May 2007 Archives
Faculty Favorites: Dining and Places - Paul Powell
We asked our faculty and authors to share with us some of their favorite things about living in our nation's capital. Their responses are posted in "Faculty Favorites"
Paul Powell (bio) shares his favorites.
Places to Visit
- Any Smithsonian museum, web site
- National Arboretum, especially during April-May, web site, 3501 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC, 202-245-2726
- Lincoln Memorial at twilight, web site, 23rd Street NW and West Potomac Park, Washington, DC, 202-426-6841
- Ford's Theater for a play, web site, 511 10th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-347-4833
- Capitol Building Tour, web site
Fun
- Walk around the Tidal Basin during cherry blossom time, web site, map, (use Smithsonian Metro and use the DC Circulator)
- Visit the Smithsonian Folklife Festival (last week of June-first week of July), web site, map
- Attend a Capitol Grounds concert (Memorial Day Sunday, Fourth of July evening, and Labor Day Sunday), west lawn of the Capitol
- Walk around the Ellipse when the Christmas trees are lit, web site, map,
- Attend the National Battle BBQ Contest during late June along Pennsylvania Avenue, web site, map
Restaurants
- L'Auberge Chez Francois, web site, 332 Springvale Road, Great Falls, VA, 703-759-3800 [openlist | Yelp]
- Obelisk, 2029 P Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-872-1180 [Gayot | openlist | Yelp]
- Hay Adams Hotel Restaurant, web site, 800 16th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-638-6600 [openlist | Yelp]
- Acadiana, web site, 901 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-408-8848 [Gayot | Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide | Yelp]
- Generous George's Positive Pizza and Pasta Place, web site, 3006 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA, 703-370-4303 [Yelp]
For more, also see our Visiting Washington DC pages
May 30, 2007 11:37 AM Link Dining ~ Dining and Things to Do & See ~ Faculty Favorites ~ Fun ~ Visiting Washington, DC Comments (0)
"Germs and the City"
“Public health” (in the literal sense) now seems to be one thing, and--occasional lurid headlines notwithstanding--not a particularly important one, while “health care” is quite another.
We will bitterly regret this shift, and probably sooner rather than later. As another Victorian might have predicted--he published a book on the subject in 1859--germs have evolved to exploit our new weakness. Public authorities are ponderous and slow; the new germs are nimble and fast. Drug regulators are paralyzed by the knowledge that error is politically lethal; the new germs make genetic error--constant mutation--the key to their survival. The new germs don’t have to be smarter than our scientists, just faster than our lawyers. The demise of cholera, one could say, has been one of the great antisocial developments of modern times.
"Germs and the City," by Peter Huber, City Journal, Spring 2007
More
- Tuberculosis - from Wikipedia
- Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon) - - from Wikipedia
- "Public Health and Medical Preparedness and Response: Issues in the 110th Congress," by Sarah Lister, CRS Report for Congress RS22602, February 8, 2007 (6-page pdf )
- "Pandemic Influenza: Appropriations for Public Health Preparedness and Response," by Sarah Lister, CRS Report for Congress RS22576, January 23, 2007 (6-page pdf )
- "The WTO, Intellectual Property Rights, and the Access to Medicines Controversy," by Ian Fergusson, CRS Report for Congress RL33750, December 12, 2006 (11-page pdf )
- "Proprietary Rights in Pharmaceutical Innovation: Issues at the Intersection of Patents and Marketing Exclusivities," by John Thomas, CRS Report for Congress RL33288, February 28, 2006 (23-page pdf )
- "Vaccine Policy Issues for the 108th Congress," by Susan Thaul, CRS Report for Congress RL31793, May 19, 2005 (23-page pdf )
- "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Progress Report and Issues for Congress," by Tiaji Salaam-Blyther, CRS Report for Congress RL33396, April 25, 2005 (17-page pdf )
- "The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Background and Current Issues," by Raymond Copson and Tiaji Salaam, CRS Report for Congress RL31712, March 24, 2005 (16-page pdf )
- "Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws," by Angie Welborn, CRS Report for Congress RS21414, January 18, 2005 (5-page pdf )
- "Federal and State Isolation and Quarantine Authority," by Angie Welborn, CRS Report for Congress RL31333, January 18, 2005 (11-page pdf )
- "Smallpox: Technical Background on the Disease and Its Potential Role in Terrorism," by Frank Gottron, CRS Report for Congress RS21288, January 10, 2003 (6-page pdf )
May 27, 2007 06:57 AM Link Caught Our Eye ~ Prediction Comments (0)
Faculty Favorites: Dining and Places - Mike Koempel
We asked our faculty and authors to share with us some of their favorite things about living in our nation's capital. Their responses are posted in "Faculty Favorites"
Mike Koempel (bio), co-author of the Congressional Deskbook, shares his favorites.
