(no subject)
After my last post,
trooper221 asked me for my lists of what I read and listen to now. Keep in mind I only have time to write this up because I'm a lazy waste and took an extra day off today. Here ya go:
News- One of the wonderful things about my job right now is that I probably spend about 15% of my time reading the news to write a weekly report and other updates for my bosses and CDC leadership. To do that, every day I read:
New York Times
Washington Post
Wall Street Journal
Congressional Quarterly (subscription required; I also get daily news emails from their HealthBeat, BudgetTracker, Homeland Security, and daily news update services)
CongressDaily (subscription only)
The Hill
Roll Call
Politico
Blogs and Columnists- I read all of the following when I have the time:
Times columnists- I like Krugman, Kristof, and usually Friedman. I dislike Maureen Dowd and only read her when Alan sends her stuff to me.
Post columnists- I love George Will and read Broder, Samuelson, and others if the topic grabs me.
Ben Smith- the best summary coverage of the Democratic presidential race I'm aware of. I also usually link off his blogroll to read other liberal blogs.
The Fix- The Post's election blog.
Andrew Sullivan- I've been reading Andrew Sullivan on and off for years. He's generally conservative, but not a super hawk and very pro-gay marriage (his book on the topic is excellent).
Effect Measure- a "progressive" public health blog; it's good, but I wish they would focus a bit more tightly on public health rather than the liberal topic du jour. I haven't been able to find a good alternative, or a blog that focuses more on policy, so it'll do.
Bill Simmons- I've been reading the Sports Guy for years now and still find him funny as hell. Good Boston sports insight, hilarious chats and running diaries of big sports and pop culture events.
Buster Olney- the best summary coverage of baseball news I've seen; he posts almost every day with a roundup of stories from major team-city newspapers and usually adds a bit of his own analysis and a box for fantasy news.
Keith Law- my favorite baseball analyst; he focuses on scouting and player development a bit much for my tastes, but he's brilliant.
Keith Law- his personal blog; contains some baseball thoughts but mostly discussion of books, restaurants, cooking, foreign language, economics, and other fun stuff. Equally insightful.
Rob Neyer- not as good as Law (imo), but still worth reading.
The New Republic- Often pretentious and snooty, but good stuff on politics and social thought.
The American Prospect- Less pretentious.
Slice- best pizza blog out there.
Appropos of Something- My friend Jess from grad school writes a great pop culture blog. Funny stuff.
Podcasts- I subscribe to a bunch, but only regularly listen to (all off iTunes):
The B.S. Report- Bill Simmons podcast
NPR podcasts- Marketplace, Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, CarTalk, Fresh Air, Robert Reich commentaries, It's All Politics, and Health & Science
SModcast- Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier of Clerks/Mallrats/Chasing Amy/etc. fame
Meet the Press (in case I don't catch it on TV)
CDC podcasts
ESPN Baseball Today, PTI, and Fantasy Focus
Still seeking recommendations for any other good stuff I'm leaving out...