Page's Pages

What a trip!

2013-04-16T09:46:00.001-04:00

My family recently took one of the good old fashioned style road trips. We got to see and do lots of incredible things.

We went to several different attractions including zoos, museums, and even a race track. We hit several cities in the Gulf Coast states including Pensacola, Mobile, and New Orleans.

I plan on going into more details on the specific locations we stopped in future blogs, but until then just know it was fun and a definite area to visit.

Discipling students for saving a life?

2013-03-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

We are bombarded with advertising to stand up and stop the bullying and stop the violence, so why then were 3 students who saved a fellow students life suspended? According to this article, Fox4 is reporting that when 2 students were arguing on the bus, one pulled out a loaded revolver and pointed it at point blank range at the other student. Three fellow students witnessing what was going on quickly jumped into action and tackled the gun wielding student.

The article goes onto say from several witnesses and parents, that the actions of the three students saved one life and likely others. I cannot figure out why these students have been suspended, there is no reason for it, in fact we should be throwing them a parade.

The suspect's charges also leaving me scratching my head. He is being charged with possession of a firearm on school property and assault with a deadly weapon WITHOUT intent to kill. Without? He had a loaded revolver that he not only threatened to kill a fellow student, but pointed it at him! I just don't get it.

When Fox4 tried to ask the principal questions, she did what everyone else does and quickly sped off without comment. I would love to hear the superintendent and school board's opinions of this. What if these were your kids that were suspended, what would you do?

So I ask, how would gun control laws have changed this case? This gun obviously did not belong to the student, which means he obtained it illegally. The public does not need to fear the licensed and responsible gun owners, but thugs like this who obtain weapons illegally and intend on using them for evil.

Tigers raising prices?

2013-02-13T11:24:00.001-05:00

The Detroit Tigers have had a few good years and spent lots of money to put a quality product on field. They have consistently been in the top 5 of payrolls in recent years and will be into the foreseeable future, but the end product is never certain. The Tigers have decided this year to have the fans help out by increasing ticket prices.

While it may not sound like much, the average ticket price increase is $5. The cheap seats, which were $5 will now be $12 each. So even if you bring your own food and water into the game, a family of 4 now has a $28 dollar increase. Now factor in parking which is about $10 - $20, unless you are a casino card member than its free. Now factor in how much gas is with gas prices at $4 a gallon and depending on how far you have to drive.

Who can go to a game though and not get a hot dog, pretzel, or cracker jacks? Let's not forget a program, oh and if you have kids and this is their first game, or you don't go very often, try walking out of there without a souvenir or two.

I think that this is just a bad idea in the current economy, especially when the goal is to try and bring fans into the heart of the city. Some of you may say well than by from a scalper or StubHub. Scalping is illegal in Michigan and StubHub is wrong on so many levels.

I think at least for the short term, we the fans should not be covering Mr. It's tax issues with Detroit or helping to build the new arena. I for one have probably been priced out of attending as many games as I would like.

I should note, i am a life long Tigers fan and some of my best memories growing up revolve going to games with my Dad and Grandpa. What are your thoughts?

Pet peeve

2013-02-05T13:19:00.001-05:00

One of my pet peeves is the media's over use of the term "breaking news." The term seems like it is used for every little story nowadays.

When I was growing up and even until just a few years ago it seemed like the "breaking news" tag was reserved for big stories. Big stories that were worthy of "breaking" into regular programming. Some examples would include plane crashes, big fires, major accidents, police situations, and important news like wars.

Now the media throws that tag on celebrity news like Lance Armstrong breaking his silence or Lindsay Lohan's latest debacle. The media needs to re-evaluate their usage of this term so it is reserved for what it was intended.

I know it seems petty in the grand scheme of things, but when I see the "breaking news" tag I am expecting real big news.

What are your thoughts, do you think it is over used? Or do you think it is used just the right amount? What are your thoughts and opinions?

Kelsey's Law... a waste

2013-01-09T12:13:00.001-05:00

As mostly everybody knows, yesterday, 1/8/13, Gov. Snyder signed Kelsey's Law into the books. This law makes it illegal for anyone on a graduated level 1 or 2 license to drive and be on their phone.

