Hmmm…where have I heard that company’s name before…? Team Services, LLC, self-described as “the leading provider of well services to the oil and gas industry throughout the United States”, has been caught spraying oilfield brines containing toxic solvents on unpaved roads in Benzie County. Brining is done for dust suppression. I was first alerted to this by Karla and Bryan […]

Pure Michigan Iowa Anne Stanton of the Traverse City Record-Eagle has a great bit of journalism up today with a piece called “Michigan Mag Created in Iowa”. In it, she reports that the “Pure Michigan Travel Guide”, a magazine sent around the country to attract tourism into our beautiful state, is created by an editorial staff based, not in Michigan, […]

Ahhhh… I’m sitting here sipping on my water bottle this morning, the last piece of My Socialist Independence Day Vacation: it’s filled with the deliciously pure water from the D.H. Day Campground just outside of Glen Arbor, Michigan. Anne and I spent the past week there and I always return refreshed but also reminded that one of our greatest national […]

Wow, what a week! It yet another stride forward for same-sex couples, a federal judge today struck down Michigan’s ban on domestic partner benefits for public employees. What it remarkable about the ruling is that the judge cited intent by the authors of the law to specifically target same -sex couples in his decision. In his 51-page ruling, [U.S. District […]

Eclectablog himself wasn’t able to attend the grassroots-organized rally in support of the public school system in Lansing this morning; fortunately I was able to attend, with a contingent of my fellow Bloomfield Hills-based public school advocates. Yes, that’s right: Even in Bloomfield Hills, where most of the residents seem to think that the deliberate, systematic destruction of the Michigan […]

A well-planned, strategic vision for Michigan’s only statewide LGBT advocacy group Over the past month, there has been a plethora of great news for the LGBT community both nationally and here in Michigan. Recent polling by PPP shows that a full 70% of Michiganders believe that gay couples should either be allowed to marry or form civil unions. This echoes […]

This is a public service announcement If you live in Michigan, you should have a look at this video from Fox 47 News about the Giant Hogweed. It’s a huge plant that is cropping up around the state and it can cause serious health problems ranging from skin discoloration to blistering and even blindness. Children and pets are particularly vulnerable. […]

Rick Snyder, your days as “leader’ of Michigan are numbered

This morning former Congressman Mark Schauer filed paperwork to run for governor of Michigan. In his announcement, he said, “We need a governor who will protect the middle class and invest in education to create good jobs for Michigan workers. Rick Snyder has taken our state in the wrong direction. Snyder’s school cuts and higher taxes on seniors and working families are hurting Michigan’s economy. Today I’m taking the first steps to form a campaign for governor. I’m ready to run, I’m ready to work, and I’m ready to win in 2014. It’s time to build an economy that works for everyone, not just the special interests.”

More after the jump.

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.

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

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 […]