NEWS ON THE CHEVY VOLT: “General Motors said Thursday that it had ‘essentially finished’ designing its first plug-in hybrid car, the Chevrolet Volt, and would have production-ready prototypes within 10 days. The automaker still has considerable work to do on the car’s lithium-ion battery and other technology in the two years before the Volt is scheduled to go on sale, but completing the design is a milestone for what is arguably the most crucial car in decades for G.M. The Volt would be able to travel at least 40 miles on battery power alone, G.M. said. The battery is recharged by plugging a cord into a household outlet.”

Read the whole thing. It sounds as if they’re pushing things on the battery technology, which is both admirable and worrisome.

COOKING AND COGNITION: How humans got so smart. I just knew that barbecue had to play a role.

THOUGHTS ON WHITE MINORITIES AND RACIAL BEAN-COUNTING from Tom Maguire.

ROBERT WRIGHT AND JONAH GOLDBERG on Obama’s rhetoric. And more.

MATT WELCH: Does Russia have a “thousand-mile doorstep?” Nope, just good apologists in the media.

WELL, THAT’S COOL: I just heard from my publisher that An Army of Davids is coming out in a Korean edition. I don’t think that any of my other books managed this.

“IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING that there would be no math.”

BOB OWENS: “I’ve found myself in the rather unlikely role of defending Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama during the past few days. I’ve done so not out of any sense of loyalty to Obama — as anyone familiar with my blog or my work at Pajamas Media or the New York Post will attest — but out of pure curiosity about the many rumors swirling around the man who would be president.”

ANOTHER CHANCE TO PLAY Name That Party!

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY: In this case, about drilling in ANWR.

JOHN TIERNEY on bad science in court. There’s a lot of it.

UPPING THE ANTI. . . .MISSILE: Austin Bay on the U.S. Poland missile deal announced today. I’m sure the timing’s just coincidence.

UPDATE: A reader emails: “For the record, Russia won the recent battle against Georgia but lost the war. The war is Russia against all of her neighbors. By continuously ticking off all of her neighbors, Russia is causing them to fight back any way they can. Eventually Russia will die the death of a thousand cuts. Russia’s thug economy won’t be strong enough to handle this war long-term, especially when energy prices drop.”

Hmm.

I MENTIONED THESE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND THEY QUICKLY SOLD OUT, but I just noticed that you can buy the potato guns again. We live in an age where this counts as subversive fun. And at this price, why not pick up several?

SO I GUESS IT’S OKAY TO QUESTION PEOPLE’S PATRIOTISM NOW?

PHIL BOWERMASTER on diet, drugs, and scientific progress.

MORE THOUGHTS ON Heath Shuler’s land deal. I notice the story’s made Drudge.

UPDATE: Some local criticism of Shuler.

FALLOUT: “John McCain said Wednesday that Russia’s invasion of Georgia calls for a complete re-examination of U.S. relations with the Moscow government.”

EUGENE VOLOKH: Do aliens legally present in the United States have Second Amendment rights?

HE’S JUST ANGLING FOR THE COVETED INSTAPUNDIT ENDORSEMENT: With Polls Close, Obama Blinks on Taxes.

UPDATE: Not everyone’s happy: “It amounts to a declaration of war on two-income families, a marriage penalty of punitive proportions.” I guess lawyers in love will be better off cohabiting.

AL FRANKEN’S NEW YORK CITY PROBLEM: “Judging the race so far, however, one would have to conclude that Franken is a poor fit with Minnesota voters. Franken cannot conceal that he is not a nice guy, and Minnesotans are genuinely nice people. I think that more than anything has held Franken back so far.”