Personally I think it is a waste of time. The real focus should be on driving ability. How many people speed, rapidly change lanes, swerve or veer amongst lanes, dont signal, etc? There are already ways that law enforcement officials can write citations to distracted driving as well as reasons listed above. They can write you if they see you or as a result of an accident and they can charge you with reckless, careless, impeding traffic, and others, so why create more laws?

I feel that parents need to be more involved in their kids lives and helping tell them right from wrong. There are too many kids that think they are entitled to cellphones, game systems, etc and instead of being taught they have to earn them they are just given them. Many parents today would much rather be their child's friend than a parent and dont take away possessions as a form of discipline.

In Kelsey's case she was an inexperienced driver, talking on her phone and passing vehicles. While no one will know what happened it sounds like she passed a slower vehicle, over-corrected, crossed the centerline, hit a snowbank, and was then struck by on-coming traffic. Do we know she was killed because she was distracted? How do we know? What's next pasding laws saying teenagers cannot pass traffic?

All in all it should come down to parenting, if you teach your kids values and responsibility, and teach them well they should turn out to be ok. Way too often people are jyst looking to pass the blame instead of looking at themselves.

2012 year in review

2013-01-01T12:16:00.001-05:00

2012 what a roller coaster year it was. I'm sure I will forget some high points and low points, but here is my brief summary.

The year started out great, in March we went on a vacation to Kansas. We were able to see many new places including the St. Louis Arch, Titanic exhibit, several zoos, and a TIV ( tornado intercepting vehicle).

In May, Alex and I went to Sterling Heights to see their Memorial Day Parade. On our way over we picked up my Grandpa and spent the day together. Looking back I am so glad I chose to do this, because we all had so much fun and my Grandpa really enjoyed hanging out with his Great-Grandson.

Shortly after Memorial Day came a very low point, I got the sad news that my Grandpa had passed away. The thing is, he was more than a Grandpa, he was a mentor, listeiner, and my best friend.

Then came September, when we had a huge family get together to celebrate Alex's first birthday. We had a great time and Alex recieved tons of great gifts from everyone.

Shortly after Alex's birthday we loaded up the car and went on a mini vacation to Tennessee. We love Tennessee, everyone is so nice and friendly there, I dont think I can say one bad thing about the state. We will retire there one day.

After returning, we had the rush of holidays to close out the year. All in all 2012 was not too bad, but it definitely does not rank #1. I want to try and get back into blogging more in 2013, so lets hope this is the start of many posts. What are some things you want to hear about?

Arts, Beats, & Eats review

2012-09-16T12:56:00.001-04:00

I know it's a couple weeks after the fact, but I wanted to share my experiences. First off let me share this was my first AB&E experience, and it was average at best, but has potential.

When we first arrived we were already through the turnstiles before security chased us down and stopped us to look through our diaper bag. Also, the whole entrance/exit gate areas need to be reworked, they put them right next to concert stages so its hard to hear the cashiers and ask questions.

Next we started walking around aimlessly, because again I could not hear the cashiers if there were maps of the event available. We finally found the main stage and my wife and I enjoyed watching Saving Abel and Theory of a Dead Man. The only complaint I have was lack of shade over part of the area to be cool, as it was hot & sunny.

After the musical acts, we started walking past a few food booths and was suprised at how expensive some of the food was. I was not expecting things to be that expensive so we ended up holding off on eating until after we left and ate in Downtown Royal Oak. We did find a carnival food trailer that was accepting cash or tickets and I did the math it was $2.50 for a pop cash or the cash equivalent was $3.15 using tickets.

On our way out we walked past some art booths and I was disappointed. I was expecting better quality or at least a juried event, but some of the items I saw were not even made they were bought at a store and trying to be resold for profit.

