September 2008 Archives
Media Tip 62
Media Tip 62: Follow the five management principles of online communications:
• Management that gets it;
• Internal leadership;
• Internal cooperation;
• Connection to a strategic vision; and
• Connection to the off-line world.
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This tip is from our booklet, Media Relations Tips: 102 Secrets for Finding Success in Public Relations. Practical tips for anyone who works with the media, works with someone who works with the media, or who works at an organization that is covered in the media. An easy handout for everyone in your group to make sure that they are prepared and confident if they ever have to deal with the media. Based on the Media Relations Handbook, by Brad Fitch. The cover and inside pages of this booklet can be customized with your logo and information. For more information, see our Booklets page. |
TheCapitol.Net offers Media Training and Communication and Advocacy Training, and is the exclusive provider of Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Executive Conferences.
September 30, 2008 02:17 PM Link Tips and Terms Comments (0)
October 2008 Legislative, Communication, and Media Training from TheCapitol.Net
Our latest email update:
http://www.thecapitol.net/PublicPrograms/email2008/email_2008_September30.html
Also see our Audio Course Bundles, money-saving packages of our popular Capitol Learning Audio Courses.
TheCapitol.Net, Inc.
>> Exclusive provider of Congressional Quarterly Executive Conferences.
>> Non-partisan training and publications that show how Washington works. TM
September 30, 2008 10:27 AM Link Training Comments (0)
"top executives and regulators do not understand the technical characteristics of today's financial instruments"
[W]hen trouble hits, everyone looks out for themselves, and your goal is to be the first person to jump ship. If Merton is right, a lot of people are going to be hurting, relative to their plans, over the coming years, and a lot of them may turn to government for help. The financial sector will have gotten the jump on everyone else, and there won't be much money left in the Treasury when individuals start to realize they are suffering. The banks mark their mortgage assets to market right away. Individuals don't revalue their houses and revise their retirement planning. (Granted, this means that when house prices were rising they didn't become as optimistic as they would had they mentally marked to market.) In a few years, as people retire, they won't have nearly as much home equity to borrow against as people had a few years ago, and we don't know how that might play out.
The other point that Merton [Robert C. Merton of Harvard] made was that top executives and regulators do not understand the technical characteristics of today's financial instruments. Once again, this is vindication for a view that I have been pushing. I worry that there is a disconnect between the geeks and the suits in valuing these mortgage securities. The geeks think that their low values are realistic. The suits think that the securities are undervalued. [Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson is a suit. I'm a geek.
"Mankiw, Rogoff, and Merton," by Arnold Kling, EconLog, September 27, 2008 (emphasis added)
Also see
"Is a Potential Bailout Making Things Worse?" by Alex Tabarrok, Marginal Revolution, September 27, 2008
"Smaller Banks Thrive Out of the Fray of Crisis: People Shift Money From Wall St. to Main St." By Binyamin Appelbaum, The Washington Post, September 26, 2008
September 27, 2008 06:47 PM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
Glossary of Legislative Terms: "Second-Degree Amendment"
Second-Degree Amendment: An amendment to an amendment. Also called a perfecting amendment.
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This definition is from the Glossary in our Congressional Deskbook. Perfect reference tool of Congressional jargon and procedural terms. Congressional Deskbook: The Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Congress, by Michael Koempel and Judy Schneider. |
TheCapitol.Net offers training and a Certificate in Congressional Operations and Federal Budgeting. We show you how Washington and Congress work. TM
September 27, 2008 09:07 AM Link Tips and Terms Comments (0)
The Hamburger
How did a sandwich once reviled as something unsanitary and purchased outside factories and at carnivals come so far? The answer can be found in this little book, The Hamburger: A History. "What do Americans think of when they think of the hamburger?" asks the author, Josh Ozersky. "Is it a sizzling disc of goodness, served in a roadside restaurant dense with local lore, or the grim end product of a secret, sinister empire of tormented animals and unspeakable slaughtering practices? Is it cooking or commodity? An icon of freedom or the quintessence of conformity?"
