Our Kids in Havana

Since its founding in 1849, the Interior Department has been entrusted with many tasks, including overseeing national lands, offshore mineral rights, Native American lands, parks and forests, reclamation of mining land, and management of island territories in the Pacific.

And, with varying degrees of success, it has done all those things, even though it has never, ever had a dress code to guide its 80,000 employees in determining appropriate attire. There was no place employees could go to see, for example, whether white slacks could be worn after Labor Day (the answer is no) or whether golf plaid would be appropriate for staff meetings (hey, go for it!).

As the brutal Washington summer approached, agency officials began working on the traditional summer dress memo, which usually called for comfortable, casual dress, generally what's worn on Fridays only.

But "upon further investigation," Deputy Assistant Secretary Paul Hoffman said in a July 15 e-mail to all employees, "it has been determined that the department did not have a dress code policy or a business casual policy for Fridays. "Personnel Bulletin #8-11 supersedes all previous Summer Dress Code Memorandums," Hoffman advised, "and eliminates the need for future summer business casual dress policy referendums."

The policy is broad, in keeping with the department's generally laid-back dress habits. Just keep it "neat, clean, and in good condition," Hoffman wrote, and "not provocative or offensive."

Blue jeans? "Yes, as long as the blue jeans or blue denim clothing meet all the criteria articulated in the dress code policy," Hoffman wrote. Tank tops? Flip-flops? Shorts? Better check with your supervisor.

Some folks may scoff at this new policy, but it could improve Interior's efficiency. Who knows? Maybe they'll finally figure out how to manage those Indian tribal lands.

Another America Beckons

No August travel plans yet? Really? Looking for a relaxing, free meet-and-greet swing through Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela? Got just the thing.

"I hope you can join me on August 6-12, for a six-day Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to Uruguay, Colombia, and Venezuela," Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) said in our late-notice e-mail invitation yesterday. "As you know, there have been many developments in this region of the world recently, all of which have important relevance to our work as members of the Foreign Affairs Committee."

You betcha. So the trip to Uruguay "will include meetings with legislators, Afro-Latino representatives from civil society, and meetings with the business community," Meeks said. "In addition, members will have the opportunity to participate in the Council of the Americas Latin American Cities Conference: Uruguay: Regional Opportunities in a Changing Global Scenario."

And in Colombia and Venezuela? The trip "will similarly include meetings with legislators and Afro-Latino representatives from civil society, and meetings with the business community. In addition, we are working to arrange meetings with President Uribe in Colombia and President Chavez while in Venezuela."

If not, you'll probably have to do some touring, shopping, hanging by the pool. Don't worry. Meeks is a skilled traveler. You won't be bored.