New Media Watch Section

Writing on his SPEAK \aut\ blog, Keith Orr – co-owner of the \aut\ BAR and Common Language Bookstore in Ann Arbor – reports on the Jan. 18 rally in Lansing to protest the recent passage of a ban on domestic partnership benefits for certain public employees, and of “the general atmosphere of intolerance in Lansing.” He argues that to make an impact, more people need to get involved : “I probably personally recognized 75% of the [250-300] people at this rally. I recognized folks from Equality Michigan, Affirmations, Jim Toy Community Center, and the ACLU. I recognized folks from the Prop 2 campaign. And it was warm and fuzzy…like a family reunion. So it felt very real chanting ‘Gay Families Matter’. … [Full Story]

A feature in the online magazine Concentrate looks at efforts to form a Washtenaw County “food hub” that would “coordinate food production, farmer services, food distribution, agricultural training, and community engagement to foster a favorable environment for local farming.” Richard Andres of Tantré Farm recently purchased an Ann Arbor Township farm that he hopes to develop as the hub: “I’m interested in seeing a continued vertical integration of what it is that we grow and partnering with other small farms to add value to our crops and make them more accessible to the Ann Arbor market – whether it’s families, retail customers, wholesale customers, and potentially institutional buyers such as school systems, hospitals, universities.” [Source]

Under the heading “THIS is what Democracy looks like!” photographer Anne Savage posts a series of images from the Jan. 16 rally and march on Gov. Rick Snyder’s home in a gated community off of Geddes Road, protesting the state’s emergency manager law. [Source] Separately, a video posted on YouTube captures a section of the march along Geddes. [Source] And Mark Maynard posts two descriptions of the rally and march sent to him by Abby Coykendall and Georgina Susan, who writes: “It was a fine group of folks. Veterans of Benton Harbor protests were there, as were people from the tri-cities. High school kids were there with their teachers. UM students made a good showing as well. All … [Full Story]

On his 8frame blog, Pierre Wickramarachi posts a photo essay of Eat, a restaurant that owners Helen Harding and Blake Reetz recently opened on Packard: “You may have tried them at Mark’s carts this year where they served delicious seasonal and local food. Now Helen and Blake offer fabulous catering for weddings as well as carry-out. Their name is simple and right to the point. It is all about making amazing good food and truly enjoy eating it.” [Source]

The Ann Arbor-based Center for Michigan Bridge Magazine continues its series on the cost of higher education in Michigan with a report on debt that students incur while attending public universities in this state. A chart accompanying the report shows that the average debt for 2010 graduates from Eastern Michigan University was $23,669 and that 63% of graduates incurred debt. For the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus, the average debt for 2010 graduates was $27,828. At UM, 46% of students in 2010 graduated with debt. [Source]

Mark’s Carts, the outdoor food cart plaza at 211 W. Washington, is accepting applications for food cart vendors for the 2012 season, from April 1 through Oct. 31. To be considered in the first selection round, the deadline for submitting application materials is Feb. 15. An application form and license agreement can be downloaded from the Mark’s Carts website. A total of eight carts will be selected – the six carts operating at the end of the 2011 season are expected to return. According to a press release, “New carts will be selected based on the strength of their business plans and food concepts, plus how well their menus complement those of other carts.” [Source]

As part of her constituent newsletter, Ward 1 city councilmember Sabra Briere has released what she considers the top 10 Ann Arbor city council acts of 2011. Topping the list is … approval of the annual budget. At the end of the list, Briere also includes her stance on each of the items. [.pdf of Briere's Top 10]

Michigan Peaceworks, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit focused on peace activism, closed its doors on Dec. 31. A note from director Jennifer Chapin-Smith was posted on the group’s website in early December: “We have worked hard for peace and justice for 10 years; but declining donations in the ailing Michigan economy, as well as reduced levels of volunteerism, have made it impossible for us to sustain the organization. We have begun the process of informing the state of Michigan and the IRS that we will no longer be a 501c3 nonprofit as of January 1, 2012.” A closing party is set for Sunday, Jan. 29 at Arbor Brewing Co. from 4-7 p.m. [Source]

The date has been set for the 2012 Water Hill Music Fest: Sunday, May 6 from 2-6 p.m., with a rain date on May 13. On the festival’s website, organizers Paul & Claire Tinkerhess write: “Expectations for this year’s festival are high after the inaugural event in May of 2011 attracted thousands of visitors. All Water Hill residents are invited to perform on their front porches during this unique neighborhood celebration.” [Source]

