An international contest — which also includes undergrad and graduate participants from Aachen University in Germany; Art Center College of Design in California; and Deakin University in Australia; — the goal of each school in the competition is to design a 21st century vehicle that will recapture the attributes that made Henry Ford’s Model T the revolutionary automobile it was - simple, lightweight, practical, compelling and inexpensive.

Sound easy? Not so much when you consider the contest rules, which call for a car that must be priced under $7,000, accommodate at least two passengers, and offer solutions that address assembly, power train and sustainability. In addition, each of the vehicles must have a range of at least 125 miles.

The teams aren’t totally without help, though; each of the five universities received $75,000 in funding from Ford Global Technologies to support the creation of a vehicle concept through sketches, models, research papers and potentially even working models.

The participating universities have until September 1 to design their “Model T for this century”.

On October 1, the two teams with the best concept car according to a panel of Ford judges will be awarded $25,000 in scholarship funds for their respective schools.

The Wolverines are not only not slowing down — they’re opening a cool new resource center, called the U-M Business Engagement Center (BEC), later this week.

Described by the University as a one-stop shop “for businesses seeking student talent, university expertise, professional development for employees and research partnerships”, the new center will share 17,000-square-feet of office space with the recently relocated U-M Office of Technology Transfer (OTT). The two offices will work together to build relationships between U-M and business and community partners, as well as help revitalize and diversify the state’s ailing economy.

The BEC is funded jointly by the U-M Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of University Development. Daryl Weinert, the center’s interim executive director, says the BEC will probably be emulated by other U.S. universities:

“At pretty much every university around the country, corporate relations is handled exclusively by the Office of Development,” he said. “With research and development working jointly on the Business Engagement Center, we’ve created a new model that is unique in the country,” he said. “We’ll be able to form win-win partnerships on many fronts that benefit both the companies and the University.”

The Business Engagement Center and the Office of Technology Transfer will celebrate their new location at an invitation-only open house May 15. For more information on the BEC, click here.

The state understands this and the importance of preserving our history, and, as such, recognizes and honors several preservation projects annually with a special accolade - the Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation.

With May designated as National Historic Preservation month, it was only fitting that Governor Jennifer Granholm recently announced the recipients of this special award. They will be honored at a ceremony in the state Capitol rotunda later this week.

This year’s recipients — who were chosen because they exemplified the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2008 theme, “This Place Matters” — include the following:

-Main Street Calumet for the Main Street Façade Rehabilitations;

-Inner City Christian Federation, Cornerstone Architects and Rockford Construction Company, Inc. for the rehabilitation of the D. A. Blodgett for Children building in Grand Rapids;

-Lino and Guadalupe Ortiz, the City of Holland and Design Plus Architects for the rehabilitation of 168 West 13^th Street in Holland;

-The People and City of Allegan for the rehabilitation of downtown Allegan’s Regent Theatre;

-Harry Hepler, Turner+Callaway and the Mannik & Smith Group, Inc. for the Prudden Motor Wheel Factory Building rehabilitation, and Richard Karp, the Peabody Group and Prater Development Ltd. for the Arbaugh Department Store Building rehabilitation;

-Excel-Artswalk LDHA LP, the Enterprise Group of Jackson, Quinn|Evans Architects and Fryling Construction Company for the rehabilitation of the Former Michigan State Prison Cell Blocks and Dormitory, Jackson;

-Cynthia F. Reaves for the rehabilitation of the Motown Mansion (aka the Michelson-Young House) located at 918 West Boston Boulevard in Detroit.

Historic preservation is vital to the neighborhoods and landmarks of our great state, and all of the winners deserve a pat on the back. Congratulations!

This shift towards a creative economy will not happen overnight, but bills like the ones Governor Granholm signed last week will help get us there faster.

