Capitol Idea

Feinstein stays

2005-10-05T12:44:00.000-04:00

Quick note from the Washington Post this morning:

Commentator John Feinstein will be back on the air for Saturday's Navy-Air Force game despite uttering an obscenity during the radio broadcast of last week's Navy game...During the broadcast Saturday, Feinstein directed a profanity at the referees after a Duke receiver appeared to push a Navy defender.

Feinstein, the author of the classic Season on the Brink, pulled himself from the air and offered to resign immediately after the game.

However, Feinstein's foul mouth is hardly shocking. I'm actually surprised he hasn't gotten in trouble before.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I went to the National Book Festival, where Feinstein spoke. What I didn't mention was that Feinstein spoke...at the kid's tent. He was there to promote Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery, his first children's book (and not to be confused with the excellent The Last Shot by Darcy Frey). Since I was at the festival, I went anyway; Feinstein is a very quotable, prolific guy who's always entertaining, and I was hoping he'd mention his new book on the Baltimore Ravens (he did).

Feinstein began his talk by referencing Season on the Brink. For those who haven't read it, you should: in this 1986 book, Feinstein followed the Indiana college basketball team over an entire season, inventing the oft-copied strategy of an author "embedding" himself with a sports team. The book was interesting on a number of levels, but most famously, paints a riveting portrait of Bob Knight, the longtime Indiana basketball coach, as a genius, taskmaster, and boor. Knight subsequently took Feinstein to task, challenging his portrayal and insulting the author in the weeks, months, and even years ahead.

So this is what Feinstein chose to open with. He started talking about how after Season on the Brink was released, Knight had called him a "pimp" in one interview and a "whore" in another. "So I'm a pimp...I'm a whore...I just wish he'd make up his mind so I knew how to dress in the morning," said Feinstein.

This is what he said. Funny, but...

In the kid's tent.

Yet, a good talk anyway.

2005-10-02T15:47:00.000-04:00

Elaine, sandwiched between our back-and-forth messages Thursday night was a great Brendan Benson show at the Black Cat...

Brendan Benson is sandwiched between my words too

Overall, great lineup (local guy named Benjy Ferree [hear he's the bartender at Saint-Ex], the Greenhornes) and evening...nice way to work into October, which is shaping up to be a month chock-fill of great shows. My own, not too-aggressive lineup:

10/2 Robbers on High Street
10/6 Metric
10/8 My Morning Jacket
10/18 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
10/19 U2

This does not include a number of great acts including the Decemberists, the Raveonettes, Death Cab/Stars, New Pornographers, etc all scheduled to play the Dizzy. We'll discuss this week, I'm sure.

Everyone beats the Wiz

2005-09-27T22:45:00.000-04:00

Or at least they used to. Now they just shoot them.

Am I the only person to hate the Madison Lively Stones?

2005-09-27T22:03:00.000-04:00

Also known as the brass band that plays at Dupont Circle--often on Sunday afternoons but apparently right now, 30 feet from my location in Starbucks.

Note the crowd swirled around the band, which has been making an on-and-off racket for the past hour. If there is melody undernearth the music, I seem to be missing it, as I'd rather listen to Coldplay and My Morning Jacket on the KCRW stream while I write about health care.

I realize that the writing about health care at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night probably disqualifies me from making any value judgements about what people enjoy and marks me as a buttoned-up suit. In fact, I have just been told by the woman sitting next to me at Starbucks that I am not just a 'curmedgeon' but apparently a 'grumpledump'--seeing as how I'm reading an academic health care journal and writing about a scholary dispute, I'm not inclined to argue.

DC protest '05, brought to you by Starbucks

2005-09-24T18:42:00.000-04:00

Several not-totally-dissimilar events swept over DC today:

* Droves turned out on the Mall to hear Tom Wolfe, Jonathan Safran Foer, and (my priority), Jon Feinstein at the long-scheduled National Book Festival...

* While just over the ridge by the Washington Monument, the hastily-organized Operation Ceasefire put on a free, live, (and mostly mediocre) show...

