At the Zoo

Someone told me
It's all happening at the zoo
I do believe it
I do believe it's true
                          -- Paul Simon
                             At the Zoo

Owen learns about pandas ...

I'm not sure everything is happening at the zoo, but our visit to the National Zoo today proved that there is a lot going on there.

The zoo, which is one of the 17 Smithsonian museums located in Washington, is more than 100 years old (it opened in 1889) and currently houses more than 2,000 animals from about 400 different species. And, as today's visit once again demonstrated, it is also the most popular place in the DC area for the young stroller set and those that push them.

Our trip provided something for all of us. Audrey got to see her favorite, the giant panda. For Owen, it was the Asian elephants. Grandmom got to spend time with the apes. And I discovered a specialty food stand that featured gourmet $5 hot dogs. For the record, I had the Foggy Bottom (melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing) and the Berkley (spicy mustard, relish, and banana peppers).

... while Audrey dreams of unicorns

After lunch, Owen did what he currently does best at that time - he fell asleep in his stroller. Audrey used the break from her brother to convince Grandmom to let her get her face painted. Earlier in the day, she had said that while she loved the animals, she wished the zoo had a unicorn. So Audrey asked her face painter to turn her into a pink and purple unicorn. Looking into the mirror, Audrey proclaimed, "see Grandmom, now there is a unicorn at the zoo."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Our visit to the zoo meant that we had now taken Audrey, 4, and her brother Owen, 3, this week to the 4 Smithsonian Museums most suited for youngsters. Audrey said she liked the stuffed animals and dinosaur bones at the Museum of Natural History best. As expected, for Grandmom, it was the apes at the zoo. I picked the Museum of American History, which has been my favorite since I was just a little older than my grandchildren are now. Audrey said Owen couldn't vote. The reason - he had slept through more parts of the museums than he had seen.

On a Carousel

The Smithsonian Carousel

As children of the 21st Century, our grandkids are already quite tech savvy. At 3, Owen can play games like Spider Monkey and watch You Tube kids videos on both the iPad and the iPhone. Just the other day, Audrey, 4, showed Grandmom how to use Doodle Buddy to create art on the iPad.

But both Owen and Audrey enjoy older forms of entertainment, too. They love carousels. That's why they both chose to start their 2nd visit to the National Mall with a ride on the carousel located outside the old Smithsonian Castle.

The original carousel at the site was a classic 1922 merry-go-round with 33 animals and 2 stationary chariots. It began operating in 1967 and  cost 25 cents to ride. In 1981, a vintage 1941 model with 60 horses replaced the older carousel. Today, a ride costs $3.50.

Audrey shows surprise at her brother's choice

On the ride we split up so Audrey and Owen each could have their favorite animal.  Not surprisingly, Audrey chose a pink and purple horse. Despite my suggestion of a red, white, and blue patriotic steed, Owen chose a multi-colored pony that grabbed his fancy.

After a relatively long ride with plenty of oom-pah-pah music, we headed to the National Museum of Natural History. Owen wanted to see the giant elephant and the butterflies. He wasn't sure about the dinosaurs. And he definitely didn't want to see Titanaboa, the new replica of the giant prehistoric snake that is bigger than a school bus. Audrey was pretty much up for anything, except the giant snake.

After an hour in the Natural History Museum (for those of you wondering, after some initial reluctance, Owen was OK with the dinosaurs and we didn't see the giant snake), we finished our day with our 2nd trip this week to the National Museum of American History. Audrey had announced that she wanted to see Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz again. For her brother, it would be a 1st viewing, since he had slept thorough our entire earlier visit.

Arriving at the display case for the ruby slippers, we encountered a problem. The case was besieged by more than a dozen middle-school age girls, each intent on taking at least a dozen pictures of the famed shoes. But Audrey, intent on showing her brother the slippers he had missed on his 1st visit, came up with an alternate plan. "Owie, come on around the back. You can can see them there," she said.

To conclude our day, we once again split up. Grandmom and Audrey headed to the gowns worn by the wives of the presidents. Owen and I made our way to the trains and cars that make up the transportation exhibition. And while that plan may sound sexist, it worked. Both Audrey and Owen said they had a great day on the mall.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

The kids told us they were too hungry to make it back to our Crystal  City Plaza apartment without a 2nd snack. Fortunately, Grandmom came prepared and so we had an impromptu snack picnic beside the dancing waters outside the National History Museum.

You Don't Need Ruby Slippers

Audrey checks out the world's most famous slippers

Many times we make things so big in our mind that we can't help but be disappointed when we actually encounter them. My 4-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter Audrey had such an experience today when she came face to face with a pair of ruby slippers Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Audrey and her brother, Owen, 3, are staying with us this week while their Mom and Dad are vacationing in Mexico. We gave our grandchildren a wide range of things they could see for their 1st visit to the Smithsonian museums. They were each allowed to pick one. Without any hesitation, Audrey chose Dorothy's ruby slippers, one of the most viewed artifacts in the history of the Smithsonian.

On our walk from the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station to the Museum of American History, Audrey would get excited whenever she saw a poster heralding the famous slippers. Her smile would widen. Her eyes would sparkle. "Look, Grandmom, there they are ... the ruby slippers."

When we finally got to the American Stories Exhibit, Audrey rushed to the glass case protecting Dorothy's shoes. "Grandmom, they're ... they're small," she said.

Grandmom began explaining the information contained on the display case. Judy Garland actually wore at least 5 pairs of the slippers during the Oz filming. The particular pair on display was used during the dance sequences because the soles were covered in felt. The felt surpressed the sound of dancing on the wooden sets. In the original script, a portion of which was next to the case, the shoes were to be silver, like those in the original story by Frank L. Baum. They were changed to ruby red because that color was more dramatic for the screen.

Audrey listened patiently. "I know, Grandmom," she said. "But they're still small."

It was fitting that one of Audrey's 1st disconnects between imagination and real life stemmed from the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, too, realized that not all is what it seems. When Toto pulled back the curtain, Dorothy and her traveling companions didn't find a great and powerful wizard; they found a lever-pulling hocus pocus man from Kansas.

