Absolute Michigan was on WMKT AM 1270 Charlevoix this morning. Thanks to host Greg Marshall for having me on and thanks to everyone who added links and contacted us as result!

Check out: Henry Ford Museum's bicycle built for 10, Old Blue (license plates) out in 2007, and (because everyone is talking about it and we don't want to be left out) Searching for Jimmy Hoffa on a Milford farm.

Study Finds Trees Function as a Public Utility

Michigan.gov reports that a recently completed study by American Forests in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service has determined that although communities make huge investments in building gray infrastructure to manage stormwater and clean air and water, the same services are performed every day by trees and other vegetation. The study found Detroit's trees are currently providing $38 million worth of annual stormwater management and air pollution mitigation cost savings. Additionally, these trees store 1.2 million tons of carbon and sequester 9,000 pounds of carbon annually.
Read New Study of Southeast Michigan's Land Reveals Tree Canopy Acts as a Public Utility from the Michigan Newswire
View the full report at Urban Ecosystem Analysis from American Forests

Stevie Wonder to Attend Walk of Fame Celebration
The Lansing Principal Shopping District confirmed last night that Michigan Walk of Fame inductee Stevie Wonder will attend the Walk of Fame celebration at the Michigan Historical Museum on Thursday, May 25 from 6:30 - 10:30 PM. Also on hand will be famed White House correspondent Helen Thomas, another of the inaugural inductees.
Explore the Michigan Walk of Fame (includes link to inductees info on Wikipedia)
Stevie Wonder's web site

Wildlife Conservancy Says Michigan Definitely Home to Cougars

WOOD-TV reports that researchers with the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy say they have found evidence of cougars in eight northern Michigan counties. The study was published in April's issue of Notre Dame's American Midland Naturalist. "Michigan is definitely home to resident cougars that are here year round," said Patrick Rusz, a co-author of the study.
Read Study finds cougars live in Michigan from WOOD-TV (includes a nice video)
Check keyword "Cougar" for many more articles from Absolute Michigan

Will the Real Detroit Pistons Please Call Home? Your Fans are Worried.
"We got nobody to blame. We done a lot of talking. We haven't done enough playing."
-Ben Wallace
Read Mighty Pistons take a fall on ESPN
Read MITCH ALBOM: PANIC TIME! from the Freep
Observer Mike at Metroblogging Detroit smells a conspiracy
Need4Sheed has Detroit Pistons Unity Wallpaper for these trying times
Detroit Bad Boys asks "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

Fight the Blight
Yesterday's Detroit Free Press had a feature on a 6-foot-high concrete wall stretches for a half-mile, starting just south of 8 Mile Road, along an alley between Birwood and Mendota that was built to divide the blacks living on one side from the whites living on the other. Now Motor City Blight Busters, a nonprofit that cleans up Detroit neighborhoods and rehabilitates properties, is working with the neighborhood to paint a mural on a 310-foot section of the wall that runs along the western edge of Alphonso Wells Park.
Read A divisive wall is becoming a sign of unity in the Detroit Free Press
Motor City Blight Busters

Sportspig writes: Seriously, after the season the Wings had and the one Pistons are still having (barely) who thought we might have to rely on the Tigers in mid-May?

Read Thank goodness for the Tigers

GLRC writes: Cars and trucks are Americans' favorite way to get around. But a study that's the first of its kind in the U.S. suggests children's health might be suffering from our love affair with the automobile. The GLRC's Shawn Allee has our story:

Read or listen to KIDS ASTHMA RATES INCREASE NEAR TRAFFIC

Natalie writes: Who are these players that have donned Pistons jerseys the last few games? They surely aren't the team that I have watched dominate the NBA all season long. Where is the fire, the passion the championship swagger? Where is the defense? Where is the unity?
I'm calling you out.

Where are you boys?

Read Cavaliers Take Series Lead 3-2 and check out New Pistons Unity Wallpaper

Detroit Bad Boys writes: Hey, the Pistons have backed themselves into a corner! I think this means the playoffs have officially started.

...It seems like the complaint du jour about the Pistons is that they're not as strong defensively as they have been in the past. That may be true, but looking over the box scores from each game, I couldn't expect the Pistons to play the Cavs any tougher.

Read Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

Red Tape writes: Agriculture is Michigan's second largest industry, generating more than $60 billion annually. Shiawassee County is home to more than 1,037 agricultural operations, producing more than $44,494,000 annually.

To help protect this vital industry, lawmakers are considering bills (House Bills 5711-5716) to organize agricultural regulations and protect farmers and the environment.

Read Shiawassee Farm Bureau Endorses Farm Bills (HB 5711-5716)

Matt writes [about this photo]: Mixed media transfer

Check out this and many other very unique photos by Matt

Michigan History Magazine says that rumors of a great river to the west intrigued Jesuit Jacques Marquette, explorer Louis Jolliet and five other men. They left St. Ignace by canoe on May 17, 1673, paddling along the northern shore of Lake Michigan and then across present-day Wisconsin, the Frenchmen reached the Mississippi River in one month.

The Time is Ripe for Investing in Alternative Energy

MITECHNEWS.COM reports that a panel of experts at the University of Michigan Growth Capital Symposium agreed that the environment for investing in alternative energy companies is the best it has been in a decade. They tagged not only ethanol, biodiesel wind and solar companies but also businesses that make high-tech controllers to make the energy gathering process more efficient.

Chairman and CEO of Konarka Technologies Howard Berke said: "Michigan has an industrial base and a very knowledgeable industrial workforce ideally suited for alterative energy development." He suggests that to foster alternative energy development, the federal government needs to step up in a big way, the way the German government has done, and provide subsidies to help the transition from generating electricity via petroleum or coal to production by alternative energy means.
Read Alternative Energy Investment Environment Best In A Decade from MITECHNEWS.COM
Michigan Growth Capital Symposium web site

Michigan's Best & Brightest Students
The Detroit News has announced their "Best and the Brightest of 2006", honoring some of Michigan's top graduating high school students at public and private schools from throughout the state in categories that include: Against All Odds (success in the face of challenges), Athletics and Health, Journalism and Language Arts, Mathematics and Science, Performing and Visual Arts and Vocational-Technical and World Studies.

For something fun, we're going to ask anyone who has a Michigan senior to recognize to post a comment below!
Read The Best and the Brightest of 2006 in the Detroit News

2006 Michigan Tech Tour

Matt Roush of GLITR

The Great Lakes IT Report has the complete 2006 Tech Tour available on their brand-new and improved web site. The report on the eight day tour of Michigan's technology movers and shakers features mini-articles and photos and [selfpromotion]a visit from Matt Roush to the offices of Leelanau.com and Absolute Michigan[/selfpromotion].
Check out the 2006 Tech Tour from the Great Lakes IT Report

Freep Lansing Bureau Chief on the 2006 Campaign
Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry talks with Detroit Free Press Lansing bureau chief Chris Christoff about how the Michigan gubernatorial race is shaping up. Christoff says he has no doubt that this will be the most expensive campaign for governor in Michigan history as DeVos's funds appear unlimited and Granholm spent more than any candidate in history last time around.
Read/Listen to Interview: Chris Christoff from Michigan Radio
Also see Essay: Running in Place

Meijer Offers $1 Million for Trail Completion
The Detroit Free Press reports that although retail magnate Fred Meijer recently pledged $1 million toward the completion of White Pine Trail State Park, Michigan officials turned him down. Meijer's offer was rejected because it hinged on adding his name to the 92-mile hiking and bicycling trail built on a former rail bed.

Jim Wood, administrator of the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund said "It's really a matter of fairness. The public has made substantial investments in these sites, and there should be some recognition of that public benefit."
Read Not for a million bucks: Michigan officials reject Meijer gift in the Freep
White Pine Trail web site

Leelanau Sports Guy writes: Just got this from the Insider...

