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April 25, 2004
March for Women's Lives
I went to the March for Women's Lives today. I've not seen anything like this in the 17 years I've lived in DC. It was pretty amazing. The organizers claim 1,150,000 people. I think it was higher than the 500,000 they were expecting, just not that high.
I spotted a guy there who was wearing a T-shirt that said "I'm only here for the ladies". It was the best slogan, because it really did explain why I was there. I was there for the women in my life. The women who may need an abortion one day. The ones who might become the victims of violence.
But I was there for the ones that have been through these things. I have a couple of friends that have had abortions and far too many who were raped or assaulted. I was there for them: to honor them, their choices and their pain.
I was there to help ensure that when others go through what they did, they will not find it as difficult. That they will be able to get the treatments they want without the stigma. That they can find help when they need it, not after it is too late. That they can get honest answers from practitioners that care about them, not about staying on the right side of the law.
I hope the people who were there today remember one thing: they must vote. Protests marches are great at raising awareness and letting people know you are pissed off. But nothing changes unless people vote. And if it means getting rid of a popular local congressman, so be it. If it means dumping a president in the middle of a war, so be it.
Vote so that other don't have to go through the pain my friends went through.
Posted by Samer at 11:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 23, 2004
Iron Chef America
I love Iron Chef. I consider it one of the best shows on television.
The incredible majesty of the chefs in question. Their mastery of the art of cooking. Their incredible imagination. The beauty of the dishes they make. The tastes which I can only dream about.
Food Network has seen fit to create an American version. It stars "the Chairman", who is supposed to be the nephew of Chairman Kaga. Alton Brown serves as host and color commentator. The Iron Chefs are Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck and Mario Battali.
OK, a word of advice to the folks producing this show: don't fuck with an icon. Iron Chef is astonishing for its brilliance. The ingredients, the chaos, the format. They all combined to make it one of the best shows on television. The show has a following that borders on the fanatic. So, please, don't fuck with it.
But they did. The most jarring thing is that the commentary is not all done live during the taping. There was a good bit of dialog added in post (as they say). Why? I suspect it's because Alton Brown can't talk for an hour straight. That's why, in the original, they had a play by play person and a commentator. Brown should be filling the role of Hatori. He's doing too much, and is not very good at it.
Furthermore, they changed the music. Fine, you want new music, create new music. But the music they used was insipid. I want drama and flare. The music sets the mood, especially for the home audience.
But enough with the criticism, on to the battle. Trout. Live, swimming in a tank, trout. Brilliant. Make them catch it and kill it. They brought Iron Chef Sakai back for this one. Did you know, he's never lost a fish battle?
Until now. He lost to Flay. I'm not sure what the judges were thinking, but they gave Sakai fewer points on the presentation. I mean, really? His presentation was flawless. His food looked like food porn. I can't speak to the taste, but he clearly should have won for imagination and presentation.
So, this first episode has left a bland taste in my mouth. We'll see where it goes from here.
Posted by Samer at 11:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 21, 2004
Death
One of my neighbors passed away last night.
A stroke. While she slept.
We talked every now and again. She lived on the other side of the building. I had not seen her since December. She had been in California, wintering. Ran into her a couple of weeks ago.
We had a meandering conversation. Like all of our conversations, it was about nothing in particular. Jobs, life, travel. She looked and sounded fine, life was treating her well, it always seemed to.
She had been in a wheel chair as long as I've known her. She never let that slow her down. It always seemed like a natural extension of her.
She was always friendly with people, helping folks out. She knew everything that was going on in the neighborhood. She was, in many senses, an activist.
Susan will be missed.
Posted by Samer at 10:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 20, 2004
Who Turned on the Heat?
When I left Maine yesterday it was a balmy 46° F. By afternoon it was 91° here in Washington. For the record, I thought it was too hot while hiking in Maine when it was 61° the night before.
Posted by Samer at 07:03 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 15, 2004
Maine Bound
I'm off to Maine in a little bit. Going to have a grand old time. Staying in Acadia National Park in one of Rockefeller's old homes. Hiking. Walking. Talking. Going to a burn party. A dinner party.
And, get this: I'm not taking my laptop. That's right. For the first trip in five years, I am not taking my laptop. And my cell phone won't work on the island. Yippee!
Gonna be fun.
Posted by Samer at 04:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 04, 2004
Daylight Saving Time
Time to save some daylight. Hope you remembered to set your clocks forward. Check out this cool site for all the low down on why we do the daylight saving dance and why it is Daylight Saving Time not Daylight Savings Time.
Posted by Samer at 10:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 01, 2004
Transportation
There was a 30 mile backup today on the Beltway. 30 miles.
Let me put that in perspective for you: The Beltway is just over 60 miles around. Just about half of it was backed up.
You want to know the reason? Rain.
When did we turn into Southern California?
Posted by Samer at 10:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Decade
Today marks 10 years of working for Reuters.
I've gone from Video Tape Editor to Multimedia Editor to Graphics Specialist to Online Reports Developer. I've been on a couple of trips, from MacWorld Boston to the G8 meeting in Denver to client visits in San Francisco to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Despite my groaning and moaning, it has been a good ride. Here's to the next decade.
Posted by Samer at 08:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack