Robert Downes
Monday, June 15, 2009
Michigan still looking for a leader
Random Thoughts
Michigan still looking for a leader
Robert Downes 6/15/09
Each spring in Michigan, you know that the season has finally turned when you see the first crocus flowers starting to bloom, often while there is still snow on the ground.
And so it is with state politics, where some of the hardier specimens of Michigan’s long, dark night are starting to blossom with the hope of being elected governor in 2010, after eight years of Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Love her or hate her, you‘ve got to admit Gov. Granholm was dealt a dead man‘s hand when she became Michigan‘s first female governor in 2003. She inherited a $1.7 billion budget deficit from Gov. John Engler, and it’s been downhill ever since with the meltdown of the auto industry, the loss of 140,000 manufacturing jobs, and budget deficits of $1-$2 billion each year. One can only imagine that Gov. Granholm will be happy to say “Take this job and shove it” on her way out the door.
But who will replace her? And who is up to the task? Michigan now occupies ‘last place’ in the nation for job opportunities. Michigan is also the only state in the nation to have experienced negative economic growth for 10 years in a row.
So far, we have a collection of “Great Unknowns” at the gate -- and untested, to boot.
Some might even say uninspiring.
Robert Downes 6/15/09
Each spring in Michigan, you know that the season has finally turned when you see the first crocus flowers starting to bloom, often while there is still snow on the ground.
And so it is with state politics, where some of the hardier specimens of Michigan’s long, dark night are starting to blossom with the hope of being elected governor in 2010, after eight years of Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Love her or hate her, you‘ve got to admit Gov. Granholm was dealt a dead man‘s hand when she became Michigan‘s first female governor in 2003. She inherited a $1.7 billion budget deficit from Gov. John Engler, and it’s been downhill ever since with the meltdown of the auto industry, the loss of 140,000 manufacturing jobs, and budget deficits of $1-$2 billion each year. One can only imagine that Gov. Granholm will be happy to say “Take this job and shove it” on her way out the door.
But who will replace her? And who is up to the task? Michigan now occupies ‘last place’ in the nation for job opportunities. Michigan is also the only state in the nation to have experienced negative economic growth for 10 years in a row.
So far, we have a collection of “Great Unknowns” at the gate -- and untested, to boot.
Some might even say uninspiring.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Bike trails ramble on
Features
Bike Trails Ramble On
6/15/09
Cyclists and hikers had plenty to celebrate on National Trails Day, June 6, this year. U.S. Senator Carl Levin cut the ribbon on a new hiking and mountain bike trail that connects Traverse City to Kalkaska.
6/15/09
Cyclists and hikers had plenty to celebrate on National Trails Day, June 6, this year. U.S. Senator Carl Levin cut the ribbon on a new hiking and mountain bike trail that connects Traverse City to Kalkaska.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Bike trails ramble on
Features
Bike Trails Ramble On
6/15/09
Cyclists and hikers had plenty to celebrate on National Trails Day, June 6, this year. U.S. Senator Carl Levin cut the ribbon on a new hiking and mountain bike trail that connects Traverse City to Kalkaska.
6/15/09
Cyclists and hikers had plenty to celebrate on National Trails Day, June 6, this year. U.S. Senator Carl Levin cut the ribbon on a new hiking and mountain bike trail that connects Traverse City to Kalkaska.
Monday, June 8, 2009
That Wang-Dang Doodle
Random Thoughts
That Wang-Dang Doodle
Robert Downes 6/8/09
“Tell Automatic Slim, to tell razor-totin’ Jim, to tell butcher-knife totin’ Annie, to tell fast-talkin’ Fannie,
We gonna’ jump and ball, down at the union hall,
...We gonna’ wang-dang doodle, all
night long.”
-- Willie Dixon, Wang-Dang-Doodle
I saw “Queen of the Blues” Koko
Taylor about 10 years ago or more at the Turtle Creek Casino, with her band perched up in a corner window, playing behind a row of slot machines.
