July 8 was Energy Independence Day.. according to Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens. That's when he began his campaign to wean Americans from foreign oil. He came to Ann Arbor to promote it in October and he came to Michigan again recently, with much less fanfare. Still his message is one the state should heed.

From households to businesses to city government, everyone is in belt-tightening mode. But if there's one thing Metromode believes, it's that necessity is the mother of invention. A few Metro Detroit communities have come up with innovative and inexpensive ways to revitalize their downtowns. Time to take notes!

The recent Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire reminds us that the Indian subcontinent, with a population of nearly 1.2 billion, occupies a rather large corner of the world. It also represents a growing demographic in Metro Detroit. South Asian culture as expressed through Bollywood films, dance and specialty foods has moved beyond local enclaves onto Main Street Michigan.

It's a classic American story - immigrants moving to the U.S. and, through hard work and entrepreneurship, transforming both their lives and their adopted community. Some Metro Detroit business leaders are banking on that very same scenario to help evolve SE Michigan's economic landscape.

Sometimes a pink slip is a ticket to a new and better way of working. Meet three Metro Detroit entrepreneurs who turned economic down-sizing into personal right-sizing, by starting their own companies.

In a region littered with Krogers, high quality, locally owned food markets are not only holding their own, they're attracting a loyal fanbase of Metro Detroit foodies.

Star Wars. Cynicalman. The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Mouse Guard. Metro Detroit is home to an ecclectic and fiercely independent group of graphic novelists, cartoonists, and comic book artists. This is their story.

Metro area community colleges have been remarkably adept at meeting the needs of Michigan's developing knowledge-based economy. From green building to biotechnology to the state's burgeoning film industry, these formerly belittled schools are delivering a timely education at an affordable price. And given their growing enrollment numbers, students are catching on.