Chester Higgins Jr./The New York TimesSteve Mendelsohn, who died on Wednesday, oversaw a communications system for the New York City Marathon made up of ham radio operators for over three decades. Here he is shown last year at the finish line in Central Park. For each of the 36 years that the New York City Marathon has existed as a five-borough race, Steve Mendelsohn could be found in the lead vehicle with the race director, cruising along with the lead male runner and relaying messages on his ham radio.But in November, Mr. Mendelsohn will not be there. He died Wednesday morning of pancreatic cancer at his home in Dumont, N.J., said his wife, Heidi. He was 67.As the marathon’s longtime communications director, Mr. Mendelsohn was ... Continue reading →
By Alli Knothe, Globe Correspondent The Harvard alumni directory for the class of 1962, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, contains a bizarre entry for Ted Kaczynski, the graduate who went on to send deadly bombs through the mail as the mysterious and elusive Unabomber. While many of his classmates sent in lengthy updates on their lives for the 2 ½-inch-thick “red book,” the entry for Theodore John Kaczynski only contains nine lines. The listing says his occupation is “Prisoner,” and his home address is “No. 04475-046, US Penitentiary—Max, P.O. Box 8500, Florence, CO 8126-8500.” Under the awards section, the listing says, “Eight life sentences, issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, 1998.” Kaczynski’s name was also included in ... Continue reading →
An unflappable lawyer, he could be a future attorney general, Supreme Court justice, or director of the FBI. Let's hope he comes back to public service. Reuters U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who announced Wednesday that he will soon leave the Justice Department after 24 years of remarkable service to his country, is a transcendent figure in contemporary American law. He could -- and should -- be the next attorney general of the United States. He could -- and should -- be the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He could -- and should -- be the next justice of the United States Supreme Court. He would excel in each of these offices. And each, frankly, could use a dose of him right about ... Continue reading →
An unflappable lawyer, he could be a future attorney general, Supreme Court justice, or director of the FBI. Let's hope he comes back to public service. Reuters U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who announced Wednesday that he will soon leave the Justice Department after 24 years of remarkable service to his country, is a transcendent figure in contemporary American law. He could -- and should -- be the next attorney general of the United States. He could -- and should -- be the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He could -- and should -- be the next justice of the United States Supreme Court. He would excel in each of these offices. And each, frankly, could use a dose of him right about ... Continue reading →
When journalist Bob Schieffer isn’t wearing his newsman suits, he dons blue jeans and joins the award-winning band Honky Tonk Confidential. Bob Schieffer and Honky Tonk Confidential hogged the spotlight at Hill Country. (Sylvia Lin - Hill Country) They’ve even played the Grand Ole Opry. And on June 14, the band and Schieffer will perform in a special Flag Day event at the National Museum of American History. The retro/alt country band will interpret songs popular during the Civil War in conjunction with a gift to the Smithsonian of Broadcast Music Inc. Archives Confederate Music Collection. Schieffer, the chief Washington correspondent for CBS, has been the moderator of CBS “Face The Nation” since 1991. On the side he writes songs and performs. The program begins ... Continue reading →
You know that an analysis of modern politics is careening toward "false equivalence" territory when it says that "extremists of the right and left" are, in their symmetrical and indistinguishable way, messing things up for the rest of us.I've kept looking for a particular data-point that would substantiate the idea that today's dysfunction really is symmetrical: the moment when "extremists on the right" would crack down on one of their own for rigid and inflexible views. There have been inklings: for instance, Newt Gingrich's line early in the campaign that "right-wing social engineering" via the Ryan Budget was as bad as the left-wing kind; also, numerous Republicans' attempts to distance themselves from pure birtherism. Or the general GOP admission that Sarah Palin was perhaps not ... Continue reading →
