Dining in DC: The G Sandwich Shop Pop-up

The chicken parm wasn't on the menu

Pop is a popular word in food circles. There is the pop in Rice Krispies, as in snap, crackle, pop. There is the pop in that morning quick food staple the pop tart. And there is the pop of the pop-up restaurants, which have been becoming more of a mainstay in the DC eating scene in the last year or so.

A pop-up eatery is a temporary restaurant. Some operate from a private home, former factory or similar building, or during fixed-time events like festivals. Many of these are set up by young professionals wanting to gain experience and exposure. Others operate in an already established eatery where a recognized chef can test out new dishes or concepts.

The G Sandwich Shop pop-up is a classic case of the 2nd group. Jersey-bred restaurateur and Top Chef star Mike Isabella is using the 1st floor of his popular Penn Quarter/Chinatown restaurant Graffiato as a lunch-time eatery for a few weeks to test out sandwiches and salads that he will offer at G when he opens that new place on 14th Street some time this summer.

We checked out the pop-up G last week. That day the menu featured 3 sandwiches. Judy chose the meatball sub on garlic bread w/ provolone and thai basil. I opted for the Cubano panino, roasted pork w/prosciutto cotta, mustard, pickles, and Swiss cheese. The 3rd offering was a roasted cauliflower hero w/romesco, torn herbs, and pickled vegetables. Although the meatball was good, Judy and I agreed that the Cubano was the superior sandwich. Interestingly enough, we also got an on-the-spot review from a diner sitting next to us, who was with a group who tried all 3 specialties. He said the cauliflower was by far the best of the trio even though he doesn't like vegetable sandwiches. . Actually, that didn't surprise me because the roasted cauliflower I had tried at a previous visit to Grafiatto was the best such small plate I had  ever eaten.

G was also offering 4 house-made sodas. I let our waitress choose for me and she brought the blood orange and lemongrass. Noticing my empty glass, she remarked "I guess you liked my choice." I did.

We finished our lunch by sharing an order of carnival-style zeppole, an Italian dough ball similar to New Orleans famed beignets. The zeppole came in a small brown paper bag which you could shake to redistribute the powdered sugar.

Of course, when it opens, G will be a noontime sandwich shop. However, plans call for a fixed price tasting menu featuring seasonal ingredients to be offered at dinnertime.

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Normally here would would offer reviews from Yelp and Urban Spoon, as well as our own The Prices Do DC rating. However, reviewing a pop-up would be like reviewing a Broadway show during previews. You should wait until opening night. So, instead, if you want learn about pop-ups, just click here to access a website dedicated to that subject.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

I

While the White House and Capitol Hill continue to be awash in escalating division and discord, a 4-member panel of ex-Congress and Senate members easily reached a consensus concerning the best way to alleviate the DC political fighting that has led to gridlock, dysfunction, and a record low opinion of national government.

The key is to form better personal relationships which, in turn, would go a long way to returning proper political function to Washington, the former legislators agreed at a recent program at the National Archives entitled Congress and the White House: Partners or Foes?

"I'm a believer that everything is relationships," said Steve LaTourette (R-OH), who became a Congressman in 1995. "Then we did have the ability to talk with one another. A lot of those relationships I don't see today. When I left, everybody was afraid to leave their foxhole and give an inch. They are true believers. You're not able to buy them off. You're not able to reason them off."

Former Democratic Congressman Vic Fazio (D-CA) agreed. Fazio who first came to Washington as a staffer in the 1960's said he had witnessed steadily deteriorating relationships over the ensuing years. "In the 1960's, the divisions were around whether you were a Rotarian, a Kiwanian, a Lion or a Soroptimist, and there were very few of them," Fazio said with a laugh.

Now the situation is much different. "A lot of people don't reach out - they just don't do it," Fazio said. "When have we ever seen a point when we have so little respect for those we disagree with. If you are in the other party, you embarrass the administration and keep it up. If you don't, you're setting yourself up for fragging in your primary."

The belief was much the same for the 2 former Senators on the panel - Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Larry Pressler (R-SD).

Lincoln, who first came to Capitol Hill as a staffer in 1982, said at that time there was "more collegiality, but you could see the things that were being frayed."

Lincoln said better personal relationships must be established.  "It's much harder to be ugly or rude to someone when they are a friend," she maintained. "Leadership is not about control, but about creating an environment where people can come together."

Pressler, who served in the Senate from 1979 until 1997 after 4 years in the House of Representatives, cited several changes that have led to a worsening of relations, both between the Republicans and the Democrats and between the President and Congress.

"The Presidential leadership style has changed. They don't go to Congress anymore and fight it out," Pressler said. "The president must go to Congress."

The high cost of campaigning and public apathy also play a role, Pressler said "The American public has grown more apathetic and special interests have developed," he said.

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The special program was presented with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress. This was the 4th such program we have attended at the Archives. During those events, it has become abundantly clear that it was much easier for former Congressman to make sense when they no longer had an obligation to their party nor faced an election fight. Pressler gave yet another example of that behavior. "I wouldn't have said this when I was in office, but everybody's taxes will have to be raised to get us out of this (the current financial and budget crises facing America)." OK, maybe we should try this. We should throw the current representatives out and replace them with their retired counterparts. It appears they have learned much since they left Capitol Hill.

Back and White and Dead All Over

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Newspapers in big trouble. Ad revenues plummet. Readership declines. Papers shut down. Layoffs now in the thousands.

Indeed, the current situation of the American newspaper industry is extremely bleak. Since 2008, more than 170 papers have closed or have gone to on-line only editions. A recent study said being a newspaper reporter was the worst job in the country. More than 50,000 news employees have lost their jobs in the past 5 years.

Recently, a new documentary on the issue entitled Black and White and Dead All Over: A Film About the End of American Newspapers premiered at the Newseum. The film provides an in-depth look at the newspaper industry as it struggles to remain financially viable and keep the presses rolling. Directed by Lenny Feinberg, the documentary also examines the importance journalism has in our society by following 2 reporters from The Daily News in Philadelphia. The big question behind the film is - if the American newspaper dies, who will conduct investigative journalism and hold public figures accountable for their actions?

Following the showing, a panel of journalists discussed how the dire situation is affecting their own careers and the news organizations that employ them.

