Madonna was named the biggest money maker in music in 2012 on Friday, with a world tour helping her take home up to $34.6 million and highlighting the earning power of live performances as the industry increasingly goes digital.

The 54-year-old Material Girl topped Billboard Magazine’s annual list of 40 top money makers for the second time after earning an estimated $32 million – 93.5 percent of her revenue – from her 88-date “MDNA” tour, 2012′s biggest tour.

Madonna, who also led the list in 2008 due to tour income, was the only woman in the top 10 with last year’s winner, Taylor Swift, who fell to 15th place as she did not tour in 2012.

In second place in the music magazine’s list was Bruce Springsteen whose $33.4 million revenue was also primarily driven by touring, playing to sold-out stadiums and arenas.

Springsteen, who also released a No. 1 album, “Wrecking Ball,” last year, earned 92 percent of his revenue from live shows where strong merchandise sales also boosted takings.

Roger Waters, founder of Pink Floyd, came a distant third with earnings of $21 million largely from “The Wall Live” tour and Van Halen was fourth with $20 million after touring in support of their album “A Different Kind of Truth”.

“When it comes to making the biggest score, the most money always comes from high-paying live performances,” Billboard’s editorial analyst Glenn Peoples wrote in explaining the list.

“Ironically, the most popular touring artists are usually well past their peaks on the album sales charts.”

Country music veteran Kenny Chesney, the Dave Matthews Band, country’s Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean, and British band Coldplay came next on the list.

Canadian teen sensation Justin Bieber was 10th, earning almost $16 million of which about $10 million came from his sold-out “Believe” arena tour.

“The entire top 10 averaged 84.2 percent of their income from concerts, and the number would have been higher, if not for Justin Bieber’s mere 60.1 percent share at No. 10 dragging down the average,” said Billboard.

However touring was not vital for every act on the list such as Swift and Britain’s Adele.

Swift earned $12.7 million after selling the most digital tracks in 2012. She sold more than 3 million digital albums and 15.6 million digital tracks driven by her hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”.

Adele took the year out after having a baby but still earned nearly $14 million, putting her 11th in the rankings, due to continuing strong physical and digital sales for her album “21″.

Maroon 5, ranked 33rd in the list, took the highest share of streaming revenue which made 3.5 percent of its $7.2 million.

Billboard said streaming music online to paying customers has not caught on with older generations and was small in percentage terms but growing.

“Yet even in the coming years, as streaming services become a more important revenue source, possibly replacing digital downloads and CD sales, one thing is unlikely to change: concerts will have the greatest influence of top earners’ overall earnings,” said Peoples.

The list was compiled by Billboard editors using data for Boxscore archives of U.S. concert gross figures, Nielsen SoundScan data for sales, YouTube, and Nielsen BDS data.

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Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the average temperature in 2012 in the contiguous United States was 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit (12.94 degrees Celsius), 3.2 degrees above the average recorded during the 20th century and 1.0 degree above 1998, until now the hottest on record. The contiguous United States excludes Alaska and Hawaii.

The agency also confirmed what many farmers in the nation’s midsection and many residents of the western part of the country already knew: 2012 was drier than average.

The year was 15th driest year on record, it said. At the peak of the heat in July 2012, 61 percent of the country was in drought, NOAA said, including the nation’s breadbasket of the Midwest, as well as the Southwest and Mountain West, where wildfires charred 9.2 million acres.

The agency’s U.S. Climate Extremes Index, which tracks volatility in temperature and precipitation as well as the number of tropical cyclones making landfall, was twice as active as normal in 2012, the agency said. Only 1998 had more extreme weather, NOAA said.

There were 11 weather-related disasters in the continental United States during 2012, with losses topping $1 billion, including Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac and a series of tornadoes in the Great Plains, Texas and the Ohio Valley, it said.

Among the other findings released on Tuesday:

* Every state in the contiguous U.S. experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2012. Nineteen had a record warm year and an additional 26 had one of their 10 warmest.

