News Nuggets 292

The biggest frog that ever lived. It was way beck in pre-historic times. See the 'Big Beasts' nugget below - from National Geographic News.

Pakistan: Another Taliban Leader Captured from the Associated Press via TalkingPointsMemo

"The arrest of Agha Jan Mohtasim is the latest step in an apparent crackdown against a movement that has long enjoyed relative safe haven in Pakistan."

New Woe for Vatican as Usher Linked to Prostitution Ring from the Washington Post

"One of Pope Benedict's ceremonial ushers and a member of an elite choir in St Peter's Basilica have been implicated in a gay prostitution ring, in the latest sexual scandal to taint the Vatican."

I rarely dwell on stories like this. In the main, I don't have it in for the Catholic Church. Indeed, even in reference to all the child rape cases that have come up in the US over the last 15 years or so, I don't hold a special grudge against the Vatican. Where I DO take exception, though, is in how Pope Benedict and his predecessors have dealt with the scandals. On this issue, there are no lessons in PR and messaging that the GOP could teach the Holy See. For the longest time, they claimed that it was a problem with American culture, not the church. When the same thing came up in Ireland, they ignored it. Now it's happening, basically, in the Pope's office. Not just an usher soliciting sex -- but a whole damn prostitution ring for heaven's sake! Were they using the Pope's private apartments!? Did they have wild orgies!? In my view, this is a defining moment for this Pope.

Obama's End Game for Passing Health Care Reform (John Dickerson) from Slate

"The most likely scenario is that around mid-March, the House will vote on the Senate health care bill that passed by a supermajority in that chamber last Christmas. The president will sign that bill. Then, the House members will take up a second bill, full of fixes to the Senate bill they just passed. That bill will have to pass the Senate via reconciliation."

The Tricks Up Pelosi's Sleeve to Gain Votes from the Financial Times [of London]

"Because of changes to the composition of the House, Ms Pelosi will need 216 votes to pass the measure. Despite these challenges, Washington insiders said on Wednesday that Ms Pelosi has a number of tools at her disposal to win support."

The GOP's Dickensian Fix for Health Care (Jonathan Chait) from the New Republic

If this is true, the Dems need to fire up their rather moribund message machine and go to work on this.

"What separates the two parties is not how far to go, but in which direction to go. The divide is simple. Democrats propose to shift resources from the rich and the healthy to the poor and the sick. Republicans want to do just the opposite."

For Democrats, it's Do or Die (Bob Shrum) from The Week

"The legislative machinery is in place and the GOP opposition is irrelevant. Only Democrats can prevent health reform from passing now."

Shrum is right-on-the-money here. If anyone is going to bring the health care legislation down, it will be the Democrats themselves. Indeed, the posturing I've seen since Monday makes me fear this will be how it goes.

'Race to the Top' Finalists are Named from the Wall Street Journal

For the 'Obama-hasn't-done-anything' crowd, the Race to the Top program has been one of the most praised programs of Obama's entire domestic agenda.

"The Obama administration has picked 15 states and the District of Columbia as finalists to win billions in federal education funding, part of a high-stakes bid to pressure local educators to shake up underperforming schools."

For a decent overview of Obama and education as it stands now, see Congress, Obama Can Score a Big, Bipartisan Success: School Reform (Morton Kondracke) from Roll Call. This is the first time Mr. Kondrache has written something worthy of 'nugget' status. In the main, he is one of the most INANE pundits in the media! But this item covers this topic fairly well.

"Obama has inspired considerable optimism among school reformers that he’s willing to take political risks to push reform. In the latest instance, at the America’s Promise event, he referred favorably to the firing of all teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island after only 7 percent of its 11th-graders passed the state’s math test and teachers refused to work 25 extra minutes a day to help them improve."

Republicans Embarrassed by 'Evil Empire' Obama Smear (Richard Andrews) from the Guardian [of the UK]

"The document also contained a wealth of embarrassing details about Republican fundraising tactics. Politico reported: "The small donors who are the targets of direct marketing are described under the heading 'Visceral Giving.' Their motivations are listed as 'fear;' 'Extreme negative feelings toward existing Administration;' and 'Reactionary.'"