"Newspaper are not dead, but the next 5 years will be critical," said Washington Post deputy managing editor of investigative reporting Jeff Lien. "We need to find solutions. Our readership is getting older and they are dying off. There's no magic bullet. There's no single answer."

John Sullivan, who was hired as an investigative reporter at the Post from The Philadelphia Inquirer (also featured in the documentary) said "I lived this (the story of the film) to some degree."

Thomas Jefferson, in an oft-quoted statement, once said: "If we were to have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I would not hesitate a moment to choose the latter." Sullivan said the sentiment behind Jefferson's statement is just as true today. "We need investigative journalism. We need the newspapers," he said. "The newspapers have the weight and the acceptance of the community."

Part of the newspaper decline has been the rapid growth of the internet. And, to date, newspapers have not been able to devise a viable financial model for paying for the content they put online. "It can't continue to be free or it (newspaper reporting) will be gone," Lien said. "All you will have are bloggers in their pajamas writing about movie stars."

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To view the trailer for White and Black and Dead All Over, just click here. To check out a Facebook page devoted to the film and its subject, click here.

One Man's Trash

You know the saying - One man's trash is another man's treasure. But for artist Noah Williams that statement is literally true. For Williams takes discarded items and junk and shapes them into intriguing, imaginative, large-scale works of art.

Given his background, it's not surprising that he creates what he does. Born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, Williams received his primary art instruction from his mother, a ceramic artist. Then there was his former day job. Williams was a trash collector.

A sample of his works is now on display in a one-artist exhibition at the Art League Gallery in the Torpedo Factory in Olde Town Alexandria.  Fittingly enough, the found-art sculpture show is called One Man's Trash.

There is a message behind his creations. "His depictions of animals, machines, and masks, both real and imaginary, are intended to inspire viewers to be aware of the waste they create and the alternative uses for disposable materials," the program book on the show states.

Williams' repurposed bottle cap, metal scraps, keys, and abandoned tire creations also prompt a sense of wonder and the fantastic. "Multiple layers of wire, metal, and unexpected objects invite viewers to explore each sculpture and spark their sense of curiosity," the program book notes.

But enough with the words. Visual art is meant to be seen. Here are a few of Williams' unique creations.

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If you want to see One Man's Trash in person you still have some time. The exhibition will be on view until  June 3.

Fab Four or Fab Faux?

The Fab Faux have the hardest job in the history of rock and roll and they pull it off damn well. All rock bands want to be like the Beatles; these guys have the nerve to BE the Beatles. Amazingly, they're so good at it you learn new things about the originals.

                                                                                            --- Dave Marsh

      Legendary rock critic and Sirius XM radio host

Can a copy be as good as (or, in some cases, even better than) an original? That is a question for the ages in the arts and nowhere in the arts is that question bigger than in music, especially in rock with its reworked cover versions and tribute bands.

Which leads us to an examination of the relationship between the Beatles and the Fab Faux (a takeoff on one of the original Beatles nicknames, the Fab Four). Of course, you know who the Beatles are. But who are the Fab Faux? Well, they are 5 of the best New York City-based session musicians in music today. If you watch late-night TV you are probably familiar with at least 2 of them. Bass player Will Lee has spent 2 decades as the nightly bassist on The Late Show with David Letterman. Guitarist Jimmy Vivino is the musical director for The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. They are joined by drummer Rich Pagano, keyboardist Jack Petruzelli, and guitarist Frank Agnello. Individually, the five have performed with a series of stars that reads like a list from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. James Brown. Aretha Franklin. Ray Charles. Diana Ross. The Bee Gees. Carly Simon. Billy Joel. Steely Dan. Ray Davies. Levon Helm. Mick Jagger.

Sixteen years ago, Vivino and Lee kicked around the idea of forming a band to recreate the Beatles sound as they rode up an elevator together in a New York City building. Since that day, The Fab Faux, acknowledged by almost all major rock critics to be the greatest Beatles band ever not named the Beatles, has grown from a quickly tossed-off idea to a sometimes touring band that has headlined the annual International Beatles Festival in Liverpool 4 times.

And this weekend, they appeared at The Birchmere in Arlington for 2 sold-out shows. At the 1st, they performed the Beatles Rubber Soul album in its entirety. On the 2nd night, they performed 30 Beatles tunes in a show billed as From the Cavern to the Roof.

We attended the 1st show, and if we hadn't had a prior commitment, I would have definitely been back for the 2nd. Of course, the main highlight was hearing the songs of Rubber Soul performed as they appeared on the album. Like the rest of the enthusiastic crowd, many of whom, like me, had been introduced to the magic of the Beatles on a February night in 1964 when John, Paul, George and Ringo 1st appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, the powerful, faithful reproductions on stage evoked memories not only of Beatles moments, but of a time now long gone. With "Michelle" I was back in Capt. Bill's fried seafood diner in my small South Jersey town with my Dad, who was introducing me to french fries and gravy as the song played on the 5-songs-for-a-quarter jukebox. Or, with "Norwegian Wood," there I was, a 12-year-old  sitting alone in my bedroom, trying to figure out the mysterious complexities of love with my 1st girlfriend, Vera, and wondering if she would ever make me crawl off to sleep in the bath.

As the Fab Faux played, I couldn't help but reflect on Dave Marsh's quote that I used to start this post. Marsh is absolutely right. You really do learn new things about the originals hearing them live in the 21st Century. It's almost like hearing a song played 1st on a tiny transistor radio (which actually was the case in the 1960's) and then replayed on a modern, multi-speaker, surround-sound, home entertainment system.

After completing Rubber Soul to raucous applause and even some Beatle-era screams and shrieks, the band took a short break before returning to stage. "Well, the pressure's off. Now let's rock," Lee said, as the group, propelled by Pagano's driving drum beat, then proceeded to perform an incredible 18-song set of Beatles classics from "Back in the USSR" to the show-closer "Let It Be." There were many highlights. I will  list just 3. There was the performance of the rarity "All I've Got to Do" from With the Beatles (one of my 5 favorite early Beatles' songs). There was a snippet of the garage rock classic "Gloria" which Vivino threw into an extended ride in "Day Tripper (definitely my favorite Beatle track from their middle period). And finally, there was an ethereal, extended version of George Harrison's great contribution to The White Album "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that was so masterful and haunting that I am getting shivers from the memory as I write this sentence.

