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Showing posts from 2012

Inside Job

I watched Inside Job   this afternoon. Charles Ferguson and his team were extremely effective in telling the story of the 2008 meltdown that has led to one of the largest recessions the U.S. has ever faced. Narrated by Matt Damon, illustrated by helpful graphics and epic helicopter shots, and provocative interview moments, this film has severely influenced the way I understand the world. Perhaps the film was so effective because of the obvious scrutiny and attention given in the research of the topic. There was some amazing CSPAN footage, assorted facts, testimony, and actual video footage of things that are hard to believe. Having Damon's voice delivering all of this also had an effect on me since it is one I have come to trust and respect from watching his fiction films. I have heard similar stories about the meltdown from other sources such as This American Life  and Freakanomics, and have struggled with all the vocabulary and terms. I still had a difficult time with the jargo

Add it to the list: On The Media

                        I started listening to a podcast produced by WNYC and distributed by NPR called On the Media (OTM) after hearing about it in class at the beginning of the semester. I listened to three episodes and have been impressed by the nature and topics discussed in the program. Indeed, on the "About" page of the website it states: " OTM tackles sticky issues with a frankness and transparency that has built trust with listeners and led to more than a tripling of its audience in five years".  The topics discussed on the shows I have listened to thus far are deep issues such as the nature of facts, bias in the media (and particularly NPR), and the role of new technology in the life and career of the average reporter. What OTM does is takes topics such as these and examines them in a way that feels very accessible and open, as opposed to using lofty language and high jargon chatting guests.             In the most recent episode I li

O.T.: Our Town

                        This evening I watched O.T.: Our Town , a documentary about high school students in Compton putting on Wilder's classic play at an institution where no drama event has been held in over 20 years.    A few things stood out to me about the film including the excellent characters, the unique commentary on the human condition, and the filmmaker's ability to raise the stakes.             The students and teachers that are pictured in O.T. were very dynamic and interesting. I appreciate the filmmakers avoiding trying to classify each student into a group such as  "jocks" or a "nerds".  Instead a very honest and genuine portrait was captured as the filmmakers followed individual students into their homes and interacted with their family and friends. The insight and voice of the students themselves made this film worth watching, and that aspect is something no narrator could offer.             Though near the end of t

Week 12: Valle Forge & Philadelphia

We had another awesome trip this weekend. This time to Valley Forge and Philly. I am obsessed with blossoms I guess. It was pretty great to see the place where the constitution and the declaration were signed. In the Medal of Honor memorial area there were these really awesome little yellow flowers everywhere. I think I took too many pictures of nature - where are the people anyway?

Week 11:Blossoms are Here

This was a grand week and though there was some early fog (see pic below) we have had some amazing sites of the beautiful blossoms here in the nation's capital. We enjoyed some time at a view films for the Environmental Film Festival that comes to DC each year and feel we need to treat the resources God has given us with a little better attention. We also went to Mt. Vernon and felt pretty inspired by George Washington and his amazing life and accomplishments. This is a shot of the kitchen area - the mansion is just off to the left of this picture. The blossoms are amazing. This shot is near Georgetown and I hope you can feel a small sense of the awe I have every time I see one of these trees. Next week is Philadelphia ! That should be lots of fun.

Week 10: Gettysburg

Another grand week! We had the amazing chance to go see Gettysburg with the class yesterday. A tour guide boarded our bus and told all sorts of interesting things. In the background is little and big round top - and the area in which some of the largest carnage in American history occurred . Supposedly, here on little round top, if you touch the statue's nose you get good luck. Kassie was filled with instant joy when her finger connected with the special thing (as can be noticed from her expression of supreme bliss). The Civil War is something that seems to stay with us as the years go by. I was very touched by it all - and it was amazing to hear that in the three days of battle here, more Americans died than in the 15 years of Vietnam. This is the view from little round top of Devil's Den (or the slaughter pen as it is called). Little and big round top again.

Week 9: Cathedral Time

This week we decided to go to the National Cathedral. It is an amazing building and very inspiring. It took 83 years to build, and is going under construction right now because of the earth quake. However, it still looks amazing! The Gothic architecture is always encouraging you to look up, which I thought was pretty neat. The sheer size of it all was overwhelming. It was interesting to find out that Woodrow Wilson's tomb is in this Cathedral too. We tried to catch a performance at the Kennedy center in the evening, but we were to late and it was all full. However the deck by the Potomac was beautiful and it really started feeling like spring. I like the picture below but Kas says she looks like she is 16 and I am 18. While that is true . . . is that a bad thing? Ha ha It was a stunning and beautiful evening, and we had a great view of Alexandria across the river. I am almost glad we missed the performance so we could walk around in the beautiful evening and I could snap some pic

Week 8: Oscars and Conference

We had a great week of good things. Stake Conference was amazing and very inspiring. We learned about the importance of modern prophets, the Disney song "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins, and the divine nature of womanhood. We had a great President's day, and went to the Library of Congress' reading room. I snapped some pictures, and as always some are of Kassie while she waits for me to finish shooting. Here is another shot of the Barlow Center. We are on the top floor on the right. This is where I get off each morning from the bus. I walk through the smokey hallway of Union Station to the Thurgood Marshall building which is on the far end. We went for a walk today. It was very nice compared to recent days and the sun was pretty strong. It is nice to see what our running path looks like in the day time! It was with great joy we went to the National Archives and watched the Academy Award Nominated Short Films for 2012. See all the titles and info go here . I enjoyed