"Burger Triumphant. Or, requiem for the hot dog." By Victorino Matus, The Weekly Standard, September 29, 2008
More
- The best grilled burger in NYC? - A Guy In New York
- A Hamburger Today - on Serious Eats
- Bosnia burger in Alexandria, VA - Hobnob Blog
- Hamburgers - Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide
- "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die," by Alan Richman, GQ, July 2005 (with some links from AHT)
- "Best hamburgers in America?" - A Guy In New York
- Hamburger - from Wikipedia
September 26, 2008 02:47 PM Link Dining Comments (0)
"Movie Wisdom"
The great thing about Paris is that you can always see the Eiffel Tower from your room, whether you're an artist in a tiny garret or a millionaire in a first-class hotel. Just look out the window and there it is. We who have spent much of our lives at the movies know this to be a fact, having seen it demonstrated on many occasions.
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Fans of traditional western movies, for example, know that the gunmen on the American frontier settled their disputes fair and square, meeting in one-on-one main-street pistol duels, ideally at noon.
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Over the last 25 years or so the movies have also taught me that there's no such thing as a good man who is also rich.
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[Y]ou can be sure that the nicest, sweetest, most helpful character who appears in the early scenes will likely die before the end (providing he or she is not a star).
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If we are watching a movie about people in Biblical times, we can expect that they will sometimes wear ragged clothes but their teeth will always be perfect.
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[I]t's in the matter of romance and courtship that Movie Wisdom provides the most helpful guide to life. It teaches us that if a man and a woman intensely dislike each other when they meet, they will soon fall in love and marry. It warns us that if a girl has sex just once, she'll for sure get pregnant, particularly if she's only 16. When a baby is about to be born, the important thing is to boil a lot of water. Who could do without this information?
"Always settle scores at noon: And other lessons learned at the movies," By Robert Fulford, National Post, September 9, 2008
September 25, 2008 06:47 AM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
Embassy Series: Essentials of U.S. Governance for Foreign Diplomats and Embassy Staff
Embassy Series: Essentials of U.S. Governance for Foreign Diplomats and Embassy Staff
A three-course series on audio CD for foreign diplomats and embassy staff based in the United States who need a good understanding of the U.S. government to work effectively.
This three-part series of courses introduces you to the structure of the three branches of government, the dynamics of Congress, and federal rulemaking and the federal regulatory process.
Part I: The U.S. Government in a Nutshell
Part II: The Dynamics of the Legislative Process
Part III: The Federal Regulatory Process
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Embassy Series
Capitol Learning Audio Course Includes seminar materials. Three audio courses on CD: $127 plus shipping and handling  |
September 24, 2008 12:07 PM Link Training Comments (0)
"I've always said a congressman should ride across country."
[John] Madden, lolling in the front seat with his feet on the windshield, nods at the colors.
"People pay money to see scenes like this," he says. "You only get to see America driving through places like Nebraska for eight hours.
"This is seeing our country. I've always said a congressman should ride across country. Not drive, because you can't see when you drive, you have to ride. You have to be a witness to America."
"John Madden: America's biggest commuter," by Paul Bannister, Bankrate.com, December 9, 2003
September 22, 2008 05:17 PM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
David Kalb beats Lebron James in a game of H-O-R-S-E
David Kalb, a warehouse worker from La Habra, California, won a contest to compete against Lebron James in a game of H-O-R-S-E. Using some bizarre trick shots and benefiting from some lucky misses by Lebron, Kalb managed to win. Via Muttpop.
H-O-R-S-E - from Wikipedia
September 19, 2008 07:17 AM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
Congressional Deskbook: "Recede"
Recede: Motion by one chamber to withdraw from its previous position during amendments between the chambers.
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This definition is from our Congressional Deskbook. Perfect reference tool of Congressional jargon and procedural terms. The cover and inside pages of this booklet can be customized with your logo and information. For more information, see our Booklets page. The Pocket Dictionary is based on the Congressional Deskbook, by Michael Koempel and Judy Schneider. |
TheCapitol.Net offers training and a Certificate Program in Congressional Operations and Federal Budgeting, we show you how Washington and Congress work. TM
September 18, 2008 08:37 PM Link Tips and Terms Comments (0)
"You were always free to go."
Advocates of liberty and limited government should not concede the concept of “law and order” to those who engage in “excessive use of police powers.” Those who actually believe in law and order would hold police and prosecutors, as well as criminal suspects, to the rule of law; and that seems to be what the Virginia Supreme Court did.I was reminded of this when I came across this video of a law-and-order type encountering Customs and Border Patrol agents as he attempted to drive on State Route 86 in Arizona.
