News Nuggets 978

DAYLEE PICTURE: It's Fleet Week in New York City with the 

big ships and the big sail on parade!  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

Shakil Afridi, Pakistan Doctor Who Helped Find Osama Bin Laden, Sentenced To Prison from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"A Pakistani doctor who helped the U.S. track down Osama bin Laden was sentenced to 33 years in prison on Wednesday for conspiring against the state, officials said, a verdict that is likely to further strain the country's relationship with Washington."
The Pakistanis seem to be going out of their way to put a stick in the eye of the US.  All this will do is hasten the end of US engagement with them and, for them, a quicker descent into political and social chaos and recrimination.

The Revenge of the Rust Belt: How the Midwest Got Its Groove Back (Jordan Weissmann) from the Atlantic
"By becoming more cost competitive, the Midwest is luring back manufacturers, creating signs of hope in a troubled region."

After President Obama’s Announcement, Opposition to Same-sex Marriage Hits Record Low from the Washington Post
"Public opinion continues to shift in favor of same-sex marriage, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, which also finds initial signs that President Obama’s support for the idea may have changed a few minds."

Obama Spending Binge Never Happened: Government Outlays Rising at Slowest Pace Since 1950s (Rex Nutting) from the Wall Street Journal
"Of all the falsehoods told about President Barack Obama, the biggest whopper is the one about his reckless spending spree. ... Although there was a big stimulus bill under Obama, federal spending is rising at the slowest pace since Dwight Eisenhower brought the Korean War to an end in the 1950s."
Check out the chart that accompanies this article!

Harry Reid to Republicans: Give in on Bush Tax Cuts, Gutting Medicare and Maybe We Can Talk (Joan McCarter) from Daily Kos
"Democrats do have a trump card in this upcoming battle—two, actually, if they'll play them."

Is Justice Ginsburg Risking the Future of the Supreme Court? (Chris Greider) from the Daily Beast
"The calls for her retirement started last year—she’s nearly 80 and a two-time cancer survivor—but Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn’t going anywhere. Chris Geidner looks into the tricky world of politicking and the court."

Survey: NPR’s Listeners Best-informed, Fox Viewers Worst-Informed from Fairleigh Dickinson University and Poynter
"NPR and Sunday morning political talk shows are the most informative news outlets, while exposure to partisan sources, such as Fox News and MSNBC, has a negative impact on people’s current events knowledge."
The study lumps together all the major cable news sources -- and finds that folks who rely on them as their primary source of news to be the least informed.  As a few of you know, I cancelled cable ten years ago because, on some level, I perceived that this was true.  Now the evidence.  You want to be better informed about what's really happening?  Stop (like cold turkey!) looking there for news.  Just STOP.  Does it take more discipline to read newspapers (or their websites) or to listen to NPR? Only initially.  When I visit my parents, I will sometimes watch CNN with them, and it is my experience that I will get more and better information from reading the NY Times or the Wash Post for 30 minutes than watching CNN for four hours -- no exaggeration!

Obama Prospects Improve As Swing State Economies Improve (Mike Dorning) from Bloomberg News Service
"From extra shifts at auto and steel plants in Ohio to office buildings rising in Northern Virginia, the geography of the U.S. economic rebound is providing an edge to President Barack Obama’s re-election. The unemployment rates in a majority of the 2012 battleground states are lower than the national average as those economies improve. Coupled with the growth of adult minority populations in those states, the trends create a higher bar for presumed Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney in his quest to unseat Obama."
It is really interesting to see the two diametrically opposed narratives that are emerging for Democrats and Republicans (or at least their base voters).  Both sides seem to think their presidential candidate is gaining on the other.  "Obama's prospects are improving..." or "GOP discovers that Romney could win..."  To me, it further demonstrates that the two parties are operating within two dramatically divergent media universes wherein they (and especially the GOP) draw from a very select set of partisan sources. Who's right?  Guess we'll find out in November, won't we?

Obama's Region of Doom from Politico
"The region in question is the Upland or Upper South: its borders range roughly from eastern Oklahoma to western North Carolina and northward to include Appalachia. It’s similar in many ways to the Deep South but still culturally, politically and economically distinct. The heart of the Obama resistance is located in the coal country of Kentucky and West Virginia,"

Mitt, We Hardly Know You (Walter Russell Mead) from the American Interest 
"...the piece exposes the dilemma at the heart of the Romney campaign: the former governor can only be understood and appreciated as a human being in the light of the deep faith that informs and guides his approach to life, but few Americans understand what that faith is and how it works. Worse, while a tolerant society no longer persecutes Mormons or drives them out of town, many Americans view Mormonism as a cult and as an aggressive competitor against orthodox Christianity rather than as just one more stripe in the coat of many colors that makes up the American Christian world."

Romney's Bain Playbook Unclear as Attacks Grow from the Associated Press via Yahoo News
"The core of his presidential candidacy under attack, Mitt Romney has yet to shape a playbook to defend a quarter-century in the business world that created great riches for himself and great hardship, at times, for some American workers."

Romney Silent On Immigration As Latino Vote Slips Away from Talking Points Memo
Josh Marshall: "The Romney campaign seems to have decided that it can’t repair the damage to his chances with Hispanics post-primary and he’ll focus on getting votes elsewhere."
I suspect Marshall is over extrapolating here.  Romney can't afford to walk away from this demographic this early in the election cycle.

Colin Powell Trashes Mitt Romney's Team Of Foreign Policy Advisers (Jennifer Bendery) from the Huffington Post
"He gave the example of Romney recently saying that Russia is the "number one geopolitical foe" to the United States. "Come on Mitt, think," Powell said. "That isn't the case.""

Sir Mitt’s Very Thin Skin (Gene Lyons) from the National Memo
"When Romney’s not running around boasting about his enormous success running Bain Capital and accusing others of envying the vast wealth he’s got stashed in numbered accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands, his tender sensibilities are constantly being offended by peasants whining about lost jobs and stolen pensions. Why do they hate America? Anyway, his thin skin is how you know Romney’s an aristocrat. "

Sisters' Woes Jolt Pittsburgh: Probes Entangle Supreme Court Justice, State Senator, Both of Prominent Family from the Wall Street Journal 
""There is no precedent that I know of in modern Pennsylvania history for three people in the same family, three sisters in this case, to face these kinds of allegations," said Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. The sisters, all Republicans, say their legal troubles reflect bad blood with the Allegheny County district attorney, who is a Democrat."

Green Roofs in Big Cities Bring Relief From Above from the New York Times 
"Turning the black tar roofs that cover our cities into green spaces is not cheap or easy, but its environmental benefits would be great."

CRAZY INDOOR PETS NUGGET!!
We've seen moose, then hippos, ... now buffalo ... as in TWO of them living as indoor pets.  Crazy.  Never mind these two enormous animals, though, the interior decorating of this home would be enough to scare me away!
Couple Share Their House with TWO Giant Beasts from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Have you herd the one about the couple who live with two buffaloes? Here are the pictures to prove it.
RC Bridges, nicknamed 'The Buffalo Whisperer' and his wife Sherron, share their Texas home with 2,400lbs Wildthing and recent 900lbs arrival Bullet. Both are still growing, and could reach up to 11ft tall and weigh as much as 2,500lbs."

News Nuggets 977

DAYLEE PICTURE:  The Veliki Prstvaci waterfalls in Croatia.  From Der Spiegel of Germany. 

Obama's Preference for Talks with Iran Faces Test at Looming Meeting from the Associated Press via FOX News
"President Obama's preferred path to end the Iranian nuclear standoff faces a stern test this week when world powers sit down with Iran in another bid to press it to meet international demands to prove it is not trying to develop nuclear weapons. Failure will strengthen calls for military action. "

Iranians Taking Solace in the Past (Camelia Entekhabifard) from the New York Times
"Iran's youth and their elders are praying for progress at the nuclear talks in Baghdad."

US-Pakistan Tensions Deepen as Obama Snubs Zardari at Nato Summit (Ewen MacAskill) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Obama expresses frustration with Pakistan over its refusal to open up Nato supply routes in protest over US drone attacks"

Germany Isolated as Latin Bloc Calls the Shots from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"The eurozone's 'Latin Bloc' is in full revolt. The trio of French, Italian, and Spanish leaders - backed by world powers - are to push for a radical shift in Europe's economic strategy at crucial summit on
Wednesday."

India-China Relations and the Media: Blame the Messenger from the Economist [of the UK]
"China was accused of seeking to “internationalise” its claim to disputed territory. In the narrative of Chinese policy to which Indians have become accustomed by their press, it added another chapter to a familiar, consistent campaign by China to do India down."

The Specter of China's Cultural Revolution (Lijia Zhang) from the New York Times
"Until the leadership confronts the Cultural Revolution head-on, its ghosts will continue to haunt the nation."

How FBI Entrapment Is Inventing 'Terrorists' - and Letting Bad Guys Off the Hook (Rick Perlstein) from Rolling Stone Magazine
"This past October, at an Occupy encampment in Cleveland, Ohio, "suspicious males with walkie-talkies around their necks" and "scarves or towels around their heads" were heard grumbling at the protesters' unwillingness to act violently. "
I had said at the time that this kind of thing was going on.

A Court of Her Own (David V. Johnson) from Boston Review
An interesting look at the world of supreme court reporting.
"Nearly two years into her tenure as chief justice of Karlan’s Court, our legal columnist Pam Karlan talked to Web editor David Johnson via email about the perks of being on the BR bench, the legal column she would have happily died to write, and why she’s not surprised by John Roberts."

DOJ Accepts Ruling that Transgender Bias is Illegal from Raw Story 
"The Department of Justice (DOJ) accepted Monday a ruling from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that claims gender identity discrimination is a type of sex discrimination that is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."

On Obama’s Hillary Clinton-Joe Biden Switcheroo (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"How likely is it that Obama will dump Biden for Hillary as veep? Probably not very. But recent polls suggest the president would be foolish not to consider mixing up the ticket."

Don’t Worry, Joe: It Ain’t So. Why Obama Won’t Run with Hillary Clinton (Jeff Greenfield) from Yahoo News
"First, when have presidents who are up for re-election dumped their vice presidents, and why have they done it? The difference between the reality and the Hillary-for-Joe fantasy can be measured in light-years."

Senior Admin Officials: Debt Limit Brinksmanship Is Political Suicide … For Republicans from Talking Points Memo
"At a background briefing with reporters Tuesday, two senior administration officials made a plausible case that the GOP’s demands are politically unsustainable, suggesting President Obama can stick to his guns as the debt limit approaches and that Boehner and Republicans will cave."

Our Pundit-of-the-Day!!
GOP to Modernity: Stop (Andrew Leonard) from Salon
"For House Republicans, the less we know about our country and our planet, the better."

Who are the Anti-Obama Democrats? (Aaron Blake) from the Washington Post 
"About 15 percent of Democratic primary voters are voting against the president, and the Arkansas and Kentucky contests tonight are likely to include significant numbers of Democrats spurning the president."

Zombie Birtherism: The Conspiracy That Doesn’t Know It’s Dead from Talking Points Memo
"Signs of life from the birther hive have also recently been reported in Iowa, Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, and Florida. (It is also worth noting, as TPM reported last week, that some of the most hardcore birthers are now so far gone that they’re saying Obama was born in America after all, only now they think his Kenyan father was a cover for his “real” father, communist Frank Marshall Davis..)"

PA-Pres: Obama Leads Big in Pennsylvania (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos 
"One of the great polling mysteries of the 2012 is the fact that President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are deadlocked in national polling, but the state-level polling shows a much more comfortable Obama lead. Case in point is Pennsylvania—a state more critical for Romney's chances than Obama's. Yet polling hasn't shown much of a contest. PPP has the latest numbers:"

It’s Official: Watching Fox Makes You Stupider (Ben Adler) from the Nation 
"...it fails the fundamental test of journalism: are you informing your audience? According to a new study by Farleigh Dickinson University, Fox viewers are the least knowledgeable audience of any outlet, and they know even less about politics and current events than people who watch no news at all."

ANIMAL RESCUE NUGGET!!
To celebrate Hope-for-Paws's contest victory the other day, I'm posting this rescue video Eldad Hagar did earlier this year.  It not only showcases the gift (and the patience) Eldad has with stray dogs, it demonstrates I think quite clearly how quickly a biting, snappy dog usually destined to be put down can be compassionately trained to completely stop doing that and be a friendly, normal loving dog.  Hint: it probably took less than an hour.  There is a moment in the video clip where you can really see that the dog begins to understand that the human is not there to hurt him but there to be his friend.  When you see that, it is quite moving!

