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Monika Bauerlein,
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Dear MoJo Reader,

Have you been following the news less? A lot of people have, and that can be good, but it can also spell trouble for those of us in the news business. We're about to find out, because Mother Jones has a $350,000 fundraising goal right now. In "Slow News Is Good News," I try to reset after several chaotic years and make a longer-lasting case for why our nonprofit journalism matters. I hope you'll read it and that you'll pitch in if you can.

Have you been following the news less? A lot of people have, and that can be good and bad. It's unnerving, because Mother Jones has a $350,000 fundraising goal right now. In "Slow News Is Good News," we try to reset after several chaotic years and make a longer-lasting case for why our journalism matters. Please read it—and please pitch in!

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Ted Nugent confirms his insanity by going on an onstage rant in which he describes various acts certain Democrats could perform with the machine guns that he happened to be brandishing at the time. The profanity-filled clip (definitely NSFW) features the Nuge calling Barack Obama a “piece of s***… I told him to suck on my machine gun,” and offering Hillary Clinton the opportunity to “ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless b****.” More disturbingly, the crowd goes wild. Other politicians get a shout-out as well, and then he caps it off by hollering “Freedom!” Wow.

Jeez, more bad Amy Winehouse news? Do I have to write about it? You say it drives readership in key target demos? Fine. Well, she and her boyfriend apparently beat the crap out of each other, and then she said she did it to herself, despite the photographic evidence of them both looking utterly destroyed. The UK’s Daily Mail published the photos. (Also possibly NSFW if you don’t like bruises or blood or feeling really sad).

In less, um, tabloid-oriented news, MTV and MySpace will host “real-time, one-on-one presidential dialogues” where candidates will, I guess, text you abbreviated answers to questions like “WHR R U AT,” or something. The first one, with John Edwards, is to be aired on MTV and webcast on MySpace on September 27th. (MTV News)

The tracklisting for Bob Dylan‘s elaborate box set, appropriately titled Dylan, has been determined, and published by Billboard. The compilation will be available in multiple versions including a cloth-covered box complete with lithograph prints and replica LP sleeves. The recent Mark Ronson remix of “Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)” will not be featured on any of the CDs but will be released on iTunes starting September 18. (Billboard)