And now the posturing begins … In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will attempt to convince congressional leaders their $700 billion bailout plan will succeed. “If financial conditions fail to improve for a protracted period, the implications for the broader economy could be quite adverse,” Bernanke said in a prepared statement to be given at the hearing.

Sideshow John and Sideshow Barack? McCain and Obama haven’t made significant changes to their economic proposals, despite the obvious changes to the economy and the financial markets. Economists across the political spectrum told the Washington Post the candidates are missing an opportunity by discussing topics only peripherally connected to the current crisis, turning the presidential campaign into a sideshow to the financial meltdown.

Shooting at Finnish school leaves nine dead … A 22-year-old student at a vocational school killed nine people before wounding himself at a shooting in a rural town 180 miles northwest of the capital, Helsinki. The shooting was similar to one that happened last year in Finland. In both instances the students uploaded videos to YouTube showing themselves preparing for the attacks. Police questioned today’s shooter before the attacks, but did not charge him and released him.

Quantum computing expert? The MacArthur Foundation thinks you’re a genius. The foundation notified the 25 winners of its $500,000 fellowship, popularly known as the genius grant. Winners also include an infectious disease physician developing HIV/AIDS treatments and an avant-garde violinist. See the complete list here.

The Emmys stunk and the ratings are just more validation … Preliminary numbers say only 12.2 million people watched ABC’s 60th anniversary telecast, down from the previous record low of 12.3 million set in 1990.