News Nuggets 976

DAYLEE PICTURE:  Families in the village of Bokonbaevo in Kyrgyzstan have for generations trained golden eagles for hunting.  A very interesting story from the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT ROCKET NUGGET!!
Private Rocket Heading for Space Station from the New York Times
"Success of the SpaceX cargo rocket, above during its launch, would mark a key step in NASA’s efforts to turn over some low-orbit transportation to the private sector."

U.N. Nuclear Chief: Deal with Iran Reached from Time Magazine
"Despite some differences, a deal has been reached with Iran that will allow the U.N. nuclear agency to restart a long-stalled probe into suspicions that Tehran has secretly worked on developing nuclear arms, the U.N. nuclear chief said Tuesday."

Leader’s Fall in China Put Allies in Peril from the New York Times 
"The three men who fled to Australia have been held for two months. They left after Mr. Wang’s consulate visit, but returned to China in about 10 days on Mr. Xu’s private jet, thinking that Mr. Bo had avoided serious trouble. They were picked up by the police ..."

To Defy the Taliban: Afghan, 22, Rebuilding her Life in the U.S. After Having Her Nose Hacked Off from the Daily Mail [of the UK] 
"The 22-year-old fled to America, aged 18, for reconstructive surgery and won political asylum. Aesha now battling to put traumatic past behind her and adapt to her new life."

75 Million Youths to be Unemployed in 2012: ILO from the Times of India [in English] 
"The crisis-linked withdrawal from the labour market is particularly strong in developed economies, with an 18 per cent youth unemployment rate being projected for this year, the report said. "

College Crackup and the Online Future (Mark Taylor) from the Bloomberg News Service
"In the coming decade, emerging technologies will thoroughly transform higher education. Although distance learning and computer-assisted education have been around since the 1960s, financial pressures are forcing institutions to develop aggressive online programs. When education goes online, how professors teach, what students learn and how institutions are structured will change significantly."
Parts one and two of this series can be found HERE and HERE.

Gays May Have the Fastest of All Civil Rights Movements from the Los Angeles Times
"Public attitudes have shifted sharply in the last 10 years. Chalk it up to familiarity – among family, friends, co-workers and prime-time TV characters."

Rutgers Webcam-Spying Defendant Is Sentenced to 30-Day Jail Term from the New York Times
"A judge here sentenced Dharun Ravi to 30 days in jail on Monday for using a webcam to spy on his roommate having sex with a man, a punishment that angered prosecutors and did little to quiet the debate over using laws against hate crimes to fight antigay bias."

Win-or-Go-Home for Pelosi? (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"She’s as confident as ever, but this could be the last time Nancy Pelosi leads House Democrats into an election."

Remnants of the Ricketts Plan (Jelani Cobb) from the New Yorker
"What stands out about the now-discarded plan to recast Jeremiah Wright is not its myopia on religion but its even more myopic perspective on race…"

The "Vetting" Obsession (Paul Waldman) from American Prospect
"Conservatives are still hoping to uncover Barack Obama's deepest, darkest secret."

Mitt Romney’s Swiss-Cheese Campaign Places Most of His Life Off Limits (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
"With Bain, Romneycare, and Mormonism off the table, what can Mitt talk about? Howard Kurtz on the candidate behind the curtain—in an Oprahfied culture that wants political hopefuls to share."

Pres. Obama on Romney and Bain: 'When You're President, Your Job is Not Simply to Maximize Profits' (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
A GREAT response to Romney's main contention concerning his qualifications to be president!
"... so if your main argument for how to grow the economy is "I knew how to make a lot of money for investors," then you're missing what this job is about. It doesn't mean you weren't good at private equity. But that's not what my job is as president. My job is to take into account everybody, not just some. My job is to make sure the country is growing not just now, but 10 years from now, 20 years from now."

New Biography of CBS Newsman Walter Cronkite Dents His Halo (Howard Kurtz) from Newsweek
"Junkets. A liberal bias. And unconscionable shading of a major story. A new biography reveals how much has changed in America’s news culture."
Compared to media pundit-celebs of today, this doesn't sound like much of a dent.

Rush Limbaugh Ratings Drop In Several Big Markets from the Huffington Post 
"Rush Limbaugh's ratings have dropped sharply in several major markets following the firestorm over his comments about Sandra Fluke, Politico reports."

HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHY NUGGET!!
The Haunting Photographs of 19th Century American Child Workers that Helped Change U.S. Labor Laws from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Working as an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, sociologist Lewis Hine documented the working and living conditions of children in the United States between 1908 and 1924. He travelled around 50,000 miles a year, photographing children from Chicago to Florida working in coal mines, factories and cotton mills for the lobbying organisation."

GLASS ARTIST NUGGET!!
Pioneering Glass Artist Returns to his Native Seattle with Stunning Exhibition that Rivals the Space Needle from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Pioneering glass artist Dale Chihuly, whose work has been shown in over 200 museums worldwide, will be honored in his home city Seattle when 'Chihuly Garden and Glass' opens on Monday, offering the most comprehensive collection of his work ever."
Confession: Chihuly has been my favorite contemporary artist for decades!!  This exhibition looks REALLY amazing!

News Nuggets 975

DAYLEE PICTURE: Aldo, an orphan bear at the Oregon Zoo.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT AFGHAN WAR NUGGET!!
Charting Obama’s Journey to a Shift on Afghanistan from the New York Times 
"It was just one brief exchange about Afghanistan with an aide late in 2009, but it suggests how President Obama’s thinking about what he once called “a war of necessity” began to radically change less than a year after he took up residency in the White House. ... “Well,” Mr. Obama responded that day, “I’m not going to give them more time.” A year later, when the president and a half-dozen White House aides began to plan for the withdrawal, the generals were cut out entirely. There was no debate, and there were no leaks. "
I have long SUSPECTED that this was what was going on.  The generals thought they would co-opt Obama into the Afghan debacle permanently -- but all they did was kill their own credibility.  And Obama is now hanging them out to dry.  The history books will not be kind to these people.


UP-FRONT CHARITY NUGGET!!
The Daylee News Nuggets official charity, Hope-for-Paws WON the Toyota 100-Cars-in-100-Days contest over the weekend.  Hope-for-Paws, of course, is the outfit in LA that rescued the poor blind dog, Fiona.  Thanks to all of you who clicked in to push them to victory!!  They will be receiving a new Toyota Highlander as a rescue vehicle!

