Justin Fung a.k.a. gershom's journal

Links of the Day, August 7

Starting with an oldie but a goodie ... Star Wars as retold by a person who's never actually seen it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb2GmBkkaTU&hl=en&fs=1&

News

• Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as the next US Supreme Court Justice by the Senate by a count of 68-31. Here's President Obama's response.
• Bill O'Reilly sings Obama's praises ... seriously.
• Jobless claims are down; 247,000 in July from 443,000 in June (though still higher than anyone would like).
• Director John Hughes (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink) died of a heart attack. Check out this tribute video montage.

Human trafficking

• INTERPOL's report on their West African operation, which rescued 54 child slaves.
• Sex trafficking in Minnesota?
• The Irish Times covers trafficking.
• Trafficking victims in Malaysia seek justice.

Health care

• Steven Pearlstein dissects Republican attacks on health care reform.
• Which include comparing Obama to Hitler. Because, as one commenter on Digg put it, "killing 6 million innocent people and trying to provide health care for 50 million Americans are pretty much the same thing." Obviously.

Politics

• Shannyn Moore looks at how artificial protesters are killing democracy.

Miscellaneous

• In the aftermath of the journalists' release by North Korea, Joe Conason investigates Clinton Derangement Syndrome.
• Ray Charles covers Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire".