Russian trade and human rights on Capitol Hill

  Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California)/Patricia Leslie

Rep. Dana  Rohrabacher (R-California) rebuked statements from members of a panel at the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday for their criticism of human rights violations in Russia when conditions in China are much worse, he said. "The nerve to attack Russia" and ignore what is happening in China is a travesty.  "We talk about Russia meddling in Georgia," he said, but look at what's going on in China which "is a threat to us."
Rep. Rohrabacher was speaking from the audience at a gathering of about 50 mostly congressional aides who came to hear a presentation, "Jackson-Vanik after Russia's Accession to the WTO," sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Russia is expected to be admitted to the World Trade Organization this month which will have enormous trade benefits for the U.S. if it permanently waives provisions of the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment. It was originally designed to pressure "non-market economies," including the Soviet Union, to improve human rights and permit trade advantages.  The law has succeeded with Russia since it no longer restricts emigration, one of the key component of the legislation.  (However, Cuba and North Korea are other targets of the amendment since they do block emigration, said speaker Richard Perle of the American Enterprise Institute.)
Jackson-Vanik is "the single most important human rights legislation passed by Congress," Perle said.  It was "cold war legislation" and its repeal, favored by no one speaking, is desired by Russian leader Vladimir Putin because the "KGB despises" it. Repeal would be a "huge concession" to Russia, Mr. Perle said. The President of the United States can single handedly waive provisions of the law annually, a benefit enjoyed for many years by Russia, China, and Vietnam.

   Randi Levinas of the U.S.-Russia Business Council/Patricia Leslie

Also up  for discussion at the lunchtime session was U.S. trade with Russia. Speaker Randi Levinas of the U.S.-Russia Business Council was happy to make her pitch: Only four percent of Russia's imports come from the U.S., and the opportunities for growth are huge.  Last year California's trade with Russia grew by 40 percent, and New York's, by 75 percent.  Top exported American goods to Russia, she said,  are machinery, spacecraft, cars and parts, and computers. (? Hewlett-Packard says most computers in the U.S. come from China.)
One-third of Russia's citizens are middle-class, 99% are literate, and about half the population has university degrees (about 20% more than found in the U.S.).
Russia's economy will be the ninth largest in the world by the end of this year, Ms. Levinas said.  Forty percent of its imports come from Europe, and 16 percent, from China.
Joining the WTO will mean Russia has to follow the rules, Ms. Levinas said.

 Lara Iglitzin of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation/Patricia Leslie

Lara Iglitzin of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation said human rights violations over the last ten years demonstrate "a culture of impunity in Putin's Russia...We are gravely concerned about the direction of human rights" there, urging that U.S. leaders continue to speak out against human rights violations by the Russian government.
William Pomeranz of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center was moderator of the event, also co-sponsored by Kennan and the Jackson Foundation.  Next year will be the centennial celebration of the birth of Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson (1912-1983) who, in addition to many causes, was particularly devoted to human rights for all. Jackson-Vanik was named for him and for Rep. Charles Vanik.

Blair House is lovelier than the White House

Really. 

It is much lovelier than the White House.

Really.

It is bigger than the White House.

 One butler said it is prettier than the White House at Christmas.

And you thought it was "just" that three story standing behind the "Blair House" plaque at 1651 Pennsylvania Avenue. Au contraire, messieurs et madames: It stretches from the Lafayette Square corner all the way to the Renwick Gallery, encompassing all the buildings in-between, including the Lee House.   It is lots more than the cream-colored building with the flag.  It is all the buildings around it.

One butler said it had 14 bedrooms (17 beds). Another butler said it had 15 bedrooms (17 beds). One butler said, "bathrooms? Oh, my...50?"

They vacuum and dust every day.

Even when visitors are not present?

Even when visitors are not present.

The downstairs walls (we were not invited upstairs where I was hoping to glimpse a shirtless Vladimir Putin ) are painted Williamsburg light yellow and peach. Centuries old wallpaper from China stretches from floor to ceiling in one of many parlours.

In another room General Robert E. Lee faces a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln.

Blair House is much more than just this (photo) with the flag.

Paintings of George Washington hang on several walls. In one of four (!) dining rooms (the Lee House dining room was off-limits due to water damage; now under repair) is a memorials mural which covers all the walls from the chair rail up and includes, but is not limited to, depictions of Mount Vernon, the U.S. Supreme Court building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Washington Monument, and there in a corner, St. John's Episcopal Church, the president's church, on Lafayette Square. (Painted by Robert Jackson in 1988.)

The resplendent and abundant chandeliers!

Andrew Jackson here; Andrew Jackson there, Andrew Jackson was everywhere...on the wall in several places. In a dining room, sculpted in miniature on a bronze horse (a la the Lafayette Square statue). A visitor from the National Portrait Gallery explained that President Jackson had many connections to the Blairs and thus is omnipresent in the house. (She also highly recommended the CSPAN story of Blair House.)

Yes! (Photo) Blair House(s) is all this, down to Renwick Gallery at the far left.

But, alas, ...fake trees! They are in a large, expanded reception area at the back of Blair House which was originally part of the garden. Real trunks, and that is all, the butler told me. Their small pots gave them away. (Size matters.)

The butler said the State Department has jurisdiction over Blair House which is exclusively reserved for heads of state on "official," "state," or "working" visits. Who pays for their food? State works it out with the governments, the butler said.   (The website calls it "the President's guest house.")

The staff we met came from several nations; Spain and Brazil were two. And they have long tenures at Blair House. Of course. 

Some of its famous guests have included President Charles de Gaulle, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Boris Yeltsin, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Vladimir Putin, Pervez Musharraf, and Muhammed VI.  (Check out the guestbook for more names and nations.)

Does anything mar Blair House?

Oh, yes.

Eyesorish telephones. Really. They sit on various tables in stark contrast to the period furnishings and elegance, rather like slugs atop wrought-iron white furniture beside a swimming pool. That's how much they stand out, and quite ugly things they are.

And, pul-leazz, would someone  cover up the ugly back of that unsightly red thing at the corner of H and 17th which forms the back wall to the Blair House garden interrupting its serenity? (It's like putting a decrepit red devil on stage with Margot Fonteyn, when she was living.) You know the building that looks like it went up in the 1960s and hurts your eyes to look at it, it is so awful? (Like the slugs above.) As a matter of fact, if the entire building could be removed or permanently covered up on all sides, that would be a bonus. Where is Christo when you need him? (At the National Gallery of Art! Or he was.) 

Is Blair House on FB?

The new bishop visits St. John's Church, Lafayette Square

At St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde addressed the Adult Forum/Patricia Leslie

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde at St. John's, Lafayette Square/Patricia Leslie

 The processional at St. John's, Lafayette Square with Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde at the end in red/Patricia Leslie

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde carried her crozier at St. John's, but where was her mitre? Preceding the bishop is the Rev. Dr. Luis Leon, rector at St. John's/Patricia Leslie

The newly elected Episcopal bishop for the Washington, D.C. diocese,
Mariann Edgar Budde, visited St. John's at Lafayette Square Sunday where she preached at four services and spoke to a packed sanctuary at the Adult Forum.
Energetic, animated, and smiling aplenty, the first woman elected bishop for the Washington diocese, said she firmly believes she was chosen to help the church grow and develop. She said Washington was fortunate to have a healthy economy, especially when compared with the rest of the nation, and she is not worried about financial difficulties at the Washington National Cathedral.  She is "blown away by [Washington's] resources."
The area is a dynamic place for 18 to 34 year olds, she said, but the fastest growing age segment is people over 80, presenting the Episcopal Church with
opportunities to serve persons on "both sides of the spectrum." The difference between a 60-year-old and an 80-year-old is the difference between a 12-year-old and a 19-year-old, she said.

Answering a question from church member Togo West, Bishop Budde said the Episcopal Church is always open to all: "We believe that everyone is chosen."

She quoted from a favorite book, Always We Begin Again by John McQuiston: "'Treat each hour as the greatest of gifts....When we rise from
sleep, let us greet each day with joy and cheer each other on...be
gentle with this life...and live fully within your time.'"

Bishop Budde, 52, comes from Minneapolis where, under her 18-year leadership, St. John's in Minneapolis grew from 100 to 400 members. Last June at the Washington Cathedral, laypersons and clergy elected her the ninth bishop for the diocese.  She was installed last month.

Coming up at St. John's:

December 7 at 12:10 p.m.: Music of the Season with the Madrigal
Singers from St. Albans and National Cathedral schools under the
direction of Benjamin Hutto, director of music ministry and organist
at St. John's

December 18: The Festival of Lessons and Carols

Where: St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW

For more information: 202-347-8766

Metro station:  McPherson Square

15th century tapestries portray military history at the National Gallery of Art

The entrance to the Pastrana Tapestries exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, framed by Alexander Calder's Model for East Building Mobile (1972)/Patricia Leslie

               The Pastrana Tapestries exhibition opening/Patricia Leslie

King Afonso V and his son, Prince Joao, prepare for battle

                A mother escapes a battleworn city with her three children

 Moth damage before restoration of the tapestries by the Royal Manufacturers De Wit of Mechlin, Belgium

               After restoration by the Royal Manufacturers De Wit of Mechlin, Belgium

                               A 15th century weapon of mass destruction

                    A timeline of 15th century Portuguese history/Patricia Leslie




Whether or not you are a fan of military history, a visual feast awaits you and your family in the East Building of the National Gallery of Art where a stunning display of four 15th century Gothic tapestries never seen together in the United States hang floor-to-ceiling in two galleries.

When the show first went up, no less than the ambassadors from Belgium, Portugal, and Spain came for the briefing to praise the artistry, each other, and the National Gallery of Art in the joint effort to produce The Invention of Glory:  Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries. (If they had taken a side trip up to Capitol Hill, they might have imparted their wisdom about cooperation and a common goal to members of the U.S. Congress. Alas.)

The tapestries of wool and silk threads tell the story of the 1471 advent of Portuguese King Afonso V (1432-1481) to the African coast with his son, Prince Joao, age 16, to successfully wage battle against Muslims in Asilah and Tangier at a time when Portugal and Spain vied to control the region.

If your sons are anything like mine, they will be awestruck by the action, the weapons, the armor and the art, and the huge numbers of soldiers designed and sewn by Flemish artisans who knew little about Africa but gave the Moroccan cities a dash of Belgian flavor with European urban scenes and some monkeys thrown in for good measure.

Standing in the galleries and with just a tiny imagination, a visitor can hear the sounds of battle, the horns and shouts, the clashing of swords and spears, the stomping of horses' hooves and soldiers' boots.

Where is King Afonso? See if you can find him and his son in ceremonial battle garb more than once. Can you find the mother with her three children? Well-written labels will guide you, should you need any help.

In the second gallery is an excellent timeline which spans almost an entire wall and lays out important dates of Portuguese history.  Also, photographs of "before" and "after" the restoration of the tapestries funded by Spain's Fundacion Carlos de Amberes produce more admiration for the talented artisans of 500 years ago and for those of today, as well.

The tapestries measure about 12' x 36' and weigh approximately 135 pounds each.  They are among the rarest and earliest examples of illustrated history for the vast majority of those period tapestries portrayed allegorical or religious subjects.

They are named the Pastrana Tapestries for Pastrana, Spain, 50 miles from Madrid where the works have been located in a church since the 17th century. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), they received special protection.

From the National Gallery, the exhibition will travel to Dallas, San Diego, and Indianapolis.  A handsome color catalogue with cloth covering is available for purchase.

On December 6 and December 8 at 12 p.m. the National Gallery's Julia Burke and Diane Arkin will speak about the tapestries, and the public is invited.  (For location, ask at the East Building information desk.) 

On December 18 at 4 p.m. and December 21 at 12:30 p.m. the 2010 film of 270 minutes (with intermission) by Raul Ruiz, Mysteries of Lisbon, which is based on the 1854 novel by Portuguese novelist Camilo Castelo Branco, will be screened in the East Building Auditorium.

What: The Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries

When: Now through January 8, 2012, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday excepting Christmas Day and New Year's Day when the National Gallery of Art is closed

Where: National Gallery of Art, East Building, between Third and Fourth streets on Constitution Avenue, NW

How much: No charge. Admission to the National Gallery of Art is always free.

Metro stations: Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives, Judiciary Square or ride the Circulator

For more information: 202-737-4215  

Patti Smith's 'Just Kids' is one terrific book

If I hadn't gone to NYC, if Stacie hadn't recommended the Chelsea, then Claire would not have told me about Just Kids, a must-read if you like good writing and memoirs and, especially if you stay at the Chelsea. (Why it wasn't for sale in the lobby is beyond me.) It's no wonder Patti Smith's book won the National Book Award for non-fiction in 2010; it is marvelous.

It's all about her advent to the Big Apple on just pennies a day and her meeting up with Robert Mapplethorpe and their fantastic relationship with each other, friends, and the city in the 1970s, through common ups and downs, and how they eventually achieved stardom which is told as a postscript.

