News Nuggets 357

Apparently goslings often mistake other geese for their mother. The mothers don't seem to mind. This is one astounding result. HERE's the story from the Daily Mail [of the UK]

Globalization Threatens the Hold on Power of the Iranian Regime (Editorial) from the Daily Star [of Lebanon in English]

"The fundamentalists are trapped in a losing battle. Their views were shaped by negative reactions to rapid Westernization under the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. A majority of Iran’s current population, which was born after the 1979 revolution, now chafes under the obscurantist yoke. The regime, which is eager to participate in and even influence the modern world, has failed to keep secular influences at bay. Globalization has reached Iran and is here to stay."

Obama Running Out of Patience as BP Misses Oil Slick Deadlines from the Independent [of the UK]

"The US Government is threatening to remove BP from the operation to halt the Gulf oil spill, and send it the bill at a later date, saying that the job of cleaning up after what will soon become the industry's worst ever environmental disaster has thrown the British firm into an "existential crisis"."

The Old Enemies (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times

"Corporate America, however, really, truly hates the current administration. Wall Street, for example, is in “a state of bitter, seething, hysterical fury” toward the president, writes John Heilemann of New York magazine. What’s going on?"

How They Did It (Part Three) (Jonathan Cohn) from the New Republic

"This is the third of a five-part series explaining, in remarkable detail, how Obama and the Democrats came to pass health care reform."

Discrimination High Against Latinos, Poll Finds from the Los Angeles Times

"The immigration debate has raised the profile of the problem, advocates say."

The Arizona Backlash: Immigration Debate Stirs Historic Passions (Lou Cannon) from Politics Daily

"Although that concern is focused on illegal immigration across the 1,950-mile border shared by Mexico and the United States, the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that roughly half of the 10.75 million illegal immigrants in the United States arrived legally and overstayed their visas. ... Historically, anxiety about immigrants had less to do with their legality than with the race, ethnicity or religion of the newcomers."

Which Side of History Do You Want to Be On? (Joseph Persico, noted biographer) from the [Albany, NY] Times Union

"Everywhere we turn, it seems, we hear the voices of doom. Our Constitution is being sabotaged. Our country is headed in a dire direction. The government is taking over our lives. To those who make these charges, I ask only this: Do we know of anyone who has been deprived of free speech? Do we know of anyone denied the right to vote the rascals in or out? Do we know of any laws enacted by anybody but our duly elected representatives? And what is this government that is supposed to be trying to take over our lives?"

Mark Souder, You Broke My Heart (E.J. Dionne) from the New Republic

"So I do hope that Souder finds a way to work out his redemption. But it is precisely because this story hit me personally that I want to shout as forcefully as I can to my conservative Christian friends: Enough! Enough with dividing the world between moral, family-loving Christians on the one side and supposedly permissive, corrupt, family-destroying secularists on the other. ... How many scandals will it take for right-wing Christians to rediscover humility?"

Suddenly Cracks Appear in the Tea Party Revolt (Andrew Sullivan) from the Times [of London]

"The latest victory for right-wing Republicanism has also exposed its big weakness."

Bonfire of the Inanities (Eliza Carney) from the National Journal

"To hear leading conservatives tell it, the specter of book banning looms large in the United States."

Rand Paul Will Have to Meet the Press Eventually (Gabriel Winant) from Salon

"Paul's opposition to fairly bedrock pieces of American law, however, raises a whole host of other questions that he really ought to answer before he expects people to vote for him. If he's anything like consistent, it's hard to imagine that he believes in social security or Medicare, the minimum wage -- just to name a few. But how can we be sure? What will he admit to? In other words, he's exactly the kind of candidate who should be going on Meet the Press."

SPRING NUGGET!!

A Look at Wave Hill in NYC from Daily Kos

"Wave Hill is a truly fascinating legacy and this is a good time to remember some American who once held a deep respect for nature."

CARTOON NUGGET!!

What's Up, Doc? New Looneys from the New York Times

"Ask a first grader to identify Bugs Bunny and the response more likely than not will be a blank stare. Dora, sure. Mickey, alive and kicking. But Porky who? Worried that the low profile of the Looney Tunes cast of characters among children is the start of th-th-th-that’s all folks for the historic cartoon franchise, Warner Brothers is embarking on a five-alarm rescue effort."

The Atlantic has some reactions to this article HERE.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE NUGGET!!

Globish for Beginners from the New Yorker

"If the whole world speaks English, will it still be English?"

The photos here are amazing!