Smile by pairadocs

The Michigan International Auto Show returns to DeVos Place January 26-29, 2012 with manufacturers from around the world setting up their finest traveling displays. The show is West Michigan’s largest consumer show and offers you a chance to view your next new car with some 300 new vehicles on display. From sedans to vans, SUVs & trucks to hybrids and sports cars. If it rolls on 4 wheels, chances are you'll see it at the factory representatives from nearly 40 different manufacturers.

“This year, visitors will find vehicles displaying increases in innovations and design, as well as energy efficiency models as the auto industry rises to the challenges placed before it,” says Terry Burns, Executive Director of the Grand Rapids New Car Dealers Association. “New models, new designs and new technologies are helping our industry bring itself back up along a path of recovery as we move into 2012 and beyond.”

A highlight of the show is the Million Dollar Motorway, which is expected to be bigger and better than ever before featuring a variety of high end cars including Bentley, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Maserati and Lamborghini, each valued at more than $100,000. There are also exhibits from the Gilmore Car Museum that offer you a chance to take a trip back in automobile history.

Here's a video from last year's show to give you an idea of what to expect.

Absolute Michigan is committed to helping our readers get more out of Michigan. To that end, we are adding an exciting new program featuring giveaways of products and services from all kinds of Michigan businesses. It's free, fun and all you have to do to be eligible is to be on our email list - sign up using the form below. We guarantee that we will not share your email address with anyone!

If your business is interested in participating, you can get all the information right here.

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2013 Dodge Dart by ChriKett Photography

The first Detroit Area Dealer Association (DADA)-managed Detroit Auto Show was held in December 1907 at Riverview Park. In 1987, the show was re-focused as an international event, and 2012 is their 24th annual under the new format. The center of the event are concept cars and exhibitions by car companies from Acura to Volvo and of course Detroit standards like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC and Lincoln.

Blogs & Social Media from the Detroit Auto Show

Our favorite for coverage this year is mLive's Detroit Auto Show coverage. They have a look at Energy Secretary Steven Chu's visit to the show, some concept car highlights from the 2012 floor and the back and forth between Governor Snyder and a Wayne State student. After Snyder issued a call for grads to stay in Michigan, biomed engineering student Ramkumar Annamalai  asked him why if eduction was so important has Michigan seen cuts that remove a lot of what attracts top students.  It's an interesting exchange that highlights one of the real challenges manufacturing and research in Michigan are facing. You can also get comprehensive reporting from the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News.

As usual, you can find unabashed car love with a healthy dose of humor from the  2012 Detroit Auto Show on Jalopnik.  Over at Autoblog they feature podcasts and articles including their Editor's top 5 picks from the show (spoiler: #1 is the 2013 Ford Fusion which also captured Autoweek Magazine's coveted Best of Show award). Another source that's getting more and more relevant is  Autoblog Green who has features on the frighteningly cute Tata, a sub-$19k Prius and the Smart-for-Us urban concept mini-truck pictured right. Pretty much everyone with a blog is covering it of course, from Motor Trend to Popular Mechanics.

The North American International Auto Show has gotten into the social media swing in 2012 with a Facebook page their NAIAS official Twitter. You can also of course dive right in to #NAIAS on Twitter.

Attending the North American International Auto Show

The NAIAS web site has everything you need to know about attending the public show and tomorrow night's black tie charity preview. If you do attend and take pictures or video, we'd love it if you'd share them with us in the Absolute Michigan Flickr group or shoot us the link to YouTube vids!

Detroit Auto Show Photos

The NAIAS has a nifty virtual show floor.  Christian Kettenbell took the photo at the top and he has a really nice slideshow from 2012. You can see a whole lot more by checking Detroit Auto Show and/or NAIAS on Flickr. The blogs & papers above are another great source of photos of production cars and concepts as well.    If you'd like to step back in time, check out this Detroit News Rearview Mirror feature The Detroit Auto Show: from beer gardens to tabernacles to Cobo Center.

Anything else to add or ask? Post it in the comments!

Detroit Auto Show Videos

You can watch the snarky, kind of slow and frankly down on the auto show 2012 North American International Auto Show Preview from Drive and the un-snarky and faster paced preview from Autoweek TV. Our favorite, however, is this selection of highlights from the Media Preview on the 2012 show floor by Global News ENG Cameraman Ben Jonah. Got other ones you like? Add them in the comments below!

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Eddie Rickenbacker, circa 1919. Photo from the National Archives and Records Administration holdings (ARC identifier 533720). Digital copy found on wikimediacommons.org

Ace of Aces

After shooting down twenty-two enemy aircraft and four barrage balloons in less than a year, Captain Edward “Eddie” Rickenbacker became the most celebrated Allied airman of World War I, earning him the title “Ace of Aces.” He received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the French Legion of Honor, the Croix de Guerre, the Distinguished Service Cross and seven other medals.

At the close of the war, Rickenbacker returned home to a hero’s welcome of ticker-tape parades and other events in his honor. He retreated to the seclusion of the New Mexican desert to contemplate his future. He had been a race car driver before the war, and automobiles again filled his mind. He decided to build a car bearing his name.

Building a Car

Rickenbacker teamed up with some of the best and brightest automobile entrepreneurs of the time. Harry Cunningham was a former race driver turned engineer, and Walter Flanders and Barney Everitt were two-thirds of the EMF Company of Detroit. Rickenbacker contributed engineering ideas learned from his pre-war days building, selling and driving race cars.

Rickenbacker set out to design and build a mid-priced car with many advanced features. The stylish six-cylinder model he dreamed of would have a low center of gravity, a vibration-free tandem flywheel, cabin heater, air cleaner and a locking steering wheel. A 94th Squadron “Hat in the Ring” insignia graced the radiator housing. When it came to decide where such a car would be built, there was only one choice: Detroit, the Automobile Capital of the World.

