The 2012 Presidential election is stealing so much of the zeitgeist thunder (and might I add, the press), people sometimes forget that the President isn’t the only guy whose job is on the line come November. One such candidate for the U.S. Senate had quite the ballsy ad released not too long ago, and it’s attracting all sorts of controversy. According to the senator-to-be, that was the plan all along.

Michigan GOP contender Pete Hoekstra was upbeat and “excited” by the reaction to his ad. “It has jump-started the debate,” he said. The ad in question is embedded below, but assuming you trust me, here’s how it goes:

The ad shows a Chinese woman biking through rice fields and thanking Hoekstra’s rival, Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow, for borrowing excessive amounts of money from China. The young woman, in broken stereotype “Engrish”, says: “Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie ‘Spend-it-Now.’”

Whoah.

Attacks on the failed economy aren’t new, and you’re kidding yourself if you think you’ve seen the last of them out of the GOP candidates running for office, but this ad is getting every negative reaction it deserves with the racism-card being thrown out left and right.

Democrats have responded in typical fashion, creating a website that hits Hoekstra right where it hurts (sensationalized or no? Check it out and decide for yourself). Independents are accusing Hoekstra of anti-Asian sentiments. Even Republicans are distancing themselves from the Senate-hopeful, with one saying “shame on Pete Hoekstra for that appalling new advertisement.”

But hey. Enough proselytizing. Here’s the ad. What do you think?

GOP Senate Hopeful’s New Ad Sparks Controversy (VIDEO) is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ford pulled back the curtains on the new and improved 2013 Ford Fusion, its flagship sedan, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, and it’s clear that Ford aimed to pull no punches with the new Fusion.

In fact, Ford says that the 2013 Ford Fusion represents the “new face of Ford”, and it’s admittedly a pleasant face to look at. The Fusion has seen an overhaul in its design, now having a distinct sleek European-style design with a grille that appears to be a mix between a Aston Martin Virage and a One-77, CSM points out.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Ford intends to offer several versions of the 2013 Ford Fusion, including a hybrid, which the company expects will get around 47 miles per gallon in the city, and a plug-in hybrin, dubbed ‘Fusion Energi’. All in all there will be about five different models, with FWD/AWD options and, of course, two transmissions.

“The majority of people near-term are going to hybrids. They’re just so flexible,” said Ford chief executive Alan R. Mulally at a press conference on Monday. Mulally went on explain that Ford intends to offer a wide variety of options, giving the company “greater flexibility” to “meet market demand”.

Ford isn’t talking about pricing just yet, but a representative told AP that the price should be at or around the current Fusion’s, which starts at $20,200.

2013 Ford Fusion unveiled at Detroit auto show is a post from: The Inquisitr

For almost the entire first half, the Hokies looked the stronger team, and they clung to a 6-0 lead until one minute before half-time. That was when Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson launched a peach on a third-and-long play from the Virginia 45-yard line. It was received by Junior Hemingway, who waltzed to the end zone.

The second half started as poorly for Virginia as the first had ended. Tony Gregory received the kickoff, only to turn over possession on the same play, with the ball recovered at the Hokies 26-yard line. Just two minutes later, a Brendan Gibbons field goal gave Michigan a 10-6 lead. That was extended to 17-6 shortly after, when Robinson and Hemingway combined again after Frank Clark intercepted a Logan Thomas pass.

The Virginia Tech corpse suddenly twitched, however. A field goal cut the Michigan lead to 17-9, and early in the fourth quarter Logan Thomas dashed a one-yard touchdown run, and then completed a two-point conversion to tie things up at 17-17.

In a tense atmosphere, Michigan took a 20-17 lead with four minutes to go thanks to a 39-yard field goal from Brendan Gibbons, only to find themselves hauled back to 20-20 by Justin Myers’ game-tying 25-yard field goal. There was just seconds remaining when Myers’ kick sailed over.

