Good News for the New Year

Three articles today in the Detroit News were a welcome change of pace from the mostly bad news that this state has generated over the past year.

1) I like that the newly appointed head of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. has the experience of watching a once dominant company/industry buckle and eventually collapse under pressure from competitive forces. The Michigan auto industry might not completely collapse, but I think that it's safe to say that it won't be what we know today. I hope that Epolito is right when he says that the "economic revival" is beginning. A good start...business tax reform, 21st century jobs fund, and education reform.

2) It looks like Kwame Kilpatrick is really reaching out to area leaders to address a lot of the problems that plague Detroit. This isn't the first article I've read since the election that has praised Kilpatrick with bringing in outside help and mending fences. Let's hope that this collaborative appoarch of the Kilpatrick administration continues. It's also good to know that the election talks of Detroit falling into receivership sometime in December seem to have been exaggerated.

3) The more I read about Jennifer Granholm, the happier I am that she's our governor during this time. I think that she has a really good grasp on what needs to be done in Michigan to adapt to globalization and eventually prosper from it. I hope that people in Michigan understand that she's right when she says, "It wouldn't have mattered who was sitting in this chair. The voters of Michigan are not stupid. They know globalization and outsourcing of jobs is not something a governor is going to stop."

These three articles really helped put me more at ease with Michigan's leadership. And if everything still goes to shit the next two years, at least we still have Chauncy Billups, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, George Blaha, and Mason. Ball don't lie!

Campus Martius Park

Campus Martius Park was just ranked as the 4th best public square in the US and Canada. And it's only been open for a year! They also have this great article on the park. I would definitely agree that one of the "key successes" of Campus Martius, and why I enjoy just sitting down there and watching the activity, is the diversity of the visitors. People from the suburbs to people living on Detroit's streets, everyone just hangs out and enjoys the city. It'll only get more popular in the coming months with the Super Bowl and Winter Blast attracting people downtown and One Kennedy Square building opening in the spring.

Where college students live: How safe is it?

Definitely unsafe. My house on State Street had burning, unattended candles, couches next to a propane tank on the porch, and no fire extinguisher. When my winter coat caught on fire, we were lucky enough to fill up a pot of water quick enough to put out the growing flames. We were smart enough to be aware of these obvious hazards, but dumb enough to ignore and laugh at them. Stupidity.

Check out the graphic on the side of the article. I'm pretty sure we violated at least seven of the eleven tips they have on staying safe. My favorite was the tenth comment on space heaters. "Remove unattended space heaters. And keep things that burn at least three feet away." Holmes!

Detroit Bloggers

Bloggers in Metro Detroit! Where is Girl in the D? Check out the Snowsuit Effort that's featured in the article...it's really cool.

Natural Capitalism

Cool article. And it turns out that business school students have a soul after all.

I wonder what it takes to get a platinum rating. I was really impressed with the DANA Building when I had a class there last semester, but now I want to check out a platinum rated building. Look at RMI's headquarters...they grow bananas in the Rockies!

Detroit Myths

If you take the time to discover its gems, Detroit is a city rife with history, flaws, quirks, grit and irresistible charm. And it’s far more interesting than the easy-to-find answers of other, more cookie-cutter, albeit more “livable,” cities and suburbs.

My thoughts exactly. I can't begin to explain how well this summarizes my recent experiences exploring Detroit. Model D again succeeds at providing interesting, educational, and positive articles about Detroit and its hidden gems.

Motown Winter Blast

I can't wait for the Super Bowl week in Detroit, and specifically this year's Motown Winter Blast. I loved seeing Detroit during the MLB All Star Game and the Jazz Festival because the events let me imagine what Detroit could be rather than dwell on what it is not. Since the Campus Martius Rink opened in November there's noticeably more people downtown which is always good to see, and the Winter Blast will pack the streets with people willing to travel downtown to enjoy the city. You can't help but get excited when you see families roaming the streets, ice skating, and shopping. I think I might go everyday to breathe it all in.

Once again, reading about the people behind the Blast's preparations, I'm impressed with their work and dedication. I know that running Detroit is hard to compare with organizing a relatively small, four day event, but why can't we have some of this talent and success run the city!?

Super Bowl XL

As the Super Bowl gets closer, more articles are appearing in the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News talking about the preparations. What's been done, what still has to be done, and what won't be finished. This article was in the Free Press today, talking about the committee reaching out to the media to cast Detroit in the most positive light. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like it'll work much, but I like to hear that they are at least being proactive in developing the media's positive perceptions.

So far, all of the articles I've read say that people have been very impressed with the host committee and the committee's preparations. They seem to be a competent, talented group that's done a really good job to date. I wish they were in charge of the city rather than the Super Bowl. Detroit could use some competent, talented people in city hall.

Sundance Film Festival

My brother told me about this article on the programming department of the Sundance Film Festival. His boss is John Cooper, the director of programming who's featured in the article, and Matt is one of the people that help screen the films that come in. Sounds like a cool job, huh?

Boys of Baraka

After reading about Boys of Baraka in the New York Times sometime in August, I went and saw it when the movie screened at the Detroit Documentary Film Festival. I guess it's playing in New York now, but keep an eye out for it in your city because it's well worth seeing. The girl who made it is from Detroit too!