I do want to salute the men & women of the Royal Oak PD & FD. I saw the FD run 3 medical calls in the same area within 30mins, they were so busy even the Chief and other fire officers were getting hands on helping out at medical calls. I do suggest that the city make the event hire a private EMS agency to assist with the call volume. The PD was great they were there and you could see them, but at the same time they stayed out of sight, unless needed.

I don't know how the event faired later in the evening, but I did not see any serious issues while we were there and will definitely be back in the future.

Where were you?

2012-09-10T20:38:00.001-04:00

As tommorrow marks the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, I wanted to share my memories with you.

I remember that morning, not a cloud in the sky and I was on my 2nd day as a 911 Dispatcher for Rochester Hills FD. My supervisor, training officer, and I were over at the Oakland County complex for computer training. The supervisor's pager started going off like nuts from the office saying find a tv a plane crashed into the WTC. We were thinking a small plane, no big deal until she got another page about a 2nd one, and then the Pentagon. She went looking for a tv and couldnt find one. We still really had no idea the seriousness of the situation until we went to lunch and saw pictures for the first time. After lunch we went back to training and this time there were armed OCSD deputies outside checking id's of everyone going in.

The ride home that night was erie, I saw gas gouged as high as $5 a gallon, and I remember getting home in time to see one of the smaller towers collapse. I, like many of you, stayed glued to the tv and felt a sense of patriotism and wished thete was something we could do to help.

Over the next few days it was odd not seeing or hearing planes in the sky with exception of the occassional military jet. The out pouring of support from residents as they showed up at our fire station bringing us baked goods, cards, and just to say thanks was amaizing.

Some agencies from Michigan sent groups of workers to Ground Zero to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts, while other agencies organized drives collecting money and supplies to send over there.

One of the fire information paging groups I belong to has this archive of events from that day showing how the information was spread across the country to fire buffs. As you can see it was very hectic and confusing.

Our lives were changed forever that day. Nothing will ever be the same again, but I do believe we are better prepared to handle disasters because of it.

Two years ago I was able to stop out at the Flight 93 Memorial construction site. The experience was very sobering and made you realize how lucky we are.

Now leaving out any conspiracy remarks or other negative feedback what are your memories?

Frustrated Volunteer

2012-09-08T00:12:00.001-04:00

There's a community in Oakland County having an event this Saturday. The group organizing the event went out of their way to invite me to volunteer at the event. This was done months ago, and at the time, I asked what kind of help was needed. I told them the types of things I would like to help out with, but said "whatever you need, let me know." The group responded with a message saying they would get in touch shortly after they had their meeting and things progressed.

Now, time has passed. I never heard anything from the group, and I made other plans for Saturday. Finally, on Thursday, the group sent out a mass e-mail telling people where they need help and for how long. You cannot expect people to keep a whole day roped off in case they are needed and not communicate with them. If I approached them, that's one thing, but they initiated the invite, and then did not keep me posted about what would happen. This is also not the first time this group has done this to me and others. Heck, half the time they're begging for volunteers at the last minute and telling them to bring friends.

If you are organizing an event, you have an obligation to keep volunteers posted about what's going on, invite them to attend meetings, and make sure you keep the media involved as well. Hopefully, this group will eventually learn from their lack of communication and make some changes so they can make sure there are enough volunteers for future events. If changes are made and I am available, then I will be there.

Misstated?

2012-09-01T19:25:00.001-04:00

What is up lately with all of these politicians using the term misstated or misspoke? Why don't they either stick to their beliefs (Akin) or say they lied (Ryan) about what they said.

A few weeks ago you may remember Rep. Todd Akin made some incorrect comments about how if a woman is legitimately raped the body has ways of fending off pregnancy. After lots of pressure from media, various groups, and even fellow politicians he took it back and said he misspoke. Why didn't he stick with what he believed in? or say that he was wrong and will be doing further research on the topic? When he said he misspoke it makes it seem like that is not what he meant to say or he stumbled over what was on the teleprompter.

The newest addition to the list is VP canidate Ryan. In an interview he said that he ran a marathon in under 3 hours (under 7 minutes a mile). After several questions arose he eventually said he misstated the time and it should have been closer to 4 hours. How do you just lose an hour in a marathon? Did he think someone would say that 4 hours is way to long of time to run a marathon?

