Unity Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, January 18, 2009
In the Name of Love Today, I was one of a half-million who braved the cold on the Capitol mall grounds to hear music and speakers honoring the President Elect, Barak Obama. I really don't like crowds or cold weather, but I wanted to endure these obstacles for a chance to be a part of history and to see U2 live. Mostly I went for my daughter Ariel, because it was very important to her and she was unable to make the trip. The performers took stage on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and the crowds hugged the sides of the reflection pool all the way back to the Washington...
For a Good Cause
Last Spring I attended a celebrity tennis charity event at the Fitzgerald Center in Washington D.C. I am neither a celebrity, nor big on charity, but someone gave me an invite and since it was for a good cause, of which I can’t seem to remember, I decided to go as I had nothing better to do. I figured I might as well go and hit some pansy balls with some government photo-op seekers and local tennis stalkers as a warm-up for a later, evening match with some real tennis players (middle age hackers from Northern Virginia USTA).
It was a pretty laid back affair, with snacks, a few...
Revolutionary Road (2008) - Film Review
Revolutionary Road is a screen adaptation directed by British filmmaker Sam Mendez, who brought us American Beauty and Road to Perdition. Mendez is married to the British actress, Kate Winslet, who stars as April Wheeler in Revolutionary Road. How is it that outsiders can have such a sharp view of American themes and landscapes? The premise of the movie is about an American couple in the 1950's, which are supposedly living the "American Dream," with the beautiful suburban house, the two kids and successful career, and yet who are deeply unhappy with their lives. It made me think of two other...
Gran Torino (2008) - Film Review
When Clint Eastwood squints in your direction and spits out a big wad of Red Man, it is generally not a warm and fuzzy gesture. Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is an angry, bitter Korean War Vet, who just lost his wife. He lives alone with his dog in a Michigan neighborhood which has seen better days. People in his neighborhood generally keep to themselves, when not terrorized by local gangs.
Walt is somewhat alienated by his remaining family, his two grown sons and their families, and also annoyed by the presence of the Asian family that lives next door. Their lives however become intertwined...
