First of all, happy birthday, Abe & Charles!
As we all know by now, today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of two of the most influential men in modern history, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. A few months ago, Newsweek looked into which one had a greater impact.
They picked Lincoln.
I beg to differ.
Lincoln was the leading American statesman of the 19th century and his work led to the abolition of slavery and the preservation of the Union. Pretty impressive resume.
But abolition was already a driving force in England, led by William Wilberforce, and its arrival on U.S. shores was imminent.
Darwin's theory of evolution rocked the foundations of science and religion and rewrote the lines between church and schools and government. It is still the source of contentious debate and some assert that a belief in evolution undermines belief in God -- after all, if one does not believe in the Book of Genesis, then one might as well toss the whole Bible away with it, they reason.
Whichever one had the bigger impact, it's pretty amazing that these two historic figures were born the same day, and the same year.
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I received a wonderful surprise in the mail today -- a book from Elie Wiesel personally signed to me. I had interviewed Professor Wiesel before he came to Toledo last October, and covered his speech at the University of Toledo.
He asked me to send him copies of the articles for his archives, and I did. But I never expected such a considerate gesture on his part.
Elie Wiesel is one of my heroes -- a Holocaust survivor, a great writer, author of 50 books, and a man who has devoted his life to promoting peace in the world.
I got to meet him briefly in person when he was in town but didn't ask him for an autograph. It's always a bit awkward when you are a reporter and a fan as well... I opted not to blur the line.
So receiving the book today was a real honor. He sent his novel, "A Mad Desire To Dance," and signed it: "For David, who loves stories."
Thank you, Professor!
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I got a kick out of a New York Times story that ran Sunday headlined "You Try To Live On 500K In This Town," by Alan Salkin.
It's a semi-serious look at the plight of corporate execs after President Obama put a $500,000 limit on compensation for executives whose firms received federal bailouts.
It's hard to image someone "suffering" when their salaries are "limited" to half a million, but Salkin details the expenses of the high life and they add up fast.
Especially housing. A $1.5 million condo in Manhattan, which is a moderate price for the market, costs $96,000 a year in mortgage and another $96,000 in condo fees ($16,000 per month).
Throw in the costs of income taxes, parking ($700/mo), chauffeur ($75,000-$125,000 a year), two children in private school ($64,000), wife's gowns for galas (four a year at $10,000 per dress), and that measly half a million goes fast.
It is almost, but not quite, ridiculous. The reality is that shareholders want their CEOs to exude success. They don't want their company to be led by some scruffy looking guy who commutes by bus from Hoboken.
You can read the whole story here.
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My Duke Blue Devils got thrashed last night by the dreaded Carolina Tar Heels. I had expected as much, having seen Duke get blown out by Clemson last week. And I know how good UNC is this year, with Hansbrough and Lawson and the gang.
But the problem last night was that Duke really made a go of it in the first half, coming back from an 11 point deficit to lead by 8 at the half.
Alas, it was false hope, a dastardly ruse, a pipe dream.
Carolina showed its power and might and the Devils looked foolish at the end. I turned it off with 20 seconds left, Duke down by about 16. I couldn't bear to see Coach K shake Roy Williams' hand and watch the Carolina team get delierious inside Cameron.
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Toledo, Ohio
February 12, 2009