* Which was mostly in support of the thousands of marchers calling for an end to the Iraq war and the Bush administration (as hundreds of counter-marchers called for an end to the marchers)

While this made for some serious congestion and amazing people-watching downtown, I was walking away from the White House and had just passed the IMF (which, still ringed by police and security barriers, had to deal with its own set of demonstrators this morning), when I saw something truly amazing:

Now, Elaine, I'll grant you that demonstrating can be a tiring business. But you're a bit older than me (and have always been more socially-conscious), so I bet you can remember the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle in 1999. If memory serves, the anti-WTO demonstrators got so violent that riot police resorted to rubber bullets and tear gas; along the way, a Starbucks or two was smashed up. Subsequently, the company became more and more a symbol to these anti-corporate forces; an easier target than, say, a McDonalds, because the product being gentrified was as simple as a 10-cent cup of coffee. Yuppies might not be buying a Big Mac every week but they sure can treat themselves to a latte.

What's amazing to me is, despite the fervor against the Iraq war, against this administration, the level of civil disobedience is nothing compared to the anti-globalization movement that seemed poised to overtake America just six years ago. That movement's still around and played a small role today, but the vast majority of protesters could care less about destroying Starbucks--where else would they get their coffee?

2005-08-28T22:47:00.000-04:00

Just got back from a family dinner; my New Orleans-loving aunt and uncle were bemoaning the likely catastrophe likely to unfold when Hurricane Katrina makes landfall in the next twelve hours. Chilling stuff.

Still scary, but less in the wrath of god-sort of way and honestly kind of amusing, is a rare video look behind the scenes in North Korea. CNN somehow got their senior asian correspondent and a couple of cameramen into the country, with this five-minute report popping up on their website today.

Growing up with Peter Jennings

2005-08-08T08:15:00.000-04:00

Peter Jennings, age 67, died yesterday night of lung cancer.

When I was growing up, my parents had taken control of the TV every 6:30pm to watch World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. When I was younger, I would pout but my opposition didn't prevent the development of a particular outlook on the world because of Jennings' news coverage.

Though I was only 11, watching his show gave me an understanding the fall of Communism as a momentous event bringing people together and reuniting families. I didn't understand the political differences but I could at least appreciate the weight of what was happening. Those early impressions drove my interest in journalism and eventually in public interest work.

The ability to communicate with even an elementary schooler was unique to World News Tonight: Jennings focused not only on explaining the issues in real news events but also on personalizing the story.

That is why I will so sorely miss Peter Jennings.

College chameleon

2005-07-10T16:48:00.000-04:00

Here I am.

A West Philadelphia wi-fi cafe that sells...cereal.

The revamped Penn campus is like nothing I remember from my freshman year. Glass-and-iron buildings have sprouted out of parking lots and from street corners. Chic bookstores and movie theatres have replaced worn-out campus diners. Most jarring, Ghettomagic has closed; a yoga studio has opened next door. You can't drink 40s in there!

This post already feels like a cliche--"college grad returns to alma mater, is stunned by changes." But it's not like there were a few new trees planted or a new building finished (though that's happened multiple times over). The Penn that I graduated from--the Penn that this year's college graduates saw as freshmen--is being built over, brick by brick. And with a mugged roommate, a stolen bike, and way too many trips to crappy Thriftway for groceries among my college memories, this generally seems like a good thing.

Elaine, we've both seen gentrification firsthand; you, first in the pockets of NYC around Columbia and then down in DC; me at college and also in the District; both of us in Baltimore. Yet I can't think of a single moment when I've been more astounded by an urban transformation. Maybe it's because I haven't set foot on the campus in several years; maybe it's because the concept of an Internet cereal cafe would have been laughable three years ago and is still-amazing. But mostly it's because Penn has pumped billions into a few city blocks over a decade and the results today are mind-blowing.

When Penn's projects took the form of "Penntrification," the locals were pissed by the rising housing prices. When it took the form of Izzy and Zoe's, we were pissed by the rising sandwich prices. But when it takes the form of a mid-city oasis, I'm just pissed that my four years at Penn came four years too early.

It's a wired, wired world

2005-07-07T00:35:00.000-04:00

Hello out there...

So Elaine's in Boston for the summer and I'm still in D.C., making a joint blog about the goings on in the capitol a bit hard.

But if these guys can pull off a 4-continent, 10-site simultaneous concert, who are we to let a measly trip up I-95 stand in our way?

At this point, Live 8's old news...but apparently not everyone saw the same concert. One of my friends told me she watched Saturday's coverage via MTV/VH1, which was embarassingly bad; hopefully she's since tuned in via AOL's free archive--and been able to actually enjoy the amazing coverage rather than the amazingly dull talking heads--but if you haven't, XM Radio, Rhapsody and a number of others are jumping at the chance to stream content. The Paul McCartney/U2 collaboration on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" has already hit #1 on iTunes, which is also selling "Long and Winding Road" and "Hey Jude."

