July 2009 Archives
07/24/09 12:55 AM
What do you get for a $15,000 dinner with the President? Try crab cakes, baseball highlights and a chance to debate the Honduran coup
A highly-placed kitchen source told Mike that the buffet for the 100 attendees included rack of lamb, beef tenderloin; Ahi tuna; crab cakes; mushroom tart; lobster and shrimp jambalaya; flat breads with chutney and goat cheese; and rice crackers and seaweed salad.
07/21/09 10:45 AM
Sex Degrees of Separation: The Fight for Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat
Admittedly, the nation's cable-fueled interest in
So now the race is a total muddle with only one sure thing: moderate Republican congressman Mark Kirk, who announced his candidacy Sunday, is supported by his newly ex-wife. This does serve as a reminder of the complexity of passions linked to this seat.
Read More07/21/09 8:27 AM
A British Lesson for American Media: Just Say No to Boring
At the end of a quickie trek to a nephew's wedding in Cambridge, and with unceasing rain allowing too many hours of newspaper consumption, I'm also reminded about a frequent self-inflicted wound back home: Too many of our papers tend to be a snooze.
Read MoreThe political strategy for any nominee who appears before the Judiciary Committee is crystal clear: Say as little as possible about your actual views of cases or your personal opinions. Of course, you should be prepared to be overtly contrite about controversial minutiae, specifically Tuesday morning hyperventilating over the now legendary "wise
But why not? What about being open and candid about your views?
07/11/09 9:14 AM
The rough justice of American politics: Senator Roland Burris exits, anonymity beckons
Roland Burris, please meet Ralph Tyler Smith.
While waiting for a prosecutor friend in the
I googled to find out that Smith was an Illinois Republican legislator who was appointed to fill Dirksen's seat and served all of 14 months before losing a special election. So perhaps the rededication was one of the highlights of his Senate career. I did not know his name.
An hour or so later, my friends at MSNBC called to ask if I could shortly opine on Burris' imminent public announcement that he would not seek a full six-year term after his controversial appointment by then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to fill President Obama's Senate seat. My prosecutor chum and I were nearly finished with our Chinese dim sum, so I said sure.
07/07/09 7:28 AM
The black, white and brown of retirement savings: New study underscores perilous racial and ethnic differences
African-Americans and Hispanics confront the near certainty of sharply reduced retirement savings than whites and Asian Americans because they participate less in 401(k) plans and are more likely to withdraw money from them when they do, according to a study of racial and ethnic disparities in savings and investing behavior.
A provocative study of about three million Americans, mostly employed at Fortune 500 companies, is being unveiled Tuesday and was overseen by Chicago's Ariel Education Initiative and Hewitt Associates, a prominent benefits processing and consulting firm. It was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. Titled, "401(k) Plans in Living Color: A Study of 401(k) Savings Disparities Across Racial and Ethnic Groups--The Ariel/Hewitt Study," it can be found at www.arielinvestments.com or www.hewitt.com.
As notable as the actual data appear to be, the study underscores a more fundamental reality, namely what has been the rather rapid shift to individual initiative and responsibility when it comes to dealing with retirement savings. Critical questions, such as whether one is saving enough or the impact of inflation on savings, simply can't wait until a worker is actually retired. Ignorance and inattention can be devastating, and may well prove to be for many minorities.
