Sam’s Thoughts

Random thoughts from a random mind

Stop city Income Tax!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Non Commercial- ShareAlike 2.5 License. Creative Commons License

Get Firefox! Are you still using Internet Explorer? If you are, you are putting your computer and the rest of the network at unnecessary risk. Not to mention that IE doens't follow web standards. It doesn't even properly render this page, and this page doesn't have anything fancy. Please go get firefox now and use it. You can customize it with all kinds of cool extensions and themes, and it won't install any spyware or viruses.

Boycott Staforce

  • Archives

      Digg

  • July 2008
    S M T W T F S
    « Jun    
     12345
    6789101112
    13141516171819
    20212223242526
    2728293031  
      Speak Truthiness to Power!
  • Subscribe

    • Everybody is welcome to read and contribute whatever feedback you like here. Intelligent conversation is always welcome. If you want to leave comments I ask you to scroll up the left sidebar here and register. Hopefully this will help keep the comment spammers at bay at least for a little while. I am not offended by crude or vulgur language. If you are you may want to keep eyes shut while reading here. On the other hand I do reserve the right to moderate any posts here as I see fit. Other than ads for casinos, and sexual dysfunction products I have a pretty high tolerance level for the First Ammendment. And I definitely won't sell or otherwise abuse your e-mail address. Enjoy!
      XML-Sitemap

    Archive for the 'Ypsilanti' Category


    Vinology re-born, food now on a par with wine!

    29th June 2008

    For wine lovers, Vinology has been one of the best places to go in the Ann Arbor area since it opened on north Main St. a couple of years ago.  With a big cellar and knowledgable wine specialists they held regular wine dinners and could always recommend the right wine to go with a meal.  Unfortunately, until recently the meal side of the equation was a bit of a mixed bag.  The menu had too many options and was of inconsistent quality.  For those who have equal or greater interest in the food rather than the wine, there is now great news.

    My work colleague Sara Johns and her husband Brandon, recently bought a stake in Vinology.  Brandon was formerly the chef at the Chop House and practises his culinary craft in the kitchen of Vinology. The menu has been drastically pared down and several new dishes have been added.  We went to Vinology for Jules’ birthday dinner the other night and all the dishes were excellent.  The gnocchi with morels that I had was especially good and Jules loved her pan roasted chicken with a whole grain salad.  The asparagus salad with poached duck egg was also a fabulous appetizer. Brandon prefers to use local ingredients wherever possible and the menu will be adjusted periodically to take advantage of in-season produce.

    If you’re looking for a great meal and you haven’t been to Vinology since the beginning of June, it’s definitely worth checking out.

    Posted in Ann Arbor, food | No Comments »

    Cuban food in Manhattan

    22nd March 2008

    I was on the road again this week, having spent a couple of days in Manhattan covering the New York Auto Show.  I can say with complete certainty that although New York and Chicago have better facilities than Cobo Hall in Detroit, we definitely have the best show in North America when it comes to newsworthy content.  One particularly annoying aspect of Manhattan is trying to catch a cab.  Although countless taxis drive by when you’re looking for one, finding one that doesn’t already have passengers can take forever.  After the Kia reception in Wednesday night I stood out in the rain for twenty minutes trying to get a cab.  However, once I finally got one and got back to the hotel it was worth it.  My Autoblog colleagues (John, Damon, Alex and Chris) and I walked about 6 blocks to one of Alex’s favorite restaurants in the city, Victor’s Cafe.  Alex lives in Connecticut and goes into the city fairly regularly.  Victor’s is a Cuban restaurant on W. 52nd and both the food and the service were absolutely outstanding.  I had the most amazing Paella that had shrimp, mussels, lobster, and chorizo.  The coconut flan for dessert was a great finish.  Even John who is a vegan and often has a hard time finding something he likes in restaurants enjoyed the Frijoles Negros.  If you’re ever in New York and looking for a great meal, check out Victor’s Cafe.

    Posted in food | No Comments »

    Lip Balm is finally live!

    19th January 2008

    After what seems like forever, Jules has finally started posting to her blog Lip Balm!  She’s writing about whatever grabs her attention.  She’s just getting started so head over to PutSomeOn.com and get the conversation going.

