In the News

Mary Sue Coleman among top 10 most popular university presidents

The Huffington Post Wednesday, October 31, 2012

While the students might have something different to say (or maybe not), the staff and faculties weigh in on university presidents and chancellors around the country.

Excerpt:

"Glassdoor asked employees the following question: Do you approve of the way your CEO (president/chancellor, in this case) is leading the company?

The result puts four of the top 10 sharing the No. 1 slot with a 100 percent approval rating, although Stanford's John L. Hennessy also had an employer rating of 4.0 and "very satisfied."

Read the rest here.

How public art makes economic sense

The Atlantic Cities Wednesday, October 24, 2012

With research from the Urban Land Institute backing it up, Dan Rosenfeld, a senior deputy for economic development for Los Angeles County's MTA makes the case that public art can have a positive bottom-line economic impact, particularly when it comes to transportation.

Excerpt:

"The intangible benefits of public art—aesthetic beauty, cultural interpretation, education, inspiration, and general improvement of the urban environment—are well-known. But because these are considered "soft" benefits, they are sometimes dismissed as a low priority, especially during challenging economic times. However, experiences in Los Angeles show that public art can be a source of publicity and cash income, as well as beauty."

Read the rest here.

Can Kickstarter double A2 sauerkraut production?

AnnArbor.com Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Sure Kickstarter is great for projects involving computer games, indie films, CD releases, graphic novels, and pop culture doo-dads. But what about fermented cabbage? David Klingenberger of Ann Arbor's The Brinery is hoping to raise enough funds to buy 12,000 pounds of locally grown cabbage, a bunch of barrels, and the staff to help him on his “40 Barrels in 40 Nights” project.

Excerpt:

"The Brinery, whose biggest customer is Zingerman’s Deli, is ready to double production, producing 40 more 55-gallon barrels of sauerkraut, Klingenberger said, as the local cabbage crop is nearing the end of its harvest time. He has 12,000 pounds of cabbage lined up from local farms. He also needs to purchase 40 plastic barrels, where the fermentation process takes places. And he needs to pay staff."

Read the rest here.

Going blue by train instead of car

Deadline Detroit Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Reporter and blogger Jeff Wattrick decides to travel from Royal Oak to Ann Arbor (a mere 52 miles) to take in the U-M vs MSU football game on Saturday. This is his story.

Excerpt:

"It’s certainly the less stressful choice. I might have gone full-on Michael Douglas in Falling Down trying to endure Michigan Stadium traffic. Seriously, traffic jams before and after the game were like a goddamned REM video. Instead of living out traffic hell scenarios from early 1990s entertainment, I sat on the train and watched an episode of The Wire on my iPad.

What’s more, if the planned Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line ever comes to fruition, the train to a Michigan game could be even more cost-effective. Compared to fares for the long-haul Amtrak, commuter rail is generally less expensive. The most expensive ride on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority commuter rail, for example, costs $11 and MBTA lines run with greater frequency."

Read the rest here.

$875K fellowship to U-M prof to study ice

The Detroit Free Press Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Greenland is hardly anyone's idea of a celebratory destination but that's where University of Michigan assistant professor Sarah Aciego is headed with her Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering award. Though far from paradise, it is a great place to study what melted ice water can reveal about global climate change.

Excerpt:

"Aciego is an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences in the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; and assistant professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences in the College of Engineering. Among the classes she teaches is an undergraduate class in geomorphology, the study of how glaciers, rivers and landslides have shaped the surface of the earth."

Read the rest here.

U-M offers student course that explains its own finances

The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Let's say you're a student at the University Of Michigan, and you're wondering why your tuition is what it is. Well, now there's a course for that.

Excerpt:

"Fifty-six students are registered this semester for "The Challenge of College Affordability: Financing the University," a series of seven two-hour lectures taught by top administrators at the public university. The course, geared toward sophomores, is designed to explain where the school gets revenue, what drives its costs and how that translates into tuition rates and financial-aid packages."

Read the rest here.

Plight and hope for the Ann Arbor skateboarder

The Michigan Daily Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Concentrate has long written about the need for a skatepark in Ann Arbor, a point made all the more relevant when you consider the general hostility the community shows toward boarders. The Michigan Daily captures in words and photos why.

Excerpt:

"Being a skateboarder is tough. Learning tricks and having balance doesn't come easily to many people.

But it's particularly difficult to be a skater in Ann Arbor. The nearest skate park is miles away, and it's illegal to be on a skateboard in the majority of the city. Fines for skateboarding can reach up to $150 and skaters' boards can be confiscated. Campus police, Ann Arbor police and private security constantly kick skaters out of parking lots, alleyways and parking garages."

Read the rest here.