The four-bill package, which was sponsored by Senator Tony Stamas (R-Midland), Senator Jud Gilbert (R-Algonac), Senator Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit), and Senator Tupac Hunter (D-Detroit), reform the state’s major business incentive to allow more flexibility in meeting interstate and international competition for business investment. In other words, a company that is retaining or creating a minimum of 50 jobs can qualify for a MEGA Michigan Business Tax credit, a move that paves the way for small, high-tech businesses in creative class industries like architectural design, music and film production services and digital media companies. Businesses meeting the criteria of the new bills, which went into effect immediately, will be eligible for the MEGA allowances, which work as credits against the Michigan Business Tax. The new law also removes a requirement that a company prove it had received competing, lower-cost offers from other states or countries to be eligible for the incentives.

It’s called “Entrepreneurial Improv: The Battle of the Elevator Pitch”, and takes place next week, right after the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium.

An offbeat, slightly outrageous event that highlights how successful entrepreneurs need to think on their feet, the elevator pitch battle is a great way to relax and have fun with Michigan’s venture community. The event is sponsored by New Enterprise Forum (NEF), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1986 to help entrepreneurs in Michigan prosper and grow.

During the program, NEF will put four entrepreneurs in front of a judging panel and give them an imaginary company to pitch, with little time to prepare. This year’s pitch competitors include:

Roger Newton, Co-Discoverer of Lipitor and Founder of Esperion; Ron Reed, who raised $18M for Fullscope and is now a VC at Seneca Partners; Rich Sheridan, Master Orator and CEO of Menlo Innovations; and Dick Beedon, Winner and Defending Champion of last year’s NEF Elevator Pitch Battle and Founder/Managing Director of MacBeedon Partners. The judging panel for the event will include Pete Farner of TGap Ventures, Mina Sooch of Apjohn Ventures, and Michael Cole of the Bank of Ann Arbor & Ann Arbor Angels.

Registration and networking begin at 5:00 p.m. The program starts at 5:45 p.m. There is no cost for NEF members. The cost is $20 for non-members and $5 for students.

A spotlight of newsmakers and issues that impact Michigan, The Pulice Report wants to help exceptional online destinations generate publicity and increase traffic. If there’s a great Michigan site that you’d like to nominate, submissions via email are welcomed for the next month. For more information, visit this post or read the official press release.

According to the site:

CBCampus.com and Apartments.com crunched some numbers and compiled a list of the best cities for recent college grads. They factored in entry-level job openings, rental prices for a 1 bedroom apartment, and a plenty of fellow young 20somethings.

Philadelphia ranked first, followed by Boston, New York, Phoenix, Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth. Los Angeles and Houston came in seventh and eighth, and Detroit and Atlanta rounded out the list.

Bizarre looking? Yes, but, energy efficient? You betcha. A renewable-energy powered light that runs on wind and solar power, this special light pole has a small wind generator at the top and two solar electric panels on the sides that provide electricity to charge the batteries. These batteries, in turn, operate the streetlight on the pole, illuminating the entrance drive to Buhr Park and Cobblestone Farm.

Besides being powered by solar and wind energy, the light is unique in that it is an “induction” light — meaning it has no electrodes or electrical connections to the lamp. The power needed to generate light is transferred from the outside of the lamp envelope by means of electromagnetic fields, giving the light a lifespan of 22+ years of nighttime operation. The hybrid wind-solar light features a 400-watt wind generator and two 50-watt solar panels that are used to charge two 12-volt batteries with 100 amp-hours of storage.

This hybrid wind-solar light is a partnership between Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan’s Sustainable Design Research Laboratory (SDRL) within the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning (TCAUP). Everlast Induction Lighting, a Jackson company, donated the light to UM-SDLR for testing. SDLR then contacted A2 government leaders to give them the opportunity to provide a location to install this test light. The city selected the Buhr Park entrance because more light was needed at the spot, and also because the unique looking light is quite visible to the public.

The lighting pilot test represents a UM/Ann Arbor partnership to test technologies to help A2 reach its eco-friendly goals. I’d say the city is well on its way.

Qasim had been thinking for several months about how he could help the Barack Obama Presidential Campaign.

“I couldn’t send them a million dollars, so I wanted to do something that could potentially make a significant difference,” said Basir.

So late one night, sitting in his NY apartment, he received a call from Michael Lynch, a long time schoolmate who’s also a filmmaker in Los Angeles. Coincidentally, Mike had also been thinking the same thing. With that inspiration, the fire was lit. Basir stayed up the whole night constructing different concepts that align with the theme of “Yes We Can.”

The next morning, he called Mike to tell him of the concept. Mike liked them, so they began working. There was one problem: They had no money for production, and Mike was in LA while Qasim in NY. Determined, Qasim got on his computer, and emailed a number of friends asking for donations to help with the Obama video project. With small contributions and a modest budget developed by Producer James Yi, they were able to raise the necessary funds to start the project. Days later, Qasim was in LA casting the characters.

“The way everything came together was just amazing because of the amount of people willing to help just because it was for Barack,” says Basir. From the initial phone call to casting to shooting, everything was donated. Cameras, equipment, catering, make-up, locations, music, editorial and services were all provided for free. They shot for two days, edited for a week and a half and a product was made.

The initial release of the videos is on YouTube, but the group hopes that the Obama campaign takes notice and starts to use them for broadcast. “The inspiration we had to come together and do this is very significant because its reflective of Obama’s ability to bring together a Nation.”

Check out all three “Yes You Can” videos. Immigration, Housing and College, as well as a behind the scenes video can be watched online.

Case in point: Melissa and Jennifer Hui, WSU students and sisters from Bloomfield Hills, who recently partook in and brought home a first place win in the digital arts category of the Microsoft Imagine Cup U.S. finals in Los Angeles.

What’s the Imagine Cup? It is one of the world’s premier student technology competitions, and Microsoft Corporation feels it is a way to encourage the young to apply their imagination, creativity and passion to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world today.

Featuring some of the most innovative and creative college students in the country, participants demonstrated how their projects address this year’s environmental theme, and participated in an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Workshop led by established leaders in the entrepreneurial field to build the skills and confidence needed to bring their projects to life.

Team Provisio - composed of Melissa and Jennifer Hui of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan - were first place winners of the Photography category. Their photo essay project transported viewers to the cradle of the world’s ecosystem - rain forests - and depicted how technology is being applied there to try to slow global warming and deforestation.

As winners, the dynamic duo advances to the Imagine Cup World Finals, which will be held in Paris from July 3 to 8. The sisters will also receive $5,000, a two-page color spread in American Photography magazine, and a display of pictures on the Imagine Cup micro site of PopPhoto.com.

Melissa is a junior in Wayne State University’s Biological Sciences program; Jennifer is a freshman in the same program.

This month’s Craft Uprising participants are Taryn Boyd of TalkingSquid with her handmade rugs from old t-shirts; Joey Merchant’s plush monsters from recycled fabrics; birch bark jewelry by Heather Fagan of BirdsGather; Michelle Kramp with one-of-a-kind handbags and accessories from recycled textiles; and Michelle Pappas’ recycled sweaters transformed into handbags and eyeglass cases.

Art in the Alley is a collaboration with Spunky Monkey Art Association whose mission is to illuminate the value and joy of arts and culture within the diverse Downriver communities. Spunky Monkey will host art related activities in the alley behind Biddle Gallery.

The city of Wyandotte purchased the Masonic Temple on Chestnut in downtown Wyandotte with the hope of turning the space into an art center. Tours of the building will be given to generate interest for potential occupants. There will also be a live performance by Apartment 4 and Rogue Satellites.

Submission from Biddle Gallery.

1. Flickr - One of the most popular social networking sites around, Flickr shares pics from vacation shots to award-winning works of art. Do a search for Detroit or Michigan, and you’ll be amazed at the number of beautiful images by local talent. Discover your new fav photographers, learn about them on their profiles and start following their work. Many provide links to a more personal sites with larger online galleries where some are for sale. And it’s a great way for amateur and pro photogs to network and exchange ideas, tips and techniques.

2. ImageKind - A very cool site to buy and sell art from photographers, artists and graphic designers. I typed in Michigan and found local artists Michelle Calkins from Holland and vintage photography from Scott Buel from Marine City within 950 search results. Try typing in you city and see what comes up.

