North Korea Tests the Patience of Its Closest Ally from the New York Times
"Kim Jong-un’s aggressive weapons program and stubborn refusal to open the economy are contributing to China’s frustration at the young leader."
Not-So-Crazy in Tehran (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"Iran is a much more complex country than many in the West realize. A bit of humility and nuance is needed in responding to the country’s bluster."
How Educational 'Rigor' Could Hurt China (Helen Gao) from the Atlantic
"China wants inventors and entrepreneurs, but its schools, built around the notorious gaokao exam, are still designed to produce cookie-cutter engineers and accountants."
The picture that accompanies this article of a student napping is stunning.
Keeping the Dream Alive (Jon Meacham) from Time Magazine
"The American Dream may be slipping away. We have overcome such challenges before. To recover the Dream requires knowing where it came from, how it lasted so long and why it matters so much. Emerson once remarked that there is properly no history, only biography. This is the biography of an idea, one that made America great. Whether that idea has much of a future is the question facing Americans now."
Supreme Court Roundup from Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire
No ruling on the health care law today. Here's what the court DID rule on:
"Check this post for the results of today’s Supreme Court opinions. ... The Court has invalidated most of the key provisions of SB 1070, the Arizona immigration law, saying they are preempted by federal law in a 5 to 3 ruling."
The Six Possible Supreme Court ‘Obamacare’ Outcomes from Talking Points Memo
"... there are actually more like six plausible rulings, with varying consequences for the fate of health care reform. They are as follows:"
Obama Health Law Seen Valid, Scholars Expect Rejection (Bob Drummond) from the Bloomberg News Service
"The U.S. Supreme Court should uphold a law requiring most Americans to have health insurance if the justices follow legal precedent, according to 19 of 21 constitutional law professors who ventured an opinion on the most-anticipated ruling in years. Only eight of them predicted the court would do so."
Urgent Business if Health Care Overturned from the National Journal
"If the Supreme Court overturns the 2010 health care law, Congress will have a lot to do—very quickly."
'Mom, I'm a Part of it': The Heartbreaking Moment Sandusky's 'Victim 4' Finally Told His Parents Everything... and How Years of Abuse Destroyed his Life from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"When news of the Penn State coach's arrest last fall broke, his mother called to ask if her son knew anything about the allegations. 'Yeah, Mom. I'm a part of it,' was his haunting reply."
Mitt and the Junk Bond King from the Boston Globe
"It was at the height of the 1980s buyout boom when Mitt Romney went in search of $300 million to finance one of the most lucrative deals he would ever manage. The man who would help provide the money was none other than the famed junk-bond king Michael Milken."
HISTORIC MANSION NUGGET!!
Sold for $42million - the Gilded Age New York City Mansion with Seven Floors and its Own Servants' Quarters (Butler not Included) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A landmark townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a rare example of the opulent Gilded Age, has been sold for a staggering $42million. The mansion, located on a tree-lined block of Fifth Avenue, was designed by famed architect Stanford White and built for the banker and railroad tycoon Henry H. Cook."
SKYSCRAPER NUGGET!!
Towering Above the Competition: 2012 List of Best Tall Buildings in the World is Revealed from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Dramatic skyscrapers in Canada, Qatar, Australia and Italy have been named the best tall buildings in the world for 2012 by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The four regional winners include the Absolute Towers in Mississauga, Canada (Americas), 1 Bligh Street, Sydney (Asia and Australia), Palazzo Lombardia, Milan (Europe), and Doha Tower/BurjQatar, Doha (Middle East and Africa)."
JFK LONG-READ NUGGET!!
Jackie and the Girls: Mrs. Kennedy’s JFK Problem—and Ours (Caitlin Flanagan) from the Atlantic
"She was playing a long game, and against all odds she’s still winning it. She had her eye on what she grandly called History, a concept large enough to encompass ... the necessity of maintaining a complicated fiction—at once face-saving and humiliating—about the nature of her marriage. It’s not a tissue of lies, but it is a tissue, one that has been rent so many times that it should be nothing more than dust motes by now, but she was a woman who brought every one of her formidable gifts to bear when it came to the subject of John Kennedy; and we’re no match for her."
ANOTHE FIRST LADIES NUGGET!!
From Martha to Michelle: The changing faces (and fashions) of America's 43 First Ladies from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Each has taken a unique approach to a role that is left much for the woman herself to define. While current First Lady Michelle Obama and predecessors such as Jacqueline Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt have taken on roles very much in the public domain, others have shied away."
NUDE ART NUGGET!!
The Red Sea of People: Hundreds of Naked Volunteers are Spraypainted by US Artist for Interpretation of Wagner Opera from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"If you were wandering through downtown Munich today, you'd have stumbled upon a spectacular sight. Thousands of naked people painted from head to toe in red and gold. The colourful scenes were the handiwork of American photographer Spencer Tunick."
Artwork ... or just a great attention-getting stunt?
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