Articles in the Blog Category
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Take a good look at the shirt Brock Mealer is wearing. He is the young man who was told he only had a one percent chance of ever walking again after being paralyzed in a car accident that killed his father and his brother’s girlfriend. At the University of Michigan’s home opener this past weekend Brock walked across the Michigan Field flanked by his brothers Blake and Elliott (who plays for Michigan), and their mom right behind.
Impossible is nothing.
Sometimes it’s the right attitude that gets you where you want to be. For Brock the inspiration came from UM Football Coach Rich Rodriguez, who told him he could lead the Michigan team out of the tunnel at the University of Connecticut game if he did so of his own accord. No wheelchair. Just a couple of walking canes and a can-do attitude. Since last October he’s been working daily with the UM Strength & Conditioning staff to strengthen his muscles, hoping they would support him in reaching his goal. Perhaps, though, it was what is between his ears more than anything else that helped him achieve it. He believed he could do it. Impossible is nothing.
Since the start of last year’s abysmal season Coach Rodriguez has been asking Michigan fans to be “All In For Michigan.” Could they believe in a team that is struggling? Would they show their support in the worst of times? That is the test of a true fan. Impossible is nothing.
When Coach Rodriguez arrived on the Michigan campus back in 2008, there were many Michigan diehards who felt that he didn’t seem to understand the Michigan mystique, that he didn’t embrace …
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I’ve always been different. While many girls and women growing up in the 1960s and ’70s found freedom by shedding their nylons and pulling on pants, I was coordinating my dresses and bows. I’ve never felt the need to assimilate, to be like all of the others. I am at my best when I am true to myself.
Perhaps that’s why as a student at Ann Arbor’s Pittsfield Elementary School I was often taunted and teased. Oh, yeah, I was even beat up one day on the playground.
I don’t remember much about it, except that school officials and my parents handled the situation, and I continued to feel loved and protected. (The photo to the left was taken around the time the incident happened when I was an 8 year-old 3rd grader.)
An 11 year-old Saline boy suffered seizure-like symptoms and lost consciousness after he was bullied on the playground at Heritage Elementary School last month, and now seven of his fellow students may be charged with assault. The incident seems to be related to an on-going dispute between the victim and others in his class. Read more here.
Why do kids bully? We know that childhood bullying peaks between ages 6 to 9. Dr. Julie Lumeng, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the University of Michigan’s Mott Children’s Hospital, says obese children have higher odds of being bullied no matter their gender, race, family socioeconomic status, school demographic profile, social skills or academic achievement. “Physicians who care for obese children should consider the role that being bullied is playing in the child’s well-being,” stresses Lumeng. Listen to my conversation with her
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They were the first in the school’s basketball history to play a semifinal or championship game. In fact, they were the first to reach the quarterfinal round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Class A Championships since 1989. The young men on the Ann Arbor Huron High School Basketball team have much of which to be proud.
Watching that final game on www.mhsaa.tv this past weekend as my alma mater lost to Kalamazoo Central, 74-65, I marveled over these outstanding athletes and how well they represented Ann Arbor, their school, their families, and each other. Head Coach Waleed Samaha and Assistant Coaches Marcus Edmondson & Ryan Artley have crafted a cohesive team that works with precision and collaborates together. They understand the significance of being a team. There are no showboats on this team, although there could be. AnnArbor.com’s Rich Rezler writes, “No players turned more heads than Dante Williams.” The Huron junior went 15 for 29 during the tournament, including seven 3-pointers. Coach Samaha told Rezler, “I kind of guard against (personal accolades.) Our program is predicated on team play, on moving the ball and sharing the ball. We may not highlight any individual players, but within our system you have the opportunity to make plays. If people take notice, I think that’s great.” (Read more from Rezler’s post here.)
And we did notice, Coach. We noticed that your team is a well-oiled machine. Beyond their athleticism, they exhibited great character, a determined focus, a spirited attitude, and a maturity beyond their years. Although they may not know it now, the life skills you are teaching them on the basketball court will carry into their college years and business careers.
This Huron High team proves to us that basketball isn’t just a game.
Lucy Ann is a 1979 graduate …
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It’s a simple question, but one we often ignore.
Is this the right thing to do?
From the Enron escapade to embezzlement of youth hockey funds in Ann Arbor, the break down of ethics is everywhere. Eastern Michigan University’s College of Business is leading the charge to change that by developing responsible, ethical business professionals. Students, faculty, staff, and the administration at EMU’s College of Business have all embraced an Ethos Statement that affirms six underlying values: Integrity; Honesty; Trustworthiness; Respect; Learning; and Work Ethic. (Ethos refers to the character, the fundamental values, or the spirit of a group.)
