Archive for February, 2009

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

My family went to an art exhibit opening and reception last summer at Wailoa Art Center in Hawaii. Afterwards, my son – “Little Brother” – pouted all night because he saw me kissing the artist, “that man.” He cannot kiss me ever again, he says, and he rubs and rubs his skin with his shirt, to wipe off every last kiss that I give him.

I try to explain that, actually, I was kissed by the artist, that sometimes people kiss hello on the cheek just like others shake hands. But he will have none of it. This is not the first time we have had this conversation, but what am I supposed to do? The artist, the man in question, is over 80 years old! That is a really funny (and completely irrelevant) distinction when you think about it from Little Brother’s point of view. He is four years old, and I am ten times his age; I would gain nothing by pointing out that the artist is (only) twice my age. So I explain that in Hawaii, it is part of the culture to hug and kiss hello, that even my parents now hug and kiss hello (although this took them a few years to get used to). [Full Story]

The Michigan Beer Buzz blog has a post about Jacob Grob, who opened Ypsilanti’s first brewery: “In 1861, Jacob left the brewery and moved to Ypsilanti. There he married Sophie Post. While Hermann’s Brewery became Wahl Brewery, Jacob went on to open his brewery named Grob. It was located according to ”Brewed in Detroit” at his home on 4 Forest Avenue near the west end of the bridge. By 1864 he built the first ice house in Ypsilanti. In 1870, his home became both a brewery and a saloon (much like Rob is doing in his garage). The difference: Jacob made money doing it.” [Source]

In a Feb. 11 article about the state Court of Appeals ruling on a lawsuit against Washtenaw County, we incorrectly stated that the appeals court had reversed a lower court decision regarding an Open Meetings Act technical violation. Rather, the appeals court indicated that because the county later re-enacted decisions that took place during the meeting that technically violated the Open Meetings Act, “any issue pertaining to the existence of a violation of the act was rendered moot.” We note the error here, and have corrected it in the original article.

An article in the Miller-McCune magazine looks at how the housing crisis is affecting older suburbs, which some say are becoming America’s new slums. The article quotes Christopher B. Leinberger, a UM land-use expert: ”Americans are disillusioned with sprawl, they’re tired of driving, they recognize the soullessness of suburban life, and yet we keep on adding more suburban communities. People identify with Sex and the City and Seinfeld. So why are we still building like Leave it to Beaver?” [Source]

Robin Agnew

[Editor's note: Robin Agnew and her husband Jamie own Aunt Agatha's mystery bookstore in Ann Arbor.  She also helps run the annual Kerrytown BookFest, along with eight other book lovers. Versions of these book reviews first appeared in her store's newsletter.]

“A Rule Against Murder,” by Louise Penny (Minotaur Books, $24.95)

This may be the most traditional of Canadian writer Louise Penny’s now four novels, though she has been labeled from the beginning as a “traditional” mystery writer. And indeed, she does write in the same tradition that Margery Allingham, Josephine Tey and Agatha Christie were following (and helped create), but she has managed to make this old form her own. She has an exceptional gift with prose, and the character development she brings to her writing is very modern. In each book, Penny has manages to slightly change up her formula to make each story feel fresh, and this one is no exception. [Full Story]

The Washtenaw Wanderers Volkssporting Club posts info about the Walk Among the Urban Fairies, Dragons & Trolls of Ann Arbor, set for April 5. Among safety concerns cited: “Safety goggles are suggested for those seeking to catch or touch the fairies. Please do not feed the fairies chocolate. Everybody knows what can happen when fairies are on chocolate.” [Source]

Forbes magazine has ranked Ann Arbor as the top college sports town: ”The University of Michigan is most famous for its football team, the Wolverines, who play in the packed confines of the Big House, a stadium that holds 106,201 fans. Of course, with the way the Wolverines played this past season (their record was 3-9), it’s surprising that many people flocked to the stadium every Saturday. Loyalty might explain it, though maybe it’s just fans’ motivation to visit Ann Arbor before and after the football game. Who can blame them? The small city of 114,000 boasts top-flight restaurants and bars, a symphony and ballet, as well as museums and concert halls hosting national-level entertainment.” [Source]

The Freep reports that the Humane Society of Huron Valley is attempting to save 10 feral cats, part of a colony of cats that were previously cared for by an Ypsilanti couple. The nonprofit was able to place the other cats in homes, but the remaining 10 “have lived their entire lives on the same property and relocation is not a viable option. They may be put to death because the real estate agent who oversees the property wants them gone.” [Source]

That stick is no ordinary ruler. It's called a Biltmore stick, and has a scale that allows the user to sight the outside limits of a tree's diameter from a single point of view.