The Rickenbacker Motor Company

Rickenbacker built factory prototypes in 1920 and logged eighty thousand miles test driving the cars himself. In 1922, the Rickenbacker Motor Company (RMC) went into full production, with Rickenbacker as vice-president in charge of sales. He barnstormed across the country flying in his airplane, selling cars and dealer franchises. Eventually, the company boasted a network of twelve hundred dealers in the U.S and three hundred worldwide. Between 1922 and 1924, RMC sold fifty thousand cars with price tags ranging from $1,485.00 for the touring model to $1,995.00 for a sedan.

Sales were brisk and in 1924, the company introduced the Vertical 8 Super Fine model. A promotional brochure bragged that “almost without exception, Rickenbacker factory officials and their wives drive this coupe model…it is a type much coveted and appreciated by young ladies and dowagers. It is quite as suitable for a man as a woman driver.” Other ads claimed that the motor “improves with use. Take a look at the frame. Comparatively, the Brooklyn Bridge does not provide such a factor of rigidity and strength.”

A family with a Rickenbacker car (Click on the image to view it in a larger size)

Four Wheel Brakes

Advertising rhetoric aside, the company seemed to be doing everything right and they announced a new automotive innovation. Four-wheel brakes have been standard equipment since Rickenbacker introduced them more than eighty years ago. The announcement that the braking system would be standard on their 1924 models caused a commotion in the automobile business. Several auto companies—notably Studebaker—mounted a slander campaign, claiming that four-wheel brakes were dangerous and unpredictable.

Believing in himself and his product, Eddie Rickenbacker dismissed the adverse publicity. Rather than play down the accusations, he touted the merits of the braking system by stenciling “4-WHEEL BRAKES” on the spare tire covers. Detractors claimed that this was necessary to avoid rear-end collisions caused by Rickenbacker cars stopping too fast.

End of a Dream

Despite the company’s efforts, sales began to lag. In 1926, Rickenbacker resigned from his position, and the company struggled on until 1927, when it declared bankruptcy and halted production. Ironically, the German company Audi bought the design, tooling and spare parts and installed Rickenbacker engines in some models.

At the age of thirty-five and $250,000 in debt, Rickenbacker had to abandon his dream of building a “Car Worthy of its Name.” He vowed to pay off his creditors and changed his career course. He bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and later became Chairman of the Board of Eastern Airlines. A survivor in life as well as business, Eddie Rickenbacker survived two airplane crashes before passing away in 1973 at the age of eighty-two.

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Clouds are Cooler than Smoke by Jon DeBoe

I guess it's Coal Week on Absolute Michigan. After taking a look back at the history of coal mining in the Saginaw Valley on Tuesday, we're back on the subject with news from the Great Lakes Echo.

Michigan coal-fired plants to close; wind and air to step up by Nick McWherter of the Capital News Service says that Consumers Energy will close seven coal-fired power plants in Michigan and has cancelled construction of another to focus on clean energy. In their news release on the topic, Consumer's President & CEO John Russell said that their investments - part of a $6.6 billion plan to add value to customers and improve the environment - were projected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs in Michigan and provide significant emissions reductions. Environmentalists concur:

“There are simply smarter ways to produce energy then relying on coal,” said Bruce Nilles, national director for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. The inherent costs associated with mining and burning coal make clean energy more attractive, he said. Economically and environmentally, coal does not make sense.

Michigan is now in position to make strides in clean energy throughout the state, he said.

“There is a significant shift going on in the electric sector,” Nilles said. “Michigan has a chance to really be at the forefront. It has one of the oldest coal fleets in the country; many of these plants are literally teetering. It presents a tremendous opportunity to put people back to work and eliminate all the pollution that today is having such profound impacts across the state of Michigan.”

The motivation for the decision is Michigan’s Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy act. Established in 2008, the act requires utilities to supply 10% of their energy via renewables by 2015. Consumers is the second largest utility in the state and is at 5% renewable generation right now. Last month they also started construction of their first wind-farm, the Lake Winds Energy Park, part of a $1 billion investment in Mason County. Follow that link for details and a video from the Muskegon Chronicle.

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Detroit Public Television (DPTV), in partnership with the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Commission, U.S. EPA, and Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition provided unprecedented access to the largest gathering of scientists, political voices, educators, environmentalists, and interested groups ever assembled to discuss the status and the future of the Great Lakes at greatlakesnow.org.

Sleeping Bear by ideowl

Great Lakes Week takes place October 11-14, 2011 and celebrates one of the world's true natural wonders, the five interconnected Great Lakes. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior provide jobs, recreation and drinking water to more than 30 million people in the Great Lakes basin. Great Lakes Week is a new partnership to improve the places around the basin where people live, work, learn and play. This week's activities, meetings and conferences bring representatives of the U.S. and Canadian governments together with a broad coalition of public and private groups to highlight efforts to implement solutions for the lakes' most pressing problems. The event is headquartered in a single city for the first time ever and that city is Detroit.

Today's coverage kicks off at noon with an overview of Great Lakes Week, highlights of yesterday's Great Lakes Commission Meeting. Also on tap is the International Joint Commission of US and Canadian government agencies, a report on U.S. and Canadian efforts to restore the chemical, physical and biological diversity of the Great Lakes Basin, updates on critical issues from algae to aquatic invasive species and the Great Lakes Town Hall featuring top officials from both the U.S. and Canada answering on-site and virtual audience questions (Twitter hastag #AskGLW). Much more to follow tomorrow and Friday - check the schedule of events out for an idea.

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Vanishing Point by e.rabior

Business Week reports that Michigan made some major moves toward high-speed rail yesterday:

A high-speed passenger train service between Chicago and Detroit took two big steps forward Wednesday with a $196.5 million federal grant to Michigan and the state's acquisition of a 135-mile stretch of track.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it has awarded Michigan the funds for signal and track improvements on the rail line between Kalamazoo in western Michigan and Dearborn in suburban Detroit.