The Persian Gulf Needs Its Own NATO: And America Needs to Lead It (Robert Haddick) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Can Abdullah learn anything from NATO's history? There seem to be some parallels to the challenges he perceives."

In China, Fear at the Top (Roderick MacFarquhar) from the New York Times 
"For members of China’s Communist elite, sending money overseas makes sense as a political hedge."

Islam and McCarthyism (John R. Schindler) from the National Interest 
"After a decade of controversial tactics, the Pentagon is cracking down on how Islam is taught to the U.S. military."

Obama’s Plan to Announce Afghanistan Withdrawal at NATO Summit Is Shrewd Politics (Peter Beinart) from the Daily Beast
"At the NATO summit this week the president will announce the pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by next summer. He will be conceding defeat—but by doing it now instead of the start of his term, he suffers no political damage."

Factories Begin to Shift Back to US from the Financial Times [of the UK] 
"Two-thirds of big US manufacturers have moved factories in the past two years, with the most popular destination being the US, according to a survey being released on Monday by Accenture, the consultants."

Your Stories Of Being Sick Inside The U.S. Health Care System (AUDIO) from NPR's Morning Edition
"From Oregon to Florida and Maine to Mississippi, Facebook respondents told wrenching tales of bankruptcies, missed diagnoses, medical errors, miscommunication, and treatment that was delayed or foregone because of its cost."

The Ph.D. Now Comes With Food Stamps from the Chronicle of Higher Education
"Ms. Bruninga-Matteau is part of an often overlooked, and growing, subgroup of Ph.D. recipients, adjunct professors, and other Americans with advanced degrees who have had to apply for food stamps or some other form of government aid since late 2007. Some are struggling to pay back student loans and cover basic living expenses as they submit scores of applications for a limited pool of full-time academic positions."

Faculty Leave Baptist School, Shorter University, Over “Lifestyle” Statement from the Washington Post
"More than two dozen faculty members have resigned from Shorter University, a Baptist school in Georgia, after it required them to sign a “personal lifestyle statement” that condemns homosexuality, premarital sex and public drinking."

Sandra Fluke: Life After Rush Limbaugh (Michelle Cottle) from the Daily Beast
"How Sandra Fluke turned a sexist slur into a feminist battle cry."

How Ugly? Really, Really Ugly (Joe Klein) from Time Magazine
"The disgraceful gazillionaire, Joe Ricketts, who commissioned the proposal for this ad campaign is mostly concerned about “ending spending.” What on earth does that have to do with Jeremiah Wright? Well, there is a twisted school of thought that government spending is all about giving poor people money and lining the pockets of charlatans like Wright...."

Romney: The Incidental Candidate (Howard Fineman) from the Huffington Post 
"Romney is the incidental candidate in an incidental campaign. He's a bland, blunt instrument, but only an instrument, in a wider crusade dedicated to one goal: ousting President Barack Obama and reversing whatever policy victories he has won."

Ohio: The Battleground (Alec MacGillis) from the New Republic
"Over the past year, Ohio politics has been in upheaval. What does that mean for November?

GREEN ARCHITECTURE NUGGET!!
Archi-future: 13 Green Buildings That Will Blow Your Mind (PHOTOS) from the Huffington Post
"In the spirit of eco-optimism, we've curated a selection of some of the most disruptive designs in the green building space, with an eye for both sustainability and aesthetic innovation."

MICHELLE OBAMA FASHION NUGGET!!
Michelle Obama's Defining Fashion Moments (PHOTOS) from Time Magazine 
"From her arm-baring dresses to her colorful cardigans, a look at the First Lady's groundbreaking style"

News Nuggets 974

DAYLEE PICTURE: Kayakers going over Outlook Falls in Washington State.  From National Geographic.
Note from yesterday: Still no announcement as to whether Hope-for-Paws won the Toyota Highlander.  They were well in the lead with seven hours to go last night!  Thanks everyone who voted for them yesterday!!

TEN BEST NUGGETS OF THE WEEK!!

1.  America's Destiny Still Largely in its Own Hands (Martin Wolf) from the Irish Times
"WHAT WILL be the role of the US in the 21st century? This is a question I rashly agreed to address last week at the Carnegie Council in New York. In analysing it, I considered a closely related issue that also exercises Americans: is the future role of the US in its own hands? The answer is: yes but only up to a point. The US can control what it does. But it cannot control what others do. The historic dominance of the US is the fruit of its exceptional assets."

2.  The New World Disorder (Kevin Sullivan) from Real Clear Politics 
"If the United States and its Western allies are no longer willing or able to lead, then who will? In his latest book, "Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World," author and global risk analyst Ian Bremmer sets out to answer that very question."

3.  Beware of Chinese Jingoism (Harry Kazianis) from The Diplomat
"In the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, depending on which party you ask, tensions are being stoked in the form of provocative editorials, reporting, and the actions of Chinese journalists. Such reporting – nothing more than old fashioned jingoism – sets a dangerous precedent in an area of the world that is already rife with tensions. "

4.  On Barack Obama: The First Gay President (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"The president’s bold support shifted the mainstream. Andrew Sullivan on why it shouldn't be surprising—Obama’s life as a biracial man has deep ties to the gay experience."

5.  President Obama Is Ending Black America's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy (Aisha Moodie-Mills) from the Atlantic
"The most profound impact of Obama's "evolution" on same-sex marriage could come in the form of dismantling decades-old anti-gay prejudices within the black church."

6.  I’m Not Quitting the Church (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post  
"I’d like the FFRF to learn more about the good Pope John, but I wish our current bishops would think more about him, too. I wonder if the bishops realize how some in their ranks have strengthened the hands of the church’s adversaries (and disheartened many of the faithful) with public statements — including that odious comparison of President Obama to Hitler by a Peoria prelate last month — that threaten to shrink the church into a narrow, conservative sect."

7.  Is the Filibuster Unconstitutional? (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post 
"Bondurant thinks the filibuster is unconstitutional. And, alongside Common Cause, where he serves on the board of directors, he’s suing to have the Supreme Court abolish it."

8.  GOP Faces Uphill Debt Battle (Patricia Murphy) form the Daily Beast 
"Though the sandwiches Obama brought failed to create a bipartisan miracle at Wednesday’s budget meeting of congressional leaders, the Democrats are happy—they’re in the driver’s seat for this year’s debt showdown, reports Patricia Murphy."

