Christopher Swope

Recent Articles

• Fenty v. Bobb
• Oct 17, 2006
• Here comes the next battle royale for control of a big-city school system. And it's happening right here on the streets below the 13th floor. ...

• Heads Up: 10.16.06
• Oct 16, 2006
• Why do fewer people vote these days? WSJ (paid subsc) Forget hacking. Vote fraud's real problem is the voter database. MIT Tech Review Inner city ...
• 2 Comments

• Fried Coke Is It
• Oct 10, 2006
• You've probably heard about "fried Coke," the latest delicacy at the fried-food bonanza that is the Texas State Fair. Well, I had the ...
• 6 Comments

• Happy Columbus Day!
• Oct 8, 2006
• We're not working today because, frankly, neither are you. This is a new holiday for us here on the 13th floor -- thanks HR! -- ...
• 4 Comments

• Flackalicious
• Oct 5, 2006
• Reporters generally dislike press spokespeople. That's mostly because the P.R. folks, whom we call "flacks," make more money than we do. But ...
• 4 Comments

• Heads Up: 10.5.06
• Oct 5, 2006
• Mormons like walkability in SLC. Salt Lake Tribune Are online classes easy As? UC cracks down. SacBee "Do they wear shoes?" One city's ...

• An Inconvenient Poll
• Oct 4, 2006
• Still doubting global warming? Alaskans aren't--and they have a better read on the situation than the rest of us. A new poll shows that four ...

• Heads Up: 10.4.06
• Oct 4, 2006
• Who are all those Goldman Sachs alums running New Jersey? NY Times Omaha discovers urban design. Metropolis What to do with that obsolete convention center? ...

• Modern or Mundane?
• Oct 2, 2006
• As I wrote in October's Governing, mid-century modernism is turning 50. That means a slew of ranch houses, boxy glass office buildings and mimimalist concrete monuments ...
• 8 Comments

• Honey, Our House is Historic!
• Oct 1, 2006
• Buildings from the mid-20th century are becoming eligible for landmark status. Local governments are trying to decide which are worth preserving.

• Hear Evil, See No Evil
• Sep 22, 2006
• Now I'm all in favor of town hall meetings, feedback sessions, listening tours, whatever you want to call 'em. But this is pretty funny. The ...

• How to Hack a Voting Machine
• Sep 19, 2006
• Wanna know how to hack the election? Not only have some scientists at Princeton told us how to do it. They've also made a hacker-friendly ...

• What's Really in McGreevey's Closet
• Sep 15, 2006
• Brace yourselves. In the next week you'll hear more than you probably cared to know about Jim McGreevey's sex life. As the ex-NJ Guv's tell-all ...

• On the Fence '06
• Sep 6, 2006
• DC Mayor: Who Should Chris Vote For? Boring Establishment Candidate Brash Charismatic Candidate Make Free Polls Help! Next Tuesday, we here in Washington, D.C., ...

• The Clean-Coal Contest
• Sep 1, 2006
• Illinois and Texas are competing to host a demonstration project they hope will ignite a whole new industry.