News Nuggets 981

DAYEE PICTURE: Monsoon rain in southern Bangladesh.  From National Geographic.

TEN BEST NUGGETS OF THE WEEK!!

1.  Britain Fears 'Lost' Generation of Jobless Youth in Europe's Crisis from the McClatchy News Service
"Europe’s economic crisis has fueled a spiraling problem of unemployment among young people, with job seekers aged 15-24 more than twice as likely to be out of work as the average European. Policy makers and experts are warning that a growing number of them could remain locked out of the economy for years to come, posing a long-term challenge to growth and raising questions about the fundamental health of the continent’s labor force."

2.  Charting Obama’s Journey to a Shift on Afghanistan from the New York Times 
"It was just one brief exchange about Afghanistan with an aide late in 2009, but it suggests how President Obama’s thinking about what he once called “a war of necessity” began to radically change less than a year after he took up residency in the White House. ... “Well,” Mr. Obama responded that day, “I’m not going to give them more time.” A year later, when the president and a half-dozen White House aides began to plan for the withdrawal, the generals were cut out entirely. There was no debate, and there were no leaks. "

3.  Iranians Taking Solace in the Past (Camelia Entekhabifard) from the New York Times
"Iran's youth and their elders are praying for progress at the nuclear talks in Baghdad."

4.  Obama Spending Binge Never Happened: Government Outlays Rising at Slowest Pace Since 1950s (Rex Nutting) from the Wall Street Journal 
"Of all the falsehoods told about President Barack Obama, the biggest whopper is the one about his reckless spending spree. ... Although there was a big stimulus bill under Obama, federal spending is rising at the slowest pace since Dwight Eisenhower brought the Korean War to an end in the 1950s."

5.  Why a 'Record Low' Number of Americans are 'Pro-Choice': 5 Theories from The Week
"Gallup reveals a surprising drop in the number of people who call themselves "pro-choice," even as more Americans back gay marriage and the legalization of pot."

6.  Does Tough Love Work With Third Graders? (Michel Martin) from NPR's Tell Me More program
"Most passed but the ones who didn't have to retake it this summer and if they fail a second time, state officials say that they will likely be held back in the third grade. The rule is new in Indiana but other states like Florida have been testing third graders with similar consequences for some time now."

7.  The Ph.D. Now Comes With Food Stamps from the Chronicle of Higher Education
"Ms. Bruninga-Matteau is part of an often overlooked, and growing, subgroup of Ph.D. recipients, adjunct professors, and other Americans with advanced degrees who have had to apply for food stamps or some other form of government aid since late 2007. Some are struggling to pay back student loans and cover basic living expenses as they submit scores of applications for a limited pool of full-time academic positions."

8.  The "Vetting" Obsession (Paul Waldman) from American Prospect
"Conservatives are still hoping to uncover Barack Obama's deepest, darkest secret."

9.  GOP to Modernity: Stop (Andrew Leonard) from Salon
"For House Republicans, the less we know about our country and our planet, the better."

10.  Texas Marches Toward Swing State Status. Only Question is 'When?' (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"PPP's latest poll of Texas showed Mitt Romney beating President Barack Obama 50-43 in the presidential head-to-head. That the Republican was winning isn't surprising, but the single-digit margin was. John McCain won the state 55-44 in 2008, and it has obviously served as the GOP's
electoral stronghold (and breeding grounds) for several decades, both at the state and national levels. The GOP's mid- to long-term problem, however, is that there's not enough white people to offset the state's explosive demographics."

Now, to our regular news nuggets for Sunday, May 27th.

Egypt's Election Hands Liberals a Pivotal Voice from the Editorial Board of The National [of the United Arab Emirates in English]
"... in fact, the weeks until the run-off vote on June 16 and 17 promise to be a period of intense political horse-trading, in which the loose alliance of secular liberal democratic elements has a precious pivotal position. If they use it wisely, they can greatly influence the way Egypt is governed, through the new president's six-year term and beyond."

New Spanish Finance Horrors Shock The World (Walter Russell Mead) from the American Interest
"It may be a holiday weekend in the United States and much of Europe (where the Monday after the feast of Pentecost is often celebrated as a holiday), but the world’s politicians, central bankers and financiers are too busy quaking in their boots to bask in the sun. The problem is Spain, which dropped two stink bombs on the world. "

Can China Escape the Low-Wage Trap? (James Fallows) from the New York Times
"... the events of 2012 have made accounts of an all-capable and problem-free China, which were so common just before and after the triumphant 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, seem quaintly credulous. While each of these problems is likely to prove surmountable, together they are clues to a question that will take much longer to answer: Can China make it as a fully modern economy and society?"

When Modern Cities Become Ghost Towns (Kate Katharina Ferguson) from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Urban researchers in Berlin are exploring an eerie phenomenon -- the modern ghost town. From a deserted Cypriot holiday resort to a brand new Chinese city devoid of inhabitants, they are asking why people abandon their communities and exploring the stories that make these empty places so compelling."

A Power Vacuum Is Killing the Euro Zone (Tyler Cowen) from the New York Times
"AS problems mount in the euro zone, it’s increasingly evident that we’ve been witnessing an institutional failure of monumental proportions."

Building the Next Facebook a Tough Task in Europe (Eric Pfanner) from the New York Times
"In the United States, promising Internet start-ups can expect venture capitalists to come calling at an early stage. Fat checks often follow quickly. In Europe, many entrepreneurs have to wait longer; to get their businesses up and running, they sometimes have to rely on unorthodox sources of funding, including France’s generous welfare benefits."

Home Is Where They Let You Live (Jasmin Darznik) from the New York Times 
"Immigrants will draw their notions of “home” not only from what is familiar and desirable, but also from what is permitted and denied them."

Penn State and Catholic Church Child Sex-Abuse Trials Divide Penn. Public (Marci Hamilton) from the Daily Beast
"Which side are you on? The parallel sex-abuse trials of Msgr. William Lynn and former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky are revealing deep differences among those who once revered both men, writes Marci Hamilton."

The Emotional Tug of Obama (Frank Bruni) from the New York Times
"FORGET your political affiliation. Never mind your assessment of his time in office so far. If you have any kind of heart, you’re struck by it: the photograph of Barack Obama bent down so that a young black boy can touch his head and see if the president’s hair is indeed like his own. It moves you. It also speaks to a way in which Obama and Mitt Romney, whose campaigns are picking up the pace just as polls show them neck and neck, are profoundly mismatched."

