News Nuggets 970

DAYLEE PICTURE: Kayaking in a fjord in Greenland.  From National Geographic.

Asia as Global Leader – Not So Fast (Ho Kwon Ping) from Yale Global Online 
"In the rush of exuberant expectations that Asia’s time has come, the continent could fall victim to what’s behind many failures in the history of the world – simple hubris."

America's Destiny Still Largely in its Own Hands (Martin Wolf) from the Irish Times
"WHAT WILL be the role of the US in the 21st century? This is a question I rashly agreed to address last week at the Carnegie Council in New York. In analysing it, I considered a closely related issue that also exercises Americans: is the future role of the US in its own hands? The answer is: yes but only up to a point. The US can control what it does. But it cannot control what others do. The historic dominance of the US is the fruit of its exceptional assets."

Political Climate in Jordan Boiling (Samuel Segev) from the Winnipeg Free Press [of Canada]
"The reasons for the constant tension in the kingdom are abundant: unemployment, high cost of living, a rise in the power of the Islamists and the struggle between the Bedouins and the Palestinians, who constitute a majority in the country."

America's Comrade Locke in China (Anne Henochowicz) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Why is China so obsessed with America's backpack-wearing, coupon-clipping ambassador?"

Internet Stirs Activism in Vietnam (Huong Nguyen) from Yale Global Online 
"Social media-based attacks on foreign policy connect Vietnamese diaspora and activists."

Why Older Americans Have the Worst Long-Term Unemployment Crisis (Derek Thompson) from the Atlantic
"We have, on this site, focused like a laser beam on the job crisis for the young. But today, a compelling report from the GAO reminds us that among those who have lost a job, older Americans might just have it worse. Actually, they absolutely have it worse. Americans over the age of 55 are
the least likely to find another job and the most likely to take a significant pay cut for the next position."

Changing Times on Gay Marriage (Charlie Cook) from National Journal 
"While younger voters are more supportive than older ones, he points out that “all age groups are rethinking their positions.” Van Lohuizen emphasized: “This is not about a generational shift in attitudes; this is about people changing their thinking as they recognize their friends and family members who are gay or lesbian.”"

Senate Republicans Gird For Fresh Debt Ceiling Fight from the Huffington Post
"Despite the risk of economic and political fallout, Senate Republicans Tuesday said they're standing with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in picking another fight with Democrats over tying spending cuts to a debt ceiling increase this year."
"Despite..."?  In my view it is BECAUSE of the economic and political fallout that they are pursuing this.  This battle will be their last chance to throw some more sand in the economy and then blame Obama.

Is the Filibuster Unconstitutional? (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post 
"Bondurant thinks the filibuster is unconstitutional. And, alongside Common Cause, where he serves on the board of directors, he’s suing to have the Supreme Court abolish it."
I believe this folks are on to something.

Our Politics Is A Mess, But Only One Party Is The Cause (Leonard Pitts Jr.) from the National Memo
" the issue is not partisanship, but hyper-partisanship, a mindset that prioritizes party above country. In the second place, Lugar’s sop to moral equivalence notwithstanding, this is not a problem caused by partisans “at both ends of the political spectrum.”"

Mitt Romney Debt Speech Ignores Key Facts from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"A look at some of Romney's assertions and how they compare with the facts:..."
This is from the Associated Press, not some left-wing pundit!  The gap between what Romney asserts and the facts seems to get wider and wider.  Knowing that the economy is the only issue he has, he's left with wholesale fabrication and fear-mongering.  New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait has more on the Romney rant.  The key piece to this economic fantasizing is Romney's clear intention to expose himself to the mainstream media as little as possible so he will never have to deal with the serial falsification.  This approach has worked so far.

Romney Runs Against History in Touting CEO Credentials (David J. Lynch) from Bloomberg News Service
"If the presumptive Republican nominee wins the presidency, the approach he spelled out over lunch at the Seaport Boston Hotel is the style he’d bring to the White House. Some historians doubt it would work in Washington."

Same general topic, different view:
Romney is No Economic Savior (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post 
"Republicans say they’re eager for the presidential campaign to turn away from “distractions” and focus instead on the economy. Someone should warn them that if they’re not careful, they might get their wish."

What I Learned Vetting VP Nominees (A.B. Culvahouse) from the Wall Street Journal
"Short-listed potential VP nominees are required to hand over tax returns, medical histories, financial statements, court records, and anything else labeled "private and confidential," while also answering the most probing questions about themselves, their spouses, their children and their extended family—questions I would not dream of posing in any other context."

Dems’ Best Friend: The GOP Base (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"The conservative masses revolt again, this time in Nebraska's Senate primary.  At the very least, the Republican Party base’s revolt against its own establishment cost the GOP a 50-50 Senate tie in 2010, with primary voters forcing unelectable nominees on the party in three races that it had otherwise been on course to win. A decent case can be made that the uprising actually cost Republicans outright Senate control. And now the same thing may be happening all over again, with Nebraska joining a growing list of unexpected 2012 Senate battlegrounds – at least for the moment."

MEDICAL NUGGET!!
Testing a Drug That May Stop Alzheimer’s Before It Starts from the New York Times
"In a clinical trial that could lead to treatments that prevent Alzheimer’s disease, people who are genetically guaranteed to suffer from the disease years from now — but who do not yet have any symptoms — will for the first time be given a drug intended to stop them from developing it, federal officials announced Tuesday."

KITTY NUGGET!!
Kitty-cam Reveals the Secret Lives of Cats (Muriel Kane) from Raw Story 
"Loyd said she gathered 2,000 hours of kitty-cam footage for he research project, partnering with National Geographic Remote Imaging to fit the cats with cameras. She said the research is meant to reveal outdoor cats’ behavior and prove that they lead more dangerous lives than their indoor counterparts."

DOCUMENTARIAN NUGGET!!
Ken Burns on Why His Formula for a Great Story Is 1+1=3 from the Atlantic 
"For a documentary filmmaker, it's hard to imagine a more intimidating project than making a documentary film about Ken Burns. When Sarah Klein and Tom Mason set out explore the mysterious nature of story, however, they decided to do just that."