As some of you know, the Evangelical Theological Society met last week in New Orleans, Louisiana.  I was able to go, and I had some thoughts on “highlights” of the experience (what is it with Americans and highlights, anyway?).

1. Russ Moore gave a fun and informative tour on the literary culture of New Orleans.  It was engrossing.  I haven’t seen any material from it on Moore’s blog (have I missed something, Robbie?), but if footage turns up from the tour, check it out.  I don’t know about you, but I love learning about literature from theologians.  Doesn’t get much better than that.  How about a book, Dr. Moore?

Moore brought out the darkness of New Orleans in his hourlong stroll through the French Quarter.  At one point, he talked about how New Orleans loves a good rogue; at another, he discussed the way area residents interact with the devil.  To paraphrase, in some places in the world, people act like the devil doesn’t exist–they keep him at arm’s length; in New Orleans, they throw their arm around his shoulder.  It’s a dark and needy place.

2. Because of this reality, it was encouraging to talk with James Welch, a pastor in New Orleans and an SBTS alum.  James is a great guy with a heart for the gospel and a comprehensive grasp on all things Nola.  We talked Lil Wayne, Bourbon Street, and miraculous conversion.  Thoroughly encouraging.  If you can, pray for Sojourn Lakeview and their ministry to the city.

3. The city itself is working hard to continue the post-Katrina recovery, but from what I could see, it’s hard going.  There weren’t many people around. 

4. I had the privilege of meeting Dave Doran, who I interacted with on this blog some months ago.  He is president of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary and the pastor of Inter-City Baptist Church, and he’s a very kind and gracious man.  As we know, Detroit, like New Orleans, is hard-hit these days.  Let’s pray for the church and seminary Dave leads, asking God’s rich blessing on their promotion and defense of the gospel.

5. As readers of this blog know, I had the special pleasure of blogging Bruce Ware’s ETS presidential address.  I’ll remember that for a long time to come.

Other than that stuff, I was able to give an academic paper, see old friends (Ben Dockery did a nice job with the SBTS alumni event), eat good food (muffulettas, po’ boys from Mother’s, and more), and generally soak up the ETS atmosphere.  I’m thankful for ETS and how it encourages and showcases evangelical scholarship.  Over 2000 folks turned out, over 500 papers were read (including several from my TEDS buddies), and much glory was given to God.

Last but certainly not least, a not insignificant amount of beignets from the amazing Cafe du Monde were eaten (yes, order them!).

with all the pre-holiday craziness, i’ve gotten a little behind on my blogging.  speaking of the holidays, all orders due by december 1st to guarantee holiday delivery without rush charges.  now, back to the photos.  even though i’m behind, i just can’t skip over these two beauties!  they deserve their 15 minutes!

Here’s miss “c”:

and here’s miss “g”:

CQ Press released it’s 2009 lists of most dangerous places. They based their rankings on the following types of crime rates: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. Michigan has 12 cities on the list of 393 cities. Twelve Michigan metropolitan areas, out of 332 evaluated, also placed. Saginaw metro ranked as number 3 with Fint metro at number 14. The Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn metro area is not rated.

You might be surprised to learn Michigan is 10th in the nation for crime. That’s not an enviable ranking to have. But, considering the state has been tops in unemployment for 43 straight months, I’d say Michiganians are doing pretty good for themselves. Here are the 10 most dangerous states:

Sadly, it should come as no surprise that Detroit is Michigan’s most crime-ridden city. But nationally, Detroit ranks 4th, followed by Flint at 5th. Here are the five most dangerous cities and their mayors:

Michigan has four other cities with crime rates about the national average:

Other Michigan cities that made the list had crime rates below the national average. These are:

It’s interesting to note the governors of the highest crime states split 60-40 Republican-Democrat, with Republicans dominating the most dangerous states. On the other hand, the country’s top 13 most dangerous cities all have Democrats for mayors. In fact, the 7th most crime-riddled city, Birmingham AL, has an acting mayor because the elected mayor was convicted of 60 counts of bribery just over 3 weeks ago. I’m just sayin’.

PRESIDENT OBAMA LAUNCHES “EDUCATE TO INNOVATE” CAMPAIGN FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING & MATH (STEM) EDUCATION

Nationwide effort includes over $260 million in public-private investments to move American students to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade

President Obama today launched the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, a nationwide effort to help reach the administration’s goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade.

Speaking to key leaders of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) community and local students, President Obama announced a series of high-powered partnerships involving leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies dedicated to motivating and inspiring young people across America to excel in science and math. 

“Reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century,” said President Obama.  “That’s why I am committed to making the improvement of STEM education over the next decade a national priority.”    

The new partnerships, with accompanying major commitments from philanthropic organizations and individuals, mark a dramatic first wave of responses to the President’s call at the National Academy of Sciences this spring for a national campaign to raise American students “from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade.”  Each of the commitments—valued together at over $260 million in financial and in-kind support—will apply new and creative methods of generating and maintaining student interest and enthusiasm in science and math, reinvigorating the pipeline of ingenuity and innovation essential to America’s success that has long been at the core of American economic leadership.

Among the initiatives announced by the President are:

• Five public-private partnerships that harness the power of media, interactive games, hands-on learning, and 100,000 volunteers to reach more than 10 million students over the next four years, inspiring them to be the next generation of makers, discoverers, and innovators.  These partnerships represent a combined commitment of over $260 million in financial and in-kind support.

• A commitment by leaders such as Sally Ride (the first female astronaut), Craig Barrett (former chairman of Intel), Ursula Burns (CEO, Xerox), Glenn Britt (CEO, Time Warner Cable), and Antonio Perez (CEO, Eastman Kodak) to increase the scale, scope, and impact of private-sector and philanthropic support for STEM education.  This coalition, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, will recruit private sector leaders to serve as champions for STEM at the state level; mobilize resources to help scale successful STEM innovations; and raise awareness of the importance of STEM among parents and students.

• An annual science fair at the White House, showcasing the student winners of national competitions in areas such as science, technology, and robotics.

President Obama has identified three overarching priorities for STEM education: increasing STEM literacy so all students can think critically in science, math, engineering and technology; improving the quality of math and science teaching so American students are no longer outperformed by those in other nations; and expanding STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups, including women and minorities.

The Obama Administration has already taken bold action in the STEM education arena by directing that the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” school grant program assure a competitive preference to states that commit to improving STEM education. “The Department of Education takes the STEM competitive priority very seriously – and states should as well,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

But while federal leadership is necessary, a real change in STEM education requires the participation of many elements of society, including governors, philanthropists, scientists, engineers, educators, and the private sector. That is why the President’s speech at the National Academy of Sciences challenged all Americans to join the cause of elevating STEM education as a national priority.

“America needs a world-class STEM workforce to address the grand challenges of the 21^st century, such as developing clean sources of energy that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and discovering cures for cancer,” said John Holdren, President Obama’s science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “It is extremely gratifying to see this first and very robust set of responses to the President’s call to action.”

Background on Educate to Innovate: A National Campaign for Excellence in

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education (STEM)

Today at the White House, President Obama launched the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, a nationwide effort to help reach the administration’s goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade.  President Obama announced a series of partnerships involving leading companies, universities, foundations, non-profits, and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers and teachers that will motivate and inspire young people across the country to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). 

President Obama believes that reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century.  A growing number of jobs require STEM skills, and America needs a world-class STEM workforce to address the “grand challenges” of the 21^st century, such as developing clean sources of energy that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and discovering cures for diseases.  Success on these fronts will require improving STEM literacy for all students; expanding the pipeline for a strong and innovative STEM workforce; and greater focus on opportunities and access for groups such as women and underrepresented minorities.

In a speech to the National Academies of Sciences this spring, President Obama announced a commitment to raise America from the middle to the top of the pack internationally in STEM education over the next decade. At that time President Obama also challenged governors, philanthropists, scientists, engineers, educators, and the private sector to join with him in a national campaign to engage young people in these fields.  The partnerships announced today are the initial response to this “call to action.”

Additionally, to help meet this goal, the President’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund provides a competitive advantage to states that commit to a comprehensive strategy to improve STEM education. Race to the Top will challenge states to dramatically improve their schools and student achievement by raising standards, using data to improve decisions and inform instruction, improving teacher effectiveness, using innovative and effective approaches to turn around struggling schools and making it possible for STEM professionals to bring their experience and enthusiasm into the classroom. These reforms will help prepare America’s students to graduate ready for college and career, and enable them to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world.

Public Private Partnerships

Time Warner Cable’s “Connect a Million Minds” Campaign: Time Warner Cable, in partnership with FIRST Robotics and the Coalition for Science After School, is launching a campaign to connect over one million students to highly-engaging after-school STEM activities that already exist in their area. Time Warner Cable will use its media platform, Public Service Announcements, 47,000 employees, and a “connectamillionminds.com” website where over 70,000 parents and community members have already pledged to connect a child to STEM.  Time Warner Cable has made a commitment of $100 million over the next five years to support this campaign, and will target 80 percent of its corporate philanthropy to STEM.

Discovery Communications’ “Be the Future” Campaign: Discovery Communications, in partnership with leading research universities and federal agencies, is launching a five-year, $150 million cash and in-kind “Be the Future” campaign.  This will create content that reaches more than 99 million homes, including a PSA campaign across Discovery’s 13 U.S. networks, a dedicated commercial-free educational kids block on the Science Channel, and programming on the “grand challenges” of the 21st century such as their landmark Curiosity series. Discovery Education will also create rich, interactive education content that it will deliver at no cost to approximately 60,000 schools, 35 million students, and 1 million educators, and through a partnership with the Siemens Foundation, will create STEM Connect, a national education resource for teachers.

Sesame Street’s Early STEM Literacy Initiative: Celebrating its 40^th Anniversary, and with First Lady Michelle Obama appearing on the first episode, Sesame Street, in partnership with PNC Bank, is announcing a major focus on science and math for young children and a $7.5 million investment in the effort. Sesame Street’s new season kicked-off with “My World is Green & Growing,” which will be part of a two-year science initiative designed to increase positive attitudes towards nature, deepen children’s knowledge about the natural world and encourage behavior that shows respect and care for the environment.  Twenty of the 26 new episodes will have a focus on STEM; 13 focus on science and seven focus on math. In addition, Sesame Workshop, in partnership with PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great Program, is announcing a new math initiative for preschool children entitled Math is Everywhere. 

