http://intodetroit.com/discussions/feed.rss Sat, 18 May 2013 15:22:42 -0400 Recent Discussions - intoDetroit en-CA http://intodetroit.com/discussion/124/spring-breaks Mon, 13 May 2013 12:24:14 -0400 The Sullivan House Lincoln 124@/discussions Spring breaks]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/51/woodbridge-neighborhood-crime-watch-text-alert-group Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:34:42 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 51@/discussions Woodbridge neighborhood crime watch text alert group]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/123/lincoln-at-ignite-detroit Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:44:31 -0400 Moving to Detroit Lincoln 123@/discussions


I quoted $11,000 in there as the amount Icrontians have contributed. I believe it's more like $15,000 now. :)]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/122/closed-windows Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:19:41 -0500 The Sullivan House Lincoln 122@/discussions Closed windows]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/121/the-electrician-has-left-the-building Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:31:42 -0500 The Sullivan House Lincoln 121@/discussions The electrician has left the building]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/116/a-shooting-in-woodbridge-and-why-i-dont-feel-unsafe Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:51:56 -0500 The City primesuspect 116@/discussions A shooting in Woodbridge, and why I don't feel unsafe]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/117/microsoft-store-coming-to-detroit Thu, 24 Jan 2013 12:43:24 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 117@/discussions Microsoft Store coming to Detroit]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/120/to-hell-and-back-a-year-later Sat, 02 Feb 2013 00:39:45 -0500 The Sullivan House Lincoln 120@/discussions To Hell and back: A year later]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/115/the-pub-comes-alive-or-suddenly-a-dining-room Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:43:05 -0500 The Sullivan House Lincoln 115@/discussions The pub comes alive, or, "suddenly, a dining room"]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/85/on-hipsters-in-detroit Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:14:28 -0400 The Sullivan House primesuspect 85@/discussions On hipsters in Detroit]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/118/winter-in-woodbridge Fri, 25 Jan 2013 21:51:45 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 118@/discussions Winter in Woodbridge]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/119/apartment-fire-at-14th-selden Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:33:08 -0500 The City primesuspect 119@/discussions multi-family units in the new housing at 14th and Selden is raging on fire right now. Pictures from moments ago:





There were at least two ladder trucks that I saw as well as multiple EMS trucks.

It's a terrible, cold night to be suddenly homeless. ]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/113/searching-for-sugar-man Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:54:47 -0500 General jason 113@/discussions Searching For Sugar Man at the Laurelhurst Theater, a local second-run movie theater in Portland. Being fairly tired from the three-hour drive home, and not particularly excited by the preview I'd seen earlier, I went in with low expectations; I left feeling slightly homesick and with an unexpected appreciation for a relatively unknown artist from my hometown.

The film itself centres around the search by two South African fans to find out more about Rodriguez, who's been completely forgotten about in the US but, unbeknownst to him, has a huge following in South Africa, where his music spoke to many white South Africans opposed to apartheid in the 70s and helped to inspire the music of a budding, white anti-Apartheid movement during those turbulent times.

Rodriguez put out a couple of albums in the early 70s after getting signed to Sussex Records — Cold Fact in 1970 and Coming from Reality — but none of them sold and he was unceremoniously dropped from the label, going back into obscurity and his working-class roots in Detroit, working mostly in construction while also completing a BA in philosophy from Wayne State University. His life was so obscure, in fact, that most of his fans in South Africa thought he was dead, with multiple urban legends floating around about how he'd died, ranging everywhere from a grizzly on-stage suicide (due to self-immolation or a gunshot wound depending on who you'd ask) to a drug overdose.

Eventually, however, the two fans discover that he's not only alive, but actually manage to get into contact with him via one of his daughters, and the film explores their search, Rodriguez's musical impact on South Africa, his jump-started musical career, and his enduring mystique throughout it all, which persists in spite of his new-found fame and subsequent South African tour, where he's treated like a rock 'n' roll star almost 30 years after the release of his last record and almost two decades since his last tour.

The film switches back and forth between Detroit, Michigan, and Cape Town, South Africa; and while I know relatively little about Cape Town, the scenes in Detroit brought back a flood of memories and feelings, and I found myself being drawn even more into the narrative, especially with each tiny little revelation about Rodriguez's life, many of which reminded me of my own, including my time living and working in the city (I grew up in downtown Detroit; I was a heat treater for a couple of years, and have been a manual labourer for most of my working life; I got laid off from a ceramic tile manufacturer just before Christmas two years ago; etc.).

I don't know how accurate the film's portrayal of Rodriguez's level of talent or his music's influence on the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa are (I suspect they're somewhat exaggerated), but I think it does a decent job of portraying the spirit of Detroiters (and by extension the beleaguered working class in general) personified by Rodriguez—specifically the quiet determination and modest dignity of working-class people who may have little materially to show for their years of hard work, but who are by no means soulless wretches living in a land of no hope despite the constant day-to-day struggles they face just to make ends meet.

