News Nuggets 664

Red Sea Urchins off the coast of British Columbia.  From National Geographic.

Libyan Rebels Wrest Western Mountain Villages from Al Jazeera English
"Opposition continues to edge closer to capital, Tripoli, capturing two villages despite shelling by pro-Gaddafi forces."

Pakistan’s Army Battles Enemy Within (James Lamont) from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"Once a symbol of national unity, the army now appears divided over the fight against Islamist extremists, while the bin Laden killing and a high-profile Taliban attack on a naval air base in Karachi have left Pakistanis wondering whether the military is at war with itself as much as with militants in its border regions."

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Fights to Keep His Job; Coup Feared from the New York Times
"Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who has led the army since 2007, faces such intense discontent over what is seen as his cozy relationship with the United States that a colonels’ coup, while unlikely, was not out of the question, said a well-informed Pakistani who has seen the general in recent weeks..."

Iran's Green Movement has Actually Achieved its Goal from the Christian Science Monitor
"Where does Iran’s opposition stand two years later? The price of speaking out has been high. Even so, the movement has achieved its goal by gaining moral high ground, revealing the true face of the Islamic regime, and draining away much of its political legitimacy."

Social Media Help Keep the Door Open to Sustained Dissent Inside Saudi Arabia from the New York Times
"Social media, which helped drive protests across the Arab world, seems tailor-made for Saudi Arabia, where public gatherings are illegal, women are strictly forbidden to mix with unrelated men and people seldom mingle outside their family. Virtually any issue that contradicts official Saudi policy now pops up online, including the status of prisoners being held without trial or a call to boycott municipal elections this September."

The Masses Huddle at Europe’s Doors from the Financial Times [of the UK]
"... the controversies surrounding immigration are generating too much political heat. The EU is at risk of ending up with a jumble of ad hoc measures shaped by the fear of mainstream politicians that they are losing electoral ground to populist, far-right movements with more sinister intentions. The dangers are clear."

Protesters, Security Forces Clash in China from CNN
"The protest erupted in Zengcheng over what witnesses described as rough handling of a pregnant street vendor by security guards Friday. Local government officials said the protests involved hundreds, while other unofficial reports estimated tens of thousands of protesters."
Some echos of the treatment meted out to the Tunisian vendor that started the 'Arab Spring.' 

Obama in Old San Juan (Maritza Stanchin) from the New York Times
"The first official presidential visit to Puerto Rico since 1961 reveals an island divided over the decision of independence, statehood or the status quo."

The Worst Places in the World for Women: Somalia from the Guardian [of the UK]
"'No woman in Somalia is happy to be a woman' is the cry of subservient wives and human rights activists."

US Universities Report Sharp Rise in UK Applications from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Trebling of tuition fees and disillusionment with UK universities cited as reasons for interest in American institutions."

Unions Work to Turn the Tide (David Moberg) from In These Times
"Organized labor rolls out a response to nationwide assaults on workers’ rights."

Thousands Protest Budget at Wisconsin Capitol from the Nation
"Thousands of protesters once again converged on Wisconsin’s Capitol Tuesday to protest Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial state budget proposal that strips unions of their right to collectively bargain."

When Your Base Is Nuts (Harold Meyerson) from the American Prospect
"In today’s Republican Party, the truth shall set you down, and out."

Neocons Slam Romney on Afghanistan (Kyle Adams) from RealClearPolitics
""I want those troops to come home based upon not politics, not based upon economics, but instead based upon the conditions on the ground determined by the generals," Romney said. "But I also think we've learned that our troops shouldn't go off and try and fight a war of independence for another nation. Only the Afghanis can win Afghanistan's independence from the Taliban.""
This approach by Romney and a growing number in the GOP is very good news for the future.  Two of the worst legacies of the Vietnam War were the lessons each party tended to take away from the conflict.  Democrats came away much more attuned to the human/moral/resources costs and loath to rush willie nillie into any future military adventure.  In contrast (and with terrible consequence under Bush) the lesson the GOP took from Vietnam was: don't trust the Democrats to wage war and that if super patriotic, super-strong Republicans were in charge it would have gone differently.  Under Bush II, it was this mindset that prevailed for the most part in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and it was accompanied by much misguided cheer-leading and chest-thumping from virtually all of the Republican-dominated Congress and right-wing media.  As a nation, what we got was (by some counts) the longest war in US history.  FINALLY, it now appears that many GOP leaders, lawmakers and average voters are embracing the lessons they SHOULD have learned 40 years ago.  Let's hope this trend continues.

A Day of Awkwardness with Mitt Romney (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"In casual moments, his weirdness comes through."
He's a Republican.  So what else is new?

Mitt Romney: The Campaign Within the Conservative Movement to Take Him Down (Sahil Kapur) from the New Republic
"...after talking to conservative activists over the past week, I’m by no means convinced that he is in the clear. For several conservative organizations, antagonism toward Romney runs so deep that they are actually gearing up to wage campaigns against him."

Gingrich's Wife at Center of Presidential Campaign Turmoil, Sources Say from MSNBC
"Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign was crippled by behind-the-scenes blow-ups over the role of his wife, Callista, including her insistence that the campaign arrange for screenings of the couple’s movies made by their for-profit production company, according to current and former campaign staffers and advisers. "

INTERESTING PLACES NUGGET!!
Visiting 10 of the Most Interesting Abandoned Places on Earth from AOL News
"These empty places may look like Scooby Doo set pieces, but they hold important clues to bigger mysteries about both the past and the future; the creep of urban decay and the necessity of memorializing tragedy. Sometimes history lives alone."