assessing Your Debt
How much debt is too much? The figure varies from person to person, but in general, experts agree that your debt-to-income ratio should be no more than 43%. A debt-to-income ratio is commonly used by lenders to assess an individual’s ability to repay the money he or she has borrowed.
To calculate your debt-to-income ratio, add up all your monthly debt payments (including mortgage, car and other non-housing debts) and divide that sum by your gross monthly income — i.e., income before taxes and other deductions are taken out. Mortgage lenders, in particular, use the 43% debt-to-income ratio as a benchmark to determine whether or not an individual is a good candidate for a mortgage.1
Other signs that you may be carrying too much debt include not knowing how much you owe, constantly paying the minimum balance due on credit cards (or worse, being unable to make the minimum payments), and borrowing from one lender to pay another.
Create a budget and choose where your money goes
If you find that you are overextended, don’t panic. There are a number of steps you can follow to eliminate that debt and get yourself back on track. Working your way out of debt will, of course, require you to adjust your spending habits and perhaps be more judicious in your spending.
Begin With a Budget
The first step in eliminating debt is to figure out where your money goes. This will allow you to see where your debt is coming from and, perhaps, help you to free up some cash to put toward lowering that debt.
Track your expenses for one month by writing down what you spend. At the end of the month, total up your expenses and break them down into two categories: “Essential,” including fixed expenses such as mortgage/rent, food and utilities, and “Nonessential,” including entertainment and dining out. Analyze your expenses to see where your spending can be reduced. Perhaps you can cut back on food expenses by bringing lunch to work instead of eating out each day. You might be able to reduce commuting costs by taking public transportation instead of parking your car at a pricey downtown garage. Even utility costs can be reduced by turning lights off, making fewer long-distance calls or turning the thermostat down a few degrees in winter.
Three Steps to Reduce Debt
Once you have a handle on your budget, you can begin to attack existing debt with the following steps.
Pay off high-rate debt first. The higher your interest rate, the more you wind up paying. Begin with your highest-rate credit cards and eliminate the balance as aggressively as possible. For example, assume you have two separate $2,000 balances, one charging 20% interest, the other 8%, on which you can pay a total of 6% per month. If you were to pay 4% per month on the higher-rate card and 2% on the lower-rate card (which is typically the minimum monthly payment), you would save $961 in interest and 18 months of payments over allocating 3% to each balance.
Transfer high-rate debt to lower-rate cards. Consolidating credit card debts to a single, lower-rate card saves in interest costs over the life of the loan. Comparison shop for the best rates, and beware of “teaser” rates that start low, say, at 6%, then jump to much higher rates after the introductory period ends. You can find lists of low-rate cards online from sites such as CardTrak and Bankrate.
If you can only find a card with a low introductory rate, maximize the value of that low-interest period. By paying off your balance aggressively, you will reduce the balance more quickly than you will when the rate goes up.
You can also contact your current credit card companies to inquire about consolidation and lower rates. Competition in the industry is fierce, and many companies are willing to lower their rates to keep their customers. Even a percentage point or two can make a difference with a sizable balance.
Borrow only for the long term. The best use of debt is to finance things that will gain in value, such as a home, an education, or big-ticket necessities, like a washing machine or a computer that will still be around when the debt is paid off. Avoid using your credit card for concert tickets, vacation expenses or meals out. By the time the balance is gone, you will have paid far more than the cost of these items and have nothing but memories to show for it.
By analyzing your spending, controlling expenses and establishing a plan, you can reduce — and perhaps eliminate — your debt, leaving you with more money to save today and a better outlook for your financial future.
This article was prepared by Wealth Management Systems Inc. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. We suggest that you discuss your specific situation with a qualified tax or legal adviser.
What comes to your mind when you think of Thanksgiving? Do you think of time spent with the family in front of the TV watching football? How about the food? Oh my goodness, yes, the food! Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and so much more. Thanksgiving is a time to carb-o-load and slip into a deep food coma.
For a holiday meant for giving thanks, it’s one that can easily be taken for granted.
One in seven people in our region are affected by food insecurity, or an unreliable access to healthy food. Those who are considered food insecure regularly have to skip meals or buy cheaper, less nourishing food because of a lack of funds.
After 34 years and counting, Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank is looking to end that problem.
Feeding America West Michigan is a nonprofit organization that supplies food to more than 1,100 food pantries, youth programs, and other hunger-relief agencies in 40 of Michigan’s 83 counties. The food bank acts as the main supplier to the front lines of hunger all across West Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
When it comes to food, Feeding America West Michigan can pack a punch – and a lunch! Last year, in 2014, the organization distributed over 26.5 million pounds of food. That food serves around 492,100 people, with at least 119,400 of them being children.
