The beliefs that make me tick
Opinion by Lonnie Allen
Editor-in-Chief

I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I am not ashamed. I will tell anyone who would ask me. I love to share the story about how I got here and why I am a writer.

My Christian faith is important to me. I want to stay true to who I am, as a Christian and a writer. I am working hard to be a professional journalist and a person. My life is not easy and most of the things I learned as journalist have been on the job. My walk with Christ is also a daily education. I do want to speak good things and keep my thoughts pure. I try not to judge or get angry, but I often fail miserably.

I have to say, being a Christian is not a very popular decision these days. There are days I don't understand why people look down on me for following Christ, or for even being a journalist. However, this is my relationship with God. This is my life as a writer.

I am going to be blunt because I want everyone to know that yes, I believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father. I am not going to quote scripture for any of the readers, so don't worry about that.

This is me. This is who I am today. I will not change my mind. I do not expect to change anyone else's mind on what they are passionate about.

I'm not an expert by any means. What I have learned is that I know very little. The little I do know is better than any high I got from my past adventures. I still make mistakes, and I am still a liberal according to American politics. I still go out; you might see me dancing at a club nearby or having a drink. I am not claiming that this is okay. I am trusting in my freedom and my relationship with Christ.

I am telling everyone this so they understand a little more about me and why I write. It is a passion that I cannot stop. I have never been good at the English and the use of grammar. I believe I fail often as a writer. That does not stop me from continuing on.

I have this drive to make a difference. I write in hope of making that difference. I want my writing to stir the thought and move the reader to a deeper place. I want to bring change. I want my writing to change the world around me, even if it is about this campus. I ask the question why something is, and write about it.

Please don't judge me. I am hoping for the same respect from my non-believing friends and those of other faiths that I give to them. This is between God and me. This is my relationship; I will cherish it. It is a far better life than before.

When I decided to go to college and get my degree, it was shortly after 9/11 happened. I was still living the life I always had. It was a very wild time; I hoped to never grow up.

Even as I approached 30, I still acted as if I was 18. I had no complaints with my former life. I had everything I ever wanted. I was still doing whatever drug was around me. I was still out sleeping with anyone who was drunk enough to perform. That was me, a mess, and I was so proud. When I look back I can only question why am I still alive. I should have been dead. I had pushed the proverbial envelope many times.

Yet I have survived. I have come a long way from the man I was. Here I am in college, about to turn 41, and graduating from GRCC with my Associates Degree in Liberal Arts. I will then attend a university to get my Bachelors Degree in Journalism.

Since I came to Christ my life has not been some safe and happy free for all. Jesus did not merely waive a magic wand, protecting me and giving me a free ride all the way to the afterlife.

Over the past year, I have lost four close family members and watched my cousin become a paraplegic. I have found life is painful and difficult. However, through it all I have never wavered.

I have screamed and yelled and asked why? Though I did not give up. I said things I wish I wouldn't have, but I did not give up.

I know the life I lead is not a model, so don't look at me if you're looking for some answers. What will be, will be. I will not give up or turn away from the hard work ahead of me. I will write to tell the stories of those who cannot tell. I will write to point out what is unjust in this community.I have a found a good education and great friendships at GRCC, and my faith has never been stronger.

The main point is everyone has his or her own take on life. My writing gives me perspective; it keeps me thinking. I would compare my journey as a writer to my journey with Christ. Although it is difficult, the rewards are bountiful. This is my passion; this is my life. I hope everyone else finds the same passion in his or her own lives. It is your life, live it the way you want. I am writing mine.

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Bailout or no bailout; everyone looses
By Jacqueline Prins
Web Editor

Student loans, home mortgages, and credit cards are only a few areas affected by the bank crisis of 2008.

Canada and Iceland are both facing financial crises of their own. What began as trouble on America’s home front has now spread to a global financial epidemic.

The Dow took its largest hit, in terms of points, on Oct.29 after Congress first rejected President Bush's $700 billion bailout plan. Initially, I could not help but secretly rejoice the plan's demise. No more taxes for me, thank you.

Then when I heard the plan was passed, I immediately worried. We are in a lose-lose situation. If the government bails out these privately funded institutions, taxes will inevitably rise to cover the cost, and the government will now have a vested interest in these companies.

Will that sway their decisions and policies? What happened to the days of governing with a laissez faire policy? After careful consideration, I began to see how this fallen domino could inspire a chain of effects.

The fall of Lehman Brothers, decline of AIG, and collapse of other financial institutions will affect us all whether we choose to believe it or not.

Will it be more difficult for people to buy houses? If the government does create a bailout plan, should it include foreign banks as well? Will it be more difficult for students here at GRCC to get student loans if the government refuses to bail them out? These are only some of the questions surrounding this issue.

I am only a college student, but I work hard in school and at my job to fund an education that continues to increase in cost with each year. Financial aid advisors have admitted that grants and other funds are just not keeping up with the cost of education.

Some financial advisors were predicting another “Great Depression” if the banks were not bailed out. They say people who have had good credit in the past may find it difficult to get a loan or mortgage in the days ahead.

Unless your credit is flawless, be prepared to pay, literally. Unfortunately, it is the American public that pays and not the big business tycoons at the top. Maybe we should start with a plan that includes making the CEO's of these corporations give back some of the millions they walked away with as their companies hit rock bottom.

According to forbes.com, the Lehman Brothers' CEO was the fifth highest paid CEO in America in 2006. He made $71 million last year alone. It does not seem right that the CEO of a company facing collapse should be making this kind of money. Obviously, he is not doing that great a job.

If the government did not bail these companies out, their collapse may have crashed the economy and made it more difficult for students to receive funding for their education, and mortgages for their homes. Though many of these difficulties are sure to remain even with the presence of the bailout.

No one wins when huge corporations collapse and CEO's walk away with millions for coaching their companies to disaster.

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See related news article

Why vote yes on prop 1
By Sarah Wiltenburg
Collegiate Staff Writer

On Nov. 4, not only can you help decide who the next President of the United States will be, but you can also have the chance to vote on legalizing medicinal marijuana in Michigan.

Michigan’s Proposal 1 would allow seriously ill patients the option to use marijuana as a medical alternative and not have to face arrest or prison time for this. This proposal costs nothing to tax payers and is only an option to help patients who can use this drug to alleviate pain

. Patients would need to fill out registry cards and pay fees on these cards to cover costs. The patients would only be allowed to have certain amounts of marijuana like any other prescription allows.

This proposal is not out there to allow just anyone to smoke weed as some may think. It is there to help patients in excruciating pain.

“There are also other ways beyond smoking that patients use marijuana,” explains Dianne Byrum Spokeswoman, Coalition for Compassionate Care. “Eating, drinking like a tea and using very simple technology that allows for the use without burning.”

Byrum also stated the only thing stopping this proposal from passing is people not understanding it or just being misinformed. Though, a recent statewide poll also shows much support from fellow Michiganders.

When you go into the polls next month, know what, who, and why you are voting for what you’re voting for. Don’t pass an opportunity up to help others like Proposal 1 will do. Help to ease others pain, vote YES on Proposal 1.

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A darker, thicker myth keeps growing
By Stephanie Friedman
GRCC Student Guest Columnist

I was alone the bathroom, bringing that disposable razor I secretly bought closer to my upper lip.

Those barely noticeable, short hairs lay restlessly below my nose, teasing me with their nasty, light brown color. I was annoyed.

When you were thirteen and constantly worried about your appearance, your face was what mattered most. To me, I noticed the flaw. To others, they didn’t care. Unfortunately, hair wasn’t the problem I should have been worried about most, yet it bothered me.

I finally got some guts and shaved the hair above my lip without any hesitation. After I finished, I was pleased. “Hakuna matata,” I used to say to myself. It meant no worries.

Instantly, after I walked out of the bathroom, I ran into my mother. I told her how I shaved my hair on my face, and I wanted to know if she thought I looked good.

She flipped out and said, “Don’t shave your facial hair, or else it will brow back darker and thicker.” I’ll never forget the thought that ran through my mind that day.

Thicker? Darker? Are you kidding me? It’s going to grow back? I didn’t want my mom to be right, but with my naïve mind, I couldn’t help but believe her.

