“Thank you all,” Romney said, “To the people of Florida tonight, thank you for this great victory.”

In his victory speech Romney choose not to go after his other Republican appoints, but choose instead to focus his attacks on the white house and President Barack Obama.

Romney said: “Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses. In another era of American crisis, Thomas Paine is reported to have said, ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way.’ Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it’s time for you to get out of the way.”

Romney took home 46 percent of the vote in Florida as compared to second place finisher Newt Gingrich at 32 percent.

In response to members of the media speculating that he may drop out of the race, Gingrich said: “So, I just want to reassure them tonight, we are going to contest every place, and we are going to win.”

Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, finished third and fourth respectively.

Gingrich did however, get more support than Romney did from people who classified themselves as “very conservative.” According to CNN’s exit poll Gingrich got 41 percent, to Romney’s 30 percent.

Romney greatly improved his reputation with Latino voters. According to CNN’s exit poll 54 percent of Latinos voted for Romney, this is up from 14 percent in the 2008 Republican Primary.

The Florida primary saw the continuation of big spending on political adds.

Including “Supper PACs” Romney’s campaign spent around $13.3 million on adds, while runner up Gingrich’s campaign spent around $2.5 million according to CNN.

Supper PACs are a new kind of political action committee who has the ability to raise and spend unlimited funds on a candidate, according to opensource.org.

According to CNN, 93 percent of TV adds in Florida were “negative.”

With the win in Florida, Romney receives 50 delegates, which puts his total number of delegates at 84. Gingrich currently has 27, Paul has 10 and Santorum has 8. To receive the Republican nomination a candidate needs to have 1,144 delegates.

The next stop on the campaign trail for the candidates will be Nevada, for the Feb. 4 caucuses.

Located on 9.5 acres in Pontiac, Goldner Walsh Nursery is an eclectic mix of plants and locally made products. As the longest continually operating business in Pontiac, the nursery aims to bring customers back to nature.

Founded in 1953 by Al Goldner, the nursery is housed in an historic building, which has been a plant business since 1890. The business served as the flower
provider for the high society of the 1900s and still offers the same flower cut services with a focus on domestically grown plants.

Today Goldner Walsh has a full-service landscape design and installation department, a nursery, greenhouses and a garden center. The staff helps every customer find a plant that will work with the space
available.

For college students, owner Tim Travis recommends cacti.

“They fit into a contemporary style, they’re not fussy, they’re very bold and super easy to grow,” Travis said.

Goldner Walsh also specializes in terrariums (which are indoor plant collections). The staff will work with customers to create their own mix of plants and creates their own
terrariums.

Some speciality plants that the business offers include tropical plants and carnivorous plants such as Venus Fly Traps and pitcher plants.

“The kids totally dig (the carnivorous plants),” Joel Miller, nursery manager and staff horticulturalist, said.

In addition to the plant services they offer, the nursery rents it’s historic space for special events. Goldner Walsh has space outside, as well as greenhouse space indoors. They also sell products made by Michigan businesses and artists.

“I don’t have a lot of everything,” Travis said, “but I have a lot of cool stuff.”

Travis really enjoys that the money from local businesses go towards the community.

“We generate so much new money locally,” Travis said. “It just keeps circling.”

The nursery also hosts many charity events and art openings. In the summer they sell produce, an effort to offer fresh fruits and vegetables and help local farmers.

Travis believes another aspect that makes Goldner Walsh special is the level of expertise that such a speciality business provides.

John Pollock is the head greenhouse tropical plant grower at Goldner Walsh. He is often frustrated with the non-plant specific information that is provided on plant packaging in larger chain retailers.

“The thing is,” Pollock said, “with smaller mom and pop places and local places, you get good information.”

According to Travis, because Goldner Walsh is motivated by passion instead of profit, the prices at the local nursery are often cheaper than those at larger chain stores.

Goldner Walsh Nursery is located at 559 Orchard Lake Roadin Pontiac, Mich. For more information, check out their Facebook page at on.fb.me/guBJYL

Contact campus editor Sarah Hunton via e-mail at sarahjhunton@gmail.com

The film festival allowed viewers to text their vote to choose which film won the Audience Choice Award. Once all of the films were over, instructions appeared on-screen telling the audience how to cast their votes.

