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Focus Areas
Arts and Culture
Community Development
Economic Development
Healthy Communities
Kids and Education
Technology and Innovation
Ann Arbor
Grosse Pointe
Hazel Park
Mt. Clemens
Royal Oak
Sterling Heights
Village of Franklin
City Dive
Culture of Health
Detroit Driven
Ethnic Markets
Invasive Species
On The Ground
One Detroit
Areas of Concern
Bridging the Talent Gap
Cyber Security
Good Food
Greater Lakes
Invasive Species
Michigan Nightlight
Michigan's Agricultural Future
State of Health
Blog: Mark Maynard
5 Blog Posts You Should Read
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Aaron Alston
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Aaron Kluza
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Aaron Pilat
Aaron Pilat - Post 2: What More Can Detroit Learn from Rome?
Aaron Pilat - Post 1: What can Detroit Learn from Rome?
Adrian Pittman
Post No. 5: The Great Idea
Post 4: Leap of Faith
Post No 3: A Cause for Pause
Post No 2: Pyrrhic Victory
Post No 1: Man With No Name
Amanda Dentler
Post 1: Michiganistan
Amy Courter
Women in Michigan's Defense Industry
Why STEM?
Servant Leaders
Angela Kujava
Angela Kujava - Post 3: Serve rather than preside
Angela Kujava - Post 2: Speaking of those social safety nets
Angela Kujava - Post 1: Employers—talk money even when there is none to give
Anthony Morrow
Anthony Morrow - Post 3: Make It Work
Anthony Morrow - Post 2: Make It Happen
Anthony Morrow - Post 1: The Birth of a Detroit Blog
Antonio Lück
Post 3: Detroit Is....
Post 2: In Walk Detroit Young Professionals
Post 1: Adventure Detroit
Anuja Rajendra
Post 2 - Beyond Turfs and Towers: The "Ego Free Zone"
Post 1: Spawning an "Intimate Movement"
Arjen Oosterman
Arjen Oosterman - Post 1: Heart Of The Matter
Austin Black
Austin Black - Post 2: "Getting Involved and Making a Difference"
Austin Black - Post 1: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities
Best Blogs of the Year
Surviving the Economy in East Dearborn
The Nonprofit Utopia
New Growth Foresting of Detroit
Happy 10th Birthday, Detroit International Wildlife Refuge!
Making Data a Force for Equity
Beverly Price & Samara Johnson
Perfection At What Cost?
Why Eating Disorder Treatment is Underfunded
Bill Wagner & Dianne Marsh
Bill Wagner - Post 4: The Tech Culture in Michigan
Dianne Marsh - Post 3: Nontraditional Workspaces
Dianne Marsh - Post 2: Software to Help Companies Grow
Bill Wagner - Post 1: Software as a Growth Industry
Bill Wrobleski
Bill Wrobleski - Post 3: U-M is the leader & the best… and your organization can be, too!
Bill Wrobleski - Post 2: It takes a village
Bill Wrobleski - Post 1: Why UM Chose IT for Going Green
Brad Garmon
Post 5: Culture or Infrastructure?
Post 4: The New Sustainability
Post 3: Empowering the Metro Network
Post 2: Transportation, housing, and environmental agencies join forces in a revolutionary trio
Post 1: Sustainable Communities Aren't Born in Parking Lots
Brett Callwood
Post 7: Burning Records
Post 6: Music for the Decades
Post 5: Musical Scribes
Post 4: The Pencil Driver
Post 3: Across the Big Blue Sea
Post 2: Heralding the MC5
Post 1: From the Land of Shakespeare to the Lap of Rock
Brian Balasia
Brian Elias
Community offerings may cost a little, but the return is immeasurable
The first person who gets laid off is me
First I buy locally, then I buy American
Britany Affolter-Caine
Post 3 - Playing in the Sandbox: Facing the Challenges of Collaboration
Post 2: The Behaviors and Mechanisms that Promote and Sustain Successful Collaboration
Post 1: Talking Collaboration, Singing Kum-Ba-Yah... And Now the Work Begins
Bruce Rosenblat
Post 3: Where do you think you're going?
Post 2: A sax player touts community
Post 1: How Do I Change My Banking Address?
Bryan Farmer
Post 3: Recreation - What's Your Definition?
Post 2: Life in Farmington Hills - The Impact
Post 1: Societal Change: It's Simple
Carl Goines
Post 4: Big plans, crazy ideas, someday though
Post No 3: 555 Now
Post No 2: 555 Takes Shape and Moves
Post No 1: 555
Caroline Altman Smith
Post 5: The Workhorses of Higher Education
Post 4: Kids With College Dreams Need to "Know How 2 Go"
Post 3: Going for the Education Gold
Post 2: So, You Give Money Away For a Living?
Post 1: We're Moving to Detroit!
Carrie LeZotte
Carrie LeZotte - Post 5: About This Tax Incentive...
Carrie LeZotte - Post 4: Film Tech
Carrie LeZotte - Post 3: Nonprofits on the Net
Carrie LeZotte - Post 2: OIC Movies. Oh, I get it. Oh, I see.
Carrie LeZotte - Post 1: Getting Into, and Staying in, the Movie Business
Catheryn Cheal
Post No 2: What's new in online instruction?
Post No 1: Does online education educate?
Chanell Scott & Jordan Contreras
Post 1: Micro Equals More
Charlie Wollborg
Post 3: Shop Local for Christmas in the City
Post 1: TEDx Detroit Recap
Post 2: Don't Be a Turtle
Chris Ando, Jennifer Guracech, & Christian Bielski
Christian Bielski: The Mackinac Policy Conference - "Spring Break", Or Not?
Christian Bielski: The Mackinac Policy Conference and Tom Cruise - More Similar Than You Might Think
Chris Ando: Influence on the Island
Jennifer Guracech: Networking Live
Chris Ramos & Jennifer Harlan
Chris Ramos Post 4: One big happy
Chris Ramos Post 3: Have you had your green today?
Chris Ramos Post 2: Get there
Chris Ramos Post 1: Do something about it
Chris Rizik
Chris Rizik - Post 4: Can We Really Pull This Off? Our Challenge
Chris Rizik - Post 3: The Role of Advancing Venture Capital in Michigan
Chris Rizik - Post 2: What is Venture Capital?
Chris Rizik - Post 1: So What's the Problem?
Christianne Sims
Post 2: Fusion Fits Into the Mackinac Policy Conference
Post 1: Clichés Don't Begin to Describe Us
Christopher Schneider
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Clare Pfeiffer Ramsey
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Conan Smith
Post No. 4
Post No. 5
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Courtney Piotrowski
A Possibilities How-To
Chair Bombs and Guerilla Placemaking
Why not locate livingLab in Detroit?
Dan Gilmartin
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Dan Izzo
Post 3: Building a Better Larry
Post 2: Understanding the Entrepreneurial Mindset
Post 1: We Need New Metaphors
Dan Merritt
Post 5 - Penny For Your Thoughts: Free Comic Book Day
Post 4: No Comic Book Store is an Island
Post 3: Surviving the economy in East Downtown Dearborn With a Little Help From Our Friends!
Post 2: Tales From The Shelves of a Comic Retailer
Post 1: Take that, you foul and baseless cliché!
Dan Sicko
Post 3: A Love Letter to Monday
Post 2: Dig Deeper
Post 1: A Moment of Doubt
Danialle Karmanos
Dave Mancini
Post 5: Gelato!!!
Post 4: The Bolognese Rant
Post 3: I gotta say, it was a good day (sorry, Cube)
Post 2: Otto's Pizza
Post 1: I'd Rather Stretch Dough than Stretch Patients
David Knapp
Post No 4: Conclusion
Post No 3: A Random Encounter
Post No. 2: It's not free.
Post No. 1: A Time Of Crisis
Deborah Groban Olson
Deborah Groban Olson - Post 3: Catalyzing Product Diversification for Auto Suppliers
Deborah Groban Olson - Post 2: Community Based Enterprise Speaker Series
Deborah Groban Olson-Post 1: "Innovation Broker" Developing Detroit as Green Manufacturing Center
Denise Ilitch
Post 2: Capping Off Graduation
Post 1: NHL Stands For "No Humor Left"
Dennis King
Derek Mehraban
Derek Mehraban - Post 3: MSU Wins! Detroit Wins!
Derek Mehraban - Post 2: Time to Connect in the Motor City
Derek Mehraban - Post 1: MSU Spartan Stimulus Package for Detroit, Michigan
Devon Akmon
Post 2: Striving to be a National Institution
Post 1: Arab American National Museum is 1 in 17,000
Diane Durance
Post 5: The Unsung Heroes of Entrepreneurial Communities
Post 4: Pitching the Business Plan
Post 3: The Road Map to Michigan Resources
Post 2: Do You Have 'The Right Stuff' for Entrepreneurship? You'd Be Surprised
Post 1: In Praise of Contests
Diane Geiger TenHoopen
Doug Rothwell
Post No. 1
Eleanore Eveleth
Making Data a Force for Equity
Eric Bruneau
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Eric Cedo
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Erik Tungate
Erika-Marie S. Geiss
Post No. 5: The Big Finish
Post No. 4: Isolation? Not so much.
Post No 3: So What Do You do
Post No. 1: One Mompreneur's Path
Post No. 2: Working from Home — Good for Business
Frank Nardelli
Post 3: Inspiring Great Thinkers, Great Citizens
Post 2: Empower the Disempowered Parents
Post 1: Shifting Gears - Focus on Sending Our Kids to College
Frosty The Snowman
Garrett Myers
Post No 1: Great Lakes, Great times, But Not Great For Entrepreneurs
George Lenko
Post 4: Regional Transit in Detroit
Post 3: Aerotropolis (and more)
Post No 2: Walkable Communities
Post No 1: Dream Cruise
George N'Namdi
Post 4: The Creative Corridor
Post 3: Footprints on Detroit
Post 2: Guest Curators Provoke the Eye
Post 1: Sugar Hill Art District gets contemporary spice
George W. Jackson
Post 4: Why Should You Live, Work, and Play in Detroit?
Post 3: Swinging for the Fences
Post 1: Baseball Writers, Welcome Back!
Post 2 - The Belleview Site: Vacant and Valuable, and Worth the Wait
Google Adwords - Ann Arbor
Post No. 5: John Kelley
Post No. 4: Michael Anuzis
Post No. 3: Matthew Neagle
Post No. 2: Karen Godwin
Post No. 1: Grady Burnett
Gregg Newsom
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Heather Carmona
Post 5: The Organic Revolution
Post 3: Can you still drive an SUV and be 'green'?
