Following U.N. Vote, France Vows Libya Action ‘Soon’ from the New York Times
"Hours after the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize military action and the imposition of a no-flight zone, Libya performed what seemed a remarkable about-face after weeks of defiance, saying it would call an “immediate ceasefire and the stoppage of all military operations” against rebels seeking the ouster of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi."
Japan Churns Through ‘Heroic’ Workers Hitting Radiation Limits from Bloomberg News Service
"The utility increased its workforce at the Fukushima Dai- Ichi plant to 322 today from 180 yesterday as it tried to douse water over exposed nuclear fuel rods to prevent melting and leaking lethal radiation. Levels beside the exposed rods would deliver a fatal dose in 16 seconds, said David Lochbaum, a nuclear physicist for the Union of Concerned Scientists and a former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety instructor."
Dearth of Candor From Japan’s Leadership from the New York Times
"With all the euphemistic language on display from officials handling Japan’s nuclear crisis, one commodity has been in short supply: information."
It is striking how much Japanese officials' behavior resembles the behavior of the folks from Metropolitan Edison back during the Three Mile Island episode. As many articles have suggested, Folks from the Tokyo Power Company seem to STILL be the ones in charge at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Japan Uses Helicopters, Water Cannons in Desperate Bid to Cool Reactor fuel from the Los Angeles Times
"U.S. and Japanese officials appeared to disagree on the magnitude of the nuclear crisis, as the White House recommended Wednesday that American citizens remain at least 50 miles away from the stricken plant, much farther than the 12-mile evacuation radius given by the Japanese government."
Heartbreaking Images of Tsunami Victims and their Families from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Among many images, a heartbreaking moment Japanese earthquake survivor holds her dead mother's hand as she says a final goodbye"
Deeply sorrowful and moving images of tsunami victims finding destroyed homes and dead loved ones.
Chernobyl's Lessons for Japan from the New York Times
"Much of the immediate data and analysis about Chernobyl were biased by Moscow’s need to downplay the incident, which occurred during the final years of Soviet power, and allay panic across the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Soviet authorities insisted that fewer than 10,000 people were dangerously exposed. In contrast, authorities in post-Soviet Ukraine have claimed that more than 34 million people in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Moldova were exposed to radioactive fallout."
On Egypt: What Should America Do Now? from World Public Opinion
"Favoring secular parties would perhaps make sense if the Egyptian society were divided between those who favor liberal ideas and those who favor Islamist ideas. However this is not the case. The polarization between liberal and Islamist ideas in Egyptian society is more within individuals than between them, essentially an internal clash of civilizations."
Germany Can Show Reborn Arab Nations the Art of Overcoming a Difficult Past (Timothy Garton Ash) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The purges and trials of Nazis and the opening of Stasi files have lessons for Arab countries struggling out of dictatorship."
Behind the Scenes of Raymond Davis's Release from Foreign Policy Magazine
"While rumours and more conspiracy theories continue to swirl in the air, it is evident that Pakistan has emerged as the biggest winner from Davis's strange and sordid case. While the religious parties may cry themselves hoarse over sovereignty of the country and rule of law, the ISI in particular has the upper hand here…"
The Forgotten Millions (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"More than three years after we entered the worst economic slump since the 1930s, a strange and disturbing thing has happened to our political discourse: Washington has lost interest in the unemployed."
The NPR Video and Political Dirty Tricks (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"Schiller’s comments were damaging enough without O’Keefe reshaping them into a caricature. Both Ron Schiller and NPR CEO Vivian Schiller, who is not related, resigned. But the controversy also raises deeper issues about the ethics of undercover journalism. In this case, O’Keefe did not merely leave a false impression; he manufactured an elaborate, alluring lie."
We Are All Wisconsinites Now from the Editors of the Nation
"To be frank, this is a war working people have been losing for decades without much of a fight. But the pro-worker movement seems at last to have something resembling a battle plan."
Pelosi Not Sure Boehner Has Votes to Raise Debt Limit (Jonathan Capehart) from the Washington Post
"While she didn't come right out and say it, I was left with the distinct impression that the former speaker of the House didn’t have much confidence that the new speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), has enough control over his majority to deliver the votes needed to maintain the full faith and credit of the United States."
WHO CALLED IT!?
Americans Rapidly Losing Confidence In GOP's Ability To Reduce The Deficit from TalkingPointsMemo
"The freshly installed Republican majority in the House of Representatives is getting a rude wakeup call as they transition from campaigning to governing."
DOMA Fight Seen As Turning Point in Politics of Gay Rights from TalkingPointsMemo
"In what is perhaps a watershed moment in the long fight for gay rights, the current battle over the Defense of Marriage Act is being waged with at least tacit acknowledgment from all sides that it is a political winner for pro-gay-rights Democrats."
ENVIRONMENT NUGGET!!
EPA to Limit Power Plants’ Toxic Emissions from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"The Environmental Protection Agency has for the first time proposed standards for power plants’ emissions of mercury, arsenic and other pollutants, in a move that is widely expected lead to the closure of many older coal-fired plants and prompted warnings of “significant” job losses."
DINING OUT NUGGET!!
The Mission at a Restaurant Where the Obamas Dine: Remain Calm from the Washington Post
"As a former chef-restaurateur, I always wondered what must go on in Washington restaurants when the Obamas come calling. Not just from the usual angles — What did they eat? Where did they sit? How did they tip? — but from an operations standpoint."
WHAT a production!
IRAQ WAR BOOK REVIEW NUGGET!!
The Worst: A Review of Known and Unknown by Donald Rumsfeld (Max Boot) from the New Republic
"The book is certainly revealing, but mainly in ways that are unintentional and unflattering. It does help to answer the riddle of how someone who seemed so supremely qualified for high office … how a man with such a sterling resumé could be such a miserable failure in managing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which we were losing by the time he left office. To find the answers to this mystery, you have to read between the lines."
A very long, ripping critique of Rumsfeld and his memoir. I suspect Max Boot (originally a supporter of the war in Iraq who has CLOSE ties with many of the principles) is using this review to channel a lot of THEIR feedback about Rumsfeld's recollections.
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