Flint water lawsuit settled for a late celebration of World Water Day

When I told my readers to "Stay tuned for the last entry of the month," I didn't know what I'd write about, as this has been a news-rich week while I have been looking back at last year's top posts.  I was finally inspired by the confluence of World Water Day, which falls on March 22nd, when I'm normally busy posting statistics for the past year of this blog and a development in the Flint Water Crisis that happened this week.*  WXYZ reports Judge approves plan to fix 18,000 Flint water lines.


NPR has more in Judge Approves $97 Million Settlement To Replace Flint's Water Lines.

In a victory for Flint residents, the state of Michigan has agreed to spend up to $97 million for new water lines in the city of Flint, which has been struggling with a crisis over lead in its water for the past three years.

A federal judge at the U.S. District Court for Michigan's eastern district approved the agreement Tuesday. Within three years, authorities must examine water service lines for at least 18,000 households and replace those made of lead and galvanized steel.

The state is required to allocate $87 million for the pipe replacement, according to the terms of the deal. The money will come from both state and federal funds. The state will also reserve an additional $10 million in case the job requires it.

I haven't written directly about the Flint Water Crisis since WXYZ updated the Flint Water Crisis on Monday last May, although I did mention it in passing on St. Patrick's Day, when MLive featured the bars and restaurants in Flint.  Based on last year's top posts, the election was too much of a shiny object.  It's about time I returned to the subject.  I'm especially glad to bring good news on the story to close out the month.

Follow over the jump for the footnote.

Driving update for March 2017: Dez

When I wrote Driving update for January 2017: Pearl, I forecast that "I could post two more updates for Pearl before I write one for Dez."  I repeated that in Driving update for February 2017: Pearl, when I wrote "I'm still on track to post another update on Pearl before I write one for Dez."  That ended up not happening, as Dez rolled over 54,000 miles on Tuesday, March 28, while Pearl is still 350 miles away from her next update.*  I'll explain why after the numbers.

Dez passed her previous milestone of 53,000 miles on November 9, 2016, which I reported in Double driving update for November 2016.  That was 139 days before passing 54,000 miles for an average of 7.19 miles per day or 219.42 miles per standard month.  That's a lot less than the 22.73 miles/day and 693.18 miles/standard month my wife drove Dez at the time of the previous update and why I thought I could get another update in for Pearl.  All those errands I've been running saved her a lot of driving.

That written, the important statistic is how much my wife and I have been driving our two cars combined.  During the same 139 days it took my wife to drive Dez 1,000 miles, I drove Pearl 2,650 miles for a combined 3,650 miles.  That translates to 26.26 miles per day and 800.90 miles per month.  That is indeed a lot less than the combined average of 47.12 miles/day and 1437.08 miles/standard month between September and November.  Yes, those errands have indeed paid off in less driving for both of us.

Just the same, why did I end up being wrong about Pearl getting another update before Dez?  That's because my wife drove to visit our daughter in Chicago again, hence the image of a car like Dez with the Chicago skyline behind it I used to illustrate the entry.  Family, like sustainability, is a priority.

We aren't alone in decreasing the amount we are adding to the nation's driving.  The following graph from Doug Short shows the rise in total miles driven is starting to flatten out with a gentler slope during 2016.


I was wondering how long that meteoritic rise out of the depressed driving from the Great Recession would last.  Now I know it began to abate a year ago.

Stay tuned for the last entry of the month.

*Right now, I'm averaging 15.85 miles per day since the last update.  Let's see if I keep it that low over the next 350 miles.

Minor parties for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

I ended Michigan recount for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News by telling my readers that I would "examine top posts about minor party candidates next in this series."  With only a couple of hours left in the day, here is the retrospective I promised.

The sixth most read entry posted last year and the seventh most read of all time is 2016 could be a good year for minor party candidates with 3640 page views, 3773 according to the raw counter.  As I have done repeatedly, I'll be a good environmentalist and recycle to tell the story of its page views, this time from Monthly meta for May 2016.