..."Investing in rail service will spark economic development in communities along a corridor linking Detroit and Chicago, two vital Midwest cities," Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement. "A faster, reliable passenger rail system is a priority for younger generations and vital to Michigan's ability to compete globally as businesses look to locate or expand."

Snyder added that the rail upgrades will speed freight transportation for Ford and other companies. You can read the complete release from the Department of Transportation forecasting that this will create 800 new jobs in Michigan.

You can see the Wolverine in action right here. It's the train that runs three Detroit-Chicago routes daily. That's a neat video showing just how fast a 95 MPH train is, but this fantastic timelapse from 1988 shot with a Super-8 from trainluvr is too good to pass up! Here's Amtrak's Michigan schedule too.

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The UAW and GM bargaining teams negotiate the Treaty of Detroit, 1950 (Photo courtesy of Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University)

As the national debate over universal health care continues, it is instructive to look back to 1950. The “Treaty of Detroit,” signed that year, represents a pivotal moment in the offering of full medical benefits to the American worker.

Pattern Bargaining

Under Walter Reuther, the United Auto Workers (UAW) evolved the negotiating practice of pattern bargaining with the Big Three. In essence, the UAW would pick a strike target among Ford, Chrysler and General Motors (GM) during each negotiating year. The other two companies would match the concessions won by the UAW from the strike target and avert costly strikes at their own factories.

In 1950, the UAW pattern bargaining target was Ford, and among the major issues were pensions and full medical benefits. Ford quickly settled, and, after a 104 day strike, Chrysler agreed as well. GM followed suite. In what was hailed as the “Treaty of Detroit,” all autoworkers at the three carmakers would receive full pensions and full medical care. The trickle down effect was felt across the United States, as companies in the automotive and other industries followed the trend. For the first time, large segments of workers in the United States would have affordable health care, provided through their companies. Individuals and families who couldn’t afford to see a doctor, or for whom a medical emergency was an economic disaster of epic proportions, were now part and parcel of the growing health care system.

Personal Experience

Reuther himself had been forced to use the existing health care system in extreme fashion. He had been the victim of an assassination attempt in his house in northwest Detroit on April 20, 1948. After returning home after a late UAW meeting, Reuther was hit by a shotgun blast through the kitchen window as he was opening the family refrigerator. Wounded in the chest and right arm, Reuther suffered a long process of recovery and knew from first-hand experience the costs associated with the extremes of medical care. No doubt this played heavily on his mind as he negotiated the Treaty of Detroit.

Walter Reuther recuperates after the 1948 attempt on his life. His wife May watches over him. (Photo courtesy of Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University)

For much more about Walter Reuther, visit the Walter P. Reuther Library. Of particular interest is No Greater Calling: The Life of Walter P. Reuther. It was developed to commemorate his 100th birthday and also has text and even audio of speeches, photos and more.

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Speed by IreJustin

Applications are now open for the 2011 Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition. The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition will award more than $1 million in cash winnings, plus in-kind awards of services, staffing and software to top entrepreneurial businesses and also includes a competition for college students with an idea for an innovative business.

To qualify for the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, businesses must make a commitment to locate and grow in Michigan. These companies must also be at the commercial stage of business development, past proof of concept. It's open to businesses who operate in technology-driven sectors including alternative energy, IT, advanced manufacturing, life science, medical devices and advanced transportation.

Any undergraduate or graduate student who is enrolled in at least two classes in a Michigan public or private university or college for the fall 2011 semester is eligible for the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition, and student teams may also submit.

Get your applications and much more information at www.acceleratemichigan.org and check them out on Facebook. Check out last year's winners including $500,000 winner Armune BioScence.

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Golden Sunset on Lake Superior by unifiedphoto

The Detroit Free Press has launched a summer-long feature on the Great Lakes, water and Michigan. It starts with an interesting read by John Gallagher entitled Water shaped Michigan's past: Now it's a key to state's future that looks at the economic impact of the lakes and their potential as a source of new jobs and technology. It begins:

Michigan grew up on the Great Lakes. It can grow anew from their cool, abundant waters -- if they are used wisely and protected.

The greatest natural resource in all of North America and perhaps on our planet, the sweet water seas brought people to Michigan's peninsulas and moved Michigan ore, timber and manufactured goods to markets around the world.

The lake waters nourish our crops, slake our thirst, cool our machinery and change our weather -- sometimes rather abruptly. They provide fun, fish and spectacular vistas for millions of people.

In a world where 1 in every 6 people lacks daily access to fresh water, the Great Lakes are a treasure of immeasurable value.

And yet they have been exploited, depleted and polluted. They are threatened by invaders, foreign and domestic, some already in the waters or on the way, others on dry lands.

Where (in my opinion) it gets interesting and requires a whole lot of thought is the point when you start to think about the Great Lakes as an exportable commodity. When I read things like "Michigan has more water than Saudi Arabia has oil," I get scared. Thankfully there are some positive signs:

In the past year or two, all sorts of efforts have begun in Michigan to create a blue economy -- purifying water, recycling it, measuring how clean or dirty it is and providing water-based expertise to the world. The market for water technology is estimated at $500 billion a year and growing.

"We're sitting on liquid gold," said Dave Egner, director of the New Economy Initiative, a coalition of nonprofit foundations hoping to steer Michigan toward a new economic future.

Read on at the Freep and have a look at the New Economy Initiative as well. If you have the time, check out the trailer for one of my all-time favorite films, Waterlife by Kevin McMahon. It's a spell-binding look at the state of the lakes shot in beautiful HD. The official trailer is below and you can watch a longer version here.

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Driving Michigan is Absolute Michigan's new show that explores the state of Michigan and the people who are moving us towards the future. It's hosted by Seth Bernard, a musician of  Earthworks Music with a passion for Michigan. The video was shot by Ken Lake of Mythic Michigan.

