Detroit Declaration

There is a new group in Detroit trying to make the D a better place to live. Check it out:
http://declaredetroit.wordpress.com

Haiti

I know that after two weeks we're probably all Haiti'ed out. I get that. I just wanted to quickly reflect on a moment I just had where I said to an old friend that I could have been sent to Haiti for work, but that I was going to deal with Haiti-related files from the safety of Detroit. At first I put quotations around safety thinking that the use of irony was required and then I stopped, erased, and re-wrote it without the quotations. While I was instant messaging my friend I was reading a story about the Restavec ( reste avec- French for "to stay with"), which are children, mostly girls who are sent to stay with other families as their house slaves, unable to go to school and often abused (link below). While Detroit may suffer from a brutal image and a dismal economy, most Detroiters do not have the make the choice between keeping their children with them, sending them to live with others as house slaves, giving them to orphanages, or worse, abandoning them altogether. My life was touched by two little children whose parents had to make that choice to leave them at an orphanage and release them for adoption because they were unable to support them. What a choice for a family to have to make!! I will hold my son a little closer and kiss him a few more times, in the safety of Detroit, thankful that I do not have to make that choice.

Link: www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/01/29/restavek.sende.sencil/index.html

Detroit Area Diaper Bank

I found a cool thing yesterday- The Detroi tArea Diaper Bank. We have a son who has transitioned from one size of diapers to another and we had some of the old ones left over. I could have taken them to the daycare where I knew that they would be used, but living in the neighbourhood we do, I didn't feel that it would have done the most good. Enter the Detroit Area Diaper Bank! New and open packages for all age groups- newborn to oldborn- are taken. It's a small thing but I felt better today for finding my 15 diapers a better home.
www.detroitareadiaperbank.org

Detroit

I've been deliquent in my lack of blogging. Life has taken over, as life does when one has a full-time job with lots of responsibilities, a small child, and a family of which to take care.
Anyways, Detroit!! It has been a strange couple of years in the life of the city since I wrote last. The mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, has been convicted of perjury as has his girlfriend, and the two of them spent 4 months in jail down the street from my office. If I looked out my window I could see the county jail with it's narrow vertical slotted windows, and I wondered on a regular basis which window the fallen hero was starring out of at that moment. Such arrogance to be in such a public job and to think that you would not get caught. He was an elected official not the King of Detroit!

The city has just completed its fourth election in the past year and has re-elected David Bing as mayor. He seems to be making some of the hard decisions, which while not necessarily popular, have gotten him re-elected. I hope that he can change how the city government functions, and even more so I hope that he can change the culture of Detroit into one of solid, consistent achievement- this is the largest task ever!!

Since I last wrote, we have entered the global recession and the rest of the USA has now caught Michigan's cold- extended recession. Michigan has been in a downward economic trend for the past decade and it is only now that the rest of the country is feeling the same illness- epic foreclosures, failing businesses, brain drain, large levels of unemployment (10%- largest percentage since 1983- don't remember much of that one- I was 8!), decreases in funding for public education, etc.. Michigan politicians can't seem to decide whether or not education is really important to them or worth fighting for. They all want Michigan to be successful but can't seem to muster the political willpower to put their priorities on the line, bite the bullet, and tax people for loose tabacco, flavoured cigars, and late-night bar hours. They are taking about removing $300 per child out of the budgets of each of the schools this year!! In a state where children in Detroit Public Schools have one hour of science a week (in this technological world?), no toilet paper and have to hand in their pencils at the end of the class, this is ENORMOUS! (this is no urban myth- I've seen it for myself). It saddens my heart terribly to see these children suffering needlessly and continuing the cycle of poverty.

On that note, I'm going to bed in my cosy suburban house...

The Big Apple

Last week we went to NYC. Don't let people tell you otherwise, New Yorkers are a friendly bunch, especially if you have cute kids. Everywhere we went, especially the subway, people were friendly and more than willing to answer the toddler's question of "what's your name?". So, if you are looking to go to NYC and are a little scared that the big apple is intimidating, bring along a cute smiling baby and a curious three year old and you'll be fine.

The opinion that U of Michigan Wolverines is the best team ever is MANDATORY!!!

Apparently, it is a requirement that if you live in Michigan you MUST be a fan of the University of Michigan Wolverines. Now I'm just not a fan of football to begin with but Michigan's obsession with football is all pervasive. Twice this past week I've been to functions where the talk turned to football. One of those functions was 15 women and one man, and it still turned to football. Craziness!!

Nelly Furtado is following me...

In my car, every grocery store, Jo-Ann's, Ikea. (see first post)
Funnily enough, she doesn't follow me at Lai Thai or Bombay Grocers.