* Spring started off with the warmest March on record, followed by the fourth-warmest April and the second-warmest May. The season’s temperature was 5.2 degrees Fahrenheit above average, making it the warmest spring on record, surpassing the previous record by 2.0 degrees, the agency said.

* The above-average temperatures during the spring continued into summer. The heat peaked in July with an average temperature of 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit (24.94 degrees Celsius), 3.6 degrees above average, making it the hottest month ever observed in the continental United States.

* An estimated 99.1 million people – nearly one-third of the nation’s population – experienced 10 or more days during the summer when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the agency said.

* There were fewer-than-average tornadoes in 2012. Although the season got off to a busy start with large outbreaks in March and April, May and June – typically the most active months of the year – there were fewer than half the normal number of tornados. The final tornado count for 2012 was less than 1,000, NOAA said, the smallest number since 2002.

* While Hawaii and Alaska were outside the area where the hottest weather hit last year, NOAA said those two states had unusual weather of their own during the year. Alaska was cooler and slightly wetter than average during 2012, the agency said. In Hawaii, drought conditions spread during the year, with 63.3 percent of the state experiencing drought by the end of the year.

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Here’s Metro’s pick for the top five stories that we’ll remember for years to come.

1. The shooting death of Trayvon Martin

On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. after following him on suspicion of being a burglar. What unfolded in the months after became one of the most controversial stories of the year. Zimmerman claimed he shot Martin in self-defense after the teen, who was unarmed, started attacking him. Zimmerman’s critics said he was the aggressor and his suspicion of Martin, whose father lived in the neighborhood, was purely based on the fact that he was a young black man wearing a hooded sweatshirt. Zimmerman had called 911 to report Martin and failed to follow the operator’s instructions not to follow him.

Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder on On April 11, 2012. Following the charges, a series of photos taken the night of the incident surfaced showing Zimmerman with bloody injuries, lending some credibility to his self-defense claim. He is currently scheduled for trial on June 10, 2013.

2. The Miami ‘zombie’ attack

In a story that horrified the nation, Florida man Rudy Eugene encountered Miami drifter Ronald Poppo on May 26, and literally chewed off his face in a drug-fueled craze, police said.

Eugene met Poppo on the sidewalk near a highway before smashing his face into the concrete and plucking out his eyes and and biting and chewing his flesh. About 80 percent of Poppo’s face was destroyed, doctors said. Police shot and killed Eugene when he refused to step away from Poppo.

Poppo later said he didn’t know what provoked the attack and he had never met Eugene before. He has since undergone a series of reconstructive surgeries.

(Eugene, L, and Poppo, R)

3. The presidential election

President Barack Obama won his re-election campaign against Republican candidate Mitt Romney in a highly contentious race that came to an end on November 6, 2012. The candidates spent months campaigning and squared off in three debates, spurring several pop culture phenomenons, including the “binders full of women” meme, and jokes about Obama’s sleepy demeanor in the first debate.    

Polls throughout the election season showed the candidates neck and neck with voters, but Obama and Vice President Joe Biden won in the end, with 332 electoral votes compared to 206 that went to Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan.

4. The ‘Dark Knight’ shooting

On July 20, 2012, a gunman entered a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. and opened fire on the crowd of people gathered for the midnight premiere of “Dark Knight Rises.” Twelve people were killed and 58 were wounded. Police quickly arrested 25-year-old James Holmes next to his car behind the theater, just minutes after the shooting. Police later encountered booby-trapped explosives at his apartment.

He had notably dyed his hair red in what was said to be a mimic of the “Joker” villain from the “Batman” movies. Police later revealed that Holmes had purchased several guns, including a semi-automatic rifle, just weeks before the shooting. Holmes is charged with 24 counts of first degree murder, 116 counts of attempted murder, possession of explosive devices, and inciting violence.

5. Sandy Hook massacre

Tragedy once again gripped the nation on December 14, 2012 when police said 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting rampage inside Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. 27 people were killed, including Lanza who shot himself — 18 of them were children. Several of the teachers were killed during acts of heroism as they desperately tried to protect their students from the gunman. Lanza’s mother was a teacher at the school. She was found shot to death in the home she shared with her emotionally disturbed son after the shooting.