“National Lab Day,” Bringing Hands-on Learning to Every Student:  National Lab Day is a historic grassroots effort, online at nationallabday.org, to bring hands-on learning to 10 million students by upgrading science labs, supporting project-based learning, and building communities of support for STEM teachers.  The effort is a partnership between science and engineering societies representing more than 2.5 million STEM professionals and almost 4 million educators, with strong financial support from the Hidary Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and industry partners. Collectively, this partnership is committed to working with more than 10,000 teachers and 1 million students within a year, and 100,000 teachers and 10 million students over the next four years.   

National STEM Game Design Competitions: The MacArthur Foundation, Sony Computer Entertainment America, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and its partners (the Information Technology Industry Council, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, and Microsoft) are launching a nationwide set of competitions that include the design of the most compelling, freely-available STEM-related videogames for children and youth. The competitions will include the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition, a $2 million yearly effort supported by the MacArthur Foundation that advances the most innovative approaches to learning through games, social networks and mobile devices. One of the competitions will be open only to children, to help them develop 21st century knowledge and skills through the challenge of game design.  This year Sony will participate in one segment of the competition and encourage the development of new games that build on the existing popular video game Little Big Planet.

As I left off the last posting, we had just begun our short stint in the greater Chicago area. Our time in Chicago proved to be very full, but provided for some new insights regarding human trafficking in our nation. Previously we had been told about some studies pointing to Chicago as the #1 city for human trafficking in the United States. As you will often find with statistics on this sort of topic, they are hard to verify; but nonetheless, there is much information pointing to Chicago as a definite hotspot within our nation. Though the current situation may not be enjoyable to stomach, during our few days in the area, we were encouraged to see many innovative strategies that are beginning to be contrived and enacted.

Similar to the work we saw in Phoenix, it was evident there is a notable amount of co-operation taking place in eradicating crimes of sexual exploitation in the Chicago area. Interviewing representatives from Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Prostitution Alternatives Round Table, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, and End Demand Illinois, we became aware of the collaboration that is taking place to practically address the demand that is present for the use of sexual services. Often, with prostitution in most cities, there is often a cyclical pattern of arresting women involved with prostitution, and returning them back to the streets. However, Chicago is trying to take a stance of arresting the men who are purchasing such services – an approach that originated in Sweden. You can read more about the influence of the Swedish legislation here. This stance does NOT legalize prostitution; rather, it simply points to the need to get to the root cause of the prostitution, which is the demand for the supply. If there weren’t such a demand for prostitution, there wouldn’t be such a need for a supply (of human beings.) It is important to note that this has not been enacted into the written legislation of Illinois, or even Chicago for that matter, but for now this is the stance they are taking in actively, practically addressing the issue as they encounter it on their streets.

Our last night in Chicago we had the opportunity to partner with Breakthrough Urban Ministries – a group of people who basically take an RV out into some of the most impoverished areas of Chicago to open their doors to whoever may be in need of assistance, a bit of food, or just someone to talk to. Many of the women in the area have been victimized by prostitution at some point, and quickly came in to escape the biting cold of the breezy Chicago night. They were happy to have people to talk to who wanted to hear how they were doing, who wanted to hold their hands and pray, who wanted to take care of basic practical needs.

At one point, Autumn and I followed along with Brenda, the woman who leads the ministry, and Tom, another man from the group, as they went for a quick walk up and down the street (in a neighborhood I would never be able to walk through by myself) to see who else was out on that particular evening. We ran into one girl with whom Brenda had known from her previous years of work in the area.

I found myself looking at a face that had almost forgotten how to smile. When Brenda would ask how she was doing, the girl, probably in her mid-twenties, would bring her lips to smiling for a brief moment, only to have them revert once again into sadness. No matter how hard she tried, she could not maintain a even a guise of happiness for more than a split second. Her expression would continue to go back and forth, grin to gloom, hinting at an idea of happiness, only to return to the reality of depression.

And these are the people we are talking about when we talk about those who are victims of abuse, of exploitation, of human trafficking, of prostitution. Previously, it was hard for me to associate these stories to any sort of reality, when an overwhelming majority of what I come into contact with are numbers. Before leaving the girl, who told us she had to get going, Brenda gave her a small gift of some toiletries, her contact information, and then Autumn and Brenda prayed with her as Tom and I stood to watch their backs. It was a quiet moment – it wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t glorious – but it was so evident as we stood there, in person with someone who was so hungry for something real, that we belonged there, with her. Things made a lot more sense as we were standing on the run-down concrete sidewalk near this woman – a lot more sense than things make when you hear the estimates of 16 to 25 thousand people that are being prostituted on a nightly basis in the city of Chicago. She is just one.

We saw in that moment, that she, a single person, mattered. I must learn to see this epidemic not as numbers, graphs, or pie charts – but as individuals that matter. There are so many humans, dying to have someone come stand with them in the wind, in the cold, in the streets – where they are. Do we see them as people, or do we see them only as prostitutes, untouchables?

Briefly after our time in Chicago, we spent a couple days in Michigan, mainly for an interview with Theresa Flores, who, 23 years ago, when she was in high school, found herself caught up in a trafficking-ring in a wealthy, upper-class neighborhood in Detroit. She came from a middle-class family with two parents – by all means a normal looking family. She became caught up in a group of people who forced her to sneak out of her home at night to be used and abused at the hands of men who, judging by their large, elaborate, nice homes, were fairly well established in their communities. During the time, she was unable to speak out as she was held captive by the fear that if she spoke up, her family would be killed, abused, or expelled from their favorable social standing in their community. So she would endure the abuse, attending high school each day, no one around her able to imagine where she could have been the night before. After a couple years of being trapped into consistent abuse, when her father’s job took her family elsewhere, she was able to escape the abuse.

