August 16, 2012: Afternoon
- AP Stylebook releases list of election cliches to avoid—WaPo provides commentary.
- Hungary tries to quell "brain drain" by requiring state-sponsored grads to stay for 10 years—a possible violation of EU laws.
- Mr. Ramirez thinks that around 0.5% of all bills in Peru, including dollars, are fake.
- Previously unpublished Gore Vidal Q&A on religion, democracy, his favorite writers.
- Misquotes catch on so quickly because they just sound catchier.
- The story of the ultra-rare 1936 Mercedes roadster whose owner defied the Nazis and kept her car, which could now break auction records.
- Wesley Clark's previous knowledge of reality shows was limited to Wipeout.
- Mike Deri Smith spends a week on Lt. Gen. McChrystal's diet and exercise regimen.
- Tom Breihan profiles the giants (literally) of pro wrestling.
- One of the top U.S. Scrabble players kicked out of national championship for hiding blank tiles.
- Defenders of a rare NYC wildflower lost their battle to big-box retailers years ago; though the species still blooms, its days are numbered.
- A history of jimsonweed.
- Around 95% of domestic adoptions now permit contact with birth parents—compared to around 36% in the '80s.
- Kids from the '90s predict today's internet.
- Hear Beck's new songs, recorded for the video game Sound Shapes.