census

Schools, pools,
Day care, rideshare,
Traffic lights, historic sites,
Farmland, dunes sand,
Senior centers, reading mentors,
Nutrition, adjudication,
Sanctuaries, libraries . . .

Are funded by counting heads.

Starting today, Census 2010 forms will be mailed out to every residence in this county and state. 10 questions, 10 minutes. That's all it takes to make sure Washtenaw County and Michigan get their fair share of funding for thousands of programs and services vital to the well-being of all our residents. Fill it out, mail it back. Be counted!

Merlin Olsen, one of the LA Rams' Fearsome Foursome, has died

Merlin Olsen, a real renaissance man with three distinct careers, died earlier today in California.

Olsen, a Hall of Famer (both college and pro ball Halls of Fame) tackle for the LA Rams in the 1960s and 1970s, was part of the Fearsome Foursome. Following his football career, he provided color commentary for NBC pro football games, and for the Rose Bowl.

When that career ran its course, he turned to acting. Among his many roles, he played the lovable giant, Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie. Later he had his own series, Father Murphy, and was the face of FTD florists' commercials for many years.

Olsen, 69, died of mesothelioma.

Granny D., feisty New Hampshire activist, has died

Granny D., aka Doris Haddock, died Tuesday at her home in New Hampshire. She was 100.

Eleven years ago, at age 89, Granny D decide to draw attention to the need for campaign finance reform by walking across America. She began January 1, 1999, averaging about 10 miles a day. It took her 14 months to walk 3200 miles, accompanied by her son, Jim. Despite a host of physical challenges (arthritis, emphysema, and a bad back), Granny D., wearing her signature broad-brimmed straw hat, conquered deserts, mountains, and blizzards.

With the help of Dennis Burke, Granny D. wrote Granny D.: Walking across America in my 90th year (2001). When it was reprinted a few years later, a new subtitle, You're Never Too Old to Raise a Little Hell, more accurately reflected her deep love for citizen involvement. Also, Run, Granny, Run (2007), is a delightful documentary of her cross-country trek.

At the time of her death, Granny D. and Burke were working on her latest book,. My Bohemian Century which was expected to be published this spring.

BUCC
Among articles called out in the recent “Proposed Fourth and Fifth Avenues Historic District Study” is Grace Shackman’s Old West Side Story: The Germans in Ann Arbor. In this article, Grace carefully traces the longstanding German influence, back to 1825 when Mannheim baker Conrad Bissinger apparently became the first German to set foot in town. Reading this article, you can see why some people want an historic district that might include Bethlehem United Church of Christ and nearby historic homes. Click here to read a news story from AnnArbor.com. The actual report about the proposed historic district is here.

westpark

Hold the Teddy Bears! The bad news is . . . West Park will be closed March - September 2010. The good news . . major improvements to every aspect of the park. In addition to the nitty gritty stormwater, flood control and bioswale improvements, there will be new pathways, access stairs, bandshell seat walls, basketball court and parking lot. The City is even planning a native prairie and wetland planting with a boardwalk and overlook. Until West reopens, visit nearby Maryfield Wildwood and Waterworks parks. For more info on the improvements to West Park contact Amy Kuras at akuras@a2gov.org or at 734.794.6230, ext 42590.

A valuable local resource is The Center for the Continuing Education for Women. Not just for University of Michigan students and staff, the Center provides classes, counseling and panel discussions on a range of topics including balancing work and other demands, re-entering the workforce, and resume and interviewing skills. Their lecture series features women who have overcome obstacles to become successful like activist, Ai-Jen Poo who drafted a bill of rights for domestic workers. On Friday, March 5, CEW will host their annual career conference which is open to the public. There is a registration fee. For more information, call 734-764-6005.

The Library has a great selection of books for women making career decisions or just starting out after college. One that's been published recently is The Anti 9 to 5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube. It's full of straightforward strategies for making it on your own and has a "snappy," upbeat tone. Note: CEW serves men as well.

The LA Times published an interview with This American Life's Ira Glass yesterday in which he stated that "a huge, groundbreaking investigative piece of journalism" will be presented on the radio show within the next few months. Despite being a little worn down by hearing more political stories on the show and less discussion of more banal 'American life' in recent years, I find myself on edge thinking about what the scoop could be.

We have several This American Life collections (including season 1 of the television show) to tide you over until the big scoop drops!

shutter island

The very popular The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book One by Rick Riordan is now a feature film (not yet rated).

This wildly popular series for young readers makes the leap to the big screen on February 12. Adapted from the first book in the series, the film is directed by Chris Columbus (who brought the first two Harry Potter books to the screen) and stars Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson.

It's the 21st century, the gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters have walked out of the pages of high school student Percy Jackson's Greek mythology texts and into his life. And they're not happy: Zeus's lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Even more troubling is the sudden disappearance of Percy's mother.

And FINALLY, the twice-delayed, Martin Scorsese-directed Shutter Island is to be released on February 19th (let's hope).

Shutter Island is an army facility turned hospital for the criminally insane. When a beautiful-and certifiably crazy-patient escapes, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, are called in to investigate. Embroiled in uncertainties and mystery, the two soon learn there's much more at stake than simply finding one missing woman.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, and Max von Sydow star in this thriller based on the bestseller by Dennis Lehane.

Captain Phil
It was announced this morning that Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie, died yesterday. The Cornelia Marie is one of the founding ships on the Discovery reality series Deadliest Catch. The show documents what is generally regarded to be the deadliest job in the world: crab fishing in the Bering Sea.

In the few episodes of the show that I have seen, Captain Harris stood out as a family man. Not only did he treat his two sons - who sailed with him - with the kind of kid gloves a brown bear might use on its cubs, he also showed genuine and constant concern for the fleet as a whole. He was committed to the life at sea perhaps to a fault, being known for consuming mainly Red Bull and tobacco products, and measuring his sleep in minutes rather than hours or nights, all so that he could maintain a vigilant watch over the dangerous work of his crew.

Harris suffered a stroke in late January. He briefly recovered enough to speak with friends and family. He was 53 years old.

THE Charlie Wilson, former Texas Congressman, has died

Charlie Wilson, United States Congressman (D) from Texas, and the subject of the Tom Hanks movie, Charlie Wilson's War (2007), died today.

In the 1980s, Wilson was a womanizing Congressman who, while sitting on the House Appropriations Committee, secured funding for the Afghani mujahedeen ("freedom fighters") to buy them arms in their fight with the Soviet Union.

The movie is based on Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times, written by George Criles in 2003.

Wilson, who was 76, died of cardiopulmonary arrest while attending a meeting in his Texas hometown.