New Media Watch Section

Oprah.com lists the graphic novel “Feynmann,” by Ann Arbor’s Jim Ottaviani, on a list of “11 Books You Never Thought You’d Read (but Will Fall in Love with Instantly).” From the post: “This 248-page graphic bio will keep you entranced from start to finish, mostly because Ottaviani (writer) and [Leland] Myrick (illustrator) tell the very human story behind Feynman, who, it turns out, did everything from help create the atomic bomb to unearth the causes of the Challenger space shuttle disaster – all with a sense of humor so goofy and endearing that you can’t help falling in love with him.” [Source] In case you missed it, Ottaviani was also featured in a Teeter Talk interview in September. [Source]

Writing on her “View from the cube” blog, Lisa Rudgers – vice president for global communications at the University of Michigan – describes the class “22 Ways To Think About Food,” taught by LSA associate dean Phil Deloria: “As he spoke, Phil showed the next PowerPoint slide: a picture of a green field and a white bucket filled with strawberries. ‘When I was a kid, I picked strawberries in the summer to earn a few bucks. We’d fill six or seven buckets a day in between goofing around and throwing berries at one another. But I remember the migrant workers who slept in their cars, picking alongside us. They could pick 35 buckets a day, because that income was all … [Full Story]

A video clip posted on YouTube shows vintage footage of a marching band and football game, possibly shot at Michigan Stadium in the 1930s. A note with the video states: “Help us solve a mini-mystery. In converting some 16 mm home movies, we came across this snippet of what appears to be a Michigan football game. We think it may be from the mid to late 30s. Anybody want to disagree or try to pinpoint the exact year?” [Source]

The University of Michigan Health System posts a description about how their staff is handling the move to the new C.S. Mott Children’s and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospitals, from the old facility. The inpatient move is happening on Sunday, Dec. 4. ”The Move Playbook contains many other details, even the estimated time and distance between move points, to ensure all areas have the same level of support they normally would. The move leadership team meets in the command center early Sunday morning to begin the moving process. Pediatric patients will receive a move-day passport and a backpack as they embark on their journeys.” [Source]

A website has launched for the Ann Arbor Marathon, set for June 17, 2012. The marathon’s course hasn’t been finalized, but will “start on Main Street at the NW corner of the Big House running through downtown Ann Arbor with a finish on the 50 yard line of Elbel Field, after a great mile around Crisler Arena and The Big House.” Registration begins Jan. 1. The marathon is being organized Champions for Charity, which is best known for its Big House Big Heart event. [Source]

A series of videos recently posted on YouTube feature Ann Arbor musician David Menefee – in this one, he sings “The Christmas Song.” [Source]

A post on the Title IX Blog reports that the Ann Arbor Public Schools has reversed a decision to cut all freshman high school sports teams except for freshman football. Erin Buzuvis writes: “I recently learned via personal correspondence from someone connected to the matter, that someone filed complaint with OCR [Office for Civil Rights] to challenge the cuts, and that OCR commenced an investigation. I further learned that the complaint was eventually withdrawn upon assurances from the school district that it would not put that particular reduction plan in place.” [Source] Locally, the Ann Arbor Schools Musings blog has a post on the same issue. [Source]

Writing on his Speak \aut\ blog, Keith Orr – co-owner of the \aut\ Bar and Common Language Bookstore in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown – encourages people to “Buy Local” this holiday season. He describes the many locally owned business in his neighborhood, and mentions the names of their owners, too: “See…I have names to all these businesses. When you buy local you are supporting Alice and Vicki and Paul and more than one Mary, and so many others. And they support the community, and their employees are a part of the local community and the local economy. I feel like quoting the ‘Bank Run’ scene from ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’.” [Source]

On the blog for Davies House Inn & Cottage, proprietor Jan Davies McDermott posts her grandmother’s recipe for sweet potato casserole, just in time for Thanksgiving. Ingredients include dark brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream, and in a final note, McDermott writes: ”Innkeeper’s secret: put in a pie shell to bake and serve as dessert!” [Source]

On his Falling Off The Horse blog, Len Niehoff – the preacher-in-residence at the First United Methodist Church in Chelsea – posts some reflections on thanksgiving: ”On a pleasant weekend afternoon, with a cool breeze rustling through the leaves, the woods and fields taught me a lesson about being thankful for this life. But they taught me another lesson as well. They taught me to remember that God does most of His work out of sight; that underneath the leafy paths and the crazy clutter of fallen limbs God was making something beautiful and new; and that paths we have not encountered, through gates we cannot conceive, will someday lead us to places we cannot imagine.” [Source]

