Join me for another wide-ranging PLANET ESRTWILD that spans the gamut to bring you challenging, thought-provoking perspectives as well as mindful news & commentary. THIS WEEK: Iowa native and Fairfield personage LB Shriver is featured in the first hour sharing his experiences in China where he worked two years as an oral English teacher. The gifted writer & no nonsense celebrated thinker sheds light on cross-cultural issues and perspectives.

In the second hour [3pm], celebrated author Beth Howard, aka the Eldon Pie Lady, gives us a guided tour of the American Gothic House immortalized by painter Grant Wood. (It's 3-D radio, baby!) Her book, "Making Piece: a memoir of love, loss & pie" is a delicious read and a joyful, tragic, uplifting journey. And yes, she'll be judging pies again at the 2012 Iowa State Fair. Beth will be holding a pie demo and book-signing event at the At Home Store Tuesday, August 7. A few spots remain. Contact Rosie Witherspoon at 641 472-1016.

Also in this hour, we'll share a provocative article by Chris Hedges who challenges the status quo of higher education with what he terms the "perversion of scholarships" in distorting the value and intention of education, even calling for the end of university athletics, fraternities and sororities.

At 4pm, it's "Inside the Headlines" with Newsvandal JP Sottile. James & JP highlight some of this week's overlooked or under-contextualized stories, whether it's jumping the shark, going for the green, or hearts, minds & bombs. For a complete listing of all this week's headlines w/ links, click "Read more" below.

1. Folks, We've Finally Jumped The Shark
Reporter: I've never felt so alien in my own country as I did today covering Chick-fil-A's supporters
http://jimromenesko.com/2012/08/01/afternoon-report-45/
 
Reporter pulls rant about Chick-fil-A customers
http://jimromenesko.com/2012/08/02/reporter-pulls-rant-about-chick-fil-a-customers/
 
Chick-fil-A in Martinsburg deemed safe after bomb threat
http://journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/582561/Chick-fil-A-in-Martinsburg-deemed-safe-after-bomb-threat.html
 
Ted Cruz serves Chick-fil-A at victory party
http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/07/ted-cruz-serves-chick-fil-a-at-victory-party/
 
Wendy's Sign Angers Liberals; Wendy's Tweet Angers Conservatives (Moderates remain uninsulted, but give it a few hours)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/wendys-sign-angers-liberals-wendys-tweet-angers
 
Freshman Republican says House GOP 'angry,' 'incapable of governing'
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/241245-freshman-republican-calls-fellow-gop-angry-warns-house-republicans-becoming-incapable-of-governing
 
GOP Rep: Contraception Mandate Is An Attack Like 9/11 And Pearl Harbor
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/mike-kelly-contraception-911-pearl-harbor.php
 
Americans Want Next President to Prioritize Jobs, Corruption
http://www.gallup.com/poll/156347/Americans-Next-President-Prioritize-Jobs-Corruption.aspx
 
Massive $77 million ad time buy for Obama
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/02/first-on-cnn-massive-77-million-ad-time-buy-for-obama/

2. Hearts and Minds and Bombs
US is the driving force behind the fighting in Somalia
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-us-somalia-20120729,0,1483366,full.story
 
US eases arms purchases for Syrian rebels
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/08/01/2925990/us-eases-arms-purchases-for-syrian.html
 
Air Force’s Mega-Bunker-Buster Bomb Is Finally Ready
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/07/massive-ordnance-penetrator/
 
US Apologizes for Fake-Bomb Panic in Norway
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/07/31/us-apologizes-for-fake-bomb-panic-in-norway/
 
Air Force officer creates database of every U.S. bomb dropped since World War I
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/air-force-officer-creates-database-every-u-bomb-190227673.html
 
US Marines’ New Battalions Eyed as World Police
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/07/30/us-marines-new-battalions-eyed-as-world-police/
 
Children of War: Why we need a code of conduct for images of kids in conflict zones
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/27/children_of_war

3. Going For The Green
BP Sending Gulf Coast Chefs to Olympics to Tout Louisiana Cuisine It Destroyed
http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/BP_Sending_Gulf_Coast_Chefs_to_Olympics_to_Tout_Louisiana_Cuisine_It_Destroyed_120730
 
