Some April Fools to watch out for in Michigan this weekend

On a lighter note and since it is Friday I put together a list of some "April Fools" you might need to be aware of here in Michigan. Don't get taken in by them now, you hear?

• Jennifer Granholm personally solves the state budget crisis by selling the U.P. to Canada.
• State highway workers eliminate all of our potholes by filling them in with the millions of "old blue" license plates that have been retired.
• Dick DeVos sells off his Alticor stock to invest in a new bio-fuel car manufacturer that plans to build cars that are fueled by politicians. Apparently the cars will run on hot air and empty promises. I'm not sure how many miles to the gallon they'll get but this fuel supply should never run out (unfortunately).
• The University of Michigan has decided to change its nickname from Wolverines to the Sharks. It is an homage to Greg Norman (nicknamed the Shark) and the fact that like Greg Norman, they seem to choke in big games. Plus, there is no scientific proof that wolverines ever existed in this state so why keep living the lie, right?
• As part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Mackinac Bridge, Jennifer Granholm has proposed an entry fee for the 2007 Labor Day Bridge Walk. Our governor thought it would only be fitting for the fee to be $1 for each year that the bridge has been open for a nice round figure of $50.
• It appears that the proposed amusement park in Grayling will indeed receive state funding. The backers of the amusement park have agreed to help the state save money on its prison system by creating "Prison Break Adventure" and staffing the park with current prison inmates. A source from Lansing calls it "a win-win situation."
• For every home run that new Tiger player Gary Sheffield hits this year at Comerica Park, Tigers owner and Little Caesars boss, Mike Ilitch will give a Hot-N-Ready pizza to each fan in attendance.
• Speaking of Comerica - rumors abound that Comerica bank officials have had a change of heart about moving their headquarters to Texas. Governor Granholm and our state legislature worked a last minute deal with them to encourage Comerica to remain in Michigan. In addition to some extensive tax breaks thrown their way, they also get to run Chrysler.

Have a Great Weekend and watch out for any April Fools' Day pranks!

Enjoy this very well put together slide show of the U.P.

With crummy state news leading newspaper headlines across the state I thought I would just fore go commenting on the bad and show some of the good of our beautiful state. Michigan's Upper Peninsula is home to numerous breathtaking views and Doug Modlin put together some great pictures in a slide show and added some music for a wonderful presentation.

If the video player does not work you can view the video here.

Michigan predicting modest increase in tourism for 2007

Funny, but they gave the same estimate for growth last year. More money was spent on advertising Michigan as a tourism destination and guess what? The number of tourists in 2006 remained flat - it was pretty much the same as 2005. Since the results were so good last year (sarcasm here folks) Michigan is planning on spending more money this year on promoting our state as a travel destination. I am sure that the marketing budget for tourism is just a drop in the bucket that is our state budget deficit, but businesses do not keep throwing good money at poor (no increase in tourists) results.

Why should Michigan?

Read the article at The Detroit News.

Meet some of the 2007 Michigan Notable Books authors this spring

The 2007 Michigan Notable Books author tour runs April 5 through May 24. The tour encompasses just about every area of the state giving Michigan residents a chance to meet the authors of the 2007 Michigan Notable Books. 19 of the authors are participating in the tour this year for book signings and discussions. You can view the schedule and authors for April and May.

I just started reading Steven Lehto's book, "Death's Door: The Truth Behind Michigan's Largest Mass Murder" last night. His book is one of the 20 Michigan Notable Books for 2007. You can view the entire list here.

Will a Grayling amusement park take the state for a ride?

Back in July of 2006 I wrote about a possible amusement park being built in Grayling. I found an interesting article written by Diane S. Katz and James M. Hohman for the Mackinaw Center for Public Policy that debates the merits of our state subsidizing such things as amusement parks. Axiom Entertainment, the force behind the proposed amusement park, is seeking $25 million in infrastructure improvements from the state. For your viewing pleasure, take a look at their breakdown of Michigan's crummy track record with subsidizing entertainment venues:

• Some $35 million in local, state and federal funds was invested in Auto World, a seven-acre theme park in downtown Flint. The park, which opened in 1984, was supposed to draw 900,000 visitors annually and revive the beleaguered city. It closed after only two years.
• Construction of Cereal City USA, in downtown Battle Creek, was made possible by a loan of $900,000 from the state that was secured by the city. The attraction, which opened in 1998, was billed as "a land of wonderful, interactive experiences and entertainment for the entire family, as they explore the birth, development and global impact of the cereal industry." Officials estimated that the park would draw 400,000 visitors annually, but it was shuttered in January 2007 after years of dismal attendance.
• The Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum secured a $3 million state grant to launch construction of an aviation theme park. The attraction was touted as "a centerpiece for economic development and tourism in southwestern Michigan," and local officials hoped that the state would finance half of the $80 million construction cost. A 25 percent hike in the local hotel tax also was considered. Ultimately, the grant money was returned to the state after the project was scaled back for lack of support.
• The city of Pontiac invested $55.7 million to build the Silverdome in 1975. The Detroit Lions relocated to Detroit’s Ford Field in 2002. Although the team paid the city $26 million for breaking its contract, Pontiac continues to incur a hefty deficit in maintaining the 127-acre site.

Our state doesn't have the funds to be throwing money around subsidizing entertainment venues that in reality produce very few actual jobs. If state lawmakers are truly looking for areas in the state budget to make cuts - this should be one of them.

Read the very interesting article in it's entirety at Mackinac.org.

Enjoy a homemade music video featuring Grand Rapids

Some ambitious Michigander took the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, "Especially in Michigan," and footage shot around Grand Rapids and created this really neat music video. The video is right around four minutes long and is basically a virtual tour of Grand Rapids with music. Pretty neat!

If the video player does not work you can view the video here.

Have a Great Weekend!