She could belt the blues to make your hair stand straight up, but even then, Koko looked like she had barely a shred of tread left on her tires. She appeared leathery inside and out, and possibly as old as the pyramids.
But you had to hand it to her, because Koko was still doing that “Wang-Dang Doodle,” her hit song from 1965, and reportedly she kept performing close to 50 concerts per year right up to the age of 80.
She died last week, one of the last of the Chicago blues musicians who still recalled the days of performing with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, and the kind of sidemen who used to blow harp through the borrowed microphones of Windy City cabs, or pack .45s in their guitar cases.
Robert Downes 6/8/09
“Tell Automatic Slim, to tell razor-totin’ Jim, to tell butcher-knife totin’ Annie, to tell fast-talkin’ Fannie,
We gonna’ jump and ball, down at the union hall,
...We gonna’ wang-dang doodle, all
night long.”
-- Willie Dixon, Wang-Dang-Doodle
I saw “Queen of the Blues” Koko
Taylor about 10 years ago or more at the Turtle Creek Casino, with her band perched up in a corner window, playing behind a row of slot machines.
She could belt the blues to make your hair stand straight up, but even then, Koko looked like she had barely a shred of tread left on her tires. She appeared leathery inside and out, and possibly as old as the pyramids.
But you had to hand it to her, because Koko was still doing that “Wang-Dang Doodle,” her hit song from 1965, and reportedly she kept performing close to 50 concerts per year right up to the age of 80.
She died last week, one of the last of the Chicago blues musicians who still recalled the days of performing with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, and the kind of sidemen who used to blow harp through the borrowed microphones of Windy City cabs, or pack .45s in their guitar cases.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Tent worms & Gypsy moths/TC‘s new art form/Forrum to discuss future of print/ guns in our parks/Michael Moore‘s new film/new museum opens
Region Watch
No fix for a plague of tent worms & gypsy moths
By Robert Downes 6/1/09
A devastating onslaught of tent worms is stripping forests of their leaves across Northern Michigan, with a similar invasion of gypsy moths expected in the weeks ahead and no remedy in sight.
“They are especially bad this year,“ says Cindy Rutherford, coordinator for gypsy moth control in the Grand Traverse Conservation District.
The two pests are often thought to be one and the same, but Rutherford notes that tent worms are actually a separate species known as the Eastern tent caterpillar, while gypsy moths hatch in the early summer and occupy the canopy of trees.
By Robert Downes 6/1/09
A devastating onslaught of tent worms is stripping forests of their leaves across Northern Michigan, with a similar invasion of gypsy moths expected in the weeks ahead and no remedy in sight.
“They are especially bad this year,“ says Cindy Rutherford, coordinator for gypsy moth control in the Grand Traverse Conservation District.
The two pests are often thought to be one and the same, but Rutherford notes that tent worms are actually a separate species known as the Eastern tent caterpillar, while gypsy moths hatch in the early summer and occupy the canopy of trees.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Let Him Be ... Not!
Random Thoughts
Let Him Be... Not!
Robert Downes 5/25/09
Mark Staycer is getting the full-blown movie star treatment this week in Toronto, where the city is revved up over the premiere of his new film, Let Him Be.
Mark, who is Traverse City’s gift to the world for his ability to nail the music and mannerisms of the late John Lennon, is starring in the role of a recluse from northern Canada who just might be you-know-who.
In Let Him Be, two undergrad film students discover a musician named Noel Snow living in northern Ontario who’s a dead-ringer for a dead rock star, only older. Could it be?
That’s the coy part of the film because Staycer‘s character never claims to be John Lennon in Let Him Be. Nor are there any songs by The Beatles or Lennon included in the film. Staycer has also been instructed by the filmmakers to avoid discussing the co-leader of The Beatles, who was gunned down outside his New York City apartment building by a crazed fan on Dec. 8, 1980.