Obama Should Seize the High Ground (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
Friedman nails the conundrum Obama finds himself in.  It's worthy of a big excerpt.
"Think about this: Is there anyone in America today who doesn’t either have a pre-existing medical condition or know someone who does and can’t get health insurance as a result? Yet two years after Obama’s health care bill became law, how many Americans understand that once it is fully implemented no American with a pre-existing condition will ever again be denied coverage? “Obamacare is socialized medicine,” says the Republican Party. No, no — excuse me — socialized medicine is what we have now! People without insurance can go to an emergency ward or throw themselves on the mercy of a doctor, and the cost of all this uncompensated care is shared by all those who have insurance, raising your rates and mine. That is socialized medicine and that is what Obamacare ends. Yet Obama — the champion of private insurance for all — has allowed himself to be painted as a health care socialist."

Cut It Out, Internet Bullies! (Meghan McCain) from the Daily Beast 
"After Meghan McCain spoke out on TV about the GOP’s extremists, Twitter and the blogosphere blew up with personal attacks. What will it take to stop name-calling and focus on the issues?"

PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY NUGGET!!
Get Ready for the Election with 'Presidential Campaign Posters' from the LosAngeles Times Book Review
This looks AWESOME.  Check out the gallery that accompanies the article. 
"With "Presidential Campaign Posters" (Quirk Books, $40), the Library of Congress takes a look back at two centuries of memorable election art." 

News Nuggets 980

DAYLEE PICTURE:  A hibiscus in Honolulu.  From Smithsonian Magazine. 

Center of Gravity in Oil World Shifts to the Americas (Juan Forero) from the Washington Post
"From Canada to Colombia to Brazil, oil and gas production is booming, with the U.S. emerging less dependent on supplies from an unstable Middle East."

Downturn Catches Up to China from United Press International
"The global economic slowdown has begun to take a serious toll on the Chinese economy, a senior official said this week. ... A recent survey concluded that more than half of China's 70 largest cities were experiencing falling property values. Both the construction and retail sectors have suffered from slowdowns. Further, the country's purchasing managers index in April fell to 49.3 with figures under 50 representing a contraction -- a sobering statistic for an economy that relies heavily on exports. A slowdown in China can quickly haunt other economies, as well."

The Vietnam Solution: How a Former Enemy Became a Crucial U.S. Ally in Balancing China’s Rise (Robert Kaplan) from the Atlantic
" On my visit there last year, I found a country seized not only with the imperative of economic development but also with the challenge of finding a modus vivendi with its age-old neighbor and hegemon—a challenge that it increasingly looks to the United States, its onetime adversary, to help meet. That may demand that Americans, at least, shift their historical perspective and try to see the world through Vietnamese eyes."

Jamming Tripoli: Inside Moammar Gadhafi’s Secret Surveillance Network (Matthieu Aikins) from Wired Magazine
"...these activists would suffer greatly at the hands of Gadhafi’s spy service, whose own capabilities had been heightened by 21st-century technology. By now, it’s well known that the Arab Spring showed the promise of the Internet as a crucible for democratic activism. But, in the shadows, a second narrative unfolded, one that demonstrated the Internet’s equal potential for government surveillance and repression on a scale unimaginable with the old analog techniques of phone taps and informants."
A very interesting long-form story!

Europe's Biggest Fear: A Run They Cannot Stop from the Economist [of London]
"Fears of a full-scale bank run in Greece have not yet materialised. But the possibility of a deposit run in Europe's peripheral states is still very much alive. It is also the thing that policymakers are least prepared for. "

Five World Events That Could Swing the U.S. Election (Uri Friedman) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are slugging it out over the economy, but the world may have a trick or two up its sleeve."

SpaceX via Twitter: the Everyday Miracle of Modern Technologies from the Guardian [of the UK]
"There's so much we already take for granted about the digital revolution that's rocked our world. But it can still strike awe."

President, to President, to President (Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy) from the Los Angeles Times
"POTUS' best confidant may be his predecessors."

Five Issues that Divide Conservatives and the American Military (Heather Hurlbert) from Alternet
"Behold the cognitive dissonance of conservatives who ritually stand up in front of the public and say they want to "listen to the commanders.""

Obama Stumbles? Why the President’s Right to Talk About Bain (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"I  suspect that these Bain attacks are working. Indeed, I suspect the reason that the Obama campaign–and the President himself in an extraordinary moment at the NATO press conference last week–are so adamant about pursuing this tactic is that it (a) lays the predicate for the anti-Romney campaign to come and (b) has been extremely effective with focus groups. And so, what we may be seeing here is the exact opposite of a stumble."
Another critique of the Politico "Stumbles" article is HERE from the New Republic.

Dear Washington, Nothing Has Changed About the Election (Jamelle Bouie) from the American Prospect
"It’s an election year, so it’s simply a fact that pundits will latch on to every gaffe as if voters were actually paying attention to the minutiae of presidential politics. But it’s always good to remember that they aren’t, at all."

Obama's Last Line of Defense: Women (Ronald Brownstein) from the National Journal
"The new round of national and state surveys this week generally showing President Obama clinging to a tenuous advantage over Republican Mitt Romney reinforce the conclusion that socially liberal, upscale white women may stand as the president's indispensable line of defense in his struggle for reelection. "

Billionaire Finds New Role in Effort to Defeat Obama (Rutenberg & Zeleny) from the New York Times
"{Ricketts] is involved in another effort slated for this summer, a documentary film based on a widely criticized book, “The Roots of Obama’s Rage” by Dinesh D’Souza, which asserts that Mr. Obama is carrying out the “anticolonial” agenda of his Kenyan father."
This guy just can't take a hint.  Like Ricketts' other fiasco involving Rev. Wright, this one has even more potential to completely backfire.  Another appropriate gift from Citizens United to its parents, the GOP.

How to Cure the Crazy (Jonathan Bernstein) from Salon
"The return of Donald Trump forces the question: Is there anything the GOP can do to recover from insanity?"

The Conception of the Birther (Todd S. Purdum) from Vanity Fair
"The “birther” controversy is newly in the headlines, but its umbilical cord stretches deep into our history."

