Archive for December, 2008

On his Bike Boy blog, James Anderson of Saline posts a video taken at a Veterans Park cyclocross race held earlier this year (when there was no snow on the ground). [Source]

In his Random Camera blog, Mark O’Brien reviews the book “Historic Photos of Ann Arbor,” with captions by Alice Goff and Megan Cooney of UM’s Bentley Historical Library: “Anyone with an interest in the history of Ann Arbor will like this book, and the breadth of the photographs really shows the history of the town. Many readers will appreciate the architecture that’s long gone (and some still standing), as well as seeing how much has changed over the years. Today, we talk about buying ‘local,’ but as you will see in the photographs, local manufacturing and agriculture was a given state of affairs before 1940.” [Source]

CNN Money reports on the latest UM consumer sentiment index, which marked an unexpected increase. “The surprise increase could allay some of the market’s fears that consumer spending, which makes up the bulk of the nation’s economic activity, will remain weak in the months ahead.” [Source]

Steve Jencks writes on his blog about a visit to Hollander’s, a specialty paper shop in Kerrytown: “Each piece of paper is intricately unique and begs to be felt and examined closely. The vibrancy of colors and pigments in combination with texture are a more visceral experience that we’re continuing to lose upon each generation after us and that experience can’t be recreated in a design program.” [Source]

UM economist Don Grimes is interviewed for a segment of Marketplace, which airs on public radio: “It doesn’t give me any pleasure in saying this, but you have to have labor costs that match up with your competitors. That’s the end of the story.” [Source]

The Toronto Globe & Mail reports on the impact of U.S. union concessions and auto industry restructuring on the Canadian Auto Workers union, and quotes Sean McAlinden, chief economist for the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research: “The bondholders are going to say: ‘Why should we swap debt for equity, unless we see a really rich, big union concession in Canada and the United States?’” [Source]

On Sunday night we enjoyed the fellowship of new friends over latkes and matzo ball soup and enjoyed the lighting of the menorah on the first night of Hanukkah. It was a delight to be included in the celebration of another household’s tradition, even if it’s not a part of our own. We reciprocate by sharing one of our household traditions this time of year. Video after the jump.
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EMUtalk.org posts a letter from Howard Bunsis, outgoing president of the Eastern Michigan University chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The letter deals with budget issues, including the cost of hiring a new football coach: “The total marginal cost of hiring the new coach is obviously very significant, and this marginal cost is much higher than the savings realized from canceling the searches of 13 faculty members (which is about $500,000). Maybe our motto should be Education First and Ten, not Education First.” [Source]

On Lit Soup, literary agent Jenny Rappaport speculates about the future of Ann Arbor-based Borders Group, and what it might mean to the publishing industry. [Source]

Nancy Biehn, owner of Sweet Gem Confections, makes pear puree with pink peppercorn truffles. Her business is in a section of Morgan & York's store on Packard Road.

So you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet? Here are three stops you can make – hitting four locally owned businesses – to help wrap up your 2008 gift-giving list.

Sweet Gem Confections, Morgan & York

When The Chronicle dropped by the Sweet Gem Confections kitchen recently, owner Nancy Biehn had covered her working table with an army of truffles, lined up like they were ready to march into someone’s mouth – which, eventually, they were. At any given time, Biehn makes about 16 different types of these chocolate bites of decadence, including seasonal flavors like eggnog and chestnut rum for the holidays.

She sells these chocolates at Morgan & York – her business is tucked into the corner of that Packard Road store – or you can order online. They’re also available at Arbor Farms and Zingerman’s Next Door. [Full Story]

Jay Nordlinger, senior editor of the National Review, writes: “One reason I became a conservative, many years ago, is that the Left in my hometown – Ann Arbor, Mich. – insisted on politicizing everything. There was never any respite from politics. There was no ‘safe zone.’ Politics was infused into everything – and it was one kind of politics, of course: Left. This sort of ‘creeped me out,’ to use a modern expression.” [Source]

The Freep looks at Michigan’s economic future in the wake of federal loans to the auto industry and quotes Doug Rothwell, an Ann Arbor area resident and CEO of the leadership group Detroit Renaissance: ”The culture is the thing we’ve got to deal with the most, and that’s the toughest to deal with,” including attitudes toward education, race and geographic boundaries. “That’s the stuff we’ve got to work through and get through if we’re going to be competitive in the future.” [Source]

