Doing The District the Right Way

My Personal Recommendations for 

Touring Washington D.C. 

Museums

1.       Hirshorn Modern Art (shaped like a circle, there’s also a lot of outdoor sculpture)

2.       Smithsonian Natural History Museum (Must GO! See the Hope Diamond and outside Butterfly Garden)

3.       Smithsonian American History Museum (have original American flag, Julia Child’s kitchen, just run through this one if you have time, don’t spend too long)

4.       Smithsonian African Art & Sackler Gallery (next to each other, Sackler is small, run through this one, don’t waste time here)

5.       Newseum $

6.       Holocaust -  You need to reserve free tickets in advance or you can’t go in.

7.       National Zoo – free (TOTALLY DO THIS!)

Bars

18^th Street in Adam’s Morgan

1.       Madam’s Organ (#1 spot)

2.       Tangier Restaurant & Hookah

3.       The Reef (cool rooftop)

4.       Tryst is a weird lounge/bar/coffee house place but it’s cool

5.       Mambo Room or Habana Village for dancing

Go to all the memorials, Tidal Basin, Reflecting Pool, National Monument etc.

You can get anywhere easily, but most everything you need is right in the bull's eye of the map!

Also….

• -          Embassy Row – take a walk past all the Embassies and check out the architecture of the countries represented (Mass Ave NW)
• -          Dupont Circle - Embassy Row leads right to Dupont circle, there are a lot of cute shops, restaurants, places with cheap ‘happy hours’. J
• -          The Textile Museum is also right in between Embassy Row and Dupont Circle.

• -          Georgetown is good for shopping and food mostly. Check out, “Georgetown Cupcakes”.
• -           If you go to Georgetown, see Dumbarton Oaks (although you have to probably take a cab). This is a beautiful historic home that you can tour inside/outside and there is also a beautiful museum next to it.

Remember:

Always pay cash or demand a receipt! But most importantly...

Have fun!  

Promising Pals

Promising Pals - PenPal Breakfast - My second year as a penpal to a middle school student. Notable penpal attendees: Mayor Menino & Carol Johnson Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Taking place every June at the James P Timilty Middle School.

'Painting the American Vision' at Peabody Essex Museum

Painting the American Vision on view at the Peabody Essex Museum until Nov. 6, 2011

"I have found, though, no natural scenery yet which has affected me so powerfully as that which I have seen in the wilderness places of America." -Thomas Cole (1836)

This was such an incredible exhibit with 45 glorious landscape paintings from rich forests, to sunsets and mountains.
To me, the most incredible features of this exhibit was the mastery of light and reflection in the paintings. It was nice to see such detailed accounts of New Hampshire and New York countryside.
Definitelyworth the trip up to Salem by November 6th.

PEM Blog

The Blue Sweater, Creating Social Change, Leadership & Philanthropy Redefined

 Acumen Fund - Blue Sweater

In reading the poignant memoir The Blue Sweater written by Jacqueline Novogratz, I can break it down into three words - Power, Poverty and Leadership.

Novogratz pioneered a new type of non-profit organization, naming her's "The Acumen Fund", which is now a leader in the landscape of social enterprise.

She recounts powerful stories that show the importance of bringing market rigor, feedback loops, and accountability to poverty reduction efforts.

She discusses how she spearheaded drastic change in traditional philanthropic efforts for both local and international aid.

I took a lot away from this book about Leadership, specifically the kind that is needed today, and what it will look like in the future.  From The Blue Sweater:

The entrepreneurs who will help us create the future for all people are individuals who exist in every country on earth. ... They are the ones who see a problem and don't stop working on it until it is solved. They refuse petty ideologies and reject trite assumptions.They balance their passion for change with an ability to get things done. Mostly, they believe fundamentally in the inherent capacity of every human being to contribute.