This shocking tragedy has thrust gun control laws under the microscope, as many lawmakers are calling for a ban on assault weapons, like the one Lanza used. President Obama assigned Vice President Joe Biden to produce recommendations on how to curtail gun violence in the country.

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As we move forward into the new year, we reflect on some of the most important moments captured on film in the past twelve months.

Here are some of the most iconic images from 2012.

Aerial Views of the roller coaster from the casino pier damaged from Superstorm Sandy along the Jersey Shore on December 13, 2012 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Much of the Jersey Shore is still suffering the effects of Hurricane Sandy which caused extensive damage to parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The Princess Cottage Inn, victimized by Superstorm Sandy a month prior, remains devastated on December 5, 2012 in Union Beach, New Jersey. With a population of 6,200, roughly 1,000 homes were flooded and 200 rendered inhabitable.

An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi late on September 11, 2012. An armed mob attacked the US consulate in Benghazi and set fire to the building, killing US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

A 10-year-old Syrian boy wounded by shrapnel is brought to hospital as the intense human and material cost grows from three months of intense fighting against rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) on October 24, 2012 in Aleppo, Syria. In this critical battleground of Syria’s 20-month uprising, FSA commanders say they control more than half of Syria’s second city and commercial hub, though civilian areas – and especially long bread lines – have been targeted daily. The uprising against the government of President Bashar al-Assad has claimed an estimated 34,000 lives. (Photo: Getty)

Michael Phelps of the United States dives into the pool in the Men’s 100m medley Final on Day 8 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre on August 4, 2012. Phelps won six medals at this year’s game, making him the most decorated Olympian in history with a total of 22 medals. He is now retired. (Photo: Getty)

This file picture taken on July 6, 2012 by North Korean official Korean Central News Agency and released on July 9 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C), accompanied by a young woman (L), enjoying a demonstration performance given by the newly organized Moranbong band in Pyongyang. North Korean state television on July 25, 2012 confirmed that leader Kim Jong-Un is married and named his wife as Ri Sol-Ju, South Korea’s unification ministry said. South Korea’s unification ministry said it appeared that Ri was the woman who has been pictured several times at Kim’s side at public events in recent weeks. (Photo: KNS/AFP/Getty)

The space shuttle Enterprise, mounted atop a NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), flies near the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, April 27, 2012, in New York City. Enterprise was the first shuttle orbiter built for NASA performing test flights in the atmosphere and was incapable of spaceflight. Originally housed at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise was later placed on a barge that was moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. (Photo: Getty via NASA)

Members of the Sikh community along with other mourners attend a special service at the Sikh Religious Society of Wisconsin for the victims of the shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin the previous day, on August 6, 2012 in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Wade Michael Page opened fire with a 9mm pistol at the Sikh Temple killing six people before being killed by police in a shootout. (Photo: Getty)

A Palestinian student from Birzeit University pushes a burning tire during clashes with Israeli soldiers for the second consecutive day as they protest against the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in the West Bank town of Betunia on November 18, 2012. Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel would not negotiate a truce with Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers as long as rocket fire continues from the Palestinian enclave. (Photo: Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images)

This image, which went viral immediately, shows Carlee Soto as she learns of the death of her sister, Victoria Soto, a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Soto was shot to death while trying to hide the students in her classroom from gunman Adam Lanza on December 14, 2012. The 27-year-old teacher told her students to hide in cabinets, then told the gunman they were in the gymnasium before he opened fire on her. 26 people were killed, but her students were not harmed. Carlee Soto came to the school searching for her sister after news of the shooting spread. She has since said in interviews that this photo is a constant reminder of that painful moment.  (Photo: AP)

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Watch spots along the West Side Highway were quickly snatched as New Yorkers competed to find the best view. If you weren’t lucky enough to snag a spot on a Classic Harbor cruise or an invite to a chic rooftop party, we’ve got you covered with the best shots from the fireworks show.

Enjoy, and remember — only 364 days till next year’s show!