A Bloomberg News analysis of Ford Motor Co.’s management quotes Gerald Meyers, a UM professor and former CEO of American Motors Corp.: “The family is in a position to second-guess everything. You always have to think of it in terms of what will the Fords think. Anytime you have the possibility of being second-guessed, you come to be over cautious.” [Source]

Temperatures at 3°F with winds out of the WSW put Accuweather’s RealFeel® at minus 26°F on Sunday afternoon. We headed out across the city to monitor the hills at Huron Hills Golf Course for any sledding action. Status: two pods of sledders, both decidedly international in flavor. Countries of origin that were represented included Israel, China, and El Salvador. Photos after the jump. [Full Story]

SubRosa Cafe posts a brief review of Godaiko, a Japanese restaurant in Pittsfield Township: “I haven’t been here in a couple of years and the new single malt scotch bar is a nice touch just to the right as you walk in. Featuring hardwood floors and a minimalist decor, this restaurant is an excellent place to satisfy your Sushi or Sashimi cravings.” [Source]

The Into the Woods and Elsewhere blog describes and posts photos of Saturday’s Ann Arbor Christmas Bird Count: “I arrived at my owling spot at about 5:15 am and began calling for Screech Owls. My first response did not come until about 5:45 am and, by this time, my toes were already frozen.” [Source]

Freep business reporter Katherine Yung writes updates about two local startups – Boomdash of Ann Arbor and RealKidz of Ypsilanti – that the paper is following in a series on how these companies are growing their businesses. Says Merrill Guerra of RealKidz, ”Looking back at the year, it’s kind of amazing I survived as long as I have. All along from the beginning, there’s been a force greater than me keeping this business from dying.” [Source] [Source]

The shop was located in a poorly maintained old brick building on Chicago’s south side. It housed the typical uneven dusty shelves overloaded with books that spilled over into various small alcoves.

To an antiquarian book collector it was the perfect spot, much like a trout fisherman finding just the right pool on a bedrock bottom of the North Fork. I asked the store owner the location of books on early American History published prior to 1900. She tried to appear interested in helping me but she wasn’t. Her gig was first edition modern literature and her brain cells were filled with Margaret Atwood. [Full Story]

The Trusty Getto riffs on reports that some Ann Arbor councilmembers, including Stephen Rapundalo, want to consider a city income tax: “Well, if Mr. Rapundalo takes a good, long hard look at how Ypsi’s city income tax went over, he may realize that the back end of that look may be as a citizen rather than as a city councilman. Here in Ypsi, shortly after ‘taking a look’ at a proposed city income tax, the anti-income tax candidates and incumbents swept in our elections last November after winning their respective primaries against pro-taxers.” [Source]

Friends of Six Degrees, an Ann Arbor-based “experimental alternative exchange group,” posts a few links to other local barter/exchange resources. [Source]

Susan Pollay rehearses for Sunday evening's show at Performance Network. Her roles are Speaker #12 and Speaker #6. In real life, her role is executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.

They aren’t bound for Broadway – with roles like “Man with a Monstrous Chin” and “Laundress Vicky” – but on Saturday morning about a dozen folks from the community joined professional actors at Performance Network Theatre to rehearse for a benefit show of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” to be performed Sunday night, Dec. 21.

The script is a new adaptation by David Wolber and Joseph Zettelmaier, and is directed by Wolber. It is a “staged concert reading,” meaning that the cast will read from scripts during the performance. The show, a benefit for the nonprofit theater group, begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

The Chronicle dropped by to catch a few minutes of the rehearsal, which started at 9 a.m. We got there at the end of Act I, just as WUOM’s Charity Nebbe was breaking up with Scrooge, played by PN regular John Seibert. (She was gentle about it.)

Here are a few photos from the morning’s theatrical workout. [Full Story]

The Detroit News reports on how retailers are trying to attract people who use their cell phones to shop. The article quotes David Fry, president of the e-commerce firm Fry Inc. in Ann Arbor: “The cell phone has really become a part of the whole ecosystem of commerce. If you’re looking to buy something, it’s a continual process of research. It’s like grazing.” [Source]