Maybe I am too critical of Detroit. My parents were just in town from Kalamazoo MI (yes, there really is a Kalamazoo) for the International Auto Show. This was their first trip back to the D since the Woodward Dream Cruise. The first thing that my parents said after returning home from the show was how much cleaner Detroit looked. I have been very critical of the cleanup progress, and have even gone as far to say that Detroit might blow this opportunity. Based on my parents positive critic of the Super Bowl preparations I guess I have to take back my earlier post “Big Year for a Big Town”. My parents even noticed the freshly painted people muggers, I mean movers. So from my parents, keep up the good work Detroit!

The Heidelberg Project may be able to use the unfortunate victims of your spring cleaning.

The Heidelberg Project is in need of supplies for neighborhood beautification projects, educational programs for children and community renewal. (Contributions are tax deductible)

The following items will help us continue our work:

A New Laptop computer for office use
A new or used (but in good condition) copy machine
Lots of Paint (bright colored latex only)
Shovels and Rakes
Wheelbarrow
Weed Whacker
Electric Hedge Trimmer
Gas powered Leaf Blower
Lawn Tractor (42″)
24 foot extension ladder

If you’d like to help us build and grow contact Jenenne Whitfield at (313) 267-1622 or send e-mail to jwhitfield@heidelberg.org

“Detroit’s Supercenter for the Super Game” is the slogan that adorns metro area Meijers stores; however, there is not one Meijers in Detroit proper. I think it would be a great to have the Michigan success story open a relatively small location in the city and earn the right to use the slogan. It would be a perfect fit, as it is a full service store providing anything one could desire for their home in the city.

Bookies is hosting the Shady Records Kick-Off Bash on Tuesday, January 31.

Special guests include Eminem, D12, Obie Trice, Trick Trick, Slum Village and Kid Rock. Members of the Pistons and Lions will also be at the shindig, which is a celebratory party to start off Super Bowl-related events in Detroit next week.

Tickets to this exclusive event are still available and can be purchased by calling Bookies at 313.963.2589. Visit Bookies’ website for more information.

The Pistons have matched the start of the 1984 Detroit Tigers at 35-5! As we all know, the Tigers went on to win the World Series over the San Diego Padres that year. The only question that remains is will the Pistons finish their season as successfully as the Tigers? Does anybody want to go out on a limb and predict 70 wins for the Pistons this year?

The 2006 Bloggies have been announced. Metblog Detroit fave, The Snowsuit Effort, is a finalist in Best Photography of a Weblog.

Go vote! Ryan deserves all the kudos he gets. His site is hands-down one of the three best blogs in Metro Detroit with Suburban Bliss and Detroitblog).

There are all kinds of contest to win Super Bowl Tickets going on. This one is for Detroit residents only.

Go here.

if you head over to msn.com, one of their main features this morning is titled “In Defense of Detroit” written by the Free Press’ Michael Rosenberg… it’s a pretty decent piece… i think the best thing about it is that it’s honest and real… he wasn’t trying to sell something that wasn’t there… i’m just glad to see a fair perspective of our city go out nationally…

here’s the article, which is actually on FOXSports.com

The Detroit City Council is currently reviewing a proposal that would require mandatory sterilization for all pit bulls in Detroit, as well as the immediate removal of pit bulls over 8 weeks old. The proposition also calls for a ban on moving any new pit bulls into the city; visitors with pit bulls would be required to have a license for the dog and $100,000 of liability insurance.

According to this article on eMedicine, 50% of dog-bite deaths in the U.S. are from pit bull-type dogs or Rottweilers, and dog injuries cost insurance companies billions of dollars.

The American Humane Society says that every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. seeks help for a dog-bite related injury, yet it and the CDC both say that prohibiting certain breeds may cause more problems than they solve — namely black market sales and problems enforcing the laws. (Especially since there is quite a debate when it comes to defining a pit bull).

What are your thoughts? Should the council prohibit “pit bulls” in Detroit?

I love when the Blue Cross Blue Shield building downtown has lights up for a special occasion.

Especially when it’s for Super Bowl!