Robert Downes 5/25/09
Mark Staycer is getting the full-blown movie star treatment this week in Toronto, where the city is revved up over the premiere of his new film, Let Him Be.
Mark, who is Traverse City’s gift to the world for his ability to nail the music and mannerisms of the late John Lennon, is starring in the role of a recluse from northern Canada who just might be you-know-who.
In Let Him Be, two undergrad film students discover a musician named Noel Snow living in northern Ontario who’s a dead-ringer for a dead rock star, only older. Could it be?
That’s the coy part of the film because Staycer‘s character never claims to be John Lennon in Let Him Be. Nor are there any songs by The Beatles or Lennon included in the film. Staycer has also been instructed by the filmmakers to avoid discussing the co-leader of The Beatles, who was gunned down outside his New York City apartment building by a crazed fan on Dec. 8, 1980.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tax revenues and marujuana
Random Thoughts
Tax revenues & marijuana
Robert Downes 5/18/09
Legalizing marijuana to raise state tax revenues is one of those “In Case of Emergency, Break Glass“ sort of measures brought on by desperate times.
In California, they‘re thinking of breaking the glass on that taboo, and it makes you wonder: should Michigan break it too?
And should we get there first, before California captures a market worth billions?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says it‘s time to debate legalizing the evil weed in California, which has a $42 billion gap in its budget. A California lawmaker has also introduced a bill that would legalize and tax marijuana.
Why? Because pot is California’s biggest cash crop. Growers raise an estimated $14 billion of it each year, none of which is taxed. It’s estimated that California could raise $1.3 billion per year in tax revenues by simply legalizing its biggest crop.
Robert Downes 5/18/09
Legalizing marijuana to raise state tax revenues is one of those “In Case of Emergency, Break Glass“ sort of measures brought on by desperate times.
In California, they‘re thinking of breaking the glass on that taboo, and it makes you wonder: should Michigan break it too?
And should we get there first, before California captures a market worth billions?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says it‘s time to debate legalizing the evil weed in California, which has a $42 billion gap in its budget. A California lawmaker has also introduced a bill that would legalize and tax marijuana.
Why? Because pot is California’s biggest cash crop. Growers raise an estimated $14 billion of it each year, none of which is taxed. It’s estimated that California could raise $1.3 billion per year in tax revenues by simply legalizing its biggest crop.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Claudia Schmidt
Music
Claudia Schmidt
Robert Downes 5/11/09
Thirty years ago, Claudia Schmidt put her heart on her sleeve and released her first self-titled album that was brimming with optimism, innocence and the anything-is-possible spirit of youth.
Back in 1979, her first effort on Flying Fish Records was released on an LP record in tumultuous musical times. Acoustic music in the vein of Dan Fogelberg, Steve Goodman and The Eagles was huge; disco was still a major force; punk rock was blossoming; and rap was barely a rumor.
Today, LPs are antique curiosities and rap has largely replaced folk as the music of protest and social justice. But despite 30 years of mileage on her musical odometer, Claudia Schmidt is still barreling along in high gear, radiating the same optimism and energy that lit up stages three decades ago.
She is, as the liner notes of her DVD states: “An absolute force of nature.”
Robert Downes 5/11/09
Thirty years ago, Claudia Schmidt put her heart on her sleeve and released her first self-titled album that was brimming with optimism, innocence and the anything-is-possible spirit of youth.
Back in 1979, her first effort on Flying Fish Records was released on an LP record in tumultuous musical times. Acoustic music in the vein of Dan Fogelberg, Steve Goodman and The Eagles was huge; disco was still a major force; punk rock was blossoming; and rap was barely a rumor.
Today, LPs are antique curiosities and rap has largely replaced folk as the music of protest and social justice. But despite 30 years of mileage on her musical odometer, Claudia Schmidt is still barreling along in high gear, radiating the same optimism and energy that lit up stages three decades ago.
She is, as the liner notes of her DVD states: “An absolute force of nature.”
