I’m still in the Midwest, putting the Sift together at a Panera rather than at home in my office. That adds an element of unpredictability to the day (plus an hour of time change), so if the Sift isn’t showing up as quickly as you expect, have patience.
The big news this week, of course, was the presidential debate. Why was Obama so listless? Were any of the charges and counter-charges true? How has Romney’s good showing affected the race? And so on. I’m trying not to get completely absorbed by the hype, but there is also some actual newsworthiness in there.
The weekly summary will be called “The West Wing and other fantasies”, after something Joy Reid said Saturday on Up with Chris Hayes. The short notes include some fascinating stuff about how the public discussion of global warming has changed, new data on how effective free contraception can be at reducing the abortion rate, the battle within newsrooms about whether immigrants are “illegal” or “undocumented”, and more.
The only separate article will address the question: What do we really know about Mitt Romney’s tax and budget proposals?
Previous teasers have told you the reason I’ve been in the Midwest: my father’s health. He died last Monday night and the funeral was Saturday. I’ll be going back home tomorrow, so I expect the Sift to return to normal next week. Life, I suppose, will find a new normal.
The Weekly Sift 
Comments
You have my sincere condolences Doug, for what they’re worth coming from a stranger.
I’m sympathetic about your father’s death.
I am so sorry for your loss. You were obviously close to your father, and it’s always difficult to lose a loved one. Your sorrow is a tribute to your father. My thoughts are with you.
You can be sure that lots of Sifters are thinking of you, praying for you, all the various sympathetic things folks do about each other’s losses. It doesn’t really “fix” anything, but somehow it usually helps. And this UU is right in there for you with all the rest of them.