Symbolic Loss

Photo courtesy of Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press

Last night's MSU loss to North Carolina was more than just a game, according to Dave Zirin at The Nation:

Something more substantial than a basketball contest was taking place. It was rooted not in the economic insecurity and hardship of one state, where unemployment is listed conservatively at 12 percent, but an entire country.

Michigan for most of the last two decades, was viewed and discussed as a remnant of this nation's past: high unemployment, an aging infrastructure and an auto industry whose best days had passed. Unless Michael Moore was pointing his camera in the state's direction, few noticed the rust. But now when looking at Michigan we don't see a nation's past but its present and maybe its future. The banks haven't been nationalized, but Flint sure has. We empathize because we sympathize. But as difficult as things are nationally, and as inspired as many have been about Michigan State's run, Detroit, still stands at the vanguard of pain.

No Happy Ending

It's probably best to just not discuss the Michigan State-North Carolina National Championship game, right? But I can't help myself...Why wasn't Suton getting the ball every time down the court for the Spartans?

Update: Now that it's Tuesday and I have some distance from the game, I should add — as a few readers have — that it was an amazing year for the Spartans. They dominated two great teams in Louisville and Connecticut and provided something positive during a pretty bad stretch for Michigan and the rest of the country. And Flint's Tom Herzog, a 7 footer, got a minute of playing time and a blocked shot.

100 Views

Photographer Kevin Bauman has created a hauntingly beautiful photo essay that captures 100 abandoned houses in Detroit.

He writes: "I have developed an interest in the interaction between man and environment. Whether the urban decay associated with Detroit, or the mountains of the western United States, my focus has been and continues to be on the landscape. My landscapes, however, do not always reflect the idyllic scene most often portrayed by the traditional landscape photograph or painting, but ranges from serene Lake Superior sunsets to chaotic post-industrial landscapes of urban Detroit."

The collection reminds me of Andō Hiroshige's One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, a series of woodcuts depicting Tokyo as an economic and cultural power in the 18th century. Bauman is depicting a once-great city as it desperately tries to survive. Despite the wildly different circumstances, both artists capture a sense of pride that permeates each place.

(Photos courtesy of www.hiroshige.org.uk and www.kevinbauman.com)

The Solution Was So Obvious

Newspapers are disappearing all over the country. The Flint Journal's days appear to be numbered. What can be done? Well, finally, someone has found a solution. Even better, it's a musical theater solution performed by the staff of the East Bay Express, where I occasionally freelance.



Perhaps Jonathan Mann can come up with a solution—set to music, of course—to save Flint.

Home and Away

Sable Pelt says:

I'm glad you saw the NYT's article on the Chinese government's interest in electrical vehicle production. The point that is important to draw from this article is it is further proof that EVERY other country in the world supports their automobile manufacturing base. I was reading an article yesterday on CNN talking about whether we should care if GM dies and not surprisingly the majority of comments on the article stated that we should absolutely let them die and cited capitalism as the reason because that is an American core value. I like capitalism as much as the next guy, as it is the main reason for the standard of living that we presently enjoy. However, we should also realize that the rest of the world is not playing by the same rules. The Germans, French, Japanese, and Chinese all support their auto industry more than the US does. And I'm not talking about bailout money, I'm talking about financial support for research and development, and healthcare costs, just to name a few.

The debate that rages in this country about the pros and cons of saving the auto industry is a valid one. Nobody wants to put good money after bad as they say. A viable business model and a plan to return to profitability without government help is not too much to ask. However, we need to understand that this downturn in volume is like we've never seen before (for EVERY carmaker) and when volume comes back, and it absolutely will, the players left in the game will reap the rewards. And they will take their profits home with them - whether it is Detroit or Tokyo.

China Gets Electric

The news just gets better and better for domestic automakers.

Keith Bradsher of The New York Times reports:

Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.

The goal, which radiates from the very top of the Chinese government, suggests that Detroit’s Big Three, already struggling to stay alive, will face even stiffer foreign competition on the next field of automotive technology than they do today.

“China is well positioned to lead in this,” said David Tulauskas, director of China government policy at General Motors.

Tigers in 2009

Sports Illustrated picks the Tigers to finish in fourth place in the American League Central, just three games ahead of last-place Kansas City. I call on Billy Martin to provide the official Flint Expatriates response to this insulting prediction. (Hint: notice Billy's left hand.)

And because hope springs eternal in spring training, let's think back to 2006 before the reality of 2009 intrudes...

Legacy of Failure?

FiveThirtyEight has an insightful post on GM's problems. Obviously, they have quite a few, but the legacy costs the automaker faces are daunting:

"GM was willing to cut its employees some very attractive deals in the 1950s through the 1980s -- provided that they took them in the form of retirement benefits rather than salary, which wouldn't hit GM's books until much later and which until 1992 weren't even required to be carried on its balance sheets all, making its financial statements (superficially) more appealing to its shareholders. That health care costs have risen so substantially in the United States have made a bad matter worse.

"This issue is wrongly portrayed by both the liberal and the conservative media as one of management versus labor, when really it is a battle between General Motors past and General Motors present. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, everyone benefited: GM and its shareholders got the benefit of higher profit margins, and meanwhile, its employees benefited from GM's willingness to cut a bad deal -- for every dollar they were giving up in salary, those employees were getting a dollar and change back in retirement benefits. But now, everyone is hurting."

I'm sure glad the U.S. doesn't have national healthcare. Of course, you could argue that GM didn't need to offer such generous health benefits in the first place, even if they were doing it in exchange for lower salaries.

Shutting Detroit Down

Flint Basketball Tradition Continues

You just know when a Flint school plays a team from Zeeland — which is apparently located somewhere between Holland and Hudsonville, wherever that is — things are going to go well for the Vehicle City.

Powers Catholic took time out from its search for a new home to win the state Class B basketball title on Saturday, beating Zeeland East 62-54. It's the first state title in boys hoops for a Flint team since Northern won it in 1995.