News Nugget 482

The Wind River Roadless Area in Wyoming.  From National Geographic.

Russia to Aid NATO on Anti-Missile Network in Europe from the Washington Post
"Russia agreed Saturday to cooperate with NATO on building a U.S.-planned anti-missile network in Europe as part of what was described as a new era in security relations between the former Cold War enemies."
This is QUITE A MILESTONE in the post-Cold War era.

Tanks to Afghanistan: Great Idea or Recipe for Disaster? from the Atlantic
"For the first time in the nine-year war, the U.S. is deploying tanks in Afghanistan. The M-1 Abrams marks a significant shift for the U.S.-led strategy of driving the Taliban out of Afghanistan and handing control of the country over to local and national forces."
HERE's some comments on tank deployment from an Iraq veteran.

Computer Worm Can Deal Double Blow to Nuclear Program from the New York Times
"The German software engineer who in September was the first to report that a computer worm was apparently designed to sabotage targets in Iran said Friday that the program contained two separate “digital warheads.” The malicious program, known as Stuxnet, is designed to disable both Iranian centrifuges used to enrich uranium and steam turbines at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which is scheduled to begin operation next year, said the engineer, Ralph Langner, an industrial control systems specialist based in Hamburg, Germany."
Designed to disable just THOSE types of centrifuges and THOSE types of turbines.  Gee.  Imagine that.

Get Over the Gitmo Acquittal (Karen Greenberg) from the Daily Beast
"The trial that found Gitmo detainee Ahmed Ghailani guilty on only one of 285 counts was reached by a jury. Why can’t the nation accept its verdict?"
It's a statement as to how much this country has collectively lost its way.

Teaching for America (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"President Obama got this one exactly right when he said that whoever “out-educates us today is going to out-compete us tomorrow.” The bad news is that for years now we’ve been getting out-educated. The good news is that cities, states and the federal government are all fighting back. But have no illusions. We’re in a hole."

A Forecast That Obama Could Love from the New York Times
"What is there for Mr. Obama and his supporters to cheer about? Try this: Based on the facts at hand right now, Mr. Obama is likely to win the 2012 election in a landslide. That, at least, is the prediction of Ray C. Fair, a Yale economist and an expert on econometrics and on the relationship of economics and politics."
Let's repeat that: "Mr. Obama is likely to win the 2012 election in a landslide."  You betcha!

The Tea Party's Whiny Takeover (John Bachelor) from the Daily Beast
"The Tea Partiers talked of changing the system, but when they got to the House Republican caucus last week, the revolution was over on day one. John Batchelor on a coup that's all talk."

Could She Reach the Top in 2012? You Betcha (Frank Rich) from the New York Times
"Logic doesn’t apply to Palin. What might bring down other politicians only seems to make her stronger: the malapropisms and gaffes, the cut-and-run half-term governorship, family scandals, shameless lying and rapacious self-merchandising. In an angry time when America’s experts and elites all seem to have failed, her amateurism and liabilities are badges of honor. She has turned fallibility into a formula for success."
I take issue with Mr. Rich here -- slightly.  What's missing from his story (and most of the assessments of Palin) is the off-the-cliff drop in credibility of virtually every genuine source of real information out there.  Conservatives have spent the last forty years systematically discrediting (let's see if we can count them): the mainstream media, academics of every stripe, social scientists, formal education at almost all levels, experienced politicians (the more experience, the more discredited they are), and, of course, conservatives are now working very hard to discredit scientists (and make no mistake -- they are succeeding)!  Indeed, we now live in a world where the most educated, the most experienced, the most informed, those most immersed in a given issue, are, by those very facts, simply not to be trusted.  If people aren't getting their info from these sources, where are they getting their information from? Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and, lo and behold, people just like Sarah Palin!!

Pres-2012: Obama Looking Good in Virginia from Public Policy Polling
"Barack Obama was the first Democratic Presidential candidate to win Virginia in a generation in 2008 and a new PPP survey finds that with the most mentioned possible 2012 GOP hopefuls viewed dimly in the state he'd probably do it again if he had to stand for election today."
Indeed, it is the "bear and tennis shoes" phenomena again.   Haven't heard that one?  See HERE.

AK-Sen: Murkowski Unleashed Against GOP Foes from Politico
"That means that in a year when numerous Republicans were cast aside by an angry party base, Murkowski will be the lone lawmaker who lost to a tea party- and Palin-backed challenger in a primary — but is returning to Washington anyway.  And like any good action-movie character mistakenly left for dead, Murkowski’s coming back with a vengeance, picking fights with Palin and the party’s activist wing."
This could get really interesting.

The Pilgrims were … Socialists? (Kate Zernike) from the New York Times
"Forget what you learned about the first Thanksgiving being a celebration of a bountiful harvest, or an expression of gratitude to the Indians who helped the Pilgrims through those harsh first months in an unfamiliar land. In the Tea Party view of the holiday, the first settlers were actually early socialists."
Given the lousy education most Americans are getting and the oceans of misinformation they are exposed to (as noted in several posts above), this should be no surprise.

HOLLYWOOD NUGGET!!
The Greatest Movie Franchises of All Time from the Atlantic
"So, yes, if you don't adjust for inflation, Harry Potter has made more money than any other franchise in the history of movies.  But is it The Greatest franchise ever?"

MUSICIAN BOOK NUGGET!!
Marc Eliot's Biography of Paul Simon from the Washington Post
"Were Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel lovers? No, but Marc Eliot's serviceable biography of the duo's more prolific, more successful, shorter half gets kudos for raising that question about two folk superstars who loved the sound of bickering more than the sound of silence."

BOOK INDUSTRY NUGGET!!
This Dog's Life: The Rise of the Pet Memoir from The Week
"Our furry friends are dominating the publishing industry. Why are "dogoirs" doing so well?"