Friday, December 27, 2019

Quick Lane Bowl: Eastern Michigan Loses To Pitt With Ugly Display of Misconduct In Final Moments By EMU Quarterback.



Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

Eastern Michigan was defeated in the Quick Lane Bowl 34-30 in front of 34,000 fans by the University of Pittsburgh in what can only be described as an ugly and inexcusable display of unsportsmanlike like conduct by EMU senior quarterback Mike Glass in the final moments of a close game. For a team that played as well and as hard as EMU did in Thursday's bowl game at Ford Field in Detroit, the behavior of Glass only made the loss that much more painful for EMU students, fans and alumni. With moments left in the game and EMU with the ball trailing by four points Eastern quarterback Mike Glass was sacked for a short loss. But instead of popping up and and returning to the huddle, Glass jumped to his feet and threw punches at  two Pitt players, yes, two. Glass was immediately ejected from the game. This was a game that Eastern still had a chance to win. What a shame to end in such a ugly display of out misconduct.

6-7 EMU entered the game as 13 point underdogs, but played a stellar game on both sides of the ball. EMU senior quarterback Mike Glass completed 28 of 50 passes for 311 yards and two touchdown passes. EMU led Pitt until there was only 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It was midway through  the 4th that Panther quarterback Picket began dissecting the Eagle secondary with precision pass completions that led to a game tying touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Picket finished the game throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns paving the way for a Pitt victory. Pittsburgh's Maurice Ffrench snagged 12 passes for 165 yards.

EMU receiver Hassan Beydoun had a break out game catching nine passes for 113 yard. Beydoun received a full athletic scholarship on Christmas. Eastern's Shaq Vann dashed for 48 yards on 13 carries.

Thursday's game was Eastern's third bowl game appearance in four years and is proof of how EMU coach Chris Creighton has turned around the once ailing EMU football program. But to close the final minute of a tight game with the ejection of EMU quarterback Mike Glass has left fans with a sour taste and that's a shame.

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Sunday, December 22, 2019

Multiple Reports Of Strange Lights In The Sky over Mid Michigan Sunday Night.


Lights similar to these seen over Ontario earlier in year are being seen Sunday night Dec 22 over Mid Michigan.


Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

As of 9:00 PM Sunday night, December 22, there have been multiple reports of strange lights in the sky over Mid Michigan. Folks are describing seeing at least six bright shining, perfectly aligned lights in the sky. An individual in Clarkston stated that the strangely aligned bright lights are situated due west of the Clarkston, Michigan area.

Stay tuned for updates.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Eastern Michigan Men's Basketball To Take On Michigan State Saturday.



Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

The Eastern Michigan Men's basketball team will take on no.15 Michigan State on Saturday, December 21, in East Lansing at the Breslin Center at 7 PM. On December 17 EMU defeated a strong Northeastern Huskies team 60-55 at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti in front of a raucous and enthusiastic home crowd. Eastern Michigan fans have every reason to be joyously enthusiastic as the EMU Eagles are off to a scorching 9-1 start having not lost a game at home this season. EMU has held opponents 57.1 points per game which ranks 10th in the nation.

Watch Eastern Michigan take on Michigan State on the Big Ten Network Saturday, December 21 at 7 PM.. You can also listen to the game on WEMU 89.1 on your dial.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Ypsilanti Planning Commission To Hold Public Hearing Regarding Zoning Regulations For Recreational Marijuana Facilities.


Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019, 7:00 pm
Council Chambers, City Hall
1 S Huron St, Ypsilanti, MI 
According to a press release from the City of Ypsilanti, a public hearing will be held by the Ypsilanti Planning Commission at their regular meeting to consider the following:

The following is a statement from the City of Ypsilanti.

Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment:

Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act Zoning Update


The Planning Commission will hear a presentation, hold a public hearing, and make a recommendation to City Council regarding a proposed amendment to the text of the zoning ordinance (Ypsilanti City Code Chapter 122). The proposed amendment will outline the zoning regulations for recreational marihuana facilities, including but not limited to: marihuana retailers, marihuana growing and/or processing centers, marihuana secure transporters, marihuana safety compliance facilities, marihuana microbusinesses, excess marihuana growers, and designated consumption establishments.
Planning Commission agendas and packets are available at cityofypsilanti.com/PlanningCommission. For further information, please call 734-483-9646 or email Andy Aamodt, City Planner, at aaamodt@cityofypsilanti.com. For a full calendar of City events, please go to our website at cityofypsilanti.com/calendar.aspx.
The City invites all interested persons to attend this meeting or to send written comments to the City of Ypsilanti, Community & Economic Development Department, One South Huron Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197.  The City of Ypsilanti will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired, Limited English Proficiency (LEP) services, and audios of printed materials being considered at the meeting.  Individuals requiring auxiliary aids or services should provide two (2) days’ notice to the City, and contact the City by writing the City Clerk's Office, One South Huron Street, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197; or by calling the Clerk’s Office at (734) 483-1100.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Purple Walrus Press Writer's Alley: A Single Shining Star By Kathleen Deview.