Obama Has a Mean Streak and He Turned It on Romney This Week (Lloyd Grove) from the Daily Beast
"The president, for all his cool, has a mean streak—just ask Hillary Clinton—and this week he turned it on Mitt Romney, writes Lloyd Grove."
I have heard a lot of conservative critics' bogus story lines about our president -- but this is a new one: "Oh, Obama is SO mean!"  He sort of called Mitt Romney a "cow pie" and other nasty things! Boo hoo.  When the GOP whine-o-meter gets this high, it tells me that Obama's attacks must be landing. I guess now Obama can morph into a fascist, marxist, muslim, atheist, MEAN wimpy totalitarian -- who is just like Jimmy Carter!   As an aside, I actually think Obama could benefit from the perception that he really IS mean.  

AZ-Sen: ‘Political Greek God’: Even Republicans Think Carmona Has a Chance In Arizona (Pema Levy) from Talking Points Memo
"“Political Greek god,” “amazing” and “tremendous” are all words used to describe Arizona Democratic Senate candidate Richard Carmona — by Republicans."

News Nuggets 979

DAYLEE PICTURE: Springtime ... on Mars.  The NASA Rover Opportunity 

shoots a distinctly blue landscape on the red planet.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Israel Gives Qualified Okay to Obama’s Interim Deal with Iran from the Debka File [of Israel in English]
"Netanyahu and Ehud Barak have decided to stand back for Barack Obama to put his interim deal with Iran to the test, DEBKAfile’s sources report. They decided to go along with it despite their reservations after receiving assurances from the White House that any Iranian violations would result in the immediate termination of all negotiations and bring military action forward as the sole remaining option for stopping a nuclear Iran."

The Detention of Chinese Fishermen Fuels Anger with North Korea from Time Magazine
"As maritime tensions with neighbors including Vietnam and the Philippines continue to simmer, China has a fresh grievance with a somewhat unexpected antagonist: North Korea."

China’s Economic Crisis (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
"What caused these slowdowns? Success. In each case, the economy had produced a middle-income level. It becomes much more difficult to grow at a breakneck pace when you have a large economy and a middle-class society."

Syria’s Neighbors are Growing Restless (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"The Middle East sometimes resembles a string of detonators wired to explode together — and this seems especially true now of Syria and its neighbors. There is political instability nearby in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, as the Arab uprising moves through its second year. In each of these countries, the leadership maintains power in a balancing act. Only Turkey, with its triad of a strong economy, army and political leadership, seems genuinely stable. Fear of blowing up the region — and spawning even more Sunni-Shiite sectarian war — is one reason the Obama administration has refused to arm the Syrian opposition."

The Choice in Europe from the Economist [of London]
"A limited version of federalism is a less miserable solution than the break-up of the euro."

Utopia Lost?: European Dream is Over Without Greater Federalism from Diario Economico [of Portugal in English] 
“The Germans, still traumatized by the hyperinflation that brought Hitler to power, won’t allow for additional inflation. … Will people and politicians leave their existing trenches and follow a common path? Or will the European Union fail to amount to anything more than a utopia? At this point there are more doubts than certainties.”

Britain Fears 'Lost' Generation of Jobless Youth in Europe's Crisis from the McClatchy News Service
"Europe’s economic crisis has fueled a spiraling problem of unemployment among young people, with job seekers aged 15-24 more than twice as likely to be out of work as the average European. Policy makers and experts are warning that a growing number of them could remain locked out of the economy for years to come, posing a long-term challenge to growth and raising questions about the fundamental health of the continent’s labor force."
Yes -- Britain and just about everywhere else!

VatiLeaks Exposes Internal Memos of the Catholic Church (Barbie Latza Nadeau) from the Daily Beast
"A massive information dump nicknamed ‘VatiLeaks’ has the Catholic Church sweating. Barbie Latza Nadeau talks to Gianluigi Nuzzi, the journalist exposing Pope Benedict XVI’s internal memos."

The Battle Among Catholic Bishops (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post 
"There is a healthy struggle brewing among the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops. A previously silent group, upset over conservative colleagues defining the church’s public posture and eagerly picking fights with President Obama, has had enough."
I will believe it when I see it.  Where are they hiding out?!  Aside from the nuns, moderate and liberal voices have been silent for so long on so many issues, I have little faith that they will genuinely step into the public/political arena and really speak up.

The Crisis This Time from the Editorial Board of the New York Times 
"By this point, there should be no debate: Austerity has been a failure, shrinking economies and making it ever harder for indebted countries to repay their debts. The political costs are also rising."

Egos and Immorality on Wall Street (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times 
"... here’s the thing: If Wall Streeters are spoiled brats, they are spoiled brats with immense power and wealth at their disposal. And what they’re trying to do with that power and wealth right now is buy
themselves not just policies that serve their interests, but immunity from criticism."

When No One Else Will Hire You: Entrepreneurship as a Last Resort (Abby Ohlheiser) from Slate
"If you already have a steady job, those figures make a compelling argument for starting your business as a side project until you’re confident it will actually take off. But for those with no good options, what is there to lose?"

Why a 'Record Low' Number of Americans are 'Pro-choice': 5 Theories from The Week
"Gallup reveals a surprising drop in the number of people who call themselves "pro-choice," even as more Americans back gay marriage and the legalization of pot."
I lean towards explanation #3 -- with a twist.  Since Roe, pro-life groups have NEVER stopped trying to educate the public about why they are pro-life and what it means (in very general terms).  Pro-choice advocates have largely taken a walk on educating the public since Roe.  All you have to do is look at the most prominent public faces for the pro-choice position.  Aside from Sandra Fluke (a media accident in some ways), I cannot think of one that is under 50 years old, and in fact many are pushing 70.  This is one of the few areas where I fear that demographics may not favor the progressive or pro-choice point-of-view in the long term.

Did Obama Just Deliver Marriage Equality in Maryland? (Adam Serwer) from Mother Jones Magazine
"Polls taken since President Obama expressed support for same-sex marriage have shown an astonishing shift in black support on marriage equality. The shift in Maryland is so dramatic that the state may become the first state to actually uphold same-marriage rights in a referendum."

Welcome End of a Pseudotheory from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"Many opponents of giving equal rights and protections to gay Americans — at the workplace, in the military, in marrying and forming families — make the claim that homosexuality is a chosen way of life. They have long seized on the work of a towering figure in psychiatry to justify their position. But that psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Spitzer, has now renounced a study he did a decade ago that suggested that “reparative therapy” can help homosexuals who are highly motivated to change their sexual
orientation."
The story about this guy's reassessment can be found HERE.

