Blog posts

Two links worth passing on here. I’ve been meaning to post about The Polyphonic Spree’s new album. I never quite get there, and the cancellation of their Grand Rapids show contributed to that failure. But it is worth noting that at least one member has appeared on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. On an entirely different (I think) note, Change for America carried this piece on the state of journalism in the US. The story is worth it for the Jon Stewart link alone. ...

A brief glance at email this evening proved rewarding given this notice from the USCIS Status Monitor: On August 6, 2004, after approving your application, we ordered you a new card. Your card will be mailed to you as soon as it is ready. No mention of how long that will be, but it is rather reassuring to know that should someone offer me a job I’d be able to take it! ...

John Kerry may be the best option for America, but he’d be hard pressed to make a case that he’s the most punctual. Today we queued with what organisers claimed was between twelve and twenty thousand others (I’d guess more like ten, though Michigan Radio say City Officials concur with the twenty) to join what we’re told was Grand Rapids’ biggest ever political rally and hear the man put his case. The merchandise peddlers along the line provided some entertainment (the claims from one that his wares were “ebay ready” produced the largest smile) but it showed the faithful’s commitment that many spent more than two hours queueing in the sweltering heat. ...

A number of people have asked me since my move how I perceive the difference between politics in the US and the UK. Another article in Sunday’s New York Times neatly summed it up, showing the gap between the approval rating of the president by the members of his own party and the rating by members of the opposing party. This year, that gap is the widest it has ever been in an election year(84% vs. 16%). To my mind, it is polarisation that marks out American politics, at least as presented in the media. ...

It could be that several days away from home, cut off from my usual news fix dealers, caused a build up of outrage withdrawal. Or it could be that my skin isn’t as thick and my political outlook not so jaded as it can be tempting to believe. Whatever the cause, this front page story of Sunday’s New York Times set a bunsen burner in my blood vessels. ...

For several years now there has been debate about the value of what Margaret Hodge (former HE minister) named Mickey Mouse degrees. In the midst of successive governments’ pushes for more vocational qualifications and a decline in applications for many traditional science-based courses, universities began to come up with new programmes. Brewing was perhaps the most notorious, but the University of Plymouth’s Surfing degree also attracted its share of sniggers. ...

We’ve spent the past two days in Chicago. Travelling to Chicago used to mean returning to O’Hare. A flight back to the UK (hopefully direct) and a return to a lifestyle of late night phone calls and tricky planning. That anticipation has still been lingering in the back of my mind each of the last three times we’ve driven here, the approach of the Skyway indicating the approaching departure. Even whilst considering the approaching flight, I’ve always enjoyed the entry into Chicago. Once the smoke stacks, fumes and less than fragrant emanations of Gary, Indiana, are passed the post-industrial landscape of the eastern fringes of Chicago quickly surround us and I enjoy the return to something I can more easily identify as a City. ...

Questions as to how I spend my time are becoming a familiar part of any social event. It’s still something of a mystery to me how full my days seem to be. But I think it’s at least partly the fault of my propensity for getting caught up in projects and often reinventing the wheel. In part inspired by Matt’s first project at the BBC, in part by requests from pab for photos, and by a fair pinch of curiosity, I’ve spent the last day or two putting together a system to allow me to photoblog from my mobile phone. ...

Today’s Morning Edition on NPR featured an interview that in its few minutes reminded me exactly what I’m finding frustrating about US news media. The interview was with Donald H Rumsfeld, former arms trade negotiator, latterly US Defense Secretary. Now, I find any interview with that man frustrating, but today my key problem was with the interviewer: senior NPR news man Juan Williams. When questioned about the prospect of the return of the draft, Rumsfeld qualified his claim that he would “absolutely” rule it out (were it a personal decision) with the statement: I’m not the Government of the United States, I’m just one person. ...

While seated in the USCIS waiting area on Wednesday, in a rare moment of prising myself away from their most informative television narrowcasts, I saw a poster proclaiming their motto: Respect. Integrity. Ingenuity. The irony of those words is palpable. While I’d rather not speak to the second term chosen it would seem that the USCIS need a little tuition on the meaning of the first and last. A Respectful immigration system would, at the very least, keep those immersed in it up to date with accurate information about how their application was going. It would not slow down, speed up, or add paperwork at government whim, but would instead provide clear, useful advice and offer a date on which the review of the case would be completed. Obviously it cannot offer complete security for those making plans (applications may be turned down), but it would do what it could to help those people taking the time and going to the effort of jumping through its hoops. ...