News Nuggets 461

An award-winning photo of Corfe Castle in Dorset in the UK. From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Most Americans Worry About Ability to Pay Mortgage or Rent, Poll finds from the Washington Post
"A majority of Americans now say they are worried about making their mortgage or rent payments, underscoring the extent of economic anxiety in the country heading into midterm elections."
This I can readily believe!!

The Reset Blooms (Editorial) from the National Interest
"Both Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev have built upon the initial foundation they laid during their 2009 summit meeting in Moscow and made conscious choices to downplay or put on the back burner some of the seemingly irreconcilable issues that had poisoned the well of U.S.-Russia relations during the closing terms of the George W. Bush and Vladimir V. Putin administrations."

Russian Military Could be Drawn Back into Afghanistan from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Nato officials explore joint initiatives ahead of landmark alliance summit, which is to include President Medvedev."

Sudan Vote Makes Modern Arab History (Rami Kouri) from the Daily Star [of Lebanon in English]
"A remarkable development will take place in Sudan in January which strikes me as among the most significant in the modern history of the Arab world: referendums by which the people of Southern Sudan will determine if they wish to remain part of Sudan or secede and become an independent country. This is remarkable because it may be the only explicit and credible case of Arab people exercising the opportunity to define their country’s shape and its ideological orientation."

Poll: Innovators on Obama and Palin in 2012 (Douglas Schoen) from the Daily Beast
"Across the board, participants are willing to pay more taxes in the future, 56 percent to 32 percent. … There are clear party differences on this question as well. By 74 percent to 13 percent, Democrats say they are willing to pay more taxes. Republicans are not willing to by a 58 percent to 25 percent margin."

How Obama's Educational Policies Benefit Blacks (Cord Jefferson) from The Root
As part of The Root's series about how President Obama's policies affect African Americans, we take a look at the administration's initiatives regarding education."

Tea Party Antics Could End Up Burning Republicans (Amy Gardner) from the Washington Post
"The tea party's volatile influence on this election year appears to be doing more harm than good for Republicans' chances in some of the closest races in the nation, in which little-known candidates who upset the establishment with primary wins are now stumbling in the campaign's final days."

The GOP's Coming Tea Party Hangover (Niall Stanage) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Just weeks ago, the Republican party was falling over itself to co-opt the Tea Partiers. Now that looks like a poor political bet."

Inside the Democrats' Post-Election Strategy for Congress (Howard Fineman) from the Huffington Post
"Rather, leadership aides tell me, they will want to do the minimum, pushing the toughest decisions on taxes, spending and debt forward to a newer, presumably more Republican, 112th Congress, which will convene for the first time on January 3, 2011.  Come January, the new Tea Party-infused GOP then would have to quickly confront the real-world consequences of its tax-cutting, budget-cutting, debt-reducing, anti-government rhetoric."

In Writings of Obama, a Philosophy is Unearthed (Patricia Cohen) from the New York Times
"When the Harvard historian James T. Kloppenberg decided to write about the influences that shaped President Obama’s view of the world, he interviewed the president’s former professors and classmates, combed through his books, essays, and speeches, and even read every article published during the three years Mr. Obama was involved with the Harvard Law Review (“a superb cure for insomnia,” Mr. Kloppenberg said). What he did not do was speak to President Obama. “He would have had to deny every word,” Mr. Kloppenberg said with a smile. The reason, he explained, is his conclusion that President Obama is a true intellectual — a word that is frequently considered an epithet among populists with a robust suspicion of Ivy League elites."

PENNSYLVANIA ENERGY NUGGET!!
Special Report: The Great Shale Gas Rush from National Geographic News
"U.S. energy industry innovators unlocked the natural gas found in deep shale rock by combining and super-charging old oil industry techniques."

BASEBALL NUGGET!!
China's Field of Dreams from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The Chinese are falling in love with America's national pastime. And it might not be long before a kid from Wuxi is throwing fastballs in Boston."