The Ukrainian city of Yalta in the Crimea. From National Geographic.
Egypt After Mubarak (Paul Amar) from the Nation
"On campuses, in syndicates and even inside the Muslim Brotherhood—the revolution lives on."
An amazing, must-read long-form up-date on what's happening in Egypt! The standard storyline about a revolution stalled in Egypt is way off base according to this article! The last two months have seen the revolution continue to sweep away the old regime, to up-end the Muslim Brotherhood, and seen women refuse to take a back seat in the making of a new order. VERY INSPIRING!
End of Mideast Wholesale (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"If you look into the different “shop” windows across the Middle East, it is increasingly apparent that the Arab uprisings are bringing to a close the era of “Middle East Wholesale” and ushering in the era of “Middle East Retail.” Everyone is going to have to pay more for their stability."
Still trying to pull together stories to illuminate what the heck is happening in Iran. Here's three:
Arrests Show Ahmadinejad Under Increasing Pressure from Iran’s Clerics from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The arrests follow increasing pressure by clerics, politicians and commanders on Ahmadinejad to cut ties with Esfandiar Rahim Mashaee, the closest adviser of the president, but a man hated by Iran’s clerics for advocating the importance of Iranian culture over Islamic tenets."
Iran's Supreme Leader Tells Ahmadinejad: Accept Minister or Quit from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's ultimatum widens rift between leaders and increases pressure on president."
Iranian President May Resign After Allies Arrested, Charged with Sorcery from Raw Story
"A member of Iran's parliament said today that Ahmadinejad has been given an ultimatum: accept the supreme leader's decision regarding the intelligence minister, or resign from office. The Guardian also reports that the president was missing this past weekend at religious ceremonies at Khamenei's residence, where he was publicly criticized by the supreme leader's allies."
Death of Osama bin Laden: Phone Call Pointed U.S. to Compound — and to ‘the Pacer’ (Bob Woodward) from the Washington Post
"It seemed an innocuous, catch-up phone call. Last year Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the pseudonym for a Pakistani known to U.S. intelligence as the main courier for Osama bin Laden, took a call from an old friend."
Bin Laden’s Secret Life in a Diminished, Dark World from the New York Times
"The world’s most wanted terrorist lived his last five years imprisoned behind the barbed wire and high walls of his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, his days consumed by dark arts and domesticity."
Probing Link to Bin Laden, U.S. Tells Pakistan to Name Agents from the New York Times
"Pakistani officials say the Obama administration has demanded the identities of some of their top intelligence operatives as the United States tries to determine whether any of them had contact with Osama bin Laden or his agents in the years before the raid that led to his death early Monday morning in Pakistan."
Navy SEAL Helmet Cams: Did Obama Watch the bin Laden Raid Video? (Ian Yarett) from the Daily Beast
"The iconic White House Situation Room photo has led to speculation that officials were viewing the raid—live via helmet cam. Ian Yarett on how combat video works."
Women Against the Hangman (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"Amal Abdullah-Ali is 44, so she has known only two years without Muammar el-Qaddafi, and one effect on her of his life-draining 42-year Libyan dictatorship has been that she “never wanted to give birth in this rubbish country.”"
Obama's Careful Victory Lap (Matt Frei) from the BBC
"Even in the eyes of his critics, Barack Obama has made the transition from wimp to warrior president. One opinion poll had support amongst Republicans climb by 15%. Overall his approval ratings stand 11% higher than they did last month. There was the president riffing with the press at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner last Saturday, while he had already ordered the mission that would end Osama Bin Laden's life and could have haunted his presidency, had it failed."
Bin Laden Raid Fits into Obama’s ‘Big Things’ Message from the Washington Post
"Obama is already stitching the victory into the broader tapestry of his 2012 reelection campaign. It fits neatly into one of his core messages, that Americans are capable of tackling in trac table, long-term problems. “Doing big things,” as he put it in his State of the Union address."
Without Swagger: The Obama Administration Demonstrates Serious Leadership (Lawrence Lewis) from Daily Kos
"As is usual with major news events, some of the most important subtexts are being lost amidst the cacophony"
The Real Prize of the Bin Laden Raid (David Corn) from Mother Jones Magazine
"It wasn't just a dead body the SEALs brought back from Abbottabad."
Obama’s War (Michael Hirsh) from the National Journal
"The secret behind the bin Laden takedown is the president’s new conception of terrorism. ... Chasing the bad guys is fine work, and this material—if interpreted and decoded sufficiently—will presumably fuel plenty of chasing. But it might also provide policymakers with additional insights useful for ending or diminishing the war in Afghanistan and countering extremist-driven instability in Pakistan."
Winners, Losers, and Overlooked Stories on the Week Osama Died (David Rothkopf) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"... let's try to put this week in perspective by highlighting a few winners, a few losers, and then a few stories that were overshadowed by this week's headlines that may actually turn out to be more important."
Pakistan Loses the Upper Hand (Robert Haddick) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"With bin Laden dead, Islamabad's leverage over Washington may also be gone."
As part of our on-going occasional primer on US defense spending, the following item has been receiving a TREMENDOUS amount of attention this last week. Despite the source, this article is not long and is quite easy to follow for the average Joe.
Twilight of the $UPERfluous Carrier from the Proceedings of the US Naval Institute
"So will the future be one of submarines belching massive salvos of missiles, or large arrays of land- and air-launched hypersonic, conventional projectiles crossing a maritime no-man’s-land to directly strike strategic centers of gravity? Given very clear technology trends toward precision long-range strike and increasingly sophisticated anti-access and area-denial capabilities, high-signature, limited-range combatants like the current aircraft carrier will not meet the requirements of tomorrow’s Fleet."
A World Trade Center Progress Report from the New York Times
"After spending much time on cleanup and foundation work, progress is ever more visible: The soaring 1 World Trade Center and another skyscraper are rising by about one floor per week; a spacious memorial is to open on the 10th anniversary of the attack this fall. A full rebuilding of the site is still several years away, when (and if) demand for office space improves. Here is a progress report on the main features of the new center. "
China’s America Obsession (John Lee) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Why Osama bin Laden's death is making Chinese leaders nervous."
An interesting assessment of many of America's strategic strengths vis-a-vis China that I had never considered.
Is China Cooking the Books on Its Census Data? (Editorial) from the Economic Observer [of Beijing in English]
"The population may be aging even worse than authorities admit in the latest 10-year census. Why China urgently needs to change its birth control policy."
As we've been tracking for some time here on this blog, stories continue to leak out about the basic economic data China has been presenting to the world -- and how (it seems) that a lot of that data is simply false.
Wisconsin Republicans Rush Agenda Before Recalls from the Associated Press via the San Diego Union Tribune
"Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker and GOP leaders have launched a push to ram several years' worth of conservative agenda items through the Legislature this spring before recall elections threaten to end the party's control of state government."
Sad. Wisconsin has long been known as a state where the state government and the legislature actually function quite well. The GOP's deeply partisan approach to governing will, I fear, "poison the well" there for decades to come and make the state a lot more like New Jersey. What they've set up is a future where, once the Dems take power again, they will MAKE IT THEIR MISSION to undo much of what the GOP is now ramming through, further expanding what is already a toxic political atmosphere. Sayanora to sane governance.
2012 Hopeful Jon Huntsman Addresses His Obama Connection Head On In His First Speech from the Huffington Post
"Likely Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman addressed his connection to President Obama directly on Saturday, in an attempt to head off what will be one of his top two political challenges in the 2012 GOP presidential primary."
Very smart move. I continue to assert that Huntsman is the biggest wild card in the GOP deck. If he takes off with GOP primary voters, Obama could be in trouble.
Palin's Lack Of Expertise Slowly Dawns On Her Defenders (Jonathan Chait) from the New Republic
"It's always so frustrating for writers when the best example of a phenomenon you identify occurs only after you write about it. Sadly, the cottage industry of elite Palin intellect defenders seems to have melted away without a trace, or a second thought."
GLOBAL CULTURE NUGGET [of a sort]!!
The Worst Places to Be a Mother from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Save the Children lists 10 countries where motherhood is a daily, life-or-death struggle."
MOTHERS DAY NUGGET!!
Best & Worst Moms Ever from Time Magazine
"Some of them smothered their children with love. Others just smothered them. Time.com presents a highly unscientific study of the ten best and worst mothers from the worlds of pop."
WOMEN'S HISTORY NUGGET!!
When We Hated Women (Stephanie Coontz) from the New York Times
"ONE of the most enduring myths about feminism is that 50 years ago women who stayed home full time with their children enjoyed higher social status and more satisfying lives than they do today. All this changed, the story goes, when Betty Friedan published her 1963 best seller, “The Feminine Mystique,” which denigrated stay-at-home mothers. Ever since, their standing in society has steadily diminished. That myth — repeated in Suzanne Venker and Phyllis Schlafly’s new book, “The Flipside of Feminism” — reflects a misreading of American history"
EXTINCT ANIMAL NUGGET!!
Thylacine was More Tasmanian Tiger than Marsupial Wolf from Discover Magazine
"In the 18th and 19th centuries, explorers in Tasmania brought back tales of a strange creature that looked like a wolf with tiger-like stripes on its haunches. That animal was the thylacine. It was a marsupial, one of several mammals that raise their young in pouches, and more closely related to kangaroos and koalas than to dogs or cats."
BIG SHARK NUGGET!!
Biggest Great White Shark Caught, Released from National Geographic News
"18-foot fish may help crack migration mysteries, team says."
ECO-SPACE LIVING NUGGET!!
Living in a Box... no really: The Incredible 10ft Cube Home that Includes a Lounge, a Shower, a Kitchen and a DOUBLE Bedroom from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"If you think your home is a bit cramped, take a look at this one.
Yet, somehow, designers have squeezed a lounge with a table and two chairs, a 4ft-wide double bed, a full-size shower and a kitchen into a 10ft cube."
Checkout the pictures of this place. I could easily see this really making a difference in the next generation of dense urban apt living.
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