So who is the next political person that is going to use this excuse as a scapegoat? No, you can't say VP Biden because even President Obama would admit that he was mistake.

Detroit Zoo making changes for the better

2012-08-28T12:32:00.001-04:00

Have you been to the Detroit Zoo lately? If not I highly suggest going. Over the last few years the zoo has made several improvements to enhance your experience annd feed your hunger.

They have recently added an American Coney Island and several kiosks serving up everything from Dippin Dots to Popcorn. The last time we ate there we ate at the Arctic Cafe and the food was better than what I was expecting. If you are a must-have coffee fanatic, the zoo also carries Starbucks.

They have also added a boardwalk that takes you right across the wetlands area. When you take a stroll across you can see ducks, swans, fish, frogs, turtles, and more. If you need a break there are benches set-up to sit and enjoy the peacefulness of the area. They have also fixed the lions habitat up and got rid of the moat and filled it in with grasslands, in an effort to get you closer to the lions. All it did for us was get us closer to seeing them sleeping the day away. The one downfall to the new lions exhibit is its harder to take pictures without getting a glare or reflection.

Some neat things that we have stumbled upon that you may not have known existed. Did you know that behind the giraffe exhibit, you have the ability to go into their house? They sometimes are in there due to weather, maintence, or illness and this way you can still see them. Another tip is behind the rhino display is the rhino house. They have always been out when I have been there, but its still worth a quick walk through to check it out (also,makes for a handy spot to dodge the rain and not be crowded).

There are more plans for improvement in the future and its definitely worth checking out. One last tip, if you plan on going more than 2 times a year, it usually works out to be cheaper to get a membership. The membership also allows you discounts on food and at gift shops, discounted admission at other zoos throughout the country, free parking at the Detroit Zoo, and many other perks.

Hurry up and go enjoy the beautiful weather...

Pro athletes: what they should do more of

2012-08-17T05:39:00.001-04:00

The other day I was going over my news feed on Facebook and a story caught my eye. WNEM, a tv station for Flint and the Tri-Cities region, had a story about how a famous alumni member gave back to the Saginaw School District. Current Pittsburgh Steeler, former Wolverine, LaMarr Woodley heard that the public school district he once starred in had to start charging student-athletes $75 in participation fees. Local,officials reported a decline in the number of athletes this year, so LaMarr took it upon himself to donate $60,000 to eliminate the fees for all junior high through high school athletes in the district.

This is not the first time LaMarr has.went above and beyond what needed to be done to help his former high school either. A few years ago he got the marching band hooded sweatshirts. So while we continue to hear news stories about athletes getting in trouble with domestic violence, drugs, alcohol, weapons, etc. one has to question how come we don't hear more about these stories?

So I am calling out more of today's pro athletes, what are you doing to help your former high school? What about the school districts in and around the cities you play in? While $60,000 is a lot for us, for most of these stars it is just a drop in the bucket. LaMarr, I sure hope that others follow your lead and we start hearing about the good in professional athletes rather than who has more pre-season arrests.

Dangerous situation in Oak Park

2012-07-16T20:07:00.001-04:00

Earlier tonight a truck carrying fuel some how began leaking. Right now Greenfield is closed between 11 Mile and 12 Mile Rds. A large amount of fuel has already entered the sewer system which has led to evacuations of area homes and businesses. Several fire departments are on scene including Beverly Hills, Troy, and Southfield. Several sources are also reporting the whole Oakland County Haz-Mat Team has been activated, along with the County's Emergency Operation Center. This is a potentially serious situation and the public is being asked to stay out of the area and let the crews work. I will try to post updates as I hear them from the media.

Update: The situation is still on going, could be closed for a few more hours. Road commission and water departments are on scene as well assisting.