    Posted in Ypsilanti, writing | 1 Comment »

    Racoon for lunch

    30th November 2007

    On the way home today from my last day at the old job, as I was passing the Hyundai Tech Center I noticed a red-tailed hawk having lunch so I pulled into the driveway and grabbed my camera. I approached raptor slowly, snapping pics as I went. Eventually, the hawk decided I was close enough and headed off for the nearby trees.

    Posted in Ypsilanti, this and that, work | 2 Comments »

    Zingerman’s must be drinking their own Kool-aid

    28th October 2007

    Jules and I stopped by Zingerman’s Roadhouse today with the intention of grabbing some lunch. The food is generally really good at the Roadhouse but it can be erratic at times. Fortunately we had to wait about ten minutes for a table so we perused the menu while waiting. Their prices have really gotten out of line. $9.95 for a burger and $2.50 extra for cheese? Please it’s not that great a burger. Frankly the Sidetrack burgers are better. $19.00 for a sampler plate of five mini-burgers or brisket? After a couple of minutes of pondering these prices we got up and decided to try the Quarter Bistro a few hundred yards away. It was an excellent decision. The food was really good, the service was excellent and the prices were much more reasonable. Franky I have the feeling the Ari and Paul and the team might be reading a little bit too much of their own press. If the quality of the food at the Roadhouse could always be counted on to be outstanding, the prices might justifiable. The reality is that they are not.

    Posted in Ann Arbor, food | 2 Comments »

    Paul Schrieber and the Ypsi City Council don’t believe in the 1st Ammendment!

    17th August 2007

    I just heard from Steve Pierce that the city of Ypsilanti has done a turnabout and bounced the Stop City Income Tax group from the Heritage Festival Parade.  The group which is campaigning  to defeat the proposal for city income tax that is due to be on the ballot this November had previously applied and been approved to march in the parade.  They filled out the paperwork indicating clearly the groups name and no one saw it as a problem initially.  But apparently someone down at City Hall was reviewing the list of participants and decided that dissenters weren’t welcome at the parade.

    It sounds like someone in charge has a thin skin when it comes to criticism of their policies and if that’s the case they have no business being in politics.  Whoever made the decision reverse the approval should step forward and explain themselves.  This move is outrageous and the person/people behind it should be removed from office.  If indeed it was the mayor it shouldn’t be a surprise given the dirty politics they play during last year’s campaign.  Perhaps a recall should be on the ballot right next to the tax proposal.

    Posted in Ypsilanti, politics | 4 Comments »

    Ypsilanti School Bond election

    4th August 2007

    ypsd.gifIn case you haven’t heard on Tuesday August 7 there is a bond election for the Ypsilanti Public Schools. The district wants to raise $40 million for upgrades to the district facilities. A lot of mechanical updates are needed to school buildings to keep them up to code and safe for the kids staff. Some of the money will also be used for technology upgrades as well as building the new bus garage. If the bond is approved there won’t be any tax increase because the millage will be replacing an expiring millage so this won’t cost local property owners any extra money. I urge anyone who’s reading this to head out to the polls on Tuesday and vote in favor of the bond. Our district needs it.

    Posted in Ypsilanti, schools | 1 Comment »

    Vote for local businesses as the best

    11th July 2007

    I got an email from Kate Conat tonight that Channel 4 in Detroit is running a poll right now called 4 the Best with all kinds of SE Michigan businesses nominated in various categories.  Locally we’ve got several nominees including Cafe Luwak for best sandwich shop, the Sidetrack for best burger and Smokehouse Blues for best wings.  Zingerman’s Bakehouse is also in the running for best bakery.  Head over to www.clickondetroit.com/4thebest and cast your votes for some local businesses.

    Posted in Ypsilanti, food | 2 Comments »

    11th July 2007

    smart fortwoIt’s that time of year again, the Art Fairs are back! The action kicks off this weekend at the Corner Brewery with the Shadow Art Fair. From noon to midnight on Saturday July 14 over forty artists will be hawking their wares amidst live music from Patrick Elkins, Black jake and the Carnies and more. Once the fun is over at the brewery if you have any cash left over you can over to A2 for some other fair. Actually their is a reason why some of you might want to head down to South University between Wednesday and Saturday to check out the Smart USA road show. The tiny Smart ForTwo is coming to the US market early next year and they are touring the country this Summer to let people check out the cars. If you’re interested you can even get a test drive in a Smart.

