Superman by sullivan06

OK, so jumping out of your chair at work and dancing? That's not gonna help.

1. The office does offer a strategy though. With highs today in most of Michigan into the upper 90s and a chance of topping 100 on Thursday, air conditioners are one of your best friends. FOX-17 offers some tips for maximizing their effectiveness including drawing the blinds so they don't have to work as hard. If your workplace has A/C, today is probably a good day to work late.

2. Fortunately, Michigan has its own A/C in the form of 300+ named rivers, over 11,000 lakes (take THAT Minnesota) and the big ones: Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and the best lake for a day like today, mighty (cold) Lake Superior. The water temperature in Superior by Marquette today is in the 60s - maybe it's time for a trip to the U.P.! Even if you can't make it, Michigan boasts tons of parks with water access, so cut out to the beach or float down a river today. Sunscreen is of course, a must.

Smile + Flow by Ralph Krawczyk Jr

3. Speaking of water, the Freep reminds us to drink lots of water in a cool feature that includes photos of how some Metro Detroiters are beating the heat. Water can get a little old after the 10th glass, so try one of my favorites - make a batch of lemonade and add some Michigan tart cherry concentrate for a tart & refreshing drink!

4. Have you felt guilty for not taking advantage of Michigan's incredible variety of museums & libraries? This week is a perfect time to take some time to explore with family & friends. Pure Michigan has a nice list of Michigan museums and you can get lots more art museums and historical museums & libraries from Absolute Michigan!

5. At the end of the day, it's almost impossible to avoid the heat on a day like today. A good piece of advice is remember February and revel in it!

Let us know other ideas to beat the heat in Michigan in the comments, and if anyone out there has a heat-beating product, tell us about it below.  If you want, email me and we'll give it away to our email list!

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The Elusive Black Morel
by cedarkayak

1. Morechella, true morels, are a honeycomb-like mushroom that  are prized by chefs the world over. The Great Morel Homepage can take you a lot deeper with links about the science of  these woodland delicacies. If you're looking for information about hunting morels this feature on Leelanau.com has some great tips to help you hunt and to be a good citizen of Morel Nation. Ed Vielmetti in Ann Arbor has a bunch more thoughts on the hunt.  MichiganMorels.com has tons of information as well about where to look, saying: Black morel habitats includes Ash, Fruit and Aspen trees (also known as: Popple or Poplar) or even lawns and fields.White (yellow) morels especially like Elm, Fruit trees, and Maple. And in southern Michigan, the Tulip Poplar tree is a good host.

2. When you find morels, you're going to want to cook them. The easiest tip is to soak them and rinse very well - they do have a lot of "grit" - and then fry them in butter. You can of course do a lot more with them. Check that Leelanau.com article and the recipes page at The Great Morel (one suggests a Michigan Dry Riesling pairing - we couldn't agree more!). Even if you don't find morels, you can buy them from Michigan-based Earthy Delights. On their recipes page they offer several ideas including Spring Wild Harvest Ragout With Fiddlehead Greens & Morels!

My favorite part of Spring by Apocaplops

3. Michigan loves its morels and we have two great morel celebrations. The first happens this weekend: the annual Mesick Morel Festival (May 6-8, 2011). The second is the National Morel Mushroom Festival in Boyne City which takes place May 12-15, 2011. When you click that link you'll hear the strains of the Mushroomers Waltz, and when you visit the festival, you'll have a chance to taste an incredible array of morel dishes and enjoy an experience much like  Absolute Michigan did a couple of years ago.

4. Finding morels means knowing what they look like, and being able to distinguish them from poisonous false morels. You can see a whole bunch in the Michigan Morel Slideshow from the  Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr, including one from Sunday posted by the Honor Motel.  Michigan in Pictures has a bagful of photos and articles about morels as well. If you want to share YOUR photos with us, add them to the .Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr or post them to the Absolute Michigan Facebook!

5. There's a bunch of great videos out there on morels including a sweet time lapse of a morel growing over 8 days by Ken Scott, a nice tour of the Michigan woods in morel season, one with Zachary Trost and morel expert Tom Nauman and a very nice primer to morel hunting from Country Living. I have to go with my buddy Tony Williams and the Boyne City Morel Fest - enjoy and good hunting!!

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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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Face Plant by by Rudy Malmquist

We try to be as positive as possible, but I do hope that everyone (and yes, I'm looking at you elected officials) is preparing to need to do extraordinary things to keep our state and the people in it afloat.

1. Jack Lessenberry spoke with Ismael Ahmed, director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, who worries that Michigan is nearing the cliff, staring down:

...an explosion in poverty, in need, in families slipping below the water line, just at a time when he knows he is going to have to do much, much more with less money...

(Ahmed says) "We've seen a dramatic increase in poverty in the state. More than one-fourth of children are living in poverty. "More than 2 million people are living below the poverty line, and that's still increasing. And when you count people who are working but who just don't make enough to live, that increases to about a third of the state."

2. When we look at our massive deficit, it's instructive to look at what's behind it. Peter Luke at mLive points out that tax cuts have left Michigan unable to invest in itself:

The Headlee amendment to the Michigan Constitution is simple. The state can collect up to 9.49 percent of personal income in taxes and fees approved by the Legislature. Anything over that has to be returned to taxpayers. The aim was to cap the growth of government.

...in funding essential services, state government in 2010 will collect a little more than half -- $14 billion-- of what the father of the modern conservative movement in Michigan thought appropriate.

For all the hand-wringing over how to return to prosperity, Michigan is unable to make long-term investments in its future.

Luke gets bashed in the comments on his article, but the case he makes that we have cut ourselves into a corner is worth a little thought.

3. On the bright side, the Michigan Policy Network says that our corner is nowhere near as dark as California's:

The projected FY2009 budget gap is 672 million dollars. This number is significant, and additional cuts or tax increases are needed to stabilize Michigan's economy. However, this budget deficit is only 2.9% of the size of the total projected budget, a comparatively small margin. While the situation seems significant, consider California. The nation's biggest state has an astounding projected deficit of 35.9 billion dollars. That's 35.5% of the total projected 2009 budget.

4. The Freep takes a look at a few measures designed to spark our sputtering economy.

5. Finally, I'd like to direct you over to Michigan in Pictures where you can see this photo from the pentax hammer bigger and hopefully take a little hope into your day from these words:

In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
~ Albert Camus

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Detroit Riverwalk at Sunset #2 by epeoples

The Sweet 16 of Detroit's Development Scene

Model D got into the March Madness Mood with 16 Sweet Developments in Detroit. The feature lists some great projects like RiverWalk, Hatch HQ, Dequindre Cut and the Tiger Stadium redevelopment and also general trends like better food, a facelift for the arts and Open City, an informal networking group in which business ownders share tips about real estate, start-up financing, marketing and other thorny issues with folks starting businesses. One thing is clear - there's an energy in the D that can't help but benefit the city and the rest of the state.

Mortgage Crisis Hits Hard in Michigan...

It's probably a surprise to nobody that Michigan is near the top (#6, see Freep article) in real estate foreclosures. While 75% of foreclosed homes are located in southeast Michigan (according to WZZM, Grand Rapids), the effects of the mortgage crisis are dropping home values statewide (Gaylord Herald Times, WOOD-TV Grand Rapids), making it difficult to sell even "dream homes" up north (Detroit News) and even tightening commercial credit (mLive).

Commercial Real Estate Hit too ... by the Legislature

When residential markets collapse, commercial buyers often move in and soften the impact by buying foreclosed properties. The Kalamazoo Gazette's business writer Alex Nixon has an informative (though depressing) look at how Michigan's new business tax is imposing 200% or greater tax increases on commercial real estate. While it makes some sense due to the fact that the old SBT was payroll based, it is proving challenging to many in the industry. (thanks to Real Estate Bloggers for the tip)

So Where's the Silver Lining?