64 Nations Can Watch the Olympics Free and Live on YouTube, and the U.S. Isn't One of Them
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/64-nations-can-watch-the-olympics-free-and-live-on-youtube-and-the-us-isnt-one-of-them/260494/
 
NBC Cut Terror Victims Tribute Because It Wasn’t ‘Tailored for the U.S. Audience’
http://gawker.com/5929930/nbc-cut-terror-victims-tribute-because-it-wasnt-tailored-for-the-us-audience
 
NBC Edited Out Women’s Gymnastics Fall To Create Fake Gold Medal Suspense
http://www.deadline.com/2012/08/nbc-edited-out-pivotal-womens-gymnastics-fall-to-create-fake-gold-medal-suspense/
 
The Gorgeous (but Fake) Sound of the Olympics
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/how-the-gorgeous-sometimes-fictional-sound-of-the-olympics-gets-made/259742/
 
#NBCFail: Backlash as Twitter locks out reporter Guy Adams
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nbcfail-backlash-as-twitter-locks-out-reporter-guy-adams-7987906.html
 
RATINGS RAT RACE: London Olympics Day 5 Pulls In 36-Year High Viewership
http://www.deadline.com/2012/08/tv-ratings-london-olympics-day-5-breaks-rating-record-beijing-bradley-wiggins-nbc-michael-phelps/
 
Top 10 Reasons These Olympics Suck
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/08/top-10-reasons-these-olympics-suck
 
THIS WEEK IN GOOD NEWS!
Feds Take Another Crack at Big Solar Projects
http://www.allgov.com/Top_Stories/ViewNews/Feds_Take_Another_Crack_at_Big_Solar_Projects_120727
 
No, Syria Doesn’t Have Saddam’s Chemical Weapons
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/07/syria-iraq-wmd-meme/
 
A Century of Eagle Scouts: The Eagles' service project is the single greatest youth-service initiative in history
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303933704577533561616246168.html
 
ODDS & ENDS:
Horror Hospital: The Most Shocking Photos And Testimony From The Dawood Military Hospital Scandal
http://www.buzzfeed.com/rebeccaelliott/horror-hospital-the-most-shocking-photos-and-test
 
VA Must Disclose Documents on CIA, Army and Nazi Scientists Tests Using Veterans as Guinea Pigs
http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/VA_Must_Disclose_Documents_on_CIA_Army_and_Nazi_Scientists_Tests_Using_Veterans_as_Guinea_Pigs_120731
 
Kidneys on special offer
http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16134667,00.html
 
Building Organs, On One Microchip at a Time: How new technologies may allow computer simulations to eliminate animal testing
http://www.sciencefriday.com/segment/07/27/2012/building-organs-on-one-microchip-at-a-time.html
 
Caffeinated Seas Found off U.S. Pacific Northwest: Human waste in coffee country has unknown effect on marine life
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120730-caffeinated-seas-pacific-northwest-caffeine-coffee-science/
 
A Biotech Battle Royale: Monsanto's Plan to Dominate the World Food System
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/07/27/a-biotech-battle-royale/
 
Billion-Dollar Taxpayer Subsidies for Junk Food Junkies
http://www.allgov.com/US_and_the_World/ViewNews/Billion_Dollar_Taxpayer_Subsidies_for_Junk_Food_Junkies_120727
 
Merck Profit Tops Estimates as Sales of Diabetes Drugs Grow
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-27/merck-second-quarter-profit-beats-estimates-on-diabetes-drugs.html
 
NAFTA on Steroids: The Case Against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/07/26/nafta-on-steroids/
 
How Latin America is reinventing the war on drugs
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2012/0730/How-Latin-America-is-reinventing-the-war-on-drugs
 
Libor, the New Asbestos
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-01/libor-the-new-asbestos
 
New Bible translation has screenplay format
http://www.smh.com.au/world/new-bible-translation-has-screenplay-format-20120730-23a51.html
 
The 10 best Gore Vidal quotes
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/186590/the-10-best-gore-vidal-quotes/
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