How to compose good powerpoint presentations. (via Macaroni)

Archaeologists find the missing Persian army. 

Jeremy Teigen discusses voter turnout in New Jersey. I was surprised to learn that 10.4 percent of our population aren't citizens. 

My co-bloggers at Everyday Politics have begun to hit their stride. Michael Xenos writes about the youth vote in off-year elections. Scott Lemieux wonders whether Obama can be considered to be a Reconstruction President. Reconstruction Presidents, according to Stephen Skowronek, act as a battering ram to the old order; they shift party alliances and establish new policy preferences. My response to Lemieux? Skowronek also says that modern presidents can never truly reshape the political system, like Lincoln and FDR did, because of the huge growth of the bureaucracy, which limits change.

Garbage patches in the Pacific.

My Grandmother's War Stories. Great art!

As I spend days sorting through barely played games and toys, I would love to have a No-Gift Christmas.