“'Law and Order' -- YouTube Version," by Jim Harper, Cato @ Liberty, September 12, 2008
More
- "Va. Court Rejects 2 Drug Searches: Justices Conclude Police Acted on Vague Suspicions," by Tom Jackman, The Washington Post, April 19, 2008
- "Protecting the U.S. Perimeter: 'Border Searches' Under the Fourth Amendment," by Yule Kim, CRS Report for Congress RL31826, January 15, 2008 (23-page pdf
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- "The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: An Overview of the Statutory Framework and U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review Decisions," by Elizabeth B. Bazan, CRS Report for Congress RL30465, February 15, 2007 (106-page pdf )
- "The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act: A Sketch of Selected Issues," by Elizabeth B. Bazan, CRS Report for Congress RL34566, July 7, 2008 (17-page pdf )
- "Intelligence Issues for Congress," by Richard A. Best, Jr., CRS Issue Brief for Congress IB10012, May 26, 2006 (19-page pdf )
September 16, 2008 10:37 PM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
TheCapitol.Net Introduces Derrick Dortch’s Career Development Audio Courses
According to the U.S. Office of Personal Management, 300,000 federal employees will be eligible to retire by 2010. With the rising number of retirees, TheCapitol.Net has teamed up with Derrick Dortch in developing audio courses that help professionals navigate the Washington, DC job search process.
"As one of the biggest employers in the nation, the federal government is always hiring. This means it’s always a good time to look for a federal job,” said Derrick Dortch, President of the Diversa Group, a consulting company specializing in career, entrepreneurship, leadership and organizational consulting, development & training. “Thousands of federal workers will retire by 2014. Combined with regular hiring needs of the government, thousands of federal jobs will be available for job seekers interested in government service."
Dortch’s audio courses, How to Find a Job in Washington DC, How to Obtain a Security Clearance from the U.S. Federal Government and How to Get a Job with the U.S. Federal Government, can help prepare aspiring federal employees for their first professional jobs in the DC area. In addition to his work at The Diversa Group, Dortch also hosts a monthly online career program for The Washington Post and is a regular weekly host for Fed Access with Derrick T. Dortch on Federal News Radio 1500 A.M.
For the recent college graduate, How to Find a Job in Washington, DC includes essential lessons such as how to build a Washington network, popular online websites to look for positions, and how to make a lasting impression in the interview process, both over the phone and in person. Also, Dortch discusses the realities of the job search and interview process.
When looking for a job within the federal government, Dortch’s course, How to Get a Job with the U.S. Federal Government explains how to develop a government job search strategy, match yourself with the right agencies and positions, effectively target positions, and develop federal resumes and KSAs to increase your chances of being offered a job.
In How to Obtain a Security Clearance from the U.S. Federal Government, Dortch provides a comprehensive guide to the different types of security clearances, how to obtain a security clearance, and various factors considered in the clearance process.
For more information about any of these audio courses, go to www.CapitolLearning.com or call TheCapitol.Net directly at 703-739-3790 for more details.
September 15, 2008 02:27 PM Link Career ~ Training Comments (0)
"Are Too Many People Going to College?"
More people should be getting the basics of a liberal education. But for most students, the places to provide those basics are elementary and middle school.
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We should look at the kind of work that goes into acquiring a liberal education at the college level in the same way that we look at the grueling apprenticeship that goes into becoming a master chef: something that understandably attracts only a few people. Most students at today’s colleges choose not to take the courses that go into a liberal education because the capabilities they want to develop lie elsewhere. These students are not lazy, any more than students who don’t want to spend hours learning how to chop carrots into a perfect eighth-inch dice are lazy. A liberal education just doesn’t make sense for them.
. . .
