The city of Macon is aptly named as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World with good reason. The streets are filled with the numerous blossoms, all from the trees in the sidewalk. The place reminds you of a modern Japanese-American themed city, as the usual-Japanese flowers float amongst modern American buildings and asphalt-lined streets.

The streets are bustling and filled with Yoshino cherry trees, and every Spring, they fill the air and the ground with their pale pink petals. It is a very extravagant display of color, which leaves their audience speechless and breathless for the first time.

History relates that the cherry trees came from the late William A. Fickling, Sr. who was a local realtor in the area. He had discovered a Yoshino tree in Macon, and with confirmation after three years, had found out what the species was. Took him a trip to Washington DC just to find out the tree was actually a Yoshino specie!

His generosity and enthusiasm had urged the residents to participate in his vision of filling the whole city with the pretty cherry trees. Years passed and the vision had started to materialize. A lot of its current residents had moved to Macon just to be near the trees. One of them being Carolyn Clayton, the festival founder herself, who had fallen in love with the trees after she had visited.

She had urged Fickling to go with their project, and the dream became true. Through a big community effort, 500 trees were planted along the streets across Macon. The project was encouraged when they had finally proposed the first Cherry Blossom Festival.

Soon it had become one of the Top 20 events of the South, and its fame spread. From three days, it had reached 10 days of festivities. The trees keep growing too, and like their number, the dreams of Mr. Fickling will live on and grow more and more.

As the American Craft Council Baltimore Show drew to a close, I heard a passerby say, “it’s just one thing after another! Wow, it’s just amazing!” I can think of no better way to describe the experience. It was a complete pleasure to meet with the craftspeople and to see their works up close. There were a lot of people that I only knew through their popular works up until this event; but I still felt like I knew them well. Let me give a final nod to some of the artists that touched my soul.

The Iron Design Company, spearheaded by Marc Maiorana, promotes stylish designs. Elegance of this caliber is not usually associated with this material, so it’s hard to believe that Maiorana’s exquisite candlesticks are the result of processing such an industrial substance. Even the simple, small cylindrical bottle openers that they have can double as an art installation.

While we’re on the topic of installations, let me talk about Jamie Harris. He recently added a “mod” to his array of blown glass pieces. These crafts are layered with loud colors, then it was carved very thinly so that could easily clip to your wall. The glass canvass is a magnificent piece to add to your decorations.

Euh-Suh Choi also works with glass, but she does so a little bit differently; letting her personal experiences show on the material does her designs instead. The glass she works with is extremely thin, and she ends up with contemplative designs that are simply stunning.

They are all more than eager to show off their talent to the rest of the world. If I could have afforded it, I would have perused their works more carefully and gone through each one. But, even so, there are a lot more talented people there than the ones I have shown here. And you will get to meet them when you visit a craft show.

The weekend past, I’ve just had the pleasure of working with the 35th Representative District Democratic Committee on the Apple-Scrapple Festival over at Bridgeville. We worked together with a large group of volunteers; together with them, we handed out a whole bunch of campaign stickers and apples, balloons and Delaware yard signs. Surprisingly, the demand for the yard signs were high we had to work overtime to meet the demand.

But, all things considered, the event was a great success. Thankfully, the weather cooperated, and the apple dumplings and scrapple sandwiches were divine. The organizers estimated the crowd count to be around 50,000. But what was important to me is that we, the democrats, were the life of the party. Everyone was practically going for our stuff at the craft show.

On the topic of craft shows, a lot of Americans had a chance to show off their artistic talent at the Apple-Scrapple Festival. Almost anyone can show appreciation for the work of a master craftsman, but one talent in particular caught my attention. There was a youngster, barely a teenager, who displayed a wide array of miniature fantasy sculptures with amazing detail. As was boasted by his proud dad, the boy sculpted all the figures without his help. It is talent and skill like this that makes me proud of what our nation has to offer.

A lot of community gatherings like the Apple-Scrapple remind me how amazing it is to be a resident of the First State. Your neighbors are your friends and your friends are your family. It takes a close-knit community to be able to make a show like the Apple-Scrapple last for 17 years in a row! It has been an absolute pleasure to share all these fun and wonderful moments with the residents of Bridgeville.

If you ever feel like going for some good old community fun and frolic, go to events like the Apple-Scrapple Festival. To find such events, just look up craft shows in your area by going online and searching for craft show listings!

The state is a staunch proponent on the development, research and expansion in the fields of information technology, advanced and technological manufacturing and life science. The state is also well known for its auto industries. In overall development and research, the state ranks third or fourth in the United States (for expenditures).

The state is also open to a lot of engineering job opportunities, most of which focusing on the auto industry. Michigan also produces a lot of manufactured products and services; some of which are furniture, copper and iron, aerospace development and advancement, information delivery, application and advancement, automobiles, cereals and military equipment. Christmas trees are significant as Michigan is probably the third largest grower of Christmas pines, with at least sixty acres of land dedicated to the trees.

