The biggest, baddest snake in Washington, D.C.

Is not found in the halls of Congress.

Nor on the airways (sorry, Rush).

The biggest and baddest is at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

This snake is not for the squeamish.  Nor for anyone who has snake dreams.  (Huh?)

This granddaddy of granddaddy snakes is huge:  Estimated to have weighed 2,500 lbs., be 48 feet long and the size of a school bus.  It looks so real you will cringe upon sighting it slithering around on the museum's floor.  

Stand back!

"Whoa, buddy!  This is one big snake!  Yeekers!  Yikers!  Here, have a crocodile."/Patricia Leslie

It may have come from a warming of the Earth which allowed it to grow big and powerful in a gigantic hot and tropical ancient rainforest which may say something to global warming skeptics.


(You know what's happening on the East Coast, right?  Not only do we have to fear drowning from rising waters, but now, there's the possibility of being consumed by huge snakes, able to eat five people in a single gulp.  Consider circumstances in the Everglades in Florida where giant pythons, boas (please read below), and anacondas slide hither and thither over the swamplands taking control and eating and chasing away inhabitants. It's a coup de snakes.  Soon, the Florida residents who are left will be forced to flee north, leaving no one there to vote which means our future may be determined by snakes.  Hey, didn't this happen already?) 

But wait, there's even more to the story which all began with a single leaf.

"I have got to text Lucille.  She is not going to believe this.  For a minute, I thought I was at the used tire store."/Patricia Leslie

About ten years ago in South America was a student who visited a coal mine in La Guajira, Columbia where he discovered a fossilized leaf.  This one little leaf of his strengthened scientific studies and "data-driven evidence" that helped reveal the existence of an ancient hot and tropical rainforest, maybe the first one on Earth, which thrived during a period of global warming in the Paleocene epoch.  (That would be after the dinosaurs roamed, or about 60 million years ago.)

Colossal turtles and crocodiles and bean plants, oh my, were found.  (Their fossils, that is.) But the most exciting finds were the fossilized vertebra and fragments of three snake skulls which enabled scientists to replicate what the gargantuan monster looked like. 

The experts, I think, are unsure of its gender, however, based upon experience and its nickname, Tyrannosnakus rush, I can say with certainty that Tyrannosnakus is a male who (which?) is going on a 15-city tour right after Titanoboa (his real name and yes, related to the boa) finishes residency at the Smithsonian early next year.

The sign says "Stand back or risk person." A Smithsonian Channel official, Josh Gross, said the snake model was constructed from Styrofoam, fiberglass, textured epoxy and paint./Patricia Leslie

A video of this specialized beast is available for purchase, and a version screens continuously in Titanoboa's exhibition area which shows how Tyrannosnakus rush moved.  Not to miss!

Baby wants a crocodile for dinner?  Baby gets a crocodile for dinner/Patricia Leslie

What:  Titanoboa:  The biggest snake in the world!

When:  Now through January 6, 2013, every day (except Christmas Day) from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. or, on most summer nights through Labor Day, until 7:30 p.m.  Check the website for hours for the planned day of your visit.

Where: The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History at the corner of 10th and Constitution, N.W.

How  much:  No charge

Metro station: Smithsonian

For more information: 202-633-1000

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Trippi and friends talk election 2012 up on Capitol Hill

From left, Robert Traynham, Joe Trippi, Marjorie Margolies, John Zogby, and John Gizzi/ Patricia Leslie

The Great Eight states* will determine the victor in November with special emphasis on the Key Three (Ohio, Virginia, and Florida), and as for the rest of you, forgetabouit. 

But please, send in your cash anyway, and, no, they are not coming.

That was the message, more or less, delivered by Joe Trippi, campaign strategist, at a Tuesday Capitol Hill panel presentation sponsored by the National Constitution Center and the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Trippi said Karl Rove thinks Wisconsin is "on the bubble"  (not defined), and Trippi disagrees. 

But the president's team has "put money on the air in Pennsylvania which tells me they're concerned about it," the prognosticator said.  Challenger Mitt Romney must win the Key Three, Trippi said.

Joe Trippi/Patricia Leslie

If the U.S. Supreme Court rules against the healthcare law, the decision will certainly help the president, according to the consensus on the panel, which, in addition to Trippi, included John Zogby, pollster; Robert Traynham, Comcast Network; Marjorie Margolies, Fels faculty member and former Democratic congresswoman from Pennsylvania; and John Gizzi, Human Events correspondent.

A negative decision will help ignite the president’s base and make it stronger, Gizzi said.