The top post of May 2016 was "2016 could be a good year for minor party candidates" from May 14, 2016 with 3669 page views, 3676 according to the raw counter.  It also came in second for most comments with 6.  It earned its page views from being shared at the Coffee Party Facebook page, where it got more than 3400 page views in the first 24 hours, and helped attract 3440 page views the next day, 883 the first hour.  The entry also ended the month as the second most read of all time, knocking "Corn questions from 'Food, Inc.' worksheet" out of the top ten after it had briefly re-entered the leader board at the start of the month.

It did turn out to be a good year for minor parties, both in the top twenty on in the real world.  Follow over the jump for three more entries plus an update on the story.

Michigan recount for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

"Next in this series, a retrospective on the Michigan recount," I promised in yesterday.  That's because, while John Oliver was the subject of the first and second most read posts of last year, the Michigan recount was the subject of the third, fourth, and fifth most read of the previous year, which were also the fourth, fifth, and sixth most read of all time.  The last time I had three posts in order on the same theme was for Conversations with The Archdruid for the fourth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News two years ago, but those were at the end of the countdown in eighteenth through twentieth places.  This is the first time I've had three consecutive posts this high on the list.  It's probably also the first time I've had three entries this close to each other in time, as all were posted during the first week of December.

The highest ranking of the three was Michigan recount still on as Trump fails to stop it while Schuette still trying from December 2, 2016.  It earned 4892 page views, 5180 according to the raw counter, by the end of the blogging year, placing it fourth on the all time list.  It was also the most read entry of December 2016, ending the month with 4893 page views, 5125 according to the raw counter.  This entry earned 1322 page views in the first hour after being shared at the Coffee Party USA Facebook page at 11 P.M. on December 2, 2016.  It helped attract 1,408 page views to the blog in that same hour.  The entry passed PBS Newshour examines gerrymandering in Maryland and North Carolina with 2804 page views between 6:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M., knocking it off the all-time top top ten.  At 8:00 A.M., it was in ninth with 3048 page views.  It passed The Michigan recount is on! at 12:30 PM on 12/3/16 with 3956 page views to the latter's 3925 to replace it in fourth on the all-time list.  Sharing the post helped attract 5,339 page views to the blog by 7:00 P.M. that day.   Within the first 24 hours after being shared, it earned 4622 page views, for a total of 4711 since it was posted.

The fourth most read entry of last year and the fifth most read of all time so far was The Michigan recount is on!  It was posted on December 1, 2016, and earned 4155 page views, 4244 according to the raw counter, by March 20, 2012.  It was also the second most read entry of December 2016 with 4079 page views, 4201 according to the raw counter and the most commented on with five comments.  The entry received 1370+ page views in the first two hours after being shared at the Coffee Party USA Facebook page at 11:00 PM on December 1, 2016.  It passed the then 10th place all time entry, WXYZ on redistricting reform with 2529 page views, at 8:30 A/M.  By 7:00 P.M., it had climbed to fifth place with ~3550 page views.  By 11:00 P.M., it was in fourth place with 3730 page views.  It earned ~3650 page views in the first 24 hours after being shared.  The entry helped attract 4,152 page views to the blog the day it was shared.  It gained even more page views from Infidel 753 sharing the link at Crooks&Liars, which also helped it earn its comments.

Federal judge orders Michigan recount to begin today from December 5, 2016 was the fifth most read entry of the 2016-2017 blogging year and the sixth most read of all time with 3875 page views, 4154 according to the raw counter.  It was also the third most read entry of December 2016 with 3876 page views, 4087 according to the raw counter, by the end of the month.  It passed Newspaper endorsements roll in while comedians laugh at Gary Johnson with 2967 page views by noon on December 6, 2016. It earned 3626 page views in first 24 hours after being shared, 3716 total to sit in sixth place on the all time list.  Sharing attracted 1129 page views to the entry and 1165 page views to blog in first hour, 4461 that recording day.

Despite all the interest, the recount didn't change a thing, as Party's over as judge orders Michigan recount halted reported.   That post didn't make the top 40 for the year; it earned 292 page views, 471 according to the raw counter, to be the ninth most read entry of the month, eighth for those actually posted during December.  That's because I reached my page view goals for the month so I didn't share it at the Coffee Party Facebook page.  I'm not that greedy for readers!