In overtime, Michigan won the toss and elected to defend in the first overtime possession. After a failed drive by VA Tech, the Wolverines took control, with three runs taking them to the Hokies 20-yard line. The right boot of Gibbons did the rest, sealing a memorable 23-20 win.

Such a close margin of victory has only occurred once before in the Sugar Bowl since 1974 – that was in 2005, when Virginia Tech lost 16-3 to Auburn.

Sugar Bowl 2012: Michigan Edge Out Virginia Tech is a post from: The Inquisitr

PONTIAC, MI- Officials in Pontiac, Michigan are desperate to balance their budget and in an attempt to do so they are selling off various city owned properties including the police station, library, cemeteries, golf courses and even city hall among others.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the city recently slashed their budget from $58 million to $38 million while noting that they still need to ax $12 million.

The city has been tightening its control ever since an emergency planner took over its finances in 2009.

Part of the cities problem has been their bad decision making, for example in 2005 an independent company offered to purchase the now vacated Silverdome (former home of the Detroit Lions and many awesome monster truck rallies) for $20 million, the city turned down that generous offer and instead sold the stadium in 2009 for $583,000 at public auction.

The Free Press also points out that the Pontiac, MI issue could be a scary precursor for the rest of the Detroit area which is expected to cut a $1.2 billion budget by $330 million.

Unfortunately for Pontiac, Wayne State University law school professor John Mogk noted:

“Generally speaking, a municipal building probably would have little value to a developer … Unless there’s a way that the asset can generate some profit.”

Do you think Pontiac is in for a world of hurt if they truly believe selling off city buildings will solve their long term budgetary problems?

Pontiac Michigan Officials Are Selling Off Their City is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dozens of holiday shoppers using layaway programs all over the country have been experiencing a little holiday miracle of their own as secret santas have been paying off their in-store debt.

According to NPR the random acts of kindness have so far been reported at Kmart and Walmart locations in California, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, South Carolina and Montana.

At one Kmart store in Michigan a woman reported to be in her 30s walked into the store and asked if she could help pay off several accounts that had toys included in them. She then proceeded to pay $500 while leaving just $10 to be paid in each of the three accounts.

Hopefully each of the people with $10 left in their accounts head into the store to make payments or Kmart could walk away with a lot of secret Santa forfeited cash.

While she did not reveal her identity to store workers or the family’s she helped she did leave a message that simply read:

“Happy Holidays from a friend.”

That isn’t the only story from this particular KMart, according to workers they have received at least $150 in secret Santa donations every day since the first mysterious shopper entered their store.

Time reports that in California one man even dropped off $2,000 and asked that it be used to pay off layaway plans for shoppers.

According to one of the lucky KMart shoppers who had $200 worth of toys paid off for her son David the secret Santa “restored her faith in people.”

What do you think of the secret layaway Santa shoppers?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Secret Santas Paying Off Layaway Debts All Over The Country is a post from: The Inquisitr

When the Detroit Auto show rolls into Detroit, Michigan in January Chrysler will roll out the 2013 Dodge Dart which it says was “adapted from the award-winning Alfa Romeo Giulietta.”

The Dart will be Chrysler’s first compact sedan since 2005 and in their release Chrysler teased fans of the vehicle with hints about it’s design and parts, for example they say it will contain significant quantities of Alfa-derived equipment and that it would not be a simple Giulietta with a cross-hair grille.

Dodge has also revealed that the Dart will be longer and wider than the Giulietta and will be delivered as a four-door sedan rather than a hatchback model.

As you’ll notice from the company’s teaser photos the care also appears to have sculpted rear and front bumbers with a elongated rear-taillight.

The company has also revealed three different power plants from Fiat, a 16-valve 2-liter 4-cylinder; a 16-valve 1.4-liter turbo 4-cylinder with Fiat’s MultiAir valve-throttling system; and a 16-valve 2.4-liter 4-cylinder with MultiAir. The Dodge Dart will also have three transmission types which have not yet been disclosed.

For the car’s sporty look and feel it will also offer a four-wheel independent suspension and optional 18-inch wheels.

Are you excited to take a closer look at the 2013 Dodge Dart when it debuts in January 2012 at the Detroit Auto Show.

Chrysler Teases About 2013 Dodge Dart, Unveiling Set For Detroit Auto Show is a post from: The Inquisitr

Officials from the Big Ten Conference on Thursday announced that Michigan State sophomore defensive end William Gholston has been suspended from this Saturday’s game after punching Michigan lineman Taylor Lewan during his teams 28-14 victory last weekend.

Gholston was suspended under Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01.1.A.1 which reads:

 “Striking or attempting to strike or otherwise physically abusing an official, opposing coach, spectator or athlete.”

After his suspension the league then publicly reprimanded him for his actions while Gholston released the following statement through Michigan State:

“I deeply regret momentarily losing my composure late in the third quarter of last Saturday’s game against Michigan.” Gholston added, “Although provoked, my response was inappropriate. Coach (Mark) Dantonio regularly reminds us that actions have consequences, and I will be better prepared to handle these circumstances in the future. I look forward to my reinstatement.”

Big props go out to coach Dantonio and his staff who immediately pulled Gholston from the game after his punch, while they could be seen scolding him on the sideline because of his actions.

In a statement about the incident Dantonio said that Gholston:

 ”Is a tremendous and extremely caring young person. In the heat of the moment, he momentarily lost his composure. Football is an emotional game of split-second reactions. It was an unfortunate incident. We look forward to his reinstatement.

“Our coaching staff and players respect the game, and our players are taught to play the game the right way. This is a physical and emotional game. During the course of a contest, there are individual confrontations that sometimes escalate. The stakes — as well as the emotions — are always a little higher in a rivalry game. We will continue to stress the importance of maintaining one’s composure during the heat of competition.”

Punch a player, lose a game, that sounds like a fair assessment by Big Ten Conference officials. Do you think a one game suspension was too severe or the right penalty for his assault on another player?

Big Ten Conference: William Gholston Suspended From Saturday’s Game is a post from: The Inquisitr

When most people think about technology based jobs, computer programming and related fields they immediately turn their attention towards California’s Silicon Valley region but it turns out other states are actually starting to create more tech jobs.

It might surprise our readers to learn that Michigan is actually leading the increase in tech sector jobs throughout the United States, creating 2,700 positions between 2009 and 2010, an increase of nearly 2% for their overall market. While Michigan still lags far behind California in the number of actual technology positions businesses employ their rate of hiring is the highest in the United States.

Falling in behind Michigan is Washington D.C. and then West Virginia, Utah and South Carolina.

The move to add more tech sector jobs in Michigan has been an important part of the state’s economic prosperity after having fallen on hard times.

According to LiveScience:

The news comes at a time when the United States economy and the technology industry have struggled. In fact, the economy eliminated about 115,800 tech positions last year while the unemployment rate remained stubbornly high.

Michigan was able to add tech sector jobs by not only focusing on software creation but also research & development which is crucial for the sates future successes in technology.

The TechAmerica Foundation points to another big positive of Michigan’s shift towards technology, tech positions earned workers $86,800 annually in 2010, 93% higher than the state’s median private-sector wage of $45,000 per year.

Are you surprised to learn that Michigan of all states is leading the charge in tech sector hiring?

The Fastest Growing Technology State Might Surprise You is a post from: The Inquisitr

Workers in Flat Rock, Michigan have turned down a production contract that would have brought money and new jobs to the area. The contract was turned down after similar offers were made in Chicago, IL and Wayne, Mich.

The four-year agreement has been winding down and managed to gain some support before voting. According to reports workers at the main production plant agreed to the contract however the workers at an interior-parts plant in Saline, Mich. rejected the offer. According to an email 59% of production workers and 51% of skilled tradesmen voted against the contract.