Post 4: Enjoying the Ride
Post No 2: Reinventing Quality of Life
Post No 1: Time for a regional public arts policy
Iain Lanivich
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Jacob Corvidae
Jacquie Trost
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
James Studinger
James Studinger - Post 5: Offense, Defence And Going Green?
James Studinger - Post 4: Outside The Business
James Studinger - Post 3: BASO
James Studinger - Post 2: Appreciation
James Studinger - Post 1: Write What You Know
Jane Sydlowski
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Jason Bing
Jason Bing - Post 3: Washtenaw County's "Deep Green" Talent
Jason Bing - Post 2: Very Different Messengers: One Message
Jason Bing: Post 1 - A Municipal Energy Bond for A2?
Jeanette Pierce
Jeanette Pierce: Post 5 - Detroit: Where Dreams Come True
Jeanette Pierce - Post 4: Say Something Nice
Jeanette Pierce - Post 3: Regionally Speaking
Jeanette Pierce - Post 2: Why Detroit?
Jeanette Pierce - Post 1: (Re)Discover Detroit
Jeff Helminski
Jeff Helminski - Post 4: What if we did something radical?
Jeff Helminski - Post 3: If you attract them, prosperity will come
Jeff Helminski - Post 2: Don't Assume It'll Happen
Jeff Helminski - Post 1: Why I Live Here
Jeff Meyers
Jeff Meyers - Post 3: When Will Metro Detroit Go Metric
Jeff Meyers - Post 2: What if local ad agencies started a WPA-like movement?
Jeff Meyers - Post 1: Cut it out. You're from Detroit.
Jeff Newsom
Jeff Newsom - Post 5: Getting Funding; How Hard Work Pays Off
Jeff Newsom - Post 4: Getting your Organization Out in the Public Eye
Jeff Newsom - Post 3: Products and Services at AShirtBag
Jeff Newsom - Post 2: Getting the Ideas Together
Jeff Newsom - Post 1: Getting a Non-profit Started
Jeffrey MacKie-Mason
Jeffrey MacKie-Mason - Post 4: Feeding the Knowledge Economy
Jeffrey MacKie-Mason - Post 3: Back to the Future: Preparing for the Knowledge Economy
Jeffrey MacKie-Mason - Post 2: Facebooking is not just for kids
Jeffrey MacKie-Mason - Post 1: IT Startups in Ann Arbor
Jenna Przybycien & Stephanie Lucido
Jenna Przybycien: What Detroit Could Have in Common with Barcelona, Spain
Stephanie Lucido: Laying the Roadwork for Bike Sharing in Detroit
Jenna Przybycien: Why Bikes Need to be in the Driver's Seat
Jennifer Neumann
Potential Legal Pitfalls for Employers Using Social Media
The Inescapable Past: Job Applicants Beware of Your Social Media History!
Good Social Media Policies and Practices
Jenny Callans
Post 3: An Itty-Bitty Art Show
Post 2: It Takes a Community to Stencil a Storm Drain
Post 1: Perspectives on Arts Funding
Jeremy Schneider
Jeremy Schneider - Post 3: Marketing Free for Free
Jeremy Schneider - Post 2: Giving it Away for Free
Jeremy Schneider - Post 1: Diving into the deep end (without knowing how to dive)
Jerry Lindman
Jerry Lindman - Post 5: New Paradigm of Nonprofit Leadership
Jerry Lindman - Post 4: Careers in Fundraising
Jerry Lindman - Post 3: The Nonprofit Job Search
Jerry Lindman - Post 2: The Nonprofit Career
Jerry Lindman - Post 1: A Nonprofit Career
Jessica Pfeiffer
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Jim Rasor
Post 2: The Divide of Partisanship
Post 1 - Circling the City and Suburbs: A 2020 Vision
Jim Townsend
Jim Townsend
Why a Car Monoculture Needs to Clear the Road for Mass Transit
Joe Posch
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Joe Zainea
Post 6: The 1967 Rebellion
Post 5: 80/20 and Other Musings
Post 4: Woodward Avenue Memoirs
Post 3: Scrip Money: New Economy?
Post 2: The Making of the Majestic
Post 1: My Smokestack Mentality
John A. Simon
The Legal-Eye View of Business Formation, Property Protection, and Meetings of the Mind
John Austin
John Batdorf
Post 3: Don't Bury Our Heads in the (Oil) Sands
Post 2: Johnny Come Lately - Part 2
Post 1: Johnny Come Lately - Part 1
John Bebow
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
John Bradburn
Post 2: Business Perspectives on Creating Green Dots
Post 1: GM Connects the Green Dots
John D. Lamb
Backyard Art
Writers in Rogue Locations
A Kick in the Pants
John Gongos
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
John Hartig
Post 5: Detroit RiverWalk – Sharing the Dream
Post 4: Happy 10th Birthday, Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge!
Post 3: Burning Rivers
Post 2: Creating a New Waterfront Porch for Wildlife and People
Post 1: What Makes Detroit Wild?
John Heiss
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Jordan Eizenga & Michael Stepniak
Jordan Eizenga - Push Start: Energy Bills and a Copier Build a Regional Cause
Michael Stepniak: Inside Southgate
Julie Gustafson
Why Business Incubation in Michigan?
Ramping Up an Incubator
Why Start-Ups; Why Business Incubation?
Kami Pothukuchi
Post 3: Why is a Professor of Urban Planning Running a Farmers Market?
Post 2: Why Should Universities Host Farmers Markets? The Wayne State Example
Post 1: The Urban Planning - Food Systems Tie-In
Karim Motawi
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Kat Owsley
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Kate Baker
Kate Baker - Post 4: Community
Kate Baker - Post 3: Opportunity
Kate Baker - Post 2: Culture
Kate Baker - Post 1: Potential
Kate Cherry
Katherine Austin
Why Karma Yoga is Flourishing in Detroit
The Secret to Business Growth: Constant Creativity and a Commitment to Evolve
A Spiritual Approach to Business
Keith W. Cooley
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Kentaro Roy
Unethical SEO: A Case Study and Cautionary Tale
The Place is Here, The Time is Now: Why This is the Perfect Time to Invest in SEO in Michigan
Perspective of a student-realtor-web design entrepreneur
Why I Funded a Scholarship at Eastern Michigan University
Kerrie Schneider
More Matches for Detroit Singles?
The Business of Love
Truth in Matchmaking
Kerry & Bryce Moore
Kerry Doman
Post 3: The Honey Do-List for Downtown
Post 2: Detroit Tonight
Kerry Doman - Post 1: Changing Perceptions
Kurt Metzger
Post 4: The Census is Coming! The Census is Coming!
Post 3: Social Equity Must Be Our Goal! How Do We Develop Neighborhoods of Opportunity?
Post 2: Collaboration and Rapid Response Are Possible in Detroit
Post 1 - Immigrants: Their Importance to the Region's Past, Present, and Future
Kyle Caldwell
Kyle Caldwell - Post 5: Economic Impact of the Nonprofit Sector
Kyle Caldwell - Post 4: Investing in the Nonprofit Sector
Kyle Caldwell - Post 3: Serving Others, Inspiring Change
Kyle Caldwell - Post 2: Collaboration
Kyle Caldwell - Post 1: Economic Downturn
Lisa Kurek
Lisa Kurek - Post No 4: Don't Be Afraid to Talk to Strangers
Lisa Kurek - Post No 3: Always Read the Instructions
Lisa Kurek - Post No 2: Life is Sales
Lisa Kurek - Post No 1: Entrepreneurs and Human Nature
Lisa Maas
Lisa Maas - Post 3: Now is the Time to Add Social Networks to Your Business Plan
Lisa Maas - Post 2: Build Relationships to Build Your Business
Lisa Maas - Post 1: The Secret to Success: Diversify Your Client Base
Lisa Wozniak & Ryan Mark-Griffin
Lisa Wozniak: Voiding of Saugatuck Dunes settlement supports local government
Lisa Wozniak: How does the Great Lakes State Become a Great Conservation State?
Ryan Mark-Griffin: Thank You, Michigan, for High-Speed Rail
Lish Dorset
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Lizabeth Ardisana
Lou Glazer
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Lynne Golodner
Stumbling Into a Startup
Entrepreneurship Without a Map
Grooming Talent
Mahendra Ramsinghani
Mariah Cherem
Post 3: A Sticker on a Light Pole
Post 2 - Why I Believe in the Power of Online Communities
Post 1 - Community: I'm Talking About More Than Just the Warm Fuzzies
Marilyn Nix, Rachele Downs, & Jumana Judeh
Jumana Judeh: A Woman's Place…Is in Detroit's Transformation
Rachele Downs: What's so Striking about the Detroit Revitalization Fellowship Program?
Marilyn Nix: A CREW of women in commercial real estate
Mark Adler
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Mark Maynard
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Mark Nickita
Post 5: Living in the Lake Belt
Post 4: Way Too Many Parking Spots, And Other Inefficiencies
Post 3: Exchange of space for place
Post 2: It's Detroit, Not Southeast Michigan
Post 1 - Let's Remake Urban White Elephants
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Mark Nickita
Post 5: Living in the Lake Belt
Post 4: Way Too Many Parking Spots, And Other Inefficiencies
Post 3: Exchange of space for place
Post 2: It's Detroit, Not Southeast Michigan
Post 1 - Let's Remake Urban White Elephants
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Mark Stutrud
A Messy, Loving Business
Training Our Entrepreneurial Gaze Higher
Mary Templeton
Post 5: Diversity and Sustainability on the Community Level
Post 4: Environment and Energy Epprentice: Creating Sustainability and Diversity in Leadership
Post 3: Sustainability and Diversity, Paying it Forward
Post 2: Sustainability and Diversity in Michigan's Energy Portfolio
Post 1: Sustainability, Diversity, and Portfolios
Matt Clayson
Post No. 5
Matt Clayson and Rose Giffen
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Maud Lyon
One D – the Art of Regional Transformation
Cultural Education
Sharing Resources
Collective Voice
Tyree, Marshall, Aretha and Albert
Maureen Krauss
Post 2: Talking Points
Post 1: Pure Oakland County
Megan Miller
Post 3: Service Works
Post 2: Young Detroiters Say...
