Wow, I remember this so vividly. Hard to believe it's been 20 years, and how drastically Germany has changed.

Quoted: Chancellor Angela Merkel thanks former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev for making change possible in East Germany as she visits what was once a fortified border crossing.

Check out the last blurb in this press release. Well done, Bill Donohue's publisher.

I absolutely agree with the White House's assessment that these gubernatorial wins for the GOP are reflections of "very local issues that didin't involve the president."

Quoted: Republicans began trying on Wednesday to use their wins in two gubernatorial contests to begin building momentum for next year’s midterm elections.

We really do pick the most mature people to govern us.

Sigh...

Quoted: Hidden in a veto statement from the governor is an obscene message apparently directed at the lawmaker who wrote the bill.

Quoted: Paulo Freire

History lesson from Edward Luttwak, an expert in Byzantine history.

The Byzantine empire went on and on and on, using rules of statecraft whose wisdom resonates today. The article picks a baker's half-dozen of the author's favorites.

Going to have to check this one out.

Quoted: “HouseQuake,” a new film on the 2006 midterm elections, features Rahm Emanuel, as relentless a campaigner as he is a White House chief of staff.

Quoted: “I said, ‘How much time do I spend away from my family?”‘ Mr. Shuler recalls on camera. “‘Oh,’ he said, “it’s not as bad as you may think.’ So he decides to start calling. ‘Heath, I’m just calling to say I’m on my way to school to take my kids.’ ‘Heath, I’m on way now back to school I think I’m going to eat lunch with the kids today.’ ‘Heath, just letting you know I’m picking up my kids from school.’ ‘Hey, we’re going to soccer practice, we’re going to recital.’ He did this for two solid weeks.”

Tax credits will be paid to nice people. There will be a “total bastard” tax for everyone else.

Rich people should be taxed to pay for the printing of money, as they use most of it.

Put a Sock in it.. All socks to be sold in packs of 3 as a precaution against losing one.

Education/Culture Policies: We will return to the 3 R's, reeding, riting and rock 'n' roll

Transport Policy: We will be turning all parking machines into fruit machines

Quoted: The regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il appears to be rolling back reforms and putting succession plans on hold. Speculation has been swirling about whether the ailing Kim has anointed his youngest son as successor. But, as NPR's Louisa Lim reports — after a rare five-day visit to North Korea — Kim Jong Il now is back on center stage.