Places
- Woodrow Wilson House, web site, 2340 S Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-387-4062
- Lincoln Memorial at night, web site, 23rd Street NW and West Potomac Park, Washington, DC, 202-426-6841
- Phillips Collection, web site, 1600 21st Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-387-2151
- Two cathedrals, a basilica, and a monastery:
- St. Matthew's, web site, 1725 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-347-3215
- National Shrine, web site, 400 Michigan Avenue NE, Washington, DC, 202-526-8300
- National Cathedral, web site, 3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 202-537-6200
- Franciscan Monastery, web site, 1400 Quincy Street NE, Washington, DC, 202-526-6800
- 4 Capitol Hill buildings:
- U.S. Capitol, web site, map
- Supreme Court, web site, 1 1st Street NE, Washington, DC, 202-479-3211
- Library of Congress's Thomas Jefferson Building, web site, 1 1st Street SE, Washington, DC
- Folger Shakespeare Library, web site, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC, 202-544–4600
Fun
- Afternoon tea at the Willard Hotel, web site, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC, 202-628-9100
- Walking the Dupont Circle-Embassy Row neighborhood, map (See "Embassy Row Tour" from embassy.org)
- Tours and events at the U.S. Botanical Garden, web site, 100 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC, 202-225-8333
- Brookside Garden anytime including the holiday light and train displays, general web site, holiday lights web site, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton MD, 301-962-1400
- Bicycling anywhere on the hundreds of miles of paths, trails, and roadways in the metropolitan area - see "The Visitor's Biking Guide to Washington DC"
- Takoma Park Folk Festival, web site, Takoma Park, MD
- Takoma Park Fourth of July Parade, web site, Takoma Park, MD
Restaurants
- Tiffin (Indian), web site, 1341 University Boulevard East, Takoma Park, MD, 301-434-9200 [Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide]
- Udupi (Indian), web site, 1329 University Blvd East, Takoma Park, MD, 301-434-1531 [Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide]
- Thai Derm, web site, 939 Bonifant Street, Silver Spring, MD, 301-589-5341 [MenuPages]
- Vicino (Italian), 959 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 301-588-3372 [insider pages]
- Tabard Inn (American/continental), especially Sunday brunch in the garden while drinking mimosas, web site, 1739 N Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-785-1277 [WaPo]
For more, also see our Visiting Washington DC pages
May 25, 2007 09:57 AM Link Dining ~ Dining and Things to Do & See ~ Faculty Favorites ~ Faculty and Authors ~ Fun ~ Holidays and Celebrations ~ Living in DC ~ Visiting Washington, DC Comments (0)
Design for the Other 90%
On view in the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, this exhibition highlights the growing trend among designers to create affordable and socially responsible objects for the vast majority of the world's population (90 percent) not traditionally serviced by professional designers. Organized by exhibition curator Cynthia E. Smith, along with an eight-member advisory council, the exhibition is divided into sections focusing on water, shelter, health and sanitation, education, energy and transportation and highlights objects developed to empower global populations surviving under the poverty level or recovering from a natural disaster.
Design for the Other 90% is an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.