Post 1: Why Young Detroiters Should Get Out of the City
Megan Owens
Post 4: The Next Big Transit Win
Post 3: Taxing Steps Will Make Quality Regional Transit
Post 2: What a Difference a Decade Makes
Post 1: A State of Transition
Megan Owens
Post 3: A Rail Platform for Leaders
Post 2: Skeptics, Look Here
Post 1: Give Woodward Light Rail a Whirl
Melinda Clynes
Melinda Clynes - Post 3: Detroit Wig Out Leaves Good Will in its Wake
Melinda Clynes - Post 2: Build Your Portrait Collection
Melinda Clynes - Post 1: Wiggin' Out in Detroit
Melissa Trustman
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Melissa Trustman
Michael Doyle
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Michael McCorquodale
Michael McCorquodale - Post 4: A Portrait of the "Entrepreneur" as a Young Man
Michael McCorquodale - Post 3: "Michigan's" Catch-22
Michael McCorquodale - Post 2: I'm "Irrational," You're OK
Michael McCorquodale - Post 1: A Tale Of Two States
Michael Poris
Michael Poris - Post 4: Back to Detroit
Michael Poris - Post 3: Back to the Future of Detroit
Michael Poris - Post 2: Regional Super Agency
Michael Poris: Post 1 - Detroit 3.0: Reboot
Michael Tyson
Post 3: The Nonprofit Utopia
Post 2: Defining the Successful Nonprofit
Post 1: Snapshot of Today's Nonprofit
Michele Hodges
We Solemnly Swear To...
The AAA Mindset
Yes to Healthy Controversy
Matching the Competition Via Transit
Michelle Spranger
Post No 4: Hollywood, Michigan
Post No 3: Dog Parks
Post No 2: A House In Ferndale
Post No 1: The Place For Me
Mike Finney
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Mike Score
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Mike Teshuba
Post 2: Five Things to Consider When Scratching Your Entrepreneurial Itch
Post 1: Why Aren't There More Companies Like Mango Languages in Detroit?
Monica Bowman
Post 4 - REGIONALISM: The New Cultural Capital
Post 3 - INFRASTRUCTURE: You, Me, and Them
Post 2 - COMMUNITY: Who is Contemporary Art About?
Post 1: An Obligatory Choice
Neeta Delaney
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Newcombe Clark
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Nick Britsky
Post 3: The DIY Toolbox
Post 2: The Maker Movement
Post 1 - The birth of hackerspaces: Community works
Norm Silk
Post 3: A Vision for a Sustainable, Livable Corridor
Post 2: A Walk Through the Turkel House
Post 1: 45 Years in the Floral Business. WOW!
Patricia E. Mooradian
Post 3: Motor City to Maker City
Post 2: The Myth of the Lone Genius
Post 1: On Innovation
Patricia Mooradian
Post No. 1
Patrick Crouch
Post 4: A Resilient Economy for Detroit in the Post Industrial Age
Post 3: Toward a regenerative culture, toward a regenerative community
Post 2: What is Food Justice?
Post 1: Growing the City
Paul Jenkins, Jr.
Post 3: If Your Dream Doesn't Scare You, It's Not Big Enough
Post 2: Starving Doubt
Post 1: The Only Way to Change Your Position is to Move
Paul Nielsen
Post 5: Transitions
Post 4: The Clown Index
Post 3: Wunderground Magic's Answer to the Economic Situation
Post 2: Houdini, Halloween, and the Importance of Wonder
Post 1: Out of Desperation Comes Magic
Pavan Muzumdar
Post 4: Putting It All Together
Post 3: Human Triumph and the Cross-Pollination of Ideas
Post 2: Does the Internet Make You Smarter or Dumber?
Post 1: Don't Lose Money
Pavan Muzumdar
Post 4: Putting It All Together
Post 3: Human Triumph and the Cross-Pollination of Ideas
Post 2: Does the Internet Make You Smarter or Dumber?
Post 1: Don't Lose Money
Peggy Brennan
Post 4: Locating a Project in Detroit
Post 3: The Green Garage's Deep Dig into Sustainability
Post 2: The Role of Community at the Green Garage
Post 1: Inspiration Behind the Green Garage
Peggy Brennan
Post 4: Locating a Project in Detroit
Post 3: The Green Garage's Deep Dig into Sustainability
Post 2: The Role of Community at the Green Garage
Post 1: Inspiration Behind the Green Garage
Peter Kageyama
Peter Kageyama - Post 4: Thinking Creatively about Uncreative Things – Parking
Peter Kageyama - Post 3: Cities We Love & Cities We Hate
Post #2: It's All About Talent
Post 1: Post #1: Who the hell picked Detroit for this conference?
Phuong & Viet Le
Viet Le - Post 4: You're Only as Good as Your Website
Phuong Le - Post 3: The Importance of Networking
Phuong Le - Post 2: Finding Your Passion in These Tough Times
Viet Le - Post 1: Penetrating a Saturated Market - What's Your Perspective?
Pj Jacokes
Post 4: Learning to Fail (Because Fail Blog Was Taken)
Post 3: Ice Cream and Me
Post 2: Demand Imagination
Post 1: What is Improv?
Rebecca Aughton
Embracing Change Pushes Up Market Share
Forecasting Less Customer Frivolity (But More Pets in Pajamas)
Running With Your Niche
Rebecca Binno Savage
Post 5: The Penobscot Buildings
Post 4: The Vanity Ballroom
Post 3: The Brodhead Armory
Post 2: How About That Train Station?
Post 1: In the Heat of Historic Preservation
Rebecca Salminen Witt
Post 3: Raising a Ruckus Around Local Food
Post 2: New Growth Foresting of Detroit
Post 1: People and Possibilities
Rebekah Johnson
Post 4 - Detroit, the Opera: Act IV
Post 3 - Detroit, the Opera: Act III
Post 2 - Detroit, the Opera: Act II
Post 1 - Detroit, the Opera: Act I
Ric Geyer
Post 6: Love and Heroism
Post 4: Blue Collar Innovation
Post 5: Swimming St. Clair
Post 3: Open Source Governance
Post 1: We Are Not Alone
Post 2: Citizens for Cities
Richard Bak
Post 3: Keeping Faith
Post 2: Silent City
Post 1: Day of the Dead
Richard Murphy
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Rick DeVos
Post 2: Why Michigan Needs the Arts
Post 1: Votes for Art
Rishi & Anuja Jaitly
A Crash Course in Social Entrepreneurship: Lessons from Detroit
Roger Gullickson
Roger Myers
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Ron Suarez
Creating your own podcast
So You're Thinking About Doing a Podcast
A podcast is not just putting audio or video on a web page
The Politics of Change and Upheaval in the Music Industry
A Purely Digital Play Business in the Land of Manufacturing
Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson - Post 2: Small Business Web Presence Management
Ryan Anderson - Post 1: Why Buy Michigan Products?
Sarah Lurtz and Sarah Lapinski
Sarah Szurpicki
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Scott Clein
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Scott Dunham
Post No 4: Practice Makes Perfect
Post No 3: Encouragement
Post No. 2: DWIFF
Post No. 1: Film As A Metaphor
One More Thing...
Scott Hamilton
Scott Hamilton - Post 2: The Mating Call of the Indie Rock Poser
Scott Hamilton - Post 1: Detroit's Musical Legacy (or Why I Don't Sign Local Bands)
Scott Paul Dunham
Scott Paul Dunham - Post 5: A Film Culture
Scott Paul Dunham - Post 4: You've Got 2 Days
Scott Paul Dunham - Post 3: Thanks to Our Sponsors
Scott Paul Dunham - Post 2: Minting Motion Pictures
Scott Paul Dunham - Post 1: A Film Fete
Scott Trudeau
Scott Trudeau - Post 4: Growing Our Company in Present Day Michigan
Scott Trudeau - Post 3: Little Guys, Big Idea
Scott Trudeau - Post 2: Creativity is a Buoy in Our Tough Economy
Scott Trudeau - Post 1: It's Good To Be a Challenger
Sharon Carney
Sharon Carney - Post 4
Sharon Carney - Post 3: Detroit, the Land of Opportunity
Sharon Carney - Post 2: A proving ground for innovative problem-solving/collaboration
Sharon Carney - Post 1: The Backstory
Sharon Kegerreis & Lorri Hathaway
Post 3 - Destination Michigan: World Class Wine and Agricultural Experiences
Post 2: Michigan Vinters Face Production Challenges
Post 1: Michigan's Wine Industry Rocked Detroit After Prohibition
Sifu Stephen Britt
Post 3: Why Are We Handicapped?
Post 2: Tai Chi Chuan: A Cure?
Post 1: "Sifu" means "Teacher"
Stephen Rapundalo
Post No 3: Regulation And Resources
Post No. 2: Investment
Post No. 1: Leadership
Steve Pierce
Steve Pierce - Post 3: Ypsi Wireless spreads the gospel
Steve Pierce - Post 2: Building Ypsi Wireless
Steve Pierce - Post 1: Why Do Most Free Wireless Efforts Fail?
Terry Oprea
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
The Return Of 5 Posts You Should Read
Stephen Rapundalo
Neeta Delaney
David Knapp
Toby Barlow
Jessica Pfeiffer
Thomas Meloche
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Thomas Zurbuchen
Thomas Zurbuchen - Post 3: "The Future of the University of Michigan Depends on Entrepreneurs!"
Thomas Zurbuchen - Post 2: "The University of Michigan, Entrepreneurship, and its Students"
Thomas Zurbuchen - Post 1: "The University of Michigan and its State"
Tim Martz
Post 1: Why did we dial into Detroit?
Post 2: The Guerrilla Show
Post 3: David vs. Goliath – Saving The Oasis
Toby Barlow
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Todd Palmer
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Life after the Big 3
Post No. 1
Todd Scott
Post 4: A Diet Guide for Automotive Road Hogs
Post 3: 4 Camps of Thought
Post 2: A Bikeable Path for Metro Detroit
Post 1: Turn Off That Engine
Tom Woiwode
Post No 6: The Ditch
Post 5: Community Involvement
Post 4: Regionalism
Post No 3: The Olympics
Post No 2: The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
Post No 1: Going For A Walk
Torya Blanchard & Greg Lenhoff
Torya Blanchard - Post 2: The Food Personalities of Eastern Market
Greg Lenhoff - Post 2: Survival of the Smallest
Torya Blanchard - Post 1: 'Fight Club' Inspires a French Creperie
Greg Lenhoff - Post 1: "You're Gonna Sell What? Where?!"
Tracy Koe Wick
Post No. 5
Post No. 4
Post No. 3
Post No. 2
Post No. 1
Travis Millward
Travis Millward - Post 5: The Detroit Lions, GM, Ford & Chrysler – What do they all have in common?
Travis Millward - Post 4: If we fix it, they will come…
Travis Millward - Post 3: Entrepreneurs, burn your ships!
Travis Millward - Post 2: Observations of Detroit from a relocated out-of-stater
Travis Millward - Post 1: Is Detroit facing a vacant house epidemic?
