Washington Post: Food Truck for Peace

This is such an inspired idea!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/food-truck-will-deliver-message-of-mideast-peace/2013/01/25/b121ea7e-6665-11e2-93e1-475791032daf_story.html?hpid=z1

Throughout human history, the concept of breaking bread has had a powerful hold on our imaginations. Food, and the culture and traditions surrounding it, is one of the original methods of brokering peace. Back in the earliest days of homo sapiens, the acquisition of food was a costly group effort that strengthened the bonds within one's immediate community. In Ancient Greece, offering food and shelter to visitors became an integral part of upholding the honor of one's house. In many cultures, it was considered taboo to bring weaponry to the table, and any harm that befell a guest at one's table brought great dishonor upon the host.

It's time that we brought everyday Jews and Muslims to that table. In the most political city in the melting pot that is America, peace -- or at least understanding and friendship -- might well take root via food.

Gun Control in the United States, an Open Letter

Dear Mr. President,

I voted for you, because I believed and still believe that your vision for America's future is much like my own: a country where every child has access to a good education, healthcare, and three square meals a day; where we, as a country, promote peace and understanding around the world; where we develop the new technologies that will improve the standard of living here and abroad. This vision is gravely threatened by gun violence, which deprives innocents of the first of the three unalienable rights supposedly guaranteed to all citizens -- life.

It's the Commander in Chief's duty to protect the people of this country. You have demonstrated, Mr. President, that you are capable of doing so; we saw you order the strike on Osama bin Laden with the clear-eyed decisiveness that your job requires. You gave us the rhetoric, the reassurance, and the follow-through on that particular project. You have the chance to do something like that again. It won't be a military exercise this time, where an executive order and a talented team can accomplish, as if by fiat, a coup like your last. It will be a tough slog, a thankless and likely ugly legislative battle that may well demand an aggressive stance against the gun lobby and the far right, rather than the compromise and civility that you so favor. (Perhaps it might be time to unleash our inimitable Vice President on Congress?)

It won't be pretty; it won't be perfect. But it is necessary. Surely you can see this. Surely it is worth fighting for. Please fight for it. We need your boots on the ground as well as your blazing rhetoric. We need your head as well as your heart.

If you need more convincing, or a more professional opinion, this Washington Post column says it better than I did:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-on-guns-take-action-now/2012/12/17/5f300f98-4888-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_story.html?hpid=z3

Yes, we can. We can ensure that these children did not die in vain. Mr. President, yes we can heal this nation. It starts with better gun control.

With hope,
Sarah

Washington Post: Is Mitt Romney a Unicorn?

Something amusing:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitt-romney-a-unicorn-fighting-birthers-with-their-own-ploy/2012/05/29/gJQAvNDRzU_story.html?hpid=z2

The sad thing is that people actually take the birther thing seriously. It would be poetic justice (but even sadder) if somehow the "Mitt Romney is a unicorn" meme caught on with that crowd.

Washington Post: Writers on Writing

A collection of interesting and occasionally enlightening thoughts on writing, from a diverse list of authors:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/2011/08/24/gIQAJoEUYK_story.html

Some of my favorites:
"The dream of becoming a writer as a young boy has been realized. I am so pleased I did not let my young self down." ~ Jack Cantos

"I once watched a 6-year-old laugh so hard at my book “Diary of a Worm” that milk shot out of his nose — and I mean projected out like a jet stream. Hilarious." ~ Harry Bliss

"My mother was a living “book” of poems for me — and I grew up swimming in the ocean of poems she knew by heart." ~ Carol Muske-Dukes

Washington Post: Interactive Civil War Map

The Washington Post posted a bunch of articles and things about the American Civil War, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the war. This is one of the coolest of the lot:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/lifestyle/special/civil-war-interactive/civil-war-battles-and-casualties-interactive-map/

The design of the thing is sheer brilliance. Hit the play button to really get a sense of the progression of the war. Even though the map doesn't show them, you can sort of follow troop movements based on the shifting locations of major battles. I wish it had a way of indicating the generals involved on each side, but that would probably make the thing a little too complicated and unwieldy.

Washington Post: Ospreys Nest on a D.C. Crane, Halting Construction

An inspiring tale of government bureaucracy pulling together to save endangered animals:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ospreys-nest-on-a-dc-crane-halting-construction/2011/05/07/AFQeSMKG_gallery.html#photo=1

Sometimes it's the little things for which it's necessary to move mountains.

Washington Post: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge

This is a beautiful set of pictures of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. It's a major pit stop along the Atlantic Flyway, and it's in Maryland, and I would dearly love to go see it one day. The photographs are spectacular:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/conversations/blackwater-national-wildlife-refuge/2011/03/11/ABNme9Q_gallery.html

Enjoy!