Does Tough Love Work With Third Graders? (Michel Martin) from NPR's Tell Me More program
"Most passed but the ones who didn't have to retake it this summer and if they fail a second time, state officials say that they will likely be held back in the third grade. The rule is new in Indiana but other states like Florida have been testing third graders with similar consequences for some time now."
I cannot recall the last time I actually found myself in full agreement with GOP lawmakers on virtually any issue -- but here's one!  School districts are not doing their kids ANY FAVOR by promoting them past the third grade when they can't read.  Keeping them back in summer school and even holding them back a grade may hurt their self-esteem somewhat in the short run, but the impact can't compare to the landscape of Ds and Fs that await the kids they just pass on to the next grade with the problem unaddressed.  As that old advertisement used to say: reading IS fundamental.

Several George Zimmerman Witnesses Change their Accounts from the Orlando Sentinel
"Evidence released last week in the second-degree-murder case against George Zimmerman shows four key witnesses made major changes in what they say they saw and heard the night he fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford."
This is why we have trials.  

Conservatives Used to Care about Community. What Happened? (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"Romney is simply following the lead of Republicans in Congress who have abandoned American conservatism’s most attractive features: prudence, caution and a sense that change should be gradual. But most important of all, conservatism used to care passionately about fostering community, and it no longer does."

G.O.P. Nightmare Charts (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"On moral issues, long-term trends for the Republican Party are not good."

Asian-Americans Seize Political Spotlight in 2012 Presidential Campaign (Joie Chen) from the Daily Beast
"Obama is courting them, and their growing numbers could have a strong impact on key states. Joie Chen on why America’s ‘model minority’ has stayed off the political radar—until now."

My Break with the Extreme Right (Michael Fumento) from Salon
"I worked for Reagan and wrote for National Review. But the new hysterical right cares nothing for truth or dignity."

The Boy Who Cried Birther (Alex Koppelman) from the New Yorker
"...birtherism inspires a whole lot of anger on the left. That’s why, when there are more birther outbursts as Election Day draws closer, you’re likely to see the Romney campaign running for the hills—and people from the Obama campaign gladly talking about them."

ROBOT NUGGET!!
A Robo-Housekeeper: The Secret to Advanced Tidiness? (VIDEO) from The Week 
"Cornell researchers successfully configure a robot to clean up messy rooms. But Rosie from The Jetsons, this bot isn't."
Ten years from now, say sayonara to millions of restaurant staff jobs!!

TEEN HIGHJINKS GONE ASTRAY IN BRAZIL VIDEO NUGGET!!
Boy, mom and dad will have a little surprise waiting for them on the patio when they get home!!

OBAMA PHOTO NUGGET!!
When a Boy Found a Familiar Feel in a Pat of the Head of State from the New York Times
"...the photo is tangible evidence of what polls also show: Mr. Obama remains a potent symbol for blacks, with a deep reservoir of support. As skittish as White House aides often are in discussing race, they also clearly revel in the power of their boss’s example."

News Nuggets 978

DAYLEE PICTURE: It's Fleet Week in New York City with the 

big ships and the big sail on parade!  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Shakil Afridi, Pakistan Doctor Who Helped Find Osama Bin Laden, Sentenced To Prison from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"A Pakistani doctor who helped the U.S. track down Osama bin Laden was sentenced to 33 years in prison on Wednesday for conspiring against the state, officials said, a verdict that is likely to further strain the country's relationship with Washington."
The Pakistanis seem to be going out of their way to put a stick in the eye of the US.  All this will do is hasten the end of US engagement with them and, for them, a quicker descent into political and social chaos and recrimination.

The Revenge of the Rust Belt: How the Midwest Got Its Groove Back (Jordan Weissmann) from the Atlantic
"By becoming more cost competitive, the Midwest is luring back manufacturers, creating signs of hope in a troubled region."

After President Obama’s Announcement, Opposition to Same-sex Marriage Hits Record Low from the Washington Post
"Public opinion continues to shift in favor of same-sex marriage, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, which also finds initial signs that President Obama’s support for the idea may have changed a few minds."

Obama Spending Binge Never Happened: Government Outlays Rising at Slowest Pace Since 1950s (Rex Nutting) from the Wall Street Journal
"Of all the falsehoods told about President Barack Obama, the biggest whopper is the one about his reckless spending spree. ... Although there was a big stimulus bill under Obama, federal spending is rising at the slowest pace since Dwight Eisenhower brought the Korean War to an end in the 1950s."
Check out the chart that accompanies this article!

Harry Reid to Republicans: Give in on Bush Tax Cuts, Gutting Medicare and Maybe We Can Talk (Joan McCarter) from Daily Kos
"Democrats do have a trump card in this upcoming battle—two, actually, if they'll play them."

Is Justice Ginsburg Risking the Future of the Supreme Court? (Chris Greider) from the Daily Beast
"The calls for her retirement started last year—she’s nearly 80 and a two-time cancer survivor—but Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn’t going anywhere. Chris Geidner looks into the tricky world of politicking and the court."

Survey: NPR’s Listeners Best-informed, Fox Viewers Worst-Informed from Fairleigh Dickinson University and Poynter
"NPR and Sunday morning political talk shows are the most informative news outlets, while exposure to partisan sources, such as Fox News and MSNBC, has a negative impact on people’s current events knowledge."
The study lumps together all the major cable news sources -- and finds that folks who rely on them as their primary source of news to be the least informed.  As a few of you know, I cancelled cable ten years ago because, on some level, I perceived that this was true.  Now the evidence.  You want to be better informed about what's really happening?  Stop (like cold turkey!) looking there for news.  Just STOP.  Does it take more discipline to read newspapers (or their websites) or to listen to NPR? Only initially.  When I visit my parents, I will sometimes watch CNN with them, and it is my experience that I will get more and better information from reading the NY Times or the Wash Post for 30 minutes than watching CNN for four hours -- no exaggeration!