9.  ‘Metrosexual Black Abe Lincoln’ (Charles Blow) from the New York Times
"“The metrosexual black Abe Lincoln has emerged as a hyper-partisan, hyper-liberal, elitist politician with more than a bit of the trimmer in him.” This sentence is just so deliciously ridiculous, insulting and incendiary — perfect Republican fodder. Let’s dissect it, shall we? Scalpel!"

10.  Dems’ Best Friend: The GOP Base (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"The conservative masses revolt again, this time in Nebraska's Senate primary.  At the very least, the Republican Party base’s revolt against its own establishment cost the GOP a 50-50 Senate tie in 2010, with primary voters forcing unelectable nominees on the party in three races that it had otherwise been on course to win. A decent case can be made that the uprising actually cost Republicans outright Senate control. And now the same thing may be happening all over again, with Nebraska joining a growing list of unexpected 2012 Senate battlegrounds – at least for the moment."

Now, for the regular news nuggets of Sunday, May 20th.

Who Is an American? (Peter Schrag) from National Journal
"Through successive waves of immigration, the nation has struggled to define which new arrivals are “fit for our society.”

NAACP Endorses Same-Sex Marriage from the Washington Post
"The NAACP’s board of directors voted Saturday to endorse same-sex marriage rights – adding the influential voice of the country’s leading black civil rights organization to a debate that has divided the
African-American community."

China Home Prices, Car Inventory Add To Signs Of Slowing from Bloomberg News Service
"China’s home prices fell in a record number of cities last month and car dealers posted inventory levels that foreshadowed deeper price cuts, adding to signs of slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy."

Here Comes Nobody (Maureen Dowd) from the New York Times
"Suffocating debate and resisting modernity, the Catholic Church shrinks its appeal."

The Difference Between Inspiring and Creepy Human-Robot Technology (Torie Bosch) from Slate
"...another story began circulating online: that of a group called Russia 2045 that hopes to, among other things, download the human mind to a robot, which would essentially enable immortality sans biological body."

Why Barack Obama Needs to Keep Joe Biden (Ted Strickland) from the Atlantic
"He's the most effective vice-president in history."

Texas Marches Toward Swing State Status. Only Question is 'When?' (Markos Moulitsas) from Daily Kos
"PPP's latest poll of Texas showed Mitt Romney beating President Barack Obama 50-43 in the presidential head-to-head. That the Republican was winning isn't surprising, but the single-digit margin was. John McCain won the state 55-44 in 2008, and it has obviously served as the GOP's
electoral stronghold (and breeding grounds) for several decades, both at the state and national levels. The GOP's mid- to long-term problem, however, is that there's not enough white people to offset the state's explosive demographics."

Michael Tomasky on Mitt Romney’s Character Assassination Game (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Republicans specialize in accusing opponents of the dirty tricks they themselves are doing—or planning to do. Exhibit A: Romney accusing Obama of “character assassination.”"

G-8 PHOTO NUGGET!!
Laid Back Obama and Dave at Camp David G8 summit (PHOTOS) from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"A relaxed Saturday morning atmosphere reigned at Camp David today as ten of the world's most powerful people huddled in a log cabin in the Appalachian Mountains."

News Nuggets 973

DAYLEE PICTURE:  Icebergs in Antarctica.  From the Daily Mail of the UK.

UP-FRONT ANIMAL RESCUE CHARITY NUGGET!!
Many of you may recall our showcase of the rescue of Fiona, the blind dog from several weeks ago.  The responsible animal rescue organization, Hope-for-Paws out of LA is now the OFFICIAL charity of the Daylee News Nuggets website.  Organizers Eldad and Audrey Hagar focus on hard-to-capture stray dogs combined with highly intentional fostering and adoption services.  In my view, Eldad has an astonishing gift with stray dogs!  Their videos (over 100 at their YouTube channel) of their rescues are amazing and inspiring!  TODAY they are involved in a contest to win a Toyota Highlander to serve as the charity's new rescue vehicle.  What YOU need to do is go to THIS SITE, locate Hope-for-Paws, and click on it to vote for them to win the contest.  To see if they win, check in with their facebook page tomorrow.
  
To give you a sense of the work they do, included here is an update from one of the really moving rescues they did a while ago involving the dog, Edie, a very frightened animal scheduled for euthanasia.  Here's the original story. 

Here's the update.

Heading Into Talks With Iran, U.S. Sees Hopeful Signs from the New York Times
"As American negotiators prepare for nuclear talks next week in Baghdad, they say recent statements from Iran and pressure from sanctions have raised the chances of compromise."

China’s Wobbly Transition (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post 
"Perhaps when Chinese leaders began to speak over the past several years about a new “Beijing Consensus” and the triumph of the “China Model,” that was a warning that the bubble was about to burst. And we’re seeing that hubris play out now, as China’s leaders struggle with the greatest internal crisis since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989."

Meet the GUTS (Jones and Wright) from Foreign Policy Magazine
The West isn't declining. Here are four world powers enjoying an astonishing renaissance."

The New World Disorder (Kevin Sullivan) from Real Clear Politics
"If the United States and its Western allies are no longer willing or able to lead, then who will? In his latest book, "Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World," author and global risk analyst Ian Bremmer sets out to answer that very question."
A very thought-provoking piece.

A New Energy Era (Jay Zawatsky ) from the National Interest
A very pro-fracking article.
"The United States sits on top of the world’s largest supply of natural gas. In the last half-dozen years, the often-demonized oil companies have perfected two technologies that can deliver that clean-burning resource in quantities sufficient to replace imported oil as a transportation fuel."

How Competition Is Killing Higher Education (Mark Taylor) from Bloomberg News Service
"Competition, we are constantly told, encourages individuals, institutions and companies to take the risks necessary for innovation and efficiency. But in higher education, competition often discourages risk taking, leads to overly cautious short-term decisions, produces a mediocre product for the price, and promotes excessive spending on physical plants and bureaucracies."

Will You Get a Health Insurance Rebate from Obamacare? (Dan Caplinger) from the Motley Fool
"As it turns out, several insurers haven't met the tests that the law spells out, and as a result, those insurers will have to refund premiums to their customers. The amount of the rebates is truly staggering. According to analysis cited in The Wall Street Journal, the rebates could add up to between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion."