While Searching For Sugar Man doesn't sugarcoat life in the "troubled city" where Rodriguez was born, it doesn't belittle or criticize it, either. Instead, it hints at the potential underlying everyone who calls it home, even if that potential goes unnoticed by the majority of the rest of the world. And while this particular "troubled city" happens to be Detroit, I think it can stand for any place where working-class people deal with the realities of working-class life and the surprising things you can find there.]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/65/cleaning-up-woodbridge-with-the-americorps Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:26:54 -0400 The Sullivan House primesuspect 65@/discussions Cleaning up Woodbridge with the AmeriCorps]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/114/lets-talk-m1-light-rail Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:32:16 -0500 The City primesuspect 114@/discussions US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the backers of the M1 light rail project have done "everything we've asked them to do", and that a community banding together to raise $100 million for the project is "unprecedented".

It's finally time for us, as a region, to be optimistic and assume that M1 Light Rail is going to be a reality. Initially, it will start Downtown and go up Woodward to New Center.

Personally, I believe that this will mean a serious acceleration of the revival of the Woodward Corridor and Cass and John R, by extension. We'll see even more new businesses pop up and we may even see more tourist revenue from Chicago and Ann Arbor since the Amtrak station will connect right up to the M1.

This is tremendously exciting to me. What do you guys think?]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/110/challenges-with-moving-what-happened Sun, 16 Dec 2012 12:29:56 -0500 Moving to Detroit hinesbrad 110@/discussions
I have found that I've had some really big challenges deciding on a place to live. I spent about six days in the metro area in early December. I checked out downtown, Midtown, Troy, Utica, Pontiac, Dearborn, Romulus, Bloomfield and West Bloomfield. I had some great experiences touring the neighborhoods in town. I thought the people were generally reserved at first but were also very polite and had good follow through. This is unlike the southwest where most apartment complexes are staffed with valley-girl wanna be's that have trouble even using the calendaring functions on their iphones that cannot conjugate a verb, never mind their chronic inability to follow through on the most basic phone call requirements.

I found Pontiac to be super depressing and lacking in the most basic shopping and entertainment options. I also found the suburbs to be rather boring and tough to get to know people. I really like Hockey, and I found that there was a lot of buzz about a new Hockey Arena being considered downtown. I'd really like to find a space near all the excitement but can't seem to find anything that meets my requirements. All the prices seem radically out of whack for the metro area too. $1500 for a 1 bedroom per month? in downtown Detroit? Really?

]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/112/duggan-announces-mayoral-run-via-employee-newsletter Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:32:53 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 112@/discussions Duggan announces Mayoral run via employee newsletter]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/111/some-parts-of-the-city-are-a-warzone-and-the-bad-guys-are-winning Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:03:10 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 111@/discussions Some parts of the city are a warzone, and the bad guys are winning]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/108/lets-talk-about-hantz-woodlands-detroit Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:21:23 -0500 The City primesuspect 108@/discussions
The issue has been extremely divisive: proponents are excited about the "one-shot" big cleanup of a large area (200 acres) of blighted and abandoned dangerous land on the East side, and the new tax revenue that will be added. The land, dangerous vacant houses, and cleanup is not something the city currently has the resources to deal with.

Opponents liken the sale to a cheap land grab by a potential speculator at best, and at worst call the move akin to "slavery".

The sale was approved two days ago. Approximately 140 acres of Detroit real estate goes to Hantz Woodlands; Hantz agrees to maintain the land, raze derelict structures, and plant 15000 trees.

As with most political issues in Detroit, tensions are high and the issue is polarizing. Why? Share your thoughts.]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/107/getting-stuff-delivered-in-detroit-with-konbini Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:38:51 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 107@/discussions Getting stuff delivered in Detroit with Konbini]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/106/have-you-thought-about-tearing-it-down Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:57:08 -0500 The Sullivan House Lincoln 106@/discussions Have you thought about tearing it down?]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/102/detroit-and-the-food-desert-myth Tue, 13 Nov 2012 14:48:43 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 102@/discussions Detroit and the food desert myth]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/32/leaving Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:52:23 -0500 Moving to Detroit primesuspect 32@/discussions Leaving]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/31/comfortably-numb Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:02:46 -0500 The Sullivan House Lincoln 31@/discussions Comfortably numb]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/27/everything-goes-to-hell Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:15:42 -0500 The Sullivan House Lincoln 27@/discussions Everything goes to Hell]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/26/life-at-the-leland Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:01:26 -0500 Places djmeph 26@/discussions Life at The Leland]]> http://intodetroit.com/discussion/22/the-history-of-the-sullivan-house Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:32:43 -0500 The Sullivan House primesuspect 22@/discussions The history of the Sullivan House]]>