Seventeen Years Past Eleven
Obviously, today will be a day of remembrances, “never forget” mottoes, and much more. A horrific day for our country, and one not to be cast aside lately, even seventeen years later.
A Response to a Misinformed Expert
I was recently at a holiday event and, as is inevitable around DC, the conversation circled around to the local NFL team and the name debate. Normally, I engage in this discussion (since my thoughts on this are pretty well known here) with the intent to educate a lot of the misconceptions that have been floating around out there. (In large part, no thanks to the football team’s horrible attempts at PR.) But that night, before I could readily engage, the speaker launched into a more authoritative style and dominated the discussion with his ‘facts.’
Local Indigenous Artist Showcases the Racism of Redskin
Those who think the continuing movement to change the name of the local pro football team is a waste of time and trivial were clearly not at the recent Art All Night event here in the District. Secreted in one corner of the venue was local Indigenous artist Gregg Deal. His project, “Redskin,” took on the racial overtones of the team moniker and projected it at his audience.
The Song of Emil Her Many Horses
Among the Lakota, horses were a measure of wealth, but not in the traditional European sense. To the Lakota—and many other tribes—a more important demonstration of wealth came from giving away horses or other items in honor of a family member. Possession was not as important as generosity. Horses could be given away at naming and memorial ceremonies, or at giveaways, which celebrated anything from the return of a war veteran, honoring a graduating student, or the marriage of a daughter.
2011 Winter Classic (Cross It Off the Bucket List!)
The end of 2010 has been hectic (to say the least); fortunately, the tail of the holiday season left me and my beautiful wife on the cusp of attending the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field in our previous hometown of Pittsburgh. And if you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a diehard Penguins …
Where Am I?
“Dude, it’s been four months since you last posted. What’s up with you?” Sorry about that. I’ve got some stuff slated to post over the next few weeks, but in general, I’ve been busy: Writing two book manuscripts, both due mid-Feb 2011; one book printing in July 2011, the other in November 2011 Been to …
Ice Time
I find myself in possession of a few minutes before the final regular season game of the Washington Capitals (against the Boston Bruins) so I thought I’d jot down some thoughts regarding the opportunity the Capitals have given me over the last few months. Back in January, I was discussing (via email) with Tom – …
The Strange Comfort of Brian Jungen
The use of every-day objects to create Indian cultural icons is something very different, born from Native ingenuity of crafting one object out of another, a common practice with many First Nation people. Jungen commented that he grew up watching his Dunne-za relatives recycle everything from car parts to shoe boxes. “It was a kind of salvaging born out of practical and economic necessity, and it greatly influenced how I see the world as an artist.”
NatGeo: Terra Cotta Warriors Invade! (Preview)
I was invited last week to a special local blogger/photographer pre-public event at the National Geographic Society, celebrating the visit of the extremely rare-outside-China terra cotta warriors. DC was the last stop on a four-city tour; they had 15 of the figures on display along with roughly 100 total pieces. We only had an hour …
(Un)Common Commuting
I live in metropolitan DC. Five days a week, I ride WMATA’s Metro system to and from work, like most federal wage slaves in the region. (I’m not one, but since I work on K Street, it’s a fine line…) So many times, I am inevitably asked by an out-of-town guest what my commute is …