Potato, Potatoe

Potato, Potatoe… Squid has a long memory, so when the Panetta Institute for Public Policy announced its 2026 Jefferson-Lincoln Awards, taking place on Nov. 14, Squid found Squidself jettisoned back to 1992 when Squid sported a fly neon windbreaker and a set of light-up L.A. Gear athletic shoes that were da bomb.

This year the institute is honoring U.S. Senator Chris Coons, D-Delaware; U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska; Tani Cantil-Sakauye, a former chief justice of California; and at the head of the list, Dan Quayle, the 44th vice president of the United States, under George H.W. Bush.

In the institute’s press release, Quayle is remembered as a former congressional representative and senator, who became vice president at age 41, and is “widely considered to have been one of the most active vice presidents in history.”

Squid’s memory isn’t as sharp on Quayle’s activity level, more so on his spelling prowess, or lack thereof. In June 1992 he dropped into a New Jersey elementary school spelling bee and in front of cameras, flubbed big time by incorrectly correcting a student who spelled out “P-O-T-A-T-O,” suggesting he add an “e.”

Squid wants to buy a ticket just to see what’s on the gala’s menu (baked potatoe?), but at $750 a pop, that’s too rich for Squid’s blood. Cha-ching!

Ghost Sighting… Squid was disappointed when it was announced that leaders of Middlebury College in Vermont were set to close the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey by spring 2027, but heartened that most of the school will continue under a new owner. The deal closed at the end of September and the downtown Monterey graduate school is now called Monterey Institute of International Studies at Soka University.

Squid was perplexed when on Oct. 8, about two weeks after the closing, an email arrived from miis@middlebury.edu, announcing two videos featuring MIIS faculty, staff and alumni, sharing what the school means to them, as if the old MIIS still exists.

“As we navigate multiple changes, it is important to recognize and celebrate the remarkable impact of our students, faculty, staff and alumni continue to make around the world,” the email states. “The work we do, the empathy we share, and the global impact we drive will continue!”

While Middlebury was still in charge, the Vermont-based leadership was, at best, chilly toward MIIS. Now that they are on their way out, Middlebury is finally using its Vimeo channel to promote the school. It’s like Uri the Urchin telling everyone the best spine was that one that’s long gone, even though Uri complained about it bitterly for years before it landed in a human heel.