One of my favorite passages:

"Robert, Harry, and I often went together [to eat at the Automat], and getting the fellows under way could take a lot more time than eating.

I have to fetch Harry. He can't find his keys. I search the floor and locate them under some esoteric volume. He starts reading it and it reminds him of another book he needs to find. Harry rolls a joint while I look for the second book. Robert arrives and has a smoke with Harry. I know then it's curtains for me. When they have a smoke it takes them an hour to accomplish a ten-minute thing. Then Robert decides to wear the denim vest he made by cutting the sleeves off his jacket and goes back to our room. Harry thinks my black velvet dress is too bleak for daytime. Robert comes up on the elevator as we go down the stairs, frantic comings and going like playing out the verses of 'Taffy Was a Welshman.'"

Writing masterfully, Patti tells the story in modest, unassuming terms. At the end you'll be very happy for her, that she "made it." You will seek out Wikipedia to find out more of their details than what is shed in the book.

It can't be true that perseverance conquers failure every time. We only hear the success stories. Where are the stories from the unrelenting that never get told? Are those persistent souls still at it?  They'll tell their stories, too, after they have succeeded? If you abandon your quest, then you gave up too soon?  If you die before you reach your goal, well, it's n'ermore.

Don't miss the cover story about Patti Smith in the October 16, 2011 issue of the NYT Style Magazine. You'll become her fan if you're not already.

Goethe-Institut opens new photo show

The opening of 'On the Lakeshore...and Other Stories' at the Goethe-Institut/Patricia Leslie

A photograph by Kaitlin Jensco, a featured artist at the Goethe-Institut

       
A photograph by Sara Winston, a featured artist at the Goethe-Institut

A photograph by Iris Janke, one of the featured artists at the Goethe-Institut

       Visitors admire the photographs of Sara Winston at the Goethe-Institut/Patricia Leslie

At the opening of the Goethe-Institut's new photo show/Patricia Leslie

An exhibit of everyday European and American household and family scenes opened last week at the photo gallery at Goethe-Institut, and features works by Germany's Iris Janke and two American photographers, Sara Winston and Kaitlin Jensco. Children, including some of the same children pictured in different poses, are the subjects of many of the photographs which are mounted with handwritten labels on walls.
According to information at the Goethe, the exhibit is intended to enrich conversation, sparked by the artists who collaborated on "dialogue on a common topic: self-identity." Examples of Ms. Jensco's rural upbringing in Southern Maryland are quite evident in her photographs.
Sara Winston grew up in Orange County, New York and is a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art and Design where Ms. Jensco is a student. Ms. Janke's work has been exhibited in several galleries in Europe and included in many publications.
The opening day of the exhibit was timed to coincide with the just-ended DC FotoWeek.
What: "On the Lakeshore ... and Other Stories"
When: Now through January 27, 2012: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday
Where: Goethe-Institut, 812 Seventh Street, NW
Admission: No charge
Metro Stations: Gallery Place-Chinatown (1/2 block away), Metro Center, or Navy Memorial-Archives
Bike racks: Available
For more information: 202-289-1200 

Degas and dancers at The Phillips

The entrance to the Phillips's 90th birthday party/Patricia Leslie

Students from the Kirov Academy of Ballet at The Phillips/Patricia Leslie

Edgar Degas Self-Portrait 1855/Musee d'Orsay, Paris, Wikimedia Commons

A few came for the free Degas show at The Phillips/Patricia Leslie

A birthday party at The Phillips with guest artist, Edgar Degas/Patricia Leslie

Birthday dancing at The Phillips/Patricia Leslie

At The Phillips/Patricia Leslie

A week+ late? C'est la vie!

Whoever thought a public 90th birthday party with a major guest artist would be anything but crowded needs to see another doctor.

The Phillips was just as packed for its free birthday fete as anyone might have imagined, and more. When I arrived about 1:30 p.m., I somehow and fortunately missed the lines and slipped in, and, about an hour later, overcome by crowds, elbows, docents, and students saying "please, do not...," discovered about 70 persons standing outside on a lovely fall day, awaiting admission.

In addition to breathtaking and romantic pieces of art which make up the exhibition, the people found inside, tiny but real teen-aged ballerinas in full costume from Washington's Kirov Academy of Ballet School slowly dancing to taped music. Like porcelain dolls in an expensive music box, the ballerinas could have been models themselves for Degas who, a label said, made more than 1,500 works about dancing. Thirty of them are in the show.  Whoever had the Kirov idea deserves special kudos.

Yes, the Degas (1834-1917) show is definitely worth seeing, and yes! The price to see it ($10 or $12)

with generally unobstructed views (one may imagine) is definitely a good value. (Or join the Phillips for $60 (on up) and pay nothing extra for special shows.)
What: Degas’s Dancers at the Barre: Point and Counterpoint
When: Now through January 8, 2012, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday with extended hours on Thursday until 8:30 p.m., and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Avenue, NW (near Q and 21st)
How much: $12 (adults) and $10 (seniors and students). Free for members and children under age 18.
Metro stop: Dupont Circle (Q Street exit)
For more information: 202-387-2151

Washingtonians loved the European Jazz Motion at the Embassy of Austria

European Jazz Motion in concert at the Embassy of Austria/Patricia Leslie

Antti Kujanpaa on piano and Angela Trondle, European Jazz Motion/Patricia Leslie

Angela Trondle, Mattia Magatelli, and Tobias Meier, European Jazz Motion/Patricia Leslie

Give me jazz, any jazz, day or night, and I'll be there. Like at the almost "sold out" performance last week at the Austrian Embassy where the European Jazz Motion (aka New European Jazz) came to play.

The young group evolved after one week of collaboration in 2008 where they initially gathered in Riga, Latvia as "Group A" at an international music school.
Only one of the performers at the embassy was Austrian (Angela Trondle, the stellar vocalist), but the group's international flavor is a great mix. Tobias Meier from Switzerland played alto sax and alto clarinet; Marek Talts, Estonia, guitar; Antti Kujanpaa, Finland, piano; Mattia Magatelli, Italy, bass; and Christian Windfeld, Denmark, was on drums.
The beginning music of the first piece came from a melancholy, slow piano, joined later by heartbeats of the bass and then, drums, followed by a solo sax.
The voice of Ms. Trondle, who exhibited her distinctive scat talents during the concert, often sounded like a worthy solo musical instrument of its own. The evening featured, quite naturally, contemporary selections, many composed by group members, and many which were quite short. Not than anyone had objection to their length, for the audience came to hear modern sounds, and no one left disappointed.
That the group is only three years old makes for great expectations.
Event sponsor was the Austrian Cultural Forum whose website lists future events:
Now through Nov. 22, 2011 at the American Film Institute Silver Spring Theatre, the films, Michael and Breathing
Nov. 15: Little World, 6:30 p.m. at West End Cinema ($11 and $9). Call 202-419-3456 for information.
Nov. 16 Six short silent movies with live piano, 7:30 p.m. at the Embassy of Austria. Free admission, but RSVP required: 202-895-6776 or click here.
Nov. 18: Die Sklavenkonigin/The Moon of Israel with live piano, 7:30 p.m. at the Embassy of Austria. Free admission but RSVP required: 202-895-6776 or click here.

Airmen of Note, Kirk Whalum, and Paige Martin charm Lisner audience

Paige Martin, Kirk Whalum and the Airmen of Note perform at Lisner Auditorium

Attention, Super Bowl Half-Time Planning Committee: You could do no better than to hire the jazz ensemble, the U.S. Air Force's Airmen of Note, singer Paige Martin, and saxophonist Kirk Whalum to perform "God Bless America."
Really.
Last week the house was full at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium when the band of horns, saxes, guitar, bass, piano, and percussion performed with Grammy winner Whalum and the Air Force's Martin, truly stunning in the free performance.
(With closed eyes, the loud applause and whoops of joy almost carried one away to Verizon Center where the Caps had just won another overtime game, or so it seemed, and I exaggerate (a little, but not much).)
If Whalum played one crowd favorite, he played all crowd favorites, including John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" and the memorable, "Soweto," performed with his longtime piano partner, John Stoddart.
When a woman in the audience cried out "thank you" after Whalum said he composed "Desperately" for his girlfriend, it took the performer a nano-second to gather his wits and identify his girlfriend of 31 years to be his wife. The audience loved it all.
The show lasted 15 minutes short of two hours with no intermission and total solid entertainment. The energetic and contagious big band sounds echoed throughout the place, but no one danced in the aisles. (Because there was no room!)
When Whalum wasn't on stage the always popular Dick Golden was emcee.
In the audience was Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD) who was recognized twice.
Whalum lives in Memphis where he got his gospel roots and where he is still heavily involved in ministry. In the Bluff City he is president and CEO of STAX Music Academy, a school for "young, aspiring musicians," according to program notes. He has been nominated for 11 Grammys.
It was the second of the Airmen's Jazz Heritage Series which ends November 18 when trumpeter Doc Severinsen comes to town for a free performance at Lisner.
Attention, Lisner: Is there any place to seat latecomers besides ushering them as much as one hour late to auditorium seats where they interrupt the enjoyment of those who got there on time? (Sniff) The Caps don't seat latecomers during "the action."
Who: Doc Severinsen
What: The U.S. Air Force's Airmen of Note and the Jazz Heritage Series

