News Nuggets 1403

DAYEE PICTURE: Carnation Tree Coral in the Red Sea.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Europe Braces for Kremlin Reprisals Over Ukraine Conflict from the Guardian [of the UK]
"EU officials prepare for sanctions against Moscow if it goes ahead with referendum on Crimea, but fears Russian retaliation may lead to trade war and destabilisation in the Balkans."
This item showcases clearly how tough and problematic it will be for the US and its allies to impose economic sanctions and maintain a united front against Putin -- and yet that IS what there is to do.

White House Braces for Russian Retaliation Over Ukraine (Josh Rogin) from the Daily Beast
"If the U.S. moves to sanction Putin and his pals next week, Moscow will definitely strike back. Inside the Obama administration, officials are gearing up for an economic Cold War."
Look for Putin to target the EU.

Russian Expansion into Eastern Ukraine Could Cost Putin Dearly (Vladislav Inozemtsev) from the Washington Post
"Russia has no economic growth, and its population is declining. It is losing about $70 billion a year in capital flight. Little wonder it is seeking to expand. Yet no matter how successful Putin’s military exercises may look, annexing Ukraine could hasten the end of his empire."
Bottom line: By trying to "take back" a number of the old Soviet republics, Putin is essentially taking onboard a series of economic boat anchors.

Putin’s Interference has Strengthened Ukraine (Adrian Karatnycky) from the Washington Post
"The outcome of Vladimir Putin’s aggression in the Crimean Peninsula is not yet settled, but one thing is clear: He will have few indigenous allies, should he attempt to occupy and split away Ukraine’s
Russian-speaking regions. Instead of stirring pro-Russian sentiments, the actions of his military have advanced national unity among Ukrainian citizens and have led the country’s new leaders to moderate their actions."
"Advanced national unity"?  Perhaps.  But one could say the same about the Palestinians on the West Bank.  One could easily assert that the Israelis have done more than anyone to turn the Arab people who lived in the area of Palestine after World War II into the modern people who have become the "Palestinians".  Do they get some kind of door prize for that?  Putin can quite easily slice and dice up Ukraine and subjugate that region for a LONG time before Ukrainian "national unity" makes any difference.

A related perspective:
Putin Is Forging a New Ukraine—Just Not the One He Wants (John Herbst) from the National Interest
"The great enemy of would-be statesmen is the law of unintended consequences. President Vladimir Putin of Russia, caricatured by friend and foe alike as a master geopolitician, should be discomfited by this law. The man who is trying desperately to make Ukraine a constituent element in the Eurasian Union, is doing nothing other than hastening the formation of a post-Soviet, Ukrainian political identity—an identity that looks West for inspiration."

And the Winner in Ukraine Is...China (Dimitri K. Simes and Paul J. Saunders) from the National Interest
No surprise for regular readers here.  As I noted last week, while the US and the EU are all caught up with Russia's land grab in the Crimea, China can make their own regional hegemonic moves in the Far East. 
"America's reaction to the Crimea crisis risks reducing flexibility on a paramount priority."

Fear of Wages (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"Suddenly, it seems as if all the serious people are telling each other that despite high unemployment there’s hardly any “slack” in labor markets — as evidenced by a supposed surge in wages — and that the Federal Reserve needs to start raising interest rates very soon to head off the danger of inflation."

Poll: Only Republicans and Conservatives say Obamacare is ‘Too Liberal’ (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
It's ABOUT TIME someone polled on this issue in the way it's been done here!!
"Today’s CNN poll finds that 39 percent of Americans favor Obamacare, while 57 percent oppose it. That’s awful, right? But it turns out only 39 percent oppose the law because it’s “too liberal,” while 12 percent say it “isn’t liberal enough.” That’s a total of 51 percent who favor the law or don’t think it goes far enough."

Canadian Doctor Makes Anti-Obamacare Senator Look Like a Buffoon (Elias Isquith) from Salon
"Dr. Danielle Martin, V.P. at Toronto's Women's College Hospital, easily refutes a GOPer's uninformed talking points."

Barack Obama Cracks Down on For-Profit Colleges from Politico
It is ABOUT TIME!!
"The Obama administration on Friday took an aggressive step to crack down on for-profit career training colleges, proposing a regulatory regimen that could shut down hundreds of degree programs — enrolling a million students in fields ranging from accounting to air-conditioning repair — for failing to place graduates in well-paying jobs."

A Carter Could Turn Georgia Blue (Patricia Murphy) from the Daily Beast 
"Dramatic population shifts put Georgia on the path to joining North Carolina and Virginia in the electoral toss-up column. Jason Carter, Jimmy’s grandson, wants to lead the way."

How GOP Wins In 2014 Could Set Up 'Rude Awakening' In 2016 (Jon Ward) from the Huffington Post
"The tea party wave of 2010, Beach said, "was great for Republicans, [but] it was the worst thing that ever happened to our profession because it just reinforced bad habits." ... As a result, Republican consultants and operatives did not focus on the tech advances that were being made in politics."

ANCIENT DOLPHIN NUGGET!!
Newly Discovered Species of Ancient Porpoise had an Enormous Chin to Pick up Food on Sea Floor from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Related to living crown porpoises, the extinct Californian porpoise, Semirostrum ceruttii, had an extension of its jaw called a symphysis.  The growth was 33in (85cm) long and probed the sea bed.  Scans reveal nerve canals leading from symphysis to rear of skull, indicating that the protuberance was highly sensitive."

WORLD WAR I NUGGET!!
Captured 100 Years Ago, These Aerial Images Show the Horrifying Scale of the Trenches During WWI from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Photographs were collected by Sergeant Alex Statters in a scrapbook which is now going up for auction."
Wow!! These images are incredible!  I'm actually somewhat stumped on how they did them -- because, as the story recounts, this was back in the day when subjects had to stand still for a few moments to get a clear image from the b&w cameras.  Below is an image of a section of trench works in France.  Astounding!  For my class on World War I, I could do an entire lecture just on this image alone.