One of the things that we always try to do is find the good in the news. While the whole homes & real estate picture is pretty gloomy, here's a couple of thoughts. One is that while the drop in real estate value is bad for home owners, those who are seeking to buy are - when they can get credit - finding good value in Michigan. Many of those are young families, something that might help stem our population loss over the long haul. A second is that the difficulties are forcing Michigan to take the lead in confronting the foreclosure tide that is rising all across the nation. Whether our political leaders and institutions can rise to the challenge is an open question, but it seems to me that items like this bill aimed at providing transition loans for ARM holders through the Michigan Housing Development Authority are a step in the right direction.

Detroit Riverwalk at Sunset

Detroit Riverwalk at Sunset #2 by epeoples is one of a number found in a search for riverwalk in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. Many are from the Detroit Riverwalk, and all show something that is another amazing thing about making Michigan your home: the magic of our water.

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Spring Training with the Detroit Tigers

Last year on Absolute Michigan we compiled what probably remains the definitive resource on the Detroit Tigers and spring training. It has loads of information about spring training tickets, Lakeland, Florida and Joker Marchant Stadium and also lists some of the bloggers who are covering the Boys in Blue, which brings us to...

Pepper

Lakeland Local (an honorarily arbitrary Michigan blog for Spring Training) opened Spring Training with a great roundup titled simply: Yes! Roar of the Tigers offered some love-ly lights and noted that although Pitchers and Catchers reported on Valentine's Day, Tom Gage of the Detroit News tried to RUIN IT ALL by writing that Brandon Inge may still be traded. Detroit Tigers Weblog covered Inge-gate as well and also Manager Jim Leyland's concern about the bullpen. Batting cleanup and already swinging for next year, Mack Avenue Tigers looked at a number of closer scenarios (Rodney, Zumaya, John Hiller) including the possibility of K-Rod (Francisco Rodriguez) sliding into the closer role in 2009. And also, as the setup man for the next bit, All-Star Tiger newcomers Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, who says "I see next to my locker, I see [Gary] Sheffield, I see [Edgar] Renteria, Magglio [Ordonez]. I'm excited, you know? It's like a dream come true."

Cabrera by hueytaxi

Flickr's man on the scene in Lakeland is Roger DeWitt aka hueytaxi. His spring training tag has hundreds of photos that capture the Tiger ballplayers amidst the casual atmosphere of the grapefruit league: signing autographs, working out, superstitiously stepping over random bits of concrete, getting re-acquainted with baseballs, forgetting which sport they're playing or just flashing a big old "the weather's warm and I have the best lineup in baseball" smile. Roger is a regular contributor at Motownsports.com.

Best. Lineup. Ever.

If The Google is to be considered as the foremost authority on pretty much everything, then Tiger fans can take heart in the fact that 2 of the first 10 results - and the only two that mention a specific teams lineup - for the search of "best baseball lineup ever" are for the Tigers. Over at Spring Training '08 you can see how the Tigers stack up against the rest of Major League Baseball and see their projected 2008 starting lineup and position battles. You can follow along all season at Absolute Michigan keyword Tigers.

Fire up the YouTube...

The Detroit News has a team in Lakeland and they're sending back some quality reports on Spring Training that can be found on David Coates' channel on YouTube. Below is one featuring Miguel Cabrera ... play ball!

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Today is Paczki Day

The Polish News explains that in Polish American communities, Pazcki Day is celebrated on "Fat Tuesday" - the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (today). Polish paczki (filled doughnuts or Bismarks, pronounced "poonch-key") are traditionally eaten. The city of Hamtramck has an annual Paczki-Day Parade, and lines can be seen up to 24 hours before the deep-fried delights go on sale at the numerous local bakeries.

Federal Budget not kind to Michigan

In Budget bleak for Michigan the Detroit News reports that President Bush's proposed budget doesn't have a whole lot of good news for Michigan. Michigan will take cuts in energy assistance to the poor and Medicare and also cuts programs that some Michigan startups are relying on for funding including hydrogen fuel cell vehicle research and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

Street Art - Manistique Lighthouse

Who better to answer an uncertain future and the call of eating a whole lot of sugary pastries than Big Boy? Of this photo, whitewaves writes: ...here Big Boy...stands upon the sign holding a Burger staring out at Lake Michigan... off in the distance you see historic Manistique light house.. sometimes i wonder at what point as a civilization did we decided to pave America with strip malls...

Big Boost for Michigan Film Incentives?

mLive has a feature by AP writer David Eggert that says that Michigan lawmakers are weighing the best tax incentives for filmmakers in the nation. Michigan currently offers rebates up to 20%, and while those were among the best in the nation for a week or so when they were passed in 2006, they are closer to the middle of the pack according to the Michigan Film Office. In addition to boosting rebates to 40%, Lawmakers are considering additional incentives for companies that hire and/or train Michigan-based workers instead of flying in crew from outside the state.

Hamtramck, Michigan

The City of Hamtramck says that the area was originally settled by the French who came largely from Quebec, named after a French Revolutionary War hero, Colonel Jean Francois Hamtramck and - with Detroit, Mackinaw and Sergeant - was one of four Wayne County townships. In the 1920s and 30s Poles and Eastern Europeans flocked to the city, drawn by auto industry jobs and their influence remains in the names and culture of the city. The city's population was 22,976 in 2000 (Wikipedia). In addition to a suprising number of cool and offbeat articles, Absolute Michigan keyword Hamtramck features the Hamtramck Star, a web site with great photos and writing about the city.

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So maybe we're not a Single State after all

In Driving Towards Disaster, Newsweek says "If you want to see what hard times look like, come to Michigan" and suggests that maybe many of the factors that landed us in the ditch - $100-a-barrel oil, the credit crisis, globalization - also are preying on the rest of the nation and that perhaps Michigan is more of a canary in the coalmine than the hackneyed "single-state recession" we've been written off as for the past several years. If that's the case, might I suggest that a short term cash giveaway might not be sufficient to transform our national economy?

Miss America 2008, Kirstin Haglund

Farmington Hills resident Kirsten Haglund was crowned Miss America 2008 on Saturday night (YouTube video). Haglund was named Miss Michigan in 2007 and her chosen cause was raising awareness about eating disorders. In their article about her pageant win, the Detroit News notes that Michigan's last Miss America was Kaye Lani Rae Rafko of Monroe in 1988. I have to note that in an effort to re-energize the show, the people who come up with such ideas decided on Miss America: Reality Check wherein 52 beauty queens live in one house and get ready for the pageant. I'm not seeing the reality here...

The North Coast Project Takes Off

The Center for Michigan featured this article about the North Coast Project by former Farmington Hills mayor Vicki Barnett (seriously, I had no idea of the Farmington Hills thing when I clipped this last week). She notes that taken as a whole, the Great Lakes States form the third largest economy in the world with more of the world's top 100 universities of any region on Earth, 1/3 of America's university graduates and 1/3 of our nation's patents. Despite these achievements, our region commercializes only a scant percentage of these patents and continues to bleed jobs and commerce to a global economy. The solution? Form an economic alliance and develop a common North Coast agenda. Count me in.

Evergreen in Fog by Burton Warpup

Well, since the sub-theme is Farmington Hills and the stories were so darn big, there was no choice but to use this photo of a massive pine from Farmington Hills.

Farmington Hills, Michigan

Wikipedia's entry on Farmington Hills notes that the first settlers in Farmington Township were Quakers and that with a 2000 population of 82,111, it's the most populous city in Oakland County. As a measure of just how up-to-date Wikipedia is, the entry also says it's the home to Miss America 2008 (and also Mork & Mindy's Pam Dawber). The web site of the City of Farmington Hills says that city hosts a great concentration of advanced manufacturing research, engineering and design firms and in addition to a number of these businesses, the Absolute Michigan search for Farmington Hills notes that the city is home to the Golf Association of Michigan and The Holocaust Memorial Center, the nation's first museum dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust. As with everywhere else in Michigan, it'll be warm in Farmington Hills today: up to 50!