"Marcus Bell and James Hall were the two Lions who blew the whistle on Marinelli and filed the greivance."

Read Detroit Insider Breaking News

michpics writes: Untitled, photo by purplephilia.

The photographer, purplephilia, says the tulip was a really, really beautiful dark purple but she lost the color version. The structure in the background is Henry Ford's Fair Lane Estate.

See the photo and read Black Tulip to learn more about the photographer and the Henry Ford estate

Y. writes: The Tios sign often has personal appeals. Today it asked, "have you hugged a hospital worker today?" An ambulance was parked in the parking lot. Dave's Books' sign currently reads, "Young Minds Thirsting for Knowledge Need Textbooks." The Walgreen's signs pleads with seniors to register for Medicare plans before the May 15 deadline, and even gives a phone humber.

Read Sign Personalities

Mike Wendland writes: Call it the MySpace for sports nuts. A new Web site called PicksPal.com is a virtual gathering place for sports fans to prove who really knows their sports.

Read Social networking site for sports fans

Atul writes: As if the world doesn't think we're a nation of whiners already, here we are complaining about gas prices which are among the lowest in the world, particularly when compared to our incomes. According to The Economist's latest issue, the U.S. is 18th in price per gallon in a list of 28 major countries. What I find funny about the whole situation is that the Republicans who more vociferously defended our right to drive gas guzzlers and refused to increase fleet fuel economy requirements over the years are the ones who have to deal with the results of our gasoline addiction.

Read High Gas Prices? Use Less Gas

GLRC writes: Some communities are struggling to find the right balance between new development and preserving the farms and natural areas surrounding them. Some towns feel as though rapid development is out of control. Local residents sometimes feel as though they're fighting big business to preserve their community's way of life. Every once in a while, a champion for their fight emerges from the least likely of places. The GLRC's Adam Allington reports.

Read or listen to ROOSTER BECOMES SYMBOL IN SPRAWL BATTLE

Warren GM plant receives environmental award... So does Muskegon's J.H. Campbell power plant. Mitch Albom says Enough with the guarantees, Pistons.

Detroit News Michiganians of the Year
The Detroit News has profiles (including video) of their 14 Michiganians of the Year. Their list includes former Detroit Lion turned entrepreneur and philanthropist Robert Porcher, David Milarch of the Champion Tree Project and Arab American National Museum founder Anan Ameri.
Read 2005 Michiganians of the Year in the Detroit News

Michigan Teacher Developing Skateboard Curriculum

The Traverse City Record-Eagle has another great multimedia feature by Taylor Sipe about Traverse City East Junior High tech-ed teacher Scott Diment. Diment, a skateboarder for about 30 years, is working with Paul Schmitt of skateboard company PS Stix in developing a curriculum and pilot program called CreateAskate that encourages students to apply math and science in constructing and engineering a skateboard.
Read Lessons in Motion: Skateboard making teaches math, science in the TC Record-Eagle

Venture Capital Event Turns 25
The Michigan Growth Capital Symposium is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry interviews David Brophy about the "original venture fair" and what Michigan industries (internet, technology, life sciences) investors will be looking to invest their money in.
Read/Listen to Interview: David Brophy from Michigan Radio

Starbucks Founder Talks About Corporate Responsibility

The Freep reports that Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks Coffee Co. and a Northern Michigan University grad, addressed the Detroit Economic Club on how to build a company that makes profits without sacrificing corporate responsibility. Schultz said "We knew early on we were not in the coffee business. We are in the people business. We created and we are the quintessential experiential brand. It comes to life when people feel a sense of value, appreciation and respect."

Schultz also criticized corporations who are very profitable but are not paying their part of the nation's health care costs.
Read Starbucks strategy goes beyond java in the Detroit Free Press

Employment and Environment in Competition
The Detroit News takes a look at mining, logging and farming initiatives that promise jobs but carry with them the potential of negative environmental impacts. All three job initiatives concern environmentalists, and depend on state administrative or legislative action.
Read Job initiatives ring environmental alarm in the Detroit News

Dave Dempsey writes: No, not Lake St. Clair. Not Lake Champlain either.

What is it?

It's big enough to cause lake-effect snow:

Read about the sixth great lake

michpics writes: Untitled, photo by OddZen.

Check out Farm Road and view the rest of OddZen's photos on Flickr

Girl in the D writes: Looking for a fun spot downtown to watch the Detroit Pistons this Sunday as they begin round two of the NBA playoffs?

Look no further than Bookies Tavern.

Read Bookies offers up burgers and beers for a good cause

Ann writes: David Klein Gallery has opened up the summer season with a landscape show and also some spiffy new updates in the gallery including new hardwood floors. I have to admit that I am eagerly awaiting the summer show that will include such figurative greats as lucian freud and also the local talent of kristin beaver.

Read david klein

detroitblog writes: The Lafayette was built on what was then commonly known as the Bressler Block, a wedge-shaped piece of real estate over which developers salivating for years. The block was acquired in 1850 by Charles E. Bressler, and sold in 1906 by the Bressler family to Edsel Ford and Benjamin Berry, who in turn sold it to George G. Epstean and Associates. At the time it consisted of a number of two- and three-story buildings built in the late 19th century.

Read Frosting on the cake, a history of the Lafayette Building including pictures of the structure today

neadfiles writes: O.K. I'm hoping that with high school graduation in a couple of weeks this kind of thing will stop. I reported about "Mailbox Baseball" last weekend and the dozen or so that were pulled out of the ground - post and all. We were spared. But last night, just after midnight, I heard what I thought was a car doing doughnuts in the (gravel road) intesection. We awoke this morning to find that our trash can had been run over and deposited on the southwest corner of the road.

Read Trash Can Derby

What's Opera, Doc? writes: It doesn't quite have the drama of an AI competition, but in 1786 the Emperor Franz Joseph (yes, he of the "too many notes" fame) scheduled a competition - a German singspiel against an Italian opera, which was the pop music of the day.

Read American Idol it aint - we'll have an opera competition anyway - Mozart v Salieri - 10AM EST on What's Opera, Doc, WHFR FM and/or click to listen live!

Net news: Online travel clearinghouses such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz being sued for evading local taxes, Youth immune to TV ads, so carmakers turn to web advertising, Great Lakes IT Report gets new web site.

Quagga Mussels Have Overwhelmed Zebra Mussels

Photo Courtesy Michigan Sea Grant

The Duluth News Tribune reports that Russell Cuhel, a senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Great Lakes WATER Institute, says that the quagga mussel seems to have nearly annihilated the zebra mussel population. Zebra mussels devour plankton, filter nearshore waters to unnatural clarity that spawn excessive algae outbreaks, and clog industrial water intake pipes. Quaggas have done the same thing on a larger scale, blanketing the lake bottom in many of the deep, cold places that the more delicate zebras can't survive. Cuhel says "Everybody used to say, 'Oh no, zebra mussels!' Well, zebras don't hold a candle to what these guys are going to do to Lake Michigan."

The quagga may be responsible for the drastic decline in diporeia, a tiny, shrimp-like plankton that is an important food source for some fish. The average density of diporeia dropped from 1,836 per square meter five years ago to 293 today.
Read More invasive mussel appears to be taking hold in Lake Michigan from the Duluth News Tribune
Invasive Mussel information from Michigan Sea Grant

New Book on the Odawa Language
The Traverse City Record-Eagle has a feature on Ray Kiogima of Harbor Springs, author of "Odawa Language and Legends". The book contains Odawa/English translations of more than 1,000 common words and hundreds of phrases. Carla McFall, who runs the Little Traverse Bay Band's language preservation and revitalization program, says that Kiogima's is the last generation to be fairly competent speakers.

