One day during our trip to Valencia, my husband got it into his head to climb to the top of the Micalet. The Micalet is a cathedral in the center of Valencia’s old town that features a Gothic-style, octagonal bell tower and winding, spiral staircase with an ungodly number of stairs.
A Wisconsin software company is offering to implant microchips into its employees’ hands so that they can effortlessly open doors, make purchases in the break room, log in to computers, use the copy machine and so forth.
Although many people perceive that our infrastructure is decaying, the reality is more nuanced. State trunkline highways – roads designated with an “I,” “U.S.,” or “M” – carry 53 percent of all traffic and 66 percent of all commercial truck traffic. Of these roads, 85 percent are rated as being “fair” or “good” condition, with only five percent of bridges rated as structurally deficient. Thus, the roads that carry the majority of vehicle traffic in Michigan are in pretty good shape, though these roads are slowly decaying over time. In 2008, 92 percent of Michigan trunkline was rated as “fair” or “good.”
Markets continue to baffle investors as mediocre news, lunacy in Washington D.C., and threats of nuclear war with North Korea seem to be hitting the headlines on a weekly, if not daily basis. One would think that with these types of events going on, the markets could easily be in free-fall; but for the time being, it seems the exact opposite is happening. Per bigcharts.com, the markets continue to grind to all-time highs on the Dow Jones Industrial Average to higher than 22,000. In previous writings, I eluded to the possibility that the next great crash probably won’t come until everyone stops asking about the next crash. We may need to be wary of getting too comfortable with the markets parading higher.
The sounds of bells ringing and the scent of new shoes straight out of the box remind me of the first day of school. I’ll never forget the feeling of excitement that kept me awake the night before that special day. August and December are the months when newspapers have the kids’ attention with the back-to-school sale inserts … we want it ALL!
For our recent trip to London, at the top of the must-do list was taking the train from Waterloo to Hampton Court Palace. Of all the palaces in and around London, and there are a fair few of them, Hampton Court was really on my radar. For two Anglophiles like my husband and me, it seemed a Mecca, a holy grail of sorts for our interests. We’d watched so many BBC specials about the Tudor Monarchs, Castles of Britain, the Secrets of Hampton Court and all the like, that to actually have a ticket that would take us to a place almost mythical in its majesty seemed a dream come true.
This month, two important construction projects will happen in Flint. When these projects are finished, two neighborhood parks, Hasselbring and Broome, will each have brand new playgrounds.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a pretty great summer! As of this writing, we have had rather reasonable weather; not too hot and not too cool – kind of a Goldilocks summer … just right. With the season in full swing, and the end around the corner as we head back to school, I think it’s time to re-visit the subject of budgeting. Many people often wonder, “how much of my income should I be spending on my mortgage? Or my cars? Or my food?” Although there is no hard line in the sand on these questions, there are guidelines to help us spend less than we earn.
It was 43 years ago, August 8, 1974 – a day that I will never forget – when Richard Milhous Nixon resigned as President of the United States of America. For me, it was a very exciting time in my life. I was living in Washington D.C., working as a secretary for President Nixon’s speechwriters. I worked long days and sometimes long into the night when a speech was being written. I had recently married and was enjoying life as a newlywed. After growing up in a very small town, I loved visiting the plethora of museums, restaurants and art galleries, attending cultural events, and all the diversity the city had to offer.
Many people feel that Michigan’s government does not function well. Often blamed for this are term limits, and the fact that Michigan is one of only four states with a full-time legislature. Although it is always tempting to find a convenient scapegoat, this blame is misplaced.
Perhaps you are under the impression that summer is fun and carefree, especially for kids.
National Lighthouse Day is August 7, and Michigan boasts more lighthouses than any other state! According to the Michigan Lighthouse Guide, there are 129 lighthouses in the Great Lakes State.