Tweaking the RNC's Fundraising Strategy (Kevin Hoffman) from the Washington Post

This mocking 'memo to the RNC' is HILARIOUS!

"Your plan divides Republican donors into two main categories: small donors who are "visceral," "reactionary" and motivated by "fear," and large donors who are "calculated," "ego-driven" and motivated by "access." I don't know these guys as well as you do, but my experience in the field suggests a potential need for rebranding. What if, instead of labeling your small donors as "reactionary," you thought of them as "passionate"? And for the large donors, instead of "ego-driven," you could consider them "thought leaders." You see what I did there? It's a slight nuance, but if you give your donors a teeny bit more credit, it sets up a different framework to address some of the message and outreach challenges delineated below."

For GOP, Embrace of Tea Party Carries Some Risk (Gerald Seib) from the Wall Street Journal

"Clearly the movement is marked by hostility to big government, ... Just as clearly, those impulses make the Tea Party phenomenon a net plus for Republicans. But the areas of disconnect have gotten less attention. In significant sectors of the broad Tea Party movement, the war on terror, and the intelligence and law-enforcement policies originally crafted by the administration of Republican President George W. Bush to fight it, arouse sentiments ranging from suspicion to hostility."

The RNC's Self-inflicted Wound (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Daily Beast

"The secret GOP memo calling for Obama fear-mongering is sure to backfire, alienating GOP donors at every level."

Money Worries Curb GOP Optimism from Politico

"While wind at one’s back is a good thing, cash in the bank would be better, and on that score Republicans are lagging behind. Their candidates have raised less than half the $84 million that experts estimate it will take to seriously threaten the Democratic majority in the House. The situation at the National Republican Congressional Committee is even bleaker."

Grayson (D) Leading in REPUBLICAN Primary from Huffington Post

What is one to make of this!?

"Republicans like a politician who stands up for what he believes -- even if he believes the Republican Party is populated by a bunch of "knuckle-dragging Neanderthals." The candidate leading the Florida GOP primary to determine who will take on Rep. Alan Grayson, the Democrat who represents the Orlando-based district, is none other than Grayson himself, according to a poll paid for by his campaign."

HUMANITARIAN NUGGET!!

The Sex-Slave Rescuer (Michelle Goldberg) from the Daily Beast

"Sunitha Krishnan, a speaker at The Daily Beast’s Women in the World summit, works inside the bleak netherworld of human sex slavery in Indian slums. Michelle Goldberg reports on how the Prajwala founder remains, somehow, an optimist."

FLYING NUGGET!!

New Zealand Inventor Creates 'Flying Hovercraft' from the Telegraph [of the UK]

The video clip is really amazing!

""This machine is fast and furious, it roars like a lion and is not for the faint-hearted. It is adrenalin-pumping and exciting. "Having a go on it is like a bungee jump, however, the thrill lasts as long as the ride.""

TRAGIC DINOSAUR NUGGET!!

Asteroid Terminated Dinosaur Era in a Matter of Days from National Geographic News

"The city-size asteroid that slammed into Earth with the force of a million nuclear bombs is what snuffed out the dinosaurs and half of all other species on Earth 65 million years ago, an international group of scientists who reviewed all available evidence said today."

BIG BEASTS NUGGET!!

Seven of the Biggest Beasts of All Time from the National Geographic News

The man-sized scorpion scares the shit out of me!

"We all know about the size of dinosaurs, of course, but how about a rodent the size of a bull, a sea scorpion bigger than a man, a frog as large as a beach ball, a penguin the size of a small adult human, a 1,000-pound ground-sloth-like marsupial, and a shark that may have grown longer than 50 feet and weighed up to 30 times more than the largest modern great white?"

FROM THE DOPEY-AND-UNUSUALLY-WHACKED DEPARTMENT

I've purposely avoided this tragic and gruesome topic -- but leave it to religious nuts out there to force me out of my attempt at dignified silence.

Whale That Killed Its Trainer at Seaworld 'Must be Stoned to Death' Says American Religious Group from the Daily Mail [of the UK]

"The American Family Association said Biblical teachings dictate that the five-ton killer whale Tilikum should be executed for dragging to death trainer Dawn Brancheau. They also said the head trainer at the Orlando theme park where the incident took place a week ago should suffer a similar fate."