Obama Prospects Improve As Swing State Economies Improve (Mike Dorning) from Bloomberg News Service
"From extra shifts at auto and steel plants in Ohio to office buildings rising in Northern Virginia, the geography of the U.S. economic rebound is providing an edge to President Barack Obama’s re-election. The unemployment rates in a majority of the 2012 battleground states are lower than the national average as those economies improve. Coupled with the growth of adult minority populations in those states, the trends create a higher bar for presumed Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney in his quest to unseat Obama."
It is really interesting to see the two diametrically opposed narratives that are emerging for Democrats and Republicans (or at least their base voters).  Both sides seem to think their presidential candidate is gaining on the other.  "Obama's prospects are improving..." or "GOP discovers that Romney could win..."  To me, it further demonstrates that the two parties are operating within two dramatically divergent media universes wherein they (and especially the GOP) draw from a very select set of partisan sources. Who's right?  Guess we'll find out in November, won't we?

Obama's Region of Doom from Politico
"The region in question is the Upland or Upper South: its borders range roughly from eastern Oklahoma to western North Carolina and northward to include Appalachia. It’s similar in many ways to the Deep South but still culturally, politically and economically distinct. The heart of the Obama resistance is located in the coal country of Kentucky and West Virginia,"

Mitt, We Hardly Know You (Walter Russell Mead) from the American Interest 
"...the piece exposes the dilemma at the heart of the Romney campaign: the former governor can only be understood and appreciated as a human being in the light of the deep faith that informs and guides his approach to life, but few Americans understand what that faith is and how it works. Worse, while a tolerant society no longer persecutes Mormons or drives them out of town, many Americans view Mormonism as a cult and as an aggressive competitor against orthodox Christianity rather than as just one more stripe in the coat of many colors that makes up the American Christian world."

Romney's Bain Playbook Unclear as Attacks Grow from the Associated Press via Yahoo News
"The core of his presidential candidacy under attack, Mitt Romney has yet to shape a playbook to defend a quarter-century in the business world that created great riches for himself and great hardship, at times, for some American workers."

Romney Silent On Immigration As Latino Vote Slips Away from Talking Points Memo
Josh Marshall: "The Romney campaign seems to have decided that it can’t repair the damage to his chances with Hispanics post-primary and he’ll focus on getting votes elsewhere."
I suspect Marshall is over extrapolating here.  Romney can't afford to walk away from this demographic this early in the election cycle.

Colin Powell Trashes Mitt Romney's Team Of Foreign Policy Advisers (Jennifer Bendery) from the Huffington Post
"He gave the example of Romney recently saying that Russia is the "number one geopolitical foe" to the United States. "Come on Mitt, think," Powell said. "That isn't the case.""

Sir Mitt’s Very Thin Skin (Gene Lyons) from the National Memo
"When Romney’s not running around boasting about his enormous success running Bain Capital and accusing others of envying the vast wealth he’s got stashed in numbered accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands, his tender sensibilities are constantly being offended by peasants whining about lost jobs and stolen pensions. Why do they hate America? Anyway, his thin skin is how you know Romney’s an aristocrat. "

Sisters' Woes Jolt Pittsburgh: Probes Entangle Supreme Court Justice, State Senator, Both of Prominent Family from the Wall Street Journal 
""There is no precedent that I know of in modern Pennsylvania history for three people in the same family, three sisters in this case, to face these kinds of allegations," said Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. The sisters, all Republicans, say their legal troubles reflect bad blood with the Allegheny County district attorney, who is a Democrat."

Green Roofs in Big Cities Bring Relief From Above from the New York Times 
"Turning the black tar roofs that cover our cities into green spaces is not cheap or easy, but its environmental benefits would be great."

CRAZY INDOOR PETS NUGGET!!
We've seen moose, then hippos, ... now buffalo ... as in TWO of them living as indoor pets.  Crazy.  Never mind these two enormous animals, though, the interior decorating of this home would be enough to scare me away!
Couple Share Their House with TWO Giant Beasts from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Have you herd the one about the couple who live with two buffaloes? Here are the pictures to prove it.
RC Bridges, nicknamed 'The Buffalo Whisperer' and his wife Sherron, share their Texas home with 2,400lbs Wildthing and recent 900lbs arrival Bullet. Both are still growing, and could reach up to 11ft tall and weigh as much as 2,500lbs."

News Nuggets 977

DAYLEE PICTURE:  The Veliki Prstvaci waterfalls in Croatia.  From Der Spiegel of Germany. 

Obama's Preference for Talks with Iran Faces Test at Looming Meeting from the Associated Press via FOX News
"President Obama's preferred path to end the Iranian nuclear standoff faces a stern test this week when world powers sit down with Iran in another bid to press it to meet international demands to prove it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons. Failure will strengthen calls for military action. "

Iranians Taking Solace in the Past (Camelia Entekhabifard) from the New York Times
"Iran's youth and their elders are praying for progress at the nuclear talks in Baghdad."

US-Pakistan Tensions Deepen as Obama Snubs Zardari at Nato Summit (Ewen MacAskill) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Obama expresses frustration with Pakistan over its refusal to open up Nato supply routes in protest over US drone attacks"

Germany Isolated as Latin Bloc Calls the Shots from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"The eurozone's 'Latin Bloc' is in full revolt. The trio of French, Italian, and Spanish leaders - backed by world powers - are to push for a radical shift in Europe's economic strategy at crucial summit on
Wednesday."

India-China Relations and the Media: Blame the Messenger from the Economist [of the UK]
"China was accused of seeking to “internationalise” its claim to disputed territory. In the narrative of Chinese policy to which Indians have become accustomed by their press, it added another chapter to a familiar, consistent campaign by China to do India down."

The Specter of China's Cultural Revolution (Lijia Zhang) from the New York Times
"Until the leadership confronts the Cultural Revolution head-on, its ghosts will continue to haunt the nation."

How FBI Entrapment Is Inventing 'Terrorists' - and Letting Bad Guys Off the Hook (Rick Perlstein) from Rolling Stone Magazine
"This past October, at an Occupy encampment in Cleveland, Ohio, "suspicious males with walkie-talkies around their necks" and "scarves or towels around their heads" were heard grumbling at the protesters' unwillingness to act violently. "
I had said at the time that this kind of thing was going on.

A Court of Her Own (David V. Johnson) from Boston Review
An interesting look at the world of supreme court reporting.
"Nearly two years into her tenure as chief justice of Karlan’s Court, our legal columnist Pam Karlan talked to Web editor David Johnson via email about the perks of being on the BR bench, the legal column she would have happily died to write, and why she’s not surprised by John Roberts."