Speaking of McCartney...his U2 duo and Coldplay/Richard Ashcroft had to be the highlights of an awesome day. The Verve don't even exist anymore and we got to hear "Bittersweet Symphony"--the song that killed them! Also, there was a final concert today in Edinburgh, but not surprisingly, the world's attention has already moved on...the goal of "awareness" already met.

Well, I've done my part for African poverty today. Do I get a gift-basket?

Beantown Beats Balmer

2005-06-23T08:10:00.000-04:00

During my few weeks here, I was comforted by a similar sight in Boston: posters and T-shirts with the slogan "BELIEVE." Daniel, as you may recall, Baltimore began an advertising campaign in 2002 called "BELIEVE" to combat drug-related crime. The hope is that the power of the word on eerie black and white signs will remind residents to avoid using and distributing drugs. I'm not sure it's working.

Of course, I soon found out that not every city focuses its psychic powers on battling drugs. Boston's Believe campaign is actually the miracle of the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series: believe that the Red Sox can be winners. This doesn't seem to be working either.

Maybe Baltimore and Boston should choose a new word.

DC Examined

2005-02-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

Did anyone catch the new free daily paper yesterday? The D.C. Examiner is an independent paper whose first issue came out on Tuesday. The front page featured an article on school violence and the coming of the DC Nationals. Finally, a daily paper that's really about Washington. A nifty section is their weekly column, Notable Neighbors, which unfortunately isn't available online yet. It includes interviews with famous D.C. residents on everyday things like their favorite place to get coffee, favorite radio station...etc.

HFS-terrible

2005-01-12T20:11:00.000-05:00

Just for the sake of putting something up here...99.1, a station that was a hallmark of my youth (and gave me a handful of cool points in my Gilman advisory group as a freshman, when the seniors quizzed us on our favorite radio stations) has traded in its image, once burnished as a flannel-and-coffee kind of station, for well, more coffee but with a Spanish language twist.

E, I know you were a 91.5 kind of girl, but tell me this makes you want to put on a brooding Pearl Jam album to mourn appropriately.

Indelible Marks

2005-01-08T02:28:00.000-05:00

Though I take issue with a lot of what the US has done in the Middle East, this point is notable: this month will have some of the first free elections in the Arab world and they're under American and Israeli occupation. The Palestinian election was on January 9th and Iraq's (if all goes according to plan) will be on January 30th.

I'm not sure what to make of the observation. Maybe that the elections are less free or maybe the US and Israel are spreading at least a small bit of goodness.

Block-a-Ton, Deny Millions!

2005-01-08T02:26:00.000-05:00

On the subject of the NBA:
Kobe Bryant and several other NBA players have promised to donate $1,000 for tsunami relief for every point they score in an upcoming game.

I wonder what the commentary will be like. "Tim Duncan blocks Kobe's shot and kills 5 Indonesian families!" We are likely see a significant difference in scoring percentages this week.

2005-01-07T13:28:00.000-05:00

If Elaine wants to write about torture, terrorism, and her other favorite passions, that's fine by me...all I ask for in return is a random post that's up my alley, has little to do with DC, and will admittedly not advance conversation.

Keep that in mind as you check out this very interesting and well-written story that might change the future of the NBA. The author sounds like a junior Malcolm Gladwell.

1/10 Update: I got an e-mail from a friend this afternoon with this link--the original story I meant to link to...whoops. Though given the personal predelictions of many NBA players, I guess a story about both premature babies and a morning after pill would be just as relevant to the league's future. I still maintain that Shawn Kemp, Joe Forte, and half-a-dozen other NBA players who don't know their own fathers, might be the kids of Wilt Chamberlain.

Living the dream

2005-01-07T06:37:00.000-05:00

When I was in college, a couple of my friends (who shall go unnamed) seemed to think they had the stuff for stand-up comedy.

Take a little of this, mix it with that...you might get a real comedian

And you know what? Some of them might have been right. We had a series of roasts that have now passed into alumni lore. It sounds awfully presumptious--what college senior thinks he deserves his own roast?--but it was universally hailed and one presenter (now making six digits on Wall $treet) called it "the single greatest thing I have ever accomplished."

But that was the end of our brief stand-up careers. Captured not by video, great memories destined to be clouded by age and alcohol.

This is a really long-winded introduction, though, to say that improbable as becoming a professional comedian might seem, there's one guy out there on the verge. I'd like to introduce you to him.

Always entertaining, even when he's half-asleep

Meet Jon Eick. Once you wake him up, he's a very funny man who's quickly developing a DC following. And...you can see him perform two sets in the next few weeks. The first is a practically free (only a one drink minimum) show that he's headlining this Sunday from 8 to 10 p.m. at Shula's Steakhouse in the Wyndham hotel, on New Hampshire Avenue by M Street. The second is at the DC Improv's Open Comedy Showcase, 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday Jan. 18 (tickets available through the link); the winner gets to perform a guest set next time Jay Mohr comes to town. It's like Last Comic Standing, only you might actually know some of the people he's making jokes about (here's the truth: if the joke starts "So I got this friend [who did some dumb thing]" it's Leland).

Elaine, take it from me--I can recognize good comedy (or the lack of it, in my case). And Eick's got the gift. If you want a case of the chuckles...and a reason to laugh away your disgust for DC...here's your chance.

Chains, whips, and politricks

2005-01-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

I make it a point not to comment on my politics publically, but I will say that little surprises me anymore. From Bush's re-election--I mean, it really seemed like the Democrats' presidency to lose at one point--to apparent ignorance by senior finance officials on the state of the dollar, it seems like we live in a fantasy land. The last time anything on the Hill actually amazed me was when the "colorful" Bernard Kerik didn't get the homeland security post; he seemed perfect for the administration. To paraphase Stephen Colbert, Bush actually lost the popular vote in the 2000 election and thought he had a mandate; after November, it's clear he can push anyone through he wants to.

Why hold a little elbow-breaking against our attorney general--that's the kind of attitude we need to win the war on terror! God knows the last softie--with his fluffy "Patriot Act" and a capella stylings--didn't get much done, other than annoy the liberal media.

It Depends on What You Mean by "Torture"

2005-01-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

It astounds me that Alberto Gonzales is expected to be a shoe-in for Attorney General.

Quick recap:
Bush responds to September 11th and says the nation is at war. Since the Industrial Age, if you are at war, most civilized nations understood that the Geneva Conventions, an international treaty on the laws of war, apply. Then in January 2002, Gonzales writes a convenient memo for Bush saying that the Conventions don't apply. Then in August 2002, a memo is written for Gonzales crystallizing his view that "torture" is defined only as severe pain that would accompany "organ failure, impariment of bodily function, or even death." So beating a prisoner with a broom stick is okay (only temporary damage); having a dog bite a prisoner is okay (only temporary damage) and so is pouring phosphoric acid on him (only temporary), all of which happened at Abu Ghraib.

I tried to maintain some skepticism because legislators from all colors were shocked by the mistreatment and yet they are going to confirm this man. But a letter today from 12 retired military generals to the Senate Judiciary panel confirms that something is very wrong:

Mr. Gonzales' recommendations -- those he wrote and those he supervised--... and the actions that followed not only put our troops at risk, they put our nation's honor at risk.

Even if Gonzales was not the source for authorizing violations of the law of war, an Attorney General is not supposed to be a yes-man for breaking domestic and international law.

And to prove my point--there's so much to do!

2005-01-05T21:14:00.000-05:00

Restaurant Week is almost upon us and I don't want to hear any excuses that you're a poor student; I'll spot you the $20.05 for lunch and $30.05 for din-din.

Not to mention: A few new galleries in Dupont...some interesting authors at Politics and Prose (do you remember that poor boy at the world AIDS conference a few years ago? Heart-breaking stuff)...plus an open bar and appetizers at McFaddens tomorrow (Thursday) from 6 to 8 for $10; anyone who knows my e-mail address can hit me up for the voucher.

Famous names too...a few very notable speakers next Thursday--Scalia and Breyer at AU in the early slot and Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs, and Steel. And sadly no relation) at the Smithsonian a few hours later.

AND finally, Thievery Corporation just announced they're playing a show at the 9:30 club in a few weeks with all proceeds going towards tsunami relief.

DC's a happening place, E. A real sense of optimism about what's going on here.

That's more than you can say about Ashlee Simpson's career.

The only constant is change...

2005-01-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

...and that's not a bad thing. Of all the things you mention about our transitory metropolis, it's interesting what you leave out--the constant sense of change that results. Young residents + population turnover + changing ideologies = a lot going on for a relatively small big city (I realize the suburbs aren't counted here). If a wheel's always spinning, it can't rust...

