News Nuggets 422

A display of northern lights caused by the recent solar flares.  From National Geographic.

Israel, Palestinians to Resume Peace Talks Sept. 2 from the Associated Press

"Israel and the Palestinians will resume long-stalled direct peace talks in Washington early next month with the aim of reaching a settlement in a year's time, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday."

U.S. Assures Israel That Iran Threat Is Not Imminent from the New York Times

"The Obama administration, citing evidence of continued troubles inside Iran’s nuclear program, has persuaded Israel that it would take roughly a year — and perhaps longer — for Iran to complete what one senior official called a “dash” for a nuclear weapon, according to American officials."
Now -- let me just say that this is SOOO typical of the modern media machine.  Last week, thanks to Jeffrey Goldberg at the Atlantic, the big story was how Israel was about to attack Iran.  This week: ooops!  Maybe not.  While my confidence could be misplaced, it has been my view for some time that the White House has EXCELLENT intel from within Iran's nuclear program.  Why do I think this?  Last year's aborted Green Revolution.  The educated classes in Iran (even those nuclear scientists and their families) are disproportionally pissed off at the Iranian leadership.  

The Beginning of the End (John Negroponte) from Foreign Policy Magazine

"The U.S. combat presence in Iraq is over, and it is likely all troops will be gone by the end of next year. But strong support will still be needed in the weeks and months to come, lest the country slip back into chaos and conflict."

President Obama's Winning Streak (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post

"This is a radical break from journalistic convention, I realize, but today I'd like to give credit where it's due -- specifically, to President Obama. Quiet as it's kept, he's on a genuine winning streak."

Washington Saved Our Economic Hides (Froma Harrop) from RealClearPolitics

"Had Washington not taken any aggressive steps starting in 2008, the results would have been horrific, their study says. Real gross domestic product would have fallen a "stunning" 12 percent, rather than the actual decline of 4 percent. Nearly 17 million jobs would have vanished, twice as many as the real count. And the unemployment rate would have peaked at 16.5 percent."

Really Unusually Uncertain (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"One reason it is so unusual is that we are not just trying to recover from a financial crisis triggered by crazy mortgage lending. We’re also having to deal with three huge structural problems that built up over several decades and have reached a point of criticality at the same time."

Tensions Flare Over Proposed Mosque on Staten Island from the New York Times

So much for the 'sacred ground' argument.

"In the last few months, Muslim groups have encountered unexpectedly intense opposition to their plans for opening mosques in Lower Manhattan, in Brooklyn and most recently in an empty convent on Staten Island."

The Ground Zero Mosque Must be Built (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post

"The mosque should be built precisely because we don't like the idea very much. We don't need constitutional protections to be agreeable, after all. This point surpasses even all the obvious reasons for allowing the mosque, principally that there's no law against it. Precluding any such law, we let people worship when and where they please. That it hurts some people's feelings is, well, irrelevant in a nation of laws. And, really, don't we want to keep it that way?"

Who Will Stand Up to the GOP's War on Islam? (Gene Lyons) from Salon

"If we don't stop the hysteria soon, bin Laden will score one of his biggest propaganda victories yet"

At the Far Right Edge of Politics from the editorial Board of the New York Times

"The party has nominated so many at the far right of the spectrum, as well as some other unusual choices — Linda McMahon, the candidate for the United States Senate in Connecticut made millions running the sex-and-violence spectacle known as World Wrestling Entertainment — that the Republican brand is barely recognizable."

Dr. Laura Schlessinger to End Radio Show from the New York Times

"Dr. Laura Schlessinger the conservative talk radio commentator under fire for repeatedly using a racial epithet, announced on Tuesday that she was ending her long-running radio show.

THANK GOD!!  I was wondering if ANY of these right wing nutjobs would ever move on!!

Meanwhile, Ann Coulter continues her march to oblivion:

Ann Coulter Dropped from Conference Over Speech to Gay Group from The HIll

"The conservative website World Net Daily.com (WND) announced Wednesday that it was canceling a planned keynote address by Ann Coulter next month at its "Taking America Back Annual Conference" because of her decision to give a paid speech before a gay conservative group. "

COMIC BOOK NUGGET!!

Breathtaking Adaptations: 13 Classic Books Transformed into Graphic Novels from Huffington Post

"We've seen graphic novels-into-films and, of course, books-into-movies, but what about books-into-graphic novels? What happens when you take a classic work of literature and transform it into a graphic text?"

Some look really good and some look really ... different/potentially quite bad.

BASEBALL NUGGET!! [of a sort]

Roger Clemen's Indictment Continues Baseball's Sorry Saga (John Fienstein) from the Washington Post

"The indictment of Roger Clemens on Thursday for lying to Congress about alleged steroid use isn't the end of this saga. It's just another sad chapter."

The indictment didn't surprise me.  What took me aback was Clemens' whining "victim schtick' tirade he threw when asked for a comment.