    Posted in Ypsilanti, cars | No Comments »

    Ypsi Board of Education to vote on reinstating Braves nickname!

    21st June 2007

    The agenda for the June 25 Ypsi School Board meeting is out and Tom Reiber has put the following item on the action items list.

         h. Ypsilanti High School Nickname Reinstatement Recommendation (Enclosure #9)

    All of us with some common sense need to call Mr. Reiber and tell him that the students have selected a new nickname and it’s time for the adults to start acting like grown ups instead of whiny little babies and get over it.  The kids are.

    You can reach Tom Reiber at home at (734) 434-1425 and by e-mail at techtom@comcast.net.  Everyone should come out to the board meeting on Monday night and speak out against this.

    Posted in Announcements [A], Ypsilanti, schools | 1 Comment »

     

    Bad Behavior has blocked 222 access attempts in the last 7 days.

    salt water aquarium ste up carhartt waterproof reflective gloves many layers of an onion earnhardt gas globe slip covers for prius curious villager elk grove tinting window la farge flooding alan rowe jazz pianist shih tzu puppie training rhapsody dna api tenerife 5 day weather forecast bad habits stress coping techniques tools plus of waterbury holiday apartments to rent tenerife futaba driving rc servo aw9d max 975x 775 atx motherboard walter gamble school al baker only xrs garza blanca resort mega millions california march indian beach nc boat ramps drawing dates mega millions toyota prius bluebook benjamin moore glaze toyota prius disk pads the saga of dune alias public inquiry marcia michaels published diamante poetry pet adoptions las vegas blu hypno playa del arena tenerife ida tarbell standard oil friction bat tape reviews plong e canaries plong e tenerife california apartments tenerife waterbury connecticut hotel anthrax scare iliotibial band friction syndrome symptoms 1970s moped image mercury removal tijuana how do you glaze food levulan blu destin florida effexer xr dosage tanzania natural recourse map imbd yours mine and ours kazaa lite spyware cst ejs glasses goggles oakley sun the genesee diary wednesday 18 los angeles to tijuana bus uninstall kazaa 3.0 median research nina blu durango clan matches eye servos tucker ida download ssh putty walgreens folding banquet table blu rum 13 straight men bi curious pics forsyte saga 1967 pictures bohemian rhapsody g4 behavioural impacts affecting population distribution minature mobile storage juta che pictures of largest mountain on tenerife secluded beach photos of tenerife list of hotels in tenerife aq glaze kelly moore 1995 mercedes e300d donor car ku klux klan steel pulse simons rv anchorage published research in computer networking games define collin matrix xrs sale pickle factory affecting demand factor lyrics play queen bohemian rhapsody pluto alias greek apts in astoria queens mayco matt transparent glaze c-300 dale earnhardt peter maxx lu lu keating documentary ada median household budget gov fema gsa sax quizzes joshua pusey inventor of matches capp servo walgreens phone numbers angela blu pittsburgh my chemical romance tickets astoria coping pool tiles lus locaux dermatologist in lawrenceville smith pmt goggles guster rhapsody product list star wars saga collection dermatologist in arizona lottery mega millions nyc duane holiday prineville shia walgreens jorge sanchez dermatologist puerto rico pecan praline refrigerator cookies somebody told mew 6 gallon donor texas wanda formally yours store in connecticut oasis noel gallagher pornoland tenerife terra opus maniscalco stop barking dogs neighborhood mobile homes in costa blanca atx power supply hack the clarks lyrics im a fool patio doors rollers ssh server for osx scp dog song barking miss tanzania flaviana matata white and nerdy for alto sax watering care of hollywood juniper log handling rollers threesome with a hooker goliath walgreens jim and norma rowe calgary humboldt tenerife aviation accident wisdom of the kings rhapsody reflective images and more 2008 ny mets predictions atmostpheric layers notes on the truman doctrine lifeway mental health pendleton oregon bartcop entertainment wednesday december che mickey ears shitz tzu club of america published benchmark sheets reflective case study kasey young hookers pony up heard you got action free browse dating service howes lighting company published by houghton truck toppers wheels code dawn ms new saga unlabeled rain forest layers matches what is ava devine spluge norte tijuana zona ann collins martin