Archive for August, 2008

The Ann Arbor band Taproot is asking fans to help promote its new CD, “Our Long Road Home”: “We’re looking for our friends and fans to distribute some of our ‘Greetings From Ann Arbor’ postcards to people around their cities.” [Source]

UMTailgate.com is among the many Michigan football blogs gearing up for Saturday’s season opener against Utah. “I can’t wait for the domino run of brake lights as those in line for the golf course see that the gate to the tailgate has opened. I can’t wait for the look on Captain Michigan’s face as I pop the rear door on my SUV and he sees the amount of equipment packed inside. I can’t wait for the sizzle of the potatoes that will hit the cast iron skillet, or the ribs as they meet 118,000 BTUs of grilling power.” And so on. [Source]

Today’s Freep reports on all the local “watch” parties for Obama’s acceptance speech on Thursday, including one at Good Time Charley’s in Ann Arbor. Manager Tony LaVigne expects 200 to 300 people – mostly students – to attend. [Source]

Aaron Wynn, who’ll be chef of the new Whole Foods Market when it opens later this year on Ann Arbor’s west side, shares his recipe for Grilled Corn with Chili Lime Butter in today’s Freep. [Source]

A Chicago Sun-Times article on celebrity chef Rick Bayless reports that he’s “come a long way since the days when he couldn’t afford cookbooks, and cookbook dealer/collector Jan Longone permitted him to sit in her Ann Arbor, Mich., store and read.” [Source]

A report co-authored by UM psychologist Jennifer Crocker looked at environmental attitudes and actions. Their research found a disparity between what people say they believe, and what they actually do, according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News. [Source]

Nyima Funk, daughter of former A2 City Council member Wendy Woods, had a very close encounter on Monday with Michelle Obama. Nyima performs with The Second City, which gave a show as part of the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The Second City blog posts several photos from the event, including one of Michelle Obama giving Nyima a big hug. [Source]

How well-connected are you to people in Ann Arbor? You can test your social network’s strength by seeing how many people you know of the 220 local customers featured in new Bank of Ann Arbor TV and radio ads.

It’s amazing how many people you can cram into a 30-second spot when all they say is “Me.” It’s also amazing how funny that simple concept is, and how effective in conveying the bank’s point: We’re local, and we help folks.

The campaign reflects the quirky sensibility of Ann Arbor-based Perich Advertising + Design, the agency which put the ads together. (Oh, and Ernie Perich is on BOAA’s board of directors.) Check out the two radio spots and three TV … [Full Story]

This site gives a primer on how to answer the four essay questions when applying to UM’s Ross School of Business. [Source]

Crain’s Detroit Business reports on John Barfield’s effort to refurbish and expand the Parkridge Community Center on Ypsilanti’s south side. Some people, while supporting the project, are questioning the financing model that Barfield has proposed. [Source]

In a letter to the Livingston Press & Argus, Marsha Nottingham of Howell criticizes the proposed rail service between Howell and Ann Arbor. “Since I, for one, don’t work in Ann Arbor, it actually would be pretty ballsy …to tax me for a railroad that I’ll never use. If there is a groundswell of demand for railroad services, let me suggest that the users pay for it.” [Source]

Kenneth Kollman, a UM political science prof, is intereviewed for a Houston Chronicle article about swing states in the presidential election. “Michigan is in play for Republicans because McCain is genuinely popular here.” [Source]

An LA Times article on treatments for incontinence and dropped pelvic organs in women interviews John DeLancey, a UM obstetrics and gynecology prof and director of pelvic floor research. [Source]

I operate a modest bicycle-based cargo hauling and delivery business here in Ann Arbor. Although I use a trailer hitched to a ordinary two-wheeled bicycle to deliver my loads, I’m also intrigued by pedal-powered vehicles that are designed from the ground up for carrying cargo. So when I spotted a three-wheeler in the wild, I pedaled up to the operator for a chat. [Full Story]

Following up on a previous Stopped. Watched. item about a provocative bumper sticker The Chronicle was provoked to chat with the owner of this Ford 4-speed manual transmission pickup:

Let's slip a boatload of veggie munching tree huggers under an oil rig and DRILL DOWN!

The signage created by this driver is not strictly speaking a “bumper sticker.” First, the frame he’s constructed atop the truck bed gate isn’t the bumper. And although he “sticks” them into the frame, he prints the text from his computer out onto ordinary 8.5 x 11 inches sheets of paper and pieces them together into a single message.

He creates a … [Full Story]

Most people ride their bikes for fun, if at all. For Gary Hochgraf, it’s not just fun (though it’s more pleasant than driving), not just part of his job (though it’s an integral part now), but part of a broader connection to the world around him. [Full Story]

On the UM College Democrats site Kicking Ass in Ann Arbor, Zach Martin posts of his arrival in Denver for the convention. He’ll be updating throughout the week. “Not much to report here except that Debbie Stabenow is all over CNN. The more she talks the more I wish they’d find Carl Levin.” [Source]

The blogger of MomCooks gives a review of the breakfast buffet at Courtyard by Marriott in Ann Arbor. “I knew I was going to have a Belgian Waffle, but I perused the buffet anyway, and found myself unable to resist home fries made with redskin potatoes, crispy strips of bacon, and a muffin from Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, which is famous for, well, everything they make.” [Source]

Catherine Kraus, a dietician with the UM Health System, talks about the importance of diet in helping kids in school. She’s interviewed for a HealthDay column in US News & World Report. “A smart dinner will help your child’s brain function. If they are satisfied after dinnertime, then they will sleep through the night, and a child needs at least eight to nine hours of sleep a night in order to function while in the school the next day.” [Source]

A Chicago Tribune article takes you on a tour of Michigan’s berry-picking farms, among other locales. The stops include Makielski’s Berry Farm near Ypsilanti, the Dexter Blueberry Farm, a sidetrip to Chelsea’s Common Grill, and back to Dexter for fishing at Spring Valley Trout Farm. [Source]

This automated blog randomly grabs images from the Craigslist free section each day. Today, it features free stuff – or “more unwanted pets and crappy furniture than you can handle” - from Ann Arbor. [Source]

The blogger Vest Pocket Photos took this striking image of the bridge in downtown Ypsilanti. [Source]

UM President Mary Sue Coleman has declined to sign a letter from college presidents urging lawmakers to find a better way to deal with youth drinking, a spokeswoman told the Detroit News. The letter, signed by more than 120 other presidents, states that setting the drinking age at 21 is not an effective deterrent to binge drinking and other problems. [Source]

Lynne Raughley of Ann Arbor describes her work in a casino café years ago in a Lives essay for the New York Times. [Source]

It was a surprisingly loud whistle from Eileen Spring, president of Food Gatherers, that called the crowd to order. The assembled graduates, friends and family were at the Delonis Center today to celebrate their completion of the Culinary Arts Training Class. And the pre-graduation mood was certainly lively and celebratory enough to require whistling to order.

A graduate receives congratulations and a chef's jacket from Scott Roubeck, Special Projects Coordinator for Food Gatherers' Community Kitchen

The Culinary Arts Training Class is part of the jobs training program … [Full Story]

Looking ahead to next week, on Aug. 25 the Clean Energy Coalition is hosting a free Clean Energy Game Night from 7-9 p.m. at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. The object of this game, according to the Rio Grande Games Web site, is “to supply the most cities with power when someone’s network gains a predetermined size.” (We don’t know what that means either.) Can’t stand to wait until Monday to play? Then plunk down about $45 for your own game of Power Grid at one of two Ann Arbor game stores: Vault of Midnight, 219 S. Main St.; and Get Your Game On, 709 Packard.

The recent “Bowling for Brock” event at Cubs AC and Colonial Lanes in Ann Arbor – to raise money for the brother of Michigan offensive lineman Elliott Mealer, who was disabled in a car crash several months ago – drew lots of press coverage. Today, the bar/bowling alley posts pictures from the fundraiser in its photo gallery. [Source]