Theresa certainly had a lot to work through before getting to the point where she could share her experiences with others. Eventually she graduated college, and over the last couple years, she has published accounts of her experiences in her books, The Sacred Bath: An American Teen’s Story of Modern Day Slavery, and The Slave Across the Street: The True Story of How an American Teen Survived the World of Human Trafficking.  Furthermore, she is also touring throughout the states to share her story in whatever venues are open to having her share. Soon she is looking to launch a new, licensed restoration facility by the name of Gracehaven, by which she intends to bring physical, mental, and spiritual healing to mainly under-aged kids who are escaping lives plagued by sexual exploitation. This definitely looks to be a facility that is worth watching in the years to come as they seek to establish a holistic system of care and rehabilitation for the children who are fortunate enough to escape the snares of such a dark industry.

As a team, we will be residing for the next week or so in Toano, Virginia (a suburb of Williamsburg) at the home of our producer/narrator, Morgan Perry. So far, we have presented the project to Morgan’s home congregation, which was a very well attended event, and provided a lot of outlets for further discussion, prayer, and brainstorming on the topic. Also, there are a couple opportunities for us to present our work to the entirety of the Communications Department at Regent University, as well as Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). I will try to post some links if we get videos from either of these engagements. In addition to celebrating Thanksgiving, we will also be processing and transcribing footage we have captured up to this point (a task that is most often extremely tedious) until we head to Washington D.C. on December 2nd.

For now, please enjoy any turkey and/or any family get-togethers you may be attending this week. Extra points may potentially be awarded for those of you who dress up in 17th century Pilgrim or Native American attire.

The List is the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office’s weekly news round-up of historic preservation (and related) news from throughout the state. A more robust version, that covers arts and culture, archaeology, economic development, architecture, and general “green” news, is available through the SHPO’s listserv.

You can subscribe to the listserv by visiting our web site, or by sending us an email.

As always we welcome your comments and contributions.

Century-old fieldstone icehouse is nucleus of home four times its size – Pavilion Township

Historic sites dressed up for holiday tours – Muskegon

Fight against blight: Heights working to clean up neighborhoods – Muskegon Heights

Tourism officials push for historic designation for 170-miles of U.S. 31 – Grand Haven

$60M development proposed for Macatawa Park

SAC displays 10-year restoration project

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Man honored by Main Street for restoration of historic hut – Walled Lake

Detroit DDA approves property purchase for Capitol Park redevelopment

Editorial: The road more traveled

Lincoln Park’s historic newspaper building saved from wrecking ball

City of Muskegon wants private group to maintain Marsh Field

A land bank plan that could succeed

Curing sprawlitis – Lansing

Michigan targets urban blight

East Jordan pursues Main Street revitalization

Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash

A Revolutionary War Widow’s Estate Becomes a Preservation Battleground – Annandale-On-Hudson, NY

Haus proud: The women of Bauhaus – Berlin, Germany

Last week, I attended a networking event hosted by Fusion Detroit. Hoping to walk away with some new connections, and another professional development organization…what I found was much more interesting than I could have expected.

Why is TIME magazine in Detroit?

Steven Gray of Time Magazine was the guest speaker for Fusion’s meeting this month. He is the only full-time staff writer living in Detroit over the course of the next year reporting on Detroit for Time. First, I want to take you through his question and answer series highlighting very interesting points made by Gray and Fusion members. Then, I will ask a series of questions regarding my reaction to Time’s presence here asking for your opinion.

Just before July 4, 2009, Gray’s editor apporached him with the Detroit project, and he said that his first question was, “Why?” This is when the assignment began: Why is Time in  Motown?”

The project idea came from two editors visiting Detroit on ad calls on separate occasions. They saw something that shocked them, things they had never seen before, things they thought America should know about. It wasn’t long before Gray was here living in the Time house noticing shocking things for himself.

One of his first stories was on personal protection patrols instead of Detroiters trusting their police force. This was something he had never seen before. In the neighborhood of the Time house, programs like the neighborhood watch had employed security to patrol the streets and watch their homes. Appalled, he began to write. This story came from living in the middle of a particular happening.

Another instance, Gray mentioned was disturbing to him was when he called 911. There was a small incident by the Time house and he called the police. He said it took two phone calls and 45 minutes before the police arrived. Expressing his disgrace with some of his neighbors he noticed that they were shocked that he was shocked.

While he said that some of his stories have come from just being a resident of Detroit, he mentioned that he finds his other stories by staying informed. That is when the question arose that made this discussion take a turn. “What is a normal day like for you?”

His answer:

• 5 a.m. Wake Up
• 5 – 7:30 a.m. read local newspapers, blogs and workout
• 7:30 a.m. figures out the story for the day and begins to hit the phones, carry out some field reporting and writes the story
• 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. he finishes up his story if it takes one day (did mention that some stories may take a week or even a month to get all of the pieces together) and then goes to sleep

This timeline was my first red flag for a number of reasons. One reason is that he is living here, getting the facts and reporting what is going on in Detroit, however, he goes to sleep before some people even get off of work. Oh and as you can see, this doesn’t leave much time for socializing, going to bars, enjoying Detroit’s entertainment sector. So if you are not getting the stories from real people who live and work in Detroit, who are you getting your story from?