The Fab Faux then again left the stage, only to return a final time for a 2-song encore. First up, was a 10-minute version of John Lennon's "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey." The song began with Lee, looking like a hippie-dressed, blonde haired cross between comedian Andy Dick and Detective John Munch from the TV series Law and Order, skipping in time to the opening guitar/bass riff. As the song continued, Lee eventually leapt from the stage, prancing and dancing around the Birchmere club like a dervish caught in the magic of the music.

The final encore selection was "Twist and Shout," which the masterful Bruce Springsteen has been using for years as a show closer for his powerful E Street Band performances. You know, they say you can't turn back time. They say you can't go home again. But they are wrong. The music of your youth can be a time machine. Suddenly, we were no longer in the Birchmere. It was The Cavern or whatever they called the dark, sweaty club for music in your city. And it was no longer 2013. It was 1963 or '64 or '65. It was as if the Diet Coke I had been sipping all night had been poured from the illusive Fountain of Youth. I wasn't 61; I was 16. It was a new beginning ... life stretched before us ... all things were possible. As the notes of the final encore faded, the crowd, now completely twisted and shouted out, used their remaining energy to send one last message. Long live the music of the Beatles. And thanks to The Fab Faux for reminding us just how meaningful that music was, is, and will always be.

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For those of you who weren't lucky enough to hear the Fab Faux at The Birchmere, here is the track list for their Rubber Soul set:

Side One

1. Drive My Car
2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
3. You Won't See Me
4. Nowhere Man
5. Think for Yourself
6. The Word
7. Michelle

Side Two

1. What Goes On
2. Girl
3. I'm Looking Through You
4. In My Life
5. Wait
6. If I Needed Someone
7. Run for Your Life

• To see The Beatles 1st performance in America on The Ed Sullivan Show and either relive the moment or see what all the fuss was about, click here.
• To see the Fab Faux perform "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," in 2003 click here.
• One final musical note: If you are a Beatles' fan in the DC area,you might want to keep your calendar flexible. Pagano promised that The Fab Faux would be back. And he hinted that they might offer the entire White Album. Of course, that would definitely leave all the DC Dear Prudences, Sexie Sadies, Bungalow Bills, and Rocky Raccoons happier than John Lennon's satirical warm gun.

Three Musketeers Storm the Synetic Stage

By definition, a classic is timeless. But a classic piece of literature is even more. With a subtle emphasis shift or some minor tweaking, a classic story can become a completely contemporary tale. And such is the case with Synetic Theater's current production of The Three Musketeers, based on the famed novel by Alexander Dumas.

The story was adapted by multi-talented company player Ben Kunis, who also plays Athos in the 2-hour production. "This is a story about dreams meeting reality," Kunis says. "Attempting to distill Dumas' serial epic into dramatic form is, in itself, an idealistic venture."

"We found ourselves telling a story about our own generation," Kunis explained. "Graduating from high school at the end of 90's and into the War of Terror and graduating from college into the Great Recession, our generation has been one raised on idealism and confronted with a real world that doesn't quite match our expectations."

"So D'Artagnan (Dumas' main hero) comes to Paris with a dream, and the world is a different place than he expected. When he comes out the other end of his challenges, he has become something new. But this storyline is not one unique to D'Artagnan or our generation, and that's what makes it a great classic," Kunis added.

If you attend this play which is running until June 9 (and you definitely should), expect to see all the trademarks that have established Synetic as an award-winning DC theater company - exciting fight scenes, captivating dancing, mimed movements, provocative sets, and powerful music. However, there is one major difference. Long known for its silent Shakespeare series and no-dialogue versions of other classic stories, The Three Musketeers is filled with words. Founding Artistic Director and CEO Paata Tsikurishvili describes it this way: "What this collision of words and movement has produced is a truly larger-than-life tragicomic romance which, while perhaps not as surreal or abstract as some of our previous works, nevertheless remains a stylized fusion of Dumas' novel."

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Here's what others are saying about The Three Musketeers. Just click on links to read the reviews. Three Musketeers Goes Full Throttle on the Senses (The Washington Post).  It dances! It swashbuckles! It talks! Synetic's Three Musketeers Is One for All. (The Washington City Paper) Dazzling Fight Choreography Makes This Synetic Production Shine. (The Washingtonian). To view the official trailer, click here.

Asian Culture Takes to the DC Streets

They didn't let it rain on their parade.

Despite occasional drizzle, the annual National Asian Heritage Festival and Street Fair was held on Pennsylvania Avenue today just blocks from the Capitol.

The 6-hour event featured native food, Asian art, culture, live performances by musicians, vocalists, dancers and performance artists, Pan-Asian cuisine, martial arts, a multicultural marketplace, and interactive ethnic activities for kids. And did I mention food?

But I think we'll just let pictures tell the story ...

The Cutthroat World of Morning TV

Every morning when you get up, have that 1st cup of coffee, and get ready for the rest of the day, a fierce ratings war is being waged, a conflict involving the 3 major TV networks, millions of viewers, and more than a billion dollars in advertising revenue.

Until recently, the outcome of that daily battle was never in doubt. For 582 straight weeks, beginning in the 1st administration of President Bill Clinton, the NBC powerhouse Today show captured the number one spot with ABC's Good Morning America in second and the CBS morning show a distant 3rd. But last year, sparked by controversy on the Today show, Good Morning America was able to shake up the industry and move into the coveted top spot.

The story of that victory and the series of moves that have continued in its wake provide the basis of the new book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV by Brian Stelter, a media reporter for The New York Times covering television and digital media.

Stelter appeared yesterday at the Newseum to discuss his book and the morning TV world he has been covering for years.

"What goes on in the morning is akin to late night, except with more money on the line," Stelter said. "There's a billion dollars at stake and they (the networks) fight over every last dollar of that. The access has shifted to the morning. There's more fame, more glory, and more money."

Even though people of all ages watch morning TV, the networks have a targeted demo audience - women between the ages of 18 to 54. "That's how they are judged," Stelter said. However, there is irony in that position. "The shows are made for women but they have been produced by men," he noted.

On the set of the Today show

Stelter highlighted the back story behind the fall of the Today show, which resulted from the messy dismissal of Ann Curry, who had been co-anchoring the program with Matt Lauer, who with his $25 million salary, commands the top spot in the morning TV world. "Ann Curry had a few detractors, but her fans truly loved her. The truth is she was undermined from the very beginning. There was talk about replacing her 6 months after she got the job," Stelter said.

Some network executives questioned the wisdom of removing Curry. "Wouldn't  removing Ann Curry be like killing Bambi?" one asked. And so the botched firing became known as Operation Bambi.

"It was all in the way they did it," Stelter said. Stories of the move circulated for months and Curry broke down on a tear-filled farewell performance. NBC viewers, disgusted by what they had witnessed, abandoned the show in large numbers. The day after Curry's final appearance, Today lost 600,000 viewers. "It's not a good thing to fire an anchor in times of high unemployment," Stelter said. "A lot of people out in America liked Ann Curry and many felt like Ann Curry; they too had lost their dream job and found themselves unemployed."

As would be expected, ABC's Good Morning America, was the direct beneficiary of NBC's blunder. "It had been a tossup every week, but this was a giant gift that the Today show handed GMA," Stelter said.

That show was co-anchored by George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts. They were joined by 3 others, an innovation that worked. "It's like a party. When you add more people to the party, the party gets more comfortable. They (ABC) got to 5 and that equaled 7 or 8," Stelter said.

"At the core, these morning shows are like family and the networks emphasize their families," Stelter said. The ABC family experienced a shock when it was announced that the popular Roberts, a breast cancer survivor, had contracted MDS, another life-threatening disease that would require extensive medical treatment. She learned about her condition on the same day Good Morning America beat Today for the 1st time. But viewers rallied around the show. "It's what people do. They bring over pot roasts. They bring over casseroles. They want to stay loyal. That's what families do," Stelter said.

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Brian Stelter

Of course, much has changed in the morning TV world since Today became the 1st such show to air in 1952. "Then there was a question whether viewers would let TV in their homes in the morning," Stelter says. But even more has changed in the news business and the way news is reported and the young Stelter is a prime embodiment of that change. In  2004, Stelter created TVNewser, a blog covering the television news industry. At the time, he was a freshman at Towson University. He sold TVNewser to Mediabistro.com six months later and continued to run it until May 2007, when he graduated from Towson. He joined the Times two months later.

Dining in DC: Captain White's Seafood City

Suppose it is a beautiful Spring (Summer, early Fall) day in D.C. For lunch, you want to dine al fresco (sidewalk seating, patio and rooftop, food truck). You want to eat seafood near the water, where you can watch seagulls and toss them scraps (still sidewalk seating, patio and rooftop, food truck, but with options dramatically limited). As the final requirement, you want to stand to eat while you watch customers purchase fresh seafood to take home to cook. Chances are that requirement list would lead you to Captain White's Seafood City, the largest of the informal eateries/markets at the Maine Avenue Fish Market in the southwest waterfront/wharf section of Washington.

Our lunch

And if you like what you find and taste, you will join noted food writer Anthony Bourdain, who praised the fresh crabs and seafood at the local treasure on one of the episodes of his TV show. (Click here to view a video clip of Bourdain's visit). 

My wife chose our most recent visit. I knew what she was seeking; a soft-shell crab platter or sandwich. On this particular day, there were no soft-shells, so we opted instead to share 1/2 pound of boiled, spiced shrimp and a 2-crab sandwich lunch plate special.

Of course, one of the great pleasures of eating at Captain White's is that you can select your own seafood, and, if you want, design your own special entree which comes with southern sides ranging from cooked greens to home-made desserts.

Fish, fish, and more fish

After your meal, you can stroll through the entire site which can lay claim to be the oldest continuously operating fish market in America. Opened in 1805, the local market is 17 years older than the famed Fulton Fish Market in New York City. And although it is located within sight of the Washington and Jefferson monuments and walking distance of 2 Metro stations, it is one of the few historic sites in the city where you can join with-it locals browsing without encountering mobs of tourists.

You can extend your sea lunch by strolling down the walkway and taking in the marinas where dining sea ships, yachts, and houseboats are docked. You can also view the home of the Washington Kastles, D.C.'s champion professional tennis team.

But one word of caution. You don't want to dine or stroll here if you don't like a strong seafood smell. Remember, this is a fish market after all.

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What others say:

• Urban Spoon
• Yelp

The Prices Do DC rating

**** 4 out of 5 containers with extra napkins (this is as informal as dining gets)

1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century

Journalists and historians are always looking for time periods that serve as pivotal turning points. And Foreign Policy magazine editor Christian Caryl believes he has found one which he explores in his new book Strange Rebels: 1979 and the Birth of the 21st Century.

In discussing his work at the National Archives, Caryl contended that 5 events began that year which led to the world we know today. They are:

• the Iranian Islamic Revolution
• the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
• the rise of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
• Pope John Paul II's visit to Poland and
• economic reforms in China

Caryl stressed that his book was the work of a journalist, not an historian. But it does deal with history, albeit relatively recent events. "We study history to know how we got to where we are. When we look at our world we say things like it's quite obvious or it's quite natural or it's always been that way. But there are crucial points of change in history where we find that what is now, was not that way that long ago," he said.

Caryl briefly explored the details of 2 events that he thinks supports labeling 1979 a time of revolutionary change. The 1st was Afghanistan. In the beginning of the 1970's, that country was not the Islamic fundamentalist nation we find today, but a nation appearing to be on the way to modernization. "Afghanistan was one of the hot spots on the hippie trail from Istanbul to Katmandu. In their VW vans, young travelers could mingle with the friendly people whom they described as laid-back, free and happy and they smoked hashish and ate cheap kabobs (with the locals)," Caryl said. 

Although poor and backward, Afghanistan was seen as moving ahead. However, by 1979, circumstances had conspired to force the Soviet Union to invade the country, which in turn, led to an Islamic rise to power  that rejected all contact with western powers and gave rise to terrorists such as Osama bin Laden.

