Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the event "Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds" at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs with about 50 other people. The gathering featured Rita King and Joshua Fouts discussing their project to research how Muslims have been using virtual worlds, particularly Second Life, as a medium to…
Category: Politics
Legendary lindy hopper Norma Miller on TODAY show talking about Obama and swing as a unifying force
Here's a neat clip of pioneering lindy hopper Ms. Norma Miller on the TODAY show on NBC from a couple of days ago. Norma talks about how historic Barack Obama's presidency is and how swing has always brought people of different races together in harmony. Norma at 90 years young continues to perform and appear…
Witnessing history with 2 million Americans in the National Mall
At 4am on Tuesday, some obnoxious chiming noise woke me with a start. For a minute or so I was completely disoriented: Where am I? Why am I up this early? Whose bed is this? Then it all came in like a jolt: it’s Inauguration Day! I leapt out of bed and started getting ready…
Second Lifers gather to view Obama Inauguration (video)
While I was in DC for the real thing, apparently there were several virtual gatherings of people from around the world to watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama yesterday. My friends at Ill Clan Studios provided this excellent video coverage of one such event from NetRoots Nation in Second Life. There were definite advantages to…
Barack celebrated, Bush booed on National Mall (video)
Here’s my video of the exact moment when Obama was sworn into office on the US Capitol steps, from my cheap seats on the National Mall. Such a moving, powerful moment for the two million or so of us on the grounds of the Mall. By contrast, check out the video of the crowd reaction…
My pics from the Obama Inauguration from the very chilly National Mall!
Here’s my mostly unedited photoset from today’s incredible inauguration of Barack Obama from the National Mall in Washington DC. It was an amazing moment in history, which I’m not in any condition to write much about now since the feeling in my extremities is just starting to return from nearly 10 hours in the freezing…
Martin Luther King Day in DC: A day of inspiration and anticipation
I had a remarkable day in Washington DC for Martin Luther King Jr Day. It started out with a wonderful series of performances at the National Cathedral to celebrate Dr King, including spoken word, drumming, a choir, hip hop violin playing and more. So inspiring and fun. The National Cathedral has always been one of…
First day in DC: Obama-mania is in full effect
I just arrived in Washington DC for the presidential inauguration festivities. Here's what I encountered at Union Station when I got off the bus. This souvenir stand had an impressive array of Obama-stuff on sale, from posters to buttons, tee-shirts, flags, postcards, and baby bibs. This guy tried to charge me $1 to take this…
$6 Inaugural swing ball at DC’s Jam Cellar on Tuesday!
Here's another tip for those of you headed to Washington DC for the Presidential Inauguration this Tuesday: The evening of January 20 is full of pricey inaugural balls starting at $150 and up. Well if you have forgotten to pack your ball gown or your wallet is feeling a bit light, you might want to…
DC Quakers offer inauguration day rest area : come in from the cold!
For those of you coming to Washington DC for the presidential inauguration this Tuesday, I'm sure you are wondering how you are going to keep warm and take a break during the chilly festivities. The local Quakers in DC have thought of this too, and are generously opening their doors to anyone that day who…