Our Michigan

• GM plans to wipe out current shareholders

  One last kick in the teeth for retirees.
  
  From Reuters
  GM PLANS TO WIPE OUT CURRENT SHAREHOLDERS
  
  

  "DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors on Tuesday detailed plans to all but wipe out the holdings of remaining shareholders by issuing up to 60 billion new shares in a bid" [...]

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  Posted: May 07, 2009, 7:53am EDT
  

• A great day for a Second Life

  The global economy continues its slide this morning as all oversees markets decline on Monday.
  
  HSBC, with profits drooping by 70 percent, will likely announce a pullout from U.S. consumer lending. Can you blame them?
  
  I'm going to spend this snow day scoping out the' [...]
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  Posted: March 02, 2009, 4:37am EST
  

• A mild depression?

  I'd rather be a little bit pregnant. The nation's fourth quarter GDP shrank at a rate nearly double what economists expected -- 6.2 percent negative growth -- prompting Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's, to set odds for "a mild depression" at 25 percent.
  
  In a single stroke, [...]
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  Posted: February 28, 2009, 5:59am EST
  

• Let them eat cake

  Here's a fun video to lighten spirits in tough times.
  
  ' [...]
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  Posted: January 30, 2009, 5:46am EST
  

• Inauguration day, take two -- a remarkable day unlike any other

  How many of you sobbed yesterday? We desperately needed a catharsis after the last eight years. And especially after the last four maimed by bunker mentality, fear, despair and a governance vacuum.
  
  Millions of Americans trekked to D.C. to witness President Obama's inauguration. Millions more breathed a collective sigh' [...]
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  Posted: January 21, 2009, 8:08am EST
  

• Inauguration day -- a historic day like any other

  It's party time in D.C. for the Dems who have waited eight years for these inaugural balls, dinners and concerts. People are primping and prepping, acquiring last-minute formal wear, begging for tickets, hoping to network, witness history and have fun. After all they worked hard to get their man into' [...]
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  Posted: January 18, 2009, 9:07am EST
  

• Tough times for Michigan's children

  I dare you to read this report and not cry. As you read it, realize that 2009 will likely be worse.
  
  Michigan Kids Count Data Book 2008
  
  From the Executive Summary:
  "Poverty afflicts one of every four young children ages
  0–4. Minority children have much higher rates—44[...]
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  Posted: January 14, 2009, 8:39am EST
  

• Consumer confidence still lagging -- so what?

  Consumers are losing confidence, holding on to what money they have and increasing savings. And economists tell us this is bad, bad, bad. Increased personal thrift leads to less spending. And our beloved system is predicated on consumption and production. Producers are a separate species from consumers, we are told, [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2009, 1:46pm EST
  

• Three global annoyances

  1. Reuters stringers in Bangalore "reporting" on financial news in the United States.
  
  2. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson whining to the Financial Times about what a hard job he has. According to Paulson, the United States government lacked the necessary tools to fix the current financial crisis. He also [...]
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  Posted: December 31, 2008, 6:14am EST
  

• Insulting ad for desperate writers

  This is the most insulting employment ad I have ever seen. You can find it on Craigslist Western Mass:
  
  "Business Man Looking for All Writers"
  
  "I need help with meeting the demand of technological and shopping reviews for a company that I work for. All of my works" [...]
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  Posted: December 23, 2008, 7:36am EST
  

• Sponsor an executive video -- humor we need

  This is why I love Canada. Their number one export to the U.S. is fabulous comedy.
  From "This Hour Has 22 Minutes," some of Canada's finest humor. Enjoy.
  
  ' [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2008, 11:48am EST
  

• Illinois politics -- cesspool, not swamp

  This week Illinois Gov. Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges. Yawn.
  
  Chicago was a swamp before it was a city. Underneath its spectacular architecture it is still a swamp.
  
  Slimy politics are an Illinois thing. Consider it a kind of identity politics in which some take pride.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: December 11, 2008, 5:29am EST
  

• Be well, Michigan

  Dearest Michigan,
  I love you deeply, but it didn’t begin that way. You were not my first choice. An accident of relationship and employment brought me to you and your wonders. I came slowly to adore your pride and shame. Your watery beauty, blue-collar grit, and political dysfunction pressed me [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2008, 10:25pm EST
  

• Recession nostalgia

  This November the economy lost the most jobs since 1974. The Labor Department reports 533,000 jobs lost last month, but count on that number being revised upward later.
  