When high-school graduates think that obtaining a B.A. will help them get a higher- paying job, they are only narrowly correct. Economists have established beyond doubt that people with B.A.s earn more on average than people without them. But why does the B.A. produce that result? For whom does the B.A. produce that result? For some jobs, the economic premium for a degree is produced by the actual education that has gone into getting the degree. Lawyers, physicians, and engineers can earn their high incomes only by deploying knowledge and skills that take years to acquire, and degrees in law, medicine, and engineering still signify competence in those knowledges and skills. But for many other jobs, the economic premium for the B.A. is created by a brutal fact of life about the American job market: Employers do not even interview applicants who do not hold a B.A. Even more brutal, the advantage conferred by the B.A. often has nothing to do with the content of the education. Employers do not value what the student learned, just that the student has a degree.
. . .
But while it is true that the average person with a B.A. makes more than the average person without a B.A., getting a B.A. is still going to be the wrong economic decision for many high-school graduates. Wages within occupations form a distribution. Young people with okay-but-not-great academic ability who are thinking about whether to go after a B.A. need to consider the competition they will face after they graduate. Let me put these calculations in terms of a specific example, a young man who has just graduated from high school and is trying to decide whether to become an electrician or go to college and major in business, hoping to become a white-collar manager. He is at the 70th percentile in linguistic ability and logical mathematical ability—someone who shouldn’t go to college by my standards, but who can, in today’s world, easily find a college that will give him a degree. He is exactly average in interpersonal and intrapersonal ability. He is at the 95th percentile in the small-motor skills and spatial abilities that are helpful in being a good electrician.
He begins by looking up the average income of electricians and managers on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, and finds that the mean annual income for electricians in 2005 was$45,630, only about half of the $88,450 mean for management occupations. It looks as if getting a B.A. will buy him a huge wage premium. Should he try to get the B.A. on economic grounds?
To make his decision correctly, our young man must start by throwing out the averages. He has the ability to become an excellent electrician and can reasonably expect to be near the top of the electricians’ income distribution. He does not have it in him to be an excellent manager, because he is only average in interpersonal and intrapersonal ability and only modestly above average in academic ability, all of which are important for becoming a good manager, while his competitors for those slots will include many who are high in all of those abilities. Realistically, he should be looking at the incomes toward the bottom of the distribution of managers. With that in mind, he goes back to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website and discovers that an electrician at the 90th percentile of electricians’ incomes made $70,480 in 2005, almost twice the income of a manager at the 10th percentile of managers’ incomes ($37,800). Even if our young man successfully completes college and gets a B.A. (which is far from certain), he is likely to make less money than if he becomes an electrician.
"Are Too Many People Going to College?" By Charles Murray, The American Magazine, September 8, 2008
September 14, 2008 09:07 AM Link Career ~ Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
Glossary of Legislative Terms: "Committee of the Whole"
Committee of the Whole: The House in a different parliamentary form. Committee consisting of all members of the House, where measures are considered for amendment. The quorum is 100. Members are
generally permitted to speak for five minutes. A chair presides in lieu of the Speaker.
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This definition is from the Glossary in our Congressional Deskbook. Perfect reference tool of Congressional jargon and procedural terms. Congressional Deskbook: The Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Congress, by Michael Koempel and Judy Schneider. |
TheCapitol.Net offers training and a Certificate in Congressional Operations and Federal Budgeting. We show you how Washington and Congress work. TM
September 12, 2008 02:47 PM Link Tips and Terms Comments (0)
"How to 'Peel' Hard-Boiled Eggs Without Peeling"
From Tim Ferris - how to easily peel a hard boiled egg.
September 10, 2008 04:47 PM Link Caught Our Eye Comments (0)
September 2008 Legislative, Communication, and Media Training from TheCapitol.Net
Our latest email update:
http://www.thecapitol.net/PublicPrograms/email2008/email_2008_September9.html
Also see our Audio Course Bundles, money-saving packages of our popular Capitol Learning Audio Courses.
TheCapitol.Net, Inc.
>> Exclusive provider of Congressional Quarterly Executive Conferences.
>> Non-partisan training and publications that show how Washington works. TM
September 9, 2008 04:47 PM Link Training Comments (0)
Media Tip 3
Media Tip 3: Sometimes you get blamed for things that aren’t your fault; and sometimes you get credit for things you didn’t do. Remember, this is a strange business, a lot of which is beyond your control.