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Great Lakes Town Hall turns two

In December 2005, an online social network called the Great Lakes Town Hall was formed with idea of uniting communities throughout the Great Lakes region. Every week, the site features an expert writing essays in their Opinion Forum about some aspect of life in the Great Lakes basin. Two years and 1,400 original essays later, they're hoping you'll take some time to share your thoughts on the site's future. And yes, my friend Dick Huey is there this week with some interesting observations about real estate.

Wake up and smell the future

In Pointing at Vesuvius, The Center for Michigan's John Bebow looks at last week's visit by U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker as part of the Fiscal Wake Up Tour. The central argument is that the rapidly rising costs of Medicare, Social Security and long-term obligations like the interest on the national debt "will create a tsunami if we don't do something about it." Numbers like $50 trillion can seem abstract but the $440,000 for every household in the United States. MSU economist Charles Ballard brought it home for the crowd by noting that "Michigan's policies have been distressingly consistent with the short-sighted policies at the federal level."

KAP Muskegon State Park by snapshot720

In case you're wondering, "KAP" stands for "Kite Aerial Photography" and this photo is a great example of why you might send your camera up into the sky. It shows the WWII era USS Silversides SS-236 and the prohibition era USCGC McLane in their berths at the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum in Muskegon. He notes that the Silversides is 312' long but only 27' wide. This is one of a set of photos he took from Muskegon State Park.

MiLife, MiTimes, MiUltimateguidetonewmedia, MiBraindrain?

It's the season of giving and the folks at MiLife MiTimes have created The Ultimate Guide to New Media in Michigan in appreciation of all the young, creative, innovative, outgoing and optimistic folks in Michigan. They list a lot of favorites and some I hadn't see like the Detroit Fashion Pages. Somehow Absolute Michigan made their list too - must have been a typo on age verification form. Also don't miss publisher Eric Cedo's dismantling of the Michigan "brain drain" myth.

Muskegon, Michigan

Wikipedia's entry for Muskegon says that settlement of the city began in earnest in 1837 and that during the lumbering era, Muskegon was known as "Lumber Queen of the World" and boasted more millionaires than any other town in America. The city's population as of 2000 was 40,105. Absolute Michigan keyword Muskegon would like you to know about the Inside Muskegon Podcast (who has today posted podcast #100), the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and the Muskegon County Convention & Visitor's Bureau.

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Day off at the DIA by buckshot.jones

Big Numbers for Mackinac Island

In their Island Destinations Rated: North America, National Geographic Traveler gave their highest North American rating (80) to Michigan's Mackinac Island. They note that while the downtown can be a overcrowded, the island is a great example of conservation / preservation / education all converging in a project that the local community clearly benefits from and is proud of. I'll point you to Absolute Michigan keyword Mackinac Island for a ton of links including Destination: Michigan visits Mackinac Island. I'll also say that I think that elements of what they've done right could be translated to other areas in Michigan.

Big Makeover for the DIA

Joining the major magazine parade (and after delivering the obligatory crime spiel), Newsweek takes a look at the recently completed major facelift of the Detroit Institute of Arts in Makeover For a Motor City Gem. They say the DIA may be the greatest of Motor City treasures: It is stuffed with masterpieces—including Greek and Roman antiquities, eight paintings by Rubens, Bruegel's "The Wedding Dance," the first van Gogh to enter an American museum (a self-portrait, bought in 1922) and the spectacular 1933 Diego Rivera mural cycle, "Detroit Industry."

Day off at the DIA by buckshot.jones

Today's photo by buckshot.jones is one of a number of photos of the DIA in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr. Scott has a lot of great photos of Detroit in his Detroit & Metro Area photo set and all kinds of other places. He also had a really cool photo of Detroit's Joe Louis memorial featured on Michigan in Pictures last week.

Big Coal in Michigan

The Freep reported last week that while Gov. Jennifer Granholm was in California touting Michigan as a center of new energy technology, seven new coal-fueled power plants are formally proposed or under serious discussion in Michigan. Right now, coal produces almost 2/3 of Michigan's energy and there's a nationwide rush of permit applications due to expected tighter restrictions in the pipeline. If you're so inclined, you can sign a petition at nocoalrush.com.

Big Rapids, Michigan

The City of Big Rapids was settled in 1851 by John Parish (more on their Big Rapids history page). It is home to Ferris State University and (according to Wikipedia's Big Rapids entry) it's the county seat of Mecosta County with a population of 10,849. Absolute Michigan keyword Big Rapids says that every July they hold the Mecosta County Free Fair and that it's the hometown of May Erlewine aka Daisy May. Speaking of music and festivals, the Wheatland Music Festival is held in September not far from Big Rapids!

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Tayshaun by radiospike

If you can't afford a hybrid, go PB&J

Via Michigan-based blog Scientific Ink, I learned that A PB&J will slow global warming, reducing your carbon footprint by saving the equivalent of 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over an average animal-based lunch like a hamburger, a tuna sandwich, grilled cheese, or chicken nuggets. That's about 40% of what you'd save driving around for the day in a hybrid instead of a standard sedan and it also saves water, land and the fats in PB&J aren't as bad as you might think!

Prince Kicks Down

Sports Illustrated reports in A prince among men that last week Pistons' star Tayshaun Prince and his wife Farah purchased and redecorated a luxury suite at the Palace to donate to Kids Kicking Cancer, a Detroit-based charity that uses martial arts techniques to empower hundreds of children and help them cope with their illness. Great article about a great guy and a program that really looks special (be sure to check out that link - they have an excellent video on their site from TV-4 as well).

Radiospike, Courtside

If you live in Detroit, you might know Spike aka radiospike from Mojo in the Morning. I'm not sure if these awesome courtside seats at the were a perk from that or just from living right, but he sure got some great shots in his Pistons 11-23-07 set like this one of Tayshaun Prince and this one of Chauncey Billups. The cheerleaders seem to have gotten in his way in a lot of the other photos, but I guess that's a hazard of being courtside.

Foreclosure Madness and the Motor City

Easy money, risky loans drive area home losses in the Detroit News is an excellent, in-depth feature probing the causes for the sky-high foreclosure rates of Michigan (particularly Metro Detroit) has as much to do with the mortgage industry as the auto industry in that money remained "incredibly easy to borrow." The result was a very high percentage of subprime loans - 55% in the region and 2 out of 3 in Wayne County. According to the article, the root of the problem (if indeed there is one) is the fact that loans became a Wall Street commodity, and it didn't matter if some loans went bad when the yield was that high. But as Bill Matthews, senior vice president of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors notes: "What the hedge fund manager is missing, is it's destroying communities."

Video from YOUR Town

There's no way that I'm going to feature any Michigan city or town after that story. Instead, I'll call out our new Absolute Michigan group on YouTube. We'd like you to share your videos about all aspects of the Great Lakes State - your hometown, history, fun things to do, good eats, great businesses and places to visit. We'll feature videos from the group here on Absolute Michigan!

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Quicken Chooses Detroit Yesterday's Detroit News reported that Quicken Loans has chosen to move its headquarters to Detroit:

The move, pending yearlong studies of the former Hudson's site on Woodward and vacant Statler Hotel site, would consolidate at least 4,000 employees in the new Quicken headquarters from sites in Livonia and other suburbs. It also would turbocharge a revival of downtown led by General Motors Corp., Compuware Corp., Ilitch Holdings Inc., new casinos and a vibrant entertainment district.

A Capital Wine Experience

Worldly Wine Venues Add Class and Cachet to Mid-Michigan Social Networks from Lansing Area Capital Gains takes a look at the social impact of wine in the Lansing area. With information on the Greater Lansing Vintners Club (Michigan's largest wine club and perhaps the nation's oldest), the Grand River Connection professional networking group and Burgdorf's Winery of Haslett and others, this is well worth a read!

A Photo from Downriver

The photo is the detroit river by artsy T. She says that this photo is for all of those Detroiters who are down-river haters. She has a few more shots of Wyandotte and says that she likes the city for its art galleries and upbeat attitude. There's several more photos from Wyandotte in the Absolute Michigan pool!

A Letter from Downstream

Regular readers are aware that Absolute Michigan is pretty firmly opposed to sulfide mining on the shores of the Great Lakes. Another person who is very strongly opposed to this risky and polluting form of chemical mining is the amazingly talented Daisy May Erlewine. She has written a song called A Letter from Downstream that has been coupled with photos to form a very cool presentation. Click over to look, listen and learn!

Wyandotte, Michigan

Wikipedia's entry for Wyandotte says that it was incorporated as a city in 1867 on the location of the of the Huron tribe known as the Wyandot, part of the nation. It was from here in 1763 that Chief Pontiac plotted his attack on Detroit (detailed history from the Wyandotte Historical Museum). Today, the city of Wyandotte has a population of around 26,000. Every July, they hold the Wyandotte Street Art Fair. More links at Absolute Michigan keyword Wyandotte. Over on Michigan in Pictures, there's a feature titled Wyandotte shipbuilding, the Fitzgerald brothers and the launch of the Little Fitz that you should check out too!

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Hunting for a Clue?

The Detroit News reports that the annual legislative break for deer hunting season is five days longer than last year's and comes as they are still debating the 6 percent sales tax on services. Rep. Steve Bieda, chair of the House Tax Policy Committee thinks it's poor timing for a break and commented: "People who elect us expect us to do our jobs -- especially when there is a major problem to be addressed -- and I think the service tax falls into that category." (You have to check this out- it's a gold mine of quotes!)

Conveniently Shop Michigan

Dianna from Promote Michigan passed along this Flint Journal article about the re-branding of Quick-Sav convenience stores. The Michigan-based company's 25 Michigan stores have all been re-branded as Beacon & Bridge Market and will stock Faygo pop & Better Made potato chips of Detroit, Kar's Nuts of Madison Heights, Freestone Pickles of Bangor, Pioneer Sugar of Bay City, Kellogg's cereal of Battle Creek, Bar's Leak of Holly, doughnuts from Auntie Em's in Lansing and Flint's Country Fresh dairy products. Cool!

State Theatre Grand Opening

The historic State Theatre in Traverse City is re-opening as a full-time art house and film center. The Grand Opening is Saturday, November 17 and opening night activities include a black-tie cocktail reception and dinner at the City Opera House followed by a red carpet premiere at the State featuring a historic perspective of the theater by TC filmmaker Rich Brauer and a full-length Hollywood film premier. The Traverse City Film Festival has a whole slate of activities planned for opening week (Nov 17-25) and you can get all the information and order tickets right here.

Traverse City, in Pictures

I took the photo of the State Theatre marquee,   so I don't have to say anything more about that .... other than I'm so happy that my childhood theater will again be showing films! You can get all kinds of great photos of Traverse City and the surrounding area in the Traverse City, Michigan group on Flickr (view group slideshow).

Traverse City, Michigan

As posted yesterday, Absolute Michigan will be at the Traverse City Business Expo all day today - we'll be signing up a ton of businesses and giving away sponsorships, so check out Absolute Michigan keyword Traverse City (and also the new links) for lots of cool sites as the day progresses!

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Legislation to Repeal Service Tax Introduced

The Freep reports that although the ink is barely dry on the package that averted a governmental shutdown, legislation was introduced yesterday in the Senate to repeal a key component: the 6% service tax on a strange mix of businesses. The tax, which has drawn fire, is expected to raise about $725 million a year and legislative leaders (including Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop) oppose the repeal as they have no idea how the revenue would be replaced. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce has been vocal in their opposition, and Jack Lessenberry has an interview with the chamber's director of tax policy and economic development, Tricia Kinley.

Shutdown II: Jason Returns

Meanwhile, the "new look" Detroit News writes that lawmakers have made no visible progress on hammering out $440 million in budget-balancing cuts as the state is closing in on another shutdown deadline - appropriately scheduled for Halloween. At the present time, the largest "cut" is actually a rollback in promised increases to public schools and universities from 2.5% to 1.5%. Perhaps "cost of living" isn't in Lansing's vocabulary. Read Another shutdown of state looming in the Detroit News.

Richardson All Wet

Proving that he has mastered the art of political speech, New Mexico Governor & Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson executed a quick U-Turn from his statement that there should be a national water summit to find ways water-rich northern states could help the West, issuing a statement that "Richardson believes firmly in keeping water in its basin of origin and of the rights of states to oversee water distribution." Read the rest of the article in the Freep ... and also consider that although he took it back, there's no doubt that other folks in the chronically dry West are eying Great Lakes water. I guess a silver lining of a water-hungry south and west is that there might be some national attention (and funding) for Great Lakes environmental projects.

The Cap by Mario Q

This photo was taken on June 5, 2007, with storm clouds blowing through. Mario lives in the Lansing area and has a number of photos of Michigan's Capitol building and lots of other cool shots. Here's a link for a slideshow of photos of the Michigan Capitol from the Absolute Michigan pool!

Hell, Michigan

It seems cruel to associate any Michigan town with such a gallery of horrors, but there's one Michigan town that glories in such things. According to The Really Long History of Hell from Hell2u.com, Hell was settled by George Reeves, a man who required a bit more elbow room than most. Reeves owned the mill and made the whiskey and when asked on October 13, 1841 by the State of Michigan what to name his town, he purportedly replied, "Call it Hell for all I care, everyone else does." Heck, there's even a Hell, Michigan comic book! Wikipedia's entry on Hell, Michigan lists the population as 266 and the list an alternate and not nearly as colorful reason for Hell's name.

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Big Surf in Grand Haven

The Grand Haven Tribune has a feature on meteorologist Will Beaton, who has realized his life-long dream of surfing and reporting weather at the new web site surfgrandhaven.com developed by Masana, LLC of Grand Haven. The site features a live beachcam of Grand Haven Pier and the state park beach, wind, rip current and wave forecasts - all geared to how it will affect the surfing. This morning they were touting today as "Big Wednesday" with 8'+ waves expected. Yow!! The developers hope to eventually spread along the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Big Mining Rush is On, Deadline Looms

Michigan's first sulfide mine (Kennecott Eagle Mine, proposed near Lake Superior) has yet to be permitted, but companies are already stampeding to catalog and plunder Michigan's mineral wealth, this time on Lake Michigan near Menominee in what is being called "The Back Forty Project". An Aquila Resources spokesman pledged "a focus on the environment and noting the economic benefits that will accrue to the local community and the State of Michigan." And then there's the little matter of billions of dollars of revenue for the company and a pesky problem with the atrocious safety record of these sulfide mines (100% failure rate). Please take a moment to consider the safety record, read this editorial in the Capital Times by the author of Hiking Michigan's Upper Peninsula and comment to the DEQ before the October 17 deadline - for 100 jobs the State of Michigan is prepared to permit the first case - and far from the last - of a dangerous process that has polluted 40% of all the watersheds in the West.

Wine Grape Harvest Should Yield Big Reds

A pair of articles: Great Grapes: Harvest should yield fine wines in the Traverse City Record-Eagle and Heat Helps West Michigan Wine from WZZM TV-13 say that Michigan's vineyards are reporting a slightly smaller but very high quality crop, especially for red wines. There is talk that it might rival the 2005 vintage (considered Michigan's finest) and Bruce Simpson of Good Harbor Vineyards & Winery near Leland said "The fruit quality is superlative."(I have to quote Bruce - he's my neighbor!). Be sure to check out the video on the WZZM feature!