Union leaders have been traveling around to Ford plants in an attempt to receive a “yes” vote for the agreement however concessions made in 2009 have slowed progress towards an agreement.

What is known is that the inability for the UAW to reach an agreement could mean trouble for the union as recent surveys have shown a “disenchanted” population in terms of unions support.

The Wall Street Journal spoke with Gary Chaison, a labor professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. who said turning down the contract would mean each worker loses a $6,000 signing bonus and $1,500 in payments over the next four years, not a small chunk of change in a weakened economy.

According to Mr. Chaison:

“This is happening at a time when the labor movement is trying to salvage its reputation and prove it’s a job creator not a job loser,” and “By rejecting this agreement the membership at Ford will be showing just the opposite. They will be eliminating jobs for higher pay. The labor movement’s reputation will be severely tarnished.”

The contract requires a majority of votes to be ratified. In the meantime many Ford workers at the plant say the contract lacks real wage increases to fend off inflation for current employees at the company, while providing no increase for pensioners and allows 2009 provisions that workers are against to stay in place in terms of an absentee policy, break time and holidays scheduling

With a walk out possible and union executives unable to suffer the loss of a job creating contract it’s likely some type of compromise will be made that can benefit both sides.

Do you think the United Auto Workers union is destroying jobs in America or helping secure better wages for their workers?

United Auto Workers Turn Down Ford Contract For Flat Rock Plant is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michigan To Track Childhood Obesity Through Medical Visits Directory is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you’re driving a truck that weighs several thousand pounds you should probably avoid trying to use your feet as brakes if your braking system is broken, unfortunately a 24-year-old driver in Michigan didn’t get that memo, causing two collisions with oncoming traffic.

Amazing the driver was able to get his truck to stop two times during his display of stupidity, not a small feet (no pun intended) with a vehicle of that size.

The sad part of this story? The man knew his brakes were broken and told police he was “planning to fix them” when he finally made it home, while a tow truck could have saved him a lot of cash which will be paid out due to the accidents he caused.

A police spokesman said of the driver:

“This guy’s no rocket scientist,” while adding, “Citizens were calling in [to police] saying this guy is all over the road, using his feet.”

It probably won’t surprise anyone to learn that the man was driving on a suspended license and that police charged him with reckless driving.

In other news, if a new Flintstones movie is ever filmed he could easily drive one of their prehistoric feet powered vehicles.

Here’s the video of the man’s attempts to stop using his feet:

Police called the drivers foot braking idea an exhibit in “moronic decision making” and I couldn’t agree more.

If you’re breaks were to go out, how would you try to stop your vehicle? Surely not with your feet hanging out the door.

Man Uses Feet As Brakes When Trucks Braking System Fails [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last week, it became national news when a bus driver in Michigan violated state law and kicked a woman off a public bus for breastfeeding.

In most states, a woman has the right to breastfeed wherever she and her child legally have a right to be. However, many people- unfortunately, nursing mothers among them- are not aware of such laws and thusly do not abide or avail themselves of those protections. A recent opinion piece on MLive.com in Michigan demonstrates this ignorance completely, posing the question of whether mothers “should be allowed” to feed their babies in public.

The comments section seems to be partially comprised of people who think no one should breastfeed, and people who think breastfeeding is a sacred and special bonding act between a mother and her child that should occur three stories underground in a locked bunker where no other children can possibly see because they might discover breasts aren’t only for selling beer and NASCAR.

It seems the question of whether a woman should be allowed to breastfeed in public became obsolete decades ago, but people (like the commenters) are still posing it. Do you think breastfeeding in public should even be a debate?

Breastfeeding in Public Debate Reignited by Michigan Bus Incident is a post from: The Inquisitr

Breastfeeding in public- a protected right for all mothers- is in the spotlight after an ill-informed Michigan bus driver kicked a woman off a bus for nursing her baby.