I quickly called a variety of friends and received the same information: thicker and darker. For the remainder of the day, those words rang in m head. I could not forget.

For five years, I never shaved my facial hair again in fear of looking like a gorilla. That was until I learned that from Snopes.com, a widely used online reference for researching rumors and urban legends, that this so-called fact was a myth.

On the Web site, hair expert Phillip Kingsley recommended we think of hair like a bamboo cane. A long cane, or long hair, flexes easily and a short cane, or short hair, does not. It may seem thicker and darker when it starts growing back, but as it grows longer, it will look more natural.

This made sense to me, but I wondered about those who have thick hair above their lip or chin. I assumed it was from shaving when they were young, but I found that dermatologist Lawrence Gibson, M.D. said location, thickness, length and color of hair all depend on genetics and hormones a person’s skin has or is receiving.

Researchers say this myth was once tested in 1928, when a randomized clinical trial compared hair growth in shaved patches to growth in non-shaved patches. The results stated the hair that replaced the shaved hair was not thicker or darker.

This helped me believe that this myth had been false all along. So why, 80 years after this myth had been proven false, is it still being told?

According to Dr. Jerri Hoskyn, M.D., he states people still believe this myth because we think hair may seem to grow faster after shaving. But it doesn’t; it is just an illusion.

For example, we think we notice hair growth after a clean shave of a leg as rapid growth. When you compare this to a led that already has hair, the rapid growth you would see on a clean shaved leg is barely noticed. It is the same illusion for all fair, from facial to body.

Gibson agrees at first, a person’s ski will feel stubby, but it is only because the hair underneath is trying to grow out. After five years of believing this myth, I can finally close the book to my worries. I have the pleasure of proving my mom wrong and thanking her for the wonderful genetics that has allowed me to have barely noticeable facial hair.

I am also pleased to know the next time I pick up a razor and want to shave my legs, it’s not the color or texture I need to worry about, it’s if I get all those nasty hair off my legs in the end.

(Top/ Index)

It's Always In My Heart
by Kyle A. Kiekintveld
Collegiate Staff Writer

The decisions you make often have repercussions more complicated than you can imagine.

When I was a younger, more foolish Senior in high school I joined the military. We were already at war with Afghanistan but this was the winter before the invasion of Iraq.

I wanted to be Army Infantry and for three long months Fort Benning, GA was my home. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and that was the problem. I always have considered myself a pacifist, but in essence I have always been a really poor pacifist.

To this day I will gladly waste a few hours playing a violent video game, or even better I will gladly share a few pitchers of beer while watching the latest Mixed Martial Arts fights, despite my alleged pacifism.

I won't lie. I am one of the many who did not cut it (or did not want to cut it). At week 10 of 12 I refused a restart that would of kept me on base through Christmas, and make me lose my lucrative contract. I can still remember most of the people in my platoon, and a lot of people in my company.

Pat Tillman turned down a 3.6 million dollar NFL contract extension to fight the proverbial good fight, joining the US Army Special Forces. I got the privilege of meeting him and he was a G. I. Version of James Dean.

Walking to work months later, listening to NPR I heard an excerpt of his funeral. I didn't even know the guy had died, let alone by friendly fire.

Since then, every time I hear about casualties, I know I should look. How many places can you find the names of the fallen soldiers? I have a few bookmarks sitting on my laptop. How many people have I marched with? How many people have I laughed with? How many people have I partied with on a weekend pass?

I recently bumped into a high school friend at Meijer. He had joined the military the same time as me and I hadn't seen him since. I could see it in his eyes. That lost look of someone who had something pulling him down. Something making him lethargic and vacant. That could of been me.

I'll never truly leave the Army. I'll never throw away my dog tags. I still somehow run into that guy who got deployed. Somehow I find myself getting them to talk about it. The violence. The IED's. The AK-47's. I always listen to the stories with a heavy heart.

Maybe I am just a flawed pacifist, but my heart is still with my brothers. Where ever they are. Having a ribbon or an anti-war slogan doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things. We owe them everything, regardless of politics.

(Top/ Index)

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