Detroit - One of the World and America's Most Liveable Cities

So, I haven't posted in a close to a month, in part because I have not been home since January. This has been an unusually tough winter, both in terms of weather and life in general. I will be heading home this spring for sure, so hopefully I will post more often.

Amidst the negative news of the day the music died when the DSO announced not playing due to negotiation issues, the closing of half of Detroit's public schools, and the possibility of Detroit classrooms having more than 60 students per teacher, there was a glimmer of hope (besides the Robocop statue of course) in the news during the past month: The Economist's Intelligence Unit ranked Detroit the 32nd best city to live in in the world and the fourth best to live in in the US. Way to go Detroit. I learned of this when a college chum posted it to his Facebook page - thanks AS. "NPR mentioned this study briefly this morning. The Economist's Intelligence Unit ranked 140 global cities for liveability (largely based on if you had to be transferred what would the quality of your life be). Detroit ranked 32 globally and fourth in the U.S. (behind Pittsburgh, Honolulu and Chicago)" (College Chum's Facebook Page).
Here is a link to the Economist's Intelligence Unit: http://store.eiu.com/product/475217632-sample.html.

"The Economist Intelligence Unit’s liveability rating quantifies the challenges that might be presented to an individual's lifestyle in 140 cities worldwide. Each city is assigned a score for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The categories are compiled and weighted to provide an overall rating of 1–100, where 1 is considered intolerable and 100 is considered ideal"(The Economist, para. 2).

So, the winds of change are a coming. Unemployment dipped below 9 percent for the first time this month - lowest number in three years. Life is turning around, and Detroit IS COMING BACK!

"Liveability Ranking: Go North or Go South." The Economist. 8 June 2009. 3 March 2011. Web.

No to RoboCop, Yes to $1000 Houses for Cops

So Detroit is in the news today for two reasons. First, the Mayor said no to a Robocop statue. I would have to agree with this decision. And second, he is saying yes to a houses for cops statute.

The mayor of Detroit is offering public safety officials tax-foreclosed homes in the city for only $1000; they also can get up to $150,000 in grants to restore the homes. I think this is a good idea. I wish it were open to more than just police and firemen/women though. I would buy a house or two in Detroit if I could get them for a mere thousand dollars, with $150,000 to rehab each. No house payment is a dream.

This kind of program is a great idea. They need to expand it to other citizens though, not just police.

I used to live in a great part of Dayton called the Oregon District. It is the nicest part of the city of Dayton - the heart. It was rehabbed in a program like the above-mentioned one thirty years ago or so, except houses went for $1. You read that correctly - a mere dollar. The home owners had to promise to live in the house as their primary residence for seven years or something. And, I think they also received grants to rehab the neighborhood. Guess what, it worked! It is beautiful there now.

The Oregon District is one of the most expensive places to live in the Miami Valley now and has held its value over the years. It is BEAUTIFUL! Its prices are comparable to Oakwood's, Dayton's version of Grosse Pointe.

So, I hope this plan works. And I hope more plans like this follow. Home ownership is the American dream. It is a dream that has been taken away from too many in recent years. Once people own homes, they have pride. There is no place like home, even if it only costs a grand. I would love no house payment! This is a step in the right direction. My mom and dad grew up in beautiful neighborhoods in Detroit proper. Oh to see that again would be wonderful.

This is Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUvPUANJZrQ&feature=email

A few weeks ago, a friend emailed this to me. Then, last week my sister did the same. It is a great video about Detroit - its history, its goods, its people. In honor of this video, here is a list of my favorite things about Detroit & Michigan in General:

Wing Lake, Franklin Cider Mill, Somerset Mall, The Tigers, Ford , The Gallery,The Lions, Chrysler, Beau Jack's, The Red Wings , General Motors, The Lakes,The Pistons, Walloon Lake, Echo Park Road, Faygo , Ernest Hemingway, The Palace, Stroh's Beer, Cranbrook, Comerica Park, Stroh's Ice Cream, Grosse Pointe, Cobo Hall, Sander's Hot Fudge Royal Oak Boblo Island (RIP), Vernor's Ginger Ale, Ann Arbor, The Wolverines, MSU, U of M, The Spartans, Western, Central, Oakland, Boats, Mackinac , Buddy's Pizza, Boyne, Mackinac Hot Fudge, Sila's Pizza, DSO,
Mackinac Salt Water Taffy, Pine Knob, Farmington, The Grand Hotel , The Detroit Zoo, The Village Club, Traverse City, Detroit Institute of Art, Madonna,Charlevoix, Kid Rock, Joe Lewis,
Lake Charlevoix, Eminem, The Fist, Petosky, The Petosky Stone, Aertha, Diego Rivera's Murals,
Downtown Birmingham, Greenfield Village, Apples, Dick O'Douds, Cottage Inn Pizza, Cherries,
The Village Restaurant, Little Caesar's, The Auto Show, Barton Hills Country Club, Olga's, Dominoes , The Irish Festival, Greektown, The Thanksgiving Day Parade, Belle Isle Zoo (RIP),
The Ole Sheleigh, Meadowbrook , St. Patrick's Day Parade, Mexican Village , St. Mary's Fair, Peabody's, Four Green Fields, Birmigham Fair, Fourth of July Fireworks, Leo's Coney Island, Ford Field , Hudsons (RIP), U of D Basketball, St. Owen's, Marian, Brother Rice, BHMS, Tanglewood.

Imported from Detroit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKL254Y_jtc

I have to admit that even though I went to a Superbowl Party, I did not watch much of the game. The men monopolized the TV room, so I was with the women and children in the kitchen. So, sadly, I did not see this commercial live. And, none of my in-laws told me about it, which I was surprised about really. They all know how much I love Detroit. Maybe they missed it due to conversation or something. But luckily today, my Facebook page was full of people talking about it, so I checked it out on YouTube.

People are rating this the best commercial of the bunch, with which I would have to agree (although the VW Darth Vader Jedi Mind Trick ad is in a close second). My favorite line from the ad is "from people who have never been there." Isn't that the truth? People love to rail on Detroit, even if they have not one time actually stepped foot in the state of Michigan; however, this ad again is supporting my theory that it is totally hip to be from Detroit right now.

Detroit is full of luxury. I loved that they featured the Fox Theater. But luxury in Detroit does not begin and end there. We have the Whitney, The Detroit Institute of Art, and the Renaissance Center. Metropolitan Detroit is full of luxury. Growing up I was surrounded by luxury. For example, people I know from all over the Midwest drive to Troy, Michigan to shop at Somerset Mall. The Townsend in downtown Birmingham is a world-class hotel, and professional golfers oft swing their clubs at Oakland Hills Country Club. We have the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Ford Mustang, and Sanders Hot Fudge.

The funniest post I saw about the ad this morning was actually in a thread from a fellow blogger's post about it. Some woman wrote "Eminem is so hot." Mind you, this post was probably from a 30 something mom. On YouTube, I saw another post that said something like, "I have never been there, but I wish I was from there." See, Detroit is the hippest town in America. And, a lot of hotties are from MoTown :).

So, I am proud to be imported from the Motor City! What does not kill you makes you stronger. Just wait and see America all that Detroit has to offer you in the future. The comeback is just starting.

Snowmygod!

Well, like the rest of the Midwest and Northeast, Dayton, Ohio has had a heck of a week after a hell of a winter. After a massive ice storm, my house lost power for about ten hours. The night of snowegeddon, an apartment building in the neighborhood had some type of fire danger. Four fire trucks and an ambulance lit up my house like the Fourth of July, while we sat up in the dark listening to trees collapsing outside our window. Luckily, no trees fell on my house or my car. Although it is reminiscent of Hurricane Ike around my neighborhood right now (yes, we had hurricane strength winds in Ohio two years ago!) luckily, I have power now. Did not know what I would do with these two kids with no power in the middle of winter.

