Concert at the Naval Memorial- Top Five Coolest Things I have ever done in D.C.!

Last night I was delighted to have the honor to attend the weekly Tuesday night concert series with Lt. Andrew Baldwin at the Naval Memorial on Pennsylvania Ave. I tagged along having no idea what a show I was going to have the privilege of observing- it was truly phenomenal!!

I cannot put a finger on what exactly was my favorite part, the Mo-town band who shook so much Shakira would be jealous; the drill team with their amazing discipline and coordination; or the rendition of Hair Spray that had me out of my seat, dancing (forgetting that I could be embarrassing the Doc.). I honestly opine I have never been so awestruck by such tremendous talent as that which I was privileged to witness last night.

The memorial itself is one of my favorites- the statue of the Lone Soldier watching over the world just resonates a sense of safety and peace of mind. Words don't do justice in describing how proud I was to be a citizen of the United States, as when the Old Glory song rang beyond the roof tops down Pennsylvania Ave.

I highly recommend checking out the memorial as well as the exhibits, which features, "Navy Medicine: Saving Lives on Land and Sea", the reason Lt. Baldwin was asked to give the opening remarks. There is also an incredible LED TV that is just gigantic- perfect to rent out for any upcoming event! I know I was half tempted to crawl into one of the comfy seats and watch Pearl Harbor! I'll be back... Hope you can join!

Special thanks to Miss Liza Zusman for the photos!!

Enlighted while dining at the Embassy of Morocco

Tuesday night I was quite honored to attend an intimate dinner through YPFP at the Embassy of Morocco hosted by the divine leader, Ambassador Aziz Mekouar. The enlightening evening filled with phenomenal cuisine and delightful discussion, hit a turning point as the Ambassador indulged me with facts that made understand why Americans are perceived to be so deft.

Perhaps one could blame the media, but I always considered the Middle East to be one of the most violent places in the world. I was fascinated to learn that Pakistan actually has the least amount of homicides per year per 100,000 residents. Obviously there can be false reporting, but I opine that I would not be alone in my assumptions that were so readily cut down by the information below or found here:

Note that Pakistan has the lowest murder rate listed. Raises an eye brow or two...

Get your tickets TODAY for the YPFP Fundraiser on Friday!

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN FOREIGN POLICY and Steven Andronico * Philipp Bleek * Anne Brady * David Burd * Samantha Dredge * Saul Garlick * Fletcher Gill * Rachel Hoff * Katherine Kennedy * Jennie Kim * Tim Lim * Chandler Lockhart * Tom Manatos * Joshua Marcuse * Elena McGovern * Kate Michael * Sean Oh * Victoria Palomo * Sergio Rodriguera * Tom Snedeker * Kristen Soltis * Pamela Lynne Sorensen * Elizabeth Sullivan * Margaret White * Melissa Wisner

cordially invite you to attend Affairs of State:

The First Annual YPFP Date Auction & Concert on Friday, June 20th from 8:30 pm - 2:00 am at the historic City Tavern Club, located at 3206 M Street, NW.

The event features:- Live Auction of YPFP's Most Eligible Members and Guests - Concert by SICK FEED - Silent Auction of Lunches with Foreign Policy Leaders- Open Bar 8:30 - 9:30 - Drink Specials all night- 300 Drink GiveawaysBuy your tickets in advance to by-pass the line at the door:http://www.ypfp.org-a.googlepages.com/affairsofstate Admission $35 in advance$40 at the doorMust be 21 to attend

Dress to impress (no flip-flops, t-shirts, sneakers, or caps)

Young Professionals for McCain Event

Please join Senator McCain and many fellow Young Professionals in D.C. on June 9. The base contribution is $100 for attendance. To reserve your spot today, please download and fax/mail this online form: www.gideonlett.com/AviatorsEvent1.pdf

Time and Place
Date: Monday, June 9, 2008
Time: 5:30pm - 8:00pm
101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC

Young Professionals in Foreign Poilicy Date Auction at CTC

Friday June 20th, 2008
8:30 pm - 2:00 am
City Tavern Club (3206 M St NW)
$35/online $40/door
Buy Tickets!
(must be 21)Young Professionals in Foreign Policy AND