Migrant Workers Play Big Role in Harvest

I took the photo on Monday at Shady Lane Cellars in Leelanau County on Monday. There are more photos, and you can view them all right here. I was inspired to get out there by this great feature on migrant workers harvesting grapes the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Big Bay, Michigan

Big Bay has been in the news a lot as it's near the proposed Kennecott Eagle Mine, and many also know it as the setting for the 1959 classic Anatomy of a Murder. Wikipedia's entry on Big Bay says that as of 2000, the population was 265. Exploring the North says that the town of Big Bay is located 23 miles north of Marquette on Lake Independence, with Lake Superior to the north and east and the McCormick Wilderness Tract and the Huron Mountains to the west. Since I'm calling out friends & neighbors today, I will say that Bill & Kristi of Big Bay Outfitters are great folks and their site has some of the best info on the area (along with Big Bay Online). More links at Absolute Michigan keyword Big Bay. Like everywhere else in Michigan, Big Bay is gonna be COLD today! Windy & rainy too!!

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1957 Detroit Lions Remembered in Style

The Mackinac Bridge isn't the only thing having a 50th anniversary. Last Sunday, the Lions honored members of the 1957 championship team that beat the Browns 59-14 at Briggs Stadium ... then they proceeded to honor their memory in style by smashing the Bears with an NFL record 34 points in the 4th quarter. The team featured Hall of Fame players including Joe Schmidt, Yale Lary, Lou Creekmur, Jack Christiansen, John Henry Johnson, Frank Gatski and the colorful and charismatic Bobby Layne. The Detroit News really put together a nice tribute to the team: check out 1957 DETROIT LIONS: Their impact is still felt 50 years later, be sure to watch this awesome audio slideshow on the '57 season and also see Rearview Mirror: Bobby Layne and the Lions' glory days in the Detroit News.

Detroit's Pewabic Pottery

Model D TV producer-director Tom Hendrickson presents a cool video tour of Detroit's Pewabic Pottery, which was founded in 1903 during the Arts & Crafts Movement. They are on the National Historic Register and operate as a non-profit ceramic art education center. For more, see the Pewabic Pottery web site!

Going Up ... a little

The Michigan Business Activity Index compiled by Comerica Bank rose 3 points in August to 107. Dana Johnson, Chief Economist at Comerica Bank says "I am becoming more optimistic about Michigan's medium-term economic prospects given that GM and the UAW have agreed on a new contract and a state budget accord has been reached. However, in the near term, the local economy is likely to remain pretty stagnant, given the distress in the local housing market, and the backdrop of sluggish national growth."

Mr. History presents The Saline Mill

The aptly named Mr. History has some nice photos and history on the Saline Mill (including this 19th century view of the mill pond). He relates: In 1947 over 8 inches of rail fell near Saline and the Saline River overflowed its bank tearing up the embankment and draining all the water in the pond. it was thought that the Mill would wash away. The owner of the Mill a women named Fanny Friss decided to blow the dam up with dynamite and the mill ceased to function. Go figure.

Saline, Michigan

The Saline Historical Society says that even before the name Saline was given to the river by French explorers, Native Americans came the area to hunt & acquire salt (more on the Salt Springs) and also that a significant find of mastodon bones and footprints was made near Saline. The City of Saline agrees with Wikipedia's entry on Saline, Michigan that the population was 8,034 in 2000. Wikipedia adds that the Saline River is a tributary of the River Raisin and introduced me to the Saline Fiddlers, a school music program that looks so cool I can barely stand it! More at Absolute Michigan keyword Saline.

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(not) Getting the job done

Countdown to Chaos notes that if the Legislature and Governor fail to pass a balanced budget by Oct. 1, they will have failed to perform the only job that Michigan's Constitution requires them to do. You can click over there, read about what will be affected and (if you want) send a message to your elected officials. Does anyone else get the feeling that those on both sides of the aisle are perpetually surprised that what they do has an actual impact on Michigan?

Ben Franklin was a smart dude

Following up on the theme of "you can't expect to live in a place that's worth a darn if you don't invest in it" comes this feature from Celeste at Our Michigan titled Mr. Franklin's advice for Michigan. It's the best thing I read this week ... so go read it.

One, two, three strikes and the Tigers are out

Short of a giant meteor changing the pennant race, I have to agree with the Freep's Michael Rosenberg that the Cleveland's sweep of Detroit makes it time to look at why the Tigers missed the playoffs in 2007. He thinks it comes down to two main factors: not enough pitching and too many injuries and quotes Tiger third baseman Brandon Inge as saying: "To get to the playoffs, first off you have to have a lot of talent, which we do. Secondly, you have to stay healthy, which we did not. It makes it tough."

She blinded me with Science (blogs)

Bootstrap Analysis (of my favorite blogs) notes that The Scientist magazine is asking folks to vote for their favorite life sciences blogs. They're hoping to compile a list of the best life science blogs and with topics ranging from partial immortalization to pharma gossip to cephalopod sex, you're guaranteed to learn something. So click over, cast a comment for a favorite and find some new blogs! (I found Jacks of Science to be delightfully strange)

Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan

I got to the end and realized that in the two months since the last Five Things post, I had forgotten two of the required items: something about the photo and a profile of a place in Michigan. Using my amazing powers of wrapping stuff up in a neat package, I'm going to say that Universities count as places and give you a link to Grand Valley State University. GVSU is a four-year public university that was established in 1960 and provides a fully accredited liberal arts undergraduate and graduate education to more than 22,000 students in all kinds of programs including Health Sciences, which are taught in the GVSU Health Sciences Bldg that was so brilliantly photographed by Paul Harwood. Paul has a lot of great pics that give you a look at everyday life in Grand Rapids and the surrounding area.

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NPR had an interesting interview with Peter DeLorenzo of Autoextremist.com. Autoextremist is a site that purports to offer "the bare-knuckled, unvarnished, high-octane truth" about the challenges facing Detroit's auto industry. DeLorenzo is an auto industry consultant, and if you want octane-rich bare-knucklery with a minimum of varnish, look no further than his July 11 edition where he offers this review of the Pontiac brand:

Detroit. The legendary Pontiac names alone could power a rollcall from Detroit's golden era - Bonneville, Catalina, Tempest, Le Mans, GTO, "The Judge," Grand Prix, Firebird and Trans-Am. The rich additions to the automotive lexicon were legendary too - "389," "421," "455SD," "Tri-Power," "eight-lug" aluminum wheels, Royal Bobcats, "Endura" front bumpers, hood-mounted tachs, and on and on. And the marketing and advertising hooks were equally memorable - with the famous "Wide Track" campaign still resonating to this day. But Pontiac has suffered from neglect and abuse for years, and now GM's maverick division is on the edge of oblivion.

Detroit definitely has got the message. They are bringing out good products. Can they bring them out fast enough? That's another issue. Can they get people to buy them or consider them? That's the billion-dollar question.

Field of Schemes at Tiger Stadium

The Field of Schemes blog has been looking at what's going on with the proposed demolition of Tiger Stadium. They also link to another post listing some plans for minor league sports uses of the park that don't seem to have been given much attention. The Freep doesn't seem to have doubts, saying There's just something about old buildings in Detroit. People won't let go of them. They never want to see them demolished, no matter how bad they look. And while there is value in preservation and cherishing history, the ongoing squabble over the future of Tiger Stadium is at the point of the absurd. While it's not really on the subject, the Detroit News has a nice interview with Tiger legend (and coach) Willie Horton about the changes he's seen in baseball.

Tiger Stadium 6-26-07

Spencer Olinek took this photo of Tiger Stadium with his cell phone. He has a few more here and here and here.

Dirty business in the Great Lakes

In Banning Coal Power Plants in Ontario; Promoting Them in Michigan, Modeshift's Keith Schneider notes that as coal is phased out as a fuel source in Ontario, the province's economy is surging (including the lowest unemployment in 30 years) because of a new green, clean, land-conserving, transit-focused economic strategy. At the same time Michigan and other Great Lakes states have the highest concentration of coal-fired power plants in the nation, producing 20% of US CO2 emissions and leading the way in unemployment, outward migration and state budget deficits.

