News Nuggets 58

A dust storm about to overtake Khartoum in Sudan

Keeping Obama's Young Army Engaged from the Los Angeles Times

"The election's over, but Democrats want to hold on to under-30 voters as campaigning moves to governing."

White Extremists Lash Out After Election of First Black President from the Los Angeles Times

"The Ku Klux Klan is emerging from decades of disorganization and obscurity, and the turnaround is acutely evident -- more than 200 hate-related incidents have been reported since the Nov. 4 election."

We Found the WMD (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"If I had my druthers right now we would convene a special session of Congress, amend the Constitution and move up the inauguration from Jan. 20 to Thanksgiving Day. Forget the inaugural balls; we can’t afford them. Forget the grandstands; we don’t need them. Just get me a Supreme Court justice and a Bible, and let’s swear in Barack Obama right now."

The Price of Our Good Name from the New York Times Editorial Board

"Even with all those demands, there is one thing Mr. Obama must do quickly to begin to repair this nation’s image and restore its self-respect: announce a plan for closing Mr. Bush’s outlaw prison at Guantánamo Bay."

Eight Years is More Than Enough from the New York Times Editorial Boar

"The score of Bush burrowers who have so far come to light bring with them the worst pro-industry, anti-regulatory biases that have made this administration such a disaster."

Five on the Outs in Cabinet Shuffle from Politico

"While no official announcements have been made, a controlled series of leaks have given a good sense of who's still in contention, and which big names have been bounced from the bracket."

I Beg Your Pardon: The Top Prospects for Bush Clemency from Slate

"Attention, convicts: Time is running out to get applications to the pardon attorney at the Justice Department if you're hoping President Bush will be your decider."

Pollsters Debate America's Political Realignment from the Washington Post

"The 2008 election is history, but the battle over what it meant has just begun."

Rising Hope for Fixing Health Care (David Broder) from the Washington Post

"Developments at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue last week -- and across the country -- pointed up both the urgency of the problem and the prospects for seeing significant action."

An Early Look at Next Cycle's Races from Daily Kos

"There's always an election more or less around the corner, and in this case, 2009 and 2010 should be exceptionally interesting years in term of the balance of power in the Senate, and the control of governorships prior to the 2010 census and subsequent redistricting."

Greetings from Kenya, the Center of the World from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"The election of Barack Obama was big news in Kenya, his ancestral homeland. Karamagi Rujumba -- who was born in Kenya -- covered the election from there for the Post-Gazette. He has more to tell."

SCIENCE NUGGET! [A take-off on yesterday's similar posting]

Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth? from the New York Times Editorial Board

"The most gung-ho scientists think it could be done in a decade or two for as little as $10 million. The deeper question is, should we try?"

BOOK REVIEW NUGGET!

Review of 'American Lightening' by Howard Blum in the New York Times Book Review

"The 1910 bombing [of the Los Angeles Times Building] was a watershed event in our nation’s history, he insists, with dire consequences for the 20th century and a dark warning for the 21st."