Nocturnal News Update

So clearly, because I have nothing better to do with my time, (and well, let's be honest, neither do you if you're actually reading this), here are some interesting news tidbits that should keep you occupied for the next couple hours if you're also finding sleep to be elusive:

First, here's a guy whose not exactly in the running for father of the year; after all, he left his son behind while swimming in the Dead Sea.

Yankee Stadium was certainly the place to be this past weekend, what with A-Rod hitting his 500th homer on Saturday and Matsui getting his 100th long ball yesterday. However, can't say the same for things over on the west coast, where Angel Stadium seems to have a slight rodent problem (um, gross) and another record-breaking shot was greeted with a mixture of boos, cheers and nonchalance, on the part of commissioner Bud Selig.

But of course, life is more than just sports, so we turn now to the state of our country. There was a really interesting opinion piece in the Post about how the United States has slipped and fallen one too many times on the global stage, and something needs to be done.

While I was reading that article, a sad thought entered my head. Change takes a long time, and even if we start now, turning this country around is going to take fifty or a hundred years. And more likely than not, I'm not going to be around to see the effects of those changes. Think about it, George Marshall isn't around to see the legacy of his plan to reconstruct Europe in the wake of WWII. FDR isn't here today to see how dependent we've become on many of his New Deal Programs, especially Social Security. I guess when working in the government, you have to accept that no matter who you are, whether you're a lowly House intern or the president him(her) self, you're just one small piece in the jigsaw puzzle that makes up the institution. You've just got to have faith that the job you're doing now will someday make a difference to someone. If fame is what you're after, the government is the last place you should be looking.