The majority of food donated comes from corporations, manufacturers, grocery stores, distributors, and farmers. In all, over 220 companies donate to Feeding America West Michigan. A handful of those companies donate over a million pounds a year.
In order to run efficiently and make sure all that food is delivered on-time and in good shape, the Food Bank makes fine use of its volunteers. On average, 40-50 volunteers help at the Food Bank each day. Volunteering opportunities include processing donated food, filling orders, cleaning, and re-packaging the food that arrives. If you can’t donate your time, there are other ways as well, every dollar donated provides four meals.
Volunteers repackaging cereal
“The need is not going away. We still see more people needing help,” explained Feeding America West Michigan CEO Ken Estelle on the need for a food bank and food donations. “It’s a lot of working families. We see folks that have jobs, that are working trying to make ends meet but they just get to the point where at the end of the month there’s just not enough to pay all the bills.”
Year to date, Feeding America West Michigan is on pace to distribute more food this year than ever before.
The inability to pay the bills and afford healthy, nutritious food is a struggle for a large majority of the family that utilize the food pantries that Feeding America West Michigan supplies. Over 30 percent of client households had at least one adult member working for pay within the past four weeks before visiting a food pantry.
Here are some other numbers to chew on:
• 72% of client households choose between paying for food and utilities
• 72% of households choose between paying for food and transportation
• 65% of households choose between paying for food and medical care
• 58% of households choose between paying for food and their rent or mortgage
• 23% of households choose between paying for food and education
This Thanksgiving season, remember to give thanks for what you have and to give back to the communities you live in!
For more information on volunteer at Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank, click here.
Every year as the chills of fall set in, seniors compete in the coveted Bayberry Farms Village Chili Cook-Off. The steaming hot pots of chili presented for the October 23, 2015 competition included white and tomato based chilies, hot to mild.
This year’s lighthearted competition was judged by a team of jovial, yet highly-respected, Wyoming Firefighters. The winner of the 2015 Annual Bayberry Farms Village Chili Cook-Off was Ms. Ruby Roberts. After winning Second Place for two years in a row, Ruby tweaked her delicious white chili recipe to make it become the favorite chili of the day! Her mixture of chicken, white beans, cheeses and secret ingredients was the hands down favorite. Congratulations, Ruby!
Ruby intends to keep her recipe secret at this time as she is determined to win future competitions!
However, another big hit and highly requested recipe was “Catherine’s Cornbread.” It is not dry like a typical cornbread and not as fluid as a corn casserole. When firefighters ask for the recipe, you know it is good!
Catherine’s Cornbread
Ingredients:
Two Jumbo Eggs (Or Three Large Eggs)
1 Can Cream Corn
1 Can Drained Whole Corn
¼ Cup Sugar
2 Packages Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
Splash of Milk
Directions:
Mix the eggs, both corns and sugar together until well blended. Stir in the corn muffin mix. If too thick, add a splash of milk.
Pour into a greased 9 x 11 dish.
Bake at 350 (325 for glass dish) until toothpick in center comes out clean (around 20 or so minutes) and top is golden brown.
Do not over bake.
Whenever you visit a place, you’re never seeing the full story. There’s always something going on behind an “employees only” door or a little secret that only the well-informed know. Luckily for you, some of the best places to visit in West Michigan have tours to show you everything you need to know. Ever want to see how Bell’s brews their beer? Or how Grimaldi’s chocolates turn out so delicious? Look no further than some of these behind the scenes tours!
South Region
Henderson Castle
The historic Henderson Castle was built in 1895 and is one of Kalamazoo’s most treasured landmarks. Today, they welcome visitors to come explore the castle in its entirety with their VIP Legacy Tour package. With this package, you can explore all floors of the castle from their basement kitchen to their rooftop deck and everything in between. Places that guests typically don’t see such as the vineyards and wine cave are also shown. If you want to get the most out of your trip to Henderson Castle, look no further than this extensive tour package!
Journeyman Distillery
Journeyman Distillery offers tours every day! The distillery is located in an 1800s factory building and has retained much of the original and historic architecture. Tours last approximately one hour and include the history of the distillery, a tour of the production facility, and an overview on how their spirits are produced. Of course, the tour concludes with a tasting of some of Journeyman’s finest spirits!
West Michigan Beer Tours
Why just tour one brewery when you can tour three? West Michigan Beer Tours offers variety of public tours with most including stops at three breweries to sample, tour, and meet the owners or brewers. Your tour director is knowledgeable in both the beer industry and the local area so you know that you’re getting a great tour. You’ll travel comfortably from brewery to brewery on their mini-coach bus. West Michigan Beer Tours is one of the best ways to see the behind of the scenes of local breweries!