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Chrysler spokeswoman Anita Thawte explained "Mr.  Daniels has starred in numerous Hollywood films and is well known in promoting an Upper Peninsula lifestyle that meshes so well with the power and payload of the U-series."

The specs of the vehicle are indeed impressive:  a massive 177 sq. ft. hood that can hold 7 deer, a gigantic bed that is rated for 4 tons of pasties and a powerful and eco-friendly V14 diesel that can operate in zero-emission mode when burning maple syrup.

Chrysler is reportedly exploring other concepts including "Smuggled from Saginaw", "Got a Ride from Grand Rapids" and "Walked over from Washtenaw".

If you liked this...

via Leelanau.com: Donald Trump unveils "Trump Leelanau" in Maple City (many, many more there as well!)

Mar 30, 2011: Weird Wednesday: April Fool's Day - Michigan's State Holiday?

Apr 1, 2010: Tim Allen co-opts Pure Michigan, declares for Governor

Apr 1, 2009: Bank bailout "tweak" to spur auto industry

Apr 1, 2008: Canadian Freeze Ray wreaks havok on Michigan

Apr 1, 2007: Massive trade sends Legislature, Governor to Guam - things are looking up for Michigan and the Tigers

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Vineyard by ramjetgr

Michigan Radio Morning Edition host Christina Shockley is asking those in the know What's Working in Michigan? There's no better time to take a look at things that are already happening to improve our state's economy and our lives. Here's a snapshot of a few of the voices:

Linda Jones, the Executive Director of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council on Michigan Wine: Success in a Bottle: "It combines our second and third largest industries: agriculture and tourism. Michigan is a long-standing fruit-producing state, especially on the west side of the state, but increasingly throughout Michigan we are planting wine grapes with new varieties that are being developed."

jibba jabba scribba scrabba rail jam 17 by emperley3

Scott MacInnes, the City Manager of Houghton on Turning winter in the U.P. into a tourist destination: "People around here live up here because they enjoy the weather. We do three or four special events in the downtown. We have Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival, which is a huge mid-winter festival for us up here. So we just have a lot of neat activities going on that really make the winter go by fast and make it enjoyable."

Rick Wilson, Heritage Sustainable Energy on Wind energy takes off in Michigan: "One of the things that I like to think, and that I believe, is that it's a homegrown source of power that is critical to our everyday lives. Traditionally, here in Michigan, 80 percent, I think, of our power, especially in Lower Michigan, is coming from large, somewhat archaic (not all of them, but, you know) coal-fired facilities. They may not even be located in Michigan. Some of them are located down in the Ohio River Basin and Indiana and surrounding states. So, to have, not only renewable generation here in our home state, but also just power that's generated right here in our back yard is something that's important for us as a community and as a state."

Read more stories from Michigan Radio and post what you think is working below!

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Thanks Blogging for Michigan for the find!

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Fading to Sky by Jeff Casemier

The Grand Rapids Press reports that four of West Michigan's leading companies are launching a design hub this summer in Grand Rapids that is modeled after other successful programs in other cities:

Dubbed GRid70, the concept will bring together creative professionals from Amway, Meijer Inc., Steelcase Inc. and Wolverine World Wide Inc. at 70 Ionia Ave. SW, where they will share ideas while drawing inspiration from the urban environment.

The goal is to capitalize on the region's sometimes unheralded design expertise by mixing creative teams from different industries and, hopefully, spawning the sorts of "happy accidents" that inspire innovation, new products and different ways of thinking.

...GRid70 was born from a group of about 30 West Michigan CEOs who formed a committee, called What's Next, to develop ideas for bolstering the area's economy, reputation and its attractiveness to potential employees and entrepreneurs.

"This puts a stake in the ground that communicates the area's design strengths not only to Grand Rapids, but to the world," said Carol Coletta, who heads CEOs for Cities, a Chicago-based urban consulting firm hired by What's Next.

Read on to learn about the new Masters of Design Methods program that will be housed in the building. Also see Michigan design hub opens in Grand Rapids in Business Week, the GRid70 Facebook, a brief explanation of the concept and this video from WZZM TV-13:

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USA Today's cool Super Bowl Ad Meter has the ad in the middle of the pack in terms of response from their panel (the panel seemed to like dogs a whole lot). It did a lot better in terms of being shared on Facebook, clocking in at #3. See all the 2011 Super Bowl ads on YouTube. Detroit-born Eminem will perform at the Grammys on Sunday and is up for 10 awards, and his appearance as a champion of the city was praised by everyone from fellow rappers to Slate Magazine, who write in the best roundup I found:

An ugly missed field goal set up the night's best ad, one so strong I don't even mind that it was paid for with my taxpayer dollars. In a mesmerizing 120-second spot, Chrysler, which still owes the U.S. government $5.8 billion, sets out to introduce its new 200 model and to rehabilitate Detroit's tarnished image while they're at it. The ad's co-stars are the city itself, shot in blue-gray hues, and one of its proudest sons, Eminem, who drives a 200 around town wearing a look of defiance familiar from his turn in 8 Mile.

The rapper's impact is diminished slightly by the weak, stop-motion spot for Lipton Brisk iced tea he was featured in earlier in the evening, but the opening strains of his anthem "Lose Yourself" are the perfect accompaniment to this audacious ad. "I got a question for you," the ad's salt-of-the-earth narrator says in a voice-over. "What does this city know about luxury? What does a city that's been to hell and back know about luxury?" He goes on to offer a compelling answer, arguing that Detroit is a city whose residents have auto-making in their bones. Anyone who has driven a Sebring, the unloved model the 200 is replacing in the Chrysler fleet, might uncharitably note that Detroit's years of experience haven't always served it well. But the spell the ad casts doesn't admit such thoughts. It left me pumping my fist and pledging to buy American everything.

Anyway, here's the ad (view in HD on YouTube) - we're interested to know what you think, either in the comments or on our Facebook.

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We say Detroit Auto Show, you say..?

We're going to continue to call the 2011 North American International Auto Show the "Detroit Auto Show" until we receive a convincing argument to stop. "North American International Auto Show" is just too long and NAIAS sounds like some kind of acronym thought up to make everyone happy that doesn't. The NAIAS history page (where you can see a video from last year) doesn't explain why the Detroit Auto Show changed its name after 82 years in 1989. Concept Carz suggests that it was because Detroit Auto Show became an international event that year, but  BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volvo first joined the show way back in 1957.

Blogging the Detroit Auto Show

Once again one of your best outlets for unabashed car love with a healthy dose of humor is the  2011 Detroit Auto Show on Jalopnik.  They have a tasty feature on the best concept cars of 2011 and a great video tour of the show with ex Volvo & Ford designer Peter Horbury.

Get daily updates on mlive's Detroit Auto Show - Concept Cars, New Vehicles, Rumors, Pictures, Videos. Over at Autoblog they pile up the photos as fast as the car companies can dish them out. If you're a gamer, you might want to climb into the Call of Duty Black Ops Jeep Wrangler,    but most will probably want to see the editors' top 5 vehicles (#1 is the Hyundai Veloster). If you like your cars easy on the environment, check out  Autoblog Green where you can go inside the manufacturing of a Tesla Motors roadster. Pretty much everyone with a blog is covering it of course, from Cars.com to Motor Trend to Popular Mechanics. We were going to run down newspaper coverage as well, but it's enough to give you the links to the Detroit News Auto Show pagesand the Freep's NAIAS coverage.

Detroit Auto Show Photos

The NAIAS has a photo tour of the 2011 show and a nifty virtual show floor.  The photo at the top right is murcielago roadster by joojanta from the Absolute Michigan pool. He has a great set of photos called NAIAS 200x with more. You can see a whole lot more by checking Detroit Auto Show and/or NAIAS on Flickr. The blogs & papers above are another great source of photos of production cars and concepts as well.    If you'd like to step back in time, check out this Detroit News Rearview Mirror feature The Detroit Auto Show: from beer gardens to tabernacles to Cobo Center.

Detroit Auto Show Video

Once again, the blogs and papers above have video. For more, we turn to a YouTube search on Detroit Auto Show (see the most recently added NAIAS videos).

NAIAS Detroit 2011 Highlights - AutoMotoTV:

Attending the Detroit Auto Show

The NAIAS web site - ok, so I'll type it - has everything you need to know about attending the public show and tomorrow night's black tie charity preview. If you do attend and take pictures or video, we'd love it if you'd share them with us on Flickr and YouTube!

Anything else to add or ask? Post it in the comments!

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Lansing, Michigan, USA by Mario.Q

Next American City partnered with IBM and its SmarterCities initiative to encourage citizens across the nation to share how their cities are addressing the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. The prize for the city with the most posts to the SmarterCities Scan was a profile on their website, and Lansing, Michigan, blew the competition away. Their profile of Lansing by Ivy Hughes is a great read and shows why Lansing just might be Michigan's most overlooked success story.

For years, various groups have been trying to change the Greater Lansing Region's image as another Rustbelt city, but these efforts have really taken off in the last few years. Kiplinger recently ranked Lansing as one of the “10 Great Cities for Young Adults”; several Greater Lansing Region businesses have made Inc. magazine's 5,000 fastest-growing companies; Michigan State University (MSU) was chosen as the home base for a the $500 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and is ranked only second to MIT in nuclear physics; and, in 2009, MSU made Entrepreneur magazine's list of “Top Colleges for Business.”

penthouse by TerryJohnston

The author lists some of the factors that make Lansing worthy of this honor including Development, Culture, Ideas, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, saying:

Changing a city best suited for cars into a walkable, bikeable community is, at the very least, a challenge but several organizations are working to increase the number of bike lanes, walkways and shared use paths. The region's bus system, CATA, is one of most effective transportation systems among communities similar in size to the Greater Lansing Region and is a major player in the effort to shift the ratio of cars to people on the street. Discussions regarding the incorporation of a light rail system into the region's long-term transportation plan have just begun.

Sustainability is the driving force behind these transportation efforts and is the catalyst for the region's vast community garden network and the inspiration for the city's first urban garden — Urbandale farm. Many neighborhood organizations are working to increase the visibility and viability of sustainable eating in the region.

They close with:

...a big thank you to the groups continuing to make the Greater Lansing Region a place we all want to be. They are: #lovelansing, Capital Area Michigan Works!, Accelerate Lansing, YSG Lansing, Capital Gains Media, Keep Learning, LEAP, Grand River Connection, Mid-Michigan Tweet Ups, Prima Civitas, Impression 5, City of East Lansing, NOISE, MSU Catalyst, Walk and Bike Lansing; Greater Lansing Business Monthly; Help Make Mid-Michigan Walk and Bike Friendly!; Lansing Walking & Bicycling Task Force; Arts Council; Lansing Happy Hour Club; and a plethora of hardworking neighborhood associations.

Read more at Next American City and also check out the Lansing tag at Smarter Cities for some of the Capital City's many assets! There are videos there highlighting all kinds of things about the Greater Lansing area such as the many festivals which draw over 1/2 million people a year to the region and this one from Greater Lansing. While it's definitely idealized, it shows the amazing range of offerings the region holds.

Greater Lansing from Leap, Inc. on Vimeo.

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The Wall Street Journal says that this week's General Motors (GM) Initial Public Offering could be the largest in history, but is complicated by the $40 billion the automaker owes the US Government, which will be seeking to sell its stock as well:

Earlier Tuesday, GM confirmed it would raise the expected price for shares sold in its IPO to a range of $32 to $33 from the previous $26 to $29. GM also plans to sell up to $4.6 billion of preferred stock, up from $3 billion previously planned. The IPO will be priced Wednesday after the U.S. stock markets close and the shares will start trading Thursday.