Trenda Rusher
Post No 2: Washtenaw County's Katrina
Post No 1: Access Points
Veronika Scott
How Coat-Shelters Cut Homelessness
Walter Wasacz
Post 3: Techno Toots
Post 2: Party! Party!
Post 1: Get Ready to Techno!
Zach Lipson
Zach Lipson - Post 2: Tech Can't Thrive in Silos
Zach Lipson - Post 1: The Genesis of TechNow09
Mark Maynard publishes the magazine
Crimewave USA
with Linette Lao, to whom he is married. He also paints, puts out records,
draws comics
, and
when others sleep. He is one of the founders of Ypsilanti's popular
Shadow Art Fair
, co-chair of
, a community dialogue group, and a member of Ypsilanti's 2020 Task Force on the future of the city. He recently launched a new business called the
Severed Unicorn Head Superstore
, which is now taking orders. He has a keen interest in economic development, and a daughter named Clementine.
Mark Maynard - Most Recent Posts:
Post No. 3
Posted By: Mark Maynard
Posted: 5/12/2008
Who's Up for a Pedal Powered Film Festival in Ypsi's Riverside Park?
Those of you who read
my blog
know that a lot of things occur to me during the course of a day. Most of my ideas are admittedly pretty stupid. Recently, for example, I was arguing that Ypsilanti should position itself as a regional hub
drive-thru chicken slaughter
Occasionally, however, I come up with something really good. The last one of those that I had was for a bike-powered film series in Ypsilanti's Riverside Park. And it wasn't really all my idea. I just got the ball rolling.
The origin of the idea was pretty simple. I have a favorite movie, and I wanted to watch it some spring evening with my friends on the banks of the Huron River. The movie was the 1955 film noir
Night of the Hunter
- the only film ever directed by actor Charles Laughton. The film follows two children as they travel down a river, away from their mother's killer, a murderous preacher played by Robert Mitchum. It's a brilliant film that I love sharing with people, and I can't imagine a better venue than alongside the Huron at dusk, there among the frogs and crickets. That, anyway, was the impetus. And things evolved from there.
Shortly after posting the idea, two things became very clear. First, I found that there are a lot of people who really feel passionately about
Night of the Hunter
. And, second, I found out that there are a hell of a lot of people who want to see movies in our park. And, best of all, I learned that representatives from both groups are willing to help. Within hours of posting my idea, I had offers of sound systems and projectors. I had people offering to shimmy up trees to hang screens. I had people offering to bring popcorn. I also got the sense that this was going to happen with or without me, which was really cool.
Then we found out that it we couldn't get electricity in Riverside Park. That's when conversation on my site turned to solar cells. I ran the idea by Dave Strenski, the fellow who built the solar system at the Ypsi Food Co-op, and he, for various reasons, suggested we not go that route. (
I think there was some mention of acid sloshing around and getting into kids' eyes
The wheels, however, kept turning, and we ultimately settled on bike power, which is probably where we should have started in the first place. It works on every level.
I cannot imagine a better community-building event than a free, people-powered movie series. (
And, yes, somewhere along the line it also became a short series, which could include other river-centric films, like The African Queen, or offerings for kids.
) It has a whimsical Gilligan's Island kind of feeling to it that makes me smile whenever I think about it. I envision kids peddling with their parents, neighborhood associations signing up for blocks of riding time, folks from our senior housing developments coming out - everyone happy and enjoying the evening.
There would be another benefit too. If we pull it off, I think we might be the first in the nation to do so. I imagine some positive press might come from it, and maybe, just maybe, it'll be enough to attract the attention of an alternative energy company looking to open a facility in the Midwest, or a green developer --
like this one
. I know it's a reach, but as long as we're rebuilding Ypsilanti, why not do it right? Why not go green? Why not say to the world that we're a forward-looking community, thinking about sustainability?
I don't know how successful they've been, but
there's a
town in Kansas
that's doing it. They were hit by a tornado, and they've decided to rebuild green. They're using the opportunity to recreate their city. Why can't we do the same thing, starting with the 38-acre parcel we call
Water Street
We've already started doing it from the bottom up. Volunteers led by Dave Strenski have already converted our Co-op over to solar. And
dozens of us have already pledged our own money
to do the same for City Hall. The citizens of Ypsi are stepping in and doing it themselves, and this bike-powered movie project would be one more, very visible, illustration of that fact. This movie series would be an inexpensive, fun way to show the world what we value and what we're capable of.
As for the costs, I don't expect they'd amount to too much. I've got people willing to donate bikes. The only real significant cost then, assuming that we can borrow a projector and sound system, would be the City's fee for the use of the park and the generators. But, before we worry about that, we need to figure out how many bikes we need. Following are two assessments from my readers.
This first one comes from Paul G, an engineer in Silicon Valley:
I've thought about trying to build a bike generator. You could just replace the
rear wheel of an old bike with a motor, add an energy storage/AC inverter box,
and presto, you'd have free power (and get good exercise too).
When I learned how much power can be generated by a human body though,
I got discouraged. For instance, a super-fit, Tour de France-caliber bicyclist
can sustain about 400 watts over several hours. But even that would barely
be enough to run the portable theater.
The main problem is the projector, with its super-bright lightbulb. A quick
google search reveals the average projector consumes about 250 watts. Add
a sound system and factor in generator inefficiencies, and you'd probably
need Lance Armstrong to power this thing. And he'd be pretty tired by the
end of the film.
For the average "fit" adult, you could count on around 150 to 200 watts being
available (after inefficiencies, maybe 100 watts). So you could power the
theater with three or four such riders, or maybe 6-7 kids. The effort would be
similar to riding a real bike (with wind resistance) at about 20mph for a few
And here's what local alternative energy guru Dave Strenski had to say:
Human powered generators would be the best option for safety and 'coolness'
but can be expensive…
If I'm reading your mind correctly,
this is what you want
You can find DIY plans for bike generators
, and
You can also buy finished bike stands
Keep in mind that a healthy/fit person can produce about 100 watts of power
for maybe 30 minutes. I think you would need 10 to 20 bikes plus a line of
would-be pedelers. Each bike would have it's own small battery to smooth out
the power coming from the bike and to handle people switching riders. All the
power would then be collected behind the screen (some place safe) and
combined and sent to an inverter to convert the DC power to AC to run the
Sounds like a great event, but would be costly to put on. Maybe you could sell
the bike stands after the show to recover some of the costs. I could see
people sitting on the Riverside Park's sledding hill watching a movie with a
line of bikes in back...
And then there's my friend Eric, who suggests that maybe we just have people bring their own bikes. Or, better yet, we scrap the idea of bikes altogether. He suggests we locate some old paddleboats and create recumbent pedal-power stations. And, as I'm not an engineer, I'm not sure that his would work, but he also seems to think that maybe we could do it with one big crankshaft, where everyone worked together to feed a single generator. I was skeptical, but he reminded me that 3-person bikes exist. So, maybe he's on to something.
So, let's say we want to do this – is it possible to do it now, this spring? As I see it, we'd need at least three working groups to pull it off. One to handle the math, engineering and implementation. One to handle the pr, marketing and fundraising. And one to handle the logistics, permits, etc.
My guess, just looking at the notes from Paul and Dave, is that we could probably do it with 14 bikes, if we had a constant stream of fresh riders to rotate in. I know that we could get 14 used bikes donated. I even suspect that we could find someone here in Ypsi to contribute space to store them and work on them. And, if we're lucky, I bet we could even find some local mechanical types to help us put all the pieces together. So, all we'd really need to do is raise money for the motors and City's $100 fee. My friend
Homeless Dave
just built out a system in his house (
see his video further down
) and I suspect he'd be willing to help us cost everything out.
Another approach that may be worth considering is getting a number of local businesses, not-for-profits, high school classes, social groups, neighborhood associations and the like to each sponsor a bike. We could give them the plans, and help them out, but they would each be responsible for getting the bike there on the day of the event, having it staffed with riders, etc. It could be pretty cool.
So, here's the question… Am I stupid to think that this might be possible? Is it unreasonable to think that we can get 20 bike riders to rotate in and out for the duration of a two-hour movie? Is the cost of 14 or more motors going to be too much?
I don't know. There are a lot of components and a lot of unanswered questions. It's exponentially more complicated than something like the
Shadow Art Fair
, but I think it might be worth it. (
I'll tell you more about the Shadow Art Fair in my next post.
How cool would it be to get something like this off the ground? And, once it's up and running, there's no reason it couldn't be done on a regular basis. (
Unless we follow Dave's advice and sell the bikes afterward, which is also a good idea.)
Once all the pieces are together, we could break everything out several times a year if we wanted to. We could even use the bikes to generate energy for other events. We could run the PA at the annual Heritage Festival. We could use it to power the lights at other city-sponsored events. We could even keep them somewhere, like at the Senior Center, for people to charge their phones and laptops with…
I'm sure there are other things that need to be said, but I'm going to leave you now with Homeless Dave's video on bike power while I start my letter to Al Gore (inviting him to Ypsi to show
An Inconvenient Truth
in the park). Watch it, imagine the possibility of what I've laid out here, and let me know whether or not you'd be interested in helping out.
Post No. 2
Posted By: Mark Maynard
Posted: 5/9/2008
What's it going to take to open Ypsi's Freighthouse?
There are a lot of things that need to happen in Ypsilanti. A favorite pastime here in town is debating the order in which they need to be addressed. Or, maybe it's more appropriate to say that we fight over it. That's what happens when resources dry up. People, all probably well intentioned, begin to squabble. For every project that takes a step forward, you can bet there's someone in the wings, cursing their good fortune. And, I'm just as guilty of this kind of thinking as anyone.
Recently, I got it into my head that Ypsilanti's
Riverside Arts Center
unfairly claimed funds
should have been directed toward the reopening of
Ypsilanti's historic Freighthouse
. I'm still not confident that there isn't cause to be upset, but I don't think that the protracted online squabble that resulted from my remarks does either group any good.
But I feel passionately about the
. It's my favorite place in the entire world.
Or, at least, it was.
I can't remember when I first started going there. It was probably 11 or 12 years ago now. It was a magical kind of a place. A handful of other communities out there, I imagine, have public spaces warmed by wood burning stoves, where folks gather and talk, make music together, drink coffee, play with babies, and the like. There was something different here, though. I'm trying hard not to use the word "spiritual" here, because I don't want to be someone that would say something like that, but there was something about it that made me feel really good, and surprisingly optimistic about the human condition.
