News Nuggets 534

A fascinating portrait of the city of London.  From the Guardian of London.

'Mega Protest' Planned in Egypt from Al Jazeera English
"Opposition movement calls for one "million people demonstration" on Tuesday in a bid to topple president Hosni Mubarak."

The New Rules: War-Gaming Egypt's Future (Thomas Barnett) from World Politics Review
"Our goal was to work up four feasible pathway trees along which events could develop -- two favorable to the Egyptian people, two favorable to the Egyptian regime … Here are the four scenarios we came up with:"

Arab World Transfixed by Egyptian Protests from the Washington Post
"The Egyptian protests have ignited hopes as well as fears that the spark ignited by Tunisians' overthrow of their dictatorial regime three weeks ago will now spread, irrevocably, across a region that has long yearned for change."

Yearning for Respect, Arabs Find a Voice (Anthony Shadid) from the New York Times
"Last week, as more protests erupted in Yemen, Jordan and Egypt and as the United States remained largely on the sidelines, the struggle in the Middle East became firmly about “us.”"

White House Quietly Prepares for a Post-Mubarak Era in Egypt from the Los Angeles Times
"The White House stance has been even-handed as officials have suggested President Hosni Mubarak might stay in power if freedoms, competitive elections are allowed. But an insider says the U.S. is not ready to keep Mubarak in power at all costs."

When Bush Caved to Egypt (Matt Latimer) from the Daily Beast
"Obama isn’t the only president who struggled in dealing with Cairo’s dictator and longtime U.S. ally. Ex-Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer on how 43’s challenge to Mubarak got watered down."

Israel Urges World to Curb Criticism of Egypt's Mubarak from Al Haaretz [of Israel in English]
"Jerusalem seeks to convince its allies that it is in the West's interest to maintain the stability of the Egyptian regime."
Wow.  This strikes me as sooo desperate.  I know it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that any post-Mubarak gov't will be remotely "friendly" to Israel -- but these kind of out-of-touch pronouncements will only further alienate any incoming gov't.

A new quarter heard from:
Sudanese Police Clash with Students in Khartoum from the Washington Post
"Sudanese police beat and arrested students Sunday as hundreds protested throughout the capital demanding the government resign, inspired by a popular uprising in neighboring Egypt."

And another:
Syria Strongman: Time for 'Reform' from the Wall Street Journal
"Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who inherited a regime that has held power for four decades, said he will push for more political reforms in his country, in a sign of how Egypt's violent revolt is forcing leaders across the region to rethink their approaches."

And even one more:
Beijing Blocks Protest Reports from the Wall Street Journal
"Chinese authorities have blocked the word "Egypt" from searches on Twitter-like microblogging sites in an indication of concern among Communist Party leaders that the unrest there could encourage similar calls for political reform in China.  Internet censors also appeared Sunday to have deleted almost all of the comments posted beneath the few limited reports on the unrest—mostly from the state-run Xinhua news agency—that have been published on Chinese news sites in the past few days"

What is the Next Egypt: China? (Gordon Chang) from Forbes Magazine
"Now that Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution has inspired Egyptians, autocrats in the region nervously watch for signs of unrest in their own countries.  Most observers assume that the next Egypt is Yemen, Jordan, or Saudi Arabia.  Yet as the Global Times editorial indicates, Middle Eastern despots are not the only ones worried.  Beijing’s leaders are concerned that 1.3 billion enraged souls will rise up and tear down the People’s Republic of China."

China Actually Hooked on the Dollar from the Korea JoongAng Daily [of South Korea in English]
"The U.S. one day might even peg the dollar to the yuan. First, China must make it through the current decade without a major crisis."

Cyber Raids ‘Threaten British, US Stock Markets’ from Agence France-Presse via Raw Story
"Stock exchanges in Britain and the United States have enlisted the help of the security services after finding out they were the victims of cyber attacks, The Times newspaper reported on Monday. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is investigating a terrorist cyber-attack on its headquarters last year while US officials have traced an attack on one of its exchanges to Russia, according to the British newspaper. Officials suspect the attacks were designed to spread panic among markets and destabilise western financial institutions."

Worker Burnout Warnings Spread Across World Economic Forum from Agence France-Presse via Raw Story
"Economic turmoil, round-the-clock communication and constant social pressure to succeed have led to a costly increase in stress-related illness and burnout, a panel of experts told a packed session in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. "In the future, the greatest challenge to the global health system will be stress-related diseases," said Heinz Schuepbach, director of the school of applied psychology at the University of Northwestern Switzerland."
I can totally get this.

Presidential Polling and Political Wrap Up from Daily Kos
"Obama is in a better position now than he has been in over a year."

Tea Party Gets Early Start on G.O.P. Targets for 2012 from the New York Times
"Just three months after the midterm elections, Tea Party organizers are preparing to challenge some of the longest-serving Republican incumbents in 2012."

Among the GOP's 2012 Contenders, Nobody's Perfect (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"Mitt Romney … signed health-care legislation that has considerable similarities to the proposal President Obama championed - the one Republicans have fought tooth and nail.  That's an emerging bit of conventional wisdom about the slow-forming GOP race. And it's right - except that it omits one very important fact: All - that's A-L-L - of the Republicans considering runs for the nomination carry at least one major flaw that could keep them from victory."

Barack Obama Braces for Jon Huntsman 2012 Bid from Politico
"The White House expects Jon Huntsman, the U.S. Ambassador to China, to resign his post this spring to explore a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, top Democrats said. GOP allies of Huntsman have already begun laying plans for a quick-start campaign should the former Utah governor decide to enter the ill-defined Republican field."
This is BAD news for Obama.  IF Huntsman can make it through the GOP nominating process [no done deal by any means], he could pose a VERY FORMIDABLE challenge to Obama.  This is someone to be taken very seriously.  Fortunately, their are many constituents within the GOP who will oppose Huntsman as a RHINO (Republican in Name Only).  Huntsman's ties with the Obama administration as ambassador to China may be a substantive barrier.  But that same foreign policy experience will make him stand out within the current GOP field.

HOLLYWOOD OBITUARY NUGGET!!
Five-Time Oscar-Winner Composer John Barry Dies at 77 from the Associated Press
"Five-time Oscar-winning composer John Barry, who wrote music for a dozen James Bond films, including "You Only Live Twice" and "Goldfinger" and developed the twanging guitar riff in the suave spy's theme music, has died. He was 77."
While Barry is most well-known for his Bond scores, I actually appreciate him more for other, more classical movie scores that he wrote.  My favorite is the score for "Out of Africa," a marvelous