THE TEN BEST NEWS NUGGETS
OF THE WEEK!!
1. Don't Despair Over Results of Egypt's Elections (James Glassman) from Forbes Magazine"... this is a time not for despair but for optimism and patience. As Leon Wieseltier wrote in The New Republic, “Democratization is not an event in the life of a society; it is an era: a protracted turbulence. ... When people can choose their leaders, they usually make good decisions, including the decision not to make war on their neighbors. But people do not always make those decisions immediately."
2. Globalization has Turned on its Western Creators (Jeremy Warner) from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"From the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements of the US to the rise of populist politics in Europe, the globalisation backlash is everywhere."
3. A Fascinating Chinese View of the Occupy Movement (James Fallows) from the Atlantic
"For an essay that says interesting things about America, and even more interesting ones about China, please check out a new dispatch at China Geeks. It is a translation, by Alec Ash, of a Chinese essay by Wu Yun called "Let's 'Occupy Chang'An Avenue.' " To get the joke you mainly need to know that Chang'An -- "Eternal Peace" -- Avenue runs between Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing, so it is shorthand for the Chinese locus of combined political/financial power."
4. Drone Journalism? The Idea Could Fly in the U.S. (Melissa Bell) from the Washington Post
"... drones are moving outside the military sphere and into the private sector. The FAA has allowed for more the two hundred permits on civilian drone applications, the Los Angeles Times reports. ... With the possibilities, also come concerns. The technology raises major privacy flags ..."
5. 'Obamacare' to the Rescue: A Woman Who Felt President Obama Had let the Middle Class Down has Changed her Mind (Op-Ed) from the Los Angeles Times
"We're good people, and we work hard. But we haven't been able to afford health insurance for more than two years. And now I have third-stage breast cancer and am facing months of expensive treatment. ... Fortunately for me, I've been saved by the federal government's Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, something I had never heard of before needing it. It's part of President Obama's healthcare plan..."
6. For the Environment, This Is a Big Deal (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"IN many ways, President Obama has been a disappointment on energy and the environment.... But, for me, all is forgiven — because Obama came through big-time last month. He backed his great E.P.A. administrator, Lisa Jackson, and Department of Transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, in producing a deal with all the top U.S.-based automakers that will ... require annual mileage improvements of 5 percent for car..."
7. Why Obama is Listening to Teddy Roosevelt for 2012 (John Avlon) from CNN
"... in recent years representatives of the right-wing talk radio crowd have started to throw Teddy Roosevelt under the bus as part of their RINO (Republican in Name Only) hunting expeditions. ... This attempted purge of Teddy Roosevelt by some conservatives reflects the electoral opportunity that President Obama is trying to seize in his re-election: painting a picture of a GOP that is too ideologically rigid and extreme to respond to the remorseless squeeze of the forgotten middle class, while the ranks of the super-rich have grown exponentially in recent decades. President Obama has gotten the message that this election will be decided by the middle class, and whether they believe the Republican nominee will look out for them more than the Democrat incumbent."
8. Romney and Gingrich, From Bad to Worse (George Will) from the Washington Post
"Romney’s main objection to contemporary Washington seems to be that he is not administering it. ... Gingrich, however, embodies the vanity and rapacity that make modern Washington repulsive."
9. Gingrich as Manager (Major Garrett) from the National Journal
"What Newt’s tenure as a House Republican leader says about his ability to lead an organization."
10. Gloria Cain, the Human Political Prop (Ruth Marcus) from the Washington Post
"Most cads in Cain’s position at least have the decency to apologize to their spouses for exposing them to humiliation. Cain used his as insulation, a testimonial to the glories of his favorite subject, Herman Cain. “I am at peace with my God,” he intoned. “I am at peace with my wife,” turning to bask in her approving claps. “She is at peace with me.” Pause for Gloria Cain to smile and point supportively at her supposedly victimized spouse, as the crowd chants, “Gloria. Gloria. Gloria.” It made me wince."
Now -- back to our regular nuggets!
Russia Protests: Thousands Rally Against Vote Fraud, Putin from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"Tens of thousands of Muscovites thronged to a square across the river from the Kremlin on Saturday to protest alleged electoral fraud and urge an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule, demands repeated at other rallies across this vast country in the largest public show of discontent in post-Soviet Russia."
Yesterday I made light of the parallels with the Arab Spring. Not anymore. The parallels are becoming more interesting and compelling by the day: an entrenched dictatorial oligarchy that has failed its youth and provided them with no future went ONE STEP too far, demonstrating in recent elections their complete disdain for their citizens. Those citizens, no longer afraid and armed with new technology, are taking matters in their own hands. We'll see how far this goes -- but it certainly looks and feels like exactly what we saw in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria. One other note: most interesting here is HOW FAST this went from nothing ... to something! Even a week ago, the idea that tens of thousands of Russians would be filling the streets demanding Putin's ouster seemed so improbable! In the world today, even in developed societies, there is a surface calm clearly masking very DEEP levels of discontent! Complacent, mouldering governments everywhere should be paying attention -- even here in the US!
