News Nuggets 294

"No fox could be found in England's capital. On the verge of losing hope, Laurent returned to an old haunt. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between man and beast." See the Urban Fox nugget below.

Letting Women Reach Women in Afghan War from the New York Times

"The Marines in a recent “cultural awareness” class scribbled careful notes as the instructor coached them on do’s and don’ts when talking to villagers in Afghanistan: Don’t start by firing off questions, do break the ice by playing with the children, don’t let your interpreter hijack the conversation. And one more thing: “If you have a pony tail,” said Marina Kielpinski, the instructor, “let it go out the back of your helmet so people can see you’re a woman.”"

Good News on Iraq from the National Interest

"Although it is too early to know who will eventually emerge as the next Iraqi prime minister, the fact is that the March 7 election was fiercely fought, witnessed a relatively high turnout despite violence, and was monitored by thousands of international election observers who found no earth shattering violations (as was the case when Afghanistan held elections in August 2009). ... It is very much in American interests that whatever coalition emerges over the coming weeks, it be effective in diffusing the many problems that still bedevil the country"

Poll: Obama Doing Better Job Than Bush on National Security from Daily Kos

"Poll finds that most people think President Obama is doing at least as good a job on national security than Bush -- and a plurality, 39%, think he's doing a better job."

Cap'n Barack Obama, the Crafty Trimmer (Andrew SUllivan) from the Times [of London]

"He has bent to the prevailing winds and not picked battles when he was unsure he could win them. But in the end there isn’t weakness here. There is a suppleness and pragmatism that is a kind of strength."

The Wrong Kind of Green from The Nation

"Environmental groups used to be funded largely by their members and wealthy individual supporters. They had only one goal: to prevent environmental destruction. Their funds were small, but they played a crucial role in saving vast tracts of wilderness and in pushing into law strict rules forbidding air and water pollution. But Jay Hair--president of the National Wildlife Federation from 1981 to 1995--was dissatisfied. He identified a huge new source of revenue: the worst polluters."

Democracy is a Pesky Thing (Jon Meacham) from Newsweek

"My point is that Americans who are engaged enough to vote or to contact their lawmakers are not as dopey or as easily led as the Charlotte e-mailer thinks. You cannot be for democracy when you are winning an argument and against it when you are losing one. Like free speech, democracy is pesky."

Left Gears Up to Fight Media Wars from Politico

"The battle over Jennings convinced Media Matters that it needed to not only monitor other media but to do its own original reporting. On Monday, Joe Strupp, who covered the press for 11 years with Editor & Publisher magazine, will launch a new media blog after signing on as the group’s first investigative reporter."

Senate Hopefuls, Veteran GOP Leaders Face Tea Party Voters from The Hill

"Many Tea Party activists say Republicans in Washington lost sight of their principles during the Bush years and outsider candidates running in GOP primaries are trying to take advantage of this."

Tea Party Candidates Falling Short from Politico

"But as spirited political movements have shown in the past, translating passion and activist fury into votes can be difficult. And so far, success at the ballot box has been elusive for these grass-roots conservative activists — if not entirely nonexistent."

RNC Fallout: 'Ashamed' Donor Closes Checkbook from Politico

"Mark DeMoss, who heads a major Christian public relations firm in Atlanta and served as a liaison to the Evangelical community for Mitt Romney in 2008, wrote Chairman Michael Steele yesterday that he was "ashamed" of the presentation, calling depictions of Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Majority Leader Harry Reid "shameful, immature and uncivil, at best.""

Guess it was BIG NEWS to this fellow that the GOP was "shameful, immature and uncivil". Go figure.

SCARY FISH NUGGET!!

Thought Jaws was Scary? 10 More Fish to Inspire Nightmares from Treehugger.com

"Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... This collection of scary fish will put your fear of Jaws on the back burner."

URBAN FOX NUGGET!!

Where the Wild Things Are ... in London and Barcelona from Wild Wonders in Europe via Treehugger.com

Yes -- it is a two-fer for Treehugger.com!

"Slowly, as the photographer shadowed her day and night, the fox became accustomed to his presence. Laurent made occasional soft whistling noises so the vixen would not be surprised by his visits, and might learn to recognize him when he looks for her."

This interesting phenomena is discussed in greater detail in Nocturnal Wildlife in Your Own Back Garden from the Guardian [of London]