Monday, May 11, 2009
Lost treasure found in Detroit
Random Thoughts
Lost treasure found in Detroit
Robert Downes 5/11/09
“Don’t forget the Motor City -- All you need is music, sweet music, there’ll be music everywhere...”
- Dancing in the Streets
Recently, National Public Radio aired a program wondering why it is that Detroit has created some of the best music in the world, and yet has failed miserably in marketing itself as a capital of creativity.
Good point: While Detroit and Michigan have obsessed for years over what to do about the auto meltdown, we’ve ignored the potential of our other top export: music.
Consider this partial list: Bob Seger, Kid Rock, Jack White, Madonna, Iggy Pop, Ted Nugent, Eminem and all the stars of Motown: Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Four Tops... Then there was Detroit’s electronic music scene in the ‘90s, which was better known worldwide than it was in most of Michigan.
To paraphrase an old Talking Heads hit, this ain’t no Arkansas, this ain’t no Wisconsin, this ain’t no fooling around: few states (or countries for that matter) can boast anywhere near the amount of musical talent that has come out of Michigan.
Robert Downes 5/11/09
“Don’t forget the Motor City -- All you need is music, sweet music, there’ll be music everywhere...”
- Dancing in the Streets
Recently, National Public Radio aired a program wondering why it is that Detroit has created some of the best music in the world, and yet has failed miserably in marketing itself as a capital of creativity.
Good point: While Detroit and Michigan have obsessed for years over what to do about the auto meltdown, we’ve ignored the potential of our other top export: music.
Consider this partial list: Bob Seger, Kid Rock, Jack White, Madonna, Iggy Pop, Ted Nugent, Eminem and all the stars of Motown: Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Four Tops... Then there was Detroit’s electronic music scene in the ‘90s, which was better known worldwide than it was in most of Michigan.
To paraphrase an old Talking Heads hit, this ain’t no Arkansas, this ain’t no Wisconsin, this ain’t no fooling around: few states (or countries for that matter) can boast anywhere near the amount of musical talent that has come out of Michigan.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Is Glenn Puit the King of True Crime
Books
Is Glenn Puit the King of True Crime
Robert Downes 5/4/09
By day, Glenn Puit spends his time as an environmental reporter, sifting through reams of boilerplate reports and conducting interviews with bureaucrats and eco-activists to promote a greener world. But at night, chances are you’ll find him wading knee-deep through the bloody history of the Las Vegas underworld -- a place where psychopaths present a smiling face to the world, yet roil with killer impulses; a world where upstanding citizens and pillars of the community set their colleagues on fire in the desert, or bash the brains out of their loved-ones.
Robert Downes 5/4/09
By day, Glenn Puit spends his time as an environmental reporter, sifting through reams of boilerplate reports and conducting interviews with bureaucrats and eco-activists to promote a greener world. But at night, chances are you’ll find him wading knee-deep through the bloody history of the Las Vegas underworld -- a place where psychopaths present a smiling face to the world, yet roil with killer impulses; a world where upstanding citizens and pillars of the community set their colleagues on fire in the desert, or bash the brains out of their loved-ones.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Seeking a new direction
Random Thoughts
Seeking a new direction
Robert Downes 5/4/09
Rick Snyder, the surprise Republican candidate for governor in 2010, strikes you as the kind of guy who could save the Grumpy Old Party from going down the path to extinction.
With an open expression, a youthful demeanor and an emphatic way of listening, Snyder thinks of himself as a “green” Republican, interested in preserving the environment and promoting alternative energy as avenues for solving Michigan’s job crisis. An Ann Arbor venture capitalist with the firm Ardesta, he served as the interim CEO of Gateway Computers a few years back, offering credence that he may be the sort of person with big ideas and business savvy to turn our state around.
Snyder stopped by the
Express offices last week as part of his statewide listening tour. “I’ve been visiting communities across the state to hear what people have to say about jobs and Michigan’s direction,” he said.