Doubt the parallels? See this item:
Rousing Russia With a Phrase from the New York Times
"The man most responsible for the extraordinary burst of antigovernment activism here over the past week will not speak at a rally planned for Saturday, or even attend it, because he is in prison."
A New World Order for India (Minhaz Merchant) from the Times of India [in English]
An astonishing vision of things to come in Asia from a non-western point of view.
"India needs to think and act like a major power. It must fix governance at home, build a strategic foreign policy and leverage its demographic and economic assets. In the emerging world order, the India-US partnership will be as pivotal as the Anglo-US axis was for most of the 20th century. China will play the role of the old Soviet Union with economic satellites in an arc curving down from central Asia to Africa where China is now the world's biggest investor."
The Meaning of Sea Power (James Holmes & Toshi Yoshihara) from The Diplomat
"Those trying to understand China’s naval ambitions should be wary of the tacticization of strategy. Sea power isn’t just about the latest hardware."
It seems that The Diplomat has the same interest in educating people about US defense policy that I do -- they seem to have at least one article a week that examines the basic questions that I've been asking for a long time, kind of a series on Defense Policy for Dummies. I definitely consider myself a novice in this area.
The Corruption Map of the World (Simon Rogers) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Transparency International's transparency index measures each country in the world on corruption. See how they compare by clicking on each country. Use the dropdown menu to see how scores have changed since 2008."
New DCorps Study: GOP Incumbents Out of Touch, Increasingly Vulnerable from the Democratic Strategist
"The latest Democracy Corps survey of the Republican House battleground shows the incumbents out of touch with their districts, a climate less favorable to Republicans, weakening support and vulnerability to attack. With numbers virtually identical to those of Democratic incumbents leading into the 2010 disaster, the House is surely in play in 2012."
Newt’s Nastiness Comes Back to Haunt Him (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"Nearly two decades ago, Gingrich’s political action committee, with the help of GOP wordsmith Frank Luntz, issued a now-famous memo telling Republican candidates which words they should use to describe their opponents. Among them: “anti,” “betray,” “bizarre,” “corrupt,” “destructive,” “disgrace,” “shame,” “lie,” “pathetic,” “radical,” “self-serving,” “selfish,” “shallow,” “shame,” “sick,” “traitors.” “These are powerful words that can create a clear and easily understood contrast,” this Gingrich-endorsed memo explained. “Remember that creating a difference helps you. Apply these to the opponent, their record, proposals and their party.”"
21 Reasons Newt Gingrich Won’t be the Republican Nominee for President (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post
"There are eight weeks between the New Hampshire primary and Super Tuesday, and almost six months between Super Tuesday and the Republican National Convention. Gingrich might generate sufficient momentum to win a few primaries. But he can’t survive seven months as the frontrunner. The more interesting question is whether he could damage Romney badly enough that the GOP needs to find a new candidate to serve as their nominee."
Romney Previously Said Iraq Withdrawal Is An ‘Astonishing Failure,’ Now It’s ‘Appropriate’ from Think Progress
"...today during an interview with the Des Moines Register editorial board, Romney backtracked. Immediately after criticizing Obama for not keeping up to 30,000 troops in Iraq, the former Massachusetts governor said the withdrawal is the right move:"
AFRICAN AMERICAN NUGGET!!
Why Do So Few Blacks Study the Civil War? (Ta-Nehisi Coates) from the Atlantic
"The belief that the Civil War wasn’t for us was the result of the country’s long search for a narrative that could reconcile white people with each other, one that avoided what professional historians now know to be true: that one group of Americans attempted to raise a country wholly premised on property in Negroes, and that another group of Americans, including many Negroes, stopped them."
BABY GORILLA NUGGET!!
Tiny Tano Now Taking Visitors! (PHOTOS) from ZooBorns
I've never seen baby gorilla pictures like these before. They are quite touching. They also really capture how closely related gorillas are to humans. Check them out!
"Recently, ZooBorns reported on Tano the infant Gorilla's move from Prague Zoo to Wilhelma in Stuttgart, Germany. Tano has successfully completed his quarantine period and beginning today, lucky visitors can view the tiny Gorilla between 11.30 and 12 Noon."
COLD WAR BUNKER NUGGET!!
For the Hard-up Evil Genius Looking to Move Lairs from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
This is SOOO 1960s James Bond it is creepy!!
"If it's a quiet life you are after or you are worried about the end of the world, this underground bunker could be answer to your dreams. It's nuclear and biochemically bomb proof and has enough room for an army. In fact, this Cold War missile silo was once owned by the U.S. military."
VINTAGE WINE NUGGET!!
Historians Debate Whether to Open 'World's Oldest Bottle of Wine' from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Historians in Germany are debating whether or not to open what is believed to be the world’s oldest bottle of wine. The 1,650-year-old bottle, sealed with wax and containing a white liquid, has been on display at the Pfalz Historical Musuem for more than a century."
It looks pretty revolting -- I'd leave it alone. Michael Creighton would have had a field day with all the negative possibilities!
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