I examine top posts about minor party candidates next in this series.  Stay tuned

Previous entries in this series.

• Happy Persian New Year and Happy Birthday to Twitter and this blog
• Statistics for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News
• John Oliver: Top posts for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

John Oliver: Top posts for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

At the end of WXYZ on Marche du Nain Rouge 2017, I teased my readers by telling them to "Stay tuned for an entertainment-themed retrospective featuring the top entry of last year."  The hint was the backside of John Oliver blowing up 2016.  Sure enough, the top two posts of last year both featured John Oliver.

The most read entry of the two was Last Week Tonight examines Clinton and Trump foundations after winning three Emmy Awards from September 27, 2016.  It earned 7947 page views according to the default counter, 8226 according to the raw counter, by the end of March 20, 2017.  Not only was it the top post of last year, it's currently the top post of all time on the blog.  Here's the story from the notes for October 2016, when it was the top post for the month as well as the winner of the Revenge of the Back Catalog Trophy.*

The entry earned 2672 page views in the first two hours after being shared at the Coffee Party USA Facebook page, 1942 in the first hour.  It helped attract nearly 1995 page views to the blog the first hour and 792 the second.  In the first two hours, it rocketed up to 6th place, knocking Clinton wins the news media while Sanders wins the Internet out of the all-time top ten and passing PBS Newshour examines gerrymandering in Maryland and North Carolina, which had only occupied sixth place for a few hours.  Overnight, it powered up the rankings until it was in third by 9 AM the next day.  It ended up in first place after 24 hours with 7406 views during the first 24 hours.  It also helped contribute to the best single day in the blog's history with 7930 page views.  It ended October with 7947 page views after reaching a maximum of 7997, 8176 according to the raw counter, at 7:59 PM on October 26, 2016.  The tendency of the default counter to shrink page views over time strikes again!


The second most read entry of the year and third of all time also featured John Oliver, John Oliver on feelings over facts and Colbert on Trumpiness.  It ended the blogging year with 5059 page views, 6206 according to the raw counter.  I'll be a good environmentalist and recycle the relevant paragraph from Best August so far and other monthly meta to explain how it got its page views.

"John Oliver on feelings over facts and Colbert on Trumpiness" from July 25, 2016 won both the top post and Revenge of the Back Catalog trophies with 6061 entries during the month.  The entry also rose to second on the all-time top ten list with 6099 page views, 6139 according to the raw counter, by the end of July.  As I documented in Popular entries from the back catalog for the fifth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, it knocked Eye spy the gas price rollercoaster about to coast down like a parachute out of the all-time top ten.  Like the previous two entries, it earned its page view[s] by being shared at the Coffee Party Facebook page, where it earned more than 5700 page views in 24 hours.  Before being shared, it had 117 page views.  Sharing it helped draw 5861 page views to the blog the day it was posted, 1325 in the first hour.

The list of retrospectives about top posts at the end of this entry shows that I've never featured two most read entries for the year in the same post and only once have I included posts on the same theme as the top post, and that was the "other" top post for the year.  Congratulations to John Oliver for achieving a first on this blog!

I'm not done with the subject.  Follow over the jump for more posts built around John Oliver that made last year's Top 40.**

WXYZ on Marche du Nain Rouge 2017

Today is the Marche du Nain Rouge.  WXYZ tells the story about the Nain Rouge and the march to pacify/expel him in this video.


This year, there will be more than one Nain Rouge at the parade.  In addition to the frightening character in the racing overalls who presided over last year's ceremonies, a more dapper one will be helping to promote a book.  WXYZ also has that story in Local author explores the coolest places in Detroit through the eyes of the Nain Rouge.


I wonder if the parade and banishing ceremony might have a (staged) fight over who is the real Nain Rouge.  Wouldn't that be entertaining?

WXYZ had more on the book, its author, and the Nain Rogue three months ago in New book highlights Detroit's hidden gems.

A new book on Detroit is unveiling the city's hidden gems from the perspective of the Nain Rouge.

That's it for today's entertainment entry.  Stay tuned for an entertainment-themed retrospective featuring the top entry of last year.  Here's a hint about tomorrow's subject.

Ten years of Earth Hour for 2017

Today is Earth Hour, which is celebrating its tenth birthday.  Follow along with Earth Hour 2017: Ten Years of Impact to see a decade of working to protect the planet.

WWF's Earth Hour shows us how each of us can be heroes for our planet, our home. Our actions today can change our tomorrow - together, let's #ChangeClimateChange.

I've been celebrating the event since 2011, making this my seventh Earth Hour.  It also makes this the very first special day of any kind that I observed on the blog, second only to April Fools Day.  Wow!

In addition to turning off lights and other electronic devices between 8:30 P.M. and 9:30 P.M. local time, Earth Hour 2017: Protect Our Planet with Pocoyo has other suggestions to help the planet.

Pocoyo and his friends, Elly the elephant and Pato the duck, are determined to protect our planet and make our home a better place!

Yes, this video is intended for children, but adults can save water, drive less, conserve energy, and recycle, too.  These are lessons for all of us.  With that, I wish my readers a Happy Earth Hour!

Bill Nye and I get our wish from Trump on Mars, sort of

In last November's Trump pulls a Gingrich on space, I found a silver lining in the dark storm cloud of a Trump presidency, writing "space policy is the one area where Trump might actually be good for the country."  I also wrote of his campaign plank on space that "Trump's plan is actually not a bad idea."  I was not alone in my hopes.  Last week, The Planetary Society uploaded Bill Nye's Open Letter to President Donald Trump to its YouTube channel to urge him to do what the organization thought was necessary to achieve the goals of the plan and then some.

Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society, and our Board of Directors present five recommendations to the Trump administration as it contemplates the future of the U.S. space program.

This week, Newsy reported Trump signs bill to let NASA explore Mars.

President Donald Trump authorized $19.5 billion in funding for NASA for fiscal year 2017.

That was an increase from the $19.1 billion for NASA in the proposed budget Trump submitted last week, so that was an improvement, if not the 5% increase Nye was asking for.  As for me, I'm treating this the same way I did the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee finally being placed on the Endangered Species List, as a rare bit of good news coming out of this otherwise deplorable administration.

That written, I still stand by my conclusion from that entry in November.

Sorry, I want more ambitious goals for both space exploration and climate monitoring along with people who understand science and technology in charge of both.  This combination isn't good enough for me.  It's like hoping for the alternative history in "The Man in the High Castle" to happen just so there could be commercial SSTs by the early 1960s...The cost would be too high.

Funding for NASA research into climate change was still cut in the new bill.  That's not all.  Here's the cost, as depicted by Science Magazine, in terms of cuts to all kinds of federally funded research.


The cost is indeed too high.

Statistics for the sixth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News

I promised a statistics entry and teased it yesterday, so it's time to deliver.

As of 11:59 P.M. E.D.T. on March 20, 2016, I had posted 2724 total entries, the blog had earned 595,621 page views, and the readers and I together posted 1307 comments over the blog's first five years.  As of that same time on March 20, 2017, those totals had reached 3101 entries, 948,385 page views, and 1903 comments during the first six years of the blog.  Consequently, the sixth year of the blog saw me post 377 entries, which earned 352,764 page views and 596 comments from my readers and me.  For comparison, the fifth year of the blog recorded 435 entries, which earned 176,458 page views and 443 comments.*

Follow over the jump for my analysis of these numbers.

Rusty-Patched Bumblebee finally placed on the Endangered Species List

I know I promised a statistics entry, but first I'm sharing this breaking news about the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee being placed on the Endangered Species List.  Wochit News reports Rusty Patched Bumblebee Officially Declared Endangered.

This week, the rusty patched bumblebee officially became the first bumblebee in the U.S. to make the endangered species list. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the bee is one of the pollinators experiencing serious population declines across the United States. The species was initially set to get protected status last month, but the listing was delayed after Donald Trump ordered a temporary freeze on new regulations following his win in the presidential election. Since the 1990s, the population of the rusty patched bumblebee has fallen over 87 percent, leaving tiny numbers in just 13 states.

That's probably the first good environmental news out of this administration.  I don't expect a lot more, based on what Trump said in Willow Run on the Ides of March.