Aside

Tom Friedman: “On Sept. 11, 2001, the OPEC basket oil price was $25.50 a barrel. On Nov. 13, 2007, the OPEC basket price was around $90 a barrel.” This is absurd.

The New York Times: Renewal is about policy; it’s also about symbolism. Which brings us to Barack Hussein Obama, the Democratic candidate with a Kenyan father, a Kansan mother, an Indonesian stepfather, a childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia and impressionable experience of the Muslim world. If the globe can’t vote next November, it can find itself in Obama. Troubled by the violent chasm between the West and the Islamic world? Obama seems to bridge it. Disturbed by the gulf between…

The interview went awesomely! MC Hammer was a gentleman and was happy to let me monopolize his time for the better part of an hour. After the interview, we totally geeked out, comparing our iPhones — he was giddy over the Labrnyinth game for the iPhone. He was cooler than I ever could have imagined.

While I normally don’t write about what I’m working on until after it’s done, I’m really stoked to be able to have the chance to sit down tomorrow with MC Hammer, on behalf of NPR! I totally bought his album — on TAPE — when I was in fifth grade. So, if there’s anything that you’ve ever wanted to know about him, now’s your chance. Give me some questions in the comments, and I’ll do my best to ask him.…

This past weekend, got a rare opportunity to sit down with Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former Iranian vice president and probably the highest-ranking (former) government blogger.

I have a small but (hopefully) growing collection of Bay Bridge iconography, including a poster from Bay Bridge Coffee. On eBay I found some neat stuff, including a stamp that I just bought:

Wired News: By Cyrus Farivar A recent application to build the first American nuclear power plant in nearly 30 years has the nuclear community aglow with talk of possible industry resurgence. In September 2007, NRG Energy filed a proposal with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a nuclear power plant in Texas. Last month, NuStart, a nuclear consortium, also filed an application. These represent the leading edge of a wave of renewed interest in domestic nuclear energy. “We are expecting…

Blue Scholars always know how to rock a stage — so drop a Hamilton, and join me at Café du Nord!

Reuters: DAKAR (Reuters) – As it steams down the West African coast, the USS Fort McHenry faces one of its toughest battles: to convince skeptical Africans their continent can benefit from more U.S. military involvement. The 600-foot (185-metre) ship, which saw combat in the first Gulf War, is embarking on a six-month mission to train West African navies to fight drug smuggling and maritime security threats in a region which supplies nearly a fifth of U.S. oil imports, rivaling the…