Pontiac, Michigan

The City of Pontiac is the County Seat of Oakland County and at the heart of Automation Alley. The city was founded in 1820. Two years later there were enough people there to form a village named after the famous Indian Chief who had made his headquarters in the area only a few years before. Wikipedia's entry for Pontiac lists a number of famous residents including Jack Kevorkian, Alfred Taubman and Moses Wisner, 12th Governor of Michigan (1869-1861). We've also added this info to our Absolute Michigan map of Michigan.

Absolute Michigan keyword Pontiac likes Woodward Avenue and recommends you check out the great work being done by Lighthouse of Oakland County. The Weather Underground's Pontiac weather forecast says that temps today may come close to the 2001 record high on 91Ëš. Think warm thoughts.

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Shhh. Proposed Grayling Amusement Park a Secret?

The MLUI has done some digging on Grayling's proposed Main Street America theme park we looked at last month.

GRAYLING – Citizens, local elected officials, and the Granholm administration are lining up in support of a 1,800-acre amusement park that its downstate developers propose to build on nearly three square miles of public land here, adjacent to Interstate-75. The planned amusement park promises 2,000 jobs and would be among the largest in the Midwest. But its path to construction is subject to a host of local and state environmental and land use approvals, and some of the most important early agreements and management decisions were deliberately kept secret from the public...

Read the rest of Secrecy Cloaked Proposal for Huge Theme Park from Glenn Puit of the Great Lakes Bulletin News Service.

Engage Hybrid Hyper-drive?

Monday's Freep reported that Ford Motor Co. and Southern California Edison will team up to test rechargeable hybrid vehicles in an effort to speed up mass production of the new technology. The story is also covered in Green Wombat's Ford Plugs into the Grid. While the article seems to be looking at this as an effort that will increase the speed with which plug-in hybrids get to market, I was left feeling a little depressed at how far away it appears they are from the mass market.

Electric Tie Dye

Shqipo says he had always wanted to do some long exposures during fairs and got his chance at the St. Mary's Polish Fair (the nation's largest high school fair) about a month ago. In addition to this photo, he has a really amazing set of photos from the fair that you'll want to check out (slideshow). You can also get a great listing of Michigan fairs from the Michigan Fair Association.

Big Boy says It's a Michigan Thing ... now where the heck is it?

Outlets from mLive to mLiberal are reporting that Warren-based Big Boy has launched a new "It's a Michigan Thing" multimedia marketing campaign that will include television, radio, a consumers sweepstakes, in-store materials and an interactive component where customers can blog about their favorite Michigan things. Small problem: nowhere from YouTube to Big Boy's own web site can you find anything more than the announcement. You can get more about Big Boy (and a cool photo) from Big Boy Graveyard at Michigan in Pictures.

Warren, Michigan

The headquarters of Big Boy is located in Warren. Wikipedia's Warren, Michigan entry says it's the largest city in Macomb County, largest suburb of Detroit and 3rd largest city in Michigan. Despite that fact, we're surprisingly slim on Warren listings. We do have links for a cool Warren info site - GoWarrenCity.com - and the excellent Dragonmead Microbrewery. We should say something nice about the weather too - after three days of mid 90s, Warren (like the rest of the state) will fall back to the 70s. Joy.

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Watch Sicko online ... if you want

After I read this interview with Michigan's most controversial filmmaker Michael Moore where he says he has no idea how his new documentary about the health care industry got on the internet, and that he's "...just happy that people get to see my movies," I figured it would be OK to link to a site where you can watch Sicko online. Here's the link to the official Sicko web site and also Absolute Michigan keyword theater (if you want to watch it with someone else making the popcorn).

The Birds of Brush Park

Bootstrap Analysis takes a visit to Detroit's Brush Park neighborhood to survey for birds and feed an interest in Detroit history. In addition to picking up some surprising birds - a Cooper's Hawk being pursued by an American Kestrel, and two different Gray Catbirds defending their territories - there's also a lot of photos and information on what was once the city's most posh neighborhood.

Brush Park - 291 Edmund Place

While I was tempted to trot out the ever-popular Old Slumpy today, I thought it best to choose a photo that shows the revitalization of Brush Park. The condos pictured are available to rent at edmundplace.com. Zunzuncito has a set of Brush park photos and also runs the blog Urban Dragon Hunters (about dragonflies of SE Michigan).

Michigan wines are a growth industry

In her new Michigan Grapevine blog, Cari Noga says that rather than counting the number of wineries in the state (50 or so), the best measure of success and growth is the total amount of wine these wineries are producing. In 1996, Michigan wineries made about 82,000 cases. 10 years later, we've seen almost a tenfold increase, up to 404,276 cases. She also notes that Michigan's share of wine sold within the state is increasing as well (though not at the rate of overall production). Read How much wine are we talking about, anyway?.

Fremont, Michigan

As with most of Michigan, the Fremont forecast calls for a good chance of much-needed rain. The City of Fremont (pop. 4200 or so) is located less than an hour from Grand Rapids and the Lake Michigan shore (view Google map). The Fremont Area Chamber of Commerce says that Fremont is home to the world's largest baby food company, Gerber Products. In fact, they have a National Babyfood Festival every July which Absolute Michigan keyword Fremont thinks is the coolest thing to do. For the insatiably curious, Wikipedia's Fremont entry describes how Fremont became home to Gerber Products.

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There's an interesting speech by Sen. Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek) wondering if now is a good time for members of the Senate to take a summer recess, pointing out (quite rightly) that schools, local government and others are waiting for hard numbers for the upcoming budget year. To see it, go to the Michigan Senate Democrats page and click on Mark Schauer on current budget crisis (far right). Here's a better link to Mark Schauer's comments and Senator Gretchen Whitmer's even more pointed comments on the recess. I tried to look for something to balance this ... couldn't find anything.

Canoing the Grand River

Over there Among the Trees, Eric Baerren has a great piece titled Riverside Scars about a recent canoe jaunt down the Grand River. He says that while the renovation of old buildings hide the scars of change from the street, from the river you can get a glimpse of the city through time. Go there and check it out, it's well worth your time.

Looking for Bigfoot in the U.P.

The Escanaba Daily Press reports that researchers from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) are expected to visit Marquette County July 12-15 to collect evidence of the man-like creature known as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti, The Abominable Snowman and The Missing Link. (also see LSJ's Bigfoot article). Apparently Marquette County has logged the most Bigfoot sightings with four, and in January of 2007 possible Bigfoot tracks were reported in the Gwinn area. Since we love Bigfoot here at Absolute Michigan, we had to let you know about it.

Sunrise on the Grand

Today's photo is Sunrise by koojoe2220, and he has several more photos of the Grand River in Lansing, including one of Moores Park Dam. That's probably the dam that stopped our intrepid canoeists, and it's mentioned in a very nice article about fishing on the Grand River and its tributaries.

Eaton Rapids, Michigan

In Eaton Rapids they are expecting highs in the mid 80s with rain likely. Thunderstorms are possible too, fitting as this week is Michigan Lightning Awareness week. Eaton Rapids bills itself as "the only Eaton Rapids on earth," and is located at the juncture of the Grand River and Spring Brook. The Official Eaton Rapids website claims that Eaton Rapids is also know as the "island city." Absolute Michigan keyword Eaton Rapids is pretty sure that The English Inn is a great place to stay - and eat!! Man, do we love the food at the English Inn!. Wikipedia's Eaton Rapids entry can tell you all about the demographics and geographics of Eaton Rapids, but only the Eaton Rapids live Webcam can show you the town of Eaton Rapids. Every year they hold the Dam Festival, and it will be joining up with 4th of July celebrations this year.

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Welcome to our special "Geez are we worried about the Great Lakes" edition of Five Things you need to know about Michigan...

Crown jewel of North America?

