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Sunday, March 6, 2011

News Nuggets 564

The northern lights ... as seen from Siberia.  From National Geographic.

Rebels Head for Gaddafi's Hometown (Babak Dehghanpisheh) from the Daily Beast
"The victorious message seemed to be an attempt to rally pro-Gaddafi forces as the rebels continue their progress toward the stronghold of Sirte, and it was quickly proven false, as residents and journalists in the three cities said there were no Gaddafi forces in the area.  As fighting continues to rage, rebels are advancing on Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte."

Bahrain Protesters Encircle State Compound from the Wall Street Journal

"Tens of thousands of Bahraini opposition demonstrators encircled a sprawling government compound Sunday in a gathering timed to coincide with a cabinet meeting as protesters sought to further escalate pressure on the ruling Al-Khalifa family to accept sweeping reforms."

Obama's Calculated Gamble (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post via RealClearPolitics
"President Obama has been so low-key in his pronouncements about events in Egypt and Libya that it's easy to miss the extent of the shift in U.S. strategy. In supporting the wave of change sweeping the Arab world, despite the wariness of traditional allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, Obama is placing a big bet that democratic governments will be more stable and secure, and thereby enhance U.S. interests in the region."

The $110 Billion Question (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times

"When one looks across the Arab world today at the stunning spontaneous democracy uprisings, it is impossible to not ask: What are we doing spending $110 billion this year supporting corrupt and unpopular regimes in Afghanistan and Pakistan that are almost identical to the governments we’re applauding the Arab people for overthrowing?"
Yes -- as we pull out a year (or five) from now, we'll see the government we spent $1 trillion+ installing getting on helicopters five minutes behind us.

How to Lose a Country Gracefully (Bill Keller) from the New York Times Sunday Magazine
"Our hearts understandably thrill to the courage of those who stand up to power — from Tiananmen Square to Tahrir Square and all the streets that now teem with the young and freedom-hungry. But there is another heroism, scarce and undervalued, that accrues to those who know how to stand down."

The Middle East's Other Boom: Entrepreneurship (John Kao) from the Daily Beast
"Just as 1960s counterculture was responsible for the '80s high-tech explosion, the revolutionary wave sweeping the Middle East will trigger a boom in entrepreneurship—but this time the change will be measured in months, not decades."
This is good -- if the new governments of the Middle East are going to succeed in creating a future for their young people, THEY WILL NEED IT!

Spurred by Private Hiring, Job Growth Gathers Steam from the New York Times

"The waiting game still is not over, but it may be soon. The nation’s employers added 192,000 jobs on net in February, up from a gain of 63,000 jobs the previous month, the Labor Department reported on Friday."

The Sunny, Cloudy, Warm, Freezing Jobs News (Annie Lowrey) from Slate
"The latest jobs report is good news, even if the overall jobs environment is still pretty bad."

Inside Obama's Gay Marriage Decision (Daniel Stone) from the Daily Beast
"President Obama’s surprise decision to stop enforcing part of the Defense of Marriage Act was part of a campaign by gay groups to change his mind reports Daniel Stone."

The Wisconsin Wobblies from the Wall Street Journal
"Conservatives in Wisconsin are getting nervous that three Republican state senators may defect on the collective-bargaining reform vote."

Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and the Spotlight-Chasing Candidates of 2012 (George Will) from the Washington Post
"If pessimism is not creeping on little cat's feet into Republicans' thinking about their 2012 presidential prospects, that is another reason for pessimism. This is because it indicates they do not understand that sensible Americans, who pay scant attention to presidential politics at this point in the electoral cycle, must nevertheless be detecting vibrations of weirdness emanating from people associated with the party."

White House Lavishes Praise on Huntsman's Support for Obama from The Hill
"The White House is showing no signs of letting up on its campaign for Ambassador Jon Huntsman’s presidential prospects - if anything, it’s in pile-on mode.  Chief of Staff Bill Daley on Sunday heaped praise on Huntsman (R), Obama’s ambassador to China who is resigning his post and is said to be mulling a challenge to his boss for the presidency."
On the one hand, it's pretty hilarious how this praise is so clearly aimed at torpedoing Huntsman's potential candidacy.  On the other hand, the Obama folks need to be a bit circumspect about doling out this praise.  Huntsman is VERY savvy -- and could easily find clever ways to ultimately use this praise to give Obama or the Dems the knife later on.

LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL NUGGET!!
Pressure Limits Efforts to Police Drilling for Gas from the New York Times

"When Congress considered whether to regulate more closely the handling of wastes from oil and gas drilling in the 1980s, it turned to the Environmental Protection Agency to research the matter. E.P.A. researchers concluded that some of the drillers’ waste was hazardous and should be tightly controlled. But that is not what Congress heard. Some of the recommendations concerning oil and gas waste were eliminated in the final report handed to lawmakers in 1987."

See also these two related items:
Federal Officials Say They’ll Examine Fracking Practices from the New York Times
"Testifying before Congress on Thursday, Obama administration officials said they planned to scrutinize the waste disposal practices of natural gas producers after reports that drilling wastewater containing radioactive material was being dumped in public waters without proper monitoring or treatment."

Councilman Calls for Testing of Water Supply from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Months after spearheading legislation that bans natural gas drilling in Pittsburgh, city Councilman Doug Shields on Wednesday called for water testing to make sure gas production in the suburbs isn't fouling the city's water supply.  …  Mr. Shields said the contaminants could enter the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers either through illegal dumping or through municipal wastewater systems. He said he was worried about pollution that could force officials to "put the city on bottled water.""

DEMOGRAPHICS NUGGET!!
Epidemiology: Study of a Lifetime from the journal Nature

"In 1946, scientists started tracking thousands of British children born during one cold March week. On their 65th birthday, the study members find themselves more scientifically valuable than ever before."

COLD WAR HISTORY NUGGET!!   
An Unsung Hero of the Nuclear Age (Ron Rosenbaum) from Slate

"Rosenbaum profiles Maj. Harold Hering, a Cold War-era officer who questioned the nuclear chain of command and sacrificed his career to save the world."

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