An amazing murder of crows in northern California. From National Geographic.
Gates Lays Out Criteria for Libya Action (Thomas Ricks) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"One thing I learned as a reporter was that effective defense officials chose their words extremely carefully, especially when they emerged from meetings with allies over the use of force. So take a moment to read this comment, made by Defense Secretary Gates after a NATO meeting in Brussels today: "NATO will only act if there is demonstrable need, a sound legal basis, and strong regional support." "
Libya is a Conundrum Made in Hell – or Rather Downing Street (Simon Tisdall) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"If the west intervenes, al-Qaida would have a field day; if it does not, Arab democracy will be set back, perhaps fatally."
British Special Forces Seize Iranian Rockets in Afghanistan from the Guardian [of the UK]
"British special forces in Afghanistan have intercepted an Iranian shipment of rockets to the Taliban that would have allowed them to double the range of their attacks, western diplomats have said."
WikiLeaks Reveals 'Devastating X-Ray' of Power in Mexico from La Jornada [from Mexico in English]
"The U.S. diplomatic cables present an image of power in Mexico that is as bleak as it is deplorable. … They show that warnings about the loss of national sovereignty made by the most apocalyptic critics were not exaggerated. And they remind us that the struggle for national liberation is not the outdated nostalgia of nationalists, but a necessity that is the order of the day."
The GOP's Bizarro Economics (Robert Shrum) from The Week
"The party's plan is to find some way to take credit if prosperity takes hold — or find a way to make sure it doesn't."
Why Does the Right Wing Hate Trains? from The Week
"Republican governors are turning down stimulus money for rail improvements, and the GOP wants to defund Amtrak. What's going on?"
STATE BUDGET NUGGET!!
In Pennsylvania, Campus Leaders Prepare to Trim Budgets as They Fight Governor's Proposed Cuts from the Chronicle of Higher Education
"Pennsylvania became the latest state where higher-education leaders prepared to battle a new Republican governor, as campus leaders there tried on Wednesday to come to grips with a budget proposal announced the day before that would slash state spending on public campuses in half."
Chaos in Wisconsin as Collective Bargaining Ban Passes (Natasha Vargas Cooper) from the Atlantic
"Apart from the Capitol protests, which are expected to swell Thursday, student activists are calling for a walkout, and some militant labor factions are calling for a general strike of Wisconsin union workers. When the Senate minority leader was asked by MSNBC if it wasn't time for the 175,000 state workers to stage a general strike, he said he couldn't rule out that action but emphasized that it was time to "change faces" in the Senate -- implying an increased effort on behalf the drive to recall eight Republican state senators who backed the bill. "
Walker Hands a Victory to…Obama? (Megan Liberman) from the New York Times
"in the process, Mr. Walker has done for Mr. Obama an unintended favor. He has energized labor unions, a key part of the president’s political base and one that will play a big role in whether or not Mr. Obama gets reelected."
The Political Dangers of What Happened in Wisconsin (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"While the next few days will be telling in terms of where the story goes, there is, traditionally, real political danger in using legislative maneuvering to pass controversial bills."
Wisconsin Dispute Could Mobilize Democratic Base (Nate Silver) from the New York Times
"Although self-described liberals almost always vote Democratic, between 35 and 40 percent of labor households have voted Republican in recent elections. If that fraction decreases to something like 30 percent at the same time that union turnout increases, that would hurt Republicans by a couple of percentage points nationally. And, if the Pew poll is right, Republicans will have no particular counterweight to this; the Wisconsin dispute has motivated the Democratic base more so than theirs."
Wisconsin Assembly Vote Is Delayed as Protests Jam Capitol from the New York Times
"As thousands of demonstrators converged on the Capitol, the police cut off access to the building on Thursday, creating a taut atmosphere in which Republican State Assembly members were seeking to maintain order long enough to vote on a bill that sharply curtails bargaining rights for government workers."
National Private Radio (David Weigel) from Slate
"Even if NPR loses its federal funding, conservatives will still attack it for bias."
How Rahm Emanuel Won Black Voters (Mary Mitchell) from the Chicago Sun-Times
"Rahm Emanuel’s jaw-dropping numbers in the African-American community gave him an undisputable win and raised the question: “How in the heck did he do it?”"
Huckabucking (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"Why Republican contenders should drop the misinformation about Obama."
Senate Votes Put 2012 Politics in Spotlight from Roll Call
"A fix for the nation’s spending woes may not have been decided Wednesday afternoon, but in what may be the most consequential clash so far this Congress, vulnerable Senators finally had to start taking sides."
ENERGY NUGGET!!
Solar Power Breakthrough Claimed By Stanford Researchers from the Huffington Post
"It’s the Holy Grail at clean energy research labs all over the world and something which could address long term energy issues domestically and beyond: more efficient photovoltaic solar. "
HOLLYWOOD BOOK NUGGET!!
Highbrow Movie Trivia from the Wall Street Journal
"A new book goes behind the scenes of your favorite movies."
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY NUGGET!!
Less Paint, More Parties from the Wall Street Journal
"PETA Tames Its Fur Furor; Comes Off the Picket Line to Cozy Up to Fashion Insiders."
NAZI GERMANY NUGGET!!
Hitler's Mistress: Extraordinary Lost Pictures of Eva Braun at Play from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The most photographed figure is a young woman who sunbathes, exercises by a lake, rows a boat and poses semi-nude behind an umbrella — a young woman enjoying the prime of her life. But this is no ordinary woman. The photographs are of the notorious Eva Braun — Hitler’s consort and, for about 40 hours, his wife."
Strange, sad woman.
VIETNAM WAR BOOK NUGGET!!
Best Defense Bookshelf: 'Fragging,' the Vietnam War's Characteristic Crime (Thomas Ricks) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Just when you think there is not much new to say about a subject, along comes a book that overhauls your understanding of that subject."
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