Right Infighting Over Health Care from Politico
"Thirty minutes. That’s roughly the time it took for conservatives to jump all over Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his leadership team after the GOP’s game plan for dealing with President Barack Obama’s health care law leaked to the media. Their gripe? Republicans would try to replicate popular parts of Obama’s health care law if the Supreme Court overturns the law this summer."

Obama Campaign Working to Counter New Voter ID Laws (Amy Gardner) from the Washington Post
"President Obama’s reelection campaign launched a national drive Friday to counter new restrictive voter-access laws, which advisers said threaten his electoral chances in November."

Our Pundit-of-the-Day!!
‘Metrosexual Black Abe Lincoln’ (Charles Blow) from the New York Times 
"“The metrosexual black Abe Lincoln has emerged as a hyper-partisan, hyper-liberal, elitist politician with more than a bit of the trimmer in him.” This sentence is just so deliciously ridiculous, insulting and incendiary — perfect Republican fodder. Let’s dissect it, shall we? Scalpel!"

Three Lessons of Jeremiah Wright Plan Against Obama (Linda Feldman) from the Christian Science Monitor
"When The New York Times broke the story about a proposal to use the Rev. Jeremiah Wright against President Obama in a GOP “super PAC” ad campaign, the political world combusted. Charges of “race-baiting” flew, and suddenly the idea was an orphan. All involved, either directly or
tangentially, have disavowed it, and it’s safe to say, the ads will never be made. But there is carnage in its wake, and lessons to be learned. Here’s our list:"

Who had the Worst Week in Washington? GOP Strategist Fred Davis (Chris Cillizza) from the Washington Post
"Fred Davis had a Jerry Maguire moment this week. Remember in the movie when Maguire (played by Tom Cruise) writes his “mission statement” outlining everything that’s wrong with the the sports agent business and how to fix it? He gives a copy of the memo to all of his colleagues — and is promptly fired."

The Wright stuff: Obama's Pastor and the Ricketts Smear (Ana Marie Cox) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Republicans are rightly shamed by a Super Pac ad plan to tag Obama as a black radical. The irony is his very lack of radicalism."

Romney Dealing with Headstrong Allies (Karen Tumulty and Rosalind S. Helderman) from the Washington Post
"He wants to talk about the economy, but his party could drown him out."

Mitt Romney Fails to See America (Colbert I. King) from the Washington Post
"Missing in his Liberty offering, as with some other Romney speeches, is any recognition — not praises, mind you, but simple acknowledgment — that 21st-century America is more than a white, middle-class country."

Advice to Would-be Romney Running Mates: Run for the Hills (Walter Shapiro) from Yahoo News
"Since 1972, there are eight people in this camp. (There have been ten elections, but two of the losing running mates -- Walter Mondale and Dan Quayle -- were sitting vice presidents who were voted out of office.) Exactly one of them, Lloyd Bentsen, who ran with Michael Dukakis in 1988, had his reputation burnished by the experience. Nearly all the others would have been much better off had they turned down the invitation."

News Nuggets 972

DAYLEE PICTURE: The Yongala shipwreck at the Great Barrier Reef near Australia.  From National Geographic.

Support for Islamists Declines as Egypt's Election Nears from Gallup 
"Muslim Brotherhood, Salafis, and FJP have all lost support."

Greece's Time to Say Danke (Fareed Zakaria) from Time Magazine
"Everyone is worried that Greece will default on its national debt. That's really not news. By one estimate, since it gained its independence from the Ottomans in 1832, Greece has been in default or restructuring for half this period. The news is that this time, Germany is willing to bail it out."

Apocalypse Fairly Soon from (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times: 
"Suddenly, it has become easy to see how the euro — that grand, flawed experiment in monetary union without political union — could come apart at the seams.  We're not talking about a distant prospect, either.  Things could fall apart with stunning speed, in a matter of months, not years."

The Greek Run from the Economist
"It is not a good idea for Greece to leave the euro. But it is time to prepare for its departure."

Trillions at Stake in Health Law Case (Bill Toland) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Highmark, UPMC Health Plan and the rest of the nation's insurers have a lot of money riding on the Supreme Court's review of the 2010 federal health care overhaul. How much? About $1.03 trillion over eight years, according to a new study by Bloomberg Government. That $1 trillion figure means "a little bit over a half a percent of [U.S. gross domestic product] is basically at stake with this court ruling," said Matt Barry, a Bloomberg Government health analyst and lead author on the study. "That's a big deal."

President Obama Is Ending Black America's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy (Aisha Moodie-Mills) from the Atlantic
"The most profound impact of Obama's "evolution" on same-sex marriage could come in the form of dismantling decades-old anti-gay prejudices within the black church."

Want to End Partisan Politics? Here’s What Won’t Work — and What Will (Thomas E. Mann and Norman J. Ornstein) from the Washington Post
"Here are five much-praised solutions we should avoid, followed by four that have a chance to make a meaningful difference."

The Tea Party Boxes Boehner In, Again (George Zornick) from the Nation 
"House Speaker John Boehner set the conservative blogosphere afire yesterday, when Politico’s Jake Sherman reported that the House GOP leadership would seek to reimplement popular parts of healthcare reform should the Supreme Court strike the entire law down next month. The pushback—and immediate retraction from Boehner—illustrates once again that the far right has the GOP leadership on a very short leash."

Joe Ricketts’s Retreat From Obama Attack Campaign: Are the Chicago Cubs to Blame? (Jim Warren) from the Daily Beast
"The roller coaster ride left political reporters scratching their heads. But the reason for Ricketts’s seeming about-face may prove the adage that all politics is local. And it just might have a lot to do with the Chicago Cubs."
I am somewhat incredulous about this explanation.  With such big interests in Obama's home town, what did Ricketts THINK was going to happen when he funded these attacks on Obama!?

Vetting Obama, the Right Way (Alex Koppelman) from the New Yorker
"The theory that Americans would reject Obama if they really knew about Jeremiah Wright rests on the idea that we don’t know about him, because the liberal press didn’t tell us. But we do, because they did."

