1 U.S. DROUGHT CONTINUES TO GET WORSE At this point, NPR is reporting that 6.26 per cent of the lower 48 states is experiencing a drought. As an aside, if you’re making a documentary on how ill-prepared much of the States is for this drought, might I suggest digging up the Kansas City Royals game I was watching a few weeks back? The announcers had an extended riff where they were marveling at how they could keep the enormous outfield fountain at Kauffman Stadium going during a drought which could be useful.
2 STRIKING SOUTH AFRICAN MINERS GUNNED DOWN From the Guardian:
In scenes that evoked memories of some of the country’s darkest days, national television showed pictures of police in helmets and body armour shooting at workers on Thursday amid shouting, panic and clouds of dust at Lonmin’s Marikana platinum mine. After three minutes of gunfire, bodies littered the ground in pools of blood. It was claimed as many as 18 people may have been killed.
3 ROMNEY’S TAXES, EPISODE 112 Mitt Romney told reporters today that, for the last decade, he’s paid at least 13 per cent in taxes. Which is almost worse than keeping silent on the issue. While still not releasing his tax returns, he’s kept the story in the news a little longer.
4 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Yesterday, the Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez pitched a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the third perfect game this year and the second at Seattle’s Safeco Field. Mariners blog Lookout Landing is going appropriately nuts about it.
