Arbor Update

Local

Local blogger featured in Salon.com technology article

Posted by Brian Kerr on 9. June 2004

Larry Kestenbaum—local dynamo and candidate for Washtenaw County Clerk and Register of Deeds—was interviewed in a technology article at Salon.com called Invasion of the spambots.

See also: Murph’s scoop and the Arbor Blogs ‘coverage’ of this article.

Local

24th 24-hour "Peace Generator" World Healing Peace Circle

Posted by dilleym on 8. June 2004

6:00 pm Friday June 11 to 6:00 pm Saturday June 12
Friends Meeting House, 1420 Hill St.

Please come for an hour, or whatever works for you, sometime during this 24-hour period to join in silent meditation/prayer for global peace and healing.

For info. contact Craig Harvey
734-971-8576
email: worldhealing@yahoogroups.com

Comment [16]

Culture

A Workout of My Own

Posted by Ari Paul on 8. June 2004

Punk rock fitness, currently already in progress in places like the Lower East Side in NYC, has hit the metro area.

From Metro Times:

“If you have been avoiding the gym because you just can’t stand the J-Lo and disco music…then look no further—musical respite is here. Punk Fitness is a low-impact workout set to the sounds of bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistol [sic], and Sham 69…Put down the PBR, fatty, and get some exercise at Small’s (10339 Conant, Hamtramck); call 313-873-1117 for futher information. Select workout songs from 8-8:20 p.m.; exercise begins at 8:30 p.m.”

Now if we could get something like this going in Ann Arbor.

Comment [3]

Local

4th Annual "Shakespeare in the Arb" Opens This Week

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 8. June 2004

[ as entered on lostdialogue.com ]
[ upcoming.org event listing ]

In the spring of 2001, Residential College Drama instructor Kate Mendeloff set out to create a new type of theatre experience unique to the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor setting. With the world-famous Nichols Arboretum as the setting, Kate worked with a cast and crew of students and faculty to produce William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a mobile, landscape-oriented theatre piece.

Taking advantage of the Arb’s natural features, the audience saw the play unfold as they walked from scene to scene throughout prairies, valleys, and forestland. The play opened to massive critical praise, winning the Ann Arbor News’ annual “Best Comedy” award in 2001. She followed in 2002 with another production of Midsummer, using a mixture of original cast members and newcomers, allowing for a unique expansion on the previous year’s work. 2003 saw a production of another Shakespeare comedy, Much Ado About Nothing in the same style as the others.

This year, the play is Shakeaspeare’s over-the-top take on romantic comedies – As You Like It – following a banished Duke and a fleeing young nobleman into the forest with their company, and the ensuing romantic traipses. The performances start this week and run for three weekends until the end of June.

Some behind-the-scenes info on the show & my involvement…

Since its debut three years ago, the Arb Summer show has been seen by many involved to be an off-season project of the RC Players, a student group based in the Residential College which produces plays throughout the academic year. The RC Players exist along with Musket, the Rude Mechanicals, and Basement Arts as one of four prolific student-run theatre groups on campus. The RC Players trademark is its brand of quirky, ironic humour that grows out of the unique culture of the RC.

This year’s cast includes many RC Players regulars, along with many students involved in other campus theatre groups, several who are acting for their first time, and a few professors. Depending on which day you come, you can see two different sets of people in the cast – most parts have two performers who alternate, allowing for a greater number of people to be involved.

I have been a member of the RC Players since December of 2002, when I saw an audition notice on my way out of an Anti-War Action! meeting. Since then, I have worked on eight RC Players productions including this one, in which I play Orlando (double cast with RC Junior Max Berry).

The play can also be seen in the fall on the weekend during welcome week. Details TBA.

information from the official website:

* * *

The U-M Residential College and the Nichols Arboretum present:

AS YOU LIKE IT
by William Shakespeare

Thu-Sat, June 10-12
Thu-Sat, June 17-19
Thu-Sat, June 24-26
(rain dates Sun, June 13/20/17)

All performances at 6:30 pm

* * *

Because of the huge success of the Arbfest production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in both 2001 and 2002, and “Much Ado About Nothing” in 2003—- the tradition of Summer Theater continues!! This year, the production is Shakespeare’s As You Like It – it’s a story of love, confusion, brotherly strife, and getting back to nature. The play will move from the Prairie towards the East Valley, with major scenes along the way. Guests will see the Arboretum in an engaging, magical way with each evening’s performance.

Have fun at the performance by getting into the spirit of it all—bring a picnic dinner! Pincic before the performance in the Peony Garden, (you can then deposit your picnic items back in the car before going to the performance which starts at the Prairie). Pick up dessert to much along the way, we will have cookies for sale from Big City Bakery.

    * Please note alcohol is not allowed in the Arboretum
    * To keep the Arb environment clean, you will have to carry out what you have carried in
    * To aid in Arboretum fundraising we will have desserts from Big City Bakery for sale before the event; We will also have bottled water available for sale

Bring a blanket or folding lawn chairs for your comfort during each scene. We will be traversing the trails of the Arboretum, so wear comfortable shoes! If you or someone in your party requires special assistance please contact our office to reserve a spot for transportation.