Take Philadelphia. It has a census three times the size of the District, terrific museums and universities...but it just felt overshadowed by the vitality of NYC to the North and DC down I-95, in part because there are so many area lifers. I love the vitality here. Just look at the new Washingtonian, the best restaurants issue. Sure, they have to switch up the winners every so often, the old US News trick, if only to ensure people buy the latest and greatest. But it's not even the top list, awash in regulars like 1789 and Kinkead's, that intrigues me; it's the lengthy roll of "Ones to Watch"--the Indian-French hybrid IndeBleu, the stylish Palette--that makes me glad DC's turnover and tendency towards the cutting-edge cater so well to us foodies.

Your observations are still well-taken, of course. There was a time this summer, as some packed up for graduate school and others took new jobs, that forced me to count out the number of legitimate friends who've left DC since I arrived in July 2002 (hopefully out of coincidence, not a causation). It was a depressing--and draining--exercise in the futile. Making friends is great, but not if you have to do it every six months.

So yes, the true Washingtonians are the ones trapped in poverty, living in Anacostia and past Capitol Hill (though not as bad as some in Northwest seem to think). Do you think the better-off residents would care more about the plight of the poor if we weren't too busy planning to flee?

Our Fair City of Transients

2005-01-04T23:57:00.000-05:00

My impending return to DC reminds me of what frustrates me about this city: so much of the population is transitory.

New politicians mean new staff. The fleet of government offices brings tons of summer interns. And these people don't stay. I can't find numbers but I have lived in DC for about a year and have yet to meet someone who grew up in the city and whose family has been here for generations. Of course there are permanent residents. My bet is that the permanent group is largely African-American and largely working class or poor. Again, I couldn't find official stats but here are some interesting ones about the city overall.

On top of that, DC has a large commuter population. It almost doubles in size during the work week. Those commuters spend 71 hours a year in traffic congestion, ranking second-highest in the country. That doesn't make happy workers.

To sum it up, John F. Kennedy said it well: "Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm." I have a year and a half to be convinced otherwise.

Back from vacation...but ready for another one

2005-01-03T16:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a slow day for everyone. Some say it's because the date itself is an anomaly. Maybe a more obvious link is that New Year's was Friday night. Going to bed at sunrise isn't exactly the way to prepare your body to go back to work a couple days later.

Of course, one of the best cures for a post-holiday hangover is...more drinking.

There's a relatively new bar trivia night every Monday at Gaffney's Oyster and Ale House from 7-8:30 (4301 Fairfax Drive in Arlington). One of the hosts is Jerry Mayer, a good guy and a heck of a frisbee player, and he sent this e-mail a few weeks back on "Headgames":

>In teams of 2-9 people, you'll compete to answer questions in four rounds, with topics ranging from geography to cartoons, Britney Spears to the French Revolution. First prize is $30 off your bar tab. There will be FOUR rounds of 10 questions each--a Trash Round of pop culture, a Geek Round of Politics, History, Science, etc, an Either or Round where every question is 50-50, and a Final Grab Bag Round worth double points.

>The questions should be funny enough that even if you don't know the answer, you may get a laugh.

I haven't been, but if you're looking for something to do tonight (or future Mondays), perhaps worth a look.

A superhero's second career: Wizards role player

2005-01-03T14:33:00.000-05:00

I know you don't really follow basketball, but I love Coach Eddie Jordan's colorful quotes in this story about the Wizards' victory yesterday.

You get the sense that the Post staff writers like them too; they wrote an entire lede on how Jordan started referring to incredibly shrinking starting center Brendan Haywood as "the Hulk", after the green giant.

European centers and malt liquor make Hulk angry!

Call the coaching strategy (and players) what you will, but after years of mediocrity, the man's gotten results.

Disaster

2005-01-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

You know what? Not to stretch for a silver lining, but hopefully the Muslim insurgents and Buddhist majority in Thailand will put aside their differences, wherever they seem to have sprung from, and work together to rebuild a country that's been devastated since your last post.

There was something really annoying on NPR this morning--touching on the Asia disaster, one of the hosts said something like "And there was some good news to come out of the tsunami; four people were found alive on an island, carried by waves, after their boat sank." Of course, he then noted that over 150,000 people have died. Not to be a cynic, but what a terrible way to introduce a small, mildly happy story. It really bothered me.

Thai-phoon

2004-12-24T01:26:00.000-05:00

What could drive someone to kill Buddhist monks?

Violence between the Thai government and Muslim terrorists has claimed more than 550 people this year including several monks. Two days ago, the government "negligently" suffocated 78 Muslim protesters in southern Thailand. Teachers in the region are demanding bullet-proof vests because of the death of three of their colleagues.

