A rainbow caused by the midnight sun in northern Finland. From the Daily Mail. See the rainbow nugget below.
CORRECTION: I had said yesterday I'd be having an article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It's actually in today's Pittsburgh Courier and will be on their website [and this one] tomorrow.
US-Israel Reset (Michael Tomasky) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"I think what we have here is basically the end of the territory-marking phase of the relationship."
The Dance of the Peace Process (Jacob Heilbrunn) from the National Interest
"The idea that Israel is simply impervious to American, or international, pressure is mistaken. That’s why Netanyahu said that direct talks with the Palestinians could take place in a few weeks. The big news is that Obama backed him up. "
Biden Thrives as Wars Grind On from Politico
"Despite his wartime portfolio, Vice President Joe Biden seems to be one of the few people around the White House who is actually enjoying his job these days."
Given the positive press he's received in the last several weeks, he SHOULD be enjoying his job.
Pope Benedict XVI Lashes Out at Secular Justice from Der Speigel [of Germany in English]
"This spring, it looked as though the Catholic Church was finally going to confront charges of sexual abuse head on. Following recent police raids in Belgium, however, the Vatican has once again closed ranks. In the internal Holy See debate, the conservatives have regained the upper hand."
Dumb. The Holy See's reaction right along has been, sad, pathetic and deeply counter-productive.
American Dream is Elusive for New Generation from the New York Times
"As the weeks pass, Scott Nicholson, ..., has gradually realized that his career will not roll out in the Greater Boston area — or anywhere in America — with the easy inevitability that his father and grandfather recall, and that Scott thought would be his lot, too, when he finished college in 2008. “I don’t think I fully understood the severity of the situation I had graduated into,” he said, speaking in effect for an age group."
For African-Americans, A Virtual Depression—Why? (Orlando Patterson) from the Nation
"perhaps the most startling recent development has been the finding of several recent reports showing that the black middle class as a group is not only losing ground compared with other groups but is failing to reproduce itself. A 2007 Pew Foundation/Brookings Institution study found that a majority of black middle-class children earned less than their parents and, even more alarming, that almost half of downwardly mobile offspring had fallen to the bottom of the income distribution.
What happened?"
EPA Tells Old Coal Power Plants to Upgrade Pollution Controls from the Los Angeles Times
"A new rule aims to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide around and downwind of old coal-fired power plants east of the Mississippi, in keeping with an Obama campaign promise."
Here again -- this is one of the reasons that Obama got elected. This could be excellent news.
Healthcare: Democrats Up Ante from The Hill
"Recent polls indicate a slow but steady uptick in the popularity of healthcare reform. Despite Republican hopes that the law’s controversial passage will win them seats this fall, the Democrats’ actions show they still consider the issue a political winner."
It's Feds v. Arizona. Bet on Feds (Jonathan Cohn) from the New Republic
"Arizona may have some success in the lower courts, but I don't believe that the Supreme Court Justices, whether conservative or liberal, will be at all sympathetic with the notion the federal control over immigration ought to delegated to 50 different states."
First Thoughts: Immigration Politics Heats Up from FirstRead at MSNBC
"As NBC pollster Peter Hart (D) reminded us, Democrats won California just ONCE in presidential contests from 1952 to 1988. But after Wilson’s Prop. 187, Republicans haven’t come CLOSE to winning the nation’s biggest state. It's not even remotely close to being a swing state."
On the Left, a False Choice Fuels the Growing Civil War Over Obama (Peter Daou) from the Huffington Post
"There is a civil war on the left over Barack Obama. The fault lines are jagged, and depending on the issue, porous, but broadly, the split is along two fronts:"
Democrats Digging Harder Than Ever for Dirt on Republicans from the Washington Post
"The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig up unflattering details about Republican challengers. In House races from New Jersey to Ohio to California, Democratic operatives are seizing on evidence of GOP candidates' unpaid
income taxes, property tax breaks and ties to financial firms that received taxpayer bailout money."
Given the candidates the GOP is fielding, this should be like shooting fish in a barrel.
RAINBOW NUGGET!!
There IS a Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow! Photographer Captures Stunning Arc Caused by Midnight Sun from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The pictures were taken in northern Finland, where the summer sun never sets and the light was still strong enough to form a rainbow in the middle of the night."
Truly breath-taking!
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