The other example Caryl briefly explored was the drastic change in China. In the 1970's, the small group of Americans who did any business with the then-communist-nation had to follow strict rules. They could only enter the country through Hong Kong. Carrying their own bags, they finally crossed a wooden bridge to the one area where business with foreigners could be conducted. There they filled out endless forms. There was even a required nap period. However, on such a trip in 1979, the foreign businessmen encountered the 1st sign of a changing China - a private market. "A private market in China was like seeing a whale in the middle of the mall," Caryl said. The businessmen were also shown an area that their Chinese hosts said offered great investment opportunities. While the confounded westerners saw only rice paddies and duck ponds, the Chinese saw huge factories. "Today, that area has a population the size of New York City and your iPhone was probably built there," Caryl said.

Caryl maintains that while on 1st glance the 5 events he explores in his book appear unrelated, there is a connection. "There was a conjunction of the way people thought about politics and economics. The heroes of the book, if you can call them heroes, were all counter-revolutionaries, conservatives reacting against what existed before. It (1979) was the beginning of a conscious turn," Caryl said.

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The book talk was the most recent in a series of special Archives programs being offered to augment the main exhibition now on display at the institution, Searching for the Seventies, the Documerica Photography Project.

Why Me - I Am No Better?

The young Gerda before the Nazis

After surviving 3 brutal years in a Nazi labor camp where all human comforts were missing and an extra crust of bread was considered a great victory, young Gerda Weissmann now found herself facing her biggest challenge yet.

With all the 1945 signs clearly pointing to an Allied victory over Germany, in a last-ditch attempt to cover up their horrific crimes, her S.S. guards were forcing her labor group by gunpoint and whip to trek by foot through winter snows from Germany to Czechoslovakia. Death was everywhere. Some girls fell in the snow, never to rise again. Others were shot by their captors. One of Gerda's best friends was kicked in the head by an S.S. guard when she asked for a drink of water. She died in the night, huddled next to a shivering Gerda.

More than 4,000 young women started that long walk. When the guards finally abandoned the survivors in a large building in a small Czechoslovakian town in May, there were less than 150 left. Gerda weighed 68 pounds. One day shy of her 21st birthday, her hair had turned white. She had watched thousands - including her 3 best friends - die. But she had survived.

Her survival raised a question - a question she still asks herself today - Why me? I was no better.

Gerda Weissmann Klein, now 89, like the rest of us, will never be able to fully answer that question. "When I remember where I was, it would be easier for me to reach a star than to be in this incredible place I am in," Weissmann Klein says.

But there are some clues to be found in her harrowing, tragic, yet ultimately uplifting story. They are the things -  both simple and profound - that play a role in all our lives.

Of course, there is luck.  "No matter how much you want to live, it always could have been your last day," said Mrs. Weissmann Klein. Then there were the winter ski boots, the boots that she wore on the death march. When her family was forced from their Polish home by the Nazis, her father ordered her to wear her boots. "Oh, but Poppa it is spring. Why should I wear boots?" the young Gerda asked. But her father was insistent. Gerda wore those boots everyday for the 3 years of her captivity. During the march, while she was in boots, others were wearing sandals. "I saw many girls breaking their (frost-bitten) toes off at night," her voice hesitating as she recalled that particular horror.

There was a pledge. When she was separated from her mother, father, and brother, never to see them alive again, she was told to be strong and survive. "There were many times when I didn't want to go on. But then I would tell myself, at the next stop my brother will be there."

There was her basic life philosophy. "I am very hopeful. If I wasn't an optimist, I wouldn't be sitting here tonight," she said..

But above all, there was, in the face of unimaginable evil, an abiding sense of love. There was a love of family, a love she still holds in her heart today. There was the love of friendship. Gerda remembers the last words of her best friend, one of the millions of victims of Nazi atrocities. "I am angry at no one," she said. And later in life, there was the magic love she shared with her husband Kurt Klein. In fact, their love story rivals any ever constructed in literature. At the time of their first meeting, Kurt, an American G.I, was actually her liberator. He was one of the 2 soldiers riding in the jeep that discovered the survivors of the walk. "I told him I was Jewish. He told me he was Jewish, too." In less than a year, Gerda married Klein, whose mother and father had also been killed in a German concentration camp. They moved to America where they started a new life and raised 3 children together until Klein's death.

Mrs. Weissmann Klein today (picture from Bruce Guthrie Photos)

Last night, those children and their children and other family members, friends, and supporters filled the auditorium in the National Archives to hear Gerda Weissmann Klein, now the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, the author of an autobiography that is in its 68th edition, the founder of Citizenship Counts, and a 2010 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian honor) tell her story, and equally important, share her hopes for the future.

"When you have freedom everything is possible. We should all rejoice to be here tonight," she said. "I was not Mother Theresa spending my life among the poor. I have not found a cure for cancer. I am just a middle-class woman who has realized her dreams. I wanted to give back to our country. Everyone in the world wants what we have and often take for granted."

"If there is any sort of advice this old woman can give you it is that we all have a tremendous resource of strength. Ninety-five percent of the things you worry about won't happen to you, but, if it does, you can find the strength," she said.

One woman asked Mrs. Weissmann Klein if she had ever returned to her childhood home. She said she had once with her American family. "It was very strange and not very comfortable. We also went to Auschwitz (the concentration camp where her mother and father died). It was painful, but I needed to tell my parents they had grandchildren in the United States."

Another woman, apologizing in advance for her question, asked Mrs. Weissmann Klein if she believed in God. "Yes," she said. "It's not like God is the fire department and, if you call, God will come. But when you hold a newborn baby in your arms, how can you not believe there is more? Maybe when God gave people the freedom to do the right thing, he removed the power to interfere. All we can do is hope. Unfortunately, there is still all this hatred and racism in the world. But we can hope."

Mrs. Weissmann Klein said that hope - along with right actions - can help prevent future Holocausts. "You are the messengers to a time I shall not see. I have great confidence in young people. They need to reach out to each other. We all have the capacity to help each other," she said.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

The event was moderated by Charles Haynes, director of the First Amendment Center at the Newseum.  Haynes said he believed that every American student should read Weissmann Klein's autobiography All But My Life before they graduate high schools. "In this building (the Archives) we have national treasure, but tonight we have an international treasure," Haynes told the audience.