Just 100 people are funding 80 percent of the PACs, Trippi said, and the aggravation is that neither candidate controls the PACs and vice-versa.

The money is "out of control" because the "candidates aren't in control.” 

Said Zogby:  “There's way too much money being spent."

Trippi predicted the Democrats and Republicans will each raise between $1 billion and $1.4 billion.

Zogby said "fewer and fewer people" are impressed by huge money expenditures, and as far as campaign finance reform:  "The average person doesn't give a s---."

On the day the news broke that Marco Rubio was not being vetted as a prospective vice-presidential candidate by the Romney campaign, the panel's general consensus was, Rubio’s out. He would bring no Hispanic voters to the table, said Zogby.

The group largely believes the nominee will be either Rob Portman or John Thune.  Traynham mentioned Tim Pawlenty.

Is negative advertising effective? 

People "hate" negative campaigning, "but it works" said Ms. Margolies, mentioning Congress's low approval rating (about 17%).  Said Zogby: "Negative advertising used to work, but now?" 

The panel spent a large chunk of the presentation time discussing past negative campaigns like those of Thomas Jefferson v. John Adams, George H.W. Bush v. Bill Clinton, and Harry Truman v. Thomas E. Dewey. 

"This is something that happens" [people] said John Gizzi.

Zogby recalled that Thomas Jefferson was called "an atheist and a whoremonger as well as being French!"

John Zogby, left, and John Gizzi/Patricia Leslie

Gizzi said George H.W. Bush's campaign in 1992 was absolutely the worst one, excluding Michael Dukakis's 1988 debacle.  And ever since Bush wrote off Pennsylvania and Michigan, those states have trended Democratic. Who told Bush to forget about California? Gizzi asked. 

Zogby’s latest poll shows the president leading Romney, 47 to 43 percent.

After Obama’s announcement on Friday that some illegal immigrants under age 30 would not be deported,  Zogby said Barack Obama’s  support among Hispanics rose to 67 percent,  to 64 percent among younger Hispanics, and to 99 percent among blacks.

Obama's "fly in the ointment," said Zogby, is the 18-32 year olds, a "growing subsection," AKA the "CENGAs:  college-educated, not going anywhere."  They are not going to vote for Romney, he predicted, but the question is:  Can the Obama campaign get out their vote?

He expects a big turnout this fall.

"The process is broken," Zogby said, but "the process will work its way out."

Traynham said:  "I don't believe the system is broken.  It's the American way." And the "American electorate through social media is much more educated."

Robert Traynham/Patricia Leslie

 

The average American is "a helluva lot more sophisticated than given credit for," Zogby said, however, Ms. Margolies said later "the American public is not as smart as we think it is," to clapping by one person.  She's not sure the electorate "is an informed public."

When asked about surprises in the race, Traynham, a "big supporter" of Obama, said "how 'off' the president was last month....so unlike him."

Ms. Margolies said "Romney lacks 'it,' whatever 'it' is," and Obama's "not doing any better." That the president's not running away with the election has been "a shock" to her. Romney "doesn't realize what he says is on tape?" He has got to remember to add a 's' to “sport.”

Marjorie Margolies/Patricia Leslie

Traynham described the president as “very professorial and academic,” but Romney "is even worse."  The presumed Republican challenger "has a bad economy working with him, but does he have the right solution?" Traynham asked. 

 

Gizzi has been surprised by the speed at which the other Republican candidates have flocked to Romney, and he quoted Hailey Barbour who he thought was the first to pronounce:  "Barack Obama is the greatest unifier when it comes to Republicans."

If unemployment "goes back up, I think he's [Obama] toast," Zogby said.

Trippi:  "Greece, Spain, and Italy have more to do with this election that Ohio, Virginia, and Florida." If something bad happens in Europe, "I think he'd [Obama] be in deep trouble." 

Gizzi:  Spain's banks are "very much on the edge of a cliff."

Joe Trippi said the Obama campaign’s information about “millions” of voters is “astounding,” and the Romney campaign is in quick catch-up mode.

The panel agreed that it won’t make any difference in Congress whether Obama or Romney wins in November since Congress is not going to change.  Zogby envisions a new bumper sticker:  "They're creepy, they're dishonest and I vote."

The mostly under-age 30 crowd of about 60 persons filled the room at the Rayburn House Office Building where a reception preceded the discussion which was open to the public. 

*The Great Eight States are: Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire,  Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Iowa, but wait, that's nine but “eight” rhymes with “great,” and who’s counting?

