Protests for and against impeachment across Michigan on the eve of House vote and Trump's visit

I told my readers to "stay tuned" as "I [would] post another entry about impeachment" at the end of It's Okay To Be Smart asks 'will we all eat bugs in the future?'  It's not about today's vote or comedians making fun of the event, although I'm sure I'll write about both soon, but about the public demonstrations both for and against impeachment that occurred last night across Michigan and the rest of the country.

I begin with WXYZ reporting President Trump supporters, protesters rally ahead of his visit.

Hundreds of supporters, as well as protesters, are attending rallies and speaking out across metro Detroit as President Donald Trump prepares to hold a rally in Western Michigan Wednesday.

The protest in Ferndale happened at the same location as the People's Climate March in 2017, so I know the area well.  I'm sure some of the same people were at both demonstrations.  I wasn't one of them.  While I support impeachment, I think the stress of doing so was one of the factors contributing to my diabetes.  Stress is one of the triggers of autoimmune diseases and type I diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, so I'm taking a breaking from stress as much as I can.

The same dynamic played out across the state.  Follow over the jump for videos from outside metro Detroit.

Marching for the climate worldwide and in Michigan

After taking yesterday off to drink to a late drum corps Earth Day, I'm ready to tackle the People's Climate March.  I'll begin with PBS NewsHour's Climate marchers urge Trump to protect environment.

As President Donald Trump reached the 100th day of his presidency, tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C., for the People’s Climate March, with similar demonstrations around the country. Protesters called for environmental protections even as Trump has proposed cutting funding for science programs and signed an executive order to expand offshore drilling for oil in the Arctic.

PBS mentioned that there were marches in cities across the country.  They were too small in their scope.  There were marches around the world, including in Canada, where CBC's The National included footage from Canadian demonstrations in Climate change protests against Trump's policies.

Marches held in cities around the world Saturday to urge governments to act on climate change.

Welcome to two of the lessons I teach my students, "everything is connected to everything else" and "there is no away."  What the U.S. does affects Canada and vice versa.

Follow over the jump for my story about my joining a sister march in Michigan.

People's Climate March 2017

Lately, it's become another Saturday, another protest by the Resistance.  Two weeks ago, it was the Tax March.  Last Saturday, which was also Earth Day, it was the March for Science.  Today, it's the People's Climate Movement's March for Climate, Jobs, and Justice.

The last People's Climate March was held on September 21, 2014, an event I mentioned in passing as part of the context for Climate and environment news from Colorado State University.  That event was in response to the U.N. Climate Summit in New York City two days later.  If anything, it was in support of the official event being productive, not a protest against it.  In a way, it worked, as the Paris Agreement on Climate was signed on Earth Day two years later.  That was good news that I celebrated in Climate change for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

Today's event is much more obviously one of resistance and opposition.  Just look at these three videos promoting it, beginning with 350.org's Peoples Climate March: We resist. We build. We rise.


Even the relatively staid Sierra Club takes a militant tone in its Peoples Climate March: Be Heard on Climate, Jobs and Justice.

Join the Peoples Climate March as we march for climate, jobs and justice in Washington, D.C. on April 29! If you can't make it to D.C., find a Sister March near you.

Tom Steyer of NextGen Climate is even more explicitly anti-Trump, if that's possible, in Why We March.

On April 29th, we're fighting back against Trump's polluter-friendly agenda. Join me and thousands of others across the country for the People's Climate March and stand up for our climate.

According to the People's Climate Movement, there is no event in Ann Arbor today.  Instead, the nearest one is in Ferndale, location of the Green Cruise.  I've said over and over again that I'd participate in that, but never have.  I think I'm going to show up today for the Ferndale Climate March.  If I do, I can thank Trump for motivating me.  Also, I might just report on it next week.  Stay tuned for that, after the last post of the month, which will be a Sunday entertainment feature, and the first post of next month, which will be on May Day.

Green Cruise and Dream Cruise 2016

I'm recycling two old favorites for today's Sunday entertainment feature, the Green Cruise and the Woodward Dream Cruise.  I begin with the Detroit Free Press reporting Green Cruise honors Mother Nature; she rains on parade.

The people behind the Sierra Club’s Green Cruise just want folks to be nicer to Mother Earth.

But today, well, she wasn’t so nice to them.

Fairly steady showers likely helped keep the crowds away from the celebration in Ferndale, but event chairman Jerry Hasspacher said the 12th-annual “anti-Dream Cruise” still got its message across.

“It’s the opposite of the Dream Cruise,” Hasspacher said. “It’s a celebration of non-fossil fuel transportation.”
...
So, rain or shine, the Green Cruise carried on.

About 100 hardy folks even took part in a 42-mile bike ride in Detroit.

Follow over the jump for WXYZ's coverage leading up to the Dream Cruise.

Green Cruise for 2015

Yesterday was the Ferndale Green Cruise, the environmentally friendly answer to the Dream Cruise.  The Detroit News has the story in Green Cruisers celebrate pedal power, fight pollution.

Just one week away from the largest one-day car cruise in the world, some Metro Detroiters embarked Saturday on a different kind of cruise.

Bicyclists from across the region are rolling down Woodward — and plenty of other roads during the 11th annual Sierra Club Green Cruise.

The event celebrates the various forms of human-powered transit that can help to cut down the use of fossil fuels. It also illustrates the growing popularity of bicycling in Metro Detroit and spotlights efforts to reduce air and water pollution.

“The purpose of the ride is to raise awareness about the fight against climate pollution,” said Jerry Hasspacher, Green Cruise chairman. “We want to cut down the emission of greenhouses gases.”

C&G Newspapers explain more about the event in Ferndale’s Green Cruise promotes bicycling, walking.

“Part of the reason the Green Cruise was originally started and continues to be one week ahead of the Dream Cruise is, certainly, to be looked at as an anti-Dream Cruise,” Co-Chair Tom Dusky said. “This is an alternative to those people who celebrate vintage car travel the following week with providing several bike rides all around the area.”

The Green Cruise was organized for the first time by Royal Oak resident Shirley Bavonese when she became frustrated with the noise and pollution of the Dream Cruise. Along with her children and friends, Bavonese started riding her bike up and down the street, and the next year, the Green Cruise began with the backing of the Sierra Club.
...
“A lot of this has to do with your health and the health of the planet, really,” he said. “The world has really gotten overpopulated now, and the stresses pollution and mankind put on the planet is now beginning to be quite noticeable, with the effects of global warming and the weather patterns, that changing your mode of transportation is a fairly easy change to do, and it makes for a much healthier you.”

So far, there seems to be no video of this year's event, but the Detroit News has a slideshow of the Sierra Club's Green Cruise.  When a video becomes available, I'll post it.  It will be as close as I get to attending, as I missed the event again.  I blame Donald Trump.

Stay tuned for a preview of Dream Cruise as the other half of Entertainment Sunday.

Lasers and drones vs. planes, a 21st crime scene

This past weekend, I saw two stories on ABC News that the network thought made a good pairing, drones and lasers both interfering with commercial aviation over New York City.  Here's the first report, Air Scare: Lasers Pose a Safety Threat to Pilots.

3,000 laser incidents last year; Homeland Security voices concern over pointing lasers at cockpits.

That story from Friday gave a brief mention of a near-collision with a drone and made it look like it might be an isolated incident.  It turns out it wasn't, as  was made clear in Saturday morning's Drone Crosses Path of Passenger Jet Over New York City.

FAA investigates what a drone was doing so close to the LaGuardia Airport-bound flight.

It's bad enough that one of these is happening, but both at the same time is a connection New Yorkers don't need.

In other drone news, Ferndale's possible drone ban didn't happen.  The Detroit Free Press reported on April 27th, Ferndale drops proposal to make drone flying a crime.

Ferndale officials passed up the chance Monday night to keep hobbyists, professional photographers and at least one chimney sweep from flying drones in the city.

After hearing from nearly two dozen polite but incensed users of the small plastic unmanned flying machines at a City Council meeting, Ferndale officials made it clear: Their plan to make a misdemeanor out of flying a drone anywhere but in your own backyard wasn't getting off the ground.

Ferndale will wait for the FAA to set regulations.  I think that's wise.

Ferndale, Michigan, to consider banning drones

WXYZ reports Ferndale city council to vote on ordinance that would ban drone use within city limits.