wisdom mousa dahdal of walgreens st johns prep astoria walmart matches competitor prices tru blu bristol pa hometown video festival barba pics maid services in waterbury ct john gallagher bristol colloquium abstracts posters wednesday servo drive price control amp autoreggenti blu date hero release saga vanguard wednesday jounal online indian tribal recording published in 1977 hometown honeys maxim minature auburn tiger hey song notes for alto sax astoria federal savings bank ny hare in the moon piedra blanca formations trails ojai california wedding princess cake toppers factors affecting employee performance level reflective tape 2 inch online dating matches compatible dimensions parque de la paz in tenerife rider truck toppers in north dakota adderall xr teen adhd beer goggles bar grill douglas carl mitchell published howe tree sacramento tri tides vs h3 sax eno calvin greer in milwaukee maritime museum astoria oregon michigan walgreens robbery non published telephone number search uschi b sch how to decorate a top hat mary opus shelley dale earnhardt jr movie published humors short stories saga you re not alone porno curious sleeping undress free how to render ice in alias used moped hilo marcia huberman lawler newton baked brie pecans puff pastry new jersey dermatologist dispensing prescription drugs hose nozzle for watering indoor plants minature golf computer games free shih tzu breeders in new york simons photography ssh config port island sun sanibel poncho lefty rhapsody karl mayer ph d chae che requirements to become a dermatologist ewaste symposium siemens gsa pricing nascar dale earnhardt jr towel old firm matches palmetto hope adoptions n heard hooker glass mirror and beveling company apologetics thomas howe cpt symposium 2008 layers of earths core rhapsody reposition honolulu 1985 parody toyota class action prius suit scott junior pipeline goggles carpetbaggers brigade physical comedy las dal ias hotel tenerife lonsome dove saga series heard ya talkin mp3 marenostrum hotel tenerife pears blu cheese phyllo shells sola transformers on gsa t rowe price cap apprec prospectus eulogy merge devine antonella barba controversy reflective slap wrap engraved business card holder joust scooter moped polarized peripheral goggles tommy bahama shirts simons the ataris so long astoria mp3 rhapsody holy thunderforce remix create aliases custom email addresses friction clutches kazaa lite 2.61 orange soy glaze recipe trail mopeds lindeth howe hotel windermere what determins when ash wednesday is cake toppers for baby shower cakes emperor saga dale earnhardt jr nude advent christian doctrine adoptions in maine ektelon vandetta goggles aarp platinum visa card tesco share price 2004 michael collins jewelers gsa performance measures greers texas natalia vodianova russian rhapsody 1879 cc gsa ashlee simpson dermatologist michael collins torrent certified adoptions specialist training layers rainforest dermatologists in enid oklahoma famous gambles factors affecting implementation astrology cancer matches tides birch bay public boat ramps in homosassa fl kevin gallagher hunter greer senior high school sc walgreens coordination night vision goggles and history custom reflective signs sony blu ray cd compatibility lobbyists hookers pma alberta minature dachunds watering cans fruit reflective x embassy stes hampton roads gsa travel trailer sales comedy wednesday july 24 charlotte nc internment doctrine moped scooter mn how 48 ida webers work terrazas del duque tenerife anti barking high frequency blu seafood and bar durham mikes world tokyo mew mew episode 2 download dick clarks condition lamps bronze maroon ridgway potteries ltd royal vale replacements dom sax compare fluoxetine xr 40 mg maroon 15 she will be loved jurid friction john mccaon donors recipe for sinkiang cinnamon glaze astoria or webcams pennsylvania upside down sweet pickles ssh software caused connection abort action realty mt ida arknsas facts about arctic hare schooles fort collins christian service brigade unit 2209 clarks bostonian locations illinois barbara gallagher sold work brine concept field hockey goggles david lee glaze jr why do we pickle food hometown life newspaper hometown vet in austin texas circa in waterbury denis serban cisco gsa price list blu blocker paint for sale castle harbour tenerife ssh wants password published information about disney world dogs on sanibel beach redhat com browse by company 25 download free rhapsody gsa government services administration pickle graphics protestants and ash wednesday