UP-FRONT MUST-READ SOCIAL SECURITY NUGGET!!
Bargaining for a Child’s Love (Hendrik Hartog) from the New York Times
"Such accounts often draw on a deeply sentimental view of the past. Once upon a time, the story line goes, family members cared for one another naturally within households, in an organic and unplanned process. But this portrait is too rosy. If we confront what old-age support once looked like — what actually happened when care was almost fully privatized, when the old depended on their families, without the bureaucratic structures and the (under)paid caregivers we take for granted — a different picture emerges."
Middle East Trip Suggests Change in Policy by China Towards Iran (Michael Wines) from the New York Times
"The latest Iranian crisis puts that comfortable arrangement under new strains, some analysts say. Foremost is the United States’ request that China slash its purchases of Iranian oil or, under legislation just signed by President Obama, potentially face the exclusion of many of its
financial institutions from the American financial system. "
Is America Helping Israel Kill Iranian Scientists? The View from Iran (Robert Wright) from the Atlantic
"When, in the wake of last week's killing of an Iranian scientist, Iranian officials blamed Israel and America, I assumed they were just making up the part about America. Denials issued by Secretary of State Clinton and Defense Secretary Panetta were emphatic and convincing. But now Iran has gone beyond the usual vague references to a Zionist-American plot. Its foreign ministry has sent a letter to the U.S. claiming to have evidence of CIA involvement. Is it possible that the Iranians actually have such evidence? It's possible they have what they think is such evidence."
What they have are some arguments that they hope will divide the US and its allies over sanctions against Iran.
In France, the Pain of Rating Downgrade Is Especially Acute from the New York Times
"Among the European countries that Standard & Poor’s declared less creditworthy on Friday, France stands out among the tarnished. Related. An S.& P. downgrade provides no truly new information about the euro zone’s debt struggle, now entering its third year. But the move at least symbolically places the crisis squarely on the doorstep of the Continent’s second-biggest economy after Germany — which retains the AAA credit rating of which France can no longer boast."
Getting to Know You ... (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"As a new government takes shape, Egyptians are finding their voices again and rediscovering their neighbors."
China: Get Ready for Turbulence (Charles Dumas & Diana Choyleva) from The Diplomat
"China’s economic growth has been meteoric. But a tough global environment in 2012 could herald several years of severe economic turbulence in China."
The Burmese Regime Crumbles (David Warren) from the Ottawa Citizen
"When a regime such as Burma’s releases hundreds of political prisoners, it is crumbling. The matter is always delicate, for it may not realize it is crumbling yet, and may think, the way Mikhail Gorbachev perhaps once did, that it is bidding for survival through long-necessary reforms. But simply by making them, the regime undermines the public fear upon which it had depended."
Russia is Declining, and Its Democratic Idealism is Gone (Dominique Moisi) from the Daily Star [of Lebanon in English]
"...even if the tens of thousands of demonstrators last December are unlikely to threaten the survival of Putin’s regime, the Kremlin would be wise to take them seriously. The protesters’ trademark so far has been moderation and restraint; nothing would be more dangerous than violent repression."
Why Is Europe a Dirty Word? (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"Republican accusations that President Obama is a quasi-European reflect a caricature of Europe that is flat wrong. Oh, and pass a croissant."
Pennsylvania School District Runs Out of Money to Pay Teachers, But They Keep Teaching (Laura Clawson) from Daily Kos
"The district has no superintendent and teachers have not gotten raises they were supposed to get. And now the district does not have money to pay its teachers. At all. It is, in case you hadn't noticed, the middle of the school year. What happens to students when the schools just stop paying their teachers? What happens to the teachers who are suddenly without paychecks? These teachers plan to keep working without pay as long as they're able to do so:"
This is very similar to what happened during the Great Depression. My grandmother taught at a New Jersey school district in the 1930s where she was not paid in money but in tax script that her family could use at tax time in lieu of taxes. It was the only compensation she received. What these teachers are experiencing (and their responses as teachers) are commonplace these days -- in developing "third world" countries racked with corruption, inefficiency and bad governance. Incredible!
Robert Reich has his own take on the same general issue:
Public Institutions Suffer as Spending Falls (Robert Reich) from the San Francisco Chronicle
"A society is embodied most visibly in public institutions - public schools, public libraries, public transportation, public hospitals, public parks, public museums, public recreation, public universities and so on. But much of what's called "public" today is increasingly private. Tolls are rising on public highways and public bridges, as are tuitions at so-called public universities and admission fees at public parks and public museums. Much of the rest of what's considered "public" has become so shoddy that those who can afford to do so find private alternatives."
White House Signals More Aggressive Stance to Protect Homeowners from The Hill
"The Obama administration has signaled to allies that it will take a more aggressive role this year in protecting homeowners from foreclosure, a posture that fits with Obama’s populist campaign stance."
It is REALLY late for him to making this move -- it is long overdue. Better late than never I guess.
Boehner Faces a Restive G.O.P. and New White House Attacks from the New York Times
"For Speaker John A. Boehner and House Republicans, returning to the Capitol this week could have the awkward feeling of a couple waking up after a night of fighting."
What a GREAT analogy!
Why Mitt Romney Will Prove To Be a Feeble Presidential Nominee (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Mitt’s getting hammered in the “King of Bain” attack ad, but that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Michael Tomasky on why Romney will be stunningly weak in November."
Theology Feeds Christian Unease With Romney (Laurie Goodstein) from the New York Times
"Basic differences about Scripture and the nature of God leads many Christians to conclude that Mormons, including Mitt Romney, cannot be considered Christian."
What They Don’t Want to Talk About from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"Mitt Romney and the Republican Party fear talking about income inequality in the campaign."
History vs. the Tea Party (Sam Tenenhaus) from the New York Times
"Already there was a growing schism on the right, its fault lines precisely those Ms. Palin identified, between the elite — including Mr. Kristol and other journalists who had been among her first champions — and the base. This is a strikingly new development on the right. It is hard to imagine a similar conflict happening during previous conservative insurgent cycles ..."
Why, Despite Everything, the Obamas Seem to Have a Truly Great Marriage (Jacob Weisberg) from Slate
"This book left me craving insight into what makes this particular marriage work. Because the Obama marriage really does seem to work, ... It might even be considered a great marriage, which does right by their children, creates a warm circle of friendship around it, and brings out the best in both partners over time."
ROMNEY HUMOR NUGGET!!
Mitt Romney is a Serial Killer from the Colbert Report via Taegan Goddard's Political Wire
"The super PAC founded by Stephen Colbert, and now under the leadership of Jon Stewart, has released its first ad in South Carolina attacking Mitt Romney for his work at Bain Capital."
LITERATURE NUGGET!!
Famous Literary Friendships: From Boswell-Johnson to Kerouac-Ginsberg from the Daily Beast
"... the bonds between writers can provide some of our most complex and intimate records of friendship."
OUTER SPACE NUGGET!!
Figuring Out Why Most of Titan's Methane Lakes Have Northern Exposures (Scott K. Johnson) from Ars Technica
"There’s something extraordinary about imagining liquid methane falling as rain on another world—it’s so similar to our experience, yet so very different. Earth has a familiar hydrologic cycle; Titan has an alien methane cycle."
WATER PHOTO NUGGET!!
Water Droplets Images Captured In High Speed Photography By Jim Kramer (PHOTOS) from the Huffington Post
"Jim Kramer may be an amateur photographer, but you'd never know it after seeing his amazing water droplets photos."
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