Daily Archives: February 1, 2009
Race and the new DC Social Scene
An interesting essay …
…Debra Lee, chief executive of Black Entertainment Television, has been on Washington’s A-list for some time, but she has been even more popular since Nov. 4, receiving invites from folks she doesn’t really know.
“The first reaction is: ‘Wow. Isn’t that curious? Are they just using me?’ ” she said. “Then you think about Obama, who says he wants to be inclusive.”
At the same time, an invitation to Lee’s home is an even hotter ticket, after Jarrett and incoming White House social secretary Desiree Rogers showed up for one of her late-night parties last month. On Friday night, at Lee’s VIP reception for this year’s BET Honors, guests mobbed Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), who vigorously supported Obama after the candidate swept his state’s primary. Honorees Magic Johnson, Judith Jamison and restaurateur B. Smith mingled with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, journalists Charlie Rose and Gwen Ifill, and actors Gabrielle Union and Samuel L. Jackson. Arianna Huffington, Hilary Rosen and Beth Dozoretz huddled with Oprah Winfrey’s best friend, Gayle King….
The Sky is Falling
Meteors are falling on your head all the time, or so it is said. I’ve heard that you can collect meteorites by sifting through the stuff that accumulates in your gutters with a magnet. The magnet ignores the silica rock and tarry stuff that your roof is made of, but picks up the iron bits which tend to be meteoric dust. I’m not sure if I believe that, but this is what is said.
One of the best places to get meteorites is in Antarctica, because they land on ice instead of land, and are thus not mixed up with non meteoric rocky stuff, they stand out on the background, and there are certain glacial forces that concentrate them (and bring them to the surface) so they can be easily found.
Why do I even mention this? Well, for reasons that are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS (yet) I’ve been reading about meteors on the Antarctic ice, and I came across this web site:
Ansmet The Antarctic Search for Meteorites
and thought you might like to see it.
I should mention that I discovered this site via Bad Astronomy, so Hat Tip to Phil.
Race Exhibit Comest to Cincinnati
This exhibit. Worth a look if you are in the area. Let me know what you think of it!
some details.
New Hampshire: One step backwards
A bill that would have mandated that partners in civil unions be added to all state insurance laws was put on hold just as House committee was about to hold a hearing on the measure.
Rep. Edward Butler (D), the bill’s sponsor, pulled the legislation, saying there were other measures dealing with same-sex couples that should be considered first.
Among those is a proposal to change New Hampshire’s year old civil union law to allow for full marriage. A hearing on that bill is scheduled for Feb. 5.
Republicans have filed a bill that would start the process to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage and the legislature will consider a bill that would maintain civil unions and direct the government to recognize civil unions and gay marriages performed in states and countries where they are legal as civil unions in New Hampshire.