Depression and Democracy  —  It's time to start calling the current situation what it is: a depression.  True, it's not a full replay of the Great Depression, but that's cold comfort.  Unemployment in both America and Europe remains disastrously high.  Leaders and institutions are increasingly discredited.

Mitt Romney, ‘human-like’  —  HUDSON, N.H. — Meet Mitt Romney, human.  —  In the past 24 hours, the former Massachusetts governor has talked about his father, experiences while working as a missionary that weren't even in his memoir — and twice in two days, he's brought up the Mormon faith …

Barack Obama's ‘60 Minutes’ Interview Has Me Screaming at My TV Again  —  Today on Morning Joe, they were playing clips of Steve Kroft's 60 Minutes interview with President Obama, and I literally started screaming.  There is only so much of this bulls-t I can endure without talking back to my TV:

Supreme Court to consider Arizona illegal immigration law  —  The Supreme Court announced Monday they will hear a challenge to Arizona's controversial immigration law, setting up another high-profile decision for the court's coming term, according to the AP.

Political winds shift to Democrats  —  The political winds have shifted to the Democrats' backs over the last month.  —  President Obama is in better shape at the prospect of a prolonged GOP primary battle between former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Mitt Romney.

Iowa audience members yell at Rick Perry after Ames appearance [includes video]  —  Ames, Ia.  - A packed coffee house where Rick Perry spoke this afternoon turned into a bit of a ruckus that left the candidate heading out the back door and straight to his vehicle after several Iowans screamed questions about his views on gays.

Sperm-donor kept wife in the dark  —  A conservative Christian politician has a secret life as a sperm donor for lesbian couples - even though he has campaigned against gay marriage.  —  American politician Bill Johnson has spent most of this year in Christchurch helping run the earthquake recovery …

I Was Wrong, and So Are You  —  A libertarian economist retracts a swipe at the left—after discovering that our political leanings leave us more biased than we think.  —  BACK IN JUNE 2010, I published a Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that the American left was unenlightened, by and large, as to economic matters.

When Truth Survives Free Speech  —  Last week, a story came across my desk that seemed to suggest that a blogger had been unfairly nailed with a $2.5 million defamation award after a judge refused to give her standing as a journalist.  A businessman who was the target of the blogger's inquiries brought the suit.

Higgs boson: Excitement builds over ‘glimpses’ at LHC  —  The Higgs search is approaching its endgame at Cern  —  Scientists are widely expected to present evidence on Tuesday that the most coveted prize in particle physics - the Higgs boson - has been glimpsed.

Record 64% Rate Honesty, Ethics of Members of Congress Low  —  Ratings of nurses, pharmacists, and medical doctors most positive  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Sixty-four percent of Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of Congress as “low” or “very low,” tying the record “low” …

As Kindle Fire Faces Critics, Remedies Are Promised  —  The Kindle Fire, Amazon's heavily promoted tablet, is less than a blazing success with many of its early users.  The most disgruntled are packing the device up and firing it back to the retailer.  —  A few of their many complaints: there is no external volume control.

Study of the Day: Drinking Alcohol Fuels the Desire for Unsafe Sex  —  New research shows that liquor consumption affects a person's intention to have unprotected sex, one of the leading causes of HIV infection  —  PROBLEM: Alcohol consumption has long been implicated in the incidence of unsafe sex, the leading cause of HIV infection.