Detroit's University District markets to families that homeschool their children

Detroit Free Press:

"Today, in a unique marketing approach designed to move unsold homes by pitching the district as a haven for families that homeschool, the owners of more than 25 of the 68 homes that are listed for sale will open their doors to prospective buyers.

The University District Open House Day highlights the architecture, open space and cultural and economic diversity that make the neighborhood ideal for living, investing and homeschooling."

Budget Problems Lead to Fewer Police Officers in Michigan

WILX :

"Michigan has an estimated 1,600 fewer state and local police officers on the job now than it did when terrorists struck the nation in 2001.

Possible state budget cuts soon could result in another wave of law enforcement layoffs.

Sooner or later, law enforcement officials say, that could result in more crime and communities that aren't as safe. Already, some departments have eliminated shifts, spent less time on traffic enforcement and have been slower to respond to some types of lower priority calls.
Coupled with a possible early release of some prisoners the state is considering as part of its budget-balancing efforts, law enforcement groups are worried about the consequences."

John Edwards: I'd invest billions in Michigan

Battle Creek Enquirer:

"The U.S. government should invest billions to help Michigan become the hub for transforming the nation's energy economy, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said Saturday.

Speaking to more than 1,800 Democrats at the annual Jefferson Jackson dinner at Cobo Center in Detroit, Edwards said he'd like to see Michigan evolve.

'We should put billions of dollars into creation of the new technology and $1 billion should go right to the car companies,' he said. 'I don't want to see the cars of the future built anywhere else.'"

Oh, Did I mention that I am running for President lately?

Michigan revenues show steepest slide in nation

Detroit News:

"Gov. Jennifer Granholm and legislative leaders resumed closed-door state budget talks Thursday, even as a new report showed Michigan's fiscal nosedive is unparalleled across the nation.

This state's revenues are down $556 million, or 2.7 percent compared with last fall's projections.

That's a steeper drop than any other state, a study by the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures shows.

Most states are generating the amount of revenue they expected, and 15 are taking in more than expected.

At least a dozen states are considering tax cuts, the report shows."

Michigan lawmakers ask questions about university safety

Battle Creek Enquirer:

"State lawmakers started asking questions Thursday about the safety of Michigan’s college campuses in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, focusing especially on mentally ill students.

“There were a lot of warning signs,” Senate Education Chairman Wayne Kuipers, who held a hearing on campus safety, said of gunman Cho Seung-Hui.

Officials from Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan universities testified about the challenges they face in securing large campuses with hundreds of buildings, many road entrances and tens of thousands of students."

First Solo Recording (Repost)

This post originally appeared on my Tales From Dead Dog Express blog on November 28, 2004.

After working on the lyric re-writes for about a week, I returned to the Goodsite studio to complete the demo.

When I arrived to work on the songs, Bob had a friend in the studio. Scott was a keyboard player that Bob was collaborating with and they had some work planned for a bit later in the day. Bob asked if I would mind that Scott hung around and though it did make me a little uncomfortable, I said it would be fine.

We listened to playback of the tracks from the previous session to get warmed up. I asked Bob if we could re-track a couple of the lead guitar overdubs that just didn't quite work. I ran down a basic feel that I wanted to change and Bob talked to me about using a new stomp box he just bought, a phase shifter. We hooked it up and did a quick rehearsal on one of the tracks I wanted to record. It sounded great! Little did I know that Bob ran live tape on the rehearsal take. When it was done, he said, "Dave, listen to this. I think that song is done now." He was right. My test became the keeper for that song. It just sort of flowed forth and with the phase shifter, it was a perfect fit. Quickly working through the remaining overdubs, we moved to the lyric parts.

Should have stopped while I was ahead. A singer, I'm not. Still.

Bob offered some ideas to help me with my delivery and did a fair amount of tape tricks to minimize the poor performance. Rather than trying to force something that just wasn't there, I decided to get the lyrics down and call it a day.

Despite the vocals, this session did a lot to bolster my self-confidence as a songwriter/performer. It allowed me to see that I could write material and perform it on my own. (I could always hire a singer, right? Take voice lessons?) For the next couple of months, I "shopped" my tape around to other musicians I knew and began to educate myself in recording techniques. I continued writing and fashioned a rudimentary multitrack recording set-up using 2 standard cassette recorders. This allowed me to develop my ideas in greater detail and rehearse the vocal parts in advance. This would help me to convey the concept to other musicians must easier and save me time and money and frustration.

Threat closes Michigan college

Earthtimes.org:

"'A very specific threat' forced Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Michigan to cancel classes Thursday until Sunday, police said. An immediate early morning evacuation was ordered at the Michigan school and officials set out to contact students and staff, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported.
"

Michigan unemployment rate slips to 6.5 percent in March

Grand Haven Tribune:

"Michigan's unemployment rate dropped in March for the third month in a row to 6.5 percent, the lowest since October 2005.

It remains significantly higher than the national rate, which declined to 4.4 percent in March. But the state rate is down from February's rate of 6.6 percent and from the March 2006 rate of 6.8 percent.

'Although little changed over the month, Michigan's unemployment rate has been trending downward in early 2007,' said Rick Waclawek, director of the state Department of Labor and Economic Growth's Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives."

Michigan's state budget developments

Battle Creek Enquirer:

"Lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm are trying to solve large deficits in state government budgets for this fiscal year. Among the recent developments:

Meetings between some of key players in the budget process are planned today. It was unclear exactly who would attend. Key participants in the overall process include representatives from the Granholm administration, Republican-led Senate and Democrat-led House. Each of those three groups have advanced at least parts of their budget plans.

So far, key participants have agreed on spending cuts and accounting changes to eliminate roughly one-third of a projected $1 billion deficit in this fiscal year’s combined school aid and general funds. But the deficit could grow because the state is not pulling in as much tax revenue as previously expected, in part because of Michigan’s sluggish economy.
"

Updated Study Says Michigan Still Struggles to Grow Entrepreneurs

Michigan Technology News:

"The latest Small Business Foundation of Michigan's Entrepreneurship Score Card, released Monday, finds that Michigan last year lost ground in developing new, high growth job-creating entrepreneurial small businesses. The Score Card gives Michigan a 2006 grade of 'D-minus' for entrepreneurial dynamism, down from the 2005 'D' grade and edging closer to the failing 'F' grade that Michigan received for 2004.

The SBFM defines entrepreneurial dynamism as a composite measure of Michigan’s performance in entrepreneurial change, entrepreneurial vitality and entrepreneurial climate."

Chrysler set for two new Michigan plants

MSN Money:

"Chrysler Group is set to unveil plans to build two new factories in Michigan as part of a planned $3-billion investment in more fuel efficient vehicles, according to state and company officials.

The planned investments in powertrain factories includes a new engine plant in Trenton, Michigan that will produce an upcoming family of V-6 engines that Chrysler has code-named its Phoenix project, state officials said.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a state agency, announced on Wednesday that it had approved an eight-year tax credit of $11.2 million for the new Trenton engine plant."

Bills Seek Big Increases In Michigan Hunting, Fishing Fees

WDIV Detroit:

"It may soon cost more to bag a buck or to reel in a big one in Michigan.

Two state lawmakers have written bills that seek significant, phased-in price increases in the state's hunting and fishing licenses. Some license fees would go up two or three times as much, or more.

Sen. Liz Brater, D-Ann Arbor, introduced her fishing-fees bill in the Senate on Tuesday, while Rep. Matt Gillard, D-Alpena, was likely to introduce his companion hunting-fees bill in the House by Wednesday, their offices said.

If the bills are passed, fees could go up immediately, said Mary Dettloff, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources who had not seen the actual language of the bills. Full increases would be phased in over a four-year period, with an additional 5 percent increases in years five and six."

Ruling Limits State Control of Big Banks

New York Times:

"The mortgage lending subsidiaries of national banks are immune from state regulation, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday in a decision that upheld a controversial regulation issued six years ago by the office of the comptroller of the currency, the chief federal bank regulator.