Attacking Obama for Jeremiah Wright Is So 2008 (Keith Boykin) from BET 
"Just last week, political strategists said President Obama had a problem. They argued that Obama might lose votes from Black church members after he announced his support for same-sex marriage. Then this week the New York Times reported that a group of high-profile Republican strategists is planning to attack Obama for his past connections to Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Problem solved. If anyone doubted that Black voters would turn out strongly for Obama this fall, they need worry no more."
One of the things we see with this case is the problem with SuperPACs.  What happens if the head of your Super Pac is Super Stupid?  This is not the first time we've seen this phenomenon; it had several previews in the GOP primaries.  Moreover, if you're on the Romney team, how did your messaging go this week?  The latter half of the week and part of the weekend will be consumed with this Ricketts story -- rather than the economy which is supposedly what they want to focus on.  Another 4+ days wasted.  Alex Rorty at National Journal has more on this aspect.

Meanwhile, what is Obama's team planning?
Putting Mitt Romney in a World of Bain (Bill Schneider) from Politico 
"‘More to come.” That’s what a source close to the Obama campaign told POLITICO about the ad attacking Mitt Romney’s record as chief executive officer of Bain Capital. This is not a one-week story. It’s going to be the central narrative of the Obama campaign."

MEDICAL NUGGET!!
Doctors 'Rewire' Hands of Paralyzed Man from the Guardian [of the UK] 
"Man, 71, regains some use of hands after surgeons use healthy nerves to bridge damaged area between brain and forearm."

ROBOT NUGGET!!
UC Berkeley Launches Swarm of 100 Floating Robots from Talking Points Memo 
"Miniature robot swarms have a number of advantages over in-place
monitoring stations or manned watercraft. They can deploy more rapidly, they can reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible - the Berkeley robots are designed to be air dropped - and they can cover more territory."

News Nuggets 971

DAYLEE PICTURE: Grinnell Peak at Glacier National Park in Montana.  From the Daily Mail of the UK  

How to Outsmart China (James Holmes) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"In its naval clash with Beijing, Manila seems to be taking its cues from a third-century Roman dictator."

Neocons v. Islamophobes (Jordan Michael Smith) from Salon
"There's an ongoing war for the future of Republican foreign."

Roll Out the Oil Revenue Weapon (Cliff Kupchan & Greg Priddy) from the New York Times
"The West can turn its new leverage over Iranian oil revenue into a potent tool of diplomacy."

American Decline a Mirage in a World That’s Rising (Ezra Klein) from Bloomberg News Service
"...it seems that some Americans would prefer to be the only superpower in hell than the foremost member of a more prosperous Group of 20 in heaven."

Did a WikiLeaks Document Doom Iranian ‘Mossad Agent’? from the Times of Israel [in English]
"Leaked diplomatic cable apparently pointed to Majid Fashi, who was hanged in Tehran on Tuesday for allegedly killing a nuclear scientist."

Nuns on the Frontier (Anne Butler) from the New York Times
"The tension between nuns and the Catholic Church’s male hierarchy has roots in the 19th century."

Gay Librarian, Rejects Shorter University Christian 'Lifestyle Statement' from the Huffington Post
"According to Inside Higher Ed, over 50 faculty and staff resigned even before the new contracts were out. According to an anonymous survey, only 12 percent plan to stay. Amongst the clause rejecting homosexuality, adultery, premarital sex, drug use and drinking in public, the amended contract also requires all faculty to actively engage in a local church."

U.S. Politicians Eye Europe Warily As Austerity Fatigue Ousts Governments from the Huffington Post
"Bernanke demurred, declining to get into the politics, but other senators in the room answered the question: Voters, they warned, will punish incumbents for the pain of austerity. ... American elites are fond of describing the nation they represent as exceptional. But the language of reelection is universal -- and bipartisan. "Off with their heads," said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) when asked about the message European voters were sending."

Partisan Discord at Obama Budget Meeting: GOP Faces Uphill Debt Battle (Patricia Murphy) form the Daily Beast
"Though the sandwiches Obama brought failed to create a bipartisan miracle at Wednesday’s budget meeting of congressional leaders, the Democrats are happy—they’re in the driver’s seat for this year’s debt showdown, reports Patricia Murphy."

Believing in Obama (Charles Blow) form the New York Times
"You gotta have faith. Democrats have it. Republicans don’t. That is the finding of a USA Today/Gallup poll that was released on Tuesday."

G.O.P. ‘Super PAC’ Weighs Hard-Line Attack on Obama from the New York Times
"A group of high-profile Republican strategists is working with a conservative billionaire on a proposal to mount one of the most provocative campaigns of the “super PAC” era and attack President Obama in ways that Republicans have so far shied away from."

GOP Struggles to Banish Ghost of Jeremiah Wright (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"The point here, as evidenced by Romney’s repudiation today of the GOP plan to revive Wright, is that leading Republicans know it’s not acceptable to play the race card as overtly as this. As Adam Serwer notes today, it’s basically as crass an exercise in race-baiting as portraying Obama as the “type of black man they cross the street to avoid,” and Republican leaders know this is a nonstarter, morally and politically."

How The Jeremiah Wright Trial Balloon Crashed And Burned from Talking Points Memo
"Some Republicans still believe that if John McCain had wielded the incendiary Rev. Jeremiah Wright against Barack Obama in 2008, he might have been elected president. But a fierce backlash Thursday after the New York Times revealed a GOP super PAC was revisiting the possibility of using Wright in anti-Obama ads may have been the final nail in the coffin for that line of attack."

Democrats’ Odds of Retaining Senate Improve (Nate Silver) from the New York Times
"When we last took an overview of Senate races in December, Republicans appeared to be slight favorites to take control from Democrats, with a net gain of four to five seats representing the most likely outcome. Since then, however, Republican fortunes have diminished somewhat because of problems with the quality of some candidates and key retirements."

On Mitt Romney’s Tea Party Masters (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast 
"Romney can’t possibly want to tie himself to the wildly unpopular House GOP and the Tea Party activists who set its agenda. The question is: Does he have a choice?"

Mitt Romney Campaign Tries to Prevent Reporters from Asking Questions (Jed Lewison) from Daily Kos
"If Mitt Romney really thought talking about his record as CEO of Bain Capital was a pure positive, wouldn't he be eager to answer questions from reporters? Instead he's not only dodging their questions, his campaign is actually trying to prevent them from asking the questions in the first place:"
As I have noted elsewhere, this is the modus operandi for the GOP generally.  Don't take questions from the mainstream media.  Period.

Vintage Photo: San Francisco in Ruins, Circa May 28th, 1906 from Americablog
"An amazing photo of San Francisco following the great earthquake of 1906.  At first, it looks like simply a beautiful panorama of a great city. Then you zoom in on any part of the photo you want and realize that the resolution is so good you're starting to see buildings torn in half, and entire lots razed to the ground."

