"GROW UP"

Must watch:

c/o "All In with Chris Hayes" (06/12/13)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

During a late April visit, I strolled over from Trocadero and across the Seine to check out the now well underway renovation of the Eiffel Tower in Paris...

PHOTOS: PRESIDENTIAL

In honor of Presidents Day, here are some photos from a recent visit to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, always a great place to linger for a couple of hours now and again. Plus, the Presidential Portrait experience now comes with an app. Many photos after the jump.

PHOTOS: POST-INAUGURAL

Here are a few pictures from a recent visit to post-inaugural Pennsylvania Avenue. In memory of DC's recent deep freeze [which will soon thankfully abate], images are presented here in a 'frigid winter' style. Check out all photos after the jump.

BEST NEWS PHOTO OF 2012 GOES TO STUPIDITY

This year's "Best News Photo" goes to basically any photo depicting the tragic Costa Concordia capsizing, which occurred early in 2012... and began a year of stupid.

FORWARD

Random, stunning civil rights street art spotted in NW DC.

If 2008 was the beginning... then the 2012 victory means Act Two may now begin. Let's get this done.

CLOSING ARGUMENT

The debates are over, and the chips are getting ready to fall where they may. That said, as the president is making his closing argument, this speech by President Bill Clinton at this year's Democratic National Convention is worth reading over and over in these next two weeks...

SUPPRESS THIS!

"Virginia is one of 16 states that have a history of discrimination and must receive federal approval before changing voting laws. The states must prove to the federal government that the new statutes would not discriminate against minorities. If McDonnell signs the legislation, the Justice Department will have 60 days to review it. Xochitl Hinojosa, an agency spokeswoman, declined to comment." (SOURCE)

NO NEW STEPS!

"He resorted to his own, flashy crowd-pleasing steps!"

In what appears to be playing out like the “there are no new steps” scene in Strictly Ballroom, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy today reaffirmed his company's policy:

WALK AND TALK THE VOTE

"Okay, explain this to me like I'm a two year old... and try to do it like you are not."

NOT LOOKIN' AT THEM

I am following a simple plan when it comes to those topless pictures of Kate Middleton, aka Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge… I am not going to look at them.

PHOENIX RISING

 "A new tower rises above the New York skyline, Al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama Bin Laden is dead." – President Barack Obama, DNC Acceptance Speech 2012 

To mark the anniversary of the attacks, I've uploaded some current pictures (09/02/12) from the tower and the surrounding World Trade Center area after the jump...

"A STAR SHE REMAINS"

Still "Crazy" for Patsy Cline.

On the occasion of what would have been Patsy Cline's 80th birthday and the just-opened mega-exhibit Patsy Cline: Crazy for Loving You (through June 10, 2013), at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame, I thought I'd turn the tables and, since Nassour is the internationally recognized go-to guy for all things Patsy, interview him about the legendary country and pop singer.

Nassour is the best selling author of Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline. 

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

As we await President Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention tonight in North Carolina, it's worth reading President Truman's 1948 version, in its entirety, below.

BRING ON THE ROASTED POTATOES

Happy September, and the start of DNC week. Here is a midnight snack just for fun. And there are more videos after the jump...

IT MATTERS HOW WE GOT HERE

No matter what kind of reinvention the GOP is attempting to pull off in Tampa; the facts remain clear as day...

SHAME ON US?

"Despite the campaign positioning, on the most fundamental international issues, the president and his challenger generally share the same goals, even if they would get there in different ways." 

That's from a rather stunning piece in the New York Times called, "Romney and Obama Strain to Show Gap on Foreign Policy" by Peter Baker (07/28/12).

MONKEY BUSINESS

Later this year, NBC will debut a new comedy set in an animal hospital called "Animal Practice." Justin Kirk (of Showtime's "Weeds") leads the cast, which also includes a real life Capuchin monkey, Crystal, as the character "Dr. Rizzo."

JOKER'S WILD

What's Going Through My Mind Right Now

by Suspect A

So this... was totally a mistake. I can't believe what a doofus I am. I mean, truly. Totally the worst idea ever - I get that now.

CHICK-FIL-F

UPDATED: 07/28/12

I will miss thee, Chick-fil-A. You've been a tasty and guilty pleasure for far too many years. But now, just as you are gradually creeping your way deeper into Northern Virginia and Washington, DC; I am finally ready to resist your spicy ways.

OFF THE CLIFF

Version 1

WILLARD, REALLY?

UPDATED: 07/19/12

Forget about looking into Governor Mitt Romney’s past. Forget about his ties with Bain Capital. Forget about outsourcing and offshoring. Forget about tax returns. And forget about the phrase “retroactive retirement," whatever the heck it means. Mr. Romney, the “perfectly lubricated weathervane,” has proven time and again that who he is and what he’s done do not matter.

INNOVATION: WHAT'S YOUR FUNCTION?

Here's an interesting piece from the New York Times' Opinion Pages called "The Hollowing Out" (07/08/12) by Thomas Edsall.

PHOTOS: ON THE HOMESTEAD

In honor of this week’s July 4^th Independence Day celebrations, I thought I’d post some pictures from a beloved and timeless resort established a decade before that famous day in 1776.

HISTORY REPEATING

Upon failing to meet unreasonably high expectations set by her predecessor, "Today" show co-host is sacked by NBC. No, that’s not the Ann Curry story. Rewind to 1990… Deborah Norville… and Wikipedia: