News Nuggets 784

Stratus clouds over Inglefield Bay in Greenland.  From National Geographic. 

OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTEST NUGGET!!
No Occupation near you? Can't camp out? Here's one way to Occupy Wall Street anywhere from Daily Kos
"Now, you might not be able to realistically spend your days (and nights) at an Occupation in your area. Or there might not even be one near you, even if you wanted to participate. Maybe you even feel like you're the only one in your town who even would support such a thing. "

Gaddafi's Last Words as he Begged for Mercy: 'What Did I Do to You?' from the Guardian [of the UK]
"As National Transitional Council fighters fought their way into Sirte, radio intercepts spoke of 'an asset' in the besieged city. But no one knew until the final moments that the deposed dictator was within their grasp."

In partial answer to the great leader's question, there's this item:
As Libya Takes Stock, Moammar Kadafi's Hidden Riches Astound from the Los Angeles Times
"New estimates of the former leader's assets — more than $200 billion — are called 'staggering.' If they prove true, he would rank among the world's most rapacious leaders. ... Moammar Kadafi secretly salted away more than $200 billion in bank accounts, real estate and corporate investments around the world before he was killed, about $30,000 for every Libyan citizen ..."

The Rights of a Deposed Despot: Libyans Don't Really Give a Hoot from Time Magazine
"As the debate continues over whether rebel fighters executed Gaddafi after capturing him — in violation of international rules of war — the issue has raised stark differences between Libya's new leaders, who suffered for decades under a suffocating dictatorship, and the views of some of their closest Western allies."

Tunisians Vote in a Milestone of Arab Change from the New York Times
"Millions of Tunisians cast votes on Sunday for an assembly to draft a constitution and shape a new government, in a burst of pride and hope that after inspiring uprisings across the Arab world, their small country could now lead the way to democracy."

The Iraq War is Finally Over. And it Marks a Complete Neocon Defeat (Jonathan Steele) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Thanks to the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iran's greatest enemy, Tehran's influence in Iraq is stronger than America's."

Satisfying Times for Defenders of Freedom (Adam Michnik) from Gazeta Wyborcza [of Poland in English]
"This time, democratic nations stood by the oppressed and against the despot. This was a signal for all people subject to tyranny: dictatorships don’t go unpunished; dictators are not immortal."

The Hole in Europe’s Bucket (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"If it weren’t so tragic, the current European crisis would be funny, in a gallows-humor sort of way. For as one rescue plan after another falls flat, Europe’s Very Serious People — who are, if such a thing is possible, even more pompous and self-regarding than their American counterparts — just keep looking more and more ridiculous."

The Class War Has Begun (Frank Rich) from New York Magazine
"And the very classlessness of our society makes the conflict more volatile, not less."

One Country, Two Revolutions (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"I was on Wall Street two weeks ago, and I’ve been in Silicon Valley this past week. What a contrast! While Wall Street is being rattled by a social revolution, Silicon Valley is being by transformed by another technology revolution — one that is taking the world from connected to hyperconnected and individuals from empowered to superempowered. It is the biggest leap forward in the I.T. revolution since the mainframe computer was replaced by desktops and the Web."

So Cheap, There’s Hope in Detroit from the Economist [of London]
"Having lost a quarter of its population in a decade, America’s most blighted big city could be turning the corner."

Why Dems are Winning the Money War from Politico
"...even with the prospect of an entirely GOP-controlled federal government in 2013, Democrats are outraising their GOP counterparts in month after month. In September alone, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee nearly doubled the National Republican Congressional Committee’s take, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $1 million more than the National Republican Senatorial Committee. What gives?"

GOP Campaign vs. the World (Clarence Page) from the Chicago Tribune
"How important is it to have presidential candidates who, when talking about Libya, know where Libya is?"

Yes, the GOP Just Might Nominate a Candidate Patently Unqualified to Be President (Walter Shapiro) from the New Republic
"...neither party has nominated a patently unqualified candidate for president in more than a century. But ever since voters in primaries and caucuses replaced party bosses at the center of the nominating process, there has always been a theoretical risk that the unofficial vetting system could break down. And this year, in particular, there’s a substantial case to be made that all bets and vets are off."

RENAISSANCE PAINTING NUGGET!!
Padua Fresco Puzzle Pieced Back Together from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Andrea Mantegna painted the fresco during the 15th century at the the Eremitani Church in Padua, a city in northern Italy. But it was destroyed by a bombing raid in 1944. Its virtual reconstruction can be seen in this image."

CEMETERY NUGGET!!
Graves of the Rich and Famous (PICTURES) from Salon
"From Lenin's solemn mausoleum to Wilde's lipsticked tomb, we visit the resting places of fascinating luminaries."

HIGHER EDUCATION NUGGET!!
Colleges With The Lowest Acceptance Rates: US News List from the Huffington Post
"US News and World Report recently named the colleges with the lowest acceptance rates for fall 2010. Curtis Institute of Music topped the list with a mind-boggling acceptance rate of 4%. The music school offers free tuition in return for acceptance. Check out our slide show of the hardest schools to get into."