This is where I put anything that is not easily categorized…
Sometimes you read a line that makes you laugh out loud AND hits you in the gut at the same time. Writing in today’s New York Times, columnist Frank Rich had one for me. After recounting the recent job losses and drop in new-home sales, he writes: What are Americans still buying? Big Macs, Campbell’s soup, Hershey’s chocolate, and Spam – the four food groups of the apocalypse. Great line, unfortunately. More to come… DJB
The blog DCist has a great post today with a video of President Obama mocking the people of Washington about their response to the weather. His girls couldn’t believe that school was closed today (which was true for Andrew and Claire’s schools, which are just down the street from Sidwell). One of the girl’s said that in Chicago they would have gone out for recess in this weather. The DCist response is perfect: President Barack Obama basically called District residents a bunch of wusses when it comes to dealing with snow and ice. We’d be offended if he wasn’t, you know, totally, absolutely correct. Sad but true. Watch the video…it is funny. More to come… DJB
I just realized that I have a new favorite sport for the off-season (i.e., the non-baseball months of the year). Hockey. Yes, hockey. I’m choosing to watch hockey games on television instead of basketball (especially given that interminable season that is pro basketball). And I’m hooked thanks to the Washington Capitals and their superstar Alex Ovechkin, the Great Eight. (Ovechkin wears #8 on his jersey.) He’s a terrific talent – fast and strong with a wicked shot – and he has the teammates to support him. A friend of mine from New Orleans once said Southerners had learned to like hockey because it was the closest legalized sport to cock fighting. A good line, but the fighting is not what I find intriguing about the sport. I just watched a game between the top two teams in the Eastern Division of the NHL: the Capitals and the Boston Bruins. Although this is just after the All-Star break in the middle of the NHL season, these two teams played at a speed and skill level that was breath-taking. Incredible …
In searching the Internet this morning, I found a post on the Daily Kos’ Street Prophets section on faith that discussed the difference between the prayers of Rick Warren and Joseph Lowery at Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony. I recommend the entire post, but I loved the ending enough to add it here. Pastor Dan writes, As a Facebook friend says, “Rev. Lowrey is to Rick Warren as Mavis Staples is to Britney Spears.” Yep, pretty much. That’s a great line…and very true. If you don’t know Mavis Staples, listen to the following video. And the images are a poignant reminder of why so many people were quoted yesterday as saying, “I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime.” More to come… DJB
January 20, 2009 was a great day to be an American. It was also a wonderful day to be in Washington. And although I’m writing this from Santa Monica, California – I didn’t leave Washington until we had a new president. Claire was on the mall with friends and she took several pictures of the inauguration – including the one at the top of the post. She reports that it was very festive, and this picture captures that spirit. Because I had to fly to California later in the day, and Candice was coming back from a long weekend in Florida, Andrew and I opted to go to Politics and Prose – the wonderfully independent and progressive neighborhood bookstore – to watch the inauguration with like-minded friends and patrons. It was great. The staff provided free popcorn, the coffee shop was hopping turning out the hot chocolate and lattes, and everyone was in a very good mood. Andrew had on his Obama ’08 cap and we enjoyed the view and the company. There were three different …
Random moments of grace from the first half of a special holiday weekend here in Washington… Having the time to read the New York Times slowly. Many Saturdays I’m so busy with errands I zip through the Times and the Washington Post. I’m glad I didn’t yesterday. Gail Collins has a sense of humor that I love, and the start to her Saturday column had me laughing out loud. Right now you may be asking yourself: How am I going to celebrate Barack Obama’s inauguration? You may, of course, have something else on your mind entirely. Like what the chances are that the next time you get on a plane, geese could fly into both engines. Or what the heck geese are doing in New York in the middle of winter when their relatives who worked hard and played by the rules had all gone south months ago. Or you may just be wondering how that rescue in the Hudson River would have gone if it had been led off by the Department of Homeland …
The Edge of the American West is one of those nice finds on the Internet. As we head into the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, I found their post on Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. (Again) to be worth sharing. In the post, the writer Ari focuses on a King speech entitled The Other America that Dr. King gave weeks before his death. Ari writes: By this time in his life, though, King openly expressed sympathy for those who embraced other means, for those who would not turn the other cheek: But at the same time, it is as necessary for me to be as vigorous in condemning the conditions which cause persons to feel that they must engage in riotous activities as it is for me to condemn riots. I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the …
The Atlantic online magazine has this fascinating look at America in the Bush years, all presented in a map filled with graphics and stats. Did you know: There were 298 billionaires in 2000. The number grew to 454 by 2008. 28 out of 50 states had obesity rates below 20% in 2000. By 2008, the number dropped to 1 state in 50. Gross federal debt as a percentage of GDP was 58% in 2000; 67.5% by 2008. And the list goes on and on. It makes for a fascinating look at stats and changes both important and silly…and you’re free to interpret it as you see fit. As the President gave his exit interview to the press corps today, you may find this of interest. More to come… DJB
Well, our little place on earth is getting pretty excited about the next ten days. Washington is making plans to keep Virginians from coming into the city. (I would have thought they’d be treated better since they actually voted for Obama, going blue for the first time since Jamestown was founded, or so it seems.) While Candice and I will be passing each other in the airport on the way to and from town, the children are busy making their plans. Claire has a good friend on Capitol Hill, so she’s already set for a sleepover and a morning hike to the mall. Andrew is vacillating between hiking to the mall with friends and watching it all in the comfort of the restored AFI Theatre on the big screen. I just hope I can see the actual ceremony before I have to head out of town. But for those looking for something to do in Washington during the inaugural week, my organization, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has put together a great list of …
I love listening to music late at night when driving on a country road. There’s a warmth that’s hard to capture in other settings. You feel connected to the world, but the distractions are minimal and the darkness enfolds the car as if in a cocoon. Tonight I had teenager taxi duty after an especially late party, so I found myself driving alone through the only stretch of road that could remotely be considered country on my route. Rock Creek Park is an oasis of nature in the midst of the city. It is also one of Washington’s treasures, and tonight I was crossing through in a drizzle, with only the threat of wandering deer to worry me. Another great Washington treasure is Mary Cliff’s Traditions, a long-running folk-music show on public radio. Since Mary switched stations a few years ago, she comes on later and I don’t have the chance to hear her as often. But tonight I was tuned in, and the sound of Jack Williams playing Dylan’s Forever Young came through during a set to …
MORE TO COME... 