I've never been in a room where an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's could stand up and start dancing alongside little kids as though she were one of them, and it wouldn't seem at all odd. But stuff like that happened at the Freighthouse all the time. I don't want to overstate it, but there really was this incredible sense of inclusion and camaraderie that crossed all the typical lines that separate us from one another as human beings.
Sitting there on Saturday mornings was the most "in the moment," free of worry, and happy that I have ever been. And it's a big part of why I wanted to move back to Ypsilanti and settle down here. I wanted to live in a place where black kids could dance to amateur bluegrass next to an old man wearing a dress, like it was the most natural thing in the world. It reminded me of the Twin Peaks universe, only everything, instead of having a dark, seedy underbelly hidden just below the surface, had a kind of a hidden beauty, and a glowing shimmer. It was quirky and beautiful.
It was a like a little window into the heart of our City.
But that little window has been closed for the past several years now, due to repairs that need to be made. Apparently, until they're done, no one will insure the once vital building.
So, when I had an opportunity on my blog not too long ago to argue that money directed toward the Riverside Arts Center should instead have been used to make the repairs necessary to reopen the Freighthouse, I took it. Several good folks came forward to explain the situation to me, and tell me why I was wrong to argue that one was more valuable to the community than the other, and they were probably right. They pointed out that, as wonderful a place as the Freighthouse was, there wasn't a business plan in place that would see it operational, even if the repairs could be made. The Riverside Arts Center, on the other hand, had a plan, a track record, and a responsible Board. The Freighthouse had a Friends group that, while well intentioned, hadn't been able to move the project forward significantly over the past several years. As it was explained to me by one person, "They're organized enough to prevent a private developer from doing anything with in - like turning it into a McDonalds - but they aren't organized enough to raise the money for the repairs and see it opened as a viable, self-supporting entity." So, let's say all that's true – what now?
Are the people of Ypsilanti willing to get behind the Freighthouse in a significant way? It seems like there's some movement in that direction already.
Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse
have applied for a $15,000 grant through Hamburger Helper's
My Hometown Helper program
. In hopes that our project is among those selected this funding cycle, Ypsi residents were being encouraged to leave
notes of support
on the Hamburger Helper site. We had 272 notes of support by the deadline. If you have a chance, I'd recommend that you go over and read what your neighbors had to say about the historic railroad building, and what it's meant to them. The stories of attending dances and weddings there, going back several generations, are quite touching. If there was ever any question that the Freighthouse was an integral part of our local community, this should erase any doubt.
The $15,000, if we get it, is only a fraction of the
close to $400,000 in repairs
that have been estimated, but it would be a fantastic step in the right direction, and, hopefully, it would encourage all of us to do more. Already,
Café Luwak and Sidetrack
have stepped forward to offer a percentage of their sales on certain days to the building's rehabilitation. And, the Full Freight Banjo fundraiser that was held a few weeks ago brought in over $3,000. It may not much in the whole scheme of things, but it's a great first step, especially when you consider that the last big, coordinated fundraising effort was February 19, 2005 – over three years ago – when the previous incarnation of Friends of the Freighthouse held their Preservation Ball.
I think I speak for most everyone when I say that we can't go another three years without our Freighthouse. I know it might sound like hyperbole, but the success of our town hinges on this beautiful, old community gathering space. When it's up and running, it illustrates all that's good about our City, and we can't afford to lose that now.
As I understand it, close to $400,000 in repairs have to be done before the building can be opened to the public. The good news is, I'm also told that the project might qualify for existing State of Michigan and federal grants, once some initial work is done, and a plan for keeping it running is in place. I know it's optimistic, but is it possible to think that we might be able to raise $100,000 within the community if we coordinate a year of fundraising activities beginning right now?
But, we don't just need to raise the money to see the repairs made - we need a plan that carries us into the future, ensuring that the Freighthouse, once opened, stays opened. We need to figure out how we're going to pay for someone to manage the space and keep the electricity on. A necessary first step, I'm thinking, is that the Friends of the Freighthouse need to call people together for a big brainstorming session. We need everyone in town to get involved. We need our EMU Business School faculty, we need our local entrepreneurs, we need our arts community, and we need our City leaders. We need everyone to get on the same page and make this a priority.
I have to think that there's a business model that would work. I recently talked with two caterers in Ann Arbor. Both confirmed that our area is sorely lacking when it comes to venues that can accommodate 300 and more people. They assured me that we'd have no shortage of groups offering to pay daily rental rates of $1,000 for the Freighthouse. If we had a few events like this a month, I'm thinking, it would go a long way toward keeping the lights on for things like the Saturday morning farmers market.
We need the Freighthouse because it sets us apart as a community. We need it because we need a place to hold our winter farmers' markets and our community dances. We need someplace for people to get married. We need a place for public meetings. We need a place to hold our debates and our elections… I'm reluctant to volunteer for something else, but I'll pledge this much. If people like the idea of a public meeting on the future of the Freighthouse, I'll ask some people and see if I can't put together a group of people to make it happen. I know budgets are tight right now, I know there are other worthy causes, like the public pool, and I know people are stretched for time, but if we're ever going to move this forward, now's the time we need to apply some muscle. If we want to save the Freighthouse, we need get moving.
As for the Riverside Arts Center, I don't begrudge them that they got the MEDC funds that had previously been committed to the development of the Water Street parcel. Their $600,000 elevator project is a worthy cause. The elevator, when completed, will allow disabled visitors to get to the upper floors of the building, and that's important. It's certainly better that the money went there instead of being lost when the Water Street project stalled. I just wish that other groups in the community, such as those supporting the Freighthouse and the Rutherford Pool, which also desperately needs work done, were given an opportunity to compete for the funds.
It's complicated, and, as I said at the start, there aren't really any bad guys here. No one took money for personal gain. It just appears as though a decision was made to help one entity, one with a proven track record, when other facilities in need of repair, like the Freighthouse and public pool, weren't given the option.
As I understand it, it's too late to move the money from the elevator at this point, even if we wanted to and thought that State would accept it, so all we can really do is wish them luck raising what they need to complete the job, and hope, once their project is completed, that they do everything possible to help the Freighthouse along by offering assistance, hosting fundraisers, etc. And all of us in the meantime need to do a better job of sharing information. If we haven't started to do so already, we need to get the directors of our local non-profits and various "friends" groups together at least once a quarter to discuss what they're doing and where there might be synergies.
Decisions such as these, especially during poor economic times such as these, need to be made transparent. And there has to be ample opportunity for community input. To avoid doing this again in the future, we need better coordination between Council, City Administration, and the various groups within the community.
It may be a lot to ask of a City that, for some unfathomable reason, has not only a Chamber of Commerce, but three separate business associations, but we desperately need to better coordinate decision-making so issues like this do not arise in the future.
And hopefully, one day, we can have all of these meetings at the Freighthouse. It would be perfect.
If you have a few bucks, please consider sending them to:
Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse
P.O. Box 970919
Ypsilanti, MI 48197-0919.
The Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse is a 501(c)(3) organization)
Or, better yet, think of something that you can do to raise money. The
Fullfreight Banjo fundraiser
a few weeks ago raised over $3,000, and it was essentially the work of a single motivated Ypsilantian (
and all the musicians he knew
). He took something that he knew and he found a way to apply it for the good of the Freighthouse and the community. Surely you've got an idea that might bring in a few hundred dollars for a good cause.
Post No. 1
Posted By: Mark Maynard
Posted: 5/7/2008
Hello, my name is Mark and I'm an Ypsilantian…
I lived in Ann Arbor for a while. Then I moved.
I met my wife in Ypsilanti, at a bar that's since been condemned. The place was called Cross Street Station, and my band, Prehensile Monkey-Tailed Skink, was playing there. Unlike everyone else, Linette didn't run screaming. Linette's her name. And that was more than 15 years ago now.
Before that night, I'd only been to Ypsilanti once. My friend Dave drove me out to Ypsi from Ann Arbor, where we were in college together. It pains me to say it, but our objective was to buy as much really crude porn as we could carry. Our roommate Jack's parents were coming to visit, and we wanted to make a good impression.
I'm not proud of it, but that's the truth.
Anyway, we headed out to Ypsi in search of inhumanly crude filth, and we weren't disappointed. We found a bookstore with a dilapidated cardboard box full of "used" porn magazines for a few bucks a piece. Until I met Linette, that's all I knew of Ypsi – porn and rock-n-roll. I'd heard there were drugs and prostitutes there too, but, as an Eagle Scout with a propensity for panic attacks, I wasn't all that adventurous. Then, I met Linette in '93, and the love affair with Ypsi began in earnest. The more I learned about the City's rich and bizarre history, and the characters that called it home, the more I wanted to be a part of it.
I've now lived off and on in Ypsi for about a decade and a half. Linette and I tried to leave on a few occasions, but something always kept pulling us back. First, we tried Atlanta. I'd lived there for a few years as a kid and had fond memories of it, but, as a grown up, I found that it kind of sucked. We lasted there about two and a half years before coming back.
Then, after a short detour to DC, Linette and I moved to LA. We were there for about a year when we decided to pack our stuff, drive back across country, and settle for good in Ypsi. We were beginning to think seriously about houses and babies (
actually, just one house, and one baby
), and, when we thought about places we'd like to put down roots, the only place that came to mind was Ypsi.
There was something about Ypsi that just called to us. I can't speak for Linette, but, for me, it was the authentic sense of community I got on Saturday mornings, sitting around the potbelly stove at the Freighthouse, drinking coffee and watching people of all ages and races, dancing around to the sounds of banjos and guitars. There was a real sense of family, and a feeling that we were all in it together. Maybe I'm a sap, but I fell for it.
I'm generally a "glass half empty" kind of guy. But, when it comes to Ypsi, I can't do it. Where others see decay, I see a spirit of resilience. And I'm not alone. I know it puzzles some Ann Arborites to hear this, but there are quite a few of us who don't live here because we
to, but because we
to. There's a sense of community here that I've never felt elsewhere. People with ideas and energy are welcomed and encouraged. Maybe it's because there's little infrastructure, but there aren't a lot of barriers to participation. If you have a good idea and you come to Ypsilanti, you'll find people eager to join you.
I'm not anti-Ann Arbor. I like Ann Arbor. I lived there for several years, and I have quite a few friends who still do. I might give them a hard time over beers about the number of Starbucks that are downtown now, but I do like Ann Arbor. As the father of a three year old, I look at their school system with a great deal of envy. Ann Arbor, given the economic engine of the University of Michigan, has cultural assets that we in Ypsi could never hope to have. But, then again, because Ann Arbor is only a few miles away, we don't necessarily need to.
