29 september 2006
EMU Echo Staff Have Reservations about City's Proposed College Place Park Plan
The Echo staff expresses reservations about the city's proposed $1,000,000 plan to create a pedestrian mall in front of Pease Auditorium. "We worry, frankly, that it is the proverbial lipstick on the pig."
Y. also questions this project. EMU and the city will team up to wring money from an empty-pocketed state. There is no demonstrable need that I can see for a pedestrian mall. Yes, Cross Street at College Place is not the Ginza, but gentrification along the street will likely raise rents, potentially driving out long-time local businesses, like the Cross Street Book Shop. In exchange for what? A cappuchino shop? No thanks.
Posted by ypsidixit at 29 september 2006 08:07
Comments
(whispers) not to be obnoxious and make a big deal out of it, but there are 2 spelling errors in the editorial...see if you can spot 'em.
Posted by: Laura at 29 september 2006 09:26
I think there are at least 3. And I have a hard time imagining any college student (or modern-day American, for that matter) using the word "fripperies."
Posted by: doyleparty at 29 september 2006 14:35
Doyleparty: Heh. Did you think the third one was "naivety"? 'Cause I did, till I checked it in my dictionary--sure enough, it's an accepted alternate spelling. One which I will never use; I think it looks odd.
Posted by: Laura at 29 september 2006 14:39
True, I did count "naivety." My dictionary says that is a British spelling, now that I check. And no, I wouldn't use it, either.
Posted by: doyleparty at 29 september 2006 15:02
Yep, 'naivety' threw me for a loop. Might be the first time I've seen that spelling.
Posted by: Laura at 29 september 2006 15:07
Wait a minute! A 120-foot tall bell tower/carillon, employing that slumped-over guy that hangs out at the downtown bus depot ... a giant (6 yards by 10 yards) Leda & The Swan fountain that sprays Coke Zero into colored lights 24/7 ... plus a covered pavillion that dispenses "organic" fruit juices from WalMart and whole grain bars (wholesaled by the BP Station on Washtenaw) ... what a great focal point for the campus. Or ... perhaps they fully intend to maul pedestrians? In which case, walking around campus at night won't be any different.
Posted by: E. G. Penet at 29 september 2006 18:52
Mr. P.: Mighty ironic that the minute the adult bookstore closes, the city, while breathing a sigh of relief, decided to install a huge, explicit statue celebrating...unnatural unions.
Anyone else find that...at best, inconsistent?
What will the Cool Cities people think?!
I didn't know Slumped-Over Guy was a carillonneur. Live and learn. I look forward to hearing his repertoire. If he isn't too distracted by the commemorative statue.
Posted by: Laura at 29 september 2006 19:03
I'm looking at "born on the backs of students" and "fruitful capitol expenditure". I don't know if I'd call them spelling errors so much as a need to buy one's copy editor a dictionary of homophones.
Otherwise, I'm impressed by the amount of mouth-foaming involved in the editorial. I suspect I know who wrote it, just from the extremely wordy and very caustic style...
Posted by: Murph at 30 september 2006 09:16
PING! That's me ringing the Bell of Orthographical Acuity for Murph. Yep. Those are the ones I saw.
And yes, it did smell a bit of the thesaurus, no? Plain, simple English is the way I prefer to go. Yessir.
Posted by: Laura at 30 september 2006 10:09