UP-FRONT LOCAL ENVIRONMENT NUGGET!!
Fracking" Shale Gas Emissions Far Worse Than Coal For Climate - Cornell Study from Cornell University via Daily Kos
"The Hill reported this morning on a groundbreaking report from Cornell University researchers confirming that shale gas recovered through high volume hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” will produce even more greenhouse gases than the burning of coal in the next two decades - a critical window in which society must reduce emissions to combat climate change."
Why Is It So Hard for Strongmen to Say Goodbye? (Robert Kaplan) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"...these men are not horse-trading politicians as such; they have been fighting for something far more age-old, basic, and less susceptible to compromise: territory and honor, at least as they define it. Their world is not one of institutions and bureaucracies through which they rule; it is a world of dominating scraps of ground through dependence on relatives and tribal and regional alliances."
The Sounds of the Revolution (Ryan Calder) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Nearly two months into Libya's uprising, the rhythms of rebellion in Benghazi seem almost normal."
Syria's Race Against the Clock (Peter Harling) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"For now it has settled into a slow-motion revolution, as protests both fail to reach a critical mass and prod authorities to successfully respond to far-reaching demands. Two conflicting trends currently coexist."
Forces Capture Ivory Coast Strongman in Bunker from the Associated Press
"Forces stormed the bunker where Ivory Coast's strongman Laurent Gbagbo hung on to power Monday, arresting the man whose refusal to hand over the presidency to the election winner left hundreds dead and threatened to re-ignite a civil war in the world's largest cocoa producer."
BRIC Forces Regrouped in World Politics? 'The Others' Alliances, Africa, Brasil, China, India, Russia, and Strategic Deterrence from the Oriental Review
"The Russian diplomacy should a priori formulate answers to three basic questions linked to the country’s prospects for acting as an international center of gravity."
Gives you some sense of how commentators from one of the BRICS countries (South Africa is now included in this group) view themselves. A fair amount of Russian 'Rising Power' fantasizing here.
Net Impact: One Man’s Cyber-Crusade Against Russian Corruption from the New Yorker
"Russia’s Julian Assange."
The Management Myth (Matthew Stewart) at the Atlantic
"Most of management theory is inane, writes our correspondent, the founder of a consulting firm. If you want to succeed in business, don’t get an M.B.A. Study philosophy instead."
Obama Seeks to Gain a March on Republicans in New Spending Fight from The Hill
"The White House sought to outflank the GOP Monday in the battle over the debt ceiling while playing up a speech President Obama is to give Wednesday on his new plans for tackling the deficit."
House Progressives Offer Budget Plan: Tax the Rich, End the Wars, Slash Oil Subsidies, Invest in Jobs from Raw Story
"Liberal Dems claim the plan eliminates deficit by 2021 ... The broad sketch proposes to end the Bush-era tax cuts on high income earners, enact a surtax on millionaires and billionaires, increase the the estate tax and eliminate corporate tax loopholes and subsidies for oil and coal companies. It also aims to create a public health insurance option, end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and invest $1.45 trillion in "job creation," energy, housing and education programs."
I think the Dems are learning quick!!
Paul Ryan, GOP Get Turn On Medicare Hot Seat from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"Now it's their turn to try to fix the health care mess. Republicans, just like President Barack Obama, may discover that's easier said than done. The GOP budget expected to go to the full House this week would remake health care programs for the elderly and the poor that have been in place for nearly half a century. Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., says his approach would "save" Medicare by keeping the financially troubled program affordable for federal taxpayers. But it turns out that people now 54 and younger would pay the price."
Fervor Of Wisconsin Debate Shifts To Recall Elections from the Associated Press via Huffington Post
"Now that the law has passed, organizers are focusing on signature-gathering efforts. But of the 16 state senators who were originally targeted, only six appear likely to face an election threatening removal. And before recall elections can be held, supporters need to find candidates to run against the incumbents. Still, voter outrage remains high in many places, helping to stir interest in the recalls."
Ex-Hawaii Official Denounces 'Ludicrous' Birther Claims from MSNBC
"Comments follow statements by Donald Trump questioning legitimacy of president's birth record."
Republican Lawmakers Sour on 2012 Field from Politico
"A presidential primary favorite is emerging among the ranks of congressional Republicans: none of the above. The dissatisfaction with the likely GOP field — long whispered among party activists, operatives and elected officials — is growing more audible in the House and Senate."
Running Again! Olympian Carl Lewis Plans Bid for NJ State Senate from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis is to run for New Jersey State Senate. The 49-year old track and field athlete announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party, saying he hopes to inspire people, encourage communities and improve educational opportunities for children."
Why Mitt Romney Won't Be President (Mark McKinnon) from the Daily Beast
"The former Massachusetts governor launched a 2012 exploratory committee on Monday to a collective yawn. Romney should lead the GOP field—but his Tea Party misfires and connections to Obamacare mean he won’t win, writes Mark McKinnon."
What Ever Happened to Sarah Palin? (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"It's hard to look back at the last six month and pinpoint one precise moment when the bottom fell out for Palin (although her response to the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, panned as tone deaf by even many of her fellow Republicans, comes close). But at some point recently, she stopped simply being a polarizing lightning rod -- one with as many fanatical followers as diehard critics -- and transformed into a figure who even Republican-leaning voters have a hard time taking seriously."
ONLINE COMMERCE NUGGET!!
Beyond Cute Babies: How To Make Money On YouTube (Tamara Keith) from NPR's All Things Considered
"YouTube is best known for its viral videos of babies and cats. But there are thousands of decidedly less cute videos racking up the views. How-to videos are extremely popular and some of the creators are actually making serious money."
CHINESE CULTURE NUGGET!!
The Grand Tour: Europe on Fifteen Hundred Yuan a Day (Evan Osnos) from the New Yorker
"When the Chinese travel industry polls the public on its dream destinations, no place ranks higher than Europe…"
TRAVEL HISTORY NUGGET!!
Road Trip: Hallowed Ground, Virginia and Pennsylvania: From National Geographic's Drives of a Lifetime Series from National Geographic News
"The route starts in Charlottesville, Virginia, stomping grounds of early American presidents, and heads generally northeast through Maryland and on to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of the greatest battle of the Civil War. "
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