3. ArtBreak - There are sites like art.com and posters.com that offer a giant selection everything you’ve seen before. Then social media comes along and creates a virtual gallery like ArtBreak, where artists and photographers showcase their work and post a price while you peruse from your couch. Whether you’re a casual or serious art collector, take some time to discover a range of talent, compliment your new fav artists and vote for pieces that speak to you. Want to support local talent? Search “Michigan” to find artists like Daniel C. Boyer from Houghton and Keemo from Grand Rapids.

4. Etsy - Same concept as ArtBreak, Etsy is for crafters. Etsy is like a well-organized global boutique for all those one-of-a-kind items. Best part: Use the Shop Local app and search for artists by state or city. We found more than 100 “stores” from Michigan here.

5. Zazzle - Create T-shirts, posters, mugs, postal stamps, cards, aprons, bumper stickers, etc. with your own photos, designs or artwork and get it in like 24 hours. Seriously. I haven’t tried it - but was fascinated by the possibilities. Got an impossible project at work to turn around. Do it here. Artists can even set up their own retail stores. Create a product and use Zazzle widgets to sell through your own site, or social network like Facebook or MySpace.

6. Decorati - This social site caters to high-end interior decorators to showcase their portfolios and “get discovered,” buy/sell sample items and antiques, participate in forums to share design ideas and questions.

7. 99Designs - Need a new look? This site offers you access to a global network of graphic designers ready to whip up logos, websites, invitations, posters or promotional materials all in a bid to win your contest. Designers like it for the new business opportunities and access to peers readily sharing tips, techniques and styles. You pick the winning design at the price you’re willing to pay.

8. Threadless - Another design contest type of site, this one supporting creativity through the essential T-shirt. You can submit designs, vote on your favorites, and order unique styles to match your personality.

9. Deep Canvas - A brand new social networking site launched by Elemental in mid-April to connect and fortify Detroit’s “creative class.” I love the concept and have already signed up.

10. Facebook for Michigan Creatives: A couple of us at BrainGain created Facebook groups to rally Michigan’s creative talent to 1) come together at the upcoming Creative Cities Summit 2.0, and 2) advocate for a stronger creative culture as one influential sector within CreateMichAgain. (Links only work if you have a Facebook login.) Hope to see you inside each!

Know of more networks for artists and creatives? Leave a comment and let us know!

Students have planted seeds in the school’s greenhouse and will plant the seedlings and other seeds in the garden once the threat of frost has passed. Then, they will harvest their bounty and take it to Gleaners, which will give a portion back to the students for use in the school’s culinary arts program.

Along with the volunteer gardeners, the land will be offered to farmers to grow organic crops, corn for ethanol or soy beans for bio-diesel — with a portion of the profits donated to Gleaners.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will embrace technology in a whole new way on Tuesday, May 13 when Honda’s beloved ASIMO humanoid robot focuses its attention on the DSO’s nationally acclaimed youth music programs by conducting the orchestra as it performs “Impossible Dream” to open a special concert performance with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

On May 14, ASIMO will demonstrate its unique capabilities for hundreds of area school children prior to a specially arranged master class at the DSO, where a select group of music students will receive personal music instruction from Yo-Yo Ma. Students from the Detroit School of Arts (DSA) will participate in the master class on-stage in front of the audience of area children, which will include a group of young students from neighboring Windsor, Canada.

Honda hopes ASIMO’s appearance will draw attention to the DSO’s nationally acclaimed youth music programs — particularly the DSO’s effort to encourage and support involvement of children in Detroit.

Michigan’s most comprehensive pre-professional training program for orchestra, chamber, wind and jazz musicians, the DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles (CYE) program boasts nine different classical and jazz ensembles. Nearly 500 students weekly ages 8 to 24 come from dozens of Southeast Michigan schools and colleges to participate weekly. Visit the DSO on the Web for more information.

Ann Arbor residents and potential homebuyers can now receive a free solar analysis by visiting the City’s Website, selecting “My Property Information”, and clicking on the “Solar Potential” tab.

