CAN GOING TO THE GYM MAKE YOU FAT? Yes, if you’re not careful. It’s pretty easy to eat more calories than you burn.

I recommend reading Gary Taubes. And Mark Rippetoe.

“After Warnings of an Olympic Crush, Businesses Suffer in a Deserted London.” #Olympicfail

JAMES PETHOKOUKIS: July jobs report: America’s labor market depression continues. Plus, once again, the damning graph comparing Obama’s stimulus promises with actual results. “Not only is the 8.3% unemployment rate way above the 5.6% unemployment rate that Team Obama predicted for July 2012 if Congress passed the $800 billion stimulus plan. It’s way above the 6.0% unemployment rate they predicted if no stimulus was passed.”

UPDATE: Lamest Spin Ever: Obama adviser: Jobless rate is really 8.254%.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Well, okay, this is pretty lame, too: Former Obama economic adviser on jobs report: What did you expect from our measly growth rate?

How’s that hopey-changey stuff workin’ out for ya?

HARRY REID RESPONDS TO, BUT DOESN’T DENY, PEDERASTY ALLEGATIONS.

THEY CAN’T GET OBAMA’S TRANSCRIPTS, but by God they can get Romney’s high-school report card.

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Forget The Media Spin: Romney’s Foreign Trip Was Excellent. “Romney’s trip was a major substantive success: one gaffe (Britain), two triumphs (Israel and Poland) and a fine demonstration of foreign-policy fluency and command — wrapped, however, in a media narrative of surpassing triviality.”

DESPITE SAN DIEGO’S BLACKOUT, NIMBY and Green Types Oppose New Power Plants.

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: Unprecedented Blackouts Test India’s Will.

It’s no secret that India’s infrastructure hasn’t been able to keep up with its population growth or industrial expansion. The power grid is no exception. India’s Central Electricity Authority has reported up to 8 percent power deficits in recent months, forcing many to rely on portable generators rather than the fickle power grid. Still, even a generator is a rare luxury in a country where more than a third of the population has no access to public utilities whatsoever.

Sometimes a problem has to turn into a crisis before anybody takes the trouble to fix it. Optimists hope that India’s two massive blackouts will be the spur that forces the country to address its deep-seated problems with building and maintaining a modern infrastructure that can support the kind of economy India wants. Pessimists think the forces of inertia are just too great to make any real changes.

Plus: “Experts fear failures that caused blackouts in New York, Boston and San Diego may become more common as the voracious demand for power continues to grow. They say it will take a multibillion-dollar investment to avoid them.”

Could’ve spent some of that stimulus money on shoring up the power grid, but that would have mean too many jobs for burly men.

SEEN ON FACEBOOK:

HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Very Sad Graph: How Much Americans Have Left to Spend After Essentials, Today.

AT AMAZON, Digital Deals.

Plus, up to 60% off on select sports games.

Also, today only: Bosch 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Drill Driver with Two Batteries, $129.99.

HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Unemployment Rises To 8.3%. “As the country struggles to gain growth traction, the unemployment rate held above 8 percent for the 41st consecutive month, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

UPDATE: Seasonal Adjustments.

STEVE HAYWARD: The Epic Fail Race: Blue Media vs. Blue Government. “It is hard to know which old model is failing fastest: the blue state model of governance, or the legacy media, which might be called the “blue state model of journalism.” We already noted the last few days the declining fortunes of CNN, as well as the news that Newsweek is going to cease print publication in the near future. But a little squib in the Wall Street Journal a couple of days back suggests it’s even worse than we know: the Washington Post has received a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation to shore up its shrinking newsroom. The Los Angeles Times already got a $1 million grant from Ford for the same purpose.”

Nonprofits giving money to for-profits for politically-resonant activity? I think we need closer supervision of the foundation world, too.

IT’S A BAD IDEA TO CASUALLY LIBEL BILLIONAIRES: DCCC apologizes to Sheldon Adelson.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a public apology Thursday afternoon to billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson for charging that the Republican mega donor was tied to the Chinese mob and a prostitution ring.

“In press statements issued on June 29 and July 2, 2012, the DCCC made unsubstantiated allegations that attacked Sheldon Adelson, a supporter of the opposing party. This was wrong. The statements were untrue and unfair and we retract them,” the DCCC wrote. “The DCCC extends its sincere apology to Mr. Adelson and his family for any injury we have caused.”

The statement is an attempt by the Democratic party committee to try and make a potential defamation lawsuit go away.

Well, it might work.

THERE’S THAT WORD AGAIN: US factory goods demand falls unexpectedly.

RISE OF THE ROMNEY DEMOCRATS: A bipartisan coalition backs Mitt’s tax policy in the House.

PAUL MIRENGOFF: Is Harry Reid A Racist?

JOHN KEEGAN HAS DIED. Probably best remembered for The Face of Battle, he was perhaps the greatest military historian of our era.

VIRGINIA POSTREL: The Bad History Behind ’You Didn’t Build That.’

The president’s sermon struck a nerve in part because it marked a sharp departure from the traditional Democratic criticism of financiers and big corporations, instead hectoring the people who own dry cleaners and nail salons, car repair shops and restaurants — Main Street, not Wall Street. (Obama did work in a swipe at Internet businesses.) The president didn’t simply argue for higher taxes as a measure of fiscal responsibility or egalitarian fairness. He went after bourgeois dignity.

Plus, the return of Deirdre McCloskey.

IT WENT TO THE TOP: ABC News: WH Chief of Staff Daley Briefed on Solyndra Concerns, Emails Show. “Buried in the treasure trove of White House emails related to Solyndra released Thursday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is one suggesting that concerns about Solyndra’s viability were shared all the way up to then-White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley a full six months before the company went bust.”

“REGULATORY CZAR” CASS SUNSTEIN is returning to Harvard.

MATT CONTINETTI: The anti-Romney press is behaving like spoiled children.

HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? (CONT’D): Taxpayers to recover only $24 million from Solyndra. “In a little-noticed move, Solyndra LLC officially released it bankruptcy plan this week. The official word from it is that taxpayers will recover only $24 million of the about $527 million that the failed solar panel company drew from its $535 million federal loan guarantee, according to a report from Dow Jones newswire. The main private equity firm here is Argonaut Ventures. This company was put ahead of US taxpayers in recovering funds in the event of a bankruptcy in direct violation of standard Energy Department policy, a fact that administration officials subsequently scrambled to justify. Argonaut is the investment arm of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Despite being called a foundation, GKFF is not a nonprofit in the conventional understanding of the term, but an exotic variation that allows the wealthy to park their assets tax-free. The foundation’s namesake is a major fundraiser of President Obama’s. He was often a guest in the White House and even discussed Solyndra with officials there.”

Remember when Nancy Pelosi was decrying a “culture of corruption” in Washington? Me neither.

I NOMINATE SARAH PALIN: Teenage Girls on Quest for Woman Moderator of Presidential Debates. Hey, she’s a strong woman, right?