Michigan WiFi
[Found at ResearchBuzz]
The State of Michigan, in partnership with SBC, is making available WiFi Hotspots at Rest Areas and State Parks. Sounds great but I'm not too excited, it isn't free unless you only want to browse michigan.gov.
A Proposed hypothesis to explain the anemic job growth
[Seen at Slate.com]
Did the 2003 Tax Cuts reduce employment?
The gist of it is the current administration predicted that "...the number of payroll jobs would rise by at least 300,000 each month in this election year."
But Barry Ritholtz hypothesizes that companies are spending money buying things to take advantage of the accelerated depreciation schedule which expires January 1, 2005. This new depreciation schedule lets a company write off 50% and is part of the same tax cut package that gave us that $300-600 taxable tax-advance from the U.S. Treasury. And by spending money on new property companies are putting off new hires.
Sounds plausible. If true then there'll be an uptick in new hires during the first quarter of 2005.
Chocolate Egg Cream
[I first heard about Chocolate Egg Cream while watching an episode of The West Wing] Here's what appears to be the most authentic Brooklyn-style recipe and directions for Chocolate Egg Cream boyee.
Milk + Seltzer + Chocolate Syrup
Double Grain Pancakes
From AllRecipes.com
recipe for Double Grain Pancakes:
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/3 cups dry milk powder
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups whole wheat flour
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 4 eggs, lightly beaten
* 3 cups water
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 3 tablespoons vinegar
I'll try it without the white sugar and use honey instead, but the vinegar aspect is promising.
the best All Purpose Vehicle?
I'd really like someone to manufacture an AWD station wagon with a diesel or diesel-hybrid engine. In Europe you can buy an AWD Volvo V50 with a diesel engine or VW Passat wagon with a V6 TDI and 4MOTION. The U.S. versions of the TDI Passat and Jetta are not recommended for towing and only come in fwd. In fact, if you want a diesel the best way to go may be to convert your vehicle to diesel via an expensive engine swap. The you can get your own "BIODIESEL No War Required" bumper sticker.
Until Subaru builds a go-anywhere bio-diesel friendly Outback with room for four adults and two large dogs the mini-van remains the best choice for a multi-purpose vehicle. If you need to do any serious offroading get a mountain bike, motorcycle, a horse, or hike it. Those-in-the-know know that real offroading involves roads and trails that are too narrow for a large Hummer-like SUV. Plus there is always the active vs passive safety thing...
Anyway, the minivan options are Honda and Toyota and from what I've read each one is superb. The new Odyssey is now just as good if not better than the Sienna. It comes down to what you want - the Sienna has AWD available; the Odyssey can shut off cylinders when not needed in the high end models for better fuel efficiency.
CNN/Money review of the 2005 Odyssey
Honda Odyssey review at USAToday
2004 Sienna review at Canadian Driver
Conservatioin Easement on Drummond Island
From the Soo Evening News
"DRUMMOND ISLAND -- With the signing of the first of two conservation easements on a portion of privately owned James Island, Nature Conservancy officials struck on a way to preserve undeveloped land while it remains in private hands."
"...small island off the mouth of the Potagannissing River..."
"...The Nature Conservancy's stewardship over the unique 1,185-acre Maxton Plains formation on Drummond Island was reportedly the clincher leading the Bardsleys to an arrangement with the conservancy. Called an "alvar grassland" the rocky Maxton Plains formation was called "one of the rarest habitats in the world" by the Nature Conservancy."
If you have land that you like to put under easement for more information contact The Nature Conservancy or the Little Traverse Conservancy in Petoskey.