Much of what he’s heard has been pretty gloomy, especially coming direct to Traverse City from the Upper Peninsula, where unemployment is above 20 percent, with not much hope on the horizon.
So we were quick to point out that life seems to be much brighter here in the ‘magic bubble’ of northwestern Michigan, where various windpower projects are starting to take root, along with our robust tourism and agricultural industries. We pointed out that the Grand Traverse Commons renovation project in Traverse City is going like gangbusters and that our region is percolating with ideas for festivals, downtown destinations and new manufacturing schemes.
Robert Downes 5/4/09
Rick Snyder, the surprise Republican candidate for governor in 2010, strikes you as the kind of guy who could save the Grumpy Old Party from going down the path to extinction.
With an open expression, a youthful demeanor and an emphatic way of listening, Snyder thinks of himself as a “green” Republican, interested in preserving the environment and promoting alternative energy as avenues for solving Michigan’s job crisis. An Ann Arbor venture capitalist with the firm Ardesta, he served as the interim CEO of Gateway Computers a few years back, offering credence that he may be the sort of person with big ideas and business savvy to turn our state around.
Snyder stopped by the
Express offices last week as part of his statewide listening tour. “I’ve been visiting communities across the state to hear what people have to say about jobs and Michigan’s direction,” he said.
Much of what he’s heard has been pretty gloomy, especially coming direct to Traverse City from the Upper Peninsula, where unemployment is above 20 percent, with not much hope on the horizon.
So we were quick to point out that life seems to be much brighter here in the ‘magic bubble’ of northwestern Michigan, where various windpower projects are starting to take root, along with our robust tourism and agricultural industries. We pointed out that the Grand Traverse Commons renovation project in Traverse City is going like gangbusters and that our region is percolating with ideas for festivals, downtown destinations and new manufacturing schemes.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Why we must investigate torture
Random Thoughts
Why we must investigate torture
Robert Downes 4/27/09
In 1947 the United States convicted a number of Japanese war criminals to life in prison for waterboarding U.S. soldiers.
In one case, a Japanese officer named Chinsaku Yuki made his victim strip off all his clothes, after which he was tied naked to a bench. Then Yuki poured water over a cloth wrapped around the victim’s face until he drowned and passed out. When the man was revived, he’d find Yuki sitting on his belly and the process would start all over again.
One U.S. soldier testified that he was drowned four or five times, losing consciousness, then revived for more punishment.
We gave the Japanese and Nazi war criminals the harshest penalties that a military tribunal could mete out for their hideous acts. But now, our nation finds itself gazing in a mirror, faced with the same question: Should the Bush administration be investigated for condoning and encouraging torture?
Robert Downes 4/27/09
In 1947 the United States convicted a number of Japanese war criminals to life in prison for waterboarding U.S. soldiers.
In one case, a Japanese officer named Chinsaku Yuki made his victim strip off all his clothes, after which he was tied naked to a bench. Then Yuki poured water over a cloth wrapped around the victim’s face until he drowned and passed out. When the man was revived, he’d find Yuki sitting on his belly and the process would start all over again.
One U.S. soldier testified that he was drowned four or five times, losing consciousness, then revived for more punishment.
We gave the Japanese and Nazi war criminals the harshest penalties that a military tribunal could mete out for their hideous acts. But now, our nation finds itself gazing in a mirror, faced with the same question: Should the Bush administration be investigated for condoning and encouraging torture?
Monday, April 20, 2009
Going Natural ... Off-Line
Random Thoughts
Going Natural ... Off-Line
Robert Downes 4/20/09
Here’s one of those news items that’s so quirky compared to the spirit of our time that it sounds like an item from News of the Weird or a gag story from The Onion. It appeared in the online newsletter published by ForeWord magazine in Traverse City:
“Former Librarian Quits the Internet
The Grayslake Review reports that Jack Hicks, a 69-year-old retiree, has cancelled the Internet. Hicks was the director of Illinois’ Glenview Public Library, one of the first libraries in the Chicago area to offer free Internet access.
