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The Sea's the thing at the Folger Library
By: Jeremy Skog
Special to The Examiner
06/30/10 1:43 PM EDTSummer is a particularly nautical season. The idea waves and of cool breezes is particularly appealing during the muggy months of metro delays and broken air conditioners but even those of us who can’t make it to the marina or beach can experience some of the sea’s mystery with the Folger Library’s new exhibit “Lost at Sea: The Ocean in the English Imagination 1550-1750.”
This exhibit will be of particular interest to bibliophiles with the large collection of historical books on display, including Captain John Smith’s “Seaman’s Grammar and Dictionary” a how-to guide for sailing covering everything from the names of the parts of the ship to instructions for fighting at sea. Captain Smith later came to regret his work as, in a first flush of Yankee thrift, English settlers in Massachusetts found it cheaper to buy the book than to hire the author as an advisor. One “book” is a model of a 21 pound atlas which bears the sign “please touch,” allowing visitors to feel the weight of the subject. Such sparks of humor sprinkle the entire showing, the exhibit’s pamphlet folds out with details of the exhibit on one side and a reproduction nautical map on the other.
The exhibit is accented by a series of free lectures. The first of the three was by Alden Vaughn who covered the tales of three English writers and the role of the Island of Bermuda which symbolized the sea in the English mind. Few Englishmen of the time actually went to sea – most got their information from literature and tales.
Before 1609 the island of Bermuda, then the "Isle of Devils," was uninhabited and to approach it was to invite having ones ship smashed on the reefs. The crew of one such unlucky ship, the Sea Venture, managed to survive on the island for a year before being rescued and making their way back to England in 1610. Their tales of the idyllic life and the island’s strategic location prompted a move for settlement and soon it became one of the most successful colonies in the English empire. Allegedly, the story of the shipwrecked passengers provided the inspiration for Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest.”
Those whose summer expeditions are distinctly landlocked will find plenty at the Folger to fuel their dreams of pink sandy beaches. The Folger Library is open between 10 am and 5 pm from Monday to Saturday through September 4th. Admission is free and cell-phone audio tours enhance many of the items on display.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
In Which I Take a Look at the Folger Library
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
In Which I Fight For Independence Day Traditions
Independence Day loses its sparkle in Alexandria
By: Jeremy Skog
Special to The Examiner
06/25/10 12:22 PM EDTOne wonders why Alexandria public schools have a Talented and Gifted Program at all when apparently the entire populace is too dull to manage even the simplest firework. That, at least, is the judgement of mandarins on the Alexandria City Council: William Euille, Rob Krupicka, Redella Pepper and Paul Smedberg who in 2006 voted to make almost all forms of fireworks illegal in the city The list includes even fireworks considered benign elsewhere such as sparklers, poppers, and, interestingly, hot-air balloons. Hopefully, the public can still be trusted with snakes.
In five-alarm prose the Alexandria Fire Department states that:
“Decades of tragic experience have proved that fireworks are too dangerous to be used at home by amateurs. Improper handling of fireworks and sparklers all too often results in injuries. More than 9,600 fireworks injuries occur annually. Of these, 62% of fireworks injuries were burns, while 20% are lacerations. Young people suffer the majority of fireworks injuries, which can result in amputations, severe eye injuries, disfigurement, and even death.”
These injuries would represent about 1% of the 500,000 burn injuries which the American Burn Association claims occur every year. In contrast, the Association states that 32% of burns are due to scalding and 3% are due to chemical burns. Yet household cleaners are still for sale in Alexandria stores and the council has shown no sign of attempting to shut down the many coffee shops which freely sell piping hot beverages to “amateur” consumers.
The reason, of course, is that fireworks make an easy target – they suffer from the same difficulties that all special-interest issues do. It is easy to point to an injured child and claim that one is “working to prevent horrible tragedies,” which always seems to call for an ever-larger role for government in making the decisions of citizens’ lives. It is much harder to point out that freedom sometime exposes us to risks and forces people to take responsibility, weighing risk and reward for themselves. The alternative is a state of perpetual childishness and the supervision it entails. Unfortunately, Arlington voters will have to wait several more years until they can elect representatives who have the courage to treat their constituents like adults.
