Out with the blue (license plates) and in with the new

The new standard license plate for Michigan drivers became effective on January 1, 2007. This new standard plate replaces the familiar old blue plate with white lettering. Now the background is white and the lettering is blue in order to make it easier for law enforcement to see your plate number. According to the Secretary of State's website the new plate is -

Clean in design, rust-resistant, tamper-proof and easily identifiable.

Does this mean that the state admittedly sold us license plates that were not rust-resistant or tamper-proof before this new plate became available? ;) I think my first-ever blue plate can attest to the fact that they were not rust-resistant.

So, when it is time for you to renew your plates this year you will have the option of the new standard plate (at no charge) or the other "special plate" (aka extra revenue makers for Michigan) - Spectacular Peninsulas for $5. The other special cause fundraising plates are still available at $35 a pop.

For those wondering what to do with your old blue plates -

I will pay the postage for you to send them my way. Old license plates make great projects for crafty individuals like myself. Drop me a line in the comments for this post if you want to get rid of your old plate. I would rather recycle them than have them get tossed in the trash.

Seriously, I really want your old license plates. :)

Read this Traverse City Record Eagles article about the nation's freeway system

The Traverse City Record Eagle ran a two-part series that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the creation of the interstate system. The two-part article covers the good (get from Point A to Point B much quicker) and the bad (the homogenization of America). The homogenization of America refers to going just about anywhere in the U.S. and having it look like anywhere else. Starbucks, McDonald's, and every other chain store can be found in strip malls all across America.

Not only is the history of the interstate system given, but its future as well. We have 46,876 miles of interstate highways rumbling through America and a large majority of them are in various states of disrepair.

Read Part One - How the interstate system reshaped America

Read Part Two - Interstate system needs money for updates

Web site gives addresses of former meth labs

At the Michigan Department of Community Health website there is now information on the addresses of all meth labs found since July 7, 2006. Why only since July? Well, that is when the law that allows such a list was passed. The list became available on January 3. I was expecting a bit larger list, but the PDF is only about 2 1/2 pages long. The really dismal aspect of the list is the fact that the majority of these former meth lab properties are right here in southwest Michigan.

25 out of the 38 properties on the list are from Allegan, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph counties combined.

The listing provides details such as the structure type (i.e. SFH - Single Family House) and the remediation status of each property.

It is great that the public can have access to this information as meth labs basically leave behind a toxic waste dump of chemicals that can seep into walls, ceilings, and carpet. Anyone looking to buy a home should double-check (even if the seller swears that the home was never a meth lab) the property against this list.

Look at the list at Michigan Department of Community Health

Via the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Lack of snow putting a hurt on Upper Peninsula economy

Every week that goes by without a significant snowfall costs the Upper Peninsula businesses that depend on the money that snowmobilers bring in. Hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and other stores where money is normally spent as snowmobilers buzz across the U.P. are suffering. A large chunk of their annual income is usually generated around Christmas and New Year's, but without snow that did not happen this year. Michigan's Upper Peninsula is a tourism dependent economy and snow is what drives folks to visit in the winter. No snow - no visitors.

Governor Granholm can't do much to help the winter economy of the U.P. unless she can somehow influence the weather patterns with the same icy exterior normally reserved for state Republicans. ;)

Think snow.

Read more about the Upper Peninsula economy's plight at The Mining Journal.

Check out the new look of the Detroit Free Press website

A couple of months ago the Detroit Free Press website made some dramatic changes to its look and functionality. They added the ability for readers to add their comments to articles and narrowed the column format along with other not so noticeable changes. Now the color scheme has changed along with a more refined style that seems a bit cleaner than the previous versions. It will take some getting used to, but I think I like it.

See for yourself - www.freep.com.

Remembering Gerald R. Ford 1913-2006

The stamp a man puts on the position of President of the United States is never really clear until years later when a man's legacy is looked upon with 20/20 hindsight. Gerald R. Ford had to step into a position vacated due to the Nixon resignation amongst the Watergate scandal. How do you address a nation still in disbelief over the bizarre affairs of Watergate? But Ford stepped into the presidency and did the best he could. It was never easy and the critics made their displeasure heard. Especially after the federal pardon Ford issued to Nixon just a month into his new role as president.

I'll let the following articles at various Michigan newspapers tell the whole story.

• Ford Never Coveted Presidency - Lansing State Journal
• NMU Professor Recalls Ford Visit - The Mining Journal
• Our President - Detroit Free Press
• Country indebted to Ford's integrity - The Detroit News
• Michigan reactions to Ford's death - Ludington Daily News
• Ford held nation together - Kalamazoo Gazette