It's the first day of 2005, we're launching a new Michigan web site. Welcome!

Welcome to Absolute Michigan
Absolute Michigan has been designed by the folks who made Leelanau.com to be the most useful and entertaining guide to the State of Michigan on the Internet. We've obviously got a ways to go before we reach that point, but with your help and support (please add links, lots of them!), we're confident we'll get there.

Our Five Things You Need to Know will be 5 things that we think people who know & love Michigan will want to be aware of: news stories, events, features and web sites. We'll try and post it every week day, but we'll probably miss some days, so please don't get mad at us if we do. We'll also post articles that aren't part of our Five Things, so check our Articles page as well.

More or less, we'll report news and link to it. Every so often, one of our writers may offer an opinion or comment. We hope that's ok. For the most part, we'll try to confine our opinions to this blog.

If you are aware of something that you think may be one of the five things and want to make us aware of it, send an email to absolutemichigan@gmail.com.

Houghton Ice Fishing School
Detroit Free Press columnist Eric Sharp has an article abough the annual Ice Fishing Vacation and School in Houghton (on the Keewanaw peninsula). It will be held Jan. 9-12 this year and offers a chance to learn the fine points of this Michigan sport.

2005: The Year of Tough Choices
The Detroit News has an editorial listing some of the choices that are facing our state in 2005. When you read it and see that they are talking about business taxes being too high and financial crisis for schools, you can see where we will be facing such challenges.

Motor Cities National Heritage Area
The Freep has a feature on this amazing web site that gives you everything you need to explore the history of the automobile. We highly recommend it too!
Motor Cities National Heritage Area web site

Michiganians of the Year
The Detroit News is calling for nominees for their 2004 Michiganian of the Year awards. Past winners include the famous (Jerry Linenger, Al Kaline, Aretha Franklin, Helen Milliken) and everyday heroes who have made a difference.

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Michigan snow is wilting under a heat wave (highs in the 50s and heavy rains overnight). This is the "precurser post". Tomorrow will be the first official post...



Lake Michigan Intervention Causes Problems
The Holland Sentinel reports that Lake Michigan has been engineered by humans into a system focused on producing maximum numbers of sport fish, most of which are not native to its waters. Now there is mounting evidence the lake could be on the brink of "ecosystem shock," a food chain collapse caused by the nonstop invasion of foreign species.

Michigan Stocks Outperform the National Average
The Detroit News reports that Michigan stocks outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the second straight year despite the state's sluggish economy. The story also reports that "After four years of job losses, the Michigan economy is expected to add more than 49,000 jobs in 2005, the start of a two-year job recovery that will add 130,000 jobs in the state, according to the University of Michigan's annual economic forecast."

Ban Ocean Going Vessels from the Great Lakes?
The Detroit Free Press reports that organisms carried across the Atlantic Ocean in freighters' ballast water account for almost 80% of the nearly 180 invasive species in the Great Lakes. While scientists from the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seem in favor, "Shipping industry officials warned that the economic impact of such a drastic move could hurt Midwest industries that rely on foreign goods, including steel used by Detroit's automakers. Roughly 3,000 vessels carrying 40 million tons of cargo pass through the canal annually."

Michigan Cougar Comeback
The Detroit Free Press reports that while a cougar has not been captured in Michigan for nearly a century, evidence is mounting that they may be making a comeback. Cougars reportedly were spotted in the summer in Monroe and Macomb counties. By fall, reports of big cat sightings surfaced in western Wayne and northern Oakland counties as well. (Not to mention many reports from Northern Michigan)
Cougar Thoughts discussion forum

New MSU Extension Field Guide
The Detroit Free Press reports that a new book from MSU Extension will be will help gardeners and others become more familiar with Michigan's native plants and habitats. The book, Michigan Forest Communities: A Field Guide and Reference is written by MSU Forestry professor Don Dickmann.
Order Michigan Forest Communities from MSU Extension

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