  Back in 1974, bell bottoms were in and middle-class families were struggling. Watergate came to a head in August with Nixon's' [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2008, 10:48am EST
  

• Recession outrage

  
  
  It's finally official: "we're in a recession." Whew, somebody said it.
  And then...what the heck?
  "And we've been in it for a year?"
  
  That last part was not a surprise if you live in Michigan where the economy never left the 2001 recession.' [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2008, 1:13am EST
  

• Cars, karma and dogma

  As the world waits for the rise (or more likely fall) of U.S. automotive manufacturing, Michiganders need a dose of healing and humor. Many Michiganders see their fates as terminally linked to fortunes of the Big Three and practically speaking, they are right. Working families and retirees depend on the [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2008, 10:35am EST
  

• Prime Minsiter Gordon Brown against saving Big Three

  I'm an anglophile, but Gordon Brown is testing my patience. Give me liberal doses of Monty Python, Shakespeare, the Magna Carta, Yorkshire pudding, paneer makhani, C.S. Lewis, the Rolling Stones, William Byrd, Beowulf, Peter Rabbit, cockles and mussels. But please spare me the advice to let the U.S. auto industry' [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2008, 6:33am EST
  

• GOP to slay auto industry in bid to kill labor unions

  Chances dwindle on bailout plan for automakers. So shrieks today's New York Times. Obstructionist Republican forces in Congress, even in this lame duck session, plan to sacrifice heavy manufacturing in the United States to make a point. Think of it as Republican tough love -- destroy manufacturing (and the' [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2008, 6:26am EST
  

• GM no more? No way

  Dire news from General Motors late last week...they may run out of cash required to operate early next year. And following that gem, Deutsche Bank torpedoed GM share value by speaking the previously unspeakable. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, "Deutsche Bank said publicly today what many detractors of" [...]
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  Posted: November 10, 2008, 6:28pm EST
  

• Yes we did, a new voter's landmark day

  Jeremy Whiting shares his experience voting in this historic presidential election.
  
  
  "Yes We Did.

  
  

  I am an undergraduate student at Wayne State University. Yesterday, I voted for the first time in my life, and what a first time it was. I drove from Detroit back to Ann" [...]

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  Posted: November 05, 2008, 2:45pm EST
  

• Presidential election prediction from University of Illinois

  The talented political science and computer science students at the University of Illinois offer their modeling of tomorrow's likely result. Who needs the "media" with its busyness and chatter and compulsion to fill every second of the next 24 hours with punditry and prattle? Not this Illinois alumnae.
  [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2008, 7:24pm EST
  

• Saturday Night Live Final Presidential Debate Spoof: Joe the Plumber

  [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2008, 6:20am EDT
  

• A big day for economic indicators

  Already markets around the globe are declining this morning. Brace yourselves for a tough day in New York, as well.
  
  A lot of important data will be made public today. Here's the schedule, courtesy of Seeking Alpha:
  
  8:30 Consumer Price Index
  8:30 Jobless Claims[...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2008, 6:02am EDT
  

• Picking the next President

  I don't belong to a political party and I am not active in either presidential campaign. But I have decided who's my man for this election.
  
  If you are having trouble making up your mind, ask yourself these questions:
  1. Do you want to make your choice on the [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2008, 4:44am EDT
  

• Obama's plan to help victims of financial crisis

  Speaking in Toledo Monday, Senator Barack Obama laid out steps to help employers, automakers, homeowners, the unemployed, and state and local governments. A refreshing approach compared to the prevailing top-down measures that continue to come from the Bush administration's Treasury Department.
  
  The International Herald Tribune reports that' [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2008, 7:19am EDT
  

• Bernanke, Paulson press conference at 8:30 a.m.