Walk or Don't Walk

2012-07-13T09:29:00.001-04:00

Last night I was sitting in the left turn lane at Walton & Baldwin in Pontiac. I was on my way to Dairy Queen before picking my wife up from work. As I am sitting there and the light is green for both directions of Walton, I see a kid about 13 years old easily make it across the eastbound lanes and cross in front of me. As he continued walking, not paying attention to westbound traffic, I watched him almost get hit by cars on 2 seperate occassions.

He is not the only person that I have seen just cross streets without paying attention to the signs or even traffic flow lately, but it seems like its getting worse. When I hear of accidents involving pedestrians my first thoughts are was it at a crosswalk? Did they have the walk sign? Were they paying attention? Because my theory is this if they were not at a crosswalk, did not have the walk sign, and/or were not paying attention they got what they deserved. I feel worse for the driver that hit them knowing that is an image they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.

Most crosswalks used to have walk/don't walk on them, but then they were concerned about people who couldn't read so they put symbols up there. What do we do next? How do we try and allivate these types of situations?

Will the shoes help you sing & dance?

2012-06-09T05:50:00.001-04:00

Today, June 9th, Kanye West's Air Yeezy II's go on sale. The suggested retail price is $245, but one local retailer is expecting to start the price at $1,000. Burn Rubber in Royal Oak is expecting to get in 8-16 pairs of these shoes, but they are already sold.

People have been lined up outside the store for about a week now, very willing to pay anything to get these shoes. I know the price is based on supply and demand and it is really the hype that is making the price go up (like the inital offering of facebook), but this is ridiculous. Where are these kids getting the money?

I have been reading several articles and watching news stories all week on this and it frustrates me. I even read one story where a kid paid $400, just to cut in line! There is even a Mom who relieves her son for an hour so he can go home and shower. These people are even putting there health at risk by limiting fluid intakes to limit bathroom trips.

I think its sad that either these kids are spending theirs or their parents hard earned money on a pair of shoes, especially in this economy. I don't get it, will these things improve your singing and dancing? Will you be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?

I also blame the retailers, the manufactuer, and others for hyping up these shoes to keep driving the prices up. I think something needs to be done about this. I know I can find much better uses for a $1,000 then on a pair of shoes that will eventually end up in the trash or the bottom of the closet.

Fresh fruit, vegetables, and more

2012-06-06T13:05:00.001-04:00

Spring is in full swing and summer is just around the corner. This is one of the best times of the year for many reasons. Some of them include the start of little league season, waterparks and campgrounds are opening, and the start of the fair and festival summer season. Today though I want to talk about the popular farmers markets that are popping up in every community.

Farmers markets have been around for a long time and then they sort of disappeared for awhile and are now gaining popularity once again. Some of the benefits of buying from your local farmers markets include:
- Your produce is ripe and freshly picked
- You can speak to the farmers to ask how and where it was grown and if they have any suggestions on how to prepare and cook it.
- The sales benefit the farmers locally instead of going through several people before the farmer get a small share, when you buy from a store. This usually means cheaper prices for you.
- Encourages shopping local, and since most of these are in a downtown type setting, make a day of it. Check out other local businesses and restaurants.
- Most have a wide range of fruits and vegetables available. Some even include flowers, plants and other related items.

Most of the markets have already started or will be starting within the next week and they usually run through October. Some of the communities that have farmers markets are Auburn Hills, Milford, Royal Oak, Farmington, Clawson, and Clarkston. Oakland County's website has a complete list of farmers markets and more information. If there is not one in your community contact your local government offices to see how you can get one started.

Save a life...

2012-06-04T07:06:00.001-04:00

Two things that I think everyone should know how to do is how to perform CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver. I am hoping that unless you are in the public safety field you will never have to use it, but you just never know. June 1st through the 7th has been designated as National CPR week, so take a few minutes to make arrangements to attend a class.

One local company teaching CPR here in Oakland County is called Rochester Hills CPR. They have several levels of sessions available from family and friends to healthcare provider, also refresher classes available. They will come to your house or business for sizes ranging from one on one to groups (discounts available). Their prices are very reasonable and the best part is the classes are taught by emergency medical workers and firefighters that have experience and actually do this in their line of work.