But with a little guidance from the good witch Glinda, Dorothy quickly came to understand that she didn't need to rely on the suspect power of others. All she needed to fulfill her heart's desire was self-reliance and a little help from some friends. It's a lesson that served Dorothy well on her journey from the yellow brick roads of Oz to her home fields of Kansas. And it's a lesson that can serve Audrey just as well, no matter what roads she decides to travel.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
They say it's all happening at the zoo. With Audrey and Owen, we'll try to find out if that is true.

Fear of Flying

A plane fit for Indiana Jones

The aviators and astronauts who flew the planes and space capsules now on display in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum might have been fearless, but it appears my 3-year-old grandson Owen might need a little more courage before he's ready to soar to their heights.

Owen and his 4-and-a-half-year-old sister Audrey are staying with us this week while their Mom and Dad vacation in Mexico and today we took them for their 1st visit ever to the National Mall. We let each of them pick one thing they wanted to see. For Owen, it was the planes and for Audrey it was Dorothy's ruby slippers, which now form the focus of  the American Stories exhibit at the Smithsonian's American History Museum.

However, when we arrived at the Air and Space Museum and Owen eyed the ceiling full of aircraft, he suddenly decided he really didn't want to see them after all. The pilots of those craft might have been interested in up, but Owen only wanted one direction - out. "Outside, Grandpop. We go outside," he insisted.

We didn't head outside immediately. I stayed with Owen while Grandmom and Audrey explored the inside of some of the aircraft. And by doing so, I learned some facts that I didn't know from one of the volunteer guides leading a group through the facility. He was discussing an old American Airlines steel corrugated plane from the 1930s. It seems there are 10 of them in the world that are still in flying condition and one of them was used in the Indiana Jones movie series. I also learned that originally all airline stewardesses had to be certified nurses. But soon, Audrey and Grandmom returned from their brief explorations and we left the museum way ahead of schedule.

Al fresco dining, D.C. style

Once outside, we headed to a bench in the National Sculpture Garden for an early picnic-style lunch. You know, the astronauts had their Tang and freeze-dried food packets, but it's amazing how quickly Capri Sun, Pirate Booty, and a peanut butter sandwich can restore a 3-year-old's confidence and energy.

Rested and satisfied, Owen declared he was ready for his sister's museum stop. But maybe he was a little too satisfied because on the way there he fell asleep. He slept through the history  museum. He slept on the walk back to the L'Enfant Metro stop. He slept on the Metro ride to Crystal City, waking up only when we started through the Crystal City underground. However, in so doing, I think he established that he is indeed a Price man. A Price man can sleep anywhere. My father, for whom Owen is named, could. I can. My son Michael can. And now Owen has proven that he can, too. Yep, he's a Price man alright. And anyway, I'll take a good sleep over courage any day of the week.

Tales, Tidbits and Tips
Coming up tomorrow. Audrey's encounter with Dorothy's ruby slippers teaches her a good life's lesson.

Walter Cronkite: The Most Trusted Man in America

Until he began his extensive research on the subject of his latest book, author Douglas Brinkley didn't fully realize how much influence the venerable CBS nightly news anchor Walter Cronkite had woven through his life.

Brinkley, who in addition to being a best selling writer is also a professor of history at Rice University, said his mother had saved a series of pictures he had drawn in 1967 based on Cronkite's broadcasts of stories from the Vietnam War. He also came across a clipping of what he is sure is his first mention in a newspaper. The story was about a 6th grader who was the head of News 6, his class news program. And in that article, Brinkley identified his hero as Walter Cronkite. Finally, Brinkley vividly remembers his family watching Cronkite and then discussing the major events of the day in his Ohio home.

"Cronkite, he was a big part of my life," Brinkley said tonight as he appeared at Politics and Prose to discuss his newest biography simply entitled Cronkite. "He was our filter of history. When there was a story, Cronkite was the man on it. If Cronkite said it, it was true."

And Brinkley isn't alone. You could safely call Cronkite the official chronicler of the late 20th Century. Name a major event and he was there, his powerful voice and carefully chosen words shaping the way Americans came to believe. World War II. The Nuremberg trials. The rise of Communist Russia and the Cold War. Korea. The Civil Rights movement. Vietnam. The beginnings of the space program. Man's first steps on the Moon. Watergate and the rise and fall of Richard Nixon.

In his time, he earned the sobriquet "the most trusted man in America." When Cronkite pushed Civil Rights, or space exploration and science, or gay rights, or the environment, it became the big story. When Cronkite issued a statement that the Vietnam War was unwinnable, President Lyndon Johnson reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, then I've lost Middle America."

Cronkite began his media career illegally broadcasting the results of horse racing. He then moved to local radio where his life-long reputation for impeccable journalistic ethics took hold. Brinkley told this story about Cronkite's early years. As he was broadcasting the news, the local station owner burst in and told him he had to report on a City Hall fire where there had been many deaths. Cronkite questioned the source of the report. The owner said it was his wife. Cronkite refused to report the fire. It turns out that no one died in the blaze. "Cronkite was right, but he got fired anyway," Brinkley said. But the belief in Cronkite's journalistic integrity was born.

In his early years, Cronkite was torn deciding if he should focus on writing, radio, or the new field of television. TV finally won. Like all broadcasters in that new medium, Cronkite's first newscasts were snowy, black-and-white-15 minute broadcasts from a studio resembling a hall closet. But Cronkite, a tireless worker, helped move television to the forefront. His live reporting of the 1952 and 1956 Presidential conventions "changed things forever," Brinkley said. Although most known for his news acumen, Cronkite broadcast the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley in California and the Summer Olympics in Rome, the first time the world games were televised. "That was the beginning of prime-time events on TV," Brinkley said.

But Cronkite's reputation really solidified with his coverage of the tragic 1963 assassination of President John Kennedy and the dark days following the Dallas killing. One of TV's early iconic images is that of Cronkite reporting Kennedy's death as he removes his glasses and appears to wipe a tear from his eye. "He really guided us through the Kennedy assassination all weekend long," Brinkley said. "He earned the nickname Iron Pants. We're used to around-the-clock coverage now, but it really was quite extraordinary then."

In 1963, the network nightly news expanded to a half-hour and Cronkite and his colleagues could expand their reporting. First it was Civil Rights, then the War in Vietnam. When Cronkite broadcast his doubts about Vietnam, he was convinced he had torpedoed his career. But polls showed that his respect only grew; Americans believed more than ever that Cronkite always called it straight.

Cronkite retired as anchor of the CBS Evening New in March of 1981, 19 years after his 1st anchor desk broadcast. He continued to host special programs and reports and have his writings published  until his death in 2009.

"He was the most trusted man in America," Brinkley said. "Everyone knew him. He almost became like American royalty."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Americans knew the Walter Cronkite that entered their living rooms at 6:30 weekday nights for 19 years. But, of course, there was the off-screen Walter Cronkite. And, as is so often the case, the 2 displayed quite differing personae. Brinkley said that Cronkite loved his cocktails, had a keen sense of humor, and reveled in telling "the dirtiest jokes of anyone I have ever written about." He also enjoyed shocking people by reading pornography in his best Walter Cronkite voice. And then there was his unique choice of friends. Cronkite was fond of music. Two of his best friends were musicians, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and island-life troubadour Jimmy Buffet. In fact, he and Hart shared 14 Thanksgiving dinners together. "Walter Cronkite never wanted to be a stuffed shirt and he never wanted to take himself  too seriously. And he never did," Brinkley said

Art to Help Save the Planet

"Waste artist" Alex Bako with some of his work/

What most people view as used materials and junk to discard, Alex Bako sees as art, intricately crafted work that he hopes will ultimately cause people to think about what they throw in the trash and inspire them to employ the 3 R's of a better environment - recycling, repairing, and re-purposing.

Bako is one of hundreds of DC-area artists with exhibitions at this year's Artomatic in Crystal City, a 5-week free event that celebrates the tremendous diversity and creative talents of local artists and performers.

We caught up with Bako tonight as he was taking some photos of his show, which he labels Wastes Are My Medium: Upcycled Artwork Using Recycled Materials.

While the idea of exhibiting art is relatively new to Bako (this is his 1st major showing and he has only been serious about his art for a short time), working for a better environment has long been central to his being.  There was an environmental science degree from Yale. There were the years spent as an environmental engineer in the Air Force. Then, 3 more years working around the world with environmental concerns for the World Bank. Finally, there was time spent as an environmental consultant, a job managing environmental programs for the city of Washington. But, despite all his efforts, Bako felt his message was still not being received.

"We make claims to be green, but we live in a disposable society for convenience," Bako says. "We don't repair things, we replace them. As a result, we fill our landfills and incinerators."

After much deliberation, Bako, who says he's always enjoyed creating and repairing things with his hands, decided he could promote a much stronger environmental message as a full-time artist than he could as a government paper pusher.

But first, of course, he would have to get permission from his wife, Larissa. It's expensive to live in DC. And going from a two to a one-income family would definitely mean a change in lifestyle. "I am really lucky. My wife is so supportive. She said  'it's not a paycheck, it's your passion. Go for it,'" Bako said, noting that his wife had just brought him the Heineken he was sipping as we talked.

More Bako bag work

Then, as if on cue, Larissa, who still works at the DC environmental office where she and Bako met, turned the corner. She admits that there have been changes. "Our apartment, it's now an art studio. We have stuff everywhere. For our romantic outings, we go dumpster diving," she said with a hearty laugh.

But Larissa said she wouldn't consider returning to the couple's previous lifestyle. "This is a new chapter of our lives," Larissa said. "I think it's a tragedy when you have a talent and you can't express it."

In fact, Larissa said she is growing to love the life of an artistic couple. She enjoys the things that she and Alex can do jointly in this new endeavor. "He's the artist, but there are things we can do together," she said, pointing to some decorative items she had sewn into one of the works. "That home ec class sure did pay off."

But how do you describe the work itself? Like all strong artwork, it first catches the eye; then  engages the mind. The central focus of all the work in this Artomatic exhibition is burlap bags decorated in colorful company logos, sayings, and artwork that once held large amounts of coffee. Bako frames the opened, stretched bags with wood pallets and decorates them with other discarded items he collects from trash bins, businesses, and warehouses around DC.

Larissa, who holds a degree in communications from Howard University, said she really enjoys watching each piece of work, which can take as long as 40 or more hours to produce, emerge from its embryonic state to a finished creation. "It's like watching someone write a beautiful essay. A piece may go through 4 or 5 drafts before Alex is finally satisfied with it," she said.

Even though a relative newcomer to the world of environmental art, Bako has been encouraged by the initial reception to his work. "At the coffee shop where I got the first bags, the owner said to let him see a project when it was finished. He looked at it and said on the spot he wanted to buy it. He asked me how much I wanted for it. I really had no idea what it was worth so I said $500. He said 'wait here, I'll write you out a check right now."

So what's next?  Bako is not sure. He knows it will involve art. And it will involve the environment. "I feel I'm in an explosive, evolutionary period," he says. "I want to take this environmental theme as far as I can take it."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

Violence Is Youthful

Her husband is not the only artist is Larissa's family. Her brother, Howard Etwaroo also has his first public exhibition in the Artomatic room next to Baka's. Etwaroo's work makes some interesting  statements about minority status and violence in the contemporary world. Larissa said the works were just sitting in her brother's basement until she convinced him to participate in Artomatic. And Judy and I are glad that Larissa has such strong persuasive skills. Both of us really liked the social power of the work. Here are some of Etwaroo's pieces so you can decide for yourself.

Art created by Etwaroo

Walt Whitman: He Changed the Subject

Walt Whitman: America's Bearded Bard

Washington DC and Brooklyn New York were 2 of the most important places in the life and writings of the great American poet Walt Whitman. And so it was fitting today that the Library of Congress had 2 contemporary poets - one from DC and one from Brooklyn - read from Whitman's poetry and discuss how his writing influenced their own work.

The special Whitman program was another in a series of birthday celebrations for famous writers (Whitman was born on this date in 1819) sponsored by the Manuscript Division and the Poetry and Literature Center of the Library.

The programs always follow the same format. Two writers read some of their favorite works by the author being feted. They then read from their own works and talk about how the feted writer influenced them and their work. Afterward, a Manuscript Division historian talks about selections from the writer's collection housed in the Library of Congress that are then able to be viewed by those attending the session..