At the same time, today's most effective leaders have a pragmatic bottom-line orientation that results in focusing on measuring what they accomplish, building institutions that can sustain themselves long after their founders are gone.  They world will not change with inspiration alone; rather it requires systems, accountability, and clear measures of what works and what doesn't. Our most effective leaders, therefore, will strengthen their knowledge of how to build organizations while also having the vision and heart to help people imagine that change is possible in their lives.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has interest in Social Change, Finance, Africa, Philanthropy, Humanity, Microfinance, Entrepreneurship, Business, Non-Profit, Venture Capital, Human Resources, Leadership, Management, Development, Organizational Development, Poverty, Economics or for someone who simply cares about improving conditions for those in need.

3rd Annual Provincetown, MA 5K Walk/Run for AIDS

This weekend I participated in the Provincetown, MA 5K Walk/Run for AIDS.
Through participation, I was able to help support those affected by HIV/AIDS, the runners, the community and the commitment to AIDS research.
It was a lovely day when I arrived at Commercial St. to begin the walk and as soon as I stepped foot over the starting line, it began to pour. The walk was in fact enhanced by the rain as it was hot and humid! I met so many amazing people, cheered on runners and supported a cause that I believe in.

According to UNAIDS in November 2010, there are 33.3 million people living with AIDS.

We still don't have a cure.

Support your local communities by participating in an AIDS walk/run this year!

See AIDS SUPPORT CAPE COD LINK HERE

Promising Pals Breakfast!

Finally, the culmination of the lovely correspondence between all the Timilty Middle Schoolers and their devoted Penpals: The Promising Pals Breakfast! 

My primary concern of course was meeting my penpal!
I watched a terrific presentation by the Jazz quintet and speeches by some very important people.

There were about 1,500 people in attendance, including
Mayor Menino, and Superintendent of Schools, Carol Johnson.
I was blown away with their candid accounts of the success and failures of these supplemental programs that are attempted throughout Boston. This program has been successful in connecting inner city kids to supportive professionals for 25 years!  That's a lot of bragging rights!

Then I was served breakfast by my pal,  and got a chance to meet his friends, learn more about his interests, walk in the garden, explore the school, play basketball, buy him books and watch him dance.

I had a terrific time and cannot wait until September when we can resume our letter writing!

Picture borrowed from the Promising Pals website: http://www.timiltymiddleschool.org/pals.html

Photo Blog! AKA: EMP SNAPS

I started a Tumblr Photo Blog for some of my best work. Please go and check it out! 

http://empsnaps.tumblr.com/

Concerts & Performances 2010-2011

This is a partial list of the many concerts that I've seen between 2010-2011. 

Many of them were Handel and Hayden Society performances that I was lucky enough to view while I was interning with the organization, or more recently as a volunteer to support their efforts. 

•  H&H Passion in Vienna - Symphony Hall - 18th century Vienna - Harry Christophers conducts Mozart, Caldara, and Gluck.
• I saw Luciana Souza at Harvard's Sanders Theater this January. She played music from her most recent album the tide and she performed with several unbelievable percussionists. Check out: http://www.lucianasouza.com/
• BSO Carter, Berlioz and Ravel, Symphony Hall, Levine - Open Rehearsal, Jan 29
• H&H Zest for Love - Sander's Theater - Romantic vocal music, & readings from Shakespeare Conducted by Laurence Cummings
• H&H A Musical Salon - 19th-century English salon atmosphere, music from Mozart and Schubert
• Dropkick Murphys - St. Patty's Day Show, House of Blues
• BSO Mendelssohn and Rossini - Symphony Hall, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, March 19
• BSO Sibelius, Lieberson and Schubert - Symphony Hall, Conducted by Jayce Ogren, March 25
• New England Philharmonic w/ H&H Young Chorus & Simmons College Concert Choir
• H&H Beethoven Pastoral - Conducted by Sir Roger Norrington. Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral" & Symphony No. 4
• H&H Bach Portrait - Harry Christophers conducts the Brandenburg Concerto no. 5, plus Bach cantatas and motets.
• Rossini's Armida, with Renee Flemming, live broadcasted in HD from the Metropolitan Opera, NYC, in an AMC theater, MA
• Lady Gaga's Monster Ball at TD Banknorth Garden. June 2010.   

