News Nuggets 687

 Lions in a tree in Kenya.  From National Geographic.

UP-FRONT MURDOCH DAMAGE-CONTROL NUGGET!!
Murdoch Empire at Risk (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
Kurtz and the folks he quotes here get how bad the big picture is for Rupert Murdoch and his crowd!  One thing he doesn't say -- but is I think in the background is the threat posed by CIVIL litigation here.  Reportedly, there are THOUSANDS of victims/defendents here -- and it is one of Murdoch's highest priorities to contain the crisis and keep it in the NoW and not let it creep up into the parent company: News Corp.  IF it goes to the parent (and who seriously doubts that it does?), that multi-billion dollar giant will face STAGGERING civil and criminal penalties -- and this only relates to what's happening at NoW, not anything that might be going on in some of Murdoch's other holdings.  Gives us all something to look forward to!
"“Man! These guys are completely freaked out. They are all vulnerable—all of them.”... Sesno sees the fallout extending far beyond London: “This tarnishes Murdoch and News Corp. and potentially the Murdoch brand. That’s inevitable. He is in deep damage-control mode right now. This is his Titanic hitting the iceberg, and he has to worry about the rest of the fleet behind him.”"


Gaddafi's New Forces: The Teenagers and Women Keeping Libya's Rebels from Taking Tripoli from Time Magazine
"...with a flight ban and stepped-up international surveillance making it increasingly difficult for Gaddafi to import African mercenaries, he has turned to barely trained teenaged soldiers to fill his ranks."

China's Bumpy Road Ahead (Ian Bremmer) from the Wall Street Journal
"Unrest, inflation and an aging populace stand in the way of the Middle Kingdom's touted domination."

Bashir's Choice in (North) Sudan (James Traub) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"The brutal means that the Sudanese president has used to keep his country together have instead blown it apart in the most chaotic way possible."

In Europe, The Need for a Centralization of Power (Herfried Münkler) from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Despite the myriad problems currently facing the European Union, democratization is not the answer. Rather, the EU's elites need to improve -- and power has to be taken away from the periphery."
There are SO MANY fascinating parallels (and bizarro almost parallel universe types of scenarios being played out in real time) between what's happening with the EU now and what happened in America between the 13 original colonies concerning the original articles of confederation and the desperate NEED for a more vigorous, powerful federal gov't.  For the EU, this guy puts forward a very stripped down "Hamiltonian" argument.

Phone Hacking: Third Man Arrested as Rupert Murdoch Flies in to London to Deal with Crisis from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"A third man was arrested and bailed on Friday night as it emerged that Rupert Murdoch was flying to London to take control of the deepening crisis at News International following the News of the World hacking scandal."

James Murdoch Could Face Criminal Charges on Both Sides of the Atlantic from the Guardian [of the UK]
"James Murdoch and News Corp could face corporate legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic that involve criminal charges, fines and forfeiture of assets as the escalating phone-hacking scandal risks damaging his chances of taking control of Rupert Murdoch's US-based media empire."

For NoW, 'Worse Revelations are Yet to Come and You Will Understand in a Year Why We Closed News of the World' from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Chief executive of News International Rebekah Brooks tonight hinted that there were worse revelations to come and told News of the World staff they would understand 'in a year' why the title had to close."

Murdoch’s Fatal Flaw (Joe Nocera) from the New York Times
"Most people outgrow their twentysomething selves. As they age, they realize that the impulses and excitements of youth need to be tempered with the judgment, empathy and caution that come with maturity. They get a better feel for the lines that ought not to be crossed. Journalists, in particular, learn that there are stories that ought not to be pursued. Not every scoop is worth it. Murdoch’s essential problem is that he never grew up."

Murdoch’s Watergate? (Carl Bernstein) from Newsweek
"His anything-goes approach has spread through journalism like a contagion. Now it threatens to undermine the influence he so covets."

Church Shaken by Sexual Abuse Allegations in Africa from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Following a series of abuse cases in Europe and North America, revelations have emerged of sexual abuse by priests in a number of African countries. The case of Father Renato Kizito, who is accused of raping young men in Kenya, shows how local power structures work in favor of the clerics."

Buffett Bets ’Very Heavily’ Against Double Dip from Bloomberg News Service
“I would bet very heavily against that,” Buffett told Bloomberg Television’s Betty Liu on the “In the Loop” program today after data showed slowing U.S. job growth. “How fast the recovery will come, I don’t know. I see nothing that indicates any kind of a double dip.”

Just-Vote-No Republicans (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"Republicans have made enormous advances toward government reforms that were viewed as unachievable a year ago. Voting no may have become the aphrodisiac of small-government conservatives, but it is not necessarily an act of bravery or wisdom."

CHILDREN'S CLASSIC NUGGET!!
Pinocchio's Real Roots Mapped from Discovery News
"New research reveals the real-life inspirations behind the fictional Pinocchio."