Did you know this?
According to U.S. law, a civilian like Obama is supposed to stand up when the anthem is played, take off his hat, face the flag, and put his right hand over his heart.
I did not know this. I’d always assumed that the highest authority in the matter of what to do was social convention.
I went to the DC lawyers march in support of the lawyers in Pakistan.  It makes me cringe just to write that.  Though well -intentioned, it just seemed so . . . off.  In any event, it did result in my two favorite lines of the week. The first was by another lawyer, saying that “this was the first protest I’ve been to where everyone arrived in cabs.” Tis true – the curbside in front of the Library of Congress looked like the Mayflower Hotel cabstand. The second line might reach what made this “march” okay, cringeworthiness aside. A few people from (what I assumed to be) Code Pink came along, cheering and asking –
“What took you so long?”
Indeed. For a more thought out take on the US lawyers rallies across the country, check this out.
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Occam’s Hatchet at dKos uses the classic Flatland book to explain the importance of perspective. An excellent read.
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Barry Ritholtz at the Big Picture linked to this interesting little tool from Gracenote a little while back. Gracenote is the company that provides the track information for the CDs that you put in your computer.* They’ve now created a map that lists the 10 most popular artists and albums by continent and country.  It’s a bit of a rough measurement – the results, of course, are heavily skewed towards the demographic that can afford computers constantly connected to the internet. That said, it’s still quite fun to poke around. Finland? There’s something wrong with that country . . .
*Saving you kids all that typing we had to do back in the mid 90s. Uphill. Both ways.
I’m not Jim Moran’s biggest fan, but he gets credit for hosting this event:
When: Tuesday, November 13th
7:00PM to 9:00PMWhere: George Washington Masonic Temple; Theater
101 Callahan Dr.
Alexandria, VA 22301Who:
- Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA), senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense.
Guest Panelists:
- Lee Hamilton, President, Woodrow Wilson International Center, Chairman, Iraq Study Group, Co-Chairman, 9/11 Commission, former Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee;
- Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Reagan;
- Danielle Pletka, Vice President for foreign and defense policy, American Enterprise Institute;
- Dr. Trita Parsi, President, National Iranian American Council;
I’ll be there. Join us.
| What: | Lawyers’ march for the rule of law in Pakistan |
| When: | 11:30 am, Wednesday, November 14 |
| Where: | Meet at Plaza of Madison Building of the Law Library of Congress
(101 Independence Avenue SE) before walking to the Supreme Court |
| Attire: | Black suit |
Photo courtesy orionoir.
Stopped by the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse tonight for the Lunafest. Hosted by Team Luna Chix DC, Lunafest is:
 a national traveling festival of films by . . . for . . . about women.
Lunafest runs from October-March, in that time it is shown by more than 100 venues nationwide and is seen by over 20,000 viewers, each ticket sold raises money for Breast Cancer Fund and local nonprofit organizations.
The films were pretty good, and the speaker (I really regret that I can’t recall her name) was more than inspiring. A breast-cancer survivor and Ironman veteran, she spoke about the causes and effects of breast cancer in a more frank way than I’ve ever heard anyone talk about it. I wish more people would have been there to hear it.
The concept of the Lunafest is really something. It is, essentially, a turnkey film festival fundraiser. Lunafest provides the centerpiece – 10 film shorts. You provide the venue and select the local charity to benefit. The Breast Cancer Fund and the local charity receive the proceeds. Luna (maker of Lunabars), of course, gets the credit for facilitating all of this (and, frankly, deserves it). I *really* like this idea.
Check out the calendar to see if Lunafest is coming your way (really, the films are great, and they’re *everywhere*). If you’re feeling motivated, consider hosting one.
You can learn about anything on the Internet.
Well, it looks like there’s *some* sort of state of emergency in Pakistan, the constitution has been suspended, and a number of media outlets have been shut down. But reliable information beyond that has been hard to come by. If you’re interested in following these events, I suggest adding Geo.tv to your source list. Pakistan focused satellite channel, but based in Dubai (so beyond the reach of the gov’t).
Looks like Mitt Romney is actually doing something useful.  I’ve long worried that copyright law would be used to control and shape not just creative expression, but public debate. Fox is attempting to do just that, with its claims that none of the candidates can use footage from the GOP debate that it broadcast. Romney doesn’t like it, and is fighting that, arguing that fair use rights prevents Fox from exercising full control over the footage. What’s good for Romney also happens to be good for you and me. These debates, as sad as they might be, are smack in the center of the ongoing public political conversation that the Constitution protects. No one should be able to control the content of that public conversation by asserting a private copyright claim.
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