Ontario's Premier Dalton McGuinty says that the Great Lakes are a tremendous resource, it is something that people around the world recognize as being a kind of crown jewel of the North American ecosystem and we have to continue to work together to protect it. A recent report by Environment Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency paints a mixed picture of the lakes: success on cleaning up the lakes, failure on invasive species.

And just where is that water going, anyway?

Pollution and invasive species aren't all we have to worry about in regards to the Great Lakes. Detroit BikeBlog tipped us off to an article in last month's New Scientist magazine that puts it pretty plainly, declaring: Global Warming is Shrinking the Great Lakes. Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area, is experiencing its lowest water levels since the record set in 1926. Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry talks with civil engineer and a hydrologist Frank Quinn about how Lake Superior's water level affects the other lakes and business, and whether or not the current low water levels of the Great Lakes are cause for concern.

The camera doesn't lie

Completing the triple play is today's photo: Lake Superior is disappearing by Amanda Runyon. Amanda writes that the water was at least 200 feet from shore, if not more. It was sad. This photo is part of her Michigan Camping Trip set.

Detroit Bad Boys deliver an offseason wish list

The Detroit Pistons/NBA.com are featuring a guest blog from Matt Watson of the Detroit Bad Boys Pistons blog. #1 on Matt's wish list (probably topping Joe Dumars' list as well) is re-signing Chauncey Billups. He also lobbies for more playing time for Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson.

Traverse City, Michigan

Dubbed the Cherry Capital of the World, Traverse City is located at the base of Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay and hosts the National Cherry Festival, in early July every year. Traverse City also hosts the Traverse City Film Festival, and is surrounded by wineries, beaches and farms. For wine touring information, check out the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners and Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula and and vintners at My Traverse City Wine Country. Wikipedia'sTraverse City entry has a short history of the area, as well much more. Learn all about the Traverse City area at Absolute Michigan keyword Traverse City.

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OK Michigan, I have to level with you. I love to find five things about Michigan to tell you. I remember days like Tuesday, July 25, 2006 and ... well ... the day before yesterday and I can't see how I can avoid doing Five Things.

Every day can be overwhelming though, so I'll just do my best to post Five Things you need to know a few times a week, OK?

Must. Resist. Dylan reference.

One of the difficult things about linking to Michigan's major papers (Detroit's Big Two and the mLive posse) is the fact that you know that sooner or later, the article will be wheeled down to the archives where only and act of God (or $3.98) can free it.

Still, after last week's announcement of the Harvest Wind Farm in Huron County, a $90 million project that is expected to create up to 70 jobs, produce enough electricity to power more than 15,000 homes and save Michigan citizens $4 billion on power generation over the next 20 years, the editorial from the Kalamazoo Gazette injects a note of caution into talk of Michigan's energy future. Read Answer may not be blowing in the wind.

Detroit Tigers Pitcher Puzzle

The Detroit Tigers are about to have a good problem. Some time pretty soon they will have their core four starters of Verlander, Bonderman, Rogers and Robertson - the trick is figuring out who stays on as the fifth starter, who goes to the bullpen and who leaves for the minors or in trade. Kurt at Mack Avenue Tigers shuffles the baseball cards and deals an interesting hand and Lee Panas at Tiger Tales spins a slightly different yarn. Both agree that it's a challenging problem ... and that Mike Maroth will probably be pitching somewhere else.

Summer Solstice

While the thermometer and most schoolchildren started summer a while back, June 21 is the official beginning of summer. Sue (who took today's gorgeous photo) writes June 21 is a very important day for our planet and it's relationship with the sun. June 21 is one of two solstices, days when the rays of the sun directly strike one of the two tropical latitude lines. June 21 marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and simultaneously heralds the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere. In 2007 summer begins at 2:06 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Wikipedia has tons more about the solstice and Eric Weisstein's World of Astronomy has a cool little movie that demonstrates the earth's season-producing equatorial tilt.

Old Town gets the Sun and Moon

Speaking of the sun, mensch71 of People Are Strange noted on our Michigan July Events page (check it out - there are some great events there!) that this weekend (June 23 & 24) is the Festival of the Sun & Festival of the Moon in Lansing's Old Town. It's billed as a "wine tasting and craft-brewed beer sampling festival" and the musical lineup includes The Pantones, Root Doctor, Ritmo, The Lash and Hukster (whose song Ten Years Too Late reminds me a lot of a group called Farm Accident). Also this weekend (Jun 22-24) is the Michigan Energy Fair in Manistee.

Onekama, Michigan

Actually, the Michigan Energy Fair is not held in Manistee, but in nearby Onekama. According to Onekama.info, Onekama is located on Portage Lake and has access to Lake Michigan, making it a "two lakes town". It's also home to the Manistee County Fair (Aug 19-26, 2007). Wikipedia's Onekama, Michigan entry just gives the census, but one of the links at Absolute Michigan keyword Onekama is the Portage Point Inn. Their Onekama history page includes a lot of great old photos and a detailed history that begins:

Onekama: (O-neck-ama...not "One Comma"- as frequently mispronounced), is an Indian name for "Place of Great Beauty". To the Indians, the peninsula of land, merely 300 yards wide, separating Portage Lake from Lake Michigan was known as a point of portage. In 1871, settlers hand dug a 500' channel to connect the two lakes and open additional flood-free farm land. Within a few years, the U. S. Government constructed a permanent channel to which provided one of the best protected harbors on the Great Lakes. Around 1890, when these lands opened to settlement and lumbering began to decline, the recreational potential of the lake shore began to gain interest. Early loggers and homesteaders were stirred by visions of opportunity when a period of recreation and tourism along the Lake Michigan shoreline experienced rapid growth. It is on this wooded peninsula that Portage Point Inn was built.

Weather Underground's Onekama forecast says that they had some hail in last night's storm. They are expecting sunny skies and upper 70s today - less than the 1988 record of 94 degrees and lots more than 1992's 36 degree low.

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The Detroiter has a nice post on the Baseball as Art Exhibition, which runs through July 14 at the Detroit Artists Market (site is temporarily unavailable so here's a map). Nick says that the arts in Detroit need sports fans, and that exhibits like this help newcomers enter the art arena and become as engaged with the feats of artists as they are with those of athletes.

Today's photo is part of a set of photos of a Sunday bike ride from Grand Haven to Muskegon. Craig writes: I tried to take the photos while riding to really get the feel of the tour. I did stop for the photo looking out the Grand River and at the boats.

You can get your daily dose of eco-depression at mLive, which reports that 20 common bird species have declined by 54% (or far more) since 1967 nationwide. Ray Adams, Kalamazoo Nature Center director of avian research and co-author of the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas, says "In 1972, I counted over 800 northern bobwhite while doing a survey. By the 1980s in Michigan, it had declined over 95 percent and I was counting five per year. Now that is up to 99 percent."

Apparently last night's thunderstorm blew two barns down in Bad Axe (Huron County). Absolute Michigan doesn't have too many links for Bad Axe - we'll try and find a few more today. I've always wondered where the name Bad Axe came from. At the Bad Axe Historical Society (cool 1890s photo too!) they've probably answered that question once or twice. They say:

While surveying the first state road through the Huron County wilderness in 1861, Rudolph Papst and George Willis Pack made camp here and found a much-used and badly damaged axe. At Pack's suggestion, Papst used the name "Bad Axe Camp" in the minutes of the survey and on a sign he placed along the main trail. By the time Papst returned from the Civil War, the name was on the map.

If I could just get Paul Harvey to say "Now you know ... the rest of the story" I bet we could get a Gold Bond sponsorship.

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The MLUI reports that the budget deal between Michigan's governor and Legislature temporarily spared public schools from cuts, but at the expense of state colleges and universities. The deal underscores the fact that state leaders still have no real solution to Michigan's financial crisis, say many observers. They note that thriving states like California, Utah, Tennessee, and North Carolina discount tax-cutting mantras and invest in education, rapid transit, farmland conservation, environmental protection, and urban redevelopment.