...At the new level, the U.S. government would raise around $13 billion, including the overallotment, at the midpoint of the higher price range. That's up from $8.3 billion at the lower price and share number.

You can Read on to make sense of the issues surrounding the IPO. One thing that will doubtless fuel the IPO is the fact that yesterday Motor Trend named the Chevy Volt 2011 Car of the Year. The award is the biggest in the auto industry, and Motor Trend says that the Volt has some of the most advanced engineering ever seen in an American car and writes:

In the 61-year history of the Car of the Year award, there have been few contenders as hyped -- or as controversial -- as the Chevrolet Volt. The Volt started life an Old GM project, then arrived fully formed as a symbol of New GM, carrying all the emotional and political baggage of that profound and painful transition. As a result, a lot of the sound and fury that has surrounded the Volt's launch has tended to obscure a simple truth: This automobile is a game-changer.

You can read much more about their decision and watch this video summarizing the selection:

Photo Credit: 2011 Chevrolet Volt in Production by ibmphoto24

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Untitled by Brooke Pennington

The federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) requires states to prepare state rail plans in order to receive federal rail grants. The Michigan Department of Transportation is in the early stages of putting Michigan's rail plan together, but public participation and input is required for a successful state rail plan.

To that end, the Michigan Environmental Council and the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers are hosting a series of public Michigan By Rail forums across the state. The forums are intended to begin the discussion of what our future passenger rail system should look like and how it should operate. The forums will include:

• An overview of the state's existing rail system
• An interactive rail mapping session
• A discussion of public financing issues for rail projects and service
• A statewide vision for freight, intercity passenger and commuter rail

Bullet Train by Andy Tanguay

A few have already happened but most are still upcoming. You should probably check their current schedule before heading to a forum, but here are the dates as of now:

• (Jul 22) Traverse City, (Aug 19) New Buffalo
• (Aug 26) Jackson
• (Sep 8 or 9) St. Joseph/Benton Harbor
• (Sep 15) Dearborn
• (Sep 22-24) Holland
• (Oct 14) Grand Rapids
• (Oct 27-29) Detroit
• (Nov 17-19) Kalamazoo
• (Dec 2) Muskegon
• (Dec 7-9) Ann Arbor

The Michigan train slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool has some great shots of rail & trains, and if you want to get a sense of what railroads have meant to Michigan, check out Tracks Through Time, the Delta College/PBS documentary of the history of railroads in Michigan:

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Acid Mine Drainage by savethewildup

In Is Michigan's BP Disaster Brewing in the UP? addressing the Kennecott Eagle Mine north of Marquette, the Center for Michigan's Phil Power writes:

Today, TV screens, newspapers and the Internet are consumed worldwide with the horrendous British Petroleum oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico, now believed to be the greatest man-made environmental disaster in our history, if not that of the planet.

But something eerily similar is going on, far from the cameras, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula near the tiny village of Big Bay.

There, a company with a history as one of America's greatest polluters is now planning to mine for copper and nickel right under one of Michigan's most uniquely famous trout steams.

Michigan US Representative Bart Stupak draws parallels between the BP disaster in the Gulf and Michigan's first sulfide mine. He writes:

Mining has been done safely to the benefit of the Upper Peninsula economy for generations, but the sulfide mine proposed in Marquette County by the Kennecott Minerals Company raises concerns that have yet to be adequately addressed.

Both BP and Kennecott's parent company, London-based Rio Tinto, have earned reputations for their willingness to cut corners on safety and environmental safeguards to improve their bottom lines.

...Unfortunately Michigan's mining laws fall short of holding Kennecott accountable. State permits were approved without requiring an Environmental Impact Statement and without independent baseline hydrological and geological studies. Because there is no evidence of the environment's condition before Kennecott starts mining, there is no way to prove what damage they cause.

We should heed the lessons we have learned from the Gulf spill. Weak state regulations in place for sulfide mining are worthless without proper enforcement. Given Michigan's continuing budget problems, it seems unlikely the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment will have adequate resources to ensure Kennecott is complying with safety and environmental standards. Kennecott should be responsible for providing the state with the funding needed for these inspectors.

You may also want to check out Jack Lessenberry's interview with Phil Power of The Center for Michigan about sulfide mining in Michigan.

Even now, some such as Representative Jason Allen are calling for reduced regulation of mining. The Kennecott Mine is only the first of many sulfide mines and even uranium mines that are being explored in Michigan. At a time when we are still coming to grips with the devastation that a poorly regulated company with an inadequate disaster plan has inflicted on one of America's water playgrounds, is it really a wise idea to rush into a   that could destroy our water playground?

We'll close with the US Environmental Protection Agency's report on acid mine drainage (pdf), and maybe you can tell me how this fits in with "Pure Michigan":

The formation of mine acid drainage and the contaminants associated with it has been described by some as the largest environmental problem facing the U.S. mining industry.

...Acid mine drainage from coal and mineral mining operations is a difficult and costly problem. In the eastern U.S., more than 7,000 kilometers of streams are affected by acid drainage from coal mines. In the western U.S., the Forest Service estimates that between 20,000 and 50,000 mines are currently generating acid on Forest Service lands, and that drainage from these mines is impacting between 8,000 and 16,000 kilometers of streams. In addition to the acid contribution to surface waters, AMD may cause metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, silver, and zinc to leach from mine wastes.

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Oldsmobile by NewCityOne

The Detroit Free Press reports that in a speech yesterday in Youngstown, Ohio, President Barack Obama announced that:

Leftover and abandoned factories from the remnants of General Motors' past could be used to lure new builders of energy-efficient technology to Michigan under the $836-million plan revealed Tuesday by the Obama administration.