Part of Mayor Hieftje’s 2005 Green Energy Challenge, which includes a goal of 5,000 solar roof installations by 2015, Ann Arbor Energy Commissioners and UM students assessed over 21,000 Ann Arbor roofs for their solar potential.

The Ann Arbor Energy Office and Energy Commission then worked with the Information Technology Services Unit to provide the results via the city’s Google-based My Property web application within a new tab called “Solar Potential”.

A2’s website notes that “if every residential building in Ann Arbor had a one kilowatt solar electric system on the roof, we could generate over 30 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity each year or about 10% of Ann Arbor’s 2000 residential electrical use.”

Click here for more information.

Eastwood will both direct and star in “Gran Torino,” set for release in December. A Minnesota TV station announced the preference for Michigan due to its 42% tax credit. An Eastwood cameraman has also mentioned a July trip to begin shooting.

Government officials remain silent. But the sixth “Dirty Harry” sequel could very well drive the Oscars through the Great Lake State. An official announcement would likely come from Governor Granholm, though there is no word quite yet.

Eastwood isn’t alone. The Free Press spoke recently with Janet Lockwood of the Michigan Film Office.

Lockwood says she is looking at a stack of 90 scripts considering shoots in Michigan. The biggest official title, the crime drama “The Fifth Mafia,” starring Armand Assante, Ray Liotta, and James Van Der Beek, will begin shooting in the Grand Rapids area next month.

The project is an installation of specially designed banners that will be hung on Main Street in Ann Arbor to raise awareness about sustainability issues in urban areas. Each banner will be designed using the tree as a metaphor and will explore an issue that the designer finds pressing and relevant to today’s cities.

Once the installation is taken down, the banners will be converted into mail bags and auctioned off to raise money for a local Ann Arbor environmental charity.

AIGA Detroit is also in the process of planning future installation of the Urban Forest Project in Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids.

The original Urban Forest Project was conceived by World Studio in conjunction with AIGA NY and Times Square Alliance. The event brought together 185 designers from 21 countries to create an outdoor design exhibition throughout Times Square in New York City. The Urban Forest project has also been implemented in Denver and Portland by each city’s respective AIGA chapters and local partners.

Additional Information:
http://www.detroit.aiga.org
http://www.urbanforestproject.org
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/urban-forest-project
http://www.denverurbanforest.com
http://www.urbanforestpdx.org

Submission from Erich Friebel.

The store will sell “specialty and gift items such as books, handbags, jewelry, baby items, hand-painted stemware and handmade greeting cards.” About 90% of all items will be handmade, with 50% finding their roots locally and a large selection eco-friendly.

The first entrepreneurial venture for 27-year-old Megan Cowper is evidence that the investment of young people is not confined to Detroit or Grand Rapids.

If you haven’t been to Port Huron lately, take a look at these photos posted on the SkyscraperPage Forum. Says one user: “These Great Lakes cities and towns are such wonderful places to visit in the summer.”

Team Potentia first won $15,000 in the third annual Cleantech Venture Challenge. Their plan is to commercialize an energy-scavenging battery-replacement technology to last 10 times longer than current batteries. The battery would be connected to wireless sensors that pick up on environmental conditions and then make adjustments for optimal performance. Using this technology, for example, lights would automatically turn off when a room becomes empty.

After winning Cleantech, team Potentia went on to garner $5,000 and $40,000 in resources in the Wake Forest Elevator Competition, as well as $5,000 from the Rice University Business Plan Competition.

Potentia’s Rishiraj Das, Ruba Borno and Tzeno Galchev hope to take the business to market with the prize money, helping to save energy and resources in the long term.

From the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts to the Suttons Bay Art Festival to four fairs in Ann Arbor, thousands will take pleasure in Michigan’s thriving art community. “While they differ in size and scope,” explains MLive, “each one offers the chance to connect with a creative vibe.”

If you’re looking for even more artsy festivities, ArtFairCalendar’s Michigan section lists nearly every local event from now until the end of the year. And if by chance you happen to be traveling, the site database is filled with hundreds of events throughout the country.

40 other colleges and universities are already participating in what is known as iTunes U. Michigan Tech has been a participant since last summer, posting a selection of engineering lectures.

The Detroit Free Press first questions if educational material is actually being downloaded. But Stanford University reports 1.8 million dollars since joining the program in 2006.

Materials added by the university will include “lectures from a Saturday morning physics class, teaching material from dental courses, university news releases, even a complete archive of speeches by U-M President Mary Sue Coleman.”

And unlike the pop hits and movie rentals, iTunes will provide all U-M audio and video at no charge.

Learn more from the official press release.

Sew Green is a great place to start with an extensive list of other Earth-loving resources.

Darryl Hannah has an eco-video blog? That Darryl Hannah?

Each year hundreds of award-winning projects are created in Lansing for clients from all over the world, including international auto companies, restaurants, the music industry, manufacturing and more.

Companies like BIGGBY Coffee, Audi, Comcast, bd’s Mongolian Grill, Whirlpool, Harley Davidson and many more come to Lansing when looking for creative partners. In fact, Lansing agencies consistently compete for, and win, bids for jobs against larger agencies in larger cities.

With competitive wages, a desirable cost of living and a growing Lansing area that features countless activities and amenities-sports teams, parks, galleries, shopping, loft living, historic neighborhoods, museums, restaurants-it’s easy to see why top creative professionals choose to live and do business here, resulting in a wonderfully supportive and active creative community with the skills and experience to produce some of the best work in the nation.

“We’re very excited about opening up our places for everybody to learn what we have to offer,” said Camron Gnass, president and creative director of Vision Creative. “We all have a lot to show off, and want to invite the community to see what we do.”

The Studio Crawl is open to the general business public, educators and students. It will feature Lansing-based photography studios, video production studios, commercial print shops, design agencies and advertising agencies, including Ahptic Film & Digital, Blohm Creative, BRD Printing, Ciesa Design, Gennara Photography, Harvest Music & Sound, Message Makers, Pace & Partners, Perspective2 Studio, Such FilmVideoPost, Tria Design and Vision Creative.

Participation costs $5, which includes a passbook with maps, details and a ticket to win a 8GB iPod Touch. The tour is self-guided so crawlers can start where they want and then visit as few or as many places as they wish. Afterward, crawlers are invited to a networking event for socialization, drinks, appetizers and the drawing of the iPod.

No RSVP is necessary. Participants can begin their tours at any of the businesses involved they wish. All materials provided with the $5 fee will be available at all of the locations.

The Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance works to educate and promote camaraderie throughout the local creative community. MMCA has a national affiliation through the American Advertising Federation (AAF). The AAF educates its members on the latest trends in advertising, marketing and government issues. To learn more about MMCA, please visit www.mi-alliance.com.

Submission from Camron Gnass.

The University recently received the special status from the U.S. Green Building Council, which promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health.

Featuring a 10,000-square-foot green roof which reduces runoff and associated pollutants, offers more effective insulation than traditional roofs, and expands and contracts with seasonal changes, as well as low-e glass to promote natural lighting, reduce heat loss and maximize daylight, the 42,000-square-foot Taubman Center also includes a system of weirs, tile fields and long-rooted grasses and trees that prevent 60 percent of the rainwater that falls on the adjacent campus quadrangle from running into the Rouge River.

As for keeping the building warm or cool, a field of 88 geothermal wells sunk 300 feet through five geological layers takes care of that.

Designed by Lawrence Tech alumnus Arthur Smith of Southfield’s Harley Ellis Devereaux, the Center also features sensor-controlled lighting and astronomically synchronized timers that adjust three times a day to accommodate seasonal lighting needs.

Products are categorized into topics including art & design, fashion and gadgets. And because it’s user-generated, you’re more than welcome to add to the site when you find something special. Or check out the latest submissions and vote your favorites to the front page to make sure that the classic rock album coasters are seen by the masses.

UMMA recently received a gift of more than 40 drawings, watercolors and prints by sought after 20th century avant-garde artists from retired U-M professors Ernst Pulgram and his wife, Frances McSparran.

