News Nuggets 556

A pelican over Walvis Bay in Namibia in Africa.  From National Geographic.

Libya: Anti-Gaddafi Forces Surround Tripoli; More Cities Fall (UPDATES) (VIDEO) from Global Post
"Libyan capital was a ghost town as defections of military officers multiply and anti-government protesters declare victory in Libya's third largest city and beyond."

Libya Rebels Isolate Gaddafi, Seizing Cities and Oilfields from the Guardian [of the UK]
Dictator hemmed in by popular protests and unable to extend his rule beyond Tripoli as local committees take charge."

In the Middle East Protests, a Seismic Shift (Fareed Zakaria) from the Washington Post
"Because so many of Bush's policies were unpopular in the region, and seen by many Arabs as "anti-Arab," it became easy to discredit democracy as an imperial plot. … Obama has had a quieter approach, supporting freedom but insisting that the United States did not intend to impose it on anyone. As unsatisfying as this might have been as public rhetoric, it has had the effect of allowing the Arab revolts of 2011 to be wholly owned by Arabs. This is no small matter, because the success of these protests hinges on whether they will be seen as organic, indigenous, national movements."

Ghosts of Fascists Past (Ian Kershaw) from the National Interest
"Engulfed by bank failures and street protests not seen since the Great Depression, Europe appears ripe for a fascist renaissance. This century's scapegoat: Muslim immigrants. Is the Continent ripe for a fascist renaissance?"

Egypt's Revolt is Closer to East Europe's than Iran's from Chunichi Shimbun [of Japan in English]
"Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, in a symbol of East European democratization, weekly public meetings at Leipzig's churches in Germany played a major role. The popular revolt in the Middle East follow in the footsteps of its predecessor with huge rallies held after Friday prayer services. Every sermon expanded the scale of the 18-days of Egyptian protest."

Foreign Policy Incoherence Limits China's Power in Asia (Iain Mills) from World Politics Review
"Following a period of considerable success and strategic evolution, China's foreign policy has been marked by a less coherent and less constructive approach to international relations over the past year. Nowhere has this shift been more pronounced than on the Asian littoral, a key arena in the country's international rise, where China's opaque naval expansion and increasingly abrasive behavior have begun to undermine previous strategic gains."

Goldman Sachs: House Spending Cuts Will Hurt Economic Growth from ABC News
"A confidential new report prepared by Goldman Sachs for its clients says spending cuts passed by the House of Representatives last week would be a drag on the economy, cutting economic growth by about two percent of GDP. "

President Obama's Risky Rejection of the Defense of Marriage Act from the Editorial Board of the Washington Post
"PRESIDENT OBAMA and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. declared on Wednesday that the Justice Department would no longer be an advocate for the indefensible - a law that relegates the nation's gay and lesbian citizens to second-class status.  It was a decision as bold as it was risky."

Four Possible Endgames in Wisconsin (Andy Kroll) from Mother Jones Magazine
"Will the massive labor protests in Madison end with a union victory, Republican trickery, or a stalemate?"

Andy Stern [of SEIU]: 'It May Not End Beautifully in Wisconsin.' (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post
"A week ago, everyone I spoke to in the labor movement was convinced that Walker’s initiative was the worst thing to happen to them in a generation. Now I talk to them and they say it may be the best thing to happen to them in a generation. Where do you come down?"

So This is the Tea Party's Endgame. No Government (Michael Tomasky) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"In 1995 Clinton and Gingrich were always going to deal. But these economic fundamentalists don't want compromise."

MENTAL HEALTH NUGGET!!
People With Low Self-Esteem Show More Signs of Prejudice from the Association for Psychological Science
"When people are feeling badly about themselves, they’re more likely to show bias against people who are different. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, examines how that works."

CAT NUGGET!!
Cats Adore, Manipulate Women from Discovery News
"Cats attach to humans, and particularly women, as social partners, and it's not just for the sake of obtaining food."