wednesday february p m p m curious talk of the town flash gordon in maroon shirt sky blu ass simons beverley rosen shih tzu wall border gemstones used in reflective images jewelry bruce greer bmx jumping ramps using ssh in perl tissue donor barking dogs royal aces mp3 fort hare university jag 2 pvc pipe hangers ipl twenty20 matches live for free entrepreneurs published article walgreens generic drug program james howe edinburgh uncle mikes shoulder holsters what is the storyline behind alias top ssh server shell wooden dog side ramps st simons island ga marina properties 0.22 awg servo wire gsa tires lincoln alabama hotels in ste jerome aarp reverse mortgage rate calculator what is demi glaze homemade ceramics glaze indiana state police pendleton indiana real estate brokerage in fort collins color of light affecting plant growth rhapsody dance club baseball goggles barking cookie jar now and forever carly simons coping stage sample proteus electronics circuits servo peter st denis minature pinchers diarrhea used 2004 nissa armada in usa 73rd infantry brigade patch waterbury clock co james hens 2nd rhapsody he heard his low murmur allow root ssh with key only dr barbara berberian dermatologist washington dc upmc dermatologists pittsburgh pa anahuac tx hometown press free patterns for macrame plant hangers alias grant general skull shino glaze published audit reference materials skin conditions dermatologist alias torrent downloads wednesday july 11 news pecan smoking wood st louis missouri efficient reflective heaters dermatologist fort wayne ku masters social work program cartoon russian rhapsody auto connect ssh client related posts february published tube potato hometown groundhog ida nu baum charter cable greer sc jt proflex 05 thermal paintball goggles waterbury estates bronx ny anthelia hotel tenerife rickshaw travel tanzania california transplant donor awareness bull and bear waldorf astoria mega millions new jersey ratatoulle cake toppers sonic blu palomita blanca michael salgado mp3 rachels adoptions eq ii horse and mount guide recruiting brigade tijuana b c jail information i bleed maroon diving tenerife las americas donkey rollers remix old kazaa versions biography on duane hanson farm eq for sale first newspaper cartoon published marcia beth krackow andreas ku dog barking contriol gsa members prince george card sagas wars sprites carlise friction hen c schwier raider brigade marching band coefficient of friction between different materials how does gravity friction help soccer free download rugby matches sanibel public beach bill gallagher chef alias season 4 episode 7 torrent ultra 3000 servo manual saint simons island georgia hotels servo frame size gsa breakfasts telnet ssh cygwin rodney heard atlanta hawk higher quality sleeves friction material penetration nelson winter soccer division 2 matches 2 inch firehose friction loss car paint color candy apple maroon propiedades m gicas de caoba blanca bookmap digital harvesting published specification published poe-esque poems new york mets tv network friction modifier for torque converter entrance ramps on i-294 chicago glaze citadel antonella barba pictures thor core s5 goggles rhapsody rain flames blues sax artists bereavement grief coping ida handboll bal g teborg youre so vain carly simons lyrics wow gnome goggles create engraved name online tenets of friction skin identification cafes lounges in astoria gateway astoria oregon tanzania pics of the population graph ssh for windows mobile 6 blu bellow twang gargoyles rene denis racket ball tenerife ideal rings la tzu chi ting with chicken dermatologist indianapolis acne laser toyota prius rear sight reviews window tinting laws azada chapter 8 matches astoria oregon fishing airtronics servo 94102 dale earnhardt window tint villa tenerife pool tom collins baseball doctrines of the dead sea scrolls gulfview cottages sanibel sweat and friction can kill hair dale earnhardt jr life story sylvia devine trenton michigan hare core pussy how to use glaze pens scp ssh mike rowe how its made 4th canadian masonry symposium canadian adoptions depeche mode its called heard brittany blu teen party roxy chickadee goggles browse for married and looking almond glaze recipe boy god denis nortel symposium pdf mt ida municipal airport neil diamond song sung blu che and ray hair layers or no layers lu ding how orchis garden night owl tempest goggles reviews rhapsody compatible devices ssh tectia product tickle pickle pictures waterloo ia hookers convection currents weather tides oven XGHSLJJ2103@katok