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Health Yourself

Do You Snore? Have Trouble Staying Awake?

Guess what? You may have a sleep disorder. Victor Katch describes the symptoms and health impacts of sleep disorders and describes two simple tests to see if you are at risk.

Talking About Words

Who Knows?

Video: Anne Curzan tackles the subject (or is it the object?) of "who" vs. "whom."

Most emailed stories
Talking About Movies

The House of Redgrave

Frank Beaver explores the Redgrave dynasty's far-reaching impact on film and theater history.

Research News

Brain Scans Reveal First Objective Measure of Pain

Scientists have identified how much pain people feel by looking at images of their brains. The research may set the stage to objectively measure anxiety, depression, anger, and more.

Research News

Cyber Attacks: A Clear and Present Danger?

Video: The U.S. Dept. of Defense recently blamed China's military for cyber attacks on American systems. Just how do these attacks occur, what kind of damage can they create, and how can we combat them?

INNOVATION

Statewide Startup Program Launches

Innovators are exploring business opportunities around their technologies via Michigan I-Corps, a seven-week entrepreneurial training workshop funded by the National Science Foundation.

Letters to the editor

Want to respond to something you read in Michigan Today or about U-M? Submit letter here.

To share your personal news and read about other alums, go to alumni notes.

To read about U-M history and contribute your own stories about what U-M was like when you were here, go to Your U-M History.

(May 28th, 2013)

Thank you for James Tobin's article on the composition of The Yellow and Blue. During my time at U-M in the early 1970s, it wasn't fashionable to be sentimental, and in that respect I was a fashionable guy. But I'd listen to WUOM late at night and when it signed off at midnight, it would play The Yellow and Blue. In that way the song insinuated its way into my memory. Now I cannot hear it without getting moist eyes because it puts me in mind of that astonishing institution in Ann Arbor that is our state's finest gift to the world. By the way, Mr. Tobin could probably write an article about the Burger King menu and make it interesting. He's a prize. I look forward to his Roosevelt book. Chris Campbell Traverse City

Chris Campbell
MA, JD
1972
Rackham, Law
Traverse City, Michigan

(April 17th, 2013)

I'm delighted to know Branch Rickey was a Michigan grad (Partners in Courage, April 2013). And of course, it's always good to know the Burns brothers were from Ann Arbor. (Ken Burns Returns, April 2013). While working overseas for decades, I voted absentee from Ann Arbor, where my parents settled after my dad retired from the US Army in 1966. He worked at Ann Arbor Bank for years. Whenever I returned home summers, we would go to Tiger Stadium to catch games, since we were long-time Tigers fans. My brother attended the same high school as the Burns brothers. He and I both attended U of M. Thanks again. Sincerely,

Vic Mason



Mamaroneck, New York

(April 16th, 2013)

Thanks for James Tobin's revealing piece on Burton Tower. I thought to take the stairs to the top as a graduate student, but soon decided to put it off until I passed my Oral Examination for my PhD. The photograph looking down the stairwell gives a idea of the climb. Taking the many steps up and down in 1980 was worth the wait and a fitting conclusion to my education at the University of Michigan. A wonderful building in all ways.

Norman B Wilson
MA, English; PhD, Comparative Literature
1968
Rackham--Lit School
Denver, Colorado

(March 24th, 2013)

Want to make you aware of an article I wrote about the realignment of the midwestern NCAA Hockey teams as a result of the Big Ten pulling all its hockey teams in to play as a conference. It talks about the possible strengths of the new alignments. You can find it at http://sportales.com/hockey/ncaa-hockey-realigns-many-of-its-conferences-for-the-2013-2014-season/ Thanks Floris Wood, AKA AmosTheCat

Floris Wood
BA Psychology
1970
U-M
Toledo, United States

(March 19th, 2013)

I always enjoy reading Michigan Today. However, it seemed to me inappropriate and slightly bizarre to include Victor Katch's jeremiad against genetically modified food in the last issue. His unsubstantiated arguments added nothing to the debate, especially since he has no professional qualifications in the area. Otherwise, keep up the good work.

Larkin Breed
A.B., M.D.
1963
LSA,Medicine
PLEASANT HILL, California

(March 1st, 2013)

Sheryl James's article on the film "Love and Honor" includes this: "It is July, 1969. The Vietnam War is at its height, and so is the anti-war hysteria..." Hysteria? Excuse me? Those of us around then protesting America's misguided war were hardly hysterical. I have no idea how old Sheryl James is and whether she actually knew any of the people participating in the war protests, but this particular choice of phrase is offensive to the millions of people, and particularly thousands and thousands of noble and principled college students, who protested the Vietnam war on solid moral grounds, not visceral "hysteria."