To deter any potential Guy Fawkes’s the council has decreed that anyone who dares to “store, offer for sale, expose for sale, sell at retail, use or explode any fireworks” can be punished with a fine up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail. Patriotic subjects are advised to attend one of the government-organized rallies rather than attempting to celebrate America’s independence for themselves.
Monday, July 19, 2010
In Which I Take a Look at Summer 2010's Asian Film Festival
Made in Hong Kong, Shown in DC
By: Jeremy Skog
Special to The Examiner
06/22/10 11:50 AM EDTDVDs were a Godsend. You see I have long been a film snob, in that I demand verisimilitude. I believe in watching movies in the way they were intended to be seen - if directors did things a certain way there was a reason for it. But the medium of VHS demanded a hundred different compromises, both technical and in content. With the advent of DVD I was finally able to watch films properly, with subtitles instead of dubbing and no more of that terrible pan-and-scan “technology.” But some genres are best seen on the large screen, historical epics in particular, and in theaters I am still a prisoner to the prejudice against American audiences. So while I was thrilled to hear that John Woo was making an epic based on the eponymous Battle of Red Cliffs, I was dismayed to hear that what was originally made in two parts (I II), would be condensed into a half-sized “theatrical version” for its U.S. release. Two whole hours of story would be cut.
But the internationalism of DC once again came to the rescue – the full edition was chosen for last weekend’s launch of this year’s Made in Hong Kong Film Festival at the Smithsonian Institution's Freer gallery. Even better for those on a budget the films are entirely free, although the organizers do ask for a donation to help fund the series. (The series is cosponsored by the Freer and Sackler Galleries and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.) The festival features Asian movies which are rarely shown in the United States. The film lived up to the hype and is unmistakably the work on Mr. Woo featuring grand vistas and intensely choreographed fight sequences. Although the audio system in the Freer’s Meyer Auditorium is obviously designed for lectures rather than films, I didn’t notice after being drawn in to the story. This was the way the film was meant to be shown.
For those in search of something besides the standard Hollywood blockbuster this summer, they could do much worse. The seven (or eight, depending on how you count) films are shown at 7:00 on Fridays with an encore matinee the following Sunday at 2:00 from now until the middle of August. Doors open about 30 minutes before the showing and arriving early is recommended. The theater was nearly full for the first showing. Sadly, food and drink are not permitted as this is an art gallery.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
In Which I Examine Unemployment in the Washington Area
Unemployment: Washington metro region vs. the nation
By: Jeremy Skog
Special to The Examiner
06/09/10 6:40 AM EDTBusinesses and investors undoubtedly spent much of the past few days mulling over the unemployment numbers released last week. It was certainly picked up on the political beat and stocks sank, only recently recovering slightly. But there’s always been a meme that the greater Washington area is more stable than other areas of the country, due to its reliance on the Federal Government and industries employing highly-educated workers, both groups which are traditionally less affected by job-market downturns.
This was borne out last Wednesday, June 2nd when the Bureau of Labor Statistics also released their estimates of local employment and unemployment up to April, 2010. In contrast to a country-wide average of 9.7%, the regional unemployment rate is only 5.9%. This is mostly due to the suburbs - within the city itself the rate is reported at 9.8%. This is worse than last year for all of the areas in greater Washington. Last April, DC's unemployment rate stood at 8.5%, Maryland at 5% and Virginia at 5.1%.
It's easy to let this gloom overwhelm, but our area may be the one-eyed man in the land of the blind. It is the only metropolitan area in the country to see an increase in the number of employees on payroll over the last year, by 0.2% in the area and 1.5% in the District itself. This increase in jobs, however, wasn't large enough to counteract the overall increase in the size of the labor force, which increased by about 5,500 people in the entire area. Maryland saw a drop in the size of its labor force by about 3,700 people while the District gained almost 8,000. Virginia held steady, adding 1,200 people to the labor force. (These numbers may not add up exactly due to rounding in the reported statistics.)
This report was especially criticized because 411,000 of the jobs created nationally were temporary positions with the 2010 Census. Each of the 12 national census regions hires approximately 40,000 to 70,000 of these temporary workers. Depending on local laws, they may be eligible for unemployment benefits after their work ends.
