An unusual celestial "spiral" of stars and dust spotted by Hubble. See the Galactic Nugget below. From National Geographic.
The Fight for Sept. 11: Terror Anniversary Becomes American Day of Hate from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Sept. 11 used to be a day when America came together -- party politics took a backseat to reconciliation. Not so this year. From the Muslim prayer room at ground zero to Koran burnings in Florida to a certain gathering in Alaska, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks this year threatens to become a day of hate."
Nine Years After 9/11 Let's Stop Playing Into bin Laden's Hands (Ted Koppel) from the Washington Post
"The goal of any organized terrorist attack is to goad a vastly more powerful enemy into an excessive response. And over the past nine years, the United States has blundered into the 9/11 snare with one overreaction after another."
Even Now, Muslims Must Have Faith in America (Tariq Ramadan) from the Washington Post
"The problem to overcome is not hatred, but ignorance. The challenge for Muslims in America is to respect the fears of ordinary people while resisting the exploitation of those fears by political parties, lobbies and sectors of the media. To meet this challenge, Muslims must reassess their own involvement, behavior and contributions in American society."
What an amazing perspective!!
The Talibanization of America: Viewed from Pakistan, the Rise of U.S. Islamophobia Looks Depressingly Familiar (Editorial) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"An Islamophobia problem in America is a problem everywhere else. Of all the things that can destroy the fragile and momentous little steps of progress across the Muslim world, this might be the most potent and lethal."
GOP's Surprise Gay-Rights Push (Anthony Woods) from the Daily Beast
"Few would have predicted that Republicans would be the ones advocating to overturn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," while Democrats cowered—including Anthony Woods, who was kicked out of the Army because of the law."
Clinton Vets Say 2010 is No 1994 from Politico
"Three veterans of the Clinton White House argued Thursday that 2010 won’t be as big a disaster for Democrats as 1994, even as they fretted about an enthusiasm gap that’s tangible and an economy that’s even worse."
"Does Obama actually work in the Oval Office? Not most of the time. The president conducts briefings and holds staff meetings in the Oval Office, but it's used primarily as a ceremonial space. Obama does much of his day-to-day work—such as editing speeches and reviewing papers—in the President's Study, located off the Oval Office, and in the Treaty Room, on the second floor of the White House."
MILITARY HISTORY NUGGET!!
The Worst Generals in American History? (Thomas Ricks) from Foreign Policy Magazine
My immediate reaction is in brackets.
"1. Douglas MacArthur [no]
2. Benedict Arnold [yes]
3. Ned Almond [yes]
4. Tommy R. Franks [yes]
5. William Westmoreland [yes]
6. George McClellan [I'm open but unconvinced]
7. Ambrose Burnside [yes]
8. Horatio Gates. [maybe]"
Having just finished David Halberstam's wonderful The Coldest Winter about the Korean War, I see clearly why MacArthur is No. 1 -- but I still wouldn't rank him so badly. When he was brilliant, he WAS brilliant. Burnside I view more as representing a whole class of pre-Grant federal generals Ricks could have chosen. And the absence of General Custer from the list is striking to me. Also -- having read Atkinson's Army at Dawn about America's North Africa campaign in WWII, I'm surprised some of those pre-Eisenhower, pre-Patton US generals didn't make it on to this list.
INDIA NUGGET!!
Business Class Rises in Ashes of Caste System from the New York Times
"The Nadars’ spectacular rise from despised manual laborers who made a mildly alcoholic palm wine to business leaders in one of India’s most prosperous states offers significant clues to India’s caste conundrum and how it has impeded economic progress in many parts of the country."
TORNADO NUGGET
Fire Tornado Filmed in Hawaii from National Geographic
"While battling a blaze on the slopes of Mauna Kea in August, a Hawaii firefighter captured rare footage of a fire tornado, or fire whirl. Video."
Spectacular footage of this rare phenomenon!
GALACTIC NUGGET!!
Hubble Spies Oddly 'Perfect' Celestial Spiral from National Geographic
"A new Hubble picture has revealed an oddly "perfect" cosmic spiral likely being created as a dying star orbits a stellar twin, astronomers say."
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