And I would argue that Ann Arbor's success hasn't come without a price. The cost of doing business there is relatively high. And, as a result, there's homogenization happening. Where there was once Drake's sandwich shop, there's now Jimmy Johns and Potbelly. And to add insult to injury, the Potbelly Sandwich Shop, stands where the once influential Discount Records used to. There's no sign to mark it, or draw attention to the fact that Iggy Pop, the godfather of punk rock, and favorite son of Ypsilanti, once worked there, but that's where it was.
There's still a hell of a lot of interesting stuff going on – don't get me wrong – but I'd suggest that the momentum is headed in the opposite direction. Take for example the Tech Center. The Tech Center, which used to be home to dozens of Ann Arbor artists, was not so long ago bulldozed to make space for an upscale Y. I know people love the Y, but it didn't come without a cost. Many of those artists, priced out of Ann Arbor, have left. And, I'd argue, that Ypsilanti, where many of them are landing, is coming out on top.
We may not have the Royal Shakespeare Company, but I'd argue that Ypsilanti has more to offer than the strippers and meth dealers that might first come to some of your minds. Ypsilanti isn't just one thing. As my friend Caleb says, "It's also quiet neighborhoods, homemade parade floats and crazy millionaires." His theory is that Ypsilanti is odd because it's stayed complex and layered while the Detroit metro region is full of places that are easily labeled as affluent or poor, urban or suburban, etc. Ypsilanti continues to defy labels. Virtually every demographic of Metro-Detroit's 5 million person region can be found in the 4.5 square miles and 22,000 people of Ypsilanti.
I suspect he's right, but what most appeals to me about Ypsi is the indomitable will to create and shake things up. Ypsi churns out American iconoclasts like other towns crap out gated McMansion communities. Iggy Pop was raised here. Preston Tucker, the automotive maverick who took on the big guys in Detroit, was from here. Early animator Winsor McCay got his start here. Elijah McCoy, one of the most famous black inventors of the 20th Century, was from here. There's a spirit of, "Fuck it, I can do it better," in the air. It's palpable. If you get out of your car, you can feel it.
Ypsi, in my opinion, by suffering financially since the end of World War II, has dodged a bullet. And it wasn't by choice. Our downtown wasn't overrun by national chains, not because we fought them, but because they didn't want us. The question now is, how will we navigate what's coming, because growth is clearly coming. How will we keep the unique character of our downtown? It's occurred to me to fight the chains. I'm told there's a town in Oregon that's passed a law requiring local ownership of businesses. I think that's probably a good thing in the long term.
Locally-owned businesses
put more money into their regional economies, and tend to stay when times get tough. They don't, like Pfizer, pick up and leave when profits are down (
in spite of all the economic incentives that have been given them over the years
But, the tax base in Ypsilanti, where 25% of our population lives in poverty, is eroding. We need tax dollars to keep our police on the street, our fire engines running, and our public parks open. Given that reality, I've mellowed a bit. I wouldn't be enthusiastic about a Starbucks on Michigan Avenue, but I doubt that I'd picket one. I'd just hope that it got people to stop their cars, feel that palpable sense of "Fuck it, I can do better" that's in the air, and give one of our local stores a chance.
And, of course, I'd wish that it would go out of business quickly.
I'll be here all week.
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text: This amazing photo is taken from the "Nature" category, size is 1680 x 1050. If you want to find the similar photographies you have an opportunity to find unique keywords: earth, water, earth water. Please find time for voting for the "Earth and water" on the current page chosen from 1 to 5 stars rating. As well, you can share this photography in the popular social services. Here are available four popular services: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest and Stumblupon. You can save the photo into your computer with the original resolution. To make this you have just to click (right button of mouse) on the image and then choose "Save as". The image 'Earth and water' doesn't have a rating yet. Be first who rates it!

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The speech therapist works to help restore losses affecting the ability to communicate, remember and understand. In addition, the speech therapist can treat swallowing and chewing disorders, assist in coping with communication impairment and treat any difficulties in thinking, planning and memory.


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Scientists use the term "boring billion" to describe when evolution stalled and life on Earth was basically slime. more...
November 12 , 1927 : Joseph Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union. more...
Learn something new every day
More Info... by email
A shower splash guard is a simple installation in bathrooms that prevents water from splashing out of a shower or tub. These items are commonly made of durable plastic or other materials and fastened to the corner of a tub space, or anywhere else that water tends to exit the installation. These are most commonly used on open tubs and showers, where bathroom installations with sliding doors will not need these accessories, since they are entirely closed.
One of the main purposes of a shower splash guard is to prevent certain kind of water damage. These relatively cheap items can save homeowners a lot of money if water leaving the tub is contributing to decay in nearby areas of the home. Addressing different kinds of water damage is one of the most important kinds of home maintenance, and simple accessories like the shower splash guard provide homeowners with easy solutions. The use of these products can eliminate the need to replace grout due to mildew or decay over time, which can be an expensive and time consuming project.
Another reason that homeowners tend to install items like shower splash guards is to keep floors dry. This not only adds to the convenience and comfort of a bathroom space, but provides more safety. Wet floors can present slip and fall issues, and cause some amount of liability in the home.
The best shower splash guards provide for easy installation with simple -to -follow instructions. They are designed to fit unique spaces, and adequately cover the areas where water tends to escape. These can be made in attractive colors that fit an existing installation, or otherwise customized to complement a bathroom space. As an alternative, some shower splash guard models are made of transparent plastic so as not to obscure the view of the tub interior.
Splash guard models for showers and tubs also vary in other ways. Many of these come with caulking kits and are fastened to the tub edge with caulking material. Others may use less permanent fastening methods. Many of these products are tested for longevity and the ability to effectively reroute water, along with addressing any health and safety issues that they might cause in the home. Manufacturers may offer warranties or other assurances of effective use.
One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!


text: The attacks took place despite heavy security measures being in place to protect pilgrims [Reuters] UndauntedBut hundreds of thousands of pilgrims - defying the attacks - remain in the Iraqi capital for Thursday's culmination of the religious festival.A 30-year-old Sunni resident of Adhamiya said he was drinking tea and watching pilgrims walk by when he and his friends heard the blast."We heard a big explosion and everybody rushed to the site to see bodies and hear wounded people, screaming for help," Saif al-Azami told the Associated Press news agency. Wednesday's attack took place near the bridge where 900 people died in 2005 in a stampede sparked by a rumour that a suicide bomber was about to strike. "In this vacuum there are groups which are trying to throw back Iraq to the period of sectarian conflict and to maintain this kind of tension" Edmund Ghareeb, professor of Middle East studies at the American University in Washington Earlier on Wednesday, police said an improvised explosive device [IED] had exploded in Baghdad's southeastern Jadida district, followed by another one in Futhaliya district, in the east of the city, killing five Shia Muslim pilgrims and wounding 36 others. Major-General Qassim Atta, a Baghdad security spokesman, told the AFP news agency that special safety measures, including road closures, were in place to protect the worshippers. "We continue to organise transport for pilgrims and air surveillance for their benefit," he said. "The movement of motorcycles, bicycles and carts is banned throughout the city until further notice," Atta said.Edmund Ghareeb, a professor of Middle East studies at the American University in Washington, said "there's an effort to stir sectarian conflict ... and to use and exploit the vacuum which exists as a result of the inability of the Iraqi politicians to form a new government"."So in this vacuum there are groups which are trying to throw back Iraq to the period of sectarian conflict and to maintain this kind of tension," he told Al Jazeera."And it is in many ways, I would believe, a reflection of the continuing problems which are facing Iraq, particularly the security situation."Security measures Security officials said 200,000 police and soldiers were assigned to protect the pilgrims as they headed to the Musa Kadhim shrine. Hundreds of tents have been erected to feed people as they pour into the city for the event, which reaches a climax on Wednesday night and early Thursday. Scott Petersen, a correspondent with the Christian Science Monitor in Baghdad, told Al Jazeera that in the past "these very large Shia pilgrimages have been targeted by Sunni militants interested in increasing sectarian tension" in the area. The mausoleum has previously been targeted by bombers. In April 2009, two female suicide bombers detonated their payloads near the shrine, killing 65 people, including 20 Iranian pilgrims, and wounding 120 others. Iraq has been without a new government since the March 7 election, which produced no clear winner. Earlier this week, Joe Biden, the US vice-president, met senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad to urge them to select new leaders without further delays. SOURCE: Al Jazeera and agencies


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A 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and robbed in West Englewood.
The attack happened near 63rd and Paulina Wednesday morning.
A man forced the girl into a gangway and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.
He then ran off with her money and her iPod.
Police only have a vague description of the suspect.
No arrests have been made.


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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is hoping to develop new markets for Filipino food products in some European countries, including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland, according to a report by ABS-CBN News.
"The reason we would like to promote our food products in those countries is because we recently ratified a free-trade agreement on a couple of commodities that are under the food and processed food products. When they enter these markets it would be zero tariff, so it is beneficial for our manufacturers to promote in these countries," explained DTI Trade and Investments Promotions undersecretary and Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) officer-in-charge Nora Terrado.
She also said during the recently concluded International Food Exhibition (IFEX) Philippines that the country is further strengthening its presence in key markets or the country's biggest export markets including the US, China, Japan, Germany, and South Korea.
This despite the downward trend for food product exports. Electronics and semiconductors remain the top export products of the country, covering more than 50 percent of total exports.
Read more here: http://news.abs-cbn.com/life/06/13/18/new-export-markets-for-filipino-food-products-eyed


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Customer ratings and reviews


text:
From Carnations' Easy-Does-It Cookbook, 1958
Spring Clothespins Save A Manicure!
by RetroRuth | Apr 15, 2011 | Art & Illustration, Happy Housewife, Tips & Tricks | 6 comments
I love everything retro, vintage, mid-century, kitsch and all things atomic! A 21st century housewife just trying to fit in...to the 50's. I have a passion for vintage recipes and an enormous vintage cookbook collection that I keep testing, even though by now I should know better. Creator of Mid-Century Menu (www.midcenturymenu.com), No Pattern Required (www.nopatternrequired.com), and I Ate The 80's (www.iatethe80s.com).
6 Comments
Miss RM on April 15, 2011 at 10:27 am
How dainty!Reply
Sara In AZ on April 15, 2011 at 11:34 am
Was Carnation just looking in my window? Thats how I always wash my dishes! 😉Reply
Toni on April 20, 2011 at 11:15 am
At what point did the most important thing for a woman be to be pretty for her man? It certainly wasn't that way with the pioneer women or the women of the depression. I think I would have been a miserable housewife in the 50's and 60's.Reply
dave on April 26, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Wouldn't wearing rubber gloves make more sense?Reply
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In earlier posts I discussed the design history, carriages, and variants of the boat howitzer family. Now I turn to discuss the ammunition used by the boat howitzers. While generally similar to projectiles used in land service, the naval ordnance offered a few notable differences. In A System of Boat Armament (1852) , John A. Dahlgren recommended shell, shrapnel (case shot), and canister. Grape shot, while mentioned, was not considered standard.