32-year-old Afrykayn Moon says the driver, a female, confronted her about the practice. Moon knew state law provided protection for breastfeeding mothers against public nudity restrictions, but says the bus driver refused to move until Moon stopped feeding the baby. At the next stop, security guards boarded the bus and questioned the young mother about the incident.

Moon belongs to a local breastfeeding organization for black mothers, which kind of makes you wonder how often this happens to moms who aren’t (ahem) abreast of their lawful right to nurse. She commented:

“I had him in a football wrap… She wasn’t seeing much… It’s not dirty. If enough people start to nurse their children in public, this kind of stuff would stop,” she said.

Of her group’s goals, Moon says:

“We’re trying to get the black community caught up with everybody else,” Moon said. “I don’t know what people thought was going on before bottles.”

SMART, the bus agency, said it has reminded drivers of a woman’s right to nurse on public transport. The driver is on paid leave while the incident is looked into. Do you think these types of incidents deserve harsher penalties when a mother and child’s rights are violated? Should the driver be fined for infringing on Moon’s rights?

Breastfeeding Mom Kicked Off Michigan Bus is a post from: The Inquisitr

You know what’s worse than getting fined for having actual living people riding in the luggage hold of your bus? Getting in trouble a second time for having actual, living people in the luggage hold of your bus, twice.

A Michigan bus company has been fined for the second time because they actually sold tickets for riders to allow them to experience their trip from the luggage compartment of the vehicle. Worryingly, Haines Tours had already been advised that the practice was unsafe after getting busted last summer, and no one knows why some passengers relented and allowed themselves to be placed in that area of the bus.

In a statement, authorities addressed the May 27th incident- after which Haines Tours was ordered to stop like, bussing people places or something:

“People’s lives were needlessly placed at risk,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in a statement. “Safety is everyone’s responsibility and it begins with practicing common sense. That means not putting human beings in cargo holds.”

In addition to people, the luggage hold was found to contain mattresses, pillows and actual luggage.

Update: Haines claims that the passengers in the cargo hold were family and fellow drivers who used the area to stay well rested. Regardless of his claim it is illegal to allow for any people to ride in the cargo hold of a bus in the United States, something Haines was made aware of in 2010 when he received his first citation from the U.S. Department of Transportation and was warned to avoid the practice on all future rides.

Michigan Bus Company Fined For Riders in Luggage Hold. Again. is a post from: The Inquisitr

This is now official the University of Michigan Wolverines will face the Alabama Crimson Tide at Cowboys Stadium as the schools’ season opener to the 2012 CFB season. What a great match up. Think about it the Tide, great football team versus the Wolverines with QB Denard Robinson as a senior. Come one this match up is going to do huge business both at teh shrine of Jerry Jones and on TV. Since I live in Michigan and my wife’s family live in Alabama I am very tempted to buy tickets right now, for a game that has me very excited two years out.

It is not every week that CFB offers us a match up between two of the most storied College Football programs out there. These school have met three times in history, all in Bowl Games, and the Wolverines hold a 2-1 edge in those games. The last time the schools played one another was at the Orange Bowl following the 1999 season.

What I am most excited about is it takes one of the wussy game squash matches of the U of M non conference schedule for 2010. I would also hope that this game does enough business that the match up becomes a rivalry game. A match up between these two schools at the Big House, Ford Field in Detroit, or some other neutral site in the north would just be awesome.

This is what I don’t understand about College Football, the fans want these kinds of match ups, but there are always some Bowling Green or Florida Atlantic or some other FCS school on their non conference schedule. Given that the BCS is largely based on strength of schedule scheduling these sissy games makes little sense.

Related Links:

•The Business of College Football
•Joshua Lobdell.com

Michigan to face Alabama for 2010 CFB opener is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sometimes it is really tough to be a Detroit Lions fan. They have been awful for a really long time now, and the main man responsible for the recent futility was Matt Millen. So it surprised me to no end to see Millen as the color analyst for the big Michigan- Michigan State rivalry game yesterday. The one thing Spartan and Wolverine fans have in common is their hatred of this man, and the second is most of them are Lions fans. With that in mind why would ABC stick it to these fans but putting the most hated man in Detroit Sports on the biggest game in our state this year?