Steven Andronico * Philipp Bleek * Anne Brady * David Burd * Samantha Dredge * Saul Garlick * Fletcher Gill * Rachel Hoff * Katherine Kennedy * Jennie Kim * Tim Lim * Chandler Lockhart * Tom Manatos * Joshua Marcuse * Elena McGovern * Kate Michael * Sean Oh * Victoria Palomo * Sergio Rodriguera * Tom Snedeker * Kristen Soltis * Pamela Lynne Sorensen * Elizabeth Sullivan * Margaret White * Melissa Wisner

cordially invite you to attend Affairs of State: The First Annual YPFP Date Auction & Concert on Friday, June 20th from 8:30 pm - 2:00 am at the historic City Tavern Club, located at 3206 M Street, NW. The event features:- Live Auction of YPFP's Most Eligible Members and Guests - Concert by SICK FEED - Silent Auction of Lunches with Foreign Policy Leaders- Open Bar 8:30 - 9:30 - Drink Specials all night- 300 Drink GiveawaysBUY TICKETS$35 online $40 at the door
Must be 21 to attend

Dress to impress

Occupying the entire City Tavern Club in the heart of Georgetown, this event marks the third of YPFP's major fundraising events this year and is an event not to be missed this summer. Your admission fee will go to support YPFP's public service programs such as the Refugee Assistance Program and YPFP in the Classroom, as well as general programming for our 2,000+ members. Visit the website to nominate your friends, yourself, and your secret YPFP crushes to be auctioned. *** We'll start posting profiles and pictures of the dates on our website next week! ***

Club Relaford- Check it out!

Club Relaford was started by one of my dearest grad school classmates from Georgetown University, Todd Williamson. Their monthly newsletter is filled with unique insights and opinions regarding the political sphere we are so imbedded in living in the Nation's heart. Check it out!

Politikini: Disturbing but brilliant

Kudos to Politikini for giving me nightmares tonight. Made in the USA, Politikini offers crystal encrusted bikinis with your Presidential hopefuls name on the rear... a solid way to "get behind your favorite candidate" for just $49! Maybe we should change the "grassroots" movement to beach bum stride of pride. Although the picture above shows McCain, I couldn't actually purchase one- only Obama and Clinton. Kind of disappointing! After what we did with the FFP bikini, imagine what we could do with this!

Now, who do you think has the hottest supporters? Obama, McCain or Clinton? TBD

Sun, Moon, Star: 3 Windows @ the Embassy of Japan

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 17th, head on over to the Embassy of Japan to see Osaka Born DC artist Shinji Turner-Yamamamoto's 3 Window's exhibit, orgainzed by the Japanese Information and Cultural Center. The reception will be from 6:30-9pm and is free for those who RSVP to the Embassy at 202.238.6949. Come celebrate 100 years of relations between the United States and Japan and view the Embassy's tea house and garden!

Re-Cap: Mazu Asia Grand Opening

We were honored to attend the Grand Opening of Mazu Asia on Friday night surrounded by some fabulous people dining on scallop skewers, roasted duck rolls, and Singha beer! Even Mayor Fenty seemed to enjoy himself at the new restaurant located downtown at 1100 New York Ave NW. The atmosphere was amazing but of course we enjoyed the swag bags the most- packed with hats, polo shirts, date books, key chains, and more!

President Lincoln's Cottage now Open!

Although D.C. is a town where it is near impossible to run out of historical places to check out, I've got a new one to add to your to-do list! President Lincoln's cottage is now open for the first time for tours- this is where the Presidential family resided during the Civil War from June to November from 1962-1964. President Lincoln's Cottage is located on the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) campus in Washington, D.C. The entrance to the AFRH campus is the Eagle Gate at Rock Creek Church Road NW and Upshur Street NW, 20011

White House Easter Egg Roll

From 8am-2pm today on the South Lawn of the White House! If you missed getting tickets to the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House, you can still check it out online in live, streaming video! I have to admit it is rather adorable... ;-)

Book Reviews!!