Dimensions for the Navy's 12-pdr shells matched almost perfectly to Army shells of the same caliber. The Navy's 24-pdr shell, with a 5.72 inch diameter, had less windage compared to the Army's 5.68 inch diameter shell. But for reasons not noted, the Navy's projectiles were listed as slightly heavier than the Army's. Otherwise the specifications were the same. (See page 34-35 of the Army Ordnance Manual of 1862 for details.)
Similarly, the Navy's specifications for shrapnel case appeared similar to the Army's comparable projectile, called spherical case shot. As with the shells, the Navy's 24-pdr retained the slightly larger diameter. While in 1852, the Army's specifications closely matched the Navy's, by 1862 the Army opted for Bormann fuses requiring different diameters for the fuse-hole. As result, empty Army case shot was slightly heavier. Both Navy and Army case were filled with a mix of lead balls and sulphur. The Army specified 82 lead 0.79 caliber musket balls for a 12-pdr case shot, and 175 for a corresponding 24-pdr. Dahlgren specified 80 lead 0.65 caliber musket balls for his 12-pdr shrapnel and 175 for the 24-pdr.
Dahlgren, a strong proponent for shells, also championed the use of shrapnel. In addition to a detailed discussion of the history of shrapnel, Dahlgren offered the results of tests performed to determine the dispersion of fragments. Test indicated the optimum bursting height for 12-pdr case was 15 to 20 feet above and 50 to 75 yards in front of the target.
Navy canister differed in construction with the Army's. Navy 12-pdr canister consisted of 39 1-inch diameter cast iron balls stacked inside a tin case. The 24-pdr used the same number of 1.3-inch balls. The Army opted for 48 1.17-inch balls for the 12-pdr and the same number of 1.35-inch balls in the 24-pdr howitzer's canister. The Navy's 12-pdr canister weighed 7.75 pounds complete. The 24-pdr was 14.55 pounds when dressed out. With more and larger sub-projectiles the Army's weighed 10.8 pounds and 21.25 pounds respectively. Of interest, the Army's 12-pdr Mountain Howitzer fired a 11.2 pound canister with 148 0.69-inch led musket balls. (See the Navy Ordnance Instructions of 1866 and The Army Ordnance Manual of 1862 for more details) Tactically, the differences between Navy and Army canister was negligible, but the lesser weight of each round was a mobility factor.
The Navy's ordnance manuals of the Civil War era did not identify grape-shot for the boat howitzer calibers. I would assume from the omission that Dahlgren only mentioned grape-shot to cover all options. For arguments' sake, the Army's 1862 Ordnance Manual listed particulars for both 12- and 24-pdr calibers. Grape-shot always took the form of a stack of nine cast iron balls – three rows of three each. 12-pdrs used 1.14 pound, 2.06-inch diameter cast iron balls. The 24-pdr grape-shot used 2.4 pound, 2.64-inch diameter. Overall grape fell into disfavor as canister became practical and popular. While offering some range advantage over canister, grape was best used against rigging. And of course with the advent of steam power, rigging was less critical to a ship's operations.
For the 12-pdr and 20-pdr rifled howitzers, the Navy issued Hotchkiss, Schenkel, and Dahlgren's own projectiles. The listed weight of a 12-pdr shell was 11 pounds, while that of a 20-pdr was 18 pounds. The Navy Ordnance Instructions do not mention bolt or canister projectiles for these cannon.
One discrepancy arises when comparing service charges listed in the Ordnance Instructions against Dahlgren's notes and physical dimensions of the boat howitzers. The instructions note two pound charges for the 24-pdr smoothbore and 20-pdr rifle. The 12-pdr heavy and 12-pdr rifle used one pound service charges. But, although the 12-pdr medium and the 12-pdr small featured the same chamber dimensions, the Ordnance Instructions list 0.625 pound service charges. Such loading would either require a special sabot, which is not noted in any instructions, or leave an unacceptable air gap between the charge and projectile. (UPDATE: Dahlgren Boat Howitzer service charges)
The Navy transported the boat howitzer projectiles in boxes with either nine projectiles. The 24-pdr boxes measured roughly 22 x 21 x 14 inches, weighing 270 pounds loaded with shells. And the 12-pdr, measuring 19 x 18 x 12 inches, weighed 140 pounds. Often the boxes were issued in sets. As time progressed, the field carriages were modified with braces, with cleats, to mount these boxes beside the cannon. This of course added 300 to 500 pounds to the weight in action.
In summary, the Navy used projectiles similar to the Army's in most regards, but with slight variations in weight and composition. Perhaps, if I were carrying about canister rounds in a haversack, I would appreciate the two-and-a-half pound difference between 12-pdr rounds!


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NUM concerned over deaths of workers in the line of duty
Loyiso Langeni
27 February 2015
The National Union of Mineworkers in the Western Caper said it is shocked and disgusted at the death of a workers at a construction site in Pinelands.
NUM Provincial regional Secretary Happiness Holiday said one death is too man and construction companies need to make sure that health and safety structures are functioning at their workplaces.
Holiday added that our dismay to the companies is that they do not involve us in the investigation of those fatalities.
"Now as the stakeholder we are recognised as the union, in terms of the membership, they do not involve us in the investigation, we believe that that they could be something they are hiding.
Our worry is that these incidents are not reported to the Labour Department for them to be captured." Holiday said.
Labels: NUM concerned over deaths of workers in the line of duty


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BC Local Government Job Posting Service
Instructor III – Fitness
Auxiliary Relief Positions
All Four Recreation Centres
All four recreation centres, Saanich Commonwealth Place, Gordon Head Recreation, Cedar Hill Recreation and GR Pearkes Centre are seeking certified Waterfit and Fitness Instructors who will be responsible for providing instruction, leadership and program management for a fitness programs. This includes planning and preparing assigned programs; instructing assigned classes; evaluating participants; record keeping and public relations. Requirements include completion of Grade 10; three months experience in fitness instruction; certification and training in area of instruction, in accordance with Industry Standards; Emergency First-Aid and CPR "C" as required; and a Satisfactory Police Information Check, Successful candidates will be required to work varying shifts including evenings, weekends and nights (hours/shifts are subject to change).
These are C.U.P.E. Local 2011 positions with a wage of $25.28 per hour plus 13% in lieu of benefits. Job description and competition information can be found at www.saanich.ca. This is an open until filled posting. Please apply quoting competition 19063 to: Human Resources, District of Saanich, 770 Vernon Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8X 2W7 (Fax 250-475-5550) or Email email@example.com. We thank all applicants for applying. Only those under consideration will be contacted.


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This "bluff city" has everything you need for a weekend filled with food and fun. From its musical heritage and its history tied to the mighty Mississippi River to some of the most tender and tastiest renditions of barbecue, Memphis is a must-visit.
- Pink Palace
Built to be a private residence, Memphis's Pink Palace has instead always functioned as a city museum (photo by Thomas R. Machnitzki)
This museum was going to be the home of wealthy entrepreneur Clarence Saunders, founder of Piggly Wiggly grocery stores, and the mansion's pink Georgian marble façade earned it its nickname. Saunders began building the house in the early 1920's, but after a legal dispute drained his fortune, he was forced to declare bankruptcy mid-project. The unfinished house was given to the city, which turned it into a museum. You can explore the cultural and natural history of the mid-South area via its multiple exhibits, dioramas, and audio-visuals.
- Mud Island
There's so much to see and do at Mud Island, but don't miss the Riverwalk (photo by Dan Ball, courtesy of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau)
The name doesn't make it sound like much, but Mud Island includes the Mississippi River Museum, a monorail ride, an amphitheater (that often hosts today's hottest bands), and more. But the most interesting component of this attraction is the Riverwalk, an exact scale replica of the Lower Mississippi River, the section that flows alongside the city. While not as large as the river itself, it's still big, covering almost five city blocks. At the river's end in the one-acre "Gulf of Mexico" body of water, you can take a leisurely pedal boat ride.
- Sun Studio
Visit Sun Studios and see the place where some of America's most influential music was recorded (photo by Mr. Littlehand)
Many claim Memphis is the birthplace of rock 'n' roll. If that's the case, then Sun Studio, opened in 1950, was definitely the daddy. In the tiny, unassuming space, the first rock single, "Rocket 88," was recorded in 1951 by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats. There's a story that says three years later, in 1954, a young man walked in off the street and asked if he could make a record for his mama. That eighteen-year-old raven-haired crooner was Elvis Presley. In the years following, hits by superstars like B.B. King, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters, Roy Orbison, and of course, the King himself were put on vinyl there. Today Sun Studio is a designated national historic landmark.
- Graceland
Follow in Elvis's footsteps at his home, Graceland (photo by Andrea Zucker, courtesy of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau)
Possibly the most famous residence in the world and a "can't miss" on any rock 'n' roll pilgrimage, the King's personal playground honors his legacy as well as highlights the city's wider contributions to music. Commune with the spirit of Elvis by touring his bedroom, living room, kitchen, meditation garden, and the basement-level Jungle Room, most known for its exotic, Hawaii-themed décor.
- Beale Street
Located in the heart of downtown Memphis, with three blocks packed with bars, restaurants, and shops, this iconic stretch of asphalt is also lined with clubs that have hosted and inspired blues, jazz, and rock legends, the places where they poured passion, energy, and soul into sound. You can feel its musical past hanging in the air while listening to live music today at spots like B.B. King's, Lew's Blew Note, and Silky O' Sullivan's.
- Rendezvous
Savor a plate of succulent pork ribs at Rendezvous in downtown Memphis (photo by Craig Thompson, courtesy of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau)
Memphis is home to some of the most storied and acclaimed barbecue institutions in America, places like Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous. Tucked in an alleyway around the corner from The Peabody, this is the place to sample Memphis-style pork 'cue. Start with an appetizer: a plate mounded high with thick rounds of hickory smoked sausage, planks of sharp cheddar and dill pickles all doused with this spot's spicy dry rub. Next, order a slab of tender pork ribs, seasoned with the dry rub before being cooked low and slow. There's some sauce on the table if you want it, but you won't need it. The meat is moist and flavorful all on its own.