Call Rochester Hills CPR today at 248-660-0CPR or email them at info@rochesterhillscpr.com to schedule a class and tell them you saw it on Page's Pages. If they are unable to accommodate you due to distance, then I suggest you contact your local fire department or ambulance provider and see if they have any upcoming classes available.

Remember you never know when you could save a life.

Informational class on K2, bath salts, and spice

2012-05-28T07:42:00.001-04:00

Lately we have been hearing more and more stories in the news involving K2, bath salts, and spice. Sometimes it is involving them being stolen and other times they are linked to murder.

Even though the state legislature currently has a bill being discussed to try and ban these substances, it is still a good idea to know whats involved and how they work.

Alliance Mobile Health, Troy Police Department, Clawson Police Department, and other groups have teamed up to provide an awareness class this Wednesday, May 30th at 630pm at the Troy City Council Chambers located at 500 W. Big Beaver. Several community members including a judge, doctor, nurse, paramedic, parents of recovering teen addicts, and even recovering teens themselves to discuss their experiences and signs to look for to see if someone you know is using.

I encouage people to attend to learn more about the dangers involved with these substances and how to avoid them. I have enclosed a pic of the flyer below for more info.

All you can eat!

2012-05-27T08:40:00.001-04:00

The other day, my wife and I were debating on where to eat dinner. We just got a flyer in the mail for a new buffet that opened up near by, so we decided to give it a try.

The buffet is called "Uptown Buffet" and sits on the North end of the shopping complex located at the Northeast corner of Telegraph & Elizabeth Lake. The building once was an "Old Country Buffet" but after they closed up the site it sat vacant for a few months. Eventually, it was bought, renovated, and re-opened.

"Uptown Buffet" consists of mainly a large selection of Chinese food on the buffet with some limited other foods mixed in like macaroni & cheese, ice cream, fried chicken, and salad. As I said in a previous blog, I do not eat alot of Chinese food, but even I managed to find enough to fill me up. The prices are very reasonable, we went for dinner and it was $9.99 a person, can't beat that deal. The service was quick, as soon as you moved a plate to the edge of the table they were cleaning it up and our drinks never got empty.

If you like Chinese food and you happen to be hungry go give them a try. If you don't have time for a buffet they also have carry-out available. I would generally post a link to their website, but I do not see one available.

I scream, you scream...

2012-05-19T12:32:00.001-04:00

With the warm weather here, I thought I would take a few to tell you about a few great ice cream stands in the area.

First and foremost is my favorite Oakland County stop, its called Dairy Deluxe and is located on southbound Woodward just north of 14 mile. They open in Feb and close in Nov. They have soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt in several flavors, along with your sundaes, flurries, and other usual treats.

Next up is the Dairy-O in Clawson on Main just south of 14 Mile. They were a great spot to go while doing laundry nearby. The staff is very friendly and they give youth sports teams a discount.

Frosty Boy in Oxford on Burdick west of Washington makes really good flurries and is a staple in the community. They are usually packed, especially when there are youth baseball and soccer games.

Now these are just a few of my suggestions, I honestly dont think there is such a thing as bad ice cream just bad flavors. Feel free to share this with friends and family and tell me what are your favorite Oakland County ice cream stops?

Check this out...

2012-05-15T08:52:00.001-04:00

If you are not doing anything today and you are in the Auburn Hills area, take the kids and head to the Auburn Hills Department of Public Services building. They are located at 1500 Brown Rd and will be having an open house from 9-3. There will be trucks and equipment on display, educational information and brochures, some hands-on displays, and hot dogs from 1230-3 (while supplies last). Head on over there see how the equipment is used and other useful information. Enjoy this beautiful day today.

Fire at Kona Grill in Troy

2012-05-09T07:42:00.001-04:00

Sad news to report out of Troy, the popular restaurant "Kona Grill" caught fire overnight. Several firefighters and pieces of apparatus were on scene as the fire was shooting through the roof when they first arrived.