DC area poet and University of Maryland professor Stanley Plumly said that much of his work "comes directly out of Whitman."

"The marvelous thing about Whitman to me is that he changed the subject of American poetry," Plumly said. "It's hard to overestimate how great this poet is."

Plumly said that one of Whitman's defining characteristics was his ability to "identify with the other, indeed the least of the others." Whitman's empathy for the disadvantaged and the outsider was obviously, in part, an outgrowth of his homosexuality and his years spent as a Civil War nurse and a  government worker in DC.

To demonstrate parallels between his work and Whitman, Plumly compared 2 of his poems "Faaragut North" and "Reading with the Poets" to Whitman's  "This Compost."

Joshua Beckman, a poet and editor from Brooklyn, called Whitman "a friend" whose work still speaks to him. Beckman read the long, but powerful Whitman poem "The Sleepers" and his own Whitmanesque "The Inside of an Apple."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Today's Whitman program was the 4th such event we had attended at the Library of Congress. Previously, we had attended sessions for Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, and Tennessee Williams. The last of this series - a program for poet Gwendowyn Brooks - will be held next Thursday.

Unbuilt Washington

An alternate Washington Monument

Washington DC is a city of well-known monuments. The Washington Monument. The Capitol. The White House. The Lincoln Memorial. The list is lengthy. But before the buildings were the iconic structures they have become today, they were a series of architects' drawings and plans and mockups.

And, of course, in almost every case, they weren't the only designs considered. Can you imagine a Washington Monument with a giant round base at its bottom? Or a Pentagon with a 24-story tower rising from its middle courtyard? Or how about a Venetian style canal leading to the steps of the Capitol?

Well, architects could. And not only could they envision them, they drew up complex plans for such structures. And it is these plans and designs that formed the basis of Unbuilt Washington, an exhibit that just ended Memorial Day at the National Building Museum.

How about this for the Lincoln Memorial ...

If you known anything about the design of the city Washington, you know much of the credit for the look of the goes to Charles L'Enfant. However, L'Enfant was often late with his drawings and reluctantly had to be fired by 1st President George Washington. So, even in its beginnings, the district became the vision of many planners. Even Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States, submitted architectural plans for what the new capitol city should look like.

Many of the plans on display featured pyramids and domes and British-style gardens that are virtually impossible to equate with DC given the way it looks today.

Some of the more interesting projects are those that never came to fruition. For example, in 1940, the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed a massive project for Washington which was named Crystal Heights for the amount of glass it woulds contain. If built, Crystal Heights would have been the largest hotel and apartment complex in America. It would have included a shopping arcade, a theater, and underground parking for 4,000 cars.

... or this for our Capitol?

But some of the unrealized projects on display could still become a reality. In 2000, a design competition was held to "show how you believe the most powerful man or woman on Earth should live and work." One of the winning designs featured a futuristic "tree-fort" where the president could go to escape the inherent pressures of the job. Another included a giant screen outside the new White House where the first family and other dignitaries could have real-time conversations with visitors.

Tips, Tidbits, and Tales
The Unbuilt Washington exhibit has closed, but you can visit the Building Museum's new exhibit simply titled Homes throughout the summer. To see what you will see, click here.

The Jefferson Bible

Thomas Jefferson, the principal designer of the the Declaration of Independence and the 3rd president of the United States, was a man of innovation and experimentation, but he was a man of habit, too. And one of his habits was to engage in 30 to 60 minutes of reading nightly, mostly "of a moral nature." Often, these passages would come from the Bible. But not just any Bible - an  84-page personal Bible Jefferson designed which he called The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth but what has come to be called The Jefferson Bible.

That Bible formed the basis of the recent The Jefferson Bible exhibit at the Smithsonian's American History Museum.

For his bible, which he created in 1820, Jefferson excerpted parts of the 1st four books of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Knowing that any tampering with the Bible would pose problems, Jefferson only made one copy for his personal reading and reflection.  However, it was sold to the Smithsonian in 1895 for $400 by Jefferson's great-granddaughter. Obviously, over the years, the original book began to deteriorate. After a year of intensive conservation, Jefferson's Bible was restored and placed on display as the central focus of the exhibit.

In a letter written to John Adams, Jefferson explained his decision to limit his bible to the 4 gospels. "We must reduce our volume to the simple evangelists, select, even from them, the very words only of Jesus ... There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man."

Jefferson believed that all religion was personal by nature. "No man can conform his faith to the dictates of another," Jefferson wrote in 1776, the same year American became a county.

Jefferson, ever displaying one of the best scientific minds of the Age of Reason, maintained that all should "fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion"

"Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must approve of  the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear," Jefferson added.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
The Smithsonian exhibition on the Jefferson Bible closed on Memorial Day. But you can learn more about the project on-line by clicking here.

Retro Future Visions of Space

Future Highway by Elstabo

In the 20th Century, images of the future were everywhere. The flying cars of The Jetsons. The robot in Lost in Space. The communicators for Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Star Trek crew.

Of course, no one can predict the future with any sense of certainty. Some of the futuristic gadgets  proposed by artists, engineers, and scientists were close. Others missed the mark. We have privately funded space ships but we still don't vacations on the moon or Mars.

Using this idea of unrealized science fiction ideas as a starting point, 15 DC area artists have contributed original work to the latest exhibition at the Artisphere entitled Elevator to the Moon: Retro-Future Visions of Space. The artists drew inspiration from many of the flawed ideas of the last century to create a new vision for the future.

The works are intriguing and thought-provoking. And since art is meant to be experienced, not explained, we will let a sample of the works on display speak for themselves. Look at them and figure out what they are saying about us people and our place in a future still to be.

Monkey Sea by Jared Davis

Valkyrie's Regard by Scott Speck

Rapture Rocakteers by Dana Ellyn

Space Buddies by Matt Sesow

The Thinking Cap or All Your Brain Are Belong Us by Todd Gardne

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
The Artisphere ins Roslyn is a great free facility to take in new art and performance. You can check out its latest offerings by clicking here.

Call It Year 1 in DC

In retirement, a bench is nice ...

This Memorial Day marks a special DC anniversary for us. It doesn't seem possible, but one year ago this weekend we were moving into our Crystal City apartment. That means we have spent a full year living in the DC area.

When we moved to DC, we were sure we would like it. But we didn't realize how quickly that like would turn to love. Washington is the prefect place for us to retire. It is filled with so many of the things we value - art, book talks, history, politics, music, theater, great walking, interesting people, and marvelous food.

We decided we wanted to share this love of place. One way was to create and publish The Prices Do DC blog, where we could document all the things we were doing. Of course, a blog is a learn-as-you-go experience. I decided to spend the month of May redesigning and revamping the blog to make it better. In fact, we have not published an entry since May 15. We thought our 1-year anniversary would be perfect to unveil our new effort so here is the 1st post of our Year 2. (If you are reading this post by email, you can check out the complete revised blog by clicking here).

... no matter where you find yourself

But we wanted to more directly continue the strong ties with family and friends we had established during our 6 decades in South Jersey. That's why we decided to host all our family and friends who wanted to come to DC. Some stayed for 2 days; some for 2 weeks. We enjoyed them all. We hope they don't mind, but as a small sign of how much we value their friendship, we're going to include as list of those who stayed with us.

• Chuck and Lynn Timberman and their grandson Ethan (3 times including New Year's Eve)
• Bob and Marion Spence (2 times)
• Bob's brother Bill and his wife Claudia, who spent their wedding anniversary with us.
• Ronnie and Theresa Fooks
• Brian and Ronni Weinstein
• Jack and Kathy Neff
• Layne Ball and Sandy Morrissey
• Shoshana Osofsky and her husband, Frank
• Jim Boner and his daughter Jells
• our friend from high school Gary Peacock
• our son Michael and daughter-in-law Shannon, who gave us our greatest gift ever in our grandchildren Audrey and Owen.
• our niece Tara, our grand-nephew Devin (congrats on your brand new driving permit) and our 2-year-old niece Kylie.
• our sister-in-law Sandy Knapp and her daughter Anna, who was checking out colleges in the DC area
• and our 1st visitor Kerri Motil, who stayed with us for a week while she engaged in a master's  program at the Hilton just down the street

Then, while they didn't stay with us, we were able to spend some time with friends and familywho were staying in the DC area. They included:

• Don and Sandy Olbrich
• Irv and Esther Marshall
• Bronnie Sewall and John Connolly
• Joe and Pam Garwood 
• our cousin Linda, her daughter Jennifer, and her husband Sam

We also dined with 3 of my former students who are living and working in DC..

• Michael Brooks and his wife Chiquita
• Kate Sheppard and her soon-to-be husband Dean
• Art Sewall and his wife Jen (We also got to attend their wedding in October in Philadelphia and visit their new home in Virginia)

Finally, there were some dinners and other events with 2 long-time friends who live and work in DC

• Bruce McCulley, who went to elementary school with me and marched around the stadium track with Judy and me at our Bridgeton High School 1969 graduation
• Steve Ferrara, who was my roommate at Villanova University.

So year 1 is history. We are convinced that year 2 will be even better. We will continue sharing our experiences with you in this blog. And remember - if you don't live in the DC area and would like to spend time with us, there is a guest room and separate bathroom that we hope will get even more use between now and next Memorial Day.

Tales, Tips, and Tidbits
As I mentioned, we didn't publish much in May because we were redesigning The Prices Do DC blog. But that wasn't the only reason. We spent more than half  the month in none-DC activities.

We traveled to New Orleans for 6 days for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. You can check out  our experiences ion New Orleans by clicking here.

Can you find Judy and I in this Jazz Fest crowd?

Then we flew for a 3-day weekend in rural Indiana for the wedding our our niece Lisa and her husband Tony.

Another Snyder wedding. Congratulations Lisa and Tony

Finally, we spent 6 days in Knoxville so we could attend our 3-year-old grandson Owen's birthday party and then watch Owen and his sister Audrey while their parents went to Atlanta to find a new house for their July move to that city.

Owen at his cowboy-themed birthday party...

... while Audrey celebrates in song

And, oh yeah, in between the traveling, I also had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. Ah, the joys of aging.

New Orleans and All That Jazz

We won't be publishing any posts in The Prices Do DC blog while we spend 6 days in New Orleans attending the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

This is the 2nd weekend of the annual festival. Last week's headliners were The Beach Boys, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

This weekend I am looking forward to seeing Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Iguanas, Bruce Hornsby, Mavis Staples, Ziggy Marley, Steve Earle, My Morning Jacket, Warren Haynes, Herbie Hancock, the Eagles, the Foo Fighters, and Bonnie Raiit.

Then there are New Orleans artists such as the Henry Butler, Ivan Neville's Dumstaphunk, Wayne Toups, Bonearama, Allan Tousaint, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Better Than Ezra, Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffin, Galactic, The Funky Meters, Dr. John and the Neville Brothers.

If we can stay awake we can choose from late night club shows by more than 80 artists including Grace Potter, Soulive, New Birth Brass Band, Trombone Shorty, Rockin' Dopsie, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Let the good times roll and we'll resume our blog posts when we get back to DC.

In Black and White

When it comes to artful photography what you see is not always the whole truth, according to University of Maryland art professor Rene Ater. For such pictures also tell stories and deliver powerful messages beyond just what you see on the surface

Ater appeared at the Smithsonian American Art Museum today to deliver a lecture designed to kick off the museum's new exhibit African-American Art: The Harlem Renaissance, The Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, which features works from 43 black artists.

Entitled Telling Stories, Sending Messages: Insight and Inspiration for African-American Photography in the mid-20th Century, Ater's remarks focused on 3 black and white pictures included in the exhibit. They were:

• "Make a Wish (Bronx Slave Market, 170th Street, New York" (1938) by Robert McNeil
• "Harlem - Gang Warfare" (1948) by Gordon Parks
• "Graduation" (1949) by Roy DeCarava

 In "Make a Wish," McNeil captures 2 black women and 1 black man waiting on a bright, cold morning for someone to choose them for domestic day work. Ater said the picture was part of a series condemning appalling labor conditions in depression era New York City where unemployment for blacks was 50 percent and a day-laborer might make 15 cents an hour.

"You have the dignity of the well-dressed women against the indignity of their working conditions," Ater said. "And then there is irony of the movie poster behind them. What are they wishing for?"