"The real stars of the show, though, are the stories behind the designs." microscopiq, May 17, 2007
They don't need a handout. What they need is an opportunity.
. . .
A poor person actually only cares about one thing: making more money. If they have more money, they can get ahead, take their family out of poverty.
-- Martin Fischer, Kickstart International
The introductory video also provided an opportunity to explore an additional range of themes that may not be as apparent, running through the exhibition and this area of design: open source options, leapfrog technology, economic impacts, community building, testing and end-user research, low-cost innovations, social enterprise, humanitarian entrepreneurship, improved democracies and multiple calls to action.
"In Their Own Words," Design for the Other 90% blog, May 14, 2007
Design for the Other 90% (web site), an exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum through September 23, 2007. Cooper-Hewitt, web site, 2 East 91st Street, New York, NY, M-Th 10 am - 5 pm, F 10 am - 9 pm, Sat 10 am - 6 pm, Sun Noon - 6 pm. $ Admission fee.
More
- "Design for the other 90%: A review of the Cooper-Hewitt exhibition," by Natalia Allen, Core77, May 2007
- Design for the Other 90%, FastCompany, May 10, 2007
- "Alice Rawsthorn on design for the unwealthiest 90 percent," The International Herald Tribune, April 29, 2007
May 23, 2007 10:07 PM Link Caught Our Eye ~ Economics ~ Technology ~ Tools Comments (0)
Bits of careless talk are pieced together by the enemy
This is a WWII poster from the Northwestern University archives.
Bits of careless talk are pieced together by the enemy
May 19, 2007 09:17 AM Link Art Comments (0)
You have two cows - additions from Janne Tuukkanen
Here are two new "You have two cows...." from Janne Tuukkanen
DRM: You have two cows. You sell both of them, but all the milk still belongs to you.
INNOVATION: You have two cows. You patent "cow" and claim license fees from all the milk of the world. (All your milk are belong to us.)
For more, see YouHave2Cows.com
May 15, 2007 06:27 AM Link Humor ~ You Have 2 Cows Comments (0)
"Laughter is not the Arab way" - Arab-American Comedy Festival
Aside from inheriting money, the best way to get rich in the Arab world is to find yourself an emir. Young men sometimes set out in search of an emir, as young men elsewhere might search for a guru or audition for Donald Trump's The Apprentice.
Emirs, Arab nobility, cherish a bizarre prejudice that makes them wildly popular with ambitious businessmen: By ancient tradition, they consider it undignified to deal with money. So each needs an associate to handle the actual business. Since the best sort of emir maintains close connections with his government's oil rights, the associate, if clever, can become quite rich.
This process of mutual dependence grounded in folkloric custom fascinated Fuad I. Khuri (1935-2003), a first-class social anthropologist. He was an Arab who spent much of his life as a scholar analyzing Arab customs with the methods he learned in the United States and taught at the American University of Beirut. He left behind a memoir focused on his distilled observations. It's finally appeared under the unlikely title he chose: An Invitation to Laughter: A Lebanese Anthropologist in the Arab World (University of Chicago Press).
"Laughter is not the Arab way," by Robert Fulford, National Post, May 12, 2007
An Arab-American couple kisses on a train when they suddenly spot four suspicious Arabs - with odd luggage and argyle knit sweaters. Should they report them as terrorists?
"Who has blueberry luggage?" whispers Renee, clutching her fiance, George.
"Gay terrorists. Oh, my God ... There's just no safe way to travel."
The joke, as told during the debut of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival in Los Angeles this week, is bold, edgy and self-effacing. And 100 percent Arab-American.
"Finding Muslim Humor - Arab-American Style," by Dana Bartholomew, LA Daily News, January 26, 2006
New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, November 2007
May 14, 2007 10:17 AM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
Cheogajip Chicken
After Tyler Cowen wrote it up, we tried the Korean fried chicken from Cheogajip Chicken in Fairfax.