Auto industry has proven to be the most resilient, but biotechnology is booming nowadays. Michigan Life Sciences Corridor has at least a one billion dollar initiative in Michigan. Michigan is a producer and outsourcer of the country’s finest and highly skilled workers, making the state a viable ground for home bases.

Agriculture is also booming. Most fruits, crops and vegetables grown here rank second only to California in terms of diversity. Blueberries, apples, grapes, peaches and cherries are grown here, thanks to Michigan’s diverse, rich land. Others are soy beans, sugar beets, and corn. The sugar beets fuel and support the current sugar industry in Michigan. Potatoes are also abundant in North Michigan.

Tourism is also a big income for Michigan. Most of the tourists come from different parts of the country and even from Canada. At least half of the state are forests, which is a rarity nowadays. Beaches (again, thanks to the Atlantic Ocean in the east) are also abundant and spread miles across. Hunting season also draws tourists in, contributing at least two billion dollars to the economy every year.

Nebraska is said to be a homestead state, since most of its starting industries had ranches and homesteaders leading the state’s economic march during the past times. In these times, the winds have changed direction.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, most of Nebraska’s gross state income comes from the agricultural sectors in the surrounding area. Most of the produce being exported or used within the state includes corn, soybeans, pork and beef. The industries that make up for whatever is left of the gross income is from freight and transportation, telecommunications, information and information technology, insurance and manufacturing.

The standard sales tax imposed by the state is around five and a half percent as of the recent years. Additionally, cities can opt to add and increase that sales tax, up to a maximum of one and a half percent, making it to seven percent. Real property tax is also taxable in Nebraska, unless explicitly exempted by statute. 1992, it was declared that only depcreciable personal property shall be subjected to tax and all other types of personal property will henceforth be exempted from tax. Inheritance tax is also collected by the home county.

Some world famous industries have their home base located here in Nebraska. Kool-Aid (that colorful juice drink) was created by Mr. Edward Perkins in Hastings, for example. Since then, Kool-Aid was made the official soft drink of Nebraska. Nebraska also celebrates a holiday made especially for this drink, tagged the Kool-Aid Days. This event is celebrated during every second weekend of the month of August.

The largest train yard in the world, Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard, is in North Platte. The state is also home to InfoUSA, West Corporation, Valmont Industries, Woodmen of the World and the Union Pacific Railroad. Sidney, Nebraska is also the official headquarters of Cabela’s, that which is a specialty retailer of all outdoor goods.

Nebraska is said to be a homestead state, since most of its starting industries had ranches and homesteaders leading the state’s economic march during the past times. Nowadays, the winds have changed direction.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, most of Nebraska’s gross state income comes from the agricultural sectors in the surrounding area. Most of the produce being exported or used within the state includes corn, soybeans, pork and beef. The industries that make up for whatever is left of the gross income is from freight and transportation, telecommunications, information and information technology, insurance and manufacturing.

The standard sales tax imposed by the state is around five and a half percent as of the recent years. Additionally, cities can opt to add and increase that sales tax, up to a maximum of one and a half percent, making it to seven percent. Real property tax is also taxable in Nebraska, unless exempted by statute. 1992, it was declared that only depcreciable personal property shall be subjected to tax and all other types of personal property will henceforth be exempted from tax. Inheritance tax is also collected by the concerned county.

Some world famous industries have their home base located here in Nebraska. Kool-Aid (that colorful juice drink) was created by Mr. Edward Perkins in Hastings, for example. Since then, Kool-Aid was made the official soft drink of Nebraska. Nebraska also celebrates a holiday made especially for this drink, tagged the Kool-Aid Days. This event is celebrated during every second weekend of the month of August.

The largest train yard in the world, Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard, is in North Platte. The state is also home to InfoUSA, West Corporation, Valmont Industries, Woodmen of the World and the Union Pacific Railroad. Sidney, Nebraska is also the official headquarters of Cabela’s, that which is a specialty retailer of all outdoor goods.

California is a state of America, thus it is understandable that your viewpoint would be one of the typical blond, English-speaking American. But the state has also been considered as the ‘true melting pot of different races, different cultures’. California is probably the most open, and most easily accessed of all the states in America, so it is not a big wonder to have most of the Californians to be non-100% American, inexplicably open-minded, and readily accepting of any change, big or small, whether for lifestyle, taste or even political.

In terms of political beliefs, the Californians tend to be the most liberal, most free, and most (as mentioned) open-minded of the whole country. We can also attribute it to the diversity of culture, which makes all the citizens willingly accepting of change and new ideas. Alternative lifestyle is nodded upon, religion is not a big issue, but environmental concerns are. It’s a rather surreal culture that most Americans from other states sometimes undergo “culture shock”.

And why not? While most are not accepting to other languages except to our mother tongue, Californians have a wide spectrum of understanding. Spanish is second, Chinese near the Bay Area and Korean in Los Angeles.

