…And the World:

We begin today in South Africa where the country remains rocked by violence that grew out a miners strike.  The New York Times has a piece about the slow pace of reform in South Africa following the end of Apartheid.  Indeed, a former union official now sits on the board of the British mining company that owns the affected mine.  The incident has also exposed tensions between the mainstream union movement and a radical movement that had spurred on the strike.  Meanwhile, the miners were released after authorities tried to prosecute them for the deaths of their colleagues who died when police opened fire on the strikers.  Now the focus is shifting toward the police.  Meanwhile, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has also come out against the treatment of the miners by the state.

In Britain a cabinet reshuffles comes as Parliament braces for another session.  The coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Dems suffered major before the summer recess.  Among the shuffled is Jeremy Hunt, the former Culture Secretary and now the Health Secretary.  He had been criticized for his role in New International’s attempted acquisition of British broadcaster BSkyB.  The Cabinet reshuffle has been described by the Guardian as a hard shift to the right, which suggests Prime Minister David Cameron, who also leads the Conservatives, is intent on governing without the Liberal Democrats as much as possible.  The Liberal Democrats didn’t lose everything, though.  They got some domestic posts on the hope it could help the party’s standings in the next election.

The Feds:

It is hard to know whether Mitt Romney outright false claims that President Barack Obama eliminated work requirements for welfare will have an impact.  However, the Romney campaign may be backing away from it for now at least.  One reason, Daily Kos and the Maddow Blog speculate, is this piece from an insider-the-beltway journalist who calls the claims race-baiting.  In fact, President Obama approved a waiver for states to experiment with new ways to fulfill the work requirements ON THE CONDITION that it gets more people into work.  Needless, the say, Republicans could force a vote on the subject.

Elsewhere, the media may be catching onto Paul Ryan’s total disconnect with fact.  Certainly Runners’s World is on the ball, which caught a lie about Ryan‘s claims about marathon running.  In itself, Ryan’s amazing marathon run would be little more than embellishment, but Paul Krugman totally takes down Ryan and his total disconnect from facts and links him another makeup marathon milestone.

Meanwhile in Charlotte, N.C., the Democrats take center stage as they prepare to re-nominate Obama for president.  However, there are hints about who may be thinking ahead to 2016.  Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who is term-limited in 2014, is among the potential candidates in four years.

Meanwhile Cory Booker, also a Democratic rising star, got a prominent role at the convention after being in the political doghouse earlier this year.

And a bit of North Carolina politics.  As top state Dems like Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and Governor Beverly Perdue take the stage, the Democrats won a major victory at the State Election Board which voted to approve more voting hours in counties across the State.  If Democrats get more Republican apostates like this joining them, Obama may very well carry this state again.

The State of Things:

In an underreported story due to the Republican National Convention, Scott Brown actually lost an endorsement he touted as recently as last week when a Lowell boxer who inspired the move, The Fighter, learned the truth.  Which truth?  Scott Brown’s anti-union, anti-marriage equality stance.  Mickey Ward, the boxer, is staying neutral.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren is preparing to step up to the national stage tomorrow in an address to the Democratic Convention tomorrow night.  In the lead-up a media blitz and a spot in Doonesbury.  Also helping is Governor Deval Patrick, who takes the fight to Brown.

The Republican makes its picks for various offices, including Clerk of Courts and Governor’s Council as well as the Hampden Senate District and the 1st Congressional District.  The Republican backed Cong. Richard Neal as did the Berkshire Eagle.  Maureen Turner at the Valley Advocate backs Bill Shein.

Ted Kennedy is given a fitting tribute at the Democratic National Convention:

City Slickers:

Paul Tuthill reports that tornado rebuilding efforts continue in Springfield.  The work appears to be undertaken to some degeree with the help of volunteers

Questions continue over the City of Springfield’s choice of consultant to help them through the Casino Selection Process.

Twitter Chatter:

Harry Reid surprisingly up to a 2 on the charisma scale, didn’t know he had it in him

— David Dayen (@ddayen) September 4, 2012

Harry Reid is not known to be a charismatic icon.  However, at tonight’s convention, he apparently led loose a little bit…but not that much…but a lot for him.  Today we award the week’s tweet prize to David Dayen, a reporter for Fire Dog Lake, a progressive news site.  His tweet, which concisely summed up Harry’s Reid’s delivery with an artful use of irony, wins this week’s tweet prize for injecting a little levity into the heavy dose of convention coverer age we have all experienced this week and last.