December 2, 2011: Morning
- U.S. unemployment rate falls to 8.6%, lowest since March 2009
- Men commuting to work with women's legs.
- Germany's Merkel rules out rapid fix to Europe's debt crisis.
- Yet another wealthy person asks to be taxed in order to reward true job creators.
- Yet another take-down of Thomas Friedman proves enjoyable to digest.
- Related: Eighteen-foot shark circles 21-foot boat.
- The phrase "give a man a bank and he can rob the world" traced back to its earliest tweet.
- Dashboard to track tweeting by Federal agencies.
- Automation has taken over many life-and-death functions—how long until commercial flights are unmanned?
- Building a better Romney-bot, and how strategist Stevens fits words in his mouth.
- The Millions launches its Year in Reading with Stephen Dodson and Jennifer Egan.
- See also: Robert Birnbaum's best list of 2011.
- Bruce Davidson on his renowned subway photographs.
- History of the world rendered with arts and crafts.
- "Infants prefer a nasty moose if it punishes an unhelpful elephant."