Ice dunes in the southern hemisphere of Mars. From NASA."A group of defectors calling themselves the Free Syrian Army is attempting the first effort to organize an armed challenge to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, signaling what some hope and others fear may be a new phase in what has been an overwhelmingly peaceful Syrian protest movement. For now, the shadowy entity seems mostly to consist of some big ambitions..."
Worried Greeks Fear Collapse of Middle Class Welfare State from the New York Times
An incredible story. It doesn't bode well for the the long or medium-term political stability of Greece or other countries that face this scale of downsizing.
"While banks and European leaders hold abstract talks in foreign capitals about the impact of a potential Greek default on the euro and the world economy, something frighteningly concrete is under way in Greece: the dismantling of a middle-class welfare state in real time — with nothing to replace it."
Euro's Troubles an Anglo-Saxon Plot (Theodore Dalrymple) from the Australian
"For many contemporary Frenchmen, including, but not only journalists, the Anglo-Saxons are what the freemasons were for their predecessors in the 19th century: participants in a vague but sinister plot to control the world and destroy French civilisation."
Saudi king: Women Given Right to Vote for First Time in 2015 Nationwide Local Elections from the Washington Post
"Saudi King Abdullah announced Sunday that the nation’s women will gain the right to vote and run as candidates in local elections to be held in 2015 in a major advancement for the rights of women in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom."
Weisberg Details Case Against Suskind (Erik Wemple) from the Washington Post
"The media shocker of the day isn’t that Slate’s Jacob Weisberg raised questions about Ron Suskind’s “accuracy, fairness, and integrity.” Or that Weisberg claimed that Suskind has “turned his egregious writing and dubious technique on the Obama administration.” It’s that Weisberg pretty much alleges that Suskind is a fabricator. "
Roger’s Reality Show (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
First, Ailes dialed back the Tea Party talk. Now he’s turning the GOP race into a political X-Factor—and steering the election agenda one more time."
Rick Perry Reels After Florida Flop from the Politico
"“Perry’s showing in the straw poll was disastrous. He was here, he worked the crowd, and it just proves that the debate performance really undermined his support,” said Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, who was at the straw poll in Orlando this weekend. “Perry’s gotta retool, reorganize and retrench very quickly.” Said one prominent conservative activist: “They’ve really got to go into damage control mode and right this ship, and they’ve got a relatively brief amount of time to do it. And if they don’t, I think he’s done.”
Breath-taking. GOP voters are going through "front-runners" like blown kleenex! Here's the guy who won TEN straight elections in Texas and was viewed as a hard-nut rabid campaigner -- and he's collapsing in what COULD be a fail of epic proportions! Incredible.
Rick Perry as Sarah Palin (Aaron Blake) from the Washington Post
"Perry is now going to have to grapple with the very Palin-esque idea that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about on issues of foreign policy. And in fact, the issue had already been raised quite a bit even before Thursday’s debate."
Praying for Rick Perry (Robert Shrum) from The Week
"Republicans pray that the floundering Texan will pick up his game. Democrats pray that President Obama gets to face a terribly damaged Perry in 2012."
Poll: No Confidence in GOP Front-Runners from United Press International
Who knew that UPI was even still around?
"Rick Perry's debate performance could be indicative of an overall weak group of Republican hopefuls in the 2012 U.S. presidential race, analysts said Sunday."
"Could be?" What an understatement!
Retro TV Revisits Birth of 'Culture War' (Clarence Page) from the Chicago Tribune
"Do "Mad Men," "Pan Am," "The Playboy Club" and BBC America's "The Hour" exploit society's barely suppressed appetite for a more sexist, racist and conservative era? Fear not. The underlying message in these depictions of the bad old days is clear: We should be better than that now, even when we aren't."
ENVIRONMENT NUGGET!!
Bulldozers Tear Into Big Washington Dams from the National Geographic Daily News
"Dignitaries and Native Tribe cheer on historic watershed restoration effort above Olympic National Park."
BLOGGING NUGGET!!
How Do You Start A Blog? (Rachel Gorgos) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Blogging is fairly easy if you like to write. If you don’t like to write, but MUST have a blog presence, don’t worry, there are ways around the writing part to help ease your workload."
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