Dy-No-Mite: A TV Blast from the Past

Jimmy Walker, on the right, with his 1970s TV family 

Dy-No-Mite. If you were a TV sitcom watcher in the 1970's, hearing the word dynamite pronounced this way made you think of only one thing - comedian Jimmy Walker, the then-young comic breakout star who played the wisecracking J.J on Norman Lear's hit comedy show Good Times. In fact, even today, more than 40 years later, Walker's comedy catchphrase follows him everywhere. "When I die that will be in my obituary," Walker, now 65, says with a laugh.

The Dy-No-Mite catchphrase originated quite by accident. One day, Walker blurted out the unscripted, accentuated word during rehearsal. Director John Rich halted the action. "I think you've got something there," Rich said. "I think we could make something out of that."

But Walker demurred. "I said, John C'mon, people are not that stupid."

"Yes, they are," Rich retorted.

Initially Lear, who took an active part in all his shows, hated the phrasing, especially when it was used 3 times in one episode. But it quickly caught on and Lear was won over. A decision was made to  feature the catchphrase only once a show. "People began to wait for it; they knew it was coming. Sort of like that announcer today who ends with Let's get ready to rumble," Walker says. For his part, Walker exploited the Dy-No-Mite craze with farcial facial expressions and wacky clothing. "I asked myself - how can I make this as ridiculous as possible?" Walker explained.

Walker has even worked out a short comedy bit involving his linkage to the phrase. TV announcer 1: "And now Susan, in tonight's sad news, comedian Jimmie Walker has died." TV announcer 2: "It was before my time, but wasn't he the Dy-No-Mite guy." Announcer 1: "Yes, he was. Now, on a lighter note, 6 puppies where born today at the same time ..."

The story of his catchphrase was just one of many Walker related at his recent appearance at the National Archives to discuss his career and his book Dynomite! Good Times, Bad Times,  Our Times - A Memoir.

Deviating from the normal Archives process, Walker eschewed the podium and instead, like the comedian he has been for almost 5 decades, prowled the stage with microphone in hand, answering questions from the audience, many of whom began by professing their enduring love for both Walker and the show.

Walker said he is still proud of Good Times for its portrayal of strong values coming from a family forced to live in a Chicago ghetto, which was a 1st for television. "We had a strong dad (portrayed by John Amos). . The dad is always the weakest character. He brings home the money and that is it," Walker said.

However, Walker said the cast was never close. "On the show there was a lot of love, but acting was very much a part of it. We really didn't have that much to do with each other. I haven't seen John in 1,000 years," he explained.

Jimmy Walker today. (picture by Bruce Guthrie Photos)

Comedy has changed greatly since his beginning years, Walker said. "Comedy in general is different. The language has really changed. I'm stunned that some of these comics today even have a mom the way they talk," Walker said. "And there is now black comedy. There is Hispanic comedy. There is gay comedy. There are very few universal comics."

Walker believes the segregation in comedy is a reflection of the state of the rest of society. "As you see in our elections, we're very segregated. Race relations are terrible. We're not friends. We very rarely see people of different races together. Go to your favorite watering hole and look around, you'll see what I mean," Walker said.

Although he never reached the heights of Good Times again, Walker continues to perform live up to 45 weeks a year and also guests on game shows. "I learned a lot from Norman Lear. He is as close to a comedy god as you can get. I thought I was working hard, but when I looked at him I wasn't doing anything. He's not a Jimmy Walker fan, but I love Norman Lear. From him I learned nobody works hard enough, you can always work harder," Walker said.

Tips, Tidbits, and Tales
While most of Walker's talk was positive, there was one big exception - his thoughts about Tonight Show host Jay Leno. When he was in his biggest star phase, Walker had both a young Leno and David Letterman writing jokes for him. Today, Walker says that while he admires Leno's talent, he believes Johnny Carson's replacement  "has destroyed stand-up comedy. He's been on 30 years and he has not broken one new act. I'm not asking Jay Leno to do something miraculous, I'm only asking him to do something that was done for him"

The Real Inglorious Bastards

Fake fictional heroes ...

.. are no match for the real thing. From left, Weber, Wynberg, Mayer.

In 2009, film director Quentin Tarantino released Inglorious Basterds, the Academy-award winning fictional story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany's political leadership, one planned by a French Jewish cinema proprietor and the other by a team of Jewish-American soldiers.

But even Tarantino's vivid imagination proved no match for the real-life story of Operation Green Up, a daring spy tale of bravery and cunning in which 2 American Jews and a captured anti-Nazi Austrian pilot teamed up to conduct a behind-enemy-lines series of OSS actions in Austria that has been called the most successful operation of its type conducted during World War II. In the team's most incredible exploit, group leader Frederick Mayer negotiated the surrender of Nazi stronghold Innsbruck, Austria without a shot being fired.

Last night, a documentary on the incredibly harrowing Operation Green Up (and 3 of the men involved - Mayer, his friend and fellow European ex-patriate Jewish radio operator Hans Wynberg, and Austrian local contact Franz Weber) entitled The Real Inglorious Bastards was premiered before military and Congressional leaders at the Visitors Center theater on Capitol Hill.

Following the showing, film producer Ed Barrevold and Patrick O'Donnell, author of They Dared Return, the book on which the film was based, discussed the incredible events and characters in the Green Up operation.

O'Donnell, who said that he has talked to more than 4,000 World War II veterans for books he has written, called Mayer "the greatest person by far I've ever interviewed.. He shies away from publicity, but Fred Mayer is the real deal."

Fred Mayer today

For his part, in the film, Mayer, who demonstrated the resilience, cunning, and courage of multiple James Bonds, said the reason for his actions were simple. "I hated the Nazis and I loved America," he said.

Although Mayer appeared quite articulate in the film, Barrevold said it was difficult to get him to talk about his adventures, in which he was captured and tortured by the Nazis but incredibly, eventually convinced them to surrender to the oncoming Americans. Several times during the sessions Mayer would snap at the interviewer, saying "you've already asked me that question." The interviewer however would plod on, countering by saying "but you didn't give me an answer."

The producer concurred with O'Donnell's assessment of Mayer's bravery. "Fred had the biggest balls you can ever imagine," Barrevold said. However, that war courage was kept hidden by Mayer's modest ways. The hero now lives in West Virginia and when his neighbors were shown the film, they were totally surprised. "They said 'we didn't know anything about what Fred did in the war. He never talked about it,''' the producer said.

