2008 Woodie Awards
Break out the pantsuits, ReAnne! Hillary is set to be named Secretary of State in the Obama administration, according to the Guardian.
Of course, Obama will not repeat McCain’s mistakes–I’m sure his team is vetting the hell out of the Clinton family. Sure hope Chelsea hasn’t gotten knocked up! I’m also wondering how much vetting is really necessary… we all know what Bill does in his spare time… (from NYT)
A team of lawyers trying to facilitate the potential nomination spent the weekend looking into Mr. Clinton’s philanthropic organization, interactions with foreign governments and ties to pharmaceutical companies, a Democrat close to both camps said. While Mr. Clinton has used his foundation to champion efforts to fight AIDS, poverty and climate change around the world, he has also taken millions in speaking fees and contributions from foreign officials and businesses with interests in American governmental policies.
In any case, I think that Hillary will probably be a great Sec. of State. Congratulations to Mrs. Clinton!
I think a response is in order to ReAnne and the subject of her recent post, this guy, Henry Alford. Alford has been on a crusade to get people to use better manners by making the apologies that others should be making. For example, Alford was buying an apple in a grocery store. The clerk dropped the apple, so Alford apologized.
Alford commented that, faced with the strange apology, the clerk stared off into space, “as if receiving instructions from outer space.” I think I know what the problem is– he should’ve apologized with a text message.
Whether sitting in a bar with a few friends, or watching a movie at someone’s apartment, I’ve been in situations where EVERY SINGLE PERSON is sending text messages! Screw talking, and forget those around you. Text text text!
Alford should’ve texted the clerk–that would’ve gotten her attention. As to those walking on the wrong side of the sidewalk? I’m sure today you’ll see someone in that situation, due to texting. I’d venture that this could be the case with some Topeka drivers (I know this is true– I know texting drivers).
Awkward silence in a coversation? Don’t talk about the weather. Instead, whip out your cell phone and SMS your BFF. I’m not old enough to really remember the day when email went from niche to mainstream, but I’m sure that these conversations happened then. “Oh my gawd! People aren’t sending letters anymore!”
I know it happened with Bluetooth. You can’t tell if someone is talking to you, to someone on the phone, or to their crazy self. The point is, this transition from our old mannerisms to our modern self-centered selves is constant. Alford can apologize all he wants, he can’t stop change. Rather, Alford should leapfrog our progression to barbarism. Rather than buying the apple, he should steal it. Rather than walking on the sidewalk, tear up the grass. Lead the pack, make a viking helmet, and abandon english for primal grunts.
I am not sure how I feel about this guy’s campaignfor better manners, but I do agree that people’s manners are gastly.
Why do I get dirty looks when I walk on the right side of the road - in the face of someone who is walking the wrong way? This is particularly true of the stairs in Henderson as the mass of people fill the stairway and the poor schmuck who is trying to make it to class can’t because there are idiots who can’t figure out the “going down ONE side of the stairway” rule. Sure, as an American, I love order, and I also love people saying “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me.” Surely, your mothers taught you to say all of those things at the appropriate times? Perhaps not.
As we enter into the last stretches of the semester and the impending doom of finals week starts to wear our nerves thin, remember your manners. The person you are rude to (that can include snapping at them or just forgetting your manners) is probably as stressed as you are. Remember “please,” “thank you,” and, in some cases, “I’m sorry.”
This does not apply to Topeka drivers, for whom there is no excuse and thus, deserve any rage they incur.
courtesy of wsj.com
According to the Wall Street Journal, a German physician may have a technique to cure HIV. Dr. Gero Hütter transplanted bone marrow from an individual with natural HIV immunity into an infected patient. As the bone marrow began to produce white blood cells that were resistant to HIV’s attacks, the virus simply died out.
Like Louis Pasteur, Hütter exploited basic biology to find a cure to a complex problem. “I was very surprised,” said the doctor. Such an approach might keep the door open on the theories underlying gene therapy. Perhaps this will begin to replace drug cocktails, with side-effects nearly as bad as the disease.
While cautioning that the Berlin case could be a fluke, David Baltimore, who won a Nobel prize for his research on tumor viruses, deemed it “a very good sign” and a virtual “proof of principle” for gene-therapy approaches.
Just when you get cynical about medicine’s priorities, something like this happens. Congratulations to the good doctor and the patient. Here’s hoping this pans out…
So often, I want to express something, but Lexington of the Economist magazine does it better.
I am extraordinarily pleased that Barack Obama won this election - I think he is the right answer to the troublesome questions this country faces. In this election, John McCain should be remembered not as he was in the last months running up to Nov. 4 - the John McCain that preached faulty Bush rhetoric, chose Sarah Palin and looked like a zombie during presidential debates. McCain should be remembered as a man who cared about his country. His concession speech was a fantastic example of McCain’s outstanding character. I think that he surrounded himself with people who were Bush league (pun intended), this includes, above all else, Palin.
McCain spent years having his fingers broken, among other things, in Vietnam and helped his fellows during that rough period. Remember John McCain as a man who entered politics for, at least partially, the right reasons. While he was tempramental and perhaps played the “maverick” card too many times, he still shone through at the most unlikely of times - when he had only half the electoral votes of his opponent.
The unpublished thoughts of Washburn Review editors
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