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Saturday, December 18, 2010

News Nuggets 500

 A lighthouse on Lake Erie.  See the Ice Sculpture Nugget below.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

YES INDEED -- We've reached 500 today!  It's hard to believe but we started this back in September, 2008.  Here's one of our earliest posts.  Thanks for everyone's interest!  Here's hoping the next 500 will be as interesting as the last!  Jared.

The Unquiet American (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times

"The war seemed as unending as the excuses of Western leaders for their inaction. In a besieged Sarajevo, people raised hands to their necks in a gesture of self-strangulation as the flat fracturing boom of another shell reverberated in the valley. Then Richard Holbrooke appeared in the snake pit.  Nobody could end the Bosnian war — nobody."

New Ottomans (Editorial) from Todays' Zaman [of Turkey in English]
"The claim that Turkey’s regional policy is a reincarnation of the Ottoman Empire’s policies is gaining traction. … Basically there are two groups who describe the Davutoğlu-led Turkish foreign policy as a “neo-Ottoman policy.”"
Influence and control usually translate into responsibility.  WHY would the Turks want more responsibility for what's happening in the Middle East?!  They risk looking deeply ineffectual, even foolish -- just as the US does often enough.

Freed on Bail – but US Steps Up Efforts to Charge Assange with Conspiracy from the Independent [of the UK]

"Accused soldier offered plea bargain if he names WikiLeaks founder."
Of course, the question raised here is: are US authorities pressuring Manning to lie -- or to simply testify what the conversations were between him and Assange.  The Independent's sources on this story (it seems) are Assange's lawyers -- so it's hard to assess what's really so.

Bradley Manning's Life Behind Bars (Denver Nicks) from the Daily Beast
"Bradley Manning, who allegedly leaked hundreds of thousands of secret government documents to Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks, turns 23 in jail Friday. The Daily Beast’s Denver Nicks, in an exclusive interview with Manning’s attorney, reports on his solitary confinement, what he’s reading (from George W. Bush to Howard Zinn), and his legal strategy."
The story has few surprises -- given that Manning's lawyer is the key source.  There has been a lot of hyperventilating in the blogosphere about how he's been treated.  One thing that i think is missing from some of this analysis is that, as a member of the armed services, Manning lives in something of a parallel universe in the area of civil rights and due process.  The bottom line is that he is entitled to his constitutional rights -- based on how military courts have judged such matters, not civilian courts. Moreover, while we still don't know what Manning has been or will be charged with, it's quite conceivable that espionage might be sitting out there in his future.  The fact that he had no intention of assisting or working for some foreign power may not matter.  Espionage for "private parties" is still espionage, and I think prosecutors may be working up a case where Assange is the "private party" "conspiring" to commit espionage.  For both Assange and Manning, (if I remember correctly) espionage charges put both of them in a whole different world of legal trouble, one where their civil rights are even more compromised.  Judges (even "liberal" ones) routinely grant a lot of latitude to federal prosecutors in cases involving alleged spying.

Make Julian Assange Irrelevant (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"Before Assange motored off to his house arrest at a friend's mansion, one of his lawyers expressed his determination that Assange "will not be going back to that cell once occupied by Oscar Wilde." Oscar Wilde? Those cheeky Brits. Assange's indiscriminate dump of American government secrets over the last several months - with hardly a care for who might be hurt or what public good was served - can be summarized nicely by a line from Wilde's play "A Woman of No Importance": Nothing succeeds like excess."

Could Lame Duck Be a Big Win for Obama Agenda? from the New York Times
"Is President Obama on the verge of one of his most productive months in office? … Mr. Obama is now on the knife’s edge; the hours and days ahead could go either way for him. But the president is concluding 2010 by directly confronting issues that have come to define the sweep of his presidency – the economy, foreign engagement and questions of social justice."

The New Comeback Kid (Charles Krauthammer) from the Washington Post
"Now, with his stunning tax deal, Obama is back. Holding no high cards, he nonetheless managed to resurface suddenly not just as a player but as orchestrator, dealmaker and central actor in a high $1 trillion drama."

Games vs. Governing from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"On Friday, Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee said that the Democratic push for military equality for gays and lesbians could “poison the well” for New Start. The two matters are related only because they are both important for this country’s security."

Fox News Viewers Often Misinformed from WorldPublicOpinion.org via Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
"A new University of Maryland study finds that those "who had greater exposure to news sources were generally better informed... There were however a number of cases where greater exposure to a news source increased misinformation on a specific issue."   Key finding: Fox News viewers were were "significantly" more likely than non-viewers to erroneously believe false information about the economy, taxes, climate change, bailouts and whether President Obama was born in the United States."
Gee - what a surprise!

Palin's Got Bigger Problems Than Charles Krauthammer (Jonathan Tobin) from Commentary Magazine
"Palin’s resentment of the Washington establishment and perhaps even of such intellectual gatekeepers of the conservative movement as Krauthammer may resonate with many conservative voters, but her attitude (which is the opposite of conservative icon Ronald Reagan’s genial responses to hostile media) alienates everyone else."
I think this posting from the right-wing mag, Commentary, is a first here at the Nuggets.  I usually can't abide this rag.

Palin's numbers in Ohio point to the political train wreck the GOP may be heading for in 2012.
Ohio Republican Numbers from Public Policy Polling

"This is another state where it seems like GOP primary voters are on a death wish, given that our general election numbers in Ohio made it clear that Palin would be defeated handily by Barack Obama whereas Huckabee or Romney would put the race in toss up status. The numbers in Ohio reflect the standard ideological divide we've been seeing in these polls across the country."
Basically, there are no moderates left among likely Republican primary goers. 

And for some extra-loud political laughs:
John Bolton Eyes 2012 Presidential Run from Politico
"Bolton’s explorations are attracting some notice on the right. He’s on the cover of the forthcoming issue of National Review, the influential conservative magazine."
The main ring-leader for the "bomb Iran" lobby, this guy makes John McCain look like an unalloyed peacenik. If Bolton does throw his hat into the arena for 2012, it almost guarantees one of the most farcical GOP primary seasons in US history.

ELEPHANT NUGGET!!
Record-breaking 5 Elephants Born in One Year! from Zooborns.com

"It's a world record! On December 9, 2010, at 3:30am, Hannover Adventure Zoo welcomed its 5th Baby Elephant birth this year."
Check out the video clip that accompanies the story.  You'll immediately get how you NEVER see this many baby elephants in a zoo. More importantly, while I don't believe Asian elephants are endangered, so many other types of elephants and rhinos are, the experience here may make a difference in helping those more rare species breed more prolifically in captivity. 

SNOW SCULPTURE NUGGET!!
Lighthouse Transformed into a Fairy Castle After Being Encased in Sparkling Ice from the Daily Mail [of the UK]

"Rising from the water in shimmering tiers, it looks more like a fairy tale castle than a lighthouse. But this incredible sculpture was actually created by layers of frost encrusted on the walls of the structure which sits at Cleveland Harbour on the shores of Lake Erie, Ohio."

HOLIDAY NUGGET!!
How December 25 Became Christmas (Andrew McGowan) from the Biblical Archeology Review

"On December 25, Christians around the world will gather to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Joyful carols, special liturgies, brightly wrapped gifts, festive foods—these all characterize the feast today, at least in the northern hemisphere. But just how did the Christmas festival originate? How did December 25 come to be associated with Jesus’ birthday?"

WORLD WAR II NUGGET!!
When Marianne Met Fritz: A Review of And the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Alan Riding from the Wall Street Journal

"In occupied Paris, the violent imaginings of French artists and intellectuals were tested by a violent reality."

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