If you would like to volunteer to be an usher at the event please write an email to arb (at) umich.edu. We need some ushers to be in costume as part of the cast, and some ushers in plain clothes. You will be required to attend a training session to be an usher. We also need volunteers to assist with ticket sales between 4:45 and 6:30 prior to a performance. Please contact arb (at) umich.edu for more information.

Because of the popularity of this event, we will follow a few ‘rules’

    * Tickets are sold for that evening’s performance only
    * No reservations are accepted
    * No advance ticket sales
    * Friends of Nichols Arboretum, as a membership benefit, may obtain tickets in advance of that evening’s box office opening
    * The audience is limited to 150 guests at each performance; Once this number is reached, we will not be able to sell any more tickets for that evening’s performance. This means that even if people are still in line for tickets no more tickets will be sold; We will close the box office for that night once the 150 limit is reached
    * The maximum number of tickets sold to any individual is 6
    * If rain or severe weather causes us to cancel that night’s performance there will be no ticket sales

We ask all of our guests to be kind to the natural environment of the Arboretum. Please stay on the trails, and carry out and properly dispose of your trash.

Comment [1]

Politics

Drink for PCAP

Posted by Scott Trudeau on 7. June 2004

The Prison Creative Arts Project, a local organization that does positive work with prisoners, is holding a fundraiser Tuesday (tomorrow, 6/8) night at Ashley’s on State St. From their website:

Founded in 1990, the Prison Creative Arts Project is committed to original work in the arts in Michigan correctional facilities and juvenile facilities. We have worked with prison actors, writers, and performers to create two dance performances, over one hundred and thirty-two original plays, and over fourteen creative writing presentations at seventeen adult facilities, as well as over eighty-five plays and three dance performances at four Michigan juvenile facilities. We have also curated six Exhibitions of Art by Michigan Prisoners and three exhibitions of art by incarcerated youth from four juvenile facililties.

The fundraiser runs from 8pm to midnight and you need a free ticket attached to your bill for your dollars to count. See the Upcoming.org entry for more details.

> PCAP website
> Upcoming.org listing

Local

Top of the Park starts on Friday

Posted by Brian Kerr on 7. June 2004

Meanwhile, back in Ann Arbor…

One measure of a city’s “coolness” is the number of free public concerts and movie screenings held on top of a parking structure.

Top of the Park—part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—kicks off this Friday. Each night for three and a half weeks, there are a couple musical acts and, more often than not, a movie screening, all held on top of the Fletcher Street parking structure. Events are free and open to the public. Check out the schedule and mark your calendars.

The film lineup in particular seems pretty appealing this year. Should be fun!

Comment [3]

National

Reagan Quotes, The Good, The Bad...

Posted by Ari Paul on 7. June 2004

In response to the AU’s controversial coverage of the death of president Reagan, our continuing coverage features quotations compiled by our wire reporters: the funny, the serious, the heartwarming, and the threatening. Thus, read on, and judge for yourself.

Enjoy:

• “Welfare’s purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence.”
• “Facts are stupid things.”
• “Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.”
• “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.”
• “How do you tell a Communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.”
• “Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.”
• “A Hippie is someone who walks like Tarzan, looks like Jane and smells like Cheetah.”
• “I’m convinced more than ever that man finds liberation only when he binds himself to God and commits himself to his fellow man.”
• “We are trying to get unemployment to go up, and I think we’re going to succeed.”
• “History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.”
• “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. “And if it stops moving, subsidise it.”
• I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.”
• “Trees cause more pollution than automobiles.”
• “A few months ago, I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that’s true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not.”
• “I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering those nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.”
• “I hope the people on Wall Street will pay attention to the people on Main Street. If they do, they will see there is a rising tide of confidence in the future of America.”
• “All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.”

Comment [38]

Politics

93 Years: President Reagan dies

Posted by Ari Paul on 5. June 2004

Former President Ronald Reagan died today at his California home at the age of 93. Famous for many things, among the most notable were: illegally trading arms with the Iranian government, aiding terrorists in Central America, screwing aviation workers, bizarrely invading Grenada, and, of course, using Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A.’, ironically, for his rabidly anti-working class campaign. Today is sure to be a dark one for profiteers and war makers, but it may be a day of relief for working people and peace loving folk around the world.

While the death of any person is always sad, his death should not be exploited as an opportunity glorify his career and to skim over the very policies he created that left our country in shambles after 1988.

Ketchup is not a vegetable, and trees do not omit carbon dioxide.

Comment [52]

Politics

Michigan Police

Posted by on 5. June 2004

“Vice President Dick Cheney made a campaign stop in Grand Rapids and picked up a union endorsement along the way.

The Vice President spoke to the Police Officers Association of Michigan and accepted their endorsement for reelection…”

via WorldNow and WOODTV

Comment [11]

Regional

Universal Healthcare National Day of Action

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 5. June 2004

Howard Dean’s organization, Democracy for America, is sponsoring a major day of action with Americans for Health Care, Jobs With Justice, Rock the Vote and SEIU on June 19 to ”’Bridge the Gap in Health Care’ between those who have coverage and those who don’t.” The day features events from “Golden Gate to the Brooklyn Bridge,” however a quick check of the event website shows the nearest events to Ann Arbor on that day are a march in Toledo and an event in Benjamin Davis Park in Lansing. Organizing an event to be publicized on their site seems fairly easy, and I think this might be an excellent project for Ann Arbor activists who might have some extra time on their hands!