Muslims are a minority in Thailand, a mostly Buddhist country.

It appears that no single organization orchestrates the attacks which began in January. The Thai government initially claimed that "bandits" were responsible and then begrudgingly acknowledged there was a separatist movement (which some suspect to be tied to Jemaah Islamiah). Thailand has also accused Malaysia of involvement with the rebel groups.

What's interesting about the conflict is how it challenges the traditional distinction between war and crime. Uncertainty of what to label the situation led to Thailand's waffling on who was in charge between civilian ministers and army generals, a confusion that only contributed to the region's instability. This mirrors the problems many countries face in addressing terrorism and handling terrorists (are they criminals or soldiers?). Perhaps it's time for a third way.

That was fast.

2004-12-24T01:11:00.000-05:00

is back for round 3!

Finally get to learn the value of a college education...

Did you even watch season 2?

Money Holes

2004-12-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

DD, you've forced me to show my true colors.

Putting in more money - particularly in DC public schools - is absolutely NOT a solution. Though the city is the murder capital, it is also one of the highest in spending per pupil (see Table 5 of this NEA report). Yet, Washington remains near the bottom in test scores.

Another telling example is the Kansas City school system. Because of a judicial desegregation order, the board kicked up property taxes to throw $2 billion into the public schools there. An Olympic-swimming-pool-top-notch-labs-and-curriculum later, the schools still score low on state achievement tests and have high drop out rates.

These failures have led to the growing interest in vouchers and the public school choice provision of the No Child Left Behind Act. Money is not irrelevant. But after a certain point, when you still have no results you have to start wondering about the skills of the managers.

(Disclaimer: I actually worked on school vouchers this past summer with Alliance for School Choice and will be writing a law journal article on this subject.)

2004-12-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

Man, where's your holiday spirit, Grinchy? What's another $500 million or so towards baseball? And it's gonna pay huge dividends...

You know all those summer days, where you just sit on your bum, watching the tube and figuring out something to liven up the afternoon? Well, now you can sit on your behind for three hours AND spend $20 to watch the same game you could've seen on TV!

I think he was an Orioles fan.

Ok, full discloure--I'm stoked to the point of bypassing old loyalties that the Nats are in town. My family's had O's season tickets since forever, but I already have more pieces of Nationals gear in my closet than Orioles (only one t-shirt to zero Orioles stuff, but still). Yeah, you can root for both teams, but it's kind of cool to be present at the creation of a new franchise, a la the Ravens. Check in with me when Washington's lost 95 games, though; my December idealism likely will fade to a September blase.

Hopefully my heart's not clouding my head...but I do find your argument flawed. The baseball money wasn't waiting around to save our schools, fight crime, or underwrite any noble cause. It's the kind of cash that only appears for these special civic projects that pay off the masses. Right or wrong, I don't know, but I also question whether you can throw money at failing schools and make them better. Look at all the different tactics (private sector involvement, co-ops, etc.) that have succeeded or failed at improving inner city education independent of a massive capital investment. Really, America's public school system is in need of a major reshuffling, particularly in the urban areas, but we can leave that conversation to these guys for now.

Also, I know Zimbalist and the other economists' analysis is that professional sports represent a minimal or negative impact on a city's economy...but in contrast to my empirical nature, my gut doesn't let me buy that either. Look at Camden Yards/Jacobs Field/etc. Maybe it's a patchwork, plastic surgery approach to fixing aging cities, but the human traffic that is drawn to an under-developed area just feels revitalizing. Head down to the MCI Center one night this winter--a big question mark when the Wizards first built it--and the buzzing crowds will prove the point. Or I'll just let Abe Pollin and the gang tell me instead.

DC Baseball - Bah Humbug!

2004-12-23T01:17:00.000-05:00

"Our conclusion, and that of nearly all academic economists studying this issue, is that professional sports generally have little, if any , positive effect on a city's economy."

Such was the finding of the folks at Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, not a place known to poo-poo fun. And how about a left of center take?

"First, sports teams and facilities are not a source of local economic growth and employment; second, the magnitude of the net subsidy exceeds the financial benefit of a new stadium to a team; and, third, the most plausible reasons that cities are willing to subsidize sports teams are the intense popularity of sports among a substantial proportion of voters and businesses and the leverage that teams enjoy from the monopoly position of professional sports leagues."

The third point is what I wish all those God-awful annoying sports fans would just fess up and stop pretending that the subsidization of their pasttimes will benefit us all. If a business can't make it without government subsidies, something is wrong with the business. At best, all a professional sports team might provide is some abstract feeling of pride. It doesn't improve public schools and it doesn't prevent murder.

