DAYLEE PICTURE: A dock overlooking the Playa Flamenco beach in Cuba. From National Geographic.
Merkel Isolated in Race for Euro Crisis Solution from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Slow and steady wins the race: That has been Chancellor Merkel's motto in recent months as she leads efforts to solve the euro crisis. But as problems in the common currency area intensify, many are urging her to hurry up. The next week will be crucial."
Corporate Profits Just Hit An All-Time High, Wages Just Hit An All-Time Low (Henry Blodget) from the Business Insider
"In case you needed more confirmation that the priorities of US companies and the US economy are screwed up, here are three charts for you."
Archbishop’s Aide Guilty of Endangerment in Abuse Case from the New York Times
"Msgr. William J. Lynn, in Philadelphia, became the first senior Roman Catholic official in the United States to be convicted for covering up child sexual abuses by priests in his charge."
Jerry Sandusky Verdict: Guilty on 45 of 48 Counts from the Daily Beast
"It took 21 hours for a jury to find the ex-Penn State coach guilty on almost all of the state's charges. Diane Dimond reports from the courtroom on the wild reaction—and what’s next for Jerry."
Why was there a trial? Sandusky's lawyer offered one of the most lame (verging on non-existant) defenses in US criminal court history. What did Sandusky figure? That if he pled guilty, he'd get life in prison and if he fought it and lost he'd still get ... life in prison? My guess: he figured that he had one chance - which was to hope that the victims would be too intimidated (or too messed up emotionally or in their later life history) to be credible. Kudos to the prosecution for nuking Sandusky at every turn!
The Case of Karen Klein, Bullied Bus Monitor, Proves that Bullying Isn't Personal (Libby Copeland) from Slate
"If you’re one of the few who hasn’t seen the main video, “Making the Bus Monitor Cry,” that’s probably for the best. Klein, a grandmother reportedly paid something like $15,000 a year to sit on the school bus and watch over the kids, struggles mightily to diffuse and ignore a group of boys who grow progressively more cruel, making fun of her weight and what they assume is her poverty."
There are several remarkable things about this case: first, how it comes on the heels of the gay college teen suicide criminal case and the Mitt Romney college "pranks" story. It seems to me the tolerance level for this kind of behavior has EVAPORATED in the last couple of years. I can recall abuse like this occurring when I was a young person -- and (unless it was directed against a teacher) nobody said a thing and authorities never did anything about it -- even when parents protested. Second, it's interesting to see how social media is increasingly putting these bully-types on the spot. Apparently, the young people who were bullying this elderly woman have received death threats and are being investigated by the local police. No one deserves death threats -- but one can only hope that bullies everywhere are taking notes and maybe thinking twice before they continue with this kind of behavior.
OUR PUNDIT-OF-THE-DAY!!
Bullies on the Bus (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"Those boys are us, or at least too many of us: America at its ugliest. It is that part of society that sees the weak and vulnerable as worthy of derision and animus. This kind of behavior is not isolated to children and school buses and suburban communities. It stretches to the upper reaches of society — our politics and our pulpits and our public squares."
How Libraries are Reinventing Themselves for the Future from Time Magazine
"Many branches of these public institutions are dying from lack of funding—and reinventing themselves in surprising new ways."
Why Women Still Can’t Have It All (Anne-Marie Slaughter) from the Atlantic
"It’s time to stop fooling ourselves, says a woman who left a position of power: the women who have managed to be both mothers and top professionals are superhuman, rich, or self-employed. If we truly believe in equal opportunity for all women, here’s what has to change."
2012 Elections Could See Record Number Of Women Running For House Seats (Amanda Terkel) from the Huffington Post
"With the primary voting season at the halfway mark, there are 97 women in 26 states who have won their party's nomination and will be on the ballot in the November general elections."
Issa Committee Called for Justice Department Scalp (Daniel Klaidman) from the Daily Beast
If you haven't been paying attention to the "Fast and Furious" scandal, this article tells you all you need to know -- and why you were amply justified in not wasting your time following it up until now.
"Talks broke down, and a House committee voted to cite Eric Holder for contempt. Daniel Klaidman reports exclusively on the scalp Issa’s team wants. ... Castor’s gambit was seen by DOJ officials as evidence that Issa was more interested in drawing blood than getting to the truth. "The reason that this contempt motion happened is that Issa didn't come up with any evidence and didn't get a scalp," says Matthew Miller, a close associate of Holder's and his former communications director."
On Holder, Partisan Confrontation That Not All Wanted (Jonathan Weisman) from the New York Times
"With the contempt citation for Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., a matter that has been a sideshow on the Republican right flank for months is moving center stage."
Obama Immigration, Gay Marriage 'Evolution' Shifts Voter Opinion, Galvanizes Base (Janell Ross & Cristina Costanini) from the Huffington Post
"Critics of the administration's new ban on deporting certain young undocumented immigrants say it is tantamount to the president's announcement on gay marriage -- more symbolic and politically advantageous than substantive. Others wonder why he waited so long. But advocates insist that the move constitutes something rare: a combination of good policy and genius politics."
Obama Widens Latino Voting Gap from Politico
"The enormity of Mitt Romney’s Latino challenge was made clear here Friday in the 45 seconds an audience of Hispanic elected officials stood and applauded before President Barack Obama spoke. The president depicted himself as a champion of immigration reform, blasted Republicans for blocking the DREAM Act and recounted his decision to stop deportations of many young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents."
Why America's Extreme Politics Will Likely Get Even Worse (George Bauer) from Alternet
"A convergence of term limits, redistricting, ideology and inexperience in Congress and state legislatures will result in even more partisan gridlock."
Case in point:
The Shadow GOP vs. the Basket Case (Charlie Mahteisan) from Politico
"The Nevada GOP is in the process of firmly establishing itself as a circus sideshow."
Romney And Roosevelt (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"... they will, if the debt explodes under a Republican again, turn a blind eye yet again. For them it is always 1983. In fact, it must always be 1983. Because they have no other policies but those tried in 1983. Including the core element of fiscal fraudulence."
Mendacious Mitt: Romney's Bid to Become Liar-in-Chief (Michael Cohen) form the Guardian [of the UK]
"Spin is normal in politics, but Romney is pioneering a cynical strategy of reducing fact and truth to pure partisanship."
Actually, I think Mitt is simply a milder version of this phenomenon, one that permeates in stronger form most of the GOP and their base.
OUTER SPACE NUGGET!!
Voyager At Solar System’s Edge Is ‘Crowning Achievement,’ Creator Says from Talking Points Memo
"NASA’s unmanned Voyager 1 spacecraft, launched in 1977, has become the first vessel in history to reach the edge of the solar system, NASA announced in mid-June. It’s hard to overstate the milestone..."
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