The Detroit and Grand Rapids metro areas have tripled the proportion of their residents with college degrees since 1970. Still, an expert on work-force development in Michigan says the state’s two largest urban centers are treading water — at best. An analysis by the Brookings Institution of the 100 largest metro areas placed Detroit 65th […]
Detroit
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“The degree of one’s emotions varies inversely with one’s knowledge of the facts” –Bertrand Russell, 20th century British philosopher. * A CBS reporter this month said that no person born in the U.S. circa 1985 and after has ever experienced “normal” weather — at least as defined by average 20th century conditions. Since 1985, the nation’s been […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Michigan, let's target and sideline special interests
Travel often gives you new ways of looking at things … and that is certainly true of travel to China. My wife Kathy and I just got back from visiting our son, who lives and works in Shanghai. We were there for 10 days, and it’s good to be home. But even through the fog of […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Medical calls dominate fire run stats
When the dispatch call goes to a typical Michigan fire station, chances are it has nothing to do with fire. In fact, odds are about four in five it’s some kind of medical emergency. And even then, it may well turn out to be a false alarm. Not exactly the kind of sirens-blaring drama many […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not” — Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist. * Ice in winter has positive effects, too: http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/05/15/continued-ice-loss-on-the-great-lakes-may-cause-widespread-change-in-ecosystems/ * It was suggested, in comments to […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Urban farm plan reels in cash, tilapia
Gary Wozniak regards his domain with the enthusiasm of an evangelist. Where most people would look at these wide expanses of Detroit blight and see dark despair, he sees nothing but gleaming possibilities. “This is the center of the farm,” he said, gazing over the corner of Warren and Grandy on Detroit’s near east side […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
State takes cautious approach to freight hub proposals
A dizzying number of transportation-related proposals centered on Detroit’s mid-continent location are floating around Michigan. They have funny names (Aerotropolis), links to faraway locales (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and impressive engineering goals (a rail tunnel tall enough to handle double-decker cars). One common thread through most of these proposals is a need for investment. The ideas are […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Conservationist's message: Nature is just out your door
Ask John Hartig about his childhood, and you’ll hear about fishing with his father in Northern Michigan, biking around Belle Isle and hiking and canoeing at church camp Up North. Hartig, who manages the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, wants every Michigan kid in even the most urban environment to develop a love for the […]
Posted inPhil's Column
State leaders run wrong way on higher education
The progressive group Business Leaders for Michigan just held a leadership summit devoted to the topic of learning and our state’s economic future. The theme was “Higher Education: A Growth Engine for the New Michigan” and it drew a lot of high-powered, knowledgeable people to the Lansing Center Monday afternoon. They came from various places […]
Posted inTalent & Education
A film about Detroit manhood scrambles for funding
Veteran Detroit screenwriter and teacher Harvey Ovshinsky likes to say Detroit is the Saudi Arabia of stories, and all an aspiring filmmaker needs to do is go out there and grab one. Certainly, many have been taking his advice; documentaries set in and around Detroit have exploded in recent months, prompting the Free Press to […]