The trust fund, which has to be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, will see Michigan get $161 million for its old GM sites, such as Buick City in Flint, the Pontiac Centerbridge campus and the site of the former Lansing Oldsmobile plant.

...The trust would use no new government money. Motors Liquidation was given $1.2 billion for wind-down costs by the U.S. Treasury as part of GM's bankruptcy in 2009, along with 10% of new GM's equity and warrants for an additional 15% should claims against it total more than $35 billion.

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Lillgrund by axelivarsson

Early in February, Grand Valley State University's Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center and the University of Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute received $1.34 million in state grants to explore the feasibility of offshore wind turbines on Lake Michigan.

Although this study is not yet even off the ground, Scandia Wind and Havgul Clean Energy have already jumped beyond feasibility to propose a massive offshore wind farm. Green Beat notes that Great Lakes wind farms are failing the NIMBY test. The Michigan Policy Network notes that in a rare display of timeliness, a pair of bills are attempting to address industrial wind power in the Great Lakes:

In Michigan, one of our most promising options for renewable energy is electricity generating wind turbines. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Michigan has the potential for 16,560 Megawatts of wind energy, making us the biggest stakeholder in wind energy east of the Mississippi River. Despite that fact, we lag far behind many other eastern states in actual installed capacity. Why is that? Wind energy will last as long as the earth's atmosphere is in place, emits no greenhouse gases, and the average wind turbine generates enough electricity to 'pay back' its energy cost of production and transportation in a few months. What's not to like?

Well, wind energy happens to be generated with turbines on top of very tall towers, with rotor diameters often measuring 100 meters across. These turbines stick out in a natural landscape like a sore thumb, and create considerable noise. They have also been proven to kill birds and bats which fly into the rapidly spinning rotors...

Policy makers are now scrambling to lay down guidelines for how this rapidly expanding industry will be regulated. Senate bill 1067 compels the Michigan public service commission to create rules and procedures for the permitting, site selection, and fee regulation of offshore wind farms. A key piece of this legislation is ‘the preservation of the public trust in lands and waters of the Great Lakes', which means that the needs and wants of wind energy developers must not infringe on the needs and wants of the rest of the Lake's stakeholders. That includes the tourism industry and the cottage owners who bought their property with an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan in mind. House bill 5761 amends the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to provide for a public notice and comment/review process before any aspect of wind farm infrastructure can be developed. In this way, the public has a venue in which to voice their concerns with any proposed wind farm development.

mLive has a lot more about the controversy and legislation. Check it out and let us know what you think about this in the comments. One thing is certain: We'll be hearing a whole lot about wind power in the Great Lakes in 2010.

The photos above are from the Lillgrund Wind Farm, the third largest wind farm in the world which generates .33 Terawatts per year. Have a look at axelivarsson's slideshow, and consider that the wind farm proposed one off Ludington would be almost 5 times that size.

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The Last Paczki by cseeman

While groundhogs are a sign of spring's approach around the country, the appearance of paczkis in grocery stores in Michigan lets you know that spring is not too far off. Our Fat Tuesday Paczki Day page on Absolute Michigan will load you up with 110% of the USRDA on these sugary treats that are a Michigan tradition.

If you're looking to work off all those extra calories, Seeking Michigan has a cool feature on the real father of The Twist, Detroiter Hank Ballard. Click through to read it and we'll let Ballard take us out with his rendition of The Twist.

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Enrico Fermi 2 by daryl.larkin

Michigan Solar Solutions says that Michigan is Poised for 'Solar Explosion' in 2010:

According to company President Mark Hagerty, the year is shaping up to be "a perfect storm for solar" in the state.

"Many people think that solar won't work in Michigan because it's too cold and it doesn't get as much sun as other places, but that's misconstrued," Hagerty said. "Michigan has an average of 4.2 hours of peak sunlight per day each year. Florida, the 'Sunshine State' only has about five hours. Solar panels are less efficient the hotter they get and actually produce more power when it gets cooler. While the Southwest may get more hours of sun, the panels produce less voltage per peak hour because of the heat." He added that in 2008, his company's solar panels produced 1.2 times the rated output at 10 degrees below zero.

One reason Hagerty says Michigan is the place for solar power in 2010: rising electricity prices and increasing state and federal incentives mean that renewable energy has never been cheaper.

Now you have to figure that a company called Michigan Solar Solutions is going to be pretty bullish on solar energy, but we did a little checking and found that Michigan is a lot better than you might think for sun power:

• Solar Power Rocks lists Michigan State Solar Power Rebates, Tax Credits, and Incentives (there's a lot of them)
• The Michigan Dept of Labor & Economic Growth's Wind & Solar pages are packed with info including the Michigan Renewable Energy Program and this Solar Power Tour of Michigan (pdf)
• Michigan Advantage lists some success stories and talks about Solar Incentives for businesses
• If you're looking for someone to help you explore solar at your home or business, try the Solar Energy Businesses in Michigan (almost 60 listed).
• ...and every June there's the Michigan Energy Fair.

I'll bet there's a lot more solar energy info for Michigan out there - share it in the comments!

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Acid Mine Drainage by savethewildup

In an article on ABC news, John Flesher wites:

Michigan regulators gave final approval Thursday to a nickel and copper mine for the Upper Peninsula, despite opponents' fears it would pollute streams that feed Lake Superior and provide habitat for a rare type of trout.

Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co. said it hoped to begin construction this year on what would be the nation's only mine where nickel is the primary target, not just a byproduct from extraction of other minerals.

But foes were planning court appeals, insisting the project would violate environmental standards set in recent years as mining companies stepped up explorations of deposits in the state's mineral-rich northlands.

"Strong Michigan laws were written specifically to protect Michigan's waters, including the Great Lakes, from toxic byproducts this mining will create," said Hugh McDiarmid Jr., spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council.

