LSJ Blogs: John Schneider

The less money you have to spend on food, the fatter you’ll be

Our fair state, as you may  have read on today’s front page, is too fat. Nearly 30 percent of Michigan adults are obese.
A likely cause: incomes are down and bad calories are cheap.

‘Motorcycle mama’ implies moral turpitude

Sherry Fisher took offense to reader Bill Bryde’s reference, in Monday’s column, to the singing motorcycle woman as a “motorcycle mama.”
Evidently that term is considered an extreme insult in the motorcycling-American culture.

Man, you got Joyced

My friends who coach youth baseball tell me a new  term for a bad call from an umpire has entered the sandlot lexicon: “Joyced.”
As in:  “Man, you got Joyced on that play.”

Bridge Cards, and casino ATMS

It became a national story last week that public-assistance clients in California were using their CalWORKS cards (the equivalent of Michigan Bridge Cards) to withdraw cash benefits from ATMs at casinos.

This could be very bad

Now I’m worried. An Asian carp showed up within six miles of Lake Michigan — on the wrong side of the electric barrier that was supposed to keep the invading mongrels out of the Great Lakes.

In case you've forgotten that oil isn't the only thing being spilled ...

Therese Dawe was at Lansing’s Evergreen Cemetery, visiting the graves of her in-laws recently, when she came upon a marker that took her breath away.
She e-mailed me this photo:

Da bomb

You’ve probably been getting e-mails warning you to stay away from plastic pop bottles that show up, say, on your porch, or in your mailbox.
It sounds like just another Internet hoax, but it’s not.

What, exactly, is the DNRE's position on cougars in Michigan?

Wait a second … haven’t DNRE officials been denying all along that cougars exist in Michigan?
So what about this image, captured by a trail camera last month in the central Upper Peninsula?

Actually, DNRE officials have not denied that cougars are present in Michigan.
In fact, DNRE wildlife biologist Kristie Sitar told me Tuesday that she has verified numerous cougar tracks, and at least one other photo.
However, there is no evidence of a breeding population of the animals in Michigan — no evidence of young cougars, lactating females, etc.
So, it’s possible that cougars are merely passing through Michigan, like people looking for employment.

Want some deposit slips with that withdrawal?

The space once occupied by the recently departed Dimiti’s Restaurant, in downtown Lansing, will soon house (yawn) a branch office of (yawn) the MSU Federal Credit Union.

New blog design, added features

We've rolled out a new look for John's blog. Along with the new design we've upgrade many of the features in the comment section.