Mayer declined to attend last night's showing saying "It will be late and I've already seen the film." .

But O'Donnell believes there is still one more chapter of the tale that must be written. Mayer should receive a Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions. "What this man did merits a medal of honor. There has been a request, but it is being treated as a process and that is an outrage. This medal is bigger than Fred Mayer. He represents a generation and this is a generation that is dying off. It (the so-far-unawarded medal) represents the generation, and the OSS and Mayer's incredible achievements."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
The premiere of The Real Inglorious Bastards is part of the 7th annual GI Film Festival Reel Stories, Real Heroes which is now underway in DC. To see a complete list of all the films offered, click here. To see the trailer from The Real Inglorious Bastards, click here. To see the trailer for the Tarantino film, click here.

TV Detective Munch Tackles Real-life JFK Mystery

Richard Beltzer and Dick Gregory confer

For 20 years, actor Richard Beltzer, as his character Detective John Munch, has been employing his fictional investigative skills, 1st on Homicide Life on the Streets for 7 years and then on Law and Order: Special  Victims Unit for the past 13 years. In fact, Beltzer holds a TV record for portraying the same Munch character on 11 different shows ranging from Sesame Street to The Wire.

But Beltzer has been using his real-life investigative skills for twice that long, spending the past 40 years trying to unravel the truth behind the assassination of President John Kennedy and the cover-up that Beltzer believes began long before the shots that killed JFK were fired on that sad November, 1963 day in Dallas, Texas.

Last night, Beltzer appeared at the National Press Club to discuss the latest book he co-authored with David Wayne entitled Hit List: An In-Depth Look at the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination.

Beltzer contends that the JFK hit list contains more than 50 witnesses who died under mysterious circumstances ranging from accused murderer Lee Harvey Oswald (whom Beltzer believes was just a pasty set up by the American government. "He was there, but he didn't fire a shot.") to a Dallas stripper with the stage name Delilah, to national correspondent Dorothy Kilgallen, to U.S. Congressman Hale Boggs. "Anyone who had any knowledge was eventually murdered," Beltzer said. "The sheer number forces us to ask whether their deaths were coincidence?"

"This is the greatest murder mystery of all time," Beltzer added. "It's Sherlock Holmes on speed."

So how did the cover-up that Beltzer alleges begin? "It was the height of the Cold War. People said 'Holy shit! Somebody in government killed our president. We have to cover up." he contends. "I don't think there is one great big conspiracy, but there are a lot of sharks in the water."

So who did plot and carry out the Kennedy assassination? "The real question is who didn't kill him. I know that is glib but there were elements in our government and elements in the mob. President Kennedy was planning many changes," Beltzer maintains. "But it was 50 years ago. It just goes on and on. There is no reason not to tell the full story now. It's only the ongoing contempt for the American people and that to me is very, very disturbing."

Beltzer said that leaders in authority have been able to link the words conspiracy and theory and delusional together. "It's easy to marginalize people who question authority," Beltzer said.

Beltzer's Press Club talk came on the same day Hit List made the New York Times best seller list. This came despite the fact the The Times regularly refuses to review Beltzer's books on the JFK murder. "The New York Times doesn't review my books, so, if I may, I say fuck the New York Times," Beltzer said. "Certain people don't want people to know what I am saying because it is the truth."

Tales, Tips, and Tidbits

Beltzer was joined last night by his surprise special guest, comedian, social activist, and, like Beltzer, active informal investigator into Kennedy's death Dick Gregory. "Just to see Greg alone is worth the price of admission," Beltzer, who began in entertainment as a social comedian said. "He and Mort Sahl and Lenny Bruce redefined for us what comedy can do: it can inform us, it can educate us, and it can make us think about who we are. Dick Gregory inspired me early on. I remember when he told an audience 'if you don't laugh, I may move in next to you.' He told the truth. He made us laugh and he made us think." Several times during his hour-long presentation Beltzer employed his comedic skills. For example, he convulsed the crowd when in response to the question if he feared for his own life because of his continued probing, he said no and then immediately collapsed to the floor in a quite convincing, sustained death scene. And then there was his closing remark. When presented with a National Press Club coffee mug he replied. "Hey, I'll put this on the set on my desk. And I want you to know, of all the rewards I've received, this is the latest."

Mozart Master Meets the Museum

Ladies and Gentleman: The Rolling Stones - Jagger, Richards, and Watts ...

... and their classical counterpart Paul Badura-Skoda

With the Rolling Stones starting their 50 and Counting tour last week, much is being made of the ages of the 3 original members still playing with the band. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are both 69, while drummer Charlie Watts is 71. But, as performers, the Stones are mere whippersnappers when compared to 86-year-old Austrian pianist and conductor Paul Badura-Skoda, who brought his incredible talent to the National Gallery of Art last night.

Badura-Skoda, recognized since 1950 (13 years before the Stones 1st took the stage) as one of the world's great classical pianists, performed 3 compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The set list (yes, I know you don't refer to the pieces in a classical performance as being in a set list, but we've got a rock n' roll motif going here) consisted of Piano Concerto n. 12 in A Major, Sonata in C Minor, and Piano Concerto in E-flat Major. As the titles would indicate, Badura-Skoda played the sonata solo. He was joined on the 2 concertos by the strings and brass of the National Gallery of Art Orchestra, which he vibrantly directed with periodic alternating flailing arms from his piano bench.

From our fantastic seats in a 2nd row of chairs on the side of the stage, we had a clear view of the mesmerizing sight of Badura-Skodas' hands figuratively flying up, then down, then up the keyboard again and again as he executed even the most difficult Mozart passages.

Our seats also allowed us to view the evident joy that the aged pianist was taking in the beauty and majesty of the music. From time to time, Badura-Skoda would glance upward, appearing as if he was drawing some empyrean strength from the highest reaches of the towering atrium of the National Gallery. Other times, he would emphatically bob his head, letting his requisite-for-a-classical-genius mane of white hair punctuate the power of the more upbeat passages.

As the final notes of the rondo:presto movement of the last concerto faded, the audience rose to their feet, clapping loudly and wildly. There were even scattered whistles and calls demonstrating the appreciation of the age-defying performance that had just been delivered. Badura-Skoda, after consulting with the 1st violinist and a few other members of the ensemble, sat once again at his bench to play and conduct the group in a Mozart encore.