John O. Biderman
MA Journalism
1981
Rackham
Peabody,

(March 1st, 2013)

The intellectual content of the February 2013 "Michigan Today" online issue is pretty thin: the University's past, a 1924 athlete, winter scenes, a bit of health news. Let's dig a bit deeper, please, into some of the writing and research that University professors are producing. Take a look at Johns Hopkins Magazine and Harvard Magazine. We are not all Philistines!

Thomas Bleha

1956
LSA
,

(February 26th, 2013)

As news director of WCBN during its Golden Age, 1965-67, I'm here to tell you that your reporter would have been fired for filing the January 2013 piece "Left of the Dial." He missed the story entirely. During that period, WCBN's news department made national headlines with its reporting on the Vietnam war, from coverage of the first teach-in to exclusive reportage on the military draft. Our radio documentaries on these topics were picked up and rebroadcast worldwide by the CBC. The programming department set the standards for what became "underground radio," so important in the cultural history of the '60s and early '70s. Most importantly, WCBN was the training ground for a whole generation of media stars and standouts: Gilda Radner, original cast member of Saturday Night Live, began her career as "the weather girl" on our breakout morning program "The Saltman-Segal Psychedelicatessen." Steve Segal, my co-host on that show, became a famous DJ on the top stations in Los Angeles and Boston. Joe Quasarano, DJ and program director, became a top media executive in LA. Justin Friedland, DJ, became Paris bureau chief for ABC News. Bill Kirchen, a regular guest on our show, became a world-famous musician, after a long stint with our pals and frequent on-air guests, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen. Jim Mack, Vince Capizzo, Rob Marks, and other technical wizards became big behind-the-scenes stars in the media. I became a producer on CBS News Sunday Morning, then executive producer of documentaries at CNN in New York. There is much more to this story. In fact the writer's characterization of WCBN in the '60s as placid, compliant, and amateurish could not be further from the truth.

David Saltman
AB
1967
LS&A
Riverdale,

(February 19th, 2013)

My new novel, "Held Hostage," was recently released and is available on amazon.com in print-on-demand paperback and on Kindle. It is the sequel to "The Campaign of Fear" released in 2010. Terrorists take over Iran and the Middle East, cut off OPEC oil to the US and demand nuclear weapon technology to turn it back on again. Our elite team is called into action again to help free us from OPEC oil and get the terrorists at the same time. There are new technology developments to help us become OPEC oil independent and an international battle of wits to defeat the terrorists .... constant action with near heart-stopping, white-knuckle scenes ... and a dangerous fictional scenario that could be our reality. My first novel, "The Campaign of Fear," was mentioned in Michigan Today in 2010. A former 3M Executive and CEO of Minnesota Technology, Inc., I currently help run Pletcher, Inc., a business 'growth by innovation' consulting company. I also teach, as adjunct professor, at the University of Minnesota and of course, write fiction. Thanks. Wayne

Wayne A. Pletcher
MS, PhD

LS&A
Roseville, Michigan

(January 22nd, 2013)

The WCBN article (January 2013) brought back many good memories. I was the WCBN general manager during the 1961 and 1962 school years. I recall that we had administrative space in the new SAB but not studios there at that time. Our engineering staff began to put together the information for moving to over-the-air transmission during that period. Interesting sidelight: We received a letter from a federal government agency asking that we relinquish the call letters so they could be used by that agency. The call letters WCBN (Campus Broadcasting Network) evidently also would fit the initials for the agency. We said no.

It was also during that period that we extended our listening reach by wire to attempt to include all of the dorms and beyond. The extension project was called ACRES, for All Campus Radio Emission System. I pitched the extension to the Intra-Fraternity Council (IFC). Don't recall how many takers we had. Our student engineers were skilled in running the steam tunnels with wire.

We earned enough money from ad sales, as I recall, to fund equipment upkeep and upgrades. The hottest show was an afternoon rock and roll program hosted by Tim Belion (sp?). Many of our original programs were imitative of Detroit radio station personalities. I was taking courses in radio-TV production although my academic program was pre-law. Oddly, although I was not one of his broadcasting majors, my professor took the liberty of putting me forward (without my knowledge) for a year's scholarship ($2000) given, one to the U of M and one to MSU, on the occasion of WWJ's 50th anniversary. I won it. A couple of years later when I was working on the air commercially in Grand Rapids radio, by happenstance I ran into another broadcaster who was the MSU winner. We were both on our way to Detroit for our selective service physicals prior to induction into the armed services. I'm not sure where his path led, but mine was the US Navy where I proudly served for 31 years as a Naval aviator.

I returned to academia 20 years ago as an adjunct professor of management and leadership in Prince George's Community College, Maryland. That fits well with my full-time management and leadership training and consulting business in the Washington, DC area. And, having begun my college career at Grand Rapids Junior College, perhaps very appropriate.

Thanks for the reminder.

Carl Richard "Rik" Karlsson

1962
LSA
Washington, D.C.

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