Good Morning Michigan! Workplace Wednesday April 8, 2009

Trivia controversy (4.00 / 4)

But what about Herbert? From Wikopedia:

Herbert F. Larson started the idea of the roadside park. History records that the idea goes back to 1918 in the early days of auto touring. Larson was then a history-minded highway engineer just out of the University of Michigan School of Engineering. He came back to Iron County where he grew up to manage the highway department.[2]

The inspiration of the roadside park idea came from a disappointed Sunday outing of a nearby Wisconsin lake country picnic. In 1919 northern Wisconsin lake resorts were growing rapidly. On a particular Sunday of that year, Larson tried to have a cookout with a group of people in Wisconsin. Everywhere they went the property caretaker asked them to not have their picnic on the property and escorted them off the grounds.

He did not want the nearby Upper Peninsula of Michigan to suffer a similar loss of the much-loved pastime of picnicing. This is where he was inspired with the idea of a wide right of way road spot as a roadside park.
Site of the first roadside picnic table

One day Larson learned that a particular prominently located parcel of land of uncut virgin woods east of Iron River, Michigan, on U.S. 2 might be up for sale. He went to the landowners with the support of the Iron County board chairman. They then negotiated with the owners and bought it as a forest memorial public woods. This is where he placed his first picnic table for a designated rest spot for the motoring public. There is a possibility this was even the first designated automobile rest area anywhere in the world. It is located at coordinates N 46.1067 W 88.54.78[8] in a stand of oldgrowth hardwood trees. Presently, it has many picnic tables and grills. There are pit toilets provided there today, whereas when it was first introduced it consisted only of a single picnic table.

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.

 - David Friedman

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by: michmark @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 05:47:13 AM CDT

Hm. (0.00 / 0)

Hm.



If you're not interested in what a sit-downer has to say, it's going to take him twice as long to say it. ~my grandpa

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by: Christine @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 12:56:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Today's trivia (4.00 / 2)

the Flintstones you are referring to were the three MSU Spartans who led them to the NCAA title in 2000. they were Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson, and Charlie Bell.  

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.

 - David Friedman

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by: michmark @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 05:52:55 AM CDT

Ding Ding! (0.00 / 0)

Though I have four Flinstones.

Four players from three different Flint high schools-Charlie Bell (Southwestern Academy) Mateen Cleaves (Northern H. S.), Morris Peterson (Northwestern H. S.) and Antonio Smith (Northern H. S.)-took Michigan State University to the NCAA Final Four in 1999, losing to Duke. The city of Flint honored them at a "Flintstone Community Celebration Day," May 17, 1999. In 2000 Bell, Cleaves and Peterson led the team to the NCAA championship, defeating the Florida Gators. Senator Carl Levin cosponsored a Senate resolution honoring the M.S.U. win, entering these words into the Congressional Record:

Mr. President, I join Senator Abraham in sponsoring this resolution which commends and recognizes the extraordinary successes of the Michigan State Spartans. As we speak today, about 150,000 people are lining the parade route in Lansing, MI, after a rally at our capitol, to welcome home and cheer on our heroes. . . . 'The Flintstones'-seniors Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson and junior Charlie Bell, have become heroes and role models to those from their hometown of Flint. (Congressional Record, April 5, 2000, 106th Congress, 2nd Session)

If you're not interested in what a sit-downer has to say, it's going to take him twice as long to say it. ~my grandpa

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by: Christine @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 12:58:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Brewer Filing FOIA Request from AG Cox (4.00 / 3)

More at WMR: http://www.westmichiganrising....

I'm on the road to Chicago, so if y'all at BFM want to follow up, please take over both here at BFM and with updates on WMR, that would be great.  Thanks.

David LaGrand for State Senate

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by: philgoblue @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 09:49:32 AM CDT

Already was writing as you were writing (4.00 / 2)

All I can say is...

Ha.

Love it.

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by: wizardkitten @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 10:08:55 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Keeping fit at work .. (4.00 / 1)

.. may impact your salary too

From http://news.msu.edu/story/6152/

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Weight discrimination appears to add to the glass ceiling effect for women, finds a new study co-authored by a Michigan State University scholar.

Overweight and obese women are significantly underrepresented among the top CEOs in the United States, according to the research, which appears in the British journal Equal Opportunities International. However, while obese men were also underrepresented, overweight men were actually overrepresented among top CEOs.

ht Corey



If you're not interested in what a sit-downer has to say, it's going to take him twice as long to say it. ~my grandpa

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by: Christine @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 13:02:07 PM CDT