20 years of murder and mystery

Ann Arbor Journal Wednesday, October 17, 2012

It's murder most foul in downtown Ann Arbor every day of the week at Aunt Agatha's bookshop. And this oasis for mystery devotees in celebrating two decades of poisonings, stabbings, shootings, and whatever fatal deeds villains hope to get away with.

Excerpt:

"When asked her thoughts on the store's success, Agnew said that she and her husband had created not just a store, but a "community space."

"We're small. We know our customers," she said.

Agnew added that they are careful about how much inventory they keep and tend to order one copy of a new book at a time."

Read the rest here.

Density may actually reduce traffic

The Atlantic Cities Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Here's some counterintuitive food for thought... communities with higher mixed use denisty demonstrated reduced congestion.

Excerpt:

"[The study] found that roadways in more compact, mixed, multi-modal communities tend to be less congested. This results from the lower vehicle trip generation, particularly for local errands, more walking and public transit travel, and because the more connected street networks offer more route options so traffic is less concentrated on a few urban arterials. This contradicts our earlier assumptions."

Read the rest here.

Craiglist rolls out mapping app, Ann Arbor a test city

AnnArbor.com Wednesday, October 17, 2012

It's impressive for our college town to be mentioned in the same breath as Los Angeles and San Francisco. Craiglist is testing their mapping feature in several communities and we are one of them.

Excerpt:

"Ann Arbor joins Los Angeles and the Bay Area as a testing ground for Craiglist’s newest feature according to a report on thenextweb.com. The new application will allow apartment hunters to use a map view to find apartments in specific neighborhoods or areas."

Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor has the cutest street art

The Huffington Post UK Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Blink and it's gone. Ann Arbor artist and street quirkmaker David Zinn catches the attention of a UK writer with his delightful chalk drawings.

Excerpt:

"David Zinn makes streets a little brighter, if only for a few hours.

The chalk artist has become known in his hometown of Ann Arbor, America, for his brightly coloured little creatures dotting the pavement.

Zinn, who has been "drawing for as long as [he] can remember", started the project because he wanted to create "something absurd, anonymous and temporary"."

Read and see the rest here.

A2's Performace Network gets spotlight on Broadway site

BroadwayWorld.com Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Local theater depends on the kindness of strangers. The Broadway World theater site has an interview with Performance Network associate artistic director and actress Carla Milarch. There, now, you're not strangers anymore. But they probably could still use a little of your kindness...

Excerpt:

"While Milarch has been away from the stage these past years, she has not been away from the theatre. She has been working on the creative side of Performance Network Theatre for over thirteen years in a range of positions. Most recently, she has been the associate artistic director of the company and helping to get its children’s theatre and Second Stage Theatre up and running. “I really love PNT and being part of it for so many years,” she says, “it also has let me realize that you can do what you love for your work and be a professional actor in Michigan.”"

Read the rest here.

Ann Arbor gets smartest cars of all

BBC Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Are crash-proof cars on our horizon? The Ann Arbor area is ground zero for the testing of autos that communicate with one another in order to avoid colission. No word yet on whether the system will be called Skynet.

Excerpt:

"If you want to find the smartest drivers in the world, you need to head for the home of the US car industry. Just outside Detroit, lies the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The drivers there are not any more intelligent than other parts of the world, despite it being a famed college town. However, their cars are.

That’s because the roads of Ann Arbor are now home to a fleet of several thousand cars that constantly “talk” to one another. The scheme, known as the Safety Pilot Model Deployment project, offers a potential blueprint for the future of road transport. Like many projects it aims to cut congestion and make the road network more efficient. But this vision of the future is missing one thing: crashes."

Read the rest here.

U-M hosts first Indie Korean film fest in U.S.

The Michigan Daily Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Yeah, "Gangnam Style" has thrust Korean pop culture into the U.S. mainsteam but the Korean film industry has really been making its mark on international cinema. This year sees the national debut of a Korean independent film festival. And it's happening at U-M.

Excerpt:

"“I decided to go with independent film because independent film has not been considered important, not even in South Korea,” Lee said. “I just want to show the diversity of Korean cinema.”

Lee explained that an independent Korean film is produced outside of the three main production studios in South Korea — CJ Entertainment, Showbox and Lotte Entertainment, which are comparable to Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios in the US. Lee said about 90 percent of South Korean films are produced through these three studios."

Read the rest here.

Better downtown parking coming for Ann Arbor cyclists

The Ann Arbor Chronicle Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Ann Arbor DDA is making room for bike riders in the popular Maynard St parking garage - 50 bikes. Given that it means giving up just two auto spaces that seems like pretty good math to us.

Excerpt:

"The authorization of $30,000 from the DDA’s parking fund – for design, fabrication and installation of the bicycle storage facility – was given at the board’s Oct. 3, 2012 meeting. Similar “cages” in other cities use a chain-link fencing material. However, the DDA hopes that a more aesthetically pleasing option can be identified."

Read the rest here.