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31

May

The pessimistic optimist

During a House subcommittee meeting Thursday, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., was cautious in his assessment of whether or not the FCC would be open and transparent in its work to oppose proposed international regulations on the internet. 

After a series of direct yes-or-no questions aimed at Robert McDowell, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, Dingell summarized his thoughts with a sort of parable (perhaps echoing an anecdote told by Bill Moyers):

“It’s a little bit like the fellow who was walking down the street and they asked him, ‘are you an optimist or a pessimist?’ And he said ‘I’m an optimist.’  And they said well, why are you frowning? And he said, ‘Because I’m not sure my optimism is justified.’”

Those in attendance responded with a hearty laugh.

—David J. Unger (@dungerindc)

2 hours ago Short URL

There were lots of laughs in the East Room of the White House today as former President George W. Bush charmed the audience at the unveiling of his presidential portrait and that of former First Lady Laura Bush. “I am pleased that my portrait brings an interesting symmetry to the White House collection.  It now starts and ends with a George W.,” Bush said in a brief speech. The audience laughed and applauded. He continued, “When the British burned the White House… in 1814, Dolley Madison famously saved this portrait of the first George W…. Now, Michelle, if anything happens there’s your man.”  —@maragrbenick

There were lots of laughs in the East Room of the White House today as former President George W. Bush charmed the audience at the unveiling of his presidential portrait and that of former First Lady Laura Bush.

“I am pleased that my portrait brings an interesting symmetry to the White House collection.  It now starts and ends with a George W.,” Bush said in a brief speech. The audience laughed and applauded. He continued, “When the British burned the White House… in 1814, Dolley Madison famously saved this portrait of the first George W…. Now, Michelle, if anything happens there’s your man.” 

—@maragrbenick

4 hours ago Short URL 1 note

President George W. Bush/Bush/presidential portrait/

30

May

“IL Rep. Mike Bost Is Furious Over Pension Reforms”

via Politico

1 day ago Short URL

The *real* future of journalism

If this is what the future of journalism looks like, count me in! (via the best mousepad in the Medill DC newsroom)

1 day ago Short URL

It's official. The race is on.

1 day ago Short URL

washington/campaign/obama/romney/presidency/

“We are not terrorists”

Powerful image from Syria via Al Jazeera.

1 day ago Short URL 3 notes

24

May

Real estate industry pushes Senate on refi bill

Now might be a good time to refinance if you’re a homeowner.

Q: The Senate is considering the Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act of 2012. Who would benefit if Congress passed the legislation?

A: Homeowners whose mortgages are owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and whose homes are worth less than the value of their current loan.

Under the plan, homeowners could take advantage of current market mortgage interest rates, which are between about 3.875% and 4.5% versus the 5% or 6% that some homeowners now pay.

For the full story, reported by Medill News Service business reporter Mara Grbenick, visit http://medilldc.net/2012/05/real-estate-industry-pushes-senate-on-refi-bill/

Get all the latest news by following Medill Washington on Twitter @medillonthehill

Follow Mara Grbenick on Twitter @maragrbenick

1 week ago Short URL

Responsible Homeowner Refinancing Act/mortgage/Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac/Congress/

Top U.S. officials urge entry into Law of the Sea treaty for Navy’s operational future | Medill | Washington

It’s a rare occurrence to see the secretary of state, secretary of defense and chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff in one place at the same time.

That happened Wednesday when all three gathered before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to make a case for the U.S. to sign the Law of the Seas Treaty.

Andy Matarrese of the Medill News Service has details on how ratification of the treaty would impact national security.

Read the full story at: http://medilldc.net/2012/05/sealaw/

Get all the latest news by following Medill Washington on Twitter @medillonthehill

Follow Andy Matarrese on Twitter @Andy_Matter

1 week ago Short URL

Law of the Sea/Clinton/Panetta/Dempsey/Senate Foreign Relations/Kerry/national security/

Top News of the Day, according to Kiplinger's

If you don’t have much time to catch up on the news, take a look at this list.

Be sure to keep an eye out on medillDC.net for original stories by Medill News Service reporters.

And follow us on Twitter @medillonthehill for the latest updates throughout the day.

kiplinger:

Every morning, we poll the staff and round up their favorite economic, financial and political reads of the day. On the agenda this morning: Europe’s crisis spills over, Google does evil, and the economics of all-you-can-eat buffets.

“Euro Woes Will Cross Pond,” by David Wessel (Wall Street…

1 week ago Short URL 1 note

kiplinger via kiplinger

top news/financial/European debt crisis/Google/Euro/

Just because NASA ended its Space Shuttle program doesn’t mean it’s done with space exploration. Take a look at the Mars rover’s self-portrait! discoverynews: Mars Rover Snaps Stunning Self-Portrait NASA put together this artsy image of Mars rover Opportunity getting a glimpse of its own shadow on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The robotic geologist used its panoramic camera to take about a dozen shots using an assortment of filters between about 4:30 and 5 p.m. Mars time on March 9. The images were transmitted back to Earth where a team of scientists assembled them into this mosaic, which was released Wednesday. keep reading

Just because NASA ended its Space Shuttle program doesn’t mean it’s done with space exploration.

Take a look at the Mars rover’s self-portrait!

discoverynews:

Mars Rover Snaps Stunning Self-Portrait

NASA put together this artsy image of Mars rover Opportunity getting a glimpse of its own shadow on the rim of Endeavour Crater. The robotic geologist used its panoramic camera to take about a dozen shots using an assortment of filters between about 4:30 and 5 p.m. Mars time on March 9.

The images were transmitted back to Earth where a team of scientists assembled them into this mosaic, which was released Wednesday.

keep reading

1 week ago Short URL 545 notes

discoverynews via discoverynews

NASA/space/Mars/rover/

Medill News Service reporter Susanna Pak has been covering news about the Postal Service for the past several weeks. Check out her work (and the work of her colleagues) on medillDC.net. Take a look at the chart to compare how much it costs Americans to send a piece of mail to what people in other parts of the world spend.  futurejournalismproject: The Cost of Snail Mail Yesterday’s chart from the Economist about the cost of sending snail mail caught my attention for two reasons: If I think about it — and since I saw the chart I started thinking about it — I’m still amazed that you can give some entity a physical object and they’ll deliver it pretty much anywhere for 45 cents (in the US). Then again, the US Postal Service loses $25 million per day. A few weeks ago, I sent my first physical letter in about as long as I can remember. I’d received an invoice for two cents so put three pennies in an envelope with a note telling them to keep the change. Image: Cost of Sending a Standard-Sized Letter Domestically, via the Economist.

Medill News Service reporter Susanna Pak has been covering news about the Postal Service for the past several weeks. Check out her work (and the work of her colleagues) on medillDC.net.

Take a look at the chart to compare how much it costs Americans to send a piece of mail to what people in other parts of the world spend. 

futurejournalismproject:

The Cost of Snail Mail

Yesterday’s chart from the Economist about the cost of sending snail mail caught my attention for two reasons:

  • If I think about it — and since I saw the chart I started thinking about it — I’m still amazed that you can give some entity a physical object and they’ll deliver it pretty much anywhere for 45 cents (in the US). Then again, the US Postal Service loses $25 million per day.
  • A few weeks ago, I sent my first physical letter in about as long as I can remember. I’d received an invoice for two cents so put three pennies in an envelope with a note telling them to keep the change.

Image: Cost of Sending a Standard-Sized Letter Domestically, via the Economist.

1 week ago Short URL 19 notes

futurejournalismproject via futurejournalismproject

Postal Service/USPS/post office/mail/letter/

The Once-Classified Model Used to Plot Bin Laden's Death Took Six Weeks to Build

This is the once-classified model of Osama Bin Laden’s compound—the one used to plan the Navy SEAL raid against the terrorist leader. From a distance, this model could be a piece you’d see in a museum, but in the details, you’ll see the painstaking work that went into this tool which helped…

1 week ago Short URL