Week 7: Birthday and more second time around

February, as it turns out - is really a very festive month for our small family. Particularly between the 7th and the 16th. We had a fun Valentine's Day and enjoyed the kind cards from good folks. Kassie's birthday was great - though she was a wee bit sick. She got some new scriptures with her full name inscribed on them! Wahoo! Flowers and cards dot our little table that sits by our little everything else. As I said - things are festive and we are grateful for such caring family and friends. We went to the Holocaust Museum yesterday, and if Kas is feeling alright we will probably go see the reading room in the Library of Congress tomorrow, or if the weather is nice enough we will go to old town Alexandria. We saw the Vietnam wall, and walked home on the path that we normally go running on in the morning. There is a nice view of the old bridge and the Potomac. Things are going well - though I hope Kas gets feeling better soon. We love you all!

Week 6: Birthday and more

Perhaps the greatest thing about my birthday - was the simple and satisfying eclair cake made by my wonderful wife! Mmmmmm! This was a great week - and though it has gotten a bit colder it is still a much warmer, calmer, and dryer winter than we would be having in UT so we are grateful. On Saturday we went inside the White House! We weren't allowed to bring a single thing so I have no picture evidence. It was a neat experience and one that was (maybe) worth the wait! After the White House tour and some lunch we went to the Native American Smithsonian. It was perhaps one of our favorites thus far. Kassie actually looks like one of the natives! It was my birthday this week - and Kassie thoughtfully purchased a 2 Terabyte hard drive! Wahoo! Now we have no worries about backing up everything. It was a great birthday present, and I has/am super grateful.

Week 5: History & Stuff

The weeks are really starting to fly by as we have grown more accustomed to the fast-paced lifestyle of the inner city. On Saturday morning we had an excellent breakfast at a French bakery but I had unfortunately forgotten to bring an SD card for my camera so there is no picture evidence of the trip. The memory of it will live forever I am sure. So as we often do, we looked at the map and made a plan. We went to the American History Smithsonian and saw all sorts of neat things. We saw Judy Garland's original ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz as well as the original Muppets. There were many other things like Michelle Obama's dress, Abe Lincoln's hat, FDR's glasses, and Washington's shoulder thingies. Also the flag that inspired Mr. Keys to write our national anthem was on display there - which was pretty remarkable. I am homesick. . . or whatever. One display they have at this Smithsonian is one gown from the first lady all the way back to one of th

Week 4: Temple trip and more

This was my first week of working Monday through Thursday and it went very well. I am working on a project focused on introverts. I encourage everyone to check out the book I am reading to better understand the topic. It is really quite fascinating as I realize that being an introvert is not a bad thing at all. Simply it is the distortion of our culture that makes it appear so. Kassie got a job working with the National Association of Manufacturers and started that on Friday. We are still able to go on our Saturday adventures however, and this Saturday was no different. We started out by going to Ford's Theater and saw a really neat museum with all sorts of artifacts of Abraham Lincoln's and John Wilkes Booth. It was pretty crazy to be there, the exact place where that tragic event occurred. We walked there and we walked back, giving our legs and everything else a pretty good work out. After some lunch and resting we geared up, met with the Lymans (another couple that is here)

DC: Week 3

This was a busy week for touring! MLK day was a fun adventure for us in that we hit the National Museum of Natural History, the National Aquarium, the Jefferson Monument, the FDR Monument, the new MLK monument and . . . saw Mission Impossible 4 on the Smithsonian IMAX theater! It was a great holiday and a neat time to be in DC. When we go to the Mall we have found it is the fastest to just walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. Each time we walk by the President's house. Yesterday there was a Catholic group saying "Hail Mary" at the fence over and over, and later a group of protesters with Syrian flags and pictures of Hitler. Pretty interesting house guest I reckon. I really love the Washington Monument. We learned this week that each state donated a stone to the statue, and Utah's has inscribed on it "Holiness to the Lord" with a picture of a beehive. I think that is fitting to describe Washington and all he has done for this country. I had never seen pictures of t

The DC adventure: part 2

It is hard to imagine that we are already half way through January, and though things just got started here we only have 3 months left in Washington DC. This week I started my internship, became more aware of the transportation system here, and saw some amazing things with my beautiful wife! While waiting at the Metro stops, it is hard for me to not think of scenes from The Matrix or Batman Begins because really I feel like I am right in the middle of it all. Call it a wacky imagination, maturation in progress, or simply creative thinking but that is my world. Though the Metro is more expensive, I like how quickly you can get on and off. I take the bus to work each morning, and there is much more stop-and-go. But when something costs only a dollar - every time, there really isn't much of a decision making process required. We toured the capital this week. The massive stone structure is something that is hard fro me to tear my eyes away from. The magnificence of the thing, as well