  Word is that the United States government is forcing nine major banks to partially nationalize. According to Seeking Alpha "The U.S. Treasury will reportedly invest about $125B in preferred shares of nine banks: $25B each for Citi (C), JP Morgan Chase (JPM), and Bank of America (BAC) (including Merrill);" [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2008, 6:30am EDT
  

• The Obama Acorn distraction

  Brace yourselves. The GOP is in the home stretch of the smear campaign for the White House. McCain's Friday bombshell was an accusation of guilt by association: Obama is linked to a "front organization" for ACORN. This seems to be their counterpunch to "Phil Gramm and John McCain helped deregulate [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2008, 8:43am EDT
  

• Recession tips: Ten ways to stretch a dollar

  Never mind how we got here. The real economy is constricting and some analysts expect three consecutive quarters of falling consumer spending -- unprecedented economic gloom. And that's alarming. But folks just don't have the easy credit necessary to keep spending for the sake of the country -- the kind [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2008, 4:53am EDT
  

• Seasons greetings from Western Massachusetts

  [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2008, 5:23pm EDT
  

• What would Abraham Lincoln say?

  "Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." Lincoln's First Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1861.
  
  These capitalists [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2008, 5:44am EDT
  

• McCain-Palin hate mongering, stinking slime of desperation

  This week as the global economy continued to tank, the McCain-Palin campaign chose to whip up angry mobs with innuendo in a parallel universe energized by hate and ignorance. Rather than address voter concerns about the financial crisis, McCain-Palin seemed to align their campaign with hate, ignorance, fear [...]
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  Posted: October 11, 2008, 6:23am EDT
  

• Adler Planetarium response to McCain claim about earmarks

  "Adler Planetarium
  
  STATEMENT ABOUT SENATOR JOHN McCAIN’S
  COMMENTS AT THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
  
  Last night, during the presidential debate in Nashville, Tennessee, Senator John McCain made the following statement:McCain: “While we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks he (Senator Obama) voted for nearly $1 billion in pork [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2008, 6:59pm EDT
  

• McCain shows contempt for Obama

  Last night referring to Senator Barack Obama as "that one," Mr. Straight Talk Express showed his true colors: John McCain has contempt for Barack Obama.
  
  John McCain can't say "my friends" enough to take away the sting of his expressing open contempt for fellow presidential candidate, Barack Obama, the [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2008, 6:44am EDT
  

• Sen. McCain, I am not your friend --live blog

  If I hear "my friends," one more time, I'm going to stop watching this farce.
  
  The Straight Talk Express has at least one bent axle, but still insists we trust it to "move forward". Yeah, and the future lies ahead.
  
  9:45 p.m.Now, McCain just referred to Senator Obama [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2008, 9:42pm EDT
  

• Saturday Night Live Vice Presidential Debate Spoof

  Enjoy!
  --> [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2008, 8:00am EDT
  

• Financial bailout bill passes House

  The Bush/Paulson/Pelosi/Reid bailout bill has passed, but a majority of Republicans still voted against it.
  
  Prediction: The GOP will label this a Democratic Party handout to the rich, as they feign populism on the campaign trail.
  
  VP candidate Palin might say, "Yessir you betcha, guys and gals, John [...]
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  Posted: October 03, 2008, 2:57pm EDT
  

• Presidential candidates favor the trickle-down bailout

  Our current financial system sucks capital out of small communities, pads pockets on Wall Street and condemns ordinary people to lives of debt. But it's the devil we know and the presidential candidates think we should keep it on life support by passing the "rescue plan" currently pending in Congress.
  [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2008, 7:20am EDT
  

• Agree to the bailout, or else

  Is this "economic crisis" the new 9-11 -- a scary tool to achieve concessions from the American people? Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctine, seems to think so.Listen to her on Democracy Now.
  Klein says that "now is the time to resist Wall Street's shock doctrine."
  [...]
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  Posted: September 25, 2008, 8:00am EDT
  

• Shh...did somebody say "Great Depression?"

  Next year, we'll have a huge vegetable garden. I can feel my immigrant grandmother's instincts in my bones. Use what resources you have. We have some land. Get the ground ready for spring. Clean out the weeds. Amend the soil. Let manure work itself in over the winter. Tidy up [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2008, 11:33am EDT
  

• Michigan, you could be the next Ohio

  To a tried and true Michigander, this is a chilling thought. We don't want to be Ohio; we want to beat Ohio. But only on the football field, not at the game of corrupt elections, thank you very much.
  
