Author Archives: Michael Froomkin

Root for Reince

reince_priebus_by_gage_skidmoreUM Law alumnus Reince Priebus profiled in NYT Mag as Reince Priebus, Normalizer in Chief and in Miami Herald puff, Before making his name in politics, Priebus was a force at Miami law school . The Herald article includes this:

Without exception, more than half a dozen people interviewed for this story who knew Priebus during law school described him as affable, thoughtful and kind.

Andrew Moss, who was in the same first-year section as Priebus, recounted to a Miami Herald reporter an anecdote about going to grab a bite at Wendy’s with Priebus when they were working on a project. A homeless man lay outside. Priebus didn’t have much money, Moss said, but he bought two meals and gave one to the man.

Say what you will, he’s Trump’s least crazy appointee so far — by several miles.  Whether he’ll have actual power with alt-right Bannon down the hall remains to be seen.

Posted in Trump, U.Miami | 4 Comments

Back Up All Google Data

Google Takeout–I didn’t know this was even possible, but you can download a copy of your email,  contacts, calendar, google drive, and indeed everything google, in .zip format.  Alas there is no way obvious way to automate it.  So do it right away, or you’ll forget.

Thank you to Stefan Krasowski for the pointer.

Posted in Internet | Comments Off on Back Up All Google Data

Medicare at Risk

medicare003Is Paul Ryan’s Dream of Gutting Medicare About to Come True?

The Donald Trump transition website states that the administration will “modernize Medicare”—a euphemism, according to Jonathan Cohn and Jeffrey Young at the Huffington Post, that corresponds exactly to what Ryan has in mind.

I wonder how the maker of that sign is going to feel?

Posted in Trump | 1 Comment

Epigram For a Life

“A devious man, but when cornered a patriot.”  That was Henry Kissinger’s assessment of Melivin Laird, who died today, at least as recorded by William Safire in his book Before the Fall.

For some reason, that line always stuck with me.

Posted in Politics: US | Comments Off on Epigram For a Life

Soother

Allegedly, listening to this song “was clinically proven to reduce stress levels up to 65% in the people who listened to it.” Here’s the official video verion:

Personally I’d prefer something with a hammock (and no mosquitoes):

soothing-hd-wallpaper

Posted in Science/Medicine | Comments Off on Soother

Popovich Unleashes on Trump

Greg Popovich is famous as the basketball coach who doesn’t give interviews, or gives one-word answers to silly questions.  Although my favorite had three words — his reply during a game in the Finals when he was asked for his second-half plan and he said “Score more points.”

Well, he can sure talk when he wants to, as captured in this article in the – San Antonio Express-News, Gregg Popovich uncensored: Full transcript of thoughts on Donald Trump.

Posted in Basketball, Trump | 1 Comment