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Code Blue
Great slice-of-bureaucratic-life story in the Washington Post today about the State Department's Operations Center, where 60 foreign service officers and other federal employees work round-the-clock to handle highly sensitive worldwide diplomatic communications.
Best anecdote:
[The center has a] Barbie-size wooden outhouse, nailed to a beam, fitted with a miniature blue bulb."I'm going blue!" duty desk officers call out when they stand up to go to the bathroom. They flip a switch, triggering a blue glow from the outhouse. As on an airplane, the light signals: Bathroom occupied; remain in your seats. Work stations must be staffed in case of an emergency.
Tom Shoop is vice president and editor in chief at Government Executive Media Group, where he oversees both print and online editorial operations. He started as associate editor of Government Executive magazine in 1989; launched the company’s flagship website, GovExec.com, in 1996; and was named editor in chief in 2007.