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It saves to talk to your banker

Received in the mail, an announcement from Wells Fargo which, you may recall, took over Wachovia and, at the speed of a bank bailout, announced new fees: 

“Effective August 6, 2012 you will be charged $5 monthly for online ($7 for print) accounts unless you maintain a $1,500 minimum balance or have direct deposits totaling more than $500 monthly.”  Yada, yada, yada.

I marched right in my Wells Fargo branch (where I keep a healthy balance of $100 for convenience to work) and said “please close my account,” to which Mr. Manager took exception and said “Hold it there, partner.  Lemme see what I can do to save this here account.  I ain’t in the business to lose business.” 

And with a click of his magic mouse, voila!  No fee!

You have to be prepared to, as they say in the business, walk.   As in, walk with swagger. As in, walk out.  And talk the talk, too.  And make sure you’ve got another bank account, and you don’t need their silly old account anyway.

Which reminds me, the only reason I stopped in Wachovia in the first place was during the hustlin' and bustlin' days of several years ago, it ran an ad in the Washington City Paper offering $100 to anyone opening an account.  I did and it did, and, in the meantime, it found two CDs I had stashed away in another state, another life, and forgotten about. Talk about a nice surprise!  I love you, Wachovia, and where did you go?

It pays to talk to your banker.  With swagger.

Olympic history was the talk at the Embassy of Greece

One of the photographs at the"Olympic Memorabilia" exhibit at the Embassy of Greece is this one of the 1896 100 meters semifinal race.  American Thomas Burke, second from left, was the winner.  Note the different starting positions.  His was controversial because it was deemed uncomfortable and unfair, but the Olympic Committee allowed it/International Olympic Committee

Last week at the Embassy of Greece in Washington, there was no mention of the critical vote Sunday in the homeland; the talk was all Olympics at the opening of a new embassy exhibit, "Olympic Memorabilia."

Photographs dating from 1894 of Olympic athletes and artifacts make up the exhibit. The pictures and some of the original items featured in the photographs were included in an exhibition last month in Athens at the World Olympics Collectors Fair, an embassy official said.

Artist Yoshiko Oishi Weick holds a replica of an Olympic torch at the Embassy of Greece/Patricia Leslie

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Welcoming visitors to the opening of the Washington event were embassy and Olympic Committee officials, and an Olympic basketball star, Tom McMillen, who later became a Democratic congressman from Maryland.  Mr. McMillen was a team member for the U.S. in 1972 which ended in a highly controversial ruling in the contest versus the Soviet Union.

Tom McMillen at the Embassy of Greece/Patricia Leslie

Because officials kept re-setting the clock to favor the Soviet athletes, Mr. McMillen said, they collected the gold medal.  The U.S. team voted unanimously to boycott the medal ceremony and refused to accept their silver medals which are in a vault in Lausanne, Switzerland.  (Read the Wikipedia account of the game and the controversy.)

Before he talked about the game, Mr. McMillan recalled the horror of the murders of the 11 Israeli athletes at the Olympic site in Munich.

On July 27 the 2012 Summer Olympics shall begin in London.

What: "Olympic Memorabilia" pictorial exhibition

When: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. until August 31, 2012

Where: The Embassy of Greece, 2217 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Cost:  No charge

Metro station:  Dupont Circle  (Connecticut Avenue and Q Street exit) and walk .25 mile to the embassy or ride the L2 bus towards Chevy Chase Circle after you get off Metro

For more information: 202-939-1300

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'Memphis' in June at the Kennedy Center is hot not

The biggest weakness in this traveling musical is the music. Yes, the music. The dancing is terrific, the action will keep you engaged, the costumes are dazzling and fun to check out, and the vocals are absolutely glorious once you can get past the first few scenes and can hear them over the big bass but, the music...

I know, I know Memphis received the Tony in 2010 for Best Musical and Best Original Score, but the songs are the same and repetitious (except for "Change Don't Come Easy"). Have any transferred to the popular charts?

The story is based on the ideas and dreams of a real life white disc jockey in Memphis (Bryan Fenkart: The man can sing! Dance! Act!) who thinks black music has a wider audience than just among black folks, and the perpetually enthusiastic dreamer sets out to, as they say, follow his passion. That he persists in the antagonistic environment of the 1950s is remarkable.

That he has a black girlfriend is astonishing, too.  And that performance by Felicia Boswell as "Felicia" (same name) is equally as classy as Fenkart's. 