(photos via Getty)

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Nameberry analyzed more than 3 million views of the site’s individual name pages so far in 2012, then compared the numbers with this time last year. A handful of names have jumped in status and are on a path to being some of the year’s most popular choices on the part of new parents. You’ll surely recognize them when you see them.

1. Rue — the lovable underdog who met her fate at age 12 in ‘The Hunger Games’ has succeeded in more than just winning our hearts. We’re now naming our babies after her.

2. Emmett and other “-ett” names. “Think of -ett at the newest “it” ending for boys’ names,” Nameberry says. Let’s not forget it’s also the name of one of “Twilight’s” sexiest vampires, Emmett Cullen.

3. Ivy. Made famous by the equally famous infant daughter of two of the world’s most famous music stars. Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, made headlines as soon as she came into this world, both for her unique celebrity name and for the ridiculous way her parents commandeered an entire floor of the maternity ward.

4. Weston, Wesley, and West. The age old debate between the West and East coasts seems to be settled, at least when it comes to baby names. Jenna Fischer from “The Office” led the trend when she named her son Weston.

5. Adele. A rather old-fashioned name made popular once again with the rise of Grammy award-winning singer Adele. But unlike most of the girls who are named Adele, the starlet vocalist dropped her last name.

6. Grayson and Gray. “Is Grayson the new Jason?” Nameberry asks. It’s certainly a new twist on the old classic. The site also suggests the new television series “Revenge,” which centers around characters in the Grayson family, could be inspiring the new popularity.  

7. Cyrus. While primarily a boys name, it’s also the last name of teen pop star Miley Cyrus — though we hope that’s not why the name seems to be making a comeback.

8. Cato. With its catchy two syllabus, it’s easy to see why this edgy name is gaining momentum. Its also the name of another “Hunger Games” character — the male villain who serves as the major threat.

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As we continue to digest the 2011 season, we turn our attention to the top. It’s the place that will be least affected by the draft and free agency. It’s also the place that generates the most controversy.

The projected 2012 first round:

Dual threat backs
All of our running back targets should be assets in the passing game as well as the ground game. Ray Rice comes off the board first as an elite goal-line back and receiver. LeSean McCoy and Arian Foster are right there as the next two picks with similar skill sets.   
     
Taking it to the air
Taking a quarterback in the first round is usually not optimal. But Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Cam Newton are so consistently dominant that they are impossible to ignore. They are the fourth, sixth and seventh picks. Sandwiched at the No. 5 spot is the best raw talent in the NFL at any position, Calvin?Johnson.
 
Wrapping with runners
Without the likes of Adrian Peterson (knee), Jamaal Charles (knee), Rashard Mendenhall (knee) and Darren?McFadden (foot) to choose from, the last three picks are runners with question marks. Maurice Jones-Drew continues to thrive despite massive workloads and comes in at No. 8. Ryan Mathews has exciting upside at No. 9 and Matt Forte wraps our top 10.

Top NBA pickups

Chandler Parsons
SF, Rockets 
Parsons is a versatile rookie that was the SEC?Player of the Year last season. He has won the starting small forward gig, sending Chase Budinger to the bench.     

MarShon?Brooks
SG, Nets
The Nets are desperate for anyone that can put the ball in the hoop, and Brooks can certainly do that. He averaged 14.4 ppg through his first nine NBA?games.  

Iman Shumpert
PG,?Knicks
Shumpert was the best pure athlete in the draft and is now the clear starter ahead of Toney Douglas. His energy leads to steals, blocks and three-pointers.

The post Way-too-early look at the 2012 top 10 appeared first on Metro.us.

Stonyfield Oikos Organic Drinkable Greek Yogurts
You no longer need a spoon to enjoy this calcium- and protein-packed snack. In flavors like Honey Vanilla and Pomegranate Berry, these new smoothies have all the taste of Greek yogurt in a more convenient form.
$5 for a four-pack, grocery stores

Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar half-ounce 12-packs
We always tempted to snack on Pirate’s Booty straight out of the bag, so we were thrilled to learn they’ve released the good stuff in smaller, 65-calorie portions.
$7, Target

Satisfying Selections from Weight Watchers Smart Ones
These bagged meals, in varieties like Ziti with Meatballs and Cheese and Chicken Teriyaki Stir-Fry, are an easy fix for those nights when you’re starved and just can’t deal with the stove. Each meal boasts 30 percent more food than traditional frozen tray dinners and clocks in at under 400 calories.
$3.69, grocery stores

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Eating and drinking: Start a healthier diet and lose weight by moderating portion size. You don’t have to clean your plate! Eat more fish, poultry, vegetables and whole grains while limiting red meats, bread, butter and desserts. Drink six to eight 12 oz. glasses of water daily, and snack on fresh fruit or nuts. If you lose one pound every two weeks, come 2013 you’ll be more than 20 pounds lighter!

Sleep and stress: There is no such thing as catching up on sleep, so commit yourself to eight hours nightly. Your body needs sleep to restore itself both physically and mentally, and the stress of long-term fatigue will impair your ability to cope with the day-to-day challenges of work, school and relationships.

Exercise: Training for an event a few months off is a great way to inspire regular exercise and target your efforts towards achieving something tangible (a 10K race, a long-distance bike ride, etc.) rather than pursuing an abstract resolution like “I want to be in better shape.”

Relationships: Look for “win-win” solutions to disagreements. Try resolving differences with family members in the same way you would with co-workers or your boss. Yelling, making verbal attacks, drawing a line in the sand or digging your heels in are not acceptable at work, nor should they be at home. Be a good listener — and when someone says something crazy, resist the temptation to flip that person off. Instead, say, “I’ll consider that” and mull over a reasonable answer.

Health maintenance: Schedule a checkup with your primary care doctor. Try to schedule the first appointment of the day so you don’t have to wait. High blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol all start sometime, and they are all leading causes of illness and disability if undetected over time.

— Mark Melrose, DO, is a board-certified emergency physician at Urgent Care Manhattan. E-mail him your questions at askdrmark@metro.us.
Metro does not endorse the opinions of the author, or any opinions expressed on its pages. Opposing viewpoints are welcome.

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3. Digital is still on the rise: “We’re going to see a lot more attention focused on self-published authors,” says Boog.  He points to the careers of self-published writers like Amanda Hocking and John Locke as evidence. “They got big book deals which, in turn, inspired a  whole new wave of people to get into self-publishing.” Boog says that many established authors are looking toward e-books to publish their back list — or if they get a book deal they aren’t happy with it. “The stigma is receding.”  

4. The year of Occupy Writers: “My hope is that the kind of moment that started with Occupy Wall Street extends to writers. Writers deserve a fair wage, jobs that are stable,” he envisions. “I really hope this is the year writers organize.”

More on Occupy Writers

On top of his duties at GalleyCat, Boog is also writing the book “Will Write for Change: How New York City Writers Survived the Great Depression” (check out his other blog at www.sadmen.tumblr.com). “During the Great Depression, writers were in the same boat as we are now, but  they weren’t sitting down or taking it,”?he notes.

Follow Dorothy Robinson on Twitter @DorothyatMetro.

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If you buy that, I suppose you also believe Springsteen is just a struggling young rocker from Jersey, Congress is hard at work and I’m this year’s Nebraska Corn Queen. Come on. No sitting president, Democratic or Republican, is ever the underdog in a race for re-election. He may be challenged, troubled, befuddled, on the ropes or in a fix, but I repeat: He is never the underdog.

Consider these very un-underdogish facts: In 2008, Barack Obama beat the beagles out of John McCain in terms of fundraising, raking in and spending so much green that he was able to turn formerly critical red states like Indiana and North Carolina blue. This time around, he and the Democratic Party are once again racing into the cash dash like greyhounds, and breaking records along the way. Any real underdog would be sitting at a Sonic Drive-In right now, eating Tater Tots with his campaign director wondering if they had enough gas in the Prius to reach Ames.

This president, like any other, enjoys more free coverage on the Internet, radio, TV, in magazines and newspapers than any contender can ever hope for, no matter how much money he’s made from his pizza empire. And Barack Obama, like his predecessors, is shrewd about conducting the public’s business in a way that steals the limelight from his foes during their big campaign moments.

