UP-FRONT BROADWAY VIDEO NUGGET!!
If you are any kind of a fan of musicals, CHECK OUT all these video gems!!
Ten Greatest Tonys Performances, From 'Gypsy' to 'The Lion King' from the Atlantic"The 65th Tonys take place this Sunday, featuring performances by the cast of The Book of Mormon and Broadway's latest up-and-coming sensation, Sutton Foster. Here is a look back at the most memorable numbers from past ceremonies, from The Lion King to Avenue Q to Gypsy:"
What’s Eating Robert Gates? (James Kitfield) from the National Journal
"What’s eating Gates specifically is that despite all of the ambitious strategic plans and lofty “one for all, all for one” rhetoric issued at NATO ministerial meetings, during a time of war and existential challenge European nations continue to slash already inadequate defense budgets. As the U.S. defense budget doubled over the past decade, for instance, European defense spending declined from $311 billion in 2001 to $269 billion in 2009."
A related item is here detailing a really unanticipated dimension of the 'Arab Spring':
The Role of Education in the Arab World Revolutions from the Brookings Institution
"... in Morocco and Algeria, university graduates are less likely to be employed than their peers who have only completed primary or secondary school. In Egypt and Bahrain, those with a secondary school education have higher rates of unemployment than their peers with just primary school educations. "
Syrian Army 'Cracking' Amid Crackdown from Al Jazeera English
"Testimonies from defected soldiers give a dramatic insight into the split apparently emerging in the security forces."
The Fall of the House of Assad (Robin Yassin-Kassab) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"It's too late for the Syrian regime to save itself."
Rise of the Irregulars (Robert Haddick) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"In order to survive and compete against the military power enjoyed by national armies, modern irregular adversaries -- such as the Viet Cong, Iraq's insurgents, the Taliban, and virtually all other modern revolutionaries -- "civilianized" their military operations. ... Whether it realizes it or not, the U.S. government continues to civilianize its own military operations in an attempt to keep pace with the tactics employed by the irregular adversaries it is struggling to suppress. "
Vietnam Seeks US Support in China Dispute (Ben Bland) from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"Vietnam has called on the US and other nations to help resolve the escalating territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea, in a move likely to anger Beijing, which opposes what it sees as outside interference."
The Big Test in China (Christina Larson) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Does China's nerve-racking gaokao college-entrance exam really identify the country's best and brightest, or is it even sillier and more unfair than the SAT?"
Five Reasons to Be Optimistic About the U.S. Economy from US News and World Report
"Factors like declining gas prices and increasing manufacturing give reason for hope."
The Uncertainty Tax (Thomas Friedman) from the New York Times
"Congress and the White House seem paralyzed in deciding the future of taxes and spending. Where are we going in these areas? Investors and companies who have to make hiring decisions have no clue. ... Any good news? Yes, U.S. corporations are getting so productive and sitting on so much cash, just a few big, smart, bipartisan decisions by Congress on taxes and spending (and mortgages) and I think this whole economy starts to improve again."
Don't Count on Settling Those Student Loans (Megan McArdle) from the Atlantic
"Whether your debt is with the government or a private lender, the laws in place make it very difficult to pay less than you owe."
A Weak Link in the Obamacare Lawsuits (Jonathan Cohn) from the New Republic
"Could the courts throw out the Affordable Care Act without using Lopez in the way the law's opponents do? Sure. The case, again, is more complicated than that. But it would be one more sign that the courts are establishing new limits on federal power, rather than recognizing existing ones. That is not something conservative judges, in particular, say they like to do."
Georgia’s Big Secret: State Needs Illegal Workers (Cynthia Tucker) from the Atlanta Journal Constitution
"...the gut-busting pressures of a harsh new Georgia law targeting illegal immigrants — modeled after a controversial law in Arizona — may force farmers to speak the truth out loud. At the very least, it may force them to campaign openly for a broad immigration reform proposal that grants legal status to illegal laborers."
For Republicans, Redistricting Offers Few Gains from the New York Times
"On paper, the sweeping gains Republicans enjoyed last year in statehouses across the country gave the party a profound advantage in the nascent and increasingly contentious power struggle to create new Congressional districts. But those gains are likely to add up to fewer than 10 seats in the House of Representatives, largely because Republicans took so many seats from Democrats in 2010 that there are not many left to change hands through redistricting."
This is actually a very important political story as it relates both to the congressional elections and the presidential elections next year. For the House races, many in the GOP were anticipating gains that came through redistricting could act as a "firewall" of sorts against major Democratic gains in '12. Well, there goes that firewall.
Huntsman Tests GOP Waters with a Different Kind of Lure (Philip Rucker) from the Washington Post
"This is not your typical Republican presidential candidate. Not this year, not in the age of the tea party and bumper-sticker slogans and birth certificates."
The Conservative War on Facts (Hunter) from Daily Kos
"...a hallmark of the modern conservative movement, including punditry, elected officials, and the base itself, is that science and knowledge is only valuable to the extent to which it can shore up conservative beliefs. A historian is a "proper" historian if their history produces a perceivable conservative message."
2012: The Year Tea Party Divides Will Come Into the Open (Chris Good) from the Atlantic
"There will be no single tea-party candidate in the GOP presidential primary race. Get ready for some activist in-fighting."
Tonight's Wacky GOP Debate (Matt Latimer) from the Daily Beast
"The Republican 2012 field, such as it is, gathers to do battle in New Hampshire Monday night. Matt Latimer on Herman Cain’s upstart energy, Newt’s comeback chances—and Bachmann’s time to shine."
Michelle Obama, First Feminist, Takes on 'Women's Issues'—Carefully (Sharon Lerner) from the Nation
"She exuded the confidence of a woman who feels secure in – and beyond – her place of power. Adept at discussing legislation and cultural movements, she was just as comfortable throwing in a joke about polyester. (“Tough times,” she noted drily of the seventies-era obsession with the fabric.) Obama seemed to embody a notion at the center of feminism: that women can be not just intelligent and powerful, but at ease with that, too."
WONKY SUMMER BOOK NUGGET!!
Beach Books for Wonks from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Looking for some good summer reading? We asked our favorite contributors to suggest what books to pack along for a sunny afternoon."
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