The Legend of The Dogman

EJ sent me a link to an article on The Awl, A Guide to the Spooky Scary Secret Monsters of Every State, which reminded me I should probably post something about Michigan's very own monster: the Dogman. The song on the YouTube video does a pretty good job explaining it.

Haunted house party in Ypsi

Match by Match are hosting a haunted house party tonight in Ypsi. The party features live music, and a Nightmare Before Christmas sing-along. You can find out more on facebook. The event is BYOB and you have to email mxmmanor@gmail.com to get the Haunted Manor's address. Spooky.

Halloween super-post

Happy Halloween gentle readers. I've got a spooktacular post for all of you. First here are two accounts of spooky goings-on in Ann Arbor. From Michigan Hauntings: Ann Arbor:

Old white house off the corner of Ann St. and S. Division. My mother was wallpapering and redesigning the place when her and her partner heard noises and banging coming from the attic. My mother opened the attic door and there was a huge rush of cold stale air while no windows or doors were open. It sounded like things were being broken, dropped, and dragged up there. Very erie and odd place to be.

Here's a video of spooky shadows in Forest Hills Cemetery. Lots of ghost hunters believe Forest Hills is haunted. I've found some videos of strange electromagnetic readings there on Youtube, but I was unable to track them down for this post.

Finally here are two non-Ann Arbor related items. If you are looking for a scary little comic, I highly recommend reading Emily Carroll's "His Face All Red." It is incredibly well done and delightfully dark. If you are looking for something a little lighter, look no further than Boing Boing's 2012 Candy Hierarchy.

Damn Arbor voting guide: State proposals and the Federal Election

Gentle Readers, there's an election just a week from today. Some friends have asked for a voting guide so this is my attempt at that. In general, I'm going to try to stay as apolitical as possible and just provide information.

If you know your county, city/township/village, ward and precinct you should take a gander at a sample ballot on the Secretary of State's website.

Let's start by looking at the proposal part of the ballot, even though it will be at the end. Voters in the State of Michigan will be faced with six statewide proposals. One a referendum on the Emergency Manager Law (Public Act 4) and five proposals to amend the Michigan Constitution. Here are the proposals with links to the Michigan Radio descriptions of the proposals:

Proposal 1 in Michigan: Emergency Manager Law Referendum

Proposal 2 in Michigan: Collective Bargaining

Proposal 3 in Michigan: Renewable Electricity Standard

Proposal 4 in Michigan: Home Health Care Workers

Proposal 5 in Michigan: Tax Hike Supermajority

Proposal 6 in Michigan: The Bridge Vote

Bicycle benefits

Saw this sign outside ABC. Seems like it could be a good deal, especially in the summer. I like that they coerce helmet wearing.

Michigan Green Party

Is this the Michigan Green Party's platform? Pot and free tuition? Or is this some sort of false flag operation?

Surfs up!

Sandy is having an impact close to home. The hurricane is stirring up chop on the Great Lakes. The National Weather Service is forecasting huge waves on Lake Michigan tonight. This could be a boon for Michigan's surfers. When I was a kid up north with my family, we found a surfboard washed up on the beach on northern Lake Huron. We always wondered where it had come from. Turns out there is a small but dedicated group of surfers in Michigan. Their story is chronicled in Unsalted, the authoritative documentary on Great Lakes Surfing.

An obligatory post on Sandy

Good news gentle readers, well at least those of you who do not reside on the Eastern Seaboard. I just checked in with NOAA and it looks like Michigan will be spared any tropical storm force winds. Our neighbors to the east in Chatham-Kent, ON may not be so lucky: they have a 5% chance of tropical storm force winds in the next 120 hours. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Here's a trivia question for you gentle readers: when was the last time Michigan was hit by a tropical storm or hurricane? Also, in honor of Hurricane Sandy, here's Polaris (AKA the Pete and Pete house band) playing their hit song "Hey Sandy" (AKA the Pete and Pete theme song). Enjoy:

Angry birds

Angry Birds inspired sticker are?

