(Tipped by JMG reader Austin)

What’s your cell/mobile/smart/dumb phone situation?

More photos here.

(Tipped by JMG reader Mimi)

As the media questions the true identity of the filmmaker whose work is now inflaming much of the Middle East, Right Wing Watch reports on the man whose Arabic blog post first brought the film to attention among Islamic radicals. Morris Sadek, an Egyptian-American anti-Muslim activist, managed in one week’s time to take an overlooked YouTube video featuring a lame …

While many news outlets quickly corrected initial reports to point out that crackpot Florida Pastor Terry Jones “only” had a hand in promoting the anti-Islam film now inciting violence across the Middle East, the man that many publications then named as film’s producer does not exist. The mysterious “Sam Bacile” supposedly spoke to The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal …

UPDATE: I’ve inserted a big NOT into the above headline: Just minutes after Family Research Council President Tony Perkins told reporters and C-SPAN cameras that Rep. Todd Akin would attend the Values Voter Summit this weekend, officials from the FRC and the Akin campaign told TPM that’s actually not the case. Akin will not be at the Values Voter Summit, …

Ars Technica reports on the just-unveiled iPhone 5: The phone measures 7.6 millimeters thick and weighs 112 grams, 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S. IPhone 5 retains the retina display pixel density of the iPhone 4S at 326ppi, but it now has a 4-inch 16:9 display at a 1136×640 resolution with 44 percent more color …

Mother Jones reports that Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) yesterday appeared on the nation’s most infamous white supremacist radio show. He is the first member of Congress to do so. Rep. Walter Jones, a fiercely anti-war congressman who often breaks with his party on key votes, appeared on the Political Cesspool, a Memphis-based program hosted by ardent white nationalists James Edwards …

The Boston Globe reports: The Maine Legislature legalized gay marriage in 2009, but the law was overturned in a “people’s veto” vote later that year. Gay marriage supporters gathered signatures to put it on the ballot again. Gay marriage opponents are also stepping up their efforts. The Roman Catholic Church has kicked off a series of meetings to promote its …

Spain’s faltering economy brought out the largest crowd yet seen for Catalonia’s annual independence march. A million and a half people took to the streets of Barcelona, according to police estimates, to demand independence for the autonomous Spanish region of Catalonia as the country as a whole faces crippling debt. ­At least one train and more than 1,000 coaches were …

Minnesota’s KSTP has the grim news: According to our exclusive new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, 50 percent of Minnesotans favor an amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Meanwhile, 43 percent oppose the amendment and 8 percent are undecided. The amendment is favored in all regions of the state, with the closest margin in the Twin Cities metro area …

“Our nation’s security should be of utmost importance to our Commander-in-chief. America can’t afford any more ‘leading from behind’ in such a dangerous world. We already know that President Obama likes to ‘speak softly’ to our enemies. If he doesn’t have a ‘big stick’ to carry, maybe it’s time for him to grow one.” – Sarah Palin, writing on her …

Metro Weekly’s Justin Snow has the latest round of quotes. Rep. Barney Frank: “I am not surprised that members of the Log Cabin Republicans are offended by my comparing them to Uncle Tom. They are no more offended than I am by their campaigning in the name of LGBT rights to elect the candidate and party who diametrically oppose our …

NOTE: I’ve replaced the live-stream link to the press conference with the below recording.

A coalition of Occupy activists and other groups is calling for presidential debates that include candidates from third parties. We, the undersigned, demand presidential debates that include the real choices before the voters this November. The debates must include every candidate who is on enough ballots to win the White House and who has demonstrated a minimal level of support …

Lambda Legal president Jon Davidson has issued an explanation of what might happen when the Supreme Court decides whether or not to rule on Proposition 8. The Perry case is set for consideration at the justices’ conference on September 24, and the Court could announce as early as September 25 whether it is hearing the case. However, it is possible …