DOJ Accepts Ruling that Transgender Bias is Illegal from Raw Story 
"The Department of Justice (DOJ) accepted Monday a ruling from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that claims gender identity discrimination is a type of sex discrimination that is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

On Obama’s Hillary Clinton-Joe Biden Switcheroo (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"How likely is it that Obama will dump Biden for Hillary as veep? Probably not very. But recent polls suggest the president would be foolish not to consider mixing up the ticket."

Don’t Worry, Joe: It Ain’t So. Why Obama Won’t Run with Hillary Clinton (Jeff Greenfield) from Yahoo News
"First, when have presidents who are up for re-election dumped their vice presidents, and why have they done it? The difference between the reality and the Hillary-for-Joe fantasy can be measured in light-years."

Senior Admin Officials: Debt Limit Brinksmanship Is Political Suicide … For Republicans from Talking Points Memo
"At a background briefing with reporters Tuesday, two senior administration officials made a plausible case that the GOP’s demands are politically unsustainable, suggesting President Obama can stick to his guns as the debt limit approaches and that Boehner and Republicans will cave."

Our Pundit-of-the-Day!!
GOP to Modernity: Stop (Andrew Leonard) from Salon
"For House Republicans, the less we know about our country and our planet, the better."

Who are the Anti-Obama Democrats? (Aaron Blake) from the Washington Post 
"About 15 percent of Democratic primary voters are voting against the president, and the Arkansas and Kentucky contests tonight are likely to include significant numbers of Democrats spurning the president."

Zombie Birtherism: The Conspiracy That Doesn’t Know It’s Dead from Talking Points Memo
"Signs of life from the birther hive have also recently been reported in Iowa, Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, and Florida. (It is also worth noting, as TPM reported last week, that some of the most hardcore birthers are now so far gone that they’re saying Obama was born in America after all, only now they think his Kenyan father was a cover for his “real” father, communist Frank Marshall Davis..)"

PA-Pres: Obama Leads Big in Pennsylvania (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos 
"One of the great polling mysteries of the 2012 is the fact that President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are deadlocked in national polling, but the state-level polling shows a much more comfortable Obama lead. Case in point is Pennsylvania—a state more critical for Romney's chances than Obama's. Yet polling hasn't shown much of a contest. PPP has the latest numbers:"

It’s Official: Watching Fox Makes You Stupider (Ben Adler) from the Nation 
"...it fails the fundamental test of journalism: are you informing your audience? According to a new study by Farleigh Dickinson University, Fox viewers are the least knowledgeable audience of any outlet, and they know even less about politics and current events than people who watch no news at all."

ANIMAL RESCUE NUGGET!!
To celebrate Hope-for-Paws's contest victory the other day, I'm posting this rescue video Eldad Hagar did earlier this year.  It not only showcases the gift (and the patience) Eldad has with stray dogs, it demonstrates I think quite clearly how quickly a biting, snappy dog usually destined to be put down can be compassionately trained to completely stop doing that and be a friendly, normal loving dog.  Hint: it probably took less than an hour.  There is a moment in the video clip where you can really see that the dog begins to understand that the human is not there to hurt him but there to be his friend.  When you see that, it is quite moving!

News Nuggets 976

DAYLEE PICTURE:  Families in the village of Bokonbaevo in Kyrgyzstan have for generations trained golden eagles for hunting.  A very interesting story from the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT ROCKET NUGGET!!
Private Rocket Heading for Space Station from the New York Times
"Success of the SpaceX cargo rocket, above during its launch, would mark a key step in NASA’s efforts to turn over some low-orbit transportation to the private sector."

U.N. Nuclear Chief: Deal with Iran Reached from Time Magazine
"Despite some differences, a deal has been reached with Iran that will allow the U.N. nuclear agency to restart a long-stalled probe into suspicions that Tehran has secretly worked on developing nuclear arms, the U.N. nuclear chief said Tuesday."

Leader’s Fall in China Put Allies in Peril from the New York Times 
"The three men who fled to Australia have been held for two months. They left after Mr. Wang’s consulate visit, but returned to China in about 10 days on Mr. Xu’s private jet, thinking that Mr. Bo had avoided serious trouble. They were picked up by the police ..."

To Defy the Taliban: Afghan, 22, Rebuilding her Life in the U.S. After Having Her Nose Hacked Off from the Daily Mail [of the UK] 
"The 22-year-old fled to America, aged 18, for reconstructive surgery and won political asylum. Aesha now battling to put traumatic past behind her and adapt to her new life."

75 Million Youths to be Unemployed in 2012: ILO from the Times of India [in English] 
"The crisis-linked withdrawal from the labour market is particularly strong in developed economies, with an 18 per cent youth unemployment rate being projected for this year, the report said. "

College Crackup and the Online Future (Mark Taylor) from the Bloomberg News Service
"In the coming decade, emerging technologies will thoroughly transform higher education. Although distance learning and computer-assisted education have been around since the 1960s, financial pressures are forcing institutions to develop aggressive online programs. When education goes online, how professors teach, what students learn and how institutions are structured will change significantly."
Parts one and two of this series can be found HERE and HERE.

Gays May Have the Fastest of All Civil Rights Movements from the Los Angeles Times
"Public attitudes have shifted sharply in the last 10 years. Chalk it up to familiarity – among family, friends, co-workers and prime-time TV characters."

Rutgers Webcam-Spying Defendant Is Sentenced to 30-Day Jail Term from the New York Times
"A judge here sentenced Dharun Ravi to 30 days in jail on Monday for using a webcam to spy on his roommate having sex with a man, a punishment that angered prosecutors and did little to quiet the debate over using laws against hate crimes to fight antigay bias."

Win-or-Go-Home for Pelosi? (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"She’s as confident as ever, but this could be the last time Nancy Pelosi leads House Democrats into an election."

Remnants of the Ricketts Plan (Jelani Cobb) from the New Yorker
"What stands out about the now-discarded plan to recast Jeremiah Wright is not its myopia on religion but its even more myopic perspective on race…"

The "Vetting" Obsession (Paul Waldman) from American Prospect
"Conservatives are still hoping to uncover Barack Obama's deepest, darkest secret."

Mitt Romney’s Swiss-Cheese Campaign Places Most of His Life Off Limits (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
"With Bain, Romneycare, and Mormonism off the table, what can Mitt talk about? Howard Kurtz on the candidate behind the curtain—in an Oprahfied culture that wants political hopefuls to share."

Pres. Obama on Romney and Bain: 'When You're President, Your Job is Not Simply to Maximize Profits' (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
A GREAT response to Romney's main contention concerning his qualifications to be president!
"... so if your main argument for how to grow the economy is "I knew how to make a lot of money for investors," then you're missing what this job is about. It doesn't mean you weren't good at private equity. But that's not what my job is as president. My job is to take into account everybody, not just some. My job is to make sure the country is growing not just now, but 10 years from now, 20 years from now."

New Biography of CBS Newsman Walter Cronkite Dents His Halo (Howard Kurtz) from Newsweek
"Junkets. A liberal bias. And unconscionable shading of a major story. A new biography reveals how much has changed in America’s news culture."
Compared to media pundit-celebs of today, this doesn't sound like much of a dent.

Rush Limbaugh Ratings Drop In Several Big Markets from the Huffington Post 
"Rush Limbaugh's ratings have dropped sharply in several major markets following the firestorm over his comments about Sandra Fluke, Politico reports."

HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHY NUGGET!!
The Haunting Photographs of 19th Century American Child Workers that Helped Change U.S. Labor Laws from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Working as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, sociologist Lewis Hine documented the working and living conditions of children in the United States between 1908 and 1924. He travelled around 50,000 miles a year, photographing children from Chicago to Florida working in coal mines, factories and cotton mills for the lobbying organisation."

GLASS ARTIST NUGGET!!
Pioneering Glass Artist Returns to his Native Seattle with Stunning Exhibition that Rivals the Space Needle from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Pioneering glass artist Dale Chihuly, whose work has been shown in over 200 museums worldwide, will be honored in his home city Seattle when 'Chihuly Garden and Glass' opens on Monday, offering the most comprehensive collection of his work ever."
Confession: Chihuly has been my favorite contemporary artist for decades!!  This exhibition looks REALLY amazing!

News Nuggets 975

DAYLEE PICTURE: Aldo, an orphan bear at the Oregon Zoo.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT AFGHAN WAR NUGGET!!
Charting Obama’s Journey to a Shift on Afghanistan from the New York Times 
"It was just one brief exchange about Afghanistan with an aide late in 2009, but it suggests how President Obama’s thinking about what he once called “a war of necessity” began to radically change less than a year after he took up residency in the White House. ... “Well,” Mr. Obama responded that day, “I’m not going to give them more time.” A year later, when the president and a half-dozen White House aides began to plan for the withdrawal, the generals were cut out entirely. There was no debate, and there were no leaks. "
I have long SUSPECTED that this was what was going on.  The generals thought they would co-opt Obama into the Afghan debacle permanently -- but all they did was kill their own credibility.  And Obama is now hanging them out to dry.  The history books will not be kind to these people.


UP-FRONT CHARITY NUGGET!!
The Daylee News Nuggets official charity, Hope-for-Paws WON the Toyota 100-Cars-in-100-Days contest over the weekend.  Hope-for-Paws, of course, is the outfit in LA that rescued the poor blind dog, Fiona.  Thanks to all of you who clicked in to push them to victory!!  They will be receiving a new Toyota Highlander as a rescue vehicle!

The Persian Gulf Needs Its Own NATO: And America Needs to Lead It (Robert Haddick) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Can Abdullah learn anything from NATO's history? There seem to be some parallels to the challenges he perceives."

In China, Fear at the Top (Roderick MacFarquhar) from the New York Times 
"For members of China’s Communist elite, sending money overseas makes sense as a political hedge."

Islam and McCarthyism (John R. Schindler) from the National Interest 
"After a decade of controversial tactics, the Pentagon is cracking down on how Islam is taught to the U.S. military."

Obama’s Plan to Announce Afghanistan Withdrawal at NATO Summit Is Shrewd Politics (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"At the NATO summit this week the president will announce the pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by next summer. He will be conceding defeat—but by doing it now instead of the start of his term, he suffers no political damage."

Factories Begin to Shift Back to US from the Financial Times [of the UK] 
"Two-thirds of big US manufacturers have moved factories in the past two years, with the most popular destination being the US, according to a survey being released on Monday by Accenture, the consultants."

Your Stories Of Being Sick Inside The U.S. Health Care System (AUDIO) from NPR's Morning Edition
"From Oregon to Florida and Maine to Mississippi, Facebook respondents told wrenching tales of bankruptcies, missed diagnoses, medical errors, miscommunication, and treatment that was delayed or foregone because of its cost."

The Ph.D. Now Comes With Food Stamps from the Chronicle of Higher Education
"Ms. Bruninga-Matteau is part of an often overlooked, and growing, subgroup of Ph.D. recipients, adjunct professors, and other Americans with advanced degrees who have had to apply for food stamps or some other form of government aid since late 2007. Some are struggling to pay back student loans and cover basic living expenses as they submit scores of applications for a limited pool of full-time academic positions."

Faculty Leave Baptist School, Shorter University, Over “Lifestyle” Statement from the Washington Post
"More than two dozen faculty members have resigned from Shorter University, a Baptist school in Georgia, after it required them to sign a “personal lifestyle statement” that condemns homosexuality, premarital sex and public drinking."

Sandra Fluke: Life After Rush Limbaugh (Michelle Cottle) from the Daily Beast
"How Sandra Fluke turned a sexist slur into a feminist battle cry."

How Ugly? Really, Really Ugly (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"The disgraceful gazillionaire, Joe Ricketts, who commissioned the proposal for this ad campaign is mostly concerned about “ending spending.” What on earth does that have to do with Jeremiah Wright? Well, there is a twisted school of thought that government spending is all about giving poor people money and lining the pockets of charlatans like Wright...."

Romney: The Incidental Candidate (Howard Fineman) from the Huffington Post 
"Romney is the incidental candidate in an incidental campaign. He's a bland, blunt instrument, but only an instrument, in a wider crusade dedicated to one goal: ousting President Barack Obama and reversing whatever policy victories he has won."

Ohio: The Battleground (Alec MacGillis) from the New Republic
"Over the past year, Ohio politics has been in upheaval. What does that mean for November?

