And so I think what the Job Council has been invaluable in providing is a road map for the American people -- not comprehensive, this is just a piece of the puzzle, but pointing to examples of where, if we do some smart things now, we can have a lot better outcomes in the future.

WHITEHOUSE: Meeting of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness | The White House

"You can see it for yourself, " Weaver moaned to a reporter, staring Friday at all the vacant lots, overrun with weeds that are taller than he is, at all the abandoned shells of former homes, many of them still marked with the spray-painted "X" that became the grim symbol of a great American city nearly wiped off the map.

NPR: New Orleans: A Tale Of 2 Cities Since Katrina

In his new book, Re-imagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City, Gallagher offers a road map for a smaller, more vibrant Detroit.

FORBES: If Detroit Were A Tree, What Kind of Tree Would It Be?

The video-on-demand platform is a great place for American indie movies that had fallen off the map.

WSJ: Independent Films Increasingly Rely on Video on Demand

"It wasn't very long ago that the average American child saw Africa as colorful flags and exotic names on a map, " Clinton said.

CNN: Clinton says U.S. will be 'friend for life' of Africa

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave Mr Obama a ball signed by the 2011 Toronto Raptors professional basketball team, as well as a "golden-framed 19th Century antique map of North America, surrounded by drawings of North American Indians, beavers".

BBC: China tea set and brooch among royals' gifts to Obamas

Some American officials believe that Ahmadinejad's intemperate statements, like his threat to wipe Israel off the map, have not gone down well at home.

NPR: On the Road to More Regime Change?

Trey Martinez Fischer, who heads the Mexican American Legislative Caucus in the Texas House, says his group will sue if the Republicans produce a congressional map with fewer than two new Hispanic districts.

ECONOMIST: Redistricting rows