Bloomberg News quotes several local sources for a piece on the challenges facing Detroit. June Thomas, a UM professor of urban and regional planning, says the city has to shrink to match its population size, but notes that there’s no vision for how to accomplish this. Ann Arbor developer Fred Beal, who’s planning to do a $50 million conversion of the vacant 34-story David Broderick Tower, asks: “How do you downsize to the right level when there doesn’t seem to be a bottom?” [Source]
Santa reads "Twas The Night Before Christmas" to a slightly restless audience.
“Who wants to see Santa?” Lucy Ann Lance called out to the kids who packed the sanctuary at Bethlehem United Church of Christ on Saturday.
“Me!” came the shouts, as tiny hands waved in the air. “I do! I do!”
A few minutes later they got their wish, as the crowd sang “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” – and in walked the merry old man himself.
This was the 14th year that the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has held a holiday sing-along, but perhaps the first time for some of the tots in the audience who were not yet walking. For those a bit older, the appearance of Santa – who looked a little like Charley Sullivan, the A2SO’s former education coordinator – was definitely the highlight. [Full Story]
Pat Cody looks a bit cold working on the drilling rig in the Pioneer High School field diagonally across from Michigan Stadium.
When Steve Bean filed a Stopped. Watched. item reporting a drilling rig putting holes in the Pioneer High School lawn, The Chronicle sprang into action. We figured we already knew what it was about: a project to improve the water quality of the Allen Creek watershed, which the Ann Arbor city council had approved at its Nov. 17 meeting. Just the same, the possibility of a giant drill in action is hard to resist.
Bean’s description was dead-on. … [Full Story]
Science News reports on three genomic studies that show a link between a lack of sleep and Type 2 diabetes. Says Gonçalo Abecasis, a UM professor and coauthor of one of the studies: “Sleep disrupts the circadian clock, and the melatonin receptor disrupts the circadian clock. These are two different ways to interrupt the clock, but both lead to the same endpoint of diabetes.” [Source]
Two security people, one on each side of a soda spill in the middle of the concourse, “guarding” it waiting for the guy with the mop cart to arrive.
Snowman waiting for the bus on the East side of Maple.
5:30 AM in the complete darkness on a freezing Sunday morning, a Republic Parking worker working to shovel the open parking lot–with both snowplow AND, later, using a hand shovel around the edges.
Driver loses control in the very slippery Maple Rd roundabouts and almost takes out a yield sign.
Kristin Judge and Wes Prater take the oath of office for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners at Wednesday's board meeting. The image on Prater's tie is a Christmas tree.
At its last meeting of 2008 and before adjourning to a post-meeting year-end gathering at Argiero’s, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners swore in two new members, got word that the state is cutting back on winter road-clearing funds, heard from the newly elected sheriff on plans to reorganize his department, debated the police services contract and discussed how information was handled regarding an upcoming article in the Ann Arbor Observer. And everyone got a bottle of Calder Diary eggnog to boot – more on that later. [Full Story]
The Detroit News reports on how Indians and Pakistanis living in Michigan are responding to the attacks in Mumbai. The article notes that 654 Indians and 42 Pakistanis are enrolled at UM’s Ann Arbor campus, and it quotes UM student Ankit Vora, a Pakistani who is roommates with two other Pakistanis and an Indian: ”I had never met a Pakistani before I met this group, but we share the same culture. It’s pointless to blame the attacks on an entire group of people.” [Source]
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire at Downtown Home & Garden.
carollers in costume on the steps of the kerrytown shops.
The city of Ann Arbor’s automatic email notification service announced the expansion of Video on Demand to government meetings. It is now possible to get access to council meetings, environmental commission, etc. over the web, whenever you like. [Source]
On Garret Scott’s Flickr account, he posts a pamphlet with an interesting connection to the history of Ypsilanti’s water. It’s very special water. [Source]
Gentleman riding a Segway on sidewalk. No coat, no hat. Looked cold.
Med students selling Galen’s Tag Days tags.
Automatic sprinklers looking like geysers and making “snow” around the greens and sand traps. Simultaneously ridiculous and mesmerizing.
Truck with drilling rig putting some more holes in the Pioneer High School lawn. (They were there Wednesday, too.)
