Post-Industrial Art

Kiwimomo, a 21-year-old art student, offers her interpretation of deindustrialization via her blog, Peachy BoomSHACALACA:

"Deindustrialization of America — this was my interpretation of it. I did this for my Digital Illustration class...I first did it in pen, then water colored it, scanned it and edited it on Photoshop.

"I interpreted the deindustrialization of America by referring to the opposite of it — the Industrial Revolution, in which America was known as the 'land of opportunity.' However, as the U.S. consumer culture grew, increasingly U.S manufacturing and facilities are done outside of the country, which in turn caused a few major decreases in jobs. I used China for [an] example, seeing that most of the objects Americans own are made in China...With deindustrialization, the U.S. is left with manufactured goods produced from outside of the U.S. for consumers to buy, rather than a load of job opportunities."

Flint Postcards: Sunset over Flint

I cannot imagine a more misrepresentative postcard of Flint. Where the hell was this shot taken?

Gary Flinn on Mr. Magic

Gary Flinn, Flint's historian extraordinaire, has a nice piece on WJRT Channel 12 in The Flint Journal that's worth checking out:

"In 1960, Earl Frank Cady (just Frank Cady on-air) began his fondly remembered run as 'Mr. Magic.' The show aired until the colorful "Bozo" replaced it on Labor Day 1967 — the day the station converted to full color. Cady played the role of Bozo, too.

"On 'Mr. Magic,' he'd played other characters, such as Clyde Clunker and his cousin Lulubelle — a homely woman who in one surviving black-and-white video lip-synched a performance by novelty singer Mrs. Miller. A popular ending on the show was Mr. Magic getting a pie in the face.

"Cady, as Bozo the Clown, had a 'peanut gallery' of children who participated in games for prizes from toy companies. He pitched products such as Bozo bread and Bozo milk. Cady also hosted Michigan Polka Party in the mid-1960s, featuring the local Michigan Dutchmen band and dancers from local high schools."

Flint Postcards: Flint Golf Club

Sadly, this postcard doesn't include the caddy shack, where I spent too many summer days lolling around and waiting for the chance to lug a golf bag around for one of the Flint elite in exchange for very little money and, typically, lousy tips. But I will give a belated shout out to Jerry Spickler (I may be getting the name wrong after all these years), who I remember as a smart, funny guy who also happened to be a generous tipper.

A manifesto from Detroit

A realistic, yet hopeful manifesto from Detroit's Vanessa Miller that could apply to Flint:

"Some call Detroit the most modern City in the world — a prediction of the future of all cities based on the fact that more cities are losing population then gaining. Between 1950 and 2003 Detroit lost half of its population (-50.2%) while the surrounding areas grew 171.3%. We are losing people at a rate of about 2 people per day. Ten years ago Detroit's average income was half that of the suburbs, and in 2002 26.1% of Detroit's inhabitants lived below the poverty level.

"However, I see a different city every day I walk out my door. I want to show a different picture of what has been left behind in modern Detroit and the people who are here making a difference.

"Things like my neighbors walking their dogs, and people helping each other at the bike shop don’t make national headlines. But together not only can we make this city the place we want to live, we can show the world that even though some left, what remains is strong, young and putting up a fight."

The Copa Conspiracy

Is Flint determined to erase all evidence of the fabulous Copa? First, The Copa's second home gets turned into an empty lot. Now it appears the original Copa location at 510 S. Saginaw is doomed.

"The Metropolis...a former dance club that hosted local bands as recently as 2005, could be torn down and replaced with a new three-story building," reports Joe Lawlor of The Flint Journal.

"The Community Foundation of Greater Flint, which this May moved into its own new digs on South Saginaw Street, plans to spend an estimated $3 million to $4 million to construct the new building, said foundation President Kathi Horton.

"Horton said she's optimistic that the deal will fall into place, hopefully within the next month."

Not to complain about Joe Lawlor, who's got a heavy workload at the under-staffed Journal, but you've got to at least mention the Copa in this story.

Well, as another of my personal Flint landmarks is consigned to oblivion, I offer up these classic eighties songs that got heavy rotation at the Copa when I spent a lot of time there.

Palin won't quit on Michigan

McCain may have given up on winning Michigan, but Sarah Palin still wants to visit and tour the auto plants with her husband. Maybe we can get Ben "Rivethead" Hamper and Jerry "All Things Buick" Godin to give her a tour of the vacant lots where all the plants used to be in Flint.



Thanks to honorary Flint Expatriate Michael G. for passing this along.

Engines from Flint

This is relatively old news, but still good news:

General Motors chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner has announced that the company will invest US$370 million in the U.S. to build a new manufacturing plant for its global four-cylinder engines in Flint, Michigan. The plant will begin production in 2010, and will be the exclusive manufacturing facility in North America to produce the Chevrolet Volt’s range-extending engine.

“GM, the UAW and the City of Flint have had a long-standing relationship,” Wagoner said. “Based on the capability and the commitment of the men and women who will work here, the tradition and leadership from UAW Local 599, the tremendous automotive heritage that underlies this region, and the strong partnerships we enjoy with local, state and federal governments, we are confident that Flint is exactly the right place to build our all-new powertrain plant.”

House poor

It's not easy for Michigan homeowners who are struggling with their mortgage to find relief these days, but The Columbus Dispatch reports on some small changes that might help. Of course, compared to the proposed Wall Street bailout, it ain't much:

"If the $700 billion mortgage-lender bailout leaves you shaking your head, wondering when struggling homeowners will get theirs, consider this:

"Homeowners got some help more than a year ago.

"It was far less dramatic than today's proposal, and a Dispatch analysis of the latest data shows that Ohioans' share is shrinking.

"The help arrived in 2007, when the federal government pushed lenders to rewrite mortgages for people in danger of losing their homes. But those efforts have shifted from long-suffering states such as Ohio to hot properties in California, Arizona and Florida.

"The good news: more help could be on the way.

"The 451-page bailout approved by the Senate on Wednesday includes new lifelines for homeowners. One would require lenders and mortgage servicers to offer reasonable modifications for any loan that ends up in government hands.

"Moreover, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced new incentives Wednesday for lenders to rewrite troubled loans -- although the 'Hope for Homeowners' program, like most others, is voluntary.

"More than 4 million American homeowners with a mortgage -- a record 9 percent -- were either behind on their payments or in foreclosure at the end of June as damage from the housing crisis worsened, the Mortgage Bankers Association said last month."

There's one born every minute

Have you heard the one about the gang from Detroit headed to Flint to...