- Peabody
The Peabody's ducks are some of the country's most famous feathered friends (photo courtesy of The Peabody and the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau)
The Peabody is not just a place to lay your head; it's an experience unto itself. Featuring luxury laced with whimsy—courtesy of its marching ducks—the hotel was built in 1869. But the property's signature ducks started as a practical joke. In the 1930's, the general manager and a buddy returned from duck hunting in Arkansas, and due to the major amounts of Tennessee whiskey they'd imbibed, thought it was a fine idea to put a few of their live decoy ducks into the lobby's fountain. They did it, everyone loved it, and thus the Peabody duck tradition began. Today a group of the feathered friends live at the hotel and march to and from their living quarters to the fountain (on a red carpet) twice each day. They may be one of the main attractions, but they're not the only reason to book a room here. This grand Southern hotel's hospitality and opulence have garnered numerous awards, including the AAA Four Diamond, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
If you decide to make your way to the Bluff City in the springtime, check the schedule of festivities going on all month long during the annual celebration, Memphis in May. With its diverse offerings, including The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, this event draws thousands of visitors and residents each year and was recently named the top festival in the Southern United States in a nationwide readers' poll by USA Today.


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by folkbum
The Capital Times ran a profile yesterday of Cory Liebmann, a good friend of this blog and a guy who does a great job blogging at One Wisconsin Now. It's worth the read.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Props to Cory
Posted by Jay Bullock at 6:28 AM
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"With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are our neighbours in the Americas and here at home," said Barack Obama, days after the earthquake that killed thousands in Haiti last week. The two countries certainly share a long history, although whether Haitians would agree that America has been a good neighbour over the last 200 years, is more debatable
Along with the natural curse that comes from sitting on the middle of a fault line of two tectonic plates, Haiti has been cursed with extremely lucrative supplies of natural resources, drawing in the attention of the Western world who, since the days of slavery, have not been able to leave Haiti alone. Colonised by the French in the 18th century, it became the richest asset of their empire, exporting nearly all of the coffee and sugar consumed in Europe. A 12 year war against French forces that began on the plantation fields, eventually ended with Haiti declaring its independence and becoming the first black republic. But this came at a price. With the support of the US, the French bullied Haiti into paying 150 million francs in gold as payment for their liberation. They were still paying this debt in 1947 and had to take huge loans from European and American banks to finance it. This crippled them economically, and trapped them in a spiral of debts they have never been able to escape.
A Haitian revolution in 1911 was followed by an invasion by the US, anxious to ensure that their debt repayments continued. They occupied the state for 19 years, dismissing the Haitian Parliament at gunpoint, passing laws to seize land and setting up an army and police force to protect their interests and suppress the population. In future generations this force would be used by dictators.
From 1957 to the mid 1980s, Haiti was ruled by a brutal dictatorship, led first by Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, and then by his son. These dictatorships have been called the most corrupt and repressive in modern history, and it is estimated over 60,000 Haitians were killed by the regime, and countless more imprisoned, tortured and raped. Both regimes received billions in economic aid from the US, often in the form of outright gifts. Marines were even sent to protect the dictatorship from the threat of rebellion, at the same time as the refugees fleeing it were being turned away from the American border. Why? The plundering of Haiti's rich natural resources by its leader allowed US banks and businesses to do the same.
Following a rebellion that rid them of this US backed dictatorship, in 1990 Haiti elected Jean-Bertrand Aristide president with 70% of the vote. He began a process of economic reforms which started to turn around the fortunes of the nation, but only a year later he was removed from power by the military. One of the leaders of this coup, Emmanuel Constant, was a former CIA asset and currently lives in New York. The US has refused several extradition requests for him. This is because, many believe, a trial would reveal ties to the operation that removed Aristide from power.
However, in 1994 US forces declared that they would 'restore democracy in Haiti' and helped Aristide return to power. As with the liberation from slavery two centuries before however, this came at a price. Aristide was forced to adopt a pro-US export driven economic policy, that involved privatising the state owned enterprises and allowing multi-national businesses in to build sweatshops.
However this policy was not followed to the extent that the US would have liked. In 2003, at a conference in Ottawa, a group of Western nations said they would like to see regime change in Haiti in under a year. By 2004, Aristide had been overthrown again. There is extensive evidence that the rebellion that removed him from power was financed and orchestrated by allies of the US government. Aristide himself was put on a plane by US forces in the country and flown to the Central African Republic where he remains. Although the US argues that this was done with his consent to save his life, he claims he was kidnapped at gunpoint and forced to resign.
The government that took over following this rebellion has followed the US approved economic plan much more tightly. More sweatshops have been built and more agriculture has been turned over to producing goods for export to the Western world. Consequently Haiti's poverty has deepened and it has become one of the most stricken countries in the world, with unemployment at 75%. A UN 'peacekeeping' force of 7000, there since 2004 to support the new government, has been accused of the murder of civilians and the destruction of homes.
And thus Haiti, "the first nation in the world to argue the case of universal freedom for all humankind", lies buried under the rubble of a tragic and devastating earthquake. But the real damage was done before the earthquake struck. For years countries like the US have been sucking the wealth out of Haiti. It has become so depleted that it cannot respond to natural disasters and the people are far too poor to afford earthquake proof housing. In many ways the country, and what it could have been when it was liberated from oppression at the beginning of the nineteenth century, lies buried under the rubble of 200 years of America's concept of what it means to be a good neighbour.


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SDG 1: No poverty
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty has dropped by more than half – from 1.9 billion in 1990, to 836 million in 2015 – too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.
Globally, more than 800 million people are still living on less than $1.25 a day; many lacking access to adequate food, clean drinking water and sanitation. Rapid economic growth in countries like China and India has lifted millions out of poverty, but progress has also been uneven. Women are disproportionately more likely to live in poverty than men due to unequal access to paid work, education and property.
Progress has also been limited in other regions, such as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, which account for 80 percent of the global total of those living in extreme poverty. This rate is expected to rise due to new threats brought on by climate change, conflict and food insecurity.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a bold commitment to finish what we started, and end poverty in all forms and dimensions by 2030. This involves targeting those living in vulnerable situations, increasing access to basic resources and services, and supporting communities affected by conflict and climate-related disasters.
Ending poverty is one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. An integrated approach is crucial for progress across the multiple goals.
Facts and Figures
- 836 million people still live in extreme poverty
- About one in five persons in developing regions lives on less than $1.25 per day
- The overwhelming majority of people living on less than $1.25 a day belong to two regions: Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
- High poverty rates are often found in small, fragile and conflict-affected countries
- One in seven children under age five in the world has inadequate height for his or her age
- Every day in 2014, 42,000 people had to abandon their homes to seek protection due to conflic
Goal 1 Global targets
- By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
- By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
- Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
- By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of 13 property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
- By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
- Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions
- Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions


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Thanks to Lee Ann at Not Afraid of Color, we are expressing our likes today which is so fun.
Here is my list for today:
1. Pulling out Easter decorations for my home. The house will be much more cheery. Here is a basket of Fabric Easter eggs I made in 2015. I got the pattern at retro-mama.blogspot.com.
2. Any music from the 80's. I love music in most forms but especially that era. I literally cannot sit still if Michael Jackson's Pretty Young Thing is on the radio. Even in the car.-yep-that's me.
3. My new "Mod Dre" quilt which hangs over the sofa. It is 51 x 46. I designed, sewed and quilted this cutie from Kaffe Fasset Spring 2016 layer cake. These are half Dresdens. I used Bella Solid Robin's Egg blue for the background. The circles and border are made from Kona Cotton Purple Colorstory.
It's so cheery to see this hanging in the living room each morning!
I hope you are all having a good week and will hook up with Lee Ann for more fun.
P.S. After all my worries of early summer degrees in the 90's-we are having rain and 54 degrees this morning. YES.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
4 comments:
oooooo the quilt looks happy! What a bright spot in the living room!!! those easter eggs are such a fun idea. A bowl of them on the table would be so adorable. I have to make a few. LeeAnnaReplyDelete
Your post shares cheery colors in many forms!ReplyDelete
I always say I missed the 80s because I was having and raising babies, so all I listened to was kids' music! I do know Michael Jackson's music, though! Your quilt is great! I've never tried a Dresden plate pattern, and the half ones have such a neat look to them. I like the background fabric, too.ReplyDelete
Such joyful and lovely colors! Your creations are wonderful!ReplyDelete
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I am attending and presenting at the following Information Security Summit. The organisers contacted me today and asked if I could share today's Press Release. Please see below the composed release for the Information Security Summit that I will no doubt talk more about before, during and after.
Tech:Touchstone announces its 3rd Annual Information Security Executive Summit from the 28th – 29th February at the Richmond Hill Hotel. The 3rd Annual Information Security Executive Summit will cover the critical issues and considerations that Information Technology and Information Security leaders need to be mindful of when planning their IT strategy for 2012 and beyond.
Speakers at the event include: Tony Hird, Chief Technologist at British Airways Plc, Christophe Gabioud, Global Head of IS at UBS Investment Bank, and Michael Paisley, Head of IS, DP & Business Resilience at Santander UK Group. Each speaker will bring their unique take on how their business implements Information Security Strategy and Technology on a daily basis, as well as the major trends to look out for in 2012.
The summit brings together the most decision ready Senior IT Executives, the foremost Analysts and Vendors in the Information Security Technology Community to network, discuss and learn about the latest developments in Information Security. It has proved crucial for many businesses to assess their current technological standing and build new relationships and alliances in markets which rely more and more heavily on technology for day to day business process.
"We are excited to host such a high level group of thought leaders in the Information Security space representing some the UK's largest organisations" said Simeon Turner Managing Director of Tech:Touchstone, "The new threats created by increased workforce mobility and the move to cloud infrastructures is forcing constant reassessment of key strategies. We look forward to facilitating an engaging debate!"
The Information Security Executive Summit 2012 will look to build upon previous year's success of bringing the best in business together to formulate and build new partnerships. Sponsors of the event include: Symantec, TrendMicro, Imperva, Caretower, Netwrix, FoxT and Loghythm
About Tech:TouchStone
Tech:Touchstone creates business-to-business events, with its latest event being the Information Security Executive Summit on the 28th-29th February, for the IT sector where face-to-face communication is paramount to fully understand complex issues, solutions and value propositions.
The company's portfolio of events focuses on areas of strategic industry debate and growth market sectors, with the aim of creating a collaborative learning environment for time-poor IT executives and to facilitate high value, quality interactions between all participants.
If you're interested in attending this event or any other please contact the Tech:Touchstone team on 0208 166 4390 and follow them on Twitter @TechTouchstone