powerful messages found everywhere
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“in an open society, no idea can be above scrutiny, just as no people should be beneath dignity.”
-maajid nawaz
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grand trunk pub, detroit, michigan, usa -2020
Dec8
Tag Archives: detroit
Nov22
soundtrack.
i had just recently become a pre-teen
this was the
top hits playlist
of the week
on our local station
i can hear most of them still in my mind
how things change in half a century
how they stay the same.
—
“music is the soundtrack of your life.”
-dick clark
Aug20
karate.
a family afternoon spent
practicing karate skills, self defense, getting a good workout
socially distant, outside, under a very hot sun
at beacon park, in detroit
lots of sweat, lots of water, lots of fun
“karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can,
using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world.”
-dave barry
May23
grass roots.
detroit mower gang – these volunteers compete to maintain detroit’s old parks
As small budgets and bureaucracy leave playgrounds and parks uncared for in Detroit, a group of twenty-five volunteers known as the Detroit Mower Gang is taking matters into their own hands.
This past weekend, volunteer lawnmowers competed for a championship belt awarded to the person who cuts the most grass during their 12-hour Motown Mowdown. They kicked off at Hammerberg Playfield, an un-owned park on Detroit’s west side, tackling the overgrown lawn, repairing swing sets for the neighborhood before splitting up to cleanup 10 other abandoned playgrounds in the city.
“No one owns this particular park, it just fell through the cracks,” said Tom Nardone, 50, of Birmingham, who started the Detroit Mower Gang in 2009. “We just try to keep it alive. … Without a group, you couldn’t mow this park with a mower in a couple of days.”
A decade ago, Nardone bought a lawn tractor off Craigslist and took it to a park on Interstate 75 and Eight Mile Road. He started a Facebook group to find others who could join the project and eventually, it turned into a mower gang, he said. “When the city was getting close to filing for bankruptcy there were more than 300 parks in Detroit and the city said it could only care for 72.”
Last year, the founders formed a nonprofit called Enemies of Debris and also host trash fishing, where the same group pulls trash out of the Detroit River. The group said there have been fewer lots scouted each year because the city is catching up to them. “We hope they put us out of business,” Nardone said laughing. “We could start a bowling league or something.”
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“i like the grass roots people the most.”
-doug ford
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credits: optimist daily, detroitnews.com – sarah rahal, max ortiz – photo
Feb24
significant.
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flowers found in an unexpected place – detroit, michigan, usa
Nov8
my summer of the beatles, chains, and lots of gum.
way back in the day (1964)
I was six and 3/4, not yet seven
my sister and best friend and i
spent much of our entire summer
‘working’ for free for our friend’s teenage sister
who had plans to go to see the beatles
at olympia arena
when they landed in detroit.
we were recruited by her
to spend our time creating
‘the world’s longest gum wrapper chain’
that she planned to present with her fan club
to the beatles at the concert.
she funded our gum and provided us each with a cigar box
and we sat in the yard for hours upon hours
just talking and laughing
and listening to music on her transistor radio
and creating the chain
until we’d get called home.
we never questioned the project
as were we caught up
in the whirlwind of her excitement
when the time came
she went to the show and presented the chain
later regaling us with the stories and craziness of the concert
and suddenly it was over
our summer of working for free had ended
and I looked forward to my own concerts ahead
wondering who I could recruit to make my paper chains.
—
what you’ll need:
- Gum Wrappers: You’ll need a ton of these. We made our dress using paper wrappers, but you can use foil too. The process is the same!
- Patience: You’ll also need a lot of this.
1. Fold It in Half
Take a single wrapper and fold it longways, or hot-dog style. Do this three times. Try to fold the jagged edge inside because it can get in the way when making the chains.
2. Fold It Through the Middle
Fold the wrapper in half the other way, right through the middle. It should make a “V” shape. Next, fold the sides into the middle, making a little “v.” This little guy will be one link on your chain.
3.. Repeat
Before you proceed, you’ll have to repeat these steps to make another chain link. Once you have two, you’re ready to connect them!
4. Connect the Pieces
Just take the two ends of one and push it through the two holes in the other. This is why you’ll want your gum wrappers to be folded neatly—if the jagged ends stick out, it can get difficult to see what you’re doing or where to push the wrappers through and connect them. Keep it neat!
5. Keep Going
Keep on going forever and ever this same way. Eventually, you’ll have a long and fairly sturdy chain!
credits: ‘The Beatles’ Patrick Julian – Beyond Olympia Stadium, Pinterest, felt magnet
May19
art is community.
‘los trompos,’ (spanish for spinning tops)
a giant spinning top art installation,
visits detroit’s beacon park from mexico city
the eight giant, colorful tops, designed by *héctor esrawe and ignacio cadena, are large enough for multiple people to sit or stand inside them, and visitors are welcome to take a spin. they were designed to facilitate play, celebrate culture, and bring people together to interact and connect. Los Trompos is an interactive piece that comes to life when people engage with it. the tops are based on the construction of the actual toy and reflect the work of mexican artisans, as well as mexican culture, art, and architecture.
community comes together to dance in the park
—
so fun to be here
as all kinds of people stopped by
just to play and connect with each other.
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“simply enjoy life and the great pleasures that come with it.”
-karolina ku
Aug17
soul.
aretha performs ‘spirit in the dark’ at the fillmore west – 1971
motown and the whole world will miss you.
May24
culinary adventures.
food can be so fun and festive
even when you’re not quite sure what to to do with it.
—
“your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. enjoy the ride.”
-anthony bourdain – kitchen confidential: adventures in the culinary underbelly
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honeybee market, detroit, mi, usa
May5
celebracion cinco de mayo.
we came in empty handed and left with quite a colorful array of characters
—
such a fun day
spent in southwest detroit
shopping at the ‘honeybee market’
with our spanish teachers
for the pinatas
(one of my favorite things)
to take back to school
for our cinco de mayo celebrations.
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“the celebration… you cannot practice it or anything.
it’s a moment when the excitement of your goal
makes you react to the moment.”
-peter bondra
I didn't have my glasses on.... 
The Beatles
“It was like hearing the future.”
–Tom Hanks
“They blew the walls down for everybody else.”
–Barack Obama
“We’ve never seen anything like this before, ever. Never. Not even for kings and queens.”
–Unnamed airport official