• Andrea Bocelli - Christmas in Boston, TD Banknorth Garden. December 2010
• H & H The Messiah - Symphony Hall. Deember 2010
• H & H Handel's Israel in Egypt. February 20, 2011. Symphony Hall
• H & H The Society Ball - Gala Event - Valentine's Day - 2011
• H & H Harry's Vocal Voyage.  Harvard Memorial Church. April 1, 2011
• Boston Bruins - Game 4 Playoffs V. Tampa @ Garden, May 23rd.
• Boston Bruins - Game 4 V. Kanuks @ Garden, June 8th.

I am really excited about different things that are happening in my life - for example the many different fine institutions in which I am researching for graduate study, service programs etc. Also,

I have an eleven-year-old, brilliant  boy for a pen-pal from Roxbury who I am totally pumped to be writing to (yes, imaginary audience, even if  I spend my days teaching 11 year old's for work).
I enjoy writing him letters on my Crane's stationary and receiving his well written notes back. I can't wait to meet him at the Promising Pal's Event at his school.

Extraterrestrial Recycling

This is obviously a great idea!

DARPA Building a Gigantic Space Net to Clean Up Space Junk in Space

http://gizmodo.com/5614110/ 

Check it out!

Wyclef Jean as President of Haiti?

Wyclef Jean, music artist and past member of the Fugees is hoping to be in the running against 30-odd others, to become the new President of Haiti. According to election rules, the candidate must have been a resident of Haiti for the last 5 years, which will likely be challenging to prove as he has been stateside for many years. They will rule his eligibility as a member of the Haitian diaspora next week.

Wyclef's potential candidacy has been met with both support and resistance. Many are hesitant that Mr. Jeans celebrity status will pull him into the position and he will be unable to meet the demands of presidency. And worse, would he stop performing?

Please, take a look at the two linked videos and judge for yourself.

YouTube Interview: Al Jazeera & Wyclef
YouTube: Wyclef's "4 Pillar Plan" for Haiti.

Photo borrowed from Wyclef's official blog: http://wyclefjean.wordpress.com/

Public Hearing, Draft of the Solid Waste Master Plan, MassDEP

Today I attended the preliminary Public Hearing on the Draft of the Solid Waste Master Plan at the Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). It is so motivating to hear the powerful women and men fighting for our state, our cities and towns, our environment, our public voice and to hear those who believe in the truth of REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE!

Below I have broken down what the draft focuses on, and what the advocates were suggesting as changes to the draft on record, during the hearing.

This is taken directly from the DRAFT - MASSACHUSETTS 2010-2020 SOLID WASTE MASTER PLAN, from JULY 1, 2010 titled "Pathway to Zero Waste"

Solid Waste Master Plan Focus

• Dramatically increase recycling and re-use and provide assistance to cities and towns;

• Maintain moratorium on additional municipal solid waste combustion (aka incinerators). Begin to develop new performance standards for existing waste-to-energy facilities that require higher recycling rates in waste collection areas, lower emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, and higher efficiency in energy recapture;

• Seize green economic opportunities to build markets, jobs and firms in recycling, re-use, and related waste management efforts;

• Increase producer responsibility to reduce waste that needs to be recycled or disposed of by municipalities and eliminate products containing toxic chemicals from disposal; and

• Develop integrated solid waste management systems that minimize the amount of material that must ultimately be disposed of.

Major Issues With The Draft

Condensed and summarized from testimony of appx. 15 speakers from different organizations, governmental divisions, waste management companies, non-profit groups, advocacy groups, activists, volunteers etc.

• The time line. This draft proposes that we will be able to reduce annual solid waste disposal 30% by 2020, from 6,550,000 tons of disposal in 2008 to 4,550,000 tons of disposal in 2020. AND that by 2050, Massachusetts should reduce the amount of waste residents and businesses dispose of by 80%, and virtually eliminate products containing toxic chemicals from our disposal facilities.
This is too long, it's been proven from MANY other places in the commonwealth (Nantucket) and the country (CA) can reduce their waste to these numbers in under 5 years, so why do we need 50?