Bell’s Brewery
Bell’s Brewery was a significantly different kind of brewery 30 years ago. It had one employee, Larry Bell, who worked out of plastic garbage bags and a 15-gallon stock pot. Today, Bell’s employs more the 400 people over 22 states and has their original brewery still in Downtown Kalamazoo. They offer free tours there on Saturdays and Sundays for those looking to see what goes into making their beer. Their Comstock brewery offers self guided tours where the public is welcome to observe the large area at their own leisure.
St. Julian Winery
St. Julian Winery’s Paw Paw location offers free year-round tours! Tours run seven days a week and all ages are welcome. After your tour, don’t miss their standard tasting of six samples of your choice and a complimentary logo glass which is yours to take home. Choose from over 40 products including wines that are exclusive to their tasting rooms, their Grey Heron Vodka, and their A&G Brandy. If you want even more, their Enhanced Tasting & Tour is reservation only and more than just your average experience! This is an extended tour and includes your choices of cheese or chocolate pairs. Their wine educators offer an in-depth education on the winemaking process from bud-break to bottling!
Marshall Historical Society
Don’t miss the longest running home tour in the Great Lakes area with Marshall Historical Society‘s Historic Home Tour! Private residences, commercial buildings, museums, and fairground buildings are given the tour treatment. The public is always invited to come see some of these amazing and unique places. Want to learn more about the architecture or the history behind of some of Marshall’s most famous buildings? Then take a day or two to explore and learn from one of the most trusted sources on Marshall’s past. Keep an eye out for 2016 dates!
Central Region
Grand Rapids Symphony
Have you ever wanted to see what goes into producing a symphony? The Grand Rapids Symphony offers both backstage tours as well as musician meet-and-greets to educate the public on their exciting work. With their new program, Backstage and Behind the Music, each session corresponds to one of the symphony’s concerts and gives guests the opportunity to see the entire process. For adults ages 21 to 35, there is the MySymphony360 program which includes discounted tickets, best available sating, exclusive backstage access, and musical meet-and-greets.
Long Road Distillery
Long Road Distillery takes great pride in their signature whiskies, vodkas, and gins. To show how much work goes into these creations, they invite you to tour their distillery. Led by one of their distillers or owners, tours take visitors through the entire distilling process, its principles, and where the ingredients come from. Questions are encouraged so don’t hesitate to ask your knowledgeable tour guide. You might even get to sample a spirit or two when you’re done!
Chocolates by Grimaldi
The factory tour at Chocolates by Grimaldi is the perfect way to learn about the process of making chocolate. See everything from the pod, to the bean, to the chocolate that you can eat! Taste fresh samples right off the line and see the production area for yourself. Check out their 1950s enrober that is just like the one from I Love Lucy. Schedule your tour today to see how Grand Haven gets their unique chocolates!
North Region
Grand Hotel
The Grand Hotel’s new stable is a great way to not only see the horses up close, but to also tour the island. Group carriage tours around Mackinac Island are perfect to learn about the area. These narrated tours start in downtown and stop at many points of interest along the way. The Grand Hotel’s concierge desk will help you personalize your route and even point out places on the island that are unseen by many. With an endless possibility of routes, adventure awaits you on Mackinac Island!
Chateau Grand Traverse
The tasting room at Chateau Grand Traverse invites you to check out their award-winning wines and enjoy their breathtaking views! Complimentary tours of the facilities are offered along with an overview of the history of the Northern Michigan wine industry. Your guide will teach you about the winemaking process from harvest to bottling. Don’t miss the chance to check out Chateau Grand Traverse’s wine making process and the amazing view that brought them there over 40 years ago.
Leelanau Adventures
Leelanau Adventures offers awesome guided tours and overnight stays at various locations. Have you ever wanted to experience Sleeping Bear Dunes or Manitou Island with a tour guide that will show you the best kept secrets? Look no further! You can choose between guided backpacking day trips or overnight stays with everything you need provided to you. Learn what it takes to survive in one of West Michigan’s most treasured locales. Trips run from June to September so check back next year to book your adventure!
Point Betsie Lighthouse
Marking the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage, Point Betsie Lighthouse stands as one of Benzie County’s most famous landmarks. The lighthouse was built in 1857 and had significant restoration work done in 2006. Their tours give the public the chance to see the lighthouse up close and personal. You can even climb the tower! Tours run from May until October so make sure to check it out when they reopen it next year.
The Kentwood library held a celebration of the life and teachings of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the community room, consisting of readings from lead organizer Jessica Ann Tyson and Mayor Stephen Kepley, a fact-filled PowerPoint, a powerful and moving musical solo, and food and drink for guests. This celebration was an inaugural event in Kentwood’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day plans, in the works for now two years.
Happy Birth Anniversary, Dr. King.
