Ahead of the Democratic National Convention New York Times columnist David Brooks lays out three issues where Obama could stand out: global warming, broken capitalism and the Bowles-Simpson plan. Personally, Brooks says he’d like to see the president really take on Bowles-Simpson and push for lower taxes, less loopholes and a 22 percent cap on government spending.

Residents of Los Angeles were excited to hear that space shuttle Endeavour’s final 12-mile journey would cut through their neighborhood before ending up at the California Science Center. The LA Times says they were less excited when they heard that 400 have to be cut down in order for the shuttle to squeeze down the city streets.

Power from waves is seeming more viable, says the New York Times this morning. A New Jersey company is putting the final touches on the planned launch of the “first commercially licensed grid-connected wave-energy device in the nation.” If all goes well, the device with by two and a half miles off the Jersey shore and will be able to generate power for up to 1,000 homes.

When Rashad Lewis got a ticket in the mail for blowing a red light he thought he had the perfect alibi—he was in jail at the time. But then another ticket arrived and it became clear that an NYPD employee had gone on a crazy joy ride around Manhattan after impounding Lewis’s black Mercedes convertible. Sounds straight out of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Pretty amazing photo in the Houston Chronicle this morning. That’s Matt Stutzman getting ready to fire off an arrow at the Paralymic Games in London. Stutzman, who already one a silver medal in archery, was born with no arms and instead uses his teeth to draw his arrows while using a foot to steady his bow.

As fitness classes become more popular than exercising on one’s own, fitness instructors are enjoying a new form of idolatry. They aren’t just trainers any more, says the Wall Street Journal—they’re muscle mentors. Some instructors are even turning to the Internet to cultivate their own buzz, giving free workouts and tips to generate a following.

The San Jose Mercury News has a fall TV preview in today’s paper with five not-to-miss shows. First up is ABC’s “Last Resort.” Reviewer Chuck Barney says “not since the opening hour of ‘Lost’ has a drama pilot delivered such a tense, twisty, thrilling ride.” Barney’s also a fan of ABC’s “Nashville” but is on the fence about “The New Normal,” the latest project from Glee’s Ryan Murphy.