Anatomy of a Murder turns 50

The bestselling novel, Anatomy of a Murder, written by John D. Voelker (under the pen name Robert Traver) and published in 1958 is celebrating 50 years of being in print. Events will take place in Ishpeming, Marquette, and Lansing to mark this historic novel's 50th Anniversary. About a year ago I built a page about the actual murder the book and movie are based on that includes movie clips and other trivia bits about Anatomy of a Murder.

Upcoming Events Include -

Things kickoff September 18 at 7pm in the Carnegie Public Library, Ishpeming, Michigan.

Kick-off event will include the unveiling of the Voelker Collection web exhibit by the Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives about the writing of Anatomy of a Murder. Activities will also include refreshments at the library and a self-guided walking tour of Voelker sites in Ishpeming.

The film "Anatomy of a Murder" will be shown September 19 at 7pm at the Marquette County Courthouse where the courtroom scenes were shot.

For a full list of events visit the 50th Anniversary page.

Bonus! Watch a courtroom scene from the movie. One of (if not THE) best court dramas ever filmed.

Turnaround Tuesday

While finishing up the rescue of my old computer last night (long story - just be careful when upgrading an old machine to Windows XP Service Pack 3) the "fresh start" I was getting with my computer made me think about change. You hear a lot about change these days, usually from Presidential candidates or anyone seeking office for that matter. We hear a lot about change here in Michigan in regards to our economy and how we need to change from a workforce that is dependent on the auto industry. But the thing about change is that you can't just talk about change - you have to get out and do it. Change doesn't have to be big to be meaningful. The trick is not to change something just for the sake of change.

My goal is to make Tuesday - Turnaround Tuesday. I'm going to change how I do one thing each Tuesday. It could be that I change how I start my day or something bigger such as how I process gift basket orders. We've been running Gift Baskets From Michigan LLC for six years now and I'm tired of feeling stuck in a rut. I personally don't like the excuse people use for not changing, "but that's how we have always done it." If how you're doing something isn't working, stop it and find a way to do it better.

My change for today is to look over our gift baskets and the products we put in each basket and think of ways to change at least one of the gift baskets. I already have an idea for one of the baskets from a friend on Twitter.

Stop in at the Bronson Farm Market

We were traveling through Bronson last Saturday and couldn't pass up the farmer's market that was near downtown. There was a flea market, but my stomach was more inclined to peruse the Amish baked goods. I was rewarded quite nicely for stopping by finding a dozen delicious maple frosted sugar cookies (oh man, they were good!), tomatoes 10 for $1, and out of this world giant cinnamon rolls with gobs of rich frosting. My son picked up a small pumpkin for carving which got a big laugh out of the Amish couple running that particular booth. They (and his mother and I) tried to explain to him that we could make a yummy pie out of it, but it was entirely too tiny for carving. Besides, we have another road trip planned for our jack-o-lanterns.

Great prices and great food - it was a lot of fun. If you're passing through Bronson on a Saturday morning (8am to 12pm) from May through October, do yourself a favor and stop. You won't regret it ;).

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Watch Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's ouster hearing live

I pulled up the Free Press website just as Gov. Granholm was beginning the hearing for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick live via streaming video on the main page at the Freep. Whatever the outcome of this historic hearing I have to give a 'thumbs up' to the Free Press for effective use of their website. It's a good step for a newspaper website to embrace other media forms.

Watch the video live