“Ethics isn’t just a set of rules on the books, ethics needs to be lived.” Those are the words of Ernest Merlanti, who along with his wife Jeanne, helped to start the ethics revolution at EMU. Mr. Merlanti founded Personnel Systems, Inc. in 1970 to resolve some of the problems companies faced in hiring quality employees including the need to screen resumes, interview and qualify candidates, and understand the job specifications required. In 2000 Mrs. Merlanti suggested that EMU establish a comprehensive ethics program. Today that has grown into the Merlanti Ethics Program as well as an annual Ethos Week, which I recently had the privilege of participating in by presenting a talk on Ethics & the Media.
Dr. David Mielke, the Dean of EMU’s College of Business, is championing all of us, not just his students, to do the right thing. Each week on our show (Thursdays at 9:05 AM on 1290 WLBY) Dr. Mielke talks about current ethical issues facing business, government, and public policy leaders. Whether the topic is health care, stimulus dollars, the auto company bailouts, or Ann Arbor City Council emails, he forces us to constantly ask, “Is this the right thing to do?” …
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It has been said that he who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree. Amidst the outward trappings of shopping, gift-giving, decorating, and cooking, we hope you find a moment to look inward and recall that place in your heart where Christmas really resides.
On Saturday, December 12 from 9 AM-1 PM, we present “The Lucy Ann Lance Hometown Christmas Show” on 1290 WLBY & live streamed on www.1290WLBY.com. We will feature local entertainers sharing their Christmas spirit with you. The Ann Arbor Boy Choir (see photo), Ypsilanti Community Band & Choir, Saline’s Allegro Quartet, Sweet Adelines Center Stage, twin singing sensations Ariel & Zoey, Pianist Jim King, Storytellers Jeff Doyle, Jill Halpern, Yvonne Healy, the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra, Singer Meg Nye and many other musical groups will enthrall and delight as they evoke the magic of Christmas.
We all have special memories of Christmas this time of year – the twinkling lights throughout our downtowns, sledding in Vet’s Park, watching the Christmas parades. “The Lucy Ann Lance Hometown Christmas” is our gift to you. We hope to make it an annual tradition that you will remember and carry in your heart, as well.
One Christmas I received the one gift I had wanted with all my heart. The year was 1970 and I was 9 years old. She was Velvet, a doll wearing a purple dress with a white sash, & purple shoes, and you could make her hair grow long with a pull of her ponytail. I was so happy that Santa brought her to me, and I couldn’t stop hugging my mom. I still have Velvet, a little worse for the wear, but here nonetheless. …
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Sometimes all it takes to change one’s perspective is a new day. The Michigan Wolverines had their day two weekends ago with a convincing 31-7 victory for their home opener against Western Michigan University.
3-9 season last year? NCAA investigation into alleged rules violations? It’s as if the waving of the new “All In For Michigan” maize towels magically made all of that disappear. Or, at least pushed doubt about this team and its coach to the sidelines. Certainly, the convincing victory over the Irish this past weekend banished any doubt about the Wolverines altogether.
Indeed, a new day has dawned.
In a town that prides itself on diversity and acceptance, Ann Arbor sure didn’t give the new man from coal-mining West Virginia much of a break. It was encouraging to see the homemade signs in the crowd printed with “In Rod We Trust” and to hear chants of “Rich-Rod-Ri-Guez” erupt. Dean Erskine, Doug Karsh, and I broadcast the Michigan Football Network’s Tailgate Show for Michigan Sports Marketing and IMG (flagship station is WOMC 104.3 FM.) Our guests included Rita Rodriguez, the Coach’s wife, who told us that it was Rich who came up with the new slogan, “All In For Michigan.”
Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” I’ve always admired people who, despite adversity or even horrific tragedy or overwhelming sadness in their lives, still manage to get through their day and greet the new one with hope in their hearts.
I think that’s the key to surviving setbacks; knowing that tomorrow is a whole new ball game.
If you’re going to the game, stop by our broadcast booth and say …
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They’re gone. All of them. No students; no Art Fair visitors. Poof! They’ve disappeared. August is that time of year in Ann Arbor when we take back the town. The beer pong tables have been put away, the Art Fair booths have been stored for another year, and like the groundhog in February, Ann Arborites can begin to nose around and discover their surroundings.
Seriously, it’s safe to come out again.
This is the perfect time of year for you to get reacquainted with Ann Arbor. Dash into Blimpy Burger for a Pepper Steak Bullet, savor a walk in the deserted Arb, and take a seat at Mongolian BBQ without waiting an eternity with a pager glued to your hand.
