Congrats! to Pundit Matthew Rozsa, who's article on Pennsylvania's proposed ultrasound bill was featured in a new Obama campaign ad criticizing Mitt Romney's record on women's issues. Check out 1:07 of the video (Thanks for the tip @Rebecca Leber): http://bit.ly/IA0AxK
* Another big shout-out to Pundit Elizabeth Hooper Alton, who won an Australian blogger competition and gets a free trip Down Under from Boston, and Nolan Kraszkiewicz, who's weekend article on Jon Stewart got retweeted by Comedy Central!
@TheNolanK thank you for spending the time to write the article
— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) April 29, 2012
Top Talker – (via WSJ) – Hollywood is starting to open up their wallets for President Obama, after he sided with the Silicon Valley over CISPA, an anti-piracy measure that the entertainment business disagrees with. A fundraising dinner at George Clooney's home this Saturday is set to raise $10 million, the largest amount ever for a single Obama event. Full story here.
Fun Fact of the Day – The average combined salary and bonus for top corporate executives in the U.S. is about 17 times higher than for China, according to a new study by Martin J. Conyon of Lancaster University and The Wharton School and Lerong He of SUNY Brockport. If equity-based pay (i.e. stock options) is included, the figure jumps to 42 times. What explains this? There is a more active market for superstar senior executives in the U.S., the authors say.
The Word From Cairo – cc James Taylor – The presidential elections commission released its final list of 13 candidates who will be running for president, after disqualifying 10 candidates earlier in the month for failing to meet the restrictive requirements. Campaigning will continue through May 21, and voting will commence on May 23 (May 11-17 for Egyptians living abroad). As the Egypt's presidential election enters the final stretch, stay tuned to Egyptelectsblog.com and @Egypt_Elects for breaking news and analysis.
Top Stories – SOS From London: 'Austerity Not Working Here, Don't Try This at Home' (Matthew Hutchinson) – Britain is suffering from a second recession after the government cut public spending and lowered taxes for the rich. Paul Ryan, are you listening?
In Between the Lines: How Sports Kept Me in the Closet (Jeffrey Hartinger)– America is becoming more accepting and inclusive of those in the LGBT community, but homophobia in athletics is still evident.
CISPA is Not SOPA, But It Must Be Defeated (Rita Solomon) – Unless the current version of CISPA is amended, here's why the bill should not go any further.
Must-View Graphic of the Day – Just how big is the continent of Africa? This big.
Monday Fun – Is Nutella actually good for you? (CBS News); In Afghanistan, chilin' and interpretin' (Washington Post); How a man with no arms and legs will swim around the world (Gizmodo).
What We’re Reading – Homophobic? Maybe you're gay (NY Times); 10 things your commencement speaker won't tell you (WSJ); A guide to May Day (The Nation); Mitt Romney's frenemies (Politico); Made in China: Millennials look east for jobs (TIME).
Dessert – Move over, Empire State Building. One World Trade Center is soon to be the West's tallest tower (via USA Today).
