FM newswire for June 12, interesting articles about geopolitics

We have unusually great links today to interesting news and analysis. If you find this useful, please pass it to a friend or colleague.

Breaking news: “Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites“, The Times, 12 June 2010 — True or disinformation?

More ugly news about something we are determined to ignore: “Are State Public Pensions Sustainable? Why the Federal Government Should Worry About State Pension Liabilities“, Joshua D. Rauh (Assoc. Prof Finance, Northwestern U), National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), 15 May 2010
Ugly news about the new American plutocracy: “Say goodbye to full-time jobs with benefits“, CNN Money, June 2010
“It’s Complicated – David Souter finally tells Americans to grow up“, Dahlia Lithwick, Slate, 9 June 2010
“CA GOP Ticket Shares One Attribute: Not Voting“, FireDogLake, 9 June 2010
Slowly scientists dispel global warming doomster myths: “Global warming’s impact on Asia’s rivers overblown“, Richard A. Lovett, Nature, 10 June 2010 — “Freshwater flow dominated by monsoon rains rather than glacier run-off”
Recommended: “InterAcademy Council [IAC] Review Of The IPCC – Input By Marcel Crok“, 10 June 2010 — How to improve the mainspring of the climate science/public policy nexus.
More faux economics in the so-called liberal media: “David Brooks and the Power of Magical Thinking at the NYT“, Dean Baker, Center for Economic and Policy Research, 11 June 2010 — Steps that might improve climate science.
“West Point faculty member worries it is failing to prepare tomorrow’s officers“, Thomas E. Ricks, blog of Foreign Policy, 11 June 2010 — For more about this see here.
“Japan PM Naoto Kan warns of ‘collapse’ under debt pile“, BBC, 11 June 2010 — “Japan is at “risk of collapse” under its huge debt mountain, the country’s new prime minister has said.”
About balancing our immediate and future financial challenges: “Short-Term and Long-Term Debts and Deficits“, Brad DeLong (Prof economics, Berkeley), 11 June 2010
Another example of the insanity that is our government, James Fallows, blog of The Atlantic, 11 June 2010
Another example of America’s broken OODA loop; we suffer from problems solved years ago in every other developed nation: “New Hips Gone Awry Expose U.S. Kickbacks in Doctors’ Conflicts“, Bloomberg, 11 June 2010
Important analysis: “Comment & Analysis on Equity Market Structure“, Southeastern Asset Management (SAM)
Important, big-time CEOs prescribe for America: “A business plan for America’s energy future“, American Energy Innovation Council, June 2010 — Here’s the NY Times summary.

Today’s feature article

(15) Dumbest article of the week

‘Tehran’s Lost Connection“, Geneive Abdo, blog of Foreign Policy, 10 June 2010 — “Is the Iranian regime’s cyberwar with the United States real, or a paranoid delusion?” — Abdo expects to know if the US waged cyberwar against Iran, ignoring our long history of covert offensive operations.

(16) About the new news media

With more reporting like this article from TPM…

the mainstream media is toast,
the Republican “big lie” strategy will fail,
American has better odds of surviving the 21st century (the news media are an important component of our OODA loop).

Afterword and contact info