News Nuggets 723

A weaver bird in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Heavy Fighting Reported in Tripoli; Rebels Encircle City from the New York Times
"For the first time in months, witnesses in Tripoli reported heavy fighting across the capital late Saturday night, even as rebel forces claimed to have encircled the city by taking major towns to its east, west and south."

Former Gaddafi Number Two 'Defects' to Rebels from Al-Jazeera English
"Ex-PM Abdessalam Jalloud, who fell out of favour with Gaddafi in mid-nineties, flees Tripoli to rebel-held territory."

Debt Crisis Lessons for Europe (Stefan Theil) from the Daily Beast
"The EU should look to American federalism, where the debt problems of one state never threaten a breakup of the entire Union."
This is a classic case where history can provide essential guidance to policy making in the presence.  The problem the EU faces (in my view) is that there is neither the political courage to act nor a media environment that leaves the space for a real "deal."  The US's "founding fathers" lived at a time when information and "political time" moved at such a slower pace and, in the main, average people were more inclined to defer to those they perceived as their political betters.  Not now.  Pols now are under such intense almost minute-by-minute media scrutiny and (especially in Europe) are being pulled by basic primal nationalistic and electoral urgencies, I wonder if they do what they KNOW needs to happen.

India Risks Facing its Own Arab Spring from Reuters
"An anti-corruption movement led by a feisty 74-year-old social activist is snowballing into one of the biggest challenges in decades for the ruling Congress party and if not contained risks sparking India's own version of an Arab Spring revolt."

From Ping-pong Diplomacy to Basket-brawl: What the Chinese-Georgetown Fight Reveals from the Washington Post
"Blame has been heaped on the lopsided officiating (the Rockets had 57 free-throw attempts to the Hoyas’ 15); hair-trigger violence (who was that guy in khaki shorts stomping on guard Jason Clark?) ... For China, international sporting events are rarely just games; “face” is almost always at stake, even when the purpose is ostensibly diplomatic."

After Brawl, China Irked by Its Basketball Team from the New York Times
"In a country prone to nationalistic sentiment, most microblog remarks were surprisingly critical of the home team, a once-reliable champion that has fallen off its pedestal after losing some of its best players to retirement."

Surely They Can Read a Spreadsheet from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
The Times Board gets it right today!!
"When the federal government was on the brink of default and the economy hung in the balance, the nation’s business leaders had a chance to step forward and push for a long-term solution. ...Unlike many Republican politicians who saw the standoff as political theater, or a chance to bring “big government” to its knees, they knew what default would mean for their bottom lines. But just avoiding that cataclysm is not enough. The economy is in profound trouble, and the political system is in desperate need of responsible voices promoting sound ideas for both growth and deficit reduction."

My 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' Life (J. D. Smith) from the Daily Beast
"As a gay man currently serving in the Air Force, I’ve suffered discrimination, depression, and blackmail. DADT repeal will change all that—and maybe save my career."

Getting Ready for a Wave of Coal-plant Shutdowns (Brad Plumer) from the Washington Post
"The regulations, they say, will cost utilities up to $129 billion and force them to retire one-fifth of coal capacity. ... The doomsday scenario has alarmed Republicans in the House, who have been scrambling to block the measures.  ... Thanks to The Hill’s Andrew Restuccia, it’s now available (PDF) for all to read. And the upshot is that CRS is awfully skeptical of the “train wreck” predictions."

Church Attendance Falling Among Less-Educated Whites: Study from the Huffington Post
"While overall church attendance has declined slightly in the United States in recent decades, a new study says attendance at religious services among white Americans who did not go to college has fallen more than twice as quickly as it has among more highly educated whites."

G.O.P. on Defensive as Analysts Question Party’s Fiscal Policy (Jackie Calmes) from the New York Times
"The boasts of Congressional Republicans about their cost-cutting victories are ringing hollow to some well-known economists, financial analysts and corporate leaders, including some Republicans, who are expressing increasing alarm over Washington’s new austerity and antitax orthodoxy."
James Fallows at the Atlantic has a response to this article HERE.

The Republicans’ New Voodoo Economics? (Greg Ip) from the Washington Post
"The economic ideology of the Republican Party has changed in recent years in an important and little-appreciated direction. Liberals and conservatives ... have largely agreed that the government should have at least some role in smoothing out the ups and downs of the business cycle — what economists call “macroeconomic stabilization,” that is, containing inflation in good times and boosting employment in bad. But this is the consensus that many Republicans in effect now reject. "

Lessons From Wisconsin (Joe Conason) from Real Clear Politics
"With Wisconsin's epic state senate recall battle now over, the results carry a clear message that ought to resonate all the way to Washington -- and especially the Obama White House. The essence of politics in America today, for Democrats at least, is to understand and communicate the political nature of the opposition."

Huntsman: “I Wouldn’t Necessarily Trust Any Of My Opponents Right Now” On The Economy from Talking Points Memo
"Well, I wouldn't necessarily trust any of my opponents right now, who were on a recent debate stage with me, when every single one of them would have allowed this country to default"
Huntsman is catching a lot of ridicule for being out of step with his party -- but why is it ridiculous to be the only sane man in the asylum?  It actually looks more like a rare display of courage and principle -- unlike many of his GOP opponents who speak insanity BUT KNOW BETTER.

SUMMER VACATION NUGGET!!
America’s Most Scenic Drives from the Daily Beast
"Got some free time this summer and a driver’s license? From the towering trees of California’s Redwood Highway to a 50-mile joyride along the coast of Maui, The Daily Beast has the ultimate rundown of the most scenic drives in the United States."

THIRD REICH NUGGET!!
Hans Litten: The Man who Annoyed Adolf Hitler from BBC Magazine
"A new drama tells the story of a Jewish lawyer who confronted Hitler 80 years ago - earning the dictator's life-long hatred. So who was Hans Litten?"