It really seems that ABC is going out of their way to stick it to Lions fans. In the greater Detroit area, the one thing everyone knows is Matt Millen is a clueless idiot. He ran the Lions into the ground. When he got there they were one field goal short of the playoffs, when he left there were the first NFL team to go 0-16. Worse than that a good number of his high draft picks either don’t play football anymore, or are playing in the United Football League.

This guy has no credibility in this town or really in the football world all together. I do not watch ESPN Monday Night Countdown because he gets on TV and jibber jabbers on about who was a good draft pick and who wasn’t. Flat out Millen would not know a good draft pick if he socked him his stupid face, and then fornicated with his wife. This guy is a total and complete jackass, and he really shouldn’t be on TV at all.

I feel quite fine about dragging Millen’s wife into this as upon his firing she gave interviews talking about how Detroit was football prison. While that may be true, Millen was the constructor and Warden of said prison, and how smart can the chick who married this moron truly be?

Related Links:

•Detroit Lions news and notes
•Joshua Lobdell.com

Why was Matt Millen on the Michigan/Michigan State game? is a post from: The Inquisitr

You know when someone keeps commenting on your Facebook page and it drives you nuts and you totally want to kill them?

Apparently, one such exchange became so contentious that a woman who spotted a “Facebook rival” decided, despite the fact that she was in the car with her three-year-old daughter, that deliberately running into her frenemy’s car, killing her, was an appropriate and proportionate response.

According to Detroit News, the unnamed 23-year-old perpetrator spotted 21-year-old Alesha Abernathy driving with friend Danielle Booth, 20, in the passenger seat. (Abernathy had filed a harassment report with police earlier in the week due to the woman’s alleged Facebook harassment.)

Detroit News describes the bizarre incident and collision:

According to authorities, the woman repeatedly rammed Abernathy’s car, causing her to lose control of the vehicle. The Abernathy car struck a dump truck, which flipped onto its side. The truck driver was unhurt.

Court documents indicate that the woman, who was not injured, is expected to be charged with “second-degree murder, assault with intent to murder and child abuse.”

Facebook feud leads to deliberate car crash, death is a post from: The Inquisitr

An as of yet unnamed (presumably pending familial notification) anti-abortion activist has been gunned down outside a high school in Owasso, Michigan. (UPDATE: The victim has been identified as Jim Poullion of Owasso.)

Classes at the school, about 20 miles west of Flint, had already begun when the 7:30 am shooting occurred. A suspect has been taken into custody, seized at home at 8:15 am. Police report that the suspect is also being investigated in connection with another homicide.

While the school was immediately put on lockdown, students are now being permitted to leave with a parental escort. Although the victim has not been named, sources have told press that he or she is “well known” in the area.

[Source: MLive]

Anti-abortion activist Jim Poullion gunned down in front of Owasso school is a post from: The Inquisitr

An abandoned house in Saginaw, Michigan has sold on eBay for $1.75.

The Saginaw house was picked up by 30 year old Joanne Smith from Chicago, who out bid 7 other bidders to acquire the house. Smith told AP that she had no plans to move into the house, and hoped to sell it for a profit.

Smith isn’t left with a bill for $1.75 alone though, she’s also up for $850 in back taxes and yard cleanup costs, but either, way, a house would seem like a bargain. There’s no more houses in Saginaw quite as cheap as this one, but recent eBay sales included prices ranging from $600 through to $6000. Before you pack your bags to buy your dream home using nothing more than a credit card, a word of warning: according to Wikipedia, Saginaw is a town in serious decline, with high rates of crime.

Michigan house sells for $1.75 on eBay is a post from: The Inquisitr