ANDREW KLAVAN: Reality Time: Why The Country’s Bill Mahers Say What They Say. “Their ugliness seems to be escalating day by day, and with it the dishonesty, distortions, and bullying anger of their mainstream-media fellow travelers. There’s a reason for this, I think. It’s the increasingly apparent failure of Barack Obama.”

PENELOPE TRUNK: On Sunday, My Son Sold His Pig. “All those unexpected obstacles did not faze my son. He stuck to what we practiced and did well at that. We showed his pigs three more times. Each time he got a little more confident. And I felt like my son was growing up, right in front of me. There is so much you can do to prepare for the world, but really, you grow only as you succeed or fail. You learn so much about yourself in that moment.”

THE TEN MOST AMBITIOUS big-science experiments.

AT AMAZON, Blu-Ray from $5 to $10.

MEGAN MCARDLE not so impressed with new Euro deal.

WHY ISN’T THE NFL LOCKOUT over yet?

STEVE CARTER: Threat of Jail Would End U.S. Budget Gimmicks. “The Congress that passed Sarbanes-Oxley concluded that the only way to ensure transparency in corporate numbers was to require corporate officers to certify that their numbers were correct. The penalties for falsely certifying are substantial — fines of as much as $5 million, and up to 20 years in prison — on the theory that the fear of personal liability will reduce the incentive to exaggerate future revenue or conceal future liabilities. By contrast, congressional appropriators and federal agency heads, are under no similar constraints. True, the government does have its own accounting principles. But nobody faces liability if the numbers are off. Nobody has skin in the game.”

HERE’S A YOUTUBE VERSION of my InstaVision interview with Iain Murray.

HMM: In The Midst Of CAFE Negotiations, GM Re-Invests In Trucks. So given that it’s Government Motors now, is this a tipoff as to how things are likely to go?

INSTAVISION: I talk to Iain Murray about his new book, Stealing You Blind: How Government Fat Cats Are Getting Rich Off of You.

SO THEIR NET BIOMASS IS STAYING ABOUT THE SAME: German Nudists’ Numbers Shrink As Their Weight Climbs.

Plus, the problem with immigration: “Immigrants who arrive from cultures where headscarves are common will not usually be interested in becoming naturists in Germany, he said.”

SO MAYBE THERE’S HOPE FOR CONGRESS: Stem Cells Help Irradiated Mice Grow New Brain Cells.

HERE’S AN UPDATE ON THE HONDA JET from Aviation Week. Here’s a piece that I did on the HondaJet for Popular Mechanics last year.

And note the HondaJet CEO’s take on a current issue: “In unprepared remarks in response to question from a reporter, Fujino expressed ‘surprise’ at President Obama and the Big Three auto execs who have contributed to the current vilification of the ‘corporate jet’ in the mass media. ‘One of the most important industries in the United States is aviation,’ Fujino told the assembled reporters.” Indeed.

CNN V. WALID SHOEBAT — and vice versa.

STACY MCCAIN COVERS THE IMPORTANT NEWS: Hollywood Teen Bride’s Mom Blames Jealousy, ‘Insecurities’ for Criticism of Courtney and Doug Hutchison.

PASS THE MELATONIN: Circadian Clock Signal Weakens With Age. “This result reminds me of the vicious cycles that drive much of aging. Deterioration of sleep quality reduces the repair that happens to the body as we sleep. This accelerates aging, including aging of components that regulate sleep.”

This may have been group-adaptive in the old days, though. Old people — too weak to do the hard day’s work — were up at night when the workers were sleeping, meaning that someone was more likely to notice marauding enemies, dangerous animals, fires, etc. Now, not so much.

SEEN ON FACEBOOK: “I work all day, go to Kroger late night, stock up on groceries and then get to the checkout and have to scan and bag everything by myself and still pay full price while Kroger can eliminate a job. Hmmmmm. That’s the equivalent to you coming into my restaurant, cooking your own food and I still get to charge full price. Am I being unreasonable???”

HOW BUREAUCRACY WORKS: I’d like to see this as widely distributed as Who Moved My Cheese? But I’m not holding my breath.

DANIEL ZIMMERMAN ON NYT COVERAGE OF THE KNOB CREEK MACHINE GUN SHOOT: “You can just imagine the horror upper west siders will experience when they discover what happens at Knob Creek. And that it’s legal.”

GO FIGURE: Automakers Unhappy With California’s Proposed Zero Emissions Vehicle Regulations.

WHAT WE LEARN FROM SCIENCE FICTION. “Is it any wonder that Alvin Toffler, one of the first futurists, called reading science fiction the only preventive medicine for future shock?”

WANTING CITIZENS TO BE engaged, not enraged. Well, okay, but the latter is often a prerequisite for the former . . . .

RAHM EMANUEL: “I care deeply for my family. I don’t care about you.”

And your kids’ schooling is his business, but his kids’ schooling isn’t any of your business. These people always seem to think that way.

KEITH HENNESSEY: Understanding The Gang Of Six Plan.

Plus, Why I Oppose The Gang Of Six Plan. “I strongly oppose the Gang of Six plan. I think it is absolutely terrible fiscal policy.” To understand it isn’t to love it, apparently.