  The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee are suing [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2008, 7:30am EDT
  

• Phil Gramm feeds McCain his lines on the economy

  As 158-year-old Lehman Bros. investment bank collapsed into bankruptcy, GOP presidential candidate John McCain had the nerve to stay yesterday that the "fundamentals of the U.S. economy are strong." Really? Actually this puts him at odds with numerous economists.
  
  He's also been quoted as saying he really doesn't understand [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2008, 6:16am EDT
  

• Palin and Clinton on Saturday Night Live

  Time for overdue comic relief.
  [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2008, 8:35am EDT
  

• Brace yourselves for more bank and market turmoil

  It's going to be a bumpy day on Wall Street.
  
  Lehman files for bankruptcy (BBC)
  
  Wall Street crisis: investors dump shares after Lehman collapse (U.K. Guardian)-- "The London stockmarket nosedived this morning as traders dumped shares and piled into gold and government bonds, following the turmoil [...]
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  Posted: September 15, 2008, 6:49am EDT
  

• New York Times: Once elected, Palin hired friends and lashed foes

  Just read it for yourself and resist the urge to write it off as the liberal media bashing conservatives unfairly. It's a breathtaking account of vendettas and cronyism, just the kind that would dovetail nicely with the current crowd in Washington. The report also seems to support assertions that [...]
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  Posted: September 14, 2008, 8:57am EDT
  

• Democratic party leader receives threat against Obama

  According to a report from WHMI, an FM radio station in Livingston County, Michigan:
  
  "The Secret Service Agency is investigating a handwritten threat that came in the mail yesterday to the Livingston County Democratic Party Headquarters in Brighton Township. Party Chair Judy Daubenmier tells WHMI the handwritten unsigned note [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2008, 12:50pm EDT
  

• Anti-Obama attack ads in Macomb County

  Michigan is so critical in the presidential election that Freedom's Defense Fund in Washington has launched an attack ad against Senator Obama in Macomb County, what should be a democratic stronghold.
  
  The ad employs guilt by association and resurrects the Reverend Wright flap. "Barack Obama's spiritual adviser for more [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2008, 12:32pm EDT
  

• Jon Stewart: Sarah Palin - Vet this!

  Wikipedia levels the playing field. Scroll ahead to 7:31 in the playtime to see Jon Stewart name the GOP's contempt for people helping at the ground level in their communities.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2008, 9:34pm EDT
  

• Palin says she's ready to be President, me too

  Ratchet up the OMG factor. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin claims that although she's never met a foreign head of state, she is ready to be President of the United States, should it be necessary. Well folks, if she's ready to be President, I'm ready to be President.
  
  Her reasoning? [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2008, 7:56pm EDT
  

• Top ten reasons women should vote for Obama

  The recent buzz asserts women are switching to the McCain/Palin ticket just because Palin is a woman. But seriously, ladies, consider the issues that matter to families. Don't be fooled by McCain's brazen tokenism and PR stunt -- picking a moose-hunting, baby-nursing, gun-toting gal from Alaska.
  
  From the Barack [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2008, 7:42am EDT
  

• Women in white flight to McCain, please reconsider

  An ABC/Washington Post survey seems to indicate that white women ditching Obama for McCain-Palin in vast numbers are flipping Obama's advantage to McCain. The UK Guardian speculates "the loss of support among white women could be fatal for his chances of winning the presidency if it was to be [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2008, 7:21am EDT
  

• Change, yes we can -- the McCain-Palin strategy of repackaging

  Cross posted at Huffington Post
  
  Obama says of McCain and Palin "You can’t just recreate yourself. You can’t just reinvent yourself. The American people aren’t stupid."
  
  Oops. But, change? Yes, we can. The possibility to redefine and reinvent yourself is absolutely central to the American experience. It's [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2008, 9:13pm EDT
  

• Celebrate Banned Books Week with Sarah Palin: Sept. 27 - Oct. 4

  Don't believe everything you read. Sarah Palin is not a book burner or banner, but she does tend toward small town cronyism. Reporting by the Boston Herald gets to the heart of the matter: Palin was willing to fire an employee for not complying with ideology and sent requests [...]
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  Posted: September 08, 2008, 6:45am EDT
  

• The McCain--Palin road show: swagger and cheek in Michigan

  McCain and Palin have hit the trail with swagger and cheek -- riding a post-convention boost in popularity straight into Michigan. Some Michiganders seem receptive to the story-telling road show, although many are resisting the snake oil. The hard facts of economic life in Michigan can't be cured with old-time [...]
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  Posted: September 07, 2008, 1:02am EDT
  

• AP: Michigan man accused of planning anti-GOP attack

  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a Michigan man as part of what they say was a scheme to use Molotov cocktails to attack the main arena for the Republican National Convention.
  