• The Title "Pathway to Zero Waste" was decidedly considered a poor title for this plan because the steps delineated did NOT suggest a way to get to an actual level of ZERO. The opposition felt that it should be called some other title that would accurately reflect the goals, OR to change the goals to make ZERO WASTE feasible.

• Success? Massachusetts had a previous Solid Waste Reduction Management Plan that the commonwealth did not come close to meeting its goals. The opposition wanted to know why there was not a specific section in the draft that said how this plan would be different in its ability to be successful.

• Loopholes! This draft contains several sections that allow for loopholes to occur - primarily with the wording for the section on municipal solid waste combustion (aka incinerators). The wording allows for alternate types of incinerators to be built and they are currently on the way in places like Taunton. We CANNOT allow for this draft to be finalized with wording that encourages loopholes!

You can Help fight this! Head over to MASSPIRG to read more on the Zero Waste Solution or to make a pledge now.

Here is the link to the MassDEP's site where you can see the draft for yourself, as well as updates, hearing times and contact information.
http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/priorities/dswmpu01.htm#swmp

DO YOUR PART AND: REUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE!

Support our local Beaches, why go far?

Here is a list I've compiled of several really nice local Mass beaches, and historic places to check out this summer! Please take a look and visit them this summer!

* Wingaersheek: http://www.bostoncentral.com/activities/wingaersheek_beach/p668.php
* Crane's: http://www.thetrustees.org/places-to-visit/northeast-ma/crane-beach-on-the-crane.html
* Good Harbor: http://gloucester-ma.gov/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=121
* Singing Beach: http://www.manchester.ma.us/pages/manchesterma_recreation/singingbeach
* Salem - not for beaches, for history/entertainment http://www.salem.com/Pages/SalemMA_WebDocs/destination

Or if you want to go a little out of state...
* Hampton Beach, NH - This is more of a novelty than a good 'beach'. Not tops for swimming - way to cold because of it's location. Long boardwalk with arcades, restaurants fried dough, free concerts, cotton candy. http://www.hamptonbeach.org/

Dave Matthews & Tailgate Recycling

This week I headed down to the Comcast Center in Mansfield with my sister Caroline and our friend to volunteer for the ‘So Much to Save’ recycling program for the BAMA GREEN PROJECT sponsored by Dave Matthews Band.

We were there to encourage fans to recycle their waste in the tailgate parking lots before the show. After they recycled their cans/bottles, we gave them a raffle ticket to enter a drawing to win a signed DMB poster.

This was such a positive experience, even though I was out in the baking sun, collecting heavy glass and plastic bottles (often soaking me in beer) into heavy duty trash bags (from underage drinkers who suspected that I was an undercover police officer). Next we'd weighing the collected materials. I personally, single-handedly collected over 100 lbs of recyclables from the parking lots. We collected several hundred pounds over the course of the evening, which is repeated AT EVERY DMB concert across the country.

Additionally, as part of the project, they teamed up with Filter for Good, partnering with Brita!
Over 2,000 water bottles were refilled at the Brita Hydration Hubs, while 3,400 people without water bottles used Brita compostable cups to quench their thirst without the waste of plastic water bottles!

DMB is doing a lot of Greening! See some of the ways that they are doing this:

• Dedicated Reverb on-site staffer to handle all greening and fan outreach logistics
• Biodiesel fuelings for touring fleet
  
• On-line carpooling service for concert goers
  
• Waste reduction and recycling backstage
  
• Non-toxic cleaners and post-consumer recycled bathroom tissue on tour buses
  
• Reusable water bottles for band and crew to reduce plastic bottle waste
  
• Biodegradable and compostable catering products, including potato and corn based utensils, bowls and cups
  
• Local and organic food backstage
  
• Eco-friendly merchandise
• Carbon offsets to neutralize all CO2 emissions from touring fleet, air travel, hotel accommodations, and venue energy use
  
• Working with the concert venues to help them be more green
  
• Inviting local non-profit groups to be a part of the Eco-Village at each show

Paradise, Poem w/ Photoshop

This is my first attempt with blending layers and modifying text like this. The text is a line from a poem I wrote this fall and the images incorporate a still image of clouds and a series of drawn dizzying spirals.