Kiogima says "I thought, if we can write it, we can preserve it, and that's what I want. It's always been a dream of mine, to have it written down. We want to get it to the younger crowd."
Read Author preserves dying language in the Traverse City Record-Eagle
Also see the Anishinaabemowin language site

Journalist Thomas to Attend Walk of Fame Celebration
Helen Thomas is scheduled to attend the celebration honoring the first twelve inductees to the Michigan Walk of Fame on May 25, 2006 at the Michigan Historical Center, 702 W. Kalamazoo St. in downtown Lansing from 6:30-10:00 PM. Helen Thomas is a news service reporter and a member of the White House press corps.
Read Helen Thomas to Attend Michigan Walk of Fame Celebration from the PR Newswire
Michigan Walk of fame web site
Helen Thomas on Wikipedia

Interview with Natalie of Need4Sheed

Today's Detroit Free Press has an interview with Natalie Sitto, Sheedologist, creative force behind Need4Sheed and one of our 2 favorite Detroit Pistons' bloggers (the other being Detroit Bad Boys).
Read Her need is for 'Sheed in the Freep

Houghton to Host National XC Championships
Friday's Daily Mining Gazette reported that the U.S. Skiing and Snowboarding Association (USSA) announced that Houghton will host the USSA Nationals cross country skiing competitions for the next two years. The races Races include 5 to 10k classic races, 10-15k freestyle races and the team sprint freestyle race and feature the nation's top racers. They are scheduled for January 1-7, 2007 and from December 31, 2007 to January 6, 2008.
Read Skiing Nationals coming to Houghton in the Daily Mining Gazette

The Snowsuit Effort writes [about today's photo subject]: "I came out of prison in 1999 and I couldn't find work - I fell back into drugs."

Read about Glenn and see his photo
Welcome Back, Ryan!

Mike Wendland writes: Controversial social networking sites like MySpace abound in cyberspace. They’re hugely popular with teens, who swap way too much personal information. That’s why parents need to get involved.
The Wired Safety site is filled with tips for parents and information about fighting online threats.

Read Online safety help for parents

Buddy Culver writes [about this show]: The funky, rockin' blues of Flophouse, the rock and roll of Tips and the rockabilly, reggae of Philo - all stylin' Motor City style. Its our producer Mario's birthday and Founder's Breakfast Stout is goin' into Buddy Culver during the podcast.

Listen to The Buddy Culver Show Podcast #33

Leelanau Sports Guy writes: Detroit Pistons blog Need4Sheed got a real nice writeup in the Detroit Free Press. If you are a Pistons fan check it out and congrats Natalie!

Read Detroit Sports Blogger in the Freep

Jack Lessenberry writes: Last week, Detroit city council voted to make it against the law to use a hand-held cell phone while driving in the city. While it isn't clear whether the Mayor will sign the bill, other cities have passed similar ordinances - and a new study shows that eighty percent of accidents are caused by distracted drivers.

Read or listen to Interview: Paul Green - 5/12/06
Also read or listen to the companion Essay: Criminals With a Cell - 5/12/06

GLRC writes: A whooping crane experiment in the Eastern U-S has had its first hatch of eggs from migrating birds. But humans had to help. The GLRC's Chuck Quirmbach reports.

Read or listen to EGGS LAYED IN WHOOPER RECOVERY EFFORT

Find The River writes: Last night I attended the Michigan League of Conservation Voters workshop on submitting comments about Kennecott Minerals' application to operate a sulfide ore mine along the Salmon Trout river in Upper Michigan. Very interesting, especially the background offered about Michigan's new rules on sulfide ore mining came to be. Listening to the history of those rules, and to the plans of various citizens' groups to ensure their enforcement, I got the sense that I'd walked into a tense game of U.P.

Read Sulfuric Poker

Red Tape writes: Smoking in a motor vehicle with a passenger under 4 years old would become illegal in Michigan under terms of legislation scheduled for a hearing next week in a state House committee.

The proposed penalty would be a civil infraction or a ticket. The cost of the fine would be determined by the state court administrator if the bill becomes law.

Read Michigan Smoking Wars : Legislature Considers Penalizing Parents for Smoking in Cars With Children, but Ignores Restaurant Smoking