 In 1948, Gordon Parks shot a revealing feature spread in Life magazine about the life and living conditions of Red Jackson (picture above) a young Harlem gang member.

In "Harlem - Gang Warfare", Parks graphically captured Jackson and 5 other African-American young men engaged in a violent night-time gang rumble. Ater said Parks undertook his 4-week chronicle into Jackson's world to show "the limited choices for young people in a world of poverty and discrimination. He wanted it to serve as a window into the toughness of that life."

 In the 1940s, Roy DeCarava shot a series of symbolic pictures "to show the strength, the wisdom, the dignity of the Negro people." In "Graduation," DeCarava captures a young teenager in her gown heading down the debris-strewn streets of Harlem past an empty lot strewed with trash. "There are many questions here," Ater said. "Is this a picture of potential or a condemnation of urban blight? It is a powerful picture."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
If you would like to see the exhibit for yourself, you do have quite a bit of time. It is scheduled to run until Sept. 3

The President's Club

It is clearly the most exclusive club in the free world. Today, it has only 5 members. But those members have a secret clubhouse. And a newsletter. And they share life experiences that only they can truly relate to. Even in old age, they are powerful. In their times, they have been both popular and unpopular. They are the current and former presidents of the United States. They are The Presidents Club.

A few years ago, authors and Time magazine editors Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs began looking into the idea of writing a book about The Presidents Club, an organization former presidents Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman jokingly formed at the presidential inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower in 1953.

Duffy and Gibbs appeared today at the National Archives to discuss their new book appropriately titled  The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity.

"We tend to look at our presidents as individuals, but this idea of a club is something that binds them together," Duffy said.

"The club is much more real than even we thought," Gibbs added.

The interesting give-and-take presentation, accompanied by slides, was divided into 4 segments: power, rivalry, consolation, and protecting the office. The talk was interspersed with well-researched anecdotes and tales compiled by the authors.

When he was president, Harry Truman, despite objections from his party, reached out to former Republican President Herbert Hoover and asked him to help restore war-ravaged Europe. Hoover traveled to 22 countries as part of his mission. Based on that success, the pair decided a club might help incoming presidents and provide a way for former presidents to continue to be of service to their country.

"Fine," Truman reportedly said. "You (Hoover) be the president of the club. And I will be the secretary." Since then, every president has availed himself of both formal and informal help from club members.

For example, Lyndon Johnson turned to former president Eisenhower for counsel many times after he succeeded assassinated President John Kennedy. In fact, Johnson called Eisenhower "the best chief of staff I've got."

The club allows presidents to get to know one another better in informal ways. When then President Ronald Reagan dispatched former presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter on a foreign mission, Ford suggested that the trio just make it "Dick, Jimmy, and Jerry" while on the trip.

Although they were considered psychological and political polar opposites, Nixon and then-president Bill Clinton became "late night pen pals." In fact, Clinton says he re-reads a particularly powerful letter from Nixon every year.

Clinton, upon first meeting with Reagan, asked him how he could be a better president. Reagan warned Clinton that the pressures of the office would be immense and he would need to "go to (presidential retreat) Camp David" as often as he could. Reagan also said that he had noticed that Clinton didn't know how to salute properly. So after demonstrating the proper way, Reagan aided Clinton in practicing saluting until he thought his pupil had mastered it.

The questions incoming presidents ask their counterparts are often similar: How do you run an efficient office? How do you manage your day-to-day schedule? How do you live under the most powerful microscope in the world? How do make hard decisions? How do you avoid agonizing over even the simplest of choices?

And, while all ex-presidents make efforts to help each other, some bonds are greater than others. Obviously, the strongest tie in modern times has been the father-son relationship between the Bushes.

Of course, Duffy and Gibbs said, every club must have its "black sheep." And in the President's Club, that is Jimmy Carter. "Carter has really redefined the genre," Duffy said. "He has created a new position - that of being the ex-president of the United States. If you hand him a script, he pretty much ignores it."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
We are currently witnessing an effect of the Presidents Club. When Barack Obama was opposing  Clinton's wife for the Democratic nomination 4 years ago, Obama and Clinton "fought like ferrets" Duffy said. Now, however, Clinton is becoming a cornerstone of Obama's re-election campaign.

Political Campaigns: What Are the Costs?

This was '72. What is campaigning like today?

Keep your eye on the ball. Take one for the team. Sprint to the finish line. Step up to the plate. Call in the heavy hitters. That's a slam dunk. In recent years, phrases such as these have crossed from the sports pages to the political pages as politicians and writers increasingly use sports metaphors to explain the political process.

But widespread athletic nomenclature, especially portraying political campaigns as sports contests, is troubling to some observers of the political scene such as American University Communications Professor Leonard Steinhorn.

"It frustrates me," Steinhorn says. "This is not a game. Campaigns are really not about entertainment; they are about consequences. They determine our history and our future."

Tonight, Steinhorn moderated a 5-member panel at the National Archives here which discussed the topic Past, Present, and Future of Congressional and Presidential Campaigns. The panel members were:

• Fred Thompson (R), a former Tennessee Senator and candidate for president
• Jim Slattery (D), a former Congressman from Kansas
• Bob Livingston (R), a former Congressman from Louisiana
• Chet Edwards (D), a former Congressman from Texas who was on the short list of running mates for President Barack Obama and
• John Ashford, a political consultant who has worked on more than 200 campaigns around the world.

In their individual remarks, all the panelists agreed that campaigning today is dominated by money and media coverage.

"Today, it's money, money, money," said Livingston, who was the winner in 12 of the 14 campaigns he engaged in before retiring from politics..

Edwards lamented that it is becoming increasingly difficult in a politically polarized America to be viewed as a moderate.

"Moderates are an endangered species, if not an extinct species," Edwards said, noting his belief that compromise is essential in politics and should not be considered a dirty word. "There is no political incentive to come to the middle. In fact, you can sometimes be punished for crossing the aisle."

Ashford, who has led numerous campaigns, said he sees 3 increasing trends in the coming years. First, is the effects of new technology and the internet. "Now there is a record of everything that happens and if it happens it will come out," Ashford said. Then there are the Super PACS with their amazing amounts of money to spend. For example, Ashford said by mid April, $90 million had been spent on the Republican presidential campaign. Ashford also said there is an increasing tendency for more partisan party members to oppose members of the same party, a situation that was virtually unheard of in old-time politics.