  The U.S. attorney's office in Minneapolis says 23-year-old Matthew DePalma of Flint was charged Saturday with [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2008, 7:42am EDT
  

• Viguerie annoints Palin, "the next Ronald Reagan"

  Richard Viguerie, conservative icon, has dubbed Alaska Governor Sarah Palin "the next Ronald Reagan" after her acceptance speech last night.
  
  Even if this is an overstatement, the Democrats seem to have a problem. Palin will mobilize white, middle America. She's an underdog, a hockey mom, a small-town gal, a [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2008, 7:02am EDT
  

• Bonior: the election will be "won at the margins"

  Former John Edwards supporter, congressman David Bonior told Inter Press Service (Italy) the presidential election will "be won at the margins."
  
  In an interview with IPS at the Democratic convention, Bonior allowed that the election will be a squeaker nationally and in Michigan.
  
  Picking up that [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2008, 1:08pm EDT
  

• Back to work!

  While a lot of bloggers surf the edge of the news cycle, hoping to be the first ashore with a brilliant insight, one can also take a break -- perhaps lounging under a shady tree with a refreshing drink, getting some perspective on what is really urgent and important. It [...]
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  Posted: September 02, 2008, 6:18am EDT
  

• Michigan's social safety net still full of holes

  Our social safety net is porous. It’s a net after all, not a helmet or steel-toed boots or safety glasses. Nets have holes. Stuff slips through. People slip through. Families. Children.
  
  This week, Michigan legislators increased state cash assistance to poor families via the Family Independence Program by $1 [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2008, 10:02pm EDT
  

• Water cooler ticker -- It's the economy

  Ford Has $8.7 Billion Loss, Shifts Away From Trucks (Bloomberg)Analysts expect Ford's change in direction -- away from trucks to fuel efficient cars -- will be costly, with more losses ahead.
  
  Dow Chemical reports decline in 2Q profit (Associated Press)
  "Dow Chemical Co. said Thursday that [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2008, 10:34am EDT
  

• Creative Cities Summit 2.0 coming to Detroit

  Tired of Michigan being the poster child for economic crisis and Detroit the archetype for lost cause? Ready to imagine healthy economic development and make it happen? Want a brainstorm to clean out yesterday's ways from your mind? Eager to meet like-minded people from around the world [...]
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  Posted: July 23, 2008, 6:50am EDT
  

• Obama and McCain to stump at Saddleback mega-church

  It's official. Obama and McCain will make a joint campaign appearance at Saddleback Church in California on August 16. Pastor Rick Warren said in a press release, "We're honored that the candidates chose The Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion for their first joint appearance, an unprecedented opportunity [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2008, 8:10am EDT
  

• Thursday Economic Roundup--hunger increasing across Michigan

  As GM frantically eliminates jobs and costs and MEDC judiciously awards tax breaks to attract jobs, Michigan's unemployment remains top in the nation at 8.5 percent in June. High unemployment and economic upheaval continue to affect children and families across the state and food pantries struggle to keep up [...]
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  Posted: July 17, 2008, 7:35am EDT
  

• Phil Gramm, fear and your financial future

  Now that we're largely inured to the disaster that is "the war in Iraq," and now that we no longer expect a terrorist attack any minute, there is a new bogey man in town. Be afraid, be very afraid of total economic collapse and complete loss of the pampered American [...]
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  Posted: July 13, 2008, 6:53am EDT
  

• Special ballot measures to get out the vote

  Michigan's November ballot will most certainly bring out voters and provide drama and entertainment at a time voters desperately need it. Considered a critical swing state, a high Michigan turnout will most certainly favor Obama. Three titillating ballot measures are sure to get voters to the polls: government overhaul, medical [...]
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  Posted: July 09, 2008, 5:36am EDT
  

• Looking for a silver lining to natural disasters?