The city of Ann Arbor’s new snow plow tracking user interface for the Internet was up and running on Jan. 1 and showed five trucks out spreading salt/sand mixture at least from 8 p.m. past midnight. Features of the user interface include mouseover info for vehicle icons [screenshot], various zoom levels [screenshot], and  status of vehicle conveyed through icon (e.g., ignition off at Wheeler Service Center re-loading salt/sand) [screenshot] [Source]

Zach London, an Ann Arbor resident and UM neurologist, posts the latest installment of his blog, The Hard Taco Digest. The entry reflects on an incident in a renal pathophysiology course in medical school: ”We heard rumors from the class ahead of us, rumors which filled us with wonder and fear. The students, they told us, would be divided into four groups: beer, Pepsi, water, and broth. We would be obligated to drink as much of the assigned beverage as we could endure, collect our urine, and run tests on it. Through this, we would learn about how the human kidney handles alcohol, caffeine, and salt. Also, we would get to see what our classmates’ pee looked like, so there was … [Full Story]

The Ann Arbor food blog Mother’s Kitchen posts a recipe for stuffed cabbage – a traditional New Year’s dish, for some: ”When I was a kid, I would eat mine ‘naked’ – I’d peel off the cooked cabbage, but I love cooked cabbage now. I’d recommend doing that still for kids or adults that don’t share the cooked cabbage love.” [Source]

The Penny Seats Theatre Company, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is how halfway to its $6,000 fundraising goal for the 2012 season, which is explained in more detail in a YouTube video. The group hopes to generate the remaining $3,000 before the end of 2011. Rewards for various levels of donations range from free tickets to performances and birthday serenades. [Source]

Eastern Michigan University’s video holiday card features scenes from campus while students, faculty and staff tell what they’re wishing for in 2012 – everything from academic success, good health, world peace, and the hope that the Mayans are wrong. [Source]

Sasha Y. Kimel has posted a set of photos from today’s (Dec. 15, 2011) University of Michigan board of regents meeting depicting the Occupy demonstration there, inside and out. [Source]

The city of Ann Arbor announced Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 13, that South State Street is now open, following the removal of the East Stadium bridge. [photo]

Common Cycle, an Ann Arbor nonprofit, announces on its blog that it’s competing for a $1,000 grant from GOODMaker to help fund a bicycle sharing project that would allow you to “check out” a bicycle from your local library. Common Cycle is encouraging people to vote online for their project. [Source]

A crime alert has been issued by the University of Michigan Dept. of Public Safety related to an unarmed robbery on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. on East University Avenue at Willard. ”A student was walking northbound on East University when she was approached by a male who was panhandling. He then grabbed her arm and demanded more money.” DPS described the suspect as a black male with medium complexion, in his late 20s to early 30s, 5’9″ to 6′, average build, close-cut hair and no facial hair, wearing light-colored sunglasses and a light-weight plaid shirt or jacket. Anyone with information on this incident should contact DPS at 734-763-1131 or dial 911. [Source]

Oprah.com lists the graphic novel “Feynmann,” by Ann Arbor’s Jim Ottaviani, on a list of “11 Books You Never Thought You’d Read (but Will Fall in Love with Instantly).” From the post: “This 248-page graphic bio will keep you entranced from start to finish, mostly because Ottaviani (writer) and [Leland] Myrick (illustrator) tell the very human story behind Feynman, who, it turns out, did everything from help create the atomic bomb to unearth the causes of the Challenger space shuttle disaster – all with a sense of humor so goofy and endearing that you can’t help falling in love with him.” [Source] In case you missed it, Ottaviani was also featured in a Teeter Talk interview in September. [Source]

Writing on her “View from the cube” blog, Lisa Rudgers – vice president for global communications at the University of Michigan – describes the class “22 Ways To Think About Food,” taught by LSA associate dean Phil Deloria: “As he spoke, Phil showed the next PowerPoint slide: a picture of a green field and a white bucket filled with strawberries. ‘When I was a kid, I picked strawberries in the summer to earn a few bucks. We’d fill six or seven buckets a day in between goofing around and throwing berries at one another. But I remember the migrant workers who slept in their cars, picking alongside us. They could pick 35 buckets a day, because that income was all … [Full Story]