News Nuggets 970

DAYLEE PICTURE: Kayaking in a fjord in Greenland.  From National Geographic.

Asia as Global Leader – Not So Fast (Ho Kwon Ping) from Yale Global Online 
"In the rush of exuberant expectations that Asia’s time has come, the continent could fall victim to what’s behind many failures in the history of the world – simple hubris."

America's Destiny Still Largely in its Own Hands (Martin Wolf) from the Irish Times
"WHAT WILL be the role of the US in the 21st century? This is a question I rashly agreed to address last week at the Carnegie Council in New York. In analysing it, I considered a closely related issue that also exercises Americans: is the future role of the US in its own hands? The answer is: yes but only up to a point. The US can control what it does. But it cannot control what others do. The historic dominance of the US is the fruit of its exceptional assets."

Political Climate in Jordan Boiling (Samuel Segev) from the Winnipeg Free Press [of Canada]
"The reasons for the constant tension in the kingdom are abundant: unemployment, high cost of living, a rise in the power of the Islamists and the struggle between the Bedouins and the Palestinians, who constitute a majority in the country."

America's Comrade Locke in China (Anne Henochowicz) from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Why is China so obsessed with America's backpack-wearing, coupon-clipping ambassador?"

Internet Stirs Activism in Vietnam (Huong Nguyen) from Yale Global Online 
"Social media-based attacks on foreign policy connect Vietnamese diaspora and activists."

Why Older Americans Have the Worst Long-Term Unemployment Crisis (Derek Thompson) from the Atlantic
"We have, on this site, focused like a laser beam on the job crisis for the young. But today, a compelling report from the GAO reminds us that among those who have lost a job, older Americans might just have it worse. Actually, they absolutely have it worse. Americans over the age of 55 are
the least likely to find another job and the most likely to take a significant pay cut for the next position."

Changing Times on Gay Marriage (Charlie Cook) from National Journal 
"While younger voters are more supportive than older ones, he points out that “all age groups are rethinking their positions.” Van Lohuizen emphasized: “This is not about a generational shift in attitudes; this is about people changing their thinking as they recognize their friends and family members who are gay or lesbian.”"

Senate Republicans Gird For Fresh Debt Ceiling Fight from the Huffington Post
"Despite the risk of economic and political fallout, Senate Republicans Tuesday said they're standing with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in picking another fight with Democrats over tying spending cuts to a debt ceiling increase this year."
"Despite..."?  In my view it is BECAUSE of the economic and political fallout that they are pursuing this.  This battle will be their last chance to throw some more sand in the economy and then blame Obama.

Is the Filibuster Unconstitutional? (Ezra Klein) from the Washington Post 
"Bondurant thinks the filibuster is unconstitutional. And, alongside Common Cause, where he serves on the board of directors, he’s suing to have the Supreme Court abolish it."
I believe this folks are on to something.

Our Politics Is A Mess, But Only One Party Is The Cause (Leonard Pitts Jr.) from the National Memo
" the issue is not partisanship, but hyper-partisanship, a mindset that prioritizes party above country. In the second place, Lugar’s sop to moral equivalence notwithstanding, this is not a problem caused by partisans “at both ends of the political spectrum.”"

Mitt Romney Debt Speech Ignores Key Facts from the Associated Press via the Huffington Post
"A look at some of Romney's assertions and how they compare with the facts:..."
This is from the Associated Press, not some left-wing pundit!  The gap between what Romney asserts and the facts seems to get wider and wider.  Knowing that the economy is the only issue he has, he's left with wholesale fabrication and fear-mongering.  New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait has more on the Romney rant.  The key piece to this economic fantasizing is Romney's clear intention to expose himself to the mainstream media as little as possible so he will never have to deal with the serial falsification.  This approach has worked so far.

Romney Runs Against History in Touting CEO Credentials (David J. Lynch) from Bloomberg News Service
"If the presumptive Republican nominee wins the presidency, the approach he spelled out over lunch at the Seaport Boston Hotel is the style he’d bring to the White House. Some historians doubt it would work in Washington."

Same general topic, different view:
Romney is No Economic Savior (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post 
"Republicans say they’re eager for the presidential campaign to turn away from “distractions” and focus instead on the economy. Someone should warn them that if they’re not careful, they might get their wish."

What I Learned Vetting VP Nominees (A.B. Culvahouse) from the Wall Street Journal
"Short-listed potential VP nominees are required to hand over tax returns, medical histories, financial statements, court records, and anything else labeled "private and confidential," while also answering the most probing questions about themselves, their spouses, their children and their extended family—questions I would not dream of posing in any other context."

Dems’ Best Friend: The GOP Base (Steve Kornacki) from Salon
"The conservative masses revolt again, this time in Nebraska's Senate primary.  At the very least, the Republican Party base’s revolt against its own establishment cost the GOP a 50-50 Senate tie in 2010, with primary voters forcing unelectable nominees on the party in three races that it had otherwise been on course to win. A decent case can be made that the uprising actually cost Republicans outright Senate control. And now the same thing may be happening all over again, with Nebraska joining a growing list of unexpected 2012 Senate battlegrounds – at least for the moment."

MEDICAL NUGGET!!
Testing a Drug That May Stop Alzheimer’s Before It Starts from the New York Times
"In a clinical trial that could lead to treatments that prevent Alzheimer’s disease, people who are genetically guaranteed to suffer from the disease years from now — but who do not yet have any symptoms — will for the first time be given a drug intended to stop them from developing it, federal officials announced Tuesday."

KITTY NUGGET!!
Kitty-cam Reveals the Secret Lives of Cats (Muriel Kane) from Raw Story 
"Loyd said she gathered 2,000 hours of kitty-cam footage for he research project, partnering with National Geographic Remote Imaging to fit the cats with cameras. She said the research is meant to reveal outdoor cats’ behavior and prove that they lead more dangerous lives than their indoor counterparts."

DOCUMENTARIAN NUGGET!!
Ken Burns on Why His Formula for a Great Story Is 1+1=3 from the Atlantic 
"For a documentary filmmaker, it's hard to imagine a more intimidating project than making a documentary film about Ken Burns. When Sarah Klein and Tom Mason set out explore the mysterious nature of story, however, they decided to do just that."