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Monday, June 27, 2011

News Nuggets 675

A surfer in Indonesia.  From National Geographic.

Libya: Fierce Fighting South-West of Tripoli from the BBC
"Rebel forces in Libya have clashed with troops loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi about 80km (50 miles) south-west of the capital, Tripoli."
I have noted an interesting phenomenon in the media coverage of the Libya conflict.  In the European press (and virtually everywhere else in the world) the war is covered largely as a military story -- while in the US media, the military story has been largely ignored, papered over, or covered badly.  In its place, what you get instead is Libya as a political story or, at best, as a foreign policy story where the focus is on Obama, Congress or how the war is impacting the polls.  To really get a feel for how the war is going on the ground, read the international press or go to Al Jazeera English or the BBC. 

My Syria, Awake Again After 40 Years (Mohammad Aliatassi) from the New York Times
"... the Syria that has been out of sight for the 40 years of the Assads’ rule, a country and its aspirations placed on a shelf and forgotten for decades in the name of stability. Now this other Syria is appearing before our eyes to remind us that it cannot be forever set aside, that its people did not spend the decades of the Assads’ rule asleep, and that they aspire, like all people, to live with freedom and dignity."

Obama’s Prudent Policy on Afghanistan (E.J. Dionne Jr.) from the Washington Post
"Prudence went on vacation during the administration of the second President Bush, but it’s back as the hallmark of President Obama’s approach to foreign policy. And it was the underlying theme of Obama’s speech on Afghanistan last week.  You would think this would be popular. But it turns out that Obama finds himself almost alone in his effort to define a broad new middle ground in international affairs. It’s not that the center isn’t holding. It’s that most politicians don’t seem to want to go near it."

Ups and Downs: The Making of a Hegemon: A Review of Why the West Rules—For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal about the Future by Ian Morris (Camille Pecastaing) from World Affairs Journal
"Now, as the pendulum continues to swing in an ever diminishing arc, there are renewed doubts about the place of the United States in the world and its ability to deal with radical Islamists and the economic power of China. In Why the West Rules—For Now, Stanford archaeologist Ian Morris puts these and other questions of decline and renewal into a larger context."

How China Sees the World: An Emerging Global Power Hashes Out its Foreign Policy (Thanassis Cambanis) from the Boston Globe
"As scholars look deeper into China’s approach to the world around it, what they are finding there is sometimes surprising. Rather than the veiled product of a centralized, disciplined Communist Party machine, Chinese policy is ever more complex and fluid—and shaped by a lively and very polarized internal debate with several competing power centers."

Africa Trip Has Been a Time for First Lady Michelle Obama to Shine from the Washington Post
"If Michelle Obama arrived at the White House as a reluctant first lady, her visit to southern Africa over the past week has offered the best view yet of how that aversion has fallen away as she has embraced the power that comes with her role.  On her trip — part official diplomatic mission, part personal pilgrimage — she has displayed her version of soft diplomacy."
I'll be curious to hear more if her skepticism about presidential "power"  and such have REALLY changed.  I doubt it.

Flickers of Hope in Somalia from Die Welt [of Germany in English]
"Plagued by civil war, terrorism and poverty, Somalia and its capital Mogadishu are often described as hell on earth. But thanks to international help and a handful of courageous citizens, some light has appeared at the end of the tunnel for the troubled African nation."
One can always hope.

Why U.S. Teachers Work the Most But U.S. Students Stay Average (Ujala Sehgal) from the Atlantic
""This statistic refutes the argument that teachers should be paid considerably less than other workers because 'teachers only work 9 months of the year.'"  One conclusion to be drawn from this is, as the Journal writes, "American teachers are the most productive among major developed countries." But it also notes that "student achievement in the U.S. remains average in reading and science and slightly below average in math when compared to other nations in a separate OECD report.""

Should Flogging Be an Alternative to Prison? from Time Magazine
"Despite what you may think, Moskos is not pushing flogging as part of a "get tougher on criminals" campaign. In fact Moskos, who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, begins not by arguing that the justice system is too soft on criminals, but the opposite."

Inside Nancy Pelosi’s Drive to Win the House Majority Back for Democrats from the Washington Post
"Nancy Pelosi no longer has a balcony with the grandest view in Washington. The size of her staff has been cut by a third. And it took months, she said, to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke from the second-floor suite she received in her swap with now-House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). ... The fact that the pale-yellow walls remain bare suggests that Pelosi has no intention of getting settled in her new offices."

Pelosi Cranks Up Heat on GOP: 'The Republicans Are The Incumbents' from the Huffington Post
"In the lead-up to the 2012 elections, both President Obama and Democratic leaders will likely argue that the continued economic malaise the country has experienced is owed to the inflexibility of the Republican Party."
I am skeptical that this argument will play with the voting block the Dems need to win.

In GOP Presidential Field, Only Three are for Real (John P. Avlon) from CNN
"The first is to run to promote yourself. The second is to run to promote ideas. The third is to actually run for president of the United States. The Republican presidential hopefuls running on this old-fashioned third notion are a distinct minority. And that says a lot about the state of our politics: bread and circuses meets reality TV."

Why Michele Bachmann is the Iowa Frontrunner (Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake) from the Washington Post
"Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann will formally announce her presidential campaign on Monday in Waterloo, Iowa — and will immediately become the early favorite to win the state’s February 2012 caucuses. The new Des Moines Register poll, which was released late Saturday night, tells the story."

WORLD WAR II PHOTO NUGGET!!
World War II: The Invasion of Poland and the Winter War from the Atlantic

"Collected here are images of these tumultuous first months and of Allied forces preparing for the arduous battles to come."
These are some of the most arresting pictures I've ever seen of the opening hours and months of World War II.

ENVIRONMENT/ENERGY NUGGET!!
Atop TV Sets, a Power Drain That Runs Nonstop from the New York Times

"Those little boxes that usher cable signals and digital recording capacity into televisions have become the single largest electricity drain in many American homes, with some typical home entertainment configurations eating more power than a new refrigerator and even some central air-conditioning systems."

PET NUGGET!!
Puppy Shrinks, Kitty Therapy: Inside the World of Pet Psychologists from Time Magazine

"Right now, about 10% of dogs are suffering from mental disorders. The same goes for us human beings. And 50% of canines are prone to mental illnesses at least once in their lives. Again, the same goes for us. At certain points in their lives they may feel anxious, depressed and have phobias, just as we do. All this can ruin not only their lives, but the lives of their masters as well."

CAT AND DOG VIDEO NUGGET!!
Pitbull vs. Kitten from YouTube

"Introducing the dog Spike - my majestic American Pitbull Terrier - and Visa, my 2 months old cat."

The 25 All-TIME Best Animated Films from Time Magazine
"They've enthralled or terrified generations of kids, and now they're giant worldwide blockbusters. So what are the best animated features of all time? Using an obscure system of weights and measures, TIME movie critic Richard Corliss has compiled and annotated the countdown, from No. 25 (Lady and the Tramp) to No. 1 (see for yourself). Are your favorites on the list?"
I've been a long-standing fan and student of animated films.  This is an interesting list -- with MANY films which were not the best of anything -- and some MONUMENTAL omissions.  Where's Fantasia, Beauty and the Beast, Bambi ... or Watership Down for that matter? Lady and the Tramp is supposed to be better than these?! No way!!

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