A Descent Into the Maelström: Private School Diary—The Social Ladder.
A2PNotes: Ann Arbor is home to some 16,000 public school students, and approximately 1,700 students who attend the city's various private schools. Those students are parented by tens of thousands of women and men who haven't a clue about…
The Parent Trap: The Entitled Nation
Less is more. Tell that to any American kid and see what kind of a response you get.
If for some reason, you are having a hard time picturing entitled kids (which I doubt), think of the book/film Willy Wonka with the lovely Miss Varuca…
The Politics of La La La La: AnnArbor.com Readers Beg For Explanation of Last Week’s Newsroom Staff Cuts
On March 11, 2011 A2Politico broke the story (with some help, of course) about the layoff of 14 newsroom staff at AnnArbor.com. MichiganRadio followed up with a short blurb, and by this beginning of this week, local bloggers, including Mark…
Weekly Whopper: “The Community Wants us to Focus More Sharply on Local News Reporting.”
Sometimes, other people beat A2Politico to the punch, and that's perfectly fine. In fact, sometimes it's a bit of a relief. The Weekly Whopper this time around goes to AnnArbor.com Kontent King (Chief Content Officer) Tony Dearing for…
Urban Exile: “Curbing” the Panhandling “Epidemic” Gets Sexy
A2PNotes: In 2010, John Hieftje and First Ward Council member Sandi Smith both ran for re-election and patted themselves on the back for "doubling beds at the homeless shelter." If you count a chair as a bed, Hieftje and Smith were…
The Politics of The Plan: The Michigan Republican Wish List Starts With Stabenow’s Senate Seat
On March 14, 2011 the Michigan 15th District Republican Party held a fundraiser in the heart of Ann Arbor, at Weber's. The sold-out event, attended by some 385 people, was organized by 15th District Republican Party Chair Margy Van Houten,…
A Descent Into The Maelström: Public School Confidential (Student Discipline)
A2PNotes: Ann Arbor is home to some 16,000 public school students. Those students are parented by tens of thousands of women and men who haven't a clue about what their kids really do at school all day, not because they don't want to know.…
The Parent Trap: Spending Quality Time With A). My Kids or B). The Turtle.
This isn't the first time it crossed my mind to write about parenting, but the first time I embraced the opportunity seriously. Whenever I would read about parents who blogged, I had one thought: You people are writing about what you're…
The Culture Vulture (Books): The Oxymoronic Book Club Culture: A Society Populated by Socially-Stunted Introverts
What is culture? I guess you could define it as high-brow, artsy stuff, but the sociologist in me thinks of this concept more as it applies to society—a cohesive unit in which the members work together for their own individual benefit or…
Weekly Whopper: "Ann Arbor’s Long Term Debt Has Increased from in $119M in 1999 to $246M in 2010."
On March 3, 2011 Council member Christopher Taylor sent out an email to Ward Three constituents that purported to "explain" the extent and reasons for the city's ballooning debt load. AnnArbor.com published Taylor's assertions in its print…