Archive for July, 2008

A post on the UM College Democrats blog – “Kicking Ass in Ann Arbor” – has a great send-up of Bush as Chairman Mao, or “Mao ZeBush.” Nicely done. [Source]

Not news so much as news-lite: BusinessWire India issued a release about an upcoming UM seminar in Bangalore, featuring management guru (and UM business prof) C.K. Prahalad. The event coincides with the release of Prahalad’s newest book, “The New Age of Innovation.” [Source]

In the byzantine antics of Detroit’s elected officials, the Detroit News has a story about a judge’s ruling to unseal transcripts from a hearing related to the mayor’s sex tapes scandal. The local connection is a quote from Ann Arbor attorney James Stewart, who’s representing the DetNews in a lawsuit against the mayor. Or something to that effect. Stewart is with the Ann Arbor office of Butzel Long, and is a UM law school grad, circa 1973. [Source]

Gastronomical3 gives a recipe for salad using greens, radishes, asparagus, beets and ricotta – all from the local Tantre Farms. The post outlines six reasons why you might like this salad. No. 6: “Supper needs to be simple sometimes, but it should still be lovely to look at. (Bonus points if it’s made from local produce.)” [Source]

The lead story on Yahoo! News today is a LiveScience report summarizing research by UM political scientist Ronald Inglehart. His finding? That worldwide happiness levels are rising, from Denmark at the top to Zimbabwe at rock bottom. The U.S. ranks 16th on the Happiness Index. “Most previous research suggests that people and nations are stuck on a ‘hedonic treadmill,’” Inglehart said. (If it were a hedonic teeter totter, this would be a whole different story.) [Source]

Ann Arbor is home to several high-profile automotive analysts – they’re getting called frequently as the auto industry continues to implode. Today, it’s Chrysler’s turn: “It’s hard to second-guess Chrysler because the market is so bad, the prospects near and mid-term are so bleak,” Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor, tells Bloomberg reporter Mike Ramsey (a former A2 News business reporter). “Chrysler does need to consolidate its production.” [Source]

The Children’s Creative Center in Ann Arbor is one local group affected by the abrupt closing of the Emrich Retreat Center in Brighton, according to a Detroit News report. The CCC, a preschool and youth drama program, will apparently be the only group this summer allowed to use the center, which is operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. Laurie Atwood, CCC’s owner, told The News: “I understand they need to close, but you’d think they’d honor the contracts they’ve signed. It’s very hard at this point to find an alternative place to go.” [Source]

The Associated Press covers state Sen. Liz Brater’s push for “no-reason” absentee voting in Michigan. It’s not much of a story, actually, but then, there’s not much to report. Dems are pushing the GOP to stop blocking this legislation, saying that Republicans want to limit voter turnout. Republicans feel the law would open the door for voter fraud. [Source]