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VIDEO: Sunday morning politics break – Red-Winged Blackbirds drive off Sandhill Cranes by working together

By on May 19, 2013 in Eclectalife, Michigan

The power of tenacity and coordination

Anne and I like to recharge our mental and spiritual batteries by tossing our kayaks into our beater pick-up truck Steve and heading out to Pickerel Lake in the Pinckney State Recreation Area. It’s actually on a chain of three lakes that includes Crooked Lake.

The wildlife on these lakes is abundant and, especially in kayaks, you can get startling close to the animals.

On Friday night, we whipped up a batch of margaritas and headed out for a sunset booze cruise. While we were paddling, we came across something I’ve never seen before: two Red-Winged Blackbirds systematically attacking and driving off two adult Sandhill Cranes who had strayed too close to their nest.

Video and photos after the jump.


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Politico: Polling shows Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder vulnerable if Mark Schauer runs

By on May 7, 2013 in Mark Schauer, Michigan, Rick Snyder

Why don’t we like thee, Governor? Let me count the ways…

Recent polling conducted for the Democratic Governors Association and leaked to Politico.com shows Mark Schauer with a lead over Rick Snyder.

Details and more await you just a click away


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Sources: Gary Peters to announce candidacy for U.S. Senate this week

By on April 29, 2013 in Michigan, Michigan Democratic Party, Michigan Democrats

You heard it there first

Gary Peters with Lizz Winstead at kick-off of Winstead’s WTF Tour to support Planned Parenthood, photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog.

The National Journal is reporting that Congressman Gary Peters will announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Carl Levin sometime this week.

That and a Mark Schauer gubernatorial bid is a winning ticket for Michigan Democrats. As I understand it, there are a lot of people pressuring Schauer to run and an early announcement like this one from Peters would be a smart move.

…

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Flint and Detroit and Belle Isle, oh my!

By on April 25, 2013 in Detroit, Emergency Managers, Flint, Michigan

The State of Michigan is in a weird state

A collection of stories about Detroit, Flint and the jaw-dropping stuff happening in these two cities.

Click through for the Full Monty.


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Republican law weakening protection of Michigan’s dunes bearing fruit for developers, sensitive dunes at risk

By on April 23, 2013 in Corporatism, Michigan, Michigan Republicans

Elections have consequences and sometimes they’re permanent consequences

Lost in the shuffle of last year’s orgy of Republican overreach in the Michigan legislature was the passage of the legislation that became Public Act 297. Signed into law August, the law is described, in part, as “an act to protect the environment and natural resources of the state”. In his announcement about the signing of the bill into law with the Orwellian title “Snyder signs bill protecting sand dunes, rights of homeowners”, Governor Snyder had the audacity to say that he “worked with the bill sponsor to ensure Michigan’s dunes are protected for the benefit of present and future generations.”

The law does quite the opposite and is now getting its first customers. Click through for details.


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Michiganders losing employer health insurance coverage at 2nd highest rate in the USA

By on April 12, 2013 in Michigan, Michigan Republicans

Hey, Republicans, are you listening?

The percentage of Michigan residents covered by health insurance through their job has dropped from 78.1 percent in 2000 to 62.9 percent in 2011 according to a new report out by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. That’s the second highest decline in the entire country, second only to South Carolina.

The study was done to get baseline information prior to the implementation of many of the core components of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) so that we’ll have something to compare to as the ACA is rolled out.

Some of the key findings and more after the jump.


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Michigan Republicans know what’s best regarding hunting wolves – advance bill to deny statewide vote

By on April 12, 2013 in GOPocrisy, Michigan, Michigan Republicans

This whole democracy thing is just getting out of hand, isn’t it?

Last year, the Michigan legislature took wolves off the endangered species list and earlier this year, the Department of Natural Resources proposed hunting them again, despite the fact that there are less than 700 of these native animals in the state.

A statewide coalition of people began gathering signatures to put the wolf hunt up for a statewide vote. This was, apparently, a bridge too far for Republicans who are just sick and tired of Michigan voters weighing in on things so, yesterday, they advanced Senate Bill 288 which puts wolves into the category of “game” animals, allowing them to be hunted.…


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Good thing there’s no such thing as climate change or Michigan would have to dredge 58 harbors. Oh. Wait.

By on March 28, 2013 in Global climate change, Michigan

At what point does climate change denial become a mental illness?

The Great Lakes are now at historically low levels. So low, in fact, that Governor Snyder was forced to prevail upon the legislature to pass emergency funding to dredge 58 harbors and bays so that ships and recreational vessels can continue to use them.

Yet, somehow, the corporate-funded climate change deniers still have a voice in what is no longer a debate about the reality of global climate change.

Much more after the jump.


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Prosecutor won’t file charges from “attack” on Fox “reporter” during Michigan Right to Work rally

By on March 18, 2013 in Events, Michigan

I’d like to take this opportunity to say I TOLD YOU SO!

During a Right to Work rally in Lansing, Michigan last December, Fox News “reporter” Steven Crowder claimed he was attacked and had video to prove it. As I reported then, the video was heavily edited and the guy who “attacked” him was actually acting in self-defense. Here’s what I said at the time:

“Selective editing at about 0:39 mark shows what appears to be union guy attacking Crowder for no apparent reason. However, if you look closely, you’ll see that the guy is getting up off the ground — that he was NOT the one that became aggressive first.”

It turns out that I was 100% correct. Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III is not filing charges in the incident because Crowder provided him with highly-edited video and the full, unedited version shows that his “attacker” was simply defending himself.

Click through for details.


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UPDATED: Michigan woman fired by Boy Scouts for being a lesbian

By on March 11, 2013 in LGBT, Michigan

Legally fired for who she loves

Last week, Lauren Jasenak from Brighton, Michigan was fired by the Boy Scouts of America from her job at a Michigan BSA ranch for being a lesbian. Because of Michigan’s bigoted laws, the firing was legal and Jasenak has little to no recourse in what should, by all accounts, be a violation of her civil rights.

Details after the jump.


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