Lisa's blog

By popular demand, here are some photos of the boys carving pumpkins and in costume...

So what's with all the "trunk-or-treat" and "harvest festivals" taking place on Halloween night at churches in Midland?   Halloween is an event where neighbors can take time to come out of their homes to have conversation, check-up on each other, and show hospitality to children.  Most churches offer events of fellowship for their members on a regular basis.   Forums for fellowship with those that you see driving in-and-out of the neighborhood driveways everyday are not as easy to come by.  As a Christian, I know I should be available and connecting with my neighbors throughout the year.   I am ashamed that my busy life inhibits my doing this properly.  I am disappointed, however, that many churches in the area (my own included) are making an effort to pull their members away from a traditional and comfortable opportunity to reach out to their neighbors.   My light will be on this Halloween as I take part in this festive occasion for making those friendly connections that I should be making all year.  I challenge you, Midland-area Christians, to embrace Halloween as an opportunity to be a blessing to your neighbors.  You can fellowship with your church friends next Sunday.

On the way home from Tennessee at the end of August, we spent the night in Cincinnati.  In the hotel we noticed an advertisement for the Real Pirates exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center.  It looked great, so we delayed the continuation of our journey the next morning and went to the exhibit.  It was well-worth-it.

From the museum web site:

When the Whydah sank in 1717, it was believed that nearly four-and-a-half tons of treasure, her captain—notorious pirate Sam Bellamy— and 143 others went down with her. Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship is an exhibit that uses the actual artifacts recovered from the wreck site of the Whydah to tell the compelling story of the first fully authenticated pirate ship ever found in American waters.   

Real Pirates takes visitors on a virtual journey aboard the mighty Whydah. Each of the 12 exhibit galleries represents a chapter in the ship’s biography, from its initial use as a slave ship to its takeover in the Caribbean by pirates to its demise in one of the worst nor’easters ever to hit Cape Cod.

From a review at azcentral.com:

The exhibit includes more than 200 of those artifacts, including the ship's bell and anchor, pirate clothes, muskets, cannons, swords, gold and silver coins, jewelry from the Akan people of Ghana, tableware, gaming tokens and clay pipes.

Even without the "Disney" touch, "Real Pirates" is highly theatrical, Lach says, beginning with a film on the ship and its two captains (slave ship captain Lawrence Prince and pirate captain Sam Bellamy). Another gallery tells the story of piracy and the slave trade and how they were the economic engines of the Caribbean.

A re-creation of a pirates' tavern shows daily life, and a reconstruction of part of the Whydah shows life aboard the ship, above deck where the crew worked and below where the slaves were housed.

Still another gallery re-creates Captain Bellamy's capture of the Whydah, while others show the treasure galley and the ocean floor as it looked when Clifford discovered the wreck. The exhibit even recreates the 1717 storm - complete with wind machines and sound effects full of crashing waves - that sank the ship.

Here are a couple photos from outside (no photos of the exhibit allowed):

I haven't seen it yet nor has it appeared online, but I'm told that my letter to the editor appeared in Friday's Midland Daily News. For more information about the fight against coal in Midland, check out the website of the grassroots organization MidlandCARES.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my concern with the coal plant proposed for Midland by Mid-Michigan Energy, an affiliate of the LS Power and Dynegy. The Midland plant is proposed to use conventional pulverized coal technology instead of the newest gasification technology called IGCC. Through large ads found in this paper and public comment made by the power plant representatives, Mid-Michigan Energy contends that IGCC technology is not an option for the Midland plant for three main reasons: poor reliability, higher emissions, and cost. I would like to take this opportunity to inform our community of what the MDEQ thinks of IGCC technology.

In a document titled "Fact Sheet: Environmental Permitting of Coal Fired-Power plants in Michigan" made public by the MDEQ on their website this summer, the following statements were made regarding IGCC technology: "The availability and reliability of IGCC facilities has been steadily increasing, and new IGCC facilities have reliabilities comparable to conventional coal-fired power plants." "Mercury control on IGCC plants is significantly more effective than mercury control on conventional coal-fired power plants. IGCC has superior sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and mercury control, resulting in significantly lower emissions of these pollutants compared to conventional coal-fired facilities." "With the advent of climate change as a national issue, the ability to capture and sequester carbon emissions has become a concern related to coal-fired power plants. As an outfall to these considerations, it has been noted that Michigan has unique geological formations which could make carbon sequestration in Michigan both economically and technically advantageous. IGCC has a much higher potential for carbon capture than conventional facilities. As climate change strategies are implemented, these considerations will serve to offset IGCC's higher capital and operating costs in Michigan more than in other locations." Document can be found here.

I urge Mid-Michigan Energy to explain to our community why their information seems to contradict that of so many other sources, including the MDEQ. I am skeptical of supporting a new coal power plant in Midland that will not be using the best technology to control emissions. At least thirteen IGCC plants are already proposed across the nation. In the Great Lakes Region alone, at least three IGCC plants have recently received permits or are in the last stages of the permitting process. Why would our community willingly settle for old conventional coal technology while so many other cities are moving forward embracing the future?

BTW, I spoke directly to the MDEQ Lead Engineer who drafted the document mentioned above to clarify what was meant by "conventioanl coal plant". He said that "conventional coal plant" describes any pulverized coal plant - subcritical, supercritical, and even ultra-critical. So the above statements certainly show the superiority of IGCC to even the cleanest possible pulverized coal plant.

1. While talking about how much he loves camping, Finn said "I especially love TORTURING my marshmallows." Probably came from when Elliot caught his marshmallow on fire and we said it looked like a torch. 2. While playing a "touch and feel" game that involves notable attractions from various cities (statue of liberty, San Fransico Bay Bridge, eiffel tower....) Finn reached in and grabbed a piece of the game and shouted "I found the Arc De Tree Stump". I guess thats what Arc de Triumphe sounds like in my best French accent. 3. Today at the Chippewa Nature Center we took a tour of the visitors center. There are many "stuffed" animals on display. Standing next to a deer I heard Finn telling his friend Wiiliam "Look at that deer. I think it was sacrificed". I guess all that old testament study in Sunday school is a bit confusing for a 4 year old.