Among the 15 artists represented in the gift are Otto Dix, George Grosz, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Emil Nolde, Christian Rohlfs and Egon Schiele.

All of the works are important pieces, but those by Klimt and Schiele in particular have risen dramatically in market significance over the last decade (a 1910 Schiele drawing sold at auction for $5.7 million in February, while Klimt’s iconic 1907 portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer was acquired for $135 million in 2006 and now hangs in New York’s Neue Galerie.

The Pulgram-McSparran collection complements UMMA’s significant holdings in European art of the period. UMMA will showcase the collection when it reopens its $41.9 million expansion and restoration in early 2009.

Volunteers are asked to keep personal journals, handwritten or typed, with no restrictions on length or content.

People of all ages are welcome to participate and encouraged to sign-up their family and friends. Entries focus on daily life and are compiled into seasonal volumes. For more information or to participate, visit the official website at det-win.org.

And now is a good time to check out Post Secret if you haven’t done so lately. The confessions are still growing strong, many finding their way into a successful series of published books.

This post at PSFK “describes how carefully designed not only IKEA’s products are, but also the streamlined process of production, packaging and delivery itself.”

There’s a whole lot more in Crave’s Anatomy of an IKEA product. Learn how a small tweak of a chair’s angle in Lithuania could translate into a big savings to consumers in Canton.

A few years later, Meijer was producing a series of state travel maps and event brochures. Browse through some of the old designs and explore Michigan travel of the past.

Fast forward to this week where Gov. Granholm discussed the likelihood of increased funding for Michigan’s tourism industry. The additional dollars could spread the award-winning Pure Michigan campaign to St. Louis, Columbus and Dayton. Learn more at Business Review Western Michigan.

As Nev explained in this recent post, the lucrative legislation package includes a number of incentives, including:

-A 40% refundable tax credit (42% in core cities) against Michigan Business Tax (MBT) liability for qualified film or digital media pre-production, production, and postproduction costs incurred in Michigan;

-A 50% refundable MBT tax credit for expenditures incurred by an eligible production company to provide on-the-job training for Michigan residents in advanced below-the-line crew positions on qualified productions;

-A 25% tax credit against MBT tax liability for film/digital media infrastructure investment of $250,000 or more.

Complete details of all incentives are detailed on MichiganFilmProduction.com.

It’s only been a week, but the new incentives seem to already be doing their magic; according to the Governor’s weekly radio address:

“Each year, the Michigan Film Office averages six scripts from companies interested in filming in Michigan. Today, we’re reviewing nearly 80 scripts from companies interested in doing business in Michigan.”

Yeah, I’d say 80 in one day compared to 6 in an entire year is quite a difference. I also like the fact that if the incentives do work and producers select Michigan for upcoming films and TV shows, they will bring high-quality jobs to Michigan residents — and fast. Also in her April 11 radio address, Granholm noted that the film industry is the second largest high-tech, high-paying, non-polluting industry in the world and generates over $50 billion in direct domestic economic activity each year. It can give Michigan’s economy an immediate shot in the arm while it takes years to reap the benefits of other economic development incentives.

Continuing the theme, Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki is “a one-stop shop for great ideas and information for all types of librarians.” And the Superpatron blog is a superb resource for all types of library-goers. Find book covers as inspiration, location via text message and the adventures of Super Librarian. And don’t miss the section on Library 2.0.

The GRAM received Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program in March, making it the first newly built green museum in the world. And to match its world-class building, the GRAM has now delivered a world-class exhibition with Rapid Exposure: Warhol in Series, featuring works by America’s most famous Pop artist, Andy Warhol.

This exhibition features some of Warhol’s best-known works–the Campbell Soup Cans, the purple cow wallpaper, the Marilyn Monroes. But the real reward is Warhol’s more serious paintings. If you have fallen for the caricature of Warhol as an innocent, aloof, and clueless naif, (a caricature that Warhol willfully sought to portray during his lifetime), then this exhibition will reveal a depth of content and feeling that may surprise you.