Later, another questioned asked by another Fusion member: “How do you stay unbiased waking up reading the local media everyday?”

He answered, “I am still a journalist, I do my own reporting. And I don’t believe in objectivity.”

Having a journalism degree, this bothered me. Objectivity was always instilled in journalism students. Otherwise, you form an opinion then find ways to back that opinion up with certain facts. How dare an outsider come to a city like Detroit, and form an opinion, find facts to support that opinion, then share his feelings with the whole world?

Now while I did have problems with some of the things that he said, there were also some very interesting quotes that I took away from Gray.

• “America is not concerned with what is happening in society.” He was explaining that the Detroit project isn’t a profit-driven project and in no way did the Detroit cover of Time sell like if they put Britney Spears or Barack Obama on the cover.
• “What is happening in Detroit is a possibility in other cities” and other cities should be paying more attention. The context surrounding this quote steered from Fusion members asking if all he was covering was negative stories. His spin on this answer included him saying repeatedly that he wasn’t here to “cover positive or negative stories,” he was here to report the truth. And he saw the truth as sort of a framework for other cities to see the possibilities of something like self-destruction.

In no way am I bashing Time magazine for being in Detroit. One Time writer actually covered a very positive story in Detroit. Karen Dybis spent a day on The Salvation Army of Southeast Michigan’s Bed and Bread Truck reporting on how this truck feeds people in some of the most impoverished neighborhoods of Detroit. More positive articles may be found at Times Detroit Blog. I just don’t know how Gray, in particular, is going to be able to get real stories when he isn’t talking to real people.

However, this Fusion meeting did give him the forum to meet some very positive, passionate, successful people in Detroit. Here are some of the reasons Fusion members gave to him as to why people stay in Detroit despite all of these negatives that he was talking about:

• People leave Detroit because they don’t have a purpose here.
• People stay here because they want to build. They are connected here with family, the future (see benefit in building here and see that the resources needed to build begins here), etc.
• Detroit is an open landscape where people are looking for innovation–community will support new, creative ideas.
• “A great place to fail.” Other places you start a business and it fails and you are written off by that community. Here, in Detroit, you fail and people say get up and try again.
• There is a creative, pure, collaborative energy here that is contagious.
• The final reason was something that they close every Fusion meeting with. Detroit was always the first place to do something–from escape from slavery to hear good music. This country may not be where it is if it weren’t for Detroit.

As you can see from my previous posts, I am a lover of Detroit, so when I hear negative things about Detroit especially from people from outside of the city, it really gets under my skin. So I have a series of questions for you that I hope to get your feedback on:

1. Am I being too hard on Steven Gray? Is he just doing his job? Or do you agree with me when I say that he is a biased, misinformed writer that has too large of an audience to not be presenting the most accurate information?
2. Why do you think people stay in Detroit? Why are you still here? Or why did you leave?
3. Have you seen any of the Time articles? Which one stuck out to you?

Other than that, I would love to hear your feedback on anything you have read. The Fusion Detroit meeting was one of my first, and it is not my last. Until next time…

A city long on the decline, Detroit now finds itself essentially in ruins. And yet, necessity being the mother of invention, Detroit is positioning itself as the forefront of the nation’s urban farming movement, using radical and innovative ideas outlined by Aaron Renn in this fascinating article. According to Renn, Detroit has become “a blank canvas” and “the ultimate arena in which to prove yourself” for urban farming and other alternative urban ideas.

Renn quotes Mark Dowie from Guernica:

“Were I an aspiring farmer in search of fertile land to buy and plow, I would seriously consider moving to Detroit. There is open land, fertile soil, ample water, willing labor, and a desperate demand for decent food. And there is plenty of community will behind the idea of turning the capital of American industry into an agrarian paradise. In fact, of all the cities in the world, Detroit may be best positioned to become the world’s first one hundred percent food self-sufficient city.”

Renn writes, “He documents several examples of people right now, today growing food in Detroit. It wouldn’t surprise me, frankly, if Detroit produces more food inside its borders today than any other traditional American city.”

From Guernica:

“About five hundred small plots have been created by an international organization called Urban Farming, founded by acclaimed songwriter Taja Sevelle. Realizing that Detroit was the most agriculturally promising of the fourteen cities in five countries where Urban Farming now exists, Sevelle moved herself and her organization’s headquarters there last year. Her goal is to triple the amount of land under cultivation in Detroit every year. All food grown by Urban Farming is given free to the poor. According to Urban Farming’s Detroit manager, Michael Travis, that won’t change.”

Renn, “The fact that Urban Farming moved to Detroit is exactly the effect I’m talking about. To anyone with aspirations in this area, it is Detroit that offers the greatest opportunity to make your mark.”

Detroit seems to have turned into a vibrant incarnation of the American dream. A counter point to the idea of the wild untamed west, is this ruined, collapsed and abandoned west. The American imagination loves the idea of making something from nothing, in a setting of partial anarchy. Detroit has become a space to re-imagine urban American. And urban farming, Renn argues has been at the forefront of this re-envisioning.



The Supremes are one of the many influential Motown acts to come out of the Motor City

City Sounds goes to the Motor City this week to listen to some of it’s native sounds.