On Thursday near 7th and Madison streets, The Chronicle noticed a guy wearing a bright yellow vest with electronic gear and some sort of measuring stick. We had a pretty good idea what it was about, having recently reported on city council’s approval of a $243,500 contract with Davey Resource Group for a GIS-based inventory of trees in the public right-of-way as well as in parks.

Marcia Higgins, one of two councilmembers for Ward 4, had cast the lone vote against the contract, and had explained at Sunday night caucus two weeks later that she would prefer to see the money for the project, which is coming out of the storm water fund, spent directly on storm water.  She also wondered if the work could be completed more cost-effectively as a Boy Scout service project.

It’s not Boy Scouts who are doing the work, but rather four guys from Davey Resource Group.  One of them is Wes, the guy in the yellow vest, who chatted with us as he took down a couple of trees’ vital statistics: height, trunk diameter, type (genus and species), condition, and location. [Full Story]

On MichiganLiberal.com, Tom Choske praises state Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith, a Democrat from Salem Township whose district covers the eastern part of Washtenaw County: “I was personally very heartened to hear that Rep. Alma Smith was going to run for governor again. Having worked with and met her several times in Lansing, I know that she has all the characteristics that our state needs in a leader going into the coming decade. Her experience, political acumen, and fortitude make her a great candidate and would also make her a fine governor.” [Source]

Back in February of 2000, Derrick Story marked the 10-year anniversary of Adobe’s Photoshop by tracing its development history, starting in an Ann Arbor basement.  Created about twenty years ago by Thomas and John Knoll, Photoshop has come a long way since Thomas gave himself six months to finish a beta version of ImagePro.  Story chronicles the setbacks, tough decisions, and rejection suffered by the Knoll brothers before Photoshop 1.0 was finally shipped by Adobe in February 1990.  [Source]

With a spot in the NCAA Tournament on the line and a daunting schedule of challenging games ahead, even the avid fans of UHoops, an unofficial Michigan basketball blog, are dismayed: “At this point it looks like Michigan probably needs a 4-game winning streak.” This diminished enthusiasm set in after Tuesday night’s 54-42 defeat at Crisler Arena by Michigan State. UHoops breaks down Tuesday’s loss, finding and suggesting remedies for the most devastating faults of the Wolverines’ game. [Source]

Katherine Talcott, the new part-time administrator for the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission, and commissioner Jim Curtis at Tuesday's meeting.

Public Art Commission (Feb. 10, 2009): With two new commissioners and a newly-hired administrator on board, the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission spent a good portion of Tuesday night’s monthly meeting discussing the need to  communicate better with the public and to educate them about the value of public art in Ann Arbor. That issue was in response to a Feb. 3 Ann Arbor News article – and the comments posted after it by eight readers – about the commission’s decision to enlist German artist Herbert Dreiseitl to design a waterscape installation at the police-court building, which will begin construction in April. The comments from News readers weren’t exactly supportive of that choice, or of the $72,000 that Dreiseitl is requesting for his initial design work, which represents about 10% of the potential $700,000 total price tag. [Full Story]

Bloomberg News reports U.S. foreclosures topped 250,000 for the 10th straight month in January, and looks at strategies to address the problem. The article quotes Robert Van Order, a UM adjunct professor of finance and former chief economist at Freddie Mac: ”Workout programs can help some people who intend to stay in the house, but the big problem is people who don’t want to carry an underwater house. Negative equity is not going away soon.” [Source]

For readers following the Red Hot Lovers story (a local hot dot eatery that did not re-open after winter break), The Michigan Daily offers news of interest: if RHL opens back up for business, possibly in the fall, it will be at a different location. [Source]

Wednesday’s administrative briefing for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners was indeed brief, and its agenda didn’t contain the day’s biggest news: A state Court of Appeals ruling giving the county a legal victory, possibly marking the end of a years-long dispute with three townships – Ypsilanti, Salem and Augusta – over the cost of sheriff deputy patrols.

“The court completely vindicated the county’s position,” commissioner Jeff Irwin said after Wednesday’s meeting. [Full Story]

Don Hicks

February 12, 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, British naturalist and author of a pretty famous book, “On the Origin of Species,” published when Darwin was 50.

In cities around the country and the world, groups of likeminded people will come together in dark wooden bars, buzzing coffee houses, and swanky little wine bars to celebrate Darwin Day. They will toast Charles Darwin, bemoan the state of science and reason around the world, and toast the Brit who first published the dangerous ideas of evolution and natural selection: Patrick Matthew. [Full Story]

AATA's manager of community relations, Mary Stasiak, talks with a frequent passenger on route No. 2.

On Tuesday afternoon, representatives of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority were on hand at the downtown branch of the Ann Arbor District Library to meet with members of the public to talk about a proposed fare increase. The AATA board will likely consider the proposal at its March 18 meeting. If passed by the AATA board, the first phase of the two-phase plan would take effect in May 2009, raising the basic fare from $1 to $1.25.  In May 2010, it would climb another 25 cents to $1.50 [details on the proposed fare increases].

The lower level multipurpose room at the library can accommodate more than a hundred people, but in the course of the two-hour meeting, only around ten members of the public stopped by – some arriving well after the meeting started, and some leaving somewhere in the middle. In that regard, the meeting was like a public bus: it left the station at its scheduled time with some passengers, took additional riders on board along the way, and let some of them off before the route was finished. But one could ask the same question about the meeting that is frequently asked about the bus system: Why does the AATA run some buses that appear to be mostly empty? [Full Story]

Dianne Marsh reports on Monday’s Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup, an event organized by Dug Song that drew about 120 people and highlighted five local tech firms. “StartupDrinks at Bar Louie followed the event, where conversations continued. I’m already looking forward to the next event, which will be in a different format. March 26 will be Ann Arbor Tech Cocktail #1 at 7 pm.” [Source]

Four TV stations in Michigan, including WPXD Channel 31 in Ann Arbor, will be ending their analog broadcasts on Feb.17, despite the federal government’s extension of its deadline for the switch over to a digital format nationwide, according to an AP report in the Freep. The Detroit stations affiliated with major TV networks will make the switch on June 12. [Source]

This week’s crime bulletin from the Ann Arbor Police Department (a PDF file) contains four items: home invasion on the 700 block of South State (suspect arrested); armed robbery at the Gamestop store on the 800 block of W. Eisenhower (suspects arrested); prowling on the 600 block of Hidden Valley (suspect arrested) and breaking & entering in the Macy’s vestibule at Briarwood Mall. [Source]

A researcher with University of Michigan Health System has found the sweeter side of Valentine’s Day indulgences. While the day is known to make or break the emotional state of the heart, Steven F. Bolling, M.D has found a physical effect of some treats typical of the day. UMHS News Service describes the results of Bolling’s study: “There are components in tart cherries, grapes and wine that can lower blood pressure and protect heart muscle. And a glass wine and massage can do wonders for lowering stress and anxiety.” [Source]

Cory Dubrish, who rides for the University of Michigan cycling team, taps out a terrific rhythm on the pedals at the roller races at the Blind Pig on Monday night. He had the pedals ticking over at better than 200 rpm for a second-place finish overall.

Do you like your bicycling excitement measured out in 20-second doses? On Monday night, The Blind Pig on First Street played host to 500-meter bicycle races – sprinted out on stationary rollers lined up across the stage. Winners of the two divisions (men’s and women’s) took home $50 gift certificates from Ann Arbor Cyclery.

The event attracted around 50 participants, among them Jon Royal, who pedaled to The Pig from South Lyon just to take part. As a trailing spouse, he moved there recently from Milwaukee, where he was a bicycle messenger.

On Monday, Royal was looking forward to paying the entry fee of $1 for folks in his line of work – which was a discount from the $5 charged to non-messengers. He was prepared to show race organizers his tag book (the notebook where he kept a record of his calls for pickups and deliveries) in the event there was any question. [Full Story]