I'll keep my readers updated on this legislative action.  If it succeeds, I'll have to add drones to my list of  21st Century crime scenes.

2014 Green Cruise and Ferndale Dream Cruise

I concluded WXYZ on Thursday at the 2014 Dream Cruise with this promise.

Stay tuned for more, including coverage of the Green Cruise from Crystal Proxmire of Oakland County One-Fifteen.

Time to make good on that promise, beginning with this video 2014 Green Cruise from Crystal Proxmire.


For more, read Crystal's story 2014 Green Cruise Encourages People to Think About the Planet.  Also read her announcement of Dream Cruise proper, Ferndale Dream Cruise Celebrate 20 Years, Aug. 14-16.  As for the promise I made last year to participate in this year's Green Cruise, that didn't happen because I thought Dream Cruise was next week.  Oops.  I'll see if I can make the third time the charm in 2015.

Royal Oak's Proposal A passes

I concluded Colorado and Washington voting on hemp and GMOs with this promise.

I also covered marriage equality in Meanwhile, at the bottom of the ballot.  There's a related issue on the ballot here in Royal Oak, Proposal A, the approval of the city's Human Rights Ordinance.  I have stories about the campaigns for and against that measure, but I'll save them until after I vote (yes, of course).  See you then!

I'll get around to sharing those stories, but right now, I'll let WXYZ do the talking for me, as they describe the results of several important ballot measures, including Proposal A, in Election Results.


I used to teach at Henry Ford Community College, so I'm glad to see that the school's millage was approved.  It used to be the premiere community college in the area, but that was more than 20 years ago, and the school has declined markedly since then.  Also, go Ferndale!  Continue to lead the way!

As for another promise I made in Examiner.com article on Ann Arbor city council election...

This is the first article of mine on the election results.  I'll work my way down through the city council races in other municipalities, the Dexter Charter Commission, and the various millages tomorrow.  Right now, it's time to go to bed.  Good night!

...I'm just not up for it and won't get the articles out by the 48 hour deadline.  I'll live and so will Examiner.com.

Green Cruise 2012

I made a promise in my entry about the Green Cruise in Ferndale.

My goal now is to own a bike and get back in shape so that I can ride in the Green Cruise next year. Failing that, I can always walk. I love to walk, especially in a walkable neighborhood like West 9 Mile in Ferndale. Doing so as part of an event promoting a good cause would be a bonus.

I still haven't bought a bike, which means I'll put that on my list of resolutions for next year. I also didn't walk in the Green Cruise, as other more pressing matters came up that day. That's also on my list for next year. So is buying a membership to the Detroit Zoo and visiting the DIA, which is now free to residents of Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties. But enough of my sustainability wish list.

Even though I didn't participate, I can still watch the highlights of the parade, thanks to the City of Ferndale, which posted this video to their YouTube channel.

The Great, Friendly, Fashionable & Proud city of Ferndale Mich 48220 Supports our Future. The Sierra Club organizes the Green Cruise every Year The week Prior the Gas Guzzling of the Dream Cruise. The Largest Glorification in the world of the unefficent Energy use of the Automobile.

As a bonus feature, here is the City of Ferndale's video of last year's cruise.

Be a Solution to Stop Pollution .. celebrating the many forms of human-powered transit that help keep you and the planet healthy.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Downtown Ferndale Michigan

I'm sorry I missed that one, too.  It looked really sweet.

Of course, holding the Green Cruise means the Dream Cruise is coming up. I couldn't resist last year's celebration of "Happy Motoring--for now--from Detroit!" I don't think I can resist this year, either. Expect me to cover it a lot this coming week.

Weather news: State of emergency and Tropical Storm Lee

Remember all the damage from Saturday's storm in Ferndale and neighboring communities? The damage was bad enough that the Detroit Free Press reported the day before yesterday that Ferndale, Hazel Park, Pleasant Ridge declare storm-damage emergency.

In the wake of Saturday’s high winds and extensive damage to trees and power lines, officials in Ferndale, Hazel Park and Pleasant Ridge said they met with Oakland County emergency response officials today prior to declaring their cities in a state of emergency.

The declarations are a step toward applying for up to $30,000 in emergency aid from the state to defray the costs of storm clean-ups, Ferndale City Manager April McGrath said.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee passed by here last night. My wife and I took a good look at the NOAA and Intellicast radars and saw a band of heavy rain passing by from east to west over our heads. When we watched the MSNBC morning news, we saw a clip of Lee from space that showed the storm heading west after hitting Pennsylvania and upstate New York. The storm is moving so far west that the meteorologists in Milwaukee are blogging about it coming there, remarking that 'the weather is moving backwards.' They're right. It is.

The local take on the storm was Will you get wet at the Michigan-Notre Dame game Saturday? Fortunately, the answer is probably no, although it would just figure, as both teams had their games interrupted last weekend by bad weather.

More on damage from Saturday's storm

Yesterday, a friend responded to the Facebook link to my previous post on the Saturday's storm with a comment that the power was still out in her neighborhood and that it had suffered damage like she'd never seen before. She was surprised that there was no tornado reported.* That made me look again at WXYZ-TV's YouTube Channel to see what they had reported.

Friday at the 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise

Yesterday's coverage of the Woodward Dream Cruise, featuring clips from WXYZ-TV's YouTube Channel.

WXYZ kicked off its coverage with the Val Clark at Hot Rod Alley (really Memorial Park at the corner of 13 Mile and Woodward in Royal Oak).




Woodward Dream Cruise - Hot Rod Alley

Val is demonstrating that Mary Conway isn't the only reporter having the time of her life at the Dream Cruise.

Speaking of Mary Conway, here she is enjoying the muscle cars.

Muscle cars are making their presence known on Woodward during this Dream Cruise weekend.

Mary comes right out and says she's having a blast. She also mentions Cheryl Chodun, who reports in the next segment. Let's see if she's having a good time, too.

Organizers are getting ready to kick off the Dream Cruise with the official ribbon cutting.

Yes, she is. Cheryl usually ends up covering the grim news on WXYZ, particularly violent crime and accidents, so I'm sure she's glad to cover something that makes people happy instead.

So far, Royal Oak has had the lion's share of the spotlight, with Ferndale making only its second appearance in the previous clip (the first being the Green Cruise on Saturday). What about Berkley? Glenda Lewis reports.

Berkley is set to kick off the Dream Cruise with their annual cruise-fest classic car parade.

They're right down the street from me. The tent is on the grounds of the cemetary, so even the dead are part of the celebration. As for Glenda, she's having a great time, too, and she gets to do so in an official capacity, as Grand Marshal of Berkley's classic car parade.

Now back to Mary Conway, who has been the star of WXYZ's coverage of Dream Cruise.




People attending the Dream Cruise are talking about their favorite cars.

Finally, WXYZ has a gallery of more viewer favorites and they are also streaming two hours of the Dream Cruise live as I type this.

Happy viewing!

There was also a Green Cruise on Saturday

Now I find out about this!




Detroit Free Press: Sierra Club's Green Cruise draws cyclists, health enthusiasts to Ferndale
August 14, 2011

Hundreds of people turned out for the Sierra Club's Green Cruise in downtown Ferndale on Saturday, the precursor to next weekend's Woodward Dream Cruise.

The seventh annual event included a human-powered parade on West 9 Mile from Woodward to Planavon -- a parade renowned for its unabashed geek value, with its horde of cyclists on every conceivable style of two- and three-wheeler.
...
Dozens of displays were set up at the event to highlight organic foods, climate change, wind power and more.
...
Virtually everything was free -- even food, beverages and bike maps.

I'm sorry that I missed this event; it looks like exactly the kind of thing someone like me, who is interested in sustainable actions in Metro Detroit, and who really likes Fabulous Ferndale (I was just there this evening), should be attending. Besides, it will make me feel less guilty about enjoying the Woodward Dream Cruise as a spectator.

Speaking of being a spectator, here's what last year's parade looked like from the sidewalk.







And here's the perspective from a participant in that same parade.







Looks like great fun. My goal now is to own a bike and get back in shape so that I can ride in the Green Cruise next year. Failing that, I can always walk. I love to walk, especially in a walkable neighborhood like West 9 Mile in Ferndale. Doing so as part of an event promoting a good cause would be a bonus.

Speaking of good causes, here's the Sierra Club page for the Green Cruise.