I had the luxury of eating here once with one of my favorite news reporters. The food and service were both terrific and the menu had something for everyone. I had always wanted to go back, so I do hope they decide to rebuild.

Kona Grill is/was located at the southeast corner of Big Beaver (16 Mile) & Livernois. According to the media the fire crews were called out just before 4am and still on the scene after 6am and the fire is under investigation.

Help support the D.I.A.

2012-05-03T09:17:00.001-04:00

The Detroit Institute of Arts is in need of help. They are asking for a tri-county tax, similar to that of the Detroit Zoo that was passed a few years ago. I have been to the DIA once, and while it was not my cup of tea, it was interesting and I know how valuable it is to others in the community and across the globe. This needs to get supported and passed for several reasons, let me give you some background on the DIA.

The current building was opened in 1927 and has undergone several expansions and renovations over the years. What is even more impressive is that art has been collected for the DIA since the early 1880's and some were on display in the original building back in 1888. The DIA is the 2nd largest municipal owned art collection in the United States with over 65,000 works of art. The DIA has been one of the many groups helping to locate works of art that were looted by the Nazi's before and during World War II and making sure they are returned to the rightful owners.

The tax that they are asking for is vital to help keep the DIA open and operating smoothly for years to come. The tax if approved would cost the owner of a $100,000 home approximately $10 a year for the next 20 years. They have already cut staff, reduced salaries, and taken other measures to help. The zoo tax and cobo hall tax were all approved, but we can't bring animals or the auto show to other communities, but the DIA has been bringing art to the communities for temporary displays. I know we are all in tough times right now, but I feel this is one that needs to be supported and passed just as much as the zoo.

What should happen to Phoenix Center?

2012-05-01T09:34:00.001-04:00

The Phoenix Center complex in downtown Pontiac was built in the 1970's as part of the Pontiac Plan. While there are multiple parts that make up the Phoenix Center, the main section is the parking garage and ampitheater. The ampitheater, which opened in 2004 and has seating for 6000, has had its share of decent concerts, but also controversy.

In 2004, the Phoenix Center went under a $22 million renovation with assistance from Oakland County on the loan. The city is still paying off this loan and will do so for approximately the next 15 years. Now the emergency financial manager is requesting a study to see if the complex is still safe and useable, if not it will come down.

So some questions I have include: if it is unsound, how and why has it deteoriated so quickly after renovations? Who is going to pay for the demolition and why has it taken so long to be done? Why was this not one of the first projects?

What I would like to see done if it is not beyond repair, is offer the complex to an entertainment group, like Palace Sports & Entertainment or Olympia Entertainment. If an entertainment group wants to take it over they can handle all of the operations and management and the city could just take the parking fees. I think it really lacked decent attention, marketing, and operating when being ran by the city.

I think it could be a win - win situation for everyone involved. Crowds coming back downtown and filling parking lots, clubs, bars, and restaurants. The increase in people might lead to more businesses wanting to open and start bringing more life back to the city. I know there will always be those against it, but if its not too badly damaged, lets give it a shot.

Looking for great Chinese food?

2012-04-29T13:48:00.001-04:00

I am not much of a Chinese food person, but my wife has conned me into having it twice now. The first time I had it was at Mui's Carry Out in Clawson. This is the place my wife and others said was best. I tried it and was pleasantly suprised by how much I liked it. Mui's is located on W. 14 Mile just east of Crooks. There website has their menu on it as well as hours of operation and phone number. The only downfall to Mui's is the fact that it is strictly carry out, no inside seating.

The other day we were sitting around and saw someone on tv eating Chinese and my wife said that sounds good for dinner. I checked with a few friends and they suggested China Jade in Waterford, instead of driving to Clawson. We gave them a shot and found out there is a reason they have been around since 1974. The food was great here as well. Their website has their menu, contact info, directions, and even a spot where you can order online. They are located on W. Huron just west of Telegraph and offer carry out as well as a seating area to enjoy the whole dining experience.

I am not an adventerous person, so I just get the almond boneless chicken with rice, but the combination of quality and quanity makes either one of these great establishments worth checking out.