Mapping food safety violations

Over on his Tumblr, Alex Hill has a cool map based visualization of the most recent round of food safety violations. Pretty interesting, but I'd be cool to see streets added to the map.

Victors for Michigan campaign kickoff today

U of M is kicking off a huge (US$ 4 billion) fundraising campaign this afternoon on the Diag. I hear that there will be free hotdogs. Will there be an open bar? That's a good way to get people to write those big checks.

Detroit is Average for Voting

nextcity.org

Detroit barely beat expectations for voting, as officials predicted they would get less than a fourth of registered voters to turn out. This pretty map shows that like most other cities, mayoral campaigns aren't what gets voters hot and heavy. However, it was an interesting year for mayors, as NYC elected a  Democrat (which surprisingly hasn't happened in a while) and Detroit elected a white man for the first time in four decades.

Student Food Co-Op open today

Looking to score some hot produce? The Student Food Co-Op is open today in Mason Hall.

The Co-Op will be open from 10 am until 4:30 pm.

Dar Williams at the Ark

Tomorrow night, Dar Williams is playing at the Ark. Tickets are here online. Dar was someone that I grew up on, and while I won't be able to make the show,  I recommend her music to most. The video above is pretty sh*tty but it's a catchy song.

Alleged assault at Angell Hall

Gentle reader, were you following our breathtaking, on the scene, typo filled crime reporting last night? If not, here's what you missed:

Tons of UM PD cops responding to something at Angel Hall. At least 5 SUVs.

— Damn Arbor (@damnarbor) November 7, 2013

@sowjets 4 of the 5 UMPD SUVs parked outside of Angel Hall right now. 5th one wouldn't fit in the picture. pic.twitter.com/ylKE5k7IEI

— Damn Arbor (@damnarbor) November 7, 2013

Suspect being led out in handcuffs from Angell Hall. pic.twitter.com/XP90jiBzPs

— Damn Arbor (@damnarbor) November 7, 2013

According to this crime brief from the Daily, the man in the above picture was accused of assaulting someone in the Angell Hall complex. At the time of press, UMPD have not updated their daily crime log for November 6. We'll check back for more details.

UPDATE:

The UMPD daily incident log has been update:

Nov 06 2013 7:24 pm Assault, non-aggravated CAD#: 133100155

MASON HALL 419 STATE

A 20-year-old visitor was arrested in connection with slapping a U-M student during a dispute. A witness reported the assault to police about an hour after the incident and indicated the suspect had a gun in his pants. Officers quickly located the suspect but did not locate a gun in a search of the area. The suspect was turned over to another agency on an outstanding arrest warrant.

Case Status: Incident Report #13-003506 - open with arrest made on 11/6/2013

It's beginning to look a lot like ...

Sorry for the terrible picture. Looks like U of M is going whole hog wrapping the Central Campus trees in Christmas/festive winter lights this year. I don't really remember them doing anything like this in the past. I wonder what's behind the change?

'Til Rick's do us Part: more than you ever wanted to know about Rick's American Cafe

Writing for the Daily, Melanie Kruvelis and Kayla Upadhyaya have an in depth article exploring the history of one of Ann Arbor's most notorious watering holes: Rick's American Cafe. It's full of fun-filled facts. Did you know that Primus and the Pixies played there? I didn't. Here's an excerpt:

Like a (Rick’s) Virgin

One night in 1976, a young student on a four-year dance scholarship at the University wandered into a popular local bar and disco called the Blue Frogge with her friends. She encountered an attractive and charismatic waiter, a drummer in a local band and, like her, an aspiring artist.

She asked him to buy her a drink. The two spent the evening talking about their shared love for music. Even though he was four years older than her, they connected.

That student was Madonna.

The waiter was songwriter and producer Steve Bray, who Madonna dated on and off during her five semesters in Ann Arbor and continued to collaborate with throughout her musical career. The place they met? Located at 611 Church, the Blue Frogge eventually became an iconic Ann Arbor establishment: Rick’s American Cafe.

If you're looking for a local long-read for a rainy Wednesday morning, check it out.

Via r/uofm

Header by Erin Kirkland

Chip Smith's Legacy

Last minute Ward 5 city council candidate, Chip Smith, did not win his write-in campaign last night. In fact he lost to Democratic incumbent, Mike Anglin, by a margin of 2:1. Nevertheless, I predict his brief campaign will have a lasting impact on future Ann Arbor elections. To my knowledge, Chip was the first candidate to effectively deploy campaign videos. As we say goodbye to Election 2013, get ready for a 2014 election full of campaign videos.

Million Mask March hits Campus

Saw a group of a dozen or so protesters marching west on North University. They gave me a flyer that directed me to the websites for the Million Mast March and Why We Protest. I spoke briefly with the protesters and they said they were protesting in support of several generally anti-corporate issues: banning GMOs, the TPP, Corporate Welfare.
Protester, Jessica, asked me to take a picture of her, so I did.

I probably should have spoken to the protesters more to lean more about their positions, but alas, I was in a rush.