The threesome male dancers ("Be Black Trio," Alfie Parker, Jr., Jarvis D. McKinley, and Justin Prescott) will make you question what you are seeing: Were those just splits in mid-air or what? (Be careful and avoid locking your eyes on their shimmering costumes or you'll miss spectacular dance steps. As a matter of fact, costumes for the entire production (Paul Tazewell) were correct in every detail.  Lots of Fab 50s dresses.)

It’s hard to imagine better dancing than that in Memphis (Sergio Trujillo), however, it was not nominated for a Tony Best Choreography which may say something about the competition (or politics).

Ms. Boswell reminded me again and again of Diana Ross and how exact she would be in a Diana Ross role, and program notes reveal she's played Ms. Ross more than once.

The scenes change frequently and are nothing special except for the apartment dwelling of Huey (Fenkart) and his mom (who almost steals the show as played by Julie Johnson).

Of local interest: the director, Christopher Ashley, received a Helen Hayes Award in Washington for Direction for Sweeney Todd; lighting designer, Howell Binkley, is a five-time Helen Hayes recipient; ensemble member, Whitney Leigh Brown, is a native of the District who attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts; and assistant stage manager, Tiffany N. Robinson, graduated from Howard University.

At the end of opening night, the audience gave the performance a standing ovation which is becoming de rigueur at the Kennedy Center, it seems, but it may have been the Heat.

What: Memphis

When: Now through July 1, 2012 (with dark Mondays)

Where: Opera House, Kennedy Center

How much: Tickets start at $39

For more information: 800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600

Metro station: Foggy Bottom and ride the free KenCen shuttle found at the top of the escalators or walk over (about a half mile)

Rating:  X (some foul language, but no F-bombs)

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Eschenbach, a musical Einstein at the podium

Christoph Eschenbach/Scott Suchman

Like a synchronized swimmer who lifts her arms up and out creating a cascade of water droplets in a flourish, Conductor Christoph Eschenbach majestically led the National Symphony Orchestra in an exquisite program last weekend, frequently bending slightly at the knee and raising his arms straight up to give notice to the musicians that he wanted flourish, and flourish he got.

With the wave of his baton and a sprinkling of music dust, the orchestra performed flawlessly (at least, to my ears).

When measures arrived for timpani, cymbals, and horns, Eschenbach gave a quick uptick with his body which said “right here and now!” and the musicians gleefully complied.  They seemed to love the instruction which paid off in the enthusiasm of the audience who was in rapture as well. 

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From my third row seat with the perspective of a turtle looking up, I could only wish the Kennedy Center would allow me to photograph the maestro to adequately convey the rhythm and movements he exercised at the height of glory.

I became so wrung out and exhausted just watching from my statutory position “down below” (my eye level matched the shoes of the musicians) that I was certainly able to shed most of my dinner calories.  Talk about moving at your station, Michelle!

“Look at him,” said the woman behind me as Conductor Eschenbach slowly (and I mean slowly) approached the podium from offstage for yet another encore: “He can barely walk.”  It was true, and one wondered how sore he would be on the morrow when he had another concert to conduct.

Sitting beside me was most assuredly the fiancee? The sister? of the guest cellist, Claudio Bohorquez from Germany, for she of blonde hair and in flowered skirt leaped to her feet upon conclusion of Lalo's Cello Concerto in D minor, to clap madly for a few moments in a solo arrangement before other members of the audience joined to applaud Bohorquez's masterful play.

The rest of the program was excellent fare beginning with Overture, le carnaval romain by Berlioz and ending the evening with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.  It was a splendid night. 

Christoph Eschenbach/Jean Gaumy, Magnum Photos, Orchestre de Paris

Although the Metro was practically dysfunctional afterwards (Tysons Corner construction), and I had to share the late train with 200,000 Girl Scouts and their leaders and missed the last bus home, being forced to hail a taxi for a ride practically out to the Shenandoahs, was the evening worth it?

Mesdames and Messieurs, s'il vous plait!

Bien sur!

Bravo! Maestro Eschenbach!  Bravo! National Symphony Orchestra! 

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'George Bellows': A knockout at the National Gallery of Art

George Bellows, Madeline Davis, 1914, Lowell and Sandra Mintz

Quick! Think “George Bellows” (1882-1925) and what immediately comes to mind?

Yes, the fighting between the muscled boxers, the shadows, the lighting, the crowds, the smiling, cheering and sinister-looking men who surround the ring, but George Bellows painted much more than just men in competition.   

George Bellows, Club Night, 1907, National Gallery of Art, John Hay Whitney Collection

An exhibition of 130 of his paintings, lithographs, and drawings which span subjects ranging from portraits to fiery preachers to New York tenements opened Sunday at the National Gallery of Art, the first Bellows retrospective in 30 years. 

The large show fills nine rooms, and the works are arranged thematically according to his early works, city and river life, the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad Station, seascapes, work and leisure, and, quite importantly,  portraits of the working poor and their displacement. 

George Bellows, Paddy Flannigan, 1908, Erving and Joyce Wolf

Bellows's wife, Emma, and their daughters figure prominently in a gallery about women, his relationship with his wife, a testament to enduring love. 

George Bellows, Emma in the Purple Dress, 1919, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Raymond J. and Margaret Horowitz

He painted many other women, too, and the horrors of World War I.

In disturbing and graphic scenes, Bellows portrayed the occupation of Belgium by the Germans who slaughtered the people, used them for naked shields, and maimed their children, images which shock and haunt viewers, and stand as reminders of man’s constant inhumanity. 

George Bellows, The Barricade, 1918, Birmingham Museum of Art, with funds provided by the Harold and Regina Simon Fund, the Friends of American Art, Margaret Grisham Livingstone, and Crawford L. Taylor, Jr.

Bellows reluctantly supported the war and his art was used to encourage the American people to buy Liberty bonds. (Contrast his responses to war with those of Joan Miro in the exhibition in the East Building.)

George Bellows, The Germans Arrive, 1918, Ian and Annette Cumming.  This painting, according to Wikipedia, is based on an actual event.  When Bellows was criticized by another artist for painting a scene he did not witness firsthand, Bellows replied he was unaware that Leonardo da Vinci had "had a ticket to paint the Last Supper."

His breakaway style dramatically emphasizes human curves, the lines of landscape, and keen grasp of lighting and its effects. His love of sports shows up in many of his skillful renderings of male athletes.

Standing back and admiring his compositions, one is struck by the symmetry and importance of the designs and lines:  Trees, buildings, bridges, and the ground often direct attention to the main subject: people.

But look in the distance and what do you see?

George Bellows, Blue Morning, 1909, National Gallery of Art, Chester Dale Collection

He was born in Columbus, Ohio where he was bullied as a child in school. Later, at The Ohio State University, Bellows played basketball and baseball, drew illustrations for the yearbook, and rejected an offer to play ball for the Cincinnati Reds so he could take off for New York and pursue an art education.  Not what his father wanted his only child to do, but better your heart than your head.

Bellows died at age 42 from the effects of appendicitis, leaving behind so many strong renderings on so many different subjects, viewers can only guess about his output had he lived as long as his contemporary and friend, Edward Hopper, born the same year as Bellows and living until age 85.

In addition to the 336-page catalogue, the National Gallery's shops have for sale a Bellows mug, calendar, postcards, boxed notes, a film, and books including a new children's book, George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! Also, an audio tape for $5 is available for the tour.

From the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. the show travels to the Metropolitan Museum in New York (November 15) and then, the Royal Academy of Arts in London (March 16, 2013). 

For their sponsorship of this exhibition the people of the United States and guests are grateful to Nippon Television Network Corporation, The Terra Foundation for American Art, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Cordover Family Foundation, and The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts.

Exhibition events

Talks:

Eric Denker

June 20–22, 27, 28, 30, 2 p.m.

Diane Arkin

July 25, 30; August 3, 6, 7, 11 a.m.

West Building Rotunda, Main Floor

50 minutes

Two piano concerts

Both by Leslie Amper

June 24 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

East Building Concourse, Auditorium

1.Ciné-concert: 4 p.m.
Music for the silent film, The New York Hat, and lecture

2. Concert: 6:30 p.m.
Music by Gershwin, MacDowell, and other composers

Film: 

George Bellows

Produced by the Gallery, this film uses original footage shot in Manhattan and Maine. The film will be screened in the West Building Lecture Hall daily beginning at noon, and in the East Building Auditorium Saturdays at 11:30 a.m., with minor exceptions.

Made possible by the HRH Foundation.

Public Symposium

Friday, October 5, 12–5 p.m.
Saturday, October 6, 1–5 p.m.
Illustrated lectures by noted scholars

What: George Bellows

When: Now through October 8, 2012, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Where: National Gallery of Art, West Building, Washington, D.C., between 3rd and 9th streets at Constitution Avenue, NW

How much:  No charge

For more information: 202-737-4215  or www.nga.gov.

Metro stations: Judiciary Square, Navy Memorial-Archives, or the Smithsonian

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