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09Jun 2016 by guest

Interview with Joel Batterman: The Organizer of The Motor City Freedom Riders

[caption id="attachment_2576" align="aligncenter" width="640"] photo by Alexander Rentsch[/caption] Interviewer: Carolyn Lusch, Master of Urban Planning, UM Could you tell me about your history as a regional transit advocate? Although I’m from Ann Arbor originally, I went to school in Portland, Oregon. Out there, I was really impressed by what an extensive public transit system they had, and I started to wonder about why Portland had this system while metro Detroit had very little public transit. I ended up doing research on that and found that the lack of an extensive regional transit system in metro Detroit was in large part the result of the region’s contested racial politics. There was a plan for regional transit back in the 70s, but it was defeated largely by suburban opposition. A lot of…

09Jun 2016 by guest

Human Trafficking: Tackling the Tragedy of Modern-Day Slavery

Life & Community

by Laura Fiyak Sex trafficking. It’s a form of modern-day slavery through forced prostitution. We hear about it in the news. It’s a heinous crime that doesn’t just happen overseas or in areas that we consider the ghetto, nor to people of a particular race or gender. It happens in the city and the suburbs, to both males and females, to both kids and adults, regardless of race. And there are so many misconceptions about trafficking that it is difficult to know how to tackle the problem. What Needs to Change According to Governor Snyder, Michigan now ranks number two in the country for trafficking as a whole. And resources for these victims are very limited. Although there are a few facilities that take in trafficking victims, most of them have…

09Jun 2016 by guest

They Called Me “Moody”

Uncategorized

by James Peter From the outside, I am seen as a successful, intelligent, friendly, spiritual, and polite individual. Some see me as insightful, well-respected, and a natural-born leader. Few would ever suspect how significant my condition is. Yet those that know me well, are well aware that the descriptions listed above mask a much darker side to me. Some twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disease. This means I am depressed much more often than I am manic. These down times are often more intense and longer lasting than other forms of manic depression. Also, we most often suffer hypomanic episodes which are a less severe and less destructive type of mania. Type 2 patients do not show psychotic symptoms, and the disease often has no negative…

20Aug 2015 by guest

Why Is Your Kid a Bully? A Discussion on Prevention

Commentary, Life & Community, Uncategorized

By Michelle Moon We’ve all been inundated by the emotionally overwhelming stories of bullied teens committing suicide or going on killing sprees, which are often accompanied by instructional pieces on how to teach your child to recognize bullying, to not be a bystander, and to stand up for the bullied… but I haven’t seen much aimed at preventing bullies from becoming the little nightmares we adults all remember. In other words, what about the parents of the next generation of bullies? Yes, YOU. What is a bully? I think it’s safe to say we all remember bullies in school, whether we were the bully, the bystander, or the bullied. In the classic TV world, the bully is an overgrown, heavily freckled, soulless ginger shaking a fist while demanding milk money…

06Jun 2015 by guest

Dealing with Anger after the Family Fails

Life & Community, Life Coaching

By Michelle Moon Whenever a family disintegrates, there’s going to be anger. Perhaps anger at the ex for not being what you needed, anger at yourself for failing to make the ex happy, anger at the universe for heaping too much on you. Anger can linger and grow, seeming to take on a life of its own—anger that your ex found love again, that she seems to be fine, that he’s living an easier life than you. Adding the stress of parenting through a major life change to an already tumultuous emotional state can be overwhelming. Perpetuating the anger through bitterness, pettiness, “getting back at” him/her, etc., damages your kids. How? They’re living with your anger. Whether you’re taking it out on them (directly or indirectly), holding the anger in or even only angry when dealing with the ex,…

07Mar 2015 by guest

Protecting Our Children from Exploitation

Commentary, Life & Community

By Rasheda Kamaria The road to end human trafficking can begin with a conversation... They wait nearby like vultures, ready for you to show any sign of weakness. They prey upon the most vulnerable – children, runaways, those living in poverty – waiting to exploit them for personal gain. They are traffickers and they are everywhere – even here in Detroit. Once thought to only be a problem overseas, human trafficking – which includes labor and sex trafficking – is on the rise in the United States. Luckily for me, my vulnerability wasn’t exposed. Instead it was protected by what I call “real talk.” I could have been a statistic – one of more than 100,000 women and children trafficked and exploited in the US. But my intuition and upbringing…