We tried the hot and the regular fried chicken. Both excellent, very juicy and not too greasy. Only whole chickens are sold (cut up into about 15 pieces), and the chicken is not cooked until you order, so you can either call ahead if you speak Korean or plan on waiting about 15 minutes. Worth going back.
Cheogajip Chicken, Lotte Plaza, 3250 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax Circle, Fairfax, VA, 703-273-4499
We didn't see any pizza.....
May 10, 2007 10:27 PM Link Dining Comments (0)
Should Federal Judges be paid the same as Members of Congress
For the past 20 years, members of Congress have linked their salaries to those of federal judges as a strategy to avoid the wrath of voters who think lawmakers are overpaid and do not deserve an annual raise.
. . .
Questions about the pay practice have been repeatedly raised in recent years, including by the National Commission on the Public Service, chaired by Paul A. Volcker, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve. The commission found that the buying power of judges has fallen behind inflation and that many law school deans, for example, earn more than federal judges.
"Judges, Congress and the Salary Link," by Stephen Barr, The Washington Post, April 25, 2007
A group of former U.S. Senators and Representatives is preparing to call for Congress to end the practice of linking the salaries of federal judges and those of members of Congress, if Congress is hesitant to raise its own salaries. To assist in this effort, Brookings scholars and their colleagues at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research produced this paper to describe the history of interbranch salary linkage and to analyze it as policy. (The group includes former Senators Howard Baker, John Danforth, and Sam Nunn, and former Representatives Richard Gephardt, Henry Hyde, Susan Molinari, Leon Panetta and Louis Stokes.)
"How to Pay the Piper: It's Time to Call Different Tunes for Congressional and Judicial Salaries," by Russell R. Wheeler and Michael S. Greve, Issues in Governance Studies, The Brookings Institution, April 2007
More
- Pay and Perquisites of Members of Congress - from TheCapitol.Net
- Chief Justice's Year-End Reports on the Federal Judiciary
- "Salaries of Federal Officials: A Fact Sheet," by Sharon Gressle, CRS Report 98-53, June 25, 2004 (2-page pdf )
- "Judicial Salary-Setting Policy," by Sharon Gressle, CRS Report RS20278, March 25, 2003 (6-page pdf )
- "The Unpersuasive Chief: Are judges undercompensated? Maybe, but Chief Justice Roberts doesn’t make the case," by Matthew J. Franck, January 2, 2007
- "Underpaid And Overworked: The National Disgrace of Undercompensating Federal Judges, While Allowing Their Workload to Balloon," by John W. Dean, FindLaw, November 3, 2006
- "Insecure About their Future: Why Some Judges Leave the Bench," The Third Branch, February, 2002
May 8, 2007 10:07 AM Link Congress ~ Judicial Branch Comments (0)
Chicken Eating Spiders ... and fried spiders don't taste like chicken
By day Martin Nicholas is an ordinary guy. But by night he becomes the Spider Man, a nickname he's earned because of the hundreds of spiders which share his tiny flat in Bracknell. Martin has circled the world seeking out the most enigmatic individuals of the 35,000 spiders known to exist...the tarantulas.
Now he is in Peru searching for a contender for the title of Biggest Spider in the World, currently held by the 11 inch Venezuelan Goliath Birdeater. Martin's quarry is an un-catalogued species. It is called the Chicken Eating spider because eye witnesses claim to have seen it dragging chickens into its burrow on the edge of jungle clearings. Estimates put it at around 10 inches from one hairy foot to another.
"On the hunt for 'The Biggest Spider in the World'!", BBC Science
More
- "Chasing the Chicken-Eating Spider," Nature
- Goliath Bird Eating Spider
- Deep-fried spiders in Cambodia - "No it doesn't taste at all like fried chicken."
- "Entry 27b - Cambodia: eating tarantulas with the spiderwomen of Skuon"
- "Feeding Ecology of Spiders"
May 7, 2007 09:57 AM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
Careless talk ... got there first
This is a WWII poster from the Northwestern University archives.
Careless talk ... got there first
May 3, 2007 10:57 AM Link Art Comments (0)