  "When something is destroyed you don't necessarily rebuild the same thing that you had. You might use updated technology, you might do things more efficiently. It bumps you up," said Mark Skidmore, an economics professor at Michigan State University. "Disasters help people think about things differently." (International Herald Tribune, [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2008, 10:23am EDT
  

• Michigan stats in the news

  Some curious stats and facts from recent news reports.
  
  Michigan is a top exporter to Iran, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the last seven years. Curiously, during the Bush years, U.S. exports to Iran have increased more than tenfold, in spite of all the [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2008, 6:58am EDT
  

• Michigan's May jobless rate hits 8.5 percent

  Could the economy become a bigger election issue than gay marriage? Here in Michigan, it absolutely must.
  
  With Michigan's unemployment reaching 8.5 percent in May, the highest rate in 16 years, Democrats have a golden opportunity to pitch a total overhaul of domestic economic policy. Just this week candidate [...]
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  Posted: June 18, 2008, 7:31pm EDT
  

• Ford Exec. calls for plug-in hybrids

  Too little, too late. That's what this is.
  
  Yesterday, Ford Motor Co. President of the Americas Mark Fields said that the federal government should make plug-in hybrids a "national priority" and invest heavily in the technology.
  
  He said Japan, China and Korea are investing in research and development [...]
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  Posted: June 12, 2008, 6:45am EDT
  

• Michigan, my Michigan

  After sixteen years, a place makes its way inside you.
  
  You know its smells and sounds -- after a thunderstorm, downtown, at the grocery, in the middle of the night. You know your way around -- the side streets and back ways, the quickest routes across town, the best [...]
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  Posted: June 10, 2008, 10:40am EDT
  

• Economic Roundup -- more pain

  General Motors will probably announce more cuts and restructuring today.(Reuters) According to the Globe and Mail this will include 1000 jobs slashed at the Owasha, Ontario plant that makes large pickups. Expect cuts in Michigan, as well.
  
  Gaming the system? Greektown Casino has filed for bankruptcy and [...]
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  Posted: June 03, 2008, 5:40am EDT
  

• Moving on from Michigan

  
  "If you are here for money or a signature, let me save you some time," I said preempting the pitch. "I don't do those things at the front door."
  
  "O.K. That kinda covers it," he replied hugging a clipboard to his chest.
  "So, how's [...]
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  Posted: May 24, 2008, 5:53am EDT
  

• Edwards endorses Obama, Oh my!

  Never mind the delegates, in Michigan John Edwards endorsed Barack Obama today. Michigan, epicenter of American manufacturing decline, heart of the rust belt, and ground zero of the national recession served as poignant setting for labor's candidate to join forces with the Obama campaign.
  
  This is a green light [...]
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  Posted: May 14, 2008, 7:58pm EDT
  

• Obama's call to Michigan's manufacturing soul

  Senator Barak Obama called for a national manufacturing agenda to develop green energy and create up to 5 million jobs in a talk at Macomb Community College today.
  
  "It’s time to recapture the spirit of innovation that has always fueled America’s economic success. It’s time we had an economy [...]
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  Posted: May 14, 2008, 2:52pm EDT
  

• Michigan, you can't get there from here

  
  "You can't get there from here" -- a salty bit of logical nonsense attributed to Maine that fits Michigan's current cultural and economic predicament. Over the last few years, Michiganders who want to improve the state have described a way forward, a new economy and a [...]
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  Posted: May 13, 2008, 4:42pm EDT
  

• What a week for the gays in Michigan!

  Just when you were ready to put the dismal Supreme Court decision on same-sex partner benefits temporarily behind you, news that protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church will make an appearance at Eastern Michigan University today at noon. If you don't know what to do for lunch, stop by and [...]
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  Posted: May 09, 2008, 6:36am EDT
  

• Getting personal about life in Michigan

  This is not a personal blog. But as the adage goes, the personal is political.
  
  Michigan's Supreme Court has interpreted the marriage amendment to the state constitution as prohibiting employee health benefits being extended to same-sex partners. Fine.
  