A video clip posted on YouTube shows vintage footage of a marching band and football game, possibly shot at Michigan Stadium in the 1930s. A note with the video states: “Help us solve a mini-mystery. In converting some 16 mm home movies, we came across this snippet of what appears to be a Michigan football game. We think it may be from the mid to late 30s. Anybody want to disagree or try to pinpoint the exact year?” [Source]

The University of Michigan Health System posts a description about how their staff is handling the move to the new C.S. Mott Children’s and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospitals, from the old facility. The inpatient move is happening on Sunday, Dec. 4. ”The Move Playbook contains many other details, even the estimated time and distance between move points, to ensure all areas have the same level of support they normally would. The move leadership team meets in the command center early Sunday morning to begin the moving process. Pediatric patients will receive a move-day passport and a backpack as they embark on their journeys.” [Source]

A website has launched for the Ann Arbor Marathon, set for June 17, 2012. The marathon’s course hasn’t been finalized, but will “start on Main Street at the NW corner of the Big House running through downtown Ann Arbor with a finish on the 50 yard line of Elbel Field, after a great mile around Crisler Arena and The Big House.” Registration begins Jan. 1. The marathon is being organized Champions for Charity, which is best known for its Big House Big Heart event. [Source]

A series of videos recently posted on YouTube feature Ann Arbor musician David Menefee – in this one, he sings “The Christmas Song.” [Source]

A post on the Title IX Blog reports that the Ann Arbor Public Schools has reversed a decision to cut all freshman high school sports teams except for freshman football. Erin Buzuvis writes: “I recently learned via personal correspondence from someone connected to the matter, that someone filed complaint with OCR [Office for Civil Rights] to challenge the cuts, and that OCR commenced an investigation. I further learned that the complaint was eventually withdrawn upon assurances from the school district that it would not put that particular reduction plan in place.” [Source] Locally, the Ann Arbor Schools Musings blog has a post on the same issue. [Source]

Writing on his Speak \aut\ blog, Keith Orr – co-owner of the \aut\ Bar and Common Language Bookstore in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown – encourages people to “Buy Local” this holiday season. He describes the many locally owned business in his neighborhood, and mentions the names of their owners, too: “See…I have names to all these businesses. When you buy local you are supporting Alice and Vicki and Paul and more than one Mary, and so many others. And they support the community, and their employees are a part of the local community and the local economy. I feel like quoting the ‘Bank Run’ scene from ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’.” [Source]

On the blog for Davies House Inn & Cottage, proprietor Jan Davies McDermott posts her grandmother’s recipe for sweet potato casserole, just in time for Thanksgiving. Ingredients include dark brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream, and in a final note, McDermott writes: ”Innkeeper’s secret: put in a pie shell to bake and serve as dessert!” [Source]

On his Falling Off The Horse blog, Len Niehoff – the preacher-in-residence at the First United Methodist Church in Chelsea – posts some reflections on thanksgiving: ”On a pleasant weekend afternoon, with a cool breeze rustling through the leaves, the woods and fields taught me a lesson about being thankful for this life. But they taught me another lesson as well. They taught me to remember that God does most of His work out of sight; that underneath the leafy paths and the crazy clutter of fallen limbs God was making something beautiful and new; and that paths we have not encountered, through gates we cannot conceive, will someday lead us to places we cannot imagine.” [Source]

Two Ann Arbor restaurants were featured in recent posts on food blogs. The aut\ BAR was reviewed in CloverEats: “The Eggs Benedict came with little spiced parmesan potatoes, which had such a rich, cheesy flavor that complemented the eggs perfectly. The hollandaise sauce was creamy, warm, and so rich. Fred calls Aut Bat his favorite brunch restaurant in Ann Arbor, and I have to say that their food is certainly delicious!” [Source] And Wolverine Cuizine reviewed Frita Batidos: “The whole spirit and vibe of the Cuban culture inspired the style of the restaurant as well as many of the dishes and ingredients on the menu. However, Frita Batidos is more than just traditional Cuban cuisine. [Eve] Aronoff has put … [Full Story]

A nearly 5-minute video pays tribute to Jim Toy, marking the 40th anniversary of the University of Michigan’s Spectrum Center. Toy is a leader in the gay rights movement and an initial staff member of UM’s first office for LGBTA affairs, set up in the early 1970s. The video includes comments from Toy as well as from a range of community and UM leaders, talking about Toy’s impact. [Source]