Mount Virtus

"Happy to come back to Michigan, but I miss the mountains!"

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Home Archives for My Life

2/2/2005 By Ben Leave a Comment

Welcoming Mrs. Virtus and Her Beauty to the Internet

Please welcome my wonderful wife to the world of blogging and drop by her Beauty Spot. The lovely Mrs. Virtus read Hugh Hewitt's Blog and was inspired to add a new marketing dimension to her Mary Kay business. I know this will be of most benefit to the few female readers of this blog. But then again, gents, Valentine's Day is coming soon.... So go ahead, visitor her, welcome her to the growing world of bloggers! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous

1/24/2005 By Ben Leave a Comment

SAD only begins to describe it

I would say that, all in all, I don't feel too bad for this most depressing day of the year. Maybe if I lived in the fog and gray skies of Britain rather than sunshine-filled Colorado, the story would be different: Dr. Cliff Arnall's calculations show that misery peaks Monday. Arnall, who specializes in seasonal disorders at the University of Cardiff, Wales, created a formula that takes into account numerous feelings to devise peoples' lowest point. The model is: [W + (D-d)] x TQ M x NA The equation is broken down into seven variables: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since failed quit attempt, (M) low motivational levels and (NA) the need to take … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life

1/12/2005 By Ben Leave a Comment

How can you pass up a free subscription?

Yes. Totally free. No strings attached. A digest of speeches by conservative policy makers and intellectual leaders mailed to your door every month... absolutely free. And published by the finest liberal arts college in America. If you haven't subscribed to Imprimis yet, what are you waiting for? You can do it online. I've pasted up a permanent link in the form of a subscribe Imprimis web button. Sign up. Tell your friends to sign up. And when you sign up, mention that you saw it here. There are no sales or commissions involved, just wanting to spread around the good word and increase the number of subscribers on behalf of my alma mater. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, National Politics

1/5/2005 By Ben Leave a Comment

Notice

Blogging will be light to non-existent in the next several days. Off to blustery Wisconsin for a family gathering. Keep reading the great work of the Rocky Mountain Alliance. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life

1/4/2005 By Ben 3 Comments

Birthday Wishes

The temperature drops. Several inches of snowfall loom on the Western horizon. The signs are clear, there's no mistaking: it's my birthday all right. Christmas, New Year's, Ben's birthday... all in succession. My earliest claim to fame was being "First Baby of the Year" in Clarkston, Michigan, for 19__. (Bonus points to the reader - not a family member or longtime close friend - who can guess the year: your trivia for the day.) The last time I paid a visit to the old hometown was 2002, and it has transformed from a cozy small town to a full-fledged upscale suburban bedroom community along the Interstate between Detroit and Flint. If you've got to live along that corridor, Clarkston is a nice place to be... trust me. Anyway, I've … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, General, My Life, World Events

1/3/2005 By Ben Leave a Comment

Lead on, Captain Ed!

Ed Morrissey of Captains Quarters - one of the premier blogs out there, for the uninitiated - is organizing a January 12 World Relief Day to help aid the victims of the South Asia tsunami. (Ed was on Hugh's show earlier to promote the effort.) How much of your take-home pay on January 12 can you donate to World Vision? - to make a real difference while also showing that this nation is not "stingy" like many European critics have falsely claimed. On a totally random different note... As we were walking into the office building this morning, Mrs. MountVirtus and I ran into Bob The Daily Blogster and his wife, who had come in to give blood. (The Bonfils Blood Center is on the 3rd floor of our building - The Independence Institute … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, World Events

12/27/2004 By Ben Leave a Comment

Not Just Horn-Tooting

Can't think of a reason to read about the Independence Institute's public service message to Colorado teachers? Maybe if you know the author... I wrote about the same topic for the Colorado Springs Gazette (sadly, no link available). Are you a public school teacher? Is a loved one, family member or friend? Point them to II's teacher resource page. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life

12/24/2004 By Ben Leave a Comment

Christmas, The Incarnation, and First Advent

Meditations on the meaning of Christmas - the Incarnation of Christ and His First Advent upon earth. Most marvelous and incomprehensible, and it's just the beginning of the story! All quotes taken from the New American Standard Bible … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, General, My Life

12/22/2004 By Ben 6 Comments

If It’s Not Close, They Can’t Cheat – Washington State

I don't know how many of you have been following the ongoing saga of the gubernatorial race recount in Washington state, but it makes for fascinating insights into what lengths the Democratic party will go to win an election... after it's over. I couldn't possibly summarize all the developments that have taken place there. I've been checking articles from the Seattle papers on an almost daily basis. The latest article reports that the state Democratic party is prematurely declaring victory. After several counts, Republican candidate Dino Rossi has been in the lead every time, though Democrats in King County keep magically finding new votes to trim the lead smaller and smaller. Now that they may have manufactured a scenario giving … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, National Politics

12/16/2004 By Ben 3 Comments

Happy Birthday, Ludwig

Following in the footsteps of Schroeder, perhaps my favorite Peanuts cartoon character, today (approximately... most historians believe somewhere between the 15th and 17th) we celebrate the birthday of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, one of 7 children - only 3 survived past infancy - to a court musician and his wife. His accomplishments, achievements, and his pure genius are hard to recount here without making some serious oversights. Nevertheless, anyone with serious appreciation for good music is familiar with a number of his works. Beethoven was radical for his time and broke ground with his composition style. He ushered in the Romantic era of great music. Many of his symphonies … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commemorative, General, My Life

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About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
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  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

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To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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