SOME VERY NICE appalachian photoblogging.

ANN ALTHOUSE: “What is this fascination with balls?“

CAR LUST: Remembering the Sterling. I actually knew someone who had one of those, and as I recall it wasn’t a good car-owning experience for her.

GUNS AND SUICIDE: Steve Chapman on the dubious public health scholarship in the field. I’d be happy if the public health folks would just focus on conquering actual disease instead of engaging in this sort of mission creep. But hey, this way they can hit up the Joyce Foundation for money, attend posh conferences, and get rewarded for saying politically correct things — all with no icky sick people involved!

MICHAEL YON: Success in Iraq. Be sure to look at the stats in the linked PowerPoint presentation. And note his concerns about Afghanistan, where things aren’t going as well.

SUDAN: NOT AFRAID of the International Criminal Court. It’s as if these international institutions were mostly designed to hamstring nations that actually respect human rights.

SO IT JUST STRUCK ME AS FUNNY that supporters of Barack “I’m really not a Muslim” Obama are now getting upset about a cartoon. But Ta-Nehisi Coates is right to point to Hillaryism as the root of this phenomenon.

POND SCUM for a cleaner tomorrow!

TENNESSEE MAN ARRESTED FOR PHOTOGRAPHING A COP:

“Here’s a guy who takes me out of the car and arrests me in front of my kids. For what? To take a picture of a police officer?” said Scott Conover.

A Johnson County sheriff’s deputy arrested Scott Conover for unlawful photography.

“He says you took a picture of me. It’s illegal to take a picture of a law enforcement officer,” said Conover.

The News Sentinel’s Michael Silence comments:

“Unlawful photography” in a public place? I don’t think so. Memo to cop: Get a good civil attorney. Memo to the town of Mountain City: Are your liability premiums paid up?

This is disgraceful, but it seems to be increasingly common. Examples need to be made.

INDYMAC DEPOSITORS LINE UP TO WITHDRAW in spite of FDIC insurance.

Meanwhile Chuck Schumer says “don’t blame me!”

UPDATE: A Schumer defense from Jim Lindgren, though commenters appear unconvinced.

IF THE BATMOBILE CAME IN A SEDAN VERSION, IT WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS: Photos of the Tesla Whitestar. Looks cool. Too bad it’s fake.

On the non-fake-car front, however, Tesla is now delivering roadsters to early customers.

AN ARGUMENT against D.C. statehood.

ANDREW BREITBART: Mr. Spielberg, Tear Down This Wall.

CREATING NEW CATALYSTS with atomically precise nanotechnology.

EXTENDING HUMAN RIGHTS TO NONHUMANS: Making the term “human rights” even more devalued than it has already become. . . .

FANNIE MAE, FREDDIE MAC, and Crony Capitalism.

IN THE MAIL: John Scalzi’s new book, Zoe’s Tale, the latest in the Old Man’s War sequence.

SEAN HACKBARTH IS COVERING FANNIE MAE / FREDDIE MAC — and in fact has been doing so since before it was big news. Here’s his category link; just keep checking back for new stuff.

A PROPOSAL FOR CONGRESSIONAL REFORM: “I say we randomize the committee rosters for each session!”