                                                               
A single star shining in the blackest night,
Twinkling to the sky’s delight.
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the dream I wish tonight.
I wish for no more hate and despair,
For awareness to those that don’t seem to care,
For love of all humans, regardless of status or race,
To take care of each other
We can all love this place.
This place, our Earth, with beauty so divine,
For acceptance of varied religions and beliefs of all kind.
For through acceptance of others we can live in peace,
Sharing the stars together.
I have no fear as the shining star guides me through the night,
It reminds me of my status in time,
How much of our lives that truly shine.
Yes, I have no fear during my darkest night,
As I receive comfort from the stars delight.
I am calm and content as the shining star continues to stare,
I feel it beckons me as it radiates the sky at night,
My deepest thoughts and fears no longer in sight.




Saturday, December 14, 2019

On Trump Impeachment And Needed Social And Political Change: Contributed to Purple Walrus Press By Jessica Prozinski




Trump is going to be impeached next week. That’s super important (obviously?) Imagine the alternative…Trump gets through 4 years untouched by ANY consequences whatsoever of his criminal behavior.
Unfortunately, the Democrats’ plan to impeach Trump for his LEAST serious crimes is a continuation of their disastrous policy of fighting Trumpism with caution and half-stepping.
In case anyone was thinking we can all sit back and relax, remember that without our constant pressure on our reps over the past three years, we wouldn't have gotten to this point.
We're probably looking at acquittal, or dismissal of the charges, in the Senate. Which says absolutely nothing about Trump’s crimes or the impeachment process, and everything about what the Republican Party has become. We have to raise holy hell and demand that the Senate stand for some goddam thing except their corporate masters. Until recently, impeachment in the House seemed close to impossible. We couldn’t have predicted the weird Ukrainian phone call, and we don’t know what is around the next corner.
The next year is going to be a wild ride. Those of us who don’t hold political office are far from impotent. Mass action is the most powerful expression of democracy. It’s how the U.S. was born, how slavery was ended, and how the Civil Rights Movement won its victories. If you think I’m unrealistic for believing that mass political action can happen in the U.S. again, I think it’s unrealistic to believe that the laws of history and social change don’t apply to us.
It’s very important that we have a big turnout at the impeachment rallies next week. If you don’t know where your local one is, they’re listed on the MoveOn website. We need to give the biggest push possible to the impeachment and removal effort and send a message to Trump’s enablers that there will be a heavy price to pay for being so servile to this would-be dictator.
The past three years have changed our country and all of us permanently. We might only be the in the middle, or even at the beginning, of this upheaval. We’re facing terrible risks. But there’s also the chance that this could be the impetus for desperately needed social and political change. I have hope.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Michigan Attorney General Nessel Urges FTC to Strengthen Online Protections for Children




Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

According to a December 9 press release from the Attorney General's office, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and a bipartisan group of 24 other Attorneys General urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to strengthen its rules prohibiting websites, mobile applications, and other digital marketing companies from collecting and using the personal information of children under the age of 13.  

“My colleagues and I have come together to provide meaningful suggestions to strengthen the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act rule which would benefit Michigan’s children through enhanced privacy measures,” said Nessel. “To ensure that we’re keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of technology, fortifying the walls between young children and those looking to prey on them is crucial.”

While numerous websites and mobile applications collect personal information from users – including geolocation information, browser histories, search histories, and voice recordings – since 1996, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) has prohibited collecting this data from children under 13. This according to the press release.

In their letter, the Attorneys General ask the FTC to expand its definition of personal information to include items such as faceprints used to unlock cellphones, health data from internet-connected smart watches, and kids’ genetic information.
The Attorneys General also recommend that the FTC crack down on companies who embed code in children’s mobile applications and collect data to target children with behavioral advertising; and to examine how the rules apply to school-issued laptops that are “free” so long as companies get to collect information from the students using them.
Furthermore, the Attorneys General assert that the FTC should not create exceptions to the rule such as allowing platforms that host both child-directed and general audience content to work around COPPA’s requirements. As stated in the press release.

Per the press release, Nessel joins the Attorneys General of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New MexicoNew York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington in submitting this letter.

