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Thursday, April 4, 2013

News Nuggets 1212


DAYLEE PICTURE: A Golden Tabby Tiger at the Olmense Zoo in Antwerp.  From the Daily Mail of the UK

Who's In Charge North Korea? A Brief Look At Who Pulls The Political Strings from the Huffington Post
"As North Korea intensifies its belligerent rhetoric against Washington and Seoul, the world has turned its eyes on Kim Jong Un -- the country's enigmatic leader. The young Kim rose to power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011. But is the 30-year-old "Dear Leader" the only one pulling North Korea's political strings? HuffPost World investigates."

North Korea Seen Moving Missile: Report from Reuters via the Huffington Post
"It was not clear if the missile was mounted with a warhead or whether the North was planning to fire it or was just putting it on display as a show of force, one South Korean government source was quoted as saying."

ABC-WaPo survey: Everybody Supports a Path to Citizenship. Except Republicans, of Course (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
"... the trend lines show increasing support for a path to citizenship among Democrats and independents and shrinking support among Republicans. Net support has grown by 10 points among Democrats and 11 points among independents, but it has shrunk by 13 points among Republicans."

The Death of the Political Sex Scandal (Joshua Green) from Businessweek 
"Sanford’s comeback is only the latest example that behavior that once would have swiftly and permanently destroyed a career has become no more than a temporary setback, if that. The political sex scandal is dead."

The Republican Plan for Replacing Obamacare Doesn’t Replace Obamacare (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post
"The confusion here is the term “replace Obamacare.” Obamacare is, at its heart, a policy to make sure most every legal resident of the United States has access to comprehensive, affordable health care. ... The eight-point program Domenech lays out is not an alternative approach to achieving the same goal. It’s actually an effort to achieve an almost perfectly opposite goal."

Republicans Increasingly Isolated on Many Major Issues (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"One thing that remains striking about our politics right now is the degree to which public opinion among Republicans is increasingly isolated and drifting away from the rest of the electorate. You see this on pretty much every major issue facing the country."

The G.O.P.’s Digital Makeover (Thomas Edsall) from the New York Times 
"Republican strategists wonder whether they can catch up to Obama’s Democrats on data mining, microtargeting and other contemporary campaign techniques."

One Thing We Don’t Know About Hillary: Did She Learn Any Lessons from 2008? (Alex Pareene) from Salon
This is probably the MOST PRESSING concern Clinton supporters should have about a potential Hillary candidacy!
"So, in 2016, will Hillary Clinton surround herself again with longtime Democratic National Committee and Clinton administration veterans whose primary qualification for their positions is knowing the Clintons? Or will she hire people who understand that the Democratic Party coalition, and the ways to appeal to its many members, have changed?"

A Viewer's Guide to Hillary Clinton Fever (Maggie Haberman) from Politico 
"... there are a number of different choices — about her financial future, about her public profile, about whom she surrounds herself with — that will make clear whether Clinton is organizing her life in anticipation of a second presidential run or has decided to liberate herself from ambition and just do what she wants. Here is a checklist of things to watch about Clinton’s future — a kind of viewer’s guide to Hillary Fever:"

Long Before Hillary Decides For 2016, Scandal Trolls Are Coming Back (Joe Conason) from the National Memo
"Like so many conservatives of his cohort, Frum was no foreign policy expert. He made his right-wing bones in relentless “scandal” attacks on the Clinton presidency, eagerly appearing on television to spout the daily stream of angry nonsense.  Unlike some who participated in that long, nasty jihad,  he still has not accepted the national verdict on the Clintons. Sounding today like a manic concern troll, Frum writes worriedly that her candidacy would “reopen embarrassing ethical disputes” from her years as First Lady."

Be Afraid, GOP: Hillary Clinton Is Back and She Will Beat You in 2016 (Robert Shrum) from the Daily Beast
"And her return should strike fear in the hearts of Republicans everywhere. Robert Shrum on why Hillary will prevail in 2016."

EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY NUGGET!!
New Test for Computers: Grading Essays at College Level from the New York Times
"Software developed by a joint venture of Harvard and M.I.T. uses artificial intelligence to grade student essays and short written answers, freeing professors for other tasks."
Yes -- "other tasks", like looking for a new job.

SOUTH ASIA CULTURE NUGGET!!
I Was a Pakistani Soap Opera Star! As the World Burns in Karachi (Mira Sehti) from the New Republic
"They said they were from the intelligence unit that monitored the physical safety and secrecy of the country’s nuclear weapons, and that they meant no harm, but photography or filming of the nuclear facility was not allowed. Dumbfounded, we all looked around and suddenly realized that, in fact, the tower of a nuclear facility loomed behind us."


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