News Nuggets 759

A sea star in the Maldives.  From National Geographic.

Germany Approves Expansion of Euro Bailout Fund from the New York Times
"The German Parliament easily approved the expansion of the bailout fund for heavily indebted European countries Thursday, the most important step in a tortuous process that has rattled markets and raised doubts about the ability of governments to react to the expanding debt crisis."
Will this be enough?  Doubt it.

A glimpse why I doubt it:
The Sick Men of Europe (Joshua Keating) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"A checkup on the continent's crisis-ridden economies."

Why China Won't Rule the World Anytime Soon (Jason Gots) from Big Think
"Economist Daniel Altman predicts that "deep factors," including endemic corruption and a Confucian business culture, will limit China's growth, causing it to surrender the top spot shortly after becoming the world's biggest economy."

Adm. Mike Mullen’s Legacy (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"Talking to Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in his final week in the job, I found myself wondering if we are entering a “post-military” age, when our top officers understand that the biggest problems can’t be solved with military power. But what are the deeper, intractable problems facing Mullen’s generation of officers? They are about culture, and governance, and the subtle psychological factors that keep people from doing what’s in their interest."

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's… A Hero of the Bulgarian Revolution? from the Wall Street Journal
"Mixed Feelings Toward Communist Past Make for Monumental Arguments in Sofia."

Americas to Become Mecca of World’s Energy (Andres Oppenheimer) from the Miami Herald
"The turmoil for reform sweeping most Middle Eastern oil producers is grabbing big headlines today, but that region may lose some of it’s economic clout in the future: there are signs that the Americas will replace the Middle East as the world’s biggest oil-producing region."

Old School: College's Most Important Trend is the Rise of the Adult Student from the Atlantic
"The media's "typical" college student lives on a campus at a four-year institution. But that describes no more than a sixth of the total college population. In fact, there are more college attendees over the age of 30 than such "typical" students. The most significant shift in higher education is the massive growth in the adult-student population."

No Casa Blanca for the GOP (Maria Cardona) from the Huffington Post
"As a Latina however, I find myself scratching my head and wondering whether the GOP candidates even know - or care - there is a powerful and growing Latino voting population in critical swing states that hold the key to any Republican who wants to work in the Oval Office. During the last several GOP Presidential debates, I sat dumbfounded on several instances where the GOP candidates were unwilling or frankly, unable to even articulate a single thing they would do to capture the Latino vote."
Cardona charts a lot of GOP cluelessness here.

The Best Colleges You Haven't Heard Of from the Huffington Post
"Using thousands of student reviews, Unigo recently named the top "hidden gems" among colleges. The list includes unconventional Bard College in Annandale on the Hudson, New York, and Maine's Bates College."
Bard College is No. 1?! My alma mater! Imagine that?

The Coming GOP Primary Calendar Mess from Talking Points Memo
"The Republican primaries and caucuses are coming soon for the many candidates competing for president — and thanks to the latest move by Florida, the crunch-time will be coming up sooner than everyone has previously planned on."

Rick Perry’s Wife Says Scrutiny Faced During Presidential Campaign Has Been ‘Intense’ from the Des Moines Register [of Iowa]
The scrutiny and the intensity of the presidential campaign just 45 days into the race has been unpleasant, Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s wife, Anita, told conservatives in Iowa this morning. “I thought I was pretty seasoned, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said."
You becha'!  And it will only intensify as the months go by.

Christie Says He’s Not Running ... as He Slams ‘Bystander’ Obama from Bloomberg News Service
"New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he plans to sit out the 2012 presidential race and then used a nationally broadcast appearance to assail President Barack Obama as a “bystander in the Oval Office.”"
For someone who is supposed to be so bright, what a dumb thing to say!

The Documentary Palin Will Hate (Marlow Stern) from the Daily Beast
In-your-face documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield turns his uncompromising lens on the former Alaska governor in ‘Sarah Palin: You Betcha!,’ opening Friday. He talks to Marlow Stern about his subject, Joe McGinniss’s Palin biography, and the Palin rumors too hot to include in the film."

PERRY DEBATE NUGGET!!
Colbert Defends Rick Perry From Slick-Talking Critics (VIDEO) from Talking Points Memo
"So Colbert piled on a number of other conservative pundits slamming Perry's performance. After a a graphic explanation of Perry's performance, Colbert surmised that the GOP frontrunner "defiled himself with every bodily fluid known to man, other than Santorum."

TECHNOLOGY NUGGET!!
Kindle Fire Vs. Apple IPad: What Amazon's Tablet Has That The IPad Lacks from the Huffington Post
"How do you choose between them? Given everything we already know about the iPad (which has been out for 18 months), and all the also-rans that could not dethrone the iPad, here are the biggest advantages the Kindle Fire has over the iPad:"

UNDERWATER TREASURE NUGGET!!
200 Tons of Silver Found on WWII Ship from Discovery News
"Now, 70 years after the dramatic sinking, treasure hunters have announced the discovery of the Gairsoppa's intact wreck about 300 miles off the coast of Ireland, at a depth of nearly three miles. Laying deeper than the Titanic, the wreck is believed to hold the largest haul of precious metal lost at sea."

CLASSICAL MUSIC NUGGET!!
Lost Beethoven Masterpiece to Get First Performance for 200 Years After Expert's Painstaking Reconstruction from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A composition by Beethoven which has been lost for over 200 years has been reconstructed by a leading expert. The piece will receive its modern premiere tomorrow, two centuries after it was last performed."

DANGEROUS PHOTOGRAPHY NUGGET!!
In the Heart of a Stampede: Amazing Images Capture Herds of Animals as They Rampage OVER Photographer from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"This is the moment a wildlife photographer comes face to face with a stampeding herd of wildebeest as they trample OVER him. This amazing series of images was captured by Chris Weston, who dug a 4ft ditch in the rampaging animals' path in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe."