20 and 1 Nights - Kennedy Center’s Arab Arts Festival

Monday, 5 January 2009, 19:34 | Category : Arab, Culture, The Arts, Washington
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Alicia Adams has to have one of the best jobs in the world. She’s the vice president for international programs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Her job takes her all over the world where she’s presented and introduced to new and traditional works in music, [...]

Playing by the Numbers

Thursday, 1 January 2009, 11:48 | Category : Cuba, History, Music, People, Places, Politics
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Back in the day, people used to buy what was called a “Dream Book” which interpreted your dreams into numbers. The numbers were relayed to the bookies, numbers writers, or whatever gambling outlet paid off on your dream. A dream with a baby was 123; a cat was 414. I think the [...]

Manifest Art for the Manifest Hope: DC gallery exhibit

The Manifest Hope: DC gallery (3333 M Street, NW, Washington, DC) is accepting online art submissions for their exhibit — Jan. 17 - 19 –preceding the Presidential Inauguration. You can make one submission per category, totaling a maximum of three submissions. The three categories are: Health Care Reform (Manifest Change), Workers’ Rights (Manifest [...]

Christmas Memory

Thursday, 25 December 2008, 9:28 | Category : Culture, holidays
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One of my favorite memories is the year my college roommates, dorm allies, and I led a petition to bring a pine tree into the main lounge just before the winter break. This was Oberlin College in Ohio, famous for it’s liberal arts and socially liberal or progressive traditions — the first U.S. college [...]

White House Holiday Countdown

Wednesday, 24 December 2008, 20:08 | Category : Barack Obama, Food, George Bush, Washington, holidays
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As one President exits the White House, and another one in waiting prepares for his entrance, there’s no time like the holidays to wind down the final days. The Bushes are wrapping up their White House years with a total of 25 holiday parties and 7 dinners for a total of 60,000 guests according [...]

2009 - All Roads Lead to Lincoln

Today I read President-elect Barack Obama will take the Oath of Office January 20, 2009 using the Lincoln Bible. I’m not talking about a versioning of the bible with a Lincoln-like writing style, but the 16th President’s own bible in which he laid his hand when he took the Oath of Office in 1861. [...]

A Benediction for the Inaugural “Pastor Crisis”

Sunday, 21 December 2008, 11:39 | Category : Barack Obama, People, Politics, Religion
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As the LGBTQ community continues to be upset, and rightfully so, about [Rev. Rick] Warren taking the podium/pulpit for the invocation to call the nation together for Obama’s inauguration as our 44nd president, we, the queers of America and our allies, need to keep in mind that the outgoing blessing and charge will be given [...]

Remember the King Holiday? January 19, 2009

The Unitarian Universalist Washington Office for Advocacy’s Olive Branch Peace Offering Partnership is hosting a “Rebirthing King” Celebration! the day before that other event (smile). The celebration will be held at All Souls Church, Unitarian on 1500 Harvard Street, NW in Washington, DC. Here’s the announcement:
“Rebirthing King”- An Olive Branch Interfaith Peace Partnership [...]

And the Inaugural Poet is….

Wednesday, 17 December 2008, 16:08 | Category : African American, Barack Obama, Culture, DC, People, Poetry, Women
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ELIZABETH ALEXANDER
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has tapped poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher Elizabeth Alexander to deliver the inaugural poem January 20th. Alexander grew up in DC (Yay!). She teaches at Yale University and is a scholar of African American literature and culture. [Click on Alexander's name above to visit her [...]

The Eclectique Citizen: Writers, Artists, Poets…Contact Your Representative

Wednesday, 17 December 2008, 9:04 | Category : Culture, Eclectique Citizen, Politics, The Arts
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I plucked the following from Ethelbert Miller’s e-Notes. The poster’s from the WPA collection at the Library of Congress.
Update: Sign the petition for including support for the artists and writers in the stimulus bill.
To contact Representative John Conyers
http://conyers.house.gov
2426 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-5126
202-225-0072 (Fax)
WRITE TO CONGRESSMAN CONYERS TODAY!
December 16, 2008
To: Congressman John Conyers [...]