Slattery said that he won his first campaign on his 24th birthday by knocking on doors and initially spending $200 on campaign pamphlets. He said he fears "the profound effect on the political process of the fading out of localism" once provided by local newspapers. "People believed what they were reading but that belief of truth is gone,"Slattery said.

Thompson said that while public approval of politicians may be at an all-time low, "there are still a lot of good people that are running for the right reasons."  He also contended that a complete study of U.S political campaigns from the 18th Century to today would show that such campaigns, unseemly as they may seem, are actually "cleaner and more ethical than they have ever been."

"The public still determines outcomes," Thompson said. "Whatever is rewarded is what is going to be done."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Thompson, who is also known for his movie portrayals and his starring role in the long-running TV series Law and Order, showed that he has not lost that Tennessee ability to appreciate down-home wisdom. He said that a political old-timer once told him the best way to be successful in politics is to first "run in a good year" and then "remain 1 step ahead of the undertaker and 2 steps ahead of the sheriff."

New Media Galley New at Newseum

File photo of the Newseum's new HP New Media Gallery

With timed previews for Newseum members, The Newseum tonight unveiled its HP New Media Gallery, an innovative, interactive experience that uses the latest technology to allow visitors to step into a multidimensional social network, demonstrating new media's powerful impact on the news and our world.

"The rapid rise of new media is changing ways that news is generated, reported and absorbed by the public," said Jim Duff, CEO of the Newseum. "The HP New Media Gallery will help Newseum visitors understand, in a fun and engaging way, how social networks and mobile devices have fundamentally altered the journalism landscape."

When visitors first enter the gallery they can stop at the Check-in Area, where they can have their photo taken and answer today's question.

Next are two 11-foot-wide interactive touch walls where visitors can learn about the impact of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Included in this exhibit is the Will.i.am Yes I Can video and the viral Obama girl video from the 2008 Presidential campaign, as well as tweets from the 2008 eatrthquake in China and Facebook postings from the revolution in Egypt last year.

In  the Choose the News section, visitors can peruse news stories in various categories, then using prepared designs, build their own newspaper and publish it to a large display wall.

The Game Zone features motion-tracking technology that allows visitors to use hand gestures to test their knowledge of social media.

The 2,500-square-foot gallery is the first permanent addition to the museum since its grand opening in 2008.   The HP New Media Gallery was made possible with support from the Hewlett-Packard Company.

Tales, Tips, and Tidbits
The HP Gallery opens to the public on April 27. Also that day, the Newseum will launch newmedia.newseum.org, where visitors can download their gallery photos and custom-made news pages, participate in daily polls, and comment on news events as they happen.

The Richer Sex

Rapidly changing economic conditions are combining to cook up a new recipe for just who are the family breadwinners and who are the family bread makers. In what is being called the big flip, women are assuming the top family wage earning position long held by men. Currently, females are bringing in the higher salary in 40 percent of all American families and experts say that figure will exceed 50 percent in less than 20 years.

In her new book, The Richer Sex: How the New Majority of Female Breadwinners Is Transforming Sex, Love and Family, author Liza Mundy examines both the causes and effects of the big flip and today she appeared at the Newseum to discuss her findings.

Mundy believes the change will prove to be beneficial for both women and men. "I try to argue in my book that this is a good thing," Mundy said.

As recently as 150 years, American women couldn't even hold property, meaning that marriage was "really the only path open to a women to be successful economically," Mundy said. Until the 1980s, men dominated the economic picture in almost all families.

However, that picture is changing. Part of the shift is happening because the number of college educated women is growing. Today, women make up 57% of all college students, and, as is noted in studies, college graduates can expect to earn substantially more income. "For women, that payoff is starting to show up in their paychecks," Mundy said.

At the same time, high-paying industrial jobs that were once almost the sole province of males are rapidly disappearing. "Those high paying jobs that you could get with just a high school diploma just aren't there like they used to be," the author said.


However, as with all changes, there are downsides. Some experts claim that men "will fall off the rails if they don't have the pressure to provide." Mundy said new studies show many young men are more directionless these days, showing "to a certain extent this might be true."

And now, this "really super-charged generation of young women" are finding that their higher salaries are creating a new set of problems for them. In dating, for example, many women find they are too intimidating and are overshadowing the men they are meeting. Many underplay their job or simply "laugh and lie and just say we're cosmetologists,"Mundy reported.

In the book, one woman found it difficult to accept some of the conditions that come with role reversals. "It's difficult to be the distant parent," she told Mundy. "When we go to back-to-school nights, he's Danny (to the teachers) and I'm Mrs. Hawkins."

Other women are hesitant to discuss salary discrepancies between their spouses and themselves for fear that they will stigmatize their husbands, Mundy said.

Responding to questions, Mundy said that while the book focuses on the American experience, the big flip appears to be happening in almost all modern countries.  The situation is particularly acute in countries with formalized traditional roles for men and women such as Japan or Spain. In Japan, for example, men who want a traditional Japanese relationship with women are importing wives from less industrialized Asian nations like Vietnam. "It's a genuine crisis for men and women," Mundy said. "Many Japanese women are convinced they will be a single woman for life."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
As any regular reader of this blog knows, we are big fans of the Newseum. And apparently we are not alone. Despite the fact that Washington is filled with free museums and monuments, the Newseum was recently rated 4th best of 212 DC attractions by the popular travel website TripAdvisor. You can check out the Newseum results by clicking here.

Picturing Ronald Reagan

For Pulitzer Prize winning biographer Edmund Morris, it was a 20-second NBC video clip that convinced him he wanted to write a biography of former President Ronald Reagan. The short May, 1985 clip captured an obviously moved Reagan and his wife Nancy visibly shaken in front of a horribly disturbing image of a dead, emaciated Holocaust victim spread-eagle on the ground at the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

"I didn't really find him that interesting until that moment," Morris said. The author spent the next 14 years talking to Reagan and his family, friends, associates, and critics. The result was Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan.

Morris appeared at the Smithsonian American Art Museum today as part of the American Pictures Distinguished Lecture Series, a series which encourages a contemporary writer or artist to unravel the meaning they find behind a single image of an eminent figure of American culture. The series is co-sponsored by Washington College and the National Portrait Gallery.

In his insightful and witty remarks, Morris described his 14-year Reagan project. "The power of that image, it went through me like a knife," Morris said. "All art grows out of a seed of some sort and I like to think of biography as an art."

Admitting to being "speculative," Morris said he believes the Holocaust picture affected Reagan on several levels. First, was the power of the image itself. Then, Reagan often talked about an incident where he found his alcoholic father passed out spread-eagle on the ground in a pose similar to that of the Holocaust victim. Finally, during World War II as an intelligence officer, Reagan had been required to examine stills and footage taken of concentration camps all over Europe. "He looked at all that ghastly footage and it transformed him for life," Morris said. When he left the service, Reagan took some of the film home. He would then show his children when they reached age 14 "to make then understand the atrocities of which human beings were capable."

As a former actor, Reagan was extremely aware of the power of images.  "Images can express things mere words cannot say and he was a creature of the visible culture of the land," Morris said

Morris also showed and discussed several other shots that he believes are important to understanding Reagan both as a person and as a president. For example, he showed a picture of a smiling, engaging President Reagan meeting Princeton University historian Arthur Link. Link, a life-long Democrat, viewed the Republican conservative Reagan as the antichrist. However, with his actor's insights and charisma, Reagan immediately moved to charm the professor. "In about 20 minutes he had Link," said Morris who was present at the meeting. "It was a perfect example of how Reagan deployed his charm."

One picture showed Reagan alone in a car, his reflection in the window also distinctly captured. Morris said that the picture conveyed the 2 sides of Reagan: the warm genial actor/president and the pensive, private person. "I often wondered which of those 2 guys I was writing about," Morris said.

The final picture showed an Illinois lake where, as a teenager and young man, Reagan had spent 7 summers as a lifeguard. During his time there, he was credited with saving 77 lives. After his presidency, as dementia began robbing Reagan of his vitality and his mind, he would point with pride to that picture and describe what it meant to him. "I saved 77 people at that lake," Morris said Reagan would tell visitors. "It was the last coherent sentence he was capable of."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Of course, Morris' biography of Reagan was about a then-living subject. Morris is most known for his definitive 3-part biography of President Teddy Roosevelt and a biography of Beethoven, both of whom were long-deceased subjects. During the question and answer period, Morris was asked if it was  easier to write about a living or a dead subject. Morris said that when an interviewer first asked him that question years ago, he didn't really have an answer. However, he wife Sylvia, who had been listening in another room, immediately shouted out, "dead is easier." "She was absolutely right," Morris said, acknowledging the laughter of his wife who was in the audience. "It's really better if they're not here."

From CD to DC to You - RIP: Levon Helm - The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (11 25 1976)

The Titanic at 100

Examining a photo of the Titanic wreckage

Exactly a century ago yesterday, the Titanic sunk, taking the ship and almost 1,500 passengers to a watery grave 2-and-a-half miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. But, today, 100 years later, great fascination with the fate of the supposedly unsinkable vessel continues. In fact, there is a contention that after God and Coca Cola, Titanic is the 3rd most recognized title around the world.

Today, a panel of 3 Titanic experts, 2 of whom have actually visited the ocean-bottom wreckage site, appeared at an Inside Media edition at the Newseum to discuss why the event and its aftermath continue to hold such importance.

"I think it's funny that  after 100 years we can still say we are learning about the Titanic," said James Delgado, the first archeologist to dive to the ship and the chief scientist for the most recent mapping of the Titanic site. "It's not just about history, it's about science, it's about culture, it's about underwater archeology."

"The sea really is the final frontier," Delgado added. "We know more about the surface of the moon and Mars than we do about the deep."

Captain Craig McClean, who led a mission in 2004 to study the site, said that viewing the site first-hand is "awe inspiring and almost magical."

Looking out at the sunken ship through a tiny portal in a cramped diving submarine is "like describing the high school you went to at night in the rain with a flashlight," McLean said. "It's like a ghost town."

A boot from an  unknown victim rests on the ocean bottom

Near the ship are vivid reminders of the human cost of the tragedy. A boot.  A piece of luggage. "These are little time capsules that give voice to those people who are forever silenced in those cold waters," Delgado said.

The site was first discovered in 1985. Since then there have been a dozen scientific expedition to the site, each one made more significant with technological improvements. For example, as recently as 2004, human divers could only spend 10 hours at the site before being brought back to the surface. Today, using robotics, that time for up-close study has been increased to more than 3 days. Scientists are not only learning about the ship, but also about a new environment. For example, there is a previously undiscovered bacteria that is literally eating the ship and makes the bow and stern sections appear that they are covered in "rusticles."

Perhaps the most disturbing finding is the fact that divers have discovered modern debris dumped from passing vessels at the Titanic site. The panel showed a video picture of a beer can. Plastic waste has also been discovered. "Why would you throw garbage away at the site? In fact, why would you throw garbage into the ocean at all?" Delgado said. "It's another reminder to keep care of all our planet. Those plastic cups could be there long after the Titanic has rusted completely away."

Ole Varmer, the 3rd member of the panel, is an attorney who has been actively overseeing the legal aspects of the Titanic site and any salvage efforts. To date, about 5,500 artifacts from the Titanic have been brought to the surface, a figure that represents about 1% of 1% of what is actually there.

Varmer said international maritime legal efforts have been put in place to make certain that the artifacts are only used for scientific study or museum exhibitions. The law specifies that the site itself is considered an underwater memorial to the massive tragedy. McClean said the Titanic legal experience is providing "the rule of how we can manage deep sea history."

"The Titanic really belongs to no one and it belongs to everyone," McClean said

Delgado agreed. "It's not a book. It's not a movie. It's the place where it happened," he said. "The journey ... the discovery continue."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Although today marked the actual 100th anniversary of the sinking, the Titanic story continues to unfold here in Washington. The Newseum is temporarily displaying actual front pages describing the tragedy in its front-page display cases outside the facility. Nearby, the National Archives has its own display of Titanic-related items. And the National Geographic Museum here is featuring an exhibition on the Titanic that will run until July 8.