WORLD: "Israeli consul general, Miss. elected official call for stronger economic and cultural ties"

WREG: "Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says the state should strengthen culture and economic ties with Israel. Hosemann met Thursday in Jackson with Opher Aviran, Israel's new consul general to the southeastern United States."

SSP: going to Thacker Mountain

Bunny and I will watch the taping of Thacker Mountain Radio live tonight, here in Oxford, then we'll probably grab drinkies on the Square.  Very exciting.  This may be a critical test of the Oxford PD's ability to respond appropriately to Bunny's late-night antics.

NATION: "U.S. Sues Sheriff Arpaio; Alleges He's Blocked Civil-Rights Probe"

The Two-Way : NPR: "The man who is arguably the nation's most controversial law enforcement official, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, was sued by the Justice Dept. Thursday for allegedly obstructing the federal agency's civil-rights investigation of his department, specifically its treatment of Hispanics. The Justice Department's expressed it frustration with Arpaio in its news release on the lawsuit which was filed in U.S. district court in Phoenix. The agency said Arpaio's alleged unhelpfulness was the worst the agency had seen in three decades."

OXFORD: hearing on Sunday booze sales today

Oxford Prepares for Public Comment on Sunday Alcohol Sales - WREG: "For a few months now, a committee appointed by the Mayor of Oxford, Mississippi has been studying the idea of Sunday alcohol sales, which are currently banned. This week you'll get your chance to share an opinion to that committee... Thursday, September 2nd, a public hearing, will give Oxford residents a chance to have a say in whether or how the law gets changed."

THE SLICK: "Gulf oil rig explodes off La. coast"

AP/SunHerald.com: "An offshore oil rig has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, west of the site of the April blast that caused the massive oil spill. Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel says the blast was reported by a commercial helicopter company about 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats are en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast."

OXFORD: Enterprise closes... what happened?

The Oxford Enterprise: "The Oxford Enterprise was a Sunday morning newspaper published in Oxford, Mississippi from October 2009 until September 2010. On behalf of the leadership at The Oxford Enterprise, we thank our many readers, advertisers, and supporters during this time period who allowed us to publish this great newspaper."

SSP: the Bunny has landed

OK, packing and unpacking still suck.  But you knew that.

Anyway, I'll agg tomorrow.  Bunny and I must chill in our beautiful new home in Oxford, Mississippi.

SSP: a pause in bloggery

Today is moving day so we'll be too busy to aggregate (stunning but true).  Cya in Oxford.

NATION: "Feds Propose Letter Grades For Vehicle Efficiency"

Wired.com: "The feds, eager to make fuel economy stickers easier to understand even as new technologies enter the market, suggest assigning all new vehicles a letter grade based upon their efficiency. The best fuel misers would, as you’d expect, get an A while the worst guzzlers would get a D."

MEDIA: "Why neighborhood news online is a dicey proposition"

The Hazards of Hyperlocal | American Journalism Review: "According to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, only 20 percent of American adults reported using digital tools to communicate with their neighbors or stay informed about community issues at least once in the past year. Only one in 10 reported reading a community blog at least once in the past year. Assuming Pew's findings are reasonably accurate, the potential audience seeking neighborhood news in a given community would be roughly 20 percent of the population--including both frequent and infrequent users. Now consider the competition of multiple hyperlocal sites and bloggers, established community newspapers, and aggregators such as Topix.com and Outside.in. Not to mention other sources of local information such as online directories, event calendars and government sites. The math suggests a very stiff challenge."

NATION: Westboro protesters get Mace in the face; vet charged

Accused Mace Sprayer Get Felony Charge Dropped - News Story - KETV Omaha: "Prosecutors dropped a felony charge against an Omaha man accused of spraying Mace at funeral protesters. George Vogel, 62, now faces 16 misdemeanor counts of assault. The Westboro Baptist Church members in attendance taped the alleged crime and gave the video to KETV NewsWatch 7. Police said Vogel is a Vietnam veteran. The retired Marine was driving the truck when he reached out and sprayed the Mace at a crowd near 72nd and Cass on Saturday, police said. The Kansas Church was protesting the funeral for fallen Marine Michael Bock."

MEDIA: "BBC Reporter Not Amused By Anchor's Preemptive Strike"

The Two-Way : NPR: "Ah, the joys of live radio. Hugh Sykes, a BBC foreign correspondent in Baghdad, recently was clearly miffed on the air after an anchor, or presenter as the Brits call them, essentially provided the audience with all the pertinent details of the recent bombing at a police recruiting center in that city, leaving little for the reporter to add."

OXFORD: "University Announces New Rules To Make Tailgating Safe, Fair for All"

Verbatim from Ole Miss : "The University of Mississippi gameday committee has instituted several new rules and policies in an attempt to make tailgating a better experience for all fans. Last spring, the committee voted unanimously to keep the entire Ole Miss campus closed to tailgaters until 10 p.m. Fridays before home football games. The decision was made in order to provide a fairer opportunity for all fans to enjoy tailgating on campus. 'We have loyal fans and supporters across Mississippi,' said Andy Mullins, UM chief of staff to the chancellor and gameday committee chair. 'Some only travel across town, but others travel many hours, and we are trying to give all our fans equal access for their favorite tailgating locations.'"

POLITICS: "Glenn Beck rally sparks debate over crowd size"

The Upshot/Yahoo! News: "Even though Beck is still tabulating a crowd estimate, it can be expected to be significantly higher than the number CBS News reported over the weekend: 87,000. CBS commissioned an estimate from AirPhotosLive, a company that provides crowd sizes based on aerial photos. CBS noted that there's a margin of error of plus or minus 9,000. So, by this estimate, there were as few as 78,000 attendees or as many as 96,000 [emph. ed]. Unlike CBS, most news organizations balked at getting that specific (or hiring professionals to make a head count). Some media outlets played it safe with 'tens of thousands,' a count that's indisputable. Others went with 'hundreds of thousands.' Perhaps the only thing the media agreed on — including this reporter on hand — is that a very large number of people assembled to hear Beck speak."

METRO: "Suit aims to block UMC upgrade"

The Clarion-Ledger: "Attorneys for Jackson-area private hospitals are looking to Hinds County Chancery Court to settle a dispute over whether the University of Mississippi Medical Center may expand its facilities and technology without proving a regional need for them. In a civil suit filed Aug. 10, Baptist Medical Center, St. Dominic Hospital and Central Mississippi Medical Center are asking the court to mandate that UMC follow the same requirements under state law that they do."