Earlier today, former Governor and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh joined our team of contributing recovering politicians.
We thought it was appropriate then to share the video of his moving speech in which he announced that he would not seek a third term in the U.S. Senate. The themes he strikes — a lack of civility in politics, the hyper-partisanship of Washington — are many of the same messages that animated the creation of The Recovering Politician.
So sit back and enjoy our RPTV Friday Video Flashback:
By Chris Schulz, RP Staff, on Fri Jun 3, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
Politics of the Planet
Life is discovered at new depths beneath the Earth’s surface. [bbc]
Countries abroad are leasing or buying land in Africa to grow wheat. This could lead to the destabilization of African countries, especially Egypt. [nytimes]
UK report claims that “nature is worth billions”. [bbc]
The food pyramid undergoes a change. Vegetables are more important and grains and meat are less important, will this help to change our farming system? [cnn]
Bees and beekeeping are vital to all aspects of our food supply, but they’re numbers are dropping at an alarming rate. [washingtonpost]
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Fri Jun 3, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
A rare strain of E.coli has spread to 10 countries and is blamed for 16 deaths and hundreds of illnesses… Is the United States next? [CNN]
New research indicates that crossing your arms actually helps you manage pain better. No, we’re not making this up. [Time]
Yesterday the USDA introduced new nutrition guidelines that relate healthy eating to portions on a plate, to rave reviews. [USA Today]
The New York Times offers tips for those of us who still can’t get a good night’s sleep. [NY Times]
If this isn’t a sign that our world needs to unplug, I don’t know what is: a 17-year-old in China sold his kidney on the black market to pay for an iPad 2. [Techland]
Yesterday on the RP, we highlighted a recent study that concludes that bilingualism may significantly inhibit or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. As an added benefit, speaking another language may help (and even alter!) your sex life. According to Dr. Yvonne Fulbright, speaking even a few lines of a foreign language when you faire l’amour could potentially give you “multiple personalities” in the boudoir and, thus, “keep things fresh and exciting in Swedish, German, Spanish, Italian . . .” Je t’aime, je t’aime mon petit chou!! Sultry Sex Talk to Seduce Any Lover
Speaking of Swedish, apparently Swedish erotica can significantly decrease in a relationship when one or both partners partake in a long commute to work. A Swedish researcher found that a couple is 40% more likely to separate if a job calls for a long commute. Lesson for lovers: stay close to home! US News and World Report
And if you’re gay, and your home is one of these cities, you can stay close to home and feel comfortable in and welcomed by your community. Check out six “surprising” places it’s great to be gay. (And your correspondent’s hometown is one of them.) AlterNet
Finally, check out this interesting article from Canada about the “sexual economy.” Apparently, marriage is the highest price that one can “pay” for sex, and fewer women are demanding that price these days. Increasing co-habitation is the result. You know, there’s an economic theory for everything. Tell us what you think! Ottawa Citizen
Our newest contributing recovering politician was a Secretary of State, two-term Governor, two-term Senator, and on the short-list of potential Vice Presidential nominees three times. So Evan Bayh needs little introduction. Suffice it to say that the centrist Democrat is one of the most well-known and well-respected recovering politicians in the country.
In this week’s edition of RPTV’s Fifteen Minutes of Fame, Bayh shares his thoughts about political retirement, the virtue of public service, and the fiscal course our nation faces. Enjoy this interview as the RP welcomes Bayh to The Recovering Politician:
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jun 2, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET
I’m thrilled to report that our highest profile contributing RP yet, Evan Bayh, will be joining the team tomorrow morning at The Recovering Politician.
For those of you who don’t follow politics or read the newspaper, Evan Bayh is the former two-term Governor and two-term U.S. Senator from Indiana, who chose not to run for a third term in 2010 because he had tired of the hyper-partisanship and polarization in Washington.
Tomorrow morning, we will have a special, personal episode of RPTV in which Bayh and I discuss his post-politics life, his reflection on the merits of public service, and his judgment on today’s great budget debates.
I hope you will join us first thing tomorrow morning for Evan Bayh, and stay with us the rest of the day for our usual feast of civil dialogue.
By Zack Adams, RP Staff, on Thu Jun 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM ET
The Politics of Speed
If you haven’t heard, the 100th annual Indianapolis 500 was this past weekend. Dan Wheldon drank the milk and came away with his second Indy 500 win on the heels of one of the most dramatic finishes in racing history. Sure, the events at the end of the race with rookie J.R. Hildebrand leading were unbelievable, but was his wreck on the final turn one of the biggest choke-jobs in sports history? What do you think? [ESPN]
The time is right for Danica Patrick to make the leap from Indy car driver and part-time NASCAR driver to a full-time stock car driver for NASCAR. [NASCAR.com]
Never lie to a drifter about your drifting credentials. Make sure you click the CC button to get English subtitles. [Youtube]
While we are on drifting here is Ken Block’s Gymkhana. One of the most amazing runs you are going to see. You can’t help but love this if you are into drifting and if you’re not, you may be converted. You have been warned. [Youtube]
Finally, I’ll send you home today with the Ten Coolest Futuristic Movie Cars. [Jalopnik]
As we previewed a few hours ago, the RP, contributing RP Lisa Borders, and a bipartisan group of national leaders, committed to promoting civility and bipartisan solutions to the nation’s toughest problems, have launched No Labels Radio.
No Labels is a new grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are united in the belief that we do not have to give up our labels, merely put them aside to do what’s best for America. No Labels Radio will offer a weekly dose of news and interviews with the policymakers who are working to find bipartisan answers to the otherwise intractable problems our country faces.
In the Bush (W)-era of the 21st Century, undocumented aliens in the United States were often rounded up at work sites, breaking up families and communities and scaring the cajones off individual workers—not employers. Breaking with that tradition, the Obama administration is quietly going after employers that knowingly hire people who clearly cannot satisfy their I-9 requirements. Will this approach finally get employers to push for immigration reform? New York Times
What do you call someone that speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call someone that speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone that speaks one language? American. Here’s just one more among thousands of reasons to learn at least one other language. Allez-y!! The Bilingual Advantage
Many North Americans tend to lump all Latinos into one group: Mexican. But, of course, the Latino community is much more diverse than that. So please don’t ask your Hispanic neighbor if he “speaks Mexican.” Pew Research Center
And speaking of diversity, check out the latest installment of the always interesting, funky and fun Alt.Latino: The Show. ¡Es fantastico!
Our very own contributing RP, Andrei Cherny, recent launched an initiative to focus attention on small business development in Arizona. He wrote about it in an op-ed in the Arizona Republic:
As a businessperson, I’ve seen Arizona fall behind our economic competitors – around America and around the world. As chair of the Arizona Democrats, I’ve made it a priority for us to offer leadership that will help turn our economy around.
That’s why we recently held the first meeting of our new Business and Entrepreneurship Council, a group of Arizona business leaders committed to pushing new ideas that will bring back jobs and spur economic growth.
As I looked around the room at the start of our meeting, I saw businesspeople ranging from leaders of Arizona’s largest businesses to entrepreneurs of high-tech startups to owners of “mom and pop” small businesses. The people there were Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.