When: 8:00 p.m., November 18, 2011
Where: Lisner Auditorium, 21st and H streets NW, 730 21st Street, NW
Cost: It's free!
Metro station: Foggy Bottom (3 blocks) or Farragut West (more blocks)
For more information: 202-994-6800

Bike the Mt. Vernon Trail

It's one of the prettiest trails in the area.
Ride beside rolling water along curves amidst pine trees and green grass with an occasional statue to grasp your view and you won't even notice the lull of the vehicles motoring on the nearby George Washington Parkway.
Be mindful of children on uncertain paths and their parents on the trail, and the speeding pros who'll run you down faster than Herman Cain can break out in song. And watch the overheads for the airplanes landing at National Airport.
Take your hammock for some easy stretching and some shut-eye in between your rides. The trail stretches about 18 miles from Theodore Roosevelt Island to George Washington's home at Mt. Vernon and can be crowded at times.
If you're coming by car, you may park for free at Gravelly Point (can be hard to find a space) or the Washington Sailing Marina just beyond the airport where you'll find almost-clean restrooms, a great bike shop with rentals at nominal prices and a nice attendant who may put air in your tires without charge, and two waterfront restaurants (one fancy, Indigo Landing, and the other, a café with sandwiches and the critical menu item, beer).


All this loveliness is captured (in variation) by thoughts of William Wordsworth's poem, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," probably better known as "The Daffodils," inspired by a April 15, 1802 scene found by Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy.



I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a trail,

Whose beauty is unmatched for real,

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Cyclers were racing in the breeze.



Continuous as the men who whine

on Capitol Hill they often say

The bikers stretched in a long line

along the margin of the bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

riding their bikes in sprightly dance.



The aeroplanes above them flew; the bikers

Oblivious in their wheeling spree,

A walker could not but be gay,

in such a jocund company:

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought

what wealth the bikers to me had brought:



For not enough on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the soul of solitude;

And then some thoughts of bliss are stirred,

When I recall the happy bicyclers.








patricialesliexam@gmail.com

Marian Anderson Memorialized

Au contraire Washington Post, there were more than 2,000 persons who attended the Marian Anderson Memorial Concert at the Lincoln Memorial Sunday. Look at the pictures. I would say double 2,000.

The music wafted across to the World War II Memorial which fed listeners to the concert which, it did seem to be true, was unknown to most (based upon observation) until they got within good listening distance.

None of the performers could be seen by more than the few who surrounded them in a semi-circle below Abraham Lincoln. (Or at least I think it was a semi-circle for I could not see either.) Jumbotrons would have increased listening pleasure, that’s for sure.

Some listeners brought folding chairs; others, dozed on towels and blankets. Most of us stood.

On a gorgeous Easter Sunday the beautifully strong music brought peace, happiness and gratitude for Ms. Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt.

A handsome program printed in gold tones on heavyweight slick stock added to the day's dignity, augmented by a naturalization ceremony for new citizens.

The program carried a half page apology from the Daughters of the American Revolution which offered up its mea culpa once more (how many times over the 70 years?):

[T]he DAR deeply regrets that Marian Anderson was not given the opportunity to perform at Constitution Hall in 1939, but today we join with all Americans to honor her memory and commemorate a pivotal event in the struggle for racial equality.

Consider the alternative: What if Marian Anderson had been permitted to sing at Constitution Hall in 1939? Would she still be included as one of the renowned civil rights pioneers?

Her singing in 1939 on Easter Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial would not have become "one of the early, defining moments in the history of protest against racial inequality in America." The DAR says it "is proud to demonstrate that change is possible."

Easter Flowers and Altars at Washington National Cathedral