THE MCRIB SANDWICH IS COMING BACK. Believe it or not, my very first assignment as an associate at my old law firm involved the McRib’s unveiling.

WHAT EVERY COUPLE NEEDS: The McDonald’s wedding package.

STARBUCKS ENTERS the tinkering stage.

IN A TAKEOUT CONTAINER, a trip to the stratosphere.

WHAT A MOBILE PHONE LOOKED LIKE IN 1964.

JOAN HEMINWAY: Martha Stewart and the Forbidden Fruit: A New Story of Eve.

IN THE MAIL: From Peggy Noonan, What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era.

ROCKET SCIENTIST RUTH MCCLUNG, who’s running against Democrat Raul “Please Boycott My State” Grijalva in Arizona, is having a fundraising moneybomb today.

RADLEY BALKO: ABOLISH DRUNK DRIVING LAWS. “If lawmakers are serious about saving lives, they should focus on impairment, not alcohol.”

PETER SUDERMAN: ObamaCare And The States.

HIPPIE-PUNCHING from a Democratic candidate.

UNEXPECTEDLY! Jobless Claims Rise by to 462,000. But that’s okay, because inflation is up, too! Hey, wait. . .

The economy tanking while inflation appears? How can that happen? Where, oh, where, could we find an explanation for what’s going on?

I AGREE: Tea Partiers Won’t Go When Fun Ends. Here’s something I wrote on the subject last year.

KATIE GRANJU: Dear Democratic National Committee: “Let me get right to the point: you need a better marketing-communications strategist. Whomever you have handling your email marketing campaign is really, really bad at his/her job. You see, I am a Democrat. I am your base. I am also someone who is very comfortable with email and other types of digital outreach made directly to me. I should be your holy grail target for your email campaigning. Yet, your email outreach is so clumsy and spammy that I find myself increasingly irritated every time one of your missives shows up in my inbox (which is far too often, period, even if the content were more strategic and smart).”

UPDATE: “Pimped?” Uh huh.

MICKEY KAUS: What Should The Former Car Czar Do Now? “Treasury Secretary! He’s been rumored for the job before, and the current occupant proved that a clean record is no requirement.”

Don’t like that suggestion? How about this one? “Publisher of The New York Times. Rattner knows the media business. He would vastly increase the brainpower at the top of our most prestigious news organization while giving his friend Pinch Sulzberger a graceful way to kick himself upstairs.”

YES, I THINK THAT MR. T TALKING ABOUT GOLD AS AN INVESTMENT is probably an important sign of . . . something.

Plus, from the comments: “I pity the fool that doesn’t own gold!”

DON SURBER: Mr. President: I Demand That You Attack Me.

President Obama attacked Rush Limbaugh — and his ratings went up.

President Obama attacked Fox News — and its ratings went up.

President Obama called for a boycott of Glenn Beck — and his ratings went up.

Now he has attacked Karl Rove.

And Rove’s raking it in.

SOME MEMORABLE courtroom scenes on film.

INSTAVISION: Hamming It Up With Mary Katharine Ham. We talk about guerrilla video, the future of alternative media, and why people care more about blended puppies than tossed cats. Plus, advice to people who want to follow in her footsteps. (Bumped).

ED DRISCOLL: GREAT MOMENTS IN HAPLESS POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS: “You know what else isn’t smart? Wasting campaign money by calling the 408 area code in Northern California, rather than the 480 area code in Arizona. I wonder how many other people in the San Jose area have gotten robo-called today to attend Glassman’s personal appearance tomorrow 748 miles away, out of state, in Sedona?”

PETER FERRARA: The Obama Watch: So Much Worse Than Carter. Hey, I was warning last year that a Carter-era rerun would be a best-case scenario. And I was right . . . .

WHY IS BASHAR ASSAD afraid of a 19-year-old girl?

Because she’s a blogger. Duh. He’s just a lame-ass dictator. Give it up now, Bashar. Your struggles will only make things worse.

DANIEL HENNINGER: Capitalism Saved The Miners. “The profit = innovation dynamic was everywhere at the mine rescue site.”

But wait — it gets better!

REAL TROUBLE FOR DEMOCRATS: “Despite 18 months of the media calling tea partiers frothing rabble and angry extremists, a new poll shows precisely the opposite. More people perceive the Democratic Party to be dominated by the fringe.” And it’s a Democratic poll.

POPULAR MECHANICS: Behind The Scenes At A Nuclear Alert Facility.

To visit Malmstrom is to enter a world where even the smallest infractions—like a chef letting salad dressing expire in the barracks-like facilities that guard underground launch crews—are treated like high crimes. Regulations govern every aspect of the mission, from launch sequences to the way kitchens are cleaned in the 24-hour-alert facilities. “Perfection is the standard” is the official motto here; the unofficial motto is “Why? Because it’s nukes!”

Seems like a good reason to me. Read the whole thing.