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It's Time to End the Cuba Travel Ban (the Embargo Too)
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2009 Comment (15)By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Might there finally be movement on getting rid of the inane, archaic embargo of Cuba? Senators and House members from both parties are introducing legislation that would blow a pretty big hole in the embargo by allowing U.S. citizens to travel to our southern neighbor.
To be clear: The trade embargo would still be in place, but tourism would be good to go. So a company couldn't do business in Cuba, but any of us could fly down there and flood the place with dollars. It's a start, and I'll take it.
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The End of a Yankee Stadium Era: Bob Sheppard Retires
Tweet Share on Facebook April 1, 2009 CommentBy Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
The new Yankee Stadium really won't be the same: Bob Sheppard, the Yankees' public address announcer since 1951, has retired, according to The New York Times. He is 98. He was literally the voice of the stadium—ask any Yankees fan and they'll give you a Bob Sheppard impression. The mind reels at the notion of Bronx Bombers games without his unhurried accompaniment. The Yankees reached the World Series 22 times in Sheppard's 58 years—maybe if they make it this year, they can bring him back to announce the lineup.
Update: Peter Abraham of the invaluable LoHud Yankees Blog, among other outlets, reports that the Yankees are refuting the Times' retirement story. So maybe Sheppard hasn't retired yet. But, as Abraham points out, the odds of his returning to the stadium mic are "slim."