California has been the world central, and hub; for movies, art and music thanks to Hollywood. Hollywood produces not just films but “THE” films. Films that are generally published, circulated and shown around the world. Films whose budgets sometimes go over the annual income of a third-world country. These are the types of films Hollywood makes. Some flop, but mostly, everything else makes big money.

Surfing and skateboarding culture all originated from California. From the slang words, ‘gnarly’ ‘tubular’, and ‘mondo’; to the biggest skateboarding contests and legendary Tony Hawk residing here, it is no doubt still the central hub of America in terms of dexterity sports. Even wind surfing is starting to shape up to be another hit for the beach goers of California.

New Hampshire is tagged as the “Granite State” thanks to its geological composition and because of the rock’s hardy qualities. New Hampshire remains to be the most sturdy off the Northern states, thanks to the combination of its innovation and creativity with technology.

New Hampshire basically lives off its agricultural aggregates. Most of the products are usually of poultry and cattle. Most of which are dairy products, nursery stocks for other states and/or farms, cattle products (like meat, and bones for gelatin production) apples and eggs. The industrial section has machinery, rubber, electrical equipment, plastics and plastic products, and tourism. The state had started off with shoe-making and textile, but due to an economic shift, all present industries have taken the lead. It was all due to the promises of cheaper wages and the industrial revolution that had led to the death of these small companies.

The state in itself, has one of the lowest energy consumption rates in the whole country, thanks to the non-use of electricity as the source for home heating during winter times. The summers are mild too, so the households do not have much use for air conditioning as well. New Hampshire households use oil and burners for heating. The state has potential to go green and use renewable sources of energy to fuel their power plants.

The state does not have a general sales tax and personal state income tax (though there is a five percent from interest and dividends). Also, the state does not have a tax-system that is broad. With this, New Hampshire remains to be in rankings with combined state and local tax burden.

The state is a good base for starting businesses, as there is an evolving market in New Hampshire. With the right prodding, and persuasion; a potentially new and successful market could be achieved.

New Jersey’s economy is somewhat of an extreme-type of economy. For a state that suffers from budget and economic deficits, it sure has the largest populations of millionaire households (or families with an overall value reaching past the one million dollar mark).

The per capita income of New Jersey’s was a close forty thousand dollars last 2004, with the figure rising since. At least nine counties of New Jersey are marked in the United States as the top 100 wealthiest.

The industry of New Jersey is based on the pharmaceutical level, chemical development, food processing, telecommunications and engineering, electric equipment, printing and tourism. Like Nevada, it also sustains itself with agricultural produce. In point, their outputs are made up of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seafood, dairy products and horses (no, sorry. The dairy products aren’t from the horses).

New Jersey also excels in the service industry. For the workers who are working late in the cities of New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey is the nearest and probably the most feasible to stay in for residency or as a hub for traveling.

The strong pharmaceutical industry also has led New Jersey to be strongly scientific. A number of research and development companies have made their research bases here. Further to this, New Jerseyites have a strong intellectual pool, with most companies taking in the graduates from the same state. A highly feasible strategy, in my opinion.

Shipping and ship building has also had strong roots in the state of New Jersey because of its location. Along with ship building is the largest container port (for holding purposes). New Jersey also has one of the busiest airports around United States, ranking among the top 20 busiest airports around the country.

With the obvious restrictions and economical niches around New Jersey, it will be an uphill battle for the sole entrepreneur.

Nisei, in Nihonggo, means ’second generation’ (’ni’ meaning two, and ’sei’ probably meaning generation). This month-long festival is held usually in August, with the main attractions heralding the first two weekends of the fest. Nisei Week draws the attention and the support of both Japanese and non-Japanese festival goers, due to its grand floats and parades, and the month long activities that soon follow. This 2009, the festival will be celebrating its 69th year.

The festival grounds of the Nisei festival is tremendous. Following the original structure of the Japanese matsuri (or festival), the streets are lined with booths that are filled with food, games, prizes and others. There was once a free-admission carnival and art show, but they were removed, and/or changed. Up 2006, an eating contest consisting of Japanese pot stickers or “gyoza” was added. The attraction was tremendous. Contestants each ate as much as nearing 200 or so.

Los Angeles’ tofu festival was added at the succeeding festivals. The festival was once a self-standing fest of sorts, but after the greater success of the tofu festival (beer was a factor that helped); it was now a festival that was held after the Nisei month.

They also have the Nikkei games, an open competition for everyone with running, martial arts and exhibitions. The Little Tokyo Anime Festival, another crowd bringer that spawns a massive amount of audience, most usually fans of Japanese animation. Cosplays and booths were comics are sold are usually rampant.

Ondo dancing, were people dance to the tune of a singer (sometimes lyrics being read off a magazine!) happen too. The choreographer had the dancers carry chochin lanterns as they will the night away, dancing in the streets. The audience would dance too, with little supervision as the dance is often times just easy to follow and easy for the bones. (Really!)