Wednesday’s noon meeting of the Downtown Development Authority board saw one transportation initiative move forward: funding for a fourth Zipcar for downtown was approved. A second resolution was returned to the transportation committee: the board was not ready to approve an increase from $50,000 to $160,000 for its share of a north-south connector study.
Also on the agenda was an amendment to a parking agreement between the city, the DDA, and Village Green, which is developing the City Apartments project on the southeast corner of First and Washington. Even though the resolution was passed, Jon Frank, VP of development for Village Green, didn’t get the language he needed in the resolution, which means that City Apartments project will require some additional back and forth before the final Ts are crossed.
Among other news, in verbal summaries of various committee reports, came word from operations committee chair Roger Hewitt that the pilot valet parking program will begin on Dec. 15 at the Maynard Street structure. [Full Story]
Detroit News columnist Daniel Howes writes about a new study by Detroit Renaissance, which looks at the competitiveness of Michigan compared to other states. Detroit Renaissance is pushing for structural reform at the state level, but is finding lawmakers unresponsive. Howes quotes Detroit Renaissance chair David Brandon, who’s also CEO of Domino’s Pizza in Ann Arbor: “Nothing has happened. They’re not getting in the room and addressing the problem. Nobody wants to go do the hard work because they know it’s going to be painful – bold, painful change.” [Source]
Student leaving the Coliseum building leaps on friend’s car hood, moons the occupants (and passersby), leaps off and strolls away.
Caesar Gonzales, on his blog Artist Scientist, posts the sketch he drew on a recent visit to UM’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens: “I am not sure why, but I am always drawn to the most complicated objects. I purposefully took my small sketch pad because I knew I would have only a little bit of time, but I still chose to draw the Banyan Fig. It took me FOREVER even though I rushed through it. Maybe next time I will draw a good old fashioned leaf.” [Source]
Mary Morgan gives a talk on the Chronicle, journalism, the industry, and free-lancing to Grace Shackman’s Last Thursday writers’ group. Not enough seats at the table.
Sign on Le Dog on Liberty Street says it will be open for dinner tomorrow night during Midnight Madness.
Memory from last night: Zipcar driver headed east on Fuller in left turn lane to Maiden Lane needs tap on the horn from UPS truck to move on green light.
A very cold-looking Martin Bandyke from 107.1 at a table outside of Busch’s, doing the Rockin’ for the Hungry fundraiser for Food Gatherers.
Dick Ryan recalls President Ford's response to a proposed bailout of New York city.
“I’ve never seen reporters so excited as when they’re talking about their Twitters,” remarked Gil Klein, moderator of a panel discussion Wednesday night at the Gerald R. Ford Library in Ann Arbor. The discussion was part of a nationwide tour of similar events hosted by the National Press Club as a part of the organization’s 100th anniversary. Klein, director of the National Press Club’s Centennial Forums, mentioned the micro-blogging platform Twitter in the current context of the tremendous period of innovation in the field of journalism.
But the consensus among panelists … [Full Story]
A selection of books from West Side Book Shop. This first American edition of "Moby Dick" (the green book, next to its blue leather case) is priced at $45,000.
This month, The Chronicle is highlighting Ann Arbor area businesses where you might find just what you need for people on your holiday gift-giving list. Our reports are meant as a sampling, and we urge readers and business owners to add their own favorite spots in the comments section.
Today, we take a look at some of the local shops that sell rare and used books.
West Side Book Shop
Many of the items in this shop are older than the building at 113 W. Liberty, a structure from the 1880s where West Side Book Shop is housed. Collectors regularly visit, but proprietor Jay Platt and Doug Price – who sells vintage maps and photographs in the store – have worked to make this a top-to-bottom bookshop. Their selection is aimed to appeal to even the most casual used-book buyer. [Full Story]
In an op/ed piece published in the Freep, UM law professor Vivek Sankaran argues that Michigan’s foster care system needs reform. He’s writing in response to a Freep article about the Christ Child House, an orphanage in Detroit: “Here’s the bottom line. The children at Christ Child House do not need to be there. If the system made every reasonable effort to reunify them with their parents or place them with extended family prior to terminating those relationships, a substantial number of them would be living with loving families, not in an orphanage.” [Source]