Two Ann Arbor restaurants were featured in recent posts on food blogs. The aut\ BAR was reviewed in CloverEats: “The Eggs Benedict came with little spiced parmesan potatoes, which had such a rich, cheesy flavor that complemented the eggs perfectly. The hollandaise sauce was creamy, warm, and so rich. Fred calls Aut Bat his favorite brunch restaurant in Ann Arbor, and I have to say that their food is certainly delicious!” [Source] And Wolverine Cuizine reviewed Frita Batidos: “The whole spirit and vibe of the Cuban culture inspired the style of the restaurant as well as many of the dishes and ingredients on the menu. However, Frita Batidos is more than just traditional Cuban cuisine. [Eve] Aronoff has put … [Full Story]

A nearly 5-minute video pays tribute to Jim Toy, marking the 40th anniversary of the University of Michigan’s Spectrum Center. Toy is a leader in the gay rights movement and an initial staff member of UM’s first office for LGBTA affairs, set up in the early 1970s. The video includes comments from Toy as well as from a range of community and UM leaders, talking about Toy’s impact. [Source]

The State Bar of Michigan blog notes that applications are being accepted for the 15th District Court judgeship in Ann Arbor. The position was most recently held by Julie Creal, who resigned because of health issues. The deadline for submission is Dec. 9, with applications sent to the legal division of Gov. Rick Snyder’s office. [Source]

Ned Staebler, an Ann Arbor resident who’s vice president for economic development at Wayne State University, writes an entry for HuffPost Detroit that explains why he’s optimistic about the future of that city. “Search for ‘Detroit’ on Facebook and you’ll find hundreds of groups. Some have names that include words like ‘defend,’ ‘restore,’ or ‘save.’ But, increasingly there are more and more with other themes in their titles: ‘salsa,’ ‘young,’ ‘discover.’ Why is this important? Because, we’ll know Detroit is healthy again when we all have stopped focusing on saving it.” [Source]

Among the praise logged on MetaFilter for David Erik Nelson’s Chronicle column published Nov. 16, 2011, about having Bank of America as a neighbor is “I wish I could write like that,” and “Wow, what a great article: well written, humble and simple yet angry and direct.” [Source]  The context-sensitive ads on MetaFilter provide the irony of an ad for Bank of America highlighting its philanthropic endeavors, juxtaposed with Nelson’s statement: “Bank of America is a shitty neighbor.” [screenshot]

The University Record posts a message sent out on Tuesday by University of Michigan Mary Sue Coleman regarding the events at Penn State: ”This is a chance to remind one another that a community’s values are lived out in the actions of each of us as individuals. It is important for us to act immediately in suspected cases of abuse or other crimes, or in a circumstance where you find yourself either a victim or a witness to questionable activity.” [Source]

Wily Writers has posted a short horror story and podcast – “The Bobble Head of Doom” – by Bob Eccles, who also works as a news reporter and anchor for WEMU, the public radio station at Eastern Michigan University. An excerpt: “The sound of approaching sirens woke Nick from his sleep. He ran to the window and peered out between the curtains. He didn’t see any police cars, but his forehead was beaded with sweat. Nick turned to face ex-president Nixon. ‘Do you think they’re coming for me?’ Nixon’s head nodded. ‘But I was sure nobody saw me! What am I going to do?’ The former president scowled at Nick, his head still.” [Source]

Sue McCormick, one of the city of Ann Arbor’s top administrators, is being hired as director of Detroit’s water and sewerage department. Her selection by Detroit mayor David Bing was announced at the Nov. 9 meeting of the board of water commissioners, which is expected to vote on her appointment at its Nov. 30 meeting.

The news was conveyed to the Ann Arbor city council Thursday afternoon via an email from city administrator Steve Powers, who forwarded councilmembers a link to the Digesting the Detroit Water Department blog. There was no mention of the announcement at the council’s meeting that evening.

McCormick first came on board the city of Ann Arbor as water utilities director in 2001. Before that she … [Full Story]

An article in the Data Driven Detroit newsletter looks at tax foreclosures in the metro Detroit region. In addition to providing a primer on Michigan’s tax foreclosure process, the article looks at jurisdictions in the four-county region (Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne) in terms of tax foreclosures per square mile. “Communities such as Novi Township, Ypsilanti Township, Royal Oak Township, and Hazel Park are now also local centers of tax foreclosure, with rates similar to those in Detroit in 2007 or 2008. As the map suggests, tax foreclosures are most concentrated in and around Detroit and its inner-ring suburbs, although more distant areas like Eastern Washtenaw County and central Macomb County have pockets of significant tax foreclosure activity.” [Source]

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is expected to make a stop at the Big Sky Diner in Ypsilanti on Thursday, Nov. 11 10 at 10 a.m., according to an email to members of the Willow Run Tea Party Caucus sent by its director, Dennis Moore. The email indicates that Cain will also conduct a taped interview at the diner for the Sean Hannity Show on Fox News. All eight GOP candidates will be in the Detroit area for a debate at Oakland University on Wednesday evening. Cain has been in the spotlight recently for allegations of sexual harassment when he served as CEO of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s – allegations that he vigorously denies.

In advance of the Nov. 8 election, the author of Ann Arbor Schools Musings blog gives her thoughts on the six candidates for two open seats on the Ann Arbor Public Schools board of education. Rather than give endorsements, she reflects on the attributes of each candidate, and explains why she’s inclined to vote for them, or not. However, she does give one “anti-endorsement,” and urges readers not to vote for Albert Howard, citing his “anti-Muslim sentiment.” [Source]

On his blog albertmcwilliams’s posterous, Al McWilliams of Quack!Media spanks all those who are upset by Ann Arbor’s recent ordinance that enhances the state law requiring vehicles to stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. In a post titled “Smart folks in Ann Arbor crash their cars into stuff, blame City Council,” McWilliams writes: “Ann Arbor likes to think that it’s some bastion of progressive thought; a place where enlightenment reigns supreme. In reality, all it took to turn the wise people of this city into giant, selfish, babies was a little road rage.” [Source]

Posting on his blog Common Monkeyflower, Richard “Murph” Murphy examines foreclosure activity in Ypsilanti, following up on a previous post about housing prices. He writes: “Foreclosures are still an issue in the City, and we’ve still got some stock of bank-owned homes to clear out to allow prices to rise, but at some point our own housing market becomes less an issue than that in surrounding communities: in the first 9 months of 2011, Ypsilanti Township had 275 foreclosures, compared to the City’s 50. Whether you adjust that for population, dwelling units, or structures, the Township’s foreclosure rate remains frighteningly high, and there’s only so much the City can do to stabilize its property values when surrounded by a community … [Full Story]

The Arts Alliance, a nonprofit based in Ann Arbor, has posted candidate responses to two questions related to the arts: 1. “What is your position on public funding for arts and culture?” and 2. “If elected, what measurable actions will you take to ensure that arts and cultural offerings survive and thrive in Washtenaw County?” School board candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot in several local school districts, as well as city council candidates in Ann Arbor, Chelsea and Milan responded to the survey. [Source]

Writing on his blog, Mark Maynard considers ways that local residents might support Ypsilanti entrepreneurs like Bee Mayhew, owner of Beezy’s café, who’s thinking of opening a diner on Michigan Avenue. After laying out some funding options, Maynard writes: “And, the cool thing is, something like this could work for any restaurant or retail endeavor, assuming the person or persons associated with said endeavor had a certain level of trust within the community. As we all know, those people are hard to come by, but they do exist. And, through a mechanism like this, these entrepreneurs could afford to do renovations, purchase merchandise, etc. It’s not even out of the realm of possibility that we, the community, could recruit … [Full Story]

A public open house for the University of Michigan’s new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours will be conducted throughout the day, with music, food, games, and other activities. Shuttles are available from the Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building at 109 Zina Pitcher Place. The hospital will officially open in December. [Source]

The nonprofit 826michigan posts some ghost stories – and a poem – written by teens tutored in the Ann Arbor nonprofit’s “Most Terrifying Program: The Deadliest Drop-in Writing!” This excerpt is from “So Spooky”: “When I got home it was raining again. I asked my mom if we should go into the basement but she said we didn’t have a basement. But the car door was broken off so I had to sit with the door open. Then all of a sudden I fell out of the car. Then the monster came back and it was bigger than the big tree. It reached down, and it ate me.” [Source]

The city of Ann Arbor has launched an online survey to measure attitudes about recycling and RecycleBank’s coupon-incentive program. The city contracts with RecycleBank to administer and promote the coupon program. The survey closes Nov. 30, 2011. Take the survey here.

“Born On A Blue Day: Inside The Extraordinary Mind Of An Autistic Savant” by Daniel Tammet has been selected for Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2012, a community-wide program to promote reading and community dialogue center around a common book. “Born On A Blue Day” is a New York Times best-selling autobiography that describes the author’s experiences in leading a life with autism. Tammet is scheduled for a reading on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012 at Washtenaw Community College, starting at 7:30 p.m. Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads is co-sponsored by the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti district libraries. [Source]

The Ann Arbor farmers market is soliciting feedback from shoppers via an online survey. Questions cover what kind of information people are looking for from various communication channels – like the market’s Facebook page and Twitter account – as well as when and how often people shop at the market. [Source]