Land O Links
"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about" -- Oscar Wilde, British playwright and writer.
* As a lover of Thanksgiving since, oh, the early 1970s, I'm confident I share culpability in this trend. For the record, I prefer a mix of breast and leg meat from the Turkey, generously covered with dressing and gravy: " In 1997, The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) took a turkey census. For about half a century, nearly every turkey farm in the U.S. had been raising a breed known as the Broad Breasted White. (This cost-efficient, big-breasted bird has a lifespan of only 18 weeks and can neither walk, fly, nor reproduce without artificial insemination)." (Hat tip to Matt Yglesias.)
http://www.grist.org/sustainable-food/2011-11-14-something-to-be-thankful-for-real-turkeys-make-a-comeback
* Attorney General Bill Schuette has joined with counterparts in about half the other states to fight the federal Environmental Protection Agency over regulations on mercury. "According a recent Environment Michigan report that summarizes EPA data on power plant mercury emissions, in 2010, 80 percent of all airborne mercury pollution in Michigan came from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants." Now, I want the lights on as much as any Michiganian, but shouldn't there be more discussion -- in Michigan -- over the costs/consequences of our energy choices? Wind and solar are not going to get us there, folks. The by-products of burning coal can cause a mess of problems. So, hold the shouts, can we not discuss nuclear power? And by nuclear power, I don't mean old designs that fill you full of dread, but designs such as this.
http://michiganmessenger.com/53971/schuette-fights-important-mercury-regulations
* Another reason it's good to live in Lansing: " If you are a residential customer of Detroit Edison, you may not know that you pay about 65 percent more for electricity per kilowatt-hour than a residential customer of the Lansing Board of Water & Light." The author of that line, Robert Nelson, served on the Michigan Public Service Commission, so it's worth the time to read what he has to say about Michigan's current regulations on electric competition.
http://domemagazine.com/nelson/rn111111
* More Michigan employers are having trouble finding workers, in a state with a double-digit unemployment rate. Bridge has reported on this issue extensively. Next week, looking for new coverage on the Michigan Works agencies and how they affect the jobs market.:
http://www.ourmidland.com/news/article_e216aa22-cca0-5c16-9fc0-592189ef6998.html
* Macomb County, call Rick Perry for advice on dealing with the aftermath of an "oops":
http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2011/11/14/news/doc4ec114096ed9c653680270.txt
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