A kitty who likes small spaces. See the Kitten Nugget below. From the Daily Mail of the UK.
US-Taliban Talks (Steve Coll) from the New Yorker
"The Obama Administration has now entered into direct, secret talks with senior leaders of the group, several people briefed about them told me…"
This could be a very important development. Obama (and just about everyone else) is keen to find an exit strategy from this scene.
Delirious Joy in Bahrain (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"There’s delirious joy in the center of Bahrain right now. People power has prevailed, at least temporarily, over a regime that repeatedly used deadly force to try to crush a democracy movement. Pro-democracy protesters have retaken the Pearl Roundabout – the local version of Tahrir Square – from the government"
The Awakening from The Economist [of London]
"As change sweeps through the Middle East, the world has many reasons to fear. But it also has one great hope."
Islamism Has Lost its Monopoly on Dissent (Richard Phelps) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The uprisings in the Middle East have shown that viable political opposition is no longer the preserve of Islamists alone."
Egypt's Likely Impact on the Middle East (Rami Khouri) from the Daily Star [of Lebanon in English]
"We’re likely to see a free and broadly democratic Egypt develop that elusive prize denied Arabs for the past century: a stable, self-defined governance system, credible and legitimate because it is based on fair representation and real accountability."
Khouri is a pretty savvy analyst -- so I hope he is right.
New World Order: Egypt, the Information Revolution, and the Struggle for Power in the Twenty-first Century (Joseph Nye) from the New Republic
"Beyond the euphoria and uncertainties of the moment, the revolt in Egypt has sparked a debate about how much technology and information matter in a revolutionary context."
The 'Cold Peace', Israel, and Arab Democracy from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Mazel tov Egypt: Three takes on what the revolution means for Israel"
A Look At The Youth Of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (Charles Sennott & Terry Gross) from NPR's Fresh Air
"Veteran journalist Charles Sennott recently returned from Tahrir Square, where he filmed material for a documentary on the Egyptian revolution. In Revolution in Cairo, which will air on PBS's Frontline on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST, Sennott examines what role the Muslim Brotherhood will play in the future of Egypt and how it may influence the political future of the country."
The Wind that Will Not Subside from the Economist
Hearing Egyptian echoes, China’s autocrats cling to the hope that they are different."
How Obama Handled Egypt from the Economist
"Crossed wires, close calls but a good result—until the next friend wobbles. … The first thing to be said about such criticisms, of which the foregoing is a mere sampling, is that they cannot all be right. Mr Obama stands accused both of dumping an ally prematurely and also of having hesitated too long before coming out for the demonstrators. Well, it might be one or the other but it can hardly be both."
The Sabotaging of Iran from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"Iran has pointed the finger at its enemies in the US and Israel, claiming the assassinations are part of a broader campaign to derail their nuclear programme. ... But in the west, another possible explanation has been offered: perhaps the Iranian regime instigated the killings, taking revenge on men whom it had started to regard as suspect and politically dubious?"
WHO CALLED IT!! Yours truly right here, that's who! It's been obvious for some time that Iran's nuclear program has been leaking intelligence like a sieve and it was inevitable that Iranian authorities would get wise to the fact that some of the leaks came from their own scientists.
A related item here:
Stuxnet Malware and Natanz: Update of ISIS December 22, 2010 Report (David Albright et al.) from the Institute for Science and International Security
"A report issued on Wednesday by David Albright, an expert on Iran's nuclear program who heads the Institute for Science and International Security, said it is increasingly accepted that a successful Stuxnet attack in late 2009 or early 2010 destroyed about 1,000 Iranian centrifuges out of about 9,000 at the site. "The effect of this attack was significant," Mr. Albright said in the report. "It rattled the Iranians, who were unlikely to know what caused the breakage, delayed the expected expansion of the plant, and further consumed a limited supply of centrifuges to replace those destroyed.""
Borderland: China's 14,000 Mile Struggle from Global Post
"From North Korea to its Muslim west and beyond, Beijing has its hands full."
Deficit Plan Details Emerge from the Wall Street Journal
"Bipartisan Senate Group Mulls Spending Caps That Could Trigger Tax Increases."
This could be quite important.
In Budget Fight, House G.O.P. Meets Limits of Its Power from the New York Times
"The plan would break the task of deficit reduction into four pieces: a tax code overhaul; discretionary spending cuts; changes to Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlements; and changes to Social Security, aides said. … The proposal builds on the work of President Barack Obama's deficit commission, according to aides working on it."
Democrats Turn 'Where Are The Jobs?' Chant On Republicans from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
"Republicans won sweeping victories last November by taunting Democrats with "Where are the jobs?" Democrats are now throwing those taunts back, saying it's Republicans who will knock thousands of Americans out of work with their demands for deep cuts in federal spending. The attacks have caught Republicans at an awkward moment…"
Gov. Walker's Overreach in WI (E.J.Dionne) from the Washington Post
"If this were just about normal budget cutbacks, the political earthquake we're seeing in Wisconsin would not have happened. This is an effort by a temporary majority -- I use the term because in a democracy, all majorities are, in principle, temporary -- to rush a bill through the legislature designed to alter the balance of political power in the state."
Ezra Klein has further analysis HERE.
The Standoff in Madison and the Fallout for 2012 (Craig Gilbert) from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"One obvious consequence of Gov. Scott Walker’s push to curtail bargaining rights for public employees is the fire he has lighted under Democrats, labor and the left. While there are many ways the issue could play out over the coming months, this fact alone has significance for 2012, since by any measure Democratic voters were less motivated in 2010 than their GOP counterparts."
Gov. Scott Blasted on High-speed Rail Funds. Gov. Brown Says Money 'Welcome Here' from Daily Kos
"Florida editorial writers and some fellow Republicans are giving newly elected Gov. Rick Scott a thrashing over what can only fairly be described as his loony rejection of federal funding for the first leg of a high-speed rail line that backers hoped would eventually connect Tampa with Miami via Orlando."
Census Shows Minorities Outnumber Whites in Texas from National Journal
"New numbers could complicate GOP redistricting hopes."
KITTY NUGGET!!
The Playful Kitten Who Just Loves Getting in a Tight Spot from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Some cats love cuddles but this kitten loves nothing more than a tight squeeze. Her ability to get in and out of seemingly impossible situations harks back to the comedy capers seen in classic kids' cartoon Tom & Jerry."
BEAR NUGGET!!
Bear Hibernation Study Finds Surprises in Search for Clues to Help Human Health from the Washington Post
"These scientific stars performed perfectly, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the secrets of hibernation. It turns out that Ursus americanus hibernates in a manner unlike that of the dozens of other hibernating mammals."
A really fascinating story with big human health implications! National Geographic has more on the topic HERE.
WHALE NUGGET!!
VSO Day: Victory in the Southern Ocean Day for the Whales from Sea Shepherd News
"It’s official – the Japanese whaling fleet has called it quits in the Southern Ocean, at least for this season. And if they return next season, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will be ready to resume their efforts to obstruct and disable illegal Japanese whaling operations."
ANCIENT GREECE NUGGET!!
Altar of the Twelve Gods Sees the Light from Ekathimerini [of Greece in English]
"Archaeologists believe that remnants found during construction in the area of the Ancient Agora, on the northwestern slope of the Acropolis, belong to the famed Altar of the Twelve Gods, one of Athens’s most ancient monuments and a landmark that marked the very center of ancient city."
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