Everything, it seems, is bigger in Texas—even the speed limit. The Houston Chronicle says the state’s transportation commission just reset the speed limit to 85 on a 41-mile stretch of road outside Austin, which is the fastest you can go on anywhere in the nation. It also means one could drive the whole length, going the speed limit, in 29 minutes.

The Wall Street Journal reports on a record ice thaw in the Arctic Sea. Scientists believe that more of the Greenland ice cap has melted recently than in the 33 years since it has been monitored. Rising sea levels will affect weather patterns around the globe—they also will open up polar shipping lanes and the opportunity for mineral exploration.

Last month Jay Leno took a 50 percent pay cut in order to save staff jobs at “The Tonight Show.” The cut takes him down to about $15 million, says the Wall Street Journal and allowed NBC to shave 20 percent off his show’s $100 million budget.

The New York Times says finally, there’s a deal on the table that European investors seem to be supporting. Yesterday, the president of the European Central Bank gave the OK for the bank to buy huge amounts of government bonds, which will allow investors in troubled countries like Spain and Italy some relief. The decision means that Euro zone countries are now on the hook to pay back several national debts and perhaps a step closer to operating as a centralized unit.

The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson has a good convention wrap-up in today’s paper. He says the Democrats message was: “Re-Elect Obama” while the Republican message was, “Defeat Obama” rather than “Elect Romney.” Robinson says he got the feeling that some of the GOP’s featured speakers expect Romney to lose, come November.

There’s an interesting New York Times piece on the Obama girls being very tall and grown up now—and about how strict their mom is. Apparently, some White House staffers jokingly wish that they could send their own kids to Michelle Obama’s “boot camp for training.” Among her rules: at the end of every trip a report must be written, whether school requires it or not.

News that Apple is in the process of creating a Pandora-like music platform does not sit well with San Jose Mercury News tech columnist Chris O’Brien. He says, forget Pandora, Apple should focus on fixing iTunes. He reminds us that iTunes does have a radio feature, though it gets little use, and acknowledges that it’s an important piece of software, but calls it clunky and slow.