A study by the National Endowment for the Arts shows that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds that actively participated in the arts tended to score better in science and writing, and were more likely to aspire to college.

The study used survey data gathered over 20 years that followed socially and economically disadvantaged students, from kindergarten into their early twenties.     PBS

Olympic spectators enjoying a drink in the London pubs across the pond might have a chance to grab a pint of Michigan beer as they watch the world’s top athletes compete on the international stage.

According to a blog post on craftbeer.com, journalist John Holl recently spotted some brews from Short’s Brewing Company’s at the Cask Pub & Kitchen in London’s Westminster neighborhood — nearly 3,700 miles away from the beer’s origin.      MLive

The failure of several Michigan township clerks to mail out absentee ballots on time has been prominent in the news lately, with even the U.S. Department of Justice involved. So I checked with Elk Rapids Township Clerk Carolyn Boals to see if our township is in trouble over absentee ballots. It’s not. Carolyn stated today that all requests for absentee ballots have been processed properly. Good to know.

A new agreement will give Charlevoix Area Hospital access to more resources.

The hospital and Munson Healthcare signed a regional affiliation agreement, which gives the Charlevoix hospital access to a broad range of services available through Munson Healthcare, based in Traverse City.

“This agreement is a logical extension of the Rural Health Network agreement between Charlevoix Area Hospital and Munson Medical Center which has been in place since 2004,” said Ed Ness, president and CEO of Munson Healthcare and Munson Medical Center. “Both agreements are focused on maintaining a range of necessary and ‘close to home’ health care services in Charlevoix.”     petoskeynews.com

Short’s Brewing Company, with a pub in downtown Bellaire and a brewing and bottling plant in Elk Rapids, is once again expanding to keep up with demand. They shut down production for part of July so that workers could make a number of critical upgrades to the facility. The highlight of the project was the installation of sixteen brand new 90-barrel fermenters. The company is also improving efficiency, quality control and making upgrades on the packaging line. The $2 million project nearly doubled working capacity and Short’s now has nearly 50 full time employees in Michigan, with 28 full-time employees at the Elk Rapids facility.      (Source: NLEA Press Release)

Complete Press Release

Here’s just the beginning of a thoughtful blog article by M.S.  in The Economist.

YESTERDAY on “Fox News Sunday”, Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court justice, suggested that Americans may have a constitutional right to own and carry shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles.

CHRIS WALLACE: What about…a weapon that can fire a hundred shots in a minute?

SCALIA: We’ll see. Obviously the amendment does not apply to arms that cannot be hand-carried—it’s to keep and “bear”, so it doesn’t apply to cannons—but I suppose there are hand-held rocket launchers that can bring down airplanes, that will have to be decided.

Again we see an apparent lack of common sense, this time on the Supreme Court. Modern technology has rendered militias a nostalgic way to defend the country, but a well-armed group of citizens can certainly attack the government, if we allow unbridled armaments in America. Since when did a constitutional right automatically mean that it’s a wise thing to do.

I urge you to read this article. The author does a much better job of describing the logical consequences of unfettered gun ownership than I can.

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Michiganders pay a larger portion of their salaries on car insurance than residents of any other state, according to a study released today by CarInsuranceQuotes.com.

“Middle-of-the-road” policy holders from Michigan spend about 8 percent of their median household income for car insurance, the report found. The next highest state is Louisiana, where motorists pay more than 5 percent of their income. The lowest proportional cost is in Massachusetts, where policy holders pay about 1.4 percent on their income.

Michigan law requires drivers to carry no-fault insurance, which provides unlimited lifetime medical care for auto-related injuries. It’s the only state that guarantees unlimited personal injury protection.      MLive

Venue: Amvets Post 114 of Elk Rapids, 410 Bridge Street
Performance Date: Thursday August 9, 2012 at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $15 in advance and $20 at the door
Outlets: In Elk Rapids at the Amvets Post, Chef Charles or the Corner Druggist and in Traverse City at Oryana Food Cooperative
For tickets or more info call: 231-264-5182

Amvets Post 114 of Elk Rapids is pleased to announce the next performance in its ongoing Americana Concert Series featuring the gifted singer/songwriter, Ronny Cox. The show is part of the Amvets ‘Americana’ concert series that celebrates the music of America. The performance is featuring Ronny Cox and his trio is slated for Thursday evening August 9, 2012 at 8 p.m. at Amvets Post 114 located at 410 Bridge Street in Elk Rapids.