After that piece, he exited the stage, only to be summoned back by another cacophony of appreciation. This time, many fans left their seats and rushed toward the stage, cameras out to capture the moment. Then, with the audience seated and now joined as listening participants by the orchestra,  Badura-Skoda played a final encore, a brief, but technically difficult Mozart piece. After one sustained outburst of audience approval, the pianist left the stage for good.

As they slowly made their way out of the packed atrium, the crowd excitedly discussed what they had just witnessed. "He's 86! Eighty-six, to play like that at 86, it's truly incredible," one woman said. There was no question that the concert-goers had just witnessed marvelous music. But there was also a message here. In an increasingly youth-obsessed world, there will always be a place for talented, experienced veterans, whether they be classicists or rockers. For as Badura-Skoda and Jagger/Richards continue to prove, in many things, music being one of them, you can deliver Satisfaction just as well at 81 as you can at 18.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Last night's concert at the National Gallery was the the 1st of dozens of special programs this month celebrating the diverse cultures of 27 countries representing the European Union. To see a complete list of all events, click here.

A Short History of Nuclear Folly

Sometimes, the title of a book is so compelling that it almost forces you to read the work. Take, for example, the new book by Rudolph Herzog entitled A Short History of Nuclear Folly: Mad Scientists, Dithering Nazis, Lost Nukes, and Catastrophic Coverups.

Herzog appeared at Politics and Prose to discuss his work, telling his audience that over the nuclear age more than 40 nuclear weapons have been reported as lost, most from airplane crashes or sunken submarines. "A lot of the book will sound like fiction, but it isn't," Herzog said.

The author said he first became intrigued with the nuclear idea as a youngster growing up in the 1970s and 1980s in Germany, which before the fall of the Berlin Wall had long been viewed as the possible site of a nuclear battleground in the event the Cold War suddenly heated up. Herzog remembers his uncle who kept a bottle of sleeping pills in his refrigerator in case nuclear war became a reality and the family of a wealthy friend who dug a bomb shelter under their garden. "At the time this was quite serious," Herzog said.

Herzog talked at length about 2 of the episodes in his book. The 1st occurred in 1957 to an Australian aborigine family during a walkabout in the remote Outback. Approaching an area, they discovered a sign that    read in English: "Warning! You Are Entering a Radioactive Zone." The site had been used for testing a British atomic bomb. The family had no idea what the sign said because none of them could read a word of English. They camped out that night in a crater the bomb had made. Suddenly, they wore swept up by a swarm of men in white suits who had arrived in all-terrain vehicles. The family was rushed to a nearby army barrarcks, where they were repeatedly forced to shower; then be checked by a geiger counter. It was the 1st shower of their lives. Although the family lived, the mother was plagued with defects on all her subsequent attempts at childbirth.

The 2nd story involved an example of a Broken Arrow, the code name used whenever a nuclear weapon goes missing. In 1958, Greg, a South Carolina railroad conductor, was outside his house with 2 daughters and a niece when he noticed 3 B47 bombers flying overhead. Suddenly, there was a horrific explosion which created a scene of devastation and left a 22-meter wide crater in the ground. Sticking out of the crater was the top of an atomic bomb similar to the one used on Nagasaki which had been accidentally dropped from one of the passing planes. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured in the incident.

In the 1950s, there was "incredible optimism" about nuclear power, Herzog said.. "There was the belief that it could change the world," he noted. The author then conducted a brief slide-show through some of the more scary, but never realized, plans for atomic energy including a Ford nuclear car, a nuclear-powered plane, and a nuclear space ship. One scientist even proposed and tested using 300 hydrogen bombs to create a 2nd Panama Canal.

Herzog said that while the events he wrote about are now history, he has great fears about the future. "Pandora's box is open. Nuclear technology is here to stay. So this (his book) is just the 1st volume of who knows how many?" he said.

"Asia and the Middle East seem to be heralding a new age of nuclear proliferation," he said. "As more countries go nuclear, other countries will want to hedge their bets. I'm worried about it. It's becoming very messy."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
During a question-and-answer period, Herzog was asked if we should be concerned about the 40 reported missing nuclear weapons. His short answer was no. He explained that nuclear weapons need a huge amount of maintenance and degrade extremely quickly. "And if the military couldn't find the weapons, most of which are at the bottom of the ocean, I don't think terrorists can," he said. "We have much more to fear from what is going on today in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and North Korea."

A DC Version of It's a Small World After All

You could call it around the world in one city. And, if you wanted, you could even get a special passport stamped from all the countries you visited without leaving the confines of Washington.

Today, Cultural Tourism DC offered its annual Passport DC - a free 6-hour tour of more than 40 embassies from 6 continents.

Thousands of visitors flocked to the normally exclusive compounds and stately mansions to experience native history, culture, art, dance, music, and food.

While many, guided by the brochure map that showed which embassies were participating, walked, others rode special shuttle buses.

To commemorate their experience, many of the visitors picked up a Passport DC souvenir passport which they could get stamped at each embassy they visited. You could download the Passport DC app on your smartphone for interactive maps, event listings, and exclusive content.

A new feature this year was a celebration of the International Year of Quinoa. A special tour honoring the origins of the grain was offered by the Embassies of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

For those wanting a longer, more in-depth travel experience, most of the embassies offered free literature about visiting their country and some, like Egypt, even offered a drawing for free air transportation.
(For the sake of full disclosure, we didn't win the free trip, but we are scheduled to visit Egypt in the fall so to prepare I sampled foul mudammas while my wife checked out the bakalava and roz bi laban a.k.a. rice pudding).

A native of Ghana demonstrates drum technique

My wife discusses artifacts at the South Africa Embassy

A ceremonial Egyptian stick fight dance

Delicasies from Ceylon

Two young Malasians herald their country

This Pakistani rickshaw promotes a motto for all of us

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
If you participated in the Around the World Embassy Tour today I'm sure you enjoyed it. If you didn't, don't despair. Next Saturday, Cultural Tourism DC will offer another free 6-hour tour entitled Shortcut to Europe: E.U. Embassies Open House. Countries expected to participate are:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom