News Nuggets 222

One of the ritual activities involving heated bricks employed by Shaolin Monks in China -- for those of you looking for a new hobby!

UP-FRONT LOCAL NUGGET!!

Netroots Nation Comes to Town from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"The citizens of this nation, about 2,000 strong, define themselves as the netroots, lower case version -- liberal bloggers who use the Internet and grassroots activism to promote their causes and candidates. Mr. Clinton met with bloggers in June, and yesterday Netroots made the announcement that he would open the convention."

The World's Ten Most Dangerous Countries (David Rothkopf) from Foreign Policy Magazine

"To begin with, let's consider criteria and that means we need to ask "dangerous to whom?" There are plenty of local actors who are the nearest, greatest threats to the neighbors. So, let's limit ourselves to actors who can cause the greatest disruption through their actions to the most people over the next decade or so."

Asymmetric Warfare from the Times [of London]

"The killing of the Taleban’s top leader in Pakistan confirms the role of drones in fighting terrorism. Britain needs to come clean about its position on these weapons."

Why Al Qaeda is Losing the War on Terror (Editorial) from Esquire Magazine

"America certainly does its best to suppress radical Islam, but that's not what scares al-Zawahiri and bin Laden — having to integrate with the rest of the world does. Career opportunities and a better life, after all, means fewer young people driven to extremism.

And that's exactly what's happening: Radical Islam has overplayed its hand again, creating popular resentment escalating to political backlash."

Green Shoots in Palestine II (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"Ever since the collapse of the Oslo peace accords in 2000, and the horror-show violence that followed, there has been only one thing to say about the West Bank: Nothing ever changes here, except for the worst. That is just not the case anymore — much to my surprise."

Obama Makes Plans for Middle East Peace Conference This Year from the DEBKAfile [of Israel in English]

"According to our Washington sources, the Obama White House is not thinking in terms of a new peace plan but a multinational conference on the lines of the Madrid conference convened by the first President George Bush to take place in November this yea"

Obama Must End the Cold War (Editorial) from RealClearWorld

As if he has nothing else on his plate right now.

"This November will mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. But the end of confrontation in Europe may be proving only temporary... Although the Cold War in Europe was declared over, the truth is, it never really finished."

Criminal Investigation into CIA Treatment of Detainees Expected from the Los Angeles Times

"A senior Justice Department official said that Holder envisioned an inquiry that would be narrow in scope, focusing on "whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorized" in Bush administration memos that liberally interpreted anti-torture laws."

Is Obama Punking Us? (Frank Rich) from the New York Times

"What disturbs Americans of all ideological persuasions is the fear that almost everything, not just government, is fixed or manipulated by some powerful hidden hand, from commercial transactions as trivial as the sales of prime concert tickets to cultural forces as pervasive as the news media."

Where Have You Gone, Joe the Citizen? (Editorial) from the New York Times

"“We’re living in the era of the viral town meeting,” said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University who once worked as a Senate aide. “I remember back in the ’70s getting identically worded telegrams in the thousands. What’s happened now is the technology of protest has metastasized, and it threatens to overwhelm the relationship between members of Congress and their constituents.”"

It's Time to Fight Dirty (Editorial) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Foes of health-care reform are winning because they know it's a war."

Obama Still Isn't President in the South (Andrew Sullivan) from the Times [of London]

"They grasp conspiracy theories to wish Obama — and the America he represents — away. Since white southerners comprise an increasing proportion of the 22% of Americans who still describe themselves as Republican, the GOP can neither dismiss the crankery nor move past it. The fringe defines what’s left of the Republican centre."

Conservative Protesters Prepping for Obama N.H. Town Hall (Chuck Todd) from MSNBC

Now, this should be interesting!  There are times when Obama is fearless.

"If anything, I'd bet some inside the White House are hoping for a confrontation since they believe the president's demeanor alone will politically play well with the folks the White House cares most about right now, ACTUAL independents. "

Conservatives Slam Palin Attack as 'Crazy' (Steve Benen) from the Washington Monthly

"On "Meet the Press" this morning, David Brooks called Palin's attack "crazy" adding that "the crazies are attacking the plan because it will cut off granny. That is simply not true, that simply is not going to happen.""

Conservatives are the Real Joker (Editorial) from the Nation

"Joker's evil is banal, random, gleeful and almost effortless. "Do I really look like a guy with a plan?" he asks.  If the current political moment were mapped onto The Dark Knight script, it would be the right wing fringe of the GOP cast as the chaos-inducing Joker."

It's Hard Out Here for a Sane Republican (Alex Koppelman) from Salon

"It seems clear that regardless of the role FreedomWorks and similar organizations are playing, there is a real vein of discontent here. That said, though, that discontent often appears to be driven by a paranoid view of what healthcare reform will mean, one largely divorced from reality."

Mrs. Clinton Answers Man Who Wanted Her Daughter from the Standard [of Kenya in English]

"The man who wishes to be Mrs Clinton’s son-in-law is Mr Godwin Kipkemoi Chepkurgor, a former nominated councillor in Nakuru.  Chepkurgor had first written to then President Clinton offering 40 goats, and 20 cows in the year 2000, in exchange for his daughter’s hand in marriage."

TV NUGGET!!

Are They 'Hung'? from Salon

"It's been decades since "American Gigolo," and "Deuce Bigalow" didn't exactly drill deep into the authentic experience. So, I talked to some real-life Rays -- yes, they do exist -- about what's realistic about "Hung" and what isn't."