Maple

Apparently there is a new clothing store on E Liberty called Maple. I'm not sure if I should shop there or not.

U of M commemorating 50th anniversary of the Point Huron Statement

There are a series of events next week at U of M commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Students for a Democratic Society's Port Huron Statement. The events are all free, but registration is recommended. They include a panel discussion about the Arab Spring and a keynote address by Tommy Hayden on the 1st of November and a student session on the Relevance of the 1960s New Left to Today's Movements on the second.

Halloween Bang! tomorrow

Looks like the Non-local Banker will be at the Halloween Bang! tomorrow. Remember kids, costumes are mandatory. Gotta respect that.

What is this

Found this under the windshield wiper on my lab's van. What does it mean?

Woyzeck, a review

Things are not going well for Franz Woyzeck. The young solider is in love with Marie, a woman from the provincial German town where he is stationed. Marie and Franz' relationship has produced a child that was not born with the blessings of the Church. In order to earn extra money to support his child, Franz does odd jobs. He works for his captain who lectures him about the importance of morality. He has been paid to eat only peas for several weeks as part of a doctor's experiment. Franz is beginning to loose his vision, he is feeling weak. His dreams are haunted and he is starting to hear voices. On top of it all, Marie has grown tired of Franz and has turned her attention towards a handsome drum major. Franz Woyzeck is starting to lose it.

14,755 words

An article on the Chronicle yesterday, Transportation Dominates Council Meeting, weighs in at an impressive 14,755 words. Is this a record?

Hat tip: Sam Firke.

Giant spider on the Diag?

Spotted this giant spider web on the Diag yesterday. Looks like something is trying to eat those fat Diag squirrels.

Maize and blue bike

When showing their school pride through their bicycle, some U of M students op for the subtle choice: a blue frame with yellow bar tape. Others just spray paint their entire bike blue and yellow.

Cartoon cat graffiti

Someone's added several more panels to the cartoon cat graffiti on the Church Street Structure. To see how it ends, click through the jump.

These colors don't run

An update on last month's post about the beer can privacy screen. Apparently it's actually Old Glory made entirely out of beer cans. The white stripes are Natty Light cans. The red ones are Budweiser and the blue is made with Bud Light cans.

Missed Connection: Hit and Run

Were you driving on Jackson Ave. on Sunday? Did you hit a cyclist and drive off? If you did, apparently their friends are pretty pissed off. Via Craigslist's Missed Connections:

Hit and run on Jackson Ave (west ann arbor)

Date: 2012-10-21, 11:32PM EDT

To the lady in the red car that hit and run my friend on his bicycle this afternoon on Jackson Avenue, fuck you. You actually backed up around him to flee the scene, you fucking coward. He was on his way to work at an upscale restaurant to go cook food for senseless yuppies like yourself. Well, you broke his ankle, and he doesn't have health insurance. I hope you feel really good about taking off without making sure he was ok and apologizing, like any decent person with a modicum of kindness or remorse would have done. Hopefully karma is real and some dumbwit smashes into you or your loved one, crippling you for the rest of your life without taking any responsibility for it.

P.S if anyone actually saw this happen and has any information about this person, please respond to this ad.

Not cool.

Humans of Ann Arbor

Inspired by Humans of New York, Humans of Ann Arbor is a pretty cool FaceBook page that features some great portraits of folks around town. Each picture has a little story about what the subject(s) were doing at the moment. It's definitely worth checking out.

Hat Tip: DK

Michigan 4th worst state for gender-based income inequality

Via Michigan Radio: Working women in Michigan earn only 62 cents pre dollar earned by their male counterparts according to Slate's mapping of 2010 census data.

Here in Washtenaw county, things are slightly better than the state average at 67 cents per dollar but still lower than the national average of 72 cents per dollar. Houghton and Oscoda counties are the best and worst counties in the state where women earn 84 and 44 cents per dollar men earn, respectively.

