President-elect Barack Obama’s topic for this week is the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.” When the bailout plan was on the table for Wall Street and the investment banks, it was chop-chop, quick quick or our economy’s toast. In all that hustle, I didn’t hear “strategic investment,” “long-term,” “oversight” or “accountability” in the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Community Cinema, the ITVS outreach initiative for the PBS series, “Independent Lens,” is presenting [FREE] community screenings and discussions of the documentary TULIA, TEXAS. Community Cinema holds monthly preview screenings across the country to encourage community dialogue on social issues and opportunities to get involved with local organizations and institutions.
ABOUT TULIA, TEXAS: [...]
My first reading of the day was below the fold of the Washington Post newspaper: actress, cabaret singer, dancer, performer Eartha Kitt (1927 - 2009), and Nobel laureate playwright Harold Pinter (1930 - 2009) took their final bows during the Christmas Holiday. Both died of cancer.
EARTHA KITT
My first introduction to Eartha Kitt [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
When I was growing up, I was a bit of a science geek. You start out with the basics — bringing the outdoors indoors in jars. Mom saying, “make sure that lid’s on tight.” Having your aunt and uncle catch the bigger specimens for you. Then came space club. No [...]
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 [...]