Films in the festival also had the chance to win another award. A panel of six film industry professionals were on site to determine which film would win the Best Short Film Award.

“Providing an audience for independent filmmakers’ work is a main aspect of  the festival,” Joe Edick,  director of the LOL Film
Festival, said. “The film festival (gives) filmmakers a chance to have mainstream America see their film (in) the best film
exhibition venues available. That’s not always the case with traditional festivals.”

Edick is the director of the LOL Film Festival and is also the president of Pelican Productions Inc. in Muskegon, Mich.

For the 2012 LOL Film
Festival, there were 17
independent films created in six countries. Many of the short films being shown already have awards to their names.

The films being shown at this year’s festival had a variety of plots and running time. The films ranged from a 26 minute short about a morning talk show gone wrong to a one minute, 35 second animated short about a magical genie.

But festival goers can expect to spend the same amount of time at the festival as they would at a traditional movie. All of the short films are shown in just under two hours.

“(The audience will) get to see some really funny short
comedies that they would
otherwise never get to see,”
Edick said.

According to Edick, providing the audience with the film festival experience in a two hour block is one of his favorite aspects of the event.

The event opened on Jan. 27 and will only be in theatres for a limited time. The festival is not limited to just Emagine Theaters though, it
will be held in 27 venues across five states.

Although the festival will close its curtains on March 26, it is currently accepting films for the 2013 LOL Film Festival.

Edick understands the difficulties independent filmmaking can pose.

“It is very difficult to make a quality independent film,” Edick said. “It is even more difficult for a filmmaker to make any profit with a film. It’s about trying to get in a position to make a mainstream feature film.”

For more information regarding the LOL film festival, visit www.lolsff.com

Contact staff intern Natalie Popovski via e-mail at npopovsk@oakland.edu

Rochester Fire and Ice Festival rescheduled due to weather

Downtown Rochester will be hosting its fifth annual Fire & Ice Festival on Friday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, Feb. 26.

The event was originally scheduled for Friday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, Jan. 29 but due to mild weather conditions it was rescheduled.

All weekend long event goers can walk through the ice sculpture lined streets while sampling a variety of food  and drinks courtesy of the Tastefest.

There will be a variety of demos including ice carving and figure skating.

New to the festival this year are snowboarding demos, clinics and competitions, provided courtesy of AGA Nation.

There will also be dog sled rides, a tubing hill and a snow play area.

The festival also plans on having two fireworks displays on Friday and Saturday night.

For more event information, visit www.destinationoakland.com

Ferndale blues festival

The annual Ferndale Blues and Music Festival is set for Jan. 27 through Feb. 4.

This year will include many kinds of music in addition to blues and will
showcase an array of musicians and bands in blues, jazz, rock, country and more.

The festival will feature 24 different venues. A free shuttle will be running between venues on Jan. 28 and Feb. 4.

For more information and a complete schedule visit www.ferndalebluesfestival.org

Rochester bridal expo

This free event will be held Feb. 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All brides must register between 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Fieldstone Winery in order to receive their Bride’s Day programs and maps. The first 100 brides to check-in will receive free goodie bags.

Compiled by Natalie Popovski and Ali Armstrong, Staff Intern and Local Editor

Young members at the Royal Oak Public Library were treated to a comic book workshop presented by local artist Lee Gaddies this past Thursday night.

Gaddies offered instruction and advice to the basics in creating a comic book character, story, setting and illustration. He also focused on the role of superheroes in modern culture.

A graduate of the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Gaddies has taught several classes in his past and is currently art director of Detroit based Urban Style Comics.

Guiding young artists

According to Gaddies, children, which he describes as the “fertile ground” for art, have huge potential and it is important for them to nurture their creativity.

“You want to get as many creative ideas out of them as they can, before the world beats (them) down,” he said.

However, he said they need guidance to bridle their ideas and creative expressions.

“The trick is to have them focus (their art) into something that is usable,” Gaddies said. “So in the end, there is something that is tangible and has a conclusion.”