Ronny Cox is an artist who wears a variety of hats –– from actor to musician to family man –– but if there is one common thread that pulls it all together it’s the “real” person that wears each hat and the warmth his craft brings to anyone exposed to his many talents. His musical style is eclectic and he confesses that he has no set-in-stone criteria for picking or writing songs.

Ronny grew up in New Mexico listening to Texas Swing tunes, but then played rock & roll in high school, and was eventually drawn to folk music after graduating from college. Born in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, he’s the son of Lounette (née Rucker) and Bob P. Cox, a carpenter who also worked at a dairy and played guitar for all the local fiddlers when the overhauls were peeled off. Ronny grew up in Portales, New Mexico, and his craft as a singer/songwriter is a testament to his life on the Southwestern desert. The third of five children and a father to two sons of his own, Ronny brings his extraordinarily view of life into a magnetic, likeable, onstage persona. 

Way back when, I was impressed with a book about limits. The Club of Rome published The Limits to Growth in 1972. Although it tended to underestimate some changes, such as the transformative impact of technological change, it’s had a significant impact on economics for 40 years. To illustrate a technology impact, I read recently with interest that developing countries are embracing WiFi faster than developed ones.

Regarding the Village and Township of Elk Rapids, the population data is interesting. The Village has grown modestly, while most of the population increase in the immediate area is in the part of Elk Rapids Township outside the Village. That trend is likely to continue. So when I read reports from the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) and other similar organizations that tend to measure growth as the main indicator of progress, I wonder what the future of Elk Rapids will actually be.

The Village is significantly constrained by geography. The Bay and the Chain of Lakes  constrain the Village to be only two small peninsulas. And even with a rebound in construction, there isn’t much land available for significant population growth. The Cottages and Capa Bran developments add perhaps 100 people. An occasional new house goes up on a vacant lot. Unless a major housing development goes in inland on Meguzee Point, or the golf course converts to housing (Neither is likely.), population growth in the Village is likely to be modest at best.

But population is only one factor of growth. Another is business and industry. After a 35-year hiatus, when I returned to live in Elk Rapids, I was struck by the lack of major change in the downtown, which is not a criticism — just an observation. There had been some change, particularly in the number and quality of the restaurants as well as the concentration of available groceries at the Village Market. There were no longer any gas stations/garages downtown, and I’m struck by the size and scale of the harbor, which is a major business in town. But, for the most part, Elk Rapids business still exists in the shadow of much larger Traverse City, and successful E.R. businesses can migrate to Traverse City to grow.

Regarding industry, there was still evidence of the transformation downward in the Michigan auto industry that impacted our area starting in the 70′s. Signs of this are still obvious, especially along the U.S. 31 corridor. The industrial park has several notable businesses and industries, but it’s rather small. And, as in many area communities, the schools are a major employer. So what are the prospects for growth? According to the NLEA, the forecast is for general recovery from the recession and, at best, modest growth (depending on the sector).

So what? Does it matter that the Village of Elk Rapids will only experience modest growth? Please ponder this question while I do, and I’ll revisit this issue later.

Employers are more interested than ever in recruiting women into science, technology, engineering and math fields, said officials and professors at Kettering. The challenge is finding young girls who have interest in these subjects, and convincing them that it’s a viable career path to explore.

 

“They’re sought after by many colleges and then they’re sought after by many companies,” said Kettering mechanical engineering professor Pat Atkinson.     MLive

When I was in the Air Force in the 70′s and working in a Precision Measurement Laboratory, it was a shock to the old-timers to suddenly find women coming into the career field. But it worked out quite well.