Dial 1 to Speak to the Taliban from the Economist [of London]
"Peace with the Taliban has three main actors and a large unsupporting cast. The opening of a Taliban office in Qatar suggests a change of direction from one of the essential players, Pakistan."
New Sanctions Target Iran Oil Sales from the Wall Street Journal
"U.S. sanctions against Iran's central bank, if combined with an
increasingly likely European oil embargo, are likely to significantly dent Tehran's oil revenue."
Strong Economic Numbers Released from Politico
"The economy appears to be smiling on President Barack Obama, just as Republican voters have started heading to the polls to pick his challenger. Private sector hiring surged in December to the highest level in 10 years, according to a payrolls report released Thursday by ADP Employment Services."
Manufacturing is Surprisingly Bright Spot in Economy from the New York Times
"Amid signs of improvement in the overall jobs climate, manufacturing stands out as an area of strength in the American economy."
The Loss of Upward Mobility in the U.S. (Josh Sanburn) from Time Magazine
"Most studies back up the idea that the U.S. has lost the upper hand for upward mobility to Europe and Canada over the last several decades. According to the Times story, 16% of Canadian men raised in the bottom tenth percentile of incomes were still there as adults. In the U.S., 22% remained in the bottom tenth. How can the American Dream be restored, and how can the U.S. once again lead the world in terms of the genuine possibility for upward mobility?"
The Death of the Fringe Suburb (Christopher B. Leinberger) from the Brookings Institution [from November]
"Drive through any number of outer-ring suburbs in America, and you’ll see boarded-up and vacant strip malls, surrounded by vast seas of empty parking spaces. These forlorn monuments to the real estate crash are not going to come back to life, even when the economy recovers. And that’s because the demand for the housing that once supported commercial activity in many exurbs isn’t coming back, either."
Detroit to Bulldoze 40 Square Miles: City Will Turn Abandoned Houses and Vacant Lots Into Wilderness and Farm Land from the Associated Press via WILX News [a story from 2010]
"Detroit, the very symbol of American industrial might for most of the 20th century, is drawing up a radical renewal plan that calls for turning large swaths of this now-blighted, rusted-out city back into the fields and farmland that existed before the automobile."
Edward Glaeser has an editorial on these types of programs HERE.
Man-Made Quakes? Blame Fracking And Drilling (Christopher Joyce) from NPR's Morning Edition
"... scientists have found that even pumping water away from underground mines (to keep them from flooding) changes the dynamics of stress in rock formations enough to trigger a quake."
Quakes Jeopardize Ohio City's Economic Recovery (Tim Rudell) from NPR's Morning Edition
"There is a natural gas drilling boom going on in Youngstown, Ohio. But a series of earthquakes there has renewed focus on activities like drilling and mining that are known to cause earthquakes. Now people in the area are weighing safety over economic growth."
For College Grads, Where the Jobs Are from the Washington Post
"An analysis of unemployment based on census figures found that health and education majors faced the best job prospects. Architecture majors fared worst."
HERE's the article that accompanies the graph.
The Battle Over Gay Marriage Set To Go Nationwide from Talking Points Memo
"Washington may be the latest state to push for gay marriage, but in other states gay rights advocates have already been pursuing marriage equality for some time, in efforts that will likely culminate sometime in 2012. So where are the biggest battlegrounds?"
House GOP Weakened, Divided from Politico
"House Republicans aren’t looking for another bloody battle on the payroll tax. They don’t think it’s worth stepping into the ring with President Barack Obama during his 2012 crusade against Congress. But they are willing to fight each other — over policy, strategy and leadership. A year to the day since Ohio’s John Boehner and 87 eager freshmen took Washington by storm, House Republicans are bruised from battle, irritated with each other and have lost trust in their leadership."
The Grand Strategy Behind Obama’s Recess Appointment (Jonathan Chait) from New York Magazine
"President Obama’s decision to use a recess appointment to seat Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was a no-brainer — such a no-brainer, in fact, that many of us were racking our brains to figure out why he didn’t do it sooner. It’s an important move that brings together four important battles the Obama administration is waging:"
Santorum, Huntsman and the Future of Conservatism (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"...when conservatives play the class card, they see it as a high ethical calling involving the defense of good and moral folk against the depredations of a liberal elite. Blatant hypocrisy is instructive."
Romney’s Not-a-Mandate (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"Mitt Romney and his backers decided that, to win in Iowa, they had to destroy Newt Gingrich’s campaign. Now Gingrich looks eager — and able — to return the favor. Romney got his victory, but it doesn’t feel much like one."
Romney Wins the Battle, But Can He Win the War? (Philip Klein) from the Washington Examiner
"Mitt Romney may have good reason to believe that his narrow victory in this year's Iowa caucuses will help propel him to the Republican nomination. But the deeper results should worry Republicans hoping to beat President Obama in November."
The Ineffable Strangeness Of Mitt Romney (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"We've been so used to the weirdness of the island of misfit toys that is the GOP primary season that we may have missed the real story: the weirdest man in the whole race might actually be ... the one not supposed to be weird. I remember vividly David Brooks' description of Romney's 2008 Convention speech as "borderline insane." "
Newt Gingrich Targets Romney, Returns to Cage-Fighting Roots (Michelle Cottle) from the Daily Beast
"We knew the above-the-fray act was too good to be true. Michelle Cottle on Gingrich’s return to his roots as a cage-fighting thug—and why Romney should watch out."
Why The GOP Still Has An Enthusiasm Problem from Talking Points Memo
"The main idea seems to be that the GOP fractioning seen over the life of the Obama administration, from the real beginnings of the Tea Party movement, is really showing."
South Carolina Tea Partiers Wish Romney Would Just Go Away (Frank James) from NPR's Morning Edition
"Talk with Tea Party leaders here in South Carolina and you quickly realize that the toughest job in the Mitt Romney campaign would be the assignment of doing outreach to these activists. Maybe not a mission impossible, but close."
Joseph Kennedy III Takes Steps Toward Run for Congress from the Boston Globe
"Joseph P. Kennedy III is taking the final steps to launch a run for Congress this year, hoping to succeed US Rep. Barney Frank, who will retire rather than run in his reconfigured district."
SANDY BEACH NUGGET!!
Carl Jara Takes Sand Sculpture To Insane New Heights (PHOTOS) from Huffington Post
"Remember when you were a little kid making sand castles and right when you achieved perfection a giant wave crashed down and ruined everything? Well, maybe if you had just gotten to finish what you started you would have ended up with something like these mesmerizing sand sculptures by Carl Jara."
No comments:
Post a Comment