Okay so I am a self-proclaimed nerd (between going to Space Camp, being President of the Stock Market Club, and never leaving home without Sudoku, maybe its a well-known fact.)


This weekend I delved into three topics always on the mind- going green, making the green, and the action that happens on the green... Okay maybe it was the Green Beer?!

1. Green Chic by Christie Matheson $12.95


Gives tips on staying chic while being eco-friendly... from planning an eco-friendly wedding to the little things you can do that make a big difference! Actually spoke with a friend of hers who recommended the book. A lot of basic things you probably already know, but is written with tongue-in-cheek humor and is just delightful! (Oh, and it is printed on recycled paper!)





2. Ugly Americans by Ben Mezrich


I love Ben Mezrich because he writes Non-fiction like fiction. So readable yet with tons and tons of information. I felt he really shows the characters evolve as they become privy to new information. None of the characters are flat, which often happens in books such as these. He did his research- that's apparent. In light of the market this week, I would suggest checking out this quick read!





3. How Soccer Explains the World by Frank Foer $13.95


The title is very assuming, but in my opinion Frank Foer touches on some great aspects regarding nationalism, race, globalization, etc. as he uses the world's most popular sport to illustrate his thesis. I never really witnessed hooligans in MLS soccer apart from the Chivas fans throwing smoke bombs into the goal so the goalie couldn't see. In London, at my first EPL game of Fulham vs. Man City, I was astonished when hooligans threw their lit cigarettes at the police officers on horseback, causing the horses to literally go insane and knock fans all over the place, stomping them as the officers lost control. On top of that, our car was almost over turned as we were with Fulham and the pudgy, pasty Man City fans thought it was appropriate to show us their derrieres in the 20 degree weather. Yuck! Foer describes the unimaginable, delineating calculated hooligans who dressed up in opposing teams jerseys, befriending them and luring them into their cars after the game, and then beating them to death. He talks about the racial divide as well as religious divides in soccer. He looks at Pele's conversion to Capitalism. Whether or not you are a sports fan, I encourage you to pick up this illustrative account of how the world can be understood through athletic rationality.

Francophonie Festival DC 2008

Check out the Francophonie Festival at the French Embassy this Friday night, March 14th from 7-11pm. The Embassy is located at 4101 Reservoir Road, N.W. with food and music from 35 countries! More than 35 embassies, governments and associations present their respective cultures and shed light on the rich traditions and culinary specialties of the French speaking world.The regular tickets are sold out, but for $50 you can still purchase a benefactor ticket!

China's fleet left its Heart in San Francisco?

A friend of mine was telling me about this book, "1421 The Year China Discovered America", Tuesday night at Blue Duck Tavern while watching the results. Immediately intrigued, Wednesday morning I rushed over to Barnes and Nobles to scoop a copy and see what the hype was about.

In the 650 page book, Gavin Menzies rewrites the modern understanding of history, explaining how a Chinese fleet actually discovered America long before Columbus set sail. I won't give too much away but I do suggest picking up a copy this weekend and discovering the incredible journey that seems like a fictitious movie plot, but is backed up with fascinating historical evidence ranging from maps perfectly delineated proving that the Chinese fleet had circumnavigated the globe a century earlier than Magellan to numerous other factoids I will let you discover yourself!

Oh, and yes, I did order a copy of the PBS special. Nerd.

Bag that great idea!

"Vancouver’s Commercial Drive Business Society prints 256 32” x 60” nylon street every year banners to create a bright and colourful atmosphere for the unique shopping neighbourhood. Eventually each edition of these unique designs must be retired and taken down. The VCDBS has come up with a great green idea — transform them into reusable nylon shopping bags. The shopping bags have nice, long handles so you can conveniently carry them on your shoulder. They are available in 2 sizes ($9.95 & $14.95) and ten different colours. Proceeds from the sale of the shopping bags are donated to the development of new green spaces in the neighbourhood.

By the simple act of converting two years worth of old banners rather than using new nylon fabric, this neighbourhood has avoided 7,059 pounds or 3.53 tons of CO2 emissions, avoided sending 128 kg (281.6 lb) of nylon to the landfill, saved 25,456,640 BTUs of energy – enough to provide electricity to an average Vancouver home for over 10 months, freed up 543 trees to capture and store CO2 from other sources for a full year, and collected donations to help the environment! "

Saw this posting on Trendhunter.com... Kudos to the VCDBS!!!

