Land O Links

"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice" -- Anton Chekov, 19th century Russian writer.

* Noted lefty Todd Gitlin -- a senior figure in the SDS movement in the 1960s notes CFM President Phil Power -- writes in the New York Times about the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movements: "Anger does not move countries, but it moves movements — and movements, in turn, can move countries. To do that, movements need leverage."
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/opinion/sunday/occupy-wall-street-and-the-tea-party.html?pagewanted=all

* The Michigan State Medical Society (doctors) doesn't think much of the bid in the Legislature to revamp Michigan's system for covering medical costs deriving from auto accidents:
http://domemagazine.com/newman/sn093011

* Births in America tanked along with the economy and home values, says the Pew Research Center. After a record 2007, births have been headed downward, even as the overall population has grown. (At least through 2009, the most recent reliable figures Pew has.) In Michigan, births actually were higher in 2000 and have been on a steady downward trend since 2003:
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/10/12/in-a-down-economy-fewer-births/?src=prc-headline

* Talking Points Memo created a U.S. map of the birth declines found by Pew:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/chart-us-birth-rate-drops-as-economy-falters.php?ref=fpblg

* This will be a common story in Michigan in coming months, as local governments squeezed by budget changes at the State Capitol and property value trends will lose the ability to think about doing anything other than the bare minimum of maintenance:
http://www.freep.com/article/20111014/NEWS06/111014009/Lansing-s-credit-rating-downgraded-by-Moody-s?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs