The Neptune Memorial Reef Cemetery in Florida. From National Geographic. UP-FRONT INSPIRING OBAMA 'NUGGET-WITHIN-A-NUGGET' [from yesterday]
Tell: An Intimate History of Gay Men in the Military (Chris Heath) from GQ
For those looking to represence why they voted for Obama and why it REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE that he is in White House.
"Marines #1: "Since I'm a single officer in the Marine barracks and I've got the highest security clearance you can get, I also serve at the White House in close quarters with President Bush and President Obama at social events. Very seldom was the president ever alone, but one time the president had said, 'Go and get the vice president,' and all the straphangers went, and the president went in the Blue Room and was just standing there waiting for Biden. And there was no Secret Service around or anything, and I went, 'Fuck it, I'm going to go and talk to the president about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." ' He was looking out south—there's an incredible view down past the Washington Monument to the Jefferson. And I just stepped in and said, 'Sir?' and he turned around and walks to me and I just started: 'You know, sir, I want to let you know that there are a number of us that work very close to you who appreciate very much what you're doing on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"—more than you probably realize.' And he was shaking my hand, he looks up and it's like...he got it. I said, 'I want to thank you for this.' And he goes, 'No, I want to thank you. Thank you for your service, and thank you for your courage.' ""
"Amnesty International said Friday that it had evidence that forces loyal to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi had killed rebels who had been held in custody in two camps. In one camp, it said, guards killed five detainees held in solitary confinement, and in another they opened the gates, telling the rebels they were free to go, then tossed grenades and fired on the men as they tried to run for freedom."
Libyan War Goes a Long Way to Improve the Pentagon’s View of France as an Ally from the New York Times
"Eight years ago the French were called the “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” who opposed the Iraq war. They inspired “freedom fries” and jokes meant to boost American military morale. “Have you heard about the new French tank?” a United States Marine commander asked his men in Kuwait in March 2003, only days before his unit crossed the border into Iraq. “It’s got six gears — all in reverse.” But something has happened on the bombing runs over Libya. France played a major role in this war, winning grudging respect from a Pentagon that has long looked down on many European militaries."
Al-Qaida's Number Two Killed in Pakistan from the Guardian [of the UK]
"A senior US official claims al-Qaida's second in command, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, has been killed in Waziristan."
Britain’s Embarrassing Collective Response to the London Riots (Geoffrey Wheatcroft) from the New Republic
"England endures a turbulent summer, as riots sweep through the cities, newspapers fulminate, and politicians pontificate. Yes, 1981 seems almost like yesterday—which makes it eerier that history should repeat itself just 30 years on."
A NY Times Op-Ed comments in a similar vein HERE.
Obama Seeks Jobs Plan as U.S. Workingman Status Further Erodes (Mike Dorning) from the Bloomberg News Service
"The portion of men holding a job—any job, full- or part-time—fell to 63.5 percent in July, hovering stubbornly near the low point of 63.3 percent it reached in December 2009. These are the lowest numbers in statistics going back to 1948. ... Men who do have jobs are getting paid less. After accounting for inflation, median wages for men between 30 and 50 dropped 27 percent--to $33,000 a year from 1969 to 2009, according to an analysis by Michael Greenstone..."
The picture here is very bleak. Daily Kos has some good analysis HERE.
Columnist Frank Bruni has his own take:
The Fall This Summer (Frank Bruni) from the New York Times
" this summer crystallized a growing sense that our country’s can-do spirit was being replaced by a make-do resignation, and that our best days might well be behind us. I kept finding myself in the same conversation, over and over, and only occasionally was I the one to initiate it. It concerned whether children in America today were likely to enjoy lives as privileged as their parents’. The usual conclusion — that they weren’t — represented an unsettling erosion of American confidence and a pivot in the nation’s psyche from a swaggering optimism to something more subdued."
Whole Foods versus Cracker Barrel: How Americans Are Self-Sorting (Charlie Cook) from National Journal
"More and more, politically like-minded Americans are living next to each other. Polarization is one result."
Why Washington Really Likes Itself (Catherine Rampell) from the New York Times
"The latest index report shows that the District of Columbia is far more confident in the economy than any state, by a long shot. ... What’s going on? How can an economy ravaged by double-digit joblessness be so Pollyannaish?"
What If Journalists Stopped Trying to Be Political Insiders? (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Atlantic
"Jay Rosen says the press is obsessed with savvy politicking and that it tempts voters to focus on style over substance."
Darth Vader Vents (Maureen Dowd) from the New York Times
"WHY is it not a surprise to learn that Dick Cheney’s ancestor, Samuel Fletcher Cheney, was a Civil War soldier who marched with Sherman to the sea? Scorched earth runs in the family. Having lost the power to heedlessly bomb the world, Cheney has turned his attention to heedlessly bombing old colleagues."
HIGHER ED NUGGET!!
Relief for Student Debtors from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"The schools sometimes push these students into high-cost private loans that they can never hope to repay, even when they are eligible for affordable federal loans. Because the private loans have fewer consumer accommodations like hardship deferments, the borrowers often have little choice but to default. Worse yet, these loans and the bad credit history follow the debtors for the rest of their lives. Even filing for bankruptcy doesn’t clean the slate."
This is desperately needed!
OUTER SPACE NUGGET!!
Space Hotel to Give Rich a Thrill That's Out of This World from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Russian aerospace engineers join race to provide wealthy thrill-seekers with the ultimate holiday destination."
BBC TV DRAMA NUGGET!!
Readers Have Their Say: The 10 Greatest British TV Dramas of All-Time from BBC America
"... we asked readers to submit their choices for the Greatest British TV Drama of all-time. And certainly the top 10 picks display the diversity of British drama, from grim and gritty crime thrillers, to sumptuous costume drama, to high-concept sci-fi."
NO Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson!? NO Wives of Henry VIII!? NO Poldark!? Outrageous! But at least it's better than what the Daily Beast did several months ago.
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