GREEN ARCHITECTURE NUGGET!!
Archi-future: 13 Green Buildings That Will Blow Your Mind (PHOTOS) from the Huffington Post
"In the spirit of eco-optimism, we've curated a selection of some of the most disruptive designs in the green building space, with an eye for both sustainability and aesthetic innovation."

MICHELLE OBAMA FASHION NUGGET!!
Michelle Obama's Defining Fashion Moments (PHOTOS) from Time Magazine 
"From her arm-baring dresses to her colorful cardigans, a look at the First Lady's groundbreaking style"

News Nuggets 974

DAYLEE PICTURE: Kayakers going over Outlook Falls in Washington State.  From National Geographic.
Note from yesterday: Still no announcement as to whether Hope-for-Paws won the Toyota Highlander.  They were well in the lead with seven hours to go last night!  Thanks everyone who voted for them yesterday!!

TEN BEST NUGGETS OF THE WEEK!!

1.  America's Destiny Still Largely in its Own Hands (Martin Wolf) from the Irish Times
"WHAT WILL be the role of the US in the 21st century? This is a question I rashly agreed to address last week at the Carnegie Council in New York. In analysing it, I considered a closely related issue that also exercises Americans: is the future role of the US in its own hands? The answer is: yes but only up to a point. The US can control what it does. But it cannot control what others do. The historic dominance of the US is the fruit of its exceptional assets."

2.  The New World Disorder (Kevin Sullivan) from Real Clear Politics 
"If the United States and its Western allies are no longer willing or able to lead, then who will? In his latest book, "Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World," author and global risk analyst Ian Bremmer sets out to answer that very question."

3.  Beware of Chinese Jingoism (Harry Kazianis) from The Diplomat
"In the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, depending on which party you ask, tensions are being stoked in the form of provocative editorials, reporting, and the actions of Chinese journalists. Such reporting – nothing more than old fashioned jingoism – sets a dangerous precedent in an area of the world that is already rife with tensions. "

4.  On Barack Obama: The First Gay President (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"The president’s bold support shifted the mainstream. Andrew Sullivan on why it shouldn't be surprising—Obama’s life as a biracial man has deep ties to the gay experience."

5.  President Obama Is Ending Black America's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy (Aisha Moodie-Mills) from the Atlantic
"The most profound impact of Obama's "evolution" on same-sex marriage could come in the form of dismantling decades-old anti-gay prejudices within the black church."

6.  I’m Not Quitting the Church (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post  
"I’d like the FFRF to learn more about the good Pope John, but I wish our current bishops would think more about him, too. I wonder if the bishops realize how some in their ranks have strengthened the hands of the church’s adversaries (and disheartened many of the faithful) with public statements — including that odious comparison of President Obama to Hitler by a Peoria prelate last month — that threaten to shrink the church into a narrow, conservative sect."

7.  Is the Filibuster Unconstitutional? (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post 
"Bondurant thinks the filibuster is unconstitutional. And, alongside Common Cause, where he serves on the board of directors, he’s suing to have the Supreme Court abolish it."

8.  GOP Faces Uphill Debt Battle (Patricia Murphy) form the Daily Beast 
"Though the sandwiches Obama brought failed to create a bipartisan miracle at Wednesday’s budget meeting of congressional leaders, the Democrats are happy—they’re in the driver’s seat for this year’s debt showdown, reports Patricia Murphy."

9.  ‘Metrosexual Black Abe Lincoln’ (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"“The metrosexual black Abe Lincoln has emerged as a hyper-partisan, hyper-liberal, elitist politician with more than a bit of the trimmer in him.” This sentence is just so deliciously ridiculous, insulting and incendiary — perfect Republican fodder. Let’s dissect it, shall we? Scalpel!"

10.  Dems’ Best Friend: The GOP Base (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"The conservative masses revolt again, this time in Nebraska's Senate primary.  At the very least, the Republican Party base’s revolt against its own establishment cost the GOP a 50-50 Senate tie in 2010, with primary voters forcing unelectable nominees on the party in three races that it had otherwise been on course to win. A decent case can be made that the uprising actually cost Republicans outright Senate control. And now the same thing may be happening all over again, with Nebraska joining a growing list of unexpected 2012 Senate battlegrounds – at least for the moment."

Now, for the regular news nuggets of Sunday, May 20th.

Who Is an American? (Peter Schrag) from National Journal
"Through successive waves of immigration, the nation has struggled to define which new arrivals are “fit for our society.”

NAACP Endorses Same-Sex Marriage from the Washington Post
"The NAACP’s board of directors voted Saturday to endorse same-sex marriage rights – adding the influential voice of the country’s leading black civil rights organization to a debate that has divided the
African-American community."

China Home Prices, Car Inventory Add To Signs Of Slowing from Bloomberg News Service
"China’s home prices fell in a record number of cities last month and car dealers posted inventory levels that foreshadowed deeper price cuts, adding to signs of slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy."

Here Comes Nobody (Maureen Dowd) from the New York Times
"Suffocating debate and resisting modernity, the Catholic Church shrinks its appeal."

The Difference Between Inspiring and Creepy Human-Robot Technology (Torie Bosch) from Slate
"...another story began circulating online: that of a group called Russia 2045 that hopes to, among other things, download the human mind to a robot, which would essentially enable immortality sans biological body."

Why Barack Obama Needs to Keep Joe Biden (Ted Strickland) from the Atlantic
"He's the most effective vice-president in history."

Texas Marches Toward Swing State Status. Only Question is 'When?' (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"PPP's latest poll of Texas showed Mitt Romney beating President Barack Obama 50-43 in the presidential head-to-head. That the Republican was winning isn't surprising, but the single-digit margin was. John McCain won the state 55-44 in 2008, and it has obviously served as the GOP's
electoral stronghold (and breeding grounds) for several decades, both at the state and national levels. The GOP's mid- to long-term problem, however, is that there's not enough white people to offset the state's explosive demographics."

Michael Tomasky on Mitt Romney’s Character Assassination Game (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Republicans specialize in accusing opponents of the dirty tricks they themselves are doing—or planning to do. Exhibit A: Romney accusing Obama of “character assassination.”"

G-8 PHOTO NUGGET!!
Laid Back Obama and Dave at Camp David G8 summit (PHOTOS) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A relaxed Saturday morning atmosphere reigned at Camp David today as ten of the world's most powerful people huddled in a log cabin in the Appalachian Mountains."