Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Great DC places


I love visiting the National Zoo. They have a lot of great animals and interesting programs. They have free ranging golden tamarind monkeys in the trees in one area, orangutans swinging between platforms above the zoo visitors (don't stand directly underneath!!) in another. On a recent trip the hippo was in his cage munching away. He's being loaned to another zoo very shortly due to a renovation of his building. I feel like I caught his eye.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

What Problem with Sports Stars?


I was going to do a post on how Barry Bonds is the sport superstar we all deserve, an emblem for our age of mendacity, but really its all been said and said again. Its odd how worked up some people get over the eclipsing of a sports record while they seem to have little passion for the deception that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of American soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis. Here in DC, we have a baseball team that, by all accounts, is struggling: last place, 3 games behind the erratic Marlins and completely out of the pennant race. During Spring training, the sports press was talking about an "historically bad" season for this team. The pitching was minor league caliber and the line-up had no slugger etc. The coach, Manny Acta, has proven to be tremendous at getting the most out of his players. After a disastrous April, the club has settled in to a good routine of contending in most series they play. Today they play their fourth game of a series against the first place Mets (admittedly suffering from some injuries to key players) and they're guaranteed at least splitting it having won two of the first three. No record setters on this team. Mostly footnotes for sports freaks who obsess over trivia. They seem to just be a bunch of guys grateful to be in the big leagues who enjoy the game. They seem to laugh a lot and celebrate their improbable victories. Baseball is about hope. Sure a lot of times it seems there's two outs in the 9th but the tying run is on deck and if the batter can just beat out that dribbler to short...

I won't cheer for Barry Bonds or denounce him. He just doesn't interest me. A team thats out of the race and still shows up to play, plays hard, loses a lot and comes back the next day with enthusiasm is a much more compelling story. Go Nats!!!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Harry Potter is his Own Mother


















Okay so I've ruined the ending of the new book but I really can't understand the phenomenon. I've read page turners with good story lines but I see adults all over Washington walking down the street reading an enormous hard cover book or sitting on the Metro nose deep in the same thing. I've never really been a big fantasy or sci-fi reader and as much as I like fiction, I never felt a fanaticism or attachment for imaginary characters. I just don't get lost in make believe though I will say I've enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies. They're wildly entertaining. Does Harry age at all? Daniel apparently does.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

My Job Does Not Involve Telling the Truth


A new low (for now). We're use to the arrogance and mendacity in foreign policy or at Defense Department briefings but an Attorney General that doesn't understand the importance of telling the truth? Honesty in the Bush administration is not concealing that you're lying and that is indeed a certain type of honesty. If everyone knows I'm lying, am I really lying?

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Banksy is My Hero


I couldn't decide on my first post but I did read an article today about the British artist Banksy. I've always admired his stuff. DC had a more adolescent version of this type of performance graffiti artist by the name of Borf who turned out to be a suburban kid from a privileged background, greatly disappointing his followers. Banksy got a lot of attention for his work on The Barrier in the West Bank (included here). I guess it resonates with me because I have a similar world view: peel the onion back a bit and you may see things differently. Washington is a city of fancy expense account restaurants and luxury condos with an army of homeless people who are hired out to clean the baseball stadium after games or to protest at phony union protests for $8 an hour (Washington Post July 24, 2007). Maybe Banksy will sell out (Brad Pitt admires his work too so the clock is ticking) but until then.....