2004-12-21T16:48:00.000-05:00

E, I'm going to take a knee on your interesting read on autism, etc (though direct you to an entertaining book a couple of my friends have read) simply because today was a huge day for the District.

In order...

*DC baseball likely back on.
And to think of the hours spent scouring for black market Nationals t-shirts.

*The Washington Post bought Slate.
Howard Kurtz thinks it's a Capitol Idea for both organizations.

*Incompetent criminals foil DC's finest.
...got nothing.

Any thoughts on these varied events, all with important ramifications for Washingtonians?

Perles of ignorance

2004-12-21T16:34:00.000-05:00

Never a good sign when 'The Prince of Darkness' is trotting out to face the media hordes as your chief defender.

Old white evil dudes gotta stick together.

I did love that Steve Inskeep, the mild-mannered co-host on Morning Edition, kind of got into it with Richard Perle today. From the show:

Inskeep: Why do you suppose that so many prominent Republicans--Trent Lott, John McCain, Chuck Hagel come to mind--have suggested that Rumsfeld should be replaced?
Perle: I don't think three senators is so many prominent Republicans
-cross-talk-
Inskeep: Susan Collins...
Perle: There are many other Republican senators who support him...
Inskeep: William Kristol, the editor of the Weekly Standard. It's not an enormous list, but it's a list.
Perle: It's a list, but it's a small enough list so that he doesn't need to be concerned about it and the President isn't concerned about it.

Perle goes on to blame the Clinton-era leadership for building an army to fight Cold War challenges, not face multiple micro-conflicts around the globe today (he also tries to co-opt Rumsfeld's damning line about the "military you have" into something a little more palatable).

Come on! Yeah, that might have been true a decade ago...but as detailed in many books (take Halberstam's War in a Time of Peace) Bush I and Clinton oversaw gigantic strides in technology that enabled our military to operate remote air wars and minimize human casualties. It's only when you attempt an invasive land war, without proper backing or occupation plan, that you run aground. And here's where I worry that Rumsfeld is just taking the fall for now; there's still no realistic exit plan, no long-term view for what Iraq should become...and the daily reports of horrific casualties, today as bad as any. The Vietnam for our generation.

I'm not Santa (nor Nostradamus), but it's safe to say that the vultures are circling. After the election? Well, as you referenced, the Iraqi political process seems like a pretty dicey propositon these days--his death watch may be lucky to go that long.

If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It.

2004-12-20T13:43:00.000-05:00

This is what baffles me about psychology and psychiatry: how do you determine when someone is mentally "ill" unless you define what is not ill or "normal"?

Aside from easy cases like amnesia or Parkinsons, defining normal seems more about politics, about a dominant group enforcing conformity for no good reason. Until 1973, the American Psychological Association considered homosexuality a disorder. "Gender identity disorder" (which would include transgendered people) is still listed in the APA manual as a sexual deviation. The messiness of determining disorder is what led to an anti-psychiatry movement whose prominent supporters include Thomas Szasz.

Perhaps another disorder included more because of politics than science is autism. No doubt the brain of autistic individuals is different from those who do not have autism. But whether that difference should be called a disease is another issue. Aspies have the incredible ability to retain detail and often develop a particular area of expertise in a subject (like the guy in Rainman). On the other hand, they also have many "anti-social" mannerisms like a repulsion to touch, violent outbursts and repetitive rocking.

The New York Times has a great article today on the debate over autism.

Man on the Rum

2004-12-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

I started my morning with this image from the frontpage of the Los Angeles Times.

The man cowering on the floor was one of 3 Iraqi election workers dragged from their car on Sunday in the streets of Baghdad. They were all executed in open daylight. The most poignant moment captured in this article is this man's comment:

"Why did you leave the house?" one anguished man cried over the body of his brother. "You are newlywed and your bride is waiting for you."

In many parts of Iraq, leaving your home is a risk. A recent count by a British medical journal report estimates the Iraqi civilian death toll at around 98,000.

So on the subject of the change in Bush's administration: why the hell is Rumsfeld going to stay on?

Even conservatives have questioned the president's choice. Senator John McCain who was a strong supporter of the war has said he has "no confidence" in Bush's defense secretary. William Kristol, a staunch neo-conservative and editor of the Weekly Standard, described Rumsfeld's consistent pattern of passing blame for the failures in Iraq and said that our troops deserve better.

Incidentally, the Weekly Standard is holding a poll entitled, "Rumsfeld: The Secretary You Have, or The Secretary You Always Wished For?"

Please, Santa, please say he'll be gone after the Iraqi election.

Punting

2004-12-11T18:31:00.000-05:00

So I have been woefully nonresponsive. My apologies, Mr. D, but I'm afraid that exams will continue to swallow me. So a conversation must wait until next weekend.

In the meantime, I'll refer to the heady chunk of intellectualism just added to the blogging world from Nobel prize winning economist Gary Becker and 7th Circuit Court judge, Richard Posner.

This is the start of something new

2004-11-18T17:35:00.000-05:00

And so begins a grand experiment, conceived on a walk through some of Washington's trendiest neighborhoods and sealed over a meal at DC's best sushi bar.

Having already let one blog out to pasture (and let's face it Elaine, the dust is stacking up on yours too), can the two of us motivate each other through a communally-shared, District-centric conversation masquerading as a webpage? And will it be interesting?

I guess we'll find out. At the very least...it's a capital idea.

Powell punted

You and I became friends about the time Colin Powell became my hero (if I have the dates when you were breaking Gilman boys' hearts right). I'd just read his boring-but-uplifting autobiography, heard him speak through Lancers, and was generally convinced that Colin was the future for America as well as for comedians with routines on the intestinal tract. Think a prehistoric Obama, just 8 years ago.

Well, relationships change; as ours moves digital, Colin has slipped from my personal pedestal. Count Post columnist Richard Cohen among the disenfranchised; according to him, Powell blew it. He blew it because he disagreed with the Bushies--after the revelation that Jumbo Slice is bad for you, the second worst kept secret in DC--but went along anyway. And if Powell wanted to make a difference, Cohen argues, he could've taken a bold stance, he could've quit out of protest. But he didn't. Instead, he resigned this week from an administration that just received a four-year affirmation on their foreign policy policies. It sucks to read such a sharp critique of someone so likeable, but I don't think Cohen makes any wrong points here.

1,000 calories? Who knew?

But put yourself in Powell's shoes. Go ahead...you there?...ok.

You're a career soldier--you follow orders; you're in a system built on self-reinforcing rhetoric, oblivious to outside criticism. But you're already on the inside; you nominally have the President's ear. Maybe you change the system from within. Maybe your voice counts more as Secretary of State, rather than as a disatisfied political casualty.

Not to mention the professional risk a resignation would be. For a man whose doctrine relies on overwhelming force and maintaining a clear exit strategy...you'd be in the murky waters of going outside the politically acceptable.

Ok--enough of that.

I don't want to be a Powell apologist. I think his star has significantly dimmed...there's no talk of him as a presidential candidate these days. And having not resigned, perhaps he missed his chance to make a mark on history, to go beyond the merely genial to transcendantly charismatic. But I always find it interesting to see when chapters in lives open and close...and unlike in a book, Powell can't go back and experience being Secretary of State all over again. He made his choices--what does his future now hold?

But you know what? Not everyone in DC lives and dies by the political agenda...so I'll give you something else to mull over.

Time to prove my cultural literacy

At the very least, the past four years of Colin Powell's life will make for an interesting tell-all, one day--a book worth buying early. Some would say don't even bother with Tom Wolfe's latest: I am Charlotte Simmons. It's receiving the worst reviews of any of his work--the main complaint seems to be that an out-of-touch Wolfe has gotten college life all wrong. Black pant-wearing squadrons of sorority girls dragging themselves out night-after-night to hook up. Athletes walking like gods among geeks who should care less. Studying in secrecy to avoid the social stigma. Exaggerated, absolutely. But based on truth--that even at the country's finest colleges, you find America's best students trying their hardest not to be. I'm speaking from experience. Those black pants got tight after a while.

But I bet you have a different perspective...

She fills out the uniform

Perfectly acceptable locker-room behavior!

And what's up with the fuss over the Monday Night Football lead-in? I've caught the Desperate Housewives product placement several times on Sportscenter, etc. and it was nothing beer commercials haven't done and little different than the camera lingering on the cheerleaders. Some coaches are calling it a disgrace, others racially insensitive. Did I miss something? When did the NFL get so prudish? In some respects, I agree that at 8 p.m. on network television, things should be a bit toned-down...but why pick a football game to draw the line? Is this part of the wave of moralism sweeping the country?

--------------------

Ok, one posting, three disparate topics.

You're on the clock, E.