  The papers this morning are touting arrangements made by state [...]
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  Posted: May 08, 2008, 6:59am EDT
  

• Jon Stewart gives Detroit overdue comic relief

  Thank you so much for covering the "Rustbelt Midwest Swing State F@#kfest." Lest we take any of this too seriously...
  
  [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2008, 10:16pm EDT
  

• Same-sex partner benefits illegal in Michigan

  Welcome to the backwater called Michigan.
  
  The Supreme Court has spoken. The state constitution as amended by voters defines marriage in Michigan as only possible between one man and one woman. Public employers may not extend benefits to same-sex partners of employees.
  
  If you are gay or lesbian [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2008, 4:14pm EDT
  

• Obama hurts Detroit's feelings. Get over it.

  The headlines shriek: "Obama blasts Detroit, Ford again." Oh please. As if Detroit and the Big Three are above reproach. Obama simply shared a memory of a dismal ride from the 1970s, a Granada.
  
  Even if you are loyal to Ford or GM or Chrysler, you can't argue they [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2008, 6:55am EDT
  

• A beautiful day in the neighborhood

  The long winter is over.
  Spring has come.
  Rejoice and be glad, Michigan. [...]
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  Posted: May 04, 2008, 8:44pm EDT
  

• Found poem from spam subject lines

  Spam -- the junk that jams your email inbox -- may have redeeming qualities after all. Here is a found poem from recent spam subject lines.
  
  
  Don't understand?
  More dimension and vigor
  You can do this too
  Is it hard?
  
  For the sake of your health
  Be [...]
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  Posted: May 02, 2008, 6:18am EDT
  

• Clare Public Schools squashed Day of Silence

  If you're a gay kid in Clare Public Schools, you're on your own. The school administration will not support you or assure a safe environment or permit something as benign as participation in the Day of Silence, a national event of solidarity with LGBT youth in [...]
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  Posted: May 01, 2008, 6:43am EDT
  

• Bush passes the buck on economy

  Consumers, Congress is to blame for any economic discomfort you are having, not the Unitary Executive. Got that?
  
  In a Rose Garden press conference Tuesday, President George Bush blamed Congress for high gas prices, high food prices, rising foreclosures, and more. According to President Bush, [...]
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  Posted: April 30, 2008, 7:34am EDT
  

• Toad restores hope

  Big Yard Bob is a powerful toad.
  
  Big Yard Bob has a message for Michigan: the news isn't reality.
  
  My children named Bob years ago when they spotted him by the sandbox. He became their seasonal companion in the mud behind the shed, under some leaves, [...]
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  Posted: April 26, 2008, 4:49am EDT
  

• Dalai Lama urges understanding across religious traditions

  The Dalai Lama taught about wisdom, compassion, and the nature of the self, but not politics in two, two-hour Dharma talks Saturday at the University of Michigan. Speaking to a reverent crowd of thousands, he urged people to adhere to their own traditions, saying that a [...]
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  Posted: April 20, 2008, 7:17am EDT
  

• A different music in Hill Auditorium: a conversation on Buddhism and art

  Last night a different music resonated in Hill Auditorium, as Gelek Rimpoche, Richard Gere, Bobby McFerrin and Philip Glass shared thoughts on Buddhism and art with a sell out crowd.
  
  There is no easy summarizing of their conversation, but some key points emerged.
  1. That the student/teacher relationship familiar [...]
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  Posted: April 19, 2008, 5:52am EDT
  

• Dalai Lama coming to Michigan to uplift

  "Michiganders need some upliftment" in the midst of their economic suffering, said Rimpoche Nawang Gelek, the man who invited the Dalai Lama for this week's visit to Ann Arbor.

  Gelek Rimpoche, the founder of Jewel Heart, a Buddhist organization headquartered in Ann Arbor, told Michigan Messenger that [...]

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  Posted: April 15, 2008, 11:13am EDT
  

• Why are the IMF and the World Bank worried about hunger?

  
  Let's be clear about this: the IMF and the World Bank are not humanitarian organizations. They are global economic development and financial management organizations.
  
  So why are they worried about surging food prices and global hunger? Global food riots and social unrest destabilize global [...]
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  Posted: April 13, 2008, 9:54am EDT
  

• Consumer confidence continues to slide -- hits 26-year low

  Worries about inflation and jobs continue to drive down U.S. consumer confidence.
  