And there is this: Incumbents tend to win. Especially since 1900, the odds have said once a person settles into the Oval Office he is there to stay for two terms. Re-election is the rule; being kicked out is the exception.

To his credit, President Obama did not raise this notion of being the underdog on his own. It was tossed his way like a tennis ball for a golden retriever. He simply dashed out to snatch it up. But the political facts say presidents just can’t wear that collar; no more than a Doberman can claim to be a Chihuahua. For all his problems in the polls, Barack Obama remains the single most potent political player in America today — and he’s undeniably the big dog in this fight.

– CNN’s Tom Foreman is a regular on “AC360°”/www.ac360.com and “The Situation Room.”

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After ongoing speculations of whether she will run for Commander in Chief, the former governor of Alaska released a statement to her supporters with the announcement.

Palin said her family comes first and that she believes that she can be more effective helping another Republican win the Presidency.

“We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.”

Even though we won’t be seeing her in the Oval Office, Palin will do what it takes for Barack Obama to not be re-elected.

“In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House,” she wrote in her statement,

Read the full statement below via ABC News:

October 5, 2011?Wasilla, Alaska?After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!
God bless America.
– Sarah Palin

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Along with an assault on Obama’s economic policies, priorities and leadership, Pawlenty said it was a “time for truth” in U.S. politics and called for shared sacrifice by all to help balance the federal budget. Pawlenty, 50, promised tough talk in appearances later this week; in Florida, he said he’ll argue that federal entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare are “on an unsustainable path and that inaction is no longer an option.”

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The best we’ve seen in the first 12 hours after the announcement:

The .gif that kept on giving:

Many took joy at punking the Birthers one last time:

FOX News’s gaffe was a common target:

Obama’s tweet was pretty leet:

Many delighted in this pic of a knowing Obama smiling at Seth Myers’ bin Laden joke Saturday night:

Then there was the strange tale of Sohaib Athar, the guy who accidentally live-tweeted the raid that killed bin Laden:

And many people just watched music videos. (Some NSFW lyrics in the last one, obviously.)

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The War on Terror

In the New York Times, David E. Sanger argues that bin Laden’s death could mean that the War on Terror will cease to be America’s chief foreign policy concern:

"The
elimination of the central symbol of Al Qaeda offers a new opportunity
for Mr. Obama to argue that the group no longer needs to be a fixation
of American policy. [...] Bin Laden’s presumed successors, including
Ayman al-Zawahri, have none of his charisma and appeal, and that his
death will lead to a fracturing of the organization. The decision to
bury Bin Laden’s body at sea was part of a carefully-calibrated effort
to avoid having a burial place that would turn into a shrine to the
Qaeda leader, a place where his adherents could declare him a martyr." 

Meanwhile, Tony Karon of TIME says that little in the realm of foreign relations will change in the post-bin-Laden era, arguing that al Qaeda has long since been overtaken in Arab hearts and minds by smaller-scale Islamic movements such as Hamas and Hezbollah:

"[Al Qaeda's] strategy of spectacular acts of a terror had briefly allowed a band of a few hundred desperadoes to dominate America’s headlines and its nightmares, but on the ground in the Muslim world al-Qaeda had largely been a sideshow, failing miserably in its goal of rallying the Islamic world behind its banners and finding itself eclipsed by such despised rivals in the battle for Islamist leadership as Iran, Hizballah, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood."

Politics

But forget about all that real-life stuff, what about the horse race? Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight says that while Obama will undoubtedly receive an "Osama bump," by the time the 2012 election rolls around the electorate will have moved on:

"Yes, this is going to help Mr. Obama — to some degree or another — in November 2012. And yes, it’s also going to make Mr. Obama look much more formidable in the near-term. [...] But, the 2012 election was probably not going to revolve around national security. Instead, the Republican nominee was probably going to attempt to make the campaign about the size of government and the future of the welfare state: how to deal with entitlement programs in the face of an increasing national debt."

What do you think?

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