…And the World:

We begin today in Britain where it is down to the wire on the fate of the Union between England and Scotland. A Scottish referendum Thursday will decide the fate of “Great Britain” which has been one country since the beginning of the eighteenth century. It could define British Prime Minister David Cameron as the man who broke Britain, who says Scotland will endure a painful divorce. Queen Elizabeth II, while retaining her impartiality as monarch, has said she hopes Scots think carefully about the consequences. Pro-independence side is betting on dwindling North Sea oil reserves to keep an independent Scotland solvent.

John Kerry is rallying Arab allies and as world leaders meet to determine how to fight the Islamic State which has the run of swaths of Iraq and Syria. Kerry claims he has commitments from Arab countries to engage in airstrikes on IS also known by its former names ISIS and/or ISIL. Iran has rejected cooperation with the United States, although Kerry is not opposed to trying Iran again. New reporting from the Times of Israel suggests that IS may have infiltrated parts of Syria near the Israeli border. UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights have already fled to the Israeli side for protection, although that is not attributed to IS.

Israeli is in the midst of its own political complications as Finance Minister Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party dismiss concerns that they might leave the coalition and force new elections over the budget.

The ceasefire in Ukraine appeared all the more tenuous as shelling occurred in Donetsk.

Canadian cartoon and Toronto mayor Rob Ford will not seek another term as mayor, but will seek to retain a council seat. His brother will run for mayor instead. Wonderful.

The Feds:

The Obama administration contends that the Iraq resolution gives him authority to act against IS/ISIS, but the White House still wants the resolution repealed.

The Conservative experiment in Kansas—yes Kansas!—is under threat as arch conservative Republican governor Sam Brownback faces the fight of his political life against Democratic State House minority leader Paul Davis.

Rhode Island political potpourri. The New York Times profiles Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Raimondo, who took on unions with a pension restructuring bill she championed on Treasurer. Elsewhere, WPRI looks at the battle for City Council President in Providence. The post will empty after the November election since the current president ran for and lost the Democratic mayoral primary to Jorge Elorza.

Hillary Clinton was in Iowa at Senator Tom Harkins famous Steak Fry. Period.

One in four California voters can identify Gov. Jerry Brown’s opponent.

The State of Things:

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Martha Coakley barnstormed the state this weekend rallying with old foes and longtime allies alike. Commonwealth Magazine and WBUR notes that Coakely won in several key communities, which could bode well for November only a short sprint away. Coakley and statewide Democrats held a State Committee meeting turned rally in Springfield on Saturday.

Worcester Magazine interviews prospective candidates for City Manager. Edward Augustus, Jr. holds the position on an interim basis thus the current search. However, the Magazine also reports some are urging City Councilors, who hired the manager, to beg Augustus to stay put.

Roman Catholic bishops announce their support for repeal of the casino law.

The Fourth Estatements:

The Boston Globe’s Peter Canellos is leaving his post as the editor of the Editorial Page.

The sale of WGGB (Chanell 40) to Meredith Corporation, which also owns WSHM (Channel 3) has passed the first, but hardly the last phase of the FCC’s review.

City Slickers:

The City Council in Springfield will again consider new rental regulations as well as appointment of a new director of internal audit. WMassP&I, regrettably, may miss tonight’s meeting.

Details of the sale of the Student Prince to Peter Picknelley are released.

Twitter Chatter:

The Scottish independence vote may very well rock the world, but the impact will not be felt anywhere more than in Britain itself. England and Wales may survive, and Scotland, greatly diminished, will too. However, neither may be better for it. Articles about the pro-independence side appear to be the based in some hysteria and not, actually, anything grounded in reality. Still, it is now up to Scots to decide. Today we award the tweet prize to British Prime Minister David Cameron for his note of the vote and plea to keep the UK’s “family of nations together.”