Gaddies said he has always loved art, and that he was a natural, driven by more of a compulsion than a vocation.

Since his early years in first grade, Gaddies has been drawing. He remembered drawing Winnie the Pooh on the back of his schoolwork in first grade, something that started a habit of finishing his schoolwork early so he would have more time to draw.

Graphic novel culture today

The success of the comic book and graphic novel genre in today’s culture, according to Gaddies, is because that it can be translated into so many different types of media. He noted the success of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” which was originally a graphic novel that was translated into an extremely successful TV series.

He also noted that part of the overall success of the genre is due to the fact of major changes in the 80s, such as darker themes.

“Before the 80s, when you met your first girlfriend you stopped (reading
comics,)” he said. “In the 80s they started writing the graphic novel, which was at an adult level to be consumed by adults.”

Gaddies believes comics books also fill a void that mythology used to occupy.

“It is our modern mythology.
Superheros today fill the role of gods in ancient mythology,” he said. “They are the embodiments of our ideals.”

His favorite artists include Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, John Byrne and Alex Ross, who he describes as having changed the comic book genre.

“They have really allowed people to take the genre and do something positive with it,” Gaddies said. “They are being treated in a fair and respectful manner.”

Urban Style Comics is a Detroit-based comic book company, created by Andre L. Batts, and is focused on its central
superhero Dreadlocks.

Dreadlocks was created by Batts to be a hero for urban cultures, reaching out to the ghettos bringing truth, justice and righteousness.

For more info on Urban Style Comics visit their website at www.urbanstylecomics.com

Contact senior reporter Jordan Gonzalez via e-mail at jrgonzal@oakland.edu

Entering  its 24th year as an international event, the North American International Auto Show featured 53 vehicle debuts, with 32 of those being worldwide introductions.

With over 500 vehicles on display from the world’s leading automakers like Chryser, Ford and Chevrolet, this year’s auto show is yet again spotlighting a vehicle made right here on Oakland University’s campus.

The OU Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) 2010 and 2011 race cars are currently on display at Cobo Hall.

“This is huge for us. It not only gets our name out there, but really shows people what Oakland University has to offer and how you can be on an award winning team and do real-life stuff,” Thomas Garvey SAE business manager, said. “It’s just huge and being next to some of the biggest car companies in the world, it’s an amazing experience.”

Along with their newest 2011 car,  SAE’s 2010 race car is also on display.

The display is brand new and was donated by OU alumni Tracy Lindsay who is the proprietor of Lindsay Exhibit Group.

“She saw our booth last year and she came up to us and said that if we needed any help, just to call her,” Garvery said. “We knew that we wanted our display to be huge this year, so we decided to call her. She was excited to work on our display because she loves OU.”

The new display features new graphics, a light bar, tunnel lights and a donated ramp which showcases their 2011 car.

There is at least one person from SAE present at the booth at all times to answer technical questions. The booth also features OU staff, faculty and alumni.

“I think this is a really big step for us to be there again and to continue to represent Oakland University and the School of Engineering,” Evan Fischer, president of SAE, said.

Among some of the other big auto show debuts, Ford unveiled the new Focus and Fusion. Chrysler debuted their revived their Dodge Dart and Nissan, returning to the auto show after a four year haitus, revealed their new Pathfinder.

For more information on the North American International Auto Show, visit www.naias.com 

Contact local editor Ali Armstrong via e-mail at aearmstr@oakland.edu or follow her on Twitter @AliArmstrong1

Life on Earth is an exhibit at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, that runs through Sept. 2, 2012.

The exhibit examines life on our planet resulting from 3.4 billion years of evolution. Specimens collected from Cranbrook, the Smithsonian, as well as other institutions, represent  all major groups of plants and animals.

“The whole concept of the exhibit is biodiversity, not only modern, but biodiversity throughout the years,” John Zawiskie, curator of the Life on Earth exhibit, said.

The exhibit examines the evolution of life on Earth going dating back 3.4 billion years.

Some of the displays are on loan from the Smithsonian Museum as well as Wayne State University.

The exhibit is laid out so that visitors can go chronologically through time and look at how the five mass extinctions affected biodiversity.

“Anyone would benefit from coming to this exhibit, especially biology or ecology majors” Zawiskie said.

The exhibit features several examples of taxidermy, including a Bengal tiger and a white rhino head, both of which are from Wayne State University.

“This is aesthetically one of the best exhibits we have had,” Zawiskie said.

The exhibit also features one of the most complete Megalodon teeth rows ever found. The Megalodon was a species of shark that lived roughly 1.5 million years ago.

There are quite a few artifacts from the Hankla Collection, including fossils that are 35-million-years-old.

The exhibit has a massive herbology collection, which focuses on plant life found in Oakland and Wayne counties.

Also located in the exhibit is a area named the “Galapagos Trail,” which is especially geared towards children eight years and under.

The area features a real salt water coral fish tank, as well as an exact replica of Charles Darwin’s HMS Beagle, which was built in house by Cranbrooks’ staff.

“Recently we have been doing a lot of exhibits by pulling artifacts from our store room instead of bring traveling exhibits in,” Stephen Pagnani, head of marketing at Cranbrook, said.

A world population calculator is also in the exhibit.

Seventy-five percent of ice free landscape has been modified by humans, Zawiskie said.

There is a section of the exhibit that focuses on the evolution of the human genome, as well as how animals around us have adapted to their surroundings.

Evolution area also features “The Hall of Origins,” from the Smithsonian Museum, which features the 11 stages of human evolution.

The cost of the exhibit is $12.50 for adults and is free after 5 p.m. on the first Friday of the month.

For more information on the Life on Earth Exhibit, visit Cranbrook’s website at science.cranbrook.edu 

The atmosphere was mellow, inviting and warm. Soft couches rested against the brick walls which neighbored earthy green and burnt brown drywall.

To the right of the couches, tables and customers was a pack of aliens of all shapes, sizes and colors. Robots gathered in throngs, glaring at all who walk by. A monkey in a throwback space helmet smiled a sneaky smile, snickering at those shocked at the head right next to it that was tearing to pieces.

The place was Fieldstone Winery in Rochester Hills. The occasion was the reception to premier the artwork of Michigan mixed media artists Adam Klimek and Anthony Callis.

Friends, family and contemporaries gathered there on Jan. 13 to celebrate with the artists as they premiered their latest gallery, “Eye for an Eye.”

There was a reception which included finger foods, dessert and free wine tasting courtesy of Fieldstone, and guests were able to interact with the artists, who featured over 20 of their paintings.

Collaboration is key

Klimek and Callis are both graduates of the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, which is where they first met and began to collaborate.

Though they have done solo pieces in the past, working together is the key to their latest works, which took around three months to complete.

“Each piece is completely collaborative, and each and every piece has a bit of us,” Klimek said. “We have done a few collaborative pieces in the past and we have gotten a lot of response from them, so we said lets to a whole show of them.”

Callis explained the process of the collaborations differed, too. Sometimes he would paint the background and Klimek would finish it off. Other times they would work simultaneously on a project.

Finding inspiration

The themes of “Eye for an Eye,” according to both Klimek and Callis, deal with anything from music to mystery, drawing from a well of throwback sci-fi movies and legends.

“We have a lot of music influence, space, technology, the unknown … Bigfoot, aliens, that kind of stuff,” Klimek said.

Each piece of the gallery, though it follows that common theme, is different in its own way, according to Callis.

“We came up with the same themes throughout, but we let the actual process of making them tell the story of each piece,” Callis said. “If you get up close to it and look, you will see there are a lot of different stories going on.”

The gallery was co-hosted by Firebrick Gallery. Firebrick is an art gallery, gift shop and studio. It displays works of Michigan artists and it also offers courses, internships, workshops and private tutoring for artist of all skills.

Christine Laikind, Firebrick owner, thought it would be great to collaborate with Fieldstone to host galleries.

“Wine and art go well together,” Laikind said.

For more info on Klimek and Callis, visit their website at www.cinema3956.com.  

Contact senior reporter Jordan Gonzalez  via e-mail at jrgonzal@oakland.edu

Jump It

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Jump It, Mixed media piece Dimensions: 24x24 Artist: Cinema 3956 (Adam Klimek and Anthony Callis)

On Dec. 19, 2011 the City Council voted down a $8.4 million transit center proposal.