We added a new page on Michigan's Mackinac Bridge to help keep track of all the information about the past and present of Michigan's most recognizable structure.

Today's photo from the Absolute Michigan pool is of the Compuware building in Detroit, taken by Artsy T. She writes: it recently occurred to me that i shoot a lot of scary pics of my city and surrounding areas. don't be too scared. we have "normal" buildings too. infact, this city is on an amazing come back. for all of you out-of-towners, if you haven't been here in a while or ever, you should check it out. it gives me the chills to see this gorgeous city coming back alive after a long period of decay and destruction. it's truly amazing. (she also provides a link to the Wikipedia entry for the Compuware Building)

Looking at 90s and 80s across the state today - I think that Copper Harbor is about the only place in the state that has traditional June weather today. Check out Copper Harbor on Absolute Michigan for all kinds of links including the Delaware Copper Mine and Ft. Wilkins State Park.

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Great Lakes Blogger Dave Dempsey gets a stand-up double with this stunning satellite view of the Great Lakes, of which NASA says:

At the very top of the image is a round white patch - this is Lake Nipigon, which is still frozen over. Nipigon is a large lake (70 miles by 50 miles), and is the largest contained entirely within Ontario. The lake drains into the Nipigon river and ultimately the Nipigon Bay of Lake Superior. The lake has tall cliffs and unusual beaches made of green-black pyroxene sand.

Another interesting feature to note on this image, are the jet contrails over Lake Superior.

Click over to the photo for large to massive view of the image. Dave also found a fascinating report on the Huron Ridge. This summer, Luke Clyburn of the Great Lakes division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps will be leading an exploration of this underwater ridge that features 7,000-year-old petrified forests, with bark intact, beneath 20 metres of water three kilometres off the Lake Huron shoreline in Michigan. The team will be filming a sequel to the award-winning Great Lakes, Ancient Shores - Sinkholes documentary. We'll try and get a more thorough report on this!

This weekend on Michigan in Pictures we kicked off our exploration of the Mackinac Bridge in this its 50th year. We're hoping (with the help of a lot of people) to tell the story of the Mighty Mac in the weeks and months ahead.

Brookens & Parrish Ground Rules by wizardkitten

A trip to my sadly neglected feed reader produced a post by Eric Baerren about Governor Granholm's hope to re-brand Michigan as the alternative energy capital of the world. Eric notes that Michigan will have a hard time rebranding itself as the alternative energy capital of the nation. California is already well ahead of us, in both use of things like wind and also in encouraging research and manufacturing. I have to add that the folks over at the Apollo Alliance have been sounding this call for several years and have great plans with economic and job numbers that will make your eyes pop out.

Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry talked with pollster Ed Sarpolus of Lansing-based EPIC/MRA about the poll of Michigan voters conducted in the first week of May for the Detroit News. The poll found that 84% believe there is a budget crisis, and that 64% favor a combination of tax increases and spending cuts. With a June 1 shutdown looming, perhaps this will provide a gentle shove to get this budget process back on track.

Finally, wizardkitten snapped this great photo of former Tiger teammates Tom Brookens and Lance Parrish and says that old Tigers never die, they end up managing in the Midwest League. Brookens manages the West Michigan Whitecaps and Parrish is the skipper of Great Lakes Loons. The Loons managed a 3-2 come from behind victory and you can get info on the teams and ball parks from Joel Dinda's Midwest League Guide pages for the Midland's Great Lakes Loons and the West Michigan Whitecaps of Grand Rapids.

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On the Road Again by docksidepress

Ford to Offer Small Bonuses
This first bit of news is brought to you by the letters W, T & F. The Freep is reporting that despite buyouts and a $12.7-billion loss last year, Ford Motor Co. announced bonuses yesterday - between $300-800 for salaried workers or more for management.
Read All Ford workers will get bonuses

Alternative Energy & Fuel Standard Fighting
Speaking of cars - or at least what powers them - Jeremy & Dave over at GROW Detroit are doing great work on covering alternative energy developments in Michigan. Most recently, a new bio-diesel plant in Milan and a "Green Generation" program that is producing electricity from a landfill north of Marshall. They also look at growing congressional impatience with foot-dragging on new fuel economy standards and offer a healthy dose of perspective:

Just as a matter of historical perspective, it is worth noting that Ford's Model T got 21 mpg and was a "flex-fuel" vehicle capable of running on gasoline or ethanol. The Model A released in 1927 got 30 mpg — which is comparable or better than Ford's entire 2007 line!

Check out Energy Series–Part 5: New Michigan initiatives prove commitment and The Worst Gridlock is in Our Heads, Michigan from GROW.

Hanging by Lars Jensen

Walking the Lake Superior Shore in Winter
The Mining Journal has a story about Ed Shively, a Minnesota man who is attempting to walk the ice on the southern shore of Lake Superior from the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth, MN to promote his software (which sounds kind of cool). Shively wears snowshoes to disperse his weight over the ice, a dry suit in case he breaks through the ice (which he has) and an ice pick to get out (which he has as well). He's also blogging his trip by satellite phone, so check it out!
See Minnesota man tries walk across lake ice in the Mining Journal

Free Climate Change Symposium at MSU
Speaking of cool blogs, WWJ Newsradio says that the Michigan State University Environmental Science and Policy Program will host a free international symposium on climate change. Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Decision Making Under Uncertainty will take place March 15-16 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center in East Lansing.
MSU to host international climate change symposium

Retired Detroit Police & Firefighter Sue for Benefits
The Detroit News reports that retired Detroit police officers, firefighters and their families are in a court battle over city-imposed cuts to their health care benefits. Detroit has a retiree health care tab of almost $200 million that could approach $300 million by 2009. The city's precarious finances would become much more so if they are forced to restore benefits for thenearly 8,000 affected and the whole issue raises the question of what responsibility employers have to honor their promises to retired employees.
8,000 city retirees fight benefit cuts in the DN.

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Students at the Election Rally

There will be a rebroadcast all day TODAY (Nov 6th, 2006)
VISIT MICHIGANLIVEEVENTS.COM TO WATCH!!

On Thursday, November 2, 2006, Leland Public School hosted an area mock student election with nearly 1000 students from Glen Lake, Lake Leelanau St. Marys, Leelanau Schools, Northport, Suttons Bay and Traverse City schools. You can view the results of the voting and post comments below.
Check the Absolute Michigan Politics page for updates from the mock election as well as background information on the national organization. View photos from the event on Flickr and please post your comments below!

2006 Michigan Student Mock Election Results

Students cast first votes in mock elections in the Free Press and a well-done video report from TV 9 & 10 News.

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Mackinac Bridge all lit up at dusk by Johnny RR

"Let it be such work that our descendents will thank us -- that men will says as they look upon the labor and raw substance: SEE THIS, our fathers did for us." -John Ruskin (1819-1900), writer as quoted by Dr. David B. Steinman Mackinac Bridge Designer

It's tough to do that if we're jealously clinging to Republican and Democrat, Northeast and Southwest, black and white and our other differences as reasons not to come together instead of traits that define us and make us unique. Every single day, hundreds of Michigan bloggers talk about every facet of our state and lives. Michigan is beautiful, rich and vibrant. We have so much going for us that it's hard to imagine us being kept down by anything if we give it our all. To quote former Governor Bill Milliken, "God doesn't ask us to give till it hurts -- he simply asks us to give it all."

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Tahquamenon Falls, U.P. Michigan by Bluejacket

Bluejacket writes: Located in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, these are the upper falls. This is the land of Longfellow's Hiawatha. Hiawatha built his canoe "by the rushing Tahquamenaw". The amber color is caused by tanin leached from the Cedar, Spruce & Hemlock in the swamps drained by the river.

Our photo blog, Michigan in Pictures, has a great feature with tons more photos called Sunday Study: Upper Tahquamenon Falls. Every day (except Sunday) Michigan in Pictures features a great photo of the Great Lakes State.

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