The Archei Oasis in Chad in northern Africa. From National Geographic.
(1) State Legislators Move to Outlaw Teacher Strikes: Measure Includes Hefty Penalties if Unions Picket from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Reps. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, and Todd Rock, R-Franklin, have introduced a package of bills that would outlaw teacher strikes and hold contract negotiators publicly accountable for their proposed labor agreements."
(2) Gas Drilling Opponents Conduct Sit-in at the Capitol from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"...in the hallway and at a rally that attracted several hundred attendees, activists repeated their message: Halt gas drilling in Pennsylvania until a comprehensive impact study is completed and residents are assured that it can be done safely."
Back to our regular nuggets:
Yemeni Leader Badly Burned, Raising Doubts About His Rule from the New York Times
"...the sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was burned on his back as well, and that the burns were severe enough to require strong sedation for the pain and months of convalescence. “His face was quite charred,” said a Western official, speaking anonymously according to governmental rules. “The burns are serious; he is not as well as his aides are portraying it.”"
Well, I've been saying for several weeks that this guy was toast. I hate to joke about another person's clear suffering -- but this guy's month+ long "negotiate an exit and shoot the protesters" tactic simply communicated to rebels that he had no intention of ever leaving.
Syrian Mutiny, Loss of Town Shows Cracks in Regime from the Associated Press
"A deadly mutiny of Syrian soldiers and loss of control over a tense northern town appeared to show extraordinary cracks in an autocratic regime that has long prided itself on its iron control."
Out of the Shadow of Fear (Asne Seierstad) from Newsweek
"A rare inside look at Syria, a land where the regime rules with a murderous impunity."
Iran’s Deepening Internal Battle (Farideh Farhi) from the US Institute of Peace
"Khamenei and his office are now increasingly involved in day-to-day government administration. With parliamentary elections due in 2012 and a presidential election due in 2013, the supreme leader apparently hopes to orchestrate polls that produce less combative figures to take the government’s helm. But the circle of true loyalists has shrunk considerably since the 2009 vote,..."
When China Becomes Number One (Gideon Rachman) from the Financial Times [of London]
"The relative affluence of US society is one reason why China will not become the world’s most powerful country on the day that it becomes the largest economy. The world’s habit of looking to the US as the “sole superpower” also makes it likely that America’s political dominance will outlast its economic supremacy. America has an entrenched position in global institutions. It matters that the United Nations, the IMF and the World Bank are all situated in the US – and that Nato is built around America. The US military has a global reach and a technological sophistication that China is nowhere near matching. The US is also ahead on soft power. China, as yet, has no equivalents to Hollywood, Silicon Valley or “the American dream”."
An interesting and nuanced look at the broad impacts of China becoming the largest economy in the world.
In Greek Port, Storm Brews Over Chinese-Run Labor (Louisa Lim) from NPR's Morning Edition
"Standing at the container terminal of the port of Piraeus, John Makrydimitris points towards his feet. "There is Greece," he says. Then he gestures toward a metal fence just yards away. "And there is China," he says with a laugh. For dockworkers like Makrydimitris, the other side of that fence certainly seems like another country."
This case showcases the BIG threat China poses to the US and Europe. It is not military -- it is the economic model China will propel around the world as it expands, one that combines the worst aspects of capitalism with many of the worst features of authoritarianism. The US got a taste of this with Tom Delay and the GOP's economically ruthless experiment in the Mariannas Islands several years ago. Can meaningful environmental, labor or human rights standards survive if China is able to dictate economic relations in the manner described in Lim's excellent piece. As the Mariannas case suggests (sadly), the Chinese could easily find sympathetic allies in the GOP whose anti-labor and anti-worker attitudes echo the Chinese attitude on economic development.
The Problem with China's College Entry Test from APR's Marketplace
"High school graduates in China must take the gao kao. These national college entrance exams decide who gets into the best schools and eventually the best jobs. But as China moves toward a more innovation-based economy, the tests may prove problematic."
A second installment in the program's look at China's national exam is HERE.
160 Million Missing Girls from the Boston Globe
"‘Sex selection’ is creating a new endangered species: women. A journalist investigates the countries with too many men."
The Rage of the 'Indignants': A European Generation Takes to the Streets from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"For weeks, hundreds of young people have been camping out in central Madrid. And others across Europe have now begun following their example. Protests in Lisbon, Paris, Athens and elsewhere show that Europe's lost generation has finally found its voice."
Latin America's Race to the Middle: Has Humala Renounced Chávez? (Tim Padgett) from Time Magazine
"In Peru, ... the hyperventilating notion that Humala's victory means a shift to the left in Latin America is wrong. If anything it continues the region's welcome race to the middle, away from the leftism Chávez revived in the 2000s but also from the conservative neoliberalism of the 1990s that Chavismo was reacting against."
