Few will argue that New York City is driving out artists and creative types with higher costs and exponential population growth. People who wish to spend more time creating and less time worrying about the rent are looking for better opportunities for living - with lower rents, cheaper eats, and more space.

Susan Saulny’s NY Time’s article, “With Detroit in Downturn, Entrepreneurs Look Up” highlights some pretty great small businesses that are picking up in the Detroit Area. Perhaps Detroiters are tired of being viewed as simply the worst-hit city in America. They are instead turning low rents into opportunity. Find creperies, low-cost cinemas and stylist shops with attitude. Torya Blanchard pays a mere $1,600 a month to rent space for her creperie, which, positioned closely to Detroit Institute of the Arts, should eventually gain flipping success.

See kids, the recession can’t be all bad. When everything you’re accustomed to diminishes, there grows  plenty of opportunites for some bright imagination.

For great photos and the article that goes with it - head to the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/us/10startup.html?hp

Goldman Sachs - which owns Burger King - used part of their bailot money to pay their employees some of the highest bonuses in the industry. If they’d shared their bailot money with their Burger King workers they could have given every employee in America an extra $18,000.

This is kind of old news by now. But Goldman Sachs has actually screwed over many, many people in all sorts of companies and Brave New Films wanted people to have their say. They had a video competition asking people how they would SACK it to the people at Goldman Sachs (ehh..heehhh…).

Carolyn Bear’s husband was one of the people screwed over by Henry Kravis at Goldman. After working for 30 years, he lost his pension and all. Carolyn had a great idea for how to get a little of her pride back - rather creative, too:

Brave New Films, which made this documentary, sits at www.warongreed.org - a truly awesome website sent to me by my very aware friend, Jessica.

So those of you who know me may know I have a bit of a sweet tooth on occasion.
Not just that but in my workplace I’m a successful candy dispenser with the aid of my trusty Batman-head Halloween bucket.So because of this I get to see a lot of different candy out there.

I am always in the candy isle looking for deals and seeing what’s new. There have been some good new products out there but rarely am I actually excited about one when I see or hear about it. Yesterday I picked up a Thingamajig, which is the peanut butter sister to the Whatchamicallit.

(Thank You Casey for the use of the Camera)
[Read more →]

Next time you go to squish that spider in your room, remember this - that spider may have super powers.

20 years ago David Manteca was in a motorcycle accident which took the use of both legs away from him. Confined to a wheelchair since then, 8 months ago a Brown Recluse Spider bit him and sent him to the hospital. While there a nurse noticed his leg spasms and now BAM he can walk. Crazy right?

I’ve done some investigating of my own and Manteca doesn’t appear to live near any biological research labs, waste dumps, or in a nuclear power plants. So what could possibly account for his sudden recovery? Well unless he’s been faking it for the last 20 years, just to prevent his wife from asking him to take out the trash (which is a possibility, us guys HATE that) I think it is obviously the Spider-god “Anansi” DUHH.

Manteca says that he “can’t wait to walk his daughters down the isle” That’s sooo selfish. When a spider gives you abilities be they super or not you have to use them to fight crime or your Uncle Ben will get shot. Its the Rules!  I’m sure once that happens he will be swinging from roof tops in pajamas and fighting crime. Until then I guess that mechanical 6 armed man running amuck downtown will just be the polices’ problem.