A lightening storm over Denver. From the Daily Mail. See the tornado nugget below.
UP-FRONT INDEPENDENCE DAY NUGGET!!
Pride and Independence in Provincetown (Phillip Hoare) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"This is small-town America, with all its good and bad. And this tawdriness, which old Europe may sneer at, is in fact extraordinarily reassuring."
Another appropriate opinion is voiced here:
The Meaning of the Forth of July Now (Jack White) from The Root
"The hopeful trope that got him elected is that these are the United States of America--one nation, one people, unified by a collective pursuit of a common dream. But while the vibrant, multicolored, more mature and just society that Obama evokes has been born, it could still be choked in its cradle."
The Afghanistan Endgame (John Barry) from Newsweek
"Most of the players in the region are already planning for it—except maybe the Taliban."
No Place for Jingoism: Obama's Welcomed Internationalism in Outer Space from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"The contrast in tone between the new national space policy unveiled by President Obama last week and the policy adopted by the Bush administration four years ago is striking. The Bush policy was jingoistic, unilateral in approach, and resistant to arms control in space. The Obama policy is cooperative, international in approach, and open to a verifiable arms control treaty to restrain the development of space weapons."
"Guys, Cool It" from True/Slant
"Of the unusually calm reaction on the Russian side, one former Russian intelligence officer told Newsweek, “This time, everyone is keeping quiet, even though there is a huge amount of people who want to play the anti-American card,” he said. “And they would have done it had there not been a command from the very top: ‘Guys, cool it.’”"
An Emerging Turkey-Iran Rupture from RealClearWorld
"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suddenly found himself reassessing his government's burgeoning ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran - and sooner than expected."
The moves of leaders of Turkey and Brazil to develop their own Iran program is looking dopier by the day. They both are increasingly looking like fools.
The Right Kind of American Populism (Jon Meacham) from Newsweek
"Populism’s shift from economics to culture in America is as important a development in our politics as the rise of civil rights at home or the fall of the Soviet Union abroad. Without an effective progressive economic movement, questions about wealth and power become questions of degree, not kind. The status quo is accepted (that’s why it’s called the status quo), and even the ablest of modern Democratic politicians find themselves at work in an arena defined by those with an interest in limiting reform and thwarting revolutions."
Biden Flexes Muscles as Dealmaker from Politico
"Vice President Joe Biden is using his political capital with Iraq’s leaders to urge them in starkly personal terms to break the four-month stalemate that followed their parliamentary elections. "
The Return of 'Sundown' Towns? from The Root
"A tough law against illegal immigrants in Nebraska could revive the whites-only-at-night towns of our Jim Crow past."
HORSE NUGGET!!
Horses Understand Humans, Sort of from Discovery News
"Although horses can't talk (with the exception of Mister Ed naturally), they are able to pick up on subtle eye and body movements."
VOLCANO NUGGET!!
Photographer Dodges Volcanic Blitzkrieg in South Pacific: Big Pics from Discovery News
"Last month, British volcano photographer and Discovery News guest blogger Richard Roscoe ventured to the southern Pacific Island state of Vanuatu to get spectacular images of Yasur volcano, just as it was starting to boil over. The following is his account of photographing its eruption while dodging red-hot lava bombs, ash clouds, and volcanic lightning:"
AMUSEMENT PARKS NUGGET!!
The World's Worst Theme Parks from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Disneyland and Six Flags may conjure up images of log flumes and roller coasters, long lines and egregiously priced cotton candy, but it's not always fun and games. Here are six theme parks where it's more propaganda than Pinocchio, more geopolitics than Goofy."
This doesn't mean goofy is completely absent. There are days where you think nothing can shock you. Then you discover places like Love Island, a pornographer's Disneyland in South Korea. It's no. 3 on this list.
TORNADO NUGGET!!
Looking for a Whirlwind Holiday? Storm Chasers Take Guests on Tours Across Deadly 'Tornado Alley' from the Daily Mail
"If you’re looking for a whirlwind holiday, a break in America’s Midwest might just fit the bill. Storm-chasers Roger and Caryn Hill are now taking British punters on the hunt of their lives following deadly and destructive tornados. Ploughing their way through 'Tornado Alley', the couple drive groups of up to 18 people in three buses and charge up to £230 a day for a ten-day chase."
Storm chasers are nothing new -- but the pictures here are pretty cool!
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