The state Department of Environmental Quality granted two permits — one to build and operate the mine in the remote Yellow Dog Plains region of Marquette County, and the other to discharge treated wastewater underground.

Read the release from mining company Kennecott Eagle and reaction at Save the Wild UP.

We at Absolute Michigan have long been advocating against opening up Michigan to sulfide mining, a chemical process that has killed numerous rivers in the West. Read about acid mine drainage from the EPA.

The National Wildlife Federation plans an appeal, but it appears that Michigan's best hope is a 2010 Ballot Measure. As this video says, there's no Pure Michigan without Pure Water:

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Windmill by reddeviltj

University of Michigan student Aubrey Ann Parker is in Copenhagen and blogging for the Detroit Free Press about her experiences and observations at the 15th Conference of the Parties United Nations Climate Change Convention. Wherever you come down in the climate debate, I think it's instructive to hear about the issues and actions that are being discussed. In Copenhagen's offshore wind industry shows global potential she asks a very simple question that's been on my mind for a few years:

Why aren't we using our technical expertise and warehouses full of machinery equipment to help optimize wind turbines that could be used throughout the world? This morning I attended a three-hour tour to Middelgrunden Wind Farm, just off the coast of Copenhagen. Luckily this tour didn't turn out like Gilligan's, because the temperature was below freezing.

The tour highlighted several speakers from the wind energy industry, all of which mentioned the need for better turbine design so that wind energy can become more affordable for consumers. They stressed the importance of new technology to overcome the learning curve in an industry that is still fairly young (only 30 years old for onshore turbines, and less than 10 years for offshore). But the potential is there, and estimates say the demand is growing fast.

Why not indeed? That Michigan hasn't trained its manufacturing might upon  this exploding global market seems to me indicative of a profound lack of vision on the part of our business and political leaders.

You can read more from Aubrey and other UM students on the Michigan at Cop15 blog.

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It Must be Maker Faire time!
by Erik Charlton

In Maker Faire Detroit 2010, Dale Dougherty of Make Magazine announces the first-ever Maker Faire Detroit,  July 31-August 1, 2010 at The Henry Ford Museum :

Last summer, after our Maker Faire in the Bay Area, I had a couple of speaking engagements in the Detroit area. One was at a Go Tech meeting in Ann Arbor, at the A2 MechShop. I had many people asking about a Maker Faire in Detroit and insisting that it would mean a lot to a region that was going through hard times. On the same trip, I met with curators at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and they too were interested in seeing a Maker Faire happen. Walking through the museum, I saw not just the creations of American makers, but the workshops of people like Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers, not to mention Henry Ford. I couldn't help but think what inspiration today's makers would find in the 100-year old legacy of the Model T, along with so many other important examples of how technology has changed our lives.

I'm happy to announce today that we have partnered with The Henry Ford Museum to create a Maker Faire in 2010 in the Detroit area. The dates will be July 31-August 1, 2010.

I look at it as a wonderful opportunity to showcase the technical and creative talent of the region, which was once the most productive city in America. Detroit needs to retool and rethink its opportunities, and quite frankly, I find this an exciting opportunity to be part of. If the manufacturing skills and design prowess of Detroit can be married to the tools for communication and expression that the Internet provides, something big will come of it. Already today, you can see the seeds growing. There's the emergence of hackerspaces like I3 Detroit and All Hands Active, co-working spaces like A2 MechShop and the Tech Brewery, and a thriving craft scene around Handmade Detroit. Add to that initiatives such as the tech incubator known as TechTown at Wayne State University and the excellent higher education system in Michigan.

Get all the details on Maker Faire Detroit at makerfaire.com and check out this awesome video from the Bay Area Maker Faire:

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model T, by artsy T by artsy_T

Our battered Michigan auto industry still has a trick or two up its sleeve. A couple of weeks ago, Michigan Radio had a feature on inflatable rear seat belts that will be offered as an option on next year's Ford Explorer. Seat belts have saved an estimated 170,000 lives since they were introduced in 1968, and they talked with Ford's senior technical leader for safety, Steve Rouhana about the rear seat belts that inflate at a lower speed than front-seat air bags (and scroll down for a video of the belts in action):

"Because this belt inflates and increases in size to about five times the area on the chest, it reduces the pressure on the chest -- which reduces the risk of chest injury," says Rouhana.

The air bags could be of special benefit to elderly, frail people who might otherwise suffer cracked ribs or other injuries from seat belts.

Rouhana says it's expected the devices will provide even more protection for children.

"As a child is moving forward (after an accident), the tube catches the chin, in the dummy testing we've done, we've shown lower neck loads, which means lower risk of neck injury as well."

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Life Magazine has a feature titled WWII: How Detroit Won The War that provides an excellent photographic look at how the Motor City retooled to become "The Arsenal of Democracy". Photos include Chrysler's Tank Assembly, Dodge's military vehicle production and Willow Run Bomber Plant where more than 18,000 B-24 Liberators were built between 1940 and 1945. They note that the auto industry's contribution to the war effort was valued at more than $50 billion worth of materials - an astounding 20% of the nation's war production.

You can see a ton more photos of the Willow Run Bomber Plant right here that provide a fascinating look into what Charles Lindbergh called "the Grand Canyon of the mechanized world." Here's the story of Willow Run (and how many newsreels did this guy voice??):

Photo Credit: Library of Congress photo LC-USE6- D-008797, Howard R. Hollem, photographer. Production. B-24E (Liberator) bombers at Willow Run. Looking up one of the assembly lines at Ford's big Willow Run plant, where B-24E (Liberator) bombers are being made in great numbers. The Liberator is capable of operation at high altitudes and over great ranges on precision bombing missions. It has proved itself an excellent performer in the Pacific, in Northern Africa, Europe and the Aleutians. Ford's Willow Run Plant, Michigan

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