Oh heck, go ahead. Park on Main Street! In August, I guarantee there’s a parking spot just waiting for you.
Didn’t brave the crowds for the opening of the newly renovated UM Museum of Art? Meander through and you’ll be mesmerized by the DialogTable, a dynamic and interactive storytelling and social learning tool in the Vertical Gallery of the new Frankel Wing. With a wave of your hand over the table, the gesture recognition system allows you to play movies, create your own art collection, or even take a tour, save it to the web, and continue your exploration at home.
After the Museum of Art, cut through the Diag (just because you can) and head over to Good Time Charley’s at S. University & Church. Your mouth will dance as your tongue wraps around their famous Count Twists, hand-twisted bread sticks stuffed with cheddar and pepper …
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It seemed like any other Sunday, opening my Ann Arbor News early this morning and looking forward to a relaxing moment reading about my community and its people. A scene played out in other households along my block and throughout the town.
And then it hit me. This was it. The last Sunday edition of the Ann Arbor News.
It felt like a sucker punch to the gut.
I was inside the Ann Arbor News newsroom last Friday on an invite from photographer Leisa Thompson. It was 6:00 PM and eerily quiet with just three or so employees peering into their computer screens. Leisa pointed out where her desk had been, now just an empty space of carpet. She took me into a back room where she had set-up a video camera to record my memories of the Ann Arbor News. I pulled out a frayed article from the paper mounted on cardboard and dated May 2, 1974. At 12 years old, it was the first time I was ever in the newspaper. The beaming face of a Scarlett Middle School 7th grader who had won the Law Day Contest and had her winning entry published in the Ann Arbor News.
Digging out that article recently made me recall what a powerful impact newspapers have had on our lives. My parents and grandparents loved to debate the day’s issues around the dining room table, much of the talk formulated by what was published on any given day. As a student at Pittsfield Elementary I remember learning about current events with the …
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An estimated 500,000 people are in Ann Arbor this week for the annual Ann Arbor Art Fairs, a 4-day event covering 30 blocks of downtown Ann Arbor through the University of Michigan main campus area. We welcome and embrace all of you, and hope you have a great time enjoying all that Ann Arbor and the surrounding region have to offer.
Last year, Power Marketing and Research conducted an intercept-style survey of visitors to the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. The survey consisted of 30 questions which took 8-10 minutes to answer. A total of 834 visitors completed the survey. It gives us a snapshot view of the economic impact of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. The bottom line is that visitors spend $78.9 million during the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. The breakdown: Hotels, $5 million; Dining $25.2 million; Shopping $48.7 million. Of those surveyed, 73% buy more than one artist and 77% return to the Fairs the next year.
There’s no question about it. The Ann Arbor Art Fairs is more than just a great event; it’s big business. We salute the organizers, volunteers, and artists who make it happen. In this 50th year of the Fairs, the challenge was how to keep this event vibrant, relevant, and moving forward in tough economic times. Even this year the Fairs have drawn artists all the way from places like Israel and Argentina. New attractions, like Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Adventure Tour (Main & William Streets), excellent musical entertainment, and a continued emphasis on quality of artwork, keep the Ann Arbor Art Fairs fresh and impressive.
A notable feat …
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Arborland has always been a constant in my childhood memories. Gazing at the mural of Jack and the Beanstalk climbing high on Montgomery Ward’s wall. Scrambling up on the stools at Sanders’ counter waiting for a hot fudge sundae. Playing on the lifesize granite whale with my brothers. Saving up my nickles and dimes to buy a trinket from Kresge’s. Thumbing through the bins of .50 cent 45 RPM records for the latest Osmond Brothers’ songs. Whenever we went on an out-of-town trip, there it was: Arborland’s landmark sign with the giant letter “A” beckoning us back home.
Arborland is as old as I am. Built in 1961, it was Ann Arbor’s first shopping mall. Arborland’s management company is now embroiled in a dispute with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) over its bus service. At the center of the debate are bus patrons who utilize Arborland’s parking lot to park their vehicles in prime spots, and then continue their journey by bus. There are about 1,000 daily AATA riders on those Arborland buses with about 150 who park and ride.
Arborland’s management, Finsilver Friedman Management Company out of Farmington Hills, has cancelled the bus service contract with AATA, and as of July 1st there will be no bus service at Arborland.
And you thought parking was only an issue in downtown Ann Arbor.
In a free market economy, a business should be allowed to protect its (and its clients) best interests and conduct business as it sees fit. However, this situation is bad business all the way around. Arborland risks losing those 1,000 bus-riding-potential-money-spending-mall-customers because some of them park too close to the stores’ doors. (If they …
