Our next posting will be at the end of this week, probably Friday or Saturday. I hope everyone has an inspiring and heartfelt holiday!! Merry Christmas!!
Cuba's Communist State Eases its 50-year Embargo on Vehicle Imports from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"New era: The decision will gradually free up retail sales of all manner of vehicles and end the practice of granting some Cubans special permission to bring in vehicles as a privilege. Opening Cuba's domestic car market to imports is likely to have fateful consequences for the well maintained 1950s American cars that have survived a 50-year-old US embargo. The changes are a long-awaited element of President Raul Castro's attempts to gradually liberalize Cuba's Soviet-style economy."
Something to look forward to in 2014 or 2015: Obama will normalize relations between the US and Cuba.
What Iranians Say Now About ‘the Great Satan’ (Carol Giacomo) from the New York Times
"The reactions I received as an American traveling for 10 days in Tehran, Isfahan and Qum mirrored Iran’s politics and posture in this moment — there is a serious, even eager, interest in reconnecting with the West, even as Iranians struggle with three decades of poisoned relations."
China’s Academic Obsession with Testing (Kelly Yang) from the Washington Post
"Our children sit for lengthy, rigorous and confusing examinations, starting at age 6. Weekends, summers and holiday breaks are golden opportunities to catch up on some R&R — review and revision, that is. But the thing about testing is that it creates excellent followers, not leaders."
The Myth of America’s Decline by Josef Joffe (Christopher Caldwell) from the New York Times
"Josef Joffe disputes the popular perception that America’s supremacy is on the wane."
U.S. Officials Declassify Documents on NSA Surveillance Program’s Origins from Time Magazine
"Documents declassified Saturday detail how the National Security Agency’s mass data collection was first authorized under President George W. Bush. The spying was approved in Oct. 2001, one month after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Associated Press reports."
NO KIDDING!! How many months has this NSA thing played itself out -- and yet only now does Time Magazine blare this headline? I've been assuming all along that people knew this. The missing piece here is that Obama has actually cut back on NSA surveillance and provided more oversight and legal protections than the Bush people. I anticipate that in January (if not sooner) Obama will put forward a series of reforms for the NSA. Then watch and see the right-wing nut jobs and unrepentant neo-cons that come screaming out of the woodwork, shouting about how Obama is "making the country less safe!"
9 Incredibly Important Things That Happened In 2013 That Most People Aren’t Talking About (Judd Legum) from Think Progress
"In a media environment increasingly dominated by celebrity, scandal and the political horserace, many of the most important stories receive scant coverage. Here are nine hugely important things that happened in 2013 that are rarely discussed:"
Bad News for People Who Like Bad News (Daniel Gross) from the Daily Beast
"Believe it or not, the economy is showing signs of serious growth. Will the catastrophist diehards learn to stop worrying and accept the recovery?"
Who cares about the declinists? I'm far more concerned about the Republicans in Congress. What will they cook up with next to through water in the economy's gas tank?
$10.10 Minimum Wage Would Actually Create New Jobs: Study from the Huffington Post
"If the minimum wage rose to $10.10 per hour, as Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama propose, 27.8 million workers would see their wages go up as a direct or indirect result of the boost, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. These workers would take home about $35 billion in additional wages and they would probably spend it, as low-income people living with little financial cushion tend to do."
Good Poor, Bad Poor (Timothy Egan) from the New York Times
"These actions have nothing to do with bringing federal spending into line, and everything to do with a view that poor people are morally inferior. ... It would be a “disservice” to further extend unemployment assistance to those who’ve been out of work for some time, said Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky. It encourages them to sit at home and do nothing."
Class Warfare in Dixieland (Eric Zuesse) from Alternet
"In other words: virtually all of this nation’s class-rigidity still remains in the U.S. South, even after the Civil War. New Dixie has replaced the aristocracy’s black slaves of Old Dixie, by the local (white) aristocracy’s institutionalized bigotry against poor people, now of all ethnic groups."
Federal Judge Strikes Down Utah’s Ban on Same-Sex Marriage (Brooke Adams) from the Salt Lake Tribune
"A federal judge in Utah Friday struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, saying the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal protection and due process."
Obamacare Enrollment Surges In California As 50,000 Sign Up In 3 Days from Talking Points Memo
"Enrollment in California's Obamacare marketplace is surging, officials said Thursday, indicating a growing interest in health insurance under the new law in the most populous state in the country. More than 53,500 people enrolled in Covered California in the last three days, topping the total number of enrollments in October by nearly 60 percent."
Republicans Can’t Repeal Or Replace Obamacare — And They’re Too Scared To Fix It (Jason Sattler) from National Memo
"Repeal is a fantasy, a fundraising opportunity that all Republicans — except the few who take Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) seriously — know would never happen. And if it did, they would end up owning every aspect of a crumbling health care system the same way Democrats are currently
responsible for every splinter in every tongue depressor."
A VERY PARTISAN NONPARTISAN POLITICS NUGGET!!
Archconservative Jim Inhofe Has Change Of Heart About Democrats from the Huffington Post
"One of the most partisan Republicans in the Senate, Oklahoma's Jim Inhofe, said Sunday that his "attitude" toward Senate Democrats has changed as a result of the outpouring of sympathy he received from colleagues after the death of his son. Perry Inhofe, 52, was killed in a plane crash in November."
I can't even begin to articulate why -- but this confession by Inhofe does not surprise me at all!
Michele Bachmann as William F. Buckley’s Spawn: How Right-wing Media Spiraled Out of Control from Salon
"The right attacked journalists for decades. Cable forced the mainstream to pay attention -- then it all went sour."
Michelle Nunn, Jason Carter Hope to Rechart the Course of Georgia Politics from the Washington Post
"The two major parties here don’t agree on many things. One of them is that it is only a matter of time before Georgia goes from being a Republican stronghold to a state that is up for grabs. In next year’s elections, Democrats will be looking to speed that process along with a couple of candidates who bring fresh faces and familiar names."
DISNEY DOG NUGGET!!
Service Dog Meets Actor Dressed As Pluto On Disney Cruise, And Is Totally Mesmerized from the Huffington Post
"While on a 'Disney Fantasy' cruise over Thanksgiving, an actor dressed up as Pluto was introduced to a service dog. At first, the two didn't know what to make of each other -- but it wasn't long before they became good pals."
TEACHING NUGGET!!
THIS Is The Type Of Holiday Gift Every Teacher Wants from the Huffington Post
“Before school even started I dreaded your class," the note read, in part. "I honestly hate math and I didn’t want to repeat Algebra I again. I judged you before I even knew you. Over the year, you’ve shown me what it’s like to have a teacher that truly cares.""
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