For-Profit Colleges Actively Manage Statistics To Keep Federal Dollars Flowing, Internal Documents Show from Huffington Post
"In an effort to maintain access to lucrative federal student aid dollars, some for-profit colleges have used aggressive efforts to manage the statistics showing how many of their students default on federal loans, according to internal documents released at a Senate hearing Tuesday."
Flim-Flammed by the Ryan Plan (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"...it’s really time to stop pretending that the Ryan plan is an intellectually sound expression of a philosophical viewpoint. Even from its own ideological perspective, it’s a piece of incompetent junk; all you had to do was spend a little while poking through the assumptions, and it became clear that it was nonsense. I know this is a hard thing for people who gushed about the plan to accept, but it’s the simple truth."
Hands Off: Why the Faltering Economy Won’t Help Mitt Romney (Ed Kilgore) from the New Republic
"While Romney’s business background endears him to pro-Republican business elites, it’s worth noting that such a personal history has rarely been a boon to Republican candidates in the past. Despite the GOP’s ancient pedigree as the party of business, being a successful corporate or entrepreneurial figure has never been treated as a prerequisite for a presidential nomination. "
Bad Credit Reports Put Job Seekers in Catch-22 from Miller-McCune Magazine
"“After three rounds of interviews for a sales position with Prudential Insurance Co. of America, Patricia Rosa received a letter in February saying her job application was denied based on information from a background check she authorized the company to conduct. The only blemish on her record, she says: Poor credit that built up since she lost her job two years ago.”"
Therapy to Change 'Feminine' Boy Created a Troubled Man, Family Says (Scott Bronstein and Jessi Joseph) from CNN
""AC360º" examines a shocking "experimental therapy" designed to make feminine boys more masculine. See what one family says was the devastating result in a special report, "The Sissy Boy Experiment.""
I debated whether to post this story. I find these type of stories deeply upsetting.
How Obama Makes his Case for a Second Term (Julian E. Zelizer) from CNN
"Despite the controversy that surrounded legislation such as health care, financial regulation, and the economic stimulus, Obama will use these bills to show that he has tackled many of the nation's big problems, and assembled a voluminous record of legislation."
Ayn Rand: The GOP’s Favorite Bonkers Demagogue (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Democrats often limit their criticism of Republicans to public policy. But as Michael Tomasky points out, a new ad makes a more philosophical—and devastating—critique."
A Serious GOP Candidate: Jon Huntsman (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post
"... activists in early primary states see a serious resume and considerable political skills. Some talk of his potential for 2016. A number of political heavy-hitters have signed on this time around. In a flat political market, Huntsman is considered a growth stock."
Margaret Thatcher to Sarah Palin: Don't Bother Dropping By from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Allies of former prime minister regard darling of Tea Party movement as a frivolous figure unworthy of an audience."
HA! HA!
Anthony Weiner Comes Clean (Hendrik Hertzberg) from the New Yorker
"It seems almost quaint now, but back then it was de rigueur for the press to maintain that the sex scandal of the moment was not really “about” sex. What it was “about” was lying, which in turn meant that it was “about” something more important than sex, i.e., “character.” The problem is that lying is an inherent part of adultery and, by extension, of any illicit or potentially embarrassing sexual activity or proclivity."
Andrew Sullivan has some interesting commentary HERE on Weiner's press conference.
Anthony Weiner Should Resign (Joshua Green) from the Atlantic
"Weiner's refusal to resign seems like a spasm from the guy he was until a week ago: the chesty liberal loudmouth who tore up conservatives on Fox News and never backed down. Weiner may not realize it, but he's not that guy anymore. He's not the cartoon scourge of the right wing. He's a joke, his behavior was egregious, and he ought to do the decent thing and resign."
Most liberal folks I talk to seem to think he should not resign. I disagree. I think he should go. The ONE thing I look for in a lawmaker is: good judgment. What Weiner did was neither illegal nor (as far as I know) unethical. But it was PROFOUNDLY STUPID and demonstrates an extraordinary lack of judgment.
And yet, even Weiner's antics didn't quite match this:
Steel Valley Teacher Charged with Sexting Students from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A Steel Valley High School teacher was formally arraigned Tuesday on charges that she sent sexual messages to two underage students. Jennifer Smith, 29, is charged with a series of felonies, including child endangerment, criminal solicitation and corruption of minors, following an investigation by Munhall police and the Allegheny County district attorney's office. Prosecutors say Ms. Smith spent several weeks exchanging nude photos and having explicit discussions with the teens via cell phone."
Question: what is it about this technology ... or about human nature that has people be THIS DUMB!! SOMEONE needs to do a study -- because I can't explain it!
TRAVEL WRITING NUGGET!!
The Places In Between (Paul Theroux) from the Financial Times [of London]
"In "The Places in Between," Theroux offers a plea for travelers to look past the information easily found on the Internet. "He says there is nothing more exciting, really, than a book that can take you into a dangerous, difficult place and give you a story by someone who's really risked their lives and gone there with imagination and found something that you never knew was there," Brown says."
No comments:
Post a Comment