  The Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index for April fell to 63.2, lower than economists had expected. The index hasn't been this low since March of 1982 during a previous period of [...]
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  Posted: April 11, 2008, 4:49pm EDT
  

• Election fatigue: a long winter of political cabin fever

  I have a serious case of election fatigue, and I'm not the only one. Just Google it. From Bitch Magazine to Jack Cafferty, folks are ready for this thing to be over.

  The Democratic primary season has gone on too long, just like the [...]

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  Posted: April 11, 2008, 7:10am EDT
  

• Take a media holiday and be not afraid

  It's O.K. to turn off the television, radio and internet and put the paper in the recycling before reading it.
  
  You can take a media holiday and clear your mind of the ups and downs of the economy and the scandals of our trusted political [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2008, 6:32pm EDT
  

• 'It could get ugly' as strikers rally while American Axle seeks replacements

  cross posted at Michigan Messenger
  American Axle strikers rallied at company headquarters in Detroit Monday in response to help-wanted ads the company ran over the weekend, according to an expert close to the situation. Striking workers and labor experts see the ads as a sign that [...]
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  Posted: March 31, 2008, 8:34pm EDT
  

• For Democrats, selecting delegates is a dance hard to follow

  cross posted at Michigan MessengerThe protracted battle for Democratic National Convention delegates between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is confusing to average voters, looks unseemly and worries Democrats whose party conflict is set in relief by the GOP's unified support of John McCain.

  But according [...]

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  Posted: March 31, 2008, 8:31pm EDT
  

• Tibet Update

  
  
  Tibetan protesters try to storm Chinese embassy in Nepal
  "KATHMANDU, Nepal--A group of 200 Tibetan exiles and Buddhist monks tried to storm the Chinese Embassy visa office in Nepal's capital on Sunday but police beat them back with bamboo batons.

  At least 130 protesters were arrested and [...]

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  Posted: March 30, 2008, 11:16pm EDT
  

• What is happening in Tibet and why should you care?

  (UPDATE: PLEASE ALSO READ Dalai Lama urges understanding across religions
  Tibet Update from March 30
  Dalai Lama supports Olympics and human rights
  For those who need a Michigan angle...His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be in Ann Arbor April 19-20, 2008.)
  
  [...]
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  Posted: March 29, 2008, 12:19pm EDT
  

• Controlling the frame, keeping Obama on the defensive

  The mainstream media are having a wonderful time sustaining controversy around the statements of Obama's pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. Someone has drudged up church bulletins that criticize Israel, putting Obama once again on the defensive. In a classic case of guilt by association, the media are using innuendo to [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2008, 7:28am EDT
  

• Don't think of an elephant...or looking past mayor Kilpatrick's indictment

  Don't think of an elephant. Wise politicians advise Detroiters not to get bogged down and preoccupied with mayor Kilpatrick's indictment. In a culture enamored of celebrity and fascinated by every prurient thing, how likely is that? Folks just can't resist the fall of the high and privileged, especially when it [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2008, 7:12am EDT
  

• Taking stock of Michigan and her prospects

  I started this Michigan blog project a little over a year ago, hoping to understand our state and our historic shift from a manufacturing economy to something else. Economically, we're still limping and now the national economy has joined us.
  
  Our main challenge persists: to diversify [...]
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  Posted: March 26, 2008, 5:24pm EDT
  

• For auto industry, cheap foreign labor isn't cheap

  previously posted at Michigan Messenger
  
  Cheaper isn't necessarily cheaper when it comes to auto industry outsourcing.
  
  In a monumental case of penny wise and pound foolish, the Detroit Three are enamored of cheap foreign labor, even as total costs frequently wipe out those savings. [...]
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  Posted: March 26, 2008, 1:47pm EDT
  

• International attention Michigan can do without

  The Kwame Kilpatrick indictment has all the world looking at Detroit.
  
  Detroit mayor in sex scandal (Australia): "Mr Kilpatrick, the youngest-ever Mayor of Detroit, said he expected to be cleared. He did not deny wrongdoing and did not address calls for his resignation."
  
  Detroit mayor Kwame [...]
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  Posted: March 25, 2008, 9:38am EDT