Michigan (i/ˈmɪʃɨɡən/) is a state located in the Great Lakes region of the Midwestern United States. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake". Michigan is the 8th most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area. Its capital is Lansing, and the largest city is Detroit. Michigan was admitted into the Union on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state.
Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair. Michigan is one of the leading U.S. states for recreational boating. The state has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds. A person in the state is never more than six miles (9.7 km) from a natural water source or more than 85 miles (137 km) from a Great Lakes shoreline. It is the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River.
Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is often noted to be shaped like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula (often referred to as "the U.P.") is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The two peninsulas are connected by the Mackinac Bridge. The Upper Peninsula is economically important due to its status as a tourist destination. There is also a variety of natural resources to be found there, including a sizable amount of iron ore.
Richard Dale "Rick" Snyder (born August 19, 1958) is an American business executive, venture capitalist, and Governor of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he assumed office as the 48th governor of Michigan on January 1, 2011. From 2005 to 2007, Snyder served as the chairman of the board of Gateway, Inc., based in Irvine, California. Previous to his election as governor, he was chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and co-founder of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based venture capital firm Ardesta LLC. Snyder has been mentioned as a possible pick to be the Republican Party candidate for Vice President of the United States in 2012. Snyder's business executive background and positive style have been cited as assets, with his accomplishments seen as strengthening the case for electing Mitt Romney as President.
Snyder was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, the son of Helen Louella "Pody" and Dale F. Snyder. Snyder earned his B.G.S., M.B.A., and J.D. from the University of Michigan by age 23. When he was 16, he took a business class at Kellogg Community College on weekends. By his senior year of high school, Snyder earned 23 college credits. Snyder visited the admissions office of the University of Michigan in November 1975 and spoke with the admissions director, who recommended that Snyder attend Michigan and create his own degree.
David Brophy is an Irish conductor. He is the Principal Conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
David Brophy was born in Dublin. He studied in Ireland, England and Holland. He previously conducted the National Chamber Choir of Ireland and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, before moving on to his current role. His career, while primarily based in Ireland, has taken him to many parts of Europe, Africa, America and Canada. While conducting RTÉ NSO, he conducted the orchestra in front of over 80,000 people at the spectacular opening ceremony of The Special Olympics World Games in 2003. This event, which was televised worldwide, included performances with U2 and the largest Riverdance troupe ever assembled. Radio broadcasts have been carried on RTÉ, BBC, CBC Television (Canada) and EBU to listeners across Europe, while recordings have been released on Silva Screen and Tara Records labels. His TV appearances include The National Concert Hall's 25th anniversary gala concert entitled Ireland's Finest. David as Principal conductor of the RTE Concert Orchestra had the privilege of making history and conducting the Orchestra in front of Queen Elizabeth II at Dublin Castle on her recent state visit to Ireland. Film credits include Shaun Davey's score for The Abduction Club.