‘Mainly, it’s a time-waster. And there’s so little time. Why waste it?’ Hicks said. “In retirement, I’m interested in real life, not an imitation of life.’”
At the Express, we now have readers who can’t even recall a time when there was no Internet -- it was up and running before they were born. And many of us would be fish out of the water without the sea of information we swim in each day.
Robert Downes 4/20/09
Here’s one of those news items that’s so quirky compared to the spirit of our time that it sounds like an item from News of the Weird or a gag story from The Onion. It appeared in the online newsletter published by ForeWord magazine in Traverse City:
“Former Librarian Quits the Internet
The Grayslake Review reports that Jack Hicks, a 69-year-old retiree, has cancelled the Internet. Hicks was the director of Illinois’ Glenview Public Library, one of the first libraries in the Chicago area to offer free Internet access.
‘Mainly, it’s a time-waster. And there’s so little time. Why waste it?’ Hicks said. “In retirement, I’m interested in real life, not an imitation of life.’”
At the Express, we now have readers who can’t even recall a time when there was no Internet -- it was up and running before they were born. And many of us would be fish out of the water without the sea of information we swim in each day.
Monday, April 20, 2009
A Whitewater Park in Traverse City
Features
A Whitewater Park in Traverse City
Robert Downes 4/20/09
Imagine this: you grab your paddle, jump in your kayak or inner tube, and plunge into the churning thrills of Class III rapids on the Boardman River right off Union Street in downtown Traverse City.
Sweet.
At least, that’s the dream of Eric Clone of Boardman Paddle and Pedal in the city’s Warehouse District, who is testing the waters for the creation of a $1 million whitewater park just east of the Union Street dam.
“The Boardman River in Traverse City has high potential for a whitewater park,” Clone says. “A consultant was here a few weeks ago and he fell in love with what we have to offer. He says the area could have one of the best whitewater parks in the country.”
Robert Downes 4/20/09
Imagine this: you grab your paddle, jump in your kayak or inner tube, and plunge into the churning thrills of Class III rapids on the Boardman River right off Union Street in downtown Traverse City.
Sweet.
At least, that’s the dream of Eric Clone of Boardman Paddle and Pedal in the city’s Warehouse District, who is testing the waters for the creation of a $1 million whitewater park just east of the Union Street dam.
“The Boardman River in Traverse City has high potential for a whitewater park,” Clone says. “A consultant was here a few weeks ago and he fell in love with what we have to offer. He says the area could have one of the best whitewater parks in the country.”
Monday, April 20, 2009
A Whitewater Park in Traverse City
Features
A Whitewater Park in Traverse City
Robert Downes 4/20/09
Imagine this: you grab your paddle, jump in your kayak or inner tube, and plunge into the churning thrills of Class III rapids on the Boardman River right off Union Street in downtown Traverse City.
Sweet.
At least, that’s the dream of Eric Clone of Boardman Paddle and Pedal in the city’s Warehouse District, who is testing the waters for the creation of a $1 million whitewater park just east of the Union Street dam.
“The Boardman River in Traverse City has high potential for a whitewater park,” Clone says. “A consultant was here a few weeks ago and he fell in love with what we have to offer. He says the area could have one of the best whitewater parks in the country.”
Robert Downes 4/20/09
Imagine this: you grab your paddle, jump in your kayak or inner tube, and plunge into the churning thrills of Class III rapids on the Boardman River right off Union Street in downtown Traverse City.
Sweet.
At least, that’s the dream of Eric Clone of Boardman Paddle and Pedal in the city’s Warehouse District, who is testing the waters for the creation of a $1 million whitewater park just east of the Union Street dam.
“The Boardman River in Traverse City has high potential for a whitewater park,” Clone says. “A consultant was here a few weeks ago and he fell in love with what we have to offer. He says the area could have one of the best whitewater parks in the country.”
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