All of the $8.4 million would come from federal bonds according to Mark Millers, director of Troy economic and community development.

Councilman Dane Slater pulled his revised $6 million proposal off Monday night’s budget when councilman Wade Fleming was unable to attend because of a family emergency.

Even though voting was delayed, the revised proposal for the multi-modal transit center dominated Monday’s City Council meeting. A majority of the public comments section of the meeting was spent discussing the transit center. Public comments supported the councils Dec. 19 vote to not award a design subcontract in the amount of $8.4 million.

Rose Frazier, a Troy resident, addressed the council and talked of all the “negative” attention the city has been getting in the news.

“I’m a Troy, tax-paying citizen who is tired of having to listen to non-tax paying people of other cities voice their opinions at our tax payers expense,” Frazier said.

After Troy turned down the $8.4 million center, it came under fire from local media. In part because the project had been supported by both Rep. Gary Peters (D — Bloomfield Hills)  and Gov. Rick Snyder. (R —Ann Arbor.)

“We should be doing everything we can to reduce our dependance of foreign oil,” Bruce Bloomingdale, Troy resident and former candidate for city council in 2011, said.

Though the Troy City Council did not vote on a resolution at that time, Troy Mayor Janice Daniels took 20 minutes to read a five page position paper she had written with her thoughts on the transit center.

The proposed transit center would be a regional hub for the SMART bus system and would feature a high-speed transit rail. The transit center would replace the current Amtrak station in Birmingham.

The center would be located near Coolidge and Maple roads and would be a 2,400-square-feet center.

The “drop dead” date for the Troy City Council to pass or reject the transit center proposal was Dec. 19, 2011 in order to complete the project on time.

Troy will revisit this issue in the coming days when Councilman Wade Fleming is available.

Contact staff reporter Chris Lauritsen via e-mail at cklaurit@oakland.edu. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisLaursten

Animals are susceptible to the same winter ailments as humans, like hypothermia and frostbite, said Angela Hoover, a licensed veterinary technician at Michigan Veterinary Specialists.

It is important to consider harmful chemicals that are present during the cold season as well, she said.

“When you’re walking animals, usually dogs, in the winter, make sure they’re not licking anything on the ground that could be contaminated or poisonous,” Hoover said.

Antifreeze from automobiles has a sweet smell to which some animals are attracted, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“Even just a lick or two could cause kidney failure,” Hoover said. Animal caregivers should keep their animals away from puddles of liquid during the winter months, she advised.

“It’s important they see a veterinarian immediately” if displaying symptoms of poisoning, like vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy,” she said.

Sidewalk salt is another danger to animal safety, according to Hoover. The salt is harmful to animals digestive tracts and can cause skin irritation. There are pet-safe alternatives to rock salt as well as animal booties to protect paws though, which are available at local retailers.

“When walking, make sure animals wipe their paws on the snow every so often,” Hoover said. “And when you get home, be sure to wash their feet.”

Smaller and shorter-haired breeds are less tolerant of the cold, according to Hoover.

She also advised that people clear of areas that animals use.

“A lot of people put small sweaters on smaller dogs,” she added. “Make sure the snow isn’t coming up to their chests, because that’s the core of their heat comes from.”

Signs of hypothermia for animals are the same as those of humans. Pale color on gums, inside lips, pigment of eyes and coolness to the touch are all warning signs for condition.

The A.S.P.C.A., on its website, advised that dogs which enjoy winter outdoor activity be fed more protein to improve the growth of their coats.

For animals taken on winter walks, Hoover advises owners to be cautious of ice.

“We see animals come in with broken legs or torn cruciate ligaments in their knees a lot during the winter time because they’ve slipped on ice just like when people do,” she said.

Hoover added that people, especially when walking larger dogs, should be careful.  “They can pull you on the ice and cause you to slip,” she said.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights advocacy network, suggested that these dangerous conditions can be avoided by keeping your animals indoors during the winter.

More information for winter animal care is available on the P.E.T.A and A.S.C.A. web sites.