Trivial and yet crucial
May 30th, 2008 § 1 Comment
I missed this story while I was away last week. Here’s a great example of an issue that I had never thought about but which now seems both obvious and imperative. How has it taken the country so long to move toward currency that the blind can use? Americans like traditional greenbacks, but we can adapt. Colorful bills introduced five years to prevent counterfeiting showed us that we can handle money that looks silly. If the dollar takes a few more steps toward the euro, I think we’ll be alright, especially if more Americans can use cash with ease. And speaking of ease, it’s about time we did away with the penny.
Update 7/18/08: I bookmarked this post about the history of bill design months ago, but forget to work it into the post. It’s interesting.
Sports/Politics? Sports=Politics?
May 30th, 2008 § Leave a Comment
Last week a friend commented that I treat politics like sports: I know all the “players,” treat parties like teams, and even have statistics and history at my fingertips. I had never thought about it that way, but he’s right. Politics, the ultimately dirty game, is very much like sports, only without athleticism and with real-world issues hanging in the balance, especially for fans/junkies like me. To the extent that my interest in politics comes from my earlier love for sports, I’m proud to admit a connection. But I’m most happy when the two overlap.
Manhattanhenge
May 30th, 2008 § 1 Comment
Every evening in the summer, sunlight pours through the west-facing windows in our apartment. As the sun sets over the Hudson River, it lights up the living and dining room and bathes the hallway in orange light. I’ve always perceived the effect to be most powerful in late summer, but apparently it’s best this time of year. Naturally, it’s not just 60th street that sees this beauty, but all the cross streets in Manhattan. And I just learned there’s a name for this phenomenon, which occurs perfectly tonight.
Delhi Photos
May 27th, 2008 § 1 Comment
I’ve added photos from Delhi. A longer post about the trip is coming.
Breaking the rules
May 14th, 2008 § 1 Comment
Forget the ban on politics; this list is too good to pass up: The Hill surveyed all 97 senators not running for president, asking what they would say if asked to run for vice president. There are a lot of great answers:
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
“I know already who it will be: the man in charge of the search. There’s no need for me to respond. That’s how you get to be vice president.”
Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah)
“Of course. Big house, big car, not much to do. Why not?”
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.)
“No, I can already preside over the Senate, and I do not enjoy spending a lot of time at ‘undisclosed locations.’ ”
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.)
“Yes. Sign me up. I’ve been kidding people for years: The hours are better, the wages are just as good — whoever heard of a vice president getting shot at? — and it’s a great opportunity to travel. And actually since time has gone by, the job is robust … So sure. Anybody here would, if they’re going to be honest. The chances are slim to none. But I promise you, I would deliver all three of Delaware’s electoral votes.”
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho)
“I would say ‘No, Hillary.’ ”
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.)
“I plan to stick with my current job until I get the hang of it.”
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.)
“I’d say, ‘Please read the Constitution.’ I wasn’t born in America; I can’t be VP.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
“The chances of that are so remote that I’m more likely to be hit by an asteroid.”
What was maybe the most honest answer came from one of the four who claimed anyone would accept the offer:
Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.)
“Are you kidding? Every senator would accept that offer. My guess is that almost every senator looks at themselves in the mirror in the morning and sees either a future president or vice president.”
And the best:
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.)
“Absolutely. Absolutely. I think I would be great. First of all, I know how to behave at weddings and funerals. And I know how to be commander in chief. I’d bring a lot of fun to the job. We would rock the Naval Observatory.”
Historic
May 13th, 2008 § 1 Comment
Only the 14th unassisted triple play in Major League history. Congrats to Asdrubal Cabrera.
Best moment of the campaign
May 12th, 2008 § 2 Comments
I’ve been warned to avoid writing about politics (there’s nothing for me to add), but I believe I can post about comedy, so here’s this. This may be the best thing that will come out of the 2008 presidential campaign, even though it’s far from over:
Talking to the Memo
May 5th, 2008 Comments Off
Download this article in a Word document here.
The first things I see are two half-eaten pizzas on card tables next to a sink. The sink and pizzas occupy a corner of the room, a studio apartment on the third floor of a walk-up. Filling the rest of the room are eight people at desks and three flat-screen TVs mounted on the long wall. There’s a couch and a rug and nothing else, not even on the walls. There’s no extra space; in fact, there’s barely an aisle between the desks. The room is bright enough thanks to rows of ceiling lights; only two small windows let natural light in at one end of the room. The door isn’t marked, but I can tell I’m in the right place. This is one of the best newsrooms in America.
Talking Points Memo didn’t exist ten years ago, and it is barely known around the country today. But in this 800-square-foot former apartment, a team of fewer than a dozen people has built up a unique news organization that has become a leader in investigative reporting. In the last three years, TPM has discovered stories that have made headlines and influenced politics across the nation, but which traditional media outfits couldn’t see before TPM shined light in the right places. What was once a personal blog has grown into an admired news source thanks to its visionary founder, its hard-working reporters, and, perhaps most important, its devoted readers. TPM and its readers have worked together to compete with bigger and more established competitors, and the site won recognition by beating others to a story that changed the country. From the beginning, TPM has relied on its readers to be not only consumers, but also invaluable support for this small and young news organization that accepts help from all sources.
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