Sidenote: California recently passed legislation that insists upon Grocers to only use bio-degradable bags, inviting shoppers to bring their own re-usable toteor use paper bags! No more plastic!

Sidenote part deux: In many European cities, you are charged 1 euro to use a bag... which adds up and compels shoppers to bring their own!

Re-Cap: Innocents at Risk Benefit @ Embassy of Mexico

Breaking any rules of decorum, I am the girl who always likes to show up first- or in the case of yesterday, early. (Not to mention left last, what can I say, it was a great event!)

So I thought the event started at 6 (actually 6:30) yet my 6:05 pm arrival was greeted with raised eyebrows until I befriended the Mariachi Band and the server with tequila. Deborah Sigmund invited me to the emotionally taxing event hosted at the Embassy of Mexico's Cultural Center (Tiffany and I both agreed that the Organ Room would be the most idyllic of places to be wed). Although we were about 20 years junior to the other supporters (ranging from Ambassadors, Military personalities, Ricky Martin's staff), the cause had inspired all sorts of individuals to gather together to stop the trafficking of young souls across our borders.

Six years of Jesuit education combined with "Catholic Guilt" stemming from wearing the St. Someone's plaid from preschool through Graduate school, I had to jump at any opportunity to get involved. I remember first learning about child trafficking in a social justice class freshmen year of high school taught by Mr. Daniels. He spoke with conviction as he reminded us that we were lucky to be sitting in that classroom, that millions of children our age were being sold... by the hour.

Anyone who knows my political beliefs understands that I believe emphatically in the power of diplomacy to change the world, as opposed to bureaucratic political processes within the set system. The group of dedicated patrons for Innocents at Risk inspired me to want to get involved further. The 7 minute video was only the icing on the cake, I had no idea that the Canadian government has opened up their borders for health care and citizenship to any victim of trafficking, providing them with a fresh start towards a better life. Seeing our borders work together instills hope that this form of cruelty may be punished. It is happening here. In D.C. In our backyards. I truly believe the power of knowledge opens the door for opportunity. Watch me leap through that door today to save even just one life. Join me.

Spanish Wine Dinner at Teatro with D.C. Magazine

I cannot imagine a more perfect evening than one with good friends, food, and wine.

Teatro Goldoni served up the most delectable pairings from duck ham to divine lamb chops to mint sorbet with berries, all complimenting the rich flavors of the six wines Bacchus Importers shared. Words don't provide justice in illustrating how well the food paired with the wines chosen, exceptional cuisine with a Spanish flair coming from a traditionally Italian restaurant. The presentation of the food was just as enviable as the erupting flavors each bite provided.

The educational experience was made far enjoyable by my newly found awareness of the delicious textures, tastes, and aromas we learned to pick up from each different type of Spanish wine. The company I in, from my very best girlfriends old and new, the Ambassadors of Nicaragua and Afghanistan, and of course Michael and Tony- could not be beat.

The six wines that teased our taste buds included:

1. Bodegas Palacios Remondo, Placet, Rioja, 2006

2. Cellar Laurona, Montsant, 2002 (our tables favorite!)

3. Hermanos Sastre Crainza, Ribera del Duero, 2003

4. Bodegas Comenge Crianza, Ribera del Duero, 2004

5. Bodegas Marques de Caceres Gran Reserva, 2000

6. Emilio Lustau, San Emilio, Solera Reserva, Jerez, Non-vintage

Although I grew up on a small, family owned vineyard, I had never had a real discerning taste for wine, especially reds. As I told the sommelier last night, I may be guilty of having complained that many red wines taste like "rubber bands". Not really sure why I have tasted rubber bands, but needless to say on the rubber band scale, these wines were amazing, I enjoyed every last sip... and then some!

Thank you to everyone who made the evening PERFECT!

KFClinton

Stole this from LNS.

Hillary Special:

Two Fat Thighs with small breasts and a Left Wing!

Classic.