I walked into the subway elevator pushing my youngest daughter in her stroller. It was empty except for on older Asian woman who stared at us as we entered. The ride down was a slow one. Very slow. I always thought the elevator's crawl was to discourage riders, funneling them towards the escalators instead. With only one elevator rush hour journeys down could get pretty packed. Better to save the space for those who really needed it. That morning's ride was roomy and quiet. The old woman continued to stare. Finally, she asked "Where's she from?" in a matter-of-fact tone. Not...
Idiosyncratic Celebrations, News Outta My Control / 11.02.2006
The XX Winter Olympiad: Let the Politics Begin
NBC's Brian Williams waxes political at the Turino Olympic Opening Ceremonies (Quicktime, 2.1 MB). Click image to begin video. Last night I sat down with my family to watch the opening ceremonies of the XX Olympic Winter Games. A glass of Chianti and a nice fire. Perfect. Perfect until Brian Williams, NBC's Nightly News anchor and co-host of the program began editorializing during the presentation of the Italian flag. Watch the video. We'll talk in a minute...
News Outta My Control / 21.01.2006
Dancing with Politicians
Yesterday, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock struck down our Maryland law which bans same-sex marriage. She called the 1973 statute discriminatory and one that "cannot withstand constitutional challenge." But she immediately stayed her ruling pending the inevitable challenge. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) expressed dismay with the court at an afternoon news conference. He hinted that he would get behind a drive to amend the constitution, saying he would 'take the appropriate steps to protect marriage.' 'Obviously, I'm disappointed,' Ehrlich said. 'Again, Maryland is in the national limelight, and it's not positive.' The Washington Post Oh, I don't know about that...
My "one-on-one" in-depth visit with Tai Shan Tai Shan, the Smithsonian's newest Panda will debut at the National Zoo December 8. Well, technically he's China's newest panda since, by agreement, he will be given to the Chinese when he is two. Free tickets were offered to the public this past week on a first-come basis via the National Zoo's Web site. And already those freebies are going for big bucks on eBay. Now that's the entrepreneurial spirit. However, as one of the perks of working at this venerable cultural institution, Smithsonian worker bees got the chance for a sneak peek...
Artistic Tendencies, News Outta My Control / 12.11.2005
Leaving Iraq: Literally
Every November I am consumed with the outdoors. It's not that I want to be but when the leaves fall from our trees there is nowhere for them to go but on our lawn. And one of my prime domestic jobs is to make sure they get to the street where the county can vacuum them (Quicktime, 2.2 MB).
I have never been the woodsy type. However, I am forced to contend with nature on this level once each year. And this year we have a particularly unruly crop of dead and moldy leaves. The dry November and strong winds have stirred up leaf dust that blocks the sun, makes me sneeze, and irritates my eyes. I'm surprised the Environmental Protection Agency hasn't teamed up with Homeland Security to issue a Mother Nature Red Alert.
If I must (and my wife tells me I must), why not make the best of it. To make my suburban nature experiences more enticing I often devise creative diversions: attempts to mold nature to my own iconoclastic ways (and to give new meaning to the phrase yard work). You might remember my lawn art (next to leaf blowing mowing our lawn is my least favorite home owning activity). Household boredom creates a black hole that is unstable. It must be met with an equal creative force.
News Outta My Control / 23.10.2005
We’re Old Enough to Know Better
If a new window doesn't automatically open click here to continue. Related Articles: U.S. Military Death Toll in Iraq Hits 2000 (Washington Post)How Newspapers Marked This MilestoneWhat's in a Number? (the challenge of counting Iraqi casualties from This American Life)Points of Praxis [ Iraq ] ...
On our recent family trip to Disneyland I noticed something new: all the announcements and cautionary instructions for rides were both in English and Spanish. The all-American theme park had changed in a remarkable way. My Southern California friends are surprised when I tell them that bilingualism is very much a part of our lives in Washington, DC as well. No, not in those hallowed halls of the Capitol but on the streets and the marketplaces around town. Signs on our busses and at retailers like Home Depot and Ikea are in Spanish and English (the only holdout of any...
A new month: time to reset my internal calendar to remember birthdays and pay bills for October. If your birthday happens to be at the beginning of the month, you might not get your birthday greeting from me on time. I can only start thinking about October events at the beginning of October. I've set my credit card due dates to be about the 10th of the each month so I don't incur late fees when I remember on the first of the month that I even owe money. I’m a typical overwhelmed modern who has compartmentalized his life into...
News Outta My Control / 11.09.2005
Remembering 9/11
With the focus on the Katrina, I want to take some time to remember four years ago today. In part because time is mitigating our immediate horrors of this tragedy and in part because today's anniversary falls on a Sunday (when I am home and not retracing my exact steps to work on 9/11), I am rereading stories posted to Dichotomy: It Was a Matter of Time and Place. As new events supplant the importance of older ones and as new generations grow up to experience their own history, the nature of September 11, like December 7, will evolve. I...
News Outta My Control / 03.09.2005
A Piping Hot Meal, the Military Way
We continue to pour in additional supplies every hour in this area. Massive quantities of water, ice and food, 5.6 million MRE's, over 13 million liters of water. We have 2,800 National Guard in New Orleans as we speak today. 1,400 additional National Guard military police trained soldiers will be arriving every day. Michael Chertoff Secretary, Homeland SecuritySpeaking to CNN My neighbor, Mike Lee, came over this evening to show me something he had picked up at our local surplus store: an MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat). These are food packs used by our armed forces in Iraq. And they are now being distributed to...