Read My Palms

Or your own palms.

Or someone else's palms.

Or maybe another part of their body entirely.

Confused? Read this.

Be forewarned, some folks find it to be a little gross.

Vice President Gerald Ford?

No presidential scholar am I. Nor any other type of scholar. But I am a curious dude. And I found this hella interesting:

In 1980, as Ford was being wooed to run for vice president, Dick Cheney played a key role in re-imagining the job.

Pollsters spoke of a "dream ticket" after Ronald Reagan won the 1980 Republican nomination and talk turned to Gerald Ford as his No. 2. Aides to both men tried to negotiate arrangements that might lure a former commander in chief into a secondary position.

"Ford made a number of requests in terms of his influence over the budget, personnel, foreign policy, et cetera," (Dick) Cheney said. "I can remember sitting in a session with Bill Casey, who later became CIA director. Bill had a list of items that in fact the Reagan people were prepared to discuss. They went a long way toward trying to accommodate President Ford."

Tempted, but wary of splintering presidential authority, Ford finally withdrew his name.

I've never heard that before. That Gerald Ford was Reagan's choice prior to Bush the First. Makes sense, though. The Republicans are an especially incestuous bunch when it comes to filling offices.

And there's no better example than the Bushes and Dick Cheney. Who has reconstructed the office of the Vice Presidency so that it's a COO-type position that builds and maintains the legal structure within which the President-as-CEO operates. That's particularly important when the Executive Branch exerts a monarch-ish kind of power.

The Washington Post has exhaustingly chronicled the transformation of the VP's office. And gets credit for the Gerald Ford anecdote above.

My New Favorite People

I'm a little bit late on this one. But I just discovered Time magazine's annual issue dedicated to the 100 Most Specialest People on Earth. I know there's a more proper title than that, but nothing that gets right to the heart of the matter.

And the heart of the matter is that Gary Kasparov and Lisa Randall are my new favorite people.

I dig on Lisa Randall because her work defies gravity. Sort of. More to the point, she's on the verge of figuring out exactly what, other than all of us here on earth, is out there in the time-space continuum.

I dig on Gary Kasparaov because he defies authority. And that's saying a whole lot when you're talking about Mother Russia. More to the point, he's on the verge of checkmating those who run his country. Not sure yet whether I agree that it's been run into the ground, but I do admire the moxie of a man who is willing to put his good name on the line in support of his own principles.

Now, if only we could get Lisa and Gary in the same room, maybe we could solve the mystery of what the hell happened to Bobby Fischer.

That Guy Who Invented the Post-It

Really.

For serious.

Here's his story.