I do miss Detroit winters though. I know that sounds stupid. But, in Detroit, when we get a winter storm, it is snow, not ICE! And not rain. It is usually bright, white snow! Also, in Detroit, they know how to clean this stuff up pretty darn quickly. There is a whole industry devoted to it really. Down here in Southern Ohio, they act like a winter storm is the White Death. I have never really seen anything like it before. The grocery store is cleaned out. The news is acting like it is the end of the world. Schools, churches, businesses close. I always think, "Boy, this is not Michigan."

I hear that Detroit only got six or seven inches - not the twenty something that hit Chicago. That is a good thing. Although, Detroit could handle it. It can handle a lot. :)

Oh Canada!

Sorry I haven't written in awhile. I had to start back up to work and graduate school, so I won't be able to post as often now. Plus, it has been about a month since I have been back home, so I need to plan a trip soon.

I had an incredible experience this week. In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the University of Dayton brought in educational reformist Geoffrey Canada, from Waiting for Superman fame. A friend of mine and I attended, and I could not help but think of Detroit Public Schools as I was sitting in the audience.

Canada is famous for reforming a section of Harlem's schools. He is really a brilliant man. As I am currently studying Educational Leadership, his words really resonated with me.

There is no silver bullet to cure the ills of America's Public Schools. And anyone who attempts to say that there is is a fool. There is no cure-all panacea or formula that will resurrect our dysfunctional system. Actually, Dayton, Ohio has a ton of innovative programs going on, and has for years - Charter Schools, School Vouchers, etc. Sadly, however, Dayton Public Schools still remain some of the lowest academic performing ones in the state. But one can have hope. Hope to make small changes. Hope that if enough creative leaders make small changes, like Geoffrey Canada, then a revolution will occur.

Canada knew he could not go in and save all the children in Harlem, although he of course wanted to. He knew that was an impossible feat. Since compulsory education began in America, we have always had a drop out rate of near 30 percent. This is nothing new. People just don't realize it is part of the history of American Public Schools. Inner city schools have a drop out rate of near 50 percent. This is a true problem that is going to haunt our nation for years unless we do something about it!

Canada started with 11,000 children in one section of Harlem. There was no rhyme or reason as to why these children. It was luck of the draw. He could not save all, so he just picked an area in Harlem to work on reform. He said that he started with one block at a time.

He also said that you cannot go in with some program and let it run its course and be done. This inevitably fails. Everyone goes back to the way it was before. Those short term projects always fail. He stared with these kids in preschool and stayed with them until college. This is what we have to do. We cannot focus just on preschool, or just on middle school, or when it is just too late in high school. We have to commit to these kids as a life long educational project.

Canada is brilliant. The most brilliant thing he said though is that our kids are just lacking faith. Sure, everyone blames this on the separation of church and state in the Constitution. Well, the First Amendment does not even use those words. Thomas Jefferson coined them in a letter. They are nowhere in the Constitution. But, Canada was not talking about faith in God, really. He was talking about reigniting children's faith in themselves, in America, and in school. We have to have them believe in themselves, their schools, their country, their future.

So, one step Detroit Public Schools could take is to start small. Be committed. And don't give up. Have faith in our children, our schools, our country, our city, and our future. After all, what else do we have if we do not have faith?

Chevy Volt

Glad to see that the Chevy Volt won highest honors at the International Auto Show! It is good that Detroit has finally embraced electronic vehicles. And, I hope to see more and more on the roads as the years progress. It also won the Green Car of the year for 2011.

However, I do have some issues. First, it is only offered in seven markets. Second, it is very expensive. I really do not think that a car should be priced more than most people's yearly salaries. However, with gas prices creeping up to $4 a gallon, or maybe even higher, economists say that the car is a good investment in the long run. And hopefully, with everything electronic, maybe in the future, they will become more available all over the USA and will be more affordable.

Go Detroit! Here is to a comeback! Nice job with the Autoshow. Wish I could have come this year.