Ryan speech: lies, lies, and more lies. Demagoguery at its best, however. Watching Ryan's self-adulation and jutted out lower jaw brought back memories of another number two who had the same affectation:

SPACE NEWS:

• Lunar elevator proposed. Hopefully, the issue of "First Floor" will be resolved between Americans and Europeans first.

COUNTRY FOCUS OF THE DAY: Cook Islands. Hillary Clinton building up anti-China bloc in Asia-Pacific. From the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to the Cook Islands, the Obama administration is re-militarizing the region in a manner not seen since World War II.