A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT? Jobless Grad Sues College for $70K Tuition.

WHY AMERICA’S HEALTH SYSTEM is better than you might think.

DEBUNKING misconceptions about sharks.

“JUST SAY NO:” Rep. Lloyd Doggett meets some unhappy constituents at a healthcare forum in his district. Remember, protest is patriotic!

AN IPHONE-KILLER? A look at the Palm Pre.

THE HEALTHCARE BILL: Too big to pass? “In recent months many observers have said that if a company is too big to fail (i.e., in a pinch the government will bail it out), then it is too big to exist. I think there is a lot of merit to that idea. Here is my corollary: if a bill is too vast for a Congressman to read and understand, it is too big to pass. If a Congressman can’t read the bill, he shouldn’t vote for it. The appropriate response to any such legislation is: just vote ‘No.'”

HEH: Drunken sailor says lower deficit key to sustaining recovery.

CAN YOU BRING VODKA TO A PRESIDENTIAL KEGGER? Stephen Green on the latest PJM Political.

THOUGHTS ON ruthlessness in international law.

BITES FROM THE APPLE: A roundup of news from the Apple empire, including the latest on Apple and Google voice.

PROTEST IS PATRIOTIC (CONT’D): A news report on the Savannah, Georgia Tea Party.

A FORMER STUDENT SENDS A LINK TO Operation Embarrass Your Congressman. Remember, protest is patriotic, and dissent is the highest form of patriotism!

A water-powered jetpack.

JENNIFER RUBIN on how Obama’s governance style is playing.

TRYING TO FIND THE TRUTH BEHIND the Jupiter impact. “Something invaded our solar system and whacked Jupiter, but professional astronomers were looking the other way at the time. Now, as the shock wave slowly subsides, astronomers are working around the clock to find out exactly what hit Jupiter–and why they didn’t see it coming.”

GUERRILLA ARTIST SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER. Well, that’s what art is all about, right?

IN THE MAIL: From Eric Flint and David Drake, Belisarius III: The Flames of Sunset. Note that this collects previously published books.

HERE’S A NEWS REPORT on that Columbus Tea Party protest. “Cheering messages of limited government, lower taxes and states’ rights, thousands rallied yesterday at the Statehouse, hoping to continue a movement that began in the spring with nationwide tea parties. The enthusiastic crowd took aim at government bailouts, rising national debt, ‘socialized’ health care and even Columbus’ proposed income-tax increase.”

WHY AREN’T MORE PEOPLE GOING TO THE BEACH? Well, I’m doing my part. En route to a conference where I’ll talk about the Second Amendment.

EVANGELICALS MARCH NORTH. “Hallelujah religion is a-rising in Yankee country. As liberal congregations die in a secularizing region, conservative churches with roots outside New England are replacing them with a passionate brand of faith that emphasizes saving souls – even in a land where many think there’s nothing to be saved from.”

TOWN HALLS GONE WILD: “On the eve of the August recess, members are reporting meetings that have gone terribly awry, marked by angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior. In at least one case, a congressman has stopped holding town hall events because the situation has spiraled so far out of control.”

Hope and change! But if you cancel the town halls, the angry constituents will still find you somewhere, won’t they?

UPDATE: Col. Douglas Mortimer writes:

Well, remember that it was Senator Everett Dirksen who reportedly said: “When I feel the heat, I see the light.”

Indeed.

HEALTH CARE, DRUG DEVELOPMENT, and Megan McArdle’s excessive wealth. Plus, I promise that if the government lets people like me buy cruise missiles, the technology curve will bend upward.

WHERE ARE THE ALIENS? (CONT’D):

Depending on motive the space probes will have different capabilities and missions.

If the motive of aliens is defensive then an artificial intelligence might be sitting out in the asteroid belt monitoring Earth for a hundred million years watching for signs of intelligence. The AI might have algorithms for rating intelligences by aggressivity and hostility. It might have a means to sterilize this planet if it decides we are a threat. Such an AI would not have been sent to leave a clear record of its presence.

Scientists have actually looked for alien probes in likely spots in the Solar System, but an advanced alien technology could presumably avoid notice. This piece on extraterrestrials by Gregg Easterbrook is worth reading, for those interested.

A PJTV EXCLUSIVE: Honduran President Micheletti on Hugo Chavez, Cocaine & American Media.

EBAY: Like Amazon but more profitable?