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This tip is from our booklet, Media Relations Tips: 102 Secrets for Finding Success in Public Relations. Practical tips for anyone who works with the media, works with someone who works with the media, or who works at an organization that is covered in the media. An easy handout for everyone in your group to make sure that they are prepared and confident if they ever have to deal with the media. Based on the Media Relations Handbook, by Brad Fitch. The cover and inside pages of this booklet can be customized with your logo and information. For more information, see our Booklets page. |
TheCapitol.Net offers Media Training and Communication and Advocacy Training, and is the exclusive provider of Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Executive Conferences.
September 9, 2008 09:17 AM Link Tips and Terms Comments (0)
Freshmen! sophomores! Stay in college and become a naval officer.
This is a WWII poster from the Northwestern University archives.
Freshmen! sophomores! Stay in college and become a naval officer.
September 7, 2008 09:37 PM Link Art Comments (0)
Glossary of Legislative Terms: "Third Reading"
Third Reading: Required reading of bill or joint resolution to chamber before vote on final passage; usually a pro forma procedural step.
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This definition is from the Glossary in our Congressional Deskbook. Perfect reference tool of Congressional jargon and procedural terms. Congressional Deskbook: The Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Congress, by Michael Koempel and Judy Schneider. |
TheCapitol.Net offers training and a Certificate in Congressional Operations and Federal Budgeting. We show you how Washington and Congress work. TM
September 5, 2008 09:57 PM Link Tips and Terms Comments (0)
Capitol Hill Workshop: Politics, Policy, and Process
From Congressional Quarterly (CQ) and TheCapitol.Net
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Capitol Hill Workshop: Politics, Policy, and Process Intensive 3-day congressional operations workshop Learn how Capitol Hill really works. |
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This Congressional Quarterly Executive Conference is offered exclusively by TheCapitol.Net |
Congressional decision-making is driven by politics, policy and process. In this engaging workshop, Washington-based experts discuss these 3 P's and help you understand the complete policy-making process.
Our next Capitol Hill Workshop, scheduled for September 24-26, 2008, is for anyone whose work requires that they have a broad understanding of Congress and Capitol Hill.
In 3 days, this workshop covers
- Congressional operations and the legislative process
- How public policy and foreign policy become law
- Congressional politics and leadership
- Congressional budgeting today
- The role of OMB in the legislative process
- Effective communication with Congres
- The current trends in campaigns and elections
- How personal and committee staff work
- How you can build win/win relationships with staffers
Q&A with all faculty throughout.
- September 24-26, 2008
- 8:30 am to 4:00 pm each day
- See web site for locations.
For more information, see www.CapitolHillWorkshop.com.
September 4, 2008 11:27 AM Link Capitol Hill Workshop ~ Training Comments (0)
Every child needs a good school lunch
This is a WWII poster from the Northwestern University archives.
Every child needs a good school lunch
September 3, 2008 11:07 AM Link Art Comments (0)
Media Tip 44
Media Tip 44: Go “off the record” to shape a story, attack an opponent, or enhance credibility—all in ways in which you wouldn’t want to be quoted. Always confirm what “off the record” means to the reporter.
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This tip is from our booklet, Media Relations Tips: 102 Secrets for Finding Success in Public Relations. Practical tips for anyone who works with the media, works with someone who works with the media, or who works at an organization that is covered in the media. An easy handout for everyone in your group to make sure that they are prepared and confident if they ever have to deal with the media. Based on the Media Relations Handbook, by Brad Fitch. The cover and inside pages of this booklet can be customized with your logo and information. For more information, see our Booklets page. |
TheCapitol.Net offers Media Training and Communication and Advocacy Training, and is the exclusive provider of Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Executive Conferences.
September 2, 2008 03:47 PM Link Tips and Terms Comments (0)
Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process
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Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process |
Do you need to understand, or train others in, how a bill becomes law, basic congressional operations, the amendment tree or where in the legislative and public policy process you can have an impact? Do you have questions about Capitol Hill dynamics that no one can answer (or that you’re too afraid to ask)?
This seminar provides an in-depth examination of congressional operations, House and Senate legislative procedures, the work of committees, floor procedures, reconciliation of differences between houses and presidential action.
If your job requires you to understand and follow legislation, or if you’re new to government affairs, here's your chance to get up to speed in one information-packed day
- Thursday, September 18, 2008
- 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
- More information here
September 1, 2008 03:57 PM Link Congressional Operations ~ Legislative Process ~ Training Comments (0)