Squeezed budgets have led to headline-grabbing cuts in local services, but it is true that the Washington region does have several unique advantages. One is its reliance on government which helps to smooth out booms and busts like an ocean does temperatures. The unemployment rate for government workers was only 3.4% in May. Another beneficial factor is the regions incredibly highly-educated workforce. DC has a national-high 47.5% of residents over age 25 with a bachelors degree or higher. 26% possess an advanced degree. Maryland and Virginia also rank well on these metrics - 35% of Marylanders over age 25 have at least a Bachelors degree as do a third of over-25 Virginians. This has a real effect on the workforce. Those with higher levels of education are both more likely to participate in the workforce and less likely to be unemployed. The national unemployment rate in May for those with at least a Bachelors degree was only 4.7% versus 15% for those without a High School diploma. This difference holds, even accounting for the fact that 77.3% of those with a College degree were in the labor force versus only 45.8% of those who didn't graduate High School. The general effect is a feeling of relative prosperity as more people in our area consider themselves eligible for work and more of them are employed.
These regional aspects can lead to an unfortunate myopia among policymakers - it can be hard to see a problem until one is personally affected. Most Americans currently list the economy as the most pressing issue facing our nation and the recent job numbers mean this will likely continue as graduates enter the labor force this summer. Given Washington's often insularity and the climate of anti-incumbent sentiment around the country it's ever more important for representatives to venture beyond the beltway and meet with their constituents to determine their upcoming legislative priorities and responsibilities.
This same local bubble can make the situation seem even more bleak for anyone job-hunting right now, especially they don't possess any of the aforementioned advantages. It can be difficult to see one's peers busily productive and though there is lots of advice available to job-seekers the traditional tip is still the best: stay busy and don't give up. Local residents shouldn’t be too discouraged by national news – the greater Washington area remains one of the best places in the country to seek employment.
The next release of Regional and State Employment and Unemployment news is scheduled for Friday, June 18th at 10:00 am.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
In Which I Take A Look At Virginia's Primary Elections
Berry’s Barbecue provides calm before primary campaign season storm
By: Jeremy Skog
Special to The Examiner
06/02/10 12:30 PM EDTOne of the facts one learns living in the Washington, D.C. region is the difference between politics and government – and one of the key parts of the difference is the schedule the two keep. Just when most of the area is going on vacation to enjoy a long weekend, local politicians switch into high gear. It is, after all, the best time to meet those constituents still around.
Matt Berry provided a good example of this dichotomy, hosting a barbecue for neighbors and supporters at his home near Ballston, getting them ready for the next big push in his campaign. Berry, a 13-year resident of Arlington, is running in the primary to be the Republican nominee for the 8th Congressional District in Virginia, the seat currently held by Democrat Jim Moran. His competition for the nomination is Patrick Murray a retired U.S. Army Colonel.
While he spent most of the time talking one-on-one with potential constituents, Berry did stand up to give a brief speech to his guests who were enjoying traditional the summer barbecue fare. He began by thanking everyone for their work on his behalf, asking for us to remember our servicemen, saying the he was humbled by how many people were taking an interest in his ideas and concluded by making the official public introduction of his two dogs, Wilson and Thatcher, the special guests of the event.
Although they kept to the shade, guests conversed eagerly about topics ranging from how they honor Memorial Day to, naturally, local politics. Many of those present favored Berry’s focus on the issues and the fact that he promotes his plans for resolving problems rather than just standard talking points.
The sweltering summer weather was relieved by iced tea, lemonade, and hamburgers and hotdogs cooked up by his campaign staff. Berry gave a nod to the cupcake craze by including red-white-and-blue cupcakes next to the watermelon and potato salad. About 60 guests left with “party favors” of bumper stickers, yard signs, and an appeal to support the Berry campaign.
Berry also took time this weekend to march in the Falls Church’s Memorial Day parade. Primary elections are being held in the 8th and 11th Virginia congressional districts on June 8th and voting is open to all registered voters. Residents can expect phone calls, door knockers, and other get-out-the-vote efforts in the final week before the election.
In Which I Begin a New Series