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Showing posts from September 16, 2012

Upper Peninsula Michigan and Auction Win Outcomes

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I was up in Wisconsin and the UP (upper peninsula) in Michigan. It was a lot of driving after launching/landing in Appleton WI. I got an item off the bucket list by driving across the "Mighty Mac". Altough it was built in the late '50s. It is still the longest suspension span in the Northern hemisphere. It is a crazy long bridge with a crazy long suspension span. It was good to see the bridge in context of the seemingly endless forests of Northern Wisconsin and Michigan. The culture in the two haves of Michigan are noticibly different as you might expect. Great time meeting with folks both in WI and MI. The tractor I won in auction, seems to have paid off. This time I beat the odds. It was a really good deal. I have the "no-key, non-running, may have hydraulic problems, unknown hours" -auction win, running well with minimal cost and time. I have some more tweaks, maintenance and minor fixes but the major risks are gone.
Manufacturing In New York Region Contracts In September. Bloomberg News (9/18, Chandra) reports, "Manufacturing in the New York region contracted more than forecast in September as orders shrank, a sign the world's largest economy will get less support from the industry. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's general economic index dropped to minus 10.41, the lowest since April 2009, from minus 5.85 in August." The Greater Binghamton (NY) Business Journal (9/18, Seltzer) reports, "It was the general business conditions index's second consecutive month below zero. That means more surveyed manufacturers reported worsening circumstances than said the business climate was improving." The Journal reports, "In September, 28.8 percent of manufacturers indicated business conditions eroded, while just 18.4 percent said conditions took a step in the right direction. The remaining 52.8 percent of respondents believed conditions stayed the same as last ...