Detroit is known mainly for it’s automobile industry, but a close second would be Motown.  As the birthplace of Motown Records, Detroit provided the world with one of the most important musical genres of all time. An influence to almost every other musical genre following it’s dominance, Motown and it’s notoriety still stand as the ideal for popular music.

Artists like Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, and Stevie Wonder topped the charts with hit after hit after hit, and it set a new standard for pop.  Motown reigned supreme (some pun intended) through the ’60s and into part of the ’80s. Even though the hits have dwindled in quantity, the quality of music is still heard around the world.

Motown put Detroit on the map, but it wasn’t the only source of great music.  Detroit also had it’s moments during the garage rock revival in the early 2000s with bands like The White Stripes, The Von Bondies and Electric Six.  It also presented the world with arguably one of the most influential rappers of all time, Eminem.

There’s plenty of great music from Detroit that will all be covered on Monday, November 23, from 11pm-1am on WERW. Tune in and listen up!

– Kyle Kuchta

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Motown founder, Berry Gordy, Jr., with guests Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Martha Reeves and Kid Rock, among others, celebrated Motown’s 50th anniversary with a downtown Detroit bash.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/21692588/

What fantastic music was made right here in Detroit.

There are three reasons to see 101 DALMATIONS, THE MUSICAL….1) Rachel York, 2) Rachel York, and 3) Rachel York. Playing Cruella DeVil she has enough energy for three shows — look out Glenn Close, your nemesis has arrived.

Rachel York in 101 Dalmations, The Musical.

Cast, kids, and Dogs in 101 Dalmations, the Musical

Ok, now that I got that out of the way, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the musical more than I should have. Any new musical is always better than no new musicals. But 101 Dalmations is not ready for prime time. It’s a shame — they have a lot going for them, including a great musical score, good performances all around, some very enthusiastic kids in the cast, and that knock-out performance by Rachel York.

But it has a lot of problems too. Seen in the Sunday afternoon performance at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, in a half-empty house, the audience young and old was squirming in their seats by mid-Act One. The 5-year olds were mostly OUT of their seats by that point.

And there’s the problem — when the show works well it appeals to both kids and adults. When it is at its worst, even the adults have a hard time sitting still. There is too much talk — WAY too much talk — like a half hour too much talk in this 2-hour musical. And there is actually too much music too!…It’s a terrific score that mixes in all styles of musical comedy-style songs, but there is too much of it.  Trim the show to 90 minutes without an intermission, and you’ll have yourself a tight family entertainment.

Then there are the stilt problems. To make the “dogs” (played by people) look smaller, the rest of the cast is on 15 inch stilts. It looks terrible. While the sets are creatively skewed to make everything look like you are looking at it from a dogs-eye view, the stilts themselves are ridiculous. Two performers fell during this performance — and I have to admit by the middle of the first act, I started to watch the stilt walkers (and dancers) to see who else might go down, sort of the same way you watch figure skaters, to see who falls on their butt. That was enough to distract me from what might otherwise be some fine moments. I’d suggest they cut the stilts and work on creative use of costumes to achieve the same effect.

And then there is the other major problem — there aren’t enough dogs. Sure the kids are cute when they dance — and the Bark Chain is particularly well handled. The directing is generally sound. But the real dogs are reserved for dog tricks at the end of the acts, and there isn’t enough — the tricks are fun! A dog pees and flowers grow. They have charisma — the entire audience comes to life while they are on stage. It’s too bad that the rest of the show doesn’t have that kind of spark of life.

Which brings me back to Rachel York. She chews up the scenery, sings her heart out, flays her arms and legs and manages to stay balanced, and just seems to be having the time of her life. Her demise is strange — I understand why they handle it the way they do — it IS a family musical with lots of children in the audience after all…but it’s an anti-climatic end to an otherwise great stage performance.

To save yourself two hours — you can see Rachel York perform her entire number called “Hot” here: http://www.the101dalmatiansmusical.com/index.html

I liked the show. I hope they take the time to fix it as it travels across the country prior to a three-week engagement at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. It’s not ready for a full-time Broadway production. It’s a shame. There are a lot of good actors and technicians at work here. But in the long-run, it needs work, lots of it, and more real dogs. Even if they do nothing else but cross the stage from time to time with the actors.

Despite that, the audience really seemed to have a great time. The chatter at intermission wasn’t bad – people genuinely liked the show. And there sure is a dearth of decent family-oriented musicals these days. The audience reviews at Ticketmaster.com, for example, are almost all entirely A’s and B’s. That’s pretty darn good!…And you actually do leave the theatre humming the theme song. That’s not bad either.

In a surreal moment – the show ended at the same time the Lions game ended down the street. Lions fans and families with toddlers mixed on Woodward in what can only be described as Detroit at its finest.

#1 – Atlanta Hawks

The best team of the NBA so far. Josh Smith has been superb in the first 14 games. He has been the horse they have been riding. The Hawks had a weird loss to the Hornets Friday but that’s Ok on the road and on a second of back-to-backs.

#2 – Cleveland Cavaliers

Without Shaq, the team plays better. He just doesn’t fit there and with him out for a while now, they were able to give minutes to JJ Hickson who could be the solution for their problems, certainly not offensively but maybe defensively.

#3 – Phoenix Suns

The Suns remain red hot. 2^nd best record of the league so far, even with the loss to the Hornets on Thursday which shouldn’t be a shock because every time that the Suns are dominated on the boards, they lose, and it’s a lock just like that.

#4 – Los Angeles Lakers

Gasol is back and that means the Lakers should make their push to the league’s best record now. With the Spanish Center there, they are just so tough to beat, they are big and physical.

#5 – Orlando Magic

With Rashard Lewis back, they become a matchup nightmare again. The win against the Celtics highlighted that. Vince Carter is coming alive, against Boston he scored 26, turned the ball over a lot but took the game over in the end and that what you expect from your superstar and the reason why Orlando traded for him.

#6 – Denver Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony has been terrific so far and put himself in the MVP race however they are still not on the same level as last season. Their defense has been OK but when Billups doesn’t play well, all of a sudden nobody else but Carmelo produces.

#7 – Dallas Mavericks

Nowitzki has been carrying them because the bunch of injuries already started, Marion and Howard haven’t played together for a decent amount of time, and it’s not close to end.

#8 – Boston Celtics

On back-to-backs they look old. The loss against the Magic can be faced as a problem but when healthy, they are still the best team in the NBA. The question is: for how long will they remain healthy?

#9 – Milwaukee Bucks

The Jenningsmania is all over the NBA, even in this Power Rankings.

#10 – Portland Trail Blazers

Travis Outlaw is out with the same injury that held Webster for the entire season last year and that’s a hit on their second unit. The 3 men backcourt has survived so far but maybe is time to trade Miller.

#11 – Miami Heat

As Wade goes, they go which means that so far, they are a playoff team.

#12 – Houston Rockets

Even I’m convinced that this team needs somebody who can create his own shots on clutch moments. That guy is neither Ariza nor Brooks. Hopefully McGrady won’t screw the good vibe around the team.

#13 – Oklahoma City Thunder

When those four guys score, they are tough to hold. Lately even when they lose, they are on the game until the end. As the season progresses, they progress and the Western Conference should watch out.

#14 – Utah Jazz

With Williams back and Boozer stepping up, the Jazz won all three games this week including one against the Spurs which was their first in San Antonio in 20 games.

#15 – Toronto Raptors

They won 42% of their games. With all the money spent in this team and with playoff expectations around them, they have to perform better.

#16 – San Antonio Spurs

Ginobili and Parker out this week, injuries caught with them like expected. They always start slow, so no worry there.

#17 – Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose has struggled a lot and that’s a real problem. This is a team that has a lot of variations and formations but it’s only 8 deep.

#18 – Indiana Pacers

They are who we thought they were: a .500 team.

#19 – Detroit Pistons

With Hamilton and Prince out, they have been able to hang in there but the problems are the same, lack of size inside and no rebounders, and when they face decent competition, that’s a problem.

#20 – Sacramento Kings

They are 5-7. Can you believe that?! The Kings won 41.7% of their games and that’s crazy. Tyreke Evans and Omir Caspi have been big so far.

#21 – Los Angeles Clippers

Yes, they have been a disappointment but when Gordon and Griffin return, they should be better. The push to the playoffs is yet to come but Kaman has played the best basketball of his career and Baron Davis is finally finding himself on that offense. Their second unit is amazing.

#22 – New Orleans Hornets

Without Chris Paul and with the new coach, they played well this week. Rookies getting more playing time and when Stojakovic shows up to play, they are not that bad. It’s tough to see them over .500 though.

#23 – Philadelphia 76ers

They are the ones to open a playoff spot on the East. They face problems on offense and defense. With Brand there, they haven’t been as committed to Iguodala on offense which they should if they want to save the season.

#24 – Golden State Warriors

Jackson is gone and the Warriors got cap relief instead. They’ll play shorthanded for the rest of the season but Don Nelson likes it this way. Nelson who, by the way, is 23 wins away from his record which means he’s 23 wins away from retirement what could mean that next season, maybe the Warriors will be OK.

#25 – Charlotte Bobcats

Probably the dumbest team in the NBA. The franchise is for sale but yet they took on Jackson’s awful contract in a move that won’t make them better than those teams they are fighting.

#26 – Memphis Grizzlies

Iverson is now gone for good. It’s time for them to translate talent into wins.

#27 – Washington Wizards

They have been the most disappointing team so far.

#28 – New York Knicks

Apparently they refused going after Allen Iverson, which would at least entertain us, because of Eddie Curry and Toney Douglas. I have no words for that.

#29 – Minnesota Timberwolves

They miss Kevin Love but as expected they would be bad anyway.

#30 – New Jersey Nets

They have been banged up but nothing justifies that awful start. Douglas Roberts is back, so is Harris, which means the offense should be better but the 0-17 start looks real.

Check More At: MVN

Power Rankings III: http://basketballoutsider.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/power-rankings-iii/

This blog entry will be short and sweet. Just like that win.

With another victory this week over the San Francisco 49ers, the Packers have moved into playoff contention. At 6-4, their record ties them with only the New York Giants, good enough for a wild card berth at this point. They might also be tied with the Eagles, but the outcome of the Eagle’s game against the Bears has not yet been decided. With 6 games left to play, the next few weeks will be critical. A few more victories would put Green Bay in control of its own destiny. Let’s hope the team doesn’t have a letdown due to the close win this week. They are on a short week, playing the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving this Thursday.

If 49ers fans are feeling down, maybe feeling a little bitter after that loss, they should grab some San Francisco sourdough bread, a bay area specialty. They can use it as comfort food. It’s really quite good. They can also grab some extra napkins to dry their tears. My step-brother Kyle is a 49ers fan – maybe I’ll offer him a loaf. He was at the game. I wonder how that went down… he was probably booed by the Green Bay fans. Nothing a little sourdough bread can’t fix. “Hey Kyle, why don’t you shove this sourdough bread in your sourpuss?” Ha-ha.

This victory was vindication for Aaron Rodgers, as the 49ers passed him over for Alex Smith in the 2005 draft. He had something to prove this week, and it showed. I think he had the last laugh, as he put up some big numbers and guided the Pack to a second straight win. If he keeps playing like that, I like the Packers chances to make the playoffs. It was also nice to see a better performance out of our offensive line, which enabled Ryan Grant to have a 100-yard rushing day. The balance on the offense was a big key to the Pack’s win.

Like I said, the Packers play the Lions this Thursday in Detroit. Go Pack!

This week’s winner: Aaron Rodgers

This week’s loser: Alex Smith

Stafford could've thrown a touchdown on this play but he didn't feel like it

Are Matthew Stafford and Brady Quinn the most poised quarterbacks in the NFL or what? Okay, well maybe they’re not, but they did pretty well when their brutal teams matched up this afternoon. After trailing 24-3 in the first quarter, Stafford led the Lions back, winning 38-37 on the final play of the game on a one-yard hookup with Brandon Pettigrew. The touchdown, Stafford’s fifth of the game, came after a Hank Poteat pass interference call on a desperation hail mary the previous play.

Stafford, who came in with six touchdown passes on the year, threw for 422 yards. Quinn, who took back Cleveland’s starting duties from Derek Anderson last week, threw for 304 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.

Elsewhere, the Colts and Saints stayed undefeated, with Indy winning a 17-15 grinder in Baltimore and New Orleans cruising 38-7 in Tampa Bay. Peyton Manning threw for 299 yards and a touchdown for the Colts and Drew Brees had 187 and three for the Saints.

Other scores from Sunday: Dallas 7, Washington 6 (Game of the Year?); Green Bay 30, San Francisco 24; Kansas City 27, Pittsburgh 24 (OT); Minnesota 35, Seattle 9; NY Giants 34, Atlanta 31 (OT); Jacksonville 18, Buffalo 15 (Terrell Owens had 197 yards receiving — quadrupling his season output to this point); New England 31, NY Jets 14; Arizona 21, St. Louis 13; San Diego 32, Denver sans Orton 3; Oakland! 20, Cincinnati 17.

Hat tip to The Field Negro:

Lazette Cherry, Jamar Jr.’s mother, said she wanted to get her 15-year-old son help when he came to her and said he had acted inappropriately with his 3-year-old half-sister.

There wasn’t a rape, Cherry said her son told her. But he confessed to his mother that he knew lying on top of the baby was wrong, she said.

So she called her son’s father and told him what she believed happened in his home on Newport on Detroit’s east side.

“I called and told his father this isn’t something you sweep under the rug,” the devastated mother said today.

His father showed up at the house Monday afternoon with a gun, she said.

“He started beating him right here,” Cherry said from her living room. “I said, ‘No, please stop!’ ”

But the father marched Jamar Jr., a sophomore at Martin Luther King High School, outside.

“He got on his knees and begged, ‘No, Daddy! No!’ and he pulled the trigger,” she said. “There wasn’t nothing that my son wouldn’t do for his father. He loved his father so much.”

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged Pinkney Sr. with first-degree murder, punishable by up to life in prison. He’s also been charged with three counts of felonious assault for pointing the gun at Cherry and two other people at her home before the shooting.

Follow up story click here.

There are hardly any words to say. The boy did not deserve this. At least, he admitted to what he did. A talking to, yes. That’s what he needed. But not this. He needed to be talked to about what was right and wrong about sex. That you don’t use your younger sister to experiment with. Instead, the father tore the boy’s clothes off, drove him out of the house onto the front lawn before witnesses, and shot him in the head.

The mother cannot blamed if this is what she actually told the father. Now she is a bereaved mother. Her son is gone. She has to take up a collection to bury him. All she wanted was the father to be responsible for his son’s conduct, that this kind of behavior was not okay and could have ramifications for his sister’s mental as well as physical health.

Our children need help, but not this kind of help.

Bob Hebert’s description of Detroit is pretty clear in “Detroit: A City In Ruins”

And while Hebert’s call for a government focused solution to the problem is asking for more of the same “solution” that brought this once great city to ruin, his fundamental analysis of the problem is right – we’ve abandoned our industrial base and no longer reward people for producing real stuff in this country. Instead we focus on offering each other services, that at the end of the day we can’t trade or use to pay for our ever burgeoning foreign debt.

There’s a reason Detroit died and that the average house sale in the city now sells for a fraction of the cost of one of the few cars still made there.  Years of bad tax policy, stupid labor policy, no energy policy and the government getting just about everything they touched completely wrong has turned what was once the most productive city on earth to a depressing wasteland that can’t even afford to buy toilet paper for its public schools.

Unless we completely refocus government effort on getting out of the way and allowing people to be productive and to be rewarded for productivity, Detroit will be a harbinger for the future of our nation.