The attorneys general and bank regulators of all 50 states had urged the justices to find the regulation out of bounds, either as a misinterpretation of the National Bank Act or as a matter of constitutional federalism. Consumer groups told the court that a decision upholding the federal agency’s claimed power of pre-emption would displace state oversight at a time when the mortgage lending industry urgently needed close supervision."

Michigan News Tidbits

Michigan prisons aim to cut $14.4 million annual electric bill
The state Department of Corrections plans to soon cut back on the use of televisions, microwaves and toasters at prisons as part of an effort to reduce its $14.4 million annual electric bill.

Corrections officials, however, can't estimate how much they hope to save with the efforts for inmates and workers at 42 state prisons and eight prison camps, The Detroit News reported Saturday.

Downtown Detroit’s future hinges on partnership, leaders say
Governor Jennifer Granholm says she remains committed to making Detroit’s downtown vibrant and economically viable.

Granholm says Michigan’s future goes hand-in-hand with the future of Detroit, and both depend on government and business working together.

She and others spoke to 800 business and community leaders Thursday at an event promoting the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, which returns after a five-year absence.

Michigan Boy Collects Vacuum Cleaners
A 12-year-old Michigan boy has collected quite an array of vacuum cleaners. Kyle Krichbaum has more than 150 in his collection and even displays some of them in his bedroom.

Kyle said he got his first working model when he was 3-years-old after following his parents around repeatedly when they were vacuuming.

He can even identify some of the vacuum models by sound. He just finished competing in a game show where he did just that against other contestants.

Put Michigan first -- now
Two crises grip Michigan: economic and leadership.

The forces behind the first are, in part, global and national. There are no such excuses for lack of leadership. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her political counterweight, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, have done next to nothing to resolve a budget mess that creates great uncertainty in business, schools and local governments.

Officials work to rid Michigan of feral swine
Before last fall's Michigan deer hunting season, the state departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources "encouraged hunters with a valid hunting license of any type to shoot feral swine ... in 23 Michigan counties."

"In states where feral swine have become established, they have caused crop damage, pose a serious threat to the health and welfare of the domestic swine, endanger humans, impact wildlife populations, and impact the environment by disrupting the ecosystem," the agencies said in a statement.

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Collision of Vision (repost)

I experienced a lot of frustration in the days following our meeting with Don Brewer. What added to my frustration was learning that members of our "entourage" were secretly laughing and poking fun at the tape behind our backs. I let my ego get the best of me and I began to lash out at the others involved in our project. This stressed the relationships with everyone and ultimately caused a cessation of rehearsals. The fact is: I quit. I began writing some new material and set a goal to record on my own. I auditioned for couple other local groups but found it difficult to absorb their respective cultures. In these cases, I was the extra member of the band and not really a contributor to the creative process. This left me largely unfulfilled and more frustrated.

About six months after the first recording sessions, I contacted Bob Goodsite again to schedule some more sessions and began recording some of the new material. I had written an overly ambitious medley of songs, a theme song in the style of "2112" by the band, Rush.

This time, I was the only person in the studio playing all instruments. Now, playing drums was NOT my forte and I quickly decided this session would be sans-percussion.

The first day of recording started as before, laying the basic foundation tracks for the piece. The medley was written for an approximate running time of 17 minutes. There were 6 distinct component passages to the work, 4 parts had lyric content woven with 2 instrumental segues. I ran through the piece once for setting proper levels before we began to print tape. Quickly, the rhythm guitar parts were laid and I started to overdub bass guitar. I immediately felt the piece was not going to work and I was losing my drive to salvage it in it's intend form.

I decided to break up the medley, using the stronger musical passages, and make them individual songs. This decision left me with 3 songs that I felt comfortable about and we began to re-track the foundations for the songs.

Song titles were:
1. Rain Forest of Tugin / Findleragin (I kept the concept from the original medley, "Infinite Destiny".)
2. Ocohed
3. We'll Be Together

The first session ended on a much higher note (sorry) than it had begun. All initial tracks recorded with bass guitar and lead guitar overdubs complete. There were some sound effects added to the Rain Forest song and these were finished as well. At the end of the day, Bob made me a rough mix dub tape and I would spend the next week fine tuning (sorry again) the lay of the lyrics.