Frequently Asked Questions
-
What is "From the Swamp - The World According to Greg"?
From the Swamp is a daily collection of news and rantings complied by Greg, a 20-something unemployed policy analyst who currently lives in Cherry Hill, NJ.
-
So who is Greg?
I'm originally from Cherry Hill, NJ, and lived in Washington, DC from 1996, when I first arrived for college at American University, until 2004 when unemployment forced me back up to New Jersey. I have a Bachelor's and Master's degree from American, and for a year worked as a policy analyst with the Federal Government. Now, I spend my days job searching and unpacking, and what seems like all of my free time writing this for all of you. (ok, maybe not all of it...) There's tons more to learn about me, but you'll have to read the daily postings for that!
-
How did the Swamp start?
Like most folks, I occasionally came across an article or two that I thought would be of interest to my friends, so I would send them along. Then, once I finished grad school and got a "real" job, I began to read much more widely, and see many more tidbits of interest. So, sometime in late October 2002, I decided that occasionally I'd bundle them together in a mass e-mail, so people could pick and choose what they were interested in and wanted to read, and so I wouldn't annoy them with multiple e-mails in a day. Then all of the sudden it was a daily thing...then I was adding my own thoughts to the top each day...then people started signing up from everywhere...so I got a friend to put together a mailing list and website, and voila...the Swamp as it is today.
-
What does "From the Swamp" mean?
It actually has a double meaning. Washington, DC, the Capitol of the United States, whose government many stories are about, was built on a swamp, which anyone who has had the pleasure of living here in August will attest to. In addition, the "swamp" was a name suggested by an old college roommate, as it was the nickname of a couch in the common area on our dorm floor that everyone hung out in a lot. Plus, it just sounds neat.
-
Can I get the daily postings in my e-mail?
Of course! That's how most folks get them actually...just hit the subscribe link here, put in you're e-mail, and you're all set! The e-mails are also posted on the site almost instantly, so you can also check back.
-
When does the Swamp update?
The Swamp updates around 3pm daily, Monday thru Friday except holidays, with the occasional special issue on a weekend or holiday. Of course, I will miss a day from time to time, as I do work :)
-
Back a few weeks ago, you linked to an article I want again, where is it?
Check the archives! All of the archives have been indexed, and you can even see the title for each one! Use the arrows to go back and forth to the months. We're still archiving some of the very early ones, before there was even a title to this puppy, so check back periodically for those. A note about the archives however: Many of the publications that I link to in the daily e-mail only keep articles up for a certain amount of time. Some of them it's 2 weeks, some 2 months, etc, etc. So...you may end up with the article no longer up there, or having to pay for it. If you're not ready to pay for it, I'd recommend using Lexis-Nexus or something of the sort to search for the article if you have access to it. The rants are good forever.
-
My Question wasn't answered!
Then e-mail me at questions at fromtheswamp.com and I'll answer it! And if its a good question, or enough of you ask it, I'll put it up here!