You’ll see representatives from Warhol’s Death and Disaster paintings, with images of the Sing Sing electric chair, a man in free fall after jumping from atop a skyscraper, a deadly car crash, and a human skull. You’ll see a series of Warhol’s Chairman Mao paintings, and four paintings of endangered species nearby four paintings of the last of the world’s reigning queens. You’ll see a rare political piece, a glib painting in pastels of Richard Nixon from 1972 titled “Vote McGovern.”

But most startling of all are Warhol’s representations of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. On the day that I visited, the room that houses these paintings was undoubtedly the most quiet in the entire building. There is a wall of sixteen Jackie Kennedys, some taken from images on the morning of November 22, 1963, some from the funeral procession on the streets of Washington, DC; all of them sorrowful. There is also the heartbreaking Jackie II (1966): an uncharacteristically unbusy painting depicting two identical, parallel images of the president’s widow looking off in the distance, soaked in a mournful lavender background. And there is the complete portfolio of paintings titled Flash–November 22, 1963. A collection of fourteen silkscreen prints, the set concludes with an image of Kennedy in complete blackness but for an outline of his face and shirt collar, highlighted by the same lavender used in Jackie II.

The Kennedy paintings are a breathtaking reminder of the power art can have in our lives, as well as proof of the special experience that the GRAM can offer the residents of Michigan. Hopefully, Rapid Exposure is only the first of many important and prestigious exhibitions that will be visiting this state-of-the-art museum in the future.

Rapid Exposure: Warhol in Series runs through June 15, 2008.

Although the site focuses largely on the coasts, there’s been more than one mention of the modern in Michigan.

A new book presents 40 of the homes in 264 pages of color. Each profile includes floor plans, a resource list and a “how I did it” explanation. Self-described as “the ultimate home decor book for the DIY-savvy,” pick up the hardcover online at Amazon or find it at your local bookstore.

That’s because DTE and Ikea have joined forces and are offering a free $10 IKEA gift card to individuals that sign up for the program on April 19, 20 or 22 at the Swedish furniture and accessory store in Canton.

In case you aren’t familiar with GreenCurrents, it is a voluntary program that gives DTE Energy’s 2.2 million electric customers the option of “greening up” their power with renewable energy created from wind, biomass and other environmentally friendly sources. Residential customers can purchase a block of renewable energy equal to 15-20 percent of a typical home’s monthly electric usage for as little as $2.50 per month. Customers also can choose to match 100 percent of their home’s electricity consumption with renewable resources by paying an extra $10 to $15 per month for a typical household.

Business customers can purchase 1,000 kilowatt hours of green energy for an extra $20 a month — or match all of their electricity usage with renewable energy for an additional cost of two cents per kilowatt hour.

The site hopes to make things simple, allowing folks with a little knowledge to “share their stories with those in search of a new Michigan adventure.”

Recent posts include a list of the top 25 Michigan campgrounds (complete with Google Maps!), fishing in Lake Erie, and a wonderful mashup of performing arts theaters.

Check out the site and add your experience. And don’t miss the wonderful feature on the Best of Michigan.

Many people are not often aware of the abundance of resources nearby or desire more knowledge about healthy living. Of equal importance, “there is a great need for a positive vision that can inspire active enjoyment of the out-of-doors and beautification of neighborhoods.”

An extensive project filled with useful information, the Detroit Green Map is free for everyone. For more on its goal, visit the profile on WiserEarth.

I went browsing for some CCS blogs and found Sketch A Day. A comic book artist and CCS freshman, Amy Blue posts one sketch each day for both practice and passion. So far, Amy’s held to her schedule. Follow along to watch the artist’s development, and check out her finished pieces at Deviant Art.

Featuring two full days of non-stop arts programming, the weekend will showcase the best of the MSU arts scene and offers a unique opportunity for anyone that’s interested to see uninterrupted performances, exhibitions, films and readings.

The fun begins at 5 p.m. Friday, April 18 and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 20. Between those times, more than 90 separate events will be held, including a public rally in support of the arts at the State Capitol Building in downtown Lansing at noon on Saturday, April 19.

Highlights of the first annual event, which is part of the University’s Year of Arts & Culture, include:

-Michi