Dear Acting Secretary Tabor, On behalf of the Attorneys General of New Mexico, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington (“the States”), we submit the following comments as requested by the Federal Trade Commission (“the Commission”)1 on its implementation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. § 6501 et seq. (“COPPA”), through regulations codified at 16 CFR part 312 (“the COPPA Rule”). Under 15 U.S.C. § 6504, State Attorneys General are authorized to bring actions under COPPA as parens patriae in order to protect their citizens from harm. As partners with the FTC in ensuring COPPA is enforced and children are protected, the States possess a unique and important perspective on how effective the COPPA Rule has been, the fundamental values and protections it upholds, and what improvements should be made. A. General Questions for Comment 1. Is there a continuing need for the Rule as currently promulgated? Why or why not? Yes, though the Rule should be strengthened significantly as recommended herein. Technology by its nature evolves quickly, and any statutory scheme designed to regulate 1 See 84 FR 35842 (July 25, 2019). 2 technology must necessarily be flexible enough to adapt to the market while maintaining enough regulatory strength to accomplish its purpose. In the COPPA context, this flexibility is achieved through the use of regulations like the COPPA Rule. If COPPA is to continue to accomplish its purpose, the COPPA Rule must both continue to exist and continue to evolve to meet the needs of a rapidly-changing data landscape. More fundamentally, COPPA (and thereby the COPPA Rule) exists to protect children. Parental consent requirements like those found in COPPA are a reflection of society’s collective belief that because children are more susceptible to deception and exploitation than adults, children are deserving of added legal protections. In the online context, that means no one should be allowed to extract information from a child and use that information to profile and track that child without the express informed consent of that child’s parent or legal guardian, regardless of the market value of doing so. Senator Richard Bryan, the primary author of COPPA, stated it this way: Parents do not always have the knowledge, the ability, or the opportunity to monitor their children's online activities, and that is why Web site operators should get parental consent prior to soliciting personal information. The legislation that Senator McCain and I have introduced will give parents the reassurance that when our children are on the Internet they will not be asked to give out personal information to commercial Web site operators without parental consent.2 The internet has only grown more embedded, and more inextricably intertwined in citizens’ lives over the last twenty years, not less. As more and more of our lives are lived online, and as digital tools make their way into our schools and into our lives at ever-earlier ages, rules like the COPPA Rule must continue not only to exist, but grow and adapt to ever-changing regulatory landscapes. 4. How many small businesses are subject to the Rule? On the digital platform side, almost none. The five largest digital platforms (Google/Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft) are among the largest and most valuable companies on Earth. These five companies alone exceed more than $4 trillion in market capitalization, 3 pull in $100 billion in profit annually,4 and are under increasing scrutiny for engaging in anticompetitive behavior.5 These large digital platforms are under scrutiny in part 2 S. 2326: Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, Hearing before Senate Subcommittee on Communications, S. Hrg. 105-1069, at 4 (Sept. 23, 1998). 3 Zingales, et al., Stigler Committee on Digital Platforms: Policy Brief, Chicago Booth Stigler Center for the Study 

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

In Ypsilanti Moms Demand Action Will Hold Vigil For Victims of Gun Violence


Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

Members of the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America will be gathering and holding a vigil Thursday, December 12 with members of the community for an event that will honor the seven year mark of the Sandy Hook School shooting. The shooting took the lives of 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown Connecticut. Events will be held across the country to honor all of those affected by gun violence and ask lawmakers to act now to end this crisis.

The event seeks to find hope and determination in order to enact change in local communities. Guest speakers include Brenda Moss, a VA mom whose son was killed by gun violence and who speaks on how to continue going in the face of trauma. Also speaking will be Jackie Johnson, an Ohio minister who works with survivors at the scene of shootings. Local community leaders and legislators will also be speaking at the event.

The vigil will take place from 7-8:30 pm at the Parkridge Community Center located at 591 Armstrong Drive in Ypsilanti.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Eastern Michigan Will Take On The University of Pittsburgh In The Quick Lane Bowl

Photo Jeff Brown Purple Walrus Press.


Editor & Publisher Jeff Brown.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles have been selected to play in the Quick Lane Bowl marking their third bowl appearance in four years. On Thursday,  December 26, EMU will take on the University of  Pittsburgh in the 6th annual Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field. EMU and the Mid American Conference made the announcement on Sunday, December 8. Ypsilanti, and the EMU community couldn't be happier.

The Pitt Panthers play in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) and finished the season at 7-5. Eastern Michigan, out of the Mid American Conference, finished 6-6 after knocking off Illinois from the Big Ten in the second game of the season.

In 2016 EMU played in the Bahamas Bowl losing to Old Dominion. Last year EMU took on Georgia Southern in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, losing a close one by the score of 23-21.

Eastern Michigan Senior Quarterback Mike Glass has had a stellar season this year for the Eagles racking up 3,203 yards of total offense ranking 17th nationally with an average of 291 per game.

Watch the Quick Lane Bowl December 26 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Parola Perspective In Brief: Vietnam, Watergate and Trump Impeachment: By Purple Walrus Press Contributor Brooks Parola Formerly of Flint Town.



People point to Vietnam and Watergate as two big reasons Americans became cynical about the truthfulness of their government. Analysts often found that curious because if anything the way Watergate played out, proved that the system worked.
In the future, analysts and historians will look back at this impeachment, and note how with the incredible corruption of Trump, supported by an equally corrupt GOP made it inevitable that the system would fail.