Rick Perry and Mitt Romney showcase a Republican divide  —  Perry and Romney — brash populist versus starchy elite — illustrate a perpetual Republican cultural gap that may define the GOP presidential contest.  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry on the stump in Iowa.

Of Dystopias and Alphas  —  President Obama was on the way to Alpha when a plea came for him to be, well, more alpha.  —  LuAnn Lavine, a real estate agent from Geneseo, a rural town just up the road from Alpha, Ill., the last stop on the president's Midwestern bus tour, told The Times's Jeff Zeleny …

Obama dangerously close to a ‘Killer Rabbit’ moment  —  President heads for Martha's Vineyard vacation as unemployment lines grow  —  Is President Barack Obama on the verge of being attacked by a bunny wabbit?  —  Absolutely.  —  All the signs suggest that Obama is in immediate danger of a rabbit attack.

Libya, Syria and Middle East unrest - live updates  —  • Tripoli calm as Gaddafi says ‘rats’ have been repelled  —  • Rebels claim it is ‘zero hour’ for Gaddafi as they tighten noose  —  • Syria's Assad to respond to calls for his removal in TV interview

Smacked by big market swings, investors should alter their outlook  —  With these whopping 4 percent swings — up 500 points, down 500 points, up another 500 points, down another 500 points — traders have whiplash.  We saw another huge move down Thursday, when the Dow, Nasdaq and S&P all lost big …

Nature Without the Nanny State  —  CHECKING the Forest Service Web site before a hike this weekend into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, I noticed a curious warning: “Aggressive mountain goats have been reported.  Use caution and move away.”  No. Really?  But they're so photogenic — snow-white …

Perry Mines Texas System to Raise Cash  —  Two years ago, John McHale, an entrepreneur from Austin, Tex., who has given millions of dollars to Democratic candidates and causes, did something very unusual for him: he wrote a $50,000 check to a Republican candidate, Rick Perry, then seeking a third full term as governor of Texas.

Taxing Capital Gains at Ordinary Rates: Evidence Says Do It...So Does Buffet  —  Why not tax capital gains as ordinary income?  —  That's an old chestnut among those of us who believe that the differential between tax rates on different types of income causes more harm than good.

3rd ‘Turban bomb’ attack rocks southern Helmand province  —  A blood-stained lungee (turban) lies on the ground after a suicide bomber detonated himself and killed the mayor of Kandahar City, July 27, 2011.  The bomber had tucked an explosive device inside his turban to carry out the attack.

Koch Responds To Buffet: ‘My Business And Non-Profit Investments Are Much More Beneficial To Society’  —  America's current tax system forces people making $50,000 a year to pay a higher rate than hedge fund managers making $2.4 million an hour.  Warren Buffett penned an op-ed last week declaring …

Iran jails U.S. “hikers” as spies for 8 years  —  (Reuters) - Two Americans held in Iran for more than two years have been convicted as spies and sentenced to eight years' jail, Iranian TV reported on Saturday, a verdict that will further strain already very poor relations with Washington.