LOCAL NEWS LISTENING NOTE:
For those interested in listening to or watching Lynn Cullen's daily podcast, her video-stream provider has been shifted from UStream to Justin.TV. Go to the City Paper's mainpage HERE, go to Lynn Cullen's program link and re-connect there.
UP-FRONT LONG-FORM CYBER-WAR NUGGET!!
How Digital Detectives Deciphered Stuxnet, the Most Menacing Malware in History (Kim Zetter) from Wired Magazine
"It was January 2010, and investigators with the International Atomic Energy Agency had just completed an inspection at the uranium enrichment plant outside Natanz in central Iran, when they realized that something was off within the cascade rooms where thousands of centrifuges were enriching uranium."
I have been struck by the extraordinary amount and quality of reporting Wired reporters have done on this subject.
U.S. Recognizes Rebels in Libya from the New York Times
"At the meeting, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that Colonel Qaddafi’s government no longer had any legitimacy, and that the United States would join more than 30 countries in extending diplomatic recognition to the main opposition group, known as the Transitional National Council."
This is important -- it makes the frozen Libyan assets now available to the rebels, a HUGE chunk of change!
Libya: Military Action Will Intensify While UN Presses for End to Conflict from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"Military action against Muammar Gaddafi's government will be intensifed while a UN envoy presses for negotiations to end the conflict in Libya, William Hague said."
The Fight to Rescue the Arab Spring from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Across the Arab world, protesters show fury at the resistance to change shown by interim authorities as well as old regimes."
Afghanistan: UN Drops Taliban Names from Sanctions List from the BBC
"Fourteen former Afghan Taliban leaders have been removed from an international blacklist by the UN Security Council."
This could be a very important development -- this is the kind of thing one sees at critical points in negotiations. They often represent classic "trust-building measures" which presage bigger conversations to come.
North America's Tar Sands: The New Middle East (Bill McKibben) from Mother Jones Magazine
"It’s either a 'yes' or a 'no' for the climate-killing Keystone XL oil pipeline—and Obama gets to make the call.
Undemocratic China Can't Rule the World (Jinghao Zhou) from the Asia Times [of Hong Kong in English]
"... what place does the "China model" have in helping the Middle Kingdom undergo this transition to pre-eminence? At such a turning point in history, the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will have to make a critical decision on whether it is willing to remake the foundation of the China model."
Murdoch’s Political Money Trail (Laura Colarusso) from the Daily Beast
"The media mogul has used cold cash to sway politicians and lobby regulators. Laura Colarusso reports on his efforts to influence U.S. policy."
The Brooks Resignation: Business and Loyalty (Ken Auletta) from the New Yorker
"Yesterday Rebekah Brooks and Les Hinton got pushed. Tomorrow other bodies will get flung overboard…"
Cleaning the Yard In the Tabloid Scandal: The Police are Tainted Too from the Economist [of London]
"It is alleged that some police officers took money from journalists in return for information that could be used for stories. ... Such graft has been suspected for years."
Obama Makes his Case to the Left (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"Obama’s argument is that progressives won’t be able to make the case to the public for more spending unless the deficit is neutralized as an issue."
House Republicans Brace for Compromise on Debt from the Los Angeles Times
"GOP leaders turn to their most trusted budget expert, Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), to explain to the rank and file what could happen if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling."
GOP’s Debt Kamikazes (John Avlon) from the Daily Beast
"In preferring default to a deal, the populist wing of the Republican party has demonstrated its new nihilistic streak. John Avlon on the politicians only too happy to take us off a cliff."
Republicans Tread Down a Dangerous Path (Norman Ornstein) from Roll Call
"If Obama's formula prevailed ... it would almost certainly result in a leap in confidence by the markets and a big plus for the economy and American workers. And it would, in one fell swoop, accomplish a series of goals that conservatives have sought for decades. It is now clear that Cantor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and their allies don’t want that kind of outcome."
HILARIOUS SARAH PALIN NUGGET!!
Sarah Palin Movie Debuts to Empty Theater in Orange County (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Atlantic
""Why aren't you seeing Harry Potter?" an usher said to the reporter sitting alone in the audience."
No audience -- what Sarah has deserved since the 2008 GOP convention!
SUMMER FUN NUGGET!!
Twelve World's Most Amazing Sand Castles (PHOTOS) from the Daily Beast
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