Trumpeter swans making a comeback

Trumpeter Swans Having Fun! from Joe Liba on Vimeo.

I've been seeing a lot more of the native trumpeter swan this fall and fewer of the invasive mute swans. Nice to see the native population making a comeback. The easiest way to tell the two swan species apart is that the mute swans have a large orange or yellow section on their bills, while the trumpeter swans have just back bills. Also, the trumpeter swans honk while in flight.

Online dating in Ann Arbor versus DC

This is not OK, Cupid chronicles a recent U of M Law School grad's adventures on every quirky twenty-something's favorite online dating site: OKCupid. A recent post compares the online dating scenes in Ann Arbor and our nation's capital thusly:

Now, Ann Arbor was truly a great source of material (between the uber-pretentious PhD students, asshole business school students, socially awkward google employees, and the randoms from the surrounding area) so I questioned whether DC could possibly live up to it. As will you come to learn DC has not only met every expectation but exceeded them. And how. Just to whet your appetite, I will say that I feel extremely confident in asserting that there is no other city in the world which contains as many profiles per capita in which the answer to the "What are you doing with your life?" question, contains some variation of, "saving the world." I'd estimate that about a third of the male online dating population in DC is saving the world (although some are only doing it it ironically). It's actually pretty remarkable, and I hope makes you feel a lot better about the future of our world to know there are so many men in their late 20s and early 30s that are out there saving it, and still even have time to date online in their off-time.

I guess this is a good thing, right?

Woyzeck at the New Theater Project

Woyzeck is a play by German playwright Georg Büchner. Left unfinished at the time of his untimely death, various authors have created their own endings for the play over the past century. Seriously, everyone from Werner Herzog to Tom Waits has taken a stab at it. Woyzeck tells the story of a young german solider stationed in a small rural town who earns extra money from his captain doing odd jobs. Oh yes, there is also a bizarre love triangle and a sinister doctor experimenting on folks. Ypsi's New Theater Project has produced their own adaptation of the play that will take the audience on a journey through poor Franz Woyzeck's madness and the creepy labyrinth that is the basement of their historic theater. Just in time for Halloween.

The show opened on the 18th and runs through November 5th. Performances are at 8pm and 930pm on Thursdays through Sundays with a special performance on Halloween. Tickets are available online; students/industry cost $10.00 ($11.34 w/service fee) and grown-ups cost $15.00 ($16.52 w/service fee). Folks, if you are thinking about going to see this show, you should book your tickets soon: audience size for performances is limited to just 10. EJ and I are checking it out tomorrow night and will let you know if it's too scary.

A special message from Dave Brandon and Laura Blake Jones

The email entitled "Going to the Big House on Saturday?" is probably the best email I have ever received from U of M. In it Athletic Director Dave Brandon and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones remind students to have fun at the Big House tomorrow, cheer loudly and maintain a BAC of less than 0.06%. Their guide to fun and safety is really great too:

"It also is important to remember the following tips to help minimize risk and maximize fun.

What to do:

Be considerate of neighbors.
Monitor how much people are drinking.
Control the noise level.
Be respectful of the police.
Leave your drinks behind when you leave a party.
Use bathrooms, not bushes.
Use trash containers, not the ground.
Make sure those under 21 are not drinking.

Things not to do:

Do not walk in the streets with open alcohol.
Do not allow drunk people to drive.
Do not play music, etc. loudly between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m."

You hear that kids? Dave Brandon and Laura Blake Jones are sick of you peeing in their bushes. No word yet on if it's OK to pee on trees.

Lena: a review

Last night I had the privilege to attend a press event at Lena. I was really impressed. Origionally when I had heard Cafe Habana was turning into Lena, I was a little disappointed. I really liked their areapas. Nevertheless, I had heard good things from friends who had gone to Lena and I was excited to give it a try. In short: it was awesome, every aspect was better than I could have hoped. Here's a play by play:

Bill's Beer Garden: a review in pictures

There was a great turnout last night for the opening of Bill's Beer Garden. The space (the parking lot of Downtown Home and Garden) looked great and there was a nice festive atmosphere. It's going to have great synergy with Mark's Carts. How many times have you wished you had a nice cold one to wash down your bahn mi? Thanks to Bill's Beer Garden, your prayers have been answered.

Some of my compatriots mentioned that it was strange to be opening a beer garden with winter just around the corner. And while the timing of the opening might seem a little odd, I bet it is going to be packed tomorrow. I think Bill's is a great addition to the outdoor drinking scene in Ann Arbor. Before, if you wanted to stand around in public on the west side of town and drink, you pretty much had to brown bag it.

Moon Test Ride

Moon Test Ride - Green Road 1919, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Oct 13, 2012 from Assocreation on Vimeo.

I stumbled upon this strange video on Vimeo. I don't know what it is, but I like it. It's from Assocreation, an artist collective based in Ann Arbor and Vienna. From their Vimeo profile:

Founded in 1997 in Vienna. Assocreation deals with networks and their transitions to tangible realities. Its material is the ground under our feet, which it manipulates and networks in order to make it palpable.

Cryptic.

Pop-up quartet performance tomorrow

Looks like tomorrow is shaping up to be a great day for pop-up events. In addition to Sweet Tooth at LePop, The Chiara String Quartet will be playing two pop-up shows in the vacant storefront at 314 S. Fourth Ave. University of Nebraska's Quartet-in-residence has been in town for the last few days working with the University Musical Society on a mission to provide accessible music. Tomorrow evening's pop-up event is the culmination of the Quartet's time here. The concert starts at 8pm and is free.

Pencil Paparazzi: LeVar Burton edition

THE LeVar Burton was in Ann Arbor yesterday to give a guest lecture in his daughter's film studies class. While in town he visited Ashley's, the Dawn Treader and the Shapiro Library. I was unable to ambush him and get any pictures so I was hoping for your help gentle readers. Back in the day, MarkMaynard.Com had a series of posts entitled "Pencil Paparazzi" that featured cartoonish drawings of celebrities in the Ypsi-Arbor area. I'm hoping that some of you would be willing to sketch some pictures of Mr. Burton having fun in Ann Arbor. Don't worry if you didn't actually see him. Let your imagination run wild. You can send in your pictures to damn.arbor@gmail.com if you like and we will post a gallery of LeVar Burton cartoons.

Really Free Market, this Friday

The Really Free Market is coming back to Dana this Friday. Though in past semesters, it has had mostly women's clothes, once I found a hilarious "humping dog USB drive" and a Magic Eye book.

Tall Blond Girl

In Pat Stansik's latest music video, he explains why he is attracted to tall blond women: so their potential children will excel at athletics, if they wish to play.

Sweet Tooth at LePop

School's back in session and that means it's time for a new show at Charlie LaCroix LePop Gallery. The show features the artwork of College for Creative Studies graduate, Michelle Tanguay. In her artwork, Michelle, explores her unhealthy love of candy.

They opening reception for the show is this Friday and will feature a variety of refreshments and sweets to compliment a night of art and entertainment by Detroit’s own Girls Gone Vinyl.

If this is anything like past Charlie LaCroix events, it should be a super awesome time.

Pre-Gaming with Pat: drunk parents edition

The most recent episode of Pat Stansik's hit webseries asks the implicate question, "how old is too old to pre-game?" The answer folks, is 59.

Bill's Beer Garden opening this Thursday

At long last, Bill's Beer Garden is opening. Looks like they'll have 10 local beers on tap for the grand opening this Thursday Afternoon. Will we see you there? I hope so.

Craigslist introduces map view

Craigslist is testing a new feature that lets users look at apartment listings on a map. Ann Arbor is one of the three test cities where this feature is available, along with LA and San Fran. I can't wait till they add this feature to Missed Connections so you can easily find the best places to share flirty glances with the strangers you walk past.

Questions about proposal 1: the library bond issue

On our November ballot, voters within the Ann Arbor Library District will be faced with $65 million bond proposal for a new downtown library. The 30 year bond is projected to cost anywhere from $86.49 to $130 million with financing (See UPDATE). The bond will cost taxpayers 0.56 mils which is $56/year for a home with a taxable value of $200,000. Currently, there is one group supporting the bond proposal and three (!?!) groups that are against the proposal. At this time I am undecided on the issue. I think the pro-bond group makes some convincing arguments about the need for upgrades in the Downtown Library. On the other hand, I'm not sure it's better to demolish the current building and start from scratch rather than doing an extensive renovation. I guess, before voting, I'd really like to see a series of different proposals with the costs and benefits of each laid out clearly.

Here are a series of questions I have for both the pro-bond and anti-bond camp and I invite members of all groups involved to answer them, that is, if you read Damn Arbor.

For the Pro Proposal 1 Camp--Our New Downtown Library:

What are the specific upgrades the library needs?

Why why do the upgrades necessitate building a new building? Why can't we just renovate the existing building?

What does the $65 million get us? What is the plan, or vision? Why wouldn't say, $45 million work?

What will happen to the current library, and the services it provides, while the new building is being built?

What will be the long term change in operating expense due to upgraded mechanical systems?

What are the risks to the community if this bond proposal doesn't pass?

What are the risks to the community if this bond proposal passes?

What is your vision for the future of the Library?

For the anti-proposal 1 camp: Protect our libraries, Save the Library and the unfortunately named Love our Library (LOL):

How do you think the Library could best address its current deficiencies?

Would you support a bond proposal that would support a library renovation?

What are the risks to the community if this bond proposal doesn't pass?

What are the risks to the community if this bond proposal passes?

So yeah, if folks would like to address these questions in the comments section, I'd really appreciate it.

UPDATE--3:31 PM: Peter Baker has informed me that the $130 Million price tag for the 30 year bond repayment is a number that opponents of the bond proposal have been throwing around and that it reflects an interest rate of 5.25%. The pro-bond group says current municipal bond rates are 2-3%. The total cost for the bond at 2% would be $86.49 million. At 3% it would be $98.66 million. In fact, at 5.25% it would be just $129.22 million.

The spirit of Ann Arbor

The Spirit of Ann Arbor from Marcin Szczepanski on Vimeo.

Here's a pretty cool little video that has been making the rounds on the internet.

Old film from German Park unearthed

Terri Sarris, who teaches film and television production at the University of Michigan, recently unearthed an old film from German Park. Embedding has been disabled but you can check it out over on her BlogThis!

Mapping Ann Arbor's neighborhoods

Where the hood, where the hood, where the hood at? -Earl "DMX" Simmons, Where the Hood At?
As you may know I have had a casual interest in naming Ann Arbor's neighborhoods and microhoods. I'm pleased to let you know that I have now taken the next step and begun mapping Ann Arbor's various 'hoods with Google Map Maker. This move was inspired by the better support for integrated maps on the new ArborWiki.
Gentle readers, I need your help with this. There are some neighborhoods and microhoods in desperate need of names. Also, apparently my neighborhood names need to be approved by other Mapmakers and so far, Rob T., has found insufficient evidence for my newly created "Arborview Neighborhood."
What do you think makes a good neighborhood name? It seems like good neighborhoods are named after a prominent physical feature--a park, a road, a building--or convey some of the history of the place. I think these two areas are in desperate need of neighborhood names and would welcome any suggestions:

The neighborhood bounded by Miller, Newport, Brooks and Sunset.
The neighborhood east of Kerrytown and west of the Medical Campus.

Please feel free to nominate more neighborhoods to be named in the comments.